AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Dec 29

AAP General News (Australia)
12-29-2001
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Dec 29
Evening Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630


BUSHFIRE NSW (SYDNEY)

Fire chiefs have urged residents to remain calm and prepare their homes for what could
be the most destructive day of the bushfire crisis with horror conditions forecast for
tomorrow.

Strong winds predicted for this afternoon have failed to eventuate giving firefighters
some reprieve from the 100 blazes across the state.

Firefighters have installed containment lines and extensive backburning operations
have been carried out over the past 24 hours in preparation for tomorrow's onslaught.

New South Wales Premier BOB CARR cut short his holiday in China and has returned home
to tour devastated areas of the Blue Mountains and defend the government's hazard reduction
policy.

Day Five of the bushfire crisis saw residents of Helensburgh and Stanwell Tops south
of Sydney return to their homes while others in high risk areas packed their cars with
their most prized possessions in case they need to evacuate.

If temperatures hit 40 degrees tomorrow, as predicted, and strong winds fan flames,
the damage bill is certain to surpass the $56 million of the 1994 bushfire crisis -- already
1,000 claims have been lodged worth $50 million.

YACHT SYDHOB (HOBART)

Swedish Volvo ocean racer ASSA ABLOY has taken line honours in one of the closest fleet
finishes in Sydney to Hobart yacht race history.

ASSA ABLOY, skippered by Englishman NEAL MCDONALD gained a decisive break in the early
morning run west from Tasman Island.

NICORETTE, which walloped the field in last year's race, came in second with Volvo
60 AMER SPORTS ONE of Italy third.

Volvo 60's filled the next four places with TYCO, whose finish won't count unless its
protest against qualification succeeds, fourth.

It was followed by DJUICE, TEAM NEWS CORP and ILLBRUCK.



QUAKE (CANBERRA)

An earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale has hit Western Australia's wheat belt.

Geoscience Australia seismologist CVETAN SINADINOVSKI says the quake's epicentre was
at the small town of Burakin, 200 kilometres north-east of Perth.

He says the tremors struck at 12.31am (AEDT), shaking an area of about 50 kilometres,
with the movement felt in the Dowerin area.

Police say there've been no reports of injuries or serious damage.

An earthquake measuring 5.1 struck the same area on September 28th.



TOLL NATIONAL (SYDNEY)

The national holiday road toll stands at 34 after a teenage boy died from injuries
sustained in an accident early on Christmas Day.

Police say the 15-year-old died in Wagga Base Hospital in New South Wales yesterday afternoon.

He was struck by a car at Leeton in the state's southwest about 4am on Christmas Day.

A young driver and an American pedestrian were killed in New South Wales overnight.

Fifteen people have been killed on the roads in New South Wales since the holiday period began.

There have been seven road deaths in Queensland, five in Victoria, three in the Northern
Territory and two each in South Australia and Western Australia.

The ACT and Tasmania remain fatality free.



UK NUCLEAR (LONDON)

The Australian and British governments could face compensation bills of millions of
dollars resulting from a criminal investigation into nuclear testing in the 1950s.

Police in London are examining claims by SHIRLEY DENSON that her husband ERIC was ordered
to fly his plane through a nuclear mushroom cloud above Christmas Island in 1958.

Scotland Yard's specialist crime squad is investigating whether it was legal for British
military chiefs to send Mr DENSON and his RAF aircrew through the cloud.

If the case gets to court, it could open the way for similar claims from thousands
of Australian and British servicemen who were exposed to nuclear fallout.

Ms DENSON says the British government knowingly and maliciously exposed her late husband
to deadly levels of radiation which ultimately led to his death.



In international news ....



INDIA PAKISTAN MEET (NEW DELHI)

Indian Foreign Minister JASWANT SINGH and his Pakistani counterpart ABDUL SATTAR may
meet on the sidelines of a South Asian summit in Nepal next week.

