NO, NOT THE OIL! #189 (3/4)

[R Kym Horsell]

New Iraqi allies "not squeaky clean": US general
Iraqi Maj Gen Jassim Mohammed Saleh, who served in Saddam Hussein's
Republican Guard, was saluted in Fallujah after US Marines handed
control over in a bid to end a m-long siege that killed 100s in the
city and infuriated Iraqi.
Baghdad (AFP). A United States marine cmdr has admitted that members
of a new Iraqi force deploying in the embattled Sunni stronghold of
Fallujah have a past under Saddam Hussein that is "not squeaky clean".
Asked whether any members of the Fallujah Brigade had been guilty of
human rights violations when serving in the ousted dictator's army,
Gen James Conway said "most of the guys are not squeaky clean, but
they are pretty clean".
His comments came as another snr US military officer said the leader
of the Fallujah Brigade, former Maj Gen Jassem Mohammed Salah,
and his officers had yet to be fully vetted.
Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt, the top US military rep in Iraq, said the
Iraqi force's leadership was now undergoing a full background check,
notably to establish whether Maj Gen Salah or others had been involved
in any crimes under the old regime.
Maj Gen Salah was active in Saddam's feared Republican Guards and
later commanded the 38th Infantry Division for 5 or 6 y, according
to one of Gen Conway's aides.
A high-ranking military official in Baghdad later said Maj Gen Salah's
membership in the Republican Guard was not a crime in itself.
As the probe proceeds, the official added some people in the new
brigade could be removed in the coming days and weeks.
Maj Gen Salah's ability to deliver would soon be put to the test, said
Gen Conway, who commands the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force that has
besieged Fallujah for nearly a month.
"In a few days we will have our 1st convoy go through the centre of
Fallujah ... and we'll expect him to provide security," Gen Conway
said at the Camp Fallujah marine base outside the city.
Gen Conway described the Iraqi force as part of the US-led "military
partnership" and said its leaders fully understand that foreign "terrorists"
and other hard-core fighters in Fallujah "must be killed or captured".
The official in Baghdad said the new force would initially hold the
city's S industrial zone, with the marines forming an outer cordon
about 1 km away.
Tentative plans exist to hand the city's more volatile northern
section to the brigade within the next few weeks, the official said.
Gen Conway said he did not know whether any members of the new force
had fought against Americans in Fallujah, but said many of them "were
prepared to take up arms if we moved against the city".
Hundreds of Iraqis and dozens of marines died last m in Fallujah.
Gen Conway said a plan for a full assault on the city was recently
reversed at about the time former Iraqi generals offered to form the
Fallujah Brigade.
He rejected suggestions the agreement to deploy the Iraqi troops meant a
"withdrawal" or even "retreat" of the US forces positioned around the city.
However, the move was seen as a major victory by those inside the
shattered city.
"We resisted and won," an armed young man, Abu Safaa Mehmadi, told an
AFP correspondent inside the city.
Another fighter, Abu Salem, 60, said: "Baghdad fell in 20 days and we
resisted nearly a m before getting an Iraqi force to look after our security."
Gen Conway said a 1st group of 300 Iraqis showed up as part of the
force Fri, as many again on Sat, with 400 to 500 more expected to join
in coming days.
The Iraqi force is waiting to receive the uniforms, trucks and radio
equipment the Americans have promised them, but have turned down
offers of money, Gen Conway said.
Some of the new troops were manning checkpoints around the city and
had started patrols, Conway added.

Body of missing German security officer discovered
Baghdad (AFP). The body of one of 2 elite German security officers
who disappeared last m as they were accompanying a diplomatic mission
in Iraq has been found and identified, according to the German foreign
ministry. The body was identified by German police experts and was to
be flown home on Sun, ministry rep Walter Lindner said. He declined
to reveal any further details, including the location of the
discovery, "so as not to compromise the continuation of investigations
into the 2nd official". Germany's Spiegel TV reported on Apr 18 that
the 2, who disappeared on Apr 7, had been killed in a "tragic
mix-up" and that the rebels who had killed them, believing they were
US special forces, had apologised.

US has failed in Iraq: Syrian Pres
Doha (AFP/Reuters). The US occupying force in Iraq has not liberated
the country and has failed to bring the promised peace and democracy,
Syrian Pres Bashar Al-Assad said in an interview aired by the
Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV channel.
The US "has not liberated Iraq, nor installed democracy, nor improved
the standard of living in the country. They have failed in Iraq that's
for sure," said Pres Assad in a wide-ranging interview lasting around
90 minutes.
The White House has warned it may slap sanctions on Syria, Iraq's
neighbour, "very soon" under a law meant to punish Damascus for
allegedly supporting terrorism and seeking unconventional weapons.
Pres Assad says it has done all it can to help the US in its "war
against terror" and to control its border with Iraq.
He has also warned Israel that Damascus would consider any attempt to
assassinate Syria-based leaders of militant Palestinian groups as
aggression against Syria.
Targeting leaders of anti-Israel Palestinian groups in Syria would be
"an aggression that will be handled as an aggression," Pres Assad said.
He did not elaborate.
Israeli officials have vowed to kill officials of guerrilla groups
responsible for "terror acts", one of the most prominent of whom is
Khaled Meshaal, the political leader of the militant Islamist group
Hamas, who lives in Syria.
"Even if Israel did not make a threat, the threat is always there. No
one trusts Israel ... the threat has been there since Israel was
created," Pres Assad said.
"Israel expresses itself freely, not through the freedom of speech but
rather through the freedom of killings," he said.
In the past 6 wk Israel has assassinated Hamas's spiritual leader and
co-founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and its Gaza leader Abdul-Aziz al-Rantissi.
Syria describes the militant Palestinian and Lebanese groups that it
supports -- "terrorists" in Washington's eyes -- as freedom fighters.
In his interview, Pres Al-Assad defended the Palestinian resistance
against Israeli occupation forces and said it was legitimate "so long
as it represents what the Palestinian people want.
We do not have the right to evaluate it; only the Palestinians have
that right".
He said there was no change in his country's longstanding position on
the resumption of peace talks with the Jewish state.
"We have always said that we are ready to negotiate with Israel when
the circumstances in Israel are suitable."
He also criticised US Pres George W Bush for his recent pledge to
Israeli Prime Min Ariel Sharon that Israel could keep some W Bank
land and that Palestinian refugees should not expect to reclaim their
homes in what is now Israel.
Pres Bush made the pledge when presented with Mr Sharon's
controversial plan to withdrew Jewish settlements from Gaza as part of
a broader separation of Israelis from Palestinians.

N approves aid by land, thanks S
Seoul (Reuters). N Korea has agreed to accept some aid from the S
for victims of last month's deadly train blast by land, rather than
its previous insistence that supplies should come only by ship or air.
In a letter to S Korea's Red Cross, Pyongyang which strictly blocks
its people from contacting S Koreans -- also accepted Seoul's offer to
send specialists to teach N Koreans how to use equipment for
reconstructing the destroyed village, the unification ministry said in
a statement.
It also expressed gratitude to S for providing the aid.
The S's Red Cross will ship supplies through the heavily-fortified
demilitarised zone dividing the Korean peninsula from the border city
of Paju to N's Kaesong city, a ministry official said.
The supplies includes trucks, televisions, chairs, desks and
blackboards, which are some of 13 items requested by N Korea.
The ministry has not yet decided when to send them.
At least 161 people were killed and 1,300 injured in the catastrophic
explosion on Apr 22 in the N Korean town of Ryongchon on the Chinese border.
The official KCNA news agency said the blast had the force of 100
one-tonne bombs and caused "horrible" damage across a 4 km radius.
S Korea sent 80 tonnes of goods, such as medicine, blankets by air
to Pyongyang on Fri. An earlier aid shipment arrived on Thu at the N
port of Nampo.

Israel kills Palestinian boy ahead of Gaza plan vote
Gaza (Reuters). Israeli troops have shot dead a 8-yo Palestinian
boy in the Gaza Strip witnesses said, a day before Ariel Sharon's
right-wing Likud party votes on his plan to unilaterally pull out of Gaza.
Witnesses said Hussein Abu Eker died after he was hit in the head and
arm by live fire from an Israeli tank during an army raid in Khan
Hounis refugee camp.
The action has sparked clashes with Palestinian gunmen and
stone-throwing youths.
There was no immediate comment from the army on the shooting.
Israeli PM Ariel Sharon's Likud party will vote tomorrow in a
non-binding referendum on his plan to unilaterally evacuate all Jewish
settlements from Gaza and some from the W Bank, which Mr Sharon says
will boost security in Israel.
The plan also calls for Israel to retain large settlement blocs in the
W Bank, which Palestinians call a land grab.
10 more Palestinians, including another child, were also wounded in
the clashes, Palestinian medics said.
It was unclear if any of the injured were militants.
Eker's cousin, Ichlas, said Eker was on his way to pray at a mosque in
the area with his brothers.
"Tanks started to open heavy fire towards the air," she said.
"Hussein fell in front of the mosque and the others fell nr him. He
was bleeding for more than 30 minutes before ambulances could reach
him because of the heavy shooting."
An army rep said that earlier militants had fired an anti-tank missile
at an army force nr an adjoining Jewish settlement. Soldiers fired at
them but did not identify a hit.
Troops were not in Khan Hounis at the time, the rep said.
Elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, witnesses said Israeli soldiers shot and
wounded 3 Palestinians in Rafah refugee camp and nr the village of
Beit Lahiya.
Military sources said 2 militants tried to infiltrate a settlement
near the village and soldiers fired shots in the air and later shots
towards them, but could not confirm if they were hit.
There was no immediate comment on the Rafah shooting.

