From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia
Reserch Senter(*)
OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS #222
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In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant
to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere
(validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra).
Our Home Page:
The Undeniable Evidence:
Even More Uneniable Evidence:
US Centcom News Releases:
Iraqi Body Count: [11,132 as at 05 Jul 2004].
UN Mailing List:
Some Of The News, Some Of The Time:
This Stuff Blogged:
Also Kindly Archived:
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Selecting latest news stories and other data for you...
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[Bush and Blair] should have been able to tell before the war that the
evidence did not exist for drawing the conclusion that Iraq presented
a clear, present and imminent threat on the basis of existing weapons
of mass destruction.
-- Fmr UN weapons inspector Dr David Kay, ITV, 19 Jul 2004.
Who can explain the inexplicable?
Anything that showed Iraq didn't have WMD had a much higher gate to
pass because if it were true, all of US policy towards Iraq would have
fallen asunder.
-- Dr David Kay, ITV, 19 Jul 2004.
It wasn't an intel failure. It was an intel success. The job was to
provide intel that would support the policy of regime change. The
Butler report pretends the Brit govt policy was disarmament ... Butler
doesn't do his homework. The whole report is like that -- it's
shallow. It doesn't dig.
-- Fmr weapons inspector and CIA agent, Scott Ritter, 19 Jul 2004.
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Sat, 17 Jul 2004.
HEADLINES:
4 killed on Vic roads
Iraqi PM shot inmates: reports
Car bomb targets US convoy in Iraq
3 held hostage in Khan Younis
Aust, NZ may create drug labels standard
Author ensures the writing's on the wall
Barclays freezes far-right party's accounts
Boeing in 1st post-9/11 recruitment drive
CSIRO says kangaroo cull has long-term focus
Chinese prospectors' stories told on tour route
Costello pushes Labor on FTA
Councils find sea change overwhelming
Cult leader accused of abuse
Eyes on Labor after US backs trade agreement
F-111 workers "at higher cancer risk"
Fishermen challenge kelp study
Former E Timor governor refuses to go to jail
French aid workers freed after Gaza abduction
Heavy snow cuts off ski resorts
Indigenous Tasn's protest over legal changes
Kidnappers release Gaza police chief, official says
Land hand-over recognises traditional owners
Man guilty of importing human growth hormone
Mandela calls for more AIDS funds
Martha Stewart jailed for 5 m
Milosevic's health delays trial again
PBL extends Burswood offer
Parents mourn after Indian school fire
Qld prepares to destroy 50,000 citrus trees
Refugees 'need help' to adjust in regions
Russian magnate slams 'shameful' charges
Scientists discover biggest raindrops
Study finds link between kids, TV and obesity
US says Guantanamo prisoners informed of rights
US stocks fall on economy and profit worries
Violent mid-air incident 'overlooked'
WA police capture escapee
US stocks fall on economy and profit worries
NY (Reuters). Technology shares led US markets lower overnight, as
investors' worries about slowing growth in the economy and corporate
profits overshadowed upbeat earnings from tech bellwether IBM.
Weakness in semiconductor-related companies helped push the Nasdaq
Composite to its lowest close in 2 m.
PMC-Sierra, which designs chips for telecommunications, was among them,
as investors expressed disappointment with the company's revenue forecast.
Rising oil prices also weighed on Wall Street sentiment.
Oil jumped to a 6-wk high on worries about possible sabotage in Iraq
that could put a crimp in supply.
The latest economic data did little to quell speculation that the US
economy's rebound was beginning to cool.
One report showed consumer sentiment rose less than expected in July
and another showed the pace of consumer price gains slowed in June.
The DJIA fell 23 points, or 0.23%, to 10,140 and the Standard and
Poor's 500 Index dropped 5 points, or 0.48% to 1,101.
The technology-laced Nasdaq fell nearly 30 points, or 1.55%, to 1,883,
its lowest close since May 17.
Trading was active, with about 1.4 bn shares traded on the NYSE and
1.8 bn shares traded on Nasdaq.
IBM underpinned the Dow after posting better-than-expected quarterly
results on Thu.
Its shares rose 26 cents to $US84.28.
Dell, the world's largest personal computer maker, climbed after it
raised its quarterly profit outlook as overseas sales improved and its
tax rate declined.
It gained 55 cents, or 2%, to $US35.42.
But Boston Scientific plunged after it reported it is expanding its
recall of its popular heart device because of a malfunction.
Its shares, which were halted most of the day, fell $US3.09, or 7.6%,
to $US37.40.
Johnson and Johnson, which makes a competing device, was the Dow's
biggest percentage gainer with a rise of $US1.45, or 2.6%, to $US56.80.
Semiconductor shares, which have been battered in recent wk amid
worries about lacklustre demand, fell further, pushing the
Philadelphia Stock Exchange's semiconductor index down nearly 2%.
PMC-Sierra, which said it expected its revenue to be flat to up slightly
in the current quarter over the last, fell $US1.29, or 11% to $US10.46.
Mobile phone maker Motorola fell sharply after analysts at Smith
Barney Citigroup and Lehman Brothers cut their investment ratings on
the company's stock.
Motorola's shares fell 78 cents or 5%, to $US15.80.
Motorola's spin-off, Freescale Semiconductor, priced its nearly $US1.6
bn initial public stock offering at the low end of its estimated range,
which it had already slashed because of a difficult environment for
chip stocks.
Shares of Freescale, which priced at $US13 a share, rose 8% in their
market debut to $US14.02 on the NYSE.
Oil settled 48 cents higher at $US41.25/bbl after rising as high as
$US41.80, its highest level since the 21-y record of $US42.45 hit on June 2.
Oil-related companies benefited, lifting the AMEX's oil index nearly 2%.
Exxon Mobil, ChevronTexaco and ConocoPhillips all hit 52-wk highs
during the session.
Eyes on Labor after US backs trade agreement
The US has backed the free trade agreement.
Canberra. The Fed Opp'n is under renewed pressure from business
groups to support a free trade agreement with the US.
The trade agreement passed in the US Senate on Fri.
After the US Congress overwhelmingly supported the deal, PM John
Howard again urged the Opp'n to pass the agreement.
But the Labor Party is waiting on a Senate committee report before
making a final decision.
"I think it would be anti-democratic to jump in ahead of the Senate
committee report and make a judgement if you haven't got all the
facts, if you haven't got all the details on the table," Opp'n leader
Mark Latham said.
"We owe it to the Aussie people to get it right."
But the Aussie Industry Group's chief executive, Heather Ridout, says
the Opp'n has all the info it needs to make a decision.
"I think they should stop equivocating and we strongly recommend that
they indicate they're going to pass it at the earliest opportunity," she said.
But Nicola Ballenden from the Aussie Consumers Association says the
agreement would undermine the pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS).
"In its current form there is a very real risk that the price of
medications will go up," she said.
She fears the Opp'n does not want to appear anti-American and will
support the deal.
Johnathon Mill from the Media, Arts and Entertainment Alliance agrees.
He says if Labor supports the deal it will be disastrous for the media in AUS.
"We are signing away our cultural destiny as a country," he said.
The Senate committee will deliver its report next m.
Boeing in 1st post-9/11 recruitment drive
Seattle. Aircraft manufacturing company Boeing will hire up to 3,000
workers by the end of this year, its 1st major hiring effort since it
cut 42,000 jobs after the Sep 11, 2001 US hijack attacks. Most of the
new or recalled employees will report to Boeing's Seattle-area
commercial jet factories in the US. The additions will be Boeing's
1st significant hiring since 1997, when it bought rival McDonnell
Douglas and took on 75,000 new workers. Boeing has been battered by a
severe travel slump following the 2001 attacks, with airlines
cancelling jet orders from Boeing and rival Airbus SAS.
Parents mourn after Indian school fire
Kumbakonam, India (Reuters). Parents have broken down in tears as the
bodies of their children were buried or cremated, after a fire in an
Indian school killed 88 children.
"He is gone, he is gone forever," wailed Vijaya as she said farewell
to her 8-yo son Vadivelu, who died of his burns in hospital.
"I had prepared his afternoon meal for him, but he will never eat it."
At least 15 people gathered outside her house to console Vijaya and
her husband Sekhar, a manual labourer.
The scene was repeated in dozens of locations across the little town
of Kumbakonam, which lies in a fertile district known as the rice bowl
of the S state of Tamil Nadu.
The bodies of 75 children were recovered from the Sri Krishna school
after the fire.
Another 13 children, most just 8 or 10 y old, died of their burns in
hospital, snr district official J Radhakrishnan told reporters.
Radhakrishnan said 5 people, including the school principal and the
cook, were arrested.
Authorities are also investigating why no teachers were killed or
injured in the fire.
"Action has been taken as they did not follow fire safety norms," he
said, adding that regulatory authorities were also partly to blame for
failing to enforce safety norms.
* 'Govt to blame'
The blaze began in a kitchen where Fri's lunch was being prepared
before spreading to the school's palm-thatched roof.
Many of the children were trapped in a large classroom which had only
one exit, dying after the blazing roof collapsed on top of them and
blocked their way out.
"The kids were too small to break down the wall or think of any way
out," said Balu, a 35-yo father of 2, whose children were being
taught on another floor and escaped unhurt.
"The Govt is to blame as there has been no inspection of this school
for at least 2 to 3 y.
"If someone had inspected the facilities, maybe they might have
pointed it out to the school management, and this might have been avoided."
Newspapers criticised the lack of adequate exits and fire extinguishers
as well as the fact that cooking was being carried out under a
thatched roof.
The Perumandi cremation and burial ground in the town stayed open
overnight as attendants buried or burned the bodies of dozens of
children killed in the blaze.
"At least 30 of the bodies that have come here were in the 5-10 y age
group," burial ground owner Subramanian said.
"The parents are rushing through the last rites as they cannot bear to
look at the charred bodies any more."
As 10-yo Monica's body was lowered into a grave, her father slipped to
the ground in grief.
A mourner said the girl had escaped the fire only to go back into the
building in an effort to retrieve her books.
"She was scared that her parents would scold her for losing the books,"
he said.
There were at least a dozen freshly dug graves besides Monica's.
A short distance away in a compound adjacent to the burial ground, there
were at least 15 piles of smoking ashes, the remains of cremated children.
4 piles of firewood were stacked nearby in preparation for more corpses.
"Some of the parents are so shocked that they do not know what they
are doing or saying," said mourner S Kumar, a 49-yo scrap metal dealer.
"Hindus who would normally burn the bodies of their dead relatives
have buried them tonight. Some parents are saying that cannot bear to
put these burnt bodies into fire again."
The fire at Kumbakonam, a dusty trading town on the banks of the
Cauvery River famous for its temples, was the 2nd major fire tragedy
in the state this y. More than 50 people were killed in an inferno at
a marriage hall in Jan.
Milosevic's health delays trial again
Slobodan Milosevic ... trial on hold again.
The Hague (Reuters). Slobodan Milosevic's war crimes trial has been
delayed again due to the former Yugoslav president's high blood
pressure as he tries to prepare his own defence.
Milosevic was due to open his much-delayed defence on Mon against
charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the
1990s break-up of Yugoslavia but his doctor said he was not well
enough to attend the hearing.
"The Milosevic trial has been adjourned until Tue Aug 31," a tribunal
rep said.
"The chamber considered the medical report from his doctor that said
on the basis of the blood pressure values of the accused, he should
not attend the hearing."
Milosevic appeared in court last wk for a hearing to discuss how to
proceed with a trial that started in Feb 2002 and has been repeatedly
interrupted by the ill health of the 62-yo, who is defending himself.
A lawyer appointed to ensure Milosevic gets a fair trial questioned
whether the case could continue but the trial's 3 judges declared him
fit enough to proceed, although they said they might impose a defence
lawyer on him.
The court has asked an independent cardiologist to assess whether
Milosevic is well enough to continue defending himself, noting 66
trial days have been lost due to his health.
But the UN tribunal rep says it could be several wk before a decision
is taken on that matter.
The defiant former Serb strongman has said he would never agree to the
imposition of a defence counsel in the case widely regarded as
Europe's most important war crimes trial since top Nazis were tried at
Nuremberg after World War II.
The court heard last wk that Milosevic suffers from high blood
pressure especially when under stress as well as damage to his heart,
with doctors recommending regular rest.
Since the prosecution wrapped up its case in Feb after calling around
290 witnesses, Milosevic has been working on his defence from the
tribunal's detention centre.
A graduate of the Belgrade Law Faculty, he wants to summon more than
1,000 witnesses including former US president Bill Clinton and Brit PM
Tony Blair in the 150 working days set aside for his defence.
Describing himself as a peacemaker, he says the tribunal is inherently
biased against him and the Serb people and brands it an illegal
institution designed to cover up what he says were NATO war crimes
sponsored by the US and Brit.
He has declined to enter a plea to the charges. Pleas of not guilty
were entered on his behalf by the court.
Violent mid-air incident 'overlooked'
Garuda faces claims that a violent incident was not dealt with properly.
Canberra. The Fed Opp'n has raised concerns that a violent incident
on board a Garuda Airlines flight to Bali this m has not been properly
investigated.
Passengers allege a man physically attacked people and threatened to
blow up the plane about 90 minutes into the flight from Perth to Denpasar.
A 31-yo NSW man was questioned for several hours in Bali and released
without charge. He has since flown on to Europe.
The ABC understands that the report Garuda provided to police did not
mention the threat to bomb the plane.
Garuda Airlines in Jakarta refused to comment but a rep in AUS says
the company has treated the situation extremely seriously. However,
he would not confirm exactly what was reported to police in Indonesia.
A passenger on the flight, Frank Hughes, says he helped restrain the
man after he threatened to blow up the plane.
"It was about an hour-and-a-half into the flight and that passenger
was physically hitting people, he was loud, extremely abusive, he
threatened [to kill] people," Mr Hughes said.
The Oppn's transport rep, Martin Ferguson, says the incident has not
been properly dealt with.
"From all reports, we've got a complete stuff-up in terms of Garuda's
failure to fully inform the police," Mr Ferguson said.
"I think Garuda has to give an explanation to Aussie authorities
because surely it raises questions about their method of operation in
terms of meeting what we regard as appropriate standards in the fight
against terrorism and airline incidents."
Mr Hughes says the incident has left him "wary of flying" and other
passengers he has spoken to are having nightmares.
He says the man should not have walked free.
"He's traumatised 105 passengers on the aircraft and what, we just get
on with it and he goes on his merry way?" he said.
Mandela calls for more AIDS funds
Bangkok (ABC/AFP, Peter Lloyd). The wk long AIDS conference in
Bangkok has drawn to a close with renewed calls for more action to
fight the pandemic.
Nelson Mandela made an impassioned plea at the closing ceremony for
cash and cooperation to fight the killer AIDS virus.
"History will surely judge us harshly if we do not respond with all
the energy and resources that we can bring to bear in the fight
against AIDS," said the former S African president.
Mr Mandela urged the world's rich countries to make good on financial
promises to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis,
which was launched in 2002.
"We need to build the public-private partnership that is the vision of
the Global Fund. We challenge everyone to help fund the fund now," he said.
"Allow me to enjoy my retirement by showing you can rise to the challenge."
The Global Fund -- the brainchild of United Nations (UN) Sec-Gen Kofi
Annan -- to present a global, unified force against HIV and AIDS needs
more than $US3 bn for 2005.
Washington has ruled out raising its contribution to the fund beyond
$US200 mn already committed for next y, saying it is already spending
more to combat AIDS than the rest of the world put together.
Despite criticism from all sides -- including Mr Mandela and Mr Annan
-- of its moral agenda, trade policy and funding guidelines, the US
insists it is leading the fight against AIDS.
AIDS has claimed 20 mn lives and infected twice as many to date.
* Asia
The head of UNAIDS, Peter Piot, repeated the call for leaders in Asia
and around the world to respond to the AIDS pandemic by increasing
funding for prevention campaigns.
He also called on leaders to provide better access to drug treatment.
"There remains the key issue of fully funding the response and with
Sec-Gen Kofi Annan I appeal to all donor nations to contribute their
share," he said.
"But also to all developing nation govts to give priority to AIDS in
their budget allocations."
The next world AIDS conference will be held in Canada in 2 y time.
Study finds link between kids, TV and obesity
A study has found a link between TV and obesity.
London (AFP). Spending hours glued to your TV screen during childhood
causes an increased risk of obesity and other health problems during
later life, according to research to be published in the Lancet
medical journal.
Researchers from NZ concluded after a decades-long study that high
levels of exposure at a young age to TV -- with its aggressive
barrage of advertising for unhealthy food products -- was correlated
with increased body mass later in life.
Robert Hancox from the University of Otago and his colleagues studied
around 1,000 children born in NZ town of Dunedin in 1972-3, who were
tested over numerous intervals up until the age of 26.
"A clear association was found between extensive TV viewing
[more than 2 hours a day] among children and adolescents and increased
BMI [body mass index], raised cholesterol, greater proportion of
smoking and poor cardiovascular fitness at age 26 years," the Lancet
article said.
The study comes amid increasing concern about the global obesity
epidemic, with the UN's World Health Organisation estimating that one
bn adults worldwide are overweight and at least 300 mn of them are
clinically obese.
According to the US Centre for Disease Control, the worst hit country
is the United States, where a total of 30.6% of the adult population
is obese and the tally is 16.5% among the 6 to 19-yo group.
A Brit parliamentary report said that Brit had the fastest-growing fat
problem in Europe, with cases of obesity growing by almost 400% in 25
y and 3/4 of adults either overweight or obese.
In a commentary with the Lancet article, David Ludwig of the Harvard
Medical School said that the research of Mr Hancox and his team has
strengthened the case for a ban on food advertisements aimed at children.
"In an era when childhood obesity has reached crisis proportions, the
commercial food industry has no business telling toddlers to consume
fast food, soft drinks, and high-calorie low-quality snacks, all
products linked to excessive weight gain.
"The multifactorial nature of the problem should not be an excuse for
inaction. Measures to limit TV viewing in childhood and ban
food advertisements aimed at children are warranted, before another
generation is programmed to become obese," he wrote.
Mr Hancox said that children's TV viewing should be limited to
less than one hour a day.
US says Guantanamo prisoners informed of rights
Washington. The US Defence Dept says it has notified all prisoners at
Guantanamo Bay of their rights after the US Supreme Court ruled that
they could challenge their detention in the courts. The Pentagon says
it expects military tribunals to begin shortly to review whether
detainees are being held lawfully as enemy combatants. The reviews,
in front of 3 military officers at Guantanamo Bay, could begin within
a wk and according to the Pentagon they could lead to releases of
prisoners. This is part of the Pentagon's response to the recent US
Supreme Court ruling. However, it has already been dismissed by human
rights groups and lawyers representing detainees as inadequate. The
Pentagon says all the nearly 600 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have now
been informed of their rights to challenge their detentions, including
in the US courts. This was done in written form or verbally if the
detainees could not read.
Iraqi PM shot inmates: reports
Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi has been accused of executing prisoners.
Baghdad. Iraq's interim PM, Iyad Allawi, has been accused of shooting
7 Iraqi insurgents, killing 6 of them, in the week leading up to the
hand-over of power from the US last m.
2 unnamed people alleged to have seen the shootings have told Aussie
journalist Paul McGeough that Dr Allawi shot the insurgents in a
courtyard adjacent to a maximum security cell in Baghdad.
Dr Allawi's office has denied the claims.
A written statement to McGeough says Dr Allawi has not visited the
prison and does not carry a gun.
But McGeough stands by his claims. He says he cannot name the witnesses
but says neither knows the other has spoken to him about the allegations.
"The PM is said to have responded that they deserved worse than death,
that each was responsible for killing more than 50 Iraqis each and at
that point he is said to have pulled a gun and proceeded to aim at and
shoot all 7," McGeough told ABC TV's Lateline.
"6 of them died. The 7th, according to one witness, was wounded in
the chest [but] according to the other witness was wounded in the neck
and presumed to be dead."
McGeough works for Fairfax newspapers and his claims have been
published in the SYD Morning Herald and the Age this morning.
He says Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those around him that he
wanted to send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents.
McGeough says one of the witnesses described those shot as "Wahabis,
the Iraqi colloquialism for foreign fighters who have come into the
country or local Iraqis who have taken on their Islamic jihad".
"The reference is very much to their appearance -- very short hair,
very scraggly beard and 4 of them were described as Wahabis, the other
3 were described to me as normal Iraqis," he added.
A rep for Aussie FM Alexander Downer says Aussie authorities have no
knowledge of the allegations.
He says if Fairfax has any substantial info, it should take it to the
Iraqi authorities for investigation.
Car bomb targets US convoy in Iraq
Baghdad (AFP). A car bomb has exploded nr a US convoy in Baghdad,
wounding 6 people including a US soldier.
Meanwhile, 2 policeman have been shot dead, one in Baghdad, the other
in the N city of Kirkuk, as insurgents fired mortar rounds at an
already damaged oil pipeline in the N but missed.
The car bomb, at least the 3rd in as many days, was driven into the
rear of the military convoy before detonating, the army said.
Ihab Ahmed, a civilian hurt in the blast, said the bomber attacked the
patrol as it drove down Al-Baya'a highway in the W part of Baghdad.
"I was trying to cross the road because I live nearby when the car
exploded," he said.
The attack followed 2 bloody car bombings since Wed, one outside the
Govt's main compound in Baghdad, the other on a police station W of
the capital that killed a total of at least 20 people.
In clashes between insurgents and US forces in the W region of
Fallujah, 13 people were wounded, Iraqi hospital and police sources said.
Kidnappers release Gaza police chief, official says
Gaza (Reuters). Kidnappers have released Gaza police chief Ghazi
al-Jabali following negotiations with the Palestinian Authority on
their demands for anti-corruption reforms, a snr security official
said. "He is now under the protection of [Preventive Security chief]
Rashid Abu Shbak and has been released," the official said, some 2 hr
after Mr Jabali was abducted in an ambush on Gaza's coastal road. The
official said Palestinian Pres Yasser Arafat had agreed to the demands
of the kidnappers, from the Jenin Martyrs Brigades, to dismiss Mr
Jabali and put him on trial for suspected corruption. 2 of Jabali's
bodyguards were wounded and the rear window and tyres of a jeep blown
out during what a Palestinian security man at the scene said had been
a volley of bullets from more than 10 gunmen who attacked Jabali's convoy.
3 held hostage in Khan Younis
Gaza (Reuters). Masked Palestinian gunmen have kidnapped 3 French
civilians in the Gaza town of Khan Younis, according to Palestinian
witnesses and security officials.
It is the 3rd Gaza kidnapping in less than a day.
The witnesses say 2 foreign women and a man were sitting at a
restaurant when the gunmen burst in, abducted them and led them to the
local Red Crescent HQ, where they ordered workers to leave the building.
A Palestinian security official said the hostages were French.
Witnesses said dozens of police officers surrounded the Red Crescent
building and that militants holding the foreigners inside had turned
off the lights.
Every few minutes, the gunmen fired shots from a window to ward off
police, the witnesses said.
"A large number of masked men raided our building and called for us to
leave," Red Crescent employee Haidar Shuber said.
"There were 3 foreigners with them, 2 women and one old man.
"[The militants] are still occupying the building."
Earlier on Fri, gunmen abducted a Palestinian police chief and a
Palestinian Authority official.
The police chief was later released but the official is still being held.
French aid workers freed after Gaza abduction
Gaza (AFP). Palestinian gunmen have released 4 French nat'ls -- 2 men
and 2 women -- they seized in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip,
after locking them in a building for several hours.
The kidnappers were understood to be former Palestinian security
officials expressing grievances after being fired from their jobs.
The French FM'y has confirmed the release after one of the kidnapped
men told AFP by telephone that he and his colleague had been freed
some time after the women were allowed to go.
Meanwhile, 2 snr Palestinian security officials have handed in their
resignations after 3 kidnappings within a few hours, saying the
situation was intolerable, a Palestinian official said.
The other kidnappings were that of a Palestinian police chief and a
Palestinian liaison officer with the Israeli Army.
The French citizens were abducted in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in
the S Gaza Strip and locked in a building belonging to the Palestinian
Red Crescent, security sources and witnesses told AFP.
They said the 4 were taken hostage in a cafe and marched to a
dormitory inside the Red Crescent building by some 20 gunmen.
The gunmen later released the 2 women safe and sound but continued to
hold the men for a while longer.
The kidnappings followed 2 earlier abductions of Palestinian officials.
Police chief Ghazi Jabali was released after 4 hr in the hands of
dissident militants.
But Col Khaled Abu al-Ula, a Palestinian liaison officer with the
Israeli Army, remained captive in a house in Khan Yunis after some of
his subordinates seized him to protest against their dismissal,
security sources said.
Former E Timor governor refuses to go to jail
[Later reports say he's begun his jail term, claiming he's been made a
scape-goat for the people who really planned the rebel uprising in Timor].
Jakarta (BBC). A former governor of E Timor convicted of human rights
abuses has failed to report to Indonesian authorities to begin serving
a prison sentence. Abilio Soares is at home in W Timor and has no
intention of surrendering. Soares was the 1st suspect to be convicted
by Indonesia's special human rights tribunal. After the failure of
his appeal, the Supreme Court ruled he should be sent to prison in
Jakarta to begin serving his 3 y sentence. But Soares failed to turn
up at the appointed hour. The BBC tracked him down to his home in W
Timor. Meanwhile, a rep for the A-G says that according to the law 2
further summons can be issued calling on Soares to report to Jakarta
as ordered. If he ignores them both, he is liable to be taken by force.
Martha Stewart jailed for 5 m
NY (Reuters). Celebrity US home-maker Martha Stewart has been
sentenced to 5 months in a fed prison and 5 m of house arrest, the
minimum punishment allowed by law, for lying about a suspicious stock sale.
Speaking in a shaking voice before the sentencing, Stewart made a
brief plea for leniency to US District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum,
who could have given the 62-yo businesswoman 16 m behind bars.
The judge recommended a minimum security prison in Connecticut, not
far from one of Stewart's homes, and ordered 2 y' supervised release
and a $30,000 fine.
But Stewart does not have to surrender until an appeal is decided.
"Today is a shameful day," said Stewart, who built a catering company into
a media and merchandise empire of lifestyle magazines, cookbooks and TV shows.
"I ask that in judging me, you remember all the good I've done."
Stewart looked upset as the judge read the sentence but quickly
regained her composure and kissed her daughter and her sister.
She told reporters in the courtroom she was not surprised "at all" by
the sentence.
* 'Justice served'
The judge said she chose the minimum sentence because Stewart had no
criminal record, the public interest had been served and she believed
the defendant had "suffered and will continue to suffer enough".
"The sentence I have just imposed is, in my opinion, the minimum
permitted under current law," the judge said.
"I have not lost sight of the seriousness of the offence of which you
have been convicted. Lying to govt agencies during the course of an
investigation is a very serious matter."
Stewart later addressed a crowd of media and supporters outside on the
courthouse steps.
"I'll be back," she said. "Whatever I have to do in the next few
months, I hope the m go by quickly.
"I'm used to all kinds of hard work, as you know, and I'm not afraid.
"I'm just very, very sorry that it's come to this, that a small
personal matter has been able to be blown out of all proportion and
with such venom ... It's just terrible."
Stewart was found guilty in March of conspiracy, making false statements
and obstruction of agency proceedings -- all stemming from her
suspicious sale of stock in biotechnology company ImClone Systems on
Dec 27, 2001.
* Share recovery
Prosecutors said the sale occurred after Stewart's stockbroker, Peter
Bacanovic, ordered an assistant to tip Stewart that ImClone founder
Sam Waksal was dumping all his shares, knowing fed regulators were
about to give a thumbs down to the company's anti-cancer drug.
Bacanovic was later sentenced to the same term for conspiring with Stewart.
While there was no case made that Stewart engaged in insider trading,
prosecutors said she and her broker lied to cover up the secret tip.
Waksal was sentenced to 7 y in prison for insider trading.
The ensuing debacle wiped $US400 mn off Martha Stewart Living
Omnimedia, the company she founded, in market capitalisation.
But news of the light sentence sent shares in the company up about 30%
to $US11.25 a share in early afternoon dealings.
Peter Cohan, a management consultant and company watcher, said the
sentence and market reaction were like "a vote".
"People like her and they're happy she won't spend too much time in
prison," he said.
* Supporters
Indeed, Stewart was greeted outside the courthouse by supporters like
Pat Turner, a Georgia resident who planned a trip to NY to coincide
with the sentencing.
"I think she'll take this and turn it into a positive, hold her head
high," Turner said. "I think she'll come back and be bigger and better
because that's the kind of person she is."
Stewart has enjoyed remarkable support from fans, especially compared
with more reviled white-collar criminals who are seen evading justice
through wealth and influence.
The public backing served her well. The judge said she received more
than 1,500 letters of support for Stewart.
"It is apparent that you have helped many people outside of your own
family and that you have a supportive family and 100s of admirers,"
the judge said.
Stewart's backers, many of whom see her as under attack for the very
traits that made her successful, set up fan clubs and websites on her
behalf and peppered everyone from the judge to Pres George W Bush with
letters and petitions.
Observers noted that the judge could have handed down a stiffer
sentence to make a public example out of the case.
Russian magnate slams 'shameful' charges
Mikhail Khodorkovsky says charges against him are unlawful.
Moscow (ABC, Emma Griffiths). Russia's richest man has described tax
evasion charges against him and his former company as clumsy, shameful
and unlawful. Mikhail Khodorkovsky has begun his defence in the
politically charged court case. Many believe the charges against the
oil billionaire and his former company, Yukos, are politically
motivated because Khodorkovsky donated money to political parties
opposing Russian Pres Vladimir Putin. The Pres insists the case is a
matter for the court. Today, it heard the defendant deny all charges
laid against him. Khodorkovsky has been accused of tax evasion, fraud
and forgery and his former company, Yukos, is facing bankruptcy
because of a ruling that it owes several $bn in back taxes.
The oil magnate says that ruling is unlawful and shameful and his
court case is a clumsy attempt to blame him for mistakes made in the
rush to privatise Russia's state assets in the mid 1990s. He faces 10
y in jail if found guilty.
Barclays freezes far-right party's accounts
London. A major internat'l bank has frozen accounts held by the
far-right Brit Nat'l Party. The move by Barclay's Bank comes after a
BBC documentary exposed some of the party's members as racist and
showed its leader stirring up anti-Muslim sentiment. The hidden
camera documentary showed one BNP member confessing to a racially
motivated assault. While police are still reviewing BBC tapes to
determine whether any criminal offences have been committed, it is
understood Barclay's Bank has closed 5 accounts linked to the political
party. BNP rep John Walker has described the action as outrageous.
Councils find sea change overwhelming
Councils are struggling with infrastructure as more Aussies move to
the coast.
Byron Bay, NSW. AUS's 'sea change' population shift is causing
nationwide problems which demand action from fed and state
authorities, according to local govt bodies.
Almost 60 councils met in Qld recently, resolving to fund a nat'l
study into the changes brought on by rapid coastal growth.
As Aussies increasingly flock to the coast, councils say they are
being swamped with sewage and infrastructure demands.
Pamela Westing from Byron Shire Council in N NSW says the scale of
change is overwhelming.
"This is a nat'l problem because a lot of this growth is occurring in
smaller councils like Byron which really has struggled to resource
those changes," Ms Westing said.
Ms Westing says AUS has seen similar population movements in the past.
"[We're] really saying to the state and fed govts that this population
shift is comparable to the shift to the suburbs in the 1950s and '60s
but it hasn't really been recognised as anything other than a local
issue," she said.
"All the local councils are saying the same things -- that we're just
not able to adequately deal with these problems on our own."
Councils are now meeting regularly on the issue and have resolved to
fund a nat'l study in a bid to get more state and fed funding to help
them cope with the increasing population pressure.
Chinese prospectors' stories told on tour route
Hobart. A new tourism venture in Tas's N E is aiming to protect and
restore the region's Chinese mining heritage. The Trail of the Tin
Dragon is a touring route from Launceston to St Helens, recognising
the contribution of about 1,000 Chinese prospectors who settled in the
area in the late 1870s. The project is in its early stages and is
expected to be complete within 5 years. Coordinator Lynda Jones says
the project will ensure significant artefacts and stories are not
forgotten. "It's very simply a story that needs to be told," she
said. "There's a huge amount of community passion and interest,
there's an enormous amount of memories and connections, artefacts and
stories, so they need to be recorded and kept because it's such a part
of our cultural heritage."
PBL extends Burswood offer
Melbourne. Kerry Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL)
has extended its takeover bid for Perth's Burswood Casino until July
28. PBL has made a $700 mn bid for the casino, offering $1.46 per
share on condition it acquires 90% of the company. The initial offer
expired at 5.00 pm on Fri. But PBL has announced it would extend the
offer for another 12 days.
Aust, NZ may create drug labels standard
Canberra. Health experts from AUS and NZ have been discussing ways to
improve the labelling of medicine. From July next year, a joint
regulatory agency will replace AUS's Therapeutic Goods Agency and NZ's
Medsafe. The committee has made recommendations to the new agency on
a harmonised standard of labelling for the 2 countries. AUS's
parliamentary secretary for health, Trish Worth, has asked the
committee to consider the need for better info on labels so that
recalled products can be easily identified. "It's very, very
important that it's standardised, that the vital info that consumers
need is there, that there's vital info that health professionals might
want as well, and that in the process of a recall the products can be
very easily and readily identified," she said.
