From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia Reserch Senter(*) OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS #5 ================================== In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere (validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra). Visit Our Home Page At: http://www.evil-doers.org/evidence Past Issues Kindly Archived At: http://www.kymhorsell.com/BOZO/archives ---------------------------------------- Have you talked with your fridge magnets today? ---------------------------------------- 05 Feb 2003. Melbourne. CRINGE TV! News of a TV series in development at the Simpsons network, produced by daughter Elizabeth. A bizarre new twist on "The Dating Game" the show, called "Spellbound", sounds like a cracker. Fortune magazine says the pilot episode has 3 gorgeous women vying for the attention of a man who was selected as their perfect match. However, the man, to put it mildly, has a full set of unattractive genes. But that's where the HYPNOSIS comes in. All 3 contestants were evolved for an ability to see the guy as hunktastic while under post-hypnotic suggestion. The climax, where Mr Howard selects his soul mate, features a "denouement" when the spell is broken. I didn't think they made denouements like that anymore! Washington. BACK-PEDDLE? US Sec of State Powell appeared to pull back yesterday from claims he would prove links between the Iraqi regime and Al Qaeda. While still claiming there was a terrorist connection, he declined to name Al Qaeda explicitly. Mr Powell said there would be "no smoking gun" in the evidence he would present to the UN Sec Council tomorrow. His comments come amid an increasing row from former spies over the way Washington is ALLEGEDLY distorting intel to prove the link exists. He said it would just be a straightforward and sober demonstration that Saddam is concealing his development program for WMD. Powell faces a tough task, made no easier by Pres George Bush's State of the Union address where he said Powell would prove the links US intel officials say do not exist. But CIA info does show Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a leading member of Al Qaeda, was treated in a Baghdad hospital last y, but doen't show any further contact with Iraqi officials. It also shows some members of a Kurdish fundamentalist group -- ideologically opposed to the secular Iraqi regime -- controls an area in N. Iraq. But there is reportedly "no credible evidence" the group has contacts with the Baghdad govt. There is presently an "uproar" within the US intel community over the Whitehouse's and Pentagon's bald claims linking Saddam to specific terrorist groups. "But the Bush Whitehouse has quashed dissent and written out those analysts who don't agree with their views", a source told reporters for the Telegraph. I can neither confirm nor deny all this is available on a CIA web page. Canberra. WATCH OUT AUSTRALIANS! DFAT has warned Aussie citizens in the Gulf to be aware of possible chem or bio weapons attacks in the region and an increased liklihood of terrorist activity. Australians throughout the Middle E are warned they should be aware of potential use of WMD during a war against Iraq and take "appropriate precautions". NY. American markets are said to be "depressed" after the largest American insurance company said it had underestimated workers' comp claims by $several bn. Washington. The first UN chief weapons inspector, who presided over the desruction of prohibited Iraqi weapons in the 1990s, has called for UN inspections to continue. Rolf Ekeus, who headed weapons inspections for 6 y, arrived in Washington yesterday to publicy press the case that inspectors need more time. He also called on Iraq to immediately allow U2 spy planes to survey the country for evidence of weapons programs. Ekeus said inspections could proceed even without a "pro active attitude" from the regime. While he expressed concern over remnants of chem or bio weapons from old stockpiles, Ekeus was more concerned what Iraq may have developed in the past 4 y when inspectors were absent. London. IRAQ IS TAPPING OUR PHONES! A Brit govt report, partly based on uncited intelligence data, has accused the Iraqi regime of obstructing UN weapons inspectors. Waging what was reported as "a daily campaign of concealment", the report says Iraq has used spies posing as guards, intimidation of officials, bugging of phone conversations, and the concealment of critical evidence to present a false view of its weapons programs. Ah... Washington. WE COME IN PEACE... The US Admin has stressed it wants a diplomatic and not military solution in the stand-off with North Korea. But Dep Sec of State Armitage said there was "zero chance" the US would accept NK demands to sign a non-aggression pact in return for disarmament. The Whitehouse called on the NK regime not to "act opportunistically". But officials reserved the right to plan US "contingency measures". Appearing before a Senate foreign relations committee, Armitage refused to classify the NK situation as a "crisis", but said the Communist regime could produce enough plutonium for 6 nuclear weapons "in several months". NY. ...AND YOU ARE NEXT! Former UN weapons inspector and CIA operative, Scott Ritter, says he doesn't see an Iraqi war finishing soon. He told reporters he thought US forces would take Baghdad by Jun but would meet "violent opposition" from the Iraqi people afterward. He said an attack on Iraq would be "the best recruiting poster for Al Qaeda they could have". Mr Ritter said NK would be next and the US Administration would again pursue a policy of regime change rather than containment. Gold Coast. KA-BOOM! 3 pyrotechnic workers have suffered serious burns to their faces, bodies and hands in a powerful explosion at movie studios on the GC. One of the men is in critical condition with burns to more than 60% of his body. The condition of the others is "serious". The force of the blast took off the roof of the isolated cement building, as it was designed to do. NY. The world waits with bated breath on "new evidence" to be given to the UN by Colin Powell tomorrow. Mr Powell was reported to be briefing "key ambassadors" today. Also hanging around the UN, head weapons inspector Hans Blix was not hopeful of much more time to look for WMD, saying his political watch showed 5 minutes to midnight. London. BOMBSHELL! The BBC has dropped another intel bombshell on the US and UK case linking Saddam Hussein and the Al Qaeda terrorist organisation. A top secret report leaked from the Min of Defence says there are "no current links" between Saddam and Al Qaeda. While there had been "some contact in the past", "mistrust and incompatible ideology" saw fledgling links founder. The report has contradicted Pres Bush's repeated claims the Iraqi regime supports global terrorism. Britain and the US have been trying to use terrorism links for weeks to justify a pre-emptive attack on Saddam Hussein. The leak comes just ahead of Colin Powell's speech to the UN in support of the "attack" case. And it follows an interview in which Saddam Hussein told a UK TV audience his regime had no association with Al Qaeda. In the Ch 4 interview Saddam also said control of Iraq was a pre-requisite for taking over the Arab states and oil resources in the region. Don Rumsfeld dismissed the interview, saying it was "mostly lies". L.A. JACKO, JACKO, JACKO! Giving 44 yo weirdos everywhere a bad name, Mick Jackson has signed his own death warrant by telling a TV audience he still sleeps with young children. It was unclear if he meant it in a nice way. Mick said what the world needs now is more love. BTW, the nose jobs were to help him reach the high notes. Kuwait City. INEVITABLE! In another sign war in probably inevitable, Kuwait has closed off a large desert region next to the Iraqi border. ABC says 35,000 American troops have assembled in Kuwait, with more arriving daily. There is live-fire training every day. Yesterday's exercises were 15 km from the Iraqi border. Today's were interrupted by sandstorms. But sandstorms are just another obstacle on the road to Baghdad. On the other side of the border, Saddam is also gearing up for war. At a public ceremony yesterday, the Bogy Man accepted the sworn allegiance of 50,000 fighters. In demonstrations in support of the evil regime, 1000s dressed as suicide bombers showing they might lay down their lives to take out the odd grunt. Saddam later handed out rifles to men and women, but ammo will only be available after they see the whites of enemy eyes. Meanwhile, UN inspectors are still looking for anything. Anything at all. They had their busiest day so far, visiting 10 sites. Oh... HERE'S SOMETHING. Another empty shell (number 17) was found in a warehouse. Kuwait. IT'S INEVITABLE! Aussie troops are assembling in Kuwait. Already a couple of Orions are