Good evening, Angela Pearman with the latest news. Independent candidate Phil Cleary is
tonight savouring a stunning win in the Wills by-election. With more than 80% of the ballot
counted, Cleary has 34% of the primary votes and will win on preferences. Both the major
parties suffered a sizeable loss of support.
Football hero and left-wing community activist burst through a pack of 22 candidates to take
a seat which until now had been safe Labor territory. But Mr Cleary is scornful of the
excuses of Liberal and Labor alike.
There are just too many people out there who are disenchanted Labor Party voters saying
to the Labor Party, you've got to return to some solid Labor platforms. The Liberals were
saying that despite getting only 26% of the vote, the goods and services tax wasn't rejected.
I mean, this is, you know, political hyperbole of the highest order.
The Prime Minister does concede the Wills defeat is disappointing for Labor, but denies
it's a rejection of his One Nation package. Despite an unprecedented collapse in the Labor
vote and without a blush to be seen, Mr Keating claims the big loser is the Liberal Party.
Tasmania's A-P-P-M dispute has reached a climax with the company refusing to respond to union
offers to return to work. Negotiations broke down today with a conditional peace offer
from the workers rejected by the company. As a result, the workers have been warned
if they do not return to the job tomorrow, they will be sacked.
The planned cutback in the world's nuclear weapons has been given a setback by the four
republics that became instant nuclear powers when the Soviet Union collapsed. Foreign ministers
from the four met for eight hours in Moscow, but failed to resolve the deadlock over negotiations
with the United States.
The talks between these four new nuclear powers were aimed at saving the START arms reduction
treaty that the United States hammered out over many years with the former Soviet Union.
Today's talks did not go well.
You see that we regret very much that today we have not yet reached an agreement concerning
the ratification of the START treaty.
Ukraine wants its own one-on-one arms reduction talks with the United States. That contradicts
the agreement the U.S. made with the former Soviet republics that Russia would speak for
them all on nuclear arms and become the only nuclear power among them.
The essence of the differences becomes absolutely clear and boils down to the question one nuclear
state or four nuclear states.
Four nations with nuclear weapons for the U.S. to deal with instead of one. Russia, Ukraine,
Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Ukrainian officials stress their president Kravchuk and their parliament are on record
for a non-nuclear Ukraine in the near future. But Russian officials say if Ukraine is recognized
even temporarily as a nuclear power, there's the risk it may decide it wants to keep its
nuclear cloud.
A congressional committee has expressed alarm at the spread of AIDS among U.S. adolescents
and condemned Washington's response as a national disgrace.
It said the U.S. government's efforts were underfunded, uncoordinated and largely unsuccessful
in dealing with AIDS.
The report warns that AIDS is spreading unchecked through the teenage population. It is now
the sixth leading cause of death among children and young adults. In early 1989, 401 teens
had full-blown AIDS. By early this year, the cases had risen to 789, a 70% increase. This
does not include teens infected who have yet to show symptoms.
This says we're denying it. This says it's very scary. And it also says we better get
on with some education and prevention programs.
The report, released by Schroeder's Democratic-controlled committee, praised some education programs,
including one at this San Diego high school, where trained students, not teachers, promote
safe sex. The peer counselors say it's not easy.
I just said I don't want to use a condom. I want the kind of protection. I'll take my
chances.
They're just hooked and they're like drugs. If you're having sex, you have to keep on
doing it.
That's just what worries some Republicans and conservative activists who say parents
should take the lead and preach abstinence.
This may not be the most popular message, but I don't apologize that it's the best message
for young people.
The Sunshine State has whipped its way into the record books with the world's largest
banana split.
Thousands of Queenslanders can justly claim to be part of the unusual world record. 35,000
foil containers, stretched for a total length of 8.5 kilometers. Bananas and ice cream by
the truckload. It looked like a task to challenge even the best banana bender. Everyone had
to be snappy. It all had to be dished out within a few minutes, or the organizers would
have been left with the world's biggest banana smoothie.
The kids didn't seem so much interested in the record, rather the anticipated binge later.
Then near disaster.
But luck didn't abandon them.
It was just five dollars for a tasty piece of history. The profits went to charity.
Local hero Mick Dewan has roared to victory in the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, stretching
his early lead in the race for the World Championship. The defending champ, American Wayne Rainey,
was second, while young Australian Darrell Beatty finished third on the tight Eastern
Creek circuit.
For the first ten laps it seemed there was a question marker with the hard compound tires
being used by Dewan, but midway through the race he brought the crowd to its feet. About
six seconds behind Dewan and Rainey, young Australian rider Darrell Beatty was now in
clear cup third in only his second 500cc ride. Wayne Rainey, who had failed to gain a point
at Suzuka two weeks ago after falling early, refused to concede a centimeter to Dewan.
By lap 21 he was pushing hard again for the lead. But Dewan weaved his way through the
traffic leaving Rainey to fend for himself. From then on Dewan simply increased his lead
with every lap to give the fans the sight they'd been hoping for.
A quick look now at the national weather. A shower or two is forecast for Adelaide and
Darwin. It should be mainly fine in Brisbane and Melbourne and fine in the other capital
cities.
And that's all from the newsroom tonight, but we'll leave you with scenes from Euro
Disneyland which has just opened for business near Paris.