NO, NOT THE OIL! #111 (3/3)

[R Kym Horsell]

Iraqis pleased with aid pledges
Almost all Iraqis are living hand to mouth
Madrid. Iraqi officials say they are pleased with the outcome of a
donors' conference in Madrid, which produced pledges of at least $13
bn for the reconstruction of their country.
The head of Iraq's governing council, Ayad Allawi, said the balance
between grants, loans and potential oil revenue was almost right.
US Pres George W Bush thanked donors and said a free Iraq would serve
as an example throughout the Middle E.
But even adding the $20 bn already pledged by the US, the $33 bn total
falls short of the estimated $56 bn needed for reconstruction.
Mr Allawi said that Iraq would be able to support itself, as it was a
rich nation, made temporarily poor.
"We are a proud people, we want nothing more than to be proud again,"
he said, adding that Iraqis would remember who had come forward to help.
"The Iraqi people are moving steadily toward a free and democratic
society," said Pres Bush.
"We are rebuilding schools, and clinics, and power plants."
* Holding back
Apart from the US, Japan is the single biggest donor, with a pledge of
$5 bn.
The EU, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, are each contributing about $1 bn to
Iraqi projects.
However, France and Russia, which opposed the US-led intervention in
Iraq, have not become involved at this stage.
France says it will wait until Iraq has a democratically-elected govt.
But UN Sec Gen Kofi Annan said the demands of rebuilding were too
pressing to tolerate delay.
"We all look forward to the earliest possible establishment of a
sovereign Iraqi Govt but the start of the reconstruction cannot be
delayed until that day," he told the conference.
Most of the funds being raised in Madrid are to go into a trust
managed by the World Bank, the UN and a committee of Iraqis.
The new fund is designed to lure donors wary of US control, although
some aid groups have reportedly questioned whether it will be able to
make decisions on the ground.
Continuing violence and disputes over the running of Iraq have also
made some potential donors reluctant to commit themselves financially
at this stage.
The World Bank has said $56 bn is needed for rebuilding Iraq, while
the US-controlled Coalition Provisional Authority says nearly $20 bn
more will have to be spent on security and the oil sector.
However, this does not take into account Iraq's large foreign debt,
estimated at $130 bn by internat'l financial institutions.
The European Union's Commissioner for foreign affairs Chris Patten
said it was important that the money made its way to Iraq quickly.
"We know from previous experience that there's been sometimes a lag,
or more than a lag, between promises of help and the arrival of the
help itself," he said.
"We need to get the money out of the bank and into Iraq as quickly as
possible.
For the UK's Sec for Internat'l Development, Hilary Benn, the
most significant outcome of the conference was the way the internat'l
community has come together "whatever differences of the past".
"We leave Madrid in a much stronger position to continue to support
the reconstruction of Iraq in the interests of its people," he said.

CIA's pre-war intel "sloppy": US committee
Washington (BBC). The powerful US Senate Select Committee on Intel
is reportedly preparing to issue serious criticisms of the CIA. The
committee has been looking into the pre-war intel on Iraq. The intel
committee chairman, the Republican Pat Roberts, has told journalists
that some of the public info given by the CIA and other govt depts was
not supported by evidence. Mr Roberts said pre-war intel had been
sloppy and inconclusive. It seems as if the CIA will bear the brunt
of the committee's wrath for providing intel assessments which were
based on shaky evidence and allowing claims to be made in public which
were not backed up by secret documentation. The most eye-catching of
those claims was contained in a document published last Autumn, which
declared in its 1st paragraph, "Baghdad has chemical and biological
weapons". In private documents the committee has found that much more
qualified language was used.

"Long, hard slog" playing out in Iraq
Baghdad. Statistics tell one story: In recent wks, the daily average
of attacks on US forces has stepped up to 25 or 26, and even to 35 on
one day, from around 20.
The cold eyes of many Iraqis tell a deeper one, in places like
Fallujah, where 82nd Airborne Division troops came under attack every
day this wk. The main crossroads in the city, 55 km W of the
capital, is adorned with graffiti proclaiming, "Fallujah will be the
graveyard of Americans."
"Whenever they enter Fallujah, they'll be attacked," Assou Nadim Hamid
told a reporter. The fact that he was a policeman may give Americans
some insight into the quandary their forces face in parts of Iraq.
Def Sec Donald H Rumsfeld wrote in a memo last wk that the US can "win
in Afghanistan and Iraq," but "it will be a long, hard slog." His
deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, arrived in Baghdad on Fri for a 3-day
visit to take another look at just how long and hard it might be.
Pentagon officials say Wolfowitz has pushed to realign $100s of mns in
spending to meet the needs on the ground in Iraq -- getting better
body armour to the troops, for example, and more armoured Humvees.
American forces are "taking the fight to the enemy," whose goal is to
"take Iraq back to the prison of tyranny from which they've finally
been liberated," Wolfowitz told reporters Fri in Baghdad.
But such steps will not be a "silver bullet," Lt Gen Norton Schwartz,
Pentagon operations director, acknowledged in Washington.
There's no simple answer because there's no single enemy.
The US-led occupation army faces harassing attacks from a shadowy
array of Iraqi and possibly foreign foes -- die-hard Sunni Muslim
loyalists of the toppled Baathist govt, other Iraqi nat'lists who want
the Americans out, terror bombers who may be driven by Islamic
fanaticism. In Shiite Muslim areas, the Americans have an uneasy,
sometimes bloody coexistence with the armed militias of clerical factions.
A "win" doesn't appear at hand on any side.
Even in a string of spectacular suicide bombings that left
considerable physical evidence, investigators apparently are
stymied. "We do not have a case," Schwartz said.
Whole regions of Iraq are relatively peaceful, enabling the 101st
Airborne Division in the N city of Mosul, for example, to shift troops
from the city to the Iraqi countryside. But even there, division cmdr
Maj Gen David H Petraeus says the Americans are "in a race to win
the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people."
Those hearts appear hardest in an arc of territory stretching from
north of Baghdad to the west, and none are harder than in the
Euphrates River city of Fallujah. Hit-and-run guerrilla attacks by
roadside bombs and RPGs have bloodied the Americans there repeatedly
in recent wks.
The US command in Baghdad says it has changed tactics in the past 2
ms, since a brigade of the tough 82nd Airborne was added to the W
zone, backed by a borrowed battalion of heavy tanks.
"The level of presence is a lot higher. You can conduct many, many
more operations," command rep Lt. Col George Krivo said.
Many more operations appear to be drawing more attacks. "That's our
purpose out there," to "engage," the overall US cmdr here, Lt Gen
Ricardo Sanchez, said.
As for hearts and minds, "most people in the area, given the right
approach, will support the future of Iraq," Krivo said.
Whether the 82nd Airborne's aggressive approach is the right one
remains to be seen.
During a 1st tour in Fallujah earlier in the year, the division killed
20 Iraqis in 2 demos, and when the division returned last m, its
paratroopers killed 8 Fallujah policemen in an incident still under
investigation. Just this wk, 82nd Airborne soldiers were accused of
coldly shooting an Iraqi detainee dead, a charge disputed by the
division, and were caught on camera beating a truck driver in Fallujah.
When townspeople dance on bombed US vehicles in Fallujah, they may be
remembering such incidents.
On his visit, Wolfowitz is said to be looking toward turning the fight
over to Iraqi allies. But "Iraq-ization" is going slowly: Although
1000s of Iraqi police have been deployed, they're often under-equipped
and poorly trained, and only one 700-man battalion of a new Iraqi army
has been trained.
"It's difficult work," Rumsfeld said of Iraq. "It won't be over
anytime soon."

