From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia
Reserch Senter(*)
		OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS   #213
                ===============================
In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant
to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere
(validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra).

Our Home Page: <http://www.chickenhead.com/loserscopes/>
The Undeniable Evidence: <http://www.evil-doers.org/evidence>
Even More Uneniable Evidence: <http://www.abc.net.au/cnnnn/profiteering/terrorthon/>

US Centcom News Releases: <http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/release_list.asp>
Iraqi Body Count: <http://www.iraqbodycount.net/> [9,211 as at 02 Jun 2004].
UN Mailing List: <http://www.kymhorsell.com/UN/>
Some Of The News, Some Of The Time: <http://www.chaser.com.au/default.asp?check=No>
This Stuff Blogged: <http://kymhorsell.blogspot.com/>
Also Kindly Archived: <http://www.kymhorsell.com/OIL/>

------------------------------------------------------------
Selecting latest news stories and other data for you...
------------------------------------------------------------

I don't like it when the values of... my country... are misunderstood,
because of the actions of some of our people overseas.
-- Pres Bush Jr, 26 Jun 2004.
   ... or in Washington.

Propaganda should be paid for by political parties... not the
Australian taxpayer.
-- Opp'n leader Mark Latham, 27 Jun 2004.
   The Howard govt has reserved the "right" to bring out its "fridge
   magnet" campaign before the nat'l election.

America is feeling wounded... about how the war in Iraq has gone so
wrong. It's... sensitive... about allies who would turn their backs on
the US in their time of need.
-- NSW Prem Bob Carr, 25 Jun 2005.
   The NSW Prem has warned Opp'n leader Mark Latham about ordering an
   Aussie military pull-out from Iraq if Labor wins the election.

We're here to farewell the PM. Farewell PM... see ya later.
-- Opp'n MP, 26 Jun 2004.
   A rare Sat sitting has sparked speculation the Howard govt is
   getting ready for an early election.

----------------------------------------
Sat, 26 Jun 2004.

	HEADLINES:
Scores killed in Yemen clashes
2 US Marines killed, one wounded in Afghanistan
Up to 25 killed in Iraq air strike
Oil prices slide on Norway news
Wary S'pore firms shelve plans for Iraq
US names replacement Iraq abuse investigator
Patten worries violence could tear Iraq apart
Nasdaq escapes Iraq-induced stock falls
NATO strikes tentative Iraq security deal
NATO nears agreement on Iraq troop request
Majority of Americans say Iraq war a mistake -- poll
Iraqi Shiites condemn "filthy infidel" terrorists
Iraq's govt face factions, past history, come hand over
Headless bodies found in Iraq
Bush looks to Europe for help in Iraq
Bin Laden had contact with Iraq: report
ACF urges states to go it alone on green energy
ALP warns of water deal pork barrelling
AUS Parliament holds rare Sat sitting
Annan pushes for more NATO troops in Afghanistan
Blair made personal plea for Guantanamo releases: report
Brit labels US military trials as "unacceptable"
Bush Administration lied about secret Saudi flight
Call for larger Afghanistan force
Canada leaders make pitch as deadlock looms
China 2008 Olympics in midst of graft scandal
Confusion surrounds Istanbul airport bomb claims
Consumers warned of Internet shopping dangers
Court rules Princess entitled to privacy
Czech survives 10 days buried alive in coffin
Deadline to revive N Ireland power deal set
Explosions heard in Baghdad
Garrett to address Young Labor conference
German men told to have more sex and "take the consequences"
Hitler becomes US campaign issue
Identification-to-enrol law passed
Iran accused of resuming uranium program
Irish rally against US policies
Jackson judge says fair trial 'difficult'
Latham must tread lightly with US: Carr
Most troops to leave "stable" Solomons
No breakthroughs in N Korean nuclear talks
No corruption charges laid against drug squad
Online retailers strip customers' rights: ACCC
Quarterly growth slashed, inflation up
Screened US animal positive for Mad Cow
Soldier claims cmdr present at death of Abu Ghraib prisoner
Stuck switch caused spacewalk problems: NASA
Sudan denies Darfur in crisis
Tasmanians at higher cancer risk
The Murray River is to get an extra 500 GL of flow.
UN demands access to terrorism suspects
UN denounces Israeli-Palestinian violence
UN rights envoys seek access to prisoners of US
US Democrats preview Moore's 9/11
US investigates suspected mad cow case
US strikes 3rd Zarqawi "safe house"
Web surfers' passwords, bank details vulnerable
Winds hamper hot air balloon championships
Friendly dog prevents killing spree?
Canada's killer whale relocation bid in limbo


Oil prices slide on Norway news
NY (AFP).  World oil prices dropped in relief after the Norwegian govt
halted an oil industry strike in the world's 3rd-largest exporter.
NY's benchmark contract, light sweet crude for delivery in Aug fell 38
c to $US37.55.
Brent N Sea crude for Aug skidded 33 c to $US34.97.
"The end of the Norway strike was part of it," said Fimat USA market
analyst Mike Fitzpatrick.
Also, many traders now believed that US commercial crude oil
inventories were large enough to justify a drop in prices, especially
with more petrol on its way from Europe, Fitzpatrick said.
"These are hard facts to ignore," he said.
The Norwegian govt intervened to halt a week-long strike by enforced
mediation between unions and employers.
"The dispute on the Norwegian shelf is over," the Labour and Social
Affairs Min'y said in a statement.
"In parallel, it has been decided that continued strike action and the
lockout are prohibited," it said.
The trade union Oljearbeidernes Fellessammenslutning (OFS) had
threatened on Wed to step up action from midnight on Sun.
The move would have cut a quarter of Norway's daily output of about 3
mn barrels per day. Employers announced plans to lock out striking workers.
Commerzbank analyst David Thomas said the market was also reassured by
the prospect of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
boosting output on Aug 1 despite a recent fall in world prices.
At a meeting on Jun 3, OPEC decided to raise its output ceiling to
25.5 mn bpd on Jul 1 and to 26 mn bpd from Aug 1 to try to push down
high world prices.
"There are talks going on about OPEC invoking their
500,000-barrel-a-day production increase from Aug. That is easing
concerns about supply," Thomas said in London.
"Pressure is still on OPEC to follow through on its commitment to put
more oil" on the market.
Traders worried about the potential for more attacks by insurgents in
Iraq in the run-up to the planned Jun 30 transfer of power to an
interim govt in Baghdad.

Quarterly growth slashed, inflation up
Washington (Reuters).  The US economy grew much more slowly than
previously thought in the 1st quarter and inflation was higher, a govt
report showed on Fri.
Separate reports, however, showed consumer sentiment rebounding in Jun
and a jump in sales of existing homes in May -- likely fuelled by a
rush to lock in low interest rates before a probable Fed Reserve rate
hike next wk.
The Commerce Dept surprised economists with a downward revision to
first-quarter gross domestic product, cutting economic growth to a
3.9% annual rate from the 4.4% reported a m ago. Wall Street analysts
had not expected the Commerce Dept to change the GDP estimate.
While 3.9% is still a solid pace, the revision cut GDP -- which
measures all output within US borders -- to below the 4.1% seen in the
last quarter of 2004.
The govt also ratcheted up a key gauge of inflation in the GDP report,
confirming an acceleration in price rises that has fuelled expectations
the Fed Reserve will begin raising interest rates from their 1958 lows
next wk to head off inflation.
The core price index for consumer spending -- a favourite of Fed
Chairman Alan Greenspan that cuts out volatile food and energy prices
-- gained at an annual rate of 2.0% in the quarter, a bump up from the
1.7% reported a m ago.
"It is a bit surprising that inflation was worse and consumption was
up less," said Mark Vitner, snr economist at Wachovia Securities.
He said the worst in the run-up in inflation may already be past,
however, with stronger real growth and lower inflation likely in the
2nd 1/2 of the y, and should not prompt an aggressive run of
interest-rate hikes.
"In terms of the Fed, they have to start raising rates but this report
does not shout out for a 1/2-point hike. They can still move at a
measured pace," Vitner said.
Widespread signs of strength in the economy have cemented expectations
the Fed will raise rates by a quarter of a point from 1% after a 2-day
meeting on Tue and Wed.
Bond prices, initially torn over whether to react to slower growth or
higher prices in the GDP report, ended higher as investors sought
safety ahead of Pres Bush 's visit to Turkey for a NATO summit.
Blue-chip stocks finished in the red, hurt by uncertainty over the
interest-rate future and Iraq, while the technology-rich Nasdaq
composite gained on strong home sales and consumer sentiment data. The
dollar rose.
* HAPPY CONSUMERS BUY HOMES
The prospect of higher rates pushed home-buyers off the fence and into
the market in May, propelling sales of existing homes to a record
high, while consumer sentiment climbed this m, 2 reports also out on
Fri showed.
The University of Michigan's final survey of consumer confidence for
Jun showed its sentiment index rose to 95.6 from 90.2 in May.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a rise to 95.5 with
increased optimism due to an improved employment picture, healthy
economy and a dip in lofty gasoline prices.
A separate report showed home resales jumped unexpectedly by 2.6%
to a record high in May as mortgage rates remained relatively low.
The Nat'l Association of Realtors said sales of previously owned homes
rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.80 mn units in May from
a downwardly revised 6.63 mn unit pace in Apr.
"Various signs of macroeconomic activity point to a very robust
economy. That provides greater confidence to consumers. If families
feel financially secure, they are much more likely to go out and put
down money for a big-ticket item like a house," said Frank Nothaft,
chief economist at mortgage finance company Freddie Mac.
The Commerce Dept said the reduction in its final assessment of
first-quarter economic growth resulted from a sharp upward revision to
imports -- which subtract from GDP -- and a downward revision to the
amount consumers spent on bank services.
In its final snapshot of the first-quarter economy, the dept said
after-tax corporate profits rose 2.1% from the 4th quarter, a sharp
upward revision from the 1.4% reported a ma. Still, the climb was well
below the 7.6% rise notched in the final 3 m of 2003.

Nasdaq escapes Iraq-induced stock falls
Tech shares finished stronger in Fri trade but overall, shares were lower.
NY/Sydney.  Technology stocks ended higher on US markets in trade
overnight, as investors nibbled at companies like Ciena Corp Investors
also eyed strong home sales and consumer sentiment data but nagging
uncertainty about interest rates and Iraq weighed on the Dow and the
Standard & Poor's 500.
A report showing the US economy grew at an unexpectedly slow pace in
the 1st quarter of this y surprised Wall Street.
But the report has been offset by the other upbeat economic news.
Many analysts say the 3.9% annual rate, which was revised from 4.4% a
m ago, is still healthy.
Investors are fixated on Jun 30, hoping the day's events will resolve
2 of the market's main worries -- the Fed Reserve's decision on
interest rates and the US hand over of power in Iraq.
The DJIA fell 72 points, or 0.69%, to 10,372.
The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 6 points, or 0.55%, to 1,134.
The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index rose 10 points, or 0.49%,
to 2,025.
Pfizer dragged on the blue-chip Dow after it announced it would
acquire the rights it does not already own to a colorectal cancer drug
from Sanofi-Synthelabo for $US620 mn.
Its shares fell 99 c, or 2.8%, to $US33.82.
Technology shares, including Ciena and Juniper Networks, boosted the
Nasdaq as the companies continued to benefit from plans for hefty
spending by Sprint and SBC Communications.
Ciena rose 8%, or 27 c, to $US3.76. Juniper rose 73 c to $US23.89.
Stun gun maker Taser Internat'l surged 19%, or $6.67 to $US42.09.
Economic reports were mixed. The final version of the University of
Michigan Jun consumer sentiment index edged up further to 95.6, having
jumped to 95.2 in the preliminary release from 90.2 in May.
Existing home sales for May climbed 2.6% to a record
seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.80 mn units, beating forecasts.
* European markets
In Europe, shares ended flat as weak drug groups and patchy US and
German data countered gains in Credit Suisse.
Investors welcomed Credit Suisse's decision to clean up its complex
structure after the ousting of co-chief executive John Mack, sending
the stock up 2% to 44.9 Swiss francs.
Brit's Abbey Nat'l rose 2% to 497 pence, hitting a 4-m high as
talk resurfaced that Spain's Santander bank may have renewed interest
in taking over its UK peer.
Santander shares in Madrid fell 2% to 8.7 euros.
Drug groups were mixed, with GlaxoSmithKline falling 1.8% to 1,148
pence after Smith Barney cut its rating on the stock to "hold" from "buy".
Rival AstraZeneca slid 2.3% to 2,501 pence on news that a US consumer
advocacy group has asked for the Anglo-Swedish firm's
cholesterol-lowering treatment Crestor to be taken off the market.
The group says the drug can lead to kidney damage.
But shares in French merger partners Sanofi-Synthelabo and Aventis
bucked the sector's downward trend.
In London, the FTSE 100 index closed down 0.20% at 4,494.1 points.
In Paris, the CAC 40 eased 0.36% to finish at 3,742.38.
In Frankfurt, the DAX gained 0.16% to end at 4,013.35.
* Currency markets
On the cross-rates, the Aussie dollar is hanging on to the 70 US cent
mark as the USD weakened in response to weak economic data.
At 8.00 am the Aussie was buying 70.01 US c, 38.34 pence sterling,
57.47 euro c, and 73.33 yen.

US investigates suspected mad cow case
Washington (Reuters).  A US animal may have tested positive for mad
cow disease and will be re-tested at a fed veterinary laboratory in
Iowa for confirmation.  The US Agriculture Dept says animal health
officials have reported the 1st "inconclusive" test result for the
brain-wasting disease since the Govt began using rapid test kits.  The
kits were introduced in Jun as part of a program to test more cattle.
The faster test carries a greater risk of false positives.  The USDA
did not say whether the animal is a cow, steer or a bull.  "This is
not at all unexpected. Screening tests are designed to be extremely
sensitive," John Clifford, USDA's chief veterinarian, said.  The
USDA's animal health laboratory in Ames, Iowa, will retest the
animal's brain samples using more sophisticated immunohistochemistry
tests, which can take 4 to 7 days to complete.

Scores killed in Yemen clashes
Sana (Reuters).  Yemen says 46 followers of an anti-US Muslim
"extremist" cleric have been killed and 35 wounded in clashes with
security forces in a siege in a mountainous area of the Arab country.
Helicopters, supporting armed forces, have opened fire on various
sites in the area during the siege.
An Interior Min'y statement says 49 "rebel" supporters of cleric
Hussein al-Houthi have also been arrested since clashes began on Jun 20.
The clashes started when police tried to arrest Houthi, a Shiite
Muslim leader.
The ministry says security and military forces are still surrounding
Houthi and a "small number of deviant elements".
The statement does not mention any casualties among security forces.
However, security sources say 7 policemen have been killed and 5
wounded in the clashes in Saada.
The Govt has decided to send a delegation to the region to try to
persuade Houthi to give himself up in order to stem the bloodshed.
The poor country is fighting to root out militants linked to
Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda group.
Houthi has not been accused of having links to Al Qaeda.

Patten worries violence could tear Iraq apart
Brussels.  EU External Rels Commissioner Chris Patten said Fri that
Europe wants to help US-led efforts in Iraq but worries that deadly
unrest could tear that country apart in the coming months.
"All of us [in the internat'l community] are worried that violence
could lead to Iraq flying apart in the next few months," he told
reporters a day before a US summit with the EU.
"It's in everybody's interest to work as hard as possible to stop that
happening, to enable Iraqis to make an informed choice about their own
future and to enable them to get on with the job of [building] a
better future."
Patten acknowledged that US Pres George W. Bush's decision to invade
Iraq in Mar 2003 had sparked "a period of friction" between Washington
and some of its European allies, but insisted that was now in the past.
"We now recognise in Europe that there is no point in continuing to
focus on the passionate arguments about intervention in Iraq," he said
during a joint briefing with EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy.
"We have a shared interest in America, Europe and rest of the
democratic world in trying to ensure that the new Iraq created at the
beginning of next m is able to be open, plural, democratic and -- pray
God -- stable as well despite the present exceptionally difficult
security situation," said Patten.
But he also acknowledged transatlantic tensions over the abuse of
Iraqi detainees at US-run prisons as well as concerns about the fate
of prisoners held at the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"Where I think there is a legitimate worry in Europe is whether or not
the [Bush] Admin and others are as committed as we are to the
application of the Geneva Conventions in all circumstances," he said.
"I think once you start hair-splitting about the Geneva Conventions
you risk getting into a good deal of difficulty," said Patten.
Patten said the EU hoped to help with reconstruction efforts and the
holding of general elections in Iraq, but that the violence could
abort those efforts.
"It's an impediment to anybody's political involvement from the
outside just as it's an impediment to reconstruction," Patten said as
Bush headed to Ireland for the brief annual summit.
The US-led coalition is due on Wed to hand political power over to an
interim Iraqi govt that will steer the country to general elections
likely to be held in Jan 2005.
"We are absolutely determined to give all the support we reasonably
can to ensure that the election take place on time in Iraq and be
properly conducted," said the commissioner.
Patten said the EU wished to provide help with voter education, the
establishment of institutions such as electoral commissions, voter
lists, political districting, and ways to help monitor the elections.

NATO nears agreement on Iraq troop request
Brussels (AP).  NATO nations moved close to an agreement Fri on giving
help sought by Iraq 's interim leader in training his country's
security forces, diplomats said.
Ambassadors from the 26 allies met through the day to draft a reply to
Iyad Allawi's request, which asked NATO for aid in rebuilding Iraq's
armed forces after the US hands sovereignty to his govt on Wed.
Officials said envoys sent a draft agreement back to their capitals
for provisional approval by Sat morning. If no govt raises objections,
the agreement should be sealed at a summit of alliance leaders Mon and
Tue in Istanbul.
Diplomats declined to discuss details of the draft text. NATO
officials said earlier that the allies would likely offer Allawi
training assistance and issue a strong statement of political support
to his govt.
An agreement would be a boost for the US, which has pushed for a
positive allied response to Allawi's request and wants the summit to
back plans to expand NATO's peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.
"The US is proposing currently, this m, the most ambitious use of NATO
as a multilateral institution in our call that NATO do more in
Afghanistan ... and in our proposal that NATO think what it can do to
meet its responsibility in Iraq," said Nicholas Burns, the US
ambassador to NATO as talks continued Fri.
However, diplomats were working to define the limits of NATO's help.
Italy has expressed strong support for Allawi's request, and Germany,
which is already training Iraqi police, said it would consider
extending its program to include the military. However, Berlin
stressed that German instructors would not go to Iraq, preferring to
offer training outside the country.
Germany and France led European opp'n to the US-led war to topple
Saddam Hussein, and have opposed US-backed calls for NATO to send
troops to Iraq.
However, diplomats said they hoped all the allies would accept the
training mission once a sovereign Iraqi govt was in place.
"NATO should never slam the door in ... this govt's face," the
alliance's Sec-Gen Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Thu.
On Afghanistan, the alliance was expected to approve plans to widen
its UN-backed peacekeeping mission beyond the capital, Kabul, and the
N city of Kunduz.
After m of delays, officials were confident European allies would
offer the necessary troops, planes and helicopters to expand the
mission to 5 more cities in the north.
Afghan Pres Hamid Karzai is due to attend the NATO meeting Tue.
The summit is also set to offer a new program of defence cooperation
to Middle Eastern nations, agree to hand over peacekeeping in Bosnia
to the European Union and set up permanent NATO diplomatic missions in
Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Wary S'pore firms shelve plans for Iraq
Security concerns make them pass up potentially lucrative contracts.
Singapore. This week's high-profile killing of a S Korean translator
in Iraq has added to growing security concerns that have forced
Singapore companies to shelve plans for the $multi bn
rebuilding of the war-ravaged country.
One casualty is a US$5-US$8 mn deal to provide commercial ground
services at Iraq's internat'l airport. It never materialised for a
Singapore consortium, which won the contract last Jul. Baghdad Airport
has yet to re-open to commercial traffic, even though it was scheduled
to last Aug. It is now a US military base.
Most companies polled by BT said yesterday one could not be too
cautious with human lives at stake.
A rep for Singapore Airport Terminal Services (Sats) -- part of the
consortium for the Baghdad Airport job -- said that as of now, the
group has no plans to be in Iraq. Sats sent 15 Singapore staff there
last y to prepare for the work, but all returned before the y was out.
"Now, for prudence's sake, we will not go in," the rep said.
The Singapore govt warned Singaporeans yesterday to avoid Iraq after
Kim Sun Il, who worked as a translator for a S Korean company in Iraq,
was beheaded earlier this wk by Islamic militants.
"In view of the security situation in Iraq, Singaporeans are advised
not to travel or remain there," a Foreign Affairs Min'y statement
said, adding that Singaporeans residing or travelling within the
region should register with the nearest Singapore embassy or consulate.
Mr Kim was beheaded by militants linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist
network after Seoul rejected demands for it to pull Korean troops out
of the country. S Korea will be the largest coalition partner in Iraq
after the US and UK once it completes the deployment of 3,000 more
troops in Aug.
The mood is decidedly more sombre with news of Mr Kim's
execution. Just a m ago, more than 100 company representatives turned
up for a seminar in Singapore on reconstruction opportunities in Iraq.
Organised by Internat'l Enterprise Singapore and US Commercial
Services, an American govt agency, it was then reported that US$13 bn
out of the US$18.4 bn set aside by the US Congress for the
reconstruction of Iraq would be spent on construction alone.
An IE Singapore rep said yesterday: "We are keeping in touch with the
companies and the timing is not right. We will continue to keep a
close watch on the situation."
For most Singapore businessmen, the killing of an Asian and the heavy
publicity have brought the reality nearer home. Last month, militants
beheaded US hostage Nick Berg in Iraq and in Saudi Arabia last wk,
another American, Paul Johnson, was decapitated after his captors'
demand for the release of fellow Al-Qaeda militants went unmet.
Aw Leng Hwee, MD of listed construction group Hor Kew, which was in
talks recently for a project in Iraq, told BT that it wasn't
worthwhile now. The group, he revealed, had once even considered
making Iraq, together with the Middle East, part of a key growth strategy.
"We have to think twice now and our staff have already said they will
not go anyway," Mr Aw said, adding that Hor Kew usually sends about 5
staff from Singapore for an overseas project in the beginning.
Another veteran contractor noted, too, that with Singapore being a
supporter of the US-led military coalition in Iraq, "nobody can tell
what might happen".
But there are some who are still gung-ho.
John Lee, executive chairman of listed Dayen Environmental, believes
that "chaos won't last forever".
His firm was among those who participated in IE Singapore's business
seminar on Iraq last m.
"Some interested companies in Iraq have been calling us to do
projects, and some of our partners in China have also asked us about
it ... I hope the situation will be better in 6-9 m, though it's
very difficult to say for sure," he told BT.
"By then, Dayen would be one of those willing to run the risk even if
there are not many companies who would."
But what if there are still no staff willing to go? Mr Lee said:
"We'll have to find new staff then. It may not be substantial business
but you just cannot ignore business."

Call for larger Afghanistan force
UN (AP).  UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan has called on NATO to keep its promise
to send more troops to Afghanistan, saying plans for the nation's 1st
free elections are threatened by mounting violence.
Annan's plea came as Afghan Pres Hamid Karzai prepares to attend a
NATO summit Tue in Istanbul, Turkey.
Annan said preparations for the Sep ballot in Afghanistan are
proceeding smoothly but that instability is preventing UN workers from
travelling freely.
"If we can get the security situation under control we should be able
to hold the elections in Sep, but there is a big but -- we don't have
enough troops on the ground," Annan told a news conference Fri ahead
of his departure for a tour of the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.
"The American and NATO forces on the ground need to help us and work
with the govt and the warlords in the regions to assure security," he said.
Insurgents have vowed to sabotage the vote, seen as crucial to
Afghanistan's rehabilitation after a quarter-century of war.
NATO has 6,400 peacekeepers in Afghanistan, but they are confined to
the relatively safe capital Kabul and the N province of Kunduz.
"There are places in Afghanistan our staff cannot go to, even places
that we thought had been safe once," Annan said.
Internat'l aid groups warned this wk that the NATO summit opening Mon
may be the last chance for the internat'l community to commit itself
to providing the firepower needed for guaranteeing security in Afghanistan.
Iraq tops US Pres George W. Bush's agenda.
but he is also expected press for an expansion of NATO's peacekeeping
mission in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, Karzai on Fri met with the visiting Gen James Jones,
NATO's top operational cmdr, and reiterated his intention to hold the
vote on schedule.
He urged NATO to boost its current 6,400 peacekeeping force as
promised, so Afghans "can go to the ballot box without fear,"
presid'l rep Hamed Elmi said.
NATO officials have expressed confidence that after m of delay
European allies would offer enough troops, planes and helicopters to
expand the mission to 5 more cities in the north.
The US has promised to crush insurgents with a carrot-and-stick
approach: Stepped-up military operations along with reconstruction aid
aimed at prodding villagers to provide info on enemy movements.
But the military has been unable to halt violence that has killed more
than 500 people so far this y.

Most troops to leave "stable" Solomons
Most Aussie troops will leave the Solomons by Aug.
Canberra.  AUS is about to withdraw most of its remaining contribution
to a regional force aimed at restoring order in Solomon Islands.
The Govt began withdrawing troops involved in the Regional Assistance
Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) last y.
It now feels the Solomons are stable enough to bring home most of the
remaining troops by late Aug.
The regional force has made more than 3,000 arrests and destroyed more
than 3,500 guns since landing in the Solomons last Jul.
The Fed Govt says the force has made considerable progress in
restoring order and the focus is now on training police and setting up
a judicial system.
But Justice Min Chris Ellison says the country is not yet stable
enough for the entire Aussie Defence Force (ADF) contingent to leave.
"We still need that ADF component to back up the police, albeit in a
much reduced capacity," he said.
AUS sent about 1,700 troops to Solomon Islands in Jul last y.
By Aug, about 100 troops will remain in the country.
The deployment will be supplemented by troops from each of the
contributing nations, including NZ, Fiji, PNG and Tonga, as required.

Majority of Americans say Iraq war a mistake -- poll
Washington (PolitInfo).  A new poll shows a big swing in US public
opinion against the war in Iraq this m, with a majority of Americans
now saying they believe the US made a mistake in sending troops to
Iraq and the war there has made the US less safe from terrorism.
54% of those who took part in a survey conducted Jun 21-23, 2004 by
the Gallup polling organisation for CNN television and the newspaper
USA Today say US military involvement in Iraq was a mistake -- the 1st
time that opinion has been expressed by a majority of Americans.
The Gallup poll asked the same question on 6 earlier occasions since
Mar 2003. During the 1st days of the war, 75% of Americans said they
felt US military action was the right course; since Oct, between 40
and 44% of those polled have said the US military involvement was a mistake.
Also for the 1st time a majority (55%) of the interviewed Americans
say that the war in Iraq has made the US less safe from terrorism.
The Gallup poll indicates the 2004 race for the White House remains
very close, even though Pres Bush appears to have picked up some
support in recent wk at the expense of his expected Democratic Party
opponent, Sen John Kerry.
The new survey has the pres leading Sen Kerry by 48 to 47%. 3 wk
ago, Sen Kerry had a 6-point lead in the same poll.
On the campaign trail in California this wk, Sen Kerry derided Pres
Bush's promise of 4 y ago to unite the country. He said Mr Bush was
"the greatest divider as a president in the modern history of this country."
"Above all, what leaps out at me is the thirst among Americans for
leadership that really wants to bring people together and find
solutions," he said.
Other Democrats are also stepping up their criticism of the
president. In a speech in Washington, former VP Al Gore, the
man who lost to George Bush in the 2000 election, accused the
president and VP Dick Cheney of exaggerating pre-war links
between Iraq and al-Qaeda.
"If Iraq had nothing to do with the attack or the organisation that
launched the attack against us, then that means the president took us
to war when he did not have to," he said.
The latest US polls suggest that Iraq and the domestic economy will be
the crucial issues in the Nov election.

Hitler becomes US campaign issue
Washington (AFP).  Adolph Hitler broke into the US presidential
campaign with Democrats and Republicans trading charges over the use
of the Nazi dictator's image in bitter attack ads.
The row broke out over a new television spot aired by Pres George W
Bush's campaign that twice shows Hitler in a compendium of clips that
brands Whitehouse challenger John Kerry and his Democratic allies a
"coalition of the wide-eyed".
Kerry campaign rep Phil Singer issued a statement calling the images
"remarkably insensitive" and "hateful," and adding, "The use of Adolph
Hitler by any campaign, politician or party is simply wrong".
"They are trying to convey a comparison between Sen Kerry and the
Democrats and Hitler," Singer said, demanding that the Bush camp
immediately pull the ads and issue an apology.
"The fact that George Bush thinks it's appropriate to use images of
Adolph Hitler in his campaign raises serious questions about his
fitness to spend another 4 y in the Whitehouse," the rep said.
But Bush campaign rep Terry Holt denied any intention to draw a direct
line between Kerry and the head of the Third Reich and said the
German's image came from attack ads run on the Democrat's behalf by
the group MoveOn.org.
MoveOn.org quickly withdrew a spot linking Bush and Hitler, and the
Kerry campaign said it had nothing to do with it. But Holt said the
incident was proof that the Democrats had "taken political rhetoric to
a new low".
In the Republican ad, Hitler's image is mixed with the angry faces of
former VP and presidential candidate Al Gore, filmmaker Michael Moore,
congressman Richard Gephardt, former Vermont governor Howard Dean and
Kerry, all fulminating about Bush.
The ad concludes with the words: "This is not time for pessimism and
rage. It's a time for optimism, steady leadership and progress".

Identification-to-enrol law passed
Canberra (AAP).  Aussies enrolling to vote will need to produce
identification under changes to electoral laws which passed parliament.
Members of the House of Representatives took part in a rare Sat
morning sitting. The Senate sat until 2 am AEST.
The parliament dealt with a backlog of business ahead of its winter
recess and a possible early election.
The changes to electoral laws passed will require people enrolling to
vote to produce a driver's licence or 2 witnesses to serve as
enrolment ID.
The Senate knocked back a govt proposal which would have given Aussies
who were not enrolled to vote only until 6 pm on the day writs were
issued for an election to get their name on the electoral roll.
Currently, Aussies have 7 days in which to enrol from the time writs
are issued.
The Senate also rejected a proposal to reduce to 3 working days after
election writs were issued the time allowed to change address details
with the electoral commission.
The Senate knocked back a govt amendment to ban all full-time
prisoners from voting.
Peter Slipper, Parliamentary Secretary to the Min for Finance and
Admin, said he was disappointed the Senate knocked back many of the
govt proposals.
"We're all about an open and transparent electoral system with
integrity and it is a pity that the opp'n does not share our
aspiration to this very important goal," Mr Slipper told parliament.
"It's absolutely vital that when an election is declared ... and the
result is known that as a nation we can be confident that the govt we
can get is in fact the govt that the people voted for."
But Labor finance rep Bob McMullan said it would not have been fair to
close the electoral roll just 3 days after an election was called.
"The Senate has prevented a great rort here," Mr McMullan told parliament.
"What was proposed was a shocking anti-democratic rort."

US Democrats preview Moore's 9/11
Washington (AP).  Cheered by supporters, Michael Moore previewed his
controversial documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, before a mostly Democratic
audience on Wed night.
Democratic Nat'l Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe said he thought
the film would play an important role in this election y.
"This movie raises a lot of the issues that Americans are talking
about, that George Bush has been asleep at the switch since he's been
president," McAuliffe said as he walked the red carpet into the premiere.
Sen Tom Harkin of Iowa implored all Americans to see the film: "It's
important for the American people to understand what has gone on
before, what led us to this point, and to see it sort of in this
unvarnished presentation by Michael Moore."
The 2-hr film depicts Bush as lazy and oblivious to warnings in the
summer of 2001 that al-Qaeda was poised to strike. It also accuses the
Admin of manipulating the Sep 11 attacks and fanning terrorism fears
to win support for the Iraq war.
Dozens of fans greeted Moore outside the theatre with applause and
shouts of "Go Michael!"
Moore, a fervent Bush critic, said he hopes the movie will get people
to the ballot box in Nov.
"If this movie can inspire a few of that 50% that did not vote
in this country to get back involved, to re-engage, then the movie
will have accomplished something important," he said.
Opening in limited release in NY on Wed, the film drew mixed reaction.
"This movie is slanted -- it's a backlash at the president, taking the
view that US leadership is incompetent," said Miguel Brown, 22. "Moore
makes it look like US soldiers in Iraq were thrown into battle
straight off the streets. The American army is better than that."
Brown is the son of a military officer.
Fahrenheit 9/11 won the top honour at last m's Cannes Film Festival.
The movie opens on more than 800 screens nationwide in the US on Fri.

Canada leaders make pitch as deadlock looms
Belleville, Ont (Reuters).  With a minority govt in Canada now almost
a certainty after the Jun 28 election, Liberal Prime Min Paul Martin
and Conservative leader Stephen Harper began a final push on Fri to
determine who will lead it.
2 polls published on Fri show Martin's Liberals just one percentage
point ahead of Harper at a level which would leave both parties with
less than a majority of Parliament's 308 seats and force them to link
up with smaller parties.
By chance, Martin and Harper both started the day in Belleville, a
town in the vote-rich central province of Ontario. The Liberals have
spent the last decade in power, thanks largely to their domination of
Ontario and its 106 parliamentary seats.
But voter unhappiness over a patronage scandal and general weariness
with the Liberals means the newly merged Conservative Party could win
dozens of Ontario seats.
Martin urged Ontarians not to abandon the Liberals and told them that
Harper was a right-wing extremist who planned to slash spending on
social programs, while clamping down on abortion and gay rights.
"This is not the time to take an experiment with a govt that doesn't
believe people can control their own destiny," Martin told a rally in
Belleville.
He also seized on comments by Conservative legislator Randy White, who
said "our courtrooms are much misguided and miss the conservative
social reality of out times...the heck with the courts." Martin said
this showed Harper wanted to erode the rights of minorities.
Harper said in a radio interview that White was expressing his
personal views.
Speaking to a later midday rally of 500 people in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
he urged voters not to be misled by Liberal scare tactics and to
choose tax cuts over corruption.
"It's time to put money in the pocket of ordinary Canadians instead of
lining the pockets of Liberal friends," he said.
"If you work hard this weekend you'll celebrate not just freedom from
taxes but freedom from Liberals as well."
An Ipsos-Reid poll showed the Liberals ahead by 32% of decided voters
to 31% for the Conservatives, with the leftist New Democratic Party at 17%.
The poll did mark a recovery for the Conservatives, who had trailed the
Liberals by 28 to 34% in a poll done by the same firm earlier in the wk.
Traditionally at least 40% is needed to win a majority of seats.
Some traditional Liberal support has been bleeding off to the
left-leaning New Democratic Party, whose supporters Martin is now targeting.
"In an election race as close as this one...with the stakes as high as
they are, the simple fact is that a vote for the NDP on Mon could very
well make Stephen Harper PM on Tue," he told the Belleville rally.
"There are differences between ourselves and the NDP and we shouldn't
try to hide them. But we share the same values, they spring from the
same well."
The NDP would be an obvious partner in govt for the Liberals if Martin
stayed on as PM, and Harper warned that the Liberals would cut any
deal with the NDP and the separatist Bloc Quebecois to stay in power.
"Don't let us get stuck with some kind of Liberal/NDP/Bloc arrangement
that nobody told us about and nobody wants," he urged. "
About 50 protesters, the largest group of the campaign so far, faced
off against Conservative supporters outside the campaign event in
Winnipeg, prompting police to escort Harper out the back door afterwards.

Bush Administration lied about secret Saudi flight
Op/Ed (Daily Mis-lead).  The Bush Admin and its right-wing allies are
launching an all-out assault on Michael Moore and his new movie,
attempting to discredit the film before it is even public. Last month,
Whitehouse communications director Dan Bartlett said the movie is "so
outrageously false, it's not even worth comment" -- a comment made
despite the fact that the movie was not yet public and Bartlett had
not seen the film. Now the smear campaign is focused on creating the
public illusion that Moore lied about a secret Saudi flight that was
permitted after 9/11 when most US airspace was closed. But, according
to one new report, the Tampa Internat'l Airport "confirmed that the
flight did take place" -- despite 3 y of Bush Admin denials.
According to the St. Petersburg Times, "2 days after the Sep 11
attacks, with most of the nation's air traffic still grounded, a small
jet landed at Tampa Internat'l Airport, picked up 3 young Saudi men
(including one thought to be a member of the Saudi royal family) and
flew to Lexington, Kentucky. From Kentucky "the Saudis then took
another flight out of the country." As the newspaper reported, "for
nearly 3 y, Whitehouse, aviation and law enforcement officials have
insisted the flight never took place and have denied published
reports" about the flight. But now, at the request of the Nat'l
Commission on Terrorist Attacks (9/11 Commission), the Tampa
Internat'l Airport acknowledged the flights happened. For its part,
the Bush Admin "is still not talking about the flights."
According to the St. Petersburg Times, the Commission has now sent a
formal letter to the Tampa Internat'l Airport asking for more info
about "a chartered flight with 6 people, including a Saudi prince,
that flew from Tampa, Florida on or about Sep 13, 2001" The commission
"appears concerned with the handling of the Tampa flight." Meanwhile,
former FBI agent Manuel Perez, who accompanied the formerly-secret
flight, said the order to allow the flights "must have come from the
highest levels of govt."
In all, the NY Times notes it is "safe to say that central assertions
of fact in 'Fahrenheit 9/11' are supported by the public record."

German men told to have more sex and "take the consequences"
Berlin (Reuters).  Conservative politicians are urging German men to
have more sex to boost birth rates or risk being labelled "limp"
abroad, a newspaper has reported.  Johannes Singhammer, a member of
parliament and father of 6, said Germany's ageing population needed to
produce more offspring to sustain its over-stretched pensions system.
"Germans need to work more on that again in bed, things mustn't get to
the stage where German men are scoffed at abroad for being limp," he
said.  His words were echoed by fellow conservative Armin Klein, who
said Germans had become too selfish.  "We need to have the courage to
have sex and take the consequences," said MR Klein, who has 2
children.  "People concentrating on themselves, which has led to a
life without children for many, has gone wrong."  Germany will have
the world's oldest population by 2035, according to a report in
Germany's Der Spiegel weekly.

Deadline to revive N Ireland power deal set
London.  The prime ministers of Brit and Ireland have set a Sep
deadline for the revival of N Ireland's power-sharing agreement.
Brit's Tony Blair and Ireland's Bertie Ahern have met with the main
protagonists from N Ireland's political parties in London overnight.
If there is no breakthrough by Sep, Mr Ahern says they will have to
consider a new approach.  "We've fairly well exhausted the
discussion," he said.  "The question is whether we can come to a final
understanding in these issues.  Mr Ahern says discussions cannot
continue without some progress.  "Otherwise we have to think again,"
he said.  "Clearly I'd like to be on the side that means we can
complete it, but we can't just keep going and having discussions that
don't lead to any ultimate conclusions."

AUS Parliament holds rare Sat sitting
Parliamentarians sat today, sparking further talk of an early election.
Canberra (ABC, Melanie Christiansen).  Fed Parliament has held a rare
but very brief Sat sitting, just the 4th time the House of
Representatives has met on a weekend since Federation.  It convened
for less than an hour this morning to deal with amendments to bills
passed by the Senate, which sat until nearly 2 o'clock this morning.
There is speculation the extended sitting is designed to clear
Parliament's decks, allowing the PM the option of calling an Aug
election.  But Liberal MP Peter Slipper blamed the Senate for dragging
out the final wk of Parliament before the 5-wk winter break.  "It's an
absolute disgrace, it's massively self-indulgent," he said.  "It's
costing the Aussie taxpayer more than $100,000.  "You can lay all the
blame at the people who Paul Keating called the 'unrepresentative
swill' of the Upper House."

Irish rally against US policies
Dublin (AFP).  Thousands of people have turned out in central Dublin
to protest against American policies on Iraq, as Pres George W Bush
arrived in the W of Ireland for a summit with leaders of the EU.
The demo has been organised by left-wing political parties and
pressure groups.
The demonstrators heard speeches before setting out for Merrion Square
by the Irish parliament, or Dail, which is under heavy police protection.
Police put the number of protesters at 10,000 but organisers say it is
between 30 and 40,000.
"It's a fantastic turnout.  We knew it would be big," Richard Boyd
Barrett of the Irish Anti-War Movement said.
Further protests are being staged in the towns of Sligo, Tralee,
Waterford and Galway.
Demonstrators are also planning to gather nr Dromoland Castle -- the
luxurious hotel not far from Shannon airport that is the scene for Mr
Bush's talks.
Ireland has mounted one of the biggest security operations in its
history to protect the summit from terrorist attack or intrusion by
demonstrators.
Some 6,000 police and soldiers have been deployed nr the castle, along
with tanks and armoured personnel carriers.
"I am here is to show my opp'n to US foreign policy -- in particular
the war in Iraq, but not just that," Justin Moran, a member of Sinn
Fein, said.
"There is also the torture of prisoners, the support for the Israeli
occupation of Palestine.
"This is a way of bringing together those who won't be able to be in
Shannon tomorrow, and try to register as big a protest as we can in Dublin."
Several protesters accuse Mr Bush of using Ireland as a propaganda
backdrop to attract votes in the approaching presidential elections.
"In his naivety he's going to get Irish American votes. But he has
absolutely no concept of what Irish people think of him," Lorraine
Hughes, a writer and musician, said.
"He's an embarrassment to his country and I hope the people in the US
get to see how unwelcome he is here and vote him out."
Many also attack the Irish Govt of PM Bertie Ahern for breaking
Ireland's traditional policy of neutrality by allowing the US to use
Shannon airport as a transit facility for troops travelling to Iraq.
The EU-US summit is the last major event to be hosted by Ireland
during its 6-m stint as president of the EU, which ends on Jun 30.
Mr Bush is to leave on Sat afternoon for Turkey, where he will attend
a NATO summit.

