From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia Reserch Senter(*) OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS #41 =============================== In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere (validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra). Visit Our Home Page At: http://www.chickenhead.com/loserscopes/ See the Undeniable Evidence At: http://www.evil-doers.org/evidence This Stuff Blogged At: http://kymhorsell.blogspot.com/ Also Kindly Archived At: http://www.kymhorsell.com/OIL/ Iraqi Body Count: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ [2,197+ as at 4 May 2003]. ------------------------------------------------------------ Selecting latest news stories and other data for you... ------------------------------------------------------------ Wed, 07 May 2003. One killed and 25 injured in grenade attack US: "Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction" Defence chief backs sending troops home Chalabi threatens to lift lid on Saddam links Diplomat takes on Iraq rebuilding role Poland puts Iraq carve-up in doubt Saddam "took $1 bn from bank" AUS sentenced in Lebanese court Democrats calls for Govt to itemise war costs Pilger wins Norwegian honour Aust-UN relations hit new low: report Pacific aid "helping elite, not poor" PNG election delayed Brit MP suspended from party South African man beheads himself in supermarket Springtime for Russia's Nuclear Industry? Hanger collapse Hangar collapses at RAAF base Wheat virus found in NSW Govt beefs up security at dump site Shuttle crash investigators offer partial answers Gulf hunting laws respected: elder HECS will stay in some form: govt Inland railway on track: Anderson Employment predictor looks good Markets Continuous news One killed and 25 injured in grenade attack Kashmir. A grenade has been hurled at police patrolling a crowded bus station in Indian Kashmir killing one person and injuring at least 25 others. No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack, the 2nd in a bus station in the past 2 days. It comes ahead of a visit to South Asia by US Deputy Sec of State Richard Armitage. Observers say Mr Armitage is expected to encourage nuclear rivals India and Pakistan to build on their recent thaw over the disputed Himalayan region. US: "Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction" Washington. The Bush Admin has admitted that Saddam Hussein probably had no weapons of mass destruction. Senior officials in the Bush Admin have admitted that they would be "amazed" if weapons of mass destruction (WMD) were found in Iraq. According to Admin sources, Saddam shut down and destroyed large parts of his WMD programmes before the invasion of Iraq. Ironically, the claims came as US Pres Bush Jr yesterday repeatedly justified the war as necessary to remove Iraq's chemical and biological arms which posed a direct threat to America. Bush claimed: "Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. We will find them." The comments from within the Admin will add further weight to attacks on the Blair govt by Labour backbenchers that there is no "smoking gun" and that the war against Iraq -- which centred on claims that Saddam was a risk to Brit, America and the Middle E because of unconventional weapons -- was unjustified. The snr US official added that America never expected to find a huge arsenal, arguing that the Admin was more concerned about the ability of Saddam's scientists -- which he labelled the "nuclear mujahidin" -- to develop WMDs when the crisis passed. This represents a clearly dramatic shift in the definition of the Bush doctrine's central tenet -- the pre-emptive strike. Previously, according to Washington, a pre-emptive war could be waged against a hostile country with WMDs in order to protect American security. Now, however, according to the US official, pre-emptive action is justified against a nation which simply has the ability to develop unconventional weapons. Defence chief backs sending troops home Canberra. 52 troops from Iraq will be sent home after they refused anthrax vaccinations, a decision the chief of the ADF has described as "responsible". Gen Peter Cosgrove says personnel can choose whether to receive innoculations for diseases like anthrax without penalty. Gen Cosgrove denies the defence policy unfairly limits the duties which personnel who have not been vaccinated can perform. Gen Cosgrove says investigations are continuing into some sailors' claims that they were harassed after refusing the anthrax vaccination. Chalabi threatens to lift lid on Saddam links Baghdad (The Guardian). Ahmad Chalabi, the exiled financier promoted by the Pentagon as a leader of postwar Iraq, claims to have obtained 25 tonnes of intel documents detailing Saddam Hussein's relationship with foreign govts and Arab leaders. The files, seized by his Iraqi National Congress supporters from Ba'ath party offices and secret police stations, may fuel a fresh round of recriminations and score-settling as politicians meeting in Baghdad struggle to agree the terms of an interim Admin. In interviews with Abu Dhabi television and Newsweek magazine, Mr Chalabi has already threatened to use the papers to damage the Jordanian royal family and the satellite television service al-Jazeera -- organisations with which he has had long-running disputes. Some of the documents may be published, the INC offices in London said yesterday but other Iraqi political groups, and the Foreign Office, called for the files to be returned to the authorities. The papers were collected from abandoned buildings used by Saddam's Special Security Organisation and the mukhabarat intel service, from Ba'ath party offices, and from the Iraqi army. Mr Chalabi has repeatedly been accused of being a creature of the US govt and was blamed for the collapse of the Petra bank, which he headed in Jordan in the 1980s. The Amman authorities convicted him of fraud and theft. Speaking on Abu Dhabi television, Mr Chalabi read from documents which he claimed showed a number of reporters for the Qatar-based al-Jazeera were working for Iraqi intel. "We will not allow this channel to continue its destructive work, which might lead to civil war in Iraq, through their lies and the spreading of rumours," Mr Chalabi said. In the latest issue of Newsweek Mr Chalabi targeted the Jordanians, declaring: "Some of the files are very damning." King Abdullah, who has ruled Jordan since 1999, "is worried about his relationship with Saddam. He's worried about what might come out". The Jordanian govt has not yet replied to the threats or to the suggestion that the royal family privately profited from its dealings with Saddam. Al-Jazeera said it had not seen the details and could not therefore comment on the allegations. A rep for the FO observed: "There are regrettably still incidents of theft and looting. Those in possession of documents/property should return them to the appropriate authorities." Dilshad Miran, the London head of the Kurdistan Democratic party, one of the organisations involved in negotiations to form the interim Admin, said: "It's not for different political parties to keep these documents. They are the property of the new govt." Diplomat takes on Iraq rebuilding role Washington. US Pres Bush Jr has named career diplomat and counter-terrorism expert L Paul Bremmer to head US civilian efforts to rebuild Iraq. Officials say Mr Bremer will outrank the current US administrator of Iraq, Jay Garner, and presidential envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who will still lead reconstruction efforts and coordinate political reforms with the Iraqis. General Tommy Franks will maintain command of coalition military personnel, while the 61-year-old Mr Bremer will report directly to Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld. Mr Bremer served 23 y in the State Dept, most notably as ambassador-at-large for counter-terrorism from 1986 to 1989. He later joined a consulting firm headed by the former secretary of state, Henry Kissinger. Poland puts Iraq carve-up in doubt London (The Guardian). Plans to deploy a multinat'l stabilisation force in Iraq were thrown in doubt yesterday when Poland, one of the expected key troop contributors, insisted that the force