From the World-Wide Resourses of the Western Australia Reserch Senter(*) OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS #27 =============================== In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere (validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra). Visit Our Home Page at: http://www.chickenhead.com/loserscopes/ See the Undeniable Evidence justifying Operation Iraqi Liberation at: http://www.evil-doers.org/evidence Kindly Archived at: http://www.kymhorsell.com/BOZO/archives/ Iraqi Body Count: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Selecting latest news stories and other data for you... ------------------------------------------------------------ The enemy we met was not the enemy we war-gamed for. -- Gen Wm S Wallace, 27 Mar 2003, Snr ground cmdr GWII. Front Page of WashPost, explaining how smoothly "the war plan" is proceeding. It's bizarre and disturbing. -- Gen Wm S Wallace, 27 Mar 2003. He doesn't like Iraqis charging M1A1's in old pickup trucks, either. It was a big, big mistake. -- US Dep Def Sec Paul Wolfowitz, 27 Mar 2003. I know what you're thinking. But he was talking about Turkey. As soon as we can kill some of these people that need killin the sooner we can go home. -- Lt Jim Philpot, 28 Mar 2003. S of Baghdad, final instructions to the noncoms. As of now... we haven't received any intelligence. -- PM John Howard, 27 Mar 2003. A promising new Theory Of Everything. I'd heard enough after a certain amount of time. -- US Amb to the UN, John Negroponte, 28 Mar 2003. The Amb stormed out of the Sec Council as the Iraqi amb said the US had started awarding contracts to re-build post-war Iraq in 1998. There is not an Iraqi people. -- Def Sec Rumsfeld, 29 Mar 2003. Pentagon briefing, in which he also accused Syria and Iran of helping Saddam. 9 days into this... the critics of America are asking... "why isn't it over?" -- PM John Howard, 29 Mar 2003. Equating criticism of the war with criticism of America. Oh yes, he also predicts the war will take much longer than Rumsfeld has been saying for the last year. It is a good one and it's working. -- Def Sec Don Rumsfeld, 30 Mar 2003. Amid growing criticism the Def Sec has interfered in military decisions, Mr Rumsfeld says it's not _his_ battle plan but Gen Tommy Franks. ---------------------------------------- Memorising the following dates may save your life! Sun 30. Francisco Jose de Goya born, 1746. Vincent Van Gogh born, 1853. Pencil with eraser patented, 1858. Alaska purchased from Russia for $US7.2 million, 1867. Five rings discovered around Uranus, 1977. Heard it. Mon 31. Rene Descartes is, 1596. APRIL Tue 01. People of superb intelligence and savoir-faire born this day. Sergej Rachmaninow is born in Oneg, 1873. Yourdon Inc founded, 1974 (it figures). Youth Day in Benin. Wed 02. Marvin Gaye born in DC, 1939. Malvinas Day in Argentina, Pascua Florida Day in Florida. Thu 03. Washington Irving born, 1783. IBM 701 introduced, 1953. Fri 04. Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield) born in Rolling Fork, MI, 1915. Andrey Tarkovsky born, 1932. NATO Established, 1949. Tandy Corp acquires Radio Shack, 1963 (9 stores). Martin Luther King assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, 1968. Ching Ming Festival in Hong Kong, Liberation Day in Hungary, National Day in Senegal. Sat 05. Thomas Hobbes born, 1588. Arbor Day in South Korea, Tomb Sweeping Day in Taiwan. ---------------------------------------- Fri, 28 Mar 2003. Giant bumpkin Army kills 2 militants Protests biggest bombing of Baghdad Oil for food re-activated New terrorism in NZ Flu in HK Flu in AUS Flu in US AUS mil briefing US chopper crash Spy sat launch Markets Continuous war news Pt Lincoln. GIANT BUMPKIN! Don't we always love these stories about freak vegetables? Promoting confidence in the integrity of our C12 food supplies, a Pt Lincoln grower has registered a 450 kg pumpkin -- said to be the largest in the S hemisphere. The proud father says the secret of the amazing animal -- which will now be ritually slaughtered and force-fed to local school children and victims in hospital -- was its seed imported from an undisclosed location in the US. Then there was the 3 m wide and 1 m deep hole he optimistically blasted out for the critical incubation phase. The crater was filled with seaweed, horse manure, pig manure, chicken manure and noxious substances, in the hope the monster wouldn't be able to dig its way out and go walk-about. The strategy worked! Jerusalem. ARMY KILLS 2 MILITANTS! The Israeli army says its troops have fired on 2 armed militiamen in the W Bank, killing 1 and wounding the other. The shooting took place in the Tulkarem refugee camp in the N of the W Bank. The dead man was ID-ed as a 24 yo member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militia linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction. The military says soldiers were on a routine patrol when they spotted the 2 men and opened fire from about 20 m away. Qatar. PROTESTS! Anti-war protests continued around the world today. The biggest was in Yemen, where about 100,000 people demonstrated against the war and against the US. 1000s more marched in nearby Bahrein. About 10,000 were led by clerics to the US embassy. The demo turned violent, and 10 people were injured. In Turkey, about 10,000 protested against the decision by their govt to open airspace to Coal'n forces. In C Cairo, about 25,000 students marched in their biggest protest so far. In a possible sign of things to come, Egyptian leaders have warned of a crackdown on demos, claiming they fear growing civil unrest. In Colombia, home made grenades were thrown by students in Bogota. 3 were arrested. It was the country's first anti-war protest since the start of GWII. There were similar student protests in Mexico City were 3,000 pulled down barricades protecting the American Embassy. Baghdad. BIGGEST BOMBING OF BAGHDAD! New explosions have rocked the Iraqi capital, just hrs after thunderous bombardments rattled the city and filled the night sky with flames and smoke. In the heaviest bombardment in days, US and Brit warplanes also targeted one of Saddam Hussein's presidential compounds. Before the attacks, the Iraqi defence minister warted US-led forces they would have to fight for the city street-by-street. Def Min Sultan Hashem Ahmed told a news conf that Baghdad will become a mass grace for coal'n soldiers and the war will be prolonged. NY. OIL FOR FOOD RE-ACTIVATED! The UN Sec Council has agreed on a draft resolution to re-activate the oil-for-food program in Iraq. Agreement was reached in a closed-door session mins after Brit PM Tony Blair arrived at UN HQ for talks with Sec-Gun Kofi Annan on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. Gunter Pleuger, German amb to the UN and head of the council's Iraq sanctions committee, says there's been agreement on the resolution, so a vote will be possible tomorrow. [Some observers disagree with the re-activation, arguing the Geneva Conventions specify belligerent nations have the duty to support civilians during wartime. The oil-for-food program essentially makes Iraqis spend their own money to buy supplies]. Wellington. NEW TERRORISM IN NZ! Police say a new threat to poison food and drinks with cyanide has been made in NZ. Asst Police Comm'er Jon White says cyanide was incl in an envelope containing 2 threatening letters sent to the country's largest newspaper, the NZ Herald, in Auckland. The letters made threats to food and drink products. Police have advised all NZ-ers to check packaging and seals on items they buy and consume away from their homes. HK. FLU IN HK! HK has drawn up stringent new health checks for travellers to fight a mystery pneumonia that has killed dozens of people world-wide. The territory has closed schools and quarantined more than 1,000 people in an attempt to control the spread of the disease. From tomorrow, HK will also require travellers to fill out health declaration forms at all checkpoints. Also more govt staff will be posted at checkpoints to detect those displaying symptoms of the disease. Perth. FLU IN AUS! A Singapore-bound super-luxury ship will stay longer in AUS to avoid Asia during the spread of a killer pneumonia which has killed more than 50 people worldwide. SARS has now infected 1,323 people. The decision by the owners of The World cruise ship comes as 1 woman was taken directly from Perth internat'l airport to the hosp last night after suffering respiratory problems on a flight from Singapore. Washington. FLU IN US! US officials say they are set to curtail govt visits to China, HK, Singapore and Taiwan and to warn Americans against travel there due to the outbreak of a mysterious new deadly respiratory disease. Worldwide, more than 50 people have died from SARS, and 1,323 are afflicted with the disease. Officials say the US restrictions on official travel and the warnings to citizens are expected to be announced by the State Dept and the CDC by tomorrow. Canberra. AUS MIL BRIEFING! ADF rep Brig Mike Hannan says 2 possible mines have exploded nr the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr where AUS navy divers have been working to make the waterway safe. The Brig says the discovery of explosives could delay the arrival of the 1st aid ships, incl ships loaded with Aussie wheat. But he says no Aussies have been injured in the war on Iraq. Brig Hannan says that 2 seamen on the Aussie supply ship MHAS Kanimbla are suffering a case of chicken pox and have been isolated. SOP. Broaddus. US CHOPPER CRASH! US officials say a Forest Service chopper that was continuing the search for Columbia debris has crashed, killing 2 people and injuring 3. The 4 were on board a Bell 407 that crashed in rough, wooded terrain in E TX. An emergency services rep says the reason for the crash are unclear. Officials say 7 choppers had been searching the area for space shuttle debris. The Columbia broke apart on re-entry on Feb 1. Tanegashima. SPY SAT LAUNCH! Japan's 1st spy satellites have lifted off from a launch pad on the remote S island of Tanegashima today. There have been a series of failures. There were worries over a terrorism attack. And the weather was poor. But everything went to plan. The launch marks the start of a $multi bn program prompted by tensions over neighbouring North Korea's long-range missiles and suspected development of nuclear weapons. If nothing else, it sends a message to Pyongyang that Japan, too, can deploy long-range missiles. The 2 satellites, the first of at least 4 in the $A3.47 bn spy program, were launched into clear but windy skies above the rocky Is atop an AH-2 rocket, the centrepiece launch vehicle of Japan's space program. Both sats can take pix as well as take radar scans of the earth below. Sydney. MARKETS! The price of oil spiked 6% o'night. The All Ords closed up 5 pts following a lack-lustre performance on Wall St o'night. Qantas shares were down 10% on news of the flu and the war. In a report the company said flight bookings were down 20%. SYD airport's owner was chopped 6%. News Corp yo-yo-ed 6%. Oil was up $US1.75 to $US30.42/bbl. Gold was down $US2 to $US330/oz. The AUD was trading at just under 60 US cents. +++ CONTINUOUS WAR NEWS +++ The Coal'n says it's captured a key bridge nr Najaf. NYc has been reportedly brought to a stand-still by the "die in" today. Although NBC was originally reporting the even on 5th Ave was a bust, it doesn't take much to reach gridlock in that part of Manhattan. Coal'n forces have taken over the radio and TV in Basra. It's seen as an effort to win over the local population. The local TV and radio stn, together with the Baath Party HQ in the city, have been bombed by warplanes and artillery in the last 2 or 3 days. US troops in NE Iraq have been re-supplied by o'night cargo drops. American shopping malls have begun giving away yellow ribbons in support of US troops. 4.30 pm The US has acknowledged its dropped its first 2.1 tonne "bunker buster" bombs on C Baghdad, taking out a communications bunker. One of the largest explosions in the capital was seen within the past hr, with a large cloud of white smoke rising opposite hotels used by foreign reporters. A Red Cross aid convoy has left Jordan for Iraq. 5 pm A CNN embed with the HMAS Kanimbla reports conditions on the Aussie ship are "challenging". The crew is reported to be afraid to go to sleep, since they're operating in a region that is known to be mined. The Capt has ordered men normally sleeping below the waterline to sleep on the decks. There's also a limited water supply for bathing. AUS officials say the drinking water supply is OK. The ship is unusual for Coal'n warcraft because US, Brit and Aussie seaman all work there. It sends out patrols 24/7 for all forces. The embed says the crew looks tired. Jerusalem has beefed up security around mosques to head off potentially-violent anti-war demos after Fri prayers. NY Times reporter in Baghdad, John Burns, says he's been under fire before, but had no words to describe the blasts this evening, with aftermath that resembled an earthquake. Car alarms went off over the city, he says. He also reported no AA fire was evidence in the city, indicating the US has suppressed the city's once-mighty air defences. Burns said even relatively moderate officials in the Iraqi govt -- like Gen Sultan -- were calling for the US to "bring it on". The rhetoric was "chilling", says Burns. The officials say the street to street fighting will give the US and Brit a lesson it would never forget. Burns say if the war drags on a few more weeks, Coal'n forces will also be fighting in chem weapons suits with temps in their 40s. The CDC says a 2nd healthcare worker in the US has died after getting a smallpox shot. They advise people with a history of heart problems to seek medical advice before considering the jabs. In the US, 22 mn workers might be affected by changes to labour laws. The definition of overtime is set for change, which will see about 650,000 white-colour workers loose their rights to overtime, but another 1.3 mn low-paid workers become eligible. New workers to receive overtime would be store managers and restaurant workers. 6 pm Brandishing fragments of shrapnel they claim to be American, some of the families of people killed in the marketplace explosions yesterday have started burying their dead. Pictures of the aftermath of a friendly fire incident have been shown. About a dozen blackened trucks and other vehicles show where a command post launched a counter-attack after it came under fire from Coal'n troops. Soldiers say it was a wonder no-one was killed. 37 Marines were wounded, some of them seriously. Aussies nr Umm Qasr have received rations of meat pies. They say they're gourmet fare compared to what they have been eating. Pix showed them washing down the 4 and 20s with cans of Coke. 6.40 pm The Iraqi Trade Min, Mohammed Mahdi Saleh, today oversaw a road convoy of food aid that he said was on its way to the S city of Basra. He said food was sent daily to Iraq's 2nd-biggest city. Journalists were shown a convoy of 20 yellow trucks carrying wheat flour. In Umm Qasr Brit army engineers are laying a water pipe to supply the small town with drinking water. The town's supply from Basra was cut 5 days ago. Bombing in Mosul has killed 50 civilians, according to the Iraqi regime. Locals told Al Jazeera TV that up to 50 children were wounded, and many women too. An Iraqi official told reporters 8 "residential buildings" had been hit, claiming they were nowhere nr any military targets. Al Jazeera reporters have driven to Nasiriyah, showing bomb damage to roads and over-passes. The sealed 4-lane highway was virtually deserted, with reporters saying the passing only a handful of civilian vehicle in 100s of km of driving. 6.50 pm US military officials say they hadn't "war gamed" the present Iraqi scenario of guerrilla attacks to supply lines. An analyst for SBS TV said there were fears going into the conflict that military planners had looked only at best-case scenarios, and not considered worst-case conditions. PM John Howard told a press conf today the war in Iraq was going extremely well. He said the progress could be faster if civilian casualties weren't a consideration. The PM said the govt didn't have any plan to increase Australia's commitment to the war. He also told Larry King Live in the US that AUS public opinion has swung behind the war. The PM said his govt wasn't driven by public opinion in any case, but doing what they felt was right. 7.05 pm The Iraqi Def Min has strenuously denied Iraq executed 2 Brit soldiers shown on Al Jazeera TV. The pictures caused Brit PM Tony Blair to accuse Iraq of more despicable war crimes. The 2 troopers were apparently killed nr Basra. One had a bullet wound to his forehead. Iraqi forces are attacking supply lines from Basra to Baghdad. Irregulars are launching guerrilla attacks while at the same time hunkering down in def positions among civilians. The hit and run tactic are slowing down the coal'n advance. 7.10 pm Bands of Iraqi soldiers, dressed as civilians and travelling in civilians vehicles, are hampering the coal'n advance about 100 km S of Baghdad. The (AUS) ABC embed arrived on the scene just as warnings were being given to troops at a military briefing. As soon as we can kill some of these people that need killin the sooner we can go home, Lt Jim Philpot told gathered non-coms. Some soldiers told reporters they've had to hitchhike to the front. The h/w of war is everywhere. Marines say they've heard a lot of firing, but many have not seen anything. As reporters arrived, a nearby artillery battery came under attack from Iraqi soldiers on foot. Re-enforcements were sent over, and Cobras were called in. They fired guns and rockets into the enemy troops. It wasn't clear what damage had been inflicted on ether side. One Lance Cpl told reporters he had heard the further N in Iraq you go, the more they were pro-Saddam. He said he hoped he saw more action. The voice-over said he'd get his wish. 8 pm Iraq currently has $US30-40 bn in its escrow account. Analysts say the Bush Admin wants to tap some of this to help pay for the war effort. An oil analyst has predicted it is unlikely the Iraqi oil industry will be privatised. While some elements of the US Admin would like to see the ind'y sold off, it would prove to be a PR nightmare, he said. It would be difficult to get the idea up with the UN involved in post-war reconstruction. But the main problem would be the perceptions surrounding eventual foreign ownership, probably US ownership, of many of the Iraqi oil fields if they were offered for sale. 9.30 pm Karbala may be shaping up as a major ground battle. The sit'n is "confused", but elements of the Medina Div for the Rep Guards are in the area. A Kurdish cmdr says his men have advanced 4 km into Iraqi territory. Iraq has played down the advance, saying only the weakest line of def has been pulled back. Baghdad. Many are stunned by the o'night bombing of the Iraqi capital. Several targets were attacked several times in the past 24 hrs. The telephone system is still working, but many lines were knocked out. A missile strike on the Info Min was uncomfortably close for reporters. A B-2 dumped 2 JDAMS on a radio tower, but the Iraqis say it was a civilian structure. About 10 cruise missiles fire from the Med also arrived in town o'night. Human Shields, still in Baghdad, visited the al-Shaab area today, where an alleged American missile attack went wrong, killing 17 civilians. 10 pm Clough Ltd is among a growing list of Aussie companies that are scrambling to get some of the money sloshing around for post-war Iraqi reconstruction. This wk, USAID made it clear only American companies would be involved in the bidding for lucrative US govt contracts. One contract for oilfield work was awarded. Clough Ltd says it has expertise in oilfield construction and reconstruction. The company has written a letter to Mark Vaile, the AUS Trade Min, complaining about the Iraqi business sit'n. AUSTRADE said it has nothing to say, until tenders are released. But analysts say there are no tenders, contracts are just being awarded by the US Admin to "mates". US analysts say it is SOP for US money to go to US companies. Halliburton, e.g., has many contacts with the US Def Dept, and the new contract announced this wk essentially "fed off" an extant deal. They say when Iraq's oil money is divided up by the US Admin, AUS will no doubt benefit with some crumbs. Richard Perle has been forced to stand down from a position on the US defence committee, amid a financial scandal. He's been accused of profiting from the Iraqi war. Perle and Paul Wolfowitz were among the chief advocates of the current US policy to the Bush Admin. Analysts say Perle will still effectively have a position on the committee, through his connections with Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld. 11 pm The Brit supply ship Sir Galahad is steaming up the channel to Umm Qasr with 300 tonnes of food and medical supplies on board. It's being preceded by a mine sweeper. After being delayed for 2 days, it's expected to land within hrs. Basra. About 2,000 civilians crossed a bridge out of the city this morning. They were apparently looking for water and supplies. Brit troops ringing Basra say the civilians were fired on by irregulars, still in the city. The Black Watch fired back, putting itself between the civilians and the militiamen. But the civilians turned back. One woman was badly injured, but no deaths were reported. 11.30 pm There are reports this evening that a hospital has been hit by a Coal'n attack nr the small town of Al Rafah, about 50 km W of Baghdad. The claim was originally made on Iraqi TV. So far, the US has no comment. Reporters expect the daily briefing at Centcom might address the report. B-52's have been carpet-bombing Rep Guard units nr Nasiriyah and Najaf today. AUS F/A-18 warplanes have also reportedly been bombing Rep Guard units. But it isn't clear where. Aussie cmdrs are very tight-lipped about details. The time-frame is also unclear. "In the last 48 hrs", said the briefing. 100 American special forces and 10,000 Kurdish fighters are massing, getting ready to attack the Ansar al-Islam hiding in the hills. The Brit warship Sir Galahad has arrived in Umm Qasr. Unlike Kuwaiti supply trucks in Safwan earlier today, the Brit operation hasn't attacked chaotic crowds fighting over the supplies. Critics say the Kuwaiti aid operation has simply allowed profiteering and is distorting the humanitarian program. ---------------------------------------- Sat, 29 Mar 2003. Continuous war news Markets More miners die 5 killed in bomb attack War of words rages in Iraq battle Market in Kuwait hit Activist killed in W Bank Protests US practising for nuke war Iraqis firing on their own Hijack ends quietly US soldier dies several days after smallpox shot Aussies warned Drunks sparks terror alert Mass beatings in Zimbabwe Serbs find other dead Pres AUS commits token for Iraq aid Pres gets away Canadians snub Yanks 3 Aussies evacuated Support surges for AUS govt Thief gets a shock Falling back Continuous war news +++ CONTINUOUS WAR NEWS +++ Midnight. It's DAY NINE. In the Middle E, it's the day of prayer and the day of protest. The US had admitted its long supply lines and "unconventional" Iraqi tactics has slowed down the progress of the war. The political leadership of the Coal'n countries is still in denial, however. Embed with Marines on the road from Nasiriyah to Baghdad. A journey that was originally thought to be 24 hrs is now 4 days behind schedule. The convoy or armour and trucks was hit 3 times during the night by stubborn Iraqi soldiers with RPG's. Artillery and rockets were directed back at a training camp. As the convoy moved along the road this morning, it came under Iraqi sniper fire from a building complex. The cmdr called in a Tomcat, and later followed that up with canon and mortar fire. The convoy proceeded. Iraqi bodies were seen along the roadside. The TV showed a civilian car with a bullet-hole in windshield. A body was lying nearby. It's unclear what happened. Later, reporters saw a man get out of a truck with white flag in the distance. As troops approached him, it became clear he was not alone. But at least 2 men surrendered to the Marines. The Syrian press has called on Arab TV stns to publicly indicate their support during their coverage of the Iraqi war. Many Arab countries are carefully trying to maintain a low profile, if they are supporting the Coal'n war effort. 12.15 Centcom. Vince Brooks giving the daily press briefing. The Coal'n remains on target. It destroys more of the regime each day. More of the machine that denies freedom to the Iraqi people. He was asked to comment on the words of Gen Wallace. Brooks said you don't always know the outcome of your own actions, let alone anyone else's. Reporters sense a "creeping anxiety". The Coal'n had hoped for Shi'ite rebellions, and that hasn't happened. One stretch of road reporters hear about is between Nasiriyah and Al Kut. US Marines are on that road, about 2/3 of the way N. Any time they have come to a town they find that have to battle their way through it. It's left a bitter taste in the mouths of local people. The Marines in Najaf and Karbala are the closest forces to Baghdad. They've seen seen Rep Guard and regulars. And are facing stiff resistance. Baghdad. BBC reporter Rageh Omaar. The air war has returned with a vengeance. The bombardment has continued. It was very intensive o'night, hitting telecom centres. There is sporadic bombing t'out the day. Everyone has looked at the Baath party, the Iraqi military, and the formal parts of the govt. But the informal networks of patronage, the tribal groups, the clans, economic and business communities. The paramilitary groups. The local populations. All these rely on Saddam. It's now resistance from these informal centres of power in every town that are hampering the Coal'n. That is the most stark and graphic thing that has been miscalculated in the war. In Baghdad, the population is most worried about what they see as the coming mass-bombing that will cost lots of civilian lives. Abu Dhabi TV has shown footage of an unmanned drone being shot down over Basra. The prop-driven aircraft is initially seen flying about 300 m above the city. A loud burst of AA gunfire, and its mission is over. It descends gracefully on a parachute. The Iraqi Info Min says at least 8 civilians were killed, and 33 more wounded, in the latest Coal'n attacks on Baghdad. He says 26 civilians were killed in Najaf. 11 were killed nr Karbala. He accused the Coal'n of using cluster bombs nr civilian areas. 1 am Al Samawah. On one side of the road the Marines are in control. On the other, Saddam is still Pres. Marines are not trying to take or occupy the town, they're just trying to stop the sniping. In the distance, a column of smoke marks where other Marines are destroying ammo and artillery that belonged to irregulars. Outside Karbala. Marines are having their first hot meal in what they think is 8 days. They're tired. Analysts are asking should they start an assault on Baghdad, or should they wait? In Washington, Don Rumsfeld is hinting the Coal'n will lay siege to the city and try to foment an uprising. There are hints special forces are operating in the capital already. And the Coal'n could take over control of radio and TV. A busload of 50 Iraqis is returning from Jordan to "defend the homeland". Shown stopping at a bus-stn o'night, the group says they are not afraid of the Coal'n armies and will teach the US and Brit a good lesson. 3 am About 5,000 Kurdish fighters have over-run the positions of Ansar al-Islam, a group linked with al-Qaeda. The group have also been a thorn in the side of the Kurds for several y. America claims the group has a chem weapons factory in the region. A rep for the Kurds said about 70 Ansar fighters were killed. With 500-600 embedded reporters in the field and 3 networks running 24 hr war news, there are very few reports coming out of Iraq for the past 12 hr. If there's no news of advances, apparently there's no news. The US military has estimated about 1,000 enemy troops have been killed nr Najaf this wk. US intel says about 1,000 Iraqi troops are coming down the Euphrates valley toward Coal'n troops. A major battle could occur soon nr the town of Karbala, S of Baghdad. 3 oilwell fires are still burning in S Iraq. An American company is still working to put them out. The heavy fighting in SC Iraq has delayed USAF plans to refuel and repair there. 2 reporters have gone missing in Baghdad. A freelance photographer is also missing. A council of mayors say US cities are spending more than $21 mn per wk on security measures brought in post 9/11. Iraqi officials say the resignation of Richard Perle proves the US is "starting to fall apart". Previously, US officials used this phrase to describe the Iraqi regime in the first 24 hrs of the war. The weather in Iraq is expected to be "clear" for the next 3 days. Centcom says more than 4,500 Iraqis are now POW's. Al Jazeera TV has show damage to many buildings inside Basra. The Brits say at least 8 were wounded when a group of 1,000 citizens attempting to leave the city were fired on by irregulars. They also claim they've managed to take out a number of enemy that had mortars mounted on the back of civilian cars. In the daily briefing at Centcom, Brig Brooks says 2 paramilitary HQ buildings have been blown up in Nasiriyah. Def Sec Rumsfeld says there are 20,000 Fedayeen Saddam in Iraq. His code name for them is "death squads". The US military says it's launched a new air and ground offensive against remnants of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in NE Afghanistan. 3.45 A fire-fight between Royal Marines and regular Iraqi army units is taking place somewhere nr Basra. A BBC News reporter says Coal'n helicopters are moving out to attack a group that is dug in. A battle has been going for about 1 hr now. Black smoke is rising over the town of As Samawah as a battle for control of the town continues between US Marines and irregulars. Wall St insiders say AA could seek Chapter 11 as early as next wk. It would be the largest filing in US history. Oil prices have jumped 15% this wk. With US stockpiles at 28 y lows and Iraq and Nigeria MIA, Saudi Arabia's increased production has not taken up the slack in the minds of traders. US lawmakers have urged Def Sec Don Rumsfeld to cancel a $1 bn contract to supply rations to the US military. It's with a French company. The company has down-played the significance of the contract, adding it also does another $100 bn worth of business in the US. The share price of the group fell 7% on the news. US forces nr Najaf say they now control 3 key bridges across the Euphrates, limiting the movement of Iraqi forces. The Kurdish-controlled town of Chamchamal in N Iraq has come under artillery fire from Iraqi forces. A CNN reporter said the day had looked like it was going to be quiet, with US special forces and Kurdish fighters seeing nothing along roads to within 20 km of Kirkuk [the home of the Biblical fiery pit of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego]. But an enemy counter-offensive is apparently now underway. 4.15 am US special forces are operating around Basra in what the embed says is an unconventional war for the hearts and minds of the local people. The US forces have been giving out food and water in smaller towns and areas outside the city, telling the local people they are there to rid the city of the Fedayeen Saddam. The embed said the water purification plant can only produce about 4,000 L per day. While some of it has been delivered to the city, it's fallen into the hands of the irregulars, who then decide who gets it. Water delivery therefore plays into the hands of Saddam's forces, re-enforcing their authority in the city. Air drops in N Iraq is bringing in more troops and supplies to a small airstrip. US special forces and KDP fighters are working together. KDP fighters cut the power before one air drop to reduce the threat to paras. The US forces are using night-vision equipment to find their way around the countryside. An ITV embed says aid distribution at Al Zubayr, S of Basra, is proceeding in an orderly manner today. But it's still hard to see whether the people that need it are getting the supplies. 4.23 Iraqi TV has shown 3 men who have been arrested on suspicion of spying for the US. UK consumer confidence has fallen to a 7-y low in Mar, as war approached. The Red Cross says an aid worker has been shot dead in S Afghanistan by un-ID-ed assailants. The WHO has urged airlines in Canada and parts of Asia to prevent people presenting signs of flu from getting on internat'l aircraft. A Brit military cmdr says Iraqi forces in the S of the country are "pinned down". 4.35 Resolution 1472 has passed unanimously in the UN Sec Council. It re-starts the Iraqi oil-for-food program. Brit 3rd paras guarding the S Iraqi oilfields have come under attack. Enemy artillery threatens the oilfields. But it's also a prime target. There are only fleeting glimpses of the enemy. The Brits have called up their own big guns and have started actively seeking out enemy targets. Engagements have now started day and night, as the Brits guard the ind'y that will be critical to rebuild Iraq after Saddam Evil is killed. 5 am 4 US Marines are missing nr the S city of Nasiriyah. Coal'n forces were trying to repulse harassing fire from irregulars at the time. Coal'n casualty numbers show as many troops have died from accidents and friendly fire as enemy action. The latest casualty was a US soldier who died after being run over by a heavy vehicle earlier this wk. Iraqis in a S town have turned out to enjoy a soccer game. And to show their defiance of Mr Bush and Mr Blair. Ch 9 reporter Mike Usher in Umm Qasr was a little critical of the "staged event" surrounding the arrival of the first humanitarian aid today. 