Pentagon identifies main `terrorist adversary' in Iraq
Washington (Reuters). The militant Iraqi Muslim group Ansar al-Islam,
whose main base was destroyed by American and Kurdish forces before
the Iraq war began, has become the principal "terrorist adversary" of
US forces in the country, the Pentagon said on Thu.
Air Force Lt Gen Norton Schwartz told reporters there was no proof
that guerrillas from the Muslim group, suspected of having ties to
fugitive Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda guerrilla network, had taken part
in major suicide bombings in Baghdad. But he reiterated statements by
other US officials that Ansar al-Islam had now established itself in
Baghdad and said the group had become a primary target of US forces.
"I think that AI ... is our principal organised terrorist adversary in
Iraq right now and we are concentrating our resources on that,"
Schwartz, director for operations on the US military's Joint Staff at
the Pentagon, told reporters.
In a memo to snr defence officials, released by the Pentagon this wk,
Def Sec Donald Rumsfeld said "we are just getting started" in the
fight against Ansar al-Islam.
Schwartz was asked whether Ansar al-Islam was operating independently
or whether it was coordinating with loyalists of former president
Saddam Hussein, accused by Washington of launching repeated attacks on
US troops.
"There are ... some indications that there are linkages between the
former regime loyalists and some of the AI seniors. But generally
speaking, they are independent actors," he said.
Ansar al-Islam's main base in N Iraq nr the Iranian border was
destroyed by US and Kurdish forces in March and most of its leaders
were believed to have fled.
But US Army General John Abizaid, cmdr of American forces in Iraq,
said at the Pentagon that elements of Ansar al-Islam had moved into
the Baghdad area and were increasing the sophistication of terror
attacks there.

US helicopter shot down nr Tikrit, 5 soldiers injured
Tikrit (AP). A US Army Black Hawk helicopter was shot down today by
ground fire nr Tikrit, a centre of Iraq's anti-US insurgency, injuring
5 soldiers, US officials said.
Two helicopters were flying overhead when the 2nd one in the formation
was hit by a projectile, believed to be a RPG, witnesses said.
The stricken chopper circled, swayed then came down in a farming area
while the other hovered overhead, they said.
"A helicopter did go down," Capt Jefferson Wolfe, a rep for the 4ID,
said. "We can confirm it. It was a Black Hawk. We are investigating."
In Baghdad, the US military command said the 5 people on board were
injured but were "safely evacuated". The command did not say why the
helicopter went down but added that after it crashed it received
ground fire.
Smoke could be seen rising from the site, and an injured person was
seen being removed from the site on a stretcher. It was not known how
many people were on the downed chopper but the aircraft ordinarily
carries 3 crewmen. One soldier, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said he believed 3 people were on board.
Tikrit, the hometown of ousted leader Saddam Hussein, is a town in the
heart of the Sunni Triangle, the region of central Iraq north of
Baghdad that has seen multiple attacks every day against US forces.
The region is where Saddam drew his strongest support, and his loyalists
are now believed to be leading resistance to the US-led occupation.
Deputy Sec of Defence Paul Wolfowitz, on a 3-day tour of
Iraq, was in Tikrit earlier today visiting the main US garrison
there. He left the city hrs before the helicopter was shot down and
was in the N city of Kirkuk, US officials said.
US officials have warned that 1000s of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft
missiles remain unaccounted for after the fall of Saddam Hussein's
regime and pose a threat to US military aircraft.

Canada says to send 20 police trainers for Iraq
Ottawa (Reuters). Canada pledged $C10 mn ($US7.6 mn) on Fri so that
20 Canadian police officers can train Iraqi police at a site in
Jordan, Internat'l Cooperation Min Susan Whelan said.
Canada, which refused to contribute troops to the Iraq war, offered
C$300 mn earlier this y for humanitarian and reconstruction aid in
Iraq. The funds for police training are in addition to the $C300 mn.
"There will be 20 Canadian police instructors to help train Iraqi
police officers," Whelan told Reuters by phone from the Iraq donors
conference in Madrid.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police superintendent David Beer who was in
Baghdad in May said at that time the Iraqi policing system was
"broken" and had to be rebuilt.
In recent years, Canadian police have been sent to trouble spots such
as Haiti and Kosovo to help train law enforcement officers.
"The Americans are extremely pleased, as are the Brit, with Canada's
contribution. They actually have been using Canada as an example to
other countries because we did step up to the plate early. They
believe we are actually helping leverage other countries," Whelan said.

>>AFGHAN
UN says Taliban re-taking Afghanistan
Kabul. The UN's top peacekeeping official Jean-Marie Guehenno says
the Taliban effectively controls of parts of S Afghanistan, amid
worrying signs that Pres Hamid Karzai's central govt is growing
weaker. There are encouraging signs elsewhere in the country. If the
city of Kunduz represented the whole of Afghanistan, there would cause
for celebration, not concern. It is there that Pres Hamid Karzai has
launched his country's disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration
campaign with 1,000 militiamen surrendering their weapons. It is also
in Kunduz that 450 German troops will soon arrive as internat'l forces
their operations beyond Kabul.

>>IRAQ
1000s in US anti-war protests
Washington. Some 25,000 protesters [some reports say 15,000] have
rallied in US cities against the US-led occupation of Iraq, demanding
troops be brought home and labelling Pres George W Bush a "liar".
More than 20,000 marched in Washington as mounting concern over the
growing toll on US forces and the cost of the occupation eroded
popular support for the Admin.
They were confronted by a smaller group of war supporters.
And in San Francisco, more than 4,000 marched through the streets
chanting "End the Occupation of Iraq" and carrying signs bearing
slogans such as "Money for Schools, Not War."
Similar protests were scheduled in other US cities.
More than 100 US troops have been killed in combat since May 1, when
Mr Bush declared an end to major combat.
The crowd carried placards in English, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew and
Korean proclaiming: "Bush lied;" "Bush is looting the future;" "No war
for empire".
Among the protesters to take the microphone nr the White House were
Democratic presidential contender Al Sharpton and former US attorney
general Ramsey Clark.
"We were right when we were saying Bush was misleading the
population," Mr Sharpton said.
"We are right now. We want to stop the misuse of American lives in Iraq."
Mr Clark, a fervent peace activist since he served under president
Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, said Mr Bush had broken internat'l law.
"The American people are viewed around the world as supporting George
Bush's policies and they will be until he is removed from office," he
said, calling the Pres's policies "the greatest threat to peace and security".
"We don't need any more deaths," said speaker Fernando de Solar
Suarez, whose son Jesus was a marine killed in the occupation of Iraq.
"Pres Bush -- wrongly called president -- has lied to the entire world
about this war," he said.
The crowd carried placards in English, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew and
Korean proclaiming: "Bush lied", "Bush is looting the future", "No war
for empire".
"This is not a war against terrorism, this is a war against Muslims
and Islam," declared Mahdi Bray, executive director of the
Muslim-American Freedom Society.
"This is the m of Ramadan, and the Muslim community is suffering every
single day because of this Admin," he said.
Michael McPherson, a war veteran whose former combat unit served in
Iraq, said Mr Bush "misled our nation and our soldiers.
"No weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq," he said.
"The Iraqi regime was not Al Qaeda, Saddam [Hussein] was not Osama bin Laden.
Nancy Leeson, one of the demo organisers, said they wanted "to be
heard in Baghdad".
According to a Pew Research Centre survey released last Tue, 39 per
cent of US people support the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq as
soon as possible, up from 32% answering the same question in Sep.

