But they have said both parties had a " moral link " in that they were against police brutality and injustice .


The students also demanded the government announce punishments meted out to policemen who they said had manhandled students involved in a brawl with some restaurant owners near the Yangon institute in October .


The students appealed to the government not to close the institute because of their latest demonstration .


The institute was shut for nearly two years after the 1988 uprising .


On Friday , the road leading to Suu Kyi 's lakeside residence in central Rangoon remained closed by police .


Union leaders outraged by WTO snub to ILO head .


International trade union leaders on Friday expressed outrage that the head of the International Labour Organisation ( ILO ) had been barred from speaking at next week 's WTO meeting in Singapore .


Bill Jordan , general secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions ( ICFTU ) , told a news conference the withdrawal of a WTO invitation to ILO director general Michel Hansenne was " outrageous behaviour on the part of an organisation that wants to command respect in the world " .


Jordan said a small group of developing nations that oppose linking trade talks and labour conditions had pressured World Trade Organisation ( WTO ) officials to prevent Hansenne from taking the platform to urge such links .


" It is to their shame that those who are responsible for encouraging this meeting responded ( to the pressure ) in silencing him , " Jordan said after the opening of an ICFTU conference on international labour standards and trade .


The three-day trade union conference in Singapore hopes to push labour issues onto the WTO agenda .


Jordan said the WTO 's credibility was at stake over the issue of trade and labour .


The ICFTU said it wanted the WTO conference beginning on Monday to outlaw forced and child labour , end discrimination in hiring , and guarantee the right to join a union .


Bill Brett , chairman of the ILO Workers Group , told Reuters before the news conference he was " not too surprised , but very disappointed " that the speaking invitation had been withdrawn .


" Some governments are very determined to stop the issue ( of trade and labour rights ) being discussed , " he said , adding that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) seemed particularly hostile to the ILO agenda .


ASEAN groups Brunei , Indonesia , Malaysia , the Philippines , Singapore , Thailand and Vietnam .


The ILO wants a trade and labour rights " social clause " included in the final ministerial statement issued by WTO leaders at the end of the meeting , the organization 's first ministerial-level gathering .


Speaking to ICFTU delegates , Richard Eglin , director of the WTO secretariat , said the WTO was capable of making a significant contribution to governmental efforts to solve social problems .


But he said the WTO 's organisational structure made it difficult to impose on its members a social clause such as that called for by the ILO .


Indian rubber demand seen outstripping production .


Indian rubber demand is seen outpacing local production in the 1996/97 April / March season and the trend will persist way into the next century , the chairman of the Rubber Board of India said on Friday .


K.J. Matthew said at the Asia Rubber Markets meeting here Indian production of natural rubber in 1996/97 will reach 547,000 tonnes against projected demand of 578,000 tonnes , a gap of 31,000 tonnes .


For synthetic rubber , production reached 68,200 tonnes in 1995/96 while consumption in the same season hit 134,085 tonnes , Matthew added .


" Though schemes designed to realise further increases in the production of natural rubber are being operated successfully , the demand-supply gap is expected to widen , " he said .


Indian synthetic rubber output is not expected to rise significantly in the next season but demand will rise to 145,000 tonnes .


Matthew estimates that by the 2000/01 season , the gap between natural rubber output and consumption will rise to 51,000 tonnes and 319,000 tonnes in 2010/11 .


Natural rubber production will go up to 695,000 tonnes in 2000/01 against consumption of 746,000 tonnes .


In 2010/11 , domestic demand should rise further to 1.233 million tonnes while production will only reach about 914,000 tonnes .


One way to bridge the widening gap is to put more land under cultivation which the Rubber Board official estimates will reach 220,000 hectares between now and the year 2003 although Matthew said this may not be possible at this time in India .


" The development objective for the rubber plantation industry will be to increase production to the best extent possibly with a view to minimising imports of natural rubber , " he said .


Japan 's authorities seen seeking to rein in dollar .


Comments by Japan 's tight-lipped central bank chief and an influential top bureaucrat are further signs that the nation 's authorities want to keep the dollar at current levels , market sources said on Friday .


In a rare expression of a view on currencies by the Bank of Japan ( BOJ ) governor , Yasuo Matsushita was quoted in Japan 's leading economic daily on Friday as saying that he sees no further , immediate fall in the yen .


This followed a widely watched television appearance late on Thursday by Eisuke Sakakibara , a high-ranking Finance Ministry official , who denied he had said he wants to guide the dollar lower to between 108 and 110 yen .


But many in the market thought Sakakibara 's real intentions lay elsewhere , and took more notice of his comments about the U.S. government 's stance on the dollar , dealers said .


" I think his views on ( U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert ) Rubin 's comments were indeed what he himself thinks about the dollar , " said Hank Note , chief dealer at Sumitomo Bank .


Asked about Rubin 's comment that a strong dollar was in U.S. interests , Sakakibara said the remark does not necessarily mean the United States supports a stronger dollar .


" It 's a strong dollar , not stronger .


In that sense , the comments are not pointing to a certain direction , " he said .


" It shows that Sakakibara is not for a stronger dollar either , " said Sumitomo 's Note .


Takao Sakoh , first vice president at Union Bank of Switzerland in Tokyo , said : " Maybe a dollar at 104.50 yen is not acceptable ( to Sakakibara ) , but it may be okay at the current level , at the lower end of 112 yen . "


Market participants have kept a close eye on Sakakibara , chief of the ministry 's International Finance Bureau , as a comment he made in November after the dollar hit this year 's high of 114.92 yen pushed the currency down sharply .


He had said then that the market 's view on Japan 's economy was too pessimistic and that he believed it was stronger than the market thought .


Dealers have come to refer to 115 yen as the " Sakakibara ceiling " for the dollar following the remark .


Adding to the comments by " Mr Yen " , as Sakakibara is known for his prominence in the currency market , was BOJ governor Matsushita 's remark .


" The recent level of the yen exchange rate has been stable , and it does not appear to be moving towards a further depreciation of the yen immediately , so import prices are likely to stabilise at current levels , " Matsushita said in an interview with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun .


" The fact that he touched on the issue of inflation triggered by import prices shows that the BOJ does not want a further depreciation of the yen , past 115 yen , " said Yasuhito Kawashima , chief forex manager at Toyo Trust & Banking Co .


Some said the central bank may have been concerned a weaker yen would lead to unfounded pessimism about Japan 's economy .


" There was concern that foreign investors may sell Japanese stocks if the dollar goes above 115 yen .


The BOJ does not want the yen 's weakness to lead to pessimism over the economy , " said Taisuke Tanaka , market strategist with Credit Suisse in Tokyo .


Senior BOJ officials have separately said financial markets ' views on the economy have been too negative .


" I realise there are negative views in the markets about the impact of the consumption tax hike and drop in public spending , but the markets appear to be exaggerating the magnitude of the negative impact , " a senior BOJ official told Reuters on Friday .


The consumption tax is due to raised in April from three to five percent .


Lebanon sentences pro-Israeli warlord to death .


A Lebanese military court on Friday sentenced to death in absentia the commander of Israel 's surrogate militia in south Lebanon on treason charges .


The court convicted General Antoine Lahd , head of the South Lebanon Army ( SLA ) , of collaborating with Israel with which Lebanon is officially at war .


Lahd , a 69-year-old former Lebanese army major-general , heads the 3,000-strong SLA militia which helps Israel hold a border zone in south Lebanon to ward off cross-frontier guerrilla raids on northern Israel .


Lahd said a few days after the trial began on February 16 that Lebanese authorities must drop the charges or risk blocking any peace deal with the Jewish state .


He said Israel was capable of pressuring Lebanon 's Syrian-backed government to stop the legal pursuit .


The charges against Lahd were : forming a hostile army , carrying weapons on Israel 's side , helping Israel strip off a part of Lebanese territory by violence , forming an armed gang , killing or trying to kill Lebanese civilians by artillery shelling and kidnapping Lebanese citizens for long periods .


Shortly before Lahd 's trial began , a Beirut military prosecutor charged another 89 former Lebanese army soldiers with collaborating with Israel .


No date has been set for the trial of the men , all members of the SLA living in the Israeli-held zone in south Lebanon .


Israel and Lahd have repeatedly demanded safety guarantees for the SLA -- a mixed Christian-Shi'ite Moslem force -- which the Jewish states regards as loyal allies .


Israel has said the Lebanese army must incorporate the SLA fighters into its ranks as an army brigade as a condition for peace .


But Lebanese political analysts have said that would be out of the question and Lebanese authorities pre-empted the issue by taking legal action against Lahd .


Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres , calling Lahd " a great Lebanese patriot " , said earlier this year Lebanon had insulted the SLA commander by ordering his arrest on the treason charges .


Peres , who was ousted in May by rightwing Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu , said there could not be real negotiations with Lebanon " unless it will stop the maltreatment of the SLA and its commanders . "


The Beirut military court also sentenced to life in jail in absentia Etian Saqr , former head of the pro-Israeli Guardians of the Cedars , a small rightwing Christian civil war militia .


Saqr , whose trial was concurrent with Lahd 's , was convicted of " contacting the Israeli enemy , passing information to Israel and undertaking hostile acts against Lebanon " .


Texas / w Okla fed cattle market thin at $ 67 - USDA .


Trade was slow in the Panhandle area Friday , USDA said .


Slaughter steers and heifers were $ 1.00 per cwt lower .


Sales reported on 8,200 head slaughter steers and 1,000 heifers ; following weekly movement of 71,200 head .


Note - all cattle prices based on net weights FOB the feedlot after a 4 percent shrink .


Slaughter Steers - Select and Choice 2-3 1150-1200 lbs 67.00 .


Slaughter Heifers - Select and Choice 2-3 1050-1100 lbs 67.00 .


Confirmed - 9,300 Week Ago - None Year Ago - None


USDA daily cattle and hog slaughter - Dec 6 .


Est daily livestock slaughter under Fed inspection - USDA


*1995 totals adjusted to reflect NASS revisions 1996 Totals are subject to revision Yearly totals may not add due to rounding .


Previous day estimated Steer and Heifer Cow and Bull


14 years later , Florida man dies for killing .


Fourteen years after he bludgeoned and shot a man whose trailer home he robbed in 1982 , John Mills Jr .


, 41 , was put to death in Florida 's electric chair Friday .


As Glenn Lawhon , a rural Florida minister who is the victim 's father , looked on , Mills was pronounced dead at 7:13 a.m. EST ( 1213 GMT ) for the murder of Lester Lawhon .


Speaking in Arabic , Mills made a final statement before an anonymous citizen flipped the switch that sent 2000 volts of electricity through his body , said Department of Corrections spokesman Eugene Morris , who was present at the execution .


" I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and I bear witness that the prophet Mohammed is the messenger of God , " he quoted Mills as saying .


Prison officials said they had no record of Mills ' official conversion , but they said that , on May 14 , 1991 , he had asked that a new name , Yuhanna Abdullah Muhammed , be added to his prison file , which is usually an indication of a conversion to Islam .


Mills is the 38th person to die in Florida 's electric chair since the U.S. Supreme Court reversed itself in 1976 and legalised the death penalty .


Prison officials said Mills made no special request for a last meal and did not eat the steak , fried potatoes and orange juice offered him .