Bin Laden had contact with Iraq: report
NY (Reuters).  Iraqi intel agents contacted Osama bin Laden in the
1990s as part of an effort by Baghdad to work with foes of the Saudi
ruling family, The NY Times has reported, citing a newly disclosed document.
US officials described the document as an internal Iraqi intel report
detailing efforts to seek cooperation with several Saudi opp'n groups,
the newspaper said.
The contacts described in the report came before bin Laden's Al Qaeda
organisation had become a full-fledged terrorist group, the newspaper said.
The document states that Iraq agreed to re-broadcast anti-Saudi propaganda,
and that a request from bin Laden to begin joint operations against
foreign forces in Saudi Arabia went unanswered, the newspaper said.
However there was no further indication of collaboration, the
newspaper said.
US Pres George W Bush insists that ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein
had a dangerous relationship with Al Qaeda.
But the bipartisan commission probing the Sep 11 attacks has said
there was no evidence of a "collaborative relationship".
The newspaper said the newly released document was obtained from the
Iraqi Nat'l Congress as part of a trove that the exile group gathered
after Saddam was toppled last y.
A US Govt taskforce studied the document and concluded it appeared
authentic, the newspaper said.

Confusion surrounds Istanbul airport bomb claims
Istanbul (Reuters).  Turkish authorities have discovered a vehicle
full of explosives at Istanbul's internat'l airport, local television
station CNN Turk reports.
But an airport official says that investigators have so far found no
evidence of a bomb.
"Security received a warning and closed the car park for one to
one-and-1/2 hours," the official said.
"At this time, they have been unable to find any explosive device."
CNN Turk reports the suspect vehicle has been parked in the airport's
public garage.
The bomb squad has also destroyed a remote-controlled explosive device
found in the car park.
It is not clear if the device was in the same vehicle.
Turkey's largest city is on edge ahead of a NATO summit to be attended
by US Pres George W Bush and more than 40 other world leaders.
Authorities have stepped up security in Istanbul, a city of more than
10 mn people, conducting searches of pedestrians in public areas and
searching people on the road to the airport.
A bomb explosion killed 4 people, including the bomber, and wounded 21
others on Thu in Istanbul.
Authorities have blamed left-wing extremists for the attack.

Sudan denies Darfur in crisis
Paris (Reuters).  A Sudanese Govt Min has hit back at US Secretary
of State Colin Powell for saying the situation in its violent Darfur
region is catastrophic.
Mr Powell will visit Darfur next wk.
The US and rights groups say militias have killed, raped, looted and
burned villages in the region, leaving tens of 1000s of people
homeless and vulnerable to famine.
The UN and humanitarian agencies have called Darfur the world's worst
humanitarian crisis.
But Humanitarian Affairs Min Mohamed Yousif Abdalla says the situation
is under control.
"The situation, according to internat'l parameters, is not at a
catastrophic level as some are suggesting," he said.
Mr Abdalla is in France for peace talks, of which he gave no details.
While the US has hailed a peace accord between Khartoum and rebels in
the S in a separate conflict, it says militias continue to carry out
atrocities in Darfur.
Govt-backed Arab militias have driven more than 1 mn black Africans
from their homes in Darfur, a W region that borders Chad.
The UN World Food Program says at least 300,000 people driven from
their homes could go without food this m because of insecurity and
lack of funds.
UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan is also due to visit Darfur next wk.

Tasmanians at higher cancer risk
Hobart (AAP).  Tassie face a significantly greater risk of dying from
cancer than people in other parts of AUS, the Hobart Mercury reported.
3 Tas's die every day from cancer with lung cancer the biggest killer.
It accounted for 23% of cancer deaths in males and 13.7% in females,
the paper reported.
The main causes were thought to be behaviour and lifestyle factors,
such as tobacco smoking, diet and lack of physical exercise.
Health authorities reported a big rise in the number of people seeking
help to stop smoking following the death of former Tas'n Prem Jim Bacon
of cancer, the paper said.
Figures compiled by Tas's Office of Public Health show Tas'n males and
females are significantly over-represented in cancer mortality rates.
Figures adjusted to take into account age show that every y cancer kills
146.5 in every 100,000 males and 93.8 in every 100,000 females in AUS.
In Tas, the annual death rate from cancer is higher at 156.4 in every
100,000 males and 107 in every 100,000 females.
Cancer was responsible for just under 28% of all Tas'n deaths, the
paper said.

UN rights envoys seek access to prisoners of US
Geneva (Reuters).  UN human rights investigators Fri demanded access
to prisoners held by US forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay
to check that internat'l standards were being upheld.
In a rare joint statement, they unequivocally condemned terrorism in
all forms, but reiterated "concerns about certain measures taken in
the name of the fight against terrorism."
The US military, facing a backlash across the Arab world for its abuse
of Iraqi prisoners, last m launched an investigation into its
treatment of detainees in Afghanistan -- the 1st stop in Pres Bush 's
war on terror.
The UN statement said a panel of U.N rapporteurs spanning areas such
as torture and arbitrary detention should visit inmates held for
suspected terrorism offences in Iraq, Afghanistan, the US military
base at Cuba's Guantanamo Bay, and elsewhere.
"This is a collective step in the hope that it will have more effect,"
Theo van Boven, UN special rapporteur on torture, told a news
conference after chairing closed-door talks with 30 rights investigators.
The plea follows a scandal last m sparked by photographs taken in the
US-run Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq, showing prisoners, some in hoods,
being sexually humiliated by soldiers and intimidated with dogs.
On the subject of Abu Ghraib, Van Boven said: "The whole picture being
drawn up is a matter of great concern."
He said a 1987 Convention against Torture -- ratified by the US -- was
clear. "The prohibition of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment
is an absolute one. It may not be derogated from in any circumstances."
Bush said this wk that he had never ordered and would never order
detainees to be tortured.
Reed Brody, counsel at the NY-based Human Rights Watch, told Reuters:
"If the Bush Admin is serious about its rejection of torture, it needs
to let UN inspectors in."
Activists have expressed alarm that many people arrested since the Sep
11, 2001, attacks on the US have been held for more than 2 y without
charges being laid, often incommunicado, which can facilitate mistreatment.
Van Boven said he wanted to investigate suspected abuses in more than
10 countries -- including China and Russia -- but that the US had a
special role.
"There is a tendency among many other countries, particularly those
where the US has influence, to say if the US can afford to do that,
why should we not follow suit?," he said.

Brit labels US military trials as "unacceptable"
London (Reuters).  Brit's top legal officer has slammed as
"unacceptable" proposed US military trials of Guantanamo Bay detainees.
A-G Lord Goldsmith's comments, were one of the bluntest statements yet
of London's disquiet over the US handling of terror suspects at the US
base in Cuba.
"While we must be flexible and be prepared to countenance some
limitation of fundamental rights if properly justified and
proportionate, there are certain principles on which there can be no
compromise," he said.
"Fair trial is one of those, which is the reason we in the UK have
been unable to accept that the US military tribunals...offer sufficient
guarantees of a fair trial in accordance with internat'l standards."
Goldsmith is the head of a Brit team negotiating over the fate of 4
Britons among some 600 people held without charge at the camp, suspected
of fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan or supporting Al Qaeda radicals.
5 Britons were released from Guantanamo in Mar and several alleged
mistreatment by US interrogators.
The Pentagon has yet to hold any trials under the proposed rules.
It says trials would be fair, but that the entire process would be
controlled by the Defence Dept and there is no right to appeal to a
civilian court.
Access to lawyers would be restricted and defendants will not see
secret evidence.
Brit Def Sec, Geoff Hoon, said the Govt would study what Lord
Goldsmith had said and act accordingly, but ultimately it was a matter
for the US.

Soldier claims cmdr present at death of Abu Ghraib prisoner
Baghdad (AFP).  A US soldier has told how a snr military intel cmdr at
Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison was present when a detainee died
during questioning.
Testifying at a 2-day preliminary hearing at a military court in
Baghdad for a female soldier embroiled in the Iraqi prisoner abuse
scandal, Capt Donald Reese said Col Pappas was one of a number of
people present during the interrogation.
Col Thomas Pappas was cmdr of the 205 Military Intel Brigade at the
prison nr Baghdad.
On the 1st day of the hearing for Specialist Sabrina Harman, Reese
described how he saw the bleeding body of a prisoner who had been
brought in alive after an Oct 27 bomb attack on the HQ here of the
Internat'l Committee of the Red Cross.
Harman, 26, faces a range of charges including descrating a corpse
and mistreating prisoners.
She was photographed grinning next to the body in one of the images of
the scandal that shocked the world when it broke in Apr.
"I was told that when he was brought in he was combative, that they
took him up to the room and during the interrogation he passed," Reese
testified, adding that the 1st time he saw the man was when he was
dead in a shower.
Reese said he was 1st told that the man died of a heart attack.
The body "was bleeding from the head, nose, mouth," he said.
"I heard Col Pappas say: 'I'm not going to go down alone for this',"
Reese told the hearing.
The body was left locked in the shower overnight to avoid frightening
other prisoners and an autopsy was conducted the following day, the
captain said.
It established the cause of death as a blood clot from trauma, he added.
The proceedings which are due to continue, also heard how detainees
were kept naked and were abused by military police.
Specialist Israel Rivera, one of 6 defence witnesses, described how 3
naked, terrified detainees, who had been accused of raping a 15-yo
fellow prisoner, were made to drag themselves along the floor.
He said Harman and Specialist Charles Graner, who is facing separate
proceedings over the abuse scandal, were directing the incident.

UN demands access to terrorism suspects
The US is holding more than 600 terrorism suspects -- including 2
Aussies -- at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Brussels (ABC, Fran Kelly and Reuters).  Leading UN human rights
experts are demanding access to terrorism suspects being held at
Guantanamo Bay and other US detention centres.
In a rare joint statement, the 31 human rights experts condemn
terrorism in all forms but express concerns about some of the measures
taken in the name of the fight against terrorism.
Although it does not single out the US for criticism, the statement
says a team of UN representatives should visit inmates held on
suspicion of terrorism offences in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo
Bay -- all US military operations.
The experts say their joint demand is motivated by a number of recent
alarming developments in the detention and treatment of prisoners at
specific locations -- a reference to the scandal at Abu Ghraib prison
near Baghdad where US soldiers were photographed abusing Iraqi detainees.
The human rights experts are calling for access to the prison inmates
as soon as possible.
The US military is facing a backlash across the Arab world for its
abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
Last month, it launched an investigation into its treatment of
detainees in Afghanistan, which was the 1st stop in US Pres George W
Bush's war on terrorism.
* Collective step
The UN statement says a panel of UN rapporteurs spanning areas such as
torture and arbitrary detention should visit inmates held for suspected
terrorism offences in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere.
"This is a collective step in the hope that it will have more effect,"
said Theo van Boven, UN special rapporteur on torture.
Mr Van Boven says a 1987 Convention Against Torture, ratified by the
US, is clear.
"The prohibition of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment is an
absolute one," he said.  "It may not be derogated from in any circumstances."
Mr Bush said this wk that he had never ordered and would never order
detainees to be tortured.
Reed  Brody,  counsel  at the NY-based Human Rights Watch, said:
"If the Bush Admin is serious about its rejection of torture, it needs
to let UN inspectors in."
The call coincides with a speech by the UK's A-G, Lord Peter
Goldsmith, which criticised the US's planned military tribunals for
detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Lord Goldsmith says Brit rejects the proposed tribunals on the grounds
that they do not offer a fair trial in accordance with internat'l standards.
He says the arrangements will not ensure a fair trial and are unacceptable.
Brit Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon says while the Govt will raise its
concerns about the 4 Brit detainees, there is a limit to Brit's influence.

US names replacement Iraq abuse investigator
Washington (Reuters).  The US Army has named a higher-ranking general
as the snr investigator of abuse of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison in
Iraq amid lawmakers' complaints the probe is dragging on too long.
The new chief investigator is Lt Gen Anthony Jones, a 3-star officer
who is deputy cmdr of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command.
He has been designated by Les Brownlee, the acting secretary of the Army.
Lt Gen Jones's appointment is the latest development in US attempts to
contain the damage caused by leaked photographs of US soldiers abusing
Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
The photographs show US soldiers grinning while sexually humiliating
naked prisoners and intimidating them with dogs.
They have deeply embarrassed the US, which has promised Iraqis freedom
and democracy.
Lt Gen Jones will complete the work of Maj Gen George Fay, a 2-star.
The change is aimed at facilitating the interviewing of Lt Gen
Ricardo Sanchez, the 3-star who is the top US cmdr in Iraq.
An army spokesperson says it "seems more appropriate" to have a more
snr officer in charge to avoid any suggestion of command influence
over the investigation.
Although Lt Gen Jones and Lt Gen Sanchez hold the same rank, Lt Gen
Jones is more snr because he has held the rank longer.

Blair made personal plea for Guantanamo releases: report
London (AFP).  Brit PM Tony Blair has personally asked US Pres George
W Bush to hand over the 4 remaining Brit nat'ls being held at
Guantanamo Bay, according to a Brit newspaper report.
The Guardian reports it has seen part of London's formal defence to a
legal action brought by lawyers for 2 of the remaining prisoners
seeking a court order compelling Brit to formally demand their return.
"The UK Govt is continuing to seek the return of the 4 remaining
prisoners and the PM has made a direct request to Pres Bush to that
effect," the Govt's defence reportedly states.
In all, 9 Britons were held without charge at Guantanamo Bay, a US
naval base at the eastern end of Cuba.
They were detained in Afghanistan or Pakistan following the Sep 11,
2001 attacks on the US.
5 were sent back to Brit in Mar, where they were freed without
charge and subsequently protested their innocence of any terrorism
connections.
They also alleged widespread mistreatment of prisoners at the jail.
The remaining 4, along with around 650 other inmates, are being
detained indefinitely.
They face possible military trial for alleged connections with Osama
bin Laden's Al Qaeda network and Afghanistan's deposed Taliban regime.

Iraq's govt face factions, past history, come hand over
Baghdad (KR).  Earlier this m, a letter from Iraq's top Shiite Muslim
cleric arrived at the offices of Iraq's new PM, advising him that as
he takes charge of the country he should remember the Islamic concept
of amana -- guarding other people's precious property with one's life.
It was Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani's tacit endorsement of the
interim leadership of PM Iyad Allawi and his fledgling Cabinet, and it
was greeted with relief. 3 other times during the American occupation,
Sistani's objections short-circuited American plans for governing Iraq.
But the letter also was a reminder that Iraq belongs to many. While
officially Allawi and his govt of opp'n leaders and technocrats will
be in charge come Thu, much of the real power will lie outside the
interim govt.
The most powerful player remains the US-led coalition, renamed the
Multinat'l Forces, whose role is still being determined. Muslim
clerics, deadly insurgents and US-backed Kurdish political parties all
will play a role in determining Iraq's future.
To fulfil his Islamic responsibility under amana, as well as his
secular duty as the latest ruler of a diverse and war-weary nation,
Allawi must delicately deal with all the players. If he does so
skillfully, Iraq may yet evolve into something of a democratic model
in the Middle East. If he fails, Iraq could spin into civil war, breed
more terrorism and instability and endanger Pres Bush's chances for a
2nd term.
"Iyad Allawi and his group want Iraqi independence and they want to
succeed in this political process by working with the Americans," said
Ayad Samarrai, the deputy Sec-Gen of the Iraqi Islamic Party, an
influential Sunni Muslim group. "The other groups want the same thing,
but they don't trust the Americans and won't work with them. But the
goal for independence is the same."
Serving so many masters could leave Allawi's new govt hamstrung. Each
faction brings a different vision of what sovereign Iraq should look
like, and so far none of them squares with the Bush Admin's plans for
a secular, American-friendly model of Middle E democracy.
These then are the factions Allawi must deal with as he takes the helm.
The Shiites Iraq's Shiite majority was badly fractured during an
uprising that pitted Sistani against rebel cleric Muqtada al Sadr.
With that fighting now largely over, the Shiites are trying to bring
together rival groups, build a voting bloc and sweep elections late
next y. Many Shiite parties have demanded an Islam-based constitution
and other measures that hint of a theocracy in the vein of neighbouring Iran.
Sistani, elderly and reclusive, is still considered the most
influential cleric, and his religious edicts are considered law by
many. The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the
dominant Shiite political party, enjoys Sistani's support and has key
positions in Allawi's govt.
But al Sadr's radical stance against the American occupiers enchanted
many young Shiites and it remains to be seen whether moderate Shiites
loyal to Sistani can woo them back. A recent poll put al Sadr in 2nd
place, after Sistani, as the most respected man in Iraq. Building a
partnership with the man widely believed to be in favour of removing
the moderate clergy by any means necessary is a risky prospect for the
Shiites in the new govt.
Sadr still isn't completely trusted, though the relationship is
"better than before," said Homam Hamodi, a leading figure in the
Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution.
Al Sadr, meanwhile, is using his new status as folk hero for political
leverage. The man who a m ago battled US troops with his ragtag Mahdi
Army militia has been invited to send a delegate to the nat'l
convention, which will elect a nat'l assembly in coming months.
What Allawi will do about a murder charge still pending against al
Sadr in connection with the death of a rival cleric last y is unknown,
as is al Sadr's own feelings about taking part in the govt.
"The shift from fighter to politician is a difficult one and it takes
time," Hamodi said with a wry smile.
* The Kurds
Iraqi politicians privy to the talks that resulted in the new govt say
the country's powerful Kurdish parties, the most consistently
pro-American groups in Iraq, wanted either the presidency or the PM
post. They got neither. Kurds, brutally oppressed under Saddam
Hussein, fought alongside US troops during the war and seek
recognition for the sacrifices of their peshmerga militias.
Arab politicians balked and the slots went to Allawi, a Shiite Arab, and
Ghazi al Yawer, a Sunni Arab tribesman whose flowing robes and traditional
headdress sharply contrast with his colleagues' W business suits.
As a sort of consolation prize, Iraqi officials said, a Kurd was named
VP, another is a deputy PM and Kurdish technocrats now head several
key ministries, including foreign affairs, human rights, public works
and water resources.
While the new govt publicly talks of a unified, diverse Iraq,
simmering ethnic tension threatens to derail Allawi's plans inside and
outside the govt. Kurdish ministers threatened to resign or withdraw
their support of the new govt after a UN Sec Council resolution didn't
include protections they won under interim Iraqi laws.
VP Rowsch Shaways, a German-educated engineer and former PM of the
semi-autonomous Kurdish region, is expected to quell ethnic tension as
well as ensure that Kurdish rights are protected in the next phase of govt.
Outside officialdom, a struggle remains over control of the oil-rich
city of Kirkuk, N of Baghdad, which many Kurds say should be incorporated
into their semi-autonomous N region. Rival Arab and Turkmen groups
have resisted, though 1000s of Kurds are camped out in the city to
sway the demographics in their favour.
"The Kurds run their own region, so their influence across Iraq won't
be so great," said a snr Arab member of the new govt, speaking on
condition of anonymity for fear of angering Kurdish colleagues. "But
the Americans must stay in Kirkuk and prevent a violent takeover by
the Kurds. The allies should never withdraw _ the situation is too explosive."
* The insurgents and terrorists
The key measure of Allawi's success will be in how he handles the
deteriorating security conditions in Iraq.
Already, Allawi is winning a reputation as a no-nonsense heavyweight.
He's announced plans to streamline the country's nascent security
forces into a terrorism-fighting system and hasn't ruled out martial
law to regain control of the country in the 1st wks of sovereignty.
"The new govt is like a sieve. It'll filter out the people who are all
talk and no action," said Amal Kashif al Getaa of the Islamic Union of
Women and Children. "Iyad Allawi is strong and tough with a hard
edge. He'll make things better. The new govt is a step forward, but
the religious leaders and the tribes still run things." Enemy No. 1 is
Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist who claims
responsibility for most of Iraq's large-scale bombings, attacks on
US-appointed Iraqi leaders and the gruesome slayings of foreign
hostages. On Wed, al Zarqawi turned his attention to Allawi, calling
for the PM's head in a taped death threat broadcast throughout the
Arab world on satellite TV.
Zarqawi, supported by disenchanted Sunnis in the flash-point city of
Fallujah and vehemently anti-American Sunni militant groups elsewhere
in the country, vowed his attacks wouldn't stop until "Islamic rule is
back on earth."
* Pres Bush and the US
Tens of 1000s of US troops will remain in Iraq long after Jun 30 and
probably even after elections scheduled for the end of 2005.
To establish his credibility, Allawi will have to separate himself
somehow from the Americans and that will almost certainly mean
confronting them at some point on some issue -- most likely the conduct
of military operations in the country.
Allawi reportedly was furious that he was given only a few hours'
warning before the coalition launched an airstrike on a suspected
terrorist safe house in Fallujah, killing at least 19 Iraqis last weekend.
Publicly, Allawi said he welcomed hits on terrorist targets.
Privately, he reportedly is angling for more control over major US
military operations.
How willing the Americans will be to give him greater say could well
hinge on a factor clearly outside of Allawi's control, the American
political process.
The political stakes for Bush are huge as the Nov elections near. Polls
indicate that events in Iraq are the single biggest factor in shaping
voter attitudes. When things are going well, voters are more likely to
approve of Bush's performance and express more confidence about the
direction of the country. When things go badly, Bush suffers in the polls.
"Iraq as an issue is entirely about what happens between now and
Election Day," said Stephen Hess, a presidential scholar at the
Brookings Institution in Washington.
Most Iraqis in the new govt defend a prolonged American presence as a
necessary evil until Iraqi security forces are up to the job. But it's
clear that it grates.
Juwad al Maliki, a member of the Shiite Dawa political party, recently
called himself an optimist about the hand over. "I'm willing to pay the
price for those who suffered under the brutalities of the old regime
and for those who suffered under the occupation," he said.
But it comes with a personal cost. Al Maliki later walked in the
broiling sun to a checkpoint outside an office he uses in the heavily
fortified Green Zone, where the coalition keeps its HQ. American and
Nepalese private security forces turned him away, apparently because
they didn't recognise him.
"They'll never understand us. They'll just never understand," al
Maliki muttered, humiliated and sweating, as he set off down an empty
road, in search of another entrance.

Headless bodies found in Iraq
Kirkuk.  2 headless bodies were found on Fri in the restive Iraqi city
of Kirkuk, where police were on high alert after deadly attacks in 4
other cities the previous day, officials said.
"The 2 corpses were discovered in bags by the police, who have no idea
who the victims are except that they look Iraqi," said a police source.
One torso was spotted on the main road to Salimaniyah and the second
in the Askari district, the sources said.
"We don't know if they are Kurds, Turkmen or Arabs," he said, adding
that "the inquiry will be difficult".
Turkmen, Kurds and Arabs populate the city of Kirkuk, 255 km N of
Baghdad, which has been the scene of numerous clashes since the fall
of Saddam Hussein during last y's US-led invasion.
* Have info of possible attacks
Earlier, city police chief Gen Turhan Yussef said Kirkuk's police
force were on maximum alert in case of a terrorist attack.
"We have info of possible terrorist attacks against police stations or
local officials," he said.
"This probability has been reinforced by the fact that one of Thu's
attacks took place in a city that was close to here," he said,
referring to Mosul, 150 km to the NE, where a string of bomb blasts
outside police stations killed 44 people and wounded 216.
"More than 5 000 policemen have been deployed all around Kirkuk,
expecially in sensitive areas such as the city centre and towards the
S -- favoured targets for attacks," the police chief added.
* Co-ordinated violence
The central cities of Baquba, Fallujah and Ramadi were also caught up
in Thu's co-ordinated violence.
It was the most serious challenge to the US-led coalition's efforts to
restore stability since Apr, when Shiite Muslim radicals launched an
uprising in central and S Iraq.
In a further sign of the simmering unrest, unknown attackers shot dead
a colonel of Saddam Hussein's former Republican Guard on Fri, the
police said.
"They opened fire at 10.40 on the car of colonel Assud Hadidi near to
his house, killing him," said police office Anwar Saber, noting that
the colonel had refused to take part in Iraq's new security forces and
had chosen to become a taxi driver instead.
His death was the eighth assassination of a snr member of the former
regime in Kirkuk.

Bush looks to Europe for help in Iraq
Pres Bush heads to summit in Ireland, looks to European allies for
help in Iraq.
Ennis, Ireland (AP).  Criticised for his go-it-alone approach in Iraq,
Pres Bush is trying to build a new consensus among allies wary of a US
leader whose policies are widely unpopular in Europe.
The next 5 days are all about summitry the US-European Union summit
this weekend in Ireland and the NATO summit in Turkey next week. Allied
leaders are expressing a new willingness to help in Iraq, although not
at the levels once anticipated.
Still, they risk their own political capital back home if they appear
too cozy with Bush.
"America has never been at a lower point in the minds of citizens
around the world," says Thomas Mann, a political analyst at Brookings
Institution, a liberal-leaning think tank. "Our relations with other
countries, including natural allies, have seldom been as strained. To
be associated with Pres Bush and current American policy is a
political liability around the world right now."
Police and troops shut down roads and erected barbed-wire barricades
Fri to deter protesters from interrupting the summit between Bush and
European Union leaders. Hours before Bush was to arrive in western
Ireland, some 4,000 police and 2,000 soldiers more than 1/3 of
the entire security forces of the Irish Republic took up positions
around Shannon Airport and Dromoland Castle, a luxury hotel where the
summit will be held.
"Sadly, there's no great welcome for Pres Bush," said the Rev Tom
Ryan, a Catholic priest in the town of Shannon. "The vast majority of
people would not agree with the policies of the American govt or Pres Bush."
Protests are expected in several European cities this weekend.
Left-wing activists planned protests in Dublin on Fri night and the
summit venue Sat. The protesters want Ireland to stop allowing US
military planes to land at Shannon airport, a strategic refuelling
point en route to Iraq. Protests are expected in several European
cities this weekend.
Topics at both summits will range from Afghanistan to counterterrorism,
from trade to curbing the spread of nuclear weapons. But Iraq will be
at the forefront.
Bush, who is seeking allies' help in Iraq, will be holding out one
hand and carrying what he believes is a persuasive argument in his
pocket one that asks NATO members to look in their own history books.
On Sat in Ireland, Bush meets with PM Bertie Ahern, currently the head
of the European Union, and Pres Mary McAleese before the start of the
US-EU summit. He'll meet later Sat with business leaders.
In an interview with Turkey's private NTV television before he left
Washington, Bush acknowledged it was unlikely that NATO countries
would contribute additional troops to Iraq, but said he was hopeful
some would help train Iraqi forces.
Bush also pledged to help Turkey and Iraq crack down on Turkish
Kurdish rebels seeking autonomy from Turkey. He was speaking on the
eve of a weekend visit to Turkey ahead of Mon's NATO summit meeting in
Istanbul. Both France and Germany have resisted a NATO mission in Iraq.
"This is about the spread of freedom and liberty," Bush's nat'l
security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said Thu in explaining the message
Bush will carry to Europe. "That's what NATO has stood up for from the
very beginning. ... Many of the members of NATO would not be free and
at liberty themselves had it not been for the sacrifices of others,
including sacrifices of the US."
In an interview Thu with Ireland's RTE television, Bush defended his
decision to invade Iraq and insisted most of Europe backed the move.
He also disputed the interviewer's assertion that most Irish people
thought the world was more dangerous today than before the Iraq invasion.
"What was it like Sep 11th, 2001?" he retorted. "I wouldn't have made
the decisions I did if I didn't believe the world would be better. Why
would I put people in harm's way if I didn't believe the world would
be better?" he asked.
"History will judge what I'm about," the president said. "But I'm the
kind of person I don't really try to chase popularity polls."
The Whitehouse emphasises that 16 NATO nations already have forces in
Iraq, and some members of the alliance say they're willing to help
train Iraqi security forces. Major NATO powers such as Germany and
France have emphatically declined to send troops.
Raising their profiles in Iraq presents risks for US allies, says Kurt
Campbell, a former deputy assistant secretary of defence at the
Pentagon and foreign policy expert at the Center for Strategic and
Internat'l Studies in Washington.
"If you are going to enter this fray, then you are going to make
yourself a target for the kinds of fundamentalism and attacks that the
US and other coalition members have experienced," he said.

Up to 25 killed in Iraq air strike
Baghdad (Reuters).  US warplanes bombed a suspected guerrilla safe
house W of Baghdad on Fri, stepping up a hunt for Jordanian militant
Abu Musab Zarqawi believed to be behind a series of deadly attacks in Iraq.
"Somewhere between 20 and 25 people were killed in today's strike,"
said a US-led coalition official, who declined to be named. It was not
immediately clear who was among the dead.
The US military said the house in the restive town of Fallujah, some 50
km from Baghdad, was a "known Zarqawi network safe house" and was
destroyed in the daylight strike, the 3rd on suspected Fallujah safe
houses this wk.
"This operation employed precision weapons to target and destroy the
safe house and underscores the coalition's continuing resolve...to
completely destroy terrorist networks," Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt said
in a statement.
Fallujah residents said the house, in the SE of the city, was reduced
to rubble.
Washington, due to hand over to an interim Iraqi govt on Jun 30,
accuses Zarqawi of links to al Qaeda and say he has masterminded a
number of major attacks, as well as being responsible for the
beheading of an American and a S Korean.
Militants in Fallujah issued a taped statement on Fri denying Zarqawi
was holed up in the town.
* IRAQI VOW TO CRUSH MILITANTS
The attack occurred shortly before Iraqi Defence Min Hazim al-Shalaan
warned guerrillas that Iraq's security forces, backed by the US-led
coalition, were determined to crush them.
"Today is the day for the Iraqi people to say to these traitors that
the time has come for a showdown and God willing that showdown will be
big and victory will be for us, the people," said Shalaan, flanked by
the interior minister.
Both ministers blamed Iraq's instability on foreign fighters and said
it was up to all Iraqis to cooperate with the new interim govt in
putting an end to the guerrilla threat.
"We have capacities and capabilities that will soon be seen," Shalaan said.
Militants killed 3 Iraqi policemen in an attack with rocket propelled
grenades on a police station nr the town of Baquba, N of Baghdad.
Some of the black-clad gunmen who attacked police and govt buildings
in Baquba proclaimed loyalty to Zarqawi and wore yellow headbands
linking them to his militant group.
PM Iyad Allawi blamed foreign fighters and Saddam Hussein supporters for
killing more than 100 people in suicide bombings and other attacks on Thu.
"We are going to defeat them...We have been expecting this escalation
and we are expecting more escalation in the days ahead," Allawi told
reporters.
* MOSUL WORST HIT
Iraq's 3rd largest city Mosul was worst hit in Thu's attacks, with 4
suicide bombings killing 62 people, including a US soldier, and
wounding 220, a snr coalition military official said.
He said the attacks showed signs of loose coordination between groups
intent on destabilising Iraq and warned of more bloodshed before and
after the Jun 30 hand over, when the US-led occupation formally ends.
Zarqawi threatened in a taped message on an Islamist Internet site on
Wed to assassinate Allawi.
A CIA official in Washington said the voice on the tape was probably
that of Zarqawi himself.
Iraq's nat'l security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said Iraqi officials
had good intel on Zarqawi.
"We will adopt a pre-emptive strike against these people," he told ABC
television. "We will not wait for them to come to Baghdad to do these
massacres against our civilian people."
The violence that swept Sunni cities on Thu did not extend to regions
dominated by Iraq's Shi'ite majority.
* SADR MILITIA CEASEFIRE
The Mehdi Army militia of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr
declared a unilateral ceasefire on Thu in a Baghdad slum -- its last
holdout against US troops.
Sadr, apparently keen to enter mainstream politics, has already withdrawn
his forces from the holy Shi'ite cities of Najaff and Kerbala under
pressure from moderate Shi'ite leaders.
Allawi's interim govt is to run Iraq until planned elections in Jan.
A multinat'l force of 160,000 mostly US troops will stay to support
fledgling Iraqi security forces.
Amid the violence and questions about the justification for the Iraq
war, most Americans now say the US-led invasion was a mistake, a new
USA Today/CNN/Gallup opinion poll showed.
54% thought the invasion had been a mistake, compared with 41% who
held that view 3 wk ago. 55% said the war had made the US less safe
from terrorism, compared to a Dec poll in which 56% said it had made
the US safer.
US Pres George W Bush ordered the invasion on grounds that Saddam
possessed WMD, but no such arms have been found so far.

US strikes 3rd Zarqawi "safe house"
The US has targeted what it believes are safe houses of Abu Mussab
al-Zarqawi.
Baghdad (AFP).  US-led forces say they have killed between 20 and 25
people in an air strike on a suspected safe house of alleged Al Qaeda
operative Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi in the Iraqi town of Fallujah.
Witnesses say they saw a US plane fire 2 missiles on the residential
Shuhada district in the S of the city, 50 km W of Baghdad.
The local hospital says it has only treated 2 injured people.
US Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt says coalition forces "conducted another
strike on a known Zarqawi network safe house in SE Fallujah, based on
multiple confirmations of Iraqi and coalition intel".
"This operation employed precision weapons to target and destroy the
safe house."
A snr military official says between 20 and 25 people were killed.
The strike follows 2 other airborne missile attacks on suspected
Zarqawi hideouts in Fallujah over the past week.
The US military says the total death toll from the 3 raids is 59 to 64
people, warning that it would not shrink from carrying out further
similar strikes.
"Wherever and whenever we find elements of the Zarqawi network, we
will attack them," Brig Gen Kimmitt said.
* Shell-shocked
But the air strikes have left behind a shell-shocked city. A leading
sheikh, Abdallah Janabi, condemns the attacks as launched "under the
pretext that Zarqawi is based in Fallujah".
"There are no foreign fighters here", he said.
An Internet message attributed to Zarqawi on Wed mocked the US strikes.
It  says  they  were  taken "under the pretext that I am in Fallujah".
"This is not correct, because those fools do not know that I travel in
Iraq where I am greeted everywhere by my brothers," the statement said.
Zarqawi is a fugitive Jordanian Islamis who has a $US10 mn bounty on
his head.
The US and Iraqi officials accuse him of being behind numerous attacks
in Iraq.
Some believe he may be holed up in Fallujah, a bastion of Sunni Muslim
opp'n to the US-led occupation.
Zarqawi heads his own militant faction named Tawhid wa al-Jihad
(Unification and Holy War), which has claimed responsibility for 2
huge car bombings in Iraq this m as well as the beheading of a South
Korean hostage.
Fighters in the town of Baquba, NE of the capital, are pledging
allegiance to Zarqawi's faction in a pamphlet handed out to residents,
threatening them with death if they help US forces.

NATO strikes tentative Iraq security deal
Brussels (Reuters).  NATO nations' envoys have struck a tentative deal
to help the interim Iraqi Govt train its security forces.
Diplomats say the agreement comes after hours of wrangling that echoed
last y's bust-up before the US-led Iraq war.
"We've agreed it, we've agreed on it tentatively," one diplomat said.
The debate is in response to a written request from Iraqi Prime Min
Iyad Allawi.
The diplomat says members of the 26-nation alliance will have until
1000 GMT on Sat to raise objections.
After that time the wording of a statement would be deemed to have
been adopted.
It will be released at a NATO summit in Turkey on Mon.
Diplomats say the talks became bogged down as the US and Brit pushed
for a detailed and enthusiastic response to Mr Allawi, while France
and Germany favoured a vaguely worded reply.
An agreement appeared to be at hand as evening fell, but France raised
last-minute objections.
The ambassadors were forced to get back around the table for another
meeting.
NATO's role in stabilising the violence-plagued Iraq will be a far cry
from the deployment of troops originally sought by the US.
That request was shot down by opp'n from France and Germany, which are
fierce opponents of last y's conflict.
The US had lowered its ambitions for the alliance in Iraq wk ago,
partly because the presence of NATO-led troops could complicate the
chain of command.
It also recognises many European allies are both unwilling and
militarily over-stretched.
Nevertheless, a snr US Admin official told reporters travelling with
Pres George W Bush to Ireland that the White House expects NATO
leaders to agree in-principle to help train Iraq's security forces.

Iraqi Shiites condemn "filthy infidel" terrorists
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has criticised Islamic terrorists.
Baghdad (ABC, Matt Brown).  Some of Iraq's most influential Shiite
leaders have condemned the Al Qaeda-linked terrorists operating in the
country.  At a Fri prayer meeting in Karbala, a rep for Grand
Ayatollah Ali al Sistani told worshippers that Al Qaeda's top leaders
are "filthy infidels".  He names Osama bin Laden and the
Jordanian-born terrorist purportedly operating in Iraq, Abu Mussab
al-Zarqawi.  He says they are "bastards" who "nurture malignance"
against Shiite Muslims.  A prominent Shiite leader was assassinated in
Iraq on Thu night.  Al Qaeda's leadership is made up of Sunni Muslims
from the Wahabi sect.

Explosions heard in Baghdad
Baghdad (AFP).  A series of loud explosions has rocked Baghdad's west,
an AFP correspondent reports.  Heavy weapons fire has been heard from
the city's W and flashes of light have illuminated the sky.  The
incidents started around 12.30 am local time and a series of
intermittent booms lasted till 3.00 am.  The US military has no
immediate comment on the explosions.  Meanwhile, 4 rocket-propelled
grenades (RPGs) have been fired in the direction of the US-led
coalition's Baghdad HQ.  However, a US soldier says the projectiles
fell short.  "Insurgents fired 4 RPGs.  They were probably trying to
hit the Green Zone," the soldier said.  The military also says there
has been a failed bomb attack outside the house of the new deputy
defence minister in Baghdad.  The failed attacks come amid warnings by
US military officials of greater violence ahead of the Jun 30 transfer
of power in Iraq.

Iran accused of resuming uranium program
Washington.  The US has accused Iran of resuming its uranium
enrichment program.  In testimony before a Congressional Committee the
State Dept's John Bolton said Iran had reneged on its commitments.  He
says it is another example of Iran thumbing its nose at the internat'l
community.  "We have been informed that Iran has announced a
substantial resumption of its Iranian enrichment program reneging on
the commitment that it made to the UK, Germany and France by informing
them and the IAEA that it would begin next wk the production of
uranium centrifuge parts and equipment," he said.

2 US Marines killed, one wounded in Afghanistan
Kabul (Reuters).  2 US Marines have been killed and one was wounded in
an operation against Islamic militants in eastern Afghanistan, the US
military said.  The Marines were killed in Kunar province, which
borders Pakistan, on Thu evening, said military rep Master Sgt Cindy
Beam.  She said the wounded Marine was hurt by gunfire, but she said
she did not know how the 2 were killed or have any other details.
Residents of Kunar said the attack happened in a mountainous district
called Naray, close to the border with Pakistan.  They said they saw
the bodies of the 2 Marines and they appeared to have been shot with
assault rifles.  This month, a US soldier was killed and 2 were
wounded when their vehicle was hit by an explosion in the central
province of Uruzgan.

Annan pushes for more NATO troops in Afghanistan
UN (Reuters).  Urging NATO to send more peacekeepers to Afghanistan,
UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan says Sep elections there can proceed on time
only if security improves.
"If we can get the security situation under control, we should be able
to hold the elections in Sep as planned," Mr Annan said.
"But there is a big 'but'.  We do not have enough troops on the ground."
Mr Annan's plea coincides with a separate appeal to NATO from Afghan
Pres Hamid Karzai as the alliance prepares for a 2-day summit opening
in Istanbul.
US Pres George W.  Bush will urge NATO allies at the summit to help
train security forces in Iraq -- a request that may well compete with
the one from Afghanistan for alliance resources.
Mr Annan says NATO should beef up the 6,400-strong multinat'l force
now providing security mainly in Kabul and deploy them in the provinces.
He says NATO should also fulfil a pledge to send 5 additional
reconstruction teams into the countryside.
There have been concerns that too few Afghans would register to vote
due to security fears.
However, Mr Annan says 4.5 mn have signed up so far in the UN-assisted
drive.
"We are registering Afghans at the rate of 100,000 a day, and the pace
of registration shows the interest of the Afghans to take charge of
their political destiny," he said.
"[But] there are places in Afghanistan our staff cannot go to, even
places that we thought had been safe once."
Behind the violence are Islamic militants and allies who have declared
a holy war against the 20,000 US troops now in Afghanistan and vowed
to disrupt the elections.

