Argentina slams UK 'imperialism'

Argentina has protested Britain's decision to name a vast swath of Antarctica Queen Elizabeth Land. Source: AAP

ARGENTINA is protesting Britain's decision to name a vast swath of Antarctica Queen Elizabeth Land.

The foreign ministry has handed a formal protest note to British Ambassador John Freeman in Buenos Aires.

The note rejects London's claim since 1908 to a chunk of Antarctic known as the British Antarctic Territory, and it criticises what Argentina calls Britain's "imperialistic ambitions going back to ancient practices".

Argentina has long claimed as its own the land named after the British monarch this week.

That area is about a third of the British Antarctic Territory.

Argentina also claims the British territory of the Falkland Islands, which are known as Las Malvinas in Spanish.

The two nations fought a brief but bloody war over the South Atlantic archipelago 30 years ago.

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Govt approves The Block redevelopment

The government has granted planning approval for the redevelopment of The Block in Redfern. Source: AAP

THE redevelopment of The Block in the Sydney suburb of Redfern is one step closer after the state government granted planning approval.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said on Saturday that the Department of Planning and Infrastructure had approved the Pemulwuy redevelopment project in the inner-city suburb.

Mr O'Farrell said Pemulwuy would include 62 affordable houses, a 42-unit student housing complex, a gym, a child-care centre and a community gallery, as well as open space.

He said there would also be shops and a 115-space underground car park.

"The approval of this project by the Department of Planning and Infrastructure will allow for the creation of a vibrant new housing, community and cultural precinct close to transport and the University of Sydney," Mr O'Farrell said in a statement.

"This part of Sydney has been crying out for renewal for many years and it is fantastic this long-running issue has now been resolved."

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Boy, 4, hurt after falling out of 4WD

A FOUR-YEAR-OLD boy has been injured after he fell from a four-wheel drive southwest of Darwin.

The boy fell from the window of the stationary 4WD on to concrete at Peppimenarti around midday (CST) on Saturday and suffered a head injury, CareFlight said.

He was rushed to the community's health clinic but after his condition began to deteriorate, CareFlight was called.

The boy was flown to Royal Darwin Hospital for observation on a CareFlight helicopter where he remains in a stable condition.

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BAE unveils $4bn deal for Oman jets

BRITISH defence giant BAE Systems has announced a 2.5-billion pound ($A3.93 billion) deal to supply military aircraft to Oman.

The group said in a statement on Friday it would supply 12 Typhoon fighter aircraft and eight Hawk trainer jets, delivering from 2017.

"BAE Systems welcomes the decision by the Sultanate of Oman to purchase 12 Typhoon and eight Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft," it said.

"This contract is further recognition that both Typhoon and Hawk are leading aircraft in their class, providing the best capabilities available.

"As well as supplying aircraft, BAE Systems will provide in-service support to the Royal Air Force of Oman's operational tasks. Deliveries are expected to commence in 2017."

Earlier this year, BAE Systems had attempted to merge with European aerospace giant EADS, but the deal collapsed under the weight of political wrangling and unexpectedly strong opposition from Germany.

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India lets 20 rape accused run for office

AT least 20 men accused of raping women ran in Indian elections in the past five years, according to a think-tank report published amid growing outrage over the gang-rape of a student on a bus.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) study was released on Thursday as political parties lined up to condemn the rape of the 23-year-old woman, which has triggered widespread protests against how women are treated in India.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and opposition MPs have condemned the savage assault last Sunday but the ADR said many Indian parties fielded candidates who were facing rape accusations.

"Since 2007, political parties gave tickets to 20 rape accused to fight in state elections. This is shocking and requires urgent action," Jagdeep Chhokar, the founder of ADR, said.

"The politicians who come out to condemn rape are the ones who are openly giving the rape accused a chance to fight elections. This is hypocrisy," he said.

The report stated that political parties had also given tickets to 260 men who were charged with other crimes against women, including molestation.

It did not record how many of the accused candidates had been found guilty.

"Political parties should stop giving tickets to candidates with criminal backgrounds and all those lawmakers who are accused in rape cases should be thrown out of power," Chhokar added.

