From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia
Reserch Senter(*)
OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS #206
===============================
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).
Our Home Page:
The Undeniable Evidence:
Even More Uneniable Evidence:
US Centcom News Releases:
Iraqi Body Count: [9,211 as at 02 Jun 2004].
UN Mailing List:
Some Of The News, Some Of The Time:
This Stuff Blogged:
Also Kindly Archived:
------------------------------------------------------------
Selecting latest news stories and other data for you...
------------------------------------------------------------
The world is a really messy place... I have not seen things this bad
since I joined the UN...
-- UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan, 10 Jun 2004.
Everything's coming to a head in an unprecedented manner, Annan
told NPR.
Personal relationships are private BUT... violence against woman is
unacceptable.
-- PM John Howard, Jun 2004.
Australia says no. A trimmed-down anti-abuse campaign has finally
kicked off after months of delays and $mns in cancellation fees.
I don't expect more troops to be offered up by NATO... That is an
[smiling insincerely] unrealistic expectation.
-- Pres Bush Jr, G8 summit, 10 Jun 2004.
France has kicked up a fuss about NATO becoming involved in the
Bush Admin's Iraq fiasco.
There was no attempt to mislead or cook the books in any way...
-- Sec of State Colin Powell, 10 Jun 2004.
New people. An Apr global terrorism report that claimed the Bush
Admin was beating back terror attacks to the lowest level in
decades was a little bit wrong. Attacks were actually up.
These are weak charges... And it begs the question -- where are the
worst of the worst?
-- def lawyer Maj Mori USMC, 10 Jun 2004.
War crimes. Non-standard charges of "conspiracy to commit war
crimes" have been brought against Aussie Guatmo detainee David Hicks.
Is this the best they can do? [...] Where are the al-Qaeda people?
-- def lawyer Stephen Kenny, 10 Jun 2004.
Kenny says Hicks has been accused of offering to translate terror
manuals into English, but only speaks about 100 words of Arabic.
He had the intent to kill [some Coal'n soldier].
-- Pentagon rep Maj John Smith [!], 10 Jun 2004.
The charges against Hicks boil down to interpretations of intent.
How you can make a war crime out of this, I don't know.
-- Michael Ratner, [NY-based] Centre for Constitutional Rights, 10 Jun 2004.
Observes say it's not a crime to be a soldier -- even for the Taliban.
I don't think you can pick an al a carte menu... the world doesn't
work that way now.
-- Under-sec of State Rich Armitage, 10 Jun 2004.
The Bush Admin says its foreign relationships are an all or
nothing thing these days.
It takes 2... to have an alliance.
-- Under-sec Rich Armitage, 10 Jun 2004.
These saboteurs are not freedom fighters... these foreign fighters are
saboteurs ...
-- Iraqi PM, 10 Jun 2004.
A is not B, but B is A. The new Iraq.
----------------------------------------
Thu, 10 Jun 2004.
HEADLINES:
Iraq PM not "ashamed" of having ties with CIA
Guardsman alleges Iraq abuse
G8 harmony shattered, as France and US duel over Iraq
Canada may dip toe into Iraq quagmire
Bush, Chirac at odds on NATO role in Iraq
Bush envisions wider NATO role in Iraq
Afghan fighting sees 70 killed
Booming Antarctic tourism faces regulation
Freak 30-second storm hits Melb
G8 to crack down on N Korea, Iran
Gangland arrests "saved a life"
Garrett voted "while in AUS"
German bomb blast injures 17
Inflation expectations fall
Israel starts Gaza pullout
Jobless rate hits 23-y low
Mobile danger study "inconclusive"
Olympics organisers too busy for IOC slanging match
US Capitol building evacuated
Washington begins farewell to Reagan
Whales show up early in SA
Washington begins farewell to Reagan
Washington. Late US president Ronald Reagan has made his final
journey to Washington, where his body will lie in state amid an
overwhelming public outpouring of affection.
His flag-draped coffin has arrived in the US capital aboard Air Force
One, beginning 48 hr of solemn ceremony culminating in the 1st state
funeral in the US capital in 3 decades.
The powerful and the public have already gathered in the capital for
farewell salutes to the man known as "the great communicator".
Even hours before Mr Reagan's body arrived, people began to line up to
view it. His body will lie in state in the US Capitol Rotunda for 34 hr.
"It'll be an honour to show this man my respect," said Carol Williams
from Virginia, who arrived before dawn to be the 1st in line, a block
from the Capitol. "He was a man of his word, had a great sense of
humour and brought down the Berlin Wall," said Barbara Huff, a school
nurse from Pennsylvania.
"I flew here this morning from Springfield, Missouri," said Scott
Haymes, an advertising salesman. "It wasn't cheap but it's worth it."
By early afternoon, scores of people, many with umbrellas to shield
themselves from a sweltering sun, were lined up while police
distributed bottled water.
More than 150,000 mourners are expected to file past Mr Reagan's
casket. Nearly 100,000 people made the trek to his presidential
library outside LA earlier in the week.
Mr Reagan will be the 1st president since Democrat Lyndon Johnson in
1973 to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda and will be honoured early
on Fri (US time) at the Washington Nat'l Cathedral.
His body will then return to California for burial.
Mr Reagan left the Whitehouse 15 y ago and is now seen, at least
retrospectively, as one of the nation's most popular presidents.
But the conservative Republican also generated a good deal of
controversy during 2 terms that were marked by deep social and
political divisions at home and intense anti-American sentiment
abroad, chiefly in Central America.
G8 to crack down on N Korea, Iran
Savannah, GA (AAP). The leaders of the Group of 8 nations singled out
N Korea and Iran in a statement of concern about the spread of nuclear
weapons.
The leaders issued an "action plan" affirming their commitment to the
6-party talks that aim to persuade N Korea to dismantle its nuclear program.
The leaders, in Sea Island, Georgia, for an annual summit, urged the
communist state to abandon its weapons program.
"We strongly support the 6-party process, and strongly urge [North
Korea] to dismantle all of its nuclear weapons-related programs in a
complete, verifiable and irreversible manner," the statement said.
The parties in the nuclear talks comprise N and S Korea, Russia,
China, the US and Japan.
On Iran, the leaders stopped short of adopting the US position, which
is that there are grounds for suspecting that the Islamic republic is
trying to develop nuclear weapons.
But the group urged cooperation with the Internat'l Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, and said that despite some
progress, Iran was still dragging its feet on full disclosure.
"While we acknowledge areas of progress reported by the [IAEA
director], we are, however, deeply concerned that Iran's suspension of
enrichment-related activity is not yet comprehensive," the statement said.
"We deplore Iran's delays, deficiencies in cooperation and inadequate
disclosures," the statement said.
The G8 links the US, Brit, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia.
G8 harmony shattered, as France and US duel over Iraq
Sea Island, GA (AFP). The US and France clashed again over Iraq,
sparring over NATO's role in the occupation, one day after soothing
their dispute on post-war strategy with a new UN resolution.
Diplomatic hostilities re-ignited at the Group of 8 summit, after US
Pres George Bush, emboldened by the Security Council green light for
his bid to remake Iraq, went on the offensive, calling for a greater
NATO presence in the country.
"We will work with our NATO friends to at least continue the role that
now exists and hopefully expand it somewhat," Bush told reporters
after huddling for breakfast with top war ally, Brit PM Tony Blair.
Facing a knife-edge reelection battle, Bush wants to ease the plight
of US troops, many of whom are reservists or on extended tours as they
battle a vicious insurgency.
But French Pres Jacques Chirac, reprising his role as Bush's chief
antagonist over the Iraq invasion last y, erected an immediate
rhetorical roadblock on the highly secured private island hosting the summit.
"I do not think that it is NATO's job to intervene in Iraq," Chirac said.
"Moreover, I do not have the feeling that it would be either timely or
necessarily well understood," said Chirac.
"I see myself with strong reservations on this initiative."
Although the US, Brit and other NATO members have troops in Iraq, the
alliance has no real formal role in the country, and some NATO members
like Canada, France and Germany have declined to send troops.
The clash overshadowed a display of unity put on by smiling leaders,
zipping to talks at a plush E coast resort in hi-tech golf buggies.
Discord also surfaced over the issue of Iraq's mountainous debt, with
European states resisting US calls to quickly forgive almost all of it.
A French official, who asked not to be named, said the G8 had agreed
to forgive a "substantial" part of Iraq's US$120 bn debt but had not
set a precise figure.
The US is pushing for up to 90% to be cancelled but countries like
France, Russia and Canada unwilling to go so far.
Russian Pres Vladimir Putin is ready to cancel 65% of the Iraqi debt
and is also linking the move to the ability of his country's
businesses to operate in Iraq, a Russian official said.
He quoted Putin as telling US Pres George W Bush that "our flexibility
will depend on yours and the capacity of our businesses to work in Iraq."
New sparring over Iraq emerged as Bush prepared to introduce the
country's Iraqi interim president Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawar to the world stage.
A day after the Sec Council voted to return Iraqi sovereignty but to
permit US troops to stay on, Bush was also due to hold one-on-one
talks with al-Yawar.
Despite the discord, the summit did deliver early on the trade front,
as G8 leaders vowed to revive stalled World Trade Organization talks
"promptly," according to Japanese officials.
Bush also tried to prevent his watered down plans for a social,
political and economic shakedown of the Middle E and N Africa from
fizzling out completely.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia, alarmed by the implications of the initiative
declined an invitation to the millionaires' playground on the E coast
hosting the 3-day summit.
Europe too has signalled it believes threats to the W from the Middle
E can best be eased by 1st draining the Israeli-Palestinian bloodbath.
The Whitehouse is pushing a "Broader Middle E and N Africa Initiative"
to promote political, social and economic reforms, and has rejected
calls to shelve the strategy until the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cools.
But European Commission chief Romano Prodi warned Tue that "the mother
of all conflicts is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," arguing only
peace in the Holy Land would spur reform and W oriented policies in
the region.
European Union officials said that any US focus on the region was
welcome, but diplomatic adviser to the European Commission Stefano
Sanino said Europe had been working on the same lines for y -- "for us
there is nothing new in this," he said.
Sources in Cairo said Egypt and Saudi Arabia fear they are first on
the Washington wishlist for political, social and economic reform in
the region and declined an invitation to attend the summit.
Tunisia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Arab League
followed suit, but the leaders of Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan and Yemen
have accepted Bush's invitation.
The summit, less than a m after the US warned al-Qaeda may soon
attempt another strike, follows new terror attacks in Saudi Arabia and
warnings attributed to al-Qaeda that W airliners could be in the
cross-hairs again.
The Whitehouse said G8 leaders will agree to improve airline security
and boost initiatives to curb the spread of nuclear weapons.
The Group of 8 consists of Brit, Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, Russia and the US.
Bush, Chirac at odds on NATO role in Iraq
Savannah, GA. US Pres George W Bush has proposed a NATO role in Iraq
at the Group of 8 (G8) summit but the war's main opponent, French Pres
Jacques Chirac, says the alliance has no mission there.
Fresh from winning a UN resolution on Iraq, Mr Bush and his closest
Iraq war ally, Brit PM Tony Blair, discussed possible NATO involvement
in training Iraqi security forces over breakfast.
"We believe NATO ought to be involved," Mr Bush said.
"There's going to be some constraints, obviously. A lot of NATO
countries are not in a position to commit more troops."
But Mr Chirac told a news conference he did not think it was the
"mission" of NATO to intervene in Iraq.
"Nor do I think it would be relevant or well-understood in Iraq," he said.
Mr Chirac says he would be willing to consider the idea if the interim
govt due to take over in Iraq on June 30 requests it.
Despite the difference of opinion, Mr Chirac and fellow G8 member
Gerhard Schroeder of Germany, who both strongly opposed the US-led
invasion of Iraq last y, reported a collegial diplomatic atmosphere at
the summit.
"There has been a remarkable change in the American foreign policy,"
Mr Schroeder said.
US officials described Mr Bush's meeting with Mr Schroeder at the
summit as the warmest between the 2 leaders in more than a year.
"American colleagues understood they have to play ball and they did
play ball," Mr Chirac said.
Mr Bush is seeking the endorsement of his G8 colleagues for an
initiative aimed at promoting democratic and economic reforms in the
greater Middle E and has invited the leaders of Afghanistan, Bahrain,
Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen to the summit.
Egyptian Pres Hosni Mubarak declined an invitation to attend.
A snr Egyptian official said summit organisers offered him the
opportunity to speak for 3 minutes at lunch and he did not think it
worth his while to travel 1000s of miles just for that.
Mr Chirac told those at the summit lunch that democracy could not be
imposed from outside and ending Middle E conflicts had to be the priority.
"We must stand ready to help," he said. "But we must also take care
not to provoke, for that would be to risk feeding extremism and
falling into the fatal trap of the clash of civilisations, precisely
what we wish to avoid."
Bush envisions wider NATO role in Iraq
Council passed Iraq measure 15-0
NY (CBS). Pres Bush, hoping to build on momentum from a unanimous UN
Sec Council vote on Iraq, said Wed that he envisions a wider role for
NATO in post-occupation Iraq.
Standing alongside Brit PM Tony Blair, his top ally in the war in
Iraq, Mr Bush said the 2 discussed NATO's role at a breakfast meeting.
"We believe NATO ought to be involved," Mr Bush said. "We will work
with our NATO friends to at least continue the role that now exists,
and hopefully expand it somewhat."
French Pres Jacques Chirac, however, expressed reservations.
"I'm of course open to all discussion, but I won't hide it from you
that I don't think it is NATO's purpose to intervene in Iraq," he
said. "What's more, I don't feel that it would be opportune nor
necessarily well understood. I am totally reserved about this initiative."
Chirac said NATO involvement "could only be envisaged" if the Iraqi
govt requested it.
NATO rep James Appathurai, speaking to Associated Press Television
News in Brussels, said a possible future role for the alliance would
depend on requests from the Iraqi govt and decisions made by all the
allied countries.
"It could range from a geographic role -- taking over a zone -- to a
functional role, such as training," he said. "It is just to early to
prejudge and we don't want to rush to judgement. Iraq is a long-term
challenge and we need a long-term perspective."
NATO says 16 of its member countries currently have forces in Iraq.
NATO also has 1000s of troops in Afghanistan.
The US and its biggest allies are proclaiming that Tue's unanimous Sec
Council vote on a resolution that backs Iraqi sovereignty and gives
the country's new leaders clout over a US-led force will heal their
bitter divisions over Iraq.
Blair said the next step in the process was to make sure Iraqis can
take care of their own security.
"This is a process of change and we have to help people manage it,"
Blair said, adding that "It's not just about security measures. It's
not just about force."
Asked if he wanted to see a larger role for NATO, Mr Bush said, "I
think NATO ought to stay involved and I think we have a good chance of
getting it done."
He did not elaborate, but Admin officials said the United States would
like to see NATO get involved in training the new Iraqi army, in
addition to having NATO members currently in Iraq remain there.
4 of the 8 industrialised nations at the summit here -- Russia,
France, Germany and Canada -- have not sent troops to Iraq and said
the UN vote had not changed their minds.
A US Admin official, speaking on condition of anonymity after Mr
Bush's meeting with Blair, said the US understands there are
constraints on NATO's possible role given France and Germany's
continued hesitation to send troops. Mr Bush and Blair met for a
private session before Wed's first business session of the G-8 summit.
The G-8 leaders confronted an array of topics Wed. The opening session
was devoted to economic issues, including the threat to economic
growth from rising oil prices. Many countries see America's soaring
budget and trade deficits as equally threatening to world prosperity.
The world leaders were meeting over lunch with the leaders of 6 Middle
Eastern nations in a discussion aimed at boosting Mr Bush's initiative
to promote freedom, democracy and economic growth throughout the
Middle East. Mr Bush hopes the plan will emerge as the central
achievement of the summit.
But his proposal has stirred deep suspicion in the region, and
received a cool reception in Europe -- even from Brit. Many govts have
viewed the plan as unwanted meddling and 3 countries -- Egypt, Saudi
Arabia and Morocco -- turned down Mr Bush's invitation to participate
in Wed's discussions.
Several countries have also insisted that the success of Mr Bush's
initiative depends on resolving conflicts in Iraq and between Israel
and the Palestinians.
The US cause in the Arab world has not been helped by Mr Bush's
support for Israeli PM Ariel Sharon's handling of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, nor the scandal over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US
guards, which caused worldwide outrage.
The G-8 was expected to endorse a scaled-down version of the US plan.
CBS News Correspondent Mark Knoller said there was no limousine or
Secret Service driver for Mr Bush on Wed. He drove himself to the
morning gathering in an electric vehicle that resembles a golf-cart,
painted with the colours of the American flag.
Each of the leaders was provided with a similar vehicle painted to
resemble their nation's flag, but some chose to sit in the back seat
and have someone else drive. The vehicles are battery powered, emit no
emissions, but can hit 25 miles per hour.
German bomb blast injures 17
Cologne. A bomb packed with nails has exploded in a busy shopping
district in the W German city of Cologne, injuring at least 17 people,
a police rep said.
Some of the victims were severely injured, one of them critically.
The rep said a political motive could not be ruled out after the
attack on a 3 storey building in a predominantly Turkish neighbourhood
in the NE of the city, on a street nicknamed "Little Istanbul".
"The street was filled with glass shards and nails," she said, adding
that many of those wounded had lacerations or broken bones.
A rep for the N Rhine-Westphalia interior ministry said it had no info
on possible suspects.
A sweep for the perpetrators was launched.
The blast occurred at about 1400 GMT, in or in front of the building, with
a hairdresser's shop on the ground floor bearing the brunt of the explosion.
Police said glass covered a 50 m radius around the building, which
housed apartments on the upper floors.
The rest of the structure was not severely damaged but the facades of
others in the area showed traces of the explosion and 16 buildings had
broken windows.
Firefighters were searching neighbouring buildings for additional
victims and counsellors were treating area residents.
Police have sealed off a wide perimeter around the site.
US Capitol building evacuated
Washington (AP). Lawmakers, dignitaries and mourners preparing for
Ronald Reagan's funeral ceremony raced from the Capitol after police
feared an airplane was headed for the building and warned: "You have
one minute to impact."
Within minutes, authorities determined the small plane was carrying
Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher to the funeral and had mistakenly
entered restricted airspace around the capital. The building was
quickly reopened. 2 F15 fighter jets were diverted from an air patrol
to intercept the plane.
During the period of uncertainty, police had hustled House Speaker
Dennis Hastert -- 2nd in line to the presidency -- away in a secured
motorcade. Across the street at the Supreme Court, police gathered
several of the justices and whisked them away in cars.
Officers also ran through the Supreme Court halls, across the street
from the Capitol, yelling for employees to leave their desks, and an
alarm sounded in the hallway. "To the basement, to the basement," they
hollered.
Police in the Capitol had shouted at people running down staircases to
run faster. An officer shouted at one photographer trying to look back
through a camera, "You don't have time to look back."
"Incoming plane!" another police officer shouted at reporters asking
what was going on.
Women, many wearing formal dress for the Rotunda ceremony, kicked off
high-heeled shoes to enable them to run faster.
Sen Lisa Murkowski was on the 3rd floor of the Capitol with her staff
when the fire alarms first went off and they started walking out of
the building. "We were walking until we were told to run, get out of
the building," Murkowski said, as one of her staffers tried to find a
lost intern.
"I got a little exercise this afternoon."
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, sweating from the heat and police's
instructions to quickly leave the building, was pressed into welcoming
duty as dignitaries such as former Brit PM Margaret Thatcher
were escorted back into the Capitol.
A sweaty Howard Baker, once Reagan's Whitehouse chief of staff and now
ambassador to Japan, was greeted by Frist inside the door of the Capitol.
"How are you?" Frist said.
"We're still here," Baker said.
Mobile danger study "inconclusive"
Sydney (AAP). Extensive studies of mobile phone radiation had found
"no convincing evidence" that they were harmful, Choice Magazine said.
The findings came from a NZ Consumers' Institute analysis of research
into the potential health effects of mobile phones.
Choice said the NZ study found that research had identified "no
convincing evidence" of a "repeatable, identifiable risk".
"No studies into mobile phone safety have produced any repeatable
identifiable risks," Choice said in its June edition.
"Mobiles have been the subject of close scrutiny for so long, we think
if the risk were anything other than absolutely minimal, consistent
results would have emerged by now.
"In other words, don't worry about reasonable use of your mobile phone
-- there are plenty more significant risks in life."
Choice said the World Health Organisation was unlikely to start any
new research when its current review of mobile phone safety ends in 3
or 4 y.
Some studies had identified various issues but none found a repeatable
risk, it said.
Experiments in Adel on mice, bred to be cancer prone and exposed to
mobile phone radiation for an hour a day for 18 m, found less than
half developed cancer.
A second, more controlled experiment using more mice showed no
increase in the likelihood of cancer.
Choice said the only effect from radio waves on living tissues was
heating, but a brisk walk would warm the head more than talking on a mobile.
"Other sources of radiation are known to be dangerous, yet we
willingly expose ourselves to them every time we lie in the sun, have
an X-ray or take an airline flight," Choice said.
Guardsman alleges Iraq abuse
SF (The Australian). A Cal Nat'l Guardsman said 3 fellow soldiers
brazenly abused detainees during interrogation sessions in an Iraqi
police station, threatening them with guns, sticking lit cigarettes in
their ears and choking them until they collapsed.
Sgt Greg Ford said he repeatedly had to revive prisoners who had
passed out, and once saw a soldier stand on the back of a handcuffed
detainee's neck and pull his arms until they popped out of their sockets.