No breakthroughs in N Korean nuclear talks
Beijing (AFP).  Talks on N Korea's nuclear weapons program has ended
with no breakthroughs, the US said, but it played down concerns that
elements in Pyongyang wanted to test a bomb.
"The results would have to be described as mixed so far, no
breakthroughs," a snr US official said at a briefing.
A joint statement at the conclusion of the talks was also ruled out.
"We frankly didn't feel that we had made enough tangible, boastable
progress to articulate that statement, there is no doubt that the
process is moving along, but we are not ready to point to successes,"
he said.
The 3rd day of talks involving China, the 2 Koreas, Russia, Japan and
the US ended after less than 3 hr.
2 previous rounds of negotiations also concluded with little progress.
Fri's negotiations were delayed for more than 2 hr after N Korea
and its closest ally China held an emergency meeting following the
nuclear test threat.
The US has put forward a plan at the talks that calls for a
step-by-step dismantling of N Korea's plutonium and uranium weapons
programs in return for aid and security guarantees and easing of its
political and economic isolation.
But N Korea again repeatedly denied it was running a uranium-enrichment
program, a position that appears to be hampering progress.
"The DPRK [N Korea] made it clear that they won't accept uranium
enrichment," the US official said.
"That is a real problem for us because of the public and private evidence
that suggests that it is there and it needs to be part of our solution."
However he pointed to some encouraging signs.
"The DPRK [North Korea] has made clear that the freeze-for-compensation,
their stated goal, and the terms that they use," he said.
"They at least made clear that this is the 1st step on the way to
nuclear dismantlement."
The stand-off erupted in Oct 2002 when the US said N Korea
acknowledged it was developing nuclear weapons, violating a 1994
internat'l agreement.

UN denounces Israeli-Palestinian violence
UN (Reuters).  UN human rights investigators have denounced Israel for
targeted assassinations, excessive use of force and destruction of
homes in the occupied Palestinian territories, while also condemning
suicide bombings attacks by Palestinians.
In a joint statement issued after a week-long annual meeting, about 30
special rapporteurs are urging the Security Council to deploy an
internat'l protection force to stop the "abuses".
The text, which also condemns Palestinian suicide bombings against the
Israeli population, voices "strong concern regarding continuous
violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the occupied
Palestinian territories."
Miloon Kothari, the UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate
housing, says the statement has been provoked by the worsening
situation in the occupied W Bank and Gaza Strip.
"In the last wk alone there have been extrajudicial executions,
Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli troops, confiscation of
agricultural lands, demolition of homes has continued in Gaza and
construction of the annexation wall has continued," he said.
Mr Kothari, an independent expert from India, says the statement is
"unprecedented" because it is the 1st such collective statement by UN
human rights rapporteurs.
"It is very important to have a collective position calling into
question these practices and also calling upon the Sec Council to
authorise an internat'l protection force," he said.
In Apr and May, Israeli forces assassinated Hamas leaders Sheikh Ahmed
Yassin and Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi, whose Islamic group is sworn to
Israel's destruction.
"We deplore the practices of the Israeli authorities, including
targeted killings, excessive use of force during military incursions,
arbitrary and long periods of incommunicado detention and torture and
other forms of inhuman and degrading ill-treatment," the statement said.
"Furthermore, we deeply regret the policy of demolition of Palestinian
houses and destruction of civilian property, the massive confiscation
and destruction of land, and restrictions on the freedom of movement."
It notes the disruption to vital sectors, including health, education
and work.
Israel says it has destroyed homes in Rafah in the S Gaza strip to
uncover tunnels used to smuggle weapons from neighbouring Egypt and in
fighting with militants.

Screened US animal positive for Mad Cow
Washington (AP).  An animal in the US tested positive in a preliminary
screening test for mad cow disease, Agriculture Dept officials said Fri.
John Clifford, deputy administrator of USDA veterinary services, said
officials learned of the "inconclusive" test result at 5.30 pm
Fri. The carcass is being sent to USDA Nat'l Veterinary Laboratory in
Ames, Iowa, for additional tests. Results are expected in 4 to 7 days.
Clifford declined to identify the animal or its location until testing
is complete, noting that it's "very likely" final testing could turn
up negative.
"The animal in question didn't enter the food chain," he said. "If
positive, we'll provide additional info on the animal and origins."
If the animal tests positive, it would be the 2nd case of mad cow
discovered in the US. In Dec, a single Holstein on a Washington state
farm was found to have the disease, prompting more than 50 countries
to ban imports of US beef. Japan and S Korea, 2 of the biggest export
markets for US beef, still have their bans in effect despite the
efforts of American officials to get them lifted.
The Agriculture Dept this m expanded nat'l testing for the disease in
response to that mad cow scare, leading to Fri's first "inconclusive"
reading in the preliminary test, officials said. More than 7,000
animals so far have been tested under the program, which seeks to
check about 220,000 animals over the next y to 18 m.
The announcement came late Fri and officials sought to downplay the
potential gravity of the preliminary result, which they said wasn't
unexpected given the test's sensitivity. The US' beef trading partners
had been notified and the company was given earlier notice, Clifford said.
"The inconclusive result does not mean we have found another case of
BSE in this country," Clifford said.
"Inconclusive results are a normal component of most screening tests,
which are designed to be extremely sensitive so they will detect any
sample that could possibly be positive."
"The USDA remains confident in the safety of the food supply,"
Clifford said.
Representatives from the US beef industry also sought to emphasise
there was no reason to worry at this initial stage.
"We hope that the US consumers will recognise that the United States
has among the most stringent BSE safeguards in place," said Bill
Bullard, chief executive officer of R-CALF USA, a cattlemen's group.
"We are encouraging the public to recognise that this is an
inconclusive test result."
Mad cow disease -- known also as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or
BSE -- eats holes in the brains of cattle. It sprang up in Brit in
1986 and spread through countries in Europe and Asia, prompting
massive destruction of herds and decimating the European beef industry.
A form of mad cow disease can be contracted by humans if they eat
infected beef or nerve tissue, and possibly through blood transfusions.
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,
the human form of mad cow disease, so far has killed 100 people in
Brit and elsewhere, including a Florida woman this wk who was believed
to have contracted the disease in England.
The govt last y conducted mad cow tests on tissues from 20,543
animals, virtually all of them cattle that could not stand or walk and
had to be dragged to slaughter. After the nation's 1st case in Dec,
the Agriculture Dept initially doubled the number of animals to be
tested this y to 40,000.
With many foreign govts still reluctant to ease bans on US beef, the
testing program was expanded at a cost of $70 mn to include as many as
220,000 slaughtered animals, following recommendations from an
internat'l scientific review panel. About 35 mn head of cattle are
slaughtered each y in the US.

China 2008 Olympics in midst of graft scandal
Beijing.  China's 2008 Olympic Games has been caught up in a graft
scandal.  China's top auditor has alleged that money allocated for the
Beijing Olympics has been misappropriated.  The Nat'l Audit Office
found the General Admin of Sports diverted more than $22 mn dollars
from the Games since 1999.  The money went to new apartments for
staff, and in business investments.  China's accounting watchdog
investigated 55 central govt depts and uncovered the rampant abuse of
public money, widespread tax evasion and corruption within local and
central govt and state-owned enterprises.

Jackson judge says fair trial 'difficult'
LA (AFP).  The judge in pop star Michael Jackson's child molestation
case concedes that intense media scrutiny has made his chances of
getting a fair trial "very difficult".
The admission from judge Rodney Melville comes as media lawyers
attempt to win access to more explosive details of the case that
prosecutors, defence lawyers and the judge want to keep under wraps.
"I'm being very careful, I'm following the law," Mr Melville said.
"It is exasperating when the individual is known around the world. It
makes it very difficult for the individual to get a fair trial."
The comments come in response to comments from media lawyer Theodore
Boutros, who says a "blanket of secrecy" has been thrown over the case.
Mr Boutros represents a group of media organisations and has made
fresh calls for the release of more documents and details about the
child sex allegations.
Mr Boutros says the public has no idea if prosecutors are treating
Jackson fairly and whether his status as a wealthy celebrity is
affecting the way the run-up to his trial is being handled.
"The time has come in the case to let the sun shine in," Mr Boutros
told the judge.
* Secrecy "boomerang"
He says that the secrecy surrounding the case could come back like a
"boomerang" on prosecutors and defence lawyers.
Mr Boutros has vowed to take his fight to uncover more details of the
allegations against Jackson to a higher court.
"My problem is that the secrecy has gotten worse and worse," he said.
"Both sides have gotten together to create this almost impenetrable
veil of secrecy."
The key document media organisations want access to is the sealed
indictment that formally accuses the 45-yo pop icon of molesting a
12-yo boy at his Neverland ranch last y.
The indictment was handed down by a grand jury in Apr.
Jackson pleaded not guilty to 10 charges, including child abuse,
conspiracy to abduct a child and administering alcohol to the boy in
order to abuse him.
But details of the allegations and the testimony of key witnesses in
the case, including the alleged victim, remain secret.

Court rules Princess entitled to privacy
Brussels.  Princess Caroline of Monaco has obtained a landmark privacy
ruling that could affect the rights of the paparazzi around the globe.
The Princess had sought the judgement from the European Court of Human
Rights, after she was photographed skiing, playing tennis and sitting
in a cafe.  The court decided that the pictures, which were printed in
3 magazines, violated her right to privacy and should not have been
published.  The court said every person, however well known, must be
able to enjoy a legitimate hope for the protection of their private
life.  The case has overturned a 1999 ruling in a German court, which
found that as a high-profile figure Princess Caroline had to accept
being photographed while out in public places.

Winds hamper hot air balloon championships
Mildura, Vic.  Bad weather has grounded more than 100 hot air balloons
that were preparing to take to the skies above Mildura in Vic's NW
this morning.  It is the 1st time the World Hot Air Balloon
Championship has been held in AUS during its 16-y history.  The
event's organiser, Kerry Frankle, says despite this morning's practice
session being cancelled, the competition will proceed tonight.  "We've
had all the horrible weather in the last couple of days and it's
fining up and it's looking great for the opening ceremony tonight,"
she said.  "Some pilots have arrived yesterday afternoon.
"Unfortunately I don't think they will have the opportunity to fly in
the practice session this morning, it's just slightly too windy."
Aussie hot air ballooning nat'l champion Sean Cavanagh says fans will
have a spectacular view when the competition gets underway.  "Balloons
will really fill the sky from horizon to horizon," he said.

ALP warns of water deal pork barrelling
The Murray River is to get an extra 500 GL of flow.
Canberra.  The Fed Opp'n has raised concerns that the Govt will use a
key element of the new nat'l water strategy for "pork barrelling" in
the lead-up to the election.
Fed, state and territory leaders yesterday signed the agreement in CBR.
It will see an extra 500 GL flow into the ailing Murray River
and provide greater certainty for farmers' water rights.
The Commonwealth will also consider financial assistance for regional
water projects and for farmers who have had their water allocations reduced.
Labor's Kelvin Thomson says there is a risk of "pork barrelling"
before the fed election.
"Money which is spent on restoring the rivers needs to be based around
the science and around good environmental outcomes, not used for
political objectives," he said.
Deputy Prime Min John Anderson says the agreement will have a major
impact on the management of the nation's water.
"That gives people what they need -- the investment certainty," he
said.  "They can go to their banks and say here's certainty over the
next 30 y or whatever they need to invest."
Mr Anderson says the money will be wisely spent.
"You probably never convince people of that because we're so cynical,
we're all switched on to who gets a bit of taxpayers' money here -- I
can tell you now the focus will be on a bit of justice for some people
who have copped a very raw deal," he said.

The Murray River is to get an extra 500 GL of flow.
Debate flows over nat'l water plan
Canberra.  Dep PM John Anderson says yesterday's nat'l water deal will
be as important for farmers as land title was in the 1800s.
The Fed Govt has struck a historic $500 mn deal with the states to
return water from irrigation to the country's stressed rivers,
starting with the Murray Darling.
The agreement commits to sending an additional 500 GL of water
down the Murray River and includes a $500 mn funding agreement and a
nat'l trading system for water.
The deal was signed at yesterday's Council of Aussie Govts (COAG) meeting.
Mr Anderson, who is also the Nat'l Party leader, has told delegates at
the party's annual New S Wales conference that the deal provides
certainty and security for farmers.
"They have what they need now to plan and invest with security, and to
take it forward with their banks," Mr Anderson said.
Gary Jones, the head of the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater
Ecology, has backed yesterday's agreement, saying tackling the
country's dwindling water resources needs to be a priority for all govts.
* First step
Prof Jones says the agreement is a good 1st step.
"[I'm] really pleased to see that the majority of states and Commonwealth
have signed off on this and we can start moving forward," he said.
"I guess we'd like to see a bit more money on the table from the
Commonwealth as well but hopefully the states will keep the
negotiations happening."
Professor Jones says it is disappointing W AUS has not signed up to
the deal.
"They'll have their own reasons for doing that and I'm not familiar
with all the issues in W AUS but we do hope that we can get a nat'l
approach," he said.
WA's rejection of the deal has angered PM John Howard, who calls it
petty and foolish.
However, the Greens have supported Prem Geoff Gallop's decision.
* Wider debate
Dr Gallop says there is nothing in the deal for W AUS. WA Greens MLC
Dee Margetts agrees.
She says his actions should spark a wider debate about the
effectiveness of the strategy.
"We all have an obligation to work in the right direction, to work
towards a more sustainable water future," she said.
"But we now have to ask the serious questions about whether the COAG
reforms are going to take us in that direction."
Despite Dr Gallop's opp'n, SA, Qld, Vic and NSW are happy with the
water plan.
South Aussie Prem Mike Rann believes the agreement is the best case
scenario he was hoping for.
Mr Rann says the deal delivers important initiatives to improve
conditions for both Adel residents and farmers.
* Water trading
"We've also introduced a new mechanisms for water trading, which is
what farmers in SA have been wanting for a long time," he said.
"[It] also for the 1st time guarantees of future compensation is the
scientific research lead to reductions in allocations to irrigators
and farmers."
SA Farmers Federation president John Lush agrees.
"I think its good news for SA... [better] water quality and it looks
like irrigators only have to give up 3% of the water to attain that,"
Mr Lush said.
"I actually think they will be better off."
But Qld Greens leader Drew Hutton says landholders are the only ones
who will benefit from the plan.
"The water resources from the Murray Darling basin have been
privatised," Mr Hutton said.
"We've got a privatisation of the water resources, this public
resource is now basically in private hands.
"We've got no extra water going in the Murray system. It's not a win
for the environment this whole agreement."

ACF urges states to go it alone on green energy
Environmentalists say Fed Govt energy plans are not green enough.
Canberra.  The Aussie Conservation Foundation (ACF) is calling on
state and territory energy ministers to reject the Fed Govt's energy
statement in favour of a state-based response to climate change.
State and territory energy ministers are meeting today in a show of
support for the renewable energy sector.
There are fears that the sector's growth will grind to a halt within
ys under the fed plan, which provides funding for research on clean
power technology but does not lift renewable energy targets.
The mandatory renewable energy target for 2010 will stay capped at
9,500 GW hr.
The foundation's John Connor says the Fed Govt's plans fail to protect
nat'l treasures like the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu.
"That is the consequence of not moving fast enough or seriously enough
on greenhouse pollution," he said.
"The Fed Govt's neither joining the community of nations or taking
action on that to the Kyoto protocol nor doing enough domestically to
reduce green house emissions in the time frame we need."
The foundation is asking the state ministers to agree to a number of
measures as a step towards a state-based response to climate control.
Mr Connor says the Fed Govt's plan is short-sighted.
"It's up to the states to show some nat'l leadership here, to actually
get in behind Kyoto protocol," he said.
"To set a nat'l target and road map percentage to cutting pollution
and green house emissions and some state driven programs on emissions
energy and trading."
Currently, 60% of AUS's renewable energy is produced in Tas but
expansion plans are now in doubt.
Tas's Energy Min, Bryan Green, says it is a nat'l concern.
"The other states are interested because they've got developments happening
in their own states," he said. "People are keen to see those go ahead."
Vic'n Energy Min Theo Theophanous says the states will focus on
developing a responsible alternative to the Fed Govt's plan.
"The failure to address our nat'l or internat'l obligations to reduce
our emissions is a serious blow to those who believe we should abide
by these internat'l obligations," Mr Theophanous said.

Garrett to address Young Labor conference
Canberra.  Peter Garrett will address aspiring Labor politicians,
sitting members and candidates in CBR this weekend, as a speaker at the
nat'l Young Labor conference.  More than 100 delegates will discuss
everything from youth wages through to policies on immigration and
defence.  Nat'l president Alex Dighton says it is a coup to have the
former rock singer, who recently joined the party, address the
conference.  "We're really pleased to have Peter coming to talk to
Young Labor members," he said.  "It shows he's very committed to
talking to members of the Labor Party and particularly young people."
The Young Labor conference will also consider motions on the
environment, health and foreign affairs.  Mr Dighton says some of the
topics may surprise snr ALP members.  "We've got a number of issues on
the agenda [not all] of which will not be in line with the fed Labor
Party," he said.  "Others will definitely line up with Mark Latham's
vision for AUS."

Latham must tread lightly with US: Carr
Bob Carr ... US relations will require careful diplomacy.
Sydney.  NSW Prem Bob Carr says fed Labor leader Mark Latham faces a
great challenge in dealing with the US if he is elected PM.
Labor's policy to withdraw Aussie troops from Iraq has drawn sharp
criticism from the US Admin of Pres George W Bush.
In an interview with the ABC's Sun Profile program, Mr Carr suggests
that the issue would need the skills of foreign affairs rep Kevin Rudd
or former leader Kim Beazley rather than Mr Latham.
Mr Carr says the Labor Party knows the US is sensitive about the issue.
"If Labor is to be elected in the forthcoming elections, this will be
a major diplomatic challenge," Mr Carr said.
"There will be ultra-nat'lists in Washington who will react very
strongly to the implementation of Labor's policy.
"It's going to require sensitive diplomacy."
Prime Min John Howard says Mr Carr's comments amount to an accusation
that Mr Latham is wrong on Iraq.
"What Bob Carr has done is to confirm the Govt's criticism of Mr
Latham," Mr Howard said.
"His policy of cutting and running from Iraq would be seen as
unwelcome, as an unfriendly act, and would certainly have an adverse
impact on the alliance."
The full interview with Mr Carr can be heard on Sun Profile on ABC
local radio after 9.00 pm tomorrow.

No corruption charges laid against drug squad
Melbourne.  Vic's Assistant Commissioner for Crime, Simon Overland,
says there will be no criminal charges laid against 4 former drug
squad detectives accused of corruption.
A police informer has alleged in a committal hearing that the
detectives forced him to sign false documents about the passing of
drug money to a police officer.
3 of the officers are still serving and one of those is involved in
drug-related investigations.
Assistant Commissioner Overland has told ABC TV's Stateline program
that the allegations have been thoroughly investigated.
"As I understand it, the investigations into the officers as far as
criminal matters is concerned are over," he said.
"There may be some internal matters, some disciplinary charges that
have to be considered and that's obviously in progress.
"We will go back and look at the committal and if there's any further
matters that need to be investigated or old matters that need to be
re-investigated that will happen."
Assistant Commissioner Overland says there is also a new staffing
policy in the drug investigation division.
"People will, after a period of about 3 or 4 y, be moved out and new
people will be moved in," he said.
"We are not going to allow people to sit in that sort of spot for
10-12 y because past experience indicates that is when risks arise.
"That's when, unfortunately, sometimes you see individuals become
engaged in corrupt behaviour."

Canada's killer whale relocation bid in limbo
Vancouver, BC (Reuters).  A plan to relocate a lost killer whale on
Canada's Pacific coast was in limbo on Fri after objections by native
Indians, who claim the animal holds the spirit of a dead chief.
The whale experts who travelled to Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island to
help capture the orca, nicknamed Luna, were headed home and it was
unclear if they would return, said Vancouver Aquarium rep Angela Nielsen.
"It's a wait and see situation," Nielsen said.
Canada's Dept of Fisheries and Oceans halted the effort to reunify the
whale with its family pod until it can reach an agreement with the natives.
The whale has become the focus of a circus-like tug-of-war between the
scientists, who were using a boat to lure Luna to a pen, and members
of the Mowachaht-Muchalaht Indians, who used canoes to lure the animal
in the other direction.
Scientists have cited the whale's attraction to boats and float planes
as the reason it needed to be relocated to the Strait of Juan de Fuca,
where its pod spends the summer.
The population of killer whales on the US-Canada border is endangered
and it is hoped the return of a young breeding male would help ensure
their survival.
The whale was accidentally separated from its pod in 2001 and has been
living alone in Nootka Sound. Experts believe the 1.8 ton whale is
lonely and they worry it will be hurt or killed by a collision with a
boat as it seeks human companionship.
The Mowachaht-Muchalaht natives believe the whale carries the spirit
of a band chief who died a wk before the animal arrived in their
traditional territory. He had said he would return as a killer whale.
The natives want the whale left where it is, but say if it does have
to be relocated it should be led down the ocean coast by canoe. The
Strait of Juan de Fuca is about 200 km S of Nootka Sound.
Fisheries' officials said the native's plan was unworkable and want to
use a specially equipped truck to carry the whale to the reunification
area E of Vic.
Officials suspended the capture effort on Thu over concern the battle
for the whale's attention was making it more comfortable with
people. Dept officials planned to meet with native leaders next wk.

Consumers warned of Internet shopping dangers
Sydney.  The Aussie Competition and Consumer Commission is warning
consumers to be aware of their rights when shopping on the Internet.
Deputy chair of the ACCC Louise Sylvan says a survey of the top 100
Aussie Internet sites selling goods or services, found over 1/2 do
not comply with the Trade Practices Act.  She says they either deny
consumers' warranty rights or limit liability.  Ms Sylvan says
consumers' rights are the same online as when shopping by other methods.

Online retailers strip customers' rights: ACCC
Sydney.  Online shoppers deserve the same protection as real-world
customers, according to the ACCC.  The Aussie Competition and Consumer
Commission (ACCC) says it is concerned people shopping over the
Internet are not being treated fairly.  The ACCC's deputy chairwoman,
Louise Sylvan, says a survey of Aussie web sites selling goods and
services has found 50% either deny consumers' warranty rights or try
to limit their own liability.  She says the ACCC is concerned many
sites are not properly disclosing statutory warranties and conditions
of purchase.  Ms Sylvan says the Trade Practices Act still applies to
businesses selling goods online.  "It doesn't matter whether people
are shopping in a mall, shopping on the high street or shopping
online, the rights for consumers are absolutely identical," she said.
"They cannot be contracted out of, even if people are transacting online."

Stuck switch caused spacewalk problems: NASA
Houston (Reuters).  The abrupt abort of an ambitious spacewalk from
the Internat'l Space Station (ISS) yesterday was caused by a stuck
switch and not a dangerous oxygen leak, NASA says.
American astronaut Michael Fincke, who was making his 1st spacewalk,
was outside the airlock for less than 2 minutes before Russian ground
controllers ordered him to return.
They also ordered his Russian colleague Gennady Padalka to return.
Mission Control in Moscow detected a drop in pressure from Mr Fincke's
primary oxygen tank, which might have indicated a dangerous leak.
But NASA says that an auxiliary switch for feeding oxygen to the
Russian suit had been left in an "on" position, even though an
indicator showed it was "off".
NASA says Mr Fincke tested the switch before leaving the airlock and
returned it to the off position, something confirmed by an indicator
light in his helmet.
However, for some reason the mechanism stuck.
The result was the shortest spacewalk in US history.
"The Russians completely exonerated the crew of any mistake," NASA rep
Rob Navias said.
Mission managers will meet on Tue to reschedule the spacewalk, which
is tentatively set for that evening.
The success of the mission could prove vital to the space station's
operations.
Only 2 of 4 large gyroscopes that keep the 200-t station stable in
flight currently work.
Another gyro failure would force the station to begin using up
precious fuel stores as thrusters took over the job.

Web surfers' passwords, bank details vulnerable
Some Internet security experts are warning web surfers not to use
Microsoft Internet Explorer.
LA (Reuters).  A potentially dangerous Internet attack designed to
steal financial data and passwords from Internet users is rippling
across the World Wide Web.
Computer security experts say the attack, which surfaced earlier this
week and is known as the "Scob" outbreak, exploits a vulnerability in
servers using a version of Microsoft's IIS software.
The Scob outbreak is also known as 'Download.Ject', JS.Scob.Trojan and
JS.Toofeer.
It has been called more dangerous than the recent "Sasser" and
"Blaster" infections.
Infected servers exploit another vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet
Explorer browser to install a trojan file on the PCs of web surfers
who visit the infected sites. The trojan places a keystroke logger on
users' PCs.
Alfred Huger, snr director of engineering at Internet security company
Symantec Corp, says users do not realise their computers are affected.
"All of this takes place while it looks like you're viewing the same
web page," Mr Huger said.
"You don't even know that parts of your browser have been redirected
to another web site."
The US Computer Emergency Readiness team warns on its web site that
"any web site, even those that may be trusted by the user, may be
affected by this activity and thus contain potentially malicious code".
Michael Murray of nCircle Network Security says the trojan is designed
to capture credit card numbers and passwords and send them back to a
server in Russia.
However, the threat to users' personal data seems to have diminished,
at least for the time being.
"The server appears to have been shut down in the last 8 hr," Mr
Murray said.
"We don't know if it was shut down by authorities or whether it was
accidental."
There are no patches available yet from Microsoft to fix the
vulnerability in Internet Explorer. Microsoft says users could search
for the files "Kk32.dll" or "Surf.dat" to see if their PCs are infected.
The company also suggests that users set their browser security level
to "high".
The Internet Storm Centre, a body monitoring and warning of Internet
security attacks, suggests web surfers use a browser other than
Microsoft's Internet Explorer -- or turn off javascript -- until the
current vulnerabilities are patched.

Friendly dog prevents killing spree?
[It could ONLY happen in Canada! :)]
Toronto (Reuters).  A Canadian man, driving a car packed with weapons
and ammunition, was intent on killing as many people as possible in a
Toronto neighbourhood but gave up the plan at the last minute when he
encountered a friendly dog, police said on Thu.
The middle-aged man, who police said was mentally disturbed, had
planned to carry out the shooting spree on Wed to ensure he would be
put in jail permanently, Toronto police said.
He had set himself up in an east-end park to load his weapons and then
planned to drive around shooting. He later told police that a dog then
approached and started playing with him.
The encounter melted the man's heart, and he then went in search of
police to give himself up, police said.
"He happens to be a pet lover, and decided that since there was such a
nice dog in the area, that people were too nice and he wasn't going to
carry out his plan," Detective Nick Ashley told reporters.
Police found 6,000 rounds of ammunition, 2 rifles, a shotgun, a
semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and an air rifle in the man's car,
along with a machete and a hunting knife. The car also contained a
throwing knife, a camouflage mask and netting.
He had recently arrived in Toronto from New Brunswick.
James Paul Stanson, 43, has been charged with a variety of
weapons-related offences and appeared in court for a bail hearing on Thu.

Czech survives 10 days buried alive in coffin
Prague (AFP).  A 50-yo Czech man has survived 10 days buried
underground in a wooden coffin without food and water, setting what he
claims is a new world record, local media has reported.
Zdenek Zahradka, a holy man or fakir, was connected with the outside
world only by a ventilation pipe and said the most difficult thing to
endure during the feat was severe thirst.
Mr Zahradka said he spent most of the time sleeping or contemplating
and sometimes spoke to friends through the pipe.
"While I was underground I thought about all the things happening in
the world, and I realised that human life is so futile that we must be
glad for the time given to us, we should respect our lives," he said.
Mr Zahradka said he beat the previous world record for being buried
alive by 4 days and will apply to be registered in the Guinness Book
of World Records.
"Of course I do not agree with what he did, but now that he has
succeeded, I am glad," his wife Alena said.
According to doctors, Mr Zahradka lost almost 9 kg during his time in
the coffin.
Mr Zahradka, alias Ben Ghan, has already set several records during
his career.
In 1979, he was the 1st in the world to swallow a sword that measured
55 cm long.

{{
8 am
Qld Prem Peter Beattie says the Council of Aussie Govts (COAG) is so
badly organised it is like a "chook yard".

The Vic Govt says its fed counterpart has failed to announce funding
for the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline at today's Council of Aussie Govts
(COAG) meeting.

10 am
The US Army has named a higher-ranking general as the snr investigator
of abuse of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq amid lawmakers'
complaints the probe is dragging on too long.

US-led forces say they have killed between 20 and 25 people in an air
strike on a suspected safe house of alleged Al Qaeda operative Abu
Mussab al-Zarqawi in the Iraqi town of Fallujah.

A series of loud explosions has rocked Baghdad's west, an AFP
correspondent reports.

Brit PM Tony Blair has personally asked US Pres George W Bush to hand
over the 4 remaining Brit nat'ls being held at Guantanamo Bay,
according to a Brit newspaper report.

Leading UN human rights experts are demanding access to terrorism
suspects being held at Guantanamo Bay and other US detention centres.

NATO nations' envoys have struck a tentative deal to help the interim
Iraqi Govt train its security forces.

PM John Howard has hailed a nat'l water agreement as a tremendous day
for AUS but W AUS's Prem and the Greens have criticised the plan.

Thousands of people have turned out in central Dublin to protest
against American policies on Iraq, as Pres George W Bush arrived in
the W of Ireland for a summit with leaders of the EU.

Midday.
Canberra. Parliament has risen after a rare Sat sitting.  PM
Howard ignored speculation he's clearing the decks for an Aug 7 poll.

The UN has made a public call to be allowed access to US-run military
prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  The
highly-unusual move has been made because the Special Envoy on Torture
says prev requests to gain access to the facilities have been rebuffed
or ignored.  UN reps say they fear the US is still violating human
rights at some facilities.

Washington. VP Dick Cheney has defended his right to swear at
opponents. He reportedly said "fuck" in a confrontation with a Dem
senator this wk.  Cheney and Pat Leahy clashed as lawmakers gathered
for a photo in the Senate.  Cheney says it's not the kind of language
he normally uses, but Leahy had been the latest to challenge his
integrity.  The VP told Fox News he "felt better" after he swore at Leahy.

Baghdad. The US military says it's killed 20-25 people in a 3rd
Fallujah air strike on al-Qaeda operative Abu Massab al-Zarqawi. A rep
says the attack was along the lines of 2 other airborne missile
strikes on suspected hideous over the past wk.  The total death toll
from the targeted assassination raids is now between 59 and 64. The
US military says it won't shrink from more attacks.

Moscow. Russia's Duma has ratified the Conventional Forces in Europe
treaty.  The agreement regulates the deployment of military aircraft,
tanks and other heavy weapons in Europe.  It was ratified 355-28, with
2 abstentions.  It's seen as being in Russia's interests.

Beijing. Torrential rainstorms in C and S China have triggered flooding
that's claimed at least 29 lives in the past wk.  Media reports say
storms in China's Hunan prov over the past 6 days killed 28 people,
while floods in the Guizhou prov have killed 1 person.  Another 27
people are reported missing in Hunan.

Ray Bradbury claims Michael Moore has "stolen" the title of his story
and has called for the title "Fahrenheit 9/11" to be removed and for
Moore to offer a public apology. "Fahrenheit 451" was Bradbury's
story about a totalitarian future where the fire brigade burns
books. 451 F is -- according to the story -- the temp at which book
paper catches fire.

The US Coast Guard has sent 34 Cubans back home after intercepting
their boats off the coast of Florida.

Pt-au-Prince. A UN stabilisation force has officially taken over
security in Haiti, replacing a US-led mission after former Pres
Bertrand Aristide left Haiti on Feb 29.  The US force -- incl a large
French contingent -- will leave by the end of the m.  Brazilian Gen
Augusto Heleno is leading the new 6,700 member UN force, incl 1,200
Brazilian soldiers, known as MINUSTHA.  An additional 1,600 UN police
will provide security.

Beijing. A 3rd round of 6-way talks with N Korea have closed, with
negotiators expected to issue an 8-pt statement.  The Xinhua agency
says the negotiations on NK's nuclear weapons drive agreed in principle
to hold another round of talks in Sep, and resume working-group
meetings ASAP.  While progress had been expected in the latest round,
with the US and Japan making unprecedented offers of aid in return for
NK renouncing nuclear weapons development, Pyongyang threatened to
conduct its first weapons test.

European newspapers are predicting a future Iraq will be much less
secular than the one under the deposed regime. Ayatollah Sistani is
expected to gain influence in nat'l elections, with many Iraqis
expected to support Shi'ite parties.  OTOH, a Dutch delegation returned
from Turkey says that country is much less under the influence of
religious leaders than prev thought.

6 pm
Aussie soldiers have come under mortar attack in Iraq.  A training
team of about a dozen Aussies came under mortar attack nr Mosul where
they were training members of the new Iraqi army.  5 Iraqi army
soldiers were hurt in the attack, 2 seriously.  No Australians were
killed or hurt.  Insurgents fires 1/2 a dozen shells at the training
camp.  1 landed in the compound.  A rapid reaction force went after
the attackers, but they escaped.

Earlier, guerrillas blew up the party HQ of interim PM Allawi after
fighters stormed the building in Baquba, N of Baghdad.  2 people were
killed.  US planes then flattened a nearby house, killing its residents.

US war planes have hit Fallujah again.  US cmdrs say up to 25 members
of the al-Qaeda network were killed when the house was flattened.
It's the 3rd similar attack this wk.

UN Sec-Gen Kofi Annan says force is not the answer.  The UN has
refused to return to Iraq until the security sit'n improves.  Iraq may
declare a state of emergency with the interim govt turning to NATO for
help, says invasion architect Paul Wolfowitz.

Demonstrators have staged a big anti-war protest in Dublin.  20,000
people turned out in the Irish capital to shout about Bush, GWII and
Tony Blair.  Elsewhere, Mr Bush tried to mend fences with EU leaders
during an 18 hr visit.  He's on a brief stop-over before a NATO meeting
in Turkey.  The NATO summit comes just days before the transition to
the interim govt in Iraq.  Mr Bush said in a prev recorded interview
he didn't expect more troops from NATO, but the US expected to get a
training mission out of the organisation.  It was the only solution
[to America's quagmire], Bush said.  In Istanbul, anti-US protesters
are already on the streets.  Turkey has done its utmost to ensure the
security of the 40 world leaders who are to attend the summit.  Police
expect bigger demos when Mr Bush arrives.

A new document obtained by US ABC TV shows there was contact between
Saddam's regime and OBL.  The papers were found in Baghdad after the
invasion.  They indicate Saddam explored a relationship with OBL when
the terror leader was living in Sudan, and before he was widely known
as a terrorist leader.  Saddam was also exploring links with other
anti-Saudi groups, incl Hezbollah.  It's reported OBL suggested Iraq
re-broadcast some anti-Saudi speeches from a firebrand cleric, and
Saddam complied.  But OBL reportedly did not want to become an Iraqi
agent.  ABC says there was no indication that any other suggestions or
requests from OBL were ever acted on.

Fahrenheit 9/11 has opened across America, taking $30 mn in its first
day.  Moore hopes enough people will see it to unseat Bush.  Democrats
have taken advantage, expecting the film will see gatherings of
anti-Bush voters.  They've set up info booths outside.  Viewers say
their ideas could not have been changed by seeing the film.
Conservatives are out to muzzle ads for the movie.  Moore says when
conservatives don't like something, they don't want you to see it;
when "we" don't like something, he says, "we" just don't go see it.

Flooding in Hunan.  The weather bureau is forecasting better weather over
the next few days.  Its estimates of damage in the prov run to $500 mn.

MEL. Police had to block off Lygon St last night after Greece kicked
France out of the 2004 football comp in Portugal.  Muscle cars roared
up and down the local drag, and crowds gathered as flares were lit.
But there were no arrests reported.

9 pm
About 20 people have been killed in Baquba after insurgents attacked the
HQ of Shia leader Ayatollah Sistani.  The attack came a day after Sistani
criticised the Sunni leadership of the local al-Qaeda terrorist network.

A Brit researcher says he may have the first proof the world is
entering the 6th mass extinction period in Earth history.  Prev
research has concentrated on a limited number of bird species
world-wide.  But the latest study involves looking at Brit
butterflies.  It finds the "average" butterfly has decreased in range
by 15% in Brit over the past 10 y -- a huge amount.  The research
seems to unexpectedly indicate the extinction rate of insects could be
significantly larger than the prev published studies on birds.  The
rate for animals and plants world-wide could have become orders of
magnitude greater than the background rate, researchers say.  Many
scientists believe humankind has at least played a part in the development.

10 pm
A bus has been blown up in E Afghanistan.  The bus of female electoral
workers had left Jalalabad on the way to the Pak border on a voter
registration mission when it exploded.  A bomb had been placed on the
bus earlier.  2 women and a child were killed.  9 others were injured.
The deaths were confirmed by the electoral board.  The Taliban later
claimed responsibility for the attack.  It's the first time any
electoral staff have been killed.  There have been attacks on
electoral buses before.

There have been 2 attacks in Baquba.  The offices of the PM's party
were blown up.  Offices connected with a Shia group were also
attacked .  In Arbil, bombers attacked an office of the local Kurdish
govt.  A govt min was wounded and a guard was killed.  An American
soldier was killed in Baghdad when his convoy was hit by RPG's.

Several people have been killed in Kashmir after gunmen broke into
several homes in a village and opened fire indiscriminantly.

Vietnam era vets are teary as 20 "Hughies" are retired today.  The
choppers were converted to "Bushranger" gunships after the war.  The
"thumping sound" means a lot to soldiers who served in Vietnam in the
60s and early 70s, said a rep, because it meant help had arrived.

11 pm
Mr Bush and EU leaders are meeting in Ireland.  In a joint statement,
they offered encouragement to the new Iraqi govt, and urged Iran to
review its nuclear enrichment decision.
The meeting has drawn a line under the disputes over why GWII was
fought.  The EU is speaking of providing assistance to Iraq to ensure
transition to free elections take place by Jan next y.
Elsewhere, the IAEA has forecast a sig increase in nuke energy
generation.
}}

----------------------------------------
Sun, 27 Jun 2004.

	HEADLINES:
Israel kills top militant leader linked to Arafat
Hamas, Al Aqsa leaders killed in Nablus raid
Shiite party members killed in Iraq
UN to appoint new Iraq envoy
New Iraq PM promises amnesty for insurgents
Zarqawi supporters threaten to behead 3 Turks
Living in Iraq, US army-style
Iraqi military won't get tanks
Iraq welcomes NATO training plan
Iraq violence may force state of emergency; NATO to help
Iraq plans amnesty for some insurgents
Iraq oil pipeline reopens; feeder blasted
Iraq attack "shows troops must stay"
Insurgency may delay Iraqi elections
Deadly car bomb hits S Iraqi city
Bush declares Iraq rifts healed
6 die in Iraq violence ahead of handover
"Fahrenheit 9/11" tops $8 mn in first day
5 Canadian flight surgeons pass ailing Afghan boy for trip to Canada
9/11 commission links al-Qaeda, Iran
ALP quiet on "fairer" tax plan details
ALP rethinks terrorism hotline as glitch goes unnoticed
Another bomb explodes in Istanbul ahead of NATO summit
Arafat commits to truce during Olympics
Australia to ask Gusmao to halt deportation
Canada's Liberal Party could lose majority
Carr expresses faith in Latham
Close call tests Aust troops' response
Czech govt falls as PM resigns
Energy co-op generates public interest
Enron CEO admits responsibility for collapse
Fire destroys $10 mn movie studio
Greenpeace removes Homebush toxic waste
Greens challenge Garrett on port plans
Greens reject endorsement for Ralph Nader
Hot air ballooning championships lift off
Iran pushes ahead with uranium enrichment plans
Israel dismisses Olympics truce offer
Kakadu fee cuts "would lift visitor numbers"
Latham vows to make parties pay for ads
Leak reveals baby bonus payment concerns
Microsoft requests stay on EU penalties
Movie theatres fill in Washington to see Fahrenheit 9/11
Nuclear power "can't stop climate change"
Pakistan PM resigns: report
Pakistani Cabinet dissolves as PM resigns
Public invited to inspect "Ballarat"
Pulp mill plan wins fed backing
Russia to ship N Korea food aid
Sex abuse criticism "surprised" Hollingworth
Smelter proposal "too crazy to be real"
The $muli bn robbery the US calls reconstruction
The woman who is taking on Wal-Mart
US committed to Geneva Conventions: Bush
US wants reconstruction fund to pay Saddam debts
WA joins state-based energy strategy
Police know Norfolk Island killer's identity: Sen


Iraq oil pipeline reopens; feeder blasted
Baghdad (AP).  Repair crews patched up the larger of 2 S crude oil
pipelines damaged by saboteurs and resumed pumping to offshore
terminals, an oil official said Sat.
But hours after the pumping resumed, attackers blasted a small
pipeline that feeds into domestic storage tanks, igniting a blaze,
Iraqi police said.
Oil exports are hovering between 1.7 mn and 1.8 mn barrels a day --
about the same level as before the war started in Mar 2003,
according to an official with the S Oil Co.  The damage to the 2 lines
essentially cut off Iraqi oil exports earlier this m, heightening
supply fears.
One of the pipelines was brought back on line Mon nr the S city of
Basra, but repairs on the 2nd one took longer because it was more
damaged. The crude is sent to storage terminals on the Faw Peninsula,
then pumped through to the Basra and Khor Amaya terminals.
"Pumping began at about 10 am this morning," the oil official,
speaking on condition of anonymity, said of the 2nd line.
A bomb planted by saboteurs underneath a small, domestic feeder line
exploded Sat evening nr the town of Latifiyah, about 50 km S of
Baghdad, Iraqi 1st Lt Alaa Hussein said. The line carries crude to
storage tanks in Latifiyah.
Insurgents repeatedly have targeted the pipelines in a bid to restrict
the new interim govt's access to export revenue needed for post-handover
reconstruction efforts.
Iraqi officials have stressed that protecting the pipelines and other
oil infrastructure is a priority. But with about 7,000 km of
pipelines snaking through the country -- most running through desolate
regions -- they concede the task is a formidable one.
Saboteurs also blasted a key N oil pipeline transporting crude oil
from the town of Beji to the Dora Refinery, one of Iraq's largest
plants, on Mon. The blast cut off crude oil supplies to the refinery,
which produces gasoline, kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas for the
domestic market.
Another smaller line linking the N oil fields of Kirkuk with the
Turkish port of Ceyhan, was repaired earlier this wk after being
knocked out of service by attacks last m.
That line, which carries about 200,000 barrels a day, has been repeatedly
attacked and has operated only sporadically over the past few months.
The Oil Min'y has set up a special police unit responsible for
monitoring the network, and the Air Force recently purchased 2 Aussie
reconnaissance planes that will provide aerial surveillance.
Those planes will eventually be supplemented with about 14 more that
will also help monitor the country's porous borders.
The new govt, which will formally take over the country's Admin on
Jun 30, also has contracted with tribal leaders to monitor pipelines
that pass through their regions.
Iraq has the world's second-largest oil reserves. But y of war, UN
sanctions and mismanagement have left it with dilapidated and obsolete
oil facilities, and Iraqis have failed to restore crude exports to
prewar levels.