Blair will ignore public opp'n to GM technology
London. Tony Blair has signalled that he is ready to ignore the
public campaign against GM crops and to proceed with the
technology. In language reminiscent of his pronouncements in the
run-up to the Iraq war he said that his only interest was in trying
"to do the right thing".
The PM's reaction, in the wk after the results of the Govt's own
trials proved that growing at least 2 GM crops damaged wildlife, has
amazed and angered snr officials. They are bewildered that his views
seem to have remained unchanged even though a series of reports from
his own advisers has progressively demolished the case for the technology.
In an exchange at PM's Questions on Wed, Mr Blair appeared to take
issue with the reports, which concluded that genes would inevitably
escape from modified crops to create herbicide-resistant superweeds
and contaminate organic and conventional produce, that the technology
conferred no immediate economic advantages, and that the public
rejected it by a majority of 9 to one.
Asked by the Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George whether he accepted
their conclusions, he acknowledged that the crops posed "problems" for
wildlife, but added: "I know that there is a huge campaign against GM
but, to be frank, the Govt have no interest in the matter one way or
the other, other than to try to do the right thing.
"The biotechnology industry is a vital part of this country's
industry. Many people believe that the science of genetics will be
the most important science of the 21st century, and other countries
are piling investment into this area. We must allow that science to be
carried out."
Mr Blair's comments appear directly to contradict a report in July by
his own Cabinet Office which concluded that it could find no economic
benefit to Brit or its people from current modified crops.
Exasperated officials also point out that Mr Blair seems unable to
distinguish between the biotechnology industry as a whole, which has
immense potential in developing medicines and industrial products, and
the relatively tiny proportion of it devoted to GM agriculture, which
employs only about 1,150 people in Brit.
Snr officials say that Mr Blair's response shows he is still determined
to press ahead with the technology despite massive public opp'n.
Downing Street hopes that GM maize could be given the go-ahead, as the
trials suggested it was less harmful than its conventional counterpart.
But as The Independent on Sun reported 2 wk ago, the results would not
apply to GM maize grown in Brit, where conventional maize was formerly
treated by a now-banned herbicide.
Last night, Pete Riley of Friends of the Earth, said that Mr Blair's
response on GM was "like the run-up to the Iraq war all over
again". He added: "Once again he is professing caution and
even-handedness, but failing to see the full picture, disregarding
public opinion, and insisting that he must do what he himself believes
to be right ... This blinkered approach will lead to disaster."

>>ISR
Israel razes Gaza buildings
Gaza (Reuters). The Israeli army has blown up 3 13-storey Palestinian
Authority buildings in the Gaza Strip.
The partly constructed buildings were dynamited after troops
temporarily evacuated an estimated 2,000 Palestinian residents from
the Gaza Strip town of al-Zahrah.
A flash of light was seen against the night sky as the simultaneous
blasts sent all 3 buildings tumbling down and a cloud of grey smoke
from the rubble rose into the air.
Apartments in Gaza City shook from the force of the blast which took
place at about 2:30am local time (11:30 AEDT) and could be felt across
the border in Israel.
"It was very accurate, very well done. I hope there is no collateral
damage. I hope it will be a good message to the Palestinian Authority
not to let their infrastructure be used for terror," said
Brigadier-General Gadi Shammi, cmdr of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
It was the largest Israeli demolition of Palestinian buildings since
the Palestinian uprising began 3 y ago after peace talks deadlocked.
Security sources say the buildings were used by militants to observe
troop movements before launching an attack on the nearby Jewish
settlement of Netzarim on Fri in which 3 soldiers were killed, 2 of
them women.
Leaflets in Arabic were distributed to residents in the hrs before the
explosion saying: "You must leave your homes immediately until the end
of this operation. The army is going to blow up some sites. Please
leave your windows open, turn off electrical devices and go to the S
part of your neighbourhood. Anyone who stays is risking his
life. Anyone seen with a weapon will risk his life."
One security official said plans to demolish the buildings were drawn
up about a y ago but the decision to implement them was taken only
after Fri's attack, which was claimed by the militant Hamas and
Islamic Jihad groups.
"We gave them a chance," the source said. "We expect buildings owned
by the Palestinian Authority will not be used for terrorist
activities, but after the raid on Fri we saw that we could not let
this go on."
The source says the 2 gunmen behind Fri's attack had spent wks
monitoring patrols and troop movements in the heavily guarded
settlement in central Gaza from the towers.
The militants carried out their gunfire and grenade attack as fog
shrouded the settlement early on Fri morning.
One militant was killed and the other escaped.
Senior security sources say all the several hundred settlers living at
Netzarim had taken refuge in bomb shelters while the Gaza buildings
were being blown up.
Hundreds of Israeli troops, including demolition experts and
humanitarian liaison officers, were deployed in the operation to
evacuate residents living in a 400 metre radius of the 3 buildings
earmarked for destruction.

Israelis arrest 2 Palestinians from hospitals
Nablus (AFP). 2 Palestinian militants were arrested early on Sat when
Israeli forces swooped on 2 hospitals in the N-ern W Bank town of
Nablus , as the Palestinians reacted angrily to Israeli plans for the
next stage of its security barrier in the territory.
Israeli troops raided Nablus's Anglican hospital in the early hrs,
arresting a militant from the Hamas movement who was being treated in
the intensive care unit, Palestinian medical and security sources told AFP.
Khaled Abu Hamad, 26, a member of Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedin
al-Qassam Brigades, was critically wounded along with 2 other Hamas
militants late Wed when their car blew up in the eastern part of Nablus.
At the time, witnesses said they had at least one weapon and several
small explosive devices in the car, and said it was possible one of
the bombs had accidentally detonated.
All 3 were critically injured and one died the next day.
Hamad was taken to the Anglican hospital, from where Israeli troops
snatched him, taking him away in a military ambulance.
Troops also entered Rafidiyeh hospital looking for the 3rd Hamas
militant but were unable to find him, the sources said.
Israeli military sources confirmed the arrest, saying troops had
picked up a "senior Hamas operative with blood on his hands".
He was taken in a military ambulance to a hospital in Israel from
where he would be taken for investigation for involvement in planning
several suicide bombings, the Israeli sources said.
But, although troops had not found the 2nd Hamas militant at
Rafidiyeh, they arrested Jawad Shatyah, a snr operative from the
Tanzim, which is Israel's name for militants linked to Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.
"He was armed and living in the basement of the hospital. There he
planned all sorts of attacks against Israelis," one Israeli source
said, adding that it was the 2nd time in 2 m that Palestinian
militants had been arrested while using Rafidiyeh hospital as a base.
Meanwhile, another Palestinian was hospitalised in moderate condition
after being shot in the back by Israeli troops as he was trying to
enter Nablus by an alternative route, Palestinian medical and security
sources said.
In the town's Balata refugee camp, 2 foreign volunteers for the
Internat'l Solidarity Movement were lightly injured by shrapnel during
overnight clashes between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli troops.
Meanwhile, snr Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat attacked Israel's
plans to extend its security barrier in the Jordan Valley, saying the
aim was a blatant attempt at a fresh land-grab.
"This shows the wall Israel has started building is not for security
reasons -- they just want to have more Palestinian land and control of
all the water resources," Erakat told AFP. "Israel wants to divide the
West Bank into small cantons."
The Israeli decision was "a challenge to the UN resolution", he added,
calling on the US Admin to pressure Israel to stop.
The UN General Assembly voted overwhelming on Wed in favour of a
resolution demanding Israel "stop and reverse" construction of the barrier.
Within the next few days, the Palestinian Authority will announce a
comprehensive programme to work against this Israeli policy, Erakat added.
He was reacting to an announcement by PM Ariel Sharon Fri that his
govt would discuss the idea of building a buffer zone in the Jordan
Valley that encroached "several kms" into the W Bank.
"This fence project in the Jordan Valley is currently under
consideration. When it is ready, it will be presented to the govt to
be discussed," Sharon told Israel's privately run Channel 2
television, vowing the security barrier would be finished "in a year".

Palestinians cancel special session because of lock-down
Gaza. Members of the Palestinian parliament on Sat cancelled a
special session to appoint a new speaker because the Israeli blockade
prevented a quorum from attending, one of them said. Palestinian
Legislative Council Deputy Speaker Ibrahim Abu Najar said members had
been asking for travel permits to attend the meeting for the past 10
days but had not received an answer from Israel. Under Palestinian
law, a minimum of 43 deputies must be present to elect a new
speaker. By Sat morning, only 32 had managed to reach the W Bank
city of Ramallah. In Gaza, deputies who could have used
videoconferencing to participate in the session refused to enter the
hall in protest.

