yep, first Aussie dies in Iraq
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=3300

the state of things downUnder - fyi

Army short of bullets
4:48 PM February 1

The Australian Army has overstated its capabilities and cannot provide enough bullets or shells to train its soldiers, according to a report by the Commonwealth auditor-general.

The report says the Army cannot supply enough ammunition for weapons training and cannot meet course training requirements.

The report says the number of recruits passing courses is only 43 per cent of what is needed.

The report identifies several skills shortages in the Army, and says problems associated with ageing equipment are exacerbated because there are not enough qualified people to carry out repairs.

The number of Army Reservists is also falling, from more than 26,000 in 1991 to less than 17,000 in 2004.

Of those still on the Army's books, 20 per cent failed to turn up for duty in a given year.

Source: ABC
http://www.optusnet.com.au/news/story/abc/20050201/18/domestic/1293686.inp

...but even more important is this news...

Under pressure, Qatar plans to sell Al Jazeera

[ MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2005 11:17:29 PM ]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1006786.cms

WASHINGTON: The tiny state of Qatar is a crucial American ally in the Persian Gulf, where it provides a military base and warm support for US policies. Yet relations with Qatar are also strained over an awkward issue: Qatar’s sponsorship of Al Jazeera, the provocative TV station that is a big source of news in the Arab world.

US vice president Dick Cheney, defence secretary Donald H Rumsfeld, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state Colin Powell and other Bush administration officials have complained heatedly to Qatari leaders that Jazeera's broadcasts have been inflammatory, misleading and occasionally false, especially on Iraq.

The pressure has been so intense, a senior Qatari official said, that the government is accelerating plans to put Al Jazeera on the market, though Bush administration officials counter that a privately-owned station in the region may be no better from their point of view.

"We have recently added new members to the Al Jazeera editorial board, and one of their tasks is to explore the best way to sell it," said the Qatari official.

"We really have a headache, not just from the US but from advertisers and other countries as well." Asked if the sale might dilute Al Jazeera's content, the official said, "I hope not."

(YT News Service