DRAFT It's a threat... it's on the Internet... we take it seriously. -- FM Alex Downer, 25 Jul 2004. A prev-unknown group claiming to be the European branch of al-Qaeda has threatened AUS, Poland, and Bulgaria with "columns of rigged cars". If you give ground to terrorists... you empower them. -- FM Alex Downer, 27 Jul 2004. Same goes for comments by Aussie FM's. The Aussie FM has sparked steet protests in the Philippines and Spain. Well I think in the war against terror... Australia can't be in the internatiuonal blame game. -- Opp'n leader Mark Latham, 27 Jul 2004. ---------------------------------------- Sat, 24 Jul 2004. HEADLINES: Flood death toll rises to 31: Vietnam 1 dead, 7 injured in bomb blast: Pakistan 1 killed, 2 wounded in shooting New 48-hr deadline over Iraqi hostages Bomb explodes as US convoy passes Egyptian diplomat taken hostage Bali convictions still stand: judge Aussie govt to ensure bombers punished Sudanese rebels to participate in talks Review panel for detainees prepare Bush did all he could before 9/11 Records don't dispel Bush AWOL charges Solomons operation a success: Howard Mission to Darfur considered: Hill Aussie importers demand WTO deal changes Witness against Stewart spared Police seize record cocaine haul Bin Laden hoax is virus Police station burnt down: Gaza No sackings despite intel failures Norfolk Is to farewell minister New weekend timetable starts today Pilot critical after crash Man hospitalised after being shot Woman missing in WA found alive Man enlists children to sell drugs Greeks open to armed guards Beattie fends off heat from report Dems welcome ALP change on E Timor Markets NY. Dow Jones 9,962.22 -88.11 London Gold 389.05/389.55 FTSE 100 4,326.30 +20.00 Dax 3,739.33 -3.72 San Juan. 100s of detainees suspected of terrorist ties will get their first formal opportunity to argue for their freedom at review panels that the US military plans to convene next week at its base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Navy Commander Beci Brenton says the military is preparing hearing rooms inside trailers at the seaside prison of Camp Delta and has appointed 3 military officers to sit on the first panel. Human rights lawyers criticise the process as a sham, saying each detainee should be allowed a lawyer each. Washington. US Pres George W Bush's national security adviser says the report of the commission investigating the Sep 11, 2001 attacks on the US illustrates that Bush did everything he could to protect the country ahead of the deadly strikes. Condoleezza Rice told ABC television today that the government would have moved heaven and earth to stop an attack, had they known it was coming. Asked about passages in the report RICE said the Bush administration didn't have enough time after taking office in January 2001 to make the changes needed. Kandahar. The American military says a remote-controlled bomb has torn through an Afghan street as a US military convoy passed, wounding at least one US soldier. However, Afghan officials say the blast left 4 blood-covered US soldiers lying in the road. A purported Taliban spokesman has claimed responsibility for the attack in the city of Kandahar, one of several reported across southern Afghanistan yesterday and Thursday. The US military says a roadside bomb caused the blast. It says the wounded soldier is in stable condition. Geneva. Ten rich food-importing nations have demanded changes to a farm trade deal at the heart of a World Trade Organisation plan to revive talks on a global trade pact by the end of the month. The 10 -- including Switzerland, Japan and other farm subsidy countries such as South Korea and Norway -- want stronger guarantees that they could keep high barriers on some products where a surge of imports could put local farmers out of business. Talks at the WTO have shifted up a gear as negotiators struggle to narrow differences over a proposed pact. Dubai. A group in Iraq which has threatened to behead 7 foreign hostages has reportedly issued a new 48-hr deadline to the hostage's Kuwaiti employers and demanded Iraqi prisoners be freed from Kuwaiti and US jails. Al Jazeera television says the group says the company must pay compensation to the families of the dead in Falluja and Iraqi prisoners in American and Kuwait jails should be released. US strikes on the rebellious city of Falluja over the last month have killed about 40 people. Baghdad. An Egyptian has became the first diplomat known to have been seized in a wave of hostage-taking in Iraq, with militants pressing their demands to undermine US-led forces. Al Jazeera television has broadcast a video tape of Mohamed Mamdouh Qutb -- the number 3 in Egypt's embassy in Baghdad -- sitting in front of 6 masked men. The report claims the abduction is in response to comments by the Egyptian PM that his country is ready to offer security experience to the Iraqi govt. NY. The US government's star witness in the case against Martha Stewart has been spared jail time and fined just $A2,800 for his part in the scandal. Twenty-eight-yo Douglas Faneuil, a former broker's assistant who testified that his boss ordered him to tip Stewart about a stock trade, previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge and cooperated with government lawyers. Stewart was sentenced last week to 5 m in prison and 5 m of house arrest for lying about the stock sale. Sao Paulo. Police in Brazil's Sao Paulo state have unexpectedly discovered a record one tonne of cocaine while investigating pharmaceutical firms supplying substances to dilute the drug. A spokesman for the anti-drug squad Denarc says police first thought the substance packed in large carton barrels was lidocaine -- a local anesthetic and antiarrhythmic agent that drug pushers mix with cocaine to boost the volume. However, he says lab tests showed it was in fact cocaine already mixed with lidocaine and caffeine, ready for distribution in the streets. Washington. Security experts are warning e-mails purporting to contain evidence of Osama Bin Laden's suicide contain a Trojan horse that can allow hackers to infiltrate infected computers. The antivirus firm Sophos says computer users who fall for the Bin Laden hoax may be hit by a Trojan horse. It says thousands of messages have been posted onto internet message boards this week claiming that CNN journalists have found the terrorist leader's hanged body. UN. A UN spokesman says leaders of the 2 main rebel groups in western Sudan have agreed to participate in negotiations for a political solution to the conflict which has killed tens of thousands of people. The announcement comes one day after a round of peace talks in Geneva mediated by the African Union. UN spokesman Fred Eckhard says the next step will be for UN and African Union officials to discuss with the Sudanese government when talks with the militias can resume. Hanoi. The death toll from 6 days of torrential rain in northern Vietnam has risen to 31, but another 22 people are missing and feared dead. Most of those dead and missing after heavy rains caused floods and landslides were from 2 villages in Yen Minh district, home to the Hmong and Tay ethnic minorities. Almost 150,000 ha of rice fields have been flooded. Washington. Some of US President George W Bush's missing National Guard records during the Vietnam War years have finally turned up, after they were previously said to have been destroyed. But the records have produced no new evidence to rebut charges by Democrats that Bush was absent without leave. His whereabouts during his service as a pilot in the Texas Air National Guard while other young Americans were fightig in Vietnam have become an election-year issue. Jakarta. The chief judge of Indonesia's top court says the convictions of the Bali bombers still stand, despite a ruling that the law on which the verdicts were based is unconstitutional. Judge Jimly Asshidiqie says the court's ruling doesn't apply retroactively. Asshidiqie heads a 9-member panel of judges at the court which ruled yesterday that the anti-terror law violates the constitution because it's retroactive. Lawyers for the Bali bombers said the ruling provided new grounds for appeals. Karachi. A roadside bomb has exploded near a vehicle carrying religious students in Pakistan, killing one person and injuring 7 others. Police believe the bomb was detonated by remote control. It isn't immediately clear who is responsible for the bombing, in the southern city of Karachi. The pickup truck belonged to Jamia Rashidia, one the main Islamic schools in Pakistan. Gaza City. Militants have set fire to a Palestinian police station south of Gaza City in an apparent protest against Yasser Arafat's lack of reform of the security services. Gaza has been in turmoil for more than a week, igniting a political crisis in the Palestinian government based in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Officials say the unidentified militants broke into the empty station in the dark hours of the morning in the town of Zwaida, about 7 km S of Gaza City, pouring petrol on mattresses and blankets and setting the building alight. Canberra. PM John Howard has ruled out sacking anyone despite a damning report which cites a litany of failures by Australia's spy agencies. However, the father of a Bali bomb victim says the government should apologise to relatives of Iraqi war victims in the wake of the Flood report. The report found that Australia went to war on thin, ambiguous and incomplete intelligence. However, it's cleared the government of pressuring the agencies to beef up their assessments about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction to make the case for war. Sydney. One man has been killed and 2 wounded in a shooting incident in central-western New South Wales. Police say the 3 men were shot after a dispute at a property in Little River Road, Arthurville, west of Wellington, just before midnight last night. The 3 made their way to Wellington Hospital, where one later died. Police say another of the men suffered a neck wound, and was airlifted to Sydney's Westmead Hospital where he is reportedly in a critical condition. Sydney. The funeral for Norfolk Island's murdered deputy chief minister will be held in the remote Australian territory today. Sixty-yo Ivens Buffett was shot as he worked in the island's administration building on Monday. His 25-yo son, Leith, has been charged with murder. Today, businesses will close their doors and flags will fly at half-mast for the funeral. Australia's newly appointed Territories Min Jim Lloyd will attend the funeral on behalf of the federal government. Sydney. One thousand services have been slashed from Sydney's train network this weekend as a new timetable comes into effect. RailCorp says driver shortages are the reason more than a third of weekend services have been abolished. The NSW government says the cuts will mean a more robust service during the weekday peak hour rush. RailCorp chief executive Vince Graham's promises an improvement in the reliability of weekday services because of the transfer of drivers from weekend services. Sydney. A man remains in a critical condition with extensive burns and head injuries after his ultralight plane crashed in New South Wales' Hunter Valley. The 55-yo man was flying the ultralight at his Cooks Gap property when the aircraft crashed and burst into flames about 4.40 pm yesterday. He was trapped beneath the wreckage and suffered burns to about 90% of his body. The pilot was eventually released from the wreckage and taken to Mudgee District Hospital. Melbourne. A man has been hospitalised after being shot in a park in Melbourne's inner south-east. Police say the shooting occurred in parkland on the corner of Bendigo and Princes streets, in Prahran, at 11.40 pm yesterday. A Victoria Police spokeswoman says the victim told police he was walking through the park and was shot under the arm. He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The spokeswoman says police have conducted a search of the area but as yet hadn't established a motive. Perth. A NSW woman found after she was missing for 3 days in the West Australian outback says she tried in vain to attract her searchers' attention. 65-yo Norma Hayes walked into a carpark in the remote Kimberley about 10.30 am WST today, ending an ordeal which began when she became separated from her bushwalking friends and fell, knocking herself unconscious. She was disoriented when she recovered consciousness and could not locate her friends again. Sydney. A man will appear in court today charged over recruiting children as young as 9 to sell heroin. Police raided on a suspected drug house in Sydney's west yesterday, arresting 14 people -- including a 9 yo boy and a 12-yo girl. Officers swooped on the Belmore Street house in Villawood after receiving information from members of the public. An 18-yo Villawood man has been charged with recruiting children to engage in criminal activity. Canberra. The Greek government has opened the way for armed guards to escort Australian athletes -- but PM John Howard's cautious about the idea. Under the Greek constitution, foreign officials can't go armed in public. However, Greece's Public Order Min Yiorgos Voulgarakis says accredited and armed security personnel endorsed by their embassies can accompany the athletes. He says they'll have to part with their weapons when entering competition sites. Canberra. Australia is considering deploying troops to join a United Nations mission to the troubled Darfur region of Sudan. The 15-month conflict has killed as many as 30,000 people and forced more than one mn to flee their homes. Aid agencies have warned of a humanitarian crisis to rival Somalia or Ethiopia of a decade ago. Defence Min Robert Hill says the UN has approached Australia for a contribution to its force, which is expected to be in place by year's end. Brisbane. Qld Premier Peter Beattie has vowed to implement the recommendations of a report that's found government-owned power companies can't adequately meet consumer electricity demands. An independent report leaked to the Courier Mail newspaper has found that the state's electricity suppliers -- Ergon Energy and Energex -- have plunged into a state of mismanagement. The government commissioned the report following a series of power failures in last year's storm season. Canberra. The Australian Democrats and Greens have welcomed Labor's plans to make a fresh start in negotiations with East Timor over Timor gap oil and gas. A spokeswoman for the Democrats' Natasha Stott Despoja has accused the government of being greedy in its reported threats to suspend talks with East Timor over Labor's stance. She says the government is attempting to shift the focus away from its own poor record and stalling tactics. Sydney. PM John Howard says Australia's efforts in helping to rescue the Solomons Islands from collapse have been a wonderful success. Today marks the first anniversary since elements of the Australian-led regional forces landed in the capital Honiara. The deployment came after an urgent request from the Solomons government for help following years of civil unrest. Mr Howard says the Solomons was failing as a state before the intervention. Canberra. PM John Howard has committed the government to doing everything possible to ensure the Bali bombers get their punishment. This follows an Indonesian court ruling that the anti-terrorism law under which they have been convicted is unconstitutional. The decision has raised the prospect that 33 Indonesians convicted of involvement in the bombing may have to be re-tried or escape justice entirely. Mr Howard says he and FM Alexander Downer will work together to see that justice is done. {{ MIdnight. the pm of malaysia has called on the us admin to understand the islamic mind hospital in fallujah says 5 poeple injured in us strike, incl 2 chidlren pal youth killed in beit hanun clash between pal groups fearing isr retaliation last m homes and orchads demolished over 3 wks after rocket fired into isr killing 1 person appears mil planned an attack but residents opposed it sailors have long told of giant waves dismissed now ESA finds some truth to the stories over the past 10 y 200 supertakners have sunk in seveer weather evidence 30 m waves are to blame prev throery says they should occur once 1 every 10,000 years now sat photos show there are more common over a 3 wk period a sat spotted 10 such jiant waves now map out where likely to occur understand cuases of montser waves 1 am un ref agency criticised italy apparent disregard of internat'l standards 3 dozen africans deported italy said none were genuine regugees 7.30 am new opinion poll in daily mail 59% say dish over alleged wmd 36% told truth 61% said didnt trust colobian police 110 mn of cocaine biggest haul in y 2 busts 4.5 tonnes in one prov far right paramil just 1 arrested another tonne found ready to be shipped to us In NY, the markets have closed down to the lowest point this y Down dipped below 10,000 for 5th wk down 88 nas down 40 tech profits ftse up 20 aud 70.90 down anothrt 1 c oil up 3/4% supllies fire in germany strike in korea refinery .32 41.68 gold has dived to 390.50 down 4.80 Harris Poll has found 44% of Republicans that have seen Farenheit 9/11 rate it as positive solons marking 1st anniversary of aussie mission to restore law and order 11.30 am for the first time in 2 m moqtada al-sadr resumed regular sermons in kufa he damned the pm and his co-operation with the us he also condemned the beheading of foreign hostages, saying it was not necessary a dutch pidgeon has paid the ultimate price for pecking a hole in a masterpiece in an amsterdam museum a guard spent the night in the museum to catch the culprit -- the alarms turned off in case the pidgeon trigger them the bird had to be shot out of the air when it returned museum reps say its lucky the hole is in a shadowy part of the painting egypt has reacted to the kidnap of a diplomat in iraq by saying it will not send troops to the country 3rd most snr official grabbed earlier in day al-jaz tape cowering before 6 masked men egypt said he was building brothrtly relations pm ergodan has estranged families of train crash victims by refusing to take responsibility for the accident in the weeks before the new high-speed rail link was opened expecrts had warned the country's rail infrastructure was too old to handle the speeds the pm has told reporters the reminers of warnings are coming from distrauty people and the accident could have happened anywhere in the world 2 pm the doe has called for an end to work involving floppies and tapes it follows the loss of 2 drives containing classified info at los alamos earlier this m the lab initially thought 4 disks were missing but 2 were later found in a test area for high explosives the lab's database doesn't show where the devideces are the doe will move toward a system where classified data is stored on a secure network involving untappable fibre optics 6 pm a geurilla group hotling 7 hostages has upped its demands it wants compensation for those jkilled in fallujah and for all POW's to be released a deadline for a kuwaiti company to pull out its staff has been extended 24 hrs experts are warning baghdad's sewage system is on the brink of total collapse 15 m since the end of the war, they're tryong to find out how close lack of controls coupled with decades of conflkict have created an env crisis, leading right up to the ministry of env the min didn't want to appear on camera the main seqawe works is not treating anything sanctions had crippled it before the war then the looters came experts that had been coming every day, now bvisit only once a week raw sewage is being pumped into the Tigris -- the main source of water in baghdad's hospital, 1/2 the children have water-borne diseases turkish authorities have arrestdes a train driver and rail executive close to where a train came off the rails a funeral is being held for the conductor the govt has reisted class for mass sackings amind continued criticism the country's creaking infrastructure could never have handled the new high-speed trains 11 pm the us state dept has denied the sit'n in darfur constitutes genocide replying to questions about the Hosue vote, reps said the US was a free country, especially on the Hill The Admin has come under increasng pressure to declare the govt-backd attacks in Sudan genocide But even mentioning the word would impose legal requirements on the Admin London Abu Hamza's trial a statement from an FBI agent said he supplied a sat phone for a kidnapping in which 4 people killed }} ---------------------------------------- Sun, 25 Jul 2004. <<< OIL/MARKETS >>> === Reuters Latest Financial News -- Full News Coverage.txt === Oil pipeline ablaze N of Baghdad Tikrit (Reuters). An explosion has set fire to an oil pipeline N of Baghdad, witnesses and an oil refinery official say. Witness Ali Mohammed Samarrai said he heard the blast and saw the pipeline catch fire at a point just SW of the town of Samarra, 100 km N of Baghdad. An official at Iraq's main N oil refinery at Baiji, 180 km N of Baghdad, said the blaze was on a pipeline that carries oil from the refinery to Baghdad. Guerrillas frequently attack Iraq's oil infrastructure, setting explosives under pipelines in an effort to disrupt the country's reconstruction. The pipeline attacked on Sat was a subsidiary line and not Iraq's main N oil export line which runs N to Turkey. That line has also regularly been sabotaged and is currently out of commission, with no oil flowing to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. === Explosion leaves Iraq oil pipeline ablaze (Reuters). An explosion has set fire to an oil pipeline N of Baghdad, witnesses and an oil refinery official say. Witness Ali Mohammed Samarrai says he heard the blast and saw the pipeline catch fire at a point just SW of the town of Samarra, 100 km N of Baghdad. An official at Iraq's main N oil refinery at Baiji, 180 km N of Baghdad, says the blaze is on a pipeline that carries oil from the refinery to Baghdad. Guerrillas frequently attack Iraq's oil infrastructure, setting explosives under pipelines in an effort to disrupt the country's reconstruction. The pipeline attacked today is a subsidiary line and not Iraq's main northern oil export line, which runs N to Turkey. That line has also regularly been sabotaged and is currently out of commission, with no oil flowing to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. === oil treaty between iraq and syria.txt === Syria and Iraq sign oil cooperation agreement Damascus (SANA). Min of Oil and Mineral Resources Ibrahim Haddad and his Iraqi counterpart, Thamer al-Ghadban on Sat signed an agreement of cooperation between the Iraqi company for oil marketing and the Syrian bureau for oil marketing . The agreement stipulates for the Syrian bureau to provide the Iraqi company with oil products as benzene, kerosene and liquid gas and the Iraqi side to supply Syria with raw oil . Both sides agreed to put an end to states of fiddling with quantities and qualities of oil products. The 2 Mins exchanged 2 cordial words in which they stressed the necessity to develop and enhance prospects of future cooperation and planning between Syria and Iraq in service of both sisterly peoples and countries. <<< DEATHS >>> === 3 arrested over Turkish train accident (Reuters). The crew chief and 2 others have reportedly been arrested by a Turkish court after a high-speed train crash that killed 36 people and injured 81 this wk. Crew chief Koksal Coskun and 2 engineers, Fikret Karabulut and Recep Sonmez, were accused of "causing the death of more than one person through negligence and carelessness". The express train derailed on Thu while on its way from Turkey's commercial hub Istanbul to capital Ankara. The lawyer for the 3, Ismail Gurses, said his clients should not be made scapegoats for the accident, adding responsibility for the accident belonged to the state railway company TCDD. Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan angrily rejected calls on Fri to sack his transport minister and other snr officials, despite mounting pressure on the govt. H said he would await a report from an investigation. The crash, in a mountainous area of NW Turkey nr the town of Pamukova, has deeply embarrassed the govt, which inaugurated the new rail link recently in a blaze of publicity. <<< SUDAN >>> === US State Dept holds off on Sudan genocide finding (BBC). The American State Dept says the evidence it currently has available shows that violence in the Sudanese region of Darfur does not amount to genocide. The officials were responding to a resolution passed by the US House of Representatives, which said the situation in Darfur was so bad that it did constitute genocide. The resolution called on the Bush Admin to intervene unilaterally if the UN failed to act. More than one mn people have been driven from their homes in Darfur by Govt-backed militia fighting rebels. === Sudanese rebels agree to new talks The United Nations says 2 rebel groups from Sudan's Darfur region have agreed to take part in new talks with the Govt to try to find a political solution to the humanitarian crisis in the region. A 1st round of negotiations in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, broke down a wk ago, when one of the rebel groups walked out. The rebels accuse the Sudanese Govt of failing to act on promises to disarm the pro-Govt Janjaweed militia. Robert Symonds is a European Union military observer advising African Union ceasefire monitors in Sudan. "The fact is that there are some bad people here, but we need to be here to stay here to encourage people to start to have dialogue together," he said. "It is only they who can resolve this problem themselves and the longer we can stay here and help them start to talk to each other, then the greater the chances that they're going to find stability and out of stability maybe then they find hope." === EU foreign policy chief tells Sudan to disarm militias (AFP). The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, has called on Sudan to disarm the Arab militias blamed for slaughtering civilians in the Darfur region of W Sudan and demanded unfettered access to the region for humanitarian groups. Mr Solana dined earlier with Sudanese For Min Mustafa Osman Ismail and, according to rep Cristina Gallach, "emphasised the need for all parties to respect the cease-fire and for the Govt to act without delay on the disarmament of the Janjaweed militias, under supervision of the African Union (AU) monitoring mission." Mr Solana's demands brought the European Union into line with the United States, which on Fri demanded that Sudan halt the violence by the Arab Janjaweed militias or face sanctions. "We made our position very clear to the Sudanese govt: They must stop Janjaweed violence, they must provide access to humanitarian relief for the people who suffer," Pres George W Bush said. Washington presented a draft UN Sec Council resolution this wk authorising sanctions against Sudan if it fails to prosecute leaders of the pro-govt Janjaweed groups. Rebel groups rose up against Khartoum in Feb 2003, claiming that the mainly black African region had been ignored by the Arab Govt. In return, the Govt and its loyal Janjaweed militias responded with an armed crackdown that aid and rights groups have called a massive campaign of ethnic cleansing. UN emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland said the death toll could be as high as 50,000. About 1.2 mn people have been forced from their homes during the 17 m of conflict, and some 200,000 have taken refuge in neighbouring Chad, which borders on Darfur province. Ms Gallach said Mr Solana had "urged the Govt to arrest the leaders of the Janjaweed, as a 1st significant step towards the dismantling of these militias, which are held accountable for most of the human rights violations in Darfur." She said he had "acknowledged improvements in terms of humanitarian access to Darfur, but underscored the European Union's wish for full and unhindered humanitarian access." "He also expressed the European Union's satisfaction with the decision by the Govt of Sudan to send a high-level delegation to the start of the political talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia," she said. "Javier Solana hoped that the next round of talks scheduled for the beginning of Aug would provide more concrete outcomes." === AUS considers troops for Darfur (AFP). AUS is considering a request by the UN for military personnel to join a mission to Darfur in Sudan. The UN estimates up to 50,000 people have died in Darfur and about 1.2 mn have been driven from their homes since a revolt against the Arab-dominated govt in Khartoum broke out among ethnic minorities in Feb 2003. Defence Min Robert Hill said the UN had approached AUS for a contribution to a UN force. The force is expected to be in place by the end of the year. "We are contemplating whether to make a contribution," he said. "It would be relatively modest and we haven't made a final decision. "The UN has pointed out a number of areas of specialty where they would appreciate assistance. "We are looking at that, together with all our other obligations at the moment." Internat'l pressure is growing on Sudan to get to grips with the humanitarian crisis in Darfur but Sudanese Pres Omar Al Beshir accused the outside world of using the situation to target Islam. Brit also said it could send 1000s of troops to the region if required. The head of the Brit army Gen Sir Michael Jackson said in an interview with the BBC on Fri that around 5,000 troops could go "if need be". "I suspect we could put a brigade together very quickly indeed," he said. On Thu, Brit PM Tony Blair denied as "premature" a report that he had drawn up plans to send Brit troops. Khartoum has brushed off criticism that it is not doing enough to help alleviate the humanitarian situation in Darfur, described by the United Nations as the world's worst, and has pledged to improve the access of internat'l aid agencies to the region and the needy. Sudanese Pres Omar Al Beshir has accused the internat'l community of targeting Islam in Sudan, the pro-govt Al-Anbaa reported. The paper quoted Mr Beshir as telling supporters in the central region of Gezira that the real aim of the campaign against his country was not the situation in Darfur but to derail the growth of Islam in the country. "The internat'l concern about the Darfur issue is targeting the status of Islam in Sudan," claimed Mr Beshir, who seized power in a bloodless Islamist coup in 1989. On Thu, the US put forward a draft UN Sec Council resolution authorising sanctions against Sudan if it does not prosecute Arab militia leaders behind atrocities in Darfur, particularly the Janjaweed, who are blamed for most of them. The same day the US Congress unanimously passed a non-binding resolution qualifying the atrocities committed in Darfur as "genocide" and calling on the White House to lead internat'l efforts to intervene in the region. === 'Good chance' of Aust troops for Sudan (ABC/Reuters). FM Alexander Downer says there is a "good chance" AUS will send troops to Darfur in Sudan as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force. The UN estimates up to 50,000 people have died in the Darfur region and about 1.2 mn have been driven from their homes since a revolt against the Arab-dominated Govt in Khartoum broke out among ethnic minorities in Feb 2003. "There's a good chance that we will send some troops to Sudan. A small number, of course, a very small number," he told Channel 9. "It's something we're considering. We haven't made any final decisions about it, and the appropriate Security Council resolutions for a United Nations force there have yet to be passed through the Security Council." Mr Downer says the internat'l community has overlook Sudan for too long but he stopped short of describing the situation in the Darfur as "genocide". "I'm not sure I'd go as far as calling it genocide, but look, there have been -- I can't give you a figure, but an enormous number of people killed," he said. He also indicated that more aid may be given to Sudan. "The internat'l community, to be frank, hasn't done a lot about this. We've announced recently $8 mn worth of aid," he said. "I'm considering whether we provide substantial additional aid." Defence Min Robert Hill said yesterday that the UN had approached AUS for a contribution to a UN force. The force is expected to be in place by the end of the year. Internat'l pressure is growing on Sudan to get to grips with the humanitarian crisis in Darfur but Sudanese Pres Omar Al Beshir accused the outside world of using the situation to target Islam. Brit also said it could send 1000s of troops to the region if required. The Sudanese Govt has brushed off criticism that it is not doing enough to help alleviate the humanitarian situation in Darfur, which is described by the UN as the world's worst. It has pledged to improve the access of internat'l aid agencies to the region and the needy. On Thu, the US put forward a draft UN Sec Council resolution authorising sanctions against Sudan if it does not prosecute Arab militia leaders behind atrocities in Darfur, particularly the Janjaweed, who are blamed for most of them. The same day the US Congress unanimously passed a non-binding resolution qualifying the atrocities committed in Darfur as "genocide" and calling on the White House to lead internat'l efforts to intervene in the region. <<< DARFUR >>> <<< CONGO >>> <<< WMD >>> <<< INTEL >>> === Blair 'dishonest' over Iraq.txt === Blair 'dishonest' over Iraq London (SA). Most Brit voters think PM Tony Blair was dishonest over Iraq's WMD (WDM) despite an official report concluding that he had not purposefully misled the country on the issue, according to an opinion poll published on Sat. In the ICM survey published in the right-of-centre Daily Mail newspaper, 59% said Blair was dishonest about Saddam Hussein's alleged stocks of WMD, with 36% saying he told the truth. Some 61% said they did not trust Blair, with 36% saying they did trust him. Blair had argued that Saddam's WMD made the Iraqi leader an immediate threat and that he had to be removed, but no such weapons have been found in the 15 months since Baghdad fell. On Jul 14, an official report into pre-war intel on Iraq's WMDs concluded that Brit's spy agencies got their facts badly wrong over the danger posed by Saddam. However the inquiry, led by former top civil servant Lord Robin Butler, characterised any failings as institutional and absolved Blair and his govt of deliberate wrongdoing. ICM polled 1 008 people from Wed to Fri. <<< MEDIA >>> === Russia protests against closure of Belarus TV channel (AFP). Russia has protested against a decision by neighbouring Belarus to close the Minsk bureau of Russia's public broadcasting corporation after one its television reporters allegedly exaggerated the size of an anti-Govt demo. These were "not serious grounds for taking such a step," Russian foreign ministry rep Alexander Yakovenko said, adding that "Russia strongly hopes that VGTRK's bureau in Belarus will be able to resume work." In Minsk, a foreign ministry rep quoted by Belarus state television said the station had been shut down after its directors refused to apologise for broadcasting "biased news". The Russian report "multiplied 10-fold the number of people attending Wed's demo" against Pres Alexander Lukashenko and "greatly distorted the circumstances" in which it took place, Belarus television said. Russian television reported that between 2,000 and 5,000 demonstrators attended the rally, while the interior ministry of Belarus insisted there were fewer than 200 people there. 