Wikinews:Briefs/November 1, 2005

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister denies knowledge of Guantanamo abuse allegations
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer denied his department knew of sexual abuse allegations by Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks. He made his remarks after a TV exposé aired which included an interview with David's father Terry Hicks who described the abuse. Mr Downer's denials were contradicted by Hicks's military lawyer who said an Australian official was present during a US investigation interview in 2004, and David Hicks had detailed being assaulted during that interview.

Audio Wikinews transcript – 2005 11 01 – 1930 UTC
The time is 1930 (UTC) on Monday, November 1, 2005, and this is Audio Wikinews: News Briefs.

UN calls for further Syrian cooperation The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution calling for Syria to cooperate fully with the UN International Independent Investigation Commission. The Security Council demanded that Syria detain suspects indentified by the commission until they could be questioned. The resolution warns of "further action" if Syria fails to cooperate with the investigation.

Bush nominates Alito to U.S. Supreme Court U.S. President George W. Bush has nominated Samuel Alito to become an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Alito is currently a judge at the 3rd Circuit Appeals Court in Philadelphia and is viewed by many as a staunch conservative. This latest nomination process was made necessary when White House counsel Harriet Miers withdrew herself from consideration after being met with harsh criticism among Democrat and Republican lines alike.

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