100s of media were flown in by the Brits and there was a ceremony to welcome the ship. But no aid has yet been handed out. About 1/2 the 200 tonnes of supplies are bottled water. The reporter says people aren't rejoicing in the streets. They may not be fans of Saddam, but they aren't beholden to the US or Brit, either. Most local people don't know the ship has docked. One of the American dolphins has gone MIA for 24 hrs nr Umm Qasr. The animal is worth about $3 mn. 5.20 am There's another reported bombing on a Baghdad market. CNN says Iraqi reports say 50 civilians have been killed. Don Rumsfeld and Gen Myers are giving a press conf. Reading from notes, Mr Rumsfeld says Coal'n forces are 50 mi S of Baghdad. In the oilfields some well-heads were wired with explosives. But they had no detonators. In Iraq people have had guns put to their heads to force them to fight. Rumsfeld called on Iraqis to remember the faces of the deaths squads. Their time would come. They put on US uniforms and then execute Iraqis who surrender to them. The Coal'n is working to save Iraqi lives. Because of our overwhelming power we can remove the regime. We can destroy a tank under a bridge. We can destroy Saddam without destroying Iraq. At least, that's our belief. Said shipments to Iraq were crossing the Syrian border. We will hold the Syrian govt responsible. They are committing hostile acts. Iran is also going to be held responsible for an exiled Iraqi Shi'ite group they are funding. It is operating in Iraq. We will treat the group as enemy combatants. Gen Myers said 45% of Iraq has come under the control of the Coal'n. While there will be sporadic fighting in those regions, the regime doesn't control them. 1,000 sorties were flown yesterday. We have air supremacy over 95% of Iraq. Gen Myers says he stands by the battle plan. But he carefully attributed it to Gen Franks. A reporter asked Mr Rumsfeld what might be the explanation of the high ratio of killed to wounded soldiers. Rumsfeld strenuously denied under-reporting, and was incensed at the suggestion US govt propaganda was misleading. The Syrian embassy in Washington has made an emotional denial of Mr Rumsfeld's claims. The Amb says he doesn't think his country has anything to do with supplying equipment to Saddam's forces. He said the US was trying to divert attention away from the failure of their military plans, and the growing civilian death toll in Baghdad. 5.30 am Breaking into the Rumsfeld/Myers briefing, CNN says there's been a major bombing 200 m from a Baghdad hosp. A doctor at the hosp says he's counted 50 bodies. A devastating airstrike in a residential area. The doctor says there are no military targets in the area. Al Jazeera is also reporting the attack. CNN is asking whether the regime would bomb its own population. An analyst says the claims by Rumsfeld are misleading -- the 45% "under control" are desert and swamps. He says the regime is not "on the ropes" as suggested by the CNN reporter. A terrible, terrible thing that has happened is that Saddam has now achieved more than any other Arab leader since 1900. The psy-ops, incl "shock and awe", mounted by the Bush Admin has been a failure. BBC World News says there is a new missile attack on a Baghdad market. They say estimates vary on casualties. One report says there are 35 dead and 45 wounded. But the rubble is still being searched. It's 9 pm Baghdad time. Al Jazeera showed people milling about, but no DB's. There has been no response from Centcom. +++ SUSPEND CONTINUOUS WAR NEWS +++ NY. MARKETS! The Dow was down 0.7% on fears the war in Iraq will take longer than prev expected. But the price of oil is also falling, on the news of the resumption of the UN oil-for-food program. Guwahati. MORE MINERS DIE! At least 7 workers have died after being trapped in a coal pit when a section collapsed in the NE Indian state of Meghalaya. Police say the accident happened on Wed night at the remote Nongalbibra Coalfields in S Garo Hill district. A police rep says the miners were buried alive while digging a pit when a huge chunk of land caved in, followed by gushing water, trapping all of them. The bodies of all 7 were recovered yesterday. Zamboanga. 5 KILLED IN BOMB ATTACK! The Philippines military says 5 members of a family have been killed and another 6 people wounded in a bomb attack on an Is in the S of the country. Prov military cmdr Col Bonifacio Ramos says 2 men sneaked up on Malamawi Is late yesterday and lobbed a stick of dynamite into a house. Ramos said the wounded, incl children, were taken to a hospital on nearby Basilan Is. He says he suspects the attack stemmed from a family feud, but would not elaborate. War of words rages in Iraq battle Washington. In the war in Iraq, media strategy is proving almost as important as military tactics as world leaders scramble to sway public opinion. The result has often been a trail of confusion, with claims of dramatic developments being reversed within hours. If the war spin is to be believed, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein may be dead, Iraq may have executed Brit POW's while an Iraqi missile could be responsible for smashing up a crowded Baghdad marketplace. The reality may be quite different. Each day, claims and counter-claims are flying from both sides in the Iraq conflict as Washington, London, CBR and Baghdad battle for airtime in a fierce war of words and images. Jamie Cowling, a research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy Research in London, says 24-hr rolling TV news means "often there isn't time for considered opinion and reporters are falling prey to blunders and propaganda". Take the fate of Umm Qasr. The S Iraqi port fell numerous times, according to reports from the frontline last Sun. But the key entry point into Iraq was not firmly secured by US-led forces until Tue. On Tue, reports emerged of a "mass uprising" by Iraqis in Basra, the country's second-largest city. Iraq dismissed the reports as "hallucinations", while Arab television channels showed images of quiet Basra streets. Brit PM Tony Blair eventually conceded there had only been "a limited uprising". What is mistaken info and what is propaganda is difficult to tell. Brit's efforts on Fri to play down Mr Blair's accusation that Iraq had "executed" Brit prisoners of war highlighted that very dilemma, media experts say. Another complaint is that US and Brit military briefings do not always fill in the holes, creating a crossfire of contradictory accounts. The US has spent heavily on its media strategy. In a polished campaign, generals brief reporters in Qatar daily, from a set designed by a Hollywood art director. By contrast, the Iraqi Govt is running a no-frills but tightly managed media campaign, with a poorly lit set against a backdrop of a larger-than-life image of Saddam. Iraq does not have embedded reporters. Instead, Iraq's Information Min, sometimes obscured by a sea of microphones, gives a daily rundown of what are presented as the latest victories. Saddam also makes regular appearances on Iraq's fiercely patriotic state TV, partly to convince the other side that he is still alive. Aware that Iraqis have little access to other media, US-led forces have bombed the facilities of Iraqi TV but have so far failed to take it off the air. The US says its own TV broadcasts are reaching Baghdad but Reuters correspondents in the city say they have seen no sign of them. Iraq has stepped up its own propaganda war this week, showing close-ups of dead US soldiers with gaping bullet wounds and footage of dead Brit soldiers on Iraq TV. It also rushed to the scene when a bomb hit a crowded Baghdad marketplace, filming dead and injured citizens. The US later suggested it may have been an Iraqi missile. Mr Cowling said: "Any modern war is a media war too. Not just for the ears and minds of Iraqis but for world opinion too." Kuwait City. MARKET IN KUWAIT HIT! Within hrs of Baghdad saying it's seen a 2nd market area hit by "unfriendly fire", killing 50 according to some reports, debris is now laying scattered around a Kuwait City shopping mall, following a blast witnesses say was caused by a missile that landed nearby. It was the 13th missile fired at Kuwait during the war so far, but the first to get through the city's Patriot missile defence barrier. There was no warning. It's believed to be a Chinese-made "Silkworm". Corresp say the al-Sharqiah Cinema, which was part of the seafront centre in the Souq Sharq district, has a damaged frontage and roof. A policeman at the scene says he saw a missile land in the sea around 1.45 in the morning, local time. The area was largely deserted at the time. The officer said it could have been another story if the missile had landed earlier in the evening. Other witnesses say the missile appeared to fly in low over the sea from the direction of Iraq's al Fao peninsula. There have been no reported casualties. [Daylight reports showed the missile had gone off over the sea opposite the mall, about 10 m off-shore]. Jerusalem. ACTIVIST KILLED IN W BANK! An activist has been killed in an Israeli army raid in the W Bank and rockets have been fired at Israel, in a renewed flare-up of violence. On the diplomatic front, Israel has shown satisfaction with US Pres Bush's announcement that the internat'l roadmap for Middle E peace will soon be unveiled. Critics say Bush has managed to delay the details yet again. The Palestinians have reserved judgement on the "plan". Israeli troops have shot dead an armed 20 yo and wounded another man during an incursion into the town of Tulkarem. Melbourne. PROTESTS! 10-15,000 demonstrators took to the streets of the Vic capital again today. Organisers say more than 100,000 have marched in protests at the war in Iraq this wk. Today, the crowd was addressed by Greens, ALP MP's and other anti-war figures. Middle E. PROTESTS! 1000s turned out across the Missile E today. They were protesting against the US-led war against Iraq. And against the US, in general. Protests have become an everyday event across the region. Large numbers marched today in Cairo, Gaza, Bahrain, Syria, and Jordan. In Jordan, crowds were broken up by police using chem weapons -- teargas. In Iran, protesters were stoning the Brit embassy. There are sounds of anger on the Arab streets. 1000s on 1000s are marching in rare unity against a common foe -- the US and Brit. Once the domain of fundamentalists, the protests are now swelled by people from across the spectrum. They were calling Blair and Bush liars and gangsters today. But that's what they've been saying for the past week. "You have no evidence against Iraq", said one demonstrator in Cairo. In nearly every Arab capital they hear lists of Coal'n atrocities against Iraqis. In Egypt, the pro-w govt is troubled, worried about terrorism and growing acts of violence. The whole point of the war was to avoid more terrorism, said one Egyptian official. But it's having the opposite effect, he complained. Observers say the crowds are growing. And they're getting noisier. Seoul. US PRACTISING FOR NUKE WAR! NK says US-led SK military exercises this m are a test nuclear war that shows the US is getting ready to attack the communist country after it deals with Iraq. NK's ruling party newspaper says if the US invasion of Iraq is successful, they will wage a new war on the Korean peninsula. HEY! After Iran, buddy! In a spate of commentaries, the Rodong Sinmun daily takes aim at the annual Korean war games. On Wed, NK pulled out of border liason talks, the only channel of military communication between the N and US. Following the launch of a Japanese spy satellite yesterday, the N said Japan had sparked an arms race in NE Asia. Camp As Sayliyah. IRAQIS FIRING ON THEIR OWN! Brit military officials and witnesses say Iraqi paramilitaries have fired mortars and machine-guns on more than 1,000 Iraqi civilians trying to leave the besieged city of Basra. Lt Cmdr Emma Thomas, a rep for Brit forces in the Gulf, says Brit's 7th Armoured has apparently tried to fire back, but stopped out of fear that civilians would be wounded. [Previously, another rep said the Black Watch has managed to get between civilians and the paramilitaries, despite the apparently geometric impossibility of this given the pictures showing the various relative positions]. As a result, she says, some civilians have retreated back into the city in trucks. It's unclear how many did manage to escape. About 1,000 civilians reportedly crossed the bridge out of Basra the prev day. Athens. HIJACK ENDS QUIETLY! Officials say Greek police have arrested the lone hijacker of a Turkish Airlines jet, who forced the aircraft with 203 passengers to land in Athens before releasing all the passengers without bloodshed. The end of the night-long drama was briefly delayed when the hijacked initially refused ti leave the plane after the passengers had disembarked. He had stayed on board with 2 pilots. The hijacker -- who claimed he had explosives strapped to his body -- seized Flight TK 160 after taking off from Istanbul on a domestic flight to Ankara. US Soldier Dies Several Days After Smallpox Shot Atlanta (Reuters). A US soldier who was recently vaccinated against smallpox has died from a heart attack, the 3rd death among those participating in the fed campaign to inoculate 100s of 1000s of military personnel and health care workers. A Dept of Defence official said on Fri that the 55-year-old National Guardsman had died in an unidentified US military hospital on March 26, 6 days after receiving his smallpox vaccination. Two female health care workers who were recently vaccinated against smallpox have died in the past wk of heart attacks. Col John Grabenstein, scientific director for the Pentagon's smallpox vaccination program, said the deceased soldier was being treated for high cholesterol and was a smoker at the time he received his smallpox jab. The soldier's death, however, occurred amid growing scrutiny of the campaign. There have been more than a dozen other cases of heart-related complications in US soldiers and health care workers who received the vaccine. The possibility of a link between the deaths and the vaccine prompted the US CDCP to recommend this wk that people with heart disease not be vaccinated until further notice. Earlier this month, top US health officials had said that reports of side-effects linked to the current smallpox program were overblown. When administered in the past the vaccine killed between one to 2 out of every mn people inoculated and caused others to suffer brain damage. But it has never before been linked to heart problems. HK. FLU NOT ABATING! An outbreak of SARS in Asia shown no signs of abating as health officials report dozens of new suspected cases in HK, and Sing doubles the number of people in quarantine. Meanwhile, WHO says it has promised full, frank numbers from China on the extent of the respiratory disease in the world's most populous country. In HK, the Health Dept and Hosp Auth'y has reported an additional 58 suspected cases of a-typical pneumonia. Sydney. AUSSIES WARNED! Australians concerned about contracting the deadly flu-like SARS are urged to reconsider travel plans to HK, Sing, China, Vietnam and Canada. AUS's Chief Med Off Richard Smallwood says the WHO has recommended grounding air passengers who show signs of the illness. Also AUS travellers who show signs of fever or other flu-like symptoms when screened O/S could find themselves unable to return home. NY. DRUNKS SPARKS TERROR ALERT! 3 men have climbed onto a NYc bridge, sparking an anti-terrorism response and sending the USD down in morning trading. Police say they arrested 3 men in their 30s who were caught by a police officer in the morning rush-hr cables of the E River Williamsburg Bridge that links Manhattan and Brooklyn. Anti-terrorism teams, incl choppers, rad detectors, and bomb squads converged on the area in a state of high alert. Harare. MASS BEATINGS IN ZIMBABWE! Amnesty Internat'l has warned of a new wave of repression in Zimbabwe. After an opp'n protest and general strike last wk, police and other "freedom fighters" have beaten about 500 people. Reporters confirm 100s of people have been hospitalised. They have been beaten with whips, electrical cable, iron bars and sticks. Security forces also rampaged at night through the capital, Harare, beating people in their homes. Others, linked with opp'n parties, were taken away and tortured. Local human rights groups are keeping meticulous records. One day, the records might be used. Police and military officials say nothing happened. The response of the world the news of the beatings has been "muted". Pres Mugabe knows that world attention is elsewhere, and believes he can do pretty much what he likes. Belgrade. SERBS FIND OTHER DEAD PRES! Serbian security forces still hunting the killers of Pres Djindjic have found the remains of another Serbian Pres who also met a violent end. The authorities also say some of the same men killed both presidents. Int Min Dusan Mihajlovic says security forces found the remains of Ivan Stambolic -- who vanished in 2000 after the overthrow of Milosevic -- buried in a ditch on Fruska Gora Mtn in the country's N. Canberra. AUS COMMITS TOKEN FOR IRAQ AID! The AUS govt has committed $100 mn to humanitarian relief for the people of Iraq. For Min Alex Downer says an $83 mn package will go to the UN Flash Appeal. He says this will be added to the $17.5 mn already provided to other UN agencies, the Red Cross, and AUS NGO aid agencies. He says the $83 mn will cover the cost to Aussie farmers [hey -- I thought this was IRAQI aid!] of 100,000 tonnes of wheat that had been sold to the former regime, and was held up by the US-led attack. Tokyo. PRES GETS AWAY! Peru's disgraced former Pres has escaped an Interpol warrant for his arrest. Fujimori, aged 64, says he's innocent, and has promised to return home to Peru at some later time. The former Pres fled Peru amid a corruption scandal and has become a celebrity in Japan for reaching political heights abroad. And he didn't have to eat his girlfriend or cut of someone's penis to do it! However he does face murder charges in Peru for his alleged involvement in authorities a spate of murders of rebel sympathisers in the 1990s. Ottawa. CANADIANS SNUB YANKS! Isn't this the kinda stuff we love to see? Days after the US amb to Canada criticised the country for not joining the American war on Iraq, the Canadian PM says he can't attend a trip to Washington because he had a prev engagement to get an environmental award. Heritage Min Sheila Copps says she'll be going in Chretien's place. US Amb to Canada, Paul Cellucci, said on Tue his govt was "upset and disappointed" that Canada had failed to join the coalition of war mongers invading Iraq. But he wasn't interfering in internal Canadian politics! He's just another close personal friend of George Bush Jr! Doha. 3 AUSSIES EVACUATED! 