operating in the Gulf. Reporters say Aussie special forces need to get there soon to acclimatise before an attack. The Pentagon says it's ready to go by the middle of this m. The Aussies are expected to join up with US forces shortly in the N. desert region of Kuwait, near the Iraqi border. At present the US says there are 180,000 US, UK and Aussie troops in the region. Reporters say an attack now seems "inevitable". And the US seems ready to act alone, if the UN fails to give its OK. Canberra. Reports say more Aussie SAS troops are set to fly out to the Gulf within days. Melbourne. YOU'RE BUSTED, BABY! A young croupier will be jailed for 3 m, along with her baby, after she was found guilty of helping customers rip off the Mel casino to the tune of $2 mn. The court was told the woman was approached by a high roller in 1998 and offered $20K to mis-deal cards. A man named in the case reportedly used the scam to launder $400 mn in drug money through the casino over a period of several months. Mis-dealing allowed cards to be photographed with a concealed video camera. The recording was quickly reviewed in a room elsewhere in the hotel, allowing the order of the cards to be determined. Bets were then made accordingly. As other gamblers spotted the winner they copied the bets, increasing losses to the casino. Canberra. The Federal Senate has resumed debate on Aussie involvement in a war with Iraq. Senators spoke passionately, but along party lines. Geoff Buckland said John Howard was a sock puppet of the Bush Administration. He tried to claim a recent poll in Europe showed most people there were against war in any form. So what? He said that in Aus those supporting the Labor position were in the majority. Earlier, PM Howard told Parliament he had listened very carefully to the US President. He said Australians had "no choice" about a war with Iraq. Canberra. NO CONFIDENCE! In a history-making day the Aussie Senate has passed a no confidence motion against PM John Howard over his handing of the Iraqi war crisis. Some called it "a stinging rebuke to the Prime Minister". It's the first time in the Parliament's 102 y history a censure motion has passed against a PM. It was moved by Labor and supported by the minor parties, passing 34 to 31. And we have a list of all your names! But the outcome is symbolic, with only Sen. Bob Green saying he'll act as the spoiler and pass the news onto his list of contacts in foreign governments. Length zero! The motion came before the PM faced a fiery debate in the Lower House. Canberra. The case of the leaky document. In the House of Reps, the affair of a paper leaked to the Opp'n continued, with Labor trying to make the most of the 3 m.o. words of Alex Downer. The govt categorically denied charges of a cover-up of Australia's secret commitment to a US-led war against Iraq. The PM demanded the opp'n make the same accusations every day this wk. And Labor has agreed. In an attempt to emulate "the other place", the Opp'n attempted to censure the PM. It failed. Obviously the Opp'n needs to be reminded from time-to-time they do NOT have the numbers in the Lower House! Canberra. In the continuing row over lies and a govt "secret agenda", the Opp'n has revealed Aussie ships were practising months ago to land troops in the Gulf. While Alex Downer says a leaked document was strictly in the context of Aussies ships enforcing a blockade of Iraq 3 m. ago, a 2nd letter read out by Opp'n leader Crean ALLEGEDLY showed a strike on Iraq was planned even then. The letter came from the mother of a seaman training off Townsville last y. In a series of exchanges that resembled palaeolithic root canal, Mr Crean tried to argue Min. Downer could not dismiss the first letter as only applying to blockade operations because a full-sale attack against Iraq was in the pipe even then. PM John Howard replied he was proud to say troops were undergoing training last y. He said if now "something should happen" he'd want troops to be prepared. The PM went on to say he was also proud Australia was supporting the US plan to take over the world. Shifting back to Letter Number 1, Mr Crean said it specifically contained the wording "action in Iraq", so must be relevant to the current situation of supporting a US attack. The PM said SAS troops had been sent to the gulf in the past, and then returned to Aus without an attack being launched. Therefore deployed troops weren't necessarily committed. But observers say the situations then and now are not comparable, as argued even by Mr Downer. The Opp'n maintains if the govt believed it couldn't bring back ships from UN blockade duty 3 m. ago, it understands there is no hope of calling troops back now -- weeks before a US attack against Baghdad. The troops are committed. Afghanistan. GOING HOME. A report commissioned by the European Commission says it isn't yet safe for refugees to return to Afghanistan. It says drought, political instability, poor infrastructure and disorganised local institutions make the situation dangerous. They blame the influx of repatriated Afghans on incorrect perceptions in the rest of the world, and particularly single out Australia. The report says 2/3 of Kabul was destroyed in the war and the sit'n in the city remains "grim". Residents told reporters people are camping in old and damaged buildings. The temps are currently running around 36 C and there is no piped water. One returnee from the Aus prison on Nauru says lawlessness is rife over the whole region, adding he was even robbed by Pakistani police as he crossed the border. He said about 1/2 of returnees decide to go back to Pakistan or Iran, rather than risk staying in Afghanistan. The man urged that refugees not be returned until the country is "rebuilt". The E.C. report says Afghanistan can't accept an estimated 2 mn returnees in the foreseeable future and argues the situation has been "badly misread" by the international community, including Australia. Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said money for rebuilding Afghanistan is best spent by sending prisoners back to the country so they can help in the rebuilding. He said his method is also cheaper for Aussie taxpayers. There are still 519 Afghan detainees held around Aus or in abandoned offshore centres. Adelaide. All Woomera escapees have now been re-captured after being on the run for more than 48 hrs. The remaining criminals were located in a water tank. 3 more people in Burra were arrested in connection with assisting escapees. Mr Ruddock called for the full force of the law to fall on anyone that assaulted prison guards during the breakout. ---------------------------------------- 06 Feb 2003. Paris. After another briefing from Brit PM Tony Blair yesterday, French Pres Jack Chirac says he wants even MORE time for the UN inspection process. NY. NBC reports the US Admin is successfully isolating France in its opposition to war with Iraq. Commentators say photo ops with Colin Powell and Russian and Chinese officials will put pressure on France to abstain if the US calls for an explicit attack Resolution in the Security Council. It's understood Russia and China themselves are looking more favourably on military action against Saddam Hussein. Reps for the Admin point out the original Resolution anyway contains reference to "severe consequences" which Pres Bush interprets to mean war. They say if France abstains it can later say it didn't stand in the way, should things go well, or that it didn't support the Iraq attack, should the war go badly. NY. UNDENIABLE IRREFUTABLE PROOF-TAINMENT! US Sec of State Colin Powell has delivered his most important speech to the UN Sec Council, offering evidence Iraq has been hiding programs to develop weapons of mass destruction. Mr Powell spoke for 90 mins. Other members of the Sec Council gave 7 min replies, but reaction to the speech was muted because the replies had been written days before. The US evidence consisted of satellite photos and tape recordings of intercepts. The Sec told the Council he couldn't say everything the US thought about Iraq. It was the first time the US had presented so much intel to the UN. Mr Powell said the info, combined with what everyone had believed for years, was "undeniable evidence" that Iraq had bio and chem weapons. He said for Saddam "possession of WMD was a trump card and one he must hold". Mr Powell said Iraq was involved in one or other "sinister nexus" with terrorism. He said the "the nexus of terror and poisons is old but the nexus of Iraq and terrorism is new". INTERCEPTS: Editorialising as he went, Mr Powell replayed what he said were conversations between Iraqi officers prior to recent weapons inspections. The day before UN officials arrived at a site, what were said to be a Col and a Capt were discussing preparation for inspectors. The Col said "make sure nothing is there". He ordered the