Main stories in Wednesday's 0745 ABC news

AAP General News (Australia)
02-02-2011
Main stories in Wednesday's 0745 ABC news

SYDNEY, Feb 2 AAP - Main stories in Wednesday's 0745 ABC news:

- Severe tropical Cyclone Yasi has been upgraded to a Category Five system as it heads
toward the Queensland coast.

- Senior forecaster Gordon Banks says the Cyclone Yasi system still has a long way
to travel before it hits the coast, but it could intensify yet.

- Thousands of residents in low-lying areas of Cairns have evacuated before the onset
of Cyclone Yasi.

- The Charters Towers regional mayor Ben Callcott says residents there have been nailing
down roofs, stocking up on supplies and preparing for the worst as Cyclone Yasi heads
their way.

- Thousands of travellers left Cairns and Hamilton Island on extra flights overnight.

- Hundreds of thousands of people have flooded into central Cairo demanding the resignation
of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

- Tens of thousands of protesters have also staged a peaceful protest in Egypt's second-largest
city of Alexandria.

- Opposition groups in Egypt say they are not prepared to start negotiations with the
government until president Hosni Mubarak steps down.

- The federal government has chartered a second flight to evacuate Australians from
Egypt and says its willing to provide more services if needed.

- A military analyst says the federal government's decision to decommission one navy
ship and delay the return of another will restrict the defence force's activities in the
Asia Pacific region.

- Australia's swimming champion Ian Thorpe is expected to announce on Thursday that
he will make a return to professional competition.



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KEYWORD: MONITOR 0745 ABC SYDNEY

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