In a lengthy interview with Fortune published Thursday, media mogul Rupert Murdoch gave his thoughts on the 2016 presidential field.

Though he said he has “no settled thoughts at all” on the race, Murdoch admitted he’s “watching it with great interest.”

As Russian students were getting a wage for being studious back then in 1959, In Australia, the Abbott regime wants to burden students with more fees on their already hefty loans, to study at university. 

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University students should pay an extra fee on top of government loans to fund more enrolments, a review has recommended.

The MMMM is full of speculation about the age of pension which if I had it my way should be 60 or under (say 55) and give the young people a go at mucking things up.

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