He spent Thursday with family members and his spiritual adviser , Morris said .


Mills was scheduled to die Wednesday but had his sentence temporarily postponed by the Florida Supreme Court .


On Thursday , the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta denied his appeal in federal court .


In March 1982 , Mills and accomplice Michael Frederick knocked on the door of Lester Lawhon 's trailer in an attempt to rob it , police said .


Lester Lawhon was taken to a nearby airstrip where he was bludgeoned with a tire iron .


Mills then fired two shots that killed Lawhon as the victim tried to run away .


Frederick is serving a 347-year sentence .


New York grain freight fixtures - Dec 5 .


Iowa-S Minn fed cattle market quiet , no sales-USDA .


Slaughter steers and heifers not tested , compared with Thursday 's close , USDA said .


Steers - Select and Choice 2-4 no sales .


Heifers - Select and Choice 2-4 no sales .


Carcass Basis ( weight only ) Compared Thursdays Close - Slaughter steers and heifers not tested .


Holstein - ( weight only ) Select to mostly Choice 2-3 1250-1400 lbs no sales .


Holsteins - ( grade and weight ) Choice 2-3 1250-1450 lbs no sales Select 2-3 1250-1450 lbs no sales .


Confirmed - None Week Ago - 800 Year Ago - 900


Wk to Date - None Week Ago - 800 Year Ago - 900


Man stole pigs , tipped strippers , gets 10 years .


A farmhand used the proceeds from stolen pigs to lavish tips on dancers at strip clubs and offered one $ 3,000 to pay for breast implant surgery , authorities said Friday .


In sentencing Darrel Voeks , 38 , to a 10-year prison term on Thursday , Outagmie County Circuit Court Judge Dennis Luebke said he was " a thief by habit . "


You are narcissitic , " Luebke said at the sentencing , adding Voeks should pay restitution of more than $ 100,000 to the farming family who had hired him .


Voeks , who was already on probation for prior pig thefts , pleaded that he was trying to pay bills for his ex-wife and children .


But the court heard that receipts showed much of the money went to dancers at strip clubs where he was known as a big tipper .


One stripper said Voeks offered to give her $ 3,000 for breast implant surgery .


CHICAGO , Dec 6 ( Reuter ) Statistics for the week ending December 1 in 000 's tonnes .


Curr Wk Yr Ago Curr Wk Yr to Date Yr Ago


In addition , Statistics Canada indicated the following exports to the U.S. between August and September 1996 , in tonnes :


NYMEX natgas ends sharply lower on weather outlook .


NYMEX Henry Hub natgas futures settled significantly lower Friday , pressured early by profit taking and driven even lower late by the National Weather Service 's bearish six to 10 day forecast , sources said .


January ended 29.7 cents lower at $ 3.487 per million British thermal units after dipping to a low of $ 3.46 .


Now the National Weather Service is calling for above-normal temperatures in more than half of the U.S. , " one futures trader said .


In its forecast , the NWS said it expects above-normal temperatures " over the lower 48 states " from December 12 through December 16 .


With more room to the downside anticipated early next week , traders said support in January was at $ 3.47 , then $ 3.35 .


The next backstops were seen at $ 3.11 and $ 3.04 , the low set on November 21 .


Resistance was pegged at the new contract high of $ 3.80 .


In the cash market , Gulf Coast prices were around $ 3.60 shortly before nomination deadlines .


Midcontinent prices were similarly lower in the $ 3.40s. New York city gate gas slipped into the $ 4.40s , down almost 15 cents .


NYMEX said an estimated 35,662 Hub contracts traded , down from Thursday 's revised tally of 43,955 .


NYMEX Alberta natgas remained untraded , with January settling at $ 1.65 , off 10 cents from Thursday .


Physical prices for the weekend at the AECO storage hub were also down about 10 cents in the C$ 1.92-1.97 per gigajoule , or $ 1.52-1.56 per mmBtu range , pressured by unseasonably mild weather in western Canada .


NYMEX Permian natgas , also untraded , ended 10 cents lower at $ 2.90 .


In congruence with futures , Permian cash prices for the weekend fell more than 10 cents to the high - $ 3.40s.


On the KCBT , January finished 26.5 cents lower at $ 3.35 after dipping to a low of $ 3.33 earlier in the session .


February was down 22 cents at the close , while other deferreds were 4.5 to nine cents lower .


The East / West spread narrowed by 3.2 cents to 13.7 cents ( NYMEX premium ) .


Physical prices at Waha for the weekend lost more than 15 cents to the low-to-mid $ 3.50s as milder weather moved into the Southwest .


-- H McCulloch , New York Power Desk +212-859-1628


U.S. barges lightly quoted on call session .


U.S. barge rates were lightly quoted Friday on the St. Louis Merchants Exchange call session .


No barges traded versus no trades Thursday .


- Two barges next week Illinois bid at a steady 130 percent of tariff , offered at 135 percent .


- One barge , week of December 15 , lower Ohio bid 2-1/2 points higher at 105 percent , no offer .


Two barges , week of January 5 , Illinois , offered five points lower at 195 percent , bid at 150 percent .


- Five barges , 30-day open , mid-Mississippi ( McGregor and south ) bid at 160 percent , offered at 170 percent , no comparisons .


- 36 barges , two each week May-August , Illinois , offered at 130 percent of tariff , no bid or comparison .


- 36 barges , two each week May-August , mid-Mississippi offered at a steady 135 percent , bid at 120 percent ( basis one each week ) .


CBOT grain / oilseed receipts and shipments .


Grain and soybean receipts and shipments , in bushels , at delivery locations for the previous trading day , according to the Chicago Board of Trade -


Clinton to have more news conferences in 2nd term .


President Clinton aims to hold more news conferences in his second term and will have one Dec. 13 , the White House said Friday .


The president had only two formal , full-blown news conferences last year , one in January and one after he won re-election in November , although he had various other limited sessions with the press .


White House spokesman Mike McCurry said Clinton " plans to have regular news conferences " during his second term .


But when asked how frequent these would be , he was evasive , saying , " periodic , occasional . "


" He enjoys the give and take " with reporters , the spokesman added .


Action Performance Cos Inc said Friday it has agreed to acquire Motorsport Traditions Ltd and Creative Marketing & Promotions Inc for about $ 13 million in cash and stock .


The two firms to be acquired have about $ 25 million in annual revenues from the design , manufacture and sale and distribution of licensed motorsports products .


The deal is expected to close by the end of the year subject to due diligence and other customary closing conditions .


Half of dog bites provoked , says American vet .


As many as 1 million dog bites are recorded in the United States every year and half of them are provoked by humans , a veterinarian told fellow animal doctors on Friday .


The Humane Society of the United States estimates that between 500,000 and one million bites are delivered by dogs each year , more than half of which are suffered by children .


" Most bites can be prevented by teaching children how to respect a dog , " Michael Cornwell of the Glencoe Animal Hospital in Columbus , Ohio , told the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association .


" Let 's not let our kids jump on them or crawl on them .


Dogs and children do n't have to have an interaction .


Let 's respect their territories , " he said .


Cornwell said 50 percent of reported bites were provoked by a person and 60 percent were suffered by children .


He also estimated that only 25 percent of bites were reported because medical attention was not needed .


Don Rieck , president of the National Animal Control Association , said aggressiveness in dogs was related more to gender than breed and a male dog that had not been neutered was three times more likely to bite than an unspayed female .


The five breeds credited with the most incidents were chow chows , Rottweilers , German shepherds , cocker spaniels and Dalmatians . "


The trends in dog bites by particular breeds have more to do with fad pets owned by individuals who need to have something unique .


Speaking strictly of dogs , 15 years ago the macho fad pet was a Doberman .


Today , Rottweilers are on the way up , " Rieck said .


If approached by a stray dog , children should be taught to stand still with fists folded underneath the neck , elbows in , and gaze forward until the dog goes away .


Iowa-S Minn feedlot cattle market not tested- USDA .


Steers and heifers were not tested , compared with Thursday 's close , USDA said .


Slaughter steers and heifers were not established Thursday .


Thursday 200 Last Week Holiday Last Year N / A


Week to Date 3,500 Sm Pd Lst Wk 800 Sm Pd Lst Yr N / A


Dressed Basis Delivered not well tested .


Dressed Basis Steers : Few Select and Choice 2-3 , 1200-1300 lbs 112.00 ; load early 114.00 .


Dressed Basis Heifers : Few Select and Choice 2-3 , 1100-1200 lbs 112.00 .


Four Africans said to vie for top U.N. post .


Four African states are ready to nominate candidates for the post of U.N. secretary-general on Friday now that Boutros Boutros-Ghali has temporarily put aside his bid for re-election .


The nominees , according to diplomats , are : Kofi Annan of Ghana , the U.N. undersecretary-general for peacekeeping ; Ahmedou Ould Abdallah of Mauritania , the former U.N. special envoy for Burundi ; Amara Essy of the Ivory Coast , its foreign minister and the U.N. General Assembly president in 1994-95 ; and Hamid Algabid of Niger , the secretary-general of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference .


Representatives of the U.N. missions of Ghana , the Ivory Coast , Mauritania and Niger have scheduled a meeting with Security Council president Paolo Fulci of Italy to hand in the nominations in writing , the envoys said .


It was not known if other candidates would step forward .


Diplomats said General Joseph Garba of Nigeria , a U.N. General Assembly president in 1989-90 , was putting forth his own candidacy without being nominated by his country .


Boutros-Ghali on Wednesday opened the door for other Africans to contest his job by saying he was suspending temporarily his candidacy but was not withdrawing completely from the race .


His supporters said this meant he remained a candidate in case the race reached an impasse .


The United States on Nov. 19 vetoed his bid for re-election while the other 14 Security Council members supported him .


The move by the African states means that the council could begin voting on candidates next week , a procedure that could either result in a decision or turn into a bitter fight with vetoes against each nominee .


The Security Council has to vote on a new secretary-general and then seek the endorsement of the 185-members General Assembly before December 31 when Boutros-Ghali 's term expires .


Spain 's police seize petrol bombs , arrest five .


Spanish police said on Friday they had arrested five people and seized more than 90 petrol bombs during disturbances after a protest in the Basque country against Spain 's constitution .


Hooded protesters threw burning bottles and other objects at police in Pamplona after the protest organised by Herri Batasuna , the political wing of Basque separatist group ETA .


Police also confiscated eight kg ( 18 lb ) of screws , balaclavas and spray paint cans .


The protest , which attracted several thousand supporters , coincided with the 18th anniversary of Spain 's constitution .


Mussolini 's granddaughter rejoins far-right party .


Alessandra Mussolini , the granddaughter of Italy 's Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini , said on Friday she had rejoined the far-right National Alliance ( AN ) party she quit over policy differences last month .


" I 've gone back , " she told a radio show shortly after AN leader Gianfranco Fini , who was being interviewed on the programme , said the row had been resolved .


" He did n't want to lose me and I did n't want to lose him . "


Fini told state radio RAI he met Mussolini thanks to the good offices of Giuseppe Tatarella , AN 's leader in the Chamber of Deputies ( lower house ) , and had overcome their differences .


