From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia Reserch Senter(*) OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS #24 =============================== In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere (validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra). Visit Our Home Page At: http://www.chickenhead.com/loserscopes/0103.asp See the Undeniable Evidence At: http://www.evil-doers.org/evidence Kindly Archived At: http://www.kymhorsell.com/BOZO/archives/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Selecting latest news stories and other data for you... ------------------------------------------------------------ Just tell the truth. -- Def Sec Don Rumsfeld, "Meet the Press", 24 Mar 2003. Describing his strategy for winning a PR war. We're just in the beginning phases. -- US Pres Bush Jr, 24 Mar 2003, explaining where we're up to on Iraqi Freedom. ---------------------------------------- YOU DIN AST! 2 NY fishmongers claim to have found a fish that warned them in Hebrew the world was about to end. Some radicals think the fish may have been God. Critics say God appears to have lost His edge since the good old days. Channelling through a fish, yet! Satan still talks through cool stuff like goats, ravens, and leaders of the Western world. ---------------------------------------- Encircle these forces on your battlefields: 23 Mar. Pierre Simon de Laplace born, 1749. Pakistan Day in (guess!) Pakistan. 24 Mar. Harry Houdini born, 1874. Construction of New York subway system begins, 1900. Later to provide backdrop for only fast-food joint I can be found in. Thanks Zerksis. 25 Mar. Bela Bartok born, 1881. Triangle Shirt Waist Fire, 1911. Those NYc sweatshop workers who weren't burned to death because they were locked in by their employer, died when they jumped to their deaths to avoid the flames. Almost all victims were women. Aretha Franklin born in Detroit, 1943. Go girl! Maryland Day in Maryland, Greek Independence Day in Cyprus, but National Holiday in Greece. 26 Mar. Ludwig van Beethoven dies, 1827. Popeye statue unveiled at Crystal City Spinach Festival, TX, 1937. Independence Day in Bangladesh, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day in Hawaii. 27 Mar. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen born, 1845. Khrushchev becomes Premier of Soviet Union, 1958. Armed Forces Day in Burma. Regards to Aung San Suu Kyi. 28 Mar. DEC announces PDP-11, 1970. Three Mile Island, 1979. Do you believe in coincidences? 29 Mar. Swedes inexplicably arrive in Wilmington, DE, 1638. Next time, ask for directions! WAR OVER? ---------------------------------------- Fri, 21 Mar 2003. Jakarta. ANOTHER HERO DIES! An Indonesian rail-crossing attendant is reported to have been killed by a train after pushing a peddle-cab packed with 5 children off the tracks. Antara says the man had lowered 1 of the gates at the rail crossing yesterday, when he saw a pedicab with 5 kindergarten children on board stuck on the track in the path of an oncoming train. Zaenal was crushed under the train after pushing the pedicab off the track, saving the lives of the driver and his young passengers. Sydney. MARKETS! In AUS yesterday, investors were hoping for a quick war in Iraq and continuation of the oil price decline. News Corporation added 42 cents, or almost 4%, to $11.08. The major banks all advanced with the exception of Westpac, which dipped 14 cents to $14.51. The All Ordinaries Index rose 21-points to 2,836. The AUS dollar is up slightly on the night. At 9 am it was being quoted at 59.29 US cents. That is a gain of less than one-tenth of a cent since yesterday's local close. The gold price is at $US332.40/oz. Oil prices broadly remain at their new lower levels despite some fluctuation on reports, later denied, that oil fields in S Iraq had been set alight. West Texas crude is at $US28.62/bbl. Washington. FBI ALERT! The FBI has issued a worldwide alert for a suspected Al Qaeda operative they believe may be planning to attack Americans with an explosive laced with radioactive material. The FBI says 27 yo Adnan El Shukrijumah is a Saudi national who last lived in a S Fla suburb before disappearing. A snr law enforcement official says El Shukrijumah is connected to Jose Padilla, an American being held in a military brig in S Carolina for allegedly trying to acquire and use a so-called dirty bomb. Paris. POISON FOUND IN PARIS! France's interior min'y says traces of the deadly poison ricin have been found in 2 vials inside a locker at Paris' Gare de Lyon railway stn. Officials say the incident is not related to global terrorism. Police found the poison on Mon after a telephone call from the state railway company, SNCF. The locker also held containers of "powder". Ricin is one of the most vicious naturally-occurring poisons. A speck no bigger than a grain of salt is enough to kill an adult. [Of course, a single virus particle, typically 1 bn times smaller than a grain of "poison", is also capable of killing an adult as well]. Third US chopper down, 16 dead Kuwait. A US Marine helicopter has crashed while conducting operations related to the campaign against Iraq, with all 16 on board believed dead. The CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopter was carrying 12 US and 4 Brit soldiers when it crashed. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Earlier, 2 US military helicopters made crash landings in intense operations along the Kuwait-Iraq border and one was later destroyed by American warplanes to keep it out of the Iraqi hands. US defence officials say none of the 6 crew members aboard the MH-53 "Pave Low" Special Operations helicopter or the 2 crew members on the AH-64 "Apache" attack helicopter was injured in the incidents. Iraq's military claimed it had shot down the Pave Low, but US officials said it had made a safe crash landing. They say apparently neither chopper was struck by ground fire. The MH-53 crash landing in S Iraq was the 1st known loss of an American aircraft in the war against Iraq. It occurred before US bombing and cruise missile raids were launched against targets on the outskirts of Baghdad. Officials say there is no indication why the big, twin-engine helicopter had crashed, but it was later bombed by American warplanes after the crew was rescued by another helicopter. The AH-64 Apache made a "hard landing" in N Kuwait after suffering what may have been a mechanical problem. Officials say the Apache was taking part in an attack mission into Iraq but there was no indication that it was struck by enemy fire before landing in Kuwait. It was later returned to operations. The big Pave Low, designed for clandestine, low-level movement deep into enemy territory, was part of a wide thrust to get elite US forces into areas of Iraq ahead of a major ground invasion "at the appropriate time," according to one of the officials. The Pentagon has refused to comment. It can transport 38 troops. Camilla. TORNADOES KILL 6! Tornadoes have swept across 2 counties in SW Georgia in the US, killing 6 and injuring more than 200. One of the hardest-hit areas, in Mitchell County, was flattened by another tornado less than 4 ya. Emergency officials say 4 people, incl an infant and an 8 yo boy, were killed in Mitchell County, while a man and his mother were killed nr S Worth County. Officials estimate 50 to 75 homes have been destroyed. Beirut. BLAST KILLS 1! An explosion has killed 1 person and wounded at least 13 others in Lebanon's S city of Sidon. The blast -- apparently cause by a bomb -- ripped through an appt in a 3-story building close to the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp. Several explosions have occurred in the camp in recent m. Washington. TARGET BASRA! US and Brit forces have swept into S Iraq, putting pressure on the port city of Basra [pop about 1 mn]. News reports say US and Brit forces have taken the port of Umm Qasr while Brit Royal Marines have landed on the Al Faq peninsula S of Baghdad. However, Iraq's denied the official Kuwait news agency's report of the fall of Umm Qasr. The Basra area is vital to Iraq's economy because it also controls oil terminals in the Gulf and Iraq's only access to the sea. Canberra. SAS ON DUTY! The ADF has confirmed AUS's crack SAS forces have started active missions inside Iraq. However, Def rep Brig Mike Hannan has refused to comment on the exact role of the forces. However he told reporters that in general, the SAS is likely to be doing long-range reconnaissance and surveillance behind enemy lines. AUS has 150 SAS troops in the Middle E as part of the 2,000-strong contingent to the coal'n of the willing in the war against Iraq. Baghdad. CRUISE MISSILES TOUR BAGHDAD! US cruise missiles have slammed into the centre of Baghdad, shaking the city with massive explosions. Plumes of smoke rose from the vicinity of the Foreign Ministry and the Planning Ministry in Baghdad after the strikes. The all-clear has since been sounded. The attack was far more intense than strikes early yesterday that launched the war against Iraq. The Iraqi army says 4 Iraqi soldiers were killed and 6 wounded in the attacks. The statement, run on state TV, did not say where or in what circumstances the casualties were sustained. Meanwhile Iraqi radio says a US missile hit one of the family homes of Iraqi Pres Saddam Hussein in Baghdad but there were no casualties. It said the missile had hit the home early during the 1st wave of US attacks. Kuwait City. IRAQ FIRES 10TH MISSILE! Iraq has fired its 10th missile at Kuwait since the US launched its war against Baghdad. A Kuwaiti military rep, Col Yussif Al-Mulla, says the missile, possibly a Scud, was intercepted in the air and destroyed. He has not said where the missile was shot down. Less than 1 hr earlier, Mulla said a 9th missile was fired at Kuwait but it wasn't deemed a threat to any vital or populated area. The latest attack was announced after sirens sounded for at least the 4th time across Kuwait early today. Officer says Iraqi soldiers have surrendered to US troops S Iraq. A US Marine officer says 25 Iraqi soldiers surrendered to US forces shortly after coalition troops crossed into Iraq. The Iraqis gave themselves up apparently without incident soon after the First Marine Expeditionary Force rolled into S Iraq from Kuwait about 8:00pm Thu (local time) the officer said. More than 1,000 members of the First Marine Expeditionary Force and the Army's Third Infantry Division kicked off the long-threatened ground invasion of Kuwait following a heavy artillery barrage. The ground push coincided with heavy bombing of Baghdad which set off a fire nr a compound of Saddam Hussein. Ankara. TURKEY STILL FOOT-DRAGGING! Airspace rights over Turkey have not been granted to the US today. Despite reports of an impending agreement that would allow US/Brit aircraft and missiles to over-fly the country to attack Iraq, there are now some problems with Turkey's proclamation it will go into N Iraq. The US is said to be "livid" Ankara wants to send large numbers of its own forces into Kurdish areas in N Iraq. America has previously announced it had taken a huge money basket off the table after an initial deal for the use of Turkish bases as well as overflight rights fell through. Until the US agrees, Turkey has indicated it won't grant overflight rights which have been agreed in-principle by a vote of the Turkish parliament. Observers say relations between the 2 NATO allies is "on the verge of becoming very bad indeed". They say Turkey can probably hold out in this standoff, with time a critical consideration for US military action against Iraq. Regardless of US "permission", the Turkish military is preparing to cross the border in the next 24 hr. Various reports say there are from 40- to 70,00 Turkish troops, including 100s of tanks and other armour, massed on the border. If Turkey advances, then any argument between the US and Turkey will be academic and the "worst fears of the US will be realised", say observers. Turkey will probably try to seize 2 key oil towns in N Iraq -- Kirkuk and Mosel -- and keep a close eye on 2 Kurdish groups in the area the Turkish govt links with terrorism. US special forces are reportedly already in charge of Kirkuk. Observers say if so, it will be a "relief" to Turkey. They fear if the cities are taken over by the Kurds the oil revenue will fuel secessionist movements that could attract Kurds in S Turkey. US artillery barrage nr Iraq border N Kuwait. US and Brit troops invading from Kuwait seized the Iraqi border town of Umm Qasr today, the official Kuwaiti News Agency said. It made no mention of any fighting and said Iraqi soldiers had given themselves up in the city, Iraq's biggest commercial port. "Several Iraqi soldiers from different military ranks surrendered to allied forces, which took control of the border city," it quoted an unnamed military source as saying. The town is the only major sea port for goods to enter Iraq. It is some 50 km south of the key city of Basra, which US military sources say will be a 1st target for invading forces. Umm Qasr was the 1st Iraqi town to fall, the agency said. It is on the Al Faw peninsula at the tip of the Gulf, where US planes patrolling a S "no fly" zone hit targets yesterday. It is one of the Iraqi entry points for humanitarian goods under UN-monitored oil-for-food exchange but does not handle any oil exports. Iraqi television today denied that troops had captured Umm Qasr. Explosions seen towards Basra: witness S Iraq. A witness nr the Iraq-Kuwait border says huge explosions are lighting the night sky in the direction of the S Iraqi city of Basra. Brit and US forces began their advance into the desert of S Iraq after crossing the border from Kuwait and reportedly capturing Iraq's biggest commercial port of Umm Qasr. "We can see huge explosions and fireballs on the horizon towards Basra," Reuters correspondent David Fox said from a vantage point overlooking the frontier about 50 km south of Basra. He said he could hear the tell-tale sound of heavy US bombers flying overhead. The explosions seemed more intense than during a barrage that launched the US-led invasion earlier. Brit military sources say Brit marines and paratroopers, as well as tank brigades were leading the advance on Basra, just 50 km from Umm Qasr. Despite these reports from the Kuwaiti newsagency KUNA, Iraqi official media deny Umm Qasr has been captured. The KUNA report made no mention of any fighting and said Iraqi soldiers had given themselves up in the city, Iraq's biggest commercial port. Al Jazeera television reports there are also loud explosions in the N Iraqi city of Mosul. Washington (AFP). US CONFISCATES "BLOOD MONEY" UNDER PATRIOT LAWS! The US used special war powers today to confiscate about $US1.74 bn in frozen Iraqi funds held in US banks. It promised to use most of the money for a fund dedicated to rebuilding and providing humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people. The US Treasury Dept asked foreign banks to divert about another $US600 mn in frozen Iraqi funds to the use of the Iraqi people. It also launched a worldwide hunt for "blood money" stashed away by Iraqi Pres Saddam Hussein and his associates, estimating there were up to $US6 bn in illicit gains. Pres George W Bush, using sweeping powers granted by the USA Patriot Act, ordered the Treasury to grab the blocked Iraqi money from 18 US banks and put it in a US govt account for use in Iraq. A total of $US1.74 bn - excluding money held by diplomats - in blocked funds was lying in the US banks, a senior Treasury Dept official said. But some of the money was subject to court claims, the official said. Bank accounts holding about $US302 mn had been attached by the courts for US victims of the Iraqi regime who are claiming about $US55 mn in damages. Bush aimed to honour adjudicated claims, he said. Besides the funds held in the US, 11 other countries had reported blocking about $US600 mn of Iraqi funds under UN sanctions, the official said. The biggest amounts had been blocked by Brit with $US400 mn, the Bahamas with $US85 mn, the Cayman Islands with more than $US20 mn and Japan with more than $US14 mn. Other countries blocking money were Senegal, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Egypt, Germany and Bahrain, he said. Other countries may also have blocked money. Foreign banks had a duty to follow international rules to block frozen Iraqi funds, Treas Sec John Snow said at a press conf. "We reserve the right to take countermeasures and sanctions against any institution that does not comply with these international obligations, including cutting access to the US financial system," he said. Officials said they would only "judiciously" use the power, granted to Bush under the USA Patriot Act in the m after the Sep 11 terrorist attacks. US govt officials estimated that the Iraqi regime had earned more than $US6 bn of illicit gains since 1996 through practices such as selling smuggled oil. There was no suggestion that the entire amount may be traceable, a Treasury official said. Much of it may have been used for illicit purposes including the building of an illegal weapons program, he said. Washington. US IN CONTACT WITH IRAQI TRAITORS! The US military says it is making direct contact with members of Iraq's elite Republican Guard. Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld says the US military has been communicating with the Republican Guard units who are the most feared members of the Iraqi military. "The Republican Guard, the Special Republican Guard, are increasingly aware that it's going to happen, [that] he's going to be gone," he said. US officials claim some Iraqi troops are already surrendering. The delay in the massive air offensive has been linked to hopes the surgical strikes on the Iraqi leadership and key republican guard units are causing Iraq's military hierarchy to crumble. It is now likely the ground offensive will begin before any major aerial bombardment. San Fran. 100S OF US PROTESTERS ARRESTED! More than 1,300 arrested in San Francisco anti-war protest Police in the US city of San Francisco have arrested more than 1,300 anti-war protesters during a massive civil disobedience campaign, the Sheriff's Dept said. The arrests began with the shifting series of protests early in the morning and were continuing into the evening as US troops moved into Iraq. "More than 1,300 people have been arrested so far and we expect that number to rise considerably during the evening," San Francisco Sheriff's Dept rep Eileen Hirst said. The civil disobedience campaign coincided with 100s of other protests around the country involving tens of 1000s of Americans, as the war in Iraq got underway. Athens. PROTESTS! Anti-war protests have gathered pace around the globe following the start of the US-led war against Iraq. One of the largest demonstrations was in Athens, with about 150,000 demonstrators fathering in response to the launch of targeted strikes against Baghdad. There were also anti-US demos in Pakistan, Indonesian, Taiwan and in AUS, which has contributed 2,000 troops to the US-led coal'n. Peaceful anti-war protest outside Pine Gap Alice Springs. About 50 people have held a silent, candelight vigil outside the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, nr Alice Springs, in protest against the war on Iraq. It followed an anti-war rally on the town council lawns which saw about 100 people attend. Northern Territory police had 8 officers outside the intelligence base to monitor proceedings, but the protest was peaceful. An organiser, Ofra Fried, says the base provides the US with intelligence information essential to its attacks on Iraq. "People need to understand the very significant role that this facility is going to play, already has played and is going to play in the conduct of this war and that AUS's contribution to this war is not only the 2,000 men and women that we've sent there." Markets mirror uncertainty as war begins NY. Global share markets have become barometers of how the war in Iraq is progressing for the US-led forces. Investors are following developments hoping to determine how long the conflict will last. And it has been a night of fluctuating fortunes on Wall Street. At one stage, the DJIA was down 135-points, or 1.6% after US Pres George W Bush warned the war might be "more difficult than some predict". There were also rumours of the Iraqis using chemical weapons and oil wells being set alight. But amid more salvos of cruise missiles and wild market speculation that Saddam Hussein had been killed or injured, share prices have recovered. On the NY Stock Exchange, the Dow closed up 21 points at 8,287. The high-tech Nasdaq composite index is 6 points higher at 1,403. The Brit market has barely moved, London's FT-100 index edging up just three-tenths of a point, but still its sixth rally in a row. It has finished at 3,766. US to send up to 600,000 tonnes of wheat to Iraq Washington. [Perhaps explaining why AUS has just announced it will donate 100,000 t of wheat already en route to Iraq]. The US says it is sending as much as 600,000 tonnes of wheat to Iraq as part of humanitarian relief as it began a military campaign to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The US Dept of Agriculture said it was releasing the 1st portions of some 200,000 tonnes of wheat, some of which will be exchanged on markets for rice. Another 400,000 tonnes would be "made available as needed" from the Emerson Trust, an emergency reserve administered by the Agriculture secretary. "Pres Bush has assured the people of Iraq that they will have the food and medicine they need," Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said. WMD may be Saddam's last resort: Downer Canberra. The For Min, Alexander Downer, says Saddam Hussein would only use his weapons of mass destruction as a last resort. Mr Downer says Saddam does has weapons of mass destruction but there is a reason he is not using them. "You can imagine the coalition of around 40 countries would become a coalition of around 200," he said. The Min has anticipated the leader will hang on to his nuclear or chemical arsenals as a last chance of survival. "If he had fired missiles with chemical warheads into Kuwait over the last day that would unite the international community against him - his strategy will be to divide the international community as best he can," Mr Downer said. Mr Downer has also announced 100,000 tonnes of wheat is on its way to Iraq as part of the Govt's humanitarian aid program. HK. FLU! The global spread of the mysterious flu-like illness that's killed at least 10 people in the past 3 wks appears to have started with a hotel guest in HK. HK health officials say other guests who caught the disease carried it to a HK hospital, as well as to Vietnam, Singapore and Canada. 3 of the 7 people who stayed on the 9th floor died from SARS. The WHO says 306 people are sick with the disease, about 1/2 of them in HK. Belgrade. THE HUNT FOR AN ASSASSIN! A top official says about 1,000 people have been arrested so far in the hunt for the assassins of Pres Zoran Djindjic. Parl speaker Dragoljub Micunovic has given the tally a day after police arrested Serbia's dept state prosecutor, accusing him of links with an underworld group believed to have masterminded the Mar 12 killing. The prosecutor, Milan Sarajilic, is one of a number of state officials loyal to former Pres Slobodan Milosevic, who's now in custody in The Hague. Havana. CUBA WANTS PLANE BACK! Cuba has demanded that US officials immediately return a Cuban passenger plane which was hijacked and diverted to Fla. Cuba also wants the US to hand over the passengers and crew on board. The Cuban For Min'y also demanded US authorities provide it with details of the hijacking. 6 men, some armed with knives, took control of the aircraft yesterday as it headed to Havana from Cuba's Isle of Youth. Canberra. QEII SMS TROOPS! The Queen has sent a message to Aussie troops in combat against Iraq, saying their skills and determination will be tested in coming wks. It's the 2nd message for Australia's 2,000 troops in the Gulf today, after the PM recorded a video message to be transmitted O/S. The Queen says her prayers and thoughts are with the Aussies serving with the Brit and US forces. She says all Aussies are rightly proud of their defence personnel. More people downloading via broadband Sydney. A new study shows more Aussies are using broadband Internet connections, although the increase in usage is slowing. Broadband allows users to access the Internet at much faster speeds than ordinary dial-up facilities and enables access to more diverse audio and video content. The AUS Competition and Consumer Commission says more than 350,000 people are using broadband, an increase of over 50,000 in the 3 m to Dec 2002. But the rise in user numbers of 16% in the latest survey compares to increases of 21% and 29% in the 2 previous survey periods. Sydney. MARKETS! The ASX finished slightly higher today as investors watched the first stages of Gulf War 2. The All Ords finished up 4 at 2,839. Oil prices jumped on news 2 wells in S Iraq are burning out of control. May contracts of Brent surged to $US27.25/bbl, up 50 cents. Apr contracts for US light, sweet crude rose 12 c above yesterday's close to $US30/bbl, after falling earlier to $US28/bbl. The news of the oil fire has been attributed by Fox News to un-ID'd snr US military officials. *** START O'NIGHT COVERAGE: NBC, CBS, CNN and BBC *** 8 pm Reports of 1000s of Iraqi soldiers surrendering to invading US/Brit forces. The Iraqi govt says they are civilians. Maybe they mean conscripts. The Iraqis also says the Americans are exaggerating their penetration. It's not 100 mi, but only several km inside border, says Iraq. Pictures show dozens of men in greens with hands on head. It's unclear where it was taken. The Stars and Stripes is reportedly flying over Umm Qasr. The key city is Iraq's only deep-water port. A Brit mil rep says the Coal'n may be in Baghdad by 3 or 4 days. In Bagdad, officials are calling the invading troops "criminal mercenaries". 10.30 pm An armed column of US troops is advancing, and now is at least 150 km inside Iraq. An embed says the column is presently driving at full-speed along a sealed rd. But they have also been driving on and some dirt rds. He doesn't know where they are or where heading. Pictures are showing some Iraqi civilians and soldiers in S Iraq waving white flags and surrendering. 10.35 pm Brussels. Press conf by PM Tony Blair. The PM expressed his sympathy for families of soldiers killed in the helicopter accidents. He said it underlined the dangers of war, as Coal'n forces bring down Saddam and disarm Iraq of WMD. The PM said there was continuous desertions and disagreement in all levels of the Iraqi regime. Blair waned the Coal'n won't achieve all its objectives overnight. He said his course of action is right and he must it see through to the end. He said Brit marines had established a beachhead in S Iraq. Blair said oil wells in S Iraq were secured because of they threatened "ecological disasters". Mr Blair said the divisions caused by the war are well known in Europe. He said it had considerable support in EU, and in countries that were seeking to join the EU. He said support for the Brit position was very evident at the Brussels meeting. Mr Blair agreed the EU will help rebuild post-Saddam Iraq, and the internat'l community will have to come in to rebuild Iraq that had beeb destroyed by Saddamn's rule. The PM said Iraq's oil money would held in a trust fund for the Iraqi people. He said Europe should be friend of the US and not a rival. A strong relationship was needed to deliver and maintain world stability. The PM went on to list the achievements of the meeting. Energy liberalisation, the "single sky" policy for Europe, a single patent. He said economic reform issues had been held up, but were now agreed. Mr Blair said the meeting had agreed to set up an employment taskforce to identify key measures to be put into effect across the EU. There was agreement on the de-regulation of state aid, and a small business action plan. There were R&D initiatives. The economic reform agenda was back on track, but there was some distance to go, said Mr Blair. 8 Brit and 4 US personnel have been killed in US heli crash in Kuwait. Iraq says a number of people were killed in the 2nd night of the bombing of Baghdad, incl some civilians. Reporters say they've been given photos of some of the injured, but couldn't go to see them due to subsequent air raid sirens as they were getting onto a bus. An embed in one of 2 columns headed toward C Iraq says progress is being made. He says he's attached to armoured divisions of the US 3rd Inf Div. They've been travelling for 9 hrs, but stopped for 1 hr to refuel. The colum consists of tanks & fighting vehicles in a formation 4 km wide. The avg speed is about 35 kph -- i.e. is about 280 km from its starting point. He says they're now crossing a featureless plain, and not on rds, but crossing gravel and sandy plains. He says the column crossed some bit roads, saw no-one, but did spot some goats. A camel train briefly delayed the column's advance. The column is pushing N, bypassing population centres. The column of M1A1 Abrams tanks is moving quickly toward Baghdad. Unimpeded so far, they say. Some pictures were shown of dead Iraqi soldiers and isolated bombed-out vehicles and other bodies. No description was provided. About 30 oil wells are reportedly on fire in S Iraq. With 100s in the area some analysts say it's "not significant". Iraq is still denying Umm Qasr has fallen to Coal'n forces. 8 B-52s from RAF base have taken off. They're reportedly loaded with cruise missiles, and will be used to knock out infrastructure in Baghdad. It's a 9 hr flight to Baghdad. Elsewhere, reporters say Basra may be the first major Iraqi city to fall. 11 pm There's some resistance in the S city of Umm Qasr. BBC says the city is "mostly" under the control of US Marines. Iraq is still denying the city has fallen. Surrendering Iraqi cmdrs in S Iraq have been told to sign an agreement of capitulation. They must change Iraqi flags to white flags to signal Coal'n forces they want to surrender. The first signs of a humanitarian crisis may have been seen, as refugees gather in S Iraq. N Kuwait desert. More Iraq missiles have arrived in the last hr. There are constant "scud alerts". Reporters understand some missiles were intercepted by Patriots. The missiles are aimed at an airbase nr Kuwait City. There is not considered to be any danger of chem or bio warheads. Reporters say it's a small scale attack compared with the US side. Reporters say homes of Saddam's family were hit in raids last night. Civilians were caught when the Info Ministry was hit by several simultaneous bombs in C Baghdad. Reportedly the city was hit by another approx 40 cruise missiles altogether. Following Iraqi missile attacks, Kuwaitis have tried to flee Kuwait City. They've been told by authorities to go back. They are running because of fears more missiles will be fired by Iraq. 1 scud has been ID-ed. [This is later queried]. Dr Blix in NY says "missiles they always denied they had". 1 US marine has been shot and killed, crossing the oilfield area in S Iraq. The death is not yet confirmed. US Operation Atlas will test for chem and bio weapons in all US cities. Baghdad. Today is the Muslim holy day. But the head Imam is standing in the mosque with the Q'ran in one hand and an AK-47 in other. He's calling on Iraqis to kill Americans. The Iraqi Info Min says the only problem he has is finding a big enough mass grave to bury the invaders. Amman (BBC). There have been big demos in the capital of Jordan. Protests have been held in refugee camps and cities. The King of Jordan is to address the nation about the war. He sides with the US. But the position isn't shared by the majority of the population. Jordan is not participating directly in the war. Critics say even if the war is a 3-4 day event it is still a war against Arabs, and they will fight against Brit and the US. One protesters called for "victory against war terrorists lead-ed by Bush". Another said claims of better conditions for Iraqis after the war is a "big lie". WMD were being used against an Arab nation by the US and Brit, they said. As for Saddam's WMD -- "don't believe this big lie", one demo said. Iraqi TV says 72 missiles have landed in Baghdad since the start of the US bombardment, 4 soldiers have been killed in the war so far, says Iraq. The US says 3 doz cruise missiles have been launched on Baghdad on the 2nd night of the air war. Brit Marines say "dozens" of Iraqis have surrendered as they crossed into S Iraq. The Iraqi regime is offering rewards to citizens and soldiers. 100 mn dinars to any soldier shooting down a Coal'n plane. 25 mn for killing its pilot. 10 mn for shooting down a Coal'n missile. Any captured pilot would be treated as a war criminal, says Iraq. In Kuwait City there has only been 1 false air raid alarm so far. US forces have captured key Iraqi airfields connected with Scud launches in Gulf War I. Unknown if anything has been found this time. 250 troops and civilians have surrender in S Iraq. Russian Pres Putin says the war against Iraq is "illegal" and might spill over into other countries in the region. Some countries have launched a legal complaint against the US/Brit. The UN legal dept is reportedly working on an indictment. Observers say it doesn't matter any more. Russia has $US8 bn of Soviet-era debt from Iraq. The 2 countries have signed many contracts. There is no sign any of the deals will be honoured after the war. Russia must sit and wait to see. Chirac gave a speech in Brussels following the economic summit. It's been one of worst summits ever in EU, say observers. There was frost when Chirac was in the same room as Tony Blair. But Blair says Chirac sent note of condolence over the chopper crash that killed several Brit soldiers. In other news, the French have disowned UN Res 1441 even though they signed up to it. Chirac has also disowned the "reconstruction" of post-war Iraq. He's criticised the proposed installation of a US/Brit administration. 1,500 Egyptian protesters have called for the US Ambassador to be expelled from the country. Reporters say there are not yet manifestation of rage from Egyptian demonstrators. 