15 young demonstrators received sentences of up to 15 days in prison on Thu for taking part in the protest. Later on Wed, some 3,000 people held an authorised demo on the outskirts of Minsk to protest 10 y of authoritarian rule by the 49-yo Mr Lukashenko. In Jul last y, Minsk closed the bureau of Russia's NTV television station because of its critical coverage of local politics, prompting a strong protest from Russia. In a nat'ly televised press conference on Tue, Mr Lukashenko said he would run again if his nation of 10 mn let him. He appeared to suggest that he planned to stage a nat'l referendum on the issue. Belarus's current constitution, which the powerful leader had adopted in 1996, limits him to 2 terms. Mr Lukashenko, a former communist collective farm boss, has altered the nation's constitution and disbanded parliament during his time at the helm of the poverty-stricken nation. On Fri, the US said it was "deeply concerned about the ongoing repression of civil society in Belarus, particularly the Belarussian Govt's current assault on academic freedom and the right of assembly." US State Dept rep Richard Boucher said the violent dispersal of pro-democracy activists was among measures that "demonstrate Belarussian authorities' obstructionism towards developing of a democratic society and improving relations with the transatlantic community." In Apr the United Nations Commission on Human Rights condemned conditions in Belarus in a resolution cataloguing alleged abuses, including cases of regime opponents who had disappeared in suspicious circumstances, arbitrary arrests and harassment of opp'n parties. <<< TROOPS >>> === The Seattle Times Local News Wolfowitz says Iraqi forces showing great courage.txt === Seattle Times Wolfowitz says Iraqi forces showing "great courage" McCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Pierce County (AP). Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz told troops and their families here yesterday that Iraqi nat'l forces are getting stronger by the day, but he could offer no estimate of when they would be able to control the country without US help. "It's taken a long time to start building these Iraqi forces," Wolfowitz said, "but equipment is starting to get through, and I think by the end of the y we will see a big increase in Iraq fighting power." Wolfowitz said Iraqi police and Nat'l Guard members already are showing "great courage" against insurgent forces. He cited one instance where 5 Iraqi Nat'l Guardsmen fought off rebels and saved a wounded US Marine, and another where Iraqi police in N Iraq fended off a nightlong insurgent attack without calling for American help. "Our goal is that Iraqis should be on the front lines, and we'd like to get ourselves out of the cities and in the background," he said. In a town-hall-style meeting at a base hangar, Wolfowitz spoke to about 600 airmen from McChord and about 200 soldiers from nearby Fort Lewis. Family members also were invited, but few attended. After a 30-minute speech, he took off his coat, grabbed a microphone and stepped off the dais to field questions from the troops. Wolfowitz said he was there to thank them for their wartime service, and he said that, despite negative news accounts, many Iraqis are also thankful. He predicted that future generations would view American forces in Iraq in the same light as the US GIs who brought down Nazi Germany. "When Iraq gets on its feet, it's going to be one of the most important countries in the world," he said. He cited the country's high educational level, its strong agriculture and its vast oil reserves. One airman asked if the draft might be reinstated. "No, absolutely not," Wolfowitz said. "We have an incredible force because it is a voluntary force. You couldn't reproduce that with a draft force." He did caution, however, that the services have to step up re-enlistment efforts, even though each of the branches has met or is close to meeting recruitment goals. Attention must also go toward pay, benefits and family support for soldiers, he said. Asked when US forces will be allowed to come home from Iraq, Wolfowitz sounded an optimistic tone of the progress being made there, but would give no timeline. He offered a reminder of the y it took to rebuild Europe after World War II, and of the continued US presence in Bosnia nearly a decade after the Dayton Peace Accord. McChord is home to the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings and has about 380 airmen deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in airlift operations. Fort Lewis has about 7,600 soldiers deployed. Before the speech, Wolfowitz pinned Bronze Stars on Air Force Staff Sgt. Chris Hoover for service in Iraq and Staff Sgt. Ben Hubbert for service in Afghanistan. Both are combat air controlmen, and they helped direct precision bombing attacks and air support while under fire, according to their citations. <<< ELECTION >>> === Yahoo! News -- AP Bush Leads Kerry in Electoral Votes.txt === AP: Bush Leads Kerry in Electoral Votes BOSTON (AP). John Kerry narrowly trails Pres Bush in the battle for the 270 electoral votes needed to win the Whitehouse, as he makes his case at the Democratic Nat'l Convention this wk to topple the Republican incumbent. With 3 m remaining in a volatile campaign, Kerry has 14 states and the District of Columbia in his column for 193 electoral votes. Bush has 25 states for 217 votes, according to an Associated Press analysis of state polls as well as interviews with strategists across the country. "It's a tough, tough map. I think it's going to be a close race," said Democratic strategist Tad Devine, who helped plot Al Gore's state-by-state strategy in 2000 and plays the same role for Kerry. "But looking back 4 y, we're much stronger now. I think we're going into this convention in great shape," he said. Both candidates are short of the magic 270 electoral votes. The margin of victory will come from: _TOSSUPS -- Bush and Kerry are running even in 11 states with a combined 128 electoral votes. Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Michigan and W Virginia are the toughest battlegrounds. 2 other tossups, Pennsylvania and Oregon, could soon move to Kerry's column. _LEAN KERRY -- Maine, Minnesota and Washington (a combined 25 electoral votes) favor Kerry over Bush by a few%age points. Gore carried them in 2000. _LEAN BUSH -- N Carolina, Colorado, Louisiana, Arizona, Virginia, Arkansas and Missouri (a combined 73 electoral votes) give Bush modest leads. He won all 7 in 2000. All total, 21 states are in play. Some will bounce between "lean" to "tossup" throughout the campaign. ____ 4 y ago, Bush won 30 states and their 271 electoral votes -- one more than needed. Gore, who won the popular vote, claimed 20 states plus the District of Columbia for 267 electoral votes. Since then, reapportionment added electoral votes to states with population gains and took them from states losing people. The result: Bush's states are now worth 278 electoral votes and Gore's are worth just 260. Even if Kerry consolidates Gore's states, no easy task, the Democrat must take 10 electoral votes from Bush's column to close the electoral vote gap. Kerry's best prospects may be in the 5 tossup states won by Bush in 2000: Ohio, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire and W Virginia. Winning either Ohio's 20 electoral votes or Florida's 27 would do the trick. Bush easily won Ohio in 2000, but its lagging economy puts the state in play. Kerry must still reduce Bush's advantages among conservative, rural voters. Florida should favor Bush a bit more than in 2000, partly because of its relatively strong economy, but the war in Iraq has helped keep the race close. Nevada and W Virginia have a combined 10 electoral votes, enough to close the gap. New Hampshire, which neighbors Kerry's home state of Massachusetts, has 4. West Virginia voted Democratic for decades until Bush made values an issue in 2000; Kerry is stressing the theme this y. In Nevada, an influx of Hispanics and the Admin's push to use Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste site make the state tougher for Bush than in 2000. 6 of the 11 tossup states were won by Gore: Pennsylvania, Oregon, Michigan, Iowa, New Mexico and Wisconsin. But the margin of victory was just a few thousand votes in Iowa, New Mexico and Wisconsin -- meaning Kerry has his work cut out to keep them. Of the 3, Bush likes his chances best in Wisconsin, where he is targeting rural voters in a bid to widen the electoral gap by 10 votes. ___ Flush with money and leading a united party, Kerry increased his odds by expanding the playing field into a handful of GOP states that Bush easily won in 2000, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Arizona, Virginia and Colorado. Results have been mixed. After testing the waters, Kerry pulled his ads from Arkansas and Louisiana, and downgraded his focus on Virginia and Arizona. Hispanic voters make Colorado a prime target, but Democrats acknowledge it's a tough state to win. "The race is still fundamentally tied, and the Electoral College map reflects that," said Bush strategist Matthew Dowd. "But there is beginning to be a slight tilt toward us with Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and Arizona no longer being seriously contested." Kerry added another Republican-leaning state to his target list when he chose Sen John Edwards of N Carolina as his running mate. Aides are divided over whether N Carolina will remain a battleground through Nov, but its 15 electoral votes are too tempting to ignore. Missouri, a traditional battleground, recently moved to the Bush-leaning category and is being written off by some Democrats. The Kerry campaign reduced its ad campaign in the state after polls showed him consistently 4 to 6%age points behind Bush, with little room for improvement. Republican advantages in rural Missouri and the fast-growing exurbs make the state tough for Democrats, but Kerry will likely keep it on the table through Nov in case the political winds shift. Besides, abandoning a traditional battleground would be embarrassing. The 4-term MA senator has begun to gather strength in traditionally Democratic states such as Maine, Minnesota and Washington. All were tossups in the spring, but now lean toward Kerry. A good convention could push Pennsylvania and Oregon into the lean-Kerry category. Recent polls give Kerry an edge in both states, but strategists for Kerry and Bush say the races are still tossup. "There is an angry feeling toward the incumbent because of Iraq," said David Sweet, who managed Pennsylvania Gov Ed Rendell's 2000 campaign. "I think Kerry will win in the end, but that's partly based on an assumption of things to come. It's close." Of the states won by Gore, Pennsylvania is by far Bush's top target. The president has spent $mns in the state on commercials and has visited it more than any other contested state -- 30 trips since his inauguration. For Kerry, losing Pennsylvania would create a virtually insurmountable electoral vote gap. === IHT Halliburton defends performance in Iraq.txt === Halliburton defends performance in Iraq WASHINGTON (IHT). Executives of Halliburton have appeared before Congress for the first time to defend their record in Iraq, where the company's handling of more than $8 bn in Pentagon contracts has been dogged by allegations of waste and overcharging. . Company executives testified on Thu before a highly partisan and sometimes rancorous hearing of the House Committee on Govt Reform. "Halliburton is gouging the taxpayer," charged the snr Democrat on the committee, Representative Henry Waxman of California. . The committee chairman, Representative Tom Davis, a Republican from Virginia, accused the Democrats of mounting a "witch hunt" intended to embarrass Vice Pres Dick Cheney before the presidential elections in Nov. Cheney headed Halliburton, a Houston-based oil services and construction company, in the 1990s. . Halliburton has received the 2 largest contracts of the war: a continuing agreement to provide logistical support to the military, for which it had been paid $5.6 bn as of May, and another to repair Iraqi oil facilities and import civilian fuels, for which it was paid $2.5 bn last y. It is now working under a 2nd oil-repair contract worth an additional $1.2 bn. . From the beginning, critics in Congress and elsewhere asked why the large initial oil contract was awarded to Halliburton without competitive bidding, and a stream of govt auditors and former employees have alleged that the company recklessly wasted mn as it rushed to provide meals, housing and fuel for the military. . At the hearing on Thu, 4 executives of the company mounted a vigorous defense, saying that any problems had been grossly exaggerated and that the company had performed admirably. . "Never has any contractor worked in as difficult and dangerous a situation as we do in Iraq," said Alfred Neffgen, the chief operating officer for govt operations at KBR, the Halliburton subsidiary working in Iraq. He noted that 42 employees of the company or its prime subcontractors had been killed. . In a report released on Thu, the Govt Accountability Office, a nonpartisan congressional agency, blamed both the Pentagon and Halliburton for poor management practices in the logistical support program. . The Defense Dept did not provide essential oversight of spending, the fed auditors concluded, while the company kept poor records and did not properly monitor subcontractors. . 3 former KBR employees testified on Thu that waste and sloppiness abounded. . The Halliburton executives, wearing yellow bows in honor of lost employees, gave detailed explanations for 2 widespread allegations of overcharging. . The company has been attacked for the cost of gasoline imported from Kuwait from May 2003 to last Apr, when the Pentagon began importing fuel directly. In the immediate aftermath of the 2003 invasion, the Pentagon saw an urgent need to expand civilian gasoline supplies to avert unrest, and it assigned KBR, which subcontracted with a Kuwaiti company, to buy and transport shipments. . Critics say the govt overpaid by anywhere from $61 mn to $167 mn. But KBR said on Thu that it had chosen the lowest bidder, performed a virtual miracle by providing essential deliveries within days and later sought cheaper sources. . The company also denied that it had illegally charged $189 mn for meals that were not served, the subject of a continuing dispute with the Pentagon. === Mail and Guardian Online Trouble ahead for Bush from 9-11 panel.txt === Trouble ahead for Bush from 9/11 panel (Guardian). Members of the commission investigating the Sep 11 terror attacks have injected a potentially unsettling element into Pres George Bush's re-election campaign by deciding not to disband. Although the bipartisan commission scrupulously avoided apportioning blame to either the Clinton or Bush Admins, the decision ensures that 9/11 and Iraq will remain at the forefront of the election campaign. The commission's 10 members said they planned to team up in pairs -- one Democrat and one Republican -- to campaign throughout the US for the adoption of their 41 recommendations to make the country safer. "All 10 of us have decided to do everything we can, whether it's testimony or lobbying or speaking or whatever's necessary, to let the American people know about these recommendations -- know how important they are, our belief that they can save lives," Thomas Kean, the commission's chair, told reporters on Thu. Jamie Gorelick, who served in the Clinton Admin, made the point even plainer. "Everyone who is running for office can be asked: Do you support these recommendations?" The strategy would mark the start of a new chapter in the life of a commission which has grown in credibility over the last 20 m. It has also accumulated moral force, thanks in large measure to the support of victims' families. Advocates for the families said they would also press for the adoption of the commission's recommendations. That could prove an embarrassment to the Bush Admin, whose officials have responded cautiously to the commission's call for a sweeping overhaul of the intel services. The Democratic challenger, John Kerry, embraced the recommendations and said he would convene an emergency summit on security if he is elected in Nov. The contrast could spell trouble for Bush, who has made his handling of terrorism the centrepiece of his campaign and has insisted that he fully understood the threat. "This is going to underscore the sense that we really have not been prepared. Everyone on the commission seems to say that we are safer, but not safe," said Peter Hart, a Democratic pollster. A poll by Hart and a Republican pollster in the Wall Street Journal on Fri suggested that the Republicans' traditional supremacy on nat'l security issues has fallen sharply. Only 8% had confidence in the Republican Admin's handling of Iraq, down from 27% last Jan. The Bush Admin's immediate response to the commission's call for sweeping changes to the govt's intel agencies was cool. "People should recognise that we're talking about pretty fundamental changes here," the nat'l security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, told reporters. "It only makes sense to try and understand the implications of them before you rush headlong one way." Kerry has already endorsed one of the commission's central suggestions -- the creation of an intel tsar -- an idea that met little enthusiasm from the Whitehouse when it 1st surfaced. However, Kerry's attempts to put himself on the side of the commission were pounced on almost immediately by the Bush re-election campaign, accusing the Democratic challenger of attempting to politicise the commission report. === world stupidity awards.txt === Bush wins big at Stupidity Awards MONTREAL. The Nov elections may still be ahead of him but US Pres George W Bush came out a big winner yesterday -- at the World Stupidity Awards. <<< TERROR/SECURITY >>> === Byron York on 9-11 Commission Report on Nat'l Review Online.txt === What the 9/11 Commission says about Iraq and al Qaeda The publication of the Sep 11 Commission report may force a reassessment of the now-conventional wisdom about the links -- or, as critics of the Bush Admin contend, the absence of links -- between Iraq and al Qaeda. After the commission's last hearing, in mid-Jun, the Washington Post published a front-page story headlined "Al Qaeda-Hussein Link is Dismissed." The NY Times ran a page-one story -- topped by a 4-column headline -- called "Panel Finds No Qaeda-Iraq Tie." Both reports strongly suggested that VP Dick Cheney had been wrong when he said on many occasions that there were extensive links between Iraq and al Qaeda. The reporting, and the commentary that followed, so angered Cheney that he said, on Jun 18, "What the NY Times did today was outrageous. The fact of the matter is, the evidence [of an Iraq-al Qaeda link] is overwhelming." Further coverage and commentary criticized Cheney for stubbornly sticking to his position. Both the Times and the Post based their reporting on a single paragraph, written by the staff of the Sep 11 Commission, which conceded a few ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda but said there was no "collaborative relationship" between the 2. The findings, revealed in the commission's last hearing on Jun 17, were preliminary, and the apparent rush by some in the press to deny any Iraq-al Qaeda relationship left commission vice-chairman Lee Hamilton baffled. "I must say I have trouble understanding the flack over this," Hamilton told reporters. "The Vice Pres is saying, I think, that there were connections between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's govt. We don't disagree with that. So it seems to me the sharp differences that the press has drawn, the media has drawn, are not that apparent to me." Now, with the release of the commission's final report, it is clear what Hamilton and Cheney were talking about. The final report details a much more extensive set of contacts between Iraq and Al Qaeda than the earlier staff statement. It also modifies the original "no collaborative relationship" description, now saying there was "no collaborative operational relationship" (emphasis added) between Iraq and Al Qaeda. And it suggests a significant amount of contact and communication between the regime of Saddam Hussein and the terrorist organization headed by Osama bin Laden. The report describes a time in 1996 when bin Laden, newly arrived in Afghanistan, could not be sure "that the Taliban would be his best bet as an ally." In 1997, the report says, bin Laden began making his Taliban sponsors nervous with a number of flamboyant and militant statements. At the time it seemed possible that bin Laden, who had gone to Afghanistan after being forced out of Sudan, might find himself at odds with his new hosts. What then? The report says bin Laden appears to have reached out to Saddam Hussein: There is also evidence that around this time Bin Ladin sent out a number of feelers to the Iraqi regime, offering some cooperation. None are reported to have received a significant response. According to one report, Saddam Hussein's efforts at this time to rebuild relations with the Saudis and other Middle Eastern regimes led him to stay clear of Bin Ladin. Since Saddam wasn't interested, the report says, nothing came of the contacts. But by the next y, Saddam, struggling under increasing pressure from the US, appeared to have changed his mind, and there were more talks: In mid-1998, the situation reversed; it was Iraq that reportedly took the initiative. In Mar 1998, after Bin Ladin's public fatwa against the US, 2 al Qaeda members reportedly went to Iraq to meet with Iraqi intel. In Jul, an Iraqi delegation traveled to Afghanistan to meet 1st with the Taliban and then with Bin Ladin. Sources reported that one, or perhaps both, of these meetings was apparently arranged through Bin Ladin's Egyptian deputy, Zawahiri, who had ties of his own to the Iraqis. In 1998, Iraq was under intensifying US pressure, which culminated in a series of large air attacks in Dec. The meetings went on, the report says, until Iraq offered to formalize its relationship with al Qaeda: Similar meetings between Iraqi officials and Bin Ladin or his aides may have occurred in 1999 during a period of some reported strains with the Taliban. According to the reporting, Iraqi officials offered Bin Ladin a safe haven in Iraq. Bin Ladin declined, apparently judging that his circumstances in Afghanistan remained more favorable than the Iraqi alternative. The reports describe friendly contacts and indicate some common themes in both sides' hatred of the US. The report goes on to say that the Sep 11 investigators found "no evidence that these or the earlier contacts ever developed into a collaborative operational relationship." It also says that the commission did not find any "evidence indicating that Iraq cooperated with al Qaeda in developing or carrying out any attacks against the US." Nevertheless, top US officials were so worried about the possibility of an Iraq-al Qaeda collaboration that they took care not to provoke bin Laden into a closer relationship with Saddam. In Feb 1999, for example, the CIA proposed U-2 aerial-surveillance missions over Afghanistan. The report says that Richard Clarke, then the Whitehouse counterterrorism chief, worried that the mission might spook bin Laden into leaving Afghanistan for somewhere where it might be even more difficult for American forces to reach him: Clarke was nervous about such a mission because he continued to fear that Bin Ladin might leave for someplace less accessible. He wrote Deputy Nat'l Security Advisor Donald Kerrick that one reliable source reported Bin Ladin's having met with Iraqi officials, who "may have offered him asylum." Other intel sources said that some Taliban leaders, though not Mullah Omar, had urged Bin Ladin to go to Iraq. If Bin Ladin actually moved to Iraq, wrote Clarke, his network would be at Saddam Hussein's service, and it would be "virtually impossible" to find him. Better to get Bin Ladin in Afghanistan, Clarke declared. Nat'l-security adviser Sandy Berger suggested that the US send just one U-2 flight, but the report says Clarke worried that even then, Pakistan's intel service would warn bin Laden that the US was preparing for a bombing campaign. "Armed with that knowledge, old wily Usama will likely boogie to Baghdad," Clarke wrote in a Feb 11, 1999 e-mail to Berger. The report says that another Nat'l Sec Council staffer also warned that "Saddam Hussein wanted bin Laden in Baghdad." The details found in the report -- which in footnotes are attributed to a variety of secret U.S govt intel documents -- suggest a new way of thinking about Iraq and al Qaeda. Bin Laden had been forced out of Sudan and into Afghanistan. When it appeared he might have trouble with the Taliban, he looked to Iraq as a possible source of assistance. Iraq, at the time interested in closer ties with the Saudis, said no. Later, as his troubles with the US grew, Saddam reconsidered, and offered bin Laden a safe haven in Iraq. This time, bin Laden turned Saddam down, not because of any conflicts with Iraq but because he thought he had a better deal in Afghanistan. With that background in mind, the reasoning employed by American policymakers in early 2002 as they planned the next step in the war on terrorism, comes into clearer focus. The US had toppled the Taliban but had not caught bin Laden and some of his top aides. Without a friendly regime in Afghanistan to protect al Qaeda, where might bin Laden and his band of terrorists go next? One possibility -- a quite reasonable possibility -- would be a place that had offered them haven in the past: Iraq. Almost none of this info was included in the preliminary staff report, and thus was not part of the reporting last m that proclaimed no relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda. Because of that absence of info, in late Jun and early Jul, the idea that there was no Iraq-al Qaeda link became the conventional wisdom in the press, and that thinking has guided virtually all subsequent reporting. On Jun 20, for example, the Post ran another front-page story on the topic, this one headlined, "9/11 Panel's Findings Vault Bush Credibility To Campaign Forefront." Later, the paper ran yet another page-one piece headlined "As Rationales For War Erode, Issue of Blame Looms Large." === South-East Asia winning JI war: Malaysian PM (AFP). South-East Asia has not destroyed regional terror group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) but it is winning the war on terrorism, Malaysian Prime Min Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says. "The war on terror in South-East Asia, I think we are winning that war," he said. "Not completely but we are watching very very carefully and we believe that soon we should see no more threats." Mr Abdullah says it is tough to predict when a total victory could be declared as some members of JI, seen as the regional wing of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, are still operating out of Indonesia. Malaysia has arrested dozens of suspected Islamic militants believed to be JI members under a tough security law allowing indefinite detention without trial. Mr Abdullah says Malaysia could curb any new JI threats that arise in the country. "I wouldn't say that they are destroyed but if there is anymore, we are able to contain them," Mr Abdullah said. "We know that there are some elements of this group that are still there in Indonesia. The Indonesians are working very hard to trace them." Authorities blame the JI terror group for a string of attacks including the Bali bombings, which killed 202 people in Oct 2002, and the Marriott hotel car bombing in Jakarta last Aug. On his recent decision to send a Malaysian military medical team to Iraq, Mr Abdullah says the move is not aimed at "sending a signal to anybody but we feel that we need to do something to help the people of Iraq." Mr Abdullah, who is the current chairman of both the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the 116-nation non-aligned movement of developing nations, reiterates his call for other Muslim countries to help rebuild Iraq. "I would also like to see other Muslim countries doing something there because Iraq is a Muslim country," he said. Mr Abdullah is visiting Brit on the last leg of a 5-day trip that also took him to the US and France. It is his 1st visit to the 3 big powers since taking over last Oct from retiring premier Mahathir Mohamad. Internat'l terrorism featured high on the agenda during his talks with US Pres George W Bush, French Pres Jacques Chirac and Brit PM Tony Blair. <<< AIDS >>> <<< HEALTH/DISEASE >>> <<< POW >>> === US report on prison abuse a 'whitewash' US Army report found no 'systemic' problem. (AFP). US newspapers The NY Times and The Washington Post have opened fire at the conclusions of a report by the US Army on abuses in prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the Times calling it a "whitewashing" to exonerate the high command. "A newly released report by the Army's inspector general shows that Mr Rumsfeld's team may be turning over stones, but it's not looking under them," the Times said in an editorial. "The authors of this 300-page whitewash say they found no 'systemic' problem -- even though there were 94 documented cases of prisoner abuse, including some 40 deaths, 20 of them homicides; even though only 4 prisons of the 16 they visited had copies of the Geneva Conventions; even though Abu Ghraib was a cesspool with one shower for every 50 inmates; even though the military police were improperly involved in interrogations; even though young people plucked from civilian life were sent to guard prisoners -- 50,000 of them in all - with no training," it said. "Even the report's release on Thu was an exercise in misdirection, timed to be overshadowed by the 9/11 commission's report," the Times noted. The Post noted "the probe concluded by sounding the defence offered up by the Pentagon ever since the photographs from Abu Ghraib prison were published: that the crimes did not result from Army policy and were not the fault of snr cmdrs but were 'unauthorised actions taken by a few individuals'. "This conclusion is contradicted by the independent investigations and reports of the Internat'l Committee of the Red Cross, by an earlier Army investigation undertaken before the scandal became public, and by testimony given to Congress. "Oddly, it doesn't even square with some of the findings buried in the inspector general's own report, which confirm that cmdrs in Iraq and Afghanistan ordered 'high-risk' interrogation procedures to be used on prisoners without adequate safeguards, training or regard for the Geneva Conventions," the Post added. === Channelnewsasia_com.txt === Channelnewsasia Indian FM gives message of hope to Iraq hostage's family NEW DELHI (AFP). India's foreign minister Natwar Singh said the govt was doing its best to secure the safe release of 3 Indians held captive by militants in Iraq as the crisis entered its 4th day. "The info we have is that hopefully the crisis would be resolved," Singh told the father and relatives of hostage Antaryami, who goes by only one name. "We are working behind the scenes and we are hopeful that the crisis would be resolved peacefully," he said. The Indian hostages -- Tilak Raj, Sukhdev Singh and Antaryami -- along with 3 Kenyans and an Egyptian, are being held by an Iraqi group calling itself Black Flags. The militants have been demanding the Kuwait-based transport firm for which the men worked wind up its operations in Iraq or they would behead the men one by one. Singh said the kidnapping did not have any political motives but seemed to "have been carried out by some irresponsible persons who are doing it for monetary gains". Describing it as a "very delicate matter", Singh told Antaryami's family in New Delhi that the govt was "in constant touch with its missions in Iraq, Kuwait and Cairo and it seems that this issue would be resolved and you and your family's tension would be over". "It is a very unfortunate incident. They (the hostages) are not combatants. They had gone there for jobs. We will do whatever to get them released as early as possible." But Antaryami's relatives did not seem convinced by Singh's assurances. "The govt is giving us assurances but how do we know what they are doing to get my son released," his father, Ram Murti, said. "I will be satisfied only when my son comes back to me," he told reporters after meeting Pres Abdul Kalam at the presidential palace in New Delhi. "We don't know what the govt is doing. We don't know what we should do to get the hostages released," he said. Pres Kalam too had assured him that "efforts are on to bring back the 3 Indians held hostage in Iraq", Murti said. Accompanied by relatives, Murti also called on PM Manmohan Singh and pleaded with him to ensure the early release of the hostages from their captors, the Press Trust of India news agency said. The premier also said the govt would do its best to secure the release of the hostages, the news agency quoted a senior official as saying. Earlier Sat, the PM chaired a meeting of the govt's highest strategic decision-making body, the Cabinet Committee on Security, to review the hostage crisis. In the latest development, the militant group extended its 72-hr deadline -- that was to end Sat evening -- by another 48 hr, according to a Qatar-based news channel. On Fri, the group made another demand seeking "payment of damages to families of victims of Fallujah and the release of Iraqi detainees from American and Kuwaiti prisons". Meanwhile, in Antaryami and Raj's N home state of Himachal Pradesh, relatives complained that they were not being kept informed by the govt. Angry villagers also staged a protest and blocked traffic on a busy highway. "I am appealing to this group, to the Iraqis and to the Indian govt to return my husband," said Antaryami's wife, Kusum Lata, in Dehlan village, about 430 km N of New Delhi. "I want nothing. Keep his money. Just send him back alive. My husband is a decent man. He didn't go to Iraq looking for riches. He just wanted to see foreign countries. What has he done to you? I beg you, send him home," she pleaded. Antaryami was among 6 sent to Kuwait by a local placement firm on Nov 22 last y. He and Raj were kidnapped while hauling cargo in Iraq. The Bombay-based firm, which recruited the 3 Indians now being held captive said it was shocked to learn about the kidnapping as the workers had been destined for jobs in Kuwait and not Iraq. The govt has banned Indians from being recruited for the war-torn country. === Iraq construction group chief seized in Baghdad Iraq hit by another spate of kidnappings. (Reuters/AFP). The director of a state-owned Iraqi construction company has been kidnapped in Baghdad on his way to work, an interior ministry rep said. The kidnapping comes as Egypt tries to secure the release of a senior diplomat abducted on Fri, and as the Indian and Kenyan govts try to negotiate the release of 6 nat'ls held by insurgents. "He was kidnapped on his way to work this morning," Sabah Kadhim told AFP, naming the captive as Raad Adnan, head of the Al-Mansour Contracting Co No one was wounded when the company director was snatched, Mr Kadhim said. Another ministry rep said Mr Adnan was kidnapped at 7.55 am (local time) on Rubai street in the Zayuna neighbourhood in central Baghdad. The reason for his abduction, the latest in a fever of hostage-taking that has gripped Iraq for months, was not immediately clear. Mr Kadhim said he was not aware of any ransom or political demands laid down in exchange for the release of Mr Adnan, attached to the housing and reconstruction ministry. "I'm sure it will come [however] because its the prime motive of these people. They try to cover it with political motives, but generally the prime motivation is money," he said. Al-Mansour, one of Iraq's largest construction companies, has carried out several reconstruction projects for Iraq's ministries, including a housing complex in Baghdad and military barracks for the new Iraqi army. Diplomat seized An Egyptian official says they are communicating with the insurgents to try to secure the release of the diplomat, Mohamed Mamdouh Qutb, who was seized as he left a Baghdad mosque. "We are involved in intense talks to try to secure his release," the source said. "We were so shocked. He's a very decent and religious man," said the source, who asked not to be identified. An Egyptian truck driver has also been seized by insurgents, and is being held with 6 Indian and Kenyan coworkers. 