word "nerve agent" not be mentioned in future communications. Mr Powell said they were concerned someone might be listening, and someone was. Mr Powell said the "modified vehicle" the officers were talking about was a mobile weapons lab. "What do we say if someone sees it?", asks the Capt. Other orders directed that evidence was to be destroyed, said Mr Powell. "We have evacuated everything and have nothing left", said one Iraqi. The use of signal intercepts was said to be a "big event" for the US. Commentators said it was evidence Iraq was trying to cover something up, but no-one was sure what. TERRORISM LINKS: Mr Powell said a snr terrorist with links to Al Qaeda was being protected by Saddam and was "living in Baghdad". He also said there was a "training camp" in N.E. Iraq. Commentators say the US Sec of State may have shot himself in the foot here, because the N.E. is Kurd-held, and out of the control of the C. Iraqi regime due to the US-enforced no-fly zone. NUCLEAR WEAPONS: Mr Powell said Saddam is determined to get his hands on a nuclear bomb. He said Iraq has 2 of 3 major components to build a nuke weapon. He also indicated at another point Iraq had enough components to build 3 nuclear weapons. Mr Powell said the evil regime had tried to buy "components" from 6 countries. BIO WEAPONS: Mr Powell said Iraq had mobile bio weapons factories and some scientists are being hidden from UN inspectors. He said intel shows Saddam the Evil tested nerve agents on 1,600 death row inmates like other countries in the past. The US Sec showed video of what he said was a simulated anthrax spray from a jet fighter. This experiment had been known for years, and the remnants of the program inspected recently by the UN. It was even in the declaration. Mr Powell said US intel shows Saddam has bio weapons on rockets somewhere in W Iraq. But there were no photos of that. Powell showed satellite photos labelled "vaccine institute" that he said must have been cleaned of bio weapons before inspectors arrived. Nothing was found there. He said Iraq's 100% successful "cleaning operations" raised the suspicion it had been tipped off ahead of time. CHEM WEAPONS: Mr Powell said during the mid 90s Iraqis were trained to use chem agents. They used them against Evil Iran, after all. He said US intel conservatively estimated Iraq at one time had 100-500 tonnes of chem weapons including 4 tonnes of VX nerve gas. But there was no photo. Iraq had not accounted for any of this in their weapons declaration. The US Sec said Iraqi defectors claimed rail cars and trucks were used to transport and develop chem weapons. Displaying artists' impressions, he said Iraq had 18 trucks that were mobile chem weapons labs. Because they were mobile he said it would be unlikely anyone could find evidence they exist. Mr Powell showed photos marked with red squares he said were "active chemical bunkers". How did he know they were active? Because outside the ones in red were circular decontamination trucks. But the sites were cleaned before inspectors arrived there. He showed a photo of a chem weapon plant that was also shown bulldozed later. Mr Powell said this was so no chem weapons could be found in the soil the UN tested at the site. Mr Powell said the US found evidence of cleaning at 30 sites. When inspectors arrived at the sites they found nothing. EVIL SCIENTISTS: Mr Powell said some Iraqi scientists were hidden. He said others had been coached to lie. He said key scientists had been threatened and others were kept under house arrest. One headline scientist was said to be a sock puppet responsible for disinformation. Mr Powell said UN weapons inspectors were also kept under house arrest. SCUDS: Mr Powell showed photos labelled "scud sites" & "scud testing facility". He said they were thought to have a range of 1,200 km. SUMMARY: US Sec Powell said "enough is enough". Baghdad. IRAQ REACTION. Let's deal with the Evil Axis first. Iraqi machine men said Powell's speech was "an attempt to discredit" their country. They said the US had "exaggerate the volume and significance" of any evidence "to an unrecognisable level". Implicit self-contradiction? They said Mr Powell's presentation was a 3rd rate manufacturing operation and in the tradition of other all-US shows. An Iraqi liason officer denied virtually all the US claims as "a typical American show complete with stunts and special effects". Hurt at being likened to an infidel sock, the evil scientist said Mr Powell was "ridiculous". Officials said the US case could have been put together by any 3rd rate intel outfit anywhere in the world. Iraq said it is willing to co-operate pro-actively with inspectors, and called on the UN to go down that path. Officials said the US used "unknown contacts and incorrect information". Showing a sense of humour, other Iraqi officials denounced America as in breech of Resolution 1441 because the US hadn't co-operated with weapons inspectors and given up their vital info. Under the Resolution Iraq is supposed to co-operate with UN inspectors. Iraq said it would present a detailed response in 24 hrs, after they read my web page. NY. WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE! There has been every kind of reaction to Colin Powell's speech to the UN. One observer said there were "loose bullets and stray pistols but no smoking gun". Others said the voice intercepts were "hard to ignore". Reports say few key members of the Sec Council were swayed by the glossy presentation. BRITAIN: America's best ally, the UK, said Powell had presented a "powerful case" and "laid bare [Iraqi] deceit". The US had shown the "great danger the [Iraqi] regime represents". Jack Straw said the UN's predecessor, the League of Nations, had foundered because it couldn't make decisions. He said the UN may be following it into oblivion if it failed to follow orders. Yesterday Straw said the connection between Saddam and terrorism wasn't clear, but the regime provided a "permissive environment" for networks to operate. RUSSIA: In their own replies at the UN, Russia, China and France said the evidence would require serious study. Russia and France inverted the US logic, saying the evidence was really an argument for more inspections. France called for the number of inspectors to be tripled. Both said they want more time for the UN inspection process. FRANCE: In a press conf later, France called on Iraq to answer all the US charges. Observers called the announcement a "big turn-around". SYRIA: Sec Council member Syria, who has supported the US in the past, indicated the US position now was hypocritical. While they said they would be glad to see evidence of Iraqi WMD they haven't seen the evidence even yet. Syria asked why the US would go to war against Iraqi WMD when Israel had nuclear and other other weapons, and threatens its neighbours in the region. It also occupies Palestine in contravention of UN resolutions. NY. THE EXPERTS. Experts say the US case was a matter of volume and not content. But your thesis passes either if it is thick or it contains a convincing argument! Former snr CIA analysts say tape recordings are notoriously open to fabrication, and the tapes replayed by Powell were anyway open to "a number of different interpretations". Experts also dismissed the allegations of single defectors and Al Qaeda detainees. One snr analyst said a significant component of the Iraq crisis was oil. He said Saddam threatened US control of the price of oil, the way the world's oil business was structure at present. He said it was more likely America would move to indirectly control the oil market in Iraq, rather than control any new Iraqi regime directly. Some observers pounced on Powell's evidence linking Al Qaeda and Saddam. With recent intel leaks from the UK MOD and US CIA saying there were no links, Mr Powell's naming of an operative that controlled a chemical weapons training camp in the Kurdish N. not under Baghdad's control was "stretching the truth". One observer said the package could have other stretch marks, too. Other observers said while the speech contained evidence suggesting Iraq is not disarming, it "undermined the credibility of Colin Powell". They said the use of Mr Powell in delivering the evidence to the UN was significant. Mr Powell is 3 times more trusted than the US President, even in the US. One observer said the presentation was "intended to blur in the public mind the war on terrorism and a war on Iraq". Commenting on Saddam's apparent unconcern in recent media appearances, observers speculate the Iraqi leader has surrounded himself with yes men and doesn't really understand how serious his sit'n is. Others say maybe Mr Evil plans to hang onto WMD and use them in battle if the US attacks alone in a couple of wks. NY. MARKET REACTION. The ultimate arbiter of everything (aka the Dow) rose 100 pts during the Powell speech. Other