Prime Minister Julia Gillard used a surprise appearance at today's Remembrance Day service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra to defend Australia's ongoing involvement in the war in Afghanistan.

Veterans' Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon, who had been scheduled to represent the Prime Minister today, said she had ''become available'' earlier in this week.

It is understood Australian War Memorial Officials did not learn of the changes until last night.

Barack Obama is to announce that the US will begin rotating Marines through an Australian base in Darwin in a permanent new military presence, intensifying the alliance in a sign of heightened concern about China.

He is scheduled to make the announcement with the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, when they visit Darwin next Thursday during Mr Obama's first visit to Australia as president. The 26-hour visit will mark the 60th anniversary of the ANZUS alliance.

The Marines are the chief US ground combat force in the Pacific theatre, the so-called ''tip of the spear''.

Today in Westminster, less than 48 hours after it was revealed that the News of the World hired an ex-policeman to carry out surveillance on scores of politicians, sportsmen, actors and even the lawyers acting for the paper's phone-hacking victims, James Murdoch will appear before the Commons culture committee to explain discrepancies in the testimony he gave them on 19 July.

When he last appeared in front of the committee to answer questions about the phone hacking scandal at the NotW, a paper he was responsible for as chairman of News International, it was as one half of a double act with his father, Rupert Murdoch.

This item would be innocuous, if one did not pay attention...

ISRAELI TAKEOVER OF FREEDOM BOATS VIOLENT AND DANGEROUS

Contrary to Israeli claims that the takeover of the two Freedom boats Tahrir and MV Saoirse by the Israeli navy was peaceful, organisers of this latest Freedom Wave to Gaza say it was aggressive and dangerous. The two boats were violently intercepted in international waters, says Michael Coleman, an Australian aboard the Tahrir, who is currently imprisoned in Israel.

Alaskans know all about severe weather, but what could hit tonight and through Wednesday has the National Weather Service in full alert mode.

With blizzard warnings issued for an amazingly wide swath of Alaska’s western coast, officials are warning of major coastal flooding, heavy snowfall and winds up to 75 mph.

As forecasters wait to see if the storm continues to morph into one of the most severe Bering Sea storms on record, officials certainly haven’t downplayed the danger of the situation.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "liar" in remarks to US President Barack Obama overheard by journalists.

"I can't stand him any more, he's a liar," Mr Sarkozy said in French.

"You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day," Mr Obama replied.

The exchange at the G20 summit was quoted by a French website, Arret sur Images, and confirmed by other media.

Ah!... the simple choice!!! The dreaded choice, the idiotic sophistic choice...

Treasury officials have rejected suggestions the Federal Government's mining tax will target smaller miners and let large miners off the hook.

A parliamentary committee is examining the mineral resource rent tax (MRRT) while the Government tries to convince crossbenchers to pass the legislation through the Lower House.

Last week, Fortescue Metals chairman Andrew Forrest released research paid for by his company that shows Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton would not be liable to pay the tax for the next five years but smaller miners would have to pay tens of millions of dollars.