From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia Reserch Senter(*) OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS #51 =============================== In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere (validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra). Visit Our Home Page At: http://www.chickenhead.com/loserscopes/ See the Undeniable Evidence At: http://www.evil-doers.org/evidence This Stuff Blogged At: http://kymhorsell.blogspot.com/ Also Kindly Archived At: http://www.kymhorsell.com/OIL/ [For control issue see: Iraqi Body Count: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ [4,849+ as at 23 May 2003]. ------------------------------------------------------------ Selecting latest news stories and other data for you... ------------------------------------------------------------ For bureaucratic reasons we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction, because it was the one reason everyone could agree on. -- Paul Wolfowitz, "Vanity Fair", 30 May 2003. What we are going to do is assemble that evidence and present it properly to people... [I have] no doubt whatever that the evidence of Iraqi WMD will be there. Absolutely. -- Brit PM Tony Blair, 30 May 2003. We will show that friends can disagree... and move on... --- Pres Bush Jr, 31 May 2003. It seems to me it was [French Pres] Chirac that pushed us into a corner and pushed the whole UN into a corner, and frankly if anyone was behaving unilaterally I think it was really the French. -- Paul Wolfowitz, Singapore, 31 May 2003. ---------------------------------------- Fri, 30 May 2003. Stock prices jump in the US Indon forces corner rebels Annan "deeply concerned" by Aceh fighting Amnesty criticises Israel, Palestinian militants Abbas vows end to Hamas attacks Leaders lay groundwork for Middle E summit Peace not possible without war first: Howard Blair wraps up Iraq visit WMD just a convenient excuse for war, admits Wolfowitz Rumsfeld denies invading Iraq under "false pretext" POW released by mistook Chilean scientists claim new dinosaur discovery Howard confident WMDs will be found CIA says seized trailers linked to banned weapons The alleged mobile weapons laboratories Blair must follow Thatcher's example Mins "distorted" UN weapons report UK accused of rewriting Iraq intel Russia vows to continue Iran nuclear plant construction US to build power plants in Russia US may soon target troubled Iraqi areas US troops arrest 11 people in Baghdad Palestinian envoy detained by US troops in Baghdad Iraqi anger sparked by searches Human remains found nr Iraqi official's home 500 bodies recovered from mass grave in Iraq: reports New municipal council in N city named Military drops some charges against soldier More Iraqi contracts awarded to US companies Soldiers deaths may see US troop reinforcements in Iraq Terrorism puts heat on refugees: survey Another security scare: SYD airport Security breach caused evacuation: Qantas Aussie travel warnings: Thailand China may have "jumped gun" over SARS source Canada may triple SARS cases Protests begin ahead of G8 summit Deane attacks Govt's "intolerance" Howard says Alston is right to question ABC Games security chief reveals Al Qaeda evidence AUD "dangerous" for exporters Retail trade overcomes Apr obstacles US trade agreement critical, Vaile warns "Temp" ACCC head promises changes Europe tackles obesity's spread Polka dot Paul holds court Aussies looking for a whole lot more out of life Markets Stock prices jump in the US NY. Investors on Wall Street have burst out of the blocks on their return from the holiday long weekend. Stock prices in NY have jumped ahead following encouraging statistics on consumer confidence and the housing market in the US. Consumer sentiment has hit a 6-m high with American households optimistic about a recovery in business conditions and the labour market. The private sector Conference Board's confidence index has moved up from 81 to 83.8. Although a little below some forecasts, it is still the strongest reading since last Nov. At the same time, US Commerce Dept figures show sales of new homes have risen 1.7% in Apr to their highest level since last Dec. Wall Street's DJIA has surged 180 points higher to finish the latest session at 8,781. That is a gain of 2.1%. Prices on the high-tech Nasdaq market are 3.1% ahead at their highest level in 11 m. The Nasdaq composite index has ended 47 points in front at 1,557. The American economic data have been welcomed on the other side of the Atlantic, where UK investors have pushed the market modestly higher. Despite a 2.4% drop in Vodafone shares, London's FT-100 index has closed 13 points up at 3,992. The gold price was at $US365.15/oz, while W Texas crude oil was at $US29.24/bbl. The AUD retreated during the night after the new 40-m high of yesterday, when it touched 66.25 US cents. At 7.00 am, it was being quoted at around 65.52 US cents, down more than 4-tenths of a cent since yesterday's local close. Banda Aceh. INDON FORCES CORNER REBELS! Indon security forces say they've cornered separatists rebels in Aceh province in a move designed to separate the rebels from the civilian population. The military says it's mounting pressure on the rebel strong-holds to narrow their room for movement while trying to separate them from civilians. The military had admitted that troops are facing difficulties confronting highly-mobile guerrillas who melt into the population. Annan "deeply concerned" by Aceh fighting NY. UN secretary-general Kofi Annan says he is "deeply concerned" over the impact on the civilian population of renewed hostilities in Aceh, Indonesia. Mr Annan's dep rep, Hua Jiang, says he is particularly disturbed by "reports of extra-judicial killings and widespread burning of schools" in the Indonesian province. Aceh is in the far W of the Is of Sumatra. She says Mr Annan "urges all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations to protect civilians in armed conflict". The Sec-Gen also calls on Indonesia's Govt to "ensure the necessary security conditions to allow internat'l aid organisations safe and unhindered access to affected populations". The Indonesian Govt said that at least 84 Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels have been killed since it launched its biggest military operation for a quarter-century 11 days ago. Some 14 civilians have been killed, plus 7 soldiers and 3 policemen, according to a military rep. Up to 40,000 police and soldiers are confronting an estimated 5,000 rebels from GAM, which has been fighting for an independent state since 1976. Some 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the past 27 ys. Amnesty criticises Israel, Palestinian militants Jerusalem (Reuters). The human rights group Amnesty Internat'l accused the Israeli army of war crimes and Palestinian militants of crimes against humanity in its annual report released on Wed. It recommended that internat'l human rights monitors be sent to the region, noting that their presence "could have saved both Palestinian and Israeli lives." Citing "a deepening of the human rights crisis" since a Palestinian uprising for independence began in Sep 2000, Amnesty said at least 1,000 Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers in 2002 and most of the killings had been unlawful. During the same period, Amnesty said, Palestinian militant groups killed more than 420 Israelis, at least 265 of them civilians. "The deliberate targeting of civilians by Palestinian armed groups constituted crimes against humanity," Amnesty said. Ismail Haniyah, a leader of the Islamic militant Hamas group which has spearheaded a suicide bombing during the uprising, called the Amnesty report unfair. Amnesty said the Israeli army had "committed abuses which constituted war crimes." It listed them as unlawful killings, the killing of medical personnel and obstruction of medical assistance, extensive and wanton destruction of property, torture and inhumane treatment, unlawful confinement and the use of "human shields". Israel had no immediate comment on the report. Amnesty said the human rights crisis in Israel and the W Bank and Gaza Strip, where Israel has tightened its military grip, was "among the issues most discussed -- and least acted upon -- by the internat'l community." The Palestinians have repeatedly called for internat'l observers to be sent to the region but Israel has opposed this. Abbas vows end to Hamas attacks Gaza (Reuters). The Palestinian PM, Mahmoud Abbas, said in an interview published yesterday that he expected to reach an agreement with the militant group Hamas by next wk for a complete halt to attacks on Israelis. A ceasefire deal with Hamas would be a big step forward on a US-backed "road map" to peace that Mr Abbas and the Israeli PM, Ariel Sharon, will discuss with the US Pres, George Bush, in Jordan on Wed. "My assessment is that by next wk I will arrive at a ceasefire agreement with Hamas," Mr Abbas told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. "Hamas will commit to halting terrorism both within the Green Line [inside Israel] and in the territories," Mr Abbas said, responding to Israeli concerns that Hamas would agree only to a partial halt on attacks. But a snr Hamas official, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, said he was unaware that any such agreement was in the works and repeated the group's list of conditions for a truce that Israel has always rejected. "Our position so far is the same position," Mr Rantissi said. "If the Israelis stop killing Palestinian civilians, free prisoners, and end aggression, we avoid targeting Israeli civilians." Hamas has spearheaded a suicide bombing campaign that has killed scores of Israelis since the start of the Palestinian uprising for independence in Sep 2000, when peace talks failed. Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, has tightened security around govt ministers amid fears that extreme right-wing Jewish groups may attempt an assassination to undermine the fledgling peace push. Shin Bet is tracking Jewish extremists it considers a threat to Mr Sharon and govt ministers who backed him in the cabinet vote to endorse the peace plan last Sun. One intel source said on Wed that the security services were worried that "attacks may be carried out by Jews on govt figures". Since Sun extra bodyguards had been drafted to protect cabinet ministers around the clock, "whether they like it or not". Previously "not all of them had bodyguards all the time", he said. The warning comes 8 y after Yitzhak Rabin, then Israel's PM, was shot dead at a peace rally by a Jewish student with links to an extremist group. In 2001 Palestinian gunmen killed Rehavam Ze'evi, the Israeli Transp Min. At the time Mr Ze'evi had reportedly dismissed his bodyguards. Leaders lay groundwork for Middle E summit Jerusalem. The Israeli and Palestinian PM's have concluded a 3-hr meeting in Jerusalem over the implementation of the internat'l road map to peace. Both sides are under pressure to show results before next wk's summit with Pres Bush Jr. The meeting laid the groundwork for next wk's 3-way summit in Jordan. It is understood Palestinian PM Abu Mazen raised an agreement he hopes to reach next wk with the militant group, Hamas, for a complete halt to attacks on Israelis. It is a key to the implementation of the early stages of the road map. In exchange, the Palestinians want Israel to stop military incursions in the W Bank and Gaza. The meeting took place against the backdrop of Jerusalem Day, marking the seizure of Arab E Jerusalem from Jordan during the Arab Israeli war in 1967. Israeli PM Ariel Sharon pledged in a TV address never to let go of Jerusalem. It is likely to anger Palestinians who see the E part of the city as the capital of a future state. Sydney. PEACE NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT WAR FIRST: PM! PM Howard says peace in the Middle E would not have been possible without a US-led war somewhere in the region first. Palestinian PM Abu Mazen and his Israeli counterpart Sharon this wk agreed to meet with US Pres Bush Jr for discussions about the implementation of the Roadmap to Peace. Mr Howard says the war to oust Saddam's oppressive regime, and the up-coming covert operations to topple Syria, Iran and maybe Turkey and Saudi Arabia, eliminated one of the region's major threats because of their proven WMD and terrorism links. And throwing children overboard. Blair wraps up Iraq visit Baghdad (Reuters). US forces have vowed to destroy the "scumbags" attacking them in Iraq, as Brit PM Tony Blair became the 1st W leader to visit the country after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Mr Blair's lightning visit to S Iraq came as the US military, stung by persistent disorder in Baghdad and attacks that have killed 6 US soldiers since Sun, reshaped its forces to deal more effectively with the twin threats. "There are still some regime thugs," said Maj Gen James Mattis, cmdr of the 1st Marine Division. "They are not significant and are relatively easy to take out," he said, describing them as ill-trained "scumbags". Mr Blair, who gambled his political career on the Iraq war, brushed aside growing controversy at home over the justification for ousting Saddam. He flew to the S Iraqi city of Basra to laud the conduct of his troops. "When people look back on this time and look back on this conflict, I honestly believe they will see this as one of the defining moments of the century. And you did it," Mr Blair said. Back in Brit, however, there were new allegations that Parliament and the public were duped in the lead-up to the US-led war into believing allegations about Saddam's WMD. Saddam's alleged deadly arsenal was the main justification cited by Mr Blair and Pres George W Bush for going to war. BBC Radio quoted an unnamed snr Brit official as saying a dossier compiled by the intel services had been altered at the request of Blair's Downing Street office to make it "sexier" by adding a statement that Saddam's weapons could be ready for use within 45 minutes. Downing Street denied the claim. In Baghdad, Lt-Gen David McKiernan told a news conference a recent spate of attacks on US troops in central Iraq was the work of diehard Saddam loyalists who had no future. "That's who is attacking and that is who we will oppose and destroy," he said, adding that the ambushes might have been orchestrated locally but were not a "trend across Iraq". He said an American soldier had been killed on Thu in an attack on a convoy N of Baghdad, the 6th to die in violence since Sun. Centcom said in a statement that US troops may have killed 3 Iraqi men when their patrol came under fire in a town N of Baghdad on Mon. A local hospital had received 3 bodies shortly after the patrol returned fire at the occupants of a truck, which then sped off, it said in a statement. The reshaping of the US forces in Iraq saw the army's 1st Arm'd Div take over Baghdad from the 3rd Inf Div on Thu, possibly freeing the latter to tighten security in troubled towns W of the capital. "We are looking at all options, including sending additional combat power," Lt-Gen McKiernan said, referring to Sunni Muslim cities such as Falluja and Ramadi. A US military rep said the number of military police in Baghdad would rise to 4,000 in the 1st wk of June from about 2,500 now. Altogether, 56,000 troops are in the capital, out of a total of 149,000 in Iraq, he said. Lt-Gen McKiernan said US forces had stepped up patrols in Baghdad, some involving Iraqi police. A ban on possession of automatic and heavy weapons is due to take effect on June 14. In the latest unrest, townsfolk rioted in Hit [aka "Heet"], W of Baghdad, on Wed in protest at what they said were intrusive arms searches by Iraqi police backed by US troops. Lt-Gen McKiernan said he had no details of the incident, in which a police station was set on fire, but said there had been no US casualties. A US helicopter was damaged in the area, but not as a result of hostile action, he said. "We are not Saddam's men," a resident named Abu Qasim told Reuters correspondent Wafa Amr in Hit on Thu. "Saddam is gone, but we want the (US) occupation to end." More than 500 Shi'ite Muslims marched in Baghdad to demand the release of religious leaders they said US forces had arrested in Hilla and Najaf, south of the capital. Some of the protesters distributed a leaflet from the previously unknown "military wing" of al-Hawza, the powerful Shi'ite religious seminary in the shrine city of Najaf. The leaflet said US-led forces would be targeted by suicide bombers if they carried out further arrests. WMD just a convenient excuse for war, admits Wolfowitz Washington. The Bush Admin focused on alleged WMD as the primary justification for toppling Saddam Hussein by force because it was politically convenient, a top-level official at the Pentagon has acknowledged. The extraordinary admission comes in an interview with Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Def Sec, in the July issue of the magazine Vanity Fair. Mr Wolfowitz also discloses that there was one justification that was "almost unnoticed but huge". That was the prospect of the US being able to withdraw all of its forces from Saudi Arabia once the threat of Saddam had been removed. Since the taking of Baghdad, Washington has said that it is taking its troops out of the kingdom. "Just lifting that burden from the Saudis is itself going to the door" towards making progress elsewhere in achieving Middle E peace, Mr Wolfowitz said. The presence of the US military in Saudi Arabia has been one of the main grievances of al-Qa'ida and other terrorist groups. "For bureaucratic reasons we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction, because it was the one reason everyone could agree on," Mr Wolfowitz tells the magazine. The comments suggest that, even for the US Admin, the logic that was presented for going to war may have been an empty shell. They come to light, moreover, just 2 days after Mr Wolfowitz's immediate boss, Donald Rumsfeld, the Def Sec, conceded for the 1st time that the arms might never be found. The failure to find a single example of the weapons that London and Washington said were inside Iraq only makes the embarrassment more acute. Voices are increasingly being raised in the US -- and Brit -- demanding an explanation for why nothing has been found. Most striking is the fact that these latest remarks come from Mr Wolfowitz, recognised widely as the leader of the hawks' camp in Washington most responsible for urging Pres George Bush to use military might in Iraq. The magazine article reveals that Mr Wolfowitz was even pushing Mr Bush to attack Iraq immediately after the 11 Sep attacks in the US, instead of invading Afghanistan. There have long been