Mussolini , 33 , resigned from the parliamentary party group for what she said were strictly political reasons .


The fiery politician , who is also a niece of screen star Sophia Loren , had accused AN leaders of stifling internal party debate .


Mussolini , who sits in the Chamber , told La Stampa newspaper last month after quitting AN 's parliamentary party that she was considering joining the neo-fascist Social Movement ( MS-Fiamma ) formed by some of the Duce 's World War Two followers .


German Santa in bank nearly gets arrested .


A Santa Claus distributing presents to workers in a German bank on Friday nearly ended up behind bars when a passing police patrol thought he was a robber in disguise .


The man , doing his rounds in the northern city of Hanover on the day when German children traditionally receive small presents from Saint Nicholas , convinced police eventually that he was genuine .


Italy commission concludes 1997 budget examination .


The Italian upper house Senate budget commission has concluded its examination of Italy 's 1997 budget , and it will approve the measure officially by Saturday .


From Tuesday , the full assembly of the Senate will start its examination of the financial package .


EU , Poland agree on oil import tariffs .


The European Union and Poland have resolved disagreements over a new Polish oil import regime , the European Commission said on Friday .


The EU had objected to increases in Polish tariffs on imports of gasoline and gasoil products introduced on January 1 , 1996 , saying they contravened levels envisaged in the so-called Europe Agreement between the EU and Poland .


The increases were aimed at protecting the Polish market while helping to modernise the local oil industry .


" The EU and Poland have now reached a final settlement regarding issues related to the Polish import regime in the oils sector , " the Commission said in a statement .


Under the agreement , Poland will abolish all oil import tariffs by 2001 , remove all oil price controls and end quantitative restrictions on imports by January 1 , 1997 .


The agreement includes the early privatisation and modernisation of Polish oil refineries , which will be obliged to offer equal treatment to all buyers .


The EU and Poland will monitor the settlement at six-monthly meetings .


Hindu party forces India parliament to adjourn .


Hindu nationalists forced adjournment of India 's lower house of parliament on Friday , in protest against a proposal to observe a minute 's silence over the destruction of a mosque by a Hindu mob in 1992 .


Members of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) shouted pro-Hindu slogans in the house after a communist deputy made the proposal in remembrance of the Babri mosque , which was razed on December 6 , 1992 .


The house was first adjourned for two hours .


When it reconvened , BJP deputies resumed the slogan-shouting , and deputy speaker Suraj Bhan suspended work until Monday .


The destruction of the 16th-century mosque in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya triggered nationwide Hindu-Moslem violence in which more than 3,000 people were killed .


Indian officials blame revenge-minded Moslem underworld gangs in Bombay for a string of bombings in the city three months later that killed 260 people .


The BJP backs a hardline Hindu campaign to build a temple at the site of the mosque , which Hindus believe was the birthplace of the Lord Rama .


The campaign catapulted BJP from the political fringe to become India 's main opposition party in 1991 .


Indian Sept crude oil output falls to 2.6 mln T .


India 's crude petroleum output fell to 2.56 million tonnes in September from 2.83 million in the same month in 1995 , the government said on Friday .


STEEL OUTPUT Sept Sept Apr-Sept Apr-Sept


Note - Figures are in thousands of tonnes and preliminary .


LUXEMBOURG CHRISTMAS MARKET GOES ON WORLD WIDE WEB .


Luxembourg 's traditional Christmas market , which starts on Saturday and runs to December 24 , has taken to the world wide web as a way of publicising its activities .


The web site ( http://www.pt.lu/infoweb/kreschtmaart ) gives details of the market 's concert programme as well as its various retailers .


COAL - Lantau Peak - 120,000 tones coal Hay Point or Newcastle / Kaohsiung 20-30/1 $ 5.25 and $ 5.85 fio respectively 40,000-35,000 / 28,000 shinc China Steel .


Royal Clipper - 77,000 tonnes coal Maracaibo / Fos 19/12-2/1 $ 9.90 fio 20,000 shinc / 25,000 shinc Coe and Clerici .


ORE - IMC TBN - 70,000 tonnes Dampier / Kaohsiung 20-30/12 $ 5.25 fio 35,000 shinc / 30,000 shinc China Steel .


UK bookmakers lengthen Conservative victory odds .


UK bookmakers William Hill said on Friday they have lengthened the odds of a Conservative victory in the next general election from 9-4 to 5-2 .


William Hill said the odds were the longest they had been for six months .


The Labour opposition are now 1-4 favourites , it said .


Italy tops week of meagre bond returns - Salomon .


High-flying Italy topped the league in a week of meagre returns on government bonds , Salomon Brothers said on Friday .


In local currency terms , Italian BTPs offered returns of 0.85 percent in the week ended on Thursday , with fellow high-yielder Sweden close behind on 0.80 percent .


The weekly government bond index rose 0.07 percent in local currency terms .


France managed third place with 0.68 percent in the 16-nation world government bond index .


Canada 's were the worst performing bonds .


They lost 2.21 percent , depressed by a wave of new Canadian supply .


Returns on Treasuries were also in negative territory at minus 0.24 percent , the poorest result after Canada and British gilts which lost 0.28 percent .


Australia was the only dollar-bloc country in the table to eke out a positive return , albeit a paltry 0.02 percent .


German Bunds were not much better , offering returns of 0.05 percent , while Japanese government bonds managed a 0.38 percent gain .


Spanish bonds , which had been top performers in Salomon Brothers ' league table for November as a whole , turned in a more subdued weekly performance with a return of only 0.27 percent .


In U.S. dollar terms , Japan was the only country to give positive returns at 1.35 percent .


France lost 0.37 percent , followed by Italy on minus 0.59 percent .


The biggest losers in dollar terms were British gilts , which shed 3.41 percent , Canada with minus 3.03 percent and Australia at minus 1.54 percent .


Salomon 's bond index is calculated using all government bonds with over one year to maturity , weighted for market capitalisation .


Only bonds freely available to institutional investors and with a certain minimum amount outstanding are included .


Returns take account of price moves and accrued interest .


The price of the OPEC basket of seven crudes stood at $ 24.20 a barrel on Thursday , against $ 23.47 on Wednesday , the OPECNA news agency said , quoting the OPEC secretariat .


The basket comprises Algeria 's Saharan Blend , Indonesia 's Minas , Nigeria 's Bonny Light , Saudi Arabia 's Arabian Light , Dubai of the UAE , Venezuela 's Tia Juana and Mexico 's Isthmus .


Relations between Clarke , Major good - spokesman .


Relations between Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke and Prime Minister John Major are good despite media reports of a rift over European policy , a spokesman for Major 's office said on Friday .


Asked about the reports , the spokesman said : " Relations are good . "


Asked about Major 's mood after a day of media speculation about his political fortunes , the spokesman said : " He is resolute .


The spokesman said he was not aware of any meetings overnight between Clarke and Major , nor of any talks between the prime minister and parliamentary business managers .


Both Major and Clarke were in their constituencies on Friday .


Two dead after executive jet crashes in Newfoundland .


Two people were killed when an executive jet en route to Ireland from Michigan crashed on approach to an airport in Stephenville , Newfoundland , on Friday , authorities said .


The pilot and co-pilot , the only two aboard , were killed in the crash of the Learjet 36 , airport manager David Snow said in a telephone interview .


Snow said the plane last reported to air traffic control at about 3 A.M. local time / 1:30 A.M. EST ( 0630 GMT ) when it began its final approach about 10 miles ( 16 km ) from the airport in this east coast Canadian province .


That was the last communication the aircraft made with the airport , he added .


" We considered it as being missing until about 0600 ( 4:30 A.M. EST ) ( 0930 GMT ) .


That 's when the wreckage was discovered , " Snow said .


He said the cargo flight originated in Grand Rapids , Michigan , and was due to stop at Stephenville for refueling before going to Shannon , Ireland .


The cause of the crash was not yet known .


Investigators were due to fly to Stephenville later on Friday .


PLO says Arafat , Netanyahu could meet Saturday .


PLO negotiators said on Friday Palestinian President Yasser Arafat , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak might all meet on Saturday to try to clinch a deal on Israel 's handover of Hebron to the PLO .


" It is very possible that Arafat and Netanyahu will meet in Cairo on Saturday .


There is work on arranging such a meeting hosted by President Mubarak , " one PLO official , who requested anonymity , told Reuters .


Israeli officials said no meeting had yet been set .


Arafat 's adviser Nabil Abu Rdainah said :


" President Arafat is ready to meet Prime Minister Netanyahu but no time or date has been set for such a meeting yet .


" President Arafat 's position is clear that such a meeting should come after successful negotiations so that the meeting would have positive results .


Especially since the Hebron issue has not been agreed yet and the crucial disputed issues have not been resolved . "


But Rdainah said Arafat would go to Cairo on Saturday for talks with Mubarak .


Both Arafat and Netanyahu have expressed willingness to meet .


They last met in Washington after clashes in September that killed 60 Palestinians and 15 Israelis .


The violence was spurred by Israel 's opening an entrance to a tunnel near Moslem sites in Jerusalem .


The Palestine Liberation Organisation ( PLO ) negotiators said the last two weeks of talks with Israel on implementing the long-delayed handover of most of Hebron to PLO rule had been " meaningless " , necessitating an Arafat-Netanyahu meeting .


Mubarak 's adviser Osama el-Baz said on Thursday there were efforts to arrange a meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders .


Palestinian Authority Secretary General Ahmed Abdel-Rahman said on Thursday he understood it could be held in Cairo either on Friday or Sunday .


Abdel-Rahman had said on Thursday he did not think Saturday would be the date because it is the Jewish sabbath .


But the Jewish sabbath ends at sundown , so a night meeting would not interfere with the religious observance .


Turkey hindered by own landmines on Syrian border .


Turkey 's efforts to prevent Kurdish rebels and smugglers infiltrating from Syria are being badly hindered because the military does not have a map of its own minefields on the border , a commission of parliamentarians said .


" It is not known exactly where the mines have been sown because a minefield chart cannot be found , " the commission said in a report on border protection .


The report , to be debated in parliament in coming weeks , was seen by Reuters on Friday . "


Officials say the minefields present an obstacle to the security forces , " it said .


It said Kurdistan Workers Party ( PKK ) guerrillas sometimes know the layout of mined areas along the border better than the security forces .


" Terrorists and smugglers have dug up the mines , defused them and opened up wide paths in some areas .


They can come in and out easily as the minefields are not an obstacle , " it said .


An armed forces spokesman was not available for comment .


Turkey says Syria sponsors the PKK , fighting for Kurdish self-rule in southeast Turkey .


The PKK also crosses into Turkey from bases in the mountains of northern Iraq .


More than 21,000 people have died in the 12-year-old conflict .


Three dead in Kurd militia blood feud in Turkey .


Three people were killed on Friday in a gun battle between rival groups of anti-guerrilla militiamen on the streets of this southeastern Turkish city , police said .


Four others were wounded in the clash , caused by a blood feud between two families , the Kesers and Karabuluts , serving as state-paid village guards against Kurdish rebels .


Police said the guards fired automatic weapons at each other .


One of the dead was a civilian passer-by .


The role of the 70,000 mainly Kurdish village guards who fight Kurdistan Workers Party ( PKK ) guerrillas in the southeast has been questioned recently after media allegations that many of them are involved in common crime .


