From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia
Reserch Senter(*)
		OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS   #52
                ===============================
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/
Iraqi Body Count: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ [4,849+ as at 23 May 2003].

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Selecting latest news stories and other data for you...
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I have said throughout ... I have absolutely no doubt about the
existence of weapons of mass destruction. Rather than speculating
[!!], let's just wait until we get the full report back from our
people who are interviewing the Iraqi scientists. We have already
found 2 trailers that we and the Americans believe [speculate?] were
used for chemical and biological weapons.
	-- Tony Blair, 28 May 2003, going to Kuwait City.

I know there are a lot of disagreements in the country about the
wisdom of my decision to order the action, but I can assure you of one
thing, there is absolutely no dispute in Britain at all about your
professionalism and your courage and dedication.
	-- Tony Blair, 29 May 2003, addressing troops in Basra, S Iraq.

We have only just begun the process of investigating the various sites
... You have just got to have a little bit of patience. I have
absolutely no doubt at all when we produce the further evidence, that
evidence will be found and I have absolutely no doubt it exists
because Saddam's history of weapons of mass destruction is not some
invention of the British security services. It has been well documented
over 12 y of lies and deception from Saddam.
	-- Tony Blair, 30 May 2003, Warsaw.

We have ... to investigate literally 100s, possibly even 1000s, of
different sites. That work is only just beginning. What I have said to
people is, over the coming weeks and months, that we will assemble
this evidence and then we will give it to people. And I have no doubt
whatever that the evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction will
be there.  Absolutely.
	-- Tony Blair, 31 May 2003, pre-summit, St Petersburg.

Every single statement we have made that we said was based on
intelligence was based on intelligence, cleared by the Joint Intelligence
Committee. Any suggestion that we somehow manufactured the
intelligence is completely and utterly false.
	-- Tony Blair, 1 Jun 2003, G8 summit, Evian, France.

I stand absolutely 100 percent behind [the evidence of WMD].
	-- Tony Blair, 2 Jun 2003.

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Mon, 02 Jun 2003.

Markets
Congo militia claims 352 killed nr Bunia 
Suu Kyi injured, 70 killed in crackdown: NLD
At least 27 drown in Pakistan picnic tragedy 
Saudi shoot-out possible link to Riyadh bombings
When spies meet spin... 
Short renews attack over WMD and Blair's "deception"
Blair hints at secret files on Iraq's weapons
Downer unsure if Iraq had weapons ready to fire
Alex Downer: No need to review intel over Iraq
AUS to support US review of defence strategy 
DFAT to hold inquiry into Iraqi document leak
Police probe alleged leaks from "workplace agreements" office
Coalition says planes shot at while landing in Iraq
Red Cross to help deliver messages in Iraq
No time for "national conference" on new Iraq: US
UN resumes monthly food rations in Iraq
Revealed: the cluster bombs that litter Iraq 
Japanese photographer jailed over fatal souvenir
US threatens French plan help African farmers
Bush, Putin urge N Korea, Iran on nukes 
NK finishes reprocessing
Samudra on trial
Aceh rebels abduct 13 local officials 
Indonesia summons envoy over Sweden-based Aceh rebels 
Muslim rebels start ceasefire in Philippines 
Canadian SARS toll rises to 31
Wheat virus quarantine program cancelled
Aussies among top 10 "spenders" in the world
From Cannes to St Kilda, "Cracker Bag" a winner
Rec fishers angry about reef "green zone" plan
Three Gorges closes the gates
Another aftershock hits Algeria
Shoestring to Mars

Brisbane. MARKETS!  The ASX finished firmer today led by the banks
and resources after the US pushed higher Fri.  The All Ords closed up
25 pts at 3,004.  Oil is up at $US29.84/bbl.  Gold is trading around
$US362/oz, and the AUD is lower at 65.31 US c.  In Japan, the Nikkei
closed 123 pts up to 8,547.  The Hang Seng ended its session 150 pts
higher at 9,638.

Congo militia claims 352 killed nr Bunia 
Bunia.  A Congolese militia has accused a rival group of killing 352
civilians in a weekend attack nr the embattled NE town of Bunia, where
French-led peacekeepers are due to start deploying this wk.  Kisembo
Bitamara, rep of the Party for the Unity and Safeguarding of the
Integrity of Congo (PUSIC), says the attack was carried out by Lendu
fighters backed by Congolese govt troops at Tchomia on the shores of
Lake Albert.
"They killed 352 civilians, men, women and children, 37 of whom were
at the Tchomia hospital," Mr Bitamara, whose party represents a
segment of the rival Hema community, said.  He says the attack in the
town, about 50 km E of Bunia, involved mortars and automatic weapons
and started at 5.00 am on Sat and lasted the whole morning.
Officials in Kinshasa and Lendu commanders in the Bunia area could not
immediately be reached for comment.
UN peacekeepers in Bunia routinely say they have no hard info on events 
beyond its outskirts because they do not venture far from the town.  
"The attackers, about 2,500 of them, attacked the residence of our
leader and killed 22 of his relatives but chief Kawa was not there,"
Mr Bitamara added.  He said Hema fighters had fought back, killing 6
Congolese govt troops.  "Kinshasa is behind this attack...the Lendu
did not have mortars and machine guns before they came from Kinshasa,"
he said.
The reported attack happened only hrs after the UN Sec Council
authorised a French-led multinat'l peacekeeping force to deploy in
Bunia to try to prevent massacres in the remote area scarred by tribal
killings and cannibalism.
Human rights groups had pleaded with the UN for m to beef up its
presence in the region surrounding Bunia, known as Ituri, warning of
the possibility of genocide on the scale of Rwanda, where 800,000 were
slaughtered in 1994.

Suu Kyi injured, 70 killed in crackdown: NLD
Rangoon.  Burmese democracy groups claim up to 70 people were killed
and many more were seriously injured, including Opp'n leader Aung San
Suu Kyi, when pro-govt supporters attacked her motorcade at the
weekend.  But the military Govt says only 4 people died and 50 were
injured.  The opp'n Nat'l League for Democracy says the attack and
detentions now appear to be the start of a broader crackdown.  
Ms Suu Kyi is reportedly being detained in Rangoon by the military
govt after her motorcade was attacked on Sat by pro-govt supporters.
Democracy groups say the death toll far exceeds the official figure.
Rep Debbie Stothard says the military govt has already started closing
universities and democracy party headquarters.  She says it appears as
if a massive crackdown is already underway.  Burma's ruling junta says
it is holding Ms Suu Kyi under "protective custody", but have not
indicated when she may be released or her offices allowed to re-open.

At least 27 drown in Pakistan picnic tragedy 
Karachi.  Rescue workers say at least 27 members of a family have
drowned when a packed boat taking them on a pleasure cruise sank in S
Pakistan over the weekend.  An official of the private rescue
organisation the Edhi Welfare Foundation says the boat capsized and
sank yesterday in strong winds on Keenjhar Lake in Thatta, 125 km E of
the port city of Karachi.  The victims were all relatives who had been
out on a family picnic.  Another is missing.  The dead include 16
children under the age of 15 and many women.  "27 bodies have been
recovered," the rescuer said. "Divers are still searching the area to
find one missing person."  The official said the boat had been about 6
km from the shore of the lake when it sank.  Keenjhar Lake is a popular 
recreation spot but many pleasure boats on the lake lack lifebelts.

Saudi shoot-out possible link to Riyadh bombings
Riyadh.  2 policemen and a suspected militant have been killed in a
shoot-out in Saudi Arabia.  The incident happened when police stopped
a car in the N of the kingdom to do an ID check.  But it sped off with
the police in pursuit.  They caught the car and in the ensuing battle,
one of the attackers was shot dead and one arrested, but not before 2
policemen were killed and 2 wounded.  The Saudi Int Min'y says the
attackers are believed to be members of a gang that was blamed for last 
m's suicide bombings in the capital, Riyadh, that killed 34 people.

