The Australian
Last of our Great War fighters fades away
Stuart Rintoul
October 19, 2005
EIGHTY-SEVEN years after the end of World War I, only a gossamer thread now links the nation to its baptism of fire and blood, after the death of the last Australian to go to the Great War.
Evan Allan died late on Monday night at the age of 106, leaving only one living connection with the "war to end all wars" - Jack Ross, 106, who enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1918, but who never saw a shot fired in anger.
Born in Bega, NSW, in July 1899, (William) Evan Allan enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy as a boy sailor at the outbreak of the Great War, when he was only 14 years old.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16965290%5E601,00.html
Car firms flip on 10pc ethanol
Katharine Murphy
October 19, 2005
THE car industry has reversed its opposition to ethanol-blended petrol, in a victory for the Nationals and the fledgling ethanol industry.
Car-makers will tell buyers from next year that fuel blended with 10 per cent ethanol (E10) is safe in vehicles and will not affect warranties.
The reversal of the industry's longstanding opposition to ethanol-blended petrol follows a series of private meetings between cabinet ministers and the chief executives of Ford, Holden, Toyota and Mitsubishi.
From January, car-makers will put a label on every petrol-cap flap, telling drivers E10 blends will not corrode their engines or void their warranties.
"We've agreed to say that our cars are E10-compatible," Ford spokeswoman Sinead McAlary said yesterday.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16965292%5E2702,00.html
Iran braces for bird flu
October 19, 2005
IRAN has banned bird hunting and is stocking up on flu vaccines as it braces for what officials acknowledge is a highly likely outbreak of bird flu which has already arrived at its borders.
"We haven't seen a case yet, but we are extremely concerned because Iran is surrounded by the virus," Behrouz Yasemi, head of Iran's Bird Flu Committee, said.
Turkish veterinary teams have killed more than 8000 turkeys, chickens and geese after an outbreak of the virulent H5N1 strain that has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16966660%5E1702,00.html
Dictator in the dock
A watertight case involving Saddam Hussein's retaliation for an attempted assassination kicks off the trial of the new century, writes Middle East correspondent Martin Chulov
October 19, 2005
FROM his spartan prison cell in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein has told his lawyers about the first of the "great injustices" that will see him on trial for his life in front of the world today.
During the past fortnight, in a final pre-trial briefing, he gave two members of his legal team this version of the morning in 1982 when he drove to the small town of Dujail, a Shiite Muslim enclave 60km north of Baghdad.
"As the convoy was driving along, an old lady walked out on to the road and started to beg," reveals Arab Lawyers League chairman Ziyad Khasawneh.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16961494%5E28737,00.html
Saddam to begin fight for life
Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent
October 19, 2005
AFTER two years as a prisoner of the nation he both ruled and savaged for three decades, Saddam Hussein goes on trial for his life today, in the most anticipated court appearance of the new century.
The former Iraqi president will be tried by a judiciary drawn from his compatriots on 14 separate charges alleging a range of war crimes and massive human rights abuses during his time in power.
The first charge to be dealt with by the Iraqi Special Tribunal relates to retribution the former strongman took on a Shi'ite community in 1982 after some of its residents allegedly tried to assassinate him.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16965187%5E2703,00.html
Are we transparent in return?
Rumsfeld bid for answers on Chinese arms
Geoff Elliott, Washington correspondent
October 19, 2005
US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld flew into Beijing yesterday ready to push for greater transparency from the Chinese over what the Pentagon says is its rapid militarisation.
In his first state visit since taking office in 2001, Mr Rumsfeld has responded to a longstanding invitation. But the timing also comes amid growing unease in Washington over not only China's military intentions but its economic momentum, which has increased protectionist talk in Congress.
A senior US Defence Department official said Mr Rumsfeld would press for a "greater transparency, greater discussion, so that we, the United States, and perhaps the neighbours in the immediate region, would have a much clearer understanding of what the Chinese intent was in developing the capabilities they're developing".
