AAP National News Wire Round Up for Evening, Aug 20

AAP General News (Australia)
08-20-2000
AAP National News Wire Round Up for Evening, Aug 20

Baggage chaos strikes Sydney airport

Sydney international airport's troubled new $43 million baggage-handling system has
suffered its second glitch in five days, less than a month out from the Olympics.

A Sydney Airports Corporation spokesman says flights over a four-hour period were delayed
by some 10 minutes after a technical fault in the computer system occurred shortly before
7 this morning.

Up to 20 flights were affected.

Last Wednesday, a breakdown in the checked-bag screening system delayed four outbound
flights by about 15 minutes each.

The new security system was being integrated with the main baggage-handling system
when the mechanical failure occurred.

The Airports Corporation says the new baggage security system for the Olympics will
be fully bedded-in by the time the Games begin.



Officials warn spectators to be on time

IOC vice-president Kevan Gosper says the Olympics "show will go on" - with the start
of various events not likely to be postponed out of consideration for latecomers.

He says only "exceptional" circumstances could possibly hold up the events timetable.

Mr Gosper's assurance follows weekend reports that international sporting federations
could be asked to delay individual events under a contingency plan to deal with possible
public transport delays.

A spokesman for Olympics minister Michael Knight has also moved to clarify the situation:
he says events will only be delayed "if there's a major transport problem across the whole
network and three quarters of the stadium is held up".

But if it's just your train running late, don't expect the Games to be put on hold
for you: you could miss the event you've long been waiting and saving for.

Mr Knight's spokesman says events will not be postponed just because a few trains are
running late.

Mr Gosper says spectators have been warned: leave plenty of time to get to the venue
so you don't miss out.





Rescuers launch final bid to find sub survivors

Norwegian divers with video equipment have gone down to Russia's sunken submarine in
a final attempt to find survivors -- even though Russian officials believe all 118 seamen
aboard are probably dead.

The Norwegian divers, working at a depth of more than 100 metres, will assess the damage
suffered by the submarine when it sank eight days ago.

A British Defence Ministry spokesman says their work will take several hours.

Russian reports say the divers will try to manually unscrew a lid leading to the submarine's
escape chamber.

Pressure-measuring devices inside the hatch will give the rescue team an idea about
conditions inside the vessel.

The divers are also assessing the chances of a British mini-sub on standby on the surface
being able to latch on to the damaged escape hatch.





Boy suffers spinal injuries in football game

A nine-year-old Sydney boy has been airlifted to hospital after suffering suspected
spinal injuries during a rugby league game this afternoon.

An ambulance spokesman says the boy was injured in a tackle during a match at Leichhardt
Oval, in Sydney's inner west.

He was airlifted to Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick, where he's in a serious
but stable condition.





Unionists discuss workplace discrimination

More than 150 women unionists from around Australia have gathered in Adelaide for the
opening day of the inaugural Australian Council of Trade Unions national women's conference.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow has told the conference women still face pregnancy discrimination
and too often are the focus of increasing incidents of workplace bullying.

Ms Burrow also says equal pay for men and women in Australia is a myth, with women
earning an average 8.6 per cent an hour less than their male colleagues.

And she says since 1995 the number of children living in poverty in Australia has grown
by another 100,000 -- a quarter of them in working families.





WA cracks down on crime

The West Australian opposition says it will seek tougher penalties for criminals who
attack the elderly.

State Labor leader Geoff Gallop says his party will introduce new legislation to parliament
when it resumes in a fortnight increasing penalties for criminals who prey on seniors.

Under the new legislation, jail sentences would increase from five to 10 years for
assault, 14 to 20 years for robbery, 18 to 20 years for burglary and seven to 10 years
for fraud against victims aged 60 or more.

Dr Gallop says the Opposition's legislation is far simpler than the state government's
costly Matrix Bill.

The Matrix Bill deals with sentencing by ensuring judges impose higher penalties by
not leaving a large gap between the maximum and minimum penalties.