Microsoft requests stay on EU penalties
Brussels (AFP).  Microsoft has asked the European Union's top court to
suspend an anti-trust ruling by the EU's executive arm in a move
bitterly contested by the US software giant's rivals.
The request for a stay of the Mar ruling by the European Commission
has been lodged with the chamber of 1st instance of the European Court
of Justice.
"The request for the suspension has gone in but it was too late last
night to get entered into the court's registry, so that will happen on
Mon," a Microsoft rep said.
The commission has fined Microsoft a record 497 mn euros and ordered
changes to its Windows operating system after a 5-y
investigation into the group's overwhelming market dominance.
The ruling came as a blow after the Seattle-based titan largely fended
off its anti-trust battles with the US Govt.
While the EU fine is small change to a group the size of Microsoft,
the enforced product changes would hurt.
Microsoft has already lodged an appeal with the European court in
Luxembourg against the landmark ruling by Brussels.
The action aims to annul the commission's decision but a ruling might
not come for several ys, leading Microsoft to try to get the
commission's remedies suspended in the meantime.
The EU's executive arm has given Microsoft until the end of Jun to
offer computer makers a separate version of its Windows operating
system that does not include its "Media Player" audio and video program.
The company's core business strategy is to offer an all-in-one suite
of applications that caters to the home user's every need.
However, according to the pro-Microsoft Association for Competitive
Technology (ACT), rival players such as Apple's QuickTime and
RealPlayer are doing just fine.
"Across the industry, new entrants are making massive headway and
competition is vibrant and growing," ACT president Jonathan Zuck said.
"The commission's remedy is utterly unnecessary as there is no
competitive issue in this market."
Not so, shot back the anti-Microsoft Computer and Communications
Industry Association (CCIA), which has filed its own counter-appeal
with the EU court.
"It is perfectly clear that Microsoft's claim has no legal merit, and
therefore not surprising that it is again trying to use the media to
create unwarranted fear and confusion," CCIA chief executive Ed Black said.
"But being made to follow the law and play by the rules will not cause
any irreparable harm to Microsoft or anyone else.
"To the contrary, all the evidence from the marketplace confirms that
only a suspension of the commission's remedies would create
irreparable harm -- to consumers, competitors and the marketplace."
To get the remedies suspended, Microsoft must prove to the European
court that it has a prima facie case in law.
It must also prove that it would suffer "serious and irreparable harm"
if the measures were to take immediate effect.

Enron CEO admits responsibility for collapse
Kenneth Lay admits responsibility over Enron.
NY (AFP).  Former Enron chief executive officer Kenneth Lay has
acknowledged that he bears full responsibility for Enron's collapse in
2001.  "I take full responsibility for what happened at Enron," 62-yo
Mr Lay said in an interview with the NY Times.  "But saying that, I
know in my mind that I did nothing criminal."  The US Govt is expected
to decide soon whether to charge Mr Lay with a crime over the collapse
of Enron and the ensuing scandal.  Mr Lay told the Times that the
Enron collapse was the outgrowth of the actions of the company's chief
financial officer, Andrew Fastow.  Fastow has pleaded guilty to
charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit
securities fraud.  He has negotiated a 10-y prison term and agreed to
cooperate with the Justice Dept's ongoing investigation of Enron.

US wants reconstruction fund to pay Saddam debts
Fury as State Dept plans to raid rebuilding budget to pay off $150 bn bill.
Washington (Observer).  The US is proposing to divert funds earmarked
for the reconstruction of Iraq to pay off the war-torn country's
massive #150 bn internat'l debt and reparations bill.
A leaked letter from the US State Dept recommends deducting up to $640
mn from the $18.4 bn reconstruction budget to pay the cost of
cancelling Iraqi debt run up by the country's imprisoned former ruler,
Saddam Hussein.
The move, coming as the US prepares to hand sovereignty over to an
unelected Iraqi govt, will anger campaigners who believe the country
should not be made to pay for the deeds of Saddam. Justin Alexander,
coordinator of Jubilee Iraq, said: 'This is an unexpected development,
but it is an indication of US cynicism.'
The issue of cancelling Iraqi debt will be raised at this weekend's
summit between George Bush and EU leaders in Ireland. A statement is
expected today, but a final deal will not be reached until the end of
the y.
Meanwhile, the UN is expected this wk to increase Iraq's reparations
bill from the $30 bn already outstanding. Protests are expected at UN
offices in Geneva in coming days.
Iraq is already heading for an economic meltdown, which would wreak
further devastation on the country, as a result of the debt and
reparations bill. Increased oil revenues are too uncertain to prevent it.
US Nat'l Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice last wk stated Iraq would
have to draw up a long-term programme of privatisations to pay back debt.
Iraq's $150 bn debt arises out of loans dating back to its bloody war
against Iran during the Eighties. The country owes another $30 bn in
reparation payments for damage inflicted on neighbouring countries
such as Kuwait during the invasion in 1990.
Internat'l efforts are being made to write off 2/3 of the debt.
'Even with the best deal rich countries are likely to offer Iraq, its
debt will still exceed the country's health and education budget and
will devastate a country that is desperately poor and in danger of
civil war,' said Alexander.
'Quite apart from the injustice of requiring Iraqis to pay debts
incurred by Saddam Hussein, it is economically crazy to expect the
repayment of so much, because it will send the country into a tailspin.'
Iraq owes most of the money to other Arab nations, but a substantial
chunk of its debt is held by some of the world's richest
countries. Germany is owed nearly #3 bn and Brit more than #1 bn.

The $muli bn robbery the US calls reconstruction
The shameless corporate feeding frenzy in Iraq is fuelling the resistance
Baghdad (Guardian).  Good news out of Baghdad: the Program Management
Office, which oversees the $18.4 bn in US reconstruction funds, has
finally set a goal it can meet. Sure, electricity is below pre-war
levels, the streets are rivers of sewage and more Iraqis have been
fired than hired. But now the PMO has contracted the Brit mercenary
firm Aegis to protect its employees from "assassination, kidnapping,
injury and" -- get this -- "embarrassment". I don't know if Aegis will
succeed in protecting PMO employees from violent attack, but
embarrassment? I'd say mission already accomplished. The people in
charge of rebuilding Iraq can't be embarrassed, because, clearly, they
have no shame.
In the run-up to the Jun 30 underhand (sorry, I can't bring myself to
call it a "handover"), US occupation powers have been unabashed in
their efforts to steal money that is supposed to aid a war-ravaged
people. The state dept has taken $184 mn earmarked for drinking water
projects and moved it to the budget for the lavish new US embassy in
Saddam Hussein's former palace. Short of $1 bn for the embassy, Richard
Armitage, the deputy secretary of state, said he might have to "rob
from Peter in my fiefdom to pay Paul". In fact, he is robbing Iraq's
people, who, according to a recent study by the consumer group Public
Citizen, are facing "massive outbreaks of cholera, diarrhoea, nausea
and kidney stones" from drinking contaminated water.
If the occupation chief Paul Bremer and his staff were capable of
embarrassment, they might be a little sheepish about having spent only
$3.2 bn of the $18.4 bn Congress allotted -- the reason the
reconstruction is so disastrously behind schedule. At first, Bremer
said the money would be spent by the time Iraq was sovereign, but
apparently someone had a better idea: parcel it out over 5 y so
Ambassador John Negroponte can use it as leverage. With $15 bn
outstanding, how likely are Iraq's politicians to refuse US demands
for military bases and economic "reforms"?
Unwilling to let go of their own money, the shameless ones have had no
qualms about dipping into funds belonging to Iraqis. After losing the
fight to keep control of Iraq's oil money after the underhand,
occupation authorities grabbed $2.5 bn of those revenues and are now
spending the money on projects that are supposedly already covered by
American tax dollars.
But then, if financial scandals made you blush, the entire
reconstruction of Iraq would be pretty mortifying. From the start, its
architects rejected the idea that it should be a New Deal-style public
works project for Iraqis to reclaim their country. Instead, it was
treated as an ideological experiment in privatisation. The dream was
for multinat'l firms, mostly from the US, to swoop in and dazzle the
Iraqis with their speed and efficiency.
Iraqis saw something else: desperately needed jobs going to Americans,
Europeans and S Asians; roads crowded with trucks shipping in supplies
produced in foreign plants, while Iraqi factories were not even
supplied with emergency generators. As a result, the reconstruction
was seen not as a recovery from war but as an extension of the
occupation, a foreign invasion of a different sort. And so, as the
resistance grew, the reconstruction itself became a prime target.
The contractors have responded by behaving even more like an invading
army, building elaborate fortresses in the green zone -- the walled-in
city within a city that houses the occupation authority in Baghdad --
and surrounding themselves with mercenaries. And being hated is expensive.
According to the latest estimates, security costs are eating up 25% of
reconstruction contracts -- money not being spent on hospitals,
water-treatment plants or telephone exchanges.
Meanwhile, insurance brokers selling sudden-death policies to
contractors in Iraq have doubled their premiums, with insurance costs
reaching 30% of payroll. That means many companies are spending 1/2
their budgets arming and insuring themselves against the people they
are supposedly in Iraq to help. And, according to Charles Adwan of
Transparency Internat'l, quoted on US Nat'l Public Radio's Marketplace
programme, "at least 20% of US spending in Iraq is lost to corruption".
How much is actually left over for reconstruction? Don't do the maths.
Rather than models of speed and efficiency, the contractors look more
like over-charging, under-performing, lumbering beasts, barely able to
move for fear of the hatred they have helped generate. The problem
goes well beyond the latest reports of Halliburton drivers abandoning
$85,000 trucks on the road because they don't carry spare tyres. Private
contractors are also accused of playing leadership roles in the
torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. A landmark class-action lawsuit
filed by the Centre for Constitutional Rights alleges that Titan
Corporation and CACI Internat'l conspired to "humiliate, torture and
abuse persons" in order to increase demand for their "interrogation services".
And then there's Aegis, the company being paid $293 mn to save the PMO
from embarrassment. It turns out that Aegis's CEO, Tim Spicer, has a
bit of an embarrassing past himself. In the 90s, he helped to put down
rebels and stage a military coup in PNG, as well as hatching a plan to
break an arms embargo in Sierra Leone.
If Iraq's occupiers were capable of feeling shame, they might have
responded by imposing tough new regulations. Instead, Senate Republicans
have just defeated an attempt to bar private contractors from
interrogating prisoners and also voted down a proposal to impose
stiffer penalties on contractors who overcharge. Meanwhile, the
Whitehouse is also trying to get immunity from prosecution for US
contractors in Iraq and has requested the exemption from the new PM,
Iyad Allawi.
It seems likely that Allawi will agree, since he is, after all, a kind
of US contractor himself. A former CIA spy, he is already threatening
to declare martial law, while his defence minister says of resistance
fighters: "We will cut off their hands, and we will behead them." In a
final feat of out-sourcing, Iraqi governance has been sub-contracted to
even more brutal surrogates. Is this embarrassing, after an invasion
to overthrow a dictatorship? Not at all; this is what the occupiers
call "sovereignty". The Aegis guys can relax -- embarrassment is not
going to be an issue.

"Fahrenheit 9/11" tops $8 mn in first day
LA (AP). "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore's assault on Pres Bush,
took in $8.2 million to $8.4 million in its first day, positioning it
as the weekend's No. 1 film, its distributors said Sat.
Based on Fri's numbers, "Fahrenheit 9/11" was on track for an
opening weekend that would surpass the $21.6 million total gross of
Moore's "Bowling for Columbine," his 2002 film that earned him an
Academy Award for best documentary.
"Bowling for Columbine" holds the record for highest domestic gross
among documentaries, excluding concert films and movies made for
huge-screen IMAX theatres.
Fri grosses for "Fahrenheit 9/11" ran about $1.5 million ahead of
its closest competitor, the Wayans brothers comedy "White Chicks."
The performance of "Fahrenheit 9/11" was even more remarkable
considering it played in just 868 theaters, fewer than a 3rd the
number for "White Chicks."
"Fahrenheit 9/11" benefited from a flurry of praise and condemnation.
Supporters mobilised liberal-minded audiences to see it over opening
weekend to counter efforts by some right-wing groups to discredit the film.
"It always helps when there's a group out there that says, 'Don't go
see this movie. It's bad for you,'" said Jonathan Sehring, president
of IFC Films, one of the film's distributors.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" paints Bush as a neglectful president who ignored
terrorism warnings before Sep 11, then stirred up fear of more
attacks to win public support for the Iraq war.
The movie won the top honour at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
The film has ridden a wave of publicity since just before Cannes, when
Moore began assailing Disney for refusing to let subsidiary Miramax
release "Fahrenheit 9/11" because of its political content.
Miramax bosses Harvey and Bob Weinstein bought back the film and
hooked up with Lions Gate Films and IFC to distribute it.
The fury over "Fahrenheit 9/11" resembled the firestorm created by Mel
Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," which rose to blockbuster status
amid debate over whether it was anti-Semitic.
"It's like how 'The Passion of the Christ' redefined what a certain
genre of movie could do at the box office, 'Fahrenheit 9/11' is doing
the same thing," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office
tracker Exhibitor Relations. "This blows away any conceivable record
for box office of a documentary."

Canada's Liberal Party could lose majority
Ottawa (AP).  Embarrassed by financial scandal and hard-pressed by a
newly united conservative opp'n, Canada's Liberal Party heads into
nat'l elections Mon in grave danger of losing the parliamentary
majority it has held since 1993.
The result, regardless of who gets the most votes, could be one of
Canada's most unstable govts in decades -- perhaps hesitant to make
bold foreign policy commitments or other tough political decisions.
The final batch of opinion polls suggest that both the Liberals,
headed by PM Paul Martin, and the Conservative
Party will fall short of an outright majority of the House of Commons'
308 seats.
In that case, the party with the most seats would face the task of
forming a minority govt by wooing smaller parties -- the separatist
Bloc Quebecois and left-wing New Democratic Party -- into potentially
awkward and shifting alliances.
Canada's last minority govt was in 1979, and it lasted only 6 m.
Recent nat'l polls have the 2 major parties virtually deadlocked, each
backed by almost 1/3 of the voters, with the rest split among
undecideds, the New Democrats and the Bloc Quebecois -- which operates
only in Quebec.
If the Conservatives get to form a govt, the new prime minister will
be Stephen Harper, 45, a former Parliament member from Alberta who has
devoted much of the past decade to strengthening and unifying Canada's
right-of-centre factions. He has promised to cut middle-class taxes,
increase defence spending, expand military ranks from 60,000 to
80,000, and scrap a mandatory nat'l registry of firearms.
The Liberals' central campaign promise is to pump bn of dollars more
into the nat'l health care system to reduce sometimes agonisingly long
waits for medical procedures.
Martin, 65, took over as Liberal PM in Dec, without an election, when
Jean Chretien stepped down after 10 y in power. Though sometimes at
odds with Chretien, Martin had served him ably as a shrewd,
deficit-slashing finance minister.
Now, Martin's decision to call elections this m -- a y sooner than
required -- is being second-guessed as voters signal a weariness with
Liberal rule. The Conservatives have surged in the polls, and the
Liberals have been tarnished by revelations that tens of mns of
dollars in govt funds were improperly diverted to Liberal-aligned
advertising companies in Quebec during the 1990s.
"The Conservatives' message is a very negative message," said
University of Calgary political scientist Barry Cooper, referring to
Harper's emphasis on alleged Liberal corruption. "However, the
Liberals have countered with their own negative message, that the
Conservatives are scary and right-wing and not to be trusted."
Harper expended considerable effort during the campaign denying his
party would push Canada sharply to the right on social issues. He
promised not to seek new restrictions on abortions, but said he would
prefer that Parliament, not the courts, set nat'l policy on same-sex
marriage, which is now legal in 3 provinces.
The election marks the 1st nationwide test for Harper's revamped
party, created last y as a fusion of the 136-yo Progressive
Conservative Party and the western-based Canadian Alliance.
Harper said that if elected to lead a minority govt, the Conservatives
would probably not negotiate a power-sharing deal with the smaller
parties, but rather seek their support on a vote-to-vote basis.
He said neither the Bloc Quebecois, which favours independence for
mostly French-speaking Quebec, nor the New Democratic Party, a
favourite of labour unions, have enough ideological common ground with
the Conservatives to fit as a full-fledged coalition partner.
If the Liberals emerge from the election as weakened leaders of a
minority govt, this could further aggravate the sometimes-strained
relationship with Washington, said Joel Sokolsky, a Canadian political
scientist who has taught at the Royal Military College of Canada and
at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts.
The Liberals already have disappointed Pres Bush's Admin by skimping
on defence spending and keeping Canadian troops out of Iraq. Canada
must decide soon whether to participate in a new US missile defence
program; a "No" might further bruise relations.
"A Liberal minority dependent on the New Democrats would push Martin
to the left on security issues," Sokolsky said. "From the American
standpoint, that would be the worst outcome."
The new Parliament will have 7 more members than the outgoing one, in
which the Liberals hold 168 seats, the Conservatives 73, the Bloc
Quebecois 33 and the New Democrats 14. There are 9 independents and 4
vacant seats.

Greens reject endorsement for Ralph Nader
Milwaukee (AP).  The Green Party nominated Texas attorney David Cobb
as its candidate for president Sat, rejecting Ralph Nader's efforts to
secure the party's formal endorsement and likely access to the ballot
in key states like Wisconsin and California.
Nader, the party's candidate in 1996 and 2000, had told Green
officials m ago he would not accept the party's nomination for
president, preferring to build a coalition of 3rd-party groups and
independents rather than running under one banner.
Still, he openly courted their formal endorsement as a means to get on
the ballot in the 22 states and Washington, DC, where the party has a
ballot line.
But 408 delegates voted for Cobb on the 2nd ballot to give him the
nomination.
In Oregon, meanwhile, Nader made another bid Sat to get 1,000 people
together at a Portland high school to sign a petition to get him on
the Nov ballot as an independent. A similar attempt in Apr drew 751 people.
Election officials said they had counted 1,150 people when the second
meeting convened Sat evening, leaving little margin for signatures
that are later invalidated.
Another complicating factor was a drive by Democrats to stack the room
with committed Democrats who would take up space, but in the end
decline to sign the petition.
Republicans, on the other hand, were urged to show up and sign the
petition so Nader could get on the ballot and, perhaps, take votes
away from Democratic candidate John Kerry.
Nader's supporters at the Green Party convention argued that an
endorsement for him as the only real option for Greens if they hoped
to maintain their nat'l profile and play a role in the presidential race.
But Cobb has touted himself as a homegrown Green who would work to
build the party from the ground up, while Nader has maintained he is
not a member of the party and does not plan to join.
Cobb went out of his way to praise Nader in accepting the nomination,
but said later the vote was a sign the Green Party "has gotten out
from under the shadow of a man who has probably cast a larger shadow
than any other living American."
The party's endorsement would not have guaranteed Nader the Green
Party's ballot lines. Rather, it would have given state chapter
officials the option of presenting Nader as the candidate of their
choice for president to state election officials. Still, that prospect
was much less daunting than other means for getting on the ballot.
In California, for example, Nader will have to gather more than
150,000 signatures to get on the ballot as an independent.
Nader tapped longtime Green activist Peter Camejo as his running mate
this wk, a step his supporters hoped would bolster his chances of
winning the party's endorsement.
Many Democrats still blame Nader for Pres Bush's victory 4 y ago and
fear he could still syphon off enough votes to hand the Republican a
2nd term.
Nader recently was polling about 6% nat'ly, according to an Associated
Press poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs.
Nader rep Kevin Zeese said the consumer activist knew he faced an
uphill battle for the party's endorsement by electing in Dec not to
participate in the primary process and not sending representatives to
the party convention until this wk.
He said Nader would now turn his attention to his drive to get on the
ballot by other means in states where Greens have access and said
Greens will not know until Election Day whether their decision to back
someone else will pay off.
Nader already has the backing of the Reform Party, which has ballot
access in 7 states, but he has yet to be placed on any state ballots.

Movie theatres fill in Washington to see Fahrenheit 9/11
Washington (AFP).  Crowds in the US capital have flocked to the
opening of Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11, about the Bush Admin
in the lead up to the Sep 11 attacks, to see what the controversy is
all about.
Impatient viewers in Washington invaded cinemas as the movie opened.
At a 14-screen multiplex theatre in Georgetown, in the heart of the US
capital, the movie was being shown on 3 screens.
Tickets had been sold out for days, and some people were forced to sit
on the ground.
The movie begins with the Nov 2000 US presidential election.
For a few minutes Democrat Al Gore appears to be winning but he then
concedes victory to Republican Bush.
The camera pauses on Bush, who laughs nervously.
Then there is footage of Bush on vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.
When the movie turns to the Sep 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United
States, the screen goes dark, with only the sound effects telling the story.
The film then moves to Iraq, where a woman is seen pleading to Allah
after her uncle's home is destroyed in a US bombing.
In another moving scene, the mother of a US soldier killed in Iraq
breaks down in sobs as she talks about her son's death and her doubts
about the reasons for going to war. Fahrenheit 9/11 appeared in 868 US
theatres, a record for a documentary.
It is unclear what effect, if any, the movie will have on the outcome
of the US presidential election in Nov.

Bush declares Iraq rifts healed
Dublin (Reuters).  US Pres George W Bush has declared an end to
Western rifts over Iraq but has won little in his search for European
military help in the country.
"The bitter differences of the war are over," Mr Bush said.
However, Mr Bush encountered strong anti-American criticism during the
US-EU summit in Ireland, with protests delaying a final press conference.
Fenced off from his detractors by 2,000 soldiers and 4,000 police --
1/3 of the Irish security forces -- Mr Bush met European Union
leaders in a W Irish castle.
He has now flown to the Turkish capital, Ankara, where he is due to
have talks with Turkey's Pres and PM before joining other world
leaders at a NATO summit in Istanbul.
NATO leaders are expected to rubber-stamp a deal to train Iraqi
security forces, a concrete sign of new trans-Atlantic unity.
But the deal falls far short of Washington's original goal of getting
NATO troops into Iraq.
Diplomats say it may be just the lowest common denominator the 2 sides
can live with.
Mr Bush has challenged European partners in the NATO military alliance
to help him end the US-led occupation.
"NATO has the capability and I believe the responsibility to help the
Iraqi people defeat the terrorist threat that's facing their country,"
Mr Bush said.
"The faster the Iraqis take over their own security needs, the faster
the mission will end."
In their private talks and a joint US-EU statement, European leaders
made clear their disquiet over both the detention of terrorism
suspects in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and the US military abuse of
prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail.
The statement pointedly stresses "the need for full respect of the
Geneva Conventions".
Mr Bush responded that the Abu Ghraib scandal made him "sick" and said
in a separate statement that the US was fully committed to the Geneva
Conventions.
* "MacBush"
Protesters have been kept well away from 16th century Dromoland Castle
where Mr Bush met Irish PM Bertie Ahern, whose country holds the
rotating EU presidency.
"This summit has re-affirmed the strength, the depth and the
significance of our relationship in a spirit of partnership," Mr Ahern said.
But as on Mr Bush's previous trips to Europe, few on Ireland's streets
are ready to forgive and forget the US-led invasion.
About 10,000 protesters took to Dublin's streets on Fri.
While demos close to the summit venue have been smaller, they made up
for low numbers with high theatre.
One group staged a version of Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth at a
police roadblock 1 km from the castle, with "MacBush" cast as
the ruthless Scottish king.
"The Irish Govt has no guts," demonstrator Robert Sheehy said.
"It should stand up to Bush and tell him we don't want his war, we
don't want his planes at our airport."
The whistling and jeering is a sharp contrast to the jubilant welcomes
usually afforded to American presidents.
Mr Bush shrugs off his low standing in Europe, saying the polls he
cares most about "are those that are going to take place in early Nov"
to elect the next US pres.
"As far as my own personal standing goes, my job is to do my job," he
said. "I will lead and we'll just let the chips fall where they may."

Czech govt falls as PM resigns
Prague (Reuters).  Czech PM Vladimir Spidla has resigned, becoming the
first leader of an EU country to pay for a dismal showing in European
Parliament elections this m.
Mr Spidla narrowly survived a no-confidence vote by his Social
Democratic Party earlier in the day.
Critics opposed to economic austerity measures fell just short of a
required 3/5 majority to remove him.
"When it became apparent I do not have the support of my own party, I
cannot continue as premier," he said.
"I will formally inform the cabinet of the resignation on Wed."
Mr Spidla, who headed a centre-left coalition govt, has helped to
steer the Czech Republic to EU membership on May 1.
"The confidence in the Govt was shaken by the result of the European
election and the Social Democratic Party reacted in this way," he said.
Mr Spidla's resignation will automatically trigger the fall of the
3-party coalition, which also includes the centrist Christian
Democrats and the right-wing Freedom Union.
The Social Democrats are the biggest party.
Pres Vaclav Klaus will be in charge of appointing another prime
minister who will try to form a new cabinet.
Mr Klaus's rep says the Pres would not take any steps until he meets
Mr Spidla about the resignation.

Another bomb explodes in Istanbul ahead of NATO summit
Istanbul (AFP).  A small bomb attached to a banner with an anti-NATO
message has exploded in Istanbul just days ahead of the alliance's
summit, but no one was injured, police said.
The bomb went off as police were sealing off a footbridge in the
Bahcelievler district in the city's European quarter where the banner
was hung.
The bomb used was a small time-controlled device.
Police immediately closed the area to traffic and detonated a second
package attached to the banner, which was found to contain no explosives.
The banner attached to the explosive device read "KP-IO/Murderer NATO".
It was not clear what the "KP-IO" part of the message referred to,
police said.
Sat's explosion came 2 days after 4 people were killed and 21 wounded
when a bomb went off in a crowded public bus.
Turkish authorities said that a radical left-wing militant wanted by
police for past violent acts was behind that bombing.
Turkish security forces have been put on high alert ahead of the
summit due to be held Mon and Tue, to be attended by world leaders
including US Pres George W Bush.

US committed to Geneva Conventions: Bush
Dublin (AFP).  Pres George W Bush says the United States is committed
to upholding the Geneva Conventions, in a statement marking the UN
Internat'l Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
He pledges to prevent cruel and unusual punishment and hold
accountable any violators of the policy.
"The American people were horrified by the abuse of detainees at Abu
Ghraib prison in Iraq," Mr Bush said.
"These acts were wrong. They were inconsistent with our policies and
our values as a nation.
"We will investigate and prosecute all acts of torture and undertake
to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment in all territory under
our jurisdiction."
The statement says the US reaffirms its commitment to the worldwide
elimination of torture and the Geneva Conventions.
"These conventions provide important protections designed to reduce
human suffering in armed conflict," it said.
"We expect other nations to treat our service members and civilians in
accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
"Our armed forces are committed to complying with them and to holding
accountable those in our military who do not."
Brit Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says the UK, plagued for months by
allegations its troops have also abused prisoners in Iraq, will do
everything possible to eliminate torture around the world.
"We vehemently oppose torture as a matter of fundamental principle,"
Mr Straw said.
"Torture is absolutely prohibited in internat'l law and is to be condemned."
Mr Straw says the seriousness with which Brit is responding to
allegations of brutality by Brit troops in Iraq is "a true test of its
commitment to human rights and internat'l humanitarian law".
In 2003, Brit became only the 3rd country in the world to sign and
ratify the optional protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture.
The protocol makes a series of conditions for the treatment of
prisoners, for example, stipulating that places of detention should be
inspected by internat'l teams.

Living in Iraq, US army-style
Insurgent attacks breed paranoia.
'This is all a waste of time. I joined the Nat'l Guard to defend
America. We should not be leaving American soil.'
-- Soldier, Camp Gunslinger
Camp Gunslinger, Baghdad (Toronto Star).  It is the 1st joint
Iraqi-American operation for the soldiers of Alpha Company, and they
don't like it one bit.
At 45C, the acrid air feels like fire in the lungs. But that's not the
problem. The problem is that the gates of the US Army's Camp
Gunslinger, here on the N outskirts of Baghdad, just got hit by
another mortar round.
Someone out there is taking potshots. Again. And for the 4 soldiers
hunkered inside their enhanced-armour Humvee, the prime suspect stands
among the Iraqi allies with whom they are about to entrust their lives.
"Who's he talking to? Who the hell is he talking to?" shouts an
incredulous lieutenant behind the wheel of the idling troop
carrier. He is waggling his finger toward one of 11 Iraqi Nat'l
Guardsmen standing apart from the main group with a police radio at
his ear.
"There's nobody in radio range. Nobody he should be talking to. What
the hell's going on?"
It is midday Thu and all of Iraq seems to be exploding.
Multiple morning car bombs in Mosul, timed to coincide with brazen
insurgent attacks in Baquba, Fallujah and Ramadi.
The death toll, already well on its way to what will be 107, has
forced a quick change of plan. Alpha Company, of 3rd Battalion, 39th
Infantry Brigade, is abandoning its original assignment. Instead, it
will assist these fledgling Iraqi recruits to filter highway traffic
en route to Baghdad from the dissolute Sunni Triangle.
The immediate worry is that Baghdad, as always, remains the target for
a new campaign of car bombers and assassins dedicated to disrupting
the official handover to Iraqi self-rule, now just 4 days away.
But the larger paranoia for the Americans of Camp Gunslinger is
whether the Iraqis they are about to join up with are with them or
against them.
The night before this mission, one soldier reflected bitterly on all
those m of "cultural training" he received back at Fort Hood, Texas,
before deploying in Apr.
"Cultural training takes 10 seconds," he said: "The Iraqis hate
us. They want to kill us. That's all you need to know."
Such sentiments are now commonplace among the rank-and-file troops the
Star surveyed during visits to 3 US-led coalition bases in and around
the Iraqi capital this wk.
Take the temperature of the average soldier, and you will find it high
with frustration.
Yesterday's CNN/USA Today poll showing an unprecedented 54 % of
Americans now believe the invasion of Iraq was a mistake underscores
the sense that those now "in-country" are trapped in an assignment
that may bring them no glory.
That they want out, there can be no doubt. And most now accept that
the continuing insurgency, whatever its genesis, is a disease they
simply cannot cure. But until the ragtag and under-trained Iraqis --
still courageous enough to volunteer for security positions -- can hold
the country together on their own, they know they won't be going anywhere.
"What it boils down to now is the Iraqis have to finish the job," said
Capt Joel Lynch, leader of Alpha Company. "We'll cover their backs. But
they're the ones who know the terrain and the people. It's the only way."
Lynch is mindful of the shower-room talk among his soldiers; many US
soldiers are beginning to wonder if they aren't the problem. Could it
be that the US Army's very presence is a guarantee of perpetual
insurgency?
"Who can really answer that?" wonders Lynch. "It's kind of difficult
to roll the dice and pull out a whole coalition on that idea."
Most of the men at Gunslinger are with the 39th Infantry, comprised
entirely of men from Arkansas. Not regular army, but US Nat'l
Guardsmen, from all walks of life. One installs telephone systems for
a living, another sells Kawasaki motorcycles, a 3rd said he left his
restaurant in the care of a brother when the call-up notice came.
A few joined the Guard after 9/11, and it is they more than the others
who remain gung-ho about the job at hand. Others saw enlistment in the
Guard as a way to pay for college. Most, however, were banking on Guard
duty amounting to nothing more than 2 wk a y and the occasional weekend.
And now they find themselves at the least hospitable of the army's new
network of FOBs -- Forward Operating Bases -- that were built for the
2nd wave of soldiers who arrived this spring for what is dubbed
Operation Iraqi Freedom II.
Of the 1/2-dozen facilities in and around Baghdad, Gunslinger is an
act of improvisation, to say the least.
Temporary plumbing pipes tail around the outside of looted buildings,
inside one of which a command centre and impromptu barracks have been
jerry-rigged with dodgy, but crucial, air conditioning. It is rustic,
but it works -- and no other location would suffice, since it lies
adjacent to the largest water treatment plant in all of Baghdad, a
facility that must be protected.
Gunslinger gets twice-daily convoys of stale food from the far more
impressive Camp Cooke, where the wonders of modern military frills are
a sight to behold.
For an army about to lose the title of occupier, the vast and constantly
expanding Cooke facility gives the impression none of these soldiers
will be leaving anytime soon. And it is but one of a 1/2-dozen bases
in and around Baghdad built over the winter with a budget from the
Pentagon of $800 mn.
Erected on the badly looted remnants of the Saddam era's largest air
force facility, Camp Cooke, just N of the Iraqi capital at the town of
Taji, is now so large that shuttle buses ease weary soldiers'
feet. The only place the buses don't go is what is known as "The
Boneyard" -- a dumping ground where the former Iraqi regime's heavy
metal has been sent.
Yet The Boneyard has become a favourite site for US troops to gather
virtual war trophies. Though they are forbidden from bringing home any
such loot, the troops at Cooke have grown fond of spray-painting
messages to their loved ones on many 100s of wrecked tanks, jeeps,
army trucks and artillery cannons that once belonged to Saddam.
Cooke's Internet cafe makes sending home digital photos a breeze.
The residents of Cooke are overwhelmingly members of the US 1st
Cavalry Division, for whom the entire network of FOBs around Baghdad
were built. The main body began arriving in Mar, just as a 2nd front
of insurgency -- that of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr -- was
about to catch fire. With his Mahdi Army creating havoc to the S and
the Sunni Triangle getting hotter on all sides, the Cavalry's
awakening to its new assignment was far ruder than advertised.
Then came the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, a subject few soldiers
here are inclined to discuss. One 1st Calvary infantry lieutenant told
the Star his 1st reaction upon seeing the now infamous images from Abu
Ghraib was shock.
"Then, I just couldn't help but think: 'You imbeciles. You actually
took pictures.' What idiots," he said.
"Then finally, it dawned on me. Those pictures just put my life at
risk. We just bought ourselves a lot more mortar attacks, a lot more
IEDs [improved explosive devices]."
It can safely be said Col George Armstrong Custer would no longer
recognise his Cavalry if he were to see it today. There is not a horse
on site -- the "First Team," as it is nicknamed, dismounted formally
in 1943. But the army that once fought Pancho Villa now brings with it
heavy armour and an air support fleet of Apache, Black Hawk and
workhorse Chinook helicopters.
Sgt David Snyder, a platoon leader and Black Hawk pilot, spoke to the
Star about the unknowns of flying over Baghdad.
All traffic in and out of Camp Cooke hugs the ground for the duration
of the journey.
"I've had rocks hit us. I've had soccer balls almost hit us, if you
can believe it. Some of these guys can really kick a ball," said
Snyder. "But I'd still rather be up in the air where we've got a big
field of vision. We just don't know what will be down there next."
A certain number of soldiers throughout the camps take the line that
everything is fine. Or, rather, much finer than the media is letting
on. One such Cavalry specialist confronted this reporter during the
week. His 1st act was to repeat a popular prank -- he pressed his hand
on the "Press" label of my flak jacket, taking it to be a command
rather than a sign of identification.
Once he stopped laughing, he offered a sobering afterthought: "If you
guys would just tell the truth, and if the Iraqis would have the guts
to stand up and fight with the good guys, everything would be all right."
But the truth -- or at least part of the truth -- is that the Iraq
many of these soldiers see never extends "outside the wire." The
enormous%age of US troops who never leave the base remains a sore
point for those infantry who return dust-encrusted from patrols.
Hitching a ride between bases this wk, a team of Arkansas Nat'l
Guardsmen assigned the unenviable task of twice-daily LogPack runs --
more army jargon for Logistics Packages, meaning food and other
essential supplies -- vented on that reality.
"We're supporting our support people, because they're afraid to go
outside. It's ridiculous."
Nowhere is that bubble of insulation more evident than at North
Victory Camp, still under construction on Saddam Hussein's former
hunting grounds NE of Baghdad Internat'l Airport.
If there were such a place as Stepford, Iraq, N Victory would be
it. Here, the generals in command of the 1st Cavalry lord over what is
emerging as one of the largest US base camps built since Vietnam.
Among its attractions, a PX, or camp store, that would not seem out of
place in the Wal-Mart portfolio. Here, in giant air-conditioned
double-clamshell structure, soldiers browse through a cornucopia of
American amusements, from CD and DVD players, televisions and
satellite dishes to Weber barbecues, charcoal briquettes and
flash-frozen Omaha T-bone steaks to drop on the grill, at $14.95 a pop.
Among the war souvenirs: coffee mugs bearing slogans such as "Total
Whoopass: Operation Iraqi Freedom" and "[There is no] Hard Rock
Café, Baghdad"; T-shirts emblazoned "Who's Your Baghdaddio!"
North Victory boasts Iraq's only Burger King, a mobile operation
comprising 2 tractor-trailers -- but only for those willing to use
their own cash, rather than accessing the thrice daily catered meals
courtesy of the Pentagon contractor, Gulf Catering Co That food is
served at no cost and in vast quantities in a massive new mess hall at
N Victory that comes with attractions of its own.
Among them, 2 wide-screen televisions piping in the latest from ESPN
and Armed Forces Network. And last Sun, a uniformed Cavalry jazz trio
just happened to be playing Miles Davis when the Star stumbled in. The
tune was "Kinda Blue."
The heat, surprisingly, is far less of an issue for these soldiers
than one might imagine, given that the Cavalry has forgone tents for
this assignment.
Instead, soldiers are sleeping 2-to-a-room in a vast expanse of
trailer parks. The white-walled trailers provide 4-metre-square rooms,
each with one small window and, most crucially, air conditioning. Thus,
a 45C day becomes 22C whenever a soldier can find an excuse to go to
his room.
The trailer homes have not yet acquired a nickname, unlike most things
army. Given the environment, Ice Cubes might be appropriate.
It all adds up to something that is not quite America, but nowhere nr Iraq.
Yet for those who never travel beyond the limits of these bases,
reality still comes crashing. Mortar and rocket strikes continue to
rain periodically on their parade. Soldiers here whisper of the one
that crashed into the mess hall at Camp Cooke. And the one that killed
4 soldiers in Apr, shortly upon arrival.
And around Gunslinger, if nowhere else, the "aimers" are getting
better, according to Sgt Lynch. "We found one launcher that was
nothing more than a PVC pipe. Probably $20 was all they spent to rig
the whole thing together," he said.
"Somebody knows what they're doing. And they're getting closer."
Like IEDs, the Americans can do nothing against the mortar attacks,
many of which are drive-by, and in at least one instance, rigged to an
inexpensive kitchen timer. The soldiers find themselves targets,
rather than combatants.
"They won't fight," complained one of Gunslinger's infantry.
"They shoot and run. And when you get close to catching them, they
take cover in a mosque, which we're not allowed to touch.
"It's almost like kids playing tag: just as you get close enough to
touch them, they say, 'Time out.'"
The gunslinger soldier then added a surprising afterthought.
"This sucks. They call us occupiers and I don't blame them.
This is all a waste of time. I joined the Nat'l Guard to defend
America. We should not be leaving American soil."
Back in the Humvee full of paranoia, the operation begins.
Sucking up their suspicions, the US soldiers swing into their agreed
convoy position directly behind a truck carrying the Iraqi Guardsmen.
The motorcade proceeds outside the wire and 10 minutes later arrives
to set up its checkpoint at the northern entrance to Baghdad.
What's different this time is that for the very 1st time, the Iraqis
do the checking.
US soldiers fall back in a supporting position. An army tent is
erected, complete with air conditioner, but not before one of the
Americans collapses in the heat. Bottles of water frozen hard the
night before melt within the hour.
The Iraqi Guardsmen are a ragtag lot, clad in 5 different camouflage
uniform styles between the 11 of them. But they are keen. Taking
position on the highway, they filter each Baghdad-bound vehicle using
eyes that can see what the Americans cannot.
"It's a work in progress," Capt Lynch acknowledges, wiping his brow
as he watches from afar. "We've trained them. We've given them some
time on the range and some of them actually are getting to be pretty
good shots.
"And now, finally, this is their 1st assignment. For everybody's sake,
it has to succeed."

Shiite party members killed in Iraq
Baquba (AP).  Attackers fired RPGs at the offices of a leading Shiite
political party in Baquba on Sat, killing 3 people and wounding 2,
hospital officials and witnesses said.
The attack on the offices of Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution
in Iraq underscored the deep political and religious friction
afflicting the country in the days leading to the transfer of
sovereignty on Jun 30.
The assailants killed only party members in the attack, said Maitham
Ibrahim, who was wounded in the assault. The party, known as SCIRI,
has long clashed with Saddam's loyalists in this town, which is
inhabited by Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
Baquba is 56 km NE of the capital Baghdad. It was one of several
cities and towns targeted in a series of attacks on police stations
and govt complexes on Thu. More than 100 people were killed.
The US military accused Saddam Hussein's sympathisers for leading the
insurgency in the area.

