From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia
Reserch Senter(*)
OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS #212
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In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant
to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere
(validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra).
Our Home Page:
The Undeniable Evidence:
Even More Uneniable Evidence:
US Centcom News Releases:
Iraqi Body Count: [9,211 as at 02 Jun 2004].
UN Mailing List:
Some Of The News, Some Of The Time:
This Stuff Blogged:
Also Kindly Archived:
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Selecting latest news stories and other data for you...
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He's [Allawi] strong and he is tough...
-- Pres Bush Jr, 24 Jun 2004.
Around 100 Iraqis are dead after a wave of terrorist attacks across
C Iraq. Mr Bush is standing by his man. 15,000 more troops are
reportedly on their way.
It's an insult to 90% of Australia.
-- Nal'l Party MP Ron Boswell, 24 Jun 2004.
Gay marriage. Well... actually only 44% are against it.
The Fed Govt can play whatever games it likes now but the fact is the
federal courts -- 3 judges out of 3 -- have found that they acted
improperly, which is what we said right from the start.
-- SA Prem Mikey Rann, 24 Jun 2004.
Rann has tried to stymie the nuke dump by making the area a nat'l
park. The Fed Govt raised -- issuing a compulsory acquisition.
The Fed Court has now trumped.
One way or another the national repository WILL proceed at Woomera.
-- "Science" Min Peter McGaurin, 24 Jun 2004.
Hook or crook. The Fed Govt is trying to get around the law and
impose a nuclear waste dump on outback SA. "Low level waste" is
just too dangerous to have the thing anywhere near Sydney.
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Thu, 24 Jun 2004.
HEADLINES:
Iraqi oil industry moving, but facing many problems
Oil prices rise on worries about Norway strike
US, EU expected to call for agreement on Iraq debt relief
US trying to draw "exit strategy" from Iraq
Soldiers accused of abuses in Iraq could be tried there
Q&A: the Iraq hand over
Negroponte sworn in as ambassador to Iraq
Militants threaten Iraq PM after beheading hostage: tape
Iraqi militants find "useful poison" for Allawi
Iraqi killed, 4 wounded in Mosul bomb blast
Insurgents launch attacks across Iraq
Gov't studying pullout of RP soldiers from Iraq
Clinton: other threats topped Iraq
Clinton defends Blair's decision on Iraq
"Fahrenheit 9/11" turns on box office heat
"Smart" Medicare card plan raises privacy issues
10 Network airs record profit hopes
A partial disclosure
AFP to help to combat welfare fraud
Aid treaty exempts police from PNG rules
Arroyo narrowly wins president election
Aust, Viet hold human rights talks
Bakhtiari children drop freedom bid
Child bonus spent at families' discretion: Govt
Conservationists fear self-interest will thwart water plan
DNA tests debunk sea monster myths
Death toll rises in building collapse in S Egypt
Democrats "protect" gays, lesbians from wedge politics
Detention centre to stay: Nauru govt
Embryonic stem cells created in Aussie first
Failure to condemn prison abuse risks lives: Kenny
Fire in Haiti's capital destroys more than 30 businesses
Foreign terrorists killed in Fallujah house strike: US
France outlaws homophobia
Govt may appeal nuclear dump ruling
Gulf ministers urge Arab media to combat terrorism
Hand-over details delay Brit troops' release
I would never order torture claims Bush
Indices decision sparks News Corp sell-off
Inquiry asks for ATSIC axe to be put on hold
Israeli army takes abuse exhibit
Jim Bacon: 1950-2004
Killing fuels S Korean divide
Late rally boosts US markets
Leaders gather for Bacon's funeral
Long summer holiday for suspended Brit DJ
Mexican police suspect newsman's attackers were professionals
Missing American tourist found
No Aussie child should live in poverty: church leaders
Passport laws revamp to cut fraud
Pentagon: Saddam not abused
Phoebe "a frozen time capsule"
Public servant rejects politicisation claims
Regeneration-friendly species key to reef health
Relatives put up house deed to bail Khazal
SA spared from nuclear waste dump
Samoa to deport fugitive priest named in investigation
Saudi Arabia offers Al Qaeda militants amnesty
School drop-out rates reinforce poverty cycle: report
Sex trafficking laws lax: committee
Singleton serious about 4th TV channel
Snap tram strike strands commuters
Souped-up tomatoes to fight cancer
Sudan hit by genocide -- witnesses
Tassies await Bacon cortege
Trial of Israeli soldier charged with killing activist resumes
US Senate passes $US447 bn defence bill
US drops ICC exemption bid
US mulls freeing terror suspects
US offers N Korea incentives to scrap nuclear programs
US-N Korea deal would give aid for nuke freeze
Web eases board boredom
Oil prices rise on worries about Norway strike
London (The News, Pak). Oil prices nudged higher on Wed amid concerns
that a strike in Norway could cut off a quarter of the output of the
world's 3rd-biggest oil exporter.
The price of benchmark Brent N Sea crude oil for delivery in Aug rose
by 23 cents/bbl to $35.84 in early trading in London.
NY's reference light sweet crude for delivery in Aug edged up by 10
cents to $38.25 in pre-opening electronic deals.
"The market is moving up a little bit. There are some fears that the
strike in Norway could widen," said Lee Elliott, a trader with GNI-Man
Financial.
Organisers of a 6-day strike in Norway's oil sector vowed Wed to
step up their action starting next wk, a move that would slash daily
output by a quarter.
The trade union OFS said the loss in production after midnight on Sun
would come to 716,000 barrels a day from a total daily output of 3 mn bbl.
The strike has so far resulted in the loss of about 370,000 bpd from
Norway, the world's 3rd largest oil exporter.
In Iraq meanwhile oil exports resumed through a pipeline to Turkey's
Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, an executive of the N Oil Co (NOC) said Wed.
"Pumping to the port of Ceyhan resumed on Tue following the repair of
the oil pipeline that has been sabotaged several times in recent
weeks," said the executive, who asked not to be ID-ed.
The amount being pumped is 200,000 bpd, he said.
The executive added that pumping will "take place 2 or 3 times a week,
and not on a continuous basis, because we are stocking crude in the
port of Ceyhan before putting it on the internat'l market."
On Tue, Iraq partially resumed oil exports from the S of the country
after the repair of one of 2 pipelines blown up by saboteurs last wk.
The larger of the 2 pipelines was still being repaired.
Iraqi oil ministry officials said exports from the S of the country
would average 800,000 to 900,000 bpd after the repair of the pipelines.
The S oil fields had produced between 1.6 mn and 1.8 mn bpd before the
sabotage around Basra, 500 km S of Baghdad.
Elliot said the fact that exports were still running below previous
levels was a concern for the market.
Traders were also awaiting the publication of estimates of US oil inventories.
Expectations were for rises of about one mn barrels for crude oil, 1.5
mn for distillate fuels and 1.4 mn for gasoline.
Iraqi oil industry moving, but facing many problems
Baghdad (VOA). Iraqi oil workers make repairs on a pipeline nr Faw,
Iraq Iraq's interim govt assumed full control of the country's oil
industry earlier this m from the US-led coalition. The govt is
promising to quickly speed up production and use the money from oil
sales to help pay for reconstruction projects. But Iraq's new leaders
will need to address a host of problems if they are to fulfil that pledge.
The 1st evidence of the enormous task ahead for Iraq's petroleum
industry can be seen on the grounds of the state-run North Oil
Company, which oversees Kirkuk's bubbling oil fields.
A large colonial-style building, which once served as the company's
HQ, stands in ruin, gutted by looters who rampaged through the area as
Baghdad was being seized by US troops in Apr of last y.
Speaking inside N Oil's new HQ on another side of the compound, the
company's deputy general director, Manaa al-Obaydi, says the looting
was a major setback for the 57-yo company, which had already been
suffering from decades of neglect and UN sanctions.
"Office looting, like chairs, pens, pencils, et cetera. That did not
matter to us a lot because if one wants to do his job, he can do it
somehow. What we really suffered during the looting is the equipment
and spare parts," he said.
A tour of N Oil's processing plant with snr engineer, Nooradin Bahadi,
reveals why every piece of equipment and every spare part are
considered precious.
"Now, we are in oil treatment unit," he said. "The gas goes to the gas
compressor station and the oil goes to the refinery.
We have here 2 units. This is the new unit."
New unit is hardly an appropriate term for the facility. The newest
machinery here is more than 30-yo and companies have long stopped
making such equipment and spare parts for it.
North Oil's sister company in S Iraq has similarly outdated equipment
and related problems. That means a mechanical breakdown in a plant or
in an oil field anywhere in the country can cause long production
delays, as engineers scramble to improvise a solution.
But the engineers have not been trained in the latest technological
advances that might enable them to deal with the problems more effectively.
Under Saddam Hussein and UN sanctions imposed after Iraq invaded
Kuwait in 1990, oil engineers could not participate in technical
exchanges with experts outside the country. Industry practices that
are routine throughout the world, such as 3d seismic surveys and
directional drilling, remain virtually unknown here.
Oil industry experts say the new Iraqi govt must make it a priority to
conduct seismic surveys and other studies in order to determine
realistically how much oil Iraq can produce.
Iraq is believed to have the second-largest oil reserves in the world,
after Saudi Arabia. But the last study of any kind was done 2 decades
ago, and it is not known how many fields in Iraq are still usable and
how many have been depleted or damaged.
Despite the many problems that need to be resolved, Iraqi interim oil
minister, Thamir Abbas Ghadban, predicted earlier this m that the
country was on track to substantially increase oil production by the
end of the year.
"We are currently producing around 2.5 mn bpd and average production
figure during 2002 was not more than that," he said. "We are confident
that by year's end, we will be above capacity, around 3 mn bpd."
Mr Ghadban said Iraq needs every drop of oil to meet rising domestic
demand and to quickly generate revenue through exports. The interim
govt has pledged to use the oil money, more than $60 mn earned daily,
to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure, not to build palaces and buy weapons
like Saddam Hussein did.
The oil minister acknowledges that sabotage of oil facilities and
pipelines remains a major obstacle to increased production. But he
says his ministry has formed a nat'l security force to guard oil
infrastructure and has reached agreements with Arab, Kurdish, and
other tribal leaders across the country to help the force.
Then, last wk, saboteurs struck 2 critical pipelines that move oil to
tankers in the Persian Gulf. The attack followed another act of
sabotage 3-weeks earlier on export lines running from Kirkuk to the
Turkish port of Ceyhan.
Both attacks halted exports and raised serious concerns about the
determination of insurgents to continue their activities, even after
sovereignty is officially transferred to the interim Iraqi govt on
July 1.
Middle E oil industry analyst Ruba Husari, at the London-based Energy
Intel Group, says it is still too early to predict whether Iraq can
meet its production goal this y.
"Whether they can achieve that largely depends on the security
situation, on how much they can protect the pipelines," she said. "It
also depends on the capability of bringing in some foreign companies
to work on short-term contracts to enhance production in the oil fields."
Oil Min Ghadban says he is already negotiating with several foreign
oil companies to come to Iraq to assist in rehabilitating the
struggling industry. But analysts say the turmoil and danger in Iraq
will likely keep most foreign companies away, at least until the
situation is stabilised.
Late rally boosts US markets
A rise in the oil price and a positive outlook from FedEx have lifted
US stocks.
NY/Sydney. There has been a late rally on Wall Street that has
snapped the market out of the torpor that has characterised trade so
far this wk.
In the last hour of trade, investors looked to set aside the caution
that has been building before next wk's policy meeting at the US Fed
Reserve and ahead of the transition of power in Iraq.
A fall in oil prices and an optimistic outlook statement from FedEx
underpinned improved sentiment.
The share price of Wal-Mart Stores has been under pressure again after
the certification of a class action against it for discrimination
against female workers, a suit that could cost the giant retailer $bns.
But there has been enthusiasm for telecommunications stocks with both
Sprint Corp and SBC Communications announcing plans for significant
technology investment.
On the NYSE, the DJIA has closed 84.5 points higher at 10,480.
The high-tech Nasdaq composite index has gained 27 points to 2,021, a
move of 1.33%.
There has also been an advance on the Brit share market.
Shares in cigarette maker Brit American Tobacco have surged more than
7% in value after it was given the go ahead to merge its US operations
with RJ Reynolds.
London's FT100 index is up 18 points at 4,487.
The Aussie market yesterday resumed its upward march with trade
featuring gains in the share prices of AMP, Telstra and News Corp.
However, after the close of the market it was announced that News
Corporation will not be included in the Aussie market indices if it
lists on the main board in NY.
The All Ords ended the day 11 points ahead at 3,545.
The AUD has fallen and around 7.35 am it was buying 68.74 US cents.
On the cross rates it was valued at 56.85 euro cents, 37.84 pence
sterling, 74.62 yen and worth $NZ1.099.
The gold price is sitting at $US394.90/oz.
A rise in US oil inventories and the resumption of exports from Iraq
have allayed fears about a strike in Norway, and sent crude prices in
NY back under $US38/bbl.
West Texas crude oil has fallen to around $US37.56/bbl.
Indices decision sparks News Corp sell-off
News Corp will be removed from Aussie indices.
Sydney. The looming prospect of News Corporation being removed from
key Aussie stock market indices has sent the company's share price
sharply lower, dragging the share market with it.
Rupert Murdoch's flagship company is planning to re-incorporate in the
United States, thus becoming eligible for inclusion in Wall Street's
S&P 500 index.
But yesterday Standard and Poor's announced that if the company was
included in the US index, it could not also remain in the benchmark
Aussie indices.
Standard and Poor's Index Committee chairman David Blitzer says it
could not be included in the major Aussie and US indices because of
double-counting.
The company's stock price has slid almost 4% in local trade.
Chief investment officer with State Street Global Advisors, Lochiel
Crafter, says it has been a knee-jerk reaction.
"The stock's a bit softer today but I think it's more people's hopes
being dashed about its inclusion in the local index rather than
anything that's a long-term affect on the stock," he said.
Sudan hit by genocide -- witnesses
Boston (AP). An American human rights group claims that a genocidal
campaign is underway in the Darfur region of Sudan, based on
eyewitness accounts of systematic killings, rapes and destroyed villages.
Physicians for Human Rights issued a report blaming the govt of Sudan
for orchestrating a campaign, with help from Arab militias known as
janjaweed, to kill or displace several mn black Africans in W Sudan.
The Sudanese govt is "targeting several mn non-Arab Darfurian
inhabitants for removal from this region of the country, either by
death (most commonly through immediate violence or slow starvation) or
forced migration," the report said.
The Boston-based group called for immediate internat'l intervention.
It cited a US Agency for Internat'l Development report warning that
without intervention, between 300,000 and one mn civilians could die.
Already, 1.2 mn have been displaced, with 200,000 refugees living in
Chad in camps and in villages along the Sudan-Chad border, the group warned.
Last month, another group, Human Rights Watch, accused the Sudanese
govt of "ethnic cleansing" in Darfur.
Sudan's govt has denied its forces are engaged in any such campaign,
calling it instead a humanitarian crisis resulting from fighting a
rebellion by black Muslim tribes in Darfur. It has also denied
cooperating with the janjaweed militias.
Fighting erupted in Feb 2003, when the Zaghawa, Fur and Masalit tribes
rebelled against what they regarded as unjust treatment by the
Sudanese govt in their struggle over land and resources with Arab
countrymen. The govt and the 2 main rebel groups signed a cease-fire
in Apr, but each side has accused the other of violating it.
The conflict is separate from the 21-y war between ethnic Arab Muslim
militants in N Sudan and the black African non-Muslim south.
Physicians for Human Rights said 2 of its staffers collected
testimonies from refugees in eastern Chad and along the Sudan-Chad
border during a 2-wk period in May.
They found consistent patterns of actions in 6 categories that the
group believes would indicate a genocide is occurring: attacks on and
destruction of villages, the destruction of livelihoods and means of
survival, the pursuit of villagers to eradicate them, the targeting
non-Arabs and the systematic rape of women.
"There's a clear intent to destroy non-Arab families in Darfur and all
means of livelihoods," said John Hefferman, one of the group's workers
who collected the info.
The dictionary defines genocide as "the systematic killing of a racial
or cultural group". The US govt is reviewing whether Darfur qualifies
for the designation.
UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan said he wasn't ready to describe the situation
in Darfur "as genocide or ethnic cleansing yet," but he called it "a
tragic humanitarian situation". He plans to visit Sudan soon to make a
first-hand assessment of the situation in the province.
Death toll rises in building collapse in S Egypt
Cairo (AP). The death toll from the collapse of an apartment building
in the S city of Aswan has risen to 13 and 8 residents remain missing,
officials said Wed. The 5-story building collapsed Tue in a low-income
district of Aswan, about 684 km S of Cairo.
US drops ICC exemption bid
Washington (ABC, John Shovelan). The US Govt has abandoned its effort
to seek a UN Security Council resolution that would have exempted
American troops overseas from prosecution by the Internat'l Criminal
Court (ICC).
The blanket immunity being sought is particularly controversial
following the prison abuse scandal in Iraq.
The US deputy ambassador to the UN, James Cunningham, has announced
the decision to pull the resolution.
"The United States has decided not to proceed further with
consideration and action on the draft at this time, in order to avoid
a prolonged and divisive debate," he said.
In the past, the US has threatened to veto UN peacekeeping missions if
the resolution giving it immunity from the ICC were not adopted.
The resolution was withdrawn after it became clear the US did not have
the 9 votes it needed.
The UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan has actively campaigned against adopting the
resolution.
He has written to all 15 members of the Sec Council saying the
resolution sends an "unfortunate signal, particularly at this time,"
in a reference to the US prison abuses at Abu Ghraib.
The Bush Admin opposes on principle an internat'l court having
jurisdiction over US soldiers abroad.
It argues the court would hinder global peacekeeping obligations.
Proponents of the court say it is a tribunal of last resort and only
accepts cases when a nation is willing or unable to prosecute, making
it unlikely a country with a functioning justice system, like the US,
would ever see its citizens before the court.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" turns on box office heat
NYC (Reuters/VNU). Director Michael Moore's controversial documentary
Fahrenheit 9/11 has turned on the box office heat in its 1st day in
theatres, breaking single-day records at the 2 NY City theatres where
it is playing.
The movie aims a critical eye at US Pres George W Bush and his
prosecution of the war in Iraq.
It has sold $US49,000 worth of tickets at the Loew's Village 7
theatre, beating the venue's single-day record of $US43,435 held by
1997's Men in Black, according to distributors Lions Gate Films and
IFC Films.
At the Lincoln Plaza theatre, Fahrenheit 9/11 took in more than
$US30,000 to top the $US24,013 set by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
in 2000.
A rep for Lions Gate Films says the company debuted the movie in the
two theatres to help build good word-of-mouth publicity ahead of the
wide debut on Fri when it plays in 868 theatres in all 50 states.
The film has caused a storm of controversy because Moore, whose past
work includes Oscar-winning documentary Bowling for Columbine, makes a
case that the Bush Admin was determined to invade Iraq following the
Sep 11 attacks.
The movie links Bush family members and business associates with
wealthy Saudi Arabian families, including that of Osama bin Laden.
Groups have organised support for and against the movie, and audiences
appear to be keen to see it.
Gulf ministers urge Arab media to combat terrorism
Riyadh (AFP). Mins from several Gulf countries are calling on Arab
media to combat terrorism, saying its criminal acts serve only the
interests of the enemies of the Arab nation and of Islam.
"We call on Arab media to oppose and combat terrorist acts, thought
and behaviour whose victims have been a great number of innocent
people in Saudi Arabia and many parts of the Arab world," Saudi
Culture and Info Min Fuad bin Abdessalam al-Farsi said.
Kuwaiti Info Min Mohamed Abu al-Hassan assures Saudi Arabia of
"Kuwait's total support in the struggle against the plague of
terrorism which knows no frontier and is spreading in the region".
"We must mobilise all our capacities to oppose terrorism," he said.
Oman minister Hamad bin Mohammed al-Rashidi says the Arab ministers
reject "terrorist operations aiming at innocent citizens in the
region, notably that which passed recently in Saudi Arabia".
"These acts come from deviant thinking which accepts no dialogue," he said.
Saudi Arabia has been the scene of a wave of violence over the past 13
months in which 90 people, including many Westerners, have been killed.
The ministers are calling for Arab media to lead a campaign against
"the crimes of Israel towards the Palestinian people".
They are also asking the media to "proclaim their solidarity with
Syria" against whom the US imposed sanctions on May 11, charging that
Damascus supported terrorism.
Syria denies the charge.
Singleton serious about 4th TV channel
John Singleton is prepared to back a 4th TV channel showing Aussie
content only.
Sydney. Advertising and media boss John Singleton says he is serious
about writing a very large cheque to set up a 4th commercial TV
station that shows only Aussie content.
One of Mr Singleton's partners raised the idea at an Aussie
Broadcasting Authority (ABA) conference in CBR yesterday.
Mr Singleton says Fed Govt legislation allows for a 4th free to air
network by 2007.
He says it is not a "pie in the sky" idea and AUS could support up to
16 free-to-air television networks.
Mr Singleton says he will bid for a 4th free-to-air network if a
licence is offered.
"We are suggesting the covenant that it should be 100% Aussie local
content, 24 hr a day, 7 days a week, 100% Aussie-owned," he said.
Mr Singleton believes he could make the station profitable.
"We believe that giving a forum for all Aussie theatre that there will
be a market," he said.
"We think that it will be at least twice that of SBS, which plays a
fantastic role in our society so we think a 5 or 10% share of the market."
Gov't studying pullout of RP soldiers from Iraq
Manila (Manila Bulletin). Malacaņang is studying whether to pull
out the Philippine humanitarian contingent in Iraq or not in the wake
of the scheduled transfer of sovereignty to an interim govt on June 30.
Deputy presidential rep Ricardo Saludo said the govt is reviewing the
"necessity" of keeping the peacekeepers in Iraq when the new govt
comes to power at the end of the month.
"There is a consideration of whether the humanitarian contingent would
continue to be necessary in Iraq. That will be subject to review based
on recommendations of Iraq team led by Ambassador Roy Cimatu," he said
in a news briefing.
Saludo expressed concern for 1000s of Filipinos in Iraq, especially
after the beheading of a S Korean hostage by Islamic militants in the
war-torn country.
"The govt condemns this barbaric act, which just underlined the need
for all nations to unite against terrorism and work together with
leadership in Iraq to build democracy, development and security," he said.
South Korean translator Kim Sun-Il was beheaded by a group purportedly
linked to the al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden.
Saludo said the Iraq team is assessing the security of the Filipino
workers in Iraq as well as the circumstances of the possible movement
of troops to safer ground or back to the Philippines.
"The transport of personnel is one of the more delicate operations
that would be undertaken there. Sometimes it is better to keep the
people to stay put unless transport is deemed safe," he said in Filipino.
"Most of the attacks occur when people are moving around," he added.
He denied the Philippines is hesitant to pull out the troops in Iraq
because it presently chairs the United Nations Sec Council.
Although the country is committed to the democratic reconstruction of
Iraq, Saludo said the Pres's primary concern is the safety of the
Filipinos there.
Saludo also reiterated the call to Filipino civilian workers who felt
threatened to leave Iraq as he assured the Philippine govt would
assist in repatriating them.
Most of the Filipino civilian workers are stationed in US military
installations in Iraq.
A Filipino worker was among the 16 people killed in a car bomb blast
in Baghdad this m, bringing the number of Filipino deaths during the
14 m occupation to 3.
* Annan lauds RP help
UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan yesterday lauded the Philippines for its
contributions to the reconstruction of Iraq, not only through its
political support through the UN Sec Council (UNSC) but also through
its peacekeeping and humanitarian mission in Iraq.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia D Albert said Annan praised the
Philippines, now sitting as president of the Sec Council, for
achieving unanimous support for the UNSC resolution that would turn
over sovereignty to the Iraqi people on June 30.
Annan also thanked the Philippines for deploying a 51-member
Philippine humanitarian and peacekeeping force in Iraq since last y.
Albert assured Annan that the Philippines is committed to assist until
the Iraqis complete their transition to democracy.
"We shall stay in Iraq as far as our humanitarian presence is
required," Albert assured Annan during her courtesy call on the UN
Sec-Gen The Dept of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has also announced that the
govt would send additional peacekeepers who will serve under the UN
peacekeeping force in Iraq after the turnover of sovereignty.
Albert also proposed that the Philippines and Iraq should implement
trilateral training projects that allows Iraqi police officers to
train in the Philippines with financial help from a 3rd country.
* Reconstruction effort
A top official from Germany, which opposed the United States-led
invasion of Iraq, has called on Asian countries to commit strongly to
the multilateral reconstruction effort in Iraq.
Peter Christian Hauswedell, head of Asian and Pacific Affairs of
Germany's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Asian countries now have
the "shared responsibility" in the reconstruction of Iraq, even as
Asians whose countries have expressed strong support for the US-led
invasion of Iraq are apparently becoming direct targets of attacks of
Iraqi insurgents.
"What the Americans and the Brit have started, we all have the shared
responsibility to set right, and a failure of this exercise will
damage all of us," Hauswedell said in a forum at the Ateneo de Manila
University in Quezon City.
During his talk on "The Iraq War and the Transatlantic Relationship:
Implications for Asia," Hauswedell said that though many countries,
including Germany and France, had expressed strong opp'n to the US
invasion of Iraq last y, all countries should now accept the
responsibility to "set right" the divisions over the invasion of Iraq
since "the dilemmas faced by Europe as a consequence of the Iraq
conflict have their parallels in Asia."
"The transatlantic relationship is reeling from the aftermath of the
conflict in Iraq. Crucial institutions -- the UN, the N Atlantic
Treaty Organization, and the European Union -- have been damaged. But
it is useless to sit back and do nothing," Hauswedell said.
Hand-over details delay Brit troops' release
The Navy personnel were captured crossing the river boundary between
Iran and Iraq.
Tehran (AFP). The release of 8 Brit Royal Navy personnel detained by
Iran's Revolutionary Guards has been delayed for 24 hr, a Brit
diplomat says.
Brit embassy rep Andrew Dunn says further negotiations are needed on
how the hand over will proceed.
"We have been in discussions all afternoon and evening," he said.
