Tunisian Muslim says apologise to Baha'is

November 20, 2005

A Tunisian Muslim academic has called on Muslims to reconcile with Baha'is and followers of other religions. He has also called on involved Muslims to apologise to the Baha'is that have been humiliated and denigrated in Muslim coutries.

Dr Iqbal Al-Gharbi, a psychology lecturer at the Al-Zaytouna University in Tunis said that many peoples across the world were asking for forgiveness for past wrongs, such as the Catholic Church, who asked for forgiveness for its treatment of Jewish people, and France which apologised for the complicity of the Vichy regime. She said that, Muslims, by contrast, usually consider themselves to be the victims and usually innocent of any wrongs.

Al-Gharbi said Muslims should reconcile with Christian and Jewish minorities who lived in Muslim countries, and to Africans who suffered in the Arab slave trade. She said they should also reconcile with "small schools of Islamic thought" such as the Ismaili, Baha'i, Alawite and Druze.

Baha'is do not consider themselves to be a school of Islam but instead an independent world religion. They protest persecution in Iran (which has the largest Baha'i population of any Muslim-majority country) including execution, imprisonment, torture, deprivation of property and exclusion from education.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stated in its 2005 report that Baha'is are repressed in Iran and Egypt, and face execution, imprisonment and discrimination. Forum 18, the Norwegian human rights organisation has also reported discrimination against Baha'is in Muslim-dominated Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The Government of Iran maintains that the Baha'i Faith is not a religion but an "espionage establishment", with links to the Israeli, British and American governments. Other Muslims consider Baha'is to be apostates - Muslims who have abandonned their religion - and this justifies discrimination.

APEC 2005 wraps up

November 20, 2005

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC 2005 wrapped up this weekend with trade impasse unresolved. Member countries fell short of blaming EU for causing the impasse. The EU has been largely criticized for not openning up it's own agriculture market. South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said "The leaders here ... are basically saying that now the ball is in Europe's court".

Member countries talked of high oil prices hurting their economies and agreed on energy efficiency, conservation and diversification. Supply and demand issues were not clarified.

Sri Lankan president appoints fellow hardliner as PM

November 21, 2005

The recently elected president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse has upset some with the appointment of a fellow hardliner, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake as the country's Prime Minister. The Sinhala nationalist, Mr Wicremanayake is a former holder of the post during Chandrika Kumaratunga's presidency in 2000 and 2001.

Most noticably hit by the news were the country's stock markets. Markets in Colombo fell 7% on the news, having fallen by the same amount last Friday when Mr Rajapaskse's election result was announced.

Mr Rajapakse was elected as the President on an anti Tamil Tiger platform. He formed an alliance with two Sinhala Buddhist extremist parties JVP and JMU. Civil war in the country between the majority and the Tamil population is claimed to have led to over 65,000 deaths since 1983.

Myanmar Junta threatened with sanctions by UN body

November 21, 2005

The UN International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned the generals that make up the military government of Myanmar, more commonly known as Burma, that they may face sanctions should they not improve their record over forced labour.

The call to change policy and attitudes towards forced labour that the ILO issued following a meeting of their governing body in Geneva late last week was countered by promises from the regime that they would not withdraw from the organisation.

The warning issued by the ILO has been followed by calls from the EU for the Security Council and Secretary General of the UN to get involved in efforts to reform the country. The EU Parliament passed its resolution on Burma by a significant majority, only three members opposed and two abstained.

International exhibit of chair art starts in Canada

November 21, 2005

The international entry mail art show SAT: An Exhibit of Chairs was put on display Friday in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Held in the Fridge Front Gallery at the Shoppers World Brampton mall, SAT is a diverse collection of artworks focusing on a generally mundane object, the chair.

Works in the show range from realism to abstract, dadaism to surrealism, post-modern to collage.

While some of the entries were submitted directly to Visual Arts Brampton, most came from a previous exhibit. Organized by Pati Bristow, No place to rest, chairs you can't sit on ran at Shopping Trolley Gallery West and Seaman's Library at Foothill College, both in Los Altos Hills, California, earlier in 2005. Guest curator Nicholas Moreau was unaware of the similarly themed exhibit, so soon before. The theme for SAT was based on that of a 1987 juried art show organized by Visual Arts Brampton at the now-defunct Art Gallery of Brampton.

Works in Visual Arts Brampton's showing of the exhibition are from 17 countries including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Romania, Spain, Uruguay, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

This is Visual Arts Brampton's third mail art show. In 1999, Susan Williamson created The Great Canadian Mail Art Show for Artway at Bramalea City Centre; the show was so successful that the Art Gallery of Peel adopted it in 2001. The concept of a mail art show was revived in 2004 by Moreau, held at the new Artway Shoppers World. The Snail Mail World Postcard Art Show has been held annually since.

Visual Arts Brampton's Fridge Front Gallery primarily hosts artwork by youth from its kids classes, and from schools in Brampton and Oakville. In contrast, the nearby Artway Gallery hosts artwork by professional and amateur adult artists from across Peel. VAB has successfully sought permission to create a third display space in Shoppers World, in the Zellers corridor. The space will host shows of mail art and works on paper year-round. The planned "World Art Gallery" will be the first ever permanent display space for mail art.

Darwin and Sumatra rocked by offshore earthquakes

November 21, 2005

An offshore earthquake shook buildings in Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory today, and an earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.2 struck off the coast of Sumatra yesterday, triggering a tsunami alert.

Geoscience Australia says the offshore quake registered 5.3 on the Richter scale. No damage has been reported in the city of Darwin or the community of Port Keats which is the nearest town to the quake's epicentre in a region known for its moderate seismicity. The quake's epicentre was located 500 kilometres west-north-west of Darwin in the Banda Sea. The earthquake hit at 9.51am (CDT).

Geoscience Australia (the government's geological organisation) says the region may be unstable for a few days and aftershocks or another quake may be felt. Duty seismologist, Dr Svetan Sinadinovski, says it was a shallow quake and the subterranean make-up of the area allowed the tremor waves to travel to Darwin without losing much energy. He says the quake was on Australia's continental shelf, which is a common place for seismic activity.

"That is the area where Australian plate collides with Asian plate and that extends through the Indonesian islands up to Sumatra and Thailand in the north and east through PNG to Tonga and New Zealand," he said. "Preliminary reports point to a 5 to 6 in the Darwin region - this means that the earthquake would have been felt by almost everyone indoors according to the Modified Mercali Scale which measures the impact of seismic waves on structures."

"People would have felt this earthquake up to 500km away from the epicentre, and we have heard numerous reports of residents in the Darwin area having felt the effects of the event," he said.

Among those who felt the quake were participants involved in the trial of Bradley John Murdoch in the Northern Territory Supreme Court in Darwin - where chairs and TVs shook in the court building.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Darwin office was also shaken, but no reports of damage have been received by police.

"We felt it - I felt the building sway and some of the monitors shook a little," the bureau's duty forecaster, Billy Lynch, said. "We are on the third floor of a three-story building."

Sumatra Earthquake

An earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.2 struck off the coast of Sumatra yesterday, triggering a tsunami alert, officials said. There were no immediate reports of a tsunami, damages or casualties. The quake's epicenter was located off Simeulue, 160 miles southwest of Medan on Sumatra's northwest coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey(USGS).

Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency put the quake's magnitude at 6.2, whilst the USGS said the magnitude was 6.5. The quake rocked nearby Nias island and was felt in Medan, said an official from the Indonesian agency's Jakarta office.

