From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia Reserch Senter(*) OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS #43 =============================== In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere (validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra). Visit Our Home Page At: http://www.chickenhead.com/loserscopes/ See the Undeniable Evidence At: http://www.evil-doers.org/evidence This Stuff Blogged At: http://kymhorsell.blogspot.com/ Also Kindly Archived At: http://www.kymhorsell.com/OIL/ Iraqi Body Count: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ [2,197+ as at 4 May 2003]. ------------------------------------------------------------ Selecting latest news stories and other data for you... ------------------------------------------------------------ Mon, 12 May 2003. 33 workers die in landslide: China Civilians massacred in fight for Congo town 2 killed in incursion Israel should ease life for Palestinians: Powell Change of guard in Iraq Criticism prompts shake-up in US leadership in Iraq US Reshuffles Iraq Reconstruction Team Shiite Leader Demands US Leave Iraq Iraqis told Saddam's party dissolved More California Nat'l Guard units heading to Iraq Curbs sought on "lethal oil cocktail" Police hunt for random attacker 5.1 quake in Tokyo Pac volcano erupts Bali bomb trial postponed Peace monitors leave Aceh as war looms Top Brit spy in IRA flees as papers blow cover "NY Times" exposes fraud of own reporter SARS prospects remain grim: Chinese Prem Suspected SARS case: Qld Woman shot by car thief ANZ suspends Solomon Islands banking operations Aussie banks suspend ops in Solomons Tassie governor Green to admin AUS Sniffer dogs at parl house Broken gas pipe clouds rural town Consumer confidence highest in 9 years: poll NAb business survey up Credit transactions up Qld govt gives ambo reprieve Markets Beijing. 33 WORKERS DIE IN LANDSLIDE: CHINA! Rescuers have recovered the bodies of 33 construction workers buried in a landslide in China's Guizhou prov and are still digging for 2 more. Prov'l govt officials say there were 35 workers on the highway construction site in Sansui county when the landslide struck early yesterday after heavy rain. Civilians massacred in fight for Congo town DRC. UN officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they are trying to mediate between 2 rival ethnic militias fighting for control of the town of Bunia. Civilians including priests and babies had been killed in the fighting. UN representative Patricia Tome says the situation in Bunia has been chaotic. "What is happening is massacres in some areas, like yesterday 20 people were killed in a Parish including 2 priests", she said. "And today at midday we were informed, unfortunately too late, that there was another massacre and 12 people were killed, 5 men, 4 women and 3 babies, very little young babies and they cut their throat and it was an absolutely horrible scene." Gaza City. 2 KILLED IN INCURSION! 2 members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have been killed during an Israeli incursion into Rafah in the S Gaza Strip. Palestinian security and hospital sources have ID-ed the 2 victims as Mohammed abu Armana, aged 18, and 20 yo Salim abu Arja. They say 2 people were also wounded by Israeli fire during the operation, in which the soldiers used bulldozers to destroy 2 houses. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is an armed offshoot of Yassar Arafat's Fatah movement. Israel should ease life for Palestinians: Powell Jerusalem. US Sec of State Colin Powell, in the Middle E to push a US-backed plan for peacemaking, said on Sun that Israel should take steps to ease the daily conditions of the Palestinians. He was apparently referring to a crippling military blockade which Israel has imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the start of a Palestinian uprising 31 m ago during which the Jewish state has been hit by a wave of suicide bombings. The "road map" to peace calls for an end to violence ahead of the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005. Israel has said it will not make significant troop pull-backs until the new Palestinian govt arrests militants. "The promise of a Palestinian state rings hollow though while so many are suffering," Mr Powell said at a joint press conference with Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas. "Just as I have urged you (the Palestinians) to move quickly and decisively to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure... I have underscored to PM (Ariel) Sharon and his Govt the need for Israel to do its part in improving the daily lives of Palestinians and show respect for their dignity." Mr Powell met earlier in the day with Mr Sharon in Jerusalem, where he said the Israeli leader had spelled out some humanitarian measures to ease travel bans on the Palestinians. Baghdad. CHANGE OF GUARD IN IRAQ! With the top US civilian administrators recalled from Iraq to Washington, a snr replacement has arrived in the region accompanied by the highest-ranking US military generals. Barbara Bodine -- formerly charged with running Baghdad and C Iraq -- will return to Washington after less than 3 wks in the job. The reshuffle coincides with the arrival in Doha of Paul Bremer, a Reagan-era career diplomat and counter-terrorism expert. Criticism prompts shake-up in US leadership in Iraq Baghdad. There is to be a big shake-up in the leadership of the civil Admin in Iraq after widespread criticism of the slow pace of reconstruction. The US administrator for Baghdad and central Iraq is to leave her post followed by the man in charge of reconstruction. Barbara Bodine is to leave her job taking up her new position in Washington after just 3 weeks in Baghdad. The US led Admin has been criticised because 4 weeks after Saddam Hussein's regime fell ministries are still closed, rubbish has not been collected, and water and power has not been reconnected to large parts of the city. Last wk US Pres George W Bush appointed a veteran diplomat to take control of reconstruction. The retired US army Gen Jay Garner had been in charge but he is now expected to leave Iraq within the next wk or two. It is likely Paul Bremer will now assume total control given Gen Garner's planned return to the US. US Reshuffles Iraq Reconstruction Team Baghdad (AP). One top US occupation official left her post Sun, another was preparing to leave, and a new administrator arrived in the region, ready to take over, less than 3 weeks after their newborn reconstruction agency opened for business in the postwar chaos of Baghdad. The shake-up at the top comes as the agency makes inroads to restore law and order and govt functions, but as many ordinary Iraqis complain about persistent insecurity and the slow pace of resuming basic services like power and water. The developments came with some unsettling news Sun for Iraqi rebuilding: Oil production, vital for recovery, may resume more slowly than thought, and it may take 2 more m to get full electricity back in Baghdad. As if to underscore the challenges facing the Americans, new arson fires broke out Sun, sending palls of smoke billowing over a city wracked by looting and other lawlessness since a US-Brit invasion toppled Pres Saddam Hussein's govt last month. The departed official, former US ambassador Barbara Bodine, was coordinator for central Iraq, including Baghdad, within the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance. The office thus far has assembled some 800 specialists from US govt agencies and allied govts to organise aid, reconstruction and the establishment of a