Reporting on world events from a Bairnsdale Conservative perspective.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Too Many Hit Points
* Haneef flies to his home, compensated $150k for his series of interviews. The opposition is silent as press makes accusation * Iraq and Iran face off over football final.
Iraq braced for football final bloodshed from news.com.au IRAQI officials have stepped up security measures ahead of the 2007 Asia Cup final match between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, amid fears that insurgents will attack crowds of fans.
An Iraqi victory against the three-time Asian champions would be a rare moment of shared national joy in a country beset by civil strife, but would also be a target for extremists seeking to create chaos.
After last week's semi-final victory against South Korea, Iraqis poured into the streets chanting, waving flags and firing wildly into the air, but celebrations were shattered by two car bomb attacks that killed 50 people.
Brigadier General Qassim Atta, Iraqi security spokesman for Baghdad, said there was no immediate plan for a vehicle curfew but that the situation was under review.
There was a heavy police and army presence on the streets.
Authorities in the unruly northern city of Kirkuk, where there is tension between Kurdish and Arabic citizens, ordered a three-hour vehicle curfew from kick-off time and banned celebratory gunfire.
Iraqis traditionally celebrate sporting victories by firing guns into the air, a practice grown more lethal in recent years as arms have proliferated across the war-torn country.
It was widely reported that after last week's victory insurgents, militants and criminal gangs used the thunder of gunfire echoing across the city to conceal shootings and revenge killings.
Before that match authorities had called on people to refrain from firing and thronging in the streets, but the calls went unheeded, in particular by the security forces themselves, who led the celebratory fire.
The match is due to start at 4pm Iraqi time (12pm GMT) in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, and will be screened live on Iraqi television.
Haneef touches down first-class from news.com.au IMMIGRATION Minister Kevin Andrews is facing calls for an inquiry into his handling of the Mohamed Haneef case, as he defended his decision not to reinstate the Indian doctor's work visa. Dr Haneef is on his way home to Bangalore, India, after a charge against him of providing support to a terrorist organisation was dropped due to insufficient evidence.
He left Australia voluntarily on a Thai Airways flight from Brisbane, arriving in Bangkok early today where he thanked his supporters in Australia.
An Associated Press cameraman, who was inside the terminal, said Dr Haneef was seen leaving Thai Airways flight TG992 and move quickly to a first-class lounge within the terminal.
Asked how it felt to be free, Dr Haneef gave a thumbs up sign and said: "Fine. Thank you."
He said "thanks everyone" to supporters who had backed him in his legal battle in Australia.
A flight is due to depart at 7.30pm local time (22.30pm AEST) to Bangalore, where Dr Haneef will be reunited with his wife and the newborn daughter he's never seen.
After four weeks behind bars, Dr Haneef is expected to reveal his side of the story during a paid interview with Channel 9 on 60 Minutes this evening.
Amid intense criticism of his intervention, Mr Andrews today defended his decision on July 16 to revoke Dr Haneef's visa and place the hospital registrar in detention after a magistrate had granted him bail.
Lawyers for Dr Haneef are fighting in the Federal Court to have his 457 visa reinstated so he can one day return to live and work in Australia.
“His visa's been cancelled and unless there is some overturning of that by the Federal Court, it's my indication that that visa will remain cancelled,” Mr Andrews told Channel 7.
“Nothing has changed in terms of the circumstances in which I had to make a decision concerning Dr Haneef.”
Barred
Advice from the commonwealth solicitor-general had found it was open for the Government to cancel Dr Haneef's visa regardless of the charge being dropped, Mr Andrews said.
Health Minister Tony Abbott praised Mr Andrews' handling of the matter.
“I don't think Kevin's a lonely figure, I think he's a terrific bloke and I think he's done a good job,” Mr Abbott told ABC TV.
Inquiry demanded
But in his strongest criticisms yet, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie demanded an inquiry and disciplinary action against Mr Andrews.
Mr Beattie said there was no doubt Mr Andrews' “outrageous” decision to cancel Dr Haneef's visa had been a political act.
“Now frankly, I think Kevin Andrews has got a lot to answer for,” he told Channel 10.