Simeulue island is near the epicenter of the December 26 quake that caused a massive tsunami. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said there was no threat of a tsunami to Pacific coastlines, but quakes of this size can sometimes generate local tsunamis along coasts near the epicenter.

Sumatra has been affected by strong aftershocks since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Experts say the fault line is unstable and may produce another massive quake soon.

Other earthquakes

The biggest earthquake to strike the region, in 1998, had a magnitude of 6.9. The largest earthquake ever recorded was in Chile in 1960. This magnitude 9.5 earthquake resulted in the death of 5,000 people. In 1976 a smaller 8.0 earthquake in China caused the death of an estimated 255,000 people. More recently, in December 2003 an earthquake in Iran resulted in the death of approximately 50,000 people.

Geoscience Australia said the 5.3 quake did not generate a tsunami. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which had a magnitude of 9.0, triggered a series of lethal tsunamis on December 26, 2004 that killed over 270,000 people, making it the deadliest tsunami in recorded history.

In March 2005 another strong earthquake rocked parts of Darwin, with tremors lasting several minutes felt across the city and rural areas. The quake measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, and its epicentre was 500 kilometres east north-east of East Timor in the Banda Sea.

Under-reporting of human Bird Flu infections poses worldwide threat

November 21, 2005

Possible under reporting of bird flu infections in China and other Southeast Asian countries may be promoting an illusory sense that human infections are very limited. Common press reports only describe fewer than 130 people as infected with H5N1 avian flu and that fewer than 70 have died worldwide. Yet, there are enormous problems getting accurate data, especially in a country like China with a population of more than a billion.

"Reporting a suspected bird flu infection in bird or humans is a very unlikely event," said Dr. Shoshana Zimmerman of the eHealth Institute. She is also a founder of www.birdflubeacon.com, a site dedicated to bird flu issues. "There are very few incentives to report, and lots of reasons to refrain from reporting. From the viewpoint of local rural small farmers, there is little to be gained and much to be lost by reporting an infection. The worse threat is that their flocks could be culled (killed) leaving them destitute."

There are many factors which mitigate against reporting bird or human infections of bird flu.

• The deaths of chickens, ducks, and birds are common events for farmer. Even when a large number die at one time they may see no purpose in reporting the deaths.
• When a human dies in locations with little or no medical services, the rural farmer’s priority for discerning the cause of death may be low.
• In rural areas most people are not taken to hospitals when they are sick.
• Bird flu symptoms are not widely known. If the symptoms are not known, they will not be recognized and reports of possible bird or human infections can not be made.
• The expenses required for detection are those of proper collection and shipment of samples to one of approximately 200 laboratories worldwide, as well as the testing procedure that requires a two week period of waiting before results are obtained.
• The lack of incentive for countries to report large scale outbreaks as it may lead to widespread panic and economic loss, as occurred with SARS. These factors can be seen at work in the way that the first bird flu death was reported in China," Dr. Zimmerman stated.

A young woman, Zhou Maoya, died after returning home to the village of Yantan in Annui province to prepare for her wedding. Her family has stated that they did not take her to the hospital because they thought it would not do any good. Officials also note rural Chinese also often cite relatively expensive medical costs as a reason for not seeking treatment when sick.

Although initially authorities attributed her death to pneumonia the resulting political pressure prompted China to invite the World Health Organization to send experts to investigate. The authorities then rescinded the previous position and attributed her death to bird flu based on the similarity of the symptoms that she was reported to exhibit with those of bird flu. The village was quarantined and journalists were denied access. It is not known how many others might be infected in the village. Official announcements were made of plans to vaccinate and cull birds.

A local government official, Fan Qian, told AFP that it was believed Zhou was infected while she was outside of the province.

Fan Tan, a local official, told AFP news that 1,000 birds in Yantan had been culled (killed). Plans were announced to vaccinate 2 million poultry in the area, a huge and difficult task.

Zhang, another official, said authorities had met with all villagers to give them flu vaccinations and to tell them how to protect themselves against the bird flu virus, including not consuming poultry products. It is known that flu vaccinations do not protect against bird flu.

Villagers and local officials minimized the threat. In outlying areas of Yantan, residents said that they did not know of any new outbreaks. Other possible infections have been attributed to similar common causes but there have not been any tests performed validating those attributions.

Fan Litan, a peasant woman from Fantu village, about 2 miles from Yantan, lost many of her ducks, and chickens and also a dog; she has attributed these deaths to the acts of hooligans. She said her family had been extremely frightened when her animals suddenly died. "We were scared to death," said Fan, standing next to a red sign posted on the outside wall of her home that said: "Prevention and control by the masses is basic for people." Fan said ducks and chickens are all healthy but she admitted that she had stopped eating poultry. No testing of these birds has been reported yet.

According to a recent AFP report from Liuchang, 59 miles south of Yantan, the obstacles to identifying infections are enormous.

Like many, one Liuchang villager named Wang Hemin said he was concerned and would keep a closer eye on his ducks and chickens, but felt no immediacy since the infection was not in his province. He learned about bird flu on TV, and is aware that officials have come to his village of 2,700 people to warn residents about the virus. They offered guidelines: they told people that poultry which die suddenly could have contracted bird flu and should not be eaten or sold and that such an incident should also immediately be reported. However, the symptoms of H5N1 bird flu were not directly described.

Residents have not yet been fully informed of what symptoms to look for in ill poultry--they are fever, diarrhea, teary eyes and swelling in the legs of the birds. Though a pledge was made earlier in the week to vaccinate 2 million birds immediately, no bird vaccinations in this area have been reported yet.

In another nearby village, Nazahuang, chickens scuttle in and out of houses. One resident, Fan Jiexu, 73, said no officials had yet warned her village to take precautions. Throughout rural areas, it is customary for chickens to scuttle in and out of homes. Ducks and bird often die and are eaten by villagers when it is believed safe to do so.

China has reported 17 avian flu outbreaks as of this week. Despite the Chinese government issued high alerts, critical information is not being adequately communicated to some rural villages. The size of the poultry population, the common and normal occurrence of poultry death on farms, and status of roughly 70% of the poultry population as being kept in backyards are factors complicating infection control.

The head of World Health Organization's China office, Henk Bekedam, is aware that slow reaction to bird flu threats and difficulty monitoring poultry in the world's most populous country makes control of its spread challenging.

Testing is required to confirm H5N1 virus, and positive test results lead to the killing of nearby flocks. The incentive for many villagers, officials, and governments to minimize reports of H5N1 virus infections and severe medical and economic complications for making confirmations of infection are obstacles opposing complete and full reporting of the spread and infection rates of the virus.

Carter's CIA chief labels Dick Cheney "vice president for torture"

November 19, 2005

The former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Admiral Stansfield Turner, in a frank interview with the United Kingdom's ITV has condemned the current US administration. His comments indicated that he believed President George Bush is not being truthful when he states that torture is not employed by the US.

Turner, whose term as CIA director was during the 1977—1981 administration of Jimmy Carter said, "I am embarrassed that the USA has a vice president for torture. I think it is just reprehensible. He advocates torture, what else is it? I just don't understand how a man in that position can take such a stance."

Previous statements by both President Bush and Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, have emphatically stated that torture by US forces is not condoned.

In early October the Senate supported Senator John McCain's (R-Ariz) proposed amendment on detainees and torture. The amendment would outlaw coercive interrogations and prohibits cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of detainees and change current US laws. In contrast, Vice President Dick Cheney has lobbied Republican senators to allow an exemption for those held by the CIA. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb) said, "I think the administration is making a terrible mistake in opposing John McCain's amendment on detainees and torture," That amendment was approved by a 90-9 vote in the Senate and added to a defense spending bill.