new govt for Iraq. An ORHA rep, US Army Maj John Cornelio, confirmed that Bodine was leaving Baghdad on Sun. But the agency didn't explain the reason for her swift departure, just 2 wks after she chaired a get- acquainted meeting with top bureaucrats of the former Baghdad city Admin. The Washington Post reported Sun that Bodine, former US ambassador to Yemen, was being reassigned as deputy director of the State Dept's political-military division. No replacement for her has been named yet, Cornelio said. The replacement for chief US administrator Jay Garner, on the other hand, has been known for more than a week. Paul Bremer, a longtime State Dept aide, flew to the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar this weekend as he prepared to take over in Baghdad as head of ORHA. Bremer, 61, whose new agency is essentially a military Admin reporting to the US Central Command, flew to Qatar with the Pentagon's top soldier, Air Force Gen Richard Myers. Rep Cornelio said Garner also was in Qatar, presumably meeting with his successor. The 65-year-old retired Army Lt Gen, who arrived in Baghdad on Apr 21, had said his assignment here would be short-term, but it had been expected to last 3 months. Now, Garner has said, he will depart after making a "good handoff" to Bremer -- probably by late May. Bremer is expected in Baghdad this week. In its 3 weeks here, the reconstruction agency has made some progress in restoring order and services since US troops took control of Baghdad around Apr 9. The Americans have deployed some Iraqi police in Baghdad's streets, have made nominal $20 emergency salary payments to draw many bureaucrats back to govt offices, and have inaugurated a political process through which Iraq's anti-Saddam factions may produce an interim govt by June. But many ordinary Iraqis complain loudly that the US occupation has failed to restore basic services and security. Baghdadis are getting less than half the electrical power they need. That, in turn, has limited the treatment and pumping of clean water. Iraqis say that looters and other criminals also still prey on ordinary citizens and their property. On Sun, the interim head of the nat'l Electricity Commission, Kareem Hasan, said that full power may not be restored for 2 months until repairs are completed to transmission lines extensively damaged by US bombing and vandals, who shoot down power lines to darken areas for looting. Iraq's interim oil minister, Thamir Ghadban, who like Hasan was designated by ORHA, said his ministry was scaling back projections for resumed nat'l oil production, saying it might reach only 1 million barrels a day -- instead of 1.5 mn -- in June. He said damage to oil industry equipment from looting was more extensive than initially thought. The dimensions of the challenges facing Bodine in Baghdad were apparent at her initial meeting with city officials on Apr 27. "Working with the technocrats to get everything up and running is a first priority," she said then. But the setting was a meeting room without light or electricity, in a looted, debris-strewn building, with 9 Iraqi men sitting glumly around a table, clearly unhappy. Bodine had another problem as well -- an Iraqi opposition figure named Mohammed Mohsen al-Zubaidi, who had set himself up as a rival "mayor" of Baghdad. The US military arrested al-Zubaidi on Apr 27, accusing him of subverting American authority. Al-Zubaidi was freed Sun, after he acknowledged he went too far and promised not to undermine US efforts, Central Command said. "I am not the mayor of Baghdad, nor am I interested in working independently of the coalition to achieve what we all understand to be the same goal peace and prosperity for all Iraqis," al-Zubaidi was quoted by the US military as saying. Shiite Leader Demands US Leave Iraq Nasiriyah (AP). The leader of Iraq's largest Shiite Muslim group denounced the US-led occupation forces Sun and demanded they pull out and allow the Iraqi people to establish their own govt. Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, who returned to his homeland Sat after spending more than 2 decades in exile in neighbouring Iran, made the call in this predominantly Shiite city despite the presence of a squad of US Marines who were protecting him. A US officer said the Marines were there to protect al-Hakim, leader of the Iran-backed Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq. Last month, 2 prominent Shiite clerics were assassinated in the nearby city of Najaf. Their killings were widely perceived as part of an internal dispute among rival Shiite factions. While al-Hakim spoke, some children offered bread or flowers to the Marines. In his speech, al-Hakim vowed to defend the rights of all Iraqis and insisted he would not seek a Shiite govt. The Shiite sect of Islam, a minority in the Islamic world, represents a 60% majority in Iraq. It was persecuted and oppressed under Saddam's Sunni Muslim-dominated regime. Immediately after his return on Sat, Hakim told cheering supporters that Iraq should have an Islamic govt. In the same speech, however, he condemned religious extremism and rejected any foreign-installed govt. On Sun, he stressed that US authorities in Iraq were opposed to an Islamic govt. Al-Hakim told the Arabic language television station Al-Jazeera on Sun that he will not personally attend US-sponsored meetings to establish a transitional Admin, although he indicated representatives of his Supreme Council would. Washington opposes an Iranian-style theocracy taking control in Iraq, and particularly fears the possibility that a democratic vote might produce a conservative, Islamic-oriented govt with close ties to Iran's anti-American Shiite clerics. Last month, Def Sec Donald H. Rumsfeld said that a govt dominated by hard-line religious clerics "isn't going to happen." Iraqis told Saddam's party dissolved Baghdad. The commander of coalition forces in Iraq has told Iraqis that Saddam Hussein's Baath Party has been dissolved. In a message read in Arabic on American-run radio, Gen Tommy Franks said anyone who possesses documents related to the Baath Party must hand them in to the coalition. The move follows last week's request by the US Admin that senior employees at various ministries sign a document denouncing the party. More California Nat'l Guard units heading to Iraq SF (KCBS). Bay Area troops in the military reserves are still being deployed to the Middle E and around the US KCBS Reporter Henry Mulak says regular Army and other military troops have been coming home now that the govt of Saddam Hussein in Iraq has ended, but 100s of California Nat'l Guard reservists from the Bay Area and around the state are taking their place. The units now deployed include the 223rd Military Intelligence Unit based in San Francisco and 870th Police Unit based in Pittsburgh and Sunnyvale and the 349th Quartermaster Unit from Vallejo. Also waiting to be deployed soon is the 2632nd Transportation Company from San Bruno. That unit is currently finishing up training at a base in the state of Washington. The deployment is a real hardship for family members left behind since many of the reservists are leaving jobs that pay much more than the military does. Curbs sought on "lethal oil cocktail" London (The Guardian). A campaign group today will call on govts to clamp down on big oil companies as it provides evidence of the damaging impact of the industry on the global economy. The recommendations in a report by Christian Aid come as Brit and the US press ahead with plans to rapidly bring back on stream -- and directly control -- oil in Iraq. The report, Fuelling