When spies meet spin... 
St Petersburg (The Observer).  In the stifling heat of the Chinook
helicopter, Tony Blair was uncharacteristically quiet during Thu's
20-minute trip from the outskirts of Basra to the port of Umm Qasr:
but then, he had much to think about.  Less than an hr before, the PM
had told an audience of Brit soldiers that they had achieved a
"momentous and mighty" act of which all Brit could be proud.
But as the jeans-clad PM began shaking soldiers' hands, journalists
were besieging his dir of communications, Alastair Campbell. They
wanted the answer to a single question that had come to obsess the
media, military, politicians and intel community on both sides of the
Atlantic: where were the WMD over which those soldiers risked their
lives? And was it true that intel reports had been made up?
The media were not alone. A long-serving officer who had listened to
the speech in silence summed it up: "I believed him in Jan when he
said they had WMD and we'd find it. It seemed we knew exactly where it
was and we'd find it in 2 weeks. Now, it's been 2 months..."  The
officer tailed off.
Richard Dearlove, the head of MI6, is a career spy to his bones. When
he sat down at the table of the Cabinet Office's Joint Intel Committee
early last autumn to discuss the Govt's dossier on Iraq's WMDs, the
sometimes heated conversations would lay the foundations of a feud
between the intel community and snr officials at Number 10 that would
continue through the Iraq war and finally explode last wk.
Also around the table of the ad hoc committee were the head of MI5;
Jack Straw, the For Sec; John Scarlett, chairman of the committee and
himself a former head of MI6; Blair; and Campbell.
It was a difficult moment for Dearlove. For the 1st time in MI6's
history, it had been asked to supply its product not just for the eyes
of the PM and snr Mins and the military, but also for a dossier
that would be made public.
It was a move that Dearlove knew was deeply unpopular with some of his
most snr officers, who feared that the publication of such info would
not only endanger sources but might also lead to a profound
misunderstanding of the analysis they generated.
As the members of the committee sat down to go through the dossier
line by line to argue for inclusion in the published version, they
would make a decision that would have profound reverberations for the
Govt and its case for going to war against Iraq: the allegation that
Iraq not only retained WMDs, but also that Saddam's regime was capable
of launching them at 45 minutes' notice -- an allegation that would be
repeated by the PM more than once and would provide the underpinning
for a war.
And what bothered some of those present, as intel sources admit, was
the fact that the info, gleaned from an Iraqi scientist, was from a
single source -- it was therefore "un-corroborated" intel.
But it wasn't the only issue to come up. As the argument came to an
end another controversy emerged. Campbell insisted that the info in
the dossier was still too diffuse and argued for the inclusion of a
passage that the rest of the JIC felt stretched the evidence too
far. When the dossier was finally signed off -- with the agreement of
all present -- that passage had been excised.
The snr MI6 men felt comfortable that, despite the very public airing
of their material, it reflected their analysis.  The spooks thought
they had a deal and that the Govt would brief in line with the
carefully constructed jigsaw puzzle of the dossier -- a shadowy world
of best guesses, cautious conclusions and circumstantial evidence.
They had not, however, counted on Number 10's formidable spin machine.
Campbell's offence, in the eyes of the spooks, would be to allow the
Govt to brief the cautious conclusions as hardened fact.
"Basically, it was over-sold," said a well-placed source last
wk. "He [Campbell] did not understand the basic nature of intel
material.  It is almost never a set of facts; it's a set of indicators
from which you can make judgements."
For example, the "45 minutes" allegation was based on one defecting
scientist, say sources, not corroborated elsewhere: not necessarily
untrue, but not a concrete fact either. But it was sold as "true".
It was a point that Dearlove himself would insist on, even in the
immediate run-up to the invasion of Iraq, when he would let it be
discreetly known that intel, in his view, far from being hard facts
and rocket science, was instead a far more nuanced affair; that the
intel on Iraq's WMD in particular was more equivocal than had been
sold to MPs and the electorate.
It was not the way that it would appear in the Brit media, briefed by
Number 10 -- and it was the beginning of a falling out between MI6 and
Campbell that crashed into the open last wk.
For if Campbell had oversold the "45-minute allegation" and the Govt's
2nd dossier, he would embarrass the Secret Intel Services and Dearlove
-- a man with whom he was on on 'Sun lunch terms' - by his "appalling
behaviour" in stuffing extracts from a plagiarised student thesis
between 2 wedges of MI6 material to beef it up and claiming it as intel.
All of which might well have been quietly forgotten if the allied
forces had turned up the WMD promised in the 1st Sep dossier, spun to
the media by Number 10. But those weapons -- the Brit casus belli --
have not turned up. And on both sides of the Atlantic, it has turned
the spotlight both on the intel produced by MI6 and the CIA and on how
their political masters span that intel to both their own legislatures
and their publics to accelerate the trajectory to war.
They were questions that would would overshadow Blair's visit to thank
Brit troops for their actions in Iraq. It was designed as a triumphal
visit, but instead it served merely to underline the growing
suggestion that the very basis of the war itself had been flammed up.
It is a suspicion that has grown daily while the PM has been away, fed
both by stories in the Brit media and by a series of statements by snr
US officials that have cut the rug from under the Brit case for invasion.
1st, the hawkish US Sec for Def, Donald Rumsfeld, said last wk that
he believed weapons would "never be found". This directly contradicting 
Blair's position -- a stance he was forced to reverse by the wk's end.
Then Rumsfeld's dep, Paul Wolfowitz, was quoted in an interview in
Vanity Fair as saying that the whole issue of pushing the argument
over WMD was simply a 'bureaucratic' device that would allow an
invasion of Iraq and the removal of US troops from Saudi Arabia.
As if to pour petrol on the fire, Under-Sec of State John Bolton has
also been quoted as saying that the war was not about real WMD, but
breaking up the "intellectual property" -- the scientists with the
knowledge to produce them.
"The Americans can afford to be much more flippant," said one Brit
intel source last wk. "But Iraq"s retention of weapons of mass
destruction is why we went to war."
None of which has been very helpful for a Brit Govt that won shaky
approval for war on the grounds that the weapons really did exist.  It
was against this background of a split between Washington and London
over WMD that Blair set off on his whirlwind tour of 6 countries in 5
days, supposedly to highlight Brit's brave new role in the world.
And it was against this background of "unhelpful comments" from
Blair's allies in the US that Tom Kelly, the PM's press sec warned him
of another bombshell that threatened to undermine Blair's case for war
-- the news that Radio 4's Today programme was reporting a much
more damaging split -- between the Govt and its intel services, a
division striking to the heart of the fabric of the state.  Defence
reporter Andrew Gilligan was claiming that key elements of the dossier
on Iraq published last Sep -- specifically the suggestion that Saddam
had chemical weapons ready to use within 45 minutes -- were thrown in
to "sex up" painfully thin material -- against the wishes of intel
officers.
Gilligan was right in the broad brush, if not in the detail. The
material had been "sexed up" -- as the spooks alleged -- but by more
subtle and more pernicious means. The consequence, however, would be
the same.
In a hurried conference call with London from the airport lounge in
Kuwait City, the decision was taken to wait and hope the story
faded. The plane took off only a little behind schedule: within hrs,
the combative Defence Min Adam Ingram and Foreign Office Min Bill
Rammell were deployed in London to insist that Downing Street had not
applied undue pressure.
If Blair had hoped that would put an end to it, he was mistaken. By
the time his Chinook landed in Umm Qasr, the travelling press had
largely lost interest in his tour of a minesweeper in favour of asking
questions about WMD.
When his 3rd flight of a gruelling day touched down in Warsaw, the
message of his tour -- nat'l pride, the skill of Brit troops, a new
model of patriotism that embraced both being a good European and
resisting a fed super-state -- was unravelling.
And so, when the PM's party reached his suite in Warsaw, the secure
phone lines to London were swiftly activated. The man in demand was
Sir David Omand, known publicly as Brit's head of homeland security,
charged with co-ordinating the security services with the political
machine. It was clear by now that nothing would be resolved until the
intel services denied they were unhappy with the dossier.
The deal hammered out late into the night was for Blair to come out
fighting -- and drag the complaining security services with him.  It
may already be too late to repair the damage both to the reputation of
MI6 and to relationships between key figures in the present Govt and
the intel community.
For even as Gilligan was being briefed, other media organisations were
having conversations with intel sources about the failings of the
govt's use of intel material to justify the war -- and in particular
about the involvement of Alastair Campbell in overselling the story.
And if a shadow war has been declared between officers in the Secret
Intel Service and Campbell and Number 10, then the front line has been
the capital's coffee bars, the more chi-chi restaurants of the West End.
It has been a curious sort of punch-up. For while few who will talk
can hide their contempt for the way they believe Campbell has behaved,
which they argue has undermined a still strong case for going to war
against Iraq, there are none who seriously believe that Campbell's
scalp is up for grabs.
"What we are seeing," said one source, "is something very new, and
very strange. MI6 is sticking its head over the parapet as much as it
ever will and saying that it is unhappy with the way its intel has
been used and its reputation damaged.  MI6 feels totally discredited
and used. That is behind the reason to brief [against Campbell].  It
has been bubbling under for a long time, since Oct at least. So they
feel they are taking out the opp'n, as that is what they are trained
to do."
By yesterday, the spooks' point seemed to have prevailed on the PM, as
he insisted to journalists travelling with him that whatever the
outcome on finding Iraq's WMD, the intel services certainly "would not
be blamed".

Short renews attack over WMD and Blair's "deception"
London.  Clare Short turned up the pressure on Tony Blair yesterday by
accusing him of deceiving the Cabinet on 3 crucial elements of the
Iraq crisis.  The failure to uncover any WMD -- as well as claims that
the Govt doctored intel reports about them -- has dogged every step of
the PM's six-day tour of Europe and the Middle E.
News of the allegations overshadowed his morale-boosting address to
Brit troops in Basra, Iraq, last wk, and a press conference with
Leszek Miller, the Polish PM, designed to highlight Brit's success in
making new friends in E Europe.
Mr Blair has consistently played a straight bat to challenges over the
absence of WMD. But allegations of dishonesty over the issue were
repeated yesterday by Ms Short, who denounced as "spin" the claim that
biological and chemical materials had been "weaponised" by Iraq.
The PM insists they will be uncovered but has also pleaded for
patience as the search continues over the "coming weeks and
months". He has also set considerable store by the discovery of 2
trailers, which Brit and America believe could have been used to make
chemical and bio weapons.
Many Labour critics, including Ms Short, do not dispute that Saddam
Hussein's regime experimented with chemical and biological agents. But
they argue that the regime had not yet devised a way of arming
missiles with such materials and that there was time for diplomatic
initiatives to persuade Saddam to abandon his weapons programme. To
win over the waverers, Allied forces must uncover clear evidence of
WMD ready for use.
Mr Blair will probably succeed in his appeal to Labour skeptics to
allow more time to find the elusive weapons. But he now faces
questions on Ms Short's 2nd charge, that he entered a pact with Pres
Bush Jr in Sep last y to go to war in the spring.
Ms Short's accusation is unprovable, and deniable, but presents a
serious problem for Mr Blair. Coming from a former member of his war
cabinet, it is an incendiary allegation for Labour MPs who
instinctively recoil against any suggestion of their leader stitching
up secret deals with right-wing American Republicans.
If true -- and it is fiercely denied by Downing Street -- it would
make a mockery of the Govt's much-vaunted but futile efforts to win UN
backing for military action.
Ms Short's also claimed that Mr Blair deliberately exaggerated the
French govt's opp'n to military action to keep up the pressure for war.
Downing Street and the Foreign Office seized on comments by Pres
Jacques Chirac in March that "France will vote 'no' because it
considers this evening there are no grounds for waging war in order to
achieve the goal we have set ourselves -- to disarm Iraq".
Ms Short argued that a full reading of the transcript, which was sent
to her by a member of the public, showed that M. Chirac was arguing
for the process of weapons inspections to be completed, but that if it
failed to disarm Iraq the UN would then have to approve military action.
Setting aside the question of whether Ms Short should have checked M.
Chirac's precise words at the time, the accusation will carry weight.
There is little doubt that the picture painted by ministers -- of
French intransigence -- helped to stiffen the resolve for war.
After days of torrid publicity, Mr Blair's hopes when he touches down in 
London tomorrow -- that Labour's agonies over Iraq might have eased -- 
are likely to be dashed.