11.50 pm 1st Bat, 7th Marines ("Desert Rats") embed has pointed to a plume of smoke nearby, and said it is not necessarily an oilwell. Nr the S port cities of Basra and Umm Qasr, he said until recently the region was a battlefield. Protests. Several 1000s in Italy have marched on the US Embassy, letting off flares. In Mexico City demos have also marched on the US Embassy, and burned US flags. In Cairo, outside the main mosque, a massive protest kicked off after Fri prayers. There were clashes between demonstrators, police and worshippers. Police used water cannon to quell the demos. The Suni preacher in the mosque talked of the "oppressed people" of Iraq. 1000s chanted outside later "down with America/Bush/Sharon". The crowd wanted to march from the mosque to the main Sq in Cairo. They marched to a position across from the American Uni and across from the US Emb. Police blocked their attempts to get into either. They weren't gentle. In London, it's the morning after the 1st US attacks on Baghdad. There are protests outside Parl. Police are struggling with demos. Many are teens and younger. Opinion polls in 2 RW Eng newspapers put the spilt at 50/50 in support of the war. Ari Fleischer says the Admin still has not reached a conclusion about the pictures of Saddam Hussein after the attack on his bunker on night 1 of the blitz. Was it really him? The WashPost says an ambulance was called and stretcher was used after the first attack. Someone was treated, it says. There's speculation one of Saddam's sons was killed. German police are looking at 8 letters sent to embassies in Berlin. A "gray and granular substance" was found inside. The Embassies addressed were AUS, US, Brit, Canadian, Polish and Italian. 5 people are being question in connection with a plan to launch an attack simultaneously with the first US-led attack on Iraq. One of the human shields in Baghdad, Mr Ubanks, says he's staying put. He says Shrapnel landed nr him during one attack on Baghdad, but no bombs landed near him. The ABC says 46.5% of Aussies are in favour of the Aussie involvement in the war on Iraq. ---------------------------------------- Sat, 22 Mar 2003. midnight Iraq claims to have shot down a US jet. The Pentagon denies it. Nr Basra some Iraqi tanks were reportedly challenging US Marines. By the time reporters got there, no-one was there. They say the 1 visible burning oil well has been capped by US Marines. Coal'n reps say the operation to capture the S Iraqi oil fields was 8 m in the planning. I.e. since Jul 2002. The "no hidden triggers for war" res 1441 was passed by the UN in Nov 2002. ITV embed with Royal Marines says a Brit chopper "nose-dived into the desert 7 mi short of the Iraqi border". He was due to fly on the aircraft in the next flight in an operation to attack Iraqi forces in the S of the country. It exploded on when it hit the ground. The mission was immediately aborted and all troops were choppered back to camp. All other choppers returned safely to base. The cause of the crash is unknown. 12.15 pm Al Jazeera reports air raid sirens are sounding and explosions have been heard in the N oil city of Mosul. 12.20 pm Brit Col Chris Vernon says burning oil wells in S Iraq are "not a problem". He says the more important objective of seizing the Ramaliah oil and gas separation plants has been a success. If these were destroyed then the income stream to Iraq would be lost for some time, he said. He down-played the importance of burning oil wells, which were relatively easy to cap. He says Ramaliah was taken by US forces. 12.25 pm Reports are coming in of fierce fighting around the N Iraq oilfields. They are big fields, with Kirkuk producing about 1/3 of Iraq's oil. 8 B-52s have left RAF Fairford. Given the flight time of around 9 hrs, attacks are expected around 6 am. Reporters have been taken by Iraqi officials to see the alleged civilian victims from the 2nd night of attacks on Baghdad. Most people were hit by shrapnel, they say. Most are men. Reporters say they've seen some military personal in the hospital -- but there is no official info about them. The Min of Info condemned the US as a "superpower of villains". Claims of the number of casualties are difficult to indep verify. Reporters for ITV were not allowed to go to the sites struck by US missiles. The Min of Indo also denied US tanks are far inside the country, claiming Coal'n forces were only several km inside the Iraqi border. Brandishing a nickel-plated AK-47 at one press conf, the Interior Min also denounced the US and Brit. Reporters say only the 2 Min's have been seen in the past 12 hrs. Saddam, Aziz and other snr leaders have not been seen in Baghdad or even on TV for some time. The Info Min said at least one "family home" of Saddam had been bombed in the past 24 hrs. 12.30 During an air raid, Iraq says it shot down 1 US or Brit aircraft. The Pentagon has denied the claim. Brit also denies the report. And Kuwait says they have lost none of their aircraft. Reporters say there is no clear indication of how many Iraqi troops have been killed in the Coal'n advance. TV coverage has shown several bodies of Iraqi soldiers, but there has was no voice-over or description. Some Aussie observers say the number of Iraqi casualties, both military and certainly civilian, is being down-played by all W media. In Bris, Mayor Jim Soorley has the UN flag flying over City Hall. 12.35 CNN is reporting the fight for Mosul. Mosul is the most populous city in N Iraq. Who controls it controls N Iraq, they say. It's an important strategic point. At the moment it's under the control of 1 of the Iraqi military zones commanded by "Chemical Ali". All is calm at the moment. Some of the toughest Iraqi army is said to be dug-in in the 2nd Iraqi city of Basra. NK newspapers say the Iraqi war will have "disastrous consequences". 12.40 The Pentagon claims no-one is in charge in Baghdad. The chain of command has been severed, say US officials. The Pentagon says the electric network and water and other utilities will not be targeted in their attack, and they want the civilian population unharmed. In Gulf War I the electric plants of Baghdad were bombed. With water pumps failing, the Tigris got contaminated with mns of gal of raw sewage. 1000s of children died from typhoid, cholera and other diseases as a result. NBC says medical personnel were sent into the command bunker strike on the 1st night of attacks on Baghdad. They believed that Saddam and his 2 sons were there at the time. The houses of Saddam's wife and daughters was also hit in the attack. A US soldier has been shot and killed nr the oil fields of Rumaliah, W of Basra. The death has been confirmed by the Pentagon. It's the first US combat death. The Marine was killed at As-Saliyah. Srinagar police have used batons and tear gas to quell anti-war demos. CNN NY. There have been anti-war rallies across America. In Washington, activists demo-ed in front of the Whitehouse. There was a sin-in in at least one Senator's office. 1000s marched in San Fran. 1000s of students protested in Boston. In Chicago marchers stopped traffic in downtown. Protesters targeted the media at CNN offices in Atlanta. In TX and GA others protested in favour of Pres Bush and showed their support for US troops in Iraq. 1 am Brit forces have seized 2 air bases in W Iraq. 1 of them is an important site of WMD. The other is important for control of the air corridor into Iraq. In N Iraq, the air campaign is on. Brit Def Min Hoon says Iraqi troops set fire to 30 oil-wells in S Iraq [this was later disputed by almost everyone, incl US forces]. US Marines are engaged in an on-going firefight at Umm Qasr. The town is still not secured, despite claims from Def Sec Rumsfeld yesterday. 250 Iraqis have surrendered there in the past 2 hrs. After raising the Stars and Stripes US troops were told to take is down because it might be seen as a challenge to Iraqi sovereignty. [US officials later claimed "the soldier" that raised it was in a state of patriotic fervour at the time, and spontaneously brought it back down because he thought it might upset some of the locals]. The US says it needs to capture the ports of Umm Qasr and Basra to ship in humanitarian aid. No chem or bio weapons have been detected so far, incl at airstrips in W Iraq which previously were thought to house large quantities of Saddam's hidden weapons. There is only a trickle of refugees crossing the border into Jordan. The Red Cross constructed a camp for about 50,000. Only several 100s have been seen, and most of those are guest workers escaping Iraq and returning to other countries. The few Iraqi civilians seen may be the first of a flood, predict aid workers. Brit officials say the capture of the Faw peninsula was important because it marks the end of oil pipeline. They said they wanted to stop Saddam flooding the Gulf with oil. If that was his intention. 1 missile has been fired on Kuwait City. 3 Patriots brought it down. It was headed toward an nearby air base where Brit Tornadoes are based. A large boom was heard in Kuwait City as it was intercepted. There are been missile 2 alerts so far today. Reporters admit they shouldn't call them Scuds. While one missile was ID-ed as a "Scud" from its shrapnel, others have been ID-ed as short-range missiles. 11 incoming missiles have been reported in total since the war started. There have been no injuries. Some missiles have landed in the Kuwaiti desert. Some have been allowed to come down in the Gulf. Some came in yesterday from the Fao peninsula. Reporters think they are being fired from positions very close to the Kuwait border. If they are Scuds then they are poor 50 yo Russian design. Not accurate. But they are having a huge psychological effect on the Kuwaiti population. Reporters say people are getting out of the city by the 100s. Some airlines are still getting out, although many have closed down flights in and out of Kuwait after war was declared. Most people are driving out to Saudi, through Jordan and onto Syria. Being a Muslim holy day, only 2 staff are in the Saudi consulate to process the 100s of visa applications. Kuwait military are outside the Saudi consulate in Kuwait City to keep order in the line. 1.15 am US forces have taken an airfield 100 km N of the Kuwaiti border. Paras dropped in earlier in the day, and there was some "fearsome combat" according to reporters on the scene. 1000s of troops are now pouring in by air. Brit Royal Marines in the Al Fao (aka "Faw") peninsula in S Iraq. They are still finding some resistance from what had been thought to be 1,300 civilian conscripts and some regular army. They believe Iraqi re-inforcements are on the way. In Brit, Def Min Hoon said there were 4 known Iraqi fatalities in the Brit attack on al-Fao. But reporters say "several dozen" Iraqi soldiers have been killed in the Brit assault. AUS TV images has been sanitised; no images of dead Iraqis have been shown. 1.30 am In Baghdad, officials say at least 37 civilians were injured on the 2nd night of the US attack. They say several govt buildings were hit. Qusai Hussein had his office blown up. Shops are still closed. But reporters say street sellers with fresh vegetables are still operating on the streets. They say the Iraqi "big armour" is still hidden in the capital. Only Interior Min'y police are on the street, manning checkpoints. There are still taxis and buses on the streets. But no people are going to work. Schools are closed. Reporters expect the streets to be clear by nightfall, when the next US attack is expected. 2 airfields in N Iraq have been taken by US troops. 1000s of Coal'n troops are now reportedly pouring in there by air. Nr the N oil city of Kirkuk some bombing has been reported. There are reports of fire fights with Coal'n forces. Oil wells are on fire in N Iraq. Brits say they see 20 fires. The US says there is no confirmation of that many, but some oil fires are burning. the RAN is searching ships for Iraqi leaders trying to escape. They are also looking for mines that might be planted by Iraqi forces. Reporters are disappointed there is no other word of Aussie forces in Iraq. AUS officials are "extremely tight with info", they say. AUS mil officials will not even confirm if AUS Hornets have used missiles during their escort duty. No info is available to anyone in the Qatar media centre. The only info Aussie reporters can get is coming out of CBR in the daily generic briefings. The US says $bns in funds seized from Saddam and the Iraqi leadership will help rebuild Iraq after the war. Saves US taxpayers! US forces say Iraqi forces are retreating to Basra. They say 7 oil fires are burning in S Iraq. CNN is still claiming Umm Qasr has been taken by Coal'n forces. They are still showing pics of a US flag being raised by Marines. They say the pics are "several hours" old. But Brit Def Sec Hoon says the town will be taken soon. Reporters on the scene have denied the town has fallen. And, earlier this morning, the Iraqi Def Min denied the town had been taken, calling claims o'night by US Def Sec Rumsfeld "lies". Brent crude has fallen to a 3 m low. The ricin found in Paris has been linked with a Chechen rebel group. There are also links with a group in London found with ricin earlier this y. French officials still say there are no definite links, but it is possible the discovery has terrorist overtones. 1.45 am In Yemen 3 demos and police have been killed in anti-war protests. Yemeni officials say "militants" in the crowd had firearms, and police opened up with gunfire to control the crowd. 10s of 1000s in the country have taken to the streets in anti-war protests. AP reports US forces have taken airfields in W Iraq designated H2 and H3. They say the 2 airfields are in the "Scud box" where Scuds may be hidden. H2 has an 8,000 ft strip, useful to bring in Coal'n forces. H3 is 400 km from Baghdad. The other field is about 250 km W of Baghdad. US forces have been destroying mines and old bombs are one airfield that were left over from Gulf War I. No Scuds have been found. 400,000 Iraqi exiles are reportedly in Jordan. 100s of demos in Gaza have protested against the war. Mostly boys and young men. A Spanish judge has released 7 "terrorist suspects" that were arrested in Jan. He found "suspect liquids" presented by the prosecution were common detergent. 2 am Umm Qasr has still not been taken. Reporters in N Kuwait were to be taken there by US forces, but say they've been told the trip has been delayed 2 hrs, indicating the sit'n is still "fluid". 2.15 am 4 heavy explosions have been heard in Kirkuk, N Iraq. The Coal'n is working in W Iraq to protect Israel from Scud attack. Reporters have described the hand over hand technique used to secure air strips in the region. First, over-flights check out defences and suppress air radar. Air controllers and special forces then chopper in, using lasers to designate targets at around the base. Fighter/bombers come in and take out defences with LGB's, being careful not to damage the strip or related h/w. Then troops move in to secure the strip. Transports then fly in, using the strip to bring in armoured vehicles and other equipment, and more troops. The armour and troops then move to mop up remaining defenders and secure the base. They have to set guards on nearby roads to protect against re-inforcements arriving from nearby Iraqi installations or other air-bases. 2.20 am Night is falling in Kuwait City. Since Fao peninsula was "taken", missile attacks have stopped. But if Iraqi forces have mobile Scud missiles the attacks might start up again. Apparently Kuwaiti defenders did not consider there might be missile attacks. Civilian "guest workers" have been frightened by the doz missiles that have landed around the city. There are many guest workers in Kuwait. They are now panicking to get out. Local newspapers ask why wasn't the country better prepared for missile attacks? CNN says Iraqi officials say 36 have been wounded in attacks of Baghdad so far. That contradict prev reports that 37 were wounded in just the 2nd night of US bombardment. Info Min of Iraq says the Iraqi military will "turn every inch of Iraq into living hell" as Coal'n troops advance. They would never take Baghdad, he said. Previously, he had doubted the pictures of Iraqi troops surrendering. The pictures had been fabricated by the US, he said. But, quite rightly, he also said reports that Umm Qasr had fallen yesterday were untrue. CNN kept saying the city had fallen after seeing pic of the US flag flying. 2.30 US forces say they are in "full control" of Umm Qasr. US forced were pinned down for 2 hrs by rockets from Iraqi forces. They called in Brit artillery support, and now have control, they say. But there are still "pockets of resistance". Latest opinion polls in AUS show 51.5% of Aussies support US force in Iraq. 48.5% are against AUS involvement, 46.5% in favour of AUS involvement. 3.30 At a news conf, Brit Def Sec Hoon says the S Iraqi oilfields have been "protected". There were only a small number of fires, he now says. Previously Hoon announced there were 30 fires burning. Numerous prev reports of had said "dozens" of oil wells had been set alight by retreating Iraqi forces. Experts say the number is small compared with the 100s of wells in the area. Iran's news media blamed the fires on US bombing. So did some embeds. Adml Sir Michael Boyce at the news conf says Royal Marines report the capture of several 100s of prisoners. He says he has no feeling for how many Iraqis fought or how many ran away and abandoned their equipment. 