Poverty: Oil, war and corruption, warns that plans to rebuild the Iraqi economy with oil wealth could lead to greater poverty for the population, increased corruption and civil strife. The charity calls for an internat'l commission to be established "to review the overwhelming evidence that oil wealth is driving countries into poverty and to draw up new global regulations to reverse this injustice". Christian Aid makes five recommendations for its "global oil deal", seeking to ensure oil revenues benefit development rather than corruption. Greater transparency is one of the main targets. Oil companies should be required to reveal payments to all govts. Regulations allowing payments to be listed in a vague "rest of the world" category should be removed. Improved standards of public accounting must be introduced in developing countries, the charity urges. Payments from oil companies and the audited figures for oil income should be published so that the public can see where the money is spent. Internat'l bodies such as the World Bank, IMF and export credit guarantee agencies should help to ensure that oil companies adhere to transparency targets. Trust funds should be established, as occurred in the Shetland Islands and Norway, to receive much of the oil revenues, ensuring that a sudden influx of wealth does not boost inflation and that future generations benefit. Lastly, the charity suggests, a system of certification should be introduced to prevent trade in "blood oil", similar to the scheme for the diamond business that seeks to stop the sale of gems from conflict zones in west Africa. Publication of the report coincides with Exxon Mobil being investigated in the US over links with a Kazakhstan corruption case and France's Elf (now part of Total) coming under the legal spotlight again over its activities in Africa. Christian Aid made its recommendations after studying the negative impact of oil on countries including Kazakhstan, Angola and the Sudan. It says oil economies achieve slower growth than countries without the resource, military expenditure tends to be much higher and life expectancy is lower. The report points out that Iraq has pumped up to 3.5 mn bpd since nat'lisation 30 y ago, yet almost half the population is illiterate and almost a quarter of children under five are underweight. "Iraq, then, has already drunk a deep draught of oil's 'lethal cocktail'... Case studies from other oil-producing countries show that, unless a dramatically different approach to using oil revenues is adopted, the situation could continue to decline." Tokyo. POLICE HUNT FOR RANDOM ATTACKER! Police are searching for a youth who allegedly set fire to a 10 yo boy in an apparently random, un-provoked attack. Kei Yokoyama was on his way to school when a man in his 20s or 30s approached him in a quiet resid'l area in Fukuoka City. Police say the man threw some liquid over the boy from behind as he passed by the victim. Police say the boy suffered burns mostly to his back, the back of his head, and upper parts of both arms. They say the wounds will take more than 2 m to heal. Tokyo. 5.1 QUAKE IN TOKYO! A quake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale has shaken Tokyo and surrounding areas. 3 people in Tokyo were slightly injured as a result of the quake. The Met Agency says the epicentre of the quake was located in the NW part of Chiba prefecture, 50 km NE of Tokyo. A 50 yo man was injured after a bookshelf fell on his back as he attempted to open a window of his bedroom immediately after the quake. Saipan. PAC VOLCANO ERUPTS! A N Pacific Is has erupted, sending rock, lava and tonnes of ash into the atm. The US Nat'l Weather Service in Guam says the ash is at high altitude and is moving towards Japan. Aircraft have been warned to avoid the cloud. The eruption occurred without warning on Sat night on the N Mariana Is of Anatahan, just as 23 people were being evacuated. It's not clear who the people were as officially the island is un-populated. The US Navy was recently granted permission to occupy the island for military exercises. Denpassar. BALI BOMB TRIAL POSTPONED! The first trial of a major suspect in the Bali bombing has been adjourned until May 19. Today's hearing lasted just 2.5 hrs. Amrozi bin Nurhasyim faces 4 counts under Indon's anti-terrorism act for helping to plan and execute the Oct 12 bombings that killed 202 people, incl 88 Aussies. In Bali, Denpassar District Court Chief Judge Made Karna said the court will sit again in 1 wk after prosecutors and the defence today outlined their cases. Peace monitors leave Aceh as war looms Jakarta. More than 50 internat'l peace monitors have withdrawn from Indonesia's Aceh province, where a ceasefire in the separatist war is close to collapse. The group, comprising 43 Thais, 8 Filipinos and one Norwegian, flew out of Banda Aceh airport aboard a C-130 military aircraft. David Gorman of the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), an internat'l mediation group, says the monitors will stay at Medan in neighbouring N Sumatra or in Jakarta for the time being. Many more troops, with rifles ready, have been seen patrolling the provincial capital Banda Aceh today, the last day of a govt deadline for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to announce it is shelving its independence demand and will start disarming. Fresh troops have been pouring into the province in Sumatra island in recent days in expectation of a military offensive. Mr Gorman says a last-ditch attempt by HDC to arrange talks between the two sides is continuing. He says the govt has not yet responded to a plan presented by the HDC for a meeting between the 2 sides. Top Brit spy in IRA flees as papers blow cover London. The Brit army's top intel agent inside the IRA, a suspect in up to 40 murders, was reported to be in hiding after several Sun newspapers in Ireland and Brit blew his cover. Newspapers said Brit intel services had spirited the man, code-named "Stakeknife", out of Ireland just hours before the papers published his name. As a double agent, "Stakeknife" served as the head of the Irish Republican Army's internal security unit -- known as the "nutting squad". His job was to track down, interrogate, torture and kill suspected informers in the ranks, reports said. The man is suspected in up to 40 murders, carried out on both sides of the Irish border with the permission of his Brit army "handlers" to protect his position within the IRA, reports said. A Brit govt rep declined to comment on the reports. "We don't comment on security matters," the N Ireland Office rep said. The Dublin-based Sun Tribune, one of 4 newspapers to name the agent, said "Stakeknife" initially approached Brit military intel as a junior IRA volunteer in 1978 wanting revenge for a severe beating he had received from one of the guerrilla group's top Belfast members. "NY Times" exposes fraud of own reporter NY. The US newspaper, The NY Times, has exposed a fraud by one of its journalists which resulted in dozens of stories being fabricated. By using his mobile phone and mining unused photographs, the reporter was able to convince his editors he was travelling the country, interviewing people for his stories, when he was actually hiding in NY. One of the most prominent and well read newspapers in the world, The New York Times, today published a 4 page expose into how one of its senior reporters had concocted dozens of important news stories. Reporter Jayson Blair resigned after being accused of plagiarism and fraud. The newspaper said at least 36 of the 73 articles he had written had problems with accuracy, calling