Someone who says he will run on the economy... is like saying he will
run on the weather...
-- Dick Morris, ABC Lateline, 06 Oct 2004.
   Morris says it's "ludicrous" for a PM or even US Pres to claim they
   manage the economy.

The important thing is... no-one compromises their principles in order
to get preferences.
-- PM John Howard, 06 Oct 2004.
   The govt has stitched up a preference deal with the far right
   Family First party.

This is not a forestry policy... it's a grubby preference deal.
-- PM John Howard, 04 Oct 2004
   It's not easy being green. With Mark Latham announcing a $800 mn
   forestry package for Tassie, a new poll shows the greens surging to 12%.

Don't tell a small lie... tell a whopper.
-- Mark Latham, 06 Oct 2004.
   Sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from a lie.

We have what we believe to be credible information that Iraq and Al
Qaeda have discussed safe haven opportunities in Iraq, reciprocal
non-aggression discussions.
-- Def Sec Rumsfeld, 26 Sep 2002
   Way-back machine.

To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links
the 2 [Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda].
-- Def Sec Rumsfeld, Council on For Rels, 05 Oct 2004.
   Things you maybe forgot you known you shouldn't say. After these
   latest comments were widely reported, Mr Rumsfeld has argued he was
   "misunderstood".

Zaqawri... Zaqawri... he's the best evidence.
-- Pres Bush Jr, way-back machine, 15 Jun 2004.
   Red stripe document. A leaked CIA report now says there's no
   evidence the fmr Iraqi regime knew or gave permission for the
   al-Qaeda operative was in Baghdad.

This is a murky story... What we do know... Zaqawri knew Iraqi well.
-- Nat'l Sec Adv Rice, 05 Oct 2004.
   The lyrics have changed, but the melody remains the same.

Zaqawri was in and out of Baghdad.
-- Pres Bush Jr, 05 Oct 2004.
   The lyrics have changed, but the melody remains the same.

What Poland does is a matter for Poland...
-- Aussie PM John Howard, 05 Oct 2004.
   After Poland signalled it will be out of Iraq by the end of 2005, Mr Howard
   has signalled the Aussie military will be there "as long as it takes".

What a tribute to the power of public opinion... today is...
-- Sen Bob Brown, 04 Oct 2004.
   The Greens are now looking forward to seeking the Howard govt's
   package...  Sometime before polling on Sat.

----------------------------------------
Mon, 04 Oct 2004.

	HEADLINES:
Clashes in Haiti kill 14
14 killed in factory blast
Rice in denial on Iraq nuke doubts
2 bodies found in Iraq
'Western' corpses found in Iraq
US, Iraqi forces tighten grip on Samarra
US claims to have 'pacified' rebel stronghold in Iraq
Diggers welcome and respected in Iraq
ALP pledges to increase TAFE places
Anglicans discuss same-sex 'friendships', gay priests
Author urges Labor to match dementia funding
Call for nat'l standards to assess overseas-trained doctors
Cambodia concerned over war crimes trials cost
Coalition keeps election winning lead
Coalition to extend bowel cancer screening programs
ETA leader held in French swoop
Election polls show conflicting results
Family First distinct from church, candidate says
Fighting continues in Fallujah
Fresh blasts hit NE India
Friendliness pips price for customer loyalty
Gaddafi asked to help secure Brit hostage's release
Gaza offensive set to continue
Howard confident of winning election
Israeli raids target Hamas leader
Italy puts asylum seekers on flight home
Job ads dip in election countdown
Lassie celebrates 50th
Latham expected to announce $500m Tas forest policy
Latham hits out at Medicare Gold criticism
Man charged over wedding reception shooting
Manny to be released from hospital
Medicare Gold policy 'unsustainable'
More violence hits NE India
Newspaper jobs ads fall slightly: ANZ
Online medical sites causing 'cyberchondria'
PM supports tougher child porn laws
Porn suspects' suicides spark call for police review
Resources key to bull market: analysts
School age entry shake-up
Scientists warn US volcano eruption imminent
Share market starts new trading wk strongly
Sharon vows to end rocket strikes
Sudan considers tribal law for troubled Darfur region
Tas Min questions 'hypocritical' forestry campaigning
UN chief calls for end to Gaza offensive
US planes strike insurgents in Fallujah
Utes rewrite muster record books
Woman dies after falling in front of train


@14 killed in factory blast
Ayutthaya, Thailand (AFP).  At least 14 people have been killed and 2
injured in an explosion at a fireworks factory in Thailand's ancient
capital Ayutthaya, officials said on Sun.  A district official,
Kamnueng Isaro, said authorities were still unsure how the blast
occurred.  The blast occurred at the Boon-Leur fireworks factory about
3.00 pm [local] in Ayutthaya, just N of the Thai capital Bangkok.
"What we do know is this factory's license ran out 10 y ago and it was
illegally producing fireworks," the official said.

@Sudan considers tribal law for troubled Darfur region
Khartoum (Reuters).  Sudanese Pres Omar Hassan al-Bashir has said he
backs fed rule for the country's troubled Darfur region, where
inhabitants would be ruled by tribal law and not the country's central law.
Mr Bashir said the local law would be applied over the region where
rebels accuse the Govt of supporting Arab militias, which they say
have attacked and burnt villages, raped, killed and driven people from
their land.
The revolt broke out in early 2003 following many y of low-level
fighting between Arab nomads and African farming communities.
The UN says the conflict has killed up to 50,000 people.
"There will be support for fed rule," Mr Bashir told reporters in
Khartoum. "Dealing with them [tribal leaders] will be through local
tribal law," he said.
Sudanese FM Mustafa Osman Ismail last m raised the idea of
transforming Africa's largest country into a fed system with
considerable autonomy granted to its states.
Sudan aims to "empower the local population" by allowing the tribal
leadership to govern using traditional laws, another official said.
Sudan was reverting to more local rule, which was abolished by a
previous president, State Min for Foreign Affairs Najeeb Abdul Wahab,
told Reuters.
Mr Abdul Wahab said the final status of Darfur would be decided at
talks between the Govt and Darfur's 2 main rebel groups, due to
restart this m in Abuja.
The US says the Darfur violence is genocide and has blamed killings on
Khartoum and the Arab militias, known as Janjaweed.
The UN Sec Council has threatened Sudan with possible sanctions if it
fails to stop the violence, which has continued despite a cease fire
agreed between the Govt and rebels in Chad in Apr.

@Rice in denial on Iraq nuke doubts
Washington (Herald Sun).  US Pres George W Bush's campaign has been
forced on the defensive after a report that the Whitehouse knew before
invading Iraq that key intel on the country's alleged nuclear weapons
program was questionable.
Nat'l security adviser Condoleezza Rice said she knew of a debate
within the US govt about the purpose of aluminium tubes found in Iraq,
which she and other officials had brandished before the war as proof
of Saddam Hussein's nuclear ambitions.
But, in a series of TV interviews, she said she only later
learned that the Energy Dept believed the aluminium tubes were actually
meant for conventional weapons.
She denied a report in The NY Times that she knew of those concerns
before using the tubes to argue for war.
"At that time we understood there were some debates within the intel
community. I later learned that the Energy Dept believed that these
tubes might be for something else," she told NBC TV's Today Show.
Speaking on the campaign trail in the town of Austintown, Ohio,
Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry said the Times report was a
stinging indictment of the Bush Admin's prewar intel and foreign
policy judgement.
"There are very serious questions about whether the Admin was open and
honest in making the case for war in Iraq," he said.
"These are questions that the president must face. These are question
that the president has to answer fully to the American people and the troops."
Sen Kerry's campaign rep Joe Lockhart expanded on those concerns.
"Secretary [of State Colin] Powell went up and based most of his
assessment on Saddam's nuclear threat on these aluminium tubes to the
UN," he said.
"Condoleezza Rice raised the spectre of a mushroom cloud ... Vice Pres
Cheney ... didn't say there was debate. He said this was a fact.
"This is about what the president knew, what he withheld from the
American public, if anything. These are questions he should answer now."
Democratic Sen Bob Graham accused the Whitehouse of deliberately using
info it knew to be false to bolster the case for invading Iraq.
"It is an outrage of tremendous proportions, and is not only a
statement of the intel of this Admin, but the fundamental character of
this Admin that they would so mislead the citizens of the US and the world."
The blow to Whitehouse credibility on foreign policy matters came as
the presidential campaign entered a critical 10-day period, with a
vice-presidential face-off and 2 more scheduled debates between Mr Bush
and Sen Kerry.
Sen Kerry's strong performance in last wk's debate with Mr Bush on
internat'l affairs, combined with weekend polls showing Sen Kerry had
a slim advantage over Mr Bush after trailing him for months, have
re-invigorated the Democrat's bid for office.
This week, Sen Kerry's running mate, N Carolina Sen John Edwards,
faces VP Dick Cheney in a 90-minute debate on the campus of Case W
Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
The charismatic Sen Edwards, a former trial lawyer, will sit across a
table from Mr Cheney, a serious, often dour conservative with a quick
wit and sharp tongue. A TV journalist will moderate the event.
Sen Kerry and Mr Bush in the meantime are preparing for 2 more debates.
The rivals will meet on Oct 8 in the mid-western city of St Louis,
Missouri, in a town hall format to discuss all topics, and on Oct 13
at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, to discuss domestic and
economic issues.
Speaking on CBS TV, Whitehouse communications director Dan
Bartlett said Sen Kerry "has been somebody who has debated all his
life and is a good debater".
"But there's a difference between having style and having rhetorical points."
He then dismissed the Democrat as "a walking contradiction when it
comes to the issue of Iraq".

@Diggers welcome and respected in Iraq
[Abdul Jabbar Nassir is editor-in-chief of Baghdad, a leading
newspaper in Iraq].
Op/Ed (The Australian).  WHEN I recently returned to Iraq to edit a
Baghdad newspaper, I met several Aussie soldiers whose job it is to
inspect the incoming boats in the Basra area in S Iraq. These soldiers
have an extremely important and hazardous job; their primary
responsibility is to ensure the security of the region where possible
terrorists could be active.
One soldier who boarded our vessel to search our bags noticed a packet
of Aussie-brand cigarettes in my pocket. I knew he realised
immediately that I was an Aussie, so I said: "G'day digger". He
smiled. I wanted him to know that we are brothers, both being Aussies
-- hence why I said "G'day digger".
Now, the word "digger" has echoed in my mind since I met an ex-digger
in the Tobruk bar in Liverpool's RSL club in W SYD several m
ago. Grinning, this elderly digger explained that the origin of the
word is from the fact that Aussie soldiers had to dig trenches, under
horrific enemy fire in their effort to survive on the Dardanelles
peninsula in World War I.
I've come to understand this is the humble, genuine fashion in which
many Aussie men greet each other. In fact, it has come to mean much
more to me -- it has come to mean "the one who knows the true meaning
of freedom and the one who has the guts to rescue oppressed
people". For me, as an Iraqi-Aussie, this means helping to liberate mn
of people in my former homeland from a brutal dictatorship.
When the Aussie soldiers left our ship, we all agreed that they were
very friendly and respectful, which is exactly what I hear about them
every day when I speak with Iraqis at the internat'l airport, which
the Aussies ran for many m and where they are helping to train Iraqi
forces and police. As editor-in-chief of Baghdad, a leading newspaper
in Iraq, I have my ear very close to the ground. This is something
foreign journalists do not always enjoy and often their sources appear
to be suspect. The morale of the diggers should never be undermined
while they are serving abroad by remarks and statements, perhaps
cynically motivated for political purposes by retired members of the
military forces, during the build-up to an election in AUS.
Critics such as former PM Malcolm Fraser are wrong to say that the
Iraqi people want all foreign troops out. And as for the many doctors
who recently signed a letter to the newspapers criticising AUS's role
in Iraq, I can assure them that the medical facilities are receiving
about 60% more funding under the interim govt than under Saddam
Hussein's regime, which would sell medicines on the black market,
during the sanctions, for personal benefit.
I also disagree with Mark Latham who has made it clear that, if he
becomes PM, he will withdraw our troops from Iraq at Christmas
time. Sending such a message to terrorists on the eve of the scheduled
elections could be disastrous. PM John Howard, on the other hand, has
shown great courage in staying the course at a time when he continues
to receive unjustified criticism from some of his fellow Aussies
during the build-up to this weekend's election.
If our troops were withdrawn, AUS would still be a terror
target. After all, there are active terrorist cells worldwide. Bali,
remember, was bombed 6 m before our troops were committed to Iraq.
The Aussie soldiers' friendly attitude and very professional service
In Iraq means that they are liked and respected here, and their help
will never be forgotten. So to my true fellow Aussie mates: Thank you
diggers! You remind me why my new homeland, AUS, is indeed the Lucky Country!

@Election polls show conflicting results
Sydney (AAP).  The Coalition has consolidated its lead over Labor and
support for the Greens is surging, according to a new poll.
The ACNielsen poll, published in The SYD Morning Herald, paints a
picture of a polarised electorate supporting the Coalition, but
favouring the Greens in the Senate to put a brake on the govt.
The paper said the poll found the Coalition led Labor 52% to 48% in
2-party terms, while the Greens had emerged as a 3rd force in Aussie politics.
Pollster John Stirton was quoted as saying that if the Coalition's
margin was repeated on Sat the govt would win with its majority of 8
seats roughly intact.
The poll also showed PM John Howard continued to lead Labor's Mark
Latham as preferred PM 52% to 40%.
In the Senate, the paper said, the poll found the Greens had 12% of
the vote, more than double its 4.9% in 2001 and more than the nine or
10% predicted by party leader Bob Brown.
A Morgan Poll told a different story and suggested Labor would win
next Sat's election if current trends continue.
It found 2-party support for Labor was 51.5 per cent, up 1.5% in a
week, while Coalition support had dropped to 48.5%.
Primary support for the Coalition fell 2.5% to 41.5% while primary
support for the ALP was almost unchanged at 40.5%, according to the
Morgan Poll.

@Howard confident of winning election
Sydney.  With just 5 days to go in the fed election campaign, Prime
Min John Howard has revealed he thinks he will win on Sat.
Opp'n Leader Mark Latham says he thinks he is still the underdog.
But wildly fluctuating opinion polls appear to show the election is
still anyone's race.
Mr Howard says he believes Aussie voters will put their faith in him
this weekend.
"I'm not focusing on losing, I'm focusing on winning," he said.
"I believe that we have performed for the Aussie people and I believe in the
end the Aussie people will put their trust in me because I have delivered."
But Mr Latham, while talking up his passion and fitness for office, is
not over confident about his chances of winning.
"Labor goes into the final wk as the underdog," he said.
"I'm ready to lead because I'm here at age 43 for the long haul.
"I'll be serving the Aussie people with every bit of passion and
commitment I can muster in my body for as long as I can."
Both leaders will use this final wk of the campaign to announce new
policies, to do a final blitz of key marginal seats and to reinforce
their campaign messages.
Mr Howard is expected to make announcements on the economy and
interest rates.
Mr Latham is expected to focus on health and education.

@Clashes in Haiti kill 14
Gonaives (AP).  Police arrested Haiti's Senate president and two
other politicians allied with ousted president Jean-Bertrand Aristide
after a 6-hr standoff in a radio station, where they insisted they had
no involvement in clashes which have left at least 14 people dead.
The 3 politicians surrendered and were led out in handcuffs from the
offices of Radio Caraibes after a judge entered the building to talk
with the men, telling reporters they were being detained on illegal
weapons charges.
"They are kidnapping me. They have no reason to arrest me. It is an
illegal arrest," Senate president Yvon Feuille said as he was led
away.  Earlier, while police surrounded the building, he said govt
authorities "have no right to sacrifice the struggle for peace in
Haiti", appealing to Aristide loyalists not to respond with violence.
Afterwards, heavy gunfire erupted in several parts of downtown
Port-au-Prince, witnesses said.
At least 5 men were killed on Fri by gunmen outside the home of an
anti-Aristide community leader in the seaside slum Village de Dieu,
residents said, bringing the death toll in 3 days of violence to at
least 14.
Police also fired on a peaceful demo of Aristide supporters in the Bel
Air neighbourhood on Fri, killing 2 young men, said Anne Sosin, a
human rights monitor of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti.
The headless bodies of 3 police officers turned up on Fri. They, along
with a 4th policeman, were believed to have been killed in clashes on
Thu in Port-au-Prince, police said.
Human rights activist Jean-Claude Bajeux said Aristide loyalists are
waging "an urban guerrilla operation" which they have dubbed
"Operation Baghdad".
"The decapitations are imitative of those in Iraq, and they are meant
to show the failure of US policy in Haiti," he said.
Aristide, now in exile in S Africa, has accused US agents of ousting
him from the presidency on Feb 29 amid a bloody rebellion -- a charge
the US govt denies.
Aristide's Lavalas Family party on Thu began 3 days of commemoration
of the 1991 coup which toppled Aristide's 1st govt. They demanded an
end to "the occupation" and "the invasion" by foreign troops --
referring to the US-led force which followed Aristide's removal and
the UN peacekeepers who have taken over since June.
Some Haitians are criticising the failure of UN peacekeepers to
control the violence. In a statement, Haiti's chamber of commerce
denounced "the inaction of the UN multinat'l force".
UN rep Toussaint Kongo-Doudou said "we're doing the best we can" with
the 3,000 peacekeepers in Haiti and said countries are still deploying
more, aiming for a total of about 6,000. "Right now it's difficult to
be everywhere," he said.
Some 750 UN peacekeepers have been dealing with the aftermath of
catastrophic floods caused by Tropical Storm Jeanne 2 wk ago.

@Fresh blasts hit NE India
Assam, N India (AFP).  At least 4 people have been killed and 40
wounded in fresh violence in India's NE state of Assam.  The bomb
attacks, blamed on tribal separatists, follow a series of earlier
blasts in Assam and neighbouring Nagaland.  Dozens were killed in the
earlier attacks.  The attacks have coincided with celebrations across
India to mark the birthday of independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.  The
latest violence in the NE has taken the death toll to 53, with 141 injured.

@More violence hits NE India
Deli (AFP).  North-eastern India is reeling from one of its deadliest
waves of violence in y as police reported more killings that brought
the weekend death toll to 59, with 205 injured.
A string of blasts and shoot-outs in adjoining Assam and Nagaland
states on Sat killed at least 44 people.
Overnight another 5 victims died in hospital while 10 others were
killed in fresh violence on Sun, police said.
In New York, United Nations Sec-Gen Kofi Annan strongly condemned the
bombings and shootings, saying he had learnt of the violence with
"shock and dismay".
The weekend of bloodshed started early on Sat as India commemorated
the birth of the country's independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, a
champion of non-violence.
It also coincided with the 18th anniversary of the founding of the
Nat'l Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), one of around 30 rebel
groups fighting for greater autonomy in the region.
Police blamed the attacks on the NDFB and other rebel groups.  India's
Home Min Shivraj Patil who arrived in Nagaland on Sun after a brief
stopover in Assam, said the Govt would take "very strong steps" to
deal with militancy.
"We will have to find a long term solution to bring about an end to
insurgency in the region," he said before visiting some of the injured
in hospital.
On Sat in Dimapur, the commercial hub of Nagaland, 3 bombs exploded
almost simultaneously in what an official called the "worst ever
terrorist strike" in the tiny state's history.
Police said the plastic explosive RDX appeared to have been used in a
powerful blast at a Dimapur railway station that dug out a large
crater next to a platform packed with passengers waiting for a train.
Late on Sat, one person was killed when gunmen fired on a train near
Bagmari village in eastern Assam.
Nagaland authorities blamed the attacks on rebels seeking to disrupt
the peace process.
Several attacks on targets including crowded markets in the region on
Sun left a further 6 people dead and scores wounded.
3 NDFB rebels were also killed, apparently when the explosive device
they were planting exploded, police said.

@ETA leader held in French swoop
Police conduct ongoing searches of suspected members of the Basque
separatist group ETA.
Madrid (Reuters).  The leader of Spain's Basque separatist group, ETA,
has been arrested during a series of raids in France and Spain.
20 others have been detained and explosives, grenades and other
weapons have been seized in a series of raids, according to officials.
Hailed by authorities as a major blow to the outlawed separatist group
in France and Spain, police arrested Mikel Albisu Iriarte, alias "Mikel Antza".
Spanish authorities claim Albisu has been ETA's political chief since 1993.
He was arrested with his partner, another suspected ETA veteran,
Soledad Iparraguirre, alias "Anboto", at Salies de Bearn in SW France.
Accused of involvement in at least 14 murders, Iparraguirre is the
highest-ranking woman in ETA, the Spanish Int Min'y said in a statement.
A total of 20 people suspected of links to ETA were detained in
France, where dozens of anti-terrorist and local police took part in
raids in a search for ETA bases.
Interior Min Jose Antonio Alonso said more than 1,000 kgs of
explosives of different types were found along with dozens of
sub-machine guns, grenades, grenade launchers, detonators and bullets.
"This operation is historic," Mr Alonso told reporters.
"Despite this grave blow [to ETA] ... we continue on maximum alert,
and won't let our guard down one single minute."
Spanish police also arrested a truck driver in the central city of
Burgos who was suspected of involvement in attacks last wk in which
bombs were attached to electricity pylons in Spain.
ETA, classed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United
States, has killed more than 800 people since 1968 to press its demand
for a Basque state carved out of N Spain and SW France.
ETA has not carried out a fatal attack for more than a year, but it
resumed planting small bombs in Aug, 1st targeting tourist resorts and
then blowing up electricity pylons on lines connecting France and Spain.

@Cambodia concerned over war crimes trials cost
Phnom Penh.  A law to establish a war crimes tribunal for surviving
members of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime is expected pass the
country's parliament today.
The Cambodian Govt has already cast doubt over the planned trials
going ahead because of a shortage of money to fund the process.  The
United Nations and Cambodia believe the war crimes prosecution will
cost nearly $70 mn.
The only donation so far is a little over $2 mn from AUS.
Cambodian PM Hun Sen says his country can provide little more than a
venue hall, power and water and the rest must come from donors.
A Khmer Rouge trial task force secretariat in Phnom Penh is reportedly
broke and staff complain that they have not been paid wages for 6 m.
Up to 2 mn Cambodians are believed to have been killed or died of
disease and starvation during Khmer Rouge's rule between 1975 and 1979.
Of the surviving leaders, only 2 are in detention while the rest are
living freely.
Former dictator Pol Pot died in a jungle hide-out 1998.

@Online medical sites causing 'cyberchondria'
Derby, UK (AFP).  Browsing medical sites on the Internet can bring on
a condition dubbed 'cyberchondria', a Brit study said.  Researchers
from the University of Derby spent 18 m browsing Internet health sites
which offer advice on the common symptoms and treatment of a huge
range of illnesses, from colds to cancer.  They found that misleading
or vague advice could easily lead people to incorrectly diagnose their
symptoms.  "We found that people using these sites can take on board
medical advice which is incorrect -- an obvious concern," Dr Neil
Coulson, who led the research team, said.  "Indeed, the health
profession has coined the phrase 'cyberchondria' for people using the
Internet for self diagnosis and presenting this misinfo to their GP."
The study found that while most sites linked to societies, charities
or professional bodies gave sound advice, those run by individuals
could include glaring inaccuracies.

@2 bodies found in Iraq
Baghdad (Reuters).  Iraqi police have found the bodies of a man and a
woman, both believed to be Westerners, S of Baghdad.  The director of
a hospital in Baghdad received the corpses on Sun.  He said the man
had been beheaded and the woman had been shot.  No other details were
immediately available.

@'Western' corpses found in Iraq
Baghdad (AP).  Bloodied by wk of suicide bomb attacks and
assassinations, Iraqi security forces are patrolling the streets of
Samarra after a morale-boosting victory in the Sunni Triangle city.
US and Iraqi cmdrs have declared the operation in Samarra, 95 km NW of
Baghdad, a successful 1st step in a major push to wrest key areas of
the country from insurgents before Jan elections.
But anger of residents mounted as word of the toll on civilians spread.
Among the 70 dead brought to Samarra General Hospital since the
fighting erupted, 23 were children and 18 women, said hospital
official Abdul-Nasser Hamed Yassin. A total of 160 wounded also were treated.
South of Baghdad, 2 bodies, one with a severed head, were found on
Sun, with police saying the corpses looked like those of
Westerners. But it was difficult to determine the ethnicity of the
dead persons from available photographs.
Police Lt Hussein Rizouqi said no identification was found on the
corpses which were discovered 20 km S of Baghdad. The officer said the
woman, who was shot in the head, had blonde hair.
Insurgents have used kidnappings and grisly beheadings as one of their
weapons in a 17-m campaign to drive the US and its allies out of Iraq.
More than 140 foreigners have been kidnapped since Apr, some as
political leverage and others for ransoms. At least 26 have been killed.
A Lebanese electrical company appealed to Iraqi kidnappers Sun to
release their hostages, saying 2 of its employees abducted last wk
were not working with US forces.
The kidnapped men were among 10 people seized last week by a group
calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq -- the same group that claimed
responsibility for the abduction of 2 French journalists last m.
"The people who were hurt most are normal people who have nothing to
do with anything," said Abdel Latif Hadi, 45.
US warplanes Sun hammered another rebel-held city, Fallujah, the
latest strike in wk of attacks targeting groups linked to terrorists,
particularly the network of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The city hospital said 2 people were killed and 12 wounded in the air
strikes on 4 neighbourhoods. 2 more people, a man and his wife, were
killed and 2 wounded when a tank fired on a house in the city's S
suburbs, Dr Rafe al-Issawi said.
The US military, which confirmed only one strike aimed at a building
where insurgents were moving weapons, regularly accuses the hospital
of inflating casualty figures.
"We're very worried that Fallujah might be next after Samarra," said
one Fallujah resident, 40-yo Saad Majid.

@Gaddafi asked to help secure Brit hostage's release
Moamar Gadaffi has been called on to help secure the release of Brit
engineer Ken Bigley.
London (ABC, Kirsten Aiken).  Libyan leader Col Moamar Gadaffi has
been called on to help secure the release of Brit engineer Ken Bigley,
who has been held hostage in Iraq for more almost 3 wk.  Mr Bigley's
family is continuing a desperate battle to try to secure his freedom.
Islamic militants kidnapped him and 2 US colleagues 18 days ago.  The
Americans were beheaded soon after their capture but there are
unconfirmed reports the hostage-takers are preparing to pass Mr Bigley
to another Islamic group for ransom.  The 62-yo's brother, Paul
Bigley, says the family would be willing to pay for his release and
has called on Col Gaddafi to intervene.  He says the Gadaffi Foundation
in Libya has pledged to do all it can to assist the rescue effort.

@US claims to have 'pacified' rebel stronghold in Iraq
Baghdad (NZ News/Independent).  US and Iraqi govt forces declared
yesterday that they had 'pacified' the rebel stronghold of Samarra,
and stated that other 'no-go' enclaves like Fallujah would be
recaptured before nat'l elections due in Jan.
The Americans insisted that the estimated 125 killed in the storming
of the city were all insurgents. However, doctors and local people
reported women, children and the elderly among the dead, and that
bodies were still being brought into hospitals.
There also appeared to have been discord over the military action
between members of the US sponsored Iraqi interim govt.
Int Min Falah Naqib echoed the American line that no civilians had
been killed and only "bad guys and terrorists" had suffered. It was,
he said, a "great day for Samarra".
But the Human Rights Ministry, in a letter to the Iraqi Red Crescent,
described what happened in the city as a "tragedy" and called for
urgent emergency assistance.
Local people in Samarra claimed that many of the 1,000 insurgents the
Americans had targeted had escaped before the attack began, and the
civilian population had borne the brunt of the casualties.
Families trying to bury the dead found the road to the cemetery
blocked off by American soldiers. One man, Abu Qa'qa, claimed he had
seen dogs picking at corpses in the street.
Abdel Latif Hadi, 45, said " The people who were hurt most are normal
people who have nothing to do with anything."
Another resident, Mohammed Ali Amin, said, "There were American
snipers on roof of houses who were shooting people trying to get to
their homes. Even at the hospital the Americans arrested injured boys
of 15 saying they were insurgents."
CNN TV was told by one man that his sister-in-law and her 6 daughters
were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by a US
air strike.
Aid organisations said there was acute concern about continuing lack
of water and electricity in Samarra and the difficulties faced by
people attempting to seek medical treatment. More than 500 families
had fled the city and needed to be returned to their homes.
Maj Gen John Batiste, the cmdr in charge of the 5,000 US and Iraqi
troops used in the assault, said "This has been a successful operation
...We are very confident that the future of Samarra is
good. Operations will continue now for a few days before we are
satisfied that we've killed or captured as many of the enemy that we can."
Fallujah, where Jordanian-born militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is
said to be based, and the scene of bitter fighting in the past, is
seen as the next target for the US and their Iraqi allies.
Int Min Mr al-Naqib said: "The Iraqi govt is moving from a defensive
position to offensive position to regain control over all of Iraq."
It had been widely predicted, however, that an assault on Fallujah --
expected to be a far bloodier enterprise -- is unlikely to be
authorised by Washington until the US presidential election next m.
But according to diplomatic sources, the Iraqi Admin of Iyad Allawi is
urging the US cmdrs to press on with the re-taking of Fallujah. One of
the main reasons, it is said, is because there is fear that if Sen
John Kerry does win, he may not want to begin his term in office with
TV pictures of bitter fighting in Fallujah and American casualties.
US air attacks continued on Fallujah in what is viewed as a
'softening-up' process before a fully-fledged attack. What the
American military called " precision strikes", took place through the
weekend on targets in the city.
A rep for coalition forces said: "A large number of enemy fighters are
presumed killed" in a bombing attack yesterday. But residents in
Fallujah said a previous air strike had killed 8 people at the home of
Hamad Hdaib Mohammedi, who was known for his opp'n to the militants.
TV footage showed the body of a small girl being pulled from the
rubble of the house.
Another air attack is said to have killed 5 foreign fighters -- four
Saudis and a Syrian. But concussion from the blast brought down the
roof of a house next door, killing 4 women and a young boy.
US forces have also been nightly pounding Sadr City, a vast Shia slum
and a 'no-go' area on the edges of Baghdad, with helicopter gunships
and tank shells. 12 people were killed over the last 48 hrs.
Elsewhere, 3 US soldiers were injured when a car bomb exploded next to
an army convoy in W Mosul and a Marine was injured in a car bombing
while on patrol W of Baghdad. In Ramadi, American soldiers are said to
have killed a woman bystander when they opened fire after being ambushed.

