James Hardie must pay up... It's got the money...
-- NSW Prem Bob Carr, 21 Sep 2004.
   Health claims. A special commission has found an asbestos maker
   misled the public, the market and the NSW Supreme Court over its
   asbestos liabilities.

We have traded a dictator for a chaos that's left America less secure.
-- Sen John Kerry, 20 Sep 2004.

It's not fair of him to make a generalised smear...
-- PM John Howard, 21 Sep 2004.
   Good for the gander. Mr Howard has objected to nebulous claims of
   impropriety and has called on an MP to name who was offering the
   bribe of an ambassadorial post for not running.

Bring it on... I'll name the names.
-- Tony Windsor MP, 21 Sep 2004.
   Ambassadorial post. The electoral commission has referred the matter
   to police. The offence carries a maximum 2 y jail sentence.

Well... we are fighting, and we WILL succeed.
-- PM Tony Blair, 19 Sep 2004

This [Iraq/GWII] is the crucible ...  in which the future of this
global terrorism ...  will be determined.
-- Brit PM Tony Blair, 19 Sep 2004
   Re-badging operation. The PM says either insurgents will win or
   they will be defeated.

Well, look, that's a very good question...
-- Health Min Tony Abbott, 20 Sep 2004.
   Is the annual payment intro'd before the election going to stay
   after the election?

It's clear what's gunna happen... It's an election sweetener -- not a
health policy.
-- Mark Latham, 19 Sep 2004.
   Leaked documents have brought into question some of Mr Howard's
   latest non-core promises.

We brought in the $600 .... and... by gum... it's staying.
-- PM John Howard, 20 Sep 2004.

----------------------------------------
Sun, 19 Sep 2004.

	HEADLINES:
Blair denies Iraq post-war chaos warning
Tropical Storm Jeanne kills 9
US air strike in Fallujah kills 4: hospital
Militants threaten to kill hostages
Insurgents killed in clashes over Sadr's office
Govt not pursuing Hardie compensation treaty, union says
Girl dies after being hit by tram
US, Iraqi agreement on debt relief
Troops may leave Iraq next y: Hill
Iraq suicide blast, hostage threat
Eclipsed in Iraq
6 hospitalised after balcony collapse
825,000 stranded after Bangladesh embankment bursts
Blair says no agreement in N Ireland talks
Cane toads just 70 km from Darwin
Chinese political shuffle likely
EU to appeal against WTO sugar ruling
Gypsy Joker Slater charged over nightclub bashing
Howard cashes up SYD candidates
Labor announces $50 mn suburban safety plan
Labor commits $300 mn to maritime security
Latham brushes off 'dishonest' ad
Latham pitches health, education policies to NT
Latham rejects attack on economic credentials
Logging policies to determine Greens preferences
MEL team wins Henley on Todd regatta
Mastermind behind kidnap gang 'close to Bin Laden'
N Korea vows never to dismantle atomic arms
NT barrister to head nat'l law council
New weekly hits Adel newsstands
Nuclear watchdog demands Iran freeze enrichment
PM turns focus to W SYD
Pakistan wins release of 34 Guantanamo detainees
Paratroopers drop in on Innisfail
Party wrangling offers forest protection result, Greens say
Police continue hunt for psych ward escapee
Police investigate balcony collapse
Police investigate suspected double murder
Possible source of Bush documents
Pro-election Afghan tribal chiefs murdered
Psych ward escapee captured
Resolution demands Sudan rein in rebels
Ruling ups Tempo of press restrictions
Russian police intercept car with explosives: report
Saddam could go to trial in Oct: Allawi
Sanctions would 'completely destroy' Sudan
Tropical Storm Jeanne cuts through the Caribbean
UN resolution threatens Sudan with sanctions
Women work around glass ceiling


@EU to appeal against WTO sugar ruling
Brussels (AFP). The European Union will appeal against a ruling by the
World Trade Organisation (WTO) which said EU subsidies for sugar
production broke internat'l trade rules, French Agriculture Min Herve
Gaymard said in Mauritius on Sat.
AUS, Brazil -- the world's biggest producer and exporter of sugar --
and Thailand in Aug last y brought a complaint before the WTO against
preferential treatment given by the EU to sugar growers from African,
Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and India.
"A number of countries launched an attack before the WTO against the
privileged relationship that exists between Mauritius and certain
African, Caribbean and Pacific nations, and the European Union," Mr
Gaymard said during a visit to the sugar-producing Indian Ocean island state.
"We lost the 1st round. We are going to appeal against the
conclusions in the next few days and should know the outcome by next
spring," he said.
The 3 countries also slammed a system of production and export
subsidies for EU sugar farmers, arguing that these were more invidious
than any EU preferential help given to sugar producers in ACP countries.
Brazilian sugar producers say that European sugar subsidies represent
a loss of some $400 mn [320 mn euros] a y to them.
"We must draw conclusions from this ruling which runs parallel to the
reforms to the sugar market which the European Commission announced in
July," said Mr Gaymard.
Then EU agriculture commissioner Franz Fischler proposed that the EU,
from July 2005, bring down its guaranteed prices and quotas for
European sugar producers.
The EU would continue to reserve preferential terms for sugar exports
from developing countries in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group.
EU countries are major players on the world sugar production market,
although critics argue that the subsidies and quotas have left European
producers immune to global competition to the detriment of poorer nations.

@Resolution demands Sudan rein in rebels
UN (AP). The UN Sec Council has approved a resolution demanding Sudan
rein in Arab militias attacking villagers in W Darfur and threatening
sanctions if the govt didn't act quickly to end the 19-m conflict.
The vote was 11-0 with 4 abstentions.
China, Russia, Pakistan and Algeria opposed sanctions and several
other provisions which they said could antagonise the Sudanese govt
and end its cooperation with internat'l efforts to cope with the
massive humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
The US, which introduced the resolution, revised it 3 times, each time
softening language to try to get broader support and avert a Chinese veto.
It was only after a last-minute meeting between US Ambassador John
Danforth and China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya, who unsuccessfully
sought additional changes, that Beijing decided to abstain rather than
exercise its veto power.
To pass, resolutions by the 15-member council need nine "yes" votes.
The resolution strongly endorses the deployment of a beefed-up African
Union force with an expanded monitoring mission that would actively
try to prevent attacks and mediate to stop the conflict from escalating.
More than 50,000 people have already died and over 1.2 mn have fled
their homes to escape the violence.
It also authorises Sec-Gen Kofi Annan, who was in the council chamber
for the vote, to rapidly appoint an internat'l commission to
investigate reports of human rights violations in Darfur and determine
"whether or not acts of genocide have occurred."

@UN resolution threatens Sudan with sanctions
UN (Reuters). The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Sat
that threatens oil sanctions against Sudan if Khartoum does not stop
atrocities in the Darfur region.
The vote of 11-0, with 4 abstentions, on the US-drafted resolution
also calls for an expanded African Union monitoring force and a probe
into human rights abuses, including genocide.
China, Russia, Algeria and Pakistan abstained.
China earlier threatened to veto the measure and its UN envoy, Wang
Guangya, consulted with US Ambassador John Danforth until the last minute.
"We don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water," Mr Wang
told reporters before the vote.
The resolution says Sudan has to cooperate with an expanded African
Union monitoring mission in Darfur, where an estimated 50,000 people
have been killed and 1.2 mn forced out of their homes.
UN officials hope at least 3,000 African Union monitors and troops
will go to Darfur to investigate and serve as a bulwark against abuses.
It also calls for UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan to set up a commission that
would investigate human rights abuses and determine if genocide had occurred.
"We act today because the Govt of Sudan has failed to fully comply
with our previous resolution, adopted on July 30," Mr Danforth said.
"The crisis in Darfur is uniquely grave. It is the largest
humanitarian disaster in the world."
Rebels began an uprising in Darfur in Feb 2003 after y of skirmishes
between mainly African farmers and Arab nomads over land and water in
the area as large as France.
The Govt turned to the militia, drawn chiefly from the nomadic Arab
population, to help suppress the rebels but the Janjaweed, often
backed by govt forces, escalated the conflict, raping villagers and pillaging.

@Sanctions would 'completely destroy' Sudan
Punished: Sudan says sanctions would destroy the entire country.
Khartoum (Reuters). Sudan says that UN sanctions, which are being
threatened over atrocities in the Darfur region, would lead "this
society to a complete destruction".
The UN Sec Council has adopted a resolution threatening sanctions
unless Sudan stops atrocities in the W Darfur region, where Arab
militias are attacking African villagers.
It is estimated that 50,000 people have been killed through violence,
disease or famine, and 1.2 mn forced out of their homes in the region.
But State Min for Humanitarian Affairs Mohamed Yousif Abdalla says
sanctions would affect all Sudanese.
"Imposing economic sanctions, this means that actually you condemn the
whole society, this means that you are actually leading this society
to a complete destruction," he said.
"Therefore I believe that if economic sanctions are imposed on the
Sudan, only the Sudanese people are going to be penalised and that
should not be the intention of the Sec Council."
The US-drafted resolution also says Sudan has to cooperate with an
expanded African Union monitoring mission in Darfur.
It calls for UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan to set up a commission that would
investigate human rights abuses and determine if the US declaration
that genocide had occurred in Darfur was correct.

@Saddam could go to trial in Oct: Allawi
London (AFP). Former-Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, charged with
crimes against humanity, could go to trial before the Iraqi Special
Tribunal (IST) as early as next month, Iraqi Prime Min Iyad Allawi
says in an interview to be aired on Sun. "Roughly, I think Oct," Mr
Allawi said in an American ABC interview, a transcript of which was
given to AFP. He went on to say that Saddam supporters similarly
charged would also be on trial when the IST convenes. "Maybe he will
appear in Nov or Dec, but definitely in Oct the whole issue will
start," he said. "I don't think it will take a long time, because the
evidence against him is...overwhelming. So we hope justice will be
served." Asked if he meant the death penalty, Mr Allawi said only,
"The death penalty has been restored in Iraq".

@N Korea vows never to dismantle atomic arms
Pyongyang (Reuters). North Korea will never dismantle its nuclear
arsenal and will not resume talks on its atomic programs unless the US
drops its hostile policy, the North's official KCNA news agency said.
In a rare commentary that carries considerable weight, KCNA said
disclosures about un-sanctioned nuclear experiments in S Korea in 2000
and 1982 showed Washington applied double standards, criticising the N
but understanding the South.
"It is self-evident that the resumption of the talks can no longer be
discussed unless the US drops its hostile policy based on double
standards toward the DPRK and that the latter can never dismantle its
nuclear deterrent force," KCNA said.
A commentary from KCNA carries an official imprimatur but also allows
Pyongyang the ambiguity to offer a different interpretation through
diplomatic channels.
The US, S Korea, China, Japan and Russia have been seeking at so far
fruitless 6-party talks to persuade N Korea to give up its atomic
ambitions completely in exchange for security guarantees and energy aid.
North Korea has rejected Washington's demand for complete, verifiable
and irreversible dismantlement (CVID) of its projects.
"What infuriates the DPRK is that the US has so far shut its eyes to
the secret nuclear activities of its allies under its nuclear umbrella
but has pressurised the DPRK to accept the CVID," KCNA said.
"This means that the 6 countries having either access to nuclear
weapons or perfect capability to develop them sat at the negotiating
table to discuss the DPRK's nuclear issue only."

@Nuclear watchdog demands Iran freeze enrichment
Vienna (Reuters). The Internat'l Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) board
of governors has passed a resolution demanding that Iran freeze all
activities related to uranium enrichment, a diplomat present at the
closed-door meeting said. The resolution, a draft of which was
obtained by Reuters, also called on Iran to grant full and prompt
access to the IAEA's inspectors, as well as provide them with any
further info needed, by Nov 25. It does not call for the board to
report Iran to the UN Security Council, as Washington had hoped, but
says it will decide in Nov if "further steps are appropriate"
regarding Iran's compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,
which could pave the way for a referral to the Sec Council. The IAEA
has been investigating whether Iran has a secret nuclear weapons
program for 2 y. It has so far found neither irrefutable evidence of
a weapons program nor said it is sure Iran's atomic aims are peaceful.

@Eclipsed in Iraq
The US is losing in Iraq -- literally losing territory and population
to the other side. But who is going to tell the American voters?
Op/Ed (AlterNet/The Nation). The presidential pageant has now risen
full in the sky and is blocking out the sun. Until Nov, we dwell in a
weird half-light, stumbling into spooky shadows but shielded from the
harsh glare of the nation's actual circumstances. Down is up, fiction
is truth, momentous realities are made to disappear from the public
mind. The 2004 spectacle is not the 1st to mislead grossly and exploit
emotional weaknesses in the nat'l character. But this time the
consequences will be especially grim.
The US is "losing" in Iraq, literally losing territory and population
to the other side. Careful readers of the leading newspapers may know
this, but I doubt most voters do. How could they, given the martial
self-congratulations of the Pres and relative restraint from his
opponent? High-minded pundits tell us not to dwell on the long-ago
past. But the cruel irony of 2004 is that Vietnam is the story. The
arrogance and deceit -- the utter waste of human life, ours and theirs
-- play before us once again. A frank discussion will have to wait
until after the election.
Several Suns ago, an ominous article appeared in the opinion section
of the NY Times : "One by One, Iraqi Cities Become No-Go Zones."
Fallujah, Samarrah, Ramadi, Karbala, the Sadr City slums of Baghdad --
these and other population centres are now controlled by various
insurgencies and essentially ceded by US forces. This situation would
make a joke of the nat'l elections planned for Jan. Yet, if US troops
try to recapture the lost cities, the bombing and urban fighting would
produce massive killing and destruction, further poisoning politics
for the US occupation and its puppet govt in Saigon -- sorry, Baghdad.
3 days later, the story hit page one when anonymous Pentagon officials
confirmed the reality. Not to worry, they said: The US is training and
expanding the infant Iraqi army so it can do the fighting for
us. That's the ticket -- Vietnamisation. I remember how well Gen
Westmoreland articulated the strategy back in the 1960s, when war's
progress was measured by official "body counts" and reports on "new"
fighting forces on the way.
But this time Washington decided the US couldn't wait for
"Iraqisation," a strategy that might sound limp-wristed to American
voters. The US bombing and assaults quickly resumed. The Bush White
House is thus picking targets and second-guessing field cmdrs, just as
Lyndon Johnson did forty y ago in Indochina. Bush is haunted by the
mordant remark a US combat officer once made in Vietnam: "We had to
destroy the village in order to save it."
Meanwhile, Bush's war is destroying the US Army, just as LBJ's war did.
After Vietnam, military leaders and Richard Nixon wisely abolished the
draft and opted for an all-volunteer force. When this war ends, the
volunteer army will be in ruins and a limited draft lottery may be
required to fill out the ranks. After Iraq, men and women will get out
of uniform in large numbers, especially as they grasp the futility of
their sacrifices. Yet Bush's on-the-cheap war-making against a weak
opponent demonstrates that a larger force structure is needed to
sustain his policy of pre-emptive war. Kerry says he wants 40,000 more
troops, just in case.
Old generals doubt Congress would pay for it, given the deficits.
Iraq is Vietnam standing in the mirror. John Kerry, if he had it in
him, could lead a nat'l teach-in -- re-educate those who have
forgotten or prettified their memories but especially inform younger
voters who weren't around for the nat'l shame a generation ago. Kerry
could describe in plain English what's unfolding now in Iraq and what
must be done to find a way out with honour. In other words, be a
truth-teller while holding Bush accountable.
Kerry won't go there, probably couldn't without enduring still greater
anger. His war-hero campaign biography inadvertently engendered
slanderous attacks and still-smoldering resentments. Kerry, like other
establishment Dems, originally calculated that the party should be as
pro-war as Bush, thus freeing him to run on other issues. That gross
miscalculation leaves him proffering a lame "solution" -- persuading
France, Germany and others to send their troops into this
quagmire. Not bloody likely, as the Brits say.
Bush can't go nr the truth for obvious reasons. If elected, he faces
only bad choices -- bomb the bejeezus out of Iraq, as Nixon bombed
Vietnam and Cambodia, or bug out under the cover of artful lies. The
one thing Bush's famous "resolve" cannot achieve is success at
war. Never mind, he aims to win the election instead.
So this presidential contest resembles a grotesque, media-focused war
in which 2 sides skirmish for the attention of ill-informed
voters. Bush won big back when he got Iraq off the front pages and
evening news with his phony hand-off of sovereignty and his
chest-thumping convention. But then his opponents -- the hostile
insurgents in Iraq -- struck back brilliantly and managed to put the
war story back in the lead on the news (might we expect from them an
"Oct surprise" of deadlier proportions?). In this fight, Kerry is like
a bystander who might benefit from bad news but can't wish for
it. Most combat correspondents, with brave exceptions, hesitate to
step back from daily facts and tell the larger truth. Maybe they are
afraid to sound partial.
The timing of events in Iraq does not fit propitiously with the
election calendar. A majority has already concluded that it was a
mistake to fight this war, but public credulity is not yet
destroyed. A majority still wants to believe the strategy may yet
succeed, that Iraq won't become another dark stain in our history
books. During Vietnam, the process of giving up on such wishful
thinking took many years. The breaking point came in 1968, when a
majority turned against the war. LBJ withdrew from running for
re-election. Nixon won that y with his "secret plan" to win the
peace. The war continued for another 5 years. US casualties doubled.
This time, public opinion has moved much faster against the war, but
perhaps not fast enough. People naturally are reluctant to conclude
that their country did the wrong thing, that young people died for a
pointless cause. If the war story does stay hot and high on front
pages, a collapse of faith might occur in time for this election, but
more likely it will come later. Nixon won a landslide re-election in
1972 with his election-eve announcement that peace was at hand, the
troops were coming home. In the hands of skilled manipulators,
horrendous defeat can be turned into honourable victory. Temporarily at
least. When the enemy eventually triumphed in Indochina, Nixon was
already gone, driven out for other crimes.

@Ruling ups Tempo of press restrictions
Criminal conviction: Activists say Bambang Harymurti's sentence for
libel is a blow to press freedom.
Jakarta (ABC, Peter Lloyd). Although Indonesia's fledgling democracy
has ushered in a new era of freedom, that freedom clearly has limits.
This has been dramatically illustrated by the sentencing of the editor
of the respected magazine, Tempo, to 1 y in jail for criminal libel.
Although the editor, Bambang Harymurti, has been charged with
libelling a businessman, not a politician, his conviction is being
seen as a major setback for press freedom.
Tempo, a Time magazine look-alike, has always been at the cutting edge
of journalism in Indonesia.
It was too cutting for Gen Suharto, who shut it down in 1994, but 10 y
on it is again ruffling the feathers of businessmen and politicians alike.
People who are protected by laws that Alan Kennedy, who is in Jakarta
representing the Internat'l Federation of Journalists, says have "a
chilling effect on a free press".
"We have problems with the legal process, and everyone should have a
problem with the legal process," the Media, Entertainment and Arts
Alliance representative said.
"In a civil society you don't have criminal libel cases where
journalists are put in jail.
"You use the civil side of it, a sort of civilised defamation
environment where apologies can be sought, damages can be sought but
not monstrous damages that will cripple a company."
* Reform
But Mr Kennedy is not without hope.
He says he is confident Indonesian politicians, who are currently
caught up in the presidential race, will heed calls for reform made by
the Indonesian press.
"We think that the campaign they've been running, which we've been
helping with, is having some success," he said.
"We're reasonably confident after conversations with both sides... in
the presidential race that they will listen to suggestions that they
just scrap this law."
"Politicians in Indonesia are the same as politicians in AUS, they're
very reluctant to lose any ability to give the press a kicking when
they feel the need."
Mr Kennedy says support for change has been "pretty emphatic" but
change will need a president with a strong mandate.
"The problem for both of them is that the way the Parliament's
structured is that the actual MPs are really free-lancers," he said.
"Unless the president comes in who is elected with a huge mandate to
say, look I have the power to change things... it's sort of a bit of a
maverick parliament and they can sort of do whatever they like.
"Politicians in Indonesia are the same as politicians in AUS, they're
very reluctant to lose any ability to give the press a kicking when
they feel the need."
* Widespread problems
Problems with press freedom are not uniquely Indonesian, nor confined
to South-East Asia.
"There's a huge problem with press freedom," Mr Kennedy said.
"There's a celebrated case in Thailand which is the same thing
criminal defamation.
"There was a criminal defamation case in Malaysia which was once again
using old Brit laws from the emergency, maybe pre-emergency.
"Singapore's notorious for the way it runs libel cases against,
generally against politicians, and the Philippines has, well they seem
to have done away with the law altogether and they just shoot the
journalists up there.
"Some people we were told, might have 50 libel writs in the
Philippines, just one journalist, but the courts there tend to sort of
weed them out and I don't think they have a criminal libel jurisdiction."

@Troops may leave Iraq next y: Hill
Canberra. Aussie Def Min Robert Hill is hopeful that internat'l
troops could be able to withdraw from Iraq sometime next y. Sen Hill
has described the situation in Iraq as very difficult. He has told
the ABC's Insiders program, that while Aussie troops should stay until
the job is done, that could be next y, according to the UN. "The
United Nations is looking at a timetable that takes us through the
elections, the setting up of the new constitution, and a full
transferring of govt to the new Iraq and that's basically a period of
next y," he said. His statement comes as violence in Iraq continues.
Insurgents have threatened to kill 13 hostages, including 2
Americans and a Briton, and staged car bomb attacks killing 23 people
in Kirkuk and 2 US soldiers nr Baghdad. The US has conceded that
elections could not be held under current security conditions but says
it has launched a mission to regain control of rebel-held areas by the
end of the y so the polls can go ahead on time.

@Possible source of Bush documents
Washington (AP). A retired Texas Nat'l Guard official mentioned as a
possible source for disputed documents about Pres George W Bush's
service in the Guard said he passed along info to a former senator
working with John Kerry's campaign.
In an Aug 21 e-mail to a list of Texas Democrats, Bill Burkett said
after getting through "7 layers of bureaucratic kids" in the
Democrat's campaign, he talked with former Georgia senator Max Cleland
about info that would counter criticism of Kerry's Vietnam War service.
The Associated Press has obtained a copy of the e-mail.
"I asked if they wanted to counterattack or ride this to ground and
outlast it, not spending any money. [Cleland] said counterattack. So I
gave them the info to do it with," Burkett wrote.
Burkett, who lives just outside of Abilene, wrote that no one at the
Kerry campaign called him back.
The e-mail was distributed to a Yahoo list of Texas Democrats. The
site, which had about 570 members, is not affiliated with the state party.
Kerry campaign officials did not immediately comment to The Associated
Presson about whether Cleland or the campaign received any
communications from Burkett.
Republican Nat'l Committee rep Jim Dyke suggested collaboration
between Burkett and the Kerry campaign.
"The trail of connections is becoming increasingly clear," he said.
Burkett, who identifies himself as a Democrat, did not return several
phone messages left by The Associated Press over the past week. There
was no answer at his telephone number.
Burkett's lawyer, David Van Os, a Democratic candidate for the Texas
Supreme Court, issued a statement this wk saying Burkett "no longer
trusts any possible outcome of speaking to the press on any issue
regarding George W Bush."
Burkett, who retired from the Nat'l Guard in 1999, has been cited in
media reports as a source for a CBS News "60 Minutes" story about
documents allegedly written by one of Bush's former cmdrs that
indicated the future president ignored an order to take a physical.
The authenticity of the documents has been called into question by
some experts and relatives of the late Lt Col Jerry Killian, who
supposedly wrote them when he supervised Bush in 1972 and 1973. One of
the memos indicated that Killian had been pressured to sugarcoat
Bush's performance.
CBS has stood by its reporting, but said the network would redouble
its efforts to determine the authenticity of the documents.
Leading operatives for the Texas Democratic Party did not receive
Burkett's Aug e-mail, said Kelly Fero, one of the state party's strategists.
"The Democrats who run the party and are sort of the main strategists
in Texas never saw it," Fero said. "We have lots of groups of
Democrats who communicate among themselves constantly by e-mail."

@Pro-election Afghan tribal chiefs murdered
Kabul (AFP). 2 tribal chiefs who supported Afghanistan's upcoming
presidential polls have been found dead after allegedly being
kidnapped by Taliban rebels, an official said on Sat. The 2 were
captured along with 5 others at least a wk earlier, said provincial
security chief Mohammed Salim Ehsas. "2 old tribal leaders, who were
campaigning for the election, were killed after they were taken by the
Taliban," he said. "5 other people were abducted, all of them are
from Maruf district. We don't know if they are dead of alive." The
hard-line Islamist Taliban, who continue to enjoy strong support
despite their ousting by US-led forces in 2001, have vowed to disrupt
Afghanistan's 1st presidential elections on Oct 9. The security chief
said an Afghan soldier had been killed in the same district by
presumed Taliban guerrillas.

@Russian police intercept car with explosives: report
Moscow (Reuters). Police intercepted a car packed with explosives in
central Moscow on Sat and said they had thwarted a terrorist attack,
Russian media reported. A suspect arrested at the scene told
investigators he was being paid $1,000 to take the car to a major
thoroughfare used by Pres Vladimir Putin to travel to and from the
Kremlin, news agencies and TV said, quoting the security
forces. The suspect later died from a heart attack in hospital after
questioning, Interfax news agency quoted officials as saying. Some
reports suggested the planned attack might have targeted a museum on
the road where Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov had invited mayors from other
major cities at the weekend. The incident was prominently reported on
TV newscasts following a string of attacks by Chechen rebels
in recent wks. These have included a school siege in S Russia during
which more than 320 hostages died, and near-simultaneous twin plane
crashes that killed 90 people.

@Mastermind behind kidnap gang 'close to Bin Laden'
Washington (Scotsman/PA News). Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been named as
the link between Iraq and al Qaeda and is accused of orchestrating a
spate of suicide bombings and attacks in the Middle E country.
The US is offering a 25 mn reward for his capture. The militant is
said by US Secretary of State Colin Powell to be one of Osama bin
Laden's closest associates.
Members of al-Zarqawi's group have kidnapped Briton Kenneth
Bigley and 2 Americans in Iraq and are threatening to kill them if
their demands are not met.
Al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian of Palestinian descent, is suspected of
masterminding bombing raids on Shiites in Kerbala and Baghdad in a bid
to cause civil unrest.
And he was reportedly involved in the beheading of American contractor
Nick Berg in May. It was claimed the 37-yo even carried out the fatal blow.
It is also alleged he claimed responsibility for suicide boat attacks
that killed 3 Americans and disabled Iraq's biggest oil
terminal for more than 24 hr in Apr.
Little is known about his personal background but he is believed to be
of Bedouin stock, and his tribe, the Beni Hassan, straddles many
borders in the modern Middle East.
Al-Zarqawi is said to have fled a life of poverty to fight in the
Afghan war against Soviet occupation.
The Jordanian returned to his home country but spent 7 y in prison
accused of conspiring to overthrow the monarchy and establish an
Islamic caliphate.
On his release it is thought he spent time in Europe and may have
returned to his Afghan base where he specialised in manufacturing
poisons and taught "students" how to make the
lethal chemicals.
In 2001 he suffered a leg injury in a US missile attack against his
base. The leg was later amputated.
He 1st came to public prominence when Mr Powell highlighted
American's concerns about him during the run-up to the war
in Iraq in 2003.
The Secretary of State told the UN that the terrorist network in Iraq
was centred on al-Zarqawi. He claimed the militant was operating in
parts of Iraq free from the power of Saddam Hussein but controlled by
an Islamic group called Ansar al-Islam [Supporters of Islam].
Al-Zarqawi is also wanted by Jordanian authorities. A military court
sentenced him to death in his absence for leading a conspiracy to kill
US aid worker Laurence Foley, 60, who was gunned down outside his
Amman home in 2002.
It is also thought al-Zarqawi has been involved in operations in Europe.
Moroccan authorities believe he may have helped guide the Madrid train
bombings which killed 202 people earlier this year, and he has also
been linked to similar attacks in Casablanca and Istanbul.
In recent m attacks have continued in the Middle East, and a group
linked to al-Zarqawi is suspected of being behind violent outbreaks in
June that killed more than 100 people in 5 Iraqi cities.

@Pakistan wins release of 34 Guantanamo detainees
Islamabad (AFP). Pakistan says persistent govt pressure has secured
the release of 34 nat'ls from the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay.
"There are 34 Pakistanis and an Afghan nat'l who have returned here
after their release from Guantanamo Bay," interior ministry rep Brig
Javed Cheema told AFP.
"It has been made possible due to persistent efforts by the Govt to
secure the release of Pakistani prisoners held up in Guantanamo Bay,"
said Brig Cheema, who led a 3-member delegation to US in Apr for
release talks.
The Pakistanis and one Afghan arrived in Islamabad late Sat and were
detained by security officials for debriefing, he said.
The release, which comes on the eve of Pakistani Pres Pervez
Musharraf's visit to the US, was the largest since Nov 2002.
US authorities have already released 24 prisoners.
2 Aussie's -- David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib -- have been detained in
Guantanamo Bay for almost 3 y.
Pakistan, a key ally in the US-led war on terror, and the United
States agreed in March to screen Pakistani prisoners for their
possible release from detention.
Thousands of Pakistanis were captured in Afghanistan following the
ouster of the hard-line Islamic Taliban regime in late 2001.
Some 64 were transferred to the US naval detention centre while 100s
of others were locked up in Afghan jails, officials said.

