Sydney Morning Herald
Climate scientist accuses US of trying to gag him
NASA'S leading climate scientist says the Bush Administration has tried to stop him from speaking out since he gave a lecture last month calling for prompt reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
James Hansen, longtime director of the agency's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said officials at NASA headquarters had ordered the public affairs staff to review his coming lectures, papers, postings on the Goddard website and requests for interviews from journalists.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/climate-scientist-accuses-us-of-trying-to-gag-him/2006/01/29/1138469607241.html
Arrested men give Russia details of espionage ring
Two men arrested when Russian intelligence busted an alleged British espionage ring in Moscow have given detailed accounts of MI6's operations in the country, a former spy chief said in remarks broadcast on NTV television.
"They describe how they work, in what way and with whom they worked," the chairman of Parliament's Veterans' Committee and the former head of the FSB intelligence service Nikolai Kovalev said in an interview.
His comments came a week after the Rossiya state channel aired footage purportedly showing four British diplomats retrieving data stored by informants inside a hi-tech imitation rock left by a Moscow roadside.
Kovalev termed the increasing level of covert British activity in Russia "indecent".
This was corroborated by the statements of two men who will go on trial in (northern) spring, he said, apparently referring to Russians allegedly recruited by Britain's MI6 foreign intelligence service.
"I believe the British will be in an awkward position if they start denying the fact of their active intelligence work on Russian territory," he added.
FSB agents used hidden cameras to film embassy staffers apparently using palm-top computers to download information from the "rock" over a period of several months.
The footage was broadcast on January 22, causing acute embarrassment to the British government, which said it was "concerned and surprised" at the claims.
Russia has used the spying allegations to justify an internationally criticised new law clamping down on non-governmental organisations, citing one of the spy suspects' contacts with NGOs.
President Vladimir Putin said it was regrettable that foreign intelligence services were trying to influence the Russian NGO sector and that the incident "shows why Russia adopted this law".
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/arrested-men-give-russia-details-of-espionage-ring/2006/01/30/1138469629370.html
Lost at sea: $37m US jet
A $37 MILLION jet fighter belonging to the United States military has been lost at sea during a training exercise in Queensland. The jet was attempting a night landing on the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan on Saturday.
The pilot ejected safely and was rescued by the ship's helicopter, but the FA-18 Hornet strike fighter was unlikely to be retrieved from the ocean, US officials confirmed.
The accident happened when the aircraft carrier was 400 kilometres south-east of Brisbane, ABC television reported.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/01/29/1138469611538.html
We knew nothing of bribes: Howard
Prime Minister John Howard has denied knowing Australia's monopoly wheat exporter was paying bribes to the regime of Saddam Hussein, even as he personally helped the company keep a key contract with Iraq.
Mr Howard said he was simply doing his job by helping AWB, which is now at the centre of allegations it made kickback payments of $300 million to Iraq and breached a United Nations Security Council resolution.
His denial follows the release of letters by the Cole commission of inquiry into AWB and other Australian companies named by an international investigation into corruption within the UN's oil-for-food program.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/we-knew-nothing-of-bribes-howard/2006/01/30/1138469633022.html
I deserve what I deserve: Bali nine 'mule'
Accused Bali nine drug mule Scott Rush has won more time to prepare a plea for mercy, saying: "I deserve what I deserve."
The 20-year-old Brisbane man's defence lawyer Robert Khuana today succeeded in having his client's proceedings adjourned until Wednesday, when Rush hopes to convince the Denpasar District Court not to invoke the death penalty or deliver a life sentence when it hands down its verdict in a few weeks.
Speaking after a brief hearing today, Rush said he would deliver a message from the heart.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/i-deserve-what-i-deserve-bali-nine-mule/2006/01/30/1138590431337.html
Monday
Fine. Mostly sunny. Moderate northeast winds freshening near the coast during the afternoon before a southerly change this evening.
