President Bush says Africa has been one of his foreign policy priorities. 

US President George W Bush has defended his decision not to send troops to the Sudanese region of Darfur, despite what he calls a genocide taking place there. 

The Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, has denounced the handling of the war in Afghanistan and says the allies are disunited, lack a clear plan and have failed to deal with the drug trade. 

In a scathing assessment of the progress of the war, Mr Fitzgibbon yesterday laid out a string of failures and warned that a new strategy was required to ensure the Australian contribution was not 'for nil'. 

The Prime Minister's plan for a 12-month pay freeze for federal politicians has been labelled a stunt by some in the Coalition even though Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson supports it. 

Kevin Rudd announced today that MPs would refuse the next pay increase proposed by the remuneration tribunal, meaning they would not receive a pay rise until the middle of next year at least. 

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race last week, endorsed front-runner John McCain today despite their bitterly-fought race. 

He would 'give my full support to Senator McCain's candidacy,' Romney told a news conference with McCain at his side. 

A small group of Liberal MPs, led by backbencher Wilson Tuckey, boycotted yesterday’s apology to the Stolen Generations in the House of Representatives. 

Tuckey, the member for O'Connor in Western Australia, was in the chamber for the Lord's Prayer but left before Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered the apology to a packed House. 

The former journalist who ended John Howard's political career used her first speech to Federal Parliament to champion wage equality for women. 

 

McKew's Equal Pay Plea

Australia's government stepped up its campaign against Japanese whaling in Antarctic waters Thursday by releasing grisly surveillance pictures of the slain carcasses of a minke whale and a calf being hauled aboard a ship. 

The images were taken by an Australian customs ship that has tracked the Japanese fleet in the Antarctic Ocean for the past month gathering evidence for a diplomatic and legal battle against whaling. 

Moving with uncommon speed, Congress gave final approval on Thursday to a $168 billion economic rescue package, including rebates for taxpayers and tax breaks for businesses, that lawmakers and President Bush hope will set off a rush of springtime spending and spark the slowing economy. 

from Crikey …. 

Romney's out, unless of course Al-Qaeda step in... 

US correspondent Guy Rundle writes from Chicago: 

France unveils super-fast train …..

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has attended the launch of a new high-speed train made by engineering giant Alstom.The AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse) train will travel at up to 360km/h (224mph), powered by motors placed under each carriage, the company says.

Nine ways in which the Earth could be tipped into a potentially dangerous state that could last for many centuries have been identified by scientists investigating how quickly global warming could run out of control. 

The Federal Opposition says Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is creating problems for the economy by talking up the challenge of inflation. 

The official interest rate is expected to be lifted to its highest level in 12 years today and the Government warns it may be some time before homeowners get any relief. 

The spending package for the fiscal year that begins October 1 included no big surprises, especially since its key elements had already been reported in detail in recent days.

Canadian farmers are warning against growing the first GM food crop to be approved in Australia. 

Mr Macdonald says a separation of GM and non-GM canola will happen and his state is the only one imposing conditions on farmers. 'Our system in New South Wales requires an application by a proponent before an expert committee,' he said. 

Senator Joyce says Mr Rudd should already have plans for the country and a summit will achieve little. 

Queensland Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce says the '2020 Summit' planned by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd shows he has no ideas of his own.