The head of the region 's main pro-state militia is at the centre of a security scandal that has shaken the government .


More than 21,000 people have been killed in the 12-year-old conflict between Turkish security forces and the PKK , fighting for Kurdish autonomy or independence .


Texas / w Okla fed cattle roundup - USDA .


Trade very slow in the Panhandle area Thursday .


Slaughter steers and heifers not well tested .


Feedlots reporting light inquiry from buyers .


Thursday 200 Week Ago Holiday Year Ago 10,900


Wk to Date 69,100 Week Ago 58,100 Year Ago 30,800


Sales reported on 200 head steers ; 69,100 head confirmed for week to date which includes 14,000 formulated and 3,400 contracted cattle to be shipped this week .


Slaughter Steers : Pen Select and Choice 2-3 , 1150 lbs 67.00 .


Pen Select , few choice 2-3 1150 lbs 66.00 .


Not enough slaughter steer or heifer sales confirmed for an adequate market test .


Thursday 600 week ago holiday year ago 14,200


week to date 89,300 week ago 71,000 year ago 47,200


Sales confirmed on 500 slaughter steers and 100 slaughter heifers Thursday .


For the week to date 89,300 head confirmed including 30,600 head of contracted or formulated cattle .


Steers : Select and Choice 2-3 , 1200 lbs 67.00 .


Heifers : Select and Choice 2-3 , 1150 lbs 67.00 .


Delphis Hanover weekly municipal bond yields .


Delphis Hanover weekly muni bond yields calculated Dec 5


ACCESS energy futures prices add to daytime gains .


U.S. energy futures added to floor session gains in light NYMEX ACCESS trade Thursday , as forecasts for colder temperatures in distillate-hungry Northeastern markets raised supply concerns .


" The cold weather forecasts are helping right now , " a trader said .


Earlier , NYMEX crude ended daytime trade 78 cents higher at $ 25.58 a barrel , following breakthroughs of key technical levels and reports of tighter supplies .


Front-month heating oil firmed 0.09 cents a gallon to 75.20 cents as roughly 100 lots changed hands within the first few hours of ACCESS .


About 112 lots were exchanged overall , traders said .


NYMEX gasoline for January delivery climbed 0.12 cents a gallon to 69.80 cents as a light 33 lots traded in the nearby month and 35 moved overall .


January crude was barely changed from its settlement , edging up one cent to $ 25.66 a barrel .


About 350 lots were traded for January and 870 in all months .


U.S. blasts release of convicted bomber .


The United States Thursday blasted the release from a Greek prison of a Palestinian guerrilla convicted of bombing an airliner and killing a teenager in 1982 , saying the move " does not make sense . "


" All of us who have been victimised by terrorists ... need to stand together against terrorists .


We ca n't let terrorists out of jail when they are a danger to civilians all around the world , " State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said . '


Mohammed Rashid " is a terrorist who deserves to be behind bars .


It is inexplicable to us why he would have been allowed to leave Greece before serving his just sentence ... This is an incomprehensible move .


It does not make sense , " Burns told a news briefing .


He spoke after Rashid left Greece Thursday on being freed from prison early for good behaviour after serving 8-1/2 years .


The Clinton administration 's strong views on this subject have been conveyed to the Greek government , Burns said .


Mahammad Rashid was whisked from Korydallos maximum security prison just outside Athens to the airport where he boarded a regular Olympic Airways flight to Cairo where he would transit to Tunis and the former Palestine Liberation Organisation headquarters .


Rashid , 46 , was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Greek court in 1992 after being convicted of premeditated murder in the mid-air bombing of a Pan American airliner in 1982 .


His sentence had been reduced to 15 years in 1993 .


A parole court ruled recently that Rashid could be freed after serving 8-1/2 years , with time in pre-trial detention counted towards his term , but said he must be expelled immediately from Greece .


The United States accuses Rashid of belonging to the May 15 Palestinian guerrilla group and being an accomplished student of master Palestinian bombmaker Abu Ibrahim .


Three FBI agents who testified against Rashid during the trial , held at Korydallos prison , said they had ample evidence against Rashid for a bomb planted on a Pan American plane in Brazil in 1982 and a mid-air bomb blast on a TWA airliner approaching Athens in 1986 which killed four U.S. citizens .


School football player banned for slashing opponents .


A New Mexico high school football player who used razor-sharp helmet buckles to slash opponents and a referee was expelled from high school banned Thursday from competition for one year .


Mike Cito , 17 , was expelled from St Pius X High School in Albuquerque after an October game in which he used the sharpened chin strap buckles to injure two opposing players and the referee .


One of the players need 10 stitches to a cut on his forearm .


Officials said the New Mexico Activities Association decided to bar Cito from any inter-scholastic competition until next October , regardless of the school he attends .


Cito 's father , Stephen Cito , had admitted filing the metal buckles to a fine edge , saying he did it to get even with the referee and with players who had roughed up his son in a previous game .


Cyberspace squabbles overshadow copyright talks .


In a gloomy Geneva conference centre built before the dawn of the Internet , groups of staid officials made a first stab on Friday at rewriting copyright laws for the digital age .


But critics at the first government-level meeting to revise copyright laws in 25 years said the officials and legislators might as well be trying to police the ether .


After four days of diplomatic wrangling over procedures , some 600 delegates from nations small and large got down to the nitty-gritty of setting the digital agenda for the first time .


Cyberspace squabbles overshadowed the debate on a stack of proposals covering literary and artistic works , the rights of performers and producers of music and producers of databases .


" If it goes on like this , we wo n't have enough time to finish all the discussions , " a frustrated Western delegate said . "


They announced they will start evening sessions next week . "


Attempts by copyright-based industries to ensure they get a cut from online works led to a storm of protests by Internet companies and critics who say the pacts would curb public access to online information from soccer results to stock prices .


" It 's not illegal to make photocopies of newspaper articles .


We can read sports statistics or stock prices .


But with the treaty , this kind of fact will be owned and subject to licensing , " said James Love , a consumer lobbyist heading the Washington-based Consumer Project on Technology .


" None of the treaties are ready to move .


These people do n't understand what they 're doing . "


At stake are billions of dollars and the future of the electronic information industry -- the coming medium for the distribution of music , films , literature , software and commerce .


Supporters of the three pacts say they are only an extension of existing intellectual property rights , covered by the century-old Berne Convention .


But an array of opponents from the network industry to consumer , scientific and academic groups say the pacts will give sweeping powers to entertainment and copyright-based industries .


A quick survey at the conference centre found few officials who had actually surfed the Internet .


Mongolia 's state copyright official , Gundegma Jargalshaihan , said apologetically that he had just arrived from Ulan Bator and was not aware of the details of the digital agenda .


" We do n't have money for Internet in Mongolia , " he added .


Alexander Bavykin , deputy legal chief at Russia 's foreign ministry , said Moscow had yet to formulate a policy on copyright in cybersppace .


" I 've never tried it and why should I ?


There are lots of other things in this life I have n't tried either , " he said .


A visit to the computer centre offering Internet services found a lone European official clicking away on his mouse .


" Internet is a potential cash cow for copyright-based industries and we need roadmaps on the information superhighway , " said Marc Pearl , vice-president of the Information Technology Association of America , a trade association of U.S. network companies opposing the treaties .


" But there are a lot of dinosaurs here .


People here do n't understand Internet technology .


Because they do n't understand technology , they fear the unknown . "


Before the Internet , those whose business was to protect copyrights knew where they stood .


Their enemies were tangible if elusive , such as the people who pirated music cassettes .


But the Internet , a global computer network where anything from music to software can be duplicated and distributed at the click of a computer mouse , has ripped up the rulebooks .


Network operators said the draft laws would hold them responsible for copyright infringements in the system and expose them to multi-billion-dollar liabilities .


" There are 500 million messages transmitted through the Internet everyday , " said Tim Casey of the U.S.-based MCI Communications Corporation . "


Italy evacuates 17 nuns and priests from Zaire .


Italy said on Friday it had evacuated 17 Roman Catholic nuns and priests from Zaire where they had been at risk from fighting between government troops and ethnic Tutsi rebels .


The Foreign Ministry said the 10 Europeans and seven Africans took a special flight from the Garamba national park in northern Zaire to the Ugandan capital Kampala where they were being looked after at the Italian embassy .


The group had travelled from their mission on the edge of the park to a landing strip to make the rendezvous , a ministry official said .


The ministry said the group consisted of 13 nuns , seven Italians and six Zaireans , and four priests , two from Belgium , one from Spain and one from Zambia .


Third Paris blast victim was Moroccan student .


Moroccan Mohamed Benchaou , the third person to die after a bombing on a Paris train , was a 25-year-old student about to submit a mathematics doctorate , the Moroccan embassy said on Friday .


Benchaou died of his injuries on Thursday night , two days after the blast .


A newly-married Canadian woman and a man from New Caledonia died instantly in the bomb that injured 90 others in the rush-hour train .


An embassy spokesman said Benchaou , the son of a Moroccan army colonel , had been due to take his doctorate in March and hoped to become a teacher .


Investigators have said the explosion bore the hallmarks of Algerian Moslem fundamentalists who staged a series of bombings last year which killed eight people and injured more than 160 .


Italian President urges separatists to turn back .


Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro visited the symbolic heartland of the separatist Northern League on Friday and appealed to its supporters to drop their campaign for a breakaway state .


Addressing a convention on Italian unity in Mantua , where the party has set up its own " parliament of the north " , Scalfaro made a direct appeal to what he called " my friends from the League " to work instead for federal reform .


" It is an invitation , a commitment , a promise .


Let 's march together , " Scalfaro , a northerner himself , said .


" Help Italy to teach , to propose a capacity for strong local autonomy , for the federalism which can give new vigour to our blood .


But turn back from the line you are taking now , " he said .


Scalfaro was in Mantua to attend a ceremony commemorating the executions there by Austrian rulers in 1852 and 1853 of a group of Italians who had campaigned for national unity .


He was jeered and whistled at by a small group of League supporters when he arrived for a visit marked by heavy security .


Witnesses said the protesters were outnumbered by other Italians who waved tricolour flags in the national red , white and green or shouted " Viva Italia " .


The League won more than eight percent of votes at the last general election in April on a federalist platform but its leader Umberto Bossi later switched to a separatist agenda .


A three-day " independence " march along the Po River in September , culminating in a declaration in Venice of a self-styled " Republic of Padania " , flopped badly .


Denmark 's Radiometer H1 result seen flat .


A Reuter consensus survey sees medical equipment group Radiometer reporting largely unchanged earnings when it publishes first half 19996/97 results next Wednesday .


An average of four analysts ' forecasts predicted pre-tax profit of 147.3 million crowns compared to 144.5 million in the first six months of 1995/96 .


They said that the group 's failure to introduce new products was behind the share 's weak performance in 1996 , during which it has lost seven percent so far .


-- Soeren Linding Jakobsen , Copenhagen newsroom +45 33969650


Moslem fundamentalists kill 19 Algerians - agency .


Moslem fundamentalists killed 19 civilians overnight in Blida province south of Algiers , Algerian security forces said on Friday .