Norway envoy bids to revive Tamil talks
Colombo. The Deputy For Min of Norway, Vidar Helgesen, has arrived in
Colombo on a mission to revive the peace process between the Sri
Lankan Govt and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. More than
60,000 lives have been lost in the country's long running separatist
conflict. Mr Helgesen will meet Pres Chanrika Kumaratunga this
weekend to discuss how to kick-start peace talks aimed at ending a
decades-long civil war with the Tamil Tigers. A cease-fire brokered
by Norway in Feb 2002 remains in place, but talks aimed at finding a
long-term peace deal collapsed a y ago. The Norwegian team will also
meet with Tamil Tiger leaders. The rebels said this wk that they
would agree to talks based on their plan for self rule in the
Tamil-dominated NE. That demand was rejected by Pres Kumaratunga
earlier this y but she said restarting talks is her govt's top priority.

E Timor to cooperate with Wiranto if elected
In the running: Former Indonesian military chief Wiranto.
Dili (AFP). E Timor Pres Xanana Gusmao says his country will
cooperate with former general Wiranto, indicted for crimes against
humanity in the territory, if he was elected Indonesian president.
"We will support anyone who is elected democratically in the Jul
presidential election [in Indonesia], including Wiranto," Gusmao told
a news conference.
He said good relations between Indonesia and E Timor would not be
affected if Wiranto came to power.
Wiranto has been indicted by prosecutors in E Timor for crimes against
humanity connected with the territory's bloody split from Indonesia in 1999.
He has been selected as the presidential candidate for the Golkar
Party, which ruled Indonesia for 35 y under former president Suharto.
Golkar has claimed victory in the Apr 5 parliamentary election.
United Nations-funded prosecutors in E Timor indicted Wiranto last y
and are seeking an arrest warrant.
They say that as army chief Wiranto failed to curb atrocities by
army-backed militiamen against independence supporters in 1999. He
says he did his best to avoid bloodshed.
More than 1,400 people were killed in the then-Indonesian province
before and after E Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence.
Indonesia will hold its 1st direct presidential election on Jul 5.
Opinion polls show another former general, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
is favoured to win.

Pakistan Heads UN Sec Council
Karachi (Arab News). Pakistan yesterday took over the presidency of
the UN Sec Council at a time of deepening crisis in Iraq that is
causing grave concern around the world.
It will be the 2nd time Pakistan will assume the presidency during its
current 2-y term on the Council.
The presidency of the 15-nation Council rotates monthly according to
the English alphabetical listing of its member states.
Pakistan plans to hold a special Council meeting on UN peacekeeping
operations on May 17. The foreign minister will especially fly to NY
to preside over the meeting which will discuss new peacekeeping
operations. The Council would assess the financial needs and troops
requirements for such operations.
The countries where new peacekeeping operations are being planned
include Sudan, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, and Haiti.
In addition, the Sec Council may also take up the question of
establishing a new UN protection force for Iraq which is expected to
include forces from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia, among
other countries.
A new resolution on Iraq is expected be debated by the Council in
preparation for the withdrawal of the US-led coalition from the
country on Jun 30.
With American casualties in Iraq rising and the war becoming more and
more unpopular in the US, Washington is pushing for UN help, calling
on UN member states for financial and troop contributions.
Special UN Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is currently working on the formation
of an interim govt in Iraq to take over from the coalition, paving the
way for the return of the UN, which pulled out of the country after
its Baghdad office was bombed killing several internat'l civil
servants. The US has already said the new Iraqi dispensation would
have limited authority.
Pakistan has already indicated that it would consider sending troops
to Iraq under a UN flag. Diplomats said the deteriorating situation in
the Middle E will also be debated in the Council.

Simmering NZ crater lake more scary than Mt Doom
Whakapapa Village, NZ (Reuters). NZ's Mount Ngauruhoe starred as
fiery Mount Doom in Peter Jackson's epic film trilogy Lord of the
Rings, but neighbouring Mount Ruapehu is the volcano scientists fear most.
A trio of active volcanoes in the centre of NZ's N Island --
Ngauruhoe, Ruapehu and Tongariro -- form the S tip of the "Rim of
Fire," an arc of active volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean.
A simmering acidic crater lake on Mount Ruapehu, belching steam and
gas that smells like rotten eggs, has been the site of more eruptions
than any other crater lake in the world.
Scientists studying the lake say higher levels signal a greater chance
of a mudflow, and warn that a disastrous mudslide could flow down the
mountain some time between Nov this y and next Mar.
"It's a serious issue and it's preoccupied me for the past 8 years,"
said Harry Keys, a volcanologist at NZ's Dept of Conservation.
Mount Ruapehu's last major eruption was in Jun 1996. The crater lake
erupted into billowing clouds of ash and steam with little warning --
less than 30 minutes after ski lifts had closed and less than 10
minutes after skiers left the crater lake's lip.
Located over the vent of the volcano and partially surrounded by
permanent snow and ice, the Ruapehu's crater lake erupts every one to
3 y and was emptied in major eruptions in 1945 and 1995.
Both times bridges were destroyed.
One of NZ's worst tragedies was in 1953 when the lake partially
emptied on Christmas Eve, washing away a rail bridge at Tangiwai and
killing 151 passengers and crew on board an express train.
"Tangiwai can't be allowed to happen again," said Keys.
* RUMBLINGS
Snow-capped Ruapehu is inside the Tongariro Nat'l Park, about 300
km N of the capital, Wellington. UNESCO designated the park a World
Heritage site in 1991.
Ruapehu, the N Island's highest peak, measures 2,796 m. Its crater
lake, with a temperature of about 86 degrees Fahrenheit despite its
snow-capped rim, is close to the summit and contains about 9 mn cubic
yards of water.
When the level of the lake, now about 95% full, rises another 4.8 m
it may break free, releasing a fast-moving wave with the consistency
of wet cement.
Such an event is likely between Nov and Mar because while water
levels in the lake are low in autumn and winter, during the warmer m
the spring melt and rain drive up the levels.
Another trigger for a lahar -- an Indonesian word for a volcanic
mudflow -- would be volcanic activity.
Ruapehu is showing some signs of volcano unrest, said the New Zealand
Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, with "elevated
hydrothermal activity" in the crater lake.
Small high-frequency earthquakes beneath Ruapehu tapered off during
Easter, followed by 12 hr of volcanic activity, and the volcano has
been quiet since.
"That hazard is always there and many people seem to forget that,"
said Keys. "8 y ago we had the biggest eruptions for 50 years and
heaps of lahars, including ones that destroyed 4 bridges," he said.
* COLLISION ZONE
NZ straddles a zone where the Indian-Aussie and Pacific tectonic
plates meet, causing the upper part of the N Island to slide away from
the lower part of the S Island at a rate of about 4 m every century.
Much of NZ was pushed up out of the sea as recently as 10,000 y ago,
as the never-ending collision causes the landscape to buckle and rupture.
As the Pacific plate slides underneath the Indian-Aussie plate, a hot
spot of volcanic and thermal activity is created in the central N Island.
The plateau that dominates the island is home to a line of volcanoes
and a deep crater now called Lake Taupo, a hole in the N Island as big
as Singapore carved out by massive eruptions 1000s of ya.
The most recent eruption from Taupo, around AD 200, ejected clouds of
dust that caused red sunsets seen as far away as the Roman and Chinese
empires and was the world's biggest volcanic eruption in the last 5,000 y.
The best guess for the next Ruapehu lahar would be Feb 2005, and it is
not possible to prevent them, said NZ's Dept of Conservation.
But scientists are unable to narrow the likelihood of the event beyond
a few months.
About 60 lahars have come down the side of Ruapehu in the past 150
years and the threat of another lahar is growing as the level of the
crater lake rises toward the rim and threatens Whangaehu Valley on the
flanks of Mount Ruapehu.
NZ's indigenous Maori people have long understood the mountain's behaviour.
In the Maori language, "whanga" means large body of water and "ehu"
means muddy -- reflecting how a history of lahars has provided the
name for Whangaehu Valley, the most active lahar path in the world.
Ruapehu translates as erupting crater.
"It's very predictable which way the lahar goes, it goes down the
valley," said Keys. "It's going to be a serious hazard in the upper
part of the valley."

Meteor lights up Perth
Perth. Residents across Perth have reported seeing a huge meteor
across the N W skies overnight. The Mundaring observatory says
people from Armadale, SE of the city, to The Vines in the NE reported
the event which is said to have happened close to 10 o'clock AWST last
night. Some reported seeing a huge glow once the object hit the
horizon. Paul Chester from Dianella told the ABC it looked like a
giant fireball. "I just saw this really bright meteor coming down
probably about a 30 degree angle heading across the NW, then it
disappeared behind some houses and there was a really bright flash,"
he said. "It was sort of brilliant white with an orange tail but it
was really large, I mean much bigger than any I've seen before."

SYD train services return to normal
Services disrupted: Radio communications problems have hampered CityRail.
Sydney. The CEO of CityRail says train services are returning to
normal after a software failure caused the CityRail radio network to
crash early this morning.
Problems with the system were 1st noticed yesterday afternoon.
Vince Graham has apologised for the disruption to services, which has
affected CityRail's estimated 60,000 customers today.
Passengers were 1st warned of the problem when the trains began
operating early this morning.
At the height of the problem, 4 out of 5 services were affected
with train drivers forced to use mobile phones to communicate with
rail controllers.
CityRail was forced to call on the services of bus companies in the
metropolitan area to provide a substitute service.
Mr Graham says inner-city services are now returning to normal.
"We do appear now as we speak to have the software system coming back
up again," he said.
"All of our inner-city services [are] Moving back onto normal
timetables and normal operations.
"Our suburban trains are now operating to a reasonably regular
pattern, but will not operate to timetable for the remainder of today."

Intel cuts prompt DIO inquiry call
Without advice: DIO cut off intel to soldiers in Iraq.
Canberra. The Fed Opp'n is calling for a royal commission into AUS's
Defence Intel Organisation (DIO) after allegations troops were denied
important info during the E Timor conflict.
It is alleged that the organisation's chief, Frank Lewincamp,
suspended the flow of info to troops in Dec 1999 for 24 hr because of
an internal dispute.
Labor's defence rep Chris Evans says the claims need to be investigated.
"Some spat inside Defence caused the intel flow to our troops to be
delayed or shut down -- that's just not good enough," he said.
"We need to know why it happened and make sure it doesn't happen again."
Mr Evans says intel services are vital to the defence of AUS.
"There's a huge question marks about that service, until they're resolved
we're not sure we're getting the defence protection we need," he said.
"Certainly public confidence is not going to be restored until we get
a royal commission that clears the air and satisfies the very serious
concerns that have been raised."