The Times of India quotes a senior unnamed official as saying the ministers will meet
in Kathmandu, but there's been no official confirmation of the planned meeting.

The official says the current state of relations between the two South Asian nuclear
rivals is not as bad as it appears.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have mounted since a suicide attack on India's
parliament by militants on December 13th.

A three-day summit-level meeting of leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation is due to begin in Kathmandu on January 4th.



TERROR (CRAWFORD)

President GEORGE W BUSH has rejected suggestions the US campaign in Afghanistan may
soon wind down.

He's made a fresh vow to track down OSAMA BIN LADEN dead or alive.

BUSH, on vacation at his Texas ranch, was focused on events in South Asia, where US
troops are hunting BIN LADEN, the top suspect in September 11 terror attacks, and nuclear
rivals India and Pakistan are sliding into a new Cold War.

Pakistan has said if BIN LADEN strayed into its territory, he would be seized.



US PLANE (JERUSALEM)
Shoe bomb suspect RICHARD REID underwent a rigorous body check and had to remove his shoes
for special screening before boarding an El Al plane earlier this year.

An Israeli source says even after no explosives were found, the Israeli national carrier
considered REID a top security risk and seated him next to an armed sky marshal in the
second to last row, far from the cockpit.

A senior El Al security official says REID apparently flew to Israel in July to try
to find weaknesses in the airline's vaunted security system, in preparation for a possible
attack on an El Al flight.

On December 22nd, British-born REID, 28, allegedly tried to detonate explosives on
an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami.

He was overpowered by flight attendants and passengers, and the plane was diverted to Boston.

A Boston judge today ordered Reid be held without bail.



MIDEAST (JERUSALEM)

Palestinian leaders are seeking renewed mediation in the Middle East, asking the US
to send special envoy ANTHONY ZINNI back to the region.

But deadly violence is continuing, with an armed man belonging to the militant Islamic
Jihad shot dead by an Israeli patrol in the northern Gaza Strip.

The gunman, who was apparently setting out for a suicide attack, may have been attempting
the first violation of Islamic Jihad's recent promise to halt attacks on Israel.

The call for ZINNI's return comes as Israel has eased its blockade on Bethlehem, allowing
Christians to celebrate the Christmas season at the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

And Israeli Prime Minister ARIEL SHARON has said for the first time that Palestinian
leader YASSER ARAFAT is making progress in his crackdown on Muslim extremists.



Meanwhile ...



Police in an eastern Indonesian province have detained more than 140 asylum seekers in
West Timor, attempting to sail to Australia.



Burma's ruling junta has released four political prisoners from democracy leader AUNG
SAN SUU KYI'S National League for Democracy.



Ten villagers and one gunman have been killed after armed men, believed linked to Muslim
rebels, raided a town in the southern Philippines.




A district council legislator has been murdered in the latest violence in Indonesia's
Aceh province.



Sport...



CRICKET AUST (Melbourne)

South Africa is on the verge of defeat in the second Test against Australia at the MCG.

At tea on the fourth day the home side is poised to take an unbeatable two-nil series
lead with the visitors struggling at seven for 158 in their second innings, still needing
another 52 runs to make Australia bat again.

The only shining light for the tourists has again be JACQUES KALLIS who is unbeaten
on 61, however he rapidly running out of partners.

SHANE WARNE has been the star for the home side taking three wickets, while BRETT LEE
has two and GLENN MCGRATH one with South African skipper SHAUN POLLOCK having been run
out just before tea.



TENNIS AUST (ADELAIDE)

Americans PETE SAMPRAS and TODD MARTIN will face each other in round one of the AAPT
Championships tennis starting in Adelaide on Monday.

Of the Australians, late wild card entrant, SCOTT DRAPER, will come up against Brazilian
ANDRE SA, with WAYNE ARTHURS to meet Frenchman JEROME GOLMARD.



ENDS EVENING ROUND-UP



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