suspicions that Mr Wolfowitz has essentially been running a shadow Admin out of his Pentagon office, ensuring that the right-wing views of himself and his followers find their way into the practice of American foreign policy. He is best known as the author of the policy of first-strike pre-emption in world affairs that was adopted by Mr Bush shortly after the al-Qa'ida attacks. In asserting that WMD gave a rationale for attacking Iraq that was acceptable to everyone, Mr Wolfowitz was presumably referring in particular to the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell. He was the last snr member of the Admin to agree to the push earlier this y to persuade the rest of the world that removing Saddam by force was the only remaining viable option. The conversion of Mr Powell was on full view in the UNSC in Feb when he made a forceful presentation of evidence that allegedly proved that Saddam was concealing WMD. Critics of the Admin and of the war will now want to know how convinced the Americans really were that the weapons existed in Iraq to the extent that was publicly stated. Questions are also multiplying as to the quality of the intel provided to the Whitehouse. Was it simply faulty -- given that nothing has been found in Iraq -- or was it influenced by the Whitehouse's fixation on the weapons issue? Or were the intel agencies telling the Whitehouse what it wanted to hear? This wk, Sam Nunn, a former senator, urged Congress to investigate whether the argument for war in Iraq was based on distorted intel. He raised the possibility that Mr Bush's policy against Saddam had influenced the intel that indicated Baghdad had WMD. This wk, the CIA and the other American intel agencies have promised to conduct internal reviews of the quality of the material they supplied the Admin on what was going on in Iraq. The heat on the White House was only made fiercer by Mr Rumsfeld's admission that nothing may now be found in Iraq to back up those earlier claims, if only because the Iraqis may have got rid of any evidence before the conflict. "It is also possible that they decided that they would destroy them prior to a conflict," the Def Sec said. Rumsfeld denies invading Iraq under "false pretext" Washington. US Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld has denied that the US invaded Iraq under a "false pretext". Mr Rumsfeld says Washington believes WMD will be found in Iraq, despite the lack of evidence so far. Earlier this wk Mr Rumsfeld suggested the Iraqis may have destroyed their suspected WMD before the Iraq conflict. His remarks seemed to echo hints by US officials behind the scenes, suggesting US-led forces may not find the clear-cut smoking gun of Iraqi weapons. He now says he personally believes the weapons will be found. In his latest remarks he says the reason they have not been found is because the govt of Saddam Hussein had worked so hard to hide them. It is not because they are not there, he says, the US believes they are there. POW released by mistook Doha. The US military said last night that it had released a suspected Iraqi war criminal by mistake. US Central Command said it was offering a $25,000 [315,000 Iraqi dinars] reward for the capture of Mohammed Jawad An-Neifus, suspected of being involved in the murder of 1000s of Iraqi Shia Muslims whose remains were found at a mass grave in Mahawil, S Iraq, last m. Chilean scientists claim new dinosaur discovery Santiago (Reuters). 2 Chilean scientists say they have discovered a new species of dinosaur, a long-necked plant eater that roamed the region 70 mn ya. Palaeontologists David Rubilar, 28, and Alexander Vargas, 26, named their find Domeykosaurus chilensis after 19th century Chilean scientist Ignacio Domeyko. They said it was unlike any other specimen found so far. They have assembled about 40% of the skeleton from fossils a geologist stumbled on several ya in N Chile, forming the most complete specimen ever found in Chile. The find has yet to be officially approved by the scientific community. "When we 1st figured out that this was something new, we visited fossil collections in Argentina and Brazil and we realised this creature has no name," Mr Vargas said. The single skeleton belongs to a little-known family of dinosaurs called titanosaurus, which have long tails and a long but inflexible neck. Titanosaurus fossils have been found in S America, Madagascar and India. Mr Vargas and Mr Rubilar, wearing scruffy jeans and grinning shyly next to a display of dinosaur bones in Santiago's natural history museum, said the domeykosaurus likely fed on araucaria, also known as monkey-puzzle trees, which are native to the area. The animal, which lived nr the end of the dinosaur age in the Late Cretaceous period, measured about 8 metres long and its hips reached a height of about 2 m. What sets the Chilean dinosaur apart from other species is that its extremities are slightly more elongated and thin, the scientists said. Mr Rubilar and Mr Vargas expect to publish their study in a Chilean geological journal later this y, a required step before their find is accepted as a new species. Renowned Argentine palaeontologist Rodolfo Coria doubted their findings would be disputed. "It's quite likely this is a new species, I hope so," he told Reuters by telephone. "There are no (unique) Chilean dinosaurs (species to date) because usually the fossils are not well enough preserved to be able to determine if it is a new species or not," said the expert, who has personally discovered a dozen new species in the past decade in Argentine Patagonia. Howard confident WMDs will be found Canberra. PM John Howard says chem and bio weapon facilities will be found in Iraq. Mr Howard says the war in Iraq was justified by accumulated intel about Iraq's efforts to get WMD The PM told S Cross Radio that Iraq may have destroyed some weapons before the invasion. "I think it is entirely possible that steps were taken, either through destruction or concealment immediately before the war began, to try and pretend to the war that the Iraqis had never had weapons of mass destruction," he said. "That wouldn't in any way alter or gainsay or contradict the justification that was advanced." CIA says seized trailers linked to banned weapons Washington. The CIA took the unusual step yesterday of making public an intel report concluding that 2 equipment-packed trailers seized in Iraq were intended to make bio agents, calling it solid evidence supporting the Bush Admin's allegations about Iraqi WMD. The Admin cited such weapons in justifying the US-led invasion of Iraq. Responding to what a US intel official called "public interest" in the issue, the CIA posted on its Web site a 9-page illustrated "white paper" with its assessment of the 2 trailers. Though fermenting tanks inside the trailers could have non-military uses, such as the manufacture of pesticide or hydrogen for weather balloons, the CIA report concluded that bio-weapons production "is the only consistent, logical purpose for these vehicles." No trace of bio agent has been found. [Some other reports say some chem agents dating back 10 y were found on one captured vehicle]. Also yesterday, Deputy Def Sec Paul Wolfowitz was quoted in the magazine Vanity Fair as saying the decision to cite WMD as the reason to invade Iraq was made for "bureaucratic reasons because it was the one reason everyone could agree on." The alleged mobile weapons laboratories Washington. As scepticism grows over the failure to find WMD in Iraq, London and Washington are attempting to turn the focus of attention to Iraq's alleged possession of mobile weapons labs. A joint CIA and Defence Intel Agency report released this wk claimed that 2 trucks found in N Iraq last m were mobile labs used to develop bio weapons. The trucks were fitted with hi-tech laboratory equipment and the report said the discovery represented the "strongest evidence to date that Iraq was hiding a bio-warfare programme". The design of the vehicles made them "an ingeniously simple self-contained bio-processing system". The report said no other purpose, for example water purification, medical laboratory or vaccine production, would justify such effort and expense. But critics are not convinced. No bio agents were found on the trucks and experts point out that, unlike the trucks described by Colin Powell, the Sec of State, in a speech to the UNSC, they were open sided and would therefore have left a trace easy for weapons inspectors to detect. One former UN inspector said that the trucks would have been a very inefficient way to produce anthrax. Blair must follow Thatcher's example London (The Guardian). A mere 3 wk after Brit troops romped into Port Stanley in June 1982, Margaret Thatcher told parliament that the govt had decided to appoint an inquiry into Brit policy towards the Falkland Islands in the period leading up to the Argentine invasion. There would be wide terms of reference, she told MPs, covering all relevant factors. The committee would have access to all relevant papers, including intel reports. It would consist of 6 privy counsellors, 2 of whom were Conservative ex-cabinet ministers, 2 Labour ex-ministers, and 2 snr civil servants, one of whom, Lord Franks, would chair the inquiry. The Franks committee sat in private, and interviewed everyone of significance in the saga, from Mrs Thatcher herself, along with 3 former PM's and unidentified "members of the intel community", down to Tam Dalyell and 5 journalists. The committee did its work in 6 m, publishing its report in Jan 1983. 21 y on, and even if there were currently no calls for an inquiry, there would nevertheless be a very strong case for doing in relation to Iraq what was done in relation to the Falklands. In 1982, there were questions about whether Brit intel had done its job over the Falklands. There are similar issues over Iraq today. In 1982, there were questions about whether the Foreign Office had handled the dispute well or badly, especially during critical diplomacy at the UN. The same applies over Iraq. And there were questions 21 ya about the role of the PM as the dispute grew critical. True over Iraq again. All these issues were examined in the report. Franks even looked at 10 assertions about the Falklands crisis that had been widely discussed in the press -- assertions like the claim that ministers had secretly told Argentina that Brit was prepared to give up the islands against the wishes of the islanders, or that the govt in Buenos Aires made a bulk purchase in London of detailed maps and charts of the Falklands shortly before the invasion. History never repeats itself. There are many political, legal and logistical differences between Brit's decision to go to war with Argentina in 1982 and with Iraq in 2003. Ours is, in many ways, a more transparent and sceptical society than that of 1982. We also need parliamentary inquiries -- some are already under way -- into particular aspects of the Iraq crisis. Nevertheless, Franks is a good model for any authoritative inquiry into the govt's handling of Iraq as a whole. It consisted of snr people, but not exclusively politicians. It did not have an inbuilt govt majority. It had access to everything and everyone with something to offer, including intel sources. Within its limits, which were considerable, it gave a reasonably independent account of a nation's ultimate crisis -- a war -- including making a judgement on a group of very sensitive and potentially damaging suspicions which needed to be authoritatively answered by someone other than the PM of the day. The case for a similar inquiry into the Iraq war has grown much more acute in recent days. It has done so because of the admission by the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, that there may not have been any WMD in Iraq all along, and the remarks of his deputy Paul Wolfowitz that the WMD were highlighted for "bureaucratic reasons". But the case is also urgent in the light of claims by the BBC, quoting intel sources, that the govt's Sep 2002 "dossier" on the Iraqi threat had been doctored by Downing Street to make it more scary. This dossier's truthfulness has already been challenged over its claims of a Niger-Iraq nuclear connection. But its claims lie at the heart of the govt's entire Iraq policy, both domestic and internat'l. They underlie dozens of statements by Tony Blair, his ministers and officials, in every forum from the UN to the House of Commons. If that dossier was doctored, or if ministers knew that it was false, or knew it was not believed by the US Admin, then Mr Blair and his team have misled parliament and people alike. If ever there were a case, not just for a full statement to parliament but for a full and independent examination of the truth, then this is it. The moment Mr Blair gets back from his travels, we need both his explanation and his announcement of an inquiry. Mins "distorted" UN weapons report Basra (The Guardian). Tony Blair's Iraq crisis deepened last night as ministers were accused of distorting the findings of the chief UN weapons inspector to support Brit's claims about Saddam Hussein's weapons programme. Amid growing anger among snr intel officials about Downing Street's use of their work for political ends, Hans Blix's office rejected claims by ministers that he had provided unequivocal evidence of Iraq's chem and bio weapons programme. As the PM became the 1st W leader to visit Iraq since the end of the war, Dr Blix's rep said the chief weapons inspector had "never asserted" that Iraq definitely had WMD in the run-up to the conflict. Ewen Buchanan, who said Dr Blix had merely said there was a "strong presumption" that banned items such as anthrax still existed, was speaking after the armed forces minister, Adam Ingram, declared that the UN had provided "damning" evidence of illegal Iraqi weapons. Mr Buchanan's remarks will undermine the credibility of Downing Street, which faced severe pressure yesterday over claims that it doctored a dossier on Iraq's WMD to strengthen the case for war. An unnamed intel official told the BBC that the key claim in last Sep's dossier -- that Iraq could launch a chem or bio attack within 45 mins of an order -- had been inserted on the instructions of officials at No 10. Alastair Campbell, the PM's director of communications, who played a key role in drawing up the dossier, said yesterday in Basra that the BBC was "saying we forced the intel agencies to put things in the dossier that were untrue. That is wholly untrue; there is nothing in there that was not the work of the intel agencies". As the PM insisted once again that banned weapons would be found, Downing Street faced renewed pressure last night when the hawkish deputy US defence secretary appeared to belittle the importance of such weapons. Paul Wolfowitz told Vanity Fair magazine that the decision to highlight WMD as the main reason for invading Iraq was taken for "bureaucratic" reasons, indicating that Washington did not take the threat seriously. Amid the furore, Brit intel sources expressed fury at Downing Street's behaviour. They were deeply reluctant to allow Downing Street to use their intel assessments because they feared it would be manipulated for political ends. Widespread unease in the intel community about Downing Street's use of their info in the Sep dossier was compounded by a 2nd report in Feb containing sections plagiarised by Mr Campbell's staff. John Scarlett, chairman of Whitehall's joint intel committee, was reported to be furious at what a snr Whitehall source described yesterday as a "serious error". Caveats about intel supplied by MI6 and GCHQ, the govt's eavesdropping centre, were swept aside by Mr Blair, egged on by Mr Campbell, well-placed sources said. A Whitehall source told the Guardian yesterday: "It may take several m to decide what the Iraqis were doing." He added that something had to be found, if only for political reasons, to support Mr Blair. Downing Street will also struggle to shrug off the remarks by Dr Blix's office. Mins, who privately rubbished the chief weapons inspector when he resisted the rush to war, have recently hailed a 173-page report he produced in March to prove that Iraq had a banned weapons programme. Dr Blix's rep, who did not directly criticise any ministers, said the report indicated that there was a "strong presumption" Iraq did not destroy illegal substances such as anthrax. But Mr Buchanan added: "We know they had anthrax. We never asserted that these days they had them." However, Mr Buchanan made clear that Dr Blix's report raised serious questions about Iraq: "There are 100s, if not 1000s, of unanswered questions." UK accused of rewriting Iraq intel London. The Brit Govt has been accused of rewriting intel material about Saddam Hussein's WMD to help bolster the case for war. It is an accusation hotly denied by Downing Street but is already prompting suggestions that PM Tony Blair may have deceived Parliament. Last Sep, Mr Blair tabled an intel dossier in Parliament on Iraq's WMD, which, according to the PM, posed a real and current danger, and could be ready for use within 45 mins. Now, more than 45 days after the war and with still no sight of any weapons of mass destruction, he has been accused by an unnamed snr intel official on the BBC of having the dossier rewritten to make it "sexier". The info on the 45-minute mobilisation capability, for example, says the source was not in the original draft because it was not reliable. Downing Street has angrily denied the accusation, and other security sources say the document was approved by all the agency heads. Nonetheless, the continuing failure to discover Iraqi WMD has prompted some rebel MP's to suggest that Mr Blair may have misled the House. Russia vows to continue Iran nuclear plant construction Moscow. Russia has ignored US objections and vowed to keep building a nuclear power plant in Iran, saying only a special UN meeting could assess whether Tehran was violating promises not to use it to produce weapons. Days before Russia hosts summit talks with US Pres George Bush, the station at Bushehr remained a serious irritant as Pres Vladimir Putin tries to soothe differences over his refusal to back the war to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Russia's Foreign Min'y said Moscow would defer to the UN's nuclear watchdog in determining whether Iran was keeping promises to confine its nuclear programme to peaceful purposes. "We do note that unofficial info has recently appeared about military applications of Iran's nuclear programme," rep Alexander Yakovenko said in a statement. "Russia considers that only the Internat'l Atomic Energy Agency, as a competent internat'l body, can evaluate Iran's non-proliferation commitments." The IAEA is due to discuss Iran next m and could rule it in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, signed by Tehran in 1970. Mr Yakovenko said the IAEA had so far found no violations by Iran of its non-proliferation obligations and Moscow expected the June meeting to lift all remaining concerns. Atomic Energy Min Alexander Rumyantsev, meanwhile, said US nuclear experts had never suggested Moscow's cooperation with Tehran ran counter to existing internat'l agreements. "The US side understands that our work is absolutely legal," Mr Rumyantsev, whose ministry is building the Bushehr reactor, told Ekho Moskvy radio. "But they say: You are boosting their scientific and technological potential and that could indirectly help them build nuclear weapons. My answer is: 'You must understand that this is not serious'." In the run-up to weekend summit talks in St Petersburg between Mr Putin and Mr Bush, US officials have intensified pressure on Iran, saying it has failed to take action against extremists. Washington has long accused Iran of trying to acquire nuclear weapons and urged Moscow to halt nuclear cooperation with it. Iran denies the project has military applications. A Russian deputy foreign min this wk appeared to adopt a more conciliatory attitude towards US appeals, telling Iran's ambassador of "concern over serious, outstanding issues" with its nuclear programme. But within 24 hr, For Min Igor Ivanov again threw Russia's weight behind the $US800 mn Bushehr plant. He said there could be no objections to the project, from the US or any other country. US officials, asking why oil-rich Iran needs a nuclear power station, have said the issue will be on the agenda in St Petersburg, Mr Putin's home town celebrating its 300th anniversary. The daily Izvestia said the dispute had the potential to further upset the delicate alliance with the US, formed after the Sep 11, 2001 attacks on US targets. "On the eve of the St Petersburg meeting between presidents Bush and Putin, Washington is defining its position," the daily said in a front-page article. "Moscow's nuclear cooperation with Tehran is today, after the toppling of Saddam Hussein, the biggest thorn in the side of US-Russian relations. The Bush Admin is sending the Kremlin a clear signal." US to build power plants in Russia Washington (AP). The Energy Dept announced a $US466 mn deal Tue to build 2 coal-burning power plants for Russia in return for a Russian promise to close 3 plutonium-producing reactors considered among the most dangerous in the world. 