"I had to intervene because they couldn't keep their hands off of
them," said Sgt Ford, part of a 4-member team from the 223rd Military
Intel Battalion that questioned detainees last y in Samarra, N of Baghdad.
He said the abuse took place from Apr to June.
Sgt Ford's commanding officers denied any abuse occurred, and said
investigations within their battalion and by the Army's Criminal
Investigation Division determined they had done nothing wrong.
"All the allegations were found to be untrue, totally unfounded and in
a number of cases completely fabricated," said the battalion cmdr,
Lt Col Drew Ryan. Sgt Ford's allegations are being further
investigated by the CID, which would not comment on the probe. Sgt
Ford said that when he reported the problems last June to his
commanding officers, they pressured him to drop his claims.
"Immediately, within the same conversation, the command said, 'Nope,
you're delusional, you're crazy, it never happened.' They gave me 30
seconds to withdraw my request for an investigation," Sgt Ford said.
"I stood my ground."
When he insisted on an official investigation, they ordered him to see
combat stress counsellors, who sent him out of Iraq, he said.
Sgt Ford said he did not hear from investigators until the release of
photographs of mistreatment inside the Abu Ghraib prison provoked
worldwide outrage and prompted a review of other allegations of abuse.
Sgt Ford, 49, said he has worked for 18 y as a state prison guard and
has more than 30 y of military experience. He was sent out of Iraq
last June and, after about 6 m in Fort Lewis, Washington, returned
home to the Sacramento suburb of Fair Oaks.
He said his 3 fellow team members were not properly trained to do
interrogations and got carried away with their power.
"You weren't supposed to stand on their neck or put lit cigarettes in
their ears. Twice I had to pull burning cigarettes out of detainees'
ears," Sgt Ford said. "I said, 'Look, this is not going to go over
well with the community of Samarra.' Our people basically ignored all
the warnings."
Sgt Ford said the soldiers routinely brought guns into the
interrogation room, and he once saw his team leader pointing a pistol
at a detainee's head.
The 3 accused soldiers were not available for comment, a California
Nat'l Guard rep said.
Sgt Ford was one of about 100 members of the SF-based 223rd who
arrived in Iraq last spring and spread out in teams of 3 to 6
interrogators, Arabic linguists and counter-Intel officers. The
battalion returned home in March.
Whenever a prisoner collapsed, his team's leader would emerge and say,
"Greg, I think we've got another accident", said Sgt Ford, who has
medical training. "Then I'd have to bring them out and revive them."
Sgt Ford said he told the team leader that if one of the Iraqis died,
he would testify against him in a court-martial. "He basically laughed
it off. At that point, I was persona non-grata," the sergeant said.
So Sgt Ford asked to be relieved from his position, prompting a visit
by his cmdr, Capt Vic Artiga, and Lt-Col Ryan, who "were too busy
threatening me to do any proper investigation", Sgt Ford said.
Capt Ryan and Lt-Col Artiga would not discuss the details of Sgt
Ford's allegations but denied pressuring Sgt Ford to drop his
claims. They said they did an immediate investigation, which cleared
all the soldiers.
"I'm very confident that my soldiers acted professionally, ethically
and within the law, as did I," Lt-Col Artiga said.
But Sgt Ford said nobody interviewed him while he was in Iraq and he
does not think anyone has interviewed the Iraqi detainees. Lt-Col
Artiga also said he does not believe Iraqis were interviewed for the
battalion's investigation.
After leaving Iraq, Sgt Ford underwent psychiatric evaluations at
military installations in Germany and San Antonio, and said those
evaluations found nothing wrong with him.
Iraq PM not "ashamed" of having ties with CIA
Bush calls for increased NATO role in Iraq
Baghdad (AP/Albawaba.COM). Iraq's new PM said Wed he was not ashamed of
having worked with the CIA and other foreign intel services to help
topple Saddam Hussein.
Allawi was asked by a reporter after a Cabinet meeting whether his
Iraqi Nat'l Accord movement maintained ties with American intel during
the last y of Saddam's rule.
"Myself and my organisation were part of the Iraqi political movement,
the liberation movement of Iraq, and because of our efforts to
destabilise the regime of Saddam Hussein we were in touch with a lot
of agencies, including the govt of the US, and we were in touch with a
lot of intel agencies across the world who supported the struggle of
the Iraqi people to get rid of Saddam," Allawi said, according to The AP.
He said it was necessary for the Iraqi opp'n "as a liberation movement
to get in touch with these institutions and these govts."
"I was the head of the political organisation and I was in touch with
at least 15 intel services across the world and the region so there is
not problem there," he added. "We do not feel ashamed of being in
touch ... to get rid of the evil regime of Saddam."
Meanwhile, US Pres Bush called for a broader NATO role in Iraq.
His appeal came as leaders of the Group of 8 powers -- Brit, Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US -- met at a resort
off the coast of the US state of Georgia.
Although the US, Brit and most of NATO's 26 members have soldiers in
Iraq, the alliance has only a limited formal role in the occupied country.
"There's going to be some constraints, obviously, " Bush told
reporters at the Sea Island resort. "A lot of NATO countries are not
in a position to commit any more troops; we fully understand that."
Canada may dip toe into Iraq quagmire
Savannah, GA (Globe&Mail). Quitting the G8 summit a day early to
resume a tight election campaign, PM Paul Martin left open the slim
possibility Wed that Canadian troops could become involved in Iraq.
He was questioned on the issue after US Pres George W. Bush called for
a greater NATO involvement in Iraq, where several nations in the
military alliance are currently deployed but where NATO, as a whole,
remains absent.
"We are members of NATO and we're perfectly prepared to take our
responsibilities as members of NATO," Mr Martin told reporters at a
televised news conference from the summit site on Sea Island, Ga.
"If the Iraqi people wanted NATO to be there and requested that, I am
sure that NATO would agree to accede to that request and Canada would
participate. But we're already present in Afghanistan, we're already
present in Haiti and everyone recognises the extent to which Canada
has dedicated troops to those 2 countries."
A snr official told Canadian Press before Mr Martin spoke that Canada
will offer an increase in its non-military assistance to Iraq. The
official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that
institution-building would remain the focus of Canadian involvement.
Mr Martin picked up the same theme in his remarks, saying that Canada
currently has no troops to send but would do what was necessary to
fulfil its role in the military alliance.
"Fundamentally, with the new Iraqi govt in place, it is up to that
govt, after assessing the situation, to make those requests," he said.
"If the new Iraqi govt were to ask for further NATO involvement, then
that's obviously something that all of the parties would be prepared
to take a look at," he said. "I have said that we're certainly prepared
to participate, I do not believe we'd be participating with further
troop movements, but we're certainly going to participate with expertise."
Mr Bush, who got a boost this wk with a new UN Sec Council resolution
endorsing a multinat'l force in Iraq, told his G8 colleagues he wants
a bigger role for NATO in Iraq, perhaps in training the Iraq army. He
conceded, though, that many NATO nations do not have any surplus
troops to commit.
France's Jacques Chirac, a vocal critic of the Iraq war, said more
NATO involvement wouldn't be "relevant or well-understood."
"I do not believe that it is NATO's purpose to intervene in Iraq," he
said. "I have reservations vis-a-vis this initiative."
Any NATO role in Iraq would depend on requests from the Iraqi govt and
decisions made by all the allied countries, a rep for the military
alliance told Associated Press Television News on Wed, echoing Mr
Martin's position.
At his own news conference, Mr Martin defended his decision to leave
the summit early while the heads of the other industrialised nations
carry on for another day of meetings. He said that the agenda Thu
consists of topics that he has discussed with the other leaders, who
know full well where Canada stands.
"The plans were that I was going to return, and that's why I spent so
much time in the bilaterals, meeting with all of the individual heads
of state," he said. "I've probably done more bilaterals than almost
anybody, in order to make sure the Canadian point of view was felt. I
will have made, by the end of this day, 3 major presentations."
He said that, by the time he leaves Georgia, he will have made major
presentations on private-sector development, nuclear proliferation and
the security meltdown in Haiti.
"In the time that has been open to me here I've done a great deal, and
I think Canada has marked some very, very important points."
Although he has no public events planned for Thu, Mr Martin made it
clear that he is reverting to campaign mode.
"There are times when ... you do public events and there are times
when you do other kinds of work in the middle of a campaign," he said.
Afghan fighting sees 70 killed
Kabul (AFP). US-led forces have engaged in fierce fighting with
insurgents that has left 70 suspected Taliban dead in the past week,
as violence continues in the militia's former strongholds, officials said.
"Since the beginning of the operation, around 70 people from enemy
forces have been killed," southern Kandahar's military cmdr Khan
Mohammed told AFP.
The US-led offensive, which involved marines on the ground supported
by American warplanes, has seen 6 suspected Taliban arrested alive
while 5 Afghan soldiers and 6 coalition troops have been injured, he said.
"Most of the people killed have died due to bombings in different
mountainous areas," he said.
"As we go into areas and secure them we find bodies laying here and there."
The cmdr said he was unsure of the number of militants injured or
involved in the fighting, which was taking place in 3 or 4 valleys of
the rugged mountains along the borders of south-central Uruzgan, SE
Zabul and Kandahar provinces.
Speaking of the bloodiest engagement which took place on Tue, a rep
for the US-led coalition said: "In excess of 20 anti-coalition
militants were killed."
2 US marines, 2 Afghan soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were wounded
in the action nr the US base in the south-central province of Uruzgan
but all were in a stable condition, Lt Col Tucker Mansager
told a press conference in Kabul.
"Marines... continued their assault into the Taliban heartland where
they killed more Taliban fighters who were poised to ambush the marines
in central Afghanistan," the US military said in a statement released.
An Afghan official said that American and Afghan forces had killed
some 21 militants on Tue alone.
"We have 21 dead only yesterday," Kandahar military rep Gen Abdul
Wasay told AFP.
"But 30 have been killed and about 10 injured in the past several days.
"There is a huge clean-up operation going on in the mountainous areas
between Kandahar, Zabul and Uruzgan," he added.
Zabul security cmdr Mohammed Ayob confirmed the major operation which
was going on in Uruzgan and in the border regions and the mountainous
valleys of Deh Chopan in Zabul.
"A joint Afghan and coalition operation, which was launched 3 days
ago, is ongoing -- but there is no resistance right now," he told AFP.
Uruzgan, Zabul and the S province of Kandahar are adjacent to each
other and the point at which they meet has been referred to by the US
military as the "Taliban heartland" and is believed to host a
permanent presence of fighters loyal to the ousted fundamentalist militia.
"We are having a great deal of success in our offensive operations
down there in that area," Mansager said, adding that until recently
the coalition did not have a significant presence there.
Israel starts Gaza pullout
Jerusalem (AP). After a bruising political battle over PM Ariel
Sharon's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities got
down to the nitty gritty of uprooting 1000s of truculent settlers.
A top Israeli official said the pullout, which has fractured Sharon's
govt, is "irrevocable," as the committee overseeing the evacuation
held its 1st meeting.
In N Gaza, meanwhile, a Palestinian was killed as Israeli troops moved
into Palestinian areas, surrounded a house and flattened farmland,
residents said. Palestinian militants fired a rocket at an Israeli
town from the area. The military said soldiers returned fire after an
anti-tank missile was fired at them.
The committee, consisting of top officials from the Def Min'y
and other govt offices, was formed after Sun's dramatic Cabinet vote
approving Sharon's withdrawal plan.
It was the 1st time an Israeli govt has endorsed the idea of dismantling
veteran settlements in the W Bank or Gaza. Under a compromise,
however, the actual evacuations require a 2nd vote that is m away.
The decision prompted the leader of the pro-settler Nat'l Religious
Party to resign from the govt, leaving Sharon with a fragile minority
coalition. Sharon also faces opp'n within his own Likud Party, which
has historically been the main benefactor of the settlements.
Israeli officials said the meeting reflected the PM's determination to
push forward with his plan.
"He is as determined as can be," said the snr govt official, speaking
on condition of anonymity. Following the Cabinet vote, he said, the
plan is "irrevocable."
The plan calls for the removal of all troops and Jewish settlements
from Gaza, where 7,500 Jews live among 1.3 mn Palestinians, and for
uprooting 4 W Bank settlements by the end of 2005.
During Wed's meeting, participants began discussions on compensation
for uprooted settlers and on possible places to relocate them,
participants said.
The Int Min'y was asked to draw up a list of all residents of
the settlements as soon as possible, said one participant, speaking on
condition of anonymity.
He said compensation would be based on settlers' property as of June
6, the day of the Cabinet vote, in a decision aimed at discouraging
new ventures in the settlements.
"The ministries were asked to accelerate the pace of their work to
implement the different aspects of the plan," the PM's office said in
a statement. It said the committee would meet again at the end of the m.
With the resignation of Housing Min Effie Eitam of the Nat'l Religious
Party and a deputy minister, Sharon no longer commands a majority in
parliament.
For now, the opp'n Labor Party has pledged to provide a "safety net"
by abstaining in no-confidence votes against the PM.
Olympics organisers too busy for IOC slanging match
Athens. Greek Olympic organisers have turned the other cheek to
"acid" criticism from the president of the Internat'l Olympic
Committee, who says Athens alone is to blame for overspending and
delayed preparations for Aug's Games.
IOC chief Jacques Rogge has accused Greek Olympic organisers of being
overly lavish in their preparations.
In a wide-ranging interview with Belgian newspaper Le Loir, Dr Rogge
said the Greeks had themselves to blame for budget over-runs of at
least $1 bn.
"The Greeks will have to look at themselves very closely after the
Games," Dr Rogge said. "One thing is certain: the budget overspends
are not the fault of the IOC because we have always insisted on modest
installations, completed in time."
In advice to future cities planning to bid for the Olympics, Dr Rogge
said the IOC would favour sites that "already have a maximum of
infrastructure in place and a minimum of virtual plans".
While the Kathimerini newspaper said the withering criticism amounted
to the most acid yet, organisers preferred to ignore the comments.
Athens Games chief Gianna Angelopoulos said she would not be drawn
into a slanging match.
"What is important is to complete the preparations and be ready for
Aug," she told reporters when asked to comment.
Greece's Deputy Culture Min, Fani Palli-Petralia, who is in day-to-day
charge of the Govt side of Games preparations including major
infrastructure projects, said it was not appropriate to talk about
what was right and what was wrong. "This is time only for work. Work,
work, work," she said.
Inflation expectations fall
Canberra (AAP). Aussie consumer expectations of inflation in the
coming y fell slightly this m as a cooling housing market helped ease
pressure for another interest rate rise, a new survey has found.
The latest MEL Institute survey showed consumer inflationary expectations
waned marginally to 4.3% in June, following a small drop in May.
It found the proportion of respondents who believed prices would
actually fall or stay the same rose in the month.
Consumer expectations of inflation usually exceed the actual inflation rate.
"The fall in inflationary expectations in May and June follows a
surprisingly large increase in Apr," the MEL Institute said.
It said that despite the higher than expected 0.9% rise in March
quarter headline CPI, the annual inflation rate had been falling in
recent quarters.
"Continuing evidence of a slowing in the housing market, as well as
the ongoing effects of the sharp rise of the Aussie dollar from the
start of 2003 to its Feb 2004 peak, have been alleviating pressure for
a further tightening of monetary policy," it said.
Furthermore, while the eventual unwinding of the effects of this local
currency appreciation would be hastened by its 10% fall since its
mid-Feb peak, the moderation in housing and domestic demand should
continue to alleviate inflationary pressures.
"The key risks to inflation beyond the short term are associated with
external factors, notably high oil prices and strengthening world
growth," the institute said.
The survey showed the median inflation rate expected by managers and
professionals this m was 4.8%.
It also found the mean expected annual hourly wage change for all
occupations rose by 0.1 points to 3.1% in June.
The managers and professionals group recorded the biggest rise in the
m for wage changes -- 1.6 points -- followed by the plant
and machine operators group with a rise of 1.5 points.
Jobless rate hits 23-y low
Canberra (AAP). AUS's unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest
level in almost 23 y despite a sharp fall in the number of jobs in
May, new figures showed. The Aussie Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said
the jobless rate fell to 5.5%, from 5.6%, the lowest since
June 1981. But overall employment fell by 41,100 positions, after a
dip in full-time jobs to a 5-m low. The main driver behind the lower
jobless rate was a fall in the number of people working or looking for
work. The ABS said the participation rate fell to 63.5%,
0.4%age points lower than in Apr.
Freak 30-second storm hits Melb
Melbourne. Up to 70 houses have been extensively damaged by a freak
storm in the MEL suburb of Noble Park North. Fierce winds roared
through the suburb for about 30 seconds and tore down power lines and
damaged roofs. The storm, which struck about 10.00 pm, was described
as a mini tornado. In one instance, a pergola was ripped off and
blown on to a neighbouring roof. State Emergency Service unit
controller Phil Kelly says several crews have been working through the
night and expect to continue cleaning up today. "The main damage was
roof damage [with] a lot of tiles off, a lot of debris strewn from one
house to another," he said. "An example had a pergola roof on it that
had come from a street and a half a way so ... in that 20 seconds, it
was quite a lot a damage."
Garrett voted "while in AUS"
Sydney. The Labor Party has acknowledged its likely star recruit,
Peter Garrett, may not have voted in some fed elections but only
because he was overseas at the time.
Mr Garrett yesterday formally applied to join the Labor Party and
officials are expected to rubber stamp his membership today.
Mr Garrett is being touted as a possible Labor candidate in the safe
SYD seat of Kingsford Smith and leader Mark Latham has said the
environmentalist and former Midnight Oil singer would be a welcome
addition to his election team.
A story in today's News Limited newspapers says Mr Garrett has not
voted in any fed polls for the past 10 y.
An ALP rep has acknowledged Mr Garrett may not have voted in some
elections when he was touring overseas and that he probably fell off
the electoral roll during that time.
He says Mr Garrett has now lodged a new enrolment form.
But the Special Min of State, Eric Abetz, is demanding the details
about whether Mr Garrett has been properly enrolled in the past.
"If he wasn't, it really puts a complete cloud over Mr Garrett, who
has spent the last decade hectoring the Aussie people and politicians
-- telling them how to behave and how to conduct themselves -- when he
himself has been unable to conduct himself by the most basic and
rudimentary [tenet] of Aussie democratic law and that is to get
himself enrolled," Sen Abetz said.
Mr Garrett and Mr Latham are expected to face a joint press conference
at 9.30 am.
The ALP machine is likely to take over the pre-selection in Kingsford
Smith, denying rank-and-file members a vote.
Mr Garrett could become Labor's candidate in less than a fortnight.
But some ALP branch members may quit the party if Mr Garrett wins
Labor's endorsement in Kingsford Smith.
Local party stalwart Johnno Johnson says he is livid.
"On this issue [Mr Latham's] gone a bit overboard," he said.
"We want no outsiders imposed on the electors of Kingsford Smith."
Another local, Ken Murray, expects some party supporters to vote with
their feet.
"We could lose membership over it and it would be, I suppose, somewhat
difficult in the future with recruitment," he said.
Mr Murray says he hopes Mr Garrett will decide he does not want the
job because he would be "coming into an electoral environment where
he's clearly not supported by the local membership".
The members are still hoping to convince the party hierarchy that Mr
Garrett is not wanted but concede the plan appears unstoppable.
Gangland arrests "saved a life"
Melbourne. Vic Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon says raids
and arrests carried out yesterday may prove the turning point in MEL's
underworld war.
Police have charged 4 men over an alleged gangland murder plot after
150 police raided properties in at least 6 suburbs yesterday.
The 4 men are due to appear in the MEL Magistrates Court today.
Chief Commissioner Nixon says she hopes the arrests will answer
criticism that the police force has not been effective in tackling the problem.
"I hope that it does," she told Channel Nine. "I think the Purana task
force has done a terrific job.
"They've worked very hard to understand the issues around organised
crime and they've made significant arrests previously as well and I
think in the future there'll be many more to come."
Chief Commissioner Nixon says the arrests may be a turning point.
"I think it was a significant day for us," she said. "We did, I
believe, save someone's life yesterday.
"Perhaps it's a tipping point in many ways. We're on top of this
matter and we'll be bringing it hopefully to a conclusion in the
not-too-distant future."
Alleged underworld figure Carl Williams, 33, is among those charged, along
with a 16-yo youth and 2 men arrested in the beachside suburb of Brighton.
Detectives took a number of items from the Brighton scene, including a handgun.
Williams is charged with conspiracy to murder and incitement to murder.
The 4 men spent the night in custody after appearing at an
out-of-court session at the St Kilda Road Police Complex last night.
The proceeding was not open to journalists nor the public.
Media lawyer Justin Quill tried to gain access but was refused
entry. Mr Quill says the matter should have been heard in open court.
"Unless a magistrate decides for good reason that it is necessary to
close the court but I've not heard any of those sorts of reasons yet,"
he said.
Vic's Assistant Commissioner of Crime, Simon Overland, has described
the arrests as a significant development.
"I think it will prove to be highly significant," he said. "Whether it
proves to be the turning point I think time will tell. It is
significant but we have a lot of work to do."
Police have refused to release details of the intended victim of the
alleged plot but they have confirmed he has links to the underworld.
Asst Commissioner Overland says the person is receiving police protection.
"Even in the charging we won't be making [the target's identity]
known," he said. "We have advice from the Office of Public
Prosecutions in relation to that.
"I understand there will be an inclination to want to find out who the
target was. Please be responsible -- potentially people's lives are at
stake here," he urged the media.
Asst Commissioner Overland says police were in control of yesterday's
operation at all times.
"It was a planned operation and we believe we had good control at all
times," he said. "We don't think there was ever a real risk to the
intended victim and we don't believe, and in fact were confident,
there was never any risk to members of the public.
"We had extremely good control around what was going on and we were
able to resolve the matter before there was ever any real potential of
harm to anyone."
There have been 27 execution-style killings in MEL in the past 6
y. Until yesterday, police had charged only 5 men over 3 murders.
Detectives from the Purana task force have been under intense pressure
to not only make more arrests but to make sure no more people were
killed in the bitter underworld war.
About 150 police officers worked on yesterday's operation, which
involved raids at Brighton, Boronia, Noble Park, Wantirna, Clifton
Hill and Essendon.
Booming Antarctic tourism faces regulation
Cape Town, SA. Antarctic Treaty nations are taking steps to regulate
tour operations to the frozen continent because of a
bigger-than-expected growth in the number of visitors.
About 20,000 tourists are expected to visit the region this y, an
increase from 14,000 last y.
The figures were revealed at a meeting of Antarctic Treaty nations in
Cape Town, S Africa.
Aussie Antarctic Division rep Tony Press says in future, tour
operators will need accreditation and adequate insurance.
Dr Press says the growth in tourism has taken officials by surprise.
"There are new players coming into the industry and there are new
activities all the time," he said.
"[For example] people kayaking in Antarctica, people wanting to do
isolated and remote area activities."
Dr Press says operators will also have to have adequate contingency
plans for search and rescue in case they run into difficulties.
"This is important because of the remoteness of Antarctica but also
the effect that search and rescue activities have on nat'l operators
and other tourist operators in the region," he said.
Whales show up early in SA
Adelaide. Whales have have started arriving in the Great Aussie
Bight, heralding an early start to the whale-watching season in SA.
About 12 of the mammals have arrived at the Head of the Bight viewing
area. Ceduna Visitor Info Centre rep Margie Stott says the whales are
already putting on a spectacular show for visitors. "Those people
that are coming in are saying that they're seeing them right up
close," she said. The whales' arrival is a turnaround from last
season, when Ms Stott says they did not not start arriving until July.
"Last y they were really late. At this time last y we were still
looking for them, so that's really good," she said. Ms Stott says the
whales continue to enchant tourists, who keep coming back for more.
"It's just a natural phenomena that's just absolutely magical to watch,"
she said. "It doesn't matter how many times I go back and watch them,
it still blows me away. "I think most people are in that situation."
{{
5 am
What's believed to be a bomb has rocked the German city of Cologne. A
shop was destroyed by the blast. No injuries have yet been reported.
Former UN weapons chief Hans Blix has been awarded a German peace
prize for 2004. After the ceremony, Blix told DW Radio the handling
of intel in the lead-up to GWII "was a scandal". But he said
impartial and objective fact-finding by the IAEA and UN would remain
more important than intel services of individual countries like Brit
or the US. While he was happy that one of the world's bloodiest
regimes is gone, Dr Blix was not sure the US and UK would have
authorised a war only on the basis of taking him out.
5.30 am
Police in Cologne say a bomb has exploded in a shopping strip,
destroying a house and injuring at least 16 people. There is no
indication who planted the bomb.
Pak troops have killed 8 militants nr the Pak/Afghan border. The
firefight follows a rebel rocket attack on a military post.
At least 10 people have been killed in the collapse of a 5-storey
building in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The owner had added 2 new floors to a
3-storey building that was more than 100 y old.
12 Iraqis have been killed in Fallujah today. It's the first attack
on troops led by a former Iraqi General that had been demoted by
Saddam Hussein and re-instated by the US admin. The Iraqi soldiers
were killed in a mortar attack. No US troops took part in the exchange.
Saboteurs have blown up an oil pipeline between Kirkuk and Turkey.
It's the 2nd attack on the line in 24 hrs.
6 am
The Dow has closed down 64 pts. The Nasdaq ended down 33 pts. US
markets will be closed Fri for Pres Reagan's funeral. In London, the
FTSE ended down 15 after 3 positive days. Europe was also down. The
greenback climbed against all major currencies after Greenspan hinted
at early int rate hikes in the US. Gold plummeted $6.60 to
$US385.20/oz. The AUD is also down 1 c at 68.98 US c. Oil has
bounced back. US crude oil reserves were up, but not as much as the
markets expected. NYMEX crude ended up at $US37.64/bbl.
MEL police have charged 4 men with conspiracy to murder. Police
described the arrests as a "breakthrough" in the investigation of 29
gangland killings over the past 10 y.
G8 leaders have agreed on a "partnership for peace" in the oil-rich
Middle E and N Africa. Leaders in the targeted region have warned
that imposed reforms will fail.
A US soldier says he saw 3 other soldiers abuse prisoners at an Iraqi
police stn.
[More bad news for Mosley and his sock puppets!]
There have been new definitive measurements of Global Warming.
Measurements of greenhouse gases from the unprecedented record from
Antarctic ice cores show CO2 is now 33% higher than any other time in
100s of 1000s of y. Over an 8 y period scientists have drilled down 3
km in Antarctica, to ice dating back 3/4 mn y. The data shows that
over the last 200 y -- corresponding to the Industrial Revolution --
levels of greenhouse gases and temperatures have risen faster than
ever before. It's the most comprehensive data yet obtained.
2 police have been killed in a shooting in N Spain. There has been no
admission of responsibility for the killing.
The blast at the resid'l building in Cologne has reportedly claimed
dozens of injuries. Police say emergency services found a large
number of nails in the debris of the blast. Police have not ruled out
terrorism. Cologne is Germany's 4th largest city and has large Turk
and Kurd communities.
The US has asked to help with the security in the Is nation of
Palau [AKA Belau]. The country -- a US possession -- lies to the E of the
Philippines. There are local fears its proximity to Asia makes it a
"soft touch" for terrorists. The US is helping to strengthen border
security and also provide intel. [Oh, no! Not the Intel!]
11 people have been killed in the Bangladesh capital when a
multi-storey house collapsed. Rescuers are tearing the building apart
in their search for survivors. They've recovered 11 bodies so far.
9 people have died in a fire in Beijing. 39 people have been injured
in the fire. The 18 storey building housed a hotel and offices. The
cause of the blaze is not known.
The Brit Health Secretary has angered anti-smoking groups by saying
cigarettes are one of the few remaining pleasures for the poorest
people of the community. The Tories say Dr Reid has been sending out
"mixed smoke signals". Reid says the middle classes in the UK are
"obsessed with the issue" of anti-smoking. Smoking was not the most
important issue for the poorest people in the community, Reid says.
He himself admits he used to smoke 60 a day. While Reid claimed other
people were being patronising to the poor, observers say the Min
himself is guilty of the same thing. Anti-smoking groups say 70% of
the poor want to give the habit up. Last wk, Tony Blair said the
govt was considering a ban on smoking in all public places.
Police in the US, Brit and AUS are reportedly planning to monitor
"Internet chat rooms" 24 hrs a day for paedophile "grooming" activities.
6.30 am
No surprise is expected in the AUS unemployment data out today. It's
expected unemployment will come close to 23 y lows. a small fall in
actual jobs numbers is also forecast. The unemployment rate has been
5.6% for 6 m.
[Later reports indicate the drop in jobs was larger than expected.
There was also a decline in the participation rate, as large numbers
of job seekers went into "idle" mode].
Police have arrested 6 people in N Spain in connection with the
purchase of explosives used in the Madrid tain attacks.
An Arab Israeli soldier is on trial for killing of a peace activist.
He admitted to firing in the direction of the unarmed civilian.
Earlier, he'd said the man had fired at him first. He's charged with
opening fire with the intention of wounding, giving false testimony,
and obstructing justice. The activist was trying to pull Pal children
to safety and was wearing a fluro jacket at the time of his death.
6.30 pm
While Pres Bush wants NATO to have an expanded role in Iraq, French
Pres Chirac has baulked at the idea. Chirac says NATO has no place
in Iraq and its intervention would not be understood by the Iraqi
people. Canada and Germany have also refused to commit their NATO
forces to Iraqi peacekeeping operations.
[Bush later said NATO's involvement didn't necessarily involve troops,
envisioning a "training" role in Iraq. Many NATO members already have
troops in Iraq].
It's rumoured another major US attack is coming on Fallujah after an
Iraqi force that took over from the US came under mortar attack
yesterday, injuring more than a dozen Iraqi soldiers.
At least 3 police have been killed in Karachi after gunfire opened up
on a motorcade. A bomb exploded nearby, later. Another bomb was
later defused nearby.
11 Chinese have been killed while working on road reconstruction in
Afghanistan. 20 armed men raided their camp nr Kunduz in N
Afghanistan. The N has been seen as relatively safe, with 20 Germany
peacekeepers based in Kunduz.
There have been renewed protests about the number of children in
Aussie detention camps. The demo was timed to co-incide with human a
rights report deadline. 162 children are still in immigration
detention camps. The report, tabled in Fed Parliament last m, set
today as the deadline for the children to be released into the
community. In MEL, 162 pairs of children's shoes were placed outside
the Dept of Immig. In SYD, church bells rang as children emerged from
cages. The govt remains committed to mandatory jail for immigrant
children. They say releasing the children would send a green light to
people smugglers. But observers say the Immig Dept has secretly freed
some of the children, without publicly admitting the policy is wrong.
350 mn people in 25 countries are about to start casting ballots in
the EP elections. The EP has 732 members. The EU public is largely
disengaged. In the 10 new EU nations, only about 38% say they will
vote. Europe-wide issues like the Const'n and environment, are being
overshadowed by national concerns. A smattering of TV anchors, models
and racists are standing.
In Turkey, 4 human rights activists have been mobbed as they were
released from jail. They'd served 10 of their 15 y sentences. The
group, incl a Nobel Laureate, were jailed for associating with
banned Kurdish political groups.
10.30 pm
The AUD is trading around 69.11 US c.
}}
----------------------------------------
Fri, 11 Jun 2004.
HEADLINES:
How innocent Iraqis came to be abused as terrorists
Rumsfeld may widen scope of Iraq abuse probe
US companies face Iraq abuse law suit
Wave of attacks on occupation troops in Iraq continues
Internal rifts threaten interim Iraqi Govt
General: less combat in new Iraq mission
Brit Labour braced for Iraq protest vote
Attacks on oil facilities cost Iraq dearly: PM
ALP claims Iraq withdrawal won't hurt US relations
7 Turks held hostage in Iraq -- official
10 Chinese killed in Afghanistan raid
ALP calls for speedy Hicks trial
ATSIC workers consider legal action over email sacking bungle
Allawi declares Kurdish dispute resolved
Attempted murder charge surprises Hicks's father
Bank of England raises interest rates
Beatles festival to mark Aussie tour anniversary
Brain slows down after 40: study
Brit Health Min Reid dismisses smoking comment "hysteria"
Brit, Dutch lead-off EU ballot
China begins SARS vaccine tests
Comment invited about how best to manage money
Computers in virtually every school in Canada
Dementia impact mainly on aged care
Dogs understand language, researchers say
G8 fails to write off Africa's debt but promises help for Aids vaccine
Garrett to play "imperfect game"
Gasoline surge stalls SUV sales in Canada, US sales power ahead: Scotiabank
Greenback decline prompts Aust dollar recovery
Howard seeks info on JI assassination threat
Indonesian dentist arrested in wake of terror threats
Interest rates rise for 2nd m in row
Iran decries G8 nuclear secrecy claims
Labor to fast-track Garrett's membership
Lawyers slam Hicks charges
Legendary US singer Ray Charles dead at 73
Mice chewing competition outrages RSPCA
New global mining boom forecast
OECD pushes for agriculture reform
Pandas edge back from the brink
Pneumococcal vaccine program targets children, elderly
Resignations plunge New Caledonia into political crisis
Rising energy prices "may stall" APEC economies
Sacked officer moves to sue Vic Police
Sadr loyalists attack Najaff police station
Search continues for 5 WA escapees
Security tight around Perth court following break out
Security top priority as police hunt jail escapees
Telcos bank on mobile e-money
US charges Hicks
US halves Abu Ghraib prisoner numbers
US, France still at odds as G8 summit winds down
Work begins on massive power cables across Bass Strait
OECD pushes for agriculture reform
Vienna (AFP). A decline in state aid to agriculture in the 30-nation
OECD over the past 15 y has been insufficient and more vigorous
subsidy reforms are needed, the organisation said in a study.
Govt backing for agriculture as a part of gross domestic product (GDP)
was unchanged in 2003 from 2002 at about 1.2% and compared with 2.3%
from 1986 to 1988.
But the OECD found that further reforms are necessary since state
intervention remains significant.
It said govt aid to farmers in the 30 members of the OECD came to 229
bn euros ($A401.54 bn) in 2003, or 32% of farm income.
"This represents a slight rise from the 31% recorded in 2002 but is
down from the average 37% of farm income of the 1986-1988 period," the
report said.
From 2001 to 2003, state aid to agriculture ranged from less than 0.5%
of GDP for AUS and NZ to more than 4% in South Korea and Turkey.
In the European Union, the figure came to 1.27% in 2001-2003 and 0.91%
in the US for the period.
For the full OECD, total support for agriculture as a part of GDP has
declined by almost 50% since 1986-1988.
In both the EU and the US the support level has fallen slightly since
1986-1988. In the European Union reductions have been more pronounced
for grains than for sugar or livestock, while in the US the difference
is most evident between cereal products and oilseed crops.
The study found that in 2003, state support in the EU came to 37% of
the value of agricultural receipts, against 39% in 1986-1988 and 35%
for the 2001-2003 average. The OECD-wide figure was 31%.
In the US govt support equalled 18% of the value of agricultural
revenues in 2003 against 25% in 1986-1988 and a 20% average for
2001-2003.
For the full OECD, farm price support policies represent 60% of all
assistance to farmers, which according to the study can impose heavy
penalties on low income families whose spending on food as part of
total expenses is relatively high.
The report also commented on reforms to the EU Common Agricultural
Policy, which have begun taking effect this y and which weakens a link
between subsidies and production.
"The evaluation suggests only a modest fall in production of the main
commodities covered by the reform in the EU, although net exports are
expected to decline more sharply," the OECD concluded.
But it added that the EU reform effort "makes no significant cut in
the overall level of support to EU farmers nor does it open up EU
markets to non-European producers."
Gasoline surge stalls SUV sales in Canada, US sales power ahead: Scotiabank
Toronto (CP). Sales of sport utility vehicles bogged down in Canada
amid high fuel prices last m, but the American taste for gas guzzlers
remained un-sated, the Bank of Nova Scotia's economics dept reported Thu.
Canadian sales in the light-truck sector, which includes SUVs,
minivans and pickups, slumped 12% from a y earlier, while overall
passenger vehicle sales faded 11%.
"In particular, sales of large SUVs were hard hit, plunging 28 per
cent below a y earlier in May -- a sharp reversal from the 7%
advance over the previous 4 m," commented Carlos Gomes, the bank's
auto industry specialist.
"Even purchases of CUVs [crossover utility vehicles] -- the
fastest-growing segment across N America -- declined 13% below a y ago
in May alongside record gasoline prices."
But that finding was disputed by another industry observer, who asked
not to be named. He suggested the numbers used by Gomes were
incomplete and that large SUVs actually maintained their momentum in May.
While the industry's segmented May model-sales numbers won't be
formally released until late this m, data for Apr -- the 1st month
when higher fuel prices were fully factored into the market -- showed
generally solid truck sales.
Although subcompact car sales surged 28% in Apr, partly driven by hot
new products, luxury SUVs posted a 33% gain.
And the May overview released last wk by the automakers but not yet
publicly broken down by model indicated that at least some light
trucks were still moving.
DaimlerChrysler said its overall truck sales last m were off 4.5% from
a y earlier, but sales of the Dodge Caravan minivan rose 11% and the
Dodge Durango SUV gained 95%, albeit to only 635 units.
Ford's truck sales fell 15% in May, but its car sales fell even
faster, by 19%. And its F-series pickups had their best May sales
since 2000. The small Escape, which Ford bills as Canada's
best-selling SUV, gained 2%.
And Land Rover, which makes nothing but pricey SUVs, gained 4.3%.
Market leader General Motors said car sales were down 10% and truck
sales fell 15% in a generally dismal m for the industry in Canada.
"It's too early to tell if this is fuel-related or not," said GM
Canada rep Stew Low. He noted that although sales of some big GM
models such as the Suburban were down over 20%, the hulking Avalanche
climbed 2% and Cadillac trucks gained 25%.
"One month, in my mind anyway, does not make a trend."
In the US, total vehicle purchases hit the highest level since last
Aug, Scotiabank's Gomes noted, and light trucks outperformed the US
industry average with sales up 8.3% from a y earlier.
So far, there is no sign of erosion in Canadian buyers' desire for
SUVs, Gomes added.
"Going forward, light trucks will continue to outperform," though
likely with a shift to less beefy crossover vehicles, he predicted.
If there has been a statistically significant falloff in SUV sales, "I
suspect it's temporary and that we'll see a pickup again," said
independent industry analyst Felix Pilorusso.
"The chances of fuel prices going much higher, especially at higher
sustained levels, is probably pretty remote," Pilorusso said, adding
that the picture will be clearer in 6 m or so.
"If SUV sales continue to fall off as fuel prices either stabilise or
decline, then there could be something more fundamental going on."
Despite record gasoline prices, American sales of big SUVs continued
to rise in May, although the year-over-y advance slowed to 2%,
compared with 11% in the Jan-Apr period.
Fuel costs have a greater effect in Canada than in the US where
gasoline prices are lower, Gomes observed.
He said typical Canadian households, despite on average owning smaller
cars than Americans, spend more than 3% of disposable income filling
up the fuel tank, compared with 2.5% in the US.
"These differences may spur Canadians to change their vehicle buying
patterns more quickly than US consumers."
Bank of England raises interest rates
London. The Bank of England has raised interest rates by a 1/4 point
to 4.5%, accelerating the pace of its gradual monetary tightening
following strong economic data.
A narrow majority of economists polled by Reuters last wk had expected
a quarter point hike in the benchmark repo rate.
The rise follows a similar hike a m ago, and is the 4th -- all of a
quarter-point -- since Nov.
The 3 previous rate hikes have been at 3-monthly intervals, in the
same m as the BoE has produced its quarterly inflation report.
That reflects the bank's stated aim of a gradualist and predictable
monetary policy.
Today's rise steps up the pace at which the bank's Monetary Policy
Committee is raising rates although inflation is running well below
its 2% target.
However, a raft of positive economic data in recent m suggests
inflation will rise above the target in 2 y' time, the horizon the BoE
aims for.
Economists also suspect booming house prices, which are rising at an
annual rate of around 20% according to some surveys, are also a major
factor in the BoE's decision-making.
Economists expect further rate rises over the coming y and futures
markets are pricing in a repo rate of almost 5.5% by the year-end.
Interest rates rise for 2nd m in row
London (Independent). Homeowners were facing the prospect of higher
mortgage bills yesterday after the Bank of England raised interest
rates for the 2nd m in a row.
The Bank's monetary policy committee (MPC) increased the base rate by
a quarter-point to 4.5% to curb inflationary pressures from house
prices, consumer spending and wage rises.
But there was more positive news for consumers when the supermarket
chain Asda slashed petrol prices by 2 pence to 79.9 p a litre,
triggering a price war as rivals Tesco, Sainsbury's and BP followed
suit. Asda attributed its price cut to the decision taken by
oil-producing companies last wk to increase production in order to
avert a global crisis.
It is the 1st time that the Bank has raised rates for 2 successive
months for more than 4 y, and triggered speculation that rates could
rise as high as 6%.
Abbey became the 1st major lender to respond to the decision, raising
its standard variable rate from 6.25 to 6.5% from Mon.
If other lenders follow its lead it will mean a borrower with a
#100,000 mortgage will see their mortgage payments rise by #15 a
month. The Bank has raised rates 4 times since Nov, adding #60 a m --
or #720 a y -- to mortgage bills.
Economists said the move signalled the end of the Bank's "gradual"
approach of raising rates every 3 m to slow consumer spending without
sending shock waves through Brit's highly indebted households.
Roger Bootle, chief economic adviser to the accountancy firm Deloitte,
said the MPC had "seen the light" after realising their previous rate
hikes had done little to curb consumer behaviour. Annual house price
inflation has risen from 14% in Nov, when the Bank ordered its 1st
rate hike for 4 y, to 20% last m, according to the Halifax.
Household debt has risen to almost #1 trillion as consumers took
advantage of the lowest interest rates for 50 y to take out cheap
mortgages, fuelling a surge in house prices.
Yesterday, opp'n politicians said the Bank's switch of policy was a
warning to the Govt to take action to curb debt and rein in its own
borrowing plans.
Vincent Cable, a Liberal Democrats' rep, said: "Gordon Brown must
urgently address the failures that have allowed banks to lend
irresponsibly and fuel un-sustainable levels of debt."
Asda said its new fuel price would apply to unleaded and diesel at its
150 petrol stations nationwide. The drop in prices comes at a critical
time for fuel providers. A rise in petrol prices and the Govt's
2 p-a-litre tax hike has resulted in the risk of disruptive protests. 4
ya, fuel protesters caused chaos when petrol prices reached 85.32 p/L.
Supermarkets are currently about 1 p a litre cheaper than the average
price for unleaded petrol of 82.77 p, according to the AA. The average
price for diesel is currently 83.72 p/L.
Rising energy prices "may stall" APEC economies
Manila (AFP). Rising energy prices may arrest growth in Pacific Rim
economies particularly among countries dependent on fuel imports,
energy experts at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum warn.
An APEC forum study on energy and security issues warns that "rising
energy prices may cause growth in APEC economies to stall due to high
oil import dependency and an inflexible energy supply structure".
It says energy demand within APEC will grow faster than in the rest of
the world, exerting long-term pressure on energy prices.
Jung Yonghun, vice president of the Asia Pacific Energy Research
Centre (APERC), says "economies that depend on foreign resources for
energy supplies are the most vulnerable."
He cites Japan and S Korea, which import all their energy needs as examples.
China and the United States, which are oil producers, are less
vulnerable while oil-exporters like Indonesia might actually profit.
The APERC study has been released at an APEC ministerial meeting on
energy in the Philippines.
It cites "strong energy demand growth in Asia and N America,
geopolitical instability in key energy exporting economies and
constraints on infrastructure to deliver energy sources to the markets."
APERC warns that imports would eventually account for 55% of the
region's oil supply, up from the current level of 36%.
Philippine Energy Secretary Vicente Perez says economic and population
growth in the region would further increase demand for energy, easily
exceeding local production.
"The fact that demand grows faster than supply in the long run will be
a major policy concern for us," Mr Perez said.
He cited APEC studies showing that the region's gross domestic product
(GDP) would increase by 105% from 1999 to 2020 with the
population rising by 19% to 3 bn in the same period.
This means that APEC's final energy consumption would reach 5.948 mn
tonnes of oil equivalent by 2020, a 58% increase from the 1999 figure.
That would outstrip indigenous energy production, even from oil-rich
countries within APEC.
A statement from the energy ministers says APEC is developing
"response mechanisms", for short-term disruptions to energy supplies,
including boosting energy investment, expanding energy choices and
increasing efficiency.
"Oil supplies can be seriously interrupted by factors such as
geopolitical instability, natural disasters, piracy on key sea lanes,
terrorism and the intrinsic infrastructure and production features of
oil supply systems," the ministers said.
APEC comprises AUS, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, HK, Indonesia,
Japan, S Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, NZ, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the
Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.
Attacks on oil facilities cost Iraq dearly: PM
Baghdad (AFP). Iraq has lost more than $US200 mn over the past 7 m
due to 130 attacks on its oil pipelines, PM Iyad Allawi says.
He blames terrorists and foreign fighters for targeting the vital industry.
"More than $200 mn has been stolen out of the pockets of a sovereign
Iraqi govt through the loss of oil revenues resulting from attacks to
pipelines," Mr Allawi said.
Mr Allawi, tapped as premier last m, has pledged to guarantee security
in Iraq, tackle the economic crisis and hold nat'l elections.
He is calling on Iraqis to help combat the saboteurs.
"I call on all Iraqi patriots to be vigilant. It is our people that
are sitting in the dark and not our occupier," he said.
He underlines the fact that Iraq's oil ministry would be independent
after June 30, although the spending of oil export sales will still be
monitored by an advisory board set up by the UN.
Seen as tough on security and with close ties to the US, the former
Baathist dissident hopes to turn the Iraqi people against an
insurgency that rose up from the ashes of the 2003 US-led invasion.
On Wed, insurgents blew up a section of Iraq's main export pipeline nr
the N oil centre of Kirkuk in the 2nd such attack in less than a day.
Since US-led forces ousted Saddam more than a y ago, the authorities
have been scrambling to breathe life into the oil sector, which
generates more than 90% of the country's revenues.
But their efforts have been hampered by persistent attacks on oil
pipelines, which have intensified since the appointment of a new
caretaker govt last wk.
Iraq has the world's second-largest proven reserves at some 115
bn bbl, but production has been sharply reduced by more than
two decades of war and 13 y of UN sanctions.
Greenback decline prompts Aust dollar recovery
NY/Sydney. After its strong rally in the previous session, the USD
has been subjected to broad-based selling overnight.
Profit taking and "position squaring" have been the catch phrases
going into what is effectively a long weekend for US markets.
Most markets will be closed tonight for the nat'l funeral service for
former president Ronald Reagan.
However, the US dollar's decline has allowed a recovery in the Aussie
dollar's value.
The local dollar has performed reasonably well against other
currencies except the UK pound after the Bank of England raised
interest rates last night by 0.25%.
The Aussie dollar has also struggled against the NZ dollar after a
rate rise across the Tasman yesterday morning.
However, against the American dollar the Aussie dollar has been as
high as 69.95 cents overnight.
At about 7.30 am the dollar was being quoted at 69.65 US cents and on
the cross rates was quoted at 57.50 euros; 76.05 yen; 37.84 pence
sterling and was buying $NZ1.09.
Buyers have been back in the ascendancy on Wall Street with investors now
looking forward optimistically to the 2nd quarter profit reporting season.
On the NYSE, the DJIA has closed 42 points ahead at 10,410.
The high tech Nasdaq market has also advanced with the Nasdaq
composite index adding 9 points to 1,999.87.
On the Brit share market, there has been a slight decline with UK
interest rates up for the 2nd time in 2 m and the market is now
speculating about more to come.
Among the stocks in focus, betting shop chain William Hill slumped
more than 3 % in value after its chief executive sold almost all his
shares in the company.
London's FT100 index is down 3 points at 4,486.
Yesterday in AUS, the market made the barest of gains and although
resource stocks recovered through the day, the banking sector was
broadly weaker.
The All Ords finished the day at 3,469 which was a rise of 2 and a
half points.
The gold price is worth $US386.10/oz and W Texas intermediate crude
oil has jumped to $US38.45/bbl.
New global mining boom forecast
Sydney. There are predictions AUS and the world could be on the cusp
of the 1st mining boom of the 21st century.
The past y has produced a surge in profits for the top 30 global
mining houses.
A report produced in AUS by PricewaterhouseCoopers has found the
world's 30 biggest listed mining companies grew their aggregate net
profits by 95% in 2003 to $US11.5 bn.
The sharemarket value of the companies has doubled in the past 18
months, and return on equity has jumped above 10%.
The report's author, Tim Goldsmith, says the outlook for 2004 is even
better amid growing demand.
"This is also a shortage of supply. So the 2 aspects together will
hopefully signify the start of a mining boom," he said.
Mr Goldsmith says one of the few short-term risks relates to the
sustainability of China's appetite for commodities.
Meanwhile, Access Economics is predicting a bright future for the
Aussie minerals industry over the next 50 y.
Rep Chris Richardson says Asian countries such as China and India are
in the early stages of development.
He says demands on Aussie minerals should increase as they continue to
develop.
"As those nations develop, as they become smokestack economies and
need Aussie commodity inputs they will be very important for the
minerals sector," he said.
Comment invited about how best to manage money
Canberra. The Fed Govt wants public help to develop a strategy to
give Aussies a better understanding of how to manage their money.
Assistant Fed Treasurer Helen Coonan says financial markets are
becoming increasingly complex. She has released a paper to encourage
discussion about how best to make decisions about personal finances.
Sen Coonan says people will be able to discuss their experiences at
public meetings around the country before the launch of the education
strategy. "This is a very basic campaign that we're looking at that
will reach into schools and will equip everyone leaving schools with
better skills to understand how to manage that mobile phone and how to
deal with buying a car, through to people in their adult y and in
workplaces," she said. "We can reach them in workplaces to make sure
they understand risk and reward."
Legendary US singer Ray Charles dead at 73
LA (AFP). Ray Charles, who battled childhood poverty, blindness and
heroin addiction to help pioneer soul music and become one of
America's most enduring musicians, has died at the age of 73, a rep said.
Dubbed the "Genius of Soul" during an acclaimed 6-decade career,
Charles died of complications from liver disease.
His publicist Jerry Digney said Charles had family and friends with
him when he passed away at his Beverly Hills home.
"It's devastating," he said.
"He's been ailing for a while now and it started out with a hip
situation and went from there to other things, primarily the liver."
Charles went blind at the age of 7 but songs such as Georgia on My
Mind and I Can't Stop Loving You, made him a household name who had
the rare honour of being enshrined in the US halls of fame of rhythm
and blues, jazz and rock.
Last Aug, Charles cancelled part of a US concert tour for the first
time in 53 y due to severe hip pain and underwent hip replacement
surgery in Dec.
But as doctors treated Charles, other ailments were diagnosed, and
Charles ultimately succumbed from complications due to liver disease.
The singer, who celebrated the 10,000th concert of his staggering 58-y
career early last year, had announced he was ready to tour again.
Charles' last public appearance was alongside Clint Eastwood on Apr 30
when the city of LA designated the singer's studios an historic landmark.
Just before his death, Charles completed a duets album called "Genius
Loves Company," that featured Norah Jones, BB King, Willie Nelson,
country star Bonnie Raitt, Gladys Knight and crooner Johnny Mathis.
Charles also gave his signature touch to songs such as the Beatles'
Eleanor Rugby and Yesterday, and made a moving recording of America
The Beautiful.
Charles was born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany in the SE state of
Georgia on Sep 30, 1930.
After the blood disease glaucoma rendered him blind at the age of
seven, Charles was sent to a school for the deaf and blind in Florida,
where he developed a lifelong talent and passion for music.
The young pianist later made his way to the NW city of Seattle where
he 1st performed as a solo act, modelling himself on the late musical
legend Nat "King" Cole.
While in Seattle, he met a young Quincy Jones, the renowned producer,
and they became lifelong friends and musical collaborators.
G8 fails to write off Africa's debt but promises help for Aids vaccine
Savannah, GA. The leading industrial powers plan to help Africa by
developing an anti-Aids vaccine and training 1000s of new
peace-keepers, but did not come up with the hoped for breakthrough on
forgiving debt for the world's poorest countries, almost all of them African.
The announcements came as part of an "Africa Outreach" at the final
session of the G8 summit that was attended by 6 African heads of govt.
For all its outward cordiality, the 3 days of talks at the Sea Island
resort S of here failed to produce any spectacular new agreements to
boost host Pres George Bush in his campaign for re-election this
autumn. Indeed, if the Whitehouse was expecting any lift from the
summit, and from the deal on the 30 June transfer of sovereignty in
Iraq, those hopes were dashed by an opinion poll yesterday showing
John Kerry ahead by 51% to 44. The margin is among the biggest yet for
the Democratic challenger.
To further the battle against Aids, which is now killing 6,300 people
in Africa every day, the US is to contribute $15 mn (#8 mn) to a worldwide
drive to speed up development for a vaccine against the disease.
At the same time, the G8 is launching a multi-y scheme to train
African troops for peace-keeping missions in the continent. The aim is
to have 75,000 troops trained by 2010. Brit's contribution to the
project will rise to $12 mn annually when the scheme is in full swing.
The "Outreach" drew mixed feelings, however. "We can expect to be
portrayed in some quarters as mendicants," Pres Thabo Mbeki of S
Africa said in a newspaper interview published yesterday. Mr Mbeki was
one of 6 African leaders on Sea Island yesterday, along with the
presidents of Nigeria, Algeria, Uganda, Ghana and Senegal. There will
also be anger that the summit failed to come up with the debt-relief
package for which non-govt organisations and aid groups were hoping,
involving a 100% cancellation of multilateral debt owed by the
Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), and the conversion of all
borrowings into grants.
Almost every HIPC country is in Africa, many of them in sub-Saharan
Africa where real per capita income has fallen in the past 30
y. Instead, the G8 has merely approved a "top-up" of funding for the
existing scheme to help the HIPC countries, and a 2-y extension to
Dec 2006 of the period in which the poorest countries can apply for
assistance under the scheme.
Total cancellation of official debt to the HIPC countries has been
strongly backed by Brit, but it appears to have run into continuing
objections from Japan and Germany and fallen foul of the argument
raging over precisely how much of Iraq's Saddam-era debt of $120 bn
should be forgiven.
The US and Brit had been pressing for almost total cancellation of
Iraqi debt, but France insists that Iraq, with its oil riches, should
not be treated any more favourably than the poorest Third World
nations. As a result both initiatives have stalled, temporarily at
least, to the dismay of the NGOs.
Total debt of the 42 poorest and most indebted countries totalled
$35 bn, Irungu Houghton, an Oxfam rep said. "If G8 leaders are willing
to write off $90 bn for Iraq, why not a 3rd of that for Africa?"
Brit officials were, however, optimistic that an African debt
reduction deal could be reached, possibly at next y's G8 summit, to be
hosted by Brit at Gleneagles, Scotland.
The G8 leaders appealed to the UN yesterday to prevent a humanitarian
catastrophe in Sudan, where ethnic violence in the W Darfur region has
displaced more than a mn people. They voiced concern about reports
that Arab militias have started an ethnic cleansing campaign against
black Africans in Darfur.
Iran decries G8 nuclear secrecy claims
Tehran (AFP). Iran labels as irrational and unreasonable claims by
leaders at the Group of 8 summit that it is failing to fully disclose
its nuclear program.
FM'y rep Hamid Reza Assefi said: "So far, no deviation has
been observed in Iran's peaceful nuclear activities.
"What is being raised these days about Iran's activities [is aimed] at
creating pressures and a climate for propaganda.
"Iran has practically demonstrated its full commitment to the
[nuclear] Non-Proliferation Treaty and its safeguard clauses.
"Iran's broad and transparent cooperation with the [Internat'l Atomic
Energy Agency] confirms this."
He reiterates Iran's insistence that "the peaceful use of nuclear
energy is a legitimate right of Iran".
"The Group of 8 nations must not expect Iran to give up this right;
rather they should provide Iran with the necessary means to make use
of this technology," he said.
"These stances are irrational and contradict the realities."
G8 leaders have cited "serious concerns" about N Korea and chastised
Iran as they unveil measures meant to halt the spread of WMD.
The measures aim to curb transfers of nuclear technology; enhance the
powers of the IAEA and step up abilities to prevent and respond to
biological weapons attacks.
The leaders say they are "deeply concerned" about Iran's compliance
with IAEA requirements.
"We deplore Iran's delays, deficiencies in cooperation, and inadequate
disclosures," they said.
The IAEA board of governors is expected to rap Iran for hiding
sensitive atomic activities when it meets in Vienna next wk, but not
provoke a showdown over its alleged secret weapons program.
US, France still at odds as G8 summit winds down
US Pres George W Bush...pleased by G8 pledges of support for Iraq.
Savannah, GA (AFP). A summit with the leaders from the Group of 8
(G8) countries meant to enshrine a new era of trans-Atlantic unity has
wrapped up with new cracks evident over Iraq, but commitments to
battle global poverty and terrorism.
Pres George W Bush and French Pres Jacques Chirac could not agree on
the future role played by NATO in Iraq, but Mr Bush nevertheless said
he was pleased by G8 pledges of support for the occupied country.
"The response here at the G8 has been very encouraging...[but] I don't
expect more troops from NATO to be offered up," he said.
Mr Bush nevertheless claimed the world had moved on from the bitter
debates of the Iraq war and stood ready to help.
"The Iraqi people can know that the world stands with them, in their
quest for a peaceful democratic and prosperous future. The enemies of
freedom in that nation know that they are opposed by the might and
resolve of free nations."
Mr Bush and Mr Chirac had earlier failed to patch up their row over
NATO in Iraq after the US leader called for more involvement in the
occupation for the W alliance.
But a snr US official said the 2 fractious allies were "moving
carefully in the same direction" on the issue.
A source close to Mr Chirac said, "for us it would be awkward to show
the NATO flag in Iraq".
Leaders of the world's most industrialised nations also called on the
diplomatic quartet on the Middle E to make a new bid to kick start
peace talks bogged down in the Israeli-Palestinian quagmire.
In a statement, they welcomed Israeli plans to withdraw from Gaza and
parts of the W Bank and pledged to "restore momentum" to an internat'l
roadmap aimed at ending the conflict.
The G8 called upon the quartet of diplomatic powers, comprising the
United States, Russia, the UN and the European Union, "to meet in the
region before the end of the month".
But US officials conceded that the meeting would be a routine
gathering of diplomats from the 4 members and would not involve the
quartet principals: UN chief Kofi Annan, US Secretary of State Colin
Powell, Russian FM Sergei Lavrov and Irish FM Brian Cowan.
Before leaving their exclusive retreat, leaders also issued a day pass
for their rich-nations club to African counterparts and endorsed
proposals aimed at easing poverty and re-committing themselves to the
fight against HIV/AIDS.
They matched that invitation with a promise to seek a 2-year
extension to the expiring debt reduction initiative, HIPC, for the
world's poorest countries.
Leaders also endorsed proposals aimed at easing the crushing poverty
on the continent and expected to renew their fight against HIV/AIDS,
which has devastated many African nations.
G8 leaders also called on Sudan to disarm militias they blamed for
"massive human rights violations" in that country's troubled Darfur region.
The G8 comprise Brit, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia
and the US.
Brit Labour braced for Iraq protest vote
[Headline shortly followed by "Labour hit by election blow"].
Councils report big rise in turnout in areas voting only by post
Rocky night signals Labour's 3-day storm
London (Guardian). Tony Blair conceded last night that the Iraq war
had cast a "shadow" over Labour's campaign for today's local, London
and European elections.
Speaking as the polls closed, the PM said: "Iraq and the worries over
Iraq have been a shadow over our support, but in the end you have to
take decisions that are right and you have to see them through."
He was speaking at the close of the G8 summit in the American
deep-south state of Georgia, where he also admitted that he did not
expect "more troops from NATO to be offered up" to serve in Iraq.
Iraq is seen as having played an key role in yesterday's poll, with
the controversial invasion expected to cost Labour seats in local govt
and in the European parliament.
The Liberal Democrats expect to pick up many anti-war votes, with the
party leader, Charles Kennedy, predicting gains in traditional Labour
heartlands including Birmingham, Newcastle and Sheffield.
Speaking to BBC News, Mr Kennedy said voters had been attracted to the
Lib Dems because of their opp'n to the war in Iraq and plans to scrap
the council tax.
"The early signs to us are extremely encouraging," he said.
Labour is, however, predicted to win London's mayoral election, where
a Sky/YouGov poll has put the sitting candidate, Ken Livingstone, 6
points ahead of Tory challenger Steve Norris, once 2nd
preferences are taken into account.
Today's combined elections saw 144 of England's 387 councils, plus all
22 in Wales, the London mayoralty and European parliamentary seats up
for grabs.
Despite widespread expectations that Labour will have a bad result, Mr
Blair insisted that on issues other than Iraq, his party continues to
stand in good stead.
"I haven't noticed in the election campaign any big argument come back
from the other political parties," he told reporters.
"I don't think either of them have particularly articulated anything
that causes me political concern."
* BNP stutters in Burnley
The Brit Nat'l Party failed to gain ground in the racially troubled
town of Burnley as Labour lost overall control.
The party lost a seat in Cliviger with Worsthorne to the Conservatives
but gained one in Hapton with Park, from Labour councillor and
mayor-elect John Harbour.
Shopkeeper Sharon Wilkinson won the seat with a majority of 28 votes.
8 BNP candidates were fielded in the 15 wards up for election, with
only one BNP seat being contested.
The total number of BNP councillors in Burnley remains at 6, and the
council falls to no overall control.
Len Starr, head of the BNP group on Burnley council and also a
shopkeeper in Hapton with Park, said: "Life goes on. We will pick
ourselves up, dust ourselves down and we'll be back stronger than ever.
"We only won one seat but we came a strong 2nd in several seats so the
results were not what we wanted, but they were not discouraging either."
* Tory gains
Early on, the Conservatives took Trafford, the 1st major metropolitan
council to declare, where boundary changes meant the whole council was
up for grabs.
In postal votes over the past 2 y, the Tories have chipped away at
Labour support and making it lose control of the council 12 m ago.
The result came after Labour's 1st loss of the night, in Tamworth,
where it lost 5 seats to the Tories.
* Poll positions
However, Mr Blair is likely to take comfort from a Gallup poll
published yesterday, which predicts losses for both Labour and the
Tories in today's European election, though the results will not be
announced until Mon.
It shows the anti-EU UK Independence party set to be the big winner,
with a predicted 12 seats, 9 more than it won in 2000.
The Tories are expected to stay ahead of Labour, retaining 23 seats to
Labour's 20, though the result would be a disappointment when compared
to the 36 seats they won last time round.
There are 9 fewer seats up for grabs at this election due to EU
enlargement.
The Liberal Democrats are expected to have a good result, boosting
their presence from 10 to 14 seats, according to the poll. It predicts
that overall the centre-right will be in a majority in the European
parliament, with an expected 265 of the total 732 seats compared with
206 socialist seats.
* Increased turnout
Despite allegations of electoral malpractice, early evidence points to
a substantial improvement in voter turnout due to the widespread
trials of postal voting.
The unprecedented use of all-postal ballots across 4 regions has given
the election build-up a new pace, with 14.8 mn of the nation's voters
having had the luxury of sending in their votes over several days.
Figures confirmed yesterday to Guardian Unlimited show the anticipated
boost in turnout as 33.71% in the NE, 37% in the NW, 35.9% in
Yorkshire and Humber region and an expected 34.5% in the E Midlands.
* 'Dirty tricks'
Despite signs of an improved turnout, a shadow was cast over
yesterday's triple ballot by a spate of allegations of electoral
malpractice in the regions conducting postal vote pilots.
The Times reported that Labour party chiefs had drawn up guidance
encouraging activists to set up mock ballot boxes outside traditional
polling stations in all-postal voting areas to collect and deliver the
votes of people who had missed the post.
However a party rep said that the document seen by the Times was an
"early version" of the party's postal voting guidance for activists
which had not been issued.
The plan for mock ballot boxes was dropped from the final version,
even though it would not have been illegal under electoral law.
"The Labour party has always operated ethically and has issued clear
guidance to activists when dealing with postal votes," the rep said.
However, the Tory chairman, Liam Fox, voiced concern that Labour had
considered such tactics. "A generous observer would say that phoney
ballot boxes are fractionally within the spirit and letter of the
law," he said.
* Postal voting review
A rep for the PM said that the outcome of the postal voting pilot
schemes would be carefully assessed after the elections were over.
He stressed that the govt would condemn any attempt to influence the
outcome of the elections by fraud or intimidation, and pointed out
that there was already a criminal offence of impersonating a voter
which carries a prison sentence of up to 2 y.
The rep said: "We do not think that the postal voting system is any
more prone to fraud than the more traditional way of using the ballot box.
"There will be an evaluation to see how the system has worked after
the elections."
Asked, ahead of yesterday's polls, whether the govt anticipated any
legal challenges to results from the all-postal vote pilot areas, the
rep said: "Let's wait and see what happens today."
However, Labour MP Bruce George, who monitors elections across Europe,
called for a "root and branch" probe into the electoral system to
stamp out fraud.
While traditional voting has its flaws, postal voting puts democracy
at greater risk, he said. "The traditional voting method is open to
fraud," he said.
"When you go down to the polling station, you don't need to present
your card or any identification.
They have no idea who you are. They just assume you are a decent guy
and are not going to cheat."
He added: "I am not suggesting the whole system is bent. If there is
abuse it is at the margins. But whole elections can be won or lost in
a handful of constituencies.
"The complacency gets right up my nose. We need a root and branch look
at our electoral system."
Resignations plunge New Caledonia into political crisis
Papeete (AFP). France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia has been
plunged into political crisis with a new anti-independence Govt
falling within hours of its election.
Marie-Noelle Themereau, of the Pro-French Avenir Ensemble Party, has
been elected head of New Caledonia's Govt.
However, members of another anti-independence grouping,
Rassemblement-UMP, have resigned en masse, triggering the fall of the
new executive.
Announcing the resignations, Rassemblement-UMP's Sec-Gen Pierre
Frogier spoke of a conspiracy to eliminate his party.
Mr Frogier's group lost one post in the Govt because of a spoilt ballot.
It won only 3 places, the same number as a pro-independence grouping.
Fresh elections for the Govt positions are to be held in a fortnight.
Last m New Caledonian voters dealt a major setback to the
Rassemblement-UMP party of Jacques Lafleur in provincial elections,
causing the dominant pro-French party to lose its relative majority in
parliament.
The Rassemblement's defeat saw a corresponding advance for the Avenir
Ensemble party, an alliance of Rassemblement dissidents and other
opp'n figures.
Mr Frogier alleges that one of his party's members came under pressure
from the Avenir Party.
The member, Suzie Vigouroux, spoilt her ballot.
She has told local radio RRB that Avenir lawmakers have "offered a lot
of money since the May 9 elections" in the territory and that she is
"perturbed."
However, Avenir's Harold Martin rejects the allegation and says his
party would take action against what he calls the "grave defamation."
"This is an extremely grave accusation, devoid of all basis and simply
aimed at sullying the elected deputies of our movement," Mr Martin said.
Brit, Dutch lead-off EU ballot
London (Reuters). The Brit and Dutch have kicked off the biggest
cross-border ballot in history with European Union elections that look
certain to embarrass govts across the 25-nation bloc.
Over 4 days until Sun, nearly 349 mn Europeans in the newly enlarged
EU are eligible to vote for the 732-member European Parliament.
Turned off by Brussels and focused on nat'l issues, voters appear set
to deliver protest votes to many leaders -- if they can be bothered to
turn out.
In Brit and the Netherlands, the only nations to vote on Thu local
time, electors show little passion for European affairs as they cast
ballots in a trickle from early morning.
"I was mostly thinking about my back yard today," London cyclist
Melanie Marwick, 27, said.
Amsterdam restaurant owner Fared Assarte -- like many across Europe --
is far more interested in the impending Euro 2004 soccer championship.
"I am going to vote, although for me...it is all like a fog from
Brussels," he said.
Brit's "Super Thu" poll, so-called because it includes elections for
local councils and for a London mayor, is shaping into a protest vote
against PM Tony Blair for his support of the US-led war in Iraq.
"I am sending a message to Tony Blair that we are not happy,"
consultant Edward Lord, 42, said.
Mr Blair is universally predicted to fare badly and that will
inevitably fuel speculation about his leadership.
But most analysts still see him winning a 3rd general election, which
is expected in 2005, despite public disquiet over Iraq and his
closeness to US Pres George W Bush.
In the Netherlands, the centre-right coalition govt of PM Jan
Peter Balkenende is in a close battle with the opp'n Labour Party as
domestic issues like the economy, jobs and spending cuts dominate.
7 Turks held hostage in Iraq -- official
Istanbul (Reuters). Iraqi insurgents are holding 7 Turks hostage and
demanding Turkish companies leave Iraq, a Turkish FM'y official said Thu.
Dubai-based Al Arabiya television aired a videotape showing what it
said were 4 of the 7 Turkish hostages. Masked men, armed with
automatic rifles, stood behind the hostages.
"It appears 7 people have been taken hostage. We don't have any
concrete info on their identities," the Turkish official told Reuters.
"They may have been bringing goods and providing logistical support
for American companies in Iraq," he said, adding it was unclear when
and where the men had been abducted.
The Turkish ambassador in Baghdad and Turkish intel services were
working for the men's release, the official said.
Arabiya said the insurgents belonged to a group calling itself the
Jihad [Holy War] Squadrons. They were demanding Turks protest the
US-led occupation of Iraq.
A statement read by a group member condemned Turkish firms for
supporting the US-led occupation, Arabiya said.
Dozens of foreign workers have been taken hostage by armed Iraqi
groups battling the US-led presence in Iraq. Some hostages have been
released but others have been killed.
The Turkish official said 2 Turks working for a Turkish contracting
firm who were abducted this wk had been released.
An Iraqi group is still holding Turkish truck driver Bulent Yanik and
an Egyptian hostage and has threatened to kill them if their countries
do not condemn the US-led occupation of Iraq.
"We don't know anything about recent developments [with Yanik]. He's
still being held, but we don't know where," the official said.
Indonesian dentist arrested in wake of terror threats
Jakarta. An Indonesian dentist has been arrested in connection with a
series of threats made against Westerners on the Indonesian island of
Sulawesi. The threats sparked a terror alert from the Aussie Govt
which issued updated travel advice last m. The Govt advice described
intel of a specific and credible terrorist threat to Westerners in the
central and southern Sulawesi provinces. The warning came after
threats were made to the PT Inco nickel mine and smelter nr Saroako.
When Canadian and Brit travel advisories followed around 60 expatriate
workers, including Aussies, were evacuated. Indonesian police have
revealed that the threats came from the company's dentist and not
Islamic extremist groups. The dentist is an Indonesian Christian and
sent 200 SMS messages threatening Westerners because he feared he was
to be replaced by an expatriate. Evacuated workers are expected to
begin returning to the mine later this wk.
Howard seeks info on JI assassination threat
Canberra. PM John Howard has asked for info about assassination squad
claims PM John Howard has asked for info about reports that an
assassination squad of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorists are targeting
Aussie diplomats in Indonesia. A United States newspaper, The Wall
Street Journal has reported a group of operatives trained to carry out
assassinations has arrived in Indonesia and the Aussie, US and Brit
ambassadors are top of their hit list. Mr Howard has told S Cross
radio being an Aussie diplomat in some parts of the world is a
potentially hazardous job and the level of threat from JI continues.
"I'm not going to confirm the specific threat at this stage," he said.
"I've sought more info about that [and] I haven't, as of now, been
given that info. "If I get any further info and there's anything the
FM [Alexander Downer] or I should make known, we will."
Brain slows down after 40: study
PAAIN (AAP). The human brain starts slowing down after the age of 40,
according to new scientific research.
US scientists said genes start working less hard after 40, a discovery
which may explain why mental functions deteriorate with age.
Researchers at The Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
studied brain tissue from 30 bodies ranging in age from 26 to
106. They studied 11,000 genes.
Within the brains which had passed 40 y of age many genes showed
significant changes. Many were damaged and could not properly function
and instruct cells to create proteins.
More were found to be functioning at a lower level -- including those
involved in learning, memory and communication between brain cells.
But some genes were found to be working harder after 40 -- those related
to DNA repair, antioxidant defence and stress and inflammatory responses.
The scientists believe these genes may have been working harder to
compensate for the damaged and poor-functioning genes.
Prof Bruce Yankner of the dept of Neurology and Neuroscience at
Harvard Medical School, said it was not clear whether the changes were
due to lifestyle or genetic make-up.
"But this gives us a starting point because what we've shown is that
there's a genetic signature, so to speak, of this ageing process and
now we can work to determine how that impacts brain function," he said.
The findings were published in the journal Nature.
Brit Health Min Reid dismisses smoking comment "hysteria"
London (Guardian). The health secretary, John Reid, today branded
health campaigners who criticised his claim that smoking was one of
the few pleasures left to the poor as "hysterical".
Mr Reid stood by his comment that the poor found it harder to give up
smoking than the middle classes because they had nothing better to
occupy their time.
In a speech to the annual scientific meeting of the faculty of public
health of the Royal Colleges of Physicians in Edinburgh, he accused
his critics of failing to grasp why poorer people were less healthy
than the well off.
Mr Reid said: "If we cannot even begin to discuss, question, and
honestly explore the circumstantial and cultural factors which might
have led to those inequalities without the sort of hysterical reaction
we have seen in certain quarters in recent days, then it perhaps
begins to explain why we have failed in the 1st place."
Echoing comments he made on Tue that smoking was one of the few
pleasures left for the poor, he said that poverty and limited life
opportunities made it much harder for some people to stop smoking,
drinking and taking drugs, or to eat a healthy diet.
Mr Reid said: "We always have to remember that low incomes, single
parenthood, large families, or immobility can constitute huge barriers
to healthy eating for some, barriers which simply do not exist for
others in more fortunate circumstances.
"And when we discuss smoking, drink or drugs let us never fail to
recognise that social deprivation or lack of affordable alternative
social horizons make it much more difficult for some of us to kick the habit."
The health secretary said that efforts to improve the nation's health
would only prove effective if they addressed social problems such as
"poverty, poor housing, lack of family support and social exclusion".
Mr Reid also appeared to make a veiled criticism of the health select
committee's report on obesity, which was criticised this wk by medical
experts who said it misrepresented obesity as the cause of death of a
3-yo girl who suffered from a genetic abnormality.
"We need to discuss issues like obesity, for instance, with a
sensitivity which avoids the possible hurt and embarrassment that
people, especially obese young people, might feel. We don't forget
that a whole gamut of social, medical and psychological factors may
underlie obesity as well as the more obvious factors, and may make
combating obesity a greater struggle for some than for others."
Earlier this wk the anti-smoking group Ash accused Mr Reid of being
"patronising" after he said that the middle classes were obsessed with
giving instruction to people from deprived backgrounds, and that
smoking was not one of the worst problems facing people on sink estates.
But an Ash rep welcomed the health secretary's speech today, saying
that he appeared to have watered down his earlier position.
He said: "I have no objection to anything that he's said. Today's
remarks are a lot better considered. What's wrong is to present
smoking as a working-class artefact that has to be protected from
middle-class interference. Perhaps he's one of those politicians who
learns from his mistakes."
Prof Rod Griffiths, the president of the faculty of public health,
said Mr Reid had allayed fears that he was not committed to reducing
smoking.
He said: "I think he's removed all doubts that he is committed to
reducing the number of people smoking and drinking and increasing the
number who eat healthily."
China begins SARS vaccine tests
Vaccine in testing: China has begun human trials of a SARS vaccine.
Beijing (AFP). The World Health Organisation (WHO) says a Chinese lab
has begun clinical tests of a SARS vaccine but it would take at least
5 years before the product would be available to the public.
Marie-Paule Kieny, who heads the WHO's vaccine research unit, says
four patients at the Sinovac lab have received shots "very cautiously"
against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 wk ago.
"Now, more than 2 wk after immunisation, they are all reported well,"
she said.
"They are followed carefully for any kind of side effect."
The inventor of the measles vaccine, Stanley Plotkin of Aventis
Pasteur, says the trials are encouraging but only a 1st step.
"It is feasible to produce a classical, in-activated SARS vaccine.
Whether that vaccine will be safe and effective remains to be seen," he said.
Mr Plotkin also says there would be at least a 5-y period before a
vaccine would be approved and for sale.
"A vaccine development, barring an emergency... you are talking about
5 y minimum and that's optimistic," he said.
"It would be foolish for any of us to give a date as to when such a
vaccine will be available."
SARS killed around 800 people in 32 countries when it quickly spread
early last y, a majority of them in China.
Dementia impact mainly on aged care
Canberra. A new report shows that dementia has its biggest impact not
in the health system but in residential aged care. This is the major
finding of a new study conducted by the Fed Govt's Aussie Institute of
Health and Welfare. More than 160,000 Aussies are affected by
dementia and the condition accounted for $2.5 bn direct expenditure in
the 2000 - 2001 financial year. Head of the Aussie Institute of
Health and Welfare's Aged Care Unit, Ann Peut, says the study shows
dementia is the main reason in around a 3rd of cases when people are
admitted to aged care facilities. "In the case of residential aged
care, we have about 31% of residents for whom dementia is the main
condition that has led to their having to be in residential aged
care," she said.
Pneumococcal vaccine program targets children, elderly
Children, elderly to receive pneumococcal vaccine for free.
Canberra. The Fed Govt will provide free vaccinations for the deadly
pneumococcal disease to all newborn babies and children under the age
of 2. The program will begin at the start of next y and will cost
$178 mn over 2 y. People aged over 65 will also get the vaccine
for free, meaning almost 2.5 mn Aussies will be entitled to it. The
Govt has been negotiating the price with the drug supplier but Health
Min Tony Abbott says the talks have not delayed the program's start.
"The reason why we originally delayed [the program] was because we
were told it would be impossible to access supplies of the vaccine
until Oct this y," Mr Abbott said. "Which would mean it would be
impossible to start a universal program until the beginning of next y."
US companies face Iraq abuse law suit
2 US companies face lawsuits following prisoner abuse claims
NY (AFP). 2 US companies with contracts at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison
were named in lawsuits charging that the firms and several employees
conspired in illegal abuse and torture of prisoners.
The suit has been brought against technology service firm CACI and the
Titan Corporation and was filed in a fed US court in California.
The suit is on behalf of several prisoners and the estate of one of
them who died at the prison.
The lawsuit was filed by non-profit group the Centre for
Constitutional Rights and seeks unspecified damages.
It alleges the firms conspired with each other and with US Govt
officials to conduct a scheme to torture, rape and summarily execute
the prisoners.
The lawsuit aims for class-action status, which would allow other
prisoners to join, according to the Centre for Constitutional Rights.
CACI has rejected the allegations, calling them malicious.
"CACI has never entered into a conspiracy with the govt, or anyone
else, to perpetrate abuses of any kind," the company said in a statement.
"The suit alleges a plethora of heinous acts that the company rejects
and denies in their totality," it added.
How innocent Iraqis came to be abused as terrorists
Op/Ed (USA Today). On Wed, a human-rights group released an analysis
that helps answer a puzzling question about the worst military scandal
in decades: How could so many US soldiers commit so many acts against Iraqi
prisoners that betray the Geneva Conventions they're supposed to uphold?
The Whitehouse blames the actions of a few bad apples, such as Army
Spc Charles Graner, who starred in several of the horrific photos from
Abu Ghraib prison.
But more than 100 incidents of abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan are under
investigation, spanning a year and a half. The Human Rights Watch
report is the latest to cite the deaths of more than 30 detainees in
the 2 countries, some ghastly.
The bad-apple theory can't explain a scandal of such magnitude. The
rights group suggests a more plausible reason: After 9/11, the
military's long commitment to the Geneva Conventions eroded under an
aggressive Bush-Admin plan to deal with terrorists.
It began narrowly with the invasion of Afghanistan to wipe out
al-Qaeda strongholds. In late 2001 and 2002, Whitehouse, Justice and
Pentagon officials assembled for the 1st time legal justifications for
ignoring the Geneva Conventions, internat'l rules for handling
prisoners of war.
The strategy won support from Whitehouse General Counsel Alberto
Gonzales. In a Jan 2002 memo, he advised that the military set aside
the conventions in Afghanistan. Both al-Qaeda and Taliban soldiers
were dubbed "unlawful combatants," which entitled them only to humane
treatment -- as defined by their captors.
Gonzales referred to some convention provisions as "obsolete." Other
Whitehouse officials picked up that tone.
With the fury of the 9/11 attacks blinding judgement, few voices were
raised in opp'n. The image in the public's mind was one of Osama bin
Laden or his top henchmen in leg irons and stubbornly withholding
knowledge of future attacks. Few had in mind the torture of innocent
subjects.
Not surprisingly, such tactics expanded. In Aug 2002, well before the
Iraq invasion, Justice Dept lawyers produced a legal justification for
torturing al-Qaeda detainees wherever they might be held.
They expanded again in 2003. New rules were created for dealing with
700 terrorist suspects who've been held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval
Base in Cuba. Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld signed off on a list of about 2
dozen permissible interrogation techniques, many of which veered from
official Army manuals. The military says the techniques included heat,
cold and sensory assaults such as loud music. Human-rights groups that
interviewed suspects released from Guantanamo said they were told of
beatings and sexual humiliation.
The question of which techniques are so harsh that they violate the
1994 internat'l ban on torture that the US signed remains in dispute.
None of this, however, was supposed to apply in Iraq. There, the
conventions were supposed to be obeyed. Rumsfeld said so early in the
Iraq war as he complained about the treatment of captured US soldiers.
But as the world now knows, that's not how it turned out.
Last Aug, Maj Gen Geoffrey Miller, who oversaw the Guantanamo
interrogations, arrived in Iraq to pump up useful intel obtained from
Iraqis detained as suspected insurgents. He quickly applied the
lessons learned in Cuba. Miller denies his methods sparked abuses at
Abu Ghraib. But Maj Gen Antonio Taguba's report concludes that
Miller's approach violated Army doctrine.
At the same time, habits learned in Afghanistan were being transferred
to Iraq. A military-intel platoon that interrogated suspects in an
Afghanistan detention centre where 2 prisoners died also questioned
prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
Meanwhile, military reservists acting as guards at the prison didn't
receive the Geneva Convention training that regular soldiers do. Why
has not been explained.
Nor is Abu Ghraib the whole story. Only one of the 30 deaths occurred there.
So the chain of events seems to have worked like this: Rules violating
the Geneva Conventions were invented for dealing with proven
terrorists in specific places or circumstances. But they gradually
came to be applied to 100s of suspects, many of them innocent. Military
officials said 70% to 90% of the Iraqis swept up for interrogation were
arrested by mistake, the Internat'l Committee of the Red Cross reported.
There's no evidence of a high-level order to engage broadly in
torture. Just the opposite. But neither can the problem be blamed on a
few bad actors. At the very least, it suggests indifference and
conflicting goals at the highest levels that encouraged the abusers.
Repeated warnings from human-rights investigators were ignored or
pushed aside. Iraq ground cmdr Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez said 2 m
passed before he learned of a Red Cross report on abuses that was
submitted Nov. 6, even though the Red Cross monitors the Geneva
Conventions.
The civilian chain of command also knew about the abuses.
Last July 15, a UN envoy met with Administrator Paul Bremer to alert
him to the problem. But not until photos emerged, with public outrage
assured, did the investigations become serious. And then it was too late.
In short, the US soldiers violated their training because they got the
wrong message, from their cmdrs, the Pentagon and the White
House. Repeatedly, Pres Bush referred to the insurgents as
"terrorists." To soldiers accustomed to the rules of Afghanistan or
Guantanamo, that could easily mean the conventions do not apply.
The result is a scandal that aids the enemy, endangers US soldiers and
insults the nation's most basic standards of decency. It is reason for
the congressional committees investigating the abuse to look not just
at lower military ranks for blame, but at the leadership -- uniformed
and civilian -- as well.
Rumsfeld may widen scope of Iraq abuse probe
Washington (Reuters). Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld may widen the
investigation into abuses of Iraqi prisoners to include top military
ranks, and has also ordered that he be told about the death of any
prisoner in US military custody, officials said on Thu.
Under past practice, some military prison deaths were not even
reported to the army medical examiner's office.
Rumsfeld is also considering a request made this wk by Central Command
head Army Gen John Abizaid, cmdr of US forces in the Middle East, to
replace a 2-star Army general investigating the abuse scandal,
defence officials said.
The move would replace Maj Gen George Fay with a more snr general and
open the way for questioning of top US officers to help determine who
is responsible for the scandal.
Under Army regulations, Fay, whose report had been expected this m, is
prohibited from questioning officers above his rank. The officials,
who asked not to be identified, said the report could be delayed for a
m if Rumsfeld gives his approval, as expected.