Nurses monitor Vic work bans
Brisbane. The Qld Nurses Union (QNU) say it is following a 2-wk
long industrial dispute in Vic with great interest.
A workload ratio of 5 nurses to 20 patients and a pay rise are at
the centre of the dispute.
It has forced the closure of more than 1,300 beds and the cancellation
of almost 900 operations.
Vic nurses are under intense pressure to call off their work bans.
The QNU's state secretary, Gaye Hawksworth, says its members are
monitoring the situation.
"The Victorian nurses got the ratio, the patient-nurse ratios, a couple of
y ago in an arbitrated decision following an enterprise bargaining
dispute," she said.
"They were the 1st in the world, in fact, so certainly all Qld nurses
are watching what happens down there."

Costello rules out Budget tax increases
Canberra. The Fed Treasurer has ruled out any new taxes or tax
increases in this m's fed Budget. Peter Costello says the Budget to
be handed down on May 11 will insulate AUS from fluctuations in the
global economy, deliver social reform and substantially increase
funding for scientific research. Mr Costello has also revealed the
Govt will this wk announce extra spending on AUS's intel agencies.
Speaking on Channel 10, Mr Costello has refused to confirm the Budget
will include much anticipated income tax cuts. "We'll be announcing
some increased security measures this wk and if, after meeting all of
those expenditures, the economy is strong enough to sustain tax relief
that's what we'll be working for," he said.

Costello promises funding for scientific research
Canberra. Fed Treasurer Peter Costello has indicated there will be a
substantial increase in funding for scientific research in this
months' budget. Newspaper reports say the Govt plans to unveil a $5
billion science and innovation package. Mr Costello has told Channel
Ten, the Govt has been looking at ways to encourage more research and
scientific discovery. "These are important areas for AUS and as part
of that we want to lay down a plan for ongoing investment in the
area," he said. "It's important for AUS's future and it's something
that the Govt's given very close attention to and we'll be saying
something about that in due course."

Mediation de-fuses Wadeye standoff
Darwin. A confrontation provoked by an attack on a young man at the
remote Aboriginal community of Wadeye, in the N Territory, has been
defused without further violence.
A young man from the community 250 km SW of Darwin was attacked with
an axe last night.
A laceration to his head severed an artery and he was flown to Royal
Darwin Hospital.
Angry relatives confronted his attacker's family.
There was a stand-off between 70 members of the community, with some
people wielding sticks and baseball bats.
But Wadeye Police Sgt Dean McMaster says no-one was injured.
"It was more a show of strength, a show of frustration and anger that
a family member had been hurt," he said.
Police organised a community meeting this morning that was conducted
in the local language by elders, members of both families and
traditional owners.
"A lot of it was in Murrinpatha and it seemed to reach a peaceful
outcome," he said.
Sgt McMaster says charges will be laid but no-one has been arrested.

Aboriginal group to take health concerns to UN
Sydney. The Nat'l Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
(NACHO) is to take its concerns about the state of Aboriginal health
in AUS to the UN. NACHO says it will make a presentation to the UN
sub-committee dealing with the internat'l covenant on economic, social
and cultural rights this m. Chairman Tony McCartney says he is hoping
to prompt action from the Fed Govt on the poor state of Indigenous
health. "What I'm hoping to achieve is to table our concerns to the
internat'l community and seek their assistance in being able to get
the Aussie Govt to address these issues," he said.

Housing a "Sophie"s choice" for asylum seekers
Adelaide. Men are not allowed to live with their families in
community housing. The Democrats are calling on the Fed Govt to allow
male asylum seekers in detention at Baxter in SA to join their
families in community housing.
The Democrats leader, Andrew Bartlett, has visited the Baxter
Detention Centre and a community housing project in nearby Port Augusta.
He says that the conditions in the housing project are much better
than at the detention centre, but it remains a difficult situation for
detained families.
"They have the terrible choice of getting the better conditions but
having to be living separate from their from the fathers and
husbands," he said.
"That obviously causes damage in terms of the family unit as well.
"It's a bit of a Sophie's choice for them really."
Meanwhile, there is concern the psychological well-being of 5 child
asylum seekers in Adel will be affected by a Fed Govt decision to
place them in community detention.
Dale West, from the Catholic Centacare agency, says the children face
an uncertain few days while they wait for the Fed Court to decide
whether to grant an interim injunction to prevent their detention.
The Fed Court yesterday criticised the Immigration Min's lawyers for
placing the children under a community detention order, before it had
ruled on the injunction.

Fed Govt all talk, no action on child protection: Democrats
Canberra. The Aussie Democrats say the Fed Govt has been underhanded
in its handling of the detention of 5 child asylum seekers in Adel.
Leader Andrew Bartlett says it shows the Govt is all talk and no
action when it comes to child protection.
The children remain in effective community detention, after the Fed
Govt had their carers and teachers declared detention officers.
It followed a High Court ruling on Thu in favour of the Govt's right
to detain children in immigration centres.
Sen Bartlett says the Govt has institutionalised child abuse.
"There's no need to put all these extra constraints in place and the
fact that the Govt just did it unilaterally, rather than by negotiation
and ignoring a court application that was in place, just shows the
contempt they've got for the overall welfare, or trying to work with
people in the community that are wanting to help," he said.
Meanwhile, it is claimed agencies that care for asylum seekers are
being pressured by the Fed Govt into becoming home detention centres.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre says detainees should be released
into the community.
Rep Pamela Curr says the Govt wants church and community groups to
sign contracts to care for detainees in suburban homes that are
designated as detention centres.
She says community groups should not be pressured to act as prison
guards for the Govt.
"Living in home detention is almost as unhealthy as living in a
detention centre, people are intensely lonely, they're locked up in
4 walls in a suburban home, they're not allowed to even cross the
street to buy milk or bread for fear that DIMIA [Dept of Immigration
and Multicultural Affairs] might be watching," Ms Curr said.

Counting begins for Tassie Upper House seats
Hobart. Polling booths have closed for elections in Tas's Legislative
Council seats of Apsley and Elwick. 4 candidates are standing in
Elwick, which covers Hobart's northern suburbs, where a result is
expected within hours. The Mayor of Glenorchy City Council, Terry
Martin, is a clear favourite, having already received endorsement from
the Prem, Paul Lennon and several unions. The seat of Apsley covers
most of Tas's E coast and midlands. 10 candidates are vying for
election and a result is not expected until the middle of next wk.

Shave's political comeback on track
Perth. WA's former fair trading minister Doug Shave has won
second spot on the Liberal Party's Upper House ticket. Mr Shave lost
his seat at the last W Aussie election in the wake of the state's
finance brokers scandal. After a preselection meeting in Perth today,
sitting member Simon O'Brien won the top spot on the ticket while
Barbara Scott lost her place. Mr Shave says he believes there is a
place for him in politics despite the outcome of the last state
election. "Everyone got dumped at the last election, the premier went
to preferences in the seat of Nedlands," he said. "Jeff Kennett was
probably the best premier that AUS's seen since David Brand or Charles
Court. He reduced a state with a $30 billion debt down to nothing and
they dumped him also, that's politics."

Howard offers funds injection for sugar sector
Canberra. John Howard has announced a cash injection for the sugar
industry. Agforce seeks widening of Howard sugar deal Rural lobby
group Agforce says the Fed Govt has set a significant precedent with
its decision to allow retiring cane-growers to transfer their property
to their children without risking their pensions. Agforce rep Michael
O'Neill says the Govt should consider property transfer concessions
for other primary producers. "If it's recognising the difficulty of
the challenges of succession from one generation to the next, those
problems apply in all industries," he said. "Certainly we'd see it as
being a precedent that should be extended to other parts of primary
industry." The move was contained in the $444 mn assistance package
for the sugar industry announced last wk.

Police defend actions in SYD street protest
Sydney. Tactics used by police during a protest that became violent
in the inner-SYD suburb of Erskineville have been criticised by a
criminologist who witnessed the event.
Clashes between police and protesters erupted about 2 hr into the
protest by the anti-cars and capitalism 'Reclaim the Streets'.
Reclaim the Streets, which is an loose collective of individuals, says
it takes over the streets and "transforms them from traffic zones into
free street festivals".
Flyers advertising today's event encouraged participants to gather at
Vic Park before marching to a street party.
Around 300 people heeded the call.
However brawls broke out when a line of 35 police prevented the
protesters from blocking the road nr Erskineville train station.
Several protesters were placed in a police paddy wagon.
One policeman was injured, while several protesters were dragged along
the ground.
At least 7 were arrested with obstruction and assaulting police and
one was taken to hospital.
Protesters say they were in Erskineville to "reclaim the streets" and
object against pollution.
Many say they are angry about they way police dealt with the
situation, while university criminologist Denise Weelands is also
critical of police tactics.
"That kind of style of policing merely gives oxygen and tends to fuel
the crowd, make it more anxious, make it more aggressive and tends to
increase the problem rather than decrease it," she said.
The protesters are being encouraged to lodge their grievances with the
NSW Ombudsman.
Vicki Sentas, who describes her role as an independent observer, says
people at the front of the protest claim police used excessive force.
"The Legal Observer Project has been talking to witnesses and we'll be
analysing the evidence and we'll be advising people to make complaints
to the NSW Ombudsman," she said.
However police have defended their actions, saying the only force used
by them was to re-open the road.
"Police force was not excessive," Superintendent Vicky Arender said.
"The reason we have the police contingent that we did here today was
for the protection of the community and the protesters themselves."