3 Aussie seamen have been evacuated from the HMAS Kanimbla with a case of the chicken pox. ADF rep Lt Col Mark Elliott says the 3 have been transferred to a hosp in Bahrain. He said it was nothing to do with smallpox jabs. Col Elliott also rejected claims the 3 navy ships in the Gulf are short of fresh water. Sydney. SUPPORT SURGES FOR AUS GOVT! In the 48 hrs following the start of the Iraqi "war", support for the fed govt surged, while both Labor and the Greens lost ground. The Morgan Poll found that primary support for the coal'n jumped 6 pts last weekend. On primary vote the coal'n was at 45.5%, while on TPP it also jumped 6 pts to 52.5%. The ALP went backward from 39.5% to 36%, and from 53.5% to 47.5% on TPP. Sydney. THIEF GETS A SHOCK! A theft turned into a nightmare for a SYD robber yesterday, when a woman jumped into the back of his ute, banged on the roof, and yelled for him to return her purse and a cash box. Police say the man had robbed an office in Waterloo, in SYD's inner-S, taking a cash box and an employee's handbag shortly after 3.30 pm An employee chased the thief, jumped into the back of his ute, and banged on the roof as it was driven through inner SYD, finally escaping unharmed back in Waterloo. Melbourne. FALLING BACK! Vic's are reminded that they should replace the batteries in their smoke alarms at the same time they wind their clocks back 1 hr to end daylight saving this evening. With dalmatians in fire-stations apparently trained to change the batteries in MEL, other Vic's are warned that about 17% of homes in the state have had at least 1 fire. And, more worrying, when a fire broke out 90% of the time the occupants were at home. +++ RESUMING CONTINUOUS WAR NEWS +++ 6 pm US cmdrs have ordered a "pause" in the push for Baghdad, saying their supply lines have been stretched too far. It will also give the Coal'n troops a chance to catch their breath. But the Pentagon has denied a Reuters report of a 4-5 day pause in the campaign. US soldiers say they've uncovered a torture chamber. They also found part of a female soldier's uniform in a shower. They say a battery on a table near a bed may indicate the room was a torture chamber. They also found 3,000 chem weapons suits in the same building. Pictures of a 2nd market attack in Baghdad have shown a relatively shallow crater in a nearby road. Centcom has not commented on reports up to 58 Iraqi civilians were killed in the alleged Coal'n attack-gone-wrong. But other military officials say it has all the hallmarks of an "own goal" -- a defective Iraqi AA missile falling back into the area. The US military has warned that missile batteries in civilian areas pose a threat to nearby civilians. 12 Human Shields are still in Baghdad. 3 Aussies are living in a water purification plant in the NE of the city. They say they can feel the impact of the big bombs about 10 km away from their position. They say they have trouble sleeping, and are anxious when the bombing gets closer to their position. But they say their problems are nothing compared with the Iraqi civilian population. They say they will be staying, whatever happens. About 6 Kurdish fighters have been killed in NE Iraq. Several Coal'n soldiers have been injured in fighting for Iraqi positions in the region. Analysts say Centcom has lost almost all credibility in claiming everything is on track. If they had planned to have 220,000 troops in the field, said one, they would have had them there at the start. The worst-case scenario -- of losing the perception war -- is becoming a greater possibility every day. One report, submitted before the start of the war, warned if the Coal'n gets bogged down it may allow Saddam to survive again, in the long term. ANU Strategic and Defence Studies analysts say the greatest failing of the US war plan has been another intel failure. [Either that, or the politicians were listening only selectively to the intel reports]. Some are also amazed at the criticism of Iraqi tactics, as if the US is not aware of how 200 wars have been fought in the modern era. 7 pm The US says it's foiled a terrorist plot in 2 un-named Middle E countries. Iraqi diplomats have been arrested on suspicion of fomenting trouble. But there are no details. 9.30 pm 5 US Marines have been killed in a suicide bombing at a checkpoint, while 50 enemy soldiers have been killed by rocket fire from gunships nr the C Iraqi town of Najaf. The suicide attack comes a wk after a similar incident in N Iraq. Witnesses say a taxi pulled up at the checkpoint and the driver "gestured toward" soldiers. The bomb then exploded, disintegrating the car, nearby structures and cutting down soldiers within 10 m. While a "lull" has been declared in the US attack, US bombers have continued attacking dug-in Republican Guards on the SE and SW approaches to the Iraqi capital. Paul McGeough for the SMH in Baghdad. While the crater in the Shula market area attacked is surprisingly small, witnesses say arms and heads were blown off victims. Witnesses say they saw a high-altitude jet headed S after the blast. McGeough said reporters were taken to a nearby morgue where he saw a gruesome scene, incl the bodies of children as described by witnesses. Cute T-shirt on Indonesian protester: "Origin of the Species" with a picture of Pres Bush Jr. +++ SUSPEND CONTINUOUS WAR NEWS +++ ---------------------------------------- Sun, 30 Mar 2003. Continuous war news 24 killed in gunbattle 8 die when boiler explodes 7 killed in ambush 4 die in snowfields 2 die in aircraft crash Car bomb Protests Protesters urged not to disrupt ANZAC services More journos MIA America sees no evil Saddam sacks air commander: UK Brit probe a 3rd accident Former UK minister wants troops out of Iraq More pundits than liberal peaceniks Aust will win post-war contracts: Downer IMF big enough to admit a capital offence US satellites to monitor shuttle missions SK envoys off Most think UN should have sanctioned war Aussie SAS nr Baghdad Hornets attack Flu toll rises 5 cases of killer pneumonia found in NY 3 flu strains to hit AUS Exponentiation Last sub Volcano warms up Medicare to stay in some form Ansett levy to be suspended No ducks on Qld-ers Qld Nats still deny GW Power blackout in Perth Continuous war news +++ CONTINUOUS WAR NEWS +++ Midnight DAY TEN. The sit'n nr Basra is still confused. With claim and counter claim, BBC says there have been exaggerations on both sides. This morning Brit forces moved into the C of Basra. They destroyed 2 statues -- symbols of Saddam's regime -- and then withdrew to the outskirts of the city. The Brits say the main battle is to win the hearts and minds of the locals. But as a possible sign of how well that's going, reporters came across a woman looking for her son. She collapsed in front of the cameras. She said her son has gone made with the bombing. She's looking for him. He's wandering the streets naked somewhere. Baghdad. The Iraq Info Min made a number of claims in his press briefing today. Most of them have been denied by the Coal'n. He said the Coal'n forces were now a 500 km-long "boa snake", and Iraq would now proceed to cut it up. He also said Coal'n bombing has destroyed 80,000 tonnes of civilian supplies in Basra, incl cooking oil, tea and sugar. The Info Min countered claims from the Coal'n that Iraqi soldiers were disguising themselves as civilians. He said these were Iraqi citizens defending their country. The WashPost has released a new poll what shows for the first time more than 1/2 of those questioned think GWII will last months and not weeks. But 74% support Pres Bush's actions. 84% expect a significant number of US casualties. A majority of Americans believe they are fighting a "just war". Grp Capt Al Lockwood has rejected many of the claims from the Iraq Info Min this morning. He denied that Coal'n bombing targeted Iraq civilian supplies. He re-affirmed that about 200 Iraqi fighters had been killed as Basra -- a claim prev rejected by the Iraqi Info Min -- saying Brits had seen about 200 Iraqis go into Baath Party HQ in Basra. The building has been destroyed by bombing, and no-one was seen to come out, said Lockwood. When asked by a BBC reporter about civilians fighting against the Coal'n forces, Lockwood said Baath Party members were criminals who had been pushing civilians out in front of them. Lockwood said the Coal'n was going to win hearts and minds. Word of mouth will do that, he said. When "they" see that we are here as liberators, he explained. Lockwood said the Iraqis would choose their future for themselves when the Coal'n rid the country of Saddam's "evil regime". 0.30 am In the last 40 mins the first 10 Brit servicemen have returned to England. The bodies of the first casualties have returned to an RAF base, incl 2 airmen shot down by a US Patriot middle. Kuwait says the missile that hit a Kuwaiti market was a Silkworm fired from the Al Fao peninsula, an area Brit forces declared "captured" within the first 2 days of the military action. It slightly injured 2 people and broke most windows in the area, nr C Kuwait City. It struck only a short distance from the Emir's palace. The Coal'n says attack helicopters have killed about 50 Republican Guards SW of Baghdad, nr Karbala. 25 enemy vehicles were also destroyed. 30 Apaches of the 101st were used in the attack. Baghdad says 68 civilians have been killed in the past 24 hrs. The number incl what the Iraqi govt nows says were 55 civilians killed in an outer suburban marketplace in the working-class area of Shula on Fri. Brit forces called in a US air strike on a building in Basra where they believed about 200 paramilitaries and Baath Party activists were meeting. The building was destroyed. The pix were shown in today's daily brief by Brig Vince Brooks. Most of the occupants are believed to have been killed. Analysts say the targeting of civilian areas will occur more often as the war proceeds. Elsewhere, the Iraqi Info Min says the Coal'n was deliberately targeting food stores in Basra with artillery fire. Iraqi TV has shown pictures of what is says is another downed drone airplane. The light-blue aircraft is shown floating, apparently in the Gulf. It has an American flag. Iraq says it was killed by a fisherman with his antique firearm. No date or location was mentioned in the report. 1.15 am Iraq says it's now downed 5 Coal'n jets, 4 helicopters, and 6 drones. The Coal'n claims it has lost no jets to enemy fire, 1 helicopter was downed due to mechanical failure, and has lost 3 drones. Baghdad has been rocked by more attacks today. Cruise missiles hit the Info Min. BBC says cameras were focused on the building when it was spectacularly hit at exactly 1 am in the morning. The building was where many journalists worked during the day. 10,000 Kurdish fighters backed by elements of US special forces, say they've broken the back of the Ansar al-Islam group in NE Iraq. About 10,000 Kurdish fighters overran camps and villages controlled by the group, which were though to have about 700 members. While a number were killed [some reports say 70], many Ansar fighters escaped into the hills, using their better knowledge of the area. Some have reportedly pulled back into Iran. The group -- which the US links with al-Qaeda -- has been a thorn in the side of the Kurds for years. The Kurds have now gone home. BBC says other positions taken by the Kurds show signs of an organised Iraqi withdrawal. This wasn't a route for Saddam's forces in the area, they say, but an orderly re-grouping. The Iraqi units pulled back into defensive positions around Kirkuk. BBC embed. His group is stalled somewhere on the rd to Baghdad. There are long columns of trucks and other vehicles parked along the rd. He commented on the "suicide attack" nr Najaf. The death toll had been reduced to 3 soldiers, he said. But it may also be 4. It also was not clear whether it was a car bomb or a suicide bomb. It made a big difference to the cmdrs, he said. Cmdrs have said if it is a car bombing they will tend to shoot civilian vehicles they see along the road. In the last 36 hrs he's heard a lot of radio chatter about attacks on the Medina Div of the Rep Guard. They've been suffering pretty significant attacked from the air. A US cmdr nr Karbala says the Coal'n are preparing for "intense" attacks on Rep Guard. He's seen groups of choppers going forward. Another interesting development. Some cities along the Euphrates have seen "resistance". Cmdrs are using a new strategy to route out Fedayeen. Some troops went in on the streets of As Samawah yesterday, rather than using air bombardment or artillery. He says the town's been a lot quieter since they went in. We must see whether this becomes a policy, he said. 1.35 BBC interview with the Iraqi Trade Min, Mohammed Mahdi Saleh [in English]. The Min says in reports today there have been 55 killed and 50 injured in the Shula marketplace attack. The tragedy reflected the failure of Brit and US Admin toward this conflict. The conflict is illegal, immoral and a crime of war, he said. He denied AA batteries were positioned in civilian areas. This last incident was not the only one, he added The positioning of military equipment in civilian areas was "just a claim from US admin", the Min said. He said the Coal'n was violating Geneva rules and should not hit any civilian places. But the Coal'n is even striking cars and killing drivers on the country's highways using Apache aircraft, he said. The Min said Baghdad could hold out for "years". He said the food supply issued to homes t'out the country could last for 6 months [sic]. In Umm Qasr all families have stocks similar to Baghdad, he said. All the supplies had been delivered before military attacks started. The Min said in new measures announced yesterday rations had been announced that would supply households up to Oct. Iraq was a rich country, he said. It meets its requirements of agricultural production, he added. He said Iraq has "prepared ourself to do whatever". He scoffed at suggestions that 120,000 more US troops were arriving in coming weeks. We have 22 mn inhabitants, he said. Taking away 13 yo children and younger, all of rest are fighters, he said. They will see off whatever soldiers come. They are united and will defend their country, said the Min. He said the Coal'n war was an "invasion". In history of Iraq no-one can accept invasion, he said. The Min called on Brit and the US to surrender or go home. They are fighting not only Iraq's military, but the people, he said. The people are rejecting them and fighting them. They won't be able to stay for any period of time. The Min said there is no conflict between Iraq and the American people or the US people. It was a strategy designed by Blair and Bush with Israel, to kill people and Coal'n soldiers, he said. From the daily briefing at Centcom. Brig Brooks denied there was an overall pause. There would be pauses seen in different places. US rangers took 50 prisoners in W Iraq last night, trying to take over an enemy commando post that controlled the area. Maj Gen Renault said Iraqi forces in the S are getting smaller and smaller. He said an Iraqi woman that had been seen waving a white flag was later found hanged on a lamp-post. That was the kind of people they were dealing with, said the MJ. Reporters say Centcom has indicated a "more robust policy" in controlling the S region. Instead of containing towns and moving on, the troops are going into the towns to take out the Fedayeen and other irregulars. The 101st and 82nd Airborne have been deployed to protect the supply lines. They will also relieve the 3rd Inf which will move fwd and attack the Rep Guard nr Baghdad. 2.05 am Pres Bush's weekly address to the nation. Usual rhetoric. Saddam controls "small portion" of Iraq. The Iraqi people would greet us if they weren't being repressed. [Contradiction!] 600 oil-wells secured. Our efforts are paying off. Prevented missiles from being launched from W Iraq. Fighting is fierce. Iraq will be free. It is a cruel nation of a dying regime. US POW's were executed. Iraqi woman was hanged for waving at Coal'n troops. Such war crimes are expected. Criminals will be hunted down and judged severely. Our troops are going to extraordinary lengths to spare the innocent. Our bombs and tanks are showing kindness and respect to the Iraqi people. Contrast could not be greater between us and them. We will accept nothing but total victory. Congress must give me more money. The $75 bn will be spent on supplies for troops and replace expended equipment, and protecting the homeland. We are fighting for the peace of the world. Analysts say the bluster and rhetoric coming from US Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld is putting Syria and Iran on edge. Already the Syrian govt has rejected claims it is supplying or aiding in the supply of weapons to Baghdad. They expect they are next on the list. The warning to Iran is particularly interesting. Iran is aiding anti-Saddam Shi'ites. But analysts say Iran can hardly be expected to restrain the Iraqi opposition forces that want to get back into the country and fight against Saddam. It is a "complete misreading of the situation" said one Brit analyst from the Royal Inst of Int'l Aff. Brit football fans have suffered some injuries in the Swiss village of Zurich. 