Blair hints at secret files on Iraq's weapons
St Petersburg.  Brit PM Tony Blair says he knows secret info which
proves former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein had WMD.  Mr Blair was
responding to mounting criticism from former Cabinet ministers Clare
Short and Robin Cook, who say he led Brit to war in Iraq under false
pretences.  Ms Short accused Mr Blair of duping the public over the
danger of an Iraqi attack with chemical or biological weapons.  Mr
Cook pursued a similar line, demanding an independent inquiry into a
warning that Saddam Hussein had "active military plans" to deploy the
weapons at 45 mins' notice.  Mr Blair says the secret info
will be made public in due course.  "I certainly do know some of the
stuff that has been already accumulated as a result of interviews with
scientists and others, which is not yet public," he said.  "But what
we are going to do is assemble that evidence and present it properly."

Downer unsure if Iraq had weapons ready to fire
Canberra.  For Min Alex Downer says it is hard to know whether
Iraq had biological or chemical missiles ready to use during the war.
Pressure is increasing on the coalition that invaded Iraq to provide
proof that Iraq had WMD prior to the war.  There is now concern that
info provided by the Brit Govt that Iraq could deploy WMD within 45
mins was based on unreliable intel.  Mr Downer says he is not sure
about that.  "I didn't have any trouble with it," Mr Downer said.  "To
be honest with you, I just don't really know whether it would take 45
minutes, 40 minutes or 2 hours, but of course that wasn't really the
central issue."

Alex Downer: No need to review intel over Iraq
Canberra.  For Min Alex Downer says there is no need for a review
of intel info collected before the war in Iraq.
There are growing questions about the validity of intel info the US
and Brit provided regarding Iraq's WMD.
The Opp'n's foreign affairs rep, Kevin Rudd, says it is time for the
Govt to be transparent about the intel it used to justify the war in
Iraq.  "The AUS Opp'n has accepted at face value the intel value
provided to it by the AUS Govt over long periods of time on the
question of Iraq," Mr Rudd said.  "If what the AUS Govt's now saying
is that its intel material may have been wrong then let the AUS Govt say so."
Defence Min Robert Hill says any flaws in intel on Iraq's weapons
program should be disclosed, although he says it is too early to reach
that conclusion.
But Mr Downer says the Office of Nat'l Assessment is satisfied with
the evaluations made before and after the war.  "We are happy with the
way our intel works," Mr Downer said.  "Every time there's a major
event we don't conduct yet another review of our intel.  We conducted
a review after the Bali bombing of our intel, which confirmed
everything that we understood and thought.  You only conduct a review
if you think the process has been flawed."
Mr Downer says it is hard to know whether Iraq had bio or chem
missiles ready to use during the war.
There is concern that info provided by the Brit Govt that Iraq could
deploy WMD within 45 mins was based on unreliable intel.
Greens Sen Kerry Nettle says the Govt is obliged to provide proof of
its reasons for committing AUS to war in Iraq.  "If this was your sole
justification then we really after 2 m need to start seeing something
if you want to be believed with your future justifications for a whole
range of different measures," Sen Nettle said.

AUS to support US review of defence strategy 
Canberra.  Defence Min Robert Hill says AUS would cooperate with moves
by the US to bolster its presence in the Asia-Pacific.  But Mr Hill
has repeated there has been no approach to the Fed Govt to establish
US bases in AUS.  Speaking at a conference on Asia security in
Singapore, Mr Hill reiterated AUS's willingness to support the US,
which is currently reviewing its defence strategy in the region.  Mr
Hill told reporters sea swaps are already in place, where US ships are
granted access to AUS ports to assist with the rotation of US Navy
crews.  He said AUS would do what it could to cooperate with and
support a good friend and ally, adding joint efforts are the most
effective response against terrorism.  The Defence Min also said
internat'l doctrines on pre-emptive military action should be updated
to account for contemporary threats, like terrorist attacks and WMD.

DFAT to hold inquiry into Iraqi document leak
Canberra.  The Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is conducting
a "code of conduct" inquiry into the leaking of a document on Iraq
earlier this y.  The document outlines comments made by the For Min
Alex Downer to NZ's High Commissioner, regarding troop commitments.  
[The comments seemed to contradict the PM's strenuous claims at the
time that AUS was "not necessarily" committed to a US-led war against Iraq].
The matter was referred to the AUS Fed Police (AFP) and proceedings
have also been underway in the Fed Court.  Dept'al officer Paul Tighe
has told the Labor Sen John Faulkner, inquiries involve more than one
Commonwealth agency.  "Our investigation was referred on to the AFP
the AFP's investigation is continuing... the AFP may wish to go to
other depts other agencies and I don't think that it's our place to be
discussing their process," he said.  
"Is it one agency or more than one agency?" asked Sen Faulkner.  "It
was one agency...one agency beyond DFAT," [one+one = one!] Mr Tighe said.

Police probe alleged leaks from "workplace agreements" office
Canberra.  The AFP is investigating alleged leaks within the Office of
the Employment Advocate, which oversees workplace agreements.  The
acting Employment Advocate, Peter McIlwain says there are concerns
that info has been illegally leaked from the office.  Mr Mcllwain says
the alleged breach came to light during last y's budget estimates
hearings.  He has told a Senate budget estimates committee more than
one employee has been interviewed by police, but no charges have been
laid at this stage.  "The matter is currently under investigation. We
do not necessarily have all of the info that has so far come to
light. I am able to confirm that the Fed Police, having been asked by
the dept's fraud investigations unit, now have this matter under
investigation."

Coalition says planes shot at while landing in Iraq
Baghdad.  The US-led coalition in Iraq says its planes are coming
under regular fire when trying to land at airports across the country,
especially in Baghdad.  "Many coalition planes carrying humanitarian
aid to Iraqi cities, particularly Baghdad, Mosul and Tikrit, are
regularly shot at as they approach airports," officials said on its
Baghdad radio station.  "Those behind this deliberate fire are members
of the former regime who want to undermine the rebuilding campaign.
These criminal acts are a great danger, above all in the
capital. That is why Baghdad internat'l airport will remain closed to
commercial flights as long as the shooting on the planes continues."
It asked for anyone with info about the shooting to come forward.

Red Cross to help deliver messages in Iraq
Sydney.  The 25,000 Iraqis living in AUS are being urged to contact
their local state Red Cross office if they want to get a message to
family back in Iraq.  The manager of internat'l tracing and refugee
services, Jane Clarke says extra efforts to reunite families are now
underway following the war in Iraq.  Ms Clarke says while the
situation is still changeable in Iraq, messages for family members in
Baghdad, and in parts of S and N Iraq are being accepted.

No time for "national conference" on new Iraq: US
Baghdad.  US authorities in Baghdad say the are considering whether to
abandon the plan to hold a nat'l conference as a 1st step towards
creating a new govt in Iraq.  They are now looking at other ideas for
an interim Admin.  The official set out a number of ideas described as
concepts which could form the basis of a new Iraqi govt and
constitution.  A council made up of 25 to 30 members would be drawn up
in consultation with the coalition authorities.  It would, the
official said, reflect the diverse nature of the Iraqi population.
Additionally, a constitutional convention would be drawn up in
parallel to write the constitution.  It would then be put to a
referendum.  All moves, the official said, were provisional and based
upon consultation with the Iraqi people.  He said they were motivated
by a real sense of urgency.

UN resumes monthly food rations in Iraq
Baghdad.  The UN World Food Program has resumed distributing monthly
food rations to all Iraqis.  Rep Antonia Paradella says the UN had
brought in 440,000 tonnes of food to ensure food security.  "This is
the 1st time since the war started that all Iraqis will be receiving
food rations on a monthly basis," she said.  "We're here right now at
Al Rusafa warehouse Baghdad, this is one of 5 [warehouses].  But in
all the country, in all govt capitals, this process is
happening. People are coming to pick up food."  A statement from the
World Food Program said it was looking forward to a day, before the
end of this y, when the authorities in Iraq could assume full
responsibility for the program.

Revealed: the cluster bombs that litter Iraq 
London (The Observer).  The shocking extent of un-exploded cluster
bombs dropped by US and Brit planes, which litter Iraq 8 wk after the
conflict, is revealed in detail for the 1st time today.
The 1st map based on military intel to show the exact location of
un-exploded anti-personnel mines, cluster bombs and anti-tank mines,
obtained by The Observer, shows the vast area of the country which is
at danger from live munitions.
Experts in clearing conflict zones of un-exploded bombs say that
millions of Iraqi adults and children are at risk, along with
humanitarian aid workers, UN personnel, civilian staff and military
officials.  Its revelation raises fresh questions for Tony Blair and
George Bush Jr, who insisted that post-conflict Iraq would be a safer
place than it was under Saddam Hussein.
It also re-ignites the controversy over the use of cluster bombs by the
coalition forces. The map reveals that 100s, or possibly 1000s, of the
bombs -- which produce 100s of 'bomblets' scattered out over a large
area -- failed to detonate.
Anti-landmine campaigners are insisting that American and Brit troops
make clearing the "lethal legacy" an urgent priority.
"This shows an appalling level of contamination," said Richard Lloyd,
dir of Landmine Action, who is travelling to Iraq this weekend to
assess the extent of the danger. "It also confirms that American and
Brit forces attacked built up areas in cities with cluster bombs.  The
coalition forces have a responsibility to protect those Iraqi
civilians who now live with this lethal legacy all around them.  It
has to be highly questionable whether the use of such weapons in
built-up areas is legal under internat'l law."
The map, dated 13 May, was produced by the Humanitarian Operations
Centre based in Kuwait, which is staffed by military personnel from
the US, Brit and Kuwait and is based on the latest intel assessment of
the danger of un-exploded bombs.  It was given to selected Non-Govtal
Organisations tasked with providing humanitarian aid to the country.
The map depicts a mass of green circles, diamonds and rectangles, each
showing an individual site of what is described as an "explosive
location".  Although it is impossible to judge precisely the number of
un-exploded bombs, landmine experts say that up to 10,000 separate
cluster bombs and bomblets could be lying in cities, farmland and on
the main road arteries across the country.
"We will see the desperate affects of this conflict, just as we have
seen in Kosovo and Afghanistan, for y to come," said Sarah Green of
Amnesty Internat'l, which has campaigned for a ban on the use of
cluster bombs.
Each green circle, rectangle or diamond is an example of an un-exploded
anti-personnel mine, anti-tank mine, a mixture of both or what is
described on the map as a 'SubMunition', otherwise known as a cluster
bomb. Yellow rectangles are described as 'unknown' un-exploded munitions.
The greatest concentration is seen in the centre of the map, around
Baghdad and on the main road routes between the capital and the
Brit-controlled regions of Basra and Umm Qasr in the SE. There are
further concentrations around the S Iraq town of Nasiriyah and the
mountains to the N and E of the Kurdish city of Kirkuk.
Although some of the munitions are from the 1991 Gulf war and will
have originally been fired by Iraqi forces, experts in the field
believe that most have been left since the recent conflict. Officials
also say that cluster bombs were only used by coalition
forces. 'SubMunition' diamonds make up the bulk of the un-exploded
locations around Baghdad, Nasiriyah and N of Basra.
Aid agencies say that 100s of civilians have already been maimed after
tampering with un-exploded cluster bombs. The victims are often young
children scavenging for the valuable metal that encases the
explosives.  Last wk Adam Ingram, the Armed Forces Min, admitted that
cluster bombs were used in built-up areas in "specific circumstances
where there is a threat to our troops".
Defence officials said that Brit and American troops were engaged in
clearing as much of the land in Iraq as possible.  "We have a lot of
Army people there helping make the country safe," said one govt
official.  "We will be sending more people to continue the work. We
are well aware of the seriousness of the issue."

