The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 3

NEWS 3 THE AGE MONDAY 3 JANUARY 2000 Y2K arrives. OK, hut hug may still lbite Mr Kill (iales, forecast that some business systems would fail oven coming months, as non-compliant systems were discovered. "It's notiv going to be catastrophic, but there will he a lot of snafus," he said. i Minor problems were reported all over the world, some in surprising places, but virtually all were fixed within hours. Among them: The official timekeeper for the United Slates, the US Naval Observatory in Washington, reported the date as 1 January 19100.

Seven nuclear power plants in the US and four in Japan reported small Y2K-related glitches in support systems, but none affected operations. Processing of data from US spy satellites was blocked out for several piepaic themselves against the risk ol computer breakdowns, day two of tin1 millennium was trouble-free. I lly problems so far have been the temporary breakdowns of bus lii-lei iing systems In Adelaide and I lobaii on Saturday. II was a similar story around the win Id. nunli ies from the most lei liiiiiliigii nlly sophisticated to the iniisi unsophisticated reported only i In orlil glilrh as computer systems inaile ihe jump from I to 2000.

Hew, electricity and water flowed freely. ATMs regurgitated money and liie world went on. Itul while welcoming the successful liansiiion, experts cautioned that the biggest challenge would come when business resumed tomorrow, people's lives," he said. Senator Campbell threw doubt on the trouble-free reports from countries that spent little on Y2K preparations, noting that China had temporarily If that money hadn't been spent, there would have been the potential for failures risking people's lives shut down its ATM system. "The nations that have not done a lot of work on Y2K tend to be those that don't have comprehensive, transparent systems to report probjems," he said.

Experts warned that business and household PCs were at risk from viruses primed to take effect from 1 January. Users were advised to obtain the latest versions of virus-detecting software to scan their systems, and he wary of opening e-mails from unknown addresses. President Clinton's top Y2K troubleshooter, Mr John Koskinen, also warned that success so far should not make people "underestimate the nature of the problem that was originally there I don't know of anyone who has spent any time on this problem who doubts that had the money not been spent, we would be in a very different situation here right now," he said. The chief executive of Microsoft, and the mass of daily transactions, accounting and computer-regulated machine operations put the world's computer systems to the test. The Federal Government's parliamentary secretary in charge of Y2K preparations, Senator Ian Campbell, defended the immense spending by business and government more than $600 for every Australian man, woman and child saying the lack of problems so far showed it been well spent.

Senator Campbell said earlier checks found failure rates of between 3 per cent and 5 per cent even in systems reported as Y2K-compliant. "If that money hadn't been spent, there would have been the potential for failures risking Government vows to identify Environmental vandals' 6. l'. Penguins die as oil spills along coast 'm Jr it I i T- 11 on the south coast of Phillip Pictures: simon schluter hours by computer breakdowus ground level; A babV bom lri -Korea' was n-git tered as being 100 years old, and one. apartment tower in Seoul found it heating and hot water1 Cut off.

Credit card 'systems, mete's and' e-mail systems broke down Ui some provinces In China. .) Experts said problems wete if" likely to emerge in computer sy.slei operated by small businesses, at) I i developing countries. Some pioli lems will emerge only at ihe end the first financial, quarter, wii-1 compute; records for billing may turrt out to be corrupted. with AGENCIi BUSINESS 3: Rnpnit Freed aid worker iheadsior AitSitKl'l if J'fc- Jtrn; i Australia By TIM COLEBATCH The worker MrBranko jele'ri'and and children are likely to begin ibei' new life in. Australia vithiii 4ays A-spokesman for CARS Atistrali.i.

Mr Anthony Funnell, said tliat fill Jelen who was released by Yugoslav-authorities 09 Ne YcaV'-i 1 after nine months. had sperif his first day offte'edolii in Budapest with his wife, JNadia, their two children. Mr Funnell said that Mr Jelen bad been traumatised by his.conyicii'in for spying against his own couiitiy, it would take longer tq. recover i- than his colleagues, Mr StevePratt I and Mr Peter Wallace, wlito had alsi been jailed. "He's in 1 worse condition vihai i Steve and Peter were," Mr said, "Physically, hehas been.in jail 10 accuredof spying If iduntrjrj; andfenthrbjtoJaji knows Mr -Jelen had been organising humanitarian aid efforts for CARE in Yugoslavia for, se-i pfaleairsshefore he was arrested in April with Mr Pratt and Mr Wallace mm Branlto and charged with espionage.

