This is 10 Eyewitness News with Juanita Phillips.
The search continues for clues and more bodies in the backpacker murder mystery.
The New Zealand election and it's a cliffhanger.
And in Adelaide the crowds turn out for a taste of what's to come.
Good evening.
Tonight New South Wales police are investigating the discovery of a mystery body.
But it's not in the forest where the remains of seven hitchhikers have been found.
The body believed to be that of a man is near Shell Harbour.
It was found this afternoon by children in Bushland.
The body was wrapped in carpet.
Police at the scene say it's too early to say how the person died or how the body came
to be where it was found.
Out of the backpacker murders and senior police have dismissed reports a satanic cult may
be responsible for the deaths of seven young people near Bowral in the New South Wales
southern highlands.
The theory is just one that's been canvassed as police continue searching the Belanglo
State Forest for more bodies.
Today they discovered a small wooden altar and a cross behind the forest.
Sixty searches combed the fire trails today enabling other police who'd been in the bush
for a month to take a break.
They could have a tracking dogs working in 10 minute spells supported the various teams.
As a matter of urgency task force detectives have traced a Christian group responsible
for placing the wooden altar and cross in the search area.
There has been a Christian group trekking through the forest or even camping and we
believe that they may have left it there.
Fears that the seven deaths are ritual killings stem from the way the five young women and
two men have been laid out on the ground and covered with sticks dirt and leaves.
Several private investigators in Sydney maintain there have been cult killings in America where
sacrifices are made with similar multiple stabbings and mobile wooden altars are used.
Well the investigating officers have known about the altar for quite some time and their
exhaustive inquiries have led them to realise that the altar has nothing to do with the
murders or for that fact any witchcraft that has been reported.
The sensationalist German magazine Bild has dubbed the person responsible for the backpack
of deaths the astro killer.
It claims the positions of the seven bodies fit the pattern of a constellation in the
southern hemisphere with 16 stars.
The magazine concludes there are nine more bodies in the forest even though police are
examining up to 20 files of persons missing along the Hume Highway.
At this stage the 300 searches to be bussed into Belanglo during the next week won't be
asked to search the pine forest itself.
The seven victims were found in bushland a kilometre behind it where the serial killer
or killers knew they wouldn't be disturbed.
The senior police aware that logging trails divide the forest into sections say it may
become necessary to sweep them as well.
The tracker dogs will be back in the forest soon after dawn tomorrow as the search is
stepped up.
Meanwhile the residents of the idyllic southern highlands can only wait and hope that there
are no more missing teenagers in the killing field outside their town.
Harry Potter 10 News.
In the wake of the Bauerl murders there's a new way for backpackers to travel Australia
safely.
A company called Udo Air up over Down Under is offering cheap DC3 flights to help travellers
on a budget see the country.
The Udo Air DC3s will look like this.
The first of three arrived at Brisbane's Archerfield airfield this afternoon ready for its makeover.
Udo Air says by March next year the company will operate air services for backpackers
at the same price as coach travel.
Each day thousands of backpackers from overseas are finding their way around Australia looking
for budget transport and budget accommodation.
The Bauerl killing field is making some rethink their travel.
You just know it's there so don't do anything foolish right now.
It's like a double warning.
Now there appears the Bauerl murders may even harm Australian tourism.
We've got to be careful that Australia doesn't get marked off as a dangerous destination.
We've seen what has happened in Miami and after a few murders there tourism to Miami
virtually just stopped and German travel agents wouldn't sell it.
Udo Air says it's here to help.
Udo will fly coast to coast using secondary airfields around the country operating out
of Brisbane's air training centre the company will also provide training opportunities for
student graduate pilots.
Jeff Mullins 10 News.
Melbourne police are investigating the stabbing death of a woman found dead at her outer suburban
clothing shop.
The woman aged in her mid-30s was in an office at the back of the Sunbury store when she
was attacked.
She suffered stab wounds to the throat and upper body.
Police today set up an information caravan at the site in a bid to gain information about
the murder.
In New Zealand there's been an election boil over.
It now appears there's a strong possibility of a hung parliament with voters slashing
the National Party's majority.
While it's still too early to tell Prime Minister Bolger will only be able to govern with the
help of one of the minor parties.
Meanwhile a referendum held at the same time has rejected the first pass the post voting
system replacing it with a preferential system similar to here.
New Zealand's 2.3 million voters went to the polls today in what was expected to be a relatively
easy win for the National Party led by Prime Minister Jim Bolger.
However it soon became clear there was a high voter turnout possibly caused by the fact
that the New Zealanders were also voting on a referendum for a change in the voting system.
Equally as the votes started to be counted it became obvious that the National Party's
27 seat majority would take a hammering.
Two minor parties the Alliance led by Jim Anderton a break away from the Labour Party
and New Zealand First led by National Party defector Winston Peters further confused the
picture.
A few moments ago it appeared they'd each won two seats in the 100 seat parliament.
The Labour Party appears to have won 46 seats still five seats short of a majority but opposition
leader Mike Moore was ecstatic even to the point of taking a leap out of Paul Keating's
book.
And you are the true believers and I want to applaud you.
A somewhat chastened Prime Minister could only reflect on the colleagues that his party
had lost but he predicted the Nationals with 49 seats still too short of a majority would
retain power.
I have to say up front there is no question that we will form the next government if those
seats are confirmed.
But one result is certain New Zealanders in a referendum run at the same time have decided
to adopt a mixed member proportional voting system similar to here and get rid of the
first past the post system that served them since independence.
Ian McMinn 10 News.
Like home Prime Minister Keating is under fire over his role in buying new artworks
worth $100,000 for Parliament House.