2 American companies -- Washington Group Internat'l and Raytheon Technical Services -- will oversee construction of the 2 fossil fuel plants. Most of the actual work is expected to be done by Russian companies and workers. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham called it a major step in the US-Russia nuclear nonproliferation effort, although it will be 5 to 8 y before the Russian reactors will shut down and stop making plutonium. While the Russians have agreed to halt plutonium production and dispose of 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium that is already stockpiled, they have refused to shut down the 3 reactors until a way is found to replace the electricity and industrial heat the reactors produce for nearby communities. In addition to making enough plutonium for 3 warheads each wk, the reactors in the Russian cities of Seversk and Zheleznogorsk also are viewed as among the most dangerous because of their design, which is similar to the Chernobyl reactor involved in the 1986 nuclear disaster in Ukraine. Unlike US reactors, for example, they do not have concrete containment domes to hold in radiation in case of an accident or major leak. "They're the most dangerous reactors they've got," said Kenneth Baker, the top Energy Dept official involved in nuclear nonproliferation issues. And, he adds, "when you have 3 reactors producing enough plutonium for 3 bombs a wk you want to (deal with them) as fast as you can." Abraham and Russia's nuclear minister, Alexander Rumyantsev, agreed in March to replace the reactors with fossil fuel plants. As part of the agreement, the US govt would arrange for the replacement power. "Replacing these reactors with fossil fuel energy is critical to eliminate the production of weapons-grade plutonium in Russia and closing these facilities," said Abraham, who announced the contracts at a news conference with Russian Ambassador Yuri Ushakov. Abraham said the Russians would handle -- and pay for -- the shutdown of the reactors, while the US companies, working with the Russian contracting firm of Rosatomstroi, will build the new fossil fuel plants. Washington Group Internat'l -- an engineering, construction and management company headquartered in Boise, Idaho -- will oversee work at the Seversk site, where an old coal-fired plant will be refurbished and expanded by 2008. Raytheon, HQ-ed in Vienna, Va, will oversee construction of a new plant at the Zheleznogorsk site with a completion date of 2011. Abraham said that final contracts are expected to be completed with the 2 companies by the end of June. Until then, he said, he could not provide specifics such as how $466 mn will be divided. The companies were selected from a list of a half dozen companies provided by the Defence Dept, said Abraham. US may soon target troubled Iraqi areas Baghdad (AP). The cmdr of coal'n ground forces in Iraq said Thu he may soon send more troops to areas where US forces have been attacked. But officers and snr enlisted men in the unit insist their equipment isn't battle ready, and say soldiers' lives may be needlessly put at risk. Lt Gen David McKiernan told reporters the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which had been planning to return to the US in June, would stay in Iraq until cmdrs decide they are no longer needed. Some 140,000 US troops now occupy the country. US forces have been targeted with everything from land mines to rocket-propelled grenades as they try to enforce a post-invasion peace. They also have come under pressure, both in Iraq and overseas, to make the country's lawless cities safe again. With recent deadly attacks against US soldiers, McKiernan said, there were no immediate plans to return the unit to its HQ at Fort Stewart, Ga. "Now that the 1st Armoured Division has assumed the responsibility for the Baghdad area, I'm working with the V Corps cmdr on different options," McKiernan said. The V Corps is an umbrella operation that coordinates American forces in Iraq. "If we need to apply some of the combat power of the 3rd Infantry Division elsewhere in Iraq, we will certainly not hesitate to do that," McKiernan said. He said one area where more troops may be sent is Fallujah, a one-time stronghold for Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party 30 miles W of Baghdad. Two US soldiers were killed and 9 wounded there Sun night during a confrontation at a US checkpoint. On Thu, an American soldier was killed when his convoy came under fire from a rocket-propelled grenade on a supply route through Iraq, bringing to 9 the number of US soldiers killed in the country this wk. Snr leaders and logistics experts in the 3rd Infantry say most of the division is not ready for combat. They complain that they have received almost no spare parts to repair damaged tanks and armoured personnel carriers -- what the military calls Class IX supplies -- since they left Kuwait on Mar 22. "He is going to get US soldiers needlessly killed if he expects us to go into battle," a snr noncommissioned officer in the 3rd Inf said of McKiernan. He spoke on condition he not be named for fear of retribution. The 3rd Inf's supply line was a constant problem during initial fighting for control of Iraq. After the fall of Baghdad, snr officers determined the division would be leaving within wk -- and its vehicles would be taken out of service -- so they never filled orders for parts. One Bat's operations officer said he has more than 2,600 parts on order and that all the tanks in his unit require extensive repairs. A cmdr said his Bradley Fighting Vehicles all had 2-page lists of parts that were ordered but never delivered. "None of my Bradleys are fully mission capable," said Capt Chris Carter, an infantry company cmdr. Maintenance personnel report that the treads that propel tanks forward are worn, and the vehicles' suspensions are badly damaged. That means the tanks could be easily immobilised in battle and could not move well under fire. One brigade-level officer wrote a 4-page letter to the division cmdr detailing why his unit was not ready for combat operations, a snr officer said on condition of anonymity. Asked about spare parts for the division, McKiernan insisted there were plenty of supplies available. "I wouldn't say they are lacking repair parts. I would say a lot of them were shot up during the campaign, a lot of them have had to have maintenance performed on them," he said. "Those soldiers, if they are asked to go and occupy another piece of ground in Iraq and conduct combat operations, they will be all over it." Officers in the div said they will follow any orders, but all expressed concern about the possible cost. McKiernan emphasised to journalists that combat operations were still under way and that recent attacks were orchestrated by local Baath Party groups. "The war has not ended," McKiernan said. "Decisive combat operations against military formations has ended, but these contacts we're having right now are in a combat zone, and it is war, and they are members of (Saddam's) regime that must be removed." US troops arrest 11 people in Baghdad Baghdad (AP). US troops raided the Palestinian Authority's mission in Baghdad and arrested 11 people after ransacking the building, a Palestinian official said Thu. A top US general said 8 people were arrested. The detained men included charge d'affairs Majah Abdul Rahman, who was running the mission in the ambassador's absence, mission official Mohamed Abdul Wahab said. They were taken to a US base in the centre of the city and have not been released, he said. "They even took all of our water bottles and food cans," Wahab said. "They behaved like common thieves." US troops have conducted numerous sweeps against suspected criminals and loyalists of Saddam Hussein's regime. Wed's raid was believed to be the 1st such action against a foreign diplomatic mission. Wahab said dozens of US troops escorted by several armoured vehicles arrived at the building in Baghdad's embassy district Wed morning. After the guards opened the gate, soldiers burst into the building and detained officials, drivers and gardeners. The soldiers seized 3 AK-47 assault rifles that were used to guard against looting that laid waste to much of the capital after it fell to US troops, Wahab said. The rifles and a handgun, which was also confiscated, were properly licensed by Iraq's former govt, he said. "Every embassy has guns, we used them to ward off looters," Wahab said. "To attack a foreign embassy is a criminal act and a breach of diplomatic immunity." Gen David McKiernan, cmdr of US ground forces in Iraq, confirmed Thu that troops entered the diplomatic compound. "That happened in a part of Baghdad where we lost a soldier," he told reporters. McKiernan said 7 Palestinians and a Syrian were detained, adding that he did not know how many had diplomatic status. Troops seized 4 AK-47s, 4 hand grenades, and a .38 calibre pistol, he said. Wahab said the soldiers used shotguns to blast open office doors, though he said all were unlocked or had keys in them. Many of the doors in the building bore the marks of combat boots and several had their locks shot off. An embassy safe appeared to have been opened after the door hinges had been broken off, and file cabinets were standing open with all of their contents removed. An official photo of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was smashed on the floor. Wahab said the soldiers took away 2 embassy flags. He said the troops had told staff that the mission did not have permission for its automatic weapons. Palestinian envoy detained by US troops in Baghdad Baghdad (The Seattle Times). US troops detained a Palestinian diplomat in Baghdad yesterday in a move sure to anger Arab opinion. Soldiers handcuffed charge d'affaires Najah Abdul Rahman and 4 other men outside what the former Iraqi regime recognized as the Palestine Embassy. The troops said the men had illegal weapons, but it was not clear what had prompted them to disarm a Palestinian diplomat in a city awash with arms 7 wk after Saddam Hussein's overthrow. No immediate comment was available from US or Palestinian officials on Abdul Rahman's detention, which occurred as the US is trying to get Israel and the Palestinians to implement a so-called "road map" to Middle E peace. Iraqi anger sparked by searches Heet (AKA "Hit"). In the 3rd consecutive day of Iraqi violence against the US military occupation of the country, residents enraged over house-to-house searches in this W town ransacked the police station, stoned US armoured military vehicles and set police cars on fire yesterday. Residents said the problems began when police allegedly assisted the US troops in searching local homes for weapons. The Pentagon acknowledged anti-American disturbances in several cities yesterday, including Heet. Already this wk, ambushes carried out in Baghdad on Tue, and in the city of Fallujah both Mon and Tue, have left 4 US soldiers dead and 15 wounded. As in the earlier incidents, the violence in Heet appeared to be driven -- at least in part -- by an exploding fury at living conditions that have plunged the lives of many Iraqis into chaos, including a widespread lawlessness and a lack of essential services such as drinking water, electricity and medical supplies. Residents claimed the police were the same men who harassed and intimidated them under Saddam and were angered that they were leading US troops to the homes of those suspected of possessing concealed weapons. Also yesterday, medical officials and survivors said US soldiers opened fire on a wedding parade earlier this wk, killing 3 teenagers and wounding 7 others after the celebrants fired weapons in the air in Samarra, N of Baghdad. 3 teens remained in "very critical" condition yesterday, said Dr. Abdul al Rahman at Samarra General Hospital. Human remains found nr Iraqi official's home Kirkuk. Kurdish soldiers yesterday discovered a large mound containing human remains in a field adjacent to a home that once belonged to Ali Hassan al Majid, nicknamed "Chemical Ali." Human skulls, jawbones and what appeared to be arm and leg bones poked from 4 deep trenches cut in the earth about 100 yards from a compound that Kurdish soldiers said belonged to Majid. He led a 1987-88 chem-weapons campaign that killed tens of 1000s of Kurds in N Iraq. The soldiers said the bones were discovered yesterday morning as a team of US chem-weapons experts searched for a large white container that local Arab farmers said was buried in the area a few days after the war began. 500 bodies recovered from mass grave in Iraq: reports Najaf. At least 500 bodies have been unearthed from a mass grave nr the central city of Najaf, in the latest such find in post-Saddam Iraq, witnesses say. An AFP journalist at the site in Makhazen, 20 km from the Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf, saw the remains of about 200 bodies laid out on plastic bags. Bones of women, children, elderly people and soldiers were identifiable by scraps of clothing or ID papers. A committee for freed Iraqi prisoners, supervising the exhumations, said the bodies were of Iraqis executed by Saddam Hussein's security forces, who put down a Shiite uprising in the wake of Iraq's defeat in GWI. More than 500 bodies have been found, a member of the committee said, pointing out that families had already taken away 300 remains from the desert mass grave. Dozens of mass graves have been uncovered all over Iraq since Saddam's overthrow 7 wk ago. Human Rights Watch said that a survivor left for dead in an Iraqi mass grave in 1991 has linked 1000s of bodies unearthed this m to mass killings by Saddam's elite Republican Guards and ruling Baath party officials. In a 14-page report, The Mass Graves of Mahawil: The Truth Uncovered, the NY-based rights monitor cited eyewitness accounts that confirm the victims were killed during the suppression of the Shiite uprising. According to some estimates, as many as 15,000 bodies are believed to be buried in graves discovered several wk ago nr the Mahawil military base, nr the S city of Hilla. Farmers living close by offered accounts of the daily executions and burials they had witnessed in 1991. The report also included a testimony from a survivor of the massacres -- who was 12 y old when he was dumped in a mass grave with his mother and 2 relatives, but miraculously was not shot and managed to escape alive. Human Rights Watch was critical of the "chaotic manner" in which the graves were exhumed earlier this m and said the US-led coal'n in Iraq should do more to protect the sites. New municipal council in N city named Kirkuk. With Apache attack helicopters circling overhead and US soldiers standing guard, a new municipal council in this fractious northern city chose the top officials in an interim govt yesterday. The election of an ethnic Kurdish mayor and an Arab deputy mayor in Kirkuk, N Iraq's oil capital, came off despite tensions last wk over the arrest of Arab council delegates with suspected ties to Saddam Hussein's Arab Baath party, and a dispute over ethnic representation on the council that had threatened to postpone the vote. Days of back-room negotiations eventually produced an ethnically diverse govt that met the minimum expectations of the city's Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian and Turkmen communities. Saddam had made Kirkuk the centre of his "Arabisation" policy, clearing Kurds from their homes and replacing them with Arabs. The new local govt must figure out how to allow displaced Kurds and members of other ethnic groups to move back without provoking hostility among Arabs accustomed to y of privilege. Earlier this m, tensions exploded into violence, leaving nearly a dozen people dead. Military drops some charges against soldier Doha. Military officials have dropped some of the charges against Sgt Hasan Akbar, the soldier accused of a grenade attack on his comrades in Kuwait Mar 23 that killed 2 soldiers and injured 14. The Army said yesterday Akbar now faces just 3 counts of attempted murder along with premeditated murder counts. More Iraqi contracts awarded to US companies Washington. The US Agency for Internat'l Development said yesterday that 5 humanitarian organisations, including Portland-based Mercy Corps, will receive an