Qld prepares to destroy 50,000 citrus trees
Brisbane. The Qld Govt is set to destroy more citrus trees on a farm
at Emerald after a failed legal challenge by the property's owner.
Evergreen Farms asked a court to stop clearing until compensation
rights had been secured and the Govt determined which trees were
infected. This week, 8,000 trees were destroyed and another 50,000
trees will now be destroyed next wk. Qld Primary Industries Min Henry
Palaszczuk has urged Evergreen to stop obstructing the Govt. "At the
end of the day, we have got to realise that citrus canker will not be
eradicated in the courtrooms of Bris -- it will be eradicated on the
property," he said.
4 killed on Vic roads
Melbourne. A horror night on Vic's country roads has claimed 4 lives.
A 36-yo man from Ultima and a 78-yo man from Serpentine died instantly
when their cars collided on the Lodden Valley Highway 5 km S of
Serpentine about 6.00 pm. The elderly man's passenger, a 73-yo woman,
died a short time later. Around the same time, a 71-yo woman from
Newborough was killed in a hit-run incident at Moe. The woman was
crossing Waterloo Road when she was struck by a white early-model
Holden Commodore. Police say 2 men in the car stopped a short
distance from the accident scene to inspect damage before driving off.
Senior Constable Wayne Wilson says anyone with info about the car
should contact police. "Perhaps it's been parked somewhere or even
maybe taken to a repair shop," he said. This year, 207 people have
died on the state's roads compared with 201 for the same time last y.
Heavy snow cuts off ski resorts
Jindabyne, NSW. The heaviest snow falls in y in the Snowy Mountains
have caused havoc on roads leading to NSW ski resorts.
The road from Kalkite to Jindabyne and then all roads to the ski
resorts are closed at this stage due to hazardous conditions, which
have caused several accidents this morning.
The fire brigade is attending an accident involving a truck which has
come off the road and brought down power lines in Jindabyne.
The resort town is now without electricity.
Naria Shannon from the Jindabyne Visitors Centre says the scene is
beautiful, but has urged motorists to take care.
"There are delays on the road because there have been several
accidents this morning," she said.
"The roads around Jindabyne are also very slippery because the snow is
quite widespread. I've just spoken to a policeman who says the road is
currently closed between Berridale and Jindabyne and they're hoping to
get a grader through and re-open that shortly."
Constable Adam Lee from Cooma Police says there is already a heavy
backlog of traffic and there have been several accidents with cars
sliding off the road.
He says snow chains will not help the situation.
"The snow's coming down too heavy so not until they get the snow
plough through," he said.
"As I said before there's vehicles off the road up there so police are
having quite a busy time to try and get everything under control up
there at this stage."
Indigenous Tasn's protest over legal changes
Hobart. A group of Indigenous Tasn's has used a visit by fed Treasurer
Peter Costello to protest against plans to invite private law firms to
tender for Aboriginal legal services. More than 40 people waving
anti-Govt placards heckled Mr Costello as he arrived at Hobart's Wrest
Point Casino last night to attend an anniversary dinner for Tas Sen
Eric Abetz. Tas Aboriginal Centre rep Heather Sculthorpe says the
protesters wanted Mr Costello to explain why the Aboriginal Legal
Service is to be replaced. Ms Sculthorpe says programs run by the
service in Tas have reduced Aboriginal imprisonment rates. "We think
that they're trying to get rid of Aboriginal dissent," she said.
"They're trying to get rid of loud voices for Aboriginal rights and
Aboriginal justice and they're taking us back to the '70s when legal
services started in this country."
Land hand-over recognises traditional owners
Cobar, NSW. An area nr Cobar in NSW's far W will today be handed to
the Aboriginal community, just the 2nd such hand-over of land to
traditional owners in the state. Ownership of the Mount Grenfell
historic site, which has been a nat'l park, is to be signed over to
the Ngiyampaa people. It will be managed by a board dominated by
Aboriginal people and leased back to the parks dept. Elder Elaine
Ohlsen says the area is significant especially because it contains
important rock art. "The hand stencils and ochre paintings, it's been
a place where that's been fully inhabited by tribes, the Ngiyampaa
tribe," she said.
Refugees 'need help' to adjust in regions
Perth. A university researcher has warned that refugees will need
lots to help if they are to settle successfully in regional areas.
The call follows this week's ruling that temporary protection visa
(TPV) holders can apply for Aussie residency. The W Research
Institute based at Charles Sturt University has been studying the role
migrants can have in filling workforce gaps in regional areas.
Director Tom Murphy has found there is a tendency for new migrants to
drift back to the big smoke. "There is a strong pull to the
cities. They certainly need support and they certainly need a critical
mass so there's quite a few of them in the area," he said. But there
are success stories in the central W communities of Young and Dubbo
where dozens of men from Afghanistan on TPVs have been living for
several years. They have been well supported for example by language
classes in Dubbo and an established Muslim community in Young.
F-111 workers "at higher cancer risk"
Canberra. An Aussie Defence Force (ADF) study has found 900
servicemen who worked on F-111s in the 1970s, '80s and '90s have an
increased risk of developing cancer.
The study assessed the risk for those who worked on the F-111
re-seal/de-seal fuel tank maintenance program.
2 y ago, the ADF released a report which found 400 workers at its Amberley
Air Force Base nr Bris were exposed to chemicals which made them sick.
A study was ordered to assess the risk of cancer and that report has
now been released.
The new report's author, John Attia, says he firmly believes there is
a link between the fuel tank program and cancer.
"Basically what the study found was that there appears to be a 50%
increase in the incidence of cancer among the people who worked on
'de-seal/re-seal'," Dr Attia said.
He added: "Certainly this study does support -- there is some evidence
there for their claims.
"We obviously can't be 100% certain, all we can actually say now is
there does appear to be an association but we can't pinpoint what the
positive factor was."
Lawyer Simon Harrison, a Bris lawyer representing many of the
maintenance workers, hopes the latest findings will help ADF workers
achieve full recognition of their illnesses and compensation from the Govt.
"It means that at long last they've actually been vindicated," he said.
"In terms of liability aspects, this report has really nailed the
Commonwealth so far as cancer is concerned.
"I just hope that the Commonwealth fully accepts these recommendations."
A rep for the ADF says the findings will require further analysis and
will form part of a wider health report due by the end of the year.
He says the Dept of Veterans Affairs will consider the report in
determining eligibility for compensation and ongoing care for those affected.
Fishermen challenge kelp study
Forests of the sea ... fishermen have questioned a study which found
Tas kelp is under threat.
Hobart. A row has broken out over scientific research into the
decline of giant kelp forests off Tas's E coast.
Marine biologist Karen Edyvane studied aerial photographs going back
to the 1940s and has found the kelp stocks have dropped by half in that time.
She says over-fishing of rock lobsters and abalone has contributed to
the loss, along with climate change.
Bob Lister from the Tas Fishing Industry Council has challenged Dr
Edyvane's claims about the impact of fishing.
"It's not justified in the research, there's no scientific basis for
making those statements. We know it's not true," he said.
He says there are limits on the fish taken and he believes there is no
impact on the kelp.
Tas's Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute also objects to the
suggestion that over-fishing is playing a role in the kelp's decline.
"I don't think that fishing is a major issue and I don't think that
the effects of fishing are well known," institute head Colin Buxton said.
Prof Buxton says climate change is to blame for the loss of kelp.
But Dr Edyvane stands by her findings and wants the kelp habitat
maintained in marine protected areas.
"Over-fishing no doubt has exacerbated the loss in some areas as well,"
she said.
"The consequences of not acting are so much greater than acting so we
have to adopt a precautionary approach," Dr Edyvane added.
Dr Edyvane, who denies having a political agenda, also wants giant
kelp included on the endangered species list.
CSIRO says kangaroo cull has long-term focus
Canberra. A CSIRO scientist says shooters at Googong Dam in CBR are
targeting female kangaroos to ensure a long-term reduction in the population.
Shooters will kill about 800 kangaroos over the next m because of concerns
that excessive grazing is compromising the quality of water in the dam.
David Freudenberger from the CSIRO says authorities are attempting to
find a long-term solution for the problem.
"We're trying to get a long-term reduction in the population," Dr
Freudenberger said. "You can only do that if you target females.
"If you target large males, which have a larger commercial value
because they're just bigger, you'll only have a temporary reduction of
kangaroo numbers rather than a sustained reduction to protect water."
Dr Freudenberger says the cull meets internat'l standards.
"It's standard methodology that has been refined in NSW for the last
25 y, it meets internat'l standards, it's being conducted by
professional kangaroo harvesters that have been doing this as a
business for decades," he said.
Police from Queanbeyan will maintain a presence at the dam today to
monitor protesters.
Some officers are already at Googong where a few protesters have gathered.
Costello pushes Labor on FTA
Canberra. Fed Treasurer Peter Costello says AUS would be foolish not
to embrace a free trade agreement with the US. Mr Costello has
appealed to Labor leader Mark Latham to support the agreement in the
Senate, after it won the support of the US Congress yesterday. Mr
Costello says practically every country in the world is trying to
secure a free trade agreement with the US. "We are the 1st developed
nation in the world that has got one," he said. "If we vote it down
there'll be 100 other nations that will line up to negotiate one and
vote it through. You'd be looking a gift horse in the mouth."
Cult leader accused of abuse
Melbourne. A former member of a well-known Vic cult has launched a
lawsuit alleging she was subjected to daily emotional and physical
abuse during her childhood.
Vic-based religious cult 'The Family' received widespread publicity
in the 1980s after police raided a property at Lake Eildon and removed
a number of bleached-blonde haired children.
Anouree Crawford, now 34, lived with the cult until she was 17.
Ms Crawford says she has very unhappy memories of her childhood.
"We were abused all day every day and we were not really aware that we
were being abused of course," she said.
"It takes quite a bit of back memory to really understand what was
happening but we were never happy. We were never happy kids. You can't
be happy under those conditions."
She is suing cult leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne, alleging she was
physically abused, denied food and isolated.
In a statement of claim lodged in the Vic Supreme Court, she alleges
the cruel and inhumane treatment has had ongoing severe psychological
effects, including depression and an eating disorder.
Ms Crawford's lawyer, Michael McGarvie, says it is one of the saddest
cases he has dealt with.
"It's the classic case involving someone in an unreal upbringing and
the world suddenly discovering it very late," he said.
The statement of claim alleges Ms Crawford was subjected to severe
punishment and assaults, including having her head held in a bucket of water.
"The abuse was emotional, physical, sexual and psychological. I'm not
discounting any of them," she said.
Mrs Hamilton-Byrne is yet to file her defence.
Man guilty of importing human growth hormone
Melbourne. A Vic man has been given a 4-m suspended jail sentence
for importing large quantities of performance-enhancing drugs. Andrew
Bending, 42, was found guilty of 6 counts of importing prohibited
goods and 12 of trafficking and possessing drugs. In June and Sep
2002, Customs intercepted 3 packages containing testosterone, human
growth hormone and anabolic substances addressed to him. During a
search of Bending's home, officers also found a large quantity of
similar illegal substances. Customs says its the most significant
prosecution of its kind that it has ever undertaken in this state.
The agency says it serves as a reminder that certain performance and
image enhancing drugs cannot be imported without prior approval from
the Therapeutic Goods Admin.
WA police capture escapee
Perth. WA police have recaptured escaped maximum security prisoner
Adrian John Ugle. Police found Ugle hiding in a house at E Vic Park.
Police went to the house after receiving info that Ugle was staying
there with relatives and his de facto wife. Detective Keith Neubromer
says Ugle's family did not offer police any help. "Just denial that
he was there and we were causing some strife to the children who were
in the house at that time and they offered no assistance to us," he
said. Police have charged Ugle's de facto wife with 2 counts of aiding
an escapee. Ugle has been questioned about his escape from AIMS
officers at Rockingham Hospital on Tue. He is due to appear in the E
Perth Court of Petty Sessions this morning.
Scientists discover biggest raindrops
Rio (BBC). US scientists say they have found the biggest raindrops
recorded in the earth's atmosphere. The drops measured nearly 1
cm in diameter, at least 5 times larger than the average
raindrop. Images of the giant globules were taken by laser
instruments on a research plane flying through cloud over Brazil and
the Pacific Ocean. It was previously thought that raindrops would
break up before reaching such a size. The largest previously found
drops were in Hawaii and 8 mm in diameter. The
scientists believe the Brazilian raindrops became so large as the
result of a fire.
Author ensures the writing's on the wall
Havana (Reuters). Cuban writer Tomas Alvarez, worried about the loss
of idiomatic expressions in the Spanish language, is preserving them
by covering the outside of his home with sayings and famous quotes.
Over the last 20 years, the retired journalist has collected 4,000
sayings and written them on ceramic tablets that he sticks to the
bricks of the 4 walls of his house in eastern Sancti Spiritus.
"These sayings were created by the people," the 86-yo said.
"They flow from the entrails of the earth. I did this for people to
think, laugh, philosophise and know great writers such as Shakespeare
and Cervantes."
Every weekend, the founding member of Cuba's ruling Communist Party
gathers neighbours on his veranda to recall more sayings for the collection.
Among those immortalised on the bricks are:
* He who kills cats, raises mice;
* Strong ox, abundant bread;
* Women and wine make a man lose his head; and
* When the emperor errs, the peasant trembles.
Alvarez has covered every brick with sayings and is now plastering
them onto the pillars of his veranda.
Space is getting so short that he plans to build an outhouse.
{{
1 am
A former Indon Gov of E Timor has failed to appeal for his 3 y prison
term at a Jakarta court. He was convicted of human rights abuses in
Timor, by an Indon court. He's reportedly still at home in W Timor.
Figures published by the State Statistical Bureau shows China's economic
growth has slowly sharply in 2H04.
Pal militants have ambushed and captured the chief of the Pal police.
It's reportedly a protest against Pres Arafat.
The trial of former Yugo Pres Milosevic has been further delayed due
to health concerns. Judges have signalled a resumption of the trial
at the end of Aug.
Martha Stewart has been sentenced to 5 m jail for lying about a stock
deal. She'll remain free, pending an appeal.
1.30 am
Police have arrested the head teacher of a school in India where
dozens of children died in a fire. It's reported 2 teachers also died
in the blaze. [Later reports indicated all teachers managed to escape].
10 more Phil soldiers have left their barracks in Iraq, headed for Kuwait.
A Pal police chief has been released after a deal with the PA. It's
not known why he was snatched.
7 am
The share price of Martha Stewart's company rose 30% after she made a
defiant speech on the courthouse steps in NY. The appearance followed
her sentencing to a 5 m jail term. Stewart will also be electronically
restricted to her home for another 5 m following the jail time. She
was also fined $US30,000. Her co-accused received the same sentence.
2 Pal security officials have resigned after a day of kidnappings in
the Gaza Strip. The PA chief of police has been released by gunmen.
3 French citizens also captured by gunmen have also been released.
2 witnesses say Iraqi PM Allawi personally shot dead 6 insurgents in
the courtyard opposite a prison in the wk before the hand-over of power.
The PM's office has denied the claims. Observers say Allawi has a
murderous history. He helped Saddam get into power, and then had
turned on him.
Barclays Bank has frozen the accounts of the far right-wing BNP. It
made the decision after footage of racist speeches by party officials
were broadcast by the BBC. The Bank says it had a policy of refusing
business with groups likely to damage the Bank's reputation. During
the 70s, Brits boycotted the Bank after it was revealed it was doing
business with apartheid S Africa.
7.30 pm
The Dow has closed down .2%, despite good news. Traders ignored good
report from IBM. The Nasdaq also ended down 30 pts. Oil is higher again,
threatening $41. The AUD is on the rise, and presently at 71.13 US c.
7.45 am
The US military has announced tribunals in Guatmo where inmates can
challenger their illegal combatant status. The tribunals will be
convened within 1 wk or so, say officials.
Midday.
US Pres George W Bush is expected to swiftly sign into law the free
trade agreement between the US and AUS, after it was passed by the Senate.
2 pm
A bomb has exploded in C Baghdad. 6 people have been wounded, incl a
US soldier. The car carrying the bomb was driven into the rear of a
military convoy.
Pal security services in Gaza have been placed on a state of alert
after several kidnappings within several hrs. The hostages have all
been released. The Pal Liason officer with the Israeli army is still
held by subordinates, protesting their dismissal.
3 pm
A 31 yo NSW man reportedly hit passengers and threatened to blow up a
plane. Passengers on a flight to Bali are amazed a passenger who became
loud and violent and had to be restrained by other passengers has
walked free without charge. Aussie officials are discussing the
incident with Garuda airlines.
Pal has submitted a draft Res to the UNGA, demanding a stop to the
building of the Israeli barrier. A rep told the GA Israel would have
to choose whether to declare itself an outlaw state, or comply with
the Res. It wasn't just a matter of changing the route, he said.
The Res demands the removal of the wall everywhere it's built in
occupied territory.
3.30 pm
The AUD is trading higher at 73.13 US c, making a comeback against the
greenback.
3.30 pm
There's been a loud explosion in Baghdad. A bomb is said to have
exploded in the path of a convoy of the Min of Justice. A plume of
smoke has been seen rising in the past 1/2 hr. The powerful blast
occurred in the W of the capital, just before 9 am local. Some say a
suicide attack, some say a roadside bomb. It's reported the Min is
unhurt, but 2 guards have been killed.
A Bris lawyer says RAAF maintenance crew are due compensation for
work-related injuries. A new report says RAAF maintenance men who
worked on F-111 fuel tanks were exposed to chemicals that have an
increased their risk of cancer. The men worked on the tanks in the
79s, 80s and 90s. The report affects about 900 servicemen, said a lawyer.
4 pm
Aid workers have been attacked in Afghanistan. 1 person was killed and
2 wounded in what's described as a Taliban ambush in S Afghanistan.
The US military stepped in to stop the ambush.
Boeing is hiring. The Seattle jet factory indicates it will be hiring
up to 4,000 workers. The move comes after the company has sacked
42,000 workers over the past 10 y. It will be the first major hirings
since 1997. A company downturn after 9/11 resulted in a loss of orders.
4.20 pm
There's been another bomb attack in Iraq. The latest attack is in a
small town, 25 km S of Baghdad. The number of cas is unknown.
Insurgents hit a HQ of the Iraqi Nat'l Guard in Mamoudia. The Health
Min'y says 2 people were killed and 25 wounded. They were queueing to
join the Nat'l Guard.
The cas from the attack on the Justice Min has risen to 4. The blast
created a fireball nr a petrol stn, and sparked numerous secondaries.
5 pm
The Pal Cabinet is emergency session following series of kidnappings.
The sit'n is critical said a rep for the PM's office.
5.30 pm
Indian officials say 5 people have been arrested after the deaths of
88 students during a school fire in Tamil Nadu. Observers said the
death toll was greater because the school had a policy of locking
doors after students had arrived. Those arrested incl the
headmistress, 2 teachers, and the cook. Parents want to know how all
23 teachers survived, when so many children died. There are rumours
teachers locked classroom doors before going to check on the outbreak
of the fire. Rescue workers say they found many bodies huddled behind
a locked door. One child told reporters the children were about to
leave when the burning roof fell in on them.
WA police are examining surveillance video they hope will lead to the
people who scrawled anti Jewish and anti-Asian graffiti on a Perth
synagogue overnight.
10 pm
It's been a horror 24 hrs on Vic roads, with 8 people killed in 5
accidents.
}}
----------------------------------------
Sun, 18 Jul 2004.
HEADLINES:
Suicide bombs kill 6 in Iraq, minister survives blast
2 SYD women killed in NZ
Truck driver killed in Iraq
How can Blair live with Iraq deaths?
Zarqawi claims attack on Iraqi minister
Public support slips for Iraq policy
Powell still defending Iraq war
PM facing further Iraq pressure
Iraqi Justice Min escapes car bomb
Iraq's premier denies claims that he executed 6 prisoners
Iraq intel: New questions?
Has Iraq war made US safer? That's questionable.
Car bomb targets US convoy in Iraq
Car bomb targets Iraqi minister
Blair loses by-election in wake of Iraq report
5 arrested after Indian school fire
8 m jail for escapee
9/11 panel to seek new Cabinet intel post
Canada sends small, young athletics team to Athens
Coonan to tinker with Telstra bill
Ex-ATSIC man denies $4.8 mn splurge
F-111 fuel tank work linked to cancer
Floods affect mn across Asia
French aid workers freed after Gaza abduction
Govt should explain Allawi claims: Brown
Guantanamo tribunals 'start next wk'
Heavy dumps draw crowds to Snowy Mountains
Heavy snow cuts off ski resorts
In fire, striving India town finds dangers on path to modernisation
Jealousy in CIA over 'gentlemanly' rebuke
Land hand-over recognises traditional owners
Live grenade found in SA police station
Military exercise begins at Top End
Missionary's widow arrives in Aust
Murder investigation launched after woman thrown from car
Nevada wildfire 50% contained
Palestinian PM offers to resign
Palestinian PM resigns amid shake-up
Pandemic capabilities 'untested'
Parents mourn after Indian school fire
Pilot who dropped atomic bomb dies
Police investigate attempted abduction
Police investigate synagogue attack
Police try to solve playground fire mystery
Qld prepares to destroy 50,000 citrus trees
Rebels walk out of Sudan peace talks
Search continues for missing yachtsman
Snow storms worst in years
Thousands march against new Gaza security chief
UK "designer baby" rules to be debated
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World's appetite for tuna threatens supply
Floods affect mn across Asia
Bihar, India (BBC). Floods are affecting 19 mn people across India
and Bangladesh. More than 11 mn are in India's poorest state, Bihar.
Troops have been called out to help rescue and relief operations, but
floodwaters are still rising. Meanwhile, in S China more than 6,000
people have been forced from their homes after more than 43
cm of rain flooded the Li River. No injuries or deaths have
been reported.
Parents mourn after Indian school fire
Kumbakonam, India (Reuters). Parents have broken down in tears as the
bodies of their children were buried or cremated, after a fire in an
Indian school killed 88 children.
"He is gone, he is gone forever," wailed Vijaya as she said farewell
to her 8-yo son Vadivelu, who died of his burns in hospital.
"I had prepared his afternoon meal for him, but he will never eat it."
At least 15 people gathered outside her house to console Vijaya and
her husband Sekhar, a manual labourer.
The scene was repeated in dozens of locations across the little town
of Kumbakonam, which lies in a fertile district known as the rice bowl
of the S state of Tamil Nadu.
The bodies of 75 children were recovered from the Sri Krishna school
after the fire.
Another 13 children, most just 8 or 10 y old, died of their burns in
hospital, snr district official J Radhakrishnan told reporters.
Radhakrishnan said 5 people, including the school principal and the
cook, were arrested.
Authorities are also investigating why no teachers were killed or
injured in the fire.
"Action has been taken as they did not follow fire safety norms," he
said, adding that regulatory authorities were also partly to blame for
failing to enforce safety norms.
* 'Govt to blame'
The blaze began in a kitchen where Fri's lunch was being prepared
before spreading to the school's palm-thatched roof.
Many of the children were trapped in a large classroom which had only
one exit, dying after the blazing roof collapsed on top of them and
blocked their way out.
"The kids were too small to break down the wall or think of any way
out," said Balu, a 35-yo father of 2, whose children were being
taught on another floor and escaped unhurt.
"The Govt is to blame as there has been no inspection of this school
for at least 2 to 3 y.
"If someone had inspected the facilities, maybe they might have
pointed it out to the school management, and this might have been avoided."
Newspapers criticised the lack of adequate exits and fire extinguishers
as well as the fact that cooking was being carried out under a
thatched roof.
The Perumandi cremation and burial ground in the town stayed open
overnight as attendants buried or burned the bodies of dozens of
children killed in the blaze.
"At least 30 of the bodies that have come here were in the 5-10 y age
group," burial ground owner Subramanian said.
"The parents are rushing through the last rites as they cannot bear to
look at the charred bodies any more."
As 10-yo Monica's body was lowered into a grave, her father slipped to
the ground in grief.
A mourner said the girl had escaped the fire only to go back into the
building in an effort to retrieve her books.
"She was scared that her parents would scold her for losing the
books," he said.
There were at least a dozen freshly dug graves besides Monica's.
A short distance away in a compound adjacent to the burial ground, there
were at least 15 piles of smoking ashes, the remains of cremated children.
4 piles of firewood were stacked nearby in preparation for more corpses.
"Some of the parents are so shocked that they do not know what they
are doing or saying," said mourner S Kumar, a 49-yo scrap metal dealer.
"Hindus who would normally burn the bodies of their dead relatives
have buried them tonight. Some parents are saying that cannot bear to
put these burnt bodies into fire again."
The fire at Kumbakonam, a dusty trading town on the banks of the
Cauvery River famous for its temples, was the 2nd major fire tragedy
in the state this y. More than 50 people were killed in an inferno at
a marriage hall in Jan.
In fire, striving India town finds dangers on path to modernisation
Kumbakonam, India (AFP). Until Fri, this bustling tropical town of
200,000 people was one tiny front in India's sweeping effort to remake
itself into a modern country with one of the fastest-growing economies
in the world. But in less than an hour, a disaster exposed problems
that threaten India's ambitious drive to redefine itself.
An illegal thatched roof on a popular private school here caught fire,
endangering the lives of 870 students whose families have given up on
the country's decrepit public education system. Teachers with little
training in how to respond to a fire apparently panicked, fled the
Lord Krishna School and abandoned as many as 190 elementary school
students, who were trapped in a large second-floor classroom.
Firefighters arrived quickly, but they were too late -- 90 children
between the ages of 6 and 11 were already dead or dying. The firemen,
along with local govt officials, also share the blame. Indian fire,
health and education officials had failed for years to conduct proper
inspections of the school.
"We are going on a regulatory drive," J Radhakrishnan, the chief govt
official in the area, vowed Sat. "Inspection of all these schools
throughout the state."
But residents said in interviews that they doubted that the fire would
result in a serious effort to end India's continuing problem of lax
enforcement of govt standards. While the country's high technology
economy surges ahead, inefficient -- and in some ways, weak -- fed,
state and local govts, as well as a poor public education system,
threaten to slow the country's development.
The fire on Fri illustrates how all those strains can come together to
craft tragedy. Kannan Saravanan, a 9-yo with blistering burns on his
forehead, right arm and right leg, recalled from his hospital bed that
his teacher told his 4th-grade class on Fri morning that their
school was on fire. The teacher told the children to "run away," the
boy remembered, and then ran away herself.
Abandoned with as many as 190 other students in an overcrowded
second-floor classroom, shouting, "Please help," Saravanan did not
know what to do, he said.
He said he saw flames nr the room's only exit, so he retreated farther
into the classroom with dozens of other children and climbed under a
bench as a searing fire roared above him.
"I watched 3 people burning and dying in front of me, young children,"
he said. "They didn't say anything. They were just crying."
As he spoke, anxious parents cared for 9 other young burn victims. One
mother held her son's feet in her lap. One father placed his hand on
his son's knee. Everywhere, parents hovered over their children as if
they were fleeting gifts that might suddenly disappear. Parents who
had lost a child appeared shell-shocked, overwhelmed by grief and guilt.
Responding to accounts from surviving children and anger among
grieving parents, Indian officials on Sat charged 5 school
administrators and workers with negligent homicide and other criminal
acts. The blaze was the worst in an Indian school since 1995, when 400
people, half of them children, died in a fire in northern India.
"Whatever the highest level of prosecution, that will be done," Mr
Radhakrishnan vowed.
Parents also complained that the country's lacklustre public education
system forced them to send their children to overcrowded private
schools like the one that had the fire here. Fire officials said the
thatched roofs that caught fire were part of additions designed to
create more teaching space. More than 870 students were crammed into a
narrow 3-story building when the fire erupted, survivors and local
govt officials said.
The school, which has steadily grown since it opened in 1950, is still
better than most govt schools, residents said. A tour of it on Sat
suggested that it had been fairly well equipped, offering classes
taught in the local language, Tamil, as well as in English. Residents
said the school was so crowded because so many working class parents
wanted their children to receive an education there. The parents of
the children recovering in the govt hospital identified themselves as
farm workers, house cleaners and day labourers.
5 arrested after Indian school fire
Kumbakonam (Reuters/AFP). Indian officials say 5 people have been
arrested for negligence after the deaths of 89 school children at a
primary school in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. They include the
headmistress of the school, the school cook and the organiser of the
midday meal centre. The 5 have been charged with gross negligence
leading to deaths and other offences under the Indian Penal Code.
Fire officials believe the fire may have started in the school kitchen
where cooks were preparing lunch for 100s of children. Others believe
the fire may have started because of an electrical short circuit. The
children who died were aged between 6 and 10 y. Firefighters say the
children had no chance of survival because a blazing thatched roof
collapsed on them.
Nevada wildfire 50% contained
Carson City, NEV (AP). Fire managers began releasing engines and air
power from a fire Sat that destroyed at least 15 homes as crews
secured containment lines nr homes and made progress in the Sierra
backcountry to keep the flames out of the Lake Tahoe basin.
Meanwhile, in California, 100s of people were forced to evacuate Sat
when a wildfire broke out in N LA County.
The 2,100-acre blaze threatened Sand Canyon, a community of more than
100 homes, Placerita Canyon and the Placerita Nature Center.
About 750 firefighters were on the scene, battling the blaze with
water-dropping helicopters. No homes or structures had been destroyed,
officials said.
Another wildfire in the area shifted away from 2 rural communities,
allowing 100s of residents to return to their homes. The fire in Lake
Hughes had blackened 15,988 acres, but was about 54% contained,
officials said.
In Nevada, officials broadened their investigation of the fire's
cause. They initially said they suspected the blaze was started by
teenagers in Kings Canyon the day before the fire erupted Wed, but
said Sat the fire could have started last weekend and smoldered
undetected for days.
The wind-driven blaze, which scorched nearly 7,600 acres, also
destroyed a business and 25 out-buildings. It was 50% contained Sat,
and no longer posed an imminent threat to communities in NW Carson
City or surrounding areas in Washoe Valley, officials said.
Fire officials said the blaze could be fully contained by Tue with
good weather.
"They're getting a very good handle on it," fire info officer Mark
Struble said at a press briefing. "If we can hold these lines for
another 24 hr, it'll be very, very good."
Hundreds of evacuees were allowed back home late Fri, but some of them
on Sat questioned whether firefighters could have done more to stop
the blaze in its early stages.
"This atrocity should never have happened," Washoe Valley resident
Betty Kelly said at a town hall meeting Sat. "There was too much
waiting and seeing."
Bill Bettridge, whose home in the Kings Canyon area was spared,
suggested fire managers provide the community with a time-line on what
action was taken when the pre-dawn fire was reported Wed.
Fire officials defended their response, as did some residents.
"They moved so fast to try to control it," said "Mike" Gutter, who
watched the fire unfold from her home nr Kings Canyon. But the
afternoon wind "flattened it out like a pancake and spread it in all
directions," she said.
Gusty winds out of the W pushed the wildfire in different directions.
Fuelled by trees and brush brittle by 5 y of drought, the fire swept
through the area unlike any seen in Carson City's history, officials said.
Nearly 2,000 firefighters remained on the lines Sat, assisted by more
than 120 engines and water tenders, bulldozers and aircraft that
included 3 heavy air tankers.
The California blazes were among dozens of wild fires in California
that burned more than 31,000 acres during the week. Karen Terrill of
the California Dept of Forestry said her dept found 200 fires in 48 hr.
In Washington, crews held down a blaze that had damaged 700 acres by
Sat W of Leavenworth, a Bavarian-theme tourist town. Another fire NE
of the town was nearly 70% contained. No major injuries or property
was reported in any of the fires.
Rebels walk out of Sudan peace talks
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (CNN/Reuters). Rebels from Sudan's Darfur
region walked out of African Union-mediated peace efforts on Sat,
saying they would return only when the govt had met their 6 conditions
for talks.
The move -- which Khartoum said demonstrated the rebels' lack of
commitment to peace -- deals a blow to efforts to end an 18-mo
conflict in the W of Africa's biggest country that has created one of
the world's worst humanitarian crises.
"We'll stay here overnight and then leave [for home]," Ahmed Tugod
Lissan of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), said after
meeting African Union (AU) mediators in Addis Ababa.
"By refusing to accept our demands the govt in Khartoum is saying that
it is not prepared to discuss the disarmament of the Janjaweed who are
conducting ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Africans in
Sudan," Lissan said.
He said he was speaking on behalf of JEM and the Sudan Liberation Army
(SLA), 2 rebel groups who launched a revolt in Feb 2003 in the W of
the oil-producing country after long conflict between African
villagers and Arab nomads.
The govt is facing worldwide protests over the bloodshed, which the UN
says has displaced more than one mn people. As many as 30,000 people
have been killed.
Disarmament of the Janjaweed Arab militia is one of 6 conditions the
JEM and SLA have set for participation in AU-mediated peace talks
aimed at ending the bloodshed.
The other conditions are: provide access for an inquiry into genocide
charges, prosecute criminals who committed genocide or ethnic
cleansing, allow unimpeded humanitarian access, free prisoners of war
and set a neutral venue for future talks.