In a statement carried on the official Algerian news agency APS , the security forces said the 19 had been killed by " a group of terrorists " .


Belgian police smash major drugs rings , 30 arrested .


Police smashed two drugs smuggling rings and arrested 30 people after a taxidriver in Spain alerted them to a suitcase of heroin left in his cab , Belgian police said on Friday .


Police seized dozens of kilos of heroin with a street value of hundreds of millions of Belgian francs , a public prosecutor 's office spokesman in the port city of Antwerp said .


He said a 24-year-old Belgian woman left a suitcase containing 13 kg ( 29 lb ) of heroin in a taxi in Barcelona .


The taxidriver alerted police who arrested a 33-year-old Turkish man when he came to pick up the suitcase at a lost luggage office .


The woman was later arrested in Belgium .


She and the Turkish man smuggled heroin from Turkey to Antwerp from where it was taken to Spain , France and Germany by others , the spokesman said .


He said 14 people were arrested in Belgium and 16 others in other European nations after an investigation lasting nearly a year .


Port conditions update - Lloyds Shipping .


GREECE , Dec 5 - Greek port workers called off a strike which had kept the country 's ports closed , giving the government until Feb 1 to introduce a promised bonus scheme .


German Jan-August coffee imports detailed .


German net green coffee imports from outside the EU totalled 7.73 million bags in January-August compared with 7.66 million in the year-ago period , the DKV coffee association said .


Imports of 1.04 million bags in August were down from 1.08 million in August 1995 but up from 992,860 bags in July 1996 .


Brazil was in seventh position with 54,333 bags ( 29,055 ) .


Muenchener Rueckversicherungs AG , the world 's largest reinsurer , said on Friday it expected to switch its shares to a lower par value by September 1997 at the earliest .


The group , known as Munich Re , plans to seek approval for the move at its shareholders ' meeting today .


The company said the switch would probably become effective in September .


The planned 10-for-one stock split would reduce the par value of Munich Re 's shares to five marks from 50 , causing their price to drop to around one tenth of the present value .


Munich Re 's registered shares , part of the blue-chip DAX index , were trading at 3,710 marks on Friday .


EU experts postpone talks on rice area aid .


European Union rice experts on Thursday postponed discussion on area aid payments to rice producers because the documents were not available in all the EU languages , an EU offcial said on Friday .


" The discussion in the experts group had to be postponed because the documents needed to be translated into the official languages and the item will be on next week 's agenda , " the offcial said .


European rice producers are due to get compensatory area aid payments similar to those paid to cereal producers because of cuts in intervention prices .


The dollar was fixed at 1.5338 marks in Frankfurt on Friday , after 1.5607 marks on Thursday .


John Lewis UK store sales up 4.5 % in week .


The John Lewis Partnership said its UK department store sales rose 4.5 percent in the week to November 30 compared with the same week a year earlier .


In the 18 weeks to November 30 , sales were up 13.6 percent year-on-year .


Total sales , including the Waitrose supermarket chain , rose 5.8 percent in the week and were up 11.4 percent in the 18-week period .


PT Tambang Timah was traded at $ 15.625 per GDR in London on Friday at around 0931 GMT .


It recorded a low of $ 15.625 and a high of $ 15.725 .


Its previous close on Thursday was $ 15.80 .


One Global Depository Receipt represents 10 common shares .


British " Euro-sceptic " says Clarke should resign .


A " Euro-sceptic " member of the ruling Conservative party said on Thursday British finance minister Kenneth Clarke had to resign to prevent the party disintegrating over the issue of a single European currency .


Member of Parliament Tony Marlow said the resignation of the chancellor of the exchequer was the only way to make the Conservatives electable in a general election which must take place by May next year .


This cannot endure , " Marlow told BBC television 's Newsnight programme on Thursday . "


If he does n't resign , the prime minister has got to fire him . "


Marlow 's comment come on the heels of speculation that Clarke had threatened to resign if the government changed its " wait and see " policy on a single currency and declared it would not sign up for the currency in the next Parliament .


Clarke denied on Thursday he had threatened to resign and said his position on the single currency was in tune with that of Prime Minister John Major .


Major told parliament on Thursday he would keep his options open on single-currency membership .


His statement was interpreted as a significant victory for Clarke and fellow pro-European Michael Heseltine , deputy prime minister .


Pro-European Conservative MP Edwina Currie told the BBC that if Clarke resigned , other ministers would go with him .


Court ejects head of Australian child-sex inquiry .


The Australian opposition on Friday demanded a high-powered investigation into paedophilia in the Australian diplomatic service after the federal court forced the head of the existing inquiry to stand aside .


The court said inquiry head Chris Hunt might be biased , since he privately told a newspaper he had turned up no major evidence of paedophile activity , even though he still had months ' of investigation before him .


" Today we are left with a ruinous wreck beyond salvage and a continuing pall of doubt and suspicion hanging over our diplomatic service , " opposition foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton said .


But the government responded by pressing ahead with the original inquiry , established in May , appointing a new head to lead it .


Critics say that if there were many paedophiles in senior posts in the Foreign Affairs Department then a secret inquiry would be open to internal influence and would become a public service whitewash .


Accordingly , they demand an open investigation .


A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said the appointment of a new inquiry head , administrative law expert Pamela O'Neil , showed the government 's commitment to pursue the matter .


One Australian diplomat has been prosecuted this year for having sex with a Cambodian boy under 16 but was acquitted .


A newspaper reported allegations in April that diplomats had directed Australian government aid to certain foreign orphanages to secure sex with children .


An Australian hitman who went to the wrong house and killed the wrong man was sentenced to 20 years jail on Friday .


Paul Crofts , 33 , and an accomplice were contracted to shoot a man , identified only as Tony , in the leg to punish him for his misconduct with a female friend of the contractor , the New South Wales Supreme Court was told .


But in February 1993 Leszic Betcher , was shot and killed after answering a knock at the door of his Sydney home . "


The inference from all the material is that the marauders had come to the wrong house , " Judge Michael Grove said .


In sentencing Crofts , who pleaded guilty , Grove took into account his " mildly retarded " intellectual state , which placed him in the lowest two percent of the population .


Grove said Betcher was " not only the victim of a horrendous crime , but his death was brought about in circumstances of an equally ghastly error on the part of the prisoner and his accomplices " .


The unnamed accomplice was earlier sentenced to 20 years in prison .


NZ 's Bolger says Nats to meet NZ First on Sunday .


New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger , emerging from coalition talks with the nationalist New Zealand First party on Friday afternoon , said National and NZ First would meet again on Sunday .


Bolger said he expected a government to be formed by Thursday .


NZ 's Peters says Nat , Lab talks at similar stage .


New Zealand First leader Winston Peters on Friday said coalition talks with the National and Labour parties were at a similar level of completion .


Peters left a meeting between NZ First and National negotiators to spend 20 minutes speaking to Labour leader Helen Clark .


He told Reuters he had needed to speak to her before she left Wellington later on Friday .


Peters said the talks with Labour and National had reached " about the same level of completion , and that 's good " .


RTRS - Australian MP John Langmore formally resigns .


Australian parliamentarian John Langmore has formally resigned from his lower house seat , the office of House of Representatives speaker Bob Halverson said on Friday .


" Halverson announced that he had received today from Mr John Vance Langmore , a letter resigning his place as member of the House of Representatives for the electoral division of Fraser in the Australian Capital Territory , " his office said in a statement .


Halverson was considering possible dates for the by-election , his office said .


Langmore , 57 , announced in November that he intended to resign from parliament to take up a position as Australia 's senior representative at the United Nations headquarters in New York .


He played an active role at the U.N. social development conference in Copenhagen last year and has co-authored articles with U.N. development programme officer Inge Kaul .


Langmore , a persistent campaigner for interventionist economic policy , has been Labor member for Fraser since 1984 .


He was senior private secretary to the employment and industrial relations minister from 1983 to 1984 and was economic advisor to then treasurer Paul Keating in 1983 .


His previous posts include assistant director of the national planning office of Papua New Guinea from 1969 to 1973 .


Burmese students march out of campus again .


A group of Burmese students on Friday marched out of the Yangon Institute of Technology ( YIT ) in the northern outskirts of Rangoon and moved toward the University of Yangon about six km ( four miles ) away , witnesses said .


The witnesses could not give exact numbers of those taking part in the march or any other details immediately .


On Monday and Tuesday , students from the YIT and the university launched street protests against what they called unfair handling by police of a brawl between some of their colleagues and restaurant owners in October .


The protests culminated at dawn on Tuesday with several hundred of the student protesters being detained briefly by police near the central Shwe Dagon pagoda in Rangoon .


On Friday , some students told Reuters that they were still dissatisfied with the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council 's ( SLORC ) handling of their demands .


They said they wanted to organise independent unions on university campuses and demanded that details of the punishment of policemen who allegedly manhandled some students at the October brawl be published in newspapers .


Thai rice vessels loading and movements at Dec 06 .


The Thai Commerce Ministry detailed rice loading at Thai ports as follows ( in tonnes ) :


Vessel Date of Arrival Quantity Destination


Princess of Loine 19/11/96 10,000 Philippines


Chinese girl nearly dies from cigarette smoke .


A five-year-old girl in the east China city of Tianjin choked and almost died from cigarette smoke at her grandfather 's birthday with relatives smoking for hours in a small room , the Wen Hui Bao newspaper said on Friday .


The newspaper said the girl was rushed to hospital and found to be having extreme difficulty breathing .


It said eight of the people at the party , including the girl 's father , immediately announced they would give up smoking .


South Korean won closes down on import settlements .


The won slid against the U.S. unit on Friday as players prepared for Monday 's import settlement needs , traders said .


The won ended at 831.00 , slightly down from an opening of 830.60 .


" A sale of about $ 60 million by Hyundai Heavy pushed the dollar down earlier in the day , but Monday 's import needs helped it recover , " said a Koram Bank dealer .


Dealers said the dollar / yen 's movement on the world market would continue to set the trend for the dollar / won next week .


Foreign planes to land in China 's popular Guilin .


China 's tourist spot of Guilin in the southern region of Guangxi will open its airport to foreign aircraft , the Xinhua news agency said on Friday .


An assessment group made up of the State Council 's Port Office , the Civil Aviation Administration of China , the General Administration of Customs and other authorities had granted the airport permission to handle foreign aircraft , Xinhua said .


" The move is expected to give a shot in the arm to the economic expansion of Guangxi and southwest China as a whole , " the agency said but gave no further details .


Guilin is well known for its mountain and river scenery and is one of China 's most popular tourist destinations .


EPA says economic assessment unchanged by GDP data .


Japan 's Economic Planning Agency has not changed its view that the economy is gradually recovering , despite relatively weak gross domestic product figures released on Tuesday , EPA Vice Minister Shimpei Nukaya told reporters on Friday .


He said the GDP growth was weak but that this reflected the economy between July and September and did not take into account more recent data .


When asked about the outlook for the fiscal year beginning in April , Nukaya said the economy may slow down in the early part of the fiscal year due to a planned consumption tax hike , but that would be only temporary .


The consumption tax will be raised to five percent from three percent from April 1 .


NOTE - Sangetsu Co Ltd is a trader specialising in interiors .