initial $7 mn each for community projects in Iraq. Soldiers deaths may see US troop reinforcements in Iraq Baghdad. The coal'n military cmdr in Iraq says more troops maybe needed to rid the country of Saddam Hussein loyalists. Lt Gen David McKiernan has made the comment after yet another soldier was killed, this time in Baghdad. The general said the Sunni-dominated region W of Baghdad was still effectively a combat zone. 2 US soldiers were killed in the area and 9 wounded earlier in the wk. The cmdr said he believed there was still strong connections with Saddam Hussein's Baath Party in the region. Meanwhile, US forces have withdrawn from the police station in the town of Hit, after coming under grenade and rocket attack during a protest against American house-to-house searches. Locals said the searches for weapons violated Muslim custom and they would never accept entry without invitation. US forces are also investigating the possibility they may have accidentally shot 3 men who had been shooting into the air to celebrate a wedding. Terrorism puts heat on refugees: survey Washington. This y's World Refugee Survey has found the campaign against terrorism is making it harder for refugees to find new homes. AUS is noted in the report for its approach to handling asylum-seekers. The report is published by the US Committee for Refugees. It finds that 13 mn people fled their homelands in the past y, up 4.3 mn from the previous y. The US accepted only 27,000 asylum-seekers in 2002, less than 1/2 the number admitted in 2001 and the smallest figure in 30 ys. The report attributes that development to America's counter-terrorism campaign and aggressive screening of foreigners post-Sep 11. It says other nations are following the US's restrictive policies. The report ranks "refugee hot spots", according to major developments in the past y. AUS comes in at number 3, because of the high-profile controversies about asylum-seekers and detention centres. Sydney. ANOTHER SECURITY SCARE: SYD AIRPORT! Planes have been grounded at SYD airport after a security breach at noon. It's believed passengers from 5 or 6 flights at terminal 3 were told to leave their planes and wait in the check in area just after midday. Qantas wouldn't comment on the incident. It's the 2nd security concern at the terminal within 8 days, after 3 elderly passengers walked past a distracted guard and into a secure area on May 22. Security breach caused evacuation: Qantas Sydney. The security breach at SYD Airport which resulted in the evacuation of the main Qantas domestic terminal, was the result of an unauthorised person entering a restricted area. Qantas says a person was able to enter a restricted area around midday without proper security checks. The incident led to the evacuation of Qantas's main domestic terminal. Passengers in planes which had just landed were forced to remain seated for up to 45 minutes. Flights have now resumed but there are expected to be some delays. Today's incident follows a similar breach last wk where 3 elderly people inadvertently evaded security checks. Canberra. AUSSIE TRAVEL WARNINGS: THAILAND! AUS has boosted the security of its embassy in Bangkok and wants travellers to avoid visiting Pakistan amid continuing fears of an imminent terrorist attack. The DFAT says it has also added the top Thai seaside resort of Pattaya to its list of possible targets for attacks on its citizens and interests. It says Aussies should exercise extreme caution in commercial and public places visited by foreigners in Pattaya, which is famous for its bars and nightclubs. China may have "jumped gun" over SARS source Brisbane. An AUS scientist says his Chinese counterparts may have jumped the gun by suggesting the SARS virus originated in civet cats. Dr Hume Field from Qld's Dept of Primary Industries has just returned from China's Guangdong province as part of a World Health Organisation investigation into the origins of the virus. While Chinese scientists recently made the link to the civet cat, Dr Hume has told ABC's AM program severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) could have originated in a variety of wildlife. "What we don't know yet is whether the animal that the virus has reportedly been detected in, we don't know whether these are the true reservoir or there just a conduit from the reservoir," he said. "But that still has to be determined, we don't know where it's come from." Canada may triple SARS cases Toronto. Authorities in Canada say they may triple the number of SARS cases from the current 12, in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. 29 people have died from severe acute respiratory syndrome around the Toronto region. So far, officials have been classifying SARS cases according to the definition by the nation's health agency, Health Canada. But authorities say they may adopt the stricter WHO classification instead, which would cause the current number of reported cases to triple. More than 5,000 people are now in quarantine in Toronto, including the staff and students at a high school. Canada is the only nation outside Asia to suffer SARS deaths, although so far, the infection has been confined mainly around hospitals. Most people in Toronto are not wearing face-masks when they go out in public. Protests begin ahead of G8 summit Geneva. The 1st demo against the G8 summit due to take place in Evian, France, this weekend has got off to a largely peaceful start under driving rain and thunder in the nearby Swiss city of Lausanne. About 5,000 anti-globalisation protesters marched through the heavily policed city 3 days before political leaders of Brit, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US, meet in the French alpine resort. Huge containers capped by barbed wire marked a security barrier around lakeside hotels in Lausanne, where heads of state from developing countries are due to stay while they meet the leaders of industrialised countries just across Lake Geneva in Evian on Sun. Earlier, the anti-globalisation movement's alternative summit opened in the French town of Annemasse, nr Evian, with a challenge to the legitimacy of the summit. Barricades, barbed wire, boarded-up shop windows and a heavy police and military presence shut down this corner of Switzerland for a long weekend, as it braced for the main demos on the Swiss-French border nr Geneva on Sun. Soldiers were stationed on all the bridges across the 60-km motorway between Lausanne and Geneva, amid heavy security also designed to ward off the threat of a terror attack on the heads of state, including US Pres George W Bush and French Pres Jacques Chirac, across the lake. Shops, banks and petrol stations closed down for a long weekend and boarded up their windows to avoid attracting the anger of a few opponents of big money. In Geneva, the calm was only broken by a swarm of military helicopters. Germany sent 900 police to help out their Swiss colleagues by standing guard over Geneva's airport, where most of the heads of state are due to arrive over the weekend. But in Lausanne, police in riot gear kept a low profile despite a brief clash with about 100 masked protesters throwing bottles or cans. Carrying banners including "no to G8 colonialists", or "Bush is not sustainable" the crowd of families, trade unions, and left-wing parties gathered in the city centre. They were accompanied by observers from the human rights group Amnesty Internat'l, and a 100 strong "self-protection" group were in direct touch with police by radio to guard against trouble, organisers said. Earlier, police said anti-globalisation protesters vandalised carriages in 2 scheduled trains on their way to Lausanne. About 1,000 young German protesters arrived in Geneva on a specially-hired train on Thu, but headed straight for the anti-globalisation movement's alternative summit across the border in Annemasse, France. About 3,000 people were in "alternative villages" in Annemasse according to the organisers. But French police said only 1,000 were camped there. The "Summit for Another World" -- known as SPAM under its French acronym -- aims to match the agenda of the Group of Eight most industrialised countries with debates on alternative proposals for world governance and development. The organisers said they had arranged to hand over their proposals to the French Pres's delegation in Evian on Mon, the 2nd day of the G8 summit. The head of the French branch of Greenpeace, Bruno Rebelle highlighted 3 indicators as proof that "the world is standing on its head". "One euro a day, that's what one 3rd of humanity, or 2 bn people, are living with," he said. "Two euros a day, that's what a European cow gets on average from the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (farm subsidies)." "Three euros a day, that's the contribution of each American citizen towards the US military budget," Mr Rebelle added. Deane attacks Govt's "intolerance" Brisbane. Former G-G Sir Wm Deane has launched a scathing attack on the Fed Govt in a speech at the University of Qld. Sir Wm was speaking after receiving an honorary doctorate at UQ. He has criticised the Govt over the "children overboard" affair and the holding of minors at the Woomera detention centre. He says future leaders should avoid seeking advantage by "inflaming ugly prejudice and intolerance". Sir Wm has also criticised the Govt for its approach towards the 2 AUS men being held in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. "The fundamental responsibility of a democratic govt to seek to safeguard the human rights of all its citizens, including the unpopular and the alleged wrongdoer, in the case of 2 Aussies indefinitely caged without legal charge or process," he said. PM John Howard has told S Cross Radio he rejects any suggestion that the Govt inflames prejudice. Howard says Alston is right to question ABC Canberra. The PM says there is no connection between the Fed Govt's criticism of the ABC and the public broadcaster's funding. The Communications Min, Richard Alston, this wk accused an ABC radio current affairs program of an anti-American bias in its coverage of the war against Iraq. John Howard says there is a lack of balance in some ABC programs and he supports the way in which Sen Alston has dealt with the govt's concerns. Mr Howard has told S Cross Radio, the govt has kept its promise to maintain the ABC's funding in real terms. "We're not going to tie money to issues of balance and bias," he said. "Definitely not. But that does not mean that from time to time, we don't have the right to express a view about a particular program, and I've said that in the past." Games security chief reveals Al Qaeda evidence Sydney. The former head of intel for the SYD Olympics, Neil Fergus, says evidence of Al Qaeda's interest in AUS was discovered in the lead-up to the Games. PM John Howard has revealed the Govt has new intel suggesting the terrorist organisation considered attacking AUS before the Sep 11 strikes on the US. Mr Fergus says there was concern about a training camp discovered in Braidwood nr CBR at the time of the Olympics. "That camp certainly had all the marks of a terrorist training camp," Mr Fergus said. "Certainly there were indicators that people believed to have been involved in that camp had more than just an empathy with Al Qaeda's objectives but had some affiliations with Al Qaeda." AUD "dangerous" for exporters Canberra. The AUS Industry Group (AIG) says the AUD's recent rise has taken it into "danger territory" for the nation's exporters. An AIG study has ID-ed key points at which exporting firms believe they are less competitive. AIG has this morning released the results of the study undertaken in Feb and Mar. Already at that stage, 36% of 930 companies surveyed said the dollar's rise had contributed to a lessening of their competitiveness, and 27% had experienced an actual decline in exports. AIG's deputy chief executive, Heather Ridout, says the dollar has now risen much closer to levels seen as more critical. "65 cents and around 70 cents are going to be key trigger points for manufacturing exports, which of course constitute some 40% of AUS's exports today," he said. The new concerns over AUS's export prospects follow yesterday's publication of a record monthly trade deficit for Apr of $3.1 billion. Retail trade overcomes Apr obstacles Canberra. There has been a much stronger-than-expected increase in the latest monthly measure of retail activity. Nat'l turnover figures for Apr have been released. Apr was a m when consumer confidence soared as the war ended in Iraq, petrol prices fell and the share market improved. But economists were not sure what impact consecutive holiday weekends for Easter and Anzac Day would have or how badly the SARS outbreak would affect tourist spending. Figures which have been released show shoppers spent $14.2 bn at retail outlets in broad terms and seasonally adjusted that is a surge of 1.2% -- triple the median forecast on financial markets. Categories faring best have been clothing and soft goods, hospitality and services and dept stores. US trade agreement critical, Vaile warns Canberra. Trade Min Mark Vaile has warned that a failure to secure a new trade agreement with the US would see AUS disadvantaged and stomped on by bigger economies. Mr Vaile has used new figures showing a slowdown in AUS exports to push the case for an agreement. He says the deal is the only way to assist AUS exporters, after figures released yesterday showed the trade deficit had slumped to more than $3 billion. He concedes the poor result but believes the economy is well placed for a strong recovery. Mr Vaile told a trade breakfast in SYD that matters had been made worse by the drought and concerns over the spread of SARS. Perth. "TEMP" ACCC HEAD PROMISES CHANGES! The incoming head of the ACCC has foreshadowed a change of style for the organisation, particularly in how it uses the media. Former investment banker Graeme Samuel will take over as acting chair of the consumer watchdog for 12 m from Jul 1. Mr Samuel will take over from retiring Prof Allan Fels, who made wide use of the media to push the organisation's consumer protection agenda. Europe tackles obesity's spread Helsinki. Medical experts have launched a new initiative to train doctors and nurses in Europe to cope with obesity, which afflicts at least 20% of adults. Rates of obesity in Europe have doubled or tripled in some countries in recent ys, creating a serious public health problem because excess weight is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers. Obesity and related conditions are 2nd only to smoking as a cause of preventable death. The Internat'l Obesity TaskForce (IOTF) and the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) are collaborating on a new obesity program. The scheme, called SCOPE, will identify obesity experts in Europe and provide training programs for doctors, nurses and pharmacists to improve treatments for obese patients. IOTF chair Philip James said: "Wherever we go in Europe, patients and people are desperate for help and it has become very clear that they have been missing out because doctors in Europe do not know how to tackle obesity. "We have decided to take a radical new step to try to cope with this problem," Professor James told a medical conference in Finland. EASO's Peter Kopelman added: "Most doctors are poorly prepared to manage obesity." SCOPE, or Specialist Certification of Obesity Professionals in Europe, will also provide guidelines on obesity management. Obesity is measured by using body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing weight in kg by the square of height in m. A BMI of more than 30 is considered obese. [I'm a 23 so just bloody fat!] The 1st pilot program to train family doctors in weight management will be held at the 12th European Congress on Obesity under way in Helsinki. About 1,700 doctors, nutritionists and researchers are attending the 4-day meeting. Polka dot Paul holds court Sydney. He paraded around the courtroom, pulling highlighted legal books from sports bags and refusing to drink the water on offer because it could be poison. Billboard billionaire, Paul Makucha, was representing himself yesterday after taking out 10 apprehended violence orders over a parking dispute. He is upset that someone took his car space under the elite Circular Quay apartment block, the Toaster, and asserts that the intruding vehicle could have been part of a potential terrorist attack. Mr Makucha has taken out AVOs against the property developer John Boyd; the owner of My SYD concierge, which runs the Toaster building management; PR king Ian Kortlang; and a security guard, Admir Smaljovic. The 57-yo company director, wearing a pinstripe suit and sporting a polka dot handkerchief, traipsed around the Downing Centre court with one leg of his pants hiked up by a pen kept in his sock. He produced newspaper articles, insisting that they be read aloud while he tossed insults at objecting counsel: "All you do is object -- you do it for a living. You probably object to your own existence." Then came the accusations, and no one escaped: The magistrate, Gail Madgwick, had a short attention span, was trying to make him look like a dill, and yelled at him like his mother. Mr Smaljovic, a Toaster security guard, was a "bloody bear" who had grabbed and assaulted him. One Toaster resident was a "dirty old man" (this was struck from the record). At this point one representative of the bar muttered: "If this is not contemptuous, I don't know what is." Ms Madgwick stood to leave the bench 3 times, asking for decorum. She made it to the chambers door each time before Mr Makucha promised to stick to the point -- that is, that someone parked in his space on Jan 9. The intruding car, which he could not recognise, had a "strange smell about it". He had insisted that the concierge call the terrorism hotline because the car could contain a bomb and he believed that the Toaster, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge precincts were potential terrorism targets. Mr Makucha had told concierge that he would spray the car with his fire extinguisher to guard against fire. When security had discovered the car was covered in foam, with obscene graffiti inscribed in it, and with a flat tyre, they had called the police. But after more than 1 hr of trying to summarise his case, and with the lawyers shaking their heads, Ms Madgwick told Mr Makucha he had not produced a shred of evidence. She told him: "We are here to start hearing your case." But he objected: "Madam, I haven't finished my opening address." Ms Madgwick told him there were no opening addresses in the Local Court, and that he must take an oath and begin giving evidence. If not, the matter would be thrown out. Mr Makucha then offered