>>KOREA
Pyongyang "ready" to consider security deal
N Korea to consider abandoning nuclear program
Seoul (ABC). By N Asia correspondent Mark Simkin N Korea says it
is willing to consider multilateral security guarantees in exchange
for abandoning its nuclear ambitions. The statement from N Korea is a
major concession. US Pres George W Bush has proposed that America, S
Korea, China, Russia and Japan all guarantee that they will not attack
N Korea, in return for Pyongyang abandoning its nuclear weapons program.
At first, N Korea dismissed the plan as laughable, but now, in a
significant about face, the For Min'y says it is ready to consider
a deal. A rep said that Pyongyang wants both sides to drop their guns
and establish normal state relations so they can coexist peacefully.
The crisis over N Korea's nuclear ambitions began in Oct last y when
America said Pyongyang had admitted having a covert atomic program.

>>COLOMBIA
13 dead as Colombia votes on rebel fight
Bogota. Left-wing guerrillas have killed 13 people in election-day
attacks as Colombians vote in a referendum that Pres Alvaro Uribe
hopes will save $bns and fight corruption.
Mr Uribe, whose tough stance against rebels has made him highly
popular, has campaigned furiously for Colombians to approve the
complicated 15-point referendum.
He says it will reduce graft as well as save money for spending on
schools and hospitals by limiting govt wages.
Turnout will be crucial to the referendum's outcome. Trade unions and
left-leaning politicians say the measures being voted on in the
referendum would hurt the poor and have told people to abstain.
Early results show the outcome hanging in the balance.
Each of the 15 questions have reportedly received overwhelming support
-- at least 79% in favour.
But it was not clear whether the minimum 25% of voters had
participated in the ballot for the result to be binding.
With votes at 40% of electoral booths counted, only about 2 mn of the
6.3 mn ballots necessary for the referendum to pass had been registered.
But officials say it is too early to draw conclusions about the
overall turnout because results from booths with more votes take
longer to process.
Police say the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a rebel army
known by the initials FARC which regularly disrupts elections, killed
6 policeman and a soldier in 3 suspected attacks.
A bomb hidden in a milk can also killed 6 civilians at a dairy
processing plant in Antioquia province, in another attack authorities
blamed on the FARC.
Suspected rebels burned trucks and cars on some highways and blew up a
bridge in N Colombia.
But the army says the guerrillas have not disrupted voting and Mr
Uribe called on voters not to be intimidated.
"The people are the warriors of democracy," he said, in a speech
before he voted in Bogota's colonial Bolivar Square, as helicopters
whirred overhead and troops stood by.
The govt has deployed 270,000 soldiers and police to protect voters
over the electoral weekend, which culminates with votes for municipal
and regional govts on Sun.
The FARC and far-right paramilitary vigilantes have murdered about 30
candidates in the past few ms.
Mr Uribe has warned that public finances, depleted by a
four-decade-old guerrilla war, could topple into a crisis like the one
that shook Argentina if the vote does not pass.
"The referendum will not work miracles, but it is a step against
corruption, against political chicanery," he said.
"It will help us strengthen defence and security, it will help us, in
spite of the govt's enormous fiscal difficulties, to improve education
for the poor and make investments our country needs to build a more
just nation."
But the referendum's complex, technical questions are only vaguely, if
at all, understood by the majority.
Most of the $7 bn the govt wants to save over the next 7 years comes
from a question proposing a 2-y freeze on wages for govt
employees earning at least twice the minimum wage.
Others include proposals to reduce the size of Congress and make
legislators' votes public.
Supporters have likened casting a ballot to an act of patriotism.
"I had never voted before in my life. I came here today to support the
Pres, the people of Colombia," said one female voter.

Malaysians dominate in solar cycle race
Adelaide. Malaysian teams have taken out 1st and 2nd places in this
y's World Solar Cycle Challenge in SA. Uniten One led from the start
of the race over the1,500 kms from Ceduna to Kapunda. Travelling at
an average speed of 45kph, the champions completed the race in 33.5
hr. Malaysia's 2nd entry, Uniten 2, was second, closely followed by
Italy's Dini Motive. AUS's best performer was Adel's Westminster
School which finished in fourth place, with its human-powered pedal
vehicle. The executive director of Bicycle SA, Peter Solly, says Port
Lincoln High School was the best of the AUS solar entries in fifth
place. "Port Lincoln have put in a really good effort, this is their
1st solar cycle race and in fact they only decided to go into the race
about 6 or 8 wks ago so they've put something together pretty quickly
and have performed very well."

Saudis rebuke UK for 'terror' warning
Riyadh (AFP). Saudi Arabia has sharply rebuked London, saying it had not
been consulted before Brit issued a warning that its citizens should
not travel to the kingdom because "terrorists" could be planning attacks.
The Saudi ambassador to London, Prince Turki al-Faisal, said in a
statement: "The kingdom wishes that when such advice is given by
sources outside the kingdom that there would be co-ordination between
the people giving the advice and the authorities in the kingdom."
The criticism follows a statement from Brit's FO on Fri
saying "terrorists" could be in the final stages of planning attacks
in Saudi Arabia and warning that Britons should not travel there
unless essential.
The FO added Fri that the travel advice "reflects an
assessment that the threat from terrorism is particularly serious at
this time."
After the Brit warning, a new recorded advisory by the US embassy in
Riyadh warned Sat that "terrorists" might strike during the Muslim
fasting m of Ramadan, which will start on Sun or Mon depending on the
new moon.
AUS also issued a similar warning last wk.
The latest warnings come as the Saudi govt engages in a crackdown on
suspected Islamist militants following the May 12 triple suicide
bombings against residential compounds in Riyadh that left 35 people dead.

Taiwanese march for independence poll
Taipei. Over 100,000 Taiwanese have marched through the S city of
Kaoshiung to demand the right to hold a referendum to formally declare
independence from mainland China. The protesters carried banner over
a km long bearing words such as "nat'l referendum", "birth of a new
constitution," and "basic human rights". The rally was a show of
support for Taiwanese Pres Chen Shui-bian, who has called for a
constitutional change ahead of elections next y. During his visit to
AUS last wk, Chinese Pres Hu Jintao said the greatest threat to peace
in the Taiwan Straits was from what he called the "splittist"
activities of Taiwanese independence forces. Mr Hu said the Chinese
govt and people look to AUS for a constructive role in China's
peaceful reunification with Taiwan.

Alliance's Harper Calls for Low-Tax Canada
Toronto (Reuters). The leader of Canada's opp'n party outlined his
vision of a low-tax govt on Fri and said the tentatively agreed merger
between 2 right wing parties would make Canada "a country that matters."
"We should be the lowest tax regime in N America," Stephen Harper,
leader of the Canadian Alliance, told the Toronto Rotary Club in his
1st appearance in Canada's financial capital since the merger deal was
sealed last wk.
He said his deal with Progressive Conservative leader Peter MacKay to
form a single right-wing party would help create "a country with the
best 21st century democracy in the world."
Members of both parties decide by Dec on the merger, which is designed
to end vote splitting between 2 right wing parties that has helped
keep the Liberal Party in power.
Harper said he had not decided whether to run for leadership of the
new Conservative Party and was gauging his support before officially
entering the leadership race.
Another possible leadership candidate is former Ontario Prem Mike
Harris, who has already won the backing of Alberta Prem Ralph Klein --
a key player the Alliance's W Canada heartland.
"That would be tough competition," Harper said.

