From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia Reserch Senter(*) OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS #38 =============================== 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/ [This wk: well-known dns testers can't see this site!] Iraqi Body Count: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ [1,930+ as at 23 Apr 2003]. ------------------------------------------------------------ Selecting latest news stories and other data for you... ------------------------------------------------------------ When people are writing the history books... you're gunna be in it. -- Don Rumsfeld, Baghdad Airport, 30 Apr 2003. Talking to US troops in Baghdad. They are out from under the heal of a truly brutal... vicious... regime. -- Don Rumsfeld, Iraq, 30 Apr 2003. Talking about Iraqis. They threw rocks... 'n they shot... so we shot back. -- US soldier, Fallujah, 30 Apr 2003. A 2nd anti-US protest ends in shooting. 2 Iraqis killed and more than a dozen injured. Major combat operations in Iraq have ended... the United States and her allies have... prevailed. -- Pres Bush Jr, USS A. Lincoln, 1 May 2003. ---------------------------------------- Wed, 30 Apr 2003 Widespread flooding: Argentina Blast rocks Tel Aviv Blair's humiliation Letter from Saddam Iraq success boosts US market Top Iraqi Prisoners Deny Saddam Had WMDs Iraqi border closure urged to catch looted treasures Iraq war cheaper than expected: PM [Good news!] Information minister tries to turn himself in: report Anti-war states seek Euro defence HQ Cuba doesn't deserve human rights seat: US ASIO chief plays down police bugging enquiry First probable SARS death in Africa Greenpeace activists cop maximum penalty Inquiry hears sailor forced to lie about ship fire Nation's grain industry under threat of wheat virus Emergency plan to stop wheat virus US pledge on wheat Pan bosses to meet with TGA Powell calls for Palestinian crackdown on militants Security conference predicts more terror attacks US expands health screening of returning troops We won't be blackmailed, US tells N Korea N Korea says US bomb reports "mean trick" US denounces Cuba Bali trial in 2 wks Indonesia lambasts AUS for its part in a "gruesome" war Indonesian police arrest 41 boat people bound for AUS Row breaks out over funding of Woomera computer game Libya Willing to Pay $3B on Lockerbie Mourners Mark Chernobyl Anniversary Child cancers growing after Chernobyl disaster: Irish charity boss NASA zeroing in on the bleeding obvious Internal fraud big prob for AUS business 12 hospitalised after gassing Bridge to be rebuilt Markets AUD hits 3-y high BA. WIDESPREAD FLOODING: ARGENTINA! About 11,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in C Argentina amid widespread flooding. 10,000 people fled their homes in Santa Fe prov, and another 1,500 were evacuated from homes in Entre Rios prov where a 44 yo man drowned in floodwaters from last wk's heavy rains. Blast rocks Tel Aviv Tel Aviv. A suicide bombing has rocked a seaside promenade in Israel's largest city, Tel Aviv, killing at least 3 people. Israeli radio reports 30 people were wounded, 7 seriously, in the attack on a cafe close to the US embassy. The incident comes just hours after the Palestinian parliament approved a new Cabinet which hopes to curb violence against Israel and revive a Middle East peace process. Police cmdr Yossi Sedbon told Israel Radio the attack was the work of a suicide bomber. Mr Sedbon says the bomber "blew himself up at the entrance of a pub called Mike's Place nr the US embassy". "We know of about 15 wounded and a small number of people killed," he said. Rescue workers at the scene said there were at least 3 bodies at the scene, one of them apparently the bomber. London. BLAIR'S HUMILIATION! Brit newspapers say Blair has suffered a double humiliation after failing to persuade Moscow to back lifting UN sanctions on Iraq, while leading war opponents look to increase Europe's self-reliance in def matters. Blair's lighting visit to Moscow has also seen him fail to bring differences with Russian Pres Vladimir Putin over WMD inspections in Iraq, which Russia believes must be carried out by the UN team headed by Hans Blix. The left-of-C Guardian describes Putin's treatment of Blair as a "humiliating rebuff". Dubai. LETTER FROM SADDAM! An Arabic newspaper says it's received a handwritten letter signed by Saddam Hussein urging the Iraqi people to resit US troops. The message is dated Apr 28, coinciding with the 66th birthday of the former Iraqi strongman whose whereabouts are unknown. London-based daily al-Quds al-Arabi says the letter was received by fax from an undetermined location and signed Saddam Hussein. It will be published in the newspaper later today. Iraq success boosts US market Sydney. The success of US-led forces in Iraq has sparked a big lift in consumer conf in the US. Together with some encouraging profit reports, that has raised hopes of improved economic prospects. The impact on Wall Street has been positive overall, although there has been a reasonable amount of see-sawing in share prices. The rise in US consumer conf has been the biggest in 12 y. The private-sector Conference Board's Apr measure has surged 19.6 points to 81, with American households reassured by the quick outcome in Iraq. In corporate America, chemical company DuPont and defence contractor Northrop Grumman have reported solid profits. On the NYSE, the DJIA has finished 31 points higher at 8,503. The high-tech Nasdaq composite index closed 9 points ahead at 1,471. On the Brit share market, prices have been generally lower with major pharmaceutical and oil stocks weighing on the indices. But London's FT-100 index has slipped back 12.5 points to 3,928. In AUS yesterday, the market hit a 3-m high. Reports that the SARS virus might have peaked in some parts of Asia proved a recovery tonic for Qantas shares, which rebounded almost 7% to $3.04. The All Ordinaries Index ended 36.5 points higher at 2,971. The AUS dollar has regained its footing above 62 US cents. About 7.00 am it was being quoted at 62.22 US cents, up almost 0.3 of a cent on yesterday's local close. The gold price is sitting at $US334.20/oz and West Texas crude oil is at $US25.32/bbl. [Yahoo!] Top Iraqi Prisoners Deny Saddam Had WMDs Washington (AP). High-ranking Iraqi prisoners are uniformly denying Saddam Hussein's govt had any WMD before the war, US officials familiar with their interrogations said Tue. The officials said they believe many of the prisoners are lying to protect themselves. Still, the denials are hampering US forces' search for evidence of alleged chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs in Iraq, as the prisoners are not providing locations or other details interrogators are seeking. By denying Iraq had weapons, the prisoners may be trying to distance themselves from Saddam's rule, one official said. [That's the kind of engineering logic I like! ;-)] US officials stand by their belief that Iraq possessed prohibited weapons and the means to make more, although none have turned up since the war started on March 19. The Bush Admin has cited intel pointing to prohibited Iraqi weapons programs as a justification for war. Officials now say the weapons are either well hidden or were destroyed in the run-up to the war. There is no firm evidence they were moved to other countries, they say. Fears that Saddam's military would use chemical weapons on the battlefield went unrealized, and US officials have not reported any evidence that his military units were equipped with those weapons. Secretary of State Colin Powell, under questioning before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tue, predicted prisoners would yet help US forces find the alleged weapons. US Central Command, the military authority in Iraq, has confirmed 14 of its 55 most-wanted Iraqi leaders are in custody, including Aziz, al-Saadi and several other key officials, including several alleged weapons scientists. The latest capture, which took place on Mon, was Amer Mohammed Rashid, Iraq's oil minister and a top missile expert. Another recent catch, Farouk Hijazi, is an alleged link between the Iraqi govt and al-Qaida. But he has denied reports that he travelled to Afghanistan in late 1998 and met with Osama bin Laden, officials familiar with his interrogation said. Hijazi, Iraq's ambassador to Tunisia and a former senior official in Iraqi intel, acknowledged meeting with al-Qaida operatives in 1994 in Sudan, but said the Iraqi govt established no ties with bin Laden's network. Alleged Iraqi ties to terrorism was another of the Bush administration's justifications for the war. Iraqi border closure urged to catch looted treasures London. Internat'l experts meeting in London have appealed to coalition forces in Iraq to urgently seal the country's borders to prevent the export of looted archaeological treasures. The emergency meeting of experts from the world's museums expressed their concern over the looting of priceless antiquities from Iraq's museums. In particular, they have called on coalition forces to immediately seal the borders of Iraq to prevent the treasures from leaving the country. Dr Donny George, research dir of the Iraqi National Museum, says the only border control appears to be on