the deception a "low point" in the newspaper's history. Among them were stories about the Washington-area sniper case and interviews with family members of soldiers fighting in Iraq and some who had died there. SARS prospects remain grim: Chinese Prem Beijing. China's Prem has warned that his country's SARS outbreak remains grim, with China's total number of infections nearing 5000. SARS has killed 240 people in China and infected 4948. China's official news agency Xinhua says newly appointed Prem Wen Jiabao this weekend visited Shanxi Province in N China. Mr Wen was reported as saying China faced an urgent task to stop SARS spreading in rural areas, where a majority of the population lives. China's rural population accounts for a relatively low 5.9% of total SARS cases but that proportion is rising quickly in some provinces. Brisbane. SUSPECTED SARS CASE: QLD! Health officials say a man suspected of having SARS is in a serious but stable condition in the Gold Coast hospital. A Qld Health rep says the 66 yo -- who shows symptoms of the virus -- is still undergoing tests. The rep says tests so gar have been inconclusive, but the man's family and other contacts have been cleared. The man was admitted to one of the hospital's isolation rooms last Fri. Melbourne. WOMAN SHOT BY CAR THIEF! A woman has been shot in the chest outside her home in MEL's E after she disturbed a man trying to break into her car. The woman, aged in her 50s, suffered serious injuries in the attack outside her home in Gwenda St at Dandenong about 8 am today. She's in a stable condition in Dandenong Hosp after surgery to remove shotgun pellets. Police say the woman was blameless and the incident should serve as a warning not to intervene in such situations. ANZ suspends Solomon Islands banking operations Sydney. A major fraudulent investment scheme in Solomon Islands has forced the ANZ bank to suspend operations there, affecting 1000s of customers. The bank received death threats after it refused investor attempts to open accounts at the bank. ANZ rep Paul Edwards says other major banks have also suspended operations there and they want the Solomon Islands Govt to help. Sydney. AUSSIE BANKS SUSPEND OPS IN SOLOMONS! 2 Aussie banks gave shut down their operations in the Solomons because of fears of violence over a pyramid scheme. ANZ and Westpac both shut down their offices at the weekend, following threats of violence at an ANZ branch last Fri. An ANZ rep says the threats were made by operators of a fraudulent pyramid scheme called the Family Charitable Fund. He says when the ANZ refused to allow the operators to open accounts with the bank, they threatened to blow up the branch and harm bank staff. Canberra. TASSIE GOVERNOR GREEN TO ADMIN AUS! Tas gov Sir Guy Green will today take over as the Queen's rep in AUS after GG Hollingworth announced his decision to step aside while a court case is heard. Dr H yesterday agreed to wait for the outcome of a rape case that's being considered by the Vic Supreme Court. His decision means Tas's gov will stand in as GG from today, having acted as the colony's Administrator on 4 prev occasions. Canberra. SNIFFER DOGS AT PARL HOUSE! Sniffer dogs trained to detect explosives will soon protect Parl House. Justice and Customs Min Chris Ellison says 3 Aussie Protective Services dogs are needed because of the current security environment. Sen Ellison says the dogs at Parl House will carry out much the same duties as those at airports around AUS. He says they'll watch out for any suspicious items of baggage, work at the direction of their handlers and patrol the precincts of Parl House. Melbourne. BROKEN GAS PIPE CLOUDS RURAL TOWN! A broken gas pipe in the W Vic town of Stawell has country firefighters on high alert as a huge cloud of gas hovers nr the town. CFA rep Peter Philp says a backhoe is understood to have carved into the gas main to the Stawell abattoir about 11.15 am. He says the leak's been described as "substantial", but it's not causing problems for the town's populated areas. Consumer confidence highest in 9 years: poll Sydney. A survey of more than 1,000 Aussies has found the highest levels of consumer confidence in the last 9 years. The Roy Morgan survey shows confidence in the economy for the next y has risen almost 10% since Jan to 42%. 34% of respondents say their personal finances have improved over the last y, a drop of 2%. But Roy Morgan Research chief executive Michelle Levine says almost half of those surveyed expect their finances to improve over the next year. "[The] war in Iraq is over and we've got the AUS dollar looking quite high," she said. "These things will often drive people's feelings about things being okay in the economy." Sydney. NAB BUSINESS SURVEY UP! A NAB survey shows bushiness conditions in AUS have picked up slightly since the end of GWII. But it says the rising AUD and deteriorating global economy still threaten domestic economic growth. The NAB's latest Monthly Business Survey shows business conditions remained largely steady in Apr, following a significant downturn in the Mar Q. As measured by the Composite Index, business conditions edged up 1 pt to an index of 6 pts. Sydney. CREDIT TRANSACTIONS UP! The RBA says total credit card transactions -- incl advances -- rose to 85.136 mn, worth $5.572 bn in Mar. This compares with 77.329 mn transactions worth $9.057 bn in Feb. Total EFTPOS transactions rose to 66.944 mn worth $4.203 bn from 60.712 mn worth $3.842 bn in Feb. Brisbane. QLD GOVT GIVES AMBO REPRIEVE! The Qld govt has delivered a $5 mn reprieve to businesses, caravan park residents and farmers with the announcement of changes to its ambulance levy. Prem Peter Beattie says the $5 mn hole created by the concessions will be filled by a contribution from an unnamed Common'th dept. The $88 pa levy on electricity accounts will apply state-wide from Jul 1 and raise around $110 mn in its first y for the ambulance service. New laws to implement the levy will be tabled in state parliament tomorrow. Melbourne. MARKETS! The ASX closed firmer today, buoyed by a strong debut by general insurer Promina Group Ltd. The All Ords added 17 pts to 2,946. Oil is stronger at $US28.00/bbl. Gold is also up at $US350.70/oz. In Japan the Nikkei closed up 1%. A short while ago [8 pm] the FTSE was down 12 pts. {{ 9.30 pm The AUD broke through the 65 c level today. The jump comes on the back of a survey of business conf, post GWII. Treas Costello predicts his budget will deliver a $3 bn surplus, in contrast to the US and Europe. AUS is "in front of the league", says the Treas. But he played down the possibility of tax cuts. Another batch of twisters has swept through the US Midwest. So far 300 tornados have been recorded this m. The death toll so far is 44. 