John Howard has intervened in the marriage equality debate, personally authorising a full-page newspaper advertisement calling for legal protection of religious freedoms ahead of the ballot result.

The former prime minister has used the full imprimatur of his status and office as a one-time Coalition leader in a public statement carried in The Australian newspaper on Saturday. The national broadsheet advertisement bears Mr Howard's photo and signature.

Read more:

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/john-howard-safegu...

“We want states like New South Wales and Victoria and the Northern Territory to step back from their moratoriums on gas exploration and development of their resources,” he told Sky News on Sunday.

“GST-sharing arrangements are a potential lever to encourage and incentivise the states and territories to develop their economies to their full potential.”

He responded to the mayor's criticisms by citing her "poor leadership ability", and also took aim at other officials in the US territory who he said had not been able to "get their workers to help".

US bombers flew close to North Korean mainland on Saturday

US President Donald Trump issued a familiar warning to North Korea on Tuesday, saying the US is prepared to use "devastating" military action if necessary - as two defense officials tell CNN that the rogue nation has moved a small number of fighter jets, external fuel tanks and air-to-air missiles to a base on its eastern coast to boost military readiness.

Former US Congressman and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price left the Trump administration Friday afternoon.

In September 2015 the Australian government decided that it was joining the US-led “coalition” to fight in Syria in what was described at the time as a war against the terrorist group ISIS (also known as ISIL, IS or Daesh). The decision was purportedly made following the receipt of legal advice as to the legality under international law of Australia joining that particular war. It was subsequently revealed that the government had received the legal advice a year earlier than when it said it was “waiting” for the advice.

Charlie Chaplin was astute. He knew why Albert Einstein was feted by the crowds at the opening of "City Lights" in 1931. No one understood Einstein but his work and that of his fellow physicists had opened the doors to a new understanding of reality, which for many was still like fantasy and fairy tales. 

Einstein was well-known to be absent-minded and going to the patent office where he worked in his bright floral slippers. He then moved to the US to escape Nazism.

The NDIS was planned as a social justice issue by a fair minded Julia Gillard. As she lost the prime Ministership to Rudd himself replaced by Tony Abbott who promised to implement it, some people though that it would be okay. But as soon as Tony Abbott took on the project, NDIS became a mangled affair. 

I know of many disabled people who have had dreadful times and unresolved needs from the Abbott/Turnbull NDIS. How do they (Abbott and Turnbull)  do it? How can they do it?...

It's like the opening to a joke: a Jew and a Muslim go for a walk and discuss politics. But this is for real.

In writing this I will probably be accused of again drawing too much attention to Tony Abbott. That is in fact precisely what I’m doing, and with some satisfaction, I might add.

A new American TV documentary series is rewriting the history of the Vietnam War, says John Pilger.