Iraqi military won't get tanks
Baghdad (AP).  The lightly armed military taking shape in Iraq is far
different from Saddam Hussein's massive force, and the United States
appears to want it that way -- at least for the time being.
"Right now tanks and heavy armament are not necessary," said Frederick
C. Smith, the US snr adviser for nat'l security.
"What's needed are well-trained, disciplined troops with the proper equipment."
Rearming Iraq is a delicate undertaking. A robust military that can
tamp down Iraq's guerrilla uprising is key to the American exit
strategy. Too big a military brings forth alarming spectres of coups
and threats against neighbours.
Iraq needs a strong military to survive in one of the world's toughest
regions -- and to wean itself from an unpopular dependence on the US,
said Ibrahim al-Jaafari, one of Iraq's 2 incoming VPs.
"We don't want to turn Iraq into an arsenal. We don't want the
military to return to a strategy of aggression," al-Jaafari told The
Associated Press. "But we want Iraq to be strong enough to return
assaults from others. There must be an army with reasonable weapons
that can make the country safe, so no one can assault it."
Pres Ghazi al-Yawer has already called for doubling the size of the
army, from the planned 3 infantry divisions to 6. And PM Iyad Allawi
has appealed to other countries to donate military hardware to bolster
Iraq's beleaguered forces.
"Until our forces are fully capable we will continue to need support
from our friends," Allawi said on Sun.
Compared to Saddam's 400,000-man army, which boasted Soviet tanks and
other heavy weapons, the Iraqi govt that takes power Wed will wield a
token force.
The army is expected to field some 35,000 soldiers early next y,
equipped with light infantry weapons and non-armoured vehicles, Smith
told reporters in a briefing on Thu.
Iraq's Nat'l Guard, a growing internal security force formerly known
as the Iraq Civil Defense Corps, counts some 30,000 members.
The nascent air force owns just 2 light reconnaissance planes.
The military's chief task is to fight resident guerrillas, not
high-intensity warfare with a neighbouring state.
"The general idea is that Iraq will not have an offensive capability
that its neighbours find threatening," said Jeremy Binnie, an Iraq
analyst with the London defence consultancy Jane's. "They'll be much
lighter, mobile forces that can resist security threats when they arise,
not like the previous forces organised to launch heavy armoured assaults."
It is expected to take a y or more before Iraq's army can hold its own
against well-armed Iraqi rebels, let alone handle an invasion from a
neighbouring state. For the nr future, the 150,000 coalition troops who
will remain here after the transfer of sovereignty Wed will guarantee
Iraq is not invaded, Smith said after the briefing.
He also said that if Iraqi forces wind up needing more protection, as
the Americans did, the country would have to find a way to pay for
it. The US is already spending $5 bn to equip Iraqi soldiers with
light vehicles, AK-47s and body armour.
"That will be a future decision of the Iraqi leadership," Smith
said. "It will be dependent on their resources."
American troops keep their casualties down by riding in tanks and
armoured vehicles, which stand a better chance against roadside bombs
and RPGs. The US also sends ground-attack jets to bomb rebel positions,
and responds to mortar and rocket barrages with artillery fire. Iraqi
forces lacking that kind of protection suffer higher casualties.
A heavily armed military whose loyalties to the govt haven't been
tested is another worry, especially when soldiers with previous
allegiance to tribal or ethnic militias are brought in, Binnie said.
For that reason US advisers say they built ethnically mixed
battalions, and have not imported militias intact into the army.
"We want to rebuild the army on new principles, new morals, balancing
the different ethnic groups in Iraq," al-Jaafari said.
Saddam's army favoured Sunni Muslim Arabs in its leadership --
mirroring those in govt -- and kept Shiites as its foot soldiers, who
were sent in the 1980s to fight the Shiite army of Iran. That eight-y
war cost mn of lives and finally ended when the 2 countries fought
themselves to a virtual stalemate.
Smith, the Pentagon's adviser, said the decision to avoid heavy weapons
hinged on their expense and inappropriateness in the counterinsurgency
fight, not a mistrust of the Iraqi military. He said he was
"absolutely confident" the Iraqi army won't turn its weapons on US
forces or the nascent Iraqi govt.

UN to appoint new Iraq envoy
UN (Al-Jazeera).  Annan said he will name a new UN envoy to Iraq
shortly Sec-Gen Kofi Annan said he expects to appoint a new
Baghdad-based UN envoy next despite the upsurge in violence this week.
Annan told reporters on Fri that the new appointment will be announced
soon.
"I will be naming a special representative shortly, and his duty
station will be Baghdad," he said.
Asked when, he replied, "Let's say in about a week, within a week."
Annan ordered all UN internat'l staff to leave Iraq in Oct following 2
bombings at UN HQ and a spate of attacks targeting foreign workers.
The 1st bombing on 19 Aug killed 22 people, including top UN envoy
Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Since the withdrawal, Annan has dispatched snr UN officials on special
assignments, including special adviser Lakhdar Brahimi -- who helped
put together the interim govt that will take power on 30 Jun -- and
the UN elections chief Carina Perelli.
* First snr UN official
The new UN envoy would be the 1st snr official permanently based in
Iraq since Oct, but Annan has said he won't send large numbers of UN
staff back to Iraq until the security situation improves.
Even though the current UN mission for Iraq works out of HQ in
neighbouring Amman, Jordan, Annan defended its effectiveness.
"The UN is doing everything it can to help Iraqis prepare for free and
credible elections in Jan next y," he said. "It is vital that the
interim govt is given a real chance to exercise sovereignty in the
meantime. I appeal to all concerned to do what they can to facilitate
its formidable task."
Annan said Perelli's team helped put in place the legal framework for
elections and a team of Iraqis was now being trained in Mexico to
prepare for the elections.
* Operating from Jordan
In addition to helping with elections, and eventually with the
drafting of a new Iraqi constitution, Annan said UN staff in Amman
have been operating in Iraq using local staff. The UN Development
Programme, for example, is handling a $200 mn programme with Iraqi
staff, he said.
"We are doing whatever we can from Amman, and where necessary we do
cross-border trips," he said. "We are trying to find creative ways to
assist without necessarily over-exposing our staff."
There are limits to what force alone can do said the UN's Annan.
The UN Sec Council approved a major role for the UN after the handover
of power, but made it contingent on security conditions, leaving it up
to Annan to decide when staff should return.
He stressed that the electoral process and the political transition
that the UN just helped with "are very critical activities."
"Quite frankly, if we are going to resolve the conflict in Iraq, it's
through political reconciliation, it's through political work, it's
through inclusive, participatory elections and the nat'l conference
that will be held next m" to bring all parts of Iraqi society
together, Annan said.
"There are limits to what force alone can do; you have to go the
political route," he stressed.
"So please do not underestimate efforts to get the political process
going and to get the Iraqis engaged in talking to each other,
democratically and otherwise. And I think that that is, in the long
run, going to make much more difference than any force you can put
in," Annan said.

New Iraq PM promises amnesty for insurgents
Allawi sympathy for 'lawful' resistance. Leader rejects US model of democracy.
Baghdad (Independent).  Days before he is installed as Iraq's interim
PM, Iyad Allawi has expressed understanding for Iraqis who have acted
against the US-led occupation "out of a sense of desperation", and
says that he plans to offer them an amnesty.
Writing exclusively in this newspaper just ahead of the official
handover of sovereignty to his Admin on Wed, Dr Allawi seeks to
establish some distance between himself and his backers, Tony Blair
and George Bush. He implicitly criticises the US decision to disband
the Iraqi army immediately after the war, warns that Iraqi democracy
"should not be a replica of an imported model from the US, Brit, or
... any other country", and stresses that the world must carry out its
pledges of economic help.
The most startling departure, however, is the interim PM's comment
that his govt "will make a clear distinction between those Iraqis who
have acted against the occupation out of a sense of desperation, and
those foreign terrorist fundamentalists and criminals whose sole
objective is to kill and maim innocent people and to see Iraq fail".
The objective will be "to reach out to the former group in a nat'l
reconciliation effort and invite them to join us in a fresh start to
build our country's future together, while at the same time isolating
and defeating the latter group". To achieve this "we are drawing up
plans to provide amnesty to Iraqis who supported the so-called
resistance without committing crimes".
Even some members and units of the newly trained security forces have
joined the uprising against the invaders.
Dr Allawi's words appear aimed not only at reassuring them, but at
exploiting a widening split among opponents of the occupation.
Insurgents killed at least 17 Iraqis yesterday, when a car bomb was
detonated in Hilla, S of Baghdad. And a group led by Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi, accused by Washington of links with al-Qa'ida, said it had
kidnapped 3 Turkish workers and threatened to behead them.
The storming of police stations and the killing of so many Iraqi
police is creating a backlash against the Islamic resistance. Shia and
Sunni Muslim preachers have denounced the death of 100 Iraqis in a
co-ordinated offensive on Thu, and expressed fear that foreigners are
hijacking the resistance.
Anger at the attacks on the police is a boost for Dr Allawi, who has
promised to restore order. Even Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shia
cleric whose militia have been fighting US troops since the end of
Mar, denounced the "terrorists and saboteurs". He offered to help
police protect govt buildings, hospitals, pipelines and infrastructure.
In Fallujah, seen as a Sunni hotbed, one armed group is making clear
it believes the suicide bombings against Iraqi targets are
discrediting their movement, and says it will scale down attacks on US
forces for now.
An aide to Dr Allawi said: "It is very important to distinguish
between those who resisted occupation through desperation and those
who are genuinely seeking to destabilise the country through terrorism
... An example of where the blind labelling of people caused much
chaos was the disbanding of the entire army post-war. We are still
suffering the consequences."

Iraq violence may force state of emergency; NATO to help
Baghdad (Khaleej Times).  Iraq's defence minister said that a
declaration of a state of emergency may be needed to deal with
violence in Iraq as NATO members met to respond to a request for help
from Iraq's interim PM. With only 5 days to go before the US-led
coalition hands over power to an Iraqi interim govt, US warplanes
bombed Fallujah for the 3rd time in a wk to root out rebels.
In Baghdad, heavy weapons fire was heard from the W of the city and
flashes of light illuminated the sky early Sat morning, an AFP
correspondent reported, but the US military had no immediate comment.
In a separate incident, 4 RPGs were fired toward the US-coalition's
Baghdad HQ, but the explosives fell short of their target, a US
soldier said.
There was also a failed bomb attack outside the house of the new
deputy defence minister late Fri in the capital, the military said in
a statement.
Iraqi defence minister Hazem al-Shaalan told reporters: "We have an
urgent plan for Baghdad and also for a state of emergency for other
provinces," without giving the specifics of either measure.
It was the 1st time any Iraqi official had named an area where
emergency measures would be used.
NATO ambassadors meanwhile met to address Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi's
request for help training police and soldiers.
The special session came as leaders of the 26-nation military alliance
prepared to convene in Istanbul for a summit on Mon and Tue.
US Pres George W. Bush told Turkish NTV, "I think" NATO allies would
help. A Whitehouse official added, "I would expect that NATO is going
to be ready to help the Iraqis."
Key NATO members Germany, France and Belgium opposed the US-led war to
depose Saddam Hussein.
France wants any agreement reached in Istanbul limited to training the
Iraqi army and to exclude any direct role in the country.
In Washington, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said Fri
he hoped France and Germany will deploy troops to protect the UN
mission in Iraq.
UN officials in NY said deteriorating security made a return of the UN
mission to Baghdad difficult. The UN pulled out of Iraq after a bomb
last y killed 22 of its staff, including the chief of mission.
Washington has turned to the UN to provide the legal umbrella for a
broader internat'l participation in Iraq.
The UN is charged with shepherding elections slated for Jan. The
US-led coalition said Fri that the elections should reduce unrest.
In Washington, the US Senate unanimously confirmed Gen George Casey,
the US Army's second-highest-ranking official, to replace Gen Ricardo
Sanchez as head of the multinat'l force in Iraq.
Casey, 55, told senators that one of his goals was to have NATO send a
force to Iraq to protect UN personnel overseeing elections.
He also emphasised work with Iraqi authorities to put down recent
violence and to create a strong Iraqi force, a task in which he said
NATO could play a crucial role.
In Iraq, officials said US warplanes dropped 14 bombs in strikes
against targets in Fallujah and Baquba.
The strike targeted what US officials said was a terrorist hideout in
Fallujah. A snr military official said 20 to 25 people died in the attack.
The total deaths from the 3 raids was 59 to 64 people, the US military
said, warning that it would not shrink from carrying out further
missions.
The strikes left behind a shell-shocked city 50 km W of Baghdad.
In the fighting, guerrillas pledged allegiance to a group called
Tawhid wa al-Jihad (Unification and Holy War), a militant faction
linked to Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, whom Washington accuses of being
linked with Al Qaeda.
Tawhid al-Jihad claimed the beheadings of 26-yo American Nicholas Berg
in early May and S Korean Kim Sun-Il on Tue.
It has also threatened to kill Allawi.
It was the 1st time the group had engaged directly in open fighting
with the coalition, as opposed to planting bombs.
Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr's armed militia sought to prove it
served the nat'l interest Fri as it laid down its weapons and backed
the country's interim govt in the run-up to Iraqi self rule on Jun 30.
"There will not be a transfer of power to the Iraqi authorities,"
Sheikh Aws al-Khafaji said at Fri prayers in the Baghdad Shiite slum
of Sadr City.
"But so the Americans cannot say the Mehdi Army has prevented the
transfer of power, we will follow the Marjaiya's [snr Shiite
cleric's] orders and see what they [the Americans] truly do."
In Karbala, a representative of Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Fri denounced the terror attacks and
slammed Al Qaeda's top leaders.
"Zarqawi, Zawahiri and bin Laden are filthy infidels who nurture
malignance against Imam Ali and his sons," he added.

6 die in Iraq violence ahead of handover
Renewed fighting in Fallujah.
Baghdad (Reuters).  There was renewed fighting in Fallujah, breaking
a ceasefire agreed a day earlier between American troops and local
Muslim leaders.
A car bomb explosion killed a man and wounded 40 people in the Kurdish
city of Arbil as insurgents kept up a bloody drive to derail Iraq's
transition to an interim govt in 4 days' time.
Gunmen assaulted a Shiite party building in Baquba, NW of Baghdad,
killing 3 guards, and blew up a building used by interim PM Iyad
Allawi's party.
2 guards were wounded in the attack on the office of the Supreme
Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a moderate Shiite group.
One of them said the gunmen stormed the building in the mixed
Sunni-Shiite town at 8.30 am local time.
In a separate attack in Baquba, armed men chased the guards from a
building used by Allawi's Iraqi Nat'l Accord group and then destroyed
it with explosives, police said.
A blast in Arbil, 350 km N of Baghdad, killed a shopkeeper and wounded
Mahmoud Mohammed, culture minister in the Kurdish regional govt, in
the head.
Arbil has been relatively free of trouble since US-led forces invaded
Iraq last y, though twin suicide attacks on Kurdish party offices
in Feb killed more than 100 people.
In another attack in the north, gunmen ambushed a police patrol 30 km
south of Kirkuk on, killing one policeman and wounding another, police said.
The US military said an American soldier died of his wounds overnight
after an ambush in Baghdad.
US and Iraqi officials say they expect more violence in the run-up to
the Jun 30 handover of power.
In a sign that the truce between Moqtada Al Sadr's Mehdi Army and the
US led coalition may be fracturing in Najaff, militiamen loyal to the
radical cleric fired on a US military convoy.
The convoy of Humvees and trucks was shot at as it travelled on the
outskirts of the holy city, 160 km S of Baghdad, where US forces spent
wk putting down a rebellion by Shiite militiamen.
There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage in the
exchange of fire.
A string of bloody attacks on Thu killed about 100 people in 5 cities.
A group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed
responsibility for those attacks and on Fri US planes bombed what the
US military called a "known Zarqawi network safe house" in the city of
Fallujah, W of Baghdad.
"Somewhere between 20 and 25 people were killed in today's strike,"
said a US-led coalition official after the raid, the 3rd on suspected
Zarqawi safe houses in Fallujah this wk.
Zarqawi, said by Washington to have links with al Qaeda, has claimed
responsibility for several major attacks in Iraq, as well as the
beheading of an American and a S Korean.
Militants in Fallujah issued a statement on Fri denying Zarqawi was
holed up in the town.
Zarqawi threatened this wk to assassinate Allawi, who responded by
vowing to crush him and other insurgents.
A multinat'l force of 160,000 mostly US troops will stay to support
Iraqi forces after Jun 30.
Allawi has asked NATO to help train fledgling Iraqi security forces
and alliance members are expected to respond positively at a NATO
summit in Istanbul on Mon and Tue.
NATO's role in Iraq will be a far cry from the deployment of troops
originally sought by Washington.
France and Germany, which opposed the Iraq war, opposed the idea.
A mortar attack also took place in Mosul, where Aussie Army personnel
are training members of the new Iraqi Army.
No Aussie personnel were injured.
An Army statement says 6 to 8 mortar rounds were fired, but only one
landed inside the compound, injuring a number of Iraqi troops.
Aussie and American medics treated the casualties.

Zarqawi supporters threaten to behead 3 Turks
Baghdad (Reuters).  Suspected militants from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's
group have kidnapped 3 Turks in Iraq and is threatening to behead
them unless Turkish firms and contractors leave within 72 hr, Al
Jazeera television reports.
The group's deadline would expire before the end of a 2-day NATO
summit that is scheduled for Mon and Tue in Istanbul.
US Pres George W Bush will attend the summit, where a NATO role in
Iraq will be discussed.
The Arabic channel reports it has received a statement and a videotape
purportedly from the Jama'at al Tawhid and Jihad of Al Qaeda-linked
operative Zarqawi.
His group last wk claimed responsibility for beheading a S Korean
hostage in Iraq.
A brief video image shows 3 men, who are holding what appears to be
passports, crouching before gunmen.
Al Jazeera reports the men read out their names in Turkish on the recording.
According to Al Jazeera, the statement calls on "Turkish forces and
companies that support the occupation forces in Iraq" to leave by the
deadline or the 3 workers would be killed.
Turkey is not part of the multinat'l occupation force in Iraq but many
Turks work as contractors supplying and supporting US-led forces.
Al Jazeera also says the statement urges Turks to take to the streets
to protest against Mr Bush's visit.
On Tue, militants from Jamat al-Tawhid and Jihad beheaded S Korean
contractor Kim Sun-il after Seoul rejected demands to pull military
medics and engineers out of Iraq and drop plans to send more troops.
Mr Kim's decapitation followed the beheading of US hostage Nicholas
Berg in Iraq last m by the same group.
Al Qaeda militants also beheaded American contractor Paul Johnson in
Saudi Arabia last wk.
US officials say Zarqawi is their top foe and "number one target" in Iraq.
The US-led occupation forces have intensified their hunt for the
Jordanian-born militant, who has a $10 mn bounty on his head.

Deadly car bomb hits S Iraqi city
Baghdad (AFP).  A car bomb blast in the in the Iraqi city of Hilla, S
of Baghdad, has killed up to 32 people nr the former Saddam mosque,
named after the toppled Iraqi pres.  The Arab satellite news
channel Al-Jazeera says the blast killed 32 people and injured 22
more.  The Qatar-based channel reports that the bomb caused
substantial damage, including the destruction of 10 cars.  Earlier,
the deputy director of coalition operations, Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt,
said the toll stood at 17 dead and 40 injured.  "It is a suspected car
bomb," Brig Gen Kimmitt said.  Lt Col Robert Strzelecki, rep for the
Polish-led force that patrols the city, says the blast occurred at
8.45 pm local time.  The blast comes 4 days before the scheduled
handover of power from the coalition to a caretaker interim Iraqi
Govt.  On Thu, at least 100 people were killed in a wave of bombings
and attacks throughout Iraq.

Iraq welcomes NATO training plan
Baghdad (AFP).  Iraq's interim Govt says it would welcome NATO troops
in the country as the military alliance reached a deal on training its
fledgling armed forces.
A rep for the caretaker Iraqi Govt, which will take power on Wed,
confirms that Iraq has asked for the help of the N Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO).
It is seeking NATO help in training and equipping its forces as
insurgency rages in the country.
"We have asked the N Atlantic Treaty Organisation for help with the
training of the new Iraqi army," Govt rep Gurgis Sada said.
"But if NATO shows that it wants to have troops on the ground
alongside the multinat'l force, they would be most welcome."
NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer confirms that the alliance has
reached a deal on training Iraqi armed forces, which is expected to be
approved at a summit in Istanbul this wk.
"NATO heads of state and govt are expected to approve this agreement
at their summit meeting in Istanbul on Jun 28," he said.
In a recent letter to the 26-member military alliance, Iraqi Prime Min
Iyad Allawi had asked for help to train the army and other,
unspecified, "forms of technical assistance".
The US-led coalition is due to transfer sovereignty to Mr Allawi's
caretaker Govt in 4 days, but a large contingent of US and other
countries' troops will remain on the ground to help with security.
Mr Allawi has already streamlined Iraq's command structure.
He has redirected the bulk of the country's armed forces against the
insurgents, who have left 100s dead in scores of attacks since his
Govt was unveiled on Jun 1.
He has also announced an elite anti-insurgency force.
That announcement was made after 35 people were killed and 138 injured
in a suicide bombing at a recruitment centre for the new army.
Iraq's armed forces are in an embryonic state after the dissolution of
the former army, which was about 400,000 strong, and the destruction
and looting of its equipment.
The new army currently has about 10,000 members with the aim of
increasing the figure to 40,000.
It is still poorly equipped and trained, and desertions are common in
the face of persistent attacks from insurgents.

Close call tests Aust troops' response
Mortars fired within 30-50 metres of Aussie troops.
Mosul (ABC, Matt Pulford and Geoff Thompson).  Aussie soldiers
training Iraqi army recruits nr the northern city of Mosul narrowly
escaped injury yesterday, when insurgents fired mortar rounds at their camp.
6 Iraqi officers were wounded in the attack and one was hospitalised.
Just before 8.00 am yesterday Aussie troops were sitting at breakfast
at an Iraqi army training camp nr Mosul when they heard mortar rounds
exploding nearby.
The Aussie commanding officer, Lt-Col Ian Cruickshank, says it was an
unexpected start to the day.
"We  heard  a  couple of rounds impacting in the local area," he said.
"We ascertained that they were probably mortar rounds, obviously fired
by some threat forces.
"On the 3rd impact we realised that the location we currently reside
in was being mortared."
"I think what they've done is they've fired the 1st couple of rounds
just to range in on the position and once they got their range they
started walking, as we describe it, the rounds towards us," Lt Col
Cruickshank said.
6 to 8 rounds later, one landed inside the old fort compound where
Iraqi and Aussie troops were sheltering.
"The closest rounds I guess were something in the vicinity of 30 to 40
metres away," Lt Col Cruickshank said.
No Aussies were injured but 6 Iraqi officers were and one of them was
taken to a coalition hospital for treatment.
Lt Col Cruickshank says the attack was a good test of procedures.
"The Iraqis worked very well in consultation and concert with
ourselves and the other coalition members," he said.
"I was pretty satisfied, as the other coalition members were, with all
the procedures that were conducted."
Lt Col Cruickshank says a camera crew happened to be in the area at
the time of the attack.
"We had a camera crew here who were going to do some filming of some
training that we had planned for the day," he said.
"It was an interesting start to the day, something we that we hadn't
planned obviously."

Insurgency may delay Iraqi elections
Baghdad (AFP).  Iraq's tenuous security situation could delay nat'l
elections by two months, according to interim PM Iyad Allawi.
The elections are supposed to be held in Feb.
"We are committed to elections and one of the tasks is really to work
towards achieving these objectives," Mr Allawi told the CBS TV network.
"However, security will be the main feature of whether we will be able
to do it in Jan, Feb or Mar," he added.
The former neurosurgeon has vowed to restore security to Iraq, which
is currently plagued by a tenacious insurgency.
The insurgency is threatening to derail the political process with its
use of car bombings, mortars and rockets that have claimed the lives
of 100s of Iraqis and US troops.
Mr Allawi, a former member of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, and his
ministers have raised the idea of declaring emergency law in areas of
Iraq as they seek to crush the insurgency.
Mr Allawi says emergency measures are legal in the name of bringing
peace to Iraq.
"We are considering among other things a law which we are calling the
defence of public safety ...  which is still being considered," he said.
He denies the law would serve as a form of martial law.
"It would be empowering the Govt to take action and measures against
criminals, apprehend them, question them, investigate and impose
curfews whenever is necessary," he said.
"These are all that we are calling the defence of public safety in Iraq."
Mr Allawi says he expects a decision on the matter in the coming few days.

Iraq plans amnesty for some insurgents
Iyad Allawi ... amnesty planned for some insurgents.
Baghdad (Reuters).  Iraq's interim Prime Min is offering amnesty to his
countrymen who have resisted the US occupation out of a sense of
indignation, not destabilisation.
Iyad Allawi says his Admin will have understanding for fellow Iraqis
who have risen up against the occupation out of a sense of desperation.
However, it will draw the line at those who had joined the foreign
conspiracy to destabilise the country.
"We are drawing up plans to provide amnesty to Iraqis who supported
the so-called resistance without committing crimes, while isolating
the hard-core elements of terrorists and criminals," Mr Allawi writes
in the Independent on Sun newspaper.
"The Govt will make a clear distinction between those Iraqis who have
acted against the occupation out of a sense of desperation and those
foreign terrorist fundamentalists and criminals whose sole objective
is to kill and maim innocent people and to see Iraq fail."
Mr Allawi says nat'l security is his top priority.
"This mandates the rapid rebuilding of Iraq's key institutions for law
enforcement including the army, police, border control and intel
services," he wrote.
But he insists such a rebirth will exclude former members of the security
services known to have blood on their hands from working for Saddam.
"The honour of decent Iraqi ex-officials, including military and
police, should be restored, excluding of course those who committed
heinous crimes against the nation," he wrote.
He says economic regeneration, job creation and democracy will be the
guiding lights of the new Iraq.
Mr Allawi's interim Admin formally takes over from the US-dominated
Coal'n Provisional Authority this wk.

Iraq attack "shows troops must stay"
John Anderson ... troops must remain in Iraq.
Canberra.  Dep PM John Anderson says an attack on Aussie forces in N
Iraq this weekend is another reminder that AUS must keep its troops in Iraq.
Aussie soldiers training Iraqi army recruits nr Mosul narrowly escaped
injury yesterday, when insurgents fired mortar rounds at their camp.
6 Iraqi officers were wounded in the attack and one was hospitalised.
Mr Anderson has told Channel 9 that the "evil" in Iraq must be
resisted at all costs.
He says the attack is "a reminder that we've got some morally and
mentally deranged butchers out there, who want to assault decency everywhere".
"You can't give in to these sorts of morally and mentally deranged
butchers," Mr Anderson said.
"What they are doing is so utterly appalling that the idea that you
would hand them some sort of victory that would encourage them or
others or play into the hands of their recruiters around the world is
to me beyond the pale.
"We have no choice -- this evil must be resisted at all costs and overcome."
Mr Anderson added: "All of us are very conscious of the dangers the
Aussies [in Iraq] face."
* Unexpected
The attack came just before 8.00 am yesterday, while Aussie troops were
sitting at breakfast at an Iraqi army training camp nr Mosul.
The Aussie commanding officer, Lt-Col Ian Cruickshank, says troops
heard mortar rounds exploding nearby, an unexpected start to the day.
"We  heard  a  couple of rounds impacting in the local area," he said.
"We ascertained that they were probably mortar rounds, obviously fired
by some threat forces.
"On the 3rd impact we realised that the location we currently reside
in was being mortared."
"I think what they've done is they've fired the 1st couple of rounds
just to range in on the position and once they got their range they
started walking, as we describe it, the rounds towards us," Lt Col
Cruickshank said.
6 to 8 rounds later, one landed inside the old fort compound where
Iraqi and Aussie troops were sheltering.
"The closest rounds I guess were something in the vicinity of 30 to 40
metres away," Lt Col Cruickshank said.
No Aussies were injured but 6 Iraqi officers were and one of them was
taken to a coalition hospital for treatment.
* Good test
Lt Col Cruickshank says the attack was a good test of procedures.
"The Iraqis worked very well in consultation and concert with
ourselves and the other coalition members," he said.
"I was pretty satisfied, as the other coalition members were, with all
the procedures that were conducted."
Lt Col Cruickshank says a camera crew happened to be in the area at
the time of the attack.
"We had a camera crew here who were going to do some filming of some
training that we had planned for the day," he said.
"It was an interesting start to the day, something we that we hadn't
planned obviously."

9/11 commission links al-Qaeda, Iran
Terrorist group may have aided Hezbollah in 1996 bombing of Saudi
tower complex.
Washington (WashPost). While it found no operational ties between
al-Qaeda and Iraq, the commission investigating the Sep 11, 2001,
attacks has concluded that Osama bin Laden's terrorist network had
long-running contacts with Iraq's neighbour and historic foe, Iran.
Al-Qaeda, the commission determined, may even have played a "yet
unknown role" in aiding Hezbollah militants in the 1996 bombing of the
Khobar Towers complex in Saudi Arabia, an attack the US has long
blamed solely on Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsors.
The notion that bin Laden might have had a hand in the Khobar bombing
would mark a rare operational alliance between Sunni and Shiite Muslim
groups that historically have been at odds. That possibility, largely
overlooked in the furor of new revelations released last wk by the
commission, comes amid worsening relations between the US and Iran,
which announced Thu that it would resume building equipment necessary
for a nuclear weapons program.
The Sep 11 panel's findings on Iran have been eclipsed by the
continuing political debate over Iraq, which the commission said had
not developed a "collaborative relationship" with al-Qaeda despite
limited contacts in the 1990s. That appeared to conflict with previous
characterisations made by Pres George Bush, VP Dick Cheney and other
Admin officials in their justifications for launching the war against
Saddam Hussein.
In relation to Iran, commission investigators said intel "showed far
greater potential for collaboration between Hezbollah and al-Qaeda
than many had previously thought." Iran is a primary sponsor of
Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based anti-Israel group that the US has
designated a terrorist organisation.
The commission's Republican chairman, former NJ Gov Thomas Kean, also
said in a television appearance last wk "there were a lot more active
contacts, frankly, with Iran and with Pakistan than there were with Iraq."
But perhaps most startling was the commission's finding that bin Laden
may have played a role in the Khobar attack. While previous court
filings and testimony have indicated that al-Qaeda and Iranian
elements had contacts during the 1990s, US authorities have not
publicly linked bin Laden or his operatives to that strike, which
killed 19 US servicemen. A Jun 2001 indictment of 14 defendants in
the case makes no mention of al-Qaeda or bin Laden and lays the
organisational blame for the attacks solely on Hezbollah and Iran.
Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert who heads the Washington office of
the Rand Corp, said that while bin Laden's then-fledgling group was an
early suspect in the blasts, "the evidence kept pointing to an Iranian
connection, so people tended to discount a bin Laden connection."
"What the commission report is raising is that the relationship might
have been much tighter and was in fact operational and not just
spiritual," Hoffman said.
The broader notion of links between bin Laden's group and Hezbollah or
hard-line elements in Iran's security forces has been a hot topic in
US law enforcement and intel circles for ys. Many analysts have
viewed such an alliance as dubious largely because of ancient
animosities between Shiites and Sunnis. Several leaders of al-Qaeda, a
Sunni organisation, have issued rabidly anti-Shiite proclamations.
Nonetheless, the US has previously compiled evidence of limited
contacts between Iranian interests and al-Qaeda. US officials alleged
after the Sep 11 attacks that Iran was harbouring al-Qaeda militants
who had fled Afghanistan following the US invasion there.

Iran pushes ahead with uranium enrichment plans
Tehran (AFP).  Iran has told Brit, France and Germany it intends to
resume work towards uranium enrichment.
The statement goes against a resolution the 3 countries sponsored that
criticised Tehran for failing to live up to pledges of total
cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Iran has not confirmed charges made Thu by Washington's top arms
control official, John Bolton, that it had told the trio of its plans
and that this was a direct violation of Iranian pledges to the
Internat'l Atomic Energy Agency.
The For Min has said only that Hassan Rowhani, head of Iran's
Supreme Nat'l Sec Council and top nuclear negotiator, had sent a
letter to the trio's FM's and to IAEA chief Mohamed
ElBaradei that "outlined Iran's point of view on nuclear technology
and its use."
But Berlin, London and Paris confirmed Mr Bolton's charges and said
they were preparing a joint response to Iran's announcement it was
breaking a deal with them over the centrifuges.
All expressed disappointment at the letter sent to them, in a move
Bolton described as proof of the Islamic republic's intent to work on
a secret nuclear weapons program.
The question of the nuclear fuel cycle is a serious concern at the
IAEA, which fears it could eventually be used for military purposes.
Iran agreed last y to suspend enrichment following pressure from the
IAEA, which is trying to verify whether Iran's nuclear programme is
purely peaceful.
Last Fri's IAEA resolution rebuked Iran for failing to come clean
about its nuclear program, deploring the level of Iranian cooperation
and calling for the 15-mo investigation into Iran's nuclear activities
to be wrapped up within a few months.

5 Canadian flight surgeons pass ailing Afghan boy for trip to Canada
Kabul (CP).  Canadian military doctors poked, prodded and probed a
dying Afghan boy Sat before finally declaring him fit to fly to Ottawa
on Canada Day for what they hope will be life-saving heart surgery.
5 Canadian flight surgeons conducted x-rays, ultrasounds, blood
pressure checks and blood tests on nine-yo Djamshid Djan Popal, whose
plight one of them discovered in a remote mountain village far from
their base.
And Djamshid endured it all with nary a tear, "a brave son of
Afghanistan," as one observer called him.
The boy suffers from a congenital heart defect that cannot be
corrected in his native country. His arm was so emaciated doctors had
to wrap their smallest blood-pressure cuff around it 5 times before
they could proceed.
If their diagnosis using rudimentary equipment is correct, "there's a
good chance we can cure this child," said Capt Americo Rodrigues, the
army doctor from Toronto who found Djamshid during a clinic in the village
of Mohla Mahmad Khail, 3-and-1/2 hr NE of the Afghan capital.
"The good news is that the heart is functioning quite well even though
it is in failure. We still have one or 2 m to do something."
Financed by Saddique Khan of Hamilton, Djamshid will fly to Islamabad
later this wk, where he will spend the night before travelling on
Pakistan Internat'l Airways to Birmingham, England, then on to Toronto.
He will then be taken to the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in
Ottawa, where he is expected to arrive on Fri.
He will be accompanied by his father, Shafiullah, and Cpl Kevin
Comeau, a Canadian army medic and paratrooper from Tabusintac, N B
Comeau, who was on the armoured reconnaissance mission that found
Djamshid, said the assignment is as nerve-wracking as any jump he's
ever made.
"It's a big responsibility and pretty well the whole country is going
to know about this," said Comeau, an eight-y army veteran.
"I just want to make sure everything goes the way it should."
Comeau will be travelling with a Pashto-English dictionary and an
Iridium satellite phone.
"He'll never be far away from help," said Rodrigues.
The boy is believed to have a condition known as patent ductus
arteriosus, a birth defect where blood from the left side of the heart
circulates back to the right side without taking its normal course
through the body.
In Canada, the condition is normally detected and easily corrected
during a routine examination within hours of birth, usually with a
common anti-inflammatory medication.
Left uncorrected, the heart has to pump twice as much in order for it
to provide the body with enough oxygenated blood to survive.
Ultimately the heart is strained and enlarged. It begins to weaken and
blood starts pooling in the liver.
Patients suffer high blood pressure in the lungs and swelling of the
ankles, followed by heart and liver failure, then death.
The incidence is rare -- one in 2,500 N American births -- and
nine-yos with the condition are almost unheard of.
Specialists in Canada who have seen what limited diagnostics that have
been done say there are other possible diagnoses that can only be detected
with the kind of medical technology available in developed countries.
Whatever it is, Djamshid's heart and liver are enlarged, signs that
his condition is in its final -- and fatal -- stages and before Sat's
run-up doctors feared he's been so damaged that even with medical
intervention he may not survive.
But Capt Michael Hughson, a military doctor from Fredericton, said
the boy's kidneys were good, his liver was functioning and his oxygen
levels were good.
In fact, his blood oxygen content was 98% -- as good or better than
most Canadian soldiers patrolling in the heat and altitude -- 2,100
m -- of Kabul.
"No matter what the diagnosis is, if we don't do anything, he will
die," said Rodrigues. "Once corrected, we expect him to lead a normal life."
When Rodrigues confirmed their travel plans through an interpreter,
Djamshid's father said it was "the most promising sentence I have ever heard."
His son has been slowly dying for 3 y.
"I miss his fights, his humour, his attention toward his younger
brothers and sister -- and I can't imagine how happy I'll be when I
see my son going to school and coming back home," he said, promising
to sacrifice a goat if his son recovers.
"I can't imagine how happy I'll be hearing his words, saying: 'Mom,
I'm very hungry; I need to eat something.' Oh Allah almighty, save my
child, my sweetheart, my echo, my soul, my shadow."
"May Allah bless all the Canadian doctors and their families,
especially their children."

Russia to ship N Korea food aid
Moscow (Reuters).  A Russian freight ship carrying 35 t of food
aid is to sail to famine-hit N Korea on Mon, a top Russian foreign
ministry official says.
"Fairly substantial aid will be sent to N Korea -- almost 35 tons of
wheat," Russian Deputy For Min Yury Fedotov said.
"This should ease the tension linked to the difficult food situation
in the country."
North Korea has suffered from chronic shortages of energy and raw
materials, outdated industrial structures and low productivity due to
natural disasters and economic mismanagement.
That has led to severe famine.
The Stalinist state earlier this m asked S Korea to provide it with
the same level of food aid this y as it did last, amounting to about
400,000 t.
South Korean Pres Roh Moo-Hyun then offered to extend "comprehensive
and concrete" economic aid to N Korea if the communist country scraps
its nuclear weapons program.
Russia is part of the 6-country talks on N Korea's nuclear issue that
closed on Sat with only limited results.
Russia, with Soviet-era ties to N Korea, has tried to play the role of
neutral negotiator in the crisis.
However, its role has been overshadowed by that of China, the
reclusive Stalinist state's major trade partner.

Israel kills top militant leader linked to Arafat
Nablus, W Bank (Reuters).  Israel has dealt its heaviest blow to a key
militant group within Palestinian Pres Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction,
killing its most snr W Bank cmdr.
Israeli troops shot dead Nayef Abu Sharkh and 5 other Palestinian
gunmen on Sat during an ambush on their hideout in a house in Nablus,
a militant stronghold. It was the deadliest raid into the West Bank
for months.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, whose militants have carried out dozens
of suicide bombings and attacks against Israelis, vowed revenge and
said in a statement its retaliation would be "unprecedented" and "like
an earthquake."
The militant group, one of the driving forces behind a Palestinian
uprising that began in Sep 2000, operates largely from the West Bank
where Arafat lives.
Also among the dead were 2 lower-ranking local leaders of Hamas and
Islamic Jihad in the W Bank. Nablus has long been a centre for
militant groups that have killed 100s of Israelis in suicide bombings
in over 3 1/2 y of conflict.
The Jewish state launched its latest raid into Nablus's old city, a
warren of ancient streets, 3 days ago.
Lt Col Itzik, an army cmdr who led the ambush, confirmed the raid was
carried out after Israel prevented a bombing in Jerusalem planned by
militants based in Nablus.
"That's the reason we acted this weekend, but even though we act, they
[the militants] still manage to carry out attacks," he said.
"We will continue to act there in the city as long as there's a threat
on Israel."
The killings overshadowed a visit by US Assistant Secretary of State
William Burns, who urged both sides to fulfil commitments and take
advantage of the "moment of opportunity" offered by Prime Min Ariel
Sharon's Gaza pullout plan.
Israeli troops late last m raided the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza,
killing about 44 Palestinians, but have not pushed into W Bank towns
with significant force since Apr.
Earlier on Sat, Israeli troops shot dead another al-Aqsa Martyrs
Brigades armed militant in Nablus who military sources said had
confronted soldiers. On Fri, soldiers killed 2 Palestinians, including
one gunman in the city.
Nabil Abu Rdainah, a snr adviser to Arafat, called Sat's killings "a
grave escalation that aims to sabotage the Egyptian and American
efforts to revive the peace process."
Egypt has been talking with Palestinian officials about plans to train
Palestinian security officers so they can secure control over Gaza
after an Israeli pullout. Israeli hard-liners fear Gaza militants plan
to take over Gaza after a withdrawal.
Sharon has won cabinet support in principle for his Gaza plan, which
calls for the gradual evacuation of all 21 Jewish settlements in the
Gaza Strip and another 4 in the W Bank. A second vote is necessary for
its implementation.

Arafat commits to truce during Olympics
Gaza (Reuters).  Palestinian Pres Yasser Arafat has told foreign
diplomats he was committed to a truce during the Aug Olympics in
Greece.  His comments came amid Egyptian efforts to mediate a total
ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Authority that would
allow for a smooth withdrawal of Israeli troops and the evacuation of
Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip.  "I announce our commitment
and respect of the Olympic truce," Mr Arafat said.  "We hope that the
revival of this ancient, noble tradition will help create a world that
enjoys peace, justice and security for coming generations."  The
Palestinian Authority is sending a swimmer and a runner to the Olympic
games.  An Israeli official said Arafat's remarks were further proof
he controls Palestinian militants, a charge the Palestinian Pres has denied.