Wal-Mart to Check Its Payrolls
Chicago (Reuters). Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said on Sat it would review
the status of its 1.1 mn US employees and fire any illegal immigrants
on the payroll if US law requires it.
The internal probe at the world's largest retailer comes amid a govt
investigation into allegations that contractor cleaning crews used by
Wal-Mart had recruited illegal immigrants to work on cleaning crews at
the stores for the world's largest retailer.
The company, which has promised to cooperate with fed officials, said
it would scrutinise the background of its own employees to ensure that
none are employed illegally.
"We're reviewing the status in various areas," said Wal-Mart rep Tom
Williams. "If that is the case -- and we don't believe it to be --
we're obviously going to follow the law."
US officials this wk arrested about 250 workers at 60 stores in 21
states as part of a "worksite enforcement" effort known as "Operation
Rollback." Most of the workers belonged to contract cleaning crews.
Fed law enforcement officials said some Wal-Mart executives had direct
knowledge of the alleged scheme. A rep with the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement said this wk that a company that knowingly hires
illegal workers can be penalised up to $10,000 per person.
The Bentonville, Ark.,-based retailer is the largest US private-sector
employer with about 1.1 mn workers in the United States and 1.4 mn
worldwide.
Wal-Mart already faces dozens of lawsuits alleging discrimination and
violations of wage-and-hour rules. The company has taken criticism
from labour groups who say it has an anti-union stance.

>>AUS
Abbott flags bulk-billing changes
Fed Health Min says room to move
Canberra (ABC TV). Fed Health Min Tony Abbott says there will be
changes to the Govt's Fairer Medicare package to give doctors greater
control over bulk-billing. The package has raised concerns that by
requiring all health care card holders to be bulk-billed it would
create a 2-tier health system. Mr Abbott has told Channel 9 he is
looking at a process which would not force doctors to bulk-bill all
card holders. "We want bulk-billing to be a decision that the doctor
makes based on his assessment of patient needs," he said. "We are
looking at further changes to the package that will keep the
incentives and also help ensure that bulk-billing rates remain high
but in a less prescriptive way."

Clean-up begins after severe storms hit NSW, ACT
An intense band of storm systems has moved out to sea after causing
havoc over parts of eastern AUS.
Sydney. More than 40,000 homes were blacked out in NSW and the ACT on
Sat afternoon after severe hailstorms and heavy rain storms.
Additional repair crews have been brought in to help restore power to
isolated pockets of SYD which were blacked out in the severe storms.
From the NSW central coast down to the S Highlands, and as far west as
CBR and Lithgow, there have been reports of heavy rain, golf ball-sized
hail stones and lightning strikes knocking out electrical substations.
Integral Energy rep Kate McCue says the vast majority of the 25,000
homes which lost power in NSW have now been reconnected.
But she says there has been considerable damage caused by lightning
storms and some homes will still be without power in the morning.
"We're expecting that some people will be without power throughout the
night," she said.
"We have brought in additional crews and we're hoping to have all
power restored [Sun] but we're just asking people to be very patient
because we can't pinpoint a particular time."
Emergency services have been dealing with flooded and hail-damaged houses
and shops in the SYD suburbs of Riverstone, Baulkham Hills and Berowra.
There is also a report of a factory losing its roof.
There have also been a number of car accidents in those areas.
About 20,000 homes were blacked out in and around the ACT during the
heavy storm front.
Winds reached almost 100 kph, damaging several houses just north of
CBR and causing traffic problems in the capital.
Emergency Services were called to dozens of incidents.
Ross Pooley from Country Energy says most power has been restored but
work will continue through the night.
"I'm not sure if it was a lightning strike or wind is what caused a
fault on the transmission system supplying Queanbeyan and we lost
supply to a very, very large area of all of the Queanbeyan City Council
area, all of Yarrowlumla and all of Tallaganda, as far out as Braidwood."

Life sentence bid for refugee drownings
Cairo (AFP). Prosecutors in Egypt are calling for an alleged people
smuggler, accused of organising a voyage in which 353 asylum seekers
drowned nr AUS, to be sentenced to life in prison.
Mootaz Muhammad Hasan is on trial in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, over
the deaths of the asylum seekers in Oct 2001.
He is charged with "causing death by mistake" and of "aiding and
abetting the entry of aliens without effective travel documents".
Hasan was arrested in Indonesia last y and served time in jail there
on visa violations.
He was deported to Egypt in Apr.
Hasan is accused of persuading the mostly Iraqi, Afghan and Pakistani
asylum seekers to pay $US1,000 each for a passage to AUS and jobs when
they got there.
Their old, rickety boat, known as the SIEV-X, sank in strong winds,
killing 353 people.
Defence lawyers argue Hasan was only an interpreter for the alleged
mastermind of the operation, an Iraqi arrested in Sweden who has been
extradited to AUS.
The verdict will be delivered on Dec 27.
Verdicts in the court set up under emergency laws cannot be appealed,
though Egypt's Pres Hosni Mubarak must approve them.

Sheep's final stop still unknown
Sheep in Eritrean highlands after leaving Cormo
Massawa (AFP). AUS livestock officials have begun assisting Eritrean
authorities in their efforts to unload 1000s of sheep from the
livestock carrier Cormo Express. However they are still refusing to
confirm the final destination of the animals. Thousands of sheep are
still on board the Cormo Express as the 3rd day of unloading begins in
the Eritrean port of Massawa. Livestock trucks are shuttling between
the port and the holding centre, 40 kms inland. The sheep are then
delivered to a waiting group of workers from Meat and Livestock AUS,
who unload and vaccinate the animals. The group's regional
veterinarian Dr Nigel Brown, who is monitoring the sheep, says they
are very fit and healthy. To the untrained eye the animals appear
dirty and smelly, but in reasonable condition.

Too much coffee can induce aggression and paranoia
[Ahhh. THAT explains why you're all against me!]
Brussels. People who drink too much coffee are at risk of caffeine
psychosis, according to a new report. It found that too much caffeine
can lead to marked changes in personality and make drinkers more
aggressive, anxious and temperamental.
"Caffeinism" puts sufferers at further risk of anxiety neurosis,
irregular heart beats, insomnia, muscle twitches, and nervous irritability.
The warning comes a wk after Tony Blair suffered an irregular heart
beat, which he reportedly blamed on too much strong continental coffee
at the European Union summit in Brussels. The supraventricular
tachycardia, or SVT, that he suffered can be triggered by caffeine.
In the new report, on the potential effects of caffeine on police
hostage negotiators, Prof Wayman Mullins of SW Texas State Uni warns:
"Tachycardia could be anxiety-producing and lead to
the negotiator's stress level rising to abnormal levels," he says in
the Journal of Police Crisis Negotiations. "The negotiator would
likely become overly anxious, nervous, frightened, and concentrate on
what was occurring physiologically and not on the hostage-taker."
Caffeine has also been linked to other health problems: other research
has blamed too much coffee with the increased risk of rheumatoid
arthritis,miscarriages and epilepsy. Research also shows that drinking
four or 5 cups of coffee a day makes the body behave as if it is under
constant stress by increasing the levels of stress hormones. That can
raise blood pressure, with a risk of long-term heart disease.
But it is not all bad news for coffee lovers. Researchers have shown
that drinking 2 to 4 cups a day can lower the risk of colon cancer,
gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's disease. It can
also increase male fertility.