Japanese photographer jailed over fatal souvenir
Jordan.  A Japanese press photographer has been jailed for 18 m in
Jordan for accidentally blowing up an airport security guard with a
cluster bomb he souvenired in Iraq.  Hiroki Gomi, 36, of Japan's
Mainichi newspaper was charged with causing unintentional death and
inflicting bodily harm.  Gomi picked up the bomb nr a road in Iraq,
not knowing it was still active.  When it was spotted in his luggage
at Amman Internat'l Airport, he took it out and began toying with it
to prove it was not live.  It exploded, killing the guard and wounding
4 others.

US threatens French plan help African farmers
Evian.  Political fallout from the Iraq war is threatening catastrophe
for mns of farmers in Africa, because the Americans may torpedo a French 
plan to ban the dumping of subsidised farm produce in African markets.
Brit diplomats have been working frantically to bridge the gap, in the
hope of keeping alive the plan, which has Tony Blair's personal backing.
The US spends between $US3 bn and $US4 bn pa subsidising 25,000
American cotton farmers -- more than its annual aid budget to the
entire African continent -- flooding the world market with cheap
cotton, while in W Africa, 10 mn people rely on cotton growing for
their livelihood. A typical small farmer will make about $300 pa.
The EU is also guilty of undercutting African farmers, through the
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), turning Europe into the world's
biggest exporter of white sugar, with disastrous results in countries
such as Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique, which are in effect locked out
of the European market. The EU also dumps subsidised milk and wheat on
markets from Kenya to Senegal, while restricting imports of African produce.
French Pres Jacques Chirac has proposed a moratorium on all subsidies
of produce that are sold in Africa, which could go a long way towards
enabling African farmers to achieve self-sufficiency. But the plan has
had a frigid reception in Washington. The US says its export credits
should be exempt.
The US reaction is a striking departure from the normal courtesies of
G8 summits, in which the host nation usually puts up proposals and the
following y's host nation -- in this case the US -- promises to
follow them up.
By contrast, Pres Chirac's proposal has been given enthusiastic public
support by Mr Blair, not only because it will benefit Africa, but
because Brit has been pushing for reform of the CAP against French
resistance. He has promised that the idea will be followed up when the
Brit host the 2005 G8 summit.
Justin Forsyth, of Oxfam, said: "This proposal is a casualty of the
Iraq war. The Americans don't want a specific focus on Africa and they
don't want to support a French proposal."
There was a veiled warning to the Americans yesterday from Patricia
Hewitt, the Trade and Industry Sec, who told Radio 4's The World
This Weekend program: "The countries of the developed world really
cannot go on preaching free trade abroad and practising protectionism
at home. What I hope will happen at this G8 meeting is that the G8
countries together, faced with this demand -- quite rightly -- from
Africa and the rest of the poor world, will reaffirm their commitment
to creating rules for trade that are not only free but fair."
Meanwhile, Brit diplomats have helped to secure an agreement to fight
corruption in Africa. Companies that extract oil and minerals will
have to publish the full details of deals they strike with the relevant govts.
This follows a series of allegations that money from extraction rights
has been syphoned off into private bank accounts. 
A dispute about whether the rules should be compulsory or voluntary was 
settled under a compromise deal that says govts will have the option of 
whether to sign up to the agreement or not, but companies will be bound by 
their govt's policy. Supporters of the deal say that it will work provided a
"critical mass" of the richest nations joins up.

Bush, Putin urge N Korea, Iran on nukes 
St Petersburg (AP).  Pres Bush and Russian Pres Vladimir Putin urged N
Korea and Iran on Sun to halt development of nuclear weapons, and Bush
stood by his assertion that Iraq possessed WMD.
Both the US and Russia are "determined to meet the threat posed by
weapons of mass destruction," Bush said at a joint news
conference. "We strongly urge N Korea to visibly, verifiably and
irreversibly dismantle its nuclear weapons program."  He added: "We
are concerned about Iran's advanced nuclear program and urge Iran to
comply in full with its obligations under the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty."
While agreeing that they both oppose the spread of nuclear technology,
the 2 leaders remained at least partly at odds over Iran's nuclear program.
The Bush Admin claims Russian sales of technology to Iran is helping
Tehran to develop a nuclear weapons program. Russia has denied that
its help is going toward weapons development; Iran says its nuclear
program is strictly for peaceful development of energy.
"Russia and the US have mutual concerns about the advanced Iranian
nuclear program. We understand the consequences of Iran having a
nuclear weapon and therefore we want to work together ... to insist
that they do not have a nuclear weapon," Bush said. "I appreciate
Vladimir Putin's understanding of the issue, and his willingness to
work with me and others to solve this."
But Putin, while agreeing that the spread of nuclear weapons should be
prevented "not only with regard to Iran but also with regard to other
regions," had some pointed words on the subject.  "We are against
using the pretext of a nuclear weapons program of Iran ... as an
instrument of unfair competition against us," he said. "The positions
of Russia and the US on the issue are much closer than they seem. We
need no convincing about the fact that the weapons of mass destruction
proliferation should be checked and prevented throughout the world."
Bush answered tersely when asked about the search for WMD in
Iraq. Bush charged that Iraq had such weapons, and used the allegation
as his primary justification for going to war there.  "We've
discovered a weapons system, biological labs, that Iraq denied she
had, and labs that were prohibited under the UN resolutions," Bush said.
Earlier this weekend, Bush pointed to 2 suspected biological
laboratories found in Iraq. But both the Pentagon and US weapons
hunters have said the labs do not constitute arms.  US intel concluded
last wk that the mobile labs probably were designed to produce
biological weapons.
Putin offered no opinion on whether such weapons will be found in
Iraq. PM Tony Blair, in an interview with Sky News Television, said he
had "no doubt whatever that the evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass
destruction will be there.  Absolutely."  Russia opposed the US
invasion of Iraq, leading to friction with the US, but both leaders
said they were putting the dispute behind them.
The "fundamentals between the US and Russia turned out to be stronger
than the forces and events that tested it," Putin said.  Bush nodded
in agreement, and said terrorism will unite the 2 countries.
"We are working closely to confront the challenges of our time," Bush
said. "Both of our countries have suffered greatly at the hands of
terror, and our govts are taking actions against this threat."
Bush invited Putin to Camp David in Sep, and Putin seemed to signal
with a nod that he accepted. The 2 leaders held their news conference
while seated at massive twin white desks inside Konstantin Palace in
St. Petersburg, Putin's hometown. They met privately for 45 minutes
before the news conference.
The 2 leaders signed papers certifying both Russia and the US have now
formally ratified the "Treaty of Moscow," the agreement last y to
reduce arsenals on both sides by 2/3.  The US Senate passed it earlier
this y, and the Russian parliament ratified it last m.
Russia has a long history of involvement with Iraq's oil sector, and
Putin made clear his country would prefer to carve out a role for its
companies in Iraq's future. He offered "all our expertise, experience
and resources" to that end.
Bush acknowledged Russia's experience and history, but made clear that
"the Iraqi people will make the decision which is in their best
interest" concerning Iraq's oil industry.
Bush's remarks Sun, and a speech Sat in Krakow, Poland, set a
conciliatory tone for the G8 meeting, an annual summit of major
industrialised nations in Evian, France. Differences over Iraq caused
an unprecedented breach between the US and longtime partners such as
France and Germany, which led the opp'n to the war. With prompting
from Washington, some Americans have refused to buy French products.
Bush spoke to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for the 1st time in
6 m on Sun.  "How are you?" Bush said after approaching Schroeder in
St Petersburg and offering his hand, according to German
officials. The 2 leaders spoke briefly but were not seated at the same
table during a banquet dinner. They had not spoken since Nov after
Schroeder ran for re-election on an anti-war platform.
The G8 meeting runs through Tue, but Bush will cut short his stay and
depart for the Middle E on Mon for talks with Arab leaders in Egypt
and then a summit in Jordan with Israeli PM Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud
Abbas, the new Palestinian prime minister.

