AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Aug 16Evening Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630
Telstra (CANBERRA)
A cotton farmer with no experience in telecommunications has been given three monthsto examine whether the rest of Telstra should be sold.
Communications Minister RICHARD ALSTON has today opened the door to the sale of thegovernment's remaining 50.1 per cent, announcing a second inquiry into rural and regionaltelecommunications.
It will be chaired by Moree cotton farmer DICK ESTENS -- a close friend of Deputy PrimeMinister JOHN ANDERSON.
Labor says the inquiry is a whitewash designed to give the government the outcome it wants.
The National Farmers Federation says service levels should be equivalent to those inurban Australia before it will agree to any further sale.
And Independent federal MP PETER ANDREN says he's been told by Telstra workers thatmuch of the phone network is barely working in the bush.
Meanwhile analyst PAUL BUDDE say there's no need to rush the sale -- and the governmentshould wait until the current market negativity surrounding the telecommunications sectordissipates.
Gang Rape (SYDNEY)
Lawyers for the man convicted of leading a pack of gang rapists in Sydney have lodgedan appeal against his record 55-year jail sentence.
The 20-year-old man is eligible for parole in 2040 for his 21 offences against theteenage victims in Sydney's west in August 2000.
But University of Sydney criminologist Professor MARK FINDLAY says the District Courtsentence is as shocking as the crime.
And the Law Council of Australia says the sentence makes it difficult to tell parentsof girls who are murdered that a 20 year sentence is sufficient.
But Premier BOB CARR says justice has been served.
Meanwhile the court says it'll decide next month whether to release the ringleader's name.
Assault (SYDNEY)
And an SBS news crew has been assaulted outside a mosque in Sydney's southwest whilefilming a story related to the 55-year jail sentence given to a gang rapist yesterday.
An SBS spokeswoman says the crew had been interviewing the vice-president of the LebaneseMuslim Association when a carload of men pulled up at the mosque in Lakemba, and attackedthem.
Gang Rape Psychology (SYDNEY)
Meanwhile a leading forensic psychiatrist says gang rapes are mateship gone mad andare often underpinned by a strong homosexual element.
Dr ROD MILTON says gang rape could stem back to boyhoods where there's been a fairbit of indulgence but a lack of clarity in terms of rules.
Europe floods (DRESDEN)
Tens of thousands of people in the German city of Dresden and surrounding areas arebeing evacuated from their homes to flee a deadly flood.
Security officials hope to clear about 30,000 people from their homes in and aroundthe town of Pirna, south of Dresden, before the water level in the Elbe River peaks.
Two more areas in Dresden - the closest yet to the historic city centre - have been evacuated.
Already, 5,000 residents in Saxony have been forced to leave their homes.
At least 100 people have died in flooding across Europe, including 59 in Russia --the worst hit country.
China floods (BEIJING)
About 200 people are feared dead in floods and landslides around China as the countryis battered by destructive summer rains.
Mexico Dam (MEXICO CITY)
And in Mexico, at least 14 people are dead and 17 others are missing, after one dambroke and another overflowed, sending flood waters rushing through towns in two centralstates.
Forum Retreat (SUVA)
Leaders of Pacific nations have gone into their traditional retreat, with Prime MinisterJOHN HOWARD putting good governance on the agenda.
Mr HOWARD warned ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji that development aid tocash-strapped nations will likely be tied to attaining good governance in the future.
Forum Greenhouse (SUVA)
Meanwhile, New Zealand's underlined a message from low lying Pacific Nations that Australiais out of line by refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
New Zealand Prime Minister HELEN CLARK says Pacific states have strong feelings aboutgreenhouse emissions.
Yesterday the Smaller Island States group called for urgent action to reduce greenhousegas emissions, but stopped short of singling out Australia.
HIH Adler (SYDNEY)
HIH Insurance boss RAY WILLIAMS admits he should not have appointed RODNEY ADLER tothe company's board.