Current Temperature: 29 C
Forecast Max: 29 C
Wind Direction & Speed: NE at 17 knots
Humidity: 53%
Pressure: 1008.0 hPa
Warning: Strong wind warning for NSW coastal waters south of Ulladulla.
http://www.smh.com.au/weather/sydney.html
Perth's 'hovering car'
Eagle eyed users of the satellite imaging service Google Earth have spotted what appears to be a car hovering above the ground in a suburban Perth car park.
The photo is of a car park just off Honour Avenue at Point Walter in the affluent south western suburb of Bicton. The spot is a popular picnic location on the banks of the Swan River.
A number of cars are shown in parking bays and the vehicle in question appears to hovering above the ground nearby, its shadow clearly visible beneath.
Google Earth images are mostly taken by satellites - and sometimes by aircraft - within the past three years and there are no "live" images on the site.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/01/30/1138469638185.html
Iran gives UN inspectors access to nuclear site
UN nuclear inspectors have visited sites related to the former Lavizan military complex in Iran in what is a key concession in the UN investigation of the Islamic Republic's contested nuclear program, diplomats have told AFP.
A diplomat close to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told AFP that IAEA inspectors had visited sites related to Lavizan and seen equipment.
The access comes ahead of a meeting in London of the foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China to attempt to find agreement on how to respond to Iran's resumption of sensitive nuclear activities.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/iran-gives-un-inspectors-access-to-nuclear-site/2006/01/30/1138469629366.html
Paris Hilton's ditsiness beyond doubt
Ever since her rise to fame on the international party circuit, the debate has raged in the gossip columns. Is the heiress Paris Hilton really the most air-headed socialite the world has ever seen? Or, as her supporters claim, is her dizzy bimbo act so outrageous that it can only be a deliberate, if off-beat, self-marketing ploy?
Now, it seems, a leaked transcript of a legal statement she made in private may have proved the prosecution case beyond doubt. Her responses to a series of lawyers' questions reveal that the heir to the Hilton Hotel fortune admits not knowing some of her friends' names, thinks that everyone in Europe speaks French, and believes that London is not in the United Kingdom.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/01/29/1138469608027.html
Trash Talk: Paris does a pee
24 January 2006
A taxi driver is disgusted by Miss Hilton, Brangelina may have two dumplings in the oven and a famous kidney stone is for sale.
http://media.smh.com.au/?rid=17900&source=smh.com.au%2Ftop5&sy=smh&t=07H200&ie=1&player=wm7&rate=234&flash=1
Cocktail of joblessness and drink fuels pub violence
THE state's most violent pubs are in rural areas where a mix of unemployment and alcoholism has produced high drink-related assault rates, figures show.
In Sydney, the most violent pubs are in Manly, where assault rates have risen by about 60 per cent in the past four years. The council for the beachside suburb, which has several large, all-night venues around The Corso, has adopted several measures to try to limit alcohol-related violence and is considering a plan to force pubs to close by 2am.
The state's highest assault rates per licensed premises were in Warren, Walgett and Oberon; some of the lowest were in Blacktown, Rockdale and the city.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/cocktail-of-joblessness-and-drink-fuels-pub-violence/2006/01/29/1138469608059.html
Trial of Enron's top dogs begins
PART Greek tragedy, part soap opera, Enron's fall from grace is about to unfold once more, this time to the most important audience of all.
Jury selection begins in the US today in the Houston trial of Enron founder Kenneth Lay and former chief executive Jeffrey Skilling, two men who have become symbols of Corporate America gone wrong.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/trial-of-enrons-top-dogs-begins/2006/01/29/1138469605498.html
Dome's ticket sales through the roof
THE Sydney SuperDome has been named the second-highest-grossing arena in the world after New York's Madison Square Garden, with ticket sales of $US37.6 million ($50.1 million) last year, says the US music magazine Billboard.