the Jordanian side. "The 12 cases were captured by the Jordan borders, but they were never captured or seized by the checkpoints, American checkpoints there, or I think there were some AUS checkpoints also on that road," he said UNESCO told the conference it will be seeking a UN Sec Council resolution to ban trade in the stolen treasure. Iraq war cheaper than expected: PM [Good news!] Canberra. PM John Howard says AUS will be involved in Iraq's reconstruction for some time. In an interview with the Bulletin magazine, Mr Howard says the war in Iraq ended earlier than many people expected and will not cost as much as originally thought. Mr Howard says AUS is considering whether to appoint a special envoy to Baghdad. He says the Govt is still looking at whether it joins the US's missile defence system, partly because of N Korea's apparent nuclear weapons program. Information minister tries to turn himself in: report Baghdad. The former Iraqi info minister, Mohammad al-Sahaf, who at the height of the war denied US troops were nr Baghdad, has reportedly tried to give himself up. An Arabic newspaper says he was turned away by US soldiers. In a recent interview, US Pres George W Bush said he would often interrupt briefings to have a laugh at Mohammad al-Sahaf's press conferences. With US troops storming the Iraqi capital, the then info minister simply denied they were anywhere nr there. He then vowed that Iraqi troops would slaughter them all. A London-based Arabic newspaper says in recent days al-Sahaf tried to give himself up to the US military. But it says he was turned down because he did not feature on the military's most-wanted list. Other reports in recent wks suggested al-Sahaf had committed suicide as US troops rolled into Baghdad. With the former info minister developing a cult following, the Arab TV network al-Arabiya has offered him a job as a commentator and analyst. The problem is the station does not know where to find him. Anti-war states seek Euro defence HQ Brussels. 4 European nations have called for the establishment of a command HQ to coordinate a new Europe-wide defence force. But the leaders of France, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg say they do not want the Euro force to undermine NATO. The mini-summit in Brussels was attended only by the 4 European states who were most vocal in their opposition to US military action in Iraq. The leaders discussed a plan for closer EU defence ties, a move some believe could act as a counterweight to America's global military dominance. The 4 countries have called for a command headquarters to be established in Brussels to coordinate a new EU military force. But Brit, Italy and Spain oppose the move and some have accused the 4 leaders who attended the summit of running an anti-NATO, anti-US agenda. In a statement issued after the meeting, the leaders stressed that NATO remained a cornerstone of European defence policy. But they said they were hoping to establish closer military ties between EU member states outside the NATO framework. Cuba doesn't deserve human rights seat: US Washington. The US has reacted angrily to Cuba's re-appointment to the UN Human Rights Commission. The White House says it is like putting gangster Al Capone in charge of bank security. The UN has voted to grant Cuba a 3-y term on the commission, which monitors human rights violations around the world. But Cuba has a questionable record. Just a few wks ago, Pres Fidel Castro ordered a round-up of political dissidents and journalists, who were jailed for terms ranging from 6 to 28 y. White House rep Ari Fleischer says the UN's decision is inappropriate. An American representative at the UN walked out of the meeting when Cuba was elected un-opposed. ASIO chief plays down police bugging enquiry Canberra. The head of ASIO says there was nothing improper in AUS Fed Police (AFP) asking about whether they could bug the office of former Labor foreign affairs rep Laurie Brereton. Police approached ASIO in 1999 as part of an investigation into leaked documents concerning Indonesian military involvement in violence in East Timor. But ASIO dir gen Dennis Richardson says the police only sought advice from his agency about the legality of the bugging. "No request was made of ASIO to bug Laurie Brereton's office," Mr Richardson said. "The AFP enquired about whether we could bug his office to help with a leak investigation. The 2 things are different." First probable SARS death in Africa S Af. Africa's 1st probable SARS patient has died in Pretoria the South African Govt announced, but it said the death was due to cardiac arrest, not the killer virus. The man, who was initially identified as a Chinese S African, returned from HK in March. He was admitted to the Pretoria hospital after showing classic symptoms of the virus. While alive, the patient remained in isolation, where a small group of doctors and nurses treated him wearing full face-masks, gowns and gloves. S African health authorities went on full alert earlier this month, reinforcing warnings to customs officials to be on the lookout for people showing symptoms of SARS. Greenpeace activists cop maximum penalty Sydney. Greenpeace says it stands by its decision to block an AUS warship from leaving for Iraq, despite a SYD magistrate labelling the protest irresponsible and imposing the maximum penalty. The 8 demonstrators have each been fined $440 after their dinghies surrounded HMAS SYD and 2 protesters scaled the side of the ship earlier this month. A SYD court heard the group express remorse for making police fear for their own safety, saying that was not their intention. Magistrate Kim Pogson said the group put lives at risk, but outside the court Greenpeace chief executive Peter Mullins stood by the action. Inquiry hears sailor forced to lie about ship fire Perth. A former sailor has told a coronial inquest the Royal AUS Navy forced her to lie to a board of inquiry investigating a fatal fire aboard HMAS Westralia. Melissa Munday is giving evidence into the deaths of 4 colleagues in the 1998 fire. Ms Munday has told the inquest she was forced to lie about unsafe maintenance procedures aboard Westralia. The investigation found civilian contractor AUS Defence Industries (ADI) and the navy were responsible for the fire, which was caused by a faulty fuel hose. Ms Munday said senior naval officers told her and a fellow sailor at a meeting prior to the inquiry that ADI had caused the fire and was going to try to turn things around on the navy. She said officers told her to deny carrying out maintenance work on the ship's engine. Ms Munday said she could not recall who gave the orders but said she was congratulated by senior officers the day after giving evidence at the inquiry. Nation's grain industry under threat of wheat virus Canberra. Crop sites across AUS will be tested for a deadly wheat virus which has the potential to devastate the nation's grain industry. The Fed Govt has implemented its Emergency Management Plan for the 1st time after the discovery of wheat streak mosaic virus at CSIRO laboratories in CBR and Adel 2 wks ago. Hundreds of plants have been destroyed as a result of the discovery, and y of research have been lost. The virus is commonly found in N America and Eastern Europe. Fed Science Min Peter McGuaran admits containment of the virus cannot be guaranteed, and researchers still are not sure how it came to be in AUS. "No we have no idea how it could have got here, we don't believe it's by the importation or transportation of seeds, it's more likely to have been by way of plants," he said. Emergency plan to stop wheat virus Canberra. A nat'l emergency management plan has been introduced to combat the outbreak of a potentially devastating wheat virus. The wheat streak mosaic virus was 1st detected this m at CSIRO research facilities in CBR. It has now been discovered at the CSIRO's Waite research institute nr Adel. Fed Agriculture Min Warren Truss says the Govt is directing significant resources into eradicating the virus. He says there is no immediate threat to crops. US pledge on wheat Washington. AUS says it has won the Bush Admin's agreement not to use trade subsidies to help its wheat industry recapture sales in Iraq, where AUS wheat has dominated the market for much of the past decade. A trade battle is looming in Iraq as US farmers, who have sold only sporadically into Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War, seek to return to the situation of the late 80s when they sold almost a mn tonnes of wheat a y to the country. AUS sold 2.2 mn tonnes to Saddam Hussein's grain board in 2002, worth $668 mn -- a lucrative market that now appears to be under threat from expected aggressive US competition. But Trade Min Mark Vaile denied AUS wheat growers would necessarily lose sales. "That doesn't necessarily follow," he said in Washington, where he was helping AUS companies lobby the US's prime contractors for a share of Iraqi reconstruction work worth $100s of mns. He yesterday led a delegation of AUS companies in talks with giant US construction firm Bechtel, which will be issuing lucrative sub-contracts for much of the work. One recent assessment indicated that in the wake of the war, only about 30% of the Iraqi grain crop was left, making higher imports likely, Mr