* Protests
After the walkout the AU said its mediators would intensify
consultations with the parties to determine how to advance political
dialogue. An AU statement also urged the warring parties to implement
a cease-fire signed in Apr.
Sudanese Min of State for Foreign Relations Najeeb al-Kheir Abdul
Wahab told reporters the walkout showed the rebels lack of commitment
to the spirit of the cease-fire.
"We came to Addis Ababa with an open mind to discuss the crisis in
Darfur and seek a peaceful solution, but we are deeply disappointed by
the position of the 2 rebel groups who set preconditions for the
talks," he said.
Neither the SLA nor JEM met govt delegates since the 53-nation AU
launched the latest bid to restart Darfur's peace process at its HQ in
Addis Ababa on Thu.
The rebels accuse the govt of arming Janjaweed Arab militias to loot
and burn African villages in a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Khartoum denies the charge.
AU officials who struggled for 3 days to convene a rebel-govt meeting
said their task had never looked very promising because Darfur's top
rebel leaders had chosen instead to attend a Sudanese opp'n conference
held in Eritrea.
JEM official Ahmed Hussain Adam confirmed that JEM leader Khalid
Ibrahim was at a meeting in Asmara of Sudan's opp'n umbrella group the
Nat'l Democratic Alliance.
The gathering was discussing how to strengthen links between all
anti-Khartoum groups, he said. JEM was not a member of the alliance,
he said, but added: "We all represent marginalised sectors of society
and our demands are more or less the same."
Jealousy in CIA over 'gentlemanly' rebuke
Washington (Guardian). The conclusions of the Butler report provoked
scepticism among former US intel officials yesterday, who variously
described it as gentlemanly, shallow and clubbish.
Most described Lord Butler's conclusions as politically driven, and
compared them to last wk's parallel report by the Senate intel
committee, which similarly found the Whitehouse was not to blame for
the Iraqi intel fiasco. However, the Senate committee lambasted the
CIA's leadership, while the Butler report was less brutal about MI6.
Vincent Cannistraro, a former CIA chief of operations for
counter-terrorism, said: "I can tell you there's rampant jealously in
the CIA, where they wish they could have had a report more like
Butler's. It was much more nuanced, much more fair."
Bob Baer, an ex-CIA operative once stationed in Iraq, argued both
inquiries were "highly politicised", but while the Senate was driven
by party politics, the Butler committee was aimed at defusing the scandal
and absolving everyone involved: "They just wanted it all to go away."
Another US intel veteran, Ray McGovern, argued that the key difference
lay in the make-up of each commission. "It's just old boys.
You've had Lord Hutton, Lord Butler. It's so clubbish."
The pro-Bush Washington Times argued the Brit inquiry confirmed the
message from the Senate report. "In short, intel on Iraq's weapons
programmes on both sides of the Atlantic was flawed, but no one 'lied'
about it," the paper wrote in an editorial. "Both Pres Bush and Prime
Min Tony Blair acted in good faith given the intel provided by their
respective agencies."
Scott Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector who also worked for US
intel while in Iraq, disagreed. "It wasn't an intel failure.
It was an intel success. The job was to provide intel that would
support the policy of regime change. The Butler report pretends the
Brit govt policy was disarmament ... Butler doesn't do his
homework. The whole report is like that -- it's shallow. It doesn't dig."
Powell still defending Iraq war
It will not be until well after Nov's election in the US and perhaps
not until well after elections are held in Iraq early next year that we
will know the true nature of Washington's commitment to the people of Iraq.
Washington (CBS). Ambassador L Paul Bremer no longer rules the roost
in Baghdad and the Coalition Provisional Authority no longer
exists. PM Iyad Allawi, leader of Iraq's interim govt, is clearly in
charge in Iraq these days, notwithstanding almost daily efforts by
insurgents to challenge his authority. John Negroponte, the new US
ambassador in Baghdad is keeping a low profile, which is what the Bush
Admin wants and what Allawi needs to show 25 mn Iraqis that Washington
is no longer pulling the strings of political power.
Security, however, remains a problem, and is in fact the big problem,
just as it was before when Bremer and his CPA ran the show. The
American military is not only responsible for allowing the political
mechanisms to be set up so Allawi and his govt could assume power, it
is also the glue that keeps Allawi's power in place. With luck this
situation will hold until elections can be held, perhaps in 6 m time.
Back in Washington the political season is as warm as Washington's
heat and humidity index and everyone in the Admin is busy making, and
re-making, the case to justify the war in Iraq. This week, Secretary
of State Colin Powell, in a speech at The US Institute of Peace, once
again defended the Admin's case against Saddam Hussein.
"The question that always comes up, of course is, 'Did we do the right
thing?' And the answer is, yes, we did the right thing," Powell said.
There was a re-statement of Saddam's defiance of the UN, of the intel
that Powell said everyone agreed showed the former Iraqi leader's
intent to develop a WMD capability.
OK, Powell conceded, no stockpiles have been found but, moving to the
immediate task, he said, "Now, the challenge before us is not to get
faint, not to let the problems we're having in security now deterring
us from our real purpose, and that is to bring democracy to this part
of the world, thereby fundamentally changing this part of the world,
fundamentally reshaping history for the 21st century."
Now you know. It wasn't Saddam's defiance of UN resolutions for 12
years; nor Iraq's links to terrorism, real or imagined; nor the intel
reports, accurate or not, about WMD programs. The real reason we went
to war was to reshape history for the 21st century. Powell confessed
again this wk that we now know, a y later, there "were some errors" in
the case he made to justify war before the UN on Feb. 5, 2003.
The interesting thing about Powell's remarks is the apparent feeling
inside the Admin of the constant need to keep making them. And the
reason for that is simple: presidential politics. Because the Bush
Admin's game plan did not go according to plan [no, it wasn't the
"slam dunk" then CIA Director George Tenet promised the president it
would be] it was left to deal with a post-conflict rear guard
insurgency which continues today.
The case for taking the country to war, and the need to defend the human
and financial costs, has become one of the main points of political
debate between Pres George W Bush and his challenger, Sen John Kerry
and there's every indication this will remain the case until Nov.
Someone with knowledge of both the current situation in Iraq and the
Admin's concerns about how to proceed says, "I don't think this Admin
is committed. You can feel it at the political level. They [the Bush
Admin] want out."
Of course you hear the opposite from Powell. "And we have to stay
strong with the Iraqis who are now stepping forward. We have to make
sure that they know that we will not falter, we will not wilt, we will
have no second thoughts about the commitment we have made to these
people, that we have made to this country."
It will not be until well after Nov's election in the US and perhaps
not until well after elections are held in Iraq early next y that we
will know the true nature of Washington's commitment to the people of
Iraq, let alone this Admin's effort at "fundamentally reshaping
history for the 21st century."
PM facing further Iraq pressure
Blair faces a Commons debate on the Butler report on Tue
We owe the country the truth on this. It would be extremely unwise if
the govt left it here.
-- Lord King of Bridgwater
London (BBC). There have been fresh calls from snr Tories for Tony
Blair to resign and to explain why he was not told about the
withdrawal of key intel on Iraq.
Former For Sec Sir Malcolm Rifkind said Mr Blair should resign because
he had taken the UK to war based on false intel.
Lord King of Bridgwater wanted to know why Mr Blair was not told intel
had been discredited in July 2003.
Downing Street said the PM did not find out until last wk's Butler report.
2 reports on alleged chemical and biological weapons production were
withdrawn by MI6 because the source was no longer considered reliable.
The move, wk before the Hutton inquiry, was made known to the Foreign
Office and Joint Intel Committee (JIC).
But Mr Blair had not been informed by the time he gave evidence to
Lord Hutton in Aug, Downing Street said.
The PM's official rep said the intel in question "was only one issue"
and "not relevant" to the Hutton inquiry, which focused on the death
of Dr David Kelly and the separate claim that Iraq could launch WMD
within 45 minutes.
* Tough questions
Former defence secretary Lord King said MPs needed to know why the PM
was not told sooner about the withdrawal of the intel.
* Timeline: Hunt for WMD
He said Mr Blair would face tough questioning on Tue when the Commons
debates the Butler report.
"I think the PM has certainly got some questions to answer. I hope
that he is better briefed than clearly he has been in this process so
far," he said.
He called for the parliamentary Intel and Security Committee to
investigate why both it and the Hutton inquiry were not told about the
withdrawn intel.
"We owe the country the truth on this. It would be extremely unwise if
the govt left it here."
Lord King added that Lord Butler's finding that warnings about the
limitations of intel were omitted from the govt's Sep 2002 Iraq
dossier was "devastating".
"It was much more serious than I had previously appreciated. The info
that was there needed to be caveatted very strongly," he said.
* 'Finality'
Demands for a further inquiry were earlier rejected by the chairman of
the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, Labour MP Donald Anderson.
"Butler went right over the ground and he concluded, having looked at
this evidence, that everyone had acted in good faith. Surely there
must come a time when there is finality," Mr Anderson said.
But Sir Malcolm Rifkind said it did not matter whether Mr Blair had
acted in good faith, and that the PM and MI6 head John Scarlett should
both resign over intel failures.
He said: "The only people who have resigned because of this war so far
are the editor of the Daily Mirror and the chairman and chief executive
of the BBC.
"The person who actually took the country to war on a false premise,
and those around him, continue as if nothing has happened, despite the
reports that they have themselves commissioned which have identified
these massive failings in the case on which parliament was invited to vote."
But former minister George Foulkes has claimed Mr Rifkind's statement
is embarrassing for Michael Howard.
The Labour MP said: "Malcolm Rifkind is clearly not speaking for the
Conservative Party, since Michael Howard supported the action in Iraq
before and after it happened.
"This is clearly an embarrassment for Michael Howard and shows a real
split in the Tory Party."
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has called for a further
inquiry into the political decisions that led to war.
"Unless you have a proper public inquiry... which can call political
players to proper account, you will not satisfy public opinion," Mr
Kennedy told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
He said he would asking Mr Blair in the Commons next wk about claims
info was withheld from the Hutton probe.
Iraq intel: New questions?
We believe that it would be a rash person who asserted ... that
evidence of Iraqi possession of stocks of biological and chemical
agents ... will never be found.
-- Butler report
Lord Butler's report has sparked fresh questions about the Iraq dossier.
London (BBC). The govt is under fire over claims it failed to inform
last year's Hutton inquiry that key Iraq weapons intel was flawed.
Downing Street says the piece of intel in question fell outside Lord
Hutton's remit.
And -- in any case -- Tony Blair did not know it had been discredited
when he gave evidence -- even though MI6 had taken what is regarded as
the unusual step of withdrawing the intel as "unreliable".
Mr Blair only learned that detail more recently "as a result of the
Butler inquiry", the PM's official rep said.
The revelations -- which emerged after journalists pored over Butler's
findings -- have added to pressure for a further inquiry into the
political decisions that led up to war.
So how much do we know about the piece of intel that has sparked this
latest row?
* 'Major effect'
The 1st thing to point out is that it has nothing to do with the now
infamous claim that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction
within 45 minutes.
It was, rather, concerned with Iraq's alleged production of chemical
and biological agents.
Nevertheless, Lord Butler said the info had a "major effect" on the
govt's Sep 2002 dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
It was certainly believed at the time of writing.
But on 17 July 2003 -- less than a m before the start of Lord Hutton's
inquiry -- MI6 withdrew the intel as its source was no longer
considered reliable.
* 'Major effect'
The Butler report says the false intel appear to confirm suspicions
about Iraq.
How much do we know about the source?
In the run up to the Sep dossier, Lord Butler says, several sources,
which were later proved to be reliable, were providing info about
Iraq's weapons -- and these established sources tended to "present a
less worrying view".
[This] had a major effect on the certainty of statements in the govt's
dossier of Sep 2002.
The Butler report on the impact of intel that later was found
discredited.
But between the production of the joint intel committee's (JIC)
assessment of the threat from Iraq -- and the publication of the
govt's public dossier another source -- described as being "on trial"
-- emerged.
Butler says the impact of this new source was to "provide significant
assurance to those drafting the govt's dossier that active, current
production of chemical and biological agent was taking place".
Info from this source "had a major effect on the certainty of
statements in the govt's dossier of Sep 2002 that Iraq possessed and
was producing chemical and biological weapons," Butler says.
* 'Discredited'
But after the war, doubts were cast on the accuracy of this source --
and by July 2003, the Butler report says that the "sourcing chain had
been discredited". As a consequence, 2 intel reports from this source
were withdrawn.
A few wk later, on Mon, 11 Aug 2003, the Hutton Inquiry began taking
evidence -- including from Tony Blair.
But the PM's rep says that when Mr Blair gave his evidence in Aug he
was unaware that intel which had influenced the Iraq dossier had
subsequently been discredited.
The PM was not aware of the withdrawal of faulty intel until it had
been highlighted by the Butler Report, said his official rep.
But the rep added that this piece of false intel had only been "one
part of the picture on chemical and biological weapons production".
The Butler report also repeatedly highlights the difficulties faced by
the intel services and the govt in drawing firm conclusions from
shifting and fragmented pieces of info.
The Butler report says that although intel was "correctly reported" in
the JIC assessment, by the time it had been "translated" into the Sep
2002 dossier the limitations of that intel were no longer clear.
This apparent certainty "may have left readers with the impression that
there was fuller and firmer intel behind the judgements than was the case".
It also says there is still no final conclusion about what weaponry
Iraq had before the war -- with the report saying it would be a
"premature to reach conclusions about Iraq's prohibited weapons".
"We believe that it would be a rash person who asserted at this stage
that evidence of Iraqi possession of stocks of biological and chemical
agents, or even of banned missiles, does not exist or will never be found."
How can Blair live with Iraq deaths?
Glasgow (Scotland on Sun). The church minister who condemned Tony
Blair and George Bush at the funeral of a Scots soldier killed in Iraq
has fanned the flames of controversy by asking how the PM can live
with himself following the Butler report.
John Mann, in his 1st interview since publicly crying "shame on you"
at Bush and Blair, claims the report proves those in power got the
intel they wanted to hear and will stay in office despite it being wrong.
Mann, whose remarks at the funeral of fusilier Gordon Gentle made
headlines around the world, admitted he had been closely involved in
the anti-war movement in his native US before moving to Scotland
earlier this y.
The 50-yo father of 3 denied he had hijacked Gentle's funeral for his
own political purposes, insisting he was speaking out on behalf of
what he claimed was the anti-war majority in Scotland.
But Mann, in an exclusive interview with Scotland on Sun, admitted the
majority of responses he had received were critical of him. Last night
he faced calls to stop his anti-war pronouncements and concentrate on
the ministry.
Gentle, 19, was buried nr his home in the Pollok area of Glasgow last
wk at a service attended by nearly 1,000 people. He was killed in a
roadside explosion while on a routine patrol in Basra last m, making
him the 60th Brit soldier to lose his life in Iraq.
The minister was accused of using the funeral as a platform for his
political views and undermining the dignity of the service by
launching a personal attack on the 2 leaders.
But, speaking to Scotland on Sun, he defended the right to name and
shame those he thought responsible for the young soldier's death.
He said: "I'm very angry, and I'm angry that young men like Gordon
have to die in an unnecessary, unjust war.
"It was a difficult decision because I knew that if I said what I said
I would be accused of grandstanding. I think this was a situation for
people who are never asked their opinion about anything: nobody really
cares what anyone in Pollok thinks, but they have lives and values
and, unfortunately, the only time anyone pays attention to them is a
tragedy like this.
"They are human beings who have the same hopes and dreams as anyone
else. The world of George Bush and Tony Blair and people on that
strata is so far removed from the Polloks of this world, and it is the
same in the US."
Asked about last wk's publication of the Butler report, Mann said: "If
my action is taken on faulty intel and causes the death of many
soldiers under my command I don't know how I could live with myself.
"It just seemed that, whatever the Butler report says, those who are
in power will stay in power because that is the nature of it. What
they got in their intel gathering was what they wanted to hear."
The clergyman, who participated in several protests during the
build-up to the Iraq war, transferred from a Presbyterian church in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, moving to the vacant Glasgow parish with wife
Lindsay. The couple have 3 grown-up children who still live in the States.
He condemned the practice on both sides of the Atlantic of encouraging
young men from deprived backgrounds to sign up to the military for
what he claims are purely economic reasons.
Mann criticised a lack of options available to Pollok youngsters, 5 of
whom are currently serving or have served in Iraq.
He said: "My daughter works in an inner-city school in Cincinnati and
military recruiters are in there on a regular basis because that is
where they get their economic conscripts."
Asked whether he had received complaints, the minister said: "I have
got some letters and e-mails and stuff saying I was either preaching
to the gallery or using a funeral to put my own political views across.
"I don't mind getting letters, providing they are engaging with the
issues. It means people have taken the trouble to take some action for
what they believe in."
Gentle's family were visited by the minister after news of his
death. Mann said that on the eve of the funeral he talked to a close
friend of the family, to ask permission to speak out about the
political controversy surrounding the war.
"I only met them the day after the news broke of Gordon's death, so I
wanted to tread very carefully, and certainly it wasn't an area where
I wanted to impose my political views but these were issues that they
raised and they had concerns.
"I just had something to say and how it was received was how it was
received and so be it. I don't want to make a career out of saying
"Shame on you'.
"Who is going to speak out? The Church of Scotland is on the record as
being opposed to the war but, on Sun, you are preaching to the
choir. My impression is that the people of Great Brit and Scotland,
and especially Glasgow, were opposed to the war but their opinions
were not considered important enough to form nat'l policy. I'm afraid
my words are ultimately pronounced on deaf ears or people who are
incapable of the appropriate shame."
Last night, George Foulkes, the pro-war Labour MP for Carrick, Cumnock
and Doon Valley, said: "I think sometimes the church ministers don't
see the wider picture and are caught up with the immediacy of the
situation and they don't necessarily appreciate the wider factors
involved. I think this is the case on this occasion.
"Soldiers understand the risks of the job when they sign up but
families understandably get upset when anything like that happens, but
that is the decision that their sons and daughters have made.
"It's which is the lesser evil: to have a few casualties to relieve
the problem, which if it isn't resolved could result in many more
casualties, or not."
Morag Mylne, convener of the Kirk's influential church and nation
committee, said: "It is a matter for any individual minister to decide
what he or she feels appropriate to a funeral, and that is normally
done in consultation with the family.
"As far as I'm aware, John Mann did that and what he said reflected
the family view. It was a judgement call for him."
A Downing Street rep refused to discuss the criticism of Tony Blair
but said the Butler report excluded him from any wrongdoing.
* MIXING PREACHING WITH POLITICS
The blunt message delivered to Tony Blair and George Bush at the
funeral of a Scottish soldier attracted a mixed reaction.
While many in the Church of Scotland, which has formally condemned the
war in Iraq, said the decision of Rev John Mann to discuss the
political situation was a personal one and defended his right to speak
out, others have condemned it as inappropriate.
Rev John Shedden, a minister from Glenorchy who was a military
chaplain for 20 y, thought it was wrong for members of the clergy to
make their political views known because it could alienate parishioners.
"My own view is that as far as possible we should stay out of the
political arena," Rev Shedden said.
"In a pastoral situation like that, I think a minister compromises
themselves with the bereaved if they get into the political world.
"I would discuss anything with the family in private but I would not
bring them up in the context of a public service of mourning at a
military funeral service.
"I can understand a mother or father becoming very upset because they
don't think a war was justified politically, but I just don't think
that we in our care role should do that in public because it limits
any pastoral advice we can offer and can divide a parish."
Public support slips for Iraq policy
Presid'l race remains close
Washington (AP). A majority of Americans now say the US should have
stayed out of Iraq, according to a poll released Fri.
The CBS-NY Times found that just over half, 51%, said the US should
have stayed out of Iraq, while 45% said going to war was the right
decision. Last month, people were evenly split on that question.
Sentiment on that question has slipped steadily since Dec, when the
decision to go to war was supported by more than 2-to-1.
The presidential race remains close in the CBS-Times poll.
Democratic Sen John Kerry held a slight lead, 49% to 45%, over Pres
Bush in a 2-way match-up. In a 3-way race including independent
Ralph Nader, Kerry had 45%, Bush 42% and Nader 5%.
Kerry's popularity has increased since his announcement in early July
that he had chosen Sen John Edwards as his running mate.
In June, 29% viewed Kerry favourably and 35% viewed him unfavourably;
about 1/4, 26%, were unsure. In the new poll, 36% saw Kerry
favourably, 33% saw him unfavourably and 20% were unsure.
Edwards has been a popular choice for Kerry, though his presence on
the ticket has not significantly altered the race. People viewed
Edwards favourably by a 3-1 margin, while they were more likely to view
VP Dick Cheney unfavourably.
Voters are interested in the campaign, with almost half, 47%, saying
they are paying a lot of attention. That's twice the level of close
attention at this time in the 2000 campaign.
The poll of 955 adults, including 823 registered voters, was taken
June 11-15. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 points for
the full sample, 4 points for voters.
Blair loses by-election in wake of Iraq report
London (Reuters/NZ Herald). Brit PM Tony Blair's party lost a
parliamentary by-election on Fri, after narrowly avoiding defeat in
another, in the wake of a damning report on the intel he used to
justify war in Iraq. Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats won
10,274 votes in the Leicester S seat, beating the ruling Labour
candidate by more than 1600 votes. At the 2001 general election,
Labour's majority was more than 13,000. In the Birmingham seat of
Hodge Hill, Labour just held off the Lib Dems by 460 votes as their
2001 majority of 11,000-plus was all but wiped out. Both seats have
large Muslim populations, making the Iraq war a hot topic.
Has Iraq war made US safer? That's questionable.
Op/Ed (USA Today). Imagine yourself in the summer of, say, 2054, and
reading a history book with your great-grandkids. Here's the big
question: Will Pres Bush's assertion this wk -- that the US invasion
of Iraq has made Americans safer even though no WMD have been found --
have withstood the test of time and the scrutiny of historians? That's
far from clear. All we can predict for sure is a few paragraphs about
how, back in those olden times, the claim was a cornerstone of a
bitter 2004 battle for the Whitehouse.
Here's why. Standing in front of a political backdrop -- "Protecting
America" -- to underscore his message, Bush made a 3-point
argument Mon for how the Iraq war had made Americans safer.
First, a tyrant had been removed. Second, US efforts to foster
democracy were transforming Iraq into "an example" for the region.
And third, Iraqi and US forces were fighting terrorists.
Good points, on the surface. But they don't necessarily stand up to
deeper scrutiny -- or even to the gut reactions of many Americans
watching the nightly news reports of a continued insurgency in Iraq.
Bush's real message was conveyed by his scant mention of Iraq. It
formed only a tiny slice of his wide-ranging recitation of reasons the
US is winning the much broader war on terror. Nod off during the
speech and you might have missed those few lines.
It's a tough sell.
A devil's advocate -- or the many skeptics in the USA and around the
world -- could easily have sat on Bush's shoulder and whispered some
disturbing counterarguments.
Here's how they run. The fact that Saddam is gone may be a plus,
particularly for long-suffering Iraqis. It also removes a regional
threat. But the value to the war on terrorism is questionable.
Saddam kept out terrorists and put down the kind of insurgency that
now threatens the country. The democratic enterprise is shaky,
provoking fears it could descend into civil war or fundamentalism,
either of which would make Iraq a haven for terrorists. Hardly the
surefire success that can win a shining place in the history books.
Context, of course, is everything. Bush had to make the keep-the-faith
case after what Saddam might have termed the mother of all surprises.
When the US went to war against Iraq 16 m ago, the stated reason was
to remove Saddam's supposed vast stockpiles of unconventional weapons
that he could use against the region or sell to terrorists. There was
ample reason to believe he had those weapons. But a Senate report last
wk detailed intel failures that provided a dud casus belli.
Even so, it now seems obvious that the Admin misjudged the ramifications
of its rush to go to war. Predictions of a fast, sure victory followed
by a stable peace ring more hollow with each new US casualty.
The war on terrorism could join the casualty list. Differences over
Iraq have split us from allies who rallied to our side after 9/11, and
Iraq has drained resources from other needs, most notably in
Afghanistan, where warlords still rule most of the country.
Iraq could yet settle into some form of Islamic democracy. And
terrorists there might become as scarce as before the war began.
But the argument that we are safer from terrorism now because we went
to war in Iraq is dubious at best.
9/11 panel to seek new Cabinet intel post
Washington (AP). The commission investigating the Sep 11 attacks will
recommend a new Cabinet-level post to oversee the nation's 15 intel
agencies and control their budgets, say 2 people familiar with the
panel's final report.
The report to be released Thu makes the case for a director of nat'l
intel by detailing intel failures by the CIA and the FBI that enabled
the Sep 11 terrorist attacks to occur, they say. The 2 would only
speak on condition of anonymity because the report has not been made public.
Putting in place a Cabinet official for intel would be the most
drastic step in structuring the intel agencies since the CIA was
created after World War II.
The CIA director now has loose authority over those agencies. But the
commission in a preliminary report found that the director did not
hold enough power, because the Pentagon controls more than 80% of the
nation's intel budget.
As a result, CIA requests to other agencies are often ignored.
Advocates say the plan for a Cabinet official for intel is gaining
momentum as the Bush Admin faces criticism for going to war with Iraq
based on flawed intel that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass
destruction. The idea of a new intel chief is fiercely opposed by Def
Sec Donald H Rumsfeld.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has advocated the
creation of a director to oversee all facets of the nation's intel. He
also wants to double spending for clandestine operations and
accelerate FBI changes to improve its handling of domestic intel.
A Senate Intel Committee report released July 9 concluded that the CIA
provided false assessments of the Iraqi threat. GOP leaders and Pres
Bush say the CIA is to blame and they have urged an intel
overhaul. Some Democrats also believe the Admin might have unduly
pressured analysts.
The idea of a single intel director is not new. It was recommended by
a joint congressional committee that investigated the Sep 11 attacks
and by a presidential commission headed by Brent Scowcroft, a former
nat'l security adviser.
The Senate committee plans hearings in the coming wk on changes among
the intel agencies. The chairman, Sen Pat Roberts, has said Congress
should not act hastily. "We have got to get it right," said Roberts, R-Kan.
The Whitehouse would be willing to consider the idea. "The president
has made it clear that he is open to further reforms," Whitehouse
communications director Dan Bartlett said Sat.
The NY Times 1st reported on the recommendation.
Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin said in a recent speech that a
Cabinet official for intel would mean "additional layers of command or
bureaucracy."
Creating such a post "is not the best answer to the real challenges
American intel faces in the 21st century," McLaughlin said.
Instead, said McLaughlin, the govt can make progress on intel by
"modernising the structures we already have."
The commission was established by Congress in 2002 to investigate govt
intel lapses before the attacks and recommend ways to better protect
the country against terrorists. The commission has interviewed more
than 1,000 witnesses, including Bush and Vice Pres Dick Cheney, and
reviewed more than 2 mn documents.
The report will be posted on the Internet and sold in bookstores and
through the govt printing office.
Violent mid-air incident 'overlooked'
Garuda faces claims that a violent incident was not dealt with properly.
Canberra. The Fed Opp'n has raised concerns that a violent incident on board
a Garuda Airlines flight to Bali this m has not been properly investigated.
Passengers allege a man physically attacked people and threatened to
blow up the plane about 90 minutes into the flight from Perth to Denpasar.
A 31-yo NSW man was questioned for several hours in Bali and released
without charge. He has since flown on to Europe.
The ABC understands that the report Garuda provided to police did not
mention the threat to bomb the plane.
Garuda Airlines in Jakarta refused to comment but a rep in AUS says
the company has treated the situation extremely seriously. However,
he would not confirm exactly what was reported to police in Indonesia.
A passenger on the flight, Frank Hughes, says he helped restrain the
man after he threatened to blow up the plane.
"It was about an hour-and-a-half into the flight and that passenger
was physically hitting people, he was loud, extremely abusive, he
threatened [to kill] people," Mr Hughes said.
The Oppn's transport rep, Martin Ferguson, says the incident has not
been properly dealt with.
"From all reports, we've got a complete stuff-up in terms of Garuda's
failure to fully inform the police," Mr Ferguson said.
"I think Garuda has to give an explanation to Aussie authorities
because surely it raises questions about their method of operation in
terms of meeting what we regard as appropriate standards in the fight
against terrorism and airline incidents."
Mr Hughes says the incident has left him "wary of flying" and other
passengers he has spoken to are having nightmares.
He says the man should not have walked free.
"He's traumatised 105 passengers on the aircraft and what, we just get
on with it and he goes on his merry way?" he said.
Pandemic capabilities 'untested'
Sydney (AAP). AUS appears well prepared to handle viral pandemics
such as the avian flu but its ability to cope hasn't yet been tested,
infectious disease experts warned.
Despite y of planning, the nature of such diseases made it difficult
to be sure of the nation's ability to deal with a major outbreak, the
doctors said.
"AUS has been actively planning action to cope with an influenza
pandemic since 1997," the doctors wrote in the Medical Journal of AUS.
"While AUS is well prepared to cope if an influenza pandemic started
tomorrow, the unpredictability of these pandemics, their rapid spread
and high attack rates mean it is impossible to be completely reassuring."
Everyday flu can be combated with vaccines developed annually but
pandemics are the result of dramatic changes in the virus that would
render existing vaccines useless, said infectious diseases expert Dr
David Isaacs, snr virologist Dr Dominic Dwyer and World Health
Organisation flu specialist Dr Alan Hampson.
"It would probably take at least 6 m after the onset of a pandemic for
significant quantities of vaccines specific to the pandemic strain to
become available," they said.
"Antivirals ... could only be used as a stop-gap measure to buy time
by treating early cases and protecting essential staff."
Laboratory testing to identify flu strains is not routinely done in
AUS -- another fact that could delay the nation's response to an outbreak.
"Testing should be more widely available to facilitate decisions about
infection control," the doctors said.
Screening incoming internat'l passengers for signs of the flu, as was
done during the SARS crisis, also might delay the widespread
introduction of a new strain for a couple of weeks, they added.
It also "would almost certainly be necessary to close schools,
childcare centres and public gatherings" to reduce the spread of the disease.
The Nat'l Influenza Pandemic Action Committee (NIPAC), formed in 2003,
has closely monitored the avian flu outbreak in 8 Asian countries and
used its lessons to plan for an Aussie pandemic.
Plans to cope with a potential epidemic of SARS and possible
bio-terrorism also could easily be applied to other dangerous viral
outbreaks, the doctors said.
US says Guantanamo prisoners informed of rights
Washington. The US Defence Dept says it has notified all prisoners at
Guantanamo Bay of their rights after the US Supreme Court ruled that
they could challenge their detention in the courts. The Pentagon says
it expects military tribunals to begin shortly to review whether
detainees are being held lawfully as enemy combatants. The reviews,
in front of 3 military officers at Guantanamo Bay, could begin within
a wk and according to the Pentagon they could lead to releases of
prisoners. This is part of the Pentagon's response to the recent US
Supreme Court ruling. However, it has already been dismissed by human
rights groups and lawyers representing detainees as inadequate. The
Pentagon says all the nearly 600 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have now
been informed of their rights to challenge their detentions, including
in the US courts. This was done in written form or verbally if the
detainees could not read.
Guantanamo tribunals 'start next wk'
Military tribunals will begin as early as next wk to review the status
of nearly 600 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.
Guatmo (Reuters/AFP). Military tribunals will begin as early as next
wk to review the status of nearly 600 detainees held at the US naval
base in Guantanamo Bay, the Washington Times has reported.
Navy Secretary Gordon England was quoted as saying each tribunal was
"not a trial", but rather "an administrative process."
There are expectations that 90% of the detainees held at the base in
Cuba will participate, Mr England was quoted as saying.
Mr England hopes the tribunal system will allow for 72 hearings
weekly, the newspaper said.
The Pentagon says the review tribunals will examine whether detainees
are being held lawfully and could lead to the release of prisoners.
But lawyers for the captives and human rights groups have dismissed
the tribunals as inadequate.
US Navy rep Gordon England described how prisoners reacted to the news.
"About 90 or 95% responded positively," he said.
"That is most of the people who received this info listened, read and
asked questions.
"About 5% of the people responded negatively, that is crumbled up the
notice and threw it on the floor."
News of the upcoming tribunals came as the Pentagon, which is
embroiled in a scandal over prisoner abuse in Iraq, announced it would
form a new office to coordinate detainee policy.
The new office would ensure that Red Cross reports are seen at high levels.
* New Habib claims
Meanwhile, a radical Islamic cleric has told the Weekend Aussie that
Mamdouh Habib -- one of the 2 Aussies held at Guantanamo Bay -- tried
to recruit Muslims in SYD for a holy war.
Sheikh Mohommad Omran, who heads the MEL-based fundamentalist Ahl
Sunnah wal Jamaah Association, told the newspaper that Habib had also
fallen out with a hard-line prayer group after using the name of the
fundamentalist association to solicit $12,000 for Muslim rebels in Chechnya.
Habib's lawyer Stephen Hopper has denied claims his client was
involved in the recruiting or jihad fundraising.
Habib, 48, has been held at Guantanamo Bay for nearly 3 y.
