AAP National News Wire Round Up for Evening, Feb 10

AAP General News (Australia)
02-10-2001
AAP National News Wire Round Up for Evening, Feb 10
EVENING ROUND-UP: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630


POLLWA OPEN (PERTH)

Western Australians are voting in the first of a series of elections nationally this year.

The Western Australian poll, that looks certain to be decided on preferences, will
be the closest electoral race in years, and a final result may not emerge until next week.

The coalition under Premier RICHARD COURT and Labor, headed by GEOFF GALLOP, made their
final pleas for votes this morning.

As booths opened around the state, a Newspoll in today's Australian newspaper showed
the coalition at 50.5 per cent and Labor at 49.5 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.

Meanwhile, Federal Labor leader KIM BEAZLEY alleges the West Australian Liberal Party
has been handing out bogus One Nation how-to-vote cards.

He says the move is a desperate grab for preferences in the state's election.



COALITION (MELBOURNE)

Victoria's former conservative coalition partners will be slugging it out against each
other in the next state election, and the ALP government can't belive its luck.

Local Government minister BOB CAMERON says a divided vote has never hurt tham in the past.

State Opposition and Liberal Party leader DENIS NAPTHINE announced today there'll be
a Liberal candidate in every Victorian seat at the next state election.

After the coalition's massive defeat at the last state election, the Liberals and the
Nationals dissolved their coalition partnership.



POLLQLD (BRISBANE)

Queensland Premier PETER BEATTIE and Opposition Leader ROB BORBIDGE were at opposite
ends of the state today talking up tourism and racing and trading blows over fuel prices.

Mr BEATTIE, campaigning in the north Queensland tourism towns of Airlie Beach and Proserpine,
has announced swimming hero IAN THORPE will attend this year's Goodwill Games in Brisbane.

Mr BEATTIE has also launched a petition, during a day of action against higher petrol
prices, calling on Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD to rescind the February 1 fuel excise rise.

Mr BORBIDGE is in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, to launch a $15 million package to help
the ailing Queensland racing industry.



US SUB (HONOLULU)

A US Navy nuclear attack submarine has collided with a Japanese fishing trawler carrying
35 people as the submarine surfaced near Hawaii.

The navy says the trawler quickly sank.

In Honolulu, the Coast Guard says rescue crews are working hard to locate nine people
missing from the Japanese fishing vessel.



ROADS HOWARD (CANBERRA)

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD continues to deny the government has shortchanged Australian
motorists on funding for roads.

A report by the Auditor General has found a $2.9 billion shortfall in road funding
with just 3.1 cents a litre of fuel excise being spent on roads rather than the 4.95 cents
a litre set out in law.

However, Mr HOWARD has told a Liberal Party conference in northern Victoria was no
underspending in road funding.

He says the issue is essentially an an accountant's argument about classification rather
than a case of the government shortchanging the motorists of Australia.



MIDEAST (JERUSALEM)

A United Nations team will today begin an investigation into human rights violations
in the occupied territories during the Palestinian uprising.

However, Israel has reiterated it won't cooperate with the week-long inquiry.

The UN mission is due to begin its field work in Gaza before heading on to Jerusalem
and West Bank sites.

Meanwhile, gunfights in the occupied territories continue to rage.



US BUSH PENTAGON (WASHINGTON)

US President GEORGE BUSH will order an in-depth review of the US nuclear arsenal as
a first step toward making the unilateral weapons cuts he promised during his campaign.

The White House says directives on reviewing US nuclear deterrence, improving the quality
of life in the armed services and the structure of the military are at the staff level,
and could be signed by BUSH as early as today.

The US has more than 7,000 nuclear warheads, but the new review could lead to unilateral
cuts to as few as 2,000.


JAPAN HOSTESS (TOKYO)

Tokyo police investigating the disappearance of British bar hostess LUCIE BLACKMAN
are performing an autopsy to check if a dismembered body they discovered the previous
day is hers.