Further protests were held in New Delhi on Friday, with scores of female demonstrators marching to the president's palace.

The rape victim was coerced onto the off-duty bus and raped by six men before being thrown off the vehicle.

She was seriously injured and remains in intensive care.

Five people, including the bus driver, have so far been arrested.

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Japanese man jailed for 12 cent theft

A COURT in Japan has jailed a 66-year-old man for a year for stealing 10 yen (12 cents) from a temple offering box, reducing his original sentence by eight months.

A district court ordered Masafumi Tsuruhara to spend 20 months in prison earlier this year after being caught taking the coin at Kongou-buji Temple in Wakayama, western Japan.

Tsuruhara appealed to Osaka High Court, insisting he had just been "playing with it", press reports said on Friday.

A judge on Thursday said the sentence was "too heavy", they added. A court spokeswoman confirmed the jail term had been reduced to one year.

"It's 10 yen, but it is still cash," the judge was quoted by local media as saying. "The motive is selfish. His criminal responsibility cannot be treated lightly."

Under Japanese law, theft is punishable by up to 10 years' jail or a fine of up to 500,000 yen.

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Report released on Qantas engine problem

AN Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation has concluded a separated turbine blade led to an engine malfunction on an international Qantas flight last year.

A Qantas Boeing 747-400 aircraft, was en route from Sydney to Singapore on May 9, 2011 when - while climbing from 36,000ft to 38,000ft - the crew noticed abnormalities from the aeroplane's No.4 engine, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said on Wednesday.

"The indications included an increase in both the exhaust gas temperature and vibration levels," ATSB said in a statement.

"The flight crew reduced the engines thrust, however, the vibration continued near maximum levels and the engine was subsequently shut down."

The plane continued to Singapore for a safe landing and disembarkation of the passengers and crew.

Following an investigation into the incident, ATSB said on Wednesday the jump in the exhaust gas temperature and vibration from the engine was "a direct result of the failure and separation of a single intermediate-pressure turbine blade", which fractured.

In its safety message, the bureau said operators and maintainers of Rolls-Royce RB211-524 engines should be aware of the "potential for wear and degradation of the intermediate-pressure turbine blade interlocking shrouds".

But it said the probability of an intermediate-pressure turbine blade failure is extremely low, with only three reported occurrences across the RB211-524 engine operating history.

"While blade separation will likely cause malfunctions necessitating an in-flight engine shut down, the associated risks to the safety of continued flight are minor."

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Man in Saudi Arabia executed for murder

A SUDANESE man convicted of murder has been beheaded by the sword in the western city of Mecca, the Saudi interior ministry says.

Othman Mohammed was found guilty of killing another Sudanese man, Salah Ahmed, by repeatedly beating him on his head following a dispute between the two, the ministry said in a statement published by state news agency SPA.

Mohammed's beheading raises to 76 the number of people executed so far this year in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, where 79 were put to death in 2011, according to Amnesty International.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under its strict version of sharia, or Islamic law.

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Malaysia provides refuge for 'Rohingyas'

MALAYSIA has provided refuge to 40 shipwreck survivors believed to be refugees from Myanmar's conflict-wracked Rakhine state, a Malaysian maritime official says.

The refugees arrived late on Tuesday in the southern state of Johor after they were picked up by a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency vessel from a Vietnamese cargo ship off Singapore, the official said.

The 40 refugees were rescued by the cargo ship from a boat believed to be carrying 250 people that sank December 5 in the Bay of Bengal.

Many of those on board were still missing.

The official, who requested anonymity, said the refugees were believed to be from Myanmar's Rohingya minority.

All the refugees appeared to be in good health and were undergoing medical examinations, he said.

They were given temporary refuge while they are processed, he said.

Malaysia hosts about 24,000 refugees from Myanmar's Rakhine state, which has seen clashes between Muslim Rohingya and majority Buddhists.

At least 89 people were killed in the violence in October, and more than 5300 houses and religious buildings were burned or destroyed, according to UN figures.

More than 110,000 people have been forced from their homes since the violence first flared in June.

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Aust stocks closes at 16 month high

THE Australian market finished on a 16-month closing high as US politicians appeared to make progress on their budget negotiations .