Seoul. NK FINISHES REPROCESSING!  NK has reportedly told American
congressmen it already has nuclear weapons and intends to build more.
It's also reported NK says it's largely finished the reprocessing of
1000s of spent fuel rods, the final step before assembly of nuclear
bombs might commence.  Snr US congressman Curt Weldon says NK
officials have admitted having nuclear weapons. Weldon headed a
delegation of US politicians who visited Pyongyang for 3 days. He also
says officials admitted to an effort to expand their nuclear
production program.  [In Later reports Pres Rho says there is "no
clear proof" that the N has nuclear weapons].

Denpasar. SAMUDRA ON TRIAL!  The trial of alleged Bali bombing field
cmdr Iman Samudra is underway in Indonesia.  Chief Judge Wayan
Sugawa and 4 other judges are hearing Samudra's case in an auditorium
in the Balinese capital.  Samudra has entered court with his hands
held to his sides by police.  He faces 6 charges under Indon's
anti-terrorism laws for financing, planning, and carrying out last
Oct's attacks.

Aceh rebels abduct 13 local officials 
Banda Aceh.  Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province say they
have abducted 13 local civilian leaders for carrying out the
military's orders.  Free Aceh Movement (GAM) local commander Ishak
Daud has claimed responsibility for the abduction.  "They are now with
us and the reason we have captured them is that they have respected
the orders of the Indonesian military," he said.
Indonesian authorities, who launched an all-out assault on the rebels
and imposed martial law on May 19, have told village officials to
issue temporary ID cards to residents after the separatists
confiscated many of the regular cards.
"We are detaining them to give them advice, once we have given them
this advice, then we will free them," commander Daud said without
giving a date.
E Aceh district chief Azman Usmanuddin says several suspected rebels
abducted a man called Furqan, the head of the Peureulak Timur
subdistrict, from his home on Sun as he was preparing to visit
refugees in the area.  He says at about the same time armed men
abducted 12 village heads across Peureulak Timur.
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 y.  According to weekend figures from the military, 92
rebels have been killed since the start of the latest campaign, as
well as 12 soldiers and police and 15 civilians.

Indonesia summons envoy over Sweden-based Aceh rebels 
Jakarta.  Indonesia has summoned the Swedish ambassador to express
disappointment at his country's response to a demand for action
against exiled Acehnese rebel leaders.
The response "is far from what we had hoped," said For Min Hassan
Wirayuda, adding that he had summoned ambassador Harald Nils Erik
Sandberg.
Mr Wirayuda told reporters that Sweden ranked bilateral relations
lower than "protecting a citizen, in this case a GAM figure, in
Sweden."  Hasan Tiro, who founded the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in
1976, has lived in Sweden since 1979.
Like some other exiled GAM leaders, he has acquired Swedish
citizenship.  Indonesia, which on May 19 launched a major military
operation to crush the rebels in Aceh, wants Stockholm to take
unspecified action against Tiro and others.
But Sweden has told Indonesia it has no legal grounds to take action
unless the GAM leaders break laws there.
VP Hamzah Haz and some leading legislators have called for action
against Sweden if it fails to comply with Indonesia's request.
Wirayuda said a cabinet meeting to be chaired by Pres Megawati
Sukarnoputri would decide on the next step.  Defence Min Matori Abdul
Jalil said the Govt was likely to downgrade diplomatic relations.

Muslim rebels start ceasefire in Philippines 
Manila.  The largest Muslim rebel group in the Philippines has begun a
10-day ceasefire, weakened by a persistent army offensive and
confronted by a govt that doubts the peace offer is genuine.
Manila and the MILF have tried repeatedly to end 30 y of violence that
has killed at least 120,000 people in the overwhelmingly Christian country.
In a bloody preface to the unilateral truce, the military said it
killed 19 rebels on the S island of Mindanao on Sat and took over a
camp from retreating guerrillas.
Eid Kabalu, the MILF's rep, said there had been no fighting on Sat
night or Sun and that the group's estimated 12,000 fighters would
silence their guns until midnight (1600 GMT) on June 12.
"I hope our sacrifice will produce a better result, the Govt should
think of reciprocating this goodwill," Kabalu said.
The Govt, which called off peace talks being brokered by Malaysia
after a series of deadly attacks on Mindanao, initially welcomed the
declaration of the MILF ceasefire that took effect at midnight on Sun.
But days later Pres Gloria Arroyo, who returned recently from a warm
welcome in Washington, called the offer a ploy to ease military
pressure and whip up sympathy among Islamic countries.

Canadian SARS toll rises to 31
Toronto.  The death toll in Canada from SARS has risen to 31 following
the death of a woman in Toronto.  The number of probable cases has
risen to 52 and authorities are investigating 5 other deaths which may
be linked to the pneumonia virus.  Health officials say they can link
nearly all of the new cases to one man who died in hospital after
infecting other patients, nurses and visitors.  The virus has killed
more than 750 people and infected nearly 8,500 worldwide.

Wheat virus quarantine program cancelled
Canberra.  Ag authorities have called off a quarantine program for a
potentially damaging wheat virus after research found it had existed
in AUS for y.  The Fed Agriculture Min, Warren Truss says ABARE has
advised eradicating the wheat streak mosaic virus would not be
cost-effective.  The discovery of the virus in CSIRO laboratories in
CBR prompted a nationwide quarantine program and surveys confirming
the virus existed in Qld, SA, Vic and NSW.  Mr Truss says the
widespread existence of the virus demonstrates the AUS $multi-mn wheat
industry is not at grave risk.  "The unanimous view is that there is
no prospect of eradicating the disease in AUS in an economic way," he
said.  "Now a state could make an independent decision if it chose to
introduce a program within their own boundaries."

Aussies among top 10 "spenders" in the world
Sydney.  Aussies have been ranked in the top 10 of countries who are
among the biggest spenders in the world.  Research conducted by Qld's
Griffith University puts AUS 8th out of 46 countries studied, which
included both rich and poor nations.  Assoc Prof Antony
Selvanathansays the study shows Aussies are now allocating less money
for food than they have for the past 2 decades.  "Aussies tend to
allocate most of their income these days on luxury items than
necessities like clothing, transport, recreation activities."

From Cannes to St Kilda, "Cracker Bag" a winner
Melbourne.  Short film Cracker Bag has taken out the top award at this
y's St Kilda Film Festival.  It is the 2nd award in a wk for the film,
which won the prestigious Palme d'Or for short films at the Cannes
Film Festival.  The short film's dir and writer, Glendyn Ivin,
also won best achievement in direction at last night's awards in St
Kilda.  He says he is happy to win an award in his home town and hopes
it will inspire other film-makers.  "There's so many great films that
don't get made in this country for whatever reason," he said.  "I
guess Cracker Bag was a film that we really wanted to make and so we
tried every way of doing it.  "We ended up doing it ourselves and so
if it means that you can make the film you want to make in your own
backyard, with the tools that you've got in front of you -- then
that's exactly what we did -- and do it."

Rec fishers angry about reef "green zone" plan
Brisbane.  Qld fishermen have reacted angrily to the Fed Govt's plan
to increase protection of the Great Barrier Reef.  The Govt will later
today reveal a plan to make 30% of the reef "green zones", where no
fishing, netting or harvesting will be allowed.  That is a 6 fold
increase on the number of current "green zones."  The head of Sunfish
Qld, John Doohan, says recreational fishermen are being unfairly
targeted.  "Our initial response is that it's too much," he said.  "I
think that one of the things that they're doing out here and I haven't
looked at it thoroughly, is that they're just taking the fishing out,
they haven't taken anything else out."

Beijing. 3 GORGES CLOSES THE GATES!  China has blocked the massive
Yangtze R and a reservoir for the world's largest hydroelectric
project is starting to fill.  Live TV showed cascades of white water
roaring as the sluice gates slowly drew shut on the Three Gorges dam.
The Xinhua news agency says 19 of the 22 gates at the dam in Yichang,
in the C prov of Hubei, are now closed, blocking the Yellow R to form
what will become a 600 km-long reservoir.  China says the $A38 bn
project is critical for its nat'l power needs and will help tame the
flood-prone Yangtze.

Algiers. ANOTHER AFTERSHOCK HITS ALGERIA!  A new aftershock has rattled
the Algerian town of Zemmouri, 70 km E of the capital Algiers, less
than 2 wks after 2,000 died in a massive quake. There are no immediate
reports of damage or injuries in the latest tremor. The Algerian C
for Astronomy, Astrophysics and Geophysics says the aftershock in
Zemmouri measured 3.8 on the Richter scale.  Earlier, a mag 4.0
aftershock was felt in Algiers.

London. SHOESTRING TO MARS!  The Brit-built Beagle 2 space probe may
provide the first proof that life began on Mars. And it's about to be
shot into a 400 mn km long orbit to find it.  The lander is hitching a
ride on Mars Express, the ESA's 2-y mission to the Red Planet. Mars
Express is due to blast off from Baikonour spacedrome in Kazakhstan in
the next 24 hrs.  6 m later the spacecraft will reach Destination Mars.
[Early reports Tue morning showed the spacecraft got off on its $500
mn journey. A US mission to Mars will lift off in 2 days].

----------------------------------------
Tue, 03 Jun 2003.

Markets
4 dead in Colombia bombing
The Willing under pressure
Blix report
G8 endorses Washington
Leaders warn Burma
Taiwan reports only 1 SARS case
Bush arrives in Egypt
Current account debt up by $10 bn
Strike for shorter week
Poll bad news for Crean
PM announces he will stay on
Chirac cancels AUS trip
AUS won't sign Kyoto
Unis to oppose govt changes
DFAT says it wasn't to blame for Bali
Chris Columbus exhumed
Payments increase next m
NSW ski areas looking to bumper season

NY. MARKETS!  The Dow closed up 48 pts at 8,898 after breaking through
the psychologically important 9,000-pt barrier during the session.
The index briefly touched 9,003 -- levels not seen since Oct 2001.  NY
gold was up $1.55 to $US366.25/oz. Oil was also higher on fears US
reserves are insufficient for the driving season.  Analysts say the
Iraqi oilfields are also taking much longer to come online than
previously expected.  In London, the FTSE closed up 81 at 4,129. The
German Dax also ended its session 82 pts higher at 3,065.