World Summit on the Information Society ends in Tunisia

November 19, 2005

The World Summit on the Information Society, organized by the International Telecommunication Union, concluded on Friday evening, November 18th, in Tunis, the capital of the north African nation of Tunisia. The event's organizers intended for the event to "put into motion" the plan for Internet financing and governance developed at the 2003 WSIS summit in Geneva, Switzerland.

The summit was marred by criticism of Tunisia for allowing attacks on journalists and human rights defenders to occur in the days leading up to the event. A French journalist for "Libération" was stabbed and beaten by unidentified men after he reported on local human rights protesters. A Belgian television crew was harassed and forced to hand over footage of Tunisian dissidents, while local human rights defenders were roughed up and prevented from organising a meeting with international civil society groups. A representative from the French media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, Robert Menard, was prevented from disembarking from his Air France flight to Tunis to attend the summit.

During the event, representatives from the Global Voices project were menaced by the Tunisian police as they held their session on "Expression Under Repression." Speaking at the session were Rebecca MacKinnon, Ethan Zuckerman, Nart Villeneuve, Taurai Maduna, Isaac Mao, and Hossein Derakshan, among others. The interaction with the Tunisian police is related by Amanda Michel of the Berkman Center with the description from an attendee as, "[B]efore the break, a phalanx of secret police (ie scary guys in dark suits) showed up. [T]hey filled the hall outside the room, forcing cancellation of the break for fear that we'd not be allowed to re-start."

Nicholas Negroponte demonstrated the first working prototype of his $100 laptop.

Chaudhry's son marries Tui Lau descendant in Fiji

November 21, 2005

Sachindra Chaudhry, the youngest son of Fiji Labour Party leader and former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, married Marian Ma'afu, a descendant of Fiji's first Tui Lau Enele Ma'afu, in a Hindu ceremony at Wailailai Temple in Ba yesterday. A Christian wedding will follow at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Suva next week.

Intermarriage between Fiji's indigenous and Indian communities is uncommon. Speaking for the family, Chaudhry's elder brother, Rajendra, said that the union was for love and that nothing political should be read into it. The union was a personal love-match between two who had known each other for more than six years, he insisted, and dismissed media speculation that the wedding was intended as a statement about uniting the two races, whose historical, cultural, religious, and political divisions have defined Fiji for generations. It was a proud day for the family.

Ma'afu's ancestor, Enele Ma'afu, was a Tongan prince who was exiled to Fiji following disagreements within the Tongan royal family. He conquered Taveuni and the Lau Islands, taking the title of Tui Lau (King of Lau). He later participated, with the Fijian King Cakobau, in the ceding of the islands to the United Kingdom in 1874. The Tui Lau title has since been held by such noted individuals as Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna (considered modern Fiji's first statesman) and Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, independent Fiji's first Prime Minister and second President.

Chaudhry, who traces his ancestry to the state of Haryana, in north India, became the first of his race to be elected Prime Minister in 1999. He was deposed a year later, in the Fiji coup of 2000.

Bomb blasts hit south Thailand market town Sungai Golok

November 20, 2005

Police in Thailand have reported two bomb explosions in the southern province of Narathiwat. Twelve people are reported to have been injured, including three police officers, a two-year-old boy, and a 58-year-old Malaysian tourist.

The two explosions came within a five minute interval around 6:00am local time (23:00 GMT). The target of the attack was a restaurant in a market town, Sungai Golok, which borders with Malaysia. Police Captain Teerapak Sengseng said that the first of the explosive devices was concealed in a fruit basket, and that as the blast was being investigated the second device exploded only metres away.

The ongoing violence which is believed to be the work of insurgents in the predominantly Muslim south of Thailand has resulted in over 1,000 deaths since January 2004, with the Associated Press putting the figure at over 1,100. The area remains under Martial law which was recently extended to some areas of neighbouring Songkla Province. The provinces, Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat which were formerly the Malay Sultinate of Pattani are the only Muslim-majority part of the traditionally Buddhist country.

There have been some suggestions that residents of the southern provinces are not accorded the same opportunities as those in other parts of the country. Thailand's economic improvements from increases in tourism during recent years have not yielded any benefits to the troubled provinces. Public statements by the Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shiniwatra, have given the impression that areas which have not given support to his Thai Rak Thai political party will not be prioritised by his government; this impacts the south which returned opposition Democrats during elections earlier this year.

The almost daily violence in the provinces bordering Malaysia is expected to be among the subjects discussed at talks between former Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad and Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shiniwatra. The former PM is expected to meet Mr Shiniwatra at his official residence in Ban Phitsanulok early next week.

APEC wraps up

November 20, 2005

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC 2005 wrapped up this weekend with trade impasse unresolved. Member countries fell short of blaming EU for causing the impasse. The EU has been largely criticized for not openning up it's own agriculture market. South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said "The leaders here ... are basically saying that now the ball is in Europe's court".

Member countries talked of high oil prices hurting their economies and agreed on energy efficiency, conservation and diversification. Supply and demand issues were not clarified.

60th anniversary of Nuremberg trials marked

November 20, 2005

The city of Nuremberg has marked the 60th anniversary of the opening of the trials against Nazi war criminals.

At a ceremony in the Palace of Justice, where the tribunal was located, participants of the trials gathered and remembered. Whitney R. Harris, a member of the U.S. prosecution team, emphazised the importance of Nuremberg for contemporary international law saying that "the principles of the Nuremberg case have been followed in recent years and the fact that we conducted Nuremberg has given impetus to the establishment of these more recent tribunals".

On November 20, 1945 the trials began in the courtroom 600 of the Palace of Justice. A total of 24 defendants were tried, among them Hermann Göring and Rudolf Heß. With Geoffrey Lawrence being chair of the court, the trial took 218 days and ended with 12 death sentences, 7 jail terms and 3 aquittals. One defendent killed himself during the trial, another one was declared unfit to stand trial.

Israeli Labor Party leaves government; early election ahead

November 20, 2005

A convention of the Israeli Labor Party in Tel Aviv decided on Sunday to pull its ministers out of the coalition government with the Likud Party of prime minister Ariel Sharon.

The decision results from an initative by party chair Amir Peretz, who was just elected to that office at the beginning of this month, succeeding Shimon Peres.

In his speech to the convention Peretz accused Sharon's government of "humiliating" immigrants and poor people and said it had deepend poverty in the country. He called on Likud voters to switch to Labor because, "Likud has abandoned you".

Officials from both parties agreed on March 28, 2006 as the day for early elections to the 17th Knesset.

Earlier today Sharon thanked Peres for the work in the government and proclaimed, "Shimon, this is the beginning of our joint work". This statement is seen as reaffirming rumors that Sharon may quit Likud and form a new party, due to several disagreements with the Likud in the past.

Coal mine floods in northern China - 12,000 mines ordered to close

November 20, 2005

Update November 21, 2005: All of the 14 miners missing were confirmed dead on Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Seven miners have been killed and seven more are missing after a coal mine flooded in north China's Hebei province. The Xinhua news agency reports the latest coal mine disaster occurred around 5:00am on Saturday in Xingtai City.

A reason for the accident has not yet been given. Owners of the coal mine have been detained by local police and the investigation into the cause of the flooding is underway. State media reports say the disaster occurred at a pit in Xingtai City, but gave few other details.

China's mines, many of them illegal, are considered the world's most dangerous. More than 6,000 miners died in accidents in China last year, according to previously released government figures. Other independent estimates put the real figure at around 20,000.