Sales were boosted by big-name concerts by Delta Goodrem, Neil Diamond, the Foo Fighters, Rod Stewart and Green Day. Crowds also flocked to the 18th annual Australian Record Industry Association Awards in October and the annual showcasing of the World Wrestling Entertainment.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/superdome-is-worlds-no-2-money-maker/2006/01/30/1138590427677.html
Los Angeles Times
Algebra: A Formula for Failure in L.A. Schools
By Duke Helfand
Because they can't pass algebra, thousands of students are denied diplomas. Many try again and again — but still get Fs.
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-dropouts-series,0,7942897.special
THE VANISHING CLASS
A Formula for Failure in L.A. Schools
Because they can't pass algebra, thousands of students are denied diplomas. Many try again and again -- but still get Fs.
By Duke Helfand, Times Staff Writer
Second in a four-part series
Each morning, when Gabriela Ocampo looked up at the chalkboard in her ninth-grade algebra class, her spirits sank.
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-dropout30jan30,0,3211437.story
Remember Penmanship? That's So 20th Century
Computers and more pressing subjects bump handwriting lessons. But a new form is emerging.
By Seema Mehta, Times Staff Writer
Sixth-graders in Linda Op de Beeck's classroom at Barton Elementary School in Anaheim must complete all their homework assignments on computers. The result, she says, is neater and easier to grade.
"That's the way to go in the 21st century," she said.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-penmanship30jan30,0,7402236.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Rising Army Promotion Rate Called Ominous
Experts say the quality of the officer corps is threatened as the service fights to retain leaders during wartime and fill new command slots.
By Mark Mazzetti, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — Struggling to retain enough officers to lead its forces, the Army has begun to dramatically increase the number of soldiers it promotes, raising fears within the service that wartime strains are diluting the quality of the officer corps.
Last year, the Army promoted 97% of all eligible captains to the rank of major, Pentagon data show. That was up from a historical average of 70% to 80%.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-officers30jan30,0,4783289.story?coll=la-home-headlines
CIA Expands Use of Drones in Terror War
'Targeted killing' with missile-firing Predators is a way to hit Al Qaeda in remote areas, officials say. Host nations are not always given notice.
By Josh Meyer, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — Despite protests from other countries, the United States is expanding a top-secret effort to kill suspected terrorists with drone-fired missiles as it pursues an increasingly decentralized Al Qaeda, U.S. officials say.
The CIA's failed Jan. 13 attempt to assassinate Al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman Zawahiri in Pakistan was the latest strike in the "targeted killing" program, a highly classified initiative that officials say has broadened as the network splintered and fled Afghanistan.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-fg-predator29jan29,0,860326.story?track=hpmostemailedlink
Deadly Rift Grows Among Insurgents
U.S. hopes to exploit violence between Iraqi militants and foreign fighters, officials say.
By Louise Roug and Richard Boudreaux, Times Staff Writers
RAMADI, Iraq — Deadly fighting has erupted within Iraq's insurgency as home-grown guerrilla groups, increasingly resentful of foreign-led extremists, try to assert control over the fragmented anti-American campaign, U.S. and Iraqi officials say.
Yet there is no evidence that the split here in the Sunni Arab heartland has weakened the uprising, diminished Iraqis' sense of insecurity, or brought any relief to U.S. forces, the officials say.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-insurgency29jan29,0,4558003.story?coll=la-home-world
In S.F., Chinese Politics Joins New Year Parade
By John M. Glionna and Hemmy So, Times Staff Writers
SAN FRANCISCO — The floats won't begin rolling for two weeks. The giant slinking dragon costume remains mothballed. But a push by the controversial Falun Gong sect to march in the city's Chinese New Year Parade has ignited political fireworks over whether China's government is trying to meddle in U.S. politics.