2 were shot and 2 were stabbed. North Korea says it will "not make the slightest concession" to the US to end the present stand-off. In a strongly-worded statement the govt said it would do whatever it deemed necessary to build up its defences. 3 am Baghdad. There's been a constant rumbling for the past 25 mins. It's believed to be bombing of Rep Guard positions to the S of the city. Reporters say it's been noted the US had not denied they were responsible for the Shula marketplace bombing. They say Iraqis still appear to be gracious, and can separate individuals from the actions of their govts. Iraqi TV. The Iraqi govt says the attack on a US checkpoint in C Iraq was a suicide bombing. The martyr has been named. He was awarded 2 medals by Saddam. Embed with 3rd Inf in C Iraq says cmdrs had told him that Iraqis were not known to have a tradition of suicide bombing. Now that the first attack has been confirmed, cmdrs are "uncomfortable". They fear columns being rammed by civilian vehicles rigged with explosives. They either shoot down suspect trucks and taxis and risk civilian casualties, or risk attack. In a Jordan refugee camp. About 250 Sudanese fleeing from Iraq don't want to go home. Conditions in the camp are also far from ideal. About 100 have left Jordan, but aid agencies have cancelled a flight back to Khartoum because the remainder are afraid of the civil war, and reprisals from the Sudanese govt. Some say they would hang if they returned home. 3.30 am Basra. More aid was handed out in rural villages around the city. It was more orderly, with many of the needy getting the supplies. But Iraqis are still suspicious of the foreign troops. They don't like Saddam, either. Brit cmdrs deny targeting food stores in Basra. They want to get food aid into Basra, they say. The Brits say they will not rebut Iraqi claims over aircraft shot down, because they would give them credence. 3.45 Iraqi satellite TV is back on the air after being bombed by the US last wk. It's been operating since this morning, local time. It's been mainly patriotic songs. But they also showed pix of what they said were abandoned US tanks about 1/2 way between Nasiriyah and Baghdad. There had been an "encounter" where US soldiers had fled, they said. On picture showed a tank on fire. Iraqi sat TV also showed images from Al Jazeera of the Shula marketplace attack. The death toll is approaching 60, Iraq TV says. China has been studying what it's called the most extensive psy-ops program since the Vietnam war. They're talking about the US program against Iraq. The US have been using propaganda broadcasts into Iraq up to 3 m before the war began, says China. The b'casts come from converted cargo planes flying across Iraq. The US is also beaming TV into Iraq from satellites. It's unlikely too many civilians can see these. All broadcasts seem aimed at civilians and soldiers, says China. Some transmissions on radio ask soldiers to give up and go home. There's been more reaction to comments from Don Rumsfeld. In Syria, "they are sort of denying it", says the BBC. The US Def Sec said equipment was being smuggled into Iraq from Syria. The Syrian For Min'y has countered by accusing the US of being war criminals. Iranians have stepped up their rhetoric. Mr Rumsfeld said Iran was funding an anti-Saddam group and allowing it to cross the Iran/Iraq border. The biggest demo against war so far was held in Tehran today. The Iranian govt maintained its principle of "active neutrality". [Somewhat related to "pre-emptive attack"]. During the demo there burned effigies of Blair, Bush and Saddam. 3.50 Iraq has told the US to expect more suicide bombings. It will now become "routine military policy", they say. The Iraqi VP told Reuters that "any method that stops or kills the enemy will be used". "Let them pack up and go", he said. The VP said a junior army NCO had carried out what he called a "martyrdom operation". 3.55 Cruise missile salvos from the Gulf have been suspended after some of them went MIA. Saudi Arabia says some of the missiles have landed in their territory. There are no details of possible damage. But the Saudis have asked the Coal'n to fix the problem ASAP before they resume fire. 4 am Paramilitaries are firing on Brit forces nr Basra. Cmdrs say they're seeing RPG's from 200-300 m away. There is also mortar fire, and some snipers. They are confident they "have it covered". Meanwhile, N of Basra, 1 Brit soldier is MIA after APC's came under friendly fire. Brit forces have been shown disposing of large amounts of Iraqi ammo nr Basra. Boxes of mortars from small up to large diam shells. Boxes of hand-grenades. Some of it is quite old, and must be blown up on the spot. The rest is carried out into the desert and blown up. Pix of large mushroom cloud after large blast. Soldiers say if the Iraqis had used all the weapons they apparently have been leaving about the countryside then their positions would have been much harder to capture. Reporter says fires nr oil pipeline nr Basra are result of artillery battle. 4.25 Fighting nr Nasiriyah continues. More bombing. US Marines took control of large Iraqi army base with large qty of ammo, from machine-gun ammo to large canon ammo. Could have kept large number of enemy troops going for many days. Base was bombed 2 days ago. But some bldgs still untouched. Large qty of chem weapons suits and decontamination unit also found. In town, very dangerous guerilla-style fighting. During patrol lots of sniping in the town. Marines say they shot 2 snipers dead during the day. 4.30 Basra is now pretty quiet. Some small-arms fire. Some civilians have been able to come out of the city, looking for food. Talking to the local people there is no sense of welcoming foreign troops. Even with aid they are still men with guns. Also some reports that soldiers handing out aid have come under sniper fire. In Baghdad. Most intense bombing for 8 days. Couple of big explosions inside city. One heard during report. VP finished press conf a few mins ago. The VP warned of "pleasant news" within a few days. The policy of suicide attacks is clever. It will separate Iraqi civilians from Coal'n troops. It will set back the "hearts and minds" agenda. On CBS, Gen Perry Smith said the US strategy might be now to have Iraqis get out of vehicles and undress some distance from troops. 5 am 2 US soldiers have reportedly been killed after stepping on un-exploded cluster bombs. It's believed the bombs didn't go off because they'd fallen on soft sand. In another report, another US soldier has been killed after he was run over by a bulldozer while he was sleeping. Pentagon daily propaganda. Clarke read usual list of Rumsfeld goals. Usual rhetoric. Obvious facts. Old news. Atrocities will not make us go home. Our cause is just. Ambushes. Destroy oilfields. We are increasing humanitarian aid. We are better than they are. 49 nations now support out Operation. The coal'n is growing. Film of someone who had relative tortured in prison. BCC film of Halabja in 1988. [About this point, BBC World News lost interest and cut to recap of the day's news]. Maj Gen Stanley McChrystal then showed film of US bombing airfield. There is no Iraqi air force there, but the bombing will ensure US retains air superiority, he said. The Gen said the Pentagon still hasn't decided whether the US was involved in the market bombings. There was new data, but he didn't elaborate. He said the US didn't claim air superiority over Baghdad because Iraq was not switching its radar on, and kept moving them. Said W Iraq was an "area denial" operation, using a small number of troops. 7 T'Hawks have missed targets. Less than 1% failure rate. Warhead is not active until nr target. None of the MIA ones exploded, as far as he knew. Dep Def Sec Vic Clarke. Despite claims that some munitions found yesterday were un-marked and "could" be chemical, there was no hard info on that. Finding WMD remained a goal. Some reports say some Marines have only 1 MRE per day. McC said there was no re-supply problem. McC said a shallow grave had been found. Forensic people were going to the scene. Mentioned "notify", indicating it's suspected to be a Coal'n soldier. He said he'd seen no report about troops being "executed". [BBC lost interest again at this point]. 5.30 am Centcom is wondering where all the Iraqi aircraft are. Some analysts think they may be secreted somewhere, ready for 1 massive air assault. In 1991 some Iraqi AF elements were stored in Iran. Iraqi TV has shown more pix of Saddam and his Cabinet in the past few mins. Brit Marines are targeting paramilitaries and Saddam's henchmen. They acted on a tip-off in Umm Qasr and found an Iraqi General that had taken off his uniform, in an attempt to blend into the civilian population. Further N, the Brits are trying to secure a city of 30,000. They've set up snipers on roofs and have been picking off anyone that's armed. A man in a white ute showed a white flag. He tried to take a pot shot. And paid with his life. In N Iraq, reporters and US troops were inspecting an alleged chem weapons factory nr a village outside Kirkuk. While they were looking through some buildings, a shell exploded nearby. Everyone scrambled. They re-grouped in an abandoned Iraqi base, nearby. The Iraqis were sending a message, the ITV embed said, telling them they may have abandoned the sites but were still watching from the city of Kirkuk and nearby hills. 6 am ITV says the Iraqi surface-to-surface missile hit the jetty nr the C of Kuwait city. The centre of the jetty, which is missing a section of about 10 m of decking, is about 100 m from the front of the shopping centre that received most of the shrapnel damage. Ch 9 reports that Umm Qasr is not secure. A few mins ago, as darkness fell, enemy artillery started up. No-one seems to know where it's coming from. The only part of the town that's secure is the dock. Brit troops have been using the tactics they learned in N Ireland. But I guess that only works with a country that's "somewhat" on your side. The reporter says UN compounds in area have been badly damaged by Coal'n bombing. How the UN programs will resume is "unclear". 8 am ITV showed another Brit aid distribution in the border town of Safwan. It didn't go as well as some other operations. The chaos was not helped by a Brit vehicle running over 2 local children earlier in the day. The town of several 1000s doesn't know where to turn. The water went out 5 days ago during Coal'n bombing. They don't like Saddam. They don't like foreign troops. They said if they have trouble with Saddam, it is their problem to fix, not the Brit and not the US. Some locals told them to go home. Saddam has reportedly sacked his chief of Baghdad's air defences after a series of SAM's came down in residential areas. US military officials say 35% of the Republican Guard have been eliminated -- about 110,000 soldiers. About 6,000 bombs and cruise missiles have been dropped. More than 1,000 air missions were flown over Iraq yesterday. +++ SUSPEND CONTINUOUS WAR NEWS +++ Manila. 24 KILLED IN GUNBATTLE! A Philippine military official says at least 20 rebels, 3 policemen and a soldier have been killed in a gun battle in Bulacan Prov, N of Manila. Maj Gen Alberto Braganza says a police-military contingent has foiled a planned attack by New People's Army guerrillas on a cement plant and the police stn in the town of Angat. He says several soldiers have also been wounded in the fighting. Braganza says the attack apparently was part of the guerrilla group's stepped-up offensive to mark its 34th founding anniversary yesterday. Ankara. 8 DIE WHEN BOILER EXPLODES! 8 people, incl children, have been killed and 11 injured after an explosion caused a yeast factory in S Turkey to collapse. The Anatolia news agency reports local officials saying they believe the explosion was caused by a chemical rection in a boiler. The strong blast destroyed the 2-story factory building and caused extensive damage to an adjacent building. Guwahati. 7 KILLED IN AMBUSH! Indian officials say at least 7 people, incl 5 paramilitary personnel, have been killed in an ambush by tribal separatists in the NE state of Tripura. A police rep says armed militants of the outlawed Nat'l Lib'n Front of Tripura yesterday attacked a jeep carrying members of the Rlwy Prot'n Spec'l Force. 5 railway protection soldiers and 2 civilians, incl the driver, died in the attack nr Eskapara village, 130 km N of the state capital Agartala. Vienna. 4 DIE IN SNOWFIELDS! A German child has been killed in an avalanche and 3 skiers have died when they fell into a glacier in the Tyrolean Alps in S Austria. The 4 yo child from Munchin died after a skier set off an avalanche at Schwarzkogel nr the SE town of Soldwen which left him and 4 others buried in the snow. Police say the other victims managed to dig themselves out, but the child apparently suffered a broken neck. Adelaide. 2 DIE IN AIRCRAFT CRASH! Police say dental records will be used to ID 2 men killed when a chopper slammed into a shed on a property at McLaren Vale in Adel's S yesterday. The men were killed instantly when the chopper plummeted into the shed, missing a home about 20 m away. The accident occurred at about 2.15 pm on a property off Nayla Tarn Rd. Aviation authorities are investigating the cause of the accident. Jakarta. CAR BOMB! A car has exploded at an appt block occupied by foreigners in the Indon capital of Jakarta. Security guards in the block say there has been no injuries. The Jeep Cherokee's believed to be owned by a resident of the building in C Jakarta. The appt block's occupied by a large number of diplomatic staff -- incl AUS embassy staff. The explosion comes at a time of heightened alert by W embassies in Jakarta who fear terrorist attacks as a result of the US-led military invasion of Iraq. Jakarta. PROTESTS! 10s of 1000s of anti-war protesters marched in London, Paris and Budapest today. In London, there was also a small pro-war protest. About 150 demonstrators turned out to support the troops, and call on anti-war demonstrators to "shut up and go home". The latest polls in the UK show only 12% of the population wants Brit troops to be brought home immediately. In Malaysia, 100s demonstrated outside the Australian Embassy in KL. They were dispersed with tear gas. But the biggest protests reported were in Indon were 100s of 1000s demonstrated. In Jakarta, a huge crowd matched past the UN building, and then went on to the US embassy. Protesters urged not to disrupt Anzac services Brisbane. Qld police are closely reviewing security arrangements for Anzac Day services around the state. The review comes after ex-servicemen's groups cancelled 2 military marches in Bris in the past wk because of concerns about anti-war protests. National Servicemen's Association of AUS rep Allan Callaghan says many members are opting not to march this y for fear of protests. For Min Alex Downer has told Channel Nine any attempt to disrupt Anzac day commemorations would backfire on the anti-war movement. NY. MORE JOURNOS MIA! 2 journalists working for America's Newsday newspaper are missing in Baghdad, believed detained by Iraqi authorities. Newsday editor Anthony Marro says corresp Matthew McAllester, a Brit citizen, and Peru-born photographer Moises Saman haven't been heard from since Mon. He says that on the basis of interviewed with journalists that saw the 2 last, he believes they are being held by Iraqi security officials. Iraqi diplomats at the UN told Newsday they're anxious to help find the journalists. America sees no evil NY. Take a television set, hook it up to Manhattan's cable system, and the squat box in the corner of the living room becomes a 1000-channel fountainhead of dubious marvels. Click -- and it might be any one of half-a-dozen all-sports channels that fills the screen, some of them so desperate to fill their 24-hour schedules that the wee hours feature high school cheerleading championships or archived golf tournaments from an era when Gary Player was still the man to beat. Keep clicking and it's a broadcast of a city hall council meeting, a hit movie, a dog-eared Lassie or, on Channel 35, naked hookers -- male, female and a sprinkling of those in between -- promoting escort agencies, sex shops or a good whipping. As the cable system's own ads say, just a few bucks brings the whole, wide, weird and wonderful world streaming straight to the square screen in front of your sofa. Except for the grim face of war, that is -- an odd omission given the volume of footage being beamed back from godforsaken places that, until a week or so ago, few but geographers and Iraqis could have hoped to find on a map. What we're seeing in the US are network anchors posing heroically in ruggedly tailored camouflage fatigues as legions of lesser reporters peer over sand dunes to catch the