financial markets were also positive immediately after the speech. Funds mgrs said Mr Powell had "cleared away uncertainty" and "cleared the way for war". Within the hr markets had lost the initial gains and returned to previous volatility. While the Dow had fallen to par, the Nasdaq moved into negative territory. Financial mgrs said they were left wondering if the Powell evidence was all the US had. Powell had told the UN the US had no more evidence to put on the table. By the close of play the Dow was 20 pts down, ending under 8000. At the end of the day the USD was a bit stronger, but gold was unexpectedly down 1.5%. Oil rose to $US33.95/bbl. In Australia, the All Ords was down by the close to a 4 m low. NY. UN REACTION. On Feb 14 UN weapons inspectors report back to the body. Until then, Hans Blix is scheduled to go back to Iraq. He's now under pressure to confront the regime to give explanations over US evidence of clean-ups and lies. Dr Blix has asked why he wasn't given the US info before now. Elsewhere, the US said inspectors should have found it out for themselves. Blix said the UN inspectors were inspectors & not detectives. US officials said it had never burned so many intel contacts in one go before. America has started moves to have the UN Sec Council pass a new resolution against Iraq, explicitly authorising war. Observers expect Brit will actually put the new resolution to the UN. Can-berra. AUSTRALIA REACTS. PM John Howard said Australia's best ally had presented "ironclad evidence" Iraq is hiding something. He said he wished he'd had their services during a certain incident. The PM said "it's against our nature" 3 times and said he'd served Australia. Mr Howard said Simon Crean was more anti-American than Saddam Hussein. All Australians, he said, wanted to prevent the "twin evils" of organisations that used terrorism, threats and blackmail as tools of trade, and weapons of mass destruction, from coming together. The PM said the US need not obtain a new UN resolution to get an OK to attack Iraq, but it would be "desirable". DOWNER: For Min Alex the Downer said there was "no doubt" Iraq is not co-operating with the UN process. Please, Alex! Keep the double negatives to a minimum! It was all "deeply disturbing", he said. Mr Downer went on to criticise the Opp'n for trying to use the crisis to score political points. Apparently he wasn't aware of his self-contradiction. He particularly objected to yesterday's no-confidence motion in the PM. The For Min said the Opp'n seems to think the PM is the issue while the issue clearly was Iraq. Mr Downer down-played links between the Iraqi regime and terrorism, saying there had been links in the past, but terrorism wasn't the central issue. He must have read the intel leaks. Why didn't he pass the info on to Powell? CREAN: Fed Opp'n leader Crean said the US had "done the right thing" by providing the "new evidence". He said it had confirmed what weapons chief Hand Blix had recently said. The Iraqis are not actively complying with inspections and are "involved in deceptions". He said the UN inspections must continue. Mr Crean also said the Sec Council must examine the US evidence. Mr Wishy-washy said his own position had been consistent throughout, and Iraq must comply with the UN process. Any action was up to the UN to decide. Mr Crean said he doesn't know why all the US info wasn't given to UN before. Australia should comply with UN resolutions. The Opp'n leader said PM Howard has committed Aussie troops to a war without the Parliament and without the people. He said he wants a tough UN resolution and for Aus to get behind it. Mr Crean said he wants Pres Bush to get behind any new UN resolution and "not go it alone". AUSSIE IN STREET: The US and UK have painted themselves into a corner. If the UN tells the allies to get out of Kuwait they will become laughing stocks. If they ignore the UN they could become the most unpopular countries in the world. If the UN gives the go-ahead for war, thousands of innocent civilians could be killed. Or the UN could be disbanded after being over-ruled by the US and UK, much as the SU dissolved after Yeltsin pulled Russia out. A loose-loose-loose-loose scenario. Washington. OIL'S ABOUT STRATEGIC INTERESTS, STOOPID! Studies are coming out of the woodwork plotting the costs and benefits of Gulf War II to the US economy. The last Gulf War cost the US $US80 bn. But George Bush snr was able to lay off $US62 to Saudi Arabia, Japan and Kuwait. The National Economic Council says Iraq II could cost $US100-200 bn depending on whether it lasts days or weeks. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has a worst-case scenario where the war spreads across the whole Middle-E, which ups the bill to $US1.9 trillion. The costs are beyond comprehension, but trivial compared with the prize. According to a report from the Global Policy Forum, a think-tank consulted by the UN, if oil prices stabilise at $US25/bbl, Iraqi reserves of 250 bn bbl pan out, and there's a 50/50 profit split, annual profits to a company controlling Iraqi production would run to $US29 bn pa, about 2/3 of total annual profits earned by the world's top 5 oil groups. Less conservative assumptions mean real profits would be even greater. Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the exiled Iraqi National Congress, partly financed by oil companies, has announced he would not feel bound to continue any contracts signed by Saddam Hussein. He said "American companies will have a big shot at Iraqi oil" under a new regime. A report from Worldwatch published last wk pointed out Japan, Russia and Europe have something to loose. The preamble to UN 1441 contains "thinly veiled threats" that French, Russian and Chinese firms would be excluded from future oil concessions in Iraq should they fail to support the Bush policy of regime change. Some have something to lose either way. Exploration and production costs run to about $US10-12/bll outside the Middle-E, compared to $US1/bbl in the region. Russia is particularly sensitive to any tussle for control of the strategic resource. Unless it can hold onto negotiated contracts with Saddam Hussein, or OPEC can keep the price of oil below $20/bbl, its dependence on oil revenue and FX will drive it further into recession. Iraq is estimated to have around $US3 trillion worth of petroleum products, at current prices. Sydney. American songwriter and now major turncoat, Jackson Browne, has urged hippies in this country to act against war. He said he believed his own country was about to go to war with Iraq purely for oil. "When they go to war in the United States, business elites are going to business. They're going to work. I don't think Australians respect that and a growing amount of Americans don't respect it", L.A.-based Browne told reporters. Bogota. NO, NOT THE OIL! Hate-filled Colombian marxist rebels have destroyed part of the country's most important oil pipeline. The innocent pipeline, in the N. province of Arauca, is operated by a cuddly multinational oil giant (Occidental Petroleum), and carries 105,000 bbl/day that are considered key in maintaining uninterrupted oil exports. Washington. The US has announced another 17,000 reserve troops have been activated for "possible action" in Iraq. This brings reservists summoned to duty to a total of 111,603; about 10% of the 1.2 mn total available for duty. In the past 3 wks more than 52,700 have been activated. London. In return for support in the Iraq war, the UK has offered to defend the US missile shield program. Britain has officially called on the US to provide itself a missile defence shield, giving Washington unrestricted use of a key UK radar base in N Eng. Def Sec Geoff Hoon told Parliament he would write to the US and give them the green light to replace radar systems at Fylingdales. He's already announced on Jan 15 he would agree to be part of the US defence system, but was giving Parl several wks to wake up and discuss the proposal. L.A. HIPPY CENTRAL! A Cal city will now let sick people legally possess up to 450g of marijuana for medical use with a doctor's prescription. The San Diego City Council has agreed to order officials to draw up new ordinances that would also allow care-givers to possess up to 900g of the Satan-created substance. Under the scheme, identification cards would be issued to patients and care-givers eligible to possess the drug for medical use. Those with convictions for selling illegal drugs will not be considered as candidates. London. WE DON'T WANT YOUR STINKING CARS! In London it's not the Iraqi war that's on everyone's mind, it's the "4 nicker on yer car govna!?". In an effort to reduce traffic in C. London the Council is introducing a new "congestion tax". With traffic speeds reduced to 3 mph during peak hrs, traffic congestion is costing $3 bn pa. The new tax will be an $US8 daily charge to companies. Critics say the burden will fall unfairly on small businesses. The move follows Durham Council who set up an "entrance fee" for Saddler St. A rep there said their fee had seen the number of cars in the historic street fall 90%. NY. The downturn in global travel following 9/11 continues, with the global airline industry predicting they're set to lose a combined up to $16 bn this y. Sydney. NSW RECORD DROUGHT. Figures compiled by the NSW Ag Dept and 48 Rural Lands Protection Boards show the drought is worsening, despite recent rains in some areas. NSW is now officially 99.6% drought declared. Cooma was the last region in the state's SW to be added to the list. It's the worst and longest drought on record (since the turn of C18). What record? Prem Carr took the opportunity to attack the Fed Govt, saying they must speed up distribution of the promised $386 mn aid package. So far only $1.2 mn had been handed over to farmers. He said it was taking up to 2 m to get assistance. He also said water restrictions were only 2 m. away. Mr Carr said they would operate largely on the honour system because there weren't enough dobbers to spy over everyone's back fence. Sydney. FARMERS WANT YOUR TAX MONEY AND THEY WANT IT NOW. A drought-affected farmer on Ch 7 has complained assistance is not being distributed fast enough. He said drought in his area was now an official 1 in 100 y event. Although he seemed a level-headed young fellow, he could have been a Labor plant! He said farmers had been out-manoeuvred by the Fed Govt and ALLEGED the money pot put up was designed to shut farmers up. But he said the promised Big Wad was not visible yet. The farmer said he was naturally embarrassed to come on TV yet again and look to be another whinging farmer asking for more handouts. If the Aussie public was pre-occupied with terrorism or other issues "that's just life", he said. While he couldn't say whether terrorism or drought was the more important issue, he just needed help. Melbourne. Prem Bracks, himself a country lad, has announced $1/2 mn will be handed over to farmers in the N. of the state to help feed their stock. Stevo said 150,000 cattle & sheep in N. Vic had no food because of drought conditions. The money would be used to help buy and transport feed to affected areas. Perth. Police now say they're sure they have all 6 criminals escaped from Woomera 2 days back. Yesterday they discovered one of the men of Middle-E appearance they had under arrest was not an escaped prisoner. He was given a good beating for wasting police time and released. Another search of the area found the final criminal walking along the road outside Burra at around 9 pm local time. The Fed Govt has called on all the escaped criminals to now be moved to proper jails where they can learn a trade. Brisbane. The remains of Cyclone Beni have been found on the Qld C. coast. Police say there are no suspicious circumstances. After threatening the C. coast yesterday, "Unpredictable Beni" predictably faded away, dumping rain in the SE. Snr forecaster Greg Bond said showers are expected to continue over the next 2 days. Melbourne. The case of the "ghost train" has thrown up the actions of an unknown hero. The driver of the train hit by the runaway warned passengers of impending doom. He told breathless reporters "it was a matter of looking after myself first, and anyone else on the platform later". The reporters weren't listening to the exact words. They just needed a nice touchy-feely story to pad out the news hr. They reworded the confession, saying the Hero "gave other passengers a matter of seconds warning that minimised injuries". 15 people were hurt when the empty train ran downhill 15 km into Spencer St Station. Seoul. While the US and NK exchange shots about nuclear weapons, South Korea isn't so sure. A new road was declared open yesterday, the first of 2 new road and rail links between the 2 countries planned to open this y. In the usual sickening photo op, more than 100 tourism officials got on a bus and used the new narrow dirt road to go from S. to N. Korea. Full scale tourism will start later this m. Elsewhere, reporters are disappointed to find no visible signs of tension along the border. US troops in the DMZ say they haven't seen any NK military buildup over the past couple of m. Disappointing! Other reports say NK has "raised the stakes" by announcing is has "re-activated" its "nuclear facilities" at the centre suspected of supporting a nuclear weapons program. The NK Foreign Ministry says the move is only for the purposes of generating electricity. Sydney. A new survey has found super funds that charge more have lower returns. Big surprise. The Aus Prudential Regulation Authority found employer-sponsored super funds generated returns 54% higher than profit-oriented retail counterparts over the past 7 y. In linked reports shares in AMP have fallen below $9 for the first time, down from $19 1 y ago. Schnooks whose life savings are tied up in AMP products tell me they took a big hit last y. Instead of the expected 10% matching-market-performance annual letter, "members" were informed of a near-sized-but-negative return last y. I'm told the loss effectively wiped out returns accumulated for the past decade. Tel Aviv. As PM Ariel Sharon struggles to form a new govt, Israel has sounded the alarm over its ever-deepening economic crisis after posting a record deficit. Gaza City. The Israel Army conducted more house remodelling overnight in an operation lasting several hrs. A dozen armoured vehicles and 2 choppers killed several homes in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the C Gaza Strip. 3 people, including an elderly woman, were also killed. Paris. Terrorism meets distributed computing. Screensavers are to be used to develop a drug to combat smallpox, a feared bio-terrorism weapon. The Smallpox Protection Service at Oxford Uni is searching for a molecule to block smallpox after it infects the human body. It plans is to use the spare time of computers around the world. Small batches of data will be distributed between servers and home PC's to co-ordinate a search of a large number of substances that might affect the disease. Similar projects have been used to break codes, solve complex mathematical puzzles, model the global climate, and search radio signals for signs of ET intel. The millions of home PC's connected to the Internet have 1000s of times more power than the world's biggest supercomputers. Of course, having the odd 2,000 fast PC's in your back pocket don't make a bad calculator, either. Can-berra. TRICKLE-DOWN ECONOMICS! Treas Peter Costello says the Aussie export picture will be affected by the drought for at least Q1 this y. But he sees hope on the horizon as the US embarks on a reckless spending spree to boost its own faltering economy. Mr Costello said Australia and other countries would rely on the trickle down effect. The Treas's comments come after the Reserve said it would leave official int rates on hold (4.75%) for the 8th m in a row. Homeowners are breathing a sigh of relief. Baghdad. PEACENIK LOVEFEST! Bloody Frog TV5 has shown 100s of peaceniks gathering in Iraq, most prepared to act as human shields during a US attack. Groups milling around aimlessly ranged from Frog Greens, misc. EU hippies, through American peace activists wearing too much pink. The evil Iraqi regime used the arrival of the latest group of deluded fools to show reporters a collection of freaks and monsters ALLEGEDLY a result of economic sanctions and the effects of depleted uranium dust kicked up over the past decade after it was generously donated to Iraq during Gulf War I. Evil Iraqi generals told gullible Frog reporters the country had no connection with terrorist organisations. Melbourne. FIRE! Airborne spotters went up at first light to check for fresh outbreaks after thunderstorms passed over Vic's tinder-dry high country overnight. Mike Niven says lightning was seen SW of Mt Buller. He said forest in the area had not yet been touched by the giant fires that burned up almost 1 mn ha of high country over the past wk. Suva. CANNED GOODS NO GOOD! Islanders are facing food shortages in the wake of last m's cyclone. They blame the govt for delays in distributing replacement farming equipment and seedlings. Cyclone Ami killed 14 during its rampage across the N. of the country in Jan. The lives of 8,000 residents have been put in jeopardy because their crops were virtually wiped out. The Fiji Times says villages on Vanua Levu can't use food rations because they're not used to eating crap out of cans. Adelaide. OIL! Unleaded petrol has risen above $1/L in S.A. today. The Motor Trade Assoc says the hike is due to uncertainty about a war with Iraq and strikes in Venezuela reducing crude oil production. The last time prices rose above $1/L was May 2001. Sydney. NEED A NEW PART-TIME JOB? The competition watchdog has moved to break the monopoly control of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons over who can practice surgery in Aus. Proposed ACCC reforms have the Fed Govt deciding how surgeons are trained, who can become a surgeon, and which O/S surgeons are able to practice in Aus. Alan Fels says the plan will remove restrictive practices and help solve the looming shortage of qualified people by lowering the bar. Houston. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE! NASA has changed its mind over what caused the Columbia disaster. A top official said "it doesn't make sense" that a shower of "protective foam" with the density of house-bricks could have hit heat shielding on the left wing of the shuttle and damaged it enough to cause the craft to burn up and come apart on re-entry. NASA suggests a micro-meteor or other "space junk" in orbit is more likely responsible. It sure gets them off the hook! Program manager Ron Dittemore says the Agency, having dowm-played incidents at the take-off end of the flight, is now looking backward for any clues from the moment the spacecraft became flaming debris over Texas. Perth. Authorities say a suspicious foreigner is threatening to land on Christmas Island. But they say Fiona poses no threat to the island apart from gale-force winds tomorrow morning. They say any revenge for the death of Beni would be well away from Christmas Is. At 6 am WST the category 2 storm was 435 km E of the island and moving at 11 kph. Brisbane. Fire bans have been removed from 20 Qld shires after overnight rain reduced the chance of fire. Bans from Hervey Bay to the Gold Coast were lifted but the Fire and Rescue Service says others will remain in place in Brisbane City and several other shires as authorities continue to monitor the weather for XXXX conditions. Adelaide. Further speculation has been raised about the safety of GM crops after Aussie scientists have shown one method of preventing modified genes creating superweeds won't work. Scientists had hoped by injecting foreign genes into the cell but outside the nucleus they could prevent pollen containing the changes crossing with other plants. But research published this wk in Nature says U of Adel researchers have shown the method still allows the genes to "hop over" into the plant cell nucleus and end up in pollen. American and French scientists have already shown that altered genes can move between sunflowers and sugarbeets. Can-berra. SOCIAL SHIFT OR OLD AGE PRACTICE? A demographic cocktail of an aging population and more dual-income households is transforming the role of Aussie grandparents. More retirees are taking on supporting parental roles, suggests the Council on the Aging/National Seniors group, which is starting to study what it calls a "fundamental social shift". Council rep Patricia Reeve said until now grandparents were a little-studied community resource. Texas. A Brit-born man has been executed for murder in Texas despite new evidence casting doubt on his conviction. John Elliot was executed by lethal injection after last-minute appeals were rejected. A Mel lawyer who formed part of the defence team said Elliot's death was a "frightful injustice". "I think the willingness of the system in this country to kill people is terrifying", he said. Europe. Mexico has had a win against the US after it took the American justice system to the World Court. Mexico had objected to death sentences imposed on 50 of its citizens, presently on death rows around the US. While most cases were thrown out by the Court, around half-a-dozen prisoners have been reprieved. Mexico is elated, but the victory may be hollow. The US doesn't necessarily recognised decisions by the World Court, and in any case, the decisions aren't binding on members of the UN. Geelong. A local man has been awarded almost $10,000 in compensation for pain and suffering caused by a potentially faulty pacemaker. Kevin Courtney, 70, was the lead plaintiff in a class action against the US maker and Aussie distributor of the Tempo Pacemakers. Washington. Defence Sec Don Rumsfeld is moving to support Iraqi war maker Gen. Tommy Franks after it was revealed the Gen. is under Pentagon investigation for letting his wife sit in on secret meetings, use military personnel to run errands, and fly free on military aircraft. Observers say most charges are likely to be dismissed but say it's significant the nasty squabble has broken out inside the Central Command at such a crucial time. Jakarta. INDONESIA STRANGLES OPPOSITION. In the first public admission the military was behind the murder of Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay, an Indon army officer told a court yesterday that one of his men had strangled Eluay to death. Lt Col Hartomo told the tribunal that a Pvte had asphyxiated the politician after failing to persuade him to give up his campaign of independence for the Indon province. In Nov 2001 Mr Eluay was found dead on the outskirts of Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua. Earlier that night he'd attended a dinner hosted by the Indonesian army special forces. Melbourne. DAMN FOREIGNERS! Native flora and fauna are threatened and sometimes swamped by exotic foreign species. A new body is fighting a forgotten war. The Invasive Special Council has some funny ideas. A rep told reporters that Aussie gardeners had done more to harm the local environment than all the mining companies put together. It's nominated the red fire ant as the critter that has been the most destructive import since the 1850s. It's a financial and environmental criminal that's set to cause $6.7 bn in damage over 30 y. It already calls Brisbane hone. P'yongyang. Worrying reports this evening say North Korea has indicated it's willing to adopt the Bush Admin's policy of pre-emptive self-defence. In a statement NK officials say they would launch a pre-emptive attack against the US rather than wait for America to attack them after it has dealt with Iraq. ABC says one official has threatened NK under the new rules would launch an anticipatory strike against US troops should any more be deployed in the region. ---------------------------------------- 07 Feb 2003. NY. America reviews the O/S reaction. In a multi-way linkup, NBC reviewed the effect of Colin Powell's magnificent speech on damn foreigners and their ignorant ethno-centric opinions. BRITAIN: The speech hasn't changed that many minds. Most people had their minds made up some time back. While 80% of the population believe Saddam has WMD, they don't necessarily think he's a threat or that WMD are a justification for war. Brits want a bit more time for inspectors to find a smoking gun. And they want UN authorisation if it comes to using force. UN authorisation will be "vital" for increasingly-isolated PM Tony Blair. Especially if things go wrong. As for the promised proof of an Iraq/Al Qaeda link, most think some new evidence was presented. But the general feeling is they haven't been convinced by it. Powell's argument was undermined by yesterday's Ministry of Defence leak that embarrassed Tony Blair in Parliament. The leak said no intel linked Saddam with the terrorist organisation. Brit sees trying to make the link is "a miscalculation" on the part of the US Admin. FRANCE: No newspaper is convinced by Powell's speech, whether left, right or centre. While it confirmed all suspicions that Saddam runs an evil regime, there is no opinion to accept war at this time. While the speech outlined suspicions and patterns of behaviour, nobody considers that sufficient for military action. There is no support for preemptive war. Most people in France want inspectors to be given more time and more muscle. France doesn't like the idea of pre-emptive attacks and they particularly don't trust Pres George Bush Jr although they liked his father. Convinced of a terrorist link? Just as in America, there is "a lot of scepticism" in the media. While most think the Iraqi regime is not clean, if you look for too much evidence you come out short. RUSSIA: Newspaper headlines say Powell has missed his chance. Most have adopted a sarcastic tone. Most analysts believe he hasn't produced enough evidence to back a case for war. Russia is a cautious country and would probably not use its veto power to stop the US going to war. But the Russian people are generally against war of any kind. This is typical of the Russian mentality. Russia has waged many wars against other nations, and the whole idea of military conflict is not popular. There is an additional complication. The former Soviet Union provided asst to Iraq for decades and many remember the military potential of Iraq as "huge", but still few stand for war. Liberals find their stance particularly uncomfortable. While they are generally pro-west and pro-American, they don't share the US position on war with Iraq. NY. America reviews the American reaction. Following Colin Powell's speech to the UN, NBC conducted a quick push-poll to check its effect on the American psyche. The important thing was Presidential approval was up 7 pts from last m, with 61% saying they approved of Mr Bush, 12% said he was an idiot, and 8% saying Bush who? Reporters said the increase was due to Mr Bush's State of the Union address, and also reaction to Colin Powell's address. The image of George Bush Jr has often improved via reflection off America's more-trusted Sec. of State. When asked whether they supported military action to remove Saddam H., 60% said yes, 27% no and 13% were undecided. The "yes" case was up 4 pts from last m, indicating the Admin is making slow headway in its relentless propaganda campaign to demonise people of Middle-Eastern appearance. Tim the Russet and wet blanket pointed out at the same time last Gulf War, approval for "go" was 74%. The poll found 2/3 of Americans were convinced by the evidence presented by Mr Powell. 