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16965181%5E2703,00.html
More terror, fewer wars
David Nason, New York correspondent
October 18, 2005
TERRORISM may be rising but armed conflict, genocide, political crises and human rights abuses have fallen sharply since the end of the Cold War, according to a three-year international study by a team of experts led by left-leaning Australian academic Andrew Mack.
Released overnight at UN headquarters in New York, the Human Security Report also finds that today's wars are much less deadly than the wars of the 1950s, 60s and 70s and that wars between countries now account for just 5 per cent of all armed conflicts.
The report lists the most warlike countries of the past 60 years. Australia, involved in seven international conflicts since 1946, ranks equal fifth.
The countries above Australia are all UN Security Council permanent members -- Britain (21 wars), France (19), US (16) and Russia-USSR (9).
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16948272%5E2703,00.html
Israelis killed in intifada revival
Abraham Rabinovich, Jerusalem
October 18, 2005
THREE Israelis were shot dead and four others wounded in two drive-by shootings on the West Bank at the weekend as the Palestinian intifada, which had been tapering off over the past year, appeared to spring back to life in the wake of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Israel reimposed restrictions on Palestinian movements and blockaded West Bank cities following the shootings.
Israeli officials said there would be no renewal of peace talks unless Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas suppressed militant groups, including Hamas.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16948266%5E2703,00.html
Sydney Morning Herald
Little prince makes public debut
By James Button, Europe correspondent
October 19, 2005
Here he is, the new prince of Denmark.
Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik yesterday left Copenhagen's central hospital with their four-day-old son, but not before the heir to the Danish throne made his public debut.
Dressed all in white and wrapped in a blanket, the dark-haired boy - who is expected to be called Christian in line with Danish tradition - slept through the snapping cameras and cheers of the hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside waving Danish and Australian flags.
He had lost a little weight since his birth and appeared to be suffering from jaundice, but both are normal in a newborn. "He has a calm, quiet personality," Princess Mary said.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/little-prince-makes-public-debut/2005/10/19/1129401262425.html
Saddam's trial fails to focus on atrocities
By Paul McGeough Chief Herald Correspondent
October 19, 2005
In the dock … Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad today.
Photo: AP
Saddam Hussein is back in the box today, for what Iraqi prosecutors insist is the serious business of dealing with the former dictator's abuse of his people and his power.
Deep within the blast-walled and razor-wired perimeter of Baghdad's green zone, a marble-clad building that Saddam used as a store for gifts he received as Iraqi leader is the setting for a remarkable encounter between the accused and his accusers.
The names of the five judges will not be disclosed - it remains to be seen if their faces will be shown on TV - and witnesses will speak from behind screens. Much of the proceedings will take place behind bullet-proof glass.
But when details of the charges against Saddam, 68, and his seven co-accused are revealed for the first time, many will wonder how an obscure assassination attempt on the former president could become the reason for his actual death.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/saddams-trial-fails-to-focus-on-atrocities/2005/10/18/1129401256157.html
Don't execute Bali bombers, Jakarta warned
By Mark Forbes Herald Correspondent in Denpasar
October 19, 2005
Balinese protestors stabbed and burned an effigy of Amrozi in a demonstration calling for his execution.
Photo: Jason South
Jakarta came under pressure last night to spare the lives of terrorists after the head of the original Bali bombing investigation warned of a backlash if the bombers are executed.
In a warning aimed at Australia as much as Indonesia, Bali police chief I Made Mangku Pastika said: "Are we capable of coping with the backlash? Are we ready to have the execution in Bali or outside Bali?"
The call from the general, who rose to prominence during the hunt for the 2002 bombers, came as police claimed to have uncovered a significant lead in the investigation into the latest attack.
General Pastika said he understood the anger in Bali after the second attacks and "why some people stage demonstrations to expedite the execution of Amrozi". But he said he hoped authorities would consider several factors before responding.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/dont-execute-bali-bombers-jakarta-warned/2005/10/18/1129401256145.html
Chicago Tribune
Golden tickets
By Jimmy Greenfield
RedEye
Published October 18, 2005
Wanna see the Sox in the Series?