Iraq's premier denies claims that he executed 6 prisoners
Baghdad (Telegraph). Ayad Allawi, Iraq's PM, has dismissed
allegations that he killed 6 prisoners in cold blood just days before
assuming power from the American-led coalition last m.
An Aussie newspaper reported claims that Dr Allawi had pulled a pistol
from his belt to shoot a group of blindfolded and shackled insurgents
who had been lined up against the wall of a police station in Baghdad.
Mr Allawi dismisses the claims.
The story in the SYD Morning Herald, based on the unsubstantiated
claims of 2 anonymous Iraqis, arose from a rumour apparently
circulating in Baghdad.
Although the PM's office advised the anonymous Iraqis to make a report
to the authorities, his officials rejected the allegations. "Dr Allawi
is turning this country into a free and democratic nation run by the
rule of law," a statement said.
"Numerous groups are attempting to hinder what the interim Iraqi govt
is on the verge of achieving, and occasionally they spread outrageous
accusations hoping they will be believed and thus harm the honourable
reputation of those who sacrifice so much."
Neither a date for the incident nor the names of the Iraqis who claim
to have witnessed it were given in the SYD Morning Herald.
It reported claims that Dr Allawi and Falah al-Naqib, the interior
minister, made a unscheduled visit to the Al-Amriyah police station in
Baghdad in mid-June.
When presented with 7 detainees who were said to be responsible for attacks
on Iraq's security forces, it alleged, Dr Allawi, who once survived an
axe attack in London ordered by Saddam Hussein shot each one, killing
6 and wounding one. About 2 dozen people, including Dr Allawi's
American personal security guards, were said to have witnessed the incident.
One of the newspaper's informants alleged: "The prisoners were against
the wall and we were standing in the courtyard when the interior
minister said that he would like to kill them all on the spot. Allawi
said that they deserved worse than death -- but then he pulled the
pistol from his belt and started shooting them." 3 of the victims were
named in the report.
Dr Allawi's Brit and American allies have applauded his new govt as
strong and effective. Confidence among Iraqis has soared as the new
govt has taken steps to tackle the country's insurgency.
Even so, the bloodshed continues. Iraq's justice minister, Malik
al-Hassan, narrowly escaped injury yesterday morning when a suicide
bomber blew up a vehicle as his convoy left his home.
The insurgents have repeatedly targeted top officials. Last week, a
regional governor was killed when his convoy was ambushed.
5 guards were killed in the attack, which was claimed by Abu Musab
al-Zarqai, the al-Qaeda militant blamed for a series of deadly suicide
bombings, and for executing at least 3 W hostages in Iraq.
5 burnt-out cars were littered across the road, with human remains
scattered among the wreckage.
In the S Baghdad suburb of Mahmudiyah, 2 nat'l guard officers were
killed and 25 other people injured when a suicide bomber slammed a
vehicle into a recruitment centre.
N of Baghdad, a roadside bomb in the town of Baiji killed an American
soldier and wounded another. The death brought to 655 the number of
American troops killed in action in Iraq since the invasion last y to
oust Saddam Hussein.
Govt should explain Allawi claims: Brown
Greens Sen Bob Brown wants the PM to respond to allegations that Iyad
Allawi shot at people.
Greens leader Bob Brown is putting pressure on PM John Howard to
respond to allegations that Iraq's Interim PM shot dead 6 people last m.
Iyad Allawi has been accused of shooting 7 Iraqi insurgents, killing 6
of them, in the wk leading up to the hand-over of power from the US last m.
2 unnamed people alleged to have seen the shootings have told Aussie
journalist Paul McGeough that Dr Allawi shot the insurgents in a
courtyard adjacent to a maximum security cell in Baghdad.
Dr Allawi's office has denied the claims.
Sen Brown says he was horrified by the report.
He says he cannot understand why a man with Dr Allawi's history was
appointed as Iraq's Interim PM.
He says Mr Howard needs to explain why Aussie troops are currently in
Dr Allawi's service.
"Allawi is a blood curdling individual," Sen Brown said.
"He helped Saddam Hussein get into power, then turned on him.
"Saddam Hussein went after him and he's now in a position to wreak his
own trail of havoc in Iraq."
A rep for Aussie Foreign Min Alexander Downer says Aussie authorities
have no knowledge of the allegations.
He says if Fairfax has any substantial info, it should take it to the
Iraqi authorities for investigation.
But Shadow Min for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd, says Mr Downer should
treat the allegations seriously.
"Such reports appear to me to be unbelievable," Mr Rudd said.
"But because they are written by a credible journalist, Mr Downer's
responsibility is to get the truth from the Aussie Embassy in Baghdad
and from the govt of the US.
"It's important that these matters are clarified."
* Claims
A written statement to Mr McGeough says Dr Allawi has not visited the
prison and does not carry a gun.
But McGeough stands by his claims.
He says he cannot name the witnesses but says neither knows the other
has spoken to him about the allegations.
"The PM is said to have responded that they deserved worse than death,
that each was responsible for killing more than 50 Iraqis each and at
that point he is said to have pulled a gun and proceeded to aim at and
shoot all 7," McGeough told ABC TV's Lateline.
"6 of them died. The 7th, according to one witness, was wounded in
the chest [but] according to the other witness was wounded in the neck
and presumed to be dead."
Mr McGeough works for Fairfax newspapers and his claims have been
published in the SYD Morning Herald and the Age.
Car bomb targets US convoy in Iraq
Baghdad (AFP). A car bomb has exploded nr a US convoy in Baghdad,
wounding 6 people including a US soldier. Meanwhile, 2 policeman have
been shot dead, one in Baghdad, the other in the N city of Kirkuk, as
insurgents fired mortar rounds at an already damaged oil pipeline in
the N but missed. The car bomb, at least the 3rd in as many days, was
driven into the rear of the military convoy before detonating, the
army said. Ihab Ahmed, a civilian hurt in the blast, said the bomber
attacked the patrol as it drove down Al-Baya'a highway in the W part
of Baghdad. "I was trying to cross the road because I live nearby
when the car exploded," he said. The attack followed 2 bloody car
bombings since Wed, one outside the Govt's main compound in Baghdad,
the other on a police station W of the capital that killed a total of
at least 20 people. In clashes between insurgents and US forces in
the W region of Fallujah, 13 people were wounded, Iraqi hospital and
police sources said.
Car bomb targets Iraqi minister
Baghdad (ABC, Geoff Thompson). 2 car bombs have killed at least 5
people in Iraq on the day marking the anniversary of the y that Saddam
Hussein's Baath Party first came to power.
One bomb targeted Iraq's Justice Min in Baghdad, while another struck
at an Iraqi Nat'l Guard recruiting station S of the capital.
The public profile of Iraq's Interim Justice Min Malek Dohan al Hassan
has been on the rise in Iraq since the introduction of legislation
permitting the imposition of tough security measures.
Analysts say this has made him an alluring target for the Interim
Govt's enemies.
Today an apparent car bomb attack on his convoy in Baghdad killed 4
people and wounded 6.
His bodyguards were among the casualties.
The Justice Min himself was unharmed.
South of Baghdad, in Mahmudiyah, another car bomb tore through a crowd
of Iraqi Nat'l Guardsmen and potential recruits.
One death has been reported along with dozens of wounded.
Today marks the anniversary of the coup that 1st brought the Baath
Party of Saddam Hussein to power in Iraq.
Iraqi Justice Min escapes car bomb
Baghdad (AP). A suicide car bomber hit the Iraqi justice minister's
convoy as he left home Sat, killing 5 bodyguards but leaving Malik
Dohan al-Hassan unharmed. 3 people, including a police chief, died in
other attacks throughout the country. In a 2nd suicide bombing,
attackers hit the Iraqi Nat'l Guard HQ in Mahmudiyah, 30 km S of
Baghdad, killing 2 people and wounding 47, hospital officials
said. Gunmen also ambushed and killed the Iskandariyah police chief as
he drove to work in the town S of Baghdad.
Al-Qaeda-linked militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility
for both attacks, the latest in a series targeting high-level govt
officials. The bombings also seemed a deliberate effort by insurgents
to mark the anniversary of the coup that brought Saddam Hussein's
political party to power in 1968.
Insurgents have intensified their assaults in recent days against
members of the interim govt and Iraqi security forces, whom they view
as tools of US forces. Militants killed the governor of Nineveh
province on Wed and attacked a car Thu belonging to For Min Hoshyar
Zebari, who was not in the vehicle.
"There are people who want to stop the progress of democracy in this
country," said US Army Col Michael Formica, cmdr of the 1st Cavalry
Division's 2nd Brigade, who spoke to reporters at the scene of the
attack on al-Hassan, the justice minister.
The suicide bomb gouged a crater into the pavement, and flames lapped
the charred skeleton of one car, while a 2nd burned nearby.
A helicopter hovered above and emergency workers loaded a limp body
into the back of an ambulance. Among the dead was the minister's nephew.
In claiming responsibility for the killing, al-Zarqawi described
al-Hassan as a "traitor ... in the apostate agent govt."
Al-Hassan's son, Haider, reacted with anger.
"Those criminals seek instability in this country, so they can destroy
this country and kill innocent Iraqi civilians," he said.
Later Sat, a Web site statement signed by the military wing of
al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group claimed responsibility for the
Iraqi Nat'l Guard bombing and vowed to continue attacks.
"We assure all Muslims in Iraq and the world that we will not become
tired or weary in targeting the enemies of God, the infidel crusaders,
the apostates and their followers," the statement said.
Shortly after the attack on the justice minister, insurgents set off
another explosion targeting a police patrol nr al-Hassan's house,
badly injuring 2 police officers, said police Maj Hashim Raed.
The explosion was part of a wave of attacks against police Sat.
In the Mahmudiyah bombing, Iraqi troops stopped the car at a checkpoint
after becoming suspicious and shot at the driver, who set off the
blast 15 yards from the building.
Militants also attacked and killed Lt Col Rahim Ali, the Iskandariyah
police chief, as he drove to work Sat, said Lt Ali Obeid, a police
officer in the town.
In Hawijah, 50 km SW of Kirkuk, gunmen opened fire on a police station
wounding 2 officers in a 30 minute gun-battle, said police Col Sarhat Qader.
In W Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded nr a police vehicle, wounding 4
officers, police Lt Alaa Adnan said.
Also Sat, a security officer who guards oil infrastructure in the N
was kidnapped, police said. Farhat Abdullah was on his way home in
Kirkuk when he was snatched by men in 2 sedans nr Rashad, 65 km to the north.
The employer of an Egyptian man held hostage by insurgents told
Al-Jazeera TV that he would be freed Sun, days after the
company said it had agreed to an insurgent demand to leave Iraq.
Al-Jazeera played a video Sat showing Alsayeid Mohammed Alsayeid
Algarabawi kneeling in front of 4 masked men, some of whom held guns.
The group holding him, the Iraqi Legitimate Resistance, had demanded the
Saudi company leave Iraq within 72 hr. The group issued no specific threat.
Sat marked the 36th anniversary of the bloodless military coup that
brought the Baath party to power in Iraq. Saddam became the second
most powerful man in Iraq after the revolt, and took power 11 y later.
Huge celebrations had been held during Saddam's time to commemorate the
anniversary, but were swept aside after his ouster. However, supporters
of his ousted regime have fought on, and authorities fear they have
joined with Islamic militants to try to frustrate American efforts here.
Elsewhere, authorities found the corpse of a Jordanian driver dumped
alongside the Amman-Baghdad highway with his eyes gouged out, Iraqi
police Lt Col Salah Mubarak said. The attack was viewed as another
effort to intimidate truck drivers bringing goods into the country.
US Ambassador John D Negroponte acknowledged Sat that Iraq faced
serious security problems, but he expressed hope the country could
overcome them and hold its 1st democratic elections.
"I think all the ingredients for success are there," he told reporters
in his 1st news briefing since arriving here 3 wk ago.
Zarqawi claims attack on Iraqi minister
Baghdad (AFP). The Al Qaeda-linked militant group led by Abu Mussab al
Zarqawi claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on Iraq's Interim
Justice Min on Sat, in a message posted on an Islamist website. "Your
brothers of the Tawhid wa al Jihad group led an operation against the
apostate and traitor called Malek Dohan al Hassan, the Justice Min of
the apostate govt", said the statement. It was issued in the name of
"the military wing of Tawhid wa al Jihad [Unification and Holy War]".
This is the name used by Zarqawi's movement. The Justice Min escaped
a bomb attack as he drove through Baghdad on Sat, but at least 2 of
his bodyguards were killed and several people were wounded, officials
said. The authenticity of the statement could not be verified.
Suicide bombs kill 6 in Iraq, minister survives blast
Baghdad (AFP/Channelnewsasia). 2 suicide car bombs in Iraq killed 6
people and injured 36, but Iraq's 83-yo justice minister, target of
one of the blasts, escaped injury.
Also Sat, a US soldier was killed and another injured by a roadside
blast, and a 2nd street bomb injured 3 policemen and 5 people were
wounded in an attack on a police station.
In Iraq's serial hostage drama, there was fresh hope for an Egyptian
whose abductors telephoned his Saudi employer to say he would be
released on Sun, but there was no word on the fate of a Filipino and a
Bulgarian, both threatened with beheading.
The car bomb that targeted Justice Min Malek Dohan al-Hasan's
motorcade was claimed by al-Qaeda-linked militant Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi.
Hasan emerged from the attack unscathed, 3 of his bodyguards,
including a nephew, were killed along with 2 civilians, officials said.
8 people were also wounded in the blast which hit Hassan's motorcade
as it was taking him to work from his home in the west of the capital.
"My father is fine and in good health and he went straight to his
office at the ministry after the attack," his son, Haidar Dohan
al-Hassan, a 37-yo businessman, told AFP by telephone.
A driver in a white Toyota approached the minister's convoy and blew
himself up, said interior ministry rep Col Adnan Abdul Rahman.
3 policemen were wounded less than an hour later when a bomb planted
on the side of the road exploded close to their vehicle.
Hassan, a seasoned lawyer and politician, assumed a high profile
earlier this m with the unveiling of a new nat'l security law giving
the govt emergency powers in its battle against the 15-mo insurgency.
He is also one of the key players in the process of trying deposed
dictator Saddam Hussein and 11 of his lieutenants, after their 1st
appearance in the dock on July 1.
Zarqawi's Tawhid wa al-Jihad [Unification and Holy War] group claimed
the attack in a message posted on an Islamist website, although its
authenticity could not be immediately verified.
In another blow to Iraq's nascent security forces, a car bomb exploded
outside a Nat'l Guard base in the restive town of Mahmudiya, 30 km S
of Baghdad, killing an Iraqi civilian and injuring 25, hospital and
interior ministry sources said.
"An Oldsmobile vehicle sped towards the entrance of the building and
when its driver failed to stop as instructed, he was fired on and the
car exploded about 25 m from the entrance," said guardsman Adel Taha.
The interior ministry confirmed the attack was a suicide bombing.
The violence came on the anniversary of the 1968 coup that brought
Saddam Hussein's Baath party to power and was an important nat'l
holiday under the old regime. It also followed a rash of deadly car
bombs earlier in the week.
PM Iyad Allawi is under mounting pressure to restore stability to the
country since the US-led occupation ended almost 3 wk ago and US
ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte named security as a top priority
for his embassy, America's biggest in the world, as it adopts a
support role for the new Admin.
"My vision of the mission of our embassy here in Baghdad is to support
and assist the govt and the people of Iraq," Negroponte told reporters.
Under-scoring the challenges ahead, a US soldier was killed and another
wounded when their convoy was targeted in a roadside bombing nr the N
Iraqi city of Beiji, the military said.
That brought to 656 the number of US troops killed in action in Iraq
since the start of the US-led war in March 2003, according to US
Defence Dept figures.
Also in N Iraq, 2 policemen, 2 civilians and an insurgent were injured
in an attack on a police station in the village of Hawija, 50 km W of
the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, said a police official.
In Baghdad, a Sunni Muslim cleric belonging to the Iraqi Islamic Party
was gunned down by unidentified assailants, a party official said.
Meanwhile, the Saudi employer of an Egyptian hostage being held in
Iraq said he would be released on Sun, citing a telephone call from
the kidnappers.
But there was still no word on the fate of a Philippine hostage
despite Manila's concession to his captors' demand for the early
withdrawal of its 51-strong troop and police contingent from Iraq.
And the whereabouts of a Bulgarian captive also remained a mystery
after his companion was beheaded earlier in the week.
*** In Brit, almost 6 out of 10 Britons would not trust Prime Min Tony
Blair to lead the country into another war following intel failures
over Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, according to a poll published
in the Sun Times newspaper.
Truck driver killed in Iraq
Baghdad (Reuters). Police in Iraq say insurgents have killed a
Jordanian truck driver in the W of the country. Police say the
killers then gouged out his eyes and left his body lying by the side
of the road. They say the driver was carrying supplies from Amman to
Baghdad. He was attacked outside the town of Ramadi, 110 km W of Baghdad.
French aid workers freed after Gaza abduction
Gaza (AFP). Palestinian gunmen have released 4 French nat'ls -- 2 men
and 2 women -- they seized in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip,
after locking them in a building for several hours.
The kidnappers were understood to be former Palestinian security
officials expressing grievances after being fired from their jobs.
The French Foreign Ministry has confirmed the release after one of the
kidnapped men told AFP by telephone that he and his colleague had been
freed some time after the women were allowed to go.
Meanwhile, 2 snr Palestinian security officials have handed in their
resignations after 3 kidnappings within a few hours, saying the
situation was intolerable, a Palestinian official said.
The other kidnappings were that of a Palestinian police chief and a
Palestinian liaison officer with the Israeli Army.
The French citizens were abducted in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in
the S Gaza Strip and locked in a building belonging to the Palestinian
Red Crescent, security sources and witnesses told AFP.
They said the 4 were taken hostage in a cafe and marched to a
dormitory inside the Red Crescent building by some 20 gunmen.
The gunmen later released the 2 women safe and sound but continued to
hold the men for a while longer.
The kidnappings followed 2 earlier abductions of Palestinian officials.
Police chief Ghazi Jabali was released after 4 hr in the hands of
dissident militants.
But Col Khaled Abu al-Ula, a Palestinian liaison officer with the
Israeli Army, remained captive in a house in Khan Yunis after some of
his subordinates seized him to protest against their dismissal,
security sources said.
Palestinian PM offers to resign
Gaza (Reuters). Palestinian PM Ahmed Qurie submitted his resignation
to Pres Yasser Arafat on Sat after complaining of unprecedented chaos
in Gaza.
But Mr Arafat refused to accept Mr Qurie's resignation.
Negotiations Affairs Min Saeb Erekat said Mr Qurie told members of the
legislative council that he submitted his resignation to Mr Arafat,
but Mr Arafat refused to accept it.
Mr Arafat's rejection of Mr Qurie's resignation left his status
uncertain and it was unclear whether he would continue to lead the govt.
* Security
A sense of growing anarchy gripped the Gaza Strip on Fri, after
militants -- calling for anti-corruption measures in the security
services -- abducted 4 French aid workers and 2 Palestinian officials.
All were released unharmed.
Mr Arafat, in apparent response to the demands, fired police cmdr
Ghazi al-Jabali and appointed cousin Maj Gen Mussa Arafat as overall
security chief for Gaza.
He also announced its 12 security services would be combined into 3.
Palestinian PM resigns amid shake-up
Ramallah, W Bank (AP). The Palestinian PM resigned Sat in a sweeping
leadership shake-up that also saw 2 snr officials replaced in Yasser
Arafat's overhaul of his security forces -- a key US and Israeli
demand for restarting the deadlocked peace process.
The changes followed a series of kidnappings in the Gaza Strip that
signalled a breakdown of authority.
"There is a crisis. There is a state of chaos in the security
situation," Ahmed Qureia said after announcing his resignation as
premier during a Cabinet meeting in the W Bank town of Ramallah.
Queria told Palestinian officials he had resigned "because of a series
of internal and external issues that developed in the recent period,"
according to a statement from his office. He specifically cited the
deteriorating security situation in Gaza.
Qureia sent his resignation letter to Arafat through an aide before
the Cabinet meeting. The 74-yo Palestinian leader, however, refused to
accept it and scrawled a giant "X" over the paper with a pen, a
Palestinian official said.
Nevertheless, Qureia said he would not withdraw the resignation,
according to Min of Local Govt Jamal Shobaki.
The Cabinet planned to reconvene Mon to continue deliberations.
It was unclear what would happen if the stalemate continued.
Qureia, who had held the job for 10 m, was unable to carry out deep
reforms and root out corruption, with Arafat still holding the
presidency and dominant power in the Palestinian territories.
He also had been frustrated by lack of progress on restarting the
peace process with Israel, say officials close to him. No
Israeli-Palestinian summit was held during Qureia's time as PM.
Officials said the Cabinet meeting grew stormy at times. The interior
minister, who is in charge of police and apparently was not consulted
about the changes in the security infrastructure, walked out midway.
Israel had no comment on the swiftly unfolding events in the
Palestinian territories. But Israel Army Radio quoted officials as
saying the instability demonstrated again that Israel had no viable
negotiating partner and must move forward with PM Ariel Sharon's plan
to unilaterally withdraw the army and settlers from Gaza next y.
The chaotic events also were likely to encourage opponents of Sharon's
plan who claim Israel cannot leave a security vacuum in Gaza and must stay.
Although failing to agree on the PM's future, Arafat and Qureia met
earlier Sat and approved a series of steps to bring more than a dozen
disparate security services under a more unified command.
They consolidated the services into 3 branches but all will remain under
Arafat's control. The specifics of the restructuring were not announced.
A reorganisation of the splintered and often feuding security agencies
was a primary demand of the US as part of its moribund peace plan,
known as the "road map."
Militant organisations expressed disappointment. The Al Aqsa Martyrs'
Brigades said the changes would fail to stem corruption that riddles
the security forces and threatened to take the law into its own hands.
The political crisis was precipitated by the kidnapping of 2 top
security officials and 4 French charity workers in the Gaza Strip by
militant organisations on Fri.
All were released unharmed after a few hours, but the abductions
reflected the anger on the streets at the perceived ineffectiveness of
the Palestinian Authority.
While the US and Israel have tried to sideline Arafat, whom they see
as the spoiler of Mideast peace efforts, Qureia's govt has been
paralysed without Arafat's support for its decisions.
Qureia, also known as Abu Ala, was appointed in Sep 2003, when the 1st
PM of the Palestinian govt, Mahmoud Abbas, quit after just 4 m. The 2
men were among the main negotiators of the 1993 Oslo peace agreement
with Israel that created the Palestinian Authority.
Qureia's resignation was the 3rd in 2 days among well known figures in
the Palestinian hierarchy. The head of the Palestinian Intel Service,
Maj Gen Amin al Hindi, and the head of Preventive Security in the Gaza
Strip, Rashid Abu Shbak, also quit Fri. Their resignations also were
not immediately accepted by Arafat.
In addition to structural changes in the security forces, Arafat issued
a presidential decree replacing his nat'l security chief and his nat'l
police chief.
Arafat appointed his cousin, Mousa Arafat, as chief of public security,
replacing Abdel Razzak Al-Majaideh, who was given the title of
security adviser.
Mousa Arafat was among the earliest members of the Fatah movement that
launched the Palestinian nat'l struggle in 1965.
The Palestinian leader also appointed Saeb al-Ajez as the new police
chief for the W Bank and Gaza. He replaced Ghazi Jabali, one of the
security officials who was kidnapped on Fri. Jabali has been widely
accused of corruption.
Hundreds of protesters, many of them armed, marched to the Palestinian
Legislative Council building in Gaza City, waving banners and chanting
slogans decrying the new appointments.
Samir Mashrawi, a member of Arafat's Fatah faction, criticised
corruption but expressed loyalty to the Palestinian leader.
"It's not acceptable to fight corruption with more corruption. It's
forbidden to change one corrupt man for another," he said.
In violence Sat, a 21-yo Palestinian man was killed when Israeli
soldiers opened fire on Palestinians throwing rocks at them in the W
Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian witnesses said. The Israeli military
said soldiers shot a man who fired at them.
Thousands march against new Gaza security chief
Gaza (Reuters). Thousands of demonstrators marched in Gaza City Sat
to protest against the new security chief appointed for the area by
Palestinian Pres Yasser Arafat, saying he would bring no change,
witnesses said. The crowd shouted slogans against Mussa Arafat, the
president's cousin, who was appointed Sat following a series of
kidnappings by gunmen demanding an end to corruption in the security
forces. "No to corruption. Yes to reform and change," activists from
Arafat's Fatah group shouted as gunmen from the group's military wing,
al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, fired into the air. "We send a message to
the leader Yasser Arafat. Don't replace corruption with even more
corruption," shouted Fata leader Samir al-Mashharawy. Earlier in the
day, Palestinian PM Ahmed Qurie submitted his resignation to Arafat
after complaining of chaos in Gaza following the kidnappings of 4
French aid workers and 2 local officials Fri. They were released
unharmed. Arafat refused to accept Qurie's resignation.
Canada sends small, young athletics team to Athens
Toronto (CBC). Athletics Canada named its Olympic team on Mon, and
it's almost half the size of the contingent that went to the last Olympics.
The team was announced at a breakfast on Mon, following the 3-day
trials in Vic.
Athletics Canada is sending 23 athletes to the Athens Games, 20 fewer
than it sent to the 2000 SYD Games.
The organisation is also sending 3 wheelchair athletes to compete in
demo events.
Overall, the team is relatively young. It includes 14 athletes who
will be making their Olympic debut in Athens.
The small size of the team is due in part to stringent new qualifying
standards, which Athletics Canada implemented in conjunction with the
Canadian Olympic Committee.
Canadian head coach Alex Gardiner said he was "generally pleased with
how it turned out. It would be great to have 4 or 5 more athletes on
the team, but the fact that 14 first-timers were able to achieve the
standard says the veterans who didn't make the team could have
achieved the standards as well.
"I know there were some disappointed people out there."
Gardiner is hoping for a fresh start in Athens. The Canadian track and
field team failed to win a medal in SYD or at the 2001 world championships
in Edmonton.
World champion hurdler Perdita Felicien of Pickering, Ont, and high
jumper Mark Boswell will lead the contingent.
Boswell and distance runner Courtney Babcock won injury appeals after
failing to meet their Olympic B standards during the trials.
Boswell, who is from Brampton, Ont, is still recovering from an ankle
injury he suffered at last summer's world championships, where he won bronze.
"I look forward to going over there ... try to grab a medal for
Canada," Boswell said after winning the high jump Sat.
Babcock, who is from Chatham, Ont, is the Canadian record holder in
the 5,000 m. She missed 6 wk of training because of a foot injury.
"This is our Stanley Cup," veteran 1,500 m runner Kevin Sullivan of
Brantford, Ont, said in a speech to his fellow Olympians on Mon.
"You see hockey players all the time jumping teams trying to get on
that one team that's going to make it to the Stanley Cup because they
don't know if they're ever going to get that opportunity to get back
there again.
"We only get that opportunity every 4 y to go to our Stanley Cup, and
I think that puts it on a grander scale."
Canada will have 3 women in the 100-m hurdles for the 1st time in
history: Felicien, Angela Whyte of Edmonton, and Priscilla Lopes of
Whitby, Ont.
Felicien said she would have to set a Canadian record to win an
Olympic medal and she seems poised to do so. She ran her event in
12.45 sec on Sat. That would have been a nat'l record if not for
the wind, which was 0.1 m per second over the legal limit.
19-yo Richard Adu-Bobie of Ottawa is the youngest member of the team;
he earned a spot on the 4x100 m relay team.
The oldest athlete on the team is 39-yo race walker Tim Berrett of
Edmonton. He will be making his 4th Olympic appearance.
The wheelchair athletes include Jeff Adams of Toronto, Chantal
Petitclerc of Montreal, and Diane Roy of Lac-des-Aigles, Que.
"It's wonderful to be part of this," Adams said. "But it's kind of
frustrating that our events still have demo status. We're working on that."
Pilot who dropped atomic bomb dies
Boston (AP). Charles W Sweeney, a retired Air Force general who
piloted the plane that dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki in the final
days of World War II, has died at age 84.
Sweeney died on Thu at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston,
hospital rep Christine Johanson said. She did not disclose the cause
of death.
The Associated Press left messages at phone numbers listed to the
Sweeney family in the Boston suburb of Milton.
Sweeney was 25 when he piloted the B-29 bomber that attacked Nagasaki
on Aug 9, 1945, 3 days after the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on
Hiroshima and 6 days before Japan surrendered.
About 70,000 people were killed in the explosion of the bomb, dubbed
"Fat Man". It was the 1st bomb Sweeney ever dropped on an enemy target.
Sweeney was an outspoken defender of the bombings, appearing on CNN
and speaking at colleges and universities.
Sweeney also wrote a book, War's End: An Eyewitness Account of
America's Last Atomic Mission, to counter what he considered
"cockamamie theories" that the bombings were unnecessary.
"I looked upon it as a duty. I just wanted the war to be over, so we
could get back home to our loved ones," Sweeney told The Patriot
Ledger of Quincy in 1995.
"I hope my missions were the last ones of their kind that will ever be flown."
Sweeney also played a role in the bombing at Hiroshima, where he flew
an instrument plane that accompanied the Enola Gay during that attack.
His own B-29, the Bock's Car, is not as well-known, although the
bombing was harrowing for the crew. The flight had fuel problems from
the start, and clouds and smoke were covering the mission's primary
target, the city of Kokura.
After making several dangerous passes over the city, Sweeney abandoned
the primary target for Nagasaki. Only a break in the clouds allowed
the bomb to be dropped, Sweeney said.
Sweeney was a graduate of N Quincy High School who traced his passion
for flying to a local airfield. He became a brigadier general in 1956,
and at the time was the youngest man in the Air Force to reach that
rank. He retired in 1976.
Qld prepares to destroy 50,000 citrus trees
Citrus trees to be destroyed.
Brisbane. The Qld Govt is set to destroy more citrus trees on a farm
at Emerald after a failed legal challenge by the property's owner.
Evergreen Farms asked a court to stop clearing until compensation
rights had been secured and the Govt determined which trees were
infected. This week, 8,000 trees were destroyed and another 50,000
trees will now be destroyed next wk. Qld Primary Industries Min Henry
Palaszczuk has urged Evergreen to stop obstructing the Govt. "At the
end of the day, we have got to realise that citrus canker will not be
eradicated in the courtrooms of Bris -- it will be eradicated on the
property," he said.
Snow storms worst in years
Blue Mtns, NSW (AAP). Motorists have been trapped in ditches after
skidding off icy roads and ski lifts have been closed as snow storms
sweep across NSW.
Snow has blanketed much of the SE part of the state with heavy falls
in the Blue Mountains, W of SYD, and the S Highlands.
"We seldom have snow to this extent and to this depth," SES rep Laura
Goodwin said.
The SES said it was the worst snow storms in 3 years.
Many skiers driving to the snowfields after impressive falls had to be
towed out of ditches after their vehicles slipped off icy roads, said
Perisher Blue resort rep Neil Thew.
He said more than 20 cm of snow had fallen in Perisher in the
past 24 hr and some ski lifts had been stopped because of poor
visibility and high winds.
"[The roads] have been fairly chaotic," Mr Thew said.
Ill-equipped skiers travelling to and from the snow fields without
tyre chains had been towed out of ditches in their cars, he said.
"Temperatures were still hovering around minus 5 degrees Celsius at
11.30 am Sun at Perisher.
Police urged motorists to be extremely careful as they returned from
the state's snowfields, warning that slippery roads were a major hazard.
While roads were being salted and sanded to minimise the impact of the
ice, the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) recommended people
postponed car travel until conditions improved.
The worst affected areas for ice and snow are W of Katoomba in the
Blue Mountains, where snow was still falling around midday, and
S of Mittagong on the Hume Highway.
Ice forced the periodic closure of the Great Western Highway between
Medlow Bath and Blackheath, W of SYD, while Bells Line of Road, also W
of SYD, was closed completely.
The Snowy Mountains Highway is closed at Cooma and the Monaro Highway
is closed between Queanbeyan and Cooma.
Snow falls are expected to continue for at least the next day and the
SES urged people to take extreme caution on the roads.
Heavy snow cuts off ski resorts
Jindabyne, NSW. The heaviest snow falls in y in the Snowy Mountains
have caused havoc on roads leading to NSW ski resorts.
The road from Kalkite to Jindabyne and then all roads to the ski
resorts are closed at this stage due to hazardous conditions, which
have caused several accidents this morning.
The fire brigade is attending an accident involving a truck which has
come off the road and brought down power lines in Jindabyne.
The resort town is now without electricity.
Naria Shannon from the Jindabyne Visitors Centre says the scene is
beautiful, but has urged motorists to take care.
"There are delays on the road because there have been several
accidents this morning," she said.
"The roads around Jindabyne are also very slippery because the snow is
quite widespread. I've just spoken to a policeman who says the road is
currently closed between Berridale and Jindabyne and they're hoping to
get a grader through and re-open that shortly."
Constable Adam Lee from Cooma Police says there is already a heavy
backlog of traffic and there have been several accidents with cars
sliding off the road.
He says snow chains will not help the situation.
"The snow's coming down too heavy so not until they get the snow
plough through," he said.
