AAP National News Wire Round Up for Midday, Feb 13

AAP General News (Australia)
02-13-2001
AAP National News Wire Round Up for Midday, Feb 13
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


NATION (LOGAN, BRISBANE)

One Nation leader PAULINE HANSON has hit the campaign trail ahead of Saturday's Queensland
election, warning the major political parties that they'll continue to suffer the consequences
of her resurgent party.

Brandishing a 16-page policy document in Brisbane's south, she gave her first speech
last night since One Nation secured 10 per cent of the vote in the West Australian election
at the weekend.

Today, Ms HANSON heads up to Hervey Bay and Gympie, north of Brisbane.

She is calling for more police, tougher crime measures, better public education and
laws encouraging small business.

She says One Nation has yet to decide the details of its preference allocations, but
preferences will go to National candidates in 17 seats.

The deal involves the same number of seats in which National Party candidates have
decided to put One Nation ahead of Labor on preferences.

Meanwhile former One Nation MP DAVID OLDFIELD says One Nation is likely to poll well
in Queensland but probably won't win any seats.





On a lighter note, PAULINE HANSON'S former adviser DAVID ETTRIDGE says the One Nation
leader had aspirations to be a fashion designer and has considered launching a Please
Explain label.



US KOURNIKOVA VIRUS (WASHINGTON)

A new computer virus which tricks users into thinking they've received a picture of
tennis star ANNA KOURNIKOVA is rapidly spreading through Australian computers.

International anti-virus research company Trend Micro says the virus, which has overwhelmed
e-mail servers across the US and Europe, could affect hundreds of thousands of Australian
users by the end of the day.

When users click on the e-mail attachment, the virus sends itself via email to all
addressees found in the Microsoft Outlook address book.

Trend Micro Managing Director KENNY LIAO says the virus does not permanently damage
computers, but many local companies would be forced to shut down e-mail and a complete
clean of the e-mail system would be needed.



US EROS LAND (COLUMBIA)

A spacecraft has touched down on the barren, rocky surface of the asteroid Eros, successfully
completing history's first landing on such a space object.

Mission control in the United States has received a beacon signal from the space probe,
now resting on the surface of Eros, around 315 million kilometres from Earth.

The NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft has completed a five-year mission and its last manoeuvre
has boosted NASA's technical experience in putting spacecraft on objects with extremely
light gravity.



DRUGS ADEC (CANBERRA)

A drug evaluation expert says it's doubtful whether doctors should be gaining financially
through their patients taking part in clinical trials of new drugs.

The comments follow reports in the Sydney Morning Herald today, claiming doctors are
being paid up to $6,000 a head by pharmaceutical companies to recruit patients for drug
trials, which have risen 20-fold in Australia since 1990.

The report claims intellectually disabled adults are being included in the trials,
which are not governed by adequate laws to protect participants' rights.

Australian Drug Evaluation Committee chairman, Professor MARTIN TATTERSALL says patients
should be aware of the factors which may influence doctors to recommend they take part
in clinical trials.



TAX (CANBERRA)

Opposition leader KIM BEAZLEY says the federal government's foreshadowed changes to
the Business Activity Statement have left Treasurer PETER COSTELLO gulping.

Mr BEAZLEY's comments have come during a four-day bus trip around seats in northern
New South Wales in a test-drive for the federal election campaign later this year.

He says PETER COSTELLO gulped while admitting there'd have to be substantial changes
made to the BAS.

A staunch defender of the BAS, Mr COSTELLO now says the government will announce later
this week substantial measures to simplify the quarterly statement.



STAFFERS (CANBERRA)

The HOWARD government has reportedly sacked two staff members because one is married
to a Labor candidate and the other is in a relationship with an opposition press secretary.

The Canberra Times newspaper says CLARE DONNELLY, a liaison officer working for federal
Sports Minister JACKIE KELLY, returned to a departmental job last week, after the minister's
office discovered her husband was vying for a spot in the ACT lower house.

And ZOE McKENZIE, an adviser to Attorney-General DARYL WILLIAMS, is in a relationship
with the press secretary of his Labor counterpart.



BUS (MELBOURNE)

Police have blamed wet weather for a bus accident which injured 18 foreign tourists
in Victoria late last night.

The accident occurred on the South Gippsland Highway, south-east of Melbourne.

It was just metres from the site where five people died in an Australia Day accident
last month, but police say there's no common cause.




FAHEY (CANBERRA)

Finance Minister JOHN FAHEY is today recovering in hospital after having a lung removed
due to cancer.

Mr FAHEY went into hospital last week for exploratory surgery but his office yesterday
said a cancer was found in his right lung which was removed on Friday.

The former NSW premier is expected to be away from parliament for several weeks and
Assistant Treasurer ROD KEMP is looking after the portfolio in his absence.



INDIA VALENTINE (BOMBAY)

Religious zealots in INDIA have protested against the Western craze of Valentine's
Day by burning piles of cards.

They say the day, and its rise in popularity in India, violates traditional culture,
and is vulgar and commercial.

Police say members of the Hindu nationalist SHIV SENA party burned the cards and chanted
anti-Valentines Day slogans outside a shop in Mumbai.



UK GRANT (LONDON)

English actor HUGH GRANT has been romantically linked with PORTIA DE ROSSI, the Australian
star of hit American TV show ALLY MCBEAL.

London newspaper The Express reports that DE ROSSI, who's 27, has asked the show producers
to write 40-year-old GRANT into the show so he can spend more time in Los Angeles.

The paper says the pair, who first met on the Blue Mountains set of the movie Sirens
six years ago, have been romantically linked for more than a month following a string
of dinner dates.



PIZZA (ADELAIDE)

Students from Adelaide University will bid for a place in the Guinness Book of Records
next week for eating pizza.

A pizza chain has organised the record attempt as part of the university's orientation
week program.

Pizza Haven says it will produce 100 pizzas for the day, and 10 students will have
half an hour to eat as many as possible.

The students are expected to chew through 45 kilos of dough, 10 kilos of tomatoes,
three kilos of olives and 10 kilos of cheese.


BRIEFLY:

Celera Genomics Inc, the private company that joined public scientists in announcing it
had mapped and started to read the human genome, says it's finished the mouse genome,
too.


Rock and pop music -- and even opera -- have been declared unholy distractions from the
Christian faith by the Vatican's cardinal responsible for Catholic doctrine.


Ailing Czech President VACLAV HAVEL has broken off a Mideast visit been rushed home in
a private jet borrowed from the Kuwaiti ruler after developing what his doctor says are
the symptoms of pneumonia.



IN FINANCE NEWS:


At 11.10am (AEDT) the all ordinaries index was up 18.9 points to 3296.0.

The Standard & Poor's ASX 200 index was up 21.1 points at 3351.4.

The Australian dollar was buying 53.90 US cents, up from 53.80 at the close yesterday.

Gold is trading 70 US cents higher at $US261.20 an ounce.



AND IN SPORTS NEWS:


CRICKET MEDAL (MELBOURNE)

Australian skipper STEVE WAUGH believes his ALLAN BORDER MEDAL triumph -- and his team's
record-breaking year -- will count for little if success doesn't come on the Indian tour.

WAUGH was named cricketer of the year last night with 63 votes, one more than twin brother MARK.

COLIN MILLER was named Test cricketer of the year while GLENN MCGRATH took out the
one-dayer award.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

AAP RTV jn

KEYWORD: MIDDAY ROUND-UP

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.