@Fighting continues in Fallujah
Fallujah (BBC).  United States military officials in Iraq say the
latest air raids on the town of Fallujah destroyed a building where
insurgents were moving weapons.  It says between 10 and 15 rebels were
involved and all were believed to have been killed in the attack.  The
statement said secondary explosions lasting 45 minutes indicated that
ammunition was stored there.

@US planes strike insurgents in Fallujah
Fallujah (AFP).  US warplanes pounded the Iraqi insurgent-held town of
Fallujah on Sun for a 3rd time in just over 24 hr.
At least 2 people were killed in the latest attack, which is a part of
an ongoing push to wrest hot-spots from rebel hands ahead of Jan polls.
The pre-dawn strike took place just hours after US and Iraqi officials
said Samarra, another violence-wrecked city, was largely under control.
The military offensive in Samarra left some 150 people dead.
It was one of the largest US-led operations aimed at crushing
insurgents since the Apr 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
Meanwhile, Iraqi nat'l guards have found the decapitated body of a man
and the corpse of a woman who had been shot dead.
Their nat'lity is still unknown, medics said on Sun.
* Fallujah
The outskirts of Fallujah were smoldering again after US warplanes
bombed a building where the military said between 10 and 15 insurgents
suspected of links with Iraq's most wanted man Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi
had been shifting weapons.
"A large number of enemy fighters are presumed killed," the army said,
without giving an exact toll.
Medics in the town said 2 people had been killed and 10 wounded.
The onslaught followed 2 earlier missions around the Sunni Arab
enclave W of Baghdad, again targeting suspected Zarqawi hideouts.
One on Fri left several women and children dead, according to hospital
officials.

@US, Iraqi forces tighten grip on Samarra
Samarra (Reuters).  US and Iraqi forces have declared victory in
Samarra where they battled 100s of guerrillas over the weekend.
Samarra is situated around 100 km N of Baghdad.
Around 3,000 US troops, backed by a 2,000-strong Iraqi force and
supported by fighter jets and artillery, stormed Samarra on Fri,
determined to rid the city of an estimated 1,000 insurgents.
"This has been a successful operation...We're very confident that the
future of Samarra is good," Maj Gen John Batiste, the cmdr of the US
1ID which led the assault on Samarra, told CNN.
"It is over in Samarra," Iraqi Defence Min Hazem Shaalan told Al
Arabiya TV.
About 70% of the city is under US-Iraq control, but operations are
still going on, a rep for the US 1ID said.
In 36 hr of fighting, the US military says it killed 125 guerrillas
and seized 88.
Residents say many bodies were left lying in the roads, hospital
workers too overburdened or fearful to collect them.
The US military has estimated that about 1,000 guerrillas were hiding
out in Samarra, but after the 36 hr onslaught it was not clear what
happened to most of those fighters.
* Fallujah
The US military has vowed to take back all rebel strongholds before
the end of the year, so that elections can be held in Iraq in Jan.
The offensive on Samarra would appear to be the 1st step in that
objective, but tougher battles may lie ahead.
2 larger and more rebellious cities W of Baghdad, Fallujah and Ramadi,
will also have to be wrestled back from insurgent hands.
There are also areas of the capital, including the Shiite slum of Sadr
City, that would need to be re-taken.
US warplanes bombed Fallujah, 50 km W of Baghdad, for the second
consecutive night on Sun -- the latest in a long campaign of strikes
targeted at Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his followers.
In a statement, the US military described the raid as "another
precision strike" -- this time against a building where 10 to 15
"anti-Iraqi forces" were moving weapons.
"Anti-Iraqi forces" is a term used to describe guerrillas by the US military.
"45 minutes of secondary explosions indicated the building was being
used as a huge weapons/ammunition cache. A large number of enemy
fighters are presumed killed," the US military said.
A hospital official said the attack killed 2 people and wounded 10.
Many Fallujah residents accuse the United States of bombing
indiscriminately and say many of those killed in the air strikes are
civilians, not insurgents or foreign fighters.

@Sharon vows to end rocket strikes
Jerusalem (ABC, Mark Willacy).  The Palestinian death toll from
Israel's invasion of N Gaza has passed 60, with clashes between troops
and militants continuing for a 5th day.
Israeli PM Ariel Sharon is vowing to press on with the operation until
all Palestinian rocket fire has been stopped.
For a 5th straight day, Palestinian gunmen and Israeli troops have been
locked in running battles in and around the Jabaliya refugee camp in N Gaza.
Israeli troops have killed 4 Palestinian militants who were firing
anti-tank missiles at Israeli positions.
There are also reports that 2 Palestinian civilians were killed by
Israeli gun fire inside Jabaliya.
Speaking on Israeli Army Radio, Mr Sharon vowed that the massive
military operation would continue until Palestinian rocket fire
against nearby Israeli communities was stopped.
"It is necessary to bring about a complete end to the firing of
rockets on Sderot and other towns that border the Gaza Strip. The
current situation cannot continue," he said.
The Palestinian leadership has condemned the Israeli incursion as
"ugly state terror and war crimes".
But it also has signalled that militants should end rocket attacks,
saying they gave Israelis "the pretext to pursue their crimes".

@UN chief calls for end to Gaza offensive
Israel has vowed to press on with the military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
UN (AFP/BBC).  United Nations Sec-Gen Kofi Annan has called on Israel
to end its offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has left 69 people dead
in the last 5 days.
"The Sec-Gen calls on the Govt of Israel to halt its military
incursions into the Gaza Strip, which have led to the deaths of scores
of Palestinians, among them many civilians, including children," his
rep Fred Eckhard said in a statement.
"The Sec-Gen likewise calls on the Palestinian Authority to take
action to halt the firing of rockets against Israeli targets by
Palestinian militants.
"He reminds both sides to this conflict that they have a legal
obligation to protect all civilians."
So far, 69 people -- all but 3 of them Palestinians -- have been killed
during the 5-day incursion, the deadliest in the impoverished Gaza
Strip since the start of the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.
3 of the victims were Israelis, 2 of them soldiers.
Earlier, Israeli PM Ariel Sharon vowed to press on with the
military offensive.
The Arab League is also calling on the UN to end the Israeli offensive.
The League's Sec-Gen, Amr Moussr, says the Israeli attacks are in
violation of the Geneva Accord and internat'l laws.
"The council has decided to ask the Arab group in NY to immediately
convene and put the matter before the general assembly and the Sec
Council," he said.
"Also to embark on a series of contacts with the Sec-Gen of the United
Nations, with the European Union, with the African Union, with the quartet...
which doesn't seem to be attentive to the seriousness of the situation."

@Gaza offensive set to continue
Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip could last for weeks.
Jerusalem (ABC, Mark Willacy).  The chief of the Israeli Army says a
massive military operation in the Gaza Strip, which has left more than
60 Palestinians dead, could last for several more weeks.  The Army
says it has already wiped out at least 7 militant cells responsible
for firing home-made rockets at Israeli communities.  Hovering high
over Gaza, an Israeli helicopter gunship spotted 3 militants launching
a rocket at a nearby Israeli town.  The Palestinians tried to flee on
a donkey cart but it was hit by a missile fired by the Israeli
chopper.  Israeli Army chief Moshe Ya'alon says they were part of one
of 7 militant cells wiped out in the military's Gaza operation
code-named "Days of Penitence".  But civilians have also been killed
including a 36-yo Palestinian man and a 13-yo boy.

@Israeli raids target Hamas leader
Israel continues its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza (BBC/AFP/Reuters).  A leader of the Palestinian radical movement
Hamas and a man with him have been wounded in an Israeli missile
attack nr Gaza City.
2 missiles were fired from a helicopter that was targeting the Hamas
leader, who escaped a similar attack earlier this y.
Separately, the Israeli military was carrying out a large-scale
operation in the N Gaza Strip in a bid to stop rockets being fired
into Israel.
The Israelis struck every few hours.
Mostly they attacked from the air and by sunset several more
Palestinians were dead.
One strike targeted a group of militants moments after they had fired
another missile into Israel.
They were hit from a helicopter as they tried to slip away through the
olive groves on a donkey cart.
All of those killed during the day are believed to have been militants
except one.
He was a civilian shot through a window at his home in a refugee camp.
Several more Palestinians have died as the Israeli Army continues a
major operation against militants in the Gaza Strip.
The army launched its thrust into Gaza 5 days ago in an effort to stop
rockets being fired from Gaza into neighbouring S Israel.
At least 60 Palestinians have died and 5 Israelis have been killed.
* Reaction
Meanwhile, moderate and hard-line govts across the Middle East have hit
out at Israel's 5-day-old incursion into Gaza.
Iran says the armoured assault on densely populated areas amounts to
genocide while key W ally, Jordan, has described the Israeli action as
arrogant and says it is only fuelling extremism around the region.
The Arab League has announced it will make a formal appeal at the
United Nations for urgent action to halt what it has termed Israel's
war of extermination against the Palestinian people.
Israel's main ally, the United States, has expressed regret over
civilian casualties from the offensive and called on Israel to use
only proportional force.
But it has declined to condemn the incursion saying Israel has a right
to defend itself.

@Manny to be released from hospital
Jakarta (ABC, Peter Lloyd).  The 5-yo naturalised Aussie girl
seriously injured in last month's bombing outside the Aussie Embassy
in Jakarta is due to leave hospital in Singapore today.  Elisabeth
Manuela Musu is due to fly to Rome with her Italian stepfather when
she is released from hospital.  It has been a remarkably swift
recovery for the girl.  Near death after the blast that killed her
mother and 8 others, the 5-yo can now sit upright in a wheelchair and
smile.  Doctors say the child, who became known as Manny, has had 2
major operations.  She has also had therapy to regain speech and
limited mobility.  Earlier, SYD policeman Dave Norman claimed to be
Manny's rightful guardian.  He announced that he was the biological
father.  But he has since abandoned a custody battle, agreeing that an
Italian security guard who married her mother and raised the child for
most of her life is the rightful guardian.  He will take her back to
Italy to live.

@Lassie celebrates 50th
LA (AP).  In the early 1950s, when TV sent Hollywood into the
doldrums and studios were thinning their contract lists, some stars
began appearing in their own TV series.
Among them: Lucille Ball, Loretta Young, Donna Reed -- and Lassie.
The talented collie had become a full-fledged star with MGM's
much-loved Lassie Come Home in 1943 and 6 more hit movies after that,
only to be pink-slipped in 1951.
But Lassie came back. On a Sun night as the 1954 autumn TV season got
under way, a new four-legged franchise was born when CBS premiered its
Lassie TV series. In the y that followed, the loyal collie would
become one of the planet's most beloved animals.
At the peak of Lassie's career, the dog was allowed to travel on
airplanes with trainer Rudd Weatherwax, with one airline even calling
to find out how the dog would like his steak cooked.
Weatherwax recalled such a flight for The Associated Press in the
mid-1960s: "... The plane's captain announced over the loudspeaker
that there were 2 important Hollywood personalities aboard. First he
named a well-known film star and the announcement caused a mild ripple
throughout the cabin. Then he noted that Lassie was also on the
plane. It seemed to me that everyone in the cabin stood up in
excitement trying to find Lassie."
The original Lassie series lasted until 1971 in prime time, and until
1974 in first-run syndication. Now, Lassie continues to warm the
hearts of mn of fans through worldwide syndication, personal
appearances, TV commercials, and a new DVD of early episodes. There
are even plans for a Brit remake of "Lassie Come Home" But for those
who don't know, a disclosure seems appropriate: Lassie and her 8
descendants have been, well, female impersonators. That's right --
Lassie has always been a he, not a she, and his name wasn't Lassie.
Female collies were given screen tests before the filming of Lassie
Come Home, but it turned out the males were more photogenic --
generally larger, and with more neck fur.
They also required less maintenance, according to June Lockhart, who
starred in the TV series from 1958 to 1964 and recently appeared with
Lassie No 9 [AKA Hey Hey] at several anniversary events in NY.
"They don't shed twice a y as the females do," she explained. "And
they don't have the problem of coming into season when we were on
location, which would have attracted a lot of other dogs; we would
have had to turn the hose on them."
So, how did they keep Lassie's maleness from showing on camera?
An editor was assigned to study the action carefully, and if evidence
of the dog's true gender was exposed, he would yell "Cut!" and the
scene would be reset.
Having acted with 2 generations of Lassies, Lockhart, 79, learned
their capabilities and their limitations.
"When we were shooting on the show, the dog was excused often to go to
the dog room and nap while we used a stand-in," she recalled. "Only
humans can be expected to work 14 or 15 hr a day. Dogs sleep a lot."

@Italy puts asylum seekers on flight home
Rome.  Italy has pledged to keep sending would-be immigrants back to
north Africa after more than 600 arrived in just a few hours on the
Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, SW of Sicily.  Their arrival takes
the number of people being accommodated in a centre designed for 200
people to more than 1,200.  Authorities reacted immediately by
organising an flight back to Libya, from where they said the
immigrants set off.  2 planes from the Alitalia fleet and 2 military
transporters were taking about 800 people back, with perhaps more to
follow.  The Italian Interior Min issued a statement saying "desperate
people" who think they can sail illegally to Italy must know they will
be sent back where they came from as soon as they are given
humanitarian help.

@Utes rewrite muster record books
Deniliquin, NSW.  The NSW Riverina town of Deniliquin has rewritten
the record books again with more than 4,000 utes turning out to the
annual "ute muster".  Festival coordinator Kate Pitt says ute owners
from every corner of AUS travelled to Deniliquin for the 2 day event,
with the crowd estimated at 20,000.  She says the muster has become a
monster.  "But [it] is a monster that we really love here in Deni, and
I believe most people in AUS really love because just the feedback we
get and everyone is saying 'oh my God we're coming back, we'll be back
and we'll just be bringing more and more and we just can't wait'," she
said.  "We were totally blown away with the amount of utes which were
waiting to get into the gate on Fri morning there must have been close
to 500 utes lined up at one point just all waiting for the gates to
open it was just truly amazing."

@Anglicans discuss same-sex 'friendships', gay priests
Fremantle, WA.  There are rumblings within the Anglican Church over
calls to redefine same-sex relationships.  The head of the church in
AUS, Archbishop Peter Carnley, has told the Anglican general synod in
Fremantle that if all relationships -- homosexual and heterosexual --
were described as "friendships" it would remove an expectation there
must be sexual activity.  The synod is due to consider the ordination
of gay people and the blessing of same-sex unions.  South SYD Anglican
Bishop Robert Forsyth believes Dr Carnley's comments are contrary to
scripture and says any changes will be resisted.  "I don't know about
splitting the church here in AUS [but] it certainly could cause great
tension," he said.  "In the world Anglican communion it already is
causing ... splits between some of the bodies in Africa and Asia and
for example the Anglican Church in the US."

@Share market starts new trading wk strongly
Sydney.  The Aussie share market has begun the wk on a high note.  The
Aussie share market continues to head higher into record territory at
the start of the new trading week.  On a public holiday in some
states, including NSW, the All Ordinaries index has been as high
3,693.5.  At 12.10 pm it was trading at 3693.7.

@Resources key to bull market: analysts
Sydney (AAP).  The resource sector appears to be the key to the Aussie
sharemarket maintaining its current bull run, according to experienced
market watchers.
The local stockmarket, buoyed by one of the best profit seasons in the
past decade, has gone on a record breaking run over the past few
weeks, regularly reaching new highs as investors pile into the market.
The uncertainty usually generated by fed elections has not occurred
this time leaving one analyst to comment that it's a sign of more good
things to come.
Michael Heffernan, market and economics analyst at FW Holst, said
there was no doubt in his mind that the market can sustain its record highs.
Mr Heffernan believes the market will improve by around 10% over the
next 12 m with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index going close to 4000 points.
After the strong profit reporting season, the top companies were set
to improve on their results in the next half.
"Particular resources stock like BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, for
example, because of the continuing world demand for minerals and the
world oil price going up," he said.
Mr Heffernan said the market was buttressed by a set of fundamentals
that included low inflation, low interest rates and unemployment at
its lowest level in decades.
"You also have the interesting feature that since the election was
called, this period is usually characterised by uncertainty and the
market goes down a bit, but not so this time," Mr Heffernan said.
"It continues to move on and up which shows real fibre in the backbone
of the market.
"That is a good portend as to how we finish out the year."
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index last wk surged to a record high of
3674.2 on Fri, and set a closing record of 3665.0 on Thu.
Over last wk the benchmark index put on nearly 1%.
Research director at Aspect Huntley, Peter Warnes, said if resources
continued to push ahead on the back of the energy boom in China, then
BHP Billiton, Rio and oil and gas producer Woodside Petroleum Ltd will
help take the sharemarket to new heights.
He said the industrial sector had been stretched through strong cash
generation and high pay out ratios.

@Friendliness pips price for customer loyalty
A survey has found friendliness is more important than price for
customers.
Sydney.  A survey for Nat'l Customer Service Week has found that
friendliness is more important than price.  The Gapbuster survey of
9,000 customers found that 94% would stay loyal to an outlet with
friendly staff, rather than stores with cheaper prices.  Efficiency of
service was the 2nd most important criteria, while value for money was
ranked 8th.  Customer Service Week convener Tricia Olsen says the
friendliness factor may challenge managers in sales, marketing and
human resources to re-think their priorities.  "I remember very
clearly when I was working for McDonald's and I said, 'how do you
teach the staff to smile and be nice to the customers all of the time,
day after day' and they said if we had to teach our staff to do that
then we've chosen the wrong people," she said.  "So choosing the right
people, recruiting the right people for the right job [is] very important."

@Newspaper jobs ads fall slightly: ANZ
Melbourne (AAP).  The number of job advertisements in Aussie
newspapers fell slightly in Sep while internet job advertisements rose
to their highest level on record, a survey has shown.
The latest ANZ survey found the number of job ads in major
metropolitan newspapers declined by 1.8% in Sep, to an average of
22,048 per week, partly unwinding the strong rise of 4.0 per cent in Aug.
The number of newspaper job ads was still 2.3% higher than a y earlier.
ANZ said that despite the weak Sep result, the underlying trend was positive.
In trend terms, the number of newspaper job ads was up 0.4% in the
month, following an upwardly revised 0.3% rise in Aug, and was 2.8%
higher than the number of ads recorded in Sep last y.
In contrast to the drop in newspaper job ads, the number of internet
job ads increased by 3.5% in Sep to an average of 109,117 per week, an
all time high for the series.
Internet job ads were now 45.6% higher than they were a y earlier, ANZ said.
Overall, the total number of job ads in newspapers and on the internet
increased by 2.5% in Sep to an average of 131,165 per week, 35.9%
higher than a y ago and a new record high in this series, for the 2nd
consecutive m.
"The fall in newspaper job advertisements in Sep follows a strong
result in Aug and in a part reflects a number of one-off factors," ANZ
chief economist Karen Pringle said.
She said the upcoming fed election appeared to have caused hiring
intentions in the public service to be put on hold, with job
advertisements in the ACT falling sharply in Sep.
Meanwhile, the AFL grand final looked to have had a larger than usual
negative impact on the number of job ads placed in Vicn newspapers in
the last wk of the month, she said.
"The positive trend in newspaper job advertisements combined with the
continued strong rise in internet job advertising in Sep remains
consistent with our expectation that job hiring will pick up in the
2nd half of 2004," Ms Pringle said.
Even though some partial indicators, such as retail sales and building
approvals, had recently eased from very high levels, the overall pace
of economic growth remained solid, she said.
"There also appears to be a continuation of pent-up labour demand in
the Aussie economy," she said.
"While surveyed hiring intentions have been rising, actual employment
growth has disappointed expectations, averaging just 2,000 per m in
the 3 m to Aug."
This was consistent with anecdotal reports across a range of
industries suggesting labour was in increasingly short supply across a
number of trades and professions, she said.
"ANZ job advertising data suggests than employment growth is likely to
average 18,000 to 20,000 per month on average over the next few
months, though this is unlikely if skills shortages persist," Ms
Pringle said.
"Nevertheless, this pace of jobs growth would be sufficient to push
the unemployment rate below its current low level of 5.7% and possibly
below 5.5% before the end of this y, depending on whether increased
labour demand creates an incentive for more people to enter the labour
force, pushing up the labour force participation rate."
ANZ said the fall in newspaper job ads in Sep was driven by large
falls in the ACT, Vic and NSW, while job ads remained buoyant in AUS's
smaller states.

@Job ads dip in election countdown
Football finals and election blamed for dip in job ads.
Melbourne.  Football finals and the approaching election look to have
curbed newspaper employment advertising in the latest m with a regular
survey by the ANZ Bank showing a small dip.  Across the major
metropolitan newspapers, the ANZ Bank says its Sep tally of positions
vacant is down a seasonally-adjusted 1.8%.  In an average wk during
Sep, just over 22,000 classified job advertisements were being
published.  ANZ acting chief economist Karen Pringle says the ACT and
Vic were notable soft spots.  "I think there may be some effects there
from the election and also potentially from the timing of the grand
final in Vic," she said.  But Ms Pringle says that with Internet job
advertising at an all-time high, actual employment growth could
average 18,000 to 20,000 new jobs a m in the period ahead, possibly
pushing the nat'l jobless rate below 5.5% by the end of the year.

@Woman dies after falling in front of train
Sydney.  Police are investigating the death of a 25-yo woman who was
hit by a train in N SYD this morning.  Inspector Robert Maghee says it
appears the woman tripped at Milsons Point Station and fell into the
path of an oncoming train.  He says the woman had just stepped off a
train headed for the city and was heading for the W side of the
platform when she stumbled.  "My understanding is that the driver
attempted to stop the train but unfortunately wasn't in a position to
do so," he said.

@Medicare Gold policy 'unsustainable'
Medicare Gold plans have been questioned.  Health issues dominate
election campaign.
Sydney.  The private health insurance industry says independent
economic modelling shows Labor's Medicare Gold policy would be too
expensive in the long-term.
The Aussie Health Insurance Association (AHIA) commissioned Econtech
to look at the policy.
It found the cost of providing free hospital cover for people over 75
would grow from 0.2% of the Commonwealth Budget to 0.5% in 40 y time.
The AHIA's Russell Schneider says it is unsustainable.
"Older Aussies are growing rapidly in number and the economists say in
the long-term Medicare Gold will weigh more heavily on the Govt Budget
than any other election promise by either side of politics," he said.
But Labor's health rep Julia Gillard says Econtech has misunderstood
the growth figures in Labor's policy.
"Obviously there is a challenge to AUS with ageing, but that is true
no matter what health system you run," she said.
"Mr Howard's health system will meet that challenge by having over
75-yos languishing on queues, waiting for surgery.
"Labor will meet that challenge through Medicare Gold."
Labor submitted the policy for costing to the Treasury Dept on Fri.
Its assessment is due back before the election.

@Call for nat'l standards to assess overseas-trained doctors
A snr researcher has called for nat'l standards to assess doctors
trained overseas before they are hired in AUS.
Melbourne.  Dr Bob Birrell, from MEL's Monash University, says his
latest report reveals AUS lags behind Brit, Canada and the US in
setting benchmarks for doctors brought here to fix shortages.
He says doctors trained in China, Iraq, India and Egypt are being put
into the front line without the proper assessment of their training
and skills.
"This is anomalous because in the case of our own Aussie-trained
graduates you cannot practice or bill on the Medicare system as a
general practitioner until you've completed an internship and 3 y of
post-graduate training in family medicine," he said.
"But we now have a fast track system for overseas trained doctors that
does not require that assessment."
The Aussie Medical Association (AMA) has supported calls for a nat'l
assessment standard for overseas-trained doctors.
The AMA's vice-president, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, says internat'l medical
graduates are needed to fill shortages in several states, but their
assessment should be standardised.
"The AMA has put out a paper which has called for assessment of
people's qualifications before they enter the country and to ensure
that once they are working here that they are properly mentored and
trained and brought up to the Aussie standard," he said.
"We believe the professional colleges have a central role here, but so
too do the registering authorities."
Meanwhile, Fed Health Min Tony Abbott has rejected any suggestion that
unqualified overseas-trained doctors are working within the Aussie
health system.
Mr Abbott says the doctors have already satisfied authorities about
their qualifications.
"There is no loophole. No-one can practice here without being approved
by the revelant state medical registration board," he said.
"Now it's true that if they're temporary residents in areas of need,
they don't have to pass formal exams, but they do have to satisfy the
revelant medical registration board."

@Coalition to extend bowel cancer screening programs
Canberra.  The fed Coalition is promising more money for cancer
prevention if it is re-elected.  Health Min Tony Abbott says he wants
to set up a nat'l screening program for bowel cancer.  He says the
cancer claims up to 90 lives every week.  "We have a number of trial
bowel screening programs operating around AUS," he said.  "We think
they have been pretty successful and what we're going to do is
gradually extend these trial programs with the aim that by 2008 every
Aussie over 55 will be screened for bowel cancer at least every 2 y."

@Tas Min questions 'hypocritical' forestry campaigning
Canberra.  Tasn Resources Min Brian Green has questioned why Tas's
logging industry is being singled out in the conservation debate in
the last wk of the election campaign.
Mr Green says it is hypocritical of green groups to be ignoring
clear-felling in Vic's old-growth forests as they campaign in Tas.
He says it appears Tas's logging industry is being sacrificed for the
resurrection of Greens Senate candidate Christine Milne's political
career.
"You've only got to fly up the E coast of AUS [and] you'll see large
clear-felled sites," he said.
"It's just so hypocritical of these people to be running an argument
against Tas when Tas has more old-growth [forests] protected than Vic,
S AUS and W AUS all put together."
Meanwhile, the Aussie Democrats say the interests of Tas's Aborigines
have been ignored in the rush for forest votes.
Democrats Indigenous affairs rep Aden Ridgeway says his party supports
an immediate end to the clear-felling of Tas's old-growth forests.
But he says Aboriginal people are legitimate stakeholders and should
have been consulted during negotiations for the regional forest agreement.
"The way that it has been put together, particularly for Tas has
excluded, I think, the need for Indigenous views to be taken on
board," he said.
"Not just from the point of view of jobs, but I think also in relation
to cultural heritage protection, environment management and making
sure that their views are...paramount in the process."

@Latham expected to announce $500m Tas forest policy
Labor's Tas forestry policy is expected to be announced today.
Hobart.  Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham has arrived in Tas to announce
his long-awaited policy on old-growth forests.
The policy is expected to cost up to $500 mn.
Mr Latham's policy for Tasn forests is understood to involve bringing
a review of the regional forest agreement forward.
The next review was scheduled for 2007 but under Labor's policy this
would be undertaken as soon as possible, with more criteria thrown in.
It is believed Labor will not call for an immediate lock-up of forests
such as the Styx or the area known by conservationists as the Tarkine.
It is understood that Mr Latham's plan involves expenditure of about
$500 mn as part of a transition away from old-growth clear-felling practices.
Mr Latham's itinery for today has been a closely guarded secret with
journalists not officially told of the trip to Tas until the plane had
taken off from SYD airport.
But Mr Latham will not travel to the forests he says he is about to
save and will make the announcement in Hobart.
The policy is only expected to affect Tas and will not impact on
regional forest agreements in other states.
There is expected to be a phasing out of old-growth logging in Tas
balanced with a focus on keeping jobs in the timber industry.
"We can do more conservation but it is got to be based on the facts
and it's got to have regard for employment, so they're the foundation
stones of our policy," he said.
Several timber workers have parked their log trucks outside Hobart's
Parliament House in anticipation of his arrival.
Forestry workers are demanding a meeting with Mr Latham to discuss
Labor's forestry policy.
Mr Latham is also expected to meet Tasn Prem Paul Lennon later today.