Vaile predicted. The US considers the AUS Wheat Board -- a monopoly -- as providing AUS farmers with an unfair marketing advantage. And AUS appears to have been preparing against a return by the US to the Iraq market, by building new markets in Libya, Iran and Jordan in the past y. The AUS Govt's concerns, and the US interest in returning to the market, are highlighted by their choice of grain industry experts to head the agricultural rebuilding of Iraq. Former AWB chairman Trevor Flugge and Dan Amstutz, a grain trader and former US trade official, were due to meet in Kuwait last night, AUS time, to discuss how to build a sustainable agricultural sector in Iraq. Dawn Forsythe, a rep for US Wheat Associates, which markets on behalf of US wheat exporters, said the American industry found the attitude of some Aussies "astounding". "We have been forced out of the market based on politics, and they seem to want to divvy it up based on past sales," she said. AUS didn't own the Iraqi market, and the US hoped it could return to pre-Gulf War sales of just under a mn tonnes pa. Pan bosses to meet with TGA Canberra. Pan Pharmaceuticals is scheduled to meet with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) this afternoon following the suspension of its manufacturing licence. Pan chairman Ross Brown, has conceded that there is evidence procedures were not followed appropriately in a number of cases. The TGA has called on all potential suppliers and sponsors of products manufactured by Pan to identify themselves by the close of business today. Meanwhile Health Min Kay Patterson says the recall was appropriate, even though some of the banned products may be safe to take. Shares in Pan Pharmaceuticals, have now been suspended from trade indefinitely. Powell calls for Palestinian crackdown on militants Washington. The US has welcomed confirmation of Mahmoud Abbas as the new Palestinian PM and called on him to crack down quickly on violence against Israelis. The White House says it will shortly release its long-awaited Middle East "road map" to peace but did not say exactly when. The Quartet of mediators -- the US, the European Union, Russia and the UN -- are expected to release the peace plan this wk. The plan calls for a Palestinian state as early as 2005 at the end of a process that starts with a halt to violence and Israeli steps to improve life for Palestinians. The resumption of peace talks could break a deadlock that began in early 2001, about the time Israeli PM Ariel Sharon took office. Mr Powell is travelling abroad this wk on a trip which includes Syria and Lebanon. He will not see the Israelis and Palestinians until a 2nd trip on May 8, officials said. Security conference predicts more terror attacks Canberra. A security conference in CBR has been told there will be another Sep 11 attack somewhere in the world. Maj Gen Michael Dunlavey of the US Homeland Security agency says countries are facing an enemy that is efficient, patient, well financed and highly motivated. He says the modern terrorist movement believes it is their religious duty to make a battlefield of our community. ASIO head Dennis Richardson agrees further attacks are likely, but says the threat to AUS interests is greater overseas. US expands health screening of returning troops Washington. US troops serving in the Iraq war will be required to give a blood sample and complete a detailed medical questionnaire after coming home, the Pentagon said, in an acknowledgement that too little was done after the 1991 Gulf War to track the health of veterans. Many veterans of the 1991 war suffered a variety of illnesses after returning home that have been labelled Gulf War Syndrome, with experts inside and outside the US Govt struggling to produce an explanation. Some theories include exposure to chemical agents, tropical infections or stress. Critics have argued that the lack of detailed medical info about the veterans contributed to the difficulty of solving the mystery. Faced with concern in Congress and among veterans' groups, the Pentagon said it was taking steps to improve its process for assessing the health of troops after their deployment. Troops returning from the war will be required to give blood samples within 30-days of leaving the Gulf region, officials said. These can be compared to blood samples given by the troops before the war, they added. We won't be blackmailed, US tells N Korea Washington. The US has refused to make concessions in exchange for a North Korean commitment to scrap its nuclear weapons program. US Pres George W Bush's top advisers are divided over how to deal with the threat posed by Pyongyang, which is seeking benefits including free oil, energy, economic exchanges and normal relations, according to US officials. US Secretary of State Colin Powell told Congress that the US would not be "blackmailed" but said the administration would "study" the North's disarmament proposal. The Admin stopped short of completely ruling out any concessions if Pyongyang moved in Washington's direction. But White House rep Ari Fleischer bluntly told reporters that Mr Bush would "not reward North Korea for bad behaviour". He said Washington was prepared for a potentially "lengthy" diplomatic effort. North Korea also stood its ground, saying more US-North Korea talks would be pointless if Washington insisted Pyongyang disarm and rejected the North's offer to scrap its atomic arms in return for concessions. North Korea's KCNA news agency went further, saying Washington's stance that it would not "reward" Pyongyang was a mark of ignorance among Bush administration policymakers. "This cannot be construed otherwise than ridiculous jargons of political imbeciles," it said. But Brit Foreign Office Min Bill Rammell, who will hold talks in London with N Korean Vice For Min Choe Su-hon, said the North's disarmament proposal offered a possible starting point. N Korea says US bomb reports "mean trick" Seoul. N Korea has indirectly confirmed in public it has nuclear weapons but accuses the US of using the North's comments on atomic bombs at talks last wk as a "mean trick" to hinder progress. The US State Dept says N Korea told US negotiators at the talks in Beijing that Pyongyang had nuclear weapons and could make more. The North's official KCNA news agency, in a long commentary, said the talks had ended fruitlessly but not in a complete rupture. It said the future of the talks was up to the US. "The US, which possesses the biggest number of nuclear weapons in the world and poses a constant threat to other sovereign countries with them, should scrap its nuclear program before such a small country as the DPRK (North Korea) does," KCNA said. Washington. US DENOUNCES CUBA! The US has denounced Cuba's easy re-election to the UNHRC. It says it's like putting notorious 1920s crime-boss Al Capone in charge of bank security. Whitehouse mouth Ari Fleischer says Cuba doesn't deserve a seat on the Commission, but to be investigated by it. Earlier, the US ambassador to the UN Economic and Social Council walked out after Cuba was elected to the Commission. Cuba was one of 6 countries nominated by the Latin American group to serve for 3 y. Denpassar. BALI TRIAL IN 2 WKS! An Indon judge says it's likely the trial for the Bali bombings will start on May 12 after prosecutors today handed over an indictment against key suspect Amrozi. However Chief Judge of the Denpassar District Court, Made Karna Parna, says the date is not definite. Prosecutors handed over a 33 page indictment which alleges Amrozi participated in exploding a bomb which caused the deaths of 192 people, 161 injuries and destroyed 422 buildings incl Paddy's Bar and Sari Club in Bali's Kuta on Oct 12 last y. Indonesia lambasts AUS for its part in a "gruesome" war Bali. Indonesia has lashed out at AUS, the US and its allies for "a gruesome war" in Iraq, saying it had brought human suffering to a new level. The country's For Min, Hassan Wirajuda, launched his broadside during an internat'l conference on people smuggling in Bali yesterday -- after 1st thanking AUS for co-chairing the meeting of 32 countries. There have been large demos against the war throughout Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world. But AUS's For Min, Alexander Downer, said AUS had gone out of its way to tell Indonesia the war in Iraq was not a war against Islam. The PM, John Howard, is due to meet the UN Sec Gen, Kofi Annan, soon to support a permanent non-veto seat for Indonesia on a revamped Sec Council. Dr Wirajuda's comments were the harshest yet by the Indonesian Govt, which strongly opposed the American decision to invade Iraq without the support of the UN. But Mr Downer played down Dr Wirajuda's comments, saying Indonesia had to manage its problems in its own way. He said the relationship between AUS and Jakarta had strengthened considerably over the past 18 months. The conference focused on people-smuggling and related transnat'l crime. Reports were delivered behind closed doors. Dr Wirayuda said Indonesia would work with internat'l authorities to return asylum seekers to their countries of origin. He said it was against his govt's policy to help boats continue their voyage to AUS. But Indonesia also said it would not detain boat people who arrived on its shores, because it did