At close on Tuesday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was up 21.8 points, or 0.48 per cent, at 4,595.2 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index had risen 22.5 points, or 0.49 per cent, to 4,610.5 points.

On the ASX 24, the December share price index futures contract was 29 points higher at 4,602 points, with 167,860 contracts traded.

Australian Stock Report head of research Geoff Saffer said the Australian market had its highest close since late July 2011 after US politicians appeared to be making progress on their "fiscal cliff" negotiations.

Just two weeks remain before tax increases and government spending cuts, referred to as the fiscal cliff, start taking effect in the US if no deal is reached.

"I think it was mainly widespread buying today on hopes that US politicians will reach a compromise before the end of the year," he said.

Mr Saffer said the Reserve Bank of Australia's minutes of its December board meeting also suggested that the cash rate could be cut further in 2013 which prompted investor buying.

The Australian market recorded gains across the board with mining, utilities and healthcare the best performing sectors.

BHP Billiton jumped 31 cents to $36.66, Rio Tinto soared $1.18 to $64.70 and Fortescue gained 13 cents to $4.60.

The four major banks all finished in positive territory.

ANZ was up two cents to $24.51, National Australia Bank gained 12 cents to $24.60, Westpac added six cents to $25.81 and Commonwealth Bank jumped 16 cents to $61.45.

The spot price of Sydney gold closed at $US1,702.59, up $US10.84 from Monday's close of $US1,691.75.

Market turnover was 1.77 billion securities worth $4.99 billion, with 536 stocks up, 434 down and 352 unchanged.

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Aust bonds lower after RBA minutes

AUSTRALIAN bond futures prices were lower after the release of the minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's latest board meeting reduced traders' expectations of future interest rate cuts.

RBC Capital Markets fixed income strategist Su-Lin Ong said local bond futures prices fell following the release of the RBA's minutes at 1130 AEDT.

"The minutes from the December meeting suggested it was quite a close decision and I guess the interpretation is that with the cash rate down to three per cent the hurdle to cut further may be quite high," she said.

"So that weighed quite high on fixed income markets."

The RBA cut the cash rate to three per cent in December, from 3.25 per cent previously.

Ms Ong said developments in negotiations on the 'fiscal cliff' of tax hikes and spending cuts due to apply in 2013, unless US political leaders can agree to alternative measures, was likely to drive bond markets over the coming days.

"I think most attention is on these fiscal cliff negotiations, we have had some progress since the weekend and I think there is an expectation that we are inching closer to both a compromise and agreement," Ms Ong said.

US President Barack Obama has offered a proposal to House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner which would raise revenue by $US1.2 trillion ($A1.14 trillion), and cut spending by the same amount.

At 1630 AEDT on Tuesday, the March 10-year bond futures contract was at 96.640 (implying a yield of 3.360 per cent), down from 96.670 (3.330 per cent) on Monday.

The March three-year bond futures contract was trading at 97.220 (2.780 per cent), down from 97.235 (2.765 per cent).

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Man faces 10 years jail over flight abuse

AN international flight was diverted after a drunken Perth man allegedly tried to smoke a cigarette on the plane before punching and spitting on crew members.

The 34-year-old man was taken off the flight, enroute from Sydney to Japan on Monday night, when it was diverted to Cairns.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) allege the man was heavily intoxicated and was abusive towards the crew and other passengers.

He had to be forcibly restrained by the crew and was arrested when the plane landed in Cairns, police said.

Assistant commissioner Shane Connelly said the public needed to remember that when they travelled on an aircraft their behaviour was subject to Australian laws.

"Enough is enough. An aircraft captain and co-pilot can ill-afford to be distracted from their duties of safely flying an aircraft by having to deal with drunk, violent or disorderly passengers," he said.

"The cabin crew are there to make your flight safe and enjoyable.

"They should not have to restrain violent passengers, be abused or assaulted, or be interfered with in conducting their duties."

AFP responded to more than 1000 alcohol-related incidents at Australia's 10 major airports during the 2011-12 financial year.

Out of those incidents, 145 were for offences related to offensive and disorderly behaviour and excessive alcohol consumption.