EU works to avoid US pitfalls in Microsoft case
Brussels (Reuters). The European Commission is trying to avoid the
same pitfalls that tripped up the US in its Microsoft case where
business practices judged illegal 3 years ago linger.
Competition Commissioner Mario Monti has readied remedies that aim to
re-invigorate competition quickly. The European Union executive wants
to force the world's largest software maker to change business
practices that it charges have been used to keep challengers at bay.
During the decade that Microsoft Corp has wrangled with the US govt,
its Windows operating system has proliferated to nearly every desktop
in the world, leaving a landscape littered with dead or broken
challengers and ex-competitors.
US courts ruled that Microsoft triumphed through more than just smart
marketing or superior products but relied on the power of its
ubiquitous Windows operating system to muscle out competitors.
"Microsoft's progress has been limited" in a key area of business
practices which the US Final Judgment was supposed to change,
prosecutors in Washington told a judge overseeing the case there this m.
"Further steps may need to be taken."
The European Commission's proposal is to create a more level playing
field by forcing Microsoft to remove some software from Windows and
give competitors more info so their software can more easily compete
with its own.
Microsoft wants the European Union off its back.
Although it has said publicly it is co-operating with the EU,
Microsoft is lobbying the US Congress to get Monti to ease off and
leave things to the US, sources have told Reuters in Washington.
But Monti has said he is convinced he has an obligation to mns of
European consumers who have no alternative to Microsoft and pay it
hefty fees.
* MICROSOFT WANTS TO COMPLY
In the US, Microsoft said it takes its obligations to comply with the
US Final Judgment "very seriously and is wholly committed to
fulfilling those obligations."
Microsoft says the fact that few have accepted its offers to license
protocols is not evidence the US Final Judgment has failed, because
Microsoft has worked hard to cooperate.
In the view of Massachusetts, which is still in litigation, even if
Microsoft complies, nothing is solved because it believes the Final
Judgment is shot through with holes.
The Commission has said nothing about the US solution.
But in Aug it asked Microsoft to comment on its proposed remedies
which include forcing Microsoft to re-design its software to remove
the Windows Media Player, with the idea that the change would help
others can compete effectively.
The market for streaming audio-video media was dominated by
RealNetworks until Microsoft integrated its rival offering into
Windows. Since then its share has jumped.
* SQUEEZING RIVALS
The Commission also says Microsoft used its power to squeeze out
competitors in the market for inexpensive servers needed in offices
for printing and file access.
The US has already ordered Microsoft to license its protocols to solve
problems in the server market. But the EU case is more focused,
concentrating narrowly on low-end servers and requiring the firm to
share a far broader array of protocols.
The Commission's goal is to allow other servers to have connections as
good as Microsoft's own to desktop systems.
Even while the EU investigated, Microsoft has squeezed out competitors
so it now commands 70% of the market for such low-end servers, the
Commission says. The European case is difficult for the public to
understand because documents and evidence are secret under the
European Commission system, while US court documents are public.
* RULING SEEN EARLY 2004
Microsoft filed confidential defence documents last wk and will defend
itself at a closed hearing on Nov 12. A ruling is expected some time
in the spring of 2004.
If the Commission imposes remedies Microsoft can appeal to the EU's
Court of First Instance in Luxembourg.
Microsoft would likely ask the court to suspend what it would argue
were radical remedies, while the Commission would argue that delay
would give Microsoft a chance to clean up its takeover of low-end
servers and media players.
In the past the court has often suspended remedies until a case is
complete, as it did for y while the Transatlantic Conference Agreement
of Atlantic ocean shippers and Unilever cases, both involving
dominance, were on appeal.
But neither of those may be the model in the Microsoft case.
"I would say one conceivable scenario would be for the court to ask
the Commission not to enforce its decision and in return Microsoft
would withdraw the application for suspension and the court would put
the decision on to fast track, acting in one year," said Sven
Voelcker, an antitrust lawyer with Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering.
There is precedent for that, because the court did exactly the same
thing in Tetra Laval's challenge to a Commission merger decision.

Low-cost supercomputer is among world's fastest
Washington. A supercomputer built from 1,100 Apple Macs by faculty
and students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute has achieved a speed of
8.7 trillion operations per second, surpassing a result reported earlier
this wk and putting the computer in line to be the world's 3rd fastest.
Jason Lockhart, director of high-performance computing at the college
of engineering at Virginia Tech, said Fri that the supercomputer,
built for a little more than $5 mn, is running the Linpack benchmark
at a sustained speed of 8.7 teraflops, eclipsing a result of 7.41
teraflops achieved in earlier tests. That would place it 3rd on a
closely watched list of the world's fastest supercomputer--trailing
only an NEC system called the Earth Simulator in Japan and ASCI Q, a
Hewlett-Packard supercomputer at Los Alamos Nat'l Laboratory--at a
fraction of the cost.
The official results of the Top 500 list maintained by the
universities of Tennessee and Mannheim, Germany, are expected to be
announced at a supercomputing conference in Phoenix next m.
The Virginia Tech system was assembled from off-the-shelf Apple
Macintosh computers running 2,200 64-bit IBM microprocessors. "We
wanted price-performance," Lockhart says. The IBM processors in
Apple's G5 Macs cost 1/10 as much as Intel's Itanium 2 processor
and also less than a 64-bit chip from Advanced Micro Devices, he
says. About 10 faculty members at Virginia Tech are expected to start
writing code for the machine early next y.
[Hmmm. Initial testing of a 128 dual Opteron 240 configuration is
getting more than 2 TF. And it cost less than $A1/2 mn!]

{{
1 am AEDT
Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been charged with 6 counts of fraud and tax evasion.

A rep for the N Korean regime says it will consider a proposal made by
US Pres Bush at the APEC summit. The US will not sign a formal treaty
with NK, but Mr Bush said it would guarantee non-aggression.

Witness see Tikrit say a Blackhawk helicopter has been seen landing in
a field, with black smoke rising afterward. It's not clear whether
anyone was injured. It's believed the chopper may have been hit by
fire from the ground.

Colombians are going to the polls today. More than 200,000 troops and
police have been deployed in today's referendum and tomorrow's council
elections. The complex referendum document has been presented by the
Pres as a way out of Colombia's economic and political problems.
While opinion polls show the majority agree with the Pres, only about
1/2 of them intend to vote.

4 am AEDT
Military officials have confirmed 1 US soldier has been injured in the
crash of a Blackhawk helicopter nr Tikrit. Witnesses say the chopper
was brought down by an RPG. US reps said the cause of the crash is
unknown, but confirm it was attacked on the ground by RPG. Mr
Wolfowitz had left Tikrit before the attack occurred.

15,000 anti war protesters are gathering in Washington. The crowd is
assembling at the Washington Monument and are waiting to be addressed
by Dem Presid'l candidate, Al Sharpton. The mood of the crowd is
peaceful. They're carrying anti-war signs such as "UN in -- US out".

Zimbabwean police have closed the offices of the Daily News within
hrs of it going back on sale. Several employees were released after
being detained for several hrs. "We're back" read the headline. The
newspaper has been critical of the policies of Robert Mugabe and his
govt. The latest move comes after the courts on Fri declared illegal
the govt's attempt to close the paper down and seize its equipment and
cancel its license. A govt statement read on radio said the paper
had been operating illegally and it still didn't have a valid license
even after Fri's decision.

4.20 am
33 men have been rescued from a Russian mine. Most are suffering from
exhaustion and dehydration. They'd been trapped underground for almost
2 days after an underground lake bust into a shaft. 13 men remain
missing, incl the new mine director. The blame game has
begun. Maintenance and safety are a low priority in post-SU mines.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been jailed on 6 charges and contempt of
court. He was arrested in dramatic circumstances earlier today. Mr K
is charged with a massive $US1 bn fraud.

Midday.
Algiers. The US has stepped up its assistance to Algeria to fight
terrorism. Washington's top Middle E envoy William Burn says the
assistance consists of $A1 mn for military equipment and training of
security forces. He says the US is doing what it can to help Algeria
finally put an end to the terrorist scourge that's ravaged the
Algerian people for over a decade.

San Bernardino. A wildfire has leapt through dense housing tracts in
the foothills of the San Bernardino Mtns, destroying more than 200
homes, threatening 1,000 others and forcing 1000s to flee. The fire,
that erupted about 48 km E of downtown LA yesterday morning, was
propelled by fierce Santa Ana winds as it devoured 4,000 ha of
chaparral. The blaze and an even larger wildfire nearby that burned
at least 10 homes yesterday have closed highways, cut off power to
1000s and choked the region with heavy smoke and flaming ashe.

Canberra. The Fed govt has admitted it bowed to requests to prevent
guests of the AUS Greens into parliament during Pres Hu Jintao's
address because "the stakes are so high". For Min Alex The Downer
says the implications for AUS of allowing criticism of China, similar
to protests against Pres Bush, in the people's house were "serious".
The Greens have labelled the govt move a victory of dictatorship over
democracy, and have demanded an inquiry into the behind-the-scenes
manoeuvres before Mr Hu's address last wk.