whump of artillery with the microphones of their satellite-phone cameras. That and the Pentagon's greatest hits, each clip featuring a tank or building vanishing in a spout of grainy flame beneath the bomb sight's cross hairs. The hard stuff -- the stone-cold close-ups of the reaper's latest recruits -- well, as a talking head on CNN said only the other night, those images are just "too unsettling for public consumption". Yes, we viewers get the wide-eyed kids in their hospital bandages and briefly, every now and then, the roadside piles of slumped and crumpled uniforms that contain what once were Saddam's soldiers. But those casualties are our side's doing, so that's OK. On the non-commercial PBS network, the closest America gets to a govt network, the clips are apt to be followed by sober, serious chats with experts from institutes or think tanks, the talking heads who offer a sound-bite or 2 about the mood in the Arab street or the difficulties of moving a mechanised column through a hostile desert. According to the professors and news executives, the networks' restraint is all about responsibility. The footage they choose not to run might stir up hatred or see the networks accused of broadcasting propaganda. Heavens, it might even alienate an advertiser or two. But surely, in a time of war -- on a butcher's Baghdad, on terror, and on cultists who worship not Allah but death itself -- the now-suppressed footage would put things in perspective. Seeing one's troubled conscience reflected in the eyes of a hospitalised child is one side of this war's equation. Seeing the uncensored evil of the fanatics and regimes that make those bombing runs a lesser evil, well, that's quite another story. A story Americans are being denied even as their sons and daughters confront it. Saddam sacks air commander: UK London. Brit says it believes Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has sacked his commander of air defence. Brit intel sources say Saddam Hussein sacked his own cousin because of the poor performance of Iraqi air defences. They say that a large number of SAM's have been malfunctioning and that many have failed to hit their targets. Crucially, Brit says some of those might have fallen back on Baghdad. However, Downing Street is not making a categorical link between that claim and 2 explosions which have killed large numbers of civilians this wk. Brit probe a 3rd accident Camp As-Sayliya, Qatar. Brit military officials have launched their 3rd "friendly fire" investigation in a wk after an American A-10 tank-buster aircraft shot dead 1 Brit soldier and injured 5 in S Iraq. The soldiers were on patrol in 2 armoured vehicles on Fri afternoon when the incident happened. Two of the injured men were seriously hurt and the other 3 were described as walking wounded by military sources. The latest death brings to more than 20 the number of Brit servicemen killed. Only 4 have died in combat, with the rest killed in accidents or by "friendly fire". The incident is remarkably similar to one during the Gulf War of 1991, in which a US A-10 killed 9 Brit soldiers from the Royal Fusilliers Regiment. The soldiers were in 2 Warrior armoured personnel carriers during daylight in clear weather when they were strafed. Although some of the Brit Challenger 2 tanks fighting in Iraq have their own electronic ID systems, most vehicles can only be identified visually. The investigation will focus on why the US pilot failed to clearly identify the Brit vehicles in what appeared to be clear conditions. Elsewhere, 1 US soldier was killed and 5 injured in central Iraq on Fri when the Bradley fighting vehicle they were in rolled over, US Central Command said in a statement. Former UK minister wants troops out of Iraq London. Former Brit foreign secretary Robin Cook, who quit his snr Govt post in protest at military action in Iraq, has called for Brit troops to be pulled out of the war in the Gulf. Mr Cook was the most snr in a series of resignations from Prime Min Tony Blair's Govt over the war. In an outspoken interview with the Sun Mirror, he says the US-led military action risks stoking a "long term legacy of hatred" against the West. "I have already had my fill of this bloody and unnecessary war. I want our troops home and I want them home before more of them are killed," he told the newspaper. "There will be a long term legacy of hatred for the West if the Iraqi people continue to suffer from the effects of the war we started." He also criticised US Pres George W Bush for starting a war in Iraq on the assumption that Iraqi Pres Saddam Hussein's army would quickly capitulate and victory would be swift. "Nobody should start a war on the assumption that the enemy's army will co-operate. But that is exactly what Pres Bush has done," he said. Mr Cook warned of the dangers of besieging the Iraqi capital Baghdad and urged the US army to consider other tactics. "There is no more brutal form of warfare than a siege. People go hungry. The water and power to provide the sinews of a city snap. Children die," he said. More pundits than Liberal peaceniks Canberra. 2 local surprises of the Iraq war have been how many defence and military boffins there are in the commentary market, and how few doubters about the war have surfaced in the parliamentary Liberal Party's ranks. Media in CBR following the conflict find themselves tramping from one briefing to another. Only some (narrowly focused on what AUS forces are doing) are delivered by defence officialdom. It is like being back in class. Indeed, it's often just that. The ANU's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre runs an hr-long session each morning at which its experts and other academics comment on battlefront developments (neatly summarised in one-page handouts) and special topics (the war's legality, the role of the UN in the aftermath, regional reactions). Unlike these briefings, quotable and often covered by the TV cameras, the less frequent briefings of the govt-funded AUS Strategic Policy Institute, which are peppered with former military heavyweights, aren't for attribution. One of the features of military life is early retirement. So an extraordinary number of former snr brass are popping up, seizing the unexpected opportunities for exposure. Liberal fed MPs, in contrast, have for m been notable for their uniformity, sticking like limpets to the govt line. In Brit, some Tories spoke out against the looming conflict and a few even crossed the floor. Here, Peter Lindsay, from the Qld seat of Herbert, which has many military personnel, initially opposed a war without UN backing but later retreated. One exception to the pro-war line -- although she went quiet after being spoken to by the PM's office -- was Judi Moylan, a backbencher from W AUS, who's as close as you'll get to a "peacenik" in the parliamentary Liberal Party. Despite her reservations, Moylan didn't cross the floor on the vote the wk before last, although her speech was anti-war. She says still, "I would have preferred to have seen us prevent military action and to have sought more time for the weapons inspectors -- perhaps with a UN military force to assist them. I just don't like using violence -- it creates violent responses most of the time." Aust will win post-war contracts: Downer Canberra. For Min Alexander Downer says AUS companies will get a share of the contracts to help rebuild Iraq after the war. There have been concerns the US is only awarding contracts for work in Iraq to American companies. Mr Downer has told Channel Nine AUS companies will not be excluded. "We do have people nevertheless, to use the word of the war, who are 'embedded' in the American Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian affairs," he said. "This is the body which will actually implement a lot of this reconstruction and the people we have embedded there should be of some assistance to ensure that AUS businesses have the opportunity to gain contracts, and particularly subcontracts." IMF big enough to admit a capital offence Vienna. The IMF is a humbled institution. It's just published a report on the effects of financial globalisation on developing countries that's the biggest climb down by an international body in ages. The IMF came under considerable criticism for its mishandling of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98. It fumbled the rescue of several economies, particularly Indonesia, and imposed onerous conditions that made things worse rather than better. A separate criticism, however, was that right up until the crisis, it had been pressuring the developing countries to open up their economies to the flows of foreign capital whose sudden reversal caused all the trouble. This latest report, by the IMF's chief economist, Kenneth Rogoff, re-examines the wisdom of that policy prescription and finds it wanting. It's important to realise that "financial" globalisation refers not to increased trade between the developed and developing countries but to increased flows of financial capital. It's about opening up the capital account of the country's balance of payments, not the current account. According to conventional economic theory, opening up to foreign capital inflow should lead to higher economic growth. It adds foreigners' savings to domestic saving, and it lowers the cost of capital by spreading the risks. It should lead to the inward transfer of new technology and it should help develop the country's financial sector. Indirectly, it should make it easier for the country to specialise in what it's best at and should put pressure on its govt to manage the economy better. But when Dr Rogoff checked to see what empirical evidence there was to support the theory, the discovery he made was "sobering". "An objective reading of the vast research effort to date suggests that there is no strong, robust and uniform support for the theoretical argument that financial globalisation per se delivers a higher rate of economic growth," the report admits sadly. Now, be clear on what this means. It's not saying that the developing countries that have become more financially open over the past 20 y haven't enjoyed faster economic growth. They have. (As everyone living in our region of the world should be in no doubt about.) It's saying there's no proof that financial openness contributed to that faster growth (whereas there is evidence that increased trade causes faster growth). Economic theory also suggests that greater financial integration (between your financial markets and everyone else's) should reduce an economy's volatility. But Dr Rogoff couldn't find it for the developing economies. In fact, he found the opposite. When countries encounter external crises, the standard diagnosis of the IMF types is that they obviously brought it on themselves by their own macro-economic mismanagement. In the case of the Asian countries, this wasn't true or fair. So then people added the charge of "crony capitalism" -- which was true enough, but shouldn't have come as a surprise to any foreign investor with half a brain. No, it soon became apparent to the less ideologically blinkered that the Asian economies' real trouble was their absolute lack of the well-developed, robust institutional arrangements in their financial markets that the developed countries have long had and which allow the rich economies to weather the volatility of global hot money flows without falling over. It was a typical failing of economists mesmerised by the narrow neo-classical model to be oblivious to the key role played by institutions when urging developing economies to do dangerous things for which they were woefully under-equipped. Guess what? The IMF has just discovered the importance of institutions. Unfortunately, however, the evidence doesn't provide a clear road map for the "optimal pace and sequencing" of integration. The IMF has just abandoned its fatwa against the unmitigated evil of capital controls. Institutional confessions of error don't come much bigger than this one. But while the IMF's many critics are rubbing it in, they shouldn't forget that such a burst of intellectual honesty takes a lot of guts. US satellites to monitor shuttle missions Washington. Future space shuttle missions will be routinely monitored in orbit by US military satellites and imaging equipment, NASA administrators say. The decision was announced following meetings between officials from the US space agency and representatives from the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA). The meeting examined the issue in the wake of space shuttle Columbia's disintegration on re-entry into earth's atmosphere on Feb 1. If NIMA hardware is in range, it will relay imaging to NASA, where officials will decide whether it is useful or not, administrator Sean O'Keefe said. The decision was made in order to avoid a repeat of the Columbia situation, in which the US military had offered to provide NASA with images of the shuttle in orbit, but NASA officials decided the situation did not justify the move and turned the offer down. Seoul. SK ENVOYS OFF! An envoy of SK Pres Roh Moo-hyun is heading for meetings in Russian and China to seek help in heading off an escalating crisis over NK's nuclear weapons program. Ra Jong-yil, a snr advisor for national security, will visit China on Wed after a 2-day trip to Russia. The visit follows talks in Washington between SK For Min Yoon Young-kwan and US officials incl VP Dick Cheney and Sec of State Powell. Sydney. MOST THINK UN SHOULD HAVE SANCTIONED WAR! A new opinion poll shows that a majority in AUS, NZ, Brit and the US believe the UN should have sanctioned military action in Iraq. The Roy Morgan Internat'l Poll surveyed 1,660 people in the 4 countries 5 days after the war started. The survey found there's a widespread belief the fights against Saddam is right. Canberra. AUSSIE SAS NR BAGHDAD! A US corresp says members of the AUS SAS are on the front line, with many close to the outskirts of Baghdad. Corresp Nate Thayer says the Aussies detained him at gunpoint after he and colleagues were expelled from Baghdad. Mr Thayer says the Aussies were calm, in control, and close to the Iraqi capital. He told Sky News they detained his group at gunpoint, ordered them to the ground, searched them and debriefed them. Canberra. HORNETS ATTACK! Aussie Hornets have launched strikes on Iraqi HQ infrastructure and flew counter air missions overnight. ADF rep Brig Mike Hannan says it's difficult to determine whether or not the strikes were successful. However he says their targets to date have been purely military, with an "extremely low probability" any civilians were hurt. Brig Hannan told ABC radio Aussie troops are safe and well. HK. FLU TOLL RISES! Another SARS patient has died in HK, along with the official that first discovered the killer pneumonia. The global tally from the disease has now reached 56, with HK health authorities revealing that an 84 yo man has succumbed to the illness. The latest deaths bring to 12 the number of victims that have died in the special territory. Five cases of killer pneumonia found in NY NY. 5 cases of SARS, the killer respiratory illness that has prompted a global health alert, have been recorded in NY, city officials said. The 5 patients have received treatment and only one remained in hospital, health officials said. At least 59 people in the US are believed to have the illness, also known as atypical pneumonia, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. No deaths have been reported in the US. The global tally of dead from the killer illness is 56, with the WHO saying nearly 1,500 people are infected. Meanwhile, Health officials in Ontario, Canada's largest province, closed a 2nd hospital late Fri local time and sought quarantine for 1000s more after a transferred hospital patient caused a new outbreak of a killer virus. Ontario health officials closed York Central Hospital, in a town just north of Toronto, after 4 cases of SARS appeared there. Health officials have asked 1000s of people to go into voluntary quarantine for 10 days if they had worked or visited at either hospital or if they came into contact with any person with a possible SARS case, also known as atypical pneumonia, without a facial mask. Earlier Fri, Ontario reported 35 probable cases, including the 3 deaths and 31 suspect cases, which are people who show SARS symptoms but have not been extensively tested. Fed health agency Health Canada, which tracks only probable cases said there were 37 cases nationwide, including one in Manitoba and one in the westernmost province of Brit Columbia. The latter said it had 5 suspect cases as well. Sydney. 