SA: Eclipse viewers go home after stunning eclipse

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SA: Eclipse viewers go home after stunning eclipse

By Lauren Ahwan

CEDUNA, SA, Dec 5 AAP - Thousands of euphoric eclipse chasers were packing up todayafter watching a stunning total eclipse at Ceduna.

Heavy clouds which threatened to ruin the phenomenon cleared just minutes before thesun was totally obscured at 7.40pm (CST) yesterday.

"It's like it's teasing us," said a boy among the 15,000-strong crowd that lined theCeduna foreshore.

"There's a little bit of it and then it's gone."

The first glimpse of the eclipse came about three minutes after the moon started toobscure the sun at 6.40pm (CST), but the clouds came back just as quickly as they disappeared.

"Here we go again" was the common catchcry throughout the event, followed by "oohs"

and "aahs" and an occasional "I can't see anything".

Then the moment they had all waited for - the 32-second period of totality - occurred.

Darkness descended on the area as onlookers snuggled into their sleeping bags and rugs,while the clouds parted to show a halo-like outline of the sun.

"It's kept us in suspense all day," Londoner Alex Scutt told AAP.

"But it's great, absolutely superb - just superb stuff.

"I've never seen anything like it. You got just enough to let it sink in."

Fellow UK traveller Mike Smith was also amazed, but less impressed with the brief display.

"It's just like sex - too damn short," he said.

Ceduna and Lyndhurst, in South Australia, were the only two populated places in theworld to witness the total eclipse, although partial eclipses could be seen elsewhere.

The CSIRO broadcast the event live on its website, although educator Darren Osborneadmitted it was nothing like watching the real thing.

"I'm converted, I'm addicted," Mr Osborne told reporters immediately after viewingthe eclipse from Ceduna.

AAP la/las/de

KEYWORD: ECLIPSE DAYLEAD

SA: Bridgestone asked to buy out Australian shareholders

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SA: Bridgestone asked to buy out Australian shareholders

ADELAIDE, April 29 AAP - Investment executive John Spalvins today asked BridgestoneAustralia (BSAL) to consider a share buy-back plan to buy out its Australian shareholders.

The plan was put forward by investment company Galufo, which owns more than 500,000BSAL shares, at the company's annual general meeting in Adelaide.

Galufo executive chairman, Mr Spalvins read out an open letter to the company at themeeting, in which he was critical of BSAL's financial results, and said major correctiveaction was needed.

"The 2001 financial results achieved by Bridgestone Australia, while an improvementon 2000, still compare unfavourably with those of five years ago," Mr Spalvins told themeeting.

"There is a need for major corrective measures to be taken as a matter of urgency."

BSAL made a net profit of $8.9 million in 2001, up from a $6.9 million loss in 2000.

Mr Spalvins also said the company did not communicate well enough with its shareholdersand that only one of BSAL's seven directors did not have an executive role with the company.

Under Galufo's plan, the company would offer to buy back 14 million shares at $3.50each, in the form of a $1 capital return and fully franked dividends of $2.50.

"This offer would be made to all shareholders, but if Bridgestone Corporation of Japan(60.3 per cent shareholding) declined, it would be possible for all interested Australianshareholders to be taken out for 100 per cent of their shareholdings," Mr Spalvins said.

BSAL executive director of finance Andrew Moffatt said Galufo's share buy-back planwas a matter for the company's directors to consider and they did not have a "definitiveanswer" at this stage.

He said the company was working hard to improve its profitability, but its core businessof tyre manufacture was facing increasing competitive pressures.

"It's a globally competitive industry and we are under very, very high price pressures,"

Mr Moffatt told reporters after the meeting.

"The market is still very competitive because of the many imported Asian tyres, theyhave been increasing dramatically in the last two or three years, competition is gettingmore and more severe," he said.

All of the operations within the group, except for the tyre division, were operatingprofitably, he said.

"We would like to think this year we can make a small profit from the tyre division," he said.

He said overall the company expected to have a financial result "in the order of whatit was last year" for 2002.

The company also announced it would be distributing a fully franked dividend of 7.5cents per ordinary share, the first dividend in two years.

Mr Moffatt also said BSAL was currently looking for another non-executive director,but it would be at least several months until that was finalised.

AAP scl/jmd/sb

KEYWORD: BRIDGESTONE

NSW: Reith denies Howard asked about children overboard scandal

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NSW: Reith denies Howard asked about children overboard scandal

Former defence minister PETER REITH has reportedly cast fresh doubts on Prime MinisterJOHN HOWARD's account of Mr HOWARD's involvement in the children overboard scandal.

The Australian newspaper says Mr REITH yesterday denied Mr HOWARD's claim in questiontime that he'd called him on November 7 to check the veracity of Coalition claims asylumseekers threw their children overboard.

The Australian says when they asked Mr REITH if Mr HOWARD had spoken to him at anystage about the matter, he said no.

The former minister told the newspaper this was because they were still waiting toreceive the video of the incident, and until that came back, there was nothing to say.

Mr REITH retired from politics at the November 10 election.

AAP RTV klw/tb

KEYWORD: BOAT REITH (SYDNEY)

Fed: Authorities trying to confirm 2nd al-Qaeda Aussie = 2

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2001
Fed: Authorities trying to confirm 2nd al-Qaeda Aussie = 2

"Australian authorities have not yet had access to Mr Hicks and discussions are continuing
with US authorities in this regard."

Mr Williams and Defence Minister Robert Hill said investigations into Mr Hicks's activities
were continuing, and authorities were still considering laying charges under Australian
law.

