AAP Internet Bulletin 1100 Thursday, Dec 17, 1998

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-1998
AAP Internet Bulletin 1100 Thursday, Dec 17, 1998



[I][IRAQ][MID]

Blasts light the night over Baghdad

Anti-aircraft guns opened fire in Baghdad early today, and US and British officials
announced they had launched a series of "substantial" airstrikes.

No attacking planes or missiles were immediately seen over the Iraqi capital.

The Iraqi blasts created loud explosions, violently shaking the glass windows of the
Information Ministry building near the centre of Baghdad where foreign reporters are based.

Orange glows streaked toward the sky as the anti-aircraft guns let loose volley after
volley of shots.

The explosions began about 2149 GMT (0849 AEDT). A barrage of blasts lit the sky several
hours after the Clinton administration warned that it would make a military strike against
Iraq at any time.

President Clinton ordered airstrikes on Iraq over a protracted impasse with Iraq over UN
weapons inspections just minutes before the blasts began.

Less than an hour later, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the British had participated
in the airstrikes.

Earlier in the day, long lines formed outside Baghdad gas stations and customers cursed
Clinton for planning an attack before the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, which is expected to
begin Sunday.

"It seems that Clinton wants to kill some people in a hurry out of respect for Ramadan,"
said Amin Jadir, 52, a government worker.

The crisis unfolded quickly after chief inspector Richard Butler ordered his monitors out
of the country, accusing Iraq of obstructing their search for weapons of mass destruction.

In Washington, Clinton met with his top national security advisers before ordering the
attack, and the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York on the crisis.





[I][US IRAQ]

Clinton: strike protects US interests

President Bill Clinton said Wednesday he ordered airstrikes on military and security targets
in Iraq for continued defiance of U.N. weapons inspectors "to protect the national interest of
the United States" and Iraq's neighbours in the Middle East.

"Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbours
with nuclear weapons, poison gas or biological weapons," Clinton
said in a nationally televised address from the Oval Office.

Clinton said he had given Saddam "one last chance" to cooperate
and he failed once again to live up to his commitments. He said the
purpose of the attacks was to go after "Iraq's nuclear, chemical
and biological weapons and its military capacity to threaten its
neighbours."

Clinton laid out five conditions last month that he said Iraq
must meet to avoid military strikes and said Wednesday that Saddam
Hussein had failed to cooperate on four of the five.

"I gave Saddam a chance, not a license," he said.

He added Iraq had been warned that military action would come
"without delay, diplomacy or warning."

Further, he said that because of Iraq's intransigence, the
weapons inspectors "are saying that even if they could stay in
Iraq, their work would be a sham."

He said he ordered a "strong, sustained" series of airstrike that would send "a powerful
message to Saddam: If you act recklessly, you will pay a heavy price."

He twice emphasised that he had acted on the unanimous advice of his advisers.





[I][CLINTON IMPEACHMENT DELAY]

Congress to stall impeachment

The House is likely to postpone this week's vote on impeachment in response to President
Clinton's orders for airstrikes against Iraq.

Incoming speaker Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La., met with House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt
and talked about a contingency plan in case of a military strike, said a Congressional source,
who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Livingston and Gephardt seemed in general agreement on the need
for a postponement in the event of military action, but each wanted
to discuss it with members of their own parties later in the day,
the source said.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Livingston, said no decision had
been made. "We'll continue on our course," he said. "And we'll deal
with whatever comes up."

There was no word on how prolonged a postponement was under
consideration. Impeachment had been scheduled for floor debate in
the House on Thursday, with votes on four articles of impeachment
likely on Friday.

Clinton's chances of avoiding impeachment dimmed further during
the day when several wavering Republicans announced they would vote
to send the issue to the Senate for trial.

The Judiciary Committee has approved four articles of
impeachment, alleging perjury, obstruction of justice and abuse of
power in connection with the president's effort to conceal his
sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

Moderate Republican Reps. Sherwood Boehlert of New York, Bob Ney
of Ohio and Brian Bilbray of California, whom the White House had
hoped would break party ranks, announced today they would vote to
approve articles of impeachment against Clinton.

"He has shattered the trust of the American people by committing
perjury, obstructing justice and corroding the rule of law," Ney
said. And Boehlert concluded: "I am convinced that in this case, we
do need impeachment as a shield to protect the integrity of our
institutions."