Bogota. 4 DEAD IN COLOMBIA BOMBING!  4 people have been killed and 10
injured in a bomb blast in NW Columbia.  Army officials have blamed
leftist guerrillas for the attack.  The bomb was detonated by remote
control as a combined army and police patrol passed through the city
of Granada, 450 km NW of Bogota.  Gen Mario Montoya says the dead incl
an adult and 3 children with some of the injured in critical
condition.

Baghdad. THE WILLING UNDER PRESSURE!  US and Brit leaders are under
mounting pressure over their failure to produce WMD in Iraq.
Washington and London used accusations that Iraq had secret bio- and
chem weapons as its primary justification to regime change Saddam
Hussein.  But critics have found intel evidence was deliberately
"cherry picked" to whip up support for the invasion. US and Brit
legislators as well as intel agencies in the 2 countries have promised
to look into what happened.

NY. BLIX REPORT!  UN weapons inspectors say Iraq has not accounted for
stocks of anthrax and has failed to declare what appear to be mobile
bio weapons labs.  However the 45 page report from chief UN insp Hans
Blix to the UNSC does not use these points to draw the sweeping
conclusions made by the US and Brit to justify launching an invasion
of the oil-rich country in Mar.  The Blix report says Iraq's data does
not resolve the questions regarding the total output of anthrax
produced and destroyed by Iraq.  
[Other reports say it could take up to 8 m to discover good evidence
of Iraq's WMD programs, if they still existed in Mar 2003].

Evian. G8 ENDORSES WASHINGTON!  World leaders have voiced confidence
in a global economic recovery and agreed on steps to stop the spread
of WMD.  However the G8 leaders made no substantial progress on
deadlocked world trade talks and gave no clear signal of how to deal
with the USD's recent rapid slide.  In an endorsement of Washington's
priorities, the leaders issued a strong joint pledge to fight the
spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and prevent them
falling into the hands of more terrorists.  They've agreed to set up a
special global anti-terrorism group to be called CTAG.

Washington. LEADERS WARN BURMA!  World leaders have urged the
Burmese govt to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.  The
junta says the Novel peace laureate was taken into "protective
custody" on Fri after 4 people were killed in clashes between her
supporters and pro-govt groups.  AUS For Min Alex Downer told Parl
there's no justification for Suu Kyi's continued detention.  US Sec
of State Powell says the US has joined with other nations in
condemning the placement of Suu Kyi in custody.

Taipei. TAIWAN REPORTS ONLY 1 SARS CASE!  Taiwan has reported only 1
new SARS case, the lowest number since the island's first hospital
outbreak erupted in late Apr.  The total number of patients infected
with SARS has dropped by 5 to 679.  The Health Dept says several
patients hospitalised with the virus have since been diagnosed with
other illnesses.  The death toll remains unchanged at 81, with no
deaths being reported for the past 6 days.

Egypt. BUSH ARRIVES IN EGYPT!  US Pres Bush Jr has arrived in Egypt
for a summit with Arab leaders.  Bush, on his 1st presid'l visit to
the Middle E, is seeking support for the US-backed road map intended
to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.  He will meet leaders from
Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan as well as the Palestinian PM
Abu Mazen in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh tomorrow.
[Back in France, loyal dep Tony Blair faced down critics that
complained Bush left the summit a day early. Blair said Bush was
leaving to further Middle E peace, the world's top priority].

Canberra. CURRENT ACCOUNT DEBT UP BY $10 BN!  Australia's current
account deficit for the Mar Q increased by $10.1 bn, the 2nd-highest
increase on record.  But the figure was less than the prev Q's
increase and below market expectations.  The govt has blamed the
trend on the weak world economy and the drought.  The ABS says the
current account -- a snapshot of AUS's dealings with the rest of the
world -- increased less than the Dec Q's record of a revised $11.2 bn.
Foreign debt continued to rise, however, with Aussies now owing the
rest of the world $A360 bn.

Dresden. STRIKE FOR SHORTER WEEK!  1000s of workers at E German steel
plants and engineering firms have gone on strike for a shorter working
wk.  Some 320,000 people work in the E German industry.  The union
wants a reduction in their working hrs from 38 to 35, to bring them
into line with W Germany.

Canberra.  POLL BAD NEWS FOR CREAN!  A new poll suggests fed opp'n
leader Simon Crean's grasp of the ALP help could be prised loose by
the end of the m.  Publication of the latest Newspoll found Mr Crean
still lagging well behind PM Howard as preferred PM, and has led The
Australian to predict that a leadership challenge is imminent.  The
paper says former leader Kim Beazley is marshaling his forces for
another tilt at the leadership when fed Labor causes assembles in CBR
later this m.  [Ch 9 says there's been a secret meeting between Kim
Beazley and 3 top Crean shadow mins and point to an imminent coup.
Kim Beazley is reportedly saying he can not only beat Simon Crean for
the ALP leadership, but can head off an expected Labor route and beat
PM Howard in a national poll].

Canberra. PM ANNOUNCES HE WILL STAY ON!  PM Howard has ended the
speculation he created in recent y, and has announced he will stay
on as PM after his 64th b'day next m. Mr Howard told the Coalition
party room he'll stay on the job while it remains in his party's
interests.  He said he'd given a lot of thought to his future.  Mr
Howard said the Liberal Party had always been loyal to him [forgetting
a certain period], and he'll always put the Party first.
[While Dep Peter Costello didn't make a scene, he was clearly
disappointed with the development.  "It wasn't my happiest day", he
told reporters.  He said he'd been a Dep for 9 y under 2 different
leaders and had loyally and tirelessly worked for the Good of the
Party.  The PM has given no time limit on how long he might stay on after 
the next fed election.  There are rumours Costello might quit politics].

Canberra. CHIRAC CANCELS AUS TRIP!  French Pres Jacques Chirac has
cancelled an official visit to AUS, planned for Jul.  A French embassy
rep says Mr Chirac will instead attend a specially convened meeting
of Pacific leaders on the French Is of Tahiti on Jul 28.  The meeting,
which will be attended by NZ PM Helen Clark, is seen as a French
attempt to re-assert its influence in the Pacific region.

Canberra. AUS WON'T SIGN KYOTO!  PM Howard has reassured AUS-based
multinational miners that his govt will not sign the Kyoto
Protocol, but he's re-assured voters he's committed to reaching the
Protocol's greenhouse emissions targets.  In a speech to the Minerals
Council dinner last night, Mr Howard said the Kyoto Protocol is not in
Australia's national interests.  He says AUS remains a net exporter of
energy and the AUS economy will continue to be underpinned by fossil
fuel use.  AUS greenhouse production per capita continues to rise at a
rate that outstrips the rest of the industrialised world.

Sydney. UNIS TO OPPOSE GOVT CHANGES!  After making agreement noises,
the nation's unis are set to oppose key provisions of the fed govt's
overhaul of the education sector.  Pres of the VC's Committee Deryck
Schreuder says the country's 38 public unis recognise the $1.5 bn
reform package contains some positive measures.  However, he says
unis will now embark on a campaign to convince MP's that some
modifications of the plan are necessary.

Canberra. DFAT SAYS IT WASN'T TO BLAME FOR BALI!  The DFAT says it's
completely satisfied with its performance leading up to the Bali
bombing, saying it did all it could to warn Aussies travelling to
Indonesia.  Head of DFAT's consular and passports div Ian Kemish told
a Senate Committee that prior to the Bali bombings in Oct last y,
there was "no inconsistency" between the threat assessments and the
travel advisories.  He says the Dept now holds fortnightly meetings
with ASIO to ensure threat assessments and other intel are "properly
reflected" in travel advisories. ["We did nothing wrong; but we
changed things so we won't make that mistake again". Sounds logical!]

Madrid. CHRIS COLUMBUS EXHUMED!  Researchers have exhumed a chest
containing the supposed remains of Christopher Columbus and are
preparing DNA tests to determine whether they're authentic.  The tests
aim to settle a long debate over whether the remains in Seville
Cathedral are those of the legendary explorer or whether Columbus is
actually buried in the Dominican Rep's capital, Santo Domingo.
Researchers have removed 2 boxes from an ornate tomb at the cathedral
in the presence of 2 descendants of Columbus.

Canberra. PAYMENTS INCREASE NEXT M!  The Family Tax Benefit and child
care payments will go up next m at the start of the new FY.  The fed
govt says an average SI2K will get around $230 pa more when the
Family Tax Benefit rises by 3%.  Family and Community Services Min
Amanda Vanstone says 1.9 mn families will be better off.  Children and
Youth Affairs Min Larry Anthony says more than 1/2 mn low-income
families will receive an extra $4/wk in child payments from Jul 7.

Thredbo. NSW SKI AREAS LOOKING TO BUMPER SEASON!  Businesses in NSW's
ski region are looking to a bumper winter season after devastating
bushfires kept tourists away during the summer.  Thredbo Chamber of
Commerce pres Ian Foster says it's been a difficult summer, with many
local businesses forced to lay off staff to survive after fires broke
out around last Xmas.  He says many businesses are counting on this
winter to help them get out of the hole.

Sydney. MARKETS!  The Nikkei ended the day 17 pts higher at 8,564.
The Hang Seng added 25 pts to finish at 9,663.  In London the FTSE is
presently down 26 pts.  Gold is trading around $US365.30/oz.  The AUD
is refusing to challenge the 66 c level and is trading around 65.80 US c.

{{
4 am
ESA says it's Mars Express is running hot and normal after blastoff
from Baikonour about 15 mins ago.  Dozens of scientists and
journalists have gathered in the Kazakh steppe to watch the launch of
the latest mission to the Red Planet.  It's about mission 30, of which
only a handful have succeeded.

6 am
A new Newspoll is showing bad news for Simon Crean, although the gap
between ALP and Coal'n is closing.  Howard leads Crean as pref PM by
65 to 17 and has a comfortable 35-pt margin on Mr Crean on
"performance", leading 60 to 25.  The greens and minors rather than
the ALP have benefitted from govt losses.  But on a TPP basis, the
Coal'n leads Labor by only 2 pts, 51 (down 3) to 49 (up 3).