He made Mr ADLER a director when HIH finalised its takeover of FAI Insurance in early 1999.
But Mr WILLIAMS has told the HIH Royal Commission he probably should have fired MrADLER when HIH discovered massive holes in FAI's books in mid-2000.
The commission's been been told FAI had a hole in its accounts of at least $160 millionwhen HIH took it over, but the problem was disguised with sham reinsurance contracts.
US Securities (MIAMI)
At least 52 American brokers, stock promoters and corporate officers have been indictedon securities fraud, money laundering and other charges, ending a two-year federal undercoveroperation.
The US Attorney's Office in Miami, Florida, says the operation has exposed fraudulentattempts to sell almost $A370 million in securities from 23 publicly traded US companies.
Undercover agents posed as mutual-fund traders, pretending to represent investors.
King (MELBOURNE)
A former Victorian primary school teacher has admitted engaging in sexual acts withtwo young boys he babysat and taking pornographic photos of them.
29-year-old KRISTIAN KING pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court today to 12child sex charges.
The court heard KING was discovered when his flatmate, a policewoman, became suspiciousof the amount of time he spent on his computer.
Napthine Doyle (MELBOURNE)
Dumped Victorian Liberal Party frontbencher ROBERT DOYLE says he's challenging forthe party leadership because he believes the party faces oblivion under DENIS NAPTHINE.
Mr DOYLE says if there's an election tomorrow, the Liberal Party stands to lose halfthe seats in the legislative assembly and three to four seats in the council.
Dr NAPTHINE has languished in the polls behind Premier STEVE BRACKS for the past threeyears, and sacked Mr DOYLE as Liberal health spokesman yesterday when he refused to pledgesupport for his leadership.
Lewandowski (PERTH)
A crooked former detective who's admitted framing the MICKELBERG brothers over the1982 Perth Mint swindle has been ordered to give evidence at an appeal against their convictions.
Justice MICHAEL MURRAY's ruled TONY LEWANDOWSKI, who signed an affidavit in June detailinghow he fabricated evidence that convicted the MICKELBERGS, will testify in the brothers'case in the Court of Criminal Appeal.
BRIEFLY...........
Controversial bookmaker ROBBIE WATERHOUSE has had his one-year disqualification overthe extravagant odds affair reduced to a nine-month suspension by the New South WalesThoroughbred Racing Board.
Visiting Colombian MP GUSTAVO MONTEALEGRE ALMARIO is to apply for asylum in Australiaafter receiving death threats in his own country.
Three Palestinians, including a boy and two militants, have been shot dead by Israelisoldiers in the Gaza Strip.
A pair of four-day-old conjoined twins who shared a heart have died in Peru today fromrespiratory failure.
More than 7,000 ELVIS PRESLEY fans have begun a candlelight vigil at his Gracelandmansion to pay homage to the king of rock 'n' roll on the 25th anniversary of his death.
AND IN SPORT.............
GOLF PGA (MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota)
PETER LONARD heads the Australians, one stroke from the lead after a sparkling firstround at the US PGA Championship in Minnesota.
LONARD has carded three-under-par 69, while Americans FRED FUNK and JIM FURYK are theclubhouse leaders on 68.
GREG NORMAN finished the day strongly to be two under when darkness forced him offthe course with three holes to play.
TRI AUST (DURBAN)
Wallaby coach EDDIE JONES has accused South Africa of sabotaging Australia's preparationfor tomorrow's deciding Tri-Nations rugby Test in Johannesburg.
He said the South Africans had deliberately set out to unsettle the Wallabies - fromcoach RUDI STRAEULI'S ongoing criticism, their involvement in the Ben Tune doping affair,to forcing the Australians to use a sub-standard field yesterday by extending their owntraining session.
But JONES warned such plans had had an opposite effect.
ENDS BULLETIN
AAP RTV ge/rp
KEYWORD: EVENING ROUND-UP
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