The Federal Opposition claims his interference is out of line and is outraged over claims
the government used the Prime Minister's own art dealers.
When Paul Keating held his first cabinet meeting as Prime Minister in January last year the
walls of the cabinet room were bare.
But 12 months later the Australian flag has disappeared and the walls are adorned with
14 John Gould prints.
Now the subject of much controversy.
The Australian bird prints by the 19th century artists are reported to cost the taxpayer
$100,000 and according to the Canberra Times were bought at the Prime Minister's request.
Prime Minister is using his influence completely incorrectly to force the Joint House Department
to purchase art that he likes which is not necessarily in conformity with the existing
collection.
Over 3,000 artworks in the Parliament House collection and any new acquisitions are made
by the Joint House Department but apparently the Prime Minister instructed his staff to
buy the prints through one of his own art dealers.
Once again he seems to be prepared to give his business to people who are his friends
and associates which again opens up a whole series of very serious questions.
The Prime Minister's office says the allegations are nothing more than gossip but the claims
are damaging particularly in light of the recent furor surrounding the time made dining
table for the lodge and the resignation of a key advisor for the fine arts.
Stephanie Kennedy 10 News.
Praise for a young West Australian pilot who managed to land a light plane in the Gibson
Desert after the engine failed but then an ironic twist of fate the plane was destroyed
when a signal fire got out of control.
The fire was still burning when rescuers reached the stranded men at sunset last night.
A signal fire, lit to attract attention, had got out of control and destroyed the Cessna
aircraft.
The pilot and five of his friends were flying from Port Hedland to the Grand Prix in Adelaide
when the engine failed at 5,000 feet.
The plane forced to land in sandy terrain 20 kilometres west of Warburton.
While recovering today the survivors told of four terrifying minutes as the 23 year
old pilot flighted the aircraft to a successful emergency landing.
I was just basically concentrating on getting on the ground and hopefully without damaging
the aircraft too much and getting the people out alive.
The group spent six hours in the desert waiting for rescuers to reach them but had plenty
of water on board.
Today they returned home to Port Hedland after their lucky escape.
Alan Hind 10 News.
Organisers of tomorrow's Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Adelaide are hoping for
a near record crowd.
Today 75,000 people were at the track, well up on the Saturday figure for last year.
Brazilian Etton Senna has claimed pole position for the big race.
It was another day of drama and tension as drivers battled for pole position but no one
came near yesterday's times leaving Senna at the front of the grid ahead of Elaine Prost
and Damon Hill.
Fine weather brought people out in their thousands resulting in long queues at the general admission
ticket boxes.
For those who didn't want to part with their money there was always the chance to take
a sneak peek over the fence.
Grand Prix management was delighted with the turnout and with a fine sunny day with a top
of 23 tip for tomorrow there could be a near record crowd.
For something a little different pedal power replaced horsepower for a while and even these
strange machines have their bingles.
Overhead there was even more action with the aviation displays including the spectacular
RAAF roulettes.
Meanwhile fans continue to stream into town, Qantas for the first time used a Boeing 747
on a domestic flight into Adelaide to bring 400 people in for tomorrow's race and when
it's all over two more jumbos will be used to get people home.
Leon Bignall, 10 News.
And we'll have all the track action from today's racing in Adelaide in sports tonight with
Bill Woods after this bulletin.
And it wasn't just Grand Prix preparations which captured Adelaide's attention today.
There was a very special event which celebrated its 60th anniversary for details shortly.
Well more than 75 years after leaving for battle Australia's unknown soldier from World
War One has begun his journey home.
Australian soldiers carried his coffin during a moving ceremony in France.
After warm words of gratitude from French military officials the coffin was taken to
a waiting helicopter at the Cambrai Air Base.
The unknown soldier will lie in state in Canberra before being interred at the Australian War
Memorial during an internationally televised ceremony on November the 11th, Remembrance
Day.
A 26 year old man has appeared in a Northern Ireland court charged with last weekend's
shooting murders of seven people in a grey steel pub.
He's also facing a charge of being a member of the illegal loyalist group, the Ulster Defence
Association.
Screams of abuse from a crowd of 200 people outside the magistrate's court in Limmavadi.
Brian McNeil, his head covered with a blanket, was led inside for the special sitting.
He faced nine charges, seven counts of murder at the Rising Sun Bar, membership of the outlawed
Ulster Defence Association and possession of a pistol, a rifle, a shotgun and ammunition.
Mr McNeil left to more angry shouts, police large numbers were needed to keep crowds under
control.
The court had heard he did not reply when charged by police.
He was remanded in custody for a week.
Elsewhere in the province as the politicians continue their rounds of meetings the Foreign
Secretary Douglas Heard said no opportunity should now be allowed to pass in the search
for peace.
In the United States the man they call Dr Death is behind bars tonight after refusing
to pay a $2,000 bond.
Jack Kevorkian appeared before a Detroit court charged with helping a patient commit suicide.
Dr Jack Kevorkian waved goodbye to his freedom before he went limp and forced marshals to
drag him from the courtroom.
They just carried away a man that has done nothing wrong.
I have contempt for that court, I have no respect for that court, that was a joke.
The so called Dr Death has never before been jailed despite his presence at 19 suicides.
Murder charges were dropped and state laws violated but today the judge raised his bail.
Kevorkian has refused to buy his freedom and intends to stage a hunger strike in prison.
He will not be force fed, he will not in any way be deprived of any of his rights inherent
under the constitution, one of which is to refuse food.
Will he be force fed sheriff if he refuses to take food?
If you're asking me that we are going to let Mr Kevorkian die in our custody, no.
Kevorkian is the foremost American proponent of physician assisted suicide but his methods
are criticised as crude, his attitude arrogant.