@Militants threaten to kill hostages
[Later reports say the headless body of one has been recovered].
Al Jazeera has broadcast pix showing a hooded gunman reading a
statement behind 3 blindfolded captives, 2 Americans and a Brit.
Baghdad (Reuters). Insurgents in Iraq have threatened to kill 13
hostages, including 2 Americans and a Briton, and staged car bomb
attacks killing 23 people in Kirkuk and 2 US soldiers nr Baghdad.
The US has conceded that elections could not be held under current
security conditions but says it has launched a mission to regain
control of rebel-held areas by the end of the y so the polls can go
ahead on time.
Internet video footage showed 2 US and a Brit hostage kneeling blindfolded,
with a hooded gunman aiming his weapon at the head of one captive.
They were seized from a house in Baghdad on Thu.
The gunman said the Tawhid and Jihad group led by Jordanian militant
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi would kill the men unless Iraqi women prisoners
were freed from 2 Iraqi jails within 48 hr.
The US military said no women were held at either the Abu Ghraib or
Umm Qasr prisons cited by the militants.
Zarqawi's group has claimed responsibility for many of the bloodiest
attacks in Iraq, and in May released video footage of the beheading of
US hostage Nicholas Berg.
A militant Iraqi group seized 10 employees of a US-Turkish firm and
threatened to kill them unless the company quit Iraq within 3 days, Al
Jazeera TV reported on Sat.
Guerrilla violence and instability across Iraq have raised doubts that
elections can be held in Jan as planned.
In the 3rd major suicide attack this wk against Iraq's beleaguered
security forces, a car bomber on Sat killed at least 23 people outside
the HQ of the Iraqi Nat'l Guard in the northern city of Kirkuk,
hospital officials said.
The bomb ripped through a crowd of people waiting to apply for jobs at
the offices in Kirkuk, 250 km N of Baghdad.
In Baghdad, a car bomb blast killed 2 US soldiers on the road to the
internat'l airport.
They were travelling to the scene of an earlier suspected suicide car
bomb attack on the road that had wounded 3 soldiers, the army said.
Elsewhere, US aircraft fired 4 rockets at targets in the rebel-held
city of Fallujah on Sat night, residents said.
Doctors said 4 people were killed in the strike.
* Hundreds killed
100s of Iraqis have been killed over the past wk in a surge of violence.
In his weekly radio address, Pres George W Bush said insurgents were
trying to derail polls in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Terrorist enemies are trying to stop the progress of both those
countries, and their violent and merciless attacks may increase as
elections draw near," he said.
There has been a wave of bomb attacks over the last wk.
In the deadliest attack in Baghdad in 6 m, a suicide bomb on Tue
outside a police HQ killed at least 47 people.
Washington regards Zarqawi as its top foe in Iraq and says he has
links to the Al Qaeda guerrilla network.
It has offered $25 mn for info leading to his death or capture.
The US military has mounted a series of air strikes around the
guerrilla stronghold of Fallujah targeting Zarqawi's network and says
dozens of his fighters have been killed in recent days.
* Hostage crisis
More than 100 foreigners from dozens of countries have been snatched
in the last 6 m.
Most were later released but around 30 have been killed, sometimes by
beheading.
At least 7 Westerners are being held, including 2 French journalists
and 2 Italian aid workers.
The Islam Memo website said on Sat it had received a message
purportedly from a group holding the 2 journalists, saying they were
no longer captives but were remaining with the group for some time to
cover their activities.
The authenticity of the statement could not be verified.
Al Jazeera TV showed a video tape issued by the Abu Bakr
al-Seddiq Battalions showing 10 men from what it said was an
American-Turkish company.
The hostages appeared to be from the Middle East.
Earlier on Sat, a Turkish TV station reported a Turkish truck
driver was killed in an attack in the N Iraqi city of Mosul.
Mohammed al-Zibari, a snr official in the state-run N Oil Company,
survived an assassination attempt on Sat when gunmen attacked his
convoy in the N city of Mosul, police said.
4 of his bodyguards were killed.

@US, Iraqi agreement on debt relief
Baghdad (AP). The US has secured the broad outlines of an
agreement with many of Iraq's creditors to provide a major debt
reduction before the end of the year, a visiting US official said.
The announcement came after 2 days of intensive talks here between a
US delegation headed by the undersecretary of state for economic
affairs, Alan P Larson, and an Iraqi team led by Iraq's Finance Min
Adel Abdul-Mahdi.
"We spent a lot of time discussing Iraq's debt and as you know Iraq is
asking that it be forgiven from most of it. We also want this matter
solved [debt] by the end of the year," Abdul-Mahdi said during a news
conference with Larson.
A snr US treasury official said Tue that Iraq is on course to reach a
deal this m with the IMF that would allow it to restructure its
colossal debt.
An agreement with the IMF on an economic recovery program for Iraq
would allow the country's new govt to apply formally to the Paris Club
to write the debt off.
The US has been pushing for generous debt write-off for Iraq while
other govts have questioned whether a country rich in oil should
benefit from huge debt reduction.
"What we have secured at this point is the agreement of many of Iraq's
major creditors in particular those of the G-8 countries that we will
provide debt reduction this y in 2004 and that it will be sufficient
to ensure sustainability as Iraq advances into the future," Larson
said. "In our view the amount of debt reduction will have to include
the vast majority of the debt that Iraq owes to its external creditors."
Iraq has said its overall foreign debt of $US122 bn is hindering
postwar reconstruction.
Iraq owes about $US42 bn in debt to the G-8 countries and other rich
nations who make up the so-called Paris Club of creditor
countries. Another $US80 bn is owed to various Arab govts.
Larson said his country is working hard with Iraqi officials to fight
the high unemployment which is said to be around 30%. He added that
America's Export Import Bank will cooperate with Iraqi authorities to
extend up to $US500 mn worth of grace credits to Iraq.
"We are very interested in making sure that our economic assistance
contributes to employment in Iraq," Larson said. "We are working
directly to increase employment through short-term jobs programs that
are employing on an average 40,000 every month."
Asked if they will be able to go on with their projects despite the
unstable situation Larson said "Yes I do. We are determined to
accelerate the phase of reconstruction."

@Iraq suicide blast, hostage threat
Kirkuk (AFP/The Age). Up to 23 people were killed in a suicide
bombing yesterday , capping a wk of violence in Iraq as al-Qaeda
linked militants threatened to kill 2 American and a Brit hostage in 48 hr.
More than 400 Iraqis have died in a wave of bombings and fighting
since the start of the month, exacerbating fears over security 4 m
before general elections are to be held in Jan.
In the latest attack, a suicide bomber smashed through the security
barriers outside the Iraqi nat'l guard HQ in Kirkuk, the 2nd major
attack on the N oil city in 2 wk, police said.
At least 17 and up to 23 people were killed and another 53 people
wounded, hospital officials said.
The vehicle passed through 3 barriers before it reached the outer gate
of the building and exploded, sending shrapnel flying into a crowd of
nat'l guard recruits lined up outside. Ambulances raced to the scene
and police fired warning shots in the air.
The health ministry reported at least 268 people killed in the past wk
alone and another 820 wounded. Meanwhile, loyalists of suspected
al-Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi threatened to kill 2 Americans
and a Briton unless Iraqi women prisoners are freed within 48 hr,
according to a videotape broadcast on al-Jazeera TV.
3 blindfolded men were shown sitting in front of gunmen dressed in
black, pointing their machine-guns at the prisoners.
Americans Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong and Brit engineer Kenneth
Bigley were abducted by gunmen from their house in Baghdad's upscale
Mansour district on Thu.
In further violence, 5 bodyguards for Mohammed Ahmed Zebari, a snr
official at the oil ministry in Mosul, died from gun and
rocket-propelled grenade fire in the N city, police said.
In Baquba, 9 people were wounded by shrapnel when a mortar shell
struck a crowd of students and parents awaiting exam results outside a
school, police and hospital sources said.
Despite the rampant unrest, which hardly sells Iraq as a tourism
destination, nat'l carrier Iraqi Airways launched its 1st internat'l
flight in 14 y. A plane took off from Amman to Baghdad without passengers.
The airline had been grounded since Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait and
the subsequent UN sanctions imposed on the former regime of toppled
dictator Saddam Hussein. It has only one functioning aircraft, a Boeing 737.
Brit soldiers also clashed with Shiite Muslim militiamen for hrs
overnight in the main S city of Basra, after confiscating a weapons
cache from the office of the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
With death and destruction part of daily life in Iraq now, a London
newspaper reported that Brit PM Tony Blair had been briefed on the
risks of Iraq sliding into chaos if Saddam was removed from power.
"There seems to be a larger hole in this than anything," wrote For Sec
Jack Straw in one of several secret documents that Blair was shown a
full y before the US-led invasion he so staunchly backed.
One of the documents drawn up by Brit foreign policy adviser Sir David
Manning, after a trip to Washington in March 2002, said: "I think
there is a real risk that the Admin [of US Pres George Bush]
underestimates the difficulties.
"They may agree that failure isn't an option, but this does not mean
they will necessarily avoid it," Sir David wrote.
3 m after he was nominated as Iraq's caretaker PM by Washington, Iyad
Allawi was looking forward to a warm welcome in the US, where Bush
said he was anxious to see him.
The Daily Telegraph published its article against a re-emerging
diplomatic spat on the legitimacy of the invasion, pitting France and
the UN against the US and its allies Brit and AUS. US Secretary of
State Colin Powell said he called UN chief Kofi Annan to express
concern over his remark that the Iraq war was "illegal".

@Insurgents killed in clashes over Sadr's office
Brit troops have withdrawn from Sadr's Basra office.
Baghdad (AFP/Reuters). Brit troops killed 3 Shiite Muslim militiamen
in clashes on Sat before coalition forces withdrew from the office of
radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the S Iraqi city of Basra, the
military said.
The insurgents were killed as soldiers beat back Mehdi Army elements
who opened fire on Brit soldiers, who had commandeered Sadr's office
in an overnight raid, a military rep said.
Hospital officials had said 8 civilians were wounded in overnight
clashes in the area after Brit soldiers seized a weapons cache
following an ambush of a patrol late on Fri.
In the early afternoon, an AFP correspondent said Brit troops left the
building in control of local security and political officials.
"There will be reconciliation and a final solution will be followed by
talks with all political parties, including the Basra governorate, to
discuss the matter of compensation," said Basra's nat'l guard cmdr
Brig Dhiaa al-Kadhimi.
The Brit military had offered to repair the Sadr office following its
raid, in which furniture and an outer fence were damaged, Brig Kadhimi added.
"The Mehdi Army is going to attack the Brit troops who are inside the
building, but they are afraid of hurting civilians," Sadr's Basra
representative Sheikh Assad Basri told AFP in the morning.
Tensions had flared in Basra earlier in the wk after police raided
Sadr's offices and seized weapons.
* Hostage taking
Meanwhile, a militant Iraqi group has kidnapped 10 employees of a
US-Turkish company and threatened to kill them if the company does not
withdraw from Iraq within 3 days, Al Jazeera TV reported on Sat.
The TV showed a video tape issued by the Abu Bakr al Seddiq
Battalions showing 10 men sitting on the ground and holding up their
ID papers, in front of masked armed captors.
An Islamist website said on Sat it had received a message purportedly
from an Iraqi group holding 2 French journalists hostage saying it had
conditionally agreed to free them.
The website said it could not authenticate the message.
The Islam Memo website quoted the message from the 'Islamic Army in
Iraq' as saying that kidnapped French journalists Christian Chesnot
and Georges Malbrunot had "willingly agreed" to work for it to inform
the W about the realities of the US-led war and the "truth" about the
Iraqi resistance.
"The Islamic Army in Iraq...has ended the imprisonment of 2 French
journalists," the site quoted the statement as saying.
"They are now conducting their work in agreement with the Islamic Army
and it was agreed [that] they work for the army to cover battles and
attacks...for a limited period which has not been announced," the
message was quoted as saying.
In Paris, a govt rep said France was studying the message.
"It is premature to say whether or not this statement is authentic. We
are analysing it," the rep said.
France's objection to "Allawi's agent army" was one of the reasons for
the group to agree to free the hostages, the message said.

@US air strike in Fallujah kills 4: hospital
Fallujah (AFP). A US air strike has killed 4 people and left 5
wounded in Fallujah, as the US military kept up its campaign of
nightly attacks in the Iraqi rebel stronghold, a local hospital said.
"4 people were killed and 5 wounded," said Dr Ali Hiad Mashadani at
Fallujah general hospital. There was no immediate confirmation of the
raid from the US military. The strike followed an air raid on Fri
that killed 3 people and several bombardments the previous night that
left 44 people dead around Fallujah, some 50 km W of Baghdad. Doctors
said women and children were among the dead. US forces described the
strikes as targeting safe houses of suspected Al Qaeda operative Abu
Mussab al-Zarqawi.

@Blair denies Iraq post-war chaos warning
London (AFP). Brit PM Tony Blair has denied reports that his FM, Jack
Straw, had warned him a y before the US-led invasion of Iraq that a
war could push the country into chaos.
"He didn't do anything of the sort. What he warned of is this: that it
is important not to replace one dictator, Saddam Hussein, by another
dictator," Mr Blair told reporters.
"The idea that we didn't have a plan for afterwards is simply not
correct. We did, but there are people in Iraq who are determined to
stop us," he said on the sidelines of talks on the N Irish peace
process at Leeds Castle, SE England.
"Terrorist groups are prepared to kill and take hostages to prevent
Iraq from becoming a stable country," Mr Blair said.
"That is why it is all the more important that we carry on until we
win it. And we will."
The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Sat that secret papers sent
to Mr Blair a y before the US-led invasion of Iraq warned of the risks
of Iraq sliding into post-war chaos.
One of the warnings came from Blair's own foreign secretary, Jack
Straw, who predicted in March 2002 that post-war Iraq was liable to be
a source of major problems, the newspaper said.
Mr Straw pointed out that US policy-makers were pushing for Saddam
Hussein to be ousted as a way to end Iraq's quest for weapons of mass
destruction, the paper said.
"But no one has satisfactorily answered how there can be any certainty
that the replacement regime will be any better," Mr Straw wrote,
according to the Daily Telegraph.
Hundreds of Iraqis have perished in a wave of bombings and fighting
since the start of the month, exacerbating fears over the security
situation 4 m before general elections are scheduled to be held in the
country in Jan.

@Blair says no agreement in N Ireland talks
London (AFP). Brit Prime Min Tony Blair says last-ditch talks between
Catholic and Protestant parties to revive N Ireland's peace process
had ended without agreement.
Despite 3 days of intensive negotiations, "there is however not yet
comprehensive agreement" on the issues that are key to restoring
devolved govt to the province, Mr Blair said.
The Brit leader, standing next to his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern
at Leeds Castle, SE England, said progress had been made on the
fundamental question of disarmament -- a reference to the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) -- but not on issues of power-sharing in the
Northern Ireland govt.
"There is huge potential in what has happened here, but whether it
turns out to be historic, the next few days or wk will tell us," Mr
Blair told journalists.
"We've basically resolved the contours of the paramilitary question,
but we've still got to make sure that whatever changes that are made
to institutional structures, that they are acceptable to all parties."
Catholic parties and sources in the Irish govt earlier Sat blamed the
hardline Protestant Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for "choking" the
negotiations by insisting on a total revision of the power-sharing
structure set up by the 1998 Good Fri pact.
Mr Ahern stressed that the "fundamentals of [power-sharing in] the
Good Fri agreement are not up for debate".
Mr Ahern made the statement in an apparent response to DUP requests to
overhaul that historic peace deal.
"If we can't find agreement, and I hope we can, we're going to have to
find another way forward. What we can't do is to have the whole thing
holed up forever," Mr Blair added.
"I think we'll know pretty soon if the people are serious."

@NT barrister to head nat'l law council
Darwin. A Darwin barrister has become the 1st Territorian to head up
AUS's peak nat'l lawyers' body. Steve Southwood QC has been elected
president of the Law Council of AUS. The 49-yo says he hopes to
complete several projects during his 12-m tenure. "Firstly to
complete the nat'l model laws project which is aimed at developing a
truly nat'l legal profession in AUS," he said. "Second, to do some
more work on rationalising and reducing the insurance costs of
lawyers, and thirdly to expand the Aussie legal profession's contact
with the legal profession in Asia."

@Chinese political shuffle likely
Beijing. China's top communist leaders today wind up a high level
meeting, with expectations that a political reshuffle has taken place.
Almost 200 members of China's Communist Party's central committee held
a closed-door meeting in Beijing, looking at ways of improving the
party's rule over the country. Today they finish, with little known
about the detail of what was deliberated. Diplomats and party figures
say Pres Hu Jintao may have assumed leadership of the military, the
last remaining post he has not held since he took office in late 2002.
Former Pres Jiang Zemin is believed to have handed in his resignation.
An announcement could be made today. Even if Mr Jiang does go, it is
likely he will still wield great influence behind the scenes.

@MEL team wins Henley on Todd regatta
Ther Alis. A MEL team sponsored by a Swedish-Finnish company has won
the main race in the Alice Springs Henley on Todd regatta. The event
features people running in bottomless boats in a dry river bed and is
a parody on the annual regatta between universities on the Thames
River in the UK. Event marketing coordinator Scott Boocock says more
than 350 competitors participated in the event, and there were many
tourists. "There probably was about 1,000 locals and 3,500 tourists,"
he said. "I have been receiving emails and phone calls for the last 2
m on what times, dates, from anywhere from Sweden to China and pretty
much right across the country."

@New weekly hits Adel newsstands
In print: The Independent's director says it is up to readers to keep
it in business.
Adelaide. A new Adel weekly newspaper has been released for the 1st
time today. The Independent Weekly is a broadsheet funded by 40 SA
investors. It employs 8 local journalists, and has syndication deals
with the Independent in the UK and Fairfax. The managing director,
Paul Hamra, says the Adel market has been wanting something different
for a long time. "Everyone has been talking about the need for
another newspaper," Mr Hamra said. "Its really up to the people
whether they want to support something different and something new so
that they can have an alternative."

@Women work around glass ceiling
Working around it: Julia Ross is all too familiar with sexism in the
workplace.
Sydney. In the 1980s and 1990s when there were still almost no women
at the top in big business, someone coined the phrase "the glass
ceiling" to describe the plight of ambitious women held back because
of their gender.
But with prominent women like Margaret Jackson as chair of Qantas and
Gail Kelly as chief executive of St George Bank, is it right to assume
that sexism in business is now a dead issue?
A conference of powerful businessmen and women held in SYD this wk has
heard that there is a still a long way to go.
"Most people know when I listed on the stock exchange I cut my hair
and dyed it brown and those sort of things so people would take me
seriously, so that the preconceived ideas of the blonde female didn't
enter into it," Julia Ross said.
This is not just a novice starting out on the factory floor but the
founder of a company which turns over $350 mn pa.
Ms Ross, the managing director of Ross Human Directions, says she has
been battling sexism all her working life.
The attitude of big institutions when Ms Ross floated her company,
just 4 y ago, was a real eye-opener.
"I'd appointed my board some wk before and ready for the float and
they'd got to know a little about the business, but I'd walk in to see
people and they'd speak to the male members of the board and ask them
what the company was all about," she said.
"Me being me, I just played the game and sat back and let the boys
talk about it, who basically knew very little about the business, I'd
been running it for all those years, but the preconceived idea was
that any male in the room knew more about it than me.
* Tea and tidy
Another woman with a similar story is Sonia Amoroso, who is the
founder of Cat Media, a company specialising in healthcare and beauty products.
"I mean I knew I had the talent to do other things, and yet, because I
was a woman I was being asked to do things like make tea and things
like that, and I wasn't getting the promotions that I should've been
getting that I knew that I deserved as well," Ms Amoroso said.
Sitting between Sonia Amoroso and Julia Ross as they told their
stories to a conference in SYD, was a man who by his own admission
made life very difficult for women when he was starting out in his own
business career -- Harvey Norman chairman and former member of the
blokes club, Gerry Harvey.
"In the old days it was male-dominated and women weren't really in
business," Mr Harvey said.
"They just, you know, you'd go into a business meeting and if there
was a woman there it wouldn't be the same, the men would feel a lot
more comfortable if the woman wasn't in the room."
But Mr Harvey's attitude to women changed dramatically 20 y ago when
he met his match, Katie Page.
Ms Page is now the managing director of Harvey Norman and Mr Harvey's wife.
"We come from different areas. Sometimes I'll be right, sometimes
she'll be right," Mr Harvey said.
"What it's taught me is that I've got to think of things a little bit
differently sometimes, and if we work together on that as male and
female and use both our combined talents as a team, we'll do a lot lot
better than we ever will individually."
* At their own game
For Ms Ross the way to deal with sexism is to be thick-skinned and
keep focused on the big picture, beat the boys at their own game.
"I'm a great believer in really getting what you want at the end of
the day, and whatever it takes to do that," she said.
"Rather than trying to make issues with things that really perhaps
didn't matter or weren't going to change, finding ways of getting
around them to get what I wanted out of a situation.
"So if I'm doing a big client pitch if I have to take males in with me
to make the client think that our group's serious, those sort of
things I've done in my career 'cause I think it's got the results that
I wanted."
Which is probably not an option available to women at the lower end of
the corporate spectrum but for Mr Harvey, sexism is more than just men
treating women badly.
"The biggest advice I can give to any male in the business world,
listen to the women a lot more," he said.
"If you're not listening to them a lot more you're not going to do as
well as you could."

@Paratroopers drop in on Innisfail
Innisfail, FNQ. Another 250 paratroopers are about to start dropping
out of the skies above Innisfail in far N Qld. Earlier this morning,
more than 200 paratroopers fell to earth near Mourilyn Port. The
jumps are part of Exercise Swift Eagle, which involves more than 2,500
Aussie and NZ defence personnel. Lt Col Phil Swinsburg says the
paratroopers' objective is to secure the Innisfail show-grounds. "Then
they'll move down and secure the airport, consolidate the forces and
conduct an evacuation of 650 evacuees from the township," he said.
"They'll be moved in and about the townships of Atherton, Herberton,
Tully and Innisfail to conduct that evacuation."

@Cane toads just 70 km from Darwin
Darwin (AAP). A N Territory environmental group has warned of an
impending cane toad invasion in Darwin. Frog Watch NT's Graeme Sawyer
says the cane toad invasion of the area will occur this wet season
when they reach the rural areas surrounding Darwin, the Sun
Territorian reports. Mr Sawyer said the cane toads were already
within 70 km of Darwin nr the base of the Ringwood cattle station. The
toads have also hitch-hiked beyond Timber Creek towards the W Aussie
border. Mr Sawyer said a big concern for wildlife in Darwin was the
potential demise of green tree frogs. He encouraged residents to
fence off potential frog breeding sites to keep out cane toads or set
up pools of water off the ground.

@Logging policies to determine Greens preferences
Greens will direct their preferences to Labor in 30 marginal seats.
Hobart. Greens leader Bob Brown says his Party is waiting to see what
the major parties offer to do on the issue of logging in Tas's
old-growth forests, before making further decisions on preferences.
The Greens will direct their preferences to Labor in 30 marginal seats
at the fed election but are yet to decide on whether to direct
preferences that way in 26 other marginal seats.
Sen Brown has told Channel 7 that Labor would have to promise an
immediate end to clear-felling in high-conservation areas in order to
win further preferences.
"There needs to be a rapid transition away from that logging into
other areas, which the Greens have agreed can be logged in this
transition phase as we go across to a plantation base, which of course
is what the biggest saw miller Auspine has been talking about in the
last wk," he said.
PM John Howard is believed to be considering unveiling his plan for
the forestry industry on Thu or Fri.
The Greens have announced they will not direct preferences to Labor in Tas.
In Qld, Labor will give their 1st preferences to the Greens but the
Greens will allocate its 1st preferences to a number of smaller
progressive parties, then the Democrats, then Labor.
The NT Greens has decided to allocate preferences to Labor ahead of
the CLP in the Senate and the fed seat of Solomon.

@Party wrangling offers forest protection result, Greens say
Forestry policies have become election platforms for the major parties.
Hobart. The Greens hope election campaign manoeuvring by the big
parties may result in a breakthrough for the protection of old-growth
forests in Tas.
The major parties are under increasing pressure to come up with
popular plans to save forests without costing jobs.
Academics from around the country have voiced their concern about
old-growth logging in newspaper advertisements, saying fed
intervention is needed to extend reserves to include all high
conservation value forests.
Growing voter concern has the major parties in a tailspin.
State and Fed Labor leaders have been at loggerheads.
Liberal Sen Eric Abetz has backed the regional forest agreement in a
letter to a pro-logging group, a move that appeared to contradict the
PM's stand on ending old-growth logging.
Greens Senate candidate Christine Milne is hopeful of a breakthrough.
"Finally a solution to the forest industry divide in Tas is at hand,"
she said.
"It's fascinating to watch Liberal and Labor now jostling and arguing
and internally fighting about how they're going to do it."
The Greens have announced they will direct preferences to Labor in 30
marginal seats interstate but none in Tas.

@Latham rejects attack on economic credentials
Canberra. Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham has rejected suggestions he
would be an extreme risk to the Aussie economy if elected as Prime
Min. Commonwealth Bank chief executive David Murray has raised
concerns about Mr Latham's economic credentials and industrial
relations policies. Mr Latham has hit back. "As for Mr Murray, we've
been disappointed the Commonwealth Bank has closed down so many
branches and laid off staff," he said. "We've got a community
obligation fund to try and put banking services back into regional
communities in particular and obviously we're not happy at a time that
that bank has closed branches and laid off staff. "They're making big
increases in executive salaries when the community is copping it in
the neck."

@Labor announces $50 mn suburban safety plan
Canberra. Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham has announced a Labor Govt
would commit $50 mn to improve safety in Aussie suburbs. The money
would be distributed in grants to local organisations to implement
crime prevention projects. Labor says it wants to bring offenders
into contact with victims and local communities. Mr Latham says
Labor's committed to making Aussie neighbourhoods safer. "I've always
been struck by that American research that says that the best
indicator of community safety is not necessarily the number of police
on the beat, that's important, but in their research, a suburb where
people know the names of the next door neighbour," he said. "Where
there's activity on the street, where you've got the natural
surveillance of pedestrian activity and community life."

@Latham brushes off 'dishonest' ad
Television and newspaper ads attack Latham's economic record.
Sydney. The Fed Labor leader has dismissed a new round of negative
Liberal Party advertisements, as "dishonest claims from a dishonest govt".
"No one can trust Mr Howard. He can barely lie straight in bed and I'm
afraid his advertising campaign falls in the same category," Mr Latham said.
The TV and newspaper ads attack Mark Latham's economic record he was
while mayor of Liverpool Council in SYD in the early 90s.
The ads claim that under Mr Latham council fees and charges went up,
as well as borrowings, leaving a debt for the council that followed.
Mr Latham has told Channel 9 he ran a tight budget as mayor, reducing
debt, and an independent report found no evidence of imprudent
financial management while he was mayor.
"They're dishonest claims from a dishonest govt," he said.
"They're going personal, I mean, they're talking about the past
instead of talking about the country's future.
"They've got nothing to say about the nation's future.
They haven't got any problems, and solutions that they're putting out
there for the Aussie people, they're not a problem solving govt,
they've left all the problems to us."
While defending Labor's policy to cut lump sum annual family payments,
Mr Latham has produced a Dept of Finance document from this time last y.
Mr Latham says the document shows the PM did not support a $600 lump
sum payment to families to overcome debts to Centrelink.

@Labor commits $300 mn to maritime security
Canberra. The Fed Opp'n Leader has announced a Labor govt would
commit $300 mn to maritime security. The money would go to
establishing Labor's proposed coastguard which would include armed
helicopters and boats. A Labor govt would also have sea marshals to
accompany hazardous ship cargoes. Mr Latham says strong border
protection is vital to protecting AUS from terrorists. "Our
coastguard will free up naval resources that can be deployed in the
region, the sort of maritime strategies we've been talking about, to
make AUS safer, to disrupt and break up JI," he said. "This strategy
is going to be good for our defence as a nation, as well as the
maritime policing on which its based."

@PM turns focus to W SYD
Sydney. The PM will turn his attention today to the key election
battleground of W SYD, where he will launch the campaigns of 11
Liberal candidates. The Liberal Party's official campaign launch will
be in Bris next weekend, but today will be the Party's biggest set
piece event of the campaign for SYD. John Howard will lend his
support to the Liberal candidates in 11 seats across W SYD. That
includes Parramatta, which Govt MP Ross Cameron holds by just 1.2%,
and Greenway. Labor's prospects in those seats have improved, thanks
to a preference deal with the Greens covering 30 lower house marginal
seats. It is possible the deal between Labor and the Greens could
also be extended to another 26 seats, depending on policy
announcements. That deal now includes the Darwin-based seat of
Solomon, which Labor is hoping to win from Country Liberal Party MP
Dave Tollner. The Opp'n Leader Mark Latham will campaign there today.

@Howard cashes up SYD candidates
Major campaign: Mr Howard is pledging mn for 12 SYD seats.
Sydney. PM John Howard has announced a $50 mn package to help the
campaigns of 12 Liberal candidates in the W SYD area. Security had
been stepped up for what has been described as the Liberal's major
campaign event in SYD. Mr Howard addressed several hundred Liberal
supporters at Penrith, stressing his Govt's economic credentials.
"Over the last 8-and-1/2 years, we have generated more than 1.3
mn new jobs around AUS," Mr Howard said. "And W SYD has been a
spectacular beneficiary of that job generation." Mr Howard has
announced extra support for W SYD, including $25 mn for a medical
school at the University of W SYD. There is also $10 mn to upgrade
the Penrith stadium, an $8 mn local crime program and $7 mn for
cancer screening technology at the Westmead Hospital.

@Latham pitches health, education policies to NT
Selling to the north: Mr Latham is campaigning in Darwin.
Darwin. The ALP has unveiled a package of initiatives it will
implement to create more opportunities for N AUS if it wins govt.
There is a focus on education and health. Opp'n Leader Mark Latham is
visiting Darwin today. If elected, he says Labor will tackle the high
level of youth unemployment in the Territory through the development
of a regional apprentices program. Mr Latham says Charles Darwin
University would also benefit, receiving a share of the 20,000 extra
university places his party is promising. Mr Latham says Territorians
would also have better access to health services, with the creation of
a Medicare office in Palmerston and the rebuilding of the bulk-billing
system. He has also promised $20 mn to improve roads on
unincorporated land in the Territory. Labor would also upgrade the
road transport link to the Darwin Port.

@Psych ward escapee captured
Perth. One of the men who escaped from a psychiatric hospital in
Perth last night has been recaptured. The 17-yo broke out of the
prison with a 31 y old man last night, sparking an air and sea search
for the pair. Detective Snr Sgt Gary Saunders, who is in charge of
the search operation, says the teenager surrendered himself a short
time ago, after being persuaded by family members to hand himself in.
"We were working with family members and members from his community to
assist him to come forward," he said. "He'll go through to the E
Perth lock-up, and then be returned to the correctional facility he
belongs to in due course."

@Police continue hunt for psych ward escapee
Perth. WA police will today continue to search for a 31-yo man who
escaped from the maximum secured unit of the Graylands Psychiatric
Hospital in Perth 2 days ago.
Shane Errol Boyle escaped on Fri night with a 17-yo boy who was
recaptured last night and charged.
Both have been described by police as "dangerous... [with] extensive
criminal histories, including convictions for violent offences".
Detective Snr Sgt Gary Saunders, who is in charge of the operation,
has called on the public not to approach Boyle.
"As with all escaped prisoners, he may react in an unpredictable
manner," he said.
"Prison unit detectives will be forming teams and actively seeking his
whereabouts, conducting interviews with family members and friends, in
an effort to locate him."
The juvenile surrendered himself to police last night after being
persuaded to do so by relatives.
Detective Sgt Saunders says the teenager will be be returned to the
Graylands correctional facility in due course.
Boyle is before the courts on charges of arson and stealing a motor vehicle.
He had recently been transferred to the hospital from Hakea prison.

@6 hospitalised after balcony collapse
Sydney. 6 people have been taken to hospital after a balcony
collapsed in Seaforth in SYD's N last night. The incident occurred
during a birthday party at a house at around 9.45 pm.
Superintendent Anthony McClenaghan of Ambulance media says most of the
injuries are not serious. "All thankfully suffering from relatively
minor injuries including limb injuries, fractures and cuts and
abrasions," he said. "A lucky escape for the remaining 42 who were
reportedly on the balcony at the time. It's not believed it was a
complete collapse."

@Police investigate balcony collapse
Sydney. Police are investigating the cause of the accident in which 7
people were hospitalised last night after a balcony collapsed at a
house in Seaforth, in SYD's north. The incident occurred during a
birthday party at 9.30 pm.  56 people were on the balcony
when part of it collapsed. Most of the balcony remained standing, and
those on the stable part escaped relatively unscathed. However,
others were not as lucky. The party's 44-yo recipient was taken to
Royal N Shore Hospital with what was believed to be a broken ankle. 5
others, including 3 children, were taken to Mona Vale hospital, where
they were treated and then released. Another man was taken to Manly
hospital with an injured ankle.