Stay away from ticket brokers and steer clear of online auction houses. There's no need--yet--to jump into a bidding war.
Unless it's after noon today. Then it's every fan for himself.
Tickets to Chicago's first World Series in 46 years were selling for thousands of dollars above face value Monday. But those buyers may have jumped the gun.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/redeye/chi-051018soxtickets,1,237181.story?coll=chi-news-hed
A tragedy that family saw coming
Son tries to fend off dad to save dying mother
By David Heinzmann and Andrew Wang
Tribune staff reporters
Published October 18, 2005
Rhys Jones flew in from New York on Saturday to try to protect his mother from his father, who had been arrested last week for beating her and keeping a loaded gun in their apartment.
His instincts were right.
Bonnie Jones filed for an order of protection against her estranged husband after that incident, and her son had arranged for her to stay with friends. But when mother and son returned to her Rogers Park apartment Sunday afternoon to pick up belongings, Howard Jones leapt from a darkened bedroom doorway wielding two knives, police said.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0510180259oct18,1,7557070.story?coll=chi-news-hed
HUGE WEATHER CHANGES AHEAD IN THE COMING WEEK
Chicago's heaviest rain of autumn due late week; cold air to follow
Published October 18, 2005
The abnormal warmth in place since Sept. 1, which has propelled Fall 2005 to an 8th warmest ranking among all on record since 1871, may be entering in its final days. An autumn chill is to take hold this weekend. History shows only three of the city's warmest Sept. 1 through Oct. 17 periods have managed to remain chilly the rest of the fall season (which ends Nov. 30). But, temperature retreats like the one predicted are most noticeable when they follow extended spells of uninterrupted warmth. And warmth is exactly what Midwesterners have enjoyed for weeks. The number of 80 and 90(degrees)+ daytime highs since Sept. 1 has been twice normal. And, Fall is currently averaging nearly 5(degrees) above normal. The transition to colder weather is to include the rains of a storm responsible for unusual half-dollar size hail near Pasadena, Calif. Monday. The storm, which arrives in Chicago late Thursday, threatens to develop into an atmospheric behemoth 3,000 miles across as it combines off the Atlantic Coast with the northeastbound remnants of Hurricane Wilma over the coming weekend.
Sources: National Weather Service, Tropical Prediction Center
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0510180106oct18,1,3559365.column
Military Copters Deliver Aid to Kashmir
By ZARAR KHAN
Associated Press Writer
Published October 18, 2005, 10:22 AM CDT
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani and U.S. military helicopters delivered aid at a brisk pace to the earthquake-stricken region of Kashmir on Tuesday amid warnings from the World Food Program that a half-million survivors have yet to receive desperately needed help.
Choppers landed under sunny skies in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan's portion of the divided Kashmir region, bringing tents and other supplies, while relief workers set up field hospitals to treat thousands of stranded, injured people.
Authorities warned that exposure and infections could drive the death toll up from 54,000 as the harsh Himalayan winter loomed. Landslides caused by the magnitude-7.6 earthquake Oct. 8 cut off many roads, and they could take weeks to clear.
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, visiting the earthquake-stricken region, said he would allow Kashmiris to cross the boundary with Indian-held territory to help in quake reconstruction efforts.
"We will allow every Kashmiri to come across the Line of Control to assist in the reconstruction effort," Musharraf said at a news conference in Muzaffarabad.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-pakistan-quake-pk1,1,7519792.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Most feel safe from terror attack
But poll shows many doubt Illinois is ready
By John McCormick
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 18, 2005
Despite living in a city that's home to the Sears Tower, one of the world's busiest airports and other potentially tempting targets, two-thirds of Chicago voters say they feel generally safe from terrorist attacks, according to the latest Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll.
