AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Dec 20

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2001
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Dec 20
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130

Terror Aust (CANBERRA)

The federal government says two more Australians are believed to have been trained
by OSAMA BIN LADEN's al-Qaeda terrorist network.

It says the pair, one of whom has Australian Army training, are in Afghanistan, but
it's not known where.

Defence Minister ROBERT HILL and Attorney-General DARYL WILLIAMS say the men are Caucasian,
but are not as yet being identified.

The parents of the 25-year-old who had military training in Australia contacted the
Department of Foreign Affairs, concerned about his welfare.

He's believed to have entered Afghanistan from Iran in early August.

The second man, a 28-year-old, departed Australia in March, but it's not yet known
when he entered Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Australia's captured al-Qaeda fighter DAVID HICKS is waiting on board the
USS Peleliu in the Arabian Sea to be interviewed by Australian investigators.



Terror Force Aust (LONDON)

Britain will determine the extent and role of any Australian involvement in an Afghanistan
peacekeeping force.

British defence sources say Australia has offered to take part in a force of up to
5,000 troops, from at least 16 countries.

Defence sources would not reveal the nature of Australia's offer.

They say it could have changed after force commander General JOHN MCCOLL asked some
countries to alter their offers.



Terror (PESHAWAR)

Dozens of fighters loyal to OSAMA BIN LADEN, arrested as they crossed the border from
Afghanistan, have seized weapons and escaped their Pakistani guards.

Officials say seven al-Qaeda fighters and six police were killed.

After a brief and bloody gunbattle Pakistani tribal forces and army helicopter gunships
pursued the fugitives, capturing 21.

Officials say they were still searching for 20 more in the mountainous border region
eleven hours later.

The al-Qaeda fighters - mostly Arabs - were from among 156 arrested over the past two
days as they came across the border.



Terror WTC Fires (NEW YORK)

Officials say the fires that have burned beneath the ruins of the World Trade Centre
since September 11 are finally out.

For months, the fires sent acrid clouds of smoke that could be smelled at times several
kilometres away in Brooklyn and upper Manhattan.



Terror Iraq UN (UNITED NATIONS)

UN Secretary-General KOFI ANNAN has warned the US against expanding it war on terrorism to Iraq.

He says there is no evidence connecting Baghdad to the September 11 attacks, and any
attempt will further inflame Middle East tensions.

At the same time, ANNAN has urged Iraq to allow UN weapons inspectors to return to
the country -- a key demand of the US and other UN Security Council members.

With the last Taliban and al-Qaeda forces on the run in Afghanistan there's speculation
that Iraq, which is on the US list of nations sponsoring terrorism, might be the next
target.



Woomera (MELBOURNE)

Up to 60 asylum seekers have attempted to break out of the Woomera Detention Centre
early today in the third disturbance at the facility in as many days.

A Department of Immigration spokeswoman says between 50 and 60 detainees breached the
internal perimeter fence about midnight and attempted to breach the external fence.

She says water cannons were used by security staff to disperse detainees at the centre
in South Australia's remote north.

The spokeswoman says the protesters returned to the compound on the advice of their
representative committee members.

She says Australian Federal Police were on site during the disturbance.

The centre has been on red alert since the first riot on Monday night, in which 13
buildings were damaged by fire.

Yesterday, six security guards were injured and eight buildings damaged when asylum
seekers converted aerosol cans into flame throwers.



Ansett payouts (MELBOURNE)

All retrenched Ansett workers will be paid their entitlements before Christmas.

Ansett administrator Andersen says money went out last night to 384 staff who were
offered or applied for redundancy.

It follows the first payments to 4,000 staff on Tuesday night.

A spokesman for ANDERSEN says the remaining 400-odd staff will be paid before Christmas.

The payments come from the $195 million in government funds released by the Federal
Court last week.