Bre-X , Barrick said to continue Busang talks .


Canada 's Bre-X Minerals Ltd and Barrick Gold Corp are to continue negotiations to hammer out a partnership agreement to develop the spectacular Busang gold find in Indonesia , sources close to the talks said on Friday .


" The negotiations will be held both in Toronto and in Jakarta , " one source , speaking on condition of anonymity , told Reuters .


Another source said most of the key negotiators from both Bre-X and Barrick had returned to Toronto , but declined to say if there had been any progress in their negotiations .


Both sources said Bre-X and Barrick did not hold talks on Thursday with Mines and Energy Ministry Secretary-General Umar Said , who is coordinating the negotiations over the Busang find in East Kalimantan .


The first source also said Bre-X had until December 21 to submit to the Indonesian Mines and Energy Ministry a feasibility study on the central region of the Busang property , estimated to contain 2.6 million ounces of gold .


The richest parts of the property to the north and south of the central region have been estimated by Bre-X to contain 57 million ounces of gold .


" Bre-X is expected to complete the feasibility report by December 16 and submit it to the government before the December 21 deadline , " the source said .


He said Bre-X would then formally seek the permission of the Indonesian government to begin construction to develop Busang 's central region , which might take up to two years .


The source declined to say if there had been any progress in the talks between Bre-X and Barrick .


we are not selling furniture , and Bre-X has 13,000 shareholders to answer to , " the source said .


" While there has been some agreement in principle on some issues , there are still others such as procedures and mechanisms that needed to be sorted out , " he added .


The source said no new deadline had been set by the Mines and Energy Ministry for Bre-X and Barrick to strike a deal .


The Ministry had given the companies until December 4 to complete a partnership deal , and advised Bre-X to take a 25 percent stake and Barrick 75 percent to develop the property .


" As far as I am aware , there 's been no new deadline , " the source said .


The Ministry 's Umar said on Thursday that both Bre-X and Barrick had responded positively to a government letter recommending a 25-75 split in the Busang gold property .


The government also wants 10 percent of the property .


Umar said the government had yet to receive a formal reply from the companies .


He had said earlier that if the two companies failed to reach a partnership agreement , the government would explore other ways to expedite development of the Busang find .


Bre-X has a partnership deal with PT Panutan Duta of the Panutan Group run by President Suharto 's eldest son , Sigit Harjojudanto , under which Panutan would receive $ 40 million over 40 months plus a 10 percent stake Busang 's richest parts .


Barrick has teamed up with a construction company in the Citra Group of Suharto 's eldest daughter , Siti Hardianti Rukmana , in what Barrick had said was a partnership " to prepare us for a potential mining development project " .


Honda Motor Co Ltd said on Friday that it had received 15,000 domestic orders for its S-MX recreational vehicle in the first two weeks after its launch .


Honda launched the S-MX light minivan , featuring cubic body styling , on November 22 with a monthly sales target of 5,000 units .


A version with lower road clearance and front and rear spoilers accounted for two-thirds of the sales .


FEATURE - Singapore sees prestige in hosting WTO .


Singapore 's winning campaign to host the World Trade Organisation ( WTO ) 's first ministerial meeting reflected its ambition to play a key role in shaping global free trade , the lifeblood of its economy , analysts said .


" As one of the world 's most externally oriented economies , Singapore has a disproportionately large stake in the WTO , " said Desmond Supple , economist at research house I.D.E.A .


" Singapore stands to benefit more than most from continued global trade liberalisation as trade is the engine of its growth , accounting for nearly three times its gross domestic product . "


The city-state met U.S. opposition two years ago in its bid to host the meeting , expected to gather 4,000 officials from 160 countries from December 9 to 13 .


In a stand some analysts linked to controversy over Singapore 's caning of an American teenager for vandalism , then-U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor had said the meeting ought to be held where the WTO was going to be headquartered .


But Singapore had the support of other WTO members .


Derek da Cunha , senior fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies ( ISEAS ) , said Singapore 's hosting of the conference " carries a great deal of symbolism for the city-state , underscoring its commitment to free trade and its trading links across the globe . "


There is the international prestige Singapore would enjoy , but " more importantly there is a genuine national interest in fostering better global free trade and an open market " , said Tan Kong Yam , head of Business Policy at the National University of Singapore .


At the ministerial meeting , trade ministers will review the work of the WTO and the implementation of the Uruguay Round free trade commitments under its predecessor the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ( GATT ) .


In June , the WTO hailed Singapore for its open market policies but the European Union and other trading powers called on Singapore to speed up the opening of its services sector .


Supple said the struggle that Singapore had to wage in vying to host the meeting would be repeated during the talks .


" There is tension at every step of the way , " since a battle line between the West and developing countries has been drawn over the issue of linking trade liberalisation with labour rights , he said .


Supple said hosting the meeting carried prestige for Singapore , " however , this is quite intangible as the prestige factor may not necessarily lead to any additional investment and trade flows to this region . "


From a commercial point of view , the meeting would be good for Singapore 's tourism industry , Tan said .


A large part of Singapore 's workforce would be mobilised to ensure the meeting would run without a glitch but the average Singaporean " would probably not be too concerned about some of the issues , " Tan said .


" But the more educated public will realise that these kind of things are important for Singapore as a small economy . "


Supple said any political gains the Singapore government would get from the WTO meeting -- ahead of a general election due by April 1997 -- would depend on how successful it was in pushing its economic agenda .


" If there are any movements toward freer trade , then Singapore 's economy and the electorate would gain , " he said . "


But I do n't think it would be wise to play up the political aspect of this .


I think political issues will take secondary importance to all these economic issues that will be displayed . "


Japan NTT says hopes to start int'l business soon .


Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp ( NTT ) said on Friday that it hopes to move into the international telecommunications business as soon as possible following the government 's decision to split NTT into three firms under a holding company .


" We hope to start international telephone business as soon as possible , " a company official told Reuters .


The official said the latest government decision to split the company under a holding company would allow flexibility in NTT 's international phone business .


Earlier , Posts and Telecommunications Minister Hisao Horinouchi told a news conference the government plans to split NTT into three firms under a holding company , but did not specify when the restructuring would likely take effect .


One of the three new companies will be a long-distance operator and the other two will be local-call operators , Horinouchi said .


One of the local firms will operate in west Japan and the other in east Japan , he added .


The long-distance operator will offer international services , Horinouchi said .


The NTT official said the timing of the planned split-up was uncertain because more discussions by government officials were required .


Ahold launches Asian food discount stores .


Dutch supermarkets group Ahold NV said on Friday it had launched a second food store format for Asian consumers today , opening 16 BILO food discount stores in Malaysia .


The BILO stores are located in Malysia 's capital Kuala Lumpur and in the country 's second city Johor Bahru .


The discount price format store BILO is to complement Ahold 's full service supermarket TOPS , recently launched in Asia .


" In the coming five to ten years , Ahold plans to open many more stores of both formats , making TOPS and BILO household names in the region , " Ahold said in a statement .


As well as its activities in Asia , Dutch retail group Ahold has a strong presence in Europe , in the U.S. and the company recently announced a joint venture agreement in Brazil .


Ahold has annualised sales of approximately US$ 24 billion , and employs 180,000 people worldwide .


ALPINE SKIING-WOMEN 'S WORLD CUP SUPER G WINNER PROFILE .


Profile of the winner of Saturday 's women 's World Cup super G race :


Other Facts : Gladishiva won a silver medal in super G at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics and a bronze medal in downhill at the 1991 World Championships .


ALPINE SKIING-WOMEN 'S WORLD CUP SUPER G RESULTS .


Saturday 's women 's World Cup super G race :


1. Svetlana Gladishiva ( Russia ) one minute 17.76 seconds


6. Warwara Zelenskaja ( Russia ) 1:18.21


7. Madlen Brigger-Summermatter ( Switzerland ) 1:18.23


10= Stefanie Schuster ( Austria ) 1:18.48


15. Katharina Gutensohn ( Germany ) 1:18.92


19. Heidi Zurbriggen ( Switzerland ) 1:19.03


26= Catherine Borghi ( Switzerland ) 1:19.44


26= Michaela Dorfmeister ( Austria ) 1:19.44


28. Alexandra Meissnitzer ( Austria ) 1:19.53


29. Ingeborg Helen Marken ( Norway ) 1:19.54


30. Monika Tschirky ( Switzerland ) 1:19.60


ALPINE SKIING-GLADISHIVA WINS WORLD CUP SUPER G .


Svetlana Gladishiva of Russia won the women 's World Cup Super G race on Saturday .


Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden finished second and Carole Montillet of France came in third , according to provisional results .


GOLF - THIRD ROUND OF JCPENNEY CLASSIC WASHED OUT .


Heavy rains on Saturday washed out the third round of the $ 1.5 million JCPenney Classic at the Innisbrook Hilton Resort .


Officials said the tournament would be reduced to 54 holes for the first time in its 37-year history .


The final round of the special event , which pairs players from the PGA and LPGA Tours , will be played in the alternate shot format on Sunday .


The duo of Pat Hurst and Scott McCarron were tied for the lead with the team of Donna Andrews and Mike Hulbert at 13-under-par 129 through 36 holes .


The tandem of reigning U.S. Amateur champions Kelli Kuehne and Tiger Woods were another shot back at 12-under 130 .


Defending champions Beth Daniel and Davis Love will start the final round six shots off the pace .


ALPINE SKIING-WOMEN 'S DOWNHILL WINNER PROFILE .


Profile of the winner of Saturday 's women 's World Cup downhill race :


Previous victories ( two ) : slalom , Lillehammer Norway , 1993 ; super G , Flachau , Austria , 1995 .


Other facts : As a qualifier for the 1993 World Cup finals through Europa Cup results , 16-year-old Goetschl won the slalom to become history 's youngest World Cup victor .


ALPINE SKIING-WOMEN 'S WORLD CUP STANDINGS .


standings after Saturday 's downhill race :


1. Katja Seizinger ( Germany ) 180 points


Overall women 's World Cup standings leaders after


Saturday 's downhill and super G races :


1. Katja Seizinger ( Germany ) 414 points


12= Madlen Brigger-Summermatter ( Switzerland ) 42


20. Alexandra Meissnitzer ( Austria ) 27


ALPINE SKIING-WOMEN 'S WORLD CUP DOWNHILL RESULTS .


Saturday 's women 's World Cup downhill race :


1. Renate Goetschl ( Austria ) one minute 47.71 seconds


4. Alexandra Meissnitzer ( Austria ) 1:49.13


7. Stefanie Schuster ( Austria ) 1:49.38


8. Ingeborg Helen Marken ( Norway ) 1:49.41


11. Heidi Zurbriggen ( Switzerland ) 1:49.65


12. Warwara Zelenskaja ( Russia ) 1:49.66


17. Svetlana Gladishiva ( Russia ) 1:50.03


21. Kate Pace Lindsay ( Canada ) 1:50.54


23. Hilary Lindh ( United States ) 1:50.69


24. Catherine Borghi ( Switzerland ) 1:50.72


26. Brigitte Obermoser ( Austria ) 1:50.99


NORDIC SKIING-WORLD CUP BIATHLON RESULTS .