@Govt not pursuing Hardie compensation treaty, union says
Protesters rally against James Hardie in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam. The Dutch Govt says that AUS has not approached it to
restart treaty talks that would speed up compensation claims by
asbestos victims against James Hardie's parent company in the
Netherlands, unions say.
The Aussie Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) says A-G Philip Ruddock
promised to lodge a formal request for a treaty to speed up actions by victims.
An attempt by AUS to sign a treaty with the Dutch in 1991 failed.
The union says Mr Ruddock suggested further inquiries have been made this y.
Paul Bastion from the AMWU is in Amsterdam for the James Hardie annual
general meeting.
He says Dutch officials have not been approached since 1991.
"The Netherlands Govt is quite adamant in telling us there's been no
approach from the Fed Govt of AUS in relation to James Hardie on this
issue," he said.
"But the Aussie Govt seems to be playing out in the press that it has
made approaches.
"So the Fed Govt has an obligation in this instance to be at least
contacting the Netherlands Govt legitimately over the James Hardie
issue to talk about such a treaty."
A rep for Mr Ruddock's office says recent approaches have been made to
the Dutch Govt and talks are continuing.
The treaty would allow judgements made by Aussie courts to be enforced
in the Netherlands.

@Girl dies after being hit by tram
Melbourne. A 16-year-girl has died after she was hit by a tram at
Bundoora in MEL's N yesterday afternoon. The Bundoora teenager
received serious head injuries and was flown to the Alfred Hospital
after the accident on Plenty Road. The girl died at 10.30 pm
yesterday. Police believe the girl was struck as she was crossing the
road near the intersection of McKimmies Road. The tram driver told
police the girl was wearing headphones and could not hear the tram
bell. The girl's death takes the number of pedestrian deaths on the
State's roads to 39, compared with 28 for the same time last y.
Transit police will prepare a report for the coroner.

@Police investigate suspected double murder
Launceston. A major investigation has begun into the deaths of 2 men
found in a Penguin house in Tas's NW yesterday. Police were called to
the Arnold Street residence after a neighbour raised the alarm. They
arrived to find a 84-yo man and another man believed to be aged in his
60s dead. Police will not reveal how the men died, but their deaths
are being treated as suspicious. Detective Inspector Rob Gunton from
Tas Police says detectives from across the State are working on the
case. "We will firstly attempt to establish a timeline, we will then
continue through the investigation to establish the movements of the
2 deceased," he said.

@Gypsy Joker Slater charged over nightclub bashing
Perth. Gypsy Joker bikie Graeme Slater is again in WA police custody
after being charged over a bashing at a Kalgoorlie nightclub. Mr
Slater was released from prison 2-and-1/2 wk ago, after being
acquitted of carrying out bombing and arson attacks in the goldfields
town of Ora Banda. He has now been charged with assault after
allegedly punching the manager of the nightclub and hitting him with a
bar stool yesterday morning. He has been refused bail and will appear
in court tomorrow. 2 other bikies have also been charged with assault
after allegedly punching and kicking a security guard to the ground.

@Tropical Storm Jeanne cuts through the Caribbean
Miami (Reuters). Tropical Storm Jeanne headed over the SE Bahamas on
Sat after an assault on the Dominican Republic that killed 11 people,
destroyed 100s of houses and forced 1000s from their homes.
Dominican Republic authorities said 146 people were injured after
Jeanne lashed the N of the country for 2 days.
Emergency officials said more than 30,000 people had been evacuated
from their homes.
Large areas of crops were under water and some towns and villages were
cut off by mud slides that blocked roads.
Far out at sea, Karl is now the 7th hurricane in a relentless Atlantic
season that has battered the Caribbean, Florida and the US Gulf Coast,
but forecasters said Karl was expected to stay clear of land.
On the battered US Gulf Coast, which was hit by Hurricane Ivan on Thu,
search and rescue teams continued a painstaking hunt through the
debris of crumpled buildings for stranded survivors and casualties.
Ivan, at one point one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record,
killed at least 69 people during a deadly trek through the Caribbean
and another 39 in the US.
Its centre hurtled ashore on the Alabama coast just W of the Florida
Panhandle with 210 km per hour winds and a devastating storm surge
that smashed seaside homes, cut bridges and left 100s of 1000s of
people without power.
Jeanne, which also killed 2 people in the US territory of Puerto Rico
earlier in the week, prompted storm warnings in parts of the Bahamas,
a 700-island chain with a population of 300,000.
US Pres George W Bush declared a disaster in Puerto Rico on Sat, a
move that releases fed aid.
At 5.00 pm local time, Jeanne's centre was about 75 km SE of the SE
Bahamas, nr the tiny Caicos islands, and was expected to move north-NW
at about 11 kph in the coming day.
Its top winds were about 75 kph, the US Nat'l Hurricane Centre said.
The longer-term forecast, which has a wide margin of error, forecast
Jeanne staying well to the E of the US in the next few days.
* Search and rescue missions
Florida, a state of 17 mn people, was picking up from a rare 1-2-3
hurricane punch, by Charley on Aug 13, Frances on Sep 4 and Ivan.
Food, water and aid began to pour into Florida's NE corner in a relief
effort that has been hampered by the destruction of bridges in the
Pensacola area, a chain of communities linked together by bridges.
C-130 aircraft and heavy-lift Chinook helicopters have been ferrying
food, water and medical supplies.
Search and rescue teams were still working in the Pensacola area, said
Alan Harris, a rep for the state emergency response team.
"They have listed 14 people missing," he said, adding that the missing
could be people who had left the area without telling friends or relatives.
Long lines formed at centres handing out food, water and ice, and at
petrol stations that had started to pump again.
"This has been the largest deployment of manpower or resources for a
natural disaster in [American] Red Cross history," said rep Peter
Maciaf in Mobile, Alabama, referring to the string of hurricanes in Florida.
Some 1,000 Red Cross staff and volunteers were among relief workers
serving meals and providing shelter.
Power was still out to several mn people.
Nearly 2 mn in Florida and Alabama alone were without electricity.
"We're moving now into a phase in which the hazard is not the storm
itself but problems related to a lack of power, a lack of water," said
John Agwunobi, Florida Secretary of Health.
"I would urge all residents to recognise that their environment, if it
was affected by the storm, is a lot more hazardous now that it was
before the storm."
Insured losses from hurricanes Charley and Frances were estimated at
$11 bn and a private risk assessment firm forecast Ivan's likely
insured damages at $2 bn to $7 bn.
Ivan's remnants flooded rivers and ripped down power lines in the US S.
Tornadoes sprouted on Fri night in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs
of Washington, grounding flights at area airports, damaging homes and
causing some power outages.

@Tropical Storm Jeanne kills 9
Santo Domingo (AP). Tropical Storm Jeanne battered the Dominican
Republic before heading to the Bahamas island chain where the tempest
began to churn seas and stir deadly storm surges.
Blamed for at least 9 deaths, Jeanne lost strength as it drove 1000s
of Dominicans from their homes late Fri. But a few hrs after being
downgraded to a tropical depression, it strengthened Sat again into a
tropical storm with lashing winds.
Forecasters said it was too soon to predict if the storm would hit the US.
The storm stalled over the Dominican Republic after coming ashore Thu
as a hurricane, with winds nr 129 kph. It raged through Puerto Rico on
Wed, dumping up to 60cm of rain, flooding 100s of homes and downing
power lines.
The storm became better organised as it moved over the sparsely
populated outer islands of the SE Bahamas on Sat morning.
Brian Jarvinen at the Nat'l Hurricane Centre in Miami, Florida, said
he couldn't rule out Jeanne hitting the SE USA state, which has been
struck by 3 hurricanes since mid-Aug.
The storm claimed 7 lives in the Dominican Republic, said Juan Luis
German, rep for the Nat'l Emergency Committee said Sat.
Police said 11-yo Pedro Hernandez drowned after the River Guaemate in
his town of Higuiey burst its banks and swept him away.
Residents shovelled mud from their homes and tried to salvage their
belongings in a farming community near San Pedro de Macoris,
birthplace of baseball star Sammy Sosa. The community was under 3
metres of water after the River Soco burst its banks.
By Sat, the water had dried, leaving about 15cm of mud on streets
littered with mattresses, washing machines and sullied
sofas. Helicopters rescued about 200 people stranded on rooftops but
most of the 1,200 residents had been evacuated.
"The only thing we all saved here was our lives," said Yolanda
Florentino, 39, as she carefully laid out her 6 children's soggy birth
certificates on a chair.
Crops, including bananas, green beans and tomatoes, were swept away.
Francisco Zapata, 60, said he didn't know how he would feed his family
of 4 now that his 2 acres of substance crops were destroyed.
"I don't know what I'm going to do now. I need to think about this,"
he said.
On Fri, 2 others were swept away by swollen rivers; one man was
crushed by a falling palm tree; another couldn't reach the hospital
while having a heart attack; and winds slammed a man riding a
motorcycle into a telephone pole.
On Thu, a baby died when a landslide crushed part of her house.
US Pres George W Bush declared the US territory of Puerto Rico a
disaster zone after Jeanne tore through the island as a tropical
storm. Many islanders were still without power on Sat and Governor
Sila Calderon said the island's agriculture industry's losses were
estimated at $US100 mn.
2 people died Wed in Puerto Rico, where rain was still falling on Sat
morning. Half of the 4 mn residents were without running water for a
4th day, and 70% were without electricity.
In Samana, a north-coast Dominican town popular with European
tourists, people felt hurricane-force gusts driving horizontal sheets
of rain. Jeanne tore off dozens of roofs in the town and brought down
some concrete walls.
"My house is made of wood so I know it can't hold up to these winds,"
said Amanda Cibel, 23, who had fled to a shelter in Samana, 95 kms NE
of Santo Domingo. "It's going to be terrible to go home and find nothing."
More than 8,200 people were evacuated and took refuge in shelters set
up in schools and churches, officials said.
"I've seen strong storms but never like this," said Elizabeth Javier,
12, standing where her family's living room used to be. The storm
demolished one wall and the entire roof.
At 8pm [1000 Sun AEST], Jeanne was between the Bahamas' Mayaguana
Island and the Turks and Caicos islands. It was moving north-NW with
maximum sustained winds nr 75 kph, moving north-NW nr
10 kph. Storm-force winds extended up to 140 kph.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the SE Bahamas, and a
tropical storm watch for the central Bahamas.
Out at sea, the 11th named storm of a busy Atlantic hurricane season
formed. Hurricane Karl posed no immediate threat to land, forecasters said.
It had top sustained winds nr 177 kph and was expected to get stronger
throughout the day, according to the Nat'l Hurricane Centre in Miami.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov 30.

@825,000 stranded after Bangladesh embankment bursts
Dhaka (AFP). Some 825,000 people have been stranded by floodwaters in
NE Bangladesh after a 2nd swollen river burst its banks and poured
into 100s of villages, officials said.
An earth embankment along the Kakri river in Comilla district gave
way, washing away 130 houses instantly and damaging 500 more homes,
govt relief officer Abu Bakar Siddique told AFP.
Some 325,000 people in the area are camping in the open on high ground
such as roads and embankments or are stranded in their flooded homes,
he said.
He said the deluge was triggered on Sep 10 and water remained
waist-high in most places.
"Those people are in great misery living on streets or some high lands
without adequate food supply," Siddique said.
Some 500,000 people have already been affected by floods elsewhere in
the same district after the Gomoti river flooded into more than 350 villages.
Bangladesh has reeled this y from monsoon downpours, with at least 19
people killed in flash floods in mid-Sep in central and S Bangladesh.
The capital Dhaka came to a halt Tue in its heaviest rain in 50 y
which closed schools, shops and offices.
More than 700 people died and 100s of 1000s fled their homes in July
and Aug in Bangladesh's worst floods since 1998.

{{
1 am
The IAEA has passed a US-backed Res calling on Iran to cease uranium
enrichment as a confidence-building measure. The UN nuclear watchdog
has called on Iran to co-operate fully, and has warned it will meet
again to assess the sit'n later in the y, when it could refer the
matter to the UNSC.

3 am
Iran has indicated it is prepared to co-operate with the UN, but says
its nuclear enrichment program is for peaceful purposes only. A govt
rep says Iran will shortly resume the program, that had been under a
voluntary moratorium.

8 am
US Sec of State Colin Powell says with present security sit'n in Iraq,
elections may not happen in Jan. This could be a big blow to the cred
of Pres Bush, who's staked his rep as recently as 2 days ago on
holding the elections on schedule.

A suicide bombing in Kirkuk has killed 20 people and injured many
more. There have also been more kidnappings in C Iraq. 10 employees
of a Turkish/American company have been snatched. Al-Jazeera says the
workers could be executed within 72 hrs. If this is the peace, let's
go to war, say local observers. In other reports, Saddam may face
trial sooner than expected. It's another potentially explosive mix in
the current sit'n. At the preliminary trial, the former dictator was
defiant, reminding the judge who he was. Many Iraqis hanker for the
stability of the Saddam era, if not the regime itself.

Indon police have arrested 4 people in connection with the Aussie
embassy bombing last wk. They are also confident the 2 Malaysian
masterminds of the attack will be captured.

Aussie Health Min and parliamentary head-kicker Tony Abbott may lose
his own seat in the up-coming election. An internal Lib Party poll
shows voters are angered at the govt and Mr Abbott over Iraq and govt
welfare cuts. Joe Hockey is also reportedly another Min facing a
similar battle in his N SYD seat.

10 am
The Tawhid and Jihad Group of suspected Al Qaeda ally Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi has threatened to kill 2 US hostages and one Brit hostage
seized in Baghdad, Al Jazeera said.

A suicide car bomb has ripped through the Iraqi nat'l guard HQ in
Kirkuk, killing at least 20 people and injuring over 50 in the 2nd
major attack on the N city this month, an Iraqi officer said.

Nat'l carrier Iraqi Airways has launched its first internat'l flight
in 14 y with a plane taking off from Amman to Baghdad -- but without
any passengers.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Sat that threatens oil
sanctions against Sudan if Khartoum does not stop atrocities in the
Darfur region.

5 pm
The death toll from Hurricane Ivan in in the US alone has risen to 45.
Ivan is now out to sea after hitting 15 US states. Water levels are
still rising. 1 mn homes in 13 states are still without power. It
won't be back for wks. Meanwhile, Jean is visiting the Caribbean.
It's likely to slip past the US without making landfall, say weather experts.

1000s of demonstrators have marched through Rome, demanding an Iraq
pullout. Italy has 3,000 troops in Iraq. The protesters are calling
for the govt to withdraw in order to get Italian hostages back from
insurgents. The demos ended in violence.

6.30 pm
A US official in the State Dept has been arrested for travelling to
Taiwan in secret last y. A career foreign service official, the visit
was "highly unusual" and could disrupt US/China relations. The State
Dept says the official never asked permission and -- if he had -- the
trip would have been denied. The FBI is still working on the case.
The affidavit doesn't accuse the official of espionage. It says he
went to Taipei on a side trip from Japan, and med with a Taiwanese
intel official. In 2000 the same official was suspended from the
State Dept because of a "security lapse". He was involved in the case
of a missing laptop. He's now been released on a $US1/2 mn bond, and
his passport has been confiscated. The case is scheduled for a prelim
hearing on Oct 13.

Russian security says it's foiled another bomb plot. They arrested a
driver after police found his car was full of land mines and
explosives. The man said he'd been paid to leave the vehicle in a
Moscow street frequented by top officials. The suspect reportedly
died of a heart attack while in custody.

9 people have died in panama city from flash flooding associated
with Jean.

Pres Bush has cancelled election campaigning to observer relief work.
He will visit Ala and Fla as the S states continue to be ravaged by
floods and storms.

State Under-sec Boulton has warned the US could pre-empt an IAEA
meeting that's been set as the deadline for Iran to agree to cancel
its uranium enrichment programs.
Elsewhere, IAEA officials have arrived in Seoul to find out why 3
sites had not been declared as part of the country's nuclear research
program. SK has admitted the labs conducted research into uranium
and plutonium enrichment as part of "an experiment".

8 pm
While PM Allawi says the insurgents are losing the battle for Iraq, Brit --
the 2IC in the Coalition of the Willing -- has issued a notice to its
citizens to leave Iraq ASAP unless their presence is absolutely essential.

The US military has outlined plans for a new Iraqi offensive in Dec
to wrest back control from insurgent groups.

10.30 pm
There's been a power-shift in China. Pres Hu has been handed the
leadership of the country's armed forces. He now controls all 3 top
positions -- Pres, Gen Sec of the Communist Party, and Chairman of the
Central Military Commission. The appointment was announced after a 3
day meeting of the Central Committee. Hu replaces former Pres Ziang,
who apparently tendered his resignation at the start of the meeting.
It's not know whether Ziang volunteers or was pushed, but he's
resigned 3 y early.

Indon is to go to the polls tomorrow amid tight security. 200,000
extra police are on duty across the country, guarding against a
follow-up attack following the Aussie embassy bombing in Jakarta.
It's the first election in which Indonesia's 210 mn people get to
choose their leader directly. The milestone in democracy comes after
the 1998 downfall of dictator Suharto. Pres Megawati stands little
chance of retaining power, say most observers.

PM Howard has branded Opp'n leader Latham "weak and unreliable" on
nat'l security . Mr Latham was in the PM's sights because he
wouldn't back a pre-emptive attack policy in SE Asia. Latham said the
policy was no way to talk about the region. The PM says Latham made
his own position worse with his latest comments. Elsewhere, regional
neighbours have reacted strongly to the Mr Howard's comments. Both
Malaysia and Indonesia have rejected the idea Australian forces would
attack JI bases on their sovereign territory.

Iran has rejected an IAEA Res calling on the Islamic republic to
abandon its uranium enrichment programs. A rep for the Iran govt says
it might now block nuclear inspectors or back down on other
co-operation in retaliation for the US-backed resolution.
}}

----------------------------------------
Mon, 20 Sep 2004.

	HEADLINES:
Iraqi crisis
4 killed in Iraqi violence
Violence won't delay poll: Iraqi PM
Israeli missile kills top militant in Gaza Strip
Brit police suspect serial killer
Photojournalist Eddie Adams dies aged 71
US military targets gangs in N Iraq that kidnap local children
Turkish truck drivers targeted in Iraq
Turkey confirms 10 kidnappings in Iraq
Sens ask for Bush rethink of Iraq policies as elections loom
John Kerry links cost of war in Iraq, domestic problems
Iraqi group claims murder of Kurdistan representatives
Families appeal for hostages' release in Iraq
Bush supporter critical of Iraq policy
Brit, Iraq call for UN support
Aust ambassador in US optimistic about Iraq's future
13 injured in Zimbabwe military drill
ABARE tips jump in coal export earnings
Abbott in danger of losing seat: poll
Costello defends TV ads against Latham
Criminal conviction: Activists say Bambang Harymurti's sentence for
Democrats welcome suggestions for nat'l water fund
Document may hold key to 'SYD's' location
Doubts remain over N Korean explosion
East Timor gas talks
Energy, minerals drive record export earnings
Experts set to criticise Aust over children's policies
Far right registers gains in German elections
First golds for AUS at Paralympic Games
French PM cautiously optimistic over hostage news
Greens could force double dissolution: Lees
Hail storms bring flooding to NSW central coast
High Court rejects Qantas-Air NZ alliance
Howard pledges $50 mn upgrade for Darwin hospital
Indonesia prepares for elections
Indonesians vote in historic elections
Iran rejects UN call for uranium enrichment freeze
Ivan's remnants continue destruction
Labor plans new battalion for Townsville
Liberal branches may favour Greens on voting cards
PM announces regional anti-terrorism teams
Parents' group concerned over Labor's schools policy
Parties back Rex in terminal dispute
Saddam trial likely next m
Sadr lieutenant arrested in Baghdad
Sheep feed accused seeks trial changes
Turkish bomb injures 18
Voting under way in Indonesian election
Year 5 student quizzes PM over schools funding


@High Court rejects Qantas-Air NZ alliance
The Qantas-Air NZ alliance has suffered another setback.
Wellington.  Qantas and Air NZ have suffered another blow to their
plans to form an alliance with the High Court in NZ rejecting the
deal.  Competition watchdogs on both sides of the Tasman initially
refused Qantas permission to buy a 22.5% stake in Air NZ.  An appeal
to NZ's High Court has also failed.  The court said the detriments of
the deal significantly outweighed the public benefit.  The airlines
still have an appeal under way in AUS.  They could also launch another
appeal in NZ in the country's highest court, the Supreme Court.  Air
New Zealand has described the High Court decision as disappointing.
It says it still wants an alliance with Qantas and is considering
putting forward a new proposal.  New Zealand's Finance Min, Michael
Cullen, says he is also disappointed.  Qantas is expected to respond
to the decision this afternoon.

@Criminal conviction: Activists say Bambang Harymurti's sentence for
libel is a blow to press freedom.
Jakarta (ABC, Peter Lloyd).  Although Indonesia's fledgling democracy
has ushered in a new era of freedom, that freedom clearly has limits.
This has been dramatically illustrated by the sentencing of the editor
of the respected magazine, Tempo, to a y in jail for criminal libel.
Although the editor, Bambang Harymurti, has been charged with
libelling a businessman, not a politician, his conviction is being
seen as a major setback for press freedom.
Tempo, a Time magazine look-alike, has always been at the cutting edge
of journalism in Indonesia.
It was too cutting for Gen Suharto, who shut it down in 1994, but 10 y
on it is again ruffling the feathers of businessmen and politicians alike.
People who are protected by laws that Alan Kennedy, who is in Jakarta
representing the Internat'l Federation of Journalists, says have "a
chilling effect on a free press".
"We have problems with the legal process, and everyone should have a
problem with the legal process," the Media, Entertainment and Arts
Alliance representative said.
"In a civil society you don't have criminal libel cases where
journalists are put in jail.
"You use the civil side of it, a sort of civilised defamation
environment where apologies can be sought, damages can be sought but
not monstrous damages that will cripple a company."
* Reform
But Mr Kennedy is not without hope.
He says he is confident Indonesian politicians, who are currently
caught up in the presidential race, will heed calls for reform made by
the Indonesian press.
"We think that the campaign they've been running, which we've been
helping with, is having some success," he said.
"We're reasonably confident after conversations with both sides... in
the presidential race that they will listen to suggestions that they
just scrap this law."
"Politicians in Indonesia are the same as politicians in AUS, they're
very reluctant to lose any ability to give the press a kicking when
they feel the need."
Mr Kennedy says support for change has been "pretty emphatic" but
change will need a president with a strong mandate.
"The problem for both of them is that the way the Parliament's
structured is that the actual MPs are really free-lancers," he said.
"Unless the president comes in who is elected with a huge mandate to
say, look I have the power to change things... it's sort of a bit of a
maverick parliament and they can sort of do whatever they like.
"Politicians in Indonesia are the same as politicians in AUS, they're
very reluctant to lose any ability to give the press a kicking when
they feel the need."
* Widespread problems
Problems with press freedom are not uniquely Indonesian, nor confined
to South-East Asia.
"There's a huge problem with press freedom," Mr Kennedy said.
"There's a celebrated case in Thailand which is the same thing
criminal defamation.
"There was a criminal defamation case in Malaysia which was once again
using old Brit laws from the emergency, maybe pre-emergency.
"Singapore's notorious for the way it runs libel cases against,
generally against politicians, and the Philippines has, well they seem
to have done away with the law altogether and they just shoot the
journalists up there.
"Some people we were told, might have 50 libel writs in the
Philippines, just one journalist, but the courts there tend to sort of
weed them out and I don't think they have a criminal libel jurisdiction."

@Violence won't delay poll: Iraqi PM
London (AP).  Iraq's interim PM Ayad Allawi says elections will go
ahead as scheduled in Jan despite unrelenting violence.
Allawi spoke after meeting with Brit PM Tony Blair, who described the
unrest as "this new Iraqi conflict" whose outcome would also determine
that of the struggle against global terrorism.
"Whatever the disagreements about the 1st conflict in Iraq to remove
Saddam [Hussein], in this conflict now taking place in Iraq, this is
the crucible in which the future of this global terrorism will be
determined," Blair told a news conference.
"And either it will succeed and this terrorism will grow, or we will
succeed, the Iraqi people will succeed, and this global terrorism will
be delivered a huge defeat."
The violence in Iraq has taken some 300 lives in the past wk and
Baghdad, Allawi's seat of power since he was appointed in June,
suffers almost daily street fighting, kidnappings and car bombings.
Last week, UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan warned that there could not be
"credible elections if the security conditions continue as they are now".
Voting is scheduled to take place on Jan 31.
But Allawi said that "we definitely are going to stick to the
timetable of the elections in Jan next y.
"We are doing our best to ensure that we will meet the time of the
elections," he said. "We are adamant that democracy is going to
prevail, is going to win in Iraq."
Allawi is in London en route to the UN General Assembly in NY.

@Sens ask for Bush rethink of Iraq policies as elections loom
Washington (Boston Globe/AP).  Sens from both parties urged the Bush
Admin on Sun to make a realistic assessment of the situation in Iraq
and adjust its policies aimed at pacifying the country.
But Bush readied a firm defence of his Iraq policy and a sharp new
attack on rival John Kerry's stance for a speech Mon.
"The fact is a crisp, sharp analysis of our policies is required. We
didn't do that in Vietnam, and we saw 11 y of casualties mount to the
point where we finally lost," said Sen Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam War
veteran who is co-chairman of Pres Bush's re-election committee in Nebraska.
"We can't lose this. It is too important," Hagel, R-Neb, said on CBS'
"Face the Nation."
A major problem, said leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, was incompetence by the Admin in reconstructing the
country's shattered infrastructure.
The chairman, Sen Richard Lugar, noted that Congress appropriated
$18.4 bn a y ago this wk for reconstruction. No more than $1 bn has
been spent. "This is the incompetence in the Admin," Lugar, R-Ind,
said on ABC's "This Week."
"Exactly right," interjected Delaware Sen Joseph Biden, the
committee's top Democrat. He said later: "This has been incompetence
so far. 5% of the $18.4 bn that George Bush keeps ... beating the
other candidate up and about the head for how he voted and didn't
vote, and he's released 5%."
Sen John McCain, who has campaigned often with the president, said
mistakes in Iraq generally can be attributed to inadequate manpower.
McCain, R-Ariz, said problems began arising shortly after the dash
through the desert to take Baghdad, the capital, in Apr 2003.
"We made serious mistakes right after the initial successes by not
having enough troops on the ground, by allowing the looting, by not
securing the borders," McCain said.
"Airstrikes don't do it; artillery doesn't do it. Boots on the ground
do it," McCain told "Fox News Sun."
Sen Jon Kyl, R-Ariz, said Bush had pointed out from the beginning that
the risks of combat in Iraq.
"I find it shocking that some people are surprised by the fact that it
is a long and difficult conflict," Kyl said.
"What's important is that you have a leader who recognises that there
are difficulties, but who is committed to prevailing; who has a firm
idea of what he wants to accomplish, confidence in his cmdrs in the
field, and who doesn't send mixed messages to the troops or to our
allies, or most importantly, to our enemies," Kyl said.
Bush planned to use that line of attack against Kerry on Mon, seeking
to counter increasingly hard-hitting language the Massachusetts
senator has been using on Bush's Iraq policy.
In a speech in New Hampshire, Bush "will step up his critique of John
Kerry's policy on Iraq of retreat and defeat," said Bush campaign rep
Scott Stanzel. "Our troops deserve better than to hear Kerry's
campaign pushing pessimism and lack of faith in the mission."
Kerry too was ratcheting up his attacks on Bush and Iraq, in a speech
to be delivered at NY University. The Democrat "will lay out his plan
for cleaning up the mess George Bush has made in Iraq," said campaign
rep Phil Singer.
Bush's campaign also was airing a new TV commercial promoting his
broader anti-terror efforts.
"Pres Bush and our leaders in Congress have a plan," an announcer
says. Among the items listed on the ad are beefing up border and port
security, reorganising the intel services, renewing the Patriot Act,
and giving the military "all it needs."
Sen Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, acknowledged that the situation may
deteriorate further before it gets better as anti-democratic forces try
to prevent democracy from taking hold.
"So this is not a civil war. This is a part of the war on terror,
where the terrorists have gone to Iraq, and we need to fight back or
we'll lose the region," Graham told CNN's "Late Edition."
McCain was asked about a report in Sun's NY Times that US cmdrs were
planning a drive in Nov or Dec to retake areas where insurgents have
won control. Such a timetable would place the operations after the
Nov. 2 election for the Whitehouse.
McCain said Bush was not being "as straight as we would want him to
be" about the situation. "The longer we delay with these sanctuaries,
the more difficult the challenge is going to be and the more
casualties we will incur and the Iraqi people will suffer because they
will be able to operate out of these sanctuaries obviously now with
somewhat of impunity," McCain said.

@John Kerry links cost of war in Iraq, domestic problems
Vows to 'defend America' in new TV ad
Washington (AP).  Dem John Kerry links the cost of the Iraq war to
problems at home and vows in a new TV ad to both "defend America and
fight for the middle class."
"200 bn dollars. That's what we are spending in Iraq because George
Bush chose to go it alone," Kerry says in the ad, to start airing Mon
in 13 competitive states where he is on the air. "Now the president
tells us we don't have the resources to take care of health care and
education here at home. That's wrong."
Suggesting that Bush ignored domestic ills while focusing on the war
abroad, Kerry says: "As president, I'll stop at nothing to get the
terrorists before they get us. But I'll also fight to build a stronger
middle class."
The $200 bn estimate reflects the campaign's calculation of funds
already spent on combat and reconstruction in Iraq, and money
anticipated to be spent through next summer, based on congressional
reports. The war has cost about $120 bn, according to the White House
Office of Budget and Management.
Bush has never said there's no money for education or health care.
Kerry's campaign bases the claim on its interpretation of Bush's
budget proposals for education and reports of rising health care premiums.
"John Kerry has no credibility when it comes to Iraq given the 9
different positions he's taken on the matter," said Bush campaign rep
Brian Jones. "Pres Bush is a leader who has proven he will be firm and
resolute when dealing with terrorist threats and won't burden working
families with higher taxes like John Kerry will."
Kerry spent Sun in Boston, off the campaign trail. His economic plan
calls for rolling back Bush's tax cuts for people earning more than
$200,000 a year.

@Indonesia prepares for elections
Jakarta.  Indonesians go to the polls to choose their next president
on Mon amid tight security following the Aussie embassy bombing in
Jakarta.  More than 200,000 extra police are on duty across the
country guarding against a feared follow up attack by fugitive Jemaah
Islamiah bomber Azahari.  This will be the 1st election in which
Indonesia's 210 mn people can choose their leader directly and is
considered a milestone in the country's progress to democracy since
the downfall of former dictator Gen Suharto back in 1998.  Polls
suggest incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri has little chance of retaining
power, pointing instead to victory for former general Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono.

