Dubai police say they are seeking the arrest of Israel's prime minister and the head of its spy agency over the murder of a top Hamas militant in a hotel room of the Gulf city-state.

Police chief Dahi Khalfan said on Tuesday he had issued the demand for the arrest warrants as he was now certain they ordered the Cold War-style hit on Mahmud al-Mabhuh.

"I have presented the (Dubai) prosecutor with a request for the arrest of (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the head of Mossad," Meir Dagan, said Khalfan.

"I am now completely sure that it was Mossad."

There were grave fears for Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott after he went missing in a remote part of Central Australia yesterday.

As part of Mr Abbott's four-day tour of the Northern Territory, he has already spent time in Alice Springs and met with locals at some of the town camps.

Yesterday he was visiting Kings Creek Station, west of Alice Springs, when he set off on a quad bike tour.

He was with a group of traditional owners, the owner of the Kings Creek Station and the Northern Territory Opposition Leader.

From the SMH

Mr Pyne said a Coalition government would conduct a thorough review of the curriculum.

''If we find the review confirms our very serious doubts then we'll scrap the national curriculum and we'll start again because it would be better for students to have the curriculum that they have now under the states than for them to have an unbalanced curriculum that will do them more harm than good,'' he said.

"I think the problem is that the prime minister is rattled by intimations of political mortality.

"I think he's shocked by the scale of his government's own ineptitude. I think that's what got him rattled."

Mr Abbott has made similar comments about Mr Rudd in relation to the government's failed climate change policy and by the limited outcome of the Copenhagen climate change talks.

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Mr. Buffett used his letter to crack jokes and issue more of his trademark aphorisms. The so-called Sage of Omaha, he is America’s most listened-to investor, and his annual letter is watched closely by investors for his assessment of his businesses and of the economy.

It has, however, taken on somewhat less importance in recent years as Mr. Buffett, 79, has raised his profile with more public speaking and interviews.

In characteristically blunt terms, he had harsh words for unnamed chief executives and directors who oversaw disasters at their companies during the crisis but “still live in a grand style.”

It won't be long before the show trial of the century will be staged in New York.

Yes folks, the creature from the dark side; the most evil man on the planet; America's nemesis .... no, not Usama ..... but the one & only Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Hollywood can't wait.  

from Crikey .....

A lingering technical question about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks still haunts some, and it has political implications: How did 200,000 tons of steel disintegrate and drop in 11 seconds? A thousand architects and engineers want to know, and are calling on Congress to order a new investigation into the destruction of the Twin Towers and Building 7 at the World Trade Center.

On January 5, 2010 the U.S. Department of Defense announced the appointment of 39 new members, and 12 senior fellows, to the Defense Science Board (DSB) - a federal panel that provides "independent, informed advice and opinion on scientific, technical, manufacturing, acquisition process, and other matters of special interest to the Department of Defense."

In a handout accompanying the Pentagon's press release, new members - who serve one- to four-year terms - were identified mostly by their former government jobs and past employers, with only a few current affiliations given.

The Federal Government is hoping the change of minister from Peter Garrett to Greg Combet will get its home insulation scheme back on track.

The industry is in free fall and Mr Combet's first task is to complete the package of assistance the Government hopes to offer soon to insulation businesses.

He is also now running all the Government's energy efficiency schemes including solar, green loans and insulation.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says Mr Combet is highly competent.

From the BBC

The police say they have identified 15 more suspects - using British, French, Irish and Australian documents - over the killing, taking the total to 26.

Mr Rudd said Canberra would retaliate against any country found to be involved in forging its passports.

He said that Australia would first try to establish the facts, but that this was not "a minor matter."

read more at the BBC

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from the BBC

A day-long televised healthcare summit in Washington hosted by President Barack Obama has ended without a deal to break the deadlock between parties.

Mr Obama outlined his reform plan but Republicans said it was not acceptable and called for a fresh start.

The president and his allies want to expand health coverage to include millions of uninsured Americans.

Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said he was "discouraged by the outcome" of the summit.

Here's a story of two countries from the Middle East. One is an ancient civilization with a rich history that goes back five thousand years.

It's a functioning democracy with free elections held at regular intervals. It's a huge country of 70 million people. It has remained within its borders & hasn't attacked any country in the last 100 years. It is pursuing a nuclear power programme, which it insists is for peaceful purposes.

from Crikey .....

Joyce reveals Coalition debt debacle -- will heads roll?

Glenn Dyer writes:

from Crikey .....

Whatever the question, Labor's answer is ASIO

Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane writes: