From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia
Reserch Senter(*)
		OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS   #219
                ===============================
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: <http://www.chickenhead.com/loserscopes/>
The Undeniable Evidence: <http://www.evil-doers.org/evidence>
Even More Uneniable Evidence: <http://www.abc.net.au/cnnnn/profiteering/terrorthon/>

US Centcom News Releases: <http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/release_list.asp>
Iraqi Body Count: <http://www.iraqbodycount.net/> [11,132 as at 05 Jul 2004].
UN Mailing List: <http://www.kymhorsell.com/UN/>
Some Of The News, Some Of The Time: <http://www.chaser.com.au/default.asp?check=No>
This Stuff Blogged: <http://kymhorsell.blogspot.com/>
Also Kindly Archived: <http://www.kymhorsell.com/OIL/>

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Selecting latest news stories and other data for you...
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[The Howard govt is] Very firm, but also very flexible and fair.
-- Aussie Immig Min Amanda Vanstone, 13 Jul 2004.
   Under pressure from worried back-benchers, Fed Cabinet has decided
   to offer permanent protection to 10,000 asylum seekers, once they
   recover from their treatment in the DFAT gulags.  When the same
   test was suggested in Jan by the Opp'n it was labelled "weak" by the PM.

It [FBI intel] provided no additional information in relation to the
information we already had.
-- Aussie FM Alex Downer, 13 Jul 2004.
   Intel failure. It's been revealed an FBI suspect had warned JI was
   planning to hit tourist areas in Indonesia. Mr Downer says he
   already knew that.

Whether we had that information or not, it wouldn't have changed our
travel advisory.
-- FM Alex Downer, 13 Jul 2004.
   Unilateral view.  The US changed its travel advisory days before
   the Bali attack that killed 202 people, incl 88 Aussies.

We're defending the peace, by taking the fight to the enemy.
-- Pres Bush Jr, 12 Jul 2004.
   Pres Bush has shrugged off criticism the decision to go to war was
   based on rationalisation and not reason.

Last night we saw the emergence of a [slurp!] very contradictory and
confused policy on Iraq.
-- PM John Howard, 13 Jul 2004.
   Mr Howard has announced 30 more Aussie troops would be sent to Iraq
   to guard the other Aussie troops that are in Iraq.

Shouldn't we protect out own?
-- PM John Howard, 13 Jul 2004.

We welcome that speech, and welcome that chance to resolve differences.
-- US Amb Tom Shieffer, 13 Jul 2004.
   While the govt has labelled the ALP's Iraq policy "a bob each way",
   the US seems more agreeable.

The American people are safer.
-- Pres Bush Jr, 12 Jul 2004.
   During a key speech, Mr Bush sent the message 8 times.  Polls show
   55% of Americans disapprove of Bush's handing of GWII, and 52% say
   it was not worth fighting.

It is clear that Australian agencies received no information that
could have prevented the tragedy in Bali.
-- A-G Philip Ruddock, 12 Jul 2004.
   Intel sharing. It's been revealed an FBI interrogation in 2002
   revealed the possibility of a terrorist attack in Bali. The info
   was reportedly passed on to other countries in SE Asia, but not Australia.

Unless you are questioning, you do not help.
-- Aussie Opp'n Def Min Kim Beazley, 12 Jul 2004.
   Beaz-o says being a US ally is one thing, but being an unquestioning
   lackey is quite another.

----------------------------------------
Sat, 10 Jul 2004.

It's UN gun destruction day

	HEADLINES:
CIA acknowledges 'shortcomings'
Barrier in West Bank ruled illegal
WTO delays key farm talks: Europe
Portuguese opp leader resigns
FDA delays mad cow feed rules: US
Nuclear standoff discussed: Korea
36 killed in highway accident: Peru
Russian editor shot dead in Moscow
Zarqawi threatened by second group
Report says Brando wasn't broke
Top drug lord captured in Cuba
New Australian Oly drug scandal
Claims whistle-blower mistreated
Oil prices set to hit our pockets
10,000 hospital beds to open: NSW
Ararat train back on the line: Vic
Shared facilities good for Aust: Howard
Applications for new MRI's welcomed
Doctors transform girl's face
2 charged over home invasion: NSW
Sniffer dogs to stay in Sydney
Sydney water levels still falling
Prison officers back on the job
Transport jobs threatened

Markets
NY.  The Dow has ended the wk gaining 42 pts to 10,213.  In London,
gold closed at $US406.70/oz.  The FTSE added less than 1 pt to end at
4,382.  The German Dax lost 15 to end at 3,920.

Perth. US fears of terrorist attacks have sparked a surge in oil
prices that's set to hit Australians in the hip pocket.  Oil have
pushed above $US40/bbl for the first time since early Jun after the
United States Department of Homeland Security warned that the al-Qaeda
terrorist network may strike before November's presidential election.
New York's benchmark crude oil price closed 3.2% higher overnight at
$US40.33/bbl.  Every $US1 increase in the price of crude oil costs
drivers roughly 1 c/L more to fill up their cars.

Lima. At least 36 people have been killed in a bus collision in
southern Peru.  It's thought the 2 passenger buses collided on the
Panamericana Sur highway because of dense fog in the region of Santa
Cruz, Palpa province.  Radio RPP says some bodies are trapped in the
wreckage and many of the injured have been rushed to hospital.

Washington. The CIA's number 2 official has acknowledged shortcomings
in US pre-war intelligence on Iraq but says it's wrong to conclude
there's sweeping problems in the intelligence agency.  Deputy Director
John McLaughlin's comments come in rebuttal to a Senate Intelligence
Committee report that's found US intelligence's key judgements on
Iraq's weapons of mass destruction before the war were either
overstated or not backed up by intelligence.

The Hague. The world court has ruled Israel's barrier in the West Bank
violates international law, and the United Nations should take action
to stop its construction.  The International Court of Justice has
dismissed Israel's arguments that the barrier is essential for its
security and says the system of fences infringes on Palestinians'
freedom.  It's also ordered Israel to pay reparations to Palestinians
harmed by the barrier and return land seized to construct it.

Sydney. Nearly 1,400 Australian jobs may be under threat after French
heavy engineering firm Alstom won backing overnight for a plan to sell
its local transport business.  Shareholders yesterday cleared the way
for the troubled company to proceed with a $multi-bn euro
capital sell-off, which would include the sale of Alstom's Australian
and New Zealand transport operations.  The division includes
infrastructure, road and rail transport operations in Sydney and
Melbourne, employing 1,390 people in Australia and 430 in NZ.

Geneva/Brussels. Trade negotiators have postponed talks due late next
week on reforming agriculture markets.  The World Trade Organisation's
postponement comes a day before a core group of 5 trade powers,
including the European Union and United States, meet in Paris to try
to draft a deal to liberalise world commerce.  EU Trade Commissioner
Pascal Lamy and United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick are
due to meet trade ministers from Australia, Brazil and India at the
weekend, ahead of next week's Mauritius meeting.

Lisbon. The leader of Portugal's main opposition Socialist Party,
Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, says he'll resign after the president ruled
out calling an early election to replace the outgoing prime minister.
Ferro Rodrigues says he considers President Jorge Sampaio's decision a
personal failure.  Ferro Rodrigues had argued strongly for the need
for fresh elections after PM Jose Manuel Durao Barroso resigned on Mon
to prepare to become the next president of the EC.

Washington. The US Food and Drug Administration has banned brains and
other cattle parts that could carry mad cow disease from use in
cosmetics and dietary supplements.  But the FDA has delayed some
similar safeguards in animal feed for up to 2 y.  The FDA says it
will adopt regulations to prohibit the use of brains, skull and spinal
cords from older cattle in human food and cosmetics.  The director of
the FDA's Centre for Veterinary Medicine,says animal feed rules may
not be finalised until 2006.

Seoul. The US says N Korea could reap surprise rewards if it
dismantles its atomic weapons program.  In Seoul after stops in Japan
and China, US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice has thanked
South Korea for sticking to its planned troop dispatch to Iraq despite
the beheading of a South Korean hostage by Iraqi militants.  Rice has
praised Seoul's commitment to sending 3,000 troops to northern Iraq
from next month.

Moscow. Paul Klebnikov, the editor of Forbes Magazine's Russian
edition has reportedly been shot dead in Moscow.  The Interfax news
agency has cited Moscow police as saying Klebnikov has been shot 4
times with a pistol and died in a rescue vehicle.  Forbes started its
Russian-language edition in Apr.  Klebnikov had previously had been a
senior editor with the US-based Forbes.

Doha. A previously unheard of militant group has reportedly threatened
to kill al-Qaeda-linked Jordanian operative Abu Mussab Al-Zarqawi.
Al-Jazeera satellite TV has broadcast a video showing 7 masked men,
carrying guns.  Calling itself Seif Allah -- the Double-Edged Sword of
God -- the group has threatened to kill Zarqawi.  It accuses him of
treachery and allegiance to Saddam Hussein's deposed regime.

LA. Reclusive movie icon Marlon Brando left an estate worth about $A30
mn when he died last week, despite claims he was broke.  The intensely
private Hollywood legend was believed to be $27 mn in debt and living
on govt retirement payments.  However lawyer David Seeley has told the
USA Today newspaper that Brando had a sizeable fortune.  Brando's will
is expected to be filed imminently with Los Angeles Superior Court to
allow his assets to be distributed to his heirs.

Bogota. An alleged leader of Colombia's largest drug cartel has been
captured in Cuba.  The cartel is suspected of smuggling more than
$A13.9 bn worth of cocaine into the United States Colombia's police
chief Gen Jorge Daniel Castro says the Cuban govt has informed him
that Luis Hernando Bustamante was captured on Jul 2 while entering
Cuba on a false Venezuelan passport.  Castro says the attorney general
in Cuba is holding Bustamante.

Sydney. The military watchdog is reportedly investigating claims the
Australian Defence Force mistreated a soldier who blew the whistle on
drug use within its ranks.  The Weekend Australian newspaper reports
that Air Defence Guard Nathan Moore has received death threats, been
bashed, and has been hiding in safe houses since exposing drug use at
Amberley RAAF base in Qld in 2002.  The newspaper says the RAAF didn't
protect Mr Moore after he blew the whistle, and sent him back to his
unit where colleagues abused him.

Sydney. 2 fresh drugs scandals have rocked the Australian Olympic
team, just 5 wk before the Athens Opening Ceremony.  A weightlifter,
26-yo Caroline Pileggi, was thrown out of the team after refusing a
drugs test, and track cyclist Jobie Dajka has had his place put on
hold.  Melbourne-based Pileggi was to have been the first woman to
represent Australia at an Olympic weightlifting competition.  Pileggi
will make her case for reinstatement before the Administrative Appeals
Tribunal in Melbourne next week.

Sydney. The the NSW Government says the number of metropolitan
hospital beds open this winter had passed the 10,000 mark.  Health Min
Morris Iemma says this means govt plans announced on Jun the 7th, for
973 winter and permanent new beds for the hospital system are on
track.  He says the govt is committed to introducing additional
capacity as resources become available and is so far slightly ahead
its targets.

Melbourne. The first passenger train in more than a decade will roll
into Ararat, in Victoria's west, today.  And from Sun, V/Line will
commence twice-daily train services to and from the regional hub of
Ballarat.  The resumption of services to Ararat follows a state govt
promise to restore 4 country lines that were abandoned by the previous
govt.  A line to Bairnsdale, in Victoria's east was opened in May,
while 2 other services to Mildura and South Gippsland are yet to open.

Adelaide. PM John Howard says he thought the ALP agrees that sharing
defence training facilities with the US in Australia will be good for
the country -- but it apparently isn't the view of high profile Labor
recruit, Peter Garrett.  The former rock star has told Channel Nine
that he objects to American decisions on matters such as joint
training facilities being foisted unknowingly on Australians.  Mr
Garrett says he's not in conflict with Opposition Leader Mark Latham,
who supports the facilities.

Sydney. Health Min Tony Abbott says priority for new hi-tech medical
imaging machines will be given to highly populated regional centres.
Mr Abbott is inviting applications for at least 20 new Medicare-funded
MRI machines.  He says high priority will be given to regional cities
such as Bendigo, Lismore, Toowoomba, Bunbury, Mackay, Rockhampton and
Darwin.  Mr Abbott says the new machines will give patients greater
access to affordable scans.

Melbourne. A 3-yo Fijian girl who suffered horrific burns in a freak
accident will be heading home next week, after plastic surgeons in
Melbourne spent a year rebuilding her face.  Ria Chand fell into a pot
of boiling soup 2 y ago.  After the accident that melted her face
and fused her bottom lip to her chest, she became afraid to play
outside with other children.  However she's been transformed after
treatment at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, and is a bubbly
little girl who loves to dance and sing.

Sydney. 2 people will face a Sydney court today over the kidnapping
and knife-point robbery of a 27-yo woman from her western Sydney home.
Police say a 28-yo woman and a 32-yo man were arrested at a home in
Bidwill about 8.15 pm yesterday.  The pair will face Parramatta Bail
Court today, charged with aggravated break and enter, kidnapping and
robbery offences.  A third person has also been arrested in connection
with the alleged home invasion.

Sydney. Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has called for sniffer dogs to
be removed from the city -- but the NSW govt says it won't curb the
use of the dogs.  Councillor Moore has written to Police Min John
Watkins after a New South Wales Ombudsman's report found only 27% of
people targeted by drug sniffer dogs actually had drugs on them.  But
Mr Watkins says he won't be swayed.  He claims the measure is
effective and the community supports it

Sydney. NSW Utilities Min Frank Sartor says Sydney-siders need to
further reduce their water use as Sydney's water levels continue to
fall.  Mr Sartor says catchment levels are now at 46.9% falling by 0.5
pt in the past 7 days alone despite some recent rain.  He says
rainfall recorded at the catchments is negligible.

Brisbane. Prison officers are back on the job at a jail in Brisbane's
west after an emergency intervention by the Queensland Industrial
Relations Commission.  Corrective Services spokesman Ron Watson says
staff at the Sir David Longland Correctional Centre walked off the job
at Wacol yesterday afternoon over the treatment of 3 maximum security
staff.  While the staff were on strike, about 250 prisoners were
locked in their cells and police patrolled the perimeter of the prison.

{{
5 am
The ICJ has voted 14 to 1 that part of the Israeli barrier
contravenes its human rights obligations and has ordered sections of
it to be demolished.  Only the US judge voted against the majority
position.  Ahmed Qurei and Yasser Arafat have welcomed the decision.
The court found the barrier -- which is built up to 17 km from the
so-called "Green Line" -- is de facto annexation of Palestinian
territory.  The barrier impedes the Pal right to self-rule, said the
ICJ.  A large part of the decision concerned the justification for the
Court's jurisdiction in the case.

Evidence used to back the US and Brit invasion of Iraq has been
dismissed as "unreasonable and largely unsupported".  The bi-partisan
US Senate Intel Committee has blamed the CIA for over-stating the
danger posed by Iraq's WMD prior to GWII.  The Committee found the
agency based its analysis on shaky intel, and had simply assumed from
the start Saddam had active WMD programs, and was continuing to expand
them.  Chair Pat Roberts (R-Ken) said a kind of collective
self-delusion led managers and analysis to interpret ambiguous
evidence as conclusive evidence.  The report found there was no
evidence the Whitehouse put pressure on the agency to arrive at
particular conclusions.  The CIA ignored doubts over mobile
bio-weapons labs, one of the key points made by the Bush Admin.
Observers say the resignation of George Tenet in the same wk as the
report is released may indicate he is preparing to come out in defence
of the intel community.  Jay Rockefeller (D-WVa) says the govt didn't
connect the dots on 9/11 and -- in Iraq -- there were no dots.  The
debacle will affect US intel for generations to come.

The Afghan Pres'l elections have been delayed until 4 Oct, The
parliamentary elections have been put off until Apr 2005, due to the
increasing violence.

Pentagon officials say the Iraqi resistance is home-grown.  For the
first time, it's ack'ed most of the insurgents are Iraqi nationals,
and not foreign fighters.  Officials now admit the insurgency can not
be defeated by military means alone.  The Pentagon puts the number of
insurgents at more than 20,000.  More than 6,000 "rebels" have been
killed so far.  The admission are in start contradiction to the
political points the Bush Admin had been trying to make -- that the
Iraqi insurgency was mounted by a small number of "dead enders" and
foreign jihadists.

Poachers have burned down 1/3 of Rwanda's national park in an attempt
to round up animals for sale.  The UN had prev warned that poachers
could wipe out the endangered mountain gorillas.  About 50 of the
animals have been killed in recent wks.  Only about 700 remain in the wild.

The Dutch Health Min says there's no reason for further research into
the crash of an El Al flight in Amsterdam.  The plane was later found
to be carrying DU, which went up in flames during the disaster.  A
study of 22 firefighters [sample too small to find anything, of
course] has found there was no health impact on rescuers that
responded to the crash.

6 am
The Aussie govt has defended the nat'l telephone carrier despite a
report faults are more common and are taking longer to fix.  A telecom
report has found Telstra's services are getting worse.  The ACA finds
the percent of fault repairs fell during Mar.  There was an 8% fall in
remote areas.  Comm Min Daryl Williams say seasonal factors are to
blame.  Labor says the rise in the number of faults is "worrying".
Shadow Comm rep Tanner says the report is further proof the public
carrier should not be further privatised.  The quality of the service
has deteriorated since the company's part-privatisation, and now its
ability to repair faults has been affected, he added.

Wall St had a stronger day.  Stocks rose, thanks to comments from GE
reporting better-than-expected earnings.  At the close the Dow was up
42 pts -- .4% -- to 10,213.  The Nasdaq ended up 11 at 1,946.  London
was up .28% to 4,393.  The AUD is at 72.25 US c on further greenback
weakness.  Gold has fallen to $US407.20/oz in London.  Oil is mostly
firmer. But NYMEX fell .37 to $US39.96/oz.  The LME went to 5 wk
highs, but copper was weaker.

A Gold Coast man found with the body of woman in his car in NSW face
extradition to Qld.  The 50 yo man stopped on a highway nr Grafton
yesterday afternoon, when police found the body.  He's been refused bail.

Anglicare says problem gambling is on the rise in Tassie.  Gaming
turnover was $2 bn last y, according to the Tas Gaming Commission.  It
was up $92 mn in the last FY.  A study into the impact of gambling in
the state is needed say Anglicare reps.  The govt doesn't fund research
despite their huge revenues from gambling, they complain.

A man has appeared in Newcastle court on child sex charges.  He was
found with photos taken on a trip to Asia.  They featured 2 Phil girls
under 16.  The man is facing 8 changes.

A 27 yo Hobart man has been sentenced to 1 y jail.  He had an
"appalling criminal record", said the magistrate.  He used a car to
ram a home after he has discovered rifling the residence.  He's been
in custody for the better part of a decade.

A woman who falsely claimed $1/2 mn in fuel rebates has been sentenced
to a jail term.  The 33 yo admitted to applying $100,000 from the
diesel rebates to her personal benefit.  She had submitted 34
fraudulent claims while she was the secretary of a plant hire
company.  She was sentenced to 3.5 y jail, 2 y with good behaviour.

Condy Rice is in Beijing to discuss the threat of NK's nuclear
programs.  She was immediately taken to task by China for a $bn US
deal to supply weapons to Taiwan.

Brazil's Congress has paved the way for 250 people to be charged with
child sex crimes.  Human rights groups say 1/2 mn children could be
involved in prostitution in Brazil.  Compiled over 1 y, the list of
miscreants incl politicians, judges, business leaders and police.
Late on Thu the findings were approved by parliament.  The list has
now been passed on to prosecutors across the country.  The Chair of
the investigation said the Committee had come under extreme pressure
to leave certain names off the list.

A herdsman in China who contracted anthrax, died on 11 Jun say
officials.  He died 7 days after eating infected beef.  Such deaths
are rare.  More than 30 people who came into contact with the dead man
have now been quarantined, and cattle markets in the region have been closed.

On UN Gun Destruction Day officials admit they're facing an up-hill
battle.  For each gun that's destroyed, 10 are manufactured to replace it.

6.30 am
The Aussie Dept of Immig says 1 Turkish national is being ejected from
the country.  He will be returned to Turkey.  Another man has been
transferred to a detention facility "for further processing".
Earlier, 2 Turkish men failed to re-board a boat in the NT.

1 pm
In a campaign swing through PA, Pres Bush said the Intel Committee's
report would be "useful".  He says he still believes Saddam had the
intent to make WMD.  I wanna know how to make the agencies better, he
complained.

It's been revealed military records from the 1970s that could have
settled a dispute earlier this y have been accidentally destroyed.
Payroll records from the Air Nat'l Guard have been accidentally
destroyed in the 1990s.  They were on decaying microfiche.  Mr Bush
said he went to Alabama that y, but other guardsmen say they never saw
Mr Bush on the base. The Whitehouse had been unable to provide
conclusive evidence he had attended.

1.30 pm
The BBC, the ABC, and now the US broadcaster.  1/2 of the employees of
VOA have signed a petition complaining to the Board of Governors about
the growing politicisation of the American nat'l broadcaster.  The
petition headed "Who's Killing America's Voice" was signed by 450 employees.
[ABC News Radio suddenly went off the air just at the start of this
story, and began transmitting station info. Proclaiming it reliability
delivered news every 15 mins, the recording went on for an
unprecedented 90 mins or more].

3.30 pm
ABC News Radio -- still off the air.

3.40 pm
Baghdad. Mortar fire has killed a 6 yo boy in Baghdad, and 2 other
people in Samarrah.  Police say mortars hammers a house behind
Baghdad's Sadeer hospital, killing the boy and wounding 3 guards.  The
house is often used by foreigners.  A US rep said the incident is
under investigation.  Elsewhere, Samarrah hospital sources say 2
Iraqis were killed and 1 wounded in a 2nd day of unrest in the hotbed city.

Cairo. Egypt's entire cabinet has resigned at Pres Mubarak launches
an unexpected re-shuffle.  State-run TV says the Pres has named Ahmed
Nazief, the former Min of Comms, to replace the PM of 4 y Atef Obeid.
The resignations of the 33 Mins were announced after an emergency
cabinet meeting.

5 pm
Amazing. News Radio is back on air.

Opp'n For Af rep Kevin Rudd has called on the Howard govt to apologise
for taking the country into a foreign war based on a "lie".  According
to US commentators, the intel was "comprehensively demolished" in a
"scathing indictment" of the CIA and its analysis of WMD intel from
Iraq.  Most of the key judgements by the agency were overstated or not
supported by the underlying raw intel.  The report criticised the CIA's
"broken corporate culture" and spoke of a "collective group think" and
intel failure that extended to US allies Brit and Australia.
[Sorry, ABC News Radio can't play this story, either].

The AUS govt has tried to reject criticism of following the US into the
Iraq war, saying it had sources of intel other than the US.

5.30 pm
Baquba.  4 men in 2 BMW's blocked roads before blowing up 5 stores
that sell alcohol.  A passing taxi driver was killed in the blasts.

The Russian editor of Forbes magazine in Russia has been shot 4 times
at close range outside the company offices.  He died on the way to
hospital.  He was an outspoken critic of Russia's wealthy.  One exiled
Russian businessman has sued over claimed links with the Yeltsin Kremlin.

Dawn Fraser says she's known for ys some Aussie athletes are drug
cheats. She says she's been sickened to know some "top line" athletes
were taking drug, and fears some could go to Athens and win medals.
Meanwhile, members of Australia's weightlifting and cycling teams are
waiting to learn whether they're clear to go to the Olympics. Cyclists
have been delayed pending a police investigation into the use of
horse growth hormone at the Adel Inst of Sport.
A MEL-based female weightlifter was replaced after she refused to take
a drug test. But she's now appealed.

The incoming CIA head, McGloghlan, says of the Senate report -- "we
get it".  He then went on to defend the CIA.  One of the CIA's errors,
he said, was expecting Senators to read the full text of reports. The
full text of a key Oct 2002 document spelled out uncertainties and
dissents, but those details had been left out of the executive
summary.  One politician said he didn't even now think there were 10
Senators that had read the CIA report on the Iraq WMD threat.  We must
always question every assumption, McGloghlan says is one of the lessons
learned.  Addressing criticism the agency had no agents on the ground,
McGloghlan said after 1998 the CIA relied entirely on information it
got from UN weapons inspectors.

6.30 pm
Former ONA analyst Andrew Wilkie says the intel failure in Australia
stemmed from the Howard govt's rush to support the Bush Admin at any
cost.  In Brit, the US intel report has been seized on by the Opp'n.
Downing St has made no comment.  Reps for the Tories say since the
report speaks of a global intel failure, the Brit govt and its intel
services must be included in that failure.  A Brit analyst says the
failure probably extends to countries opposed to the war. Partly, he
said, it was due to their liason with the CIA. But he suspects they
had independently also reached the wrong conclusions, as well.
[Apparently he was oblivious to the assumptions, which nicely show
the same problems as criticised elsewhere :)].

Ahmed Qurei says the Pals will follow up the ICJ's ruling to dismantle
200 km of security barrier already constructed inside the Green Line.
BB Netanyahu has likened the killing of 1000 Israelis since the Sharon
regime came to power in terms of 10s of 1000s of Brits, Americans and Germans.

In Seoul, Conny Rice has told NK officials the N would be rewarded if
it agrees to abandon its WMD programs. Pyongyang would be surprised
what was possible, she said, if they agreed.

John Kerry has pulled ahead of George Bush in the opinion polls.  He
had been locked in a dead heat.  But the latest Time poll shows
intentions swinging in Kerry's favour. If an election were held today,
49% of Americans would vote for Kerry, and only 45% for Bush.  The
poll comes 3 days after John Edwards bounced onto the ticket.

The Dow has closed up 42 pts.  Oil dropped back, but closed above $40.
OPEC has vowed to increase production to keep prices under control.

6 climbers have fallen 600 m in the Italian Alps.  4 were killed, and
2 injured.  Searchers found the survivors and bodies this morning,
buried in 2 m of snow.

The Alice.  6,000 people attended the annual Camel Cup today.  The
traditions of the Afghan cameleers live on.  For the first time in its
36 y history, special links were made with the govt of Afghanistan.
Camels were used in the 1800s to build the o'land telegraph line from
Pt Augusta to points N.  "Cool Tassie" took out the annual Camel Cup
and the inaugural Afghan Cup.  It was the last meet for favourite and
past winner "Jessie".

8.30 pm
A rep for the Israeli govt says the placement of the barrier fence did
not have a political meaning.  He said the fence was temporary and
could be moved to anywhere it was required.  But he rejected the
idea it should be put on the Green Line, saying that was "impossible".
Also in contradiction, another member of the Sharon govt said it was
Arafat's fence, and would remain as long as Arafat was in power.

Amanda Vanstone is again defending the Howard govt's immigration
detention network.  This time, against claims from the group "Justice
for Refugees" who say 1 refugee has been held in solitary detention for
wks now, and another refugee has has been waiting 2 wks for medical
attention for a back injury.  Sen Vanstone says none of the complaints
she knows of for the past 2 ms have held up to scrutiny.  She says a
number of bodies like the Red Cross have access to the concentration
camp system.

10 pm
A 29 yo man from Perth has been killed at a beach S of Perth.  1 or 2
sharks attacked the man as he swam in the surf.  4 surfers helped the
victim ashore, but he died on the beach.  Police have closed at least
2 beaches S of Perth.  A Fisheries Dept vessel is going to the beach.
The shark will be herded out to sea or destroyed.  [They will look for
a shark acting suspiciously.  Check your fridge magnet!]

21 people have been injured in an attack in Kashmir.  Rebels threw
grenades at a passing Indian patrol, but missed their target, the
grenades landing among by-standers.  Several people are in critical condition.

Al Jazeera TV has shown images of guerrillas threatening to behead 2
Bulgarians unless troops are pulled out.  Elsewhere, the Philippines
says it will not give in to similar threats to another hostage.  The
Arroyo govt says its troops will remain until mid-Aug.  Observers say
this is a coded message, saying the small Phil deployment is being
removed anyway, so there's no point executing an innocent hostage.

A new Maori party has won a N Island by-election with 90% of the vote.
There are 7 special seats set aside for Maori in NZ's parliament.  The
Maori Party expects to capture all of them in next y's election.

Pressure to remove Tony Blair has reportedly reached new heights in
recent days.  Blair has told colleagues he has not done any deal with
the supporters of Gordy Brown, and will remain as PM for the
foreseeable future.

11 pm
Richard Boucher for the US State Dept says the decision on the barrier
in the ICJ was "inappropriate" and may be a distraction from the
political process in the Middle E.
}}

----------------------------------------
Sun, 11 Jul 2004.

	HEADLINES:
Indian flood death toll hits 78
Iraqi judge hands out 1st death sentences
Palestinian militants killed in car blast
More UK soldiers face charges for killing or abusing civilians
Floods kill 22 more in S Asia
Beaches closed after surfer killed in shark attack
5-car accident kills 3
4 killed, gas pipeline sabotaged in Iraq violence
Another US soldier killed in Iraq
Iraq militants issue new deadline to kill hostage
US press questions Bush's Iraq war justification
Pressure mounts on Blair over Iraq
Militants find fertile ground in Iraq
Iraqi militants set 24 hr hostage deadline
Iraq's rebellion develops signs of internal rift
Iraq war justified despite Senate report: Wolfowitz
Iraq troop deployment key in Japanese poll
Iraq to announce ambassador appointments
Downer stands by Iraq decision
Death threats hang over Iraq hostages
CIA blasted for false Iraq WMD claims
Bush talks with Bulgarian leader on Iraq
Blix says basis for Iraq war flawed: paper
'Buck must stop with Blair' for Iraq intel
ACCC to examine Woolworths liquor bid
ALP pushes govt over Brigitte
Abused Irish offered compensation
Al Qaeda suspects arrested after Greece visit
Aussie Govt backs Guantanamo legal moves
Barrier ruling prompts Arab League meeting
Blair accused over WMD evidence
Blair came close to stepping down: BBC
Brigitte returned to France lawfully: Ruddock
Bush to introduce intel service reforms
Canada to adopt new mad cow regulations
Canada's dollar rose for a 4th week after employment report
Cool Tassie stays straight to win camel cup
Costello challenges Crean to policy showdown
Downer expresses concern over Hicks and Habib trial delays
First victory for NZ's Maori Party
Garrett tipped to take environment portfolio
HIV testing branded a failure
Hezbollah leader spurns barrier ruling
Israel asks US for support at UN over barrier
Israel seeks US aid in barrier dispute
Japan's Koizumi under pressure
Latham rumours unlikely to influence voters: poll
Musicians promised a cut of digital pie
Palestinians plan UN resolution on barrier
Perth authorities hunt deadly shark
Police investigate 'drug squad' robbery
QLD citrus growers can start picking again
SBY maintains lead in Indonesian vote count
Satellite census begins for E Timor
Saudi press hails court ruling on Israeli barrier but remains skeptical
Saudis deny Guantanamo prisoner swap
Shark attack beach remains open: residents
Spy chiefs 'withdrew' Saddam arms claim
Sudan, Chad meet as Darfur crises worsens
Tas nominates Macquarie Is for wetland listing
Trade powers meet as WTO deadline looms
VOA staffers seek Hill probe
Vanuatu ballot boxes burned, armed police sent
Vic MP involved in car smash
World court rules Israel's W Bank barrier illegal
Yemen forces battle anti-US cleric's supporters


Canada's dollar rose for a 4th week after employment report
Toronto (Bloomberg).  Canada's dollar rose for a 4th straight wk as a
govt report showed the Canadian economy added 24,700 jobs in Jun, in
line with forecasts.
Signs that Canadian companies are adding workers to their payrolls may
boost expectations the Bank of Canada will raise its key interest rate
from 2% in Sep and increase demand for Canadian dollar-denominated debt.
Investors "overall are still positive on the Canadian dollar," said
Steven Butler, snr currency trader in Toronto at Bank of Nova Scotia,
Canada's 4th-biggest bank by assets. "The economy is on track and I
wouldn't be surprised if the Bank of Canada raised rates in Sep."
At 5 pm in Toronto, Canada's dollar was little changed at 75.85 US
cents, from yesterday's 75.87 cents, the highest close since Apr 7.
One USD buys $C1.3182. For the week the currency rose 0.4%. Butler
said the Canadian dollar may to rise to 76.34 US cents, or $C1.31, in 3 m.
Canada's dollar weakened earlier today after it fell below its nearest
support level at 75.74 US cents, or $C1.3203, based on a chart used by
technical analysts to predict currency moves. A support level is an
area where buy orders may be clustered.
The benchmark 10-y Canadian bond rose 11 c to $C103.85, as its
yield rose 2 basis point to 4.71%, according to Mouvement
Desjardins. The 2-y bond fell 2 c $C99.89 to yield 3.06%. A basis
point is 0.01 point.
* Employment
Canada added 24,700 jobs in Jun, compared with the 25,000 median
forecast among 24 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. In May, the
economy created 56,100 jobs, the most in 6 m, following a gain of
49,600 jobs in the prior m.
The unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to 7.3% from 7.2% in
May. Economists polled by Bloomberg News expected the rate to be
unchanged, based on the median of 23 estimates.
"There were definitely both good and bad points to the report," said
Dustin Reid, snr currency strategist in Toronto at RBC Capital
Markets, a unit of Canada's biggest bank by assets. It is unlikely to
change expectations for interest-rate increases from the Bank of
Canada, he said.
Full-time employment rose by 27,100, Statistics Canada said in Ottawa,
and part-time positions declined by 2,500.
Manufacturers cut 11,800 jobs in Jun.
"It is positive that all of the jobs created were full-time," said
Reid. Though, the fall "in manufacturing jobs is a negative," he said.
* Interest-Rate Futures
The yield on the bankers' acceptance contract due Sep 13 is
2.255%. The Dec 13 contract's yield is 2.58%.
Bankers' acceptance futures settle at Canada's 3-m lending rate, which
has averaged 19 basis points above the Bank of Canada's target
interest rate since Bloomberg started tracking the difference in Dec 1992.
Also today, a govt report showed housing starts were little changed in
Jun following 2 m of declines.
Housing starts in Canada totalled 239,300 units in Jun after declining
1% in May and 4.5% in Apr.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News predicted the rate of starts
would be 235,000 units, the median of 21 estimates.

Canada to adopt new mad cow regulations
Ottawa (UPI).  The Canadian govt has announced it will adopt new
regulations to prevent animal parts linked to mad cow disease from
being fed to animals.  Ottawa's new measures include a ban on risky
materials being used in pet foods as well as feed for farm animals,
the Canadian Broadcasting Corp reported Sat.  In 1997, rules forbade
any cattle parts from being fed to other cattle. Those regulations
were approved after Brit suffered a widespread outbreak of mad cow
disease.  The new ban keeps parts associated with mad cow disease,
usually the spine and brain, from being fed to any animals, including
humans.  Canada reported its only case of mad cow disease in May 2003
when a diseased animal was detected on an Alberta farm.

Trade powers meet as WTO deadline looms
Paris (Reuters).  Aussie officials have met with 4 key trading powers
for talks amid concerns that an end-Jul deadline for an outline
accord on global trade will be missed.
The group included the United States, European Union, Brazil and India.
Agreement between the 5 is seen as vital to get the whole 147 member
World Trade Organisation (WTO) to sign up to the outline deal, halfway
to a full accord to free up world trade.
"This is not the meeting where we will get a big breakthrough," one EU
official close to the talks told Reuters.
"What we are trying to do is to bang heads together among the 5 in the
sense that we can get something meaningful to feed into the talks in
Geneva," he added.
"The problem is we are running out of time, and if we don't keep up
the momentum, it will be difficult to get an agreement [on the
framework] by the end of Jul."
Brazil organised the Paris meeting, one of several gatherings the core
group of trading nations has held to try to make sure the end-Jul
deadline is met and make up for lost ground after world trade talks
collapsed in Cancun last y.
The key issues for the ministers, including US Trade Representative
Robert Zoellick and European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, were how
to reconcile demands in the politically sensitive area of agriculture trade.
AUS, along with Brazil and India want these rich nations to slash
support for farmers and open up markets.
Market access was one of the main issues expected to be discussed by
the ministers.
The EU, which has offered to eliminate subsidies on exports of
agricultural products, also wants the US to do more to eliminate
export aids.
"What we've seen from the Americans so far [on export subsidies] is
just not enough," the EU official added.
In return for opening agriculture markets, the EU and the US are in
turn keen on getting more access to the markets for industrial goods
and for services of leading developing countries such as Brazil, India
and China.
Envoys say that if the end-Jul date is missed, effective talks can
only resume next y, after US presidential elections and a change of
the EC in Nov.

Floods kill 22 more in S Asia
Delhi (AP).  Floodwaters raging in S Asia have killed 22 people, as
villagers drowned, died of waterborne disease or were electrocuted or
crushed under their collapsing homes.
Officials said the military was called out in parts of Bihar -- one of
India's poorest states -- after intense monsoon rains and flooding in
E India caused several houses to collapse.
7 people died in the Sitamarhi district, in the N part of Bihar state,
and 4 others were crushed under their collapsing homes in the
Bhagalpur district in eastern part of the state, said Upendra Sharma,
deputy secretary in the state's relief and rehabilitation dept.
Across the eastern border in Bangladesh, drowning, electrocution and
disease claimed 11 more lives as worsening floods submerged more areas
in N and central Bangladesh, officials said.
The latest victims raised this y's monsoon flooding death toll to 19
in Bangladesh, according to relief officials and news reports.
In India, at least 144 people have died so far this y in
monsoon-related tragedies.
Throughout S Asia, about 170 people have died in this y's flooding.
In India's Bihar, officials, police officers and doctors were wading
through knee-deep water in the Sheohar district's local govt offices,
police stations and hospitals, Press Trust of India reported.
In the mountainous Arunachal Pradesh, elephants were also pulled into
service after flash floods, PTI reported.
All of the region's major rivers, including the Ganges, Sone, Ghaghra,
Gandak, Bagmati and Kosi were rising menacingly, the fed govt's
Central Water Commission said.
In Bangladesh, 3 people died Fri when their small wooden boats
capsized in swirling floodwaters 180 km NE of the capital, Dhaka, and
2 people in the same area were electrocuted when they touched
submerged wires, officials said.
Floods also swept away 2 men on Fri, and a 3-yo boy drowned, relief
officials said.
Ponds and wells have been inundated, and diarrhoea caused by a
shortage of clean water killed at least 3 people and sickened dozens,
officials said.
Fresh rains in the past several days worsened flooding that had
already left about 3,000 people homeless since late Jun.
Relief officials and volunteers were supplying food, clean water and
basic medicines to flood-affected people, many of them sheltering in
schools or on river embankments.
Monsoon rains also have caused flooding and landslides across Nepal,
leaving 1000s homeless and blocking the main highway to the capital,
Katmandu. At least 6 people drowned in rivers in Nepal this wk.

Indian flood death toll hits 78
Delhi (AFP).  The death toll from floods submerging eastern India
reached 78 as army helicopters averted tragedy by air-lifting children
from their marooned school, officials said today.
5 more people died in the NE state of Assam when 2 boats carrying
families capsized in the region's central Kamrup district, a police
rep said.
In the same area, army helicopters swooped down to rescue some 350
children trapped when their school was hit by a flash flood, Kamrup
district's chief administrator Samir Sinha said.
"The children were forced to take shelter on the rooftop before 2
MI-17 helicopters airlifted them to safety," Mr Sinha said.
55 deaths have been reported in NE India since annual monsoons began
last month, while 23 people have died in the eastern states of Bihar
and W Bengal.

CIA blasted for false Iraq WMD claims
CIA boss defends Iraq arms claims
[Politicians warming up the age-old "OK, our collective and individual
judgements has been proven to be crap.  Now trust our judgements we
were right anyway"].
Washington (Al-Jazeera).  US intel agencies have been severely
criticised by a Senate inquiry for exaggerating the threat of Saddam
Hussein's weapons -- but critics call the findings a "white wash".
The Central Intel Agency and others not only overstated the threat but
ignored contrary evidence before the US-led invasion of Iraq last y, a
Senate committee announced in Washington on Fri.
But critics have dubbed the 500-page report a "white wash for the
Whitehouse" that ignores the Bush Admin's alleged manipulation of
evidence to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
The Senate Intel Committee blamed the CIA and fellow spy agencies for
"a series of failures" that a Democrat senator said had led to a war
that the US Congress "would not have voted for" had the intel been accurate.
The Bush Admin and close allies such as Brit PM Tony Blair based their
case for war against Iraq on claims that ousted Pres Saddam Hussein
possessed stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and was trying
to develop nuclear weapons.
But no stockpiles of banned weapons, nor evidence of a recent
programme to develop any, have been found since the US-led invasion
and occupation in Mar 2003.
* 'Unsupported' allegations
The committee chairman, Republican Sen Pat Roberts, said the so-called
evidence relating to Iraqi weapons was "unreasonable and unsupported".
"Most of the key judgements in the intel community's Oct 2002 Nat'l
Intel Estimate were either overstated or were not supported by
underlying raw intel," the report said.
It singled out former CIA director George Tenet, accusing him of
exaggerating the risk to Whitehouse officials and ignoring dissenting
views from other intel agencies.
[George Bush in Jun praised Tenet for doing 'a superb job'].
Tenet resigned citing "personal reasons" on 4 Jun, amid widespread
criticism that he had not provided accurate intel about Iraq and had
failed to prevent the 11 Sep 2001 attacks.
The committee report has also dismissed repeated Whitehouse claims of
any meaningful relationship between Saddam and al-Qaeda.
* Bush absolved
But the report rejected claims that the Bush Admin applied pressure on
analysts to reach conclusions that would justify attack Iraq.
Pres George Bush called the committee's findings "useful" and insisted
that Saddam Hussein had been trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.
But Democrats on the Senate committee insisted the Republican White
House had pressed intel analysts to provide the justification it
needed to pursue a war on Iraq.
The leading Democrat on the committee, Jay Rockefeller, said the intel
failures would haunt US nat'l security "for generations to come".
"Our credibility is diminished. Our standing in the world has never
been lower," he said. "We have fostered a deep hatred of Americans in
the Muslim world, and that will grow. As a direct consequence, our
nation is more vulnerable today than ever before."
* Whitehouse accused
Critics of the Bush Admin told Al-Jazeera.net the report was a flawed
and an incomplete assessment of how intel was used to justify
attacking Iraq.
Critics allege Def Sec Rumsfeld manipulated intel "It's a white wash
for the Whitehouse," said Robert Boorstin, senior VP for nat'l
security and internat'l policy at the Center for American Progress, a
liberal think-tank in Washington.
"It lifts all the blame from top officials who manipulated evidence to
suit the Admin's policies," he said.
Boorstin said the Senate committee failed to study key issues such as
the Admin's manipulation of intel and its reliance on testimony from
Iraqi exiles, which has since been widely discredited.
He said the committee had also failed to examine the "unprecedented"
role of the controversial Office of Special Programmes, an agency
controversially set up by Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld to find evidence of
illicit Iraqi weapons.
* Iraqis unsurprised
Political analysts in Baghdad said the findings would confirm
widespread suspicions that the US had manufactured its justification
to invade the oil-rich country.
"The media and people in general have always doubted US intentions and
the existence of Iraqi WMD," Prof Abd al-Sattar Jawad of Baghdad
University's journalism dept.
"Toppling Saddam Hussein was good news for many, but we didn't want to
eject him using lies and false evidence," he told Aljazeera.net.
He said the US faced a difficult task to repair its image throughout
the Middle East.
A political scientist at Baghdad University, professor Dr Abd al-Jabbar
Ahmad Abd Allah, echoed Jawad's assessment and said some of the
discredited intel had come from snr Iraqi officials working for the CIA.
The Senate committee's findings, Jawad added, would also harm the
credibility of the interim govt, most of whose leading members were
formerly exiles who had "misinformed" the US to persuade it to invade Iraq.
"This is embarrassing for the govt, they will be unhappy about the
news. Damage has been done."

Spy chiefs 'withdrew' Saddam arms claim
London (Observer).  Tony Blair's claim that Saddam Hussein posed a
'current and serious' threat to Brit is challenged by dramatic new
allegations today that Brit's spy chiefs have retracted the intel on
which it was based.
The supposed proof that the Iraqi dictator was still trying, even in
the run-up to war, to produce chemical and biological weapons became
crucial to the PM's case for urgent military action rather than
waiting for inspectors to finish their task.
Yet, according to a snr intel source interviewed by BBC1's Panorama
tonight, MI6 has since taken the rare step of withdrawing the intel
assessment that underpinned the claim that Saddam had continued to
produce WMD -- an admission that it was fundamentally unreliable.
The charge leaves Blair open to serious questions over why, if the
nature of the proof had changed, he did not tell the public that the
evidence of WMD was crumbling beneath him.
It will increase speculation that he may be forced to disown chunks of
the controversial Sep dossier on banned weapons when Lord Butler
publishes his report this wk on the handling of intel on Iraq.
Yesterday, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, weighed into
the debate, warning that Blair would be judged before God for his
actions over Iraq and suggesting he would struggle with his
conscience. Asked how Blair would account for himself, Williams
answered: 'At the judgement seat.' For Christians, that is the point of
entry either to heaven or to hell. 'When you acknowledge that you have
taken a risk which has not paid off, which has cost, and that cost
does not seem be justified, that's the punishment,' he added.
The fresh blow comes with jitters sweeping Whitehall over the Butler
report. Blairites fear that if it is genuinely damaging, it could provoke
fresh attempts among Gordon Brown's supporters to force the PM to stand down.
Tensions bubbled to the surface yesterday as it emerged that Blair
seriously considered resigning during his most difficult period this
y, the fortnight running up to Jun's local elections, when he came
under repeated attack over the war.
Friends dismissed suggestions that cabinet loyalists John Reid, Tessa
Jowell, Charles Clarke and Patricia Hewitt had to beg him not to
go. But it is clear he did ponder whether he had become a liability,
prompting panic among allies who feared Brown would step into his shoes.
'The idea that there was a concerted trek up Downing Street to
persuade him to stay is basically wrong,' said one ally. 'But people
like Charles and John see a lot of Tony. The newspapers were full of
"Blair's going" stories. If they didn't take the opportunity to say "I
hope you're not", it would be surprising.'
Amid reports that it was Cherie Blair who actually persuaded her
husband to stay on, another aide said decisions on the future were
private ones made between the couple.
Blair's confidence now appears restored, but it will be tested in the
coming week. Butler is expected to make sweeping criticisms of the way
the public case for war was handled -- and Downing Street's failure to
grasp the limitations of intel.
Tonight's Panorama focuses on secret intel produced during the days
before the dossier was published. This follows an anguished appeal
from Downing Street for more convincing evidence.
After the undisclosed material emerged, John Scarlett -- chair of the
Joint Intel Committee which oversaw the dossier process -- hardened up
the draft dossier's suggestion that Iraq 'probably' had more recently
produced stocks of banned weapons to the assertion that it 'has' continued
to produce them. That allowed Blair to claim dramatically that evidence
received only 'in recent months' showed Saddam was still generating WMD.
Yet the intel underpinning this claim was subsequently withdrawn by
MI6, which decided it could not be relied upon, according to the snr
intel source interviewed by Panorama. This raised serious questions
over the quality of the work that went into the dossier, and how far
it can now be trusted.
Although it is not known exactly when MI6 changed its mind, the
revelation will prompt calls for Blair to put the record straight
publicly about what he knew, when.
Downing Street yesterday refused to say whether Blair stood by his
original claim that Iraq had been a 'current and serious threat',
pending Butler's findings. While the PM confessed last wk that WMD
might not be found, he has continued to insist that Saddam was still a threat.
When he submits his report on Wed, Butler is expected to conclude that
there were serious errors in Brit intel gathering and assessment --
mirroring those of the CIA identified by a US senate inquiry last wk.
Scarlett may be criticised for being drawn into the 'magic circle' of
Downing Street intimates rather than remaining impartial. However,
Blair will fight to keep the man he promoted to the post of head of
MI6 once the war was over.
There were signs last night that Lord Goldsmith, the A-G, will also
escape serious censure over his advice on the legality of the war,
despite evidence passed to Butler suggesting he changed his mind as
the invasion drew closer.
Goldsmith wrote a note to Blair in the run-up to war warning that the
invasion could be illegal without a 2nd UN resolution authorising
military force, The Observer can reveal, with Whitehall sources
admitting the legal advice process was 'messy'.
However, Downing Street is also expected to mount a robust defence of
Goldsmith, arguing that govt lawyers regularly rehearse both sides of
the argument.

Blair accused over WMD evidence
Dr Jones questioned Tony Blair's evidence to the Hutton Inquiry
The PM was going way beyond anything any professional analyst would
have agreed.
-- John Morrison, Former deputy chief of DIS
London (BBC).  2 former intel officers have cast doubts over Tony
Blair's use of evidence about the threat posed by Iraq to justify
going to war.
This comes as the govt prepares for the Butler report into how intel
on Iraq was handled.
Dr Brian Jones, a retired top Defence Intel Staff (DIS) official, has
told BBC's Panorama he was "confused" by Mr Blair's evidence in the
Hutton Inquiry.
John Morrison, former deputy chief of DIS, said Mr Blair's claims on
Iraqi WMD were met by disbelief in Whitehall.
* 'Unreliable'
Their statements appear to challenge assertions by the PM in the
run-up to war that Iraq posed a "current and serious" threat to Brit.
Spy chiefs have gone as far as retracting intel behind Mr Blair's
pre-war claims, said the Observer.
An anonymous snr intel source told Panorama MI6 had withdrawn the
assessment underpinning Mr Blair's case, the paper said.
Meanwhile Dr Jones told Panorama he "couldn't relate" to the prime
minister's evidence to Lord Hutton on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Blair told the inquiry there was "a tremendous amount of info and
evidence coming across my desk as to the WMD and programmes associated
with it that Saddam had".
But Dr Jones, a critic of the govt's Iraq dossier, told Panorama:
"Certainly no-one on my staff had any visibility of large quantities
of intel of that sort."
He said no-one knew what chemical or biological agents had been
produced since the 1st Gulf War and there was no certainty among intel
staff that agents had been stockpiled.
"There was a reasonable assumption that there may have been some
stocks left over from the 1st Gulf War," Dr Jones said.
"If there had been any other production, then we have not identified
that it had taken place."
Dr Jones told the Hutton Inquiry the dossier on Iraq was misleading
because advice from DIS experts had been over-ruled by the Joint Intel
Committee (JIC) which drafted it.
* 'Collective raspberry'
Mr Morrison told Panorama he could "almost hear the collective
raspberry going up around Whitehall" when the PM told MPs the threat
from Iraq was "current and serious".
He accused Mr Blair of making public statements which went beyond what
experts could have reasonably concluded from the same evidence.
Lord Butler's findings are due to be published on Wed evening "In moving
from what the dossier said Saddam had, which was a capability possibly,
to asserting that Iraq presented a threat, then the PM was going way
beyond anything any professional analyst would have agreed," he said.
Mr Morrison said analysts came under pressure after Operation Desert
Fox, the bombing campaign against Iraq in 1998.
Analysts had felt pressured to back claims targets actively involved
in WMD production had been hit in the strikes -- even if they were not
sure that was the case.
Panorama also claimed John Scarlett, chairman of the JIC, was warned a
m after the dossier's publication the intel was not strong enough to
back the presentation of some of its claims.
Mr Scarlett may be among the intel bosses singled out for criticism in
Wed's report.
But the Sun Times reports Mr Blair will stand by Mr Scarlett even if
the new head of MI6 is criticised.
Meanwhile the Sun Telegraph reports the PM's chief of staff Jonathan
Powell is likely to be come in for criticism.

Pressure mounts on Blair over Iraq
London (AFP).  Brit PM Tony Blair must assume responsibility for any
intel services mistakes on Iraq revealed in an upcoming report, a
former head of Brit's Joint Intel Committee (JIC) has said.
"The buck stops there" with the PM if the report reveals errors in
assessing the Iraqi threat, said Dame Pauline Neville-Jones.
"I don't think that the political layer in any country can escape the
consequences of a systemic failure," she said speaking on BBC TV.
She added that Mr Blair "is making a distinction between what he
genuinely believed and what turns out to be the case, so he is at
least open to the accusation of incompetence".
The JIC is the central body in Brit's inter-dept'al intel operations
and advises on intel priorities as well as assessing performance.
An inquiry headed by top civil servant Lord Butler is due to make its
findings public on Wed about the process that led London to believe
that Iraq possessed WMDs.
"I think there is a trust issue now ... that's one of the reasons why
it's important, 1st of all, the PM does acknowledge he actually got it
wrong," she said.
Dame Pauline suggested that John Scarlett, another former JIC head
should consider resigning if he was criticised by the Butler report.
Mr Scarlett played a key role in drafting the Sep 2002 dossier on
Iraq, which he, and the rest of the JIC, signed off before it was
publicly released by the PM, notably alleging that Iraq could deploy
chemical or biological weapons in 45 minutes.
In May, Mr Scarlett was named as head of the foreign intel service MI6.
"If your preoccupation is, as it should be, the clearing of the
reputation of the MI6 ... you do have to ask the question whether
somebody who has been deeply involved and possibly criticised in the
findings of the Butler report is regarded as a suitable person to head
that up," Dame Pauline said.
Meanwhile, former foreign secretary Robin Cook has said intel services
"on both sides of the Atlantic" failed in their assessment of the
threat presented by Iraqi Pres Saddam Hussein.
"It was a fundamental error that went wrong on both sides of the
Atlantic," Mr Cook told BBC radio.
"The govts had made up their minds that Saddam had weapons and must be
a threat. They had made up their minds they were going to war.
"The intel agencies were then left in the position of finding intel to
support the conclusion.
"It should have been the other way around: you look with intel and
then build your policy on what you know."
However, he dismissed the idea put forward in the US Senate report
that there had been a global failure of pre-war intel as "garbage".
"Nobody except Washington and London thought that Saddam was such a
threat that we had immediately to go to war," he said.
Mr Cook, who was foreign secretary from 1997 to 2001 and subsequently
leader of the House in Parliament, resigned in Mar 2003 because he
disagreed with Mr Blair's decision to enter the US-led war on Iraq.
Mr Cook commented that "the PM needs a catharsis. He needs an
opportunity, and perhaps the Butler report will give him that, to say
look, there were mistakes made but lessons have been learned and,
above all, he needs to say it is not going to happen again".
"He has never in any way tried to walk away from the fact that the
decision to go to war was a very personal one of his own and he fully
accepts that responsibility," he added.

'Buck must stop with Blair' for Iraq intel
[Fat chance!]
London (PA News/Scotsman).  The buck must stop with PM Tony Blair for
intel failings on Iraq, a former top 'spook' said today.
Dame Pauline Neville-Jones drew comparisons between Mr Blair and
George Tenet, forced to quit as CIA chief over the errors.
There had been a "systematic failure" in assessing Saddam Hussein's
WMD, Dame Pauline said.
And she said of Mr Blair: "The buck stops there and I don't think that
the political layer in any country can escape the consequences of a
systemic failure."
Mr Tenet was forced out of the CIA ahead of tonight's damning US
senate report on intel failings in the run-up to war.
Dame Pauline, who once headed the Joint Intel Committee bring together
the UK's secret services, said: "The head of the CIA is a politically
appointed job.
"So its the equivalent of the Min going."
Speaking to BBC World's Hardtalk she refused to say whether Mr Blair
should of if he was wrong.
But she said: "He is making a distinction between what he genuinely
believed and what turns out to be the case so he is at least open to
the accusation of incompetence."
Dame Pauline went on to say: "I think there is a trust issue now and I
think we already see this the trust issue.
"That's one of the reasons why it's important, 1st of all, the PM does
acknowledge he actually got it wrong.
"Secondly that confidence is restored in the intel services."
Mr Blair's appointment of John Scarlett as head of MI6 would not help
that, Dame Pauline suggested.
Mr Scarlett faces criticism in the Butler report for overseeing the
Iraq dossier as JIC chair.
Dame Pauline refused to rule out Mr Scarlett being forced to stand
down, saying: "I'm not going to pre-judge it.
"But if your preoccupation is as it should be the clearing of the
reputation of the MI6 and making sure that any of the reforms
recommendations that are bound to come from that Committee you do have
to ask the question whether somebody whose been deeply involved and
possibly criticised in the findings of the Butler Report is regarded
as a suitable person to head that up."
His credibility will be damaged by criticism from Lord Butler and that
would have wider implications, Dame Pauline said.
"It will be and it damages the Agency. Nat'l interest is concerned
with the reputation of the Agency," she added.

Blair came close to stepping down: BBC
London (AFP).  Brit PM Tony Blair came close to resigning last m and 4
snr ministers from his cabinet intervened to persuade him not to do
so, the BBC has reported.
The BBC named the 4 cabinet officials as Charles Clarke, John Reid,
Tessa Jowell and Patricia Hewitt, respectively in charge of education,
health, culture and trade and industry.
It said the 4 had separately approached Mr Blair because he was
"seriously reviewing" his future as premier.
The Brit leader has suffered a massive loss in popularity due to his
decision to take Brit into the war in Iraq.
A rep from Mr Blair's office reacted to the BBC report by saying that
the PM had always said he would lead his Labour Party into the next
general election, which is expected some time next y.
Last m Mr Blair stressed that view, saying: "In the end, the Brit
people are the boss, they're the people who make the decision."
"I am absolutely up for it," he said of the next election.
In the event of Mr Blair deciding not to seek to stay on as prime
minister, or to lead the party in the next election, Chancellor of the
Exchequer Gordon Brown is widely seen as the most likely candidate.

Downer stands by Iraq decision
Alexander Downer says the Govt stands by its decision to go to war in Iraq.
Canberra.  FM Alexander Downer says AUS did not just rely on American
intel reports when it decided to take part in the Iraq war.
[We also listened to anyone else provided they said the same things as
the Yanks!]
A report by the US Senate Intel Committee has dismissed the evidence
used to justify the American-led invasion of Iraq as "unreasonable"
and "unsupported".
The committee chairman says the CIA analysis treated uncertain info as truth.
Mr Downer defends AUS's part in the war in Iraq.
"I don't agree with everything an American senator may say, I am an
Aussie, and I'm entitled to put an Aussie view," he said.
"Since the handover of power on the Jun 28 to the Iraqis there has
been great support not only for that handover of power but for
the...Iraqi Admin in the Muslim world in the Middle East."
Mr Downer also says the inquiry has little relevance to AUS's argument
for war.
"Our own Parliamentary committee found the Aussie assessments by our
intel agencies were more cautious than the assessment made by the
American agencies," he said.
However the Fed Opp'n has labelled a US Senate Committee report on
pre-Iraq war intel 'the most devastating' report on intel failure
since World War II.
Opp'n Foreign Affairs rep Kevin Rudd says the Howard Govt committed
AUS to war based on a lie.
"We took the serious step of going to war in Iraq based on totally
flawed intel and John Howard didn't have the decency or the
professionalism as Prime Min to give Aussie intel agencies enough
resources to check the American intel material," he said.
"John Howard did not simply say to the Aussie people [Iraq] might
build some some day, John Howard told the Aussie people there were
stockpiles of completed chemical and biological weapons ready to go."
"Now if that's a lie than John Howard should have the decency to tell
the Aussie people that he took them to war based on a lie."
Greens leader Bob Brown says the Aussie Govt must accept some
responsibility for the intel failures about Iraq's weapons program and
says the report vindicates the Greens' anti-war position and reflects
poorly on Aussie agencies.
In the report the committee criticised US spy agencies for numerous
failures in their reporting on alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
The 500-plus page report, entitled "Report on the US Intel Community's
Assessment of Pre-war Intel on Iraq", said that conclusions in an Oct
2002 nat'l intel estimate on Iraqi weapons programs "either overstated
or were not supported by the underlying intel reporting".

Sudan, Chad meet as Darfur crises worsens
Khartoum (Sally Sara).  The leaders of Sudan and Chad have held
emergency talks to discuss the worsening humanitarian situation in the
W Sudanese region of Darfur.  More than 1 mn people have been
displaced by unrest and hunger and up to 100,000 refugees have crossed
the border into neighbouring Chad.  Sudanese Pres Omar al Bashir met
with his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby in the troubled region of
Darfur.  The 2 leaders discussed a proposed joint military force to
restore order along the border and came after similar discussions
between defence officials from both countries.  Hundreds of 1000s of
people have fled their homes in Darfur after raids by Arab militia
groups.  United States Secretary of State Colin Powell has warned that
Sudan will face sanctions unless it stops attacks by Arab militia
groups that have been terrorising civilians.

Bush to introduce intel service reforms
[Don't forget to reform Congress and UN!]
Washington (BBC).  US Pres George W Bush has pledged to work alongside
Congress to introduce reforms to the intel services.  Mr Bush was
speaking after the publication of a highly critical Senate report,
which accused the security agencies of overstating the possibility
that Iraq possessed WMD.  Pres Bush described the damning report as
useful.  He said he wanted to examine how to make the agencies better
in future.  But a White House rep also called for an end to the finger
pointing over the decision to go to war.  The report from the Senate
Intel Committee paints a devastating picture of the CIA.  It says it
was badly managed it failed to question intel, it overstated its
findings and its fundamental assertions were wrong.  The Pres's
Democratic rival John Kerry, said placing blame on the CIA allowed the
white house to avoid taking responsibility for its own failings.

Iraq war justified despite Senate report: Wolfowitz
[Trust my judgement! I'm right this time!]
Washington (AFP).  Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, a lead
architect in the US-led war on Iraq, insisted that the war was
justified even after a scathing US Senate report on the quality of
pre-war intel.  Saddam Hussein's refusal to comply with UN resolutions
demanding weapons inspections, the brutality of his regime, and his
history for developing and using chemical weapons more than justified
the war, he said in a speech to Omaha business leaders.  A Senate
investigation concluded that the US intel community "mischaracterised"
Iraq's WMD before the war through "a series of failures," and its key
judgements were either overstated or not backed up by intel reporting.
However Pres George W Bush "took a broader case" than just WMD to the
UN, Mr Wolfowitz said.  "If you wait until all the dots are connected,
it's probably too late because you've already been attacked," he
added.  In the speech Mr Wolfowitz said that Iraqis were optimistic
about their future following the recent power handover.

US press questions Bush's Iraq war justification
NY (AFP).  The US press has criticised US Pres George W Bush's
reasoning for going to war with Iraq in light of a Senate probe into
CIA failures in pre-war Iraq intel.
"Sadly, the investigation stopped without assessing how Pres Bush had
used the incompetent intel reports to justify war," The New York Times
said in an editorial on Sat.
That matter will be addressed in a 2nd part of the Senate report on
the Bush Admin's use of intel to reach the decision to go to war.
Mr Bush's decision to go to war is a major issue ahead of the Nov 2
presidential election.
The newspaper's editorial said the investigation also "left open the
question of whether [intel] analysts thought they were doing what Mr
Bush wanted" in supplying evidence to go to war.
"No one had to pressure analysts to change their findings, because the
findings were determined before the work started," the newspaper added.
Another paper, The LA Times wondered: "Did the Whitehouse pressure the
CIA to concoct reasons to invade Iraq?"
And The Washington Post said: "Mr Bush, VP [Dick] Cheney and other snr
officials sometimes exaggerated the flawed intel they were given, even
if they were correct in identifying Iraq as a threat."
"The report offers yet another reminder about the weakness of US intel
agencies, one that the Bush Admin and Congress should be answering
more urgently," it said.
Meanwhile, The Washington Times said the senators fell down on the job
of overseeing intel gathering.
"The senators who criticised the intel community for its failures
played a major part in the subsequent tragedy," it said.
The conservative daily named Democratic presidential hopeful John
Kerry's running mate, in particular.
"Committee members, including Sen John Edwards, were charged with the
duty of oversight and received the necessary powers to do so. They had
access to the classified materials, they had the authority to question
CIA executives and analysts," the newspaper said.
"So where were the senators while the failures were building?"
Also, The NY Times took the Bush Admin to task for its policy of
holding periodic news conferences "to warn us that we're about to be attacked".
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge warned on Thu that Al Qaeda is
planning a large-scale attack on the US in a bid to "disrupt our
democratic process".
"The public will have to believe that the Pres is acting against a
real threat, not one manufactured to justify a political agenda," the
Times said.
"There is no reason to go on television and repeat vague warnings that
seem to be intended to frighten everyone.
"The report is a condemnation of how this Admin has squandered the
public trust it may sorely need for a real threat to nat'l security,"
the Times declared.

VOA staffers seek Hill probe
[Welcome to BBC/ABC town!]
Washington (VOA).  Nearly half the staff of the Voice of America (VoA)
has signed a petition that will be sent to members of Congress today
accusing the Broadcasting Board of Governors of "dismantling the
nation's radio beacon" and calling on Congress to investigate the board.
The petition also accuses the board, an independent entity responsible
for all govt-sponsored broadcasting, of launching new services in the
Middle E with no editorial accountability at the expense of VoA
programs serving the same areas and cutting back on broadcasts to
Eastern Europe and in English around the world.
"We're being bled white to support this expensive and ill-advised
operation to the Middle East," a VoA English-language editor and
supervisor told The Hill. The VoA employee, who said he feared
reprisals if he were identified, added, "It's shameful and also very
sad that we're missing an opportunity to be doing what we should be doing."
More than 460 of an estimated 1,000 VoA staff members have signed the
petition, the editor said.
A VoA rep said Fri that the agency would have no comment since he had
not yet seen the petition.
The major complaints cited in the petition involve the board's new
services in the Middle E -- Radio Sawa, al-Hurra and Radio Farda --
which the signatories say provide inadequate news coverage and do not
operate under VoA's charter, which guarantees balanced reporting.
The petition accuses the board of shutting down the VoA Arabic Service
and reducing resources to VoA TV in the region and VoA service
to Iran in favour of the new broadcasting services.
Defenders of Radio Sawa and Radio Farda have said their offerings,
mainly music with some news, appeal to younger listeners. But the VoA
editor said reaching educated people, the leaders and activists in a
community, is just as important.
He also said the board members, with their business backgrounds, place
too much emphasis on achieving market share.
Alan Heil, a former VoA deputy director who helped distribute the
petition, agreed.
"Its very, very important for the US to have something on the air
that's more food for thought and is part of the dialogue and not just
a pop music service," he said.
Both Radio Sawa and al-Hurra have not reported important breaking news
stories, according to the petition, including, in the case of Radio
Sawa, the capture of Saddam Hussein. What little news is reported is
not produced in VoA's newsroom but in a separate place overseen only
be the board itself, the VoA editor said.
"There is a lack of balance and a there is a lack of editorial
oversight," he asserted.
While the board is launching new services to the Middle East, VoA
English broadcasts are being crippled, the petition's supporters
say. The hours of English-language broadcasts have been reduced from
24 hr a day to 19. Because the service is dark at times it misses
important stories, such as the handover of power in Iraq, Heil said.
The petitioners also expressed concerns about increasing
politicisation of the VoA itself. Both Heil and another VoA journalist
who spoke on the condition of anonymity said reporters and editors are
convinced that the demotion of Andre DeNesnera as news director in a
reorganisation announced Thu is evidence that is happening.
"He was believed [to be acting], and correctly so, as the bulwark
against politicisation of the news report," the journalist said.
DeNesnera could not be reached for comment.

Blix says basis for Iraq war flawed: paper
London (Xinhua).  Hans Blix, former chief UN arms inspector in Iraq,
has told a Brit inquiry that the intel used by Brit and the US to
support their case for war on Iraq was inaccurate, the Financial Times
in London reported Fri.
The threat of WMD was overstated,the newspaper quoted Blix as telling
the independent inquiry led by Lord Butler into the Brit handling of
intel on Iraq's banned weapons before the US-led war against Iraq.
The Brit govt did not exercise sufficient critical judgement in
analysing and presenting the intel it was given,and the work of the UN
inspectors was not taken seriously enough, Blix told the inquiry that
was expected to report its findings next Wed.
"My belief is that intel failed and it was presented in a way that did
not have sufficient caveats and which politicians were prepared to
believe," Blix said in an interview with the paper.
"There was a lack of critical thinking on WMD, and the govt shares the
responsibility with intel," he said.
Blix said he had pleaded with Brit PM Tony Blair for more time to find
WMD before the US-led invasion of Iraq, only to be told that all the
intel agencies around the world agreed with Brit and the US that there were.
"He [Blair] was genuinely convinced," Blix said.
Blix stressed that the Butler inquiry should hold both the intel
agencies and the Brit govt responsible for embarking on an unpopular
and bloody war on the basis of a misjudgement.
Blair persuaded the Brit parliament to support the US-led war against
Iraq on the grounds that former Iraqi Pres Saddam Hussein could deploy
chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes.
However, the US-led Iraq Survey Group has not found any evidence of
Iraq's alleged banned weapons so far.

Bush talks with Bulgarian leader on Iraq
Bulgaria believes 2 of its hostages still alive
Washington (Houston Chronicle/AP).  Pres Bush tried to keep an Iraq
ally on board today, receiving assurances that Bulgaria's troop
commitment in the country remains strong despite threats by insurgents
to kill 2 Bulgarians held hostages.
The phone call between Bush and Bulgarian Pres Georgi Parvanov took place
as the Philippines announced it would withdraw its 51-member humanitarian
contingent from Iraq as scheduled after its mandate ends Aug 20.
Iraqi militants freed a Filipino hostage hours after the announcement.
In a tape aired by Al-Jazeera TV minutes after the announced withdrawal,
the Filipino hostage appealed to his country's president to withdraw
the troops from Iraq.
The Philippines still could decide to renew its troops' mandate, and
it was not clear if the withdrawal was acquiescence or defiance to the
insurgents' demands. The Philippines was told to withdraw its troops
within 3 days, a deadline expiring over the weekend.
Bush and Parvanov discussed the hostage situation, with Bush offering
to assist but refusing to negotiate with terrorists, the Whitehouse
said. Parvanov pledged Bulgaria's strong commitment to Iraq.
A group loyal to insurgency leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi threatened to
kill the 2 Bulgarians if the US military did not release all Iraqi
detainees within 24 hr.
Bulgaria has a 480-member infantry unit in Iraq that is under Polish
command in the city of Karbala. Its main duties are patrolling the
centre of the city and guarding public buildings.
5 Bulgarian soldiers died in a suicide attack against their base in
Dec In Apr, a 6th Bulgarian was killed in a skirmish with insurgents.
Bush was spending the weekend at the Whitehouse after 3 recent trips
to states that are important to his re-election chances. On Sat
morning, Bush rode his mountain bike at a Secret Service training
facility in suburban Maryland.

Japan's Koizumi under pressure
[Pension reforms, Iraqi troop deployment].
Tokyo (AFP).  Polls opened in Japan for an upper house election with
voters expected to deliver a verdict on PM Junichiro Koizumi's
unpopular pension reforms and decision to keep troops in Iraq.
The voting started at 7 am and the outcome was expected to become clear
in several hours after the polling booths close at 8 pm with immediate
ballot counting.
If Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) fails to regain
strength in the upper house of parliament, Koizumi is likely to face
pressure to step down.
Forecasts show that Koizumi's party, which has a solid majority in the
lower house, is unlikely to win a targeted 51 seats and if it secures
fewer than 45, most analysts consider the PM's position to be jeopardy.
In the poll, half of the 242 seats in the House of Councillors are
contested for a 6-y term.
The main opp'n Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is widely forecast to
win 53, adding to 32 uncontested seats for a total of 85.
Using his promises of govt reforms and relatively high popularity,
Koizumi has weathered 2 nat'l elections and several by-elections
since he took office in Apr 2001.
However, he has come under fire after his ruling coalition rammed
through unpopular public pension legislation last m, aimed at cutting
benefits and raising pension premiums to cope with an aging population.
Many in this pacifist nation have also detested his support for the
US-led war in Iraq and his decision to send troops there, albeit on a
non-combat mission.
His approval rating took a fresh dive last m when he told US Pres
George W Bush -- before consulting the public or parliament -- that
the troops in Iraq will stay on as part of the UN-backed force.
The LDP is hoping for a last-minute boost from a govt-arranged reunion
in Jakarta Fri between a Japanese woman abducted by N Korea in the
1970s and her US army deserter husband living in the Stalinist state,
analysts said.
Japanese TV broadcast the emotional reunion after a 21-m separation
between Hitomi Soga, 45, who was repatriated to Japan in 2002, and
Charles Robert Jenkins, 64.

Iraq troop deployment key in Japanese poll
Tokyo (ABC/AFP).  By Tokyo correspondent Mark Simkin and AFP Polls
have opened in Japan for an upper house election with voters expected
to deliver a verdict on PM Junichiro Koizumi's unpopular decision to
keep troops in Iraq and pension reforms.
Half the seats in the Parliament's Upper House are being contested,
which means the result will not change the Govt but it could affect
its ability to govern.
Opinion polls suggest opp'n parties will pick up seats.
Campaigning yesterday evening, Mr Koizumi vowed to heed public
criticism of his unpopular policies.
The leader of the main opp'n party, Katsuya Okada, told supporters it
is time to say no to the Koizumi Govt.
The voting started at 7.00 pm [local time] and the outcome was expected
to become clear in several hours after the polling booths close at
8.00 pm, with immediate ballot counting.
If Mr Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) fails to regain
strength in the Parliament's Upper House, Mr Koizumi is likely to face
pressure to step down.
Forecasts show that Mr Koizumi's party, which has a solid majority in
the lower house, is unlikely to win a targeted 51 seats and if it
secures fewer than 45, most analysts consider the PM's position to be jeopardy.
The main opp'n Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is widely forecast to
win 53 seats, adding to 32 uncontested seats for a total of 85.
Using his promises of govt reforms and relatively high popularity, Mr
Koizumi has weathered 2 nat'l elections and several by-elections since
he took office in Apr 2001.
However, he has come under fire after his ruling coalition rammed
through unpopular public pension legislation last m, aimed at cutting
benefits and raising pension premiums to cope with an aging population.
Also, many Japanese have detested his support for the US-led war in
Iraq and his decision to send troops there, albeit on a non-combat mission.
His approval rating took a fresh dive last m when he told US Pres
George W Bush -- before consulting the public or Parliament -- that the
troops in Iraq will stay on as part of the UN-backed force.

SBY maintains lead in Indonesian vote count
Jakarta (AFP).  Former Gen Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono maintained his
lead over Pres Megawati Sukarnoputri today with almost 70% of the vote
counted after Indonesia's 1st direct presidential election.
The General Elections Commission reported that Mr Yudhoyono had
slightly more than 29 mn votes or 34% compared with Ms Sukarnoputri's
22.5 mn votes or about 26%.
Mr Wiranto, Mr Yudhoyono's one-time military boss, remained in third
spot with about 19 mn votes, or 22%, according to the elections
commission tally.
Mr Yudhoyono resigned as Megawati Sukarnoputri's top security minister
earlier this y.
He seems set to face her in a 2nd round of voting on Sep 20.
If nobody gets 50% plus one vote following last Mon's election, only
the top 2 vote-getters will face off in the second round.
Megawati Sukarnoputri has bounced back after mn of voters deserted her
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle in Apr legislative elections.
Both she and Mr Yudhoyono are trying to build political coalitions
ahead of the next round but one of Megawati Sukarnoputri's campaigners,
Heri Achmadi, said last wk the contest will be a battle of their 2
images among the voters.
Turnout in the election was estimated at 82% or about 125 mn.
Mon's ballot was another milestone in Indonesia's democratisation
after the fall of army-backed strongman Suharto in 1998.

Vanuatu ballot boxes burned, armed police sent
Vanuatu.  Armed police in Vanuatu are on their way to the island of
Tanna after a mob burned ballot boxes there yesterday.  Authorities
say supporters of 2 unsuccessful candidates in Tue's election stormed
the airport and local police were overwhelmed.  Police managed to save
some ballot boxes which were on their way to the capital Port Vila to
be checked after the preliminary vote count on the island, but the mob
were able to destroy between 3 and 5 boxes full of votes.  Police
Commissioner Robert De Nero has reportedly appealed for calm and
orderliness.  Principal electoral officer Martin Teti say the armed
Vanuatu mobile force platoon which was flown to Tanna earlier today
will find out who was involved in the incident and bring them to justice.

First victory for NZ's Maori Party
Wellington.  A new political party representing Maori people has
easily won a by-election across the Tasman.  The party hopes to claim
more seats at next y's election.  The Maori Party has won the N Island
seat of Te Tai Hauauru with more than 90% of the vote.  It is a dream
result for the new Member, Tariana Turia, who forced a by-election by
resigning from the Govt.  The new party is promising
self-determination for Maori people.  There are 7 special seats set
aside for Maori in NZ's Parliament.  The Maori Party aims to claim all
of those at next y's general election.

Satellite census begins for E Timor
Dili.  The 1st nat'l census in E Timor begins today with several
thousand workers visiting every household in the country, starting
with the homes of the PM and Pres.
In what is believed to be a world first, statisticians are using the
latest satellite technology to record the addresses of every household
to make sure everyone in the country is counted.
The census includes specific questions about the whereabouts of
householders in 1999 to get a clearer picture of how the
pre-independence violence has affected the population rate.
Dan Baker, from the United Nations Population Fund, believes the
population remains around 800,000.
"The questions are: 'Were you living in a different place in 1999 than
you are now, and then if you've moved, why did you move?'" he said.
"One of the reasons would be like violence, a lack of security or
something like that.
"So we'll be able to get some data on whether people were displaced
because of the crisis in 1999."
Mr Baker says the use of satellite technology is believed to be a
world first.
"Each team is taking with them one of these GPS devices and they get
an exact geographical reading of every household that they go to visit
and where they ask questions," he said.
"Then we compare that with maps that we got from the Aussie Defence
Forces, which are accurate enough to show every structure in the
country, and by matching up the geographical readings that the
interviewers got with the maps we can tell whether every structure has
been visited."
The last official count of E Timor's population was 14 y ago when it
was still Indonesia's 27th province.

Brigitte returned to France lawfully: Ruddock
Willie Brigitte could be free in months.
Canberra.  The Fed Govt has discounted reports that lawyers for terror
suspect Willie Brigitte could challenge his detention because of the
way he was returned to France from AUS.
Press reports say Brigitte could be free within m if his lawyers are
successful in challenging how French authorities handled his
extradition from AUS.
A-G Philip Ruddock says he will make inquiries to the French
authorities, but insists Brigitte was deported not extradited.
"If the argument is that he was extradited then that is, of course, a
flawed assumption," he said.
"Extradition is a legal process for people who are the subject of
charges to be removed under extradition agreements between countries.
"Brigitte was never extradited from AUS, he was removed because he was
an unlawful non-citizen."
Brigitte's lawyer, Jean-Claude Durimel, is quoted in The Age as saying
his client was unlawfully extradited last Nov, partly because he was
married to an Aussie nat'l.
"From his arrest in AUS to his arrival in France, his detention for
interrogation and his placement in prison. From the beginning,
everything has been illegal," Mr Durimel told the newspaper.
His lawyers reportedly lodged the appeal in Apr and say he could be
released within ms.
Labor's foreign affairs rep, Kevin Rudd, says there have already been
problems with the case.
"If this happens on top of all of that, I think the Aussie people will
ask themselves some pretty basic questions about the competence of the
Howard Govt on basic questions of nat'l security," he said.
"They talk about it all the time but key questions of competence now
are brought to the fore."
Under French law, Brigitte cannot be questioned while the legal status
of his detention are under examination, the Sun Telegraph reported.
Brigitte, a 35-yo Muslim convert, is suspected of planning "a terrorist act
of great size" in AUS.
He was arrested in SYD and is alleged to have links with Al Qaeda.
Mr Ruddock says the Aussie govt sees no reason why the case should not
continue.

ALP pushes govt over Brigitte
Canberra (AAP).  A-G Philip Ruddock should explain why suspected
French terrorist Willie Brigitte was hastily returned to France, in
light of revelations he may have been illegally extradited, Labor said.
The case against Brigitte reportedly has been suspended while
authorities investigate claims he may have been illegally extradited
from AUS last y.
The Sun Telegraph reported that lawyers for Brigitte insisted French
authorities did not follow proper legal procedures for transferring
him to Paris following his arrest in SYD last Oct.
Opp'n homeland security rep Robert McClelland said this raised
questions Mr Ruddock must answer.
"It casts further doubt on the wisdom of Aussie authorities to return
him to France rather than interrogate him in AUS," Mr McClelland told AAP.
"This decision was made with undue haste and the A-G should explain
whether Aussie authorities made inquiries of French authorities on
whether the decision was made legally.
"We believe they should have."
Opp'n foreign affairs rep Kevin Rudd said the govt's competency on key
questions of nat'l security was now being questioned.
"The Aussie people will ask themselves some pretty basic questions
about the competence of the Howard govt on basic questions of nat'l
security," he told the 9 network.
"We would hope that the Aussie and French legal, foreign policy and
security authorities got this one right, particularly after the earlier
breakdown in communications between our 2 govts concerning this individual."

Al Qaeda suspects arrested after Greece visit
Brussels (Reuters).  Belgian police arrested 2 suspected Sudanese
members of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network at Brussels' main
airport late on Fri, Belgium's VTM commercial TV reported on Sat.
VTM said the 2 had flown in from Athens, Greece and were travelling on
forged passports.
A Belgian fed police rep said 2 arrests had been made, but was unable
to give further details.
"I can confirm that there have been 2 arrests in Zaventem [airport].
I don't know about their nat'lity or any supposed terrorist ties," rep
Jan van Ransbeeck said, adding that he believed the arrests were made
early on Sat.
The TV network, quoting no sources, said the police found
photographs of militants involved in suicide operations in the
suspects' luggage and a mobile phone number referring to bin Laden.
Earlier on Sat the Netherlands said it was increasing security at key
locations after receiving info that radical Islamists might be
planning terror attacks.
Belgium seized 15 suspected Islamist militants last m as part of
pan-European raids following the Madrid train bombings which killed
191 people in Mar.

Yemen forces battle anti-US cleric's supporters
Sana (Reuters).  Yemeni forces have killed 7 supporters of an anti-US
rebel religious leader, raising the death toll in nearly 3 wk of
clashes to at least 179, Yemen's ruling party's web site has reported.
"Govt forces have carried out a fierce assault since this morning
against remaining followers of Hussein al-Houthi leading to the death
of 7 of his supporters and the wounding of 3 others," the General
People's Congress party web site quoted a military official as saying.
"This raises the number of those killed and injured among Houthi's
supporters to around 85 in the last 48 hr," the official said but did
not give a breakdown.
The Govt launched its offensive in the N mountainous province of Saada
against Houthi and his "Believing Youth" group on Jun 20.
It has offered a $US54,000 reward for Houthi's capture.
The Govt accuses Houthi, a leader of the Zaidi Shiite sect, of setting
up unlicensed religious centres in Saada and other provinces and
forming what it described as an underground armed group, which has
staged violent protests against the US and Israel.
On Fri, Amnesty Internat'l said it had written to Yemeni Interior Min
Rshad al-Alimi to call for an investigation into the mounting death toll.
"Amnesty Internat'l fears that excessive use of force and extrajudicial
killing may have been the main or contributory factors in the mounting
death toll," it said in a statement.
"Amnesty Internat'l has sought urgent assurances that detainees are
protected from torture and ill-treatment, and has called for the
immediate release of anyone held solely for the non-violent expression
of their conscientiously held beliefs," it said, adding that prisoners
should be given a fair trial.
Sources close to Houthi earlier this wk put the death toll from the
clashes, which began on Jun 20, at around 200.
Govt sources say 100s more of his supporters have been wounded,
arrested or surrendered to authorities in Saada, 240 km N of the
capital Sanaa.
Anti-US sentiment is high in the region over the US-led occupation of
Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The poor country of 19 mn people is also fighting to remove militants
linked to Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda group.
Houthi has not been accused of links to Al Qaeda.

HIV testing branded a failure
Bangkok (AFP).  Global testing for HIV has been a failure, with the
overwhelming majority of the 38 mn people living with the virus
unaware they are carriers, experts warned.
The failure to provide a clear picture of those carrying the virus is
hampering efforts to counter its spread, even as health experts warn
of an imminent crisis in Asia unless rapid action is taken.
"If over 90% of those who are infected with HIV don't know they are
infected, global testing policy has failed," Trevor Neilson, executive
director of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC), told reporters.
"Testing is the missing link. Without it we are undermining
prevention," he said, a day before the start of the fifteenth
Internat'l AIDS Conference in Bangkok.
He said that 500,000 people every day must be tested if a key World
Health Organisation goal of treating 3 mn people for HIV in developing
countries by the end of 2005 is to be met.
Experts acknowledged that global testing has been a disaster largely
because of the unwillingness of people to come forward due to the
enormous stigma attached to the disease.
Because the tests are voluntary, only a trickle of people from the
developing world, where discrimination is most rife, go for testing.
"The reality is that stigma and discrimination continue to stop people
from having an HIV test," the Joint UN Program on HIV-AIDS (UNAIDS)
said in a statement.
Aggressive new campaigns were needed to ensure more people were tested
while govts need to work harder to prevent carriers from being
marginalised by society, the GBC said.
Companies also needed to do more and bring in their own routine
testing regime for HIV.
"We don't think our companies have done a fraction of what needs to be
done," said Neilson.
"Every company in the world has to get involved in the fight against AIDS."
In Botswana -- where 37% of the population has HIV, making it one of
the world's worst-hit nations -- the govt has introduced routine
testing for HIV with the bold goal of having an HIV-free generation by 2016.
Richard Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund, which provides
cash to countries for their own projects to tackle HIV/AIDS, said
testing was essential so prevention and treatment could take root.
He said the private sector needed to ensure the cost of testing kits
were reduced so developing countries could afford them.

Downer expresses concern over Hicks and Habib trial delays
[After more than 2 y.]
Adelaide.  AUS's FM says he has expressed concern to the US Sec of
State and the US Def Sec about how long it is taking Aussie Guantanamo
Bay detainees, David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib, to go to trial.  The
Pentagon says it will fast-track military hearings to review whether
all 594 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are being held properly as "enemy
combatants".  But it has not committed to the proceedings being open
to outside scrutiny.  FM Alexander Downer says he would have liked the
trials to have come sooner.  "I think the view of the Admin is that it
would have been good if these things happened more quickly...but the
pentagon...had its own priorities...it's a pity it didn't happen more
quickly," he said.

Aussie Govt backs Guantanamo legal moves
Adelaide (AAP).  The Fed Govt has welcomed a move to allow 2 Aussie
terror suspects to challenge their status, which could result in them
being freed.
The Pentagon has announced all 594 terror suspects held in Cuba's
Guantanamo Bay prison, including Aussies Mamdouh Habib and David
Hicks, would be able to contest their status as "enemy combatants"
before military panels.
The panels, which are separate from the military commissions set up to
try the prisoners, would be limited to determining whether a detainee
was properly classified as an "enemy combatant".
If the panel found the classification was not justified, the prisoners
could be released to their home countries.
Foreign Affairs Min Alexander Downer welcomed the decision.
"The Americans are going to make an assessment as to whether people in
Guantanamo Bay are all technically combatants ... that is a perfectly
sensible thing to do," Mr Downer told reporters in Adel.
But Mr Downer said the govt maintained Hicks and Habib should face a
military commission as soon as possible.
"We think that Hicks and Habib, who have allegedly been involved in
Al-Qaeda, which is the world's most egregious terrorist organisation,
should face a military commission," he said.
Adel-born Hicks is one of 15 prisoners who have been ordered to stand
trial before a military commission.
Habib, from SYD, was last wk found to be eligible to face a military trial.
The panel process was set up in response to last week's US Supreme
Court decisions that said all such detainees had a right to contest
their cases in a civilian court.
Enemy combatants are generally understood to be people involved in, or
supporters of, Taliban or Al-Qaeda forces or associated forces engaged
in hostilities against the US or its coalition partners since late 2001.

More UK soldiers face charges for killing or abusing civilians
London (Independent).  Brit soldiers are facing prosecution in 12
cases where Iraqi civilians are alleged to have been illegally killed
or assaulted -- a significant jump in the previously disclosed figure.
Defence ministers have revealed that the Army Prosecuting Authority is
studying dossiers in 9 cases where troops allegedly shot or mistreated
Iraqis. The APA -- the military equivalent of the Crown Prosecution
Service -- has already sent 2 cases for courts martial and a 3rd is
being investigated by the Metropolitan police.
The new batch of cases involves at least 4 deaths -- including that of
the Basra hotel receptionist Baha Mousa while he was being held in
custody by the Queen's Lancashire Regiment. Details of the case were
1st revealed by The Independent on Sun.
The other deaths are alleged to have been at the hands of Army patrols
in the Basra area, including the shooting of a civilian called Zaher
Sabti Zaher during a "friendly fire" incident in Mar last y. Mr
Zaher was fatally wounded after being challenged by Brit soldiers
during disturbances at al-Zubayr, SE of Basra. In the confusion, a
tank crew opened fire, killing Mr Zaher and a Brit soldier, Sgt
Stephen Roberts, 33.
Sgt Roberts's death sparked a furious controversy over equipment
shortages for Brit troops, because he had been ordered to hand over
his body armour 3 days earlier. It is thought 4 members of the Royal
Tank Regiment face prosecution over both deaths.
The new cases led to fresh demands from the Liberal Democrats for an
independent inquiry into alleged misbehaviour by Brit soldiers, after
the armed forces minister, Adam Ingram, said the number of cases being
investigated had jumped to 79. They include 37 civilian deaths, 7 of
them in custody.
The Liberal Democrats' defence rep, Paul Keetch, said: "These 9 cases
before the Army Prosecuting Authority raise wider questions about the
command and control of UK forces. The only way to restore confidence
is for a full inquiry into all the actions of our personnel in Iraq."
Mr Ingram has also revealed -- under questioning from the Plaid Cymru
MP Adam Price -- that as part of their investigations the military
police had exhumed the bodies of 3 Iraqis allegedly killed by Brit
troops. In 2 other cases, the families of the dead refused to allow
the graves to be opened.
Mr Price said he was furious about the disclosure because Mr Ingram
had accused him in a House of Commons debate of making "nonsensical
suggestions" that exhumations would be necessary. The MP said the
minister had ridiculed him without knowing that his own troops had
begun exhumations.

Saudis deny Guantanamo prisoner swap
Riyadh (AFP).  Saudi Arabia has denied swapping Saudi inmates with W
prisoners in an effort to secure release of its nat'ls from the
Guantanamo Bay US naval base.
"We would never swap our nat'ls ... but we use all possible means to
bring them back from Guantanamo or any other prison," Foreign Min
Prince Saud al-Faisal told a news conference aired on the Al-Ekhbaria
news channel.
He was responding to a question about press reports claiming that
Riyadh swapped W prisoners with Saudi inmates in the US prison in Cuba.
2 Canadian newspapers said on Fri they had evidence that 7 Western
prisoners were freed by the kingdom last y in exchange for 5 Saudi
terror suspects from the US camp.
Last Sun, The New York Times quoting unnamed officials, first reported
that the US agreed to exchange 5 Saudi terror suspects for the 7, 5
Britons, a Belgian and a Canadian.
It said the Saudi prisoners were transferred to Riyadh in May 2003, 3
m before the Westerners were freed.
The W prisoners were convicted in Saudi Arabia of crimes related to a
string of car bombings but were pardoned.
Diplomats and the men have claimed they were tortured into giving confessions.
Prince Saud declined to answer a question on whether he had received
assurances from the US Admin about the release of Saudi prisoners from
Guantanamo in the future.
"I do not want to comment because I do not want to give false hope to
the families of the inmates," he said.
A total of 124 Saudis are among roughly 600 prisoners held during the
US-led war in Afghanistan in late 2001 and incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay.

4 killed, gas pipeline sabotaged in Iraq violence
Kirkuk (Reuters).  4 Iraqis, including 2 alleged members of a gang,
were killed today in different incidents, while insurgents again
targeted a gas pipeline nr the N oil city of Kirkuk.
In Kirkuk, unknown assailants opened fire at about 9.00 am local time
at the offices of the predominantly Arab Union of Farming Cooperatives
killing a guard, according to Iraqi police Maj Burhan Taib.
The union mainly groups Arab landowners and farmers from the
agricultural plains of Al-Hawijah and Al-Riad SW of the city.
A movie theatre, owned by a Turkmen businessman, was burnt to the
ground in an attack by unknown individuals at about 4.00 am local
time, said police Col Adel Ibrahim.
Kirkuk, 255 km N of Baghdad, has seen tension and violence among it's
Arab, Kurd, Turkmen and Christian population.
A pipeline connecting the city's gas fields with the Beiji power
plants to the W was attacked with an improvised explosive device at
about 6.30 am local time, setting a section of less than a m on fire,
according to Ahmed al-Hassan, head of security at the Northern Gas Co.
He said the pipeline was shut as the fire was being put out.
The attack comes 5 days after another pipeline in the gas network
connecting power plants and a gas canister factory N of Baghdad was
sabotaged.
Meanwhile, in the Sunni-stronghold of Ramadi, W of Baghdad, US marines
said they shot dead 2 members of an armed gang who attacked them,
while a hospital official reported that 5 Iraqis had been wounded.
In Baquba masked militants bombed 5 shops selling alcohol in a town NE
of Baghdad on Sat, killing an Iraqi taxi driver who was passing by,
police sources and witnesses said.
They said 4 men in 2 BMW cars blocked a main road in Baquba, a town of
both Shiite and Sunni Muslims, and planted explosives at the shop
doors before detonating them.
An Iraqi taxi driver, approaching in his car from a side road, was
killed by the blast in the early hours of the morning, they added.
Alcohol merchants in Iraq, particularly in the S city of Basra, have been
killed and threatened by Muslim groups who strongly oppose alcohol sales.

Iraq's rebellion develops signs of internal rift
Baghdad (AP/NY Times).  Tension appears to be rising between the
homegrown Iraqi resistance and the foreign Islamist fighters who have
entered the country to destroy the American military here. This is one
reason, experts speculate, that Iraq has not had the kind of
spectacular attack meant to spread terror and defy the American agenda
for a long 2 wk, even during the transfer of formal sovereignty back
to the Iraqis.
Evidence has emerged in sniping between groups on Arabic TV
and Web sites, and in interviews with Iraqi and American officials, as
well as from members of the resistance and people with close ties to
it. All speak of rising friction between nat'listic fighters and
foreign-led Islamists over goals and tactics, with some Iraqi
insurgents indicating a revulsion over the car bombs and suicide
attacks in cities that have caused 100s of civilian deaths.
But such friction does not mean there is a "submission by the
resistance," said Dhary Rasheed, a professor at the University of
Baghdad who lives in Samarra, a centre for the resistance. "It is a
phase of reconstruction and re-evaluation in order to push the
operations out of the cities," so as "not to have innocent people killed."
Large car-bombings -- thought to be carried out more often by
foreigners, who make up a tiny percentage of the rebels -- have
"disgraced the reputation of the resistance," Prof Rasheed said. "And
the resistance has worked just as the govt has been trying to, to
curtail the influence of the foreigners."
Routine violence continues at high levels across much of Iraq, and
many civilians and American soldiers continue to die. The big attacks
have not necessarily ended, experts are quick to acknowledge.
But this wk, the split took a cinematic turn when masked men calling
themselves the Salvation Movement released a videotape containing
threats to kill Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant suspected
in the deadliest attacks here. American military officials say the
group, based in Fallujah, is made up of secular former members of
Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. Then on Fri, a second group of
guerrillas released a similar message threatening Mr Zarqawi.
The same day, a statement posted on an Islamist Web site, claiming to
be signed by Mr Zarqawi, lashed out against the Muslim Clerics Assoc,
an influential Sunni group with strong ties to Iraqi insurgents. The
statement accused the group of weakness for offering a ransom to
prevent the beheading of Nicholas E Berg, the US businessman killed in May.
"Some mediators tried to save this infidel and offered us as much
money as we want," the statement said. "But we refused, although we
need this money to keep the wheel of holy war rolling."
Opinions among resistance fighters vary, but it is not uncommon these
days to hear comments disdainful of the foreign fighters, like those
from a young fighter in Fallujah, whose relatives hold high positions
in the resistance.
"Iraqis do not need Zarqawi or Al Qaeda members to help them," he told
an Iraqi reporter working for The NY Times.
* Dividing the Rebels
The split would seem to be welcome news to the new govt of PM Iyad
Allawi. His strategy for combating violence is to divide the insurgency
by appealing to the patriotism of Iraqi fighters to reject the
presence of foreigners who he claims do not care about Iraq itself. He
is promising amnesty for some Iraqis, but threatening to crack down on
those who do not accept it.
To that end, Mr Allawi and other govt officials say, he has been
meeting with former Baath Party members in the resistance and tribal
leaders to convince them that their interests and those of foreign
fighters are not the same.
"We're negotiating with what I call the non-criminals, those who never
really were the hard core like Zarqawi and his aides and the Al
Qaeda-style people," Mr Allawi said in an interview. "And on the other
hand, be very firm with the criminals and the assassins and the
killers and the terrorists."
But many with ties to the insurgency caution against drawing clear
lessons from this split or expecting Mr Allawi's strategy to succeed.

Militants find fertile ground in Iraq
Baghdad (AP).  Mohammed Jaber thought "kidnappers" when he saw masked
men brandishing weapons on TV. But when they demanded
Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi leave Iraq or die, he laughed,
assuming this group of vigilantes worked at the bidding of the interim govt.
"Another group of crazies. But that's OK, these are mad times," said
Jaber, a 42-yo office manager.
Another day, another militant group surfaces in Iraq, born of the
nation's surplus of dissatisfaction and disorder.
Many of the groups have never been heard of before and have cryptic
historical names. While some are hard-core militants, repeatedly
proving their willingness to carrying out attacks, others could be
nothing more than a group of men with a couple of rifles and a video
camera, operating, analysts say, in climate ripe with mayhem.
"There are several different strands of activities that we're seeing
in Iraq," said Richard Evans, editor of Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency
Center, part of the London-based Jane's Group. "The groups that are
most active in producing propaganda on the Internet would appear to be
of a more jihadi persuasion, including groups linked to al-Zarqawi."
Evans says the challenge in dealing with the explosion of groups in
Iraq is separating nat'list insurgents -- who make up the majority --
from the relatively fewer Islamic militants and those who are little
more than bandits out to make a quick buck from ransom.
"The main threat will be these Iraqi nat'list elements," says Evans.
"These jihadi groups are a sideshow, albeit a bloody effective one."
Week after week, the groups appear in videos on Arab TV stations.
Their members usually wield weapons and mask their faces with
head-scarves, as one of them barks out demands or threats in flowery Arabic.
In a Jun 27 video aired on Al-Jazeera, a group calling itself Islamic
Response, the security wing of the Nat'l Islamic Resistance -- 1920
Revolution Brigades, displayed a blindfolded US Marine, Cpl Wassef
Ali Hassoun, and threatened to kill him. The group's name referred to
an uprising against the Brits after WWI.
A few days later, an Islamic Web site claimed Hassoun had been
beheaded; the next day, a different Islamic Web site said Hassoun was
alive. Then, under mysterious circumstances, Hassoun turned up Thu
safe and free at the US Embassy in Lebanon.
On Tue, Egyptian driver Alsayeid Mohammed Alsayeid Algarabawi, 42, was
shown on the pan-Arab station Al-Jazeera being held captive by a group
calling itself the Iraqi Legitimate Resistance.
A day later, another video on Al-Jazeera showed 3 armed men
threatening to kill a Filipino hostage. The men, wearing Arab
heads-carves, said they were members of the Iraqi Islamic Army --
Khaled bin al-Waleed corps, a previously unknown group that took its
name from one of the cmdrs of the army of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
Al-Zarqawi's group, which has claimed responsibility for the
beheadings of American businessman Nicholas Berg and S Korean
translator Kim Sun-il, surfaced again Fri, threatening to kill 2
Bulgarian truck drivers.
As Iraqis struggle to lead normal lives under an extraordinary
security climate, few keep track of the various groups. Fewer still
distinguish among what the groups represent. The vast majority of
Iraqis, however, want the militants -- and the occupation forces they
say fuelled the insurgency -- to leave the country.
"You've got Zarqawi's group, foreign fighters, Baathist, followers of
[Shiite cleric Muqtada] al-Sadr and others we've never heard of
before," said Nader Mosawi, who works at a Baghdad photo shop. "The
common feature is that when they strike at the occupiers, we're the
ones who die."
In the video released Tue on Al-Arabiya TV, the group calling
itself the Salvation Movement, berated al-Zarqawi and his followers
for prostituting Islam to serve their aims and questioned who gave him
the right to threaten interim PM Iyad Allawi and kill innocent Iraqis.
The group appears to be the 1st to target the Jordanian militant,
whose wanted poster promises a $25 mn reward for info leading to his
capture, dead or alive.
"We swear to Allah that we have started preparing ... to capture him
[al-Zarqawi] and his allies or kill them and present them as gift to
our people." said one of the gunman, sitting at a desk in front of an
Iraqi flag. "This is the last warning. If you don't stop, we will do
to you what the coalition forces have failed to do."
Iraqi officials stress they do not condone vigilantism. Still, in an
interview with CNN, Nat'l Security Adviser Mouwaffaq al-Rubaie tried
to put the group's warning in context.
Iraqis "are fed up of violence. Now is the time for us to enjoy the
fruits of freedom, democracy, prosperity. This is what the people are
waiting for -- not ... for Zarqawi to continue the violence," he said.

Another US soldier killed in Iraq
Baghdad (Sapa-AFP).  Another US soldier was killed -- the 650th to
have died in combat since the Iraq invasion -- and a fresh hostage
drama reportedly unfolded, just 2 days after PM Iyad Allawi armed
himself with emergency security powers.
The soldier was on patrol in Baghdad overnight when 3 Iraqis were caught
preparing to launch mortars from a truck, the American military said on Fri.
It said the US patrol opened fire on the truck, which ignited and set
off the mortar rounds triggering a series of explosions which rocked
the Iraqi capital.
* 'The hospital received 4 bodies and 30 injuries'
But the patrol was attacked by a 2nd group of insurgents with gunfire
and RPGs. The soldier later succumbed to bullet wounds, the US
military said.
The death raised to 650 the number of American soldiers killed in
combat since the US-led invasion of Iraq in Mar 2003.
Earlier on Thu, 5 more US soldiers were killed along with 2 Iraqi
Nat'l Guards in the N restive city of Samarra when mortar attacks
destroyed the HQ of the Nat'l Guard.
18 other US soldiers were also injured as insurgents fired 38 mortars
in a surprise attack on the post.
The attack resulted in fierce fighting as US force and the Iraqi Nat'l
Guard shelled suspected hideouts of insurgents around Samarra, causing
dozens of casualties, including at least 4 dead.
* 'Please pull out so he can be safe with us'
"The hospital received 4 bodies and 30 injuries," said Dr Mohammed
Fadel at Samarra General Hospital.
The streets of Samarra were deserted after the violence as armed
masked men with RPG launchers fanned out.
Samarra is a bastion of loyalists of deposed president Saddam Hussein
and has also come under the influence of Islamic militants.
A new hostage drama, meanwhile, unfolded as the Arab TV channel
al-Jazeera aired video footage of 2 men described as Bulgarian
hostages being held captive in Iraq by a group of Islamic insurgents.
The group demanded the release of Iraqi prisoners held by US troops
within 24 hr, otherwise the hostages would be killed. But Sofia on Fri
refused to bow to "blackmail".
In a separate incident, the family of a Filipino worker being held
hostage in Iraq urged its govt to withdraw troops from Iraq.
"Please pull out so he can be safe with us," Ulyses de la Cruz, 15,
the hostage's son said in a quavering voice in a TV
interview. "The thing they are asking, let our govt give a decision soon."
Last m, S Korean translator Kim Sun-Il was beheaded by his captors
after Seoul refused to withdraw its troops from the US-led multinat'l
forces operating in Iraq.
The US state dept, meanwhile, announced that US marine Cpl Wassef Ali
Hassoun who went missing last m in Iraq had been taken safely to the
US embassy in Beirut.
The latest violence in Baghdad and Samarra raised perceptions that
caretaker PM Allawi would soon use the new emergency powers granted to
him on Wed.
Iraq's interim govt signed into law measures empowering him to impose
curfews, restrict the movement of foreigners, open mail and tap
telephones, among other things.
The govt made it clear the legislation was an essential response to a
deadly insurgency which continues to claim victims despite the Jun 28
handover of power to Iraqis by the US-led coalition.
On Thu, the health ministry said that, in Jun alone, nearly 400 Iraqis
were killed and 1 700 wounded in the violence.
The new security measures were welcomed by frightened Iraqis who said
the law was the need of the hour, but preferred it to be a short-term
measure before the elections were held in Jan 2005.
"The situation in Iraq today demands such strict laws, but it can't be
a permanent feature. These laws should be used only as a measure to
bring in the much required democracy by conducting elections in Jan
2005", said Adnan Daras, a 31-yo taxi-driver in Baghdad.
He also brushed aside concerns that the new law would put Iraq back to
where it was under the tyrannical rule of Saddam.

Iraq militants issue new deadline to kill hostage
Baghdad (Reuters).  Militants in Iraq held a Filipino and 2 Bulgarians
under death threat Fri to press demands for Manila's troops to go home
and for US-led forces to release prisoners.
A US marine who turned up in his native Lebanon after going missing in
Iraq in Jun left Beirut on a US military plane for a base in Germany,
but there was still no word on whether he had been abducted or how he
had reached Lebanon.
A Marine Corps rep in Washington said a preliminary inquiry suggested
Wassef Ali Hassoun had deserted his unit in Iraq on Jun 21. His status
was changed to "captured" a wk later, after video footage showed him
being held hostage. The Naval Criminal Investigative service is still
investigating.
Kidnappings have increased pressure on PM Iyad Allawi's govt, trying
to assert its authority after taking over from US-led occupiers on Jun
28, but still dependent for security on 160,000 mainly American troops.
Underlining the gravity of the crisis, Allawi has dropped plans to
visit European Union HQ in Brussels next wk due to security problems
in Iraq, an EU diplomat said.
Allawi had planned to meet the EU's 25 foreign ministers on Mon to
discuss the bloc's contribution to rebuilding Iraq after the US-led
occupation formally ended on Jun 28.
US officials have acknowledged they did not expect American forces to
be fighting insurgents in Iraq more than a y after last y's invasion
that toppled Saddam Hussein.
The US, which said it went to war in Mar 2003 to rid Iraq of WMD,
was relying on overstated intel, a Senate report said.
In a harshly critical report, partly blacked out for security reasons,
the Senate Intel Committee took US spy agencies to task for numerous failures
in their reporting on alleged Iraqi WMD. No such weapons have been found.
But the committee absolved the Bush Admin of putting pressure on
analysts to reach pre-set conclusions.
The US military said rebels killed 5 soldiers in Samarra, N of Baghdad,
Thu and one died after an ambush in the Iraqi capital, bringing the US
combat toll in Iraq to at least 652 since the start of the war.

Death threats hang over Iraq hostages
Baghdad (Reuters).  Death threats are hanging over 2 kidnapped
Bulgarians and a Filipino in Iraq, but their govts are refusing to
meet the demands of their captors.
Filipino driver Angelo de la Cruz made a "final appeal" to Pres Gloria
acapagal Arroyo to withdraw troops from Iraq before a deadline for his
execution.
There was no indication of any immediate withdrawal, but Manila hinted
it would not keep its tiny force of 51 troops engaged in reconstruction
in Iraq beyond next m.
"We have halted the deployment of all Filipino workers to Iraq. Our
humanitarian contingent is already scheduled to return on Aug 20,"
Manila's embassy in Baghdad said.
There was no word on the fate of Bulgarian drivers Ivailo Kepov and
Georgi Lazov, whose captors had vowed to kill them unless US-led
forces released Iraqi prisoners.
"This is not a demand to the Bulgarian govt, but to a third country
[the US] and therefore we cannot even consider it," said Bulgarian For
Min Solomon Passy.
A Foreign Ministry rep said there was no new info on the hostages.
"There are no traces of optimism, we still don't know where the
drivers are," she said.
Al Jazeera TV had shown a videotape of the 2 Bulgarians in
front of masked captors it identified as members of the Tawhid and
Jihad group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab Al Zarqawi,
Washington's most wanted man in Iraq.
The Filipino hostage made his appeal on a videotape aired by Arabic Al
Jazeera TV.
"To my family in the Philippines and Pres Arroyo, I beg you to withdraw
the troops from Iraq," said Mr de la Cruz, wearing an orange jumpsuit.
On Wed Al Jazeera broadcast a video of a sobbing de la Cruz kneeling
before 3 gunmen.
It said the militants had threatened to behead him if Manila did not
pull out its troops within 72 hr, a demand rejected by the Philippines.

Iraqi militants set 24 hr hostage deadline
Baghdad (Reuters).  Militants holding a Filipino truck driver hostage
in Iraq say they will behead him within the next 24 hr if Manila does
not withdraw troops from Iraq by Jul 20, Arabic satellite TV
Al Jazeera has reported.
Manila earlier said the hostage, Angelo de la Cruz, was being brought
to a Baghdad hotel following negotiations with militants. Govt rep
Ignacio Bunye said there was no actual handover.
"The hostage will remain captive and treated as a prisoner under Islam
until the last Filipino soldier leaves Iraq Jul 20 at the latest ...
or he will be executed," the channel quoted a statement from the
Islamic Army in Iraq as saying.
"We give the Philippine Govt an additional 24 hr starting from 11 pm
Iraqi time on Sat to show it is serious about withdrawing its troops."
For Sec Delia Domingo Albert said Manila had already planned to pull
out its 51-strong force on Aug 20, when its one-year mandate expires.
The statement was an apparent shift from Manila's previous stance that
it would reconsider its deployment then, but other govt officials said
there had been no change and were adamant the Govt would not give in
to militants' demands.
On Wed, Al Jazeera broadcast a video of Mr De la Cruz kneeling in
front of 3 gunmen and said the militants had threatened to behead him
if Manila did not pull out its group of military personnel within 72 hr.
There has been no word on the fate of Bulgarian drivers Ivailo Kepov
and Georgi Lazov, whose Iraqi captors have vowed to kill them unless
US-led forces released Iraqi prisoners.

Iraqi judge hands out 1st death sentences
Karbala (AFP).  An Iraqi judge has condemned to death 3 men in the
Shiite holy city of Karbala, even before a ban on capital punishment
has been officially lifted.
Judge Saleh Shaibani said the sentences were the 1st to be handed down
by an Iraqi court since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime 15 ma,
after which the US-led occupation Admin suspended the death penalty.
The caretaker Govt of PM Iyad Allawi has said the ban will soon be
reversed.
The judge, praising his own decision, said the extreme nature of the
crimes for which the 3 men were convicted led him to pronounce the
death sentences.
"It is a brave judgement given the situation in the country and the
spread of armed gangs," he said, adding that the people of Karbala,
110 km S of Baghdad, had applauded the move.
The 1st case involved a 25-yo man who confessed to killing his father,
mother-in-law and 4 brothers with a shovel and pickaxe after a dispute
over money, according to police chief Gen Abbas al-Hosni.
He said some of the victims were finished off by strangling and that a
nephew was found guilty of complicity in the case.
In another conviction, a 45-yo-man was found guilty of incest and
murder, according to Mr Hosni. He had had sex with his 16-yo daughter
and killed her after she became pregnant.
It was unclear when the sentences would be carried out.

Iraq to announce ambassador appointments
Baghdad (AFP).  Iraq will soon name ambassadors to 43 countries around
the world, including neighbours such as Iran and Syria as well as far
eastern and European states, For Min Hoshyar Zebari has said.
The interim Govt, which regained sovereignty less than 2 wk ago,
ultimately plans to re-open some 77 embassies globally and venture
into new countries in a bid to rebuild its tattered image, the
minister said.
"Our top priority is to re-establish Iraq's internat'l representation
and soon I am going to make an announcement to appoint 43 ambassadors
in order to enhance the new Iraqi Govt's standing and image of doing
business," Mr Zebari told AFP.
The move would be a "major step towards the rehabilitation of Iraq's
foreign policy," he said.
"We will start with this [the 43 countries] as the 1st step but our
intention is to establish our full representation in all our embassies
that have been closed and to open some more."
The nominations will be made in the coming days and it will then be up
to individual host countries to approve the appointments.
The 43 nominees include career diplomats at the foreign ministry as
well as political appointees connected to the new Iraqi Govt and
various political parties.
"We try to make it totally representative of the new Iraq," Mr Zebari
said, without revealing any names.
The minister said that about 20 Arab countries would be included on
the list of ambassadors as well as Islamic and neighbouring countries
such as Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Diplomatic ties with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have been cut off since
1991 after Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait, the foreign minister said
while noting, "both countries have sent encouraging messages that they
are interested to re-establish full diplomatic relations".
During his 10 m since taking office, Mr Zebari has already helped Iraq
rejoin internat'l organisations including the Arab League, the
Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the UN, and secure observer
status at the World Trade Organisation.
In addition to making a greater internat'l presence for itself, Iraq
is also busy welcoming new ambassadors to the country.
The foreign minister and Pres Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawar have accepted the
credentials of 7 ambassadors since the US-led occupation ended on Jun
28, including top diplomats from Aussie, Brit and the US, for the 1st
time in more than a decade.
"We have received credentials from 7 new ambassadors to Iraq and we
have a long list waiting," Mr Zebari said.

World court rules Israel's W Bank barrier illegal
The world court has delivered a sweeping indictment of Israel's
controversial barrier in the occupied W Bank, declaring it illegal and
calling for parts to be torn down.
The Hague (AFP).  In a ruling hailed by the Palestinians but rejected
out of hand by Israel, the Internat'l Court of Justice (ICJ) said if
the barrier became permanent it would be tantamount to a "de facto
annexation" of occupied land.
It called for the UN to act after determining that the wall, which in
some areas slices W Bank villages in half, breached internat'l law.
The court said construction should be halted immediately and sections
which encroach on Palestinian territory should be dismantled.
The barrier infringed the rights of Palestinian residents who had seen
their homes and farmland seized or destroyed, it added, and called on
Israel to pay compensation for the hardship caused.
The Palestinians wasted no time in demanding internat'l sanctions
against Israel, while veteran leader Yasser Arafat hailed the decision
as a "victory for the Palestinian people."
"We salute this decision condemning the racist wall," Arafat said.
But the Jewish state dismissed the court's "advisory opinion" even
before it was issued and vowed that construction of the 700 km network
of electric fencing, barbed wire and concrete walls would carry on unimpeded.
Israel insists the barrier is necessary to prevent Palestinian attacks
but the Palestinians denounce it as little more than a land grab aimed
at pre-empting a definitive demarcation of the border of a future state.
The Hague-based court, the highest UN legal body, said it recognised
Israel's right to defend itself but that its security concerns did not
justify the hardship caused by the wall.
But Israel said the ICJ was not competent to debate the issue and
accused it of ignoring "Palestinian terrorism," which it said was the
main factor behind the wall's construction.
"No country would have acted differently in the face of such a
criminal campaign," an Israeli govt statement said, adding that since
the Sep 2000 start of the Palestinian intifada nearly 1,000 Israelis
had been killed and tens of 1000s wounded.
Israel was backed by its top ally the US, which said it believed it
was "inappropriate" for the court to issue a ruling on a "political issue."
But EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said while the EU recognised
Israel's right to self-defence, the barrier hindered the search for
peace in the Middle East.
"At the same time, we have underlined that the wall not only results
in confiscation of Palestinian land and causes untold humanitarian and
economic hardship, but also could prejudge future negotiations and
hinder a just political solution to the conflict," he added.
The Palestinians sought internat'l punishment for Israel.
"This decision will lead to the isolation of Israel, and the
internat'l community should impose sanctions against Israel, for it is
violating the law and internat'l relations," said top Arafat advisor
Nabil Abu Rudeina.
Amid huge controversy, and against a backdrop of continued violence,
the ICJ was asked by the UN General Assembly last y to assess "the
legal consequences" of the barrier.
Leaked copies of the judgement had circulated on the Internet long
before the court issued its ruling, which was adopted by 14 votes to
one. The sole dissenter was an American judge who said the court
lacked "credibility" because it had failed to give serious
consideration to Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
"The construction of such a wall accordingly constitutes breaches by
Israel of various of its obligations under the applicable internat'l
humanitarian law and human rights instruments," the ruling said.
"The court considers that the construction of the wall and its
associated regime create a 'fait accompli' on the ground that could
well become permanent, in which case... it would be tantamount to de
facto annexation," it said.
"The UN and especially the General Assembly and the Sec Council should
consider what further action is required to bring to an end the illegal
situation resulting from the construction of the wall," the ICJ added.
It also said "all states are under an obligation not to recognise the
illegal situation resulting from the construction of the wall and not
to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation".
The advisory opinion was read in its entirety by the head of the
15-judge panel, China's Shi Jiuyong, over almost 2 and a half hours.
Last m Israel's supreme court ruled that parts of the barrier should
be rerouted N of Jerusalem because it infringed the rights of 35,000
Palestinians but it confirmed in effect the govt's right to build the
barrier on security grounds.

Israel asks US for support at UN over barrier
Jerusalem (Reuters).  Israel has asked Washington to intervene to
prevent any UN Security Council resolution after the UN's highest
court ruled its West Bank barrier illegal, For Min Silvan Shalom said today.
"The issue will go to the Sec Council because the [Palestinians] have
an automatic majority in the UN General Assembly," Mr Shalom told
Israel Radio, adding that he had asked US officials to prevent any
resolution being adopted.
US officials also made clear after the Internat'l Court of Justice at
the Hague issued its non-binding advisory opinion on Fri that they
opposed the UN's involvement on the issue.
"We do not believe that that's the appropriate forum to resolve what
is a political issue," said Whitehouse rep Scott McClellan, adding it
should be resolved through an internat'ly-backed "road map" to peace.
Meanwhile, there have been claims a 16-yo Palestinian girl was killed
by Israeli army gunfire nr the Gaza-Egypt border.
However military sources said they knew of no such shooting incident
by Israeli troops.
The alleged victim, Haneen Abu Samhadana was in her flat when gunfire
penetrated through the window, hitting her in the chest, her sister said.
At the UN, Arab envoys said the Palestinians would ask the General
Assembly next wk to adopt a non-binding resolution affirming the
court's ruling.
Israel vowed to press on with the barrier it says has stopped
Palestinian suicide bombers from infiltrating its cities from the West
Bank and killing 100s of citizens.
Palestinians call the barrier, which has separated 1000s from their
fields, schools and hospitals, an "apartheid wall" that will deny them
a viable state.
The Palestinians later intend to take their case to the 15-nation
Security Council, where the US vetoed a resolution last Oct that
sought to bar the Jewish state from extending the West Bank barrier.
Nasser Al Kidwa, the UN Palestinian observer, declined to say whether
he would push for sanctions against Israel.
"It remains the obligation of the internat'l community to ensure that
compliance takes place, we will take it step by step," he said.
Shi Jiuyong of China, head of the World Court, said Israel had to
dismantle the barrier that will eventually stretch for some 600 km,
and pay compensation to those that had lost their homes and land.
"The wall ... cannot be justified by military exigencies or by the
requirements of nat'l security or public order," Mr Shi said in the ruling.
The court said the barrier, mostly razor-tipped fences but with
portions of cement walls, "severely impeded" Palestinian rights to self-rule.
About 1/3 of the barrier has been built but the planned route curves
at points deep into the W Bank around Jewish settlements constructed
on land Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle E war.
An American judge on the 15-member panel in The Hague opposed the
ruling, saying not enough account had been taken of Israel's security
concerns and that the court did not have "the requisite factual basis
for its sweeping findings".
Israeli PM Ariel Sharon made no comment.
His rep Raanan Gissin called the ruling unjust and said it "will find
its place in the garbage can of history".
Last week, in a precedent setting ruling, Israel's High Court ordered
parts of the barrier be rerouted to avoid cutting off Palestinian
villagers from farms, jobs and public services.
But the court ruled Israel had a right to build in the W Bank on
security grounds.
Mr Sharon ordered that segments of the barrier be rerouted in accord
with the court ruling.

Israel seeks US aid in barrier dispute
Jerusalem (NT Times).  Israel is looking to the US to block any UN Sec
Council resolutions that would condemn Israel's barrier in the W Bank,
the foreign minister said in remarks broadcast Sat.  The comments by
For Min Silvan Shalom came a day after the UN' Internat'l Court of
Justice ruled that the parts of the barrier being built in the W Bank
should be torn down.  Advertisement Palestinian leaders said they
would take the matter to the General Assembly, and possibly the Sec
Council. The Bush Admin has said the issue should be settled in
political negotiations.  But on Sat, the Palestinian PM, Ahmed Qurei,
said, "It is the responsibility of the UN to put a mechanism to commit
Israel to this decision."

Hezbollah leader spurns barrier ruling
Beirut (AP).  The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah said an internat'l
court ruling would do nothing to remove Israel's barrier through the W
Bank, and he predicted the US would block any UN Sec Council effort to
enforce the measure.
"Americans will be waiting there with a ready veto," Sheik Hassan
Nasrallah said at a Fri dinner for Hezbollah-supported winners of
municipal elections.
In a sharply worded but non-binding ruling on Fri, the court said
Israel should dismantle the barrier, compensate Palestinians who
suffered economic losses because of it and return property confiscated
for its construction.
Lebanese Pres Emile Lahoud praised the ruling on Sat and called on the
UN to "take its historic responsibility by rejecting the illegitimacy
of the barrier and working to achieve peace and stability in the region."
The court also called for a negotiated peace settlement that would see
the establishment of a Palestinian state "as soon as possible."
Israel has insisted it won't change its policy.
"What will remove the barrier in occupied Palestine is the intention,
will, jihad and resistance of Palestinians and the [Arab] nation,"
Nasrallah said.
He pointed to UN Sec Council Resolution 425, issued in 1978, that
called for Israel's immediate withdrawal from Lebanon after it invaded.
Israel did not pull out until 2000, following y of guerrilla attacks
spear-headed by Hezbollah.
"This internat'l resolution was not able to return for us one inch of
our occupied lands," Nasrallah said. "Arabs might be happy for hours
or days because of the internat'l court's ruling, but everybody knows
that this ruling is non-binding."
But 2 radical Palestinian groups hailed the ruling as a victory for
their people.
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine described it as "a
historical decision and a big legal internat'l triumph for the steadfastness
of the Palestinian people and their struggle against the barrier."
Ziyad Nakhaleh, a member of the militant Islamic Jihad's politburo,
said the decision came at the right time "to demonstrate the injustice
inflicted upon the Palestinian people and the hostility of the Zionist entity."
In Kuwait, political analyst Ayed al-Manna said that the UN General
Assembly must now take action.
"If the assembly adopts it, it will no doubt be a moral gain, it will
annoy Israelis and it could be used to press for a peaceful solution,"
he said. "Israel will not comply, and that is why [internat'l]
pressure is important."
The court's ruling by 15 internat'l judges cannot be imposed on
Israel, but the Palestinians and the Arab League said they would seek
action at the UN' General Assembly to force Israel to comply. General
Assembly decisions, unlike the Security Council's, are not legally binding.
The court on Fri described the W Bank and E Jerusalem as occupied
territories, and Israeli settlements in these areas as a violation of the
Geneva conventions. The land was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle E war.

Saudi press hails court ruling on Israeli barrier but remains skeptical
Riyadh (AFP).  Saudi newspapers trumpeted the world court's ruling
that Israel's W Bank separation barrier was illegal, but were
skeptical whether Israel would heed the ruling.
"World Court Rules Wall Illegal," wrote Arab News in a banner headline
on Sat.
In an editorial, the English-language daily played down expectations
of Fri's non-binding judgement from the Internat'l Court of Justice
(ICJ) in the The Hague.
"History shows that Israel will now sit tight and hope that the US will once
again come to its aid by blocking any further action," the paper said.
However, with the US now in need of UN support to "disengage itself
from the troubles it has unleashed in Iraq," the Admin of Pres George
W Bush might find it more difficult this time round to condone
Israel's rejection of the ruling, the paper argued.
"In the normal course of affairs the US would squash any anti-Israeli
initiative with its Sec Council veto, but this is not a good moment for the
Bush Whitehouse to start laying down the law at the UN," Arab News said.
"Washington has an opportunity to make its critics in the region sit
up and think ... If it accepts the ruling and backs the UN General
Assembly unequivocally when, as seems almost certain, it calls on
Israel to comply with the judgement, the Sharon govt will be unable to
shrug off the decision."
The Al-Riyadh newspaper hailed an "historic" day for the whole Arab
people. "Arabs come out victorious in The Hague," it headlined.
"[It is] a day considered historic by the Palestinians and Arabs for
upholding the Palestinians' usurped rights."
But the Al-Yaum daily expressed doubt that the ruling would change the
status quo.
"Is there anything new?" its editorial asked.
"Sad reality tells us clearly: No. Because there is one statelet in
this world that is above the law. It does not even recognise this law
and is proud of challenging it.
"The shameful reality also tells us that the whole world cannot force
this statelet to respect [internat'l] law," the paper concluded.
Israel has already said it will ignore the non-binding opinion by the
world court, which ruled the 700-km barrier violates internat'l law and that
the parts that encroach on Palestinian territory should be dismantled.

Barrier ruling prompts Arab League meeting
Tehran (AFP).  The Arab League will hold a meeting to draw up a
diplomatic battle plan after the Internat'l Court of Justice (ICJ)
ruling against the West Bank separation barrier being built by Israel,
league officials said.
The organisation's Sec-Gen Amr Mussa is to take part in the meeting,
along with the permanent representatives of the 22-member body, held
at the request of the Palestinians to draw up the Arab response.
In a non-binding ruling, the ICJ said the barrier was illegal and
should be dismantled, prompting the Palestinians to vow to fight
Israel on the issue all the way through the UN.
Israel insists the barrier is necessary to prevent Palestinian attacks
inside its territory, but the Palestinians denounce it as little more
than a land grab which jeopardises the viability of a future state of
their own.
In a judgement already criticised by Israel and the US, the world
court ruled that the 700 km barrier violates internat'l law and that
those parts that encroach on Palestinian territory should be dismantled.
Meanwhile, Iran hailed the landmark ruling against the controversial
barrier and called for action to ensure the ruling was heeded.
"This decision signifies the internat'l community's opp'n to the
expansionistic and racist policies of the Zionist regime," foreign
ministry rep Hamid Reza Asefi said.
It "has to be used as an effective internat'l device to prevent recurring
violations of Palestinians' rights," he told the state IRNA news agency.
Mr Asefi condemned Israel's vow to ignore the ICJ ruling.
"Relying on America's full support, the Zionist regime is mocking the
internat'l community," he said.

Palestinians plan UN resolution on barrier
Sheikh Sa'ed (Independent).  The Palestinian leadership is rushing
forward plans to draw up a UN General Assembly resolution pressing
Israel to implement the World Court ruling that its partly built
450-mile separation barrier is illegal.
Nasser al-Kidwa, the Palestinian observer at the UN, will consult with
Arab states in NY tomorrow on a resolution strongly endorsing the
judgement that Israel should tear down the barrier and compensate
Palestinians for the hardship inflicted by its construction.
Palestinian officials said yesterday that they want the UN process to
sustain the momentum of a ruling that they say was much more
unequivocal than expected in reaffirming the illegality under
internat'l law, not only of the main sections of the barrier on the
Palestinian side of the 1949-67 "green line", but also of Jewish
settlements in the occupied territories.
The Palestinian leadership remains undecided, however, about when or
whether to refer the issue to the UN Sec Council. The General Assembly
has a virtually built-in majority in favour of the Palestinians but
does not share the Sec Council's powers to impose sanctions.
The distinctly sober view of the Palestinian public about the extent
to which the judgement can translate into more than a moral victory was
evident yesterday on the main street of this tiny hilltop neighbourhood.
"Finally, The Hague delivered a good judgement," said Mohammed Iwaisat,
who, like most of his neighbours, avidly watched the proceedings on
al-Jazeera. "The problem is implementing it."
The barrier at Sheikh Sa'ed will completely separate its 2,000
inhabitants from the village of Jabel Mukaber, of which it has been an
integral part since the earliest days of the Brit mandate, and in
which only 4 extended families live, each spanning both Sheikh Sa'ed
and Jabel's other 6 neighbourhoods.
In the wk after the 6-day war in 1967, the Israeli authorities
causally drew the boundary of newly conquered E Jerusalem through the
middle of the village, arbitrarily locating Sheikh Sa'ed in the W Bank.
But that didn't matter until the planning of the barrier. For, although
some 500 of its residents have W Bank papers, Sheikh Sa'ed was de
facto in Jerusalem, with Israeli permits to go into the city, and a
long-guaranteed right to Jerusalem services and utilities. This was
just as well, since all there is on its far side is the steep -- and
roadless -- chasm of the Kidron valley. Cut off by on one side by
topography from the West Bank, Sheikh Sa'ed residents will now be cut
off on the other from the village's only clinic and secondary school,
plus jobs and hospitals in Jerusalem itself.
With the support of some Jewish peace activists, Sheikh Sa'ed has now
engaged Ghiath Nasser, a bright 28-yo Arab lawyer, to petition the
Israeli courts to keep the village within the rest of Jabel Mukaber.
Mr Nasser has secured affidavits from Israeli ex-military experts
saying that if the barrier was placed outside Sheikh Sa'ed it would
actually be more secure.

Palestinian militants killed in car blast
4 Palestinians were killed when a car exploded in central Gaza.
Gaza (AFP).  4 Palestinians have been killed as a car exploded nr the
Jewish settlement of Netzarim in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian
sources said.
The Palestinian security sources initially said the militants' car
took a direct hit from an Israeli tank, but local residents said it
was a rocket fired by an Israeli helicopter.
An Israeli military rep denied any Israeli fire in the sector at the
time of the incident, saying the blast was probably caused by one of
the militants accidentally detonating an explosive device they were
transporting.
However, a rep for the Popular Resistance Committees said the car was
booby-trapped and the bomb detonated by remote control from an Israeli
helicopter overhead.
Security sources named 3 armed men killed when their car blew up as
Hassan Abu Dalal, Mohammed Abu Zur and Mahmud Abu Namus, all aged around 20.
The 3 belonged to the Nasser Salah el-Din Brigades, an armed wing of
the Popular Resistance Committees, which is made up mostly of members
of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's mainstream Fatah faction.
An activist with the Hamas movement, Mahmud Nasser, was also killed,
the security sources said. He was passing on a motorbike when the
blast hit.
Medics said another 3 people were wounded, one of them seriously.
There was confusion over the blast's cause.

Cool Tassie stays straight to win camel cup
Competitors race around the bend in the hotly contested Camel Cup
Ther Alis.  A SA camel has won this year's Camel Cup in Alice Springs.
Cool Tassie is a newcomer to the racing game.  Trained by Tassie Shorty
Smith, Cool Tassie had only ridden about 5 other races.  The bull came
3rd in his qualifying race after zigzagging across the track but rider
John Sawes kept him straight in the main event to take out the MEL Cup
of camel racing.  Shorty Smith is intending to enter Cool Tassie in
the Northern Territory Chief Min's Cup and the inaugural Afghanistan
Cup being run later this afternoon.  Cool Tassie had the quickest time
on the 400 m track today with 33.5 seconds.  It was the 1st win in ten
y for local rider John Swords.  "We just took it from the front and
ran all the way, he never missed a beat, it was great," he said.  The
slowest was by a stubborn camel that took over 2 minutes.  Organisers
say they had a record crowd of some 6,000 at Blatherskite Park.

QLD citrus growers can start picking again
Some farms will begin picking fruit again.
Brisbane.  The Qld Govt says citrus growers around the farm affected
by a bacterial disease can start picking their fruit for export on
Mon.  All central Qld citrus farms were under quarantine restrictions
when citrus canker was found on an Emerald property last wk.  The Dept
of Primary Industries will start burning the trees on the affected
property on Mon.  DPI rep Chris Adriaansen says nearby properties can
start preparing for overseas shipments next wk.  "The picking process
will be commencing shortly on those other properties, it takes a few
days for that fruit to then be ripened and it will then be packed and
transported," he said.  "Obviously protocol will see that produce
moved from Emerald farms [is] under secure transport arrangements."

ACCC to examine Woolworths liquor bid
Canberra, The Aussie Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
chairman, Graeme Samuel, says it is too early to tell whether
Woolworths will be successful in its takeover bid of a major pub
group.  In a joint venture with the Bruce Mathieson Group, Woolworths
has launched a bid to buy the Aussie Leisure and Hospitality Group.
Mr Samuel told Channel 9 there may be some problems with the offer.
"Given that Woolies has extensive interest now in groceries, in petrol
and will as a result of this potentially have extensive interest in
liquor, we will need to look at some of those leveraging issues and
the impact on suppliers, but we will look at that over the next short
while," he said.  "There are some issues we will need to be examining,
particularly in the context of the smaller, regional-type markets that
we examine when we look at groceries, supermarkets and liquor outlets.
"You know with the regions of perhaps 4, 5, 6 km-type radiuses, so
we will need to look at it in that context."  The Aussie Winemakers'
Federation has expressed concern about the proposed takeover, saying
it would give the supermarket giant too much buying power and hurt
smaller producers.

Beaches closed after surfer killed in shark attack
Perth.  Police have closed several beaches at Gracetown, S of Perth,
following a fatal shark attack.
The victim was holidaying in the area from Perth.
Witnesses have told police the 29-yo man was surfing at the popular
break Left Handers when he was attacked.
St John Ambulance rep, John Thomas believes he was attacked by more
than one shark.
"We believe 2 sharks, between 3 to 5 m, and [the man] received quite
extensive injuries to the torso and by the time he was brought to
shore he was deceased," he said.
Police are interviewing 4 witness and have closed the beach until
further notice.
Witnesses have told police they saw 2 sharks, about 4 m long.
Inspector Don Grey says surfers helped the victim ashore, but he died
on the beach.
"It's very distressing for the people who were there, that helped this
person ashore, we're currently talking to these people now, we're
arranging counselling for them as well," he said.
Tony Cappelluti from the Fisheries Dept says a fisheries patrol vessel
is on its way to the area to search for the shark.
"If we see a shark that is the one that we may believe is responsible
then we'll be in a position, to make that decision tomorrow to try and
take it and if we have to, to destroy it," he said.

Perth authorities hunt deadly shark
Perth.  A fisheries patrol vessel will search today for a shark
responsible for a fatal attack on a surfer at Gracetown, S of Perth.
The 29-yo victim was attacked while surfing at the popular break Left
Handers.
Police say at least 4 people in the water, including one of the
victim's friends, witnessed the attack and dragged the man to shore
but he died on the beach.
Inspector Don Grey says the beaches in the area will remain closed
during the search.
"At this stage [the beach will be closed] definitely for 24-hours
until Fisheries are satisfied that the shark is not in the area or
they have located the shark and decided what to do with it," he said.
Fisheries Dept rep Tony Cappelluti has defended the decision to hunt
the shark.
"We still have responsibility for public safety, I suppose and if it
was a crocodile in the NW it's the same story," he said.
"If they're going to become a danger to the public or if we believe they
already have been responsible for a fatal or a serious injury attack
then I think the community would expect us to try and alleviate that risk."
Fisheries officers believe the shark was a 5 m great white shark and expert
and diver Hugh Edwards says the attack was typical of great white behaviour.
However he says the shark has probably moved from the area.
"Great whites move up to 200 to 400 km a day, so the chances are that
that shark will be around Albany or back up towards Perth by tomorrow
or the day after," he said.

Shark attack beach remains open: residents
Gracetown, WA.  Local residents are questioning why the beach where a
man was killed by a shark yesterday has not been closed despite
authorities claiming it would be.  The 29-yo Rockingham man was mauled
by a 5 m shark yesterday while surfing with friends at a popular spot
called Left Handers.  A witness surfing nr the man says the attack was
savage and lasted 3 minutes.  He says the shark's jaws were as wide as
the length of a man's arm.  Signs saying "beached closed shark hazard"
have been posted about 3 km down the coast at Cowaramup Bay.  There
are no warning signs at Left Handers beach and some locals turned up
to the popular spot at dawn to tell any keen surfers to keep out of
the water.

5-car accident kills 3
Coffs Harbour, NSW.  4 people have died in road accidents in NSW this
weekend.  One of the accidents, on the State's N coast involving 5
cars, has claimed the lives of 3 people.  Police say a 39 yo woman,
her 16-yo niece and her 6-yo daughter were travelling along the
Pacific Highway south of Coffs Harbour about 10.30 am when their car
crossed onto the other side of the road and collided with an oncoming
car.  The woman and the 16 yo girl died in the crash.  The 6-yo girl
suffered critical injuries and died a short time later.  3 other
people involved in the crash escaped with minor injuries.  Earlier
this morning a man was critically injured when his car crashed into a
power pole at Luddenham in SYD's SW.  The man was taken to hospital
but died just before 10.00 am.

Vic MP involved in car smash
A snr Vic Liberal MP has been involved in a car smash at Port MEL.
Melbourne.  Opp'n Rep for Arts, Consumer Affairs and Youth, Andrew
Olexander, has been admitted to hospital after the car he was driving
crashed into 3 parked cars in Beach Street at about 5.00 am.
Police say the driver was taken to the St Kilda Road police station
where he complained of chest pains.  They say he was then taken to the
Alfred Hospital.  The damage bill is at least $100,000. Local resident
Ned Radojcic saw what happened.  "I saw a Mitsubishi driver losing
direction, hitting into the Alpha car parked in front of our building
that hard it was completely written off," he said.  "[It] did a full
circle and hit into my Golf which I think has around $10,000 damage
which again hit this red car, basically 3 cars were hit."  The Alfred
Hospital says Mr Olexander is in a stable condition.  Opp'n Leader
Robert Doyle has been briefed about the incident.

Abused Irish offered compensation
Dublin (AAP).  Irish-born Aussies who suffered abuse while living in
orphanages and industrial schools in Ireland as children are able to
claim compensation from the Irish govt.
The Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB) has been established
by the Irish govt to assist people who were abused in institutions and
says 100 applications have been made to date by survivors living in AUS.
The cut-off date for applications is Dec 2005.
Its estimated there are 1000s of people living in AUS who may be
eligible for the compensation, which could be worth up to $365,498.
Abuse survivor Teddy Gill said many people were unaware of the fact
they could apply for compensation.
"There needs to be a much greater level of awareness and we are attempting
to connect with survivors and make them aware of their right to
counselling, education, compensation and assistance," Mr Gill said.

Tas nominates Macquarie Is for wetland listing
Hobart.  Macquarie Island has been nominated for recognition as one of
the world's most important wetlands.  The tiny island lies in the S
Ocean, about 1,500 km south of Hobart.  It is considered to have one
of the major concentrations of sea birds in the world, home to 3.5 mn
breeding birds.  The Tassie Govt has nominated Macquarie Island for
listing under the Ramsar Convention, an internat'l treaty for the
preservation of important wetlands.  Already Tas has 10 areas listed
as wetlands of internat'l importance.

Costello challenges Crean to policy showdown
Future PM Costello sets his sights on Crean.
Canberra.  Fed Treasurer Peter Costello has challenged his Labor
counterpart Simon Crean to a nat'ly televised debate in the lead up to
the election.  The Govt appears to view the former Opp'n leader as a
liability for Labor.  That belief is backed by Liberal Party polling
leaked to a newspaper today showing only 13% of voters regard Mr Crean
as "favourable", and 45% regard him as "unfavourable".  Mr Crean has
the responsibility for shaping Labor's yet-to-be-released tax policy
and Mr Costello has used the ABC's Insiders program to challenge the
Opp'n's Treasury rep to release it before a debate.  "We could do it
now except he doesn't have any policies," Mr Costello said.  "What I
do is challenge him 1st to put out policies and then let's have a
debate so we can debate policy."

Garrett tipped to take environment portfolio
Sydney.  A former Labor Party power-broker says he expects the party's
star recruit, Peter Garrett, to be the next minister for the
environment in a Labor Govt.
Labor's current environment rep Kelvin Thompson has previously
indicated he will not be giving up the portfolio for the former
Midnight Oil lead singer, who is attempting to win the SYD seat of
Kingsford-Smith.
Mr Garrett has refused to say what, if any, front-bench position he
would want in a Labor govt.
Former fed politician Graham Richardson has told Channel 9 the former
singer will help Labor win the election, but he has questioned the way
strategists handled the issue of Mr Garrett not being on the electoral roll.
"If they got out of bed at 7.30, they had 3-and-a-half hours before he
appeared at Maroubra to have an answer on the voting," he said.
"They had no answer, he had 3 different answers in the course of the
1st day.
"Why make an icon look shifty? Gods, deities aren't shifty, deities
tell only the truth and they didn't do that."

Latham rumours unlikely to influence voters: poll
Sydney.  A new opinion poll has found only 7% of voters say gossip
about Opp'n leader Mark Latham's past makes them less likely to vote
for Labor at the election.  Most say the recent controversy
surrounding Mr Latham will make no difference to their vote.  The
McNair Ingenuity poll of voters in NSW 5 most marginal seats shows 8%
of voters are more likely to vote Labor because of the allegations.
Former ALP president Stephen Loosley has told Channel 10 Mr Latham has
emerged from the claims politically unscathed.  "[It] demonstrates the
way he handled them was the proper way to deal with that kind of
nastiness," Mr Loosley said.  Treasurer Peter Costello has told ABC
many of the rumours only became public when Mr Latham denied them.
"Let's hope it brings an end to what has been a pretty bad period in
the Parliament of muckraking, essentially started and led by Mr Latham
himself," he said.  Mr Costello says some rumours aired this wk that
should not have been made public.

Police investigate 'drug squad' robbery
Adelaide.  SA police are investigating an unusual robbery where 2 men
dressed in suits produced what appeared to be police identification
and handcuffed a man in his house.  The incident happened yesterday
afternoon at Gould Creek, in Adel's NE.  Police say the 2 robbers
gained entry by claiming to be members of the drugs squad.  They put a
jumper over the victim's head while they robbed the house, stealing a shotgun.

Musicians promised a cut of digital pie
File sharing ... piracy or promotion?
Brisbane (ABC, Matthew Liddy).  The profits from file-sharing programs
which allow users to swap music files will be shared with artists once
litigation settles down, according to an executive involved in digital
download services.
Kevin Bermeister is the chief executive of AltNet, which distributes
content via peer-to-peer (P2P) applications such as Kazaa.
Mr Bermeister has told a Bris conference that file-sharing companies
are exploring ways to return money to the artists whose songs drive
the P2P market.
"As the progression of the litigation [against P2P companies] moves on
... there will in fact be a return of profits to artists," Mr
Bermeister told a session on digital rights at Q Music's Big Sound conference.
"I know of certain actions that are already providing a return of
profits to artists. There are funds established, there are
distribution methods being explored for moving profits back to artists.
"In addition to that, there's obviously the potential for digital
rights-managed content to be injected into search strings of users to
choose those particular files, through which a direct relationship is
established between the label, the artist and the fan.
"I'm witness to actions that will end up seeing distribution back to
artists," he added.
The conference session was appropriately titled "Digital Rights Ho'
Down", given Mr Bermeister -- whose home was raided in connection with
the music industry's ongoing lawsuit against Kazaa -- was sitting on
the panel next to the man chiefly responsible for the anti-piracy fight
in AUS, Michael Speck from the Aussie Record Industry Association (ARIA).
The pair traded the odd barb but in the end were in agreement on at
least one thing: that down-loadable music is here to stay.
* 'Another place to get music to punters'
"The Internet is the next market segment," Mr Speck said. "It's clear
that's the case."
But the anti-piracy chief was at pains to point out that the Internet
does not revolutionise the way the music industry works.
"It's a place where none of the laws of nature or business are turned
upside down," he said. "It must be a place where you can protect your
property, where if it belongs to you, you make the choice about how
it's delivered.
"The Internet is just another place to get music to punters," Mr Speck added.
He believes the music industry will emerge triumphant from its fight
against the file-sharers.
"You can be sure that eventually the Internet market will be a place
where businesses that are clearly and unequivocally operating legally
will be the primary sources of product," he said.
"The future is one where the copyright owner has rights that they can
protect and enforce in that marketplace, and we're clearly headed in
that direction."
But Mr Bermeister says the major players in the record industry have
failed to embrace the demands of the new market.
"AltNet has embraced file-sharing partners, provided technologies to
those file-sharing partners, provided technologies to artists and
labels and independent operations," he said.
"We've tried very hard to create relationships with the majors ...
only to be attacked and targeted by litigation and attempts to control
the activities of the file-sharing parties.
"I think that is a sad set of circumstances because in this environment,
the market has already spoken. The users have already shaped what it
is that they want and we need to listen and embrace and modify and
change and build on those strengths."
* Who pays?
The panel identified Internet service providers (ISPs) and hardware
manufacturers as potential sources of revenue for artists since they
benefit from users' demands for down-loadable music.
Mr Speck says ARIA is "in dialogue with Internet service providers on
a continual basis".
He told the audience of musicians and record company staff that "it
should make all of you angry that this $multi-bn industry derives, in
AUS at least, up to 20% of its revenue" from file-sharing without any
of that money going back into the music industry.
"The ISPs are in the background all the time," said Steve Johnston,
who's in charge of digital rights management for the UK's Association
of Independent Music.
"Their entire businesses are being driven by that traffic. People are
getting broadband connections to get hold of all that free music and
not any of that money has gone back to rights holders and creators."
But Mr Bermeister added: "I don't think you can really target the ISPs
specifically here. The Internet is a new market and a new medium.
"There are CD-ROM manufacturers, there are computer manufacturers,
there are MP3 players like iPod for example who all derive a benefit,
including the ISPs, from the activities of access to content on demand.
"I think that to try to channel anger at any one particular group who
derive a benefit is pointless.
"There really has to be a recognition that it is the art that is driving
demand. Through that, there can be a progression towards a model that
benefits artists to a much greater degree than artists currently
benefit through the deals that are offered by the major music labels."
Mr Bermeister concludes that the "net result in the economics of the
future market will be more direct revenue to the artist and a more
evenly spread marketplace".

{{
Midnight.
In nat'l newspapers the Chinese PM has admitted the country is under
threat by AIDS.  The disease is in the process of spreading to the
general pop'n, he said.  The announcement has come 1 day ahead of a
Bangkok AIDS conf.  UNAIDS observers say they've seen a sea change in
the way top leaders in China are responding to the pandemic.  Prov'l
governors have been accountable for combating AIDS.  But they predict
10 mn Chinese could be infected by 2010.

Al-Jazeera has screened a new video of a kidnapped Phil truck driver
appealing to his govt to pull out their peacekeepers.  The stn says the
video is the final appeal before a threat to kill the 42 yo man is
carried out.  The Phil govt says its 51 troops will return next m, but
they won't pull them out early.  They are on a "humanitarian mission",
say Phil govt officials, that has been long scheduled to end on 20
Aug.  The Phil govt has added the contingent will be withdrawn unless
invited to remain by the interim Iraqi govt.

Arab govts have called on the UN GA to consider the ICJ ruling on the
Israeli barrier wall.  The GA is expected to meet next wk to debate a
measure calling on Israel to observe the judgement.

The internat'l body set up to police the world diamond trade has
suspended Congo Brazzaville.  The move follows an investigation last m
that found Congo was dealing in $mns of smuggled from other African
nations and under-stating revenues from sales.

In Georgia, 4 soldiers have been wounded in S Osettia.  The clash
follows the release of 30 Georgia peacekeepers captured by rebels the
prev day.  Fresh fighting broke out Sat morning.  Separatist groups
attacked an ethnic Georgian village in the break-away prov.  4 people
were wounded, 2 seriously, during the shooting.  The S Osettia region
broke away from Georgia in the 1990s.  The local govt wants to join N
Osettia -- part of Russia.

Guatemala is offering bicycles and sewing machines to people turning
in illegal guns.  The novel program was launched by the Pres on Fri,
as part of the UN "gun destruction day".  1,600 people have been
killed by shooting since the start of the y.

1 am
Manila's plans to pull out its troops logically won't make any
difference to Iraq or the Coal'n of the Willing.  They're a drop in
the ocean to the 165,000 troops already in Iraq.  But it's the issue
of perception that counts, say analysts.  Phil has said it never
intended to replace the 51 soldiers.

The Phil hostage has been freed and taken to hotel in Baghdad, where
will be handed over to the interim govt.  In Manila, Pres Arroyo has
telephoned the man's family to give them the news.

The Aussie Govt has defended its decision to join the Coal'n of the
Willing despite the flawed reasoning behind the Iraq invasion.  Always
willing to throw more rationalisation after bad logic, FM Downer said
it was "clear" Saddam had chem and bio programs, and Iraq was a
breeding ground for terrorist groups.

In news coming in from Gaza City.  Witnesses say they've heard the
sound of explosions.  They say a car has exploded, wounding a number
of Pals.  It's not known what caused the blast.

The Pres of Sudan and Chad are holding talks on the Darfur crisis in
Nairobi.  Among other points, they're discussing a joint Sudan/Chad
force to improve security along the joint border of the 2 countries.

2 am
4 Pals have been killed nr a Jewish settlement in C Gaza.  A car
carrying 3 members of a militant group has blown up, along with an
accompanying motorcycle.  [This was later down-graded to "a motorcycle
nearby"].  Witnesses say the car was hit by Israeli tank fire, or a
missile from a chopper.  Israel denies the claims, saying the car
probably was carrying explosives.

11 am
2 new US polls show John Kerry would easily win an election if it were
held now.  The latest Newspoll shows Kerry would get 51% of the vote,
compared with 45% for Bush.  However, the poll also found if Bush
replaced Cheney with popular Sec of State Colin Powell Kerry+Edwards
would be defeated.

AUS's independent music sector may follow the lead of record labels in
the UK and Europe and use its collective muscle to challenge the major
brands in the digital marketplace.

4 pm
BBC reports that KFC, France, has gone halal on the QT.  There are no
signs up in stores, but a reporter was shown a certificate that said
chickens sold at all outlets were slaughtered according to Muslin
ritual.  There's a growing suspicion that most of France is eating
halal, without knowing it. This wouldn't matter, except for price
and animal welfare concerns.  Some halal slaughter-houses stun the
animals before bleeding them out -- others do not.  [For the remainder
of this piece, ABC News Radio played station ID info over the top, so
it was largely unintelligible].  There are other plans to market
halal. A franchise is setting up to sell halal burgers. McD's France
isn't halal. Yet.

5 pm
A bomb has exploded nr a bus stop in Tel Aviv.  At least 1 person has
been killed and another 20 injured nr stop 26 nr Central Stn.  It's
the first bomb attack in 3 m.  The bomb was apparently on a timer.
Israeli police say many more would have been killed if it had been a
suicide attack.  This attack underlines the need for the security
barrier, says the Israeli govt.

5 people have been killed and 10 injured in the old section of Harat,
Afghanistan.  The wealthy city is controlled by anti-Taliban
fighters.  The bomb was in a rubbish bin.  The dead incl 2 children.
There's been a growing wave of violence ahead of the presid'l elections
scheduled now for Oct.

5.30 pm
1 person has been killed as 21 injured in the Tel Aviv bomb attack.
Al-Aqsa has claimed responsibility.  It's the first attack in 4 m.
The blast was so powerful windows of a nearby bus were blown out.  The
attack comes 2 days after the barrier decision in the ICJ.  Al-Aqsa
says it's in revenge for Pal deaths during army incursions during the wk.

CBR. The ALP has accepted a challenge to debate tax policies.  Labor
says it's accepted practice to have debates.  Liberal Party polling
reportedly marks ALP Treas Simon Crean as a liability for Labor.  He's
been "called out" by the almost universally disliked Treas and future
wanna-be PM Peter Costello.  ALP leader Mark Latham insists Costello
is the real "weak link".  He [Crean] towelled him [Costello] up last
time, Mr Latham told reporters, so it's time it happened again.

On the eve of the UNAIDS conf in Bangkok FM Downer has announced
Australia's commitment to fight the disease will be increased from
$250 mn to $600 mn.  The money will support the fight against AIDS in
the Asia/Pacific region.

6 pm
Walt Disney's "Tomorrowland" has been re-released on DVD.  To most
people in the 1950s, it was SF.  But Walt always said it would be
reality sooner than many thought.  The series was so technically
competent, "Ike" asked for a copy to be show to govt and military
planners.  In 1955. viewers got to see the Von Braun's moon-ship blast
away from a wheel-shaped space stn on the first journey to the moon.
In 1969 Von Braun rang one creator of the moon piece and told him,
"Ward, it looks like they're following our script".
[I remember with great affecting seeing this series in the mid-50s,
when TV first hit Adelaide. I remember the big, conical, silver rocket,
the "asteroid storm", and the belly-mounted maintenance spacecraft
with the arms -- that seemed to later seemed to re-appear as "pods" in 2001].

Following a petition from 1/2 of VOA's employees, lawmakers on The
Hill are calling for a fresh look into all govt broadcasting
services. Insiders say they were worried when Bush spoke to VOA
employees after 9/11, telling them that in the war on terror that
could not be neutral.  Many understood VOA would begin broadcasting
pro-govt propaganda.  Part of the VOA charter says the broadcaster
must promote discussion and a diversity of views.  The news may be
good, or it may be bad, said a former VOA dir, but the VOA -- once
called "the beacon of liberty" -- was chartered to broadcast the truth.

6.30 pm
Israeli PM Ariel Sharon has "reacted immediately", saying a bombing in
rush hr Tel Aviv was carried out "under the patronage of the World
Court".  Al Aqsa said it was in revenge for incursions and killings
in the W Bank over the past wk.
In Rafah, they were burying a 16 yo girl. Witnesses say she was
sitting at home when Israeli bullets hit her in the chest. The Israeli
military says it knows of no such incident.
On the W Bank, protesters called for the barrier to be demolished.
The Sharon govt has called the ICJ decision "a mistake" and offer only
to change the route.  Human rights groups say -- like the Berlin Wall
-- the wall will eventually rot and be brought down.

A day after barring aid workers going to Iraq, Phil Pres Arroyo has
issued a statement that all the kidnapper's demands are being met. The
insurgents in Iraq have demanded proof the Phil is withdrawing its
small contingent of troops.

W of Kirkuk, electricity supplies have been interrupted after
insurgents bombed the oil pipeline. Again.

Critics say the CIA relied too heavily on hi-tech remote surveillance,
and didn't have enough agents in the field.

China.  Landslides sparked by heavy rain have killed 288 people so
far.  Floods have destroyed 100s of homes in C and S China.  More rain
is expected over the wk.

2 mn people have been marooned on islands in flooded R's in Bangladesh,
after 1 m of incessant rain.  Rain fed flooding is expected to spread
across C Bangladesh, incl Dhaka, in the next couple days.

11 pm
Harat.  The bombing nr a local police stn has killed 5 people.  It's
reported crowds had gathered to attend a ceremony marking weapons
hand-over by local guerrillas.  Officials say the ceremony was not the
target of the attack.

Microsoft has cut employee benefits, despite sitting on $56 bn in
cash.  A memo has been sent to staff detailing the cuts.

More than 1000 allied soldiers have now been killed in Iraq since Mar
last y.  The latest fatalities were 3 soldiers who were killed when
their vehicle hit a bomb in Mosul.  The dead were 2 Iraqis, and 1
American.  1 other US soldier was injured in the attack.  Earlier, 4
US soldiers were killed in a MV accident in W Iraq.
}}

----------------------------------------
Mon, 12 Jul 2004.

	HEADLINES:
Floods kill at least 51 in India, mn homeless
Family wants killer shark spared
4 killed in NSW 'murder-suicide'
2 US soldiers killed, 3 wounded in Iraq blast
Kerry charges that Bush abused power over Iraq
Japan's opp'n pushes for Iraq troop withdrawal
Iraq, Syria agree to special security force to prevent border infiltration
Iraq to be free of WMD: security adviser
Decreed out of existence, Iraq's old army may come back
Bush defends decision to invade Iraq
Blair faces judgement on Iraq intel
Administration ignored Iraq/Al-Qaeda intelligence
4 rescued off cliff face
AIDS may hit economic development
AMA urges Tas to stop importing doctors
AUS Post admits mistake with maternity rule
Air Canada awaits verdict on forced move after Paris airport
Annan pleads for action on AIDS
Authorities begin destroying infected citrus orchards
Beattie accused of panic over power report
Beazley to take defence portfolio
Blix made last-minute WMD plea to Blair
Butler acts to prevent PM 'spinning' his report
Citrus growers wait on canker impact
Crean accepts Costello debate challenge
Eadie in new drug row
Exit poll finds Koizumi falling short of target
Former intel chiefs heap pressure on Blair
Greens deny selective logging 'risky'
Howard unveils emergency workers memorial
Intel report looms over Blair
Italy prevents docking of migrants' ship
Kerry-Edwards campaign in fight for namesake's domain
Kidnappers extend hostage execution deadline: diplomat
Liberal MP regrets drink-driving incident
Lightning strikes twice
Man flown to hospital after mine accident
Missing boy found after cold night
NSW Govt loses decade-long fight over Ballast Point
Navy's amphibious plan sparks debate
Police search for boy missing overnight
Rann expects back-down on nuclear dump
Sharon: barrier ruling encourages terror
Spy chiefs 'withdrew' Saddam arms claim
Talks begin on WA Cabinet reshuffle
Teen in court after fatal umbrella attack
Thousands gather to remember Srebrenica massacre
US ponders election delay
Union slams halving of maternity payment
Vic police may pack semi-automatics
What weapons dossier should have said, and what that would have meant for war
Woman's car dragged 200 m under tanker
Woolies' pub takeover bid 'inadequate'


Air Canada awaits verdict on forced move after Paris airport
Paris (AFP).  A lawsuit lodged by Air Canada after it was forced to
leave its regular terminal at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport in the
wake of a deadly collapse elsewhere at the facility in May is to be
decided by a French court Mon.
The court is to rule whether the Canadian airline should return or not
to terminal 2A of the airport, a source close to the matter said.
It was temporarily ordered out of the terminal to make room for Air
France, whose long-haul flights have been badly disrupted by the May
23 collapse of part of the roof of terminal 2E, an ultra-modern
facility completed less than a y ago.
Air Canada has said it viewed the move to the more distant terminal 1
as "unacceptable", especially as it was only to have lasted 3 days in
Jun but was now expected to continue at least until the end of Sep.
The director of the French operations of Air Canada, Thierry Baux, had
told journalists that the airline had invested 2 mn euros [$US2.2 mn]
in helping renovate terminal 2A.
The target of the lawsuit, the state-run airport management company
Aeroports de Paris, refused to comment on the case.

Lightning strikes twice
Beijing (Xinhua).  A total of 22 persons were killed and 56 injured in
149 lightning strikes by Jul 9 this y in SW China's Guizhou Province,
according to the provincial lightning prevention office.
Most deaths were farmers, office officials said. A recent tragedy on
Jul 4 hit a family in Puding County, Anshun City, killing the husband
and the daughter and hurting the wife in legs and the son in eyes.
They were eating the evening meal under a light which might have become
the conductor for lightning, according to Tang Baojun, office director.
In another similar case, a father and a son were killed when they
stayed under a light on a thunderstorm day, Tang said.
Tang said the province has a high frequency of lightning strikes.
That deaths were mainly farmers who lack both lightning prevention
knowledge and funds to install lightning-proof facilities. He
suggested govts of all levels invest more money to spread knowledge on
lightning to farmers and help them install necessary equipment.
In a remote rural village, nicknamed "the lightning village" in W of
central China's Hunan Province, 11 farmers were killed and 143 injured
in the past 25 y.
It is located in a lightning-prone area and its geographic location is
vulnerable to lightning strikes, according to Xu Yongsheng, snr
engineer of the provincial lightning prevention centre.
Since the low-voltage lines were set up in the village in 1979,
lightning strikes rose dramatically. Farmers lived in fear and had to
cut off electricity wires when lightning happened. Some even
considered abandoning electricity and removing the wires.
In addition to human deaths and injuries, 20 head of cattle were
killed and over 100 head of domestic animals were injured. Lightning
also damaged 150 TV sets and the village's transformer 11 times,
according to sources.
The provincial capital allocated 500,000 yuan [US$60,241] for the
village to install a lightning prevention project. The 1st phase of
the project has been completed with installation of a 220-meter-tall
lightning rod tower nr a local elementary school and other facilities.
Farmers said the strikes have been on decline over the past 3 y since
the project began.
The 2nd and 3rd phases of the project were yet to be started and
experts said hidden dangers remained.
China has been on alert for lightning strikes in this summer
thunderstorm season. An early report of a lightning strike that killed
more than a dozen of villagers in E China's Zhejiang Province has
prompted nationwide attention to lightning-related deaths and injuries.
Beijing on Sat was hit by a heavy rainstorm along with roaring
lightning strikes.

Floods kill at least 51 in India, mn homeless
Guwahati, India (Reuters/The Bangladesh Observer).  At least 40 people
packed into a wooden boat drowned in NE India after torrential annual
rains and swollen rivers set off floods that have left mn homeless,
officials said on Sun, says Reuters.
The villagers, including many women and children, were trying to
escape to higher ground in the state of Assam on Sat night when their
boat capsized. There were no survivors, a police official said All
rivers in tea and oil-rich Assam, including the main Brahmaputra, are
overflowing after incessant rains in the past wk.
"More than 2 mn people have become homeless because of floods," Assam
Chief Min Tarun Gogoi told Reuters.
Military helicopters and soldiers in motor boats were trying to rescue
1000s of people marooned across the state, he said.
Floods in Assam caused by heavy rains that lash the state for about 7
m from Apr to Oct bring death and destruction each y.
A breach in a dam in Tsatitsu lake in the neighbouring nation of
Bhutan had swollen the floods in Assam, a flood control official said.
Flood waters have inundated highways and railway tracks and washed
away several bridges in W Assam, said S R Islam, a snr flood control official.
Another AP report from Patna says: Intense monsoon rains and flooding
in eastern India caused several houses to collapse Sat, killing at
least 11 people, officials said.
7 people died in the Sitamarhi district, in the N part of Bihar state,
and 4 others were crushed under their collapsing homes in the
Bhagalpur district in eastern part of the state, said Upendra Sharma,
deputy secretary in the state's relief and rehabilitation dept.
After Sat's deaths, at least 144 people have died so far this year in
monsoon-related tragedies -- drowned, crushed under collapsing houses
or killed in landslides.
Tens of 1000s of others have been left homeless or stranded by the
rain-induced floods.
AP from New Delhi adds: In India, at least 144 people have died so far
in monsoon flooding since Jun. Most of the victims in Bihar, Kerala,
Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Tripura states were poor villagers, living in
weak mud houses, with little access to emergency rescues or urgent
medical care.
They died of waterborne disease or were electrocuted or crushed under
their collapsing homes or swept away by flood waters, officials said.
Meanwhile, authorities alerted the army and paramilitary forces to be
on standby in Assam after neighbouring on Bhutan warned Sat that flood
waters have breached a power project in the Bhutanese town of Kurichhu
on Tsatistu lake.
Fearing flooding, 1000s of people abandoned their homes in panic and
spent the night on a highway along with their cattle in Bongaigon
district, close to the Indian border, said G K Kalita, the local
administrator, on Sun.
"The threat persists as it sometimes takes up to 20 hr for waters from
Bhutan to flow into neighbouring Assam state," Kalita told The
Associated Press.
The flooded Brahmputra river flows 1,200 km across Assam, originating
in China's Tibet region.
On Sat, army soldiers in parts of India's eastern state of Bihar, and
military men and women on helicopters and rescue boats scooped away
people stranded by the floods.
7 people died in Sitamarhi district, in N Bihar, and 4 others were
crushed under their collapsing homes in the state's Bhagalpur
district, said Upendra Sharma, deputy secretary in the state's relief
and rehabilitation dept. Bihar is one of India's poorest states.
Monsoon rains cause havoc in several parts of India from Jun to Sep every y.

Thousands gather to remember Srebrenica massacre
Srebrenica.  1000s of Muslims from across Bosnia have gathered in
Srebrenica to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the worst massacre
in Europe since the World War II.  Up to 20,000 people are expected to
attend a memorial service in Srebrenica, the eastern town where more
than 7,000 Muslim men and boys were massacred by Serb forces in 1995.
The remains of 338 massacre victims are to buried in a funeral service
at the site of the slaughter just outside the town.  So far 989
bodies, identified by DNA analysis, have been buried at the cemetery
but there are still more than 5,000 body bags filled with human bones
awaiting identification.

Blix made last-minute WMD plea to Blair
[As right-wingers try to shift blame to the UN, or "everybody", the
top UN inspector again outlines the relevant history lesson].
London (Reuters/NZ News).  Former UN arms inspector Hans Blix pleaded
with PM Tony Blair for more time to find weapons of mass destruction
before the US-led invasion of Iraq, says the Financial Times.
"I told Mr Blair that while I could not completely exclude the
possibility of the existence of WMD, I was not impressed by the
evidence so far," Blix told Fri's paper in an interview.
"Blair told me that all the intel agencies around the world agreed
with the Brit and the US that there were. He was genuinely convinced."
Former top civil servant Lord Butler will deliver a report on Wed on
the intel the UK govt received about Saddam Hussein's weaponry, with
Brit espionage likely to face criticism as well as possibly the Blair Admin.
A notorious UK dossier from Sep 2002 said WMD could have been fired
within 45 minutes of an order to do so. Yet over a y after Saddam was
ousted, no such weapons have been found.
"We got an insight into how poor the intel was," Blix told the
Financial Times. "We were being given what they were telling was the
best they had and it was wrong."
Blix was head of the Internat'l Atomic Energy Agency from 1981 to 1997
and later chief of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection
Commission (UNMOVIC) until 2003.

Iraq to be free of WMD: security adviser
Baghdad (Xinhua).  Iraq's nat'l security advisor said Sun that Iraq
will be free of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and will not present
a threat to its neighbours again.
"Iraq officially declares it will be a country free of any WMD,"
Muwaffaq al-Rubaie told a news conference. "Iraq will never again
resort to threatening its neighbours, as Saddam did."
He pledged the interim govt would honour the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty as well as internat'l agreements banning the use of chemical
and biological weapons.
His remarks echoed PM Iyad Allawi's view 2 days ago, when he renounced
Iraq's nuclear ambitions.
"Iraq has no intention and no will to resume these programs in the
future. These materials which are potential weapons of mass murder are
not welcome in our country and their production is unacceptable,"
Allawi said in a statement distributed by his office.
Al-Rubaie confirmed that last m the US govt shipped out 1.7 metric
tones of enriched uranium and other radioactive materials from Iraq,
which could have been used in a so-called "dirty" bomb or a nuclear
weapons program.
"Could you imagine what catastrophe it would be if Zarqawi, global
terrorists and Saddam loyalists possessed any of these materials?"
Rubaie asked.
He was referring to fugitive Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who
was accused by the interim govt and the multinat'l forces in Iraq of
masterminding some of the deadliest attacks in recent ms.
Al-Rubaie also said the interim govt had evidence that some materials
might already have been smuggled out of the country during the chaos
following last y's US-led invasion.
"We have intel info and proof that during the crisis last y and
afterwards vehicles carrying suspicious materials crossed the
country's borders," he added.
Although enriched uranium has been found in the country, US arms
inspectors have failed to turn up evidence of an active nuclear,
chemical or biological weapons program in the final y of Saddam's
reign, a major pretext for the US-led coalition to launch war against
Iraq in Mar 2003.

Blair faces judgement on Iraq intel
London (AP).  PM Tony Blair, no longer confident that weapons of mass
destruction will be found in Iraq, now faces a potentially damning
report on Brit's prewar intel.
As it built a case for military action, Blair's govt insisted Saddam
Hussein had stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons; could
deploy them within 45 minutes; and was trying to buy uranium in Africa
to develop nuclear weapons -- assertions that appear to have collapsed.
A scathing US Senate Intel Committee report concluded last week that
most of the CIA's claims on Saddam's alleged arsenal were overstated
or unsupported. The committee chairman, noting the United States was
not alone in its beliefs, called it a "global intel failure."
On Wed, retired civil service chief Lord Butler will return his
verdict on the quality of Brit intel. A copy of the report goes to
Blair on Tue.
The govt hopes the report -- the 4th to delve into Brit's case for war
-- will end a controversy that has eroded Blair's popularity and
credibility. It is also likely to have lasting implications for how
intel is gathered, analysed and used by Brit.
Before the US-led invasion of Iraq, Blair was adamant that Saddam had
stockpiles of WMD.
"I am in no doubt that the threat is serious and current, that he has
made progress on WMD, and that he has to be stopped," Blair wrote in
the foreword to an intel dossier, published by the govt in Sep 2002.
However, a wk ago, Blair said: "I have to accept that we have not
found them, that we may not find them."
3 previous inquiries have cleared Blair's govt of acting dishonestly
or misusing the intel. Nevertheless, concerns of political interference
linger, as do concerns about the relationship between the govt and its
spy agencies.
Former chief of Defence Intel Sir John Walker said Mon that intel
normally guided govt policy.
But ahead of the war, "it seems to me that policy was driving intel
and that is an extremely dangerous thing to do as a nation-state,"
Walker told Brit Broadcasting Corp radio. Walker left the Ministry of
Defence in 1995, 2 y before Blair's Labour Party took office.

Intel report looms over Blair
"Certainly no one on my staff had any visibility of large quantities
of intel of that sort."
-- Brian Jones, retired top intel official
London (CBS/AP).  The road to war for the Brit was paved with the same
categorical assertions and the same intel failings as the American.
In fact, on some points the Brit govt was even more emphatic about
Iraq's menace, reports CBS News Correspondent Mark Philips.
PM Tony Blair asserted Saddam Hussein had existing and active military
plans for the use of chemical and biological weapons, which could be
activated within 45 minutes.
Now Blair's govt is awaiting the publication this wk of a report that
promises to be just as damning as the Senate committee report was of
the CIA last wk.
Among the points of the report that have already leaked out: The 45
minute claim was "vague and poorly founded" and should not have been
made in the way it was.
The dossier on alleged Iraqi illegal weapons was fundamentally flawed
and left out vital warnings about the weakness of much of the info.
The intel services rushed to justify a political decision that had
been made to go to war.
According to other leaks, the report questions not just the motivation
for war, but the legal justification for it as well.
2 former intel officials said in a TV interview airing Sun
that Blair overstated what Brit knew about Iraqi weapons when he
claimed before the war that Saddam Hussein posed a serious threat.
The Brit Broadcasting Corp also said the MI6 spy agency had withdrawn
the intel that underpinned Brit's prewar assertion that Iraq was
continuing to produce chemical and biological agents.
The BBC said in a transcript of its "Panorama" program that an unidentified
"reliable source" had told it of the move, but it did not say when it
believed the intel was pulled or give any other details.
Brian Jones, who until last y was a top official at the Defence Intel
Staff, told the broadcaster that intel teams did not know whether
Saddam had produced any new chemical or biological weapons since the
1st Gulf War, according to the transcript.
He said he was surprised when Blair stated before the invasion of Iraq
that Saddam did possess such stockpiles.
"There was a reasonable assumption that there may have been some
stocks left over from the 1st Gulf War," Jones said, according to the
transcript. "If there had been any other production then we had not
identified that it had taken place."
"Certainly no one on my staff had any visibility of large quantities
of intel of that sort," said Jones, who has made similar charges before.
His former agency is the main provider of strategic defence intel to
the Ministry of Defence.
Jones said his team had expressed its reservations about the public
claims to top officials, but were told that Brit's MI6 intel agency
had a top-secret piece of info which trumped all their reservations
and clinched the case against Saddam. Jones said he was never allowed
to see that intel.
The BBC said that was the piece of intel that has now been withdrawn.
Blair, who based his case for war on the contention that Saddam
possessed WMD, has been badly damaged by the failure of coalition
forces to find evidence such arms existed. His office declined to
comment on the BBC report.
Heavy new scrutiny of the issue is expected this wk with the release
on Wed of the report on the quality of Brit's prewar intel on Iraqi
weapons. Retired civil service chief Lord Butler has headed the
inquiry and his committee's conclusions could create fresh trouble for Blair.
The govt was cleared by an earlier inquiry of accusations that its Sep
2002 dossier on Saddam's weapons exaggerated evidence to bolster the
case for war.
The BBC had quoted an anonymous source making that charge. He turned
out to be govt scientist David Kelly, whose Jul 2003 suicide prompted
an investigation by snr appeals judge Lord Hutton.
Hutton found the govt was not to blame for the death and said the BBC
was unjustified in reporting a claim that the govt knew one of its
allegations about Saddam's weapons was wrong but published it anyway.
Blair said last wk he accepted that no WMD had been found in Iraq and
that they might never turn up. But he rejected any suggestion that the
stockpiles didn't ever exist and that Iraq had not been a danger to the world.
"To go to the opposite extreme and say therefore no threat existed
from Saddam Hussein would be a mistake," Blair told the House of Commons.
The former intel officers who spoke to the BBC said experts had
serious doubts even before the war about the claim that Saddam posed a
serious danger.
John Morrison, a deputy chief of the Defence Intel Staff until 1999,
told the BBC that he could "almost hear the collective raspberry going
up around Whitehall," London's govt district, when Blair told
lawmakers that the threat from Iraq was serious and current.
"In moving from what the dossier said Saddam had, which was a
capability possibly, to asserting that Iraq presented a threat, then
the prime minister was going way beyond anything any professional
analyst would have agreed," Morrison said, according to the BBC transcript.

What weapons dossier should have said, and what that would have meant for war
[Dr Brian Jones is a former head of the nuclear, chemical and
biological branch of the Ministry of Defence's Defence Intel Staff].
'Mr Blair dismissed my concerns as "hardly earth-shattering" but they
were significant'.
Op/Ed (Independent).  Lord Butler of Brockwell will deliver his
long-awaited verdict on the intel as the basis for going to war in
Iraq on Wed. It comes just after the US Intel Committee delivered its
report, and, according to reports in the media so far, Tony Blair
faces a difficult few days.
More than 16 m after the war began, we can be sure that there was, as
the senate report identifies, serious intel failure. How else could it
be when no evidence of any weapons, systems or programmes has been
uncovered in that time?
This article, reviewing the crucial Sep 2002 dossier, is not an
investigation of the gap between what intel was available in the
months leading up to the war, and what has come to pass. Rather, it
examines how the known material was treated at the time, and the
impact that had in boosting the case for war.
The PM has made repeated assertions that everybody thought Iraq had
WMD. This broad-brush approach -- the crushing of caveated info and
conditional tenses into something categoric -- helped persuade the
nation of the case for war and also misrepresented the bigger
picture. It was writ large in the 2002 dossier, and in Mr Blair's foreword.
I recall a snr foreign intel analyst commenting on the dossier, "We
think Saddam probably has chemical and biological weapons but we
cannot prove it. We are not sure." This reflected the views of the
Defence Intel Staff (DIS) experts, and was the basis of the dissent I
recorded at the time.
Mr Blair dismissed my concerns as "hardly earth-shattering" -- he
chose to distill them into the difference between the words indicate
and show -- but they were much more significant than that might imply.
I told Panorama last night that I was confused when Mr Blair told Lord
Hutton about the "tremendous amount" of related info and evidence that
had been crossing his desk in the period before the dossier was written.
We had no sight of large qualities of significant intel of that sort.
Most of our concerns were raised in comments made by DIS expert
analysts over the 3 wk in which the dossier was drafted. I recounted
some to Lord Hutton's inquiry but was constrained by the specific
questions of counsel.
To offer a fuller explanation. I have revisited the executive summary
of the Sep dossier, John Scarlett's 2-page precis of the 40-odd
pages of the main text. The latter is so dense and complex that the
summary would inevitably achieve much greater impact. Unfortunately,
it did not paint quite the same picture. What was uncertain and poorly
defined suddenly became clearer and "presentationally" more acceptable.
Intel no longer indicated what might be and suddenly, without
substantiation, showed what was.
And the decision to use the phrase "we judge" detached from a series
of bullet points, allowed those points to stand out for the lay reader
as statements of fact:
* "[Iraq has] continued to produce chemical and biological agents"
*"Some of these weapons are deployable within 45 minutes of a decision
  to use them"
We now know that this "shift" came about largely as a result of the
interplay between the chairman of the Joint Intel Committee (JIC) and
snr members of the PM's Office. That, in turn, enabled the PM to make
the positive assertions in his foreword: "I believe the assessed intel
has established beyond doubt that Saddam has continued to produce
chemical and biological weapons ..."
"I am in no doubt the threat is serious and current ..."
I have no doubt that such positive statements had a significant impact
on many of those who were previously dubious about the campaign. If
the executive summary had more closely represented the expert
assessments of the day, who knows what impact that might have had on
the decision to go the war?
I have tried to illustrate below what I would have preferred some
important parts of it to have said. This is not a case of being wise
after the event or of using hindsight. It is what the dossier should
have said based on the state of intel at that time. My revisions do
not represent a wholly accurate assessment in the light of what we
know now, which makes the case for war even weaker. The original or
"actual" paragraphs of the dossier are also shown for ease of
comparison. The words shown in italics in the "preferred" version mark
my additions or changes to the words approved by the JIC.
* EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
* PARAGRAPH 1
ACTUAL: Under Saddam Hussein Iraq developed chemical and biological
weapons, acquired missiles allowing it to attack neighbouring
countries with these weapons, and persistently tried to develop a
nuclear bomb.  Saddam has used chemical weapons, both against Iran and
against his own people. Following the Gulf War, Iraq had to admit to
all this. And in the ceasefire of 1991 Saddam agreed unconditionally
to give up his weapons of mass destruction.
PREFERRED: Under Saddam Hussein Iraq developed chemical and biological
weapons and acquired missiles. In the 1980s it used chemical weapons
against elements of its own population in Iraq, and against Iranian
forces in its war against that country. Arguably, Iraq never used
chemical weapons on territory that it did not claim was its own, and
is not known to have actually used biological warfare agents. Iraq
responded to attacks against its cities by Iranian Scud missiles armed
with conventional explosives, by delivering similar warheads using
Scud-type missiles the range of which had been extended to reach
significant Iranian cities. Iraq had a programme to develop nuclear
weapons that was within about 2 or 3 y of success at the time of
the 1990-91 conflict. Following the Gulf War, Iraq had to admit to all
this. And in the ceasefire of 1991 Saddam agreed unconditionally to
give up his WMD.
* PARAGRAPH 2
ACTUAL: Much info about Iraq's WMD is already in the public domain
from UN reports and from Iraqi defectors.  This points clearly to
Iraq's continuing possession, after 1991, of chemical and biological
agents and weapons produced before the Gulf War.  It shows that Iraq
has refurbished sites formerly associated with the production of
chemical and biological agents. And it indicates that Iraq remains
able to manufacture these agents, and to use bombs, shells, artillery
rockets and ballistic missiles to deliver them.
PREFERRED: Much info about Iraq's WMD is already in the public domain
from UN reports and from Iraqi defectors.
This points clearly to Iraq's continuing possession, after 1991, of
chemical and biological agents and weapons produced before the Gulf War.
But the current status of Iraq's offensive capability is not
clear. There has been some refurbishment of sites formerly associated
with the production of chemical and biological agents and, while this
may improve the capability to resume such production, there is no
conclusive evidence that such production has taken place, or that the
refurbishment does not have a legitimate objective. There can be
little doubt that Iraq retains significant potential to manufacture
agents, fill them into weapons and use them to the level of capability
it had developed prior to 1991. This included a demonstrated
capability to deliver chemical weapons with bombs, shells and
artillery rockets, but it is not clear that Iraq had a fully proven
capability to deliver chemical or biological warheads by ballistic
missile. It is doubtful that it had the opportunity to further develop
and fully prove that capability since 1991.
* PARAGRAPH 4
ACTUAL: As well as the public evidence, however, significant
additional info is available to the Govt from secret intel sources,
described in more detail in this paper. This intel cannot tell us
about everything. However, it provides a fuller picture of Iraqi plans
and capabilities. It shows that Saddam Hussein attaches great
importance to possessing WMD which he regards as the basis for Iraq's
regional power. It shows that he does not regard them only as weapons
of last resort. He is ready to use them, including against his own
population, and is determined to retain them, in breach of United
Nations Sec Council Resolutions (UNSCR).
PREFERRED: As well as the public evidence, however, significant
additional info is available to the Govt from secret intel sources,
described in more detail in this paper. This intel cannot tell us
about everything. However, it provides more evidence about Iraqi plans
and capabilities. It suggests that Saddam Hussein attaches great
importance to possessing, or maintaining the impression that he
possesses chemical and biological weapons. He probably regards this as
the basis for enhancing Iraq's regional power in the future. It
suggests that he does not regard them only as weapons of last
resort. He seems to countenance using them, including against his
enemies in his own population, and appears determined to retain them,
in breach of UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR).
* PARAGRAPH 5
ACTUAL: Intel also shows that Iraq is preparing plans to conceal
evidence of these weapons, including incriminating documents, from
renewed inspections. And it confirms that despite sanctions and the
policy of containment, Saddam has continued to make progress with his
illicit weapons programmes."
PREFERRED: Intel also indicates that Iraq is preparing plans to
conceal evidence of these weapons, including incriminating documents,
from renewed inspections. And it suggests that despite sanctions and
the policy of containment, Saddam has continued to keep his ballistic
missile programme alive and that some activity has been beyond that
which is legal. He has at least preserved the basis for reactivating
his offensive nuclear, biological and chemical warfare programmes. The
extent of positive activity within the latter programmes is not
clear. It cannot be discounted that weapons may have been produced but
there is no firm evidence that this is the case.
* PARAGRAPH 6
Paragraph 6 was introduced by the phrase "As a result of the intel we
judge that Iraq has:" and followed by a series of bullet points. The
use of the word "judge" led to the argument that "judgements" could not be
caveated in the way the DIS suggested. I would therefore have preferred
the phrase, "We assess Iraq:" The bullet points I would have changed are:
ACTUAL: [has] continued to produce chemical and biological agents;
PREFERRED: has probably continued to produce chemical and biological
agents, but is unlikely to have produced militarily significant
quantities of CW agent or weapons;
ACTUAL: [has] military plans for the use of chemical and biological
weapons, including against its own Shia population. Some of these
weapons are deployable within 45 minutes of an order to use them;
PREFERRED: possibly has specific current military plans for the use of
chemical and biological weapons, including against its own Shia
population. A source has claimed some weapons may be deployable within
45 minutes of an order to use them, but the exact nature of the
weapons, the agents involved and the context of their use is not clear;
ACTUAL: [has] command and control arrangements in place to use
chemical and biological weapons. Authority ultimately resides with
Saddam Hussein;
PREFERRED: may have command and control arrangements in place to use
chemical and biological weapons. Authority will ultimately reside with
Saddam Hussein;
ACTUAL: [has] developed mobile laboratories for military use,
corroborating earlier reports about the mobile production of
biological warfare agents;
PREFERRED: has developed mobile laboratories for the production of
biological warfare agents, but we do not know the current status of
these facilities.
In the light of what we now know, it seems Iraq possessed no
significant stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons. Saddam had
no active major programmes or tangible plans to regenerate his
chemical warfare programme, therefore there could be no meaningful
command and control arrangements or plans to use them. The same is
probably true of biological weapons but the nature of BW systems is
such that significant capabilities are more easily concealed.
Saddam appears to have been keen to maintain at least the impression
that he possessed chemical and biological weapons. In a region where
several neighbours possess chemical, nuclear and possibly biological
weapons Saddam probably wished to maintain the ability to deter aggression.
It is also the case that Saddam's reputation in parts of the Arab
world derived from his defiance of the W in general and America in
particular. A clear admission and demo that he had given up such
capabilities and ambitions would undermine his authority.
But if Saddam had already divested himself of the weapons and
programmes, it seemed incredible that such factors would outweigh the
economic and conventional military advantages to the regime of
removing the yoke of sanctions.
George Tenet, the outgoing director of the CIA, said last m that intel
estimates were rarely all right, or all wrong. I would be very
surprised if many of the CIA's expert analysts would have disagreed
with the conclusions reflected in my "preferred" version of the dossier.
Of course, knowing what we know now would have made a case for war on
the basis of Saddam's weapons capabilities a non-starter, so there is
indeed a real question about the quality of intel. But, back in Sep
2002, had the executive summary been written in the way I suggest, it
would have been much more difficult for the PM's foreword to make the
positive assertions it did about Saddam's chemical and biological
warfare capabilities and the threat they represented to Brit.
As for the impact of that exercise on the will of the Brit people,
will Lord Butler address that on Wed?

Butler acts to prevent PM 'spinning' his report
London (Independent).  Lord Butler is to head off any attempt by Tony
Blair to "spin" the conclusions of his report on the handling of intel
before the Iraq war by speaking live before the PM makes his statement
to the House of Commons.
In an attempt to stop Downing Street quoting selectively from the
document, Lord Butler of Brockwell plans to seize the initiative by
publishing his conclusions before Mr Blair has a chance to comment on
the report publicly.
Downing Street is bracing itself for some criticism of the way the
Govt handled the intel, but it does not believe the conclusions will
be devastating. A No 10 source said the Butler report, to be published
on Wed, would generate "choppy waters", nothing more.
"Obviously there are going to be some criticisms that we will have to
address," the source said. "The mood is not the same as it was pre-Hutton."
Mr Blair is expected to make a statement to MPs about the report an
hour after Lord Butler's press conference and will receive a copy of
the report 24 hr in advance.
The report is expected to criticise the methods used to process intel
info about the extent or existence of Saddam Hussein's WMD in the
approach to the Iraq war.
John Scarlett, the incoming head of MI6, and the spy chief he
replaces, Sir Richard Dearlove, are both facing the prospect of censure.
The advice offered by Lord Goldsmith, the A-G, that the war on Iraq
was legal under internat'l law is also expected to be questioned in
the report. The Butler inquiry team heard evidence that Jack Straw,
the For Sec, had been informed by his legal adviser, Elizabeth
Wilmshurst, that a war on Iraq would be illegal.
Questions will also be raised in the report about why intel suggesting
that Saddam had an arsenal of chemical and biological weapons was not
suitably qualified with warnings and caveats.
In a BBC Panorama documentary last night, 2 of Brit's most experienced
intel analysts said Mr Blair went too far when he said intel showed
that Saddam posed a "serious and current" threat. John Morrison, a
former deputy chief of defence intel, accused Mr Blair of stretching
the intel services' assessment of the threat posed by Saddam.
"In moving from what the dossier said Saddam had, which was a
capability possibly, to asserting that Iraq presented a threat, then
the Prime Min was going way beyond anything any professional intel
analyst would have agreed," Mr Morrison said.
He criticised the Govt for "rooting around at the last moment for
extra bits to put in" an intel dossier on Iraq and of "scraping the
bottom of the barrel".
He also criticised Mr Blair for claiming that the threat from Saddam
Hussein was "serious and current". "I must say when I heard him using
those words I could almost hear the collective raspberry going up
around White- hall ... as a professional analyst, I didn't recognise a
threat in Iraq," he said.
Brian Jones, who was a member of the Defence Intel Staff until last
year, outlines his concerns about Iraq's chemical or biological
weapons in The Independent today.
An anonymous snr intel source told the programme that spy chiefs have
retracted the intel behind Tony Blair's claim that Iraq posed a
"current and serious" threat. The rare step amounts to an admission
that it was fundamentally unreliable, according to The Observer which
revealed details of the interview yesterday.
Mr Blair's case for war was supposedly based on evidence that Saddam had
chemical and biological weapons stockpiles and was trying to produce more.
But MI6 has since withdrawn the assessment underpinning that case, a
senior intel source told the Panorama programme. The claim comes from
a single, anonymous intel source but meets new BBC guidelines
introduced after the Hutton report.
* SIX IN THE FRAME TO TAKE THE BLAME
* TONY BLAIR PM
Mr Blair presented the Sep 2002 dossier on Iraq's WMD to Parliament.
In it, Mr Blair said Brit intel had "established beyond doubt" Iraq
had chemical and biological weapons. He could be criticised for
"effectively suspending cabinet govt", with a group of unelected
advisers meeting without civil servant to prepare the dossier.
Blameability factor: Officials are confident he can ride out any
storm.  ALASTAIR CAMPBELL The PM's former director of communications
Key player in drawing up the dossier, liaising with John Scarlett, the
head of the Joint Intel Committee. Campbell denied during Lord
Hutton's inquiry that he had "sexed up" the dossier, saying his
involvement was "presentational".
Blameability factor: Unlikely to be hurt by the report. Has already
lined up media jobs after leaving No 10.
* JOHN SCARLETT Chairman, Joint Intel Committee
Responsible for drawing up the Sep 2002 dossier for No 10. He hardened
the draft's suggestion that Iraq "probably" had stocks of banned
weapons to the assertion that it "has" continued to produce them.
Blameability factor: Likely to receive criticism. Potentially
embarrassing if the new head of MI6 is criticised for his handling of
intel info.
* JONATHAN POWELL Tony Blair's chief of staff
Involved in discussions with John Scarlett during the dossier's drafting.
Lord Butler is expected to criticise Mr Powell for an e-mail he sent
to Mr Scarlett calling for a section to be "re-drafted".
Blameability factor: Criticism is unlikely to be harsh, but any
censure is embarrassing because of his closeness to Blair.
* LORD GOLDSMITH A-G
Responsible for bringing to Cabinet advice on the legality of going.
Reports say he received a letter from Lord Butler saying there would
be a measure of criticism about his advice but other reports say that
he will escape censure as he was simply presenting different arguments.
Blameability factor: He may be criticised after changing his advice.
* RICHARD DEARLOVE Head of MI6
As head of MI6, he and snr Defence Intel Staff officials were
responsible for gathering info and passed the dossier as an agreed
document. Final evidence that allowed Blair to claim that there was
serious and current threat from Saddam is now discredited.
Blameability factor: He is expected to face criticism, with Mr Scarlett.

Former intel chiefs heap pressure on Blair
London.  2 former Brit intel officials have questioned the degree of
threat Iraq's weapons of mass destruction posed, putting PM Tony Blair
under further pressure over his case for war.  The 2 have spoken out
just days before an independent inquiry reports on the reliability of
the pre-war intel.  They have told the BBC's Panorama program that
claims Saddam Hussein possessed WMDs and could launch them within 45
minutes were always questionable.  Dr Brian Jones, formerly of the
Defence Intel Staff (DIS), told the program that none of the experts
on his staff had seen large quantities of intel proving that chemical
and biological weapons existed in Iraq.  "If there had been any other
production then we have not identified that it had taken place," he
said.  Former DIS deputy chief John Morrison told the program that Mr
Blair's claims about Iraqi weapons were met with disbelief in
Whitehall.  "The prime minister was going way beyond anything any
professional analyst would have agreed," he said.  The Butler report
into the accuracy of pre-war intel is expected to find the intel
agencies overstated the threat posed by Iraq.

Spy chiefs 'withdrew' Saddam arms claim
London (Observer).  Tony Blair's claim that Saddam Hussein posed a
'current and serious' threat to Brit is challenged by dramatic new
allegations today that Brit's spy chiefs have retracted the intel on
which it was based.
The supposed proof that the Iraqi dictator was still trying, even in
the run-up to war, to produce chemical and biological weapons became
crucial to the PM's case for urgent military action rather than
waiting for inspectors to finish their task.
Yet, according to a snr intel source interviewed by BBC1's Panorama
tonight, MI6 has since taken the rare step of withdrawing the intel
assessment that underpinned the claim that Saddam had continued to
produce WMD -- an admission that it was fundamentally unreliable.
The charge leaves Blair open to serious questions over why, if the
nature of the proof had changed, he did not tell the public that the
evidence of WMD was crumbling beneath him.
It will increase speculation that he may be forced to disown chunks of
the controversial Sep dossier on banned weapons when Lord Butler
publishes his report this wk on the handling of intel on Iraq.
Yesterday, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, weighed into
the debate, warning that Blair would be judged before God for his
actions over Iraq and suggesting he would struggle with his
conscience. Asked how Blair would account for himself, Williams
answered: 'At the judgement seat.' For Christians, that is the point of
entry either to heaven or to hell. 'When you acknowledge that you have
taken a risk which has not paid off, which has cost, and that cost
does not seem be justified, that's the punishment,' he added.
The fresh blow comes with jitters sweeping Whitehall over the Butler
report. Blairites fear that if it is genuinely damaging, it could
provoke fresh attempts among Gordon Brown's supporters to force the PM
to stand down.
Tensions bubbled to the surface yesterday as it emerged that Blair
seriously considered resigning during his most difficult period this
y, the fortnight running up to Jun's local elections, when he came
under repeated attack over the war.
Friends dismissed suggestions that cabinet loyalists John Reid, Tessa
Jowell, Charles Clarke and Patricia Hewitt had to beg him not to
go. But it is clear he did ponder whether he had become a liability,
prompting panic among allies who feared Brown would step into his shoes.
'The idea that there was a concerted trek up Downing Street to
persuade him to stay is basically wrong,' said one ally. 'But people
like Charles and John see a lot of Tony. The newspapers were full of
"Blair's going" stories. If they didn't take the opportunity to say "I
hope you're not", it would be surprising.'
Amid reports that it was Cherie Blair who actually persuaded her
husband to stay on, another aide said decisions on the future were
private ones made between the couple.
Blair's confidence now appears restored, but it will be tested in the
coming week. Butler is expected to make sweeping criticisms of the way
the public case for war was handled -- and Downing Street's failure to
grasp the limitations of intel.
Tonight's Panorama focuses on secret intel produced during the days
before the dossier was published. This follows an anguished appeal
from Downing Street for more convincing evidence.
After the undisclosed material emerged, John Scarlett -- chair of the
Joint Intel Committee which oversaw the dossier process -- hardened up
the draft dossier's suggestion that Iraq 'probably' had more recently
produced stocks of banned weapons to the assertion that it 'has' continued
to produce them. That allowed Blair to claim dramatically that
evidence received only 'in recent months' showed Saddam was still
generating WMD.
Yet the intel underpinning this claim was subsequently withdrawn by
MI6, which decided it could not be relied upon, according to the snr
intel source interviewed by Panorama. This raised serious questions
over the quality of the work that went into the dossier, and how far
it can now be trusted.
Although it is not known exactly when MI6 changed its mind, the
revelation will prompt calls for Blair to put the record straight
publicly about what he knew, when.
Downing Street yesterday refused to say whether Blair stood by his
original claim that Iraq had been a 'current and serious threat',
pending Butler's findings. While the PM confessed last wk that WMD
might not be found, he has continued to insist that Saddam was still a threat.
When he submits his report on Wed, Butler is expected to conclude that
there were serious errors in Brit intel gathering and assessment --
mirroring those of the CIA identified by a US senate inquiry last wk.
Scarlett may be criticised for being drawn into the 'magic circle' of
Downing Street intimates rather than remaining impartial. However,
Blair will fight to keep the man he promoted to the post of head of
MI6 once the war was over.
There were signs last night that Lord Goldsmith, the A-G, will also
escape serious censure over his advice on the legality of the war,
despite evidence passed to Butler suggesting he changed his mind as
the invasion drew closer.
Goldsmith wrote a note to Blair in the run-up to war warning that the
invasion could be illegal without a 2nd UN resolution authorising
military force, The Observer can reveal, with Whitehall sources
admitting the legal advice process was 'messy'.
However, Downing Street is also expected to mount a robust defence of
Goldsmith, arguing that govt lawyers regularly rehearse both sides of
the argument.

Japan's opp'n pushes for Iraq troop withdrawal
[No, not Japan!]
Tokyo.  Japan's main opp'n party says it will step up its calls for
Japanese troops to be withdrawn from Iraq.  The Democratic Party (DPJ)
has performed strongly in upper house elections.  The DPJ picked up
seats, while the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost ground and
failed to meet its target.  The election was widely seen as a
referendum on PM Junichiro Koizumi's plans to keep troops in Iraq as
part of a multinat'l force and reform the pension system.  The DPJ's
leader, Katsuya Okada, says he will step up calls for the troops to be
withdrawn from Iraq and will consider submitting a no confidence
motion against the Koizumi Admin.

Bush defends decision to invade Iraq
["Despite my previous protests, I now admit I was fooled by those
other guys -- now trust our judgements again on these new issues..."].
Oak Ridge, Tenn (AP).  Invading Iraq made America safer, Pres Bush
said Mon, defending his war decision in the face of a Senate report
debunking Whitehouse justifications for attacking Saddam Hussein's govt.
Bush presented his case in a speech at Oak Ridge Nat'l Laboratory
while Condoleezza Rice, his nat'l security adviser, was made available
for cable TV interviews to defend the Admin's decisions.
It was Bush's ninth trip to Tennessee, a state he won from Al Gore in
2000 and wants to win again in Nov. If listeners missed Bush's
political message, they needed only to look at the red-white-and-blue
sign posted behind the podium that read:
"Protecting America." Under-scoring his message, Bush said 8 times in
his speech that America was safer.
3 days ago, the Senate Intel Committee said the Admin's belief that
Saddam had chemical and biological weapons and was working to make
nuclear weapons was wrong, based on false or overstated CIA analyses.
"Although we have not found stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction,
we were right to go into Iraq," Bush told lab employees assembled in
an auditorium. "We removed a declared enemy of America who had the
capability of producing weapons of mass murder and could have passed
that capability to terrorists bent on acquiring them. In the world
after Sep the 11th, that was a risk we could not afford to take."
It was Bush's 1st public reaction to the Senate panel's criticism.
Bush noted problems cited in the Senate report, including a shortage
of human-gathered intel and poor coordination among intel services.
But he did not comment on ideas proposed for reforming America's intel
network, nor did he say when he planned to name a new CIA director to
replace George Tenet, who stepped down Sun for personal reasons.
Instead, Bush sought to compare situations in nations like
Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya to how they were 3 y ago when the Taliban
ruled in Kabul, Saddam was in power in Baghdad and Libya was backing
terrorism and spending money to acquire weapons of mass destruction.
Under an agreement with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to dismantle his
country's nuclear weapons program, Libya's weapons hardware was shipped
to Oak Ridge earlier this y.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry quickly dismissed Bush's
claim that Americans are safer and said that if elected, his No 1
security goal would be to prevent terrorists from acquiring WMD.
"Have we taken every step we should to stop N Korea and Iran's nuclear
programs?" Kerry asked. "Have we restructured our intel agencies and
given them the resources they need to keep our country safe? The
honest answer, in each of these areas, is that we have done too little,
often too late, and even cut back our efforts. It's not enough to give
speeches."
"The facts speak for themselves. There was less nuclear weapons
materials secured in the 2 y after Sep 11 than in the 2 years before,"
he said. "North Korea has reportedly quadrupled its nuclear weapons
capability in the past year. Iran is developing a nuclear weapons
capability. Afghanistan has become a forgotten front in the war on terror."
The Whitehouse has long portrayed Libya's pledge to abandon weapons of
mass destruction programs as affirmation of Bush's hard-line strategy
on arms proliferation and suggested the US-led war in Iraq helped
convince Gadhafi that he should act.
"This progress came about through quiet diplomacy between America,
Brit and the Libyan govt," Bush said. "This progress was set in
motion, however, by policies declared in public to all the
world. ... Every potential adversary now knows that terrorism and
proliferation carry serious consequences, and that the wise course is
to abandon those pursuits."
Rice, meanwhile, denied suggestions that the Admin was considering
ways to delay the Nov election if there were a terrorist attack. "No
one's thinking about postponing the election," she said.

Kerry charges that Bush abused power over Iraq
[Let us forget who went along with the crowd in "group-think" mode...]
Washington (Channelnewsasia/AFP).  Democratic presidential hopeful
John Kerry and his newly named running mate John Edwards accused Pres
George W Bush of misleading America and abusing power in taking the
nation to war in Iraq.
In a series of interviews capping a wk of publicity around the naming
of Edwards as the VP-ial nominee, the 2 seized on typically Republican
rhetoric about American values, accusing Bush of lying to the nation.
"The value of truth is one of the most central values in America, and
this Admin has violated" it, Kerry told The Washington Post.
"Their values system is distorted and not based on truth," he said Sun.
"How you feel about Iraq is a reflection of your values about how you
go to war, about what's worth fighting for, about whether you were
told the truth about what's involved. There's a value system that
believes that America ought to work with other countries and put our
best foot forward," he said.
Edwards questioned the sincerity of Bush's rhetoric on values.
"George Bush and others can say whatever they want now about what
their values are, but what have they spent their life doing? Have they
shown in their life experience, not just in the time they've been in
politics, but in their life experience, that they have the values that
Americans looked up to and respected?" Edwards said.
The 2 were armed with a Senate report released Fri, which said the US
intel community "mischaracterised" Iraq's WMD before the war through
"a series of failures," and its key judgements were either overstated
or not backed up.
The report said the Senate investigation found no evidence that the
Bush Admin pressured CIA analysts to modify their judgements of Iraq's WMD.
But Kerry drew a direct link to Bush's public remarks about ousted
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons programs and his
supposed links to al-Qaeda.
"He certainly misled America about nuclear involvement," Kerry told
The NY Times of Bush's claims that Saddam was on course to develop a
nuclear weapon.
"And he misled America about the types of weapons that were there, and
he misled America about how he would go about using the authority he
was given," Kerry said.
Moreover, Bush had no plan for winning the peace, Kerry said.
He insisted the Admin had discarded professional military evaluations
and turned its backs on the State Dept's efforts.
"And they were wrong," Kerry said. "And soldiers lost their lives
because they were wrong. And America's paying bns of dollars because
they were wrong, and allies are not with us because they were wrong."
Kerry also pledged to reverse US policy that bans immigration by
people with HIV.
"I will work with Congress to lift the immigration ban on HIV-positive
people that has prohibited the US from hosting this lifesaving
meeting," promised the senator.
Some 40 mn people are afflicted with HIV worldwide, according to the UN.
The US tests all new immigrants for HIV, and a positive test is
usually grounds for denying admission.
With only about 400,000 people in developing nations having access to
treatment, Kerry said his strategy vis-a-vis the disease "starts with
doubling US funding."
Meanwhile, a new opinion poll by Newsweek magazine showed the
Democratic ticket had widened its lead over the Republicans going into
the Nov 2 presidential election.
The survey indicated that if elections were held today Kerry and
running mate John Edwards, also a US senator, would get 51% of the
vote versus 45% for Bush and Vice Pres Dick Cheney.
The numbers represent a 5-point jump for the Democratic ticket since May.

Administration ignored Iraq/Al-Qaeda intelligence
Op/Ed (The Daily Mis-lead).  The Senate Intel Committee released a
report on Fri that does its best to whitewash the Admin's role in
hyping intel by pinning the blame on the CIA. The report distorts the
truth by failing to meaningfully investigate "the ways intel was used,
misused, misinterpreted or ignored by Admin policymakers... in making
the case to the American people that war with Iraq was necessary."
Those issues, conveniently, will be addressed in a separate report
scheduled to be released sometime after the Nov elections.
Despite its inadequacies, the Intel Committee's report illustrates how
-- in the few cases the intel community did get it right -- top Admin
officials ignored them anyway.
For example, the CIA reported to the Admin that Iraq and al-Qaeda did
not have "an established formal relationship." In fact, the Iraqi govt
actively sought "to prevent Iraq youth from joining Al Qaeda."
Yet, VP Dick Cheney continues to tell the American people that Saddam
Hussein had "an established relationship with al Qaeda."
Also, according to the Intel Committee report, George Tenet directly
contacted Nat'l Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and her deputy
Stephen Hadley in Oct 2002 to tell them the Pres should not say that
Iraq had sought uranium from Africa because "the evidence was weak."
In a fax sent to the Whitehouse, the CIA explained that "this is one
of the 2 issues where we differed with the Brit." Nevertheless, just
2 m later, the Pres publicly declared "[t]he Brit govt has learned that
Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

Exit poll finds Koizumi falling short of target
Tokyo (AFP).  Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi's ruling party has failed
to reach its goal in Sun's upper house elections, according to an exit poll.
Mr Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 49 of the 121
seats up for grabs, failing to reach its target of 51, a poll by
private broadcaster TV Asahi found.
The results mean the LDP will have one seat short of the 116 it
previously held in the 242-seat upper house.
But together with its coalition partner, the Buddhist-backed New Komeito,
which won 11 seats, the 2 ruling parties would maintain a majority in
the chamber if the poll is right.
The main opp'n Democratic Party of Japan, led by 50-yo Katsuya Okada,
marked a major gain in the election, winning 50 seats, according to
the Asahi exit poll.
That would take its total to 82 seats from the 70 it held previously.
Full official results are expected as early as today.
Despite the LDP's expected setback, Mr Koizumi says he will cling to
the premiership and his policies as long as the ruling coalition
secures a majority in the Upper House.
A change of govt is not at stake because the ruling coalition holds a
majority in the powerful Lower House.
But analysts have predicted the 62-yo PM would face pressure to step
down if his party's showing dipped way below the 51-seat target.

Kerry-Edwards campaign in fight for namesake's domain
Chicago (AFP).  When Indiana man Kerry Edwards snagged the domain name
kerryedwards.com, cyber squatting was not the 1st thing on his mind.
But the pairing of Sens John Kerry and John Edwards on the Democratic
ticket this election y has reportedly changed all that.  The Chicago
Sun-Times reports that the bail bondsman has received several 5-figure
offers for the domain name, which he bought in Mar 2002.  First came
the online advertising companies, then a "staunch Republican" who
hoped to keep the domain out of enemy hands, followed by a
representative from the senators' campaign team.  The representative
reportedly baulked at the asking price, so the enterprising
Indianapolis man is planning to sell the domain name to the highest
bidder in an online auction.  Registering a domain name usually costs
less than $US30.

US ponders election delay
Washington.  The US Dept of Homeland Security is considering delaying
the US presidential election, in the event of a terrorist attack
before the poll.  Dept officials say there is no specific info
suggesting such an attack will take place but a change to the Nov 2
election day date is under discussion.  Analysts say authorities are
taking into account the bomb blast in the Spanish capital, Madrid, in
Mar, which killed 191 people.  3 days later, the pro-US Spanish Govt
lost the election.  But snr US Democratic Sen Diane Feinstein says
nothing should force a delay of America's democratic process.  "The
election is a statutory election -- it should go ahead on schedule and
we should not change it," she said.

AIDS may hit economic development
Bangkok (AFP).  AIDS may kill as many as 48 mn workers by 2010 and the
toll could rise to 74 mn by 2015, inflicting a body blow to nat'l
economies, the UN's Internat'l Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned.
The ILO published the analysis, which is based on access to
life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs, on the opening day of the 15th
Internat'l AIDS Conference, the top forum on the 23-yo epidemic.
"HIV/AIDS is not only a human crisis, it is a threat to sustainable
global, social and economic development," ILO director-general Juan
Somavia said.
"The loss of life and the debilitating effects of the illness will
lead not only to a reduced capacity to sustain production and
employment, reduce poverty and promote development but will be a
burden borne by all societies, rich and poor alike."
The analysis, HIV/AIDS and Work, Global Estimates, Impact and
Response, covers 50 countries.
40 of them had an estimated prevalence of HIV of more than 2% in 2001;
5 were between 1.5 and 2%; and 5 were countries with an HIV-infected
population of 1 mn or more.
35 were from sub-Saharan Africa, 8 from Latin America and the
Caribbean, 5 from Asia, and 2 from developed countries.
As of today, about 36.5 mn people of working age -- defined as between
15 and 49 y -- have the AIDS virus, the report said.
By 2005, the death toll of workers from AIDS since the disease was
first uncovered in 1981 will be as many as 28 mn, the ILO said.
2 mn people of working age will be unable to work by next y, compared
with half a mn in 1995.
By 2010, the historic death toll may be 48 mn and it could hit 74 mn
if efforts fail to speed distribution of antiretrovirals.
4 mn people of working age will be too sick to work by the end of the decade.
That will place an increased economic burden on the other members of
the workforce.
Africa, home to 2/3 of the people with HIV or AIDS, will bear the
brunt of the loss in production and human capital -- but Asia will
start to close the gap.
Today, almost 5 mn people of working age in Asia have HIV, the ILO
said, referring specifically to Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar and
Thailand, the 5 Asian countries included in the study.
By 2010, in the absence of increased access to treatment, almost 10 mn
Asian workers will have died since 1981, and by 2015, the total figure
will top 18 mn.
"By causing the illness and death of workers, the HIV/AIDS epidemic
reduces the stock of skills and experience of the labour force," said
Franklyn Lisk, director of the ILO's AIDS programs.
"This loss in human capital is a direct threat to the Millennium
Development Goal of reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development."
The figures contrast with the death toll issued last Tue by the UN
agency UNAIDS, which revised downwards its previous estimate of 2002
and said "over 20 mn" people of all ages had died of AIDS.
The ILO report said AIDS was already being felt in macroeconomic terms.
In countries where the impact was measurable, AIDS deaths among the
workforce clipped 0.2% off the annual rate of growth of gross domestic
product between 1992-2002.
This was equivalent to $US25 bn per year.

Annan pleads for action on AIDS
Bangkok (ABC, Peter Lloyd and agencies).  UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan has
issued a plea to world leaders to take more action to confront the
global AIDS pandemic.
Mr Annan, opening the UN's world AIDS conference in Bangkok, warned of
dire economic consequences in the Asia-Pacific region unless leaders
act decisively to tackle HIV-AIDS.
Mr Annan says the region is at a turning point.
"We need leaders everywhere to demonstrate that speaking up about AIDS
is a point of pride, not a source of shame," he said.
"There must be no more sticking heads in the sand, no more
embarrassment, no more hiding behind the veil of apathy."
"Your leadership must then translate into adequate resources from
nat'l budgets."
Experts have warned that unless Asia Pacific leaders act decisively
against the disease, it could lead to a pandemic that would surpass
the scale already seen in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr Annan says HIV/AIDS is spreading fast in a region home to 60 per
cent of the world's population and where one in 4 new infections occurs.
* Women bear brunt
He says the global fight against AIDS is falling short and women are
increasingly bearing the brunt of the killer disease.
The UN chief made a passionate plea for the education of girls as a
vital means of protecting them from the epidemic in a world where more
and more women are catching it from philandering husbands.
He also pleaded for more money to halt the spread of a disease that
has killed 20 mn people and to treat mn of sufferers.
"We are not on track to begin reducing the scale and impact of the
epidemic by 2005, as we had promised," Mr Annan said, referring to the
World Health Organisation's plan to treat 3 mn people by the end of 2005.
He was concerned in particular about women, who account for nearly
half of all adult infections in a world where many live in ignorance
and are controlled by men.
"Over the past few years, we have seen a terrifying pattern emerge:
all over the world, women are increasingly bearing the brunt of the
epidemic," Mr Annan said.
"What is needed is real, positive change that will give more power and
confidence to women and girls," he said. "In other words, what is
needed is the education of girls."
Men had to change their attitudes, he says, "such as the belief that
men who don't show their wives 'who's the boss at home' are not real
men; or that coming into manhood means having your sexual initiation
with a sex worker when you are 13 y old".
AUS's Miss Universe, Jennifer Hawkins, took centre stage during the
conference's opening as rep for the Internat'l AIDS candlelight memorial.
"Messages about safe sex has still not reached most of my generation,"
she said. "There are a lot of things that kill people today but
nothing rivals the stigma of AIDS."
* Protest
Just before Mr Annan spoke, 1,000 activists staged a sit-down protest
outside the venue on the outskirts of Bangkok, waving placards saying
"Access for All Denied", a response to the meeting's "Access for All" slogan.
Inside the teeming convention halls, students dressed in giant pink
condom suits mingled with delegates. Outside, visitors were entertained
by elephants playing soccer in a carpark.
The Bangkok meeting aims to boost access to drug cocktails which can
prolong the lives of AIDS sufferers.
Despite a dramatic fall in drug prices, mainly due to pressure on
Western drug firms, only 440,000 of the 6 mn AIDS patients in poorer
countries get treatment.
The issue of access to generic anti-retroviral drugs -- which can cost
as little as $140 per patient a y in poor nations against $470 for
branded products, according to charity ActionAid -- overshadowed the
lead-up to the biennial meeting.
So did accusations of complacency in countries, like host Thailand,
which have had considerable success in curbing the spread of AIDS with
vigorous action.
Thailand's success, particularly in its notorious sex industry in the
1990s, has made it a model.
But experts say infections are on the rise among youths and needle
drug users, and they blame the Govt for cutting spending on AIDS
awareness programs and waging a bloody "war on drugs" that has driven
many away from treatment.

Kidnappers extend hostage execution deadline: diplomat
Manila.  A Filipino held hostage in Iraq is still alive and his
kidnappers have extended a deadline for his threatened execution by 2
days, a senior Philippines diplomat has said.  "I can tell you this
much, the hostage is alive as of now," the diplomat told AFP on
condition of anonymity.  "The deadline has been extended by 2 days."
The same diplomat earlier retracted a statement saying that the
captors of Angelo de la Cruz had extended by 9 days their deadline to
carry out their threat to execute him unless the Philippines withdrew
its 51-man contingent by Jul 20 -- one m earlier than scheduled.
Manila has rejected the captors' demand saying it will stick to its
commitment to maintain its presence in Iraq until Aug 20.  Al-Jazeera
TV earlier broadcast a statement attributed to the kidnappers of the
46-yo father of 8 threatening to kill him unless Manila proved by
11.00 pm on Sun its intention to pull its troops out by Jul 20.

Iraq, Syria agree to special security force to prevent border infiltration
Damascus (AP).  Syria and Iraq will set up a special security force to
prevent infiltration of foreign fighters across their shared border,
Iraqi Deputy PM Barham Saleh said Sun.
Saleh, speaking after meeting with Syrian Pres Bashar Assad, said Iraq
and its neighbours "should join forces to prevent infiltration and
boost the political process in Iraq."
"We have agreed that specialised security forces would cooperate to
investigate the issue of the infiltration of terrorists to launch
military operations, and to prevent all aspects of infiltration," Saleh said.
Syria has denied charges it allows foreign Islamic militants to enter
Iraq from its territories to attack US-led coalition forces there but
also said it cannot thoroughly police its the shared 360-mile
border. The infiltration issue has soured already-strained relations
between Damascus and Washington, leading to US trade sanctions against Syria.
Saleh said he received Syrian assurances of interest in Iraq's
security "and in solving any problems that might occur in the future."
Saleh met Sat with Syrian PM Naji al-Otari. His visit was the 1st by
an Iraqi official to Syria since the US transferred power to an
interim Iraqi govt last m, and precedes an upcoming visit by interim
PM Iyad Allawi.
Allawi's trip will include Jordan and Iran, and is purportedly meant
to convey Iraq's rejection of the idea of sending Arab troops to Iraq
as part of a multinat'l peacekeeping force as called for by the UN.
Saleh said that issue did not come up in his talks with Assad.
"The Iraqi stand toward this issue is clear," he said. "Iraq is
looking forward for stable and balanced relations with neighbouring
countries but military intervention from any neighbouring country could
be a complicating factor."
Assad also met with UN envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi.
"The UN and neighbouring countries are interested in the situation in
Iraq and seek to help it restore security and stability, and rebuild a
new Iraq on the bases which the Iraqi people might agree on," Brahimi said.
He did not elaborate.
While in Amman, Jordan, last wk, Brahimi said Iraqi officials were
wary of accepting military help from some neighbouring countries, as it
is concerned the neighbours would look out primarily for their own
interests, further aggravating Iraq's security situation by
exacerbating ethnic and religious divisions.

Decreed out of existence, Iraq's old army may come back
Baghdad (BostonHerald/AP).  Iraq's new leader wants to call some of
its old army back to duty to help restore peace in his war-torn
land. Disbanding that defeated force 13 ma was a mistake made in
Washington, says a US Army colonel who held a pivotal role in Baghdad
at the time.
"It was because ideology ruled where reality should have," Col Paul F
Hughes, then strategic policy director for the US occupation
authority, said of last y's decision.
Other key players said the order came not from then-Iraq administrator
L Paul Bremer, as believed, but from top-level civilian officials at
the Pentagon, and that it was done without consulting US military chiefs.
With no Iraqi security forces on hand, the US military was left almost
alone to confront an Iraqi insurgency and crime wave that built
through 2003 -- fed in part by armed soldiers of the disbanded army.
"Anyone who ever worked in any country after a losing war knows you
have to do something with the old soldiers," Hughes told The
Associated Press. "Otherwise, they're out of work and they will do
what people do who know how to use guns."
Iyad Allawi, Iraq's interim PM, says he hopes to reconstitute 3 or 4
divisions of the old army -- up to 40,000 troops, about 10% of the
huge force maintained under the ousted Baathist govt of Saddam Hussein.
Allawi 1st spoke out against the US decision last Oct, as a member of
Iraq's governing council. By May, before taking over as interim PM, he
told The LA Times, "We need an army, full stop."
His approval last wk of legislation permitting martial law and
military governors makes an army recall "imperative," said Ray
Salvatore Jennings, an expert in postwar transitions with the
govt-financed US Institute of Peace.
"If the army had not been fully dissolved, we would be starting from a
far more advantageous position," Jennings said in Baghdad.
Last Aug, the US command in Iraq began training a "New Iraqi Army" of
light infantry, but the slow-paced program has produced only an
estimated 7,000 troops, far short of the 40,000-member military the
Americans once projected for Oct 2004.
Meanwhile, the 1st trained battalion fell apart when more than
one-third of the men deserted, and the 2nd Battalion refused to fight
alongside US Marines against insurgents in the city of Fallujah this Apr.
The US command says other newly organised security forces, including
police and a lightly armed nat'l guard, are more than 200,000
strong. But they are short on equipment and training.
"They were not intended to fight a pitched battle against well-armed
insurgents," the US General Accounting Office notes in a new assessment
of postwar Iraq, where 138,000 US troops bear the brunt of the fighting.
Jay Garner, the retired Army general who was the 1st US administrator
in Baghdad, went to Iraq in Apr 2003 planning to use the old army in a
rebuilding role, keeping troops organised and paid.
In the face of the US-Brit invasion, that army had disintegrated, its
men gone home, often with weapons. But Hughes, now at the Nat'l
Defense University in Washington, said he and others in Baghdad in
those early wk nonetheless coordinated with a committee of Iraqi
generals and kept track of units.
"I had more than 100,000 names that this committee had pulled
together," he said. Then the May 23, 2003, decree came down dissolving
the army, signed by the newly arrived Bremer.
"Neither Jay nor I was consulted on that," Hughes said.
Bremer's snr security adviser, Walter B Slocombe, told AP it was not
his boss's decision.
"It was approved specifically at very high levels at the Dept of
Defense," said Slocombe, now back in private law practice in
Washington. Hughes said it was driven by "ideology," a belief "that
everything connected with power structures of Iraq was bad."
Neither would discuss which civilian Pentagon officials made the
decision. Gen Peter Pace, the Pentagon's No 2 officer, said last Feb
the top US military men, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were not consulted.
Slocombe, who still defends last y's decision, said recalling Iraqi
units risks setting the stage for collisions between US and Iraqi troops.
He cited Fallujah, from which the Marines withdrew this spring, to
cede control to ex-officers in an ad-hoc Iraqi "brigade."
Anti-American insurgents now operate relatively freely from within the city.
One Fallujah may be necessary to "isolate the infection," he said.
"But that's different from saying you want one, 2, how many
Fallujahs all over the country.
"You get situations where [Iraqi security forces] end up on the wrong
side," Slocombe said.
Jennings, whose Institute of Peace is helping in Iraq's political
transition, sees another potential outcome: US military withdrawal.
"Allawi knows that the more quickly he can create and rely on Iraqi security
forces, the faster he can insist the US down-size and depart," he said.
Whether the US command will welcome or oppose an Iraqi army recall
remains to be seen. It could prove a test of Iraq's new limited sovereignty.
A rep, Army Lt Col Joseph Yoswa, said Fri the Pentagon would have no
comment on Allawi's plan, nor on the ya decision-making.

2 US soldiers killed, 3 wounded in Iraq blast
Baghdad (AFP).  2 US soldiers were killed and 3 wounded when their
convoy was targeted in a roadside bomb blast on Sun nr the restive
Iraqi town of Samarra, the US military said.  The attack came just 3
days after another 5 US soldiers and 6 Iraqis, including 2 nat'l
guardsmen, were killed in an attack on a nat'l guard post in the same
Sunni Muslim bastion on Thu.  The military said the Sun's blast
occurred at 4.29 pm local time.  Earlier on Sun, a US soldier and an
Iraqi civilian were killed when a roadside bomb hit an army convoy in
the main N Iraqi town of Mosul.  The latest casualties brings to 656
the number of US troops killed in action in Iraq since the start of
the US-led war in Mar 2003, according to US Defence Dept figures.

Sharon: barrier ruling encourages terror
Jerusalem (AP).  A defiant PM Ariel Sharon said Sun that Israel will
keep building its W Bank separation barrier, despite a world court
ruling that the system of fences, trenches and walls is illegal and
must be torn down.
In Tel Aviv, Palestinian militants blew up a bus stop with a
nail-studded bomb hidden in roadside shrubs, killing a female soldier
and seriously wounding 5 people.
It was the 1st deadly attack in Israel in 4 m, and Sharon linked it to
the ruling against the barrier, which Israel says is needed to stop
such attacks.
"The decision sends a destructive message to encourage terrorism, and
denounces countries that are defending themselves against it," Sharon
said. He promised an all-out diplomatic offensive against the ruling.
The Palestinians also began preparations for what they said would be a
long diplomatic battle. Although the court decision was non-binding,
the Palestinians hope to push the UN to enforce the ruling.
In Sun's attack, a 5-pound bomb filled with sharp pieces of metal exploded
early Sun as a bus pulled up at a stop nr Tel Aviv's central bus station.
Bus driver Eyal Gazit said he initially thought the bomb was on his bus.
"Suddenly a large boom, a cloud of black and all the bus was covered
... the windows blew out," he told Israel's Army Radio. "There were screams
... the passengers were jumping over each other trying to escape from the bus."
A 19-yo female soldier was killed, and 32 people were hurt.
Most were treated for shock or light wounds.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent Palestinian group linked to
Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, claimed responsibility, saying it was
avenging the deaths of members killed by Israel.
A rep for the group, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the
bombing proved Palestinians can carry out attacks even with the barrier.
Palestinian officials condemned the attack. "We are against all
bombings like this," Arafat said.
Israel began building the barrier 2 y ago, saying it is needed to keep
out Palestinian attackers who have killed nearly 1,000 Israelis in 4 y
of fighting. More than 3,000 Palestinians were killed in the same
period, most by army fire.
Israel has completed 1/4 of the planned 425-mile project, and says the
barrier is a key reason for the recent lull in Palestinian attacks.
But the barrier stretches deep into the W Bank and has disrupted the
lives of 1000s of Palestinians.
The Palestinians turned to the world court, arguing that the barrier
amounts to an illegal land grab. The Palestinians want an independent
state in all of the W Bank and Gaza Strip.
Sharon met Sun with snr Cabinet ministers, security officials and the
A-G to discuss the fallout from the world court decision.
He ordered construction to continue, in line with a recent Israeli
Supreme Court decision, his office said.
The Israeli court last m ordered Israel to change the route of the barrier
nr Jerusalem, saying it was causing too much hardship on the Palestinians.
But it upheld Israel's claim that the barrier is a security measure,
not an attempt to redraw its borders, and allowed construction to continue.
Based on the decision, Israel has already begun plans to change other
parts of the route.
On Sun, the Supreme Court extended a freeze on another stretch of barrier
nr the Israeli town of Rosh Haayin. The Association of Civil Rights in
Israel, which filed the challenge, said the freeze would remain in effect
for several wk until a final decision on re-routing the barrier is made.
Israeli officials said they have turned to the US and other nations to
fend off Palestinian efforts at the UN.
Washington often has used its veto in the Sec Council to block
resolutions critical of Israel. US officials have said they disagree
with the world court, and they believe no further UN action is necessary.
Palestinian leaders met Sun in the W Bank city of Ramallah to plan
their diplomatic strategy. The leaders indicated they are in no rush
to seek a binding Sec Council resolution on the barrier because of an
expected US veto.

Italy prevents docking of migrants' ship
Pt Empedocle, Sicily (BBC).  Italian coast guards in Sicily are
preventing the docking of a German ship carrying 37 African
immigrants.  2 Italian doctors have boarded the vessel to see if
anyone needs immediate medical attention.  The saga began 3 wk ago
when a desperate boatload of refugees from Sudan, who were being
prevented from landing in Europe, were rescued from a leaking dinghy
in the central Mediterranean.  On Sun morning, the captain of the
German-registered ship radioed for help, saying some of the refugees
were threatening suicide.  He said he may try to dock his ship even
without permission.  Up until now the Italian authorities have refused
to grant permission for the captain to land his passengers on the
grounds they were picked up nr Malta and should therefore be put
ashore there.  Italian coast guards prevented the vessel from
approaching closer than half a mile from the entrance to the Sicilian
port of Porto Empedocle.

Family wants killer shark spared
Perth.  WA authorities plan to kill 2 sharks believed responsible for
a deadly attack on Sat if they can find them, despite the victim's
family saying the animals should be spared.
Fisheries officers will resume their search off the state's SW coast
this morning.
Surfer Brad Smith, 29, was killed off the beach at Gracetown on Sat,
with witnesses saying one shark attacked him while another circled.
It is not clear what type of sharks were involved in the attack but a
search of nearby waters will continue today. Searchers yesterday found
no sign of the animals, saying overcast conditions made it hard to
spot shadows in the water.
WA Fisheries Min Kim Chance says a police officer on board a fisheries
patrol vessel will shoot the sharks if they can be ID-ed as those responsible.
That is despite Mr Smith's family saying it does not want the sharks killed.
Mr Chance says the patrol will continue for the next few days.
"Large sharks can cover as much as 200 km in a day," Mr Chance
said. "What's keeping that shark there or what might keep that shark
there is simply a behavioural pattern that we don't understand but why
a particular shark might return to an area is an ingrained hunting
instinct, I would imagine."
* 'Great white'
Witnesses described the shark as at least 3 m long and experts say the
surfer was pushed off his board, which is the behaviour of a great
white shark.
Fishing expert Mike Roennfeldt says authorities should not hesitate to
shoot the shark if it is close to the area and fits the description
given by other surfers at the beach.
He says the shark which attacked swimmer Ken Crewe at Perth's
Cottesloe beach in 2000 should have been shot.
"It was a total stuff-up that they didn't kill that shark then, they
had the opportunity," he said.
"Incidents like this, if you're fairly sure you've got the right fish,
it probably should be killed."
Auga-Margaret River Shire president Nick Dornan says the popular Left
Handers beach at Gracetown will remain closed today, as school holidays begin.
"I really think parents will be very concerned about having their
children in the water at the moment but we'll probably have to get
some expert advice to get it into perspective," he said.
* Calculated risks
Surfing instructor and Prevelly Beach resident Helen Thompson says
committed surfers see sharks often and take calculated risks.
"Not that I want to encourage people to go back in the water until
they've given the okay for everybody to do it but I think that people
will make up their own mind that they feel safe," she said.
The Shark Hazard Committee will report to the WA Govt within weeks on
ways to reduce the risk of shark attacks.
Committee chairman Peter Millington says one solution could be to
start aerial patrols in the metropolitan area a m earlier, in Oct.
"Some people think that the great whites in particular follow the
whale migration so it probably deals with several issues at the same
time which is the school holidays, perceived increased risk and also
the fact you can technically do it due to sunrise," he said.

Eadie in new drug row
Canberra.  Cycling officials have issued Aussie rider Sean Eadie with
an infraction notice, after Customs revealed it intercepted a package
of performance-enhancing drugs addressed to him in 1999.
Cycling AUS and the Aussie Olympic Committee have announced in a
statement that they have cited Eadie, 34, for an alleged breach of
their anti-doping policies.
The statement says the breach relates to a package of 16 tablets
containing anterior pituitary peptides mailed in Jan 1999 and
addressed to Eadie, a former world champion.
The substance is prohibited under the anti-doping policies of both
Cycling AUS and the Aussie Olympic Committee and can be detected in
doping controls.
Cycling AUS says Eadie has not tested positive to any banned substance.
Customs has been investigating banned rider Mark French since Mar but
widened the scope of its inquiry when French implicated other riders
in drug use during a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing.
French has already been banned for life from Olympic competition for
trafficking and possession of illegal substances.
Eadie now faces a ban from the Athens Olympics and has 14 days in
which to respond to the infraction notice.

Citrus growers wait on canker impact
Adelaide.  AUS's citrus industry is waiting to see what impact the
outbreak of citrus canker disease in Qld will have on the nation's
largest horticultural export.
With citrus regions such as SA experiencing their best seasons for
several years, there is a risk some of their markets may suspend imports.
SA Citrus Growers chairman Mark Cheown says this could happen, at least
initially, even though a quarantine was quickly applied to fruit from Qld.
"The trees will be removed if they haven't already ... and then of
course the continual testing will go on," he said.
"Countries that will put a blanket ban on, our people will move very
quickly to get over that.
"Just depending on the rules and conditions as someone said before,
usually the devils in the detail, and so these countries that are
going to impose this on us we probably don't know the entire detail yet."
* Evergreen
Meanwhile, the Qld Govt has warned the owners of a central Qld fruit
orchard to cooperate with efforts to eradicate citrus canker.
The disease was found on a property owned by Evergreen Farms near
Emerald last wk.
Last wk the company went to court in a bid to keep Primary Industry
Dept officers off the property but the action was adjourned when an
agreement was reached between the parties.
Primary Industries Min Henry Palaszczuk says his dept is moving in to
cut down and burn any tree affected by the canker.
"I have one statement I want to make, and that's to the owners of
Evergreen: cooperate or get out of the way -- full stop," he said.
"It means cooperate or get out of the way -- we want their support."

Woolies' pub takeover bid 'inadequate'
Sydney.  Pubs and pokies business Aussie Leisure and Hospitality has
labelled a takeover bid from supermarket giant Woolworths "grossly
inadequate".  Woolworths announced last wk that it wants to take over
Aussie Leisure and Hospitality in a joint venture with pub magnate
Bruce Mathieson.  The joint venture called Bruandwo offered ALH $2.75
a share, well below the market price at the time of the offer.  ALH
has issued a statement to the Aussie Stock Exchange calling the offer
unsolicited, grossly inadequate and opportunistic.  The company's
board says it plans to recommend its shareholders reject the offer.
Woolworths may face further obstacles, with the Aussie Competition and
Consumer Commission watching developments closely over concerns a
takeover could affect competition in regional areas.  About midday
Woolworths and ALH shares were each down one cent -- Woolworths to
$11.53 and ALH to $3.04.

Authorities begin destroying infected citrus orchards
Brisbane.  Qld primary industries officers have begun cutting down
8,000 trees on a property in the central highlands where the disease
citrus canker has been detected.  The trees on the infected Emerald
property will be burned tomorrow, if wind conditions improve.
Neighbouring properties, as well as orchards in the S Burnett region,
are also being inspected for signs of the disease.  Meanwhile, the Fed
Member for Maranoa, Bruce Scott, says the citrus disease, as well as
errors in Biosecurity AUS's decision to allow banana and apple
imports, shows the need for tighter import controls.  "So I think
Biosecurity have been a little too conservative and I think through
the Senate processes of inquiry that perhaps we'll find that we've got
to get much tougher in this regard," he said.  "We should have a
process where Biosecurity's decisions are unanimous, not by majority
and the comments from the scientists should be open for all to see."

Union slams halving of maternity payment
Sydney.  The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union has accused
AUS Post of halving a SYD worker's maternity leave entitlements
because she gave birth prematurely.  The union is threatening legal
action over the payment.  The union has warned AUS Post to pay the
remainder of the entitlement by 5.00 pm today or face legal action
through the Fed Court.  The employee gave birth 13 wk early and the
union says AUS Post responded by cutting her maternity entitlement in
half.  The union's New S Wales state secretary, Jim Metcher, says AUS
Post's conduct is outrageous.  "AUS Post is denying this poor postal
worker her rights with regard to receiving her entitlements," he said.
AUS Post has refused to comment in detail but says it will pay the
woman in the event a mistake has been made.

AUS Post admits mistake with maternity rule
Sydney.  AUS Post has admitted it made a mistake when it halved a
woman's maternity pay because she gave birth prematurely.  The
Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union had threatened legal
action against AUS Post if the remainder of her entitlement was not
paid by 5.00 pm today.  The company has apologised for the mistake and
has agreed to pay the full amount.  Elizabeth Rich from AUS Post says
it was an administrative error.  "Unfortunately it was human error,"
she said.  "The mistake occurred when our maternity leave policy was
misapplied and whilst this shouldn't have happened, we're pleased to
now be able to make things right and of course we'll be reviewing our
procedures to ensure this kind of mistake does not happen again."

AMA urges Tas to stop importing doctors
Hobart. The Aussie Medical Association (AMA) says bringing doctors
from Third World countries to fill shortages in Tas is immoral.  Tas
accepts many overseas-trained doctors before they are fully accredited
for Aussie practice.  Some come from Third World countries such as
Pakistan and Bangladesh.  AMA nat'l president Bill Glasson says that
raises serious ethical dilemmas.  "Though there are huge shortages in
Tas, we should not resort to attracting doctors from parts of the
world where they can least afford to lose those doctors," he said.
Tas Liberal Sen Eric Abetz believes the shortage will be fixed when
the number of medical graduates increases in 5 or 6 years' time.  He
has criticised the State Govt for not offering more money to keep
local doctors in Tas.  The state's Health Min, David Llewellyn, will
meet his fed counterpart, Tony Abbott, this m to discuss the doctor shortage.

Navy's amphibious plan sparks debate
Canberra.  The Fed Govt is considering a plan to replace its Navy
transport ships with 2 large, aircraft carrier-style warships which
could carry 100s of troops into battle.
The proposal is reportedly causing divisions within Defence and the
Govt, with some in favour of buying smaller ships.
Hugh White from the Aussie Strategic Policy Institute says AUS should
purchase smaller transport ships, including high-speed catamarans.
"There's no doubt at all that we do need to buy new ships to maintain
our amphibious capability," he said.
"But I'm a bit surprised that the Govt's looking at ships of a big
size, 27,000 tonnes and thereabouts, the biggest ships that we ever
had in the Navy.
"I think smaller ships would do the job for us better. Larger numbers of
smaller ships would give us more flexibility than a small number of big ones."
However, Neil James from the Aussie Defence Association says the Navy
might as well buy bigger ships.
"The problem with amphibious shipping is you need a ship that is large
enough that will allow you to land a certain number of forces in one
lift of helicopters," he said.
"We can't do that with Manoora and Kanimbla at the moment even though
they're a reasonable size."
* Advantage
But Mr White says smaller ships would better suit the Aussie Def
Force's likely roles in future conflicts.
"The advantage of a big ship in the amphibious role is it allows you
to put a lot of troops on a particular target simultaneously," he said.
"That's very important if you're doing a D-day style amphibious
assault against powerful forces concentrated in prepared positions.
"But that's a very unlikely role for the Aussie forces, particularly
in our own neighbourhood.
"It's much more likely that we're going to want to do operations like
the sorts of things we did in E Timor or in the Solomons, where we do
need to be able to deploy forces and support them from the sea but
we're not really going into that kind of high-level operations.
"The ability to do several of those kinds of operations in different
places, rather than to do one big operation in one place, that seems
to be one reason why we'd be much better off having a larger number of
smaller ships rather than a smaller number of bigger ones."
Mr White says cost is also a factor because "the big ships are inevitably
going to be a lot more expensive, harder to crew and more expensive to
maintain".
He is encouraging the ADF and Govt to also consider buying Aussie-developed
high-speed catamarans, which he says the US marines are examining.
"In E Timor, we had one on lease and it worked extremely well and I'm
a bit surprised that we haven't looked at that technology as a longer-term
solution," he said.
Mr White says HMAS Manoora, Kanimbla and Tobruk will all need replacing in
the next 15 y.

Rann expects back-down on nuclear dump
Adelaide.  SA Prem Mike Rann believes fed Cabinet will decide today to
back down on a proposal for a radioactive waste dump in SA.  During
his Adel visit last week, Prime Min John Howard indicated his Cabinet
would review the case after continuing public opp'n and a court ruling
against the compulsory acquisition of the land.  The Govt held a
similar review prior to the 2001 election but postponed its decision
until after it won govt.  Mr Rann says if that tactic is used again,
SAs will vote accordingly at the next election.  "The Prime Min knows
that more than 80% of South Aussies are opposed to having this
inflicted on us, which is essentially waste from the Lucas Heights
nuclear reactor being brought across our borders, through our
communities and along our roads," he said.

Crean accepts Costello debate challenge
Simon Crean ... ready for treasury debate.
Canberra.  The Fed Shadow Treasurer, Simon Crean, has accepted a
challenge to debate his Govt counterpart in the lead-up to the
election.  Mr Crean says he cannot wait to take on Peter Costello.
With leaked Liberal Party polling suggesting Mr Crean is a liability
for Labor, Mr Costello is keen for a nat'ly televised election
campaign debate.  Mr Crean says that is hardly a challenge, more a
cop-out, given he says a treasury debate has been the feature of
campaigns for the past decade.  Mr Costello says he would debate Mr
Crean immediately if he had any policies but the former Labor leader
has hit back, saying he will take on Mr Costello anywhere, anytime.
Labor leader Mark Latham also wants to debate Mr Costello, saying he
expects the Treasurer to take over from PM John Howard as Liberal
leader halfway through the next term.

Beattie accused of panic over power report
Brisbane.  The Qld Opp'n says "panic politics" is behind another Govt
funding injection for the electricity grid.  The State Govt will spend
$140 mn to improve electricity supply in Bris's CBD.  Since announcing
a review of Qld's electricity networks, the Govt has made a number of
funding announcements, including a $530 mn Budget allocation to
enhance power distribution in regional Qld.  Opp'n leader Lawrence
Springborg thinks the Govt is nervous about the review.  "Mr Beattie
is trying to pre-empt what is going to be a very bad report for the
Govt," he said.  Prem Peter Beattie says he expects the report to be
critical but denies the latest funding is proof he is panicking.
"It's part of our ongoing improvement to the electricity
infrastructure," he said.  Mr Beattie says the electricity grid in
Bris's CBD needs improving to match the pace of development.