required a UN mandate. The demand throws a shadow over a meeting in London tomorrow aimed at securing pledges of troop deployments for the Brit zone of control. The Polish foreign minister, Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, presented his position after talks in Washington with the US secretary of state, Colin Powell. "We believe that we need that kind of resolution. I understand that in days ahead there will be some initiatives opening the way to have such a resolution," he said. The US is preparing to present a comprehensive UN resolution to the UNSC covering the division of responsibilities and powers in postwar Iraq, but it is likely to meet stiff resistance from France, Russia and China. A drawn-out debate over the resolution could delay the deployment of at least some of the stabilisation force. Poland was expected to be a key contributor, sending about 1,500 troops and commanding one of up to 4 zones of control. Some diplomatic sources suggested they would be sent to the port of Umm Qasr. Brit forces would be based in Basra, commanding a multinat'l brigade including Spanish troops, and a mix of forces from other European and Latin American states. Tomorrow's meeting will focus on shaping that brigade. American troops would control Baghdad, and Poland would be responsible for central Iraq. Mr Cimoszewicz has proposed a meeting on May 22 in Warsaw to finalise pledges of troop commitments. A 4th zone could be carved out in the N or W, but it is unclear which country would run it. The Spanish defence minister, Federico Trillo, said 1,500 of his country's troops would operate in the Brit area that he defined as "zone 4 south". Mr Cimoszewicz said it was intended "to have all the countries ready to engage" in Iraq by the end of this month. After meeting Mr Powell, he urged Germany and other European states to contribute to Iraq's stabilisation and reconstruction. Spanish newspapers quoted defence ministry officials yesterday saying that Honduras and Nicaragua had offered troops for the "Spanish brigade" only if Spain paid for them. Chile and Argentina had said they would take part in a UN force only, the reports said. The odd assortment of nations being consulted reflects the difficulties Washington has faced trying to gain support for its occupation of postwar Iraq. Few countries with experience in the Middle E are on board, and no Islamic countries have offered troops. Most of the willing are relatively impoverished states eager to enhance their relationship with the US but unable to pay their way. The Polish defence minister, Jerzy Szmajdzinski, said he had received an assurance from his American counterpart, Donald Rumsfeld, that the US would help raise money from internat'l donors to cover the cost of about 1,500 Polish troops and a headquarters staff. Mr Szmajdzinski estimated the cost at $50m for 6 months. Poland's deputy defence minister, Janusz Zemke, said that the Polish troops could be initially stationed in Iraq for a y and then rotated every 6 months. He said they would play an important role protecting energy facilities, telecommunication hubs and transport arteries. Troops from a chemical defence regiment have already been mobilised and are expected to leave for Iraq soon. Mr Zemke said that up to 11 European countries had expressed an interest in taking part. Most of the potential contributors are anxious to ensure their soldiers avoid conflict. Spain has stated that it does not want to have to intervene in demos. A snr US official said the US sector would be patrolled by 20,000 troops remaining separate from the 135,000 combat troops already in Iraq. Bulgaria's defence minister, Nikolai Svinarov, said his country would send 450 soldiers to Iraq. However, Bulgaria, like Poland, wants the US to help find funds to finance its contribution. Saddam "took $1 bn from bank" Washington. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his family took about $US1 bn from Baghdad's central bank shortly before the start of the US invasion, the US says. US State Dept rep Richard Boucher says Treasury Dept officials in Baghdad have reported the withdrawal to Washington. He says the US is trying to hunt down the money. The NY Times 1st reported the massive cash withdrawal. It said Saddam's son Qusay and a close associate took $US900 mn in American bills and $US100 mn worth of euros in 3 tractor trailers. Mr Boucher says the US does not know where the money has gone. But he noted that US troops had found stacks of dollar bills in various locations in Iraq. The finds included about $US600 mn in Saddam Hussein's palaces, and $US100 mn and 90 mn euros in an armoured vehicle. The NY Times cited an Iraqi official for its report and said Saddam himself had signed the withdrawal order. Qusay, the deposed leader's 2nd son and one of the former president's personal assistants, Abid al-Hamid Mahmood, carried a letter from Saddam authorising the transaction, it said. The Times said Iraqi officials were uncertain what effect the disappearance of the cash -- about 1/4 of the central bank's hard currency reserves -- would have on the Iraqi economy. Some Americans suspect the money, reportedly stolen at 4am on March 18, went to Syria, the newspaper said. Colonel Ted Seel, a US Army special forces officer, said he was aware of the seizure of cash, the newspaper reported. He said there was intel information at the time that suggested tractor trailers were crossing into Syria from Iraq. Saddam and his 2 sons have not been seen in public since the war began. The ousted Iraqi leader made a number of television appearances during the war but it was not possible to verify when they were recorded. AUS sentenced in Lebanese court Beirut. An AUS is reported to be among 4 people jailed in Lebanon, after being found guilty by a military tribunal of having links with the al-Qaeda terrorist organisation. Ramez Sultan, who holds both AUS and Lebanese nat'lity, has been sentenced to 3 y in prison, along with Lebanese citizens Khaled Omar Minawi and Abdullah al-Muthadi, and Saudi nat'l Ihab Dafeh. A judicial source says the 4 have been found guilty of trying to set up al-Qaeda cells in Lebanon and abroad with the aim of attacking the state, and of using false passports. The source says they have been convicted along with 3 other Lebanese and a Palestinian, who were sentenced in absentia to 15 y in prison. Democrats calls for Govt to itemise war costs Canberra. The AUS Democrats are insisting that the Fed Govt detail the exact cost of its participation in the war in Iraq, when next week's budget is handed down. For Aff rep, Natasha Stott Despoja, says AUS has spent $bns on the invasion and it needs to better that in fixing up the damage. "Roughly a hundred mn dollars, that's not enough," Ms Stott Despoja said. "We need 100s of mn of dollars, at least, to assist the Iraqi people with the clean-up of Iraq, which we were partly responsible for." Pilger wins Norwegian honour Oslo (AFP). AUS journalist John Pilger was today awarded the 2003 Sophie Prize, a Norwegian award honouring environmental or development efforts, for his work which helped the public examine the real causes of the war in Iraq. "Pilger has over the last 30 y contributed to uncovering the lies and propaganda of the powerful, especially as they relate to wars, conflict of interests and economic exploitation of people and natural resources," the jury said in its citation. The panel highlighted Pilger's coverage of the Vietnam War and a recent documentary on the Palestinian situation which "shocked and provoked debate". In addition, "during the US and Brit invasion of Iraq he assisted the public in critically assessing the true motives for the war. Thus the public was capable of asking crucial questions as to the legitimacy of war," the jury said. "In his most recent book, The New Rulers of the World, he shows the nature of modern imperialism after Sep 11. He stresses that war is terrorism and that war does not contribute to fighting terrorism," the panel added. The Sophie Prize was founded in 1997 by Norwegian writer Jostein Gaarder, author of the bestselling philosophical novel Sophie's World. The prize comes with a $US100,000 ($A157,730) cheque. Last year, the prize went to Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I. Pilger, who is based in Brit and writes for several publications, will formally receive the award from Norwegian Environment Min Boerge Brende at a ceremony in Oslo on June 12. Aust-UN relations hit new low: report Canberra. AUS's relations with UN human rights committees have deteriorated to an unprecedented level, according to a new report. Leading public policy think-tank the AUS Institute has released the damning report. The paper prepared by academic Spencer Zifcak analyses AUS's role in recent altercations with the UN. The issues range from the Tampa and the Govt's 'Pacific solution' to AUS's indigenous affairs policies. Associate Professor Zifcak says the Howard Govt has clearly moved away from internat'l human rights law. He says the Govt is pursuing populist domestic politics and in doing so has attracted criticism from all 6 of the UN's human rights committees. "There's clearly a substantial internat'l disillusionment and dismay with AUS's performance on human rights," he said. Professor Zifcak says the UN committees are in dire need of an overhaul so countries such as AUS can be more closely scrutinised and held to account for human rights breaches. Pacific aid "helping elite, not poor" Canberra. An AUS think tank has called for the scrapping of all foreign aid to PNG and the Pacific Islands. The Centre for Independent Studies says AUS's $400 mn annual aid budget for the S Pacific is doing more harm than good. The centre says AUS aid helps Pacific elites, not the poor. The study says aid has failed the S Pacific, where over 3 decades income has grown at less than 1% a y while population has grown at more than 3%. The CIS says this means life for most people in the Pacific is no better than it was 25 y ago. It says suspending all AUS aid would force island govts to make serious economic reforms. The centre says PNG and Fiji are the only economies big enough to be independent countries. The other islands states, with populations ranging from 500,000 to 10,000 people, would be better off joining a single federation which would dramatically cut the cost of govt, it says. Mendi. PNG ELECTION DELAYED! Polling in PNG's repeat nat'l election in the S Highklands has been delayed by 1 day because soldiers and poliec were not deployed to some areas in preparation. Elements of the 2,000-strong security forces are being re-positioned within the troubled province as voting moves thrioyugh the 6 seats disqualified from last y's violent poll. Transport delays meant the final day of voting for the provincial capital of Mendi had to be moved back to tomorrow. Brit MP suspended from party London. A Brit MP accused of being paid off by Saddam Hussein has been suspended from the Labour Party. George Galloway had vehemently criticised his own govt during the war in Iraq and is now the subject of an internal party investigation. At the height of the Iraq war, Mr Galloway gave an interview with Abu Dhabi television in which he said that Brit troops should refuse to follow what he regarded as illegal orders, a comment which has led to official complaints within Brit Labour that he has brought the party into disrepute. Mr Galloway has been suspended until the completion of an inquiry by the party's deputy general secretary. But the maverick left-winger has hit back, complaining that his suspension is completely unjust and is prejudicing his libel case against the Daily Telegraph over claims he accepted money from Saddam Hussein, allegations which are also being investigated by the parl'y standards watchdog. South African man beheads himself in supermarket Jo'berg (DPA). A 31-year-old S African man walked into a supermarket, picked up a saw and decapitated himself in front of shocked shoppers, police said today. The incident happened early today in the port town of Richards Bay on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast. Eyewitnesses said the man had appeared calm as he marched up to the meat counter, where he switched on a meat saw and placed his head under it. Staff and shoppers had no time to react. The man did not leave a suicide note and according to his family he was not suffering from depression. Springtime for Russia's Nuclear Industry? Moscow (BusinessWeek Online). Russian nuclear power? To most people, that means one thing: Chernobyl. But this popular association is misleading. Industry experts say human error and an unusual design were to blame for the explosion of the Soviet-made reactor in Ukraine that in 1986 sent a lethal radioactive cloud over Europe. Russians generally make sturdy, efficient reactors -- as shown by the European Union's acceptance as safe 14 Soviet-made pressurized-water reactors currently operating in the EU accession countries of Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. What the post-Soviet Russian nuclear-power industry really lacks is sophisticated financial management. That's about to change. On completion of a due-diligence audit by Ernst & Young in the 2nd half of May, United Heavy Machinery, a well-regarded Moscow-based shipbuilder and manufacturer of oil-drilling equipment for global customers, is expected to acquire a controlling stake in state-controlled Atomstroiexport, Russia's monopoly exporter of nuclear power equipment and services. The planned acquisition is an ambitious play by UHM, already a prime subcontractor of Atomstroiexport, to pull the Russian nuclear power export industry alongside W giants General Electric Co. and France's state-controlled Framatome. UHM's CEO, Kakha Bendukidze, 47, is convinced that the long, post-Chernobyl "dead season" in new nuclear construction is over. "There will be increasing demand for nuclear power" as the environmental and health hazards of coal-fired power plants become better recognized, he says. If Bendukidze is right, a modernized Russian nuclear export industry would be well-positioned to go up against W rivals. Top-notch Russian nuclear scientists, engineers, and other technical personnel can be hired at rates one-third of those in the US or Europe. There are certainly no complaints from the Finns, for whom the Russians in 1977 and 1980 built reactors still operating in the town of Loviisa. What's more, foreign customers should be comfortable dealing with UHM, which is regarded as one of Russian industry's more transparent companies. George Soros, with a 10% stake, is the second-biggest shareholder after Bendukidze. The company has access to the Eurobond market and is planning a listing on the London Stock Exchange in Sep. In 2002, it reported $6 mn in profits on $400 million in sales. Its Russian-listed shares have outperformed the Russian Trading System index by 133% since Jan, 2001. UHM's 1st big test is in Finland, where Atomstroiexport is bidding for construction of the country's 5th nuclear reactor, a prize project worth as much as $3 billion. The Russians are in the running. UHM will need to move fast, though, to overhaul stodgy Atomstroiexport. That company operates under the umbrella of the state's Ministry of Atomic Energy [MinAtom], an opaque, Soviet-style behemoth over which even the Kremlin has limited control. The takeover will be a big gulp: Atomstroiexport's $800 mn in expected export revenues this y will exceed UHM's expected sales of $450 mn to $500 million. Gen Dir Viktor Kozlov, 58, an engineer who cut his teeth in the Soviet nuclear power industry -- as did most of his 800 employees -- says that Atomstroiexport is profitable, but declines to say by how much. Other target export markets are China and India, where demand for electricity is growing fast. The Russians are coming. Canberra. HANGER COLLAPSE! 7 men have been injured wgebn a parially-constructed hangar collaopsed at the Fairbairn AFB in CBR. The structure tumbled down just before midday wuth 1 man stuck on top having to be rescued by a fire truck. An ACT ambo rep says 7 men were uinjured in the collpase ranging from minor injuries to fractures and back injuries. Those who required hospitalisation have been taken to CBR Hosp. Hangar collapses at RAAF base Canberra. 