[T][CRICKET BRIBES AUST][CRIK]

Ponting to talk about bookie offer

Test batsman Ricky Ponting will front the media in Melbourne today about an approach from a
bookmaker who offered cash for information, but he wont reveal the identity of the mystery
bookie.

However, Ponting told Daily Telegraph he would reveal all to a new inquiry probing the
cricket bookmaker affair.

Australian Cricket Board chief executive Malcolm Speed yesterday revealed that Ponting had
been approached at a greyhound race meeting in Sydney a year ago to sell team and pitch
information.

At a media conference here yesterday Speed said Ponting insisted he immediately rejected
the offer.

Speed also revealed details of the independent inquiry, to be conducted by Rob ORegan QC,
which the board commissioned as a result of the betting scandal involving Shane Warne and Mark
Waugh.

Ponting, a keen racing punter, told Speed about his brush with the bookies immediately
after learning last week the scandal surrounding Waugh and Warne was about to be made public.

Ponting now wants to be the first player to front ORegan, whose terms of reference include
whether any Australian team members since 1992 had bet on matches or received money in return
for information about games.

Speed declined to say how much money Ponting said he had been offered.

The ACB has attracted fierce criticism over the past few days for keeping quiet about the
betting scandal involving Waugh and Warne.

The board fined the two players in 1995 after it was learned they had received money from
an Indian bookie during the 1994 Sri Lankan tour for pitch and weather information.

Ponting, whose Test berth is under threat because of poor form, released a book a few weeks
ago titled "Punter" and is renowned for his betting.





[A][ECONOMY ACCESS][FED]

Access estimates $3b windfall for govt

The Howard government would receive a $3 billion windfall from tax revenue in this
financial year because it had underestimated tax revenue, economic analyst Access Economics has
reportedly predicted.

The prediction comes ahead of todays announcement by Treasurer Peter Costello of
Treasurys mid-year economic and fiscal outlook for 1998/99, which will reveal the first
official growth forecast for next financial year.

The outlook document updates forecasts for the current account deficit, unemployment and
employment, inflation, and the budget surplus - taking into account the impact of the
introduction of a GST.

Mr Costello has hinted the government may today boost its forecast of 2.75 per cent GDP
growth for this financial year after strong figures released for the September quarter.

The Canberra Times said today that Access Economics Budget Monitor estimated the
government would gain a $3 billion windfall because it had dramatically underestimated tax
revenue for 1998/99 in the May Budget and Septembers pre-election fiscal outlook.

A sharp rise in real revenue take because of a peaking in the business cycle in mid to late
1998 and a flow through in benefits from underspending on portfolios last year had both
contributed to the expected windfall, it was reported.

The paper said Access expected that instead of an underlying budget surplus of $2.5
billion, it was more likely to be $5.5 billion by the end of June 1999, a situation which
could help prevent the budget going into deficit when the tax cuts kicked in.

The Canberra Times said Access estimated total revenue would rise by 7.5 per cent of
$147.26 billion as a result of an extra $1.33 billion in pay as you earn tax and more than $1
billion in individual tax receipts such as rental income, income from farms, dividends,
interest and unincorporated business income.

It also expected an extra $600 million in company tax and about $350 million from
superannuation.

Access also reportedly warned that in 2000, inflation could rise to more than three per
cent, just above the Reserve Banks target range and well above the governments estimate of
1.9 per cent, when a 10 per cent GST was combined with tax cuts of about $12 billion.





[A][IRAQ HOWARD][FED]

Howard monitors Gulf from cricket match

Prime Minister John Howard was continuing to monitor developments in Iraq, his spokesman
said today.

"The prime minister is being kept fully up to date," the spokesman said.

Mr Howard attended a cricket match between the Prime Ministers 11 and England at
Canberras Manuka Oval today.

He would hold a press conference on the Gulf Crisis at Parliament House later today, his
spokesman said.

Mr Howard had originally planned to spend most of today at the cricket.

"Obviously the events of the day have overtaken this," the spokesman said.

Earlier, the government expressed disappointment but not surprise that Iraq had not allowed
the United Nations Special Commission on arms inspections (UNSCOM) to fulfil its mandate.

"Its very disappointing but not surprising that UNSCOM has reported that Iraq has not
allowed it to carry out its mandate," a government spokesman said.

"Australia believes it is unacceptable for Iraq to continue to defy the will of the
international community because it was only last month that Iraq announced that it would
fully cooperate with UNSCOM."