11 pm ABC TV says a report shows AUS now claims a new record. It has found children in immigration detention have the highest level of psychiatric illness among any population in the world. Inside the detention system children as young as 3 have seen riots, bashings, have seen their parents slash their wrists, hang themselves, and seen assaults or been assaulted or sexually harassed. They have been woken at night and called by number and not their name. All while in the care of the AUS govt. A new report backed by some of AUS's most distinguished psychiatrists has found that after 2 y the children of 10 families studied all have some kind of psychiatric illness. The authors say the report had to be conducted in secret because they could not get the cooperation of the Immigration Dept. They relied on telephone interviews. While they authors say they can't guarantee some of the claims, most were corroborated. The report has 12 authors. They find Aussie detention centres are no place for children. There was no response from the Imm Dept tonight, but a rep said all the cases concerned failed asylum seekers. Another snr Brit Cabinet Min has resigned in protest over Iraq. Clare Short today resigned her position as Internat'l Development Sec. She said PM Blair has broken assurances he gave her and the UN. 11 pm Ahmed Chalabi has repeated his claim that Saddam Hussein is alive and moving around Iraq under tight security. }} ---------------------------------------- Tue, 13 May 2003. Markets 40 die in suicide bombing: Chechnya Gas explosion rocks Moscow 6 die in rebel attacks: Kashmir Truck bomb rocks Riyadh 50 injured in Saudi blast Powell leaves Middle E Bombers kill policeman Dozens struck down by fumes Bremer starts work in Baghdad US captured Iraqi army chief PM to welcome home troops UN to send peacekeepers to Ivory Coast 24th SARS fatality in Canada Lithuania votes for EU Fizzer virus sweeps world Qantas offers concessions to ACCC Flash floods hit coastal NSW Wheat exports expected to rise Farmers dipping into savings Tim Tams go on sale 2 drive-by shootings in SYD PM not considering early election Senate moves to censure GG Baby's body found in fridge Minors will vote down ASIO bill Markets NY. MARKETS! The Dow closed up 122 pts to 8,727 o'night. Gold was up $3.25 to $US351.25/oz. The FTSE was marginally up at 3,987 and the German bourse ended down 19 pts (0.6%) at 2,937. Moscow. 40 DIE IN SUICIDE BOMBING: CHECHNYA! 2 suicide bombers have driven a truck full of explosives into a govt complex in Russia's rebel prov of Chechnya, killing 40 and wounding about 200 others. The attack is the deadliest since a Mar vote anchored the Muslim region firmly in Russia. A defiant Pres Vladimir Putin vowed not to let the attack derail the Kremlin's peace plan. The blast, in a border area N of the regional capital Grozny that has long been under Moscow's control, gutted the building and destroyed 8 villages houses. Moscow. GAS EXPLOSION ROCKS MOSCOW! An explosion has rocked a restaurant on a busy street in C Moscow, injuring at least 5 people. Authorities believe it was a gas explosion. The explosion comes just hrs after a deadly truck bomb ripped through a govt compound in N Chechnya. The blast killed at least 41 people incl 6 children and wounded more than 100 others. Srinagar. 6 DIE IN REBEL ATTACKS: KASHMIR! 5 Indian security officers and a suspect Islamic military have been killed during separate attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir. 2 un-ID'd gunmen killed 2 paramilitary guards outside the State Bank of India branch offices in Kupwara, a frontier town N of the state summer capital, Srinagar. One attacker was killed, and another escaped. 7 guards and a nearby shopkeeper were wounded in the shootout. Riyadh. TRUCK BOMB ROCKS RIYADH! A compound in Riyadh has been rocked by at least 2 explosions overnight. While some reports described it as the residence of US officials, a US State Dept rep says as far as the US embassy in Saudi Arabia is concerned, no official Americans live at the location. The al-Hamra compound, which is the residence of mainly Western nationals, is in the city's E on the road to the airport. Riyadh. 50 INJURED IN SAUDI BLAST! A Saudi hospital official says at least 50 people have been injured in the car bombing of a compound housing westerners in the capital, Riyadh. The official at the Nat'l Guard Hospital says he doesn't know how many people have been hurt, but his hospital has received 50 patients so far and the number is growing. Aussie embassy staff are checking whether any Aussies were living in the resid'l compound in the city's E. [Later reports say at least 3 people were killed, and officials were still sorting through the rubble at 4.30 pm AEST. It was rumoured one of the bombers caught in the blast was still booby-trapped. About 3,000 Aussies work in Saudi and some live in the compound that was attacked. It's understood the attackers are linked with al-Qaeda]. Jerusalem. POWELL LEAVES MIDDLE E! Colin Powell has ended his peacemaking visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories empty-handed. Israel is still challenging the "Road Map" and incidents of violence have continued in the Gaza Strip. 3 people were killed by troops in the area, which the army completely sealed only 1 day after Israeli PM Sharon announced measures to alleviate pressure on the Palestinians. Dhaka. BOMBERS KILL POLICEMAN! Unidentified assailants have thrown bombs at an automobile repair workshop in Bangladesh, killing a policeman. Authorities say the attack happened when 2 policemen went to fix their jeep in Khulna city, 135 km SE of Dhaka. They say one officer died from wounds at the scene, while his colleague is in hospital with head injuries. No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack. In Mar, separate bomb attacks killed 3 police in the same city. Beijing. DOZENS STRUCK DOWN BY FUMES! Dozens of children in China have been struck down by toxic fumes at their school. State press and local officials say the gas emanated from an illegal paper mill operating just 100 m from the primary school in Meicheng town, in C Hunan prov. Town official Tian Aichao says the children, aged 12 and 13, were in school dorms on Thu when they smelled a strange odour. He says one student tried to alert teachers, but passed out before be could raise the alarm. Baghdad. BREMER STARTS WORK IN BAGHDAD! A new US official charged with rebuilding Iraq has arrived in Baghdad. L Paul Bremer has become the new chief US admin for Iraq as the US revamps a leadership that;s been criticised for slowness in restoring services. The new US boss is expected to replace most if not all the officials who started work under Lt Gen Jay Garner (ret). The failure of the US occupying force to restore security had been a particularly contentious issue for many Iraqis. [PBS "Newshour" says NGO's and major Shi'ite groups in Iraq had refused to deal with Jay Garner. After the fact, the Bush Admin realised a former US Gen was not the "right look" for the interim US governor of Iraq]. Washington. US CAPTURED IRAQI ARMY CHIEF! US forces have taken into custody the former Iraqi armed forces chief of staff. A def officials says Ibrahim Ahmad abd al Sattar Muhammad al Tikriti has been captured. He was designed as the Jack of Spades and number 11 in the US deck of 55 most wanted Iraqis. The coalition says he is in the control of US forces. Canberra. PM TO WELCOME HOME TROOPS! PM Howard will welcome home the first Aussie troops from GWII at an RAAF base in the NT on Thu. A joint party room meeting, held for the first time today since the end of the war, has been told 14 jets will touch down at the Tindal AFB in the NT after a 4-m campaign in Iraq. The air and ground crews will be welcomed home in an official ceremony attended by Mr Howard, Def Min Robert Hill, Def Force Chief Peter Cosgrove, and AF Chief Angus Houston. NY. UN TO SEND PEACEKEEPERS TO IVORY COAST! The UNSC has agreed to set up a peacekeeping mission to Ivory Coast. Under a draft res set to be approved tomorrow, up to 76 military officers will help enforce a peace deal aimed at ending 9 m of civil war in the W Af country. They'll work with a local peacekeeping force and French troops who are enforcing a ceasefire line that's been repeatedly violated. Brit's UN Amb Jeremy Greenstock had welcomed the decision as he prepares to lead a high-level delegation to the region later this wk. Toronto. 