12 men have been injured after a building collapsed at a Royal AUS Air Force base in CBR. The ambulance service says a number of the men have fractures, while others have back injuries. The accident happened at the construction site of a new VIP hangar. [The hangar is to house the PM's aircraft, amoung others]. Emergency vehicles have swarmed around the hangar, which has been reduced to a crumpled mass of steel. It appears the metal framework of the hangar caved in at the roof. A crane is lowering rescue teams in through the gaping hole to free any trapped workers. Ambulance crews are on standby to treat the injured and all non-essential traffic is being diverted from the scene. Wheat virus found in NSW Sydney. The wheat streak mosaic virus has been ID-ed in a private wheat breeding facility nr Tamworth in NSW. The virus has the potential to decimate wheat crops and has been found in CSIRO trial plots in the ACT, Vic and SA. The Tamworth outbreak is the 1st ID-ed in NSW. The virus has been the centre of major emergency measures, including the destruction of y worth of research materials at the CSIRO in CBR. But Crop Science Society of SA rep Bill Long says evidence is emerging the virus has been endemic for some years. He says that in that case, the destruction measures are a tragedy for AUS research. Mr Long says farmers may have mistaken the virus for other problems such as nutrient deficiency. Govt beefs up security at dump site Canberra. The Fed Govt says it will step up security around a proposed nat'l radioactive waste dump in remote SA. A sheep station nr Woomera is the favoured site for the low-level repository. The Commonwealth is due to announce its final decision on Fri. Fed Science Min Peter McGauran says he would like to see the transport of radioactive waste to SA begin within 12 m of the decision. Mr McGauan says the waste would be buried several metres underground and covered with cement. "Access can only be by way of heavy equipment," he said. "In regard to protesters, yes this is a significant issue for the landholders and that's something that we're obviously going to discuss with them. We do have some plans to secure the site but in the end the protesters are going to turn up and they're just going to be standing on bare earth." Shuttle crash investigators offer partial answers Washington. Investigators studying the crash of the space shuttle Columbia have released a working scenario of key events leading to the disaster But there is no real clarity about what caused the shuttle to break up on re-entry. The interim report, from the independent Columbia Accident Investigation Board, confirms that insulating foam broke off the shuttle's fuel tank and struck the left wing during the Jan launch. It says that a hole in that section of the wing led to the shuttle's disintegration on Feb 1, as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere. All 7 crew on board were killed. But the report finds there is not enough evidence to conclude that the foam impact caused the hole in the wing. The board's final report is expected towards the end of the year. Gulf hunting laws respected: elder Brisbane. An Aboriginal elder who lives on the Gulf of Carpentaria says young people in the region honour traditional hunting laws for the dugong and green turtle. Concerns have been raised by some elders in FNQ who say young people are ignoring limits put in place by elders. But elder Billy Miller says he has shown his sons, nephews and youths in the community where to hunt and how to cut up the meat. Mr Miller says traditional rights are respected. "I go out with my young fellas, I go out hunting and there's a law there that says how to cut up a dugong and also a turtle," he said. "They've been out with me for quite a while now, a couple of years, maybe more." Sydney. HECS WILL STAY IN SOME FORM: GOVT! The fed govt says HECS is here to stay, no matter what other changes occur as a result of the higher ed review. "Signifivant changes" to tertiary ed will ve announced in the fed Buget to be handed down next wk. One of the changes is expectedf to be the de-regulation of HECS fees, allowing unis to charge whatever the market will bear for pupulare courses. Inland railway on track: Anderson Canberra. Acting PM John Anderson has rejected statements that the AUS Inland Rail Expressway project could be abandoned. Mr Anderson was responding to blunt statements from the project's chairman that a political impasse between the fed and NSW govts was threatening the rail line. The line would run between MEL and Darwin. Mr Anderson says the project is a private enterprise idea and access rates to NSW rail lines is the stumbling block. He says the full business plan has not yet been presented to the Govt, despite repeated requests. Mr Anderson says an agreement with NSW could be reached within weeks. Canberra. EMPLOYMENT PREDICTOR LOOKS GOOD! An official measure of predicting future emokoiyment rates has stayed ahead after 6 m of falls. The Dept of Workplace Rels says its Leading Indicator of Employment for May has remained steady. It says this suggests that and slow-down in the rate of emopkioyment growth could be moderate. Officials undemployment numebrs for Apr are due out tomorrow. Sydney (close). MARKETS! The ASX closed in positive terrotiory despite falls in the blue chips -- Qantas, AMP and BHP Billiton. The All Ords added 7 pts to end the session at 2,945. In NY, the Dow earluer closed up 55 to 8,587. The Nikkei ended 176 pts higher at 8,084. and the Hang Seng was down 22 to 8,889. Gold was $2.43 higher at $US343.20/oz. At around 9 pm the AUD was trading around 64.18 US c. {{ Continuous news IT'S DAY FORTY-EIGHT. 9 pm Following on from a friendly telephone call last wk, Pak has now matched offers by India to renew ties. The dispute over the area of Jammu-Kashmir is at the core of the present standoff, but the 2 countries are inching toward renewing sporting tries and removing reciprocal travel bans. Both have been on a nuclear footing since 1998. In the past m India tested a nuclear-capable missile. With the announcement of new deaths in China today, the world-wide death toll from SARS reached 497. Elsewhere, the WHO held an emergency meeting with the EU to discuss handling of the virus there. Europe has so far escaped the outbreak, with only 33 probable cases and no deaths. In HK, the death rate has now been re-calculated at over 20%. Previously, it had been believed the fatality rate was around 5%. HK says the majority of victims are over 65. China is cracking down on workers who have disobeyed travel bans and returned to their home towns. The story of $US1 bn stolen by Saddam Hussein may be greatly exaggerated. Reporters point out the US military found $US600 mn in one of Saddam's palaces. $mns in euros were also found. It may be some or all of the stolen cash, which US officials say was seen headed to Syria on 3 tractor trailers at the start of the war. }} ---------------------------------------- Thu, 08 May 2003. Baby killed in Gaza Al-Qaeda announces new attack plan New terror groups added to US list Aussie terror suspect released 17 Iraqi cholera cases confirmed Bio-weapons lab found? Howard heads to Gulf SK on heightened alert FBI agent indicted China sounds optimistic about SARS Troops arrive in Aceh Cheney will run for VP again Aussie wharfie moves to top job Regime-change aftermath: Fiji Fiji VP charged Budget surplus tipped bigger NASA denied access to Russian investigation Loaded gun found in Vic prison cell Low-risk prisoners may get home detention Govt to announce nuke dump Qantas to keep regional services Vic to announce GM moratorium SA/US container service Jerusalem. BABY KILLED IN GAZA! A baby has been killed by army fire in the Gaza Strip today, as Abu Mazen flatly rejected Israel's new conditions for peace talks. The disagreement over the fate of refugees has raised new doubts about whether a US-backed peace plan can be implemented. Israel now insists the Palestinians must scrap a demand for the right of refugees to return to Palestine, even though the "Road Map" stipulates the issue is a subject for future negotiation. Dubai. Al-QAEDA ANNOUNCES NEW ATTACK PLAN! An al-Qaeda rep says the network is planning a new US attack on the scale of Sep 11. He says the plans come after adopting a new operational structure which is "impenetrable" to US intel. Saudi weekly al-Majallah quotes the Islamic militant network's newly-appointed spokesman Thabet bin Qais as saying an attack against America is "inevitable". Washington. NEW TERROR GROUPS ADDED TO US LIST! The US has added the Basque nat'list group Batasuna to its list of terrorist groups that face sanctions. The Basque party, the political arm of the already-banned ETA, was put on a list of accused terrorist groups for which the US tries to block funding. The announcement has been made as Spain's PM Jose Maria Aznar arrived in Washington to meet Pres Bush Jr later in the day. Melbourne. AUSSIE TERROR SUSPECT RELEASED! Melbourne taxi driver Jack Jihad Thomas has reportedly escaped charges of terrorism in Pakistan and is on his way home to AUS after 2 m detention. The Herald Sun says Pakistani authorities are in the process of deporting Thomas who had been held in a Karachi jail cell under state security laws while authorities investigated claims he was a terrorist. The paper says the 29 yo Muslim convert may still face legal action under AUS anti-terrorism laws for his suspected connection with al-Qaeda. Basra. 