@Indonesians vote in historic elections
Jakarta (AP).  Indonesians voted in historic elections, with opinion
polls indicating a comfortable win for a former general who has
pledged to end rampant graft, fix the economy and fight terrorism.
The election between Pres Megawati Sukarnoputri and Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono is the first in which Indonesia's voters will choose their
leader directly.
The election caps a turbulent transition to democracy in the world's
most populous Muslim nation since the downfall of former dictator
Suharto in 1998.
More than 140,000 police officers were deployed across the country
amid warnings that the al-Qaeda linked militants blamed for a deadly
Sep 9 suicide bombing of the Aussie Embassy in Jakarta are planning
more attacks.
Voting began shortly after 7 am [2200 Sun Z] in Papua, in the far E of
the sprawling country that crosses 3 times zones.
The voting will close in the W at 1 pm [0600 Z].
"It feels good to vote this time around," said Supardi, a voter in
Papua's capital Jayapura, who goes by a single name.
"It's not like before when the parliament chose the leader."
Under the 32-year-rule of Suharto and in 1999 elections, lawmakers
acting as an electoral college chose the president. Direct elections
have been a key demand of the country's reform movement.
"The atmosphere is good," Papuan election official Hasyim Sangaji said
by phone from the distant province.
"People are starting to vote."
Results from exit polls should be available later on Mon or Tue
morning, but the official tally will not be announced for 2 wk.
Yudhoyono, who served as Megawati's security minister before resigning
in March to contest the elections, was leading by around 20% in
opinion polls going into the elections.
Yudhoyono won the 1st round of the polls in July but without an
overall majority, requiring the run-off vote for the 5-y term.
The election season has so far gone off without violence, and analysts
say a peaceful political transition in Indonesia will be further
evidence that democracy and Islam are compatible.

@Voting under way in Indonesian election
Megawati faces stiff competition from SBY.
Jakarta (ABC, Peter Lloyd).  Voting is under way in the final run-off
round of Indonesia's Presid'l election.  Incumbent Megawati
Sukarnoputri is facing her former security minister, Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono.  The polls have been open for just over 2 hr in the 1st
election in which Indonesia's 210 mn people can choose their leader
directly.  Opinion polls suggest Pres Megawati Sukarnoputri has little
chance of retaining power, pointing instead to victory for former Gen
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.  Yudhoyono won the 1st round of elections in
July, but failed to win an outright majority against Megawati which
forced today's run off.  More than 200,000 police are on duty across
the country guarding against a feared follow-up attack by fugitive
Jemaah Islamiah bomber, Azahari, 11 days after the Aussie embassy
bombing.  Unofficial results in the elections are expected later
tonight.

@Far right registers gains in German elections
Berlin (AFP).  Early results in Germany suggest the far right has
sharply increased its share of the vote in 2 elections to state
parliaments in the former Communist east.  The former ruling Communist
Party in the E also registered large gains.  But, as in other recent
German elections, the governing Social Democrats of Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder suffered losses.

@Turkish bomb injures 18
Ankara (AFP).  At least 18 people, including 2 police officers, have
been injured when a bomb went off nr a concert venue in the S Turkish
city of Mersin, CNN-Turk news channel reported.
The police officers and one other person were seriously wounded in the blast,
the channel reported, adding that the concert, which had been attended
by some 30,000 people, was drawing to an end at when the bomb exploded.
Anatolia news agency meanwhile reported that 14 people had been
injured, one of them seriously in the blast.
Mersin Governor Atilla Osmancelebioglu said that police had carried
out controlled explosions on 2 suspect packages found nr the site, but
did not confirm whether the packages had indeed contained explosives,
Anatolia reported.
The governor said security forces had launched a large-scale operation
to track down those responsible for the explosion, vowing they would
be swiftly brought to justice.
City mayor Macit Ozcan earlier told NTV TV that around 10 people had
been wounded in the blast, which he said was apparently caused by a
bomb hidden under a police vehicle outside the venue.
Turkey has been targeted by a dozen bomb attacks, several of them
deadly, since the devastating suicide strikes on 2 synagogues and the
Brit Consulate in Istanbul killed a total of 63 people last Nov.
In the most recent incident, blamed on Kurdish rebels, bomb attacks on
2 Istanbul hotels left people 2 dead and 11 injured last m.
Other attacks have been blamed on militants linked to the Al Qaeda network.

@Turkey confirms 10 kidnappings in Iraq
Report: captors threaten beheadings unless al-Sadr aide freed
[Later reports say hostages freed after al-Sadr interceded].
Baghdad (CNN).  The Turkish Embassy in Baghdad said Sun that 10
employees of a US-Turkish company were kidnapped in Iraq, a day after
the wife of an American held captive in Iraq pleaded for his life.
Arabic-language TV news network Al-Jazeera broadcast video Sat showing
kidnappers who threatened to kill the 10 hostages if their company
does not withdraw from Iraq within 3 days.
The Turkish Embassy did not release any info about the hostages or the
company.
Al-Jazeera also broadcast video Sun from a previously unknown group
that said it had captured 15 members of the Iraqi nat'l guard.
The group -- calling itself Mohammed ben Abdullah -- gave the
authorities 48 hr to release Hazem al-Aaraji, an aide to radical
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who was detained Sat night during a raid
on his home in Baghdad.
The 15 men in the video were wearing uniforms and had their heads
bowed. In Baghdad, Iraqi govt officials were not able to confirm that
any of their soldiers were missing.
A rep for the political wing of al-Sadr's office said neither his
Mehdi Army militia nor any other group allied with al-Sadr were linked
to the kidnappings, which he denounced as attempts to "tarnish"
al-Sadr's image.
"This is a fringe group known by the fact that we have always
denounced kidnappings and therefore they are merely fabricating their
association to us," rep Sayid Ali al-Yasseri said.
News of the kidnappings came a day after the wife of Jack Hensley, one
of 3 Westerners kidnapped Thu in Iraq, begged for their safety.
"Please let them go," Patty Hensley said Sat from her home nr Atlanta,
Georgia. "They need to come home."
Americans Hensley and Eugene Armstrong, and Brit citizen Kenneth John
Bigley, worked on Iraqi reconstruction projects for Gulf Supplies and
Commercial Services, a company based in the Middle East.
Al-Jazeera reported Sat that the group Jihad and Unification is
threatening to behead the Westerners in 48 hr unless female Iraqi
prisoners are released from Iraq's Um Qasr and Abu Ghraib prisons.
The US military isn't holding any female prisoners at those
facilities, a military rep working with detention operations in
Baghdad said Sun.
Jihad and Unification, which claims loyalty to insurgent leader Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi, has taken responsibility for beheading US
businessman Nicholas Berg, S Korean translator Kim Sun-il and a
Bulgarian hostage in Iraq.
* Apparent decapitations
An Islamist militant Web site posted video Sun purportedly showing the
decapitation of 3 members of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP).
In the video, a group calling itself Ansar al-Sunna -- the same group
that released video last m showing the purported killings of 12
Nepalese hostages -- said that members of the KDP and the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan (PUK) were traitors serving "Zionists" and
"Christian crusaders" fighting against Islam.
The video statement said the 3 men, all truck drivers, were captured
as they were hauling military vehicles nr the town of Taji, about
24 km N of Baghdad.
The group said it killed the men "to teach them a lesson they will
never forget."
* Strike on Fallujah
A US airstrike Sat night targeted a fake checkpoint on the northern
outskirts of Fallujah apparently used to kidnap and kill Iraqi
citizens, according to a coalition news release.
The illegal checkpoint was manned by heavily armed "anti-Iraqi forces"
believed to have ties to al-Zarqawi, the statement said.
"Evidence indicates Iraqi citizens have been kidnapped at such
checkpoints, taken to outlying areas where they were forced to dig
their own graves and then executed," the coalition said.
The statement did not report any casualties as a result of the
strike. An official at Fallujah General Hospital told CNN that 4 men
were killed in the airstrike. The statement said no Iraqi civilians
were reported in the area at the time.
* Kirkuk bombing
On Sat morning, in the N Iraqi city of Kirkuk, a suicide car bomber
killed 19 people and wounded 67 others -- including several nat'l
guard troops and recruits, Iraqi police and Health Ministry officials said.
The attack targeted the Iraqi nat'l guard regional HQ, the officials said.
According to Iraqi officials, the attack vehicle approached the front
gate of the HQ at high speed. Nat'l guard troops fired on the vehicle
before it exploded.
* Other developments
Interim Iraqi PM Ayad Allawi said Sun that the trial of former Iraqi
dictator Saddam Hussein will begin in Iraq as soon as next m and
predicted it won't last long. "It's going to be a very transparent and
very just trial. We are going to ensure that.
But I don't think it's going to take a long time because the evidence
against him is so much."
An Iraqi soldier and a civilian were killed Sun in a suicide car
bombing at a military checkpoint outside Samarrah, a US military
official in N Iraq said. The bomber was also killed. 4 US soldiers and
3 Iraqi soldiers were wounded in the attack.
Allawi arrived in London, England, Sun, where he was greeted with a
handshake by Brit PM Tony Blair at 10 Downing St.
The 2 leaders are expected to discuss the security situation in Iraq
and how violence will affect elections scheduled for Jan.
A US Marine from Lynnwood, Washington, was killed in action Thu in
Anbar province, the Dept of Defence said Sat.
Cpl Steven A Rintamaki, 21, was assigned to the 1st Expeditionary
Force out of Camp Pendleton, California.
Iraq's nat'l carrier, Iraqi Airways, resumed internat'l flights Sat
after 14 y of being grounded by war and sanctions.

@Turkish truck drivers targeted in Iraq
Balad (AFP).  About a dozen Turkish truck drivers have either been
killed or abducted in Sunni Muslim strongholds N of Baghdad over the
past 24 hr, Iraqi police sources said.
"4 trucks with Turkish number plates were destroyed this morning at
0600 GMT at Balad bridge," Lt Col Ahmed Hassan from the Balad police,
told AFP.
"They were on the main highway between Baghdad and Mosul and all those
inside were killed," he said, without confirming the number and ID of
the dead.
Separately, 3 Turkish trucks were ambushed in the town of Dujail,
which has become notorious for attacks on US vehicles and convoys of
foreign contractors working for coalition troops, police Maj Adel
Ibrahim said.
"There were trucks with a total of 3 drivers and 3 helpers.
One of the drivers was shot dead on the spot and the 5 other people
were abducted," said 36-yo Ahmed Hussein Kadhem.
"2 civilian cars ambushed the trucks. They shot in the air to stop
them. Then all of them were whisked away, including the body of the
dead driver," said another witness.
Al-Jazeera TV reported that an Islamist group claimed to have
kidnapped 10 employees of a US-Turkish company and threatened to kill
them unless the firm halted its operations in Iraq within 3 days.
A clip from a videotape broadcast by the Arab satellite TV showed the
10 men displaying their identity cards in front of the camera. It was
not immediately possible to verify whether the men kidnapped in Dujail
were among them.

@US military targets gangs in N Iraq that kidnap local children
Kirkuk (Boston Globe/AP).  The US military is looking to break up a
pair of kidnapping rings in this multi-ethnic city that specialise in
holding Turkomen and Kurdish children for ransom, a US military
officer said Sun.
The gangs are apparently based in Sunni Arab tribal areas W of Kirkuk
and have abducted 30 to 40 Kurdish or Turkomen children inside Kirkuk,
holding them captive in nearby Arab villages, said US Army Maj Mario Diaz.
The kidnappings do not appear linked to the abductions of foreigners
by militant groups. But police are eager to crack down on the gangs
for fear they are exacerbating ethnic tensions in the city that could
escalate into a civil war.
Kidnapping has been a persistent problem in Iraq since the US-led
invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Iraqis often complain that
kidnapping of foreign workers in Iraq grabs the attention of the
internat'l media here, but that criminal gangs abduct far more Iraqis,
usually for profit.
Some families have negotiated the release of the hostages while other
children remain captive, said Diaz, operations officer for a battalion
of the US Army's 25th Infantry Division, based in the NW town of Hawijah.
The Iraqi police and US Army have collected enough evidence for a
judge to issue arrest warrants for as many as 5 suspected
kidnappers. Diaz said soldiers will seek to arrest the men over the
next 2 wk.
In Kirkuk, the ethnically based kidnappings carry special significance.
The city, which lies on an ethnic fault line that divides N Iraq into
Arab and non-Arab regions, is inhabited by 4 main ethnic groups:
Arabs, Kurds, Turkomen and Assyrian Christians.
Kirkuk is in the midst of ethnic upheaval. Tens of 1000s of exiled
Kurds and Turkomen streaming back into the city to reclaim homes they
were evicted from over the past 30 y. In some cases, the returnees are
replacing departing Arabs who arrived during a former govt campaign to
Arabize the oil-rich area.
The city is prone to kidnapping claims by one group against another,
Diaz said. US officials and many others consider Kirkuk the likeliest
epicentre for ethnic violence that could trigger civil war.
Diaz said the Army is keen to settle the kidnappings to tamp down
ethnic strife and control rumours that exaggerate the number of abductions.
Arab parents have made similar claims of child abductions by Kurdish
gangs, Diaz said, but there is little evidence to prove them.
"It creates ethnic friction and that facilitates further instability,"
he said.
Kirkuk has seen a pair of devastating car bombings in the past 2 wk
but has otherwise experienced little of the insurgent activity that
plagues cities farther south.
Nevertheless, insurgent cells do operate in Kirkuk and the Army is
also trying to identify the leaders of the kidnap gangs to determine
whether ransom payments are funnelled to rebels fighting US forces and
their Iraqi allies.
Diaz said the Army and Iraqi police want to arrest the gang members
before the start of the school year, less than 2 wk away.
"There's a time sensitivity for stamping out these kidnap rings now,
before school starts," he said.

@Iraqi group claims murder of Kurdistan representatives
Baghdad.  An Iraqi Islamic group says it has killed 3 members of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party which cooperates with the Iraqi Govt.  In a
poor-quality video placed on the website of a group calling itself the
Army of Ansar al-Sunna, 3 men are seen making brief comments before
their throats are slit and their heads placed on top of their bodies.
The US military says 3 heads and decapitated bodies were discovered on
a roadside outside of Baghdad last wk.  A separate group has
threatened to kill 15 captured Iraqi soldiers if authorities do not
release an aide to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr within 48
hr.  The Al-Jazeera TV network has shown a video of at least 4 masked
gunmen standing over the soldiers who had their hands tied behind
their backs.

@Families appeal for hostages' release in Iraq
Baghdad (AFP).  Brit's FO launched a TV appeal on an Arab satellite
channel for Iraqis to help rescue Brit hostage Kenneth Bigley who
faces a death threat along with 2 US kidnap victims.
"We are looking for any info that could help bring about the release
of Kenneth," a Foreign Office rep, Dean McLoughlin, said in Arabic on
the Al-Arabiya news channel.
"We guarantee absolute discretion and will not divulge the names of
those who provide the info," said the rep, who read out the telephone
numbers of the Brit embassy in Baghdad and Iraqi police HQ.
Mr Bigley's brother Philip later issued a separate appeal on the same
Dubai-based channel from his home in Liverpool in NW England.
"It was his love of the region that brought him to spend such long
years there and to travel to Baghdad to try to contribute at a time
when others were staying away for fear of their lives," said the brother.
"All we want is for him to return home safe and sound."
After a meeting in London, Brit PM Tony Blair and his Iraqi
counterpart Iyad Allawi said their govts were working closely to try
to free the hostage.
Gunmen in Iraq abducted the Brit engineer along with Americans Jack
Hensley and Eugene "Jack" Armstrong from their Baghdad home.
Militants loyal to Iraq's most wanted man, suspected Al Qaeda operative
Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, purportedly issued a 48-hr deadline to execute
the men after claiming a string of deadly bombings across the country.
In a videotape broadcast by Al-Jazeera, Zarqawi's militants said their
captives would be killed unless Iraqi women prisoners were released
from the high-security coalition-run Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca prisons.
Hensley's wife Patty, during an interview on CNN, made a sombre plea
for mercy and the release of her husband and his 2 colleagues.
"Jack is a simple, generous man who loves the Iraqi people and has
made many friends while in Iraq. Since Jack has been a guest in your
country he has been treated with honour and dignity," she said,
addressing her husband's captors.
"We ask for your mercy in freeing Jack and his co-workers so that they
can continue to return home to their loving families, and it is your
decision whether this happens."

@French PM cautiously optimistic over hostage news
Paris (Reuters).  A message purportedly from an Iraqi group holding 2
French journalists hostage in Iraq is more reliable than previous
statements posted on Islamist websites, PM Jean-Pierre Raffarin said.
An Islamist website said it had received a message purportedly from an
Iraqi group holding the men saying it had conditionally agreed to free
them.  Although he was "slightly optimistic" over the fate of
journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, who were seized
in Iraq on Aug 20, Raffarin urged caution.  "Today we have info which
has not been authenticated 100 per cent but which appears to us to be
more serious than the previous ones," he told TF1 TV.  Islam Memo
website quoted the Islamic Army In Iraq as saying the kidnapped men
had willingly agreed to work for it to inform the West about the
realities of the war and the "truth" about the Iraqi resistance.

@Saddam trial likely next m
The trial of Saddam Hussein is expected to begin next m.
London.  Interim Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi says the trial of the Saddam
Hussein is likely to begin next m.  Mr Allawi made the comments in
London where he is having talks with the Brit PM Tony Blair.  He says
Saddam Hussein's trial for war crimes is only wk away.  "Roughly
speaking, I think in Oct, some of his supporters who are detained
would appear in court and maybe he [Saddam Hussein] will appear in Nov
or Dec.  "But definitely in Oct, the whole issue will start off the trial."

@4 killed in Iraqi violence
Fallujah (AFP/Reuters).  3 people were killed and 2 wounded by
shrapnel nr the lawless Iraqi Sunni Muslim bastion of Fallujah Sun,
medics said.  Meanwhile, a car bomb nr the rebel stronghold of Samarrah
N of Baghdad has killed an Iraqi soldier and wounded 3 US troops, the
US military said.  Fallujah residents said a US tank opened fire on a
metal-storage depot as workers loaded up a van, but there was no
immediate confirmation from the US military.  The attack could also
have been fire from insurgents.  A doctor at the main Fallujah
hospital said 3 bodies and 2 people with shrapnel injuries were
brought from the area.  Another 3 Iraqi soldiers were wounded in
Samarrah when insurgents exploded a car bomb as a joint US-Iraqi patrol
approached a 4-door sedan at around 3.00 pm local time.  The wounded
soldiers were all evacuated to a US medical centre, a statement said.

@Brit, Iraq call for UN support
London.  The Brit and Iraqi PMs have appealed for internat'l support
to tackle the insurgency in Iraq.  Speaking after talks in London,
Tony Blair warned that the conflict now taking place in Iraq would
determine the future of global terrorism.  In an interview with an
American TV show the interim Iraqi Prime Min, Iyad Allawi, called on
the UN to provide more support for Iraq.  "I believe that the UN
should travel and put obstacles and decide for us and on our behalf,"
he said.  "I think they should be more involved in sending more people
into Iraq."

@Iraqi crisis
Allawi determined to hold Jan election
London (Reuters).  Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi says elections in Iraq will go
ahead in Jan as planned, despite fears violence could hamper them.
"We definitely are going to stick to the timetable of elections in Jan,"
he told a news conference after talks with Brit PM Tony Blair in London.
"Democracy is going to prevail and is going to win in Iraq."
Guerrilla violence and instability across Iraq have raised doubts the
elections, crucial to US plans for a legitimate democratically chosen
govt, can be held on time.
UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan said last wk "credible elections" would not be
possible if security in Iraq remained as poor as now.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell echoed that judgement but predicted
the security situation would improve by then.
If Iraq's electoral timetable were to falter, it would prove awkward
for Mr Blair as he prepares to fight his own election next y, hoping
by then the Iraq war would have faded in the nation's memory.
Mr Allawi urged the UN to step up its support for Iraq as the vote
approaches.
"I call upon the UN to help us in providing whatever it takes to make
the elections a success," he said.
Iraq's For Min Hoshiyar Zebari earlier criticised the UN for lack of
help to organise the poll.
"They are not doing enough to help us. Up until now they have only
about 30 internat'l staffers in Baghdad," he told BBC TV in an interview.
* Hostage negotiations
Both Mr Blair and Mr Allawi also said their govts were working closely
together to try to free a Brit hostage held by gunmen in Iraq.
"Our govts are working closely on it," Mr Blair said.
The Iraqi leader added: "We are trying our best working on the issue
of hostages and hopefully we will achieve some good results."
Gunmen in Iraq abducted Brit engineer Kenneth Bigley along with
Americans Jack Hensley and Eugene "Jack" Armstrong from their smart
Baghdad home on Thu.
Militants loyal to Iraq's most wanted man, suspected Al Qaeda operative
Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, Sat purportedly issued a 48-hour deadline to
execute the men after claiming a string of deadly bombings across the country.
In a videotape broadcast by Al Jazeera, Zarqawi's militants said their
captives would be killed unless Iraqi women prisoners were released
from the high-security coalition-run Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca prisons.

@Sadr lieutenant arrested in Baghdad
Baghdad (AFP).  Rebel Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's
lieutenant, Sheikh Hazem al-Araji and his brother were arrested
overnight by US-backed Iraqi security forces, a relative and fellow
Sadr supporter said.
Iraqi nat'l guardsmen barged into their homes in the capital at 2.00
am local time, breaking down the doors and firing off a couple of stun
grenades, a 2nd brother of Araji, named Kemal, told AFP.
"Their only crime is that they are both part of the Sadr movement,"
said Sar movement official Naim Kaabi, blaming obscure interest groups
for spoiling attempts to end clashes between Sadr loyalists and
US-Iraqi govt troops.
"We protest against Araji's arrest and are waiting for the govt or the
Americans to tell us why he has been detained.
Prime Min Iyad Allawi had "promised to stop arrests and release
prisoners, so we were surprised that the opposite is happening".
Asked who he thought the spoilers might be, he suggested they were
political forces within the govt opposed to resolving the conflict or
perhaps Americans looking for reasons to justify a longer stay in the
country.
For their part, the US military said that tribal sheikhs in Sadr City
were in talks with the Baghdad City Council over a 12- point plan to
restore peace to the Shiite slums, home to over 2 mn people.

@Aust ambassador in US optimistic about Iraq's future
AUS's ambassador to the US says the election will not affect AUS's
commitment to Iraq.
Washington.  The Aussie Ambassador to the United States says he is
sure AUS will remain a strong presence in Iraq, regardless of who wins
next m's general election.  Ambassador Michael Thawley has told US TV
that although the policy of Aussie troops in Iraq is an election
issue, AUS will not abandon the new democratic process there.
"Whatever happens there I think it's fair to say that AUS will make a
strong contribution in Iraq because it's in the interests of the whole
world that the new Iraqi Govt succeed and that elections be held and
it not become a source of instability in that part of the world and
the rest of the world," he said.  Mr Thawley says there are reasons to
be optimistic about Iraq's future.  "First is that Saddam Hussein is
gone and the Iraqi people for the first time have an opportunity to
make something of their own choice in their own country," he said.
"Second there is an Iraqi Govt with a very capable leader and third we
have a road map towards elections in Jan and if we keep our eye on
those things then there's some prospect that we will win through."

@Bush supporter critical of Iraq policy
Washington (Reuters).  A Republican senator who campaigned for the US
president at last month's Republican convention says the Bush Admin
has made mistakes in their Iraq policy.  Sen John McCain says the
toleration of looting in Iraq after the invasion and the failure to
prevent insurgents from establishing strongholds within the country
are examples of these mistakes.  Mr McCain says a ground offensive is
urgently needed in Iraq to re-take areas held by insurgents.  "We made
serious mistakes right after the initial successes by not having
enough troops there on the ground, by allowing the looting, by not
securing the borders -- there was a number of things that we did," he
said.  "Most of it can be traced back to not having sufficient numbers
of troops there."

@Iran rejects UN call for uranium enrichment freeze
Tehran (Reuters).  Iran has rejected a UN resolution calling on it to
freeze uranium enrichment activities and threatened to stop snap
checks of its atomic facilities if its case were sent to the UN Sec Council.
It says if the Sec Council went as far as punishing Tehran with
sanctions, Iran might follow N Korea and pull out of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty altogether.
Washington says Iran plans to use enriched uranium to make nuclear
weapons, but Tehran says its nuclear program is dedicated solely to
generating electricity.
The UN Internat'l Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear
watchdog, unanimously adopted a resolution calling on Iran to suspend
all uranium enrichment-related activities.
"Iran will not accept any obligation regarding the suspension of
uranium enrichment," chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani told a
news conference on Sun.
"No internat'l body can force Iran to do so."
His words chimed with the view of the Iranian parliament, which urged
the govt to ignore the resolution.
Mr Rohani predicted a rough ride in the wk ahead, until the next IAEA
board of governors meeting on Nov 25.
"This is a war, we may win or we may lose," said the mid-ranking
cleric, who is Sec-Gen of Iran's Supreme Nat'l Security Council.
Although the IAEA board termed the suspension a "necessary"
confidence-building measure, it observed that any suspensions would be
"voluntary decisions" for Iran and not obligations.
This would give Iran some room for manoeuvre, enabling it to suspend
enrichment activities but tell its domestic audience it was not doing
so under pressure from the UN watchdog.
"Iran has never accepted suspension through a resolution, but through
political talks," Mr Rohani said.

@Doubts remain over N Korean explosion
Seoul (AFP/CNN).  The chief UN nuclear inspector refused to completely
rule out the possibility of a nuclear explosion in N Korea more than a
wk ago.  "It doesn't look like a nuclear explosion, but we are not
100% sure," Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the Internat'l
Atomic Energy Agency, told CNN TV.  "I think it is unlikely, but we
are not there, and we can't really validate this conclusion for sure,"
he added.  North Korean For Min Paek Nam-Sun told Brit officials his
country's engineers blew up a mountain nr the border with China to
prepare for a hydro-electric project.  He said the explosion was
intentional and non-nuclear.

@Israeli missile kills top militant in Gaza Strip
Gaza (Reuters).  A snr leader of Hamas's military wing has been killed
in an Israeli missile strike on his car as it drove through a Hamas
stronghold in the Gaza Strip, witnesses said.
The missile, which witnesses said was fired by an airforce drone,
ripped through a car carrying a snr field cmdr of Hamas's Izz el-Deen
al-Qassam brigades, Khaled Abu Selniya, 33. He was killed and 6
passers-by were wounded.
Hamas vowed to avenge the death of Mr Selniya, whom it described as a
snr field cmdr of the group's armed wing, which has been behind
scores of suicide bombings and other attacks against Israel over the
past decade.
"It was a clear assassination of one of our mujahideen [Muslim
fighter] ... Hamas will be able and capable of teaching the enemy a
painful lesson," said Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas rep.
The Israeli army said in a statement that Mr Selniya was targeted by
the airforce because he played a central role in the manufacture and
development of Qassam rockets, which Hamas militants have fired at the
nearby Israeli city of Sderot.
The strike took place shortly after Hamas militants celebrated in the
streets at the release of another leader of the group by Palestinian
security forces.
The leader had been arrested earlier in the day and Mr Selniya was
apparently returning after visiting the man in his home in Gaza City's
Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.
"There was an airforce strike on a snr Hamas terrorist who was
travelling in a car," an army rep said.
Witnesses said an Israeli military drone was flying overhead when the
car burst into flames. Several witnesses reported seeing a flash of
light in the sky before the explosion.

@East Timor gas talks
Aust, E Timor resume Timor Sea resource talks
Canberra.  A new round of talks begins in CBR today to resolve the
dispute between AUS and E Timor over oil and gas reserves.  East Timor
is hoping for a formal offer from AUS that would give it a far greater
share of the royalties from a joint development zone in the Timor Sea.
Any agreement could still depend on E Timor giving up its claim to a
permanent maritime boundary set halfway between the 2 countries.  AUS
wants a boundary at the edge of the continental shelf, which in places
is barely 100 km from E Timor.  Despite signs of a clear breakthrough
last m, it is understood a formal agreement is no certainty.  The
talks will involve snr officials from both sides.

@13 injured in Zimbabwe military drill
Harare (Reuters).  13 people were injured during a military drill at
an agricultural show in Zimbabwe when some of the soldiers' rifles
malfunctioned, police and army officials said.  The soldiers took part
in a mock battle at the fair in Marondera, 80 kms E of Harare, police
rep Oliver Mandipaka told state TV.  He said 13 people were injured, 3
seriously.  "Those who were injured in this unfortunate accident were
injured by shrapnel," he said in a statement.  Earlier, the
independently owned Standard newspaper quoted an unnamed hospital
official as saying 15 people had been injured, 2 may even have died,
when the soldiers "apparently used live ammunition during their demo".

@Brit police suspect serial killer
London (AFP).  Brit police say they think there is a serial killer
operating in SW London.  Scotland Yard has been investigating the
murder of a French student, who was found badly beaten in a London
park last m.  She died later in hospital.  Police now say her murder
is linked with 6 other attacks on women, 2 of them fatal, by a man
using a blunt instrument, probably a hammer.

@First golds for AUS at Paralympic Games
Athens.  AUS has won 2 gold medals on the 2nd day of competition at
the Athens Paralympics, with cyclists Kieran Modra and Peter Brooks
both winning their individual pursuit races.
AUS is 9th on the medal tally with 2 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze
medals. China is leading the tally with a total of 13 medals, 5 of
them gold and 6 silver.
Vision-impaired cyclist Modra won the 1st gold when he lapped his
opp'n rider in winning the 4-km individual pursuit.
Modra had smashed the world record by 5 seconds in qualifying for the event.
His selection to the team for Athens was shrouded in controversy, with
a series of appeals and counter-appeals after he was side-lined in
favour of team-mate Lyn Lapore.
He only received confirmation that he would be picked to represent AUS
last Fri, when the Internat'l Paralympic Committee granted AUS a late
concession to field an extra competitor.
Brooks won AUS's 2nd gold, also in the 4-km individual pursuit.
The 1st swimming session saw Aussies in 7 finals, picking up 3 silver
and 2 bronze medals.

@Document may hold key to "Sydney's" location
Canberra.  The Nat'l Archives of AUS has acquired a document it hopes
will help find the wreck of HMAS SYD, which was sunk by the German
raider Kormoran during World War II.  The SYD sank off the coast of W
AUS with the loss of all 645 crew.  According to ABC TV's Rewind
program, the document is believed to be an encoded notebook belonging
to the captain of the Kormoran.  Director general Ross Gibbs says the
notebook may provide clues about the SYD's location.  "It's probably
the best evidence we have to get the coordinates in the ever recurring
story about the search for the SYD."

@Photojournalist Eddie Adams dies aged 71
NY (Reuters).  American photojournalist Eddie Adams, whose searing
picture of the execution of a communist guerrilla during the Vietnam
War defined his career, has died aged 71, US media reported.
Adams, who died at his NY home of Lou Gehrig's disease, won a Pulitzer
Prize for his 1968 photograph of a S Vietnamese colonel executing a
communist N Vietnamese Vietcong prisoner in a Saigon street.
One of the most memorable images of the Vietnam War, Adams's photo for
the Associated Press (AP) showed the exact moment when the bullet
entered the prisoner's head and has been called one of the most
shocking and moving pieces of war photography.
Adams's photographs graced the covers and front pages of magazines and
newspapers around the world, including Time, Newsweek, Life, Paris
Match, Vogue, Stern and The NY Times and he won numerous awards for
his work.
Born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Adams served as a Marine Corps
combat photographer in the Korean War, worked for the AP between
1962-72 and 1976-80 and for Time-Life among other publications.
Associated Press Pres and CEO Tom Curley said "Eddie Adams was an
enormous talent and an inspiration to generations of AP photographers
and staffers. His courage and creativity left a mark that will live forever".