3 FLU STRAINS TO HIT AUS! Aussies already wary of SARS have been warned 3 new flu strains are about to hit AUS. Fed Health Min Kay Patterson says experts have predicted a bad flu season this y. Sen Patterson says the WHO's influenza research centre in MEL has warned that 3 potentially fatal stains of 'flu are likely to hit this winter. Dep Dir of the WHO centre, Alan Hampson, says the A/Panama flu is the most dangerous. Melbourne. EXPONENTIATION! Doctors say the number of multiple births has doubled in the past 40 y. While the number of "instant families" has been welcomed by many recipients, medicos warn the trend might be placing medical facilities under increasing strain. The change has several causes, incl an increasing number of women giving birth later in life. IVF and other fertility treatments increase the chance of multiple births. Better nutrition and info mean the chance of carrying multiples to term has increased. One lucky Vic woman has won the 1 in a billion lottery and is expecting 2 pairs of identical twins. Sydney. LAST SUB! The RAN has commissioned the 6th and last of its controversial Collins class subs. HMAS Rankin was officially welcomed into the navy in a ceremony in the WA pt of Fremantle today. It's named after the capt of a ship that sunk off WA. The $1.5 bn Collins project, begun in 1984, was beset by controversy as teething problems were ID-ed in the fleet and questions raised about their effectiveness and capabilities. However, some experts say they're among the best non-nuke subs in the world. Kim Beazley is still enthusiastic about the project, which began when he was Federal Def Min. Kim told the cameras the sub was the most complex machine ever made in AUS, with more than 1 mn moving parts. Tokyo. VOLCANO WARMS UP! Mt Asama in C Japan has rumbled to life, puffing a column of pale grey smoke into the sky. The Met Agency says residents haven't been ordered to evacuate because there's no immediate danger of a major eruption. The 2,568 m Mt is an active volcano nr the resort town of Karuizawa, 150 km W of Tokyo. IN 1947, 11 mountaineers were killed after being hit by molten rocks on the mtn. The volcano's last major eruption was in 1783. Melbourne. MEDICARE TO STAY IN SOME FORM! Despite rumours to the contrary, PM John Howard says he's committed to ensuring all Aussies have access to Medicare. His comments follow claims the govt plans to limit bulk-billing incentives. A debit card scheme that's recently been announced will intro an era of reduced bulk-billing by making payment-for-service "more convenient". Mr Howard told the Vic LP Council meeting in MEL yesterday that AUS's health system if infinitely superior to most other countries. But he will fix that! He also proposed that Medicare reforms would further underpin and strengthen its positive elements. Canberra. ANSETT LEVY TO BE SUSPENDED! The Fed Cabinet is expected to suspend a $10 ticket levy when it meets tomorrow. The Sun Telegraph says Transp Min John Anderson is expected to recommend to cabinet the scheme be suspended. The report says cabinet agreed in principle last wk to axe the levy. The govt imposed the fee on airline tickets to help recoup the money owed to Ansett workers when the airline collapsed in Sep 2001. The money has come in handy for a number of purposes. Some airline workers are still waiting to see their entitlements. Brisbane. NO DUCKS ON QLD-ERS! Qld has called off this y's duck and quail season due to drought conditions. Env Min Dean Wells says the number of birds is down and it's likely to be a y or more before they recover. He says Qld's decided against an open season on the birds, in line with other states. Duck and quail seasons are normally declared for 12 wks from Jun or Jul. Dalby. QLD NATS STILL DENY GW! The Qld Nats have gone back to the drawing board after its membership rejected their new environment policy. The drafter of the policy, Greg Conors, said the policy would give the party sound environmental credentials. But the grass roots said the greenhouse effect had not yet been scientifically proven, and should not be included in the party's new policy. And people were not descended from apes, so there! Perth. POWER BLACKOUT IN PERTH! More than 1,000 lightning strikes have sparked widespread power blackouts and 40 mm of rain created local flooding overnight as Perth recorded its wettest Mar day in 32 y amid fierce storms. Weather forecaster James Ashley says in the 24 hr to 9 am today there's been 39 mm of rain. He says it's the heaviest Mar rain since 1971, but adds it's just 1 event, so it's too soon to say the drought is over. What drought? The widespread storms caused localised flooding in Perth's N. +++ RESUMING CONTINUOUS WAR NEWS +++ 7 pm There's been another chem weapons scare nr Karbala. The town was a known site of chem weapons in the 80s. Soldiers scrambled into gas masks after someone yelled "gas". But it turned out to be a false alarm. One of several since the start of the invasion. One of the heaviest nights of bombing in Iraq took place today. Coal'n airstrike were again pounding the Rep Guard, S of Baghdad. More than 30 explosions rocked the outskirts of the city. But 14 blasts were also seen in the C of the capital. Reporters saw only meagre AA resistance to the air attacks. They said there was blaze nr Baghdad post office o'night. At the daily briefing, the Pentagon showed pictures of an airstrike of what they said was a "leadership compound". Officials said 1,000 sorties had been flown over Iraq yesterday. So far in the campaign, 675 T'Hawks have been fired into Iraq, and 6,500 other precision munitions dropped. There is more of civilian casualties in Iraq. Reporters were taken to a town 40 km S of Baghdad today. Iraqi officials said 14 civilians were killed and more wounded when homes of factory workers were hit by cluster bombs. The reporters were shown about 80 wounded in a local hosp. The victims included women and children. In some cases, whole families. The Coal'n is still looking into 2 marketplace attacks that killed a total of 72 people, according to Iraq. Elsewhere, the Brits have hinted it may have been a malfunctioning in Iraqi AA rockets. There's also news Saddam has sacked his air defence chief for Baghdad, but officials have denied that's related to the marketplace tragedies. In N Iraq Al Jazeera has shown pix of more air assaults on Mosul. The city has been bombed daily to open a N front for the Coal'n nr the Turkish border. Nr Basra, there was more fighting today. And soldiers have started acting more like occupiers than liberators, after they adopted measures to protect themselves against suicide attacks. TV pix showed lines of men and women being frisked at checkpoints. Brits were also shown on rooftops, taking up sniper positions. More protests. China has allowed its 1st open demo against the Iraqi war today. About 100 foreigners and students marked for the first time. It's a worrying sign for the Coal'n. But the biggest demo was in Indon. It was also the biggest demo in Indon so far. "Slaughterers of Muslims" the banner carried by the crowd reads. Back in the US of A, the Bush Admin had been hoping opponents of the war would be silenced once the shooting started. But the voices have persistent. Today, vets groups protested, saying the war is increasing the recruitment of terrorists world-wide. "It's doing more harm than the good Bush thinks it might do", said one vet. In Turkey, demos turned their fury on US personnel, throwing rocks and bricks through the windows of hummers. They say they're in fear of US missiles falling on their homes. They hate the war and want the US out of their country. In India there were also large demos. India is the 2nd largest Muslim country in the world, after Indon. Across India the anti-war protests have been gaining momentum over the past weeks. In SK protesters are angry their govt wants to send non-combatant troops into Iraq. On the W Bank, children in Bethlehem protested against the war. Israeli troops moved in to gag any criticism of the US. Concussion grenades were thrown at the kids -- some as young as 6 yo. At least one little girl was injured in the attack. The Aussie govt says there is no truth to a report the HMAS Sydney will go to Gulf on Mon week. Def Min Hill says there are no plans yet to reenforce or return troops in the Gulf, and those already in the region may be on duty there for months. He also ruled out expanding Australia's commitment to Iraqi Freedom. Sen Hill said AUS had not been asked to commit more troops. And he said AUS has said several times the force it sent is "appropriate to our circumstances". Prof Des Ball, a snr def analyst, says the COW may well win the military war. But he says it has probably already lost politically. The political issues surrounding the launch of the war on Iraq were WMD and terrorism, he told a press conf today. But with little evidence of either to date, the Islamic world sees the US and Brit now as invaders and not liberators. The Coal'n of the Willing will be diminished and not enhanced, he said. "They've lost it", he concluded. 10 pm baghdad bombing has ramped up large explosions in s c and n heavist night of bombing training site for fedayeen sam sites strikes left mant without phone or elect nearby homes badly damaged nr post office pentagon released rare photos 50 iraqi cap in w heavy machine guns night vision pentaon has been secrivtive tonight more b-52s continue to take off from raf cruitse missiles and lgb's another air stike is on its way pictures of homes hit by clusrter bombs and injured in town holes in walls of pre-fab houses roofes pealed back in tin roofs press conf vp ramadan said arabs were coming in to do suiciode bombing he was asked about obl he refyused to answer, saying that would help opp'n in their objectives cia has annoklunced the threat would be what caused the saddam govt and terrorism to link up ramadan said he's welcome anyone to come and help iraq expell the coal'n forces iraq says its shot down 2 choppers in s iraq pentagon denies any are missing us says killed 130 terrorisrs nr kirkuk al jazeera shown pictures of bombing in mosul and some towns s of mosul iraqis seen on top of ridgews they scamper to byunkers when us planes come over iraqis retreat leaving scores of landmines kurds disarm the mines the easy way they are designed to blow off limbs the kurds handle them with alarming disdain peshmerga "those who face death" ---------------------------------------- Mon, 31 Mar 2003. +++ CONTINUOUS WAR NEWS +++ Midnight. It's DAY ELEVEN. Nr Basra, 2 Iraqi Fedayeen have surrendered to Brit troops. They said they'd been sent on a suicide mission, but didn't want to die. Iraq says its suicide program will also target the US mainland. More people left Basra today, after Brit forces crushed 2 statues of Saddam in the C of the city yesterday. The US also bombed a Baath party HQ in the city. There's been little paramilitary activity today, but winning the hearts and minds is going slowly. The locals still haven't forgiven the US for the betrayal in 1991. Some locals say they don't want water or food, only their freedom. It seems they mean freedom from the Coal'n. The Brits wonder when the locals will rise up against Saddam. The local people say when they know Saddam is dead. 1 am In the daily briefing at Centcom, Gen Tommy Franks has defended his war plan. He says the Coal'n have made "remarkable progress". He's denied there was a pause. The Gen says a continuity would be seen on the battlefield in Iraq, at points and times of our choosing. Franks denied Iraqi reports that an Apache chopper and a Harrier had been shot down, and 2 pilots captured. Brit cmdrs have attacked a compound S of Basra. They say they captured 5 Rep Guard officers, incl a general. They say they also killed an Iraqi Colonel. At Iraq/Kuwait border, convoys of vehicles are headed into Iraq. Empty troop transports are coming out. A large number of vehicles is parked in a lot next to the wire fence marking this side of the DMZ. A number of heavy vehicles nearby are guarding the border position. TV reporters say they were challenged by troops when they drove up. The security concerns follow the suicide attack yesterday. Dusk is approaching. In C Iraq Marines have stalled, waiting for supplies. Marines are down to 1 meal a day, says the embed. Intermittent gunfire with Iraqis off in the distance. The soldiers are waiting to move within 24 hrs, to confront Rep Guard units for the first time. There are small attacks from Iraqis and militiamen a few miles away. They heard some artillery fire some time ago. There are so many Marines on hand that feeling is, they have plenty of people to deal with the Iraqis. More than 1 wk since Nasiriyah was surrounded by Coal'n forces, it's still going on. The reporter says he's "underneath several Cobra gunships". They are firing heavy machine guns and missiles into the city of about 1/4 mn. The heavy attack has been going on for some time. An A-10 is still firing machine guns at Iraqi positions in the city. It's shooting at some kind of official complex in the town, says the reporter, but he's unsure of what it actually is. There have seen some cases of irregulars using local residents as shields, he says. But as a sign of improving co-operation, the reporter says residents have supplied security at the local refinery. It's not clear aid has won the hearts and minds of the locals, he says. In US, there's growing criticism of the war plan. There are complains that Don R overruled military. Reports say about a dozen Generals have complaining. In the New Yorker magazine complaints are to be published tomorrow. Mr R reportedly overruled generals, saying the overall size of the invasion should be reduced from what the military wanted. In interviews, Mr R has denied he'd interfered with military planners. He says the plan was worked up by Franks, and checked by the Joint Chiefs. It was also looked at by "commanders around the world", says Mr R. "It is a good one, and it's working", says Mr R. It was our country's plan. He defended the timing of the launch of the Operation, saying it was based on fears Iraqi troops would destroy the oilfields. He didn't know whether Saddam was alive or dead. In Najaf, Iraq TV has been showing pics of captured coal'n equipment, incl tanks. No explanations on the TV. No admissions from the Coal'n. More food aid has arrived from Jordan. Algerian aid has also arrived in Iraq. A pipeline from Kuwait will soon deliver water to Basra. In Safwan the Brits say they have full control. They say things are better. But reporters say they aren't. There is no fresh water and the locals are desperate. When bottled water was handed out by soldiers, there was chaos. At the local hospital, there are 2 local people. They were accidentally shot by coal'n forces, said the crowd. The Coal'n is investigating the incident, but it's probably too late -- the mood has been soured. The people mistrust the coal'n, they don't know who's in charge, and they don't want to talk. When a reporter mentioned Saddam, one local said they didn't want to talk about politics, and walked away. UN humanitarian aid reps say the water quality in Basra has been improving. They have continued to repair the water supply. It still hasn't been fully restored since the electricity was cut off more than 1 wk ago. 1.30 am 2 aid trucks carrying aid have been allowed to cross over from the Turkish side of the border, after negotiations finally succeeded. Finding drivers for the UNICEF trucks has also been difficult. Insurance companies tried to increase premiums at the last minute. UNICEF shopped around and found a company that was prepared to take a chance, said a rep. Turkey doesn't want refugees coming across the border. 2 loads of nutritional aid and water purification supplies are going to Baghdad. A much larger convoy will cross within 48 hrs. Netanya, Israel, 4 pm local time. 20 people have been wounded in a suspected suicide bombing. A man reportedly blew himself up nr several soldiers. He was the only fatality, they said. Guards on the door of a cafe prevented the killer from entering. Figures were later revised up to 30 wounded. The Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the attack. They dedicated it to the people of Iraq. NYc has re-invented itself as the city that doesn't smoke. All restaurants and bars are now nicotine free zones. 10-20% of customers are expected to disappear, say bar-owners. The move was pushed by the mayor -- himself a former-smoker. Bar-owners are facing a $400 fine if they try to let any of the cities 1.3 smokers light up. Taiwan is thinking of closing direct links with China, to slow down the spread of the deadly SARS. They accuse China of down-playing the threat of the disease, which has been known for months in China and claimed 100s of lives there. 1.35 am In N Iraq, the hunt for WMD has failed again. US special forces have been searching. They have just searched a base in NE Iraq. Don Rumsfeld had previously ID-ed it as a WMD site. It was even used by Powell to "justify" the war against Saddam. Journalists were taken to the base after it was secured hrs earlier. Soldiers said suspected terrorists had been blowing themselves up when approached. They had explosives strapped to their body. US forces found the camp devastated by cruise missile strikes. It was deserted. A specialised team scoured the camp, protected by chem suits. They were looking for chem or bio weapons. Journalists followed to a building thought to be a chem weapons lab. There was nothing much inside. The US soldiers found mortar shells and a prison cell. But no signs of WMD. Not even chem suits. There were some gas masks. A disappointing day for the troops in the hunt for WMD. 1.40 am Analysts told BBC Dateline that some Iraqi people were fighting against what they saw as an "invasion". There were a small number in support of the regime, they said. There was a small number fighting against the regime. But the vast majority were indifferent. Since the invasion, the diff between the groups was melting away. In Jan they had visited Iraq and were surprised by the feeling against the invading forces. 