not want to encourage the development of camps of 1000s of boat people like those that grew up on Galang island, off Sumatra, following the Vietnam War. Today's talks will deal with co-operation to combat terrorism. Indonesian police arrest 41 boat people bound for AUS Jakarta. Indonesian police have arrested 41 Vietnamese boat people bound for AUS after earlier allowing them to sail on. The official Antara news agency says the arrests were made on Sun before the opening of a regional conference in Bali on combating people smuggling. The Vietnamese were detained off the E island of Flores where they are being held pending deportation. Earlier this month, officials on Borneo allowed them to sail on after checking they were not infected with SARS. AUS had expressed concern but avoided directly criticising Indonesia. [The arrests were later denied]. Row breaks out over funding of Woomera computer game Canberra. The Immigration Min, Philip Ruddock, has criticised the Govt's arts funding body for paying $25,000 to the makers of a computer game called Escape from Woomera. The game challenges players to escape from the Woomera detention centre. But Mr Ruddock says the AUS Council should not be supporting something which could promote unlawful behaviour. The AUS Council has defended the decision. The council's Michael Snelling says he cannot see how the game could promote unlawful behaviour. "It's a hypothetical detention centre made of several detention centres and only built around what one sees on the media in any case so I'm not quite sure where the unlawful aspect would enter," he said. Libya Willing to Pay $3B on Lockerbie Tripoli (AP). Libya is willing to pay close to $3 bn to the families of victims of Pan Am Flight 103 after accepting "civil responsibility" for the 1988 explosion over Lockerbie, Scotland, the foreign minister said Tue. The payout was agreed to during negotiations last m between lawyers representing the families and Libya, and is conditional on the lifting of sanctions, For Min Abdel-Rahman Shalqam told The AP. The family of each of the 270 victims will receive $10 mn in 3 installments, he said. After a 1st payment of $4 million, UN sanctions on Libya would be lifted, and after a 2nd $4 mn payment, US sanctions would go, he said. After the final installment, Washington would have to remove Libya from its list of states sponsoring terrorism, Shalqam said in a telephone interview. A UN Sec Council resolution passed in 1992 banned arms sales and air links to Libya to force it to hand over the 2 Libyans indicted in the Lockerbie bombing. After the men were handed over in 1999, the sanctions were suspended, but not lifted. In 2001, a Scottish court convicted a Libyan intel agent, Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, of the bombing and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Libya surrendered al-Megrahi for trial after lengthy negotiations. A 2nd Libyan was acquitted. Mourners Mark Chernobyl Anniversary Kiev (AP), 26 Apr 2003. Russian Orthodox priests led a procession and mourners in the Ukraine laid flowers to honour the victims of Chernobyl and mark the 17th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster. In the capital Kiev, some 80 miles south of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, 100s came to a small hilltop chapel at 1.23 am, the time of the explosion at reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Others mourned their own lost health. "My hair turned gray overnight," said Oleksandr Tymchenko, who had worked in the plant for 22 y, and attended the commemoration early Sat. Some 4,400 people in Ukraine alone were killed in the aftermath of the explosion and subsequent fire, succumbing to radiation-related diseases contracted after taking part in the cleanup effort. In all, about 650,000 so-called "liquidators" travelled to Chernobyl from all over the SU to try to eliminate the consequences of the disaster, which sent a radioactive cloud across Europe. About 7 mn people in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine are estimated to suffer physical or psychological effects of radiation related to the catastrophe. Ukraine shut Chernobyl for good in Dec 2000, but safety concerns remain. Russian Atomic Energy Min Alexander Rumyantsev warned recently that the hastily constructed concrete shelter over the destroyed fourth reactor could collapse and alleged that Ukrainian officials were negligent in monitoring the facility. Child cancers growing after Chernobyl disaster: Irish charity boss Dublin (AFP), 29 Apr 2003. The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in Ukraine is leading to an epidemic-like increase of thyroid cancers among children in neighbouring Belarus, the head of an Irish charity said. "What we are witnessing in Belarus is the erosion of the nation's health," said Adi Roche, founder of the Chernobyl Children's Project, who recently headed a convoy to bring 2.9 mn euros ($3.2 mn) of aid to the country. Since she set up the charity in 1991, it has sent more than 30 million euros worth of aid to affected areas and brought almost 100,000 children for recuperative holidays in Ireland. The world's worst civilian nuclear disaster occurred on Apr 26, 1986, when reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl plant blew up, spewing out a radioactive cloud and contaminating much of Europe. Roche said there were fears that there could be further catastrophes as a cement sarcophagus that encases the damaged reactor "is itself leaking out lethal doses of radiation and may be in danger of collapse. Should this happen there would be an even greater release of radioactivity than in the initial incident." Houston. NASA ZEROING IN ON THE BLEEDING OBVIOUS! Shuttle Columbia accident investigators say they're close to zeroing in on where a hole opened up in the Columbia's left wing. They strongly suspect the fatal blow was caused [WAIT FOR IT!] by a chunk of fly-away foam at liftoff. The board says a fragment of a panel or seal along the vulnerable leading edge of Columbia's left wing is almost certainly what was missing when Columbia descended through the atm 3 m ago this wk. Adelaide. INTERNAL FRAUD BIG PROB FOR AUS BUSINESS! Insurers have warned businesses to be on the alert for internal fraud, saying it's the most common form of business crime in AUS. SA insurer, SGIC, which is part of the Insurance AUS Group, says a recent KPMG report found 55% of businesses have been affected by internal fraud in the past 12 m. That cost business about $1/4 bn pa, yet only 3% of companies take out fraud insurance. Sydney. 12 HOSPITALISED AFTER GASSING! 12 people have been taken to hosp after inhaling an un-ID'd odourless gas in SYD's W. A Fire Brigade rep says the group was evacuated from a building in Carter St, Homebush Bay, and given oxygen after complaining of headaches. An ambulance services rep says they've since been transferred to Westmead Hosp, where they remain in a stable condition with breathing problems, nausea and abdominal cramps. Sydney. BRIDGE TO BE REBUILT! NSW Transp Min Michael Costa says the Menangle rail bridge in SYD's SW will be urgently rebuilt. The bridge was reported as being structurally dangerous on Mar 6 and was closed on Mar 27 -- 5 days after the NSW election. The bridge re-opened last Thu with speed and weight restrictions after maintenance work worth $1/2 mn. Mr Costa told reporters work will begin on the bridge's replacement tonight. Sydney. MARKETS! The share market was marginally lower, despite most pharmaceuticals performing as rival Pan remained in trading halt after a record recall. The All Ords barely moved, down 0.3 pts to 2,971. AUD hits 3-y high Sydney. The AUD has been to a new 3-y high against the American greenback this morning. The local currency has peaked at 62.40 US cents, following closely in the footsteps of a surging euro. Around 12.30 AEST, it was only just off its high at 62.37 {{ IT'S DAY FORTY-ONE. 9 pm Fallujah. American soldiers have again fired on a crowd of demonstrators, killing 2 and injuring about a dozen others. US cmdrs say some in the crowd were armed, and the US troops were fired on first. }} ---------------------------------------- Thu, 1 May 2003 150 killed in Turkey quake Boarding school collapses in Turkey quake 11 killed in minibus collision 7 dead, 60,000 evacuated in Argentine flood 12 SARS relapses Canada hosts SARS summit as more deaths reported Annan backs end to Iraq sanctions Some troops to stay "as long as needed": Hill Iran tops US terrorism blacklist Bush hails Pakistan's arrest of Al Qaeda leader AFP continues hunt for Indonesian terrorists Outspoken Zimbabwean mayor suspended UN sanctions will mean war: NK Ships head towards offshore rigs Road map talks US raids Saddam's home Iraqi war over Fri AUS to keep 1,000 troops in Gulf May Day anti-war numbers down Viet boat people moved to IOM Shuttle survivors found Airport screeners to be sacked Save medicard Vic crime numbers down Noongar people trace their roots Wind project to go ahead AUS's biggest wind farm gets go-ahead Pokies shutdown The wine party is over Beef sales rely on "green" credentials Inquest hears faulty fuel hose caused ship fire Police question men after seige AUD soars as greenback falters AMP shares on hold Govt supports Qantas/NZ deal Chief of Pan stands down Markets Ankara. 