@School age entry shake-up
Darwin (AAP).  The Territory Govt aims to change the school age of
entry requirements because the existing system is considered
inconsistent and confusing.
The NT News reports that the existing policy has come under scrutiny
from confused parents as well as principals and teachers who say the
system is inconsistent.
Disparity also exists between public and private schools, the paper says.
Parents have argued that having a common starting age based on one
intake per y is beneficial because it will allow children to complete
2 full y of education prior to entering Year 1.
Research suggests this has long-term social and academic benefits.
The current system is based on continuous enrolments throughout the
school year, with compulsory intakes at the start of the first, second
and 3rd terms.
The multiple intake system for public preschools and primary schools
was introduced in 1983.

@ALP pledges to increase TAFE places
Canberra.  Labor is promising to fund an extra 36,000 TAFE places if
elected.  Opp'n training rep Anthony Albanese says 15,000 people who
applied to go to TAFE last y missed out, even though they were
eligible because the places were not there.  "We'll be making some
announcements as well to make sure that TAFE fees remain affordable
but the pressure has been on because the Fed Govt has cut funding to
TAFE in real terms since 1997," he said.

@PM supports tougher child porn laws
Sydney (AAP).  PM John Howard said he would support tougher
penalties for the possession of child pornography.
Mr Howard said a coalition govt would encourage the states and
territories to standardise legislation and consider raising the
maximum penalty for possession of child pornography from 2 to 5 y prison.
The NSW govt announced it would introduce legislation in the state
parliament to increase the maximum jail term from 2 to 5 years.
"If we are re-elected I will call a meeting of state premiers to
discuss this issue, to see if there are further things that we can do
as acting heads of govt to further strengthen the laws," Mr Howard
told SYD radio 2GB.
The PM's comments came after NSW police reportedly revealed that 7 of
28 people arrested over child pornography allegations last week had
walked free previously for similar crimes.
Mr Howard said his party had done a lot to crack down on child
pornography, including strengthening internet porn laws and
encouraging cooperation between state and fed police.
"This whole operation has been an excellent illustration of what you
can do if state and fed police cooperate," he said.
"I am critical of state govts on a number of a issues but I can't
speak highly enough of the work of the NSW police and other bodies".
State, territory and fed police last wk began a massive nationwide
crackdown on a child internet pornography ring, with 191 people now
facing charges.

@Porn suspects' suicides spark call for police review
Assistant police commissioner Simon Overland believes police
procedures need to change in the wake of porn-related suicides.
Melbourne.  A snr Vicn police officer says he believes police
procedures need to change in the wake of suicides of people linked to
a nat'l crackdown on child pornography.
2 people, including a prison guard being investigated over unrelated
pornography, have committed suicide in Vic.
Another 2 people caught up in the investigation interstate have also
committed suicide.
Assistant commissioner Simon Overland says police could refer people
at risk for counselling but it is difficult for them to identify cases
where that would be appropriate.
"I make the point we're not counsellors, we're not skilled at that and
what we need to try and find a way to do, I think, is determine where
someone may be at risk of self harm and work out if there's a referral
mechanism that we put in place," he said.
Meanwhile, Liberty Vic rep Jamie Gardner says he is concerned the
media attention given to the child pornography crackdown could deny
suspects their civil rights.
"I think there are always problems with pre-arrest and pre-trial
publicity," he said.
"It can prejudice the right of a person to a fair trial, but even for
those who don't commit suicide or don't get mobbed by vigilantes,
there's still a risk that their trials are prejudiced."

@Coalition keeps election winning lead
The Coalition has maintained its lead over Labor in the latest poll.
Sydney.  The Coalition has maintained its lead over Labor in the
latest poll as the parties enter the final wk of campaigning.
The AC Neilsen poll published in The Age and The SYD Morning Herald
today shows the Govt in a strong position on 52% of the 2 party
preferred vote, with Labor behind on 48%.
The poll of nearly 1,400 voters was taken in the days after the 2
party launches.
PM John Howard remains the preferred PM on 52% with Mark Latham on 40%.
The poll also shows support for the Greens in the Senate has
strengthened to 12% -- more than double their vote in the 2001 election.
The Democrats support is on 5%, 2 points below their vote at the last
election.
Mr Howard, who will be campaigning in Bris today, says it will still
be a close result.
"What I am saying to those people...who are undecided, we have
fulfilled your trust by delivering the strong economy, the low
interest rates, the high employment, the high real wages and taxation
reform and industrial relations reform," he said.
Greens leader Bob Brown says he is not worried about a negative
advertising blitz from the Govt in the lead up to next Sat's election.
The Govt has targeted the Greens during the campaign describing their
policies as 'kooky'.
Sen Brown says voters will not be taken in by any attempts to
discredit the Greens.
"The Govt might boost the advertising industry in the coming week, the
voters out there are very savvy and they can see the Greens have been
acting very responsibly, particularly when it comes to the economics
of this campaign -- this throw away campaign by the big parties," he said.

@Latham hits out at Medicare Gold criticism
Sydney.  Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham says claims that Labor's
Medicare Gold policy is not affordable are wrong.  Modelling by
independent group Econtech, commissioned by the private health
insurance industry, shows the policy to provide free hospital care for
those 75 y and over is under-funded.  Econtech says the cost would
grow from 0.2% of the Commonwealth budget to 0.5% over 40 y.  But Mr
Latham says Econtech has made several wrong assumptions about growth
and has failed to take account of efficiencies.  "The fact that now a
Fed Govt will have every reason to move people, frail aged people from
hospital beds to nursing homes," he said.  "Currently there's a
financial incentive for the Govt to keep them in hospitals at greater
cost to the taxpayers overall.  "So they are not counting our
efficiency gains nor are they counting in our bn dollar hospital
package which will help with waiting lists across the board."

@Family First distinct from church, candidate says
Brisbane.  A Bris pastor running for the Senate as a Family First
candidate says there is a distinction between the party and the
church.  John Lewis says Family First began with an Adel pastor from
the Assemblies of God church.  But he says the church's nat'l
hierarchy has not formally endorsed the party and there is no
requirement for Family First members to be Christian.  "We are not out
to Christianise this nation," he said.  "Now, I'm a pastor. I would
love to see more Christian influence but that is not the job of our
party. That is the job of the church and we say publicly that's the
distinction people have to make."

@Author urges Labor to match dementia funding
Hobart.  A Hobart conference has heard calls for the Labor Party to
make an election commitment to address dementia as a nat'l health
priority.  An author with early-stage dementia, Christine Bryden, told
a nat'l conference of aged and community care services that the
Coalition's pledge of $200 mn over 4 y is welcome.  She says AUS's
170,000 dementia sufferers and nearly 1 mn carers anxiously await a
similar commitment from the ALP.  Mrs Bryden says Labor's pledge of
free hospital care for people over age 75 is a start.  "At least a
quarter of them are going to need dementia care rather than hip
replacements, for example," she said.  "We really need to really think
what's going to happen when the baby boomers start showing up with
Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.  What are we going to do --
we're just not prepared."

@Man charged over wedding reception shooting
Moree, NSW.  A 19-yo man has been charged over a shooting at a wedding
reception in N NSW that left 5 people with minor gunshot wounds.
Police were called to the club in Moree by a guest who reported
hearing a gunshot.  The 4 men and one woman suffered minor abrasions
and bruising but did not require hospital treatment.  The man has been
refused bail.  He is due to appear in Moree Local Court next m.

@Scientists warn US volcano eruption imminent
N Washington state (AFP).  A tremor has shaken Mount St Helens in the
US for 25 minutes, prompting scientists to warn of an imminent
eruption 2 days after the volcano came back to life.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the volcano, which killed 57
people during a major eruption in 1980, was shaken by a "tremor burst"
for 25 minutes.
Earthquakes are rumbling at a rate of one or 2 per minute, it added.
On Sat scientists saw an increase of fumaroles, a hole from which hot
gases and vapours emanate, in St Helens' lava dome and detected carbon
dioxide.
"All this suggests that a 2nd eruption is imminent," said USGS rep
Catherine Puckett.
"It could happen right now while we are talking, in the next few hours
or tomorrow."
Fri's eruption brought 100s of curiosity seekers to the area, but they
were evacuated on Sat from an 8 km radius around the mountain,
including the USGS Johnson Ridge Observatory.
On Fri, the Fed Aviation Admin warned aircraft to avoid the area
around the volcano.
The USGS has raised its alert to the maximum 3rd level.
Volcano experts have been warning of a possible imminent eruption of
Mount St Helens for several days as seismic activity in the area grew.
"This is exactly the eruption we predicted," USGS rep Stephanie Hanna
said when St Helens erupted on Fri.
On May 18, 1980, after wk of quakes, slides and tremors Mount St
Helens, a major peak in the Cascade mountain chain, erupted.
The eruption blew off the upper 3rd of the mountain, leaving a gaping
crater 400 m deep, 2.7 km long and 2 km wide.
The explosions shaved off 400 m off the mountain's top, reducing it
from 2,950 m to 2,549 m.
The blast sent clouds of volcanic ash high into the atmosphere, where
jet streams carried it as far as the US eastern seaboard 4,800 km away.
Mt St Helens erupted again in 1986, but with nowhere nr the same intensity.
Although geologists said the probability for another eruption is high,
they predict it would not be anything like that of 1980.

{{
3 am
Spanish authorities say 20 people have been arrested on terrorism
charges in N Spain and S France.  The group incl 2 key ETA leaders
arrested in SW France.  The pair had been on the run for 10 y.  The
Spanish Int Min described the operation as "important" and said it
may have saved 100s of lives.  He congratulated the Spanish Civil
Guard and French govt.

More Pals have been killed in Gaza.  Earlier, Israeli PM Sharon said
he was determined to step up military action to prevent rocket
attacks.  Israeli forces have struck every few hrs, mostly from the
air.  1 Pal died after the army targeted a team who had just fired a
rocket and were trying to slip away.  All those killed are said to be
militants.  But journalists say 1 civilian was shot through a window
at a refugee camp in N Gaza.

After an emergency meeting in Cairo, the Arab League has called for a
meeting of the UNGA and UNSC to intervene in the Gaza incursions by
Israeli forces.

In Iraq, a group if Islamic scholars have called for a cease-fire in
Samarra.  The call came as another civilian was killed in the US
crack-down in the restive town.

Iran has announced it's prepared to attend a conf on the Iraqi
elections.  The meeting -- convened by the US -- is set to take place
in Egypt next m.  Iran says it will study the proposal and decide at
what level it will take part in the talks.

In Italy 100s if illegal immigrants have been air-lifted back to Libya
after they landed on the S island of Lampedusa.  Unlike prev cases,
the immigrants this time have been sent straight back to Tripoli
immediately after landing.  Previously they would have been sent to
reception centres on Sicily and the Italian mainland.  3 plane-loads
of various nationalities were flown out on Sat.  More are due to leave
today.  There is only 1 reception centre on the island, and Italian
officials say it's been overwhelmed by a huge influx of illegal
immigrants from N Africa.

Abkhazia.  Voting is proceeding in the country's first presid'l
elections since the country declared itself independent from Georgia 11
ya.  There are 5 candidates.  Abkhazia hopes the internat'l community
will recognise the elections and the country as an indep state, and
end a decade of economic blockades.  Reps said bringing the region
back into Georgia would cause another regional conflict.

Pak journalists have been taken on a tour of Indian-controlled Kashmir
for the first time since Partition 67 y ago.

In an renewed conflict between reformists and hard-liners, 2/3 of the
Iran Parl has voted to dismiss the Transp Min.  The parliament is
dominated by hard-liners.  A major complaint against the reformist Min
was the growing number of contracts with foreign companies.  The Min's
"tendency to favour foreign companies" had brought the nation into
disrepute, said hard-line deputies.  The Min was also held responsible
for 80 plane accidents in the past y.  The Min claimed hard-line
policies mean new aircraft parts are difficult to obtain, and safety
regulations are being largely ignored.  The Min was also held
responsible for nation's road toll -- the highest per capital in the
world.  25,000 died last y in road accidents, and this y the toll was
likely to be higher.

10 am
An explosion in Thailand has killed 14 and injured dozens of others
after a firework factory blew up.  The building was flattened by the
blast.  The factory had not held a firework license for 10 y.  The
business moved to its present location after a similar accident
destroyed the prev factory -- located just across the road -- last y.

Another 7 Pal have been killed in the Gaza Strip, brining the death
toll to at least 66.  Gen Yallon said the military operation would
continue until the Pals decided to stop rocket and other attacks on
Israel.  The PA says rockets are being fired from areas the Authority
no longer controls due to the disintegration of security
infrastructure.  They blame the deterioration on Israeli measures.
Elsewhere, an opinion poll commissioned by Nablus Uni shows 2/3 of Pals
want the killing to end and talks to begin.  Prev, the majority of
Pals had wanted the fighting to continue.

The All Ords is up 24.  In Japan, the Nikkei is already 140 pts
higher.  The AUD is travelling at 72.30 US c.  Gold is higher at
$US418.30/oz.

2 new polls taken after the party launches continue mixed messages.
While both show Labor has narrowed the lead of the Coal'n, they differ
over who's winning.  One poll shows the Coal'n ahead 52 (down 2) to 48
(up 2) on TPP.  The Morgan poll shows Labor ahead by 51.5 (down 1.5)
to 49.5 (up 1.5) on TPP.

US warplanes have hit Iraq's rebel-held town of Fallujah for the
second time in a night, killing 2 people and wounding 10, a hospital
official said.

US-led forces backed by warplanes have tightened their grip on the
rebel stronghold of Samarra, saying they had killed 125 rebels in one
of the largest offensives in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Rallies to protest against the Fed Govt's treatment of refugees and
involvement in the war in Iraq have been staged across AUS.

Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham says his $700 mn plan for cheaper
subsidised medicines will benefit all Aussies.

Israel is demanding that UN (UN) Sec-Gen Kofi Annan sack the head of
the UN's Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNWRA).

PM John Howard has ruled out increasing taxes or introducing any new
taxes if he wins next Sat's fed election.

The Liberal Party says an independent Aussie economic consultancy has
found a $2 bn black hole in Labor's Medicare Gold policy.

The private health insurance industry says independent economic
modelling shows Labor's Medicare Gold policy would be too expensive in
the long-term.

11.30 am
The body of a man and a women have been found S of Bag.  The un-ID'ed
pair had been shot and then beheaded.

Midday.
The Iraqi Def Min has vowed the insurgency will be put down by the
end of Oct, in time for elections.  Almost every day residents have
claimed innocent people have been killed in Sunni trouble-spots.
Without the participation of the Sunni triangle the meaning of
elections would be questioned.

Despite public holidays in several AUS states the All Ords has opened
the wk sharply higher, in record terr.  The index is up 25 pts at
3,694.  News Corp is higher on good news from the US.  80% of the
company's sales are in the US. Its regular shares are up 16 c at
$A11.14.  After oil rose to $US50/bbl, Woodside has added 31 c to
$A19.70.  Copper is higher in NY.  BHP added 35 c at $A14.63.  Rio
Tinto is up 44 to $A38.79.  In Japan, the Nikkei has added 174 pts.
The Hang Seng is up 225 pts.  The AUD has fallen back to 72.30 US c.
Gold is down 86 c at $US418.60/oz.  Oil is stead at $US50.12/bbl.

There's been an unexpected fall in job ads.  The ANZ series monitoring
the number of listing in Aussie newspapers fell by 2% last m.
Overall, ads were up.

Bookies say that since the Labor campaign launch they've been taking
bets 5 to 1 in favour of the ALP winning the nat'l election.  But it's
all small money, said a rep for Centrebet.  The big punters are going
for the Coal'n.  The company expects the last wk of campaigning to see
as much laid as in the prev 6 m.

6.30 pm
The All Ords has closed up 34 at a new record -- above 3,700 for the
first time.  Concern over the world economy has apparently been
overturned over the weekend, with analysts having no idea why.  The
Nikkei added 294 (2.7%) -- its biggest rise in 4 m.  The AUD is lower
at 72.09 US c.  Across Asia, only China was down, losing 1.4%.  A low
USD following a G7 meeting has seen oil close above $US50/bbl for the
first time.  It's presently at $US50.16/bbl.

The death toll in Gaza has reached 69.  In the W Bank 20 protesters
were injured in clashes with Israeli security forces.  Crowds clashed
with soldiers at a security barrier construction site.  PM Qurei has
reportedly made a conditional peace offer, saying Qassam rockets could
be stopped completely in return for Israel ceasing its military
offensive.  But the Israeli army wants to hit militants hard.
Tonight, Israeli Gens are warning the offensive could go on for wks yet.

Mark Latham has unveiled a $800 mn plan to secure forests and timber
workers jobs in Tas.  After 30 studies, Mr Latham proposes another
study to report by Sep 2005.  It would look at 1/4 mn ha of old growth
forest.  If there is scientific evidence that an area should be
protected, it will be.  Mr Latham is confident the science will
support that conclusion for most of the study area.  He's promised a
package to re-skill communities and workers.  Observers say to trump
this policy, the Coal'n would have to promise to lock up the forests
immediately.  Mr Howard says the ALP has sold out to secure Green
prefs.  Latham met worker and indy reps before the announcement.  He
made no apologies before announcing protection of the forests.  Someone
needed to take a stand, and I'm taking the stand today, Mr Latham told
a press conf.  He said his govt would protect all areas necessary.
But he guaranteed there would be no net job losses, with a fund to
assist workers to move to high value-added industries.  After the
announcement, unhappy timber workers said it looked like all 3 Labour
seats would be lost.

Indon police have ID-ed a 2nd suspect in the bomb attack on the AUS
embassy in Jakarta.  Police say they matched DNA found at the scene to
a relative.

Opinion polls have been far off in Slovenian election.  The country
was once part of Yugoslavia.  The election has seen a triumph for the
C-R, who doubled their vote to 30%.  The PM's left-leaning party has
conceded defeat.

7 pm
The ABC has found the seat of Herbert in Townsville has rec'd the
most pork this election.  The Coal'n offering $1,800 per vote to
residents in the seat.  The ALP has offered $500 per vote.  But the
locals say neither side has done anything for them lately, and their
votes are not for sale.

In the last 2 hrs 2 bombs have exploded in Baghdad.  1 blast happened
nr a hotel used by foreign contractors.  Another went off nr a
checkpoint to the Green Zone.  It's believed police recruits were
again targeted.  7 are reported to have been killed in the attacks.

The streets of Samarra are deserted, with residents not believing the
violence is over.  More than 150 have died in the battle so far.

9 pm
There is new hope for hostage Ken Bigley.  His brother says he's been
given to a 2nd and more moderate rebel group in Iraq.

9.30 pm
3 bombs have claimed 15 lives in Baghdad and Mosul tonight.  The first
blast happened in Baghdad when a driver raced a car into the entrance
to the Green Zone nr where recruits were queueing.  30 mins later a 4wd
blew up nr the Baghdad Hotel.  The attacks came after 2 air raids on
Fallujah overnight, where 11 alleged militants were killed.
While the US claims control of 70% of Samarra, militants have
broadcast prayers across the city on the 3rd night of fighting.  All
roads out are sealed.  Residents are using boats to flee.  Many of the
wounded have been transported to Tikrit.  Doctors say many cas are civilians.

SBY has been officially declared Indon's first democratically elected
Pres.  He rec'd 60 of the vote, against Megawati at 39.  SBY faces a
hostile house.  His democratic party has only a small pct of the seats.

11 pm
The FTSE is up 28 pts.  Oil is back under $50 at $US49.62/bbl.  Gold
is also lower.
}}

----------------------------------------
Tue, 05 Oct 2004.

	HEADLINES:
Darfur death toll 'may reach 300,000'
Video shows militants killing Italian, Turk
Boy killed in latest Mid E violence: medics
US soldiers charged over Iraqi general's death
Poland signals end to Iraq troop deployment
Poland should withdraw troops from Iraq by end of next y, Def Min says
PM releases letter of thanks from Iraqi Govt
Iraq plans 300 forts along frontiers
From beginning, Knight Ridder was right on Iraq nukes
ALP to review stolen Indigenous wages issue
AMA says Medicare Gold plan ill-conceived
Accused shoe-bomber accomplice to face trial
Agency says buyers should have been told about house's history
Blair to jet off to Africa days after heart operation
Boat carrying asylum seekers sinks off Tunisia
Business confidence grows despite sales slump
Cath Ed comment sparks union concern
Coalition to encourage hydrogen fuel cell usage
Court hears accused struggled with backpacker
Debt ceiling hit this m: Treasury
Gaza attacks anger Palestinians
Govts urged to use GP study results to rethink health policies
Hidding flags changes for Tas forest policy
Labor MP lashes out at party over Tas forestry policy
Latham expands higher education package
Latham focuses on nat'l interest in forestry debate
Mixed response to Anglican sex register
Modest gains on Wall St as oil price slips
PM to announce intel plan
PM to establish spy school
PM's phone message targets marginal voters
Parents meet after teacher charged in child porn crackdown
Pitcairn Islander pleads guilty to sex crimes
Police, Bulldogs fans in Bondi stand-off
Poll puts Coalition ahead
Protest at Canada's asbestos mining
Punters flock to sheep races for sheer fun
Rumsfeld casts doubt on Saddam, Al Qaeda link
Rural doctors urged to increase fees
Services sector activity returns to strong level
Shareholders to get $1.5b in BHP Billiton buy-back
SpaceShipOne claims $US10m flight prize
UK's top court to rule on 'Brit's Guantanamo'
US invasion of Samarra
US scientists prepare for volcano's eruption
US troops, militia clash in Sadr City
US urges 'maximum restraint' from Israel, Palestinians
Voyage marks start of Antarctic research program
Website withdraws children overboard toy


@Modest gains on Wall St as oil price slips
The 1st session of the wk on Wall Street has produced mild gains.
NY/Sydney.  The 1st session of the wk on Wall Street has produced mild
gains in share prices with investors encouraged by an oil price under
$US50/bbl and the latest reading on the US economy.
Although new orders at American factories have unexpectedly fallen
0.1% in Aug, the result has been skewed by a slump in demand for
civilian aircraft.
Analysts say that if the transport equipment component is stripped
out, the underlying picture is somewhat stronger.
There has been some carry-over buying from last Fri on the NYSE and
the Dow Jones industrial average has closed 24 points higher at 10,217.
The high-tech Nasdaq market is moderately firmer with the business
software group, Siebel Systems, gaining 16% in value after reporting
higher than expected 3rd quarter revenues.
The Nasdaq composite index has added 10 points to 1,952.
The United Kingdom share market has also moved ahead, underpinned by
strength in the banking sector.
London's FT100 index has ended the session 22 points in front at 4,682.
Yesterday, the Aussie market surged further ahead with global miner
BHP Billiton leading the market into record territory with a 3%
advance in its share price to $14.75.
The banks and News Corporation were also solid performers.
The All Ords jumped 34 points to 3,703, but trading volumes were well
down due to the public holidays in NSW, the ACT, SA and W AUS.
The AUD changed little overnight, ahead of today's monthly board
meeting at the Reserve Bank.
At about 7.15 am  the dollar was quoted at 72.20 US cents.
On the cross-rates, it was worth 58.75 euros; 80.01 yen and 40.44
pence sterling.
The gold price is at $US413.95/oz and W Texas crude oil has slipped to
$US49.82/bbl.

@Darfur death toll 'may reach 300,000'
Washington (AP).  The mounting death toll in Sudan's conflict-ravaged
Darfur region could rise 6-fold by the end of the year, hitting
300,000, a snr US aid official says.
Such a rise would be fuelled by worsening food shortages among
refugees who are crammed into temporary camps, said William J
Garvelink, deputy assistant administrator of the US Agency for
Internat'l Development.
"The crisis in Darfur has not yet peaked," he told reporters. "We have
not yet seen the worst."
Earlier this y, USAID predicted that between 80,000 and 300,000 people
could die if the situation failed to improve in Darfur. "We're now
coming to the high side of that range," Garvelink said.
The conflict already has killed at least 50,000 people and displaced
1.4 mn villagers from their homes.
More than 200,000 have crossed to neighbouring Chad, where tension has
risen because resources to care for the refugees are scarce.
The UN and aid groups have dubbed Darfur the world's worst
humanitarian crisis. Most blame Sudanese authorities for at least
stoking the conflict.
Sudan's Arab-dominated govt is accused of mobilising an Arab militia
known as the Janjaweed for attacks on Darfur's non-Arab villagers in
retaliation for uprisings launched by 2 non-Arab Darfur rebel
movements in 2003. Arab herdsmen have long competed for resources with
Darfur's non-Arab population.
The govt has denied the claims, although it acknowledges there is a
"tribal conflict" in the western region.
The UN Sec Council is investigating allegations levelled by the US and
others that the govt and the Janjaweed are guilty of genocide. Sudan
also faces the threat of UN sanctions.
After m of relying on scarce food handouts -- when aid agencies have
been able to reach refugee settlements -- more than a mn people in
Darfur now face severe malnutrition, Garvelink told reporters.
The harvest will provide temporary respite, but will only be a "blip"
because many farmers have been unable to cultivate their fields, he said.
When refugees stray out of their camps to forage for food, the men
often face death and the women risk rape at the hands of the militias.
"We're going to see a tipping point in Dec, Jan or Feb," said
Garvelink, who was in Geneva for a meeting of the UN refugee agency.

@Boat carrying asylum seekers sinks off Tunisia
Tunis.  A boat carrying 75 people has sunk off the coast of Tunisia,
killing many on board.  The ship was headed across the Mediterranean
to Italy.  Its occupants were mainly from Morocco and trying to enter
Europe illegally.  Instead the vessel broke up and sank one hour into
the journey with most of its passengers still missing and believed
drowned.  A Tunisian news agency reports the ill-fated voyage was part
of a larger operation and more than 280 people had planned to make the
trip.  Italy is a favoured destination for people smuggling and
yesterday the Italian Govt hardened its policy against illegal
immigrants, sending 3 plane loads of people who had landed on the tiny
Italian island of Lampedusa in recent recent wk back to Libya.
1000s of African would-be immigrants leave from Libya every year and
the Italian and Libyan Govts are now cooperating to try and stop the flow.

