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'First Americans were Australian' This is the face of the first known American, Lucia The first Americans were descended from Australian aborigines, according to evidence in a new BBC documentary. The skulls suggest faces like those of Australian aborigines The programme, Ancient Voices, shows that the dimensions of prehistoric skulls found in Brazil match those of the aboriginal peoples of Australia and Melanesia. Other evidence suggests that these first Americans were later massacred by invaders from Asia. Until now, native Americans were believed to have descended from Asian ancestors who arrived over a land bridge between Siberia and Alaska and...

A 13-member team of Australian defence and foreign affairs personnel will join the hunt for Iraq's elusive weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The team will be part of the 1300 member United States-led Iraq Survey Group, announced today in Washington, which will comb the country searching for chemical and biological agents which have so far eluded US forces. Australian Defence Force (ADF) spokesman Brigadier Mike Hannan said the Australian team comprised 12 ADF members and one person from the Department of Foreign Affairs. It would be headed by Brigadier Steve Meakin and its members possessed special skills in intelligence analysis...

An SAS soldier who almost single-handedly fought off 20 Iraqi special forces troops in a fierce battle to capture a missile site was yesterday awarded the medal of gallantry by the Prime Minister, John Howard. Presented at a ceremony in Perth to coincide with the arrival of Australia's special forces contingent to Iraq, it was the first citation for the 2000 Australian personnel involved in the war against Iraq. Trooper X - a machine-gunner from the 1st SAS regiment, whose identity cannot be revealed - used the brute force of the latest weaponry and precision sniper fire to protect his...

AUSTRALIA'S sailors returning from the war against Iraq received a rousing welcome home in Fremantle yesterday. Thousands of people lined the entrance to Fremantle Harbour and the docks to greet the 600 sailors from the frigates HMAS Anzac and HMAS Darwin, who had been away from home for seven months. As the warships berthed there were loud cheers, cries of "I love you Daddy", Aussie flags, green and gold balloons and welcome-home placards. A stirring rendition of I am, You are, We are Australian, sung by Able Seaman Tracey Burke, a RAN musician, brought tears to the eyes of sailors...

ON the day Jessica Wilsch turned two, her father went to war. Yesterday, armament fitter Paul Wilsch returned from the Middle East to a hero's welcome and his daughter's arms after four months apart. Helen Hodgetts burst into tears when she saw husband Guy leave the Qantas jet with hundreds of his fellow air force support crew. "I didn't think I would be so emotional and make a fool of myself. Three months is a long time," she said. It was an emotion-charged homecoming. Fourteen F/A-18 Hornet jets from 75 Squadron flew low as more than 400 relatives welcomed 250...

UNITED NATIONS: Australian Prime Minister John Howard has said the rationale behind sanctions against Iraq has disappeared as the country is now under the administration of the coalition and the weapons of mass destruction would not be used. After meeting UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan here on Monday, he said he had an open mind on the United Nations' role in the post-war scenario but it is important to recognize the reality of what is taking place on the ground. He called for lifting sanctions against Iraq and said what is important is to realize that Iraq is under the administration...

JOHN Howard will follow in the footsteps of his idol, Don Bradman, when he is honoured at New York's famous Yankee Stadium tomorrow. The Prime Minister will be introduced to the crowd before the Yankees baseball game and the Australian national anthem will be played in a rare honour reflecting New York's appreciation for the country's support after September 11. As George Bush does everything he can to ensure Mr Howard gets publicity and recognition for Australia's military support in Iraq, Mr Howard will watch the Yankees take on the Oakland As from behind home plate as a special guest...

Monday morning, on a popular Sydney radio program, John Howard, the Australian Prime Minister, argued for revocation of France's status as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. He asserted that France's veto-bearing membership "distorts" the Council. "If you were starting it all over again," France would have no case to be included. Mr. Howard candidly added that France is only a permanent member now "because it was a global power at the end of World War II." It would be worth seconding Mr. Howard's suggestion just for the sheer fun of watching 60 million smug Frenchmen --...

WITH the successful campaign by the US and its allies to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq concluding, the temptation for the Americans to move against Syria is strong. The Government of Syria is a protector of terrorism, and, with Iran, can pose a real threat to the stabilisation of post-war Iraq. But despite this, it is clear the Americans have no intention of widening the conflict. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the US has no ground plan for military action and it is beginning to withdraw its massive air power. At this stage the Americans do not...

Prime Minister John Howard wants to reform the United Nations, saying the presence of France as a permanent member of the Security Council "distorts" the council. He wants Japan, a South American country and India to be represented on the Security Council. France was there only because it was a global power at the end of World War II, he said. Asking France or any other permanent member of the Security Council to voluntarily surrender their seat was "a major undertaking", he conceded. His comments risk the ire of France before the first visit to Australia by President Jacques Chirac,...