@ABARE tips jump in coal export earnings
Canberra (AAP).  Tight supply and surging demand for coal will push
Aussie thermal and metallurgical coal export earnings up 43% in
2004/05, the nation's chief commodities forecaster said.
Aussie Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) said on
Mon that after falling in 2003/04, Aussie thermal coal export earnings
were set to increase by 43% in 2004/05 to almost $6.3 bn.
"This forecast increase in export earnings reflects in large part the
effect of higher negotiated prices for Japanese FY 2004," ABARE said.
"With significant new capacity coming on line during 2004/05, Aussie
export volumes of metallurgical coal are forecast to rise by 9% to 122
mn tonnes.
"Increased volumes and higher prices are forecast to result in Aussie
metallurgical coal export earnings rising by 43% to over $9.2 bn 2004/05."
Strong global demand, particularly from Asia, and supply disruptions
have boosted prices for both metallurgical and thermal coal.
Meanwhile, developments in resources hungry China will continue to
have significant impact on global markets, with its exports expected
to fall in 2004.
Thermal coal is used as a fuel to produce steam for generating
electricity and in manufacturing processes requiring heating.
Metallurgical coal, otherwise known as coking coal, is heated to
create coke -- an essential ingredient in the steel making process.
ABARE said a decision by China, the world's largest producer of coal,
to reduce coal exports to help satisfy domestic demand, has provided
opportunities for other producers, particularly AUS and Indonesia.
China's thermal coal exports are forecast to fall by about 8% to 74 mn
tonnes in 2004 as world thermal coal consumption is tipped to rise,
boosting global trade by 3% to 487 mn tonnes.
However easing of world economic growth is forecast to lead to a
slowing in world thermal coal trade to 2.3% in 2005, or about 498.5 mn tonnes.
Infrastructure issues in S Africa and AUS mean that Indonesia is
likely to get the biggest rise in thermal coal exports in 2004,
jumping 14% to more than 87 mn tonnes, ABARE said.
Spot thermal prices were in the Asian market rose from $US35.69 a
tonne in Jan to about $US56.95 a tonne in late Aug and tight supply
and strong demand are expected to provide continued support for prices
in the short term, the forecaster said.
Growth in steel production has driven metallurgical coal demand which
is likely to jump 6% in 2004 and 2% in 2005.

@Energy, minerals drive record export earnings
ABARE has predicted a bumper y for mineral producers.
Canberra.  AUS is predicted to earn a record $96 bn this financial
year from its agricultural and mineral exports.  The Govt's main
forecasting body, the Aussie Bureau of Agricultural and Resource
Economics (ABARE) has released its quarterly outlook on Aussie
commodities.  The bureau is predicting AUS's agricultural and mineral
exports earnings will rise 16% during the 2004-05 financial y to $96
bn, thanks mainly to the world's thirst for energy and minerals and
soaring oil prices in particular.  While resource exports are
primarily responsible for the predicted record earnings, farm exports
are also forecast to rise by 3% to $27 bn, but forest and fisheries
exports will be steady.  While ABARE is predicting Aussie farms will
produce more sugar, cotton and wine, there will be less planting of
grains and oilseeds.

@Democrats welcome suggestions for nat'l water fund
Canberra.  The Democrats have backed the Howard Govt's plan to cut
state govt grants by $1.6 mn to establish a nat'l water fund.  Qld
senator John Cherry says the CSIRO has found the Qld Govt has failed
to plan for water demand, with Bris facing a 51% shortfall by 2030,
while the Gold Coast faces a 47 per cent shortfall.  Sen Cherry says
the State Govt failed to plan for electricity and transport
infrastructure.  He says it has now been exposed as having failed to
plan for future water needs as well.  "The state govts, particularly
the Qld Govt, have completely failed to plan for meeting our future
water needs," he said.  "We need much much more work on water
conservation, water efficiency and water recycling if we're going to
ensure that our current water is sufficient to meet the growing
population needs of the future in SE Qld."

@Experts set to criticise Aust over children's policies
Aussie govts have been accused of failing in their duty of care to children.
Brisbane.  The way govts treat children is one of the key topics being
discussed in Bris at the 15th world congress on child abuse and
neglect.  More than a thousand of the world's most prominent experts
in child protection have gathered for the 4 day conference designed to
come up with the best ideas to prevent child abuse and neglect.
Conference executive and Washington University Professor Jon Conte
says the world is undergoing a shift in attitudes to how govt policies
can impact on children "Whether an individual mother neglects a child
because she has a trauma history, or a govt ignores many children
because they have other priorities, the impact on the child is exactly
the same," he said.  "Basic human rights, basic human needs are not
met."  According to conference organisers, AUS will be criticised for
Indigenous policies, children in detention centres and for
participating in wars which impact on the young.

@PM announces regional anti-terrorism teams
Darwin.  PM John Howard has unveiled a plan to step up the fight
against terrorism in the region, using specialist teams of Aussie Fed
Police (AFP) that could be sent to work in neighbouring countries.
Under Mr Howard's plan, 6 new police teams would be set up, 2
specialising in high-tech surveillance, 2 concentrating on counter
terrorism intel and 2 more including terrorism investigators and
experts in tracking financial dealings.
"These initiatives build on that 270% increase in funding of the
Aussie Fed Police, they are a further demo of our resolute commitment
to fighting terrorism at its source," Mr Howard said.
The teams would be based in AUS and be available to be sent to
neighbouring countries, with the consent of their govts, to help in
the fight against terrorism.
The Coalition plan also includes a new unit within the AFP to ensure
officers with counter terrorism training also have appropriate
language skills.
Some AFP officers have been based in Indonesia since the terrorist
attack in Bali 2 y ago.
It is expected the plan would cost nearly $100 mn over 5 y.
Mr Howard says if the Coalition is re-elected he will move quickly to
put the plan in place.
"One of the 1st things I will do is ask For Min Alexander Downer and
Justice Min Chris Ellison to actually go to these countries to talk
about arrangements to implement this plan," he said.
"So it's a very detailed plan and it's quite specific and we have in
mind the establishment of particular operations in certain countries
but obviously we will need to talk to the countries in question."
Mr Downer has rejected suggestions the plan is a knee-jerk reaction to
trump Labor party commitments on regional terrorism initiatives.
"No, I think this will require some working through with our regional
neighbours which Sen Ellison and I will be doing after the election if
we win the election, but I think this will be something which will be
very much welcomed in the region," he said.
"They've been in the region very grateful for our support,
particularly our Fed Police our intel agencies as well."
* Labor plan
Labor is also campaigning on nat'l security, with Opp'n Leader Mark
Latham to outline details of labor's plans to develop a new white
paper on tackling the terrorist threat during his visit to Townsville today.
Yesterday Mr Latham yesterday unveiled a $300 mn strategy for maritime
security, declaring it would not only protect AUS's coastline but also
target terrorists.
The plan includes armed helicopters and boats and sea marshals to
accompany ships carrying hazardous cargo.
"[A coast guard would] protect our borders, to ensure that we're safe
against illegal migration, gun runners, drug smugglers, illegal
fishing and of course the potential of terrorist threats on resource
targets and other areas," Mr Latham said.
Shadow Defence Min Kim Beazley says terrorists could be tempted to
attack any Aussie city.
He says the vulnerability of the N Territory is the reason Labor
established a strong military force there in the 1980s.
"As a matter of logic, you are always going to operate on the
assumption that in defence terms, your borders that face the populated
areas of the world are the vulnerable borders," he said.
"Hence we do a lot more here in Darwin and in my home state in Western
AUS than we do in Tas.
"We have always assumed that our N and W borders are vulnerable and
that is why we've wanted to concentrate the military effort in these
regions," he said.
"Darwin has a very vibrant economy and one of the reasons it has a
vibrant economy is that we were serious about doing the job properly
and not just paying lip service.
"I've devised defence policy on the basis of encouraging the defence
people to vote for the Labor Party, I've devised defence policy in a
way that makes the defence people proud to be in the armed services,
to understand that they're valued by the Aussie people and in addition
to that the nation defended."

@Labor plans new battalion for Townsville
Townsville, FNQ.  Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham has announced a Labor
govt would increase the size of the Aussie army.
The $370 mn package would be funded through the re-allocation of
current defence funds.
Mr Latham says a Labor Govt would increase the size of the army by
more than 700 soldiers by introducing an additional light infantry
battalion to be based in Townsville.
It would also relocate 850 soldiers from a parachute battalion
currently based in Holsworthy in SYD to Townsville by 2009.
Mr Latham says a Labor govt would also improve living conditions for
single defence force members and for non-custodial parents.
"We can provide a cost-effective way of delivering military capacity
for the defence of AUS," he said.
"We can do a lot better than the mismanagement and misguided
priorities of the Howard Govt."
Mr Latham says the plan is a significant expansion of Townsville's
army base.
"Our announcement is good for the local economy, it's actually going
to create jobs and prosperity in Townsville as well as building up our
all-important defence forces and ensuring they have got the
resources," he said.
A Labor govt would also appoint a minister for defence procurement and
commission a new defence white paper in its 1st term of govt.

@Parents' group concerned over Labor's schools policy
Canberra.  A group representing parents of school children from
isolated areas says its members will suffer under Labor leader Mark
Latham's proposal to cut funding to some private schools.  The
Isolated Children's Parents Association of AUS says many of the
schools that will lose funding under the plan are the only schools
that are available to children from some rural communities.  The group
says it is particularly concerned that funding decreases for schools
with boarding facilities will affect rural students with special needs.

@Year 5 student quizzes PM over schools funding
Darwin.  A ten-yo boy has questioned the Prime Min about the
Coalition's commitment to funding public schools.  Year 5 student Jake
Fenner and his father were waiting to greet John Howard as he arrived
at Royal Darwin hospital this morning.  Mr Howard told the young boy
the Govt has been generous in its funding for schools in this
exchange.  "Well we have actually because we have increased our rate
of commitment to the govt schools at a faster rate than the states and
territories," he said.

@Abbott in danger of losing seat: poll
Sydney (AAP).  Fed Health Min Tony Abbott is in danger of losing his N
SYD seat, according to internal Liberal Party polling.  Mr Abbott
risked a backlash in his Warringah seat from "small l" Liberal voters
angry with the govt over the Iraq war, refugees and the children
overboard affair, the Sun Telegraph said.  Mr Abbott had told
supporters he was worried about the impact of "Howard-haters" in his
previously safe seat.  He said he expected a protest vote but believed
he would be returned.  "All I know about polling is that there's
always a very strong protest vote around here, so I'm working very
hard."  Tourism Min Joe Hockey faced a similar battle in his seat of N
SYD, according to the polling, the Telegraph said.  Meanwhile, Labor's
polling showed the Liberal Party would lose Wentworth to former
Liberal Peter King, now an independent, on Labor preferences.

@Costello defends TV ads against Latham
Canberra (AAP).  Treasurer Peter Costello has defended Liberal Party
advertisements targeting Opp'n Leader Mark Latham's record with the
Liverpool council, saying that period was vital to his credentials to
manage the economy.
The Liberals are running a series of attack mail-outs and TV
advertisements claiming Mr Latham bankrupted the only organisation he
has ever run -- Liverpool Council in W SYD.
"It's very important to look at the record of somebody who wants to
become PM of the country," Mr Costello told Channel Nine.
"Mr Latham's never been a minister, he's never had a full-time job in
the private sector.
"The only thing he's ever run was the Liverpool council, which as you
know has now been suspended, in NSW.
"So, if you want to look at Mr Latham's financial credentials, the
only experience he's got in managing anything is the Liverpool council."
Mr Costello said Mr Latham had championed just about every economic
fad going over the past decade.
"He had an idea for a progressive expenditure tax, then he had an idea
for a Tobin tax, he's flirted with negative gearing, he's flirted with
every fad that's been going," he said.
"There's no stability to his economic ideas and so, if you want to get
an idea of what he would be like in govt, you've got to look at the
only thing he's ever run and the only thing he's ever run was the
Liverpool council.
"These are the facts, they're political facts.
They're on the record."
The Tobin tax involves taxing internat'l capital flows.

@Greens could force double dissolution: Lees
Adelaide.  Progressive Alliance Sen Meg Lees says the Greens may force
the Govt into a double dissolution election next y if they seize the
balance of power in the Senate.  She says the Greens have a history of
refusing to compromise and there is a chance the Upper House may grind
to a halt next y if the Greens win seats.  Greens leader Bob Brown
dismissed the claims, saying the Greens have a history of delivering
stability in govt in Tas and elsewhere.  Sen Lees also says she is
disappointed the Liberal Party has decided to direct preferences to
the Family First Party.  "I don't owe them anything and they don't owe
me anything," she said.  "When it comes to the end of the day in the
heat of an election campaign they are going to do what is in their
best interest and that is to try to get as compliant a Senate as
possible and look after their Lower House candidates."

@Liberal branches may favour Greens on voting cards
Darwin.  Prime Min John Howard has not ruled out putting the Greens
ahead of Labor on some Coalition how-to-vote cards.  Mr Howard has
called the Greens' policies "kooky" and Deputy Prime Min John Anderson
has described party members as watermelons, green on the outside and
red in the middle.  Mr Howard says the Greens are not the arbiters of
environmental policies.  But Mr Howard says it is up to local branches
to decide where preferences should be directed.  "There'll be
different preferences, allocations and suggestions around the country
and that's a matter for the party organisation," he said.

@Howard pledges $50 mn upgrade for Darwin hospital
Darwin.  A fed Coalition govt would spend $50 mn preparing the Royal
Darwin Hospital to handle a mass emergency in AUS or overseas.  Prime
Min John Howard made the announcement while campaigning in the
country's most marginal electorate of Solomon.  Under the upgrade, 5
moth-balled operating theatres would be returned to working order and
health staff would be offered tax-free incentives to work in the Top
End.  Mr Howard says the facility could be used for Aussie or foreign
victims of an emergency.  "It is part of our regional role, it is part
of being a good neighbour and being a good friend, of being a faithful
partner to our allies and friends in the region," he said.

@Parties back Rex in terminal dispute
In talks: Rex fears it will forced out of its SYD Airport terminal.
Sydney.  The Fed Govt and the Opp'n have both guaranteed the continued
operation of Rex regional airlines out of SYD airport, despite reports
that the country carrier is being forced out.
Rex managing director Geoff Breust says the airline has received an
indication that its lease, which expires at the end of Nov, will not
be renewed in favour of a larger competitor.
Over half a mn passengers use the airline from SYD Airport annually.
The parties have weighed into the terminal debate, both promising not
to stand by and watch Rex airlines be squeezed out of SYD Airport.
Deputy Prime Min and Transport Min John Anderson says the Govt has
backed Rex very strongly financially.
He says Rex will not be forced out of SYD.
"I made certain that the law does not allow them to be forced out,
give up their slots," he said.
"The pricing arrangements are also very favourable for the airport
fees, so I'm confident this can be worked through."
The Opp'n transport rep, Martin Ferguson, says the airline provides a
valuable service to regional AUS.
"Labor will not accept any endeavour to force Rex out of terminal 2 or
into a second-rate facility," he said.
Rex officials are holding talks with the SYD Airport Corporation today.

@Sheep feed accused seeks trial changes
The Portland protests succeeded in delaying the shipment of sheep.
Melbourne.  Animal rights campaigner Ralph Hahnheuser has asked for
his case to be shifted to MEL, saying it would be difficult to get a
fair trial in a regional area.
Hahnheuser appeared in the Ballarat County Court today on a charge of
contamination of goods with intent to cause economic harm.
The charges relate to the alleged addition of pork to the feed of a
sheep shipment from Portland in SW Vic.
Hahnheuser, who is standing for the Senate in SA, has begun a 3-wk
hunger strike to highlight his opp'n to the live export trade.
He re-iterated his counsel's plea to have the case heard in MEL.
"This matter will be vigorously contested," he said.
"The matter will go to a full jury trial, and there are issues to do
with independence of jury selection.
"In order to have justice in the justice system, one has to choose a
jury that are not prejudiced in any way and the most appropriate way
to do that is to shift it to a less regional area."

@Hail storms bring flooding to NSW central coast
Sydney.  Severe storms have brought heavy rain and hail to the NSW
central coast and Blue Mountains areas tonight.  The New S Wales State
Emergency Service has received 100s of calls for help.  On the central
coast, flooding has forced the relocation of more than 100 residents
from the Mathew John Nursing at Erina and the Terrigal Nursing Home.
A rep from the NSW Fire Brigade says 30 firefighters are helping to
move the residents.  Phil Campbell from the SES says most of the
damage has been caused by flooding around Erina and Budgewoi.  "The
SES has also been responding to quite a number of requests from
residents, with severe hail as well as heavy rain causing damage to
roofs. There are also some reports of trees down," he said.

@Ivan's remnants continue destruction
Washington (AFP).  A man died when his boat capsized in rough waters
caused by remnants of Hurricane Ivan, a local US newspaper reported,
bringing the US storm toll to 38.  The man was an experienced sailor
participating in a sailboat race in waters N of New York City, the New
London Day reported. He was rescued but did not survive.  2 women were
killed when a falling tree crushed their home in Maryland as Hurricane
Ivan lashed the state, police said.  The incident occurred as at least
5 tornadoes spawned by the storm touched down in different parts of
the state, which is adjacent to the US capital, according to Sgt
John Blades of the Maryland State Police.  One twister destroyed a
barn, ripped the porch off a house and uprooted 200-yo trees.  To one
woman cowering in her house, "it sounded like a freight train coming
by," Sgt Blades said.  "She could feel the change in pressure. It
sucked all the air out of her," he said.  Near his own home in
Hartford County, Maryland, a tornado flipped over a mobile home with 4
people inside. All 4 survived, he said.  The total death toll for
Ivan, which had dissipated over the Atlantic Ocean by early Sun, now
stands at 108 in the US and Caribbean.

@Tropical storm pounds Haiti
Pt-au-Prince.  Floods from tropical storm Jeanne, which moved across
the Caribbean on the weekend has left at least 57 people dead in Haiti
and many more are still missing.  Haitian emergency officials say 2
days of steady rain sent torrents down the de-forested mountains in the
N washing away homes and vehicles.  The storm is now spinning
northward in the Atlantic Ocean, but is expected to spare the Florida
coast which has been devastated by 3 hurricanes in the last 5 wk.
Meanwhile, far off in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, a new hurricane
brewed, the 5th major hurricane of the season.  Karl, located almost
2,000 km W of Cape Verde Islands, was projected to arc NE over the
Atlantic, keeping well away from land.

{{
Midnight.
The Sudan govt is meeting to decide a formal response to the UN Res
threatening oil sanctions.  It says it will co-operate with the UN,
despite the injustice of the Res.  The Res calls for an end to the
violence in Darfur.

Voting is proceeding in 2 states of E Germany.  The Schroeder's ruling
Social Dems are expected to suffer heavy losses in the new state
parliaments of Brandenburg and Saxony.

1.30 am
After talks in London the PMs of Brit and Iraq are called for
internat'l help to tackle the insurgency in Iraq.  PM Blair said the
conflict in Iraq would determine the future of world terrorism.  If
the insurgency succeeded, then terrorism would grow.  300 Iraqis have
been killed in in just the past wk.  [In contradiction with his call
for help:] Mr Blair said in the coming ms it would become clear the
insurgents would be defeated.  The matter of more Brit troops had not
been raised in his talks with PM Allawi, the PM said.

In Iraq, 2 people have been killed in a suicide bombing in Samarrah.
US attacks on Fallujah have continued.  The local hospital says 4
people have been killed there.

10 am
The wife of an American civilian kidnapped by militants in Iraq has
made a sombre plea for mercy and the release of her husband and his 2
colleagues.

US and Iraqi security forces are planning a major offensive in Dec to
claim back insurgent strongholds such as Fallujah, Ramadi and Samarrah.

A message purportedly from an Iraqi group holding 2 French journalists
hostage in Iraq is more reliable than previous statements posted on
Islamist websites, PM Jean-Pierre Raffarin said.

Brit's FO has launched a TV appeal on an Arab satellite channel for
Iraqis to help rescue Brit hostage Kenneth Bigley who faces a death
threat along with 2 US kidnap victims.

Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi says elections in Iraq will go ahead in Jan as
planned, despite fears violence could hamper them.

Midday.
The All Ords is up marginally, lacking direction.  There were new
all-time highs just after the market opened, but its fallen back to
be 1 pt higher now.  Telstra has gone ex-dividend.  Its shares are
down 3%.  BHP Billiton is up 2.8%.  In Japan, the Nikkei is down .5%.
The Hang Seng has just opened. It's up 35 pts.  The AUD is trading at
69.79 US c.  Gold is up .40 at $US405.45/oz.  Oil is also higher. It's
added $1.70 to $US45.59/bbl.

Another snr Hamas leader has been assassinated by the Israeli
military.  The 30 yo Pal was killed when a missile slammed into his
car.  6 bystanders were also wounded in the attack in the heart of
Gaza City.

The ban on Qantas buying into Air NZ will stand.  The High Court of NZ
has just ruled.  It says the proposed alliance would deliver a
stranglehold on trans-Tasman air routes.  The 2 airlines say they will
find other ways to work together.  Qantas shares were down 1 c on the news.

Rex airlines says a plan by SYD Airport to move the company to a
different part of the airport will badly damage their business.
They're presently located at Gate 39.  Rex has 1000 flights a wk into
regional AUS.  Gate 39 has an aero-bridge that SYD Airport wants to
see other airlines use.

ABARE says commodity exports are expected to jump 16% to $96 bn this
y.  The rise comes on the back of internat'l demand for mins and
energy.  Farm exports will grow at a lower rate, says the body.

Big tobacco is on trial in the US Fed Court.  In the biggest civil
lawsuit ever filed 5 companies are charged with scheming to defraud
the public.  The suit is claiming the $280 bn in profits the companies
have made since 1971.  It says tobacco has devastated US public
health.  440,000 Americans die each y from tobacco-related diseases.
The govt charges a 40 y conspiracy between the makers to conceal the
dangers of smoking.  The govt has spent $135 mn on the case so far.
It will call 200 witnesses, and present 80 mn documents.  The case was
filed 5 y ago.  The prosecutors say the companies have lied about
almost everything.  They have denied tobacco is addictive.  They said
light cigarettes were safer.  They have denied 2nd hand smoke is
dangerous.  But they know that all these things are lies.  Dr Wygand
is expected to testify in the landmark case.  He has prev said the
companies deliberately targeted children.  Attorney of the companies
deny all charges and [contradictorily] says the companies have changed
the way they do business.  If the govt wins, the companies might have
to cough up every cent they've made since the RICO laws were put on
the books -- 1971.  That is likely to bankrupt them.

AUS has won 2 gold medals o'night in Athens.  The wins have come on
the bike track at the Paralympic Games.  After 2 days, AUS is in 9th
pos on the table, with 11 medals.

The Jade Mtn Glacier is melting.  The glacier is a big tourist
attraction in China.  Scientists don't like what they see.  They say
the glacier is shrinking fast.  In 50 y it will be gone.  In recent ys
China has been hit by droughts in the N and W, floods and storms in
the S and E, sandstorms, and deserts have started to impinge on the
outskirts of major cities.  There have even been locust plagues.  The
climate is changing, say Chinese scientists.  That's also what the
Jade Mtn Glacier is trying to tell us.

6.30 pm
20 US soldiers have been killed this wk in Iraq.  The hostage crisis
has also deepened.  40 victims are presently being held by different
groups.  For first time, a group of Iraqi Nat'l Guards has been
kidnapped.  Elsewhere, the beheading of Iraqi Kurds has been shown on
a web site.  The 3 bodies were later found nr Mosul.  Another group
has shown video of the 15 nat'l guards.  They will be killed unless an
al-Sadr aide is released by the US.  Time is running out for an
American and Brit also held.  10 employees of a Turkish/American
company have also been threatened with execution, unless their company
pulls out of Iraq.  Another hostage has been freed in a raid, S of
Baghdad.  There has also been more violence.  In Baghdad, a driver was
killed by a roadside bomb.  Another bomb killed a tanker driver on the
outskirts of the capital.  A govt official survived an ambush -- but
a guard was killed.  3 Americans were killed in another ambush.  US
aircraft continue to attack Fallujah.  The military says they were
precision strikes.  Pix show a heavy vehicle hit by one bomb blast.
Residents say the victims were local workers.  The Iraqi govt says
foreign fighters are flooding into Iraq.  The interim govt says
violence is likely to increase as insurgents try to derail the Jan
elections.

SBY is on track to be the next Pres in Indonesia.  A reliable sampling
group puts the initial vote for the former security chief at 52%,
compared with Megawati on about 40%.

Far right parties have polled well in 2 former E German states.  They
rec'd 9% of the vote -- a 6 fold increase since 1999.  The neo-Nazi
party succeeded through appeals to the unemployed and disaffected.
Moderates took to the streets claiming the extremists would tarnish
Germany's image.  The govt once tried to ban the NPD.  Now it's won
its first seat in 36 y.  The new MP wants the Holocaust Memorial in
Berlin destroyed.  The NPD have declared the result a "great day for
Germany".  Dissidents shouted something different from the gallery.
The SDU has lost its majority, with support in Brandenburg falling to
19%.  It's the worst poll result for them in 55 y.  The far left also
polled well. The PDS -- the former Communists -- increased their vote
to 10%, winning 1 seat.

Witnesses say a snr Hamas official was killed in Gaza when his car
was hit by a missile fired from an un-manned drone.

In S Turkey, a bomb explosion beneath a police car has wounded 2
police.  16 by-standers were wounded in the blast.  The attack
happened outside a pop concert attended by 30,000.  No group has
claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The All Ords has closed down 3 pts after touching new highs.  Telstra
is down 3%.  BHP Billiton closed up.  Qantas is up 1 c.  In Japan, the
Nikkei was close for a nat'l holiday.  The Hang Seng ended down 4
pts.  The AUD is at 69.77 US c -- little changed ahead of an expected
lift in int rates in the US this wk.  Oil is up $1.80 at $US45.92/bbl
after news Yukos has been forced to suspend some exports to China
because of its financial problems.

Hurricane Jean continues.  30,000 have been evacuated in the Dom Rep.
11 people have been killed by the storm there.  In Haiti, 50 have been
killed.  20 are missing.  Crops have been destroyed, towns are
underwater, and 100s are still isolated by blocked rds.  In Panama, the
govt has declared a state of emergency.  14 have died.  10,000 houses
have been destroyed or damage.  20 are missing -- swept away in
floodwaters.  Jean is now moving out to sea.  The next storm of the
season is already forming.  At this stage, weather officials say Karl
is expected to stay clear of land.

9.30 pm
Muqtada al Sadr is demanding the released of 18 Nat'l Guardsmen who
have been kidnapped by insurgents.  Al Sadr says he totally rejects
kidnappings.

SBS TV.  In the Jakarta tally room the official count of 7 mn votes
(5% of the total) gives SBY 59% and Megawati 41%.  The so-called
"quick count" result -- a respected exit poll -- is predicting SBY 62%
and Megawati 38%.  TV stns are already declaring SBY the winner,
calling on Megawati to leave quietly and keep her supporters in line.
But she will be Pres for another m and there are concerns about what
she will do in the interim.  Some cynics say her cronies will steal
as much money as they can before they leave office.  The economy and
markets will have to wait several wks before they know.

After being dubbed a terrorist hub for 25 y, the US has agreed to
release sanctions on Libya.
}}

----------------------------------------
Tue, 21 Sep 2004.

	HEADLINES:
Floods kill at least 573 in Haiti
$US46/bbl and rising
War on terror should tackle child abuse says UN
Palestinian gunmen kill suspected informants
James Hardie inquiry findings to be released
James Hardie asks for halt in shares trade
Hardie executives 'breached corporations law'
No NATO agreement on Iraq, but officials say consensus expected soon
Kerry slams Bush for 'colossal failures' in Iraq
Kerry makes election a referendum on Iraq
Iraqi militants behead US hostage
Going after Iraq's most wanted man
Blair re-badges Iraq debacle as global battle
Blair monitoring Iraq kidnapping
A strident minority: anti-Bush US troops in Iraq
ALP gains ground in polls
ALP to boost bio-terrorism prevention
Beazley questions PM's pre-emptive strike policy
Branch stack claims have no credibility: Latham
Bus driver stabs 25 Chinese children
CBS duped by Bush military 'memos'
CBS sorry over Bush memo blunder
Electoral roll rort ignored, claims senator
Europeans hail latest data from Mars
Exit tax dampens NSW housing market
Grain company merger to benefit SA growers
Howard pledges $100 mn reef research fund
Howard to announce reef package
Independent says Nat'ls pressured him not to stand
Indonesians vote for change
Israel installs new radar system
Job offer no crime, says MP
Kidnap baby's father faces drugs charges
Malaysia rejects Howard's terror idea
Meninga to stand trial on assault charges
Militants extend execution deadline
Neighbours weigh in to pre-emptive strike debate
New attack on Afghan leadership
PM denies knowledge of alleged electoral bribe
PM reassures neighbours over pre-emptive strikes
Paralympic cyclists equal Olympians
Parents urged to vote for education changes
People smuggler jailed
Real estate institutes to reform price records
Sadr supporters release hostages
Scientists want action on contamination
Tas pubs to go smoke-free
Tragic end to rest by wrong tree at wrong time
UGH shareholders approve grains merger
Unions to campaign in marginals


@$US46/bbl and rising
Oil price dampens Wall St trading
NY/Sydney.  Profit warnings and oil prices have combined to push down
share prices on Wall Street, with crude oil futures in NY jumping well
clear of $US46/bbl.
The leading Russian oil producer, Yukos, has suspended some of its
exports to China, while storm-related disruptions are expected to have
an impact on US stockpiles.
West Texas crude futures have risen to $US46.33/bbl.
At the same time, Colgate-Palmolive and Anglo-Dutch Unilever have
prepared investors for softer earnings, sparking more generalised
concerns about the outlook for consumer products groups.
There has also been some hesitation ahead of tonight's policy meeting
at the US Fed Reserve, when American interest rates are widely
expected to be raised another notch.
On the NYSE the DJIA has closed 80 points lower at 10,205.
The high-tech Nasdaq composite index has lost 2 points to 1,908 and
the UK share market also headed lower.
The Unilever profit warning has unsettled investors although the oil
majors, BP and Shell, have limited the overall decline on the market.
London's FT100 index has finished 11.5 points behind at 4,580.
Yesterday, the Aussie market registered another intra-day record high
before closing the session a touch weaker as a number of heavyweight
companies went ex-dividend.
They included Telstra. Its 13 cent dividend coincided with a 16 cent
dip in the share price, to $4.69.
The All Ords finished at 3,641.
Turning to foreign exchange markets and at 7.15 am AEST the Aussie
dollar was quoted at 70.06 US cents, and on the cross-rates, it was
worth 57.53 euro cents; 76.95 yen and 39.22 pence sterling.
The gold price is at $US405.35/oz.