"There is an agreement that the soldiers will be handed back, but we
still have to discuss how it will happen.
"There is a natural break in the talks. We are discussing the modalities."
The diplomat declines to say if he is confident that the release would
go ahead.
"The discussions are moving forward. We are making progress. We hope
that continues tomorrow," he said.
There are a number of possible ways in which the unit could be released.
Iran could return their equipment and 3 patrol boats for them to cross
back over to the Iraqi side of the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
Or it could keep the boats and send them over the border crossing near
the Brit-controlled S Iraqi city of Basra.
It could also decide to make them fly to Tehran from where they could
take a commercial flight back to Brit.
Clinton: other threats topped Iraq
Bin Laden, N Korea posed more danger than Saddam
NY (NPR). When former Pres Bill Clinton met with George W Bush
before leaving office, he told his successor that Osama bin Laden, the
Middle E and N Korea posed more of a threat to US nat'l security than
Iraq, Clinton says.
In the 1st part of a 2-part interview surrounding his new
autobiography, My Life, Clinton also tells NPR's Juan Williams that
bin Laden dominated intel discussions at the Whitehouse.
For the last 3 y of his presidency, Clinton says, he and top nat'l
security officials discussed bin Laden "several times a week." US
intel agencies "didn't succeed in either getting bin Laden or telling
us where he was. And I was sometimes frustrated thinking they were
recommending that I not do things more than that I do. It was
frustrating to me."
Clinton also discusses a proposal to restructure US intel
agencies. "The best minds in each of our intel agencies should be
given a common office somewhere and they should have a joint doomsday
planning operation," he says.
Clinton defends Blair's decision on Iraq
London (AP/Boston Herald). In an interview broadcast Tue night, former
Pres Clinton defended PM Tony Blair's decision to send Brit forces to
Iraq, even though many Britons opposed the war.
"PM Blair was left in an unenviable position," Clinton said on the
Brit Broadcasting Corp television program "Panorama."
"He either had to go with the American position, which he didn't
entirely agree with, or go with the European position, which he didn't
entirely agree with," Clinton said in the interview, which was
conducted before Tue's release of his memoir "My Life" in bookstores
in Brit and Ireland.
"In the end, I believe he thought that there was still some risk that
Saddam [Hussein] had the weapons [of mass destruction], that if he
stayed involved he could have an influence on the post-Saddam Iraq,
that if he stayed involved he could keep America and Europe closer
together than they otherwise would have been. And so he made the
decision to do it. I can't quarrel with that. He was in a very
difficult position."
Blair has been sharply criticised at home and in other European
countries for making Brit the top US military ally during the war,
especially after no WMD were found in Iraq with the defeat of Saddam.
During the BBC interview, Clinton, a longtime friend of Blair's, also
discussed the "old demons" that led to his affair with Monica Lewinsky.
"It happened at a time when I was angry, I was under stress, I was
afraid I was going to lose my fight with the Republican Congress,"
Clinton said. "As I said, I was in this Titantic fight for the future
of the country, and an inevitable fight with my old demons. So I won
the public fight and lost the private one."
At one point, Clinton became visibly angry when BBC interviewer David
Dimbleby repeatedly questioned the former president about the Lewinsky affair.
"You like to hurt people and talk about how bad people are," Clinton
said to Dimbleby, suggesting that reporters often do that to increase
interest in their stories.
US Senate passes $US447 bn defence bill
Washington (Reuters). After wk of debate on the Iraqi prisoner abuse
scandal, nuclear weapons and plans for a missile defence system, the
US Senate has unanimously passed a $US447 bn bill for defence
programs, including operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bill, approved 97-0, gives Pres George W Bush most of what he
wanted, including $US25 bn for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Republicans fended off final amendments from Democrats, defeating a
bid to force the Admin to release documents on its treatment of enemy
combatants in the wake of the scandal over sexual and physical abuses
of Iraqi prisoners.
After bitter partisan debate the Senate voted 50-46 to kill the
measure, demanding A-G John Ashcroft turn over documents on the
interrogation and treatment of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan and
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Republicans also defeated a plan to expand prescription drug and
health services for veterans that would have cost $US300 bn over 10 y,
and a measure requiring the Whitehouse to give Congress an estimate of
the number of US troops it expects to have in Iraq by the end of 2005.
Republicans said the veterans care measure was too costly, and that
the Whitehouse could not estimate troop requirements in Iraq a y from now.
"Political developments in Iraq will drive security estimates so we
cannot determine now what our needs are going to be," said Sen Mitch
McConnell, a Kentucky Republican.
But Sen Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, said with next week's
transfer of sovereignty in Iraq, "American families are entitled to
know how long their sons and daughters are going to serve in Iraq."
The Senate agreed to continue an independent inspector general's
office to oversee US-financed reconstruction contracts after the US
provisional govt in Iraq transfers power to an interim Iraqi govt next week.
In debate spread over 3 to 4 wk, the Senate defied the Pentagon and
voted overwhelmingly to boost the Army by 20,000 troops to relieve
stress on soldiers forced into extended duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But in most votes, Republicans defeated Democrats' amendments
including attempts to block the Admin's research on a new generation
of earth-penetrating and low-yield nuclear weapons, and to require
more stringent tests of a missile intercepting system the Admin plans
to deploy this y.
The Senate's bill to authorise defence and nuclear weapons programs is
up 3.4% from current levels, excluding the $US25 bn in emergency funds
it authorises for Iraq and Afghanistan operations.
The House has passed its version of the bill, as well as a Defence
Appropriations Bill that provides the money for the programs.
The Senate is to take up its Defence Appropriations Bill on Thu, and
Republican leaders said they hoped to finish it before leaving for
next week's July 4 recess.
Arroyo narrowly wins president election
Manila (Reuters). The Philippine Congress has declared Pres Gloria
Arroyo the winner of the May 10 elections, giving her 6 more y to
tackle problems from entrenched poverty to rebel insurgencies and a
restive military.
A joint session of Congress has approved a report submitted by a panel
of lawmakers showing that the US-trained economist narrowly beat film
star Fernando Poe Junior.
The decision comes despite persistent opp'n allegations of widespread
cheating in her favour.
After a marathon tally, the panel had said on Sun that Ms Arroyo beat
Mr Poe by over 1 mn votes, or about 3%.
Her running mate, popular former news reader Noli de Castro, won the
vice presidency by a similar margin.
"We hereby proclaim Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Noli de Castro as the
duly elected Pres and Vice Pres of the Republic of the Philippines,"
House speaker Jose de Venecia and Senate leader Franklin Drilon said
in a joint statement.
A move by the opp'n to block Ms Arroyo's victory was thrown out by the
Supreme Court on Tue, making it virtually certain she would get
another chance to reform the Philippines.
Any honeymoon period looks set to be short though, as several opp'n
senators walked out of the building before Ms Arroyo's proclamation in
the early hours of Thu morning.
Mr Poe's allies have already accused her of being a "bogus" president.
"This body has short-changed our people. This body has lost its moral
bearing," opp'n Sen Edgardo Angara said.
Ms Arroyo has to balance the need to pay off political debts, make
peace with enemies and get the right talent in place to implement bold
policy pledges, such as creating 1 mn jobs a y and eliminating a
$US3.6 bn budget deficit by 2009.
After failing to get a strong mandate over a politically inexperienced
film star, analysts say Ms Arroyo needs to quickly address concerns
that her new term may be no less fraught with instability and lacking
in bold reform than her first.
Supporters say that once the political noise dies down, an emboldened
Ms Arroyo will be able to push through reforms in key areas like
electoral reform and tax collection.
For others, a narrow victory over an inexperienced movie star whose
campaign for the presidency was seen as incompetent suggests Ms Arroyo
may not have the clout to heal the deep political and social divisions
that handicap the S E Asian nation.
US mulls freeing terror suspects
Washington (AAP). US authorities will consider releasing some
suspected Taliban or al-Qaeda fighters being held in Cuba if they no
longer pose a threat.
The Pentagon plans to begin reviews in the next couple of wk to
determine if any suspected detainees at Guantanamo Bay could be
released, Navy secretary Gordon England said.
"I would hope, expect, that out of all of the cases there are some we
can act on quickly, hopefully in a matter of a couple of weeks," said
secretary England, who has been named to head the process.
Nearly 600 prisoners from the US war in Afghanistan are being held
indefinitely as "unlawful combatants" at a detention centre at the US
navy base.
Among them are Aussies David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib.
Habib's fate is unclear, but Hicks has been charged by the US Defence
Dept with conspiracy, attempted murder and aiding the enemy.
He is expected to appear before a military tribunal later this y.
The reviews, which will be conducted in secret by a military board
with 3 officers, give a prisoner a once-a-y chance to persuade US
authorities he no longer poses a threat to the US and should be freed.
Prisoners can present written info on their behalf from their families
or their home govts and will be assigned a military officer to assist
them, but not a lawyer.
The Pentagon devised the annual reviews in apparent response to
internat'l criticism of the open-ended detentions of prisoners without
trial or charges at a facility that is beyond the reach of US courts.
Only 6 detainees have been designated as candidates for trial by
special military commissions, and of those only 3 have been charged
more than 2 y after their capture.
"We are anxious to start this process," said secretary England. "And
there is no question secretary [Donald] Rumsfeld is anxious to move
this process along so we can start making these determinations."
"We will release people whom we deem should be released, and obviously
detain those people we feel should be detained."
The Pentagon has previously released 134 detainees following
agreements with the govts of the nat'ls involved.
Militants threaten Iraq PM after beheading hostage: tape
Baghdad. Islamist militants have reportedly vowed to assassinate
Iraq's Interim Prime Min, just hours after they said they had beheaded
a South Korean hostage in the violent run-up to a US hand over to Iraqi
rule. What is thought to be the voice of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a
Jordanian accused by US officials of organising many deadly attacks in
Iraq, made the threat against PM Iyad Allawi on an Islamist Web site.
The interim govt, selected by a UN envoy in consultation with US and
Iraqi officials, will be sworn in when the US-led occupation formally
ends in a week's time. Zarqawi's group, Jama'at Al Tawhid and Jihad,
said on Tue it had decapitated S Korean hostage Kim Sun-il after Seoul
refused to withdraw forces from Iraq. Hours after finding Mr Kim's
body, US forces launched an air strike on a suspected safe house of
Zarqawi's group in Fallujah, W of Baghdad, the 2nd such raid in 4 days.
Iraqi militants find "useful poison" for Allawi
Baghdad (Reuters). Iraqi militants are warning interim PM Iyad Allawi
not to implement emergency laws in Iraq, saying they would attack
anyone involved in such measures.
Arab satellite TV Al Arabiya has aired a videotape from a group
claiming to represent Iraqi resistance and jihad factions.
"We warn you against this crime which you are carrying out on behalf
of your occupation masters ... we will strike with great power and
with an iron fist against all those who bless it," the group said.
Mr Allawi says Iraq's nat'l security committee is considering
declaring emergency laws in "some areas" as part of measures to quell
spiralling violence inside the country.
Islamist militants have also threatened to assassinate Mr Allawi and
step up their bloody campaign of beheadings and other killings.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian accused by US officials of having
links to Al Qaeda and who claims responsibility for the beheading of a
South Korean hostage, has made the threat on an Islamist Web site.
"As for you, Allawi -- sorry, the democratically elected PM -- we have
found for you a useful poison and a sure sword," a taped voice,
purported to be Zarqawi's own, said.
Mr Allawi, a former Baathist who plotted against Saddam Hussein from
exile, has responded defiantly.
"We do not care about these threats, we will continue to rebuild Iraq
and work for freedom, democracy, justice and peace. Iraqis have faced
these threats before," a rep for Mr Allawi said.
The US says Saddam supporters and foreign Islamist militants are
intensifying a campaign of bombings, assassinations of Iraqi officials
and attacks on oil industry targets in an attempt to disrupt the June
30 hand over.
Saudi Arabia offers Al Qaeda militants amnesty
The amnesty only applies to militants not directly involved in recent attacks.
Riyadh (Reuters). Saudi Arabia has offered an amnesty to Al Qaeda
militants not directly involved in recent killings and bombings, but
says those with blood on their hands could expect no leniency.
"Those who surrender voluntarily within no more than one m from the
date of this speech... will be treated according to God's law," de
facto ruler Crown Prince Abdullah said.
"Members of this group who were not arrested in terrorist operations
have a chance to return to God."
Saudi officials have repeatedly said the Islamic sharia law that is
applied in the oil kingdom allows leniency for those who turn
themselves in.
A Saudi security source says Prince Abdullah's message aims to bring
lower-level sympathisers of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda
network "back into the fold" before they commit acts of violence.
But he says militants involved in the attacks of the last few m --
directed against Govt institutions and the W expatriate workers on
whom the economy relies -- could not escape trial by sharia courts.
Under the kingdom's strict sharia law, murderers are beheaded.
At least 85 civilians and police have been killed in Saudi Arabia by
militant supporters of Al Qaeda, which carried out the Sep 2001
attacks on US cities.
Prince Abdullah's speech says those who did not surrender would face
the state's "unflinching power and unshakeable determination".
Foreign terrorists killed in Fallujah house strike: US
Baghdad. The US military in Iraq claims to have killed 20 foreign
terrorists in a strike on a house at Fallujah, W of Baghdad.
The strike is the 2nd time a house in Fallujah has been bombed in just
4 days.
In both cases, the US military says it used precision weapons to bomb
safe houses used by members of a group led by Jordanian terrorist Abu
Mussab al-Zarqawi.
Eyewitnesses at Fallujah say the bombing killed a local garage owner
and his 2 sons.
The attack occurred just hours after S Korean translator Kim Sun-il
was found killed by a group claiming to be led by Zarqawi.
Iraqi interim Prime Min Iyad Allawi has dismissed an Internet
recording said to be of Zarqawi threatening to kill him.
Meanwhile, US Brig Gen Mark Kimmit says the coalition forces continue
to hunt for Zarqawi.
"He is a very, very crafty leader of a large network that is
conducting terrorist operations inside this country and I think we
have seen the results of that," he said.
"It requires every person in this country to provide info to the
legitimate authorities so we can hunt down to kill or capture every
person of that network to include Zarqawi himself."
Souped-up tomatoes to fight cancer
Brisbane. The Qld Dept of Primary Industries and Fisheries are about
to unveil a new tomato it hopes can reduce the instances of prostate
cancer. The tomato has been cultivated at the Gatton research station
and has much higher lycopene levels, a powerful anti-oxidant that
gives tomatoes their red colour. Medical research has shown diets
high in lycopene could reduce the risks of prostate cancer. Primary
Industries physiologist Tim O'Hare says it is hoped a commercially
viable tomato will be produced soon. "One of the problems associated
with obtaining the high lycopene has been brittle stems, poor
germination and slightly lower yield," he said. "By simply breeding
this with another tomato line that we have, we think we can overcome
this and ideally I think we should have this solved within 12 m."
Soldiers accused of abuses in Iraq could be tried there
London (Scotsman/PA News). Brit soldiers accused of abuses against
Iraqi civilians could face a military trial in Iraq in front of the
families of their alleged victims, a snr Ministry of Defence official
said today.
The MOD's director-general of operational policy, Martin Howard, said
that in such cases the court martial should ideally be held close to
the scene of the alleged crime.
Giving evidence to the Commons Defence Committee, he said that in
principle the public would have the right to attend the hearings,
although security in Iraq would have to be tighter than if they were
held in the UK.
He said that while there was no fixed policy on where the hearings
should be held, in practice the locations were likely to vary between
Iraq and the UK.
Mr Howard also disclosed that the number of cases under investigation
by the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police had
risen from the 75 disclosed last m by Armed Forces Min Adam Ingram to 79.
"The court martial would ideally be held close to the scene of the
crime," he said.
"That is obviously much easier, but it would depend on whether you
have the right sort of legal representation and have got qualified
people on the spot. In the case of Iraq, you probably have got the
right people.
"In general, courts martial have the same sort of status as a crown
court so, as I understand it, members of the public can attend. There
may be stricter security in Iraq but, in principle, members of the
public can attend."
The Deputy Chief of Defence Staff [Operations], Maj Gen Nick Houghton,
warned that there would be practical difficulties in holding courts
martial in Iraq.
But he said that even if the main trial was held in the UK, some
hearings could still take place in Iraq.
"I think the practicalities of arranging a court martial would
militate for doing it back in the UK if that was possible," he said.
"I would be quite possible to hold the court martial back in the UK
but during proceedings it might be required for the presiding judge
and the court martial to actually visit the scene."
A partial disclosure
Op/Ed (WashPost). The Bush Admin has taken 2 important steps toward
correcting its policies on the handling of foreign detainees. On Tue
Admin officials renounced earlier legal opinions that justified the
use of torture, and Pres Bush stated that the US will not condone its
use. At the same time, the Defense Dept released its current
procedures for prisoner interrogation at Guantanamo Bay, where the
Admin considers itself unbound by the Geneva Conventions. Both the
revised procedures and the Admin's statements about them give some
cause for concern, and many important questions remain unanswered.
But Pres Bush deserves credit for accepting that some Admin
policymaking was, as his counsel put it, "controversial" and "subject
to misinterpretation," and for breaking with a self-defeating policy
of secrecy about the rules for interrogation.
Now that the current Guantanamo procedures are public, Americans and
foreign observers alike can see that most are the same as those used
by the US military for decades, without controversy and without
leading to abuse. Of the 7 additional techniques now allowed by the
Pentagon under certain circumstances, several -- including
"environmental manipulation" and "isolation" -- are considered
inhumane or illegal by human rights groups and other govts, as the
official policy statement acknowledges. In our view, the Admin ought
to reconsider whether the intel fruits of such questionable
techniques, reportedly meager, are worth the political costs and the
damage they do to America's reputation, or whether they too should be
publicly renounced.
A deeper concern is the Admin's continuing failure to disclose the
interrogation policies applicable outside Guantanamo, including those
used by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan and those employed by the
CIA at its secret detention centres outside the US. A statement Tue by
Whitehouse counsel Alberto R Gonzales appeared to diminish Mr Bush's
broad assurance on torture: Mr Gonzales said that the Admin considers
torture to be "a specific intent to inflict severe physical or mental
harm or suffering." That narrow definition, according to the Admin's
previous reasoning, would allow the infliction of pain short of death
or organ failure, and even this would be acceptable if the pain were
not the interrogator's primary purpose.
If Mr Bush's pledge is to have credibility around the world, more
detailed and restrictive guidelines on torture should be adopted and
made public -- or legislated by Congress. Questions also remain about
how the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere came
about. The documents confirm that Defense Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld
approved a number of harsh interrogation techniques for use in
Guantanamo in Dec 2002, including hooding, requiring nudity, placing
prisoners in stress positions and using dogs. After military lawyers
objected that these violated internat'l law, Mr Rumsfeld suspended
their use a m later. But all these techniques, as well as the
restricted practices now approved for Guantanamo, appeared in an
interrogation policy issued for Iraq by command of Lt Gen Ricardo
S. Sanchez in Sep 2003. Nearly word for word, the harsh methods
detailed in memos signed by Mr Rumsfeld -- which even Admin lawyers
considered violations of the Geneva Conventions -- were then
distributed to interrogators at Abu Ghraib. The procedures in turn
could be read to cover much of what is seen in the photographs that
have scandalised the world. How did this spread of improper and
illegal practices occur? The Bush Admin has yet to offer a convincing
answer -- or hold anyone accountable for it.
Israeli army takes abuse exhibit
Hebron (AP). The Israeli army said it was investigating a group of
reserve soldiers who set up a photo exhibit giving vivid accounts of
abuse and harassment of Palestinians in Hebron.
The Breaking the Silence exhibit -- set up earlier this m -- has
photos and stark testimonials of soldiers who tell of harassing a
bride and groom, throwing stun grenades at Palestinian children for
fun and other details of the complex and violent reality in the W Bank
city of Hebron.
After completing 3 y of compulsory service, the group of more than 80
infantry soldiers -- who currently serve in reserve units -- decided
to give their account of serving in what they called the "crazy
reality" of Hebron, where about 500 Jewish settlers live in enclaves
surrounded by 130,000 Palestinians.
The army said it summoned the soldiers for questioning and issued a
court order that they hand over any material that could help the
investigation.
"They are trying to frighten us and other soldiers who have expressed
readiness to take part in the project," Micha Kurtz, one of the
exhibit's organisers, told the Israeli Haaretz newspaper.
Giora Falmy, manager of the film school gallery in Tel Aviv, said
military police raided the exhibit late Wed and confiscated an album
of newspaper clippings and a videotape with the accounts of 70 soldiers.
5 soldiers were interrogated, he said.
"They don't have to look in the exhibit. They have to look in the
army. We want the army to interrogate, we want the army to question,
we want them to look in the right place," Falmy said.
Those who put together the exhibit allegedly committed the crimes
while soldiers and therefore fall under the auspices of the military
court system, a military official said.
The investigation is based on "testimony of those involved and
eyewitnesses".
"The army teaches its soldiers to act morally even in complex
situations," a rep said.
She would not confirm last night's raid.
The army initially welcomed the exhibit but said the soldiers should
have complained about the situation to their cmdrs while they were on duty.
The army did not say why it took nearly 3 weeks to begin an
investigation into the exhibit, which opened early this m.
I would never order torture claims Bush
[I have underlings that do that kind of thing for me].
Washington (Scotsman). US Pres George Bush has insisted he would
"never order torture" -- despite revelations he claimed the right to
waive anti-torture laws and treaties covering prisoners of war.
Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld also authorised guards to strip detainees and
threaten them with dogs, according to documents released by the Whitehouse.
The documents were published yesterday in an effort to blunt
allegations that the Admin had sanctioned torture against al-Qaeda
prisoners from Afghanistan and Iraq.
"I have never ordered torture," Mr Bush said. "I will never order
torture. The values of this country are such that torture is not a
part of our soul and our being."
The memos were meant to deal with an election-y headache that followed
revelations about abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, but they also
brought to light some practices that the Admin decided had gone too far.
The US Justice Dept disavowed a memo written in 2002 that appeared to
justify the use of torture in the war on terrorism. The memo also
argued that the Pres's wartime powers superseded anti-torture laws and
treaties.
That 50-page document, dated Aug 1, 2002, will be replaced, Justice
Dept officials said.
A new memo will narrowly address the question of proper interrogation
techniques for al-Qaeda and Taliban detainees, the Justice Dept said.
Mr Bush had outlined his own views in a Feb 7, 2002 document regarding
treatment of al-Qaeda detainees from Afghanistan. He said that
terrorist attacks required "new thinking in the law of war".
[Elsewhere, the lawyer representing Saddam Hussein claims the former
Iraqi dictator has been mistreated in US custody. Jordanian lawyer
Muhammed al Rushadan, who has been retained by Saddam's family, said
his client had wounds on his body].
Failure to condemn prison abuse risks lives: Kenny
The PM says he has been told the interrogation methods do not break
the Geneva Convention.
Adelaide. The Aussie lawyer representing Guantanamo Bay detainee
David Hicks has joined calls for the Prime Min to condemn
interrogation techniques being used at the prison camp.
The Pentagon has de-classified a number of memos about interrogation
procedures used at Guantanamo Bay.
Greens' leader Bob Brown says they show a breach of the Geneva
Convention and AUS should not abide the use of such techniques.
Hicks's lawyer Stephen Kenny says until John Howard takes a strong
stance against the use of the procedures, Aussie lives will be at risk.
"AUS has never complained about it, AUS is an ally in that war, AUS is
seen as supporting it and it makes all Aussies unsafe, and the Aussie
Govt should come out and distance themselves from it," Mr Kenny said.
Mr Kenny says unless Mr Howard takes a stand against the procedures
there will be ramifications for Aussies.
"If we have a standard that is so low that it allows abuse of people
then anyone who captures Aussies is going to treat them worse than
that," Mr Kenny said.
"I think if the Aussie Govt fails to come out, they are doing a grave
disservice to the men and women of AUS."
The PM's office says it has been informed that the US says the memos
show no breach of UN conventions.
Pentagon: Saddam not abused
Lawyer alleges mistreatment based on "capture card" notation
NY (CNN). A lawyer for Saddam Hussein has accused the former Iraqi
dictator's American captors of abusing him, citing a "capture card"
that described his condition as "slightly wounded."
A snr Pentagon official in Washington denied the allegation Wed,
saying Saddam was being treated in accordance with the Geneva
Conventions and that the Internat'l Committee of the Red Cross has
access to him.
To support his accusation, Jordanian attorney Mohammad Rashdan -- one
of several lawyers representing Saddam -- cited a Red Cross "capture
card" dated Jan 21 that listed Saddam as being in "good health" but
"slightly wounded."
"Why would he be slightly wounded a m after his arrest?" Rashdan asked.
"He's being abused, just like the prisoners of Abu Ghraib were abused."
The attorney has not seen or talked with his client and has no other
proof to support his allegation.
The capture card -- a document printed by the Internat'l Committee of
the Red Cross but not filled out by the agency's representatives --
notified Saddam's family that he was in custody.
The Red Cross has visited Saddam 3 times since his capture, said
Antonella Notari, chief spokesperson for the relief agency based in
Geneva, Switzerland.
She said the Red Cross did not know what the notation "slightly
wounded" indicated. Saddam signed the card, she said, but it was not
clear whether he filled it out himself.
Red Cross reports on a prisoner's condition are shared only with the
detaining power, Notari said.
A snr Pentagon official told CNN that the Red Cross has had access to
Saddam and that "clearly, Saddam Hussein is being treated within the
guidelines of the Geneva Convention."
The official would not discuss the "slightly wounded" notation.
* Lawyer on media circuit
Rashdan is in the US this wk to do interviews with several media outlets.
The attorney said he has made several requests to visit his client but
has received no response.
He complained that he doesn't think the US will be able to provide him
and his client with a safe meeting place when they are finally able to meet.
"They cannot even protect their own troops from insurgents. It's a
disgrace," the attorney said. "How can they provide me with a chance
to sit down and talk to him without dangers of all kinds looming around us?"
Rashdan said he has sent several letters to various US officials,
including A-G John Ashcroft, requesting for his client "the basic
rights anyone on the face of this Earth has: the right to a
representation and fair trial."