'Doing our best' The Indian Govt says it is doing its best to secure the safe release of 3 of its nat'ls held captive by militants in Iraq. "Govt is in touch with all relevant entities and agencies in Kuwait, Iraq, United States and the Iraqi embassy in New Delhi," nat'l security adviser J N Dixit told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) -- the govt's highest strategic decision-making body. "We are doing our best to get them released," he added. The Indian hostages, along with 3 Kenyans and the Egyptian, are being held by an Iraqi group calling itself Black Flags. The militants have been demanding the Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport firm for which the men worked wind up its operations in Iraq or they would behead the men one by one. On Fri, the group made another demand seeking "payment of damages to families of victims of Fallujah and the release of Iraqi detainees from American and Kuwaiti prisons." Kenya plea Kenya has pleaded again with kidnappers to release the hostages, saying it cannot meet the abductors' new demands. "We are now requesting that the kidnappers release the Kenyan hostages because their employer has promised to pull out of Iraq," Govt rep Alfred Mutua told AFP. "As a country, we cannot meet the new demands, because we were not part of the attacks in Fallujah and we are not holding any Iraqi prisoner." === Don't bow to kidnappers, Iraq urges Egypt (Reuters). Iraq's Prime Minster Iyad Allawi has urged Egypt not to give in to kidnappers who have taken an Egyptian diplomat hostage in Baghdad. "The only way to deal with terrorists is to bring them to justice and to close ranks and we hope that Egypt and the Egyptian Govt would act accordingly," Dr Allawi told a news conference in the Syrian capital. He said Iraq's interim Govt was doing everything it could to try and secure the release of Mohamed Mamdouh Qutb, who was seized after reports Cairo might consider helping Iraq with security arrangements. "We will not give up ... the hostage will be released unharmed. The Iraqi govt will do its best," Dr Allawi said shortly after meeting Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad. Dr Allawi visited Cairo this wk and discussed the possibility of using Egyptian troops in training Iraq's forces, but Egyptian officials have been quick to emphasise that no deal was struck. He said the Philippines decision to pull out its 51 troops a month early, meeting militants' demands and sparing the life of a Filipino hostage, was "regrettable". <<< HOSTAGE >>> <<< ALLAWI >>> <<< SADDAM >>> <<< IRAQ >>> === 10 killed in Iraq violence.txt === 10 killed in Iraq violence FALLUJA/BAGHDAD/MOSUL (REUTERS). A van crowded with Iraqis crashed into a US tank in N Baghdad, killing 9 Iraqis on board and injuring 10, the US military said on Fri. A military rep said the van was trying to pass another vehicle when it crashed into the tank around 10 pm on Thu. Meanwhile, in Mosul, gunmen assassinated a snr member of Iraq's fledgling armed forces as he travelled to Fri prayers, police said. Brig Gen Salim Blaish and one of his neighbours, who was travelling with him, were killed in a drive-by shooting. US forces carried out an air strike on the rebellious city of Falluja on Fri, targeting a group of suspected insurgents linked to Jordanian militant Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the US military said. "Based on multiple intel sources, the attack targeted 10 to 12 terrorists with known ties to the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi network of foreign terrorists," US Air Force Brig Gen Erv Lessel said in a statement. "The anti-Iraqi forces were struck while in the courtyard of a house; the house was left intact," the statement added. The latest strike was carried out in coordination with Iraq's interim govt, the statement said. It did not say if anyone was killed in the operation. However, residents of the area said that at least 5 people were wounded, 2 of them children. === The Seattle Times Nation & World New Iraqi Nat'l Guard struggles to distance itself from U_S_ mentors.txt === New Iraqi Nat'l Guard struggles to distance itself from US mentors BAGHDAD (AP/Seattle Times). For the olive-green pickup, it's just one small stretch of driveway. For the half-dozen Iraqi men and one woman seated inside the cabin and flatbed, it's one giant leap. On this recent day, for the 1st time since the announcement of sovereignty, the squad of young soldiers of the new Iraqi Nat'l Guard ventured onto the streets without a US Army escort. The mission: escort a busload of young recruits from the Muthana Airport base to Camp Sara, another base on the other side of town. A giant Iraqi flag waves from their vehicle. A young gunner sits holding a machine gun. Pedestrians gawk. Onlookers wave, laugh or appear bewildered at the sight. "Finally my soldiers are patrolling on their own, without Americans," says Lt Col Heydar Abdul Rasool, cmdr of an Iraqi Nat'l Guard unit. "The flag of Iraq on the pickup was for them a sign of independence." But American officials concede it will be months, if not years, before the Iraqi Nat'l Guard -- eventually to number 30,000 soldiers -- is up to the task of providing security. "I don't foresee us going away any time soon," said 1st Sgt. William Taggart, 40, a Brooklyn, Mich, native and military trainer assigned to the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division. "They still need to be mentored. They are responsible, but we stay next to them to help them." Rasool, however, says he's eager for the Americans to leave. "We thank the Americans for training us," he says. "We've been under their orders for many months. But we get orders from the new Iraqi govt. We have to be independent." With the American soldiers now mostly safely ensconced on well-fortified bases, it's been the Iraqi Nat'l Guard and Iraqi police forces that have borne the insurgency's brunt. Rasool said he lost 40 of his 1,500 men in his 1st year. "All our operations are dangerous, especially the raids," he says. In volatile areas, the Iraqi Nat'l Guard members used to wear masks to prevent retribution by insurgents. Most no longer do. But on this day's patrol, a few decide to hide their faces. On her 1st mission without a US escort, First Soldier Susan Jassem, a 22-yo recruit with golden hair and golden earrings, covered her face as the pickup rumbled off the base. "I'm no longer afraid of going on missions," she had boasted earlier. As a mark of their independence from the Americans, Rasool's men recently held a ceremony to pledge allegiance to the new interim govt. They took off their American-style rank insignias and donned the old Iraqi Army stripes, based on the Brit army system. They saluted Iraqi-style, their palms directed upward instead of downward like the Americans. But the poorly disciplined troops were unable to perform even a simple ceremony without American guidance. Some of the soldiers couldn't get their AK-47s to lock and load. Others were grossly out of sync with their comrades as they marched. A couple giggled at a group of visiting journalists. The soldiers were ordered to stand at attention but kept fidgeting. A group of still younger recruits could be seen storming past in a mock attack, laughing gleefully as they held up their weapons. "They're civilians off the street, just like our guys are when they get their basic training," Taggart said. Finally the soldiers pledged allegiance to the new Iraqi govt, bringing them officially under the orders of the new Iraqi defense minister. After vowing not to wear the black lieutenant-colonel star the Americans gave him, Rasool decided at the last moment to put it on his lapel. "It's a small act of appreciation to the American forces for liberating us and training us," he said, "just before we say goodbye to them." === Newsday_com -- World News.txt === Iraqi police face charges of past BAGHDAD (Newsday). The Intel Service has its own secret prison. Criminals wear uniforms and collect police salaries. Snr security officials hand out jobs to family members. Investigators charged with being watchdogs over the police say they have little or no power. They report to the interior minister rather than to justice itself. The police arrest the innocent, beat them, and imprison them without charge; and in at least one case, police shot dead an innocent bystander. This is not Saddam Hussein's corrupt police state. This is the new Iraq run by interim PM Iyad Allawi, the man the internat'l community is hoping will shepherd Iraqi democracy into being early next y. There are so many corrupt, violent and useless police officers in the new Iraqi police force that, according to a snr American adviser to the Iraqi police, the US govt is about to pay off 30,000 police officers at a cost of $60 mn to the American taxpayer. "An innocent man was killed in cold blood," said Luay al-Kharalosi, whose brother Ali, 25, was shot dead on the street by the Iraqi police earlier this m, an incident for which the police admit responsibility. "These are the same methods as Saddam Hussein, but Saddam Hussein killed people in secret. Allawi kills in public." Less than a m after the interim Iraqi govt took power, Iraqi and American officials are struggling to prevent Iraq's new security forces from adopting many of the characteristics of Hussein's feared secret police, say American and Iraqi officials and some civilians who have suffered at their hands. As Allawi faces the dual challenges of a crime wave and an ongoing insurgency -- and answering a clamoring desire among most Iraqis for security and stability -- officials fear that human rights and honesty in the security forces are being suffocated at birth by a culture of authoritarianism and corruption. It is in part a hangover from the Hussein y and part a response to Iraq's current instability. "What is right for Iraq? To a certain degree we have tried to instill our values in the country," said Dan Waddington, a snr American adviser to the Iraqi police. "If the people of Iraq believe that type of force is justified to get control of the problems of the country, are we the ones to say no, do it by our standards?" The police are not only an object of controversy in Iraq; they are also a prime target for insurgents, who have used car bombs, semi-automatic weapons, and buried roadside devices in attacking them. Police have been assaulted at station houses all over Iraq and at recruitment centers, checkpoints and while on patrol. 8 hundred have been killed on the job, according to official sources. But now the spotlight is slowly turning to the victims of the police. The main examples of Allawi's authoritarian style so far have been two large police raids on neighborhoods of Baghdad. While apparently popular, witnesses said the raids were violent events that swept up many people regardless of evidence. Security officials acknowledge that in the 1st raid, only 60 of 147 arrested remain in custody. In the second, 100 of 470 arrested remain behind bars. For 2 m, the nascent Intel Service of the Interior Ministry scouted out the neighborhood of Betaween, a scruffy area of downtown Baghdad well known for its drug pushers, drunks, prostitutes and well-organized criminals. It is also home to many Sudanese immigrants, who are often viewed with suspicion by the police and the population in general. A snr Iraqi intel official, who said he spent 15 y in Hussein's Intel Service -- known, as now, as the Mukhabarat -- showed Newsday surveillance photographs of the suspects in the raid. "We wanted to stop them and give them a hard kick," said the intel official, who requested anonymity. Raiding neighborhoods The people of Betaween got their hard kick. On Jun 28, the day the new govt took over, about 150 officers from the Intel Service, Internal Affairs, Special Response Teams and the police flooded the streets of one section of the neighborhood. One of the 147 people arrested that day was Faris al-Taher, a soft-spoken 28-yo immigrant from Sudan who had been in Iraq for only one month, looking for a long-lost brother and a job. He was in a friend's store when the police came, he said last wk. They dragged him into the street and herded him with about 15 others to another street. There, he said, they handcuffed him -- he still has the scars on his left wrist -- and beat him with sticks. Once, he said, an officer clubbed him on the back of his head with a rifle. One took about $500 from his trouser pocket, he said. No one told al-Taher why he was being arrested. All of the men arrested were taken to a big cell in the Interior Ministry, al-Taher said. For 3 days, they were given food and water only once. Other prisoners were taken away for questioning, but not al-Taher. "They slapped them, they beat them," al-Taher said, adding that he had asked one of the prisoners who returned from interrogation what had happened. "They beat them, they beat them, everywhere." 3 days after his arrest he was released, he said, without charge, explanation or apology. When asked why the police and intel officers had arrested so many innocent people, a Betaween-based intel official said: "If the criminal was in a room with 4 persons, we arrested those persons to obtain info about why they were in a room with the criminal." The official denied that any violence had been used in the raid, except when suspects resisted with force. Just the beginning Jun 28 seemed like a warm-up compared to events 2 wk later. On Jul 12, 100s of security officers swarmed through the Bab al-Sheikh neighborhood. They came heavily armed and engaged in gun battles with criminal gangs, police and witnesses said. When it was all over, one man lay dead and 470 were in custody. Last week, all but 100 of them had been been released without charge, the snr intel officer said. The dead man was Ali al-Kharalosi, 25. Last wk his brother Luay held up a tattered, blood-stained piece of yellow paper. It was a letter to Ali informing him that he had passed his high school graduation exams. After the fall of the Hussein regime, Ali al-Kharalosi had gone back to school to get the certificate he had failed to obtain 7 y ago. "He received the results of the examination on Jul 10," Luay said at the family's home in Bab al-Sheikh, a crime-ridden warren of alleyways in Baghdad. While the men spoke in the courtyard of the modest house and displayed the bloodied identification documents and stained bills from Ali's wallet, the women of the family gathered in a room. Ali's mother, Najima Ali Agha, 70, wailed and beat her chest with her hands. A celebration denied Ali went out in the late afternoon of Jul 12 to celebrate his belated graduation with friends. He was standing outside a store when he was shot 3 times by a masked police officer, Luay said, adding that a friend of Ali's had witnessed the shooting. The Interior Ministry's inspector general, the official meant to oversee internal affairs, said he was not investigating the Bab al-Sheikh raid or the Al-Kharalosi shooting. But he acknowledged that Al-Kharalosi was an innocent victim. "That kid killed wasn't targeted," said Hassan al-Sarray, the inspector general. "It was by mistake." Like so many Iraqis, Luay al-Kharalosi had been yearning for the police to restore order to Iraq's violent streets. "At 1st I was very happy when I see policemen come to save us, but we didn't think they'd use this kind of violence," he said. That uneasy yearning for both democratic rights and an instant fix to the security problems of Iraq affects even Iraq's minister for human rights. Bakhtiar Amin, the minister, said in an interview that he had formed a committee to investigate the Betaween raid. But, he said, the ministry's investigators must be careful not to demoralize the police, in view of the enormous number killed on the job. "Life comes first," he said. "We are dealing with dangerous people. These people are involved in heinous crimes." No room for abuse But a civil society has no place for abuse by police, he said. "We try to assure ourselves on the one hand that there are no abuses," Amin said. "On the 2nd hand, we want to tell our security forces that we are here. It's not the past. People are watching them." The internal affairs dept and inspector general's office at the Ministry of Interior have begun at least 80 current investigations into police violence or corruption, Iraqi and American officials said. There are between 800 to 1,000 internal affairs officers around the country. Their snr officer is a former chemist who is respected by the ministry's foreign advisers. Those investigations, however, are not truly independent: They must be approved by the minister of interior, Falah al-Naqib, said Al-Saray, the ministry's inspector general. Advisers who are contracted to work with the Interior Ministry, most of them former or current snr law enforcement officials from the US, Brit, AUS and Europe are anxious about the organization and accountability of the Iraqi security forces. Waddington is snr police adviser of administrative operations and a former internal affairs officer from Washington state who was teaching criminal justice at the University at Albany until he came to Iraq earlier this y. In an interview last wk, Waddington described how he had just learned, with apparent alarm, that the Mukhabarat had their own prison. The snr Iraqi intel official said with a laugh that the prison in question was in fact a "guest house" inside the huge Interior Ministry building where the Mukhabarat interrogates people before sending them to a more permanent prison. Under Hussein, as in many Arab countries, there were many different competing security agencies. This structure often enables Arab leaders -- Yasser Arafat is another example -- to create a situation in which only the leader has true power. It also can foster a lack of accountability, as agencies operate without much oversight. Allawi appears to be following the pattern. "Groups like Intel are developing their own police force, enforcement and jail," Waddington said. "So they don't have to answer to anyone." Already, there is competition between the different forces. "The people don't trust the police," the snr intel official said. "The people who come to us say we are not going to the police because the police will sell us out. The sources will be betrayed. Here in our job we're keen not to give info to the police, but at the same time we're trying to activate the police. It's difficult." Furthermore, another regime-era habit is returning, Waddington said. "We're seeing a bit of the old culture coming in with the new govt," he said. "The minister has been surrounding himself with some of his family. There are real concerns there as to how the whole structure's set up." Well-armed fortresses Waddington has also received reports of police cmdrs outside Baghdad, where oversight is harder to conduct, hiring their friends and family members so that their local police stations are essentially becoming well-armed tribal fortresses. There is "going to be a need to rein in some of these guys," he said. Beyond rogue operations in the provinces, the roughly 120,000-strong police force is packed with illiterate, criminal, physically out of shape and absentee officers, he said. Hence the $60-mn budget, which is coming from the more than $18 bn appropriated by Congress to help rebuild Iraq, to buy out about 30,000 bad cops. Within the past 2 wk, Waddington said, a committee has been set up consisting of Iraqis and members of the coalition to decide which officers will be given a buyout package. The point of paying off the useless or corrupt officers, he said, is to prevent them from turning hostile to the Iraqi govt and coalition forces. "To make them go away," he said. A persistent rumor In the background of the problems with police corruption, inefficiency and brutality is the drumbeat of a rumor that points to the top. The SYD Morning Herald in AUS recently quoted 2 unidentified witnesses as saying they were present at a Baghdad police station when Allawi personally executed 6 suspected insurgents. American Embassy officials and American intel sources have said there is no truth to the story. Waddington said he, too, did not believe the rumor but he said he had discussed the matter with colleagues and "we need to make sure we're not overlooking a serious issue." He expected that he and his fellow Interior Ministry advisers would make "discrete inquiries." "We need to find the truth behind the allegation to ensure that the principle we're striving to instill here has some substance, to ensure that we're not just changing the heads on the statues," he said. At a news conference last wk, Allawi laughed when asked if the allegation was true. "It's a rumor by our enemies," he said. "We definitely would not use the same tactics that Saddam has used, and we are, all of us, myself, as well as my govt, far away from these activities." === Seattle Post-Intelr AP -- Middle E Iraq's premier yet to show results.txt === Iraq's premier yet to show results (AP/Seattle Post-Intelr). Interim Iraqi PM Iyad Ellawi speaks to reporters at a news conference held jointly with his Syrian counterpart Naji Otari in Damascus on Sat, Jul 24, 2004, following his meeting with Syrian Pres Bashar Assad in Damascus. Allawi stressed that Iraq will have full diplomatic relations with Syria, saying his visit will "open a bright page in the relations" between the 2 countries. (AP Photo/ Bassem Tellawi) RAMADI, Iraq -- In the m since becoming interim PM, Iyad Allawi has armed himself with tough new powers and spoken of restoring the death penalty. He has also raised the possibility of an amnesty for insurgents to help stem violence tearing the fabric of this Arab nation. Many Iraqis, however, dismiss Allawi's plans as talk but no action. In turbulent cities like Ramadi and nearby Fallujah -- hotbeds of anti-US resistance -- the Iraqi leader must win over residents to ensure his political survival. But recent events in the 2 Sunni cities don't bode well for Allawi, a Shiite. "Nobody here wants Allawi," elderly Ramadi resident Mohammed Hameed Diyab said as he stood next to a neighborhood power generator damaged during fighting between US troops and insurgents. "We don't want anyone brought by the Americans." Allawi and the US also have had no success winning additional internat'l support for the effort to restore the country to normalcy. 6 wk after the UN Sec Council authorized a separate force to protect UN staff in Iraq, Sec-Gen Kofi Annan has reported the world body has not received a single firm commitment of troops. Annan said if the 191 UN member states want the UN to play a major role in helping Iraq prepare for elections, draft a constitution, and rebuild the country they must ensure adequate security for UN personnel. "Without that security, we cannot really deploy in any sizeable number," he said. Security is an especially sensitive issue as the 1st anniversary of the Aug. 19, 2003, bombing of UN HQ in Baghdad approaches. That blast killed 22 people, including top UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello. And the Russians told For Min Hoshyar Zebari again on Sat that Moscow would not relent in its refusal to send troops, although it was studying a request to restructure $8 bn in debt from Saddam's rule. Allawi was in Egypt on Thu looking for military help and won Cairo's promise to help train Iraqis but only in Egypt for the time being. But the Egyptian govt has said little about its intentions since Egyptian diplomat Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb was snatched by militants as he left a Baghdad mosque Fri. For Min Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Sat called it "a very sensitive situation." The militants have demanded Egypt abandon plans to help Iraq. "We will not abandon Egyptian citizens in that way," Aboul Gheit told reporters of Qutb and Mohammed Sanad, an Egyptian truck driver kidnapped Wed. On Thu, the day before Qutb was abducted, presidential rep Magad Abdel Fattah told The Associated Press that Egypt was "willing to help" in Iraq, but that before committing troops it needed to see the Iraqis restore some calm themselves. Aboul Gheit said Fri shortly after Qutb's abduction that "sending troops or Egyptian military personnel to Iraq is not an issue on the table at all for Egypt." Allawi heads a sovereign Admin that on Jun 28 replaced the US-run provisional authority that had ruled Iraq since Saddam's ouster 15 m ago. But with Americans making up the bulk of a 160,000-strong Multinat'l Force here, and Iraq's fledgling forces still unable to handle security alone, Iraqis still see the US as the real power. Since taking office, Allawi has sought the image of a tough law-and-order enforcer and a leader with policies that transcend ethnic and sectarian boundaries. But the PM has yet to use any of the emergency powers he won this m, like imposing limited martial law and curfews on chaotic regions. Violence, meanwhile, has not eased. A recent wave of kidnappings, including that of an Egyptian diplomat, has exposed the helplessness of the govt against the well-organized militant groups that use hostages to disrupt Iraq's reconstruction effort and to drive out foreigners. "It is unfortunate for him to have taken office at a time of such tenuous security," said Jordanian columnist Raja Jalab, who knew Allawi during his years in exile. "But it's a testimony to his resolve. Anyone else would have withdrawn from the field at a time like this." Allawi has spent the past few days touring Arab capitals in search of strong allies, but the trip seems to have done little to make his task easier. He has received symbolic expressions of support, but none of the pledges of troops that he hoped for. He continued the tough talk Sat when asked about the Egyptian hostage. "We are not going to give up. We are going to win, we assure you. We will prevail and the terrorists will be brought to justice," he told reporters in Damascus. As a Shiite, Allawi belongs to a community empowered by Saddam's overthrow. The Sunni minority dominated Iraq for decades, but this new order has been of little help to the 58-yo, Brit-educated physician-turned-politician. Radical Shiites, the loudest Shiite voice in Iraq since Saddam's ouster, see him as a Shiite in name only and view his unelected govt as illegitimate. They, along with moderate Shiites, see his plans to reinstate members of Saddam's notorious Baath party in govt and security jobs as an insult to the memory of the 1000s of Shiites victimized by the Baathists. Sunni Iraqis, who have led the insurgency against the US-led coalition, view him as the leader of an American puppet govt. Public assertions that his govt had given the go-ahead to recent US airstrikes against suspected terrorist targets in Fallujah have earned him even more enemies. Iraq has been in the grips of intense violence for more than a year, with almost daily car bombings, kidnappings, gunbattles, assassinations and sabotage. Allawi has repeatedly blamed the violence on non-Iraqis linked to al-Qaida, while saying little about the homegrown insurgency. The tactic is apparently designed to win some goodwill from Iraqi insurgents who see their fight against the Americans as both legitimate and sanctioned by Islamic teachings. It does not seem to be working. Allawi has invited back to active service members of Saddam's disbanded army to quickly build a force with ready experience to combat the violence. The move was expected to win hearts and minds in Fallujah and Ramadi, where many of Saddam's officers became unemployed when the coalition disbanded the army last y. Allawi's efforts to end the insurgency are further compounded by the relative popularity of the insurgents in their communities and the heavily religious agenda of their leaders in Fallujah and Ramadi, where religious piety is widespread. The common belief that they are fighting a just cause against an "infidel" occupation army leaves Allawi as the one catering to Islam's enemy. === Allawi hails Egypt's stance towards Iraq.txt === Allawi hails Egypt's stance towards Iraq Iraqi's interim PM Iyad Allawi yesterday thanked Pres Mubarak for Egypt's positive stance towards Iraq especially in the current crucial circumstances Iraq was passing through. Allawi, in statements to the Egyptian TV before leaving Cairo for Damascus, said his country has turned a new leaf as regards Iraq's relations with the countries of the region, especially those that sided with the Iraqi people in their war to topple the former regime. Egypt was among the countries which sided with us and is still backing us, he said. He added that his visit to Egypt came to open a new chapter in ties with Egypt. Allawi said Iraq and Egypt are cooperating in the security field, with Egypt offering Iraq technical aid and training. On diplomatic ties with Egypt, he said Baghdad has appointed an ambassador to Egypt. He expressed confidence that Baghdad-Cairo ties would be excellent and positive. He expressed hope that Egypt would contribute positively to the reconstruction process in Iraq. Asked to comment on Syria's apprehension that Kurds could be seeking to set up an independent state, Allawi said the idea of setting up a Kurdish state does not exist in the 1st place, Syrian fears in this respect are misplaced, he added. Iraq will remain united and will emerge stronger from the current crisis, Allawi said. On the future of Iraq-Kuwait ties, he said Baghdad is keen on establishing good ties with Kuwait, adding that he would go to Kuwait with a new mind and spirit. The rationale of force and violence has gone for ever, he added. Iraq will, with dialogue not force, solve the problems facing it, he said. He added that the upcoming nat'l conference would be a landmark in the march towards free and fair elections. <<< AFGHANISTAN >>> <<< IRAN >>> === Yahoo! News -- Iran Clears Agent Accused of Journalist Killing.txt === Iran Clears Agent Accused of Journalist Killing TEHRAN (Reuters). An Iranian court has acquitted an intel agent charged with killing Canadian-Iranian journalist Zahra Kazemi in custody last y, his lawyer said on Sat. The court's decision was likely to be welcomed by Kazemi's family, the Iranian govt and human rights groups, all of whom expressed concern that the accused was a scapegoat and that evidence pointing to other suspects was ignored. Lawyers acting for the family of Kazemi, who was arrested last Jun for taking photographs of Tehran's Evin prison, said they wanted the case re-opened and the real culprit found. The Kazemi case has soured Iran's ties with Canada -- which last week recalled its ambassador from Tehran. The trial, which ended abruptly last Sun after just 3 court sessions, also exposed Iran's human rights record and judicial processes to internat'l scrutiny and highlighted deep rifts between Pres Mohammad Khatami's reformist govt and the hard-line judiciary. "I was informed by reliable official sources at the judiciary that he has been acquitted," Qasem Shabani, lawyer for Intel Ministry agent Mohammad Reza Aqdam, told Reuters. The official IRNA news agency, citing an informed judiciary source, said Aqdam was cleared of the charge of "semi-intentional murder" due to lack of evidence. IRNA said the sentence could be appealed within 20 days and that "blood money" -- normally paid by a convicted murderer to the family of the victims -- would come from the state treasury. Kazemi, 56, underwent 3 days of interrogation inside Evin prison before being sent to a military hospital where she slipped into a coma and died. TEARFUL TESTIMONY Iran's judiciary initially announced she had died naturally of a stroke. But a subsequent govt inquiry showed Kazemi received a blow to the head while in detention that split her skull and caused a brain hemorrhage. In tearful testimony to the court last Sat, Kazemi's mother said her daughter's fingers, nose and toes were broken and there were burn marks on her chest. She added that Iranian officials forced her to agree to bury the body in Iran, instead of sending it to Canada where authorities wanted to carry out a further autopsy. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, acting for the Kazemi family, stormed out of the court's final session and accused the judge of ignoring evidence which suggested a judiciary official had dealt the fatal blow to Kazemi. A member of Ebadi's legal team said they had never believed Aqdam to be guilty. "We believe a fair investigation requires the proof we provided at the court to be heard and the witnesses we named to be summoned," Mohammad Ali Dadkhah told Reuters. "Internat'l attention is on this case to learn whether or not the murderer or murderers will finally be identified." === Iranian agent cleared of killing photographer: report (AFP). An Iranian court has cleared an intel agent accused of killing Iranian-Canadian photographer Zahra Kazemi while she was in custody, and the hardline judiciary has moved to close the case, the official news agency has reported. The report quoted an official in the prosecution office as saying the agent, Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, had been cleared due to a "lack of proof". The report said that in the absence of a guilty verdict, the Iranian govt had been ordered to pay "blood money" to Ms Kazemi's family, and appeared to signal the courts would not be pursuing the case any further, a decision likely to further damage relations with Canada. "If killer or killers could not be found, the diyeh (blood money) will be paid by the treasury," said the official, who was not named. In Iran, blood money for a woman, half that for a man, amounts to 80 mn rials, or around $US9,200. Ms Kazemi's family, however, can appeal against the verdict, although it is not clear if that would result in another investigation to find the real killer. Ms Kazemi, a 54-yo freelance photographer with dual nat'lity, died in Jul 2003 from a brain haemorrhage, the result of a blow to her skull inflicted while she was being interrogated. She had been arrested for taking photos outside Tehran's Evin prison. During his trial, the 42-yo intel agent claimed he was a scapegoat and victim of Iran's complex internal rivalries. During 2 days of hearings last wk, the judiciary was accused of covering up for one of its own officials. The judiciary initially claimed Ms Kazemi died of a stroke, but a govt report later revealed she had been struck by a blunt object while being interrogated. Between her arrest and her admission to hospital, she spent several days being shuttled between the custody of judicial prosecutors, the police and the intel ministry. A team of lawyers led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, who were representing Ms Kazemi's enraged family, alleged in court that the real killer could have been Mohammad Bakhshi, a snr justice official working in Evin prison. In a controversial move, on the 2nd day of the hearing last wk, the judiciary barred foreign diplomats, including Canada's ambassador to Tehran Philip MacKinnon, and foreign reporters from observing the trial. In response, Canada recalled it ambassador. He had already been called home over the affair last y after Ms Kazemi's body was hastily buried at her birthplace in the S of Iran in a ceremony her mother said had been organised under duress in order to deny Canada the opportunity to carry out its own autopsy. Iran, which refuses to recognise dual nat'lity, said Canada had no business observing the trial and said Ms Kazemi's case was a "domestic affair". The trial is seen as a key test of Iran's willingness to tackle what human rights groups allege is the widespread use of torture in its prison system. Ms Ebadi, a human rights lawyer, warned after the trial that if justice was not served in Iran she could take the case to an internat'l tribunal. <<< KOREA >>> <<< ISRAEL/PAL >>> === Police station razed as Gaza unrest continues (AFP). A police station has been burnt down in the central Gaza Strip and armed men demanding jobs have taken over the governor's office in Khan Yunis, witnesses say. The police station in Al-Zawaida, a village nr Deir al-Balah, has been burned to the ground by unidentified attackers. There are no reports of casualties. In Khan Yunis, 20 armed and masked men have forced everyone out of the governor's office and taken over the building. The occupiers are said to be demanding work. The Gaza Strip has been beset by unrest for the past 2 wk, sparked by armed groups linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement protesting at corruption. The unrest, which has since spread to the W Bank, prompted Palestinian Prem Ahmed Qurie to submit his resignation last Sat. Mr Arafat has refused to accept his departure and has called for a radical cabinet reshuffle to confront the crisis. === Gunmen take over Gaza governor's office (AFP). Gunmen have briefly taken over the governor's office in the Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis, demanding that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat sack his cousin, Musa, as head of security in Gaza and the reinstatement of security forces he had fired. A police station was also torched nr the central Gaza village of Deir al-Balah as Arafat faced his worst crisis since returning from exile a decade ago. A militant of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade told AFP by telephone from the governor's office that the gunmen were demanding the reinstatement of more than 50 security officers. The Brigades, an armed offshoot of Arafat's Fatah group, has led violent protests against Mr Arafat's appointment of Musa, accused of being corrupt, as the territory's security chief. Witnesses earlier said some 20 armed and masked men forced everyone out of the governor's office in the early morning and took over the building. Palestinian security sources said the gunmen ended their 5-hour siege at about noon (local time) after an agreement was reached for the security officers to return to work. Earlier, the Brigades militant, who identified himself as Abu Ahmed, listed their demands as "the reforms demanded by the Palestinian people, corrupt officials be fired and the nomination of Musa Arafat to be cancelled." "We will not lay down our weapons as long as Musa Arafat is not fired. And we will not end our protests as long as our demands are not met," he had said. "In the name of law and order [Musa Arafat] is suppressing the intifada by cracking down on militants and firing 52 [security officers], all members of Fatah. He must reinstate them," he said. He linked the dismissals to protests demanding Musa Arafat's resignation. Meanwhile, the police station in Al-Zawaida, a village nr Deir al-Balah, was burned to the ground by unidentified attackers. There were no reports of casualties and no immediate claim of responsibility. The unrest, which has since spread to the W Bank, prompted Palestinian premier Ahmed Qurei to submit his resignation last Sat. Mr Arafat has refused to accept Mr Qurei's departure and has called for a radical cabinet reshuffle to confront the crisis. === Arafat accepts Qurie's reforms (Reuters). Palestinian Pres Yasser Arafat has said he will accept changes to his govt proposed by his PM, amid widespread unrest over claims of corruption in the Palestinian Authority (PA). Prime Min Ahmed Qurie has led calls for reform while militants have threatened to lay down their own law in protest over a security shake-up by Mr Arafat last wk. "He (Mr Qurie) has not asked for anything, but this is the right of the PM, to present what he sees fit," Mr Arafat said. "I accept anything he presents and I have high confidence in him." Mr Arafat dismissed reports of problems between him and Mr Qurie. He said he also welcomed a proposal by lawmakers to replace some ministers. Pressure has mounted on Mr Arafat since gunmen sparked chaos and anarchy in Gaza by kidnapping a series of Palestinian officials and foreigners, demanding the president reform his security forces. In the latest incident, Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades gunmen seized a security building in the Gaza town of Khan Younis, demanding Mr Arafat reinstate dismissed comrades and that he fire his nephew, Moussa Arafat, whose appointment to a top Gaza security post last wk sparked armed standoffs with reformists. The militants later dispersed after announcing a deal under which 11 Al Aqsa men who they said had been dismissed from security jobs by Moussa Arafat would be reinstated. Hours earlier, unidentified Palestinians torched a 2-storey police station in the nearby village of Al Zawaida. Last week, gun battles erupted in Gaza between militants and forces loyal to Moussa Arafat, wounding 12 Palestinians. Calls for reform in the Palestinian govt and security forces have escalated amid a brewing power struggle in Gaza in anticipation of Israeli PM Ariel Sharon's planned withdrawal from the occupied territory by the end of 2005. Last week's kidnappings prompted Mr Qurie, demanding security powers, to announce his resignation, which Mr Arafat rejected. Palestinian lawmakers voted to appoint a new govt that could impose law and order in the W Bank and Gaza. === Israeli minister warns of attacks by Jewish extremists (AFP). Israel's Interior Min Tsahi Hanegbi has warned of a high risk of an attack by Jewish extremists against Islamic holy places on Temple Mount, also called Al Haram Al Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), or against Muslims there. "The risk of Jewish extremists and fanatics committing an attack against Temple Mount or the faithful in this most sacred place for Islam has never been so high," the minister said. Such an attack would have the aim of sabotaging PM Ariel Sharon's plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip by "provoking a chain reaction", the Min said on Israeli television. "We have a considerable amount of disquieting info according to which it is not only academic ideas but concrete projects," the minister added, without elaborating. Jewish settlers are fiercely opposed to Mr Sharon's plan to pull some 8,000 settlers out of the Gaza Strip. His govt took the decision in principle in Jun unilaterally to withdraw before the end of 2005 and dismantle its 21 settlements as well as 4 isolated settlements in the N of the W Bank. Temple Mount site contains the Dome of the Rock (Omar Mosque) and the Al Aqsa Mosque, the 3rd holiest place of Islam. Earlier this month, Mr Hanegbi warned against the threat of a major political assassination in Israel by Jewish extremists. Jewish settlers were planning to form a "human chain" today stretching some 90 km from the Gaza Strip to Jerusalem and called at the weekend for 1000s of Israelis to take part. The demo is part of a campaign by settlers against Mr Sharon's withdrawal plan. A rep for an action committee from the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the strip said "tens of 1000s of people", young and old, would join the chain. In calls for support published in the Israeli press, the committee termed Mr Sharon's withdrawal project a "plan of destruction" for the settlements. The human chain was set to start at the foot of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall, the holiest site in Judaism. Outgoing police chief Shlomo Aaronichki has given orders to strengthen surveillance of those visiting the Temple Mount area, and in an interview last wk with the daily Yediot Aharonot spoke of preventative arrests of right-wing activists. <<< SYRIA >>> <<< SRI >>> <<< INDIA/PAKI >>> <<< TIMOR >>> === Latham comments may halt E Timor talks: Downer Foreign Min Alexander Downer says AUS may suspend negotiations with E Timor over maritime boundries because of "extremely irresponsible" comments by the Labor leader Mark Latham. AUS is in dispute with E Timor over the boundaries in the Timor Sea, which determine control over oil and gas reserves. Mr Latham says it appears there has been bad blood in the negotiations so far and if Labor is elected, it would restart the talks. Mr Downer has told Channel 9 those comments have undermined AUS's position. "We're in the middle of a very delicate and a very difficult negotiation," he said. "We've got the next round of the negotiations scheduled for Sep. "If Labor is going to restart all of the negotiations from scratch, as Mr Latham has said, then there's barely any point in going ahead with this next round of negotiations in Sep." <<< SOLOMONS >>> === Solomons mission far from over: coordinator Better than expected: Nick Warner says the mission has gone smoothly. xxx Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) head Nick Warner says the operation, which marks its 1st anniversary today, has turned the country around. Football games, a concert and a street march are being held in the capital, Honiara, to mark the anniversary. Mr Warner says the mission's greatest achievement is giving Solomon Islands a 2nd chance. "That country that greeted RAMSI 12 m ago no longer exists," he said. "The infrastructure of the country had all but collapsed, Govt coffers were empty, armed thugs and criminals essentially did roam the streets and they certainly turned up at the Prime Min's residence... with guns demanding money. "None of those things are in place any longer. "In a very real sense the country has been turned around and has been given a 2nd chance." Mr Warner admits he never expected the mission, which involves Aussies, Fijians, Tongans and others from the Pacific Islands Forum, to run as well as it has. "If you remember back those 12 m, we came in with a very large potent military force over 1,700 military in all," he said. "We did that quite deliberately so that we didn't have to use military force during this operation, and it worked. "We got the attention very quickly of the militants and the thugs and the criminals, and they made a very correct strategic decision that is, that it was better to cooperate with us than to take us on." But Mr Warner says the reconstruction of Solomon Islands is far from over. "It has gone better than we expected from... the point of view of law and order, but from the nation-building side and that's part of our mandate as well, to undertake economic reform, to undertake machinery of govt reform that's only just beginning," he said. "It's going to take many y before Solomon Islands can stand proudly on its feet as a member of the Pacific community." He says Solomon Islanders are not complacent about the success so far. "The Govt here remains committed to the process of reform, and the ten regional countries that make up RAMSI, with police and military and civilian personnel, they too remain very committed to this operation," he said. "It's not over yet, it's far from done, but it is a good start." Hill pleased Defence Min Robert Hill says he is pleased with the progress. He says that in the past 12 m, almost 3,000 arrests have been made and almost 4,000 guns have been collected and destroyed. Sen Hill says AUS should be proud it has helped the Solomon Islands get to where it is today. "Whilst there might be a lot that still needs to be done, we think that the people of the Solomon Islands, the leadership and the people as a whole are entitled to celebrate what's been achieved in the last 12 m," he said. Awards Aussie Fed Police officers are among those being honoured in Solomon Islands celebrations for their contribution to the mission. Aussie Fed Police Commissioner Mick Keelty says the operation is one of the force's most successful ever. "On the 24th of Jul last y, exactly a y ago today... the first contingent deployed from Townsville along with the Aussie Defence Forces and the other participating police forces from the region," he said. "Since that day there's not been one shot fired in anger in the Solomon Islands." The celebrations coincide with cuts to the military component of the regional assistance mission. From the end of next m about 100 troops will remain in the country. <<< INDON >>> <<< ZIMBABW >>> === Zim rights groups face closure.txt === Zim rights groups face closurenews Harare (SA). Pres Robert Mugabe's govt plans to ban internat'l human rights groups from Zimbabwe and cut off overseas funding to local organisations promoting rights, according to a draft bill obtained on Fri. The bill would also set up a council whose members would be appointed by Zimbabwe's social welfare minister to oversee the activities of foreign and local aid groups. "No foreign non-govt'l organisation shall be registered if its sole or principal objects involve or include issues of governance," according to the draft. The document defined "issues of governance" as "the promotion and protection of human rights and political governance issues". Zimbabwe has repeatedly threatened to clamp down on the activities of some non-govt'l organisations (NGOs) which it has accused of meddling in its internal affairs. Mugabe told parliament earlier this wk that Zimbabwe must not allow non-govt'l organisations "to be conduits or instruments of foreign interference in our nat'l affairs." The leader confirmed that a bill tightening control over the NGOs would be introduced in parliament during the current session, which is the last one ahead of crunch parliamentary polls due in Mar. The move comes amid concerns of political violence in the runup to the elections and accusations from one of Mugabe's most outspoken critics, Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, that the ruling party will use food to buy votes. More than 5 mn people in Zimbabwe will need food aid this y, according to UN aid agencies. In the past, Mugabe has accused some NGOs here of being "trojan horses" that received money from abroad "to be used against us". Under the bill, local non-govt'l organisations involved in human rights and political work will not be able to receive funds from abroad. Observers say that the proposed regulations are similar to strict press laws introduced 2 y ago that led to the creation of the Media and Info Commission (MIC). The commission has shut down 3 private Zimbabwean newspapers in the past year. <<< PNG >>> <<< INTERNAT >>> === Former Mexican president faces genocide charge (Reuters). Former Mexican president Luis Echeverria has been charged with ordering a 1971 massacre of student protesters in an unprecedented step toward punishing govt atrocities of the past. Prosecutor Ignacio Carrillo has filed genocide charges against Echeverria, 82. He is the 1st former president in Mexico's modern history to face indictment. "No one is above the law," Mr Carrillo said. Investigators say Echeverria backed a paramilitary band that descended on student protesters with guns, clubs and chains on Jun 10, 1971 in Mexico City, as part of systematic govt brutality against dissidents. Mr Carrillo says he has documented the killings of 12 people that night although "dozens" had died. Rights groups say 40 people were killed in the attack. Echeverria says he is not responsible for the 1971 attack or other violence. A judge has until Sat morning [local time] to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for Echeverria. Echeverria who was president from 1970-1976, the height of a dirty war against dissidents in which 100s of activists died or disappeared at the hands of govt security forces. Echeverria's party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, ruled Mexico for 71 y before being defeated in 2000 by Pres Vicente Fox. The charge against Echeverria is Mr Fox's most dramatic achievement to date in challenging longstanding official impunity. "The special prosecutor has done something that for y would have been unthinkable in Mexico," Daniel Wilkinson of the US-based Human Rights Watch, said. "For over 30 years, Mexicans have known there was some official responsibility, and I don't think people ever thought charges would be pressed against... a former president." If convicted, Echeverria could get 20 to 40 y in prison. In Mexico, the genocide charge can apply if victims are targeted as members of a group, such as the student movement. === Yahoo! News -- Judge Rejects Arrest of Ex-Mexican Leader.txt === Judge Rejects Arrest of Ex-Mexican Leader MEXICO CITY (AP). A Mexican judge refused to issue an arrest warrant Sat against former Pres Luis Echeverria on charges of genocide in the 1971 killings of student protesters. Prosecutors said they will appeal the decision in the case against Echeverria, the 1st former leader to face criminal charges in Mexico's modern history. "We will exhaust all pertinent legal recourse," said Special Prosecutor Ignacio Carrillo, adding that he plans to ask the Supreme Court to hear the case. Fed Judge Jose Cesar Flores did not explain his decision, and Carrillo did not reveal which of 2 defense arguments the judge upheld: whether the statute of limitations on the case had run out, or whether there was insufficient evidence to link Echeverria to the killings. Flores had one day to review the case file, and Carrillo said the judge "did not fully analyze the evidence contained in the 14 volumes, consisting of 9,382 pages, probably because of time constraints." The charges against Echeverria have threatened to create a crisis in Pres Vicente Fox's already troubled relationship with Congress. Echeverria's Institutional Revolutionary Party holds the largest bloc of seats and had threatened to stop cooperating with Fox if the arrest warrant was issued. Internat'l observers said the decision could weaken the little faith Mexicans have in their justice system, generally perceived as corrupt and inept. "Press in the history of Mexico have been sort of untouchable, rarely held accountable," said Eric Olson, of Amnesty Internat'l. "By pushing forward in this, hopefully, this will lead to more public acceptance of the justice system and lend more credibility to the system." Echeverria's attorney, Juan Velazquez said Carrillo also has sought the arrest of former Interior Secretary Mario Moya and former A-G Julio Sanchez Vargas. The prosecutor said "dozens" of students were killed in the 1971 clash, when a civilian-clothed govt force called the "Halcones," or Falcons, attacked student demonstrators in Mexico City. He said the crime fit the description of genocide under a 1967 Mexican law. Velazquez has said only 11 people were killed in the clash, and that charges of genocide are not applicable because of a 30-y statute of limitations. He also argued there was not enough evidence. The true number of dead in the case may never be known. Mexico's former nat'l security adviser, Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, suggested that Carrillo had fixed on genocide charges in his zeal to find a way to prosecute the 82-yo Echeverria, who governed Mexico from 1970-76. Carrillo maintains the statute of limitations does not apply to genocide. Echeverria, as interior secretary in the 1960s and as president in the '70s, allegedly fought a decade-long counterinsurgency campaign against the student pro-democracy movement and against violent leftist guerrilla groups. That campaign has been compared to the "dirty wars" in Chile and Argentina in the 1970s, but it was a smaller phenomenon in Mexico, where the death toll probably ran in the 100s -- not 1000s -- killed. The strategy of prosecuting political crimes on grounds of genocide was pioneered by Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon, in his investigation of the abuses in Argentina and Chile. As a crime against humanity, genocide is not subject to usual procedural limits. Echeverria is implicated not only in the 1971 clash but also in a larger number of killings at a 1968 demo leading up to that year's Olympics in Mexico City. It is also unclear how many were killed in that confrontation. The former president has repeatedly denied planning or having any advance knowledge of the 1971 clash or any other confrontations. Victims' activists hold out little hope high-ranking officials will be brought to justice. "Charges come and go. Arrest warrants come and go," said Rosario Ibarra, who has led a 30-y campaign for justice after her son, an alleged guerrilla leader, disappeared in 1975. "They get injunctions, and in the end nothing is ever done." But Ibarra, who has frequently confronted Echeverria personally about the crimes, vowed "we will not rest until we find out what happened to our loved ones." === blair names contriversial mep.txt === Blair names controversial Mandelson EU commissioner London (Reuters). Tony Blair named one of Brit's most controversial politicians as the country's next EU commissioner yesterday, in a move widely seen as reflecting his renewed confidence after surviving the worst of Iraq. Twice forced out of govt by scandal, Peter Mandelson, 50, enjoys Blair's unswerving loyalty and has long acted as the PM's political mentor. Blair said in a statement: "Europe is Brit's best economic market. How Europe develops, especially a Europe of 25, will be crucial for the future of Brit. This is why we need the very best person representing Brit in Europe." But Mandelson, the master political strategist who mapped the Labour Party's long journey out of the wilderness during the 1990s, is widely disliked elsewhere. In particular, Brit's powerful finance minister Gordon Brown has never been a fan since Mandelson jumped horses in 1994 and decided to back Blair as Labour party leader. Mandelson admitted he agonised over the job but told Sky Television: "To find out why the Commission is unpopular, how we can create a European Union that is more in touch and more responsive to people's priorities ... that's what I want to do." Long a supporter of UK membership of the euro, Mandelson's appointment will please Europe but was quickly attacked by Brit politicians of all colours. "This is cronyism of the worst kind," said opp'n Conservative chairman Liam Fox. Mandelson's appointment had been expected as part of a reshuffle by Blair of his ministerial pack. That now appears to have been postponed, probably until the autumn. Speculation is rife that Mandelson's agonising was because he would have preferred a job back at the centre of govt, a move snr ministers dissuaded Blair from taking. MPs for and against took it as a sign of Blair's renewed confidence -- only wk after questions were raised about his future -- that he felt able to bring a divisive figure back. "Tony has put his worst troubles behind him," one said. But sending the pro-European Mandelson to Brussels may not help Blair's standing there -- undermined by Brit's long entanglement in Iraq and Blair's decision to call a referendum on the bloc's constitution which, if lost, could threaten the entire project. "He will be seen as more of an ex-heavyweight. I'm not sure his appointment will go down that well in Brussels," said Kirsty Hughes of the London School of Economics. Mandelson is sure to be a key figure in the referendum when it takes place, probably in 2006. But whether that will help is unclear -- Brit's "Vote No" group said the appointment of a politician "whose name is a byword for lies and spin" could only help their cause. "It doesn't help at all on the EU referendum," said Hughes. "It is going to be very hard fight. He is going to have to have a big role but he is not a popular politician." Mandelson's new job will force a vote for his parliamentary seat in N England, raising the possibility of more embarrassment for Blair. Last week, Labour lost one supposedly safe seat, and only just managed to hang on to another. In 2001, Mandelson was forced out as N Ireland Secretary over claims he backed Brit passport applications of 2 Indian billionaires after they agreed to fund London's Millennium Dome project. The 1st time he quit, in Dec 1998, came after he failed to declare a 373,000 pound ($687,300) loan from a fellow minister, which he used to buy a smart London house. === Jenkins 'already charged' with desertion (Kyodo). Charles Jenkins, whose Japanese wife is a former abductee repatriated from N Korea, has already been charged as an army deserter by US authorities, Govt sources say. The sources say he was charged shortly after he allegedly deserted and went to North Korea in 1965, while stationed nr the demilitarised zone on the Korean Peninsula. They say the 4 charges against him are desertion, solicitation of desertion, wartime collaboration and encouragement of job disloyalty. The Japanese Govt has considered asking the US to give Jenkins, 64, immunity from prosecution. But it has concluded that a plea bargain with the US is the best way to resolve the issue of the alleged desertion. Jenkins wants to live in Japan with his wife Hitomi Soga, 45, and their 2 N Korean-born daughters. Jenkins has been hospitalised in Tokyo since he arrived in Japan with his family on Sun. Members of his family in the US say that the US military lacks hard evidence to support its accusations and that Jenkins was captured by the North. The US maintains its right to take him into custody to court-martial him but has said it will not request his extradition while he remains hospitalised. The Tokyo hospital treating him says that Jenkins is not in a serious condition but needs to stay in hospital until he recovers from severe stress. <<< AUS >>> === Success not to Bacon's credit: Gunns chief Independent success: Mr Gay says Jim Bacon has nothing to do with the growth of Gunns. xxx The head of Tas's largest timber company, Gunns Limited, has labelled author Richard Flanagan a disgrace for writing an article in a MEL newspaper this wk criticising the former premier, Jim Bacon. Mr Flanagan accuses Mr Bacon of favouring big business at the expense of the poor, highlighting the 700% growth in the shares of Gunns as an example. The company's executive chairman, John Gay, says it is a disgrace that Mr Flanagan regularly condemns Tas interstate. Mr Gay says Gunns has not achieved success because of Mr Bacon's leadership. "Gunns is a company that bought on an open market a commercial business owned by N Broken Hill and Boral," he said. "Those 2 companies, bought together and managed properly, have given Gunns and Tas a wonderful company and opportunity to employ 1000s of people. "Is something wrong with that?" Mr Gay says Mr Flanagan is voicing the views of the Greens and just trying to stir up trouble in the forestry industry. Mr Gay says Gunns does provide for the less fortunate. "I'm sure that the Gunns philosophy is that we do look after the less fortunate and we do give a lot to the community," he said. "While ever I'm heading Gunns that will be the principal of Gunns." Agreement An essay in a yet-to-be-released book on Aussie premiers is expected to reach similar conclusions Mr Flanagan. The co-author of the Tasn section in the new book, Peter Hay, says many of Mr Flanagan's concerns are similar to those raised in his essay. "It would agree in large part on Flanagan's line on the extent to which the Govt has not shown appropriate leadership on logging questions," he said. "It would agree with Flanagan on questions on what we might call the 'dark side' of this Govt's mode of doing business." === Lost 65-yo emerges from Kimberley A 65-yo woman who has been missing in rugged terrain in Western AUS's Kimberley for several days has been found. Norma Hayes, from Raglan in NSW, disappeared on Wed while visiting the isolated Mitchell Plateau. Sgt Eddie Clouter, of Wyndham Police, says Mrs Hayes made her way back to the car park where she had set off from on Wed. It is understood Mrs Hayes fell and was left unconscious after being separated from a small group she was with. When she regained consciousness, she was disoriented and lost for 3 days. This morning she was flown to the ranger's station and examined by a doctor, who happened to be holidaying in the area. Sgt Coulter says she is in a healthy condition and can carry on with her trip. "Suffering a bit of sunburn and exposure but otherwise extremely well," he said. "I imagine she'll rejoin her group." <<< FTA >>> === Marginal electorates reject FTA: poll Labor is waiting on a Senate report on the free trade deal. xxx A poll of 10 marginal fed electorates shows only 27% of voters approve of the Fed Govt's planned free trade agreement with the US. The poll commissioned by the Aussie Manufacturing Workers Union indicates 12% of voters want Parliament to reject the deal and 53% think it should be re-negotiated. The union's nat'l secretary, Doug Cameron, told Channel 10 the ALP should take heed of the poll and block the proposed deal. "The issue for us at the moment is that Mark Latham has indicated that he will give consideration to this after the Senate inquiry," he said. "We want to hold Mark Latham to his word on that and we believe he is a man of his word. "We want him to give consideration to all of the issues that have been raised in the negative on this agreement." Foreign Min Alexander Downer has called on Labor to ignore the poll. It shouldn't have any influence on the Labor Party's attitude," he told Channel 9. "You can't just run a country on the basis of the latest poll you do in marginal seats on a particular issue." === Free trade decision hinges on PBS assurance, Latham says Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham says he is still waiting for a Govt response on the appeal mechanism for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) before making a decision on the American free trade agreement. Mr Latham says a Senate committee is still waiting for the Govt's response before it can report back to Parliament. He says only when this democratic process is completed can he make a reasoned decision. "The Govt is yet to provide to the Senate committee the full details of the appeal mechanism for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and naturally something this important you don't want to