17 IRAQI CHOLERA CASES CONFIRMED! 2 hospitals in S Iraq have reported 17 confirmed cases of cholera, and the WHO says it fears far more have gone unreported. Fadela Chaib of the UN agency, which dispatched a team to the S city of Basra this wk, says an outbreak of cholera affecting probably several 100s of people is occurring. 2 local hospitals, al-Tahir Teaching Hosp and Basra Maternal and Child Hosp, have confirmed 17 cases so far. No deaths have been reported. [Other reports say S Iraq sees cases of cholera almost every summer. The fear this y is they are completely defenceless to fight the disease. Many people continue to drink contaminated water from ditches and drains, following the destruction of the locate piped water supply]. Washington. BIO-WEAPONS LAB FOUND? The Pentagon says it's doing tests on a trailer found in N Iraq that matches descriptions of a mobile bio-weapons lab given by various sources, incl defectors. Officials say they can find no other reasonable use for the trailer. It's the first time the Def Dept has announced it might have evidence of the sort of prohibited unconventional weapons program that justified GWII and the regime change in Iraq. Experts have done initial tests on the trailer captured on Apr 19 at a Kurdish checkpoint, but say more substantial testing is required. [Other reports indicate no active chemical residues were found on the trailer. US experts and officials are now indicating there may be no WMD to be found, and the best they can hope to do is prove -- not that Iraqi officials had ever tried to deny it -- that Iraq once had bio- and chem-weapons programs]. London. HOWARD HEADS TO GULF! PM John Howard has left Brit headed for Qatar to personally thank AUS troops still stationed in the Gulf. The trip to Dohar, where he'll meet up to 2,000 members of the defence forces who took part in GWII, comes ahead of a series of welcome home parades planned in AUS capital cities. Ahead of the trip, AUS's performance in the war has been warmly applauded by Brit PM Tony Blair. Seoul. SK ON HEIGHTENED ALERT! S Korea has ordered its military on heightened alert following signs of an increase in NK nuclear activity. The alert comes as Washington gave the S evidence of the communist country reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods. Reprocessing the rods would be a key step in producing nuclear weapons. An official says a US spy satellite photograph has shown smoke coming from radiation and chemical labs in NK's Yongbyon nuclear complex. LA. FBI AGENT INDICTED! A former FBI agent who had an affair with a woman accused of acting as a Chinese double agent has been indicted on federal charges of wire fraud and gross negligence with nat'l security info. 59 yo James J Smith was arrested along with his lover, Katrina Leung, in Apr. He's changed with 4 counts of removal of nat'l defence info through gross negligence and 2 counts of honest services wire fraud. Beijing. CHINA SOUNDS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SARS! China says the number of SARS cases in Beijing -- the worst-affected plan in the world -- may begin falling soon. But it also warns the virus could wreak havoc in the vast hinterlands. Prem Wen Jiabo told the Cabinet to urgently take preventative measures in rural areas, where basic medical facilities are weak. Latest figures showed the deadly SARS virus has killed at least 18 more people and infected 200 more in China, HK and Taiwan. Banda Aceh. TROOPS ARRIVE IN ACEH! More than 1,000 Indon troops have arrived in Aceh to prepare for an expected military operation against separatist rebels. Sources say only a miracle can now save the peace pact from collapsing. Prov'l military cmdr Maj Gen Djali Yusuf says the 1,3000 soldiers have landed at Krueng Geukueh Pt in N Aceh. He says an additional 6,250 troops could arrive in Aceh as soon as next Tue. Washington. CHENEY WILL RUN FOR VP AGAIN! Dick Cheney, 1 of the most influential US VP's ever, had declared he will stand again in the 2004 presid'l elections. The 62 yo heart patient told the Dallas Morning News that Bush had asked him to serve again as his running mate, and Cheney says he's agreed. The VP, who has suffered 4 heart attacks since 1978 and undergone quad bypass surgery in 1988, also had a pacemaker fitted in 2001. He says his health won't stand in his way. Sydney. AUSSIE WHARFIE MOVES TO TOP JOB! A Sydney wharfie has become one of the world's most powerful transport unionists. MUA nat'l women's liason officer Sue Virago has been appointed vice chair of the Int'l Transport Workers' Fed'n women's committee. Ms Virago has represented the Asia Pac on the committee since 1998. She says she's "stoked" to be unanimously elected by delegates at the ITF's recent conf in London. Suva. REGIME-CHANGE AFTERMATH: FIJI! Police have sealed off a complex that houses Fiji govt buildings, incl courts, as political sources say 2 major figures appeared before a magistrate over events surrounding the 2000 coup. Political sources say Dep Speaker Rakuita Vakalalabura, who was arrested in Mar on charges linked with the coup, had subpoenaed VP Jopi Seniloli as a defence witness. Seniloli was made Pres after the coup on May 19, 2000, when now-convicted traitor George Speight led a gang of special forces soldiers into parliament. Suva. FIJI VP CHARGED! Fiji's VP has been charged with involvement in the coup that toppled the S Pac nation's democratic govt 3 ya. Ratu Jope Seniloli is the highest-ranking govt official to face coup-related charges. Police threw a tight security ring around the courtroom in the capital, Suva, as Seniloli appeared to be formally charged with taking an unlawful oath to commit a capital offence. He's also charged with taking an unlawful oath to engage in sedition. Canberra. BUDGET SURPLUS TIPPED BIGGER! Access Economics has forecast a bugger-than-expected surplus in next wk's Budget. While the govt has forecast a $2.1 bn surplus this y, Access has predicted a bumper $3.65 bn surplus due to profit-growth in the private sector, and therefore increased govt revenues. Access director Chris Richardson says the expected cost of $700 mn over 2 FY's for the GWII isn't big money in the context of a $170 bn federal Budget. Moscow. NASA DENIED ACCESS TO RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION! Russia says it won't give NASA access to its investigation into the uncontrolled landing last weekend of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The spacecraft was carrying 2 US astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut when it made a much steeper than expected uncontrolled entry for its landing in Kazakhstan. An inquiry found the descent was caused by an apparent computer malfunction. Inquiry chief Nikolai Zelenschiokov says no US experts would be invited to take part in the inquiry because their presence would create "difficulties". Melbourne. LOADED GUN FOUND IN VIC PRISON CELL! 3 max security Vic prisons remained locked down after a loaded handgun, drugs and a mobile phone were found in a prisoner's cell. The lock-down was ordered by the Correctional Services Commissioner Kelvin Anderson after the contraband was found during a search of a kidnapper's