But a snr Justice Dept official told CNN that he was unaware of any
such requests -- and in any event the Pentagon, not the Justice Dept,
has control over Saddam.
"It's not us. He should ask the Defense Dept," the official said.
* 'Twinkling in the great Lord's blessing'
Saddam was captured by US forces Dec 13 in a "spider hole" near his
hometown of Tikrit.
Pentagon sources have said Saddam is being held in Iraq but that his
exact location has not been disclosed for security reasons.
Rashdan showed CNN a letter signed by Saddam's wife, Sajida, and his
3 daughters giving power of attorney to him and several other lawyers.
Notari said Rashdan has complained to the Red Cross that he is not
being allowed to visit Saddam, but she said the agency has no
authority over whether lawyers are allowed to visit the former leader.
Rashdan also showed CNN part of the capture card titled the "Family
Message" section. In it, Saddam wrote a letter to his daughter,
Raghad, although most of the text is blacked out. It was not clear
whether the redaction was done before the letter was sent, or whether
it was blacked out afterward to protect the family's privacy.
"To my small family and my big family ... in peace," part of the
letter reads.
"As far as my soul and my morale, they are twinkling in the great
Lord's blessing. My regards to everybody, [signed] Saddam Hussein,"
the letter closes.
* Attorney Mohammad Rashdan
Notari said Saddam has sent 2 other messages to his family but they
have not yet been cleared by US military censors.
US officials have said Saddam has been less than cooperative during
questioning by interrogators and has not divulged much useful info.
Saddam has not yet been charged with any crime. When asked if the
former president would testify on his own behalf at a trial, Rashdan
said that question was "jumping the gun."
The attorney said that in his view the American invasion of Iraq was
illegal, and therefore everything that came after it is "null and void."
Salim Chalabi, head of the Iraqi war crimes tribunal, said Tue that
the Iraqi govt could get legal custody Saddam while leaving him under
US guard.
Chalabi said he did not believe that Iraq at present has the ability
to hold Saddam securely, citing the chance that insurgents might try
to spring him from jail.
A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released at the end of Apr showed that 83%
of Iraqis surveyed agreed Saddam should be put on trial, and 84%
believed him probably guilty of murder and torture.
A majority, 56%, believed Saddam would get a fair trial, and 61% would
support the death penalty for him Rashdan said his client is the sole
legitimate president of Iraq and that he believes he should be treated
according to the Geneva Conventions -- and with the respect due his position.
Saddam appears to agree with his lawyer. On the Red Cross document,
Saddam listed his occupation as "Republic's Pres."
Insurgents launch attacks across Iraq
[Later reports said death toll was at least 55 in a series of attacks
across what Centcom formerly called "the Sunni triangle"].
Baghdad (WashPost). Insurgents launched a series of attacks on police
stations across Iraq's "Sunni triangle" Thu, killing at least 19
people, including a US soldier, and wounding 16, officials said.
[Reuters also reported at least 2 large explosions in the N city of
Mosul, the 1st of which was suspected to be a suicide car bomb attack
with many casualties.]
The attacks began at dawn in the W Iraqi cities of Ramadi and
Baqouba. Explosions also rocked the eastern side of the restive city
of Sunni-Muslim city of Fallujah, witnesses said.
Maj Neal E O'Brien, a US 1ID rep in Baqouba, said insurgents attacked
American troops with small arms and RPGs, killing one American soldier
and wounding 3. Soldiers returned fire, killing 2 insurgents, he said.
The cities are part of the so-called Sunni triangle, which has been
the site of frequent clashes between US troops and Iraqi security
forces battling insurgents. Authorities have warned that attacks on
security forces would increase in the days leading to the June 30
hand over of power.
Insurgents fired RPGs on police stations in the insurgent stronghold
of Ramadi, 96 km W of Baghdad, police said.
"We were inside the al-Qataneh police station and suddenly a very
heavy explosion happened," said 1st Lt Ahmed Sami.
Another group attacked the Farook police station, also with rocket
propelled grenades. In a 3rd assault, insurgents attacked a Ramadi
govt building, destroying several police cars.
Clashes were also reported between police and insurgents in Baqouba,
56 km NE of Baghdad, according to police officials in the city.
The dead included 11 police and prisoners, police said. Insurgents were
later seen roaming the city with rocket launchers and automatic weapons.
Iraqi killed, 4 wounded in Mosul bomb blast
Mosul (AFP). An Iraqi Nat'l Guardsman has been killed and 4 others
wounded while trying to defuse a bomb in the N city of Mosul, an Iraqi
officer and the US military say. "A guard was killed and 2 others
wounded in trying to defuse a bomb in the Dawassa district in Mosul,"
Nat'l Guard Capt Ibrahim said. The US military later put the number
of wounded at 4. A doctor from the local hospital says 2 of the
wounded are seriously hurt. The Nat'l Guard, previously known as the
Iraq Civil Defence Corps, was renamed by PM Iyad Allawi earlier this
wk. Police Capt Ahmad Uday Khairi says that in Mosul on Wed night, a
policeman had been killed and another wounded in a shoot out around
8.30 pm [local time] in the same Dawassa district in the city centre.
He says 2 attackers escaped but the other one has been captured.
Elsewhere, a US soldier has been wounded and a US vehicle destroyed in
a bombing in Qayara, 50 km SE of Mosul.
US trying to draw "exit strategy" from Iraq
Washington trying to find fine line in Iraq between quagmire and quick
withdrawal to avoid Vietnamese experience.
Washington (Middle E Online). With Iraq's return to sovereignty just
a wk away, the US is looking beyond the June 30 deadline, trying to
come up with an elaborate "exit strategy" that would allow it to avoid
the double risk of being caught in a quagmire and withdrawing too quickly.
Thirty y after the end of the war in Vietnam, Washington is facing the
same quandary: finding out the limits of its ability to rely on a
fragile local govt and forces to extricate itself from a distant conflict.
2 words evoking the conflict in Indochina have returned to the
American lexicon: "quagmire" and "Iraqization", the latter reminding
of the term "Vietnamisation," which at the time of the Vietnam War
emphasised reliance on local defence forces, presaging a US pullout
and eventual defeat.
"There is a danger in going too fast as there is a danger in going too
slow in handing over responsibilities," said Richard Murphy, a former
undersecretary of state for the Near Eastern and South Asian affairs,
who now works for the Council on Foreign Relations.
But this foreign policy expert says that for the US to leave Iraq
right now would be inconceivable, adding that he was not aware of
anyone who is "seriously talking about leaving Iraq for the next y, y
and a half."
While the return of American boys home is not yet a major political
issue, Murphy admits that if violence continues, "there will be more
and more questions about coming home."
A US presidential election set for Nov is also likely to contribute to
this debate.
"Politically it is not a winner to keep 138,000 American troops in
Iraq, it is not politically a winner to have American contractors
being blown up every day. It is not politically a winner to be sinking
18.6 bn dollars into reconstruction in Iraq," argues Daniel Serwer of
the US Institute of Peace, a research centre in Washington.
"Those who think that the ultimate American strategy is to hold on to
Iraq I think are wrong," Serwer continues.
He says insurgents want the 138,000 American troops to remain in the
country so that they could remain exposed to attack every single day.
"The debate here is mostly about how quickly we can get out," the
researcher explains.
After setting aside initial plans for a smooth transition in Iraq that
would have allowed US troops to pull out, the Admin of Pres George
W. Bush has now adopted a much more prudent strategy.
US forces are likely to be in Iraq for y despite a hand over of power
June 30, Deputy Def Sec Paul Wolfowitz, one of the Admin's hawks on
Iraq, said Tue, warning that attacks on the new govt will grow in
coming months.
"I can't tell you how long that's going to take," he told the House
Armed Services Committee, drawing a comparison to Bosnia, where US
troops are only now preparing to leave 8 y after they were sent in for
what was to be a one-y stay.
"This is a vastly more important mission for our nat'l security. And
it is important to stay and finish it," Wolfowitz said. "But there is
an end.
The end is when Iraqis are governing their own country."
Despite Iraq's planned return to sovereignty on June 30, the US will
remain massively engaged in the country through about 140,000 troops
and an economic assistance program essential for the survival of
Iraq's fragile interim govt.
US forces will maintain their autonomy and significant freedom of
action to undertake missions as they see fit.
The US objective is to hold general elections in 6 or 7 m in order
to put in place a truly representative govt of Iraq.
But how this burden will be divided is much more uncertain.
The UN remains very reluctant to return to the country until security
is not improved, and no significant deployments of foreign troops to
assist Americans are on the horizon.
Q&A: the Iraq hand over
Simon Jeffery and Jeremy Lennard explain what will happen when the
US-led coalition relinquishes control of Iraq in 7 days' time.
Op/Ed (Guardian).
* What does the immediate future hold for Iraq?
At midnight on June 30 the US-led occupation of Iraq nominally ends
and a new set of people will take power. Though the transfer has the
backing of both the UN and, for now at least, the major power brokers
in Iraq, the political ease of next wk's hand over is unlikely to be
matched by events on the ground. Iraq still has a lot of problems.
Chief among them is security. Paul Wolfowitz, the US deputy defence
secretary, yesterday told a congressional committee in Washington
that, despite what he described as "enormous progress" in bringing
peace to Iraq, "we should expect more violence, not less". The
insurgency against the occupation has run for just over a y [tomorrow
it will be 12 m since 6 Brit military policemen were killed in Majar
al-Kabir] but it feels a lot longer.
22 people were killed in last Aug's truck bombing of the UN HQ in
Baghdad, but subsequent attacks have seen greater numbers of deaths:
83 people at the Imam Ali mosque in Najaff; 101 at Kurdish party HQ in
Irbil and a total of 143 in multiple attacks on Shia pilgrims in
Baghdad and Kerbala.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, sometimes called the al-Qaeda leader in Iraq and
blamed for some of the attacks mentioned above, is still at large and
dangerous. Reports today said a recording left on an al-Qaeda-supporting
website featured a speaker purported to be Zarqawi threatening to kill
Ayad Allawi, the interim PM, and promising that he will "drink from
the same glass that [murdered governing council president] Izzadine
Saleem tasted". The beheadings of American hostage Nick Berg and S
Korean Kim Sun-il -- also blamed on Zarqawi -- showed foreigners are
still at risk.
Sat's US missile strike on Fallujah, an attempt to hit Zarqawi's network,
killed 22 members of one extended family and suggested Iraqis will
continue to die after the hand over.
* What will happen to the coalition forces after the hand over?
Though the Iraqi security services -- police and army -- are growing,
the non-Iraqi forces of the US and its allies will have the greater
role in protecting the new set-up in its earliest days. George Bush
has said US troops will remain in Iraq as long as they need too but
not a day longer.
There is likely to be a great deal of speculation and debate over when
that point is reached. A suggestion last m from the Iraqi defence
minister, Ali Allawi, that an indigenous army would be up and running
by the end of the y was not seized upon too happily by Washington. While
both Americans and Iraqis appear keen to see US troops out of Iraq, Mr
Bush is unlikely to order what could be perceived as an early pullout
or retreat. The long-term stationing of US troops -- or an agreement
to use Iraqi air bases -- will become become a high-profile issue when
the bulk of the foreign soldiers leave.
* What will the new Iraqi state look like?
Much of the fate of Iraq will rest on the success of the transition. It
will happen in a number of stages culminating, it is hoped, in the
election of a govt by Jan 2006. Before then there will be elections to
a nat'l assembly in Jan 2005 that will write a constitution and
appoint a new interim govt [which will have been indirectly elected].
That all sounds safe enough but the constitution will thrash out what
kind of state Iraq will become and, crucially, how much power will be
accorded to the majority Shia and how much autonomy will be ceded to
the Kurds.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most snr Shia cleric, has been
rather restrained with his influence during much of the occupation but
indicated that he would not accept a transitional constitution promising
a fed structure to the Kurds as the basis for the final version. He
said that document was compromised by being drawn up under foreign influence.
Keeping Iraq together remains a challenge for the country's new leadership.
Iraq's neighbours now largely accept its interim leaders and the
country is hopefully on the course to some form of normality but few
expect that it will be an easy ride.
As for the old regime, Saddam Hussein is still in US custody despite
requests from the Iraqis to hold him. His lawyer released a letter
today in which the ousted leader declared: "My spirit and my morale,
they are high, thanks to [the] greatness of God."
* What impact will the recent UN resolution have?
The powers of the interim govt that takes over on June 30 will be limited.
Under UN security resolution 1546, which was passed unanimously on
June 8, it must refrain "from taking any actions affecting Iraq's
destiny beyond the limited interim period until an elected transitional
govt of Iraq assumes office".
Resolution 1546 reaffirms the right of the Iraqi people to determine
their own political future and to exercise full authority and control
over their financial and natural resources. Ministries including oil,
transportation and foreign affairs have been turned over to Iraqi
management, according to the CPA.
The resolution also sets a timetable which envisages the election of a
transitional nat'l assembly by no later than Jan 31 2005. The assembly
will, in turn, form a transitional govt and draft a permanent constitution,
leading to a constitutionally elected govt by Dec 31 2005.
Whether the Iraqi leadership will be able to veto US-led military operations
is open to interpretation. Resolution 1546 gives the multinat'l force
"the authority to take all necessary measures to contribute to the
maintenance of security and stability in Iraq", but calls for Iraqi
leaders and US force cmdrs to reach agreement on "sensitive offensive
operations". Over time, Iraqi forces are expected to take increasing
responsibility for security.
Negroponte sworn in as ambassador to Iraq
Washington (AP). John Negroponte was sworn in as the new US
ambassador to Iraq on Wed.
Sec of State Colin Powell called Negroponte a "pillar of confidence
and courage." At a State Dept ceremony, Powell said both he and Pres
Bush believe Negroponte will meet "every challenge" the job presents.
Negroponte, in a brief speech, said his mission was to help Iraq
defeat terrorists and "criminal elements who oppose a free Iraq" and
to promote economic development and democracy.
The seasoned ambassador -- Baghdad will be his 5th post, including his
most recent assignment as the US representative at the United Nations
-- said, "The US needs partners to advance our values and interests in
the world."
Earlier, Negroponte, appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America," said
the purpose of US programs was "to enable, to empower the Iraqis to
take more and more responsibility."
"Even those who might have qualms about how we got into the situation
in Iraq would agree that we have to have a solid plan going forward,
that we can't just up and leave and leave the country in chaos," he said.
US-N Korea deal would give aid for nuke freeze
Washington (AP). The US proposed on Wed that N Korea agree to a
series of nuclear disarmament measures over a 3-m period in exchange
for economic benefits and an easing of its diplomatic isolation.
The proposal, unveiled at the start of 6-nation talks in China,
would ultimately lead to the end of N Korea's nuclear program.
It was the most detailed US proposal for bringing about a diplomatic
solution to the N Korea nuclear impasse since it surfaced almost 2 ya.
The US considers N Korea to be a threat to peace and stability in
Northeast Asia. N Korea has sold missiles to countries such as Iran
and Syria, and the possibility of exports of nuclear weapons technology
is a major concern here.
The US is being joined at the Beijing talks by China, S Korea, Japan
and Russia in addition to N Korea itself. The American delegation is
headed by Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly. Talks resumed Thu
morning in Beijing.
During the 3-m "preparatory period," N Korea would disable its nuclear
weapons and remove key weapons ingredients.
"The permanent and verifiable dismantlement and removal of N Korea's
nuclear programs would follow," State Dept rep Richard Boucher said.
During the initial period, the nations in the Beijing talks would be
willing "to ease the political and economic isolation of N Korea,"
according to the US proposal.
Outside assistance would focus on deliveries of fuel, particularly
from South Korea.
No lasting benefits would be provided to N Korea until after the
disarmament had been completed, Boucher said. There would be no
American assistance until the later stages of the process.
A N Korean response to the proposal was expected on Thu, said a senior
Admin official, asking not to be identified.
In the meantime, N Korean Vice For Min Kim Gye Gwan offered an
alternative, promising to freeze operations at its main nuclear
complex, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported, citing officials at the
conference. The freeze would allow for inspections.
Kim said Pyongyang has been developing nuclear weapons for protection
from possible US attack.
"If the US gives up its hostile policy toward us ... we are prepared
to give up in a transparent way all plans related to nuclear weapons,"
he said.
Under the US proposal, some form of security guarantees also would be
offered to give N Korea the confidence that disarmament would not
trigger an attack.
North Korea long ago agreed in principle to give up its existing weapons.
But it has refused to accept a US claim that it has 2 nuclear
programs, not just the plutonium-based project that it has acknowledged.
The Admin says the danger posed by the N Koreans would remain if they
removed the plutonium program while leaving intact a uranium bomb
program that Washington contends it has.
The 3-day meeting in Beijing is the 3rd gathering of its kind and the
1st since Feb. The 1st 2 rounds yielded little progress.
All along, the US has demanded the complete, verifiable and
irreversible dismantling of the North's program.
The snr official described the US proposal as a repackaging of the
govt's previous stance, mostly to make it more appealing to partners
pushing for a more flexible American approach.
Whitehouse rep Scott McClellan cited Libya's disarmament earlier this
y as an example that the US would like N Korea to follow.
North Korea is believed to have 2 nuclear weapons and the capability
to produce several more. Its missile program offers a weapons delivery vehicle.
Samoa to deport fugitive priest named in investigation
Dallas (AP). The Samoan govt said Wed it will deport a [Australian]
Roman Catholic priest because he did not disclose his conviction for
child molestation when he entered the country in 1998. The
announcement that the Rev. Frank Klep would be deported came 3 days
after The Dallas Morning News reported that the Salesians of Don
Bosco, an order of Catholic priests, transferred clergy overseas to
start new lives after the men were accused of sex abuse. The order has
disputed the newspaper's report.
US, EU expected to call for agreement on Iraq debt relief
Washington (AP). The US and Europe will pledge to work toward
reducing Iraq's massive foreign debt by year's end although
differences remain over the size of the relief package, European
officials said Wed. The officials said a 2-page joint statement on
Iraq would be issued at the end of a one-day US-European Union summit
that Pres Bush will attend Sat at Dromoland Castle in Ireland.
Killing fuels S Korean divide
For the 1st time, S Koreans have come face to face with the trauma of
conflict in Iraq.
The govt has lost its independence, it's being pushed around by the US.
-- Kim Sang-won, demonstrator
Seoul (BBC). Images shown across the country of hostage Kim Sun-il
begging for his life came as a profound shock.
2 days later, the 33-yo translator was dead -- beheaded by his captors
-- his remains left on a road W of Baghdad.
Kim's parents said their govt did not do enough His elderly parents
were distraught and bewildered, struggling to understand why their son
was murdered.
They blamed the govt for not doing enough, saying it cared more for
its relations with the US than for the lives of ordinary Koreans.
It is a view shared by many others.
"I heard about his death in the middle of the night. It was so
horrific I couldn't sleep," said 33-yo office worker Cho Mee-young.
"I don't think the govt did enough to save him".
The abduction and murder has polarised still further a nation already
deeply divided over sending troops to Iraq.
The president said he was heartbroken by the news, but would not
change plans to send more troops to Iraq this summer.
"Our deployment is not an act of hostility towards Iraq," he said in a
television broadcast, "it's to help the reconstruction of Iraq".
His govt has deliberated long and hard about its role in Iraq.
The US 1st requested a full combat brigade of S Korean troops last Sep
to help with security.
South Korea dragged its feet for months, agreeing in the end on a much
weaker contingent that would focus on development work, but with
combat units for its own security.
It is planning to go to the relatively peaceful Kurdish region around
Irbil in N Iraq, away from the violence elsewhere in the country.
That is not what the US originally had in mind, but the deployment is
still seen as a valuable gesture of solidarity with Washington.
* US strains
The killing will incite more protests against deploying troops Pres
Roh himself is in a very awkward position. He has long talked about
the need for an independent foreign policy, but he is also worried
about growing stresses and strains in his country's alliance with Washington.
South Korea relies on US troops for its own security. And it feels
very vulnerable at a time when the US is rapidly scaling down its
troop presence on the Korean peninsula.
Peace activists are pledging to step up their campaign against the
despatch of more troops, calling for daily protests to put pressure on
the govt.
"The govt has lost its independence, it's being pushed around by the
US," said demonstrator Kim Sang-won.
"We've become a target for terrorists because of the war of aggression
in Iraq."
That is a view echoed by many young Koreans who increasingly see the
US as a threat to global peace and to security in NE Asia.
But there is also a deep divide between the generations.
Older Koreans tend to agree with the govt about the value of the
alliance with Washington and say it is a mistake to give way to
terrorist threats.
Kim Sun-il's grim fate is polarising further a divided country at a
time when it is struggling to redefine its relations with an old ally,
the US, while pursuing reconciliation with its old rivals in North Korea.
US offers N Korea incentives to scrap nuclear programs
Beijing (Reuters). The US has offered N Korea aid incentives to scrap
its suspected nuclear weapons programs after key allies pressed for a
way to break a deadlock in negotiations.
There was no formal response from N Korea, which appeared as
entrenched as ever and urged the US to soften its "hostile" stance.
Completing a policy reversal, Washington presented a plan to allow
other nations to supply energy aid and said it could consider giving
North Korea assurances it would not be attacked, US officials said.
It also offered Pyongyang 3 m to start dismantling its programs, they added.
In return, the communist state must provide a full listing of its
nuclear activities, disable some dangerous materials and allow
monitoring, snr officials said in outlining the proposal made at the
start of 6-party talks in Beijing.
The incentives are the 1st significant, detailed overture to North
Korea since US Pres George W Bush took office and branded North Korea
as part of an "axis of evil" alongside Iran and pre-war Iraq.
The plan hinged on N Korea making the strategic decision to abandon
its suspected programs, something it has refused to do during the 20 m crisis.
US officials said they did not expect a response during the talks to a
proposal they developed from ideas presented by negotiating partners,
South Korea, Japan, Russia and China.
Previously, the US had said N Korea should not be rewarded for moving
to scrap its programs because its nuclear development was in violation
of agreements Pyongyang had signed in the 1990s.
Washington believes N Korea has at least 2 nuclear bombs.
It was unclear how the plan would be received by unpredictable North
Korea, which unleashed a characteristic barrage of anti-US rhetoric
before the 6-party talks in Beijing.
"No positive results can be expected from the 3rd round of the
6-party talks if the US again raises its old brigandish demand at
the talks that will start today," N Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper
said in a commentary.
North Korea's chief negotiator, Kim Kye-gwan, said Pyongyang would
abandon its nuclear weapons program if the US dropped its "hostile
policy" toward the North.
"The US proposal is very complicated and N Korea is going to need time
to analyse it," S Korean negotiator Lee Soo-hyuck told reporters.
The US plan drew on a similar framework the US has used with Libya.
Trial of Israeli soldier charged with killing activist resumes
Jerusalem (AFP). An Israeli Arab soldier's lawyer accused army
investigators today of pressuring his client to confess to the
manslaughter of a Brit peace activist as his trial resumed in a
military court.
Ilan Bonbach accused chief military investigator Shahar Sakal of failing
to inform Sgt Wahid Taysir of his rights and exerting undue pressure
on his client during an interrogation into the killing of Tom Hurndall.
Taysir, a Bedouin scout, is said to have admitted firing in the
direction of an unarmed civilian in the Gaza Strip a y ago after first
claiming that Mr Hurndall shot at him with a handgun.
He is also accused of having opened fire with the intention of
wounding, of having obstructed an investigation and provided false
testimony.
Taysir's legal team are arguing that although the sergeant can neither
read nor write Hebrew, he had signed a deposition in the language.
Today's hearing was attended by a Brit diplomat from the embassy in
Tel Aviv and by members of the Hurndall family.
Mr Hurndall, an activist with the Internat'l Solidarity Movement, was
shot in the head in the Rafah refugee camp on Apr 11, 2003.
He died on Jan 14 in a London hospital after spending 9 m in a
persistent vegetative state.
Aid treaty exempts police from PNG rules
Sydney. Aussie police who will work in PNG under a new aid program
will be given immunity from local disciplinary regulations.
The arrangement is contained in the text of a joint treaty, which will
give effect to the 'Enhanced Cooperation Program'.
The ABC has obtained a copy of the draft treaty, which both countries
are expected to ratify next wk.
It reveals that while PNG's police commissioner will remain in
ultimate control, the 230 Aussie police officers will take their
orders from an Aussie.
Their duties will be consistent with Aussie procedures and codes of conduct.
The Aussie officers will not be subject to PNG disciplinary
regulations and authorities, courts or tribunals.
However, if they break the law, a joint steering committee would
decide if they should face prosecution in AUS or PNG.
Under the treaty, AUS will assert the right to prosecute its officers
if their alleged offences take place in the course of duty.
* Labour laws
The treaty also shows PNG is to relax its labour laws for the families
of Aussie police and public servants serving in PNG.
PNG has agreed to give work visas to spouses and dependents that
accompany the personnel.
Labour laws are notoriously strict in PNG, requiring companies that
employ foreigners to submit details every 3 y on how they plan to
localise their jobs.
But partners and spouses of those who will take up jobs under the aid
program are to be given visas permitting them to work in the country.
Fire in Haiti's capital destroys more than 30 businesses
Port-au-Prince (AP). A fire ripped through a downtown section of
Haiti's capital, destroying more than 30 businesses, officials said
Wed. No injuries were reported. Firefighters extinguished the blaze
that began late Tue and lingered into Wed morning along a one-block
stretch in Port-au-Prince, authorities said.
Mexican police suspect newsman's attackers were professionals
Tijuana, Mexico (AP). The gunmen who ambushed and killed a crusading
newspaper editor were likely hired assassins with possible ties to
drug-smuggling gangs, investigators said Wed.
Officials said Francisco Ortiz just 2 wk ago cancelled police
protection that had been in place since a 1997 attack on another
senior figure at Zeta, a weekly known for its reporting on the
influence of drug traffickers in Tijuana.
Long summer holiday for suspended Brit DJ
Cliff may be Wanted on Tour but Classic Gold Digital wants him off the
play list.
London (AFP). Veteran Brit DJ Tony Blackburn has been suspended from
his morning radio show for defying a ban on playing Cliff Richard records.
Bosses at Classic Gold Digital radio fired off a furious email to
Blackburn, a pioneer of pop music radio in Brit, to say it was against
company policy to play tracks from the venerable crooner.