Falun Gong, which is outlawed in China, has been barred by sponsors of the Feb. 11 event that draws hundreds of thousands of people to downtown San Francisco and caps a two-week celebration of the Chinese New Year, which began Sunday. The group has also been excluded from similar events in Southern California; organizers of parades in the San Gabriel Valley and downtown Los Angeles rejected Falun Gong's applications in 2005 and 2006.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-parade30jan30,0,3084712.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Docs are the talk of the teeming town
Drama contest is just so-so as documentaries provide sizzle at the jam-packed event.
By Kenneth Turan, Times Staff Writer
The Cannes Film Festival is one of the world's biggest film events, but it never seems to get any bigger. I once asked Giles Jacob, who ran the festival for many years, the reason why, and he said it was simple: The amount of housing a reasonable driving distance from Cannes is finite, and it's not being increased.
Would that were the case with Sundance.
http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/cl-et-sundance30jan30,0,1445171.story?coll=la-tot-promo&track=widget
Witherspoon, 'Crash' Win Top SAG Honors
By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer
LOS ANGELES -- Reese Witherspoon as singer June Carter in "Walk the Line" and Philip Seymour Hoffman as author Truman Capote in "Capote" won lead-acting awards Sunday from the Screen Actors Guild, while the ensemble drama "Crash" pulled off an upset win over Brokeback Mountain" for the overall cast award.
Rachel Weisz of the murder-thriller "The Constant Gardener" and Paul Giamatti of the boxing drama "Cinderella Man" received supporting-acting honors.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top14jan29,0,5167325.story
Grief, Gratitude and Baby Lee
'Can I do this?' his mother agonized, knowing one of her newborns would not live. But for 43 hours, he was hers to cherish.
By Stephanie Simon, Times Staff Writer
WICHITA, Kan. — She wanted to honor her son, to celebrate his life, however short. That's why she had refused an abortion, even after doctors told her that her little boy would be born without a brain.
Now he was here, squirming in his blankets, and Danielle Hayworth could not bring herself to hold him.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hospice28jan28,0,1563970.story?coll=la-homepage-calendar-widget
Religious Groups Get Chunk of AIDS Money
By RITA BEAMISH, Associated Press Writer
President Bush's $15 billion effort to fight AIDS has handed out nearly one-quarter of its grants to religious groups, and officials are aggressively pursuing new church partners that often emphasize disease prevention through abstinence and fidelity over condom use.
Award recipients include a Christian relief organization famous for its televised appeals to feed hungry children, a well-known Catholic charity and a group run by the son of evangelist Billy Graham, according to the State Department.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top12jan29,0,4380891.story
Slip Another to Woods
He gets record fourth Torrey Pines title when Olazabal misses short putt on second playoff hole, reminiscent of Daly's slip-up.
By Thomas Bonk, Times Staff Writer
LA JOLLA -- Say what you will about Tiger Woods, but he knows how to win. The wins just arrive in different ways.
Sometimes, he blows to victory with the fury of a gale, sometimes he squirms his way to the top and other times victory is simply handed to him.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-golf30jan30,0,7416865.story?coll=la-home-sports
Fighting Beach Pollution in the Lab
Microbial tracking helps to pinpoint elusive sources of coastal contamination. Use of the method is growing, but experts cite limits.
By Tim Reiterman, Times Staff Writer
SANTA BARBARA — With stately multimillion-dollar homes, miles of shade-dappled bridle trails and a private beach below steep bluffs, Hope Ranch is a place of uncommon wealth and serenity. But like other California coastal communities, it has wrestled for years with a mysterious problem that may be rooted in runoff from its own land.
County officials have posted dozens of health warnings on the beach since 1998. And parents routinely shoo their children away from a tiny creek that drains the 1,900-acre enclave and empties onto the shoreline.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sickbeach29jan29,0,2914682.story?coll=la-home-local
New Zealand Herald
Wind set for City of Sails' Harbour Festival
30.01.06 1.00pm
Ten knots of wind from the east and a flat harbour set up Auckland today for one of the city's biggest birthday regattas in years.