AFP said the plane was forced to dump its fuel load when it diverted to Cairns and the airline would seek to recover significant costs.

The man was due to face Cairns Magistrate Court on Tuesday charged with smoking in an aircraft, disorderly and offensive behaviour on board an aircraft, and interfering with crew or aircraft.

The offences carry a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment.

He will also be charged with assaulting crew general, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.

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Cash must be part of abuse compo: inquiry

VICTIMS of institutional abuse must be financially compensated as part of a broader acknowledgment of wrongdoing, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.

A partner at a law firm that has handled more than one thousand child sex abuse claims said victims' desire for justice outweighs their desire for financial compensation but money is vital because victims' experiences "cost them a great deal".

"The money is important because the money is a tangible acknowledgment of wrongdoing," Angela Sdrinis of Ryan Carlisle Thomas Lawyers told the Victorian child abuse inquiry on Monday.

"For victims to feel some sense of justice, what they get has to cost a wrongdoer."

Ms Sdrinis says there needs to be an apology, and payment should be part of that as a gesture that the institution recognises the victim has suffered at its hands.

The theme of financial compensation ran through three submissions heard on Monday by Victoria's parliamentary inquiry into religious and non-government organisations' handling of sex abuse against children.

In its address to the inquiry, the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) called for compensation to be paid through a fund similar to the James Hardie asbestos injuries compensation fund.

Religious organisations would be required to contribute to it, LIV said.

LIV president Michael Holcroft said this would remove some of the uncertainty victims' faced when making a compensation claim.

He said anyone attempting to bring an action against the Catholic Church risked the church relying on the defence it did not employ the members of the clergy.

"They do not have assets, the assets are held in independent property trusts," Mr Holcroft said.

"Hence any compensation arrangements or settlement arrangements will be prejudiced in light of that."

Advocacy group Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN) said an independent panel should supervise a redress scheme.

"Redress payments should be funded by economic contributions by the state and the churches and the charities that run all children's homes, foster care and other institutions," CLAN told the inquiry.

The inquiry heard there was evidence of abuse allegations going back 80 years.

CLAN chief executive Leonie Sheedy said many of CLANs members had a real fear of going into a nursing home.

"A lot of our members tell us they will commit suicide rather than go back into an institution again," Ms Sheedy said.

CLAN's submission and statement to the inquiry detailed a number of shocking abuse cases, some of which were heard in a 2004 Senate inquiry into children in institutional care.

CLAN said children who attempted to report institutional abuse were threatened, isolated, beaten and blamed, including being frequently locked in cupboards by their carers as punishment for raising allegations.

One girl, who reported abuse to nuns, was kicked by them and then told she was "the spawn of the devil", the organisation said.

CLAN said thousands of children who attempted to escape their abusers and some who made reports of sexual mistreatment were returned to the perpetrators, with police returning children who had run away to the religious and government homes.

The advocacy group strongly suggests these children were fleeing "rape and sexual or other forms of abuse".

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Blast hits US compound in Afghan capital

A CAR bomb has exploded outside a compound housing a US military contractor in the Afghan capital, blowing apart an exterior wall and wounding dozens inside, company representatives and police say.

The blast on the outskirts of the city sent a plume of smoke up in the air and shook windows more than a two kilometres away in the city centre.

The security officer for Contrack, a McLean, Virginia-based company that builds facilities for military bases, said a suicide attacker on Monday drove a vehicle packed with explosives up to the exterior wall of the compound and detonated the bomb.

Afghan police said they could not confirm if it was a suicide attack or a remotely detonated bomb that had been placed in a parked vehicle.

Contrack did not respond to calls or emails asking for comment.

Deputy Interior Ministry spokesman Najibullah Danish said that at least one person was killed in the attack. It was not immediately clear if this may have been the attacker.

Contrack security officer Baryalai, who like many Afghans only goes by one name, said he could only confirm wounded. He said the injured employees included Americans, Afghans and South Africans. The American director of the company was seriously wounded, he said.

Contrack has a range of contracts in Afghanistan but Baryalai said the arm of the company that was attacked on Monday is building barracks and other facilities for the Afghan army.