"As I said before there's vehicles off the road up there so police are
having quite a busy time to try and get everything under control up
there at this stage."
Heavy dumps draw crowds to Snowy Mountains
Jindabyne. Throngs of motorists have headed to the Snowy Mountains in
NSW after the heaviest seasonal snowfalls in recent years.
Many motorists are struggling to cope with the hazardous conditions.
State Emergency Service (SES) crews, police and the Snowy River Fire
Brigade are busy attending calls along the roads in and out of the
resort town of Jindabyne.
The roads were closed this morning until snow ploughs could move in to
clear a path.
SES volunteer Diane Paterson says many people were not prepared for
the slippery conditions, including a truck driver who hit power poles
at the entrance to the town.
"They've had to cut the power down to Jindabyne for half the town and
that's lost its power until they manage to rectify the problem," she said.
Naria Shannon from the Jindabyne Visitor's Centre says despite the
hazards, the scene is beautiful.
"It's absolutely gorgeous," she said. "There's people skiing in the
carparks, there's people skiing and snow-boarding down Gippsland Street
-- it's just amazing."
Traffic is now reportedly easing but police say motorists will not
travel far without snow chains.
Ms Shannon has urged drivers to take care.
"The roads around Jindabyne are very slippery because the snow is
quite widespread," she said.
Weather warning issued for NSW
Sydney. A surf warning has been issued by the weather bureau for the
New South Wales coast. Waves in excess of 5 m are expected to produce
severe beach erosion on the state's S coast -- from Moruya Heads to
Smoky Cape - tonight and tomorrow. People living on the water between
the S coast and the mid north coast are advised to check their
property regularly for erosion or inundation by sea water. The bureau
says water levels above the highest tide of the y are possible.
Land hand-over recognises traditional owners
Mt Grenfell, NSW. An area nr Cobar in NSW's far W will today be
handed to the Aboriginal community, just the 2nd such hand-over of land
to traditional owners in the state. Ownership of the Mount Grenfell
historic site, which has been a nat'l park, is to be signed over to
the Ngiyampaa people. It will be managed by a board dominated by
Aboriginal people and leased back to the parks dept. Elder Elaine
Ohlsen says the area is significant especially because it contains
important rock art. "The hand stencils and ochre paintings, it's been
a place where that's been fully inhabited by tribes, the Ngiyampaa
tribe," she said.
Ex-ATSIC man denies $4.8 mn splurge
Former ATSIC deputy chairman Ray Robinson has dismissed claims that he
gambled $mns.
Brisbane. Former ATSIC deputy chairman Ray Robinson has angrily
dismissed claims that he gambled almost $5 mn at Qld casinos. A
newspaper report today says Mr Robinson's gambling records show he
wagered $4.8 mn over a 2 and half y period. But Mr Robinson says the
report is wrong. "How would I gamble away that amount of money," he
said. "I would never had probably more than $60,000 in my bank at one
time in my life." An Aussie Fed Police rep says the matter was
investigated and no charges have been laid.
Coonan to tinker with Telstra bill
Canberra (AAP). Incoming communications minister Helen Coonan
flagged she might tweak the govt's Telstra privatisation legislation
to help win crucial support for the company's sale.
The govt's push to fully privatise AUS's biggest telecommunications
company suffered a 2nd knock-back by the Senate in March, paving the
way for a double dissolution election.
Labor, the Aussie Greens, Aussie Democrats and the 4 key independent
senators rejected a bill which would have allowed the govt to sell its
51.05% stake in Telstra.
It was the 2nd time in 5 m the Senate blocked the privatisation plan.
Sen Coonan said the govt had no intention of changing its policy on
selling its holding in Telstra.
She said the govt also stood by its plan to change media ownership
laws, which are before the Senate but face opp'n from Labor.
"What I propose to do, of course, is have a look at how the [Telstra]
legislation is framed," Sen Coonan told ABC TV.
"With some other very difficult past legislation I've made some
refinements and gone back to my Senate colleagues to see whether or
not there's some prospect of it being successful.
"The govt is not changing its policy on these matters but there can be
some changes in refinement and perhaps a different way of putting an argument."
The govt reintroduced its proposed changes to cross media and foreign
media ownership laws to the Senate last Nov after a similar bill was
defeated earlier in the year.
If passed, the changes would ease limits on foreign ownership and lift
restrictions on owning only one newspaper, radio or TV station in the
same city.
Sen Coonan, who is to be sworn in as communications minister, said she
wanted to talk to media industry stake-holders about the planned
changes and Senate colleagues who opposed the plans.
She also said she was keen to look at the issue of convergence in the
media industry -- the ways in which different types of media such as
radio, TV and newspapers were treated at a time when
technology was changing quickly.
"I want to make sure that I have a look to ensure that we've got the
very best flexible framework to deal with these sorts of issues," Sen
Coonan said.
"And we do have to, I think, look at the best and most effective way
for us to be competitive and to enable us to make the very best of
what we can as a country with our media.
F-111 fuel tank work linked to cancer
Canberra (AAP). Up to 900 Aussie workers were at risk of getting
cancer from working on F-111 fuel tanks over the past 30 y, a study
has found.
The Aussie Defence Force has released the findings of a study by
Doctor John Attia into the F-111 re-seal/de-seal fuel tank maintenance
program nr Bris.
The study follows a report 2 y ago which found 400 workers at the
Amberley Air Force Base near Bris were exposed to chemical, making
them sick.
Dr Attia has now confirmed he believes there is a link between the
fuel tank program and cancer.
"Basically what the study found was that there appears to be a 50%
increase in the incidence of cancer among the people who worked on
de-seal/re-seal," Dr Attia told ABC Radio."
"Certainly this study does support there is some evidence there for
their claims.
"We obviously can't be 100% certain, all we can actually say now is
there does appear to be an association but we can't pinpoint what the
positive factor was."
A health report is due out by the ADF later this year, with the Dept
of Veteran Affairs expected to consider compensation and ongoing care
for victims.
Bris lawyer Simon Harrison, who represents several maintenance workers,
said the study "nailed" the Fed Govt on liability for cancer sufferers.
"It means that at long last they [the workers] have actually been
vindicated," Mr Harrison told ABC radio.
He said he hoped the Fed Govt fully accepted the recommendations of
the study.
Military exercise begins at Top End
Darwin (AAP). The Aussie air force's largest internat'l exercise,
Pitch Black, began in the NT on Sun.
More than 1,500 people and 75 aircraft from 4 air forces will be
involved in the complex 3-wk air combat training exercise.
"Exercise Pitch Black is of great importance to AUS not only because
of the high complexity air combat training opportunities it provides
but also because of the invaluable opportunity it gives us to
strengthen ties with our internat'l friends," said air force chief Air
Marshal Angus Houston AFC AO, as he launched the exercise.
Nations involved in Pitch Black include Singapore and first-time
participants Thailand and France.
The exercise returned to NT after 4 y, and was expected to inject
about $7 mn into the territory's economy over the 3 wk.
More than 1,000 extra personnel will be based at RAAF Base Darwin and
more than 700 at RAAF Base Tindal.
The exercise runs from July 19 to Aug 5 with flying planned between 8 am
(CST) and 10.30 pm (CST) weekdays. There is no flying planned for weekends.
Police investigate synagogue attack
Perth. WA police are hoping to identify a number of people
responsible for a racist graffiti attack on a synagogue in Perth.
Windows, brick walls and memorial stones were sprayed with anti-Jewish
and anti-Asian slogans in the early hours of this morning. It is
believed the offenders have been captured on surveillance video. A
police security unit is examining the video.
Police investigate attempted abduction
Brisbane. Bris police are searching for a man who tried to abduct an
11-yo girl on the city's north-side. Police say the girl was riding her
bike home from W Strathpine State School on Tue afternoon when a man
in a blue car pulled up along side her and told her to get into the
car. The girl refused and rode away. She has told police the man
followed her until she rode into a nearby park.
Murder investigation launched after woman thrown from car
Melbourne. The Homicide Squad in Vic is investigating the death of a
woman who was thrown from a car in Elwood, bayside MEL, early this
morning. The woman's body was found in an alley between Shelley
Street and the Elwood canal. A witness who saw the incident rang
police, The witness says the woman was thrown from a moving car just
after 7.00 am. Police have sealed off one residential block and are
door-knocking the area. Residents say prostitutes often do business
in the lane.
8 m jail for escapee
Perth. A dangerous prisoner has been sentenced to 8 m jail, in
addition to his existing sentence, for escaping the custody of AIMS
officers after a visit to Rockingham Hospital in W AUS. Adrian John
Ugle was in Casuarina maximum security prison serving time for
offences which included aggravated burglary and assaulting a police
officer. His 3 days on the run ended last night when police arrested
him at his Aunt's house in E Vic Park. The 28-yo -- who was eligible
for parole next y -- pleaded guilty to the charge. He asked that the
sentence be fast-tracked. Ugle's de facto Laura Calyon is to appear in
court on Mon, charged with aiding his escape.
Live grenade found in SA police station
Adelaide (ABC, Allan Calleja). SA police called the bomb squad to one
of their own police stations on Sat after discovering a live grenade
in a storeroom. Officers were conducting an audit of the lost and
found room at the Elizabeth police station, in Adel's N suburbs, when
they came across the grenade in a box. Officers say that it appeared
the safety pin was removed. A rep says the grenade had been in the
storeroom for some time, but could not say when it was placed there.
It is believed it was handed in by a member of the public and put into
the storeroom by an officer. When it was found officers called in the
bomb squad. The squad carefully removed the grenade and have taken it
for destruction to the Army's artillery range at nearby Pt Wakefield.
Police try to solve playground fire mystery
Sarah Allen is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
Brisbane. Police want to speak with 2 teenage boys over an incident
in which a 9-yo girl was set alight in a park in Minto in SYD's SW
on Thu afternoon.
Police are no closer to knowing whether 9-yo Sarah Allen was
playing with matches and set herself alight or was attacked This
morning police interviewed the girl's younger brother, sister and
another child.
All the children -- between the ages of 6 and 8 -- were nearby when
Sarah was set on fire.
Police say there are inconsistencies in their accounts.
Detective Inspector Matt Appleton says police now want to speak with
2 teenage boys who were seen nr the park at the time of the incident.
"We're just trying to get to the bottom of this incident," he said.
"We'd ask that if you were involved in it to come forward, we're very open."
Police are still waiting to speak with Sarah, who is in a serious but
stable condition in hospital.
2 SYD women killed in NZ
2 SYD women have been killed in NZ.
Wanaka, NZ. NZ police say 2 Aussie women have been killed after a
road accident on a ski access road nr Wanaka on the country's south
island. A man who was also in the vehicle has been taken to Dunedin
Hospital. His condition is being described as poor. Police say the
vehicle that the 3 were driving was found 180 m below the point
where it left the mountain road. The dead women have been named as
Anne Somerville and Lisa Ettridge of SYD. The injured man is Andrew
Taylor of SYD. The families have been notified. A police
investigation has been launched into the cause of the accident.
Search continues for missing yachtsman
Carnarvon, WA. There are concerns for the welfare of a lone yachtsman
believed to be sailing along W AUS's mid W coast. The man's yacht --
the 'Serene' -- was last seen nr Exmouth on Tue. He failed to arrive
at Carnarvon on Wed as scheduled. Rick Friswell from Carnarvon Water
Rescue says the yachtsman is a former member of a sea rescue group and
it is unusual he has been out of contact for most of the week. He
says sea rescue groups from Shark Bay and Kalbarri are searching for
the man. "We've had other vessels here in the area, at Cox and Cape
Cover and they haven't sighted anybody," he said. "We've certainly
done some checks with the stations along the coast, the properties and
they haven't sighted or heard anything along the coastal strip there
during the past so many days."
Missionary's widow arrives in Aust
Brisbane. The family of an Aussie missionary killed in India has
returned home for the 1st time since his death. Gladys Staines lost
her husband Graham and her 2 sons when they were killed in an attack
by Hindu extremists in 1999. Mrs Staines arrived in Bris today with
her 18-yo daughter Esther. She says they plan to start a new life in
Qld. "All I know is I've come back to AUS. That's as far as I know at
the moment," she said. "I mean there's so many things, emotions to
work through. Emotions to work through in relation to the family
situation at home, working out my role and my what my responsibility
is as a member of a larger family."
[From my "fish files":]
World's appetite for tuna threatens supply
Favignana, Italy (AP). Over 1000s of spring times, as far back as
Homer's Odyssey, the fishermen of Favignana have battled giant bluefin
tuna lured into vast chambers of intricate netting. This year, the
nets were empty.
The ancient "mattanzas" (slaughters) of Atlantic tuna that come to spawn
in the Mediterranean are now all but gone. The craving for sashimi in
Japan and the world beyond has taken its toll, but that is only part of it.
Marine biologists say not only bluefin tuna but also other fish stocks
are plummeting across the world, upsetting delicate natural food
chains. Some fear irreversible damage has already been done.
Even worse, internat'l law experts add, little is being done to stop
it. Despite all the evidence, high-tech fleets probe the last
deep-water refuges, hardly troubled by authorities.
Legal quotas are too high, specialists say, and in any case are often
pointless because too many crews lie about their catch.
Empty nets at Favignana, a butterfly-shaped islet off Trapani at the
western edge of Sicily, are only one small sign of the times.
"This is no sudden crash, but rather an extremely slow-speed fatal
collision," Carl Safina, founder of the conservationist Blue Ocean
Institute on Long Island in NY, told The Associated Press.
For decades, he said, the world has moved blindly toward a precipice.
"We have been confronted with signs and warnings and a clear view of
the danger. And now we have fallen off. We may deserve it, but our
children do not."
Safina reflected views heard in a broad range of interviews in N
America and Europe, from environmental activists to govt-funded
specialists charged with helping to set fishing limits.
Some are more optimistic, arguing that careful management can restore
stocks to sustainable levels, but none dispute that urgent action is essential.
Scientists blame worldwide over-fishing by private fleets, often with
their govts' complicity. Even where laws and accords are in place,
they say, there is seldom more than token enforcement.
With a single bluefin worth as much as $150,000 on the Tokyo market,
Italian and Russian organised crime is now involved, UN experts say.
Uni of Brit Columbia researchers sounded the alarm in 2001, reporting
that some fish populations had fallen by as much as 85%. They said
China drastically underreported its catch.
The report, directed by Daniel Pauly, said de-classified Cold War
technology, aircraft, and US monitoring of water temperatures and
ocean bottoms help fishermen find hideouts once beyond their reach.
A later study by Ran Myers and Boris Worm of Nova Scotia's Dalhousie
University reported drops of 90% among critical stocks. That brought
protests from fishing industry officials, who cited other surveys
showing smaller declines.
"This is only quibbling over numbers," Safina said. "If it is 60% now
and not 90%, then just wait 5 years."
Beyond uncontrolled fishing, specialists see damage from pollution,
silt runoffs from over-engineered river systems, and the still
uncertain impact of global warning.
Tuna is a particular problem.
Such common varieties as skipjack, found canned in supermarkets, fetch
lower prices and are not in immediate danger. But prized bluefins are
hunted down for sophisticated worldwide networks of Japanese buyers.
About 20% of the world's dwindling supply is caught in the Mediterranean,
where tuna stocks are most threatened. And bluefin are also endangered
in the Atlantic and Pacific.
The competition is fierce. At remote ports in Maine, boats that bring
in bluefin find Japanese agents on their cell phones, eager to bid for
the fish and ship them to Tokyo in coffin-like containers packed with ice.
Since these giant tuna might live 30 y, their plight affects an entire
complex food chain, which already suffers from other types of over-fishing.
In the early 1950s, the global tuna catch was less than 500,000 tons. By
2001, it had surpassed 3.7 mn tons.
Serge Garcia, a Frenchman who supervises fish-monitoring programs at
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, says he's deeply
disturbed by nearly every trend he sees.
As a scientist who answers to each of the FAO's member nations, he
steers clear of advocacy. But, he told The AP, the evidence speaks for
itself: "Wherever you look, the numbers are going down."
Garcia said the main problem is that since ocean fish cannot be
accurately counted, no one can be certain about numbers. As a result,
fishermen and conservationists push data to opposite extremes.
But, he said, scientists have a clear idea of the downward trend. "I
don't think it is wise to wait until this is proven right beyond any
doubt," he said. "By then, it will be too late."
He calculated that fleets should be reduced by 30 to 40% to preserve stocks.
The ancient methods of Favignana focused on single schools, in which
the biggest fish habitually swim first. This assured a lucrative catch
without damage to sustainability.
Now most bluefin are caught on long lines. Other tuna are scooped up
by purse-seine nets which catch whatever enters their broad openings.
Huge numbers of un-targeted fish are dumped back, dead in the water.
Using almost weightless nylon-Kevlar lines up to 2,500 feet long and
equipped with lights and tiny cameras, Garcia said, fisherman can
locate giant old tuna hiding in underwater caves.
"Only one of these big tuna can be worth as much as the most expensive
Mercedes-Benz," Garcia said. "How do you expect criminal organisations
not to want to be in on it?"
He said Mafia-owned fishing operations launder money from other
activities and exploit official fishing subsidies. Other operators, he
added, push for quick and maximum profit in case enforcement is tightened.
"It's warfare out there, complete with military technology," Garcia
said. Within 20 y, he predicted, only the wealthiest will be willing
to pay the necessary prices for the best cuts of tuna.
"It is the height of absurdity," says marine biologist Chato Osio at
the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Mediterranean office in Rome.
"Sicily sends its best tuna to Japan, and Sicilians eat inferior tuna
they import from Asia."
Even if commercial boats respected Mediterranean quotas, he said, the
annual 32,000-ton limit for tuna is already too high to protect the
threatened fish.
The WWF and other groups campaign for fishing moratoriums in sensitive
areas as well as rigorous patrols to enforce quotas.
Some experts put hope in tuna ranches, which have grown fast since
1997. These are not breeding centres, as are common for salmon, but
rather holding pens for wild tuna that are caught but not landed.
At 30 Mediterranean sites, captured tuna are held in net corrals for 5
to 20 m until they fatten.
Proponents say this allows prices to stabilise and adds more meat to
the market. But in practice, the WWF says, tuna penning wreaks its own
sorts of havoc by disrupting natural cycles and seasonality, and by
opening new markets for tuna. These, a WWF report says, have "made the
situation of wild stocks even more perilous."
Francesca Ottolunghi, a marine biologist who advises the Italian
fishing industry, calls WWF's positions too extreme. She predicts that
farms will eventually raise tuna safely from eggs. But, like the
environmentalists, she sees danger in illegal fishing.
"This is the biggest problem," Ottolunghi said. "Nobody has control.
You can say anything you want, but there is no enforcement."
None of this is news to the Favignana fisherman, whose annual running
of the tuna has dwindled from the mainstay of the world's biggest
cannery to a subsidised curiosity for tourists.
Once celebrated as valiant holdouts of an ancient way of life, these
men now survive on odd jobs and hang around the wharf exchanging tales
of the good old days.
"Maybe it's not over completely," said sun-burned, barrel-chested
Giocchino Cataldo. "And maybe it is. Either way, this beautiful life
has turned ugly."
Cataldo's title, "rais," or boss, comes from N African Arabs who once
colonised Sicily. He decides when, where and how to trap the tuna.
With a prodigious memory, he jotted down the name and y of reign for
every rais over the past century. Then, he grimly recited a litany of
dwindling catches.
A marked change began in the 1960s, when Japanese and Soviet trawlers
began to prowl the Mediterranean. Now Koreans, Chinese and Taiwanese,
among others, are major players.
Last year, when the Favignana mattanza brought in bluefin, Japanese
buyers snapped them up and shipped them to Tokyo. Sicilian markets
offered cheaper cuts from less valuable types of tuna.
This year, Cataldo's fishermen put their nets in the water but they
came up empty.
In the mainland fishing port of Bonagia, nr Trapani, the nets were
kept ashore this y in protest at a nearby tuna farm that has attracted
Japanese interest.
Without the Japanese to buy their offshore catch, "it is the end for
us," said Salvatore Spataro, the Bonagia rais. But he suspects the old
gods may still be with him. A winter storm disturbed the farm
enclosure, and more than 2,000 tuna escaped.
Atlantic bluefin, with ancient instincts, follow their internal radar through
the Straits of Gibraltar each y for springtime spawning in the Mediterranean.
The catch limits are set by a Madrid-based semi-official body, the
Internat'l Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna, or ICCAT,
with members from govts and industry.
Similar bodies look after tuna populations elsewhere in the world.
But they can only ask govts to provide enforcement, and many
scientists say they lean too far toward fishing interests.
Safina calls ICCAT "the Internat'l Conspiracy to Catch All Tuna,"
accusing it of skewing data to favour fishermen.
Even with the best intentions, govts can only patrol within their
territorial limits, often no more than 20 km and seldom more than 320 km.
The FAO uses figures supplied by member nations, but tracks a fast-rising
category labelled IUU, for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
In theory, commercial fishermen should want to protect stocks to
guarantee their own future livelihood. In practice, the experts say,
many captains opt for maximum immediate profit.
At Favignana's port, the drama comes eerily to life at the
cathedral-like cannery, now abandoned.
Its stone walls are chiselled with record catches from when the Florio
family employed workers by the 100s to can tuna shipped around the
world. In 1857, the total was 10,159 tuna.
Now the only cannery in the area is on the Sicilian mainland, and its
tuna is shipped in from N America or Asia.
Giuseppe Giangrazzo, a tuna man for 40 y who is live-in caretaker, now
leads the occasional visitor on a bittersweet tour.
"This was something to see," he said, as he showed a huge room of
rotting ropes and empty hooks where freshly caught tuna used to be
hung. "Now it is gone forever."
UK rethinks "designer baby" rules
The rules governing 'designer babies' could soon be relaxed to allow
more screening and embryo selection.
London (Reuters). The fertility watchdog in the UK is considering
relaxing regulations governing so-called designer babies, the Daily
Telegraph has reported. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology
Authority is considering letting parents screen IVF embryos for
desired physical characteristics and not just for serious genetic
diseases. The newspaper said leading fertility doctor Mohammed
Taranissi, of the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre in
London, had been "told informally" that the watchdog was likely to
change its mind on the regulation. Mr Taranissi has invited to submit
a test case application for the technology, the newspaper reported.
Proposals to allow more embryo screening would be discussed next Wed.
Any change in the screening rules is likely to prove controversial.
Anti-abortion campaigners argue that a U-turn would open the door to a
disturbing era of eugenics.
UK "designer baby" rules to be debated
The rules governing 'designer babies' will not be relaxed, says the UK
watchdog.
London (Reuters). The fertility watchdog in the UK says it might
relax tough rules governing embryo screening and selection.
But the watchdog has denied any legal change would open the door to an
era of so-called "designer babies".
Current law allows fertility clinics to screen embryos for serious
genetic disorders, but a number of recent cases have tested those
legal boundaries and provoked a heated ethical debate on the merits
and pitfalls of embryo selection.
Some parents want the added right to screen in-vitro fertilisation
(IVF) embryos for tissue traits that that could lead to their stem
cells being transplanted into a sick sibling.
A rep for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA),
which oversees the industry in Brit, says a review of tissue typing
would be discussed as part of a general meeting on Wed.
"It's such a fast -moving area and they will look at how much the
science has advanced, as well as looking at whether the ethical and
legal sides have moved on," the rep said.
"None of the policies are set in stone and they all have to be
constantly reviewed ... they could relax the rules governing embryo
selection or they could quite easily tighten them up," she added.
But the HFEA denied one newspaper report that parents would soon be
allowed to screen IVF embryos for "desirable characteristics" and not
merely to weed out genetic abnormalities.
"The review is absolutely not to do with looking at any other
characteristics such as hair or eye colour," the HFEA rep said.
The Daily Telegraph reported on Sat that a leading fertility doctor --
Mohammed Taranissi -- had been "told informally" that the HFEA was
likely to change its mind on regulations he was invited to submit a
test case application for the technology.
While the Brit Medical Association (BMA) has said it supports the
selection of embryos to save a sibling, opponents of screening say it
opens the door to eugenic-style human selection.
{{
Midnight.
1000s of Pals have demonstrated in Gaza against reforms to the security
services implemented by Yasser Arafat. The Pres has moved to install
his nephew as security chief after 2 key resignations. 8 security
organisations will be re-organised into 3 -- a reform long-demanded by
members of the PA.
On a web site, Al-Qaeda rep Abu Musab al-Zaqarwi has claimed resp for
the bomb attack on the Iraqi Justice Min.
Sudanese rebels have walked out of talks in Addis Ababa, after the
Sudan govt refused to meet their 6 pre-conditions for talks. The
Sudan govt indicated it would not move to disarm Arab militias in the
Darfur region. Reps for the AU, which arranged the meetings, said
they would try to get the parties back to the negotiating table ASAP.
Midday.
Throngs of motorists have headed to the Snowy Mountains in NSW after
the heaviest seasonal snowfalls in recent years.
The US Defence Dept says it has notified all prisoners at Guantanamo
Bay of their rights after the US Supreme Court ruled that they could
challenge their detention in the courts.
Parents have broken down in tears as the bodies of their children were
buried or cremated, after a fire in an Indian school killed 88 children.
Iraq's interim PM, Iyad Allawi, has been accused of shooting 7 Iraqi
insurgents, killing 6 of them, in the week leading up to the hand-over
of power from the US last m.
2 car bombs have killed at least 5 people in Iraq on the day marking
the anniversary of the y that Saddam Hussein's Baath Party 1st came to power.
The Al Qaeda-linked militant group led by Abu Mussab al Zarqawi
claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on Iraq's Interim Justice Min
on Sat, in a message posted on an Islamist website.
Snowfalls and gale force winds are making travel around NSW difficult
today. More than 70 power-lines were knocked down by high winds in the
SYD area. 1.5 m swells in the Harbour have made it difficult for
ferries to dock. The major services have been cancelled.
The heaviest snow falls in y in the Snowy Mountains have caused havoc
on roads leading to NSW ski resorts.
A surf warning has been issued by the weather bureau for the NSW coast.
The fertility watchdog in the UK is considering relaxing regulations
governing so-called designer babies, the Daily Telegraph has reported.
12.30 pm
57% of people polled by a UK newspaper say they would not trust Tony
Blair's judgement on taking the country to war again.
5 pm
Exactly 1 wk after another journalist was murdered, the body of the
editor of a small Russian-language magazine has been found on a ring
road in Moscow. He was stabbed and beaten to death. The motive is
unsure. Russian police say they're treating it as murder [?!].
Former Pres Bill Clinton has told ABC's "Enough Rope" that interfering
in Australia's internal politics will probably backfire, because
people don't like being told by outsiders how to vote. The US Sec of
State, Pres, Vice Pres, and Under-sec of Def had all publicly
criticised the ALP's policy of withdrawing troops before the end of 2004.
Pal PM Qurei tried to offer his resignation twice to Pres Arafat in
order to force the Pres to surrender some of his powers. Arafat is
still refusing to accept the resignation. Even before meeting Qurei,
Arafat reportedly offered to re-organise the 12 Pal security arms
into 3 organisations -- something that has been promised before, but
never done. Arafat also fired the police chief, and appointed a
relative. Armed gunmen from the al Aqsa Brigades later stormed a
security service building, and set it on light in protest.
Details of a link between al-Qaeda and Iran are expected to be
revealed when a 9/11 report is handed down next wk. 10 of the
hijackers were given safe passage through Iran from Afghanistan, says
the report. They went on to Saudi Arabia without having their
passports stamped -- a move designed to allay suspicion when entering
the US. But there's no info officials in Iran knew of the 9/11 plot.
Reps for the Commission said they suspect there were more active links
between al-Qaeda and Iran than with Pakistan or Iraq.
In Ramadi, Iraq, insurgents have gouged out the eyes of a murdered
Jordanian truck driver. He had been shot in the cabin of his vehicle,
as a warning to others.
A bomb was detonated in a police stn nr Tikrit. No-one was injured .
Iraqi security says they've cracked a major oil peddling ring.
They've confiscated 12 oil tankers in S Iraq. They suspect smugglers
syphoned oil from pipelines and storage tanks and were selling it
cheaply to Iraqis, losing $mns for the govt.
New Aussie Comms Min Sen Coonan has called on SBS and ABC TV to
implement new complaints procedures. Observers say the move follows
the largely unsuccessful attempts by the prev Comms Min to censure
the ABC for its Iraq war coverage. Sen Alston had claimed the
coverage was one-sided and anti-American. After 2 rounds of review,
only a few of his dozens of complaints were upheld by the ABA.
A census is being taken t'out Timor, to determine how many people were
forcibly removed during the decade of conflict with pro-Indon forces.
The census is also asking about other crimes during the period before
Timor's independence.
In the US, Mexican "illegals" are being given flights home instead of
taking the bus. Each passage is a $28,000 charge to US taxpayers.
Critics say it's a waste of money. Advocates say a price can't be put
on lives. 150 people have died trying to cross the AZ desert into the
US from Mexico so far this y. The death toll has set a new record
each y. The flights will be deep into the Mexican interior, to
prevent a quick turn-around into attempts to cross back into the US.
The Mayor of one border town says the flights are wrong. It's just
like anything else the American govt tries to solve, he told
reporters, if they can't win a war or solve a problem, they just throw
more money at it.
8.20 pm
At least 10 people have been killed in a US attack in Fallujah.
According to witnesses, a US military chopper fired missiles into a
compound. The attack followed clashes between gunmen and US soldiers
in a nearby area. Witnesses say women and children are among the
dead. The US military has confirmed it launched an attack in the SE
of the rebel city.
9 pm
The Dept of Fisheries in WA is warning beach-goers to be wary after 2
more shark sightings. The animals were between 7 and 8 km offshore.
11 pm
Militants from the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have broken into the
military intel office in Khan Younis refugee camp. They freed
prisoners, and then burned the building down. The armed offshoot of
Arafat's Fatah faction said it was operating in the name of the new
security chief -- Arafat's nephew.
The death toll in Fallujah has been put at 11 dead after a US attack.
The Iraqi PM said he gave permission for the attack, which was aimed
at al-Qaeda rep Zaqarwi who's accused of masterminding a series of
attacks around Iraq.
A court in Tehran has abruptly ended the trial of an intel officer
accused of killing a Canadian citizen and journalist. Lawyers
described the trial as "a farce". The court earlier prevented
observers attending the 2nd day of hearings. The judge said observers
had been mistaken about the ID of the accused yesterday, and they were
barred today to show Iran would not bow to foreign pressure.
Yesterday, lawyers for the victim claimed the man on trial was not
involved in the killing, but had been put up as a scape goat for the
real culprit -- a high member of the Iranian judiciary.
After anti-Jewish and anti-Asian abuse was scrawled on a Perth
synagogue, community leaders have called on state anti-racism laws to
be tightened. They say the onus of proof was far too high for those
attacked, and want it reduced for that type of offence. If that isn't
possible, said a rep, then new leg'n for that type of attack was needed.
}}
----------------------------------------
Mon, 19 Jul 2004.
HEADLINES:
Japan floods death toll rises to 18
Palestinian suicide bomber aborts attack, later killed
Kabul rocket attack kills one
4 killed in latest Aceh violence
US air strike on Iraq kills 14
Baghdad forms oil council to woo investors
Managing Iraq's oil
Tiny agency's Iraq analysis is better than big rivals'
Reports reopen debate on Iraq's uranium quest
Brit stages terror attack drill
Emergency services asked to explain response to mock attack
Philippine cmdr in Iraq arrives home
No evidence of Iraq-Qaeda tie-up, says commission
Militants offer bounty for Iraqi PM's 'head'
Kay criticises Bush, Blair on Iraq intel
Jordanian king takes dim view of sending his troops to Iraq
Iraqi minister to investigate Allawi execution claims
Iraqi PM okays US strike
Iraq gives order to reopen paper GI's had closed
Iraq authorised deadly US air strike
Iran 'has closer ties to al-Qaeda than Iraq'
Govt analyses Iraq intel report
Compensation for Iraqis
Bush, Blair should know Iraq intel's weakness: Former arms inspector
Accounting for Iraq
'Radical' changes to intel services unlikely
15 walk off mountain after car pile-up
Bakhtiyaris launch legal action in UK
Bolivia leader hails gas referendum victory
Bolivian president tipped to win gas referendum
CIA chief opposes Cabinet intel post
Canada recalls ambassador to Iran
Canada to introduce biometric passport despite privacy concerns
Capital gains tax cuts hurting low income earners: ACOSS
Court hears agent posed as journalist to expose terror plot
Dinosaur stampede added to heritage list
Drug delays but does not prevent Alzheimer's: study
E Timor 'holding out' for better boundary deal
Estrogen linked to male sex drive
Foster's Group to sell property business
France protests Sharon emigration call to Jews
Howard 'should be tried for war crimes'
Iran halts controversial Kazemi trial
Iranian Nobel laureate threatens internat'l suit over dead
Jetstar rejects "sweatshop" claims
Kakadu park entry fees to be scrapped
Latest citrus ban to hurt Qld nurseries
Liberals allow Olexander to stay
Mandela celebrates 86th birthday
Marine expert dismisses shark threat
NAB appoints new auditor
One feared dead, 100s evacuated after NZ floods
PM fails to rule out NT waste dump
Palestinian clashes injure 18
Police investigate hit-and-run
Renewed clashes reported between Georgia, breakaway region
Roads open after weekend snowfalls
Sep 11 hijackers passed through Iran: CIA
Stanhope calls for nat'l Boer war memorial
Sudan, rebels work to set agenda for talks
Suspected Car Bomb Kills 8 Near Baghdad Police Post
US 'deserter' arrives in Japan
WMDs never Bush's main focus: Clinton
Whale dies in shark net
Woolies reports strong sales growth
Managing Iraq's oil
[The writer, a widely published oil analyst, is professor of business
at the College of Business Admin, Ohio Northern University].