“The Prime Minister should at the very least be disciplining him, and I think he should be the subject of an inquiry.
“Little wonder that Australian people are saying they're a bit suss about what happened.”
Mr Beattie urged the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to publish the results of an investigation into who leaked incorrect information that Dr Haneef was being investigated for a plot to blow up a Gold Coast skyscraper.
Complaint
The Australian Council for Civil Liberties said it would make a public interest complaint to the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity about the handling of the Haneef case by the AFP, Director of Public Prosecutions and the immigration department.
The group's president Terry O'Gorman said the integrity commissioner should investigate whether there had been an abuse of office.
“To leave the investigation of what went wrong to internal closed reviews by the AFP and the DPP respectively will lead to the inevitable cynicism which flows from law enforcement agencies and public prosecutors conducting inquiries into themselves,” Mr O'Gorman said.
Bungles
The DPP, Damian Bugg, QC, has admitted prosecutors made mistakes in the case against Dr Haneef.
Meanwhile, AFP commissioner Mick Keelty has hit back at criticism over the handling of the failed terrorism case, blaming British investigators for initial errors.
In an interview with Fairfax newspapers, Mr Keelty said British police told AFP investigators Dr Haneef's mobile phone SIM card had been found inside a Jeep allegedly used by his second cousin, Kafeel Ahmed, in a failed car bombing in Glasgow on June 30.
Instead, the SIM card had been found in the home of Kafeel's brother, Sabeel, in Liverpool several hundred kilometres from the attack scene.
Fight goes on
Last night Dr Haneef's lawyer Peter Russo said the fight to have Dr Haneef's Australian work visa would continue.
Dr Haneef was released from a Brisbane jail into residential detention on Thursday night, hours after a charge against him of providing support to a terrorist organisation was dropped.
Before they left Brisbane, Mr Russo said Dr Haneef was not being deported and was leaving Australia voluntarily.
"He's fairly happy, he had a choice of either staying until the hearing (appealing the cancellation of his work visa) has concluded or go back to his wife and child on a voluntary basis - he chose to go back voluntarily," he said from Brisbane airport as he waited to fly out with Dr Haneef.
Iraq braced for football final bloodshed
ReplyDeletefrom news.com.au
IRAQI officials have stepped up security measures ahead of the 2007 Asia Cup final match between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, amid fears that insurgents will attack crowds of fans.
An Iraqi victory against the three-time Asian champions would be a rare moment of shared national joy in a country beset by civil strife, but would also be a target for extremists seeking to create chaos.
After last week's semi-final victory against South Korea, Iraqis poured into the streets chanting, waving flags and firing wildly into the air, but celebrations were shattered by two car bomb attacks that killed 50 people.
Brigadier General Qassim Atta, Iraqi security spokesman for Baghdad, said there was no immediate plan for a vehicle curfew but that the situation was under review.
There was a heavy police and army presence on the streets.
Authorities in the unruly northern city of Kirkuk, where there is tension between Kurdish and Arabic citizens, ordered a three-hour vehicle curfew from kick-off time and banned celebratory gunfire.
Iraqis traditionally celebrate sporting victories by firing guns into the air, a practice grown more lethal in recent years as arms have proliferated across the war-torn country.
It was widely reported that after last week's victory insurgents, militants and criminal gangs used the thunder of gunfire echoing across the city to conceal shootings and revenge killings.
Before that match authorities had called on people to refrain from firing and thronging in the streets, but the calls went unheeded, in particular by the security forces themselves, who led the celebratory fire.
The match is due to start at 4pm Iraqi time (12pm GMT) in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, and will be screened live on Iraqi television.
Haneef touches down first-class
ReplyDeletefrom news.com.au
IMMIGRATION Minister Kevin Andrews is facing calls for an inquiry into his handling of the Mohamed Haneef case, as he defended his decision not to reinstate the Indian doctor's work visa.
Dr Haneef is on his way home to Bangalore, India, after a charge against him of providing support to a terrorist organisation was dropped due to insufficient evidence.
He left Australia voluntarily on a Thai Airways flight from Brisbane, arriving in Bangkok early today where he thanked his supporters in Australia.
