Document declaring USSR dead 'missing'

FORMER Belarusian leader Stanislav Shushkevich says a historic document that pronounced the death of the USSR is missing from archives.

Shushkevich discovered the disappearance of the original document while working on his memoirs.

Officials with Belarus' government and other ex-Soviet states confirmed on Wednesday that they only have copies.

The document's disappearance reflects the chaos that surrounded the Soviet demise.

On December 8, 1991, Shushkevich hosted Russia's President Boris Yeltsin and Ukraine's President Leonid Kravchuk for secret talks at a government hunting lodge near Viskuli in the Belovezha Forest.

The trio signed a deal declaring that "the USSR has ceased to exist as a subject of international law and geopolitical reality," defeating Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's attempts to hold the country together and forcing him to resign on Christmas Day.

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Man charged after filming up girls' skirts

A MAN has been caught on CCTV filming up the skirts of women in shopping malls across Sydney.

The 52-year-old man was captured on CCTV at shopping malls on George Street in Sydney and in Liverpool, using his mobile phone to film up the skirts of women.

One of the incidents occurred in August last year, while the other two were captured in January.

Police arrested and charged the Frenchs Forest man with three counts of film person's private parts without consent.

He was released on bail with strict conditions and will face North Sydney Local Court on February 25.

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Firefighting helicopter crashes in Tas

A HELICOPTER pilot has been rescued after his chopper crashed while he was fighting a bushfire in Tasmania.

A Tasmanian police rescue helicopter evacuated the pilot at 5pm (AEDT) after his helicopter crashed while he was fighting the fire near Molesworth in the state's south, police said.

The pilot was flown from the scene and taken to hospital in a stable condition.

The cause of the crash is unknown at this time.

The Tasmanian Fire Service (TFS) says the fire danger in the Molesworth area is very high with a large bushfire burning at Glen Dhu Road.

The fire is impacting the areas of Suhrs Road, Fehlbergs Road, Valley Road and Collins Cap Road to Springdale Road, it says in a statement.

TFS warns it is likely to be too late to leave the area, with residents advised to activate their bushfire survival plan.

Spot fires may threaten homes earlier than the main fire front.

The TFS says there may be embers, smoke and ash falling on Molesworth, Glenlusk and Collinsvale, Myrtle Forest Road, and Old Springdale Road.

TFS said an out-of-control fire on the Huon Highway at Franklin, south of Hobart, has prompted a high fire danger rating for the area.

TFS says the fire may now affect the Huon Highway, Castle Forbes Road and Fleurtys Road to the south of Franklin.

Communities south of Franklin and Castle Forbes Bay may experience embers, smoke and ash falling on them.

A low-moderate fire danger rating has also been made for the Leroy area, with a large out-of-control bushfire burning at Shaw Street.

The fire may affect the communities of the Lefroy township and properties southeast of Lefroy are also at risk from smoke and embers, the TFS said in a statement.

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Burke to reveal Tarkine heritage decision

The environment minister is set to reveal his decision on heritage listing for Tasmania's Tarkine. Source: AAP

ENVIRONMENT Minister Tony Burke is set to reveal his decision on heritage listing for Tasmania's Tarkine.

The federal government has been assessing the heritage value of Tarkine, home to the largest tract of temperate rainforest in the southern hemisphere and the last haven of disease-free Tasmanian devils.

Mr Burke will make an announcement in northern Tasmania on Friday.

Environmentalists want the area protected from mining.

They say it fulfils eight of 10 criteria for becoming a world heritage area - only the second place in the world that would do so - but only five per cent is protected in national parks.

The Tarkine been home to mining for more than a century and 10 new mines, some open-cut, are planned for the area in the next five years, according to the Tarkine National Coalition.

The state government has granted several mining leases, which are still subject to federal approval, and Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings says only one per cent of the Tarkine will be affected by the proposals.

In 2010, Mr Burke allowed an emergency heritage listing in the area to lapse.

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