24TH SARS FATALITY IN CANADA! A 67 yo woman has become the 24th victim of SARS in Canada. Health authorities say it's the country's first SARS death this m. There are currently 21 people with SARS in Canada. Nearly all know victims are in hospital or at home in and around Toronto. Vilnius. LITHUANIA VOTES FOR EU! 13 years after breaking away from the SU, the Baltic state of Lithuania is on its journey to join the EU. Lithuanians massively backed membership in a weekend referendum that resulted in nearly 90% of the population posting a "yes" vote. Lithuania is 1 of 10 mainly former communist countries on course to join the EU on May 1 next y. London. FIZZER VIRUS SWEEPS WORLD! Anti-virus officials say a new computer virus, the "Fizzer" worm, has spread rapidly across the Internet infecting computer users in Asia, Europe and the US. Businesses in Asia were the first to report the attack. By midday in Europe, 10s of 1000s of computers were hit, with more cases expected in N Am as the business day wears on. The worm, which carries random subject lines, disables computer users' anti-virus and firewall s/w, but is otherwise not a threat to users' personal files. Brisbane. QANTAS OFFERS CONCESSIONS TO ACCC! Air NZ and Qantas Airways say they're offering "substantial concessions" the the AUS competition regulator in their bid to form an alliance. The revised undertakings provided to the ACCC are designed to give a new entrant -- most likely Virgin Blue -- unimpeded access to the trans-Tasman and domestic NZ markets. Qantas and Air NZ are offering to give new entrants effective access to gates, slots, counter facilities, maintenance and ground handling. Sydney. FLASH FLOODS HIT COASTAL NSW! Emergency personnel have been called to help more than 80 people in flash floods in NSW coastal regions. Heavy rainfall has caused localised flooding, leading to road closures and traffic snarls. The SES says most of their volunteers have been called to S SYD to help clear felled trees and overflowing gutters. A rep says the majority of the 80 calls for help came from Rockdale, Kogarah, the Sutherland Shire and Wolli Ck. Canberra. WHEAT EXPORTS EXPECTED TO RISE! New figures show Aussie wheat exports will grow 170% this season. The US Dept of Ag's annual what report says Aussie wheat exports will break the 20 mn tonne barrier -- after just 9.5 mn tonnes last season. The dept's report says sheep and cattle numbers dropped because of the drought, leaving room to expand the wheat area. The report says a return to normal rainfall could easily double wheat production in AUS for 2003/4. Canberra. FARMERS DIPPING INTO SAVINGS! Drought-hit farmers have received $113 mn in federal drought assistance and are now dipping into their savings for this season. Ag Min Warren Truss says Exceptional Circumstances payment and farm mgt deposit figures show the extent of the drought [what record?]. More than 12,000 farmers are now receiving fed assistance. Mr Truss says farmers will really start to dip into the bank accounts in the coming months. London. TIM TAMS GO ON SALE! It's the price cut Aussie ex-pats in England have been waiting for. Tim Tams were once only available for $A7.35 at a specialist Aussie good store or via the post from God's Country. But now Arnotts is an American company Tescos will carry them for the bargain basement price of $A3.20 a packet. Of course the formula has changed... and they're smaller than they used to be. But what the heck! Campbells/Arnotts expects to sell between 1.5 and 2.5 mn packets in the first y of exports of the much-loved chocolate and sugar biscuits. Sydney. 2 DRIVE-BY SHOOTINGS IN SYD! Police are investigating 2 drive-by shootings in SYD's W and SW o'night. In the first incident, a woman and her 3 children heard several loud bangs outside their Cabramatta home at about 7.30 am. Police discovered 3 shots had been fired into the Begonia Rd premises. Police say in a 2nd incident 3 shots were fired into a house in Auburn about 10.20 pm. Canberra. PM NOT CONSIDERING EARLY ELECTION! PM Howard has told the Coalition parties he's not considering a DD election. A party room rep says the PM's remark came as he was motivating Libs and Nats at their first joint meeting of parliament's Budget session. Mr Howard says Labor has huge leadership problems, adding that he knows how debilitating that could be. However he says political fortunes could change quickly. Canberra. SENATE MOVES TO CENSURE GG! In another unprecedented move, the AUS Senate is debating whether to censure GG Hollingworth for his failure to act against a known pedophile while he was Archbishop of Brisbane. The move comes as the GG also faces civil action over an alleged rape in the 1960s. Opposition parties say the GG and the PM have thumbed their noses at the Parliament and the AUS people in refusing to resign immediately. PM Howard has labelled the move political grandstanding. The Senate is likely to call for a national investigation into sexual abuse. At 5 pm debate is proceeding in the Senate. It's expected to last up to 2 days. [In the "other place" the ALP finally managed to table an internal Anglican report critical of Hollingworth. Mr Howard said it did not have the status of a judicial investigation, but he ruled out conducting such an inquiry as a waste of money. In the Reps the Opp'n is moving to censure the PM over his protection of the GG]. Melbourne. BABY'S BODY FOUND IN FRIDGE! The body of a newborn baby has been found in a fridge in a home in Ballarat in Vic's W. Police say they're interviewing a teenaged girl in relation to the discovery on Mother's Day, last Sun. Vic Police say it's believed the baby was born at home. Police are waiting on the results of a PM to determine the cause of death. Canberra. MINORS WILL VOTE DOWN ASIO BILL! The AUS Democrats and Greens say they'll vote against the controversial ASIO bill in the Senate, despite the threat of a double dissolution election. The govt argues the ASIO bill is necessary to boost Australia's counter-terrorism ability. However it failed to pass the Senate during a marathon sitting late last y. If bills are rejected for a 2nd time in the Senate with an interval of at least 3 m, the become triggers for a double dissolution -- providing the govt with the option of dissolving both houses of Parliament and going to a general election. Sydney. MARKETS! The ASX finished firmer, ahead of expected higher quarterly reports. The All Ords ended the session 7 pts higher at 2,952. {{ 1 am NBC. Outside Mosul a truck the US says was used to make anthrax has been found. NBC says it's the most significant WMD find to date. In the US a dirty nuclear bomb attack will be simulated in the largest terrorist exercise undertaken in Seattle to date. 8,000 officials will pretend 100s of citizens have been injured by a bomb made of TNT and radioactive waste, to see how the emergency system copes. Elsewhere, Chicago will undergo a simulated bio attack, with people filling up the ER's. America is coming to grips with its latest horrific murders. On Mothers' Day (AEST) a Texas women bashed 2 of her children to death with a rock. She said she'd been ordered by God to kill them. 2 of her 3 young children died in the attack. Neighbours and friends are shocked at the tragedy, saying there was no indication the women was capable of such a crime. She's now in jail under suicide watch. Police say she alternates between curling up in a ball and marching around her cell singing hymns. 6 am At least 40 people have died in a suicide bombing in Chechnya. A govt building has been attacked in a town N of Grozny. 100s are reported injured. 