Another Newspoll published in The Australian today shows most Aussies
favour the def force chief as GG.  Gen Peter Cosgrove is preferred by
almost 2/3 of those surveyed.  He's well ahead of acting GG and Tas Gov 
Sir Guy Green at 55%, and former Nats leader and former Dep PM Tim Fisher.

The world's biggest medical recall has just gotten bigger.  166 new
products produced by disgraced manufacturer Pan Pharmaceutical have been
added to the recall list.  The total is now more than 1,600.

The AUS Senate is pushing for inquiry on the intel that was used to
send Aussie troops into war in Iraq.  For Min Alex Downer says there
is no need for an inquiry that caused the AUS govt to defy the UN and
for the first time attack another sovereign nation.  But after 45 days
of searching there is no evidence of an Iraq WMD program that was
supposed to be able to launch an attack within 1 hr, or the shells
that were allegedly being handed out to field cmdrs in the first days
of the war.  In the US, the CIA is now conducting an internal
investigation into how its intel was interpreted by the Pentagon's
"cabal".  The AUS govt is also in the firing line, but the For Min
remains defiant, saying it's foolish to raise questions over the
intel.  Neither the Opp'n nor Greens thinks an investigation is
foolish, saying AUS went to war because of bad info from the PM, intel
agencies and the Pentagon.

The Vic govt has offered $1 mn rewards to help solve the murders of 2
mothers.  Both were murdered in front of witnesses, and police
believe there were links with the underworld in each case.  One
mother was shot in her bed after she'd given evidence against her
husband.  The other was shot in her driveway, with no apparent motive.
A Vic policeman is suspected in one case.  Prem Bracks says the
rewards are being offered because the govt and police believe people
with info have not come forward.

6.13 am
The AUD has lost ground, and is presently trading at 65.78 US c after
Pres Bush Jr re-affirmed a strong USD policy at the G8 conf.  Manuf
data in the US was up for the 3rd straight m, but the ISM showed manuf
shrank for the 3rd m in a row.  On the first day of the trading m Wall
St was out of the blocks quickly.  At present, the Dow is ahead 42 pts
with 1 hr left to trade.  It broke through the 9,000 barrier at one
pt, levels not seen since Oct 2001.  Gold is up 1.60 to $US366/oz and
oil is up 1.13/bbl at $30.70/bbl on fears over petrol supplies in the
US.  The FTSE is up 81 points.

The Qld govt has signalled paedophiles that are likely to re-offend
may never be released from jail under new plans.

A raft of new data shows why the Aussie economy is going gang-busters.
AUS company profits were up 1.4% last m -- way above expectations.
Inventories were up 1.5% -- 3 times expectations.  Housing building
approvals were down 1.3%.  But they were up 8.5% for new homes.  There
was a predicted 19% drop in the appt sector.  S&P has slashed to junk
status Southcorp shares.  Coke-Amatil are moving into water.

The RBA will meet today, but is not expected to change int rates.
It's now 12 m since the C bank has changed the cash rate, raising it
then 1/4 pt to 4.75%.

Ramadi, Iraq.  US troops and demonstrators have clashed.  There are
few details at present.  There are believed to be several injuries.

900 people have now died in the heat-wave in India.  More than 300 have
been hospitalised.  People have been told to stay inside during the
middle of the day.  In some places, temps are reaching 50 deg C.  The
temps are several deg higher than normal in several states.  The heat
is expected to last a few days more according to the met.  Monsoon
rains have failed or are late for the 2nd y in a row.  In some states
they're praying to the rain gods.

The US FCC have relaxed cross media rules.  Despite 1000s of
electronic objections and last-min protests in the FCC it's relaxed
media ownership rules.  It will now allow a company to own TV and
newspapers in the same city.  One company may also own media covering
up to 45% of US population.  It's good news for Rupert Murdoch,
although he told the FCC he has no plans to take advantage of the new
rules yet.  The FCC chair is Mike Powell, son of Colin Powell.  The
Rep-dominated panel voted on de-regulation 3-2 along party lines.

6.45 am
The DJIA has closed up 48 pts.  The Nasdaq ended down 7 pts.  The FTSE
is presently 81 up.  The German Dax is up 82.

Tourism operators have joined the criticism of the fed govt's GBR
protection package.  Local commercial fishermen are predicting job cuts.

The FBI has located the campsite of wanted bombing suspect Rudolph.
They believe he managed to elude police for 5 y because he had help.

Ramallah.  There have been renewed clashes between Israeli troops and
Palestinian protesters as the Army tried to impose a curfew.

In Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai has been released from detention.

7 am
Uday's chief bodyguard has reportedly been captured in Iraq.

PM Howard says boosting security at the nation's regional airports is
too expensive and can't guarantee safety anyway.  [Hard to say why
anyone is bothering with the city airports, then].

The Aussie balance of payments is expected to blow out. New figures
are expected at 11.30 am today.

7.20 am
The SARS death toll in Canada has risen to 32.

Up-market retailer David Jones has warned it faces a $20 mn loss this
FY after a "strategic review".  It says it will face $78 mn in
write-downs after deciding to quit its Foodchain operation which will
be taken over by the Freedom furniture group.  High-profile CEO Dick
Warburton has announced he will step down following the disaster. But
he's taking a $1/2 mn handshake.  He says he earned it after 7 y with
the company.  [DJ shares reached a 4-m high after the announcement].

Midday.
The ASX is slightly ahead at midday, with the All Ords up 4 pts at 3,008.

4.30 pm
Before the war, the Pentagon said Iraq had buried chemical and bio
weapons in dozens of barrels at a certain location. Powell showed
aerial photos of the site to make the case for war against Iraq.
Today, US soldiers finished searching for the buried barrels of
poison. They found nothing.  Donald Rumsfeld says the Iraqis may have
"blown up" their WMD shortly before the war. Critics say it's strange
the US didn't have intel on that.  Intel and other officials say it's
embarrassing and suspicious for the govt to move from one reason for
the invasion of Iraq before GWII to another one afterward.  In a
soon-to-be aired TV interview, Security Adv Conny Rice says the Iraqis
were "very clever" about hiding their programs.  [Contradicting the
US's alleged ability to find out details about where things were buried].

Israel has released prominent Palestinian prisoners ahead of the "road
map" summit with US Pres Bush Jr.

In Geneva, police have turned water canon on protesters who were
refusing to submit to body searches.

6.30 pm
A full-scale Congressional inquiry into the reasons the US led an
invasion of Iraq will start later this m. It will be televised live in
the US. The CIA says it will co-operate. Colin Powell is expected to
face a long public grilling over his UN "evidence".

Baghdad. The UN Special Envoy to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, has
arrived, claiming a wide mandate to improve the lives of ordinary Iraqis. 
But he admitted he would have to work under the auspices of the US and
Brit occupying forces. De Mello was welcomed by Governor Bremer.

Baghdad. Former Iraq soldiers protested today, demanding pay for the
loss of jobs.  The military was disbanded under order of the US Admin.
Governor Bremer says he's trying to form a new corps, which will give
jobs to many of the demonstrators.  Bremer indicated members of the
Baath party would not be welcome.  Most of the former snr officers
will not find a job, he said.

For the first time, a prov in N Pakistan, nr the Afghan border, has
officially voted to adopt strict Sharia Law. The move could lead to
public stonings or the loss of limbs for crimes under Islamic law.
The prov'l govt has promised the new leg'n will not apply to
non-Islamic minorities.

6.50 pm
Sydney. The All Ords has closed down 12 pts, dragged lower by bank stocks.

At least 3 homes in Bris, MEL and SYD have been raided by the AFP in
connection with funds-raising for terrorism.  An AFP rep says no-one
has been arrested, but documents have been seized. The homes raided
are believed to be those if Iranian nationals.

John Elliott is back in court. A list of prominent Aussies have lent
written support as character witnesses, incl Richard Alston.  ASIC has
asked the Court to fine Elliott $200,000 after his rice-growing
company, Waterwheel, operated while insolvent. Elliott and another
director may be required to pay back investors $1.5 mn, and $1 mn more
in ASIC legal costs. The Securities watchdog is also asking for
Elliott to be banned from holding any exec position in an Aussie
company for 7 y.

11.30 pm
An AUS-developed AIDS vaccine is to undergo further its first human
trials.  The vaccine has been proven to be safe, and has been shown to
boost immune responses. It will undergo testing on human volunteers in
AUS before trials on a high-risk human group, possibly in Thailand.
Researchers at UNSW point out that even if everything goes well, it
would take 7 to 10 y before any commercial product could be available.
}}

----------------------------------------
Wed, 04 Jun 2003.

Sydney (noon). MARKETS!  The ASX edged ahead at noon today, driven by
AMP [!] and the banks.  The All Ords has added 8 pts to 3,000.
Overnight the Dow closed up 26 pts to 8,923.  Gold is higher at
$US365.50 and oil is still over $US30/bbl.  In Europe, the FTSE closed
down 14 pts at 4,116 and the German Dax ended 38 pts lower at 3,027.

Madrid. FATAL TRAIN ACCIDENT IN SPAIN!  A good train and a passenger
train have collided in SE Spain, killing several people and injuring
up to 25.  The state railways firm says the crash occurred nr the city
of Albacete.  Spanish TV has shown footage of firefighters battling a
blaze in 1 of the train carriages before they managed to extinguish
it.  The state railway firm says the passenger train, which was
travelling from Madrid to the SE coastal city of Cartagena, had
nearly 90 people on board.

NY. BLIX TO BRIEF UNSC!  Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix will
brief the UNSC on Thu.  The announcement comes amid mounting
skepticism about US and Brit allegations over Iraq's WMD programs.
Council president Sergei Lavrov, Russia's ambassador to the UN, says
Blix's report will incl the period 2 and 1/2 wks before inspectors
were forced to withdraw from Iraq on Mar 17.  That was 3 days ahead of
the US-led invasion.
[Brit PM Blair is seen as the weaker of the 2 political leaders
presently in the firing line over politicised intelligence info.  But
a poll in the US shows Pres Bush Jr is relatively immune.  About 2/3
of the people questioned don't think the Iraqi info was exaggerated in
the lead-up to GWII].

