When Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas decided to defy the United States and Israel over stalled peace negotiations, he formally indicated to the United Nations last week that Palestine will join 15 international conventions relating mostly to the protection of human rights and treaties governing conflicts and prisoners of war.

The prime minister, Tony Abbott, says he wants to accelerate free trade talks with China, but he is in the country to “be a friend”, not to do a deal.

Make no mistake, Japan is the big winner from the slight reduction in agricultural trade barriers announced with so much fanfare from the Prime Minister's captive travelling trade troupe. And that's a perfectly good and very desirable thing.

There's also a strong chance that much of the immediate advantage Australia should enjoy won't last long.

Other beef exporters will be hot on the heels of our most favoured nation status – stand by for American trade negotiators to target the Australian beef tariff level as they seek their own deal. They've never stopped working on a better deal for themselves.

“Moreover, Russia has pointed to America’s decision to go into Iraq as an example of Western hypocrisy. … But even in Iraq, America sought to work within the international system. We did not claim or annex Iraq’s territory. We did not grab its resources for our own gain. Instead, we ended our war and left Iraq to its people and a fully sovereign Iraqi state that could make decisions about its own future.”

introducing George Venturini …..

“One of the most horrible features of war is that all the war-propaganda, all the screaming & lies & hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.”

George Orwell

Palmer dismisses latest report from IPCC, calls for cut in nature's carbon emissions...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-04/clive-palmer-ross-garnaut-wa-senate-election-climate-carbon-tax/5366202

Critic: 'Frat-brother quality'

The Abbott government must do a better job to assure people about the future of the national disability insurance scheme, says a leading advocate, who argues the anxiety could encourage rushed purchases of once-in-10-year support items.

Developments this week should make many Australians apprehensive about their economic future. Alan Austin reports.

The Queen has met Pope Francis for the first time during a one-day visit to Rome.

Frontiers in Psychology last month retracted the paper, Recursive fury: Conspiracist ideation in the blogosphere in response to research on conspiracist ideation “in light of a small number of complaints”, the journal said on its website. 

A year-long investigation “did not identify any issues with the academic and ethical aspects of the study,” it said. However, the probe found “the legal context (to be) insufficiently clear”. 

from Crikey ….

Sinodinos takes the stand: if he didn't know, it doesn't wash ….