The survey of registered voters in Illinois shows an even greater sense of safety among those who live in Chicago's collar counties and Downstate, areas where nearly 90 percent say they feel very or somewhat safe from terrorism. That compares with 66 percent among Chicagoans.
"There is no real reason to attack Chicago," said poll participant Melinda Power, an attorney who lives in the Logan Square neighborhood. "I'm not concerned."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0510180198oct18,1,474583.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Can Cub fans suck it up?
By Brian Hiatt
Published October 18, 2005
Picture two ugly sisters--think Patty and Selma Bouvier from "The Simpsons"--spending their childhood living together, arguing over who was prettier, who was more popular, who did better in school--even though neither has much to brag about.
That's what Chicago Cubs and White Sox fans have been like for the last 46 years. For seasons immemorial, North and South Siders have bickered and brawled over who won more games, who (before the interleague season series era) won the otherwise meaningless Crosstown Classic, or who (after interleague play began) won the season series. But we never debated pennants or World Series titles because, well, that never was an issue.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0510180233oct18,1,5180612.story?coll=chi-opinionfront-hed
New Zealand Herald
Bird flu confirmed in Greece
18.10.05 11.15am
By Lefteris Papadimas
ATHENS - Greece is carrying out further tests on a turkey detected with bird flu on an Aegean island to establish if it was infected with the deadly strain of the virus already found in Turkey and Romania.
If confirmed as the H5N1 strain which has killed more than 60 people in Asia, it would be the first case of a bird with the virus in the European Union.
The turkey came from a small private poultry farm of about 20 turkeys on the tiny eastern Aegean island of Inousses off Chios, the Greek Ministry of Agriculture said.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=560&objectid=10350871
Strong NZ demand for bird flu masks and drugs
18.10.05 1.00pm
One of the country's largest on-line pharmacies says demand has soared in New Zealand for bird flu medication and face masks.
The bird flu has killed thousands of birds and dozens of people in Asia and authorities are worried it will spread around the world and potentially kill millions of people.
The disease has also been found in Romania, Turkey and Greece.
Authorities fear the H5N1 strain of the flu could mutate into a form that can be passed among people, leading to a flu pandemic.
In New Zealand demand had soared for medication, respirator masks and information aimed at helping New Zealanders cope with a possible pandemic.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=560&objectid=10350881
Baby murdered with punch to stomach, court told
18.10.05 1.00pm
A man killed his step-daughter with a blow to the stomach, a jury was told yesterday.
Demis Peter Paul, 25, went on trial in the High Court in Palmerston North on a charge of murdering 14-month-old Mereana Clements-Matete on December 22 last year.
The court was told that Paul admitted punching Mereana but denied intending to kill her.
"Demis Paul acknowledges that he got angry and he struck this little girl and, clearly, he struck her very hard," his lawyer Duncan Harvey told the jury.
Paul would argue that he did not intend his blow to kill the infant.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10350859
Antarctic expedition to study rising methane levels
18.10.05 4.00pm
A better understanding of the sources of Earth's current rising methane levels may be on the horizon.
The information is being sought by a team of Australian scientists, who leave for Antarctica today to collect ice cores and analyse the methane in trapped air bubbles.
The project is being undertaken by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).
Expedition leader and chief investigator, Dr Andrew Smith, said methane is a serious contributor to global warming and although it's generally known that levels have risen since the industrial era, the significance of the various methane sources is still poorly understood.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&ObjectID=10350886
Scientists to examine Venus for clues on greenhouse effect
18.10.05 1.00pm
By Steve Connor
Europe's first space mission to the planet Venus will shed new light on the greenhouse effect here on Earth, scientists said yesterday.
The Venus Express spacecraft is scheduled for launch a week today and one is of its primary goals is to understand the nature of the intense greenhouse effect heating Venus.
Scientists involved in the £140m mission said that studying the extreme environment of Venus will help climate researchers to make better predictions about global warming caused by changes to our own atmosphere.