3.45 am Qatar US military media centre. AUS was the first to use the centre to brief the press. Aussie forces in the Gulf have capture Iraqi tugboat carrying 60 sea mines. Aussie medics have treated injured Iraqi troops, some taken from the water after their ship sank. No ordinance has been dropped by Hornets. The SAS have had several "contacts". There are no Aussie casualties. Brit forces have appreciated the ability of AUS Navy to fire from ship to shore accurately with artillery. AUS is 1 of few navies in the world to still maintain artillery practice. In the media centre in Qatar reporters say there is no info except from this first Aussie briefing. After spending big money on the Hollywood set, 100s of US journos have been given no briefings at all after 3 days of war. They were promised daily briefs from Gen Tommy Franks. The US media is "livid". The story given by the few military officials at the media centre is that the Iraqi war is going through a "phase". At the end of the current ops Bush will give a speech in Washington, then Tommy Franks will start regular briefings. 4 am The B-52 attack launched from Eng is expected to deliver cruise missiles within the 1 hr. A total of 280 Iraqis have surrendered. 250 to US forces and 30 to Brit forces. 4.05 am Sirens are wailing in Baghdad. There are flashes of AA fire to the W of the city. The 2nd night of bombardment is starting. The city has formidable defences from the Soviet era. But it can't tell the diff between planes and cruise missiles. This is likely to be a big strike. Traffic still on the streets. Streets and bridges still lit. 4.13 Explosions are being heard around the city. Smoke is seen rising around C Baghdad at 4.15. Some big flashes. Apparently B-52's are delivering JDAMS onto targets and this is not a stand-off cruise missile attack. 4.21 am The Pentagon has just announced this is the start of the "shock and awe" phase. The start of "A-Day" has been announced. Up to 3,000 precision bombs are about to be delivered onto Baghdad. It's 8.23 pm in the Iraqi capital. The Whitehouse says the war & rebuilding Iraq will cost $US75-80 bn. 4.40 Al Jazeera says air strikes are being carried out on Mosul in N Iraq, about 250 km N of Baghdad. Baghdad looks peaceful at the moment. 5 am AA fire is going up again from Baghdad. The US plan involves Med warplanes and B-2 stealth bombers that can hit 16 targets with JDAMS. B-52 weapons be arriving at any minute. The B-52's are launching cruise missiles, not JDAMS. Numerous explosions are now sounding, exactly on time. Large plumes of smoke are rising from C Baghdad It's 9 pm local time. Big flashes are being seen, apparently close to the camera position. The noise of the blasts is almost continuous. Cars are still in the streets. There's the sound of breaking glass in some TV pictures. Explosions are sounding almost continuously now. Experts say it's mostly dozens of cruise missiles at this stage. They're landing all around the city. Observers say the fireballs are confined to the military precinct of the city, to the W of the R. The cameras are located in the Palestinian Hotel and the Sheraton, about 2 km from the Ministry of Media, and a military airport on the other side of the R. Analysts say the bomber-launched cruise missiles are much heavier than the Tomahawks that arrived yesterday. Stealth fighters are reportedly involved in this attack. Jets are being heard overhead. They may be Iraqi planes -- Mig-29's. Stealth fighters and US bombers will be flying too high to be heard. They risk being shot down by their own AA fire. 5.11 Centcom has confirming the death of 2nd Marine nr Umm Qasr. The deaths happened after the city was supposedly secured. The US says a Cobra helicopter has also fired on a friendly tank. There are only injuries from that incident. 5.15 A reporter in the N subs of Baghdad is sounding like he's going into shock. The bombardment is still continuing. He says he's 5 min drive from the Info Ministry. Loud explosions and fireballs are continuing. Analysts say the pattern sounds like B-2 bomber letting go 900 kg bombs. Rumsfeld is expected to deliver a message at 5.30 am. The Pentagon is now saying this was exclusively a cruise missile attack, launched from B-52's. There were also sea-launched T'hawks. 45 "apparatus targets" in Baghdad are being hit tonight, says Rumsfeld. Reporters say 300 cruise missiles, 1/2 air-launched and rest sea-launched, have been launched against Baghdad tonight. About a dozen hit Saddam's main palace across the R from reporters. Navy seals have taken over 2 oil rigs off the S Iraqi coast to "prevent the environmental disaster" if a tap was opened up. Iraq has ordered CNN to leave Iraq because it's become a propaganda tool. 3 Iraqi ships carrying mines have been now seized. Coal'n forces have found weapons, uniforms and mines. 130 mines altogether. 5.36 Washington. Pentagon briefing. Don Rumsfeld & Gen Myers. Mr Rumsfeld sent his condolences to the families of dead coal'n soldiers. The world will be a safer place due to the service of those have died, said the Def Sec. A few mins ago the air war began. Gen Myers will provide the details. Rumsfeld re-iterated the previously-announced general aims of the Iraqi war. The regime is history, and the behaviour of Iraqi officials and cmdrs is likely to begin to tip and change as they try to save themselves. They will lose their fear of Saddam, says Rumsfeld. Mr Rumsfeld said the Coal'n will install a representative govt in Baghdad. He said the Coal'n would seek intel for WMD networks and terrorist groups after Iraq has fallen. He said the Coal'n would secure oilwells to pay for the rebuilding of Iraq after years of neglect by Saddam. Chair of the Joint Chiefs, Gen Myers, re-iterated the main points of the prev 48 hrs of operations. 2 F-177's delivered bombs in night 1 of the attack. Other targets were hit by T'hawks. He said the S oil fields would be secured later today, sometime. Land forces are now 160 km inside Iraq. They've hit a missile storage in Basra [maybe why the attack stopped in Kuwait]. There is now a massive air campaign t'out Iraq. Several 100 targets would be hit in the next few hrs. Gen Myers called on Iraqi cmdrs to honourably surrender now. He saluted allied soldiers and their families. He said the Coal'n would disarm Saddam and ensure WMD would not fall into the hands of terrorists. Rumsfeld underlined what he called the "humanity" that goes into hitting the right targets and avoiding other targets. [He didn't notice the contradiction: if it isn't targeted then it isn't a target in the first place!]. The Def Sec said the comparison wasn't appropriate with the current attacks and famous air attacks of WWII. While Rumsfeld emphasised the accuracy of the US bombing, a reporter warned that carpet bombing was not enough to break the spirit of people in Hanoi. *** END OF O'NIGHT NEWS COVERAGE *** Beijing. US-KOREA WAR POSSIBILITY! A top UN envoy says war between the US and NK is possible, but P'yongyang is keen to avoid it. Maurice Strong, special envoy of UN Sec Gen Kofi Annan, has been visiting the NK capital. He's urged Washington and Pyongyang to hold talks ASAP saying further delays will make matters worse. Cairo. 100s OF PROTESTERS ARRESTED! More than 50 people have been injured and 100s arrested as riot police clashed with several 1000 anti-war demonstrators in Cairo. Riots broke out after people left evening prayers. Police moved in with batons and water canon. The mass protest brought a concession from the Interior Min'y this evening when it announced it would authorise future peaceful demos, provided the ministry was notified in advance. Protest marches are effectively prohibited in Egypt, under emergency laws in force since 1981. The Ministry announced it's taking the step in the light of popular opp'n to the war in Iraq. Baghdad. MASSIVE AIR WAR! The US has begun its promised massive air bombardment of Iraq. US bombers rained cruise missiles and bombs on targets in Baghdad, incl Iraqi Pres Saddam Hussein's main Republican palace. Iraqi officials have taken reporters to some of the targets, incl the Brit-era palace. Reporters say precision bombing has destroyed some parts of the palace, but left sections of historical interest intact. It's reported an oil refinery in the S of the city has been heavily damaged. The US calls it a "shock and awe" campaign, with one naval cmdr saying US forces have fires 320 missiles at Baghdad and surrounding areas. US officials say it's not an attack on Baghdad, but an attack on the regime of Saddam Hussein. Bomb assessment is presently underway, even as bombing continues. US officials say targets will be hit again if they determine more needs to be done. The massive air war followed a ground assault in S Iraq, during which US and Brit forces seized the key port of Umm Qasr nr the Kuwaiti border. Kuwait City. MORE IRAQI MISSILES! Iraq has continued to fire missiles into Kuwait City, with its 12th missile in 2 days crossing into the emirate without landing. Gen Ahmad al-Rujaib said on Kuwaiti TV that a missile was detected entering Kuwaiti airspace and was monitored until it crossed over the country. Before the announcement, sirens sounded across Kuwait for the 3rd time today. The all-clear sounded 10 mins later. NY. IRAQ ACCUSED THE UN! The Iraqi ambassador to the UN has attacked the world body, claiming it is doing the bidding of the US and UK. Mohammed al-Douri said it was "unacceptable" that the Pres of one country should order another to leave his country. The US principle of "might is right" violates all principles of the UN charter, he said. The Amb said Iraq "rejects totally" the "outlaw policy" and "madness" precipitated by the US and its allies. Silopi. TURKEY INVADES N IRAQ! In a move sure to upset the US, a Turkish military official has announced Turkish forces with about 1,500 men has crossed into N Iraq. The US has told Turkey is would not welcome a large unilateral incursion into N Iraq, where Kurdish authorities are suspicious of Turkish motives. Turkey says it needs troops in Iraq to control refugees and forestall attempts by Kurdish leaders to create an indep Kurdish state. Turkey has kept a small garrison in N Iraq for many u, to fight Turkish Kurdish rebels based there. Bagram. US UNDER ATTACK IN AFGHANISTAN! US Army and Afghan officials say American troops have shrugged off over a dozen inaccurate missile attacks by rebels and pressed ahead with a sweep of possible strong-holds of the fugitive Taliban, capturing at least 13 suspects. Col Roger Kind says the scattershot strikes yesterday, which left no American injuries, were the highest number of rocket attacks on US positions in the country in at least 2 m. Pristina. BOMBS ROCK KOSOVO! Bombs have rocked 2 police stns in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, causing damage to buildings and vehicles but no casualties. A UN official says it's not immediately clear who was responsible for the blasts in different areas of the city within 1 hr. The police stns were jointly run by the local police force and the more than 4,000 strong UN police force in the UN-Admin province. Havana. CUBA CRACKS DOWN! Activists and diplomats say Cuba has arrested 72 dissidents in the worst crackdown in y against growing opp'n to Pres Fidel Castro and risks losing potentially lucrative European aid. With world attention focused on the US led war in Iraq, security agents have searched homes across the communist-run island and taken away opp'n political activists and indep journalists. The US, which has openly supported many of the dissidents, says the roundup that began on Tue, is outrageous. NY. SUSPICIOUS POWDER FOUND IN NY! Authorities have discovered a suspicious powdery substance at La Guardia Airport, partially evacuating the main terminal. A police rep says the substance was discovered during the search of a handbag at an AA section of the terminal. Results of on-site tests have been inconclusive, and a hazmat team has been called to the scene to investigate. A rep for the Office of Emerg Mgt says 10 people have complained of feeling sick and are being treated as a precautionary measure. Hakone. SRI LANKANS BURY THE HATCHET! The Sri Lankan govt and LTTE have re-affirmed their commitment to a y-long ceasefire in one of Asia's longest-running civil wars. The move comes despite another clash at sea by rebels in which 17 fishermen were killed. The 2 sides have also announced that they will work toward sharing political and fiscal power under a federal system of govt. After 4 days of talks, the once-bitter enemies agreed they will explore a fed system of power that represents minority Tamils, the majority Sinhalese, Muslims and Christians. SF. US PROTESTS! Undeterred by mass arrests, raucous bands of demonstrators have marched through the streets of San Francisco in the largest anti-war protests around the US. Smaller groups elsewhere demonstrated in support of US troops now marching to Baghdad. The numbers of arrests have fallen markedly since Thu, when police detained more than 2,000 people, incl more than 1,300 in SF. Karambunai. ARRESTS IN MALAYSIA! Malaysia says the threat posed by the Jemiaah Islamiah terrorist group is "under control" after a series of arrests. The assessment comes in a briefing paper containing a detailed report on the Al Qaeda-linked network. The briefing's been presented to a conference of Asia's top security group, the ASEAN Reg'l Forum, co-chaired by Malaysia and the US. The meeting is attended by 118 delegates from 19 nations. Canberra. INDON TERRORISM IN NEXT DAYS! AUS says it has "credible information" that terrorist groups known to target W-ers are planning an attack in Indonesia's 2nd-largest city in the next 48 hrs or so. DFAT has advised Aussies not to visit Surabaya which has been the scene of street protests over the US-led invasion of Iraq. The attacks are believed to be planned over the next few days, possibly tomorrow. Geneva. FLU TEST DEVELOPED! Scientists say they believe they've developed a test for diagnosing the mysterious flu-like disease that has sickened 100s in Asia. It's a crucial step in slowing the spread of the illness. Officials with the WHO say the test still needs further experimentation. If successful, it should be in the hands of doctors in a few wks and available in key labs in a few days. The new disease has made 350 people around the world ill and killed 10 in the past 3 wks. Sydney. NOT VICTIMS OF SARS! NSW health officials say 3 people hospitalised with suspected SARS are now thought not to have the potentially deadly strain of pneumonia. The state health dept says out of the 3 suspected NSW cases, a 70 yo N SYD man is thought most likely to have contracted SARS. A rep says the 2 other men were admitted to hosp showing possible signs of the disease, but 1 has since been discharged and the other is recovering well. Canberra. PBS NOT ON FTA TABLE! US trade officials have promised to keep their hands off AUS's pharmaceutical benefits scheme as negotiators finish the 1st round of talks on an AUS/US free trade deal. Doctors have expressed concern that the national drug subsidy scheme would be further crippled after it was used as a bargaining chip in the trade negotiations. The US has indicated the PBS is on its "list of concerns", along with the Foreign Investment Review Board, and the AUS monopoly wheat exporter, AWB Ltd. The AUS govt has indicated that "everything is on the table" to get a good deal with the US. Critics say an exclusive bilateral deal with the US will sabotage trade relations with AUS's major partners in the region. Melbourne. AUS SAS TROOPS SEE ACTION! AUS SAS troops have reportedly been involved in a fierce firefight with Iraqi forces but escaped unscathed. The Age newspaper says the shootout occurred as coal'n forces invaded Iraq from Kuwait on Thu and drove N into the desert toward Baghdad. The report says SAS sources have told The Age that the heavy exchange of fire took place at an Iraqi airstrip during the hrs of darkness and shooting continued for about 45 mins. Brisbane. AUSSIES CAPTURE IRAQIS! ADF chief Gen Peter Cosgrove says Aussie forces have captured Iraqi soldiers and are holding them as POW's. Gen Cosgrove says up to 50 POW's are being held on HMAS Kanimbla at any one time, following a series of captures and surrenders of Iraqi soldiers. He says some of the troops were captured on a tug armed with 68 mines. Others were taken from the water after an Iraqi patrol boat was sunk. Gen Cosgrove says the POW's are being cared for according to internat'l law, and will be handed over to the Americans. Sydney. SUPPORT FOR WAR IS RISING! Public support for AUS's involvement in the war in Iraq is rising, with the latest Newspoll saying people are now evenly split for and against the war. The Aus newspaper says the survey's found opp'n to the war has fallen from an overwhelming majority in just 1 wk. Newspoll found 47% of respondents are against the military action and 45% are in favour, while the remaining 8% are uncommitted. 