@From beginning, Knight Ridder was right on Iraq nukes
NY (KR). In Sun's 10,000-word NY Times probe of how the Bush Admin
misled the public on evidence of Iraq's prewar nuclear capabilites,
the newspaper also described, in brief, how the Times itself had
mishandled much of the same evidence.
The self-criticism in the Sun Times report focused mainly on a period
in the late summer and early fall of 2002 when an internal split
developed among officials and experts on whether those now-famous
"aluminium tubes" could be used in making nuclear weapons. The Times
story admitted that the newspaper had played down, buried or, at
times, ignored that debate.
It is interesting to read, therefore, the text of an Oct 4, 2002,
story by Jonathan Landay of Knight Ridder's Washington bureau, who was
consistently more skeptical of official claims than most of his
colleagues in the press during the prewar period. His article, titled,
"CIA report reveals analysts' split over extent of Iraqi nuclear
threat," follows.
* * *
Washington (KR). The CIA released a new report Fri on Iraq's WMD that
added little to earlier appraisals but exposed a sharp dispute among
US intel experts over Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons program.
The dispute centres on 1000s of high-strength aluminium tubes that Iraq
allegedly has tried to purchase from foreign suppliers.
According to the CIA report, most intel experts believe the tubes were
to be made into casings for centrifuges that could be used to enrich
uranium for nuclear weapons.
But the CIA report notes that some intel analysts disagree, arguing
that the tubes probably were intended to make conventional weapons,
the report said.
Despite the conflicting opinions, Pres Bush has publicly asserted that
the tubes were intended for use in making a nuclear weapon.
Speaking on Sept. 12 to the UN General Assembly, Bush flatly said the
tubes were to be "used to enrich uranium for a nuclear weapon."
A Whitehouse report released in conjunction with Bush's speech
repeated that unconditional assertion. "Iraq has sought to buy 1000s
of specially designed aluminium tubes, which officials believe were
intended as components of centrifuges to enrich uranium," the report said.
That speech and report marked the start of Bush's aggressive effort to
drum up support in Congress and the UN for military action if Saddam
continued to defy UN efforts to discover and destroy his weapons of
mass destruction.
Several snr Admin and intel officials, all of whom spoke only on the
condition of anonymity, charged that the decision to publicise one
analysis of the aluminium tubes and ignore the contrary one is typical
of the way the Admin has been handling intel about Iraq.
The Whitehouse and the Pentagon, these officials said, are pressuring
intel analysts to highlight info that supports Bush's Iraq policy and
suppress info and analysis that might undercut congressional, public
or internat'l support for war.
Some US intel and military experts dispute the Admin's suggestion that
Iraq's WMD pose an imminent threat to the US. One snr military
official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the threat has not
increased appreciably beyond what it was when Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1990.
Iraq does have considerable experience with high-speed centrifuges. UN
inspectors discovered after the 1991 Persian Gulf War that Iraqi
scientists, with illicit assistance from German experts, had succeeded
in constructing large networks of centrifuges for enriching uranium.
But the Admin's assertions about the aluminium tubes provoked
considerable debate among nuclear weapons experts. One who reviewed a
govt analysis of the tubes said he did not believe they were intended
for use in Iraq's clandestine nuclear weapons program.
"From what I've seen, this is not conclusive evidence," said the
expert, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. He said that the
tubes were not suitable for manufacturing into high-speed enrichment
centrifuges because their diameters were too small and the aluminium
they were made from was too hard. "It seems to me that the tubes are
clearly dual-use, and therefore you cannot conclude they were for
uranium enrichment," he said.
David Albright, a physicist and former UN weapons inspector, disputed
the CIA's assertion that a majority of analysts believe the tubes were
intended to help make nuclear weapons.
Albright, the director of the Institute for Science and Internat'l
Security, a non-partisan think tank, said he has been told that
scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Nat'l Laboratory in California
and other US nuclear weapons facilities disagreed with that assessment
but have been ordered not to say anything. He quoted one scientist as
saying that "the Admin can say what it wants and we are expected to
remain silent."
The publication of the CIA report came as the Bush Admin continued
pressing its efforts to win resolutions from the Senate and the UN Sec
Council authorising military force.
Iraq denies having any weapons of mass destruction.

@Rumsfeld casts doubt on Saddam, Al Qaeda link
Donald Rumsfeld ... knew of no "strong, hard evidence" linking Saddam
Hussein's Iraq and Al Qaeda.
Washington (Reuters).  US Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld has said he knew of
no "strong, hard evidence" linking Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Al Qaeda,
despite describing extensive contacts between the 2 before the Iraq invasion.
Mr Rumsfeld, during a question-and-answer session before the Council
on Foreign Relations in NY, was asked to explain the connection
between Saddam and Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, blamed for the
Sep 11, 2001, attacks on America.
"I have seen the answer to that question migrate in the intel
community over a period of a y in the most amazing way. Second, there
are differences in the intel community as to what the relationship
was," Mr Rumsfeld said.
"To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links
the 2.
"I just read an intel report recently about one person who's connected
to Al Qaeda who was in and out of Iraq, and it is the most tortured
description of why he might have had a relationship and why he might
not have had a relationship.
"It may have been something that was not representative of a hard linkage."
US-led forces invaded Iraq in March 2003 and toppled Saddam and his
Govt in a war whose main justification offered by the United States
was the threat posed by Iraq's WMD.
No such weapons have been discovered.
But the relationship between Saddam's Govt and Al Qaeda also figured
in the US case for war.
A small Pentagon intel analysis office found what it considered
evidence of Iraq-Al Qaeda ties and Mr Rumsfeld was one of the Bush
Admin officials publicly describing this link.
On Sep 26, 2002, Mr Rumsfeld told reporters at the Pentagon of
evidence of contacts and cooperation.
"We have what we consider to be very reliable reporting of senior
level contacts going back a decade, and of possible chemical and
biological agent training. And when I say contacts, I mean between
Iraq and Al Qaeda," Mr Rumsfeld said at the time.
"We have what we believe to be credible info that Iraq and Al Qaeda
have discussed safe haven opportunities in Iraq, reciprocal
non-aggression discussions.
"We have what we consider to be credible evidence that Al Qaeda
leaders have sought contacts in Iraq who could help them acquire ...
weapons of mass destruction capabilities," Mr Rumsfeld also added at
the time.

@Poland signals end to Iraq troop deployment
Warsaw.  Key coalition member Poland has indicated it will end its
presence in Iraq by the end of next y.  The comment by the Polish
Defence Min is the 1st time an official has suggested when the country
might pull its troops out of Iraq.  He said Poland should end its
presence at the same time the United Nations Security Council formally
hands over power to Iraqi authorities.  That is scheduled to take
place at the end of 2005.  Poland has almost 2,500 troops in Iraq and
commands a multinat'l security force in the centre of the country
which numbers 6,000.  The country's mission has had broad political
support but the Defence Min says 2-and-1/2 y in such difficult
conditions is enough.  The Polish PM says he was not consulted
about the comments.

@Poland should withdraw troops from Iraq by end of next y, Def Min says
Warsaw (AP).  Poland should withdraw its troops from Iraq by the end
of next y, Polish leaders said Mon, the 1st time the key US ally has
indicated a time-frame for pulling its soldiers out of the war-torn nation.
Pres Aleksander Kwasniewski said no final decision has been made on
when to withdraw forces but Warsaw was considering the late 2005
deadline with the hopes that elections scheduled for Jan in Iraq would
bring stability to the country.
"We decided to speak with the Iraqis and our coalition partners [and]
the US about a reduction of the Polish forces from Jan. 1 and maybe to
finish our mission at the end of 2005," Kwasniewski said on a visit to Paris.
The issue was sparked when Defense Min Jerzy Szmajdzinski mentioned
the possible pullout date in an interview, the 1st Polish official to
do so publicly.
Szmajdzinski argued that 2½ y in Iraq would be "enough" for the Polish
military and said his suggestion was aimed at countering "cheap
populism" by opponents of the Polish presence. However, he later said
his remarks were his "personal opinion" and "not the official position
of the govt."
"In my opinion, the deadline should be the date of expiry of the UN
Sec Council's resolution 1546," Szmajdzinski was quoted as telling the
Gazeta Wyborcza daily. That resolution provided for the hand-over of
power to Iraqi authorities and includes steps that run through Dec 2005.
PM Marek Belka, who has maintained that he wants to transfer more
authority to Iraq to make an eventual withdrawal possible, said he had
not been consulted on Szmajdzinski's remarks.
"The PM expressed his displeasure with my public statement before the
govt adopts a formal stand," Szmajdzinski told reporters later in the
day after a meeting between the 2 leaders.
In Washington, a snr Whitehouse official said the US Admin did not
believe Poland had changed its position.
"Their position remains the same that their troops would be there as
long as it takes," the US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The Poles have made clear their position is one where any decisions
they make will be mission-driven."
Separately, Ukrainian authorities released a letter in which Iraqi
Deputy PM Barham Salih asked the former Soviet republic not to
withdraw its troops, saying the foreign forces were needed in Iraq to
"face the ongoing reality of global terrorism."
Salih thanked Ukraine's president for his country's "contribution to
the improvement of Iraq's security, economy, governance" and said
withdrawing any of the nearly 1,600 Ukrainian troops would have grave
consequences for Iraq and internat'l community.
Ukraine has said it plans to reduce its contingent by 200 troops
starting with the next rotation scheduled to be completed in Oct. Pres
Leonid Kuchma had no immediate response to the letter.
Observers said the Polish defence minister's comments had less to do
with state policy on Iraq than internal politics.
Belka's govt faces a parliamentary vote of confidence on Oct 15 and a
leading member of his junior coalition partner, the Labor Union, has
threatened to withdraw support for Belka unless he 1st presents a plan
for pulling Polish troops out of Iraq.
The Iraq mission has broad political support in Poland but opp'n has
been growing among the Polish public. An opp'n party, the Polish
Peasants' Party, has launched a petition seeking an immediate pullout.
Poland last y took command of a multinat'l security force in central
Iraq that currently includes about 6,000 troops, including more than
2,400 Polish soldiers.
Szmajdzinski said the mission in "such difficult conditions" is a
major challenge for a former Warsaw Pact army that is still "reaching
new capabilities and introducing new equipment."
"It is enough," he said. "It is a rational period of time."
In Paris, Kwasniewski said that he hoped the elections are going to
bring stability to Iraq.
"Our plans are known: we want to reduce our forces after Jan 2005 and
we are thinking very seriously about ending the mission . . . Will it
be at the end of 2005 ... or another date? It's hard to say today," he said.

@Debt ceiling hit this m: Treasury
Washington (AP).  The US govt should hit the nat'l debt's $US7.4
trillion [$A10.23 trillion] ceiling this m, and the Bush Admin told
Congress again Mon it should raise the limit.
That would be a politically sticky move just wk from the Nov 2 elections.
Treasury Dept rep Rob Nichols said the govt is on track to reach the
limit in early Oct. He could not provide a more specific date but said
the forecast is made "on a day-to-day basis," and Congress would be notified.
The govt can juggle accounts to stay under the limit through mid-Nov
to avoid default, as it has in the past. But the Bush Admin is urging
Congress, which expects to adjourn Fri, to go ahead and raise the ceiling.
"We've been calling on Congress to act now for months, and we think
it's important that they do so," Nichols said.
The govt's debt was $7.364 trillion as of Fri, $US18.3 bn [$A25.29 bn]
from the ceiling. Congress last boosted the limit in May 2003.
Democrats this election y have cited the rising debt as evidence that
Pres George W Bush is mishandling the economy. The Admin counters that
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and efforts to strengthen security at
home have forced the increased govt borrowing.
House Democrats sent a letter to Treasury Secretary John Snow on Mon
requesting a meeting to discuss the limit, when it would be reached
and what options the dept would pursue. It was the 2nd such letter and
noted that he failed to respond to the first.
"Our debt has been growing markedly faster than our economy's ability
to repay it, thanks in large measure to tax cuts proposed and enacted
into law by the Admin and congressional Republicans," said the letter,
signed by Democratic Reps. John Spratt, Charles Rangel and Charles Stenholm.
Nichols said Snow intends to respond to both letters soon. Should
Congress fail to act before the limit is reached, Snow "would take the
appropriate steps to protect the full faith and credit of our govt,"
he said.

@PM's phone message targets marginal voters
John Howard has recorded various brief messages on an automated phone service.
Canberra.  Voters in marginal Liberal seats could soon be hearing from
the PM John Howard when they answer their phones.  Mr Howard has
recorded various brief messages on an automated phone service, urging
people around the nation to support their local Liberal candidate.  He
says although it has never been used in a fed election campaign
before, he considers it an effective way to get his message across.
"I'm told that it's been used in local govt elections and I'm told
it's been used in other campaigns.  "I thought about it for a while
and I decided it was a worthwhile technique. It's a very simple
message I think many people will appreciate it, others won't.  "Those
who don't like me probably won't like hearing my voice. I understand
that," Mr Howard said.  But Opp'n employment services rep Anthony
Albanese says automated phone messages from the PM are the worst
example of sleazy US politics ever seen in Aussie political history.
Mr Albanese says it is un-Aussie.  "It's deceptive, it's manipulative
and I think it will anger many people who are receiving these calls,"
he said.  "To be ringing people's personal home phone numbers with a
recorded message done with computer technology is I think, an
offensive invasion of privacy."

@Accused shoe-bomber accomplice to face trial
Washington (Reuters).  Brit terror suspect Sajid Badat has been
charged with conspiracy and attempted murder in a US indictment that
links him to admitted "shoe-bomber" Richard Reid.
The indictment was unsealed yesterday.
The 7-count indictment, released at the US Justice Dept, alleges that
Badat conspired to destroy an aircraft, conspired to commit homicide
and attempted murder.
Badat was arrested Nov 27, 2003, in Gloucester, England, and has been
held in a top security prison in Brit.
He is set for trial there in Feb 2005 after pleading not guilty to an
accusation of conspiring to place a potentially destructive device
aboard an aircraft.
US Attorney John Ashcroft said Washington will seek to bring Badat to
the United States for trial, but said Brit will have to decide whether
to grant the extradition request.
"We do understand and recognise the interest that the Brit have in
seeking to bring him to justice in the Brit system," Mr Ashcroft said
at a news conference.
"... But we have a keen interest in bringing to justice an individual
who the indictment alleges ... [had] interests in destroying the lives
of Americans."
Asked why the indictment was unsealed yesterday even though it was
returned in Massachusetts on Sep 1, Ashcroft cited the need for
cooperation with foreign govts.
When asked if the indictment's release was timed to come just before
today's vice Presid'l candidates' debate to give a lift to Pres George
W Bush's poll ratings, Mr Ashcroft replied that the "security and
safety of the American people" was the sole consideration in releasing
the indictment against Badat.
Reid, a follower of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, was jailed for
life in Jan 2003 in the US after admitting to trying to blow up a
transatlantic airliner using explosives hidden in his shoe.
The indictment against Badat alleges he conspired with Reid to obtain
shoe bombs to attack American interests, "including, but not limited
to bombing American aircraft in flight."
Badat obtained his shoe bombs in Afghanistan, the indictment said.
The indictment noted that Badat's bombs were similar to those
confiscated from Reid on Dec 22, 2001, after Reid attempted to
detonate custom-made explosives concealed in his shoes on an American
Airlines Flight from Paris en route to Miami.
The plane was diverted to Boston and Reid was arrested there.

@Protest at Canada's asbestos mining
Canberra (AAP).  Construction workers are marching outside the
Canadian embassy in CBR on Tue to protest against Canada's support for
the production and export of asbestos.
The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union said Canada was one
of the few countries in the world still mining asbestos, and was one
of the world's largest exporters of the white asbestos or chrysotile.
Nat'l secretary of the CFMEU construction and general division, John
Sutton, said while most European countries and AUS had banned the use
of asbestos because of their deadly impact, the Canadian govt had
actively blocked the listing of white asbestos in the major internat'l
toxic substances convention.
"This stance is particularly abhorrent, when you consider that most of
Canada's white asbestos is being exported to developing countries," he said.
"The Rotterdam Convention, which the Canadian govt has been
undermining, assists developing countries to prevent shipments of
toxic materials from 1st world countries being dumped on their markets.
"With 100,000 people dying every y worldwide from asbestos-related
diseases, the Canadian govt needs to seriously reconsider its policies
on asbestos production and export and move quickly to ratify the
Rotterdam Convention."

@Video shows militants killing Italian, Turk
Baghdad (Reuters).  Islamic militants have distributed a video in Iraq
showing the killings of 2 men who identified themselves as an Italian
of Iraqi origin and a Turk.
The video, dated Oct 2, shows one of the militants reading a statement
accusing the men of spying.
The men are then shown blindfolded and kneeling in front of a ditch
before being shot.
"This is the punishment for the enemies of God and his prophet and God
is greatest," said the militant before the men were killed.
The Italian-Iraqi, who identified himself as Iyad Anwar Wali, said he
met a man in Baghdad who introduced him to Iranian spies and then
later met Turkish, American and Israeli agents.
The shootings came amid concerns over the fate of several foreign
hostages in Iraq.
They include a Brit engineer and 2 French journalists.
Meanwhile, an Iraqi militant group has released 2 Indonesian women
hostages who were handed over on Mon to the United Arab Emirates
Embassy in Baghdad, Abu Dhabi Television has reported.
The UAE's state-owned TV showed footage of the 2 veiled women
who appeared in good health.
A UAE diplomat told the TV station they would be handed over to the
Red Cross in Iraq.

@US soldiers charged over Iraqi general's death
Ft Carson, Col (Reuters).  The United States military has charged 4
soldiers with murder in the death of an Iraqi general who suffocated
after being shoved in a sleeping bag and physically abused during
interrogation in Iraq last Nov.
Chief Warrant Officers Jefferson Williams and Lewis Welshofer Jr, Sgt
1st Class William Sommer and Specialist Jerry Loper were charged with
murder and dereliction of duty, officials at Fort Carson, Colorado,
said in a statement.
Iraqi Maj Gen Abid Hamed Mowhoush, a key air defence cmdr for toppled
Pres Saddam Hussein's military, died on Nov 26 of "asphyxia due to
smothering and chest compression" while being detained by the US
military in Al Qaim, nr the Syrian border, according to a death
certificate released by the Army in May.  The criminal charges were
the latest in a series brought against US troops stemming from the
abuse and in some cases deaths of numerous prisoners held in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
The murder charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without
possibility of parole, while the dereliction charge carries a maximum
sentence of 6 m of confinement, according to the statement.
The US military initially described the general's death as apparently
from natural causes, but changed the account in the wk after
revelations of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib jail surfaced.
A summary of the charge sheets brought against the 4 soldiers said
they killed him "by means of suffocating him with the use of a
sleeping bag and electrical cord".
The US military has said US soldiers placed Mowhoush head 1st into a
sleeping bag, then rolled him back and forth during questioning before
a soldier sat on his chest.
The general was in custody for about 2 wk before his death.
The initial US military account of his death last Nov described it
much more benignly.
A military statement said, "Mowhoush said he didn't feel well and
subsequently lost consciousness. The soldier questioning him found no
pulse, then conducted CPR and called for medical authorities.
"A surgeon responded within 5 minutes to continue advanced cardiac
life support techniques, but they were ineffective.
"According to the on-site surgeon, it appeared Mowhoush died of
natural causes."
The Army said soldiers, all of whom are back in the US after serving
with the 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment in Iraq, have not been placed
in detention and still are serving with their units.

@UK's top court to rule on 'Brit's Guantanamo'
London (Reuters).  9 foreign terror suspects held indefinitely without
charge in what critics have dubbed "Brit's Guantanamo" have begun a
legal challenge against their detention at the UK's highest court.
The 9 are among 11 men held under Brit emergency laws, rushed through
after the Sep 11, 2001 attacks on the US, which allow police to hold
foreigners without trial if they suspect they are involved in terrorism.
To enact the legislation, PM Tony Blair's Govt had to declare an
emergency and suspend parts of the European Convention on Human
Rights, the only country to do so.
Civil rights campaigners accuse both Brit and the US of trampling over
the rule of law as they seek to combat the threat of terror attacks.
Hundreds of demonstrators staged a protest on Sun outside the top
security Belmarsh jail in S London where some of the detainees are held.
Lawyer Ben Emmerson, representing 7 detainees, told a rare sitting of
9 law lords -- the greatest number of snr judges that can hear a case
-- that the powers were illegal and Brit was in breach of internat'l law.
"We say in a democracy it is unacceptable to lock up potentially
innocent people without trial or any indication when, if ever, they
are going to be released," he said.
"We say it is doubly unacceptable for a democracy committed to the
principles of equality and anti-discrimination to single out foreign
nat'ls when it is not prepared to apply the same measures to its own nat'ls."
Mr Emmerson said there was a danger of "falling into the trap which
terrorism set for democracy and the rule of law".
"There is an inevitable temptation for govts to fight fire with fire
and set aside the legal safeguards which exist in a democratic state,"
he said.
The Brit Govt -- whose top lawyer, A-G Lord Goldsmith, will argue its
case -- says the emergency laws are vital to combat terrorism and the
threat from Al Qaeda.
Civil rights campaigners have long argued the powers were being used
disproportionately against Muslims.
They liken the detainees' situation to those at the US prison in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where more than 600 people have been held
without charge or access to lawyers, some for more than 2 y, amid
accusations of torture and abuse.
Brit has condemned plans for military trials for Guantanamo detainees
and demanded UK citizens should be sent home unless they receive fair
trials "consistent with internat'l standards".
"I think it's very ironic" Louise Christian, the human rights lawyer
with the Civil Liberties Trust, told Reuters.
"The trouble is, it's much easier to get away with abusing the human
rights of foreign nat'ls than your own citizens.
Under the emergency law, the authorities must show only that they have
"reasonable grounds to suspect" the detainees have links to terrorism,
a standard far below the "proof beyond reasonable doubt" needed to
convict them of an actual crime.
The hearing is set to last 4 days and no verdict is likely for at
least a month.

@US troops, militia clash in Sadr City
Heavy fighting has erupted between US troops and Shiite militiamen in
Sadr City.
Baghdad (Reuters).  Heavy fighting has erupted between US troops and
Shiite militiamen in Baghdad's Sadr City slum and American AC-130
aircraft have reportedly pounded suspected rebel positions.
There is no immediate word on casualties.
The vast slum of more than 2 mn people is the Baghdad stronghold of
radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose followers have staged 2
rebellions against the presence of US troops in Iraq.
US and Iraqi Govt forces want to crush insurgents in Baghdad and
several other cities ahead of elections scheduled for Jan.
The fighting came after the car bomb attacks brought more carnage to
the streets of 2 Iraqi cities as the interim govt struggles to stamp
out the insurgency ahead of nationwide polls.
More than 100 people were wounded as bombers struck twice in Baghdad
and once in the N city of Mosul.
In the 1st Baghdad blast, a car blew up nr an entrance to the heavily
fortified Green Zone, home to the interim govt, killing at least 15
people and wounding 80, a hospital official said.
A 2nd bomb exploded about an hour later as a US military convoy passed
along Sadoun Street, a major thoroughfare E of the Tigris river, where
several hotels used by foreign contractors are located.
No US troops were killed or wounded.
In Mosul, a car bomb exploded outside a primary school, killing 5
people, including 2 children, police said.
US Pres George W Bush condemned the bombing while speaking at a campaign
forum nr Des Moines, Iowa, ahead of next month's presidential election.
In further bloodshed, Islamic militants distributed a video to an
internat'l news agency showing the killings of 2 men who ID-ed
themselves as an Italian of Iraqi origin and a Turk.
A militant in the video accused the 2 of spying.
They were shown blindfolded and kneeling in front of a ditch before
being shot, a scene likely to raise fresh concern over the fate of
foreign hostages in Iraq.
They include Brit engineer Ken Bigley and 2 French journalists.
However, 2 Indonesian women who had been held hostage by an Iraqi
militant group were handed on Mon to the United Arab Emirates embassy
in Baghdad, Abu Dhabi Television reported.

@Iraq plans 300 forts along frontiers
Baghdad (AP).  Iraq plans to build or reconstruct more than 300 border
forts and double the size of its frontier forces to stem the flow of
insurgents, weapons and money into the country, the US military said.
Also planned is installation of technology at many points of entry
that would allow border authorities to scan and screen nearly all
cargo that passes through.  Funding is currently available for 200
forts while 75 are under construction and 41 others are already
operational.  US army Lt-Gen David Petraeus, who commands the
Multi-Nat'l Security Transition Command, said last m that Iraq's
border forces were "significantly under strength" for the formidable
job of securing Iraq's 3,600-km-long border and ports of entry.  He
said that over the next y the size of that force would double to
32,000 members.  Porous borders add to Iraq's litany of woes with
smuggling and movement of rebels from neighbouring countries rife.

@US invasion of Samarra
Chicago, IL (rwor.org).  On the 1st day of Oct, 3,000 troops from the
US 1ID launched a major offensive in the Iraqi city of
Samarra. Following along in the wake of the US forces were 2,000 army
and nat'l guard troops of the US-controlled Iraqi regime.
With a population of 250,000 people, Samarra is an important city on
the main highway from Baghdad to N Iraq. And it has been one of a
number of key cities around Iraq--especially in the "Sunni Triangle"
area N and NW of Baghdad--that have been under the control of armed
resistance forces who have effectively made these areas "no-go zones"
for the US occupiers. The fact that many major population centres are
in the hands of the anti-occupation insurgency has made a mockery of
Bush's claim that the US is "succeeding" in Iraq.
The Oct 1 assault on Samarra may well be the opening shot of a huge
military offensive by the US and its puppet regime to retake control
of these "no-go zones"--which include Sadr City, the vast ghetto in
Baghdad itself where Shi'ite fundamental cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is
based. Such an offensive can only mean even more deaths and suffering
for the Iraqi people at the hands of the brutal and unjust occupiers.
The US troops moved into Samarra from 3 sides as aircraft and tanks
bombarded neighbourhoods. Electricity and water supplies to the city
were cut off in advance. The NY Times reporter "embedded" with the US
troops wrote, "One by one, the houses in the Jebera neighbourhood in
the SE edge of the city were kicked open--and sometimes shot-gunned
open--at one point revealing a bewildered wedding party that had not
noticed that American forces were overrunning the neighbourhood."
US military officials said more than 100 "insurgents" were killed in
the initial thrust into Samarra. It's unclear at this point exactly
who were killed--and what the actual casualty figures are--but such US
"body counts" in Iraq have usually included many civilians. The
Arabic-language news network Al Jazeera reported, "During Fri's
clashes, Samarra's hospitals said dozens of bodies were brought in,
including at least 11 women, 5 children, and 7 old men. Staff could
not cope with any more wounded, and bodies lay in the streets."
Rahim Abdul-Karim, a retired schoolteacher in Samarra, told the Brit
newspaper The Independent: "There has been a lot of deaths, and they
have been of ordinary people. They are killing us to save us."
During the US war of conquest in Vietnam in the 1960s and early 1970s,
the US military operated under a murderous logic of "destroying the
village in order to save it." The US is carrying out a similar logic
of classic counterinsurgency in Iraq--treating the people as a whole
as the "enemy," bombing population areas from the air, conducting
massive roundups, torturing and abusing prisoners.
****
The current US plans for Iraq centre on holding an election for a
nat'l assembly in Jan. This election has nothing to do with the people
of Iraq getting a chance to express their will and regaining control
over their country.  It is a scheme to put an Iraqi face on the US
occupation and give some semblance of legitimacy to the puppet regime
in Baghdad.
The Bush team hopes that such an election will slow the growing
resistance to the occupation. The insurgents (who are a complex mix of
different forces--primarily nat'list and Islamist) are now reportedly
carrying out close to 90 attacks a day against the US occupiers and
the Iraqi puppet regime.
But the situation in places like Samarra, Fallujah, Tal Afra, Ramadi,
and Sadr City (to name just some of the major "no-go zones") poses a
big problem for the US's Iraq election plan. The occupiers cannot hold
such an electoral exercise in areas not under their control. And if
significant areas of the country are not included in the voting, the
US will find it difficult to promote the election as
"legitimate"--within Iraq and around the world.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani--the top Shi'ite leader in Iraq--is
reported to be increasingly worried about the US election
plan. Al-Sistani has generally gone along with the US occupation, and
the US has seen him as a key element in their plans for a "stable"
Iraq. But al-Sistani is concerned that the election will be postponed
again (he had already agreed to a 6-m delay)--or that his own
legitimacy and position will be undermined if the election is
considered to be manipulated by the US or leads to an unfavourable
outcome for Iraq's majority Shi'ite population.
So, in order to have a "credible" election that they hope might lend
some legitimacy to the occupation, the US must 1st try to militarily
and politically pacify large sections of the country that are now out
of their control.
Part of the strategy for such "pacification" has been to work out
deals with Iraqi forces that the US describes as more "moderate." In
the city of Najaff, for example, the US agreed to a "mediation" by
al-Sistani in Aug after a bloody month-long standoff and intense
battle with the militia led by Moqtada al-Sadr. Al Sadr's militiamen
were allowed to leave Najaff, and the Iraqi police (which is trained
and closely controlled by the US) took official control of the city.
The occupation authorities tried a similar tactic in Samarra. Shortly
after the battle in Najaff, US troops enforced an economic blockade on
the city, closing off the main bridge over the Tigris River and
choking off all normal commerce.
This led to great hardships for the people in the city. A group of
clerics from Samarra then negotiated a deal with the occupiers. Under
the agreement, the blockade was lifted--and in return, the US troops
could enter the city without being attacked. US military patrols
returned to the city in early Sep, and a new US-backed city govt was installed.
But almost immediately, the resistance forces denounced the
agreement. Some clerics, allied with the insurgents, announced a govt
opposed to the US-installed group. There were also reports that the
guerrillas in Samarra had began coordinating with resistance forces in
Fallujah--an ominous sign for the US occupiers, since such
coordination between the "no-go zones" was a new development that
could lead to even bigger attacks against US troops and the police and
army of the puppet Iraqi regime.
Still, some political forces in Samarra apparently continued efforts
to revive the agreement. According to the AFP news service, the
provincial governor had said shortly before the Oct 1 offensive, "An
agreement will be announced soon. A previous signed plan with the
coalition will be ready to work again."
Another prominent local figure told the AFP, "What we are seeing now
is an effort to subdue Samarra by force and to sideline certain
political forces to serve the agenda of the US and that of its allied govt."
The US occupiers have clearly decided to settle the issue in Samarra
with blatant and overwhelming military force.
The US war planners might have decided to move on Samarra 1st because
they considered it an easier target than some of the other "no-go"
areas like Fallujah and Sadr City. While the US troops met some
resistance as they moved into the centre of Samarra, by the 2nd day
the clashes seemed to have quieted. Most of the guerrillas had
apparently avoided direct confrontation for now. An officer leading
one of the groups carrying out house- to-house searches told the NY
Times, "Our guess is, this battle is going to get pretty rough and
will probably last a long time."
According to some reports, the current plan is to launch the major
military attacks on rebel-held areas after the US presidential
election. Paul Krugman of the NY Times recently wrote: "It's widely
believed that in Nov, a few days after the election, the Bush Admin
will launch an all-out offensive against insurgent-controlled
areas. Such an offensive will, for all practical purposes, be an
attempt to conquer Iraq all over again."
And such US efforts to retake other strongholds of anti-occupation
resistance promise to be even more vicious and bloody than what the US
has done so far in Iraq--which, by some estimates, has already led to
30,000 Iraq deaths since the initial US invasion.
In Fallujah, a city of 350,000 people, the US military has been
conducting almost daily aerial bombings for many weeks. US officials
claim that they are carrying out "precision bombing" of "terrorist
targets"--specifically the forces led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the
Jordanian who the US insists (without any actual known evidence) is
based in the city.
But by many accounts, including major news agencies, the US air
strikes have caused many deaths of non- combatants and much
destruction in Fallujah. After a recent air strike, for example--and
yet another insistence by US officials that only "terrorists" had been
killed--CNN reported: "However, video and still photos of the
scene--shot by Reuters and Associated Press photographers--showed 2
young children's lifeless bodies being pulled from the rubbles."
One US official quoted in the Washington Times coldly "explained"
these airstrikes in Fallujah: "They are shaping the battlefield right
now. Those attacks are a prelude to much bigger military action."
The US has invaded Iraq and raped the whole country--as part of their
moves to restructure the whole world and expand their global
domination. Now, as their occupation faces mounting contradictions,
the US is preparing a bloody "re-conquest" of major cities. What will
be the answer of the people of the world--and especially here in the
"homeland" of the empire--to the savage, intensifying crimes of these
imperialist gangsters?