Saturday's accident follows a gas explosion at a coal mine in south-western China's Guizhou province on Friday killing at least 10 people.

Xinhua reports that rescue work is underway, according to the local work safety supervision bureau. A spokesman said Yuanda Coal Mine, a collectively-owned mine in Neiqiu county of Xingtai, was flooded and all the 14 miners working down the pit were trapped.

This is the second fatal mine accident in the area in two weeks. Cave-ins at three plaster mines on November 6th caused 33 deaths and left at least four missing.

Government orders closure of 12,000 mines
A committee for safe production, under the State Council, on Sunday urged relevant local governments to streamline the operation of mines and close unqualified ones.

More than 12,000 Chinese mines have been ordered to suspend production, and they will be closed if they fail to pass government assessments at the end of this year, the committee said.

A gas explosion on November 11 at a mine in Wuhai, a city in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, killed 16 miners and wounded three others. The mine lacked a required safety license.

The committee said in a statement that other mines should draw serious lessons from the deadly accident and "steadfastly prevent illegal production and curb the occurrence of big mining accidents." (Source: Xinhua)

German BND claims U.S. exaggerated Iraq WMD claims

November 20, 2005

One of the most important arguments in the run-up to the Iraq war made by Colin Powell in his United Nations speech and President Bush in his State of the Union address was that Iraq had an active biological wepons program and possessed mobile biological weapons labs. According to an investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee, the main source for this information was an Iraqi defector codenamed Curveball who was a source for the German central intelligence agency BND.

Several German intelligence officials responsible for Curveball have now told the LA Times that the Bush administration and the CIA have repeatedly exaggerated his claims and ignored warnings of the BND that the source was unreliable. Recounting his reaction after seeing Powell's United Nations speech one German intelligence officer said: "We were shocked. Mein Gott! We had always told them it was not proven…. It was not hard intelligence."

Nine months earlier, in May 2002, a fabricator warning was posted in Curveball's file in U.S. intelligence databases. Powell was never warned that his United Nations speech contained material that both the DIA and CIA had determined was false, even though several people present at Powell's CIA meetings were fully aware of this.

At this time German intelligence officers would not let the CIA meet directly with Curveball, but allowed a CIA doctor to draw blood samples. Questioning the validity of Curveball's information in front of his CIA supervisor, the doctor was advised to "Keep in mind that this war is going to happen regardless of what Curveball said or didn't say and the Powers That Be probably aren't terribly interested in whether Curveball knows what he's talking about."

Shortly after Powell's UN speech and several days before the invasion, United Nations weapons inspectors attempted to directly verify several key claims made by Curveball, but concluded that they were unsustainable. The White House insisted on its WMD claims based on Curveball's information.

Even after the invasion, when more and more of Curveball's accounts were shown to be pure fabrication, the CIA and the Bush administration relied on Curveball's information. When U.S. forces discovered trucks with lab equipment and Curveball claimed that these were identical to the ones he has been reporting about, the CIA rushed to publish a White Paper claiming that these trucks were part of Saddam Hussein's secret biological weapons program and Bush claimed publicly that "We found the weapons of mass destruction." Several days later, twelve of the thirteen WMD experts who analyzed the trucks agreed that the equipment was not suited for biological weapons production, with the only dissending voice coming from the author of the original White Paper.

The White Paper remains posted on the CIA website to this date, and President Bush has not yet retracted his statement that Iraq produced "germ warfare agents" made in his State of the Union address or his postwar assertions that "we found the weapons of mass destruction."

Deer and other animals found dead at Ball State University

November 20, 2005

The carcases of two deer, a coyote, and a possum were dumped in the Delta Gamma Iota fraternity house on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana on November 10. The dead animals were apparently placed in the house while members slept. A repairman discovered the prank while working in the house's kitchen.

Members left the house for at least a day while the animals were removed and the house was disenfected by the Deleware County Health Department.

The fraternity house is located off-campus and is recognized by Ball State -- the DGI house is unaffiliated with the intra-fraternity council, however.

The animals were apparently "roadkill" (struck and killed by automobiles on the road). The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is investigating the incident due to the use of deceased animals in vandalism.

Australian man to be executed in Singapore

November 19, 2005

Supporters of convicted Australian drug trafficker, Van Nguyen, gathered outside the State Library in Melbourne yesterday to display thousands of messages of opposition to his death sentence.

Callers to talkback radio in Melbourne were overwhelmingly against the death penalty of Nguyen, who immediately admitted his guilt and has cooperated with authorities since being caught smuggling heroin into Singapore. Many called for a boycott of Singaporean products.

25-year-old Nguyen was arrested at Changi Airport in 2002 for carrying heroin and sentenced to death in March. Nguyen claims he carried the 396 grams of heroin strapped to his body in an attempt to pay off his brother Khoa's $30,000 legal debts.

The Singapore government have announced they will execute Nguyen at dawn on December 2nd. Singapore President S. R. Nathan rejected Nguyen's clemency four weeks ago. The Melbourne salesman was sentenced to death under Singapore law which determines a mandatory death sentence for anyone found guilty of possessing 15 grams of heroin or more.

Nguyen's mother was informed on Thursday by registered mail from the Singapore prisons service of the execution date. The letter stated that she should start making funeral arrangements. She will get to see her son in the three days leading up to the execution.

Despite repeated pleas for clemency from many thousands of supporters; religious groups; human rights organisations; the Pope; and the Australian Government - including Prime Minister, John Howard - Singapore officials have said Nguyen's execution is irreversible.

Mr Howard had argued that Nguyen should be spared, citing mitigating circumstances in his case which pointed to the fact that he was not a serial drug trafficker but had merely been trying to pay off his brother's debts.

The Victorian Attorney-General, Rob Hulls, says the Singaporean Government has shown no compassion whatsoever in its treatment of Van Nguyen and his family.

"What's happening is brutal, is inappropriate. I, and the Victorian Government, vehemently oppose the death penalty in any circumstances, he told ABC Radio. "This is a young kid who has assisted the police all the way... In any other country, he would get a discount in relation to the penalty. But because there is a mandatory death penalty for drug offences in Singapore, this young man may well be executed. It is just grossly inappropriate."

"Singapore maintains that capital punishment is a criminal justice issue; it is the sovereign right of every country to decide whether or not to include capital punishment within its criminal justice system," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Singapore argues that there was no international consensus that capital punishment should be abolished. At the most recent meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights, 66 countries dissociated themselves from a resolution calling for the abolition of capital punishment.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong affirmed Singapore's position by saying that it has to "stand firm on drugs to protect its citizens from the scourge and to ensure the country does not become a conduit for the trafficking of illicit drugs."

In reply to a letter appealing for clemency from his Australian counterpart Alexander Downer, Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said: "Mr Nguyen imported almost 400gm of pure heroin which would have supplied more than 26,000 doses to drug addicts."

No one will be permitted to see Nguyen on the morning of his execution. His body will be released to his mother.

Bungle over execution date release;

On Thursday, a letter informing Nguyen's mother of the Dec 2 date was accidentally sent earlier than intended by the Singapore authorities. As a result, Australian Prime Minister John Howard was caught offguard when asked by reporters on Thursday if he knew that Nguyen would be executed on Dec 2.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer yesterday admitted he had been told several days ago that a letter would be sent this week to Nguyen's mother. Mr Downer said his Singapore counterpart, George Yeo, had told him on Monday night, when they were both in Busan, that the family would be sent a letter which they would receive yesterday.

"So the Singapore Prime Minister had assumed that the letter would arrive on Friday," Mr Downer said. "The letter arrived a day earlier than they had anticipated."