7 wks ago only 17% of Aussies were in favour of military action in Iraq. Canberra. CREAN DELIVERS ANTI-WAR MESSAGE! Labor leader Simon Crean took his anti-war message directly to AUS living rooms last night, saying the war on Iraq is wrong and puts AUS at greater risk of attack. In a TV address to the nation, Mr Crean says the war isn't in AUS's interests, and the decision to join the conflict was "reckless" and "unnecessary". However, Mr Crean joined PM John Howard and the Queen yesterday in wishing the AUS troops a quick end to their mission and a safe return home. Sydney. NSW ELECTION! Voters across NSW have begun electing a new state govt that will run the state for the next 4 y. Polling booths opened t'out the state at 8 am this morning. Prem Bob Carr is widely predicted to win the election in a landslide, although Opp'n leader John Brogden has insisted he can still snatch victory. Meanwhile, Labor MP Jim Anderson had died from a massive heart attack this morning. He was the rep for Londonderry in SYD's NW since 1995. A rep says Mr Anderson's death will force a by-election. Polling booths in the electorate will remain open today to allow voting for the state's Upper House. NY. MARKETS! The Dow surged 3% o'night. It ended the wk with the biggest rise in 20 y. Analysts say it's now regained its position in Jan, indicating the decline had been entirely due to war jitters and now weakness in the US economy. Germany and France also closed up 4 and 3% o'night. But oil continues to plunge. Crude was trading at a new 4-m low of $US27.30/bbl o'night. It's dropped 28% in the past wk. Gold was $US326/bbl. *** RESUMING CONTINUOUS COVERAGE: BBC World News *** midday US officials say an Iraqi division has surrendered en masse to US forces in S Iraq. 1 pm US officials say a total of 1,000 cruise missiles have now been launched against Iraq. 1,000 sorties have also been flown. The Pentagon has warned 100s more targets will be hit in the next 24 hrs. 2 pm With sun-up more than 60 mins ago in Baghdad, 2 more explosions have been heard in the W of the city. Analysts say a target of opportunity was perhaps spotted by a drone aircraft. E.g. a snr Iraqi officer seen moving in the streets. Reporters in the city say there are hints that casualties have been high in overnight attacks, but no figures have been released. Ambulances were heard racing through city streets during the night. Govt buildings are still smoldering after blazing for hrs o'night. US armoured forces are reported to be 1/3 of the way to Baghdad. According to BBC World Service, the advancing column of APC's, tanks and other vehicles has met little resistance to date. The column incl 20,000 troops. Despite persistent rumours from the US and Brit, the Iraqi leadership still appears to be in charge. O'night, Iraqi TV showed Saddam Hussein and other leaders in crisis meetings. 2.05 pm Aircraft have been heard over Baghdad, following the sound of blasts minutes ago. Observers expect the first daylight raids of the war to proceed today. Part of the "shock and awe" campaign. Elsewhere, a mushroom cloud has been reported by observers in Qatar over the Iraqi city of Basra. Reporters say the first significant resistance by Iraqi forces may be taking place nr the S Iraqi city of Nasiriyah where a US tank column has just arrived. Iraqi 51st Mech Div has reportedly surrendered at Basra. Some reports say up to 8,000 Iraqis have surrendered so far. There are no pics yet. It's actually against the 3rd Geneva Convention to expose POW's to "public curiosity". The Pentagon says those surrendering incl at least 1 snr Iraqi military cmdr. Reporters are angry because surrender images were promised to the media ASAP. There is especial consideration for Al Jazeera TV. In Qatar, the Centcom movie set has been switched on but no press releases have been forthcoming yet. 2.25 pm Umm Qasr. Civilians have been killed in heavy fighting to take the town, incl women and children. Local reporter contradicts other reports, saying the town has not been been fully taken by Coal'n forces. There are "pockets of resistance". Iraqi troops have retreated back into civilian areas of the town, and donned civilian dress. Previously, Don Rumsfeld said the town was taken and he tried to use it as evidence Iraqi command was broken because the Iraqi Info Minister had said it had not fallen. Mr Rumsfeld, in any case, glossed over the fact the Info Min was speaking hrs before the US flag was temporarily raised by US forces in the town. Observers are warning there may now be a marriage of convenience between Iran and Turkey to suppress Kurdish groups in N Iraq. Up to 70,000 Turkish troops are reportedly on the border of Iraq. 3 pm B-52's are returning to RAF Fairford, S Eng. One just landed a few mins ago. Reporters say 8 are expected back anytime now. Not all have yet arrived. It's almost exactly 20 hrs since they took off yesterday morning to bomb Baghdad. Reporters say they are unable to talk to the crews because of security. 5 crew members to each aircraft. On the USS Roosevelt in the E Med aircraft are also returning after early-morning attacks in W and SC Iraq. One of the targets was a Pres'l palace. 5 pm 2 RN Sea King helicopters have been involved in a collision over int'l waters. 7 crewmembers are missing. The crash happened around noon, AEDT. 5.40 pm 2 RN early warning Sea King choppers have crashed in the N Arabian Gulf o'night. Just reported from the MOD, all 7 crew members have perished. They are still looking into the facts surrounding the accident. Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad has accused Washington of targeting Islamic countries for invasion. 5.50 pm The Iraqi Info Min Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf says 207 civilians were injured up to now in the "criminal attacks" on Baghdad. He says most of them are women and children in their homes. Aussie reporters later said all the injuries they were shown were superficial. The Info Min threatened reprisals against invading US troops. He says 5 US/Brit tanks have been destroyed and several Coal'n troops killed. The US says the attack involved 1,500 precision munitions incl 320 cruise missiles, and stress their unprecedented precision. There were 700 targets on the list. 3 Pres palaces were hit. Saddam's main palace was "blown apart". Local reporters show the Info Min was reporting on the successful defence of Iraq while bombs rained outside. On Baghdad TV bizarre footage during the attack showed damage from the prev attacks, to cheerful Arab music. Reporters in Baghdad say 100s of people came down to the river bank opposite the pres'l district to watch the bombing during the attack. 200,000 farmers have demo-ed against the war in C Rome. 1000s of demos battled police in Israel. 30,000 in Yemen. 10,000 in Cairo, some throwing rocks. Police responded with water canon and batons. 1000s in Jordan refugee camps. They were "dispersed vigorously" by authorities. In Jerusalem's old city there were anti-Israeli chants. 1000s in Gaza protested. Palestinians see themselves sharing the same hardships as Iraqis. Rock-throwing in Bahrein. Authorities had to close the US Embassy. Largest US demo was in Chicago, where 10s of 1000s turned out at night. The line stretched for several km. 10,000 jammed Perth's Esplanade. Lunchtime rally and march. Slogans were spray-painted on WA Parl House and other buildings. In Bris 5,000 headed off from city sq at lunchtime to march around the city. In Tas 100s of people of all ages in Launceston demo, and more marched through Hobart. More protests planned for SYD, MEL and CBR tomorrow. 8 pm An Iraqi counter-offensive is reported underway on the outskirts of Basra where US Marines are trying to take the major S port city. There are reports of civilian casualties, but no details are available. [Later, Al Jazeera reported 45 civilians dead and another 27 wounded in one phase of the US attack]. 11.15 pm Umm Qasr. Reporters say the city has still not fallen into Coal'n control. An embed says the US is in control of the port, but not the town. The US has called in reinforcements. Cobra chopper gunships are being used, threatening civilian casualties in the populated area. Cmdrs say it's been far tougher going than expected. Reporters say Don Rumsfeld was premature to claim the town had been captured. They speculate since the town was an obvious target, the Iraqi military have taken special measures to hold it. Elsewhere, Brit cmdrs say they won't take the nearby city of Basra because it has no strategic value and they don't want to be drawn into street fighting. They remain on the outskirts of the city, however. The Pentagon had counted on large defections, and it doesn't seem to be happening. And observers point out this is the S of Iraq -- where loyalty to Saddam would be lower than the C Suni region. 11.30 pm The Iraqi Health Min says 3 people were killed in Baghdad last night. The list of wounded has been revised upward to 250 "seriously wounded". And 45 people have been killed in the bombing of the city of Basra, according to Al Jazeera. Analysts guess 100 civilians have been killed and about 1,000 seriously wounded t'out Iraq so far. Germany has threatened to withdraw its NATO support from Turkey. For Min Joschka Fischer said if Turkey became a participant in the war it would withdraw German personnel from AWACS aircraft that fly over Turkey. 11.45 pm US forces from the 5th have "taken" Nasiriyah on the Euphrates R on their push to Baghdad. It's about 1/3 of the way to Baghdad. Analysts are sceptical, asking what "taken" might mean in the context. 2 strategically-important bridges have also reportedly been captured. Kurds in the NE say 70 cruise missiles have struck a group Washington says has links to Al Qaeda. midnight The US has announced coal'n forces have taken control of the city of Basra. An embed says he's seen 100s of Iraqis celebrating their liberation and 100s of Iraqi troops have surrendered. ---------------------------------------- Sun, 23 Mar 2003. midnight More explosions have been reported in Baghdad. Pictures show black smoke still drifting across the city. Analysts say they are caused by Iraqis burning oil in trenches around the city, in an attempt to foil air attacks using LGB's. 0.15 am At Brit Divisional HQ they say it's not confirmed that Basra has fallen. Up on the N border, Kurds say they've checked with all their border posts and have not seen the reported 1,500 Turkish troops within the past 24-48 hrs. A rep said the 1,500 troops prev reported were probably those already in the region. But he was worried that 40,000 Turks were massed on the border and might cross. 0.20 am The ICRC did the rounds of Baghdad hosp this morning. A rep said he'd been to 1 hosp and seen about 100 wounded, 20 women & children. They some some injuries are serious. There are concerns there may not be enough supplies. Some had been pre-posited. In Jordan, there have been no refugees in the past 30 hrs from Iraq. The Red Cross has seen about 300 other nationals on the way home. They also say they have only about $US5 mn of the $US30 mn they need for their efforts in the war. Kuwait is still experiencing periodic air raid warnings. Farmers are threatening to sue the Fed govt over lost wheat exports. Up to $800 mn in wheat sales may have been lost. The WA Farmers Fed'n and farmers in SA say their incomes have a large component from wheat sales. But Vic Farmers Fed is opposed to the idea of legal action. A new opinion poll in the US shows 70% of Americans support the President's stand on military action against Baghdad. While voices of dissent are quietening, they are still there, say reporters. Others say the situation isn't clear-cut. While support for military action is 70% among Reps, only about 50% of Dems support the war. Other peaceniks say the polls are really reporting support for US troops, not the Bush policy of war on Iraq. 1 am Thick black smoke is now rising at 6 points of the compass around Baghdad. They're all believed to be oil and wood fires Iraq is using to try to foil air attacks. 1.05 am Camp As-Saliyah, Doha. Gen Tommy Franks is about to give his first briefing at the $US200,000 media centre. Gen Franks thanked the heros that have made the ultimate sacrifice in order for the US to achieve its goals. Reps from 4 Coal'n partners were then intro'd: Netherlands, Denmark, AUS, Brit and the US. Franks re-listed Rumsfeld's 7-point plan for the campaign. Said this would be like no other campaign in history and would use overwhelming force. He listed the assets and capabilities of his forces. Summarised the operations over the past 72 hrs. He said we'd seen days S (special ops), G (ground forces), A (air shock). Gen Vince Brooks then showed a series of poor pictures. He said they'd found weapons and explosives on 2 oil platforms which were "not suitable for defenders". He claimed Coal'n forces had saved oil fields from destruction. Only 9 of 500 oil wells in the Ramaliah field had been sabotaged. He showed picture of 700 soldiers that had formed "surrender" position. Pictures of daily rations about to be brought in to feed Iraq. Franks then said there may be tough days ahead but the Coal'n would achieve objectives. Whether or not a coal'n of Iraqi military officials would be accepted as a replacement for Saddam Hussein would be left to "the boss", Franks said. Said "dialogues" were continuing with snr Iraqi officials. Said no Coal'n aircraft have been damaged by Iraqi air defence. Was asked why the shock and awe tactic were being used when the Coal'n was trying to be seen as liberators, and that the targets were largely abandoned, anyway. Gen Franks said he was approaching his task of capturing the country from many directions. He said press coming out of Baghdad may be misleading. Franks indicated no WMD have been found yet. "That's work that lies in front of us, rather than work that has been accomplished", he said. He said the Coal'n wouldn't move into Basra. "Liberation and not occupation" was his mission, he said. Gen Franks said Turkish troops were moving in and out of Iraq all the time. Politicians would decide what to do about it. He said 1,000 to 2,000 prisoners were currently in custody. A similar number has laid down weapons and gone home. Others were lined up indicating they would not fight. He was asked about "casualties", but considered only Coal'n forces in his answer. Gen Franks said he didn't know whether Iraq had Scuds, but there were 2 doz launchers unaccounted-from since GW1. He said he didn't know if Iraq had chem weapons or would use them, but he operated on the basis of probable capacity rather than trying to guess what Saddam would do. He said his job involved the regime, not just one man. "It is not about just that one personality". Gen Franks said his 1st press conf was delayed to avoid accidentally leaking info. He said the planning for the Iraqi Operation has been in the works for about 1 y. 1.55 am Observers say it's significant Gen Franks didn't take the opportunity to say some of the Iraqi missiles were Scuds. While the range of at least one of the missiles fired into Kuwait was allegedly beyond the 150 km range of the Al-Samoud 2 missile, it's still only speculation it is an undeclared Scud. 2 am Aussie cameraman has reportedly died in a suicide attack in N Iraq. Paul Moran worked for the ABC. Up to 9 others reported to be injured in car-bomb attack. Kurds say it was a group linked with Al Qaeda. 2.10 4 US soldiers have been killed in C Iraq when rocket-propelled grenades hit 2 hummers. In his weekly radio address, Pres Bush Jr says the war might take longer than previously thought. He says the installation of a democratic govt might take much longer than originally planned and require "sustained commitment". He complained that Saddam had hidden military assets in civilian areas. 2.30 ITN says a cameraman and a veteran reporter, Terry Lloyd, are missing in S Iraq after they came under fire. They were travelling to the pt city of Basra when they got caught in a cross-fire. 3.30 Up to 7 oil wells are still reported burning nr Basra. 3.35 A Pentagon official says 4th Inf Div that has been sitting off Turkey for several wks will be headed through the Suez to get to the Gulf. The plan to use Turkey as a staging post has been abandoned. 4 am Following AAA fire, more explosions have been reported in Baghdad. A column of smoke is currently rising over the C of the city. CNN reporters predict another barrage will follow shortly. 20 columns of black smoke are heading into the sky from Iraqi oil fires. 4.15 am US 7th Cav now in C Iraq has been slowed down today after encountering a group of about 180 Iraqi soldiers. The embed says the Iraqis showed "some pluck" before they were knocked out. The column has resumed its advance on Baghdad. 4.30 am B-52's took off some time ago from their base in Eng. Cruise missiles have also been fired from US ships in the Gulf. Reporters predict another assault will be falling on Baghdad at any time now. Previous night's attack landed at 5 am AEDT. 4.40 am 10s of 1000s of peaceniks are jamming 5 km of Broadway. This time they have a permit to march through Manhattan. "No Blood For Oil" say the signs. 4.45 am There are reportedly now 3 incidents in Iraq in which reporters have been injured or killed. 