Separately, the Pentagon said Rumsfeld had instituted new rules for
investigations of any deaths of prisoners held by the US military. The
Army said last m it was investigating the deaths of 32 prisoners in
Iraq and another 5 in Afghanistan since Aug 2002, but autopsies
were performed in only 23 of the cases.
The new rules require the cmdr of a military unit with custody of a
prisoner to immediately report any death to the investigative agencies
of the service involved, which will then inform the Office of the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner. That office will decide whether an
autopsy is needed.
In addition, the top officer in a region -- Abizaid in the case of
Iraq and Afghanistan -- must notify the defence secretary of any death
of an enemy prisoner of war, civilian internee or any other person in
US military custody, the Pentagon said.
* 'LACK OF CLARITY'
"There was some lack of clarity into who was supposed to notify whom,
and this is just putting it back into the perspective that everybody's
working off the same sheet of music," said Perry Bishop, a Pentagon rep.
Bishop said some recent deaths were never reported to the medical
examiner's office.
The Pentagon said the changes were part of an effort to "strengthen
policies and eliminate procedural weaknesses that have come to light
as a result of the deplorable events at Abu Ghraib prison."
7 US soldiers have been charged with abusing and humiliating Iraqis at
that prison, and several investigations are underway into the US
military's detention and interrogation procedures.
Fay has been investigating not only the abuse at Abu Ghraib by
military police, but to what extent US military intel officers might
have been involved in either ordering the abuse or taking part in
it. Military police, one of whom has already pleaded guilty and been
sentenced to a y in prison, have said they were obeying orders.
Pentagon officials also confirmed a NY Times report that Lt Gen
Ricardo Sanchez, the ground cmdr in Iraq, had taken the unusual step
of asking to be removed as the reviewing authority for Fay's report
and requesting that higher-ranking officers be appointed to conduct
and review the investigation.
Sanchez, who last y ordered military intel to take control of Abu
Ghraib, has denied any knowledge of the abuse before the scandal broke
early this y.
Lawyers slam Hicks charges
Adelaide (AAP). Lawyers for Aussie David Hicks have condemned US
charges against him as weak but the terror suspect's father predicts
he will be found guilty anyway.
The US Defence Dept said it had charged Adel-born Hicks, 28, with
conspiracy to commit war crimes, attempted murder and aiding the enemy.
No date has been set for the US military commission trial of Hicks,
who has been detained by the US at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since Jan
2002 following his capture among Taliban forces in Afghanistan a m earlier.
However PM John Howard said the trial could start as early as Aug.
Hicks' US military lawyer Maj Michael Mori described the charges as weak.
"I think they are a little weak and I'm wondering where the worst of
the worst are," Maj Mori told the 9 Network.
"David Hicks was labelled in the media that he is one of the 10 most
dangerous men in the world and yet he's not charged with actually
physically and personally ever injuring anyone."
Hicks' Aussie-based lawyer, Stephen Kenny, said the charges appeared
to be stretching the truth.
One of the US allegations against Hicks related to him conducting
surveillance on US and Brit embassies in Afghanistan in 2001 -- but Mr
Kenny said it was a plain fact those embassies were shut from 1999-2002.
"Those sort of allegations are really trying to stretch the truth of
the matter and I think that is what we will find with a lot of these
allegations," he said.
Hicks' father, Terry Hicks, said regardless of the nature of the
charges, he believed his son would be found guilty because it would be
too embarrassing for the US and AUS to find him innocent.
"This is going to be a whitewash," Mr Hicks said.
"He is going to cop something because they just can't let him off
after everything they have said, and this is why I say the system is
unfair."
Mr Hicks said he was surprised at the nature of the charges.
"We knew the charges were coming up but it's quite surprising to see
what he has been charged with," he said.
US halves Abu Ghraib prisoner numbers
Baghdad (Reuters). The US military has halved the number of Iraqi
prisoners held at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib jail since March, either
through releases or transfers to other detention centres, a Red Cross
rep says.
The Internat'l Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is anxious to ensure
that people detained by US-led forces do not remain in legal limbo
after the occupation formally ends on June 30 and an interim Iraqi
govt takes over.
"No one should be left in a vacuum, not knowing his legal status," rep
Nada Doumani said.
Abu Ghraib has been at the heart of a scandal over the abuse of
prisoners by US forces.
In its latest visit, an ICRC team found 3,291 internees, including
three women and 22 boys under 18, compared to 6,527 in March.
"We have no precise info on how many have been freed and how many
transferred elsewhere," Ms Doumani said.
She declines to comment on conditions at Abu Ghraib, but says the ICRC
has discussed them with the prison director after its visit, which had
been conducted between May 30 and June 3.
She says the ICRC would soon hand a working paper to US Maj-Gen
Geoffrey Miller, who is in charge of US prisons in Iraq.
A similar ICRC report, leaked in May, catalogued abuses at Abu Ghraib,
some of which it said were "tantamount to torture".
The ICRC, which confirmed the report's authenticity, normally keeps
its findings confidential because it believes it can get greater
access to prisoners and do more good by reserving its reports for the
authorities concerned.
6 US soldiers face possible courts martial and one has already been
jailed for a y over the abuses at Abu Ghraib.
Photographs have shown detainees being sexually humiliated, physically
tormented, and threatened with dogs at the jail.
* Fate of prisoners
US officials have pledged to cut prisoner numbers at Abu Ghraib to
about 2,000 by June 30.
Pres George W Bush has offered to tear down the jail, which was also
infamous in Saddam Hussein's era, and fund construction of a replacement.
Saddam is among a few dozen people still held in Iraq as prisoners of
war by US forces that invaded last y to oust him and destroy still
undiscovered WMD.
Prisoners of war are normally released once hostilities are over,
according to the Geneva Conventions.
The US has said Saddam and his aides will be handed over to Iraqi
authorities for trial.
Ms Doumani says they could be turned over to face penal proceedings as
civilians, provided there is a commitment by Iraqi authorities to give
them judicial guarantees.
Most of the 1000s of detainees interned by US-led forces have been
seized for "anti-coalition activities".
They are usually detained for up to 6 m or until the US military
decides they are no longer a security threat.
A US-led multinat'l force will still be able to detain people in Iraq
after June 30 for "compelling security reasons".
US charges Hicks
The US military has charged David Hicks
Washington. (Reuters/ABC). The United States has brought 3 criminal
charges against Aussie David Hicks, accusing him of conspiracy to
commit war crimes, attempted murder and aiding the enemy, the Pentagon
has said.
Hicks was captured in Afghanistan in late 2001 and will face trial
before a US military tribunal, although no date was set, the Pentagon
said in a statement.
Hicks, 28, and another Aussie, Egyptian-born Mamdouh Habib, have been
held without charge at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for
more than 2 y.
The Pentagon also confirmed earlier statements by the Aussie Govt that
US prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Hicks.
The Pentagon alleges Hicks attended Al Qaeda training camps in
Afghanistan and conducted surveillance of the US and Brit embassies in Kabul.
He is the 3rd Guantanamo prisoner to be charged.
"The defence team intends to fight these allegations, and that's all
they are is allegations, to the fullest extent that we're allowed to
and the resources that are provided to us," said Marine Corps Maj
Michael Mori, the military lawyer named to defend Hicks.
"It's unfortunate these allegations will never be tested in a fair and
established justice system. There's just a complete lack of the
independent judiciary and the independent appeals process that are the
backbone of any criminal justice system we're used to. It's such a
departure from fundamental fairness," Maj Mori told Reuters.
Maj Mori told Channel 9 the allegations show his client did not
injure anyone.
"I think they're [the charges] a little weak and I'm wondering where
the worst of the worst are," he said.
"David Hicks was labelled in the media that he's one of the 10 most
dangerous men in the world and yet he's not charged with actually
physically injuring anyone."
Hicks's Aussie lawyer Stephen Kenny says the charges will be no
comfort to his client.
Mr Kenny says he can not comment on the nature of the charges because
of an agreement he has with American military authorities.
But Mr Kenny says he remains concerned about Hicks's chances of a fair
trial as the military commission provides no avenue of appeal to an
independent judiciary.
"Pres Bush, who is the one who ultimately will decide the fate of
David Hicks, has described the people in Guantanamo Bay as killers,"
he said.
"Very clearly we can see from the charges that the most that they
allege is an attempted murder."
Hicks's father says he is astounded that the US military would bring a
charge of attempted murder against his son.
Terry Hicks says despite the charges being laid, he is still no
clearer about when his son will actually be tried by a military
commission.
"You know a lot of people have asked, 'I suppose you'd be shocked over
this,' I said well I'm not," Mr Hicks said.
"I think it's more surprising...that things like attempted murder, I
mean that's a civil offence that's what I thought, not a military offence.
"He was in a so called war zone, or so they say."
* Statement
The Pentagon statement said "military commission procedures provide
for a full and fair trial," including the presumption of innocence, a
requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt to secure a conviction
and an opportunity to present evidence and call witnesses.
But critics have noted the entire process is controlled by the Defence
Dept, including the appointment of the panel that will hear the case
and a review panel to which any appeal would go. Unlike normal US
military courts, there is no right to appeal to a civilian court in
the military commissions.
2 m after the Sep 11 attacks, Pres George W Bush authorised military
trials of non-US citizens caught in what he calls the global war on
terrorism.
Hicks was held at Guantanamo for more than 2 y before being charged
with conspiracy to commit war crimes, attempted murder by an
unprivileged belligerent and aiding the enemy.
The Pentagon said Hicks attended Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan
and conducted surveillance of the US and Brit embassies in Kabul.
Prosecutors said Hicks travelled to Afghanistan in Jan 2001 to attend a
variety of al Qaeda training camps after earlier joining a
paramilitary organisation fighting for Albanian Muslims in Kosovo and
an Islamic extremist group in Pakistan.
Prosecutors said Hicks met with Al Qaeda leaders including Osama bin
Laden and Mohammed Atef and performed tasks including translating Al
Qaeda training materials from Arabic to English.
* Reaction
The Fed Opp'n has welcomed the news, with Labor MP Nicola Roxon saying
it should not have taken this long.
"We're certainly pleased that the charges have finally been laid," she said.
"It's a disgrace that he's been held for 2 and half y without being charged.
"I now think the Govt needs to make sure that the trial process is
going to be fair and that we can be confident about any outcome of the
military commission."
Attempted murder charge surprises Hicks's father
Adelaide. The father of an Aussie man held in Guantanamo Bay says he
is astounded that the US military would bring a charge of attempted
murder against his son. Terry Hicks says despite the charges being
laid, he is still no clearer about when his son David will actually be
tried by a military commission. "You know a lot of people have asked,
'I suppose you'd be shocked over this,' I said well I'm not," Mr Hicks
said. "I think it's more surprised than anything, that things like
attempted murder, I mean that's a civil offence that's what I thought,
not a military offence. "He was in a so called war zone, or so they
say." Mr Hicks says he is still waiting for advice from his lawyer
about the charges. "I suppose the unfair thing about all of this is
the military have had 2 and 1/2 y of David, promises, coercion,
threats and all this sort of thing to get info," he said. "Our
defence have got just a matter of a few m to set up a case."
ALP calls for speedy Hicks trial
The US military has charged David Hicks
Canberra. The Fed Opp'n is calling for the speedy trial of Guantanamo
Bay detainee David Hicks after the US Govt announced they have laid 3
charges against him.
Hicks has been charged with conspiracy to commit war crimes, attempted
murder and aiding the enemy.
The charge sheet alleges Hicks trained at 4 Al Qaeda camps and fought
against the US and other forces in Afghanistan.
It also alleges Hicks met terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
Hicks's Aussie lawyer Stephen Kenny is pleased the charges have been
laid but is not confident about the military trial.
"The fact that it has no appeal to any independent judiciary makes it
extremely difficult for him to receive anything that Aussies would
recognise as a fair trial," he said.
Hicks's military lawyer Maj Michael Mori also has his reservations.
"The defence team intends to fight these allegations, and that's all
they are is allegations, to the fullest extent that we're allowed to
and the resources that are provided to us," he told Reuters.
"It's unfortunate these allegations will never be tested in a fair and
established justice system. There's just a complete lack of the
independent judiciary and the independent appeals process that are the
backbone of any criminal justice system we're used to. It's such a
departure from fundamental fairness." .
Labor MP Nicola Roxon is also worried.
"I now think the Govt needs to make sure the trial process is going to
be fair," he said.
Maj Mori says his client will plead not guilty to all charges.
The PM John Howard is confident the military trial will be soon.
"Charges speak for themselves and I will refrain from comment now that
he's been formally charged," he said.
Hicks's father says he is astounded that the US military would bring a
charge of attempted murder against his son.
Terry Hicks says despite the charges being laid, he is still no
clearer about when his son will actually be tried by a military commission.
"You know a lot of people have asked, 'I suppose you'd be shocked over
this,' I said well I'm not," Mr Hicks said.
"I think it's more surprising...that things like attempted murder, I
mean that's a civil offence that's what I thought, not a military offence.
"He was in a so called war zone, or so they say."
General: less combat in new Iraq mission
Baghdad (AP). The US military will consult Iraq's interim leaders
before engaging in future offensives and is shifting its priorities
from fighting guerrillas to training Iraqi troops and protecting
Iraq's fragile new govt, the US general who heads military operations
said Thu.
"Combat becomes a lower priority than it has been for much of the
insurgent fight to date," said Lt Gen Thomas F. Metz, who took command
of the new Multinat'l Corps Iraq HQ last m.
Metz said American forces "certainly have the right" under a UN Sec
Council resolution approved Tue "to conduct operations as we would
like to."
But decisions on US operations will be made in concert with Iraq's
incoming leaders, through liaisons sprinkled through coalition and
Iraqi military units, Metz added.
One of the 1st tasks Metz identified was to declare which militias and
rebel forces are "the enemy."
"I don't think we're going to conduct a lot of operations where we
disagree with the Iraqi govt on who is hostile or not," Metz told The
Associated Press in an interview on the sprawling coalition base on
the edge of Baghdad Internat'l Airport. "It's only to our benefit
... to get the support of the interim Iraqi govt."
Iraq's incoming PM, Iyad Allawi, has said the US military will not be
permitted to repeat heavy offensives like the Apr siege of Fallujah,
which involved helicopter gunships and Air Force bombings that killed
100s of Iraqis, many of them civilians.
The aborted assault on Fallujah is widely seen as a mistake that cost
the US support among Iraqis and left Fallujah a rebel safe-haven.
The UN resolution gives Iraqi leaders a say on "sensitive offensive
operations" by the US-led multinat'l force, but stops short of
granting the Iraqis a veto over major US-led military operations as
France and Germany had wanted.
Now, the US-led command is focusing intensely on rebuilding the Iraqi
military and police, appointing a 3-star US general to oversee the
task and giving it a higher priority than defeating anti-American guerrillas.
"Combat becomes a lower priority than it has been for much of the
insurgent fight to date," Metz said.
Metz said another top job is guarding Iraq's economic infrastructure
-- pipelines, electric pylons, roads -- needed to resuscitate the
economy, while protecting the fragile, fledgling govt selected to run
the country until Jan's elections.
"There are very professional terrorists that would like to kill any
number of those people," he said.
Of course, as US officers like to say, the enemy gets a vote. If
rebels launch an offensive, perhaps timed to coincide with the June 30
transfer of some sovereignty to an Iraqi regime, Metz said the Army
will shift back into counterinsurgency mode. Many have predicted a
guerrilla attempt to disrupt the handover.
But Metz said recent events have undercut the importance of June 30 as
an insurgent target. The naming of an interim govt headed by Allawi
was one. And the resignation of the widely mistrusted Governing
Council, hand-picked by the US, was another.
"It's turned out to be a pretty smart strategic move," Metz said.
"It has given us time to educate those new leaders to the threat that
we have and that the Iraqis have."
Insurgent attacks in June have dropped to levels not seen since the
relative calm of March, when 33 US troops died in attacks, along with
almost 200 Iraqis killed in a series of bombings. By contrast, 122
American troops and 100s of Iraqis were killed in Apr, the bloodiest m
for US troops since the war started.
Metz said he and other cmdrs are studying intel to gird for the next
rebel onslaught.
"It may be more likely that the insurgents will challenge us after the
handover, to challenge the young govt that's trying to figure out how
it's going to operate, how it's going to have a relationship with us,"
Metz said. "Some predict July will be like Apr -- there will be a hell
of a lot of fighting. Others predict that no, the enemy will wait
closer to election time" in Jan.
In another deviation from plans, Iraqi forces will not be brought into
the 35-nation coalition. Nat'l troops will fall under their own command,
which will operate separately while reporting to the US-led coalition.
Military officials have said the Apr uprising -- and the collapse of
US-led Iraqi security forces, half of whom refused to fight --
persuaded them to place Iraqi forces under an indigenous command.
The move gives the Iraqi military more freedom of action than other
coalition partners.
"If their govt wants to do an operation, they're a sovereign nation
and they can go do that operation," Metz said. "We will certainly
offer all the advice we can if we think it's not a smart operation or
they don't have the right intel brief."
US officials are already meeting with the new Iraqi govt and its MoD
to draft common goals on the post-handover direction of the guerrilla
war. The 2 sides need to decide exactly who the "enemy" is, and what
types of actions the coalition can mount against them.
Analysts have said the US military will have to assume a lower profile
to keep Iraqis from turning on their new govt -- or to prevent the
govt from kicking foreign troops out.
"What we'll want to do with our partners is establish who is
anti-Iraqi," Metz said. "If our partners agree that someone is a
hostile force then they are a hostile force."
With about 130,000 US troops and some 24,000 Brit and other coalition
soldiers in Iraq, Metz said US-led troops will keep up their
intel-based raids on rebel targets. The top focus will be capturing
internat'l terrorists believed to be behind the deadliest car bombings
here, Metz said.
"If we find the intel tells us there's a lucrative target, we'll go to
our [Iraqi] partners and share that with them, and we'll agree that is
a target we'll need to take down," Metz said.
Sadr loyalists attack Najaff police station
Najaff (ABC/BBC). Forces loyal to rebel Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr
have stormed an Iraqi police station in the holy city of Najaff.
United States-appointed Najaff governor Adnan al-Zorfi says members of
Sadr's Mehdi Army attacked Iraqi police who were patrolling the
militia stronghold's edge.
He says the militia besieged a police station then occupied and looted it.
At least one police officer and a civilian were killed and 24 people
were wounded.
A Sadr rep accused the police of provoking the fight, saying they
opened fire on Sadr's office and a militia check-point.
The police replaced US forces last wk as part of a cease-fire agreement.
Meanwhile, Iraq's PM Iyad Allawi says around 130-attacks on Iraqi oil
pipelines in the past 7 m have cost the country more than $US200-mn.
In the latest attack yesterday, a bomb blew up a pipeline carrying oil
from the Kirkuk fields to the country's biggest refinery.
But Mr Allawi says damage to Iraq's oil infrastructure harms ordinary
people because it is oil that will fund the country's reconstruction.
"There can be no confusion, Iraq's oil revenues are for Iraqis to
spend, no longer will be they diverted to building palaces or funding
lavash lifestyle of the selected few," he said.
"Every dollar made from the sale of Iraq's oil goes towards rebuilding
our country.
"With the damage these terrorists inflict on our various
infrastructure, they cause [damage] to our good people and to our
future and to our future generations."
Wave of attacks on occupation troops in Iraq continues
Baghdad (Granma.cu). The wave of attacks by the Iraqi resistance
continued today throughout the country, following the UN Sec Council's
latest resolution on the country that was unanimously adopted yesterday.
The coalition forces were once again the target of attacks by the
resistance in Baghdad, Fallujah and Karma (in the west), Karbala
(south) and Al Baquba (NE) with an as yet unknown number of casualties.
In the neighbourhood of Al-Jadra in NE Baghdad, a group of armed men
fired on a military convoy around 10.30 local time [06.30 Z] causing a
fierce blaze in one of the caravan's trucks.
According to one of the US soldiers, the attackers threw Molotov
cocktails from inside their vehicle. Meanwhile, the authorities have
not yet released details on the number of victims.
The resistance also sabotaged and set fire to an oil pipeline that
feeds the Baji refinery, some 200 km N of Baghdad.
These episodes took place the day after the UN Sec Council unanimously
passed a resolution on the return of (supervised) sovereignty to Iraq,
which anticipates the presence of a multinat'l force for up to a y
after June 30.
The maintenance of multinat'l troops was requested by the new interim
govt -- led by PM Iyad Allawi -- in order to guarantee security after
the transference of power, despite the fact that resistance groups are
demanding the immediate withdrawal of troops.
Allawi was recently revealed -- this time by The NY Times daily -- to
be an CIA agent when he led a group opposed to Saddam Hussein's govt
and was the author of several attacks, one of which resulted in a
number of victims at a Baghdad cinema.
Internal rifts threaten interim Iraqi Govt
A rift has opened between Kurdish members in Iraq's interim Govt and
the PM.
Baghdad. Kurdish leader and deputy PM Barham Saleh is responsible for
Iraq's internal security and has told interim PM Iyad Allawi he is
unhappy about a lack of legal power in his portfolio. A rep says he
is not going to accept a meaningless role in a Govt that does not
represent the Kurdish people's aspirations. Mr Allawi played down the
rift after another Kurdish member of the Govt threatened to walk out.
The Kurds are unhappy because the new UN resolution on Iraq's
sovereignty does not mention the interim constitution, which
guarantees Kurdish autonomy.