be flying blind, you don't want to fly blind and crash nat'l policy into the mountain side. You want to get it right," he said. === No increase in PBS prices: Abbott Govt say free trade deal will not up PBS prices. xxx The Fed Health Min says there will be no increase in the price of subsidised medicines in AUS, despite a new process to review decisions of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. Tony Abbott has today released details of the review process, which the Govt agreed to implement as part of its proposed free trade deal with the US. He says the reviewer will be independent of the pharmaceutical company involved and of the Health Dept, and that the findings will be made public. Mr Abbott has told Channel 7 that Labor should now support the free trade deal. "I think it's clear that this process strengthens the PBS, it certainly doesn't undermine the PBS, and now that these details have been provided, the Labor party has no excuse at all for continuing to oppose the legislation in the Senate," he said. "The only reason for the ALP to continue to oppose the free trade agreement is sheer anti-Americanism." <<< AUS.market >>> <<< AUS.interest >>> <<< AUS.death >>> <<< AUS.econ >>> <<< AUS.jobs >>> === Workplace relations overhaul on Costello's agenda More work to do: Mr Costello plans further workplace relations reforms. xxx The Fed Govt still plans to overhaul AUS's workplace relations system if it is re-elected. The Govt wants to extend the length of enterprise bargaining agreements (EBAs) to reduce the frequency of strike action and eradicate compulsory union membership. Treasurer Peter Costello has addressed 100s of Vicn Liberal Party faithful gathered in the marginal electorate of Latrobe, in MEL's SE, for the party's state council today. He says a nat'l workplace relations system is required. "We think that unfair dismissal laws still are too complex and still hold small business to ransom and we want to reform them," he said. "We believe that it's important that voluntary unionism be respected and we'll continue to be working to ensure those things are respected." But Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham says Govt plans to overhaul AUS's workplace relations system will be anti-worker and anti-business. Mr Latham says Labor wants fairness for workers and in govt he will introduce industrial relations reforms that will be fair to all. "What's wrong with fairness in the workplace?" he said. "What's wrong with a system that's based on an award safety net and collective bargaining and also an independent umpire, the Industrial Relations Commission has got some decent powers and an opportunity to ensure that there is fair treatment of workers plus businesses." <<< AUS.storm >>> <<< AUS.road >>> <<< AUS.water >>> <<< AUS.climate >>> <<< AUS.indig >>> <<< AUS.immigration >>> <<< AUS.telco >>> <<< AUS.def >>> <<< AUS.terror >>> === news.txt === Howard pledges to pursue Bali convictions The PM says he will work with the Indonesian Govt to ensure the Bali bombers are brought to justice, despite laws used to convict the men being ruled illegal. John Howard says it is not clear what yesterday's Indonesian constitutional court ruling will mean for the convictions of up to 30 Bali bombers. The court has ruled that the retrospective terrorism laws used to convict one of the conspirators are unconstitutional. Mr Howard says it is only an advisory ruling, although that is disputed by lawyers for some of the men. He says either way, it would not be fair for victims to go through the ordeal of giving evidence again. "I will continue to work as will the For Min and other ministers of my Govt, with the Govt of Indonesia to see that justice is done," he said. The Aussie Govt is working with Indonesian officials to ensure that if the charges are overturned, fresh ones are laid. Fed Treasurer Peter Costello admits the legal fight to stop the Bali bombers from being set free will be long and difficult. He says the Govt is doing all it can to make sure the Bali bombers are punished. "We will make our case at the diplomatic level because we owe it to our 88 fellow Aussies and their families to bring those people to justice," he said. Impact unclear The finding was made in the case of Maskur Abdul Kadi, who was sentenced to 15 y jail for helping the bomb plotters. The Fed Opp'n is worried the decision could be used in new appeals in up to 30 other convictions relating to the Bali bombings. Labor's foreign affairs rep Kevin Rudd says that prospect is deeply disturbing. "We cannot allow anything to occur which would in any way allow any of the Bali bombers to walk free," he said. Foreign Min Alexander Downer says it is too early to assume any of the Bali convictions could be overturned. "We can't automatically conclude from this one decision of the constitutional court that other appeals will be upheld," he said. Mr Downer says it is still only an advisory opinion, which is yet to go before Bali's high court. He says Indonesian authorities are determined to see the convicted bombers, including 4 men sentenced to death, serve their sentences. "You wouldn't want to underestimate the determination on the part of the Indonesians to see these people serve their sentences," he said. "You wouldn't want to underestimate that the Indonesians are absolutely determined that those responsible for the Bali bombings will end up paying the price for what they have done." The families and friends of the victims of the bombings have expressed disappointment with the decision. === Bali convictions still stand: Indonesian judge Ruling not retrospective: An Indonesian judge says the Bali bombing convictions still stand (ABC/AFP). The chief justice of Indonesia's Constitutional Court says convictions against the Bali bombers still stand, despite a ruling that the law on which they are based is unconstitutional. Aussie Prime Min John Howard has said that it is likely the ruling will be used as a mechanism for other convicted Bali bombers to appeal. The ruling follows an appeal by Masykur Abdul Kadir, who was jailed for 15 y for helping the bombers. He claims a subsidiary law, which made the main anti-terror law retroactive to cover the Bali attack, breaches the constitution. The Constitutional Court judges agreed by a 5 to 4 majority. However, when asked about the implications for the other convicted Bali bombers, chief judge Jimly Asshidiqie said: "The Constitutional Court ruling does not apply retroactively either." He did not elaborate. Lawyers for the Bali bombers say the ruling provides new grounds for appeals by the convicts who face a firing squad, as well as by lower-level players. They say they are considering demanding retrials for the Muslim militants behind the nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people in Oct 2002. Coooperation Mr Howard says the Aussie Govt will continue to work with Indonesia to ensure the Bali bombers do not escape justice. "I will continue to work, as will the For Min and other ministers of my Govt, with the Govt of Indonesia to ensure that justice is done," he said. "I want to again record my appreciation to the Govt of Indonesia, to the police authorities in Indonesia and the magnificent way in which they cooperated with the Aussie Fed Police." The Prime Min says his heart goes out to survivors and families of the dead and wounded. "Every effort is being made by this Govt, in cooperation with the authorities in Indonesia, to ensure that the overwhelming desire of the people of both our countries," he said. "That is, that those responsible for these horrible deeds are appropriately punished according to the full rigour of Indonesian law." Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham is calling on the Govt to use all its diplomatic muscle to ensure those convicted of the Bali bombings are dealt with in the harshest possible way. Mr Latham says the Indonesian law must be applied to the Bali bombers with full force. "We need to ensure that these people have broken the law in such a shocking way are dealt with under the full weight of the law and they receive the justice, the harsh justice that they deserve," he said. 'Little practical help' However, Treasurer Peter Costello concedes that there is little practical help the Govt can offer Indonesian officials to ensure the Bali bombers are not released from jail. Mr Costello says the Govt will do all it can to ensure the bombers are not freed on a technicality. "It's not an Aussie law. It's not an Aussie court. It's not an Aussie issue," he said. "It's a matter for the Indonesian legal system. "We will be, through the diplomatic channels on behalf of the dead Aussies and their families, urging the Indonesian Govt to act. "I believe the Indonesian Govt will do what it can, but it's a question of Indonesian law." === Govt unswayed by 'Al Qaeda' threat (ABC/Reuters). The Fed Govt says it will not be swayed by threats from a group claiming to be the European arm of Al Qaeda, which has threatened AUS with attacks if its troops are not pulled out of Iraq. A statement signed by "Islamic Tawhid Group, The Al Qaeda organisation, Europe" and posted on a website says it would attack with "columns of rigged cars" if the demand was not met. "Aussie people, if your Govt refuses to withdraw and respond to us we will shake the ground beneath your feet as we did in Indonesia and columns of rigged cars will not stop," it said. Foreign Min Alexander Downer told Channel 9 he has not heard of the group. "This group, Islamic Tawhid Group, isn't a group that we're familiar with, but nevertheless it's a threat," he said. "It's on the Internet, we take it seriously and what it does is, it reminds us that we have to be absolutely determined in the face of the threats of terrorists to make sure that we don't give in to those threats." AUS has been a staunch supporter of the US-led coalition in Iraq, contributing 2,000 troops to last year's invasion and maintaining about 850 troops in and around Iraq. The deployment became a key election issue after Opp'n Leader Mark Latham pledged to bring the troops home by Christmas. The Govt says it will remain in Iraq "until the job is done". Mr Downer blames the withdrawal of Spanish and Filipino troops for encouraging the terrorists. "Unfortunately these actions have encouraged terrorists to continue these threats, so now we are subjected, as the Italians are, and the Poles and the Bulgarians, from this particular group, to further threats, and it's very important we send a strong message that we will not be threatened by terrorist groups." The group also threatened to attack Aussie and Italian interests in Arab and Muslim countries. "Our arms are long and we can reach whoever we want, whenever we want," it said. In recent wk there have been a number of Internet threats against foreign troops in Iraq, some of which have been disowned by groups saying others are using their name. It is the 2nd such threat from the group in a week. On Wed, the same group threatened Bulgaria and Poland with attacks if they did not pull out of Iraq. "Follow the path of the Philippines and Spain. It is the correct path which guarantees you a safe and secure life," the group said. The Philippines withdrew its troops from Iraq this m to spare the life of a Filipino hostage. It joined Spain, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras, who earlier pulled out of what was a 34-nation, US-led coalition in Iraq. The United States says it is no use trying to appease Al Qaeda militants. "The terrorists have demonstrated that they want to attack those who are committed to helping the Iraqi people bring about a peaceful and prosperous future," said US Whitehouse rep Claire Buchan. "You cannot make a separate peace with terrorists." <<< AUS.health >>> === AMA offers overdose reassurance The Aussie Medical Association is worried that young people are not reporting overdoses because they're scared of the police. It says a quick response is particularly important for overdose cases of the drug GHB. AMA rep Dr Sally de Zwaan says when doctors treat people for drug overdoses they do not call the police unless there are suspicious circumstances. "Doctors, when treating a person who's been affected by illicit drugs, are primarily concerned for the person's health and wellbeing and do not call the police or have police intervention unless there's some criminal activity involved, unless a person's been trying to commit suicide or harm another person, or has been involved in a motor vehicle accident," she said. <<< AUS.green >>> === Volunteers get hands dirty for Nat'l Tree Day Thousands of volunteers will be getting their hands dirty today planting one mn native trees across AUS for Nat'l Tree Day. Planet Ark's John Dee, the founder of Nat'l Tree Day, says 6 mn trees have been planted on Nat'l Tree Day over the last 9 years, but there is still a long way to go. "We're going to plant a mn this weekend for Nat'l Tree Day but there's no doubt we need to plant many mn more native trees and shrubs to replace the vegetation that we've lost," he said. "[This will] help AUS's environment and also provide much needed food and shelter for our wildlife, but getting a mn trees in the ground this weekend is a very good start." <<< AUS.edu >>> <<< DRUGS >>> === Latham admits to cannabis use Fed Opp'n Leader Mark Latham has revealed he used the drug cannabis, when he was younger. The revelation came after Mr Latham announced a Labor govt would spend an additional $10 mn on early childhood education if elected. In his speech to the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education Congress in MEL, Mr Latham claimed better education was needed to avoid a lowering of social standards. Mr Latham made the cannabis revelation in a press conference following his speech, but he refused to comment further. "I've answered the question," he said. "This is not some sort of inquiry is it, that you're trying to muster up here. "Any other questions relevant to the policy issues?" === Health Min admits trying pot, didn't inhale The Fed Health Min Tony Abbott has admitted to once trying cannabis. "Look, you know, I had a puff on a marijuana cigarette when I was a student," he said. Asked if he inhaled he responded: "I don't inhale normal cigarettes, let alone illegal cigarettes." "I'm afraid in this matter, Bill Clinton and I have something in common," he added. On Sat Labor Leader Mark Latham again admitted he experimented with cannabis when he was younger. He says he did inhale. === Councils have 'real role' in preventing alcohol abuse Aussie councils are being encouraged to do more to address problem drinking. A new report looking at ways to address the issue has been launched at a meeting of capital city lord mayors in Hobart this wk. Professor Margaret Hamilton, who works with drug and alcohol service Turning Point, helped prepare the report. She says the report looks at towns and cities that have successfully run programs to prevent alcohol abuse. "Councils have got a very real part to play -- they're responsible for a lot of planning decisions, a lot of the economic health of the city, and also for their citizens," she said. "The 1st thing they need to do is take that on board and take some responsibility... to use the opportunities they've got to manage public space, to think about licences, and who has liquor licences." <<< AUS.politics >>> === Downer backs drug courier's clemency bid FM Alexander Downer has backed a formal appeal for clemency for a MEL man who could face a death sentence in Singapore. Nguyen Toung Van, 23, will know in the next 24 hr if he is to be hanged for drug trafficking. His lawyer will launch the appeal tomorrow. Mr Downer has told Singapore that AUS does not want Nguyen to be hanged. Nguyen was arrested at Changi Internat'l Airport in Dec 2002, while boarding a flight to AUS, carrying an amount of pure heroin. Nguyen's trial heard that he carried the drugs from Cambodia to repay $30,000 in debts owed by his twin brother. <<< AUS.av >>> <<< AUS.police/courts >>> === Adviser court ruling 'wake-up call' for banks CBA faces a $30 mn damages payout. xxx AUS's Financial Planning Association believes a landmark court ruling making banks responsible for their advisers is a wake up call for the industry. Vic's Supreme Court ruled the Commonwealth Bank is responsible for the actions of a group of authorised advisers in one of its financial planning businesses. The bank faces a damages payout of at least $30 mn. The Financial Planning Association's Jun Smith, has told ABC TV's Inside Business, rogue advisers represent a major problem. "From our perspective, it's a good wake-up call for our members in terms of understanding the business they're in," she said. MEL University Professor of Law, Ian Ramsay, says institutions need to ensure planners are providing only the best advice to their clients. "It sends a very important message to the industry about the need to have very strong compliance systems," he said. The Financial Planning Association is in the process of drafting tougher codes of conduct for its members. <<< AUS.general >>> <<< GREEN >>> <<< GLOBAL WARMING/CLIMATE >>> <<< SCIENCE/TECH >>> === Chimp study a big yawn Chimpanzees watching video scenes of other chimps yawning yawned more often in response, proving contagious behaviour happens among primates other than humans, a Japanese study has shown. A group led by Tetsuro Matsuzawa, a professor at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University, reported the findings in the Jul 28 issue of the Royal Society's Biology Letters. Professor Matsuzawa and others tested 6 female chimpanzees aged 19 or over at the institute, showing them video images of other chimps repeatedly yawning as well as scenes of other chimpanzees showing open-mouth facial expressions that were not yawns. Each video scene lasted 3 minutes and scientists monitored the adult chimps' behaviour during the airing and 3 minutes afterward. During and after the open-mouth videos, the 6 chimpanzees yawned 4.7 times on average, but they yawned 10 times on average during and after the videos of real yawns. Among the 6, Ai and Mari, both 27, showed significantly higher frequencies of yawning after their exposure to the yawn videos. Ai yawned twice during and after the open-mouth video, but 24 times during and after the yawn videos. The frequency of Mari's yawning jumped to 25 from 9. The scientists also examined the behaviour of 3 infant chimpanzees, all 3 y old, and older offspring of the 6. But none yawned at any time during the tests. Studies have shown that between 42% and 55% of human adults will yawn during or shortly after seeing a videotape of other humans repeatedly yawning. But children aged 4 or under do not show this contagious yawning effect, according to the report. Professor Matsuzawa noted that contagious yawning requires advanced self-awareness and empathic abilities. Although yawning is widespread among vertebrate species, contagious yawning had been reported only in humans. He said the group's findings "provide evidence that these apes may possess intel to understand others' feelings". <<< ODD/MISC >>> <<< BOT >>> {{ Midnight PM Allawi has called on Egypt not to give into the kidnappers of a diplomat Egyptian officials have called on the kidnappers to release all Egyptian hostages they've expressed surprise Egyptian nat'l have been targetted repoorts say the diplomat was snatched by a group called "The Lions of Allah" while praying at a mosque in baghdad the group says Egypt is offering "security experise" to the Iraqi govt the kidnappers wanted to signal the govt they could snatch anyone, incl those beleived to be very well guarded allawi has also had talks with pm assad in syria to arrange a joint commitee overseeing border security N Korea has rejected an offer from the US to abandon its nuke programs in return for aid Pyongyang says the offer, made at 6-way talks in Bejing, was a "sham offer" and it won't be considered further 4 am pal mil set police stn on fire nr gaza took over govt building in khan younis arafat denies PA in crisis 2 train diverr and conductor charged with negligence and appeared in court iranian court has dismissed charges of murder against intel officer the officer had been cahrged with the murder of a canadian national lawyers for the murdered woman's family said they hope the iranian authorities would now find the real guilty party they say a snr official from the justice min'y struck the blow that was resposible for the jorunalists's death IRNA says because there was no guilkty verdict in the case, the govt will now pay blood money to the dead woman's family and the case is now effectively closed lawyers have 20 days to lodge an appeal tony blair has been trying to gee up the troops to take an unprecedentd 3rd term in a key speeche to the faithful, mr blair didn't mention his unquestiopning alliance with the bush admin or the invasion of iraq 5 am there's some confusion over how many NATO troops are to be sent to Afghanistan a group claining to be al-qaeda in europe has thretened attacks in AUS if it doens't pull its troops out of Iraq. The group has also made threats againstr Bulkgaria and Poland. Midday. The director of a state-owned Iraqi construction company has been kidnapped in Baghdad on his way to work, an interior ministry rep said. The UN says 2 rebel groups from Sudan's Darfur region have agreed to take part in new talks with the Govt to try to find a political solution to the humanitarian crisis in the region. The death toll in Sudan's W Darfur province is at least 30,000 and could be as high as 50,000, UN emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland said. The UN says 2 rebel groups from Sudan's Darfur region have agreed to take part in new talks with the Govt to try to find a political solution to the humanitarian crisis in the region. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, has called on Sudan to disarm the Arab militias blamed for slaughtering civilians in the Darfur region of W Sudan and demanded unfettered access to the region for humanitarian groups. }} ---------------------------------------- Mon, 26 Jul 2004. <<< OIL/MARKETS >>> === Yahoo! News -- Earnings, Oil to Weigh on Stocks.txt === Earnings, Oil to Weigh on Stocks NEW YORK (Reuters) Nagging worries about corporate earnings and spiking oil prices are set to keep stocks under pressure this wk, dissuading investors from diving back into the market. Disappointing reports from blue-chip companies such as Microsoft Corp (Nasdaq:MSFT -- news) and Coca-Cola Co (NYSE:KO -- news) added to last wk's choppy trading and violent swings, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average below the psychologically important 10,000 mark. The Standard & Poor's 500 is down nearly 5% this m, with one trading wk left. Assuming there is no change next wk, the loss for the m will be the largest since Dec 2002 when the S&P 500 shed around 6%. The stock market's weakness is likely to continue, if more companies give poor outlooks or miss their earnings guidance this wk. "This is going to be another tortuous wk because we will see a market that's trendless and friendless," said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at First Albany Corp "We've got so many crosscurrents. There will be a focus on long-term interest rates, oil prices, Iraq, the election and the Democratic Convention." Among the crowd of companies set to report as the earnings season continues in full swing are Boeing Co(NYSE:BA -- news), the No. 2 US defense contractor and a maker of commercial jets; Exxon Mobil Corp(NYSE:XOM -- news), the world's largest publicly traded oil company, and Time Warner(NYSE:TWX -- news), one of the largest US media corporations. Meanwhile, economic reports could give more evidence of a weak Jun. The market will be focused on data on home sales, durable goods and the 1st estimate of GDP for the 2nd quarter. Wall Street likely will remain jittery about oil prices. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude oil for Sep delivery ended the week at $41.71/bbl, as dealers worried about potential disruptions of supply. "Oil is a wild card and it will weigh on stocks if it continues to move higher," said Paul Cherney, chief market analyst at Standard & Poor's. High oil prices generally dampen stock prices because of their impact on corporate profits. To ratchet up the nervous tension, security concerns surrounding the Democratic Convention in Boston could keep up the pressure on stocks. Unprecedented security arrangements have been put in place, made even stricter by non-specific threats from terror groups intent on disrupting the US presidential election. Strategists see the market staying range-bound this wk, arguing there is little to shake it out of its malaise. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average(^DJI -- news) ended the week down 1.75% at 9,962.22, while the tech-laced Nasdaq Composite Index(^IXIC -- news) fell 1.8% during the wk to close at 1,849.09. The broad Standard & Poor's 500 (^SPX -- news) dropped 1.4% for the week, finishing at 1,086.20. CAUTION IN THE WIND Earnings so far have been generally positive, but second- quarter figures have been overshadowed by cautious outlook statements. S&P 500 companies are expected to report second-quarter earnings growth of 23%, compared with first-quarter growth of 24.5% according to Reuters Estimates. While companies are still expected to report good earnings growth in the 2nd quarter, the market will stay jittery if firms remain wary about prospects for 2005. "It's a difficult time in the market and a lot of people will be content to stay on the sidelines," Cherney said. Among companies reporting this wk are top US defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp(NYSE:LMT -- news) on Tue. On tap on Wed: earnings from Anheuser-Busch Cos, Inc(NYSE:BUD -- news), the maker of Budweiser beer, and results from oil and gas producer ConocoPhillips(NYSE:COP -- news). HOME SALES, DURABLE GOODS AND GDP Markets will be hit with a slew of data, which could reinforce the view that Jun was a weak month. "We know what happened to the economy in Jun -- it slowed -- and there's no economic number next wk that's going to change that view," First Albany's Johnson said. Existing home sales for Jun, out Mon, are expected to come in at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 6.67 mn units, down from 6.8 mn in May, according to a Reuters poll. New home sales for Jun, due out Tue, are forecast at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.278 mn units, down from 1.369 mn the prev m. Durable goods orders for Jun, due on Wed, are forecast to have risen 1.9%, after May's revised rate of down 1.8%. In addition, the Fed Reserve's "Beige book," a survey of regional economic activity, will be released on Wed. The focus for the wk is likely to be the 1st estimate of second-quarter US gross domestic product. A Reuters poll forecast is for growth of 3.6%, compared with 3.9% in the 1st quarter. However, markets likely will be holding back for the following week's data, which will give the 1st real snapshot of how the economy fared in Jul -- and further clues about how fast the Fed Reserve is likely to raise rates. During the 1st wk of Aug, the most crucial reports will include the Institute for Supply Management's look at the manufacturing and services sectors, plus Jul nonfarm payrolls data. === Doubt over Greenspan outlook.txt === Doubt over Greenspan outlook AFP Fresh doubts are surfacing over the pace of US economic activity in the rest of 2004, which is expected to be a crucial factor in the re-election bid of Pres George W Bush. Fed Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan last wk cast aside concerns that a string of soggy economic reports in Jun might linger, declaring a consumer-spending lull as "short-lived". In Jun, employers hired 112,000 extra workers -- fewer than half the number expected -- while retail sales fell by a seasonally adjusted 1.1% and US industry cut output 0.3%. The stock market, too, appears to be in the doldrums. But Greenspan's prognosis in an address to a Senate banking panel last wk cemented market expectations that interest rates were on the way up, probably at a moderate pace. While most analysts agreed activity would accelerate, some said the central bank appeared to have taken a rose-tinted view of the economy at a time of tightening interest rates, high energy prices and terrorism risks. The Fed Reserve's semi-annual report to Congress forecast US gross domestic product (GDP) would grow 4.5 to 4.75% in the last quarter of 2004 when compared to a y earlier. "The bottom line is that all risks seem pointed to the downside, yet the Fed has painted a very rosy second-half picture," said Merrill Lynch chief North American economist David Rosenberg. "Not only is the current soft patch seen as 'short-lived' but the Fed actually believes that we will see a huge re-acceleration of growth during the 2nd half of the year," Rosenberg said. Rosenberg, who is predicting Q4 economic growth of 3.6%, said the 1st quarter annualised expansion of 3.9% may prove to be the peak for the year. "We think the Fed's aggressive GDP forecast seems set up for disappointment in the 2nd half of the year," he said. On Jun 30, Fed Reserve policymakers raised the target for the fed funds rate, which commercial banks charge each other overnight, to 1.25% from a 1958 low 1.0%. It was the 1st interest rate increase in 4 years, aimed at removing some of the extraordinary monetary stimulus, which had been aimed at a now-redundant threat of deflation. Many other analysts, however, agreed with Greenspan that the economy was poised to speed up. "All signs point to a noticeable re-acceleration in growth in the 2nd half of the y with reinvigorated capital spending as the prominent driver," said Wells Fargo Bank economist Scott Anderson. === GLOBAL~1.TXT === US must act now on corruption allegations centred on Equatorial Guinea's oil accounts Today, the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will release a report that paints a damning portrait of financial impropriety and sleaze centred on Equatorial Guinea's oil accounts at Riggs Bank in Washington DC. Riggs was recently fined US$25 mn for failing to report suspicious transactions through bank accounts run by Equatorial Guinea's dictatorial Pres Obiang, among others. Riggs was also involved in the purchase of luxury homes for Obiang and his brother, Armengol, named in State Dept reports as a torturer. Global Witness has long expressed concern that the total lack of transparency surrounding management of the country's oil revenues may hide wholesale misappropriation of petrodollars by its ruling elite. The Subcommittee report compounds these suspicions. Global Witness campaigner Sarah Wykes said, "although Equatorial Guinea has the world's fastest growing economy on paper, its human development is actually going backwards. Now we know why: the money is offshore, out-of-sight and out-of-control. Allegations in the Senate report imply that, far from being a force for development, some oil companies are making this problem worse." The Senate report reveals that there were over 60 accounts in Riggs belonging to Obiang and his govt containing a total of around US$700 mn -- much of the country's oil income. At one point, Riggs accepted over US$11 mn paid in from suitcases for an offshore account allegedly controlled by Obiang and his wife. The report alleges that Riggs officials helped govt figures set up offshore structures and shell companies to move money into tax havens. Bank records also show substantial payments by oil companies operating in Equatorial Guinea to the country's officials, their family members and their businesses. Global Witness now calls on the US Justice Dept to investigate actively the allegations in the Senate report and bring those involved in looting the assets of the Equatoguinean people to justice. Campaigner Gavin Hayman added: "If American oil companies and banks have been complicit in the misappropriation of oil money from Equatorial Guinea, then the US govt must lead the clean-up. Secrecy surrounding oil revenues in countries like Equatorial Guinea undermines the very prosperity and stability that are key to US foreign policy goals in the region." The Subcommittee report calls on Congress to amend the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to require greater disclosure of payments by oil companies to this end. Global Witness believes this is a necessary step given that, to date, companies like Exxon and countries like Equatorial Guinea have cold-shouldered existing initiatives to improve revenue transparency. Please call Gavin Hayman on +44 (0)207 561 6361/+44 (0)7957 142121 or Sarah Wykes on +44 (0)207 561 6362/+44 (0)7971 064433. Editor's notes: (1) Global Witness investigates the links between the exploitation of natural resources and the funding of conflict and corruption. It is non-partisan in all its countries of operation. Global Witness was co-nominated for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for its leading work on 'conflict diamonds'. (2) See Global Witness' 2004 report Time for Transparency for further details of corruption and misappropriation of oil revenues in Equatorial Guinea. www.globalwitness.org/reports/show.php/en.00049.html. (3) Sen Carl Levin's press release on the report can be found at http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=223923. Sen Levin is the ranking member on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The full report is available at http://govt-aff.senate.gov/_files/071504miniorityreport_moneylaundering.pdf (4) The main internat'l effort to improve the transparency of oil revenues is the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI), launched by the UK in 2003. Global Witness wants the US and Equatoguinean govts to participate actively in the EITI. We believe that if companies publish what they pay to govts like Equatorial Guinea and those govts publish what they receive, then citizens would be able to track money into state budgets more effectively and hold their govts to account. === IOL S Africa.txt === SA delegation leaves for Equatorial Guinea IOL A high-level delegation of S African officials left for Equatorial Guinea on Sun morning to assist in ensuring a fair and proper trial for the 8 S African men held there on allegations of a coup plot. Foreign Affairs Dept spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said the officials, also 8 in number, were from the Presidency, Foreign Affairs, Justice and the Scorpions. This follows an announcement by For Min Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Jul 14 that S Africa had agreed to assist Equatorial Guinea in ensuring a proper and fair trial for the men. That announcement followed consultations in Pretoria between Pres Thabo Mbeki and Equatorial Guinea's Pres Teodoro Obiang Nguema. Mamoepa said an announcement could be expected soon that Minerals and Energy Min Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka would lead another delegation to Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, to discuss the consolidation of economic ties between the 2 countries. That team will be joined by S Africa's ambassador to Gabon. Zimbabwe, unlike Equatorial Guinea, had not asked for assistance Mamoepa said that Zimbabwe, unlike Equatorial Guinea, had not asked for assistance in arraigning the 70 other men held there suspected of involvement in the coup plot. Dlamini-Zuma said earlier that the delegation's brief would include ensuring proper conditions of detention. Questioned at the time about concerns that the men may be executed if convicted, she said the trial would be allowed to run its course. The govt would only intervene if the men were sentenced to death. Sapa === Weak dollar blamed for wholesale inflation hike_ 26-07-2004_ ABC News Online.txt === Weak dollar blamed for wholesale inflation hike A measure of AUS's wholesale inflation has registered its biggest quarterly rise in 3 y. The final stage Producer Price Index (PPI), compiled by the Bureau of Statistics, is up 1.1% in the Jun quarter. The bureau says a weaker Aussie dollar has driven import price increases for both consumer and capital goods. Over the y to Jun, the PPI is up 2.3%. <<< DEATHS >>> === Monsoon death toll rises in India.txt === Monsoon death toll rises in India AP Receding flood waters revealed 139 more bodies and at least 10 people drowned today when a boat capsized in eastern India. In neighbouring Bangladesh, workers frantically stacked sandbags to protect the capital from rising waters and 25 more deaths were reported. The new deaths pushed the toll from this y's South Asian monsoons to 879, with 102 deaths reported earlier in Nepal and 5 in Pakistan. In India, rescue workers found the new bodies in the past 2 days as waters receded in hard-hit Bihar state, flood relief official Upendra Sharma said. Floods triggered by the annual monsoon rains have wreaked havoc in the state for the past month, killing 351 people and affecting more than 20 mn others there, Sharma told reporters in the state capital, Patna. In the NE Assam state, a crowded boat ferrying flood-hit villagers capsized, killing at least 10 people, police said. Villagers and local police rescued 36 people from the swift-moving flood waters in the state's Morigaon district, said Rana Bhuyan, district police chief. 