4.46 am Pentagon confirms 3 cruise missiles may have gone astray and hit Iran. 4.47 am Al Jazeera says pro-Jihad forces are entering the Iraqi battlefield. 4.49 am Reporters in Baghdad say 3 or 4 cruise missiles have been coming in every 20 mins for the past 7 hrs. 10.20 am Camp Pennsylvania [some say Camp New Jersey], Kuwait. 10 US soldiers of the 101st Airborne ("Screaming Eagles") have been injured, 8 [some reports say 6, some say 4] of them seriously, after 2 men invaded a US base in Kuwait and started throwing hand grenades at tents. Each tend contains about 16 soldiers. They were apparently trying to kill the camp cmdr. A bag containing a bomb was subsequently found. A report on US TV was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. It's unclear whether the attack was conducted by Iraqi soldiers or terrorists. Reporters say its the 4th armed attack on Americans since last Oct. The Coal'n says at least 2,000 more Iraqi soldiers have surrendered in S Iraq. Coal'n and Iraqi troops have clashed at Najaf, S of Baghdad. Coal'n forces say they've killed many members of the ruling Baath party. Najaf is less than 175 km from Baghdad. It's the closest Coal'n forces have been reported to the Iraqi capital. 10.40 am Following several loud explosions, continuing a pattern of missile attacks on Baghdad o'night, the lights have gone out in the city. Until now electricity had remained on during 3 nights of US bombardment. It's understood they were shut off by Iraqi authorities. Reporters also say they were taken to a group of 7 houses Iraqis say were hit by a US missile, injuring many people. But they were shown none of those injured. Iraq claims to have shot down 21 US cruise missiles. The battle for the S Iraqi port city of Umm Qasr continues. The US says it's captured Iraq's 2nd-largest city, Basra, after defeating Iraqi forces on the outskirts of the city. The US has confirmed 2 Tomahawks have accidentally landed in Iran. 24 reporters, travelling in convoy nr the S port city of Umm Qasr (aka "Um Quasr"), have come under fire from Iraqi forces. They had to be rescued by Coal'n soldiers. *** END OF O'NIGHT NEWS COVERAGE *** Beijing. 20 KILLED IN GAS EXPLOSION! The state Xinhua news agency says at least 20 miners have been killed and 52 trapped underground by a gas explosion in N China. Quoting a source in the Shanxi prov govt the paper says 20 of 75 people working in the Mengnanzhuang coal mine in Xiaoyi City have been confirmed dead, and 3 have been rescued. Rescue work is underway but the cause of the blast isn't known. Sydney. AUSSIE CAMERAMAN KILLED IN IRAQ! An Aussie cameraman on assignment for the ABC has reportedly been killed in a suicide bombing in N Iraq. ABC radio says that Paul Moran died instantly when a taxi packed with explosives pulled up beside a road checkpoint in Sayed Sadiq in N Iraq and exploded. ABC corresp Eric Campbell has reportedly survived the attack, suffering minor shrapnel injuries and shock. [An interview was later played on ABC TV in which Campbell still sounded very shaken and emotional]. ABC radio reported Mr Moran, 39, was originally from Adel, had worked extensively in the Middle E from his base in Bahrain, before moving to Paris last y. He is survived by a wife and 7 wk old daughter. :-( :-( Toronto. 3RD FLU DEATH IN N AM! A killer pneumonia has claimed its 3rd victim in Canada. Ontario's chief medical officer, Dr Colin D'Cuna, says the province also has 8 "probable" and 2 suspected cases of SARS. The latest death raises to 12 the number of people worldwide who have died from the illness. Elsewhere in Canada, 2 other "possible" cases of the mystery disease have been detected. Canberra. WAR IS GOING WELL! PM John Howard says the war in Iraq is going better than expected, and he's confident of a swift victory for the US-led coal'n. However he told journalists in a briefing today after his daily national security committee meeting he can't say how long the conflict will last. Mr Howard says he's not putting some kind of timing on the end of the military operation, but he's certain Iraq will be disarmed and Saddam Hussein's evil regime replaced with one more amenable to W-ern interests. He expressed his sympathy for the family of an Aussie journalist who was killed o'night. Canberra. MIN UNSURE OF THREATS! For Min Alex Downer says the govt "doesn't know" whether a threat of a terrorist attack in Indonesia's 2nd-largest city is linked with the war in Iraq. DFAT has advised Aussies not to visit Surabaya, which had been the scene of street protests over the US-led military action in Iraq. Mr Downer told the Seven Network the govt has received "credible information" that a terrorist group is planning to attack W-ers in Surabaya, possibly today. Beijing. GIRLS RESCUED FROM SLAVE MARKET! Police in SW China say they've discovered 28 baby girls hidden in suitcases on a long-distance bus and apparently destined to be sold. The state-run Beijing Morning News says 1 of the babies had died by the time police, acting on a tip-off, found them on Tue night on the bus at a highway toll gate in Bingyang, Guangxi prov. Police at the Bingyang police stn have confirmed the case and say more than 20 suspects have been arrested. Police say the youngest children were only a few days old. Umm Qasr. US TAKES S IRAQI TOWNS! US-led forces have pushed up through Iraq today, heading for Baghdad, entering 2 major S towns. And Washington has warned the war to oust Saddam could last longer than planned. After a night of blistering attacks on Baghdad US cmdr Gen Tommy Franks says forces are making major progress but have no plans to attack Basra, Iraq's 2nd city and a major S port, after taking 1000s of prisoners. Canberra. AUSSIE KILL MISSILE LAUNCHER! Def Min Robert Hill says Australia's SAS troops have destroyed what appeared to be a ballistic missile site in Iraq. Sen Hill says the site was set up with equipment like cranes and fuel tanks. He says there were no AUS casualties in the o'night action. Sen Hill said the AUS F/A-18 Hornets pulled out of a bombing raid at the last minute because of uncertainty about the target. He said that's exactly what the RAAF chief has said would happen to assure the minimum of collateral damage. [Later reports indicated the Hornet was on escort duty and had been re-directed to a target of opportunity by J-STARS. The 2-man crew decided the target could not be positively ID-ed as military, and pulled out. Local military officials say the crew did what they were supposed to, under the AUS rules of engagement]. London. MASSIVE PROTESTS! Nearly 1/4 mn anti-war protesters have marched in London to denounce Brit PM Tony Blair's govt over the Iraq conflict. Police and organisers say about 200,000 people turned out for the peaceful protest, which incl marches before a rally in Hyde Park. Later on there were minor scuffles between police and a few 100 protesters after, they blocked off Oxford St in London's shopping heartland by staging a sit-in on the road. Scuffles reportedly broke out as night fell. New polls show a majority of Brits now approve of Tony Blair's handling of the Iraqi war. Melbourne. PROTESTERS HEAD TO CBR! 100s of Vics are on their way to CBR for 2 days of anti-war demonstrations. The Sun Herald says about 30 people paid $30 each for a seat on the Peace Bus which left MEL late last night. It says 100s of others are making their own way to the so-called Canberra Convergence rally. The event, tipped to be 1 of the biggest peace protests in AUS to date, begins outside Parl House at 2 pm today. Jerusalem. PACIFISTS SIT IN! About 100 peaceniks have held a sit-in outside Israel PM Sharon's official residence as a tribute to US activist Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer. The demonstrators brandished banners protesting the continued Israeli pressure in the occupied territories. They also protested against the destruction of Palestinian homes by Israeli bulldozers, which they branded as "criminal". Sydney. 50K+ PROTESTERS IN SYD! 10s of 1000s have marched through the streets of SYD to voice their opp'n to the war in Iraq. Protesters assembled in Belmore Pk nr Central Rlwy Stn earlier this afternoon and marched to the Domain. Film stars Colin Friels and Judy Davis were in the lead. CFMEU NSW Sec Andrew Ferguson and social justice campaigner Susan Connelly were among the speakers addressing the crowd. In MEL, families took 50 babies to a rally, labelled "Babies Against Bombs". In Adel, a coffin lead 1000s of protesters through city streets. Halabja. US HITS TERROR GROUP! The Pentagon has confirmed a strike against an Islamist group in N Iraq what the US accuses of ties to Al Qaeda. Army Maj Gen Stanley McChrystal, of the US Joint Staff, told a Washington media briefing there was a strike against Khyrmal in the N last night. He says they're still gathering battle damage assessment from that strike. Washington. US YET TO CAPTURE N OILFIELDS! The Pentagon says US and Brit forces have yet to capture Iraq's N oil fields. But it says there are no signs of sabotage by Iraqis. Maj Gen Stanley McChrystal, vice dir of operations, has told a news conf in Washington that special forces are operating around the N Iraq oil wells. He says last night's bombardment of Iraq took aim at a target in the area, but US forces are waiting for a report on the damage. Washington. US SAYS IRAQ CMDR STILL ALIVE! US intel indicates at least one of Iraqi Pres Saddam's top deputies is alive and still may be in cmd of Iraq's military effort. A snr US official says there's no new, credible intel to indicate whether Saddam or his sons Qusai and Odai are alive, dead or wounded. The US official, speaking on cond of anonymity, says 1 high-level Iraqi leader known to be alive is Saddam's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid al-Tikriti, also known as Chemical Ali. Washington. US SAYS BAGHDAD STILL HAS DANGEROUS DEFENCES! The Pentagon says Baghdad's AA defences still pose a threat to Coal'n aircraft. US Maj Gen Stanley McChrystal has told a US def dept news conf in Wash the US sill respect the air defences in the Baghdad area. He says the defences incl an integrated radar system, air def artillery, radars, command and control communications, and SAM's. Paris. FRANCE SENDS IN TROOPS! France has sent an army unit specialising in nuclear, chemical and bio decontamination to the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. The Def Min'y says the move is in accord with defence agreements between France and Qatar. It says the unit is being sent to Qatar to assure the protection of its territory and population. The unit incl 39 personnel, 2 decontamination trucks and 2 armoured vehicles equipped to ID nuclear and chem weapons. US forces say, despite extensive hunts in the W and S of the country, no Iraqi WMD or even Scuds have yet been found. NY. CIG MAKER TO APPEAL! Tobacco giant Philip Morris has vowed to appeal a court order to pay $A17.1 bn in damages for misleading smokers about the dangers of light cigarettes over the past 30 y. PM USA general counsel William Ohlemeyer says in a statement that the decision ignores the law, facts and common sense. The litigants' lawyer says the trial judge in Edwardsville, Illinois, has ordered PM to pay almost $A12 bn in actual damages to smokers and $A5 bn in punitive damages to Illinois. Belgrade. KEY ARRESTS IN HUNT FOR ASSASSINS! A snr police official says the investigation into the assassination of PM Zoran Djindjic has advanced with the arrests of 2 key suspects and the discovery of several illegal jails run by mobsters. The official declined to give details about the suspects beyond saying they were very important. The arrests add to the tally of more than 2,700 suspects rounded up in the investigation following the assassination of the popular Serbian PM. Seoul. NK CALLS OFF TALKS WITH SK! North Korea has called off economic talks with the South. The communist state says it has "postponed" the talks, blaming the move on Seoul for beefing up its defences after US-led forces launched military strikes against Iraq. In Beijing, a UN envoy says P'yongyang, which Washington says is continuing to develop nuclear weapons, is concerned it would be the next US target after Iraq. Pyongyang was scheduled to hold talks with Seoul from Wed to discuss marine co-operation and economic exchange. Sydney. LABOR RETURNED IN NSW ELECTION! The NSW Labor govt has been returned comfortably for a 3rd term in NSW, with the coal'n making no dent in its huge parl'y majority. Claiming victory at a celebration last night, Prem Bob Carr said he is honoured and humbled. His is the first govt to win a 3rd 4-y term. Labor looks set to pick up the outer SYD seat of Camden from the Libs and is ahead in 4 other seats incl Gosford, held by dep Opp'n leader Chris Hartcher. The Coal'n appears to have won South Coast and Clarence, but has lost Tamworth. [The Greens say they received a boost from their anti-war stance, tripling their vote to 8.2%. Although the Lib's Brogden has been re-endorsed by PM Howard, observers say it's likely he'll lost his job after what they say is a "crushing defeat"]. Brisbane. CAR SURFER DIES! A man has died in hosp after car surfing on the Sunshine Coast on Fri night. Police say the 22 yo man may have been skylarking when he jumped onto the bonnet of a car driven by a 21 yo woman along Bicentennial Lane at Maleny on the Sunshine Coast hinterland shortly before midnight Fri. The man fell from the car, hitting his head. He was taken to Nambour Hosp with severe head injuries but died late last night. Brisbane. SECURITY ALERT AT AIRPORT! A 50 yo SYD man has allegedly told airport check-in staff at Townsville an item in his luggage was a security risk. And it's claimed he made a similar "joke" about another item he was asked about -- despite warnings from staff and a prominent sign that it could get him into trouble. A police rep says the man was removed from a Virgin Blue aircraft about 5.40 pm on Fri. A rep for the airline says it's believed the man had been drinking before the incident. Earlier this wk, an Aussie in the US was fined and released from jail after he made a similar "joke" to staff at LAX. Brisbane. POWER KNOCKED OUT TO BRIS HOMES! About 1,000 homes on Brisbane's southside are without power this morning after an o'night storm knocked out supplies. A rep for electricity distributor Energex sys up to 27,000 consumers were blacked out at the height of the storm shortly before midnight last night. Energex crews worked through the night to restore electricity supplies. Around 1,000 homes are still blacked out in pockets of the southside Bris suburbs of Capalaba, Rochedale, and Burbank. Canberra. DOCTORS PAID TO GET OUT OF TOWN! Doctors will receive up to $30,000 to move to the outer subs in a fed govt move to get better health services in fast-growing city fringe areas. Health Min Kay Patterson says doctors in inner-city areas will be eligible for a grant of $20,000 to move to an outer suburb practice and $30,000 to set up a new practice. She says there's a need for additional doctors in many outer-metro areas because health service provision hasn't kept up with population growth. *** RESUMING CONTINUOUS COVERAGE *** 11.40 am Coal'n forces have killed a snr Baath party official in Najaf, 160 km S of Baghdad. They plan to secure the city and continue to push on to Baghdad. Elsewhere, US forces say they have capture the S city of Nasiriyah, about 1/3 of the way to Baghdad. It's a key location for crossing the Euphrates. [Iraqi TV later confirmed the leader of the Baath part was killed nr Najaf]. 150,000 anti-war protesters have marched in Germany. 100,000 have protested in NYc. In Paris, Americans were amongst 1000s of anti-war protesters who called for the dropping of Bush, not bombs. In Brit, a big protest in London lasted until after nightfall. 