@Gaza attacks anger Palestinians
Gaza (AP).  The Palestinians dubbed as "Israeli hysteria" that
country's "massive" use of tanks, helicopters and missiles in its
incursion in the Gaza Strip, arguing the offensive was totally without
justification.
Israel said rocket attacks against Israeli towns forced it to respond.
The Israeli incursion, now in its 5th day, has left at least 67
Palestinians dead, including children, and the Sec Council called an
emergency meeting in response to a request by Arab nations to consider
a resolution demanding Israel halt the incursion and withdraw its troops.
But in sharp remarks, US Ambassador John Danforth said another
resolution was "one more step on the road to nowhere," and admonished
the council, saying it "acts as the adversary of the Israelis and
cheerleader to the Palestinians."
"That is not the way to peace. That is not the road map to peace,"
Danforth said.
Nasser Al-Kidwa, the Palestinians' UN representative, scoffed at
Israel's assertion that the military operation was a justified
response to the firing of 2 Palestinian rockets from Gaza that killed
2 children in the S Israeli city of Sderot on Wed.
Al-Kidwa told the council that Israeli reacted to an attack by a
"rudimentary" rocket by sending 2,000 troops, 100 tanks, more than 100
other armoured vehicles and bulldozers and helicopter gunships into
the strip, focusing its sights on the Jebaliya refugee camp.
"These forces deliberately destroyed just about everything in their
way, including nurseries and grammar schools," Al-Kidwa said.
"Now there are 100s of Palestinians without shelter as a result of
that total demolition or partial demolition of their homes, tens of
1000s without water or electricity and suffering from severe shortages
of food and medicine, precipitating a genuine humanitarian tragedy,"
he said.
"There is absolutely no justification for this Israeli hysteria, this
widespread killing ...  there is no justification for this state
terrorism." Al-Kidwa said.
Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman said the Palestinian rocket attacks
had become more sophisticated and created "an insufferable situation
that no country ... would tolerate."
The council once again, he said, "had put the victim of terrorism in
the dock and not the perpetrators."
It was "again addressing the response to terrorism and not terrorism
itself," he said.
Danforth lamented the cycle of violence, but rejected the Arab-backed
resolution that also demands Israel halt all military operations in
the area and withdraw its troops.
Israeli PM Ariel Sharon has said the Israeli troops will stay in N
Gaza until Palestinians stop rocket attacks from the area against S Israel.

@US urges 'maximum restraint' from Israel, Palestinians
Washington (AFP).  The United States has urged Israel and the
Palestinians to show "maximum restraint" in the Gaza Strip as the
Israeli army warned its massive offensive there could last for wk and
the death toll surged.
The State Dept reiterated Washington's belief that Israel had a right
to defend itself against terrorist attacks but called on the Jewish
state to "minimise the humanitarian consequences" of the operation and
to spare civilians.
"The United States remains concerned about what's happening in the
region," deputy rep Adam Ereli said.
"We continue to speak with all parties and urge them to exercise
maximum restraint and avoid actions that escalate tension.
"We also are urging all sides to take every measure to avoid civilian
casualties and we are urging the Israelis to minimise the humanitarian
consequences of their actions," he said.
"At the same time, we reiterate Israel's right to defend itself."
Last week, Mr Ereli had urged Israel to use "only proportional force"
in its Gaza operation but he declined on Mon say whether the Israelis
had heeded Washington's call.
"I am not going to get into a mathematical discussion at this point of
what's proportional and what's not proportional," he said.
Israel's chief of staff said on Mon that the operation, which is
intended to establish a buffer zone to prevent Palestinian militants
from firing rockets at Israel, could last for weeks.
The Gaza incursion has sparked deep internat'l concern, including a
weekend call from UN chief Kofi Annan for Israel to halt the operation.
On Mon, Egypt called the incursion a "dangerous escalation".
Brit expressed concern on Mon that the Israeli army is causing
civilian deaths, injuries and unnecessary suffering.
The United States has thus far declined to criticise its main Middle
East ally but Mr Ereli said that Washington did "regret the loss of
civilian life".
"We are concerned when civilians are the victims of armed conflict,
it's something that we speak about," he said. "At the same time, we
recognise that there are terrorist activities being conducted from
Gaza and that Israel has a right to defend itself.
Despite the appeals, Israel massively stepped up a smaller incursion
into N Gaza last Wed after 2 children were killed by a rocket.
4 Israelis have now been killed by such attacks since the end of June.

@Boy killed in latest Mid E violence: medics
An investigation by an Israeli human rights group has found that at
least 75 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the
Gaza operation began.
Jerusalem.  Palestinian medics in the Gaza Strip say a 4-yo
Palestinian boy has been killed by stray Israeli gunfire.
The boy is one of an estimated 31 civilians who have been killed since
Israel invaded N Gaza a wk ago.
An investigation by the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has found
that at least 75 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since
the Gaza operation began.
Of these fatalities, 31 were civilians and B'Tselem says that toll
includes 19 children.
Palestinian medics say the latest civilian to die was a 4-yo boy who
was hit by army fire.
But the Israeli military denies it was shooting anywhere in the vicinity.
B'Tselem says the army operation in Gaza has also resulted in the
demolition of more than 50 Palestinian homes.
Meanwhile, the UN's special envoy to the Middle East, Terje Roed
Larsen, says it is tragic the conflict between the Palestinians and
the Israelis has again sunk into what he has termed a military quagmire.
"There is no military solution to this conflict and the secretary
general has urged the parties to reach a cease-fire, to halt their
operations and go back to the negotiating table," he said.
"There is no other way but a political solution to this."

@Blair to jet off to Africa days after heart operation
London (AFP).  Brit PM Tony Blair has returned to work after a heart
operation and will jet off to Africa later this wk after getting a
clean bill of health from doctors, his rep said.
The 51-yo, who underwent a 2-and-1/2 hour procedure Fri to correct an
irregular heartbeat, was back at Downing Street and feeling "fresh and
alert", his official rep said.
Late Tue Mr Blair was scheduled to begin a potentially draining 3-day
trip to Ethiopia to attend a meeting of his pet development project,
the Commission for Africa.
The PM was acting "on doctors' advice", the rep said, adding
that he was "not aware" that any medical staff would travel with Mr Blair.
If Mr Blair was not feeling vigorous enough already, he was welcomed
back to work Mon by an opinion poll suggesting he looks on course to
win a 3rd term in office at a general election expected next year.
The poll in the Times newspaper showed that 35% of the public would
vote for Mr Blair's Labour Party were an election held immediately, 3%
up on a m ago.
Even better for Labour, the increasingly embattled main opp'n
Conservative Party -- starting its annual conference on Mon -- saw its
rating fall to just 28%.
Mr Blair's personal approval figures were also the highest they have
been since the end of major military operations in Iraq in May 2003,
the Times reported.
In announcing his heart operation late Thu, Mr Blair surprised the
political establishment by declaring that if Labour won the next
general election he would serve a 3rd complete term as prime minister,
but no more.
No other Brit PM has ever made such an announcement, which was seen as
an attempt by Mr Blair to head off challenges to his own leadership
inside an increasingly restive Labour Party.
The Commission for Africa meeting from Wed to Fri in Addis Ababa will
see Mr Blair return to an issue which has become increasingly
important to him during his 7 y in power.
Set up by Mr Blair earlier this y, the Commission is intended to draw
together an authoritative report on global policies to assist the
continent, to be published in early 2005.
Among the 17 members of the Commission are Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi
and a host of other African dignitaries, as well as Irish pop star
turned Live Aid charity organiser Bob Geldof.
Mr Blair has pledged to make Africa a key foreign policy objective
during 2005, when Brit holds the rotating presidency of both the G8
industrialised nations' club and the European Union.
Flying half way around the globe so soon after his heart operation was
a good way for Mr Blair to show he was back in business, said Paul
Kelly, from the politics dept at the London School of Economics.
However with a Brit electorate worried that Mr Blair is more concerned
with Iraq rather than bread-and-butter issues such as the economy,
health and crime, it was risky, Mr Kelly added.
"I'm not sure that jetting off is actually the best thing, as his real
problem over the last parliament has been being seen to devote too
much time to foreign policy issues."

@Pitcairn Islander pleads guilty to sex crimes
Pitcairn Island ... one of a number of defendants has pleaded guilty
to sex charges.
Pitcairn Is, C Pac (AFP).  One of 7 men facing sex charges on the
remote Brit Pacific colony of Pitcairn Island has pleaded guilty in
abuse trials implicating more than half the island's adult men, Radio
NZ has reported.
Island postmaster Dennis Christian, 49, pleaded guilty to 3 of the 4
charges he faced.
The 4th charge was dismissed after the prosecution offered no evidence.
The station said Christian admitted indecently assaulting a 12-yo girl
in the early 1980s.
Details of the other 2 charges were suppressed.
Pitcairn, a tiny island halfway between NZ and S America, has a
resident population of 47, which has nearly doubled with 3 New Zealand
judges and court staff holding a series of trials in the previous
dormant Court of Pitcairn.
7 of the island's 12 adult men are charged with a total of 55 sex
crimes, some dating back 40 y.
3 other trials are already underway with Len Brown, 78, on 2 charges
of rape; his son, Dave Brown, 49, on 15 sexual abuse charges,
including the assault of a 5-yo; and the island's Mayor, Steven
Christian, 53, on trial on 6 charges of rape and 4 of indecent assault.
The island marks Sat as its Sabbath and so the courts sat on Sun.
In Steve Christian's trial, police read out a statement on Sun from
the 2nd of the 2 alleged rape victims.
"Steve seemed to take it upon himself to initiate all of the girls on
the island. It was like we were his harem," the statement said.
Pitcairn was uninhabited until mate Fletcher Christian aboard the
Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty led a mutiny on Apr 28, 1789 against
Captain William Bligh, who was set adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
8 mutineers along with 6 Tahitian men, 12 Tahitian women and a small
girl then searched the S Seas for a haven, reaching uninhabited
Pitcairn on Jan 15, 1790.
6 other island men charged with sex crimes have yet to be extradited
from AUS and NZ.

@Website withdraws children overboard toy
Sydney (AAP).  A "Children Overboard" bath toy being sold on the
internet to benefit a Greens candidate has been withdrawn from sale
after complaints.
According to the website, www.johnnybackflip.com, proceeds from the
sale of the toy were to go towards Greens candidate and former intel
adviser Andrew Wilkie, but did not have his endorsement.
The wooden boat features an inanely grinning John Howard peg figure
and a set of 8 sad-faced asylum seeker figures.
"Proven people's choice. Re-create history as only Johnny tells it,"
the promotional material says.
"Quality SIEV X style bath boat with detachable children. Complete
with little Johnny that can also be thrown overboard."
Aussie Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett said the toy was offensive and
its sale should be stopped.
"In light of the fact that 100s of asylum seekers including 146
children drowned when the SIEV X boat sank in Oct 2001, the marketing
of this toy is appalling and offensive and should be stopped
immediately," Sen Bartlett said.
The "children overboard" boat was code-named SIEV 4.
Website operator Ben Palmer told AAP he had withdrawn the toy from
sale after receiving a number of complaints and a call from Mr Wilkie,
who is running in Mr Howard's SYD seat of Bennelong.
"I wouldn't have taken it down but Mr Wilkie asked me to take it
down," Mr Palmer said.
"If it's causing some grief then it's not worth doing."
Mr Palmer said while the proceeds were to go to Mr Wilkie's campaign,
the Greens candidate was not affiliated with the product.
"Mr Wilkie has proven himself to be a man who was prepared to
sacrifice his own career for the sake of the truth," Mr Palmer said.
"We are in no way affiliated with Andrew Wilkie, nor the Greens.
"In fact, I've never met him but I got fed up with John Howard when he
came out with his 'Trust me' slogan."
The website also has for sale Johnny Backflip, a tiny wooden PM
dressed in his Wallabies tracksuit with a Deputy Sheriff's badge,
which can be wound up to flip over.
Mr Palmer said he had sold about 70 of these toys, which come with
various slogans including "Trust Me" [the most popular], "Uncle Sam
Says, JUMP Johnny JUMP!" and "WMD".
He said most of the sales of Johnny Backflip, which would benefit Mr
Wilkie, had been to CBR residents.

@Punters flock to sheep races for sheer fun
Booligal, NSW.  The population of the W Riverina town of Booligal, in
southern NSW, swelled to 1,100 at the weekend for the frivolity of the
annual sheep races.  Organiser Sandra Ireson says some contenders from
the eastern Riverina brought their mud running sheep, expecting a slow
track after some rain on Fri.  But they had had the wool pulled over
their eyes, the locals knowing that it never rains much in Booligal.
A wether known as "Wallaby Stew" won the coveted Booligal Cup, making
it a hat-trick for the Wallaby breeding station and racing stables at
Booligal, which won the last 2 cups with "Lightning" and "Quandong
Queen".  Wallaby Stew was 0.01 of a 2nd outside the record set in
1999.  The Priscilla Best Decorated Sheep Award went to "Baaa Lap",
which outshone 25 rivals with her lipstick, Miss Universe sash and
matching G-string.

@Shareholders to get $1.5b in BHP Billiton buy-back
Sydney.  BHP Billiton has detailed the 1st phase of its plan to return
almost $2.8 bn to shareholders.  The mining giant will conduct an
off-market share buy-back of up to $1.5 bn.  The balance will be
returned to shareholders in a further buy-back or extra dividends.
The buy-back price will be set by a tender process.  Chairman Don
Argus says the move is one of the company's priorities.  "BHP Billiton
has consistently stated its cash flow priorities," he said.  "First to
invest in value enhancing growth projects, next to maintain a robust
capital structure in line with an A credit rating and finally to
return cash to shareholders.  "This final step includes our
progressive dividend policy and other methods, such as today's
buy-back announcement."  Eligible shareholders will be sent the
buy-back booklet containing the terms and conditions of the off-market
buy-back later this m.

@Business confidence grows despite sales slump
New figures show business confidence is growing.
Canberra.  New figures show business confidence is growing despite
sales growth in the June quarter being at its lowest level in 12 y.
The growth rates for profits, employment and inventory were also all
down.  But the latest survey from D&B AUS shows businesses are
expecting improvements, even though managing director Christine
Christian says the data shows few executives plan to employ more
staff.  "They're fairly confident about the immediate future ahead,"
she said.  "The concerns that do remain is if interest rates were to
increase, what would that do for their businesses.  "They're concerned
about fuel prices, oil prices and they're concerned about whether
we'll see any continued slow down in consumer spending."

@Services sector activity returns to strong level
Activity in the services sector has recovered.
Canberra.  Activity in the services sector of the Aussie economy looks
to have returned to its strongest level since Jan.  A slowdown in the
1st half of the y has given way to a Sep quarter recovery.  The $375
bn services sector is tracked by the Aussie Industry Group and the
Commonwealth Bank with their Performance of Services Index.  In the m
of Sep, the index has climbed 1.4 points to 56, comfortably above the
50-level which indicates expansion.  The Ai Group says the Govt's
Budget initiatives and buoyant company profits are off-setting
negative factors such as higher energy costs, a mixed global outlook
and house price uncertainty.

@ALP to review stolen Indigenous wages issue
Canberra.  The fed Labor Party says it will review how state and
territory govts handle the issue of stolen Indigenous wages if it wins
the election.  Qld is repaying $54 mn taken from Aboriginal workers
but controversy surrounds the amount and method.  Labor's Indigenous
affairs rep Kerry O'Brien says both those issues would be reviewed.
"There are a variety of views in the Indigenous community about the
adequacy of the responses but we do know that there are difficulties
with records which are available and in those circumstances we want to
have this issue dealt with finally," he said.  Sen O'Brien says a
Labor govt would try to resolve the problem once and for all.  "I
think the important thing is to get the material before us and to
understand in some substantial way the problem that remains, if any
does, and the potential means for dealing with that," he said.

@PM to establish spy school
A re-elected Coalition govt will further strengthen nat'l security and
defence in AUS.
Adelaide.  PM John Howard has announced a re-elected Coalition
govt would further strengthen nat'l security and defence in AUS,
including establishing a spy school.  Mr Howard has been visiting the
Aussie Submarine Corporation in Adel where he has told 900 submarine
construction workers AUS continues to be a terrorist target.  "It's
also a country which sadly has seen 88 of its fellow Aussies die in
the Bali attack and has been reminded by the attack outside the Aussie
embassy in Jakarta," he said.  To emphasise his point, Mr Howard was
joined by Defence Min Robert Hill, Foreign Min Alexander Downer and
A-G Philip Ruddock.  Mr Howard officially announced a plan for a
re-elected Coalition govt to establish a joint training school for
spies in AUS, the Pacific and South-East Asia and an increase in the
number of mock terrorism exercises.

@Rural doctors urged to increase fees
Sydney.  The Rural Doctors Association is urging doctors in country
areas to increase their fees by up to 50% to cope with higher costs
and difficulties of working outside capital cities.  The association
says working in the country costs more because as well as extra travel
costs, doctors need to buy more equipment and they do more complicated
procedures because there are fewer specialists.  Association
vice-president Graham Slaney says doctors are already subsidising the
costs but that can not last.  "Unless we make some changes now, you
know half of rural practices are not going to be viable in a few y
time," he said.  Rural GPs are being urged to add a loading that
reflects the additional costs -- that could be up to 50% more.  Dr
Slaney does not think patients will resent the increase and he hopes
any blame will be directed at the major political parties, which he
claims are not doing anything about the problem.

@Govts urged to use GP study results to rethink health policies
Canberra.  The Institute of Health and Welfare has released the
results of the country's most comprehensive research into GP services.
The 5 y study used data from more than half a mn consultations.  It
found the ACT has a large rate of respiratory problems, in the
Northern Territory there is a high rate of ear problems and Vic has
the highest proportion of psychological problems.  NSW has a high
incidence of circulatory problems.  The study also looked at treatment
methods, the number of GP visits and even the age of the doctors.
Researcher Helena Britt says state and territory govts should use the
info to rethink some health policies.  "We've always had state data
about mortality statistics and about injuries and hospitalisations by
state and territory," she said.  "This is the 1st time we've had a
reliable view of each state and territory for general practice activity."

@Labor MP lashes out at party over Tas forestry policy
A fed Labor MP says the party's forestry strategy for Tas could backfire.
Hobart.  A fed Labor MP has accused his own party of selling out Tas
in a bid to win votes in marginal seats in SYD and MEL.
But Dick Adams says the party's Tasn forestry strategy announced
yesterday could backfire, with 3 of the ALP's 5 Tasn seats at risk.
Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham says Labor wants to protect Tas's
old-growth forests while also preserving timber jobs, with an $800-mn
package to retrain workers and help the industry modernise.
But that has been condemned by Mr Adams -- one of Tas's 5 fed Labor MPs.
"I think that's a terrible thing to have done, all because we want to
win seats in MEL and SYD.
"I think that there's been decisions made, that there's better chances
of winning seats on the mainland and there's been a total sell-out of
the Tasn Labor position," he said.
Mr Adams thinks it will cost the party seats in Tas but another Tasn
fed Labor MP Harry Quick disputes that.
"I'm confident that we can retain the 5 seats in Tas despite the
threats by the timber industry that we could lose 3 of our seats," Mr
Quick said.
He says voters in Tas are tired of the forestry issue and are more
concerned about health and education.
The Greens have welcomed the plan.
Greens leader Bob Brown says Labor's policy is a breakthrough.
"What a tribute to the power of public opinion. This has come from the
people of Tas and the people of AUS," he said.
For a man who is encouraging Tasns to vote for Mr Latham, Tasn Prem
Paul Lennon had this backhander for fed Labor's forestry package.
"Tasn workers and their families and their livelihoods are ... at risk
for preferences in marginal seats across some states in mainland AUS," he said.
Tasn Opp'n Leader Rene Hidding also criticised the plan, saying Mr
Latham has betrayed Tas by accepting an "ambit claim" from the
Wilderness Society for the protection of another 240,000 hectares of
old-growth forest.
"Under Mark Latham the only page of the regional forest agreement
(RFA) that will be the same as it is today will be the front cover --
everything else inside the RFA has been completely repudiated, ripped
up and flushed down the toilet by Mark Latham," he said.
PM John Howard's forestry policy could be released as early as today.
It is believed the Coalition's policy is more modest than Labor's and
sets a long-term goal of protecting a further 50,000 hectares of Tasn
old-growth forest.

@Hidding flags changes for Tas forest policy
Hobart.  Tasn Opp'n Leader Rene Hidding has flagged a change in state
forestry policy should Labor hold on to any of its 5 fed seats after
Sat's election.  The State Govt has also signalled it will attempt to
dissuade fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham from any further lock-up of
old-growth forests should he win office.  Mr Hidding says Sat's
election is crunch time for Tas's forests.  Mr Hidding says Labor's
policy to protect up to another 240,000 hectares after scientific
assessment is so abhorrent, the party should lose all 5 of its fed
seats.  "If there's any seats standing I will take that as a message
that Tasns will wear such an outcome and I think we'll see changes in
state policy from state Liberal and state Labor," he said.  Resources
Min Bryan Green says the state will continue to lobby Mr Latham on his
plan.  "When he's elected on Mon we will sit down and work with him
and we'll be explaining to him why this whole question, or this whole
argument about 240,000 hectares is not sustainable," he said.  Mr
Green says some of the areas identified by fed Labor for possible
protection are re-growth and plantations.

@Coalition to encourage hydrogen fuel cell usage
Canberra.  The Coalition has pledged $67 mn over 3 y to encourage the
use of hydrogen fuel cell technology.  Fed Environment Min Ian
Campbell says the money will help transport companies to introduce
buses powered by hydrogen.  "The exhaust emissions are pure, clean
water, zero greenhouse gas emissions and the benefit is, if you can
transform our public transport system across to hydrogen fuel cell
technology, then you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 2 mn
tons a year," he said.

@Latham expands higher education package
Sydney.  Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham has unveiled new and increased
funding for Labor's higher education package.  Earlier in the
campaign, Labor announced plans to abolish full fee degrees to stop
price hikes for the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS), more
funding for universities and the indexing of uni grants.  Originally
the funding was for 3 y, but now Mr Latham has announced an extra $1.6
bn for his package of measures, to take it across 5 years.  Labor's
total higher education plan will now cost nearly $4 bn.  Mr Latham
made the announcement at the University of SA in the marginal Liberal
seat of Adel.  He has again confirmed a Labor govt would recall
Parliament before Christmas to stop a 25% rise in HECS fees.  Mr
Latham has also announced that Labor would spend $43 mn over 5 y to
build a new medical school at the University of Western SYD.  It would
also allocate 100 places to start in 2007.

@Parents meet after teacher charged in child porn crackdown
Melbourne.  Parents have met at a Rowville Catholic school in MEL's
outer east last night after learning their children's teacher is
facing child pornography charges.  Parents of grade one and 2 students
spent almost 2 hr talking to the principal of St Simon's Primary
School last night and were asked not to make any comment to the media.
Teacher Lachlan Wallin, 26, is facing charges on summons of
downloading child pornography from the Internet.  He was stood down by
the school last wk.  The school has assured parents their children
were not involved and that the offence occurred elsewhere.  Teachers
and students have also been offered counselling.  The teacher is one
of more than 70 Vicns facing child pornography charges.

@Cath Ed comment sparks union concern
Melbourne.  The Catholic Education office has defended a decision not
to reinstate a MEL teacher facing child pornography charges, even if
he is found to be innocent.
Lachlan Wallin, 26, has been stood down from his position at St
Simon's Primary in Rowville and is likely to be charged on summons as
part of a nat'l crackdown on child pornography.
Yesterday the school's parish priest, Father Martin Dixon, said Mr
Wallin would not be re-employed at the school, even if found innocent.
That statement has concerned Independent Education Union rep Tony Keenan.
"I mean, if someone's been convicted of a child sexual offence, they
should not teach, but we should not throw out all fairness in this,"
he said.
Mr Keenan says if there is no substance to the allegation, then
according to the law the teacher should be reinstated.
"We've over the y dealt with cases of mischievous allegations being
made," he said.
"We dealt with a case where a few y ago, where there was a conflict
between 2 staff members and one staff member made allegations against
the other staff member which resulted in that staff member being
investigated.
"There's no substance to those claims, so this would set a really ugly
precedent."
Father Dixon says the school's 1st priority is a duty of care to the
students and if the teacher is cleared, he will still have a job.
"We would be seeking other employment, but he could not come back here
because no parent would have that confidence," he said.
The teacher is undergoing counselling.
He is one of 82 people in Vic interviewed as part of the police investigation.

@Mixed response to Anglican sex register
Perth.  The Anglican Church decision to set up a nat'l register of all
church workers accused of sexual misconduct is already attracting
criticism for not going far enough.
Members at the general synod meeting in Perth have unanimously agreed
to screen all priests and lay workers and to set up a nat'l register
of all church workers accused of sexual misconduct.
The synod adopted the move to try to stop church workers from avoiding
detection by shifting from parish to parish.
However Advocates for Survivors of Child Abuse rep Michelle Stubbs
says a recent Senate inquiry recommended public disclosure of all
child abuse cases by all churches and the Anglicans are still keeping
their problems "in house".
"Child sexual abuse is a crime and any allegations, I feel, that the
church's received about child sexual abuse should be reported
immediately to the police," she said.
"The way I read the [Senate inquiry] recommendations was, all churches
will open up their files completely and utterly for investigation in
regard to child sexual abuse," she said.
"If they don't do that within 6 m, the committee of the Senate inquiry
recommends a royal commission."
The Catholic Church is being urged to follow the Anglican lead.
Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston says the Anglicans are showing a
courageous lead and the Catholic Church should follow suit.
"To their credit, the Anglican Church have probably taken the lead in
this," she said.
"They're the only church that has said, 'yes, let's have a royal
commission' and they're the only church that have, by themselves,
instigated 3 inquiries, which has harmed them as an institution, but I
think has won them a lot of credit.
"They're [Catholic Church] hiding in the shadows. I say to the
Catholic Church, come out."
Tasn campaigners are also urging other churches and community groups
to follow the Anglican Church's example.
Steve Fisher, from the group Survivors Investigating Child Sex Abuse,
says while the action is long overdue, the Anglican Church has made a
good start in the fight to stamp out child abuse.
"They really need to start doing more, more quickly and let's hope
that all the other churches around AUS actually take their lead and
start doing something pro-active as well," he said.