Why Antarctica will soon be the only place to live -- literally
London (Independent). Antarctica is likely to be the world's only
habitable continent by the end of this century if global warming
remains unchecked, the Govt's chief scientist, Prof Sir David
King, said last wk.
He said the Earth was entering the "first hot period" for 60 mn years,
when there was no ice on the planet and "the rest of the globe could
not sustain human life". The warning -- one of the starkest delivered
by a top scientist -- comes as ministers decide next wk whether to
weaken measures to cut the pollution that causes climate change, even
though Tony Blair last wk described the situation as "very, very
critical indeed".
The PM -- who was launching a new alliance of govts, businesses and
pressure groups to tackle global warming -- added that he could not
think of "any bigger long-term question facing the world community".
Yet the Govt is considering relaxing limits on emissions by industry
under an EU scheme on Tue.
Sir David said that levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere -- the
main "green- house gas" causing climate change -- were already 50%
higher than at any time in the past 420,000 y. The last time they were
at this level -- 379 parts per mn -- was 60 mn y ago during a rapid
period of global warming, he said. Levels soared to 1,000 ppm, causing
a massive reduction of life.
"No ice was left on Earth. Antarctica was the best place for mammals
to live, and the rest of the world would not sustain human life," he said.
Sir David warned that if the world did not curb its burning of fossil
fuels "we will reach that level by 2100".

New worm to infect mn of computers: experts
New worm thought to be harmless.
Helsinki (AFP). A new Internet worm is spreading automatically
worldwide and has probably already infected mn of computers, a Finnish
anti-virus expert told AFP.
The Sasser worm can infect any computer that is switched on and
contrary to most other worms or viruses is not spread by email, said
Mikko Hyppoenen, head of anti-virus research at the Finnish Internet
security firm F-Secure.
"This is one of few worms that spreads automatically. It is enough for
your PC to be on," he said.
The worm typically shuts down the computer, then automatically
re-boots it, repeating the procedure several times.
Mr Hyppoenen said computers behind a firewall should be spared from
the attack.
He stressed that the worm, while inconvenient, was harmless.
"This worm does not have any criminal intentions, unlike the Bagle and
Sobig viruses we saw earlier which took control of computers by
opening back doors to send spam. Sasser doesn't do anything," he said.
"The Blaster virus in Aug 2003 infected mn of computers ... this time
there could possibly be more computers infected," Mr Hyppoenen said.
Mr Hyppoenen said experts did not yet know who was behind the attack
but suspected that it was teenage hackers out to have some fun.
"It was probably some hobbyist, a teenager who has the skills and
wants to show off," he said.
Sasser was infecting computers that had not installed the latest
Microsoft patch in the past 18 days.
Installing the patch fixes the problem, but many users may find that
difficult because their computer keeps on shutting down, Mr Hyppoenen said.
He expected the number of computers affected by the worm to increase
dramatically on Mon, when employees who had worked on laptop computers
at home over the weekend returned to work and hooked them up to the
office network.
Since laptops are not protected by company firewall systems if used on
another server than the company's, they would run the risk of being infected,
and in turn infect the company's network when used Mon in the office.

{{
Midnight.
Australians and Brits are said to be among the dead in Saudi Arabia. A
group of militants reportedly went on a shooting spree, targeting cars
and restaurants.

The Israeli Def Min says he expects Likud will back the Sharon plan.
It was good for Israel, he said. Opposition to the plan was "small"
he added, and could be overcome.

There's been rioting among inmates and guards in a N Afghanistan
prison. Some prisoners have gone on strike and are refusing medical
treatment for TB. 900 prisoners have been held at the prison since
the fall of the Taliban. Many say they are not Taliban fighters.

7 am
The body of 1 of 2 elite German police has been found in Iraq. He was
reportedly killed in "tragic mix-up". He had been mistaken by
guerrillas for a member of the US special forces. German newspapers
reported on the 17th that rebels had apologised for the murder.

The New Yorker magazine has obtained an internal US army report
detailing a litany of prisoner abuses incl beatings with chair legs and
sodomising with brooms.

Midday.
After a night of festivities to mark its historic enlargement, the
European Union now has 10 new members.

Celebrations at the expansion of the European Union have moved to the
Irish capital Dublin this morning.

A US marine cmdr has admitted that members of a new Iraqi force
deploying in the embattled Sunni stronghold of Fallujah have a past
under Saddam Hussein that is "not squeaky clean".

Iraqi prisoners faced numerous "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal
abuses" by US soldiers, including sodomy and beatings, according to a
US Army report quoted by the NY-er magazine.

The Arab League and broadcasters have reacted angrily to images of US
soldiers apparently abusing Iraqi prisoners, which were broadcast
across the volatile region.

As the US-led coalition in Iraq seeks to condemn reported abuses on
prisoners by US soldiers, Brit's Defence Ministry says it is
investigating photographs apparently showing Brit troops abusing an
Iraqi detainee.

Brit's press has exploded angrily at pictures of Brit soldiers
apparently beating and urinating on an Iraqi detainee being held in S Iraq.

CBS has broadcast images of US troops mistreating Iraqi prisoners,
saying an army investigation has found "system wide" problems in the
handling of captured Iraqis.

Fed Treasurer Peter Costello has indicated there will be a substantial
increase in funding for scientific research in this months' budget.

The latest inflation measure for AUS shows the cost of living has risen 2%.

5 pm
4 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq. 2 died when insurgents fired
rockets at a convoy in Amarah. 2 more were killed in NW of Baghdad. 2
Iraqi Civil Defence troops were also killed in the 2nd incident.

200,000 Likud members are now voting on the Sharon Gaza pull-out plan.
PM Sharon has blitzed the airwaves for support, warning rejection of
the plan could force early elections. Observers expect the party to
reject the plan, although 80% of the overall population want Israel to
leave Gaza. Palestinians say a "yes" would destabilise the peace process.

11 pm
American hostage Thomas Hamill has been recovered in Iraq after he
escaped from his kidnappers, S of Tikrit. He emerged from a building
and declared himself of US forces. He's reported to be in good health.
[Later reports say the Mississippi truck driver had a gunshot wound to
his left arm].

Some oil company employees will be evacuated from Saudi Arabia after 5
oil workers were gunned down yesterday.
}}

----------------------------------------
Mon, 03 May 2004.

Asian stocks slip on unease over China
Singapore (Reuters). Asian stocks neared 4-m lows on Mon as
investors fretted over China's plans to temper growth and a Fed
Reserve meeting that could pave the way for a US rate rise.
Holidays in Japan, China and much of SE Asia sapped currency
trade, leaving the dollar little changed. Oil firmed on worries that
shootings at a chemicals plant in Saudi Arabia could herald further attacks.
Concern that Beijing's pledge to cool red-hot economic growth would
crimp demand for its regional neighbours' exports sent Taiwan stocks
sliding as much as 2% before they rebounded sharply.
Concern about China also dented the HK and Aussie markets.
S Korea's biggest chemicals maker, LG Chem Ltd, sank 5% because
its industry sends half its exports to China.
Expectations that a Fed meeting on Tue will set the stage for a rate
rise many expect in Aug also undermined shares.
No one expects the US central bank to raise rates from their 46-y low
of one% on Tue. But Fed watchers said a post-meeting statement needed
to bow to recent strong economic data and free the Fed's hand for
eventual action.
"I think there will be quite a rewrite and I think it will prepare us
for the inevitable," said Greg Valliere, an analyst with Schwab
Soundview Capital Markets in Washington.
An MSCI index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.4% by 0200
GMT to almost match a 4-m low hit on Fri. Taiwan eased 0.1% and HK
and AUS were 0.6% weaker. Singapore was off 0.4% but S Korea gained a 1/3%.
* CALL FOR LOAN CONTROLS
China's banking regulator told banks on Fri they should control loans
to fast-growing sectors such as steel, cement, property and autos.
"On the one hand, US stocks were weak and, on the other hand,
investors closely watched the impact on industrials after China's
comments to slow economic growth," said Kevin Lin, asset manager at
Taiwan's Shinkong Investment Trust.
US stocks will take their cue from the Fed meeting after sliding on Fri.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell almost 1/2% on Fri and the Nasdaq
Composite sank 2%, wrapping up the tech-biased index's worst wk in 2 y.
The dollar's recent rally was starting to show signs of fatigue ahead
of the Fed statement and US payrolls data on Fri.
While higher US interest rates would be a positive for the dollar,
analysts warn it would be a concern for the currency if inflation is
the impetus for the Fed to increase rates.
"Our economists expect that the FOMC [Fed] will drop the word
'patient' from their statement on Tue, and a failure to do so would
likely see the market conclude that a June rate hike is unlikely,"
said Ashley Davies, foreign exchange strategist at UBS.
The euro was trading at around $1.1964 compared with $1.1975 in New
York on Fri. Against the yen the dollar was 110.25 yen versus 110.43 in NY.
US oil rose 0.2% to $37.45/bbl on worries that a weekend shooting at a
chemicals plant in Saudi Arabia may spread to the country's vital oil
sector and disrupt supplies from the world's top exporter. Gold firmed
to $388.75 from $387.20 on Fri.
Japanese markets are closed until Thu. The UK is also on holiday on Mon.

Meat industry disappointed by US trade deal
Sydney. The Aussie meat industry is disappointed with the free trade
agreement with the US but says the deal should be ratified. Meat and
Livestock AUS has emphasised the critical importance of trade with the
US, already the largest export market for beef and sheep meat.
Company rep Dr Peter Barnard says: "Meat and Livestock AUS, despite
being disappointed with the agreement, we do think it was the best
that could be negotiated under the circumstances and therefore support
the ratification of the agreement." The Cattle Council says it wanted
open trade introduced over 9 y, but instead got an 18-y
phase-in. Council president Keith Adams does not call it a free trade
deal, saying: "It falls far short of what our expectations were". He
says the Cattle Council will not oppose ratification of the treaty
because it is the best that could be achieved.