150 KILLED IN TURKEY QUAKE! At least 150 people have been killed in an 6.4 earthquake that hit Turkey's E prov of Bingol. Housing Min Zeki Ergezen told private NTV 300 are also injured. A previous toll given by Bingol Gov Avni Cos had spoken of 30 dead. The minister says considerable damage has been wrought in the prov. Gulay Barbarosoglu, dir of the Istanbul seismological inst, says a quake measuring 6.8 claimed some 900 lives in the prov on May 22, 1971. Boarding school collapses in Turkey quake Ankara. A powerful earthquake has hit Turkey's E Bingol province, burying 135 pupils under the rubble of a collapsed boarding school. NTV television has quoted Turkish Housing Min Zeki Ergezen as confirming the school has collapsed. Earlier reports said about 30 people had been killed in the quake. Those figures were provided by the Governor of Bingol province. The quake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, struck in the middle of the night. It also caused other buildings to collapse, sending 100s of frightened residents onto the streets. Cape Town. 11 KILLED IN MINIBUS COLLISION! At least 11 people, incl 8 children, have been burned to death and 19 others injured when 2 minibuses hit head-on in Kwa Zulu Natal. A traffic officer says both vehicles burst into flames after slamming into each other close to the coastal town of Pt Shepstone. The state broadcaster says the children were on their way home from school. 7 dead, 60,000 evacuated in Argentine flood BA. A state of emergency has been declared in a province of Argentina where flooding has left at least 7 people dead and forced a mass evacuation. Caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde has declared it a nat'l disaster and promised to send $US4 mn in aid. The Argentine central province of Santa Fe is awash after torrential rain. The death toll is rising and at least 60,000 people have already been evacuated. It is the worst-ever flooding in the region. But some of the homeless have complained the politicians have been too slow to react following last Sun's election. Pres Dudhalde has strongly denied the charge, promised aid and sent two ministers to the disaster zone. HK. 12 SARS RELAPSES! HK medical authorities are investigating after 12 patients who recovered from SARS suffered relapses. The news comes as concerns grow that the virus could be retransmitted. The Hosp Auth'y has launched an inquiry over 12 SARS patients who suffered relapses after being released from hospitals. 6 of the patients are back in hosp and their condition is described as stable, while the other 6 have been released. Canada hosts SARS summit as more deaths reported Toronto. Health experts from Canada, the US and HK discussed lessons learned and the puzzles behind SARS, which has killed more than 370 people worldwide, including 23 in Canada. Canada has been the worst hit country outside of Asia, but Toronto was taken off a World Health Organisation (WHO) travel blacklist as the meeting started. Late Wed, Ontario health authorities reported 2 more SARS-linked deaths, including a 39-year-old man who is Canada's youngest victim to date. Officials said earlier this wk that 5 SARS-afflicted people remain in critical condition in hospital and more deaths could occur. The 2-day conference gave a chance to more than 100 scientists, epidemiologists and health officials to look at "what did we do well, what can we do better next time," said J. Scott Broughton, of the fed health agency, Health Canada. The meeting -- mostly attended by Canadian fed, provincial and municipal health officials -- also included a handful of health representatives from HK and the US as well as Chinese diplomats. WHO officials are to attend the meeting on Thu as well as to review the SARS situation on the ground in Toronto, the epicentre of the SARS outbreak in Canada, which has a total of 346 possible SARS cases, including 23 deaths. Annan backs end to Iraq sanctions NY. UN secretary-general Kofi Annan says the Sec Council must lift the economic sanctions currently imposed on Iraq. The US has asked the council to remove the sanctions, although members are divided. Some believe a new UN resolution could justify the war in Iraq after the fact. Mr Annan is siding with the US and has asked the Sec Council to end Iraq's isolation. "There's no doubt that the sanctions will have to be lifted and the oil-for-food will have to be phased out," he said. US Pres George W Bush is due to make a victory speech of sorts tomorrow. He will address his nation, telling Americans that the major combat phase in Iraq is over. Some troops to stay "as long as needed": Hill Canberra. The Fed Govt has announced some AUS military forces will now be required to remain in Iraq for an extended period of time to provide specialist assistance. At least 150 AUS troops will stay in Iraq for as long as they are needed. The Govt continues to insist AUS will not be providing a large scale peacekeeping force in post-war Iraq. But it has now announced it will provide assistance in areas it says the AUS military is still required. The commitment includes 60 air traffic control personnel to work at the Baghdad airport, 16 specialists to assist in the hunt for weapons of mass destruction, 75 servicemen to protect the AUS mission to be established in Baghdad, as well as 2 Hercules transport aircraft. Def Min Robert Hill says AUS has a responsibility to contribute to stabilising the country and helping it get back on its feet. But he says it does not constitute a large scale peacekeeping commitment. The troops include 35 infantry soldiers from the 2nd battalion RAR based in Townsville, and elements of communications and logistics from the Third Brigade. Iran tops US terrorism blacklist Washington. Iran has again topped the US terrorism blacklist and has been named the world's "most active" state sponsor of terrorism. The US's annual "Patterns of Global Terrorism" report accuses Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Intelligence and Security of involvement in terrorist attacks last year. It also says the Govt was actively supporting anti-Israel groups. The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, says inclusion on the blacklist brings with it a variety of US sanctions, including bans on arms sales and economic measures. Mr Powell has recommended the immediate lifting of terrorism-related sanctions against Iraq due to the ousting of Saddam Hussein's regime. Bush hails Pakistan's arrest of Al Qaeda leader Washington. US Pres Bush Jr has heaped praise on Pakistan for arresting 6 suspected members of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, calling it a major coup in the global war on terrorism. Mr Bush specifically hailed the detention of Waleed Mohammad bin Attash, alias Khalid, a Yemeni believed to be linked to the Oct 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole, as "a major, significant find". Earlier, Pakistan announced that the 6 suspects were planning a major terrorist attack when they were snared on Tue in a raid in Karachi, the violent S port city where 100s of Islamic extremists are believed to be hiding out and where dozens have been captured. Brig Cheema identified the Yemeni as Waleed Mohammad bin Attash alias Khalid and said he was suspected of being involved in the attack on the US destroyer Cole in which 17 American sailors were killed. Bin Laden's network claimed responsibility for the ramming of an explosives-laden boat into the destroyer's hull while it was docked in Aden harbor. AFP continues hunt for Indonesian terrorists Canberra. AUS police experts are to continue working in Indonesia for the foreseeable future to help track down terrorist networks. A Parliamentary inquiry in CBR has been told that the AUS Fed Police (AFP) still has a significant team on the ground in Indonesia. The For Aff Dept asst sec for Anti-Terrorism and Intel Policy, Bryce Hutchison, says the AUS police are investigating the Bali bombings and helping with wider work on terrorist groups. Outspoken Zimbabwean mayor suspended Harare. Zimbabwe's govt has suspended the mayor of the capital, Harare, who is also a prominent figure in the opp'n movement. The Zimbabwean govt has accused the mayor of mismanagement and encouraging council workers to take part in anti-govt strikes. Elias Mudzuri has been suspended indefinitely. Local Govt Min Ignatius Chombo made the announcement on state-run television. But Mr Mudzuri, who is the 1st member of the opp'n to be elected as the mayor of Harare, says the allegations against him are baseless and he will not comply with the govt's orders. The mayor was arrested and detained for 2 days earlier this y after he attempted to hold a meeting with ratepayers. Seoul. UN SANCTIONS WILL MEAN WAR: NK! NK says it will regard any US move to seek UN sanctions against the communist country as a green light to a war. The warning comes after S and N Korea agreed to try to peacefully resolve the nuclear crisis. But Pyongyang has said further talks with the US are useless unless it drops its demand that the N first scrap suspected nuclear weapons programs. NK says abandoning such programs will leave it defenceless and has in the past said sanctions will be seen as a step toward war. Lagos. SHIPS HEAD TOWARDS OFFSHORE RIGS! Nigerian navy ships are sailing toward offshore drilling rigs where 97 foreigners are being held after talks to resolve the 11-day hostage standoff broke off. About 100 disgruntled Nigerian oil workers have been holding 35 Britons, 17 Americans and 1 Canadian aboard 4 rigs off Nigeria's coast. About 170 Nigerian workers are also being held. Talks between oil company and union officials broke off yesterday after about 4 wks. Jerusalem. ROAD MAP TALKS! Internat'l mediators launched a US-led Middle E peace initiative today, undeterred by a suicide bombing that killed 3 in a crowded Tel Aviv nightclub. But Hamas, one of the militant groups behind the attack, quickly rejected the "road map" aimed at ending 31 m of Israeli-Palestinian violence. The road map marks Washington's biggest push yet to revive peacemaking since Israel re-occupied most of the W Bank last summer. It also calls for a Palestinian state by 2005. Tikrit. US RAIDS SADDAM'S HOME! Heavily-armed US army troops have raided a house in former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit. And they've arrested a local Baath Party official accused of trying to run a shadow regime opposing coalition forces. Troops with the 4th Inf have refused to release the official's name, citing security reasons. 