to tender aerial photographs of the Toaster which he used as cardboard displays. Exhibits were made of the fire-extinguisher and up to 20 photographs of the car, prompting a comment from the bar table that the court would soon need a photo album. Mr Makucha told the court that 5 ya he had been living in a shipping container next to a rat-trap factory in Mascot. Now that his fortunes had changed he had moved into the Toaster because of its high security. By 3.30, the objections from the bar table had grown weary. "I'm too old to object," one barrister, Malcolm Duncan, sighed. But Mr Makucha had not finished: "I am a humble person, a citizen of AUS. I am a new AUS, English is my 2nd language that I taught myself. "I am a simple man." The hearing continues. Aussies looking for a whole lot more out of life Sydney. A new study has found Aussies just want to have more fun. The Eye on AUS report has also found that families come 1st to most AUS men and women but most people believe life is getting harder. Mary Winter from Grey Communications, who conducted the survey, says they also found that many people believe AUS is now a scarier place than it was a ya and they need some light relief. "71% of Aussies say they wish they had more fun in their lives, it seems life is full of a whole [lot] of things they have to do, rather than things they want to do and they would like to get a whole lot more out of life." Melbourne. MARKETS! The markets closed down slightly after a mixed days' trade with no direction from offshore. The All Ords eased 4 pts to 2,980. In Japan, the Nikkei lost 49 pts to end at 8,425. The Hang Seng in HK closed down 21 pts at 9,487. ---------------------------------------- Sat, 31 May 2003. Markets Heat-wave claims 637 lives in India Algerian quake death toll climbs 3 die in Moldova rainstorms 2 Spanish cops die in bomb attack 2 US soldiers die in accident Iran attack claims "idle speculation": Bush Search for Iraqi WMD widens 13 Aussies to look for WMD Morocco charges more suspects UN sends peacekeepers to DRC India moves troops to border US reopens Lebanese consulate Israelis and Palestinians meet again Hamas stands by attacks despite "road map" progress SARS toll climbs China finds symptomless SARS carriers: report Body searches at Aussie airports Govt denies US bases Divers welcomed home American tourist dies in diving accident MEL facing water restrictions Doctors push govt on indemnity Master gene discovered 50 new peaks opened to climbers Company sacks workers by SMS PM may stay on past end of y NY. MARKETS! The Dow closed 140 pts (1.5%) higher at 8,850. In London, the FTSE ended 36 pts (0.9%) lower at 4,048. But the German Dax ended its session 75 pts (2.5%) higher at 2,982. Gold was trading lower around $US361.60/oz. Hyderabad. HEAT-WAVE CLAIMS 637 LIVES IN INDIA! The death toll from a 2-wk heatwave in S India has climbed to 637. So far the coastal districts of Nalgonda, E Godavari, and Prakasham in the S Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have been the worst-hit. Temps last wk soared to 47.5 C and dry, hot winds have lashed all 3 districts. The heat has also taken a toll on the state's poultry industry, with 1.4 mn chickens succumbing earlier in the wk. Algiers. ALGERIAN QUAKE DEATH TOLL CLIMBS! The death toll from the quake that struck outside Algiers on May 21 has climbed to 2,266, with 10,000 others injured. The previous provisional toll released on Tue by the Int Min'y was 2,217 dead. The sharp rise in the fatality toll came as rescue operations were formally abandoned and heavy equipment started clearing away collapsed buildings. Chisinau. 3 DIE IN MOLDOVA RAINSTORMS! Emergency officials say 3 people have been killed as torrential rains hit the former SU republic of Moldova, devastating farmland and infrastructure in their wake. A 14 yo boy drowned in the flood in Moldova's C region of Keleras, while a man died in the Chisinau suburbs when a bloated R swept away a dam. Officials say another man was killed by lightning. Pamplona. 2 SPANISH COPS DIE IN BOMB ATTACK! 2 policemen have been killed and a 3rd lost both legs in a bomb attack in N Spain, swiftly blamed by authorities on the armed Basque separatist group ETA. The incident occurred in the town of Sanguesa in the prov of Navarra adjacent to the restless Basque country. More than 800 people, civilians and military personnel, have been killed since the first ETA attack in 1968. The group wants an independent Basque homeland in N Spain. Washington. 2 US SOLDIERS DIE IN ACCIDENT! Centcom says 2 US soldiers were killed and 7 others injured when the military vehicle was involved in a traffic accident in Iraq. The soldiers arte the latest among a growing number of American casualties in recent firefights and mishaps in post-GWII Iraq. Centcom sys in a brief statement that the 2 soldiers -- attached to the 101st Airborne -- were killed when their Tactical Vehicle crashed on the road between Mosul and Tikrit, N of Baghdad. Iran attack claims "idle speculation": Bush Washington. US Pres Bush Jr has dismissed reports of a planned attack by the US on Iran as "idle speculation" in a Russian TV interview broadcast late Fri local time. "We've had all kinds of reports that we're going to use force in Syria and now some in the left I guess are saying force in Iran, force here and force there," he told Russia's state-run Rossiya channel. "You know, this is pure speculation and we used force in Iraq after a long, long period of diplomacy. People love to speculate about US intentions and our military and I'm just telling you it's idle speculation." The Iran issue is expected to feature prominently on the agenda of an informal summit between Pres Bush and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg tomorrow. The Russian and US presidents will be among 45 world leaders attending celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the city's founding. A Russian newspaper reported Thu that the US had cut a deal to use the 2 Caucasus republics of Azerbaijan and Georgia along with US-occupied Iraq as a launch pad for military action against Iran. Both Georgia and Azerbaijan have strenuously denied the report, as did the US Ambassador to Baku. The report, in the newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta appeared to stem from a recent toughening of the US stance on Iran, which it accuses of harbouring terrorists and having a secret nuclear weapons program. Washington. SEARCH FOR IRAQI WMD WIDENS! The increasingly-desperate search for Iraq's WMD has widened, with the Pentagon announcing an expanded team of Americans, Brit and Aussies to take up the hunt. The US Def Dept has appointed Maj Gen Keith Dayton to head the new Iraq Survey Group. The Group will have 1,300 to 1,400 personnel from the US, Brit, and AUS and will be HQ-ed in Baghdad. They will make renewed efforts to find the tonnes of chem and bio weapons the US and Brit sid could be deployed at 1 hr's notice by Iraq, one of the many claims made by US and Brit officials leading up to GWII as a justification for the pre-emptive attack on Iraq. In a recent admission, UN critic Don Rumsfeld said Iraq would have hidden is WMD so they couldn't be easily found. He indicated it could take up to 6 m of searching to find evidence the weapons exist -- the same amount of time UN weapons inspectors had been asking for prior to GWII. Canberra. 13 AUSSIES TO LOOK FOR WMD! A 13-member team of Aussie defence and foreign affairs [?] personnel will join the US hunt for the WMD that were the reason for GWII. The team will be part of a 1,000-strong US-led Survey Group, announced in Washington today. The group will comb the country for a suitable location for chem and bio weapons which have eluded 10s of 1000s of searchers for the past 8 wks. ADF rep Brig Mike Hannan says the Aussie team will comprise 12 ADF members and someone from DFAT that will point out the location for the WMD to be found in. Casablanca. MOROCCO CHARGES MORE SUSPECTS! 7 people have been charged with being "reserves" for the devastating bomb attacks in the Moroccan commercial capital in which 43 people, incl 12 suicide bombers, were killed. The city's prosecutor says the accused, all aged 21 to 29, were allegedly among a group of reserve suicide bombers who were ready to commit extremist attacks. 6 would-be bombers were charged yesterday, and 5 people, incl 3 would-be attackers, were charged on Mon for their roles in the Casablanca attacks. NY. UN SENDS PEACEKEEPERS TO DRC! The UNSC has authorised the deployment of French-led peacekeepers into the NE Congo, where tribal violence has killed nearly 400 people. The peacekeeping troops can now be sent to the Ituri region around Bunia. The move came after more than 2 wks of negotiations during which the US and other Sec Council members worked to meet French conditions regarding a peacekeeping force. New Delhi. INDIA MOVES TROOPS TO BORDER! India has moved 10,000 more soldiers to the Kashmir border with Pakistan and is erecting an electric fence after discovering Islamic militant basis inside Indian territory. The Army says engineers are also building roads in remote border areas along the diving Line of Control that separates India and Pakistan in the prov. India says columns of soldiers, backed by helicopter gunships, are currently surrounding the mtn hideouts of insurgents in the ares of Doda, Punch and Rajauri. Beirut. US REOPENS LEBANESE CONSULATE! The US has reopened its consulate in Beirut, nearly 20 y after a suicide attack on the compound during the country's civil war. The consulate is a heavily fortified compound in Aukar, a hilly district N of the Lebanese capital. It will spare Lebanese having to travel to Syria or Cyprus to apply for visas. US Embassy rep Candace Putnam says the consulate's reopening reflects an improved security situation within Lebanon [!], especially since the end of the blood civil war of 1975-90. Jerusalem. ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS MEET AGAIN! For the 2nd time in as many wks the Palestinian and Israeli PM's have met in what's been described as a "positive meeting". Abu Mazen met with PM Sharon at the Israeli PM's W Jerusalem official to discuss kick-starting the so-called roadmap to peace. Israeli gave its qualified acceptance of the plan last Sun. In a boost for the plan, a poll today revealed a solid majority of Israelis support the creation of a Palestinian state in line with the US-backed roadmap. Hamas stands by attacks despite "road map" progress Gaza City. The hardline Islamic group Hamas is vowing to continue to continue its attacks as long as Israel fails to make substantial concessions, despite a "positive" meeting between the Palestinian and Israeli premiers. Hamas' position comes as Palestinian PM Abu Mazen faces pressure to dismantle "terrorist" organisations once and for all, ahead of his summit next wk with Israeli PM Ariel Sharon and US Pres Bush Jr. Abu Mazen and Mr Sharon met late Thu at the latter's W Jerusalem office for the 2nd time in as many wks, to discuss kick-starting the so-called "road map" for peace unveiled 1 ma. Israel gave its qualified acceptance to the plan on Sun. In a boost for the plan, a poll reveals a solid majority of Israelis support the creation of a Palestinian state in line with the US-backed road map. The internat'lly drafted document proposes a Palestinian state by 2005 alongside a secure Israel but also demands an end to anti-Israeli attacks by radical Palestinian groups. In line with the plan's call for Israel to withdraw its troops to positions before the intifada broke out 32 ma, Mr Sharon's office says among other measures Israel has agreed to a phased hand-over of security control in Gaza and W Bank towns to the Palestinians. In return, Mr Sharon has demanded Abu Mazen take action to halt the violence and practical steps such as "dismantling terror organisations, confiscation of illegal weapons, and the ending of incitement" -- moves that would directly threaten Hamas. Mr Sharon also warns that if any concrete threat to Israeli lives emerges from areas under renewed Palestinian control and the Palestinians fail to take action, "the army would not hesitate to act to prevent it". If the Palestinians cracked down on their radical groups, Mr Sharon vows he would begin political negotiations on the establishment of a Palestinian state. Abu Mazen has told Israeli public TV he expects to convince all factions to agree to a truce on anti-Israeli attacks within "2 or 3 weeks maximum". Defying the US pressure, Hamas has made clear it would not halt its suicide bombings and other attacks on Israel. Hamas warns it would only stop its suicide attacks if Israel halts all "aggression" against the Palestinians. "There is a price to everything, stopping our martyr operations and attacks against (Israeli) civilians cannot occur without the enemy paying the price and stopping its aggression in all its forms," top Hamas official Abelaziz Rantissi said. Palestinians "have not made all these sacrifices to obtain the liberation of one or 2 prisoners and the right for some workers to be allowed" to go back to Israel. "What our people want is the release of every prisoner, the restitution of our land and holy places and a halt to the (Israeli) aggression," he said. HK/Toronto. SARS TOLL CLIMBS! Officials in HK say they may offer cash rewards to people who turn in neighbours who spit or litter in an effort to improve hygiene. In Canada's largest city, Toronto, health officials have reported another SARS death and 10 new cases, bringing the city's death toll from the virus to 30. The global toll today rose to at least 756, with 1 new fatality reported in China and another in HK. More than 8,300 people have been infected with the disease, with the vast majority of those in Asia. China finds symptomless SARS carriers: report Beijing. China has found some people infected with SARS do not show any symptoms of the disease and are not infectious after their bodies develop antibodies to fight the disease, according to state media. The findings, by Govt scientists in Heyuan city in S China's Guangdong province, adds further mystery to SARS, for which there is no known vaccine or cure. The China News Service (CNS) reports scientists have come to the conclusion SARS can be symptomless after studying people who had come in contact with Heyuan's 1st SARS case, a man identified by CNS as Huang. Chinese media has previously reported a Heyuan man, named Huang Xingchu, who had worked in a restaurant that served wildlife in Guangdong's Shenzhen city, is China's 1st documented case of SARS. Heyuan SARS experts checked Huang's family members, health workers who treated him, the doctor in his village and conducted blood tests on 5 of these people. CNS reports they found some of the 5 people have the SARS virus in their blood, but have not fallen ill and have developed antibodies to fight the virus. The scientists believe people who have developed antibodies for the SARS virus are not infectious. The report says more studies will have to be conducted to see if they are infectious before developing antibodies. The report could not immediately be confirmed. Canberra. BODY SEARCHES AT AUSSIE AIRPORTS! Aussies may face a body search at local airports as part of a security clampdown in the wake of an attempted hijack on Thu. Transp Min John "not a problem" Anderson said the govt would examine all options after a man smuggled sharpened wooden stakes onto a Qantas flight from MEL to Launceston. Anderson told ABC Radio there were "privacy issues" about patting down passengers, but all security options must be considered. Canberra. GOVT DENIES US BASES! Following more details of proposed re-alignment of US forces around the world, incl in SE Asia, Canberra has denied dep def sec Paul Wolfowitz has made a proposal to base troops in AUS. [You have to look out un-needed qualifiers and adjectives in order to spot a govt lie]. Def Min Robert Hill says he has been talking with Mr Wolfowitz on a range of issues at a regional security conf in Sing. He says the US is continuing its review of the structure of its forces, but there has not been any face-to-face suggestion to him of any US intention to base forces in AUS. Perth. DIVERS WELCOMED HOME! A-G Daryl Williams says a team of Navy divers put together for GWII are the "pride of the Australian Navy". Mr Williams was welcoming home 32 clearance divers who secured the S Iraq pt of Umm Qasr and 2 other major waterways during the US-led war on Saddam's WMD. Personnel, who left AUS on Valentines Day, returned to Perth yesterday night, to an emotional welcome from about 100 family and friends. Brisbane. AMERICAN TOURIST DIES IN DIVING ACCIDENT! A 23 yo American woman has died while scuba diving off the GBR. The female tourist had been on a day trip with her brother to Agincourt Reef off Pt Douglas when she collapsed shortly after surfacing from a dive around 1 pm. A police rep says the woman was taken to a nearby pontoon but attempts to revive her failed. Her body has been flown to Pt Douglas and a PM has been scheduled. Melbourne. MEL FACING WATER RESTRICTIONS! Despite recent rains, tough water restrictions still loom over MEL as the city's reservoirs continue to sink. While 3 mm of rain has fallen in major catchment areas over the past wk, the overall water storage level has fallen to 40.6% of capacity. The city is now perilously close to Stage 2 water restrictions, which will be triggered if storage levels fall below 40% in Jun. Sydney. DOCTORS PUSH GOVT ON INDEMNITY! Doctors have vowed to push the fed govt to intro leg'n covering guarantees it's given the medical profession over insurance. In her final presid'l speech, Kerryn Phelps told the AMA Nat'l Conf in SYD that the fed govt has come a long way on the medical indemnity problem, but some pieces are still missing from the puzzle. Last wk PM Howard announced measures to address some of the key concerns remaining for doctors. Washington. MASTER GENE DISCOVERED! In what may prove a breakthrough in medicine and genetics, scientists have hailed the discovery of a the so-called "master gene" of embryonic stem cells. Stem cells are believed to have vast potential because they stay youthful and can transform themselves into any other kind of cell. The WashPost reports that the newly-discovered gene, dubbed "Nanog", is responsible for keeping cells in the stem-cell state and could eventually be the lever researchers could use to turn the body cells of adults back into stem cells, and then transform to liver, muscle, brain or any other kind of damaged tissue. Kathmandu. 