8 am In Saudi Arabia a series of blasts has rocked what's described as a US resid'l compound in Riyadh. Saudi officials have confirmed a truck bomb has rammed the compound. Several people are believed to have been injured. The attack comes just days after Riyadh announced it had uncovered an al-Qaeda cell that was preparing attacks. Colin Powell is also due to arrive tomorrow. Midday. Baghdad. (AUS) ABC TV reports the Aussie embassy is open for business again. Almost. After 12 y in mothballs the generator is running -- some of the time. Until there's an Iraqi govt the outpost won't operate as an embassy, but will just represent Australian interests in Iraq. With gunfire a regular occurrence t'out the capital, acting head Lex Batlem says security is effectively unavailable from US authorities. It has to be provided by special Aussie troops who stand guard and also ride shotgun on the odd shopping trip. The embassy has another, secret weapon. Caretaker and gardener, Karim Challur and his son. Since GWI only Challur has been in residence. A vet of the Iran/Iraq war, he showed the cameras how he defended the grounds when looters tried to enter the embassy during the fall of Baghdad. He says he downed gardening tools and took up a trusty AK-47 he'd snagged from a passing Iraqi soldier. Bullet holes in the embassy walls show Challur and son faced more than theoretical danger. The Aussie govt has awarded Mr Challur a plaque and paid him the equivalent of 1 y salary for his efforts. 1 pm Officials say 3 separate bomb attacks have been made on resid'l areas in Riyadh. Pix show a multi-story appt building with its frontage removed. Reporters say it's still "unclear" how many people have been hurt, but it's expected 100s are injured. 6 pm It's been confirmed one of 3 people killed in co-ordinated terrorist attacks in Riyadh was a SYD man. In a surprise move, Treas Peter Costello has announced tax cuts for Aussie workers. For those in around $22,000 pa their tax bill will be around $300 less pa. Those on about $65,000 pa will pay $500 less. While PM Howard says there are no plans for an early election, analysts say the Coal'n may be trying to soften the image of Mr Costello ahead of a leadership change. Normally the mid-term budget is far tougher than the one announced by the Treas today. Opp'n leader Crean must now give a key speech on Thu in reply. If he can't convince the Aussie public the Budget is handing out $300 with one hand but cutting back on services to boost military spending by $2 bn then his own position as fed ALP leader will be in doubt. 10 pm The death toll in Riyadh has risen to at least 20, with at least 100 injured. }} ---------------------------------------- Wed, 14 May 2003. Markets 91 dead in terror attack Aussie killed in Riyadh 86 miners missing: China Sharon changes his mind SARS still claiming lives Indon travel warnings AUS joins US in WTO challenge Tax cuts and more military spending Howard denies leadership deal NY. MARKETS! The Dow ended the session down 61 pts at 8,676. Gold was also down to $US549.65/oz. Europe was mixed, with the German Dax down 27 pts to 2,910 and the English FTSE up 13 pts to 4,000. In AUS, the ASX opened in positive territory after last night's fed Budget offered minor tax cuts to some investors and reform of internat'l tax law. At noon the All Ords was up 5 pts at 2,958. Riyadh. 91 DEAD IN TERROR ATTACK! US VP Dick Cheney says suicide bombers in the Saudi capital have killed some 91 people. The attack on expat housing compounds in Riyadh is one of the biggest suspected al-Qaeda strikes on W targets. However, there remains considerable doubt about the toll, with Saudi officials earlier saying 29 people had been killed. Hrs before the visit to Riyadh by US Sec Gen Powell, the attackers drove into 3 guarded housing compounds shortly before midnight and set of huge car bombs. Canberra. AUSSIE KILLED IN RIYADH! Aussie diplomats in Saudi Arabia are still checking to see if more Aussies may have been injured in a series of bomb blasts which killed at least 29 people, incl 1 Aussie. A 39 yo man from SYD, who worked for an American computer company in the Saudi capital, died in the suicide bombing attacks on gated compounds housing foreign workers, mainly Americans. Terrorist group al-Qaeda is suspected to be responsible for the 3 explosions. In an Arabic magazine the group has also implied it was behind the coordinated attacks. Beijing. 86 MINERS MISSING: CHINA! 86 miners are still missing after a gas explosion at a coal mine in E China. The Xinhua news agency says the blast struck a mine in Anhui prov late yesterday afternoon, Some 27 of 113 people working in the mine have so far been rescued. The cause of the blast isn't yet known. Jerusalem. SHARON CHANGES HIS MIND! Just a day after the US Sec of State wound up a Mideast peace mission, PM Sharon has moved away from some of his own peace ideas. The PM staked out tough positions on Jewish settlements, suggesting that he will try to hold on to much of the West Bank's heartland. This appears to contradict with his own earlier statements about relinquishing control of parts of the W Bank, incl settlements. Beijing. SARS STILL CLAIMING LIVES! The WHO says the SARS epidemic is showing no signs of fading in China, even though the number of cases is declining. The WHO's comments come as Taiwan reports more infections and Greece says it may have its first case. The head of the IMF says if SARS is contained, its economic impact on Asia should be management and its global effect limited. Canberra. INDON TRAVEL WARNINGS! Aussies have been warned to defer travel to Indonesia amid the threat of terrorist attacks. For Min Alex Downer has upgraded travel warnings because of a continued threat of terrorism. However DFAT says the upgraded warnings aren't directly related to the bomb blasts at foreign housing compounds in Saudi Arabia, which have killed at least 1 Aussie. The Dept says the govt continues to receive reports that terrorist elements in Indonesia are planning attacks. Canberra. AUS JOINS US IN WTO CHALLENGE! AUS has joined a US-initiated WTO action against a EU ban on GMO's. Trade Min Mark Vaile says AUS will join 13 other countries in challenging the EU's ban which has been in place for more than 1 y. Mr Vaile says the ban has no basis in science and can't be justified. He says AUS trade interests and those of other developed and developing countries, are being hurt by the ban. AUS is already in a series of trade disputes with the EU. Canberra. TAX CUTS AND MORE MILITARY SPENDING! Tax cuts are the surprise centrepiece of Treas Peter Costello's 8th Budget, presented last night. Up to 9 mn Aussies will receive a tax cut of between $3 and $11 a wk. The Budget also includes more than $2 bn more for defence and security, and a $1.5 bn education package which also allows unis to charge higher fees for the most popular courses [and drop the least popular hard ones]. Mr Costello says the tax cuts are worth $10.7 bn over 4 y. Subsidised loans will enable students to pay for their courses, and students unions will be abolished. Melbourne. HOWARD DENIES LEADERSHIP DEAL! PM John Howard has denied he's done a deal with Treas Peter Costello over the LP leadership. Mr Howard told MEL radio 3AW they don't do deals on things like that. He said the leadership doesn't belong to him, and it's not his to hand to whomever he chooses. The PM says the LP leadership will be decided by the membership, and not by him or Peter Costello. Mr Howard also refused to comment on whether the pair have had discussions on the party's leadership. Analysts have commented on the sweeteners in Treas Costello's