"We can assure Australians that if Mr Hicks has committed a crime against Australian
law, the government will do whatever is necessary to bring him to justice," they said.

But the ministers said they had no information about a second Australian reportedly
captured in Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's office said the Australian mission in Islamabad
was trying to confirm reports the man had been abandoned in a Kandahar hospital by fleeing
Taliban forces.

US broadcaster National Public Radio quoted a Kandahar doctor as saying the Australian
had been left behind with other wounded soon after the Taliban stronghold fell on December
7.

"One of the wounded al-Qaeda fighters is an Australian with blue eyes, says Dr Ali,"

reporter Sarah Chayes said.

"They were left behind when the Taliban cleared the ward of their wounded just after
they surrendered the city."

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd has been in Pakistan for the past week
on a fact-finding mission and is due back in Australia on Wednesday.

He said one of the key problems facing Afghanistan was mines in nearly 1,000 square
kilometres of land, which was stopping an estimated 3.1 million Afghan refugees from going
back to their homes.

"Australia must make an additional substantial contribution now - either in cash or
in kinds, through the considerable expertise of the Australian military and others, or
both," he said.

Meanwhile, a group of ground zero workers from New York's police and fire services
plan to holiday in Sydney with their families next year.

NSW Premier Bob Carr said 25 firefighters, police and their families would take a break
from cleaning up the World Trade Centre site to visit in February.

New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who had also been invited, accepted the offer on behalf
of the personnel but had not yet decided if he would join them.

AAP kmh/apm/de

KEYWORD: TERROR AUST N/L 2 CANBERRA

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

Fed: Aust wool stockpile sold

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2001
Fed: Aust wool stockpile sold

By Shane Wright

CANBERRA, Aug 3 AAP - The `sold out' sign has been put up on the Australian wool stockpile.

WoolStock chairman Donald McGauchie said today the stockpile, which at its height reached
more than four million bales, was effectively gone.

A handful of 200kg bales was still sitting in empty warehouses in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne
and Brisbane, but for all intents and purposes the stockpile had been sold off.

Mr McGauchie could hardly control his excitement about the demise of the stockpile.

"It's bloody marvellous," he said.

"This is something the industry has been looking forward to for a long, long time,
and we've finally got there."

At its peak in the early 1990s, the Australian wool stockpile was so big that if every
bale was sat side-by-side it would reach from Brisbane to Perth, with some left over.

In the past week, it has diminished from around 4,000 bales to a few specialist bales
that will be targeted at European wool spinners.

Mr McGauchie said for so long the stockpile had hung around the necks of Australian
woolgrowers, driving prices down and making sales difficult.

Now the decks were clear in the Australian wool market.

"We started the week with about 4,000 bales, and we've moved those pretty quickly so
for all intents and purposes, it's gone," he said.

"What's left is pretty specialist so its more appealing to European buyers rather than
China or our Asian buyers."

With the stockpile's demise, so goes WoolStock.

The publicly listed company will now start the process of liquidation.

WoolStock shareholders will get a payment in September, with probably one final payment
after that.

Mr McGauchie said it was unusual to be involved in a company that was voluntarily winding
up, and everyone involved in the process was happy.

"Normally when you liquidate a company, people are pretty unhappy and it's done in
the worst circumstances, but this time we're looking forward to it," he said.

The end of the stockpile coincides with continued strength in the wool sector, with
exports up to a five-year high this week while prices remain around the 800 cents a kilogram
mark.

AAP sw/daw/vr

KEYWORD: WOOL

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

Qld: Two assaults overnight

AAP General News (Australia)
02-20-2001
Qld: Two assaults overnight

BRISBANE, Feb 20 AAP - A gang of teenage girls who bashed a 14-year-old girl at a skating
and bowling amusement centre last night will face court today.

The victim was punched and kicked by the gang at a Toowoomba skate bowl, west of Brisbane,
at about 10.45pm (AEST).

The girl was taken to hospital with facial injuries.

Two 17-year-old women and two juvenile girls have been charged with assault and will
appear in Toowoomba Court …

Tas: Research vessel free from Antarctic ice

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2000
Tas: Research vessel free from Antarctic ice

MELBOURNE, Dec 20 AAP - An Australian research ship which was trapped in up to 15 nautical
miles of sea ice near Antarctica has freed itself and is heading for home.

Polar Bird, which was carrying 36 researchers and 20 crew, had been trapped for several
weeks before it started making headway early yesterday morning, voyage leader Dr Ian Allison
said.

"Prevailing winds and sea ice drift led to an easing of the ice conditions, allowing
the ship to make its way to open water by Tuesday evening," Dr Allison said.

The ship, travelling at 11 knots in easing weather, was expected to arrive in Hobart
on December 27, he said.

The Polar Bird, which is ice-strengthened but not classed as a full-blown icebreaker,
was caught in a sea of ice 400km north-east of Casey Station in the Antarctic.

It had left the station more than three weeks ago.

The icebreaker Aurora Australis, which left Davis Station last week, was diverted from
its course to try and free the Polar Bird.

The Aurora has resumed its course for Hobart and is also expected to arrive on December
27, Australian Antarctic Division logistics manager Geoff Dannock said.

Australian Antarctic Division director Dr Tony Press said it was unfortunate the ships
could not be back home for Christmas, but added that those on board could at least celebrate
the new year at home.

AAP st/clr/jas/bwl

KEYWORD: POLAR (CARRIED EARLIER)

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.