Op/Ed. In recent months, Iraq's oil production has grown to more than
2 mn bpd. At this rate, current oil output and oil exports now
exceed post-invasion predictions. Experts had argued that funding
shortages, lack of security, the problems of stabilising a legitimate
govt, and technology shortfalls would severely limit Iraq's output.
Despite the odds, Iraq's daily output reached a post-invasion record
of 2.5 mn barrels in March.
A number of factors enabled Iraq to increase its output. Most
significantly, Washington gave Iraq US$2.3 bn to restore its oil
production. After the invasion, no one expected Iraq to get loans, let
alone outright grants.
Instead, US$2.3 bn was invested directly into its oil sector. To
protect the oil fields and other facilities, the Americans dedicated a
massive, overwhelming force of soldiers and private contractors. The
level of protection was unprecedented even compared to Saddam
Hussein's regime.
On the technical side, the Bush Admin hired the world's best oil
service companies to revamp Iraq's technologically challenged oil
fields. They still have a long way to go, but significant improvements
are already evident.
Moreover, the war didn't change the quality of Iraqi fields, which are
still among the richest in the world and can produce oil with
relatively little effort and investment.
Finally, high oil prices in the past 12 m provided an unexpectedly
large windfall to the Iraqi budget, allowing for the financing of
other sectors without slighting the oil industry. High prices also
enabled the Coalition Provisional Authority to add even more private
security personnel to protect refineries and pipelines.
Granting Iraq the money to restore its oil industry was one of the
best post-war decisions that the Bush Admin has made. The money
allowed Iraq to begin to address security, production and technology
issues throughout its oil system.
But the question remains: Will output growth continue following the
transfer of sovereignty to an Iraqi govt at the end of last m?
Despite massive injections of funds and unprecedented security,
insurgents have still managed to halt or reduce oil production and
exports several times since the invasion. The bombing of a pipeline or
other oil facility somewhere in Iraq remains almost a daily
occurrence, and the transfer of power has not reduced these attacks so
far. Like the Bush Admin and Saddam himself, the insurgents understand
that whoever controls Iraqi oil controls Iraq's destiny. The new Iraqi
govt, even supported by US military might, will simply not be able to
guarantee a predictable flow of oil, and output will remain quite volatile.
At the same time, maintaining the flow of funds into the Iraqi oil
sector is essential, not only for its growth, but for its very
survival. Money brings technological regeneration as well as
security. Under even the best circumstances for Iraq, with oil prices
remaining high, the funds available to maintain and modernise the oil
industry are limited. If oil prices decline in the future, the oil
industry will suffer severely.
This makes for an interesting relationship between Iraq and Saudi
Arabia. Only Saudi Arabia can manage the global output of oil in such
a way that will make room for Iraqi oil and keep prices high. In
contrast, only Saudi Arabia can flood the market and reduce prices far
below their current level.
A decline in oil revenues could be devastating to the fledgling Iraqi
govt. Current oil revenues are barely enough to cover state expenses,
let alone pay for reconstruction, debt and war reparations.
Even if US Pres George W Bush is re-elected, it is highly unlikely
that the US will make another outright grant to a sovereign
Iraq. Theoretically, internat'l loans could be an alternative, but who
would lend to an unstable govt, let alone a govt whose legitimacy has
not been fully established? Likewise, privatisation is out of the
picture for now.
The new govt will have to make do and chart a slow path for its oil
recovery, just as Saddam's regime did. At the same time, the logic of
renewed American support for the Iraqi oil industry remains
powerful. Normal financing is not forthcoming. Only grants from the US
will reduce output volatility.
Saddam's regime caused most of the volatility in the oil market in the
last 30 y. In fact, every peak in oil prices since 1973 was caused by
an event related to Iraq. One would hope that his removal would reduce
market volatility and stabilise oil prices. Unfortunately, Iraq
appears set to continue to be a major source of high oil prices, owing
to highly erratic output. For the foreseeable future, one of the
principal outcomes of the invasion of Iraq will be greater volatility
and thus higher prices.
Baghdad forms oil council to woo investors
Baghdad (Gulf Daily News). Iraq announced yesterday the formation of
a Higher Oil and Gas Council to oversee strategy as the country seeks
foreign investment into the sector.
"The council will draw up general policies to manage the hydrocarbon
resources and exploit them as best as possible," a statement from the
oil ministry said.
The council will also approve and devise marketing policies, energy
plans, prices, projects, oil ministry employment rules, investments
and agreements with foreign companies, and allocation of oil
proceeds. A number of these powers were the prerogative of the oil
ministry and the State Oil Marketing Organisation.
PM Iyad Allawi, who is firming his grip on the interim Admin ahead of
elections due to be held by Jan, has appointed himself to head the council.
Iraq had an oil council headed by Saddam Hussein before the invasion
and Gulf countries have similar systems.
Allawi and Oil Min Thamir Ghadhban are authorised to make proposals to
the council, whose membership includes the finance and justice mins.
Running the day-to-day oil affairs will be left to Ghadhban, who will
remain the key official responsible for the industry, an oil official said.
"They will meet once every few weeks, but will not go into detail such
which projects go to whom," he said.
"The council will have a major role if Iraq starts awarding its prize
fields for development to the oil majors, but this is not expected
before elections."
The PM was under pressure to form the council after a report by US
accountants criticised the way Iraqi oil revenue was managed under the
US-led occupation, the official said.
The report said the accounting the US used raised the potential for fraud.
Iraq's interim govt is expected to focus on repairing its oil industry
in the period before the election and refrain from striking foreign
investment deals to develop Iraq's reserves, which are 2nd only to
Saudi Arabia's.
Bolivian president tipped to win gas referendum
La Paz, Bolivia (Reuters). Up to 75% of Bolivians voted on Sun for
more state involvement in the country's natural gas industry, rallying
behind Pres Carlos Mesa, according to initial official returns. The
early results from Sun's referendum also showed a solid majority, or
83.2%, supported Mr Mesa's call backing continued foreign ownership.
The initial returns indicate a victory vote for Mr Mesa, who had
staked his political future on the 5 question referendum affecting
Bolivia's lucrative gas market. In an unofficial count of nearly 25%
of around 20,500 voting stations across the country, Channel 7 state
TV said that Mesa won each of the 5 questions in the referendum
with approval ranging from 45 per cent to 66% of the votes. The
margin of error on the count was 4.5%age points. This roughly
coincided with another unofficial count of 25% of the votes by PAT TV,
a leading private news channel. The vote will likely ensure that Mr
Mesa stays in power until 2007 and lend the Andean country some
political stability after a bloody indigenous revolt ousted the
previous govt last y.
Bolivia leader hails gas referendum victory
La Paz, Bolivia (Reuters). Bolivia's Pres, Carlos Mesa, said late on
Sun the country backed his proposals to allow natural gas exports and
increase state control over the nation's huge reserves in a referendum
aimed at appeasing an impoverished Indian majority.
"The 5 questions have been answered, each one, with a yes," Mesa
told a news conference.
These results -- yet to be confirmed by an official count -- will
likely ensure that Mesa stays in power until 2007 and lend the Andean
country some political stability after a bloody indigenous revolt
ousted the previous govt last y.
The official results, although based on 2.2% of the vote counted,
supported Mesa's claim of victory. Unofficial counts by Bolivia's
state TV and the leading PAT private TV channel also said Mesa won
each of the 5 questions.
Voting was mostly peaceful as Bolivians voted over an energy issue
that has split the country between its majority Indians and
European-descended elites.
The battle over who profits from one of Latin America's biggest gas
reserves pits Bolivia's low-income Indian majority, calling for nat'l
control, against elites, who say Bolivia needs the foreign investment
that more exports would bring.
Fury at a $5 bn plan to export gas via Chile, Bolivia's historical
enemy, lay behind a siege of the capital by Indian groups in Oct in
which dozens of protesters were killed by troops. The violence led to
the ouster of pro-Washington Pres Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.
Mesa, his replacement, called the referendum to appease Indians, who
made nat'lization a rallying cry of Oct's revolt, and he has turned
the election into a vote of confidence.
Bolivia's state TV said an unofficial count of 25% of Bolivia's 20,500
voting stations showed Mesa winning each of the referendum's 5
questions with approval ranging from 45% to 66% of the votes. The
margin of error on the count was 4.5 points.
This roughly coincided with another unofficial count of 41% of the
votes by PAT TV, a leading private news channel.
Defeat in the referendum would have forced him from office and plunged
Bolivia, with a history of coups and rebellions, into civil unrest.
There were sporadic reports of violence by radical Indian groups,
which threatened to burn ballot boxes and boycott the vote.
"The referendum's strongest message has been that peace has conquered
violence," Mesa said.
The referendum was seen as the best of the worst by foreign investors,
given that a "No" vote would have plunged Bolivia into chaos. Foreign
companies will have to deal with stronger state controls and higher taxes.
The vote may come as a relief to Washington, which feared that more
unrest in Bolivia, the world's 3rd biggest source of coca leaf used to
make cocaine, could lead to more drug smuggling from an Andean region
seeing growing indigenous anger at "gringo imperialism."
The vote could also send a political signal across Latin America,
where democratic leaders from Argentina to Peru face voter backlash
after a decade of market reforms that many argue have benefited
foreign firms and the rich.
E Timor 'holding out' for better boundary deal
Canberra. PM John Howard says E Timor is holding up a major resource
project to get leverage in boundary negotiations with AUS. Mr Howard
says the wrangle over the Sunrise oil and gas field in the Timor Sea
is being portrayed as a struggle between tiny E Timor and big AUS. He
says other countries are saying that CBR should give in to E Timor,
but this would mean giving up territory owned by AUS. Mr Howard told
Darwin commercial radio that the negotiations involve major Aussie
assets and a boundary previously agreed with Indonesia. "We're
talking here about altering the arrangement that we negotiated with
Indonesia when Indonesia was part of E Timor," he said. "Applying all
the fairness principles that we can see, we don't see a case. And the
Sunrise field can go ahead once the details of once what's called the
Unitisation Agreement have been ironed out. "We've done that, we've
reached agreement on that. And the E Timorese are holding that up
because they're trying to use that as leverage to get a better deal."
Sudan, rebels work to set agenda for talks
2 rebel groups work to set agenda for Darfur peace talks aimed at
ending violence.
Addis Ababa (ABCNEWS/AP). Sudan and 2 rebel groups worked on Fri to
set an agenda for talks aimed at ending 17 months of fighting that has
killed tens of 1000s of people and displaced more than 1 mn.
The shadowy Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, blamed for the bulk
of the killings in Darfur in W Sudan, did not attend.
The black African rebels were demanding a time-line for implementing
Sudan's pledge to disarm the Janjaweed before agreeing to an agenda
for the peace talks, said a third-party observer, who spoke only on
condition of anonymity.
The rebels were also seeking commitments by the govt to release all
war prisoners, the observer said, and to lift restrictions on aid in
the region. Both conditions are part of a widely ignored cease-fire
signed Apr 8.
The UN health agency said on Fri in Geneva that the death rate in
Darfur had decreased somewhat over the last 6 m, but would soar again
during the rainy season unless refugee camp conditions improved.
Still, the World Health Organization estimated that the death rate in
Darfur, which the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, is
20 times the normal rate for a developing country.
Dr David Nabarro, head of the WHO, said about 50,000 people have died
the last 6 m because of disease in Darfur refugee camps.
Separately, the UN estimates 30,000 people have died in the fighting.
The African Union-sponsored peace talks began Thu, and leaders were
still arriving Fri. Chad, which borders Sudan and is hosting more than
200,000 Darfur refugees, is also mediating.
Nomadic Arab tribes have long been in conflict with their African
farming neighbours over Darfur's dwindling water and usable land.
Violence exploded in Feb 2003 when 2 African rebel groups took up arms
over what they regard as unjust treatment by the govt.
Since then, a calamity has unfolded, as armed bands of herders, most
of them Arab, have torched villages, driving more than a mn black
Africans from their homes.
Sudan signed an agreement with the UN on July 3 that calls for
disarming the Janjaweed, deploying soldiers, facilitating aid, and
allowing African Union troops and human rights monitors into Darfur.
UN and African leaders say it is up to the Sudanese govt to contain
the Janjaweed. But humanitarian workers have privately questioned how
much control authorities exert in a desolate area the size of Iraq.
The peace talks follow a diplomatic push by UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan and
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who both visited the region this m.
Rep Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz, chairman of the Foreign Operations Appropriations
Subcommittee, cancelled a planned trip to Darfur because of action on
the House floor Thu night. Kolbe said he planned to reschedule the trip.
Associated Press reporter Erica Bulman contributed to this report from Geneva.
Japan floods death toll rises to 18
Tokyo (AP). The death toll from flooding that has swept through N
Japan since last wk rose to 18, as 4 bodies were found and more
rainstorms left a broader swath of the area under water.
2 elderly Japanese were missing.
Since last Mon, more than 49 cm of rain had fallen in Niigata
prefecture -- nearly 1/5 the annual average.
A 42-yo woman, who had been missing since Tue, was found drowned in a
ditch, an official with the Niigata prefectural police said on
condition of anonymity.
Local authorities maintained an evacuation order for more than 12,000
households in the prefecture, and more rain was forecast to fall in
the region on Tue.
A separate storm farther south, meanwhile, caused floods that killed 2
men in their 60s and unleashed a landslide that killed a third, in his
70s, a Fukui prefectural police rep said on condition of anonymity.
2 others -- a 72-yo woman and a 60-yo man -- were reported missing in
the area, where rainfall was heavy on Sun night and this morning, he said.
Authorities advised about 40,000 households along the Asuwa River to
seek refuge in shelters. Train services were halted, and bridges
spanning the river were washed away.
The Self-Defence Forces dispatched troops to help with rescue and
cleanup, and to offer water services.
The Meteorological Agency warned of further flooding, landslides and
overflowing rivers.
Accompanied by lightening and gusts of wind, rainfall in Fukui for the
24 hr to midnight could total 35 cm, the agency said.
TV footage from Fukui showed residents wading through streets that had
turned into rivers.
4 killed in latest Aceh violence
Jakarta (AFP). An Indonesian soldier and 3 suspected separatist
rebels were killed in the latest violence in the restive province of
Aceh, the military said. An army sergeant was shot dead in an ambush
by Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatists in a remote village in Bireuen
district late on Sat, Aceh military rep Lt Col Asep Sapari
said. A day earlier troops shot dead 3 rebels in separate clashes in
the districts of N Aceh and Aceh Jaya, he said. Meanwhile, soldiers
raiding suspected rebel hideouts in N Aceh, Nagan Raya and W Aceh
districts captured 3 guerrillas, Sapari said. There was no immediate
comment available from GAM officials.
One feared dead, 100s evacuated after NZ floods
Opotiki, NZ (Reuters). One person was feared dead and around 1,500
evacuated after 2 days of heavy rain swelled rivers to bursting point
on the E coast of NZ's N island. A woman was believed dead after her
house was hit by a mudslide near the town of Opotiki in the Bay of
Plenty, about 260 km SE of the country's largest city of Auckland. A
state of emergency was in force in parts of the region after 250
mm of rain fell in 48 hr over the weekend.
Kay criticises Bush, Blair on Iraq intel
London (AP/Newsday). Pres Bush and Brit PM Tony Blair should have
realized before going to war that intel on Iraqi weapons was weak and
did not indicate Saddam Hussein posed a danger to the West, America's
former chief weapons inspector in Iraq said Sun.
David Kay resigned from the CIA in Jan and his conclusion then that
Iraq did not have stockpiles of forbidden weapons caused serious
problems for both Bush and Blair, undercutting their main
justification for war.
He told Brit's ITV network that Bush and Blair "should have been able
to tell before the war that the evidence did not exist for drawing the
conclusion that Iraq presented a clear, present and imminent threat on
the basis of existing weapons of mass destruction."
"That was not something that required a war," he said.
He said the leaders may not have been sufficiently critical of intel
on Saddam's alleged WMD.
"WMD was only one and I think in their mind, not really the most
important one," he said. "And so the doubts about the evidence on WMD
was not as serious to them as it seemed to be to the rest of the world."
Kay said 2 recent reports on intel failures in Iraq showed that
American and Brit info-gathering and analysing systems were "broken."
"I think they are a scathing indictment," he said of the reports from
the US Senate Intel Committee and a Brit commission headed by former
snr civil servant Lord Butler.
Butler's report, published Wed, said Iraq had no stockpiles of usable
chemical or biological weapons before the war and Brit intel to the contrary
had been drawn in part from "seriously flawed" or "unreliable" sources.
He absolved Blair's govt of deliberately distorting the evidence and
did not blame any individuals for the failure. But he said the govt had
pushed its case to the limits of available intel and solidified analysts'
hedged, tentative assessments of Iraqi arms into definite statements.
The US report agreed that intel on Iraq was flawed and placed much of
the blame on the CIA, which it accused of succumbing to "group think"
and interpreting all evidence according to its presumption that Iraq
had banned weapons.
Kay said analysts were facing pressure to support the belief that
Saddam had WMD.
"Anything that showed Iraq didn't have WMD had a much higher gate to
pass because if it were true, all of US policy towards Iraq would have
fallen asunder," he said in the interview.
Bush, Blair should know Iraq intel's weakness: Former arms inspector
London (Xinhua). Former US chief weapons inspector David Kay said Sun
that Brit PM Tony Blair and US Pres George W Bush should have been
aware before the Iraq war that the weak intel on Iraq's WMD could not
prove Saddam Hussein posed a danger to the West.
"I think the PM, as, I would say, the US president,should have been
able to tell before the war that the evidence did not exit for drawing
the conclusion that Iraq presented a clear, present and imminent
threat on the basis of existing WMD," Kay told Brit's ITV network in
an interview.
"WMD was only one [factor for the war] and I think in their mind, not
really the most important one," he said.
"And so the doubts about the evidence on weapons of mass destruction
was not as serious to them as it seemed to be to the rest of the
world," he said.
Kay resigned in Jan. His conclusion then that Iraq did not have
stockpiles of WMD brought serious problems for both Bush and Blair,
undercutting their main justification for war.
Tiny agency's Iraq analysis is better than big rivals'
Washington (NY Times). On Iraq and illicit weapons, the intel agency
that got it least wrong, it now turns out, was one of the smallest --
a State Dept bureau with no spies, no satellites and a reputation for
contrariness [i.e. the key to the whole failure].
Almost alone among intel agencies, this one, the Bureau of Intel and
Research, or INR, does not report to either the Whitehouse or the
Pentagon. Its approach is purely analytical, so that it owes no
allegiance to particular agents, imagery or intercepts. It shuns the
worst-case plans sometimes sought by military cmdrs.
"They are willing to take on the accepted analysis and take a second,
harder look," said Alfred Cumming, a former staff director of the
Senate Intel Committee who is now an intel and nat'l security
specialist at the Congressional Research Service, a branch of the
Library of Congress.
With just 165 analysts, the bureau is about one-tenth the size of the
Central Intel Agency's analytical arm. But its analysts tend to be
older (most are in their 40's and 50's), more experienced and more
likely to come from academic backgrounds than those at other agencies,
and they are more often encouraged to devote their careers to the
study of a particular issue or region.
"They have a reputation for having personnel who have skills in one
specific area, as opposed to being utility infielders," said Sen Pat
Roberts, Republican of Kansas and the chairman of the Senate Intel Committee.
That panel's otherwise scathing report on prewar intel on Iraq not
only spared the Bureau of Intel and Research from most of its harsh
criticisms, but also explicitly endorsed the dissent it had inserted
into the Nat'l Intel Estimate of 2002, challenging as unsubstantiated
the view of other agencies that Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear
weapons program.
In addition, where the 2002 assessment included a prediction by other
agencies that Iraq could develop a nuclear weapon within a decade, the
State Dept bureau said pointedly that it was unwilling to "project a
time-line for the completion of activities it does not now see happening."
The bureau was apparently still wrong, along with other intel
agencies, in asserting that Iraq possessed chemical and biological
weapons. But Congressional officials say that over all, its recent
record on Iraq has been better than that of its larger rivals,
including the C.I.A, with more than 1,500 analysts, and the Defense
Intel Agency, with more than 3,000.
The example of the State Dept bureau, Congressional officials say, is
being closely studied as the Whitehouse and Congress debate what
changes may help intel agencies avoid additional failures.
Among other recent successes, the bureau's admirers say, was a
classified report in 2003 that criticised the Bush Admin view that a
victory in Iraq would help spread democracy across the Arab world. It
also predicted correctly that Turkey might not permit American troops
to cross its territory en route to Iraq and dismissed as "highly
dubious" a Brit contention, now discredited, that Iraq was trying to
procure uranium from Niger.
Not surprisingly, the praise that has been directed at the bureau,
including a widely noticed column in May by David Ignatius in The
Washington Post, has prompted some back-biting at other intel agencies
from officials who argue that its successes are being exaggerated.
"Everyone has to get it right once in a while," a snr Defense Dept
official said with some sarcasm.
"It's not in my interest to trash a fellow member of the intel
community," another snr intel official said of the bureau. "But those
who think they get it completely right are not completely familiar
with the record."
Not even the State Dept bureau's admirers say that it alone represents
the answer to the kinds of shortcomings discussed in the Senate
report, which criticised as unreasonable and unfounded most of the
conclusions reached by intel agencies on issues related to Iraq and
its illicit weapons.
Reports reopen debate on Iraq's uranium quest
Joseph Wilson investigated in Niger in 2002.
Washington (Seattle Times). 2 new reports have reopened the question
of whether Pres Bush was indeed correct when, in his State of the
Union address on Jan. 28, 2003, he claimed Iraq had "recently sought
significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
A y ago, the Whitehouse and CIA acknowledged that Pres Bush's claim
was based on flawed evidence, an admission that opened Bush to a
torrent of criticism about the credibility and reliability of the
intel he used to justify toppling Saddam Hussein.
One of the reports was released Wed by a Brit commission reviewing the
intel used by PM Tony Blair in making the case for war. The report
stood by the Brit intel assessments that were the foundation for
Bush's statement. Though it did not explain in any detail how or why
it judged the intel to be sound, the report concluded that the
assertions by Bush and Blair about Iraq's attempts to acquire
"yellow-cake" uranium were "well founded" at the time.
Some of the Niger evidence involved what later were deemed to be
forged documents. But the Brit report, echoing news stories of a y
ago, said that the Brits claimed other, unspecified intel that Iraq
had been pursuing uranium in Africa.
The other report came from the Senate Intel Committee. It generally
found extensive problems with the prewar intel assessments about
Iraq's weapons programs and in particular documented a long chain of
problems in the way the intel agencies dealt with suspicions about
Iraq's interest in acquiring uranium.
But it also contained some info that tended to bolster the view that
Iraq had tried to acquire uranium from Niger and possibly one or 2
other African nations.
It cited a statement by a French official to the State Dept in late
2002 that France, which managed Niger's 2 uranium mines and at the
time was resisting Bush's efforts to make an urgent case for war,
"believed the reporting was true that Iraq had made a procurement
attempt for uranium from Niger." Neither the Brit nor Senate report
found evidence that Iraq actually had bought any uranium.
The new reports had new info about one of the Whitehouse's chief
critics over the issue, Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador sent to
Niger in 2002 to investigate whether Iraq had tried to buy uranium there.
Among other things, the report pointed out that Wilson's official
account to the CIA noted that a former PM of Niger had told him that
he had been approached in 1999 about meeting with an Iraqi delegation
interested in "expanding commercial relations" between Niger and Iraq.
The former PM told Wilson that he interpreted the approach to mean the
Iraqis were interested in acquiring a form of uranium. Wilson has
said, however, that specific discussion of uranium never happened.
The Whitehouse response to the reports has been muted. "I think those
reports speak for themselves on that issue," said Scott McClellan,
Bush's rep.
Admin officials said they were not crowing about the reports, for a
variety of reasons. For one thing, they said, both reports were highly
critical of most of the prewar intel developed by both Brit and the
US, and to embrace one aspect of the reports would make it more
difficult to dispute other findings.
In addition, they said, the internal finger-pointing over who had been
to blame for the inclusion of the claim in the State of the Union
address had left so much bad feeling, especially among the Whitehouse,
the CIA and the State Dept, that there was little appetite for
reopening the subject.
Still, Whitehouse officials were quietly pleased to be able to claim
even limited vindication.
There may be more revelations to come. The Brit and American reports
contained still-classified info about Iraq's dealings with Niger.
Govt analyses Iraq intel report
Canberra. PM John Howard says he has received the findings of an
inquiry into AUS's intel agencies.
Mr Howard says the Govt is now analysing the Flood report, completed
by former snr intel officer Phillip Flood.
There are 2 versions of the report -- one is classified and the other
will be publicly released.
Mr Howard says the Govt is still dealing with the recommendations.
"The Govt's analysing it, it will be released as soon as possible," he said.
"That's the unclassified version and it will be dealt with expeditiously."
But Mr Howard is refusing to confirm reports the inquiry found a
failure of intel before the Iraq war and that one agency, the Office
of Nat'l Assessments will soon be expanded.
"I won't be commenting on its recommendations until I'm in a position
to release it," he said.
"I will however repeat what I've said earlier, and that is we took the
decision in good faith based on a fair assessment of the intel advice.
"We certainly won't be retreating one iota from the decision that we
took, and the intel services were at no time subject to any pressure
or intimidation from the Govt."
Opp'n leader Mark Latham has not seen the report and is not commenting.
"I think it's going to be more prudent to actually wait for the Flood
report to be released and make a detailed judgement of it, rather than
respond to un-sourced material in a newspaper," Mr Latham said.
CIA chief opposes Cabinet intel post
Washington (AP). Rejecting a recommendation expected this wk from the
Sep 11 commission, the CIA's acting director said Sun a new nat'l
intel chief is unnecessary and that intel agencies have made changes
since the 2001 attacks to better protect the country.
John McLaughlin said "a good argument can be made" for a Cabinet-level
position to oversee the nation's 15 intel agencies and control their
budgets, but added that "it doesn't relate particularly to the world I
live in. I see the director of Central Intel as someone who is able to
do that and is empowered to do so under the Nat'l Security Act of 1947."
McLaughlin, who took over at the CIA when Director George Tenet left
on July 11, also said the agency has disrupted a number of al-Qaeda
plots to mount attacks by air, sea and other methods in the US.
"It's important to remember here that for these people, an attack in
the US is the brass ring," he told "Fox News Sun."
The new post would represent the most drastic step in structuring the
intel agencies since the CIA was created after World War II.
"With some modest changes in the way the CIA is set up, the director
of Central Intel could carry out that function well and
appropriately," McLaughlin said.
But 2 members of the Senate Intel Committee -- Sens Saxby Chambliss,
R-Ga and Dick Durbin, D-Ill -- said they would be open to considering
the recommendation for a new intel chief.
"When you take a look at how important intel must be for our future,
you realize that the current situation is untenable," Durbin said on CNN's
"Late Edition." Chambliss cautioned against simply creating more bureaucracy.
The CIA director now has loose authority over the country's 15 intel
agencies. But the commission in a preliminary report found that the
director did not hold enough power because the Pentagon controls more
than 80% of the nation's intel budget. As a result, CIA requests to
other agencies are often ignored.
The commission's final report, expected to be released Thu, will
highlight intel failures by the CIA and the FBI that enabled the
Sep 11 attacks to occur.
But McLaughlin was quick to point out that intel agencies have
improved intel-gathering and operations since the attacks. "The intel
community of that day was for counterterrorism, 300 people
spread-eagled across a dike. We now have a 100 people who do nothing
but watch listing alone," he said.
Potential attacks that have been disrupted since then were in the
early stages of planning, he said. He added that al-Qaeda's leadership
has been dealt a blow. "They have lost a lot of the territory that
they once controlled. They have more trouble moving money. And they
have more trouble communicating internally," he said.
Still, the threat to America remains. "We can be successful 1,000
times and these people have to be lucky only once," McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin also discussed his job, the search for Osama bin Laden and
WMD, and dismissed a hard link between the Sep 11 attacks and Iran.
He said:
* he is not actively campaigning to be named the permanent CIA chief,
but will serve as long as the president wants him to. McLaughlin
said confirmation hearings for a new director "could be a rough
passage" in a political year.
* the hunt for bin Laden has not been easy, but that the al-Qaeda
leader will be caught. "You remember a person shot a bunch of CIA
employees out in front of our HQ in 1993. It took us 4 years to
catch him. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the architect of Sep 11, it took
us 7 y to catch him. Bin Laden's time will come."
* that when it comes to WMD in Iraq, "there will always be some
ambiguity about whether they exist. But the longer we look, the more
skeptical we have to be."
* said the CIA has known for some time that a number of the Sep 11
hijackers were able to pass through Iran. But he said there is no
evidence the govt in Tehran supported this. Nothing suggests an
official connection between Iran and the 2001 hijackings, he said.
WMDs never Bush's main focus: Clinton
Former US president Bill Clinton talks to ABC's "Enough Rope".
Sydney. Former president of the US Bill Clinton says the Bush Admin
may have used claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction
as a pretext for going to war against the country. In an interview
with the ABC's Enough Rope program, Mr Clinton says he believes the
main concern for the Admin was to remove Saddam Hussein from power.
"To shake up the authoritarian Arab regimes in the Middle East, to
make Israel feel more secure and to give America more leverage in
making peace between Palestinians and Israelis," he said. "I think
that in the beginning this whole WMD thing for them was maybe a good
way for them to get their foot in the door, but not the major issue
for them." The full interview with Mr Clinton can be seen on ABC
TV on tonight.
'Radical' changes to intel services unlikely
The report is due for release this wk.
Canberra. The findings of an inquiry into AUS's intel agencies will
be handed to Prime Min John Howard this wk but the Fed Govt does not
expect the investigation will recommend any major changes to the spy
organisations. Earlier this year, Mr Howard appointed a former snr
intel officer to review AUS's spy agencies. Defence Min Robert Hill
says it is unlikely the inquiry will recommend any "radical" changes.
But he does expect it will call for the process of intel gathering to
be "refined". Labor's foreign affairs rep Kevin Rudd says the Govt
wants to distance itself from any damaging criticism about pre-war intel
on Iraq's banned weapons. "The Govt's political objective is to slate
home responsibility for the Iraq war onto the intel agencies," he
said. Sen Hill says AUS is "quite well served" by its intel organisations.
Jordanian king takes dim view of sending his troops to Iraq
Washington (AP/VOA). Jordan's King Abdullah says he would not favour
dispatching troops from his country to help bolster security in Iraq.
King Abdullah says the internat'l community, including his own
country, must be unwavering in its support of stability and security
in Iraq. But he questioned the wisdom of having Iraq's neighbours,
including Jordan, send troops to Iraq.
"I do not think that Jordan is the right country [to send troops to
Iraq], not any of the countries that surround Iraq, because I believe
that we cannot work with transparency. We would all have personal
agendas. Therefore, I do not think that we are the right people,
morally, to commit to Iraqi security. But at the same time, this Iraq
govt needs 110% support from all of us in the internat'l community.
If the Iraq govt was to ask us for support, it would be difficult for
us to say no," said King Abdullah.
The king was quick to add that he did not believe such a request from
Iraq is likely. No Arab nations have sent troops to join the
multi-nat'l coalition military force in Iraq.
Mon, interim Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi is scheduled to arrive in Jordan,
beginning a tour of nations in the region. Among the topics that could
arise in discussions between Mr Allawi and Jordanian officials is the
terror campaign US and Iraqi officials say is being waged in Iraq by
Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
King Abdullah dismissed Mr al-Zarqawi as a common criminal.
"He [al-Zarqawi] was basically involved in criminal gangs," he
said. "He was basically a street thug who then found his way to
Afghanistan to fight with the Mujahedeen. And he is now in Iraq. I
think the press has made him [out to be] much more capable, much
smarter and much more of a threat than, actually, he really is."
The monarch said Jordan is active in internat'l efforts to track down
Mr al-Zarqawi, and that he hopes the terrorist leader is apprehended.
Philippine cmdr in Iraq arrives home
Manula (Reuters). The head of Philippine troops in Iraq has returned
to Manila, the first of the 51-member contingent to come home after
the Philippines said it would withdraw them to save the life of a
Filipino hostage.
Brig-Gen Jovito Palparan arrived on a commercial flight ahead of
the remaining soldiers and police officers, part of a non-combat
contingent that was deployed in Aug last y.
"I am happy to be back," Brig-Gen Palparan told reporters at the
Manila internat'l airport.
"Our troops back there are all OK, they are preparing to leave soon."
He declined to give further details about the withdrawal of the
remaining troops deployed at Camp Charlie in Al Hillah, S of Baghdad.