Greens deny selective logging 'risky'
Hobart.  The Tassie Greens have criticised claims by the forest industry
that an end to old-growth clear-felling would increase the dangers
posed to forest workers.
The claims follow 2 recent court cases involving workers injured while
felling trees.
The Forest Industries Association says the court cases highlight the
dangers of selective logging, with tree fellers at risk of being hit
by falling branches.
Assoc chief executive Terry Edwards says clear-felling was introduced
partly to avoid such accidents.
"Any move away from clear-felling is going to result in an increased
incidence of injury and perhaps even death," he said.
But the Greens' Tas leader, Peg Putt, blames clear-felling for a
demise in safe selective logging skills.
She says the association does not care about safety, it just wants to
avoid change.
"They haven't said boo about the selective logging that's been going
on on the E coast for many years," she said.
The State Govt is awaiting a report by Forestry Tas on the
implications of phasing out old-growth clear-felling by 2010.

Liberal MP regrets drink-driving incident
Melbourne.  The Vic Liberal Party is looking for a new front-bencher
after Andrew Olexander resigned because of a drink-driving charge.
Mr Olexander stepped aside from the arts, consumer affairs and youth
affairs portfolios after admitting he was over the limit when he
crashed his car into 4 parked vehicles in Port MEL early yesterday morning.
He was later taken to the Alfred Hospital after complaining of chest
pain but was released last night.
In a prepared statement, the Upper House Member for Silvan said he
deeply regretted driving under the influence and described his actions
as indefensible and entirely irresponsible.
Mr Olexander's resignation was read to journalists outside the Alfred
Hospital by the Deputy Leader of the Upper House Andrea Cootes.
"In recognition of the seriousness of this matter I have resigned from
my portfolio of responsibility as spokesperson for the arts, consumer
affairs and youth affairs," she said.
"I will fully cooperate with Vic police with all investigations.
"I deeply and sincerely regret driving under the influence of alcohol.
I have made an appalling mistake.
"My actions are un-defensible and entirely irresponsible. I apologise
to the Victorian community, my electorate and my party."
The Vic Opp'n leader is considering whether further disciplinary
action should be taken against Mr Olexander.
Opp'n leader Robert Doyle says he is still trying to establish all the
aspects of the incident.
"He's a person of great ability, you know he's a very energetic person,
he's done a good job performing in those 3 portfolios, but that's part
of the pity of this," Mr Doyle told S Cross Radio.
"These things do have political consequences as well as civil consequences
and I presume police and magistrates court consequences."
Carolyn Hirsh, who also represents the seat of Silvan, resigned the
chairmanship of the parliamentary drugs and crime prevention committee
5 wk ago, also because of a drink-driving charge.
But she says there is little similarity between the 2 cases.
"I feel really sorry for Mr Olexander, I really don't like being
compared with him," she said.
"I had no idea that I was over the limit and I don't like the
comparison but I do feel for him."

Talks begin on WA Cabinet reshuffle
Perth.  Preliminary talks have started in the W Aussie Labor Party as
to who will be promoted to Cabinet after the next election.
Talk of who will get what has angered some party power-brokers who say
MPs should be concentrating on winning the election, rather than
furthering their careers.
There is strong speculation Prem Geoff Gallop will increase his Cabinet by
1, or possibly 2, to accommodate more of his ambitious backbenchers.
There are at least 10 vying for a coveted ministerial position and
just one existing minister, Clive Brown, is retiring.
It is understood Upper House MP Ljiljanna Ravilich will fill the
ministerial spot being vacated by Tom Stephens, who could be dumped
from Cabinet, along with Nick Griffiths.
Who will replace Mr Griffiths is already a subject of dispute within
Labor's left faction.
In the Lower House, John Dorazio is considered a strong contender for
a ministerial position, along with Margaret Quirk and Fran Logan.
The early discussions have angered one power-broker, who has told the
ABC MPs should be focusing on winning the election and not pursuing
their own ambitions.

Howard unveils emergency workers memorial
Canberra.  Prime Min John Howard has unveiled a new memorial in CBR
recognising the work of emergency services staff and volunteers.  The
$1 mn memorial acknowledges the role of staff and volunteers in
fighting natural disasters as well as undertaking rescue operations.
The 23-m long stone structure has been built beside Lake Burley
Griffin.  Mr Howard says Aussies owe emergency service workers a debt
of gratitude.  "In opening this memorial we record our tribute to the
spirit of mateship," he said.  "[To] the volunteer spirit, the
cooperative spirit between people at different responsibilities in
different parts of the country that always expresses it so well at a
time of personal trauma and local or nat'l challenge,"

Beazley to take defence portfolio
Kim Beazley returns to his old stomping ground, defence.
Canberra (ABC, Stephanie Kennedy).  Former Opp'n leader Kim Beazley
will return to a key role on Labor's front bench.
Current leader Mark Latham has announced Mr Beazley will take on the
defence portfolio.
Mr Beazley has been on Labor's back bench since losing the 2001 fed election.
He challenged for the ALP leadership twice last y and 7 m ago he lost
by one vote to Mr Latham.
Mr Latham has asked the former defence minister to return to the front
bench as the defence rep.
"Kim is someone with enormous experience and expertise in defence matters
and to have him as the defence minister in this country would add
substantially to our nat'l security," Mr Latham said.
Labor's defence credentials have taken a battering over the past
month, with the Bush Admin, from Pres George W Bush down criticising
Mr Latham's plan to pull Aussie troops out of Iraq by Christmas.
Mr Beazley has a good relationship with a number of snr members of the
US Govt and his return to the defence portfolio will be an important
signal to the Bush Admin.
Mr Beazley says he wants to help AUS fight terrorism if Labor wins the
election.
"This is going to be a Latham Labor Govt devoted to protecting Aussies
against their enemies," he said.
"That's why I want to come on board, because I know that's Mark's
commitment and it is my commitment as well."

4 rescued off cliff face
Melbourne.  4 people have been rescued from a cliff face nr Airey's
Inlet on Vic's SW coast.  A helicopter flew the group to safety about
10.00 pm yesterday.  The drama began when 2 17-yo girls became
stranded after they scaled a cliff to escape a rising tide.  One of
the girls called her father, who arrived on the scene with his 15-yo
son. They also became stranded after attempting a rescue.  SES
personnel and a police helicopter arrived on the scene and unloaded
the helicopter to reduce its weight.  The pilot then manoeuvred close
to the cliff and was able to touch down with one wheel to rescue the 4.

Police search for boy missing overnight
Bathurst, NSW.  Emergency services staff are searching for a 5-yo boy
missing on a private property at Mount Oberon nr Bathurst in New South
Wales's central west.  The boy, Jarrod Hopewood, went missing about
3.00 pm yesterday.  Police Sgt Dave Rose says officials are
especially concerned for the boy because of low overnight
temperatures.  "Police and Jarrod's family are concerned for his
welfare and his age, and the freezing weather conditions," he said.
"The only description I have is that it was freezing, obviously very
cold and we're very concerned for his welfare."

Missing boy found after cold night
Bathurst.  A 5-yo boy missing on a farm in freezing conditions in New
South Wales' central W has been found.  Jarrod Hopewood was last seen
playing with friends at a property near Oberon at around 3.00 pm
yesterday.  He was found this morning during a search involving SES
volunteers, fire and police officers.  Police say he was found
reasonably close to the area where he was last seen.  He has been
reunited with his mother and has been taken to Bathurst hospital for a
check-up.  Ambulance rep Anthony McClenaghan says the boy survived the
ordeal without suffering any major injuries.  "The paramedics on the
scene said he didn't look injured at all. He just appeared tired and
was just happy to see his mum," he said.

Vic police may pack semi-automatics
Melbourne.  Senior Vic police are being urged to issue the state's
police officers with semi-automatic guns.
The Police Association says the semi-automatics are better than the
.38-calibre Smith and Wesson 6-bullet guns which police carry.
Assoc secretary Paul Mullett says the underworld war has given new
impetus to the need for better firepower for police officers.
However, he says the force's command seems reluctant to spend $5.5 mn
providing the new guns to officers.
"There is some reluctance on behalf of the Vic police force but we
believe it comes back to cost," he said.
"But what dollar value do you place on a police officer's life?
"We really want this best-practice equipment in terms of automatic
pistols issued as soon as possible."
Liberty Vic opposes the issuing of semi-automatic weapons to all
police officers.
VP Brian Walters says increased firepower is not the answer to dealing
with corruption and underworld killings.
"We have a situation in Vic where there has been a history of police
misusing weapons," he said.
"There have been a large number of police shootings in this state.
"It's quite inappropriate to give this kind of weapon just at a time when the
police are trying to sort out problems internally with their own corruption."

Woman's car dragged 200 m under tanker
Melbourne.  Firefighters are amazed a woman escaped unhurt after her
car was dragged underneath a tanker for nearly 200 m on MEL's Western
Ring Road this morning.  The car was wedged underneath the tanker in
an accident at Sunshine North.  Senior station officer Daryn Conlin
says the car was extensively damaged but the woman managed to get out
and was coherent and walking around.  "We went back and had a look at
the skid marks and they were approximately 150 to 200 m," he said.
"The lady has been pinned under the truck and dragged for a distance
of that ... it would have been very frightening and she was extremely
fortunate not to have been seriously injured."

4 killed in NSW 'murder-suicide'
Gresford, NSW.  Police in NSW's Hunter Valley are investigating a
suspected triple-murder suicide after the discovery of 4 bodies in a
house at Gresford, W of Dungog.  Police were called to a house in
Durham Road just before 9 o'clock this morning, after a family member
raised concerns.  They discovered the bodies of a 32-yo man, a 30-yo
woman, a 3-yo boy and a 20-mo girl.  Sgt Dave Rose says police are
treating the deaths as suspicious.  "Police were called to a house at
Durham Road around 8.45 this morning as a result of info provided by a
family member after they were concerned for their welfare," he said.
"Upon arrival police found the body of a man, a woman, a boy and baby
girl. Inquires are ongoing at this time but police are treating the
deaths as suspicious."  The coroner has been informed.

Man flown to hospital after mine accident
Sydney.  A 22-y old man injured in a coal-mining accident in the
state's central W this morning has been flown to a SYD hospital.  The
accident happened when the man was pinned against the mine wall by
heavy machinery in the Clarence Colliery E of Lithgow.  The accident
happened 5 km from the mine entrance.  His condition is described as
serious but stable.

Teen in court after fatal umbrella attack
Melbourne.  A teenager is facing court after a MEL school student was
fatally stabbed in the head with an umbrella.  Christopher Williams,
18, died in hospital after being stabbed at an Essendon tram stop last
Oct.  A 15-yo boy is facing a committal hearing in the Children's
Court charged with murder.  A friend of the victim has told the court
the group had been drinking beer and had been at the tram stop less
than a minute when a teenage male made a comment about her skirt.  She
said she was not really worried by the comment but jokingly asked the
victim if he was going to stand up for her.  She said the victim
turned around and asked the group what had been said and was stabbed
in the head with an umbrella.

NSW Govt loses decade-long fight over Ballast Point
Sydney.  The NSW Govt is examining a devastating court judgement,
which could add $60 mn to the cost of a planned harbour-side park.  The
judgement comes after a decade of fighting between the State Govt and
a council in SYD's inner W over Ballast Point in Birchgrove.  The SYD
Harbour Foreshore Authority resumed Ballast point 2 y ago for $16.5
mn.  The old Ampol, later Caltex, fuel depot had been the subject of a
decade of fighting between Leichhardt Council and the State Govt which
tried to approve housing development.  It was not until 2000 that the
foreshore authority suggested resuming the land for parkland.  That
effectively headed off Walker Corporation's agreed option to buy the
land to build 140 units.  The Land and Environment Court says the
Walker Corporation had a reasonable expectation of residential
development.  It has ruled the value of the land to the company was $60 mn.

{{
Midnight.
BBC World News.  UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan has warned countries across the
world they're not doing enough to combat the AIDS pandemic.  He was
speaking at the 15th internat'l AIDS conf in Bangkok.  50,000
delegates are attending.  Already, several UN targets have not been
met, officials admit.  1/3 of countries don't have programs to help
women, said Annan, and as the most vulnerable members of society AIDS
was fast becoming a disease of women.

The US military says 5 soldiers have been killed in the past 24 hrs.
4 Marines died nr Fallujah on Sat in a traffic accident.

Afghan officials in Herat say 5 people were killed and 30 injured in a
bomb blast nr a police stn.  A Def Min'y official said a ceremony
where local militias were to publicly hand in their weapons has been
cancelled after the attack.  But the men had still handed in the weapons.

The new Pres of Serbia is Boris Tadic.  He becomes the first
non-Communist Pres since WWII.  he's the leader of the Democratic
Party of assassinated PM Zjinjic.  As Pres he has few powers, and may
well be at odds with the PM who leads a rival party.  Tadic was
elected after a 4th Presid'l election.  The 3 prev ones failed to meet
a minimum turnout.  The law was abolished before the 4th poll.

As many as 20,000 Bosnians attended the 9th anniv of the massacre of
Srebrenica.  About 7,000 men and boys were killed by Serb soldiers.
It was the worst massacre since WWII.  At the time, the town was under
the alleged protection of UN troops.  Every y more remains are found
in mass graves around the town.  300 remains were buried today as part
of the ceremonies.

Tokyo.  Early indications are that the Lib Democrats have done worse
than expected.  It's likely the PM's party will retain power in an
alliance, but Koizumi's long-term further may be undermined by the poor result.

1 am
A German ship carrying African refugees has been given permission to
dock in S Sicily.  Originally, the capt was told to dock in Malta.
Until today, it had been denied permission to land in Italy.  The
refugees are thought to be from the Darfur region of Sudan.  The capt
says some were threatening suicide.  [A later report say the refugees
were 36 Sudanese, and 1 Sierra Leone].

In Israel, Ariel Sharon has ordered the construction of the barrier to
continue.  He prev indicated his govt would ignore any decision by the ICJ.

2 am
There's confusion in Sicily.  It now seems a ship carrying African
refugees is being blocked by the Italian coast guard.  The ship has
been waiting 1 wk for permission to land.

3 am
Iraq says it's agreed with Syria to seal its borders from foreign
insurgents.  The Iraqi Dep PM made the announcement after speaking
with Syrian officials in Damascus.  The infiltration will be
controlled from both sides of the border with specialised security
forces, he says.

A snr Dem on the Intel Committee says the CIA is "not good enough" to
prevent another 9/11.  Rockefeller says the CIA was trying to change
its attitudes under tough circumstances.  He was speaking on a talk
show.  Committee Chair Pat Roberts disagreed.  He says the CIA is
better now than before the GWII intel failure.

The ILO has called for internat'l action to prevent discrimination
against workers with AIDS.  The UN's labour organisation says 2/3 of
those with the virus are still in work, and need more protection.
Among their concerns are AIDS tests by employers.  The tests should be
voluntary, says the ILO.  At the same time, more people should be
encouraged to have them.  9/10 of sufferers in the developing world
unaware they have the disease.

7 am
A group of women has made a video threat against the lawyers of Saddam
Hussein.  The veiled women appeared in a video, asking where was the
world when Saddam was killing their sons.  They threatened revenge
against lawyers defending the former dictator.

2 US soldiers [some reports say 3] have been killed by a roadside bomb
nr Samarrah.  3 others were wounded in the incident.  The latest
deaths brings to 656 the number of American soldiers killed since the
end of hostilities in May 2003.  [Some reports incorrectly say "since
the start of the war"].  More than 1,000 Coal'n troops have died so
far during GWII and its aftermath.

The AUD is trading around 72.21 US c.  Oil is down .37 to $US39.90/bbl.

The wife of a Phil hostage is heading off to Iraq.  Kidnappers have
reportedly extend the deadline for his execution after Phil diplomats
negotiated to have the 24 hr deadline to kill hostage extended.
Elsewhere, it's report 2 Bulgarians held hostage by another group are
still alive.

The Aussie Govt will reportedly ignore the plight of mns of Aussies
locked into old super funds.  Earlier this y, CBR had moved to pass a
super reform package.  But it is not accessible by mns of Aussies.
It's been revealed old-style super funds impose such crippling exit
fees it will prevent workers moving their money to better managers.
The package was meant to promote competition among funds.

The US is considering a plan to delay the up-coming Presid'l election
on Nov 2 poll in case of a terrorist attack.

The brother of a 29 yo surfer killed off the WA coast by a shark,
doesn't want the animal killed.

The new Iraq govt won't pursue WMD.  The Iraqi Nat'l Security Adv
says Iraq won't pursue the weapons.  He said intel reports say some
WMD may have been smuggled out of Iraq before GWII.  Iraq will honour
treaties on WMD, he said, and won't threaten its neighbours.  Iraq
will be a model for non proliferation.

Aus Post has reportedly 1/2-ed an employee's maternity leave
entitlement because she gave birth 13 wks early.  The union says the
policy is outrageous and bordering on the bizarre.

Roma. PM Berlusconi is talking to his rebellious coal'n after a jr
partner threatened to quit.  He's called an emergency meeting to solve
the power struggle within his ruling coal'n.  He said there was no
room for behind-the-scenes scheming and ambiguity. That's his job!

N Darfur state govt says rebels have kidnapped and killed a town mayor
and threatened other officials.

One person has been hurt in an incident outside a Caracas police HQ.
Masked youths had thrown stones at supporters of a mayor who's been
detained by the Political Police on charges of "incitement".  The
youths carried signs calling on voters to support Pres Chavez.
Meanwhile, the Pres was appearing on radio and TV in his weekly "Hello
President" address.  He again accused the US of orchestrating a
campaign to oust him.

Pres Bush is under pressure to nominate a new permanent head of the
CIA.  Jay Rockefeller says leaving an interim dir in charge over the
next 7 m would be "dangerous".  Pat Roberts also says someone must go
up for the job ASAP.  Richard Armitage is one of the 4 names being
publicly touted for the job.  "He's a tough cookie" said Roberts.

Sen John Kerry has told the NY Times "they were wrong, and soldiers
lost their lives because they were wrong".  He was talking about the
Bush Whitehouse -- accusing it of dishonesty.  "Their value system is
distorted, and not based on truth" he said.

Rockefeller says the Iraq war was hard to justify to the families of
the 1,000 soldiers that have now been killed there.  4,000 American
soldiers have been wounded.

7.30 am
Tokyo. There's celebration in the opp'n Democratic Party HQ tonight.
They've stolen seats from the ruling LDP in the upper house.  But few
voters thought their policies better than govt's.  It had been feared
that apathy would stymie a good opp'n showing.  But turn-out was high.
Voters wanted to punish the Koizumi govt for a pension reform plan.
Koizumi is no longer a vote-winner for his party, say analysts.

Def analysts have been surprised to hear the Aus Govt is considering
retiring a number of RAN vessels and replacing them with 2 large troop
carriers.  They say the proposed carriers would be among the largest
ships bought by the def forces.  The govt envisages the 27,000 tonne
vessels would be used to carry troops to the battlefield.  They are
also capable of carrying aircraft.  [And Abrams tanks?]  But analysts
say a larger number of small ships would do that job and be more
flexible.  The Opp'n says Def Min Hill seems to be equipping AUS for
more operations at the behest of the US, rather than in our own
region.  The Howard govt has prev ordered reconditioned US Abrams
tanks, that are too big to be deployed o/s by current transports, and
are not designed for local operations like Timor.

10 am
UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan has issued a plea to world leaders to take more
action to confront the global AIDS pandemic.

AIDS may kill as many as 48 mn workers by 2010 and the toll could rise
to 74 mn by 2015, inflicting a body blow to nat'l economies, the UN's
Internat'l Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned.

AUS will more than double to $600 mn the amount of money it gives to
fight the global HIV-AIDS pandemic.

When Indiana man Kerry Edwards snagged the domain name
kerryedwards.com, cyber squatting was not the 1st thing on his mind.

Midday.
The AUD is trading at 72.46 US c.  Local stocks opened firmer on the
lead from Wall St Fri.  There's growing demand for copper from China.
The All Ords is down 1 pt at 3,562.  The Nikkei is up 114.  The Hang
Seng is 33 higher.  Gold is down .27 at $US407.37/oz.

SYD.  3 former FAI execs are appearing at a committal hearing.  They
are accused with providing false info and failing to act honestly as
officers.  The max penalty is 5 y jail.  The trio engineered an
allegedly fake reinsurance deal in 1998, just before HIH took over
FAI.  The scheme was intended to hide huge shortfalls.  The hidden
debt eventually caused HIH to collapse.

Flooding has left 70 people dead in India.  Mns have been left
homeless in the NE.  In Bangladesh, 1/3 of the country is underwater.
4 children and 2 men drowned on the weekend, taking the flood-related
death toll there to 25.

4.30 pm
Israel has confirmed a 75 yo man was crushed to death in his home
during an army incursion into Gaza.  The victim was reportedly
wheelchair-bound.  The army said it didn't know the man was in the
house at the time it was demolished.  They army said it was destroying
empty houses used by snipers.  An investigation is reportedly underway
into the death.

1000s of citrus trees in C Qld have been uprooted and burned in a
program to combat canker disease.  Inspectors are completing their
work on 42 farms.  Other farms are being tested for the disease.
Results won't be known immediately.

Tibet has been jolted by a mag 6.7 quake.

The All Ords is down 5 pts at 3,554.  It's been quiet trading today.
The AUD is at 72.53 US c, continuing to move ahead.  W Texas crude is
up .46 at $US39.90/bbl.  In Japan, the Nikkei is up 1.4%.  The Hang
Seng is up .1%.  Local gold is at $US407.90/oz.

Former ALP leader Kim Beazley has been promoted to shadow Def Min.

The hunt continues for 2 sharks in WA that killed a surfer in the
Margaret R surf area in the state's SW.  It's the 2nd fatality in 4
y.  Experts say it's very unusual for 2 animals to simultaneously
attack, especially if they are different species, as reported by
witnesses.  The man was pulled off his surf-board, which experts say
is the modus operandi of the Great White.

PBS News Hour.  Jay Rockefeller says the "group think" in the CIA got
started by the continual barrage from US nat'l leaders from the 1990s.
He said it was not true that no-one rejected the assumptions of WMD.
Pat Roberts agreed some rejected the CIA assessments.
In the DOE and the Def Dept there were caveats, said Roberts.  The
info about aluminium tubes and the portable bio labs had caveats, he added.
But when it was presented in the final product, the caveats were not
there.  But that was after 9/11, said Roberts.
After the UN Inspectors left in 1998, the CIA had just assumed Saddam
would re-build his WMD programs.
Rockefeller said it wasn't fair to dump everything on the CIA.  The
decision to go to war was made at the other end of Penn Ave, he said.
It was a system failure.

PBS News Hour.  Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson Said it wasn't a
collective failure, it was dereliction of duty on the part of at least
some section chiefs.
If everyone around the table agrees, someone is wrong, said Peter Brookes.
Johnson said that pieces to go into the presid'l daily brief go through
5 levels of review, but the message was sent down "we don't want to
poke the President in the eye".
David Kay says everyone was apparently doing common denominator consensus
and not contrary analysis.
You can't put the caveats in footnotes, they have to be in the
executive summaries, suggested Brookes.
The Pres had asked questions, but settled for the "slam dunk" cliche
from Tenet, worried Kay.
Many of these things are examples of the pressure the agency was under
to produce the wanted answers, argued Johnson.
Another instance where pressure came into play, he argued, was the
9/11 Commission, Dick Cheney, and others all claiming there was a
relationship between Saddam and Al Qaeda.  Such uniform opinion was
hard to go against.
Until he went to the Iraq survey group, the analysts in the CIA never
got to hear about the sources of raw intel created by ops, said Kay.

The report was heavily-crafted by the majority said Ray Swarez.
It tries to lay all the blame at the door of the CIA, said Mark
Shields.  The report is blunted by the fact Kerry and Edwards both
voted for the war on the basis of the intel on WMD.
David Brooks points out there's another huge intel failure still
unfolding -- it's not know who or how many are the insurgents in Iraq.

6 pm
Tokyo. The opp'n DPJ has performed strongly, but Koizumi in a news
conf this afternoon vowed to keep troops in Iraq, saying they still
need to rebuild the country.  The opp'n has vowed to step up its
campaign against the deployment.

The FTSE is down 2 pts.

6.30 pm
In Israeli, barrier construction proceeds in defiance of the ICJ.  The
ICJ decision would be fought by all diplomatic and legal means, says
Sharon's office.
But the barrier is not infallible, remind observers.
UN Sec-Gen Annan has called on Israel to meet its internat'l
obligations, while ack'ing it has a duty to protect its own citizens.
The Pal leadership has condemned the latest bomb attack, but at a
press conf Arafat hinted Israel may have planned it.

The deadline for the beheading of a 46 yo Phil truck driver in Iraq has
passed.  There's no word of his fate.  His wife has flown into
Baghdad.  Phil negotiators are working with Pak officials, who
earlier obtained the release of another hostage after he was held by
insurgents for 8 days.

In Sadr City, Baghdad, there's been another death threat against
foreigners.  A group calling itself Daughters of Iraq today warned
lawyers not to defend Saddam Hussein.  Meanwhile, the interim govt
says the border with Syria is to be sealed.  The Dep PM in Damascus
announced special security forces would patrol both sides of the border.

In the heart of the Sunni triangle there's been a large demo in
support of Saddam.  Analysts say there's been far too much emphasis on
foreign fighters.  But there are also signs of a rift between Sunnis
and the foreign fighters.  One group of locals has threatened to kill
a Jordanian terrorist.

5 people have been killed and 34 wounded in the bomb attack in Harat.

70 people are dead in India and neighbouring Nepal as flooding continues.

7 pm
There's reportedly no sign of 2 sharks S of Perth.  The beach where an
attack claimed a surfer was closed again today.  Officials are not
even sure of the species.  Surfers who saw the attack say it was a
white pointers.  Fisheries Dept officials say it was a bronze whaler.  A
shoot-to-kill order on any shark sighted in the area has been revoked.
Experts have confirmed they've found teeth marks of 2 species of
sharks in the board of the dead man.

NSW farmers are in trouble.  87% of the state is in drought, with no
relief in sight.  Today the Fed Govt announced 35,000 farmers would be
eligible for fin'l relief, AUS-wide.  The Exceptional Circumstances
Funding will roll over for a 3rd y instead of requiring farmers to
re-apply after 2 y.  The NFF and NSW Farmers Assoc had been pushing
for the change.  In W NSW, Andy McKinnon is calling on farmers not to
spend the money on cattle feed, but to invest in drought proofing their
properties.  He says barley seeds sprout 6 in in 8 days and provide a
nutritious feed at 1/10 the market price.  He grows the feed
hydroponically in a shed on his property.

India is losing the fight against AIDS.  Officially, 5 mn are HIV+,
but activists say that's probably just the tip of the problem.  Along
the truck routes in Rajistan, 1/4 of the prostitutes have HIV/AIDS.
Virtually every 2nd house is a brothel, and each young girl grows up
to be a prostitute.  Despite the risk, sex is an easy sell.  Truckers
don't use condoms.  They are often drunk.  By the time the girls grow
up, India may have overtaken Africa as the global AIDS hub.

SYD.  In a key policy speech this evening, Opp'n leader Mark Latham
has re-committed the ALP to pulling out Australia's combat troops from
Iraq by the end of the y.  But pointing to the latest UN resolution on
Iraq reconstruction, Mr Latham has committed AUS to helping secure
Iraq's 3,600 km land borders, 60 km sea border, building a new
hospital in Baghdad, and committing 30 military personnel to guarding
the UN mission in Baghdad. The policy is costed at $75 mn over 2 y.

1600 Iraqis were injured in the insurgency last m.  But not just
patients are under threat.  Doctors and their families are, too.
Doctors are better paid now.  Doctors' salaries have gone up an
incredible 17,000% since the start of the war.  That makes them and
their families targets for kidnappers.  Since the end of GWII, 5
doctors have been kidnapped for up to $50,000 ransom in Baghdad.
Meanwhile, the health care sit'n is improving.  80% of primary centres
are restored or improved.  But medicines are in short supply.  Some
doctors say their patients' access to treatment is worse now than
ever before -- even under Saddam and UN sanctions.

7.30 pm
Aus Post says an administrative error was responsible for a woman
being paid only 1/2 her entitlement when she delivered 13 wks
premature.  The company apologised for the mistake and paid over the
remainder of the money this afternoon.

The UN refugee agency has called on Italy to let 37 Africans land in
Sicily.  The group were picked up 3 wks ago by a German vessel.  A rep
for the owners said some of the refugees have threatened to jump
overboard if the ship is not allowed to land.

With most of NSW suffering drought, ski resorts have reported
consistent falls of dry powdery snow.  Some officials are putting it
down to an experimental cloud seeding program.  The weather bureau is
predicting 1 C o'night and -3 tomorrow night for the CBR area.

Dawn Fraser said 1 drug incident was the "tip of the iceberg", and she
may have been on the money.  A 2nd cyclist now faces a ban for
trafficking in proscribed drugs.  The Aussie Customs Service says a
package containing human growth hormone had been posted from Cal to a
cyclist 5 y ago.  The case came to light after the AOL asked Customs
for further information about Aussie athletes after the prev doping
case was discovered.  The latest suspect has denied the accusations.
If found guilty of the charge, he and his team-mates could be stripped
of the relay bronze medal won in SYD.

Kim Beazley has predicted a Latham win in Oct will boost the chances
of Kerry in Nov.

8.30 pm
Forget Iraq.  Forget the War on Terror.  Forget the US economy.  It's
time to run on values.  And the topic to gee up the troops seems to be
gay marriage.  While they seem to be short of the numbers, the Bush
Admin wants to change the US Const'n to ban gay marriage.  The Kerry
camp says Bush is panicking, with poll showing the incumbent is at best
even, and at worst 6 pts behind, their man.  While Kerry is against
the reform, he's also against gay marriage.  He prefers civil unions.
VP Cheney has a gay daughter. the VP and his wife are split on the issue.

10.30 pm
1 m out from the Olympics Athens was blacked out today.  4
sub-stations were reportedly knocked out by the heat.  Officials
getting the power back say it will take hrs.  [It took 8 hrs to
restore, completely].  The incident's raised doubts over power
supplies during the games.

After a 2nd drug scandal, the AOC has announced all 200 Aussie teams
going to Athens have suspended selection announcements until all
athletes are drug screened.

10.40 pm
ABC "Lateline".  It's been revealed the FBI had interrogated an
al-Qaeda operative before the Bali bombing where the suspect said
terrorists planned to attack soft targets in Indonesia.
Today, ASIO boss Dennis Richardson told a senate committee the info
had no direct bearing on preparing for the Bali attack.
In any case, the info was not made available to AUS before the attack.
It's a serious break-down of intel sharing, say analysis.
The FBI has confirmed to ABC TV that info from the questioning had
been forwarded to the State Depot and it was forwarded in turn to
other countries in Asia that were deemed to be at risk of attack.
But the list didn't include Australia, despite the suspect indicating
his targets were Westerners.
A series of intel experts say the info would have been vital because
it related to the safety of Australians.
It's precisely the kind of info intel-sharing is meant to pass on.
Some experts say it could have changed Aussie travel warnings.
Al-Qaeda expert Rohan Gunaratna says it could also signal (another)
intel failure of Aussie services in the region.  Aussie intel officers
should have been able to pick up the warnings being circulated in the
region around mid 2002.

11.30 pm
PM Sharon has threatened to call new general elections if his Likud
party blocks talks for a power-sharing deal with Labour.  One Likud
Central Committee member says Labour would be like a cancer eating
into the party.  One Labour member says he'll put pressure on the PM
to force a withdrawal from more than just Gaza.  Gaza alone would be a
"disaster", he told BBC.

France is restoring full diplomatic relations with Iraq, 13 y after they
were broken off.  The announcement was made in Paris and Baghdad.  The
Tricolour was raised over the French embassy in Baghdad for first time
in 13 y.  PM Allawi says he hopes to start a fresh relationship based
on mutual interests.  Saddam broke off relations when France took part
in the military operation to expel Iraq from Kuwait during GWI.

The internat'l AIDS conf has criticised the Bush Admin's "abstinence"
policy.  1/3 of America's huge funding has gone to "faith based"
groups that push their evangelical Christian agenda.  But Mr Bush had
rec'd support from an unexpected source -- the Pres of Uganda.  But
if you can't abstain, said the Pres, protect yourself.  Uganda is Mr
Bush's favourite African country.  He visited there last y.  AIDS
activists say the "A" and "B" work in Uganda, because Ugandan men
don't like "C".

Italy has allowed a group of refugees to disembark.  The 37 passengers
have set foot on dry land in Sicily.  After medical checks, they were
taken to a nearby town.  It's not clear whether they will be granted asylum.

A respected Austrian magazine published pictures of snr priests
fondling and kissing jr priests.  Police have subsequently found 10s
of 1000s of pornographic pictures and films on computers at a seminary
W of Vienna.  The find followed allegations of child abuse against the
Dir of the seminary.  The Dir and his Dep have now resigned, but proclaiming
their innocence.  Austrian bishops have promised a full investigation.

Members of the San ethnic group in Botswana have mounted a High Court
challenge to their eviction from tribal lands.  They're giving
evidence in court today.  The Bushmen say they were illegally forced
off their land in the C Kalahari in 1997, with water supplies cut off
and houses burned down.  The govt says the San must live where
education and facilities are available.  They say the Bushmen don't
live traditional lives.

10.30 pm
The Phil govt is coming under increasing pressure not to pull its 50
troops out of Iraq next m.  With kidnappers moving up a deadline to
kill a hostage, the Arroyo govt is apparently about to pull its troops
out now.  But it won't confirm those reports.  Violent protests have
been sparked by the hostage crisis in the Philippines.  With 8 mn
citizens working O/S the political sit'n of this one hostage are
enormous.  There are on-going non-stop vigils and pleas from the man's
extended family.

There's been no letup in violence for Iraqi and US forces.  There are
also no signs of wavering from the US Pres about going to war.  He
launched his strongest counterattack yet.  There may have been no
stockpiles -- but we were right to go into Iraq, he told a gathering.
He was right to remove what he called "a madman", he said.  Bush made
the announcement at a stockpile of nuclear parts, turned over by Libya.
On Iraq, Kerry is also on the offensive.  The US should not go to war
because we want to, only because we have to, he told supporters.  That
standard needs to be respected again, he added.  An ad blitz is
keeping pressure on both sides.  Kerry and Edwards voted in favour of
the war, as Reps are only too happy to keep pointing out.

Oil is trading at $US39.14/bbl.
}}
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us at any Uncle Harry's Suburban Bunker and get a 10% discount on cop-killers!
Special deals for multiple posting aliases!

All speling macroizated for correctitood by Mcrosotf Speelchek.

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