But police decline to offer any further details.

A forensic expert says it could take weeks to identify the body.

Police say they found the scattered remains in eight pieces early yesterday in a cave
on a beach at the town of Misaki, at the mouth of Tokyo Bay about 50 kilometres south
of Tokyo.

The spot is some 200 metres from one of the condominiums owned by 48-year-old Tokyo
property developer JOJI OBARA, who has been charged with six counts of rape.



INDON VOLCANO (JAKARTA)

Several villages near Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano in central Java have been ordered
to evacuate, after the mountain shot sand and smoke across a wide area.

No casualties have been reported despite lava flows spreading 6.5 kilometres from the mountain.



KASHMIR ATTACK (SRINIGAR)

Indian commandos have re-gained control of the main police station in the Kashmiri
city of Srinigar after Muslim guerrillas overran it yesterday.

Army troops launched an assault on the compound and secured the main control room where
a number of policemen were hiding from the militants.

But the military says the commandos have found none of the guerrillas.

A senior police official says the bodies of nine policemen were recovered as the commandos
moved on in their search for guerrillas.



WOOMERA (ADELAIDE)

The controversial Woomera Detention Centre for illegal migrants seeking refugee status
is advertising for a new manager.

The South Australian centre's operator, Australasian Correctional Management, has advertised
the position in this morning's major newspapers.

The current manager, JIM MEAKINS, was called to Sydney in December to attend an inquiry
into allegations of sexual abuse at the centre.



SICK (SYDNEY)

Sydney has been selected by Pope JOHN PAUL II as the official host city for tomorrow's
World Sick Day.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference says Catholics around the world will turn
their attention to Australia for the 2001 celebration.



MAGNESIUM CONTAINED (MELBOURNE)

Victorian firefighters have contained a magnesium fire at a Geelong metals factory
more than 12 hours after it started.

Granulated glass was used to choke the blaze, that was brought under control about
11.30am (AEDT) today.

About 40 firefighters attended the fire, on an industrial estate in the suburb of Moolap.



AND BRIEFLY . . . .




The committee investigating former United States President BILL CLINTON'S last minute
pardon of a fugitive financier will subpoena records from CLINTON'S presidential library
fund.




Television services in the Townsville area won't be back to normal until later this
week following a fire last night.



AND IN SPORTS . . .


CRICKET FIX (MELBOURNE)

MARK WAUGH's interview with Australian Cricket Board investigator GREG MELICK has finished.

Journalists waiting outside Melbourne's Hilton Hotel, where WAUGH and MELICK have been
since 9.30am (AEDT) today were told the session ended just before midday.

However a cricket board spokesman says it would be some time before any announcement was made.

Australia's record-breaking batsman is answering allegations he accepted $A37,500 from
illegal Indian bookmaker MUKESH GUPTA during a tournament in Hong Kong in 1993.

WAUGH has previously denied the allegation.



GOLF LPGA (KEAUHOU, Hawaii)

ANNIKA SORENSTAM and KARRIE WEBB were at it again in the Takefuji Golf Classic, with
Sorenstam taking a two-stroke lead into the final round.

SORENSTAM, who lost to WEBB on the first hole of a play-off last year, shot a five-under
67 today for a seven-under 137 total.

Webb had a 69 to join LORIE KANE, A.J. Eathorne and Cristie Kerr at 139.

Sorenstam also took a two-stroke lead into the 2000 final round on the Kona Country Club course.



TRI AUST (MELBOURNE)

Australian skipper STEVE WAUGH may have become the first captain to lead his side through
an unbeaten summer since one day cricket joined the Test calendar but he is still far
from satisfied.

Australia clinched the tri-series finals last night over the West Indies in straight
sets after earlier having won all eight preliminary matches.

That came on top of a 5-0 whitewash of the Windies' in the Test series to stretch the
team's Test match winning streak to a record 15.



ENDS AAP RTV EVENING ROUND-UP

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