A worker coming out of the building said that he saw at least 30 people wounded.

"There was massive destruction inside. ... I was sitting behind my computer when it happened. I was not hurt but I saw many of my colleagues were injured," Bashir Farhang said.

Jalalabad road, where the explosion occurred, is home to a number of foreign companies that have offices inside of blast-walled compounds.

Contrack's projects also include fuel storage, air field construction and tanker facilities for US military bases in Afghanistan, according to its website.

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Bomb attack kills 16 at Pakistan market

A car bomb attack at a Pakistan market has killed 16 people and wounded around 70, officials say. Source: AAP

A CAR bomb attack has killed 16 people and wounded around 70 in a Pakistan market in the northwestern town of Jamrud, close to the Afghan border, officials say.

The bomb exploded on Monday in a small market near a bus stop, killing and wounding people waiting for buses to take them across the northwest and to other parts of the country, according to officials.

Pools of blood and charred pieces of human flesh littered the roadside, along with at least 20 burnt vehicles, an AFP reporter said. Clothes, school books, children's shoes and burqas lay everywhere.

Jamrud is in Khyber district, which is part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt where the Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked groups have strongholds.

A government office of the district administration was around 100 metres from where the bomb detonated but was not damaged in the attack, according to an AFP reporter.

"At least 16 people were killed and 71 others wounded in the blast caused by an explosive-laden car, which had been parked very close to the waiting area for passengers," Khyber's most senior administration official, Mutahir Zeb, told AFP.

He said ordinary civilians and not the government office, some distance from the explosion, were the target.

"We are still are ascertaining what procedure was exactly used to blow up the vehicle," he said.

Local administration official Jehangir Azam also confirmed that 16 people died.

"The blast also damaged 10 vehicles and more than 15 shops in the market," Azam told AFP.

Officials had earlier said 12 people were killed.

Two intelligence officials said the explosives had been packed into a Suzuki Alto vehicle.

Pakistan suffers frequent bomb and suicide attacks blamed on Islamist militant groups. Its troops have for years been fighting against homegrown armed groups in the tribal belt.

On Saturday, a suicide squad of five targeted the airport in Peshawar, the main northwestern city close to Jamrud, killing five civilians and blowing a hole in the perimeter wall.

The assault, claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, sparked prolonged gunfire and forced authorities to close the airport, a commercial hub and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) base on the edge of the tribal belt.

It was the second Islamist militant attack in four months on a military air base in nuclear-armed Pakistan.

On Sunday, a policeman and five militants were killed following gun battles between security forces and militants suspected of having been involved in the airport attack, security officials said.

The government says more than 35,000 people have been killed as a result of terrorism in the country since the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

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Union warned about WA dock's safety issues

A KARRATHA man's arm was crushed as he worked at the dock supplying Chevron's massive Gorgon LNG project in Western Australia on Saturday, the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) says.

The man was airlifted to a Perth hospital after his arm became trapped between the dock and a barge at the Mermaid Marine Supply base in Dampier, which is used exclusively by Chevron.

MUA WA secretary Chris Cain described Chevron and its contractor as "cowboys", saying poor safety standards had been a problem at the Mermaid Marine Supply base for months.

"It's becoming clearer and clearer that Chevron and their contractors like Mermaid are cutting corners to make up time and money on the Gorgon project," Mr Cain said.

The union said WorkSafe WA had been warned that poor training and management made an accident "inevitable".

Safety representatives had arranged for WorkSafe WA inspectors to visit the site on Friday.

"We've got serious issues when the day after WorkSafe says there's no problem, ambulances are called to an accident of the type exactly predicted by health and safety representatives," Mr Cain said.

The union said the accident raised serious questions that need to be answered, such as why WorkSafe was called to investigate the accident hours after it happened.

WorkSafe and Mermaid Marine have been contacted for comment.

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Grassfire 'out of control' near Young

FIREFIGHTERS are battling an out-of-control grassfire burning near properties in southwestern NSW.

The fire, covering 4600 hectares, is burning at Geegullalong Road, around eight kilometres east of Murringo, near Young.

NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokesman Ben Shepherd said 140 firefighters, 43 fire trucks and six aircraft were trying to bring the fire under control.