1000s also protested in Wolverhampton, in Edinburgh and outside the RAF base in Fairford, from where US B-52's fly out each night to strike Iraq. Protesters now say it's about damage limitation. In the US, there are hints the Oscars could be used for other anti-war protests. With an audience expected to exceed 40 mn viewers in the US, some actors and "others" say they feel a need to express some of those civil rights American forces are currently risking their necks to protect. Saddam Hussein and top war advisers have appeared on Iraqi TV. US officials say they appear to be old pictures. US officials have called on the Iraqi leadership to hold up a newspaper to prove they are still alive. Mr Bush, himself, has not recently appeared on TV, although he's been heard on radio. Speculation about the health of Saddam Hussein and other key leaders continues following several days of targeted cruise missile and LGB attacks on bunkers, military offices and homes around the Baghdad area. US forces have destroyed a number of Iraqi tanks outside Basra and have claimed a "big victory". News media have shown rocket attacks on Iraqi tanks, and US tanks firing on Iraqi forces. The Coal'n has "secured" the city, not captured it. midday B-52's have taken off from RAF Fairford in Eng. Reporters say they're expected to deliver their weapons in about 6 hrs, hitting Iraq about dawn. It's believed they will target Iraqi radar defences nr Baghdad. US ABC journalists say they haven't seen the friendly Iraqis dancing in the streets that the US Admin has reported. They say not everything is as sewn up as the US military is reporting. In one town reporters talked to hostile locals. It was the first time I've been called "Satan", said one. As journalists talked to the townspeople, they became increasingly hostile. "When you going to get out?" "Where's the aid?" The town saw 3 or 4 people wounded in the early stages of the attack, and the people are very bitter about that. Journalists found that a road they were told by Coal'n troops was safe was heavily mined. Elsewhere, journalists have been shot at by townspeople and Iraqi troops. "And that's all within 6 mi of of the Kuwaiti border", said one reporter. "It's been a dicey day", he said. BBC reporters are complaining about the mixed messages regarding the progress of the Coal'n campaign. They say they still can't confirm earlier stories that 8,000 Iraqi troops had surrendered en masse. Iraqi officials have always denied the 5st Div surrendered to Coal'n forces. Reporters are critical of the briefing yesterday by Gen Tommy Franks. After 3 days of war they expected some details, but were given rhetoric from the pen of Don Rumsfeld. The pictures they were shown, they said, gave the impression of easy Coal'n victory and Iraqi collapse. But they doubt the truth of that impression. After a rocket bombardment of Nasiriyah Iraqi troops are still putting up a fight. Overnight, a group of US troops attacked a nearby air base. After a firefight with Iraqi forces, they called in air-strikes. At dawn, they had control of the base. It turned out to be a warren of storage bunkers. Tanks were called in to open them up. It was believed the base was used to store WMD. Nothing was found. Iraqi TV has shown the remains of what they say is a shot-down Tomahawk missile. They've also shown protesters at bombed-out homes around Baghdad calling for Pres Bush to be tried as a war criminal. The Pentagon has called on journalists to "exercise restraint", saying the situation is still dangerous in Iraq. The warnings come after several W-ern journalists have been killed and wounded, and dozens of others attacked by Iraqi civilians and troops. SBS reports 13 US troops have been wounded in the grenade attack on a Coal'n base in Kuwait. 8 soldiers are reported to be seriously wounded. This revises upward previous numbers. [Later reports said this was a "fragging" incident. While that allays fears that the incredibly-tight military security at the camp might not be up to scratch, it raises fears over the mental state of some of the US forces]. A massive missile blitz in N Iraq in and around the major oil city of Mosul has been reported o'night. 1 pm It's 1 pm on a Sun. All free-to-air and 1/2 the cable channels in AUS now switch to continuous "live" sports coverage and no damn war is going to interrupt that! Well, I'm exaggerating. Ch 9 is showing old war movies. "55 Days at Peking", with Maj Charlton Heston saving a small group of assorted W-ers from the evil Chinese regime and sundry rebels with a dangerous anti-W bias and access to explosives and guns. The US/Brit Coal'n wins another military and moral victory! 3 pm The Pentagon says 500 cruise missiles have been launched on Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq in the prev 24 hrs. 3.30 pm A US soldier is being held in connection with a "fragging" at a US base in Kuwait that saw up to 13 US 1st Brig 101 Airborne troops injured when 4 grenades were rolled into tents. One soldier is now reported dead in the attack. The suspect is said to be an engineer. Brit PM Tony Blair has been told by advisors that Saddam had a blood transfusion after the attack on his compound in the first night of the US bombardment of Baghdad. Kurds and Turks are reportedly in a standoff fight nr an oil city in N Iraq. This is despite claims that no Turkish troops had crossed into Kurdistan. Pics have shown what was said to be the aftermath of a Turk/Kurd fight nr a small town 24 km inside the Iraqi border. The US is telling citizens to leave Indon immediately. It's understood a terrorist attack targeting W-ers is likely in the next 24-48 hrs. The warning says Americans may be a target because of the war in Iraq. Several insurers are putting a surcharge on airlines flying into countries neighbouring Iraq due to the possibility of "attacks" [possibly terrorist attacks]. 4 pm Umm Qasr defenders are still defiant. Basra has been surrounded. Missiles have thundered into the mountains in N Iraq, aimed at terrorists. Protesters have marched. 1/2 mn in Germany, 200,000 in London, and 100,000 in Italy. Reporters say Iraqis regularly burn off the gas from oil wells. Both Turks and Kurds say no Turks have crossed into Kurdistan from Turkey. But the Brit govt says a "small force" was seen entering Kurdistan. Other observers say Turks have been stationed for some time inside the Kurdish enclave, and generally lay low. Americans promise more shock and awe attacks on Baghdad and other cities for the next days or weeks, until the regime collapses. Labor has withdrawn its call to bring back Aussie troops. Simon Crean told a TV interview this morning that troops were now there, and just wished they come home ASAP. Other ALP MP's say they can't believe Crean has made such a "stupid statement". France has called on its 5 mn strong Muslim community to "remain calm". 150,000 coal'n troops are now 1/2 way to Baghdad. They're still outnumbered about 2:1 by Iraqi forces. 5 pm Shells are still being fired around Umm Qasr, say reporters. They're not sure whether into or out of the port town. Either way, it shows there's still resistance from the Iraqi forces there. In N Kuwait lots of troops now flooding into Iraq. Reporters say they've seen many fly-overs, air transports heading in with troops and equipment. They've been warned of sniper fire over the other side of the border. Ch 9 reporters are remaining on the Kuwait side. They are not guaranteed safety if they accept offers to be taken to the other side of the DMZ. They are not embedded, They can hear gunshots and artillery fire in the distance. Yesterday they saw an 8 km-long convoy with 100s of vehicles. It was bringing in POW camp-building materials. Rolls of barbed wire, pickets and other material. There were also empty buses coming in to transp prisoners to the camps. 5.05 pm In Baghdad air raid siren just gone silent. It's daylight but reporters are expecting another wave of attacks. B-52's were due to deliver their weapons in 1 hr, but they may be early. Any moment now, there's expected to be a wave of bombing. Last night several bombs caused the reporters' hotel to sway. Buildings across the river are being destroyed, incl damage to foundations and sub-basements. In AUS, there are complaints of no hard info on casualty figures. Ch 9 reporters say there don't seem to be too many in Baghdad. While several 100 injured, incl women and children, there are few deaths. Some quite serious injuries to 5 to 10 yo children have been seen. One child shown had 90% burns and is not expected to live. Reporters say if there were many civilian deaths the Iraqis would be displaying the bodies. Iraqis have shown reporters where a tourist office was hit by a US missile, and several houses hit by bombs. It shows the precision weapons sometimes have a "bad aim". The Iraqis say many people were injured in these 2 places, but have refused access to the injured. The Iraqis say there were deaths at the locations they showed reporters. Mr Wilkie from CBR. The intel officer that resigned before the war in protest at the govt's linking Iraq and terrorism. He's been involved in anti-war protests all day. Says he's struck by large number of protesters in CBR and their passion. All are fully behind the troops but the broad cross-section were against the govt policy. Was Lt Col and served for 21 y in the regular Army. But he says he's not disturbed by anti-war protests. Doesn't think anyone in anti-war movement is against the troops. Wilkie says the war still "isn't worth the risk". Still maintains there are worrying signs of what could go wrong in the future. Says there are reports that 1/2 mn Iraqis in N Iraq are on the move and internally displaced. It will be a "challenge" for aid agencies and NGO's he says. It's already day 4 and oil wells are alight, he said. If coal'n can't wrap up war quickly from here, there's a big chance of humanitarian disaster. Wilkie says there is no doubt that coal'n countries face enhanced chance of terrorism. Based on 2 arguments, he says. 1st, it's "only logical". As our country's profile increases we become a bigger target. 2nd, he's noticed how AUS is now mentioned by name in "some circles". Richard Carlton is in N Iraq in Kirkuk. In case you cared. Says it's "quite safe" in the city. But some km away there are 3 pockets of various Islamic fundamentalist groups. He believes US will go in and wipe them out in next few days. There has been US bombing in the mtns over the past few days. The ABC crew that was involved in the suicide attack had gone out to investigate the bomb damage. Some part of the rd on the way to Halabja goes through 5 mi of "Islamic group" territory. That's where the ABC and other journalists were, 20 hrs back. They were at road block. One journalist was 10-15 m from the car, the other was next to the car, filming. A taxi pulled up alongside with one man in it. And the blast went off. Carlton tried to enumerate the 3 Islamic groups. There was the IMK -- part of the Kurdish admin of the area. Another group, Ansar al Islam, is a bloodthirsty group who have captured and beheaded locals, said Carlton. The 3rd group, whose name he could not pronounce, is another small Kurdish Islamic group. Carlton said there were 3.5-4 mn Kurds in that part of Iraq. 5.30 pm An Iraqi missile has been brought down by a Patriot missile nr a US base in N Kuwait. Pictures have been shown of the battle in the oilfields nr Umm Qasr. A stubborn Iraqi unit was dug in with artillery, and fought back. The Coal'n forces called in Cobra attack choppers to suppress them. And the luckiest Iraqis we've seen to date wandered onto the battlefield in a gas-guzzling white Merc of uncertain vintage. They even got out to have a look at the destruction, 100s of m away from their vehicle. 6 pm Further to that fragging incident in N Kuwait. The suspect is believed to have snapped, and was trying to kill the camp cmdr. 2 of the vics suffered gunshot wounds as well as shrapnel wounds. 3 of the vics are in serious condition. 6.15 With 14 Brit troops killed in 2 days of military operations, more heartbreak may be in store. An RAF warplane is reported missing following an airs-trike. The plane failed to return following a mission. The MOD has refused to disclose where or when or what type of aircraft is missing. 6.30 Umm Qasr. A heavy firefight is continuing between Marines and some stubborn bastards in the port city, more than 24 hrs after the US claimed for the 2nd time the town had been captured. Reuters corresp Adrian Croft says US soldiers have set up a HQ in the town, but are presently using heavy machine-gun fire to fend off snipers. Al Jazeera says Iraqis are apparently staging a fight-back. Pics from BBC World are just coming in live. It's the first time images have been allowed live from the battlefield. Mortars and tanks are shown fire on the outskirts of the township of Umm Qasr. Reporters say it's only a small part of the action. They say the military is very uncomfortable for outsiders to see live fire. CNN reports troops moving in toward Basra came across a number of camouflaged Iraqi tanks. As Coal'n forces moved in to blow them up, they came under sniper fire. Rockets were also fired at Coal'n troops. Apparently one Coal'n tank also had its top damaged by a rocket. SBS reports the US Admin wants the Iraqi war over by the end of next wk -- 29 Mar 2003. 6.50 SBS reports a 2nd suspect involved in a "fragging" in N Kuwait is still at large. 7 pm In the latest news on the missing RAF aircraft -- SBS says it's believed it was shot down by a US Patriot missile. It's been confirmed by the US. The aircraft was shot down over Kuwait said reps of Centcom in Qatar. They're looking for survivors, but it's not know how many crew were on the aircraft. Elsewhere, not to be left out, Iraq says it's shot down 5 Coal'n aircraft and 2 helicopters. 7.10 The Guardian reports 3 Brit journalists now MIA in S Iraq may have been hit by Brit fire. The journalists had just seen a truckload of Iraqi soldiers who they believed were driving toward Coal'n forces to surrender, when they came under fire. 7.15 pm ABC reports Coal'n forces are battling only about 100 Iraqi commandos who have dug in at Umm Qasr. Departing Iraqi Charge d'Affairs Saad al-Samarai says he's received word from Iraq about 60 civilians have been killed t'out the country in the war so far. He says Saddam is still alive. He's leaving AUS today, meeting the AUS deadline imposed last wk, before war was declared. 11 pm The Iraqi Info Min says 77 civilians have been killed in the country's 2nd city of Basra, and another 366 have been injured. There is no indep verification of the figured. He said the Coal'n forces have seen their own shock and awe with increasing resistance for Iraqi forces teaching the "international villains" a "hard lesson". Al Jareeza TV has shown pics of about 20 wounded in a hospital in Basra. With the allies 1/2-way to Baghdad, an estimated 500 Iraqi troops backed up with tanks and artillery have mounted resistance to the Coal'n advance at the key city of Nasiriyah on the Euphrates. The battle has been on-going for about 8 hrs. Coal'n forces say they're involved in a significant firefight and the advance of truck and tank columns has been temp halted. A 2nd wave of B-52's have taken off from RAF Fairford. It will take them about 6 hrs for their payloads to reach Baghdad. At a military briefing, reporters have been told Coal'n warplanes hit important targets in Basra overnight. Tanks and artillery are ringing the city. The Coal'n says Iraqi civilians are free to move in and out of the city. They say the Info Min's claims that 77 have died in the city are "exaggerated". Coal'n reps say the targets in the city were "selected" and would not involve the numbers the Iraqis are claiming. Reporters say more aircraft have been seen headed for the city. BBC reporters continue to complain that Coal'n officials are using them as a propaganda tool by withholding info and supplying false info. The complaints came after the Coal'n was forced to admit it had attacked the city of Basra o'night only after the Iraqi Info Min released alleged casualty numbers from raids o'night. Up to that point Coal'n reps had refused to confirm whether attacks had been conducted or not. In some reports allied military officials had claimed the city would be left alone because it was not of any military value. Commentators warn that Coal'n media reps risk their credibility. The port city of Umm Qasr may have finally fallen to the Coal'n. It follows about 4 hrs of tank fire shown on US TV. Reporters say an air-strike was called in earlier this morning, with one of 2 200 kg bombs dropped on a compound containing Iraqi forces hitting the target. Coal'n troops have been examining the remnants to see if any enemy survived. Coal'n cmdrs have again claimed the city is in their hands, more than 48 hrs after it was first "captured", according to US Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld. Coal'n warplanes have continued to attack Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit, 200 km NW of Baghdad. It's also understood Coal'n armour is in the area. The city is associated with a large proportion of the present regime. In Baghdad, several palls of dark smoke are still rising from the city. And reporters say they are not the result of Iraqis continuing to burn oil-filled trenches. Several loud explosions have been heard in the past few hrs, co-inciding with the delivery time for a flight of B-52's that left RAF Fairford more than 7 hrs ago. Last night's bombing campaign was not the "shock and awe" used in previous nights. ---------------------------------------- Mon, 24 Mar 2003. midnight The Brit MOD has confirmed a Tornado has been downed over the Gulf [some reports say in S Iraq] by a US Patriot missile fired from Kuwait. Two aircrew are missing. Baghdad. About 35 mins ago there were 2 blasts. About 1/2 hr before that there were 6 explosions on the outskirts of the city. It signals a renewed attack. Reporters say the tactics have changed with the sound of aircraft flying low. They say it seems careful bombing has replaced salvos of cruise missiles. They say the sky around the city is "leaden" due to burning oil out in the suburbs. The Iraqi VP gave a press conf earlier saying some US troops had been captured in the S and would be put on Iraqi TV in several hrs. He said Iraqi troops had not harassed Coal'n troops while they crossed empty desert, but that would change when they reached any population centre. He also accused UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan of failing in his duty by withdrawing UN staff from the capital. He said the UN chief let himself be bullied by the US and Brit. The VP cursed Kofi Annan as an "employee of the US govt", and said Mr Annan was imposing an additional sanction against Iraq. 0.15 UNICEF say the situation is grim for the Iraqi population, already impoverished from years of UN sanctions. They say they are supplying essentials to Baghdad and other cities in the N of the country. US troops have clashed with Iraqi forces in the desert nr the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf. It's believed the Coal'n has suffered about 50 casualties. The US troops say about 70 Iraqis were killed in the fighting. 