@Floods kill at least 573 in Haiti
Tropical Storm Jeanne leaves 100s dead
Pt-au-Prince (AP).  Bloated corpses and weeping relatives filled
morgues as Haitians faced yet another tragedy in a year marked by
revolts, military interventions and deadly floods. At least 573 were
killed by Tropical Storm Jeanne and officials expected the toll to rise.
The corpses of 2 children were found on a sidewalk on Mon in Gonaives,
where 1/3 of the dead brought to the hospital were children.
More than 500 people had died in the sprawling northern city,
according to Touissant Kongo-Doudou, a rep for the UN mission.
Another 17 died in the nearby town of Terre Neuve, agriculture
official Madiro Morilus said, and another 56 were recovered in the N
city of Port-de-Paix, according to Kongo-Doudou.
"The water is high. As it goes down, we expect to find more bodies,"
Kongo-Doudou said.
Tropical Storm Jeanne entered the Caribbean last week, killing 7
people in the US territory of Puerto Rico before heading to the
Dominican Republic where it killed at least 18.
The toll has been largest in Haiti where deforestation has made even
light rain deadly.
More than 90% of Haiti's trees have been chopped down, mostly to make
charcoal. Without roots and foliage, there is nothing to hold water
back from low-lying towns.
Haiti marked its bicentennial amid political turmoil in Jan. A m
later, a 3-wk rebellion ended in the ouster of Pres Jean-Bertrand
Aristide and the arrival of a US-led multinat'l force. In May,
disaster struck again with floods that killed more than 3,000 people
on the Haitian-Dominincan border in the S part of the island.
Although Jeanne regained hurricane strength on Mon, the storm posed no
threat to land.
"I lost my kids and there's nothing I can do," said Jesner Estimable,
35, who brought the body of his 2-yo daughter to UN peacekeepers on
Mon. Soldiers put the corpse in a body bag while her mother
wailed. Another one of the couple's children was still missing.
"All I have is complete despair and the clothes I'm wearing," he said,
pointing to a floral dress and ripped pants borrowed from a neighbour.
In Gonaives, a city of about a quarter of a mn people, residents waded
through ankle-deep mud outside the mayor's office, where workers were
shovelling out mud and doctors treated the wounded.
Aid workers were helping a woman give birth.
Floodwaters destroyed homes and crops from corn to onions in the
Artibonite region that is Haiti's breadbasket.
Katya Silme, 18, said her family spent the night in a tree because
their house was flooded.
"Now we have nothing. We have not eaten anything since the floods"
said Silme.
Argentine troops part of the UN force helped treat 140 injured, most
for cuts to feet and legs.
Officials said another 500 others were treated on Mon at city hall,
where officials said doctors and nurses are urgently needed.

@Bus driver stabs 25 Chinese children
Beijing.  A bus driver in China has stabbed 25 primary school
children, wounding them in their arms and faces.  The Xinhua news
agency reports that the 37-yo man stabbed the children with a kitchen
knife.  He also kidnapped a nine-yo girl from a primary school in the
eastern province of Shandong.  Police say he has since been arrested,
and the hostage freed.  They say it is believed the attacker had
fought with a resident, and was seeking revenge.  He reportedly attacked
the children in a nearby school, after failing to find the resident.

@No NATO agreement on Iraq, but officials say consensus expected soon
Brussels.  NATO ambassadors failed to finalise an agreement to expand
the alliance's military training mission in Iraq, after meeting in a
special session Mon. But officials say they hope to work things out at
another meeting later this wk.
NATO Rep James Appathurai says some details need to be finalised, but
he expects agreement by Wed, when the 26 NATO ambassadors have their
regular weekly meeting.
"They are now very close to consensus," Mr Appathurai says.
"They are all singing off the same song sheet. There are no major
areas remaining of disagreement. So, I am confident that, in the next
one or 2 days, they should reach formal consensus on how to enhance
that assistance."
Among the concerns before the alliance are details of how to pay for
the mission, command arrangements and how to protect about 300 NATO
instructors.
France and Belgium, both opponents of the Iraq war, last wk blocked an
agreement on widening the mission to set up a military academy for
Iraq's armed forces.
NATO sent about 40 soldiers to Iraq last m, after France dropped
objections to dispatching any instructors. Although a number of NATO
members have individually sent troops to take part in the US coalition
in Iraq, objections from France and Germany have blocked a major
collective role by NATO, other than logistical support for a
Polish-led force.
Meanwhile, Iraq's interim PM, Iyad Allawi, has again called on the
alliance to help build up Iraq's new armed forces. In the Brit
newspaper, The Independent, he urged NATO and the European Union to do
their utmost to help with expertise, training and equipment.

@Kerry makes election a referendum on Iraq
Washington (MSNBC).  Sometime between now and Election Day -- exactly
6 wk from Tue -- there is a chance that a majority of voters may
conclude that the US involvement in Iraq has gone to hell in a
hand-basket. But will voters then decide, "John Kerry is the man to fix things"?
Kerry's speech in NY on Mon morning was an important turning point in
the 2004 campaign, signalling that the Democrat and his strategists
have decided to push other issues -- gun control, out-sourcing, Social
Security privatisation -- aside and make this election a referendum on Iraq.
In tried-and-true campaign strategy, Kerry is going back to Democratic
base voters and seeking to draw on the anger and frustration they have
felt ever since the summer of 2002 when it became clear that Pres Bush
was determined to topple Saddam Hussein.
But even if the anti-war majority of the Democratic base turns out in
large numbers on Nov. 2, the key for Kerry is persuading non-core
Democratic voters that he is offering them a credible plan for
withdrawal from Iraq.
Kerry warned voters Mon that another war may well be in the offing:
"If George W. Bush is re-elected, he will cling to the same failed
policies in Iraq -- and he will repeat, somewhere else, the same
reckless mistakes," a statement that dovetails neatly with arguments
by Kerry surrogates such as former Sen Max Cleland that Bush will
re-instate the draft if voters give him a 2nd term.
In Mon's speech, Kerry set no deadline for withdrawal of American troops.
He did offer a 4-point plan for Iraq:
Step up the training of Iraqi police and security forces.
Carry out a reconstruction program that puts Iraqis to work and uses
Iraqi contractors, instead of Halliburton and other US firms.
Persuade other nations to live up to their promises under UN Security
Council Resolution 1546 to contribute peace-making troops and
financial aid to Iraq.
Convince "our friends and allies" to contribute troops to a UN
protection force so that elections can be held next y.
Middle E scholars and defence experts at Washington's think-tanks have
said for m that the idea that Kerry could persuade France, Germany and
other militarily capable nations to send troops to operate in Iraq was
the least credible part of Kerry's proposals.
Retired Army officer and ex-Pentagon staffer Andrew Krepinevich, who
now heads Washington's Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments,
told congressional staffers at a briefing Mon that when he visited
France in Apr he had lunch with the vice chairman of the French joint
chiefs of staff.
* Frenchman says, 'Get real'
When Krepinevich mentioned the potential of French soldiers helping
American troops in Iraq, "he didn't quite laugh in my face, but he
smiled, chuckled and said, 'Look, you people have to get real. You
have the Brit there; you have the Italians, that's about all you can do.'"
The French general added, "Even if our policy here changed 180 degrees
and the president [of France] came to us and said, 'What can we do for
Iraq,' I have troops in Haiti, in the Ivory Coast, in the Horn of
Africa, in the Balkans, in Afghanistan. I'm having difficulty meeting
these commitments. The notion that we or the Germans can give you
50,000 troops, even together, is just not realistic."
Krepinevich added that Germany is constrained by the fact it relies
partly on conscript soldiers and German rules tightly limit where and
under what conditions they can be deployed.
Despite some of the difficulties defence experts have pointed to in
Kerry's "persuade-the-allies" mantra, Mon's speech showed that Kerry
had decided he needed to do something prior to next wk's debate with
Bush to change the campaign's momentum.
Recent polls in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and other key states showed Kerry
in trouble, at best holding his own or slightly behind Bush.
Some states Democrats considered in July as potential pick-up
opportunities -- Arizona, for instance -- now seem very difficult for
him to win.
* Kucinich's warning
In the snows of New Hampshire last Jan, the most unabashedly anti-Iraq
war candidate among the Democratic contenders, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of
Ohio, told MSNBC.com that he feared if the party nominated Kerry that
in the 1st Bush-Kerry debate, once the Massachusetts senator had
blasted Bush's conduct of the Iraq war, Bush would turn to him and
say, "But, senator, you voted to give me the authority to go to war."
That was the linchpin of Howard Dean's appeal to Democrats last y to
choose him, not Kerry. "Sen Kerry is talking about experience in
foreign affairs. His experience led him to give the president of the
US a blank check to invade Iraq," Dean said last Nov in debate with Kerry.
Kerry complained in Mon's speech that Bush had not told Congress back
in Oct of 2002 that Iraq might turn out to be a costly, protracted operation.
"He didn't tell us that the cost would exceed $200 bn. He didn't tell
us that even after paying such a heavy price, success was far from
assured," Kerry said.
Kerry's uneasiness with his vote to authorise the Iraq war has led him
to spend months adjusting his rationale for the vote and his position
on what the next right step is in Iraq.
In Sep 2003, for example, he said, "we should not send more American
troops. That would be the worst thing. We do not want to have more
Americanisation."
But on Apr 30 of this y he said, "If our cmdrs believe they need more
American troops, they should say so and they should get them."
He quickly added, "But more and more American soldiers cannot be the
only solution. Other nations have a vital interest in the outcome and
they must be brought in."
In Mon's speech he implicitly went back to his Sep 2003 position that
he would send no more US troops.
- - -
* New ad
A new Bush campaign commercial says a lot about terrorism, but nothing
about Iraq.
* Bush rebuttal
Even before Kerry's offensive on Iraq on Mon, the Bush campaign
unveiled an ad that attempts to remind voters of the wider
counterterrorist war. The ad conspicuously omits any reference to Iraq.
It says that Bush and GOP congressional leaders "have a plan: Enhance
border and port security, increase homeland security measures. Renew
the Patriot Act, giving law enforcement tools against terrorists. Give
the military all it needs, find terrorists where they train and hide."
Use of the word "terror" tends to drive Bush's numbers up in
polling. Bush is trying to play to his perceived strength.
He may have his rebuttal to Kerry's Iraq plan in his speech to the UN
General Assembly Tue.

@Kerry slams Bush for 'colossal failures' in Iraq
NY (Reuters/CNN/AFP).  United States Democratic presidential candidate
John Kerry has turned up his criticism of Pres George W Bush's
leadership in Iraq, accusing him of "colossal failures of judgement"
that have turned the country into a haven for terrorists and made
America more vulnerable.
In a speech at New York University, Sen Kerry argued that the US-led
invasion had weakened nat'l security.
"The Pres's policy in Iraq precipitated the very problem he said he
was trying to prevent," Sen Kerry said. "Iraq is becoming a sanctuary
for a new generation of terrorists who some day could hit the US."
Against a backdrop of rising casualties, fears of civil war and
questions about whether elections can be held in Iraq in Jan as
scheduled, Sen Kerry has tried to make the conflict a key barometer of
Mr Bush's record in office.
"The Pres misled, miscalculated, and mismanaged every aspect of this
undertaking," Sen Kerry said, accusing Mr Bush of making "catastrophic
decisions" and surrounding himself with ideologues who provide
"stubborn incompetence".
"The Pres now admits to miscalculations in Iraq.
"His were not the equivalent of accounting errors. They were colossal
failures of judgement -- and judgement is what we look for in a president."
"George Bush has no strategy for Iraq. I do, and I have all along,"
Sen Kerry said.
He also expressed disbelief at the Pres's defence of his actions over Iraq.
"Pres Bush tells us he would do everything over again the same
way. How can he possibly be serious," he asked.
"Is he really saying to America that if we know there was no imminent
threat, no weapons of mass destruction, no ties to Al Qaeda, the US
should have invaded Iraq, my answer -- resoundingly, no."
Sen Kerry accused Mr Bush of misleading the American people on the
reasons for invading Iraq.
"The 1st and most fundamental mistake was the Pres's failure to tell
the truth to the American people," he said.
"He failed to tell the truth about the rationale for going to war, and
he failed to tell the truth about the burden this war would impose on
our soldiers and our citizens.
"By one count, the Pres [gave] 23 different rationales for this war.
If his purpose was to confuse and mislead the American people, he succeeded."

@Blair re-badges Iraq debacle as global battle
Coalition forces are embroiled in a fresh conflict with Iraq as they
battle to quash global terrorism for ever, says Brit's PM, Tony Blair.
London (NY Times/SMH).  16 m after the US Pres, George Bush, declared
that combat operations were over with his "Mission accomplished"
boast, Mr Blair used a joint news conference with Iraq's interim PM,
Iyad Allawi, on Sun to say that the coalition was engaged in a "new
conflict" now the "first conflict" to remove Saddam Hussein was over.
But the battleground of the new fight was global terrorism versus "the
side of democracy and liberty".
"Whatever the disagreements about the 1st conflict in Iraq to remove
Saddam, in this conflict now taking place in Iraq, this is the
crucible in which the future of this global terrorism will be
decided," he said.
On the other side of the Atlantic, snr Republican senators voiced
criticisms of Mr Bush's Iraq policies on TV talk shows. The US
military needed more troops on the ground and should move to turn the
tide, they said.
"The fact is, we're in trouble. We're in deep trouble in Iraq," Sen
Chuck Hagel said on Sun. "And I think we're going to have to look at
some re-calibration of policy."
As the presidential election nears, the Republicans called on military
leaders to launch attacks on insurgent strongholds sooner rather than
later. Sen John McCain said that he would not have allowed sanctuaries
for resistance fighters in cities such as Fallujah.
Mr Blair's fresh presentation of the chaos engulfing parts of Iraq
came as his army chief, Gen Sir Mike Jackson, admitted that Brit
troops were now fighting "a counter-insurgency war".
3 hundred people were killed last wk, and he said "Aug was a very busy m".
Mr Blair's relabelling of the Iraq situation comes a wk before the
Labour Party's annual conference, at which he can expect to face fury
over his handling of the occupation.
A weekend poll suggested that support for the invasion is at its
lowest. A mere 38% of people now believe the war was right, and 52%
think it was wrong.
Mr Blair adopted a conciliatory tone at the news conference, insisting
he did not want to prevent debate over "the wisdom of removing Saddam"
and acknowledging the conflict had been "deeply divisive".
But he insisted every "sensible and decent person" should move on and
recognise that the terrorists and insurgents were opposed to "every
single one of the values we in countries like this hold dear.
"Now is not the time for the internat'l community to divide or
disagree, but to come together ... and realise that the struggle of
the PM and the Iraqi people for liberty and democracy and stability is
actually our struggle too."
3 m into its new mission, the US military command in charge of the
training and equipping of Iraqi security forces has fewer than half of
its permanent HQ personnel in place, even though it has one of the
highest-priority roles in Iraq.
Only about 230 of the nearly 600 military personnel required by the
HQ, including lawyers and procurement experts, have been assigned jobs
with the group, the Multinat'l Security Transition Command, military
officials in Washington and Iraq said.

@A strident minority: anti-Bush US troops in Iraq
Washington (CS Monitor).  Inside dusty, barricaded camps around Iraq,
groups of American troops in between missions are gathering around
screens to view an unlikely choice from the US box office: "Fahrenheit
9-11," Michael Moore's controversial documentary attacking the
cmdr-in-chief.
"Everyone's watching it," says a Marine corporal at an outpost in
Ramadi that is mortared by insurgents daily. "It's shaping a lot of
people's image of Bush."
The film's prevalence is one sign of a discernible countercurrent
among US troops in Iraq -- those who blame Pres Bush for entangling
them in what they see as a misguided war. Conventional wisdom holds
that the troops are staunchly pro-Bush, and many are.
But bitterness over long, dangerous deployments is producing, at a
minimum, pockets of support for Democratic candidate Sen John Kerry,
in part because he's seen as likely to withdraw American forces from
Iraq more quickly.
"[For] 9 out of 10 of the people I talk to, it wouldn't matter who ran
against Bush -- they'd vote for them," said a US soldier in the
southern city of Najaff, seeking out a reporter to make his views
known. "People are so fed up with Iraq, and fed up with Bush."
With only 3 wk until an Oct. 11 deadline set for 100s of 1000s of US
troops abroad to mail in absentee ballots, this segment of the
military vote is important -- symbolically, as a reflection on Bush as
a wartime cmdr, and politically, as absentee ballots could end up
tipping the balance in closely contested states.
It is difficult to gauge the extent of disaffection with Bush, which
emerged in interviews in June and July with ground forces in central,
northern, and S Iraq. No scientific polls exist on the political
leanings of currently deployed troops, military experts and officials say.
To be sure, broader surveys of US military personnel and their spouses
in recent y indicate they are more likely to be conservative and
Republican than the US civilian population -- but not overwhelmingly so.
A Military Times survey last Dec of 933 subscribers, about 30% of whom
had deployed for the Iraq war, found that 56% considered themselves
Republican -- about the same%age who approved of Bush's handling of
Iraq. Half of those responding were officers, who as a group tend to
be more conservative than their enlisted counterparts.
Among officers, who represent roughly 15% of today's 1.4 mn active
duty military personnel, there are about 8 Republicans for every
Democrat, according to a 1999 survey by Duke University political
scientist Peter Feaver. Enlisted personnel, however -- a
disproportionate number of whom are minorities, a population that
tends to lean Democratic -- are more evenly split.
Professor Feaver estimates that about one 3rd of enlisted troops are
Republicans, one 3rd Democrats, and the rest independents, with the
latter group growing.
* Pockets of ambivalence
"The military continues to be a Bush stronghold, but it's not a
stranglehold," Feaver says. 3 factors make the military vote more in
play for Democrats this y than in 2000, he says: the Iraq war, Def Sec
Donald Rumsfeld's tense relationship with the Army, and Bush's limited
ability as an incumbent to make sweeping promises akin to Sen Kerry's
pledge to add 40,000 new troops and relieve an over-stretched force.
"The military as a whole supports the Iraq war," Mr Feaver says,
noting a historical tendency of troops to back the cmdr in chief in
wartime. "But you can go across the military and find pockets where
they are more ambivalent," he says, especially among the Nat'l Guard
and Reserve. "The war has not gone as swimmingly as they thought, and
that has caused disaffection.
Whether representing pockets of opp'n to Bush or something bigger,
soldiers and marines on Iraq's front lines can be impassioned in their
criticism. One Marine officer in Ramadi who had lost several men said
he was thinking about throwing his medals over the Whitehouse wall.
"Nobody I know wants Bush," says an enlisted soldier in Najaff, adding,
"This whole war was based on lies." Like several others interviewed,
his animosity centred on a belief that the war lacked a clear purpose
even as it took a tremendous toll on US troops, many of whom are in
Iraq involuntarily under "stop loss" orders that keep them in the
service for m beyond their scheduled exit in order to keep units
together during deployments.
"There's no clear definition of why we came here," says Army Spc
Nathan Swink, of Quincy, Ill. "First they said they have WMD and
nuclear weapons, then it was to get Saddam Hussein out of office, and
then to rebuild Iraq. I want to fight for my nation and for my family,
to protect the US against enemies foreign and domestic, not to protect
Iraqi civilians or deal with Sadr's militia," he said.
Specialist Swink, who comes from a family of both Democrats and
Republicans, plans to vote for Kerry. "Kerry protested the war in
Vietnam. He is the one to end this stuff, to lead to our exit of
Iraq," he said.
* 'We shouldn't be here'
Other US troops expressed feelings of guilt over killing Iraqis in a
war they believe is unjust.
"We shouldn't be here," said one Marine infantryman bluntly. "There
was no reason for invading this country in the 1st place. We just came
here and [angered people] and killed a lot of innocent people," said
the marine, who has seen regular combat in Ramadi. "I don't enjoy
killing women and children, it's not my thing."
As with his comrades, the marine accepted some of the most
controversial claims of "Fahrenheit 9/11," which critics have called
biased. "Bush didn't want to attack [Osama] Bin Laden because he was
doing business with Bin Laden's family," he said.
Another marine, Sgt Christopher Wallace of Pataskala, Ohio, agreed
that the film was making an impression on troops. "Marines nowadays
want to know stuff. They want to be informed, because we'll be voting
out here soon," he said. " 'Fahrenheit 9/11' opened our eyes to things
we hadn't seen before." But, he added after a pause, "We still have
full faith and confidence in our cmdr-in-chief. And if John Kerry is
elected, he will be our cmdr in chief."
* Getting out the military vote
No matter whom they choose for president, US troops in even the most
remote bases in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere overseas are more
likely than in 2000 to have an opportunity to vote -- and have their
votes counted -- thanks to a major push by the Pentagon to speed and
postmark their ballots. The Pentagon is now expediting ballots for all
1.4 mn active-duty military personnel and their 1.3 mn voting-age
dependents, as well as 3.7 mn US civilians living abroad.
"We wrote out a plan of attack on how we are going to address these
issues this election year," says Maj Lonnie Hammack, the lead postal
officer for US Central Command, an area covering the Middle East,
Central Asia, and N Africa, where more than 225,000 troops and Defense
Dept personnel serve.
The military has added manpower, flights, and postmark-validating
equipment, and given priority to moving ballots -- by Humvee or
helicopter if necessary -- even to far-flung outposts such as those on
the Syrian and Pakistani border and Djibouti.
Meanwhile, voting-assistance officers in every military unit are
reminding troops to vote, as are posters, e-mails, and newspaper and
TV announcements. Voting booths are also set up at deployment centres
in the US.
"We've had almost 100% contact," says Col Darrell Jones, director of
manpower and personnel for Central Command, and 200,000 fed postcard
ballot applications have been shipped.
"We encourage our people to vote, not for a certain candidate, but to
exercise that right," he said, noting that was especially important as
the US military is "out there promoting fledgling democracy in these
regions." Many of the younger troops may be voting for the 1st time,
he added.

@CBS sorry over Bush memo blunder
NY (PAAIN/AAP).  One of America's most trusted newsmen has made an
humiliating apology, admitting he was duped into reporting that US
Pres George W Bush refused to obey orders when he was a Nat'l Guard pilot.
Veteran CBS anchorman Dan Rather confessed to making a "mistake in
judgement" and added: "For that I am sorry."
The papers, purportedly written by former Air Nat'l Guard officer Lt
Col Jerry Killian, said Mr Bush ignored a direct order to take a
physical exam when he was a pilot.
One memo suggested that Lt Col Jerry Killian was coming under pressure
to "sugar-coat" young Lt Bush's service records.
And the papers said Lt Bush fell below the standards expected of Nat'l
Guard pilots.
At the time, the Pres's father, George Bush snr, was a powerful Texas
congressman.
The papers were shown on the news network's flagship 60 Minutes
program and threatened to blow a hole in Mr Bush's re-election
campaign. It was a boost for Democrat hopeful John Kerry.
Shortly after the story was broadcast, document experts questioned
whether the typeface and style of the memos could have been produced
on a Vietnam-era typewriter.
Then, Lt Col Killian's son, Gary, and widow, Marjorie Connell, raised
doubts about the authenticity of the documents.
Lt Col Killian's former secretary, 86-yo Marian Carr Knox, said she
never typed the memos although she added that what they said
accurately reflected how her boss had felt at the time.
According to reports, a former Nat'l Guard officer named Bill Burkett
was the source of the memos. He has urged Democratic activists to wage
"war" against Republican "dirty tricks".
The row over the documents took attention away from whether Mr Bush
actually shirked his Air Nat'l Guard duties during the Vietnam War, a
topic which has followed Mr Bush throughout the election campaign.
The issue has become so politically charged because Sen Kerry has a
distinguished Vietnam record.
After the initial questions were raised over the authenticity of the
papers, Rather, 72, stood by his story but pledged to investigate further.
But in his statement, he said: "Now, after extensive additional
interviews, I no longer have the confidence in these documents that
would allow us to continue vouching for them journalistically.

@CBS duped by Bush military 'memos'
NY (Reuters).  In a blow to its credibility, CBS News said it had been
deliberately misled over the authenticity of documents it aired in a
story challenging US Pres George W Bush's military service.
"Based on what we now know, CBS News cannot prove that the documents
are authentic, which is the only acceptable journalistic standard to
justify using them in a report," CBS News said in a statement.
"We should not have used them. That was a mistake, which we deeply
regret," the network said, adding that it had launched an internal
investigation into the matter.
The announcement marked a dramatic and embarrassing reversal by the
network that just 5 days ago said it was satisfied with the accuracy
of the documents 1st aired earlier this m in a 60 Minutes II segment.
The scandal put CBS on the list of US journalism icons tainted in
recent y by lies masquerading as truth.
Other casualties include The NY Times, USA Today, The Washington Post,
The New Republic, CNN and NBC.
Experts said the controversy damaged CBS's credibility as well as that
of its leading newsman, Dan Rather.
Mr Rather has anchored the CBS Evening News since 1981, when he
succeeded Walter Cronkite -- dubbed "the most trusted man in America"
for his perceived objectivity.
In a separate statement, Mr Rather apologised for what he called a
"mistake in judgement" and said CBS News had been misled on the key
question of how its source for the documents had obtained the papers.
The 4 memos were purportedly written and signed by the late Air Nat'l
Guard Lt Col Jerry Killian and said he was under pressure from his
superiors to "sugar coat" Mr Bush's service record after Mr Bush, then
a Guard pilot, was grounded for his failure to perform to standards or
to take a physical.
Immediately after CBS aired the original report, Mr Bush's supporters
and competing news organisations challenged the documents' authenticity.
They said comparisons of the Killian memos with other documents from
Mr Bush's Nat'l Guard service revealed inconsistencies in terminology
and word processing techniques.
Mr Bush has never fully accounted for his service during the Vietnam
War, when he was given a much-coveted place in the Nat'l Guard while
many of his peers were drafted and sent to fight in Vietnam.
The matter dogged him during earlier political races but became more
prominent this y as his Democratic rival John Kerry made much of his
own decorated service during the war.
Orville Schell, dean of the graduate school of journalism at the
University of California-Berkeley, called CBS's admission "a milestone
moment in American media, a clash between the old and the new".
He explained that even as CBS stood by its story, a chorus of experts
and so-called bloggers saturated the Internet with criticism of the
documents' authenticity.
"At this point they look like dupes and that's not good for any news
organisation, especially CBS," said Jane Kirtley, professor of media
ethics and law at the University of Minnesota.
She predicted further fallout at CBS, and said the whole affair would
give more evidence to those who see a "liberal bias" in mainstream US
media outlets.
Republicans said the network's public acknowledgement did not settle
the issue, and said the source of the documents still needed to be
established.
Republican Nat'l Committee chairman Ed Gillespie called for an
investigation of possible criminal activity by anyone who "attempted
to use a news organisation to affect the outcome of a presidential
election in its closing days".
Paul Argenti, a professor of corporate communications at Dartmouth
College's business school, said it could cost Mr Rather his job,
something he said would be a shame given the journalist's long record.
"If you're going to go on a witch hunt you better make damn sure your
sources are correct," Professor Argenti said. "Dan Rather ought to
know better."

@Indonesians vote for change
Jakarta (ABC, Peter Lloyd & Karon Snowdon).  Former security minister
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, known in Indonesia as SBY, has a commanding
lead in Indonesia's 1st ever direct presidential election, while
unofficial results show voters have dumped Megawati Sukarnoputri.
Megawati is facing a daunting challenge to hold on to her job.
A nationwide sample by respected survey group The Freedom Institute
predicts Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has more than 61% of the vote,
compared to a little under 39% for Megawati.
The figures tally with official election results in more than 20 mn
votes counted so far.
Overnight, the former security minister stopped short of declaring
victory but thanked voters for their trust and support and vowed to
reconcile with Megawati's camp.
"I thank God, I thank the Indonesian people for putting their trust in
me and I also thank the Govt of Megawati for ushering this country to
this process of democracy," Mr Yudhoyono said.
Authorities say the election was peaceful but there were scattered
reports of irregularities.
Elections officials will announce the final result in early Oct.
Mohammad Hussein from the Institute of Social and Economic Research is
confident his quick count will be confirmed by the Nat'l tally centre
in coming days.
"We hope that all people could accept this result also the losing
candidates, we hope so".
If he wins, SBY has promised a 5-y plan to deliver more than 5%
economic growth, mn of jobs and a crackdown on corruption.
The public is expecting a strong hand against terrorist acts like the
bombing at the Aussie Embassy just over a wk ago.

@War on terror should tackle child abuse says UN
UN.  A United Nations official has told a Bris conference tackling
child abuse must be part of the war on terror.  The internat'l society
for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect is holding its 15th
internat'l congress in Bris.  The deputy executive director of UNICEF,
Kul Gautem, has told delegates the issues behind child abuse are the
same as those behind the rise of global terrorism.  "So long as we do
not tackle poverty, injustice inequality in the world, terrorism will
continue to thrive," he said.  Mr Gautem says the world must address
the imbalance between the $1,000 bn spent annually on armed conflict
and the $60 bn spent on aid.

@Malaysia rejects Howard's terror idea
KL (AP).  Malaysia has rejected the idea that AUS could stage
pre-emptive strikes or base counter-terrorism teams on Malaysian soil,
asserting that it would not allow its nat'l sovereignty to be violated.
Deputy PM Najib Razak was responding to proposals in AUS's election
campaign by PM John Howard that CBR could place a counter-terrorism
team in Indonesia -- where suicide bombers struck nr his country's
embassy last wk, killing 9 people -- and another unspecified nation.
"Malaysia has not been approached," Najib told reporters. "We think we
have the capability to deal with any threat of terrorism."
Howard angered Malaysia's former PM, Mahathir Mohamad, by suggesting
last y that AUS had the right to stage pre-emptive strikes against
terrorists in nearby countries.
Mahathir accused Howard of racism and acting as a US lackey.
"Malaysia's position is that [AUS has] to respect our sovereignty,"
Najib said. "We won't allow any pre-emptive strikes when it comes to
our own nat'l territory."
Malaysia has jailed about 70 suspected militants of the
al-Qaeda-linked group Jemaah Islamiah and has not suffered a terror attack.
But 2 Malaysian fugitives are suspected of being the group's chief
bomb-maker and recruiter of suicide attackers in Indonesia, and are
blamed for last wk's embassy blast and the Bali bombing that killed
202 people 2 y ago, including 88 Aussies.

@Beazley questions PM's pre-emptive strike policy
Opp'n defence rep Kim Beazley questions Howard's pre-emptive strike policy.
Canberra.  The fed Labor Party has questioned the Prime Min's
pre-emptive strike policy, asking why he has not launched a military
attack against terrorists in the region.  John Howard has again said
he would launch a pre-emptive strike on terrorists in another country
if he knew they were going to attack AUS.  But Labor's defence rep Kim
Beazley has told ABC TV's Lateline program the locations of terrorist
training bases in the South-East Asian region are already known.  Mr
Beazley says it is known that those terrorists are training to target
Aussies and their interests.  "Why doesn't the PM pre-empt? Why
doesn't he attack them," Mr Beazley asked.  "It's known now where they
are and he can attack them, but the point is he doesn't do that -- he
doesn't do that because it would poison our relationship with them
[South-East Asia] permanently."