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday the differences between Australia and Singapore over the planned execution of convicted drug smuggler Nguyen Tuong Van would not damage relations between the two countries.

"It is not an issue where we agree but our disagreement on the treatment of Mr Nguyen is not going to contaminate the very good relationship between Australia and Singapore," Mr Howard was quoted as saying in an AAP report.

Lawyers say: regime should change

Mr Lex Lasry, QC, who heads Nguyen's Melbourne legal team, recently told Singapore's high commissioner in Canberra that the "regime" of the mandatory death penalty would have to change.

"At some point, the Singapore Government must realise as a First World country it can no longer continue to impose mandatory death sentences. They simply can't keep doing this to people," he said. He described as an "outrageous injustice" the Singapore law that denies lawyers the chance to argue to a judge why a client should not be hanged.

"Let the rest of the world know we are not prepared to tolerate it and ultimately they will have to change their minds," he said.

"Even if our client is executed as he probably will be, the campaign against Singapore's mandatory death sentence will continue," Mr Lasry said.

Mr Lasry said the fight to save Nguyen would continue over the next few weeks.

Execution methods reviewed

Nguyen Tuong Van may be the last person to face the hangman in Singapore after a review of execution methods in Singapore. The nation's chief hangman, Darshan Singh, has told prison officials he wants to retire, but finding a replacement has been unsuccessful. One of two candidates picked to replace Mr Singh was unable to complete his first execution. A second left the prison service.

Mr Singh, a veteran of over 850 hangings, is reportedly unhappy with the new machinery, which is prone to malfunction. The Australian newspaper reports that Singapore officials have been studying other methods of execution and are considering the lethal injection technique used in the United States.

The lethal injection method being considered by Singapore officials as an alternative is modelled on the procedure introduced in 1977 in Oklahoma. The prisoner is strapped to a gurney and an intravenous tube is inserted into each arm with a flow of harmless saline solution. At the warden's signal, 5g of sodium pentothal is administered, which renders the prisoner unconscious.

It is followed by pancuronium bromide, a muscle relaxant that paralyses the diaphragm and lungs, and finally potassium chloride, which causes cardiac arrest.

Australian science organisation discontinues genetically modified pea research

November 19, 2005

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has discontinued research into a type of Genetically Modified (GM) field pea that had been shown to be 100% protected against attack by pea weevils, a type of insect. The genetically modified field pea's protein was found to have a slightly altered structure which caused an allergic-style reaction in the lungs of mice and led scientists to believe it could have similar effects on human lungs. "That was enough to alert me to say this research should come to an end," CSIRO Plant Industry Deputy Director TJ Higgins said.

An earlier example of a problem with a GM food was a protein-enhanced soy product that was abandoned because the brazil nut gene transferred to the soy produced a protein that could cause allergic reactions in some people. That 1996 study was conducted and funded by the University of Nebraska and Pioneer Hi-Bred International.

Environmental activism organizations like Greenpeace were spawned by the the negative effects of the Petrochemical era. They are are now campaigning against GM research. Greenpeace members have observed that not all reports of possible complications from GM foods found during product development have resulted in a quick end to further research. Rootworm-resistant GM corn caused "serious organ damage" to rats in Germany, but the corn developed by Monsanto was approved for consumption in Australia by Food Standards Australia New Zealand said Greenpeace GM spokesman Jeremy Tager. A scientific review panel of the European Food Safety Authority reviewed the results of a 13-week rat feeding study on rootworm-resistant corn that had been submitted by German authorities. Although the study found some differences in the kidneys of rats fed the GM corn, the scientists concluded that these results were "not considered to pose concerns over the safety of MON 863 maize". Many published studies performed with rats and other test animals have found no danger from the Monsanto rootworm-resistant corn. Within science, it is desirable that all research reports be reproduced and confirmed.

Australia has a $100 million field pea industry, so substantial amounts of chemicals are used to protect the industry's crops against the pea weevil Bruchus pisorum, though some crops use organic control options. The pea weevil can cause yield losses of up to 30 per cent a year if left uncontrolled. So the CSIRO is in search of an alternative to using genetic modification. The CSIRO are not alone in the GM industry. Bayer and Monsanto are both privately owned corporations who also operate outside Australia's strict regulatory system. A spokeswoman for Bayer Crop Sciences said the CSIRO's decision had no impact on the firm's GM work. Monsanto has not responded to media inquiries. Dr Higgins said the findings proved the safety of Australia's strict research regulatory framework.

"I think that this shows that the regulatory system works," he said.

"The regulations are stringent, they are difficult, but on balance I'm very pleased as a consumer of food myself that these regulations are in place."

The genetically modified pea plants were produced by transfer of the amylase inhibitor-1 gene from a species of bean. The structure of the alpha-amylase inhibitor-1 protein produced by the pea plants is slightly different from the structure of the same protein when made by bean plants. This structural modification may be due to differences in posttranslational modification of the protein. The altered protein from peas was found to predispose mice to a form of food antigen-stimulated inflammation response that is mediated by CD4-positive T helper cells.

US bombers to train in Australia

November 19, 2005

In a joint agreement by Australia and the United States, the U.S. Air Force will begin regular strategic bomber aircraft training in the Northern Territory early next year. At the recent high-level AUSMIN talks between the U.S. and Australia it was announced that the strategic bomber training program would involve B-52 and B-1 bombers and the B-2 stealth aircraft.

Under the new arrangements aircraft would fly direct from the United States for bombing operations at the Delamere Air Weapons Range situated about 130km south-west of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Delamere is a 211,000ha bombing range used regularly by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for dropping live weapons. The Darwin RAAF base would also be available for the bombers to land and refuel if necessary. The planes will fly to the Northern Territory from the U.S. Pacific Island base of Guam.

Support;

Defence Minister Robert Hill says Australia is helping in the rebalancing of America's military forces in Asia. Senator Hill said strategic bomber training had been conducted some time ago and that the U.S. had now asked Australia whether it could be resumed.

"We have said we are happy to assist," Senator Hill told reporters. Mr Hill said some of the aircraft may not even touch down in Australia, while others will land at the Darwin RAAF base.

The bombers will fly from the major US base on the Pacific island of Guam. "It may be aircraft that come down to Australia from a considerable distance and use our bombing ranges and then return without landing," he said. "There will also be occasions when the aircraft will land and utilise facilities at Darwin. We think it's just another example in which we can be helpful to our ally".

Labor's opposition defence spokesman, Robert McClelland, also supports the program. "It's very important to our long-term security that we support the United States alliance as a partner - not being dictated to in anyway - but as a partner," he said. "It is quite reasonable we provide a significant resource we have in Australia, which is open space, to develop the technologies and the skills."

Concerns

But the Australian Greens are outraged by the project, saying there has been no consultation in the Territory. "The Australian Government more and more is allowing the Americans to view this country as the 51st state," Greens leader Senator Bob Brown said.

The mayor of Katherine, Anne Shepherd, also has serious concerns about the plan. "I know of the other accidents that have happened there when the Americans were training," Ms Shepherd said.

In August this year, A U.S. Marine Corps fighter jet dropped a bomb and damaged a building in an accident. The bomb, dropped by an F/A-18 Hornet, exploded near a control tower and damaged facilities at Delamere Air Weapons Range - attached to the RAAF Base Tindal near Katherine.

At the time, Prime Minister John Howard said: "Things like this will always happen; we hope not very frequently and we hope not any more dangerously," he told Melbourne Radio 3AW in August. "But the idea that you can conduct any kind of military exercise without some kind of potential for mishap is unrealistic."