"With the Earth evolving to become much warmer and polluted, our sister planet Venus has much to offer us in terms of understanding our own climate," said Professor Keith Mason, head of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10350843
Discovery too late for cervical cancer survivor
16.10.05
Andrea Winmill's first thought when she heard of a breakthrough cervical cancer vaccine, was "bugger".
"I think it's great, but they could have come up with it a few years ago," she laughs.
It's a fairly upbeat response from a woman who, at just 27, was told she had cervical cancer, needed a hysterectomy and would never have children.
Andrea was one of the women whose smear tests were misread by former Gisborne pathologist Michael Bottrill in the 1990s.
She counts herself as one of the lucky ones. She survived, and she and her husband John now live happily on their Te Puke dairy farm with their two adopted children, daughter Shaya, 3, and son Cullen, 5. Sometimes she wonders what her own children would look like.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10350491
Cervical cancer vaccine brings hope to patients
16.10.05
By Amanda Spratt
It was a test tube baby, born on a Thursday afternoon in April to two proud parents and some very high expectations.
How pretty it was, and oh, how tiny. Professor Ian Frazer, one of the men responsible for the new arrival, could only make it out through an electron microscope, magnified at least 50,000 times. The Scottish native can't remember the exact date when he first clapped eyes on it, but he remembers vividly what he saw: a perfect array of triangular faces staring back at him.
And so the beginning of a potential cure for two types of human papillomavirus (HPV), responsible for two thirds of cervical cancer cases, was born.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10350488
Alternative stem cell methods work in mice
17.10.05 1.00pm
WASHINGTON - Two alternative methods for making embryonic stem cells work in mice and might lead to a less controversial way to grow them, researchers report.
But the scientists who did the work said they still seek changes in US law that would give them federal funds to work with the human cells and find ways to use them in treating diseases such as cancer and genetic conditions, and studying others.
One team at Massachusetts-based Advanced Cell Technology used an established fertility technique called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to take a single cell from a mouse embryo and use it to grow a batch, or line, of embryonic stem cells.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10350698
Fetus cells used in controversial cosmetic treatment
17.10.05
By Steve Bloomfield
Britons desperate to halt the ageing process are being injected with the stem cells of aborted foetuses at a clinic that charges 15,000 ($38,120) for a controversial new treatment.
Despite warnings from biologists in the UK that the process is unproven and could be harmful, dozens of British women have flown to Barbados in the hope that the injections will make them forever young - and possibly even boost their sex drive.
The treatment is also available in Ecuador, Russia and Ukraine, where it was developed by scientists to treat Parkinson's disease and blood disorders.
But converts claim that wrinkles can be ironed out and the fresh face of youth restored.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10350580
AOL deal worth $7bn, reports say
15.10.05
By Kenneth Li
Web search engine Google and cable company Comcast's possible stake in Time Warner's America Online would be worth as much as US$5 billion ($7.25 billion), sources say.
The discussions concern only AOL's portal content - including news and entertainment - and not its dial-up internet access business, another source says.
An investment would set the stage for an alliance marrying Time Warner's trove of programming and Google's popular search and email services with Comcast's high-speed internet portal and experience in cable video distribution and telecommunications.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10350329
Warm temperatures may be keeping rotavirus at bay
16.10.05
By Teresa O'Connor
Children with side effects from the infectious rotavirus have been seeking hospital treatment in Auckland.
Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea among children, resulting in the deaths of more than 600,000 children annually worldwide.
So far this year there have been 150 cases reported nationwide.
Victoria University Malaghan Institute research officer Natalie Redshaw is studying the virus in New Zealand, and she believes warmer temperatures have probably contributed to lower numbers of the virus being reported in New Zealand's main centres this year.
The disease is characterised by vomiting and watery diarrhoea for between three and eight days, along with fever and abdominal pain.
Auckland Public Health spokesman Dr Will Patterson said though cases of the virus were not widespread in New Zealand, the disease was still highly infectious.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10350492
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