@Neighbours weigh in to pre-emptive strike debate
Terror threat prompts debate on pre-emptive strikes.
Canberra.  The Indonesian Ambassador to AUS says he was assured by the
For Min, Alexander Downer, 2 y ago that AUS would not send troops to
intervene in other countries in the region.
Imron Cotan says 10 ambassadors and High Commissioners from S East
Asian nations were told comments by PM John Howard about pre-emptive
strikes were part of an internal debate and the idea was still being
developed.
He says his report to Jakarta suggested waiting until the idea had
been developed further.
Mr Cotan has told the ABC's AM program the latest references to the
idea of pre-emptive strikes on terrorists in the region has to be seen
in the context of the time.
"My reading is that perhaps they have developed the idea but they
should see it from the context of internal debate of 2 political
parties who are wanting to win the elections," he said.
* Cooperation
Labor's foreign affairs rep Kevin Rudd is surprised by the Indonesian
Ambassador's comments.
Mr Rudd says the Govt is sending one message for domestic political
consumption and another to neighbouring nations.
"You see what the PM has done in an election contest is come out and
sound very hairy-chested, I presume, in his belief that this is
electorally appealing to the Aussie community," he said.
"But at the same time as doing continuing foreign policy and nat'l
security policy damage, in terms of our relationships in the region,
relationships which we need to work with cooperatively in order to
deal with the terrorism threat in our neighbourhood."
"We also have statements from the Indonesian Pres-elect Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono from last y describing any possible doctrine of
unilateralism or pre-emption as counter productive and it would do
harm to cooperation collectively between countries combating terrorism.
"So if John Howard is actually serious about this doctrine, then
already with the emergency of a new Indonesian Pres we have a new
foreign policy problem on our hands.
"When it comes to securing AUS on the home front and securing AUS in
the region, John Howard is becoming increasingly a nat'l security
liability for AUS.
"We believe that the way you deal with terrorism problems of terrorism
in South-East Asia is to deal with them cooperatively, that's the way
in which you get things done."
* Hypothetical
Mr Downer says suggestions AUS would attack neighbouring countries
against their will in a pre-emptive strike against terrorists are absurd.
Mr Downer says the idea of a pre-emptive strike is about a hypothetical
situation if someone refused to stop a terrorist attack on AUS.
"Obviously the way the proposition is put to people like the
Indonesians and the Malaysians, in order to build a campaign against
the Howard Govt, is to suggest that we would attack those countries
against their will," he said.
"I mean, this is an absurd proposition because these are countries
that have counter-terrorism capabilities, these are countries that are
fighting terrorism."
"You would obviously work with the country involved," he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysia has also rejected the idea that AUS could launch a
pre-emptive strike or base counter-terrorism teams on its soil.
Deputy Prime Min Najib Razak said such a proposal would violate his
country's nat'l sovereignty.
Mr Najib told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that Malaysia has not been
approached to take part in the scheme.
He said his Govt thinks it has the capability to deal with any threat
of terrorism.

@PM reassures neighbours over pre-emptive strikes
Terror threat prompts debate on pre-emptive strikes.
Canberra.  Prime Min John Howard appears to have clarified his
position on the Govt's policy of taking pre-emptive action against
terrorist groups in neighbouring nations.
Mr Howard insists he would not attack another country without its cooperation.
Indonesia's ambassador says 2 y ago when the Govt said it would be
prepared to launch a pre-emptive strike on terrorists, he was told AUS
would not send any troops to do that, and that the concept was still
being developed.
Malaysia has also expressed its concerns insisting it would not allow
any pre-emptive strike on its sovereign territory.
Today Mr Howard moved to reassure AUS's neighbours.
"I wasn't saying that we were going to launch an attack against
another country," he said.
Mr Howard says if he planned to attack a terrorist group in another
country he would collaborate first.
Labor leader Mark Latham criticised the move.
"You can't have it both ways, you can't make out you're going to be
launching unilateral strikes, that is without telling the country, and
then say there's some element of cooperation."
Labor says the Govt is sending 2 messages, one for domestic political
consumption and another to regional nations.

@Blair monitoring Iraq kidnapping
London (AFP).  Brit PM Tony Blair on Mon restated his determination to
stand firm in Iraq, as a 48 hr deadline set by the kidnappers of a
Brit engineer and 2 US colleagues came and went.
"Of course these situations are terrible, because of what is happening
and the desire of these people to kill anyone who is trying to help
that country get better," he said.
"But our response has not got to be to weaken.
"Our response has got to be to stand firm, to say whatever the differences
over the Iraq conflict there is a clear right and wrong on these
issues and that is to be with the democrats and against the terrorists."
Earlier on Mon, Mr Blair's official rep said Downing Street was very
closely monitoring developments in the case of Brit engineer Ken Bigley.
Mr Bigley was taken hostage in Baghdad on Sat, along with 2 US nat'ls
Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong.
"Obviously we remain very concerned about the situation of Ken Bigley
and the other hostages," a rep for Mr Blair said.
"We are monitoring the situation very closely," he said.
"Given the sensitivity of the situation, we can't and shouldn't say
anything more."
The militants said their captives would be killed unless Iraqi women
prisoners were released from Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca prisons.

@Sadr supporters release hostages
Baghdad (Reuters).  An Islamist group has released 18 Iraqi soldiers it
had captured and threatened to kill unless an aide to Shiite rebel
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was released, a video released to the media
showed on Mon.
Reuters obtained a copy of the brief video which showed the soldiers
dressed in white gowns and holding Korans to their chests, sitting in
a room.
Arabic TV station Al-Jazeera said the kidnappers, the Mohammad bin
Abdullah Brigades, had released the Nat'l Guard soldiers at Sadr's request.
The group also warned anyone against cooperating with what it called
the "occupying forces" in Iraq, it added.
On Sun, Al-Jazeera aired a video from the group which said it would
kill the troops unless the Iraqi authorities released Sadr aide Hazem
al-Araji within 48 hr.
A snr aide to Sadr, Ali Smeisim, held a news conference earlier on Mon
to denounce the guardsmen's kidnapping and call for their release.
Sadr supporters in Baghdad said US forces had arrested Araji in a raid
in the Iraqi capital.
It was not immediately clear if Araji had been released.

@Iraqi militants behead US hostage
Baghdad (ABC, Peter Cave & agencies).  A militant group led by Al
Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi says it has beheaded an American
hostage and posted a video of the killing on the Internet.
The group is believed to have kidnapped the hostage, along with
another American and a Briton.
The deadline for the group's demands that all women prisoners in Iraqi
jails be freed passed yesterday.
They had threatened to kill Americans Eugene 'Jack' Armstrong and Jack
Hensley and Briton Kenneth Bigley.
The website posted a video which showed one hostage being beheaded.
The video identified the hostage as Eugene Armstrong and showed a
masked man beheading the hostage.
A US official said Mr Armstrong's body had been recovered.
In the video, 5 armed and masked men stood around the hostage, who was
dressed in an orange overall typical of US jails and associated around
the world with images of Muslims detained at Guantanamo Bay.
After reading a lengthy statement, during which the hostage sat
rocking on the floor, one of the gunmen decapitated him.
The US military says no women are being held in the 2 prisons
specified, but that 2 are in US custody and are accused of working on
ousted Iraqi Pres Saddam Hussein's weapons program.
Zarqawi's group has said it was responsible for most of the bloodiest
suicide bombings in Iraq since the fall of Saddam.
It has beheaded several hostages, including US telecoms engineer
Nicholas Berg in May and S Korean driver Kim Sun-il in June.
Meanwhile a Shiite group which claimed to be holding 18 Iraqi nat'l
guards has released them according to a rep for the rebel Shiite
cleric Muqtada al Sadr who intervened on their behalf.
There is no news of 10 Turkish truck drivers still being held by yet
another Al Qaeda-related group.

@Militants extend execution deadline
Baghdad (Reuters).  Militants who have beheaded an American in Iraq
say 2 fellow civilian hostages would meet the same fate within 24 hr
if the US fails to accept their demands.
But US Pres George W Bush says the US would not negotiate and would
stay on the offensive.
Negotiations to save fellow American Jack Hensley and Briton Kenneth
Bigley are made even more unlikely by the very nature of the demands
by the Tawhid and Jihad group.
The group is led by Al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who is
America's most wanted man in Iraq.
The group is demanding the release of female prisoners from 2 Iraqi jails.
However, the US says there are no women being held there, although
there are 2 in US custody -- both top weapons scientists under Saddam Hussein.
* Video
A gruesome video posted on an Islamist web site shows a masked,
black-clad man sawing construction worker Armstrong's head off with a knife.
It is a scenario similar to the deaths of other hostages of Zarqawi's
group over the past few ms.
His body has been recovered and identified, a US official says.
Gunmen kidnapped the 3 men from their home in central Baghdad last Thu.
In the video, 5 armed and masked men stood around Armstrong, who was
blindfolded and dressed in orange overalls typical of US jails.
After reading a lengthy, rambling statement ridiculing Mr Bush and
promising Iraqi women their honour would be protected, one man seized
the struggling hostage and decapitated him.
"Oh, you Christian dog Bush, stop your arrogance," the militant said.
"The mujahideen will give America a taste of the degradation you have
inflicted on the Iraqi people."
Mr Bush, however, is vowing to keep up the pressure.
"They will behead people in order to shake our will," he said.
"You cannot negotiate with these people."
More than a dozen hostages are being held in Iraq and threatened with
death unless their captors' demands are met.

@Going after Iraq's most wanted man
US airstrikes in Fallujah are targeting Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his
followers. Is he the mastermind of the insurgency?
Amman, Jordan (CS Monitor).  The US military is training its guns now
on one of the most intractable challenges to Jan elections in Iraq:
the city of Fallujah.
The Sunni city is seen as a base of operations for Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant accused by US officials of terrorist
plots in at least 4 countries and of ties to Al Qaeda.
Mr Zarqawi's Iraq-based group, Tawhid and Jihad, claims responsibility
for beheading hostages, kidnappings -- including 2 Americans and a
Briton last wk -- attacks on churches, and the bombings of Iraqi
police stations that have left more than 400 people dead.
US bombs rain down almost daily on Fallujah, targeting alleged Zarqawi
associates and killing roughly 70 people this m. But some terrorism
analysts, and old associates who spent time with Zarqawi in a Jordan
prison, say he runs an organisation separate from Al Qaeda. They say
that killing the poorly educated, tattooed Jordanian -- or many of his
followers -- will do little to slow the wave of terrorist attacks
inside Iraq.
"Just like with Osama, if you were to kill him today, it wouldn't make
a difference at all to these networks he's helped create," says Rohan
Gunaratna, a counterterrorism expert and author of "Inside Al Qaeda."
"While much of the suicide bombing in Iraq is coordinated by his
network, it's being driven from the bottom up.
Regional and local operational leaders plan and execute attacks.
Zarqawi probably doesn't know much about them ahead of time and he
doesn't need to."
This doesn't mean the shadowy Zarqawi isn't an important contributor
to Iraq's instability. But analysts such as Mr Gunaratna say that his
importance lies in having used contacts developed while living in
Afghanistan between 1999 and 2002 to stitch together a loose network
of like-minded militants stretching from Iraq N through Turkey and into
Europe. Zarqawi is just the most visible figure today in a tight-knit
group of operatives, many with guerrilla and terrorist training gained
in Afghanistan.
If this analysis is correct, the damage is already done. While Zarqawi
may be captured or killed, his network is now largely autonomous, with
scores of plug-and-play operatives inside Iraq. In fact, many analysts
worry that the bombing of Fallujah is strengthening his
network. Publicity around civilian casualties, they say, brings more
Iraqis and foreigners to the cause.
The US has "killed some important individuals but the power of the
network is such that they're able to replace them. They're living in a
war zone where the generation of new members is easy," says Gunaratna,
because of the conviction of many that they're fighting an infidel
invader. "Iraq has clearly become the new land of jihad, like
Afghanistan produced the last generation of Mujahidin, Iraq is
creating the new generation."
* Small-time thug to leader
The story of how Zarqawi, once a small-time thug jailed for sexual
assault in his hometown in Jordan, rose to be one of the most
important figureheads in the global militant Islamist movement, is
filled with gaps and contradictions.
Described as poorly educated by cellmates who served time with him in
Jordan in the 1990s, the US says he's the author of a 14-page letter
intercepted in early 2004 that lays out the blueprint for his jihad
inside Iraq, replete with historic allusions and poetic language that
people who know him doubt he's capable of writing.
"When I knew Zarqawi, there's no way he could have ever written a
letter like that," says Abdullah Abu Roman, a Jordanian journalist
who's writing a book about Zarqawi and who served time with the
militant in 1996, when Mr Roman was jailed for lese-majeste. "He was
a hard man, completely uncompromising. He had the ability to be a
leader in a small jail in the S of Jordan, but I'm surprised that he's
now said to be so important."
In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, top US officials such as Def
Sec Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell cited Zarqawi
as a full-fledged member of Al Qaeda, who they claimed had been
injured in a post-9/11 US airstrike in Afghanistan and later had a leg
amputated in a Baghdad hospital. That treatment, they said, bolstered
claims of close ties between Al Qaeda and the regime of Saddam Hussein.
But analysts -- as well as German and Italian govt court documents in
cases against Zarqawi associates -- say it's clear now that while
Zarqawi has had contact with Al Qaeda members in the past, he has
sharp tactical differences with the organisation and appears to be
operating a wholly separate network. Shadi Abdallah, a Zarqawi
associate arrested on charges of running a terrorist cell in Germany,
has told interrogators that Zarqawi saw himself as a rival of Al
Qaeda, not an ally.US officials now say they don't believe he lost a
leg, and analysts such as Gunaratna say there is no evidence he had
ties to Hussein's regime.
While he was operating inside Iraq prior to the invasion, US officials
say most of his activities were in the autonomous Kurdish region in
the north, where he mingled with members of Ansar al-Islam, a radical
Kurdish group who operated in an area beyond Baghdad's control and was
largely scattered by US airpower at the start of the war.
* Not Zarqawi's voice
And though a number of recorded statements attributed to him are on
the Internet, claiming responsibility for attacks inside Iraq and
threatening more against the US, Jordanians who knew him say the voice
on the tapes isn't the one they remember. "I met with him 15 times,
and I tell you that the voice on those tapes isn't his. His voice is
gravelly, distinct," says Mohammed al-Dweik, a lawyer for Zarqawi in Jordan.
Zarqawi, believed to be 38, was born Ahmad Fadil al- Khalayleh in the
poor Jordanian industrial city of Zarqa, where crime is as rife as
militant Islamist sentiment, a legacy of the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict next door.
Though Zarqawi's parents were of the Bedouin stock native to the area,
the town was home to the 1st Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan,
founded in 1949, and Zarqa's masses of idle young Palestinian men has
made it fertile ground for radical preachers.
Mr Powell told the UN at the start of 2003 that Zarqawi was a
Palestinian, but US officials now acknowledge that was an error.
During a restless youth filled with brawling and drinking, as well as
covering his forearms with Bedouin tribal tattoos, Zarqawi grew to be
obsessed with the anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan, and went there in
the late 1980s as a sort of jihad tourist, when the war was nearly over.
He worked for an intermittently published jihad magazine, profiling
the heroes of the war against the Russians, and received some military
training in camps tied to what was becoming Al Qaeda. By 1992, he
drifted back home, apparently with the idea of forming a militant
group to overthrow Jordan's monarchy, which he saw as a traitor to
Islam for making peace with Israel.
Later that year, he and a number of his associates were jailed by
Jordan for Islamist activity and on weapons charges, and while there
Zarqawi went through another stage of his intellectual development.
When he wasn't working out with improvised weights, he cocooned
himself by tying blankets around his bottom bunk and relentlessly
studying the Koran in what cellmates say was a failed attempt to
memorise Islam's holy book.
"Let's say he had less than average smarts, but he was a combination
of being very bold and tough, while also affectionate to his close
friends," says Yousef Radaba, who was jailed with Zarqawi and belonged
to a rival Islamist group in the prison.
Mr Radaba says Zarqawi emerged as the enforcer and chief doer for a
hard-core group of Islamists inside the prison, so exclusivist in
their outlook that they dismissed even others jailed for their
devotion to armed struggle as "infidels" when they differed over
doctrine. Their ideological leader was Abu Mohammed al-Maqdassi, a
preacher who remains jailed in Jordan for his radical views.
"For him and his group, society is divided into 2 groups: Muslims and
infidels. Anyone who disagreed with him was an infidel," says
Radaba. For instance, Radaba remembers arguing with Zarqawi over the
correct interpretation of Al-Anfal, or The Spoils, a verse in the
Koran that militants see is a call to violent jihad.
"I used to say to him that it meant we should fight the fighters,
occupiers, and oppressors, not just anyone affiliated with them. So
fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan was good, but killing civilians
was unacceptable," recalls Radaba. "But he said we should just kill
anyone affiliated with Islam's enemies. He was simple in this way --
he didn't want a deeper understanding."
* Ambition to be a fruit vender
As the year's wore on, Radaba says Zarqawi emerged as a leader and a
man of contradictions, sometimes gentle and supportive of his
followers, at other times incredibly cruel. "He stood up for their
rights with the guards -- and drew a lot of tough guys, drinkers,
rapists, killers, into his circle, who saw him as upstanding and
someone to emulate," says Roman, the journalist.
But he also recalls that he forbade his followers from reading
anything but the Koran and the traditions of Muhammad's life, once
beating a rival Islamist for reading a book of poetry.
In 1998, Zarqawi and dozens of other Islamists were released as part
of a royal amnesty. After failing to find work that y in Jordan (at
one time he told friends he wanted to open a small fruit-stand), he
returned to Afghanistan, where European court documents allege he
founded a training camp for his group, Tawhid and Jihad (which roughly
means "Oneness of God and Holy War.")
After the US invasion of Afghanistan, he fled to N Iraq, where he
began putting his Iraq network together with the help of Ansar
al-Islam. The 1st suicide attack in Iraq attributed to him occurred in
Aug last y, against the Jordanian Embassy.

@New attack on Afghan leadership
Kabul (ABC, Geoff Thompson).  There has been more violence in
Afghanistan where one of the country's VPs has narrowly avoided
assassination.
Attacks are escalating as Afghanistan prepares to hold its first
presidential elections on Oct 9, the same day Aussies go to the polls.
For the 2nd time in less than a wk a member of Afghanistan's top
leadership has been the target of an apparent assassination attempt.
Last Thu Pres Hamid Karzai was forced to abandon his first campaign
stop in the country's volatile SE when a rocket missed his helicopter.
Now, one of Mr Karzai's VPs, Nehmatullah Shahrani, was the apparent
mark of another failed attack, this time using a remote controlled
roadside bomb which was detonated next to his convoy and injured a driver.
In other violence in SE Afghanistan, 2 US soldiers were killed and 2
were wounded along with 6 Afghan army troops in a clash with militants
nr the Pakistani border.
There were 3 other battles between US-led troops and gunmen but no
fatalities were reported.
The Taliban leadership has vowed to step up attacks in the lead up to
next m's presidential poll.
An additional 1,100 US marines have been sent to the country to boost
the more than 17,000-strong US-led forces already operating there.

@Israel installs new radar system
Jerusalem (AP).  Israel has developed a radar system that provides a
20-second warning that Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have
fired a rocket at a town bordering the coastal area, an Israeli arms
manufacturer confirmed Sun.
The system was recently installed in the town of Sderot, barely 5 km
from Gaza, and is meant to give residents enough time to get into bomb
shelters before the rocket lands, said Giora Shalgi, the director of
Rafael, an Israeli arms manufacturer.
Palestinian militants have been firing the highly inaccurate,
low-explosive rockets almost since the start of fighting nearly 4 y
ago. 2 Israelis, including a 4-yo boy, were killed in a rocket attack
on Sderot, and extensive damage has been caused to homes, buildings
and cars.
Jewish settlements in Gaza and other towns and communities that border
the coastal area have also been targeted.
"It [the radar system] can identify in a very short time where it [the
rocket] was launched and assess where it will fall and operate a
warning system while the rocket is in the air, which is for about 20
seconds depending on the range," Shalgi told Israel Radio.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the system is called
"Maamin," or "Believe," and is attached to Sderot's public address
system. It said it was used for the 1st time a wk ago.
The army initially asked Rafael to come up with a system that would be
able to identify a lone sniper's location, "which is not a simple
problem," Shalgi said. The system developed can find a sniper, the
launching pad of a rocket, and "other things," he added.
The system was "urgently" installed in the past few days after
engineers were sufficiently pleased with its performance, Shalgi
said. But he warned there were still glitches and manufacturers were
still working to ensure it doesn't lead to false alarms.
The goal is to make the system reach a "tolerable" level of accuracy,
Shalgi said.
"This is a cat-and-mouse game that has no 100% solution," he added.
A nursery school teacher in Sderot identified by Israel Radio only by
her 1st name, Vered, said the new radar system made her feel more secure.
The 4-yo boy who was killed in a rocket attack in June was in Vered's
nursery school.
Until the radar system was installed, Vered said once an explosion is
heard, meaning the rocket has already landed, teachers rush the young
children into a bomb shelter inside the nursery school, where they
read stories and sing songs until they are confident the barrage has ended.
"I believe that these 20 seconds really will help inside the nursery
rather than the sudden boom," Vered told Israel Radio.

@Palestinian gunmen kill suspected informants
Tulkarem.  Masked gunmen in the W Bank have shot dead 2 Palestinians
suspected of collaborating with Israel.  One of the alleged informers
was killed in a public square in front of 100s of onlookers.  About
500 people, including school children, watched as the Palestinian man
was dragged into the main square of Tulkarem by masked gunmen.
Declared a traitor to the Palestinian people for allegedly collaborating
with Israel, the 25-yo was then shot many times and his body left as a
warning to other informers.  A short time later another suspected
collaborator was also killed in a nearby village.  The armed offshoot
of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement -- the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
claimed responsibility for the shootings, saying info passed to Israel
by both men had led to the killing of at least 8 Palestinian militants.

@Paralympic cyclists equal Olympians
Athens (AAP).  AUS have won 3 more gold on the cycling track and 2 in
the pool to bring its overall tally to 7 at the Paralympic games.
The gold rush puts AUS in 3rd place, with 7 gold, 9 bronze, 9 silver
and 25 medals overall.
China leads with 15 gold, followed by Great Brit with 9.
Ben Austin, 23, won AUS's 1st gold in the pool, beating Greek
favourite Konstantinos Fykas and breaking the world record in the S8
100 m freestyle.
In the next race, AUS's youngest swimmer, 15-yo Matt Cowdrey, also
broke the world record to win the S9 100 m freestyle.
"It's everything you work for, it's the reason you get in the pool
every morning, its the best feeling," Cowdrey said.
The swimmers also picked up 4 silvers, while the athletes won a silver
and 2 bronze medals.
The Paralympic cyclists have now equalled the success of their Olympic
counterparts, with 5 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze.
Chris Scott took gold in the individual pursuit CP Division 4, while
Greg Ball won the amputee class 1 km time trial.
Visually impaired cyclist Lindy Hou and her sighted pilot Janelle
Lindsay also won the women's sprint.
But Lyn Lepore and her pilots Jenny Macpherson crashed during their
race for bronze in the same event.
They were overtaking the US when their bike lost traction and fell
sideways, with Macpherson dislocating her shoulder.
They were rushed to hospital but later released with minor cuts and
abrasions.
The women's wheelchair basketball team continued their blistering
form, beating Great Brit 63-21, while AUS beat Japan 48-47 in the
wheelchair rugby.

@Grain company merger to benefit SA growers
Shareholders to vote on merger
Adelaide.  It is claimed that SA grain growers will benefit if a
proposed merger between 3 grain companies goes ahead.  Today an
estimated 30,000 shareholders will vote on the planned merger between
United Grower Holdings, Ausbulk, and ABB Grain to create the
second-largest grain company on the Aussie Stock Exchange.  United
Grower Holdings rep Ken Schaefer says if his company and Ausbulk merge
with ABB Grain, the new company would be worth about $850 mn.  "South
Aussie growers will benefit by having the 2 independent companies
merging, but more than that, they'll be part of an Adel-centred
company which will be able to trade and market and export its
specialities all over the world, thus enriching all the shareholders.

@Real estate institutes to reform price records
Canberra.  Real estate institutes around AUS have taken steps to try
to provide more accurate figures on home prices around the nation.
The Reserve Bank of AUS has been critical of conflicting housing price
data published this y.  Some professional bodies have been that
indicating house prices are falling, but others have been indicating
that prices are still rising.  A rep for the Real Estate Institute in
Perth, Lino Lacomella, says housing prices will be recorded
immediately after contract of sale has been signed, rather than at
settlement.  Recording the price at settlement can delay the process
for months.  Mr Lacomella says the change should provide more
up-to-date figures and be more accurate in terms of picking turning
points in the market.

@UGH shareholders approve grains merger
Adelaide.  A key hurdle towards forming one of AUS's biggest grain
companies has been overcome with overwhelming support by a 1st wave of
shareholders.  United Grower Holdings (UGH) shareholders have voted in
favour of the merger to create an $850 mn company.  UGH is controlled
by grain growers, who also have a majority interest in the grain and
storage company Ausbulk.  At a shareholders meeting in Adel, 92% voted
in favour of merging UGH with Ausbulk and ABB.  But UGH chairman Ken
Schaefer says there are more votes to be considered.  "The Ausbulk
meeting has to approve it as well the same way and then of course ABB
shareholders will have to approve it as well," he said.  If the move
is supported it will still require approval by the Supreme Court to be
trading as ABB Grain Limited on Mon.

@Exit tax dampens NSW housing market
NSW housing market hit by exit tax
Sydney.  A new survey indicates the NSW Govt's exit tax on investment
property is significantly affecting decision-making on both
residential and non-residential properties.  The Aussie Property
Institute conducts a biannual survey of valuers, fund managers,
property analysts and property financiers.  The latest survey has
quantified an adverse impact stemming from the Carr Govt's decision to
levy a 2.25% stamp duty on the sale of investment properties.  In
relation to residential property, 79% of buyers and 79 per cent of
developers say their decisions are being influenced by the vendor
stamp duty.  For single, non-residential property transactions, 67%
are being influenced.  The new tax's effect is being felt in pricing
decisions and the choice of which state to buy in.  The survey also
suggests a widespread belief that the greatest growth potential lies
in commercial property in SYD and Bris.

@Tragic end to rest by wrong tree at wrong time
Wollongong.  A 44-yo man has died after being hit by a car while
sitting under a tree outside a Wollongong shopping centre.  Police say
a red car was slowing to a stop at traffic lights on Cowper Street in
Warrawong, when it was hit from behind by a white hatchback sedan.
Police say as a result, the red car travelled over the footpath,
across a grass strip for 13 metres and hit a tree and a man sitting by
it outside Westfield Warrawong.  The man was given emergency aid and
was rushed to Wollongong Hospital, but later died.  Vanessa Allen
Erickson from police media says they are appealing for the driver of
the white hatchback who failed to stop to come forward.  "The motorist
was last seen turning around on Cowper Street and heading N along King
Street, Warrawong. It is thought the car would have minor damage and
red paint transfer on the front passenger side," she said.

@People smuggler jailed
Darwin.  The 1st man to be extradited to AUS on people smuggling
charges has been sentenced in the N Territory Supreme Court to 8 y in jail.
Ali Hassan Abdolamir Al Jenabi pleaded guilty to 2 charges of
breaching the Migration Act, while 15 other charges were discontinued.
In 2000 and 2001, the Iraqi nat'l helped to smuggle more than 260
people to Ashmore Reef on 2 boats.
The passengers were mainly Iraqis and Iranians, who had travelled on
false passports from the Middle E to Malaysia and then onto Indonesia.
In his sentencing remarks, Justice Dean Mildren said the passengers
travelled on wooden fishing boats that were chosen for their cheapness
and expendability.
None had safety equipment.
Justice Mildren said Al Jenabi committed the offences in an effort to
get his family to AUS.
Al Jenabi must serve a non-parole period of 4 y backdated to June 2002.
His lawyer, Jon Tippett QC, spoke to journalists outside the Supreme Court.
"It's a brilliant result," he said.
"The judge applied the correct principles and arrived at the right sentence.
"He'll be out on parole, we hope and expect, within 21 m."

@Tas pubs to go smoke-free
Thing of the past? Tas pubs may go smoke-free.
Hobart.  Tas looks set to become the 1st Aussie state or territory to
make licensed venues smoke-free.
It is understood Prem Paul Lennon will use his State of the State
speech tomorrow to announce a total smoking ban in Tasn pubs and clubs
by Jan 1, 2006.
Mr Lennon has been under sustained pressure from unions and opp'n
parties to tighten his Govt's proposed partial smoking restrictions.
While the total smoking ban is 12 m later than they wanted, it will be
the toughest in AUS.
Mr Lennon says his State of the State speech will reflect the fact
that he has listened to the community debate about smoking in the workplace.
"My State of the State address will address this matter," he said.
"We'll provide the Govt response to the more recent debate and
certainly I've taken notice, as I told Parliament a few wk ago, of the
more recent community debate on this matter and the Govt will respond
to that and I'll make an announcement during my speech."
Mr Lennon's speech will also provide an update on the Govt's decision
to hand back Cape Barren Island to the Aboriginal community.

@Parents urged to vote for education changes
Canberra.  The ACTU and education unions are urging parents in
marginal seats to vote for opp'n parties in the upcoming election.
Labor, the Greens and Democrats have all promised to make education a
nat'l priority.
ACTU Pres Sharan Burrow says under the Howard Govt, education costs
have risen by 53% since 1996.
She says under the policies of the opp'n parties, 98% of schools would
be better off because of increased funding.
"Our plea to the media is to say reflect the advantages for 98% of
AUS's kids," Ms Burrow said.
"98% of AUS's families with children at school know that this is going
to advantage them and this is a critical area of need."
* Labor policy
Meanwhile, fed Labor leader Mark Latham has been touring an independent
primary school in Bris's N suburbs, promoting his schools policy.
Mr Latham is highlighting Labor's plan to redirect more money to needy
non-govt schools to improve buildings and facilities.
Mr Latham says $20 mn of the $520 mn to be re-directed from wealthy
private institutions will go to improving facilities at Qld schools.
He has also had a chat with some inquisitive nine-yos on a school
holiday program, including Deanna.
"Are you friends with John Howard?" she asked Mr Latham.
"Not really... I can't say that we're personal friends," Mr Latham replied.
"He advocates his politics and I advocate my policies and that's what
the election's about."

@Independent says Nat'ls pressured him not to stand
Brisbane.  Controversy has erupted in the fed election campaign in the
southern Qld seat of Maranoa, with an independent candidate saying the
Nat'ls tried to convince him not to run.
Phil Black says a Nat'ls' member called him just hours before the
deadline for nominations, asking him not to contest the election.
Mr Black says as a sweetener the Nat'ls offered him the party's
candidacy for the seat when Bruce Scott retires.
"They surprised me by saying they were going to ring me after the fed
election to talk to me about the possibility of considering whether I
would be interested in running as their candidate in Maranoa at the
next election should Bruce Scott retire," he said.
"Also I had one of their other state members ring me a couple of times
on the morning that nominations closed trying to talk me out of running."
Qld Nat'ls' state director Roger Harcourt denies Mr Black was
pressured to stand aside, and says the independent was simply told he
could not rejoin the party if he ran.
"Suggesting to him that he might not like to run was on the basis that
if he was thinking of becoming re-involved with the Nat'ls after the
fed election, if he stood as an independent against our candidate in
Maranoa, then he would be precluded from having any further
relationship with the Nat'l party from that point on," he said.
Mr Scott holds the seat by a 15% margin and says he has no thoughts of
retiring any time soon.