Ms Shepherd is also worried about the possible use of depleted uranium. "I know that they use the depleted uranium on the warheads for added penetration ... and the weapons can penetrate much more easily with the depleted uranium and I'd be quite concerned if they use those kind of weapons," she said.

The Northern Territory Environment Centre says it is disgusted by the announcement. Co-ordinator Peter Robertson is alarmed about the location of the training. "Only a matter of 100 kilometres or so from one of the proposed nuclear waste dump sites near Katherine, and it would be extraordinarily alarming and ironic if an American B-52 bomber dropped a live bomb on top of the Commonwealth's nuclear waste dump," he said.

Concerns have also been raised about the environmental impact of the training program. Australia and the United States have agreed to work towards world's best practice in environmental management for the combined military activities.

But Mr Robertson says world's best practice is simply to stop doing it. "Not to do it in a way that puts at risk communities, the environment... I mean the notion that there are clean green bombs that can be rained down on the Northern Territory, or any other part of the world, is an absolute nonsense," he said.

U.S. House vote forced on immediate pullout of troops in Iraq

November 19, 2005

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) on Friday called a vote in the House on a nonbinding resolution to immediately withdraw troops from Iraq. The one-sentence resolution read: "It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately."

Democrats in the House called the resolution a political stunt, saying that it misrepresented the comments of Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), who a day before said "Our troops have become the enemy. We need to change direction in Iraq." Murtha, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and a retired Marine, had called for a six-month withdrawal of US forces in Iraq during a news conference on Thursday.

The House chamber debate was highly partisan and emotionally charged. At one point in the debate, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) said a Marine colonel in her state of Ohio telephoned and asked her to "send Congress a message: Stay the course." Schmidt said, "He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: Cowards cut and run. Marines never do."

At this, Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-TN) and other Democrats surged toward the Republican side of the chamber in anger. "You guys are pathetic! Pathetic!" yelled Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-MA).

Many Democrats angrily and repeatedly shouted for Jean Schmidt to "take her words down!" She did, when order was restored to the chamber, rise and say, "My words were not directed at any member of the House," and asked that her comments be retracted from the record. House rules forbid members to impugn the integrity of other members.

The vote failed, 403-3. The three House members who voted for the resolution's passage were Jose E. Serrano (D-NY), Cynthia A. McKinney (D-GA) and Robert Wexler (D-FL).

French unions march in support of public services

November 19, 2005

Today, a number of French unions and left-wing parties marched in Paris in order to support public services, which they feel are threatened by the current government. Those who demonstrated (unionists, politicians and simple employees) are opposed to the privatization of public companies such as the electrical and gas utility EDF, or to the scaling down of public services such as the national public postal service in rural areas.

Organizers claim 30,000 protested, as opposed to the 10,000 figure cited by the police. The march was peaceful and uneventful, with a light police escort to open the streets, and City of Paris sanitation vehicles coming just behind to clean the streets of leaflets and other litter. Many of the protesters were under the banners the Communist-influenced CGT union, most others under those of major confederations or parties such as the French Communist Party. A small minority were from radical groups such as the anarcho-syndicalist CNT or Les Alternatifs. A group of French scientific researchers and graduate student protested the government's policies with respect to research funding.

Among the personalities who marched are politicians Marie-George Buffet (French Communist Party), George Sarre (MRC) and Olivier Besancenot (Revolutionary Communist League), and unionists Bernard Thibault (CGT), Annick Coupé (Solidaires) and Gérard Aschiéri (FSU).

U.S. government proposes removing Yellowstone grizzlies from endangered species list

November 18, 2005

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that "The greater Yellowstone area population of grizzly bears ... is now recovered". They propose removing this population from the list of threatened and endangered species.

More than 600 grizzly bears now live in the greater Yellowstone area. This area, which includes Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and several national forests covers 18 million acres. Grizzlies occupy 68% of the suitable habitat within the area. They have been spotted over 60 miles from what was once thought to be the outer limits of their range. The bears' range and distribution has been increasing annually and is now 48% larger than when they were listed.

When Lewis and Clark crossed North America in 1804 there were more than 50,000 grizzlies in the west. By the 1970's there were less than 1,000 and they only covered 2% of their historic range. In 1975, when the Grizzly Bear was listed as threatened, biologists estimated the Yellowstone ecosystem had between 220 and 320 bears. Since then, various government agencies and private organizations worked on a conservation plan that involved education, conflict reduction, and monitoring programs.

Four other populations of Grizzly Bear in the lower 48 states will remain on the list.

French parliament extends state of emergency to three months

November 17, 2005

The French Parliament passed a law extending the state of emergency decreed on November 8 by president Jacques Chirac for a duration of 3 months, the executive being authorized to terminate this period earlier if necessary. The November 8 decision, based on a 1955 statute, could last for a maximum of 12 days only, after which Parliament had to vote on an extension.

The state of emergency allows local authorities (prefects) to prohibit public meetings and regulate movements of persons, including curfews. In addition, in certain zones specified by the executive, where riots have recently taken place, local authorities may close meeting halls or bars; detain firearms; and authorize searches inside habitations during the day or the night by administrative order (normally, searches during formal criminal investigations have to be authorized by a judge). The government said that it will not use the power to regulate the media, and that searches will be subject to supervision by the judiciary.

The law was defended by Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, in charge of law enforcement. Sarkozy spoke before the French National Assembly (which approved the text on November 15) and the French Senate (which approved it on November 16); he defended the actions of the government and explained why, in his opinion, the law had to be voted. Sarkozy is also the head of the UMP party, which holds a majority in both houses, and there was no doubt that the text would be approved.

Sarkozy added that in the forthcoming months, CRS (riot division of the Police) and Gendarmerie mobile forces would operate daily in difficult suburbs as a "proximity police". He contended that the "proximity police" established by preceding left-wing government was too much concerned with social activities and not enough about arresting criminals. Sarkozy has also contended that some of the riots were orchestrated by drug traffickers, gangsters and other criminals in order to secure lawless zones.

The French Socialist Party opposed the law, claiming it was excessive. Some left-wing members of parliament contended that using a law passed in 1955 to help quashing Algerian independence movements against children of Algerian immigrants was somewhat insensitive and unsuccessfully proposed an amendment to repeal the 1955 law. On the other hand, right-wing anti-immigrant politician Philippe de Villiers has contended that the government was far too soft and called for the use of military force. Jean-Marie Le Pen, a longtime opponent of immigration from poor, Muslim countries, pointed out that the events vindicated what he had long said.

Members of Sarkozy's UMP party blamed the de facto polygamy of some African immigrants for the failure of their families to raise and educate children properly. They suggested a more restrictive approach to immigration.

Nicolas Sarkozy is a probable contender for the 2007 presidential election. According to polls, his approval rate jumped by +11 to 63% during the events; he leads the approval opinions for presidential candidates.

Australia qualifies for FIFA World Cup 2006

November 17, 2005

Australia's national soccer team, the Socceroos, have qualified for the 2006 Soccer World Cup in Germany, after beating Uruguay in a penalty shoot out in front of 80 000 spectators at Stadium Australia . This is the first time that Australia has qualified in 32 years and the second time in the history of the FIFA Football World Cup. The Australian team is managed by the Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who led South Korea to the semi finals of the 2002 Soccer World Cup and is also currently coaching PSV Eindhoven, a Dutch football club.