10 bodies had been pulled out and a search was on for at least 5 missing people, said Moloy Thakur, an official at a nearby state-run paper factory. The death toll for all of India rose to 545, officials said. While water levels in major rivers crisscrossing the state began falling, rivers around Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, burst their banks, leaving 40% of the city of 10 mn people under water. Parts of the central business district and 2 upscale residential areas were submerged. Workers and volunteers stacked sandbags in a bid to stop water gushing through cracks in 2 main flood protection embankments outside the capital. Nearly 2/3 of Bangladesh -- a delta nation of 140 mn people -- has been flooded since the start of the monsoon in late Jun. The floods -- the worst there since 1998 -- have affected about 20 mn people in 45 out of the country's 64 districts, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said. Officials said the situation was likely to worsen, as the 25 more deaths reported today brought the country's death toll to 227. The Relief Ministry didn't specify the causes of the latest deaths. Many previous deaths have been due to drowning, lightning, waterborne diseases and electrocution from snapped wires. Higher than normal tides caused by a full moon and rising rivers fed by monsoon rains were likely to worsen the flooding in 23 central and NE districts over the next 3 days, the flood forecasting centre said. Hundreds of people from flooded parts of Dhaka sheltered in schools or offices. Some families pitched makeshift plastic and bamboo tents on sidewalks along busy streets. === Bangladesh hit by killer monsoon (Reuters). 2 thirds of Bangladesh has been flooded by the worst monsoon rains in 15 y. Officials say the water and sewerage systems in the capital, Dhaka, have broken down completely. The severe flooding across Bangladesh and parts of India and Nepal has killed almost 570 people in the past month. Millions of people have been forced from their homes and there have been outbreaks of diarrhea and other water-borne diseases. === Millions stranded by Bangladesh floodwaters (BBC/Reuters). Severe flooding across Bangladesh has left 20 mn people homeless or stranded. Nearly 2 thirds of the country has been inundated and 40% of the capital, Dhaka, is submerged after rivers swollen by unusually heavy monsoon rains burst their banks. In some areas S of Dhaka, the watermark is nr its highest recorded level, with waters still rising. More than 200 people are reported to have died. Most of Bangladesh sits astride the deltas of a series of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas and about a 3rd of the country floods every y during the monsoon. Many people are landless and are forced to live and farm on flood-prone land. Floods kill 100s and make 1000s homeless every year. About 12 mn people in S Asia -- from Bangladesh to India and Nepal -- have been affected by torrential rains that are the worst in 15 y, according to UNICEF. === Children die in Andes freeze By Clinton Porteous At least 46 children have died in the Andes mountains of Peru during the area's worst cold spell in 30 y. Many of the children died from respiratory problems. The Peruvian Govt has declared a state of emergency in several regions and the UN is sending aid. Warm clothes and blankets are desperately needed but many areas remain cut off in one of the worst winters ever. The indigenous people traditionally rely on alpacas for meat and wool but the cold has killed many of their animals. === Turkish train crash claims 15.txt === Turkish train crash claims 15 AP A passenger train slammed into a minibus at a railroad crossing in W Turkey, killing 15 people and injuring 4 just days after the deadly derailment of a Turkish express train. The minibus -- carrying 19 passengers returning from a wedding party -- was rushing to cross the track before the barriers came down, a railroad official said on condition of anonymity. No injuries were reported among some 200 train passengers. The crash further highlighted concerns about the safety of the country's aging rail network after the derailment on Thu of a new high-speed train en route from Istanbul to Ankara. The crash killed 37 people. 2 other rail accidents were reported this weekend in Turkey: A 15-yo boy was killed when he fell from a train travelling with its doors open in an Istanbul suburb, and 4 cars in a 25-car freight train derailed in S Adana province on Sun. Nobody was hurt. On Sun, German railroad experts examined the wreckage from last wk's derailment at the request of Turkish officials anxious to quell criticism that the govt backed a dangerous high-speed rail project despite known safety risks. The 3-member German team was called in to conduct an independent inquiry into the accident, a Turkish rail official told the AP, adding that Turkey also invited experts from other countries he declined to name. The crew chief of the express train, Koksal Coskun, and 2 engineers, Fikret Karabulut and Recep Sonmez, were arrested late Fri and reportedly would face charges of negligence. The chief prosecutor for the area, Mithat Kutanoglu, said railroad authorities could be detained as part of the widening investigation. "The investigation may not be limited to the engineers," the Radikal newspaper quoted Kutanoglu as saying. "It could reach authorities." The derailment nr the rural village of Mekece was among the worst train crashes in Turkish history and an embarrassment for the govt of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who personally inaugurated the train last m despite safety concerns raised by experts. Critics say that, in backing the express train project, the govt disregarded concerns about Turkey's rail system, some of which dates to the late 19th century. Few lines have been renovated as previous govts have focused on building roads instead. The minibus accident happened when the vehicle crossed the rail line linking the W province of Aydin to the Aegean port city of Izmir, Ilhami Ortekin, the mayor for the region, told private NTV television. He said the minibus was dragged about 875 metres along the tracks, and that 15 people were killed and 4 were injured and in critical condition. === 14 killed as Turkish train hits minibus (AFP). 14 people have been killed and 6 others injured when a passenger train crashed into a minibus in W Turkey, according to the Anatolia news agency. The accident happened as the minibus was passing a level crossing on tracks running from Aydin -- the main city of the province bearing the same name -- to the W coastal city of Izmir, the agency said. The acting Governor of Aydin blamed the fatal accident on the driver of the minibus. "The driver of the minibus tried to cross through the barriers closing off the railroad. The accident was caused solely by the driver's error," Omer Eru was quoted as saying by Anatolia. All the victims and the injured were passengers on the minibus. Footage broadcast on the NTV news channel showed officials carrying body bags from the wreckage of the badly damaged minibus stuck on the tracks. Officials immediately removed the wreckage and opened the railway back to traffic, NTV said. The accident came 3 days after a packed express train on its way from Istanbul to Ankara derailed in the NW town of Pamukova, killing 37 people and injuring 81, in one of Turkey's worst rail crashes. Officials have said that the cause of the accident in Pamukova will become clear after they complete a technical investigation. But 3 crew members -- the train's guard and 2 drivers -- have been charged with causing the deaths of several people through negligence and carelessness. Their arrest came a day after Transport Min Binali Yildirim said that the train had been travelling at 118 km an hour, well above the speed limit of 80 km per hour. === 8 killed in attack on Tamil safe house (Reuters). 8 people have been killed in an attack on a Tamil rebel safe house near Sri Lanka's capital on Sun, police said. The Tamilnet website said those killed were supporters of renegade Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cmdr Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, known as "Karuna", and included one of his deputies. "The killings are confirmed, but we can't say who is dead and who is responsible," a police official told Reuters. Tamilnet said the assailants were believed to be gunmen from the main faction of the LTTE. The police official said the killings took place at a residence believed to be a Tamil rebel safe house in Kottawa, a outer suburb of Colombo. Tamilnet said a Sri Lankan military intel official was also among the dead. Karuna, one of the most snr Tamil cmdrs, split from the LTTE earlier this year, prompting a crisis in the group, which has been fighting for decades in a war that has claimed over 64,000 lives. Although the LTTE has regained control of the eastern areas commanded by Karuna, the group accuses the govt of supporting him in order to drive a wedge through their ranks. A team of Norwegian negotiators, led by deputy foreign minister Vida Helgesen, is due in the Sri Lankan capital later on Sun in an attempt to restart the stalled peace process. The peace process faltered in Apr last y with govt and Tigers divided over the agenda for resuming talks. The rebels want discussions based on their proposals for interim self-rule, while the govt wants parallel talks on a final settlement. === Explosion kills 2 in Mauritius resort: police (Reuters). An explosion in the tourist resort of Grand Baie on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius has killed 2 people and injured 13 others, police said. "An explosion occurred at around 1.45 local time in a building housing restaurants, bars and shops in Grand Baie," police rep Max Louison said. "At this moment we are not in a position to say what the cause of the explosion is. But we are taking it very seriously." The blast, which killed a local man and a woman both in their mid-20s, caused the top floor of the 2-storey building partly to collapse and blew out windows on the ground floor. Scores of soldiers were helping civilians and police officers remove debris from the site, while helicopters buzzed overhead, a Reuters witness said. Forensic experts were trying to find the cause of the blast. "I hope that the police will complete their inquiries on this and that the cause of the explosion will be established as soon as possible," PM Paul Berenger told reporters. "The explosion of gas cylinders as a cause cannot be discarded." Police said the building had been completely evacuated. 4 of the injured, who were all believed to be locals, had been taken to a nearby hospital. Tourism is one of the main economic pillars on the tiny island of 1.2 mn people, strategically situated between the African continent and Asia. Over 700,000 tourists visited its white sand beaches last year. There was no immediate indication that the blast might have been deliberately caused, but the US issued a travel advisory in Mar warning of a possible terrorist threat on the island and in the wider E African region, although Mauritius has no history of such attacks. Mauritius in fact has actively promoted itself as a safe haven destination since the Sep 11, 2001 attacks on US cities. The island -- which lies 4,000 km E of S Africa -- is also a major regional banking centre and the world's 7th largest sugar exporter. It plans to turn itself into a "cyber island" info technology hub linking Asian software expertise with Africa. <<< DARFUR >>> <<< SUDAN >>> === Sudan warns against intervention.txt === Sudan warns against intervention AFP Sudan warned it would use force against any attempt at outside military intervention in the crisis-torn Darfur region, while rebels called for the quick arrival of foreign troops. Ibrahim Ahmed Omar, Sec-Gen of the ruling Nat'l Congress (NC) party, was quoted by the official newspaper Al Anbaa as warning that force would be met by force. "Anybody who contemplates imposing his opinion by force will be confronted by force," he said. "Any power that intervenes in Darfur will be a loser." But a Darfur rebel movement called for a rapid deployment of internat'l troops to deal with the situation in the W Sudanese region, described by the UN as the world's worst current humanitarian crisis. The US congress has unanimously passed a resolution last wk describing the atrocities committed in Darfur as genocide and called on the Whitehouse to lead internat'l efforts to intervene. Brit has said it could send 5,000 troops to the region if required, while AUS has said it was considering a UN request for military personnel to join a mission there. The UN says up to 50,000 people have died since a revolt against the Arab-dominated govt in Khartoum broke out among black African ethnic minorities in Feb last y. "The Nat'l Congress firmly rejects any foreign threats targeting Sudan and its people and is opposed to any foreign intervention in Sudan," Omar was quoted as saying, adding Sudan is capable of solving its problems by itself. The official called for general mobilisation among the Sudanese people and political parties and organisations to "stand up against this unfair campaign which targets not only the Nat'l Congress and the govt but all of the Sudanese people and their values." Khartoum has brushed off criticism that it is not doing enough to help alleviate the situation in Darfur and pledged to improve the access of internat'l aid agencies. But Abdel Wahed Mohammed Nur, rep for the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) said: "We are asking the US, the UN Sec-Gen, the European Union and the African Union for the urgent deployment of troops in the coming days to ensure the delivery of food aid to mn of refugees." Contacted by telephone, the rep said intervention would "avert a humanitarian disaster of great proportions". Nur charged that the pro-govt Arab Janjaweed militias were "preventing the arrival of food aid to displaced people and continue to violate the ceasefire, and they regularly rape defenceless women." More than a mn people have been driven from their villages in the conflict pitting govt forces and Janjaweed against the SLA and another local rebel group, the Movement for Justice and Equality. === Sudanese militants warn 'crusader army'_ 26-07-2004_ ABC News Online.txt === Sudanese militants warn 'crusader army' Thousands of refugees have fled Sudan's troubled Darfur region. (Reuters). A group calling itself Mohammed's Army has called on Muslims to prepare to fight W forces sent on any mission to W Sudan, where the UN says the world's worst humanitarian crisis is unfolding. The UN has asked AUS to contribute to a peacekeeping force for Sudan's Darfur region, where a campaign by Arab militias against black Africans has been labelled by the US Congress as "genocide". Brit PM Tony Blair has not ruled out military intervention in Darfur. The US has also circulated a draft UN resolution threatening sanctions against Khartoum if it does not prosecute the leaders of the militia. "We have seen and heard of the American and Brit interference in Darfur and there is no doubt that this is a crusader war that bears no relation to the citizens of Darfur," the previously unknown group said in a statement distributed at a central mosque in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. "We call upon you to speedily head towards Darfur and dig deep into the ground mass graves prepared for the crusader army," it added. Witnesses said young Sudanese men were handing out the statements to worshippers at the mosque. AUS said on Sun it was likely to contribute troops to any UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur, where the UN says up to 50,000 people have been killed and 1 mn displaced. Many countries have called on Sudan to disarm the Arab militias, known as the Janjaweed. Brit's top cmdr has said he could send 5,000 troops to Sudan. === Aid workers return to Chadian refugee camps Thousands of refugees have fled Sudan's troubled Darfur region. (BBC). Relief agencies who were forced to leave 2 refugee camps in eastern Chad after violence broke out there last wk are now resuming their operations. Tens of 1000s of Sudanese refugees are housed in the camps. The aid workers have been given assurances that there will be no repeat of the violence. Relief work at the 2 camps, Farchana and Bredjing resumed after a suspension lasting 4 days. Agreement came after assurances from local authorities and refugee representatives that the camps were secure. 2 aid workers had been injured when they were attacked with stones. Aid agency Oxfam is sending a plane to Darfur carrying 30 tonnes of water and sanitation equipment. Oxfam rep Paul Smith-Lomas says the supplies are urgently needed to stop the spread of disease. "We're already working with about 200,000 people, primarily ensuring the people have access to clean water, and safe sanitation," he said. "If we can we can just reduce incidents of diarrhea then that can, in a situation where there's malnutrition, that can mean saving lives." There are fears however that some of the small groups of young men who incited the disturbances still have not been found. Eduardo Kay, of the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, says there is enough aid standing by for the immediate future. "We are able to reach the refugee camps in the country, in the southern part of the border where there has been a tremendous amount of rain over the last several wk food has been pre-positioned and those camps have enough food to last until Nov or Dec," he said. The trouble escalated when the Chadian Army moved in last wk and soldiers opened fire, killing an alleged ring leader of the trouble and a woman refugee who was standing behind him. There has been no sign of the dissent spreading to eastern Chad's other camps, which provide shelter for an estimated 120,000 Sudanese refugees who fled from the conflict in Darfur. === Sudan warns against foreign intervention Thousands of refugees have fled Sudan's troubled Darfur region. (AFP). Sudan has warned it will use force against any attempt at outside military intervention in the crisis-torn Darfur region, while rebels called for the quick arrival of foreign troops. Ibrahim Ahmed Omar, Sec-Gen of the ruling Nat'l Congress (NC) party, was quoted by the official newspaper Al Anbaa as warning that force would be met by force. "Anybody who contemplates imposing his opinion by force will be confronted by force," he said. "Any power that intervenes in Darfur will be a loser." But a Darfur rebel movement called for a rapid deployment of internat'l troops to deal with the situation in the western Sudanese region, described by the UN as the world's worst current humanitarian crisis. The US Congress has unanimously passed a resolution last week describing the atrocities committed in Darfur as genocide and called on the Whitehouse to lead internat'l efforts to intervene. A top Brit general said 5,000 troops could be made ready to go if needed. The UN says up to 50,000 people have died since a revolt against the Arab-dominated govt in Khartoum broke out among black African ethnic minorities in Feb 2003. "The Nat'l Congress firmly rejects any foreign threats targeting Sudan and its people and is opposed to any foreign intervention in Sudan," Mr Omar was quoted as saying, adding that Sudan is capable of solving its problems by itself. The official called for general mobilisation among the Sudanese people and political parties and organisations to "stand up against this unfair campaign which targets not only the Nat'l Congress and the govt but all of the Sudanese people and their values." Khartoum has brushed off criticism that it is not doing enough to help alleviate the situation in Darfur and pledged to improve the access of internat'l aid agencies. But Abdel Wahed Mohammed Nur, rep for the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) said: "We are asking the US, the UN Sec-Gen, the European Union and the African Union for the urgent deployment of troops in the coming days to ensure the delivery of food aid to mn of refugees." Contacted by telephone, the rep said intervention would "avert a humanitarian disaster of great proportions". Mr Nur charged that the pro-Govt Arab Janjaweed militias were "preventing the arrival of food aid to displaced people and continue to violate the ceasefire, and they regularly rape defenceless women." More than a mn people have been driven from their villages in the conflict pitting govt forces and Janjaweed against the SLA and another local rebel group, the Movement for Justice and Equality. Washington, the UN and the EU have demanded that Khartoum immediately disarm the Janjaweed and make them respect a ceasefire signed Apr 8 after talks in the Chadian capital Ndjamena. The European Union warned at the weekend that Sudan would face internat'l sanctions if there was not quick progress in ending the bloodshed. Sudanese For Min Mustafa Ismail on Sun questioned the need for foreign troops in war-torn Darfur, saying his Govt was doing all it could to disarm Arab militias. "Why should we have to rush and to talk about military intervention as long as the situation is getting better?" Mr Ismail told BBC television. "My Govt is doing what can be done in order to disarm the militia." Meanwhile the United Nations in neighbouring Chad said 2 Sudanese refugees from Darfur were shot dead in clashes with local security forces amid rising tensions with aid workers. A rep for the refugee agency UNHCR said that weapons caches had been found at the Abeche camp and 19 people had been arrested. The fatal clashes on Thu came 10 days after UN and other aid workers were forced to leave the camp of Forchana accommodating nearly 12,000 people in the E of Chad when refugees started throwing stones at them. === Sudanese refugees flood into Chad By Sally Sara in Bahai on the Chad border Aid agencies in Chad are bracing for the arrival of more refugees from Sudan's devastated Darfur region. The UN estimates that up to 200,000 refugees have already crossed into Chad from Sudan and fears that as many again are on their way. Many of the refugee camps are overcrowded, with some families living in makeshift shelters in the bush. Aid workers are trying to reach all the people in need before the peak of the wet season and trucks are being used to take stranded refugees to camps along the border. The civilians have fled their homes in Sudan's W Darfur region because of attacks by militias loyal to the Govt. Rebel groups are refusing to take part in peace talks until the militia groups are disarmed. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is now using satellite technology to try to find water for the stranded families. Jane Bean from Oxfam says aid groups are struggling to provide help. "The level of violence has been so extreme that people have just fled across into Chad and there is really nothing to offer," Ms Bean said. <<< CONGO >>> <<< WMD >>> <<< INTEL >>> === Sens seek clarification on bin Laden charter flight (CNN). A group of US senators has written to Pres George W Bush, asking for details of a charter flight out of the US 2 days after the Sep 11 attacks. The flight was carrying 13 members of the bin Laden family out of the country. Osama bin Laden is accused of masterminding the terrorist attacks on NY and Washington in 2001, which killed almost 3,000 people. Democrat Sen Charles Schumer from the Senate Armed Services Committee, says evidence suggests the flight was organised by the Whitehouse, and he is one of the signatories on the letter asking for more info. "It's awfully strange that on Sep 13th, the only plane that was allowed to fly was a plane with many high-ranking Saudi nat'ls, who might have known something about terrorism," he said. "No-one has figured out why. No-one has figured out who gave the authorisation." Sen Schumer says evidence suggests the former White House anti-terrorism chief, Richard Clarke, cleared the bin Ladens to leave the country. "Dick Clarke has said they went through the list of names and they weren't, you know, on a terrorist list, but it sure would have been better to interrogate them while they were here," he said. <<< MEDIA >>> <<< TROOPS >>> === ABS-CBNNEWS_COM.txt === ABS-CBNNEWS.COM Pinoy workers in Iraq may lose jobs TODAY Reporter American and Brit companies implementing reconstruction projects in Iraq may have to terminate the contracts of some 4,100 Filipino workers owing to Manila's stringent measures to protect its citizens in that country. An official of the Philippines-Iraq Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Team admitted Sun that losing job opportunities is one of the consequences that the Philippines might face because of the current ban on Filipino truck drivers from crossing into Iraq. "It is one of the possibilities [loss of jobs of Filipino workers in Iraq]...but we hope that the ban is just temporary because we are committed to be part of the rebuilding process in Iraq," said an official of the team who requested anonymity. The official said the Philippines has many competitors for jobs in Iraq, saying that Brit and US companies could instead source their manpower requirement from 80 other countries that supported the Coalition of the Willing that invaded Iraq. As a result of the kidnapping of Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz by Iraqi terrorists, Pres Arroyo ordered the foreign affairs dept to enforce a ban on Filipino truck drivers from entering Iraq. The official, who visited Iraq early this y to determine the Philippines' participation in the rebuilding process and negotiate with US and Brit companies that won contracts in rebuilding Iraq, admitted that the security situation there remains to be stabilized. "Iraq is still a war zone, we had to cut short our visit there because it is too dangerous. We all got so scared that we never got out of our hotel rooms," said the official. The Philippines-Iraq Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Team has been exploring business ventures with American, Japanese and Brit companies for subcontracting jobs in Iraq. The officials conducted negotiations in London, US, and other countries to ensure that Filipinos will benefit from the job opportunities in Iraq. As a result, these companies that include Halliburton, Kellog Brown and Root prefer Filipino workers for deployment in Iraq.But since Manila banned the deployment of workers to Iraq 2 m ago, the Brit and American companies resorted to hiring Filipino workers who are already in nearby Middle E companies. Text back your reaction to this article using your Globe or Smart cellphones by sending REACTto2366or send an email to newsfeedback@abs-cbn.com Please refrain from offensive language, slanderous statements and commercial messages. TODAY A joint venture of TODAY newspaper and ABS-CBN Interactive Heaven help us, it's Norberto again If the other fellow is to be believed, the world is not dealing here with an Indira Gandhi but the other one in the loincloth for whom nonviolence brooked no exception so that, although representing the monopoly of violence in the state, Pres Arroyo will never use it: to preserve the state, to protect its citizens or honor honorable commitments. === CBC News Canada sends fresh troops to Afghanistan.txt === CBC Canada sends fresh troops to Afghanistan EDMONTON About 60 members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry are heading to Afghanistan on Mon for 6 m. INDEPTH: Afghanistan These soldiers, part of the 3rd Battalion and 600 other soldiers from Western Canada will replace a battalion from Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment. Their duties will include assisting patrols in the Kabul area and one set of 15 soldiers will help train members of the new Afghan army. One corporal believes this battle group will find a friendlier climate in Afghanistan compared to the hostilities faced in 2002, but that could change with a fall election approaching. In late Jun, suspected Taliban guerrillas stopped a bus in the S province of Uruzgan and killed 16 people who were carrying voter registration cards. PM Paul Martin has said Canada will maintain a scaled-back military presence in Afghanistan at least until the summer of 2005. === Spain denies buckling to terrorists.txt === Spain denies buckling to terrorists AP Brushing aside criticism by AUS, Spain's Socialist govt denied that it had given in to terrorists by withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq when it came to power shortly after the Madrid train bombings in Mar. Socialist party rep Trinidad Jimenez said the govt would "never have accepted threats of a terrorist group", and described the pullout as fulfilling a campaign pledge based on long-standing opp'n to the US-led war in Iraq. Jimenez, the party's rep for internat'l affairs, was responding to comments by Aussie For Min Alexander Downer, who said that Islamic militants were "encouraged" by decisions by Spain and the Philippines to withdraw their forces from Iraq. Jimenez called Downer's remarks "totally unacceptable". "The Spanish govt would never have accepted threats of a terrorist group," Jimenez said. "Spain's troop withdrawal is part of an electoral promise and a firm conviction that from the beginning it was an unjust and illegal war." Spain pulled its 1,300 troops out after Prime Min Jose Maria Aznar's conservative govt was defeated by the Socialists in elections on Mar 14. The voting came 3 days after the nation was shaken by the Madrid train bombings, which killed almost 200 people and injured 2,000. Authorities blame Islamic terrorists for the attack. The Philippine govt said last wk it was bringing home its 50 troops in Iraq in an attempt to save a Filipino truck driver held hostage in Iraq. === Philippines, Spain reject Aust terror claims Alexander Downer says Filipino and Spanish decisions have spawned terrorist threats. By Geoff Thompson in Baghdad and AFP The Philippines has called AUS "narrow-minded" for suggesting its pullout from Iraq triggered the latest rash of hostage-takings. Spain has also rebuked Aussie For Min Alexander Downer for suggesting its withdrawal from Iraq encouraged terrorist threats. Mr Downer yesterday suggested the Philippines' accession to the demands of terrorists led to the near-immediate kidnappings of 7 foreign truck drivers in Iraq. He said Spain's decision to pull its troops out shortly after nat'l elections held in the wake of the Madrid train bombings had also encouraged terrorist threats. Mr Downer was commenting after the Islamic Tawhid Group, which claims to be an Al Qaeda branch in Europe, threatened to bomb AUS unless it withdrew from Iraq. The nat'l security adviser to Philippines Pres Gloria Arroyo, Norbeto Gonzalez, has defended his country's withdrawal. Mr Gonzalez has called for AUS and other coalition countries to re-examine why the insurgency in Iraq has persisted and intensified in recent m despite efforts to quell it militarily and politically. He called AUS's criticism "narrow-minded". Spain The Spanish Govt also rejected Mr Downer's claim that its pullout had encouraged militant extremism. Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) foreign affairs rep Trinidad Jimenez rejected Mr Downer's declarations, "when in Spain we have spent y fighting terror and have lost so many citizens doing so". "The Spanish Govt would never have accepted threats from a terrorist group," he said. Mr Jimenez says the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq was in response to "an electoral promise and the firm belief that from the beginning this was an unjust and illegal war". In elections held in Mar, just days after train bombings blamed on Al Qaeda killed 190 people in Madrid, the PSOE defeated the conservative Popular Party of former PM Jose Maria Aznar, who had firmly backed of the US-led war on Iraq and had sent troops to the country. "It was the Spanish people who decided at the polls to withdraw our soldiers," Mr Jimenez said. WITH OTHER === Brig finds Philippines' withdrawal 'unfortunate' The cmdr of Aussie forces in the Middle E has added his voice to criticism of the Philippines for pulling its troops out of Iraq to save the life of one of its citizens taken hostage. Brig Peter Hutchinson has also backed the Fed Govt's comments that AUS will not give in to the demands of terrorists. The Govt has asked ASIO to find out more about the terrorist group Islamic Tawhid, which is demanding AUS withdraw its troops from Iraq or face attack from "columns of rigged cars". Brig Hutchinson says Aussie troops in Iraq are getting on with their work despite the threat. He agrees with the Aussie Govt that the Philippines' decision to withdraw its troops sends the wrong message. "The Philippines' actions in responding to terrorists in that way is very unfortunate," Brig Hutchinson told Channel Nine. He says the security of his troops is his top priority and it is constantly being reviewed. He says Aussie forces are prepared for threats such as the one from Islamic Tawhid and morale remains high. "We're all helping each other out in that regard so we adopt a 'Team AUS' approach," he said. "We put force protection as our number one priority. We're trained military professionals and we're just prepared for any of those sort of threats. "And beyond that, a little bit of luck helps as well." Brig Hutchinson has warned Aussie civilians to stay away from Iraq. "I'd discourage other Aussies who don't have essential business across here from actually coming to Iraq," he said. <<< ELECTION >>> <<< TERROR/SECURITY >>> === Anti-terror laws dumped for new Bali cases_ 26-07-2004_ ABC News Online.txt === Anti-terror laws dumped for new Bali cases One of the convicted Bali bombers sits behind bars. (AFP). Indonesian police will not use anti-terrorism legislation to prosecute 5 new Bali bombing suspects, after a court ruled last wk that it is unconstitutional to do so. The Indonesian Govt rushed through tough anti-terrorism decrees, which were later formalised into law, a wk after the Bali nightclub blasts killed 202 people, including 88 Aussies, in Oct 2002. The legislation was made retroactive to cover the attack, but on Fri the Constitutional Court ruled that the retroactivity was unconstitutional. Insp Gen I Made Mangku Pastika, who led the hunt for the Bali bombers, said he still expects to get convictions using other legislation. Indonesia's Koran Tempo newspaper quoted Insp Gen Pastika as saying: "We will now use the penal code or the emergency laws. I do not think there is a problem". In the 1950s, Indonesian passed emergency laws authorising the death sentence for possessing firearms and explosives, although this provision has not been used in recent years. The Bali bombings were blamed on the Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network, which has staged a series of blasts in Indonesia and the Philippines in recent years. Bali courts convicted 33 people under the anti-terrorism law. 3 were sentenced to death and others were jailed for between 3 y and life. Insp Gen Pastika said he was certain the Constitutional Court ruling, issued following an appeal by a convicted accomplice to the bombers, would not hamper justice. The court's Chief Judge, Jimly Asshidiqie, has said all Bali convictions would stand because the new ruling could itself not be made retroactive. Defence lawyers say it provides grounds for appeal, including by those facing execution. "All legal actions taken in the Bali case, especially those which already have permanent legal force, still stand," Justice Min Yusril Ihza Mahendra said on Sat. "As for cases which are still in court or in the appeal process, we leave it to judges to consider." Aussie PM John Howard has said his govt was consulting with Indonesia to ensure the bombers did not escape punishment. Indonesian ministers dealing with security issues were due to meet later on Mon to announce the Govt's stance. The 5 new suspects were arrested at Sukoharjo in Central Java on Jun 30 and have since been moved to Bali. Police say one had attended planning meetings for the nightclub bombings while the 4 others, including a Malaysian, are suspected of helping to hide the 1st suspect. The only Bali suspect currently on trial is Jhoni Hendrawan, also known as Idris. He was also charged under the anti-terrorism law but the case was moved to Jakarta because of his alleged involvement in the Marriott hotel bombing in the capital last Aug. That attack killed 12 people and was also blamed on JI. Idris is accused of attending several meetings to plan the Bali attack and with surveying targets. He is also accused of detonating a bomb, which did not claim any casualties, nr the US Consulate on Oct 12. It exploded almost simultaneously with the 2 other devices which caused carnage in the Kuta nightclub strip. Trial prosecutor Tubagus Arief Aziz said he would continue with his sentence recommendation when the hearing resumes at S Jakarta district court on Tue. "If I understand it correctly, nothing has changed for this trial. The Constitutional Court verdict only affects cases which have not been tried yet," Mr Aziz said. He said the ruling does not apply to ongoing trials. === Knife found in papers bound for Emirates plane Authorities are investigating how a packing knife ended up in a bundle of newspapers delivered to an airline in SYD. An Emirates Airlines staff member found the knife when she was unbundling newspapers ready for use on board one of its planes. A Qantas rep says the newspapers came from a wholesale newsagent and were delivered in a bundle to Qantas catering. The package was then passed on to Emirates without Qantas unpacking the papers. <<< AIDS >>> <<< HEALTH/DISEASE >>> === Thai bird flu suspect ruled out (AFP). A Thai boy suspected of contracting bird flu, which killed 24 people in Asia earlier this year, does not have the virus, the health ministry has said, but the disease has spread to 2 more provinces. Avian influenza swept through 10 Asian countries in early 2004, killing 16 people in Vietnam and 8 in Thailand, and decimating poultry stocks. New outbreaks in poultry have been reported in recent wk in China, Vietnam and Thailand, raising concerns that the virus may be making a comeback in the region. The 14-yo boy was hospitalised with a fever after coming into contact with chickens earlier in the wk in his native Nong Khai, one of 17 provinces now confirmed to have a resurgence of the virus that devastated a $bn poultry industry several m ago. "A test by the dept of medical science laboratory was made at noon on Jul 24, confirming that the boy has influenza for humans, not avian influenza," Health Min Sudarat Keyuraphan was quoted as saying in a statement. The boy's condition had returned to "almost normal" and he was expected to be discharged from hospital within a few days, the statement added. Bird flu outbreaks have now hit 45 locations in 17 of the kingdom's 76 provinces in the last fortnight, the livestock dept said on its website. New cases were reported on Thu in the capital Bangkok and Sun in Nonthaburi and Phitsanulok provinces. "We can confirm that chickens have been culled in Nonthaburi," an officer at the livestock dept told AFP, while an official in Phitsanulok confirmed similar actions had taken place there. A total of 19 people have been placed on a bird flu watch list by the health ministry since the virus's reappearance in Thailand earlier this m. 17 have been cleared, while 2 remain under observation, the statement said. === US researchers develop new breast cancer treatment (BBC). New hope is on the horizon for women with breast cancer. A largely non-invasive treatment is being developed in the United States that could spell the end of the road for complete breast removal. Researchers say that because of improvements in detecting even small cancers, tumours can be treated with injections instead of surgery. Professor of Radiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Dr Stephen Harms, led the team in its research. "Women who have breast cancer now prefer to have breast-conserving therapy, or lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy," he said. "The principal reason for that is that there is less disfigurement and this is just taking that one step further in that we're the treating the cancer through a needle instead of with surgery." <<< POW >>> === Open to interrogation There was a remarkable spirit of openness at Guantanamo Bay last wk, as US authorities revealed the interrogation techniques they have been using to gather intel on terrorist activities. It has been claimed that detainees at the US detention camp, including Aussies David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib, have been abused. But on a tour of the camp, the ABC's N America correspondent Leigh Sales was told the direct approach to interrogation is often the best. "By and large what we do is bring detainees into this building here where interrogators come into the booth and basically start basically questioning the detainee," the head of interrogations, Steve Rodriguez, said. "Normally the direct approach is the best approach, simply trying to illicit info from the individual through conversation like you and I are having now." Mr Rodriguez says the level of cooperation varies from detainee to detainee. "There are those who are hardened Jihadists, if you will, that are not willing to talk at all and those who have developed such a rapport with the interrogators that they come in and play chess with them," he said. He says interrogators just continue talking to reticent detainees, who make up 10 to 20% of the prison population. "For example, last wk we had a detainee who had been here for a year-and-a-half and who had not talked and all of a sudden after a year-and-a-half of coming into the booth every few days or what have you, started talking," he said. Mr Rodriguez cannot say why detainees have a change of heart. "Time, of course, is of the essence in the sense that they understand and realise that we have time and that we'll sit here and keep bringing them in until they actually decide to talk," he said. But he offers an unequivocal guarantee that no detainee has been mistreated or abused during interrogations. "We've had several investigations, inspectors-general, we've always adhered to the Secretary of Defence's guidelines on interrogation techniques," he said. "We don't use any force whatsoever. "As a matter of fact my interrogators aren't even allowed to physically touch a detainee, only the MPs [military police] can do that when they bring them in and out of the booth." He says the harshest technique interrogators use is "downplaying" detainees' egos. "We very rarely for example, even though we can, do interrogations over a very long period of time," he said. "Interrogations average between 2 and 4 hr." Mr Rodriguez admits there has been an inquiry into claims that David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib have been mistreated. However, he stands by his guarantee that no detainee has been mistreated. "My understanding is as the lawyers go through all of the documentation there is no indication whatsoever of any abuse of those individuals," he said. "We look and see, is there a possibility that this could have happened two y ago, what have you, and so we look very closely into all the records. "There's no indication whatsoever that those individuals have been abused. "And I'm not surprised because as I said, we do adhere to the regulations." === Iraq hostage crisis spirals There are fears 2 Pakistanis are the latest victims in spate of kidnappings. (Reuters). 2 Pakistanis working for a Kuwait-based company are feared kidnapped as Iraq's hostage crisis deepened, with at least 22 countries affected by the wave of abductions. Fighting also raged N of Baghdad, where Iraqi security forces killed 13 suspected insurgents after coming under fire from mortars and rocket-propelled grenades while providing security to US forces during a raid nr the town of Baquba. Pakistan said the 2 missing nat'ls, an engineer and a driver believed to be working for the al-Tamimi Group, vanished on Fri as they drove towards Baghdad. "We are trying to find out the details. It is feared they have been kidnapped," a Foreign Office rep said. "We will try our best to get them released if they are kidnapped." Over the past 15 months, nat'ls from nearly 2 dozen countries have been kidnapped in Iraq, sometimes by criminal gangs, but increasingly by militants seeking to put pressure on govts and foreign companies to pull out of the country. In a step up in sophistication for militants, a snr Egyptian diplomat was seized as he left a Baghdad mosque on Fri. Most of those kidnapped so far have been drivers. Abductions have sharply increased since Apr, when several dozen people were seized in one month. Around 60 people have been taken hostage since then, officials say. Although most have since been freed, at least 6 have been killed - 4 of them by beheading -- and on at least 2 occasions the hostage-takers' demands have been met. In the clashes N of Baghdad, US army Maj Neal O'Brien said fighting broke out as US troops raided farms nr the town of Buhriz, 60 km N of Baghdad, a hotbed of rebel activity in recent months. A doctor in Baquba said one Iraqi was killed and 9 wounded. Maj O'Brien said the fighting lasted nearly an hour and US artillery batteries were used to help suppress mortar fire from insurgents. He said no Iraqi security forces or US soldiers were wounded. 'Don't buckle' The seizure of the Pakistanis came as a group calling itself Al Qaeda's arm in Europe said Italy and AUS, both strong allies of the United States, must pull out of Iraq or face attacks at home, while Iraq's interim PM Iyad Allawi urged nations not to give in to terrorists. "Aussie people, if your Govt refuses to withdraw ... we will shake the ground beneath your feet ... and columns of rigged cars will not stop," declared a group calling itself Islamic Tawhid Group. "Italian people, we advise you accept our offer and if you refuse you will hear columns of rigged cars shaking your cities," the group said in a statement posted on a website. AUS's For Min Alexander Downer said he was not familiar with the group but was taking the threat seriously. "It reminds us that we have to be absolutely determined in the face of the threats of terrorists to make sure that we don't give in to those threats," he said. During a stopover in Syria, part of a week-long tour of Arab and neighbouring states, Dr Allawi urged Egypt and all other nations not to give in to the kidnappers. "The only way to deal with terrorists is to bring them to justice and to close ranks and we hope that Egypt and the Egyptian Govt would act accordingly," he told reporters. "We are going to win. I assure you of that and we are going to prevail and the terrorists will be brought to justice." === Firm raises hopes for hostages' release in Iraq (Reuters). A Kuwaiti company says it has received assurances that 7 of its employees being held hostage by militants in Iraq will be freed. Al Arabiya television reported that the kidnappers of the 7 truckers -- 3 Indians, 3 Kenyans and an Egyptian -- appointed a senior tribal leader to mediate after having threatened last wk to behead the captives. The 7 were seized as militants bent on undermining US-led forces and Iraq's new interim Govt stepped up a campaign of hostage-taking. The Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company said in a statement it was negotiating with the Black Banners group of militants through what it called some Iraqi friends. "There are promises and assurances [the hostages will be freed], especially after the kidnappers became certain that we have no presence in Iraq and we were just conducting transportation for the interest of some Iraqis," the firm said. Al Arabiya quoted the Black Banners group as saying it had "appointed Sheikh Hisham al-Dulaymi, head of the Nat'l Group of Iraqi Tribal Leaders, to negotiate with the embassies of the hostages and the Kuwaiti firm". The group has demanded the company pay compensation to families of the dead in Fallujah and that Iraqi prisoners in US and Kuwaiti jails be released. Dozens of foreigners have been seized in a wave of hostage-taking that has hit Iraq since Apr. Some have been freed but at least 6 have been killed by their captors, 4 of them by beheading. === kuwait firm assure hostages will be released.txt === Kuwait Firm Assured Iraq Hostages Will Be Freed KUWAIT (Reuters) The Kuwaiti employer of 7 foreign hostages in Iraq said on Sun they had assurances that the captives would be freed. "Yes, there are promises and assurances (the hostages would be freed) especially after the kidnappers became certain that we have no presence in Iraq and we were just conducting transportation for the interest of some Iraqis," said a statement from the Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company. The statement, faxed to Reuters, said company officials were in talk with the kidnappers of 3 Kenyans, 3 Indians and one Egyptian via Iraqi mediators. "We are currently negotiating with the kidnappers via some Iraqi friends. There is no interference from anyone because we want to ensure that the negotiation goes smoothly," it said. It added that the company was willing to do whatever it took to secure their freedom. Al Arabiya television reported on Sun that the kidnappers had appointed a snr tribal leader to mediate their release. "The group calling itself the Black Banners said in a statement that they had appointed Sheikh Hisham al-Dulaymi, head of the Nat'l Group of Iraqi Tribal Leaders, to negotiate with the embassies of the hostages and the Kuwaiti firm," the Arabic channel quoted the group's statement as saying. The group, which has threatened to behead the hostages issued on Fri a new 48 hr deadline to their Kuwaiti employer. The group has demanded the Kuwaiti company pay compensation to the families of Iraqis killed in Falluja and Iraqi prisoners in American and Kuwait jails be released. A rep for Al Jazeera, which aired the deadline, said it was not clear whether the 48 hr deadline began from Fri when the tape appeared to have been made, or from the expiry of the original 72-hr deadline on Sat. Kidnappers have seized dozens of foreigners since Apr to press demands for foreign troops to leave, to deter foreigners from working with US forces or to extract ransoms. Many hostages have been freed, including an Egyptian released last wk after the Saudi firm he worked for agreed to his captors' demands that it close its offices in Iraq. <<< HOSTAGE >>> <<< ALLAWI >>> <<< SADDAM >>> <<< IRAQ >>> === Internat'l News Article Reuters_com.txt === Heavy Clashes in Iraq Hostage Crisis Spirals BAGHDAD (Reuters) Iraq's police and Nat'l Guard killed 13 suspected militants in heavy clashes nr Baghdad on Sun in one of the fiercest battles the fledgling security forces have faced since the handover of sovereignty. The police and Nat'l Guard were attacked by rebel mortar fire and RPGs as they provided security to US forces conducting raids nr the rebellious town of Buhriz, 55 km north of Baghdad, the US military said. During the fighting, which lasted around an hour, US warplanes patrolled the skies and US artillery guns opened fire to suppress the insurgents' mortar positions, Maj Neal O'Brien of the US 1ID said. It was one of the 1st major battles between Iraq's security forces and insurgents since the handover of sovereignty on Jun 28 to an Iraqi govt led by PM Iyad Allawi, and by far the largest death toll. No Iraqi security forces or US troops were killed. Reuters television pictures showed buildings blackened by fire and pockmarked with bullet and artillery holes. Inside one house, a family wept over the open coffin of a dead man. Outside, a number of armed men, their faces wrapped in checked scarves and wearing white robes, fired weapons into the air and shouted "Down with Allawi, down with America." HOSTAGE CRISIS The fighting came as Iraq's months-long hostage crisis took another turn for the worse -- 2 Pakistanis working for a Kuwait-based company were feared kidnapped after going missing. Pakistan's Foreign Office said the 2, an engineer and a driver believed to be working for the al-Tamimi Group, disappeared on Fri as they drove to Baghdad. Kausar Parveen, wife of Azad Khan, called for the early release of her 49-yo husband as their eldest daughter cried for her father at their village in Bangoi, 90 km NE of the Pakistani capital Islamabad. "I miss my father very much. I urge the Pakistani govt and Iraqi people to help find my father," said Nazia, 21, with tears rolling down her face. === Yahoo! News -- Iraq Fighting Leaves 15 Militants Dead.txt === Iraq Fighting Leaves 15 Militants Dead BAGHDAD (AP). US and Iraqi troops backed by heavy artillery and helicopters killed 15 insurgents in fighting Sun that began in palm groves and ended in dusty streets of a city N of Baghdad as violence surged throughout the country. Also Sun, insurgents assassinated a former govt official in Baghdad and gunned down 5 people in a series of attacks in the northern Iraqi oil city, Kirkuk. A US soldier was killed by a roadside bomb on Sat nr Beiji. The carnage coincided with the start of delegate selection in Baghdad for a 3-day nat'l conference considered a key step in moving the country away from its totalitarian past and toward a democratic future. The conference, which will select 80 of 100 interim Nat'l Assembly members, is scheduled for this wk. Organizers refused to confirm the location -- and even the exact date -- of the conference, fearing terrorist attacks. Militants angry at the presence of foreign forces here and bent on derailing efforts to restore order to Iraq after more than 2 decades of Saddam Hussein's rule have waged a 15-m insurgency, marked by car bombings, assassinations and kidnappings. A raid Sun against insurgents in Buhriz, a former Saddam stronghold about 55 km N of Baghdad, turned into a 5-hr battle between militants and US and Iraqi forces. Military rep Maj Neal O'Brien said the clash was ignited when US and Iraqi Nat'l Guard troops conducted a sweep of palm groves believed to be a staging area for anti-coalition attacks. Insurgents using small arms attacked the Iraqi forces, who chased the attackers into the town's S neighborhoods, the US military said. Iraqi fighters later fired mortars indiscriminately, and the US responded with an artillery barrage. Associated Press Television News recorded several loud explosions, apparently from artillery and mortar fire, booming through Buhriz and bullets ricocheting off building and shop walls. Residents ran for cover as an Apache helicopter hovered overhead. Local Iraqi fighters, most clad in black clothing and ski masks, roamed the streets carrying rifles and RPG launchers. The military said 15 insurgents were killed. Qayser Hameed, an emergency worker at the nearby Baqouba General Hospital, said 2 dead Iraqis -- a police officer and a civilian -- and 6 injured civilians were brought to hospital. It was unclear if the 2 killed were in addition to those the military said had been killed. Yasir Ahmed Ismail, the slain police officer, died in his house when a mortar hit nearby, said police Lt Mohammed Adel. The battle followed a US soldier's death Sat in a roadside bomb attack nr Beiji, about 145 km S of the N city of Mosul, the military said. The soldier, escorting a fuel convoy, suffered serious wounds and died later Sat. Another soldier was injured. In Baghdad's al-Dora suburb, gunmen killed Brig Khaled Dawoud, the former head of Nahyia district in S Iraq during Saddam's rule, and his son in a drive-by shooting Sun, police Lt Mustafa Abdullah al-Dulaimi said. Also Sun, Pakistan said 2 of its citizens working for a Kuwaiti firm had disappeared in Iraq. "They are missing. It is not known yet if they have been kidnapped. No group has contacted us for kidnapping them or made any demand," said Masood Khan, a rep for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry. An important Sunni religious group on Sun condemned the separate abductions of an Egyptian diplomat and 7 foreign truck drivers last wk. Meanwhile, an important Sunni religious group on Sun condemned the separate abductions of an Egyptian diplomat and 7 foreign truck drivers last wk. "If a hostage is unrelated to occupation forces, their abductors should free them if they are to respect Islamic religious principles," said Dr. Mohammed Bashar al-Faidhi, rep for the Association of Muslim Scholars, an Iraqi Sunni Muslim group with close ties to insurgents. Militants said they snatched Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb, the third-ranking diplomat at the Egyptian mission here, to deter Egypt from sending security assistance to Iraq's interim govt. Another group has threatened to behead an Egyptian, 3 Indians and 3 Kenyans if their employer did not stop doing business here and compensate victims of coalition attacks in Fallujah, their countries did not pull their citizens out of Iraq and the United States and Kuwait did not free Iraqi prisoners. Al-Faidhi also said that attacking police was prohibited, because they were responsible for "providing people with security. Kidnappings and other rampant violence have threatened Iraq's efforts to rebuild the country after the war and y of sanctions and establish democracy. As part of an important 1st step on the road to democracy, about 540 people gathered under tight security Sun at former Baghdad country club to choose 26 delegates to the upcoming Iraqi Nat'l Conference. Iraq must have "real democracy," stressed Abdullah Mansour, sent from Baghdad's W Abu Ghraib area to vote. "I know everyone has a different idea of what it should be, but while it needs to be nurtured slowly it also has to be accountable." In other violence Sun, gunmen killed 2 officers traveling to work at Mahmoudiya police station, about 40 km S of Baghdad, police Lt Alla Hussein said. Police officer Luay Abdullah was also among 5 killed in a brazen shooting spree across the N city of Kirkuk. Gunmen in a passing car killed Abdullah early Sun while he waited for a ride home after his shift guarding a pipeline, said Kirkuk police Col Sarhad Qadir. Assailants also sprayed gunfire at a Kurdish family's house in a predominantly Arab area in S Kirkuk, killing a woman and 2 of her sons and injuring a daughter, Qadir said. Shirwan Jilal, a fighter with the pro-US Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, was also killed in a drive-by shooting late Sat while walking home. Qadir blamed the attacks on "a gang of criminals related to the previous regime who want to create feuds between Arabs and Kurds." === 15 insurgents killed in Iraq shootout US-backed Iraqi forces have killed 15 insurgents in a blistering shootout N of Baghdad. (AFP). The US military said insurgents opened fire on Iraqi security forces as they provided security for the 1ID during a raid in a nearby farming area. "Iraqi security forces pursued the anti-Iraqi forces into town while being attacked by sporadic small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades," Maj Neal O'Brien said. He says US forces provided air and ground support as Iraqi forces battled the insurgents, who "fired mortars indiscriminately" into the town. The main hospital in Baquba says it received one body and 9 wounded from the clashes nr Buhruz, just S of the city. The fight left palm and pomegranate groves smouldering. A body, said to be a civilian, was buried as masked men carried machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades, shouting anti-Iraqi Govt and anti-US slogans. The bloodshed came hours after the US military arrested 15 people near Baquba at dawn on suspicion of ties to alleged Al Qaeda operative Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi. === Car bomb explodes in Baghdad_ 26-07-2004_ ABC News Online.txt === Car bomb explodes in Baghdad (Reuters). A car bomb has exploded in a Baghdad neighbourhood but no one was wounded, Iraqi police at the scene said. "A car bomb exploded at 8.00 am [local] nr Sarafiya bridge, but thank God no one was hurt," police lieutenant Jamal Abbas said. At least 2 blasts were heard in Baghdad around that time. === Allawi shores up support for Iraq (BBC). Interim Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi is visiting Lebanon as part of a regional tour aimed at gaining support for his Admin. Dr Allawi's drive to win support for his interim Govt has taken him to Beirut where the talks are expected to focus mostly on economic issues. Iraq has no immediate borders with Lebanon and Beirut has little political clout in the region. But Iraq was once Lebanon's most important trade partner. This changed with the sanctions and Dr Allawi will likely call on Lebanese businessmen to look to Iraq again for business opportunities. The Iraqi delegation will also raise the issue of an estimated $500 mn allegedly deposited in Lebanese banks by the ousted regime of Pres Saddam Hussein. <<< AFGHANISTAN >>> <<< IRAN >>> === Family plans action over journalist's murder in Iran The son of a Canadian photojournalist murdered in Iran says he may take the case to the Internat'l Court of Justice (ICJ). Zahra Kazemi was killed last Jul while being held in an Iranian prison. She had been questioned for 3 days by intel agents after being arrested taking pictures of a student demo. An Iranian judge last wk acquitted the man accused of killing her but the Kazemi family's lawyer, Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, says the wrong man was on trial. Kazemi's son says Ebadi will go to the Internat'l Court of Justice if Iranian authorities do not re-open the case. The son also rejected a court-ordered payment of $26,000 in so-called blood money, while the Canadian For Min has said that justice still must be done. <<< KOREA >>> <<< ISRAEL/PAL >>> === Yahoo! News -- Israeli Missile Strike on Gaza Adds to Tension.txt === Israeli Missile Strike on Gaza Adds to Tension TULKARM, W Bank (Reuters) Israeli soldiers shot dead 6 Palestinians in a gunbattle in the W Bank on Sun including 2 cmdrs of a militant group from Pres Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, security sources said. Later an Israeli F-16 warplane fired 2 missiles at a militant stronghold in Gaza City, leveling the building which went up in flames, the sources and witnesses said. The violence came as Palestinians grappled with their worst internal turmoil in years. PM Ahmed Qurie, who has resigned amid the chaos, warned Arafat in a letter they were facing a catastrophe, with militants "running the state of affairs, and this cannot be allowed to continue." Palestinian security sources said that Israeli undercover troops ambushed 8 militants of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and killed 6 of them in a gunbattle in the N W Bank town of Tulkarm, among them 2 cmdrs. The Israeli army said that border policeman had clashed with gunmen, killing 6 and capturing 2. The raid was one of Israel's deadliest in recent wk and drew immediate calls for revenge from angry crowds that gathered at the site as Israeli helicopters patrolled overhead. A telephone caller from the militant group threatened vengeance for what he called "this ugly crime." In S Gaza, militants fired an anti-tank rocket at a Jewish settlement wounding 6 Israelis, including children, medics and a military source said. Israeli soldiers fired back at nearby Khan Younis, wounding 7 Palestinians, 5 of them children, medics said. Afterwards an Israeli fighter jet fired 2 missiles that destroyed a building in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood, a Hamas stronghold. The army said it had targeted a Hamas weapons workshop, which it raided twice on Sun. Residents said the home belonged to a Hamas militant, but it was not clear whether he was there. Medics said a 4-yo boy was hurt when he fell from the force of the blast in a nearby building, but there were no other casualties. PALESTINIAN PM: "WE ARE FACING CATASTROPHE" In a strongly-worded letter to Arafat, Qurie said "we are facing a catastrophe," and urged they cooperate to confront it, a snr official who quoted from the letter told Reuters. Qurie sent the letter amid efforts to resolve a crisis over his resignation, which Arafat has refused to accept, and unprecedented turmoil in Palestinian areas which some fear could lead to civil war. In Israel, Sharon faced mounting obstacles toward implementing his plan to "disengage" from Gaza. Upwards of 100,000 settler supporters joined hands in a human chain from Jerusalem to the Gaza Strip in the biggest protest against the withdrawal plan since it won cabinet approval last m. Sharon faced still more trouble within his rightist Likud Party, as 100s of activists, lawmakers and cabinet ministers met to protest his efforts to bring the left-of-center Labour party into Israel's governing coalition. For Min Silvan Shalom spearheaded the revolt and said the govt had committed a "primal sin" by excluding more hard-liner ultra-religious parties from the coalition. "We must not mortgage the Likud to the Labour Party," Shalom said at the meeting held outside Tel Aviv. Sharon has wooed Labour to shore up his coalition which lost a Parliamentary majority last m when 4 members left in opp'n to the plan to withdraw 8,000 settlers from Gaza, where 1.3 mn Palestinians live. === Israeli missile attack hits Gaza militant's home (Reuters). An Israeli helicopter has fired 2 missiles at the home of a Palestinian militant in Gaza City, missing him but wounding 4 bystanders, Palestinian security and medical sources said. They said the strike on the city's Zeitoun district, a stronghold of militants waging an almost 4-yo uprising, destroyed the home of Abu Malik Jindiah from the Islamic group Hamas. Jindiah was not among the casualties, medics said. 4 Palestinians wounded in the attack were all bystanders. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army, which has frequently killed Palestinian militants in air strikes. 