2 cars carrying Filipino soldiers were seen leaving the Philippines
embassy in Baghdad on Sun.
There was no immediate info on their destination, which was likely to
be the Filipino camp in the S city of Hilla, 100 km S of Baghdad.
On Sun, the Philippines said the troops would leave Iraq today to save
the life of a Filipino hostage, truck driver Angelo de la Cruz,
threatened with beheading unless the country pulls its humanitarian
contingent out of Baghdad.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert said in a statement that
Philippine Ambassador Roy Cimatu would accompany them in an exit call
on the new Polish cmdr in Iraq.
"After the call, the remaining contingent will then proceed to Kuwait
and from there return to Manila by commercial flight," she said.
The Govt said on Sat that 11 of its 51-member humanitarian contingent
had already arrived in Kuwait from Iraq and were expected to reach Manila
today, a move the Philippines hopes will appease the captors of Mr de la Cruz.
The troops were scheduled to leave on Aug 20, but the date was
advanced to satisfy the kidnappers.
Mr De la Cruz said in a message he would be returning home, Arabic
channel Al Jazeera said on Thu.
But the group holding the father of 8 said it would free him only
after Manila withdrew its last soldier.
Washington sought to persuade Manila not to cave in to the militants
holding de la Cruz.
Some analysts said the pullout would strain Manila's relations with the US.
Iran 'has closer ties to al-Qaeda than Iraq'
Washington (Telegraph). Iran will be accused of having closer ties to
al-Qaeda than Iraq and of giving safe passage to many of the Sep 11
hijackers before the attacks in a report by the commission
investigating the atrocities.
John McLaughlin: no official connection between Iran and 9/11 Critics
are likely to seize on the report to question why the Bush Admin
focused on the tenuous links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda when
there were more obviously suspicious ties with Iran.
The bipartisan body's findings offer new evidence of a relationship
between al-Qaeda and Iran, but one official, John McLaughlin, the
CIA's acting director, told Fox News: "We have no evidence that there
is some sort of official connection between Iran and 9/11."
The report, due for release on Thu after a 20-m investigation,
trenchantly criticises the anti-terrorism record of the Bush Admin
before the atrocities, but spreads the blame. It condemns Congress for
poor oversight of counter-terrorism efforts, and is thought to include
a briefing paper to Mr Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton, warning of
possible al-Qaeda hijacking plots.
The most explosive leaks indicated that the commission received intel
that Teheran ordered border guards not to stamp the passports of Saudi
members of al-Qaeda as they crossed Iran after training in Afghanistan.
A snr official told Time magazine that evidence suggested between
eight and 10 of the 14 "muscle" hijackers -- those who took control of
the 4 planes hijacked for Sep 11 and subdued passengers and crew --
passed through Iran between Oct 2000 and Feb 2001.
This is seen as proof of Iran's supportive approach to terrorism
rather than complicity in the plot. Most of the hijackers knew nothing
about it until the last minute.
The official quoted by Time said the report would note that Iranian
officials approached al-Qaeda's leaders after the USS Cole was bombed
in Aden in 1998 and proposed working together to plot and carry out
attacks against America, but Osama bin Laden turned them down. The
Iran allegations came mainly from electronic intel intercepts at the
Nat'l Security Agency and interrogation of al-Qaeda detainees.
The commission's main recommendations are an overhaul of US intel
structures, a new cabinet post to oversee the CIA, FBI and other
agencies, and a new counter-terrorism body.
Sep 11 hijackers passed through Iran: CIA
Some hijackers in the Sep 11, 2001 attacks on the US passed through
Iran, says CIA.
Washington (AFP). About 8 hijackers in the Sep 11, 2001 attacks on the US
passed through Iran, but the US has no evidence that Tehran sanctioned
the strikes, the acting director of the Central Intel Agency (CIA) said.
"This is not surprising to us. I think the count is about 8 of the
hijackers were able to pass through Iran at some point," John
McLaughlin told Fox News.
"We have ample evidence of people being able to move back and forth
across that terrain," he said.
"We have no evidence that there is some sort of official sanction from
the govt of Iran for this activity," he said.
Mr McLaughlin said that there was no evidence of a direct Iranian link
to the 2001 attacks that killed 3,000 people.
Earlier, Iran acknowledged that suspected Al Qaeda members involved in
the Sep 11 attacks may have passed through its territory.
But Tehran insisted they would have done so "illegally."
Foreign Ministry rep Hamid Reza Asefi: "We have very long borders and
it is impossible to totally control them."
"It is natural that 5 or 6 people could have crossed our borders
illegally without us seeing them," he said.
"The same thing happens on the border between the US and Mexico."
No evidence of Iraq-Qaeda tie-up, says commission
Washington (Daily Times). "We have no credible evidence that Iraq and
Al Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the US," the Nat'l Commission
on Terrorist Attacks upon the US writes in its report.
This knocks out one of the 2 major planks of the Bush case for the
invasion of Iraq. Various American newspapers have been publishing
short excerpts and quotations from the report which is due to be
released on Thu 22 July, 4 days before the deadline given to the
Commission to finalise and release its findings.
The report says that contacts between Iraq and Al Qaeda "do not appear
to have resulted in a collaborative relationship".
Another finding of the Commission is, "Given the catastrophic results
of the 9/11 attacks, it is tempting to depict the plot as a set plan
executed to nr perfection. This would be a mistake. The 9/11
conspirators confronted operational difficulties, internal
disagreements and even dissenting opinions within the leadership of Al
Qaeda." The report also says that US aviation and military officials
were so unprepared for the attacks that they probably would not have
been able to stop the plane from hitting the Capitol or the
Whitehouse. A document released by the Commission shows that the FBI
had info that terrorists might be preparing to hijack an aircraft and
might be targeting a building in Lower Manhattan, among other
info. The World Trade Centre was located in Lower Manhattan.
The Commission also found that the hijackers included known Al Qaeda
operatives who could have been "watch-listed" as they had passports
that had clearly been manipulated "in a fraudulent manner" and bore
"indicators" of extremism. The hijackers had made "detectable false
statements" on visa applications and were in violation of US
immigration laws. The Commission identified 10 men, in addition to
Binalshibh, who were considered at one time as participants in the
attacks but who either backed out or whose names were removed.
The Commission also lays to rest the prevalent belief that Osama Bin
Laden received an inheritance of $300 mn which he used to finance Al
Qaeda and its operations. The Commission has found that "Bin Laden
never received a $300 mn inheritance. From about 1970 until
approximately 1994, he received about $1 mn per y -- a significant
sum, but hardly a $300 mn fortune that could be used to fund a global jihad."
TRY, TRY, TRY:
Brit stages terror attack drill
Birmingham (Reuters). Hundreds of volunteers pretended to be victims
of a nerve gas attack in central England on Sun, as Brit tested the
readiness of its emergency services for a terrorist attack. The
simulation, which police said was the biggest of its kind ever staged
in the UK, involved more than 2,000 fire, ambulance and police
officers. Army and Red Cross volunteers played the role of
contaminated casualties. A W Midlands police rep said the exercise at
the Nat'l Exhibition Centre in Birmingham was as realistic as
possible. The exercise comes a wk after the govt announced a sharp
increase in spending on anti-terrorism defences. Brit's top
policeman, John Stevens, said earlier this m he could see no end to
the threat of terrorism hanging over the country and has repeatedly
warned that an attack on London is inevitable.
AND KEEP TRYING:
Emergency services asked to explain response to mock attack
Birmingham. Brit's emergency services are trying to explain their
slow response to a mock poison gas attack in the nation's largest
anti-terrorism exercise. More than 2,000 police and rescue workers
took part in the staged poison gas attack in Brit's second-largest
city, Birmingham. While workers rushed to the scene within 15
minutes, the decontamination process did not get underway for another
3 hr. The exercise was carried out to test the readiness of emergency
workers, officials say they now will investigate why their response
took so long. The exercise follows the warning by Brit's most snr
police officer that a terrorist attack in the UK is inevitable.
Howard 'should be tried for war crimes'
Sydney. Former Liberal Party fed president John Valder says PM John
Howard should be tried and punished for war crimes over AUS's
involvement in the Iraq conflict.
Mr Valder was speaking at a forum on the impact of the war in Iraq,
held on Sun at the University of Technology SYD (UTS).
Mr Valder says there is no justification for invading Iraq simply to
get rid of its leader.
"By any standard that is a massive crime and the people who perpetrated it
-- being Pres [George W] Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard -- as such
are guilty of extreme crime and they should be dealt with," he said.
Mr Valder admits he is not sure how it should be dealt with and is
doubtful it will ever happen, but he says he has no doubt that their
actions were criminal.
"It has certainly divided me far away from John Howard's policy of
taking AUS into a war that was an act of absolute aggression," he said.
"There's no getting away from it, that's what it was.
"If people do that sort of thing on a grand internat'l scale, they've
got to expect to be punished."
Drug delays but does not prevent Alzheimer's: study
Rochester, MIN. A popular Alzheimer's drug appears to delay the onset
of the disease among patients with memory loss although does not
prevent it, researchers have found.
The drug Aricept reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer's among
patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, a memory disorder
that is often a precursor to the brain disease, according to research
released at the 9th Internat'l Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and
Related Disorders.
But the risk reduction lasted for only 18 m of a 3-year trial,
said Dr Ronald Petersen of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota,
who led the study of 769 people.
When patients taking Aricept developed Alzheimer's they did so about 6
m later than those taking a placebo.
"This is the 1st study to demonstrate a positive treatment effect on
progression to Alzheimer's disease from MCI," Dr Petersen said.
"It looks like the drug had a modest, time-limited effect," he said.
"Nonetheless, we are optimistic because we have begun to make progress
toward delaying the development of Alzheimer's."
The study contradicts one published in the Lancet medical journal in
June showing Aricept had no beneficial effect.
Alzheimer's, an incurable and usually fatal disease, impairs the
ability to remember, learn, think and communicate.
The move from normal age-related forgetfulness to mild cognitive
impairment can be recognised when people start forgetting info such as
appointments or social events, Dr Petersen said.
"They are forgetting info that they used to remember easily," Dr
Petersen said.
Estrogen linked to male sex drive
Melbourne. Researchers at MEL's Prince Henry Institute have
discovered a link between estrogen and the male sex drive. Staff say
the result could pave the way for the development of specific estrogen
treatment for some men, to boost their libido. Institute director
Professor Evan Simpson says the discovery was made after behavioural
experiments on mice. "We generated a mouse which can't generate
estrogen by genetic knockout," he said. "Normally if you put a male
mouse into a cage with a female mouse he'll mount the female in
seconds, the little rascal, but these mice, if you put them in a cage
with a female they just sit in the corner and don't do anything so
it's quite dramatic. "The possible clinical outcome might be that, it
would be undesirable to try and give a lot of men a regular dose of
estrogen, but pharmaceutical companies are making estrogen like
compounds which act on one organ only, not on the whole body."
Iraqi PM okays US strike
[Allawi moves to prove he's the new "hard man" of Baghdad].
Baghdad (AFP). Iraqi Interim Prime Min Iyad Allawi gave permission
for the US-led military to attack a hideout for "terrorists" before US
air strikes hit Fallujah, an official said on Sun. An official from
the Prime Min's office said: "Yesterday the multinat'l force asked PM
Allawi for permission to make an accurate operation against some
definite places. Places where terrorists hide out." Asked if Al
Qaeda-linked terror chief Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi or members of his
network were the prime target, the official said he did not know He
said that the aim of the strike was to hit "terrorists". A US
military rep said Iraq's Defence Ministry was due to issue a statement
on the air strike, but the Ministry said it had no comment to make for
the time being.
Iraq authorised deadly US air strike
Baghdad (Reuters). The US Army has said in a statement that Iraq's
interim Govt authorised "a strike against a known terrorist fighting
position in southern Fallujah" which killed at least 14 people,
including women and children.
"The point is we didn't just strike off on our own," visiting US
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told a news conference with
Iraqi For Min Hoshiyar Zebari.
The US military said about 25 fighters loyal to Jordanian militant Abu
Mussab Al Zarqawi were in the area just before the attack.
The suspected Al Qaeda ally's organisation claimed responsibility for
2 suicide bombings on Sat, including one that just missed killing
Iraq's justice minister.
The air strike, at around 2.00 am local time, "destroyed defensive
fighting positions and trench lines nr the remains of a house and a
foreign fighter checkpoint", the US military said.
Doctor Ahmed Ghanem told Reuters at least 12 people were killed while
the Iraqi health ministry put the figure at 14.
Mr Armitage said he had discussed Iraq's security troubles with
interim PM Iyad Allawi.
He is the most snr US official to visit since the hand-over of
sovereignty on June 28.
A key issue in the hand-over was the role the new govt would play in
overseeing the 160,000 mostly US troops in Iraq and notably in
authorising strikes such as that in Fallujah.
The US Marine Corps pulled out of the city W of Baghdad after weeks of
fierce fighting in Apr that killed 100s of Iraqis.
Critics of the withdrawal say the city has since become a haven for
insurgents and foreign fighters.
Several times over the past 2 m the US military has launched air
strikes on buildings in Fallujah which it says are safe houses for
militants loyal to Zarqawi, who is accused of masterminding a series
of suicide attacks over the past year.
Washington calls Zarqawi its prime enemy in Iraq and has put a $25
mn price on his head.
* Hostage crisis
Zarqawi's group has also beheaded an American and a S Korean hostage and
said last wk it had killed one of 2 Bulgarian truck drivers it had kidnapped.
Hopes are fading that the 2nd Bulgarian is alive, diplomats say.
Bulgaria dispatched a team of experts to view a video tape of the
truck driver's execution that was sent to Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV,
in the hope of positively identifying the dead man.
Bulgarian Deputy For Min Gergana Grancharova told Reuters the experts
had now seen the tape and an official statement would be made when
they returned home this wk.
Militants in Iraq are also holding a Filipino and an Egyptian hostage,
both truck drivers, but there are indications they may soon be freed.
The captors of the Egyptian hostage said they would free him on Sun
after the Saudi transport firm he worked for pledged to stop doing
business in Iraq.
The Philippines said it would complete the withdrawal of its military
contingent from Iraq on Mon, a move aimed at saving the life of
hostage Angelo de la Cruz, a father of 8.
Both Mr Armitage and Mr Zebari expressed regret at the withdrawal.
"This, in my view and the view of the Iraqi Govt, has set a bad
precedent...terrorists should not be rewarded," Mr Zebari said.
Polish PM Marek Belka, visiting Polish troops who lead a multinat'l
battalion in south-central Iraq, said Poland's military presence in
Iraq would remain until 2005, although it would be substantially reduced.
Iraqi minister to investigate Allawi execution claims
Baghdad (ABC, Geoff Thompson). Iraq's Human Rights Min Bakhtiar Amin
says he will investigate allegations that Iraq's interim PM personally
executed suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station last m.
Mr Amin described the allegation as very serious, referring to reports
in The SYD Morning Herald and The Age, sourced to 2 unnamed men, that
Iraq's interim PM Iyad Allawi had personally executed at least 6
suspected insurgents in Baghdad last m.
"This is not the Iyad Allawi I know" he said.
"He is not a killer and he does not carry a gun".
Mr Amin committed his Human Rights Ministry to investigating the
allegations but added that the reports could draw defamation
litigation in AUS if they were found not to be true.
"Well, these are serious allegations and if that shows it's a false I
believe that it's a false allegation, and it's a defamation, and the
one who writes these things has a major responsibility in front of the
court systems of their own country as well," he said.
Mr Amin said that he would not wish to work for Dr Allawi if the
allegations were true.
The offices of Iraq's Prime Min and Interior Min have dismissed the
allegations as unsubstantiated rumour.
The report's author, Fairfax correspondent Paul McGeough, has said he
believes the witnesses he interviewed gave credible accounts.
The story has not travelled far beyond AUS's shores.
It is the sort of story which cannot be verified without access to Mr
McGeough's sources, or without independent investigations which would
take time.
Most foreign news agencies here have dismissed the reports as being
either not solid enough, or too difficult to corroborate.
Militants offer bounty for Iraqi PM's 'head'
Baghdad (Reuters). A group led by suspected Al Qaeda ally Abu Musab
Al Zarqawi has offered a reward of $US282,000 for the killing of Iraqi
PM Iyad Allawi, according to a statement posted on an Islamist Web
site. "We in Khalid bin Al Walid Brigade announce to the Iraqi people
a reward of 200,000 Jordanian dinars ($US282,000) to whoever gets us
Allawi's head," said a group statement posted on the site. The
authenticity of the message could not be verified and it was unclear
why the offer was made in Jordanian currency. The brigade, which said
it was part of Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad Group, blasted Mr Allawi as
an "American agent". Several earlier purported Zarqawi messages have
threatened Mr Allawi. The US has offered a $25 mn reward for the
capture of Zarqawi, its top militant target in Iraq. The
Jordanian-born militant's group has claimed deadly suicide bombings,
assassinations of Iraqi officials and the kidnapping and beheadings of
a S Korean and an American hostage.
Suspected Car Bomb Kills 8 Near Baghdad Police Post
Baghdad (Reuters). A suspected car bomb blew up outside a police
station in SW Baghdad on Mon killing at least 8 people and wounding 4
police officers, Iraqi officials, witnesses and the US military said.
US army Col Bill Salter said he believed the attack was carried out by
a car bomber and said there were several dead. A Reuters witness saw
body parts scattered across the area in front of the police station,
including a severed foot. Iraqi Nat'l Guard Lt Adnan Qathan
told Reuters 8 people were killed in the blast, and another guardsman
said he believed all were civilians. The attack took place shortly
after 8 am [0400 Z] as people were arriving at work.
US air strike on Iraq kills 14
Fallujah (AFP). US aircraft pounded the insurgent bastion of
Fallujah, killing at least 14 people, as Deputy Secretary of State
Richard Armitage became the highest-ranking US official to visit since
an Iraqi interim govt took office in late June.
The US military said its strike, the latest in a series over recent
weeks, targeted a suspected hideout of wanted Islamic militant Abu
Mussab al-Zarqawi and was authorised by Iraq's interim PM Iyad Allawi.
The health ministry said 14 people were killed and 3 injured in the
attack and that they were all male.
But medics in the city, 50 km W of Baghdad, said they had received at
least 11 dead from the raid, including one woman, and another 7 injured.
"The strike, conducted at 2.03 am... destroyed defensive fighting
positions and trench lines nr the remains of a house and a foreign
fighter checkpoint," said Brig Gen Erv Lessel, the deputy director
of the US-led multinat'l force in Iraq.
About 25 people suspected of ties with the Jordanian-born Zarqawi --
wanted for a string of deadly attacks against the former occupation
and Iraqi officials -- were at the target site just before the strike,
he said.
US aircraft have launched repeated air attacks on residential
buildings in Fallujah since abandoning a month-long siege of the
bastion of Sunni Muslim resistance at the end of Apr.
Zarqawi, alleged by the US to have links with al-Qaeda and who has a
$US25 mn bounty on his head, claimed responsibility for a failed
attempt to assassinate Iraq's Justice Min Malek Dohan al-Hassan on Sat
that left 5 people dead.
The Jordanian fugitive offered a reward of his own of $US285,000 for
anyone who kills the pro-US Allawi, according to a reported message
posted on an Islamist website.
On another front of its battle against the Iraqi insurgency, the US
military said it captured a senior cmdr of Saddam Hussein's elite
Republican Guard nr the ousted president's hometown of Tikrit.
Sufian Maher Hassan, a former major general who was captured nr Tikrit
on Fri, "is suspected of planning and financing attacks against the
Iraqi people, Iraqi security forces and multinat'l forces," rep Maj
Neal O'Brien said.
Further N in the oil city of Kirkuk, a Kurdish security official said
5 people had been arrested nr the city in possession of more than a
tonne of explosives, adding that they were planning attacks.
2 Arabs and 2 Kurds have also been abducted in recent days in Kirkuk
in apparent tit-for-tat actions by the 2 ethnic groups, a nat'l guard
officer said.
Meanwhile, Armitage flew in unannounced for a 24-hr visit, as did
Polish PM Marek Belka, who came to boost the morale of his country's
2,500 troops.
Armitage was making the 1st high-level US visit since the Iraqi
caretaker govt received full powers on June 28.
Iraq gives order to reopen paper GI's had closed
Baghdad (NY Times). PM Iyad Allawi on Sun ordered the reopening of a
radical Shiite newspaper closed by US soldiers nearly 4 m ago. The
closing was a catalyst for some of the worst anti-American mayhem of
the occupation.
Dr Allawi's decree concerning the newspaper, Al Hawza, was a pointedly
conciliatory gesture to Moktada al-Sadr, the rebel Shiite cleric whose
associates run the newspaper. The decree came on the same day as
Dr Allawi approved an American airstrike meant to pound another
branch of insurgent fighters, in the city of Fallujah, a centre for
attacks on American and Iraqi forces here.
Together, Dr Allawi's 2 actions seemed early evidence of his stated
strategy for taming the deadly insurgency by making concessions to
fighters who cooperate and cracking down on those who do not. It is
unclear, however, how much influence he has with the American
military, though American officials said the airstrike in Fallujah was
carried out after Dr Allawi had endorsed it.
At least 11 people were reported killed in the strike early on Sun
morning against what the American military said were forces allied
with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Mr Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant with
reported ties to Al Qaeda, has claimed credit for much of the worst
violence in Iraq, including 3 beheadings in recent wk and 2 car bombs
on Sat. The militants in Fallujah are largely members of Iraq's
minority Sunni sect and foreign fighters.
Hours after the airstrike, Dr Allawi announced in a statement that he
would allow the reopening of Mr Sadr's newspaper. It had been
padlocked March 28 by American soldiers acting on orders of L Paul
Bremer III, the former American occupation chief, because he said it
had incited anti-American attacks.
"Because of his belief in freedom of the press, PM Iyad Allawi has
ordered the reopening of the Al Hawza newspaper," his statement read.
The closing of the paper incited strong protests by 1000s of Iraqis
who accused the US of hypocrisy for silencing dissent in the name of
promoting democracy in Iraq. The protests widened into an armed Shiite
uprising led by Mr Sadr in several southern Shiite cities.
Since Dr Allawi took power as head of a new interim govt on June 28,
he has said repeatedly that his most important task is to restore
security and stability to Iraq, wracked by violence that has scared
Iraqis, hampered reconstruction and cast a pall over the American effort.
But he has had to walk a fine line between toughness and compromise:
many Iraqis, expressing outrage and humiliation at being occupied,
supported attacks against American forces. Dr Allawi has sought to
find a balance by offering amnesty to fighters who did not commit
serious crimes, even as he promised hard action against those who did
not cooperate.
Mr Sadr, a 31-yo cleric who has a large following among poor and
unemployed Shiites, and his aides have offered contradictory
statements on Dr Allawi's new govt, but they seem to have settled on
cautious and conditional acceptance. His spokesmen have said they
could support the govt if Dr Allawi proves he is working on behalf of
Iraqis and not under American orders.
On Sun, a top aide to Mr Sadr, Sheik Ahmed al-Shaibani, said it was
not up to Dr Allawi to decide when and if the newspaper resumed
publication. But he acknowledged Dr Allawi's gesture.
"It cannot be denied that it was a good step, but it came very late,"
he said in Najaff, the holy Shiite city S of Baghdad where Mr Sadr
lives. "What is required from the new govt is to extend bridges of
trust and cooperation between itself and the people."
It was unclear if Dr Allawi timed his concession to a Shiite branch
of the insurgency to soften any public-relations blow among Iraqis --
many skeptical of Dr Allawi's real power -- from the airstrike
against Sunni Muslim militants and foreign fighters in Fallujah.
Accounting for Iraq
Op/Ed (Guardian). While this country was digesting the findings of
Lord Butler's report on intel findings in the run-up to the invasion
of Iraq, a more damning account of intel failings in Iraq was being
unveiled in Washington -- failings that occurred since the war, under
the aegis of the occupiers, and involving $bns. Last week's report by
the Internat'l Advisory and Monitoring Board on Iraq, responsible for
overseeing the nearly $20 bn of funds accruing to the Iraqi people from
oil revenues since the occupation, shed some light on what has
happened to much of that money. While the board's auditors said they
had found no evidence of fraud by the US-backed Coalition Provisional
Authority, they did find a disturbing pattern of lax controls,
inadequate or absent records, and a lack of transparency. In war now
being justified on the grounds of democracy and stability for the
people of Iraq, the findings suggest a dangerous template for the
country's future.
The monitoring board was established in May 2003 by the UN security
council, to guard against accusations that Iraq's oil wealth was open
to abuse by the US-led coalition. The CPA was authorised by the
council to use the oil revenues for repairing oil facilities,
construction and vital imports, as well as goodwill projects requested
by the military. The monitoring board itself includes representatives
from the UN, the World Bank and the IMF -- hardly a hostile group. Yet
the audit conducted for the board by the accounting firm KPMG recorded
a deeply concerning lack of cooperation from the US authorities.
The auditors complained that visits to Iraqi ministries were so
difficult that they managed to meet only one. CPA staff resisted their
efforts to gather info or documents -- citing lack of time and other
priorities -- and made it difficult for the auditors to even receive
entry passes to the "green zone", the heavily fortified area in
Baghdad where the CPA and govt are based. When they did manage to get
in, the auditors found primitive and unreliable book-keeping, along
with "critical deficiencies" in the way oil production and sales were
recorded. The report also found a lack of oversight and missing
details involving the emergency and regional response programmes --
discretionary funds given to military cmdrs, allowing them to hand out
dollars to keep the peace. This "greatly diminishes the transparency
of the expenditures made," according to the auditors, and left it
"open to fraudulent acts".
But the report's concerns also lead back to the US company that has
become inextricably linked with the occupation: Halliburton. Given
that the US VP Dick Cheney was previously chief executive of Halliburton,
the potential conflict of interest over its business dealings in Iraq
were always going to be a focus of concern. Yet when the monitoring
board's auditors asked for details of contracts involving Halliburton
being paid for out of the oil funds, the Pentagon repeatedly refused.
At issue are 3 contracts, worth a total of $1.4 bn, awarded in
non-competitive tenders -- meaning Halliburton was the sole bidder. The
monitoring board rightly concluded that further investigation is required.
While the Butler report was couched in the language of the mandarin,
the auditor's report was written in the language of accounting. But it
is no less damning for that. When accountants say, as KPMG did,
"financial controls were insufficient to provide reasonable assurance"
that funds were properly spent, alarm bells should ring. Were the CPA
a company listed on the NY stock exchange, a report such as this would
see it in serious trouble. But since the CPA handed authority to the
Iraqi govt, the great danger is that Iraq's new rulers can simply
continue where the CPA left off.
Compensation for Iraqis
Op/Ed (Sun Business Post). There are lies and then there are damn
statistics. The latest finding by the US Senate Committee investigating
the Bush/Blair decision to wage war on Iraq is a damning indictment of
an illegal act born from a combination of Bush religious conservatism
and big business greed merging to 'oil' their respective interests.
As the human cost to those left behind by the 1000s of Iraqis murdered
by the Bush/Blair illegal campaign mounts, the issue of rightful
compensation to all such victims looms large.
While Bush and Blair can look forward to retirement on large pensions,
victims face the immediate prospect of having no breadwinner, no
income and a life of abject poverty and deprivation.
Justice alone demands that Bush and Blair be tried by the Internat'l
Court of Justice for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Senate Committee found that the Bush regime's received intel, on
which it based its decision towage war, was wrong, unreasonable and
unsubstantiated.
One could add "illegal", "unjustified" and ultimately "criminal". As
one scribe put it, on 9/11 they failed to join up the dots to get the
picture; on Iraq, there were no dots to join up.
Does anyone believe that Bush or Blair, Cheney or Rumsfeld did not ask
their intel chiefs in the CIA, MI5 and MI6 to spell out the full
nature and extent of that intel on which they were about to commit
1000s of lives of their own citizens and taxpayers' resources?
And if they did not, are they not guilty of the grossest act of
negligence, not to say stupidity, possible, rendering them unfit to
mind mice, let alone hold public office.
Does anybody believe that the Bush/Blair rapid retreat from Iraq is
anything but a cynical election strategy?
Iran halts controversial Kazemi trial
Tehran (AFP). Iran's hard-line judiciary on Sun called an abrupt end
to hearings into the killing in custody of Canadian-Iranian
photographer Zahra Kazemi.
This prompted Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi and her legal team to storm
out of the court.
"The judge should not have ended the case. We have walked out in
protest," Ms Ebadi, whose legal team is representing Ms Kazemi's
enraged family, told reporters after leaving the court.
"This case is incomplete. The court has ignored the real guilty person
and has accused an innocent man," she said.
Ms Ebadi reiterating her view that the intel agent standing trial for
Ms Kazemi's murder was merely a scapegoat.
Witnesses said the judge called an end to the proceedings after
refusing to hear further declarations from Ms Ebadi's team and the
lawyer of the alleged killer, who has been charged with
"semi-intentional murder".
It was not immediately clear when the judiciary, a bastion of the
Islamic republic's religious right-wing, would announce its verdict.
Iranian Nobel laureate threatens internat'l suit over dead
Tehran (AFP). Nobel laureate and human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi
warned Iran's regime that she could take the case of an
Iranian-Canadian photographer killed in custody here to an internat'l
court if justice was not served in the Islamic republic.
"We have many legal means to defend the rights of our clients, and
conforming with the law, if the client demands it, we will bring the
case before an internat'l tribunal," she told reporters.
Her comments came after Iran's hard-line judiciary, accused of a
cover-up in the death of Zahra Kazemi, barred diplomats and journalists
from the trial of her alleged killer and then abruptly halted the case.
As the 2nd round of hearings into the controversial case opened,
Canadian ambassador Philip MacKinnon, Dutch ambassador Hein de Vries
as well as snr French and Brit diplomats were bluntly told to stay out.
The foreign press were also barred from the court, and Ebadi and her
legal team -- who are representing Kazemi's enraged family -- stormed
out after the judge rejected their call for more witnesses and ended
the hearings.
"This is a very serious development, there will be diplomatic consequences,"
one of the diplomats said after waiting in his car outside the court
for more than an hour and failing to get a permit to enter.
"This goes against all the assurances we have had that the trial will
be open and transparent," another diplomat added. "The cause of human
rights in Iran has taken a very serious blow today."
Canada reacted swiftly Sun, announcing the "immediate recall" of
Ambassador MacKinnon.
For Min Bill Graham said: "I am disappointed but not surprised by this
flagrant denial of due process. ... There can be no justice behind
closed doors."
Ottawa had announced during the wk that it would recall MacKinnon,
then reversed its decision, before deciding to pull the envoy over the
barring of diplomats and the controversial end to the trial.
Kazemi, a 54-yo freelance photographer and a dual nat'l, was arrested
in June last for taking pictures outside Tehran's notorious Evin
prison. She died from a brain haemorrhage July 10, 2003.
The judiciary initially claimed she had died of a stroke, but a govt
report later revealed she had been struck by a blunt object while
being interrogated.
Between her arrest and her admission to hospital, she spent several
days being shuttled between the custody of judicial prosecutors, the
police and the intel ministry -- seen as closer to the reformist govt.
The judiciary then charged 42-yo intel agent Mohammad Reza Aghdam
Ahmadi with "semi-intentional murder", a charge that carries up to 3 y
in jail. The agent says he is a scapegoat.
Iran's handling of the case is seen as key test of its resolve to tackle
human rights abuses, and the issue has also focused concerns over what
rights groups assert is the endemic use of beatings and torture here.
It has also severely damaged ties with Canada, which prior to the
affair had been trying to "engage" the clerical regime in contrast to
the tough US position.
Ambassador MacKinnon was already called home over the affair last year
after Kazemi's body was hastily buried at her birthplace in the south
of Iran in a ceremony her mother said had been organised under duress.
Ebadi's legal team has accused the judiciary of trying an innocent man
in order to protect one of their snr officials, Mohammad Bakhshi.
"This trial is unfair," Ebadi told reporters after walking out.
"They have ignored the real culprit and are accusing an innocent man."
Ebadi, the 1st Muslim woman to win the coveted Nobel Peace Prize, said
the charges should have been for "premeditated murder" and called for
the case to be referred to a higher provincial tribunal.
The mother of the victim, Ezzat Kazemi, claimed in court Sat that her
daughter was tortured while in custody.
Even Pres Mohammad Khatami, a reformist, has called on his rivals in
the judiciary -- a bastion of the Islamic republic's religious right
wing -- to identify "the real guilty person".
The verdict is expected in about a week.
The Iranian foreign ministry was unapologetic about excluding the diplomats.
"I don't know why they didn't let the foreign diplomats into the court.
Maybe they did not have enough chairs," foreign ministry rep Hamid Reza
Asefi told reporters, insisting that "Kazemi was an Iranian citizen".
The controversial trial had resumed after a 9-m gap on Sat, when
journalists and diplomats were able to attend.
Canada recalls ambassador to Iran
Ottawa (AFP). Canada will recall its ambassador to Iran, after Tehran
abruptly halted the trial of the accused killer of Iranian-Canadian
photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.