The spokesman said Australia would continue to monitor developments on the issue.



[I][ISRAEL IRAQ]

Israel readies for attack from Iraq

Israel is closely watching the U.S. air strikes on Iraq, officials said Thursday, and has
readied its forces for a possible attack on Israeli soil.

President Bill Clinton ordered air strikes against Iraq in
response to Saddam Hussein's continued defiance of U.N. arms
inspectors.

Aviv Bushinsky, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's media adviser, said in a statement that
Netanyahu was told of U.S. intentions to attack Iraq Wednesday afternoon and that he was
updated by the White House minutes after the attack.

Bushinsky added that Netanyahu and Clinton discussed the attack
Tuesday on the tarmac in Ben Gurion Airport minutes before Clinton
departed for Washington.

"Israel is outside the dispute, and in any case will take care
of defending itself if the need arises," Netanyahu was quoted as
saying in the statement released by Bushisky.

Israeli Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai called a meeting of his senior staff at the
Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv after reports of anti-aircraft fire emerged from Baghdad just
before midnight Wednesday.

"Preparations are being made," a Defence Ministry spokesman said, speaking on condition of
anonymity. Israel TV said that Mordechai was updated by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright after the attack.

Earlier, Mordechai said that three U.S. Patriot anti-missile
batteries dispatched to Israel last week stood ready in case of an Iraqi attack, and that other
U.S. defence systems were ready to be dispatched to Israel very quickly if needed.

"We have readied our forces, and we will decide tonight on steps
(to take)," Mordechai told reporters Wednesday night.





[T][CRICKET ENGLAND][crik]

England crashes against PMs XI

England has made a terrible start after winning the toss and batting in todays limited
overs cricket match against the Prime Ministers eleven in Canberra.

The English team, which this week failed to win back the Ashes for the sixth successive
series, lost four wickets in the first seven overs.

Mark Butcher was first to go for just four runs, thanks to a spectacular diving catch by
Corey Richards off Mark Harrity.

Then Ben Holliaoke and John Crawley both made ducks, Graeme Hick was out for six, with
Harrity and Mark Nicholson claiming two wickets apiece.

In the eighth over, England was 4-29 with captain Alec Stewart on 16 and Nasser Hussain yet
to score.





[A][OUTBACK][SA]

Outback tourists body to undergo post mortem

The body of a 28-year-old Austrian medical student thought to have died of heat exhaustion
after leaving her bogged car in the South Australian outback was today being taken to Adelaide
for a post mortem.

Port Augusta police in SAs mid-north said the body of Caroline Grossmueller was being
transported by road after being recovered from an outback track on Tuesday.

She perished about 30 km from William Creek while trying to walk 70 km across a stretch of
desert to get help after a rented four-wheel-drive became bogged near Lake Eyre on December 7.

A container of water was found next to her body while a backpack she wore still contained
food.

Ms Grossmuellers boyfriend, 32-year-old Karl Goeschka, survived the desert ordeal after
abandoning the walk on December 9 and returning to the stranded vehicle.

Police were today still piecing together the events leading up to the tragedy and spoke
with Mr Goeschka, a research assistant at the Vienna University of Technology, at length last
night after taking him to William Creek.

It was understood he would travel to Coober Pedy today.

The post mortem on Ms Grossmueller was expected to determine both the exact cause of death
and just how long she had been dead before her body was found by two German tourists on
Tuesday.

Police said Mr Goeschka was in good shape when rescued but became extremely distressed when
police told him his girlfriend had died.

Speaking from Austria last night, Ms Grossmuellers father, Friedrich Grossmueller, said
both his daughter and her boyfriend were careful people.

Police said when the campervan got stuck the pair, whod been together for 11 years, decided
to set out on foot for William Creek in temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius.

After two days, Mr Goeschka began to feel ill and opted to return to the van but Ms
Grossmueller, physically the stronger of the two, insisted shed go on alone.

Besides food and a container of liquid, the police also found two notes written by Ms
Grossmueller begging for help. They believe some other notes had blown away.

Shes also reportedly scrawled the word "help" in the dirt beside her.





[F][TAX INQUIRY]

Treasury says GST-free food won't work

Any move to remove the GST from food, clothing and shelter would make the governments tax
package unsustainable, Treasury officials said today.

In a submission to the Senate inquiry into the tax package,
Treasury officials refused to estimate how much would be
raised by the 10 per cent GST on necessities of life such as
food, clothing and shelter.