Strachan (CANBERRA)

Investigators say media personality GRAEME SHIRLEY STRACHAN died when he lost control
of a helicopter after it was damaged in severe turbulence and crashed into a mountain.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau air safety deputy director ALAN STRAY says the extensive
damage to the helicopter led safety investigators to conclude the main rotor blade may
have contacted the tailboom inflight.

Mr STRACHAN was on a training navigation flight and had not been briefed on the weather
conditions by the flight training school before departure from Maroochydore on Queensland's
Sunshine Coast.

The former lead singer of 70s pop band Skyhooks and later a TV handyman, died on August
29 this year.



Hollingworth Johnston (CANBERRA)

A child protection advocate says the Governor-General's defence of his actions regarding
an alleged sex abuse cover-up is absurd.

Dr PETER HOLLINGWORTH, the former Anglican archbishop of Brisbane, broke his silence
on the matter yesterday.

He denies there was any cover-up over the sex abuse case at the Toowoomba Preparatory
School, near Brisbane.

Child protection advocate HETTY JOHNSTON rejects Dr HOLLINGWORTH's claim he was hamstrung
by diocese insurance obligations.

Ms JOHNSTON told Channel Nine that he at one stage said the priority was the insurance,
and at another stage said it was the children.



Trains (SYDNEY)

A half hour stopwork meeting by 20 train signallers over a worker's argument with management
has thrown Sydney's rail network into chaos.

Rail Tram and Bus Union secretary NICK LEWOCKI says the workers attended a stop work
meeting for 35 minutes this morning over an incident involving a signaller and management
personnel last night.

While he doesn't have details of the argument, he says workers are unhappy with the
way the signaller was treated.

The members have since returned to work.

CityRail and the union will appear in the Industrial Relations Commission shortly.



Italy Main (TRIESTE)

An Australian and a Briton have been jailed in Italy for trying to smuggle 40,000 ecstasy
pills into the United States.

A court in Trieste has sentenced Australian SIMON MAIN, 31, to eight years and Briton
ALEX BRUELL, 27, to four-and-a-half years.

MAIN'S lawyer, FRANCESCO GRIMALDI says the court gave BRUELL a lighter sentence because
he collaborated with authorities.




BRIEFLY......




The Argentine government declared a state of siege today, giving it special powers
to stop an outbreak of looting and riots sparked by austerity measures and poverty.




Palestinian West Bank security chief JIBRIL RAJOUB says a high-level meeting of Israeli
and Palestinian security officials has ended in failure.




The director of the New South Wales Art Gallery says he's been offered Afghan Buddhist
works of art almost certainly looted from Kabul before the Taliban was ousted.




FINANCE.....




At 1115 AEDT the all ordinaries index was UP 10.8 points at 3278.5.

The Standard & Poor's ASX/200 index was UP 10.7 points at 3334.8.

The Australian dollar was buying 51.14 US cents, DOWN from 51.49 at yesterday's close.

The Australian dollar was also trading at 56.83 euro cents, DOWN from 57.12 yesterday.

Gold in Sydney is trading 50 US cents HIGHER at $US276.35 an ounce.




AND IN SPORT......



Cricket SAfrica Toss (SYDNEY)

South African captain SHAUN POLLOCK has won the toss and elected to bat first in the
cricket tour match against New South Wales at the SCG starting today.

South Africa brought in the four players who weren't involved in the first Test loss
to Australia earlier this week.

Rested from the tour party are JACQUES KALLIS, NEIL MCKENZIE, NANTIE HAYWARD and MAKHAYA NTINI.

NSW made two late changes.

COREY RICHARDS came into the squad for MICHAEL SLATER, who rolled an ankle at training,
while JAMIE HEATH is in for NATHAN BRACKEN, who has a back strain.


Oly Skate Liu (SYDNEY)

Figure skater ANTHONY LIU has been selected in the Australian team for next year's
Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City.

The 27-year-old from Brisbane will be making his second Olympic appearance after being
a late inclusion in the Australian team for Nagano in 1998.



ENDS BULLETIN
AAP RTV rp

KEYWORD: MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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