@Job offer no crime, says MP
Job offer to MP causes a stir.
Member for New England Tony Windsor says he has done nothing wrong.
Sydney.  The independent Member for New England, Tony Windsor, says
no crime was committed when he was offered a diplomatic posting if he
agreed not to stand for election again.
Mr Windsor made the comments after the Labor Party said it had
referred the revelation to the Aussie Electoral Commission.
He says the offer was made a couple of m ago and it has never been a
secret that he has been approached on several occasions to join
various political parties.
Mr Windsor says he is surprised at the controversy the matter has created.
"There's no crime been committed here," he said.
"There was an approach made by some people and I rejected it and there
would be some sort of case to answer if, in fact, there had been an
acceptance or otherwise," he said.
"I think it is one of those unfortunate things that happen from time
to time where people probably in their over exuberance just test the
waters as to the political futures of various individuals."
The PM says no one acting with his authority made an offer to Mr
Windsor to try to persuade him not to contest this election.
Mr Howard says unless Mr Windsor names the person, he will dismiss the
claim as an election stunt.
"Nobody has done that with my knowledge, my authority, my approval,"
he said.
"I have not done it, Mr Downer's not done it, Mr Anderson's not done
it, and if Mr Windsor has something to say, instead of slurring my
party, instead of smearing the Coalition, which he's doing, he should
name who the person was.
"It is not fair of him to make a generalised smear."
Opp'n Leader Mark Latham says the allegation is the most serious
suggestion of corruption he is aware of for many years.
Mr Latham says it is a criminal matter and should be investigated by
the Electoral Commission and the police.
Mr Latham has told S Cross Radio it is a possible case of bribery.
"The matter that Mr Windsor made, if true, is a crime under the
Electoral Act," he said.
"It's a serious matter, it's sort of like bribery.
[Max sentence is 2 y jail].
"What you're saying to someone, 'have this cushy govt job for not
running, so the Nat'l Party would then win that seat,' so it's a very
serious allegation and I assume it'll be tested by the authorities."

@PM denies knowledge of alleged electoral bribe
Canberra.  PM John Howard has denied any knowledge of an offer made to
independent fed MP Tony Windsor to try to persuade him not to stand at
the election.  The Opp'n has asked the Electoral Commission to
investigate allegations that the member for the NSW seat of
New England was promised a diplomatic posting if he did not re-contest
his seat.  Mr Windsor says a couple of m ago an intermediary
representing what he calls "some political players" offered him an
overseas govt posting, if he did not stand at the election.  Mr
Windsor says he rejected the bribe, but will not say who approached
him.  A rep for the PM says Mr Howard is not aware of any such offer,
and he says no such offer was made with the Prime Min's authority,
knowledge or approval.  Labor says it is a criminal offence to offer
an inducement to try to persuade someone not to run for Parliament,
and has asked the Electoral Commission to investigate the allegation.

@Electoral roll rort ignored, claims senator
Brisbane.  One Nation Sen Len Harris says the Aussie Electoral
Commission (AEC) has ignored his complaint about a possible electoral
roll rort.  Sen Harris hopes to be re-elected to the Senate in Qld and
claims 21 people were enrolled at a vacant block in the Bris suburb of
St Lucia.  He says it raises doubts about the roll's integrity.  "One
of my staff members contacted the AEC and to this day we still have
not had a satisfactory answer," he said.  "How come there could have
been 21 people enrolled on the roll at that vacant allotment in St
Lucia, and that was only one."  The AEC says it has never had an
official request from Sen Harris to investigate the claim and would
need specific evidence to follow up.

@Branch stack claims have no credibility: Latham
Sydney.  Fed Labor leader Mark Latham says the credibility of a former
ALP member who has accused him of branch stacking is in tatters.
Under parliamentary privilege yesterday, Sam Bargshoon claimed that at
a meeting last y Mr Latham had asked him to shore up membership.  He
said the request was made just a few wk before Mr Latham became the
Labor leader.  Mr Bargshoon said he signed up 49 members in the
Austral branch.  Mr Bargshoon is standing as an independent against Mr
Latham in his seat of Werriwa.  Mr Latham says the party has no
records of the 49 members and the claims are a total fabrication.  "Mr
Bargshoon's credibility is in tatters today," he said.  "I was told
the meeting with me was supposed to have happened on the third of Nov,
I was in the fed Parliament that day.  "So the meeting never happened,
the members never happened, what you've got is someone in a fed
election campaign making things up."

@ALP gains ground in polls
Gunning for Howard: Mark Latham has gained ground in the latest poll.
Canberra.  A new opinion poll shows the Labor Party has gained ground
in the last week and has an election winning lead over the Liberal and
Nat'l parties.  Support for Opp'n Leader Mark Latham has also
increased.  The Newspoll published in The Aussie newspaper shows
support for the Coalition has dropped 3 points on the primary vote to
43, with the ALP gaining one point to 41.  After 2nd preferences,
Labor is 5 points ahead on 52.5.  Support for the Democrats is
unchanged at 1% with the Greens increasing slightly to 7%.  As
preferred PM, John Howard's popularity has slipped to 47 with support
for Mark Latham improving 4 points to 37.  The poll comes after Mr
Latham released Labor's $2.4 bn schools policy and in the wk after his
successful performance in the leader's debate.

@Howard to announce reef package
PM John Howard is expected to announce new measures to support the
Great Barrier Reef today, as part of a $220 mn package for N Qld.
Townsville.  Labor leader Mark Latham was campaigning in N Qld
yesterday, promising to base a new light infantry battalion in
Townsville and also to relocate the parachute battalion group there
from SYD.  Today the Prime Min will make his pitch to N Qld voters.
Mr Howard will take a trip to the reef, as well campaigning in Cairns
and Townsville.  He is expected to promise a package of measures for N
Qld which are likely to include a boost for recreational fishing, new
spending on communications, roads and universities and extra support
for the Great Barrier Reef and tropical rainforests.  Meanwhile, Nat'l
Party leader John Anderson will officially launch campaigns for the
party's Qld Senate candidates in Bris, before visiting Coonabarabran
in NSW later in the day.  Mr Latham will spend the day in Bris.

@ALP to boost bio-terrorism prevention
Canberra.  The Labor Party says it will spend $20 mn over 5 y to
develop a nat'l centre for pandemic and bio-terrorism containment in
northern AUS, if elected.  The ALP says the centre would be based in
Darwin, with additional funds of $40 mn to come from other sources.
Opp'n science and research rep Kim Carr says AUS is not prepared for a
bio-terrorist attack.  "We think that an area in which there is a great
threat to this country is the issue of the way in which people can use
disease as a form of weapon," he said.  "We want to make sure that we
know all we can [to] provide mechanisms to prevent that occurring and
to provide protection for the Aussie people.  "We are under-prepared
in regard to bio-terrorism.  "We're interested in bio-security more
generally, that is making sure that our plants and animals are
protected [against] any importation of diseases and also that we're
able to protect our nation and our region against potential threats,
as a result of people seeking to impose infections as a form of attack
on the community."  The policy will be launched in Darwin today.

@Howard pledges $100 mn reef research fund
Cairns.  Prime Min John Howard has promised to set up a $100 mn
environmental research fund if the Coalition is re-elected.  Mr Howard
made the announcement at Green Island off Cairns today.  He toured the
reef in a glass bottom boat before making his announcement on the
beach at Green Island.  Mr Howard says $40 mn of the fund will go
towards research into the Great Barrier Reef and tropical rainforests
to be conducted by James Cook University.  The remaining $60 mn will
be allocated on a competitive tender basis.  "We need to ensure that
AUS's unique environment is properly understood, and that we are in a
position to meet threats to that environment in an effective and a
sustainable way," he said.  The PM will also campaign in Townsville today.

@Unions to campaign in marginals
Melbourne.  The Aussie Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and education
unions will campaign against the Howard Govt in marginal seats.
Aussie Education Union fed secretary Rob Durbridge says the policies
of the ALP, Greens and Democrats would result in nearly all schools
being better off.  At the same time, he says the Howard Govt is
cutting public education.  Mr Durbridge says the 3 opp'n parties have
united to make public education a greater responsibility of the fed
Govt.  "The Labor policy over the next 5 y brings all students to a
resource standard and will address the decline in public education
fundings," he said.

@James Hardie inquiry findings to be released
Hardie inquiry findings due out today.
Sydney.  The findings of an inquiry into James Hardie's separation
from its Aussie asbestos compensation liabilities will be handed to
the New South Wales Govt this morning.
The reports of the Special Commission of Inquiry into how James Hardie
funded a foundation owning its former asbestos liabilities, before
moving off shore, will be made public today.
The recommendations of David Jackson QC will be crucial to the future
of the building products company, and 1000s of asbestos disease
sufferers over the next few decades.
During the 5 m inquiry, James Hardie's claim the Medical Research and
Compensation Foundation had enough funds to meet all future claims was
effectively scotched.
The foundation owning the company's former asbestos liabilities need
up to $2 bn.
Evidence about the movement of assets, the redemption of $1.9 bn in
shares and the omission of claims data, led to lawyers urging findings
against snr James Hardie executives.
A key aspect of the report will be David Jackson's recommendations on
what reform is needed to fund compensation for asbestos victims in the
next few decades.
NSW Prem Bob Carr says whatever the recommendations of the report,
James Hardie must accept that the company alone bears responsibility
for meeting the claims of asbestos victims.
"In view of the internat'l pressure and the pressure in this country
and the prospect of a ban on James Hardie products, which I certainly
haven't ruled out, that James Hardie will be under pressure to commit
itself to a flow of money adequate to meet the claims of victims," he said.

@James Hardie asks for halt in shares trade
Sydney.  Building materials company James Hardie has requested a halt
to trade in its shares on the Aussie Stock Exchange.  The halt is
pending the release of a report from the special commission of inquiry
into how the company funded compensation for victims of
asbestos-related diseases.  The report's details are expected to
become selectively available late this morning and more generally
available early this afternoon.  James Hardie has asked that the
trading halt remain in place until the report has been made available
to the public.

@Hardie executives 'breached corporations law'
Hardie execs slammed in probe.
Sydney.  A special inquiry into James Hardie's arrangements for its
asbestos liabilities in AUS has found executives breached corporation law.
The findings of David Jackson QC, relate to claims by James Hardie
that it had fully funded an asbestos compensation foundation based on
independent advice.
3 y ago James Hardie told the Aussie Stock Exchange and the public
that a $300 mn foundation would fully fund its asbestos liabilities.
The claims were made by chief executive Peter McDonald.
Mr Jackson says the company should have known it was not leaving
enough money for asbestos victims.
Mr McDonald may face criminal charges as he has been found to have
knowingly misled the Aussie Stock Exchange.
Mr Jackson has also found breaches the Trade Practices Act.
He says an extra $1.5 bn is needed to fund the claims and the funds of
the Medical Research and Compensation Foundation will run out within 3 y.
Mr Jackson says James Hardie separated from its former asbestos
liabilities to avoid paying out more than $300 mn.
But he has found that the removal of assets from some former asbestos
companies was not a breach of directors' duties.
Mr Jackson has given qualified support to a statutory scheme like Workcover.
* Negotiation
NSW Prem Bob Carr has demanded immediate action be taken against those
found responsible.
"I've today written to the PM and Mark Latham urging them to use the
full force of Commonwealth laws and agencies to bring Hardie's
managers to justice," he said.
Mr Carr says it is time for James Hardie to pay the money owing to the
asbestos victims.
He says the company needs to sit down with the ACTU, the Labor Council
and victims and negotiate a settlement.
"The thing that stands out for me is the simple message from these 2
fat volumes and it's this: James Hardie must pay up, it's got the
money, the money was earned from the trade in asbestos products," he said.
"The money should be with the victims and their needs to be a
negotiated settlement."

@Kidnap baby's father faces drugs charges
Sydney.  The father of a baby kidnapped in MEL last m has faced a SYD
court on drugs charges.  Guiseppe Barbaro, also known as Joe, has been
charged with 2 counts of supplying amphetamines in Aug 2002.  New S
Wales Police had applied for his extradition from MEL a fortnight ago.
The 48-yo is not in custody, after being granted bail by a court in
Vic.  However, the prosecution today told SYD's Central Local Court it
opposes the granting of bail in this case.  The magistrate is expected
to make a decision on bail for Barbaro later this afternoon.  His
daughter, Montana, was abducted from outside a MEL shopping centre in
Aug, but was later found in an abandoned house.

@Meninga to stand trial on assault charges
Canberra.  Former Aussie rugby league captain Mal Meninga has been
ordered to stand trial in the ACT Supreme Court on assault charges.
The 44-yo Meninga is accused of assaulting 41-yo Grant Richard Hurley
at a Tuggeranong pub in June last y.  Prosecutors allege Meninga
followed Hurley outside, after bouncers broke up a fight inside.  Some
witnesses say a bleeding Hurley fell to the ground after Meninga
pursued and struck him.  But the defence says Hurley started the fight
by crash-tackling the former Test star, and security camera images
back up the claim.  Meninga's lawyers also say their client was
racially abused.  Today ACT magistrate Grant Lalor said it was
possible a jury could convict Meninga of the charges, and ordered the
matter to be sent to trial.

@Scientists want action on contamination
Adelaide (AAP).  Some of the world's leading environmental scientists
called for internat'l action to better measure the risk to human and
ecological health from contamination.
Researchers from Europe, America, AUS and the Asia-Pacific region met
in Adel and urged a standard global approach to the measurement of
bio-availability, which determines the level of the threat from
contamination to people and the environment.
The main concerns were better measurement of heavy metals and
metalloids such as arsenic, lead, copper and mercury, and the residues
of old industrial chemicals, fuels and pesticides, the Internat'l
Workshop on Bio-availability in Terrestrial Environments heard.
"At present there are many ways to test whether a contaminated site
poses a risk or not," workshop chairman Professor Ravi Naidu said.
"It's becoming vital to develop a consensus approach for developing
global standards so risks can be accurately and uniformly assessed.
"It's a critical issue of public health and safety.
"Every country in the world has inherited a toxic legacy from past
industrial, mining and farming practices.
"As cities grow and redevelop, more people are exposed every day and
also, some contemporary practices, such as heavy metal and pesticide
usage for protecting crops and animals, need to be evaluated for their
sustainability."
Prof Naidu said 100s of mn of people worldwide were increasingly exposed
to toxic substances from past industrial, mining and farming practices.
Many of these substances have been linked to cancers, birth defects,
liver, lung and kidney damage and mental retardation.
They can enter people through food, water, dust, air and skin contact,
he said.
"It is about making good clean-up decisions," Prof Naidu said.
"We need a reliable way to decide which sites we must clean up first,
and how best to make them safe.
"To do this effectively we need standard tests, to determine whether
the substances have the capacity to reach people and cause harm to
their health or to the environment."

@Europeans hail latest data from Mars
More evidence of life on Mars?
European scientists are excited by new evidence which may point to the
existence of life on the red planet.
Brussels (BBC).  The European Space Agency says data collected by its
probe, Mars Express, has provided new evidence in the search for life
on Mars.  The agency says the craft has found both water and methane
in certain regions of the planet.  Water is widely believed to be
essential for the existence of life, while methane is produced by
life.  While it is tempting to believe that this could be a sign that
something is alive and well just under the planet's surface, the
evidence is not conclusive.  Methane can be produced in other ways.
These regions could be volcanically active, which would push both
water and methane to the surface.  And some scientists, notably in the
US, which is Europe's great rival in this particular space race, are
sceptical about the capacity of Mars Express to measure methane
concentrations accurately.

{{
Midnight.
2 Sunni clerics have been assassinated in Iraq in the past 24 hrs in
separate attacks in Baghdad.  In the latest attack, a member of the
Council of Scholars was shot as he entered a Baghdad mosque to lead
prayers.  Earlier, the body of another cleric was found hrs after he
was kidnapped from his local mosque.  The Council is anti-occupation,
but has been trying to negotiate the freedom of hostages.

One of the 4 Vice-Pres in Afghanistan has escaped an assassination
attempt in the NW of the country. He had been campaigning for the
up-coming election.

0.30 am
Opened for 1 hr, the Dow is down .6%.  The FTSE is down .3%.

The first RC priest to go to trial is facing a UN War Crimes Trial for
Rwanda in Tanzania.  He's accused of organising the murder of 2,000
people in Rwanda 2 y ago.  He denies involvement in the killing of the
group who had been sheltering in his church.

Yukos says it's suspending 2/3 of its oil exports to China.

The EU has warned it will not start to seriously consider Turkish
membership of the bloc until it starts a series of legal reforms aimed
at liberalising its legal code.  Last wk the Turkish parliament
suspended reforms to discuss an adultery provision.  The EU opposes
the measure.  Brussels must declare in 2 wks whether the admission
process will go ahead.

In NY, a UN summit is gathering.  It was called by the Brazilian Pres
to discuss what he calls the WMD of world hunger.

The Lib Democrats are meeting in Bournemouth, UK.  Charles Kennedy
called on Tony Blair to apologist for taking the country to war.  He
voted it the worst blunder since the Suez Crisis.  One speaker said
the major lesson from the debacle was to see how weak Brit's
influence with the US was.  While the party commended Blair for
attempting to push the US toward mediation in Iraq using the UN,
they've condemned him for failing to say anything in the face of a
failing road map.

1 am
A French military rep says 12 soldiers stationed in the Ivory coast
have been arrested for bank robbery.  They're accused of stealing
$120,000 while they were detailed to guard the bank.

A US hostage has been beheaded overnight.  The extremists holding a
group of 2 Americans and a Brit posted images of the execution on a
web site.  The body was found a short time later.  Fears are growing
for the remaining hostages.  In London, Iraqi PM Allawi and Brit For
Sec Jack Straw were adamant they will not give in to terrorists.  He's
the 2nd American known to have been executed.  34 hostages have been
killed since GWII.  The group has extended an execution deadline 24
hrs, still demanding all women be released from 2 US-controlled prisons
in Baghdad.  The US military say the prisons hold no women prisoners.

9 am
Oil continues to rise.  NYMEX is trading at $US46.35/bbl.  The AUD has
risen to 70 US c, even.

Almost 400 people have been killed by Hurricane Jean.  250 are dead in
Haiti alone.

Sen John Kerry says Pres Bush has shown a "colossal failure of
judgement" in his Iraq policy. He told a meeting he's amazed that Bush
claims that -- knowing what he knows now -- he would still make the
same bad decisions.

The campaign offices of Bush and Kerry have announced 3 presid'l debates.

10 am
US Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has turned up his
criticism of Pres George W Bush's leadership in Iraq, accusing him of
"colossal failures of judgement" that have turned the country into a
haven for terrorists and made America more vulnerable.

An Islamist group has released 18 Iraqi soldiers it had captured and
threatened to kill unless an aide to Shiite rebel cleric Muqtada
al-Sadr was released, a video released to the media showed on Mon.

Controversy has erupted in the fed election campaign in the southern
Qld seat of Maranoa, with an independent candidate saying the Nat'ls
tried to convince him not to run.

Labor leader Mark Latham has stepped up his attack on Prime Min John
Howard's support for a pre-emptive strike in the region.

PM John Howard has unveiled a plan to step up the fight against
terrorism in the region, using specialist teams of Aussie Fed Police
(AFP) that could be sent to work in neighbouring countries.

John Howard has denied any knowledge of an offer made to independent
fed MP Tony Windsor to try to persuade him not to stand at the election.

John Howard has promised to set up a $100 mn environmental research
fund if the Coalition is re-elected.

The Indonesian Ambassador to AUS says he was assured by the Foreign
Min, Alexander Downer, 2 y ago that AUS would not send troops to
intervene in other countries in the region.

The Labor Party says it will spend $20 mn over 5 y to develop a nat'l
centre for pandemic and bio-terrorism containment in N AUS, if elected.

The Local Govt Association of Qld (LGAQ) has told the State Health Min
councils should not be made to enforce new smoking bans.

The Qld Cancer Fund believes it is inevitable cigarettes will
eventually be forced under the counter in shops.

The fed Labor Party says it is extremely concerned about allegations
that a sitting Independent MP had been offered a diplomatic posting if
he agreed not to stand again.

11.30 am
French Pres Jacques Chirac has renewed an appeal to free French
hostages held in Iraq.  He made the appeal at the start of the UNGA
session in NY.

Dep PM John Anderson says no-one in the govt approached the indep
member for New England to induce him not to run.  The MP has said he
was offered an ambassadorial posting if he would not run in the
up-coming fed election.  The ALP says it's a criminal offence, and
wants to refer the matter to the electoral commission.  Mr Anderson
says the matter should have been dealt with earlier, and not brought
out during an election campaign.

The All Ords is down 6 pts.  In Japan, the Nikkei is up 10.  Local
Gold is trading at $US404.50/oz.

Midday.
James Hardie is bracing for a report on its asbestos liabilities.  A
special commission of inquiry in NSW is about to report.  It could
affect the company and the victims of its asbestos products.  At
issues is the compo fund the company set up.  The commission was told
the fund could be short by as much as $2 bn.  Hardie's CEO has
initially claimed the claims were fully covered.  He later said it was
not the company's business.  In the meantime, Hardie has relocated to
the Netherlands -- which presently doesn't have a relevant extradition
treaty with AUS.  Critics say it was a blatant attempt to limit the
company's liabilities.  Hardie also cancelled shares that could have
funded future liabilities.  The report was handed to NSW Prem Carr
this morning.  It is due to made public in a few mins.

The Dow closed down 1/2% on oil worries and profit warnings.  The
Nasdaq lost 2 pts.  In London, the FTSE ended down 11 pts.  The All
Ords is down 9 pts.  The Nikkei is up 16.  The Hang Seng is down 30.
James Hardie is not trading.  It requested a halt just before the
market opened.  Woodside Petroleum is up 9 c to $A19.14.  The ANZ is
down 11 c at $A18.37 on news it's to take a position in a Chinese
bank.  The AUD is trading around 70.06 US c.  Gold is up .70 at
$US404.75/oz.  Oil is up .76 to $US46.35/bbl.

2 countries have reacted coolly to the Howard doctrine of pre-emptive
attacks on terrorist bases on nearby countries.  The Malaysian Dep PM
has rejected the idea outright.  The Indon Amb in CBR said he was told
2 yo by the AUS govt such a thing would not happen in his country.
According to FM Alex Downer any pre-emptive strikes would only happen
in "failed states" that don't have counter-terrorism forces of their
own.  PM Howard said on radio he wouldn't be attacking other
countries, but would attack JI which is enemy of Indonesia and other govts.

The latest Newspoll shows a "bounce" for the ALP.  It puts the opp'n 5
pt ahead of the govt after prefs.  But Mr Howard maintains a 10 pt
lead over Mark Latham as preferred PM at 47 to 37.  But Mr Latham is
gaining ground.

12.15 pm
Results from the NSW inquiry into James Hardie have been released.
The conclusions are damning.  The investigation investigated the
funding of asbestos claims.  David Jackson says the fund is $1.5 bn
under-funded.  Only $293 mn was left in the fund by the company -- and
that's expected to run out by 1H07.  The report says public
pronouncements by Hardie at the time the fund was set up were
misleading.  He says he couldn't see how the company could reach the
conclusions it claimed.  Hardie has said it had its calculations
checked by indep experts -- a claim that was "seriously misleading",
says Jackson.  The company then moved offshore.  Jackson says that was
not simply done to run from future asbestos claims.  He says it would
have cost the company less if it had properly funded the asbestos
liabilities.  But the move had the same effect of reducing
liabilities.  Hardie CEO Peter Macdonald won't be encouraged by the
findings.  Prosecutors had called for the CEO to be charged with
fraud.  It's expected the company will now have to tip in more money
for asbestos victims. Prem Carr says the state govt won't interfere,
and it's up to victims, unions and James Hardie's board to work out a
deal.

1.30 pm
NPR. 1 m after the lab was locked down following security breeches,
Los Alamos Nat'l Lab (LANL) is still not back to work.  About 1/4 of
the employees say they're not able to do their regular work.  The lab
says no-one's been idle -- they're reviewing security.  Some
scientists disagree, saying their new "safety training" is a waste of
time and money.  The lab costs $US4 mn pd to run.  $US200 mn is down
the drain in lost time, say critics.  The Lab's Dir was too busy to
talk to NPR, but a rep says he stands by his decision to close down
the lab.  In a staff meeting he'd talked about a "cowboy attitude"
among the scientists, and referred to some as "butt-heads".  Scientists
at Los Alamos say -- if anything -- the lab had a better safety record
than other nat'l labs.  The Dir gets points for being tough, say
observers.  Last wk 4 employees were sacked for a safety breech.  But
workers say morale is the lowest they've seen in decades.  The lab
says back to work by mid Oct.

CBS is admitting a mistake.  It admits it can't authenticate documents
used in a 60 Mins segment about Mr Bush's military service.  Observers
say Dan Rather has been taken to the cleaners.  4 documents allegedly
signed by Bush's superior during his military service had spelled
trouble for Bush.  Purportedly the cmdr was bridling under pressure to
sugar coat Bush's record, and allow him to avoid health checks.  In
combo with revelations that Bush had been named out of turn for a slot
in the guard to avoid Vietnam, it could have damaged the Pres.
Observers say it seems records that have been removed or somehow
discarded have been "cleverly re-created".  In a special to be aired
tonight, the forger will confess all.

1.30 pm
A man who helped smuggle 260 people into AUS has been sentenced to 8 y
jail in a Darwin court.  He's the first man extradited from Indon on
charges of breeching the Aussie immigration act.  His non-parole
period of 4 y, was backdated to 2001.

6.30 pm
PM Howard has qualified his preemptive strike policy after regional
reaction.  He says he stands by policy, but his "pre-emptive attack"
policy now involves first seeking agreement in consultation with
regional neighbours before launching any attack.  At the same time,
he says he "wouldn't hesitate to strike" against groups like JI on
foreign soil if it was the only way to prevent a terrorist attack on
AUS.  Even the re-stated position was not well received.

With 1/2 the vote counted, SBY has 60% of the vote and a 20 pt lead
over Megawati.  He's also taken the first steps to form a govt,
meeting with supporting parties to sound out a coal'n govt.  Aids say
SBY will announce his Cabinet before the Oct 20 inauguration.  It's
hoped a new Indon Pres means a fresh start for the AUS/Indon
relationship.  Rel's have been strained during the rule of Megawati.
It's also hoped former Gen SBY will engage more with the outside
world than his predecessor.  It's also expected he will move toward
banning JI.  The Jakarta Stock Ex has given the poll result the thumbs up.

Haiti has appealed for internat'l aid after Hurricane Jean left 600
dead.  Flooding accounted for most of the deaths.  Some died in
landslides after the storm passed.  Illegal logging has left some
mountainsides bare of trees.  The UN is rushing supplies to the N coast
of the island.  Towns have been virtually submerged by 2 days of
torrential rain.  Not one house was spared in 3rd largest city of
Gonaives.  Aid workers are collecting more and more bodies.  4 m ago
3,000 were killed in the S, on the border with the Dominican Rep.

Al-Sadr has obtained the released of 15 Iraqi Nat'l Guards snatched on
the weekend.

Violence continues in Iraq.  Aircraft have bombed Fallujah.  At least
2 people were killed in the raid.  In Mosul, another car bomb has
killed 3 Iraqis.

The latest polls show 54% think the US is bogged down in Iraq.  But
53% put more trust in Bush than Kerry to handle the military.

In Brit, leaked docs have showed there were grave reservations from
chief officials over the Iraq invasion.  They warned that the
formation of a stable post-govt Iraq was impossible without a large
contingent of troops that would need to be kept there for many ys.

Another 2 Pal militants have been killed in an Israeli missile strike.
8 bystanders were also wounded.  Israel says the Hamas militants were
planning to launch missiles into Israel.  The attack comes 1 day after
another militant was killed in a similar strike.

A new opinion poll shows Labor has forged ahead 5 pts of the Coal'n in
TPP.  Labor is at 52.5 (up 2.5); the Coal'n at 47.5 (down 2.5).  The 2
parties were on level pegging in 2 prev polls.

The Electoral Commission has referred a claim of bribery to the
Federal Police.  The MP at the centre of the claim says he doesn't
want a witch hunt, but will name names if required.

Brazil has called a UNGA meeting on poverty.  Delegates will be
discussing a global transaction tax and a levy on arms sales to raise
money to fight hunger.

The All Ords closed up 1 pt.  James Hardie added 21 c in late trade
(3.8%), following a negative report on its asbestos liabilities.  The
Nikkei closed down 2 pt amid signs of a slowdown.  The Hang Seng added
83 pts.  The AUD is up .14 to 69.91 US c.  A rate rise is expected in
the US tonight.

9.30 pm
US authorities have retrieved the body of a murdered contractor in
Iraq.  Desperate pleas have been made for the lives of another
American and a Brit, still held by the terrorist group.  On TV, the
Brit family begged PM Blair to help them.  Mr Blair replied that Brit
would not weaken and deal with terrorists.

US Marines have launched a pre-dawn swoop on the offices of al-Sadr in
Baghdad, arresting 2 more aides.  Many other supporters have also been
detained.

In Baghdad, US troops have launched a clean-up operation to retrieve
mines and other explosives laid in the streets of C Baghdad.

Pres Bush is to speak to the UN.  He's expected to plead for help in
the Middle East and Iraq.  It's ironic he's going hat in hand to a
body he prev derided as an "ineffective debating society".

Dan Rather has apologised for using dubious documents to deride Pres
Bush's military service.  Mr Rather said it was a mistake to trust a
source that openly criticised Mr Bush.

Syria has re-deployed some troops from Lebanon.  Syria invaded their
tiny neighbour after the Lebanese civil war in 1976.  The withdrawal
falls short of the complete pull-out demanded by the UN as recently as
3 wks ago.

While Megawati has not been seen in public since she voted, a rep has
refused to concede defeat.  The election isn't over until all the
votes are counted, he said.  Meanwhile, US-educated former Gen SBY
held a low-key celebration with his supporters.  He's trying hard not
to upset Megawati supporters.

The OECD has cut the forecast for US economic growth for this y from
4.7 to 4.3%.

10.30 pm
James Hardie has ack'ed the seriousness of the NSW Commission's
findings, and has said in a statement it will respond after it's own
committee and board examines the report.  Officials in the US are also
expected to examine the report, as the company is listed on the NYSE.
It's expected the CEO and CFO will now resign.  It's also possible
they will face criminal charges.  The report says the CEO's evidence
was "difficult to accept on so many points".  Bob Carr says the NSW
govt is prepared to boycott the company.  The state is responsible
for 8% of the company's business in AUS.

11 pm
A new poll reveals Mark Latham is now the Pref PM.  Tomorrow's
Bulletin says opinion now runs in the opp'n leader's favour 48 to 47.

There's a report a Qantas 737 almost hit a mtn nr CBR.  Dick Smith on
radio said only the aircraft's radar averted tragedy.  Av officials
confirmed the incident happened 2 m ago.  Qantas said it had referred
the matter to the regulator, and was co-operating with an inquiry.
Dick Smith is in court to defend the US-style nav system he helped
push into operation last y.  Only 6 m after it started operation,
complaints from pilots and av officials have seen the radar-only
system shelved as "too dangerous" after several near misses.

Iran has reportedly re-started its uranium enrichment program.  A govt
official said Iran was now vapourising 40 tonnes of uranium to created
U235 for peaceful purposes. Cynical observers say it would be enough
for several nuclear weapons.
}}