Australia lost the first qualifier to Uruguay 1-0 in Montevideo and needed to win by 2 goals in order to guarantee qualification. A goal by Marco Bresciano in the first half had Australia leading 1-0 at the end of regular and extra time - leading to a penalty shoot-out. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer saved the first Uruguayan penalty attempt and Australia made their first three shots count. However Mark Viduka shot wide and the game was again open. Australia's chance was again alive as Schwarzer saved the next shot. The subsequent shot sealed the win for the Socceroos.

Penalty shootout

Australia
Uruguayan Keeper: Fabián Carini

Goals:

• Harry Kewell
• Lucas Neil
• Tony Vidmar
• Jon Aloisi

Missed:

• Mark Viduka

Uruguay
Australian Keeper: Mark Schwarzer

Goals:

• Gustavo Varela
• Fabián Estoyanoff

No Score:

• Dario Rodríguez
• Marcelo Zalayeta

Yellow Cards
Time in Minutes:

• 28: Australia - Tony Popovic
• 39: Australia - Tony Vidmar
• 45: Uruguay - Mario Regueiro
• 45: Uruguay - Diego Carlos
• 53: Australia - Jason Culina
• 68: Uruguay - Guillermo Rodríguez
• 76: Uruguay - Pablo Garcia
• 86: Australia - Harry Kewell

Islamic militant threatens West in a video

November 17, 2005

A masked man, believed by officials to be Noordin Mohammad Top, a key figure in militant Islamic terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah, threatened Western countries in a video broadcast on Indonesia's Metro TV on Thursday. The man specifically named the US, Australia, the UK and Italy as targets of his group’s next attack.

The video was found in a house the Indonesian police raided last week, where Top narrowly escaped being captured. A similar raid on a house in East Java resulted in the death of his associate, Azahari Husin.

The masked man on the video said that "as long as you keep your troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and intimidate Muslim people, you will feel our intimidation and our terror." He continued, "America, Australia, England and Italy. You will be the target of our next attack."

The man focused especially on Australia, saying: "We especially remind Australia that you, Downer and Howard, are killing Australia, leading it into darkness and misfortune and mujahideen terror." Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer dismissed the message by saying that no democratic country should be intimidated by "a fanatic like Noordin Top".

Noordin Mohammad Top is a Malaysian senior operative of Jemaah Islamiyah, a group which is seen as the regional arm of international Islamic fundamentalist campaign Al-Qaeda. Police have been trying to catch Top, an expert in recruiting suicide bombers, and Azahari, Jemaah Islamiyah's bombmaker, since the 2002 Bali bombing in which 202 people were killed.

The video also showed three young suicide bombers who killed 20 people in attacks on restaurants on the island of Bali on October 1. One of the men, Muhammad Salik Firdaus, said on the film: "My brother and wife, God willing, when you see this recording I'll already be in heaven." Bali police Chief I Made Mangku Pastika said that three men were currently being questioned over their role in the bombings and that they were "certainly also linked to the Bali bombs."

Thai PM sues media critic for one billion Baht

November 17, 2005

In a move that is widely viewed as an effort to suppress criticism, the Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shiniwatra is suing media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul and his companies for one billion Baht (24.3 million USD, 20.7 million euro).

In addition to the civil lawsuit, the Prime Minister is seeking a court order gagging press related to Sondhi from making defamatory comments about him.

Yesterday the Thai civil court accepted the case submitted by Thaksin's lawyer, Thana Benjathikul, who warned that the media figure could face jail should he not cease his outspoken criticism of the Prime Minister.

The case hinges on Sondhi's accusation that the government illegitimately awarded a contract for a satellite installation to companies controlled by the PM's family.

The government denies that they intend to shut down Manager Media group's website, and stress that they do not plan to try and suppress freedom of the press.

Rumsfeld's Australia visit sparks protests

November 17, 2005

United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was confronted with fierce criticism by 500 anti-war demonstrators at a rally on the steps outside South Australia's Parliament House today. Mr Rumsfeld and his delegation arrived at Adelaide Airport this morning amid tight security. Mr Rumsfeld and other senior members of the United States government will attend the Australia-United States Ministerial Meeting (AUSMIN), to be hosted by Defence Minister Robert Hill and Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer.

The rally who labelled Mr Rumsfeld a war criminal also called for the freeing of Australian man David Hicks from Guantanamo Bay jail.

In a press conference held on Thursday, Defence Minister Robert Hill said that Hicks would probably be discussed, however he is not on the agenda. When asked why, Mr Hill replied, "Because the trial of David Hicks in the United States, allegations that he breached US law, is not a matter of national security between Australia and the United States. But because he came from Adelaide, I have no doubt that the issue will be raised. And we would say what we have been saying, which is that we would like to see the trial progressed as quickly as possible."

Australian Democrats SA leader Sandra Kanck said the rally was originally intended to protest at the proposed new terror laws.

"We would not need terror laws if our Prime Minister had not tied us to the coat tails of George W Bush and Donald Rumsfeld," she said. "I have been delighted to hear much sedition here today and I have been delighted to see placards that are saying seditious things. "But by Christmas this may not be allowed in our democracy."

The government has previously rejected such criticism of the proposed anti-terror laws, arguing that protest and free speech will not be affected. Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock said in an interview last week that "there is very clear protection of fair comment." He also said that criticism of the new legislation is based on a misunderstanding of the role of definitions in legislation.

"Most of the arguments I’ve seen ... has been predicated on a view that if you look at the definition of ‘seditious intent’ which is for definitional purposes, that that is in fact constituting an offence. It is not one of the offences. And to use ‘seditious intent’ as a basis for looking at what people would be prosecuted for misunderstands basic statutory interpretation," Mr Ruddock said.

Strict security precautions ensured demonstrators could not get near Mr Rumsfeld, who is in Adelaide for ministerial talks between the US and Australian governments.

South Australian Greens MP Kris Hanna said Mr Rumsfeld was a symbol of that power and money which runs the United States and Australia. "They are willing to kill, they are willing to murder innocent civilians by the tens of thousands to exploit the resources of other countries and sacrifice even their own soldiers for these goals of war and expropriation."

Deputy US Secretary of State Bob Zoellick will also take part. Police in Adelaide have thrown a tight security net around the conference venue and hotel where the guests will stay, with up to 500 officers involved.

Yesterday, SA's assistant police commissioner described Mr Rumsfeld as one of the world's top terrorist targets.

Arrest;

One man at the rally was removed by police and faces a disorderly conduct charge. South Australian police confirmed the 24-year-old man was removed from the protest outside the state parliament building, about 5pm (CDST).

"A 24-year-old man has been removed from the parliament house area and reported for disorderly behaviour," Superintendent Neil Smith said tonight. "He will receive a summons to appear in court at a later date."

Police removed and then later arrested the man who allegedly clashed with a sole pro-US demonstrator.

Ban on Rumsfeld protest removed;

Parliamentary officials had originally banned the rally, saying demonstrators would be arrested if they went ahead with the protest. But South Australian parliamentary speaker Bob Such yesterday said the protest may proceed.

Dr Such said the initial ban was made on advice from police. But he said he was subsequently advised that he could consider applications from people wanting to protest during the visit.

The Rice Rumsfeld Reception Committee said the decision to lift the ban was a "victory for democracy and the right to dissent".

Sandra Kanck described the ban as foolish and a dangerous attack on free speech. Police said they would not tolerate violent protests.

American War Hero congressman wants U.S. troops out of Iraq soon

November 17, 2005

"It is time for a change in direction." House Representative John Murtha (D-PA), one of the U.S. Congress' most decorated Vietnam veterans said during a Thursday news conference, and where he called for the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq. He estimates it can be done within 6 months.

The holder of two purple hearts continued; "The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion...Our military is suffering, the future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region."

