President Issues Warning To Citizens Re Floyd - The US President has ordered more federal assistance for the states lying in the path of what could be the worst storm to strike the USA this century. 3.5 million people are involved in the US’s largest peacetime evacuations. Hurricane Floyd is bearing down on North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. President Clinton, speaking from Hawaii on his way home from New Zealand, has warned Americans of Floyd’s awesome power: “I hope every citizen will heed the warnings of the officials and the recommendations to take every action to protect their families and stay out of harm’s way. Meanwhile we will continue to take extraordinary measures to protect lives and property from Hurricane Floyd.” The hurricane is expected to hit the east coast of the USA later today NZ Time.

Indonesian Spy In Canberra - Australian authorities are investigating information that a senior Canberra official was working as a spy for Indonesia. Australian Financial Revue said the official was recruited by Indonesian intelligence. The revue says the official works near the top of a specified Canberra policy making department, but as yet they haven’t been able to identify him from a small list of suspects.

Militia Suspects in Darwin - In Darwin, Australian authorities will this morning begin questioning five suspected East Timorese militia group members. The men and their families were separated from other East Timorese refugees after arriving on the last evacuation aircraft from Dili. A total of 12 people were detained after being pointed out by other refugees.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>