Afghanistan tanker blast kills 34
Kabul (AFP). At least 34 people died and scores more sustained severe
burns when a petrol tanker exploded on a crucial road linking S and NW
Afghanistan, officials said.
The petrol-laden truck blew up in the bazaar of Azizabad, in Shindand
district in the far S of western Herat province, provincial police
chief Zia-Ulldin Mahmodi said.
Although the exact cause of the accident is unknown, officials said
the blast was caused by careless welding nr the tanker.
"The truck explodes and the result is 31 people killed, 35 injured,"
Mahmodi said, speaking from Herat Public Health Hospital where many of
the injured were taken after the blast in a shopping district.
"Probably half of the injured people will also die as their injuries
are very bad, they have 100 per cent burns."
About 31 people had died at the scene while another 3 had succumbed to
their injuries after arriving at Herat hospital, a humanitarian worker
told AFP from the hospital where dozens of people had gathered for
news on their relatives.
26 people were being treated for burns while other casualties were
being dealt with at a clinic in Shindand, rep for French non-govt'l
organisation Medecins du Monde France, Valerie Gentner said.
Gentner said the NGO had brought some medicine to the hospital but,
like most of Afghanistan's medical facilities, it was not equipped to
deal with the emergency.
"I can see around 8 or 9 casualties in the same room," she said.
"They are groaning. We are have brought some drugs but they are still
lacking bedsheets and bandages."
A statement from the office of Pres Hamid Karzai confirmed that at
least 25 people had died and more than 40 were injured in the tragedy.
Karzai said he was "deeply saddened by the news of the terrible
accident caused by a fuel explosion at a gas station in the district
of Shindand, Herat, which resulted in the death of at least 25 and the
wounding of over 40 people".
A rep for the Herat govt, Qarim Massoom, told AFP that the accident
was caused by welding nr the tanker in Shindand, which is about 100km
S of Herat.
"In the incident, between 50 and 100 people are killed and injured,"
Massoom added.
Another govt source, who asked not to be named, confirmed that a truck
carrying 18,000 litres of petrol had exploded in Shindand.

More than 100 dead, 1,000 wounded in Nigeria feud
Lagos (Reuters). Clashes between rival Nigerian tribes of Christians
and Muslims have killed more than 100 and wounded 1,000, a Nigerian
Red Cross official said on Fri.
Details of the latest fighting over farmland and livestock in the
remote communities on the border between the central Plateau and
Taraba states on Tue have been slow to emerge, partly because
telephone lines in Taraba are not working.
"It must have been more than 100, but we cannot confirm a specific
number of dead," the Nigerian Red Cross Society official said.
A local newspaper in Plateau state reported at least 120 killed in
attacks on the villages of Old Sarkin Kudu, New Sarkin Kudu, Auoshima
One, Auoshima Two, Angon Masu and Sabon Layi. The bodies were
scattered across the bush, the paper reported.
These attacks bring the death toll from 2-and-1/2 m of tit-for-tat
fighting to at least 350, according to unofficial figures.
The Muslim Fulani people, nomads who live principally from cattle
herding, and the Christian Tarok, who are subsistence farmers, are
fighting over land and cattle. Most of the killing is done with large
cutlasses and in arson attacks.
The Red Cross official said 24,791 people had been displaced by Tue's
fighting, but that number had fallen to 5,518 by Thu as people
returned to their homes, family or friends.
Earlier fighting between the same groups in S Plateau state had
displaced 6,000 people across 3 neighbouring states.
Abubakar Saddique Muhammed, head of political science at Nigeria's
Ahmadu Bello University, said the dispute was rooted in competing
claims over land between nomadic cattle herders and settled farmers.
But it has been compounded by irresponsible allocation of land by govt
and rising crime levels.
"You cannot reduce the problem to religious differences," he said.
4 people displaced by Tue's attacks, housed in school buildings in
Taraba state, have died from snake bites and complications during
childbirth, a local politician was quoted as saying in the local newspaper.
Local police were not immediately available for comment. Nigerian
authorities routinely do not provide death tolls from this type fighting,
for fear of provoking reprisal attacks by groups allied to the victims.
A similar outbreak of religious fighting in Plateau state capital Jos
in 2001 killed at least 1,000 people. A govt investigation into that
crisis was never released to the public.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in ethnic, religious and
political violence in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, since
the 1999 election of Pres Olusegun Obasanjo ended 15 y of military rule.

More paramilitaries sent to Indonesia's troubled Ambon, toll rises to 38
Ambon, Indonesia, (AFP). Another 100 paramilitary police have been
sent to the troubled Indonesian city of Ambon as the death toll from a
wk of violence between Christian separatists and Muslims rose to 38.
An 18-yo man shot in the head by a sniper on Wed died from his wounds
overnight at the Al Fatah hospital, a doctor there said.
Authorities had on Sat said that 37 people had died in a renewal of
clashes which killed 5,000 over 3 y until a pact was signed in Feb 2002.
The Brimob paramilitary unit adds to the about 400 police and 450
soldiers already sent to Ambon, the capital of Maluku province. "This
morning, we strengthened our force by another company (of men)... we
want to strengthen our force in launching sweep operations," Nat'l
Police Chief Gen Da'i Bachtiar told journalists at the nat'l police
HQ in Jakarta.
The paramilitaries will help disarm the local population of illegal
firearms and home-made bombs.
Ambon appeared calm on Sun and there was no sound of gunshots from the
trouble-spot areas of Tanah Lapang Kecil, Waringin and Batugantung.
"There were some shots still heard yesterday evening, but there were
no reported victims," said a reporter there.
A banned parade by Christian separatists last Sun sparked off the
violence which also injured about 180 people. Hundreds of homes and
many other buildings including the UN mission were set ablaze.
More than 2,000 Muslims and Christians have fled their homes,
according to one crisis centre. Those who stayed behind remained
confined to their respective sectors of the divided city behind
makeshift street barricades.
Thousands of radical fighters, including some from the Al-Qaeda-linked
Jemaah Islamiyah group, joined the Muslim side in the previous conflict.
Officials have portrayed the clashes as between independence
supporters and opponents, rather than Christian-Muslim battles.
Indonesia's population is 87% Muslim but Christians and Muslims live
in roughly equal numbers in the Malukus.

Peru braces for protests after mayor's lynching
Lima (AFP). Peruvian coca growers readied are preparing to march on
the capital Lima to protest what they call Pres Alejandro Toledo's
inattention to local needs, after wave of town council kidnappings and
a mayor's lynching.
Peru's labour unions promised to strike on Mon, in support of the provincial
revolts that threaten Mr Toledo with the 3rd nat'l uprising of his term.
Such revolts were played out last wk after a town mayor lynched in
Ilave on Mon inspired hostage-takings as far N as Peru's Amazon basin.
The revolts also garnered support from Indigenous people in
neighbouring Bolivia, who condemned what they called Lima's
inattention to ethnic Aymara people's demands in Ilave, high in the
mountains and nr lake Titicaca.
Officials sent from Lima did little to smooth things over.
Martin Soto, who works on home rule issues, landed in Tilali in a
helicopter, which locals threatened to seize if he did not leave.
He had suggested local leaders follow legal procedure for removing a
mayor from office.
Lorenzo Torres Calla, a legislator for the S Puno province, which
covers Tilali and Ilave, was run out of town, according to local media.
On Fri, Int Min Fernando Rospigliosi warned that protests "could get
out of hand."
On Thu, 40 lawmakers presented a censure motion against Mr
Rospigliosi, blaming him for the Ilave lynching and demanding that he
resign. The motion will be put to a vote next wk.
Meanwhile, between 5,000 and 7,000 coca growers massed at a municipal
stadium in Chosica, 30 km E of Lima.
The group demanded the release of their leader, Nelson Palomino,
charged with giving verbal support to terrorism and for opposing the
eradication of coca.
Miners across Peru announced that 11,000 of their members put down
their tools Thu for a 48 hour strike, affecting mines in N, S and
central Peru.
Workers are demanding an end to the 12-hr work day, said union leader
Pedro Escate.
They also want to end work sub-contracted through 3rd parties, which
allows mining companies to avoid paying taxes and benefits.
Miners also seek to end payroll deductions for private retirement plans.
On 2 previous occasions, Mr Toledo has imposed a state of emergency to
put down protests of his policies, further eroding his low popularity.
The former shoe-shine boy with a doctorate in economics from Stanford
University has faced opp'n to the free market economic policies he
studied in the US.

