Former London mayor Ken Livingstone is to work as a consultant for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. 

Mr Livingstone, who has long been a supporter of Mr Chavez, will advise pro-government mayors in the capital Caracas on urban planning. 

Republican presumptive presidential nominee John McCain introduced first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential choice here Friday at a raucous rally before thousands of his supporters, saying she is the "running mate who can best help me shake up Washington.'' 

A former US marine accused of killing unarmed Iraqi prisoners has been acquitted after a ground-breaking trial in which a civilian jury determined whether he was guilty of war crimes. 

Prosecutors in Riverside County, east of Los Angeles, told the jury that Nazario had ignored rules about how to treat prisoners and ordered the execution-style killing of four "unarmed, submissive, docile" detainees. 

The US State Department yesterday warned that disclosure of secret information in the case of a British resident said to have been tortured before he was sent to Guantanamo Bay would cause "serious and lasting damage" to security relations between the countries.  

Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson today said he'd be 'very happy' if Peter Costello sought the leadership. 

The battle for the Liberal's top job continues following comments by Liberal frontbencher Tony Abbott, who declared Mr Costello the party's 'best political asset'. 

The Editor,

Sydney Morning Herald.                                                          August 29, 2008.  

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It has been a bad week for those who still believe that Afghanistan constitutes the altruistic and winnable battlefront of the 'war on terror'.  

There were three simultaneous tasks awaiting her when she walked out on stage in her tangerine pants suit. 

She had to dispel any notion that she was not now solidly with Barack Obama. Any sign of doubt would fuel efforts by the Republicans to chip away at his support and legitimacy as the Democratic nominee. 

The agony and the ecstasy of politics is being played out in exquisite detail in NSW as we move towards the end game of Morris Iemma's bold plan to privatise the state's electricity assets. 

Political aficionados are in heaven. Macquarie Street is dominated by one question: "Will Barry back it?" 

In the weeks before Christmas last year, a brigade of battle-bruised soldiers left Colorado's Fort Carson for its third round of war in Iraq. 

Sgt. Colin Barton was getting Botox shots in his forehead to kill the relentless pain from a brain injury. Army doctors said he should not wear a helmet - a safety requirement for the flight to Iraq. The Army sent him anyway. 

National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce has called for Peter Costello to make a return to the frontbench or conclusively end speculation about his future. 

Today's Newspoll shows Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson failing to make any ground against Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, with Mr Rudd leading Dr Nelson by 65 per cent to 14 per cent in the approval ratings. 

It’s hard to know why Philip Ruddock decided to speak out in recent days about his time as Attorney General in the Howard Government.

Based on Ruddock’s own comments, it doesn’t appear he paid a lot attention to what was happening in three key agencies for which he had ultimate ministerial responsibility - the Australian Federal Police, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.  

US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has introduced veteran Senator Joe Biden as his running mate at a rally in Springfield, Illinois. 

Mr Obama hailed Mr Biden as a 'man with a distinguished record and a fundamental decency'.

Might it be that a raging seven-year obsession with Osama Bin Laden and his tiny Al-Qaeda organisation has blinded strategists to the old verities?  

Wars are rarely “clashes of civilisation”, but rather clashes of interest. They are usually the result of careless policy, of misread signals and of mission creep closing options for peace.