50 NEW PEAKS OPENED TO CLIMBERS! Nepal has opened 50 new Himalayan peaks to foreign climbers, 1 day after celebrating the 50th anniversary of the consequent of Everest. Meanwhile, 22 climbers from 2 US-led expeditions, 1/2 of them Nepali Sherpas, have reached the summit of the world's tallest mtn. Nepal, with 8 of the world's highest mtns, has 1,310 climbable peaks. Almost 1,000 remain closed to climbers. Manchester. COMPANY SACKS WORKERS BY SMS! A failing Brit company has saved a bit of money by telling 2,500 employees they're sacked via SMS. The message to the staff of The Accident Group, which specialised in personal injury claims, says it apologised for the nature of the call and that it would have been preferred to have sacked the workers in a face-to-face meeting. The text message incl a telephone number for the employees to call if they wanted to hear the bad news from a human. It promised a formal letter would be sent out in due course. Canberra. PM MAY STAY ON PAST END OF Y! PM Howard has given his strongest hint yet he'll continue on as PM past his 64th b'day. The PM says he'll "consider his future" when he turns 64 in Jul -- and will be making another statement in the nr future. Mr Howard yesterday made it clear he intends to remain PM for at least another 6 m, saying he wants to visit London later this y to unveil a new Aussie War Memorial there. {{ 0.30 am BBC World Service. 40 nat'l leaders are meeting in St Petersburg ahead of the G8 meeting in France. The dual-use meeting is celebrating the 300th b'day of the Russian city, and trying to clear away the cobwebs from GWII. Russia also told Japan it wanted to put past troubles behind it and develop economic ties. Pres Bush will arrive in town tomorrow. Israel has announced it will start to lift some restrictions on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and W Bank starting Sat. Israel also promised to release around 100 Palestinian prisoners. US officials in Iraq have admitted they mistakenly released an Iraqi prisoner. The man was detained in late Apr. But he was released after checks found nothing unusual. The Americans are now offering $25,000 for his re-capture. He's accused of involvement in the killing of 1000s of Shiites in the uprising of 91 in a town S of Baghdad where the graves of 15,000 were recently uncovered. The Brit DoD says it's looking into serious allegations of mal-treatment of POW's in Iraq. The announcement came after news photos had been discovered showing possible mis-treatment of Iraqi prisoners by Brit troops. The pix were discovered by photo-shop workers. One pix shows a man that's believed to be an Iraqi prisoner, suspended in netting. The Min of Def has launched investigation and 1 Brit soldier is in custody after staff at a photo shop examined the happy snaps of a young soldier. One photo appears to show an Iraqi POW bound and gagged and being held in netting from a forklift truck. Others depicted what the DoD coyly described as "sex acts" involving Brit soldiers "in the vicinity of" Iraqi POW's. Brit Police and Mil Police are sufficiently concerned to launch a full-scale investigation. The Min'y says it's "appalled" by the allegations. If it turns out the soldier is in breach of the Geneva Conventions he will face a court martial and be drummed out of the Army. These are not the first allegations. The CO of the 1st Bat Irish Brig, Col Tim Collins, is also under a cloud. But BBC reporters say that's a "different order of investigation". The Brit Col has been accused of wrong-doing by a US officer. But the DoD says there may be "bad blood" between the 2 and that story is now "tarnished" and reporters say it's unlikely Col Collins will face charges. PM Blair has been challenged in Warsaw on the WMD issue. Blair reacted angrily. He said the idea of his govt forging evidence was "absurd". Evidence was drawn up and accepted by a joint intel committee, said Blair. He said he had "absolutely no doubt about the evidence [of Iraqi WMD] at all". He denied that any evidence had been invented. The PM seems to be quite irritated, said the BBC. Blair knows it goes to the heart of the justification of GWII. The WMD argument was used to convert "waverers" in his own party. The "dossier" assembled by the Brit govt said Saddam had bio and chem WMD that could be deployed within 45 mins. This convinced some the war was the right thing. Any assertion now this was a fabrication is a great insult to Blair. But reporters note a shift in emphasis post GWII. In the run-up to GWII WMD were the key concern justifying the war. Blair, Bush and Howard consistently said GWII was aimed at disarming Saddam of WMD and would prevent terrorists getting their hands on such weapons. But now the emphasis is moving more and more to underline the brutality of the regime and saying Saddam broke UN resolutions. Until they find them, the WMD are being put to the back of the list of issues. Labour Back-benchers in Brit are not happy about the latest non-developments, and are expected to call on Blair after they're back from holidays next wk. The PM will be required to make a statement in the Commons. The Brit govt said exiled Iraqis will be sent home from Brit starting next m. The govt will work with the Int'l Organisation for Migration to repatriate those who want to return ASAP, said govt reps. In Nottingham, an Iranian man who sewed his ears, lips and eyes shut has ended a 9-day fast. He ended his protest action today and the stitches were removed. He's escaped from an Iranian prison and waited 2 y to get into Brit. He was granted refugee status 3 wks ago but that was immediately challenged by the HO. He wanted to protest on the basis of human rights. Has won his own case, but is now fighting for other asylum seekers. The Fed for Iranian Refugees say they see many cases of racism and homelessness amongst Iranian asylum seekers. The BBC says there's a lot of pressure on the govt not to give pref treatment to asylum seekers. There's been another shareholder revolt in Brit. This time, it's the HSBC bank group. The AGM finally approved a deal worth 25 mn pounds over 3 y for the American chair of the company. But 1/4 of the votes withheld support for the deal, saying the US boss should accept Brit rates of pay when working for a Brit company. Analysts say the dispute reflects the difference between Brit and US companies. In Brit, shareholders question why execs should earn large salaries and have various perks considered "normal" in the US. In the US shareholders ask why they can't have the same perks, themselves. But the situation is changing on both sides of the Atlantic. In Brit, shareholders are becoming used to execs with large pay packets. And in the US, shareholders are starting to question why execs -- especially in companies that are not performing well -- should receive extravagant golden handshakes or pay packages not connected with performance. The UNSC has unanimously approved a French-led peacekeeping force to go to the DRC. The force will consist of up to 1,400 troops, about 1/3 of them French. Germany's Dep For Min said a strong UN force was needed in the region. In N DRC 350,000 have fled their homes because of tribal fighting. Sri Lanka says the peace process has stalled after a rebel Tamil proposal was rejected by the govt. The LTTE wanted a Tamil-run region in the N of the country. But the Pres said concessions could only be made within the framework of the county's Constitution. 9 am Adelaide. Everything is for sale! An auction in C AUS today will sell all the fixtures from the Woomera Foreigners' Jail in a bid to bury the human rights complaints. Everything, incl kitchen sinks must go. The auction is being held on-site and will start at 10 am sharp. A variety of unusual items is going on the block -- many of them must-haves for those operating their own death camps. They incl about 1 km of razor wire -- slightly blood-stained in parts -- a 1998 Holden Rodeo -- only used to run down escapees in the desert on Sunday -- and 50 detention units, complete with urinals, non-working hot water systems, sleeping pallets and boxes of un-opened Red Cross blankets. 5 pm There's still a furore surrounding the Pte Jessica Lynch rescue operation. Despite claims from hospital staff in Nasiriyah that Marines had declined a key and had decided to break down doors to conduct a "rescue" for the embedded TV cameras, the Pentagon is trying to maintain the myth. Jessica's salt-of-the-Earth old Dad has also reportedly been gagged by the US military. He says he's been told he's not allowed to talk about the mission because it's "still under investigation". He'd previously told reporters the Pentagon version of the story differed from the facts as he understood them from his daughter. Doctors and hospital staff shortly after the "rescue operation" -- that made headlines in the US for several days running at the start of Apr -- had told al-Jazeera and European reporters most of the details put out by the Pentagon were distortions or lies. Pte Lynch had not been tortured as reported in the US, and was receiving hospital treatment after being captured in a firefight when her convoy took a wrong turn into Nasiriyah on Mar 26. Claims the Marines had to fight their way in and out of the hospital grounds also appear to have been "exaggerated". Iraqi fighters had left the environs of the hospital at lest 24 hrs before the "daring rescue". [See "OIL" 02-09 Apr 2003]. 6.30 pm The Pentagon says finding WMD in Iraq is no longer a priority. Officials said after 8 wks of searching they are going to move to a "more analytic phase". Observers see this as the Pentagon backing down on previous confident claims that post-1991 WMD would be found in Iraq. But some Pentagon officials say that characterising the search as a "failure" is premature at this point. But one CIA analyst, who is now retired, characterised Powell's presentation to the UN was "highly inaccurate". 6.50 pm NASA has made a significant discovery regarding the shuttle disaster. After firing small blocks of foam at a model shuttle wing the first scientific evidence has emerged that the spacecraft was doomed at liftoff. Testing began 3 wks ago. But after dozens of test firings nothing happened, and the initial claims of NASA officials seemed to be headed for vindication. But yesterday a critical change was made. They started firing the foam blocks at the leading edge of the wing. And a critical strip of insulation was knocked loose. The strips seal the leading edge of the wing and prevent superheated air getting in. The blocks are only about 1 kg, but they're moving at 400 kph. Engineers say air is heated to 9,000 C around the shuttle wings on re-entry. And anything the air touches "is in trouble". NASA never thought the foam was dangerous. [That is the problem with negative theories, esp. those that try to claim something is safe (i.e. not possible that something is dangerous). Unfortunately, such poor modes of thinking are common among professional people, and almost habitual among engineers]. }} ---------------------------------------- Sun, 01 Jun 2003. 100 rebels killed in Aceh 16 killed, 21 injured in Kashmir shoot-outs, blast 9th American dies from Saudi attack SK fires shot across bows of NK boats Pilot dies at airshow Violent protests: Nepal Teargas fired at G8 protesters Bomber arrested in US Egypt bomb false alarm Bush, Blair face heat on Iraq weapons France talks nice, Bush points to "new enemy" US attacks France at security conference Bush arrives in Russia Iraq tensions underscore G8 meeting 4 Toronto deaths under investigation 7th HK medic dies of SARS Militants will disarm in 3 wks: Abu Mazen Iraq offered gun amnesty Court bans protests: Zimbabwe Govt manoeuvres to get ASIO bill passed Anger management for nurses Liberals to offer loans Price of water to rise New suicide machine Qld man burned during transplant surgery Wooden bridges to be upgraded across NSW Lhokseumawe. 100 REBELS KILLED IN ACEH! The Indon military says it's killed more than 100 suspected rebels in Aceh prov during the first 13 days of its major offensive to crush insurgency in the region. Lt Col Ahmad Yani Basuki says soldiers shot 3 rebels in N and C Aceh yesterday, bringing to 101 the number of rebels killed since May 19. He says guerrillas have killed 1 soldier in a clash close to the prov'l capital, Banda Aceh. 16 killed, 21 injured in Kashmir shoot-outs, blast 8 civilians, 7 Muslim militants and an Indian soldier have been killed while 21 others were injured in a surge of violence in Indian Kashmir, police said. A police rep said 2 militants and a soldier were killed and 2 army soldiers injured in a 5-hour gun battle in the central Kashmir district of Budgam. A Muslim civilian, Ghulam Mohammed, was killed in the crossfire, he said. "The encounter erupted when Indian army troops, backed by police, ringed a residential house where militants had taken refuge," he said. The rep said the holed-up militants opened fire, which was returned. "During the exchange of fire few houses were also damaged," he said. Indian troops shot dead 5 more militants in 4 separate encounters around the province Sat, police said. Suspected rebels also shot dead Gul Mohammed, a worker with India's main opp'n Congress in the village of Bragam nr Dooru township, 80 kilometres south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. The killing comes as Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and the 15 chief ministers of Congress-ruled states wrapped up a 2-day conference in Srinagar after which she urged talks to settle the long-running Kashmir dispute. The Congress is in power in Indian Kashmir in a coalition with the provincial People's Democratic Party. Farooq Ahmed Bhat, another civilian, was also killed in the neighbouring village of Mohanpora in the same district of Anantnag by suspected Muslim militants, police said. Two Kashmiri Sikhs -- Harbans Singh and Mohinder Singh -- were killed and 2 other people injured during a gun fight between rebels and security forces that destroyed a house in the village of Bhella in the S district of Rajouri, police said. Police said suspected rebels also killed 3 Muslims, including father and son in the villages of Hiltak and Kandi in Rajouri district. Meanwhile, 2 personnel with India's Border Security Force (BSF) and 11 civilians were injured in a grenade explosion in the village of Khudwani in S Anantnag district, police said. Unidentified gunmen also sliced off the nose of a Muslim woman, Posha Begum, in the village of Chek Helmatpora in N Kupwara district overnight. The motive for the attack was not immediately known. Two security force personnel were injured in an attack on their patrol on Sat in S Shopian town, police said. More than 38,000 people have died in Indian Kashmir since the eruption of an anti-Indian rebellion in 1989. Separatists put the toll twice as high. The renewed violence comes despite a month-long thaw in tension between India and Pakistan, which both control parts of Kashmir. Riyadh. 9TH AMERICAN DIES FROM SAUDI ATTACK! A 9th American has died of injured received in last m's suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia, taking the death toll to 35. The man's employer, Vinnell Corp, says he died in hospital from injuries suffered in the Riyadh blasts. Suicide bombers with suspected ties to OBL's al-Qaeda terrorist network staged simultaneous attacks at 3 resid'l compounds in the Saudi capital. Seoul. SK FIRES SHOT ACROS BWOS OF NK BOATS! SK has reportedly fired warning shots after NK fishing boats entered its territorial waters. The incident has again heightened tensions between the 2 neighbours. Yonhap news agency has given no other details. SK's Def Min'y says its navy fires warning shows after 3 NK fishing vessels entered the S's territory along the W sea border. There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The incident occurred nr Yongpyong Is, W of the Korean Peninsula. London. PILOT DIES AT AIRSHOW! Organisers of the Brit air show say a Swedish pilot has died when his plane disintegrated in the air shortly after takeoff. They say 59 yo Pierre [!] Hollander [!!] was flown to hospital by air ambulance after the crash outside Coventry in C Eng. The accident was witness by 1000s of shocked bystanders. Hollander's aircraft was a replica of the Spirit of St Louis in which Charles Lindberg made the 1st nonstop solo crossing from NY to Paris in 1927. Kathmandu. VIOLENT PROTESTS: NEPAL! Dozens of Nepalis have been injured in protests across the country as opp'n parties kept up the pressure on the King for a new govt of nat'l unity. The protests come 1 day after the caretaker PM quit his post. Organisers say 1000s joined the nation-wide protests and dozens were hurt when police used batons to break up rallies in at least 3 towns. None of the injuries were serious. Annemasse. TEARGAS FIRED AT G8 PROTESTERS! French police have fired teargas to disperse several 100 anarchists in the first major disturbance ahead of the summit of the G8 leading industrialised countries. It's the first clash in what both protest leaders and police said would be a series of peaceful marches and sit-ins during the 3-day summit in the nearby French town of Evian, starting tomorrow. Elsewhere, 1000s of more peaceful marchers carried anti-capitalist signs. But it's unlikely they will be heard by leaders at the meetings. They're being kept at least 20 km from the summit by an unprecedented French security effort. Murphy. BOMBER ARRESTED IN US! The FBI says a longtime fugitive charged over the 1996 Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta has been arrested. Self-confessed white supremacist Eric Rudolph had been on the 10 Most Wanted list and had eluded police for 5 y. But the 36 yo Army vet was picked up by police in the small town of Murphy, NC, on un-related charges when he revealed who he was. He was arrested by a rookie officer who spotted Rudolph searching through garbage cans. Authorities believe that on Jul 27 1996 Rudolph places a bomb in a knapsack in Atlanta's crowed Centennial Olympic Park during the summer Olympic games. He's also wanted for 3 other bomb attacks. He's believed to have been hiding out in rural America for the past 5 y. Cairo. EGYPT BOMB FALSE ALARM! Greek officials say a bomb scare forced an EgyptAir passenger jet to make an emergency landing in Athens, but it was a false alarm. The Airbus 320 with 85 passengers and 9 crew was on its way from Madrid to Cairo when the pilot asked for permission to divert to Athens Internat'l following a bomb scare. The sources of the bomb threat is unclear. Some reports say a note was found in a toilet by a stewardess. In other reports a phone call was received by Egyptian Airlines offices. Bush, Blair face heat on Iraq weapons Baghdad (AP). The CIA is reviewing its intel, Brit agents are reportedly doubting their own assessments and Saddam Hussein's enemies are being accused of manufacturing evidence. Now, snr politicians on both sides of the Atlantic want answers to what is becoming the most asked question since major combat ended in Iraq: Where are the unconventional weapons the coalition said it went to war to destroy? Pres Bush said this weekend that weapons had already been found. As evidence, though, he pointed to 2 suspected bio laboratories which both the Pentagon and US weapons hunters have said do not constitute arms. For a war fought without the backing of the internat'l community, evidence of the weapons Iraq claimed it no longer had would bolster US credibility around the world. Now that 11 wks have passed without such proof, internat'l pressure is mounting on Bush and his coalition partners. The Pentagon is sending a new group of weapons hunters to Iraq to expand the search beginning on Mon. Brit PM Tony Blair, who visited Iraq this wk, said he's certain unconventional weapons will be discovered eventually. Speaking to Sky News television on Sat during a visit to the Russian city of St. Petersburg, Blair said much evidence already has been gathered, while "100s, possibly 1000s" of sites had yet to be inspected. But even as Blair and the president expressed confidence, members of Bush's Cabinet are offering up alternative theories that have drawn deep concerns both at home and abroad. Def Sec Donald H Rumsfeld speculated this wk that the weapons were destroyed on the eve of fighting. His deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, said in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine that WMD became a war banner because it was the only reason everyone in the administration could agree upon when citing why they were going after Saddam. The comments caused a stir in Europe, where lawmakers from such coalition countries as Brit and Denmark demanded their govts open inquiries into the matter. At home, members of Congress are also questioning the war motives. And in countries that opposed the war, the comments are being used as fodder to justify those positions. Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung interpreted Rumsfeld's comments as a sign the US was losing the credibility battle. "The charge of deception is inescapable," the paper said. And the leading French daily Le Monde called the WMD claim "the greatest lie told by statesmen in recent years." US-led teams, made up of Special Forces, unconventional weapons experts, military intel and scientists began visiting suspected sites in the opening days of the war. Since the fighting broke out March 20 most US and Brit intel leads have been exhausted. Teams are now chasing tips from local Iraqis, none of which have panned out so far. As of Mon, the weapons hunters will begin working for a new Pentagon-led group of some 1,400 people, including American weapons experts who once served as UN weapons inspectors. The group is moving into Baghdad to oversee the weapons search and other investigations of Saddam's regime. The Iraq Survey Group will be led by Keith Dayton, a 2-star general. Troops involved in the search hope the ISG will be able to provide the effort with better intel and analysis. Dayton, a top official in the Defence Intel Agency, said he remains convinced his team will find WMD in Iraq. He said Fri that he continues to believe prewar intel claims that Iraq had recently had unconventional weapons. Those assessments were doubted by many members of the UN Security Council, which last fall agreed to send internat'l inspectors back to Iraq to verify the country no longer had the weapons it was prevented from producing after the 1991 Gulf War. The quality of that intel is now being reviewed by the CIA, whose director, George Tenet, released a rare statement Fri defending his agency. Brit intel is reportedly taking stock of its own assessments as well. On Thu, the BBC reported that agents were unhappy with a dossier Blair's office released on Iraqi weapons last y -- particularly its claim that Saddam was able to launch such weapons on 45 minutes' notice. The network quoted an unidentified intel source who said intel agencies added that charge at the behest of the prime minister's office, but now believe it was wrong. Blair defended the dossier, saying everything in it "was cleared by the Joint Intel Committee and was their judgement." There have also been reports that the Bush administration relied heavily on info provided by Saddam's enemies, including Ahmad Chalabi, an Iraqi exile and banker who has enjoyed y of Pentagon support. Chalabi returned to Iraq from London after Saddam's overthrow and has been trying to build a support base. But few Iraqis seem interested in backing his leadership bid. US uncovers Baath sleeper cell in new police academy Baghdad. US military police raided the new Iraqi police academy Sat and detained 15 snr officers holding a secret meeting of Saddam Hussein's Baath party, the US policing supremo Bernard Kerik said. "14 people were arrested for taking part in an illegal activity and one for resisting arrest," said the former NY police comm'er. Those held included the dean of the academy, Maj Gen Akram Abdul Razak, 5 Brig Gen's, 3 Col's and a Lt Col. Mr Kerik said the raid on the meeting had followed a tip-off to his office and was greeted with celebration by some 100 to 150 ordinary policemen gathered outside. He blamed intimidation by the Baath conspirators for the failure to uncover the underground sleeper cell sooner despite the tough crackdown on the Baath party it launched earlier this m. "There was huge applause by police officers. I think they knew this was going on but were afraid to come forward," he said. The head of the US-led Admin in Iraq, Paul Bremer, set up Mon the Iraq De-Baathification Council to advise on his May 16 decision to bar former middle- and high-ranking Baathists from public service. France talks nice, Bush points to "new enemy" Paris. In Poland Sat, Pres Bush Jr sought to restore battered transatlantic ties, saying the US was committed to a strong alliance to confront the "new enemy" of global terror. "This is no time to stir up divisions in a great alliance." But Mr Bush's quick exit for an Arab-US summit and to meet with the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers could upstage the G8 summit, shining the spotlight on the rejuvenated US role in the Middle E peace process. "In the coming days, nothing serious will happen in Saint Petersburg or Evian. The serious events will take place in the Middle East, where George W Bush will go as soon as he can free himself from his obligatory stop in France," the conservative French daily Le Figaro said. Paris has downplayed the significance of Bush's early departure, and Chirac said on Sat in Saint Petersburg that he looked forward to seeing the US leader. Mr Bush, despite voicing his disappointment and frustration at France's anti-war position, said this wk he was willing to move beyond the Iraq crisis, ebulliently declaring, "Vive la France." The fight against terrorism, the Middle E peace process, weapons proliferation in general and the N Korean nuclear crisis are all hot-button topics on which the leaders are likely to find common ground. Mr Chirac also would like his G8 partners to make Africa a priority, addressing problems like debt relief, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and access to clean drinking water. UN Sec Gen Kofi Annan arrived in Geneva on Sat to participate in the expanded talks. Anti-globalisation demonstrators camping out in the French town of Annemasse nr Geneva ahead of Sun's rally reject the G8's authority to make decisions about the developing world. Organisers say they are hoping for a turnout of about 100,000 -- half the number at the G8 summit in Genoa 2 ya, when protests descended into chaos and one Italian activist was shot dead by police. US attacks France at security conference Singapore. As US Pres George W Bush moves to mend fences in Russia, the Asia Sec Conf in Singapore winds up today with US officials once again criticising France for its stand against the US-led action in Iraq. Singapore's Snr Min, Lee Kuan Yew, suggested the US should be more sensitive to perceptions of unilaterialism. In response, US Deputy Def Sec Paul Wolfowitz launched an attack on France. "It seems to me it was [French Pres] Chirac that pushed us into a corner and pushed the whole UN into a corner, and frankly if anyone was behaving unilaterally I think it was really the French," Mr Wolfowitz said. While calling the past the past, French Defence Min Michele Alliot-Marie repeated her country's view that inspections should have continued. St Petersburg. BUSH ARRIVES IN RUSSIA! US Pres Bush Jr has arrived in St Petersburg for his first direct talks with Pres Putin since their dispute over GWII. Bush and Putin are to have dinner together this evening before holding an informal closed-door summit tomorrow morning. Bush arrived in Putin's home city from Krakow where he issued a call for unity between Europe and the US after the bitter row that erupted in the run-up to the US invasion of Iraq. Iraq tensions underscore G8 meeting Evian. Leaders of the world's most powerful nations will soon converge on the French Alpine resort of Evian to tackle global economic woes and fears about internat'l security, with transatlantic ties still frosty over the war in Iraq. Some 15,000 French and 10,000 Swiss security forces, backed by a fleet of military aircraft, will patrol the lakefront spa town and the surrounding area during the Group of Eight's annual summit, which runs through to Tue. 10s of 1000s of anti-G8 protesters are expected to turn out for a mass cross-border demo on Sun, but they will be kept far from the summit site by a 30-kilometre security buffer zone ringing Evian. The heads of state and govt from the world's 7 wealthiest nations plus Russia come to Evian after a series of summits coinciding with tricentenary celebrations in Russia's 2nd city St Petersburg. G8 leaders traditionally use their annual summit to assess the state of the global economy and make recommendations aimed at bolstering worldwide growth. But despite fears about the faltering dollar, and the looming spectre of deflation, this year's gathering is more likely to focus on efforts to put the acrimonious dispute over the US-led invasion of Iraq in the past. The war to topple Saddam Hussein split the G8 in 2: Brit, Italy and Japan backed the military offensive while Canada, France, Germany and Russia were vehemently opposed. The row badly damaged US-French ties and on Mon all eyes will be on US Pres George W Bush and his French host Jacques Chirac when they meet in Evian for their 1st one-on-one talks since the crisis erupted. Toronto. 4 TORONTO DEATHS UNDER INVESTIGATION! Canadian health officials say 4 deaths at a Toronto-area hospital are being investigated as possible SARS deaths. They say none of the 4 showed symptoms of the disease before they died. The announcement follows news from China of a symptom-less variant of the killer disease. Toronto's death toll from exposure to SARS remains at 30, but a heightened state of alert at Toronto hospitals has prompted officials to probe deeper into the 4 deaths after SARS tests performed during autopsies came back positive on 3 of them. HK. 7TH HK MEDIC DIES OF SARS! A 58 yo health-care worker has died from SARS in HK, taking the number of medics to die here from the virus to 7. The global death toll from the virus is now at least 764, with more than 8,300 sickened since it first appeared in S China in Nov. Most of the victims have been in mainland China and HK, with the largest outbreak outside Asia in Canada's largest city, Toronto. Jerusalem. MILITANTS WILL DISARM IN 3 WKS: ABU MAZEN! Palestinian PM Abu Mazen says he believes he can convince militant groups to agree within 3 wks to halt anti-Israeli attacks. Meanwhile, Pres Bush Jr has vowed to do everything in his power to force peace in the Middle E. The Mazen and Bush statements come despite a vow by hard-line Islamic group Hamas to continue its attacks as long as Israel fails to make substantial concessions. Baghdad. IRAQ OFFERED GUN AMNESTY! US forces have offered an amnesty to Iraqis who turn over their guns. A military rep in Baghdad say a 2-wk weapons amnesty will be launched tomorrow to clamp down on firearms that have flooded the country since the regime change. He told a news conf Iraqis will be encouraged to put their guns into plastic bags and take them to police stations. They will, however, be allowed to keep one assault rifle in their homes and carry licensed handguns on the street. Harare. COURT BANS PROTESTS: ZIMBABWE! Zimbabwe's High Court has barred the Opp'n Movement for Democratic Change from staging a mass protest next wk. Opp'n leader Morgan Tsvangirai had urged Zimbabweans to rise up in their mns during a series of so-called "democracy marches" against the govt beginning Mon. Police chief Augustine Chihuri filed an urgent application asking the opp'n and Tsvangirai be stopped from organising, urging, suggesting or setting up any demonstration. Canberra. GOVT MANOEUVRES TO GET ASIO BILL PASSED! The fed govt says it's talking to Labor in a bid to get its controversial ASIO bill passed in the Senate. The upper house rejected the govt's plans to expand toe Organisations power to detain people without charge in a marathon parl'y sitting last y. A-G Daryl Williams has told the Seven Network the govt is prepared to discuss the issues and look at safeguards to remove any unnecessary intrusion on people's rights while still protecting Australians from future terrorist attacks. Sydney. ANGER MANAGEMENT FOR NURSES! All NSW nurses are reportedly to undertake aggression management training in an attempt to reduce the number of attacks on hospital staff. The Sun-Herald reports the compulsory training will be part of the state govt's push to boost security in NSW hospitals. The paper says bulletproof screens in emergency wards, improved lighting and extra security staff will go hand in hand with the training. Sydney. LIBERALS TO OFFER LOANS! Following news that household credit has jumped a record 23% in 03Q1, the fed govt is reportedly ready to offer loans to qualifying families facing a temp loss of income to help meet housing bills. The Sun-Herald says the so-called Housing Lifeline will be unveiled by the Liberal Party's fed treas Malcolm Turnbull at the party's national conf in Adel. The program will extend a line of credit of up to $10,000 over 2 y in weekly payments of up to $200. The money is to be repaid once the main income earner has resumed work and would be deducted in a similar way to tax. Melbourne. PRICE OF WATER TO RISE! The price of water is set to rise in a bid to target Vic's who waste water. But the state govt says the price hike won't take effect for 2 y. Env and Water Min John Thwaites says a new price structure will mean that people who use more water than the average household can expect to pay higher prices. Mr Thwaites says MEL's currently pay more for 1 L of milk than they do for 1,000 L of water. [On some water bills since privatisation, the "management" charges constitute up to 80% of the bottom line; the cost of the water is tiny]. The new prices will begin in Jul 2005. Sydney. NEW SUICIDE MACHINE! Pro-life groups say the marketing of a new controversial euthanasia machine as a more pleasant way to die will only make suicide more attractive. Euthanasia campaigner Dr Philip Nitschke yesterday unveiled the new device at a conf called "Killing Me Softly" in SYD. One delegate at the conf questioned Dr Nitschke's decision to demonstrate the system, saying it would inevitably lead to what he called an "irrational suicide by a teenager". Pro-life demonstrators rallied outside the conf. Brisbane. QLD MAN BURNED DURING TRANSPLANT SURGERY! A man is recovering in Bris's Prince Charles Hosp after a close call during heart transplant surgery. During the operation the table caught fire and the man suffered 3rd degree burns. Hosp rep Grant Cameron said the man was burned on his back and head when the table lit up during the op last wk. He said doctors successfully completed the surgery. The circumstances leading to the fire were "complex and unusual", he said, and an investigation was underway. Sydney. WOODEN BRIDGES TO BE UPGRADED ACROSS NSW! 100s of timber bridges across NSW will be upgraded under a new $210 mn program. Roads Min Carl Scully says he expects 369 bridges on regional roads will be upgraded under the Regional Roads Timber Bridges plan over the next 7 y. The state govt is putting in $105 mn and matching funds will come from local councils, starting Jul next y. 76 local govt areas are eligible for the new program. {{ 5 am BBC World Service. Pres Bush has outlined his "big issues" ahead of the G8 summit. He's also calling on Europe and the US to unite in dealing with "common problems" primarily global terrorism. He says Europe must support free trade. But Bush also underlined the causes of many global problems -- poverty, disease (AIDS) and violence (WMD). Bush has now left Poland, headed to Russia to attend what's being called the "summit of reconciliation" in St Petersburg where Blair was seen back on speaking terms with Jacques Chirac. The FBI has captured a man suspected of 4 domestic bombings in the US, incl the Atlanta Olympics. He was picked up by police on unrelated charges and told officers who he was. Officials in Washington said it showed the US would never cease to hunt down terrorists either foreign or domestic. This y Chirac has assembled 22 countries to enlarge the dialogue between the G8 and the developing world. It also is seen by some as a French tactic to bring pressure to bear on the US. France sees the world as multi-polar, and the assemblage of non-members of the G8 may be a plan to demonstrate the multi-polar world in action. Burmese "opp'n" leader Aung San Suu Kyi is back in custody after what the BBC says is "an incident in N Burma". [Later reports from SBS indicate a sniper fired on Suu Kyi's car. 4 people were killed in confrontations between govt and opp'n supporters]. After her arrest, she hasn't been seen for several days. Other members of her opp'n party have also been placed under house arrest. Suu Kyi had been talking in secret with the Burmese junta about democratic reforms. But that has all ended now. The National League for Democracy won the elections in 1990, but the Army has refused ever since to hand over power. The military blames the Party for the incident that caused Suu Kyi's detention. A govt rep said the NLD had planned the confrontation. UN Sec-Gen Annan has expressed his concerns about the development. The Concorde has arrived back from NY on its last scheduled flight for Air France. 