5 Bradleys surrounded the 2-storey villa in a neighbourhood formerly reserved for Baath Party members. Washington. IRAQI WAR OVER FRI! The Whitehouse says Bush is set to declare fighting in Iraq essentially over in a speech from the deck of a US carrier at sea on Fri. Whitehouse rep Ari Fleischer says Fri's announcement will advise that the major combat operations have ended aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as it head towards San Diego. US officials have warned that Pres Bush will not declare victory in Iraq. Canberra. AUS TO KEEP 1,000 TROOPS IN GULF! AUS will keep a 1,000-strong force in the Gulf, incl a new detachment of 75 soldiers to guard Aussies working in Baghdad. Def Min Robert Hill says the US is very pleased with the contribution. However Labor has accused the govt of making an indefinite commitment to peacekeeping in the turbulent country. Sen Hill announced AUS's contribution to Iraq's rehabilitation, to be called Operation Cata{lyst,clysm}. Sydney. MAY DAY ANTI-WAR NUMBERS DOWN! Just a few dozen protesters, bolstered by lunchtime onlookers, gathered in SYD's CBD today to celebrate May Day. Organisers expected rain to impact on numbers at the internat'l labour day event, but are clearly disappointed by the small turnout. The protesters marched from Martin Place to the Kent St offices of Kellogg, Brown and Root, a division of a US corp that is bidding for construction contracts in post-war Iraq. [Other reports say 10s of 1000s marched across Russia, 1000s in London, Berlin, Paris and Jakarta]. Jakarta. VIET BOAT PEOPLE MOVED TO IOM! The Internat'l Organisation for Migration has taken charge of 42 Vietnamese boat people who became stranded off E Indon while bound for AUS. Police say the group was taken to Lembata Is, off Flores Is, on Mon after the engine of their 15-m boat broke down. The state Antara news agency said earlier the Vietnamese had been arrested. But Indon police say they were only housed in a police station before being handed over to the IOM. Cape Canaveral. SHUTTLE SURVIVORS FOUND! 100s of works being used in a science experiment on the Columbia space shuttle have been found alive in the wreckage. NASA says the worms were in debris found in TX several wks ago. Technicians sorting through the debris at Kennedy Space Centre in Fla didn't open their containers until this wk. The worms were part of an experiment testing a synthetic nutrient, and were in a locker in the mid-deck of the shuttle. Washington. AIRPORT SCREENERS TO BE SACKED! The US govt says it will sack 6,000 of the country's passenger and baggage screeners at airports to save money. It also says it will abolish a requirement for police to staff all airport checkpoints. Transp Sec Admin chief James Loy says while it's still a dangerous world, it's also time to assess workplace requirements in relation to budget realities. Loy says the measures will refine aviation security. Sydney. SAVE MEDICARD! The Save Medicare Alliance will be officially launched today to oppose the federal govt's Medicare reform package. The alliance was formed to give voice to widespread community anger and fear that the govt's $917 mn plan will put an end to bulk billing. Rep Shane O'Brien says they hope that with a strong community-focused campaign, the SMA will shore up parliamentary support for the fundamental principles of Medicare. Melbourne. VIC CRIME NUMBERS DOWN! Vic Police Chief Comm'er Christine Nixon says the state's latest crime figures have been released so early because they're so good. The interim figures dropped 8.4% since last Jul. In the y to March, thefts of motor vehicles were down 27.4%, homicides were down 17.3%, and robberies were down 18.4%. Prem Steve Bracks says it's a stunning decrease and a tribute to his govt's commitment to improvising police facilities and staffing levels. Noongar people trace their roots Perth. WA's entire Noongar population is to be traced back to the original 200 families that populated the SW. The SW Aboriginal Land and Sea Council program will be the basis of a joint native title bid over the region. Aboriginal elders, anthropologists and oral histories will be consulted to place all of the state's estimated 30,000 Noongars into one of the original families. Council chief executive Daryl Pearce says it is the 1st project of its type. He says when finished, the program will enable representatives of the original inhabitants to have a say in the native title claim. "It's something that's never been done before, probably in AUS let alone the SW," he said. "But it's our view that it's the Noongar people, the Noongar families, that need to be speaking so one of the things that we want to do is get the voices from the ground." Melbourne. WIND PROJECT TO GO AHEAD! The development of AUS's largest wind farm is set to go ahead. The Vic govt has given planning approval for the Portland Wind Energy Project, in the state's SW. Reg'l Devel't Min John Brumby says the developer, Pacific Hydro, will start work on the $270 mn project before the end of the y. It will build 120 wind generators at Cape Bridgewater, Cape Nelson, Cape Sir William Grant and Yambuk. AUS's biggest wind farm gets go-ahead Melbourne. The Vicn Govt has given the final go-ahead for AUS's largest wind farm in SW Vic. The $270 mn Portland wind energy project was given approval in principle last year, but final planning approval depended on some wind turbines being moved from sensitive sites. The Vicn Min for State and Regional Development, John Brumby, says the project will generate 400 local jobs during the construction phase, and 500 ongoing jobs. He says the project will provide environmental and economic benefits to Vic. "It's the largest wind power project anywhere in AUS, producing enough power to power a city the size of Geelong and I think we've done that in a way which is environmentally balanced, gives us green energy and does it in a way which generates maximum jobs," Mr Brumby said. Sydney. POKIES SHUTDOWN! All poker machines in NSW will be shut down for 6 hrs a day, starting today. Gaming and Racing Min Grant McBride says under laws passed in Dec 2001, poler machines will be switched off from 4 am to 10 am each day. Mr McB says the shutdown is part of the govt's harm minimisation program. The Liquor Admin Board will solely determine who can be exempted from the 6-hr shutdown. Poker machines will still be turned off for 3 hrs a day if an exception is granted. LA. THE WINE PARTY IS OVER! A panel of Cal wine experts from the LA Times has given Aussie wines a big thumbs down, describing some popular drops as "excellent lighter fluid" and "tasting like acidic water". One of the US judges described the Wolf Blass 2001 SA Sharaz Cabernet Red Label as "tasting like cherry cough syrup". The LA Times dedicated most of the front page of its food section yesterday to Aussie wines, detailing the success Aussie wine-makers have had in selling into the US. Beef sales rely on "green" credentials Rockhampton. AUS's reputation for quality and "clean and green" products are crucial in attracting beef sales, a delegate at Beef AUS 2003 in Rockhampton says. Gadafi Mopi represents the Brunei Export Company, which imports live cattle from the N Territory. He says AUS is the only nation the Brunei Govt allows to send to live cattle to the country. "The major thing is the AUS product is not affected with health protocols like other countries, like mad cow disease or something," he said. Inquest hears faulty fuel hose caused ship fire Perth. A coronial inquest has heard allegations about the true cause of a fatal fire on HMAS Westralia, amid claims the Navy tried to cover up the incident. A naval board of inquiry found a faulty fuel hose caused the blaze in the ship's engine room off Fremantle in 1998, killing 4 sailors. The inquiry found the Navy and civilian contractors, AUS Defence Industries, were partly to blame. The families of the dead sailors are trying to prove an injector line may have been damaged when repaired