Canberra. A report has found the findings of a Senate-commissioned
study into Medicare were based on flawed modelling. The fed govt has
released their own report by SYD Uni of Tech economists to neutralise
Labor on health policy. The move follows earlier findings that the
govt's reforms to Medicard could see the rates of bulk-billing fall
and gap payments rise. The earlier study -- by the AUS Inst for Primary
Care at La Trobe Uni -- was labelled as "biased" by the federal govt.
[Their own report, of course, has nothing to prove. ;-)]

Bris. Qld schools will be able to ban violent or aggressive people
from school grounds under new laws to be intro'd to State parliament
this wk. Prem Beattie says Cabinet will discuss the leg'n tomorrow.
He says the new laws will give principals clear authority to deal
decisively with violent or abusive people who enter school grounds
and threaten to assault staff or students.

Bris. Peter Beattie says Qld hospitals have the best stats in the
country. He says the good news about Qld hospitals is contained in the
latest independent Productivity Commission report for 2001 and the
AUS Inst of Health and Welfare Report for 2001-02. The premier says
it's true that for many ys under prev govts health care was
under-funded.

Bris. More of Qld has been drought-declared as the state continues to
wait for good rain. Prim Ind Min Henry Palaszczuk says the shires of
Burdekin, Hinchenbrook, Thuringowa and Townsville have been added to
the drought declared list. This means 95 shires and parts of 4 others
are now on the list, while around 150 individual properties in other
shires are also drought-declared. Mr P says that never before have so
many shires in Qld been drought declared. What record?

5.30 pm
US Dep Sec of Def, Paul Wolfowitz, has escaped a rocket attack on his
hotel in Baghdad. The al-Rashid hotel was struck by a series of
rockets at 8 pm local time. There is no word on casualties.

6 pm
Baghdad. At least 6 rockets were launched at the al-Rashid hotel,
earlier. 15 people are report injured. The hotel is used by snr US
military personnel. Several windows and balconies have been damaged
in the attack. It's still not clear whether the hotel was attacked by
rockets or RPG's. A rapid reaction force has been sent to the scene.
The attack happened only 2 hrs after a curfew had been lifted in the
capital for Ramadan. Paul Wolfowitz, in Baghdad to highlight the
"good news", said he understand at least 1 US was killed in the
attack. Mr W called the US military and civilian staff "heroes" and
expressed his sympathy for the victims of the attack.

6.40 pm
A Newsweek poll shows support for Pres Bush is waning. 46% support Mr
Bush's re-election next y, while 47% want him recalled. 58% of
Americans polled say the $87 bn cost of rebuilding Iraq is too much.
A growing number of Americans want the troops brought home. The poll
found 39% wanted the troops home ASAP -- up 7 pts from last m.

Italy is worried about overweight bambini. The Health Min has
suggested revising the old Italian custom of Fri fasting! Excellent idea!

7 pm
Fed Ag Min Warren Truss has named a 4-man team to conduct an inquiry
into the live sheep trade. He says the govt may consider a suspension
in the trade of ewes. Mr Truss says he hopes trade with Saudi Arabia,
suspended 3 m ago after it rejected a shipment of 57,000 sheep, will
be renewed ASAP.

7.30 pm
Canberra. A-G Philip Ruddock says search warrants have been executed
in relation to a matter of national security. Security personnel and
AFP searched several premises in Sydney today in relation to a French
national deported last m. It's now believed the man had been in AUS
planning a terrorist attack.

Rescue attempts at a Russian mine have been suspended after workers
found poison gas in the main shaft. 13 men are still missing in the mine,
incl the recently-appointed mine manager.

9.45 pm
Cal. At least 500 homes have now been destroyed by a bushfire ranging
NE of LA.
}}

----------------------------------------
Mon, 27 Oct 2003.

Greenspan warns of Iraq influence
Morelia. US Fed Res chair Alan Greenspan says the US economy is
heavily influenced by the war in Iraq. Greenspan has told the
opening of the G20 meeting on getting the global economy to grow at
a brisker pace, the US economy has reacted to recent conflicts and
hostilities. He says US economic development and the economy in
general have been very strongly influenced by the Iraq war. Finance
mins and central bank governors from the G20 countries and the EU are
meeting being closed doors in Mexico.

Search resumes for 13 Russian coal miners
Novoshakhtinsk. Relatives are praying outside a flooded mine in S
Russia as rescuers resume the search for 13 missing miners who've been
trapped underground by icy waters for nearly 4 days. Officials say
rescuers are digging a tunnel towards the spot where the missing men
are believed to have taken refuge at the Zapadnaya coal mine in the
Rostov region. The rescuers hope to break through by tomorrow morning.

13 killed in LA fires
LA. The death toll in the S Cal bushfires has risen to at least 13.
11 people are confirmed to have died in fire-related incidents around
the city of San Diego, S of LA. 2 others have succumbed as a result
of a fire in San Bernardino County, E of LA. Officials say at least 2
of the dead were trapped in a burning car as they tried to escape the
San Diego fire. Parts of San Diego, a city of 1.2 mn, are now being
evacuated under threat from 2 separate fires.

10 killed in Afghanistan minibus crash
Kabul. At least 10 people died today when their minibus plunged into a
steep ravine in Afghanistan's Panjshir valley, N of the capital,
Kabul. The govt-run Bakhtar news agency says 10 people incl men,
woman and children died when a passenger van fell into the Panjshir R
in Parwan prov 55 km N of Kabul. The main road through the narrow Panjshir
valley winds along steep cliffs which drop down into the Panjshir R.

China quake toll rises to 9
Beijing. China's central govt has dispatched aide to the country's
remote NW where 2 strong quakes yesterday killed 9 people and levelled
100s of houses. The official Xinhua news agency says another 6 people
were seriously hurt and 37 more suffered minor injuries. The first
mag 6.1 quake in rural Gansu prov sent people scurrying into freezing
temps. Just 7 mins later the 2nd mag 5.8 quake hit.

7 people killed by Maoist rebels: Nepal
Kathmandu. 7 people have died when 200 Maoist rebels raided a police
stn in Nepal. In other incidents, officials say 2 guerrillas were
gunned down and 3 civilians were killed by a leftover explosive.
State radio says the rebels travelled to the post at Sunwal in SE
Nawalparasi district, trading fire with police for 30 mins before
setting off a bomb and fleeing. At least 5 police officers were
killed and 3 others were unaccounted for while 2 civilians were
killed in the crossfire.

6 killed in Kashmir violence
Srinagar. Police say 4 Islamic militants and 2 civilians have been
killed in separatist violence in Indian Kashmir. They say troops
gunned down the 4 rebels o'night in the N Kupwara district.
Meanwhile, police say on Sun assailants hurled a grenade at an army
vehicle at Bijbehara in Anantnag district, injuring 12 civilians and 2
security personnel. Suspected militants also exploded a bomb in a bus
stand, 240 km N of Kashmir's winter capital Jammu, killing 1 person.

2 killed in Bali
Bali. 2 people have been killed in Bali by supporters of Indonesian
Pres Megawati Sukarnoputri's political party, in the latest outbreak
of violence to hit the holiday island. Police in Bali say 2 support
of the opp'n Golkar Party were killed during a clash with backers of
Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle during a march in N
Buleleng district. The clash came despite police and govt efforts
to avoid violence in the lead-up to Ramadan, which begins in Indonesia
tomorrow.