A key Australian minister launched a strong attack on the UN Security Council Wednesday, saying it had failed the world over Iraq and is now incapable of organising its post-war reconstruction. Defence Minister Robert Hill said the five permanent members of the Security Council -- France, China, Russia, Britain and the United States -- would have to rethink their attitudes because deep divisions between them had led to the current war. "The Security Council has failed the world community badly in this instance," Hill told reporters in Brisbane. "They passed 12 years of resolutions, but it wasn't prepared to enforce...

The Australian's journalist Peter Wilson and photographer John Feder have been arrested by Iraqi police in Basra. Editor of The Australian newspaper, Michael Stutchbury, said fears were raised last night when Mr Wilson and Mr Feder, currently covering developments in Iraq, had not contacted Australian bureaus. Mr Stutchbury, who was called by the pair this morning, said they were "safe and sound" and awaiting a decision by Iraqi officials as to whether they would be expelled or allowed to stay in the country. Mr Wilson and Mr Feder had been travelling through Iraq in a 4WD as non-embedded journalists...

AUSTRALIA'S ambassador to the United Nations has told France its claim the coalition's strike on Iraq was illegal was rubbish. During a radio debate, John Dauth told an adviser to French President Jacques Chirac that France's attempt to decide what was legal and what was not was wrong. Chirac adviser Jacques Myard said UN resolution 1441, calling for the disarmament of Iraq, did not give a legal base for military action. "Today we have to wonder how are we going to restore the system, because there is no doubt that this is a strike against the system itself," Mr Myard,...

Australian FA-18s Striking Targets March 30, 2003 AUSTRALIAN F/A-18 Hornets launched strikes against Iraqi headquarters infrastructure overnight, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) said today. They also flew counter air missions but it was not yet clear if their actions were a success, ADF spokesman Brigadier Mike Hannon said. Also overnight, clearance divers continued clearing the Khawr Abd 'Allah waterway around Umm Qasr. Australian ADF troops were safe and well, Brigadier Hannan said. "Our clearance divers have continued with clearance of the port facilities, and that will go on for a few days yet," Brigadier Hannan told ABC Radio. "The remainder...

NAVY clearance diver Troy Miles gropes blindly through murky water to search for Iraqi mines. He emerges from the Persian Gulf to hear the rattle and boom of the war above him. Back home in Cairns, his wife Ali Miles hears all Troy's horror stories over the telephone. "He said the dust storms are like cyclones and the water he is diving in is so dark he can hardly see in front of him," Mrs Miles said after speaking to her husband on Thursday. "He can hear the battle overhead. He said it was full on, pretty mad. He said...

AUSTRALIAN SAS soldiers could hunt down leaders of the Iraqi regime spotted in their operational areas, the Australian commander for the Iraq war has revealed. Brigadier Maurie McNarn, who is in charge of the nation's forces in the Middle East, said the primary focus of the special forces remained seeking out Iraqi missiles and weapons of mass destruction in the western region of the country. But they were also on the lookout for any regime leaders, he said. That could include Saddam Hussein, his sons and generals or officials of the ruling Baath Party. "If they come into their area...

WITH bottles and knives in their hands and hate in their hearts, a mob of violent troublemakers yesterday ambushed a student anti-war rally to lead a vicious rampage through Sydney streets. A group of young men, described by police as "Middle Eastern males", created havoc by throwing chairs, rocks, bottles, eggs and golf balls at police and media during several hours of chaos in the CBD. Police also seized two knives from protesters, one of which fell on to the ground in the midst of a scuffle. The violent spectacle began at Town Hall and resulted in two police officers...

JOHN Howard last night told Australians the invasion of Iraq was in the national interest because it would improve our protection against international terrorism. "This has been a very difficult decision for the Government but a decision which is good for Australia's long-term security and the cause of a safer world," he said. Mr Howard's address followed a spontaneous ant-war demonstration of more than 10,000 people which bought traffic to a standstill in Sydney. Labor Leader Simon Crean condemned the war as reckless. "This is a sad day for the world, and it's a tragic day for Australia," Mr Crean...

FRANCE'S refusal to back a war in Iraq is a hypocritical ploy to reposition itself internationally, Prime Minister John Howard has said. His comments came after French President Jacques Chirac reaffirmed France was ready to use its veto in the UN Security Council to block a resolution that would pave the way to war with Iraq. President Chirac said Paris stood by its refusal to back any attack on Baghdad, opting for a diplomatic path that should be pursued "until we've come (to) a dead end". However, Mr Howard today told ABC radio that France's position was hypocritical and inconsistent...

AUSTRALIAN troops preparing for war in the Persian Gulf fear an anti-war backlash at home reminiscent of the divisive protests during the Vietnam war. Members of the 2000-strong force stationed in the Gulf have been following the peace protests in Australia and hope the community retains its support for the troops about to fight in a war against Iraq. Squadron Leader Melanie, 31, a Newcastle-based logistics officer who has served 13 years in the RAAF, hopes the "ugly" mood targeting soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war will not be repeated. "People obviously feel strongly on both sides," she said....