0.18 Centcom denies that any aircraft are unaccounted for, tending to discount Iraqi claims US airmen are to be displayed on Iraqi TV. Reporters say the most serious resistance at the moment is the city of Nasiriyah where a key bridge crosses the Euphrates. 0.30 A battery of ammunition has been found on an island nr the pt city of Umm Qasr. Reporters say the port is secure, but it can't be opened until Coal'n forces verify nearby areas, especially the township, have been secured. They say the small town, pop 4,000, has proved a big embarrassment to the Coal'n forces. Iraqi troops claim to have shot down a Coal'n aircraft over Baghdad. Small boats were seen searching the riverbank nr the Info Min'y, firing automatic weapons into the reeds, attempting to flush out aircrew they think were hiding there. The Coal'n says no warplanes are unaccounted for. 1 am The BBC says there are unconfirmed reports of 2 parachutists seen coming down into the R in C Baghdad. 1.10 US Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld has confirmed on NBC's "Meet the Press" some US soldiers, airmen and aircraft have "gone missing" over Iraq. He was also confronted with "personal notes" in which Rumsfeld said that Saddam Hussein could be dealt with at the same time as Osama bin Laden. The notes were dated 1998. Mr Rumsfeld denied he took notes. About 90 mins ago reporters say there were reports at least 1 parachute came down in C Baghdad. Reporters say they saw police and troops searching the bank, the reeds and under the bridges. Reeds were set alight and police fired into the water. There is so far no confirmation Iraqis have found aircrew. The reporters say claims by Iraqis about captured Coal'n soldiers are a separate matter since Iraqi officials claim the troops were captured in the S of the country. 1.20 US forces say they have pushed back Iraqi forces and captured 2 key bridges in Nasiriyah. The claims come 2 days after the Coal'n declared it had first captured the key bridges. Amman. Iraqi refugees in Jordan capture the mixed feelings of their countrymen still under the heel of Saddam Insane. While the name of Saddam makes some of the men in the coffee-shops shudder, they say, they are deeply suspicious of the motives of the "liberating" Coal'n forces. "We have been betrayed by the West before", said one. "We are trapped between 2 fires", said another, "the fire of Saddam and the fire of the US... we loose either way". Others may hate Saddam, but see the Coal'n as "invaders". "I hate Saddam", said one man, "but he's an Arab nationalist. I would put my hand in his rather than give 1 inch of Iraq to foreigners". 1.30 British intel says there seems to be evidence that Saddam survived the first attacks on Baghdad. Mike O'Brien said Saddam apparently left a bombed bunker in an ambulance, but was not critically wounded in the attack. This is the first time anyone has been able to tease anything out of any Coal'n official about the fate of the Iraqi leader. In Kurdish Iraq reporters say US paras are expected to drop in to start an assault on nearby Islamic groups linked with Al Qaeda. While several 100 special forces are already in the area, many more were expected last night. But they haven't, so far, arrived. Iraqi TV says 2 W pilots have been found in reeds along the R Tigris. The Red Cross says they've seen "about 100" wounded people in 2 hospitals in Baghdad. They say they've been given access to wounded civilians in every day of the Coal'n bombing of the Iraqi capital. ICRC officials said the organisation would not verify casualty numbers. A jovial Iraqi Info Min says the Coal'n forces have been drawn into a trap of their own making. The "invaders" are presently in a part of Umm Qasr that is actually part of Kuwait. A part of the port city was apparently given to Kuwait as part of the Gulf War I ceasefire. He said the US & Brit mercenaries would be led to death. After 4 days they had succeeded only in capturing a part of Kuwait. 1.45 Members of the Arab League have been meeting in Cairo. Some member nations are caught between Iraq and a hard place, giving quiet assistance to the Coal'n, yet presenting a public face of Arab solidarity. Local newspapers have declared the 100s of Iraqi civilians some reports say have been killed in the past 4 days "martyrs". Chair of the Joint Chiefs, Gen Myers, has announced that up to 10 US soldiers may be missing in Iraq. He made the comment at the same time Def Sec Rumsfeld admitted on NBC that "some" US troops and aircrew may be MIA. A US soldier has reportedly died in a road accident in S Iraq. The latest death takes to 23 the number of Coal'n fatalities since the start of the war. BBC reporters say the modest casualty numbers coming from Iraq seem to show they are aware that too much exaggeration will loose the PR war. While some commentators say some of the announcements from Baghdad appear to be given by un-polished "Capt Mannering" characters, the facts themselves seem to be reasonably accurate. They say quite a few details have been released by the Iraqi side before the Coal'n has admitted the same facts. 2 am 4 days into the mission, and NBC is wondering where the chem and bio weapons are. Richard Butler says he believes the WMD are likely stored near to or in Baghdad, or even in the N of the country, nr Tikrit or Mosul. They are possibly stored in bunkers, underground. He says some are believed to be stored under Presidential palaces. He says the "Presidential areas" occupy about 1,000 buildings with an area of about 13,000 ha. "Imaging", he said, had shown that some had "storage areas" underneath. Jordan has expelled all Iraqi diplomats and closed the Embassy. It's the first Arab country to comply with a US "request" to break all links with the Saddam regime. 2.15 Baghdad. 6.15 pm local time. Over the past hr there have been 2 more air strikes to the W of the city. A pall of smoke is still rising from the direction of loud explosions. Figures are still seen searching the bull-rushes along the R. BBC reporters say they could find no eyewitness, but the rumour has it that a blue & green parachute has been seen coming down into the R. Reporters say with cruise missiles costing about $US1 mn each, and US inventories before the war only listing about 2,000 on hand, it stands to reason that attacks on Iraq are now from plane-delivered bombs at a mere $US50,000 each. Analysts say that capturing Basra may not be as easy as some Coal'n cmdrs are saying. They say the city stood up for 8 y under assaults from Iran, which threw about 1 mn troops at it. 2.25 The battle around Nasiriyah is on-going. Reporters say Marines ("Taskforce Tarawa") report 4 deaths and over 50 wounded. The embed says the Marines have been facing a mixture of regular troops and artillery, and special troops loyal to Saddam Hussein that are using guerrilla tactics who apparently launched sniper attacks as the Coal'n force moved between one bridge and another in the area. 2.30 Both US and Brit officials at Centcom say there are no reports of missing aircraft. Reporters say more than pilots come down by parachute. They say there was also reports yesterday that parachutes had been seen over Baghdad. 2.45 am Al Jazeera has been broadcasting the pictures of what appear to be 4 dead American soldiers. They are also showing interviews with what are alleged to be 5 captured US Marines. The report says the pics were taken nr Nasiriyah in SE Iraq. 3.15 am BBC says the dead soldiers shown on Al Jazeera were "executed". There are reports of heavy AA fire and a new wave of explosions in Baghdad. Current live TV shows everything is quiet. 3.25 NBC says the man in detention after grenades were rolled into a command tend of the 101 Airborne is an American Muslim who was opposed to the war in Iraq. NBC says US forces still pushing on to Baghdad have killed from 40-60 enemy soldiers in a confrontation between Soviet-build APC's and the advancing column of US armour. A cmdr says there were no US casualties. CNN reports crude oil prices are still falling. Rebels in S Nigeria have reportedly taken over 17 oil pipelines in the country and are threatening to blow them up. The Red Cross says there's an impending humanitarian crisis in the S city of Basra were electricity has been out for 24-48 hrs after US air attacks. ICRC officials say they are trying to negotiate with Coal'n cmdrs to get engineers into the city to turn the water supply back on. NBC reports that an affiliate says several US soldiers fighting nr Nasiriyah "took a wrong turn" earlier today and ended up surrounded by a large group of Iraqi troops. NBC reporters speculate this may be the group that has been shown on Arab TV. 3.50 The Pentagon is notifying the families of 10 soldiers they now acknowledge have been taken prisoner by Iraq. US officials are critical of Al Jazeera for showing US prisoners on TV, citing the Geneva Conventions [Article 13]. Rumsfeld has appealed to all US networks not to run the images. It's a PR nightmare for the US govt, say reporters. The interviews show US soldiers, one of them a woman, being asked their name, where they are from, and what are they doing in Iraq. The standard response to the last Q has been "following orders". Previously, W networks had displayed columns of Iraqi POW's, some lined up on the beach at Umm Qasr, others spread eagle on roads, others being patted down, and some questioned by Coal'n soldiers. 4.30 An embed with US 1st Bat, 2nd Marines nr Nasiriyah says a US Bradley has taken a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade and burst into flames. Another vehicle may also have been hit. Alessio Vinci says perhaps 10 Marines may have been killed in the incident. 4.35 Explosions have been heard nr Mosul in Kurdish-controlled N Iraq. US SAS troops and Kurds have also reportedly been involved in an attack on Iraqi forces nr Kirkuk, about 150 km to the SE. The US military has confirmed 6 Marines have been killed and 14 wounded in the fighting nr Nasiriyah. 4.45 ITN says the body of missing reporter Terry Lloyd has been ID-ed in a hospital in Basra. At present the city is effectively under siege by Coal'n forces. The network says it has no report on the where-abouts of 2 other journos that disappeared at the same time as Lloyd, when their vehicle apparently drove into the line of fire between Brit and Iraq troops. 4.55 There are unconfirmed reports from Brit that SAS troops have been operating around Baghdad over the past 24 hrs. A reporter says every oil well Coal'n forces have come across so far has been booby-trapped. 5.50 am Brit forces nr Basra say they've found an "awesome arsenal" of cruise missiles and warheads in bunkers nr the city, apparently abandoned by retreating Iraqi forces. An ICRC rep has told BBC World News that Iraqi TV images of US prisoners could be interpreted as violating Article 13 of the 3rd Geneva Convention. But she also said all the images shown of Iraqi prisoners on US and Brit TV could also be viewed as a violation of the same Article, because it restricts both "public curiosity" and "humiliating treatment" of POW's. 6 am Iraqi officials are reporting that 25 Coal'n soldiers have been killed in the fighting around the S city of Nasiriyah. US cmdrs have prev announced 50 wounded, but only 4 deaths. 7 am Doha. Centcom press conf for day 2. US military officials have admitted some of their people have been taken POW, and others have been killed in the fight for Nasiriyah. While they didn't want to indicate numbers in all cases, officials said about 10 Marines had been killed in one part of the fight, with another 12 people in a supply column MIA. They were critical of Iraq for contravening the Geneva conventions by interviewing some POW's on Iraqi TV. Officials also complained that several casualties and several fire-fights had resulted from what they liked to call "ruses" used by Iraqi forces. Some Iraqi troops had been pretending to surrender, showing a white flag or the "surrender symbols" advertised by the Pentagon, and subsequently drawn Coal'n forces into an ambush. *** END OF CONTINUOUS COVERAGE *** Sydney. MARKETS! The ASX was firmer on the open, following a sharp rally on Wall St on Fri. The All Ords added 11 pts to 2,850 by 10 am. Washington. 6 SOLDIERS KILLED IN CHOPPER CRASH! The US military says a USAF HH-60 Blackhawk has crashed in Afghanistan, killing all 6 people on board. Centcom says the cause of the crash is under investigation, but it was not the result of enemy action. It says the chopper crashed around 30 km N of Ghazni at around 8.20 am AEDT during a medical evac mission. London. BRIT WARNS OF INDON TERRORISM! Brit's FO has warned that terrorists could launch an attack in Indonesia during the war on Iraq. The FO has also been advising Brits against non-essential travel to the SE Asian nation. It's now made its warnings more specific, saying new info since the start of the war in Iraq has heightened concerns, especially about the port city of Surabaya. Bern. SWISS BANK TO HAND IRAQ FUNDS TO US! Switzerland's largest bank, UBS, has agreed to hand over frozen Iraqi funds to the US for pots-war reconstruction in Iraq. UBS rep Axel Langer says the funds will be paid to the US Treasury. The US has used special war powers to confiscate nearly $A3 bn in frozen Iraqi funds held in US banks. It's promised to use most of the money for a fund dedicated to rebuilding and providing humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people. It'll also come in handy to pay US war costs! Baghdad. 4TH NIGHT OF BOMBARDMENT! Baghdad has come under intensive bombardment for the 4th night running in the most powerful air raid since the start of the US-led shock and awe campaign. Reporters for AFP say Iraqi gunners opened up AAA after the bombing started in the SE sector of the city. Dozens of explosions rocked the capital as a low-flying plans again bombed a building in Saddam Hussein's Republican Palace compound. Lagos. COMPANY SHUTS DOWN OIL TERMINAL! US oil giant ChevronTexaco has shut down its main export terminal in Nigeria amid violent unrest in the Niger Delta. The firm says it's cut production by 440,000 bpd. Chevron Nigeria's MD Jay Pryor says in a statement they don't consider it safe to remain in the W Niger Delta, given the current situation. For 10 days it has been at the C of a bloody ethnic conflict between the rival Itsekiri and Ijaw ethnic groups. Ankara. TURKEY AND US AGREE! Turkey says it's reached agreement with the US about the deployment of Turkish troops in N Iraq. In a nationwide TV address, PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the military arrangements in a limited belt along the border are aimed at stopping a possible influx of refugees and preventing certain threats to Turkey's security. He says protecting Iraq's territorial integrity is also essential. Washington has warned Turkey against intervening in N Iraq. Canberra. SIMON CREAN UNDER PRESSURE! Opp'n leader Simon Crean is again under pressure from his backbench, with anti-war Labor MP's bristling over his decision to drop Labor demands for Aussie troops to be brought back home. Mr Crean yesterday said AUS forces must stay and fight in Iraq even though the decision to deploy them was wrong. Tas Labor backbencher Harry Quick -- a leading anti-war campaigner in the ALP -- says Mr Crean made the decision without consulting the party room, and he's appalled. Mr Quick promised he'd have something to say in the Caucus. Sydney. BOB CARR MAY INCREASE MAJORITY! The Carr govt is celebrating its 3rd successive win in NSW while the Lib Party shifts into post mortem mode. Labor still holds 55 of the 93-seat lower house, but could win a 56th seat, while the Coal'n has lost 1 -- and possibly up to 3 -- of its 33 seats. Lower house seats held by indeps have risen by 1 to a record 6, while the Greens have doubled their lower-house vote to more than 8% and picked up a 3rd seat in the upper house. Brisbane. WOMEN SET ALIGHT! A woman is in hosp with extensive burns after being doused with a flammable liquid and set alight in Cairns, FNQ. Police say the incident happened at a roundabout in Wharf St around 10 pm (AEST) last night. The woman is in a stable condition in Cairns Base Hosp with serious burns to arms, leg and abdomen. No other details are immediately available. ======================================== (*) Who is responcible for W.A.R.S? A small group of dedicated sandgrubbers, bannana-lickers and 5th columnists on the run from support payments and sundry legalese in their home countries. Mention us at any Uncle Harry's Suburban Bunker and get a 10% discount on cop-killers! All speling macroizated for correctitood by Mcrosotf Speelchek. *** SORRY, MY UP-LINK IS SNAFU ***