2 Islamic Jihad fighters were killed in a helicopter attack last Thu. Witnesses said several buildings around Jindiah's home were damaged by the missiles. Smoke billowed into the air from the ruins. Earlier, Zeitoun residents said Jindiah was linked to Hamas's kindred group Islamic Jihad, which is similarly sworn to the destruction of the Jewish state. === Israelis form 90 km human chain to oppose Gaza plan (Reuters). Israelis join a 90 km human chain to protest against Ariel Sharon's plan to pull Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip. AFP More than 100,000 Israelis have joined hands in a human chain from Jerusalem to the Gaza Strip to protest against PM Ariel Sharon's plan to pull Jewish settlers from the occupied territory. It is the biggest demo since the initiative was proposed in Feb and sends a clear signal of the political battle Mr Sharon faces. "This chain is a sign of strength," said Anita Tucker, one of the 8,000 settlers living in heavily protected Gaza enclaves alongside more than 1.3 mn Palestinians. "Most of the people love the land of Israel and don't want to see anything destroyed," she said. Organisers said about 200,000 people took part, while police put the crowd at 130,000. Under Mr Sharon's plan for "disengagement" from nearly 4 y of conflict with the Palestinians, all 21 settlements in Gaza and 4 of 120 in the W Bank would be evacuated by the end of next y. While polls show that most Israelis would happily relinquish Gaza as too costly in money and blood, many right-wingers are against giving up land and say it would be a "reward for Palestinian terror". The 90-km human chain stretched from the N Gaza Strip to Jerusalem's W Wall, Judaism's holiest shrine. Police ordered an 8 km gap outside Jerusalem for security reasons. Busloads of protesters descended on Jerusalem, many waving Israeli flags and dressed in orange caps or shirts -- the colour chosen to represent the Gaza Strip's sub-tropical climate. "We are expressing the fact that all of Israel belongs to all the people of Israel," said Yonatan Namdar. As the protesters dispersed, Palestinian militants fired a missile which hit a Gush Katif settlement community centre, wounding 6 people, one of them seriously. <<< SYRIA >>> <<< SRI >>> <<< INDIA/PAKI >>> <<< TIMOR >>> === Woodside wants Timor deal this y Oil and gas producer Woodside says its position on the Sunrise gas field remains unchanged, despite suggestions AUS might suspend Timor Sea maritime boundary negotiations. The Fed Govt says talks with E Timor on maritime boundaries may have to be put on hold because of comments by the Labor Party that it would re-start talks from scratch if it wins the next election. The boundaries would govern the split of royalties from the lucrative Sunrise gas project. A rep for Woodside says an agreement between AUS and East Timor must be reached by the end of the y for production to begin as scheduled in 2010. The rep would not be drawn on whether negotiations would be more successful under a fed Labor govt. <<< INDON >>> <<< ZIMBABW >>> <<< SOLOMON >>> === Guns play role in Solomons peace memorial Thousands of pieces of guns have been buried in a new peace memorial in the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara. More than 3,000 guns have been surrendered to the Aussie-led joint police and military force known as RAMSI. The memorial has been built on Honiara's foreshore in a new park, beneath the ground mixed with tonnes of concrete are parts of guns surrendered during the 1st y of operation of the Regional Assistance Mission. The Mission's police cmdr, Ben McDevitt says the memorial should prove a powerful reminder of the problems caused by guns in the Solomons. "Just one y later most of the hands that held these guns now hold the bars of cells within Rove Prison," he said. The memorial's unveiling was attended by defence ministers and police commissioners from across the Pacific region. <<< PNG >>> <<< INTERNAT >>> === Brit Govt to crack down on animal rights 'extremists' (BBC). The Brit Govt is planning new laws to deal with what it calls animal rights extremists. The move follows a decision by a construction firm to pull out of work on a new research laboratory at Oxford University, blaming threats from militants. Trade and Industry Min Patricia Hewitt says the measures are designed to protect individuals targeted by those she describes as terrorists and thugs. Mark Matfield, of the Research Defence Society, says it is time for the authorities to act. "Obviously the use of animals in medical research is a controversial issue," he said. "It's right that those opposed to it should express their opp'n but they should do it peacefully, legally through the normal channels. "It's when people go beyond that, when they harass, intimidate -- that needs tougher laws to deal with it." Greg Avery of the organisation Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), which targets companies involved in animal experiments, says it does not support illegal activities. "What's happened over the last 4 or 5 y in the animal rights movement is basically instead of standing outside centres of animal abuse and shouting to the wind and being laughed at by the workers, we're basically going for these companies on the finances," he said. "These companies are supported by banks, supported by share holders, they're supported by institutional shareholders and all these people are investing in animal misery." <<< AUS >>> === Aust publisher pulls controversial 'memoir'_ 26-07-2004_ ABC News Online.txt === Aust publisher pulls controversial 'memoir' By Ian Townsend for The World Today A major Aussie publisher has this morning withdrawn from sale Norma Khouri's best-selling book Forbidden Love over a row about its authenticity. Random House AUS marketed the book as: "A harrowing memoir by a Jordanian woman whose life-long friend was the victim of an honour killing at the hands of her own father." Over the weekend, the SYD Morning Herald reported allegations that the author had fabricated details of the story, which was published to wide acclaim 2 y ago. The claims include that Khouri left Jordan at the age of 3, that the main character, Dalia, never existed and that Khouri lived in Chicago for most of her life. Khouri, who now lives in Qld, has denied those allegations and has told journalists she can prove the book is based on fact. She declined to comment further this morning. Random House has today withdrawn Forbidden Love from sale and recommends book stores do the same. The publisher says it is very concerned about the allegations and that it published the book in good faith. Members of AUS's Muslim community are now seeking an explanation from the author and the publisher. Keysar Trad from the Lebanese Muslims Association says the book has damaged the image of the Muslim community. "These allegations have certainly done damage to members of the Muslim community because what they do is that people actually believe them and they start to believe that this is some form of backward culture, which is really not correct in any way whatsoever," Mr Trad said. "As a result, they tend to look at Muslim women in a very negative light, as if they are oppressed or as if they are potential victims of an honour killing and this is very far removed from the reality." Mr Trad says he has serious reservations about Forbidden Love. "Some honour killings have taken place in various parts of the world, including Jordan," Mr Trad said. "However, as I read more and more about Norma Khouri's book, it is absolutely unfathomable for that book to be accurate." === Govts failing homeless, ACOSS says The Aussie Council of Social Services (ACOSS) says many homeless people are being refused shelter because support services are not properly funded to cope with demand. ACOSS deputy president Sue Ham says state and Fed Community Services ministers will consider funding for crisis accommodation and support services at a meeting this wk. She is calling on the ministers to take responsibility for the problem and agree to increase funding for those services by 25%. She says from 2002 to 2003, 67,000 requests from children, families and other people were not met. "On any one night there's roughly 100,000 Aussies that are homeless, over half of those are children that are escaping domestic violence, we know that situation hasn't changed very much over the last 3 y," she said. "We know that there are not enough services out there for children and parents and individuals in need, so we're looking to get a significant increase in funding that will make a difference for crisis services." <<< AUS.market >>> <<< FTA >>> === news.txt === Greens may withhold preferences if Labor backs FTA The Greens say it will be harder for them to direct preferences to Labor at the next fed election, if it backs the Govt's proposed free trade deal with the US. The Aussie Manufacturing Workers Union is also demanding Labor block the deal. It has released a survey of voters in 10 marginal seats, which shows that only 27% support the proposed agreement. The poll shows 12% of voters oppose the deal and 53% think it should be renegotiated. Greens Sen Bob Brown says Labor will pay a price if it ignore public opinion and passes the agreement. "It will make it harder for Greens right across the country to direct to preferences to Labor rather than take the option of leaving it entirely to the voters," he said. <<< AUS.interest >>> <<< AUS.death >>> <<< AUS.econ >>> <<< AUS.jobs >>> <<< AUS.storm >>> <<< AUS.road >>> <<< AUS.water >>> <<< AUS.climate >>> <<< AUS.indig >>> <<< AUS.immigration >>> <<< AUS.telco >>> <<< AUS.def >>> <<< AUS.terror >>> <<< AUS.health >>> <<< AUS.green >>> <<< AUS.edu >>> <<< AUS.politics >>> === PM going strong at 65 Prime Min John Howard celebrates his 65th birthday today but has no plans to retire. While most people look forward to retiring at 65, Mr Howard will spend another busy day at the office, running the country and planning his strategy to win the election and a 4th term. Greg Mundy from the Aged and Community Services Association says Mr Howard is setting an example to other older Aussies. "Leading from the top -- I guess you could look at it that way, certainly I think that's going to be the trend in the future," he said. "I think in a few years' time we'll come to look at aged 65 retirement as a thing of the past." Mr Howard's 65th birthday will be a low-key affair -- he has no public engagements as tries to shift the focus from the 22-y age gap between him and Opp'n Leader Mark Latham. === Govt rejigs Centrelink debt system To be revamped: Centrelink debt collection offices will become centres of excellence. xxx The Fed Govt has announced an overhaul of Centrelink's debt collection systems in a bid to ease pressure on welfare recipients. The changes will see the services become "centres of excellence" designed to prevent or better manage debts. Families and individuals currently generate tax debts if they underestimate their annual income in forms submitted to Centrelink. The Min in charge of Centrelink, Larry Anthony, says overall debt levels currently only account for about 2% of AUS's total welfare bill. But he says more can be done to stop people receiving benefits from getting into debt. "The basis is to improve the quality of service and also to make improvements in the quality of decision-making," Mr Anthony said. "I believe that in the fullness of time, not only will Centrelink get greater accuracy but also will be in a position for greater prevention of individuals getting into debt." Mr Anthony says welfare recipients will notice a difference soon. "They'll be able to get better advice straight away but also if people get into a debt situation there'll be better management techniques for them to get out of it and also to better prevent future debt situations arising," he said. The Fed Opp'n says it welcomes any move to ease the debt burden on families and other welfare recipients. But its families rep, Wayne Swan, says the Govt has refused to change the policies that have contributed to high debts. "They've played Scrooge for 3 y and suddenly, on the eve of an election, they pretend to be Santa Claus," Mr Swan said. "1.5 mn families have had debts of $1.6 bn collected in the last 3 y and Mr Anthony and Mr Howard don't have one single positive proposal to change that system." Mr Swan does not expect the changes to ease the debt burden. "They've turned Centrelink into 'Centreshrink'," he said. "They are cutting staff in Centrelink at the same time as they are refusing to change their policies which deliver the huge debts to a 3rd of all families in the 1st place." === SA Nat'l Party leader denies split South AUS's Nat'l Party president has moved to clarify his relationship with the fed party in the wake of last wk's dramatic move by its sole state MP. Over the weekend, the Nat'l Party state conference unanimously endorsed Karlene Maywald's appointment to the Labor Govt's frontbench. State Nat'l Party president John Venus has denied any notion of a split from the fed body, saying his withdrawal from fed party meetings is a temporary measure until after the fed election. "We want to avoid at all costs anything that makes it awkward for the fed party to pursue their goal of the re-election of a Howard-Anderson conservative govt in CBR," he said. === Bushwalk survivor 'a tough old bird' Friends of a New S Wales woman missing for 3 days at the Mitchell Plateau in W AUS's Kimberley region have described their elation at finding the "tough old bird" alive. Norma Hayes went missing on Wed last wk, prompting an air and ground search involving 60 police, rangers and State Emergency Service volunteers. Mrs Hayes lost track of her bushwalking friends after being chased by a bull, falling and being knocked unconscious. The 64-yo then spent 3 nights in isolation with no food or warm clothing. Friend and fellow bushwalker Elaine Hamer has praised Mrs Hayes's tenacity. "She walks very regularly, she's a tough old bird. We know she hasn't got a good sense of direction but [she's] a very commonsense sort of a lady," Ms Hamer said. Ms Hamer says her friends have learnt from the ordeal. "In future, everybody needs to carry their pack with their basic emergency equipment and a jumper -- it doesn't matter how short or simple the walk is," she said. === Howard leaves green protests in his wake A fit-looking, fast-walking Prime Min John Howard managed to outwalk a group of environmental protesters who greeted him on his 65th birthday in SYD this morning. The Greenpeace demonstrators were mainly in their 20s. Mr Howard took his usual early morning walk from Kirribilli House and was accompanied by a group of peaceful Greenpeace protesters wearing T-shirts saying: "Don't walk away from Kyoto." Greenpeace's Gareth Walton says the Govt's refusal to sign the internat'l greenhouse gas reduction treaty will hurt AUS. "I think certainly the PM has got the message today, I mean he's continued to get the message for several years," Mr Walton said. "He walks very fast for a man of 65. If only he acted as quickly on climate change, then certainly we wouldn't be in the position we are in now." Mr Howard says he is still going strong on his 65th birthday. "I don't think the Aussie public care about somebody's age," Mr Howard said. "It's what they've done and what they can do and what they stand for that matters to the Aussie public in politics. "That's the real difference between me and my opponent." Mr Howard's younger political rival, Mark Latham, spent the morning preparing a curry on a Channel 9 chat show and he was also cooking up suggestions for his own birthday treat for the PM. "Oh, a nice big cake with 65 candles on top, of course, so he'd have the chance to blow them all out. And then Marilyn Monroe popping out of the cake," Mr Latham said. But Mr Howard will celebrate his milestone birthday privately with his family. === Aussies unwilling to deal with terrorists, PM says Prime Min John Howard says Aussies accept the Govt's decision not to respond to any demands from terrorists, in the wake of threats from a group claiming to be the European wing of Al Qaeda. Over the weekend, a website carried a message from the Islamic Tawhid Group, warning AUS to withdraw its troops from Iraq "before your country turns into pools of blood". It also threatened attack by "columns of rigged cars". The Govt says it is treating the threat seriously but Mr Howard says AUS will not cave in to such demands. "We're still investigating the authenticity and the relevance of the [group] but we will not take any notice of threats of that kind," he said. "We won't parlay or negotiate with terrorists and I believe that the overwhelming majority of the Aussie public would agree with us." <<< AUS.av >>> <<< AUS.police/courts >>> === Vic police to re-open murder case Vic police are to re-open the Jane Thurgood Dove case with new evidence expected to be put before the coroner. The 35-yo mother was shot dead in front of her 3 children in the driveway of her Niddrie home nearly 7 y ago. Police have told the father of the murdered MEL woman, that her murder was a case of mistaken identity. John Magill says the new info came to light a few wk ago. "We'd been given the info previously by the police dept, the officer in charge of the case and it was very good news indeed to hear that the case had taken a new direction," he said. === Aussie appeals Singapore death sentence An appeal to save a MEL man from the gallows will be heard in Singapore's High Court today. Nguyen Tuong Van has been on death row in Changi prison since Mar, when a court found him guilty of smuggling almost 400 grams of heroin into the country. The 23-yo was arrested in Dec 2002 trying to board a Qantas flight to MEL. Security officers found the drugs taped to his back and inside a backpack. Under Singapore's strict anti-drug laws, anyone found with more than 15 grams of heroin faces a mandatory death penalty. Nguyen's Aussie barrister, Lex Lasry QC, says the appeal will question the constitutionality of the death sentence and the integrity of evidence given during the original trial. If the appeal is lost, a plea for clemency can be presented to Singapore's president. However, legal and diplomatic observers say the Singaporean Govt rarely shows mercy, even in cases involving foreigners. === Police suspect 'mistake' in mother's murder Police have new evidence to suggest the murder of MEL mother Jane Thurgood-Dove in 1997 was a case of mistaken identity. Police have confirmed they have new info about the murder of Mrs Thurgood-Dove, who was shot dead in front of her 3 children at Niddrie in MEL's NW nearly 7 y ago. They have told her father, John Magill, the bullets that killed his daughter were intended for someone else. Mr Magill says he is pleased the case has taken a new direction. "Jane, with her children and her husband, was the heart and soul of our family," he said. "It's very important for us to do anything we can to get some sort of resolution for those children." Police are preparing a report for the coroner, who will decide whether to re-open an inquest into Mrs Thurgood-Dove's death. A $1 mn reward for info still stands. === ACT calls in police to protect kangaroo cull Aussie Capital Territory Chief Min Jon Stanhope says he will ask the Aussie Fed Police Commissioner to help prevent protests over the kangaroo cull at Googong Dam. The cull was disrupted again over the weekend, with the Govt saying protesters hurled rocks at ACT Environment staff and shooters. NSW police at the scene stopped the cull because of safety fears. But Mr Stanhope says it is vital the cull continues. "We're doing what we believe we must do to protect the water for the people of CBR," he said. "I have a group of thugs and hooligans now preventing that, behaving in a criminal way, putting the lives and welfare of my staff and the kangaroo shooter at risk. "I feel at this stage that I need to involve the Aussie Fed Police to ensure that this sort of behaviour stops." === Girl, 11, sexually assaulted in her bed Qld police are appealing for help from the public after the serious sexual assault of an 11-yo girl as she slept in her home at Toowoomba W of Bris. Police say a man broke into the girl's home early yesterday. Detective Sgt Lew Strohfeldt admits police have little info to act on. "It's a terrible offence committed upon an innocent young girl who was asleep in what should be the safety of her own bed in her own home," he said. "From the info we have ... we're looking for a male Caucasian person in their 30s and that's the description we have at this point in time." <<< AUS.general >>> <<< GREEN >>> <<< GLOBAL WARMING/CLIMATE >>> <<< SCIENCE/TECH >>> === Spam a drain on small business A New S Wales Govt survey has found that junk email is having a negative impact on small businesses. The study found that most small businesses receive at least 5 spam emails a day. The NSW Min for Small Business, David Campbell, says spam costs small businesses time and money. "94% of businesses report that spam email wastes time and impacts on their productivity," he said. "25% of respondents believe that it costs them more than $5,000 a y to deal with this and staff spent up to an hour a day in 90 % of businesses dealing with spam email, so it's a fairly significant problem for small business in NSW." <<< ODD/MISC >>> === Yahoo! News -- Putting the Bite on Mailman-Shaped Dog Treats.txt === Putting the Bite on Mailman-Shaped Dog Treats TORONTO (Reuters) Dogs chomping on mail carrier-shaped treats is no laughing matter for Canada Post. The unamused Canadian postal service -- whose carriers endure more than their share of real dog bites -- convinced Pet Valu Inc stores to stop carrying Bark Bars, dog biscuits that come shaped like cats and letter carriers. "This is not in any way, shape, or form funny for us, and to make light of that ... I don't see that as funny at all, not even in the least," said John Caines, Canada Post's nat'l media relations manager. The pet store chain, which has 292 outlets in Canada, agreed to withdraw the treats after it received a letter from Canada Post saying that employees were concerned about the risks mail carriers face from dogs and unhappy with having dog biscuits shaped in their likeness. Earlier this summer, a letter carrier from Chatham in SW Ontario broke both her wrists and had part of her ear ripped off when she was attacked by 2 pitbull-like dogs. Caines said that in the 1st 6 m of 2004 there were 160 dog attacks on mail carriers across Canada. <<< BOT >>> {{ 10 am PM John Howard celebrates his 65th birthday today but has no plans to retire. FM Alex Downer says there is a "good chance" AUS will send troops to Darfur in Sudan as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force. PM John Howard says Aussies accept the Govt's decision not to respond to any demands from terrorists, in the wake of threats from a group claiming to be the European wing of Al Qaeda. Relief agencies who were forced to leave 2 refugee camps in eastern Chad after violence broke out there last wk are now resuming their operations. Sudan has warned it will use force against any attempt at outside military intervention in the crisis-torn Darfur region, while rebels called for the quick arrival of foreign troops. The cmdr of Aussie forces in the Middle E has added his voice to criticism of the Philippines for pulling its troops out of Iraq to save the life of one of its citizens taken hostage. Midday 10s of 1000s of isreali's have demonstrated against the isr pull-out 90 km from gaza to jerusalem's wailing wall many were settlers angry at sharon protesters told sharon he was voted in to protect isrealis -- not to dismantle homes [!!!???] attak on isr settlement 6 children injured 2 injured in gaza when isr missile hit workshops 6 pals shot dead in w bank all ords down 5 News -- 7% of the index -- is higher the banks are also higher the market has been dragged lower by a slump in base metals o'night, which has seen mining stocks sold down nik down 1/2% hs doiwn 80 70.87 aud gold around 391 oil up and close to 42 6.30 pm howard govt emrolied in row with phil over cricism over troops pullout alex downer says phil and spain have encouraged terrorism by caving in to their demands there's been a blunt response from manila FM downer said there was "no doubt" the moves had given encouranegemtn to terrorists pres arroyo said the comment was "narrow minded" kevin rudd criticismed downer for dceclaring WWIII on the Phil he said the Phil was very important in the war on terror tonight Arroyo is delivering a key speech to Congress she said she would not apologise for being a protector of her people a group known as the "black banners" has further extended a deadline for the beaheaing of 7 hostages while indian's protest, calling on the govt to do more, new delhi says it's doing everything is can to convince the insurgents india is a friend of iraq and islam the family of one hostage say he was offered $500 pm in iraq, paid $3000 to get there he only made $50 pm in india no new deadline has appearntly been set pak has confirmed 2 of its nationals are missing 50 km NE of Bag US mil says 13 insurgents killed by troops backed by artillery and choppers "death to ameirac" cried one boy -- his father had bneen killed in the crossifre sudan has warned military intervention in darfur is not welcome and wioll be met with force came a day after aus indicated it was willing to send troiops under UN banner the UN has upgraded estimates of the death toll now believed 50,000 have been killed in W Sudan as the C govt encourages arab milkitias to ethnically cleans the region Kevin Rudd called on the Howard Govt to treble aid to $24 mn UN officials say aid may not reach those who need it because of the actions of the janjaweed sudan govt initially backed janjaweed to fight anti-govt rebels now being disarmed, says govt, and it doesn't want outside intervention agreement signed 3 wks ago claim sit'n is getting better rebels have been accused of scuppering negotiations in order to force UN to intervene all ords clsoed flat nab up .23 27.10 nik down 28 to 3 wk low 70.97 aud down 9.30 pm 2 womedn killed and 2 woumeded in basra as they drive to basra airpoort they wored with the brit army al jazera b'cast video from an insurgent group claim to hold 2 pak and iraqi working for wukawiti company they will be killed, say the group, unless the company pulls out of iraq the Indon electoral commission has released official results from the first round of presid'l elections SBY 34% Megawati 26% Wiranto 22% 10.30 pm jetsra flight made emergency landing in qld odor filled cabin 47 passengres 1 crew treeaded for smoke inhalation rapid descenet cuased inner ear probs melting platic around intercom wirse secruity officer is helping police with their inquiries after shooting man this morning she has refusde to speak to police until she seeks legal advice witnesses say a man tried to grab a bag the guard was carrying and she subsequently fired at least one round through a car window 11.30 pm eu res has threatehed tougher measures unless the govt of sudan does more in the w region of darfur the res threatens "appropriate further steps" which is understood to be diplomatic langauge for sanctions 1/2 dhaka underwater worries about spread of sidseaes ahmed karzai says will stand for pres isr supreme court refused to lift order on ban on vannunu to leave country ban imposed after he 18 y in jail isr govt says still regards as security risk china conducting survey of homosex aids join us/china project china says aids has spreaf from high risk groups to gen popn }} ---------------------------------------- Tue, 27 Jul 2004. {{ 1.30 am snr member int min assassination in bag along with 2 guards killed bag dep min of tribal affairs 5 us soldiers 3 iraqi wounded car expl outside mil base in mosul macedinoa parl move to strengthen rights of ethnic alvbanians moscow court ossued arrest warrant for a key yukos shareholder he lives in isr accused of planning the killing of people he beleived were threats to yukos 6.30 am it's been revealed the terror group threatening attacks on AUS has a cell in MEL a member of the group has told authorities he knows the group has held meetings in MEL "for years" egyptian diuplmat released in iraq unknown what price paid to secure his freedom at egypotian emb in bag dow st closed even nasdaq down 10 pts aud 71.00 oil down .27 41.45 supply fears eased gold 388.85 policre arer investingat how a stanlkey knife was allowed on board a middle e-bound aircraft from SYD 6.45 am egypotian officials say no deals were done aus amb in madrid carpetted over fm downer's comments that troop withdrawal had encouraged terrorists to threaten aus unless it withdraew troops in iraq, up to 7 new hostages have been snatched by another insurgent group 2 jordanian drivers are the latest victims firefighters in portugal are battling a series of wild fires a new opinion poll puts the coal'n ahead of labour herlad poll puts howard govt in same winning position as before last fed election 47% see latham as unpredictable more of a listern 1/2 as trustworthy 27% howard nerd traiwan says it's seen a thawing of rels with china calls within chinese govt for improved ties taiwan has also moved to recognise the chinese yuan as legal currency on 2 taiwanese islands despite requests from aussie military bases directly requesting the filming of faranheit 9/11 and ok from military hq the govt has banned the showing of the film at any military base the distributor had offered the film free the govt says propaganda films are banned from military bases more than 1000 cheered in tehran when the accused murderer of a uni student was publicly hanged 7.30 am french woman who falsely claimed anti-semtiic attack has been jailed for 6 m Midday. Idris has come to trial confusing charged with one crime under the terrorism act before it came into force, and one after the justice min has indicated the const'l court's decisions can't be applied retroactively, and any bali bomber convicted retrospecitively under the terrorism act will be punished downer is refusing to back away from comments blaming phil and spain for encoruaging terrorists we do have to stand up for what we beleiev in, he told a press conf [as long as other countries don't] eu $35 mn in aid to sudan sending military and civil observers to darfur region in brussels fm's urged a threat of sanctions putting pressure on unsc to pass res against the sudan govt floods in bang getting worse water has flooded acorss border and inundated parts of n india 700 people now dead in bag, india and nepal all ords up 8 pts 9.30 pm FM Downer has denid newspaper claims a terror cell is operating in MEL. He says it isn't clear that the group threeatening "rigged cars" for AUS is related to a group of a similar name an undercover witness says was operating in AUS. Vic Prem Bracks has also said the story relates to a case that's 10 y old and has been closed. in baghdad mortar fire struck nr the us hq in baghdad an iraqi garbage collectecd was killed 14 us soldiers and another iraqi were injuresd people's mujahiddeen still an outlaw organisation fihgters given "protectionm" by us under guard at a us detention centre will be interrogated according to pal arafat has agreed to give qurei control over int min pm withdrawn resigation 4 pals have been killed in fighting in the w bank and gaza a 14 yo girl was shot in chest while playing soccer she was taken to hospital but declared doa isr soldiers said they had fiured into air and didnt know that anyone had been hit 200 nk arrived in sk from undisclosed 3rd country biggest influx of nk defectors in saoel no details nk came via se asian nations another group of 250 expected tomorrow all ords up 5 nab lost more ground following claims it faces a $200 mn bill down 1% related to an irish subsidiary denined fste up 10 dow down 9962 aud 71.16 oil down 41.60 hs down 19 nik down 128 gold up 3.30 392.39 10.30 pm bomb hoax on flight 840 a flight to the us had to come back to syd after what was initially described as a note was found in a toilet claiming a bomb was on board it just shows how affected by terrorism we are, said a passenger in air for 90 mins flight to la "a suspicious object" was found on board ABC Lateline says sick bag with letters BOB crew beleived it stood for "bomb on board" the capt decided to return to syd supt peter o'brien says it was the capt's decision alone evreyone on board and their luggae has been searched sniffer dogs searched the plane no suggestion it was an over-reaction despite 1 days' delay to reach the us paeengers complained after return to syd were forced to wait in the plane for 45 mins before dis-embarking }} ---------------------------------------- Wed, 28 Jul 2004. {{ 1.30 am BBC World News nk refugees arrived in seoul on mil aircraft reports suggest china to vietnam 4 nationals arr back in france from guatmo cap in afghan 2 y ago in eq guinea men pleased guilty to relatively minor charges 67 of group viol immig and av laws when arr in harare in march zim farmers signed agreement to farm in ingeria promises of financial help arr in 2 m 7 am 69.95 aud after 2 y consumer high in us dow largest 1 day in 2 m up 123 1.25% 19m985 nas up 1.75% oil up .40 41.84 gold down 6 wk low 387.00 3.30 down base mentals weaker lead by technical selling in copper 400 dead in bang fllods 30 mn stranded or homeles most of dhaka flooded 100s becoming ill by water-borne diseases more than dead 1000 acros the region $us18mn from uk france swept through 3000 ha of brush and pine bush dest in s frace 600 firefighters battling chinese say 200 arrested in crack down on internat porn 700 web site shut down no details dutch govt suing docotrs without borders for ransom paid for kidnap in russia more than $1 mn paid to russian kidnappers an 80 yo has won the first annual electric shopping buggy race a femal security guard that shot a syd theif dead has been ordered to take a catscan she claims she can't remember firing bullet barrister says she remebers a gun going off, but not circumstances she had pursued him to his car and shot him through the winder after he attacked her with knuckledusters petrol pirce pushing up aussie infl rate expected in col measures jun q infl released this morning expecting .6% Midday. cpi rose .5% in jun q higher fuel and medical chrges nearly 1/2 of prev q 2.5 annual all ords up 13 3513 leading the market bhp up .17 12.76 record prodn figures ftset up 1% nik up 138 hs up 50 aud 70.19 gold down 4.50 oil 41.84 up .40 Lego is in trouble the era of instant pleasure computers focusing on younger not older children new products }}