Latham Quits Politics

AAPJanuary 18, 2005

FEDERAL Opposition Leader Mark Latham has quit as Labor leader because of health problems.He made the announcement at a press conference at Halloran Park, in Ingleburn, in Sydney's south-west this afternoon.
Mr Latham also announced he would quit politics.
Mr Latham had been under growing pressure to end speculation over the leadership, sparked by last week's announcement he was suffering from a second bout of pancreatitis.
"A number of colleagues have asked me to address the uncertainty concerning the Labor leadership," Mr Latham said.
"While I had planned to reassess things at the end of my leave period on the 26th of January, the ongoing speculation is damaging the party and needs to be dealt with now.

"(My family's) conclusion is that I should look after my health and pursue a normal life outside of politics.
"Therefore I've decided to resign both as Labor leader and Member for Werriwa."
His decision follows a flurry of comments by senior Labor figures.
Former Labor leader Kim Beazley's office said today he might make a statement on his leadership aspirations later today if Mr Latham quit due to ill-health. Mr Beazley's office said any statement would depend on what Mr Latham did.

"If Mr Latham says something then we'll do something," a spokeswoman said.
Mr Beazley has been touted as a replacement by NSW Premier Bob Carr and Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, following concerns over Mr Latham's future.
Mr Carr said he expected Mr Latham to quit today following his second bout of pancreatitis.
Mr Beazley would not comment on the speculation this morning.
"There's nothing to discuss," Mr Beazley told ABC radio.
Asked if he might have something to say later today, he said: "I'm not sure about that, but if there is I'll let you know. No worries, you won't be left out in the dark."

Reason for Terror Suspect's Release Sought

From Yahoo http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050112/ap_on_re_au_an/australia_guantanamo_bay
Wed Jan 12, 8:43 AM ET
By ROD McGUIRK, Associated Press Writer

CANBERRA, Australia - The opposition Labor Party asked the government on Wednesday to explain if the release of an Australian terror suspect held for three years at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was linked to his claims he was tortured while under U.S. supervision in Egypt.

The suspect, who the United States believes had foreknowledge of the Sept. 11 al-Qaida attacks, won't be allowed to leave Australia after being repatriated.
"I don't think he will have an option in terms of leaving Australia," Australian Attorney-General Philip Ruddock told radio 2UE. "I don't think it is in the expectation of the United States that he would be going elsewhere."

The government announced Tuesday that Sydney resident Mamdouh Habib, who was born in Egypt, will be released without charge from Guantanamo Bay.
Last week, one of Habib's court affidavits was made public in which he said that after he was arrested in Pakistan he was transferred to Egypt, where he was tortured with beatings and electric shocks and was nearly drowned.
His lawyers said they believed the United States had asked Pakistan to send Habib to Egypt knowing he would likely be tortured there. Egypt has not commented on the allegations.
Habib's lawyer, Stephen Hopper, said Wednesday that Habib was under U.S. supervision in Pakistan and Egypt.

Labor's spokeswoman on legal matters, Nicola Roxon, said the government must explain whether the affidavit had prompted the American decision to release Habib.
"We think it's very suspicious that Mr. Habib is being released so quickly after those allegations of torture were made last week and would like to know if it has anything to do with his release," Roxon told Sky television.
"We know that the Americans are sensitive to those allegations. If there were some truth in them, it might be a reason for releasing him," she said.
Prime Minister John Howard said the United States had its reasons for releasing Habib but would not elaborate except to say that the 48-year-old father of four would remain a "security interest" in Australia.

Habib's wife, Maha Habib, said she was thrilled when told her husband would be coming home but criticized the Australian government for allowing the United States to detain her husband without charge for three years.

"I couldn't believe it at first," she told reporters in Sydney. "They are really a disgrace (for) what they've done to my husband," she added, referring to Australian authorities.
The United States has said Habib confessed that he knew in advance of the al-Qaida plot to fly hijacked airliners into buildings in Washington and New York in 2001, and that he had trained some of the hijackers in martial arts. His attorneys claim the confessions were coerced.

Habib's torture allegations were part of an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in November as part of an application to have him released from Guantanamo Bay. They were made public last week.
Amnesty International said the Australian government must fully investigate Habib's torture allegations even though the U.S. case against him was likely to be dropped.
"Our concern is that those allegations are taken seriously," Amnesty's Australian campaign manager Andrew Beswick said.