11% were not convinced. Other questions showed the most important point Powell raised concerned Iraq's possession of bio weapons, presumably because of the similarity with the home-grown lunatic that was sending anthrax-laced letters to all-and-sundry some months back. The poll also showed Americans want an explicit UN sanction for action against Iraq. When asked whether the President had made a case for military action against Iraq, only 49% of Americans said yes, with 48% saying no. The 10 pt different from the first question was not explained. Has President Bush explained the risks associated with a war with Iraq? 49% said yes; 46% no. Most people polled think it would be just a matter of days before US forces (are there other counties involved?) had Baghdad surrounded, and Saddam's evil reign would quickly end after that. But Americans are still unsure about the sequel to victory. And the American public remains unclear about the price of war. Reporters said a recent estimate of the cost for military action against Iraq was $US60-70 bn initially, with additional $10 bn pa for administration costs. Baghdad. NBC says the front pages of Iraqi newspapers cover Saddam's interview with Brit hate-filled marxist and Methodist, Tony Benn, and not Powell's though-provoking speech to the UN. Articles cover Saddam's denial that Iraq has WMD, but not quotes from Powell's speech that it does. Reporters say the Iraq population didn't see Powell's speech on TV either, although the ruling elites and sundry lapdog intellectuals gathered to view it in govt depts and universities. They said the Iraqi population still doesn't realise how close the country is to it's final, full-scale annihilation. Interviewing people on the street reporters found the ignorant population were preparing to defend their country. Apparently in reference to a previous conflict that also didn't have UN backing, a local oaf said Iraq would remind the US what Vietnam was all about. Houston. 2 people have been arrested in Texas for trying to steal debris of shuttle Columbia. A soldier and a young women were charged in separate incidents with stealing a "circuit board" and a "piece of insulating material". NASA has again warned the public to turn over all debris to its investigation into the disaster. There are severe penalties. Those arrested today could face up to 10 y in prison. NASA reports around 12,000 pieces of wreckage have been recovered so far. It also said the remains of all 7 astronauts have been ID-ed. London. Chief UN weapons inspectors Blix and Elbaradei have met with Brit PM Tony Blair for a last-minute briefing before resuming Mission Impossible. At the press conf afterward they said inspectors were going back to Iraq, possibly for the last time. They said they would try to impress on the Iraqi regime it was 5 minutes to midnight. Blix said he would tell Saddam he must either turn over his illegal weapons or present irrefutable phone-tap evidence they have been destroyed. Apparently neither Mr Blair today, nor US Sec Powell yesterday were able to convince the inspectors the second alternative didn't exist or was pretty unconvincing if it did exist. But it didn't. Canberra. ANTI-BUSH IS ANTI-AMERICA! America has launched a defensive strike against the Aust Labor Party. US officials have reportedly lodged a protest with the office of Opp'n leader Simmo Crean that the Labor Party is damaging relations between America and the state of Australia. After comments in Parliament that Opp'n leader Simmo Crean had criticised Pres Bush more than Saddam Hussein, Mr Crean has reportedly received an official complaint from the American Embassy about his "numerous anti-American statements". The complaint said Mr Crean's anti-war comments and criticism of Mr Bush was harming US/Australia relations. The complaint particularly objected to Mr Crean's statement that troops "shouldn't be going" to Iraq at a send-off he attended last wk. It went on to complain the Labor leader has "personally denigrated" The Leader, Pres George W. Bush, Jr. A statement from the ALP in The Australian this morning says it makes no apology for working in the national interest, unlike PM John Howard. Elsewhere, other members of the Labor Party say Mr Crean's wishy-washy comments don't go far enough in delivering a message to the American leadership about its policies. Reports of unflinching thin-skinned political correctness are increasingly coming out of Bushland, formerly known as the United States of America. Criticism of The Leader is usually dealt with on a summary basis. Govt employees that make suggestions counter to The Leader's views have been found mentally incompetent. Officers daring to question the empty slogans currently running the US war machine are encouraged to go into retirement. When The Leader was to make an inspirational televised appearance at one Bushland university, students were ordered by henchmen beforehand to clap The Leader enthusiastically before, during and after His speech, "or else". The recent Bushland Patriot Act also reportedly makes it illegal for residents of Bushland, or any other country, to look sidewise or otherwise show disrespect in any form whatever, as interpreted by appropriate henchmen at the time, toward The Leader. Elsewhere, PM John Howard told Parliament that terrorism was terrifying. You think I'm joking again, don't you? Canberra. American Ambassador Tom Schieffer has done a Nixon and denied an official complaint was made to the Labor party about its anti-war sentiments. Mr Schieffer said the approach had been made informally, and was never intended for publication. He said America could not be seen to bully foreign govts, or even their Loyal Oppositions. The Ambassador demanded the story be killed immediately. He said he wants Australians and Americans to be friends. Referring to Labor comments about President Bush's demands of uncritical loyalty from Deputy John Howard, Mr Schieffer said during the last few weeks the rhetoric had become personal and emotional and not helpful to the War Effort. Although the relationship between the US and Aus was very, very strong, he said, words could harm the relationship. The Ambassador called on Americans and Australians to be together on all important issues. Bamboozled by a question from reporters, Mr Schieffer claimed the world was coming together over plans to attack Iraq. He said the UN would eventually rubber stamp whatever the US wanted to do. He said the 12 y plan to take over Iraq was finally coming together. Canberra. Opp'n leader Simon Crean has told ABC radio a report the US had complained about his party's policies about Iraq. Mr Crean said America had never pressured Labor to change its position. The Australian newspaper said today the US had lodged a formal complaint with Mr Crean's office about Labor's anti-Americanism, and had suggested the party's stance was hurting the Australia/US alliance. Mr Crean said the report is not correct, and says he remains a loyal supporter of the alliance. NY. Oil has hit $US34.12/bbl overnight, and continues to rise. The Dow was down 41 to 7944 on the close. London. A stalling economy saw the cental bank cut official rates to 3.75%, a 50-y low. War jitters and the surprise rate cut saw the FTSE plunge 2%. Sydney. A bag containing a "suspicious substance" was found at N. Sydney stn at 9 pm last night. Police were called after a rail employee who had contact with the bag became sick on his way home last night. The man was later transported to hospital. Police say they can't tell if the man's illness is related the the bag. Brisbane. Following the death of Cyclone Beni, floods are now sweeping across Qld. The "tremendous rain" is being welcomed by some drought-hit farmers. But at least 5 areas are expected to be declared natural disaster zones