cell at Pt Phillip Prison yesterday. The 30 yo inmate, who has not been ID-ed by name, is serving a 4 y and 9 m sentence. Melbourne. LOW-RISK PRISONERS MAY GET HOME DETENTION! Low-risk prisoners could be selected for home detention instead of jail under a new program to be intro'd in MEL in Jan 2004. The offenders will permanently wear transmitter devices on their wrists or ankles and will be monitored 24 hrs a day. The program will only be open to offenders who pose a low risk to the community and have no history of violence, family abuse or sex offences. Canberra. GOVT TO ANNOUNCE NUKE DUMP! The fed govt is expected to announce tomorrow that a SA sheep stn will house the nation's low-level nuclear waste dump. ["Low-level" waste is a grab-bag term for waste that doesn't fall into other categories; it can be more radioactive than "high-level" waste]. Science Min Peter McGauran will travel to SA tomorrow to reveal the location of the underground repository for LLW. 2 sites nr Woomera in outback SA have been shortlisted for the dumps -- the sheep stn and another site owned by Western Mining Corp. Perm Mike Rann has vowed to continue fighting the move. Sydney. QANTAS TO KEEP REGIONAL SERVICES! A fed parl'y inquiry has heard that Qantas will not cut back its rural services despite the negative impact of GWII and the SARS outbreak has had on its operations. The Standing Committee on Transport and Regional Services, today holding public hearings in SYD, is investigating the adequacy of air services in regional and rural AUS. Qantas Airways Ltd GM of reg'l airlines, has told the inquiry despite the company's recently downgraded profit outlook and staff cuts regional services will remain unchanged. Melbourne. VIC TO ANNOUNCE GM MORATORIUM! The Vic govt is expected today to announce a 12 m moratorium on the planting of GM canola. Ag Min Bob Cameron is likely to announce the ban to allow an assessment of how the technology would affect the marketing of the state's produce. The move will bring Vic into line with NSW, SA, WA and Tas, which have all announced a moratorium. Adelaide. SA/US CONTAINER SERVICE! SA industry will have direct access to markets in the US from today. The internat'l container ship Columbus Coromandal is due at Outer Harbor [sic] this morning to start the new service. Port officials say previously container goods had to be sent by rail to MEL before going on to the US. Goods to be loaded today incl wine, motorcycle wheels, car mirrors and meat. {{ Continuous news IT'S DAY FORTY-NINE. 6 am The Dow is down 30 pts to 8,557. The Nasdaq is also down 17. There has been some good economic news -- wholesale sales were up 1% last m -- but the markets have shrugged it off. Coke up $2.25. K-Mart quietly emerged from Chap 11 after 15 m. It's now a leaner company. But its share price is down 9%. The FTSE is down 13. Oil is up to $US26.35/bbl. Gold is down $2.38. The AUD is trading around 63.78 US c. The Nikkei and Hang Seng closed marginally up yesterday. The Pentagon says "initial tests" confirm the discovery of a portable bio weapons lab in N Iraq. Howard has met with Blair in London. At a press conf they congratulated each other for bringing their populations around to support an initially unpopular war with Iraq. They are both trying to make changes to their nat'l health systems. Howard is now off to Doha to personally thank AUS troops. The Whitehouse is not convinced an audio tape given to the SMH is the voice of Saddam Hussein. On the 14-min tape what's believed to be the Iraqi dictator calls on Iraqis to wage a secret war against the US occupation forces. The tape was given to SMH reporters in Baghdad by 2 people who had tried to find reps for al-Jazeera. The newspaper says it's had a prelim analysis done in MEL, and a linguist says the rhetoric on the tape is in the style of Saddam. [A US report says a former speech-summariser for Saddam also ID's the voice and style as his]. The tape was reportedly made 3 days ago. Police in the US are investigating an "initiation" that has left several female HS students with injuries. The "passing of the torch" at a football game involved beatings with fish, cow entrails and human excrement. 5 students were taken to hospital after the incident. It was recorded by the seniors on VCR. The tape is being examined by police. One girl was left with stitches to a head wound, and others had significant bruising to ribs. More evidence against the GG has turned up. While he was GG he's accused of giving a statutory declaration that is faulty. What have been characterised as "false recollections" were given to a board of inquiry within the Anglican church. Snr govt mins have warned they would be concerned if Hollingworth was involved in protecting sex offenders or condoning their actions. Snr church officials are divided on the issue. Some call for the GG to "consider his position" and the reputation of the office he holds. Others say there is not enough evidence for the GG to stand down. In the UK, PM Howard is still refusing to concede there's a problem. The PM told reporters again yesterday there were no grounds for dismissing the GG. [Other reports characterise the PM's stance as "refusing to back the Governor General"]. It was unclear whether the PM had heard the latest allegations. In another report, journalists are investigating a claim that GG Hollingworth has obtained an injunction in a Vic court against the release of details of a court case. 6.30 As American officials say they're having trouble finding eligible prospective Iraqi politicians that are unconnected with Saddam Hussein and the Baath party, Iraqi doctors and nurses hit the streets today, protesting the US-appointed Health Min is linked with the old regime. They also demanded equipment and medicines. Meanwhile, mail services in Baghdad have resumed. Iraqis lined up to post their first letters since the war began. A Senate committee in the US has recommended Tony Blair be given the Congressional Gold Medal. He will become the 17th non-American to receive the highest civilian honour. The last Brit recipient was W Churchill. A former MEL taxi driver has been released by Pak . He had been accused with fighting for the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan. He was arrested in Mar. He may still face charges in AUS of terrorism. 2 Aussie teens in India have been released from quarantine after 4 days. They have recovered from symptoms similar to SARS. New German economic data shows a big rise in unemp, and a decline in manufacture. At the close, the FTSE is down 14 to 3,993. In Germany, the Dax closed down 61 pts to 3,005. London gold was marginally down, trading around $US340/oz. SARS deaths in China have risen to 219. WHO officials say the virus may be almost under control there. More twisters have hit Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois. At least 2 were killed in S Illinois. Many buildings were destroyed in storms overnight. More bad weather is on the way. 80 twisters killed 43 people on the weekend. In Kenya, 30 people have been killed and 100,000 displaced by 2 wks of torrential rains. The UN is warning of another humanitarian disaster. 17 cases of cholera have been confirmed in S Iraq. The WHO has warned of a possible epidemic. Midday. A bio-weapons lab has been found in N Iraq. But the tractor-trailer has not tested positive to bio- or chem-agents. The US are doing more tests. A Pentagon rep said they have not found an alternative explanation for the vehicle. With more than 100 of the most promising Iraqi WMD sites now inspected, officials conceded no agents have been found and no site has even tested positive to banned agents. One rep said the best the Admin can now hope to show is that Iraq once had a chem- or bio-weapons program. [Something that the Iraqis have freely admitted for decades]. ABC TV. Basra. In Iraq's 2nd city there's a new fear -- cholera. More children are brought in to hospitals every day. They have been drinking contaminated water. Doctors complain of shortages of fluids and basic equipment to deal with the cases. They say they see some cases of the disease every y. But this y -- after 3 wks of war and 13 y of sanctions -- they have absolutely no medical defences against it. People are still drinking water from canals. It's a mistake that might now cost some their lives. New AUS economic data is out today. Unemployment last m was 6.1% -- down from 6.2% the m before. But employment also fell for the 3rd m in a row. It was down 14,000. In Vic, the unemp rate rose to 5.4%, but it's still the lowest in AUS. The ASX is weaker at noon, as the market digested earnings results from Westpac and BHP, and Qantas' latest earnings downgrade. The All Ords was down 15 pts to 2,929. 