Hamas, Al Aqsa leaders killed in Nablus raid
Nablus (Reuters/AFP).  Israeli troops have shot dead 7 Palestinian
gunmen, including 3 snr militant group leaders, in the W Bank city
of Nablus, according to sources.
The killings come on the 3rd day of an Israeli raid in the area.
Palestinian medics say the dead include Nayef Abu Sharkh, who is the
West Bank leader of Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
The Brigades are a militant group within Palestinian Pres Yasser
Arafat's Fatah faction.
The local leader of the military wing of Hamas in Nablus and the top cmdr
for Islamic Jihad in the W Bank city of Jenin have also both been killed.
Israel was quick to hail the killing of Sharkh but the Palestinian
leadership condemned what it described as a "dangerous escalation" and
the militants threatened dire revenge.
Sharkh had been tracked by Israeli troops and was killed in a hideout
in Nablus's Old City along with 6 other militants, Palestinian sources
told AFP.
An Israeli Army rep hailed the blow delivered to the "terrorist
leadership holed up in the house".
* "Unprecedented" retaliation
But the Al Aqsa Martyrs vowed to "retaliate in an unprecedented
fashion against soldiers, [Jewish] settlers and Israel itself".
The group took the Palestinian leadership to task for "failing to do
anything" to stop the 3-day-old Israeli offensive.
Mr Arafat's chief advisor, Nabil Abu Rudeina, condemned what he
described as a "dangerous escalation aimed at sabotaging Egyptian and
US efforts for an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip".
"Israel bears full responsibility and we call on the US in particular
to stop these Israeli crimes," the advisor said.
Nablus Governor Mahmoud Alaloul accused the Israeli Army of a
"massacre".  "There is no justification at all for this killing," he said.
But Lt Col Itzik, an Israeli Army cmdr who led the ambush, says the
Israeli raids will continue.
He confirmed the latest raid was carried out after Israel prevented a
bombing in Jerusalem planned by militants based in Nablus.
"That's the reason we acted this weekend but even though we act, they
still manage to carry out attacks," he said.
"We will continue to act there in the city as long as there's a threat
on Israel."
Earlier in the day, Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian gunman in
Nablus who military sources said had confronted soldiers.
The deaths bring the toll from the Israeli raids to 10 after the
earlier killing of 2 unarmed Palestinian teenagers in separate incidents.
* Talks overshadowed
The violence has overshadowed talks between US Middle E envoy William
Burns and Palestinian premier Ahmed Qurie on a proposed Israeli
pullout from the Gaza Strip, which the American official had described
as "excellent".
The US envoy gave an upbeat assessment of his talks with Palestinian
officials on the unilateral Israeli withdrawal proposal.
"We genuinely believe that this is a moment of opportunity and none of
us can afford to miss this," Mr Burns said after a meeting he
described as "an excellent discussion".
"I expressed Pres Bush's determination to do everything the United
States can to help seize the opportunity presented by the Israeli
initiative to withdraw from Gaza and parts of the W Bank as part of
the full implementation of the roadmap, and ultimately, towards a
negotiated 2-state solution," he said.
Mr Burns emphasised the importance of putting together "a political
plan of action in connection with the disengagement from Gaza and
parts of the W Bank".
He also reiterated US support for Egypt's offer of help in the wake of
the Israeli pullout from Gaza.
"We talked in practical terms about how Egypt can support and help the
Palestinians rebuild their capacity to maintain law and order," he said.
Mr Burns stressed the "crucial importance of the Palestinian
leadership in making and implementing decisions to make a success of
these efforts".

Israel dismisses Olympics truce offer
Jerusalem.  Israel has dismissed an offer by Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat to call a truce during this y's Olympic Games.  The Palestinian
pres says he wants to observe the Greek ritual of peace during
the Games.  Mr Arafat has told foreign diplomats he is committed to a
truce to mark the Aug Olympic Games in Athens.  Last month, the
Palestinian leader reportedly ordered all militant factions under his
control to prevent any attacks on the event.  But a snr Israeli
official has dismissed Mr Arafat's offer of a truce.  Speaking to
Israel's Ha'arertz newspaper, the unnamed official accuses Mr Arafat
of being behind the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Pakistan PM resigns: report
Islamabad.  Reports from Pakistan say the PM, Zafarullah Khan Jamali,
has tendered his resignation.  Mr Jamali has informed Pres Pervez
Musharraf and a formal announcement is expected to be made at a party
meeting later.  A member of the Nat'l Alliance govt says Mr Musharraf
has asked Mr Jamali to continue until a new PM takes office.
Correspondents say the Pres has been seeking to replace Mr Jamali with
someone more able to counter parliamentary opp'n.

Pakistani Cabinet dissolves as PM resigns
Islamabad (AFP).  Pakistani PM Zafarullah Jamali has announced his
resignation from office and dissolved the Cabinet at a meeting of
ruling party members.
Mr Jamali's departure after a 19-m tenure follows m of speculation
over his uneasy relationship with Pres Pervez Musharraf.
Gen Musharraf seized power nearly 5 y ago in a military coup.
Mr Jamali has nominated the pres of the ruling Pakistan Muslim
League (PML), Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, as his successor.
However, that is apparently only for an interim period.
Outgoing Finance Min Shaukat Aziz will then take over as prime
minister after about 2 m, Info Min Sheikh Rashid says.
"I have decided to resign immediately in the interest of the country
and the party," Mr Jamali said. "I have nominated Chaudhry Shujaat
Hussain as new PM."
He says Cabinet ministers and advisors will submit their resignations.
Mr Jamali says he has been "authorised" to announce Chaudhry Shujaat's name.
"Chaudhry Shujaat will take [a] vote of confidence on Mon and we will
all support him," he said.
He says Shaukat Aziz will take the post of snr minister in the new set-up.
Mr Hussain paid tribute to Mr Jamali at the meeting, saying: "His name
will go down in the history in golden words."
Mr Jamali says his Govt remains unblemished, adding that he has
performed according to his ability and people will themselves judge
how far he was successful.
"My intention was pious and my conscience is clear," he said.
Referring to speculation that had been circulating for more than a
month about an in-house change and criticism from party members, he
said: "I came to the conclusion that in the interest of the country
and to save the party I should quit. It's not an easy thing to do, it
needs courage."

Australia to ask Gusmao to halt deportation
An Aussie man facing charges in E Timor says he hopes to appeal to the
Pres, Xanana Gusmao, to intervene in his case.
Dili.  Julian King, an activist and freelance journalist, had
originally been charged with possessing ammunition and illegal documents.
2 of those charges had been dropped but late yesterday police added a
new charge of being in E Timor illegally.
Mr King says he has tried to apply for the right visa but police have
ignored a court order to return his passport.
He says immigration authorities are now threatening to begin
extradition proceedings against him even though he has done nothing wrong.
"We're planning to write to the Pres to inform him in case he isn't
aware," he said.
"We need to inform him that the police dept are refusing to follow the
rulings of both the Dili District Court and the High Court judges."
Mr King says he is being victimised because of his research against
the Govt.
He says he is determined to clear his name.
"I believe I've done nothing wrong here in the last 4-and-1/2
years," he said.
"I've been coming and going, I've been very supportive of the
independence movement, very supportive of local NGOs [non-govt organisations].
"I believe this is purely an attempt by certain people in the Govt to
stop me reporting, to stop me researching on the Timor Gap oil issue
and to stop any criticism."

The woman who is taking on Wal-Mart
Betty Dukes, a California supermarket worker, is leading the biggest civil
rights lawsuit in US history.
SF (Observer).  When Betty Dukes signed on as a check-out counter
assistant at Wal-Mart, the world's biggest supermarket company, it was
for 5 dollars an hour and the chance of moving up through the company
ranks. 'I thought I'd move forward quickly. I thought I'd get promoted
and get good pay rises,' she says.
She got neither. Instead she got the last thing she was looking for: a
starring role in an $8 bn legal battle that could change the face of
corporate America and earn her a reputation as the new Erin Brockovich.
Last wk a SF judge ruled that Dukes and 1.5 mn current and former
employees at Wal-Mart could proceed with a lawsuit alleging that the
company discriminated against female employees, bypassing them for
promotion and paying them less than their male counterparts. It is the
largest civil rights case in US history.
'Am I scared of what we are taking on? Fear can hold anyone back --
but not me,' says Dukes, who has worked at a Wal-Mart in Pittsburg,
California, since 1994. 'The way I see it Wal-Mart is an American
company and I'm an American who is protected by the laws of my
country, which state I have the right to excel in my job, regardless
of gender, race or financial status.'
It would be tempting to describe the battle between Duke and her
co-workers and Wal-Mart as David versus Goliath but that would be
underestimating the gulf in resources between the 2 sides. In one
corner stand some of the lowest paid, least protected workers in
America. In the other corner stands Wal-Mart, an American institution
with a mn employees, an annual turnover of $254 bn and profits of $8 bn.
Legend has it that Wal-Mart expanded from a small-town operation to a
global conglomerate -- it now owns the Brit supermarket Asda, as well
as 3,500 US stores -- thanks to the austere but savvy business
practices of its founder Sam Walton, the so-called working man's
retailer. But, according to lawyers acting for Dukes and her
co-workers, the company's expansion was achieved at the expense of its
employees, especially women.
In her 1st 9 y at Wal-Mart, Betty Dukes's pay rose by an average of 48
cents per hour. Despite repeatedly asking her superiors about the
chances for promotion, jobs she wanted and was qualified to get were
filled by men. 'I was always told to wait, that my time would come,
that there were no openings available, that I didn't have enough
experience to move on. But on a number of occasions men with less
experience than me were put in jobs that I desperately wanted and know
I could have done well.'
In 2000, she approached the Impact Fund, an anti-discrimination
organisation based in Berkeley, California, which was already
investigation similar complaints from other Wal-Mart employees.
Jocelyn Larkin, a lawyer based at Impact Fund, says her organisation
started to look into the company's employment practices and discovered
a disturbing pattern. 'Based on a study of company-wide statistics we
found that of men and women who started at Wal-Mart at the same time,
the men had a 7 times greater chance of ending up in a management position.'
Based on this evidence the Impact Fund filed a lawsuit against the
company in 2001, which yielded an enormous amount of internal
documents and another startling discovery. 'Our research discovered
that women doing the same jobs as men were being paid less. This was
not in one store, or one region; it was a consistent pattern right
across the country.
'Wal-Mart leaves it up to individual store managers to decide who
should get pay rises and it is our belief that these store managers --
mostly men -- rely on their stereotypes rather than on a person's
performance to make the decision about who should get paid what. They
were rewarding the people who most resembled themselves -- other men.'
Larkin claimed that on average women at Wal-Mart were paid $1,400 a y
less than men in similar positions. Female store managers earned
$89,000 pa, $16,000 less than male store managers, according to
one study.  This alleged discrepancy led to further legal action on
behalf of 1.5 mn women who have worked at Wal-Mart since 1998.
This week's court ruling means that a full trial can go ahead, with
lawyers for Dukes and her co-workers claiming upwards of $8 bn damages.
It was a devastating blow for Wal-Mart, which has suffered a series of
setbacks in recent months, including one legal action alleging it
forced workers to work unpaid hours. A number of the company's
premises were raided last y by police, who arrested over 200 illegal
immigrants hired to clean Wal-Mart stores.
The company said it will appeal this latest decision, claiming the
lawsuit ignores the fact that 1000s of female employees make more than
their male counterparts. A rep said Wal-Mart continued to re-evaluate
its employment practices but that a new pay structure and new rules on
filling job vacancies had been introduced.
Meanwhile, Dukes continues to work at Wal-Mart as a store greeter,
though the gathering momentum of her legal battle has coincided with
one piece of good news -- her wages have increased dramatically over
the last y, from $8.44 an hour to $12.53. However, the extra money has
not sated her ambition. 'I'm not saying I want to run the company, or
that I even want to be a store manager. All I want is the chance to do
is to fulfil my potential.'

Sex abuse criticism "surprised" Hollingworth
Sydney.  Peter Hollingworth says he had no idea criticism about his
handling of sex abuse claims would arise.
Former G-G Peter Hollingworth says he was surprised by criticism of
the way he handled child sexual abuse claims as the Anglican
archbishop of Bris.
Dr Hollingworth has told Radio Nat'l that if he knew the claims would
emerge, he would have dealt with them instead of accepting the post of
governor-general.
"I had no idea that criticism would emerge," he said.
"If I had any idea, I would never have accepted the appointment [as
governor-general].
"I would have seen it through, I would have dealt with it."
Dr Hollingworth became the 1st governor-general in a century to resign.
He left after an independent report found he had mishandled the sex
abuse claims when he was the archbishop of Bris.
"[It] was just devastating," he said. "I don't think I can say too
much about that but again it came from left field.
"I had no idea it was coming."
He says he now has a deeper understanding of what child sexual abuse
victims go through.

Pulp mill plan wins fed backing
Canberra.  The fed Min for Forestry, Ian Macdonald, says the prospect
of a N Tas pulp mill has the Coaln's full support.
Timber company Gunns has announced it is conducting a feasibility
study on the $mn project, which would produce 700,000 t of pulp pa.
Sen Macdonald says an Aussie-owned pulp mill would go far to reduce
forestry's current trade deficit.
"Anything that helps create jobs, helps create wealth for Aussies,
[if] it can be done in a sustainable way and does something about our
huge trade deficit in forest products, has to be good for the
country," he said.
Tas forest workers have also welcomed news of the feasibility study,
although with more caution than Sen Macdonald.
This weekend's conference of Timber Communities AUS is looking closely
at the proposal.
Timber Communities AUS's N Tas rep, Adrian Coward, says workers are
excited about local value-adding.
However, they are concerned about a possible down-scaling of other sectors.
"Sawmilling is vulnerable, with the old growth issue," he said.
The Sawmillers Association's Owen Maskell says sawmillers' share of
the forest resource is not up for negotiation.
"The sawmilling industry is based on mature forests, and we'll fight
like nothing else to keep access into those mature forests," he said.
Gunns chief John Gay has said native forest in Tas's NE will be
processed if the pulp mill goes ahead.

Public invited to inspect "Ballarat"
Melbourne.  HMAS Ballarat is open for public inspection today, after
its commissioning at Docklands in MEL.  Yesterday, the white ensign
was raised over the ANZAC frigate.  The ceremony was held at Docklands
to symbolise the direct link with the Vic'n community.  The frigate
will be open to the public between 1.00 pm and 4.00 pm.  The
Navy's Ross Gillett says visitors will see state-of-the-art military
weaponry on board the frigate.  "They'll be able to look over the new
helicopter, they'll be able to walk through the ship from bow to
stern," he said.  "They'll be able to look at the new 5-inch gun,
which is the main armament of the new ship, and also meet the crew and
just enjoy themselves in this very maritime atmosphere down here at Docklands."

Hot air ballooning championships lift off
Mildura.  Perfect conditions are aiding competitors in the 16th World
Hot Air Ballooning Championships at Mildura in Vic.
The 1st 30 of almost 100 balloons are lifting off for the 1st race
this morning.
Vic'n Balloon Association pres Tony Parkes says conditions are
perfect, with light winds.
He says an observer is in every basket to ensure rules are not broken.
Mr Parkes says competition ballooning is becoming very sophisticated
and in some cases it is not a level playing field.
"Some pilots now fly with laptop computers in their baskets that are
tied into their GPS [global positioning system]," he said.
"They have extremely sophisticated map-reading programs on the
computer whereas some other pilots are just learning to fly with a GPS."
Mr Parkes, who is also in competition with the Belgian team, says
piloting a hot air balloon in competition can be very complex.
"Competition ballooning is having to fly to a target that's normally
been set for them just by using the wind that's available to them," he said.
"The wind moves in different levels in different heights and different
speeds and in different directions ... and by using those winds they
have to fly to the target."

Fire destroys $10 mn movie studio
Gold Coast, Qld.  A fire believed to have been started by a large
candle has destroyed a film studio at the Movie World theme park on
Qld's Gold Coast.
Early estimates put the damage bill at more than $10 mn.
The cast and crew of House of Wax, which stars hotel heiress Paris
Hilton, say they are lucky to have escaped the fire.
Studio 8 was largely engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived on the
scene at 6.30 pm yesterday.
Several large LPG cylinders intensified the blaze. It took 10 crews
several hours to bring the fire under control.
The snr operations coordinator for the SE region, Ross Mutzelberg,
says the damage bill will be in the $mns.
"The building has partially collapsed and it's been fully involved in
fire," he said.
"It'll be a complete loss for that sound stage."
The studio recently played host to American hotel heiress Paris
Hilton, who was acting in a horror film.
Mr Mutzelberg says an investigation into the cause of the blaze will
continue today.
"When the fire's at a stage where people can enter, we will have our
fire investigation unit attend," he said.
"The police will most naturally have their investigators there too and
a full investigation will be undertaken."

ALP rethinks terrorism hotline as glitch goes unnoticed
Anti-terrorism hotline down-time revealed.
Canberra.  Labor's homeland security rep, Robert McClelland, says he
is having 2nd thoughts about the Govt's anti-terrorism hotline after
revelations that it was offline for 4 hr but nobody noticed because of
the scarcity of calls.
Mr McClelland says he now regrets supporting the Govt when it set up
the hotline.
It has been revealed that the hotline was offline for a 4-hour
period last m because of a technical problem.
However, no-one noticed because it is not unusual for there to be few calls.
Mr McClelland says in retrospect, a new hotline number may not have
been the best solution.
"I wonder whether the Fed Govt would have been better off setting
something up in interaction with state Crime Stopper hotlines," he said.
"You've got one resource, [a] one-stop phone-in if you like.
"But having said that, it has been set up and it is important to have
it working effectively."
Mr McClelland says the hotline was set up to handle 2,000 calls a day
but is only receiving about 40.

Kakadu fee cuts "would lift visitor numbers"
Darwin.  The NT's Member for Solomon has called for the Kakadu Nat'l
Park entry fee to be dropped to help lift visitor numbers.  Dave
Tollner says he has raised the idea with the PM's Office and the man
responsible for developing a strategy to lift tourist numbers, John
Morse.  To recoup the reduced funding, Mr Tollner says fees should be
placed on activities in the park such as tour cruises and scenic
flights.  "It works very well in Katherine Gorge," he said.  "The way
things work there is that the locals can go down to the gorge, they
can have swim, enjoy the amenities.  "The minute that they step foot
on a cruise or jump on a scenic flight or hire a canoe, immediately
they are than paying a fee that goes toward the management of that
facility."  Mr Tollner says it is a viable option to stop the decline
in park visitors.  "Particularly Territorians aren't going to Kakadu
and I think the entry fee is a huge deterrent for Territorians," he
said.  "I think people feel that they should be able to go to our
parks for no charge at all."

Energy co-op generates public interest
Adelaide.  A group establishing an energy co-operative to secure
cheaper electricity says it has been overwhelmed by the public's
response.  S Aussies are being invited to sign up with the South
Aussie Energy Co-operative to give them bargaining power with
electricity retailers.  Co-op rep John Harris says the group has
registered more than 100,000 hits on its web site in just 3 days since
the launch less than a wk ago.  "There is a real sense that the
de-regulated electricity market hasn't delivered the values to the
people at the small end of town," he said.  "Big business can get
discounts of as much as 40% but a lot of people just look at their
power bill and see it as massively more than it was 5 or 6 y ago."  Mr
Harris would not indicate what sort of discount price the group might
achieve for ordinary SAs.  But he says the 40% going to big business
shows how deep the margins go for the power companies.

Smelter proposal "too crazy to be real"
An alliance of environmental and community groups says a proposal for
a $4 bn aluminium smelter in SW WA is so crazy it must be a stunt.
Perth.  The smelter forms part of the State Govt's master plan for the
future of the resources industry in WA.
The Alumina Action Alliance, made up of environmental and community
groups, says the project would be environmentally devastating to an
area that is already burdened with 4 alumina refineries.
Convenor Neil Bartholomaeus says it also makes no economic sense
because the public would have to subsidise the plant's huge energy
requirements.
"Its energy requirements would be massive and the SW is very short of
energy supplies," he said.
He says the announcement is out of the blue.
"One can only assume it's a stunt to prove that the State Govt can
deliver development to the WA community but it would be an horrendous
impact on the environment and the economy," he said.
State Development Min Clive Brown says the claim that taxpayers will
have to subsidise the project is ludicrous and the overall criticism
of the proposal premature.
"Whenever you come forward with these ideas there's always a mn and
one reasons why something can't happen and that's even before the
matter's been considered in detail," he said.
Mr Brown says the criticism is a sign that some people in Western AUS
still believe in a basket weaving-led recovery.
"Those of us who live in the real world have to understand that we
need a strong economy to provide the jobs that people need," he said.
"We're not about to see a basket weaving-led recovery any time soon."

Greenpeace removes Homebush toxic waste
Sydney.  Members of Greenpeace have broken into an industrial site at
Homebush Bay in SYD's W to stop toxic waste from being incinerated.
The protesters are moving about 60 barrels of the waste to a
neighbouring property, where they claim cleaner technology is used.
Although the 20 environmentalists are not authorised to be on the
sites, there has been no resistance so far.  Campaigner Jason Collins
says the incineration of the waste has been approved by the NSW Govt.
"Incineration is recognised as one of the world's biggest sources of
dioxin and dioxin is one of the most toxic chemicals made by man," Mr
Collins said.  "Any use of incineration is going to increase the
amount of dioxin in the environment and that's a major health
concern."  Greenpeace says at the neighbouring former Union Carbide
site equally toxic waste will be treated with "a safer, cleaner,
closed loop technology".  Under the Stockholm Convention, internat'l
law ratified by AUS in May this y, incineration of toxic waste is
illegal, the group said in a statement.

WA joins state-based energy strategy
WA will join 4 other states to try to improve on the Fed Govt's
recently released energy strategy.
Canberra.  Energy ministers from Vic, NSW, SA and Tas met in SYD yesterday.
They have rejected the Govt's white paper on energy and are vowing to
adopt a state-based approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
WA Energy Min Eric Ripper could not attend the meeting but shares the
other ministers' concerns.
The Commonwealth strategy set aside more than $600 mn to develop
low-emission and renewable energy technologies.
However, it did not increase the target for renewable energy use.
Mr Ripper says the strategy has received widespread criticism.
"You'd have to say that, judging by the reaction, the Fed Govt's
energy statement has been a failure with almost all of the groups it's
sought to address," he said.
Mr Ripper says the strategy shows no leadership on the question of
energy efficiency.
He says the issue of gas penetration has also been ignored.
"We've got significant use of gas in W AUS's electricity system," he said.
"The eastern states electricity systems just don't have the same
penetration of gas, that's a very significant nat'l issue.
"Western Aussie gas in the long run could be used to make up for that
deficiency."

Greens challenge Garrett on port plans
Sydney.  The Aussie Greens have announced plans to tackle new Labor
candidate Peter Garrett head-on in the SYD electorate of Kingsford
Smith.  The Greens are challenging the Labor Party's star recruit to
oppose a 3rd container terminal at Port Botany.  Mr Garrett has
previously expressed concern about the proposal, a view different from
the ALP.  The Greens' NSW Senate candidate, John Kaye, says it will be
the main issue for their local campaign in the seat.  "The Greens see
it as a major test for Peter Garrett," Mr Kaye said.  "If he can
demonstrate his environmental and social justice credentials by
stopping the 3rd container terminal at Port Botany, then he will have
passed that test."  Lawyer Hannah Robert will stand as the Greens'
candidate against Mr Garrett in Kingsford Smith.

Leak reveals baby bonus payment concerns
Canberra.  The Fed Govt is under pressure to change the way it hands
out its $3,000 baby bonus.
Labor's families rep, Wayne Swan, says Cabinet has ignored a document
recommending that the money be paid fortnightly instead of in a lump sum.
The Govt says Centrelink already has the option of paying the money in
6 instalments if necessary.
But Mr Swan says the payments should be spread over 14 wk.
"It's better to make payments to women... on a regular fortnightly
basis to enable the mother to recover from the birth of the child and
to give them some essential financial assistance during that period,"
Mr Swan said.
"It is simply irresponsible to be making lump sum payments across the board."
Family and Community Services Min Kay Patterson says parents and new
mothers are best placed to decide how to spend the money.
"There are safeguards within the legislation to assist people who are
at risk to get their payment in instalments," she said.
"But we believe the vast majority of families and mothers know how
best to spend their money and [should] not to be dictated to by Labor
as to when they should get it and how they should spend it."

ALP quiet on "fairer" tax plan details
Canberra.  The Fed Opp'n is fine-tuning its tax plan but will not say
when it expects to release the policy.  The Govt has been increasing
pressure on Labor to reveal its tax plan since the Coal'n unveiled
its own tax cuts in the May Budget.  Labor's trade rep, Stephen
Conroy, has been helping to prepare the tax policy.  He says it will
be broader and fairer than the Govt's plan.  Sen Conroy's told Channel
7 that the policy will be independently costed to ensure it is fully
funded.  "We're making sure that all of the dollars are there for it
and that's the key test for Labor," he said.  "[If] we're rushed into
it simply because the Govt's playing politics... then we could make a
mistake.  "That's why we're taking our time making sure it all adds
up.  "Ultimately you'll find this is fully funded, fully costed and
will be a vote winner for Labor."

Latham vows to make parties pay for ads
Canberra.  A fed Labor govt will make the Liberal Party pay back any
money for current advertising that is found to be political, leader
Mark Latham says.  Mr Latham says that if he is elected, he will
ensure political parties rather than the govt of the day pay for any
advertising found to have any electoral advantage.  Mr Latham says the
move will be backdated to today.  The Fed Govt is currently spending
more than $120 mn on advertising for programs such as its Medicare
changes.  "All this advertising material here is being developed by
the Govt to assist its election prospects in the future when the money
would be better spent on the basic services needed in the Aussie
community," Mr Latham said.  The Opp'n says the advertising is a
blatant attempt to buy votes for the coming election.

Carr expresses faith in Latham
Sydney.  NSW Prem Bob Carr has moved to clarify his apparent criticism
of fed Labor leader Mark Latham over his handling of US relations.
In an interview recorded last wk and due to air tonight, Mr Carr told
the ABC that if it wins the next election, Labor will face a major
diplomatic challenge in dealing with the US.
Mr Carr now says that the Aussie-US relationship would prosper under a
Latham govt.
"The interview is an extended, and I hope, thoughtful demolition of
the arguments that got us into the Iraq war to start with," he said.
"In passing, I made the commonsense observation that ... AUS's
withdrawal from Iraq, which I support, had to be handled with diplomacy.
"I believe the Aussie-American partnership would survive and prosper
under a Latham Labor govt, as it did under the Hawke and Keating Labor
govts. That's my strong belief."
Mr Latham's policy of withdrawing troops from Iraq has attracted
strong criticism from the US Govt.
* "Diplomatic challenge"
In the earlier interview -- to be aired on ABC radio tonight -- Mr
Carr suggests that the issue would need the skills of Labor's foreign
affairs rep, Kevin Rudd, or former leader Kim Beazley rather than Mr Latham.
"If Labor is to be elected in the forthcoming elections, this will be
a major diplomatic challenge," Mr Carr told the Sun Profile program.
"There will be ultra-nat'lists in Washington who will react very
strongly to the implementation of Labor's policy.
"It's going to require sensitive diplomacy."
Prime Min John Howard seized on Mr Carr's comments, saying they
amounted to an accusation that Mr Latham was wrong on Iraq.
"What Bob Carr has done is to confirm the Govt's criticism of Mr
Latham," Mr Howard said.
"His policy of cutting and running from Iraq would be seen as
unwelcome, as an unfriendly act, and would certainly have an adverse
impact on the alliance."

Police know Norfolk Island killer's identity: Sen
The body of Janelle Patton was found 2 y ago but her murder remains unsolved.
Canberra.  The chairman of the parliamentary committee that oversees
Norfolk Island says locals and police know who murdered Janelle Patton.
The body of the 29-yo was found 2 y ago but despite a recent inquest
the case remains unsolved.
It is the 1st known murder in the island's history.
Sen Ross Lightfoot has told Channel 9 that the evidence points to a
male offender who lives on the island.
He says a policeman has told him he knows the killer's identity.
"People on the island know who murdered Janelle Patton, [there's] no
question they know," Sen Lightfoot said.
"It's very, very hard to penetrate that husk of silence that surrounds
Norfolk Islanders when they want to protect their own."
Sen Lightfoot says the Fed Govt is keen to do whatever is necessary to
penetrate the shroud of silence.
"We also offer and guarantee a safe house anywhere in the Commonwealth,
with a new identity if necessary, if that person can come forward
[with] the info from whom will lead to a conviction," he said.
Ms Patton's body was found in Mar 2002. She had been stabbed and
beaten, with 64 separate injuries to her body.
The coroner who examined the case, Ron Cahill, this m delivered an
open finding, describing the case as one of the most difficult he has
presided over.
16 people were named as of interest to the investigation at the
4-day inquest but the coroner found that no charges could be laid
against any person.
He said no-one on the list had a motivation that fitted the crime.

Nuclear power "can't stop climate change"
Nuclear power cannot solve global warming, the internat'l body set up
to promote atomic energy admits today.
Vienna (Independent).  The Internat'l Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
which exists to spread the peaceful use of the atom, reveals in a new
report that it could not grow fast enough over the next decades to
slow climate change -- even under the most favourable circumstances.
The report -- published to celebrate yesterday's 50th anniversary of
nuclear power -- contradicts a recent surge of support for the atom as
the answer to global warming.
That surge was provoked by an article in The Independent last m by
Professor James Lovelock -- the creator of the Gaia theory -- who said
that only a massive expansion of nuclear power as the world's main
energy source could prevent climate change overwhelming the globe.
Professor Lovelock, a long-time nuclear supporter, wrote: "Civilisation
is in imminent danger and has to use nuclear -- the one safe,
available, energy source -- now or suffer the pain soon to be
inflicted by our outraged planet."
His comments were backed by Sir Bernard Ingham, Lady Thatcher's former
PR chief, and other commentators, but have now been rebutted by the
most authoritative organisation on the matter.
Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power emits no carbon dioxide, the main
cause of climate change. However, it has long been in decline in the
face of rising public opp'n and increasing reluctance of govts and
utilities to finance its enormous construction costs.
No new atomic power station has been ordered in the US for a quarter
of a century, and only one is being built in W Europe -- in Finland.
Meanwhile, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden have all
pledged to phase out existing plants.
The IAEA report considers 2 scenarios. In the first, nuclear energy
continues to decline, with no new stations built beyond those already
planned. Its share of world electricity -- and thus its relative
contribution to fighting global warming -- drops from its current 16 %
to 12% by 2030.
Surprisingly, it made an even smaller relative contribution to
combating climate change under the IAEA's most favourable scenario,
seeing nuclear power grow by 70% over the next 25 y. This is because
the world would have to be so prosperous to afford the expansions that
traditional ways of generating electricity from fossil fuels would
have grown even faster. Climate change would doom the planet before
nuclear power could save it.
Alan McDonald, an IAEA nuclear energy analyst, told The Independent on
Sun last night: "Saying that nuclear power can solve global warming by
itself is way over the top." But he added that closing existing
nuclear power stations would make tackling climate change harder.

{{
Midnight.
The IAEA estimates by 2030 26% of the world's electricity will be
generated by nuclear power -- 4 times the present level.  While the
West has seen no nuclear development in recent ys -- due to fears of
accidents -- almost all of the new nuke stns are in Asia.

The PM of Pak has resigned.  The announcement followed a meeting of the
governing party.  The PM's successor is the head of the governing
Muslim League.  No reasons were given for stepping down.  Rumours say
there were strained relation because the PM had failed to fully
support Musharraf's policies.  It's believed the PM was told to step
down and the move raises questions about the civilian rule in Pak after
3 y of military dictatorship.

1 am
The US and EU have signed an agreement on the use of Europe's proposed
civilian positioning system -- Galileo -- and the US GPS nav systems.

Two dozen Italian police officers have been charged of a raft of
crimes ranging from falsifying evidence to excessive force.  The 29
officers had been part of security measures at the G8 summit in Genoa.
The charges step from a police raid on a protest HQ.

3 am
Pal doctors say 5 Pal bodies have arrived in a hospital in Nablus,
riddled with bullets.  The deaths come amid an Israeli raid in the
town.  Soldiers went into a house, reportedly looking for weapons.
They say they saw "suspicious movements" and opened fire and threw grenades.

The Czech PM has resigned.  He says it's because he lacks the support
of his own party.  He's stepping down as PM and party leader.  The
announcement came just hrs the PM won a no-conf motion by a narrow
margin.  He becomes the first EU politician to pay for the poor
showing in the EP polls.

In the lead-up to the NATO meeting in Turkey, it now seems almost
certain NATO will help train Iraqi troops.  This is a far cry from
what the US was asking for at the G8 summit just wks ago. Then, it
wanted NATO to sned troops to Iraq to help beef up security. Now, the
Bush Admin has set the bar so low even France will jump over it.

3.30 am
Oil officials in Iraq say 2 pipes have been repaired in the S of the
country.  Oil pumping is almost back to the level of last y.

6 am
The US military says a bomb has killed at least 17 Iraqis in Hillah.

A militant group has threatened to behead 3 Turkish hostages within
72 hrs unless Ankara orders Turkish workers and contractors out of
Iraq.  The group -- reportedly the same one that executed Korean
translator Kim -- says it also wants anti-Bush demonstrations at the
NATO meeting in Istanbul.

The Italian opp'n looks set to take power in Milan -- PM Berlusconi's
own power base.  To add to the PM's woes, a key member of the
governing coal'n is threatening to pull out.

11 am
Milwaukee.  American Greens have complicated Ralph Nader's bid to
run in the presid'l elections in Nov by endorsing Cal lawyer David
Cobb.  If the meeting of 800 Greens had endorsed Nader -- as they did
in the last 2 elections -- he would have gained automatic access to
the tickets in 22 states.

11.30
The death toll in Hillah has risen to over 30.

Iraqi interim PM Allawi says the security sit'n could delay nat'l
elections, scheduled for Jan 2005.

Midday.
Israel has dismissed an offer by Arafat to call a truce during the
Olympics.  Govt reps say the offer just proves Arafat is behind
Israel's security problems.

Kay Patterson has defended the decision to pay the $600 pre-election family
bonus in a lump sum.  The Opp'n has obtained a Cabinet paper that
recommended the payment be made fortnightly.  There has been some concern
that some families had spent the money on alcohol or otherwise rashly.
Patterson says families can best decide how to spend the govt windfall.

12.30 pm
The Fed'l Govt's "terrorism hotline" was off for 4 hrs overnight,
without anyone noticing.  Designed to handle 2,000 calls a day, it's
only been receiving 40.

1 pm
Dep PM John Anderson says an attack on Aussie forces in N Iraq this
weekend is another reminder that AUS must keep its troops in Iraq.

At least 17 people have been killed and 40 wounded in a suspected car
bomb blast in the Iraqi city of Hilla, S of Baghdad, a snr US-led
coalition military rep says.

A car bomb blast in the in the Iraqi city of Hilla, S of Baghdad, has
killed up to 32 people nr the former Saddam mosque, named after the
toppled Iraqi pres.

A fed Labor govt will make the Liberal Party pay back any money for
current advertising that is found to be political, leader Mark Latham says.

Iraq's interim Govt says it would welcome NATO troops in the country
as the military alliance reached a deal on training its fledgling
armed forces.

Iraq's interim Prime Min is offering amnesty to his countrymen who
have resisted the US occupation out of a sense of indignation, not
destabilisation.

Iraq's tenuous security situation could delay nat'l elections by 2
months, according to interim PM Iyad Allawi.

Labor's homeland security rep, Robert McClelland, says he is having
2nd thoughts about the Govt's anti-terrorism hotline after revelations
that it was offline for 4 hr but nobody noticed because of the
scarcity of calls.

Pres George W Bush says the US is committed to upholding the Geneva
Conventions, in a statement marking the UN Internat'l Day in Support
of Victims of Torture.

Suspected militants from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group have kidnapped 3
Turks in Iraq and is threatening to behead them unless Turkish firms
and contractors leave within 72 hr, Al Jazeera television reports.

The Aussie Greens have announced plans to tackle new Labor candidate
Peter Garrett head-on in the SYD electorate of Kingsford Smith.

The Fed Govt is under pressure to change the way it hands out its
$3,000 baby bonus.

The Fed Opp'n is fine-tuning its tax plan but will not say when it
expects to release the policy.

The Greens are accusing timber company Gunns of trying to pre-empt a
decision by the major political parties on forestry policy in the
lead-up to the fed election.

United States Pres George W Bush has declared an end to Western rifts
over Iraq but has won little in his search for European military help
in the country.

5 pm
15 people have been killed in China, in Jijang prov.  11 died on the
spot.  4 others died later in hospital.  15 people injured, and 3 are
in critical condition.

2 car bombs have exploded in Hillah. The blasts have killed up to 40
people, and injured 20 more.  Originally, the toll was put at 17.  The
bigger blast occurred nr a mosque, on a busy street.  All cas seem to
be civilians.

The WashPost says the CIA has suspended the use of tough interrogation
techniques as a result of the Abu Ghraib fallout.

Aussie Opp'n leader Mark Latham says propaganda should be paid for by
political parties.  The ALP says its leg'n would be back-dated to
today.  The govt says guidelines to prevent the diversion of taxpayer money
into party-political advertising is in place and the Latham
announcement was just designed for quick political advantage.

6.30 pm
A day after Brit A-G Lord Goldsmith said the US military commissions
were unlikely to be fair, documents have been revealed in which the
Blair govt request the remainder of Brit natl's back from
Guantanamo Bay.  Earlier this y the US transferred a number of low
priority detainees from Guatmo back to the UK, but continued to hold
around 1/2-a-dozen Brit natl's it still considers a threat to US
nat'l security.

A WWII vintage aircraft has crashed into a house outside Moscow,
killing 3 and injuring several moire.

IAEA chief ElBaradei is in Moscow today, to commemorate the start of
the world's first nuclear electric generation stn in Russia.  While the
IAEA is forecasting a rapid development of nuclear power in this next
few decade, an indep nuclear analyst told the BBC that nuclear power
had failed.  He said present-day Brits curse the Victorians for their
lead works and gas works.  He suspects future generations could curse
the C21 for nuclear power.

Police have broken up demonstrators with tear gas.  1000s turned out
on the streets of Ankara to protest the NATO meeting and the visit of
Pres Bush.  Local media is saying 4 police officers were injured in
the fracas.

7.30 pm
2 blasts have been heard nr the Green Zone, in Baghdad.

Part of the Warner movie studio on the Gold Coast has been destroyed
in a fire.  The fire happened during the filming of "House of Wax".
Peter Beattie says he doesn't think the local movie ind'y will suffer.
}}

----------------------------------------
Mon, 28 Jun 2004.

Governor Bremer has handed "sovereignty" over to interim PM Allawi.

	HEADLINES:
Two children killed in Baghdad mortar strike: hospital
One killed in attack on RAAF Hercules
Govt rules out sex change for serial killer
China bus crash kills 12
2 killed in Palestinian rocket attack
Iraqis clear up after car bomb kills 23 S of Baghdad
Iraq handover moved forward
Oil prices retreat; Oslo intervenes in Norwegian strike
US, Iraq at odds on Saddam
US predicts more support over Iraq
Saddam to be hauled in dock within days: Iraqi security head
Reign of chaos and confusion in Iraq
NATO agrees to train Iraqi forces amid summit protests
Masked Iraq gunmen threaten to behead Pakistani
Iraqi bns unaccounted for
Iraq PM says victims of terror should be compensated
Democrats film attacks Iraq involvement
Bremer imposes US influence on Iraq
"Fahrenheit 9/11" tops N American box office
2UE escapes "cash for comment" charges
ASEAN to sign off on draft security plan
Agreement reached on Offset Alpine documents
All eyes on US interest rates
Blair directly asked Bush to return terror prisoners
Boat capsizes in India, 5 dead
Bonus prompts baby talk, principal says
Bush courts Turkey amid protests and violence
China sentences dozens of drug dealers to death
EU suspends anti-trust measures against Microsoft
Federal election time?
Fiji treason trial begins
Forestry needs more transparency, report says
Former teacher found guilty of child sex charges
Free or charge Guantanamo prisoners, Turkish PM says
Funding undermining witness protection: Vic police
Harradine tells supporters of retirement plans
Hospital admissions up, length of stay down
Israeli helicopters fires missiles in Gaza
Militants threatens to behead "US Marine"
Nationalist concedes defeat in Serbian presid'l vote
Navy commitments to remain heavy, says new cmdr
Nuclear industry still haunted by Chernobyl -- UN
OECD gives AUS poor marks for equity in education
PM dismisses Latham's advertising "stunt"
Palestinians blow up Israeli army post in Gaza
Police allege "violent" man detained girl for 8 m
Protest in Brussels after Jewish teenager stabbed
Qantas passengers stranded by faulty door
Ransom paid for Italian hostages' release: report
Summit calls for huge housing investment
Tas homes evacuated as cliff collapses
Tax office unveils investment property deductions
Turkey a model Muslim democracy: Bush


All eyes on US interest rates
Sydney (AAP).  The Aussie share market is likely to remain in a
holding pattern ahead of the widely expected first rise in official US
interest rates in 4 y this wk.
The Jun 30 decision by the US Fed Reserve, when it is likely to hike
rates by a small quarter of a%age point to a still low 1.25 %, will
also mark another important date for financial markets -- the US hand
over of power in Iraq.
HSBC analysts said a US rate rise is a virtual certainty but there
will be real interest in the accompanying statement for an insight
into Fed supremo Alan Greenspan and his fellow central bankers' view
on the world's largest economy.
"The Fed thinks inflation will stay low despite upside surprises in
the 1st quarter, so the assessment of inflation risks should remain
balanced, as should growth risks," HSBC said.
Otherwise, markets will be focused on a rush of local data releases as
the financial y ticks over, including trade balance, building
approvals, retail trade and credit growth numbers.
HSBC has pencilled in a $2 bn deficit in May, up from $1.8 bn
previously, with exports up around 2%, but imports up a stronger 3%.
"On the exports side, we expect a 1.4% seasonally adjusted rise in
rural exports after a 12.9% jump previously," they said.
On Wed, the Reserve Bank of AUS is due to release private sector
credit statistics for May.
Macquarie Bank has tipped the growth level to have eased in line with
the decline in demand for housing finance.
Retail Trade figures will be out on Thu and should have risen in line
with its recent trend, Macquarie said.
Influences and evidence for May sales were mixed.
"The continued firm labour market is a positive for sales, with firm
trend employment growth continuing and a new cycle low for the
unemployment rate. But on the negative side, petrol prices rose 6.7%
in the month, reducing disposable income for spending on other retail
items [and petrol sales are not included in the retail sales survey],"
Macquarie analysts said.
Wall Street provided a soft lead for the Aussie share market where
blue chip stocks fell on Fri.
The DJIA fell 71.97 points, or 0.69%, to 10,371.84. The Standard &
Poor's 500 Index fell 6.33 points, or 0.55%, to 1,134.32.
The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index rose 9.90 points, or
0.49%, to 2,025.47.