mid-term Budget -- traditionally a time for belt tightening. {{ 3.30 am Paris. A lovely day of a demonstration. A turn-of of 10s of 1000s protested govt plans to review the pension system. The engineers, teachers, air craft controllers and nurses say the govt has the money to pay for their retirement. But social analysts say the country -- like many others in Europe and elsewhere -- is aging, and with an increasing number of people under-employed there is no way plans designed to pay for 5 or 10 years of retirement, in an era when workers were employed in the same position for a lifetime, will work into the future. Even people with their own private retirement plans find it difficult to fund their gradual retirement. Meanwhile, in Austria, teachers went on strike over govt plans there to modify pension plans. About 1 mn children had the day off as protests organised by trade unions made their views known to Prem Scissel outside the ornate Parliament. There is growing opp'n to the conservative Austrian govt. Elsewhere, the Austrian Prem was in Slovakia, promoting his views. The Dow is down .4%, while the Nasdaq is up .1%. In London, the FTSE is up .3% at around 4,000 pts. The USD is also up against the euro. At least 29 have been killed in the suicide attacks in Riyadh. US Sec of State Powell, who's just arrived in the Saudi capital, says it looks like al-Qaeda. Iraq. Another mass grave has been found nr Hillah. The site holds from 10-15,000 people. It's being excavated. The economic decline of Zimbabwe is not the result of reckless leadership or bad economic planning, but Prem Mugabe's honest desire to help his population. So says S Af Prem Tabo M'beki. He has just left Zimbabwe after an unsuccessful mission with other African leaders to persuade Mugabe to step down. While calls for a louder form of diplomacy are growing in the region, M'beki still favours closed-door meetings. One banished Zimbabwean journalist told BBC World News that Mugabe was a complicated animal. If anyone pretended to be giving him an order, he was likely to snap them up right away, he said. The Dep Mayor of Beijing gave a press conf today. He said govt officials had taken an "open and honest" line in educating the public about the SARS virus. The management -- some say mis-management -- of the SARS outbreak is an intensely political matter in China. 2 officials have resigned over the "under-estimation" of the disease. The govt has been hoping that would draw a line under criticism of the handling of the virus. But the episode has called into question the trad'l methods for controlling info inside the world's largest country. Michael Jackson has announced he will sue Motown, now part of Universal and presently owned by failing former French water utility Vivendi, for unpaid royalties from the early days of the Jackson Five. The numbers Mic's lawyers are talking about are large. The Jacksons cut 5 LP's in 18 m with the label, 33 years ago. Mic has previously told reporters that when he was 11 he though screaming people running towards him tearing their clothes off was normal. 4 am Pres Bush has vowed revenge on the Riyadh attackers. The US will find the killers and they will learn the meaning of American justice, said Mr Bush. The attacks were a reminder the war on terrorism continues, he added. At least 10 Americans were among the 29 dead in the coordinated attacks in Riyadh. Many more were injured and the death toll is expected to rise. 3 car bombs were driven into 3 resid'l compounds. 9 suicide bombers died in the attack. There were fierce gun battles with guards getting into at least 1 gated compound. Gun battles were also reported in the escape of some attackers at another location. One 4-story residential building had one wall torn completely off in one blast. The attacks happened despite numerous intel warnings. Local reporters speculate some of the 19 people previously ID'd by the Saudi govt as terrorists may have been involved, thinking authorities were closing in. American experts have been rushed to the country to interview witnesses and sift through the evidence. Putin said attacks, like those in Chechnya, bore the same imprint. They proved the need for close cooperation between Russia and NATO on regional security issues, he said. The US has expelled 14 Cuban diplomats. 7 Cubans were expelled from the UN embassy in NYc. The others were from Washington. An official said they'd been caught spying. Duties incompatible with their diplomatic status. Hillah. Another mass grave has been found nr Baghdad. Located outside Hillah, the site contains 1000s of bodies. One estimate says up to 15,000 may be buried there. More than 3,000 have been uncovered so far. Not only men, but whole families were reportedly buried together. People are looking for relatives who disappeared during the reign of Saddam Hussein. 100s looked on from surrounding hills as a mechanical digger uncovered the horrific remains. 5 bodies were found in each grave. Some had bullet holes. Some were crushed skulls. They apparently date from the 1991 Shiite uprising against the regime. Some people put bones in plastic bags and handed them to relatives. One woman told a BBC reporter the remains she had were from a neighbour. She expected to find the body of her husband at the site. Bunia, DRC. There's been heavy fighting in the N of DNC. 10s of 1000s of residents fled as rival militias in the town fought for control. As small arms and mortar fire continues, France has offered to send in a battalion under UN mandate. A resident told BBC unless they arrive soon there would be no-one left to save. The Russian Culture Missionary says the renovation of the famous Amber Room in the St Petersburg palace is complete. The room and palace was looted by the Nazis in WWII. The Amber Room was originally lined with amber panelling, and furniture and artefacts made of the semi-precious material. Putin and Schroeder will inaugurated the room on the 300th anniversary of the palace later this m. Beirut. Iranian Pres Hatami has addressed a huge crowd in Beirut. He said Lebanon was a model of co-existence and freedom in the region, where people with different religions and views had learned to get along. He called for a free Middle E, free of persecution. He called on Washington not to create an new crises after Iraq. The US has challenged the EU ban on GM food. The Tories in England have promised to drop uni fees. In a speech today, Duncan-Smith said the conservatives can find the money by cutting back on programs to attract poorer students to tertiary education. Other Labour programs would also be cut. 4.30 am A snr police official says members of the public might have to be shot during a terrorist bio- or chem attack. A police conf was told that "unsavoury decisions" would have to be made to control public panic due to a lack of trained manpower. The US trade deficit has risen to its 2nd-highest level on record. $US43 bn. 8 am The SARS virus has claimed its 2nd doctor in HK. Colleagues were paying their respects to the 35 yo medico today. He died after catching the virus from a patient he was treating 4 wks ago. The death toll from the virus in HK has reached 225. }} ======================================== (*) Who is responcible for W.A.R.S? A small group of dedicated sandgrubbers, bannana-lickers and 5th columnists on the run from support payments and sundry legalese in their home countries. Mention us at any Uncle Harry's Suburban Bunker and get a 10% discount on cop-killers! All speling macroizated for correctitood by Mcrosotf Speelchek. *** Please stand by for further orders from The New Leader ***