2 am Within the past hr there's been bombing of Kirkuk heard in the distance. The air campaign is also continuing in Baghdad. Baghdad. An aid convoy from Jordan has arrived. It's carrying medical cargo that will be handed to Iraqi Dept of Health. It's the first aid convoy from Jordan to get through. At dusk in Basra. A BBC camera has been fixed on the turret of tank. The tank is moving through Basra, toward a distant TV antenna. The tank opens up on the TV tower. After several shots the tower falls over. The Brits are trying to stop Saddam's propaganda in the city. Reporters say dozens of flashes seen by the camera in the distance are Iraqi fighters, firing back RPG's to stop the tank. At Az Zubayr, a town N of Basra, Brits had hoped the town would fall easily. But it hasn't happened. Enemy fighters are still holding out, putting up a stiff resistance. Dr Hussain al-Shahristani, rep for Refugee Council. He's been talking by phone to people nr the front lines, he says. They feel vulnerable, and have been forced to take up arms. Anyone that resists the urging by the regime are shot. Some have been executed in public. He's critical of the Coal'n that has left the locals after rolling through towns. The locals expect them to stay and guard the towns, he says. Once occupying force enters town they are responsible for the civilians, under the Geneva Conventions. In a few cases Saddam's forces have come back after the Coal'n rolled through, and shot anyone that showed even a welcome to the Coal'n troops. In some cases, people that failed to resist have been executed. The culprits of these atrocities are mostly Fedayeen and local Baathist leaders. In Basra, some Rep Guard leaders have also taken action against local people. There is confusion in the population. They would like to be free of Saddam but are not sure of the agenda of Coal'n forces. There are bitter memories of 1991. They think there are no plans to protect the civilian population. They don't want to see destruction in their towns or see their people shot or be without water and electricity. Some have left Basra. They say in the past the had Saddam, now have Saddam and coal'n bullets. 2.20 am In N Kuwait there's been another "suicide attack" on American troops. The attack occurred in a US base nr Udairi. Witnesses say they heard gunshots. Initial reports said Marines have shaken but no-one was injured in an "incident". They don't know if there are links with a suicide bombing yesterday. Later reports say 15 Marines were injured, and no-one killed. The driver has been captured, but he was hit during fire. The man drove a pickup truck into a group of Coal'n soldiers. Following the discovery of a shallow grave in S Iraq yesterday, apparently containing body of US soldier, the Iraqi Info Min says 6 US soldiers have been buried in shallow graves, with religious ceremonies. They had been normal casualties of the war. 2 had died when their Apache chopper was shot down, he said. Others were killed in the fighting nr Nasiriyah. Iraqi TV has been showing what they said were captured American tanks and captured uniforms, incl gas masks. There was no word over their owners. 2.25 am Former US amb to Iraq, Edward Peck. Calls the war a "mistake" and a "miscalculation". There were other ways to deal with the situation, he says. But now that war has begun, the military must be supported, Peck says. They are doing their job. But it's a serious mistake to have done this. What everyone said was going to happen is not happening, Peck says. If Saddam is unpopular and not in control, why are people fighting us? Gen Franks said today he couldn't see any evidence Saddam is in control. But there is obvious resistance. We will beat Iraq -- it's an economically toothless country, says Peck. Maybe Saddam was not as unpopular as we wish he were. And we are not seen as liberators by as many people as we hoped. The underdog is resisting a massive Coalition -- of which 3 are represented there in Iraq. Gen Barry McCaffrey said Peck was wrong and had misunderstood the sit'n in Iraq. The Gen said 65% of the Iraqi population were Shi'ite, and were [obviously?] against Saddam who was a minority Suni. [Perhaps this is the kind of over-confidence and misreading Peck was talking about]. 2.30 am Rageh Omaar, in Bagdad. Fires are burning in C Baghdad after air strikes. Govt and military buildings have been hit, mainly. The hospitals in the area are still working. Have been fresh attacks local authorities say came from coal'n missiles. They say the attacks have killed civilians and a large amount of destruction. Such news has hardened the attitude of residents ahead of the expected siege. How could would-be liberators take such a toll on lives and property? And hit civilian infrastructure like the telephone exchanges? Oxfam rep Alex Renton. Critical of the military-run aid programs. The military attempt is running into problems, he says. Their food aid got into marketplace and got to people that could sell it. But aid must get to local people that need it. News from Turkey is very good news, he said. Improvements to the water supply in S Iraq is good news. In NE Iraq, 200,000 have fled their homes and are living in tents or under plastic sheets. The military aid operation has no way to reach them. Oxfam and others are getting ready on borders of Iran and Turkey to deliver aid up there. There's also a question of the RIGHT aid getting through. Renton says the Brit military and others have been delivering milk powder today. This has always been a notorious problem. Aid agencies don't hand it out. The reason -- if mothers don't mix it with sterilised water and also in right proportions, children could die from diarrhoea. Iraq says 4,000 have volunteered to carry out suicide attacks against Brit and US forces. The militant group Islamic Jihad says it has people on the way to the N city of Mosul. Syrian groups say they have sent people, and some are already in Baghdad. Gaza and West Bank. Police have moved to cities and towns, where a commemoration is taking place today. It's annual Land Day. Palestinians are remembering deaths in 1976, when protests against confiscation of Arab lands turned deadly. 2.43 am The latest casualty figures from the Coal'n. Reporters have been suspicious that the ration of killed to wounded doesn't reflect expectation -- normally several times more wounded than killed. But everyone in the US and Brit military are denying the numbers have been cooked. According to the official numbers, the US have suffered 39 KIA, 17 MIA and have 7 POW's. The Brit's say they have 23 KIA, none missing, and no POW's. 3 am In the N, softening up is still continuing. the Iraqi front lines seem very stretched. Observers say they won't be able to stand 3 or 4 more days of this. Kurds are under strict control by Americans. Observers say the Kurds want to advance into Kirkuk -- they say they could do it. But the Americans are holding them back. Some kind of deal with the Turks, they presume. No attempt to blow up oil-wells by retreating Iraqis. There were some flares going up from wells yesterday, but reporter says that's just normal operation. In the port of Umm Qasr. Afternoon, local time. Brits are hiring 90 people to run the port. Eventually they say they'll need 1,000. Iraqis are lined up. They need the money. Some say they can't afford bread and water, and have been drinking saline water from the nearby channel. Some said they would fight for the Brits, if asked. The US wants Americans to run the port. But the Brits say they need to employ local people, to increase trust. They have to run security checks all those that apply. They don't want Saddam loyalists to get close to soldiers. They're also giving the men health checks. One scene showed US army man, born in Basra, finding an old friend in the line of locals. There's a lot of kissing going on. 3.30 am Bombing on the edge of city is on-going. Reporters say the attacks are 15-20 km away from their position in C Baghdad. They've seen some sporadic tracer fire going up. A lot of telephone lines now knocked out as bombing during day took out exchanges. 1-2 hrs ago there were very large flames on the horizon. They've heard jet engines over the city, 1/2 doz times. There's one just now. 4 am Coal'n forces are considering closing down Iraq's roads to civilians, to protect soldiers from suicide attacks. There are reports that another civilian area in Baghdad has been hit by Coal'n bombing. A fire was reportedly burning in the city C. A reporter went to the area but saw no casualties. 7 am Under cover of night, Brit Marines have moved into Basra to attack what they said was a Bat'n of enemy irregulars. A huge firefight raged for hrs. The Marines were led into an ambush mounted by several 100 of the enemy. One Royal Marine was killed, and several were wounded. But they took about 200 prisoners and killed many of the enemy. Later, after daylight. Fire rings out from the city itself. Civilians scatter for cover. So do the Marines. The Brits call in air strikes. The Battle for Basra is raging all around. During a lull in the fighting, people continue to stream out of the city. The Brits filter out the men, checked to see if irregulars are trying to get out. Everyone is afraid families will be split up. The Coal'n says they've flown 800 stories over Baghdad during the night. The city came in for quite a pounding, with some areas burning through the night. Positions of the Rep Guard were attacked against and again. The Coal'n says they've been reduced to about 1/2 strength. That is, there are about 200,000 casualties on the enemy side. +++ SUSPEND CONTINUOUS WAR NEWS +++ Sydney. MARKETS! Aussie markets continued to dip a noon as AMP and News Corp responded to a slump in O/S markets on Fri, and local pressures. The All Ords was down 10 pts to 2,851 at midday. Lagos. 100 MISSING, FEARED DROWNED! In Nigeria, more than 100 people are missing and some are feared drowned after they jumped into a R during clashes between supporters of rival parties ahead of next m's elections. The eyewitness account in the latest report of pollical violence that's sweeping Nigeria in the run-up to legislative polls and a presidential vote. The elections, which start on Apr 12, will be the first since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999 after 15 y of corrupt military rule. Beijing. MINE EXPLOSION KILLS 16! 16 people are dead and 10 are missing after another gas explosion in a coal min in NE China. The state work safety bureau says the blast happened yesterday at the Mengjiagou mine, nr Fushun city in Liaoning Prov. The China News Service says 45 people were in the mine at the time of the explosion, and 19 have so far been rescued. Chinese mines have an appalling safety record, with nearly 15,000 deaths last y. NY. MADMAN ARRESTED AFTER SHOOTING 4! A man who wanted to harm people of Middle E appearance because of his anger over the Sep 11 attack, has been arrested over a string of NY shootings that have left 4 people dead. Police say the 30 yo man from Brooklyn has admitted the shootings in a telephone conversation with investigators. Police say the unemployed man has told them he was motivated by the 9/11 attacks on NY and Washington. Washington. 3 KILLED IN CHOPPER CRASH! The Pentagon says 3 US Marines have been killed and another 1 injured when a transport helicopter crashed in S Iraq. A Pentagon rep says the crash tools like an accident and bad weather may be to blame. The rep says the chopper was heading toward a forward operating base in an unspecified location. The Huey type helicopters have a reputation of being a very reliable transport chopper. It's the most serious of 6 reported US military helicopter crashes in the past wk in Iraq. Seoul. SK PEACE PLAN! South Korea is reportedly proposing that gas be pipe from Russia to North Korea in return for a verifiable end to its nuclear plans. The S's security chief, Ra John-yil, has told the Fin'l Times the proposal is at an early stage and needs to be discussed with allies and with NK. The paper quotes Ra as saying gas could be piped from either Siberia or E Russia. The Fin'l Times says such an internat'l deal could halt NK's nuclear weapons program. Netanya. SUICIDE BOMBING! A Palestinian militant has blown himself up outside a crowded case in N Israel, wounding 30 bystanders. The explosion has been described by the Islamic Jihad group as a show of support for Iraq. In 30 m of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, militants have carried out scores of bombings, but have usually refrained from citing other conflicts as motives. Caracas. BOMB ATTACK! Venezuelan Pres Hugo Chavez says he ordered a bombing raid against suspected Colombian irregular forces inside Venezuelan territory. In his weekly radio address, Chavez says the air force bombed an area where a group of Colombian-based irregulars was detected. He says Caracas won't tolerate Colombian armed groups entering Venezuela. Baghdad. IRAQ THREATENS SUICIDE ATTACKS! The Iraqi army has promised more suicide attacks against US and Brit forces, while US Def Sec Don Rumsfeld has warned things will get even tougher for the coal'n forces seeking to oust Pres Saddam Hussein's regime. Iraqi army rep Hazem al-Rawi told a press conf that "martyr operations" will continue not only by Iraqis but also by 1000s of Arab volunteers who have come to Baghdad. Ankara. TURKEY MAY ENTER IRAQ! The US and Turkey are working on a deal under which Turkish troops could enter N Iraq to protect their national security. Turkey's 5 triggers to potentially send troops into Iraqi Kurdistan include a massive movement of refugees toward its border and terrorist attacks on Turkey from N Iraq. Turkey fears a repeat of GWI, when an estimated 1/2 mn Kurdish refugees cross from N Iraq -- incl Kurdish separatists wanting to create an indep homeland. HK. MORE SARS REPORTED! HK health officials today reported 60 more people had fallen ill with a deadly flu-like diseases. More than 1/2 the new victims have been reported in the one appt complex. The latest outbreak pushes the number of infections worldwide to 1,600. HK and Singapore each have reported 1 new death from the illness, bringing the global death toll [outside China] to at least 57. US experts warn that no treatments tested against SARS have been effective, while Singapore's health minister says the disease is more contagious than previously thought. Melbourne. FLU WARNINGS! Influenza experts are urging elderly and sick people to get a flu shot following a survey that's found only 49% of the population is planning to get vaccinated in 2003. The survey was commissioned by the Influenza Specialist Group in Jan this y. It found the main reason those surveyed chose not to be vaccinated was because they felt healthy. ISG convener Alan Hampson says people need to realise being fit and health does not protect them from the flu. The vaccination this y protect against 3 known strains. It is no help against SARS. Canberra. WAR BUDGET! A long and protracted war in Iraq may push the Aussie fed Budget into deficit. Treas Peter Costello -- who hasn't put out a figure on the cost of pre-deploying Aussie troops to the Gulf -- won't rule out the Budget slipping into the red. Observers have been saying for 1 y govt spending has far outstripped revenues, even from AUS's relatively good economy. With the war effort already taking longer than anticipated, Mr Costello would not put a figure on the cost of the war. At its mid-y review in Nov, the govt forecast a surplus of $2.1 bn this FY, and $4.9 bn in 2003/4. Sydney. AUS LEADS THE WORLD! Comm Min Richard Alston says Aus has lead the world in productivity gains from information and communications technology over the last decade. Sen Alston says case studies show Aus industries are using technology to transform processes and business practices. The OECD found that info and comm technology contributed on average 1/4 of AUS's economic growth between 1995 and 2001. Canberra. OPPN WILL BLOCK MEDICARE CHANGES! The fed opp'n and AUS Democrats say they will block any changes to Medicare that will raise the cost of an average visit to a GP. They fear the govt will give financial incentives to doctors to bulk bill pensioners and concession card holders, putting more pressure on them to charge other patients more. PM John Howard says the proposed reforms will further underpin and strengthen the health system's positive elements, while addressing rural doctor shortages. Canberra. POST-WAR IRAQ! For Min Alex Downer leaves for Washington today, for top-level talks with his American counterpart on plans for rebuilding a post-war Iraq. Mr Downer will also meet US Nat'l Sec Adv Connie Rice, and UN officials. Mr Downer says high on the agenda will be the reconstruction of Iraq, as well as humanitarian aid for the Iraqi people. PM John Howard had turned down an invitation last wk to join Pres Bush and Tony Blair at Camp David. ======================================== (*) Who is responcible for W.A.R.S? A small group of dedicated sandgrubbers, bannana-lickers and 5th columnists on the run from support payments and sundry legalese in their home countries. Mention us at any Uncle Harry's Suburban Bunker and get a 10% discount on cop-killers! All speling macroizated for correctitood by Mcrosotf Speelchek. *** Please stand by for further orders from The Leader ***