CARE Australia denied the against the three men, but all convicted and sentenced to long jail terms. Mr Pratt and Mr Wallace weii; released in September, but Mr Jelen remained in custody despite international pleas for his release orge.i i ised by Mr Malcolm Fraser, the C'Mt Australia chairman and former Prime Minister. The-'Pfesident of. Yugoslavia, Mj Slobodan Milosevic', who'nict' Mx Fraser late in Novemberordered Kfi Jelen's release as an "act of enabling him to be. reunited with his wife on their weddinjt anniversary.

Kir Funnell said that was to have medicallthecjcs ifid receive counselling befow'Beglririmg his new life in Mr Funnell said that although Mr Jelen intended to talce up'the Federal Government's offer of permajteut Australian residence, the tra'nsitfoij would be traumatic. "He's quite a shy person, and he'll be leaving behind everything known in life," lie said. Mr Funnell said that' Mr Jeleii would settle in Canberra and work at CARE' Australia's'' national lieiid. quarters. He said that CARE Ansfraff Avas confident that Mr Jelen woviM be well received by'" Australia's Serbian ldb'j bled Mr Milosevic for the Work hi i h'as dotie fnr CAriE has been1 for ethrifii 5 ScU refugees in Kosovo, and.

tliqy Itnvj that," Mr wouldn't have fought' so long anil hard with us to' get him' out If jln-y had many doubts about him." TO SHOP. The world exhales, but the millennium test comes tomorrow. By TIM COLEBATCH ECONOMICS EDITOR After spending estimated nunc than billion In head (ill the hug, the world has smvived the first days of. the new millennium reporting no-significant damage. Km experts warned that the toughest tests will come tomorrow.

In Australia, where business and governments have spent as much as $12 billion in the past two years to Zoara Da Silva: Heart problem. Appeal to Australia for dying teenager By MARK DODD DILI Zoara Da Sllva, a 13-year-old East Timorese girl, is dying. Zoara was admitted earlier this month to the French Army Hospital in Dili, complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath. Doctors suspected a heart complication, but without an ultrasound diagnosis they were unable to confirm their fears of a defective or calcified anterior valve. "When we did her examination wenotlced an abnormally large Jugular vein," said Colonel Renoit Chevalier, the hospital's senior medical officer.

"When yon see something like this, you can normally be sure it is a cardiac problem." Touched by Zoara's plight, the French army medical team tracked down East Timor's only ultrasound machine, In a hospital in western Baucau, and their diagnosis was correct. hi layman's terms, Colonel Chevalier said, the condition meant Zpara was unlikely to live for more than three or four years, because of a constricted blood flow through tlje defective heart valve, and she would definitely not survive pregnancy. rThe condition is easily treatable, and an operation would take not njore than one hour, while hospital treatment would be no longer than oneweek, he told 77ie "In France and Australia this is a common procedure. We know she can be cured very easily and this does not Involve complicated surgery." Colonel Chevalier said the operation would guarantee Zoara a normal, healthy life. Unfortunately, the French Army Hospital is closing down.

The medical officer and his team arc anxious to hear that Zoara will be able to be treated and cured in Australia. The French team tried to have Zoara's case treated by several medical charities based in East Timor but were told they were too busy to help. An appeal for Australian medical assistance is Zoara's last hope. No appropriate facility is available In East Timor. Australia offers the nearest hospital and medical expertise.

On Saturday, Colonel Chevalier visited the family, and through' a French army interpreter explained that Zoara needed to go to Australia for an operation. The parents agreed, and Zoara's mother said she would accompany the teenager with the consent of Australian authorities. A quick ring around by this correspondent found InterFET and the Australian Mission in Dili more than willing to lend a hand. Major Mark Tanzcrspokesman for the International Force in East Timor, InterFET, told 7 ie Age that after consulting the chief Australian medical officer, a specially equipped (ierman Air Force aero-medical evacuation plane on loan lo InterFET could fly from 1)111 lo Darwin. Financial guarantees for travel costs, hospital treatment and hotel accommodation would also be required, he said.

Colonel Chevalier thought the whole operation would cost between 1 5,000 and $20,000. However, the final requirement Is for a sympathetic hotel, hospital and staff, and an airline to provide return evacuation from Darwin to either Sydney or Melbourne where there are world-class families. Anybody ouyiheref By MISHA KETCHELL Four fairy penguins have died and more than 50 captured and cleaned after a damaging oil spill near Phillip Island. The spill was discovered just after 4pm on Saturday when rangers found a dead bird and two others covered in oil. An air search yesterday morning revealed it involved less than a tonne of oil, but rangers have described it as the worst to hit Phillip Island penguins since 1990.