Treasurys submission said it was difficult to define
exactly what constituted a necessity of life and to give
precise definitions of the kind of food which should be exempt
from the tax.

"Experience in a number of countries, and in Australia
under the wholesale sales tax, illustrates the very
considerable difficulties and anomalies that can arise under
arrangements which seek to define so-called necessities of
life," the submission said.

The Australian Democrats have vowed to use their numbers in
the Senate to ensure food is exempt from the GST.

But Treasurys submission said such a move could make the
whole package unsustainable.

"In the absence of other changes, the exclusion of food,
clothing and shelter from a GST would result in less taxation
revenue and higher disposable income across the community than
would be the case if these goods were taxed," the submission
said.

"However, this would mean that the package was
unsustainable as a whole, with likely highly adverse economic
effects on the fiscal balance, monetary policy settings,
growth and employment."





[A][REPUBLIC HOWARD][FED]

Howard rules out change in republic

Prime Minister John Howard today ruled out any change in the proposal for a republic
expected to be put to Australians at a referendum at the end of next year.

Mr Howard said he was honour bound to put the proposal that was agreed to at this years
constitutional convention.

"I am honour bound to do that because that is what I told the Australian people," Mr Howard
told Sydney radio station 2UE.

"And I dont intend to depart from the commitment that I made at the convention.

"I made one commitment at the end of the convention, and it fulfilled the commitment I made
at the beginning.

"And that was if a clear consensus emerged around a particular model then that is the model
that would be put.

"Whether I agreed with it or not is beside the point."

The Constitutional Convention brought together 152 delegates in January at Old Parliament
House in Canberra for 10 days to debate whether Australia should become a republic, and if so,
what form this should take.

Half the delegates to the convention were appointed by the government and half were elected
in a voluntary postal ballot conducted last December.





[S][TENNIS GRAF][TEN]

Graf to stick it out until Sydney 2000

Former world No.1 Steffi Graf plans to
continue playing tennis until the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

29-year-old Graf says when she looks at the calendar she realises the Sydney Olympics
arent that far away.

Shes told the German monthly Tennis Magazine that she wont be persuaded to quit by anyone
as long as shes still enjoying playing tennis.

Graf, whos been plagued by injury over the past two years, says being No.1 again isnt her
obsession, she just wants to play good tennis.





[S][SOCCER BRITAIN ALOISI][SOC]

Aussie Aloisi in $1.7m move to Coventry

Australian striker John Aliosi is expected to complete a
$A1.7 million move today from Portsmouth to English Premiership side Coventry City.

The Portsmouth striker has agreed to personal terms and has passed a medical in Coventry.

Hes expected to sign in time to be included in Gordon Strachan's squad for Saturday's home
match against Derby.

22-year-old ALOISI was rated at $A5.4 million by Portsmouth manager Alan Ball but the first
division club was desperate to sell to slash its $A13 million overdraft and will allow the
17-goal forward to leave for a knockdown fee.

Aliosi signed for Portsmouth from Italian club Cremonese 18 months ago.





[A][INSOLVENCY][FED]

Howard to review worker protection laws

Prime Minister John Howard today said he was prepared to review laws protecting workers when
companies became insolvent.

Mr Howard said a government investigation was underway into claims Austral Pacific, which
holds 65 per cent of the Australian bus market, had folded without fulfilling superannuation
and other employee entitlements.

"We have an investigation being carried out at the present time and I hope out of that
justice is delivered to the employees," he said.

"If there are further changes to the law that are needed, well of course the government
will have a look at that."

He said the employees should not have been "dudded" and results from part of the employment
and workplace relations department investigation would be available on December 23.

"There is no excuse and people who are responsible for dudding workers wont get any
sympathy at all from this government," he told radio station 2UE.

He said he had been advised the company had been trading "quite profitably" and he
understood 85 per cent of the workers entitlements had been recovered.

"Eighty five per cent is better than zero," he said.

"It is an outrageous position.

"I do understand and sympathise with the workers."





[A][TWINS][NSW]

Twin boys drown in family swimming pool

Twin boys last night drowned in a backyard swimming pool on a property in the south-west of
New South Wales, police said today.

The two-year-olds were found floating face down in a fenced backyard pool by their
12-year-old brother at 6pm, on a property 35km south-west of Temora, a police spokeswoman
said.