in the next 24 hrs. The floods have already claimed one life, with a 57 yo man swept to his death while trying to rescue a horse. Many homes have reportedly been damaged. The cleanup in some areas has been hampered by power outages that have cut off water supplies. The water is expected to continue rising over the weekend. Melbourne. Showers are forecast over Vic's NE high country for the next 3 days, and may give weary firefighters some relief. Thunderstorms are blamed for touching off the biggest fire. Fires have destroyed 893,000 ha of largely inaccessible alpine park land from Mt Buffalo in the W to the NSW border and to Deddick in E Gippsland. Canberra. Following unfavourable comment on TV yesterday, 6,000 farmers in NW NSW have been fast-tracked for assistance under federal Exceptional Circumstances guidelines. The govt is also reported considering yet more ways to help farmers through the Big Dry. The decision will allow farmers to claim 2 y welfare payments, and give them access to interest subsidies on loans, while also helping businesses in affected areas. Yesterday NSW Prem Carr complained the Fed Govt had been dragging its heals until all paperwork cleared. The Fed Govt was asking "please prove there's a drought", said Mr Carr. Canberra. More Aussie troops are off to the Gulf today to face a "possible" war against Iraq. Robert Hill will farewell personnel attached to 3 Hercules transport planes and 14 Hornets that are being committed to the Middle E. The deployment comes as PM Howard prepares to head to the US to hold talks with UN Sec Gen Kofi Annan and listen to further orders from Pres George Bush Jr. Baghdad. The Iraqi govt has officially rejected US Sec of State Colin Powell's indictment of the vile Iraqi banned weapons program. In a near-incoherent attack on the presentation of Our Man Powell, Lt Gen Amer Al-Saadi said Mr Powell's presentation was directed at the ill-informed. He described the presentation as "containing elements of fiction" and was sans a smoking gun. Al-Saadi, described by Colin Powell yesterday as a white-haired sock-puppet and shill for Saddam Insane's illegal regime, said the Powell Report was unworthy of a superpower and the charges had been "fabrications". Houston. Now that a problem previously described as "inconsequential" has been reclassified as "inconsequential", the list of possible explanations of the Columbia disaster has blossomed into a list of real possibilities. Various scenarios are under investigation, including (but not limited to!) an explosive device attached to the shuttle's wing, the accidental triggering of an explosive device somewhere on board, a collision with a piece of space garbage, a micro-meteor from outer space, a flaw in the manufacture of the wing where some "foam" co-incidentally struck, or even spontaneous shuttle combustion. Ron Dittemore says every other theory must be examined. Jerusalem. 7 people have been killed in further bloodshed in the occupied territories. In 2 separate incidents, 2 Israeli solders were killed in a firefight, and 2 medics were killed by gunfire from a gunship outside a Gaza City hospital. The gun battle took place just S of Nablus, in the N West Bank, when militants ambushed an Israeli position near Mt Gerizim. Sydney. A bag containing a mystery substance will be tested at Westmead Labs today after it sparked a security scare in N Sydney overnight. Police say they shut down the station and closed off Blue St immediately the bag was discovered, at around 11 pm. Officers from the Fire Brigade's hazardous materials unit isolated the bag and placed it in a sealed container before taking it to N. Sydney Police Stn. Ahmedabad. Indian police have arrested a Muslim cleric they say is responsible for plotting a massacre last y that sparked the country's worst communal riots in more than a decade. Maulana Hussain Umarji, an imam in the W state of Gujarat, was arrested in Godhra. A snr police official says Umarji will appear in court shortly to seek a 14-day remand into custody. 58 Hindus were burned to death when the train in which they were travelling on Feb 27 last y was torched in Godhra, allegedly by a mob of Muslims. Caracas. Pres Chavez has imposed FX controls and announced wide-ranging price curbs in an attempt to limit the damage of an on-going strike. Anti-Chavez business and union leaders who backed the strike that's so far failed to oust the Pres have condemned the new controls, saying they are aimed at punishing them. They said the moves will create corruption, inflation and shortages. Sydney. The city's colourful Mardi Gras is making a fresh start today, with the launch of its annual festival and its 25th anniversary. The major tourist attraction was almost MIA last y after the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras organisation went into administration. But a new Mardi Gras has risen from the ashes, dramatically slashing costs and boosting its volunteer ranks. Mardi Gras co-chair Stevie Clayton says the event's back on track, with a venue change for this year's festival launch. Can-berra. The Federal Govt has scrapped plans to split Telstra into 2 parts after Labor went cold on the idea. The Opp'n floated the idea of separating the telco/monopoly into a network and services arm last y. The object was to allow profitable areas to be flogged off but monopolistic infrastructure to remain in public hands. But it now says new research shows the idea would create a legal minefield and open the govt up to a flood of compensation claims. The govt has responded by saying it won't go ahead with a proposed parliamentary inquiry into the re-structure, that has already received around 60 submissions. Brussels. NATO has delayed until next wk a decision on plans to protect Turkey in the event of a US-led attack against Iraq. Sec Gen George Robertson says he's confident the 19-nation alliance will unanimously agree to prudent defence planning early next wk. The special meeting of the N. Atlantic Council of ambassadors is seen as the first test of allied reaction to US Sec of State Colin Powell's speech to the UN Sec Council yesterday. Brazzaville. Experts are headed to the N. of the Rep. of Congo after 16 suspicious deaths in the area. They will investigate a suspected outbreak of Ebola. The disease is believed to be one of the world's deadliest viral infections, causing rapid death through massive blood loss in up to 90% of cases. WHO rep Iain Simpson in Geneva said experts will examine reports of an illness "consistent with haemorrhagic fever". National health Dir Gen Dr Damase Bozongo confirmed the number of deaths, 12 in Kelle and 4 in Mbomo. Tokyo. The number of deaths linked with side effects from the last-resort cancer-fighting drug Iressa has risen to 167 in Japan. A govt official says the number was up from 124 acknowledged cases in Dec. Health Ministry official Tatsuo Kurokawa says the increase had been attributed to doctors re-classifying earlier deaths originally not linked with the drug. Kurokawa says the number of newly-reported deaths had been on the decline since late Dec, when the govt tightened its prescription guidelines. Washington. The US has issued a new world-wide alert to US citizens. The State Dept has alerted all Americans to a heightened threat of terrorist attack, including the use of chem or bio weapons. The warning supercedes an earlier alert dating from Nov that had noted the possible attempt to kidnap American citizens outside the continental USA by terrorist groups including Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network. London. In a classic example of ambush TV, Tony Blair found himself outnumbers 100 to 1 against a studio audience that was all peacenik. In what hippie commentators said was a symbol of his up-hill battle to get the UK public behind an attack on Iraq, Mr Blair was told by members of the audience they would not support his poodle impersonations unless they had been vetted by a UN mandate. It was a message the hippies say was heard as far as Washington, DC. Washington. In late-breaking news, Pres Bush and Colin Powell have given a press conference at which they announced convincing evidence of the Iraqi WDM program had finally been found. Apparently sensing that world reaction to Mr Powell's speech to the UN yesterday had been "mixed", the President announced the all new and improved evidence would be manufactured within a matter of hrs. ======================================== (*) Who is responcible for W.A.R.S? A small group of dedicated sandgrubbers, bannana-lickers and 5th columnists on the run from support payments and sundry legalese in their home countries. Mention us at any Uncle Harry's Suburban Bunker and get a 10% discount on cop-killers! All speling macroizated for correctitood by Mcrosotf Speelchek. *** When the siren sounds, put on your gloves and stand by your fridges! ***