Aussie press freedom criticised
Paris (AFP). The Howard Govt has been criticised in a report by media
freedom advocate Reporters Without Borders for stopping journalists
covering the conditions in refugee detention centres.
The annual report says AUS "continued to prevent journalists from
covering the situation of refugees held in camps on Aussie territory
or in neighbouring countries".
It cites the arrest of an ABC journalist who had been covering a
hunger strike at the Woomera detention centre in 2002 and says media
have also been barred by the Govt from detention centres at Port
Hedland, Villawood and Nauru.
In the report, released to coincide with World Press Freedom Day,
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres -- RSF) described
2003 as a "black year" for journalists worldwide, with 42 reporters
killed and more than 120 others still imprisoned.
"More journalists were killed in 2003 than in any y since 1995... A
black y if ever there was one," RSF said.
42 journalists were killed "while doing their job or for their
opinions, mainly in Asia and the Middle E (the Iraq war), compared
with only 25 in 2002," it said.
As many as 766 were arrested, at least 1,460 physically attacked or
threatened and 501 media censored, the Paris-based organisation said.
"Nearly a 3rd of the world's people live in countries without press freedom."
As of Apr 1, 2004, more than 120 journalists remained in prison,
including 30 in Cuba, 27 in China, 14 in Eritrea and 13 in Burma.
RSF bestowed on N Africa and the Middle E the mantle of having the
worst record of press freedom in 2003, noting that 17 journalists were
killed in the region beset by various abuses and reinforced
self-censorship of the media.
"This was the region with least press freedom," it said.
"It had few independent media and journalists in several countries
strictly censored themselves."
15 journalists and 2 media assistants were killed in the region,
including 12 in Iraq, 5 of whom it said were slain by the "very
aggressive" occupying US army.
Aussie journalist Paul Moran was killed covering the Iraq war.
Iran remained the region's biggest jail for reporters in the Middle
E, with 40 imprisoned during the year. One, Canadian-Iranian
photographer Zahra Kazemi, died after being beaten by her jailers.
"Being a journalist in Iran or the Arab world often means not crossing
the red lines set by the authorities if you want to avoid the
repression of long-established dictatorships, authoritarian regimes or
paper democracies," RSF said.
* Africa
RSF was damning in its report on Africa.
"Independent news media are becoming scarce throughout Africa and
journalists continue to flee with a heavy heart.
"Journalists must face the wrath of aging regimes clinging to power
and protective of their authority. They all balk at liberalisation,
especially when broadcasting is involved," it said, blaming the
increased risk in media work squarely on ongoing wars and intermittent
fighting throughout the continent.
2 journalists were killed in Ivory Coast and a 3rd probably executed
in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Asia, RSF said 16 journalists were killed in the region in 2003 and
at least 200 jailed, and in many cases tortured.
"Prison conditions were deplorable and torture was common practice."
"No one needs reminding that N Korea has no idea what press diversity
is and China discourages anything that is not propaganda," it said,
adding that 190 regional news media were hit by censorship.
Working conditions for journalists in much of the former Soviet Union
remained grim, more than a decade after the break-up of the
totalitarian superpower.
Media freedoms in most countries of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS), which includes all but the Baltic former Soviet
republics, are only deteriorating, RSF said.
Conditions for journalists are especially harsh in Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, whose presidents are
included on RSF's media "predator" list.
The 10 nations in eastern Europe and the Mediterranean that joined the
European Union at the weekend largely respected press freedom during 2003.
"No journalist in the region was murdered in 2003 because of their
work," RSF said, criticising authorities in EU candidates Romania and
Turkey for harassment of journalists.
In the Balkans, advances in press freedom "remained fragile," it said.
As for the Americas, RSF said a "lopsided division endured. Press
freedom is generally respected in most countries, but is violated
every day in Cuba, Haiti and Colombia," the latter of which saw 4
journalists killed in 2003.

Iraqi prisoner details abuse by Americans
Najaff (AP). Dhia al-Shweiri spent several stints in Baghdad's
notorious Abu Ghraib prison, twice under Saddam Hussein's rule and
once under American. He prefers Saddam's torture to the humiliation of
being stripped naked by his American guards, he said Sun in an
interview with The Associated Press.
America's top general, Gen Richard Myers, said Sun there was no
evidence of "systematic abuse" and the actions of "just a handful"
have unfairly tainted all American forces.
However, Amnesty Internat'l said it has uncovered a "pattern of
torture" of Iraqi prisoners by coalition troops, and called for an
independent investigation into the claims of abuse.
The 30-yo al-Shweiri, who used to work in a fabric shop, is a die-hard
fighter in the al-Mahdi Army, the fanatic militia of a Shiite Muslim
cleric who has vowed to take on the Americans.
Al-Shweiri said that while jailed by Saddam's regime, he was
electrocuted, beaten and hung from the ceiling with his hands tied
behind his back.
"But that's better than the humiliation of being stripped naked," he
said. "Shoot me here," he added, pointing between his eyes, "but don't
do this to us."
For months, human rights groups and former prisoners had complained of
mistreatment at detention centres but their protests were widely
dismissed as politically motivated until the US command started an
investigation in Jan. 6 American soldiers are now facing courts-martial.
The allegations exploded onto the world stage this past wk after CBS'
"60 Minutes II" broadcast images allegedly showing Iraqis stripped
naked, hooded and being tormented by their US captors.
An internal US Army report found that Iraqi detainees were subjected
to "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses," according to The
NYer magazine.
On Sat, Brit's Daily Mirror newspaper published a front-page picture
of a Brit soldier apparently urinating on a hooded prisoner. The
newspaper said it had been given the pictures by serving soldiers from
the Queen's Lancashire Regiment.
Dan Senor, rep for the Coalition Provisional Authority, said the US
investigation will be full and aggressive. "Careers will be ended and
criminal charges are going to be levelled," Senor said on CNN.
Al-Shweiri said he was not surprised to see TV images of smiling US
soldiers posing by naked, hooded inmates who, in one photograph, were
piled in a human pyramid.
Al-Shweiri, who was arrested by the Americans in Oct, said he was
asked to take off his clothes only once and for about 15 minutes.
"I thought they wanted me to change into the red prison uniform, so I
took off my clothes, down to my underwear. Then he asked me to take
off my underwear. I started arguing with him but in the end he made me
take off my underwear," said al-Shweiri, who was too embarrassed to go
into too much detail.
He said he and 6 other prisoners -- all hooded -- had to face the wall
and bend over a little as they put their hands on the wall.
"They made us stand in a way that I am ashamed to describe. They came
to look at us as we stood there. They knew this would humiliate us,"
he said, adding that he was not sodomised.
"They were trying to humiliate us, break our pride. We are men. It's
OK if they beat me. Beatings don't hurt us, it's just a blow. But no
one would want their manhood to be shattered," he said.
"They wanted us to feel as though we were women, the way women feel
and this is the worst insult, to feel like a woman," al-Shweiri said.
Al-Shweiri's account could not be independently verified.
He said the Americans arrested him along with his father and brother
in the Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, accusing him of
belonging to the al-Mahdi Army because he had an automatic weapon in
his house and some headbands with Islamic sayings on them. His father
and brother were released shortly after the arrest.
Al-Shweiri insisted he wasn't involved in any religious or political
group at the time. He worked in a fabric shop in Sadr City, attending
Fri prayer sermons at his neighbourhood mosque.
He said he felt gratitude to the Americans for toppling Saddam, who
had barred many Shiite public gatherings and whose regime arrested
al-Shweiri twice.
The 1st time came 12 y ago, when he was held for 19 m. He was arrested
again in 1999 and sentenced to life in prison, charged with belonging
to the then-banned Islamic al-Dawa Party, he said. He was freed when
Saddam pardoned prisoners at the end of the same year.
"I hated Saddam so much that when the Americans came, I viewed them as
liberators. I was happy and supported them. But soon it became clear
that they are no liberators but occupiers," he said. "I had seen how
oppressed people were under Saddam and I refused to give in to
oppression and injustice. We must fight oppression."
When al-Shweiri left American detention, he said his hatred for Saddam
was replaced with one for America and 2 m ago he joined the al-Mahdi
Army of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Now with the future of the al-Mahdi Army uncertain, many militiamen
are worried. The Americans have demanded the militia be disbanded and
that al-Sadr, who is accused of involvement in the death of a rival
cleric, turn himself in.
"If Seyed Moqtada orders us to disband, we will. If he orders us to
die, we will die. And if he tells us to live, we will live. We have
nothing to do with the Americans and what they demand from us,"
al-Shweiri said.

US ignored Iraqi abuse: report
Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal.
NY (AFP). The US military knew troops had abused Iraqi prisoners for
m before graphic, humiliating photographs surfaced last wk, a
journalist who revealed a US army report said.
"There were 3 investigations, each by a major general of the army,"
Seymour Hersh told the CNN program Late Edition.
"Clearly somebody at a higher level understood there were generic problems."
Hersh was speaking after his article in The New Yorker revealed a
secret army investigation by Maj Gen Antonio Taguba, which resulted in
discipline and courts-martial for troops involved in the documented abuse.
"Specifically, Taguba found that between Oct and Dec of 2003 there
were numerous instances of 'sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal
abuses' at Abu Ghraib," a US-run prison in Baghdad.
Hersh said the abuses went far beyond those portrayed in the widely
broadcast photographs of sexual abuse, nudity and humiliation that
have angered the Arab world.
However, the 53-page report also made it clear that the troops would
not have attempted to break down prisoners in this way unless
higher-ups or intel agents wanted them to soften the prisoners up for
interrogation -- or, euphemistically, to "set the conditions" for the
session, Hersh said.
Taguba's report found personnel assigned to the 372nd (Military
Police) Company, 800th MP Brigade were "directed to change facility
procedures to set the conditions for [Military Intel] interrogations".
Army intel officers, CIA agents and private contractors "actively
requested that MP guards set physical and mental conditions for
favourable interrogation of witnesses," Taguba wrote.
Hersh reported that the investigation identified abuses such as
"breaking chemical lights and pouring the phosphoric liquid on
detainees; pouring cold water on naked detainees; beating detainees
with a broom handle and a chair; threatening male detainees with rape;
allowing a military police guard to stitch the wound of a detainee who
was injured after being slammed against the wall in his cell;
sodomising a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps a broom stick,
and using military working dogs to frighten and intimidate detainees
with threats of attack and, in one instance, actually biting a detainee."

More Iraqi torture claims to come: editor
London (ABC, Kirsten Aiken). The Brit tabloid newspaper that
published photographs purportedly showing Brit troops torturing and
abusing a hooded Iraqi prisoner claims it has been given further
details of improper conduct by coalition servicemen in Iraq.
The Daily Mirror's editor Piers Morgan has defended the newspaper from
criticism by sources close to the accused outfit, the Queen's
Lancashire Regiment.
They suggest the photographs could be a hoax because they show several
items which were not issued to troops for their service in Iraq.
In a statement, Mr Morgan said the 2 soldiers who provided the
pictures have rebutted the criticisms.
He confirmed the sources have provided new allegations of improper
conduct, which they claim have been common knowledge among Brit
servicemen in Basra for months.
* US allegations
Meanwhile, the top military officer in the US has admitted he can not
rule out the possibility of wide-scale abuses of prisoners in Iraq by
US forces.
Gen Richard Myers says he has not yet seen an internal Army report
completed more than 2 m ago.
The document is said to contain what is termed "the sadistic, blatant
and wanton criminal abuses" of Iraqi prisoners by US forces, including
beatings and sodomy.
Gen Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has acknowledged
the military is being investigated throughout the region, including in
Afghanistan.
"There is no, no evidence of systematic abuse in the system at all,"
he said. "We've paid a lot of attention of course, in Guantanamo as well.
"We review all the interrogation methods. Torture is not one of the
methods that we're allowed to use and that we use.
"I mean it's just not permitted by internat'l law, and we don't use it."