Allawi declares Kurdish dispute resolved
Baghdad (Reuters). Iraq has resolved a dispute over Kurdish autonomy,
which threatened to split the fledgling govt, according to PM Iyad Allawi.
Kurdish leaders had threatened to quit Mr Allawi's govt unless the
United Nations Security Council backed Kurdish autonomy in a
resolution that was unanimously adopted on Tue.
"This issue has been resolved," Mr Allawi said.
He says he has discussed it with Kurdish leaders in Baghdad but has
given no further details.
The UN resolution refers to the govt's commitment to a fed Iraq but
does not mention a transitional law passed in March, which guarantees
Kurdish self-rule in the north.
With the formal end to the US-led occupation only 20 days away, the
interim govt cannot afford tension between Kurds and majority Shiites,
whose top cleric has sworn to oppose the UN measure if it endorses the
transitional law.
One of Iraq's 2 main Kurdish leaders, Jalal Talabani, gave the UN
resolution mixed marks.
"We are happy that the Security Council resolution mentioned federalism,
but we regret that it did not mention the Kurdish people," he said.
Mainstream Shiite support is vital to the govt, which has outlawed the
Mehdi Army militia of Shiite cleric Sheik Moqtada al-Sadr, who
launched an anti-US revolt in Apr.
10 Chinese killed in Afghanistan raid
Kabul (Guardian). At least 10 Chinese workers on a railway
reconstruction project in northern Afghanistan were last night shot
dead as they slept in an attack condemned as terrorism by the Chinese
authorities.
Police in Kunduz said 6 to 8 gunmen had killed an Afghan security
guard before opening fire on the Chinese workers -- who were sleeping
in tents nr the construction site -- with automatic rifles. They said
10 of the workers had been killed.
Liu Jianchao, a rep for the Chinese foreign ministry, said that 11
workers had died. 4 others, who were "heavily injured", were receiving
treatment at a German-run hospital in Kunduz.
Mr Liu said a preliminary investigation suggested that the attack,
which happened at 1 am local time (2100 BST) attack was the work of
terrorists, although he gave no further details.
"They were shot in their dreams," he said. "There were heavy
casualties, and they were not protected. It should be a lesson for
us. We should take more measures to protect the safety of Chinese abroad."
Mr Liu said the workers had been part of a Chinese railway
construction company employing 123 people in Afghanistan. He added
that Chinese workers in the country numbered "several hundred", and
said a range of Chinese civil engineering projects there would continue.
"China will not give in to any terrorism. China has a traditional
friendship with Afghanistan. We will continue to participate in the
reconstruction of Afghanistan," Mr Liu said.
Most of the workers had arrived the day before the attack, and the
bodies were still being identified, he said.
The Chinese president, Hu Jintao, "strongly condemned the inhumane and
brutal attack," Mr Liu said.
Mr Hu has urged the Afghan govt and the UN mission in Afghanistan to
launch a "full investigation, punish those gunmen and ensure the
safety of Chinese workers and other staff".
He said China also "calls on the internat'l community to enhance the
fight on terrorism".
Mice chewing competition outrages RSPCA
Brisbane. The RSPCA is expected to seek the strongest penalties
against the participants of a so-called Jackass competition in an
inner Bris pub in which 2 contestants chewed up live mice. RSPCA
chief inspector Byron Hall says the Exchange Hotel event is an
outrageous act of cruelty. 2 men in their 20s accepted a challenge to
place live mice in their mouths and bite their tails off in a bid to
win $500. But inspector Hall says as the competition went on and the
men were encouraged to chew the mice up and they did. He says all
concerned could face fines of up to $75,000 and 2 y in prison. "Well
it was premeditated for starters," he said. "Somebody had to think it
up and provide the mice and then convince people to do it. "So ...
not only is it premeditated but it is down right cruel and absolutely
stupid for starters."
Work begins on massive power cables across Bass Strait
Melbourne. The laying of what is believed to be one of the world's
longest submarine cables is underway off the coast of Vic. The 290-km
Basslink cable will allow Tas to supply the nat'l electricity market.
UK-based Nat'l Grid Transco says the electricity interconnector will
be laid in 3 stages ending at George Town in northern Tas by mid-2005.
The company's Jon Richards says contractors are aware of the pressing
need for the link. "Official forecasts show Vic's shortage of peak
power becoming more acute and we need that, we need that link
operating," he said. The State Oppn's energy rep Will Hodgman says
Basslink will deliver many benefits to Tas, among them, investment
opportunities and bigger profits for the Hydro. "There's been a
vision for Basslink for some y now," he said. "[Former Tasn premier]
Tony Rundle's govt was the initiator of this vision and it is pleasing
to see it come to fruition." Basslink is due to be commissioned by
the summer of 2005/2006.
Beatles festival to mark Aussie tour anniversary
Adelaide. Today marks 40 y since Beatlemania hit AUS -- when the fab
four arrived for their one and only tour of this country. The scenes
of hysteria they created have never been matched.
And nowhere was the mania bigger than in Adel, so it is appropriate
that 4 decades on the city is hosting a Beatles festival to celebrate.
But as Mike Sexton reports the lasting legacy of the Beatles' brief
visit may not be their music, but the emergence of a homegrown sound.
BOB ROGERS, 2CH RADIO ANNOUNCER: I should tell you that the concerts
were terrible because they couldn't hear themselves, they couldn't
sing in tune.
It didn't matter. They only appeared for 30 minutes, by the way.
But it was just one constant piercing screaming from the kids from
about 15 minutes before they came on stage.
MIKE SEXTON: It was June 1964 when a Liverpool rock'n'roll band landed
in AUS and sparked scenes of teen hysteria the likes of which have
never been seen before or since.
With a string of number one hits, the Beatles had conquered America
and now it was AUS's turn to experience Beatlemania.
BOB ROGERS: They were just as bewildered as everybody.
They were happy about it, of course, and I've got tapes of them
saying, "Well, of course we love it, but wouldn't you, you know, but
how long will it last?"
And another question you'd ask them was, "Will you ever be able to
live a private life?"
And again they thought they would, but they never have been.
MIKE SEXTON: SYD DJ Bob Rogers was in the eye of the storm, thanks to
a deal granting him exclusive access to the Fab Four.
BOB ROGERS: I tell you what, it had a terrible effect upon me.
After it was all over I was totally exhausted and it changed the whole
direction of my life.
I didn't want to be involved with that sort of thing anymore.
MIKE SEXTON: Originally, the Beatles were only scheduled to perform on
the E coast, but a petition signed by 80,000 desperate Adel fans
convinced the promoters to include concerts in SA.
Among those who caught a heavy dose of Beatlemania was Jan Cocks.
What about when you heard that they were coming to AUS?
Can you remember that?
JAN COCKS: Oh, so excited.
MIKE SEXTON: And while the petition suggested the level of hysteria,
no-one expected the welcome that lay ahead.
From a State population of about 1 mn, it's estimated 350,000
people greeted them, the biggest single crowd in Aussie history.
BOB ROGERS: I have tapes, listening to the tapes, they all agree that
this was the most astounding reception they'd had anywhere.
Each one individually says that.
MIKE SEXTON: Because of fears of a riot, authorities sealed off the
airport but there was one teenager who made it on to the tarmac.
Through a contact, Jan Cocks gained access to her heroes, and 40 y
later still gets hot flushes at the memory.
JAN COCKS: They 1st appeared and I think my heart skipped a beat.
I was sort of stunned and all of a sudden, I thought 'camera' -- I
have to take this memory.
I asked Paul for his autograph and he said, "Yes."
He put out his hand to take my book, I held out the book and just at
that moment, we were only inches apart, the car took off.
MIKE SEXTON: There are many theories as to why SA went nuts for John,
Paul and George.
Ringo was ill and replaced by Jimmy Nicol but a contemporary of the
Beatles believes it has to do with the similarities between Liverpool
and Adel.
Prem Willis-Pitts played in rival bands in Liverpool in the early '60s
and has written a book about his experiences.
He believes the Scouser's sense of the underdog meant the Beatles
related to Adel.
PREM WILLIS-PITTS, AUTHOR: Adel was marginalised.
So was Liverpool.
It was about the same size.
Whatever Beatlemania was anyway, it was amplified by their
contingency, by the similarities, and I think this is why they just
accepted the Beatles wholesale and vice versa -- the Beatles accepted them.
MIKE SEXTON: But after the Beatles left and the screaming died down,
the beat went on.
Local musicians inspired by the visit were asking the question -- if
it could happen to 4 lads from Liverpool, then why not then?
JOHN BYWATERS, MUSICIAN: We then became sort of vacuums, or like a
sponge if you like, sucking in all this new material that the Beatles
started to produce and we sort of had a bit of reflected glory from
them as they became popular.
MIKE SEXTON: John Bywaters played in a Beatles cover band called the
Twilights which was fronted by a Brit migrant named Glenn Shorrock.
Soon they started writing their own songs and found themselves in the
charts alongside their idols.
JOHN BYWATERS: I think it's back to the migrant thing where these hip
kids came from mainly England and the N of England.
I think, you know, they were already into the influence of that sort
of music and they came here and they made Adel a very vibey scene with
the clubs and such like.
MIKE SEXTON: The Twilights were one of a number of Adel bands that
fuelled a nat'l pop music scene, including Masters Apprentices, Cold
Chisel and Bon Scott who fronted AUS's greatest rock'n'roll export, AC/DC.
In recent y there's been another music export.
In a case of shipping coal to Newcastle, Adel tribute band the Fab 4
have played in Liverpool at the annual Beatles Festival.
MONTY RUGGIERO, BEATLES FESTIVAL ORGANISER: The actual organisers had
put us on some pretty big stages, one in Chavasse Park to 70,000 people.
MIKE SEXTON: Now Monty Ruggerio, who plays Ringo, is bringing the
Beatles back to Adel with a 4-day festival of music, film, seminars
and celebration.
Among the guests will be the Beatles' original drummer, Pete Best.
John Lennon's sister Julia and some of the best tribute bands from
around the world.
MONTY RUGGIERO: I don't think bands like the Fab 4 are going to help
bring the Beatles back.
I think what they're going to do is help keep the flame alive, yes, I
think we're going to help create -- we're going to help people
remember, reminisce, and I think we're going to help people discover.
MIKE SEXTON: Jan Cocks can't wait.
JAN COCKS: I am so excited.
It's like a 14-yo in a 54-yo.
I've got tickets to everything.
I'm going to be there, so I'm going to be everywhere.
MIKE SEXTON: If John Lennon was still alive, he would be 64 this y and
so now, 40 y after Beatlemania, the question the Beatles posed on the
Sgt Peppers album continues to resonate.
ATSIC workers consider legal action over email sacking bungle
Sydney. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC)
workers are considering legal action today after an official email was
mistakenly sent out advising them they had been fired.
Termination letters were sent by email to researchers and personal
assistants who work for ATSIC commissioners in Qld, New South Wales,
Vic, W AUS and the N Territory.
Several hours later, a further email advised those affected that the
termination letter was a mistake.
NSW ATSIC commissioner Rick Griffith says those responsible for the
embarrassing bungle should be fired.
"It's not just my 2 staff that have been affected by this, I believe
that later in the afternoon other commissioners' staff got the letter
also," he said.
"I am also going to be putting the Min [for Indigenous Affairs Amanda
Vanstone] on notice that there needs to be an investigation into these
sorts of irresponsible behaviour by snr public servants."
An ATSIC rep confirmed the termination notices were mistakenly sent to
a number of staff and commissioner Griffiths says it caused severe and
unnecessary stress.
"It caused a lot of grief for my 2 staff, I can tell you," he said.
"There wasn't much I could say and I get a phone call later that
afternoon to say it was all a mistake, well I can tell you, it is not
going to finish here.
"I think it is reprehensible and I honestly believe those people
should be dismissed instantly."
Vicn ATSIC commissioner Troy Austin says none of the commissioners
have supported any move to sack their staff and believes the email has
exposed a hidden agenda.
"We will be putting a budget to the Min that includes our personal
assistants and research officers and support from central office as
well, to make sure we are able to carry out obligations as the board
of commissioners," he said.
"They will be terminated on the close of business on June 30, 2004,
and as I said it looks as though there are preparations, if in fact
the Min doesn't provide any ongoing funding for their employment."
Garrett to play "imperfect game"
Sydney. Describing fed politics as an imperfect game, Labor's star
new recruit says he has to join a nat'l political party to play it.
Peter Garrett says he is willing to toe the party line to stand as
Labor's candidate in the safe SYD seat of Kingsford Smith.
The former lead singer of Midnight Oil has held strong views in the
past about the US base Pine Gap, nuclear ships berthing in Aussie
waters, and logging in old growth forests.
He says he has now caught up with the mainstream on many issues.
"I've done a lot of work there in grass roots activism, I've done a
lot of work with NGO communities and I've done a lot of work as a
performer and a singer," he said.
"I'm ready to come into the mainstream and now's the right time for me
to do it."
Mr Garrett says politics is cynical, compromising and wearing.
"But it also offers up the possibility for making the country a better
place," he said.
"It's also where people go to serve, where people on all sides of
politics, whether Liberals, Labor or Democrats are there, doing what
they think is in the best interests of the country because of the
policies they believe in."
Mr Garrett admits some compromises ahead will be hard but he says he
is willing to make compromises to join Labor's team.
"Accept the rules of the party, follow the policies, and express
myself strongly and positively in the party room but not outside of
it," Mr Garrett said.
"Not in the media and not on TV."
He says he wants to be a team player.
"I want to work with my colleagues... if I get the seat of
Kingsford-Smith I want to be in there supporting Mark Latham, who's
given me an extraordinary opportunity to participate in nat'l
politics," he said.
"I don't bring any conditions or aspirations to it at all other than
to do my best."
* Green policies
Mr Garret's new commitment to the party line is evident in his
comments on the protection of old-growth forests in Tas.
He denies Labor has a shameful record on old-growth forests.
He says the environment must be protected by creating industries that
employ people at the same time.
"Here's the key to it: It's to make sure you do protect people's
livelihoods and you make sure you look after high conservation forests
and those values very well," he said.
"It can be done... I'm convinced it can be done.
"It will take some compromises and it will take some money."
* Electoral roll lapse
Mr Garrett also admits he has not been on the electoral roll for a decade.
But he says he thought he was and he has voted in recent elections.
"I voted at the last election -- I voted in NY at the Aussie consul,"
Mr Garrett said.
"Midnight Oil are my witnesses."
Labor to fast-track Garrett's membership
Former Midnight Oil star Peter Garrett joins the Labor Party.
Canberra. Peter Garrett's Labor Party membership will be fast-tracked
at a meeting of the party's Nat'l Executive today.
The party hierarchy will also open nominations in their centrally-run
preselection for the safe SYD seat of Kingsford Smith and are hoping
the former Midnight Oil lead singer will be the lone candidate.
The former activist concedes it will be hard to compromise on some
long held views but has pledged to keep dissenting thoughts out of the
spotlight.
He has also been reminded he once expressed an interest in being PM
but says he has joined Labor to serve Mark Latham.
"I don't come in with any conditions and I don't come in with any
ambitions," he said.
He has promised to toe the party line and has rejected Govt criticism
saying that he is"not anti-American".
He admits he does not agree with Republican US presidents but will not
comment on current Pres George W Bush.
"I'm not going to provide fodder and material on this show for other
people to go out and be mischievous with," Mr Garrett said.
Mr Garrett is also under pressure from the Govt to explain why he was
not on the electoral roll for a decade.
"Now I accept the responsibility for the fact that I wasn't on the
roll," adding that he thought he was.
The Fed Govt has asked the Electoral Commission to investigate Mr
Garrett's claim that he voted in several elections, while apparently
not on the electoral roll.
Mr Garrett says his vote was accepted at polling booths in AUS and
overseas after he explained he was on a silent electoral roll.
Special Min of State Eric Abetz thinks the sit'n needs to be investigated.
"It's very concerning to me that we have somebody like Peter Garrett
asserting that he was voted in periods when his name has not appeared
on the electoral roll, something is clearly amiss and therefore I have
asked for advice from the Electoral Commission as to whether that is a
possibility that people can vote without being on the electoral roll,"
he said.
Mr Garrett has lashed out at Mr Abetz's comments.
"I think that's an abuse of his position as Min of State," he said.
"Quite frankly, it's not appropriate for people to start disclosing
their voting records. I'm happy to dig out all the details that I have
and present them to you.
"I do know I voted whenever I was able. I do know I went into polling
booths and votes were received. I do know I voted in the 2001
[election] in particular because my colleagues from Midnight Oil were there."
* Conservationists
Meanwhile, conservationists are alarmed that one of their champions
has talked up the prospect of a Tasn pulp mill.
Mr Garret is a former president of the Aussie Conservation Foundation
(ACF) and made the reference yesterday.
Asked about the conflict in Tas between conservationists and the
forest industry, Mr Garrett said: "It will take some compromises and
it will take some money and I think a pulp mill, for example, is a
part of that solution".
Tasn Greens Senate candidate Christine Milne says the comments
indicate a Tasn pulp mill is firmly on fed Labor's agenda.
"I was interested that Peter Garrett ducked the question of old growth
and high conservation value logging in Tas and tried to shift the
conversation to a pulp mill," she said.
Ms Milne says Mr Garrett is aware the ACF wants a further 240,000 ha
of old growth forests protected.
Despite the comments, Mr Garrett plans to lobby the party to protect
the environment but he says he is realistic that compromises will have
to be made.
The Labor Party is yet to decide its forests policy.
However Mr Garrett has pushed for the protection of Tas's old growth
forests which would mean an end to logging in 240,000 hectares of high
conservation areas.
Mr Garrett says he will argue strongly in the party room but once a
decision is made he will toe the party line.
"When I get inside the party room I will absolutely passionately
[lobby] for it," he said.
"Of course I'll take my strong conservation background and my strong
conservation views into the party but I'll accept the decisions made.
"When the policy evolves I will accept that policy."
ALP claims Iraq withdrawal won't hurt US relations
Kevin Rudd stands by Labor's policy to bring Aussie troops home from Iraq.
Washington (ABC, Jill Colgan). Shadow For Aff Min Kevin Rudd
has reaffirmed Labor Party policy on Iraq with a snr member of the
Bush Admin in Washington, insisting a Labor Govt will bring Aussie
troops home by Christmas.
Mr Rudd met for about an hour with US Deputy Secretary of State
Richard Armitage and later described the discussion as robust.
The Bush Admin has strongly criticised Labor's plan saying the Iraq
withdrawal would be a political disaster for the United States and
Aussie alliance.
Mr Armitage strongly expressed US opp'n to Labor's plans but Mr Rudd
insisted he did not believe the rift would result in damage to
political relations between the 2 countries.
"We've had disagreements in the past over Indonesia, over New Guinea,
over Vietnam and now over Iraq," Mr Rudd said.
"The alliance has survived all those things and it will survive this
disagreement as well."
Mr Rudd says AUS is best positioned to help Iraq economically and with
humanitarian aid, not with military assistance.
Meanwhile, Iraq's new Pres has thanked AUS for being part of the
US-led multi-nat'l force in the country saying he hopes the Aussies
will keep participating.
Wearing traditional Iraqi dress, new Pres Ghazi al-Yawar told foreign
media Iraqis greatly appreciated the multi-nat'l force and the job it
was doing trying to secure peace in Iraq.
He refused to be drawn on claims by the Bush Admin that it would be a
disaster if AUS pulled out. But he did hope for ongoing Aussie assistance.
"We would really welcome having AUS keep participating in peacekeeping
and stability keeping in Iraq," he said.
Sacked officer moves to sue Vic Police
Melbourne. A sacked police officer plans to sue the Vic Police for
defamation One of 2 officers Vicn Police Chief Commissioner Christine
Nixon has moved to sack, plans to sue Vic Police for defamation.
Suspended Snr Constable Edward Robb, from Benalla, has been acquitted
of several charges including assault and attempting to pervert the
course of justice but says he has never been involved in corruption.
"I will fight tooth and nail to prove that I am in no way corrupt," he
said.
Commissioner Nixon has also announced she wants to dismiss suspended
Detective Paul Dale after drug charges against him were dropped
because a key witness was murdered last m.
At the same time she announced she wanted to sack Snr Constable Robb.
Senior Constable Robb has employed a solicitor to take civil action
against the Chief Commissioner.
The Police Association is not offering legal support but says there
are moral questions about Commissioner Nixon's press conference.
It is also questioning the release of a list of officers facing
charges and is seeking its own legal opinion.
Vic Police is refusing to comment.
Senior Constable Robb's solicitor Edwin Clark says his client denies
any suggestion he is corrupt.
"What Mr Robb has retained us to do is to look at the possibility of
legal action in defamation proceedings which arose from him being
referred to as a corrupt police officer.
Vicn A-G Rob Hulls says police have the same legal rights as other
people and it will be a matter for the courts.
"People have legal rights, if they believe that they want to take
legal action it's entirely a matter for them, but that is not a matter
for the Govt," he said.
"We have full faith in the Chief Commissioner of Police and she will
be getting increased powers to deal with so called underworld killings.
"We've already given extra powers to the ombudsman in relation to
police corruption and our 2 pronged attack is the right approach."
Security top priority as police hunt jail escapees
Perth. Police in Perth are warning that 5 men who are on the run
after a mass breakout of prisoners from a holding cell at the Supreme
Court yesterday, are extremely dangerous.
Perth residents are being warned to lock their vehicles and their
homes after 9 prisoners broke out of the facility about 11.00 am AWST
after overpowering guards.