@Poll puts Coalition ahead
The latest Newspoll shows the Coalition is in front 4 days out from
the election.
Canberra.  With only 4 days until election day, the latest Newspoll
shows the Coalition is in front by a nose after a surge in support on
the primary vote.
After both the major parties made their $multi-bn pitch to voters last
week, the Newspoll published in The Aussie newspaper shows the
election is on a knife edge.
On a 2-party preferred basis the Liberals and Nat'ls are just in front
with 50.5 to Labor's 49.5.
Importantly for PM John Howard, support for the Coalition on the
primary vote rose 3 points to 46% while Labor's slipped from 40 to 39%.
The Democrats remained steady on 1% with the Greens on 7%.
Greens preferences will be crucial and Labor's Mark Latham will be
hoping his pledge to save Tas's old-growth forests will be enough to
get Labor across the line.
As preferred PM John Howard has widened the gap by 17 points
with support for Mark Latham down 3 points.

@PM releases letter of thanks from Iraqi Govt
Sydney.  The PM has made public a letter he received last wk from
the acting PM of Iraq.  The letter thanks John Howard for AUS's
contribution to securing peace and safety for the people of Iraq.
Foreign Min Alexander Downer has used the letter to criticise Labor's
plan to withdraw Aussie troops by Christmas.  "I think he makes the
very serious point that a draw down of Aussie forces in the nr term
could have serious consequences for Iraq and the internat'l
community," he said.  "It would indicate that important Coalition
partners are not willing to stay the course with us until Iraqi
security forces are able to provide the security of this nation.  "It
would embolden terrorists and insurgents."

@PM to announce intel plan
Canberra.  The PM will today announce a $20 mn plan for greater
intel cooperation and training in the South-East Asian region.  John
Howard wants ASIO officers deployed into neighbouring nations to teach
spies and will outline a wide-ranging intel cooperation plan in Adel
today.  Under a re-elected Howard govt there would be extra money for
mock terrorism exercises and intel schools to train spies in the
South-East Asian region.  Mr Howard will also announce a plan to
increase the role of science and technology in the fight against
terrorism, including a greater contribution from organisations like
the CSIRO.  There would also be a business liaison unit to improve
coordination between intel bodies and businesses.

@Latham focuses on nat'l interest in forestry debate
Mark Latham has played down differences with Labor MPs and timber
workers over his plan to preserve Tas's old-growth forests.
Sydney.  Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham has played down differences with
Labor MPs and timber workers over his plan to preserve Tas's
old-growth forests.
Yesterday Mr Latham announced Labor would deliver an $800 mn package
to protect the forests, retrain workers and help the industry modernise.
Labor Member for the Tasn seat of Lyons, Dick Adams, says the move
could cost the party 3 seats.
"I think that's a terrible thing to have done, all because we want to
win seats in MEL and SYD.
"I think that there's been decisions made, that there's better chances
of winning seats on the mainland and there's been a total sell-out of
the Tasn Labor position," he said.
But Mr Latham has told S Cross Radio he is focused on the nat'l interest.
"You know their views are well known in the debate, so too are the
unions," he said.
"I've said before in this debate, from time to time I have very strong
disagreements with trade unions, I do things in the nat'l interest, I
do what's right and this is another example of that.
"If we all agreed in politics you wouldn't have election campaigns
it'd all be self evident, so disagreement and advocating good policy
in getting it done is what our Labor campaign is about."
Mr Latham has also challenged the PM to "put up" or "shut up" on the
issue of protecting Tas's old-growth forests.
"Debate now turns to Mr Howard who said earlier in the campaign he was
supposedly going to end old-growth logging. I don't know [on] what
basis he criticised my plan as he tried yesterday," Mr Latham said.
"It's time for him to put up or shut up on this issue cause he's made
some noise about it."
But John Howard will not be releasing his forestry plan just yet.
"I'll certainly be saying something about that issue I've indicated,
but it won't be today," Mr Howard said.
Sources have told the ABC the PM's policy will be more modest than the
ALP's with a long term goal to preserve 50,000 hectares of Tas's
old-growth forest -- 20% of Labor's pledge.
* Tasn Liberals
In another development, the Tasn Liberals have indicated they will
change their forestry policy if Labor manages to hold any of the
state's 5 House of Representatives seats at the election on Sat.
Opp'n Leader Rene Hidding says Labor's package to protect the state's
old growth forests was a desperate move to win votes in the final wk
of the election.
Mr Hidding says the state Liberal and Labor parties will have to
review their forestry policies if Tasns support the package.
"On Sat, if there are any Labor seats standing at the end of the day
then that is a strong message to state Labor and state Liberal that
Tasns don't really care, that Tasns don't really have a worry about
the Mark Latham package," he said.

@AMA says Medicare Gold plan ill-conceived
["Let the old folks die, there's no way we can save them!"].
Canberra.  Aussie Medical Association (AMA) president Bill Glasson has
described Labor's Medicare Gold plan as ill-conceived after an Access
Economics report found the policy is unsustainable.
The AMA asked Access Economics to assess the plan to provide free
hospital treatment for all Aussies aged 75 and over.
Dr Glasson says it is a bold policy but should have been more focused
on community care and other measures to keep people out of hospital.
He says the report has found the plan can not be sustained in the long-term.
"In fact when you look at the figures it's probably not sustainable in
the short-term both because of under-financing but also because we
don't have the doctors and nurses necessary to deliver the services
that are required," he said.
Labor health rep Julia Gillard says she believes she can convince the
AMA that the Medicare Gold plan can work.
Ms Gillard says she is yet to examine the report but is confident she
can counter the issues raised.
"This is a sustainable scheme. We understand about the workforce
measures and that's why we've got a huge workforce package [and] also
committed to 1,000 new doctors every y and 1,800 new nurses," she said.
"And in the meantime of course we've got the private hospital sector
saying to us they could increase capacity.
"So we could have increased capacity in the short term [with] more
doctors and nurses in the longer term."

@Police, Bulldogs fans in Bondi stand-off
Sydney.  Police were forced to call for "urgent assistance" after
being surrounded by a large group of Bulldogs rugby league supporters
at Bondi in SYD's eastern suburbs last night.  Officers from Waverley
made the call at about 10.00 pm when supporters in cars surrounded
them in Campbell Parade.  Police from neighbouring commands and the
Operational Support Group responded.  The officers had earlier stopped
a car and charged a 19-yo with dangerous driving.  Bondi is the home
turf of the SYD Roosters, who were beaten by the Bulldogs in Sun's
Nat'l Rugby League grand final.

@Court hears accused struggled with backpacker
Bundy.  The Supreme Court has heard the man charged with murdering
Brit backpacker Caroline Stuttle told police she fell off the bridge
during a struggle when he tried to snatch her bag.  Ian Douglas
Previte, 32, has pleaded not guilty to robbing and killing Miss
Stuttle in the SE Qld town of Bundaberg on the night of Apr 10, 2002.
The court has seen a police interview with Previte recorded 10 m after
Miss Stuttle's death.  In it, Previte tells police he followed a woman
on to Bundaberg's Burnett Traffic Bridge that night.  He said he
wanted to snatch her bag so he had cash to buy drugs.  Previte said he
waited until he was 10 m behind the girl at the northern end of the
bridge before making a dash to snatch the bag.  He says she would not
let go of the bag as they struggled.  He says he swung her about
trying to take the bag and she fell from the bridge without him
touching her.  Previte told police he then looked over the bridge,
made his way below to check on her, but ran off when he saw another
man.  The next day Previte saw the news of Miss Stuttle's death and
says he was "freaked out", washed his clothes twice and spent the
loose change he had found in the bag on drugs.

@Agency says buyers should have been told about house's history
Sef Gonzales is now serving 3 life terms for the brutal murder of his
parents and sister in the N Ryde home.
Sydney.  Real estate agency LJ Hooker has conceded that a couple who
purchased the SYD home where a notorious family massacre took place
should have been told about its history.  It was only after Ellen Lin
and Derek Kwok had agreed to pay $800,000 for a neat 2-storey home in
the suburb of N Ryde that they discovered the previous owners were the
Gonzales family.  Student Sef Gonzales is now serving 3 life terms for
the brutal murder of his parents and sister in the home 3 y ago.  NSW
Real Estate Institute rep Rowan Kelly says while there is no legal
requirement, the agent selling the home should have disclosed its
history.  Michael Davoren, from LJ Hooker's head office, agrees.  "I
don't know why they didn't. All I can tell you is we don't condone
that sort of thing," he said.  But LJ Hooker says it is not up to them
to refund the couple's deposit and that will be a decision for the
estate's trustee.

@SpaceShipOne claims $US10m flight prize
SpaceShipOne with test pilot Brian Binnie aboard on its descent in
preparation for a landing in the Mojave Desert.
Mojave airport (Reuters).  The world's 1st privately funded manned
spacecraft has soared through the blue fringe of Earth's atmosphere to
the blackened frontiers of space for the 2nd time within a wk to win a
$US10 mn prize designed to spur commercial space travel.
SpaceShipOne, a stubby, 3-seat rocket plane about the size of a
minivan, hurtled to a height of 112,000 m, travelling at more than 3
times the speed of sound and surpassing its target altitude without
the heart-stopping barrel rolls that vexed the craft's qualifying
flight last Wed.
"We are proud to announce that SpaceShipOne has made 2 flights to 100
km and has won the Ansari X Prize," Peter Diamandis, founder of the X
Prize, announced to reporters at Mojave airport.
The craft safely glided back to the Mojave Airport for a textbook
landing, greeted by cheers from 1000s of spectators gathered beside
the runway.
Brian Binnie, the 51-yo former Navy pilot who was at the controls,
emerged from the craft's side hatch onto the tarmac where he was met
by his wife.
Also present were aircraft designer Burt Rutan, Microsoft co-founder
Paul Allen, who financed the venture at a cost of between $US20 mn and
$US30 mn, and Brit entrepreneur Richard Branson, who has licensed the
SpaceShipOne design for a series of future commercial passenger flights.
"It's a fantastic experience and it culminates when the motor shuts
down and you realise you are no longer encumbered," said Mr Binnie,
describing the weightless moment in which the spacecraft soared beyond
the bounds of Earth's gravity.
"There's a freedom there and a sense of wonder that, I tell you what,
you all need to experience," he said.
The X Prize, aimed at encouraging the development of civilian space
travel in a reusable craft that can be turned around quickly, was
offered for the 1st non-govt team to fly 3 people, or the equivalent
weight, to at least 100 km in altitude and do it again within 2 wk.
SpaceShipOne's flight on Mon reached an altitude of 112 kms, nearly 13
km above the internat'ly recognised boundary between the Earth's upper
atmosphere and space.
The carrier aircraft, White Knight, ferried SpaceShipOne to about
15,000 m and then released it for its roughly 80 second rocket-fuelled
stab through Earth's atmosphere.
SpaceShipOne then arced back toward Earth in a long, spiral glide.
SpaceShipOne is powered by a hybrid fuel composed of nitrous oxide,
commonly known as laughing gas, and tire rubber -- a mix believed to
be less volatile, and thus safer, than the propellant used by NASA's
space shuttle.
Instead of heat shield tiles, the craft is equipped with a feathered
wing system that prevents overheating by slowing its re-entry.
Mr Binnie became only the 2nd civilian pilot to obtain his astronaut's wings.
The 1st was Mike Melvill, who flew the 1st successful qualifying
flight of SpaceShipOne last wk.
That flight was marked by a series of unplanned vertical rolls.
Mr Diamandis, a space enthusiast founded the X Prize in 1996 in the
hope it would spur a commercial space travel industry.

@US scientists prepare for volcano's eruption
N Washington state (Reuters).  Mount St Helens has spewed more steam
and ash as US govt scientists remained on alert for a larger eruption
at the Washington state volcano, which woke last wk after 18 y of slumber.
The volcano killed 57 people in 1980 when it erupted violently.
Mount St Helens has continued to increase its activity following a
week of tremors and an minor eruption on Fri.
"We could go into a more substantial event without warning," Willie
Scott, a United States Geological Survey (USGS) geologist, told reporters.
The 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens was one of the most devastating
in modern history.
In addition to the heavy casualty toll, it destroyed more than 200
homes and flattened acres of evergreen spruce forest.
The volcano continued to have a series of smaller eruptions until 1986.
The USGS kept a level 3 volcano alert and kept a visitor centre at the
Johnston Ridge Observatory about 8 km from the volcano's crater
off-limits as a safety precaution.
Govt scientists said that low-frequency earthquakes, carbon dioxide
gas, and swelling in the lava dome all pointed toward the build-up of
magma under the mountain.
Although scientists have said that they do not expect an explosion
that would cause any deaths, they are concerned about the impact of
any ash on air traffic and humans following an explosion.

@Voyage marks start of Antarctic research program
Hobart.  The ice breaker and research vessel Aurora Australis leaves
Hobart today on the 1st Aussie voyage of this season's Antarctic
program.  2 major glaciology studies are among the projects to be
undertaken this summer.  As Aurora Australis heads S this afternoon,
there will be 84 people on board including the 1st all-female PhD
leadership team.  The science and shipping season will begin with 2
main projects - one team will retrieve ice cores containing 500 y
climate records and another will set up camp on sea ice to study the
effects of climate change on marine life in the area.  The voyage also
signals the end of a long winter for 21 personnel at AUS's Casey
Station.  As the winter team is picked up to begin the trip home, 58
others will be dropped off at the station.  Of those, some will spend
the summer, while others are in for a longer stay and will remain
throughout next winter.

{{
1.30 am
Tunisian authorities say 17 people drowned when their boat sank while
trying to reach Italy.  47 people are missing.  It's the latest influx
of illegal immigrants into Italy from N Africa.

The latest US strikes on Fallujah have reportedly killed 9 people.

For a 6th day there have been air strike in N Gaza.  The bombing has
killed at least 4.  Israel says those killed were planting a bomb.

The Brit Cabinet is considering emergency measures for indefinite
detention without trial of terror suspects.

Trophy hunters in S Af will be allowed to kill 10 black rhinos pa.
African govts say the number of animals have recovered sufficiently
that a number of older males can be killed each y.

SS1 has taken off again from the Mohave desert in a bid to win the
$US10 mn X Prize.

The Nobel Committee has announced the prize for medicine.  The gong
will go to work on the human sense of smell.  Researchers found the
genes that allowed people to remember up to 10,000 odours.

The Brit Tory party is holding its annual conf.  The party has
released a well-set-out timetable about what it will do in govt.  But
the plan will probably be overshadowed by the party's poor showing in
a by-election last wk and even worse showings in opinion polls.  The
party is trying to be up-beat.  Leader Mic Howard told the conf it
would be their last meeting in opp'n.  But a Times poll shows support
for the conservatives has fallen since Howard took over last Nov.

2 am
Pal militants have fired 2 more missiles, injuring 1 woman.

SS1 has landed after a flight that could win it the X Prize.

The Polish PM has appeared to distance himself from comments by the
Def Min who signalled a timetable for the withdrawal of Polish troops
from Iraq.  The timetable was welcomed by the Polish opp'n, who
complain the govt has followed the lead of the US at the expense of
neighbouring allies.  The relationship with France has particularly
deteriorated, say observers.  The Iraqi operation is also unpopular
with the population.  60% of the population -- according to opinion
polls -- want the troops out soon.  17 Polish soldiers have been
killed in fighting and bomb attacks.

100,000 protesters have staged a rally against NK in Seoul.
Demonstrators shouted "down with Kim Jong-Il", with several burned NK
flags.  There were several hrs of disrupted traffic.  Demonstrators
accused Pres Rho of supporting the communist regime.

In Thailand PM Thaksin has vowed to put 1,000 more drug peddlers
behind bars.  Human rights groups have warned of another wave of
extra-judicial killings.

3 am
2 Indon women held hostage in Baghdad have been handed over to the
Saudi embassy.  Their kidnappers had demanded the release of an Islamic
cleric in Indon.

11 am
The reason for thieving at the Battersea Dogs' Home has been revealed
by CCTV.  It was discovered that a thin greyhound -- "Red" -- has
discovered how to unlock his cage.  He let some of his mates out from
another cage before the group made nightly forays to the kitchen.
Staff say "Red" came in very thin and was obviously desperate to find
food.  He's now been moved to maximum security.

The Dow ended up 23 pts.  The Nas added .5%.  The FTSE closed up 22
pt.  The All Ords is up 4 pts at 3,707.  Analysts expect another
record close today.  BHP Billiton has announced a $1.5 bn buy-back.
The company will buy its shares at 5% below market prices and give
investors a tax write-off.  The news sent its shares higher.  They
were already at a record.  They added 13 c to $A14.88.  Gold in NY
fell from 4 m highs after the greenback rose.  The Nikkei is down 18
pts.  HK is down 27 pts.  The AUD is lower at 72.01 US c.  Gold is
down .95 at $US413.10/oz.  Oil is down .21 at $US49.91/bbl.

A NZ plane became bogged at MEL airport after the pilot apparently
became confused about directions to the terminal.  Passengers said
after landing the plane swerved from one side to the other before it
came to a dead stop.  Some told reporters it had been their first
trip with the budget Air NZ subsidiary, and thir last.

A new opinion poll shows the Coal'n is leading on TPP by 1 pt.  That's
as close as it gets, said PM Howard.  The poll also shows crucial
Greens support at 7%, with the Dems at 1%.

Mark Latham's plan to save up to 1/4 mn ha of Tas old growth forests
has been criticised from within and outside the ALP, And even by Fed
Labor MPs.  The Tas state govt is also against the plan, with the
Tassie Prem saying another study was a matter for Mr Latham, but his
govt was all about protecting jobs in the logging ind'y.  Mr Howard
has refused to release his own forest policy, but criticised Mr
Latham's policy as "a grubby deal".  It's believed Mr Howard's own
policy -- when it's released -- will aim at protecting 50,000 ha --
just 1/5 of the ALP proposal.

The US in Iraq says more assaults are planned against insurgents.  21
have died in car bombings in Baghdad and Mosul in the past 24 hrs.  Up
to 150 have been killed by the US in Samarra, incl women and
children.  A smirking US cmdr said the cas were "mainly men of
fighting age".  "There some were foreigners", he added.  He also
admitted there were "some collateral cas".  The Iraqi military says
there were no civil cas and the operation was "a success".  After 2
days of fighting, residents have been able to visit the local
hospital.  Some parents say their children have been killed and were
unarmed.  Soldiers searched families before they were allowed to
enter the hospital.  There were rows of body bags, say reporters.
More than 50 bodies were at the hospital, say hospital workers. They
say many were women and children.  Hospital records say a woman and
her 6 children were all killed in one incident.  They were fleeing the
fighting when their car was targeted by US forces.

The RBA is expected to put off an int rate rise for at least 1 m at
its monthly meeting today.  Softness in the latest retail, housing
and jobs numbers, are likely to reduce pressure on the Board.
Businesses is increasingly worried about a rate hike.  With the AUS
economy still strong, analysts still expect another 25 basis pts
before Xmas.

9.30 pm
The All Ords has closed up 2 pts.  Woodside announced the opening of
of 2 new wells.  Gunns is down .20 at $A13.98 on the ALP forestry
strategy.  In Japan, the Nikkei ended up 2 pts.  The Hang Seng lost 28
pts.  Tonight, the FTSE is up 30 pts.  The AUD is down .19 at 72.09 US
c.  Oil has added 81 c to $US50.31/bbl.  Gold is lower at
$US414.15/oz.

The UNSC is debating a Res demanding Israeli end its military
incursion into Gaza.  A vote is expected in the next few hrs.  Israel
is reportedly now offering to end its operation in return for a Pal
promise to end rocket attacks.

Rummy is in damage control after he was questioned if a link between
Saddam and al-Qaeda ever existed.  Speaking to a group of For Aff
experts, the Def Sec denied the links.  The Whitehouse had prev always
affirmed there were such links.  There had been "numerous contacts"
between Saddam and al-Qaeda, said Bush.  Rummy now says there may
never have been a link.  There were diffs in the intel community, he
said.  I have never seen strong, hard evidence that links the 2, he
added.  Elsewhere, former Iraq Gov Paul Bremer says the US never had
enough troops on the ground.  That had been a complaint by some US
cmdrs and Democrats.  Bush and Rummy had prev always maintained there
were enough troops.  Mr Bremer told a TV interview the US and Iraq
had paid a for not having enough troops.  It had contributed to the
lawlessness, and the wave of violence and sabotage gave insurgents a
foothold.

11 pm
The FTSE is up 29 pts.  Oil is at a new record above 50/bbl on fears
of new hurricanes in the US.
}}

----------------------------------------
Wed, 06 Oct 2004.

	HEADLINES:
Oil prices expected to impact on economy
Oil supply fears weigh heavy on market
Oil surge breaks $US51 barrier
Leading militant killed in Israeli strike
John Lennon's killer denied parole
US, Iraqi troops storm rebel-held stronghold
US rejects former Iraqi administrator's claims
One reason for Iraq war diminishes
Iraq dominates vice-presidential debate
In schedule shift, Bush plans major talk on Iraq
Bremer says US makes 2 major mistakes in Iraq
'Red Mitsubishi' blamed for teenager's death
AUS's treatment of sheep slammed
Abbott leaves hospital after kidney stone surgery
Afghan election candidates make final pitches
Alleged Pitcairn rapist admits having consensual sex
Aussie pilot rescued after Pacific crash
Azaria case won't be re-opened
Bishop considers ordaining women despite ruling
Broome 'ghost ship' no more
Canadian sub drifts powerless after fire
Consumers spend $17 bn in September
Customers crushed by HK bank bungle
Death toll climbs as Israel continues Gaza offensive
Habib's release imminent, say lawyers
Hostage granted Irish passport in release bid
Howard to unveil Tasn forest plans
Interest rates remain steady
Italy halts asylum seeker expulsion
Labor backs coastguard call with illegal fishing claims
Latham accuses AMA of bias over Medicare criticism
Latham pitches schools policy in marginal seat
Liver disease breath test showcased in Bris
Man to continue fight against extradition order
News Corp to woo disgruntled shareholders
PM formalises Family First preference deal
PNG boats drama sinks deeper into uncertainty
Pilot lands in hot water after unauthorised PNG flight
Principal stood down after child porn probe
Sacked Kodak workers accept redundancy
US blocks UN move to end Gaza offensive
US corporate watchdog urged to investigate James Hardie
Vote over women bishops divides Anglican church


@Oil surge breaks $US51 barrier
Oil has hit a new high.
NY (AFP/ABC).  Hurricane Ivan's legacy is lingering over global
markets for crude oil.  For the 1st time since oil began trading on
the NY Mercantile Exchange in 1983, it has closed the session above
$US51/bbl.  Traders are worried that as the N winter approaches
production is coming back on stream too slowly in the Gulf of Mexico
after the damage caused by Ivan 3 wk ago.  Production is still down
nearly 27%, or 450,000 barrels per day, according to the US Minerals
Management Service.  At around 7.30 am, W Texas crude was sitting at
$51.08 a barrel.

@AUS's treatment of sheep slammed
Washington (AAP).  A US animal rights activist will wear a sheep's
mask and lock himself inside a cage outside the Aussie embassy in
Washington DC to protest against AUS's treatment of sheep.
The demo is designed to coincide with the Aussie fed election and will
target Aussies entering the embassy to vote.
Matthew Rice, a campaign coordinator for the world's largest animal
rights organisation, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA), will enter the cage on Thu morning (US E coast time) and
remain inside for 36 hours.
"We will be targeting people going to the embassy to vote," Rice told AAP.
"We will be offering voters a petition to sign to ban the live
exporting of sheep and we'll be encouraging them to talk to their govt
representatives."
PETA, with 800,000 members worldwide, is threatening to incite an
internat'l boycott of Aussie wool products if the Fed Govt does not
stop both live sheep exports and mulesing.
Mulesing, which PETA says is "the cruel mutilation of lambs", is a
technique undertaken to reduce fly-strike in the animals.
"We'll have a TV playing a loop of footage showing the mulesing
process and live exports and the slaughter of the sheep in Middle
Eastern countries," Rice said.
While inside the cage, Rice will not eat or drink.
"The fasting will be to demonstrate that sheep, whenever they are live
exported often go without food or water for extended periods of time,"
he said.
"Often for wk they go without.
"We obviously couldn't get a ship to the embassy in Washington DC for
the demo so we're using the cage to demonstrate the close confinement
of these crowded ships.
"Often there are tens of 1000s of sheep with no room to move around
and often they trample each other."
The US demo will coincide with a similar event in London.
Rice said his protest would also support a group involved in a hunger
strike in Adel.

@US corporate watchdog urged to investigate James Hardie
Sydney.  NSW Prem Bob Carr has written to the US corporate watchdog
urging it to investigate the building products company, James Hardie.
Mr Carr has also sent the US Securities and Exchange Commission a copy
of the Jackson report on the company.
The report found James Hardie's fund for asbestos victims was short by
up to $1.5 bn.
Mr Carr hopes the US commission will make sure the company has
complied with American laws.
"The US has very high regulatory standards and the Securities and
Exchange Commission is very powerful," he said.
"I think they will take a lively and keen interest in James Hardie
activity in AUS and around the world."
Mr Carr says there should be enough info for them to pursue any
necessary action.
"I think the Jackson inquiry sets a very high standard when it comes
to investigation of corporate shenanigans and I would think the US
Securities and Exchange Commission will take a keen interest in it," he said.
"This is a company that generates more than 80% of its revenue from
the US market and I just see James Hardie coming under more pressure
to settle the legitimate claims of victims."
Mr Carr has informed the commission that soon to be passed laws in New
South Wales will mean it can gain access to all available documents
from the 6-m inquiry into James Hardie.

@Oil supply fears weigh heavy on market
Markets hit by oil prices.
NY/Sydney.  The oil price movement has taken a toll on equity market
sentiment and there has also been a disappointing measure of activity
in the US services sector.
The Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing survey has
fallen in Sep, defying expectations of an improvement.
On Wall Street, shares in the big insurer, American Internat'l Group,
have fallen around 3% in value as it faces possible action from
regulators for allegedly helping a key banking client to cover up bad loans.
On the NYSE, the Dow has fallen back 39 points to 10,178.
But the high-tech Nasdaq market is slightly firmer, with the Nasdaq
composite index adding 3 points to 1,956.
The Brit share market has reached its highest level in almost
2-and-1/2 years.
The hedge fund manager, Man Group, has been a focus of investor
attention amid speculation it is a takeover target for a major US
financial group.
Oil major, BP, has benefited from the higher oil prices.
But Brit Airways has suffered after reporting lower premium traffic
numbers and issuing a cautious outlook statement.
London's FT100 index has closed 25 points ahead at 4,707.
Yesterday, the Aussie market edged up to another record close.
Global miner BHP Billiton was again a key performer and its shares
rose 0.6% to $14.84.
The All Ords rose 2 points to 3,705.
The Aussie dollar is firmer on the night.
At about 7.30 am the dollar was quoted at 72.34 US c and on the
cross-rates, it was worth 58.74 euro cents, 80.41 yen and 40.59 pence sterling.
The gold price has risen to $US418.40/oz.

@Oil prices expected to impact on economy
Canberra.  A further rise in petrol prices could be on the way as
crude oil scales new heights, however official interest rates might
remain stable for longer.  The Reserve Bank has confirmed it will not
be raising rates ahead of Sat's fed election, leaving the cash rate at
5.25%, after yesterday's monthly board meeting.  Weaker than expected
economic data in recent days has prompted some analysts to suggest
that any rate rise might not occur until into next year.  Possibly
encouraging a wait-and-see stance at the central bank is the overnight
jump in NY oil prices to more than $US51/bbl.  Commonwealth Bank
commodity strategist David Thurtell says there are implications for
rates and the economy.  "It'll definitely have an impact on consumer
spending and capital expenditure by businesses, perhaps worried about
a downturn in the economy and consumer spending," he said.