Brit may boost troops by 4,000
London (Seattle Times). Brit has decided to boost its troop strength
in Iraq by up to 4,000, about 2,000 of whom would patrol the Shiite
flash point town of Najaff, the Sun Telegraph newspaper said in
today's edition.
The Ministry of Defense denied any such decision had been made. "We
continue to monitor troop numbers in consultation with our coalition
partners," a rep said yesterday.
The Brit govt has said for more than a wk that it is discussing
sending troops to replace 1,300 Spanish soldiers who are withdrawing
from Najaff, which has seen heavy fighting between coalition forces and
the militia of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The Sun Telegraph quoted an unnamed Ministry of Defense official
saying the decision had been made as a signal that Brit, Pres Bush's
strongest ally in Iraq, remained committed.
"Not sending troops was never really an option because of the message
it would have sent to the rest of the coalition," the official said.

Iraqi, US talks planned to resolve Najaff standoff
Najaff. An Iraqi delegation plans to meet with US officials today to
discuss a 5-point proposal for ending the nearly one-m standoff in
Najaff between US forces and Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whom US
cmdrs have vowed to capture or kill.
Representatives of al-Sadr have already talked with a delegation of
tribal leaders about the proposal, which calls for the cleric's
militia to leave Najaff, and for al-Sadr not to be jailed on a murder
charge until a new govt is formed, according to Hakem al-Shibli, a
member of the negotiating team.
The mediators -- made up of tribesmen and a former judge -- received
the blessing of the office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini
al-Sistani, Iraq's most snr and influential Shiite cleric, al-Shibli said.
He said Najaff's tribes would reject any American demand to arrest
al-Sadr, who is wanted under an Iraqi warrant in the death of a rival
cleric last year.
The new proposal calls for withdrawal of coalition forces from the
centre of Najaff and the nearby city of Kufa, no US patrols in Najaff
and Kufa, a guarantee al-Sadr's militia will refrain from shooting at
coalition troops, an end to any armed presence in Najaff, and a pledge
that legal procedures against al-Sadr be left for a new elected govt.

New Polish PM rejects Iraq troop withdrawal
Warsaw (AFP/BBC). Poland's prime minister designate Marek Belka has
signalled that Polish troops would remain in Iraq despite growing
calls for the soldiers to leave the war-shattered country.
"A particular interest should be paid to completing the mission in
Iraq with success," Mr Belka said.
His predecessor Leszek Miller, who stepped down hours earlier, call
for Polish troops leave Iraq as soon as possible, but only under a
joint agreement with the US-led coalition.
"My advice to my successor would be that he should not make any
decisions that would destabilise the situation in Iraq," Mr Miller said.
"However, I think that we should also consider the possibility of
withdrawing Polish troops to Poland as soon as possible, and it will
be possible when the Iraqis will be able to take over responsibility
for their country and also for their security."
"One thing is absolutely necessary to understand: Iraq must be a
country for Iraqis."
With almost 2,500 troops in Iraq, Poland is one of the major contributors
to the internat'l coalition force and commands a zone S of Baghdad.
Mr Belka, who has run economic policy in Iraq for the coalition, said
in a speech at the presidential palace that the issue of Poland's
involvement in Iraq should be resolved "according to Poland's nat'l interest".
His appointment on Sun by Pres Aleksander Kwasniewski must be approved
by the Lower House of Parliament.

Tehran says US has taken Saddam's place in Iraq
Tehran (AFP). Iran says the US had taken Saddam Hussein's place as
the foe of the Iraqi people, following the circulation of pictures of
US troops abusing Iraqi prisoners.
"One y after Saddam's collapse, the Iraqis dare not celebrate his
fall, but they are fighting the Americans, which means that the Iraqis
believe that the US has taken Saddam's place," Iranian Foreign
Ministry rep Hamid Reza Asefi said in his weekly press conference.
The images depicted prisoners, some naked, in humiliating, sexually
suggestive poses.
Some of the pictures showed US military personnel pointing and
laughing at prisoners.
The US military says the abuse involved up to 20 prisoners and has
launched 3 separate inquiries.
6 of its personnel have already been charged with a series of criminal
offences.
"The US is in Iraq only to get oil and protect its long-term interests
there," Mr Asefi added.
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for his part said: "The
ongoing realities in Iraq indicate that the American slogans in
defence of human rights, freedom and democracy are false."
Iran has no diplomatic ties with the US and was strongly opposed to
the US-led attack on its neighbour Iraq.

Bremer takes back statements about Bush
Baghdad (AP). L Paul Bremer, the US administrator in Iraq, said Sun
he regrets a statement he made more than 6 m before the Sep 11
attacks that the Bush Admin was "paying no attention" to terrorism.
Bremer said any implied criticism that Pres Bush was not acting
against terrorism was "unfair."
Ahead of the Nov election, Bush is facing criticism he didn't make
terrorism his No 1 priority before the attacks on the Pentagon and
World Trade Center and then weakened the war on terror by invading
Iraq and shifting the focus from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda
network. The resurfacing of Bremer's comments added to Admin
frustrations.
At a McCormick Tribune Foundation conference on terrorism on Feb 26,
2001, Bremer said, "The new Admin seems to be paying no attention to
the problem of terrorism. What they will do is stagger along until
there's a major incident and then suddenly say, 'Oh, my God, shouldn't
we be organised to deal with this?'
"That's too bad. They've been given a window of opportunity with very
little terrorism now, and they're not taking advantage of it."
Bremer made the speech after he had chaired the Nat'l Commission on
Terrorism, a bipartisan body formed by the Clinton Admin to examine US
counterterrorism policies.
In a statement Sun, Bremer said his remarks 3 y ago "reflected my
frustration" that none of his commission's recommendations had been
implemented by Clinton or the new Bush Admin.
"Criticism of the new Admin, however, was unfair. Pres Bush had just
been sworn into office and could not reasonably be held responsible
for the Fed Govt's inaction over the preceding 7 m," Bremer's Sun
statement said.
"I regret any suggestion to the contrary. In fact, I have since
learned that Pres Bush had shared some of these frustrations, and had
initiated a more direct and comprehensive approach to confronting terrorism
consistent with the threats outlined in the Nat'l Commission report.
"I am strongly supportive and grateful for the Pres's leadership and
strategy in combating terrorism and protecting American nat'l security
throughout his 1st term in office."

Ex-dictator's son leads in Panama poll
Panama City (Reuters). A former dictator's son with a pro-US trade
agenda holds a sizable lead in early results from Panama's
presidential elections on Sun. Martin Torrijos had 43% of the vote
with almost 4% of polling stations counted. His closest challenger,
former president Guillermo Endara, had 30%. The initial results were
in-line with privately conducted polls before the vote. Election
officials said they expected to see a conclusive trend by around
7.00 pm [local time]. In an election that often seemed more about
Panama's violent past than its stable present, Mr Torrijos campaigned
heavily on the popularity of his father. Omar Torrijos remains
beloved for negotiating the 1977 treaty that bound Washington to
handing over control of the Panama Canal in 1999. It is the 1st
election since Panama took over the canal.

Saudi attack, Iraq unrelated: Tyson
Aussie civilian shot dead in Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh (AAP). AUS's involvement in the war in Iraq had not made
Aussies greater targets for terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia, AUS's
ambassador to Saudi Arabia said.
Aussie Richard Anthony Mason was one of 4 westerners killed by suspected
al-Qaeda terrorists on a shooting spree in the Saudi port of Yanbu.
Ambassador Bob Tyson said he did not believe the attack was linked to
AUS's role in the Iraq war.
He said it appeared terrorist elements in Saudi Arabia had made the
decision in the past 12 m to carry out attacks in Saudi Arabia,
including on Saudi targets.
"I don't believe that we are any greater a target as a result of
events in Iraq," Mr Tyson told ABC radio.
"And if you look at the targets that have been hit in the kingdom,
particularly recently, unfortunately for our host country many of the
people who have been killed and wounded in those attacks have been
Saudis and have been other Arabs, have been Muslims, have been
innocent women and kids, have been foreigners and a wide range of people."
Mr Tyson said it was not clear if the terrorist attack in Yanbu would
lead to many of the 3,420 Aussies in Saudi Arabia choosing to leave
the country.
"There has not been a general exodus, whether the indiscriminate
nature of yesterday's incident in Yanbu will make a difference, I
don't know," he said.
AUS continues to advise its nat'ls to defer non-essential travel to
Saudi Arabia.

Iraq war fuelling terrorism, panel of Arab experts says
Jidda, Saudi Arabia (NY Times). A string of significant terrorist
attacks all within days of each other in major Arab capitals signals
that the war in Iraq is instigating the very kind of extremism it was
supposed to curtail, Arab officials and analysts said Thu.
The attacks have taken place in Damascus, Syria; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;
and Amman, Jordan, and the officials believe they were the acts of
terrorist cells formed throughout the region in response to both a
call by the founder of the al-Qaeda network, Osama bin Laden, to rise
up and strike the W and the bloody images of Americans killing Iraqis.
There are as yet no direct indications that any structural or
organisational ties link the loose-knit groups committing such acts,
the analysts said. Rather, they are bound by a common ideology of
jihad, or holy war, and a common enemy: the West, particularly the US,
and Arab govts they view as traitors to Islam.
"The American policy in Iraq created a chaotic atmosphere, which has a
ripple effect across the region, inspiring chaotic, random
operations," said Mohammed Salah, an expert on extremism and a writer
for Al Hayat, a pan-Arab newspaper in London.
Investigators have yet to uncover any formal links among the 3 attacks.
"I doubt they were coordinated; I say this partly because of the lack
of professionalism in the attacks in Saudi Arabia," Prince Saud
al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, told a gathering of editors at
the NY Times on Wed. "Now they are using targets of opportunity, not design."
The bombing outside the traffic police HQ in Riyadh last wk seemed
partly inspired by the fact that it was one of the few significant govt
buildings in the Saudi capital not ringed by massive concrete barriers.
The experts noted that there is a tendency to blame al-Qaeda for
everything when there may be no tie other than sympathy. "Each
operation can inspire a cell in another country to act," Salah
said. "They inspire each other, but they don't necessarily contact
each other or know each other."
On the other hand, the experts noted that all such cells used to be
isolated by nat'lity. The groups that went to Afghanistan to train
together all tended to stay together and take the fight to their own
countries: Algerians to Algeria, Egyptians to Egypt. But the movement
has become much more fluid now that those in the jihad movement are
being chased around the world, with different nat'lities showing up in
attacks in different locations. Those who fought in Afghanistan,
Chechnya or other conflicts probably know each other, although they
may not be in contact.
The experts said that true al-Qaeda operations tend to have
similarities, particularly a spectacular target for maximum publicity
at minimal cost.