2 groups of 4 prisoners each hijacked a vehicle while one of the men
fled on foot through the central business district.
Police caught 4 of the men when they dumped one stolen vehicle near
the Mount Henry Bridge on the Kwinana Freeway.
One of those has been taken to hospital with minor injuries after
being hit by a police car.
Acting assistant commissioner of crime Murray Lampard warns that the
escapees are dangerous and should not be approached.
"They're quite desperate people, they're desperate to get away," he said.
"Certainly by their actions... where 2 family groups were accosted out
of their vehicles just show how desperate they can be."
Mr Lampard is asking people to be vigilant in securing their homes and cars.
"Most importantly we want them to be safe in their own homes, and they
can take security precautions to ensure that happens," he said.
Mr Lampard says no attempt should be made by citizens to apprehend the
escapees.
"If they see any suspicious activity at all, please do not approach
these persons, but to ring the police on 9222 1111," he said.
* Names released
The Justice Dept has released the names of the 9 prisoners, although
it is not clear which of the 9 have been captured.
The men are Brett Colin Pezzino, Bradley Christoper Nicolaides, Jamie
Andrew Sweeney, Allon Mitchell Lacco, Robert Geoffrey Hill, Claudio
Gabrielle Simion, Guy Steven Fullgrabe, Jason Guy Hapke and Laurie
John Dodd.
All 9 are classified maximum or medium security prisoners and their
offences range from armed robbery, aggravated burglary and assaulting
a public officer.
Mr Lampard describes the escape as disturbing.
"Our focus as a police service has got to be on apprehending these
people," he said.
"As days go on the issue of security will be looked at but that's
certainly a matter for the Dept of Justice.
"Our focus is at the moment [on] apprehending these people."
Search continues for 5 WA escapees
Perth. 5 dangerous prisoners who escaped from the Perth Supreme Court
yesterday after overpowering security guards remain at large this
morning. In all, 9 men broke free from a security cell late yesterday
morning. The escapees hijacked 2 vehicles outside the complex but 4
of the men were caught quickly after they abandoned one of the
vehicles near the Mount Henry Bridge on the Kwinana Freeway. Senior
Constable Jodi di Lallo says the prisoners still on the run are
dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstances.
"We're still endeavouring to go through a whole lot of avenues of
inquiry but we are still asking the public's assistance in locating
these men," she said. "If anyone knows of the whereabouts of any of
these men, we're urging you to please contact police. "We do believe
that they're dangerous and we're urging everyone to report all
sightings to police."
Security tight around Perth court following break out
Security is tight as 4 recaptured escapees are due to front court.
Perth. Tight security has surrounded the arrival at the central law
courts in Perth of 4 prisoners.
A police search is continuing for the 5 other prisoners who broke
out of the Supreme Court complex about 24 hr ago.
There was an obvious air of tension among security staff as the
prisoners arrived.
Dozens of AIMS security staff were on hand as the men were escorted
from an armoured truck into the court's prisoner processing area.
The prisoners screamed obscenities and threats at journalists as they
were being driven into the court precinct.
Senior Sgt Ralph Stevenson from Police Media says the 4 face a number
of charges.
"These 4 men have all been charged with escaping legal custody,
stealing motor vehicles with violence and attempting to steal motor
vehicles with violence," he said.
Meanwhile forensic police are examining a car found earlier this
morning that had been hijacked during yesterday's break out.
The blue Holden Commodore was found at the Banksia Grove Shopping
Centre in the N suburb of Marangaroo.
It is the 2nd car stolen by the prisoners to have been dumped.
A Land Rover was yesterday found abandoned nr the Mount Henry Bridge.
Pandas edge back from the brink
Beijing (AFP). The most comprehensive survey yet of China's giant panda
population shows they are clawing their way back from the brink of
extinction, with 40 % more than previously thought in the wild, the
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has said.
The survey documented at least 1,590 of the endangered species in the
wild and is a sharp rise from the 1,110 reported in 1988, the last
time a survey was conducted.
Another 161 pandas have been raised in captivity.
The 4 y joint study by WWF and the State Forestry Admin of China
attempted to count every panda, as opposed to previous studies which
extrapolated numbers of pandas from selected parts of their habitat.
Pandas prefer living alone in high mountains and deep valleys and the
survey, using satellite monitoring technologies, found them in regions
not thought to be their habitat.
While giant pandas were once widespread in S and eastern China and in
neighbouring Burma and Vietnam, they are now only found in temperate
forest scattered across 6 mountain ranges in SW China.
"Because of improved census methods, we have a more accurate count of
how many there are in the wild, where they are and the state of the
habitat on which they depend," James Harkness, country representative
of WWF China said.
"The results of the survey will be used to help ensure that over the
next few y we make even greater strides to protect this rare and
precious animal."
China now has 40 panda reserves compared to the 13 it had 2 decades
ago and at least 95% of giant pandas in the wild are under protection.
Even though the panda may not be quite as endangered as previously
thought, China has vowed to strictly control its exports of the
beloved animal, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Deforestation and continued poaching remains a threat to the panda's
survival, the WWF said.
Nevertheless, with effective habitat protection and a commitment to
sustainable development practices, "WWF believes that giant panda
populations can recover in the wild to secure levels".
"The release of this survey is important not only for pandas, or WWF,
but also for the more than 1.3 bn people of China," Susan Lieberman,
director of WWF's Global Species Program, said.
"The giant panda is a powerful symbol of the very future of China, the
need to balance human needs and nature conservation."
Giant pandas are believed to have been around during the time of the
dinosaurs and they have been regarded as "state treasures" by the
Chinese since they topped China's list for rare animals under special
protection in 1962.
Computers in virtually every school in Canada
Cost, training are challenges
Ottawa (CP). Virtually all elementary and secondary schools in Canada
have computers, but inadequately trained teachers, costs and aging
computers are a concern, according to a survey released Thu by
Statistics Canada.
Overall, an estimated one mn computers were available to students and
teachers, and more than 9 out of 10 of these computers were connected
to the Internet.
Fewer than 3% of principals reported not having Internet connections.
There was roughly one computer in elementary and secondary schools for
every 5 students, said the report.
"There were fewer students per computer in small schools than in
larger schools, and fewer in secondary schools than in elementary
schools," it said.
The Yukon had the lowest number of students per computer, while PEI,
Quebec, Ontario and Brit Columbia had the highest number of students
per computer.
The 2003-04 Info and Communications Technologies in Schools Survey
collected info from principals, and brings together data from nearly
6,700 elementary and secondary schools.
According to the principals, most teachers have the skills to use
computers for report cards, taking attendance and recording grades.
But fewer than half the principals felt that the majority of their
teachers were adequately prepared to engage students effectively in
the use of technology to enhance their learning.
Fewer than a quarter of the schools had the majority of their
computers running on the most recent operating systems.
Lynn Barr-Telford, chief of survey development and analysis at the
Centre for Education Statistics, said school computers are aging.
"That having been said, though, it's not necessarily problematic
because some of the softwares that are being used in schools may not
require the most up-to-date operating systems or processing speeds,"
she said.
86% of schools used the "always-on" method to access the Internet,
while only 9% used dial-up telephone lines with a modem.
The survey results show that just over 20% of rural schools were using
dial-up connections to access the Internet, compared with only 5%
of urban schools.
* Other findings:
* About 60% of principals give their students frequent access to
computers outside instructional hours, for instance during lunch and breaks.
* More than half of school computers were equipped with medium
processor speed, and nearly a 3rd of them had low processor speed.
* Slightly more than 2/3 of principals reported that getting enough
funding for technology was a challenge.
* More than 90% of principals agreed that info and communications
technology enables the curriculum to be more challenging and enriching.
Dogs understand language, researchers say
Rico may be living proof that dogs truly understand human language.
Leipzig (Reuters). A clever border collie that can fetch at least 200
objects by name may be living proof that dogs truly understand human
language, German scientists have reported.
Rico can figure out which object his master wants even if he has never
heard the word before, the researchers say.
The findings, reported in the journal Science, may not surprise many
dog owners. But they are certain to re-ignite a debate over what
language is and whether it is unique to humans.
Rico's abilities seem to follow a process called fast mapping, seen
when young children start to learn to speak and understand language,
they report.
Fast-mapping allows a child to form quick and rough hypotheses about
the meaning of a new word the 1st time they hear or see it.
"[Rico] lives as a pet with his owners and was reported by them to
know the labels of more than 200 items, mostly children's toys and
balls, which he correctly retrieved upon request," Julia Fischer of
the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig and
colleagues wrote.
His owners say "Rico, wo ist der [where is the] Banane [banana]," or
"BigMac" or "Panda", and the dog searches, out of sight of the owner,
until he finds the object.
Fischer and colleagues set up experiments to test the dog and are
satisfied that he understands the words.
"For instance, he can be instructed to put them into a box or to bring
them to a certain person," they wrote.
"Rico's 'vocabulary size' is comparable to that of language-trained
apes, dolphins, sea lions and parrots."
When they put a new object into a room filled with old objects, Rico
was able to fetch it 7 out of 10 times, evidently figuring out that
the new word must refer to the new object.
4 wk later, he apparently remembered this new word about half the
time. "This retrieval rate is comparable to the performance of 3-yo
toddlers," they wrote.
"Undoubtedly, he is a highly motivated dog," they noted, adding that
border collies are bred to respond to human commands.
But, they added, "our results strongly support the view that a
seemingly complex human linguistic skill previously described only in
human children may be mediated by simpler cognitive building blocks
that are also present in another species."
Obviously, they said, children have a deeper and broader understanding
of words. But it could be that some of the mechanisms underlying
language evolved "before early humans were ready to talk."
Psychologist Paul Bloom of Yale University in Connecticut, an expert
in how people learn the meaning of words, said not even chimpanzees
have demonstrated such "fast-mapping" abilities.
"Perhaps Rico is doing precisely what a child does, just not as well,"
Bloom wrote in a commentary. "Rico's limitations might reflect
differences in degree, not in kind."
But Bloom also noted that a child's understanding of language can
include abstract concepts.
"When children learn a word such as 'sock,' they do not interpret it
as 'bring-the-sock' or 'go-to-the-sock,' and they do not merely
associate it with socks," he said.
"Can Rico follow an instruction not to fetch an item, just as one can
tell a child not to touch something? Rico's abilities are fascinating,
but until we have answers to these sorts of questions, it is too early
to give up on the view that babies learn words and dogs do not."
Telcos bank on mobile e-money
New mobile phones expected to be a hit in Japan
Tokyo (Kyodo). New mobile phones with electronic money functions
enabling users to make purchases and identify themselves online will
debut this summer and are expected to be a massive hit in Japan.
NTT Mobile Communications Network (NTT DoCoMo) will become Japan's
first carrier to market augmented phones when it adds identification
functions to all compatible handsets which can handle high speed data
transmission.
"In the future, you will be able to do everything with cellphones,"
said an official in charge of NTT DoCoMo's hugely popular i-mode
Internet service.
Mobile phones in Japan have grown into a kind of living
infrastructure, with every Japanese person owning at least one.
They have various functions such as credit card, commuter pass, house
keys and tickets.
Currently, 27 firms including the E Japan Railway Company and the Bank
of Tokyo-Mitsubishi are jointly testing the new phones with some to be
available on the domestic market this summer.
NTT DoCoMo's rivals KDDI Corporation and Brit company Vodafone are
playing catch up by developing e-money phones that can be marketed quickly.
"JR East's Suica electronic ticket is an important infrastructure and
we want to provide that with our new service," KDDI president Tadashi
Onodera said.
In the latter half of the next fiscal year, JR E plans to deploy a
"mobile Suica" payment option in which train fares are automatically
deducted when users touch gate sensors with their handsets.
KDDI is busy trying to put the scheme into practical use.
The mobile phone e-money function is expected to be enormously
popular, as it enhances the functions of the already ubiquitous device.
"This fiscal year, we will develop a new mobile communications
method," NTT DoCoMo president Keiji Tachikawa said.
The payment service will also be a new source of revenue amid
intensifying industry competition.
NTT DoCoMo has continued to chalk up profits with the Japanese mobile
phone boom but it is expected to see them decline in the y ending in
March 2005 for the 1st time, due to cheaper data transmission services
and the introduction of a fixed charge.
{{
Midnight.
An Estonian state committee has prepared a bill for the Soviet
occupation. It says the SU army alone caused $4 bn in damage. In
making up the damages claim, the govt points to Russia as the successor
to the SU. The govt has directed a committee prepare the compensation claim.
0.30 am
The Bank of England has raised int rates by 25 basis points to 4.5%.
The announcement came hard on heels of the BNZ int hike.
The G8 will concentrate on Africa today. World leaders will talk with
8 African leaders about debt and AIDS.
11 people have been killed in Karachi in an attack on a military
convoy. The military cmdr -- who was the target of the attack --
escaped unharmed.
Iraq's interim PM says the country has lost $US200 mn in revenue due
to oil pipeline sabotage. He says the oil infrastructure has attacked
130 times in the last 7 m and called for an end to all violence.
6 am
The Dow is up 40 pts. The hi-tech Nasdaq is up 9. Gold is trading at
$US386.15/oz. Oil is higher at $US38.41/bbl. An internat'l energy
group says demand for oil will be up 1/2 mn bpd this y, mainly from
India and Brazil. The AUD is trading around 69.77 US c.
The ICRC says prisoner numbers at Abu Ghraib have halved since Mar.
Ray Charles has died, aged 73.
Martha Stewart's lawyers have demanded a new trial for their client
after a govt witness was charged last m with perjury in relation to
the case.
Sydney's SE has been hit by storms and flooding o'night.
After 40 y, the Olympic torch has returned to New Delhi. 105 people
carried the torch in a 33 km trip around the city.
FM Downer says terror group JI is targeting Aussie diplomats in
Indonesia.
The US has laid charges against alleged Aussie terrorist David Hicks.
After 2.5 y Hicks has been accused of fighting with the Taliban. The
3 charges incl conspiracy to commit war crimes, attempted murder, and
aiding the enemy. A Pentagon statement details Hicks' face-to-face
meeting with OBL in which he allegedly offered to translate training
manuals to English. He's accused of actively fighting with the
Taliban, but no evidence was offered. [Later reports say Hicks was
accused of guarding an Afghan govt tank during a US attack on Kabul].
Hicks' military def lawyer, Maj Michael Mori USMC, said his client
will be pleading not guilty to all charges. The statement was
delivered in Pentagon a press release. The charge sheet says Hicks
learned surveillance techniques and spied in the US and Brit embassies
in Kabul in 2001. But Maj Mori said the allies had closed their
embassies in 1989 and didn't re-open them until 2002.
The Philippines Coast Guard has launched a search operation for 32
missing fishermen who went missing on 2 vessels that were battered by
strong winds after a storm hit the C Philippines. The storm saw winds
of 55 kph. 1 person was killed, and 5 injured and several more are
missing after the tornado hit a small town.
The G8 meeting has called on Sudan to disband militias that have
terrorised Darfur state. While Ghana was praised for strengthening
democracy, and Kenya is picked to soon follow with its own praise, the
group failed to mention human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
Midday.
Tony Blair is preparing for an electoral rebuff from voters in local
and EP elections. Voters will also cast ballots for the London Lord
Mayor. The first results show the governing Labour Party is losing
ground to the opp'n tories and the Lib Dems. 8 mn Brits are eligible
to vote.
[Later reports say "Red Ken" squeaked back in, despite being kicked
out of Labour last y].
5.30 pm
The ultimate accolade to Reaganomics touted by neocons is the 13% flat
tax regime recently adopted in Russia.
The AUS Fed Govt will appeal convicted terrorist Jack Roach's 9 y
sentence. Roach has faced a possible maximum sentence of 25 y under
AUS's new terrorism laws. His lawyer argued for a lenient sentence
because Roach had provided info to police about terror activities.
The family of David Hicks is shocked by charges faced by their son.
He's accused of conspiracy to commit war crimes, attempted murder and
aiding the enemy. PM Howard says the seriousness of the charges speak
for themselves. Hicks' step mother is "devastated". He expects
worse is to come. Def Lawyer Stephen Kenny asks where are the
al-Qaeda people, and why aren't they being prosecuted. Kenny has
down-played the seriousness of the charges and strength of the evidence.
The US has found a blunder in this y's report on world terrorism. The
report, published just 1 m ago, claimed terrorism around the world had
declined, and put it down to the great success of the Bush Admin's
world on terror. But Sec of State Powell has been forced to admit
there's actually been a sharp rise in terror attacks. Powell says the
US govt has now found mistaken in the report . But it "appeared to be
an honest administration error" said Powell, who put it down to
inexperienced and new staff. We didn't watch it carefully enough to
catch the errors as they went through the system, Powell added.
Residents in Kinshasa are reporting artillery fire in the last 30 mins.
6.30 pm 6 people have been killed in Najaff during a 10 hr
gun-battle. 30 others have been wounded. The cas incl civilians. The
battle was between police and al-Sadr militia. Less than 1 wk old, a
local truce threatens to unravel. The Sadr militia were to withdraw,
but have held onto positions around the imam Ali mosque and the
cemetery. Elsewhere, a US soldier has died of his wounds after an
attack on coal'n forces in Baghdad earlier in the wk. In Baghdad
today, at least 1 Iraqi was killed in further attacks.
Mourners have been filing past Pres Reagan's coffin at the rate of
5,000 per hr.
9 pm
The Chinese govt has opened a web site where citizens can report
illegal or unacceptable material on the Internet. The 'net has seen
explosive development in China in the past few ys. The material the
govt says is "illegal" incl porn and political dissent. China has 7
Internet gates, 40,000 internet police -- the largest force of its
kind in the world, and 100 mn people online by end of y.
9.30 pm
The Dutch govt has announced its EP election results, in defiance of
EC laws. In releasing the EP election results, it now faces
possible legal action from the EC. A govt rep said say the results
are "unofficial first country votes" and did not violence EU law.
10 pm
32 suspected illegal workers have been arrested in S and SW SYD in
series of raids on brothels and bars over past 2 days. Those arrested
incl 15 men and 17 women from China, India, Iran, and Indonesia.
A new report into smoking in NSW has found the poorest families spend
18% of their income on smoking. The Cancer Council sponsored the
report by 3 economists. It found smoking was part of the poverty
trap. The findings contrast with the UK Health Min's recent comments
when he said smoking was one of the few pleasures of the poor.
10.30 pm
There's been a relative lull in the fighting in Iraq today. A supply
convoy nr Baquba was attacked with an IUD. Insurgents then opened
fire. A truck window was smashed, but there were no cas reported. A
US chopper arrived 1 hr later. Another US military vehicle was
attacked with a roadside bomb nr Baghdad, but it failed to go off
until the vehicle had passed by.
London. Labour has lost control of several councils in N England.
It's the first time Labour has fallen behind both opp'n parties. PM
Blair says Iraq was a factor, but continues to defend his decisions on
following the US into war.
There's been explosions and gunfire in Kinshasa. The DRC Pres --
Joseph Kabila -- later appeared on TV in full military uniform, just
hrs after an attempted coup. Rebels -- believed to be members of
the Pres'l guard -- earlier seized a radio stn. They were apparently
overcome by loyalist troops.
In Idaho, an Arab man has been found not guilty of giving support to
terrorists. He was a web master for Islamic web sites. The case was
seen as a test of the Bush Admin's campaign against supporters of
terrorism. One web site called on Muslim fighters to make Russian
soldiers' wives into widows in Chechnya. The defendant said he worked
on the web sites, but didn't break the law. He said some of the web
sites were against jihad, and they weren't his messages in any case.
His lawyer said even if his client had made the comments his speech
was protected. The defendant will be deported and could still face
jail time on visa charges.
An article in the journal "Science" says dogs can learn new words,
just like like children can. The hero of their paper is a border
collie -- "Rico" -- that was brought to the authors' attention. The
collie demonstrated it could fetch any of his 70 toys on command.
Rico has since learned 200 new words. He's also a work-a-holic. The
owner says the dog gets red eyes and forgets to eat and sleep when
involved in learning.
11 pm
A report commissioned by Shell oil says the company may have to quit
Nigeria by 2008 due to ethnic violence and crime. The report says
Shell has become part of the problem. The company has rejected the
report. 1/3 of the company's oil and gas comes from Nigeria. The
report comes at a time the company's rep is low after it admitted it
exaggerated its oil reserves. Shell says it's lost $43 mn in
production in Nigeria due to pilfering and attacks. It also admits
widespread theft by its own employees in Nigeria.
London. Labour has come 3rd in total votes in local and EP elections.
Blunkett has ack'ed Iraq has decreased support for his party. "These
things come in cycles", he said. Analysts say the results don't mean
Labour is headed for electoral defeat in the nat'l elections.
In Russia, military sources says 25 soldiers are being treated for
heavy metal thallium poisoning. Several of the men are said to be in
serious condition, with their hair falling out. The soldiers found
the grey metallic powder in a can at a dump and mixed it with tobacco,
and also used it to dust their socks.
Labour results in Brit are the "worst in living memory" say
commentators, and extremely damaging for Blair. But they are not
fatal. While Blair has been claiming Iraq is a success story, he
notably didn't do a get-together with Bush at the G8 meeting. It was
an attempt to distance himself from the US leader, say analysts.
11.30 pm
Stones and shoes flew in a fight between Shiite factions at the imam
Ali shrine in Najaff. Al-Sadr supporters clashed with those of
another cleric.
}}
========================================
(*) 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.
*** Please stand by for further orders from The Leader ***