1000s turned up to watch flight 001 from NY touch down with 79 passengers on board. The demise of the airliner has been greeted with sadness in France. Some of the air crew were noticeably teary. In an uncharacteristic move, the pilot flew the aircraft over Paris for its final approach, dipping the movable nose in a landing salute. Retired aircraft will be put on display in Germany, Paris and Washington. 18 Tibetans have been deported from Nepal to China. In Geneva the UN said the move was directly against the Nepalese obligations to refugees. Normally refugees in Nepal have been turned over to the UN and travel on to 3rd country. But this time, it's different. The 18 were a group of 21 who arrived in Nepal in Apr. They were arrested and the UNHCR was not given access. The UNHCR has written a letter of protest to the Nepalese PM, pointing out it is illegal to deport the refugees under international law, because their claims for asylum had not been assessed. A statement from China said the group would be dealt with according to Chinese law. 100s of Islamic students have set fire to a circus in a N India city. They also beat people attending a show. A rep for the students said the circus has become a den of iniquity for dancing girls and gamblers. The UAE is holding an amnesty for illegal immigrants. Up to 18,000 mostly low-paid workers are expected to leave the country voluntarily. Most came from Asia on tourist visas, and over-stayed after illegally finding work. Authorities periodically turn a blind eye to the practice. The country has held amnesties before. The deportees have been fingerprinted and iris-scanned to make sure they don't come back. The penalty for illegal immigration in UAE is up to 10 y jail and a $US2500 fine. 9 am Rallies are slated to kick off around AUS today to demonstrate against the broadening of govt powers in HK. Organisers say leg'n in HK known as "Article 23" will allow the Chinese govt to monitor, arrest, and imprison anyone deemed a threat. They say those who live outside HK and speak out against the Beijing govt could also be arrested on their return to the Special Region. Freedom of the press will be a thing of the past, said protest organisers, and the leg'n could see people arrested without warrant. 6.30 pm Sen Robert Hill, attending a security conf in Singapore, says the WMD story has now switched from Iraq to North Korea. He said AUS still favours a diplomatic solution to the Korean standoff. Sen Hill also admitted AUS has mis-judged the the JI network, saying it was much larger and more organised than the govt had realised. Baghdad. SBS TV. Despite the best efforts of the US Admin, criminals still run rampant on the streets of Baghdad. [Pix of some unexplained gun-battle between rival gunmen]. US justice advisers say it's important for Iraqis to see the justice system works. But it's not working well yet. Last wk the US opened a new jail and there are now 2 functioning courts. But in a city the size of LA that's nowhere near enough. The courts have setup on the footpath outside the building. They are presently flooded, just dealing with marriage licenses and keeping records on those the US military bring in. But not 1 criminal has been sent to trial yet. Annemasse. 100s of demonstrators attacked the offices of the French Socialist Party, saying the group was too conservative. While police watched protesters from hang-gliders during the day, Swiss citizens lit dozens of bonfires around Lk Geneva at night in a traditional form of protest. Elsewhere, demonstrators wearing paper mache masks of world leaders held signs denouncing the effect of globalised trade on African and Asian farmers. Breaking African nations out of a cycle of poverty is something French Pres Chirac has vowed to pursue at this G8 summit. Demonstrators from Africa say trade barriers in the US and EU are more to blame for poverty on their continent than any lack of salable produce. 7 pm A raft of govt leg'n has been stymied by the fed Senate. Tony Abbott says the likelihood of a DD is increasing. The govt would do whatever was necessary to get its program implemented, Mr Abbott told a TV interview. He indicated that an election might be held as soon as mid 2004. He also indicated Peter Costello might leave the LP if Mr Howard stays on as PM. The GG debacle has boosted interest in an Aussie Republic. The ARM says membership has tripled in the past months and inquiries from the public have increased 10-fold over the same period. The Aussie entertainment industry has called for quarantine from up-coming trade talks with the US. While Aussie actors and directors may be flavour of the month on the global stage, the fed govt has refused to exclude the media and entertainment industries from the bargaining table. Local entertainers say Aussies need to see and hear Aussie stories told by Aussie actors. But Sen Richard Alston says Aussie content is up for grabs if there's a buck in it. Stage 2 of the Three Gorges project in China has officially been concluded, with the gates closed and water starting to flood a huge region. The creation of the massive Dam is one of mankind's biggest undertakings, ever. Electricity will be generated from the project within months. It's a demonstration that China can complete development projects whatever the cost. Environmentalists say it's a "disaster project" and will result in massive pollution. They also object to the way 600,000 people were relocated from the region. It was a "political project", they say, and one of Mao's pets. Officials say the Dam will provide much-needed power, promote river travel in the interior of China, and control floods that have plagued the region of centuries. But already there may be signs of trouble. An official last wk indicated the Dam showed signs of leakage from several places. }} ---------------------------------------- Mon, 02 Jun 2003. Gunman shot dead by army Chechens threatened renewed campaign Chirac and Bush shake hands Switzerland bracing for G8 protests AUS def min says intel may have be faulty AUS plays down Korean standoff US scraps Iraq meeting Suu Kyi moved to Rangoon New powers at airports French soldiers laid to rest Former Kiwi PM gets gong GBR plan a pattern for the world Qld hospital under quarantine Families settling in after toxic shock Unis move to comply Markets (noon) Gaza City. GUNMAN SHOT DEAD BY ARMY! An armed Palestinian has been shot dead by Israeli troops nr a border crossing in the C Gaza Strip. Palestinian security sources say 22 yo Mahmud Abu Amra, from the Rafah refugee camp, was shot dead by Israeli troops after he opened fire on them. An Israeli Army rep says the man was spotted carrying a Kalashnikov and grenade close to a road linking the crossing and a settlement that's off-limits to Palestinians. Moscow. CHECHENS THREATENED RENEWED CAMPAIGN! Chechnya's separatist Pres says his guerrilla forces will mount a new campaign against Russian troops. Pres Aslan Maskhadov -- who's been forces into hiding by the Russian army -- says the rebels have a "range of operations" planned. In written comments obtained by Reuters, he says he doesn't think the Russians will be able to remain in Chechnya because the guerrillas are "very determined". Evian. CHIRAC AND BUSH SHAKE HANDS! French Pres Jacques Chirac has welcomed US Pres Bush Jr at a summit of world leaders that's largely aimed at healing rifts left over from GWII. Meanwhile, protesters against globalisation in neighbouring Switzerland have turned violent. Chirac's staunch opp'n to the Iraq was infuriated the Whitehouse. But the 2 leaders today shook hands for the TV cameras and pretended to smile after Bush set foot on French soil for the first time since the crisis that has rocked trans-Atlantic ties. Geneva. SWITZERLAND BRACING FOR G8 PROTESTS! The Swiss cities of Geneva and Lausanne are bracing for more violence by anti-globalisation protesters at the end of the first day of the G8 summit in a nearby French Alpine resort. Protesters have already clashed with riot police and blocked roads and bridges in both France and Switzerland. About 400 protesters were detained in Lausanne after they set fire to barricades, wrecked a petrol station and sprayed graffiti on cars. Sydney. AUS DEF MIN SAYS INTEL MAY HAVE BE FAULTY! Def Min Robert Hill says intel that prompted AUS's deployment of troops to Iraq "may have been flawed". Sen Hill says although he personally supported war with Iraq, the deployment of Aussie troops during [he says -- it was actually months before] GWII, intel suggesting Iraq had WMD "may have been inaccurate". In an interview with the SMH Sen Hill says it's important to establish the "full story". Canberra. AUS PLAYS DOWN KOREAN STANDOFF! AUS has played down the liklihood of conflict on the Korean Pen by warns a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis must cover N Korea's alleged trade in illegal drugs. For Min Alex Downer says he doesn't expect pre-emptive attacks on N Korea. But he told ABC's Four Corners program that military strikes against NK "aren't on the table". Mr Downer believes NK "got the message" that it needs to engage in talks to find a solution to the standoff. Baghdad. US SCRAPS IRAQ MEETING! US forces in Iraq have scrapped plans to hold a national conference and will move to directly appoint a political council to head an Iraqi Admin within 6 wks. Snr US officials in Baghdad say the US-led team there has abandoned a planned national conference to select future politicians. Instead, it will move straight ahead with the formation of the council. The 25 to 30-strong body will be formed after what the US Admin in Iraq says will be "broad consultation". Rangoon. SUU KYI MOVED TO RANGOON! The Burmese military junta has brought detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house detention in the N of the country to the capital, Rangoon. It also closed the offices of her party and is holding key supporters under house arrest. Universities have also been ordered closed across the country. An official says Suu Kyi is "staying in a safe place" in Rangoon after being brought from the N where she was held in "protective custody" after a reported sniper incident 2 days ago. The crackdown has alarmed the UN and some foreign govts and follows a violent clash between democracy supporters and 1000s of pro-junta protesters. Melbourne. NEW POWERS AT AIRPORTS! Canberra has announced AUS Protective Services officers will get greater powers at airports as Qantas warned knee-jerk security measures will paralyse the aviation ind'y. Fed Customs Min Chris Ellison yesterday said random frisking of passengers may be considered after the alleged hijack attempt of a Qantas jet between MEL and Tasmanian last wk by a man armed with sharpened wooden stakes. Sen Ellison says the increased powers could also be applied to other high-security sites and allow APS officers to detain people until they could be handed over to AFP. Vilnius. FRENCH SOLDIERS LAID TO REST! The remains of 3,000 French soldiers, slain in Napoleon's retreat from Russia in 1812, have finally been laid to rest in Lithuania. The skeletons of the soldiers were found 2 ya in a mass grave on a building site in Vilnius. They were exhumed by researchers seeking info about Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign to conquer Moscow's Imperial Army. Wellington. FORMER KIWI PM GETS GONG! NZ's former anti-nukes PM David Lange has been awarded his country's top honour. 60 yo Lange has retired from politics. But he's now a member of the Order of NZ in the Queen's b'day honours list. PM and Labour Party leader from 84-89, Lange was chief architect of a policy that banned visits by nuclear-armed and powered ships to NZ. The move effectively banned US warships from Kiwi waters, due to their policy of not declaring whether or not they are carrying nuclear weapons. It eventually reduced the ANZUS treaty to a 2-member operation. Canberra. GBR PLAN A PATTERN FOR THE WORLD! The fed govt says a new zoning system for the Great Barrier Reef will establish a new international standard for protecting reefs. Env Min David Kemp is today expected to announce the draft proposal for the GBR, expanding high protection zones from 5% to 25%. The plan, the largest in the reef's European history, proposes areas to be designated as "green zones" or marine sanctuaries, excluding them from commercial or recreational fishing. [Kemp later told ABC news the plan had been designed to have a minimal impact on existing users of the reef. He said the govt would now listen to concerns from the community. But he says there will only be "changes at the edges". Critics say the exclusion zones are too small and insignificant to have a reasonable affect on the reef's sustainability]. Brisbane. QLD HOSPITAL UNDER QUARANTINE! 3 wards at Bris's Princess Alexandra Hosp are under quarantine this wk in a bid to contain an outbreak of a relatively harmless stomach bug. The virus known as Norwalk or Noro Virus causes vomiting, diarrhoea and nausea, and usually lasts between 24 and 48 hrs. Head of the hospital's infectious diseases control unit, Dr Michael Whitby, says the outbreak was first detected about 10 days ago. Adelaide. FAMILIES SETTLING IN AFTER TOXIC SHOCK! 16 families in Adelaide's W subs are settling into new emergency accommodation today after being relocated from their old homes that were found to be built on top of a toxic waste dump. The Dept of Human Services and Housing Trust says the public housing estate at Birkenhead is sitting on land contaminated with a tar-like waste material that contains a "range of compounds", incl cancer-causing toxins. The contamination came to light after tenants complained of a strange odour in the area. Canberra. UNIS MOVE TO COMPLY! Uni chiefs say they're confident the govt will listen to their concerns about lining education funding to changes in the way they operate. AUS VC's Committee chief exec John Mullarvey says unis are already moving in the direction of workplace reform. The fed Budget promised an extra $404 mn by 2007 if unis comply with a range of reforms to governance and industrial relations. Sydney (noon). MARKETS! The ASX a rocketed higher in early trade, inspired by strong gains on Wall St last Fri. The banks are leading the charge, with the Big Four up around 1% each. New data out this morning shows company profits are up 21% on 1 ya. The All Ords at noon was 18 pts higher at 2,998. O'night, the FTSE closed down 36 pts to 4,048. The German Dax ended 75 pts higher at 2,983. Gold is trading around $US362/oz. The AUD is trading around 65.04 US c. Oil is on the rise again, on concerns that reserves are low and the N driving season is starting. It was trading around $US29.88/bbl on spot markets. {{ 9 am AUS Def Min Robert Hill says 1000s of US troops could be based in AUS, but only for training purposes. He says there would be no permanent US bases in AUS. He has also conceded AUS may have gone to war against Iraq based on what called "faulty intelligence information". London. Former Cabinet Min Clare Short says Tony Blair hoodwinked the UK public over the need to attack Iraq. She says Bush and Blair had decided to launch GWII after their meeting at Camp David, and Blair then returned to Brit to conduct a propaganda campaign pushing the urgency of the war because of Iraq's ability to launch an immediate chem- or bio-attack. Jack Short has defended the govt's "dossier", claiming it says only SOME of Iraq's bio- and chem weapons were alleged to be capable of launch within 45 mins. At present, no such WMD have been discovered in Iraq. New figures out today show lung cancer will soon be the leading cause of death in Aussie women. The trend follows an earlier report based on women in Qld. 11.30 am US troops have again come under fire in Iraq. The US Admin's gun amnesty is reportedly failing, with Iraqis returning only their used bullets. At least 1 US soldier was wounded yesterday, with at least 1 Iraqi gunman killed in exchanges. An armoured vehicle was also blown up. Iraq is still swamped with guns. Every day the US Admin seizes dozens. Every kind of firearm is represented, from WWI vintage up to modern RPG's. But it's a token effort. Iraq has a deeply-ingrained gun culture and there are mns of assault weapons in nominally civilian hands. Hosp wards in Baghdad show the effects. A 45 yo man is shown recovering from gunshot wounds. He was shot while changing a tyre. He says he doesn't know where it came from, but thinks he was caught in crossfire between rival groups. The US gun amnesty is not going well. At one of the few working Baghdad police stns on day 1 only 4 old AK-47s were handed in. More are available at a nearby market where they sell for 120 Stg ($US210) each. Midday. G8 protesters say Africa has been caught in the crossfire between Europe and the US over Iraq. Plans to boost support for poor African farmers have largely been scuttled. Internal Labor polling reportedly says there's more bad news in store for Simon Crean. The NSW Party is rumoured to have looked into formerly safe seats and found a 15% swing against the ALP. Up to 6 seats would go if a federal poll were held today. Labor front-benchers say it's a plot by the NSW right-wingers to destabilise the leadership. The latest Opp'n ruckus comes ahead of speculation Lib leader Howard will announce at an up-coming Lib Conf this weekend he'll be staying on past 64. Karbalah. Marines have found 2 rockets and 2 war heads at a water treatment plant. The warheads contained only HE, but the US military says the rockets were being "modified in some way". [Other rockets fired by Iraq during GWII had been modified to get extended range. In what many analysts saw as an act of desperation, some had been stripped down to carry only a hand-grenade in the warhead]. Bottles of chlorine were found nearby, leading some to suspect they were being modified to deliver chemicals. [Of course, it was a water treatment plant]. The rockets will be taken away and destroyed. The Opp'n and minor parties have called for a review of Aussie intel following an admission by Def Min Robert Hill that the Iraqi war may have been based on faulty info. Shadow For Min Rudd says the govt is releasing the back-down in "dribs and drabs". Greens in the Senate have called for a full inquiry. But For Min Downer said it was impractical to hold an inquiry every time someone found problems with Aussie intel info. [I guess he's saying it's so dodgy no-one should ever trust it!] }} ======================================== (*) Who is responcible for W.A.R.S? A small group of dedicated sandgrubbers, bannana-lickers and 5th columnists on the run from support payments and sundry legalese in their home countries. Mention us at any Uncle Harry's Suburban Bunker and get a 10% discount on cop-killers! All speling macroizated for correctitood by Mcrosotf Speelchek. *** Condition mauve! ***