Customs seizes 2,800 guns in HK
HK (AP). HK customs officials seized 2,800 machine guns and 20,000
unloaded magazines in transit from Malaysia to the US, a rep said.
Transshipment of arms through HK with a licence is allowed, but Customs
and Excise Dept rep Richard Law said the shipment seized on Fri wasn't
licensed. The second-hand arms were found in 2 freight containers, he
said, adding that no bullets were found. Law said no arrests were
made and that officials were still investigating. He said it wasn't
clear where exactly in Malaysia they were from or where in the US they
were being sent to.

Islamic Jihad listed as terror band
Canberra (AAP). The Fed Govt officially listed terror group
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as a terrorist organisation under
Aussie counter-terrorism laws. A-G Philip Ruddock said the govt had
gazetted a regulation proscribing PIJ.
Under AUS's terrorism laws, listing of PIJ makes it an offence to
belong to, recruit for, train with or provide training, or make funds
available to the organisation, whether in AUS or abroad.
"Listing this group as a terrorist organisation will serve to deter
Aussies from any inadvertent involvement in their activities," Mr
Ruddock said in a statement.
"The govt will not tolerate any involvement in groups or activities
that threaten the safety and security of Aussies and Aussie interests."
Mr Ruddock said members of listed terrorist organisations were
committing a serious criminal offence and they faced prosecution and
penalties of up to 25 y imprisonment.
"Law enforcement agencies will pursue those that commit terrorist
offences to the full extent of the law," he said.
PIJ was founded in 1979-80 in Egypt and it and terror group HAMAS are
regarded as responsible for a significant number of terrorist attacks
and suicide bombings in Israel and Palestine in recent years.
PIJ hasn't operated outside the Middle E and has not yet targeted W
interests, although it has threatened to do so.
Mr Ruddock said the Aussie Security Intel Organisation (ASIO) assessed
that PIJ was preparing, planning and fostering the conduct of
terrorist operations.
"The actions or threatened actions which the PIJ are assessed to be
involved in would, if successfully completed, cause serious physical
harm and death to persons and serious damage to property," he said.

Maoist rebels cause more than mn dollars damage in attacks in Nepal
Kathmandu (AFP). Maoist rebels attacked development and
infrastructure projects in rural Nepal, causing more than $1 mn of
damage ahead of a general strike, police said.
More than 150 Maoists launched a nighttime raid on a building
providing agricultural training in the SE Dhanusha district, setting
off a bomb and torching 14 govt-owned vehicles, police said Sun.
They also bombed an irrigation project, a bridge and a govt
transportation office in the district, police said.
No one was injured, but a police officer estimated damage at nearly 90
mn rupees [$US1.28 mn].
The attacks came before a day-long strike begun in the troubled
district called by the Maoists to protest alleged killings of their
activists by security forces.
The rebels plan a nationwide strike from May 18 to 20.
The Maoists, who want to overthrow the monarchy, have regularly
demolished infrastructure in their bid to rid the countryside of any
signs of the Kathmandu-based govt.
The insurgency has claimed more than 9,500 lives since 1996.

Thailand to send more troops to troubled south
Bangkok. Thai troops trained as peacekeepers in E Timor are to be
deployed in the Muslim S of Thailand to help avert further attacks
after last wk's bloody clashes. 2 battalions have been ordered to
reinforce the military presence in the south, where forces are on high
alert for fear of reprisals. About 108 militants were killed in Wed's
clashes, after they mounted disastrous raids on police stations and
checkpoints. Thailand has defended its handling of the violence and
rejected growing internat'l calls for an investigation into the use of
such force against young rebels armed mostly just with machetes. The
Interior Min says the response was justified in light of 4 months
of violence against govt officials and security forces.

Alleged mastermind behind Djindjic killing surrenders
Belgrade (Reuters). The alleged mastermind of the March 2003
assassination of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic has surrendered
to Serbian police after a y on the run, nat'l security chief Miroslav
Milosevic said.
He told state RTS television that Milorad Lukovic, known as Legija,
had given himself up in a house in a Belgrade city suburb.
He added the suspect was under the influence of alcohol.
Mr Djindijc, a pro-Western reformist who helped topple former Yugoslav
strongman Slobodan Milosevic, was killed by a sniper in central
Belgrade on March 12 outside govt offices.
The gunman, Zvezdan Jovanovic, allegedly confessed to the
assassination but during his ongoing trial defence lawyers have said
he spoke under duress.
Jovanovic said he acted from patriotic motives.
Lukovic has been Serbia's number one fugitive for the past year, far
more than Bosnian Serb war crimes suspects Radovan Karadzic and Ratko
Mladic who are urgently sought by the UN and Western powers.
Lukovic, 38, was the former cmdr of the police Red Berets special
operations unit and a former paramilitary leader.
2 former members of that unit were killed during a police manhunt
following Mr Djidjic's assassination.
Investigators have denied reports that 3 bullets were fired at Mr
Djindjic. A pathologist's report said he was killed by one bullet and
another bullet wounded a bodyguard.

WHO widens probe of Chinese SARS
Beijing (AP). Internat'l health experts have widened their probe into
China's latest SARS outbreak after the govt confirmed another case of
the deadly respiratory disease.
So far, China's cases of the highly contagious ailment are limited to
people who worked at Beijing's Institute of Virology -- where SARS
samples are kept -- and others who had close contact with them or
people infected by them.
The Ministry of Health said one of the institute's lab workers,
surnamed Yang, was confirmed to have SARS after being hospitalised for
more than a wk as a suspected case.
The announcement raised China's confirmed cases to 6. One of the
confirmed has died, while another 3 patients remain hospitalised as
suspected SARS cases.
Meanwhile, mns of Chinese boarding planes and trains for the week-long
May Day holiday were being screened for SARS symptoms in an attempt to
contain the disease.
The World Health Organisation says the cases aren't a public health
threat because they're limited to a small group with a clear chain of
transmission.
The agency blames lab security for the outbreak, but has yet to nail
down exactly what happened.
"It still remains very uncertain, the source of this infection," said
Dr. Julie Hall, SARS team leader for WHO in Beijing. "This is going to
take some time."
She said WHO experts visited the hospital where 2 sick lab workers
were treated and where a nurse has since come down with the disease.
They had inspected the lab earlier, but Hall said the visit produced
few clues.
The lab and its equipment are new, she said, and there were no obvious
spills reported. Experts will need to interview more researchers at
the lab to learn their day-to-day practices and figure out what went
wrong, she added.
On Sat, China confirmed a 53-yo woman who died last wk was the world's
1st SARS death this y. Her daughter, surnamed Song, worked at the lab
and is also a confirmed case.
The other confirmed cases are a nurse who treated the daughter, and
the nurse's mother and aunt.
Hundreds of people who had contact with them and the suspected SARS
patients are isolated and under medical observation.
SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, sparked a global health
crisis last y when it killed 774 people worldwide and infected 1000s.

"Flesh-eating" disease hits Canada
One dead, one in serious condition
Ottawa (AFP). A woman has died and another patient is listed in
serious condition following a new outbreak of the so-called
"flesh-eating" disease in Canada.
Both patients were treated at St Joseph's Hospital in Saint John, New
Brunswick, where the surviving patient remained in serious condition
Sun with necrotising fasciitis, better known as flesh-eating disease,
hospital officials said.
A 37-yo woman and another patient were discharged from the hospital
after undergoing surgery last wk, the hospital said. They were both
subsequently rushed back to hospital and kept in isolation.
Hospital authorities said some hospital workers and others who may
have been in contact with the 2 have been given antibiotics in the
hope of stopping the disease from spreading.
Necrotising fasciitis begins with streptococcus A bacteria. Most who
are exposed to the bacteria don't get sick and even among those who do
become ill, very few get flesh-eating disease. The disease however
strikes rapidly and is frequently fatal.
In 1994, former fed cabinet minister Lucien Bouchard, then premier of
Quebec, lost a leg when he was struck with necrotising fasciitis.
The rep at St John's Hospital said it was not yet known how or why the
latest outbreak occurred.

Ready for the "end game" in forming new govt
Washington. The UN and US envoys this wk will launch a final push to
form a new Iraqi govt. Secret discussions at the UN last wk were held
to expedite filling 4 leadership jobs and 25 cabinet posts, according
to US officials. "When [UN special envoy Lakhdar] Brahimi goes in,
he's almost ready to start naming names. He's ready to start pulling
things together. He's into the end game. He's created a structure,"
said a State Dept official familiar with the Iraq talks. "We could go
from political anarchy to the end game in a few days." Muhammed Bahr
Uloum, a prominent Shiite member of the Governing Council, warned Fri
that Iraqis would rise up if the UN tries to pick the new govt. "We
are not under age in need of a guardian," Uloum said. "Iraqis are not
a herd of 27 mn people to be directed by Brahimi and the coalition.
Iraqis will take to the streets if Brahimi insists on his view."
=== end 3/4 ===