@One reason for Iraq war diminishes
Washington (IHT/NYT).  Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld has said he has seen no
"strong, hard evidence" linking Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda, although
he tempered his comment by noting that stark disagreements on that
issue remained in US intel circles.
[On Tue, The Associated Press reported that several hours after his
appearance, Rumsfeld issued a statement from the Pentagon saying his
comment "regrettably was misunderstood" by some].
"I have seen the answer to that question migrate in the intel
community over the period of a y in the most amazing way," Rumsfeld
said [in his New York remarks] when asked about ties between Saddam
and Al Qaeda, the terror network run by Osama bin Laden. Snr Admin
officials cited the existence of ties between them as a rationale for
war on Iraq.
"Second, there are differences in the intel community as to what the
relationship was," Rumsfeld said Mon at the Council on Foreign
Relations in NY. "To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard
evidence that links the 2."
Relationships among terrorists and terrorist networks are complicated
to track, Rumsfeld said, because "in many cases, they cooperate not in
a chain of command but in a loose affiliation, a franchising
arrangement, almost."
He said that even Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist
leader blamed for some of the most violent attacks inside Iraq since
the end of major combat operations, probably had no formal allegiance
to bin Laden, although "they're just 2 peas in a pod in terms of what
they're doing."
The extent of any ties between Saddam and Al Qaeda has been subjected
to intense and often contentious scrutiny, especially this campaign
season. While Rumsfeld often has cited Central Intel Agency reports of
murky ties, including the presence of Qaeda operatives in Iraq, he has
not been as adamant on the issue as other snr Admin officials, in
particular VP Dick Cheney.
"There is no question but that there have been interactions between
the Iraqi govt, Iraqi officials and Al Qaeda operatives," Rumsfeld
said in Nov 2002. "They have occurred over a span of some 8 or 10 y to
our knowledge. There are currently Al Qaeda in Iraq."
But even when discussing intel pointing to links between Saddam and Al
Qaeda, Rumsfeld has noted the absence of certainty. In Sep 2002, he
warned that it was not always possible for the govt to satisfy a
public desire for "some hard evidence" of Saddam's ties to terrorist
networks. "We have to face that fact that we're not going to have
everything beyond a reasonable doubt," Rumsfeld said.
In his speech on Mon, Rumsfeld praised a weekend offensive by the 1st
Infantry Division and members of the new Iraqi security force that
chased insurgents from Samarra. He said the offensive should serve as
a warning to other guerrillas holding territory before elections
scheduled for Jan.
Rumsfeld also gave an impassioned defence of Pres Pervez Musharraf of
Pakistan for his actions in support of the military effort to topple
the Taliban in Afghanistan and for serving as a voice of moderation in
the Muslim world.
In particular, Rumsfeld said, Musharraf should not be criticised for
pardoning Abdul Qadeer Khan, the former head of Pakistan's nuclear
laboratories who operated a secret network to send nuclear equipment
and skill to other nations.
To those who argue that a harsher punishment should have been handed
down, Rumsfeld said that Musharraf understood that Khan, as the father
of the Pakistani nuclear bomb, "was a hero not just in Pakistan, but
all across that part of the globe."

@Bremer says US makes 2 major mistakes in Iraq
Washington (Xinhua).  The former US high-ranking official in Iraq has
said that the US failed to deploy enough troops in the country and
curb the violence and looting soon after the ouster of Saddam Hussein,
former Iraqi president.
Criticising his country for making what he called "two major
mistakes," Paul Bremer, former head of the US occupation forces in
Iraq, said that "we never had enough troops on the ground."  Bremer,
who returned to the US after the transfer of power from US occupation
forces to the Iraqi interim govt in June, made the remarks on Mon while
delivering an address to an insurance group in White Sulphur Springs, W
Virginia, The Washington Post reported Tue.
He said that while he arrived in Iraq in May 2003 he found "horrid"
looting and a very unstable situation in the country.
"we paid a big price for not stopping it because it established an
atmosphere of lawlessness," Bremer added.
Bremer's comments echoed contentions of many Admin critics, including
Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, who argue that the Bush
Admin has no plan for how to maintain security in Iraq.
His comments were also in sharp contrast with the statements
repeatedly made by the Whitehouse and Pentagon that there were enough
US ground forces in Iraq.
But Bremer defended the US invasion of Iraq by saying that he was
"more convinced than ever that regime change was the right thing to
do."  "I am optimistic about the future in Iraq," he added.
In a statement Mon night to the paper, Bremer expressed his full
support for the Bush Admin's strategy in Iraq.
"I believe that we currently have sufficient troop levels in Iraq," he said.

@US rejects former Iraqi administrator's claims
Washington (BBC).  The Pentagon has rejected an assertion by the
former US civilian administrator in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, that there
were never enough troops in Iraq.  In a written statement, the
Pentagon's chief rep said that while the former civilian administrator
may have had an understandable interest in the security situation
while he was in Iraq, he was not in charge of it.  According to the
Pentagon, Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld relied on the advice of his military
cmdrs.  When they asked for more troops, it said, he approved the
request.  The statement goes on to say before, during and subsequent
to Mr Bremer's time in Iraq, cmdrs believed the US had the appropriate
level of forces.

@Howard to unveil Tasn forest plans
PM John Howard says his plan will strike a balance between jobs and
the environment.
Canberra. PM John Howard will fly to Tas this afternoon to unveil his
policy on the state's old-growth forests.  Mr Howard is expected to
travel to Launceston in the marginal seat of Bass for the
announcement.  Labor has already announced it would lock up as much as
240,000 hectares of Tas's forests along with an $800 mn restructuring
package for the timber industry.  It is understood the Coalition's
plans will protect 50,000 hectares and Mr Howard does not think his
package will win Green preferences for the Coalition.  Mr Howard has
also told S Cross Radio his policy will not be as expensive as Labor's
pledge to offer the timber industry an $800 mn restructuring package,
but he says it will focus on jobs as well as the environment.  "It
will reflect a balance, it will be consistent with the principles of
the Regional Forest Agreement that I signed 7 y ago and it will not be
a preference deal," he said.  "It will be based upon achieving a
balance between growth jobs and care for the environment."

@Iraq dominates vice-presidential debate
Washington (AFP).  The candidates for US vice-president have clashed
over Iraq, with Democrat John Edwards calling it a "mess" and current
Vice-Pres, Dick Cheney, berating him for "enormous inconsistencies" on
the war.
Iraq dominated the 90-minute televised debate at Case W Reserve
University, sparking a series of bitter exchanges in the sole
encounter held at the vice-presidential level.
Mr Cheney sought to portray Mr Edwards and Democratic presidential
candidate John Kerry as weak and vacillating on defence and unfit to
command the war on terror after the Sep 11 attacks.
"You're not credible on Iraq because of the enormous inconsistencies
that John Kerry and you have cited time after time after time during
the political campaign," Mr Cheney said.
Mr Edwards, a freshman senator from N Carolina, accused the Republican
Admin of misleading the US public on the rationale and progress of the
war in Iraq and called it a dangerous diversion from the real enemy,
Al Qaeda.
"It's not just me that sees the mess in Iraq," Mr Edwards said, citing
criticism from Republican leaders in Congress.
Linking what he called the failure in Iraq to failure on the domestic
economic front, Mr Edwards said: "The Vice-Pres and Pres like to talk
about their experience on the campaign trail.
"Mr Vice-Pres, I don't think the country can take 4 more years of this
kind of experience," he said.
"We need a Pres who will speed up the training of the Iraqis.
"We need to speed up the reconstruction so the Iraqis see some
tangible benefit.
Mr Edwards repeatedly chided Mr Cheney for distorting the Democrats'
record and said: "John Kerry has been absolutely clear and consistent
from the beginning that we must stay focused on the people that
attacked us."
Mr Cheney defended the war as necessary to oust Saddam Hussein, whom
he said had a history of using unconventional weapons and ties to
terrorists, although he denied suggestions he had linked Baghdad
directly to Al Qaeda.
"What we did in Iraq was exactly the right thing to do," Mr Cheney said.
"If I had it to recommend all over again, I would recommend exactly
the same course of action."
Mr Cheney lashed out at Mr Edwards and Mr Kerry for their initial
votes in the Senate to authorise military action in Iraq and their
later opp'n to the war.
"These are 2 individuals who have been for the war when the headlines
were good and against it when their poll ratings were bad.
"If we want to win the war on terror, the answer the George Bush not
John Kerry," Mr Cheney said.

@Liver disease breath test showcased in Bris
Brisbane.  A breath test that can determine the severity of liver
disease has been showcased at a conference being held in Bris this wk.
AUS's leading digestive specialists are meeting as part of
Gastroenterology Week.  Gastroenterology Society rep Michael Grim says
a breath test would be a safe and pain-free alternative to current
methods.  "Most patients now, to determine how advanced their liver
disease is, require a biopsy," he said.  "They have a needle stuck in
their liver to take some tissue.  "This is a breath test, where you
ingest some caffeine and measure the metabolism of the caffeine as a
marker of how well the liver is performing."

@Hostage granted Irish passport in release bid
Dublin.  The Irish Govt has issued a passport to Brit hostage Ken
Bigley in the hope it might help to secure his freedom.
Mr Bigley was taken hostage in Iraq 19 days ago and has since featured
in 2 videos, bound and caged and pleading with Brit PM Tony
Blair to help free him by securing the release of female Iraqi prisoners.
The Bigley family had asked the Irish Govt, which was not involved in
the war against Iraq, to issue the passport in the hope that it might
help secure his release.
His mother Elizabeth was born in Dublin.
On the weekend an Islamic website suggested Mr Bigley's captors had
spared his life so far because they were not sure if he was Brit or
Irish and they say they have no fight with the Irish.
Meanwhile the fate of 2 French journalists held captive in Iraq now
for more than 6 wk has sparked a political row in France.
Pres Jacques Chirac has called for unity of purpose after an aborted
rescue effort last wk by an MP from his own party went badly off
track, prompting criticism from those who believe his mission was an
officially backed but ill-advised ransom effort.

@Habib's release imminent, say lawyers
Lawyers representing Mamdouh Habib, pictured here with his family, are
predicting his release.
NY.  Lawyers for Aussie Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib are
confident of his imminent release following a recent newspaper
interview with the centre's deputy cmdr.  Brig Gen Martin Lucenti told
the Financial Times most of the detainees will be released or
extradited.  The Bush Govt has not yet contradicted that statement.
Mr Habib's American lawyer Joseph Margulies told ABC program AM the
statement confirms that most of the detainees being held in Guantanamo
Bay are innocent.  "We've always believed that Mamdouh Habib didn't do
anything to justify his detention for a day let alone for the nearly 3
y that he's been in US custody," he said.  "We hope the US is finally
coming 'round to see that and will release him forthwith."  The
comment does not relate to the other Aussie detainee, David Hicks, who
has already been charged.

@In schedule shift, Bush plans major talk on Iraq
Clive, Iowa (IHT/NYT).  Pres George W Bush has charged that Sen John
Kerry's policies "are dangerous for world peace" as his campaign
suddenly changed plans for holding an event on medical liability on
Wed and scheduled a speech by the president on terrorism and the
economy instead.
On the eve of the vice-presidential debate, with polls showing that
Bush lost ground after his performance in the debate with Kerry last
Thu, the pressures on the Whitehouse to regain the upper hand appeared
to be mounting.
To that end, Bush flew to Iowa, one of the nation's most closely
contested states, to sign into law extensions of 3 popular
middle-class tax cuts that he said Kerry opposed and that Kerry's
campaign said he did not. Then the president hit the senator in harsh
terms on nat'l security by reprising Kerry's vote against the 1991 war
to drive Iraq from Kuwait.
"In 1991, when my dad was president, he saw a threat, and that was
that Saddam Hussein was going to overrun Kuwait," said Bush, who
appeared relaxed and in good spirits at Mon's "Ask Pres Bush" campaign
forum despite the generally negative reviews of his debate performance
last wk. If Kerry's vote had carried the day, the president said,
"Saddam would not only have been in his palaces, that means he would
have been in Kuwait as well. The policies of my opponent are dangerous
for world peace. If they were implemented, they would make this world
not more peaceful, but more dangerous."
The president also stepped up his ridicule of Kerry for the senator's
plan to hold an internat'l summit to help solve the problems in Iraq.
"I've been to summits," Bush said as he paced in his shirtsleeves at
the 7 Flags recreation centre in Clive. "You don't bring terrorists to
justice at summits. I can imagine him walking in to the leaders of the
world saying, 'We need your help, but Iraq is a mistake.'"
Kerry, Bush said, "has no plan. A summit won't solve the
problem. Strong, consistent leadership is what this world needs." Phil
Singer, a rep for the Kerry campaign, responded: "If George Bush
thinks John Kerry's plans to strengthen the military, build alliances
and implement the 9/11 commission's intel reforms will make the world
a more dangerous place, he's even more detached from reality than he
demonstrated at the debate the other night."
Scott McClellan, the Whitehouse press secretary, said that Bush would
still travel on Wed to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, as scheduled, but
that the medical liability event had been postponed and Bush would now
deliver a speech there "on our nation's 2 highest priorities," which
McClellan said were the campaign against terrorism and the economy.
It is unusual for the tightly scheduled Bush Whitehouse to change
plans so suddenly. But polls show that Bush's greatest electoral
strength against Kerry remains his record on fighting terrorism;
medical liability is a far less potent campaign issue.

@US, Iraqi troops storm rebel-held stronghold
Baghdad (AFP).  More than 3,000 United States and Iraqi troops have
stormed rebel bastions immediately S of Baghdad, just days after
retaking the insurgent-held city of Samarra, N of the capital, the US
military said.
Some 30 insurgents were captured in the offensive's 1st stage,
spokesmen said, adding that they were not immediately able to give any
estimate of casualties on either side.
"Iraqi and multinat'l forces today kicked off their most sweeping
operation to date in N Babil, moving against multiple targets across
the central Iraqi province in a continuing campaign to restore
security and stability here," a statement said.
Centred on the mainly Shiite town of Hilla, Babil province includes a
series of Sunni towns just S of Baghdad that have been bastions of the
insurgency plaguing US-led troops since last y's invasion.
US and Iraqi forces seized a suspected insurgent training camp and
took control of the Jurf al-Skhar bridge, the military said.
The bridge, which spans the Euphrates River, "is believed to be a
favoured corridor for insurgents moving into and out of key cities,
including the capital hub and the current AIF sanctuary of Fallujah".
AIF stands for Anti-Iraqi Forces, the US military's terminology for
insurgents.
The offensive came just days after a combined US-Iraqi force of some
5,000 troops stormed Samarra, in their biggest counter-insurgency
operation since last y's US-led invasion.
A 2-day battle left almost 150 people dead and succeeded in wresting
control of the city of some 25,000 people back from the Sunni Arab
insurgents who had held it since June.
Known as the triangle of death, the largely agricultural area S of the
capital targeted in the latest offensive includes the Sunni rebel
strongholds of Latifiya, Mahmudiya and Yussufiyah.
The area is traversed by Iraq's main north-south highways and has been
the scene of almost daily attacks on US military convoys, Iraqi
security forces and foreign travellers.
Iraq's US-backed interim govt has vowed to retake all remaining rebel
enclaves in time to organise promised nationwide elections in Jan.
Challenged about insurgent bastions W of Baghdad, which have been
no-go zones for US-led ground troops since Apr, PM Iyad Allawi
promised that they too would face the consequences if they failed to
submit to govt control through negotiation.
"Talks and contacts are ongoing with prominent people and tribal
leaders in these places and we are conveying to them our position," Mr
Allawi said after a meeting with visiting Brit For Sec Jack Straw.
"Our position is clear -- people must abide by the law and put down
their weapons.
"Otherwise the Govt will have to resort to force to provide peace to people.
"We will not allow a few terrorists to hurt the Iraqi people," he said
in a clear reference to the defiant Sunni rebel cities of Fallujah and
Ramadi, which are widely thought to have provided hiding places for
kidnappers of foreign hostages in recent months."

@Afghan election candidates make final pitches
Ghazni, Afghanistan (BBC).  The main contenders in Afghanistan's 1st
presidential elections since the fall of the Taliban are making their
final pleas to voters ahead of this weekend's election.  Interim Pres
Hamid Karzai has addressed supporters in the city of Ghazni, S of
Kabul.  Earlier, one of his main challengers, former education
minister Yunus Qanooni, held a rally in Ghazni's football stadium.
Afghan election observer Gazala Harris says the people remain
optimistic despite the obvious difficulties.  "After almost 2 decades
of war this is the first-ever experience for Afghans to participate in
such a process as elections," she said.  "There are possibilities of
security [problems] in different parts, there is a possibility of
intimidation, and there are possibilities that other groups will
pressure us, not only the voters but also our observers.  "But we are
very much hopeful that there will be no security problems."

@Leading militant killed in Israeli strike
Gaza (AFP).  A leading Palestinian militant has been killed in an
Israeli air strike on Gaza City as Israeli troops pressed a deadly
week-old incursion into the N Gaza Strip.  The cmdr was identified as
Bashir al-Dibsh, 40, Gaza leader of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military
wing of Islamic Jihad.  Fellow militant Dharif al-Ariir was also
killed in the attack on their vehicle just outside a Gaza refugee
camp, medics said.  A 3rd person was wounded.  The violence raised the
number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since the latest
Israeli offensive began to 80.  In the Jabaliya refugee camp,
epicentre of the fierce fighting sparked by the incursion, a
Palestinian gunman was killed by an Israeli tank shell.  Further
south, Israeli troops shot dead a 13-yo Palestinian girl from an
observation tower in the town of Rafah, on the Israeli-controlled
border with the Gaza Strip.  Israeli military sources said troops had
fired at the girl after she crossed into a restricted zone and was
spotted planting "what seemed to be an explosive charge".  In N Gaza,
troops pressed their mission to carve out a buffer zone inside the
territory to keep Palestinian militants out of rocket range of
neighbouring Israel.

@US blocks UN move to end Gaza offensive
NY (Reuters).  The US has vetoed a draft UN Sec Council resolution
demanding an immediate end to Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
A total of 11 nations voted in favour of the measure in the 15-member council.
Brit, Germany and Romania abstained and US ambassador John Danforth
exercised his veto power by voting "no".
The veto was the 80th by the US in 59 y and some 29 vetos concerned
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The last was on March 25 against Israel's assassination of Hamas
leader Ahmed Yassin.
The draft resolution would have demanded "the immediate cessation of
all military operations in the area of N Gaza" and the withdrawal of
Israeli forces.
Israel launched the offensive after a Palestinian rocket strike killed
2 children in the S town of Sderot last Wed.
Brit, Germany and Russia attempted to get a last-minute compromise by
adding some amendments but the effort failed.
Voting in favour of the resolution were Russia, France, China, Spain,
Angola, Chile, Pakistan, Algeria, Benin, Brazil and the Philippines.
Mr Danforth told the council the resolution was "lopsided and
unbalanced," lacked credibility and deserved a "no" vote.
"The US has no problem with tough words, but only when they are
accurate and there is balance," he said.
The resolution "does not mention 200 rockets launched this y alone.
It does not mention the 2 Israeli children who were outside playing
last wk when a rocket suddenly crashed into their young bodies," he said.
"When the rest of the world gangs up on Israel with insidious silence
about terrorism, it does not advance the cause of peace," Mr Danforth said.
"It encourages both sides to dig in. It makes Israel feel isolated and
backed into a corner, and it discourages dialogue."
But Algerian ambassador Abdalla Baali, the council's only Arab member,
said the 15-nation body appeared to be effective only when it
chastised Arab nations.
He recalled the recent resolution telling Syrian troops to pull out of Lebanon.
"We regret that such a balanced and credible text that was merely
calling upon Israel to end its military operation, which causes so
many human losses and so much damage has not gained unanimous
endorsement by the council," Mr Baali said.
Palestinian UN observer Nasser al-Kidwa said some council members
spoke only of Israeli deaths when in fact the Israeli army was trying
to destroy "the entire Palestinian people -- the destruction of its
life and its future".
He said Israel had an "official army committing war crimes and acts of
state terrorism.
But Israel's UN ambassador Dan Gillerman blamed "the evil Palestinian
leadership" for the crisis.
"Were it not for their tragic leadership and their choice of terror
rather than a settlement when one was offered, the Palestinian people
would long ago have had their own state," he said.
Brit's UN ambassador Emyr Jones Parry also said the resolution was
unbalanced but he agreed with most council members that the Israeli
response was disproportionate.
"The current action undertaken by the Israeli defence forces is
causing large numbers of civilian deaths and injuries in Gaza," Mr
Jones Parry said.
French ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said he supported the
resolution because the council needed to respond rapidly "to the
steadily deteriorating situation" in Gaza.

@Death toll climbs as Israel continues Gaza offensive
Israel continues its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza (Reuters).  Israeli tanks have shelled a town in the N Gaza
Strip, killing 3 Palestinians and wounding 10 children, witnesses and
medics said.
The barrage of tank fire came as Israel's massive Gaza offensive to
quell rocket attacks on Israeli border towns entered a 7th day, with
up to 85 Palestinians killed.
3 Israelis have also died.
Medics said tank shells killed a 15-yo Palestinian in one house and 2
men in another before dawn in the besieged town of Beit Lahiya.
A shell also hit a house where a family was sleeping, wounding 10
children, several of them seriously, hospital officials said.
Israeli military sources said forces fired at a group of gunmen who
had launched an anti-tank rocket from a house.
Israel began its campaign -- the biggest and bloodiest raid in the
Gaza Strip in 4 y of conflict -- after a Hamas rocket strike killed 2
Israeli toddlers in a border town last Wed.
Israel's Army killed the military chief of the Palestinian militant
group Islamic Jihad in a Gaza City air strike on Tue night that drew
vows of revenge and could complicate efforts to end the offensive.
Hours later another helicopter missile killed 2 militants of the
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Palestinian Pres Yasser
Arafat's Fatah movement, and wounded 4 in the nearby refugee camp of Jabalya.

@Pilot lands in hot water after unauthorised PNG flight
Pt Moresby (ABC, Shane McLeod).  An Aussie pilot remains stranded in
Papua New Guinea amid controversy over an unauthorised flight to
Bougainville.  The pilot has been interviewed by PNG authorities for
taking foreigners to a disused airport nr the former Panguna copper
mine.  Gold Coast-based pilot Andrew Reid is in Kokopo, where his
plane has been grounded while PNG authorities investigate why he flew
his Cessna Citation jet to Bougainville.  He allegedly made an
unauthorised landing at Aropa, the disused airport that served the
former mine at Panguna.  PNG is also talking to others on board the
plane, believed to include a Brit nat'l and another Aussie pilot, who
may leave for Cairns later today.  Min for Bougainville Affairs Sir
Peter Barter says the mysterious flight was "stupid and risky".  He
says relevant agencies will be asking the unexpected visitors if they
can explain why they arrived in Bougainville in such a strange and
potentially dangerous way.

@PNG boats drama sinks deeper into uncertainty
Pt Moresby.  Legal action over 4 N Qld fishing boats seized by the
Papua New Guinea military last y has stalled because one of the boats
has sunk.  The trawlers were being held in Port Moresby Harbour until
an ownership dispute between the PNG and Cairns partners could be
settled in the nat'l court.  But the boats have not been maintained
and one, believed to be worth about $150,000, recently went to the
bottom.  The PNG defence force seized the boats at gunpoint when they
docked at Daru in Oct last y.  The Aussie crew were ordered to hand
over the contents of the boats' safes.  The 8 men were told their
visas had been cancelled and they were deported to the Torres Strait.
A lawyer for the Cairns owners, Greg Sheppard, says he has been unable
to contact his clients and the future of the boats remains uncertain.

@Canadian sub drifts powerless after fire
Halifax (Reuters).  A Canadian submarine was drifting without power in
heavy seas off the coast of Scotland after a fire knocked out its
diesel engines and injured 9 crew members.
HMCS Chicoutimi, one of 4 trouble-plagued second-hand submarines that
Canada bought from Brit, was on its way to Halifax with 57 people on
board when the fire broke out in an electrical panel.
A snr Canadian official said a Brit towing vessel would take between
12 to 14 hr to reach the submarine.
"The boat is without power and has only limited means of communicating
at this time," Navy Commodore Tyrone Pyle told reporters in Halifax,
saying winds in the area were greater than 30 knots.
"The seas are rough and with the submarine on the surface they [the
crew] are going to have some discomfort from rolling and tossing,"
Comm Pyle said, answering "No" when asked whether there had been any
danger of losing the craft.
Although the fire was quickly put out, the submarine had to surface to
get rid of the smoke. 9 crew members suffered the effects of smoke inhalation.
The Chicoutimi is not nuclear powered and carries no nuclear warheads.
Canada does not have nuclear weapons.
Comm  Pyle  said the submarine was 200 km W of the Scottish coast.
A Brit rep earlier said the craft was some 135 km off the NW Irish coast.
A Royal Air Force Nimrod patrol plane and 3 Royal Navy ships were on
their way to the scene in case an evacuation was needed, but this was
unlikely, the Brit rep said.
The fire is the latest in a long line of problems to hit the
submarines, which have been plagued by serious mechanical mishaps such
as cracks in the diesel exhaust valves and a number of leaks. They are
mostly confined to port.
Ottawa insists it got a good deal when it agreed to buy the
second-hand submarines from Brit for $C750 mn [about $A820 mn] in 1998.
But opp'n legislators say the purchase reflects incompetence by the
Liberal Govt.
"I do not believe we purchased substandard equipment ... the price was
very attractive to Canada," said Defence Min Bill Graham, who
nevertheless admitted that the fire was an 'important problem'.
"Other ships have had fires in the past and no doubt there will be
fires on board ships in the future -- this is something that our
professional mariners are capable of managing ... There are risks in
being in our Navy," he told reporters.
Mr Graham said the submarine would return to the Scottish port of
Faslane for a detailed probe into the fire.

@Italy halts asylum seeker expulsion
[After a 24 hr halt, later reports say the policy was resumed].
Rome.  The Italian Govt has halted its controversial expulsion policy
after being widely criticised for sending plane-loads of illegal
immigrants to Libya this wk.  More than 1,000 asylum seekers have
entered Italian territory since Fri.  The Govt has responded by
sending 11 plane-loads of illegal arrivals to Libya, the country it
believes most are from.  But overnight Italy halted the mass
expulsions after opp'n parties and human rights organisations
criticised the Govt's policy for denying asylum seekers the right to
claim refuge.  The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has also
criticised Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi's Admin for returning
the asylum seekers to a country that is not a signatory to the Geneva
Convention on Refugees.

@John Lennon's killer denied parole
NY (AFP).  The New York State Board of Parole has denied parole to
Mark David Chapman, the man convicted of murdering former Beatle John
Lennon in Oct 1980.
Chapman shot Lennon on Oct 8, 1980, outside the singer's NY apartment.
He was sentenced to life in prison in 1981 for the shooting.
"Following a personal interview, a review of your records, and
deliberation, your release to parole supervision at this time is
denied," the board said in a statement, citing the "extreme malicious
intent" exhibited when Chapman fired on Lennon "multiple times".
It was the 3rd time Chapman, 49, applied for parole since becoming
eligible in 2000.
In both previous cases, the board denied his request.
Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and fans of the Brit superstar asked the board
to deny Chapman's request for release.
"Your course of conduct over a lengthy period of time shows a clear
lack of respect for life and subjected the wife of the victim to
monumental suffering by her witnessing the crime," the board added.
"During the interview your statements for motivation acknowledge the
attention you felt this murder would generate. Although proven true,
such rationale is bizarre and morally corrupt."
To release Chapman on parole "would significantly undermine respect
for the law," the board concluded.

@Alleged Pitcairn rapist admits having consensual sex
Pitcairn Is, C Pac.  Prosecutors in the Pitcairn Island sex abuse
trials are continuing their case against the island's Mayor, Steve
Christian, today.  The court has been shown a videotaped police
interview with Christian.  Police interviewed Christian in Auckland 4
y ago.  On the tape shown in court, he admits having sex with 4 girls
who have accused him of rape but he says it was consensual.  Christian
says he can not remember how old the girls were or other details of
the incidents.  He was also surprised when told by police the age of
consent on Pitcairn is 16.  One of the other accused men, Dennis
Christian, yesterday changed his plea to guilty and admitted to 3
charges of indecent and sexual assault.

@Vote over women bishops divides Anglican church
Perth.  Anglicans are taking stock this morning after the church again
rejected a move to allow women to become bishops.
The final vote narrowly failed to achieve the 2/3 majority required in
the 3 houses of the general synod.
The Anglican Primate, Reverend Peter Carnley, says he does not believe
there will be a legal challenge to the decision.
"They're only 5 percentage points away from getting 2/3 majority in
each house, so I think when people look back on it, I think they'll
draw more encouragement from it than perhaps they're drawing from it
right now," he said.
Dr Carnley says he thinks people will reflect on the closeness of the
vote and realise that women in the Church will soon achieve their goal.
"There is a debate about whether General Synod legislation is
necessary anyway, there is that debate," he said.
"I think they'll just wait a bit and just see what the next step is."
However, Anglican Archbishop of SYD Peter Jensen strongly opposed the move.
Dr Jensen has denied there is a "glass ceiling" in the church and says
there are many women who believe it is not their place to achieve high office.
"A great number of the young women with whom we're in contact are
perfectly content with what we're offering them in the way of
Christian ministry," he said.
"So it is yet to be seen whether the next generation of young people
is going to be as, so engrossed with this matter as the present
generation is.
"The words 'glass ceiling' suggest a way of looking at the church that
I don't endorse.
"I think that men and women are equal but different in the church, we
do different things, but we're equal in Christ.
"So the glass ceiling idea, which is drawn from a corporate world, is
not one that I'd endorse myself."
However Bishop Jeffrey Driver, of the Gippsland Diocese, disagrees and
argued strongly for the rights of women in the Anglican Church.
He was clearly upset when the move to allow women to become bishops
was defeated.
"Well, what can be said is that the majority of delegates present at
the General Synod in Perth this y supported the ordination of women as
bishops," he said.
He says the fight is not over.
"This debate's been conducted with extraordinary care, no lack of
passion, no lack of conviction, but with real care," he said.
"And I think our relationships have to be worked at, across
differences such as this."