He said fire crews were working to protect a number of rural properties in the area but no residents had been evacuated from their homes.

Locals were being advised to stay in their homes as the fire-front approached, he said.

"A lot of people have done some preparation around their property and we are moving crews into those properties as the fire-front arrives," he told AAP.

He said the Lachlan Valley Way was closed in the area because of the fire.

Strong winds were pushing the fire in a north and north-easterly direction, and it was unlikely the blaze would be brought under control on Sunday night, Mr Shepherd said.

The RFS have issued a watch and act alert for the area.

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US school victims mostly six years old

Police say the gunman who shot dead 20 school children at a US school forced his way in. Source: AAP

SHATTERED families and grieving residents are devastated that most of the 27 people shot dead by a US school gunman are children aged just six and seven.

President Barack Obama is due to join the vigils in the small Connecticut community of Newtown on Sunday, to lead national mourning after this latest massacre that has revived calls for a debate on gun control.

But the political ramifications of the tragedy are far from the minds of most in this picturesque town, where parents of the survivors and the dead are struggling to come to terms with the stunning loss.

Robbie Parker, a 30-year-old hospital assistant who cares for sick newborns, says the death of his loving six-year-old Emilie should "inspire us to be better, more compassionate and caring toward other people."

He included the family of the apparent shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, in his condolences, addressing them through the news media to say: "I can't imagine how hard this experience must be for you."

Robert and Diane Licata described how their six-year-old son Aiden ran past the shooter in his classroom doorway to escape after seeing his teacher gunned down - and recounted their desperate search for him.

Diane Licata told CNN she had rushed to the school to see her daughter led out of the building but there was no sign of Aiden.

"So the kids start to come out and when I saw her, you know, the sense of relief is incredible, but it's really short-lived because I still have one in there. And I'm waiting for him to come. And he didn't come out," she said.

"When you're standing there waiting....it's an indescribable feeling of helplessness."

Licata eventually received a text that her son was safe at a nearby police station.

Aiden was later able to explain his escape.

She said his class heard noises that initially sounded like hammers.

"Then they realised that it was gunshots."

"Aiden's teacher had the presence of mind to move all of the children to a distance away from the door... and that's when the gunman burst in," Licata said.

The gunman had "no facial expressions" she said, adding that he "proceeded to shoot their teacher."

Many US children are taught how to react during an emergency, so Aiden and his classmates quickly made their way to the door where the gunman was standing and ran past him. Some of them survived.

"He (Aiden) really, really, really cared about his teacher. He knows that she's been hurt but he doesn't know the end result. He knows the kids that he saw getting shot."

A police spokesman said Lanza is believed to have shot his mother at the home they shared before launching his attack at the nearby school.

He had two handguns but the coroner told reporters that most of the children and staff were killed by multiple gunshots from his assault rifle, a .223 calibre Bushmaster, a civilian version of the US military's M4.

Lanza's father Peter expressed shock and grief at the horror caused by his son.

"No words can truly express how heartbroken we are," he said in a statement vowing to continue co-operating with law enforcement.

"We, too, are asking why?"

Connecticut State Police released the identity of the victims, aged six to 56. They included 16 six-year-olds and four seven-year-olds.

Twelve of the 20 slain children were girls and eight were boys.

The six adults killed were all women, including the school's principal and its psychologist.

The motives of the shooter are still the biggest mystery.

Asked whether any suicide note, emails or other clues to the killer's mind had been found, Connecticut State Police spokesman Lieutenant J Paul Vance said investigators have gathered "some very good evidence."

Lanza was a shy, awkward and nerdy boy but hadn't apparently given any warning sign that he was a mass murderer.

The weapons, news reports said, were registered in his mother's name but she was widely seen as an upstanding resident in the town.

The tragedy drew messages of support from around the world, and candlelight vigils are being held.

Of all US campus shootings, the toll was second only to the 32 murders in the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech University.

The latest number far exceeded the 15 killed in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, which triggered a fierce but inconclusive debate about gun control laws in the United States.

However, the White House has scotched any suggestion that the politically explosive subject would be quickly reopened.

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