Blackburn retaliated by ripping up the warning live on air, then
spinning 2 Cliff Richard hits back to back: We Don't Talk Any More and
Living Doll.
Within minutes, Blackburn was suspended.
"Tony is gutted," said a friend quoted by Brit's domestic Press
Association news agency.
"He defied the management because so many listeners have requested
Cliff tracks... Tony hopes the situation can be resolved so he can get
back to his show."
The flap goes back to the start of the wk when Blackburn, told not to
play any more Cliff Richard songs, defiantly played the aging
chart-topper's best-known tune, Summer Holiday.
In its email, Classic Gold Digital said it did not want to hear
anything from Cliff Richard, whose 1st hit was back in 1958, because
"he doesn't match our brand values".
Missing American tourist found
Sydney. An American tourist missing in the Norton Nat'l Park S of SYD
has been found alive. Police say the 21-yo fell about 90-metres from
the Grand Canyon lookout at Bundanoon yesterday afternoon. They say
he was with a group of friends, who had climbed over the safety
barriers in the park. It is believed he lent over to pick up a shoe
and then fell over the edge of the cliff. Ambulance paramedic Melissa
McGovern says the man has multiple injuries. "He's unconscious, he is
being treated and transported by ambulance paramedics and doctors from
a rescue helicopter and he will be transported to Liverpool Hospital,"
she said.
Aust, Viet hold human rights talks
Canberra. AUS and Vietnam are holding their 3rd round of bilateral
human rights talks in Hanoi today. Foreign Min Alexander Downer says
the annual dialogue is an example of AUS's practical and constructive
approach to human rights. The talks will cover nat'l approaches to
human rights, cultural and religious diversity, judicial reform and
criminal law. The delegation to Hanoi is led by Caroline Millar,
AUS's ambassador for people smuggling issues. The Vietnam talks are
similar to bilateral human rights dialogues AUS holds with China and Iran.
10 Network airs record profit hopes
Sydney. The 10 television network says it is heading for its best
ever full-y financial performance. It says it has been able to
maintain and possibly build its revenue share in a robust advertising
market. The network says it is encouraged by signs the buoyancy in
the television advertising market is sustainable. It has announced
that earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for
the 3rd quarter are up 39.5%, or to record levels. That is enabling
the payment of a bigger than expected second fully-franked dividend of
8.5 cents per share. Although the Olympic Games in Aug will impact on
the final quarter performance, 10 is confident of a record full-y result.
No Aussie child should live in poverty: church leaders
Church leaders say no child should live in poverty.
Canberra. A new alliance of Aussie religious leaders has been formed
to put the issue of poverty back on the agenda in the lead-up to the
fed election.
Members of the Anglican, Catholic and the Uniting churches say there
is a "shameful" divide between the "haves and have nots" in AUS.
They say the findings of a Senate inquiry into poverty have been
largely ignored and trivialised.
They also say there is a worrying apathy towards the plight of mns of
Aussies.
Father Joe Caddy, from Catholic Welfare AUS, says politicians today
should learn from past leaders such as Bob Hawke.
He says his ambitious aim for no Aussie child to live in poverty by
1990 was worthwhile.
"If the leaders in AUS today had the courage of Bob Hawke and were
prepared to make a statement and set a target the way he did, we would
all be better off," he said.
"He set that target and he's been pilloried for it at times, but it
made a real difference in setting a target, of having an ambition that
there be no Aussie child living in poverty.
"We went as a nation, some of the way, to addressing those issues."
Snap tram strike strands commuters
Melbourne. Thousands of tram passengers MEL are stranded as a result
of a snap strike. Services across inner MEL and suburbs including Kew
and Camberwell have been affected. The industrial action has stopped
trams running along St Kilda Road and Swanston Walk. Routes 5, 6, 8,
16, 69 and 72 have also been stopped. Drivers are attending a
stop-work meeting to discuss rostering issues. Yarra Trams rep Andrew
Heslop says the company is hoping services will resume by 3.30 pm.
"We currently have customer service staff being deployed along those
routes to advise customers those services are not available," he said.
"The drivers who are meeting this morning have given us a commitment
that the services will resume in time for afternoon peak."
Conservationists fear self-interest will thwart water plan
Under discussion: The COAG meeting will consider a plan to save the Murray.
Canberra. The Aussie Conservation Foundation (ACF) is worried AUS's
political leaders will not be able to put aside self-interest to agree
on a nat'l water plan.
Water will be the 1st item on the agenda when the PM meets with
premiers and chief ministers in CBR tomorrow.
The meeting will discuss a plan to save the ailing Murray River.
However, W AUS and Qld have expressed concern that their river systems
are not getting the same attention.
Those comments trouble the ACF's Don Henry.
"We're deeply worried about some of the signals and finger-pointing
that's going on already prior to the meeting," he said.
But the PM has told SYD's 2GB he is taking a nat'l approach to AUS's
water problems.
"I don't regard fixing the Murray Darling basin as being the be all
and end all of water reform," he said.
He is also repeating his promise to farmers that their legitimate
interests will not be ignored.
He says they will be compensated if their water rights are eroded.
New S Wales Prem Bob Carr says he wants the Howard Govt to use some of
the nation's surplus to buy out farmers' water entitlements because
they are no longer sustainable.
Mr Carr is also welcoming Mr Howard's offer to discuss nat'l health
care reform, as well as the water resource issues.
The offer follows a letter signed by all state and territory leaders
urging health be put on the agenda of tomorrow's meeting.
Last y the leaders stormed out of the meeting over the issue of
health, Prem Carr says he is hoping the PM takes a fresh approach
tomorrow.
"My biggest concern at this meeting is that we make progress on
reforming the structure of Aussie health care," Mr Carr said.
"I think most Aussies would agree it's not working, right across AUS,
it's not working as it should be."
Inquiry asks for ATSIC axe to be put on hold
Canberra. The head of the Senate inquiry into the Bill relating to
the dismantling of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission
(ATSIC) says any further winding back of the indigenous body should be
put on hold until after the committee submits its report. The
eight-member committee will hold a number of forums around the country
before submitting a final report at the end of Oct. The N Territory's
Labor Sen Trish Crossin says the Fed Govt is still proceeding to
abolish the ATSIC and its executive arm the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Services' (ATSIS) even though Parliament has not
passed the Bill. "This Senate committee has been specifically asked
to inquire into and report on the provisions in that ATSIC Bill, so
things should be on hold," he said. "But we know that that's not the
way the Govt's currently proceeding, but things ought to be on hold
while the committee looks at the provisions of the Bill and what
should happen with governing indigenous affairs in the future."
Bakhtiari children drop freedom bid
Adelaide (AAP). The 5 Bakhtiari children will remain in detention in
Adel after legal action to free them was abandoned.
The Fed Court was expected to hear argument from the children's
lawyers about why they should be released from detention.
But lawyer Jeremy Moore said he had filed a notice of discontinuance
with the court and the children's freedom would no longer be pursued.
He said the action was dropped because the children felt they had
achieved as much as they could in their case.
"I acted on instructions from the family, who basically decided they
have got a commitment on the public record from the minister that they
would not be deported while their father's [legal] proceedings are
current," Mr Moore said.
"The mother has moved into the house with the kids and they decided on
that basis there was no point in continuing [the legal action to be freed].
"They had something that was as good as they were going to get from
the govt without a huge fight."
The Bakhtiari children -- Alamdar, 14, Muntazar, 13, Nagina, 11,
Samina, 9, and Amina, 6 -- were freed from the Baxter detention centre
last Aug into community detention.
In Apr, the High Court ruled the children should not have been
released and the Adel house where they have been living has since been
declared a place of detention.
The children's mother, Roqia, had been detained at an Adel motel but
was this m permitted to move into the house.
Mrs Bakhtiari and her children have exhausted all legal avenues to
remain in AUS and have been at risk of deportation since last y.
However, the children's father, Ali, still has legal matters before
the courts and remains in the Baxter detention centre in SA.
The Fed Govt has previously committed to only deporting the family
when Mr Bakhtiari's legal proceedings had finished.
Immigration Min Amanda Vanstone said the children were not refugees
and it was not surprising their legal action had been dropped.
Detention centre to stay: Nauru govt
Nauru. The new govt of the Pacific nation of Nauru says it has no
plans to close the Aussie-run asylum seeker camp on the island.
Outgoing president Rene Harris has said members of the new Admin were
against the camp's presence and warned that Nauru would "grind to a
halt" if they closed it. However, the new Foreign Affairs Min David
Adeang says the camp is an important source of steady jobs. "The
detention centres, as you call them, are not really an issue at this
time," he said. "We do not expect any major changes with the status
quo. "They do provide employment to a good number of Nauruans, which
is paid employment, which can't be said to be the same for 1000s of
other Nauruans who work for the govt."
Passport laws revamp to cut fraud
The new laws also allow for facial biometric technology to be added to
passports.
Canberra. The Fed Govt will introduce legislation into Parliament
today to crackdown on passport fraud and bolster nat'l security.
It has been 66 y since the Passports Act was changed Today Foreign
Affairs Min Alexander Downer will introduce tough new penalties to
combat passport fraud, with fines rising to $110,000 or 10 y jail.
Under the legislation, the minister will have increased powers to
refuse or cancel passports for nat'l security and law enforcement reasons.
The power to refuse passports for Aussies who might be involved in
child sex tourism, sexual slavery, drug trafficking or people
smuggling will also be increased.
Also, those who lose more than 2 passports in 5 y could be refused a
passport.
The new laws will also cover the introduction of a facial biometric
technology for all new passports, where a microchip is used to record
a person's physical characteristics and match them when they go
through passport control.
Relatives put up house deed to bail Khazal
Sydney. The NSW Supreme Court has formally continued the bail of a
SYD terrorism suspect, after his wife's parents offered their house as surety.
Bilal Khazal, 34, is accused of compiling a document on a web site,
which prosecutors allege contained an assassination hit list and
extremist militant theologies.
After he was granted bail, the State Govt amended legislation to
create a presumption against bail for people charged with terrorism offences.
But the Supreme Court has rejected a prosecution appeal against the
bail, with Justice Greg James instead electing to strengthen the
conditions and surety.
Mr Khazal's parents-in-law and 2 other men have offered $207,000 as surety.
The Lakemba man will be under reporting and monitoring conditions,
which have been likened to electronic shackles.
His matter will return to court next m.
"Smart" Medicare card plan raises privacy issues
Canberra. The Aussie Council for Civil Liberties has expressed
concern at reports the Fed Opp'n plans to introduce a 'smart Medicare
card' if it wins govt. Under the proposal, a patient would use the
card and a PIN number to allow their doctors full access to their
medical records. Council rep Terry O'Gorman says the proposal would
benefit patients when they see different doctors. But he says the
card also raises privacy issues. "For instance, you wouldn't want a
patient to have their details of some sexual dysfunction issue, or
some sexual health problem, or a domestic violence issue, or a
matrimonial counselling issue, or a psychiatric issue," he said. "You
wouldn't want any of those to go on the nat'l database."
School drop-out rates reinforce poverty cycle: report
Melbourne. A new study has found Indigenous students are dropping out
of school at an alarming rate, and in some cases at a very young age.
A University of MEL study has shown less than 35% of the Vic's
Goulburn Valley Aboriginal population finishes Year 12. The report
also found that in some cases, Indigenous children are not going on to
secondary education at all. The report's author, Dr Katrina Alford,
says the education system is failing the students and leading them
into a vicious cycle of poverty and unemployment. "I think it's the
1st time I've ever cried at my desk, when I worked out the retention
rates because the age at which kids are leaving school, the lack of
skills, the lack of formal qualification virtually guarantees lifelong
poverty and destitution," she said. "The findings of the study were
very bleak and indeed suggested that there was a vicious cycle in
operation whereby unemployed, poor and poorly education parents are
breeding exactly the same generation." Dr Alford says a whole of Govt
approach is desperately needed to reform the education system.
Jim Bacon: 1950-2004
Bacon's legacy: a confident Tas
Hobart. Former Tas premier Jim Bacon, who died in Hobart on Sun, has
been praised for creating a modern, confident Tas.
Mr Bacon was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in Feb and died in
the Calvary Hospital, aged 54.
Serving just short of 8 y in Parliament, 6 as premier, Mr Bacon
dominated Tas politics until cancer forced him to step down in Feb.
Born in 1950, James Alexander Bacon was educated at MEL's Scotch
College and Monash University.
He came to Tas in 1980 as state secretary of the Builders Labourers
Federation (BLF), which he had joined 7 y earlier.
He became head of the Trades and Labour Council in 1989 and in 1996
made the move to state politics, topping the ticket in the southern
seat of Denison.
In 1998 he was elected premier, forming the state's 1st majority Labor
Govt in 20 y.
Mr Bacon is survived by his wife Honey, sons Mark and Scott and
Honey's son Shane.
* Tributes
In the days following his death, politicians from all sides paid
tribute to Mr Bacon's contribution to his state.
His good friend and Tas Prem Paul Lennon spoke of Mr Bacon's vision
for Tas and his courageous fight until the end.
"This is obviously a very sad occasion for us all," he said.
"Jim Bacon was one of the great Tas premiers. The Tas of today would
not exist without Jim Bacon.
"His leadership and his vision were for a new Tas -- a Tas more
confident, more tolerant, more progressive and stronger.
"The great sadness is that his time was so short.
"Jim Bacon died as he lived, with courage and determination."
He also described his enduring optimism.
"In publicly announcing that he had inoperable cancer, Jim was
courageous and positive and his attitude was inspirational," he said.
Prime Min John Howard said the former Labor premier was a man of
strong convictions who fought hard for his state.
Mr Howard told Parliament his record of service should not be forgotten.
"In the 5 and a half y that we worked together, I found Jim Bacon a
very constructive person to work with," he said.
"He was interested in the future of Tas. Despite our evident and
manifest political differences, that never prevented us discussing
matters in a sensible fashion."
Fed Labor leader Mark Latham told Parliament Mr Bacon would be greatly
missed.
"He was an impressive person under all conditions," he said.
"I've never seen such optimism and strength under pressure from
anyone, he was a very special person indeed.
"He was also a great character, an Aussie original, down to earth and
great sense of fun. And we enjoyed his company so much, so much over
the years."
* "Big shock"
Former Tas Labor premier Michael Field told the ABC's Insiders
program the death of his close friend is sad news for Tas.
"I think it'll be a big shock to Tasmanians. Even though Jim's been ill for
some time there was an expectation that he was going to go on for awhile,"
he said.
"I think people will be shocked about it and I think it's a sad day
for the state."
Qld Prem Peter Beattie says Mr Bacon will be sadly missed.
"Jim became premier a few wk after I did and he became a good mate for
a long time," he said.
"He was one of those really good people in politics. There aren't
enough really good people in politics and he was certainly one of them.
"It's a bit of a shock, it happened all so quickly really."
South Aussie Prem Mike Rann also paid tribute to the former Tas premier.
Mr Rann says while he was at the helm he instilled optimism and
confidence in Tas's future and was held in the highest esteem by his
fellow premiers.
Tas Greens leader Peg Putt says Mr Bacon inspired many Tassies.
"It is most difficult when it is a leader of Jim Bacon's stature,
somebody who everybody around Tas had some sort of connection with,"
he said.
"[Someone] who has played such an extraordinary role in leadership in
bringing Tasmanians to see themselves and Tas positively, it's been a great
contribution that he's made."
A statement from Tas's Governor Richard Butler and his wife Jennifer
said Mr Bacon died far too young, but his vision for Tas would live on.
Tas's Opp'n leader Rene Hidding has described Mr Bacon as a sharp and
complex tactician, whose control of his team was "absolutely legendary".
"In whatever he did, his love for Tas transcended his love for
politics, for his party, for personal wins -- that's not what it was
about," he said.
"He was more about for the love of Tas and that is something that in
politics and in positions of leadership we can all aspire to."
The Tas division of the Aussie Democrats has also paid tribute to the
former premier.
The Democrats described Mr Bacon as a larger than life figure who
inspired many Tassies with a sense of optimism.
Leaders gather for Bacon's funeral
A funeral will be held for Mr Bacon today.
Hobart. AUS's fed and state political leaders arrive in Tas today for
the state funeral of former premier, Jim Bacon.
Mr Bacon died on Sun after a 4-and-1/2 m battle with lung cancer.
Thousands are expected to line Hobart's streets to pay their last respects.
It is expected to be Tas's largest state funeral since the passing of
another Labor premier, Albert Ogilvie, more than 60 y ago.
The funeral procession leaves Glenorchy at 1.20 pm and is expected to
take about half-an-hr to reach the Federation Concert Hall.
There past and present PMs, premiers and chief ministers will join
community leaders and the public in a celebration of life, designed
mostly by Mr Bacon.
Members of the public attending Mr Bacon's funeral are asked to be
seated early.
The head of the Tas Symphony Orchestra, Nicholas Heyward, says extra
seating is still available in the adjacent ballroom of the Hotel Grand
Chancellor.
"I think that's because there's a very large number visiting
politicians and dignatries," he said.
"If you come to sit in the ballrooms upstairs, the earlier you get
there the better the seat you'll get."
The one-hr service will include classic and contemporary music.
Mr Heyward says the TSO will perform music much-loved by Mr Bacon.
"The orchestra is playing one of his favourite pieces, the romance
from Shostakovich, the Gadfly," he said.
"Shostakovich was Jim's favourite composer so we're delighted to play
that for him and there's some other music that means special things to
Jim and Mrs Bacon from various times in their lives."
Speakers will include Mr Bacon's wife, his sister, Aboriginal leader
Michael Mansell, and Catholic Archbishop of Hobart, Adrian Doyle.
Listen live to the funeral service on ABC News Online from 2.05 pm.
Tassies await Bacon cortege
Thousands of Tassies are expected to pay tribute to Mr Bacon.
Hobart. Crowds are starting to line the streets of Hobart to farewell
Tas's former premier, Jim Bacon. Mr Bacon died on Sun after a 4-m
battle with lung cancer. The funeral procession is due to start
shortly. It will run through the streets of Glenorchy in Mr Bacon's
former electorate of Denison, and finish at the Federation Concert
Hall. It is fitting the people of Glenorchy are the 1st to wave
goodbye to the premier, after electing him to Parliament in 1996. Mr
Bacon's trade union roots helped him keep strong ties with the working
class suburb. However, it is those who have not yet reached the
voting age who are most visible, waiting for the procession to start.
Political leaders from across AUS will attend the state funeral, which
begins at 3.00 pm. It is expected to be Tas's largest state funeral since
the death of another Labor premier, Albert Ogilvie, more than 60 y ago.
France outlaws homophobia
[MJ3 cancels passport].
Paris (AFP). The French Govt has approved a Bill to outlaw
homophobia, conceived in the wake of a vicious attack on a gay man who
was badly burned earlier this y.
The Bill, which will go before parliament next m, will make "incitement
to discrimination, hatred or violence against a person on the basis of
gender or sexual orientation" punishable by a y in prison and a 45,000
euro fine.
It puts sexist and homophobic remarks on the same criminal level as
words encouraging racism or anti-Semitism.
At the weekly cabinet meeting, Pres Jacques Chirac said he hoped the
law would "bring to an abrupt end these very serious acts," his rep said.
Justice Min Dominique Perben said the proposed law owed much to the
story of Sebastian Nouchet, who was attacked at his home in northern
France in Jan and sprayed with petrol.
"This law is in some way the Nouchet law," he said.
The Bill enters the process of ratification just after the centre-right
Govt took steps to punish a mayor, the Green party politician Noel Mamere,
who earlier this m performed France's first ever gay marriage ceremony.
Democrats "protect" gays, lesbians from wedge politics
A proposed ban on gay marriage has been referred to a parliamentary
committee.
Canberra. The Democrats have moved to delay a Fed Govt ban on
same-sex marriages, because they fear the Coalition wants to exploit
the issue during the upcoming election. The Senate has referred the
proposed ban on gay and lesbian marriages to a parliamentary
committee. However, the Nat'l Party has vowed to campaign heavily
during the upcoming election in support of a proposed ban on gay
marriages. Democrats Sen Brian Greig says the inquiry will ensure a
vote on the ban will be postponed until after the election. "We
wanted to ensure that gay and lesbian people, and their children,
weren't used as punching bags, weren't used as a political exercise in
a nasty piece of wedge politics by the Govt," he said. But the Nat'l
Party's leader in the Senate, Ron Boswell, says the Democrats have
ensured gay marriage will be an election issue. "The Nat'l Party will
be out campaigning on this issue because we believe the conservative
people of AUS want marriage defined as between a man and a woman," he
said. Sen Boswell has accused the Democrats and other senators of
trying to desecrate the institution of marriage.
Public servant rejects politicisation claims
Canberra. The secretary of the Dept of PM and Cabinet, Peter
Shergold, has used a public lecture in CBR to reject claims the public
service is increasingly politicised.
Dr Shergold says he aims to lead a service that is more responsive in
forming govt policy, while remaining non-partisan.
Dr Shergold says he and his colleagues remain accountable to
parliament even if the govt stops their appearance before some committees.
"It is appropriate that ministers make those judgements, nevertheless
the extent to which public servants now appear before parliamentary
committees is far, far greater than a generation ago," he said.
"You now have university think-tanks and you have lobby and advocacy
groups, you have policy advisers to ministers, in other words for a
public servant to do their job well today they have to be creative and
imaginative."
Dr Shergold told the audience at the Aussie Nat'l University that
increased scrutiny by parliament and agencies like the ombudsman and
auditor-general is a key change in the work of the public service.
He says the changes have improved productivity and performance but
claims of politicisation are misconceived.
Child bonus spent at families' discretion: Govt
The Fed Govt says Aussie families should be free to choose how they
spend a $600 per child payment.
Canberra. There are reports some parents are spending the money on
alcohol and gambling or splurging on electronic goods. Eligible
families have received the $600 per child payment from the Fed Govt
but there is increasing concern about how it is being spent. A N
Territory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission councillor
believes the money has led to an outbreak of drinking and violence in
Aboriginal communities. There are also claims of an increase in poker
machine use and some people using the money for new mobile phones and
televisions. The Opp'n's family services rep, Wayne Swan, says the
money should have been distributed in instalments. "That's the
problem with lump sum payments, families need this money on a
fortnightly basis," he said. But the Min for Children, Larry Anthony,
says the majority of families are using the money wisely. "Ultimately
we're in a free society and people can determine how they spend their
money," he said. He says most families he has spoken to have used the
money to pay off debt and buy clothing.
Sex trafficking laws lax: committee
Enslaved: It is estimated more than 1,000 women are bonded sex slaves
in AUS.
Canberra. A fed parliamentary committee is calling for the
strengthening of laws to combat the trafficking women for sexual
exploitation. The inquiry stemmed from claims that trafficking cases
have been mishandled by Govt agencies. The committee says it is
concerned by the ease with which traffickers appear able to obtain
entry visas for sex slaves. It is calling on the Aussie Crime
Commission to boost investigations and for the Govt to review visa
provisions. The committee has found no centralised authority exists
for implementing anti-trafficking measures. It calls for a review, as
soon as possible, of related laws to ensure AUS's compliance with the
UN protocol. It says the review should include examination of
boosting penalties and broadening offences. The Govt has already
announced a crackdown on people trafficking, spending $20 mn over the
next 4 y in an effort to find and prosecute those behind the growing trade.
AFP to help to combat welfare fraud
The Fed Govt has announced plans to double the number of Aussie Fed
Police (AFP) officers investigating welfare fraud.
Canberra. Centrelink officers will work with 10 police agents in
several states and regional centres.
In a statement, Justice Min Chris Ellison says the AFP have already
helped Centrelink in the detection and investigation of social
security fraud.
He says the 2 agencies will build on the success of this joint
partnership with a substantial increase in resources.
This agreement provides for enhanced on-the-job training for
Centrelink investigators by the AFP and will enable greater efficiency
in the preparation and execution of search warrants.
It will also improve the provision and timeliness of pre-referral
advice and assist in the identification of key targets through the
gathering of intel data.
It also sets out arrangements in relation to administrative,
financial, professional standards, human resources and health and
safety issues.
Sen Ellison hopes the measure will prevent people from defrauding the
welfare system.
"We have estimated that there will additional savings of some $60 mn
over the next 4 y and in the y 2003-2004, an extra 1,200 investigations
and as I said, thereafter it will increase to 3,000," he said.
The agreement signed today follows another memorandum of understanding
signed earlier this y between Centrelink and the nat'l financial intel
agency AUSTRAC, which increased the Govt's clout against high-end
welfare cheats.
Regeneration-friendly species key to reef health
Some species of fish and coral can help a reef regenerate.
Canberra. Scientists have released a new plan for saving the world's
reefs by promoting species of fish and coral that can help them
recover from damage and resist change.
An internat'l group of ecologists, including 2 Aussies, has released
its strategy in the internat'l journal Nature today.
The scientists have drawn on 40 y of research from coral reefs around
the world.
They have found authorities have repeatedly failed to avert damage
from climate change, pollution and disease until it was too late.
David Bellwood, from James Cook University, says the key to saving
reefs is to help improve their resilience.
"What we're suggesting to recover or to regenerate is to have species
in place that are going to enable them to recolonise in terms of the
corals," he said.
Professor Bellwood says species of fish and coral that help reefs
recover, such as the giant humphead parrot fish that clears dead
coral, should be protected in all areas.
Those species are currently only protected in zones that prohibit
fishing and other human activity.
[More bad news for G.E.:]
Court rules SA dump land acquisition illegal
Illegal acquisition: The court said there was no urgent need for the
land to be taken.
Adelaide. The Full Court of the Fed Court has ruled that the Fed
Govt's compulsory acquisition of SA land for a radioactive waste dump
is illegal.
The Commonwealth acquired the land nr Woomera, in the state's far
north, despite protests from the SA Govt.
The court ruled there was no urgent necessity for the acquisition,
which denied procedural fairness to SA.
It has awarded costs against the Fed Govt.
Aussie Conservation Foundation rep David Noonan says he is confident
the dump will not go ahead.
"We always believed the Fed Govt exceeded their authorities, we always
believed that it was wrong, un-democratic of them and illegal for them
to be imposing a nuclear waste dump against the will of the
community," he said.