1. Vadim Sashurin ( Belarus ) 26 minutes 17.2 seconds ( no penalty


2. Frode Andresen ( Norway ) 26:17.8 ( 2 )


3. Ole Einar Bjorndalen ( Norway ) 26:24.9 ( 2 )


4. Sven Fischer ( Germany ) 26:28.2 ( 1 )


5. Ricco Gross ( Germany ) 26:33.0 ( 1 )


2. Svetlana Paramygina ( Belorus ) 23:58.6 ( 0 )


3. Gunn Margit Andreassen ( Norway ) 24:00.4 ( 0 )


4. Simone Greiner-Petter-Memm ( Germany ) 24:09.5 ( 1 )


5. Petra Behle ( Germany ) 24:15.4 ( 2 )


ALPINE SKIING-GOETCHL WINS WORLD CUP DOWNHILL .


Renate Goetschl of Austria won the women 's World Cup downhill race on Saturday , according to provisional results .


Katja Seizinger of Germany finished second and Islode Kostner of Italy took third .


BOBSLEIGH-SHIMER PILOTS USA III TO SURPRISE WIN .


Brian Shimer piloted USA III to a surprise victory in a World Cup two-man bobsleigh race on Saturday .


Lying fifth after the first run , Shimer and breakman Randy Jones delivered a near-perfect second trip down the 1976 Olympic course for an aggregate time of one minute 45.91 seconds .


First run leaders Guenther Huber and breakman Antonio Tartaglia in the Italy I sleigh finished second two-hundredths of a second behind the Americans .


Canada I , represented by Pierre Lueders and breakman Dave MacEachern , completed the third World cup event of the winter a further one-hundredth of a second behind the Italians .


The Canadians , winners of the opening two events in Altenberg , Germany , and La Plagne , France , increased their lead in the World Cup standings .


They have 104 points , 15 ahead of USA I 's Jim Herberich and breakman Garrett Hines who managed only 10th place on Saturday .


SKIING-CHINESE MAKE PROMISING FREESTYLE SKIING DEBUT .


China made a promising debut on the freestyle skiing world cup circuit in an aerials event in the French resort of Tignes on Saturday .


While the Chinese failed to gain a place in the men 's final , they had two in the top 10 of the women 's competition , Cuo Dan finishing a respectable seventh and Xu Nannan ninth .


But overall , it was France and Canada who dominated the day .


Alexis Blanc and Sebastien Foucras gave France a one-two finish in the first aerials competition of the season .


Blanc collected his seventh career World Cup win with a two jump combined score of 238.36 points , easily beating Foucras , the overall World Cup aerials champion , who was a distant second with 223.60 .


Canada 's Jeff Bean , who had never finished higher than ninth in a World Cup event , made his first trip to the podium taking third place with a mark of 209.96 .


Veronica Brenner of Canada , who picked up her first career victory at Tignes last year , made it two wins in a row at the French resort taking first in the women 's competition with a score of 170.42 .


Swiss skiers occupied the other two places on the podium , Karin Kuster taking second with 160.55 narrowly ahead of Evelyne Leu with 160.36 .


Results of a World Cup two-man bobsleigh event on Saturday :


1. United States III ( Brian Shimer , Randy Jones ) one


2. Italy I ( Guenther Huber , Antonio Tartaglia ) 1:45.93


3. Canada I ( Pierre Lueders , Dave MacEachern ) 1:45.94


4. German I ( Sepp Dostthaler , Thomas Lebsa ) 1:45.95


5. Switzerland I ( Reto Goetschi , Guido Acklin ) 1:45.98


6. Germany III ( Dirk Wiese , Jakobs Marco ) 1:46.02


7. Czech Republic I ( Jiri Dzmura , Pavel Polomsky )


8. Austria I ( Hubert Schoesser , Erwin Arnold ) 1:46.13


9. Britain I ( Sean Olsson , Dean Ward ) 1:46.26 ( 52.97/


United States I ( Jim Herberich , Garrett


( Hannes Conti , Georg Kuttner ) 1:46.34 ( 53.30/


CRICKET - WOOLMER MAKES SENTIMENTAL RETURN TO KANPUR .


South Africa 's trip to Kanpur for the third test against India has given former England test cricketer Bob Woolmer the chance of a sentimental return to his birthplace .


Woolmer was born in the northern city of Kanpur when his father worked there for an insurance compnay and was himself an active cricketer .


A visit to India is always an intriguing experience , " Woolmer , now the South African coach , said on Saturday .


Woolmer , 48 , played 19 tests for England between 1975 and 1981 .


His first cricketing sojurn to India was as a member of Tony Greig 's England side in 1976-77 .


His father Clarence Woolmer represented United Province , now renamed Uttar Pradesh , in India 's Ranji Trophy national championship and captained the state during 1949 .


Now aged 86 , Woolmer senior lives with his son in Cape Town .


Woolmer 's memories of Kanpur are few and blurred .


" I do n't remember much of the place , " he said . "


I came here on zero and left at three ( aged three ) when my father was transferred to Calcutta where I spent another four and half years .


" But I do remember we had a cobra snake in the basement of our house .


Also that my father bought a bicycle and when we rode over a hose pipe it broke into two . "


Woolmer said the hospital where he was born is close to the stadium where the India-South Africa test will be played .


FREESTYLE SKIING-WORLD CUP AERIALS RESULTS .


freestyle skiing aerials competition on Saturday :


1. Alexis Blanc ( France ) 238.36 points


6. Alexandre Mikhailov ( Russia ) 202.59


7. Ales Valenta ( Czech Republic ) 194.02


8. Kristie Marshall ( Australia ) 154.60


SKI JUMPING-LEADING WORLD CUP RESULTS / STANDINGS .


World Cup high hill ( 120-metre ) ski jumping event on Saturday :


1. Takanobu Okabe ( Japan ) 303.4 points ( first jump


3. Andreas Goldberger ( Austria ) 274.4 ( 144.4 / 130 )


5. Ari-Pekka Nikkola ( Finland ) 256.4 ( 126 / 130.4 )


6. Reinhard Schwarzenberger ( Austria ) 252.6 ( 119.7 / 132.9 )


Leading World Cup standings ( after three events ) :


BADMINTON - WORLD GRAND PRIX SEMIFINAL RESULTS .


semifinals at the World Grand Prix finals on Saturday :


Fung Permadi ( Taiwan ) beat Indra Wijaya ( Indonesia ) 15-6 15-8


Sun Jun ( China ) beat Allan Budi Kusuma ( Indonesia ) 15-9 15-10


Susi Susanti ( Indonesia ) beat Camilla Martin ( Denmark ) 11-1


Ye Zhaoying ( China ) beat Gong Zhichao ( China ) 11-8 11-3


SPEED SKATING-RESULTS OF WORLD CUP SPEED SKATING RACES .


Results on the first day of the World Cup speed skating races here on Saturday .


Horii Manabu ( Japan ) 37.23 seconds ; 2 .


Jaegal Sung-Yeol ( South Korea ) 37.46 ; 3 .


Sergey Klevchenya ( Russia ) 37.86 ; 6 .


Kim Yoon-man ( South Korea ) 38.05 ; 10 .


Franziska Schenk ( Germany ) 41.13 ; 4 .


Marianne Timmer ( Netherlands ) 41.58 ; 7 .


1. Sylvain Bouchard ( Canada ) 1 minute 16.24 seconds


5. Lee Kyou-hyuk ( South Korea ) 1:16.47


7. Gerard Van Velde ( Netherlands ) 1:16.63


9. Jeremy Wotherspoon ( Canada ) 1:16.75


3. Marianne Timmer ( Netherlands ) 1:24.86


ALPINE SKIING-OFFICIALS HOPE TO SALVAGE WORLD CUP WEEKEND .


World Cup ski officials hope to be able to get in at least one men 's downhill training run on Saturday in an effort to salvage the weekend racing programme .


For the third consecutive day , Friday 's scheduled training runs were cancelled due to heavy wet snow and fog on Whistler Mountain , leaving the scheduled World Cup events in jeopardy .


Rules call for at least one training run to be completed before a World Cup downhill race can be staged .


Organisers hope to get that run in on Saturday morning , conditions permitting , and stage the race later in the day or on Sunday .


" There was no possibility today to make a training run , " said Bernd Zobel , the Canadian men 's national coach , citing too much new snow and poor visibility .


If organisers are forced to run the downhill on Sunday , the super-giant slalom originally scheduled for Sunday would likely be abandoned .


SOCCER - LEADING SCOTTISH PREMIER DIVISION SCORERS .


Scottish premier division after Saturday 's matches :


10 - Billy Dodds ( Aberdeen ) , Pierre Van Hooydonk ( Celtic )


7 - Paul Wright ( Kilmarnock ) , Ally McCoist ( Rangers )


6 - Andreas Thom ( Celtic ) , Dean Windass ( Aberdeen ) ,


Brian Laudrup ( Rangers ) , Darren Jackson


5 - Peter van Vossen ( Rangers ) , Gerry Britton


( Dunfermline ) , Colin Cameron ( Hearts ) , Robert


Winters ( Dundee United ) , Paolo Di Canio ( Celtic ) .


premier league after Saturday 's matches :


9 - Fabrizio Ravanelli ( Middlesbrough ) , Alan Shearer


8 - Matthew Le Tissier ( Southampton ) , Dwight Yorke ( Aston


Villa ) , Les Ferdinand ( Newcastle ) , Efan Ekoku ( Wimbledon ) ,


7 - Robbie Earle ( Wimbledon ) , Les Ferdinand ( Newcastle )


6 - Marcus Gayle ( Wimbledon ) , Gary Speed ( Everton ) , Chris


5 - Robbie Fowler ( Liverpool ) , Steve McManaman ( Liverpool )


SOCCER - NORTHERN IRELAND PREMIER DIVISION RESULTS / STANDINGS .


Standings ( tabulated - played , won , drawn , lost , goals for ,


SOCCER - SCOTTISH PREMIER DIVISION SUMMARIES .


Summaries of Scottish premier division matches played on Saturday :


Dunfermline 2 ( Millar 43 , 46 penalty ) Aberdeen 3 ( Miller 10 , Rowson 55 , Windass 78 ) .


Kilmarnock 0 Dundee United 2 ( Olafsson 22 , 51 ) .


Motherwell 2 ( Davies 39 , Ross 89 ) Celtic 1 ( Hay 83 ) .


RUGBY UNION - RETIRING CAMPESE WEIGHS UP OPTIONS .


David Campese will consider offers to play club rugby in England but looks more likely to spend the next year chasing business opportunities in Australia .


The 34-year-old winger played his final game in a Wallaby jersey on Saturday but is currently a target for clubs eager to match London side Saracens who have already snapped up Francois Pienaar , Michael Lynagh and Philippe Sella .


" If the opportunity is there I 'd obviously think about it but the thing that holds me back is business , " said Campese .


" I 'd like to come over but there are a lot of things happening at home .


I 've also got a contract to play for New South Wales in the Super 12 next year . "


Former Wallaby captain Nick Farr-Jones believes Campese may yet be tempted to England .


" I 'm sure there are a few people in England who 'd be delighted to have David Campese in their club 's jersey , " he said .


SOCCER - ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE SUMMARIES .