The Pentagon (news - web sites) released a statement maintaining that Habib and four Britons who are also to be released are enemy combatants, but that the Australian and British governments would try to prevent them from engaging in terrorism in the future.
On Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that Moazzam Begg, Feroz Abbasi, Martin Mubanga and Richard Belmar will be freed from Guantanamo Bay and returned to Britain.
They are among 550 prisoners from 42 countries being held at the U.S. naval base in Cuba after being detained during the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan (news - web sites).
Their impending release follows months of sensitive negotiations between Washington and London to address U.S. security concerns and a direct appeal by Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) to President Bush (news - web sites). Britain maintained that the proposed military tribunal that Begg and Abbasi were to face did not meet international standards of justice.
The Australian government said that the only other Australian captive at Guantanamo Bay, David Hicks, would face trial by a U.S. military commission in Cuba in March.

The Mess That Is Qantas

From http://www.crikey.com.au/

Poor old Qantas really is turning itself into a whipping boy as CEO Geoff Dixon blunders from controversial statement to controversial statement.
This is a bloke who can't look after staff and can't look after passengers, especially frequent flyers. A subscriber has pointed out that he can't even spell. Qantas's frequent flyer activity statement now trumpets: "Qantas flys direct to Shanghai".
Flys? No matter how hard he trys, the puff-par writer cannot spell. He probably crys about it, though.
Meanwhile, Crikey hears the celebrated influence of Geoff Dixon over Australia's transport policy is really starting to irk a few federal bureaucrats, some of whom might just start blowing the whistle if it goes on much longer.
There is no more captured Federal front bencher than John Anderson, the Minister for Qantas, who continues to argue against opening up the lucrative Pacific route despite ample evidence of gouging.
For instance, Crikey hears the tale of a senior Microsoft executive who came to Australia and has visited 27 countries in the past 18 months. The Qantas plane was half empty with only a couple of people in business class so said executive asked for an upgrade, but was denied.
He then offered to use his points but was told the only way he would be upgraded was if he handed over $6000.

A missive from a Qantas insider

The latest announcement from Geoff Dixon about needing/having to remain competitive is yet another scare campaign. Dixon and the top 20 executives at Qantas are on very lucrative bonus schemes reputably worth about 50% of their base salary. If things are that tough, why don't these same executives give up a little of their bonuses to keep the airline even more profitable?Putting their personal greed aside, one needs to ask, why after so many years of "rationalisation, cost cutting and outsourcing" does a major Australian public company need to continue chasing cheap labour overseas?
The Qantas Board, led by Dame Margaret Jackson, is the real reason! All Geoff and his loyal bonus hungry side kick, Peter Gregg, need to do is follow the Board's instructions. I suggest the Australian media start demanding one-on-one interviews with Dame Margaret to get the real story.Better to talk to the Organ Grinder, not the Monkeys, on these occasions!Finally, why did Geoff announce his new plan regarding job reductions, just before the Australian Services Unon, were about to convince their members to ratify the latest EBA orchestrated by Ian Oldmeadow? Geoff is either getting too old for the job or had one too many merlots the night before!

U.S planning possible atack on Iran?

From CNN http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/16/hersh.iran/
Journalist: U.S. planning for possible attack on Iran
White House says report is 'riddled with inaccuracies'
Monday, January 17, 2005 Posted: 8:11 AM EST (1311 GMT)



WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration has been carrying out secret reconnaissance missions to learn about nuclear, chemical and missile sites in Iran in preparation for possible airstrikes there, journalist Seymour Hersh said Sunday.
The effort has been under way at least since last summer, Hersh said on CNN's "Late Edition."
In an interview on the same program, White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett said the story was "riddled with inaccuracies."
"I don't believe that some of the conclusions he's drawing are based on fact," Bartlett said.
Iran has refused to dismantle its nuclear program, which it insists is legal and is intended solely for civilian purposes. (Full story)

Hersh said U.S. officials were involved in "extensive planning" for a possible attack -- "much more than we know."
"The goal is to identify and isolate three dozen, and perhaps more, such targets that could be destroyed by precision strikes and short-term commando raids," he wrote in "The New Yorker" magazine, which published his article in editions that will be on newsstands Monday.