President Bush and members of his administration and the Republican Party in recent days have been criticizing Democrats who are calling the pre-war intelligence that made the case for the war in Iraq both false and misleading. Republicans, calling a Democrat "cut and run" strategy irresponsible, say abandoning Iraq now would lead to civil war.

Over the Veterans Day weekend just past, the president of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, said on British ITV’s Jonathan Dimbleby program, "Within one year - I think at the end of 2006 - Iraqi troops will be ready to replace British forces in the south." But Murtha's heart-felt news conference, where AP writer Liz Sidoti said his voice cracked while he told of visiting wounded soldiers at a nearby Washington veterans hospital, was spurred by an obligation to speak for the troops.

Murtha, who had served as a Marine Corps intelligence officer in Vietnam, angrily denounced Vice President Cheney's recent "stay the course" rheteric with sarcasm: "I like guys who've never been there that criticize us who've been there. I like that. I like guys who got five deferments and never been there and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done."

Murtha continued with multiple reasons he says caused him to come forward at this time; "Our military has been fighting this war in Iraq for over two and a half years. Our military has accomplished its mission and done its duty. Our military captured Saddam Hussein, captured or killed his closest associates, but the war continues to intensify. Deaths and injuries are growing, and over 2,079 of confirmed American deaths, over 15,500 have been seriously injured -- half of them returned to duty -- and it's estimated over 50,000 will suffer from what I call battle fatigue. And there have been reports at least 30,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed...Oil production and energy production are below prewar level. You remember they said that was going to pay for the war, and it's below prewar level...Unemployment is 60 percent...And, most importantly -- this is the most important point -- incidents have increased from 150 a week to over 700 in the last year. Instead of attacks going down over a time when we had additional more troops, attacks have grown dramatically. Since the revolution at Abu Ghraib, American casualties have doubled." Murtha said.

Murtha said he would be introducing legislation forcing U.S. troops out of Iraq.

The House Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi, said of Murtha’s statements, "I think it speaks very strongly to the point that the President's policy is not working; two-and-a-half years after the President said, 'mission accomplished,' we still don't know what the mission is. So the focus really shouldn't be on Mr. Murtha, it should be on the President of the United States and his failed policy there."

In new PEW poll released today, public opinion jumped from 30% in 2002, to 42% today who believe that America should “mind its own business” internationally. It is a return to levels that were last seen in the post-Vietnam War period.

British policewoman shot dead

November 18, 2005

Two policewomen were shot in Bradford city centre today — one fatally. The surviving officer has been hospitalized in Bradford Royal Infirmary. The officer who died is believed to have only joined the police force within the past two years. The officers have not yet been named.

The officers are believed to have been responding to an alarm call from a personal attack alarm at "Universal Express Travel Agents" 116 - 120 Morley Street at around 3:25 GMT.

The murder took place on Morley Street, which is in the University and College part of City, at the crossroads with Great Horton Lane are the main student entertainments and night clubs. The Alhambra theatre is at the bottom half of the street. The area is heavily covered by CCTV, which may help the investigation.

Home secretary Charles Clarke said, "While incidents of this sort are mercifully rare, they serve to remind us of the risks and dangers police officers face every day in their work to uphold the law and protect the public."

The (3) gunmen are still at large and there is a large police presence in the city centre trying to track them down. Most of the surrounding area has been closed off.

At least 60 killed in Iraq suicide bombings

November 18, 2005

A string of suicide bombings in Iraq have killed at least 60 people and injured over 60 more as insurgents attacked a prominent Baghdad hotel as well as two mosques 90 miles (140 kilometres) north-east of the capital.

52 people were killed and 65 wounded when two suicide bombers detonated themselves in Shi'ite mosques in the eastern Iraqi town of Khanaqin, inhabited mostly by Shi'ites and Kurds. The bombers entered the mosques during Friday prayers and blew themselves up completely destroying the buildings. The attack was the latest in a series of bombings by Sunni Muslim insurgents at Shi'ite mosques.

Earlier on the same day two suicide truck bombs destroyed an apartment block in Baghdad, killing at least eight people and injuring at least 43. The blast was near an interior ministry prison bunker where a torture scandal involving numerous Sunni Arab prisoners has been taking place. US military and security experts said, however, that the target of the attack was not the bunker but a prominent hotel used by foreign journalists.

US Colonel Ed Cardon said the Baghdad bombing did not go according to plan. He told reporters that the first truck was to pave way for the second truck, but instead both trucks exploded in the same place. Cardon's view was supported by deputy interior minister Hussein Kamal, who said initial reports indicate that the Hamra hotel was the actual target.

US use of white phosphorus in Iraq may constitute a war crime

November 17, 2005

Yesterday the United States admitted using incendiary weapons containing white phosphorus during a major offensive in Fallujah. There is question, however, as to what end the use of these weapon is legal under conventions of war.

The way white phosphorus munitions are used determines if it falls in the category of chemical weapons, says Professor Paul Rodgers from the University of Bradford department of peace studies. "It is not counted under the chemical weapons convention in its normal use but, although it is a matter of legal niceties, it probably does fall into the category of chemical weapons if it is used for this kind of purpose directly against people." Professor Paul Rodgers is the writer of the book "A War on Terror: Afghanistan and After".

The Iraqi government will investigate the American use of white phosphorus munitions during the battle of Fallujah. The inquiry will try to determine whether US forces committed war crimes according to international weapons treaties.

A spokesman for the US military, Lt. Col. Barry Venable, said yesterday when US admitted the use of white phosphorus as an incendiary weapon, that "White phosphorus is a conventional munition. It is not a chemical weapon. They are not outlawed or illegal." He added that "it was used as an incendiary weapon against enemy combatants."

Robert Tuttle, the American ambassador to London, wrote "U.S. forces do not use napalm or white phosphorus as weapons," in a letter to the Independent newspaper. When confronted with the US militaries' admission, an embassy spokesperson said "all questions on WP" should be referred to the Pentagon.

Sir Menzies Campbell, Member of the British Parliament (Liberal Democrat), says: "The use of this weapon may technically have been legal, but its effects are such that it will hand a propaganda victory to the insurgency. The denial of use followed by the admission will simply convince the doubters that there was something to hide."

Battlefield concentrations of white phosphorus gas are generally considered harmless: there are no documented cases of white phosophorus gases resulting in fatalities. However, its use as an incendiary is under question. The United States reportedly ordered civilians to evacuate areas wherein white phosphorus was going to be used.

But claims that U.S. use of white phosphorus--or 'Whiskey Pete', as it is called by the military--contravenes the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, are based on its prohibition of any "toxic chemical" weapons which cause "death, harm or temporary incapacitation to humans or animals through their chemical action on life processes." The fact that direct exposure to Sneaky Pete produces precisely such effects on humans has been substantiated by numerous sources, both medical and military.

As reported on November 15 in the UK's Independent, according to three artillery men writing in the March-April edition of Field Artillery, the magazine of the US Field Artillery basaed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, which is readily available on the internet, Sneaky Pete was used "as a potent psychological weapon against insurgents in trench lines and spider holes...We fired 'shake and abake' missions at the insurgents using WP to flush them out and high exposive shells (HE) to take them out."

The Independent article concludes with a quote from Kathy Kelly of the group Voices in the Wilderness. She said: 'If the US wants to promote security for this generation and the next, it should build relationships with these countries. If the US uses conventional or non-conventional weapons, in civilian neighourhoods, that melt people's bodies down to the bone, it will leave these people seething. We should think on this rather than arguing about whether we can squeak such weapons past the Geneva Conventions and international accords.'