@Aussie pilot rescued after Pacific crash
An Aussie pilot has ditched into the Pacific Ocean for the second time
in 5 y spending 17 hr in the water before being rescued.
Sydney.  Aussie pilot Ray Clamback plucked from the middle of the
Pacific Ocean after he was forced to ditch his light plane says he
knew he was in grave danger.
The 67-yo SYD man had been ferrying a light Cessna to AUS from the US
when engine problems forced him down around 1,000 km S of Hawaii.
He says he was not able to get into his life raft and was forced to
spend several hours in the water before he was eventually spotted by
the US Coast Guard.
"Unfortunately when I got there the life raft was upside down and to
get the life raft back on to its proper side you pull it over, and
pulled it on top of [myself].
"I was getting very weak by this stage and I pulled it over and then
to get into the life raft in the sea was quite a job.
"I was really exhausted and I was never so relieved."
He was then picked up by a container ship on its way to MEL and says
apart from a bad case of sunburn, he is unscathed.
"It has happened before unfortunately, but you know I've been ferrying
for some 30 y and this was my 220th crossing and I realised at the
time that I was in grave danger," he said.
US Coast Guard Cmdr Bill Adickes, whose crew 1st spotted Mr Clamback,
says without the precise location of the crash given by an
accompanying plane, the outcome would have been different.
"It was key to know the exact location of the ditching ... and to be
able to get info about how the aircraft ditched, when the raft was
deployed and be able to come up with a theory about where we thought
the ... pilot might have been," he said.
The container ship is expected to arrive in MEL next wk.

@Bishop considers ordaining women despite ruling
Canberra.  The Anglican Bishop of CBR and Goulburn is seeking legal
advice as to whether he can go ahead with the ordination of female
bishops in his diocese.  Last night a meeting of the Anglican Synod in
Perth rejected a motion to allow women to be ordained as bishops.  But
Bishop George Browning says his diocese is overwhelmingly in favour of
appointing female bishops and he says he would like to do so when a
vacancy arises.  "In our diocese we have a fairly inclusive attitude
and I think we, generally speaking, are recognised across the Aussie
church as being generous and inclusive across the board," he said.
"It's very difficult for us to be inclusive at one level but not at
another and it's for that reason that I believe it's the overwhelming
desire of our diocese to pursue it."

@Broome 'ghost ship' no more
Broome, WA.  After m of uncertainty, a Taiwanese fishing boat at the
centre of a maritime mystery is being demolished in Broome, in N
Western AUS.  A hydraulic excavator began the demolition of the "ghost
ship" yesterday -- the operation, believed to be costing about
$50,000, is expected to be completed today.  The boat has been moored
in Roebuck Bay since it was discovered drifting off the Kimberley
coast without a crew 20 m ago.  Broome Port chief executive Stefan
Frodsham says he has had a handful of inquiries from people wanting to
save the boat, but the costs were prohibitive.  "We had a few people
down here -- a few tyre kickers I think you could call them -- but
really anyone who's had a close look at the vessel has realised that
really it's uneconomic to do anything with it," he said.

@Customers crushed by HK bank bungle
HK (ABC, John Taylor).  A Hong Kong bank has apologised after
destroying 83 safety deposit boxes and all their contents.  The name
is supposed to say it all -- safety deposit boxes.  But it meant
little to the DBS Bank in HK, which yesterday wrongly destroyed 83
safety deposit boxes and all their contents.  It is an embarrassing
mistake.  A bank rep says the boxes were selected for scrapping by
mistake and by the time the error had been realised, compressors at a
scrap yard had already crushed them.  The value of the lost items is
being worked out and the bank has said it will honour its
responsibilities.

@News Corp to woo disgruntled shareholders
Melbourne.  Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is moving to appease
shareholders resisting its move to relocate in the US.  The company
says it is considering changes to its constitution to strengthen its
corporate governance provisions.  A vote on the move to the US will be
taken after the company's annual general meeting to be held in Adel in
3 wk time.  News Corporation is seeking to create greater demand for
its shares with a new primary listing on the NY Stock Exchange.

@Consumers spend $17 bn in September
Canberra (AAP).  Australian consumers spent $17 bn during the month of
September, continuing to show their optimism about the state of the
domestic economy, a survey has found.
The Cashcard Retail Activity Index for September rose an adjusted 2.5
per cent, following a 0.3 % fall in August and a 0.1 easing in July.
Cashcard Australia chief operating officer Greg Monaghan said the
index showed that Australian consumers continued to remain optimistic
about the economy.
"We saw a positive impact on spending from the second instalment of
the family payment with September outperforming the month of August
for retail spend," he said.
"This is unusual as September is only a 30 day month."
Mr Monaghan said Australians in general have been faced with some
tough public discussion about the state of the economy with the
Federal election looming, but said the issues facing voters towards
the end of this week did not seem to have impacted on their spending.
"Many families appear to have taken advantage of earlier than usual
Christmas sales and the September family payment, and this has
contributed to the strong spending figures," he said.
Australian Retailers Association chief executive Stan Moore said while
September had maintained an upward growth for retail turnover, it was
at slightly slower rates from earlier in the year.
"The seasonally adjusted figures indicate a return to a more normal
seasonal pattern for Australian retailers," he said.
"This will no doubt provide comfort for the retail industry in the
lead up to Christmas 2004."
Mr Moore said the raw numbers supported the views of retailers that
various government family payments were finding their way into the
sector, in particularly the clothing, household items and food and
grocery lines.
The index showed trend growth of 0.5% and raw or unadjusted spending
figures amounted to growth of 2.9% or $16.3 bn.

@Interest rates remain steady
Canberra.  The Reserve Bank has left interest rates unaltered at 5.25%
following its regular board meeting yesterday.  It had been
universally accepted that in the absence of a compelling case, the
final wk of the fed election campaign would keep the Reserve Bank on
the policy sideline.  In fact, arguments for a rate rise soon after
the election are also starting to weaken.  Last week's surprisingly
soft data on retail sales, building approvals and exports have some
economists reviewing their forecasts and tipping the next move in
rates for next y instead of before Christmas.  That would come as a
relief to home buyers and businesses who are now facing further upward
pressure on petrol prices, with crude oil traded in NY rising through
the $US51/bbl for the 1st time.

@Sacked Kodak workers accept redundancy
Melbourne.  Hundreds of workers sacked from MEL's Kodak plant in
Coburg have voted to accept a redundancy package.  More than 600
workers lost their jobs when the company announced it would close the
factory because of the increasing popularity of digital photography.
Brian Daley, from the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers
Union says the revised package is not perfect but workers decided to
accept it rather than go through arbitration.  He says the union will
continue to negotiate over retraining for the workers.  "When the
closure was announced both the company and the Govt made a lot of
promises about retraining, none of which have materialised at this
point in time," he said.  "We want to make sure that the best
opportunities exist for retraining rather than see these workers walk
out the gate with no real prospects of jobs in other manufacturing areas."

@'Red Mitsubishi' blamed for teenager's death
Sydney.  A report is being prepared for the coroner after the death of
a 19-yo woman from a dangerous drug that has emerged on the SYD party
scene.  The woman from W SYD died after taking what she believed was
half an ecstasy tablet at the weekend.  But police say it appears she
actually took a powerful hallucinogen called "Red Mitsubishi" that has
been worrying medical experts for the last fortnight.  Gordian Fulde
from St Vincent's Hospital says recreational drug users need to be
careful.  "There were major parties over the long weekend where people
were told when they were going into the venues, watch out for Red
Mitsubishi because even the recreational drug user set know they've
got a big problem with this drug," he said.

@Abbott leaves hospital after kidney stone surgery
Sydney.  Fed Health Min Tony Abbott has been released from a Lismore
hospital after emergency surgery.  The 46-yo was campaigning on the
NSW N coast yesterday when he fell ill.  He was diagnosed with a small
kidney stone, which was removed last night.  A rep for St Vincent's
Private Hospital says Mr Abbott left this morning.  It is expected he
will continue campaigning today.

@Latham pitches schools policy in marginal seat
SE NSW.  Fed Labor leader Mark Latham has visited key the marginal
seat of Eden-Monaro, in SE NSW, to promote his schools funding policy.
Mr Latham is under pressure from the Coalition for plans to take
funding away from some schools in favour of others.  Mr Latham stopped
briefly at the Queanbeyan Conference Centre to look at a computer
print-out of the list of schools which he says would be financially
better off under a Labor govt.  The list stretched from the front of
the stage to the back of the hall.  "Pretty impressive list isn't it?
9,500 schools on that list," Mr Latham said.  Mr Latham told local
school principal Paul Forde that all schools in Eden-Monaro would get
a funding increase.  However, 67 schools around AUS would have their
funding cut under Labor.

@PM formalises Family First preference deal
John Howard has formalised his agreement with the Family First party.
Melbourne.  PM John Howard says he has reached a deal over a key issue
with Christian values party Family First.
Mr Howard has been holding discussions with the minor party in MEL
this morning.
He spoke to Family First members about policy issues this morning,
saying there is nothing unusual about exchanging preferences with
smaller parties.
Mr Howard says he has not compromised Coalition principles.
"I certainly don't disguise the fact that I've had discussions and why
should I, they're an organisation concerned about the role of the
family in our community, as I am," he said.
Mr Howard has now formally agreed with Family First's demand for
family impact statements to be included in Cabinet submissions.
That has been welcomed by the party's convenor, Peter Harris.
"The family impact statement as it relates to Cabinet submissions will
bring greater attention to family issues and family needs," he said.
He says it is a historic day for families.
N WA.  Catholic justice body pans 'come on down' election A body of
the Catholic Church has been scathing about the fed election campaign,
comparing it to a TV game show.  The Aussie Catholic Social
Justice Council has described as "disappointing" the extent to which
the campaign has tapped into voters' self-interest.  The council's
chairman, Christopher Saunders, who is also the Bishop of the
Kimberley, in N WA, says not enough has been said by either of the
major parties about the needs of the poor, Indigenous Aussies or
overseas aid.  "None of us can remember a campaign in which there's
been so much money thrown at us in a form like some sort of
bizarrePrice is Right-type game show," he said.  "None of us could
remember [a campaign like this with] the bidding war that's gone
on...putting money out in front of the public and trying to tap into
that ugly part of Aussiea where we have our own self-interest in
mind."  Bishop Saunders is urging voters to favour candidates with a
genuine commitment to the common good.

@Latham accuses AMA of bias over Medicare criticism
Sydney.  Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham has accused the Aussie Medical
Association (AMA) of criticising Labor's Medicare Gold plan because of
its members' financial interests in the matter.  The AMA says Labor's
plan to offer free hospital care to all patients aged 75 and over is
under-funded and could mean longer hospital waiting lists for younger
patients.  But Mr Latham has rejected that assessment, telling ABC's
Lateline the AMA is not an unbiased observer.  "Obviously they've got
a concern that a policy like this might put some downward pressure on
the speciality expenses in the hospital system," he said.  "That's a
good thing, that's one of the efficiency gains that comes out of
Medicare Gold.  "It's one of the ways in which we can make this policy
sustainable for the future.  "Doctors are interested in good policy,
but let's be honest about it, they're a powerful trade union, the most
powerful in the country in many respects, and they've got financial
interests in this matter rather than just pure objectivity."

@Labor backs coastguard call with illegal fishing claims
Perth.  The Fed Opp'n has backed its case for a nat'l coastguard by
claiming that more than a dozen illegal Indonesian fishing boats have
escaped apprehension off the W Aussie coast.  Opp'n Defence rep Kim
Beazley says the drama has unfolded off Cape Leveque, N of Broome,
during the election campaign.  Mr Beazley claims only 10% of illegal
fishing boats detected in Aussie waters are apprehended by Customs.
He says the recent case highlights the threat to nat'l security.
"Nineteen Indonesian illegal fishing boats detected ripping the fins
off sharks and throwing the carcasses into the water, detected but not
intercepted," Mr Beazley said.  "The Navy got one and I think Customs
got another, 17 escaped that's about the ratios now, about 10%."

@Principal stood down after child porn probe
Melbourne.  A Catholic primary school principal at Torquay, SW of MEL,
is the latest person to be caught up in the nat'l child pornography crackdown.
Yesterday, parents of students at St Therese Primary School were
advised the principal, Terry Wescott, has been stood aside pending
investigations by police into child pornography.
Mr Wescott has not been charged with any offence and there is no
suggestion students have been compromised.
Catholic Education director Susan Pascoe says parents and teachers
have been advised of the situation and offered counselling.
"There is no evidence at all [that] any child has been used in any
fashion," she said.
"That the evidence at this stage appears to be of digital imaging and
the use of child pornography on the Internet.
"Having said that I would want to stress of course, the presumption of
innocence."
Last week, a teacher at another Catholic primary school in MEL was
stood aside in similar circumstances, while yesterday it was revealed
staff at 2 MEL hospitals have also been stood down because of child
pornography investigations.
The Royal Children's Hospital says a technical worker is on indefinite
leave after police seized a computer at his home.
A neonatal nurse at the Royal Women's Hospital was stood down last
week after being charged in connection with child pornography.
Both hospitals say there has been no inappropriate contact with patients.

@Azaria case won't be re-opened
Darwin.  The NT Coroner's Office has determined it will not re-open
the inquest into the death of Azaria Chamberlain 24-ya.  The coroner's
office says a N Territory police report into claims by a MEL pensioner
about the disappearance of the baby at Uluru did not convince it that
there were any new facts or evidence for it to re-open the case.
Earlier this y, 78-yo Frank Cole claimed he had shot a dingo with a
baby in its mouth around the time Azaria went missing in central AUS.
Azaria's mother Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton has maintained she was not
convinced by Mr Cole's story.  "He said 'look, I can prove what I say
is true because I've kept the yellow ribbons out of the matinee
jacket' and that was immediately telling to me because there were no
ribbons, there's not even places for them to go," she said.

@Man to continue fight against extradition order
Canberra.  A murder suspect will appeal against a decision to
extradite him to Singapore.  The Fed Court has dismissed a challenge
to the extradition of 46-yo Michael McCrea to Singapore.  The Brit
nat'l fled to MEL 2 y ago after his chauffeur and the driver's
girlfriend were murdered.  His lawyers told the court Singapore's
promise to spare McCrea the death penalty if convicted was not legally
binding.  But Justice Tony N ruled the court could not interpret the
Act of a foreign country.  "The decision whether the undertaking
should be accepted or not is a decision for the A-G, not for the
court," he said.  Outside court, McCrea's lawyer Terry Grundy said
they would appeal.  He said it had been a distressing time for
McCrea's wife.  "She's got 2 young children and she's lived under a
fairly stressful situation for some 2-and-1/2 years," he said.

{{
1 am
With the presid'l election this weekend, there have been big rallies
in Afghanistan.

With Iraq a centrepiece in the election campaign, snr US officials
have appeared to cast doubt on several original justifications for
GWII.  Def Sec Rumsfeld says he was misunderstood when he said he had
never seen evidence linking Saddam and al-Qaeda, and there were indeed
ties between the 2.

News just in.  The UN envoy to Sudan says the govt has done nothing
the curb attacks in Darfur.  Jan Plonk told the UNSC the Sudan govt
and rebel groups have both broken ceasefire agreements, and attacks
on civilians continue.

The new Pres of Chechnya has been sworn in.  The pro-Moscow candidate
won in a landslide after his chief rival was barred by Moscow from
running.  In his inaugural addr, the Pres said his main task was to
unite Chechnya.  Only together could we defeat the common enemy --
terrorism and banditry, he said.

Israeli troops have shot dead a 13 yo girl in S Gaza.  Pals say she
was on her way to school at the time.  She was hit by 20 bullets,
fired from a watch towner.  Israel says she had entered an area marked
"no entry", and soldiers though her school bag could be used to carry
a bomb.  After she was killed, a search found her school bag contained
only books.

The Nobel in physics has been awarded to 3 US scientists for their
1970s theory on quarks.

2 am
DW Radio.  For a 6th time this wk a European flight has been diverted
because of a security scare.  The Lufthansa flight from Germany to
Israel was diverted by Israeli jets to Cyprus after a bomb threat.
It seems to have been another false alarm or hoax.

There's been a bomb attack in Mosul, N Iraq.  Elsewhere, there's been
a drive-by shooting of a govt official, S of Baghdad.  The US has also
been bombing Sadr City, Baghdad.  There are presently no details on cas.

German officials are investigating 2 cases of bribery.  About 450
doctors are accused of accepting gifts from a Germany company in
return for recommending their products to hospitals where they worked.
In a 2nd case, about 150 doctors are alleged to have taken similar
gifts from a Japanese company.  The cases have been under
investigation for 2 y, but have only just been made public.

5 am
Just as the sun was setting an Israeli missile attack on a car in Gaza
City has killed a snr Islamic Jihad militant.  At least one passenger
in the same car was also killed.  A 1/2-doz by-standers were wounded.
70 Pals have been killed in Israeli attacks over the past wk.

Israel says it's arrested 13 [some reports say 15] UN employees in the
Gaza Strip on "suspicion of links to terrorism".  No details have been
given over the reason for the move, or the group's nationalities.  [It
later turned out Israel has arrested 13 UN employees over the past 4
years, on suspicion of links with terrorism -- all of them
subsequently shown to be on mistaken grounds].

France has expelled a leading Islamic prayer leader to Algeria, for a
2nd time, after the highest court ruled his first expulsion was legal.
The imam was quoted by journalists as justifying the beating or
stoning of adulterous wives, saying the Q'ran justified it.  He was
first deported in Apr, but returned after a court suspended the
expulsion.  Now the original order has been upheld.  The imam leaves 2
wives and 16 children behind in France.  He's the 4th imam this y
deported from France.  The govt says it's fighting radical Islam.

The Irish govt has granted a passport to Brit hostage Ken Bigley.
They hope it will speed his release by Iraqi insurgents.  He was
kidnapped 3 wk ago.

A meeting of scientists and environmentalists in London has called on
the UN to ban bottom-trawling world-wide.  The Deep Sea Conservation
Coal'n says the practice can irreparably damage deep sea corals.  A UN
report released earlier this y says bottom coral is more extensive
than prev thought.  Trawling can remove 90% of corals up to depths of
1 mi.  The majority of corals -- around 2/3 -- lives at depth.  Some
of the deep coral reefs up to 8,000 y old.  The corals are home to
1000s of species.  Once removed, it can take 100s or 1000s of y for
them to re-grow.  Sometimes, recovery is not possible at all.  Spain
and Russia are resp for most bottom trawling.

5.30 am
The Dow closed down 44 pts at 10,172.  The Nasdaq added 2 to 1,955.
Oil is on the rise at 51.10/bbl on supply anxiety.  Reserves are 4%
below the same time last y.  In London, the FTSE is at 28 m highs
after adding 25 pts to 4,707.  The French and Germans up up about the
same.  Gold is up 1% at $US419.20/oz.  The AUD is up .2 c at 72.50 US c.

A Canadian sub has signalled distress 180 km NW of Ireland.  Reports
say several crew are suffering smoke inhalation.

Jack Straw is visiting Iraq. The Brit For Sec is meeting with leaders
in Kirkuk.  There are no details, but Brit reps say the visit has
"nothing to do with" Ken Bigley.

Singapore Airlines has sold its entire stake in Air NZ.  The company
has lost $336 mn on the deal.  SA bought in in Apr 2000 to get a stake
in the trans-Tasman market.  But the plans were stymied when the AUS
and NZ govts blocked a merger with Qantas.

A 67 yo Aussie pilot has been rescued after treading water in the C
Pacific for 8 hrs.  He was forced to ditch his light aircraft about
1,800 km S of Hawaii.  He was picked up by container ship headed to
MEL.  5 y ago he had a similar experience when he was forced to tread
water for 10 hrs after ditching nr Hawaii.

6 am
Lawyers for Aussie Guatmo detainee Mamdouh Habib is confident he could
soon be released after more than 2 y detention without trial.
Speculation mounted after the camp cmdr said there was no evidence to
prosecute most of the inmates at the facility.

US officials say Iran's missile program is a "serious security threat"
to the Middle E.

Midday.
Int rates have been left on hold for 10th m in a row.

7 Afghan soldiers have been killed when their convoy hit a land-mind in
S Afghanistan.

A Pal man says his daughter was killed by Israeli fire as she stood in
her kitchen baking bread.  He says if he could find an Israeli soldier
he would behead them.  70 Pals have been killed during the latest
incursion into Gaza.  About 1/2 of the dead are reportedly civilians.

A new leaked CIA report casts doubt on links between Saddam and
al-Qaeda.  Pres Bush and other officials had always prev said
al-Zaqawri's presence in Iraq had been the "best evidence" of a link.
The report now says there's no evidence Saddam even knew the al-Qaeda
leader was in Iraq, or gave permission for him to be there.

The All Ords is up 16 pts.  Oil has giving the market a boost.  BHB
Billiton is up 7 c at $A14.91 -- a record level.  The company's AUS's
biggest oil producer.  Woodside is up 17 c.  News Corp says it will
consider changes to its const'n as investor groups mount a case
against the planned move to Delaware.  A vote is due Oct 26.  Its
share price is up 8 c to $A11.42.  Lihir Gold is up 2.7%.  The Dow
closed down 39.  The Nasdaq added 3 pts pts In London, the FTSE was up
25 to a 30 m high.  The Nikkei is presently up .8%.  The Hang Seng is
1.3% higher.  The AUD is trading at 72.44 US c.  Gold has surged $5.10
to $US419.15/oz.  Oil has spiked $US1.18 to $US51.09/bbl.

The owner of a Panamanian wheat carrier has been fined $80,000 after
tests showed it had been the source of an 80 km oil slick off the Qld
coast 3 y ago.  A court found a jr officer had discharged the oil
without the knowledge of the captain.

NPR.  The final death toll in Haiti will exceed 3,000, say govt
officials.

A US company that's a major manufacturer of flu vaccine has announced
it is ceasing production.  US govt officials have urged Americans not
to get vaccinated so remaining supplies are available for high-risk
groups.  [Later reports said the company had ceased trading because
the Brit govt had closed its operation there down for health code violations].

3000 US and 1000 Iraqi troops have mounted a major offensive S of Baghdad.

A Res ordering Israel cease its Gaza incursion passed on a show of
hands in the UNSC, but the US has vetoed it.  Americans officials
called the Arab-backed Res "unbalanced".  and maintained Israel has a
right to defend itself.

6 pm
In Launceston PM Howard has promised to protect 175,000 ha of old
growth forest, but vowed it would not affect forestry jobs.  Green
groups say Howard's policy is just a logging policy, and not all the
175,000 ha is old growth forest.  The package incl $50 mn to upgrade
the Tassie forestry ind'y.  [Nuclear-powered axes!]

As the kiddie porn crackdown continues, a 2nd snr member of the
Catholic school system in Vic has been stood down.  Parents are
shocked their school principal has been caught in the web.  The
suspect reportedly has grandchildren at his school.  Also in Vic, a
cleaner at a govt school has been charged with kiddie porn offences.
A male nurse at the MEL womens hospital was also interviewed by police.
Hospital officials say he had never been left alone with babies [!?].

With 12 Iraqis killed in insurgent attacks today, PM Allawi has
announced there are new plans to crush the resistance in time for the
Jan election.  The US has again bombed targets in Fallujah where
leaders of the al-Zaqawri group were said to be meeting.

6.45 pm
Israel has admitted the object carried by a group of men into a UN
ambulance was likely to be a stretcher as the UN had insisted all along.

The All Ords has ended up 4 pts -- at new all time highs.  Woodside
was up 1.4%.  In Japan, the Nikkei added 104 pts.  The Hang Seng was
down 60 pts.  The AUD is at 72.23 US c.  US vaccine maker Chiron fell
17% after the company was suspended in the UK for violations in its
sterilisation procedures.  1/2 the flu vaccine made in the US comes
from the company.

8 pm
In the last day of campaigning, Ahmed Karzai's running mate in the
Afghan presid'l election has narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.
2 other people were killed and 4 injured, incl a regional governor, in
an attack at an election rally in the N of the country.

There were sharp words in the 90 min debate.  Observers scored the VP
Cheney/Edwards debate 45 to 35 in favour of the VP, with almost 20%
saying it was a draw.

BBC.  The UN has criticised the Israel govt for what reps say put UN
workers' lives in danger.  The complaint came after Israeli alleged a
group of UN employees had been arrested for "links to terrorism".  The
Israeli govt has since clarified the claim, saying its soldiers had
detained 13 workers over the past 4 y.

SBS Dateline has raised questions about whether Halliburton has been
given preferential treatment by the AUS govt.  The ALP says ind'y reps
have told them some govt govt contracts could have gone to tender, but
have been given directly to a Halliburton subsidiary.  KBR has its
world-wide infrastructure HQ in Adel.  The company owns and operates
the Adel to Darwin railway.  Halliburton has 200 contracts with the
AUS def forces -- 91 awarded in the first 6 m of this y.
Out-sourcing of US defence began in the 1990s when then Sec of Def
Cheney said he was saving money.  But it has since turned out to be
"infinitely more expensive", according to observers.  Critics say the
only people who profited were Cheney and Halliburton.  Cheney later
went on to head Halliburton -- one of the companies that won the
out-sourcing contracts.  In a statement to Dateline, Halliburton said
it was a "highly ethical company" that was committed to working
"within AUS govt guidelines". In the US, Halliburton is under
investigation on numerous chagres of padding and over-charging.

9.30 pm
3 Pals have been killed this evening, reportedly trying to infiltrate
a settlement.  A Thai worker has also been killed in
Israeli/Palestinian crossfire.  Israeli force are elsewhere levelling
buildings and trees, carving out a buffer zone.  Hamas said it would
step up Qassam attacks and is working on a longer-range version of the
rocket.  8 children have been injured by an Israeli tank-shell.  In S
Gaza, the funeral has been held for a girl shot 20 times from an
Israeli observation post while on her way to school.

9.45 pm
Breaking news.  20 recruits have been killed in a suicide car bombing
in the W Iraqi town of Anna.  20 more wounded in the attack, according
to reports by police.

A new report in NZ has found soldiers fighting in Vietnam had
substantial exposure to Agent Orange.  2 prev investigations had
claimed no substantial exposure.  The govt may now move to offer a
formal apology to those affected.  In AUS, the Fed Govt has ack'ed the
link between exposure to the defoliant and certain types of cancer.

Alitalia has moved to restructure after reaching agreement with its
unions and the Italian govt.  The company will cut staff by 3,000.  A
$850 mn package provided by Italian govt will pay redundancies for 5 y.

10 pm
The FTSE is down 10 pts as oil climbs to new record highs.  Oil is up
1.02 at $US51.33/bbl.  The AUD is trading at 72.17 US c.

Frigates are soon to reach the position of a stranded Canadian sub.  9
crew were reportedly injured, several from smoke inhalation.  A
Canadian military reps say all 57 crew are safe.

11 pm
The EU has recommended membership talks begin with Turkey ASAP.  But
it warns special conditions must be met for entry.  Romano Prodi says
Turkey has to improve human rights if talks are to succeed.  He said
it was not a forgone conclusion Turkey would be admitted.  The Turkish
PM said his country had enacted many reforms over the past 2 y, incl a
zero policy to torture.  The final decision on entry is scheduled for Dec.

10 people have been killed and 20 injured in a bomb attack in W Iraq.
The suicide bombing happened 260 km NW of Baghdad.  Police say the
bomber drove his car up to a military post were recruits had queued up.

Tony Blair is in Sudan meeting with Pres Omar al Bashir in Khartoum.
It the first visit of a Brit govt official since Sudan's independence,
almost 60 y go.  Mr Blair urged an end to violence in Sudan.  He was
reportedly "firm" without alienating the Sudanese.  The PM wants more
authority for AU peacekeepers and ease of entry for aid workers.  He
said Brit would not sned troops and he wasn't advocating an internat'l force.

100s of soldiers have protested in Guinea Bissau's capital.  The demo
was over unpaid salaries.  The pres described it as a "revolt".  1 y
ago, the former Pres was ousted in a military coup.  A delegation from
the county's MoD is now meeting with the soldiers -- mostly young
recruits.  They have served with the UN in Liberia, and now want their
pay.

11.30 pm
The US has agreed to delay its pull-out from SK by 3 y.
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