Arsenal 2 ( Adams 45 , Vieira 90 ) Derby 2 ( Sturridge 62 , Powell


Chelsea 2 ( Zola 12 , Vialli 55 ) Everton 2 ( Branch 17 ,


Coventry 1 ( Whelan 60 ) Tottenham 2 ( Sheringham 27 , Sinton 75 ) .


Leicester 1 ( Marshall 78 ) Blackburn 1 ( Sutton 34 ) .


Liverpool 0 Sheffield Wednesday 1 ( Whittingham 22 ) .


Southampton 0 Aston Villa 1 ( Townsend 34 ) .


Sunderland 1 ( Melville 83 ) Wimbledon 3 ( Ekoku 8 , 29 , Holdsworth


Saturday 's matches ( tabulated - played , won , drawn , lost , goals


after Saturday 's matches ( tabulated - played , won , drawn , lost ,


SOCCER - VIEIRA SAVES ARSENAL WITH LAST-MINUTE EQUALISER .


Frenchman Patrick Vieira blasted a last-minute goal to salvage a 2-2 draw for English premier league leaders Arsenal at home to Derby on Saturday .


The London club had been rocked by a two-goal burst from forwards Dean Sturridge and Darryl Powell in the 62nd and 71st minutes which overturned Arsenal 's 1-0 lead from a diving header by captain Tony Adams on the stroke of halftime .


Liverpool suffered an upset first home league defeat of the season , beaten 1-0 by a Guy Whittingham goal for Sheffield Wednesday .


Wimbledon leap-frogged over Liverpool into second place by winning 3-1 at Sunderland to extend their unbeaten league and cup run to 18 games .


Two strikes by Efan Ekoku in the first half and a late goal from fellow forward Dean Holdsworth secured victory for Wimbledon , who trail pacemakers Arsenal by four points .


SOCCER - SCOTTISH LEAGUE AND CUP RESULTS .


Postponed : Airdrieonians v Clydebank ( to Wednesday ) , East


Fife v Partick , Stirling v St Mirren ( to Tuesday )


Postponed : Forfar v Alloa , Inverness Thistle v Queen 's Park


Postponed : Albion v Forfar , Huntly v Clyde ( both now play on


SOCCER - ENGLISH LEAGUE AND CUP RESULTS .


RUGBY UNION - CAMPESE SIGNS OFF WITH TRY IN WALLABY ROMP .


Australia bade farewell to David Campese in spectacular fashion by overwhelming the Barbarians 39-12 in the final match of their European tour at Twickenham on Saturday .


The Wallabies ran in five tries with Campese , who has retired from test rugby after collecting 101 caps and a world record 64 tries , adding one last touchdown in a Wallaby jersey before departing the international game .


The Barbarians included 14 internationals but , with only two pre-match practice sessions behind them , proved no real match for a Wallaby side determined to finish their 12-match tour unbeaten .


The touring team were 27-0 ahead by half-time before easing up in the second-half .


Full-back Matthew Burke finished with a personal haul of 24 points to take his tour aggregate to 136 .


RUGBY UNION - AUSTRALIA BEAT BARBARIANS 39-12 .


Australia beat the Barbarians 39-12 ( halftime 27-0 ) in the final match of their European tour on Saturday :


Australia - Tries : Matthew Burke ( 2 ) , Joe Roff , David Campese , Tim Horan .


Barbarians - Tries : Alan Bateman , Scott Quinnell .


GOLF - ZIMBABWE OPEN THIRD ROUND SCORES .


Zimbabwe Open on Saturday ( South African unless stated ) :


207 Clinton Whitelaw 70 70 67 , Mark Cayeux ( Zimbabwe )


212 Trevor Dodds ( Namibia ) 72 69 71 , Schalk van der


213 Sean Farrell ( Zimbabwe ) 77 68 68 , Glen Cayeux


SOCCER - REINSTATED ALBANIA NAMES SQUAD TO PLAY N.IRELAND .


Albanian coach Astrit Hafizi said on Saturday it was important that his players brush aside the country 's short ban by FIFA in order to concentrate on next Saturday'sWorld Cup group nine qualifier against Northern Ireland .


World soccer 's governing body reinstated Albania last Tuesday after the Balkan country 's government lifted suspensions on various soccer officials .


FIFA had banned Albania indefinitely after its sports ministry had ordered the suspension of Albanian Football Association general secretary Eduard Dervishi and dissolved the executive committee .


" We would be very happy with a draw in Belfast , " said Hafizi . "


Especially if one takes into consideration our difficult post-suspension situation and the fact Northern Ireland is very keen to win . "


Regular defender Artur Lekbello , who is injured , was missing from Hafizi 's squad named on Saturday for the Belfast match .


Goalkeepers - Blendi Nallbani , Armir Grima


Defenders - Rudi Vata , Saimir Malko , Arjan Xhumba , Ilir Shulku , Afrim Tole , Nevil Dede , Arjan Bellai


Midfielders - Bledar Kola , Altin Haxhi , Sokol Prenga , Ervin Fakaj


Forwards - Altin Rraklli , Viktor Paco , Fatmir Vata , Erjon Bogdani .


CRICKET - JONES HITS CENTURY AS VICTORIA FIGHT BACK .


Former Australia test batsman Dean Jones hit an unbeaten 130 to lead Victoria 's fightback in their Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania on Saturday .


Replying to the home side 's first innings 481 for eight declared , Victoria reached 220 for three at close of play on the second day of the four-day match at Hobart 's Bellerive Oval .


Jones became the fourth century-maker of the match , equalling the feats of Tasmanian trio David Boon , Shaun Young and Michael DiVenuto .


Jones , who took over as captain for the match in the absence of Australia test leg-spinner Shane Warne , added 195 runs for the third wicket with left-hander Laurie Harper .


Harper was eventually dismissed for 77 after the pair joined forces with their side reeling on nine for two .


Earlier , former Australia test batsman David Boon scored 118 and all-rounder Shaun Young hit 113 .


The pair hammered 36 boundaries between them .


Pace bowler Ian Harvey claimed three for 81 for Victoria .


Close of play score on the second day of the four-day Sheffield Shield cricket match between Tasmania and Victoria at Bellerive Oval on Saturday :


Tasmania 481 for eight declared ( Michael DiVenuto 119 , David Boon 118 , Shaun Young 113 ) ; Victoria 220 for three ( Dean Jones 130 not out ) .


SOCCER - SOUTH KOREA MOVE CLOSE TO QUARTER-FINAL BERTH .


South Korea made virtually certain of an Asian Cup quarter-final spot with a 4-2 win over Indonesia in a Group A match on Saturday .


After going four up in the first 55 minutes South Korea allowed Indonesia , newcomers to Asian Cup finals , back into the match , conceding two goals from rare counter attacks .


Kim Do Hoon opened the scoring for South Korea in only the fifth minute , turning unmarked on the penalty spot to fire a shot into the top corner .


It looked like turning into a rout as Hwang Sun Hong rapidly added two more in the seventh and 15th minutes but although the Koreans continued to dominate they failed to add to the score before the interval .


But they started the second half where they had left off and it was not long before they went four up , Ko Jeong Woon heading in from a free kick in the 55th minute .


The Koreans then appeared to relax , allowing the Indonesians to get back into the match .


Ronny Wabia scored for Indonesia three minutes later direct from a a corner kick that Korean goalkeeper Kim Byung reached with one hand but failed to keep out .


With 65 minutes gone Indonesia 's Widodo Putra , who scored a spectacular goal against Kuwait on Wednesday , was again on target , breaking through the Korean defence to beat the keeper with a low shot .


Indonesian keeper Hendro Kartiko produced a string of fine saves to prevent the Koreans increasing their lead .


Indonesia : 20 - Hendro Kartiko ; 2 - Agung Setyabudi ; 3 - Suwandi Siswoyo ; 4 - Yeyen Tumera ; 5 - Aples Tecuari ; 6 - Sudiriman ; 7 - Widodo Gahyo Purta ; 8 - Ronny Wabia ; 11 - Bima Sakti ; 12 - Chris Yarangga ( 15 - Francis Wewengken 36 ) ; 16 - Marzuki Badriawan .


South Korea : 1 - Kim Byung Ji ; 2 - Kim Pan Keun ; 5 - Huh Ki Tae ; 8 - Roh Sang Rae ( 7 - Sin Tae Yong 33 ) ; 9 - Kim Do Hoon ; 11 - Ko Jeong Woon ; 17 - Ha Seok Ju ; 18 - Hwang Sun Hong ; 22 - Lee Young Jin ; 23 - Yoo Sang Chul ; 24 - Kim Joo Sung .


SOCCER - ISRAELI FIRST DIVISION RESULTS / STANDINGS .


Ironi Rishon Lezion 1 Maccabi Herzliya 0


Standings ( tabulate under played , won , drawn , lost , goals


Results of Asian Cup group A matches on Saturday :


United Arab Emirates 3 Kuwait 2 ( halftime 0-2 )


UAE - Hassan Ahmed 53 , Adnan Al Talyani 55 , Bakhit Saad 80


South Korea - Kim Do Hoon 5 , Hwang Sun Hong 7 and 15 , Koo


Indonesia - Ronny Wabia 58 , Widodo Putra 65


Group A standings ( tabulate under : played , won , drawn , lost ,


NBA BASKETBALL - STANDINGS AFTER FRIDAY 'S GAMES .


Basketball Association teams after games played on Friday


( tabulate under won , lost , percentage , games behind ) :


Association games on Friday ( home team in CAPS ) :


NHL ICE HOCKEY - STANDINGS AFTER FRIDAY 'S GAMES .


League teams after games played on Friday ( tabulate under won ,


lost , tied , goals for , goals against , points ) :


League games on Friday ( home team in CAPS ) :


NHL ICE HOCKEY - CANUCKS RW BURE SUSPENDED FOR ONE GAME .


Vancouver Canucks star right wing Pavel Bure was suspended for one game by the National Hockey League and fined $ 1,000 Friday for his hit on Buffalo Sabres defenceman Garry Galley on Wednesday .


Bure received a double-minor penalty for high-sticking with 2:22 left in the first period of Wednesday 's 7-6 overtime win by Vancouver after colliding with Galley in Buffalo zone .


Galley suffered a concussion and did not return to the game .


" Mr Bure left his feet to deliver a forearm blow to Mr Galley as he was about to be checked legally by his opponent , " said NHL discipline chief Brian Burke in handing out the suspension .


" Although it is clear from the videotape that Mr Bure 's actions were a reaction to the impending hit and there was no intent to injure his opponent , there can be no excuse for this type of conduct , " Burke said .


Bure , who is struggling with only nine goals and 12 assists in 26 games , will miss Saturday 's home game against Ottawa .


BOXING - SCHULZ DEFEATS RIBALTA IN IBF HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT .


German Axel Schulz outpointed Cuba 's Jose Ribalta in their International Boxing Federation non-title 10-round heavyweight fight on Saturday .


SOCCER - SPANISH FIRST DIVISION SUMMARY .


Summary of Saturday 's Spanish first division match :


Real Madrid 2 ( Davor Suker 24 , Predrag Mijatovic 48 ) Barcelona 0 .


SOCCER - BALKAN STRIKE FORCE WIN OLD FIRM GAME FOR REAL .