Washington. US REPUTATION SINKS TO NEW LOWS!  A new survey shows world
opinion of the US has sunk following the Iraq war, and that many
people outside the US have little confidence in Pres Bush Jr.  The Pew
Global Attitudes Project, chaired by former US sec of state Madeleine
Albright, has found the US-led war has depressed an existing rift
between America and Europe, and angered many Muslims around the world.
Nearly 16,000 people in 20 countries were polled during the past m for
their view on how the war had affected opinion of the US, Pres Bush,
the UN and the Middle E.

Baghdad. PROTESTS IN BAGDAD!  1000s of Iraqis have marched through
Baghdad, threatening violence unless US troops withdraw immediately
from the country.  They also vented their anger over body searches
of women in the capital.  Nearly 8 wks after the end of Saddam
Hussein's regime, protests against the foreign military presence are
growing and many say they want to run their own country.

Baghdad. ANOTHER US SOLDIER KILLED!  A US soldier has been shot and
killed while on patrol in C Iraq.  The military says today's shooting
occurred nr the town of Balad, 90 km N of the capital.  Several dozen
US soldiers have been killed or wounded in a series of hit-and-run
attacks across C Iraq since the end of ground operations almost 2 m
ago.  Meanwhile, Centcom says 4 US soldiers and 5 civilians were
blindfolded and interrogated by Iranian authorities after being
taken off boats in the waters between Iraq and Iran.

Sharm el-Sheikh. BUSH LEAVES EGYPT!  US Pres Bush Jr says Israel must
deal with settlements and make sure there is continuous territory that
the Palestinians can call home.  Bush was speaking at a summit with
Arab leaders in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.  He
made the remarks concerning Israeli -- which is not represented at the
summit -- after informing the Palestinians of their responsibilities
to reign in terrorism.  He told the Palestinian PM Abu Mazen that a few 
terrorists can't be allowed to destroy the dreams and hopes of the many.
[In other reports, Palestinian reps complained that Bush's words on
Jewish settlements on their land didn't cover the creation of a new
8-m high wall that was cutting off about 40% of Gaza].

Evian. G8 WARNS IRAN AND NK!  The G8 has warned NK and Iran that they
will not let them aquire nuclear weapons. [Too late!]  However, there
are differences over whether the declaration endorses the use of
force. A snr US official says Washington understands the wording in
the official communique of "other means" is an implicit authorisation
for the use of force.  But French host Chirac, Canadian PM Chretien
and German Chancellor Schroeder think otherwise. Chretien told
reporters the declaration does not include the use of force.

Canberra. TRADE TALKS END IN THAILAND!  Trade Min Mark Vaile has
welcomed a call by Asia/Pac trade ministers for progress on world
trade multilateral negotiations.  Their mins completed 2 days of
talks in Thailand last night, focusing on the SARS crisis and the
costs to trade of terrorism threats.  The Asia Pacific Economic
Co-operation forum agreed on a plan to deal with SARS.  They also
discussed the passenger info system announced last y to boost security
for airline passengers in the new era of global terrorism.

Canberra. AUS GDP GROWS 0.7% IN Q1!  Officials figures released by the
ABS today show the Aussie economy picked up its pace in the first 3 m
of 2003 as it continued to defy weak conditions world-wide.  The AS
says the economy expanded by 0.7% in the Mar Q, from a revised 0.3% in
Dec. Despite the rise annual growth slowed to 2.9% from 3.0% in the
prev 12 m, and below the 3.1% expected by financial markets.

Perth. RAN TO RESCUE BRIT ROWERS!  An AUS Navy frigate is expected to
meet up with 2 Brit rowers later today. The pair have had to abandon
their attempt to row across the Indian Ocean because of injury.
HMAS Newcastle is on its way to rescue 45 yo Mike Noel-Smith and 31 yo
Rob Abernethy, who are battling stormy seas about 2,700 km from the WA
coast.  The 2 men called for help on Mon after Mr N-S suffered
concussion, a broken nose and damage to one eye while adjusting their
boat's rudder on Sat.

Sydney. ANTI-SMOKING LOBBY CLAIMS 80% SUPPORT!  An anti-smoking group
wants a total ban on smoking in bars, pubs and gambling areas
following claims the move has nearly 80% support.  A major review by
the NSW Cancer Council published today shows the proposed smoke banks
in gambling areas have had up to 76% support in recent y.  Bans in
pubs or bars have had recent support of up to 68% -- an increase of
nearly 20 pts since 1993.

Canberra. TELSTRA TO BOOST RURAL SERVICES!  Telstra says it will spend
an extra $231 mn and set up 100 more CDMA base stns to boost country
phone services.  Telstra says it will also introduce a range of new
products aimed at improving Internet access and speeds in the bush.
Telstra's Country Wide MD Doug Campbell says they'll seek approval to
bundle telephone and Internet products with the regional pay-TV
operator Austar.

{{
1 am
BBC World Service.  Pres Bush says Israel must deal with Jewish
settlements.  Speaking in Egypt he said Israel must ensure there is a
continuous territory the Palestinians could call home.  He called on
Palestine to fight terror and close down assistance to terror groups.
The closing statements at the US-Arab summit were light on substance.
Egyptian Pres Mubarak referred only to helping the Palestinian
Authority end violence.  Bush had indicated he wanted Mubarak to
denounce terrorist groups.  Mubarak's comments were seen as material
for local consumption.  Observers say there were obvious conflicting
visions on the US and Arab sides.

Also in Egypt, US Sec of State Colin Powell had a warning for Yasser
Arafat.  Powell said spoiling activities would be met by the int'l
community.  He said after the appointment of the Palestinian PM and
Cabinet, the Palestinian people had an opportunity previously denied to
them.  Powell also indicated any new Palestinian state must be
contiguous, and allow its people free travel across it.

Evian. The G8 meeting has ended with a general and vague decl of
several points, incl a shared aim of creating a stable and democratic Iraq.  
French host Pres Chirac said any military action not supported by the
UN was illegal.  He called for international law to be respected.  His
words referred to an implied threat against Iran and N Korea in the
official declaration.  
The summit has not made a great deal of progress.  There is more
money for AIDS.  Putin called for pressure on Iran on its nuke weapons
program.  But he indicated Russia would continue to sell Iran nuclear
materials.  
Pres Chirac said he views GWII as illegitimate and illegal.  He said
there was "no question" of using force against Iran.  
The summit has been summarised as a damage limitations exercise.  
It cost $US1/2 bn to hold.  
African delegates, invited by Chirac, said even when the world's
powerful countries work together the result rarely rises about the
LCD.  They said the summit was a "lost opportunity".  
Blair put the best spin on what wasn't accomplished, calling on the
developed world and Africa to work together.  
The security France turned on to hold demonstrators 20 km away from
the main venues was the most expensive part of the operation.  It incl
25,000 security personnel, fighter jets patrolling the sky, and even a
special heliport created so world leaders could fly in over the Lake.
Some said it would be better to skip the summit and spend the money
directly on fulfilling the G8's promises.

The PM's office in London has rejected calls to investigate intel info
used to justify GWII.  A rep for Tony Blair said WMD intel was
entirely the work of the intel services and there was no political
pressure to change the report.

USA Today says the former civilian head of the Army, Thomas White, says
the Pentagon is still refusing to acknowledge the size of the
operation needed to secure Iraq.  He says the US will need a minimum
of 100,000 troops for the next y.  With US casualties rising daily,
the former Sec of the Army says he sees the first stirring of the
understanding of the commitment needed in Iraq.  In an interview, he
said Pentagon officials are unwilling to come to grips with the
commitment.  Before the war there was open conflict between the
civilian and military leaders in the Pentagon.  Thomas resigned after
numerous public "differences" with Def Sec and Pentagon cabal leader
Donald Rumsfeld.

France. Despite a strike over pension reforms, 1/2 Paris Metro and 2/3
of rural trains are still working.  The govt has persuaded some
workers their pensions won't be affected by proposed reforms.

Moroccans have arrested a French national in connection with the
Casablanca bombing attacks last m.  He's the 1st non-Moroccan to be
named in connection with the atrocity.  11 have so far been charged in
relation to the bombings.

There is growing concern about Opp'n leader Aung San Suu Kyi in
Myanmar.  The govt says she's in Rangoon and wasn't injured in an
"incident" in N Burma last wk.  But no-one has been allowed to see
her, even after repeated attempts by UN officials.

A rep for the Zimbabwean govt has told the BBC the problem with the
Opp'n demonstrations in Harare was "youths being employed to beat up
govt supporters".  Speaking from neighbouring S Af, an Opp'n rep said
MDC supporters showed courage by going onto the streets to protest.
The MDC has called for 1 wk of strikes and demos to protest govt
policies that have pushed the country into an economic crisis.

Midday.
Baghdad. 3 US Brigades are gathering up the tonnes of ammunition left
around the Iraqi countryside. They're continually surprised by the
amount of explosives and munitions hidden in homes, public buildings
and massive underground bunkers.  In Baghdad they've just discovered
a housing estate that was being used as an ammo storage area. Large
amounts of artillery fuel are being carefully removed. One spark, and
the whole suburb could have gone up. Cmdrs say they've found
everything from tonnes of 9 mm rounds to medium-range rockets. Some of
it is being taken away to secure storage for use by a new Iraqi
military -- whenever that's created. The rest is being destroyed.  As
children play nearby, tonnes of artillery fuel is being carefully
burned in a long trench. An Iraqi uni professor wants the US troops to
visit his home next. What should be his lounge-room was being used by
Saddam's forces as an ammo dump for mortar and anti-artillery rounds.

AUS has recorded a slightly lower than expected GDP growth for the
past 12 m. The Mar Q growth has come in at 0.7%, making the annualised
rate 2.9%. In Dec 2001 the annual growth rate was 4.1%. The govt is
putting the slow-down down to the drought and the poor state of the world
economy.
}}

========================================

(*) 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.

*** I am perfectly happy with my intelligence, thankyou! ***