OECD gives AUS poor marks for equity in education
Vienna.  One of the world's leading maths educators has given AUS a
poor report card for its treatment of students from disadvantaged
backgrounds.  The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) education director, Barry McGaw, says AUS has among
the highest performances for literacy and maths skills, but is among
the worst for equity in education.  Speaking in Townsville, Dr McGraw
says more needs to be done to help those from disadvantaged
backgrounds strive for excellence.  "What AUS ought to be doing is
trying to understand much more from its data about how these
inequities are distributed and what might be the causes in order then
to know what might best be done to reduce them," he said.

Oil prices retreat; Oslo intervenes in Norwegian strike
London (AFP).  Oil prices retreated Fri as the Norwegian govt stepped
in to resolve a strike that has hit output from the world's
3rd-largest exporter.
The price of benchmark Brent N Sea crude oil for delivery in Aug fell
by US$0.38 to US$34.92 in late trading here.
NY's reference light sweet crude for Aug delivery dropped by US$0.58
to US$37.35 in early deals.
The Norwegian govt intervened to halt a week-long escalating strike in
the country's oil sector by enforced mediation between unions and employers.
"The dispute on the Norwegian shelf is over," the Labor and Social
Affairs ministry said in a statement.
"In parallel, it has been decided that continued strike action and the
lock-out are prohibited," it said.
The trade union Oljearbeidernes Fellessammenslutning (OFS) on Wed
vowed to step up its action from midnight today.
The move would have forced the daily Norwegian output down to just 75%
of the usual capacity of around 3 mn bpd.  Employers meanwhile
announced Thu a lock-out of striking workers.
Even before news of the Norwegian govt's intervention traders had been
optimistic about the chances of a swift resolution.
"There is a building feeling that the strike in Norway will be
short-lived and that the govt will intervene and therefore the
interruption of supplies will be very limited," Commerzbank analyst
David Thomas said.
He added that the market was also reassured by the prospect of the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries pressing ahead with a
planned output boost on Aug. 1 despite a recent fall in world prices.
At a meeting on Jun 3, OPEC decided to raise its output ceiling to
25.5 mn bpd on Jul 1 and to 26 mn bpd from Aug. 1 to try to push down
high world prices.
"There are talks going on about OPEC invoking their 500,000 barrels a
day production increase from Aug. That is easing concerns about
supply," Thomas said.
"Pressure is still on OPEC to follow through on its commitment to put
more oil" on the market.
The market was also nervous about the potential for more attacks by
insurgents in Iraq in the run-up to the planned Jun 30 transfer of
power to a new interim govt in Baghdad.
"Iraq will continue to be the focus because there are potential supply
disruptions and exports are still lower than their previous levels
before the recent pipeline attacks," said Thomas.

EU suspends anti-trust measures against Microsoft
Brussels (AFP).  The European Commission has said it was putting
anti-trust measures against Microsoft on hold until the EU's top court
rules on a request by the software giant to suspend the punishment.
The European Union's executive arm said that "in the interest of a
proper administration of justice", it was delaying the implementation
of its measures "while a Microsoft application for interim measures is
being considered".
The "interim measures" referred to an application by Microsoft on
Fri for the European Court of Justice to stay the Mar ruling by
Brussels, which imposed a hefty fine and product changes after a
5-y anti-trust probe.
"The commission is of the opinion that it is not appropriate to
enforce remedies before the pres of the Court of First Instance
[the court's lower chamber] decides on a Microsoft application for
interim measures," it said in a statement.
It added that the decision to put the punishment on hold was "without
prejudice to Microsoft's obligation to implement the remedies" should
the court reject the company's request.
"The commission believes that the remedies are reasonable, balanced
and necessary to restore competition in the marketplace and that there
is a strong public interest in favour of implementing them without
waiting for the judgement on the substance of the case," it added.

China sentences dozens of drug dealers to death
Beijing (Reuters).  China has sentenced dozens of drug dealers to
death ahead of the Internat'l Day Against Drug Abuse, despite a
chorus of protests by human rights groups, state media has reported.
In the south-western city of Chongqing alone, 16 drug traffickers
received death sentences in a public trial on Sat, the designated
internat'l anti-drug day, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
In Shanghai, one man was executed for smuggling 1.8 kg of heroin into
the city from Burma, it said.
State media said on Fri that executions had taken place in the
south-western province of Yunnan, the southern province of Guangdong,
the eastern province of Zhejiang, the north-western province of
Shaanxi and the western region of Xinjiang.
Photographs splashed on official Web sites showed masked,
machinegun-toting police gripping the arms of convicts in prison garb.
A convicted drug dealer usually receives either a bullet in the back
of the head or a lethal injection.
Rights groups such as Amnesty Internat'l, which opposes the death
penalty in all cases, called on Beijing to halt drug-related
executions and review future use of the death penalty.
"We have seen an annual spree of executions in China in the run-up to
UN Internat'l Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in
previous years," it said in a statement.
"Yet no convincing evidence has ever been produced that the death
penalty deters would-be traffickers and users more effectively than
any other punishment," it said.
China executed at least 50 people on drug-related charges last y,
but drug use, related crimes and trafficking are actually rising
despite these tactics, Amnesty said.
China, which borders the Southeast Asian "Golden Triangle" and
Afghanistan, 2 of the world's biggest opium producers, faces a serious
and growing drug problem.
It has more than one mn registered addicts, and many more who are not
registered.

China bus crash kills 12
Beijing.  At least 12 people have drowned in south-west China, after
their bus plunged into a river.  State media says 16 of 21 survivors
have been injured -- 2 of them severely.  The Xinhua news agency says
rescue workers are searching for any missing people, as police are
unable to ascertain how many passengers were on the bus when the
accident occurred.  Witnesses have said the driver lost control of the
vehicle just before it plunged into the Diaojiang river in the
province of Guangxi.  More than 104,000 people died on China's roads
last y --- about 285 people a day.  China accounts for about 15 per
cent of traffic deaths around the world, although it only has 2 per
cent of the world's vehicles.

Boat capsizes in India, 5 dead
Delhi.  At least 5 people have died and 15 others are missing, after a
small boat capsized in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The Press Trust of India news agency says the boat was taking 35
villagers to a nearby temple function, when it capsized in the Gomti
River.  Police say 15 adults swam to shore, but at least 15 other
people remain missing.  They say 5 bodies have been recovered.
Boating accidents are frequent in India.

US predicts more support over Iraq
Istanbul (AFP).  The Bush administration has hailed NATO's expected
move to train Iraqi security forces as proof it was healing diplomatic
wounds from the war and mustering broad world support for its military
operation.
The officials said the N Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO),
which has baulked at providing more troops for Iraq, was virtually
certain to approve training for Iraqi security forces in a gesture
with important diplomatic overtones.
After an upbeat meeting Sat with the European Union, US officials
predicted the NATO summit opening on Mon in Turkey would finally
bury what Pres George W Bush called "bitter differences" over
last y's invasion.
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice told Fox News Sun from
Turkey that the Istanbul summit would produce "a strong political
commitment that the countries of NATO understand that the future of
Iraq is important to them".
Ms Rice also went on the American ABC News to praise the "very good
support" the United States was getting from Europe, where countries
such as France and Germany had staunchly opposed the war to topple
Saddam Hussein.
"I think you will see more [support] now that there is a [UN] Security
Council resolution and as the reconstruction phase really kicks in,"
she said in a reference to the UN vote early this month endorsing the
new interim Iraqi government.
A snr administration official, briefing reporters aboard Air Force
One as it flew from Ireland to Turkey, exulted in what the aide called
"the most productive US-EU summit" since Mr Bush assumed the
presidency in Jan 2001.
"It's very clear that you now have a political consensus between the
United States and Europe on the way forward -- not a political
consensus in retrospect about Iraq last y, but a consensus on what
we do now," the official said.
Although the EU made no mention of a future military role in Iraq in
the joint statement issued after the summit in Ireland, the snr US
official said the Europeans still blessed the multinat'l force on
the ground.
"This means that the European Union member states who have troops in
Iraq now can no longer be accused by anyone of acting against a
general European consensus," the official said, speaking on condition
of anonymity.
A potential new row loomed over where to train the Iraqi security
forces, with both Paris and Berlin refusing to send instructors into Iraq.
Ms Rice said on Sun that NATO members, as opposed to the alliance
itself, would handle the instruction and "most of the training will
need to take place in Iraq" with perhaps part of it in another country.
Sec of State Colin Powell told CBS television that the site for training
"hasn't been determined" and would be discussed at the NATO summit.
Mr Bush and his main war allies, prime ministers Tony Blair of Britain
and Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, have worked hard to forge a display of
trans-Atlantic unity, but it escaped them at a summit of eight leading
powers 2 wk ago.
If they were able to bask in the unanimous UN Security Council
resolution putting the world body's stamp on the restoration of Iraqi
self-rule on Wed, there was no agreement on sending more troops
or on how much Iraqi debt to forgive.
Mr Bush, who faces a tough fight for re-election in Nov, hopes to
refurbish his diplomatic image at a time when support for the war has
plunged and his Democratic rival John Kerry is pushing for wider
internat'l involvement.
New polls show a majority of Americans now consider the invasion a
mistake but Mr Powell said that they were a reaction to the recent
spate of violence that has plagued Iraq ahead of the handover of power.
"I hope that as the Iraqi government takes over, the American people
will see that they are taking over and they now have sovereignty and
they are now in charge of their country and moving their country in
the right way," he told CNN.
"In due course they will see that we have made the right decision, and
what we are doing is noble work.  And those [poll] numbers will
change," Mr Powell said in an interview from Turkey.
The Americans appeared at loggerheads with the new Iraqi government,
however, over the immediate fate of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein,
who was arrested in Dec and was due to be tried on charges of war
crimes and crimes against humanity.
Mr Powell said that while US forces planned to transfer legal
authority over Saddam to the Iraqis some time soon, "physical custody
would remain in our hands for the foreseeable future".
This appeared to contradict Iyad Allawi, the new Iraqi prime minister,
who told reporters in Baghdad on Sun that Saddam would be moved
early next month to a new jail with Iraqi guards and limited support
from the US-led military.

Federal election time?
Howard's Tas visit heralds election: Lennon
Hobart.  Tasmania's Premier Paul Lennon says it is clear that a
federal election will be held soon.
There is renewed speculation about a possible Aug election, after a
rare Sat sitting of the federal Parliament to help clear a
backlog of legislation.
PM John Howard arrives in Launceston this afternoon for a two-day
visit to one of the country's most marginal seats, Bass.
Mr Lennon says Mr Howard's 2-day visit to northern Tasmania leaves
little doubt about his intentions.
"The Prime Minister only comes to Tasmania when there's an election in
the wind," he said.
"Obviously this is pure electioneering. He's hoping to con Tasmanians
into voting Liberal.
"The only way that Tasmanians should be prepared to even entertain the
Prime Minister during this visit is if he is prepared to restore the
funding that he's taken off us in recent weeks.
"Deliver on the promises that your senators have been making in
Tasmania or don't bother coming," Mr Lennon said.
Liberal senator Guy Barnett says Mr Lennons claims are laughable,
arguing the State Government has never had as much federal funding
coming in as it does now.
"They are absolutely swimming in money, so if it wasn't so serious
you'd be laughing your head off," he said.
While in the country's eighth most marginal seat, Mr Howard will
attend an afternoon tea for Bass candidate Michael Ferguson, before
opening a childhood obesity forum tomorrow.
Mr Howard is expected to arrive in Launceston around 2.00 pm.

"Fahrenheit 9/11" tops N American box office
LA (AFP).  Michael Moore's incendiary anti-Bush documentary Fahrenheit
9/11 was the top ticket at N American cinemas this weekend,
according to preliminary figures released Sun.
The film slamming US Pres George W Bush is expected to gross
$US21.8 mn over the weekend, according to Exhibitor Relations.
In a record for a documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11 is appearing in nearly
868 US theatres.
The film, which won Cannes' top Palme d'Or prize has been delighting
US liberals and garnering the condemnation of conservatives for its
attacks on the White House and the conduct of the administration's war
against terrorism.
The film will debut in Australia at the Melbourne Internat'l Film
Festival on Jul 15.
Debuting in second place, the comedy White Chicks, starring siblings
Shawn and Marlon Wayans as black FBI agents disguised as white women,
earned about $US19.6 mn and has grossed about $US27.1 mn since opening
on Wed.
Last week's leader, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, dropped to 3rd
place, reaping $US18.5 mn.
Rounding out the top 5 were The Terminal, which earned $US13.9 mn, and
the newly released film The Notebook, which grossed $US13 mn.

Nationalist concedes defeat in Serbian presid'l vote
Serbia (AFP).  Serbian nationalist Tomislav Nikolic has conceded
defeat at the presid'l run-off to reformist pro-European candidate
Boris Tadic and congratulated him on winning the election.
"I congratulate him on the election," Mr Nikolic told reporters at his
Serbian Radical party (SRS) headquarters.
The Centre for Free and Fair Elections said according to their final
estimates Mr Tadic won 53.7% of the vote compared to nationalist Mr
Nikolic's 45%.
"The fight was bitter, but I am completely satisfied with the success
I have made," Mr Nikolic said.
The first official results are expected later today, with the final
result expected tomorrow at the earliest.
A European Union official says the EU is very happy with the result.
"It is a very good result for Serbia and for democracy in Serbia. It
has helped clarify the political scene" in the republic, said the head
of the European Commission Delegation to Serbia and Montenegro
Geoffrey Barrett.
"We at the EU are very, very happy with this result," Mr Barrett told AFP.
Before the elections, EU leaders told voters that a win for Mr Tadic
would help Serbia's European integration but a Mr Nikolic victory
would see it branded once again as a pariah state.

Bush courts Turkey amid protests and violence
Fiery protests in Ankara.
Ankara (DW).  US Pres Bush renewed calls for Turkey's EU entry as he
sought to boost ties with the country in Ankara on the eve of a NATO
summit. Thousands of people protested on the sidelines.
US Pres George W. Bush's first-ever visit to Turkey on Sat got off to
a violent start.
Preceded by a series of protests and bomb blasts, including two last
Thu that injured 3 people outside the Ankara hotel where Bush is
expected to stay and killed another 4 on a bus in Istanbul, the
president's arrival has put Turkish security forces on high alert.
In a dramatic beefing up of security, F-16 warplanes patrolled the
skies over Istanbul on Sun while Turkish commandos are monitoring the
Bosporus in rubber boats with mounted machine guns. More than 23,000
Turkish police will be on duty when the NATO summit gets underway in
Istanbul on Sun.
About 20,000 demonstrators, many members of leftist groups, gathered
in a Ankara square on Sun chanting anti-Bush slogans and protesting
American policies in the Middle East.
Earlier on Sat, Turkish police fired tear gas at hordes of
stone-throwing leftist protesters, just hours before Bush arrived in
the country. The fortress that Ankara came to resemble over the
weekend led a Turkish commentator to write:
"This visit is making our lives hell."
* "Barbaric act"
The president's visit also coincided with the hostage-taking of 3
Turkish workers in Iraq by militants loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a
Jordanian-born terrorist believed to have links to al Qaeda.
The militants have threatened to behead them within 72 hr unless
Turkish companies stop working with US forces in Iraq.
The al-Jazeera Arabic television channel showed pictures of the 3 men
crouching in front of masked gunmen and holding up their passports.
The same group beheaded a S Korean hostage earlier this wk and an
American man last m.
On Sat Bush refused to answer reporters' questions about the
kidnappings, but Whitehouse rep Sean McCormack said, "We're in close
contact with the Turkish govt on the issue. It is an awful reminder of
the barbaric nature of these terrorists, but their acts will not shake
the will of free people everywhere."
* "A model for the Middle East"
Meeting with Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sun, Bush vowed to
fight hard for Turkey to become a member of the European Union, a line
he stressed even during a EU-US summit in Ireland on Sat morning.
"I will remind people of this good country that I believe ought to be
given a date by the EU for your eventual acceptance into the EU," Bush said.
The pres also praised Turkey for reconciling democracy with its
Muslim tradition and said it could set an example for the Middle East.
"I appreciate so very much the example your country has set on how to
be a Muslim country and at the same time a country which embraces
democracy and rule of law and freedom," he said.
Bush, who is on a Europe trip to mobilise support for his mission in
Iraq, is hoping that his talks with Turkish leaders will improve
America's ties with the only Muslim nation in the western alliance.
Bush's relations with Turkey were strained in the run-up to the Iraq
war when Turkey's parliament rejected a US request to let American
troops use Turkish bases to invade Iraq from the south.
* NATO to train Iraqi military
ON Mon, Bush will fly to Istanbul to attend a summit of the 26-nation
NATO alliance. On Sat, NATO nations cautiously agreed to respond to
Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi's request to train Iraqi security forces.
The agreement is expected to be finalised at the NATO summit that ends
Tue, a day before the transfer of political power in Iraq.


Turkey a model Muslim democracy: Bush
Istanbul (AFP/ABC).  US Pres George W Bush sought to bolster ties
with Turkey after strains over the war in Iraq, touting the country as
a model for the Muslim world during a visit ahead of a NATO summit.
Pres Bush has been having talks in Ankara with the Turkish PM,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Pres Bush's visit to the Turkish capital was preceded by a series
of bomb blasts and protests, but he does not appear to have let that
disturb him.
Nor did he want to respond to the kidnapping of 3 Turkish citizens
in Iraq.
He ignored reporters' questions over their abduction.
The US Turkish relationship, strong for decades, took a severe knock
last Mar when Turkey refused to allow its territory to be used for
the invasion of Iraq.
Pres Bush expressed support for Turkey's efforts to join the
European Union and praised the country as a model of Muslim democracy.
"I will remind the people of this good country that you ought to be
given a date by the EU for your eventual acceptance into the EU," Mr
Bush said.
Washington has been a robust supporter of Turkey's aspirations to win
a date for EU membership talks when EU leaders assess the Muslim
country's democratisation progress in Dec.
"I appreciate very much the example that your country has set on how
to be a Muslim country, and at the same time a country
which... embraces democracy and rule of law and freedom," Mr Bush said.
He said his talks with Mr Erdogan would concentrate on bilateral ties,
ways of strengthening NATO and regional issues, including the
situation in neighbouring Iraq.
Bush is visiting Ankara prior to attending a NATO summit in Istanbul,
set for Mon and Tue.
Mr Erdogan, said he was happy to welcome Bush in Turkey for the first time.
"I wish that the discussions that we will have both on the region and
on Turkish-American relations will be useful for both countries," he said.
Mr Erdogan also told Pres Bush on he expected the United States
to take action against Kurdish militants holed up in northern Iraq,
Anatolian news agency reported.
It said Bush responded by reiterating a pledge to act against the
militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been blamed for a
recent upsurge in cross-border attacks on security forces in
south-east Turkey.

ASEAN to sign off on draft security plan
Jakarta (AFP).  Senior officials from the Association of South-East
Asian Nations (ASEAN) have completed negotiations on a draft action
plan for a security community among the 10-nation grouping.  A
spokesman says the draft -- proposed by Indonesia -- will be submitted
to the ASEAN FM's for endorsement when they hold an
annual meeting in Jakarta tomorrow.  He says ASEAN leaders will then
adopt the document when they meet at a summit in Nov in Laos.
The spokesman says the final draft is a compromised version that
differs from Indonesia's original proposal but he says it is still an
important achievement.  Observers say one proposal for an ASEAN
peacekeeping force as part of the security community has been quietly
shelved, after objections from other ASEAN countries.

Blair directly asked Bush to return terror prisoners
London (AP). PM Tony Blair has personally asked US Pres George W. Bush
to allow 4 Britons held at Guantanamo Bay to return home, according to
court papers filed by lawyers acting for the Brit govt.
The papers, obtained by The Associated Press, were filed at the High
Court in response to an application by lawyers for Feroz Abbasi and
Martin Mubanga, 2 of the detained Britons. The application calls on
the Brit govt to make a formal request to the US for the men's return.
Christopher Greenwood and Philip Sales, acting for Home Secretary
David Blunkett and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, said in the summary
defence document, dated on Jun 17, that "the UK govt has already made
unequivocal requests for the return of all the Brit detainees at
Guantanamo Bay to the US govt."
They added that "the PM has made a direct request to Pres Bush to that
effect". The High Court has yet to rule in the case. The papers were
sent to the AP by a spokesperson for lawyers representing some
Guantanamo Bay detainees in a US Supreme Court case.
The Brit govt has long said the detainees should be given a fair trial
or returned home, but it is facing mounting pressure to resolve the issue.
A rep for Blair's office said that "the PM is on record as saying he
has raised the matter with the president several times. We want to see
the situation resolved".
Brit's A-G, Lord Goldsmith, said on Fri that the American plan to use
a military tribunal to prosecute terrorist suspects being held at the
detention centre in Cuba is unacceptable because it would not provide
a fair trial by internat'l standards.
"While we must be flexible and be prepared to countenance some
limitation of fundamental rights if properly justified and proportionate,
there are certain principles on which there can be no compromise,"
Goldsmith said in a speech to the Internat'l Criminal Law Association.
The text of the speech was released to the media.
Defence Min Geoff Hoon said the govt would raise concerns about Brit
detainees in Guantanamo with the US but that there was a limit to
Brit's influence.
Hoon said that the govt would study the advice provided by Goldsmith,
the country's snr legal adviser, and act accordingly.
However, he said the final consideration of the legality of the
tribunals was a matter for the US. "It is very important to be
realistic in the relationship between 2 sovereign states," Hoon told
Brit Broadcasting Corp radio.
"We can certainly set out what is the position of the Brit govt. We
can certainly, as we do on a regular basis, affect the way in which
the US sees those issues," he said.
"But we would have to be realistic. We are not always successful, nor
would anyone realistically expect us always to be successful."
US Pres George W. Bush has unveiled plans for a system of military
commissions to try 600 detainees at the Cuban base. Abbasi and Begg,
two of the 4 Brit nat'ls still held at Camp Delta, were among Bush's
initial list of 6 people to be tried by the tribunal.

Free or charge Guantanamo prisoners, Turkish PM says
Istanbul (AFP).  Turkish PM Recept Tayyip Erdogan has asked visiting
US Pres George W Bush to charge or free 3 Turkish nat'ls
held at the US detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  "Mr Erdogan
has called on Mr Bush to ensure that the judicial procedure against
the 3 Turks detained at Guantanamo is concluded and, if they are
innocent, that their extradition takes place," an official statement
read.  The 3 Turks, along with around 650 other inmates, are being
detained indefinitely and face possible military trial for alleged
connections with Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network and Afghanistan's
deposed Taliban regime.  Washington describes the detainees as illegal
combatants, denying them the protection of the Geneva conventions on
the treatment of prisoners of war.  Mr Bush arrived in Turkey on
Sat where he held a series of meetings in the capital Ankara,
before travelling to Istanbul ahead of a 2-day NATO summit starting on Mon.

US, Iraq at odds on Saddam
Washington (Herald Sun).  Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein would
remain in the physical custody of US forces for the "foreseeable
future", US Secretary of State Colin Powell said today, apparently
contradicting Iraq's new PM.
Iyad Allawi told reporters in Baghdad today Saddam, arrested in Dec,
would be moved early next m to a new jail with Iraqi guards and
limited support from the US-led military.
But Mr Powell, in an interview with CNN from Turkey ahead of a NATO
summit, made the distinction between transferring legal responsibility
for Saddam to the Iraqis and actually keeping him under guard.
"I would expect that legal custody would be handed over shortly, but
physical custody would remain in our hands for the foreseeable
future," he said.
He said discussions were continuing on the "legal transfer, who has
the legal authority and responsibility for him, and then there's
physical custody, who can best protect him, but also best keep him
from escaping".
"All those items are being worked out," Mr Powell said.
Mr Allawi, who was named interim PM to run the country after the
restoration of self-rule on Wed, appeared to have a different take on
Saddam's fate.
"He will be kept by Iraqis ... We may ask a multinat'l force to be
involved in the protection of the outside, of the outskirts of the
prison, but definitely he will be under the jurisdiction of Iraq," he said.
The PM said the transfer would happen "very, very soon" perhaps by
Jul 4, and he appeared convinced he had the manpower to hold Saddam
securely.
"We have the forces, we have the judicial system," Mr Allawi said.

Saddam to be hauled in dock within days: Iraqi security head
Baghdad (AFP).  A handcuffed and chained Saddam Hussein will be hauled
in front of an Iraqi judge within days to hear his arrest warrant,
Iraq's nat'l security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubaie has told CBS
television.  "We're going to have control of Saddam Hussein," Mr
Rubaie told CBS anchorman Dan Rather.  "We're going to have 2 American
military MPs to hand him over to 4 Iraqi policemen. They will put a
chain [on him] and take him to the waiting room.  "The judge will call
his name, Saddam Hussein Majid. And they will bring him in ... open
his chain, handcuff and take him to the judge and the judge is going
to give him his rights and his defence and he's going to issue an
arrest warrant against Saddam Hussein.  "They're going to put the
handcuffs on him. Take him ... controlled by Iraqi policemen."

STOP THE PRESSES:
Iraq handover moved forward
[Later reports say the handover has been achieved, Bremer has flown
out of Iraq, and the interim govt sworn in -- 3 days ahead of time].
Istanbul (ABC/Reuters/BBC).  The formal handover of power to the
interim Iraqi Govt has been brought forward and will take place today,
according to the Iraqi Foreign Min and coalition sources.
The handover was due to occur on Wed.
During a joint press conference with Brit PM Tony Blair on the
sidelines of a NATO summit in Istanbul, Iraqi For Min Hoshyar Zebari
told reporters the date was being brought forward.
"I believe that we will challenge these terrorists, criminals,
Saddamists and anti-democratic forces by bringing even the date of the
handover forward," Mr Zebari said.
The BBC reports that Mr Zebari "let slip" about the change of date and
when asked to confirm the info, Mr Blair said he could not but that
there was an announcement coming later in the day.
"The important thing is that from now on Iraq controls its own
destiny," Mr Blair said.
A coalition source in Baghdad has confirmed that the formal handover
has been brought forward 2 days to Mon and a diplomatic source at the
NATO summit told Reuters the handover could take place "as soon as today".

Bremer imposes US influence on Iraq
Baghdad (UPI).  The US is to hand power to Iraqi officials Wed, but
legal changes recommended by administrator L. Paul Bremer will retain
US influence.
The Washington Post reported Sun that Bremer has approved numerous
actions, such as appointing at least 2 dozen Iraqis to govt jobs with
multi-y terms -- beyond that of the Iraq's interim govt.
For example, Bremer has ordered the Iraqi nat'l security adviser and
nat'l intel chief chosen by the interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi,
be given 5-y terms. That, in effect, imposes Allawi's choices on the
newly-elected govt that is to take over next y, the Post said.
Bremer's measures will remain in effect unless overturned by Iraq's
interim govt. One measure restricts the power of the interim govt and
details US-crafted rules for the country's democratic transition.
Another controversial order gives a seven-member commission the power
to disqualify political parties and any candidate the govt supports.

Reign of chaos and confusion in Iraq
Baghdad (ABC, Nicolas Rothwell).  More hostages on the screen of
Al-Jazeera, more bombs exploding in Iraq's cities. More fear, more
chaos, more helicopter patrols and paranoia.
With just 3 days before the formal transfer of power from the US-led
coalition to the Iraqi govt, the prospects for a smooth handover look bleak.
They are bleak for one great reason: despite the intense security
operation on the streets of the Iraqi capital, despite the best
efforts of US and Iraqi intel experts, no one knows much about the
insurgency -- who directs it, who supports it, what they want.
Almost all the attacks are attributed by everyday Iraqis to the
supposed terrorist network operated by Jordanian-born militant Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi, supposedly hiding out in a provincial Iraqi base,
possibly Fallujah.
Hostage-takers and bombers routinely sign their notes of vindication
with the handy name of al-Qaeda. This claim is taken seriously at the
highest level. All across Baghdad, smart new posters depict a
handsome, rifle-wielding member of the new Iraqi police force,
underneath this legend: 'We will protect you from the thieves and
Zarqawists and al-Qaeda people!'
Tough talk is the order of the hour. Interim PM Iyad Allawi promises
to take all 'necessary measures' and launch a security dragnet,
mounted by the new Iraqi civil defence force and the police, within a
wk or 2 of taking over.
Defence minister Hazem Shalan Khuzaei, like Allawi a former member of
the long-ruling Baath party and a former political exile, insists the
new govt has the strength and the will to impose order against these
clearly defined enemies. But in the US camp, the view is more
graduated. US generals have said publicly in recent days that the
current wave of attacks and bombings may not be coming from the
al-Qaeda cells around Zarqawi alone.
The present pattern is striking. In the past 48 hr, bombings,
kidnappings and terror operations -- displaying increasing confidence
-- have been carried out across the country, from Mosul in the far
north, to Hilla, S of the capital, where at least 23 people are
reported to have been killed in an explosion in a mosque.
The political intent behind the operations is ever more clear: the
seizure of 3 Turkish contractors yesterday reads like a loud message
to Turkey, host of this wk's NATO summit, to stay out of Iraq, and
refrain from sending its troops to train the new Iraqi armed forces.
The weekend of violence in Barquba, nr Baghdad, included a targeted
attack on the regional HQ of Allawi's political party, that masked
gunmen briefly took over. This was a clear act of defiance, intended
to sap the new leader's strong 1st showing.
But who mounts these attacks? Who directs them? This must be the most
shadowy insurgency of modern times. Even when weapons caches are
found, there are no clues to where they have come from. Almost every
family in Iraq's big towns has a gun.
Baghdad people believe the insurgents are controlled from outside the
country. They say Iraq had strong, well-protected borders in the past,
but since the Americans came it has leaked like a sieve.
"The country is full of foreign agents," people say at every turn.
US intel briefers have long held the view that about 30% of
the attackers are foreigners. They point the finger at neighbouring
Iran, which has a clear interest in dividing and weakening Iraq.
Iraqi ministers speak openly of the presence in the country of
opp'nists drawn from the ranks of the old regime. But the most
worrying possibility is that there is no central, directed operation
being run against the US-led forces, and against the tormented reconstruction.
This theory seemed to be lurking behind Allawi's words at the weekend,
when he was touring an oil installation nr Baghdad. He appealed for an
end to violence and offered an amnesty to those who had been opposing
the US forces, but had not yet employed violence.
This suggests that his new govt accepts there is a deep, developing
hostility among many Iraqis towards the occupation.
But Allawi's strength would be greatly boosted by a few successes
against the obscure foot-soldiers of the counter-revolution. Iraqis
can see very well the ease with which their country has been
destabilised in recent weeks, and how completely the US military has
been pushed back into its own fortified encampments.
Over the crucial next wk, when security concerns are at a burning
height, the Americans have decided to stop patrolling even the
arterial road between Baghdad and its airport -- scene of most of the
bombings and kidnappings of recent weeks.
It is equally plain that since the insurgency began, the whole effort
of the Coal'n has been reactive: an explosion, a car bombing, is
followed by a retaliatory raid or military crackdown.
When a range of assaults took place late last wk, the US bombed a
house in Fallujah, claiming it was occupied by followers of Zarqawi.
Locals said ordinary families lived there; the rubble can't provide
the answers.
Certainly, if terror operations can be foiled in advance by good
intel, that would be the best secret in today's Iraq.
Instead, it seems clear the mysterious foe can carry out its attacks
almost at will -- and Iraq today is being held hostage by its
assailants, internal or external.

Iraqi bns unaccounted for
London (AP).  $bns of Iraqi money cannot be accounted for by the
Coal'n Provisional Authority, which was given responsibility by the
UN for the country's finances, reports by lawmakers and aid agencies say.
The reports by Christian Aid and the Liberal Democrats, Brit's
3rd-largest political party, said there were glaring gaps in the
handling of $US20 bn generated by Iraq's oil and other sources since
the US-led war to oust Pres Saddam Hussein ended last y.
The Christian Aid report also said the majority of Iraq's
reconstruction projects have been awarded to US companies, which
charge up to 10 times more than their Iraqi equivalents.
When giving the CPA responsibility for the Development Fund for Iraq
(DFI) after the fall of Saddam in May 2003, the UN stipulated that
expenditure must be shown to be in the country's best interests and
that all revenue should be paid into a simple fund.
However, Christian Aid and the Liberal Democrats said that no audit on
the money was carried out until Apr.
"For the entire y that the CPA has been in power in Iraq, it has been
impossible to tell with any accuracy what the CPA has been doing with
Iraq's money," Helen Collison from Christian Aid said.
The CPA reported in May that $US9.4 bn had been paid into the DFI and
spent on, among others, a wheat purchase program, electricity and oil
infrastructure programs and equipment for Iraqi security forces.
The CPA said that $US10.8 bn of the total sum was due from oil
revenues by Jun 21, this y.
However, the Liberal Democrat report said its research suggested that
oil revenues stood at $US12.2 bn to $US14.5 bn. Christian Aid put the
figure at $US13 bn.
Both reports stressed it was not clear how much of the money had been
spent. The Liberal Democrats' study cited the accounting firm KPMG,
which criticised the CPA for not metering oil production and
questioned its spending.
"This apparent discrepancy requires full investigation," Menzies
Campbell, the Liberal Democrat rep for foreign affairs, said.
"The cost of reconstruction of Iraq is considerable and those
countries who are being asked to contribute will want to know that
Iraq's own resources are making a maximum contribution," he added.
Christian Aid said that Iraqi companies had been awarded contracts
worth a total of $US500,000 ($A717,000) since Apr 2004.
It added that around $US2 bn of Iraqi money was given to poorly
thought-out projects.

Iraqis clear up after car bomb kills 23 S of Baghdad
Hillah (AFP/Reuters).  Shocked residents in the town of Hilla laboured
to clear the wreckage left by a massive car bomb blast in a shopping
district that killed 23 people and wounded 58, many of them children.
The explosion on Sat ripped through the area near to a new
democracy centre and religious university funded by the US-led
coalition in Hilla, a mainly Shiite Muslim city 100 km S of the capital.
The blast site was nowhere near Iraqi police or coalition military
posts that are favoured targets of a bloody insurgency that US and
Iraqi officials have warned will increase as the handover of
sovereignty from the coalition to an Iraqi government on Wed nears.
The attacks was condemned by US overseer in Iraq Paul Bremer, who said
it was carried out by "enemies of Iraq" when he visited the scene today.
"There were 23 people killed and 58 injured, some seriously, meaning
the number of dead could rise," said hospital director Mohammad Dia Bayram.
The coalition, which earlier estimated that up to 40 people may have
been killed in the attack, confirmed the latest toll figure, as did
the health ministry.
Mangled car parts and other debris still littered the street while a
crane picked through the wreckage as hundreds of locals gathered
around to watch.
Witnesses said the force of the blast, which went off at about 8.45 pm
local time, caused severe destruction.
"When the car bomb, which was in an Opel Vectra, exploded it set fire
to other stationary vehicles and some of them exploded," said Naddar
Qassem, a local shop owner whose bakery was damaged.
A second shopkeeper, Mohammad Jabawi, said his CD shop was devastated.
The explosion happened just 200 metres from the university, which was
visited by Mr Bremer.
Mr Bremer was on a previously arranged final visit to Hilla ahead of
his departure back to the United States on Wed, and officials
said they did not think the car-bomb was connected to it.
"These anti-democratic forces have struck again not far from this
building last night and wounded and killed dozens of Iraqi civilians,"
Mr Bremer said.
"These are the enemies of Iraq, not enemies of the occupation, not
[enemies of] the coalition."
All the victims were believed to be civilians.
* Rocket attack
In other developments 2 rockets hit the protected area of central
Baghdad used by the US-led coalition Sun but there were no
immediate reports of casualties or damage, a military spokesman said.
"Two rockets impacted and we are conducting the investigation," Capt
Lennol Apsher, who is based in the Green Zone secured area, told AFP.
Smoke was seen rising from the Green Zone, a frequent target of mortar
and rocket attacks, after the blasts at about 11.15 am local time.
* US troops deployment
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Sun Washington was
making plans in case it needed to send more troops to Iraq but a
further deployment may not be essential.
"That does not mean that we will necessarily need them, that means we
will do the prudent planning," Mr Rumsfeld told BBC Television from
Istanbul, where he will attend a NATO summit.
"The real task of security is not to flood a country with more and
more troops."
* Elections
The US wants Iraq to hold elections as planned next Jan, a
spokesman said after Baghdad's incoming PM suggested security concerns
could force a delay.
"We remain committed to that [elections by Jan], but we also
understand the concerns that the Prime Minister is raising about the
security situation," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told
reporters travelling with US Pres George W Bush to a NATO summit
in Istanbul.
Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi, said on Sat that polls could be
as late as Mar because of violence.

Iraq PM says victims of terror should be compensated
Baghdad.  Interim PM Iyad Allawi has said that the victims
of terror acts in violence-torn Iraq should be financially compensated.
"Those who are now falling victim to the forces of evil, the Iraqi
martyrs that are being slaughtered every day, should be compensated,"
Mr Allawi told reporters following an impromptu appearance at a
conference organised by a local non-governmental organisation to
discuss the issue.
Many Iraqis have been killed since the start of the y in attacks
throughout Iraq as well as in fighting which has pitted US-led troops
against both Sunni insurgents and Shiite radical militiamen.
The Council for the Protection of Civil Rights which is spear-heading
the effort has proposed creating committees that would include legal
experts and representatives of the caretaker government to look into
victims' claims.
Initially only civil servants affected while performing their duties
would be covered by the scheme, according to the council's head Bassem
Al Rubbaie.
"I assure you that the caretaker government will accord this issue its
utmost attention," Mr Allawi told Iraqis attending the conference.
Mr Allawi refused to say whether war victims' complaints would be addressed.
"I have to wait for the findings and resolutions of this conference,"
he told them.
"Once they present us with their findings, I will make my final
comment on this issue," he said, adding that victims of Saddam
Hussein's old regime should be compensated.
The conference was held inside the compound housing the US-led
Coal'n Provisional Authority, which will dissolve on Wed with
the official handover of power to Allawi's government.
The event, which attracted more than 300 people, became an opportunity
for Iraqis to vent their anger at losses they suffered during the war
and the incessant violence and lawlessness that ensued.
In the latest violence to hit Iraq, 23 people were killed, many of
them children, and 58 wounded in a twin car bombing in Hilla, S of
Baghdad, on Sat.

Two children killed in Baghdad mortar strike: hospital
Baghdad (AFP).  Two Iraqi children have been killed and eight wounded
in a mortar strike on the Tigris river bank near Baghdad's Sheraton
Hotel, popular with Western media and businessmen, a local hospital said.
Earlier, a policeman at the site of the attack had said 5 people were
killed by 2 mortars as they had just finished wading in the Tigris.
A doctor at Al-Kindi hospital corrected the officer's toll and his
account of the incident.
The group of boys and young men had been playing football when 2
mortars burst, sending shrapnel flying, and killed 2 of them, said Dr
Walid Hamid.
"Two children were killed and eight wounded, 3 of them seriously,"
Dr Hamid told AFP.
"They were playing football along the river and Abu Nawas street. We
don't know who fired the 2 mortars," a witness said.
Blood stained the eastern bank of the Tigris river. The projectiles
had gouged a hole in the dirt.
The mortar strike was the source of 2 loud blasts that shook central
Baghdad at 7.05 pm local time.
Insurgents fire mortars and rockets almost daily toward the sealed-off
headquarters of the US-led coalition, known as the Green Zone, across
the river from the Sheraton.