She said the boys were given dinner at 5.40pm by their mother and were noticed missing
shortly after.

Other members of the family found the pair when they conducted a search of the home and
property, and tried to revive the youngsters while receiving instructions from ambulance
officers over the phone.

Ambulance officers continued the resuscitation efforts when they arrived but the boys were
dead on arrival at Temora District Hospital.





[F][DOLLAR]

Dollar suffers from bears

The Australian dollar was slightly lower this morning as the
overall bearish mood of the market ate into gains made on stronger commodity prices.

But, dealers said the bias for the local currency, which
opened here at $US0.6221/26 from 0.6234/39, was to the upside.

The Commodity Research Bureau Index closed here at 195.02,
up 2.35.

The CRB Index is an index of 21 US futures markets.

It is not weighted to Australias exports but traders
follow it as an indicator for the commodity price-sensitive
Australian dollar. Commodities make up around two thirds of
Australias exports.

Gold was also stronger, offering the local currency further
support.

COMEX gold for current delivery closed at $US294.70 per
ounce, up $US2.20 from yesterdays COMEX close.

National Australia Bank manager of institutional trading
Mark Hodges said the Australian dollar began the local session
stuck in the middle of its range, after dipping to an
overnight offshore low of $US0.6185.

"Late New York are trying to buy Aussie on a slightly
higher CRB index but every time we get up to the $US0.6235
area we back off again," Mr Hodges said.





[X][FOOD][FED]

Genetically modified food reaches impasse

The federal government is likely to push for a deferral of a national decision on labelling
standards for some genetically-modified foods if no agreement can be reached today.

The federal government wants health ministers, meeting as the Australia New Zealand Food
Standards Council, to adopt a recommendation from the national food authority, ANZFA, against
labelling genetically modified food deemed "substantially equivalent" to conventional food.

But at least three states and territories strongly support labelling.

Pressure is mounting for an agreement, with the federal government likely to push for a
deferral if no consensus can be reached today.

"Wed like to get it through, provided there is a consensus around the table," a spokesman
for federal Health Minister Michael Wooldridge said.

"If it is very clear it is not possible to reach a broad consensus then ministers might
think it wise to ask ANZFA to go away and do some more work."

The council last July deferred a decision on labelling substantially equivalent food,
pending more information on international developments.

Food is considered substantially equivalent if it has the same properties such as taste,
colour, nutritional value and method of preparation as its conventional counterparts.

Australian GeneEthics Network director Bob Phelps said public confidence in food safety
would be reduced unless all genetically modified foods were labelled.

The Australian Food Council, the industrys peak body, said Australia risked trade
sanctions if it required labelling of substantially equivalent modified food.





[I][ITALY COLLAPSE]

Rome apartment collapse kills 20

A five-story apartment building crumbled like
sawdust Wednesday, killing at least 20 residents as they slept, including a family dug out by
hand by a relative who was among the firemen who came to the rescue.

Eleven occupants were reported missing in the collapse, which
tentatively was blamed on structural problems, and there appeared
to be little hope of finding any more survivors.

Shouts of "Alive! They're alive" went up from rescuers and
onlookers some 12 hours after the collapse when a couple's cries of
help were heard.

Apparently saved by a cross beam and pillows and
clothing which cushioned them, the man, Alberto Viola, 58, and his
wife, Luciana, 53, were found, bloodied and holding on to each
other, on a mattress.

Sleeping in their bedroom on the second floor, the survivors
were found at the level of what was the sub-basement of the
building in the middle-class Portuense neighbourhood, a district in southwest Rome, 6
kilometres from central Piazza Venezia.

The discovery of the man, who suffered leg fractures, and the
woman, who was undergoing surgery for internal injuries, briefly
broke the gloom as search dogs sniffed for any sign of life in the
rubble.

Among the first rescuers at the site was fireman Maurizio Fumaselli, 30, who was on duty
in a firehouse not far from the building, where his parents and two brothers lived.

Fumaselli, after pulling out one of his parents, collapsed on
the ground in desperation but insisted on keeping on digging,
witnesses said. Later he was seen walking away from the scene
demanding to know the cause.

Franco Barbieri, a top civil defence official, said the building was erected in the early
1950s. That was a period of intense and hurried post-war building in the capital. He noted that
construction was begun in 1952 but the license to construct only granted in 1956.

KEYWORD: NETNEWS 1100

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