"Now we've got the law on our side, at both fed and state levels."
* "Daffy duck"
SA Prem Mike Rann says the ruling is a blow to the Howard govt's
re-election strategy.
Fed Science Min Peter McGauran originally said the decision to go
ahead with a court case was "ideologically insane" and a "waste of
taxpayers' money".
But Mr Rann says the arrogance of Mr McGauran is now at issue.
"He also called me daffy duck," Mr Rann said.
"The Fed Govt can play whatever games it likes now but the fact is the
fed courts -- 3 judges out of 3 -- have found that they acted
improperly, which is what we said right from the start," he said.
SA spared from nuclear waste dump
Adelaide (AAP). The fed govt's plan to build a nuclear waste dump in
SA's outback was scuttled by the Full Court of the Fed Court.
In a major victory for the SA govt, the court set aside the
Commonwealth's compulsory acquisition of land nr Woomera in SA's north.
The Commonwealth made the compulsory acquisition of the land last y
and proposed to build a low level nuclear waste repository at the site.
But the court ruled in favour of a SA govt appeal against the
Commonwealth's compulsory acquisition.
Judges Paul Finn, Andrew Finkelstein and Catherine Branson were
unanimous in ruling there was no "urgent necessity for the
acquisition" or that it would be contrary to public interest for the
acquisition to be delayed.
"The orders of the Full Court have the effect of setting aside the
compulsory acquisition of the proposed site for the nat'l repository
and the access corridor to that site," Judge Finn said in a summary of
the ruling.
"Had the Full Court not concluded that the acquisition failed for the
reasons outlined... it would in any event have concluded that the
acquisition failed because of denials of procedural fairness to the
appellants."
The Commonwealth made the compulsory acquisition after learning of SA
govt moves to designate the land as a public park, and thereby denying
the building of the dump.
The appeal was against the compulsory acquisition of the land made by
Peter Slipper, parliamentary secretary to finance minister Nick
Minchin, on behalf of the Commonwealth.
The acquisition was appealed by the SA govt and the land owner, Mark
McKenzie.
The 3 Full Court judges said much depended on section 42 of the Lands
Acquisition Act, under which the Commonwealth made the acquisition.
"If the Commonwealth minister takes the view that section 42 gives
rise to opportunities for legitimate Commonwealth initiatives to be
frustrated, he should invite the Commonwealth parliament to amend or
repeal section 42," Judge Finn said.
Aussie Conservation Foundation rep David Noonan welcomed the ruling.
"The court has shown here today that the fed govt exceeded their
powers in trying to override the will of the SA community and the will
of the SA parliament," Mr Noonan said.
"They have failed in the land acquisition for this nuclear waste dump
and they will not get away with imposing a nuclear waste future
against SA's interests."
Govt may appeal nuclear dump ruling
The Fed Court has upheld an appeal against the acquisition of land
near Woomera.
Canberra. The Fed Govt says it may appeal a court ruling against the
acquisition of SA land for a radioactive waste dump.
The Commonwealth acquired the land nr Woomera, in the state's far
north, despite protests from the SA Govt.
But the Full Court of the Fed Court has ruled there is no urgent
necessity for the acquisition, which denied procedural fairness to SA.
It has awarded costs against the Fed Govt.
Science Min Peter McGauran says the Woomera site is the best choice
for a nuclear waste dump.
"We do have a number of options open to us apart from an appeal to the
High Court, also to seek legislative change," he said.
"We will consider those over the next few days."
South Aussie Prem Mike Rann says the ruling is a blow to the Howard
govt's re-election strategy.
Mr McGauran originally said the decision to go ahead with a court case
was "ideologically insane" and a "waste of taxpayers' money".
But Mr Rann says the arrogance of Mr McGauran is now at issue.
"He also called me daffy duck," Mr Rann said.
"The Fed Govt can play whatever games it likes now but the fact is the
fed courts -- 3 judges out of 3 -- have found that they acted
improperly, which is what we said right from the start," he said.
Phoebe "a frozen time capsule"
Cassini has beamed back never-before-seen images of Phoebe.
Pasadena (Reuters). Images snapped by NASA's Cassini spacecraft show
that Saturn's moon Phoebe is not an asteroid but a 4.5 bn-yo
primordial body from the solar system's outer reaches.
The images of Phoebe's pitted surface have given scientists their 1st
close look at a planetesimal -- small bodies from an area at the
fringe of the solar system known as the Kuiper Belt that may have
provided the building blocks of the Milky Way.
High-definition photographs, as well as spectrographic and thermal
images taken during Cassini's June 11 fly-by reveal that Phoebe likely
is made up of ice, rock and carbon compounds similar to those seen in
Pluto and Neptune's moon, Triton.
"We believe the solar system was full of Phoebes," scientist Torrence
Johnson said.
"As the big planets formed, that material was either swept into those
planets or swept out of solar system into the Kuiper Belt.
"Phoebe apparently stayed behind, trapped in orbit around the young
Saturn... a frozen time capsule waiting for Cassini to open it up."
Scientists say Phoebe's core is too dense to be pure ice and too light
for pure rock.
It is a combination of the 2 whose ratio resembles that of comets and
other Kuiper Belt bodies.
Scientist Bonnie Buratti says Cassini's spectrometer has picked up
signs of water-bearing minerals, carbon dioxide and organic material
on Phoebe's heavily cratered surface.
She says the small moon has also yielded spectral signatures of
minerals that scientists so far have been unable to identify.
The pass-by of Phoebe is part of Cassini's mission to take a 4-y look
at Saturn and the objects around it.
The robotic spacecraft began its journey 7 y ago and is scheduled to
begin orbiting the ringed planet on June 30.
Cassini, a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and
the Italian Space Agency, is expected to conduct 76 orbits around the
Saturn system and undergo 52 close encounters with 7 of Saturn's 31
known moons.
Embryonic stem cells created in Aussie first
Breakthrough: The advance will aid research into diseases like
multiple sclerosis.
Sydney. AUS's 1st human embryonic stem cells have been created by a
SYD company.
In Apr, the Nat'l Health and Medical Research Council granted the
first licences allowing SYD IVF and MEL IVF to use excess human
embryos in research.
The New S Wales Min for Science and Medical Research, Frank Sartor,
says the development will allow research into Parkinson's disease,
spinal cord injury, juvenile diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
He says the principle is to develop therapies to help regenerate cells
in different organs of the body.
"This is a key area of research in medicine, that is, to be able to
reproduce tissues in organs of the body," he said.
The medical director of SYD IVF, Robert Jansen, says while mainstream
uses are still a few y away, the team's breakthrough will lead the way
for new research.
"They can be used by researchers for developing or learning more about
how cells become other more specialised cells that might be used, for
instance, to repopulate someone's pancreas if they have juvenile
diabetes," he said.
"Possibly the spinal cord if there is a spinal cord accident."
* Surplus embryos
There are an estimated 70,000 surplus embryos created through in-vitro
fertilisation (IVF) treatment, which scientists could access for stem
cell research.
Prof Jansen, says the couple who donated the embryo used to develop
the stem cells wants to aid scientific research.
Prof Jansen says the couple have already undergone fertility treatment.
"They have children of their own now of course and they were really
wondering what they might do with their spare embryos -- excess
embryos," he said.
"With a bit of a science background they were really quite insistent
that they be used for research and particularly, if possible, for stem cells."
The research has cost the centre half-a-mn dollars.
Both the SYD and MEL centres also plan to improve IVF success rates.
* False hopes?
Right to Life New S Wales rep David Cotton says he is concerned the
researchers have vested interests and are spreading false info and
false hope.
"This is where I think our society is being thoroughly misled because
that is a giant leap," he said.
"All that has happened, as I understand it, is that stem cells have
been created for the 1st time, they have been obtained from an embryo.
"Now we already have stem cells, so the finding today is only new in
as much as the source."
Web eases board boredom
LA (AFP). For beach bums who get withdrawal shakes if they are
deprived of e-mail for a few hours, there is an answer: an
Internet-enabled surfboard. The gadget, developed by microprocessor
giant Intel, incorporates a touch-screen tablet computer and solar
panels on its top surface, which is protected from seawater by a thin
sheet of clear plastic. It has a wi-fi antenna for access to the web.
"And even a built-in webcam to capture those special moments at sea,"
the Brit weekly New Scientist reports in its next issue. Intel built
the novelty board to promote its sponsorship of a surfing competition
in SW England this m.
DNA tests debunk sea monster myths
Sea blobs are nothing more than washed-up chunks of whale.
[If we ignore hasty induction].
Miami (AFP). One of the myths of the sea has been skewered by gene
researchers, who say that huge "blobs" of weird tissue that have
washed up on shorelines and sparked tales of sea monsters are in fact
the remains of whales. A 13-tonne lump of boneless tissue that came
ashore at Los Muermos, Chile, in July last y ignited speculation that
it could be the body of a new species of deep-sea giant octopus.
Alas, tests of fragments of its DNA prove that the tissue came from a
sperm whale, say University of S Florida biologists. The team also
checked preserved samples from other blobs. They found that the
"Giant Octopus of St Augine" from 1896, the "Tasmanians W Coast Monster" of
1960, as well as 3 blobs that were found in Bermuda and Nantucket in
the 1990s are all washed-up whale remains. The research is reported
in next Sat's issue of the weekly Brit magazine New Scientist.
{{
1 am
London. Tony Blair and Michael Howard have delivered major policy
speeches, promises greater choice for patients in the NHS. The
language used was remarkably similar. But the 2 men are sketching
out different policies. Mr Howard says a future tory govt would allow
patients to go free to any private hospital, and they'd have 1/2 their
bill paid by the NHS. This would free up waiting lists. He said
waiting lists don't exist in France and Sweden -- but are a "British
disease". Blair indicates the Labour strategy is tougher targets and
and patient choice. The policy would end the "one size fits all"
strategy from the 1940s, said Blair. Already big health unions have
expressed concern about Blair's plans.
The BBC has announced changes to the way it gathers and publishes
stories, in line with recommendations from the Hutton inquiry.
Worrying observers, the policies incl a greater role for lawyers in
editorial control. Critics say stories should be aired only on
journalistic merit, not whether there is danger of offending
powerful vested interests.
4 am
The US has dropped its push in the UNSC to get exemption for its
troops from the Internat'l Criminal Court. The US could just not
get the votes to support its measure. It's a sign, say observers, how
the US' stocks have dropped in internat'l circles since GWII.
Instead, the US is now expected to push for agreements with individual
countries where its soldiers are operating. Elsewhere, the ICC has
announced it will investigate war crimes in Congo.
Saudi Arabia has offered a 1-m amnesty to any insurgents to hand
themselves in. Prince Abdullah made the announcement. It's
understood the amnesty applies only to groups "without blood on their
hands".
An expected release of Brit seamen in Iran had run into a number of
hurdles. But it's expected it will still happen.
A top US cmdr in the Pacific says the US govt will provide training
but not troops for the Straits of Malacca. Thoughts the US was
considering such a move had resulted in hostility from Malaysia and
Indonesia. Earlier in the y the US general had indicated he expected
broad support for the plan. He then announced he had been mis-quoted.
Malaysia seems to have been appeased. It announced it would seek the
training and even joint exercises.
A report has been highly critical of the Humberside Police Chief.
David Westwood has refused calls from Blunkett to stand down. He said
today he would stay on and "make things right". It's a battle over
who controls the police. Blunkett has the right to intervene and sack
chief constables, and it's the duty of police authorities to comply.
They will be acting illegally if they fail to heed the Home Sec, say observers.
Midday.
It's emerged that Kim Sun-il had been missing since the end of May. A
new video tape has been released that was apparently made 3 wks ago,
with the kidnapped Korean translator being asked questions from
off-camera. The revelation looks set to put more pressure on the
Korean govt, giving the appearance it did nothing to save Kim until
the last minute.
The release of 8 Brit servicemen has again been delayed. Tehran TV
started today with new pictures of the group being paraded before the
cameras. The 8 blindfolded marines and seamen were shown walking,
with each man's hand on the shoulder of the man in front. Tehran
says the men will still be freed, probably sometime tomorrow morning.
The govt says it will confiscate the equipment and boats the men had
at the time of their capture.
Observers say the Saudi govt must be desperate to offer amnesty to a
group that's killed 100s in the Kingdom. Amnesty has been offered a
number of times in the past, with few takes. Authorities still have
not found the body of Paul Johnson. Sakah al Oufi has already been
appointed at the new leader of al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. He's a
former prison guard and as fought with OBL.
News Corp's listing on the NYSE is still in doubt, with big Aussie
investors threatening to veto the move. The uncertainty has led the
local bouse lower today. Losing News will also create a big hole in
the Exchange's bottom line. Analysts are also worried that the
removal of News from Aussie indexes will put an even greater weight on
property investments at the height of a property boom -- a risk for
super funds and other institutional investors. Other analysts are
saying the fall in News' share price today could herald a rush by
small investors.
News ordinary share were down 3.5% today, with preferred shares down
4.5%. Already we've seeing big funds selling off the stock. $300 mn
changed hands today.
The All Ords is down 18 pts despite a stronger session on Wall St
o'night. The Dow closed up 84 pts. The Nasdaq was up 1%
The FTSE ended up 18. It rallied after tobacco company BAT was
allowed by US regulators to merge with RJR.
N Sea oil fell.
The AUD is trading around 68.88 US c.
Gold is $1.20 lower, at $US394.55/oz.
Oil in the US is $US37.44/bbl.
A decade after the Rodney King video, police in LA are again under
infestation for brutality. A group of police has been seen kicking
and clubbing a man on live TV. He was struck 11 times with a torch.
The suspected car thief was swamped by police after he apparently
surrendered.
A group of scientists has turned conventional wisdom on its head.
They say govt's have misguidedly attempted to save reefs in isolation
from surrounding areas. In a damning report of attempts so far to
save the world's coral reefs an article in the journal Nature urges
the world to make reefs resilient to stress. The article urges the
protection certain types of fish and coral to make the reef more
resilient. The measures would control algal blooms. The article
points out parrot fish eats dead coral -- an important preservation
measure. The report allows for a greater interaction between people
and nature over the reef. People are part of the ecosystem, say the
group. The report finds 50% of coral cover in the GBR has disappeared
over the past 40 y. The report has come ahead of an internat'l
gathering in Japan next wk.
6.30 pm
In an unprecedented wave of attacks, Iraqi insurgents have hit 4 C and
N cities in co-ordinated assaults, leaving at least 55 dead. The
total is expected to rise considerably. In Baqouba 22 people were
killed, incl 2 US soldiers and 22 police. The US has launched
airstrikes on the city. Locals are fleeing Fallujah again. A US
Cobra chopper was shot down there in heavy fighting. A Ramadi govt
building and police stn were blown up, with 17 killed. Late today, 4
car bombs in Mosul have killed at least 17 more people. There are new
threats of attacks on the US-backed Iraqi PM.
Pres Rho has now ordered a full inquiry into when Kim was kidnapped in
Iraq. It's been reported tape from the kidnappers sat on a shelf for
wks because Korea could not ID the kidnap victim. Korea has also
blocked access to web sites with video of the grisly execution.
7 pm
Justice Greg James has continued the bail for accused Aussie terrorist
Belal Khazaal. The judge has deliberately ignored the latest changes
to Australia's anti-terror laws, that legislate against access to bail
in terror-related cases. But only after friends and family pledged
$207,000 surety. They've put their home on the line. Khazaal is
accused of creating a pro-militant web site. He's agreed to be
contactable at all times, stay at home, and stay off the Internet.
Fed A-G Ruddock has criticised the NSW amendment to their terrorism
act. It's apparently not tough enough on terrorism suspects for his
liking. Mr Ruddock wants it retrospective.
The Full bench of the Fed Court has set aside the Fed Govt's
compulsory acquisition of a proposed nuke waste site in outback SA, nr
Woomera. "Everyone knows you need a national repository", blustered
the Fed Science Min. SA Prem Rann has tried to declare the site a
public park. The Fed Govt has upped the ante, issuing a compulsory
acquisition. Now that's been trumped. The govt will appeal to the
High Court and predicts the repository will proceed there "one way or
the other".
CBR. There are more questions about a disputed meeting between ONA
and DFAT. The ruckus concerns what the govt knew and when ahead of the
Bali terror attack that killed 88 Aussies. While the US had issued a
warning 2 days before that attack that tourist hotels, incl Bali,
could be targeted by terrorists, the Aussie DFAT had flagged it
"situation normal". FM Downer has denied anything was known about
Bali being targeted for attack. But ONA says they discussed the
potential for the Bali attack some time before it happened. The Opp'n
wants to know why the info wasn't used to update travel warnings in
the 6 m before Bali. DFAT -- Mr Downer's department -- can't remember
the meeting. At the time of the attack govt warnings say tourism was
"operating normally" on the popular destination.
MEL. An ind'l dispute has seen 200 workers for energy company TXU
call in sick today. There's a dispute with the electrical trades
union. The company says the "sick day" has caused delays in new
connections. TXU is taking the dispute to the IRC tomorrow morning.
Victorian teachers and the govt are up in arms about a school program
sponsored by Mcdonald's. Sports personalities sponsored to speak at
schools have allegedly promoted McD products during their talks. The
state govt says the program should be about the company's social
responsibilities, not just another opportunity to push products on a
captive audience. A rep for McD's said the program was intended to
inspire young Victorians to reach their goals. One of the footballers
sponsored by the program said McD had indicated he was to push their
products. Apologists say the speakers had promoted McD healthy
eating, McD salad bars, and not McD burgers. A high school principal
said one comment he'd seen concerned a footballer saying he ate 6 Big
Macs but ate an apple on the way out of McD's to please the coach.
9.30 pm
News Corp shares are down 4% . The local market is down 1/2% on the
news of News being removed from Aussie market indexes. European
borses have forged ahead as US int rate jitters subsided. Oil is down
$1 to $US37.50/bbl in early European trade.
10.30 pm
CBR. There's been a major development in the FTA story. It's just
passed in the lower house of Fed Parliament. Both major parties
supported the agreement. 4 indeps opposed it.
}}
----------------------------------------
Fri, 25 Jun 2004.
HEADLINES:
World a safer place despite Iraq attacks: Bush
Wolfowitz apologises for calling war reporters "afraid"
US, Iraq agree on immunity arrangement for American troops
US to extend Iraq prosecution immunity
Iraq violence sees 98 dead: US
Iraq unrest worries US markets
Coordinated Iraq attacks leave 75 dead
"Rivers D-day" arrives as COAG meets
30 die in African bus accident
AUS funds destruction of Russian subs
Abbott dismisses health funding overhaul calls
Allawi vows to crush militants as death toll rises
Anti-war passions flare in S Korea
Bomb kills 3 in Istanbul
Bracks pushes water conservation policy
Bush interviewed in gov't CIA leak probe
Canada election poll shows liberals narrowly ahead
Canada's marijuana party under-cuts its own efforts
Child bonus feeds SA poker machines: MP
Clinton takes on his demons but avoids the ones inside
Commonwealth Bank staff to strike
Court won't order Cheney papers released
Govt ignoring housing crisis: ACOSS
Iran warns against further border incursions
Israelis raid homes in Nablus
Istanbul bomb toll rises
Judge suspected of masturbating in court
Khazal bail ruling earns govts' wrath
Labor denies vote exposed FTA divisions
Magistrates Court head to replace Nicholson
Moore shows film to US pollies
N Korea threatening nuclear test: report
PM warns water agreement must be reached
Parliament to sit extra day before winter break
Police crack nat'l cattle duffing ring
Powell to pressure Sudan over Arab militias
Priest arrested on sex charges after deportation
Prison abuse outrage hypocritical: Burnside
Public schools funds miniscule: ACTU
Rio seeks new ore sources after $15 bn deal
Robbers force 100 restaurant patrons to the floor
Sadr militia calls for truce to fight "terrorists"
Scotland to send preserved Maori heads to NZ
Sens reduce super fee cuts
Shareholders approve Westfield merger
Spanish man arrested in connection with train bombings
States sign up to water deal
Students outraged over textbook subsidy scrapping
Talks fail to ease Qantas move concerns
US bombing raids target Fallujah, Baquba
Vaile confident Labor will pass FTA laws
WA not a nuclear dump: Gallop
Iraq unrest worries US markets
Mixed economic data and violence in the Middle E has unsettled markets.
NY/Sydney. A mixed batch of economic data and the latest violence in
Iraq and Turkey have been the key drivers of sentiment on US financial
markets overnight.
An unexpected drop in US durable goods orders during May has raised
concerns about the performance of the overall economy and has sent the
American dollar and share markets lower.
It is the 2nd consecutive decline in factory orders for big-ticket
items, down 1.6% in the latest month, in contrast with
forecasts for a recovery.
At the same time, there has been a rise in new claims for unemployment
benefits.
More encouragingly, however, sales of new homes across America have
surged as home buyers appear to be trying to get in ahead of increases
in mortgage interest rates.
Home sales are up 14.8% in May, the biggest increase in 11 years.
But on the NYSE, the Dow has closed 36 points lower at 10,444.
The high-tech Nasdaq composite index has lost 5 points to 2,016.
However, there have been more gains on the Brit share market.
London's FT-100 index is up 16.5-points at 4,503.
The Aussie market yesterday fell back, dragged lower by News Corp.
The media giant saw its share price drop more than 4% to $12.58 on the
looming prospect of it being withdrawn from the key share market
indices in AUS if it re-incorporates in the US.
The All Ords ended the day 20.5 points behind at 3,525.
The decline in the value of the American greenback has sent the Aussie
dollar sharply higher.
About 7.15 am the local currency was being quoted at 70 US cents
exactly, which is up just over one cent on yesterday's local close.
On the cross-rates, it is buying 0.5752 euros, 74.80 yen, 38.37 pence
Sterling, and $NZ1.102.
The gold price has shot higher and is now being quoted at $US402.15/oz.
West Texas crude oil is sitting at around $US37.81/bbl.
Shareholders approve Westfield merger
Expansion approved: Westfield is to merge its companies.
[Westfield to become world's biggest owner of shopping centres].
Sydney. Shareholders are expressing overwhelming approval of the
proposed merger of the Westfield group of companies, which would form
the world's biggest listed retail property group.
In Apr the group announced a proposal to merge Westfield Holdings with
its satellite Property Trust creating a single, internally managed group.
Several hundred shareholders of the Westfield stable of companies are
today meeting to determine the next phase in the globalisation of the
Westfield business.
Executive chairman Frank Lowy has told the meeting that it is an historic
day, leaving him just a big nostalgic after 44 y building the business.
He says directors have unanimously recommended share and unit holders
approve the merger.
The plan has already gained the support of the share market, where the
groups' combined market capitalisation has already risen from $22 to
almost $27 bn since Apr.
Concerns raised by shareholders have included the capital gains tax
implications of the scheme, and that Westfield might shift its
domicile to the US like News Corporation.
But Mr Lowy has been quick to allay those concerns.
"I can tell you categorically that we have no plans to do that," he said.
While the formal voting process is still underway, all 7 of the resolutions
have been carried, with more than 90% of the proxy votes in favour.
30 die in African bus accident
Senegal (Reuters). 2 passenger buses have collided in N Senegal
killing around 30 people, and injuring 29 others. A rep for the local
fire rescue unit says 3 of the injured are in a serious condition in
hospital. The accident is one of the worst in the W African country's
recent history. Fatal accidents are frequent in the region, where
safety regulation is limited and cars, buses, and minibuses are poorly
maintained. Senegal's highways are generally regarded to be in better
condition than those of its neighbours.
Powell to pressure Sudan over Arab militias
Washington. US Sec of State Colin Powell has described the
humanitarian emergency in Sudan as a catastrophe. Mr Powell plans to
visit the country next wk and wants to pressure the Sudanese Govt to
rein in Arab militias accused of conducting an ethnic cleansing
campaign in Darfur in the W of the country. At least 10,000 people
have been killed and up to 1 mn forced from their homes. "We need to
get help to these people now," Mr Powell said. Mr Powell says he
wants to see if aid is starting to flow. "This is a catastrophe and
it's incumbent upon the internat'l community to come together solidly
to do everything we can to bring it to an end and to bring relief to
these desperate people." Colin Powell will be the most snr US
official to visit Sudan in almost 20 y.
AUS funds destruction of Russian subs
Canberra. The Fed Govt will contribute $10 mn to dismantle old
nuclear submarines de-commissioned by the Russian Navy. AUS will work
with Japan and Russia on the project as part of the G8 Global
Partnership, which is raising up to $20 bn to support similar projects
over the next 10 y. Foreign Minster Alexander Downer says there are
more than 40 de-commissioned nuclear submarines moored in the Russian
far east. He says the submarines pose possible proliferation and
environmental threats. Mr Downer says AUS was attracted to the
project because it is in our region and adds to Asia Pacific security.
Bush interviewed in gov't CIA leak probe
Washington (AP). Fed investigators questioned Pres Bush for more than
an hour Thu as the investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's
name reached into the Oval Office.
The president was interviewed for 70 minutes by US Attorney Patrick
J. Fitzgerald, the head of the Justice Dept investigation, and by
members of his team. The only other person in the room was Jim Sharp,
a private trial lawyer and former fed prosecutor hired by Bush, said
Whitehouse press secretary Scott McClellan.
"The leaking of classified info is a very serious matter," McClellan
said, adding that the president repeatedly has said he wants his Admin
to cooperate with the investigation. "No one wants to get to the
bottom of this matter more than the president of the US," the rep said.
Investigators want to know who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, an
undercover CIA operative, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak last
July. Disclosure of an undercover officer's identity can be a fed crime.
Fitzgerald declined, through a rep, to comment on the Bush interview,
but legal experts following the case said it could indicate the probe
was nearing an end.
The investigation has been an embarrassment for a president who
promised to bring integrity and leadership to the Whitehouse after
years of Republican criticism of the Clinton Admin.
4 m before the election, the leak controversy has added to Bush's
Iraq-related problems. His meeting with the lead investigator came a
day before he was to leave on 5-day trip to Ireland and Turkey
where he was to work to persuade NATO allies to help in Iraq.
Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who is married to Plame, has said he
believes his wife's identity was disclosed to undermine his
credibility. Wilson denounced the Bush Admin for claiming that Iraq,
under Saddam Hussein, had tried to obtain uranium from the African
nation of Niger. Wilson went to Niger for the CIA to investigate and
he found the allegation, which Bush mentioned in a State of the Union
address, to be highly unlikely.
VP Dick Cheney and other top Admin officials, including Whitehouse
counsel Alberto Gonzales, also have been questioned in the
investigation. A number of news organisations have received fed
subpoenas for questioning as well.
Neither the Whitehouse nor the Justice Dept would offer details about
what is believed to be the 1st time the president has been interviewed
by prosecutors investigating possible criminal activity. Officials
would not say whether the interview was taped or if Bush was under
oath, nor would they speculate as to why he was questioned.
Asked if Bush had answered every question, McClellan said, "The
president was glad to do his part to cooperate with the investigation.
The president was pleased to share whatever info he had with the
officials in charge and answer their questions."
McClellan, who said he was not in the meeting, was asked if Bush had
any info about who leaked Plame's name. "That's just getting into
questions that are best directed to the officials in charge of the
investigation," he said. "I would not read anything into that one way
or the other."
Wilson suggested in a recent book that the leaker was Lewis "Scooter"
Libby, Cheney's chief of staff. The Whitehouse denies the claim and
accuses Wilson of seeking to bolster the campaign of Democrat John
Kerry, for whom he has acted as a foreign policy adviser.
Lawyers say they think prosecutors are probably close to wrapping up
the investigation because they have interviewed news reporters.
Justice Dept criminal guidelines require that all available avenues be
exhausted before prosecutors subpoena or interview reporters.
Chris Caldwell, a former Justice Dept prosecutor now in private
practice in LA, said few leak investigations ever result in criminal
charges. But in highly sensitive cases such as this one, he said,
prosecutors want to be sure they have run every possible lead to ground.
"The likelihood of actually finding the source of the leak is very
small," Caldwell said.
Fitzgerald was appointed to lead the investigation after A-G
John Ashcroft stepped aside because of his political ties to
the Whitehouse. Sen Charles Schumer, D-NY, who had pressed for
Ashcroft's recusal, said, "Today's news is yet another indication that
the special counsel is leaving no stone un-turned in trying to find out
who compromised nat'l security for political purposes."
Court won't order Cheney papers released
[The case is Cheney v US District Court, 03-475].
Washington (AP). The Supreme Court protected the Bush Admin Thu from
having to reveal potentially embarrassing details about VP Dick
Cheney's energy task force until after the election, sending the case
back to a lower court and noting a "paramount necessity of protecting
the executive branch from vexatious litigation."
The justices voted 7-2 to have an appeals court decide whether a fed
open govt law could be used to compel the Admin to publicly release
task force documents, dragging out an already 3-yo fight over the records.
It was the 2nd significant case in 2 wk resolved without a ruling on
the main issues. Last week, justices said a California atheist did not
have standing to challenge on behalf of his daughter the words "under
God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, sidestepping the broader
church-state question.
In the Cheney case, 2 groups that sued to get access to the task force
documents argued the public had a right to know whether energy company
executives played a key role in crafting the industry-friendly
recommendations.
Justice Anthony M Kennedy, writing for the majority, said that a fed
district court judge who ruled against the Bush Admin demanded the
opening of too much task force info and that the president and his
executives were not given appropriate deference.
While the case was about privacy, that issue has been largely
overshadowed in the public eye by conflict-of-interest questions
involving Justice Antonin Scalia. He refused to step aside after it
was revealed he and Cheney took a hunting trip together shortly after
the court agreed to hear the case. Scalia sided with the majority,
though he made it clear he felt the court could have dismissed the lawsuit.
The ruling was an anticlimactic end -- for now -- to a case with the
potential to be a major test of executive power. It brought up echoes
of the Supreme Court's 1974 ruling that rejected Pres Nixon's claim of
executive privilege and ordered him to surrender secretly recorded
Whitehouse tapes.
But Justice Kennedy said there was no comparison between the criminal
subpoena requests in the Nixon case and the interest by outside groups
in what went on at Cheney's closed-door energy task force meetings.
Michael Greenberger, a Justice Dept attorney in the Clinton Admin,
said the court saved Cheney from an "adverse public relations dance of
having to assert executive privilege," a last-ditch legal manoeuvre to
avoid disclosure of sensitive material.
Cheney, a former energy industry executive, was put in charge of the
task force by Pres Bush in 2001. Most of its major recommendations,
such as opening the Arctic Nat'l Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, have
been stalled in Congress.
The Sierra Club, a liberal environmental group, and Judicial Watch, a
conservative legal group, sued to get the records. The organisations
contended that environmentalists were shut out of the meetings while
executives such as former Enron Corp Chairman Kenneth Lay were key players.
The Supreme Court directed an appeals court to decide if a 1972 law,
the Fed Advisory Committee Act, applies to the Cheney panel. The issue
was whether energy lobbyists were a type of "de facto" member.
The Bush Admin argued that only govt officials were on the task force,
which would mean the details of meetings could be kept secret.
"We believe the president should be able to receive candid and
unvarnished advice from his staff and advisers. It's an important
principle," press secretary Scott McClellan said in reaction to the ruling.
Phil Singer, rep for Sen John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential
nominee, said, "Americans shouldn't have to rely on court orders to
learn what special interest lobbyists are writing Whitehouse policies."
The Sierra Club had asked Scalia to stay out of the case because the
justice flew with Cheney to hunt in Louisiana in Jan, wk after the
high court agreed to hear the Admin's appeal.
Many Democrats and dozens of newspapers also called for his recusal.
Scalia, a Reagan appointee and close friend of the VP, had said the
duck hunting trip was acceptable socialising that wouldn't cloud his
judgement. "If it is reasonable to think that a Supreme Court justice
can be bought so cheap, the nation is in deeper trouble than I had
imagined," he wrote in announcing his decision to stay on the case.
Scalia and Justice Clarence Thomas wrote separately Thu to say they
would have ruled for the Bush Admin outright. US District Judge Emmet
Sullivan "clearly exceeded" his authority in ordering the Admin to
release records, Thomas wrote for the two.
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David H Souter disagreed with the
ruling. Ginsburg, reading her objections from the bench, said lower
courts were sensitive to the executive branch's arguments.
In the main opinion, Kennedy said that the president is not above the
law, but there is a "paramount necessity of protecting the executive
branch from vexatious litigation that might distract it from the
energetic performance of its constitutional duties."
US, Iraq agree on immunity arrangement for American troops
Washington (AP). American troops in Iraq would remain immune from
prosecution in local courts after the occupation officially ends,
under an agreement in principle between the US and the interim govt in Baghdad.
Chief occupation official L Paul Bremer is still negotiating the plan
before the June 30 hand over of political power, the general nominated
as post-occupation military cmdr said Thu.
Gen George W Casey Jr told the Senate Armed Services Committee at a
confirmation hearing that US officials are working to get the same
protections for American civilian contractors, who are in Iraq by the
tens of 1000s in military support positions.
A number of senators have expressed concerns repeatedly in the last
several m that occupation officials had not worked out a so-called
status of forces agreement, a pact the US govt routinely signs with
countries where American forces are stationed.
"We've got to provide protection for our forces" as well as internat'l
coalition forces, committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va, told Casey.
The 4-star general was nominated by Pres Bush to succeed departing
Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez.
Whitehouse rep Scott McClellan said members of the military would face
justice in the American legal system rather than in local courts.
"You're talking about parts of the world where due process may not be
guaranteed," McClellan said.
He said the US and Iraq already have agreed in principle on an
immunity arrangement.
"The coalition will make sure that our troops have proper immunities,"
McClellan said. "That is a high priority. We have similar arrangements
around the world in countries wherever US forces are deployed or
diplomats are present to ensure that there are proper legal
protections for our personnel."
US to extend Iraq prosecution immunity
Baghdad (Reuters). The US has indicated it will extend immunity
from Iraqi prosecution for American and other foreign troops and
personnel in Iraq beyond next wk's official hand over.
American defence officials say the US administrator, Paul Bremer, is
expected to renew an immunity order that has been in place throughout
the occupation.
He will extend it until the election of a new Iraqi govt later this y,
or in early 2005.
The order gives all foreign personnel in the US-led Coalition Provisional
Authority immunity from local courts, and any form of arrest or
detention other than by persons acting on behalf of their own country.
It is reported the Bush Admin wants to prevent the new Iraqi govt from
having to grant a waiver as one of its 1st acts next week, which could
undermine its credibility.
Meanwhile, it has been reported the US Army is planning to file
charges against 2 military intel officers in the suffocation death of
an Iraqi general during questioning in Iraq in Nov.
The Denver Post newspaper says negligent homicide and manslaughter
charges are being brought against 2 warrant officers over the death of
Iraqi Maj-Gen Abed Hamed Mowhoush, the cmdr of Saddam Hussein's air force.
The paper says Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer has been accused
of suffocating the general in a sleeping bag, while sitting on his
chest and covering his mouth.
It says the other soldier, Chief Warrant Officer Jeff Williams, was
also involved in the interrogation at a US military facility in the
Iraqi town of Qaim.
The general's death is among more than 30 prisoner deaths in Iraq and
Afghanistan the Pentagon is investigating.
Wolfowitz apologises for calling war reporters "afraid"
NY (E&P). Most press accounts today of Deputy Def Sec Paul
Wolfowitz's testimony before the House Armed Services Committee
overlooked his slamming the media for acting "afraid" in Iraq and
publishing "rumours."
Most coverage has focused on the contentious exchanges between the
No. 2 man at the Pentagon and the snr Democrat on the committee, Rep
Ike Skelton of Missouri. Skelton charged that the US was falling into
"a security quagmire" in Iraq, adding, "We're stuck."
Wolfowitz denied this, though he admitted "it's entirely possible" the
US military could remain in Iraq for years.
Gaining less attention was that he identified the media as part of the
problem in Iraq.
"Frankly, part of our problem," Wolfowitz said, "is a lot of press are
afraid to travel very much. So they sit in Baghdad, and they publish rumours."
He did not specify which rumours.
Moore shows film to US pollies
Washington (AP). Filmmaker Michael Moore brought his controversial
documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" to the US capital for a private
screening before a nearly all-Democrat audience.
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Cal Sen Barbara Boxer and former
Clinton adviser Paul Begala were among the 800 invited guests.
Actress Sally Field also planned to join Moore for the red-carpet
premiere.
The screening was closed to the media.
The two-hr film depicts Pres George W Bush as lazy and oblivious to
warnings in the summer of 2001 that al-Qaeda was poised to strike. It
also accuses the Admin of manipulating the Sep 11 attacks and fanning
terrorism fears to win support for the Iraq war.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" won the top honour at last month's Cannes Film
Festival. Moore, a fervent Bush critic, has said he hopes the film
will spur more Americans to vote in Nov.
It opened in limited release in NY on Wed, and reaction was mixed.
"This movie is slanted -- it's a backlash at the president, taking the
view that US leadership is incompetent," said Miguel Brown, 22, a
production assistant. "Moore makes it look like US soldiers in Iraq
were thrown into battle straight off the streets. The American army is
better than that."
Brown is the son of a military officer.
Others applauded Moore.
"I hope this movie aggravates Americans, so that they'll want a change
in leadership," said Christina Smart, 31, who has been looking for
full-time work since she was laid off from her recording company job.
The film, which carries an R-rating, meaning children under 17 can't
attend, opens in other cities on Fri.
Moore and his distributors lost their appeal to lower the rating to
PG-13, which means parental guidance for children over 13.
Canada election poll shows liberals narrowly ahead
Ottawa (Reuters). Canada's ruling Liberal Party has nudged open a
slightly wider lead over the opp'n Conservatives in the final days
before the June 28 election, according to a daily tracking poll
released on Thu.
The SES Canada Research poll put support for PM Paul Martin's Liberals
at 34% among decided voters, compared with 30% for Stephen Harper's
Conservatives.
A poll by the same firm on Wed put the Liberals at 34% while backing
for the opp'n Conservatives was 31% -- identical to an SES survey
released on Tue.
The poll of 1,000 people was taken between June 22 and June 24, and is
considered to be accurate to within 3.1 points, 19 times out of 20.
The New Democratic Party received 21% support, while the Bloc
Quebecois, which only runs candidates in the French-speaking province
of Quebec, was at 12% nat'ly.
SES also said 28% of those polled thought that Martin was the best
choice to lead the country, down 1 point from the previous poll, while
20% backed Conservative leader Stephen Harper, unchanged from Wed's
poll results.
Canada's marijuana party under-cuts its own efforts
Montreal (AFP). "It has to roll!" proclaims the Marijuana Party on
its posters ahead of the June 28 elections in Canada.
But the Marijuana Party has fallen on hard times since Canada's
mainstream parties embraced its cause and stole its thunder.
Without going as far as the Marijuana Party in calling for full
legalisation of the drug, Canadian liberals, conservatives, social
democrats and even independence supporters from Quebec favour
de-criminalising marijuana possession.
A draft law addressing the issue was introduced this y by the liberal
govt in the House of Commons but could not be adopted before the start
of the election campaign.
Under the draft, smoking a joint would be an infraction, not a crime,
punishable by a fine instead of a prison term.
More than 600,000 Canadians now have marijuana convictions on their
records, a severe handicap in job-hunting.
Even the head of the Marijuana Party, Marc-Boris St-Maurice, had to
interrupt his campaign to show up in court in Montreal to answer a
marijuana possession charge.
He is scheduled for another appearance on July 7.
In Dec, the Canadian Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a
law banning marijuana, saying any reform was up to Parliament.
"Those people are treading on our turf," Marijuana Party campaign
manager Hugo Saint-Onge, 29, says of the mainstream political parties.
"We're perfectly happy, but in the end it makes it more difficult for
us to attract quality candidates and to get out the vote because
people think the problem is being resolved. It's demobilising them."
As a result, the party will field candidates in only 71 of the 308
Canadian districts, down from 73 in the 2000 election, in which it
garnered some 66,000 votes, about 0.5% of those cast.
"This is very difficult, we have no operating means," complains
Saint-Onge, in the party's shabby nat'l HQ, pitifully devoid of office
equipment.
Party chief St-Maurice, running in Montreal against liberal Prime Min
Paul Martin, says he is selling bags of marijuana seed to finance his campaign.
The fact that the election has been called in the summer does not help
the party. Universities and colleges are in recess, and the young
people who are the party's main constituency are lounging bars and
cafe terraces, or cooling their heels in a jail cell for possession.
However, Saint-Onge is optimistic and is trying to exploit voter
disillusionment with other parties.
2 mn Canadians smoke marijuana each year, which makes the country one
of the biggest consumers of the drug in the industrialised world,
according to a two-yo Canadian Senate report that recommended legalisation.
One of the party's candidates running in the Montreal region, Michel
Allard, notes on his business card that he was a marijuana supplier to
former PM Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who died in 2000, as well as to
"several honourable ministers in Quebec."
Bomb kills 3 in Istanbul
Istanbul. 3 people have been killed and 7 injured in a powerful
explosion in Istanbul, just days ahead of a NATO summit to be attended
by world leaders including US Pres George W Bush. The blast occurred
on a public bus outside a hospital in the district of Fatih on the
European side of Istanbul. The blast comes just hours after a small
bomb exploded outside a hotel in Ankara where Mr Bush is expected to
stay on Sat night during a visit to the Turkish capital.
Istanbul bomb toll rises
Istanbul (ABC, Mark Willacy). A bomb has exploded on a bus in the
Turkish city of Istanbul, killing 4 people and wounding at least 15 others.
Earlier reports had put the death toll at 3.
The attack has occurred just days before world leaders gather in
Turkey for a NATO summit.
Turkish police say the percussion bomb exploded in the middle of a
crowded bus as it travelled through a residential suburb of Istanbul.
Investigators believe the device detonated accidentally in the lap of
a woman who was carrying it.
Turkish police have detained 3 people, including a woman.
Just hours earlier in the capital Ankara, 3 people were wounded when
another percussion bomb exploded outside a hotel where US Pres George
W Bush is scheduled to stay on the weekend.
Turkish police believe a radical Marxist group is responsible for both blasts.
Mr Bush and other world leaders will be in Turkey for next wk's NATO summit.
Turkish authorities have put in place massive security measures ahead
of the meeting, deploying tens of 1000s of police and cordoning off
whole blocks of the city.
NATO Sec-Gen Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says he is confident adequate
security measures will be put in place for the summit.
"I have full confidence in our Turkish hosts that they have taken and
are taking all the measures necessary to ensure not only a politically
interesting and good summit, but also from the point of security," he said.
Spanish man arrested in connection with train bombings
Madrid. A Spanish man suspected of helping to acquire the stolen
dynamite used in the Madrid train bombings has been arrested in the
Canary Islands. Judicial sources say the man will be questioned next
wk by Judge Juan del Olmo who is leading the investigation into the
March 11 attacks that killed around 200 people, and injured almost
2,000 others. Officials have said the bombings were carried out by
Islamist militants acting in the name of Al Qaeda. Before the latest
arrest, 6 Spaniards had been accused of playing a role in the attacks.
One is in jail under formal accusation of mass murder while the others
have been released after questioning, but pending further investigation.
Prison abuse outrage hypocritical: Burnside
Reminiscent of home: Mr Burnside says some people detained in AUS have
also been badly treated.
Canberra. A prominent human rights lawyer has accused the Howard Govt
of hypocrisy in expressing outrage over the treatment of prisoners at
Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail. Julian Burnside, QC, told a public meeting in
CBR there are plenty of instances of people in detention in AUS, who
have been treated in a way that amounts to torture. He has cited
strip and cavity searches and the prolonged use of solitary
confinement as examples. Mr Burnside says members of the Govt should
not criticise others for treating prisoners badly when such conditions
exist in AUS. "I think that the Prime Min and other members of the
Liberal Govt, or the Liberal Coalition Govt, are hypocrites," he said.
Sadr militia calls for truce to fight "terrorists"
Baghdad (AFP). Radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army has
declared a truce by loud speaker in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City,
saying it is ready to help protect important sites from terror attacks.
"Considering the exceptional circumstances that our people face, we
have decided to stop from tonight the military operations in Sadr City
until we receive new orders," the militia's central committee said.
"All the Mehdi Army will respect this decision or face expulsion."
The Mehdi Army is offering to protect Govt buildings, hospitals, power
stations, water stations, service stations and oil refineries.
Fighting has rocked the Shiite Muslim slum of Sadr City almost nightly
since Sadr rose up against US forces in the 1st wk of Apr.
The statement says the Mehdi Army is ready to protect "all those who
might be targeted by terrorists notably in the coming 2 wk," referring
to the June 30 hand over of power in Iraq.
"The Mehdi Army proves day after day it cares for the greater
interests of the oppressed people of Iraq," it said.
The radical preacher's militia has waged a two-and-half-month
rebellion in central and S Iraq against US-led coalition forces that
ended only this m.
US forces have evicted the militia from most areas but have a
protracted stand-off with the cleric in the Shiite shrine city of Najaff.
Sadr agreed to scale back his presence in Najaff the 1st wk of June and
since then, the fiery cleric has given mixed signals on whether or not
he would support the new Iraqi Govt.
His supporters earlier said his followers would not attend a nat'l
conference next m to pick an interim council to consult Iraq's new
caretaker govt.
The controversial cleric, the son of a grand ayatollah assassinated by
Saddam's agents in 1999, is wanted by an Iraqi court in connection
with the murder last y of a pro-American colleague.
Coordinated Iraq attacks leave 75 dead
Baghdad (AFP). Iraq's security forces bore the brunt of a wave of
coordinated attacks Thu as insurgents turned up the heat before the
US-led occupation ends next wk.
Some 75 people were killed and more than 260 wounded as rebels in the
central cities of Baquba, Fallujah and Ramadi as well as Mosul to the
north launched dawn assaults on police stations and other official
buildings, sparking clashes with US military and Iraqi police.
The almost simultaneous attacks were coupled with a suicide bombing SW
of Baghdad.
A man in a police uniform detonated a suitcase outside a Nat'l Guard
post, killing 4 Guardsmen as well as the bomber, while a suicide
attack was reportedly foiled in Ramadi, 100 km W of the capital.
The attacks, which were launched in Baquba, 60 km N east of Baghdad,
at about 5.30 am local time, were all carried out before 11.00 am.
"It's the 1st time that they've had this level of coordination," said
Maj Brian Paxton, a fire support and info officer for the US
military in Baquba.
US airplanes dropped 4 500 pound bombs on houses in the city to quell
the violence triggered by suspected supporters of alleged Al Qaeda
operative Abu Mussab Al Zarqawi.
Iraqi and US officials have been predicting the insurgency to escalate
in the countdown to the transfer of power by the US-led coalition to
an Interim Iraqi Govt on June 30.
Insurgents set off bombs outside 5 police stations in Mosul, 370 km
N of Baghdad, early Thu.
Police and military official said 44 people were killed and 216 others
wounded.
In addition, for the 1st time since last y's US-led invasion which
ousted Saddam Hussein, street fights broke out between rebels and US
forces in Mosul as well as Baquba.
The nationwide attacks were designed to cause maximum chaos before the
hand over of sovereignty, a snr coalition official said.
Asked about a possible linkage with Zarqawi, who is on a US list of
most wanted suspects, the official said the prime suspects in the
uprising were Saddam loyalists and former army members.
But he conceded there was a chance that they were joining forces with
foreign fighters.
"We have talked about convergence for some, while...I think we have
got to find out what we pick up in the way of prisoners today and find
out what they know," the official said.
Iraq violence sees 98 dead: US
Baghdad (AFP). The US-led coalition said at least 98 people were
killed in attacks across Iraq on Thu as insurgents launched assaults
on govt and security buildings. 8 people were killed and 15 wounded
in Ramadi; between 20 to 30 insurgents were killed in Baquba; and 62
people were killed and 220 wounded in Mosul, said a military official
on condition of anonymity. Another 2 or 3 people were killed in
Baghdad when a man detonated a suitcase of explosives, the official
said. Coalition tolls are often higher than tallies from Iraqi hospitals.
Earlier, health ministry rep Jamal Ani told AFP that 85 people died
and 320 were wounded in attacks in 5 cities around the country.
World a safer place despite Iraq attacks: Bush
[And despite "corrected" 2003 report on world terror].
Washington (AFP). US Pres George W Bush insists that the world is
becoming a safer place despite a spate of deadly attacks in Iraq and
elsewhere in the Middle East. "I do believe the world is a safer
place and becoming a safer place," he told Irish public television
RTE. Asked about the mounting death toll in Iraq, Mr Bush commented:
"Nobody cares more about the deaths than I do." His comments came
after insurgents unleashed a wave of apparently coordinated attacks
across Iraq, leaving at least 100 people dead just 6 days from the
hand over of power to an interim Iraqi Govt. But Mr Bush said: "I
wouldn't be doing this, I wouldn't have made the decisions I did if I
didn't think the world would be better. "The idea is to promote
freedom and at the same protect our security."
Allawi vows to crush militants as death toll rises
Desperate acts: Mr Allawi is vowing to crush the militants.
Baghdad (AFP/Reuters). Iraq's interim Prime Min is vowing to crush
foreign Islamic militants and remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime, who
he blames for attacks that have killed as many as 100 people.
US coalition officials say that in a coordinated series of attacks
overnight, militants have killed 8 people and 15 wounded in Ramadi.
Between 20 to 30 insurgents have been killed in Baquba, and 62 people
have been killed and 220 wounded in Mosul.
A military official says another 2 or 3 people have been killed in
Baghdad after a man detonated a suitcase of explosives.
3 US soldiers have also been killed in the attacks, which are some of
the boldest in the insurgents' bloody campaign.
Prime Min Iyad Allawi is playing down the assaults as the desperate
acts of ragtag militants, who know their days are numbered.
"These are isolated incidents. We are going face them and we are going
to defeat them and we are going to crush them," Mr Allawi said.
"We have been expecting this escalation and we are expecting more
escalation in the days ahead."
A group headed by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who the US
links to Al Qaeda, has purportedly claimed responsibility for the
violence in a statement on the Internet.
It is thought the bombings are being staged to sabotage the formal US
hand over to Iraqi rule in 6 days time.
Mr Allawi says he believes Ansar al-Islam, a group linked to Zarqawi,
is behind the bombings in Mosul.
But he blames Baathists loyal to Saddam for attacks in Ramadi and Baquba.
"Zarqawi has proven himself to be a coward. He is hiding and he is
trying to hit and hurt the Iraqi people," Mr Allawi said.
"We are not going to allow this to continue. We have one route only,
the route of victory."
* On the rampage
The PM is urging the Iraqi people not to harbour insurgents.
"They are becoming more and more isolated, more and more disturbed and
more and more distressed and that is why they have been going on the
rampage to try and inflict damage on Iraq," Mr Allawi said.
Zarqawi, whose group has claimed responsibility for many attacks in
Iraq including the beheading of a S Korean hostage, earlier threatened
to assassinate Mr Allawi.
The US has offered a $US10 mn reward for Zarqawi's capture.
"We don't think these attacks were coordinated," Mr Allawi said.
"The attacks were cowardly acts committed by criminals, hypocrites,
infidels, who are trying to inflict damage on the Iraqi people and to
undermine the democratic process we are moving towards."
Mr Allawi's Govt takes over when the US-led occupation formally ends
on June 30, but a multinat'l force of more than 160,000 mostly US
troops will stay on to support it.
Iraq's fledgling security forces, the main target of the violence, are
crucial to the new Govt's prospects for imposing order after the hand over.
US bombing raids target Fallujah, Baquba
Baghdad. US warplanes have dropped 14 bombs in air strikes against
insurgents in the cities of Fallujah and Baquba on one of the
heaviest days of fighting in Iraq since Apr.
Brig Gen David Rodriguez says F-16 fighters and AV-8B attack
aircraft have been called in for close air support by US troops
fighting insurgents on the eastern outskirts of Fallujah and by a
quick reaction force ambushed in Baquba.
He says US aircraft dropped ten bombs in the Fallujah fighting alone,
and 4 more in Baquba.
A dozen of them are 500-pound laser-guided bombs, and 2 are
satellite-guided 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMS).