5.30 pm In an unprecedented move, GG Hollingworth has made a videotape to deny he raped a woman in the 1960s. He said he never met the woman and had never attended a camp at which she claimed she had been raped by Hollingworth. The woman since died. The matter had been a subject of a court suppression order. 6 pm A lawyer says the rape case involving GG Hollingworth is on-going, despite the GG's strong denials and the woman's recent death. [All suppression orders have now been lifted. The plaintiff committed suicide 2 wks ago]. 6.40 pm While the first cases of cholera are being reported in the S, children in Baghdad are falling ill with typhoid. With the infectious diseases hospital out of action due to looting, the highly-contagious cases are being kept in wards with other children with GI problems. Doctors just can't do anything else. SBS TV showed pix of one child with a heart deformity. Before the war, the heart unit could have fixed the problem. But now, there is little hope. The child is expected to die within days. Elsewhere, US and Brit military are trying to get the electric grid back up. Almost fully functioning until the final days of the war, some generators are not working either. SBS showed one generator in the capital. "That meter should be reading 24", said the voice-over, "not 2". Military cmdrs tell the cameras they're not power engineers. Exactly who is responsible for the damage is not emphasised. When the lights went out in Baghdad, as the US raid on the city's international airport was underway, Centcom denied it was due to US action. But Iraq claimed the US had dropped aluminium strips on generators and power lines -- shorting them out. EMP bombs can also have the same effect. Without electricity, the water system won't work -- water pumping stns are electric. Before the war the WHO and other agencies had estimated the child death rate if the water supply was damaged. They'd seen the same thing in GWI. Nasiriyah. "Saving Pte Ryan" was a big propaganda coup in the US. But while some of the spin was shot down by Ryan's no-bullshit Old Dad, doctors in Nasiriyah are now putting the boot in to the rest of the Pentagon copy. They say Ryan's broken leg was caused when her vehicle turned over -- not as a result of gunshot wounds. They say they befriended the girl, with one member of staff buying her a tracksuit. While the Pentagon says a "spy" had come to them with the story of POW Ryan, and the "spy" was sent back to help guide her rescuers, doctors say they had tried to hand her over to the US military themselves. She wasn't mistreated, either. The US military said she'd been tortured by Iraqi soldiers. The story of firefights between US special forces and Iraqi irregulars on the way into the hospital during the "snatch" may also be "exaggerated". The doctors say the Iraqi forces had left the hospital and the area the day before the Americans arrived. 7.15 pm 3 more mobile phones have been found at Pt Phillip prison. AMP shares have fallen to new all-time lows. The company's now withdrawn plans to put forward a plan to reward CEO Mohl $7 mn under a share incentive plan. Shareholders would have been outraged, but the company isn't saying that -- yet. AMP has lost about 1/2 its value under his stewardship. Gold is down $2 to $US340/oz. Petrol in SYD is still playing catch-up with post-war falls. ABC News says it's 80.6 c/L today, down 4.1% on last wk. The AUD is 63.73 US c following buoyancy in the USD. There's speculation key European banks will cut interest rates next wk. 7.30 pm The Met Bureau has given the last rights to the current El Nino, with Pacific Ocean temps returning to normal. We might now see and end to drought conditions across the country. }} ---------------------------------------- Fri, 09 May 2003. Markets 34 killed in train crash 100s still missing after floods 30 hospitalised Tornado injures dozens 1000s attend govt funeral: Columbia 3 terrorists arrested in Brit Potter thieves charged Targeted assassination 2 soldiers killed US releases more prisoners Howard to congrat troops TGA cancels more licenses Computer spies CCTV not effective crime tool: report GM moratorium draws criticism AUS becomes bikini capital Sydney (midday). MARKETS! The All Ords has opened lower. At midday it was down 11 pts. The Nikkei is up 45 pts (0.6%). O'night the Dow closed down 70 pts (0.8%) to 8,491. The Nasdaq ended down 17 pts. In London, the FTSE also ended down 64 pts (1.6%). Gold has jumped more than $US6/oz and oil is stable. Siofok. 34 KILLED IN TRAIN CRASH! At least 34 people have been killed when a train slammed into a German tourist bus at a lakeside resort in C Hungary, slicing the coach in 2. Rescuers say most of the dead and injured were inside a mangled section of the double-decker bus. The wreckage was shunted 200 m by the train at a railway crossing at Siofok on the shores of the popular resort of Lk Balaton. Reports indicate the bus driver ignored a flashing red light warning of the train's approach. It's the 2nd deadly bus accident in the same region of Hungary in less than 1 y. BA. 100S STILL MISSING AFTER FLOODS! 100s of people are still unaccounted for 1 wk after record floods hit Argentina's farming heartland, prompting fears the death toll could surge above 22. Around 70,000 people remain evacuated from their homes in the C farming prov of Santa Fe after a major river overflowed its banks, flooding vast tracts of land and forcing many to live in tents on the roofs of their homes. Local residents now navigate the streets in canoes, with murky brown water at head height in some areas. Sydney. 30 HOSPITALISED! About 30 adults and children have been hospitalised in Dubbo in C W NSW with abdominal pains and vomiting. An ambo rep says it's still unclear what ha caused the illnesses. He says at about 1 am ambulances were called to the Wangbangalang Field Study Centre on Obley Rd, about 30 km S of Dubbo. He says a number of children and adults were suffering abdominal pains and vomiting. Oklahoma City. TORNADOS INJURES DOZENS! A tornado has swept through OC, injuring dozens of people as it flattened homes and scattered cars and mobile homes across the landscape. At least 96 people have been injured, a dozen critically. The twister struck just as the afternoon rush hr was beginning, ripping roofs off homes and businesses, and heavily damaging a GM plant. There are also reports of damage at nearby Tinker AFB. [Other reports say 200 tornados have touched down across the US since Sun. Weather people say the one storm system is presently harassing about 1/2 the continental US -- a very rare event]. Medellin. 1000S ATTEND GOVT FUNERAL: COLUMBIA! 1000s of Columbians waving white handkerchiefs have accompanies the flag-draped coffin of their beloved governor, who was executed by rebels along with 9 other hostages during a botched rescue attempt. Antioquia state governor Guillermo Gaviria was killed by the Rev'y Armed Forces of Columbia rebels on Mon. He was seen by many as a martyr who died trying to bring peace to a country that for decades has been wracked by bloodshed. London. 3 TERRORISTS ARRESTED IN BRIT! Brit police say 3 people have been arrested in connection with a suicide bombing carried out in Tel Aviv by a Brit Muslim last m. The trio have been charged with terrorism offences. The bombing in Tel Aviv on Apr 30 killed 3 and the bomber. One bomber got away. The 3 charged today are a 46 yo man, and 2 women aged 27 and 35, all from Derbyshire, N Eng. They will appear at London's Bow St magistrates court. London. POTTER THIEVES CHARGED! Police say they've charged 4 people in connection with the theft of the new and eagerly-awaited JK Rowling's "Harry Potter" book. Suffolk Police say they've charged 44 yo Donald Parfitt, a printing employee from Worlingham, E Eng, with stealing copies of chapters of the new book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". Jerusalem. TARGETED ASSASSINATION! Fresh violence has erupted in the Middle E as Israel and the Palestinians prepare to urge US Sec of State Powell to pressure the other side over the implementation of the "Road Map" during a weekend visit. An Israeli chopper conducted a rocket attack on a car in Gaza City, killing 1 Hamas militant and injuring 3 bystanders. That attack came hrs after a man was killed by Israeli gunfire in Khan Yunis in the S Gaza Strip. Baghdad. 