Canada's FM Bill Graham said that Ottawa, which had announced during
the wk that it would recall Ambassador Philip MacKinnon, then reversed
its decision, decided on Sun to pull the diplomat in protest over
Tehran's handling of the murder trial of 42-yo intel agent Mohammad
Reza Aghdam Ahmadi.
"Ambassador MacKinnon will be returning to Canada immediately," Mr
Graham said, criticising Tehran's decision to halt the trial.
"I am disappointed, but not surprised by this flagrant denial of
justice," he said.
Ms Kazemi was detained while photographing a prison in Tehran in July
2003 and died at an Iranian hospital shortly after her arrest.
Officials initially insisted that Ms Kazemi had died of a stroke, but
later conceded that she had lapsed into a coma after being struck with
a blunt object during interrogation.
Her body was then hastily buried in S Iran by her mother, who later
complained of being pressured into not sending the body back to Canada.
Ahmadi, whom the judiciary has charged with "semi-intentional murder,"
pleaded not guilty during a preliminary hearing last Oct.
The internat'l press rights watchdog Reporters without Borders
condemned Iran's decision.
"We are outraged by this denial of justice," Reporters without Borders
said in a statement.
Kabul rocket attack kills one
Kabul (AFP). One civilian was killed when a rocket landed in central
Kabul close to the US embassy and HQ of internat'l peacekeeping troops
on Sun, police and witnesses said.
The rocket exploded in mid-air in Shashdarak district shortly after
10.00 pm local time, injuring a woman in her forties who was in her
home nr the blast site, witnesses said.
Kabul deputy police chief Muttahullah Khan Rahmani confirmed the
rocket landed on a house in Shashdarak, badly injuring a woman who
later died in hospital.
Mr Rahmani blamed the attack on "the enemies of peace and the enemies
of the govt."
There have been regular rocket attacks in Kabul but this is the first
to cause a fatality in the past 2 y.
Meanwhile in Mazar-i-Sharif 3 civilians, including 2 schoolboys, were
killed by unidentified armed men in 2 separate incidents.
"2 schoolboys were killed by unidentified armed men who then fled,"
city deputy police chief Gen Abdul Razzaq told AFP.
"We don't know what led these militiamen to open fire," he said.
"One civilian, an adult man, was killed 2 hr later by militiamen in
the city centre," he added.
Mazar-i-Sharif has for the past 2 wk been under the total control of
militiamen loyal to powerful local warlord Mohammad Atta.
After having managed to drive out the militiaman and members of armed
factions, local police chief Gen Mohammad Akram was on July 4
besieged by Atta's militiamen and is still stuck in his house.
Numerous unidentified armed men have since reappeared on the streets
of the city, where the legitimate police force, sent from Kabul by the
interior ministry, have totally disappeared.
Afghanistan's govt is struggling to contain a surge of violent attacks
in the run-up to presidential elections which have been scheduled for Oct 9.
Palestinian clashes injure 18
Gaza (AFP). 18 Palestinians were wounded, 3 of them seriously, during
clashes between Palestinians in Rafah in the S Gaza Strip, hospital
sources said.
The 18 members of the radical Palestinian group Al-Aqsa Martyrs
Brigades were among more than 150 Palestinians who had attempted to
storm the HQ of the Palestinian military intel service, which is led
by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's nephew Musa.
Members of the security services opened fire after the assailants
destroyed the wall in front of the building.
The Martyrs Brigades have taken the lead in widespread denunciations
of the appointment of Musa Arafat to the key security post, saying he
epitomises corruption within Palestinian ranks.
The Palestinian leader made the appointment as part of a bid to
streamline the security services after his PM, Ahmed Qurie, submitted
his resignation following an unprecedented spate of kidnappings in the
Gaza Strip which had highlighted a breakdown in law and order.
On Sun night, Martyrs Brigades members besieged and torched offices of
the intel service in the S Gaza town of Khan Yunis, freeing detainees
from the facility as well as making off with some weapons.
"This is a clear message addressed to the corrupt Musa Arafat, whose
nomination we will not accept and who should resign," the group said
in a communique.
Linked with Arafat's Fatah movement but enjoying broad autonomy, the
Martyrs Brigades are made up of dozens of armed groups concentrated in
the W Bank and, under various names, in Gaza.
Palestinian suicide bomber aborts attack, later killed
Jerusalem. Israeli security sources say a would-be suicide bomber who
managed to infiltrate Jerusalem from the W Bank aborted his attack on
a packed cafe at the last minute. After changing his mind, the man
returned to his hometown but was later killed by Israeli troops.
Israeli security sources have revealed that Malek A Din slipped into
Jerusalem from Hebron last wk with the intention of blowing himself up
in the popular Caffit cafe. Standing in front of the cafe with a bomb
belt strapped to his torso, A Din had a change of heart and returned
to his hometown of Hebron. After receiving info about the planned
attack, Israeli troops killed the 41-yo Palestinian while trying to
arrest him. 4 Hamas members who allegedly helped plan the bombing
were captured.
France protests Sharon emigration call to Jews
Paris (Reuters). France has sharply criticised Israeli PM Ariel
Sharon after he urged French Jews to emigrate immediately to Israel to
escape what he called "the wildest anti-Semitism".
Branding Mr Sharon's language "unacceptable", a French Foreign
Ministry rep said Paris had demanded an explanation.
France, home to W Europe's biggest Jewish and Muslim communities, has
been troubled by attacks on Jewish people and property in recent
years, some of it blamed on youths of N African origin angered by the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mr Sharon, who regularly calls on all the world's Jews to migrate to
Israel, acknowledged in a speech to Jewish leaders in Jerusalem that
the French Govt was making efforts to stem anti-Semitism.
He added that the threat was so grave that French Jews should head for
Israel without delay.
"If I have to advise our brothers in France, I'll tell them one thing,
move to Israel, as early as possible," he said.
"I say that to Jews all around the world, but there [in France] I
think it's a must and they have to move immediately," Mr Sharon said.
The French rep said: "We have been informed of comments made today by
Sharon calling on the Jews of France to emigrate to Israel.
"We immediately made contact with the Israeli authorities to ask for
an explanation of these unacceptable comments."
Some 600,000 Jews and 5 mn Muslims form part of France's population of 60 mn.
The French Interior Ministry registered 67 attacks on Jews or their
property and 160 threats against Jews in the 1st quarter of this year
compared with 42 attacks and 191 threats in the last 3 m of 2003.
Canada to introduce biometric passport despite privacy concerns
Ottawa (CP). Canada plans to begin issuing high-tech passports with
digitised photographs next y, saying reliable travel documents are
crucial to the country's status as a "First World nation."
The e-Passport, as the revamped book is dubbed -- given its electronic
features -- will be distributed on a trial basis to Canadian diplomats
sometime in the 1st half of 2005, said Dan Kingsbury, a rep for the
fed Passport Office.
"If the initial implementation goes well, we'll begin issuing the
e-Passport to the general public afterwards," Kingsbury said in an interview.
"It's all about maintaining the integrity and the security of the passport."
The project is the latest fed initiative to track and control the flow
of people across borders more closely following the Sep 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks in the US.
The govt is pushing ahead with the plan despite objections from
privacy and info specialists who argue it is unduly intrusive and
unlikely to enhance nat'l security.
With the inclusion of a digitised photo, the passport moves into the
controversial realm of biometrics, the use of measurable personal
features such as an image, iris scan or fingerprints as ID markers.
The e-Passport will feature a computer chip containing the holder's
photograph and personal info on the current passport, including name
and date of birth, say briefing notes obtained by The Canadian Press
under the fed Access to Info law.
Authorities at border points would be able to call up the data on the
digital chip by swiping the passport against an electronic reader.
"The aim of the e-Passport is to reduce the chance of passport
tampering and identity fraud," Kingsbury said.
"What the person checking the passport will be able to do is ensure
that everything is the same on the chip as it is in the passport itself."
In May 2003, the Montreal-based Internat'l Civil Aviation Organization
settled on facial recognition as the minimum biometric security
standard for passports.
Initially some worried the US would require Canadian visitors to carry
passports conforming to ICAO standards.
Though Canada is exempt from the US regime, the Fed Govt decided on a
"proactive response" to the American move to step up border controls,
say the newly released background notes on the e-Passport project.
"It is reasonable to assume that other countries, besides the US, will
soon require the ICAO standards for all travel documents," say the notes.
They say the Canadian initiative, with funding of $10.3 mn over 3
years, is in line with the govt's intention to produce "internat'ly
respected" travel identification.
"To maintain its reputation as a First World nation, Canada must issue
a biometrically enabled passport."
Kingsbury said there is no plan to compile a searchable electronic
database of the images and other data encoded on e-Passport chips.
The project still raises concerns because storage of personal info on
computer chips potentially opens the door to "much wider circulation"
of the data, said Andrew Clement, a professor of info studies at the
Uni of Toronto.
"It hasn't been analysed and discussed openly in terms of what the
implications are."
There is a misguided faith among many that technology will solve
security problems in the aftermath of the Sep 11 attacks, said
Valerie Steeves, a law professor at Carleton University in Ottawa.
"There's been a real move in govts to create a whole infrastructure of
technological surveillance," she said.
"We've created a network that has real implications for our democratic
way of life and nobody's sat back and said, 'Hey, has this helped us
catch any terrorists?'"
Officials have not decided whether the current fee of $85 to obtain or
renew a passport will change, Kingsbury said.
As part of the security overhaul, the govt will also eliminate the
practice of printing some passports overseas, and it will redesign the
emergency passport issued to travellers whose documents are lost or
stolen, Kingsbury added.
Beginning as early as Jan, stranded travellers will be given a
temporary passport with a white cover -- to distinguish it from the
regular dark blue -- valid for one year.
Officials are looking at requiring recipients of temporary passports
to apply for a regular passport, valid for 5 y, at the same
time, Kingsbury said.
Renewed clashes reported between Georgia, breakaway region
Tbilisi (AFP). Fighting between Georgia and its breakaway province of
S Ossetia flared up again, 3 days after the 2 sides signed an
agreement aimed at ending their escalating conflict.
Intensive shooting was heard Sun at 9 pm local time [1700 Z] near the
town of Achabeti, located nr the front-line separating the 2 sides,
Georgia's Rustavi 2 TV reported.
The firing, coming from the South-Ossetian side, and was directed at
locations controlled by the Georgian side, a Rustavi reporter said,
adding that no casualties had been reported.
The shooting died down after 20 minutes, the Russian radio station
Moscow Echo reported, quoting a snr Georgian lawmaker, Givi
Targamadze, who heads the defence and security parliamentary committee.
The incident erupted after Georgian soldiers earlier Sun seized an Ossetian
truck which Tbilisi says was carrying ammunition and arrested its driver.
The truck was holding 3 antitank shells, Georgian Interior Min Irakli
Okruashvili told reporters.
"The vehicle was headed for the Dzhava area," where Tbilisi says
Ossetian troops are based, Okruashvili said.
Okruashvili also accused Russian peacekeeping forces based nr where
the vehicle was confiscated of trying to prevent Georgian soldiers
from seizing the truck and arresting its driver.
Targamadze said the weapons seized in the truck would not be handed
over either to the Ossetian or the Russian side, the RIA Novosti news
agency reported.
"There can be no question of [the ammunition] being handed over," RIA
Novosti quoted Targamadze as saying.
Georgia and S Ossetia signed an agreement Thu with N neighbour Russia
after talks on Wed and Thu aimed at ending an escalating tussle over
the future of the disputed province.
The region has been tense for the last wk with Ossetians claiming some
200 Georgian military personnel had entered their territory.
The Georgian govt in Tbilisi has denied this claim.
Georgian Pres Mikhail Saakashvili, who came to power last Jan, has
vowed to restore Georgian authority in both S Ossetia and Abkhazia,
another rebellious Georgian province.
The tiny mountainous region on Georgia's N border with Russia has seen
a string of clashes recently that have increased tensions between the
Georgian govt, S Ossetia's self-proclaimed govt, and Moscow.
South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia after fighting a
civil war against Tbilisi with Russian support in the early 1990s,
following the fall of the SU.
Today the province is effectively a Russian protectorate, with most
residents holding Russian passports, using rubles and relying on
Moscow to keep Georgian authorities at bay. Peacekeepers from Russia,
Georgia and S Ossetia patrol separate parts of the province.
Georgia broke away from the Soviet Union to become a separate
independent country after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
US 'deserter' arrives in Japan
Tokyo (Reuters). A former US soldier accused of deserting to N Korea
39 y ago has arrived in Japan with his wife and 2 daughters after
flying from Indonesia to face an uncertain fate.
The United States has said it will request custody of Charles Robert
Jenkins, a 64-yo former US Army sergeant, over the desertion charges.
But, in what may be a tacit agreement to avoid a row with key ally
Japan, it might delay doing so while he undergoes medical treatment.
Mr Jenkins was reunited last wk with his Japanese wife Hitomi Soga and
their 2 daughters -- Mika and Belinda -- in Indonesia, which has no
extradition treaty with the US.
Mr Jenkins, who underwent a stomach operation in N Korea earlier this
year, went straight to hospital after arriving at Tokyo's Haneda
Airport on a chartered Boeing 777.
US Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker said on Sat that Washington was
sympathetic to Mr Jenkins's health problems and that this "may delay
our request for his transfer to US custody".
He added that there were no plans for US officials to see Mr Jenkins
in the immediate future.
But he repeated the US view that Mr Jenkins had deserted, adding: "The
US govt has the right to request custody ... and will do so at the
appropriate time."
Japanese Foreign Ministry rep Hatsuhisa Takashima said it was still
too early to predict what might happen.
"Mr Jenkins needs medical treatment," he said.
"Until that happens, nothing else can happen."
Mandela celebrates 86th birthday
E Cape Prov, S Af. Former S African president Nelson Mandela has
celebrated his 86th birthday. Mr Mandela returned to his village in
Eastern Cape Province for a private celebration and spent the day with
friends and family. His former wife Winnie Madikizela Mandela took
part in the festivities. Political leaders and supporters sent
birthday greetings to the former African Nat'l Congress leader. Pres
Thabo Mbeki described Mr Mandela as an icon. Mr Mandela returned to S
Africa after attending the Internat'l Aids Conference in Thailand.
Last month, Mr Mandela announced he would be reducing his workload.
He told reporters he was retiring from retirement so that he could
spend more time with his family.
Marine expert dismisses shark threat
Perth. A marine expert says he does not believe 2 sharks spotted off
the Perth metropolitan area coastline are a threat to swimmers. It
has been 9 days since experienced surfer Brad Smith was killed by a
shark nr the popular Lefthanders Beach at Gracetown in the WA SW. The
Dept of Fisheries says since then sharks have been seen about 7 or 8
km off shore at Burns Beach and Watermans Bay. Shark expert Hugh
Edwards says it is understandable that people are afraid but
beach-goers should put the sightings into perspective. "The ocean is
their world and when we go into it we take a risk. Now it's a very
minimal risk in terms of the actual figures and statistics, it's much
more dangerous to drive to the beach than go in the water," he said.
Dinosaur stampede added to heritage list
Winton, Qld. The world's only recorded dinosaur stampede has been
added to AUS's new Nat'l Heritage List. Lark Quarry, nr Winton in W
Qld, is only one of 3 locations in AUS included on the list and
the 1st with natural heritage values. Winton mayor Bruce Collins says
more than 11,000 people visit the site each y and the listing should
boost its tourist potential. He says it records a herd of smaller
dinosaurs fleeing a larger animal, about 95 mn y ago. "It's the only
known record of a dinosaur stampede in the world, there's something
like 3,500 or 3,600 tracks [that] have been excavated there," he said.
"That's also the greatest collection of preserved dinosaur tracks that
is known in the world."
Latest citrus ban to hurt Qld nurseries
Citrus bans continue in Qld.
Brisbane. The latest test results suggest the citrus canker disease
has not spread beyond a central Qld property. Authorities are
awaiting the results of more tests, but Dept of Primary Industries
(DPI) officers are still preparing to burn another 40,000 trees on
Evergreen Farms this wk. Meanwhile, a ban will take effect from Mon
on the movement of any plants from the rutaceae family, because some
species are potential citrus canker hosts. Authorities hope the ban
will coax S states to reopen their borders to Qld citrus. But Mirella
Jakimoff, from the Nursery and Garden Industry of Qld, says the ban
will hurt Qld's nursery industry. "It's irrelevant really whether
it's a small nursery or a major nursery because both derive their
livelihood from selling plants." "Within Qld we employ over 6,000
full-time equivalents. It really doesn't matter whether it's a small
nursery or a large one, we all get affected from this ban."
Woolies reports strong sales growth
Woolworths profits on target.
Sydney. Supermarket giant Woolworths has reported a jump of more than
6 per cent in its final quarter sales figures. Turnover for the 4th
quarter has come in at $6.4 bn, taking Woolworths' sales for the
y to $27.9 bn. Woolworths says it has been a y in which its
supermarket sales have been affected by a discount petrol offer
introduced by Coles Myer. Woolworths' own petrol sales have jumped
28% to $2.2 bn. On the Aussie Stock Exchange this morning,
Woolworths shares have risen 7 cents to $11.45. Woolworths reaffirmed
its revenue forecast and said growth would be between 12 to 15% with a
profit target of about $700 mn.
Foster's Group to sell property business
Melbourne. The brewing and wine giant, Foster's Group, is about to
put its residential property business up for sale. Foster's has
appointed advisers to start working towards the divestment of the
Lensworth Group, which develops broadacre urban sites in Qld, NSW, Vic
and SA. The Lensworth Group employs about 100 people and generates
pre-tax earnings of around $29 mn.
NAB appoints new auditor
Melbourne. The Nat'l Australia Bank (NAB) has named a new external
auditor. It has selected Ernst & Young to replace KPMG for the
2004/2005 financial year. The decision to change auditor for the 1st
time in 85 y was made in Apr as the bank reeled from its $360 mn
foreign currency trading scandal and the resulting executive and
boardroom upheaval. "I would like to thank the Nat'l's current
auditor KPMG for their contribution over many years," the chairman of
Nat'l's audit committee, John Thorn, said in a statement. KPMG was
not invited to tender for the auditing job.
Capital gains tax cuts hurting low income earners: ACOSS
Canberra. AUS's peak welfare group says new research shows capital
gains tax cuts have created a form of welfare for the rich.
ACOSS says the figures have revealed the 1% of taxpayers earning more
than $100,000 received half the benefits from capital gains tax in the
2001-2002 financial year.
Rep Michael Raper says the cuts are actually making it harder for low
income earners.
"They're not getting the $3 bn loss in revenue that could be spent on
health and education and housing and homeowners, particularly first
homeowners paying much higher house prices than they would if the
capital gains tax unfairness was dropped by the Govt," he said.
However the Housing Industry's Association director Dr Ron Silberberg
agrees with the Govt's approach.
"This sort of Robin Hood attitude just misses that our tax system has
got to encourage saving and investment and the Govt's decision to
halve the capital gains tax still left AUS with a capital gains tax
which wasn't as generous as applies in comparable countries," he said.
Roads open after weekend snowfalls
Sydney. Roads to the NSW snowfields are open again this morning but
conditions remain difficult. Over the weekend, roads were closed and
icy conditions saw many accidents as visitors headed to and from the
ski fields. Police are warning motorists chains are needed on parts
of the Snowy Mountains Highway today. The Monaro Highway is open but
there is snow on the road between Nimitabel and Bombala. Meanwhile in
SYD, ferry services to and from Manly have been cancelled for a 2nd
day due to high seas. Yesterday a 6-m swell prevented Manly
ferries and jet cats leaving Circular Quay.
15 walk off mountain after car pile-up
Newcastle, NSW. 15 people, including a number of children, have been
forced to walk off a mountain in blizzard conditions in the Barrington
Tops Nat'l Park, N of Newcastle, after a 4 car collision. The
accident happened around lunch time yesterday when a 4wd
slid down an embankment, causing 3 other cars to crash. Police rep,
Inspector Julie Boone, says a 31-yo man had to be rescued from the car
on an embankment that had a 400 m drop. "They had to walk off the
mountain in blizzard conditions and [were] taken to a Moonan hotel for
overnight shelter," she said. "Fortunately no one was injured but
some people were treated for exposure and shock." Police took more
than 5 hr to clear 200 other cars from the mountain road.
Bakhtiyaris launch legal action in UK
London. 2 boys who escaped from SA's Woomera detention centre are
launching a legal battle in London against Brit For Sec Jack Straw.
Mr Straw refused the Bakhtiyari boys asylum when they turned up at the
Brit consulate in MEL about 2 y ago. Paul Boylan is the Port
Pirie-based lawyer for the boys' father, Ali, who is still being held
in the Baxter detention centre. He says his client is seeking a
judicial review of Mr Straw's decision on behalf of his sons. "Any
public official that has power to make decisions must make those
appropriately and in accordance with the guidelines," Mr Boylan said.
"The argument in this case is that it took some couple of hours to
deny the boys asylum, when most asylum applications take wk and
months. "So the order that we would hope is made by the court is that
Mr Straw revisit his decision." Mr Boylan says he is they boys'
request for asylum in the UK will be reconsidered. He says the
hearing in London's Court of Appeal will run for 3 days.
Stanhope calls for nat'l Boer war memorial
Canberra. A neglected tombstone has prompted the ACT's Chief Min Jon
Stanhope to seek a nat'l memorial to Aussies who fought in the Boer
War. Mr Stanhope says the unkempt grave at Queanbeyan cemetery of a
soldier who died of battle wounds indicates the chapter in Aussie war
history has been overlooked. The Aussie War Memorial has an honour
roll for the 15,000 soldiers who fought in the Anglo-Boer war from
1899 to 1902. Over 500 Aussies were killed. Mr Stanhope says there
should be a distinct memorial on Anzac Parade. "I'm asking the
Commonwealth whether or not they might separately recognise Boer war
veterans in the ACT and at the same time I'm seeking to arrange
through Heritage Act and with the Commonwealth Govt and I'm taking
this up with [mayor-elect of the Greater Queanbeyan City Council]
Frank Pangallo, " he said.
Whale dies in shark net
GC, Qld. A juvenile whale has died in a shark net off the Gold Coast.
2 adult whales have been swimming nr the area off Mermaid Beach since
about 8.00 am. Authorities from the Boating and Fisheries Patrol freed
the dead whale this morning and are towing its remains out to sea.
Rep Wayne Docherty says the death will be investigated. "We'll do
what we can, there'll possibly be some scientific evidence which can
be obtained, DNA and skin samples and the body will be disposed of at
sea," he said.
PM fails to rule out NT waste dump
Canberra. PM John Howard has refused to rule out the Northern
Territory as the location for a nat'l nuclear waste dump. Mr Howard
says the Fed Govt is searching for a new site on Commonwealth land for
its own waste. But he says states and territories will have to store
the waste they produce. Mr Howard says the best site identified by
scientists was in South AUS but resistance from the Rann Govt has
forced the search to continue. "All of this has been rendered
necessary by the fact that the states and territory govts have adopted
this attitude: 'yes, we're in favour of a nat'l repository provided
it's somewhere else'," he said.
Kakadu park entry fees to be scrapped
Canberra. The Fed Govt has announced it is scrapping entry fees for
Kakadu Nat'l Park. Prime Min John Howard has made the announcement at
a morning tea for CLP members in Darwin's N suburbs. Mr Howard told
the 500 party faithful the charges would be abolished no later than
Jan 2005. He has guaranteed traditional owners will not see a
reduction in their revenue as a result of the decision.
Liberals allow Olexander to stay
Melbourne. The Vic Liberal Party Administrative Committee has
decided not to expel disgraced Upper House MP Andrew Olexander for
drink driving. Mr Olexander will be called before the Liberal's state
president, state director and Leader, Robert Doyle at the end of the
week. The 39-yo crashed his work car into a number of parked cars in
South MEL a wk ago, causing more than $100,000 damage. He is also
being investigated over travel entitlements. Mr Doyle says the
Committee has recommended Mr Olexander remain in the party. "There
are political consequences obviously, there are civil and financial
consequences, there are legal and police consequences, so let no one
be under any illusions that he is getting away with what was a stupid
mistake," he said. "The belief is that he should remain as a member
of the Liberal Party, that he should remain has a Liberal member of
Parliament and work as hard as he possibly can to make up to the
community for this stupid error."
Jetstar rejects "sweatshop" claims
Sydney. Jetstar has rejected union claims that ground crew work in
"sweatshop conditions" with far too few workers to do the job.
Jetstar rep Simon Westaway says ground crew are provided by a Qantas
subsidiary Express Ground Handling which works within the standards of
the Qantas group. Mr Westaway says Jetstar is satisfied with the
operations of Express Ground Handling and if unions have concerns they
should talk to the company. "There is an accusation on the table, we
have confidence in that third party operator, we have been working
with them since we launched a number of wk ago and we will continue to
be using that operator," he said. Jetstar is today adding its 1st new
Airbus A320 to its fleet, and by mid-2006 expects to have 23 of the
177-seat planes operating.
Court hears agent posed as journalist to expose terror plot
Sydney. A SYD court has heard that an undercover agent posed as a
freelance journalist to expose a terrorist plot against Aussie
targets. The committal hearing is now underway. Prosecutor Desmond
Fagan told SYD Central Court that Zak Mallah was accused of planning a
terrorist attack after an undercover operative posed as a freelance
journalist and offered to publish his story. It is alleged Mallah
told the agent he planned to buy a gun to attack officers of either
the Aussie Security Intel Organisation (ASIO) or the Dept of Foreign
Affairs and Trade in SYD. It is alleged he also planned to kill an
operative and take hostages. The prosecution said Mallah sold the
agent a video of himself giving reasons for the attack, and showing
that he expected to be killed as a result of his actions.
Police investigate hit-and-run
Moe, Vic. Police have completed interviewing a 24-yo man in relation
to an alleged hit-and-run accident at Moe in Vic on Fri night. Police
are investigating the death of a 71-yo woman from Newborough who died
after she was hit by a car in Waterloo Road. They say the man
interviewed may be charged at a later date on summons.
{{
6 am
For a 2nd day, Pal militants have attacked a security HQ in S Gaza,
demanding the resignation of a relative of Pres Arafat as security
chief. They say the appointment doesn't offer hope of an end of
corruption in the PA. Al Aqsa Brigades demonstrating in Rafah. As
they approached the military intel HQ, they started firing. The
shooting last 15 mins. No-one was apparently injured or hurt.
[Later reports say at least 12 people wounded by gunfire].
Doctors in Fallujah have confirmed women and children among the dead
from a US missile attack on a compound.
US Under-sec of Def Armitage has made an un-announced visit to
Baghdad. At a press conf with PM Allawi -- in front of US and Iraqi
flags -- he underlined the US was no longer in the driver's seat in Iraq.
15 people have now died in flooding in Japan. 20% of the annual
rainfall has fallen in the past wk. 35 cm is expected over the next
24 hr.
31,1000 in Tibet have been affected by flooding. The Himalayan country
has recorded double the amount of rain it normally receives so far
this y.
Canada has recalled its ambassador to Iran after a court case was
abruptly halted.
The Red Cross has been urged to investigate claims Iraqi PM Allawi
personally executed several suspected insurgents to "set an example"
for the nation's police force.
The AUS chief scientist has called on the Fed Govt to cut greenhouse
emissions in 1/2 by 2050.
Archaeologists have discovered 50 tombs dating back to 1400 BC on the
Greek island of Crete.
7.30 am
Passengers have reported a mid-air incident between Qantas and Jetstar
aircraft. The near-miss occurred over Hamilton Island. Passengers say
the planes made a close approach during the take-off of the Jetstar
plane. Air Safety says it knows about the incident and are investigating.
Embarrassed officials in Brit are trying to explain their slow
response to an emergency exercise. 2,000 rescue workers took part in
a mock poison attack in Birmingham. They managed to rush to scene of
the simulated attack in 15 mins. But decontamination didn't get
underway for another 3 hrs. Officials are now to investigate why the
response took so long. The exercise followed warnings from Brit
officials that a terror attack on Brit soil is "inevitable".
A company involved in cloud seeding in the NSW snowfields is claiming
at least partial credit for the record snow falls in C and S NSW over
the weekend. The $30 mn experimental program is set to be extended,
say observers.
The AUD is trading at 73.15 US c. Gold is up $2.40 to $US406.80/oz.
Israeli PM Ariel Sharon has called on French Jews to move to Israel,
because of what he called the "wild spread of anti-Semitism" in France.
Midday.
The findings of an inquiry into AUS's intel agencies will be handed to
PM John Howard this wk.
Former Liberal Party fed president John Valder says Prime Min John
Howard should be tried and punished for war crimes over AUS's
involvement in the Iraq conflict.
A group led by suspected Al Qaeda ally Abu Musab Al Zarqawi has
offered a reward of $US282,000 for the killing of Iraqi Prime Min Iyad
Allawi, according to a statement posted on an Islamist Web site.
Iran has arrested a number of Iranian supporters of Osama bin Laden's
Al Qaeda group, the country's Intel Min has told state TV.
Iraq's interim Govt has ordered the mouthpiece newspaper of radical
Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr to be allowed to reopen, lifting a
US-imposed ban that helped trigger an uprising.
The US Army has said in a statement that Iraq's interim Govt
authorised "a strike against a known terrorist fighting position in S
Fallujah" which killed at least 14 people, including women and children.
The head of Philippine troops in Iraq has returned to Manila, the
first of the 51-member contingent to come home after the Philippines
said it would withdraw them to save the life of a Filipino hostage.
The All Ords is down 1 pt. It started weaker after the lead from Wall
St on Fri. News Corp is down 1 c to $A12.29. In Japan, the Nikkei
has slumped another 163 pts. The Hang Seng is up 12 pts. The AUD is
trading at 73.42 US c -- an 11 wk high. Gold is up .40 at
$US407.05/oz. Oil is up .40 at $US41.25/bbl after violence in Iraq.
The Baghdad Stock Ex is back in business. It was closed for 16 m
because of the war and the following chaos. It's now tucked away in
an anon hotel function room. Session 5 has just finished. Last Sun
there was fighting all around, say traders, but no-one gave it a 2nd
though. The exchange is open twice a wk for 2 hrs. There are 27
companies listed -- mostly banks, utilities and one chemical company.
The directors hope to have 200 companies listed by the end of the y.
By then the exchange will operate in new HQ. Back in the 90s, there
were plenty of investors. But the heavyweights were members of the
regime. Now, the Baath officials are either dead or in jail. They've
had their shares confiscated. But the exchange promises to honour
shares owned by other former investors. In its 2nd session the major
index saw a 20% rise.
The French govt has called Sharon's comments "unacceptable", and has
demanded an explanation.
12.30 pm
Results are just coming in from Bolivia. The referendums on gas
resources have apparently passed. The Pres seems to have won all 5
questions, with at least 50% participation. Bolivia wants to increase
taxation on gas production. The country's gas industry is largely
foreign-owned, after privatisation moves.
8 pm
Norfolk Island's deputy gov has become the Island's 2nd murder victim.
He was apparently found shot to death in his office. He becomes the
first Aussie official killed in office.
8.30 pm
Pres Arafat has yielded to growing grass-roots and militant protests,
and re-shuffled his security services again. He's sacked his nephew
and re-appointed the man he earlier sacked as security chief.
A petrol tanker has exploded in Baghdad, nr a police stn. 9 people
have been killed and at least 50 wounded. The tanker appeared just as
police officers lined up outside their stn to be given their
assignments for the day.
The last Phil peacekeepers have pulled out of Iraq. They've compiled
with the demands of an armed group that threatened to kill a hostage
truck driver.
A snr member of Hezbollah has been killed by a car bomb. The
group's TV stn said he was killed outright after he got into his car
in S Beirut.
A human rights group has accused the Sudan govt of sponsoring rape and
other abuses as weapons of war. The govt has denied the claims,
saying Amnesty's evidence as "insufficient".
9 pm
Jordanian police have killed at least 3 gunmen who were trying to cross
into Israel. A group of gunmen were challenged by police, sparking a
gun-battle that lasted 4 hr.
Just hrs after Iraqi PM Allawi promised to "wipe out" insurgents, a
massive truck bomb detonated at 8.20 am outside a police stn. The
blast killed 9 and injured at least 60. It's the latest in a string of
attacks mounted against the interim govt and Coal'n troops. Scores
have been killed in the attacks. Iraqi police cleared the area after
the blast by firing into the air.
The IWC meeting has opened in Italy, with pro-whaling countries
pushing to re-open commercial whaling after an 18 y moratorium.
Greenpeace has accused Japan of bribing non-whaling countries like
Mongolia to join the IWC and vote for a resumption. Japan's govt says
the moratorium was intended to allow the recovery of whale stocks, and
that's happened. They also ask other countries to respect Japan's
1000-y whalemeat-eating culture.
11.30 pm
Pal PM Ahmed Qurei has called for national unity after a Cabinet
meeting in Ramallah. He said a committee had been set up to negotiate
a settlement of the security sit'n with Arafat.
An Indian court has decided to release $mns in compensation for the
Bhopal disaster. Although Union Carbide has paid compensation for
the disaster, it's been in a bank account while courts sifted through
all the claims for the money.
The number of Chinese falling below the poverty line has increased for
the first time in 1/4 C. The govt says 800,000 citizens fell into
extreme poverty last y, with incomes less than $US77 pa.
}}
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