Auckland celebrated its 166th birthday over the weekend, and Dave Stewart, the organiser of the inaugural Auckland Harbour Festival, said the weather gods had smiled on the city.
Last night cars stopped at every vantage point as a huge fireworks display lit up downtown Auckland.
On the North Shore about 200 cars stopped on the side of the northern motorway and harbour bridge approaches for a view across the harbour to the Viaduct Basin where the fireworks were launched from barges in the inner harbour.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10366014
Father drowns trying to save son
31.01.06 9.15pm
By Derek Cheng
The father of a 10-year-old boy has drowned trying to save the child from mud flats in a Manukau Harbour channel.
The tragedy happened at Green Bay tonight when a boy became stuck in the muddy channel just off the beach.
His father rushed out to help him but also became stuck.
A woman passing by waded into the water to help and managed to take the boy from his father as the muddy waters washed around them.
She pushed him to safety and then went to look for the man, but he had disappeared as his own body weight pulled him under.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10366069
Charges considered after cyclist dies in race
30.01.06 4.00pm
Police are yet to decide whether to charge organisers of a bike race in which a cyclist was killed at the weekend.
Robert Geoffrey Crompton, 57, of Auckland, died after a collision with a car between Kaponga and Eltham in south Taranaki on Saturday morning.
Police said he was competing in the Taranaki Cycle Challenge when he made contact with another cyclist and then hit an oncoming support crew car. He died at the scene.
Senior Constable Christopher Glen of Eltham police said today that they would probably not be pressing charges against the driver of the vehicle, as it did not appear he was at fault.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10366028
More NZ soldiers to serve in Solomons
30.01.06 2.00pm
A contingent of New Zealand soldiers is about to head to the Solomon Islands for a three-month deployment.
The group, which leaves Christchurch on Wednesday, is part of New Zealand Defence Force's contribution to the Australian-led mission in the Solomon Islands.
The platoon, from Burnham's 2/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment will be based in Honiara.
NZDF's current contribution to the Solomon Islands is a three-month platoon rotation of 46 personnel and a military officer to act as the deputy commander to the military component of the mission.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10366021
Islamic dairy boycott may affect NZ
30.01.06 3.40pm
By Kent Atkinson
Controversial cartoons published in the Danish and Norwegian media have triggered consumer boycotts of Danish exports by Islamic consumers.
The boycotts are hurting a major European partner of Fonterra, and at least one Saudi company which buys New Zealand dairy ingredients.
In the Middle East, where Danish dairy company Arla is the second biggest foreign player, gaps on some supermarket shelves, with labels in English and Arabic, indicate that Danish products have been withdrawn.
Copenhagen's Jyllands-Posten daily printed 12 drawings by Danish cartoonists who had been asked to illustrate the prophet.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=3&ObjectID=10366027
London police 'altered log' to cover up shooting
30.01.06 1.00pm
By Maxine Frith
The family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the innocent Brazilian shot dead by police at London's Stockwell Tube station last July, have demanded a public inquiry into his death following allegations that Special Branch officers changed vital evidence in an attempt to cover up fatal blunders in the case.
An undercover surveillance team altered an official log to hide the fact that they had wrongly identified Mr Menezes as a suspect in the failed July 21 bombings in London, according to a leaked copy of the official report into the shooting.
Mr Menezes, a 27-year-old electrician, was shot seven times in the head.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10366006
UN powers meet on Iran
30.01.06 4.00pm
By Madeline Chambers
LONDON - The European Union and United States will today seek to persuade Russia and China to back tough diplomatic action against Iran over its disputed nuclear programme before a crunch meeting later this week.
Three days before the United Nations nuclear watchdog holds an emergency session in Vienna, at which the board could decide to send Iran to the UN Security Council, foreign ministers from the world powers will try to agree on a strategy.
The European Union -- represented by France, Germany and Britain -- and the US want to haul Iran in front of the Security Council, which can impose sanctions, but Russia and China are not convinced.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10366025
concluding ...