2 SOLDIERS KILLED! 2 American soldiers have been killed in separate attacks in Baghdad. At least 1 was shot in a bold daylight attack. Military officials sat at least 1 other soldier has been wounded when a US vehicle hit an explosive in part of the city believed to have been cleared of land mines. In the more brazen attack, an un-ID'd Iraqi walked up to a soldier on a bridge and opened fire with a pistol, apparently at close range. Washington. US RELEASES MORE PRISONERS! The US has released another small group of POW's in its war on terrorism from the US base in Cuba. Defence officials say 13 prisoners among the 660 held at Guantanamo Bay without charges have been flown to Afghanistan, where they were to be turned over to Afghan authorities. Human rights groups have demanded that those being held at the Cuban base without charge or access to lawyers be released or formally charged. Doha. HOWARD TO CONGRAT TROOPS! PM Howard has flown into the tiny sheikdom of Qatar in the Persian Gulf -- the home of the major US command post during the war. He will personally address Aussie troops and congratulate them on the job in GWII. Many Aussies on duty in the region have been brought to Doha to hear his address. The PM has dined with Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalid al Thani and expressed his gratitude for the part Qatar played in regime-changing neighbouring Iraq. Although snr ministers from other govts, incl AUS Def Min Robert Hill, have come to the region since the war's conclusion, Mr Howard is the first Coalition leader to make the trip. Sydney. TGA CANCELS MORE LICENSES! The drug watchdog, the TGA, has cancelled the manufacturing licenses of more than a dozen herbal supplement companies. The SMH reports the licenses were cancelled yesterday because the companies failed to disclose whether or not they have ties with disgraced Pan Pharmaceuticals. It says the cancellation follows repeated warnings that all herbal supplement companies supplying OTC pills and capsules had to lodge a formal response by last Wed. Sydney. COMPUTER SPIES! It's been reported the NSW police service is set to recruit 20 computer specialists as spies for the NSW counter-terrorism unit. The SMH says successful applicants will be designated special constables and offered wages of between $60,000 and $103,000. Commissioner Ken Moroney considers the high wages offer to civilians necessary to recruit the best computer specialists from the private sector. The new recruits will work in the newly-created State Electronic Evidence Branch of the police Special Service Group. Melbourne. CCTV NOT EFFECTIVE CRIME TOOL: REPORT! A report by criminal experts say security cameras on Aussie streets are an ineffective crime-fighting tool. A joint study by Melbourne and Monash Unis evaluated CCTV surveillance systems in AUS public spaces. The study found no evidence of a reduction in crime. Dr Dean Wilson from Monash Uni says surveillance cameras in SYD and CBR that target street drug dealing have merely moved the problem elsewhere. Melbourne. GM MORATORIUM DRAWS CRITICISM! Farmers and environmentalists have criticised the Vic govt's decision to put a 1-y moratorium on the production of GN canola in the state. They say the decision is a "mate's deal" that acme without consultation. Ag Min Bob Camerson says the short-term ban will allow a detailed study of the impact of the commercialisation of GM canola on Vic export markets. Sydney. AUS BECOMES BIKINI CAPITAL! An internat'l fashion buyer says Mercedes Australian Fashion Week has helped secure AUS's place in the sun as one of the world's bikini capitals. Helen Allison, from HK dept store Lane Crawford, says the swim-wear is among the standouts at this y's event. She says her buyers have spent about $1/2 mn at the show -- much of it on swimwear. Fashion week ends tonight and is expected to generate up to $45 mn in orders. {{ Continuous news IT'S DAY FIFTY. 4 am BBC World News. Dick Armitage is flying into Deli for talks with the Indian govt about its standoff with Pakistan. Pakistan has called on India to jointly renounce nuclear weapons. India has refused. PM Atal Bahari Vajpayee says while Pakistan's nuclear program is India-specific, India's programs is not Pakistan-specific. There were "others" India has concerns about. While India has publicly declared a no-first-strike policy, the PM noted Pakistan had declined to adopt that policy. The US has started concerted efforts to lift UN sanctions against Iraq, so the sale of oil on world markets can resume. It's called for a UNSC meeting on Fri to discuss a new resolution. Russia and Europe have been asking for proof that Iraq has been disarmed of its WMD -- the alleged reason the US regime-changed the country in GWII. Brit may move toward a system of ID papers to combat what's seen as a growing problem of asylum seekers and illegal immigration. With far RW groups making inroads in recent elections, the Labour govt is underlining concerns about economic migrants being "mixed up" with immigrants that need protection from persecution in their "source countries". Police have arrested 4 people in connection with the theft of the next Harry Potter novel. Earlier in the wk several copies of the new book were found in a field near where it's presently being printed. 4.45 am The European C bank have decided not to cut interest rates. The decision has drawn consternation from the US. Despite signs the Euro-zone is slipping toward stagnation, the int rates remain at 2.5%. The Bank says it expects GDP growth to resume in 03H2. Some Americans say the ECB is "too cautious". Others claim the Bank is "too macho". The euro continued rising on the news. The Bank of England also decided to leave its rates at 3.75%. The Dax was down 4% today. Russia has suspended some flights to HK and China. It's indicated it's prepared to cut all flights in an effort to combat the SARS virus. A young man in hospital on the Russia/Chinese border is reported to be "almost certainly" Russia's first case of SARS. China reports its exports are collapsing on SARS fears. They base their prediction on the collapse of orders from the Guangdong trade fare this y -- normally responsible for 10% of annual orders. The trade fare ended 2 wks ago, with very few foreigners showing up. A Dutch company has become Europe's own Enron, with its US arm fiddling the books to the tune of almost $US900 mn. Previously it had reported accounting irregularities amounted to about $US1/2 bn in over-statement of profits. The food retailing company has seen its share price increase on the announcement of the revised figures. 6 am 2 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq in separate incidents. One soldier died when his vehicle hit a land mine in Baghdad. Another was shot at close range as he guarded a bridge about 50 km N of Bagdad. As the US moves to drop its long-standing trade sanctions on Iraq, medicines have begun arriving in Baghdad. The supplies may be arriving just in time to head off typhoid and cholera cases that are appearing in children in Baghdad and Basra. Elsewhere, the criminal courts in Baghdad have resume. US officials say the courts will start dealing with cases of lawlessness and theft and will send a message to the population that law and order has is being restored. The USD has tanked overnight, with the AUD and euro hitting new highs. The AUD is presently at 64.41 US c -- a new 3-y high. The DJIA is down 68 pts. Gold rocketed up $6.40/oz as investors dumped the greenback, and oil is also up 60 c. }} ======================================== (*) 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. *** A bit windy, ain't it? ***