An Associated Press cameraman, who was inside the terminal, said Dr Haneef was seen leaving Thai Airways flight TG992 and move quickly to a first-class lounge within the terminal.
Asked how it felt to be free, Dr Haneef gave a thumbs up sign and said: "Fine. Thank you."
He said "thanks everyone" to supporters who had backed him in his legal battle in Australia.
A flight is due to depart at 7.30pm local time (22.30pm AEST) to Bangalore, where Dr Haneef will be reunited with his wife and the newborn daughter he's never seen.
After four weeks behind bars, Dr Haneef is expected to reveal his side of the story during a paid interview with Channel 9 on 60 Minutes this evening.
Amid intense criticism of his intervention, Mr Andrews today defended his decision on July 16 to revoke Dr Haneef's visa and place the hospital registrar in detention after a magistrate had granted him bail.
Lawyers for Dr Haneef are fighting in the Federal Court to have his 457 visa reinstated so he can one day return to live and work in Australia.
“His visa's been cancelled and unless there is some overturning of that by the Federal Court, it's my indication that that visa will remain cancelled,” Mr Andrews told Channel 7.
“Nothing has changed in terms of the circumstances in which I had to make a decision concerning Dr Haneef.”
Barred
Advice from the commonwealth solicitor-general had found it was open for the Government to cancel Dr Haneef's visa regardless of the charge being dropped, Mr Andrews said.
Health Minister Tony Abbott praised Mr Andrews' handling of the matter.
“I don't think Kevin's a lonely figure, I think he's a terrific bloke and I think he's done a good job,” Mr Abbott told ABC TV.
Inquiry demanded
But in his strongest criticisms yet, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie demanded an inquiry and disciplinary action against Mr Andrews.
Mr Beattie said there was no doubt Mr Andrews' “outrageous” decision to cancel Dr Haneef's visa had been a political act.
“Now frankly, I think Kevin Andrews has got a lot to answer for,” he told Channel 10.
“The Prime Minister should at the very least be disciplining him, and I think he should be the subject of an inquiry.
“Little wonder that Australian people are saying they're a bit suss about what happened.”
Mr Beattie urged the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to publish the results of an investigation into who leaked incorrect information that Dr Haneef was being investigated for a plot to blow up a Gold Coast skyscraper.
Complaint
The Australian Council for Civil Liberties said it would make a public interest complaint to the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity about the handling of the Haneef case by the AFP, Director of Public Prosecutions and the immigration department.
The group's president Terry O'Gorman said the integrity commissioner should investigate whether there had been an abuse of office.
“To leave the investigation of what went wrong to internal closed reviews by the AFP and the DPP respectively will lead to the inevitable cynicism which flows from law enforcement agencies and public prosecutors conducting inquiries into themselves,” Mr O'Gorman said.
Bungles
The DPP, Damian Bugg, QC, has admitted prosecutors made mistakes in the case against Dr Haneef.
Meanwhile, AFP commissioner Mick Keelty has hit back at criticism over the handling of the failed terrorism case, blaming British investigators for initial errors.
In an interview with Fairfax newspapers, Mr Keelty said British police told AFP investigators Dr Haneef's mobile phone SIM card had been found inside a Jeep allegedly used by his second cousin, Kafeel Ahmed, in a failed car bombing in Glasgow on June 30.
Instead, the SIM card had been found in the home of Kafeel's brother, Sabeel, in Liverpool several hundred kilometres from the attack scene.
Fight goes on
Last night Dr Haneef's lawyer Peter Russo said the fight to have Dr Haneef's Australian work visa would continue.
Dr Haneef was released from a Brisbane jail into residential detention on Thursday night, hours after a charge against him of providing support to a terrorist organisation was dropped.
Before they left Brisbane, Mr Russo said Dr Haneef was not being deported and was leaving Australia voluntarily.
"He's fairly happy, he had a choice of either staying until the hearing (appealing the cancellation of his work visa) has concluded or go back to his wife and child on a voluntary basis - he chose to go back voluntarily," he said from Brisbane airport as he waited to fly out with Dr Haneef.
- Courier Mail, AAP