Masked Iraq gunmen threaten to behead Pakistani
Baghdad (Reuters).  An unidentified group of gunmen in Iraq have
kidnapped a Pakistani driver and are threatening to behead him within
3 days unless Iraqi prisoners are released, Al Arabiya television
has reported.
"This man was taken after an attack on a US base in Balad," said one
of the masked gunmen on a tape Al Arabiya said it had obtained.
"You must release our prisoners held near the US base in Balad, in
Dujail, in Yethrib, in Samarra and near Abu Ghraib. You have 3
days from the date of this recording and after that we will behead
him. We have warned you."
The tape also showed the Pakistani man, who was wearing an identity
card given to contractors linked to the US military, urging Pakistani
Pres Pervez Musharraf to shut down his country's embassy in Iraq.
His comments were translated into Arabic by Al Arabiya.
The Pakistani is the latest foreigner to be taken hostage by Iraqi militants.
On Sat, suspected militants from Al Qaeda-linked operative Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi's group said they had kidnapped 3 Turkish
contractors and threatened to behead them within 72 hr if Turkey
did not withdraw all companies working with the US-led occupation
forces in Iraq.
The deadline coincides with UN Pres George W Bush's visit to
Turkey for a NATO summit.

Militants threatens to behead "US Marine"
Baghdad (AFP).  An armed group saying it has kidnapped a US Marine has
threatened to behead the captive unless Iraqi prisoners are released
in the war-torn country, according to a video broadcast on Al Jazeera
television.
The group, which called itself the "Islamic Retaliation Movement --
Armed Resistance Wing," said it had abducted the Marine of Pakistani
origin and would execute him unless detainees in US-led coalition
prisons were freed.
It identified the US hostage as Hasun Wassef Ali, claiming to have
abducted him after "infiltrating a US military base in Iraq".
The US military said it was investigating the claim and that a Marine
of Lebanese descent was missing in Iraq.
The spokesman said the Marine belonged to the First Marine
Expeditionary Force and had been missing since Jun 21.
"Contrary to press reports, Naval Criminal Investigative Services
cannot confirm Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun was taken hostage," the
spokesman said.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell says the US and its allies will
never back down in the face of these kinds of threats.
"Iraqi people just want to be left in peace so that later this week
they can see the full transfer of sovereignty and be responsible for
their own destiny," he said.
* Hostage threats
Militants in Iraq have already seized 3 Turks and a Pakistani man
over the past week in a new spate of kidnappings just days before the
formal handover of sovereignty by occupying forces to an interim Iraqi
government on Jun 30.
Fighters loyal to Al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said on Sat
they were holding the Turks and would behead them within 72 hr
unless Turks stopped working with US forces.
The threat has cast a shadow over US Pres George W Bush's visit
to Turkey for a NATO summit on Mon and Tue.
"They're taking innocent Turkish civilians in this case as a way to
make their case and they will not succeed, we cannot yield to this
kind of terrorism," Mr Powell said.
Turkey has refused to bow to the kidnappers' demands.
"Turkey has been fighting terrorist activity for more than 20 years,"
Turkish Def Min Vecdi Gonul told reporters in Istanbul.
"They ask many things, they demand many things. We never consider them
with seriousness."
* US reward
Zarqawi's group beheaded a S Korean hostage last week after Seoul
rejected a demand to withdraw its forces from Iraq, and last month
decapitated a US captive.
Zarqawi has also claimed responsibility for a series of bloody attacks,
most recently a wave of suicide bombings and armed assaults in 5
cities on Thursday that killed more than 100 Iraqis and 3 US soldiers.
Washington has offered $10 mn for Zarqawi's capture.
Earlier, an armed group said it would behead a Pakistani within 72
hours unless prisoners are released in Iraq, in a video broadcast by
Al Arabiya television.
The Dubai-based satellite news channel showed 4 hooded gunmen
standing behind a man who was described as a Pakistani employee.
A member of the group, reading a statement, said they captured the
Pakistani who worked at a US base in Balad, 75 km N of
Baghdad, and threatened to kill him within 3 days unless local
detainees were freed.
The ID of the Pakistani was shown, naming him as Yousf Amjid, an
employee of US contractor Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), a subsidiary
of Halliburton.
* Pakistan investigating
Pakistan is trying to confirm the man's identity.
"We are trying to find out the details," Int Min Faisal
Saleh Hayat told AFP.
"We are not sure if he is a Pakistani... Our embassy in Iraq is taking
the necessary action."
The hostage said he had travelled to Iraq from neighbouring Kuwait in
search of work. He called on Pakistani Pres Pervez Musharraf to
close his country's embassy in Baghdad and to repatriate all
Pakistanis, while urging compatriots to stay away.
"There is no work here. I ask you not to come," he said on Al Arabiya.
Pakistan, the world's second largest Muslim country, opposed the
United States' decision to invade Iraq last y without UN approval.
It has resisted US and British appeals to send troops to help
stabilise Iraq but has said it could consider sending soldiers if
asked to do so by the United Nations or the people of Iraq.

One killed in attack on RAAF Hercules
Baghdad (ABC/Reuters).  A Royal Australian Air Force Hercules C-130
transport plane has been hit by gunfire after take-off from Baghdad
airport, killing one person on board.
The Defence Department has confirmed that an RAAF Hercules was hit by
small arms fire and a United States civilian contractor was killed.
PM John Howard says he is relieved that no Australians were hurt.
"This does illustrate yet again just how dangerous is the task being
undertaken by the Australians," he said. "These pilots [and] C-130s
are in the direct line of fire.
"These incidents involving Australians drive home the fact that there
is a job of work to be done."
It is believed to be the first time an Australian aircraft has been
hit during an attack in Iraq.
Speaking from Baghdad, the cmdr of Australian forces in Iraq,
Brig Peter Hutchinson says he was surprised by the incident.
"This was a one in a mn chance in that there was one single bullet hit
the aircraft and unfortunately, the Hercules is a huge aircraft [and]
it's hit the passenger," he said.
The civilian contractor to the US Department of Defence was injured in
the attack and later died of his injuries.
"While there was no significant damage to the aircraft, one person was
wounded which caused the aircraft to divert back to Baghdad
Internat'l Airport for medical treatment," US spokesman Brigadier
Gen Mark Kimmitt said in a statement.
The aircraft was crewed by RAAF personnel and there was no significant
damage.
Defence is promising a thorough investigation and a review of security
procedures but says it is difficult to guard against such attacks.
A spokeswoman for the Def Min says Robert Hill and Brigadier
Hutchinson have offered their condolences to the family of the US contractor.
Labor leader Mark Latham has also offered his sympathies to the family
of the US civilian and commended the 5 Australians on board the Hercules.
The attack marks the first time since the fall of Saddam Hussein that
guerrillas have mounted a deadly attack on a fixed-wing plane taking
off from or landing at Baghdad's airport.
In Jan, a US Air Force C-5 cargo jet carrying 63 passengers and
crew was hit by ground fire and made a safe emergency landing.
Last y, a DHL cargo plane also made an emergency landing after
being hit by ground fire.
The RAAF has 2 C-130 Hercules and about 150 personnel from the
Richmond base in New S Wales providing logistical support in the
Iraq theatre.

NATO agrees to train Iraqi forces amid summit protests
Istanbul (AFP).  NATO has agreed to help Iraq train its new army on
the eve of a summit in Istanbul, but emotions were high amid street
protests against visiting US Pres George W Bush and tight security.
"We have decided today to offer NATO's assistance to the government of
Iraq with the training of its security forces," said a draft
declaration urging member "nations to contribute to the training of
the Iraqi armed forces".
"We have asked the N Atlantic Council to develop on an urgent
basis the modalities to implement this decision with the Iraqi interim
government," said the draft, seen by AFP.
Iraq is set to dominate the summit agenda with members keen to present
a united front after divisions last y over the war there provoked
the worst crisis in NATO's 55-y history.
The draft suggests the 26-strong military alliance will formalise an
accord to train the Iraqi army, struck in Brussels on Sat.
However, it was still unclear if the training would take place inside
or outside Iraq -- a key issue since critics of the war, France and
Germany, have said they are unwilling to send troops into the
violence-stricken country.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder reiterated that position on
Sun, saying that Berlin was willing to train Iraqi soldiers but not
inside Iraq.
Iraq's interim FM Hoshyar Zebari insisted that any
training should take place on his country's soil.
"We want that, in order to build a viable security force, we need
actually that training to take place inside Iraq and to be adaptable
to Iraqi conditions," he told reporters.
Earlier, Mr Zebari and Hazem al-Shalan -- the defence minister in the
interim government which formally assumes sovereignty in Iraq on Jun
30 -- held talks with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about what
their training needs would be.
"The important thing is that NATO is fulfilling a responsibility to
assist in the training and equipping of the Iraqi forces," Mr Rumsfeld
told reporters.
"They will then work with the new Iraqi government, and tasks will be
assigned out."
* Protests
On the other side of the Bosphorus strait which bisects Turkey's
largest city, tens of thousands of protesters wielded anti-NATO and
anti-US banners and shouted slogans against Bush's presence.
With fighter jets overhead and warships on hand in the Bosphorus, they
rallied peacefully but noisily in a district on the Asian side of the city.
There was no official figure on how many protesters took part but some
organisers put it as high as 100,000.
Speeches delivered by the organisers -- 3 anti-NATO groups,
opposition parties, trade unions and civic bodies -- charged that the
Alliance, under US-leadership, was preparing a belligerent policy in
the Middle East that would throw the region into chaos.
"The torturers, the killers are here for a summit of war. Our struggle
is for the people of the Middle East who resist torture and occupation,"
said Mustafa Avci, the secretary-general of KESK, one of Turkey's
biggest trade unions.
Local authorities, edgy after a series of bomb blasts, insisted the
demonstration be held far from the complex of swish hotels, university
buildings and conference halls where 49 heads of state and government
are due to meet on Mon and Tue.
In the end, it was held about 4 km away from so-called
'NATO Valley' across the busy waterway.
Hours before Mr Bush's arrival from Ankara, thousands of police were
deployed in Istanbul's old city and kms of roads running along the
waterfront and out to the airport were sealed.
While the violence in Iraq will focus the leaders' minds, NATO
officials were keen to emphasise the positive on Sun.
"The internat'l community is coming together now," said one,
adding: "This is an important step from the internat'l community."
The other thorny topic on the agenda for NATO delegates is Afghanistan.
NATO chiefs have voiced optimism of the military alliance finally
coming good on its commitment to expand its peacekeeping force in
Afghanistan as the civil war-wracked country readies for elections in Sep.

Ransom paid for Italian hostages' release: report
London (AFP).  A $US4 mn ransom was paid for the release of 3
Italian hostages in Iraq in Apr, after a 4th hostage was
executed, according to an interview of one of the alleged kidnappers
in Britain's Sun Times newspaper.  Abu Yussuf, an Iraqi Sunnite who
claims to be one of the kidnappers, denied the official version of
events, according to which the men were freed in a joint operation by
Italian secret services and coalition forces in Iraq, without a ransom
being involved.  The Italian Government reiterated on Sun that no
ransom had ever been paid to free the hostages.  Salvatore Stefio, 34,
Umberto Cupertino, 35, and Maurizio Agliana, 37, all employees of a
security firm in Iraq, were kidnapped in mid-Apr and held until Jun
8, when they were freed along with a Polish hostage.  A 4th
Italian, Fabrizio Quattrocchi, was executed days after his abduction
in what his killers described as punishment for Italy's refusal to
withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Democrats film attacks Iraq involvement
Canberra.  The Australian Democrats have launched a short film on the
Internet to attack the Federal Government's decision last y to join
the invasion of Iraq.  The one minute video clip shows footage of the
war and argues that approval must be sought from both of houses of
Federal Parliament before any troops are deployed.  Democrats leader
Andrew Bartlett says Australians should never forget the lies that
were used to justify the invasion of Iraq.  Senator Bartlett says he
hopes at least 50,000 people will see the short film on their
computers.  "I think these sorts of campaigns are important because
they don't rely on lots of corporate donations," he said.  "They don't
rely on the large scale mass media to run them, but I think as Howard
Dean showed, the use of the Internet skilfully can have a big impact."

Palestinians blow up Israeli army post in Gaza
Gaza (ABC, Mark Willacy and Reuters/AFP).  Palestinian militants have
blown up an Israeli military post in the southern Gaza Strip injuring
up to 1/2 a dozen Israeli soldiers.
The militants dug a 350 metre tunnel under the army post near the
settlement of Gush Katif and set off a large quantity of explosives.
5 of the soldiers were evacuated to hospital while a 6th was
trapped in the rubble left by the blast.
Rescue workers initially reported dozens of casualties in the explosion,
but later revised their figures down after medics arrived at the scene.
Al Jazeera television said 5 Israeli soldiers had been killed while
Israel's Channel 10 said one Israeli was believed killed and at least
5 others wounded in the attack.
Gen Shmuel Zacai, cmdr of an Israeli division in Gaza, confirmed
that the blast had come from a tunnel built by Palestinian militants
and then filled with explosives.
"It has taken quite a number of days to build this tunnel. A certain
amount of explosives were then planted -- I estimate several dozens of
kg -- before they activated them," he told reporters.
Rescue efforts were hampered by heavy gun and mortar fire by
Palestinian militants, rescue workers at the scene said.
The militant Islamic Hamas group and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades both
claimed responsibility for the night-time attack.
Hamas's armed wing said in a statement and telephone call to AFP's
offices that the attack was carried out to avenge the Israeli army's
killing of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and his successor
Abdelaziz Rantissi earlier this y.
"This operation came as part of our revenge for the crime of the
assassinations of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Dr Rantissi, and the
assassinations and massacres of our people in Rafah and in Nablus,"
the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said.
Palestinian militants had also vowed to avenge a deadly Israeli
military raid into the West Bank city of Nablus in which a top
militant leader from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades was killed.
Earlier, Israeli troops pulled out of the West Bank city of Nablus,
after a large-scale operation which left 3 snr militant leaders dead.
Israeli leaders have praised the army for carrying out a successful operation.
Chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting, Israeli PM Ariel
Sharon described the 3-day raid as another impressive achievement
against terrorism.
In one strike Israeli soldiers killed seven wanted militants,
including the cmdr of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank.
Palestinian PM Ahmed Qurie denounced the Israeli operation
as a brutal and ugly crime.

Israeli helicopters fires missiles in Gaza
Gaza (Reuters).  Israeli helicopter gunships have launched separate
missile attacks on targets in Gaza city, hours after Palestinian
militants blew up an army post.
In the first strike, a helicopter fired 3 missiles into a metal
foundry in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City. Nobody was
hurt in that attack.
Shortly afterwards helicopter gunships fired 5 missiles at another
foundry nearby. A woman was slightly hurt by flying glass.
The Israeli army confirmed the attacks, saying militants produce
homemade weapons and rockets in the workshops, while Palestinians have
said they were used for civilian purposes.
The attacks occurred just hours after Palestinian militants blew up an
Israeli army post in the Gaza strip, wounding at least 6 soldiers.
The militant Islamic Hamas movement and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades,
an armed group in Pres Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, both
claimed responsibility for the Sun night attack on the post near
Gaza's Gush Katif settlement bloc.
Israeli forces have shot dead 2 Palestinians -- including a
13-yo boy -- following a major explosion at an army post in the
southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medics and witnesses said.
The Israeli army said there was heavy Palestinian fire from a nearby
refugee camp, where the 2 died, and that troops fired back.

2 killed in Palestinian rocket attack
Gaza (Reuters).  Palestinian rockets fired from the Gaza Strip have
slammed into a town in southern Israel, killing at least 2 people,
Israeli security sources said.  The attack on Sderot was launched
several hours after Palestinian militants tunnelled under an Israeli
army post in the Gaza Strip and blew it up in a large explosion that
killed one soldier and wounded 5.  The security sources said that in
addition to the 2 dead, several other people were wounded in the town.
Military sources said 2 rockets hit Sderot, which borders the Gaza
Strip and has been a frequent target of such attacks.

Protest in Brussels after Jewish teenager stabbed
Brussels (AFP).  Several hundred protesters have rallied at a Jewish
memorial in Brussels Sun to denounce anti-Semitism after the stabbing
of a 16-yo Jewish boy in the northern Belgian city of Antwerp.
Government ministers and Muslim groups joined the rally in front of a
memorial to Belgian-Jewish victims of Nazi crimes in the Brussels
suburb of Anderlecht.
Justice Min Laurette Onkelinx vowed that authorities would hunt
down those behind Thursday's attack in Antwerp which left the Jewish
boy in a serious condition.
"There will be no tolerance at all of anti-Semitic and racist acts,"
she told RTL-TVi television at the demonstration.
Philippe Marckiewicz of the Coordinating Committee of Belgian Jewish
Organisations said the stabbing should act as a rallying cry to all
sections of society to come together.
"We think that Belgian society...must respond and that's why the
Jewish community called this protest today, a protest for the respect
for others, a protest for democracy, for mutual understanding between
all Belgians," he said.
The teenager and 3 friends were attacked as they left a Jewish
school in Antwerp late on Thu.
The city, is home to about 20,000 Orthodox Jews.
Authorities said a group of N African youths was responsible.
But no-one has been arrested so far for the attack, which Jewish
groups say has highlighted rising anti-Semitism in Belgium.

Fiji treason trial begins
Suva.  The treason trial of Fiji's VP and 5 others has
begun in Suva.  The case relates to the attempted coup in 2000.
Security at the Suva High Court is extremely tight and anyone entering
the court has to pass through metal detectors and have their bags
searched.  The prosecution team lead by Australian prosecutor Mark
Tedeschi opened by outlining their arguments this morning.  Later, one
of the accused, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Ratu
Rakuita Vakalalabure, told the court he had approached another lawyer
to represent him, Abhay Singh, who asked for another week to prepare
his defence.  Judge Nazhat Shameem has given them until later this
afternoon to talk to his client saying she is anxious to get the trial
underway as soon as possible.

Tas homes evacuated as cliff collapses
Strahan, W Tas.  Homes at Strahan on Tasmania's west coast are being
evacuated because of a cliff collapse and rising water levels.
West coast mayor Darryl Gerrity says heavy rain and strong winds are
causing flooding throughout the town and a cliff on the Esplanade has
collapsed over the main road.
About 5 t of rock and soil collapsed near Fraser Street about
10.00 am and there has been a further collapse since.
Mr Gerrity says some homes have been evacuated and others are
preparing for flooding.
"They're looking like they're in trouble and a couple of homes people
have been into and raised some of the furniture above the water line
or the expected water line of where it is as a precaution," he said.
"We're monitoring it every few minutes as the moment because there is
a lot of rain here now."
Mr Gerrity says trees have also blocked a number of roads.
"There are trees down on Macquarie Heads Road, I believe there are
trees down on the road between Zeehan and Strahan, there are a lot of
branches down on the Queenstown-Strahan road and as we speak part of a
cliff has just collapsed along the Esplanade, Strahan, and closed the
Esplanade," he said.
"Public works are now working on it."

Agreement reached on Offset Alpine documents
Sydney.  Businessman Trevor Kennedy has reached agreement with the
corporate regulator on which documents seized during investigations
into the Offset Alpine affair should be protected under legal
professional privilege.  Mr Kennedy had taken Federal Court action to
prevent the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
examining the contents of a computer hard drive.  A copy of the hard
drive was made during an ASIC raid on Mr Kennedy's Sydney offices last
y as part of investigations into the printing company Offset
Alpine.  Earlier this month Justice Catherine Branson rejected the
argument that legal professional privilege could be claimed over the
hard drive as a whole.  Mr Kennedy's lawyers today told the court they
would not be seeking an appeal, and agreement had been reached between
the parties, on which documents are protected under privilege.

Summit calls for huge housing investment
Canberra.  Participants at a nat'l summit on housing affordability
want the Federal Government to contribute to a trust to help more
people buy their own home.
An options paper at the summit says in the past decade, the proportion
of first home buyers has fallen by about 30% and opportunities
to rent public housing have dropped by about 20%.
Summit chairman Prof Julian Disney says average house prices relative
to household income have almost doubled in the past decade.
Prof Disney says the idea of buying a home is out of reach for
people across the country, not just for those living in Sydney or Melbourne.
"Adelaide, Hobart, markets like that have had very substantial
increases, and it's also important to bear in mind in many of the places
where prices are lower, incomes are very much lower as well," he said.
The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union wants funding
currently used for rental assistance and tax incentives for investors
to be redirected to the trust, which would see state governments
providing land and public housing stock.
The union's John Sutton says under the proposal the Federal Government
and superannuation funds would be the trust's major investors.
"Ultimately there ought to be hundreds of mns and perhaps bns spent to
be able to get back to the days of public provision of affordable
accommodation," he said.
"It's not a pipe dream, it can be achieved by innovative new financing
arrangements."
Summit participants want a federal housing minister to be appointed,
to develop a 5-y nat'l housing plan.
They are also calling for an inquiry to assess how tax affects housing
affordability.

Tax office unveils investment property deductions
Residential property investors are being targeted by the ATO.
Canberra.  Residential property investors are being targeted by the
Australian Taxation Office (ATO) with more information on allowable
tax deductions.
With the FY ending this week, the ATO is providing new
information for the owners of residential rental properties about the
tax deductions they can claim for depreciating assets.
The ATO says there is no need for property investors to be alarmed
about new depreciation schedules because they will only apply to
properties purchased after Jun 30, 2004.
Last FY, more than 1.3 mn taxpayers claimed deductions,
more than 220,000 of them new rental property owners.
The ATO has listed 150 depreciating assets, a big increase over the
previous list.
It also includes the effective lives of assets.
Assistant Tax Commissioner Elizabeth Goli says there has been a boom
in recent ys in the number of people who negatively gear their
property and the new schedules will ensure they get their depreciation
claims right.
"Most of the changes that are in there are beneficial, there are some
new depreciation rates so for the first time there'll be some guidance
for taxpayers," she said.
"There were 220,000 new rental property owners last y and it's all
about ensuring they've got some guidance so they can get their returns right."
The chief executive of the Property Council of Australia, Peter
Verwer, says it is important for investors to seek professional help
about the changes.
"There'll definitely be some winners and there'll be some losers on
the other side," he said.
"The big problem is it's not as logical as it could be, but we've come
to expect that from the tax system haven't we?"

Bonus prompts baby talk, principal says
Sydney.  A western Sydney school principal says the Federal
Government's $3,000 baby bonus is encouraging his students to fall
pregnant.  A dozen teenager mothers already take their babies to
classes at Plumpton High School.  And school principal Glen Sargent is
worried that the baby bonus will see even more teenage pregnancy in
the low socieconomic area.  "I had 2 visits from mothers over the past
3 wk and they came to tell me that since this $3,000 bonus was
announced that their 2 daughters they'd heard their 2 daughters
discussing falling pregnant to get the $3,000," he said.

Navy commitments to remain heavy, says new cmdr
Sydney.  Australia's new maritime cmdr believes the navy's
resources will remain stretched over the next couple of y.  Rear
Admiral Rowan Moffitt has today taken command of 6,000 personnel and a
60-strong fleet.  He has replaced Rear Admiral Raydon Gates who has
been appointed to a military advisory position in the US.
Rear Admiral Moffitt says there is every indication the navy's
unprecedented workload in the Middle East and S Pacific will
continue.  "These are troubled times. We can I think expect the
uncertainty to continue and therefore we've got to be ready to face at
least a continuing operational tempo as high as we've seen in the last
couple of years," he said.

Hospital admissions up, length of stay down
New figures show hospital admissions across the country are going up,
but the length of stay is falling.
Canberra.  Research by the Institute of Health and Welfare shows there
were 6.7 mn admissions to hospitals in 2002-2003, up 4% on the
prev y.  Jenny Hargreaves from the Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare says there were similar increases at public and
private hospitals.  "About 3.2% in public hospitals, and after
adjusting for some hospitals in the collection, about 3% in
private hospitals," she said.  "Average length of stay in hospitals is
going down to about 3.5 days in 2002-03."  The average waiting time
for elective surgery in public hospitals was 28 days, an increase of
one day.  4% of patients were forced to wait more than a
y for a specific operation.

Forestry needs more transparency, report says
Melbourne.  A new report by the Uniting Church has identified a need for
an independent and transparent regulator for Tasmania's forestry industry.
The church says it has consulted all relevant stakeholders to compile
the report on forestry practises in Victoria and Tasmania.
The church's Mark Zirnsak says among other things, the report has
raised concerns about the future of Tasmania's native forests, and
that old-growth forest commitments are not being met.
But Dr Zirnsak says the most pressing issue appears to be
accountability, saying the logging industry dominates current
regulatory bodies, creating potential conflicts of interest.
"What is coming out is for Government to really look at an independent
and transparent regulator of forestry in Tasmania, to open it up, for
example, open forestry up to freedom of information legislation and
therefore lay these concerns that have been raised about forestry and
forest practises to rest," he said.
The Government business enterprise has been exempt from complying with
freedom-of-information requests for the past 10 y.
Tasmania's Energy and Resources Min Bryan Green says the State
Government has set the agenda on transparency in the forestry industry.
Mr Green says there will be announcements soon on the issue.
"Of course the Government is prepared to look at these issues, but
we're not prepared to make unilateral decisions with regard to these
important matters," he said.
"What we want to do is work with those people who are at the coalface
when it comes to management of the forest industries to work out the
best structure available."
State Opposition leader Rene Hidding says Forestry Tasmania will have
to comply with freedom of information laws if the Liberals win
government in 2006.

PM dismisses Latham's advertising "stunt"
The Federal Opp'n leader has gone on the attack, angry at a taxpayer
funded advertising blitz by the Howard Government.
Canberra.  PM John Howard says the Opposition's plan to crack down on
taxpayer-funded political advertising is nothing more than a stunt.
Under Labor's policy, a political party would be billed for government
advertising that is found to give it an electoral advantage.
The penalties would be backdated to this week, to include any ads
commissioned by the Howard Government.
Mr Howard says government advertisements such as the current Medicare
campaign provide useful advice to people.
"I would understand Mr Latham's argument if you were spending public
money attacking him, I mean that would be political," he said.
"I can understand his argument if you were spending public money
promoting the philosophy of the Liberal Party, but when you're
actually explaining a new government policy I don't agree with him."
Health minister Tony Abbott echoed the PM's position.
"Our ads are perfectly in line with the government advertising that we
saw from the former Labor Government, they're perfectly in keeping
with the kind of advertising we see regularly from the state Labor
governments, and if Mr Latham is against government advertising, he should
be heavily critical of the work of the state Labor governments," he said.
Mr Abbott says new figures show more that 400,000 people have now
registered for the new Medicare safety net.

Harradine tells supporters of retirement plans
Canberra.  Tassie Independent Sen Brian Harradine has written to his
supporters telling them he does not plan to contest the next Senate
election.  However, the 69-yo Senator has indicated his decision
is not final.  In a letter written to supporters last week, Senator
Harradine said he did not intend to contest the next election whenever
it is called.  He said it was a decision made with sadness and regret
but after 29 y in the Senate it was time to spend more time with
his family.  Senator Harradine said he was aware it would be a hard
fight for him, or for any other Senator Brian Harradine Group candidate,
to be re-elected.  Senator Harradine says unless there is a double
dissolution election, in which case his term would finish immediately,
he will finish in Jun next y.  Senator Harradine says he has had
many appeals to change his mind and hopes to make public a final
decision tomorrow.

Qantas passengers stranded by faulty door
LA.  More than 400 Qantas passengers bound for Los Angeles remain
stranded in Brisbane more than 24 hr after their flight to the
United States was due to leave.  One of the passengers, Graham
Gillespie, says staff spent more than an hour trying to close one of
the plane's doors while passengers were on board yesterday morning and
the airline is yet to fix the problem.  Speaking from the
internat'l terminal, Mr Gillespie says he has now been told the
plane may be ready to leave at 10.00 pm.  "People have got
business arrangements and they've got holiday arrangements that just
follow on from there," he said.  "It's just throwing everything into
chaos but the big problem is that they are not doing anything
sufficiently to try and resolve the situation.  "They're just holding
us here while they play around with the plane trying to fix it."

2UE escapes "cash for comment" charges
2UE will not face charges over the John Laws cash for comment scandal.
Canberra.  The Aussie Broadcasting Authority (ABA) will not pursue SYD
radio station 2UE through the criminal courts over "cash for comment" breaches.
Last y, the ABA found 2UE guilty of 19 breaches when broadcaster
John Laws did not adequately disclose a commercial agreement when
giving related opinions.
Acting ABA chairwoman Lyn Maddock says the Director of Public
Prosecutions has advised there would not be a reasonable prospect of a
conviction if 2UE were charged.
"The burden of proof in criminal cases is much higher than in civil
cases and for a successful prosecution in this case it would have to
be proven that radio 2UE engaged in the conduct with the requisite
criminal intention," Ms Maddock said in a statement.
"This outcome highlights how difficult it is for the ABA to impose
appropriate sanctions when it finds breaches of licence conditions and
program standards.
"The only civil law-based remedies available to the ABA are imposition
of further licence conditions [which must not be punitive], or
suspension or cancellation of the broadcasters licence.
"The ABA has imposed a stringent monitoring condition on radio 2UE but
would always be extremely reluctant to deprive the public of a popular
service by suspending or cancelling the broadcasters licence," she said.
Communications Law Centre director Derek Wilding says he is
disappointed because the decision provides no incentive for media
organisations to follow the ABA's regulations.
"The ABA has been backed into a corner in a sense and it's quite true
it doesn't have a sufficient range of remedies available," he said.
"The only solution here is that there are amendments considered to the
Broadcasting Services Act and that's something that's required by
Parliament, not by the ABA."

Former teacher found guilty of child sex charges
Brisbane.  After more than 2 days of deliberations, a Supreme Court
jury has found a former Brisbane school teacher guilty of dozens of
child sex charges.  Gary Robin Ford, 55, pleaded not guilty to 39
child sex and drugs charges.  The court heard Ford surrounded himself
with teenage boys, offering them a place to watch pornography, play
video games and wag school.  He was also accused of involving them in
pagan rituals.  The former National Party campaigner denied the
allegations but admitted having a sexual relationship with one of the
boys after he turned 18.  Ford was remanded in custody late yesterday
and will have to undergo medical and psychiatric assessments before
being sentenced.

Funding undermining witness protection: Vic police
Murdered corruption informer Terrence Hodson was denied the best home
security system because of a lack of police resources.
Melbourne.  The ABC understands a police technician spoke about
boosting security at Hodson's home, but did not include the best
option in his written report.
Shortly after Hodson's murder, the police technician's unit began to
refuse requests to review the home security of corruption witnesses
and corruption investigators.
Terrence Hodson and his wife Christine were murdered in May.
Victoria's assistant Commissioner for Crime, Simon Overland, says a
lack of money was not a factor in protecting Hodson.
"This is a matter for the Ethical Standards Department and I understand
Assistant Commissioner Walsh will comment on this issue as well, but
the briefings I have received indicate to me that it was never about
money," he told Southern Cross radio.
Hodson's security camera almost certainly recorded the approach of
their killer or killers, but homicide detectives could not find the
camera's VHS tape.
Hodson's home security system had been reviewed by the Ethical
Standards Department's technical support unit.
The AM program has spoken to multiple police sources.
They say the technician who did the review spoke to colleagues before
the murder about the need for a system that would record surveillance
camera footage at a secure location away from Hodson's home.
Police did pay to upgrade Hodson's security system, but the upgrade
did not include a remote recording system.
The police media unit says such a system was never discussed or recommended.
The technical support unit is now refusing to do such security reviews
for corruption investigators or their witnesses.
The unit suffered a budget cut close to 20% in the current FY.

Govt rules out sex change for serial killer
The Vic Govt says serial killer Paul Denyer will not receive official
assistance in his bid to undergo a sex change.
Melbourne.  Denyer has already lost a legal battle to wear make-up in
prison and has appealed against an Equal Opportunity Commission
rejection of his application for gender reassignment.
In 1993, Denyer received 3 life sentences after pleading guilty to
the murders of 3 young women, Elizabeth Stevens, Debbie Fream and
Natalie Russell.
It has been revealed a Corrections Department official visited Denyer
in prison recently to assess his health. The results are confidential.
Corrections Min Andre Haermeyer says Denyer is an attention
seeker and is adamant the matter will go no further.
"This attempt to have his gender changed or reassigned is something
that is deeply offensive to the families of the victims and to the
rest of the community and we're adamant that it won't proceed," he said.
"It's already been knocked back by the Equal Opportunity Commission
and we think is should not proceed any further."
His ongoing campaign has upset Brian Russell, whose 17-yo
daughter was one of the victims.
"Just makes you sick to be quite honest. This bloke has murdered 3
young women, he's not put there to be feted in this way," he said.
Corrections Victoria says there are no plans for Denyer to have
further health referrals.

Police allege "violent" man detained girl for 8 m
Wollongong.  A 31-yo Wollongong man has appeared in court
charged with kidnapping and attempting to murder by suffocation, a
17-yo girl.  Police allege Azzam Hamid of Cringila kidnapped and
assaulted the woman at his home, and made death threats against her
family, between Nov last y and last Fri night.  The accused
was brought into the court wearing handcuffs.  An application for bail
was made, with the defence solicitor telling the court the woman
consented to live in the home of the accused and it was a case of his
word against hers.  But magistrate Chris Johnson refused bail, on the
grounds of the seriousness of the offences, a history of violent
crimes by the accused and the fact he was on a court bond at the time
of the alleged offences.  The magistrate also ordered a psychiatric
report into his mental condition.  The case is due to return to court
next Wed.

Nuclear industry still haunted by Chernobyl -- UN
Moscow (Reuters).  The nuclear industry is still struggling to
overcome the damage done to its reputation by Chernobyl, even though
nuclear power is an "environmentally superior" energy source, the UN
atomic agency said Sun.
"Despite the array of measures that have been put in place since
Chernobyl to offset the possibility of a severe accident, these risks
can never be brought to zero and they continue to weigh heavily on
public perceptions," Internat'l Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed
ElBaradei said.
The Chernobyl disaster occurred in Apr 1986, when an explosion at the
Ukrainian power plant spewed a cloud of radioactivity across Europe
and the Soviet Union.
Around 30 people died from radiation exposure after the accident,
nearly 2,000 children later developed thyroid cancer and 1000s of
other fatal illnesses have been blamed on it. More than 100,000 people
were resettled, causing physical, economic and psychological hardship.
In a speech at a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the first
nuclear power plant nr Moscow, ElBaradei said that the nuclear power
industry has never fully recovered.
He said that in 1986, the y of the Chernobyl accident, atomic energy
accounted for around 16% of the world's energy output -- the same
ratio as today.
"The environmental superiority of nuclear power as a source of
electricity -- particularly important in light of recent concerns
about greenhouse gases and climate change -- has frequently received
less attention than the accumulation of spent (reactor) fuel and
radioactive waste."
The IAEA has said that nuclear power emits virtually no greenhouse
gases, which are believed to be the cause of global warming.
ElBaradei added that in the future, nuclear power would probably be
recognised as indispensable in developing countries which lack natural
resources like gas, oil or coal.
Later at a news conference, ElBaradei told reporters that greater
reliance on nuclear energy could avoid the "excessive use of fossil
fuel" and prevent an environmental catastrophe.

{{
5 am
The US military says 1 person has been killed when small arms fire hit
a transport aircraft flying out of Baghdad airport.

PM Allawi has vowed to crack down on insurgents and terrorists.  He's
indicated he'll distinguish between foreign insurgents and Iraqis, who
might have attacked the police or US forces out of frustration.

Midday.
The Def Dept in CBR has confirmed an RAAF transport aircraft taking
off from Baghdad has been hit by gunfire and an American civilian
contractor on board has been killed. After the incident, the aircraft
was deemed safe to fly and returned to its normal base in another
Middle E country.  It's the 2nd attack on Aussie forces in 2 days.

A US Marine is believed to be among the latest hostages taken in Iraq.
Al-Jazeera TV showed a military ID on the captive that indicated the
man was a serving Cpl. The US military has confirmed a Cpl is missing
since Jun 21.  Militants in Iraq are holding 6 captives and are
threatening to decapitate them unless foreigners pull out of the country.

Paul Bremer flew into Hillah today, saying farewell before he returns
to the US after the Jun 30 handover.  Last night, militants blew up a
bomb outside a mosque in Hillah, killing 23 people.  Bremer described
them as "enemies of Iraq".  The US military says deaths from guerilla
attacks had been running at 100 per wk, and now "well exceed" that.

The NATO chief Japp de Hoop Scheffer says the organisation will "do
its part" in the training and supply of Iraqi forces.  But he was
non-committal over the details.  The US wants training of the Iraqi
army to take place inside the country.  But French Pres Chirac wants
NATO training to happen outside Iraq.  At the NATO meeting in
Istanbul, the US is also pushing for more assistance in Afghanistan,
which some officials describe as "another disaster".

Israeli choppers have attacked buildings in Gaza City.  There were not
reports of cas.  The raids came just hrs after 6 Israeli soldiers were
injured [later reports say killed] in a bomb attack when Palestinian
militants dug a tunnel under an army base.  The militants described
it as "revenge" for the assassination of Sheikh Yassin and the killing
of 7 Palestinians over the weekend.

On the local markets, resources and News Corp have eased ahead.  But
the All Ords is down 6 pts.  In Japan, the Nikkei is up 18 pts.  The
AUD is at 69.81 US c and without friends.  Gold is up .80 to
$US402.14/oz.  Oil is steady at $US37.42/bbl.

Bill Gates is in Sydney today, putting up $40 mn over 5 y to 5
charities to provide Internet access to indigenous groups and the
elderly.  500 people attended at a SYD hotel to hear Gates announce
his "Unlimited potential" program.

1 pm
6 Iraqi soldiers and 1 insurgent have been killed when gunmen
attacked a checkpoint nr Hillah.

2 people have been killed in a Palestinian rocket attack on an Israeli
settlement. While people ate often injured by the home-made rockets,
this is the first fatality associated with the Kassam.

2 pm
A federal Labor government will make the Liberal Party pay back any
money for current advertising that is found to be political, leader
Mark Latham says.

A $US4 mn ransom was paid for the release of 3 Italian hostages in
Iraq in Apr, after a 4th hostage was executed, according to an
interview of one of the alleged kidnappers in Brit's Sun Times newspaper.

A Royal Aussie Air Force Hercules C-130 transport plane has been hit
by gunfire after take-off from Baghdad airport, killing one person on board.

An armed group saying it has kidnapped a US Marine has threatened to
behead the captive unless Iraqi prisoners are released in the war-torn
country, according to a video broadcast on Al Jazeera television.

Israeli helicopter gunships have launched separate missile attacks on
targets in Gaza city, hours after Palestinian militants blew up an army post.

NATO has agreed to help Iraq train its new army on the eve of a summit
in Istanbul, but emotions were high amid street protests against
visiting US Pres George W Bush and tight security.

6.30 pm
There's been a surprise hand-over of "sovereignty" in Iraq, 3 days
early.  A simple handshake between Bremer and Allawi marked the
surprise transition.  Bremer handed over legal documents, ended 14 m of
US occupation.  Reports of the deal leaked from the NATO summit
meeting in Turkey.  It comes amid increasing violence from insurgent
groups.  It's not clear what's behind the sudden change of plan.  The
news broke as leaders arrived for the NATO meeting in Istanbul.  The
interim Iraqi FM called for help from NATO, and to take Iraq more seriously.

Insurgents are threatening to behead 5 captives in Iraq, demanding the
release of all Iraqi prisoners.  Rumsfeld said compliance with
terrorists would be the end of the road for freedom.

Saddam will be brought before a court within days.  The Iraqi interim
govt wants to demo it's in control and the former dictator is in their hands.

A controversial display continues in the Knesset, after it was
temporarily closed down by the Israeli army and the organisers called
in for questioning.  The photos -- taken by Israeli soldiers -- show
what they say is the day-to-day reality of the occupied territories.
Pal children play-act at lining up to be frisked by Israeli soldiers.  A
man is shown in the cross-hairs of an Israeli rifle sight.  A
teen-aged boy is blindfolded and tied to a chair, as a group of
soldiers take a break.  The soldiers that organised the exhibition say
they want their countrymen to see what their govt is ordering the
armed forces to do. They say they've been told to fire tear gas into
crowds of Palestinians, just to see what reaction there would be.

7.30 pm
There's a rumour Jordanian terrorist al-Zarqawi has been arrested by
US forces in Iraq.  There was a $mn reward on his head.  If confirmed,
the news will be a feather in the cap of the new interim Iraqi govt,
which has been mercilessly targeted by foreign terrorists.

9 pm
A group of Israeli settlers for the first time says it will accept
compensation payments to move from the occupied territories back to Israel.

11 pm
Paul Bremer has flown out of Iraq. The interim govt was later sworn
in, at a secret location. While US officials say Bremer just left
because he didn't have anything more to do, US cmdrs have told BBC
reporters the Jun 30 date was just too big a target for some
spectacular guerilla attack.

11.50 pm
Pres Bush is giving a press conf.  Today is a moral achievement.  We
promised to end the Saddam regime .  We've kept our word.  Today Iraq
is an ally of the US and the civilised world.  15 m ago Iraq was a
sponsor of terrorism.  Now Iraq is fighting terrorism across the
country.  Iraq's democratic progress will be an inspiration to the
Middle E.  Iraq murdered 100s of 1000s and buried them in mass graves
[cut off by BBC].
}}
========================================
(*) Who is responcible for W.A.R.S?  A small group of dedicated
sandgrubbers, bannana-lickers and 5th columnists on the run from
support payments and sundry legalese in their home countries. Mention
us at any Uncle Harry's Suburban Bunker and get a 10% discount on cop-killers!
Special deals for multiple posting aliases!

All speling macroizated for correctitood by Mcrosotf Speelchek.

*** Please stand by for further orders from The Leader ***