by sailors using incorrect tools. The claims come after a former sailor said she was cautioned by senior naval officers about informing the inquiry of the repairs, because the contractors were going to try to make the Navy look bad. But an engineer told the inquest it is extremely unlikely anything other than the faulty fuel hose caused the fire. The inquest continues. Police question men after seige Adelaide. Police are still questioning 2 men over a shooting at Newton in SA this morning that resulted in STAR officers laying seige to a home. They surrounded the house on Newton Road at about 8:00am ACST, after a man went to a nearby service station claiming he had been shot. He is being treated in hospital for superficial wounds. The incident involving armed officers ended after about 2 hours when the pair gave themselves up. During the stand-off, Newton Road was closed and classes were disrupted at a Catholic Primary School across the road. Chief Inspector Oleh Cybulka says police are also searching for another two men seen leaving the house. AUD soars as greenback falters The AUD has made further milestone gains overnight, rising to new 3-y highs against a wilting US dollar. The Aussie has been as high as 62.69 US cents, the strongest it has been against the Greenback since Feb 2000. The significant moves on global markets overnight occurred just ahead of the expiry of currency options in London. Investors worried about the prospects for the US economy sold off the US dollar. 2 new private-sector surveys are indicating weak manufacturing activity and subdued business confidence in the US. Although Fed Reserve chief Alan Greenspan has told a congressional committee overnight that the American economy is poised for a rebound, he admits its extent and timing are uncertain. AMP shares on hold Sydney. Shares in AMP Limited will remain suspended from trade on the ASX until Mon, as it seeks to raise $1.5 bn from investors. The capital raising is part of a key strategic shift, that will see AMP split in 2. The troublesome UK businesses are to be spun off into a separate company called Henderson. The Australasian operations will continue to be known as AMP. The demerger will also be accompanied by a write-down of $2.6 billion, reflecting a reduction in the book value of the company's UK businesses. The credit ratings agencies Moody's and Standard & Poor's are both now scrutinising the proposal, signalling possible downgrades on the company. S&P's financial services analyst Kate Thompson says all its ratings for AMP have been placed on "creditwatch negative". Canberra. GOVT SUPPORTS QANTAS/NZ DEAL! The fed govt has come out in support of the proposed Qantas alliance with Air NZ. It's urging the airlines to meet the demands of the competition watchdog. The ACCC has so far blocked the $1/2 bn deal on the grounds it could create higher airfares and hurt competition. But the Transp Min John Anderson says the future of Qantas won't be secure if the deal doesn't go ahead. However Mr Anderson says safeguards must be put in place to protect consumers. Sydney. CHIEF OF PAN STANDS DOWN! The head of Pan Pharmaceuticals, Jim Selim, has stood aside 4 days after grave safety and quality breaches cost his company its manufacturing licence. A critical audit by the TGA sparked the recall of more than 668 complementary health-care products and the 6 m suspension of Pan's licence. The company says Selim will remain a non-exec dir of the contract manufacturer but won't perform any exec role or speak publicly about the company. Sydney. MARKETS! The ASX closed down today, with finance stocks pushed down on news of AMP's planned split and $1.5 bn capital raising. The indexes headed lower, but bounced back in late trading. The All Ords ended down 5.3 pts (0.2%) to 2,966. Gold is trading around $US339/oz. Oil is $US26.15/bbl. The Aussie Battler is off recent highs at around 62.65 US c. {{ IT'S DAY FORTY-TWO. 6 am It's expected Pres Bush will declare the Iraqi war officially at an end within 24 hrs. The global death toll from SARS has passed 370. AUS will hold an international briefing on the disease in MEL next wk. Delegates from 40 countries will attend. The AUD is travelling at 62.62 US c. The result is due to a falling USD. The euro is currently at 4-y highs against the greenback. Gold is trading around $US339/oz. Oil is around $US25.92/bbl. Flamboyant investment advisor and inhabitant of late-night ads, Rene Rivkin, has been found guilty of insider trading related to an airline merger. During the trial, he denied the charges and said he didn't believe any of the claims of the prosecution's star witness, an airline exec. He now faces up to 5 y in jail. Rivkin says the conviction is an injustice. If the charges were true, he's said previously, he could have profited by only $several 1000s. He told reporters he planned to write a book exposing the story of his persecution by investment officials. But first he's going to fight the conviction. 2 men with Brit passports have been blamed for a Tel Aviv bombing that killed 3. There were 2 suicide bombers. One bomber was killed but the other fled after his device failed to explode. Police are still hunting him. Pakistan has arrested a suspect in connection with the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole. There's news of a new accounting scandal at Tyco. New CEO, Ed Green, had said if he found more accounting problems in the company after he took over then heads would roll. Guess what? A new "accounting problem" of $US1.2 bn has been discovered, and the company will take a $1.2 bn charge against earnings. The error happened at subsidiary ADT Security Alarms. Alan Greenspan says US growth will be noticeably better this y if investment picks up. Factories face enough orders now to face backlogs. The economy remains solid, he told a committee. Greenspan's comments came on news of a 2nd straight contraction in business investment in the US mid-west. The US has delivered its "roadmap" to Middle E peace to Israeli and Palestinian leaders. The Dow closed down 23 pts (0.3%) to 8,480 on mixed economic news. The Nasdaq is also down 7 pts to 1,464. 8 Greenpeace protesters have been fined $440 each for obstructing the departure of the HMAS Sydney to the Gulf. Activists had blocked the channel with a chain and climbed onto the ship's hull when it was departing for GWII. Police blasted the penalties as "inadequate". Greenpeace says it would do the same thing again. Sec of State Colin Powell says now Iraq has been defeated the threat from international terrorism has significantly decreased. [He produced evidence that number of terrorist attacks world-wide have declined since the US attacked Afghanistan as "proof"; but also a classic fallacy]. He's suggested Iraq should now be removed from the UN list of terrorism-sponsoring states. 9 am There are new studies in the UK that purport to show that fish feel pain. A prev study supported by angling groups showed fish did not experience pain. Researchers this time say they measured the physiological responses to injecting bee venom into the lips of fish to show they experience pain. But the latest study has its detractors. A rep for the angling industry in the UK argued that if fish felt pain then they would not pull against a hook, but would swim toward the angler. He said in all his experience he'd only found the former. Midday. AUS ABC TV. Fallujah. Anti-US protests continue in the pro-Saddam town. A US patrol retreated after it was met with a hail of shoes. The protests have been fuelled by 2 shooting incidents. On Mon, 13 were killed by US soldiers during an anti-US protest outside a school. In a 2nd incident, 2 were killed and 15 wounded when protesters, according to the US cmdr, threw rocks and shot at them at a Baath Part HQ, which the US is also using as a military HQ. There was also a killing in the N town of Mosul during anti-US demos there. A snr US cmdr says the young US troops may be having a problem with telling who represents a genuine threat. But US cmdrs in Fallujah say that is not the case here. They maintain they were shot out from the crowd. One cmdr told reporters shooting could be heard "all the time" in the town. He speculated it was Iraqis shooting other Iraqis and blaming the US for it. Sante Fe. Flooding has now resulted in the deaths of at least 5 people in N Argentina. 10s of 1000s of others have been left homeless. The local soccer stadium looks like a lake. Fortunately, crops had been harvested before the floods hit. Fallujah. Another day, another attack. 7 US soldiers have been injured in a grenade attack. 2 men escaped after lobbed grenades over the wall of the US compound. }} ---------------------------------------- Fri, 2 May 2003 NY. MARKETS! The Dow closed down 26 pts to 8,454. Gold was 2.65 higher, at $US342/oz. The FTSE is presently down 46 pts to 3,880. The German Dax is up 33 to 2,942. In AUS, the balance of trade data is out at 11 am today. Economists expect Mar exports to be weighed down by the fall of the USD. The median expectation is for a $1.6 bn deficit. The Feb, the trade deficit was $1.873 bn, compared with $1.306 bn in Jan. [The deficit number came in under expectation at $1.5 bn]. The AUD is trading just above 63 US c. Oil is just over $US26/bbl. Celtiksuyu. WORKERS SEARCH FOR TRAPPED CHILDREN! Rescuers have continued to search the wreckage of a school for children trapped in a dormitory after a powerful quake killed nearly 100 in Turkey's impoverished E. Some 72 children have been saved, while the bodies of 12 children and a teacher have been recovered. Up to 90 children are still unaccounted for. PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan says nearly 100 people were killed in the region while local officials say 1000 were injured. Baghdad. 