Explosions follow attack on al-Rashid Hotel
Baghdad. The US military says there have been 2 explosions in the
coalition-controlled zone in Baghdad which incl the unofficial HQ at
the al-Rashid Hotel. But the location of the blasts has not been determined.
An Iraqi policeman says an unknown assailant fired an RPG at a US
convoy next to the al-Mansour Hotel, about 2 km NE of the al-Rashid.
He says there were no casualties.
The blasts occurred more than 15 hrs after a rocket attack against the
al-Rashid in which an American Col was killed and 15 other people were
injured. US officials now say the al-Rashid attack was not an
assassination attempt.
US Dep Def Sec Paul Wolfowitz was on the 12th floor of the al-Rashid
at the time half-a-dozen rockets or RPG's ploughed into it -- only
metres from where he was standing.
US cmdrs say several RPG's that hit the Hotel had not been armed.
Insurgents firing from a nearby van had been disturbed by Iraqi
security officers.
2 officers injured in the incident are being hailed as heros, which
observers saying the death toll could have been higher if they hadn't
quickly located the guerrillas.

Investigation continues into French terrorist
Sydney. NSW Prem Bob Carr says it's reassuring that sophisticated
intel and high-level co-operation between AUS and France led to the
arrest of a French national suspected of planning terrorist-related
activities. Aussie authorities are continuing their investigations
into the 35-yo man, who arrived here in May on a tourist visa. On
Oct 7, the French warned that the man may be planning
terrorist-related activities. He was arrested for breaching his visa
conditions 2 days later.

Union protect AUS/US FTA in CBR
Canberra. Trade unions will join political leaders on the steps of
federal parliament house today to protest against a proposed FTA with
the US. Earlier, govt officials said the prospects of the FTA were
now about 50/50. The AUS Manufacturing Workers Union had timed the
protest to coincide with the start of the 4th round of talks between
AUS and US officials. Negotiations over the free trade agreement
have been underway all y, although they are now coming to a head with
just 2 wks of scheduled formal negotiations left to take place.
Union nat'l sec Doug Cameron says the proposed agreement will destroy
the Aussie manufacturing sector.

Nuclear fuel rods shipped through SYD o'night
Sydney. Greenpeace says a shipment of radioactive waste has left SYD
after being trucked through suburban streets under heavy police
escort overnight. Newspaper reports say SYD police by-passed the law
to allow the rods to be transported through city streets and a road
tunnel. Greenpeace AUS Pac campaigns mgr Danny Kennedy says the Fret
Moselle, carrying 5 truckloads of spent fuel rods from the Lucas
Heights nuclear reactor, sailed out of Port Botany, bound for France,
about 5 am (AEDT) this morning. The spent fuel elements will
reportedly be re-processed in France at a cost of $14 mn.

Fed Govt to further deny asylum-seeker appeals
Sydney. The federal govt looks set to further restrict the access of
refugees to judicial reviews of rejected asylum applications. The
Australian newspaper says A-G Philip Ruddock will announce today the
appointment of snr jurists and bureaucrats to a panel charged with
reviewing the volume of such appeals. Thus far, however, the govt's
attempts to deny refugees' appellate rights under the law has been
thwarted by the High Court.

Cathy Freeman won't enter politics
Canberra. Olympic champ Cathy Freeman has virtually ruled out
entering politics, saying she could create her own platform to get
across her political viewpoint. Freeman ended ms of speculation in
Jul when she retired from athletics, saying she'd lost the will to
run. That fuelled speculation she'd enter the political arena. But
the 400 m Olympic gold medallist told the John Laws radio show there
are other ways to get her point across. Freeman released her
autobiography today.

Qld homes still without power
Brisbane. About 3,000 homes are still without power NW of Bris, as
emergency crews work to repair the damage caused by yesterday's wild
storms. A rep for power distributor Energex says most of the blackouts
are in the Mt Glorious, Mt Nebo, and Samford areas and in another
pocket around Dayboro, Cashmere and Albany Ck. Falling trees brought
down power-lines, homes lost their roofs, and windows were shattered as
the thunderstorms swept into SE Qld early yesterday afternoon.

{{
2.30 am
NBC, Meet the Press. Sec of State Colin Powell maintains the US Admin
was right in its assessment of the pre-GWII intel. Saddam Hussein
had the capability to attack the US, Mr Powell indicated. All the US
intel community and other countries agreed with that assessment. The
Sec said even the "aluminium tubes" he'd mentioned in the Feb
presentation to the UN were still part of the Iraqi WMD capability.
But Mr Powell admitted it was not know exactly what the tubes were for.
If the intel assessment was wrong, Mr Powell
concluded, we should find out where it went wrong. The WashPost and
Dems on the Intel Committee say the Admin is about to shift the blame
for bad intel assessments to the CIA and intel community. On the Gen
Wm Boykin matter, Mr Powell said he understood the Gen was "a man of
faith" but denied the War on Terror was a clash of cultures or
religions. He said everyone was a child of the same God.
Sen Jay Rockefeller (D-NY), says he trusted the intel assessment
presented by the Admin. At the moment it looks like there "was a
problem" with the per-war intel. He said if it had been clear to him
the evidence was circumstantial and there had been a pre-determined
policy to go to war against Saddam, he would not have voted in
favour of GWII.
Sen Chuck Hegel (R) (For Rels Committee) denied there had been faulty
intel. He said it was too early to say whether there had been a
problem. The American people must understand, he volunteered, that
it was beyond partisanship and not a matter of party loyalty. It
was about the position of the US in the world over the next 10 y.

Meet the Press. The Dem primaries. The Iowa polls are showing Gebhardt
and Dean neck and neck at 22, 21%. In NH, Zogby shows Dean [aka "the
Anti Bush"] on 40% and Kerry at 17%. An earlier NH poll showed Dean,
Kerry and Clark on 25%, 19% and 11%. The latest poll had Dean going
on the radio, slamming GWII. But his campaign is also bringing in other
issues, such as the economy. Analysts say NH is an "extremely liberal"
community. By US standards. Connecticut papers are saying Lieberman
-- trailing in the polls and the money-raising stakes -- should quit
the race and get back to the Senate. Clark -- initially the "wonder
candidate" -- is trailing badly in the polls and financing. But
analysts say Wisconsin still doesn't know who the candidates are, so
the race is still wide open. A rep for the Des Moines Register said
if Clark wins the nomination, it might spell the end of Iowa as a
political event after he joined the procession by-passing them.

3.30 am
After the dismissal of one high-profile US exec this wk on charges of
questionable practices, analysts say it's well known "certain
individuals" benefited from widespread fraud in the US corporate
sector over the past few y. Comparing the nat'l accounts and company
reports real profits diverged by as much as 25% across the whole
sector. About 1/4 of company profit was created by accounting magic.
But the high-profile cases of insider trading are set to continue.
Meanwhile, the same accounting tricks are being used to hide spending
in the govt. We're being run by the same class of people who created
the scandals, say some analysts. As for the US deficit, they cite
Stein's law: "Things that can't go on forever, don't". While the US
deficit in the Clinton era was supported by foreign investment, the
present deficit is being boosted by Chinese and Japanese C banks who
don't want their currencies to vary too much buying debt. The USD has
been labelled a "faith-based currency". If the greenback plunges, the
fall-out will hit Japanese pension funds and not US corporations. US
home-owners with floating mortgages would also be hit.

The wave of rockets fired at the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad has
resulted in 1 death. 10 other people were injured, 3 of them seriously.

A judge in Italy has ordered a crucifix removed from the walls of
classrooms at a primary school. The case was brought by a Muslim
leader. The school had refused to allow a symbol of the Q'ran to be
displayed alongside the crucifix.

Reporters say there have been more explosions in Baghdad following the
rocket attack on the al-Rashid hotel. It's unclear what the explosions are.
Reporters say the sound of blasts in the city is not unusual.

6 am
Up to 11 people have died in bushfires raging nr LA. Firefighters had
been fighting 6 separate fires, but at least 2 have now linked up.
Several of the fires appear to have been deliberately lit.

Oil is down 16 c to $US30.14/bbl.

Midday.
The ASX has managed to hold off the downturn in NY over the weekend,
remaining marginally positive at noon on flat trading. At 12.01 the
All Ords has added 5 pts to 3,271.
}}
========================================
(*) 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 ***
=== end 3/3 ===