AM SUMMARY

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-1999
AM SUMMARY

CANBERRA April 9 AAP - The main stories in today's 0800 (AEST) edition of the ABC's AM
program:

* Four days after the massacre at a church in East Timor it is still uncertain how many
people died. Killing was carried out by civilian militia loyal to Jakarta with the backing of
the army.

* Serbian deputy Prime Minister Draskovic has promised to do what he can to discover the
whereabouts of the two Australian aid workers missing in Yugoslavia.

* Draskovic claims that refugees who disappeared from Macedonia border camps were
Macedonian Albanians playing a role for the television cameras and that now they have all gone
home.

* NATO has rejected Serbian claims that NATO bombs are responsible for the destruction of
civilian buildings in Pristina. NATO is now threatening to bomb Serbian television off the
air.

* A luxury spa in Macedonia has taken 108 Albanian refugees at company expense. 10,000
Kosovo refugees are estimated to have been taken in by private establishments and homes in
Macedonia.

* The credibility of the GST is in trouble after revelation by the treasury that over time
the package would offer welfare recipients no compensation at all.

* The premiers' conference today will deal with public housing, prison rehabilitation,
national competition policy and drugs will be the main issues.

* Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has said that if he doesn't get additional compensation
he will not support the GST.

* NSW Premier Bob Carr says he believes that the conference can reach agreement on the GST
even if the Queensland premier does not cooperate.

* It's expected that there will be $300 million provided for drug related problems and
trials.

* BBC hardware backs down on promise to the Wilderness Society to stock and endorse the
book Forest Friendly Building Timbers which instructs builders on how to use recycled or
plantation timber after the National Association of Forest Industries complained.

* The AFL tribunal will hear its first ever case of racial vilification after talks between
St Kilda player Peter Everett and Melbourne player Scott Chisholm failed last night.

AAP vc/mb

KEYWORD: AM SUMMARY

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