4 KILLED IN BAGHDAD SHOOTOUT! At least 4 people have been killed and more than 32 badly burned when unknown gunmen shot up a petrol tanker, sending waves of fire through a Baghdad petrol stn. Witnesses say the crowd was celebrating the resumption of electricity, but others say the accident happened when Iraqis and US troops exchanged fire. US soldiers who rushed to the scene said they thought someone had shot at the tanker intentionally. Doctors fought to save people with almost all their skin burned away, but had to work in darkness after the power was cut. [Later reports characterised this as a celebration that got out of hand. Electricity had come back on in the area, and people started to celebrate -- by firing into the air. Some of the rounds landed in the stn]. NY. ANNAN BLASTS ISRAEL! UN Sec-Gen Annan has accused Israel of undermining a new Middle E peace initiative by attacking a Gaza City neighbourhood and killing at least 12 people. Chief UN rep Fred Eckhard says Annan believes such Israeli military incursions contradict internat'l efforts to restart the peace process. The Israeli raid follows the release of the long-awaited "road map to Middle E peace", which outlines steps for an end to 31 m of Israeli-Palestinian violence and the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005. Canberra. HOWARD OFF TO US! PM Howard is on his way to the US where he'll join Pres Bush Jr at his Crawford ranch for some horse riding and celebrations for the end of the war in Iraq. Mr Howard made it clear before flying out that he will tell Bush AUS won't be sending peacekeepers to Iraq. Pres Bush Jr is set to declare an end to combat operations in Iraq from the deck of a US carrier off the Cal coast later this morning, AUS time. The announcement of the speech has forced a change to Mr Howard's program. Canberra. GENERICS STILL OK: GOVT! The fed govt has assured Aussies that medicines prescribed by doctors, both brand and generic, are not affected by the Pan Pharmaceutical recall. The assurance came yesterday as the embattled head of the company, Jim Selim, stood aside 4 days after grave safety and quality breaches cost his company its manufacturing license. Health Min Key Patterson says some people are confused the products affected by the recall with generic prescription drugs. Melbourne. OPP'N PLANS MOVES ON MEDICARD! Opp'n and minor party politicians join health, welfare, church and union groups in MEL today to organise opposition to the fed govt's Medicard reform package. Convened by the ACTU, the Medicare meeting is mart of a national union campaign against the proposed changes to Medicard. It comes a day after AUS's 4 leading medical GP groups urged to govt to reconsider its $917 mn reform package. The medical coalition says the reforms don't improve access and cost for patients. {{ IT'S DAY FORTY-THREE. 0.15 am Canadian researchers say they've found the SARS virus in only 40% of patients who exhibit symptoms. They've reported they also found the virus in some people that weren't exhibiting symptoms. The results aren't definitive, but some experts suspect more than one virus may be involved in the disease. BBC World News, Bangkok. With a death toll of 2,500, Thailand's 3-m anti-narcotic campaign has been declared a success by the govt. The PM says 90% of the problem has been eradicated and Thailand will soon be free of drugs. He said 75% of drug dealers had been "eliminated". He says the govt will declare the country drug-free by Dec 2. The Thai campaign has drawn angry criticism from human rights groups who label it an assassination campaign. But the govt says most of those shot were within crime gangs. The police haven't investigated a single killing, and no post mortems were done. No official was arrested in connection with the drug trade. SARS. The Chinese govt has announced 11 deaths from SARS in the past 24 hrs. 187 new patients infected with the virus have been registered. The WHO says medical facilities in Beijing are strained to breaking pt. It warns Inner Mongolia may be the next hot spot. In HK, 5 more people had died, with 11 new cases reported. It also says 12 patients appear to have relapsed. In Sing the world's biggest telecom trade fare cancelled. China has begun broadcasts of a 24 hr news channel. CCTV will become permanent in 2 m. China is attempting to spread its influence through the world. It's pledged $150 mn over 5 y to help rebuild Afghanistan. A diplomat says China is returning to the country to support Asian stability. Analysts say Beijing is worried US influence in the region threaten it's own interests. In Kabul, China is also helping Afghan entrepreneurs start up in business. They helped startup the first Chinese restaurant in the city last y. 1.30 am BBC World News gave new bulletin from several decades. China's GDP grew by 7% this y, for the 25th y in a row... China says it will withdraw from the Kyoto Treaty, saying it placed unnecessary restrictions on its business sector... China says the time has come to act. The Chinese Prem said he would order the army into Saudi Arabia to forcibly remove its WMD. He says there is no need for a 2nd UN Resolution, as argued by the USA and Britain. 2 am BBC World News. Workers in Turkey are still trying to reach children trapped in the ruins of their school. The 4-storey building pancaked in the mag 6.4 quake. At least 200 children were in the dormitory at the time. 75 were rescued, 25 were found dead in the rubble. A reporter said 4 children had been pulled out alive during the last couple of hrs. Workers say they can't hear any children' voices now. A local man whose child was rescued from the building told reporters the stable he'd built with his own hands had survived the quake, but the concrete school had not. More than 80 died in the overnight quake. More than 400 were injured. It's expected the death toll will rise to at least 150. May Day. In Russia, 10s of 1000s across the country marched in protests, some supported by the Communist Party, some by activists, and some by local govts. Several 100 Communist marched in Baghdad for the first time in decades. The party had been banned under Saddam, although May 1 was a nat'l holiday. In London, about 3,000 police were on hand to guide 1000s of demos along their snake-like march route. They ended in Traf Sq. 20 black police riot vehicles arrived. There were 7 arrests and 1 was charged. Protests will last until after dark. Protesters in Berlin threw fireworks at police. More than 100 were arrested. Several 1000s joined in a union-organised march, protesting against the left-wing govt. Members of the far right marched in Berlin's Olympic stadium. In Jakarta, a round-about in the C of the city is the start of most protests. It's a major road junction, but it was a no go area for traffic starting in the afternoon. 1000s from student and labour orgs marched round and round, waving banners. There were scuffles with police when some moved toward Megawatti's house. But most were satisfied with calling for her resignation. A group nr Tokyo has blocked off roads and refused to move. They say their elderly female guru is sick. Police have been sent to the area. The group has made claims about the dangers of electromagnetic radiation. They've put white screens around the area to ward them off. They also claim the world will end on May 15th, destroyed by global tidal-waves. 8 am The global SARS death toll has passed 390. 2 new cases in Toronto have dashed that city's hopes to declare itself free of the virus. Police are investigating the theft of 1 mn cold tablets from Pan Pharmaceuticals that could be turned into amphetamine tabs. US Def Sec Rumsfeld has announced the end of major US military operations in Afghanistan. The first sentence for the Bali bombing has been handed down in Indon. A man accused of arranging for the purchase of the chemicals used to make the bomb has been sentenced to 7 m jail. Midday. With 2004 in mind, US Pres Bush addressed the American people from a US carrier off the Cal coast. Mr Bush said the combat operation in Iraq was over. In the last 19 m the US had changed the world, he said. The 9/11 attackers had declared war on the US, said the Pres, and war was what they got. But the use of force was always a last resort, added Bush. Aussie special forces have come under fire from "lawless elements" W of Baghdad. The Aussies were patrolling the area as part of normal operations. Brig Hannan says their job wasn't to police up the streets of Baghdad, so they withdrew from the contact. He said the Aussies were special forces not connected with the SAS. }} ======================================== (*) 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. *** COULD YOU KEEP THE SHOOTING DOWN! SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO READ! ***