Gen Rodriguez says there has been "very, very small collateral damage."
"The buildings they were targeting were the ones where former regime
elements were, and they were confident there weren't any [civilians]
in there," he said.
The fighting in Baquba began with an attack on an Iraqi police
patrol, which then drew in US troops in support, and finally a quick
reaction force.
"That's when the QRF [quick reaction force] came under attack from
several buildings in an ambush and that's when they responded with the
aircraft," he said.
Iran warns against further border incursions
Tehran. Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Guards have warned W nations
they will not show clemency the next time Brit or American troops
stationed in Iraq cross into Iranian territory. The warning follows
Iran's decision to hand over 8 Brit servicemen who mistakenly crossed
a maritime border separating Iraq from SW Iran. The Brit Govt has
hailed their release as a triumph of diplomacy but Iran's
Revolutionary Guards say they are not prepared to show clemency if the
incursion is repeated. The Brit For Sec has expressed his thanks to
Tehran for ensuring the men were looked after during their detention.
It has been revealed that soon after their capture, the Revolutionary
Guards allowed the 8 to watch England's Euro 2004 soccer game against
Croatia to boost morale.
Anti-war passions flare in S Korea
Seoul (AFP). Anti-war passions flared as S Korean activists vowed to
block the dispatch of more troops to Iraq and the govt banned a video
of the beheading of a Korean nat'l.
South Koreans were angered by the killing of 33-yo hostage Kim Sun-Il
by his captors after Pres Roh Moo-Hyun refused their demand to cancel
the deployment of more than 3,000 extra South Korean troops to Iraq in Aug.
A candlelit vigil in central Seoul, which has become a daily routine
since the govt announced the troops' deployment last Fri, drew some
300 protesters who chanted: "No war, no deployment".
Pro- and anti-war demonstrators took to the streets of Seoul and
anti-war groups said they would stage mass rallies on Sat in cities
across the country.
"We will stage an all-out struggle by our members to stop the dispatch
of troops," said the umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
which groups some 500,000 workers.
Pilots at S Korea's 2 commercial airlines, Korean Air and Asiana, said
in a statement they would boycott flights carrying troops or equipment
to Iraq.
South Korea agreed last y to a US request to deploy troops in support
of the US-led coalition in Iraq, a decision ratified by parliament in Feb.
Analysts said the killing of Kim further polarised the country between
anti-US opponents of the war and pro-US supporters.
"Opp'n to the war and the troop dispatch will grow," said political
science professor Lee Chung-Min at Hankook University of Foreign Studies.
But there was no going back for Roh, who would compromise his
leadership if he reversed the troop decision, Lee said.
On Thu, pro-US activists torched a portrait of Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi,
the al-Qaeda linked militant who leads the group that beheaded Kim.
Anti-Arab sentiment was also apparent as police stepped up security to
protect S Korea's small community of around 30,000 Muslims after some
40 callers threatened to blow up Seoul's main mosque.
The anger of the anti-war activists focused on the govt for standing
firm on the troop dispatch instead of bowing to the militants' demand,
with some directing their rage at the foreign ministry, accusing it of
bungling the attempt to free Kim.
South Korea's Nat'l Assembly held a hearing into the handling of the
failed release effort amid reports here that diplomats had been
informed of Kim's abduction earlier than previously acknowledged.
Media reports said Kim was abducted on May 31, rather than June 15,
and that diplomats were informed before militants issued their demands
through al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite news channel, on Sun.
The foreign ministry initially said it knew nothing of the kidnapping
until it saw the al-Jazeera broadcast.
Kim's body was found on a road W of Baghdad on Tue after his beheading
by militants belonging to the Tawhid wa al-Jihad [Unification and Holy
War] group led by Zarqawi and blamed by Washington for a long list of
attacks in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Seeking to cool passions, the S Korean govt said it would punish Internet
service providers who showed graphic video footage of the beheading.
The Ministry of Info and Communication shut down a local website
showing images of the killing late Wed, Yonhap news agency said.
A video showing Kim before the killing was aired by al-Jazeera.
The network did not show the beheading, saying the scene could cause
anguish for viewers.
N Korea threatening nuclear test: report
Delegates shake hands as talks open
Beijing (Reuters). North Korea has threatened to test a nuclear
device if the United States does not accept its proposal to freeze its
nuclear programs in exchange for compensation, Bush Admin officials claim.
The officials, who asked not to be named, said the threat was made on
Thu in a two-hr meeting between US Assistant Secretary of State James
Kelly and N Korean officials on the sidelines of 6-nation talks in
Beijing designed to find a way to end N Korea's suspected nuclear
weapons programs.
The officials noted that officials from the isolated, communist nation
have made similar threats in the past.
"In the course of that discussion, the N Koreans made a reference to
testing and they made it as part of an argument why we should accept
their proposal right away," said one Bush Admin official. "It was a
fairly transparent ploy."
This official said that the bulk of the meeting, which he described as
"thorough and serious", covered a US proposal floated on Wed to allow
other nations to supply energy aid to N Korea if it agreed to the
complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of its suspected
nuclear programs.
The 6-party talks in Beijing include N and S Korea, the US, China,
Japan and Russia.
Israelis raid homes in Nablus
Nablus (AP). Hundreds of Israeli soldiers blew open doors with
grenades, rifled through closets and rounded up residents in search of
fugitives and bomb labs in Nablus' old city -- the largest army
operation in the militant stronghold in over a year.
Soldiers sealed the old city with cement blocks and barbed wire to
lock in militants, and imposed a strict curfew. The military said
"Operation Full Court Press" would last several days.
Soldiers handed out leaflets explaining that they are looking for 7
men, most from the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group with
ties to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.
Earlier in the week, an 18-yo from Nablus, recruited by Al Aqsa to
blow himself up in Jerusalem, was caught at an Israeli checkpoint, and
soldiers later found his explosives hidden in a school bag. The army
said the raid was triggered, in part, by that arrest.
The Nablus leader of Al Aqsa, Nayef Abu Sharikh, was among those on
the wanted list. His mother, Dahieh, said soldiers burst into her home
looking for her son. "They were shouting, cursing," she said. "They
damaged closets, threw all the things inside on the floor."
Also, Palestinian PM Ahmed Qurie condemned the US House of
Representatives for overwhelmingly affirming US Pres George W Bush's
declaration in Apr that Israel cannot be expected to withdraw from all
of the W Bank.
"Endorsement of Israeli settlements [in the W Bank] would reverse 30 y
of US foreign policy," Qurie said in a statement, adding that the
resolution contradicts the US-backed "road map" peace plan.
In the Gaza Strip, 2 armed Palestinians were killed by Israeli army
fire early on Thu as they approached an army outpost in what militants
said was a failed attack on the nearby settlement of Dugit.
The Nablus operation began with jeeps and bulldozers driving into the
old city, or Casbah, and imposing a curfew. Soldiers sealed streets to
prevent fugitives from getting away.
Nareman Khader, 76, said she and her family were woken up by loud
explosions and soldiers burst into the apartment building. "They made
all the residents of the building wait in the first-floor apartment,
about 25 people in all. They searched everything and after about 2 hr,
they left after checking the men's ID cards," she said.
Troops briefly exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen. 2 Palestinians
were wounded. During searches, troops found a belt with 20 kg of
explosives, the army said.
Soldiers blew up the belt in a controlled explosion, damaging the
house in which it was found, the army said. Troops also found a
roadside bomb at a junction and detonated it.
Nablus Governor Mahmoud Aloul said troops were shooting and blowing up
doors and rounding up residents and taking them for questioning to 2
makeshift command centres. "Apparently it is a long operation," he said.
Maj Sharon Feingold, an army rep, said the main target were Al Aqsa
militants. In recent weeks, troops have rounded up several Nablus
teens who told interrogators they had been recruited as suicide
bombers by militants in the Casbah.
Palestinian officials said no major fugitives were captured.
Many Palestinian suicide bombers have come from Nablus, the W Bank's
largest city. Fighting between troops and militants in Nablus has been
especially fierce during nearly 4 y of violence.
In Washington, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved
a bill Wed backing Bush's support for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
and his suggestion that under a final peace deal Israel can keep large
W Bank settlements, and refuse to allow Palestinian refugees to
resettle in Israel. The Senate was expected to hold a similar vote Thu.
Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the W Bank and
Gaza -- lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war -- and demand
the removal of all settlements.
Dov Weisglass, a top Sharon adviser, called the congressional votes
"one of the most important days in Israel-US relations."
But Qurie said the resolution raised questions about the US' ability
to act as an honest broker in the conflict.
Clinton takes on his demons but avoids the ones inside
Op/Ed (USA Today). Bill Clinton bounded back into the nation's
consciousness this wk, hawking his memoirs, sharing his "demons" and
seeking to reclaim his place on the nat'l political stage.
Yet after more than 3 y, a $10-mn advance and 957 pages to reflect on
his life, Clinton remains the flawed figure who left the Whitehouse in 2001.
If My Life is the 42nd president's stab at public redemption, he'll
need more time to work on it.
Like the character who emerges from his memoirs, the same old Clinton
took to the talk-show circuit all this wk: politically astute,
ethically challenged and passionately divisive. He fascinates and
infuriates Americans, who approve of the job he did more than of the
person he is, according to a Washington Post /ABC News Poll released
this wk. Conservative commentators bashed him, and some reviewers
panned his book. Yet, adoring fans showed up at midnight to be the 1st
in line when the book went on sale Tue morning.
The book reveals anew Clinton's signature "I didn't inhale" manner of
skirting the truth; he takes responsibility with one hand and casts it
off with the other.
Notably, Clinton admits in his book that his affair with Monica
Lewinsky was "immoral and foolish" and hurt his family, the presidency
and the American people. "That," he writes, "was no one's fault but my
own." Good as far as it goes. But in the next breath, he blames his
impeachment on a right-wing cabal led by prosecutor Ken Starr bent on
bringing him down.
While Clinton writes that he is learning forgiveness, he eagerly takes
jabs at Starr and other Republican enemies on the US Supreme Court and
in Congress.
He overlooks the central fact about his impeachment: It was not about
infidelity, but lying under oath and to the American people.
In ducking full responsibility for his downfall, Clinton is not unlike
predecessors who failed to repaint tainted presidencies. Such accounts,
historian Richard Norton Smith says, are "faulty vehicles" for
rewriting history.
Herbert Hoover tried to absolve himself of responsibility for the
Depression. Richard Nixon sought to bury Watergate, but never owned up
to the depths of his involvement in the scandal. In fact, his take on
his undoing was eerily similar to Clinton's.
"I brought myself down," Nixon told TV interviewer David Frost in 1977.
"I gave them a sword, and they stuck it in, and they twisted it with relish."
The difference for Clinton is that when he left office, he was 54, the
youngest ex-president since Teddy Roosevelt. That means he has decades
to build a new career and reputation through actions as well as words.
To do that, he might look to Jimmy Carter. A lacklustre, one-term
president, Carter has turned into a more admired figure in retirement.
He has travelled the world to settle disputes, captured the Nobel Peace
Prize and exemplified a quiet human dignity.
But before Clinton tries to change the world for the better, he has to
work on some changes that can come only from within.
Scotland to send preserved Maori heads to NZ
Glasgow (AFP). 3 preserved Maori heads stashed way in a Scottish
museum for almost a century will be sent back to NZ, local officials
in Glasgow have decided.
The tattooed heads, known as "toi moko", have been kept under lock and
key at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for decades, and have never
gone on public display.
Councillors on the 37-member Glasgow cultural and leisure services
committee decided to send back the heads and a leg bone after a
request from the Te Papa Tongarewa museum in NZ's capital Wellington.
The 1st head was purchased in 1906 from James Conrad Cross, from
Liverpool, who ran a menagerie and later went on to become mayor of
the N English city.
One of Cross's relatives owned a curiosity show, historians say, and
he may have obtained it from there.
The other 2 heads were donated to Glasgow in 1951 by Archibald Shanks,
a professional chemist and amateur natural historian.
The leg bone of a Maori warrior chief killed in 1790 turned up in 1936
after a Scottish soldier, Maj Robert Walter Mellish, donated a large
number of Maori items to Glasgow's museums.
His uncle George Mellish lived in S Island from 1858 to 1881 and
fought in the Maori wars, when it is thought he collected the bone.
Magistrates Court head to replace Nicholson
Canberra. The Fed Govt has chosen the head of the fed Magistrates
Court to replace the outspoken Chief Justice of the Family Court,
Alistair Nicholson. Diana Bryant has led the fed Magistrates Court
since it was set up in 2000. Ms Bryant has a solid background in
family law and has overseen a relatively smooth beginning for the fed
Magistrates Court. She will replace Alistair Nicholson early next m,
a man who has frequently annoyed the Govt with his outspoken views.
Michael Foster, from the Law Council of AUS, says the new Chief
Justice will be a staunch defender of the court but will put her own
stamp on the job. "Chief Justice Nicholson saw his role in a
particular way and it may be that Diana Bryant sees her role as
slightly different, only time will tell," he said. Justice John
Faulks, who has been with the Family Court for 10 y, has been
appointed as the Deputy Chief Justice.
Priest arrested on sex charges after deportation
Melbourne. Catholic priest Frank Klep has been arrested at MEL
Airport in relation to indecent assault charges from 1998. Klep had
been formally charged by police with 5 counts of indecent assault
before he moved to Samoa 6 y ago. The Samoan Govt has deported him
because he failed to disclose details of matters relating to his
background in AUS. He flew back this morning and was arrested by
Sexual Crime Squad detectives. He is expected to appear in the MEL
Magistrates Court today. Father Ian Murdoch, the Provincial of the
Salesians, says Klep has returned to defend himself against the
charges. He says the order will fully cooperate with police.
Vaile confident Labor will pass FTA laws
Over the 1st hurdle: The free trade bill has been passed by the Lower House.
Canberra. Trade Min Mark Vaile is hopeful Labor will back legislation
to implement a free trade agreement with the US in the Upper House,
after the bill cleared its 1st parliamentary hurdle last night. The
House of Representatives last night passed the bills with Labor's
support. Only the 3 Independents and the Greens MP opposed the trade
deal. Mr Vaile says the legislation has undergone intense scrutiny.
"It has been analysed and forensically scrutinised in detail since we
concluded the negotiations in early Feb this y," he said. "For 3 or 4
m we've had the text tabled, it's been out in the public arena. "It's
been poured over by everybody in both the public arena, in the
Parliament, the House and the Senate." The Opp'n says it will not
decide whether it will support the bills in the Senate until a
parliamentary inquiry hands down its findings in mid-Aug.
Rio seeks new ore sources after $15 bn deal
The deal is worth $15 bn over the next 10 y.
Sydney. Rio Tinto has signed AUS's biggest iron ore deal with Chinese
steel mills, worth about $15 bn at current prices. Under the deal,
Rio's Hamersley Iron and Robe River Iron companies will supply more
than 40 mn tonnes of ore during the next 10 years. The latest deal
brings total future exports to China to 85 mn tonnes and ties up the
existing capacity of Rio Tinto's operations in the Pilbara in NW W
AUS. The managing director of the company's Pilbara operations, David
Smith, says feasibility studies are already underway to ascertain
where future iron ore supplies will come from. "We have to open up
new mines at an expanding rate because even at 120 mn tonnes of
Hamersley expansion a year, you're churning through iron ore deposits
at a fair rate," he said. "We need to have a very well thought out
strategy for opening and bringing on new mines in the Pilbara region."
Govt ignoring housing crisis: ACOSS
ACOSS claims the Govt is ignoring the affordable housing crisis.
Canberra. The Aussie Council of Social Service (ACOSS) says
low-income families are facing a crisis in affordable housing that the
Fed Govt is choosing to ignore.
The claim comes as one of the country's peak homelessness groups,
Aussie Federation of Homelessness Organisations, launches its latest
campaign highlighting the problem in AUS.
ACOSS has released the results of a survey of 99 Govt-funded housing
services across AUS.
It finds that at least one in 3 people seeking housing assistance is
turned away.
Earlier this week, the Productivity Commission called for an inquiry
into low-income housing needs as one of the findings of its inquiry
into 1st home ownership.
However, the Fed Govt rejected the suggestion.
ACOSS deputy president Sue Ham says unions, the housing industry and
community groups will hold their own summit to discuss the growing
crisis of housing affordability.
"There's a nat'l housing summit that's been called by a very broad
coalition of interests that will be in CBR early next wk," she said.
"That summit is going to be starting to examine some of the problems
as all parts of the industry look at it, but also come up with some
viable solutions."
Meanwhile, the Aussie Federation of Homelessness Organisations has
launched its 'Come Inside' program.
Rep Jack Quinane says it reminds Aussies there are 100,000 homeless
people nationwide and one 3rd of those are children.
He says more needs to be done to help Qld's 25,000 homeless people.
"Qld is one of the states that is yet to fund and develop a state-wide
strategy for homelessness," he said.
"We've got 4 states that have already done so.
"The most recent is S AUS where they've committed $20 mn over 5 y and
a commitment by the Prem to reduce homelessness by 50%.
"We'd love to see a response like that from the Qld Govt."
Talks fail to ease Qantas move concerns
Qantas plans to move 400 jobs offshore.
Sydney. Talks with Qantas management have failed to ease union
concerns about pay and conditions at the airline's planned London base.
Unions representing flight attendants fear that the overseas-based
jobs will offer lower pay and conditions.
Qantas says the plan to move workers off shore will save the company
$18 mn a year.
Last night unions met with Qantas representatives to discuss their concerns.
ACTU snr industrial officer Richard Watts says some progress was made
during the talks, which he described as amicable.
He believes Qantas is open to talks.
"We recognise that the company has a right to make savings where it
can make savings," he said.
"What we're suggesting to the company is that this is not the right
way to go and that there are other ways to achieve savings."
Mr Watts says the unions are concerned that staff employed overseas
will not enjoy the same conditions as their Aussie counterparts.
"The other reason that they're putting people overseas is to reduce
their terms and conditions, to pay them less.
"We're saying it's outrageous and that if you want to pay Third World
conditions then you're going to get Third World service."
Commonwealth Bank staff to strike
CBA staff claim branches are understaffed.
Sydney. Commonwealth Bank staff are planning to hold a nationwide
24-hour strike next Fri. The Finance Sector Union says members are
taking the action because the bank has rejected their claim for
improved workplace conditions and a new enterprise bargaining
agreement. The union says staff want a pay offer that brings CBA
employees in line with industry colleagues. Nat'l assistant secretary
Sharron Caddie says a recent survey also found chronic under-staffing
throughout workplaces. "One in 3 workplaces are understaffed, one in
5 workplaces can't access relief when they need it," she said. "In
every workplace staff report to having to work additional hours or
skip their break in order to provide service and do their work in a day."
PM warns water agreement must be reached
The country's state and territory leaders are meeting to discuss water
management.
Canberra. The state and territory leaders are in CBR today for a
meeting with Prime Min John Howard to discuss a nat'l approach to
water conservation and usage.
The Fed Govt wants a nat'l strategy to restore healthy flows to rivers
around the nation, and tighten regulations on water users.
The states are already squabbling over who should pay but Mr Howard
has warned the leaders they must agree on an outcome and he thinks
today's meeting is the biggest test of federalism since he has been in office.
"This is a nat'l problem, it requires a nat'l solution and it
challenges the working of the cooperative federalist system to see if we
can achieve that outcome," he said.
Qld Prem Peter Beattie says he wants his state to receive a fair share
of fed funds from the water strategy.
"We're not trying to be unreasonable here," he said.
"We lead AUS in water management and the Murray Darling, while we have
some involvement in it, it's largely outside of Qld so we've got
separate clearly the Murray Darling issues from water reform."
However SA Prem Mike Rann says he hopes agreement can be reached on
measures to save the Murray River.
"Tomorrow is D-Day for the River Murray, we reached substantial amount
of agreement last year, now's the time to actually sign up and stop
the arguing and stop the debate and actually get moving on rescuing
the River Murray," he said.
Also on today's agenda is counter terrorism, including tougher
regulations for users of ammonium nitrate fertiliser to reduce the
risk of it being used by terrorists and road and rail security.
Indigenous issues and health reform will also be discussed.
"Rivers D-day" arrives as COAG meets
D-day: Some sticking points remain on a deal to overhaul water use.
Canberra. The states are demanding a big injection of funds from the
Commonwealth, as part of any nat'l water agreement.
The PM has described the issue, which is dominating today's Council of
Aussie Govts (COAG) meeting, as "make or break" for the federation.
John Howard says this is a historic meeting.
"It requires the spirit of putting the nat'l interest ahead local
interest," he said.
"It requires people to recognise rivers flow across state borders."
After a night of last minute negotiations on a nat'l system of water
rights, the leaders are hopeful of deal.
However, there are sticking points, including concerns too much money
is going to the Murray River.
South Aussie Prem Mike Rann says his priority this morning is to
convince the states not linked to the Murray that it is the first
issue of the day.
The meeting is expected to endorse the $500 mn plan that will see an
extra 500 GL of water flow through the Murray River.
Mr Rann also wants the meeting to agree to another 1,000 GL release of
water in the long-term to return the river to reasonable health.
"The River Murray doesn't flow through W AUS," he said.
"It doesn't flow through Tas or the N Territory.
"What I'm trying to do is to say, 'OK, let's just today see the River
Murray... let's deal with that first."
* Outstanding issues
The issue of who should pay compensation for farmers forced to give up
water is also yet to be resolved.
Deputy PM John Anderson has spent m trying to broker a deal to improve
river flows, tougher regulations for water users and increased
investment in water technology and storage.
Qld has already indicated it is unhappy with the negotiations but Mr
Anderson is hopeful there will be an outcome today.
"With 80% of the Aussie people, I think, in water
restrictions, Aussies expect us to get a nat'l solution," he said.
Peter Corish, from the Nat'l Farmers Federation (NFF), is appealed for
politics to be put aside.
"Today we're asking for govts... to make a decision that will ensure
water security for Aussie farmers for the next 50 y to come," he said.
* State interests
Mr Howard is optimistic the leaders will reach agreement, as are some
state leaders.
NSW Prem Bob Carr says a historic agreement on water is possible.
"I am in favour of a bold 100-y plan to wind back the over allocation
of water to irrigation and to restore the environmental flows," he said.
Qld Prem Peter Beattie insists he is sympathetic to a plan to rescue
the ailing Murray river.
"One of the things that has to come out of here today is agreement on
the Murray Darling and I fully support the Prem of SA in that we want
to see that happen," he said.
"There are 2 issues here, one is the Murray Darling and the other is
the broader issue of water agreements and we obviously want to see
money on the table."
Like Mr Beattie, Vic Prem Steve Bracks also wants to see the money.
Mr Bracks is demanding his state receive at least $100 mn from the
Commonwealth under any new nat'l water agreement.
"We have the Wimmera-Mallee pipeline, we have other key projects in
the Gippsland area," he said.
"That's a $500 mn dollar fund for the nation.
"Now, if that's not on the table today, what is the Commonwealth
bringing in a nat'l water initiative?"
WA Prem Geoff Gallop is also demanding the needs of his state not be
overlooked.
"We need to understand that the federation doesn't stop at Ceduna, it
should go all the way to the Indian Ocean and W AUS has real water
issues," he said.
"We want those W AUS water issues on the agenda so if we are going to
have a genuine nat'l approach to this issue, the interests and needs
of W Aussie have to be on the table."
Bracks pushes water conservation policy
The countries state and territory leaders are meeting to discuss water
management.
[Adapted from a report by Heather Ewart on '7.30 Report'].
Melbourne. As the fed and state govts meet for their water summit,
Vic Prem Steve Bracks has introduced a radical water conservation policy.
And he has reason to be confident he has struck the right balance,
because he has gained the backing of everyone from farmers to
environmentalists.
The Vic Govt's radical plan aims to secure water supplies over the
next 50 y, and everyone pays a price.
City consumers face permanent water restrictions and higher water
bills to help rescue ailing rivers and subsidise farmers, who will
give up some of their water rights for the environment.
Vic Prem Steve Bracks says his state is the 1st to put its cards on
the table, to say where the state's water is coming from and what the
Govt will provide.
It was an historic deal -- 12 m in the making involving farmers,
business, environmentalists, scientists, and water providers and users.
This was consensus-style govt that bore fruit, with all participants
praising the results.
The Aussie Conservation Society's Tim Fisher says it is a wonderful
package.
"We're thrilled about it. It's delivered a whole range of reforms that
really promise a great deal for the environment," he said.
Paul Weller, of the Vic Farmers Federation, is also happy.
"It was a case of everyone recognising why the environment was calling
for water, the economic viability of Vic had to be maintained at the
same time," he said.
But both admit it hasn't all been smooth sailing.
"I thumped the table a few times," Mr Weller said.
"There were certainly stages in this process I thought it would go off
the rails but it hasn't," Mr Fisher said.
The University of CBR's Professor Peter Cullen says the statement puts
AUS at the forefront of 21st century water management, and he looks
forward to the impact it will have around AUS and elsewhere.
The centrepiece of the agreement is to restore river flows, especially
for the Murray, which will see the return of 169 bn litres after
irrigators agreed to give up 20% of their water in return for secure
water rights and improved irrigation systems.
Vic Water Min John Thwaites says rivers are the lifeblood of our
communities.
"They're the basis for the water that we get to drink, the water that
we get to use on our farms. If they're not healthy we're not healthy,"
he said.
He says security was the key to persuading farmers to hand back
irrigation water for the Murray.
"Farmers want 2 things -- they want to ensure that any water that goes
into the river does cause a real benefit, and they want certainty in
their water rights," he said.
"We've done both in this case."
MEL is set for a big culture change, with the Govt setting a target to
cut water use in the city by 15% per person by 2010.
Not only are city consumers in for permanent water restrictions but
from now on they will have higher water bills -- an average increase
of about $25 a y to help pay for the Govt's $225 mn reform package.
Not all of them are taking this on the chin, especially in the
exclusive suburb of Toorak renowned for its large mansions and lush gardens.
Some have suggested more dams could be built, but Mr Thwaites says
this isn't the answer.
"New dams don't create any more water, they take it from somewhere
else," he said.
"That means taking it from rivers like the Yarra which is already stressed."