Man's body pulled from croc-infested river

Police say a man whose body's been recovered from a crocodile-infested river in the
Northern Territory died of a head injury.

Police marine and fisheries unit Sergeant Garry Casey has ruled out a crocodile attack
in the death of the 27-year-old Pine Creek man.

Sergeant Casey says the accident occurred on the Mary River south-east of Darwin shortly
after midnight.

The man and two friends had been crabbing, when their dinghy apparently hit a mudbank.

The man was flung into the water, surfaced briefly then disappeared.





Pipeline blast kills ten campers

The death toll from an underground natural gas pipeline explosion in the US has climbed to 10.

The victims, four of them children, were members of at least two families who were
camping along a river in the American south-west when the explosion occurred.

A State police spokesman says it's a mystery why the pipeline blew.





Call for better car design

A report into child deaths in driveways in Australia has called for better car design
and building planning reforms.

The report by the Motor Accidents Authority also calls for better public education
to reduce the number of child deaths and injuries in driveways.

It was released today by New South Wales Special Minister of State John Della Bosca,
who says about 10 per cent of the state's child pedestrian deaths and injuries occurred
in driveways.

Seventeen children died after being reversed over in New South Wales driveways in three
years between 1996 and 1999, most often by four-wheel drives or commercial vehicles.





Boegman and Van Heer omitted from team

Sprinter Tania Van Heer and long jumper Nicole Boegman are the two notable omissions
from the Australian track and field team to contest the Sydney Olympics.

Van Heer has been overlooked after missing last week's trials with an Achilles tendon
injury, while Boegman's missed out to Bronwyn Thompson in the long jump.

Selectors have decided to postpone a decision on whether 400-metre gold-medal favourite
Cathy Freeman or Commonwealth champion Nova Peris-Kneebone will get the third and final
spot in the 200 metres.

They have also been unable to name a competitor in the men's 1500 metres - following
a controversial trial race yesterday where winner Nick Howarth was disqualified and favourite
Craig Mottram was pushed over.

Instead, the winner of a 1500m trial race in Adelaide next Saturday will run the event
for Australia at next month's Games.





Boegman to appeal exclusion

Nicole Boegman's coach Craig Hilliard says the long jumper will appeal her controversial
omission from the Australian Olympic track and field team.

Boegman is the only Australian to have bettered the A-qualifying standard of 6.65m,
but was overlooked in favour of young Queenslander Bronwyn Thompson, who won yesterday's
trial.





Olazabal shines at US PGA

Jose Maria Olazabal has matched the lowest score ever in a major championship to climb
into contention in the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Spaniard shot a nine-under-par 63 which broke the Valhalla Golf Club course record
by two shots and left him four shots behind third round leader Tiger Woods.

Woods shot a 70 and leads at 13 under par by one stroke from fellow Americans Scott
Dunlap and Bob May.





Webb lags behind in British open

Australian Karrie Webb now trails by eight strokes after the third round of the British
Open at Southport.

World No.1 Webb was given a two-shot penalty for taking an incorrect drop away from
a sprinkler head at the first hole and had her score increased to 72.

The decision has almost ended her chances of catching runaway leader Sophie Gustafson,
who leads by seven strokes from Meg Mallon and Kathryn Marshall





Hingis and Williams to meet

World number one Martina Hingis and reigning US Open champion Serena Williams have
advanced to the final of the Canadian Open in Montreal.

Williams defeated seventh-seeded Spaniard Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 6-2 6-4 while Hingis
ousted another Spanish star, third seed Conchita Martinez 6-3 6-2.





Agassi advances in Washington

Reigning US Open champion Andre Agassi has advanced to the finals of the Washington
Tennis Classic.

The top seed disposed of Germany's David Prinosil 6-1 6-3.

Agassi will meet Spain's Alex Corretja who defeated third seed Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 7-6 6-2.

KEYWORD: EVENING ROUND-UP

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