Phillip Island Nature Park senior ranger, Ms Julie Thomas, said the spill couldn't have come at a worse time for the penguins because it was the height of their breeding season. She said oil on penguins' plumage meant they were unable to swim and hunt, and it was likely many would starve or be poisoned by the oil during the next few days. She said that during December and lantiaty the birds come ashore in feed iheir nesting chicks. "Those affected by oil won't go into the ocean because they're not waterproof, so they won't catch fish," she said. "But if they don't go lo sea.

their chicks will starve." She said the captured birds had been washed twice by rangers and would be given time to re-establish a natural oil balance in their coat before they were released in the next lew days. The general manager of the Phillip Island Nature Park, Mr Ray I said none of the birds in the daily penguin parade had been affected but contaminated birds bad been found in two coves west ol ihe penguin parade. Ihe daily parade of fairy penguins attracts more than 300,000 iuleinalional tourists each year. I le said 20 volunteers and 1 1 staff stationed at the coves picked up 43 birds on Saturday night but on Sunday their efforts were ham- Map Area The Nobbles i Bass' Strait- km Phillip I Island rr-rTrl-iiiini -T 1 Phillip Island yHJjSumrnerland pered by a high tide that submerged beachfront platforms. The Environment Protection Authority yesterday tested a sample of the oil washed up from the spill.

If the vessel responsible is found, its captain and owner could face severe fines and a bill for the cleanup costs. Mr Leivers said that in September 1998 a vessel responsible for an oil spill in the area was successfully prosecuted and its captain and owner each fined $20,000. "The reality is it's cost us thousands of dollars," said Mr Leivers. "These birds can't be released until they've got all the oil out of their feathers and they've preened the natural oil back into their coat." The acting Minister for Ports, Mr John Pandazopoulos, yesterday said the Government was working around the clock to identify the vessel responsible for the spill. "This is nothing short of environmental vandalism," he said.

"Whether the spill was an accident or not the Victorian Government will pursue the offender with the full force of the law." Incident controller, Captain Dick Cox, said there were no ships in the area yesterday and that the spill may have happened up to three days ago. "We're investigating quite a few ships that could have been in the area over the past few days to ascertain a possible source," he said. He said the investigation had been narrowed down to less than 50 ships which passed the coast in the past three days. Yesterday, 18 staff from the Bass Coast Shire and Toll Western Port worked to remove oil from the Nobbies, washing rocks by hand and removing any oil-saturated seaweed from the area. A Western Port Protection Council spokeswoman, Ms Karri Giles, yesterday said the lesson of the Iron Baron spill, which in 1995 killed more than 7000 penguins, had not been learnt.

She called for oil to be phased out in Bass Strait, and added it was a myth that oil spills could be cleaned up, because they led to the accumulation of hydrocarbons in the environment. "It is common for a small amount of oil to be spilt but as this latest spill demonstrates, even these are damaging," she said. Parks Victoria rangers and Phillip Island Nature Park staff were last night also working to retrieve oil-affected terns, which nest at night and are difficult to retrieve in daylight. A fairy penguin is cleaned after Island. Below: Seaweed also has being contaminated with oil spilt been smothered in oil.

I I'1 Jpi ff-SI It's McSperm by male WO I WISEST have reproductive problems. This survey will allow us to see where we are now, and perhaps (we will) repeat the exercise in 10 years to see whether or not the semen quality is changing." Men aged between 20 and 30 were asked to join the census, having been chosen at random from Scottish CPs' lists. Dr Irvine said that he had been impressed by their willingness to take part. "Ten years ago, it would have been unacceptable to go out into the general population and say, 'Hey, can we have a semen The men recognise that this is an important public health issue," he said. This week, the first batch of men to be surveyed will mix their sample in a sterile plastic pot with the chemicals supplied, then place the pot in a shock-absorbent and' leakproof package and post it.

The results of the census are due to be published before the end of this year. TELEGRAPH By ADAM LUSHER LONDON In what is believed to be the world's first postal sperm census, 1000 randomly selected Scotsmen will collect sperm samples at home and mail them off to scientists interested in measuring semen quality. 'I he men will this week take delivery of special post packs containing a liquid developed to keep the sperm alive for 48 hours while it makes its way through the posi to the British Medical Research Council's reproductive biology unit In I'ldinburgh. The scientists will use the samples to examine a wide range of fertility issues, including fears that Western sperm counts are falling and that sperm is being adversely affected by modern chemicals and pollution. The head of Ihe research project, Dr Stewart Irvine, said: "it is an incredibly important issue when you consider how devastated yuiples can be when they IT'S TKfe MOST COMFORTABLE WAY Right now at Guests Furniture, we're offering 3 years Interest free on any of Guests quality classic and contemporary furniture.

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