Toorak is close to the bottom of the Govt's publicised list of good
and bad water-saving suburbs, but the inner-city and some less
affluent suburbs are scoring better.
Yarra City Council mayor Kay Meadows says her community is ready for
bigger sacrifices.
"Anecdotally, we believe we're seeing people making more use of grey
water, using buckets for catching rain water and those sorts of
things, and they're doing it off their own initiative," she said.
"I think this community will cope fine with that."
Now the State Govt begins its sales pitch including warnings that from
mid-next y all new homes also have to have water-efficient plumbing
and a rainwater tank or a solar hot water system.
But the more immediate campaign is reserved for fellow Labor states
and the Commonwealth at the Council of Aussie Govt (COAG) meeting in CBR.
Mr Thwaites says he hopes to see water flowing down the Murray in the
very short term.
"I hope that our plan to put extra water into the Murray will be
approved and we can get on delivering that and not get stuck in some
long-winded bureaucratic process," he said.
Mr Fisher says COAG should not settle for a short-term political fix
that sounds nice but delivers little.
However, there is no clear sign that all states are ready to embrace
Vic's blueprint.
States sign up to water deal
State and territory leaders have agreed to a nat'l water plan.
Canberra. AUS's political leaders have agreed on a nat'l water plan
during 3 hours of talks at the Council of Aussie Govts (COAG) meeting
in CBR.
Western AUS has refused to sign up to the deal between the fed, state
and territory govts.
NSW Prem Bob Carr said wetlands would be reinstated and red gums saved
under the $500 mn plan covering the Murray Darling basin and other
water initiatives.
"We are now committed to a ten-y plan," he said.
He said no extra money had been allocated.
SA Prem Mike Rann went into the meeting seeking a long term commitment
to restoring the Murray River.
He described the agreement as a good start towards a long-term rescue
of the Murray River.
"Ultimately we're going to need 1,500 GL to restore the river
Murray, but the rescue of the river Murray started today and we're
very pleased to be able to sign that agreement today," Mr Rann said.
"We were obviously hoping the Fed Govt would commit to more, but SA
has had a big win over the river Murray."
WA and Qld wanted a wider agreement.
Qld Prem Peter Beattie says there is not a lot in the agreement that
is specific to Qld.
"There is not a lot in it for us, but we are a part of AUS and we need
to do this," Mr Beattie said.
"We will want to insure out of this agreement there are significant
water programs for Qld, but there are no doubts that the agreements
are in the nat'l interest, that's why we have signed."
WA was unhappy with the deal and there were heated exchanges between
the Prime Min and the WA Prem.
Geoff Gallop argued there is nothing in it for his state.
The deal features a Living Murray Initiative and a Nat'l Water Strategy.
It includes secure water access entitlements, the progressive removal
of barriers to trade in water and a Nat'l Water Commission -- with
3 fed and 3 state representatives overseen by an independent chair.
After 2014, when water entitlements are reduced for environmental
reasons, farmers will bear only 3% of the cost.
The Commonwealth will then pay the next 2%, with the states kicking in 1%.
Khazal bail ruling earns govts' wrath
The NSW Police Min says he is concerned that a SYD terrorism suspect
remains on bail.
Sydney. In the Supreme Court yesterday, Justice Greg James formally
dismissed an appeal against the bail granted to 34-yo Lakemba man
Bilal Khazal.
In continuing the bail, Justice James imposed strict reporting and
monitoring conditions on Khazal and increased the surety on his bail.
Khazal's wife's parents have offered their house as surety.
Police Min John Watkins says he is disappointed with the decision.
"I'm very disturbed that anyone charged with a terrorist offence
should be able to get bail, but I understand that in this case certain
limitations have been placed on bail," he said.
"It's important that we get this matter to court as quickly as
possible so that we can determine the guilt or innocence of this
particular person."
The NSW Govt changed state laws to create a presumption against bail
for people charged with terrorism offences after Khazal was granted
bail earlier this m.
Fed A-G Philip Ruddock has criticised the NSW Govt over the decision.
Mr Ruddock says the changes to the laws on bail for those charged with
terrorism offences do not go far enough.
"If NSW had adopted the same standard that we have sought to introduce
into the Commonwealth law -that is bail in terrorist offences would
only be granted in exceptional circumstances, the same standard that
applies for murder cases -- we might have seen a different result in
this particular matter," he said.
But NSW A-G Bob Debus says Mr Ruddock's comments are "stunningly
hypocritical" because the Commonwealth's legislation failed to deal
with the bail issue.
"We moved within a single day to remedy that error in our own
Parliament by reversing the onus of proof in bail matters," he said.
"Now all the Commonwealth can say when they haven't yet passed bail
laws of their own in this respect, all they can say is that we should
have passed our Act in a slightly different fashion, pretty stunning."
Robbers force 100 restaurant patrons to the floor
Police are investigating an armed robbery in a restaurant in SYD's
inner-west yesterday evening.
Sydney. About 9.00 pm 3 men confronted a man in a car park in
Norton Street in Leichhardt. They were armed with handguns and a
steel bar, and they smashed the window of the man's car. They then
forced him inside a nearby restaurant. The 3 men, all with their
heads covered, ordered about 100 of the patrons inside the restaurant
to lie on the floor. They demanded money and left the restaurant with
a sum of cash. No one was injured. Senior Constable Paul Bugden says
police are still searching for the men. "The men have then left the
restaurant in a blue BMW and were last seen on Norton Street towards
Allan Street Leichhardt," he said. "Detectives from Leichhardt are at
the scene and inquiries are continuing."
Abbott dismisses health funding overhaul calls
Canberra. Fed Health Min Tony Abbott has dismissed a proposal by the
Labor premiers and chief ministers for a complete overhaul of AUS's
health funding arrangements. The state and territory leaders detailed
the plan in a letter to the PM on Wed, suggesting funding reform is
essential to avoid administrative waste. They insisted that the issue
be put on the agenda at today's Council of Aussie Govts (COAG) meeting
in CBR. COAG is expected to discuss health funding but Mr Abbott says
the health system is working well. "The Govt has a very clear
position on health -- don't mess with Medicare," he said. "Labor, by
contrast, keeps talking about reforming the health system and the
Aussie public are entitled to know exactly what changes they want to make."
WA not a nuclear dump: Gallop
Canberra (AAP). The Fed Govt has been warned WA is not a backup
destination for a nuclear waste dump, after a court decision scuttled
a plan to build a facility in S AUS's outback.
The Full Court of the Fed Court set aside the Commonwealth compulsory
acquisition of land nr Woomera in SA's north, which was slated for a
low-level nuclear waste dump.
Fed Science Min Peter McGauran said the govt would probably appeal the
case to the High Court, but was also considering ["]other options["].
But WA Prem Geoff Gallop has warned any consideration of WA as a
possible site would be met with fierce opp'n.
"WA is a clean and green state and this will not be compromised by a
Fed Govt intent on offloading its nuclear waste in our backyard," Dr
Gallop said.
Dr Gallop also said the state had "legislated to ensure it was not
viewed as a potential dumping ground for other people's dangerous
waste" by amending WA's Nuclear Waste Storage Prohibition Act earlier
this y.
The act -- which prohibits the construction and operation of a nuclear
waste storage facility for any radioactive material -- was extended to
cover all nuclear waste, whether generated in AUS or overseas.
Public schools funds miniscule: ACTU
Brisbane. Aussie Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) leader Sharan Burrow
has criticised the Fed Govt's increase in education funding as
inadequate for public schools. She has addressed the Qld Teachers
Union conference in Bris today. Earlier this wk, the PM announced $31
bn in funding for Aussie schools providing they met several
conditions, including having a functioning flag pole. Ms Burrow says
the Govt's main priority in education is private schools. "The fed
money for public schools is miniscule by comparison with a 200%
increase for wealthy schools," she said. "What you've got is a
situation where the Govt has all but wiped its hands of public schools
in AUS."
Students outraged over textbook subsidy scrapping
Canberra. The Nat'l Union of Students (NUS) claims it will cost up to
an extra $100 a semester to buy textbooks from next m. Overnight,
Parliament voted to scrap the 10% textbook subsidy that had been in
place since the GST came into effect. NUS president Jodie Janse says
it shows the major political parties do not understand the needs of
students. "Students are struggling to afford the basic necessities of
life," she said. "We've outlined that in our submission to the
Student Income Support Inquiry. "This burden is only going to make it
harder for students."
Parliament to sit extra day before winter break
Canberra. Fed Parliament will sit today to pass a backlog of
legislation, leaving the Govt the option of calling an Aug election.
Parliament was due to rise yesterday for the 5-wk winter break, but
will sit an extra day to clear the "legislative decks". It will be
Parliament's final sitting day if an election is held in Aug. The
Democrats' leader, Andrew Bartlett, says the PM wants to have the
option of calling an Aug 7 poll. "There is no doubt that there's
extra urgency this time because they want to have the option open to
them to go to an early election if they wish," he said. Sen Bartlett
says it has been a case of "passing legislation by exhaustion", with
about 60 bills considered by the Senate over the past 7 sitting days.
One of those was a bill to increase the price of subsidised medicines.
It passed the Senate last night with Labor's support.
Sens reduce super fee cuts
Sens have forced the Govt to reduce its superannuation fee cuts.
Canberra. Key independent senators have struck a deal with the Fed
Govt to pass a package of superannuation measures through Parliament.
The changes give high income earners a cut in the superannuation
surcharge, but under the new deal that will not be as generous as the
Govt had wanted.
The original legislation proposed reduction in the surcharge to 7.5%.
Progressive Alliance Sen Meg Lees says that will now be reduced to 10%.
Sen Lees says the deal also creates Govt-funded co-contribution
incentives to boost the retirement savings of low income workers.
"For every dollar someone puts in a y they will put in $1.50, up to
the limit," she said.
"I think it is $1.50 until about $40,000 and then phases down until
the person's earning $58,000."
However, Democrats superannuation rep John Cherry says the package is unfair.
"I don't see why a person earning $100 or $200,000 a y gets a tax
break of 23.5 cents in the dollar on their super earnings but a person
on middle earnings on $30 to $40,000 gets a tax break of just 16.5
cents in the dollar," he said.
"I don't see why the earnings of high income earners in their
superannuation savings should be worth so much more than the earnings
of middle income earners."
Child bonus feeds SA poker machines: MP
Revenues rise: [anti gaming MP] Mr Xenophon says areas with high
numbers of children are reporting gambling increases.
Adelaide. An 80% increase in poker machine takings in SA in the past
wk is being linked with the Fed Govt's child bonus that was paid last
wk. No Pokies MP Nick Xenophon says since the $600 per child was paid
directly into parents' accounts, an extra $731,000 has been spent on
pokies. He says it is more disturbing that the problem was mostly in
the northern suburbs, where there are more children and therefore more
lump sum bonuses. Mr Xenophon says in areas such as Glenelg, where
there are fewer children, less has been spent. "Last night I spoke to
a pokies industry insider [and] he's told me that in some venues the
turnover has increased up to 80% in one day since the bonus has come
through," he said. "Overall in some venues he said he felt nauseated
that some money designated for kids was going to the pokies and that
is someone who makes the money in the industry."
Labor denies vote exposed FTA divisions
Canberra. The Fed Govt has used a Parliamentary vote on the free
trade agreement (FTA) with the US to claim the Opp'n is the most
divided it has been in 50 y.
But Labor MPs have laughed off the suggestion.
The Opp'n has agreed to allow the FTA legislation through the House of Reps.
However, it has reserved its final position until the matter has been
considered by the Senate later this y.
Liberal backbencher Andrew Southcott says just 15 Labor MPs turned up
to vote with the Govt to pass the deal in the house last night.
He says 41 abstained.
"This was the biggest fracturing of the Labor Party on the floor of
Parliament in 50 y," he said.
Labor concedes varying views exist in the party on the FTA but
front-bencher Julia Gillard denies that was evident in last night's vote.
"Well that's laughable nonsense," she said.
She says Labor just did not feel the need to call all its members into
the house to vote on the issue when the Govt already had the numbers.
Ms Gillard says political divisions are not restricted to Labor.
"I think they're pretty divided too," she said.
"If they're re-elected at the next election, who's going to be prime
minister, they can't even answer that question."
The Govt says Labor is just trying to divert attention from its own
internal problems.
Prime Min John Howard is again accusing the Opp'n leader is being
anti-American and lacking leadership.
PM John Howard says Mr Beazley -- the only Labor MP supporting the FTA
-- is providing the leadership lacking in Mark Latham.
"Kim Beazley is not obsessed with anti-Americanism, Kim Beazley knows
the long-term value of the American alliance," he said.
Police crack nat'l cattle duffing ring
The thefts rocked the cattle industry, which uses an honour system for
pick-ups.
Melbourne. Vic police have cracked a nat'l cattle duffing ring,
tracking stock worth close to a $1/4 mn from Vic to outback Qld.
Police have charged a man from Dubbo in W NSW with stealing around
$200,000 worth of stock from 4 saleyards in Vic and NSW.
It is alleged the cattle were taken in brazen midnight raids at
Warrnambool, Colac, Cowra and Mudgee.
The raids shook the industry, which works on an honesty system.
Yards are left unlocked for overnight pick-ups.
DSC Jamie Templeton, from the Warrnambool police, says that is under review.
"Obviously, we've got to have a look and see what other measures we
can put in place to stop these things from happening again," he said.
He says the cattle should be returned to their owners next wk.
"Yes we're very pleased and I guess if there was a best case scenario
after the thefts had taken place, this would be the best case
scenario," he said.
Vic police will travel to Qld this weekend to retrieve the stock.
Judge suspected of masturbating in court
Oklahoma City (Reuters). An Oklahoma state judge frequently
masturbated and used a device for enhancing erections while his court
was in session, charges a petition by the state's attorney general
seeking his removal.
Oklahoma A-G Drew Edmondson filed the petition on Wed with state
judicial authorities seeking the ouster of Sapulpa District Judge
Donald Thompson, 57, for "conduct constituting an offence involving
moral turpitude in violation of the Oklahoma Constitution,"
Edmondson's rep said on Thu.
The judge flatly denies the charges made in the petition, his lawyer,
Clark Brewster, said on Thu. He said the judge received a penis pump
for his 50th birthday as a gag gift, which became a source of a
running joke in the courthouse.
"The allegations are bizarre and preposterous," Brewster said.
"Recently, some members of local law enforcement that are upset with a
number of his rulings, used this situation to embarrass and attack him."
The judge, who was 1st elected to the bench more than 20 y ago in the
state's nonpartisan judicial elections, is based about 130 km NE of
Oklahoma City.
In the petition, the A-G charged Thompson used a penis pump, a device
billed as providing sexual pleasure and promising better erections and
larger penis size, during trials and exposed himself to a court
reporter several times while masturbating on the bench.
"On one occasion, Ms [Lisa] Foster [Thompson's court reporter for 15
y], saw Judge Thompson holding his penis up and shaving underneath it
with a disposable razor while on the bench," the petition reads.
Several witnesses, including jurors in Thompson's court and police
officers called to testify in trials, said in the petition they heard
the "swooshing" sound of a penis pump during trials and saw the judge
slumped in his chair, with his elbows on his knees, working the
device. The witnesses said the pump sounded like a blood pressure cuff
being pumped up.
According to the petition, Thompson admitted he had a penis pump under
the bench during a murder trial but he told investigators it was a gag
gift from a friend.
The petition also charges Thompson with firing his former court
reporter after she cooperated with investigators.
{{
Midnight.
Local authorities and the CPA were expecting it -- but couldn't stop
it. 70 people are dead after an outburst of violence across Iraq.
270 others are injured. In Mosul, about 40 were killed in 4
explosions. There were rocket attacks on police stns in Baquba and
Ramadi. 4 people were killed in suicide attack in Baghdad. There
have been more attacks nr Fallujah. Most victims were police and
Iraqi nat'l guardsmen. 3 US soldiers are also among the dead.
There's been a large explosion in Istanbul, on a bus. It's unclear
whether it's a suicide bomber. 3 have been killed and many others
injured. The blast happened in front of a blood bank. Earlier, a
parcel bomb went off in Ankara, outside a hotel where Pres Bush will
stay during next wk's NATO meeting. The small bomb injured 2
civilians and a policeman.
8 Brit soldiers have been released by Iran and are now at the Brit Emb
in Tehran. Military equipment will be handed back in the next several
days. In the UK, Jack Straw says the incident would not affect Brit's
engagement policy with Iran.
Japan and the US have joined to offer aid to N Korea. The offers came
on the 2nd day of 6-way talks in Beijing. It's condition on the N
putting a freeze on its nuke program. In return, there would be
immediate shipments of aid, incl oil, and a promise no attack. It's a
change of tactic by the US. Until now, America has demanded complete
capitulation before other considerations.
China has denied it has detained 3 Catholic bishops. It says China
does not violate human rights or suppress religions.
Snr EU officials are proposing radical reforms to EU sugar policies.
The revelation came in a leaked paper. The paper suggests cuts in
subsidies as well as amts of sugar EU farmers can produce. Franz Fischler
wants to cut the guaranteed price by 1/3.
Oil employers in Norway will begin a lockout on Wed. The move is
expected to stop all oil production in Norway -- the world's 3rd
largest oil exporter.
1 am
The Sri Lanka military says the its forced were involved in rescuing
rebel leader Karuna. He broke from the LTTE 4 m ago. After a brief
spell of internecine fighting, he vanished. The army now admits Col
Karuna was transported to the Sri Lankan capital and has now been
staying in safe houses in Colombo for 2 m. He helped mastermind the
killings of LTTE leaders to weaken the tigers, says the army. The Info
Min said the actions had happened without the govt's knowledge.
2 am
Iraqi Al-Qaeda leader al-Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for
co-ordinating the wave of attacks across the Sunni triangle over the
past 24 hrs.
The US says it's reconsidering peacekeeping missions world-wide. The
announcement came after the US failed to get an extension of legal
protection for its peacekeeping operations. Richard Boucher said
failure may affect US peacekeeping operations.
Bombay. Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee says an announcement he made
earlier that he was resigning as BJP leader had only been a joke.
After 3 days of meetings, the once-ruling BJP has decided to return to
hard-line politics. It admitted his hi-tech campaign was mis-directed
and a failure. Vajpayee blamed the "lack of enthusiasm" among party
workers as the main reason for the BPJ's shock loss in the polls.
2.30 am
DW Radio. 150,000 people have been displaced in E India at the start
of the flood season. At least 6 districts have been affected. 3
more people have been confirmed dead, bringing the total in the past
wk to 10.
4.30 pm
Turkish police have detained 2 men and a woman in connection with a
bomb blast. It's believed a bomb was being transported when it went
off prematurely.
5 am
FINALLY! In Apr Google intro'd gmail -- with 1 GB of space. Then
Yahoo! upped its limits. Now Hotmail has been forced to increase the
amount of space available for free mail users. MSN says it's mail
system will again be superior, with extra security features gmail
doesn't have. As long as I can stop re-directing my hotmail to gmail
so my mbox stays under 90%, I'll be happy!
[As of end 26 Jun 2004, no action is visible on my account].
10 am
US Pres George W Bush insists that the world is becoming a safer place
despite a spate of deadly attacks in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.
The US military has launched air strikes on the NE Iraqi city of
Baquba where heavy fighting erupted early this morning.
Radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army has declared a truce by
loud speaker in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City, saying it is ready to
help protect important sites from terror attacks.
Insurgents in Iraq have killed at least 60 people, including 3
US soldiers, in a series of coordinated assaults and
suicide bombings in the N of the country.
A US Cobra helicopter has been shot down nr the rebel bastion of Fallujah.
Fed Health Min Tony Abbott has dismissed a proposal by the Labor
premiers and chief ministers for a complete overhaul of AUS's health
funding arrangements.
Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Guards have warned W nations they will
not show clemency the next time Brit or American troops stationed in
Iraq cross into Iranian territory.
New water legislation passed by the NSW Parliament last night has been
described as an historic win by farmers, but conservationists say it
is a death sentence for rivers.
WA Prem Geoff Gallop has moved to assure rural water users he will
support a nat'l water strategy but only if it is in the state's interest.
Tas Prem Paul Lennon will not be attending today's Council of Aussie
Govts (COAG) meeting in CBR.
Midday.
NOT AGAIN! Brit has lost to Portugal again -- this time on penalties
after a 2 all deadlock. Bex missed his share. The BBC says it has 4
mn people accessing the football games via games technology and
broadband technology. 45% in Europe have broadband. Of those visiting
sports action in Brit, 50% have broadband, 60% in Germany and 80% in France.
More than 90 are feared dead in the Iraqi assaults. Mosul was the
worst hit city. 5 bombs -- targeting mainly police -- left 40 dead.
In Fallujah, a shaky truce is now dead. US forces are fighting
insurgents from the skies, but the guerrillas control the streets.
There's heavy fighting in Baquba. Hooded insurgents roamed the
streets for hrs today. The Iraqi PM has warned of more to come.
The All Ords is up 4 pts. In Japan, the Nikkei is down 60. The FTSE
closed up 16. The Dow closed down 36 o'night on weak manufacturing
data and Iraq jitters. In AUS, News Corp gained ground after
yesterday's selling. BHP and Rio are up on a China steel deal. The
greenback is weaker, pushing the AUD to 70.15 US c. Gold is down 10 c
to $US402.05/oz. Oil is steady at $US37.80/bbl.
The biggest test of the federal system since Mr Howard took office --
says Mr Howard. Today's COAG meeting is about water. The Fed Govt
wants the states to sign up to a deal that will put water back into
the country's rivers and regulate how it's used. For the E states,
it's about saving the Murray Darling. Qld says more is at stake for
it. It wants ground water policy and extra money. WA says it has
"real water issues", and has dismissed the machinations in "the East".
Howard says $500 mn has been pledged to the water deal -- $200 mn from
the Commonwealth. But that may not be enough, say observers. Vic
wants $100 mn just for itself. NSW Prem Carr says he wants to see the
Commonwealth use the huge tax surplus it's got.
8 Brit servicemen released in Iran are back on their way to rejoin
their units in Iraq. Lucky guys!
John Howard has accused Mark Latham of "lacking leadership" in
allowing a free vote on the FTA. 15 Labor members, incl Kim Beazley
and former leader Simon Crean, voted for the package in the lower
house last night. Most Labor members left the house before the vote.
Kim Beazley is not obsessed with anti-Americanism, says Howard, and
has provided the leadership Mr Latham lacks.
The end of the FY is coming upon us and tax time is about to begin.
The ATO says it'll be more vigilant than ever before. Deductions up
to $300 can be claimed without receipts, but the tax office says it
will audit a record number of taxpayers this y. Don't forget to sign
the return, says Carmody, or leave out the name of your spouse. These
are 2 common mistakes that slow down refunds.
World oil prices are reportedly under pressure again from the
Norway oil strike. 300 workers downed tools last wk over pensions and
conditions. But all staff may now be turned away from off-shore
platforms in an industry lock-out. 370 bpd has been lost already.
The lock-out will raise that to 3 mn bpd. Combined with problems in
Iraq, Venezuela and Nigeria the sit'n is becoming critical. Oil
unions say it will stick it out. The Norway govt says it won't interfere.
6.30 pm
CNN says the Pentagon is preparing to send another 15,000 troops from
its ready reserves to Iraq to counter the growing insurgency. In
Baghdad, al-Sadr has declared a truce in the suburb named after him.
A report says he's now prepared to order his militias to protect key
sites against terrorist attack.
A prison guard at Abu Ghraib has told a court martial there was
chronic over-crowding at the US-run military prison. By the time the
abuses became public there was 1 soldier per 100 prisoners, where the
normal criterion was 1 guard per 10 prisoners.
90 people have been killed after 2 tankers collided and caught fire in
S Iran. Many bodies were so badly burned after the accident they
can't be ID-ed. The fire happened at a police checkpoint on city
outskirts. It was set up to catch smugglers carrying drugs to the W.
A truck carrying 1000s of gals of fuel hit the checkpoint building,
immediately catching fire. Several tourist buses were packed at the
checkpoint at the time. Firefighters took 2 hrs to extinguish the
blaze. Iran's roads are the most dangerous in the world. More than
25,000 people have been killed in road accidents so far this y.
Pres Bush has been meeting with investigators. The Pres was not under
oath and the FBI says it was "an interview". Special prosecutors from
the FBI were investigating the leak of a CIA agent's name to the
press. Mr Bush later said he has nothing to hide. For months,
prosecutors have been trying to find out who leaked the name of Joe
Wilson's wife to a journalist. Mr Wilson says it was in revenge for
his part in debunking the Nigeria nuke evidence, before GWII.
Observers say the Bush interview must indicate the investigation is
wrapping up. The FBI would understand it would only get one crack at
the Pres.
There's a planned weekend protest in Mexico City against violent
crime. Each y, 1000s are kidnapped and dozens killed. Last wk the
head of the city's anti-kidnap squad was, himself, killed.
Russian Pres Putin has called in extra troops around Chechnya. The
move calls into question Putin's claims the war is largely won.
1/3 of Moldova has left the country. Many young women have become
victims of the internat'l sex trade. Aid organisations are asking
border guards to slip info into visas as young people leave the
collapsing country, en masse. Many workers earn only $1 pd in
Moldova. 1000s are eager to leave. Police have no equipment, not
even petrol for their patrol cars.
The ASX has closed lower. The All Ords is down 2 pts. News Corp has
rebounded from yesterday's big losses. The Nikkei closed up 36 pts.
The AUD is 69.80 US c on the back of a weaker greenback. Impressive
Kiwi GDP numbers were released today.
9.30 pm
British officials have warned they believe Guatmo suspects won't get a
fair trail. It's not the first time the concerns have been raised.
The criticism this time came from Brit's most snr legal figure. Lord
Goldsmith said the US military commissions were "unacceptable" and
some principle of law should not be compromised -- a "fair trial" was
one of those. In Australia, A-G Ruddock says he's satisfied Aussie
detainees Hicks and Habib will get fair trials from the US military.
The lawyer for Habib said AUS should come out and say the same as Lord
Goldsmith. Because any law student from 1st y could see the military
tribunals weren't set up to be fair, he added. Mr Ruddock speculated
whether Goldsmith would have objected to the WWII war crimes trials, too.
But Ruddock is like that.
}}
========================================
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