When David Flint asserts that the Queen is not a foreign national (Letters, June 16), is he claiming that she is Australian? If so, I would be interested to see her birth certificate. I'm not unreasonable - I'll accept the short form.

Michael Cahill Summer Hill

Opening a new phase in a race to define the direction of their party, the leading Republican presidential candidates gathered Monday night for the first time to begin drawing distinctions among themselves in a vibrant competition to be seen as sufficiently conservative for primary voters, but electable enough to defeat President Obama.

As the intersessional meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change began with a faltering limp in Bonn last week, it was hard not to sense a grand emptiness.

The giant rooms of the Maritim Hotel in Bonn have been witness to almost nothing happening, as the climate talks have barely reached a murmur. This could be the last opportunity to generate any momentum before COP 17 to be held at the end of the year in Durban but differences, great and small, have prevented crucial conversations from even getting started. Over days, even the simple content of meeting agendas cannot be agreed.

THE two Americans in charge of Star City's makeover want the casino to become known as ''Sydney's Viagra''.

But they admit they have a long way to go if they want to change its reputation as ''an RSL on steroids''.

During an exclusive first look at the casino's revamped high-roller room, Larry Mullin, the chief executive of Echo Entertainment Group, spoke of how the almost $1 billion being spent on the site would change perceptions of it as a food court with pokies.

Russell Crowe went on an anti-circumcision tirade on Twitter late Thursday and early Friday morning (US time), later taking down his cutting Tweets and apologising for offending anyone.

"Circumcision is barbaric and stupid. Who are you to correct nature? Is it real that GOD requires a donation of foreskin? Babies are perfect," Crowe tweeted.

When a follower wrote, "There's actually a scientific reason for [circumcision], u should google it," Crowe replied: "My friend, 'human' science has caused too much damage, don't be a moron."

The Productivity Commission studied policies in China, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States and found over 1,000 policies in place aimed at reducing greenhouse gas.

"There are significant policies in place and planned across our trading partners," the report said.

It says they range from emissions trading schemes to policies that support particular types of abatement technology.

"Price-based instruments (such as the European Union ETS) appear to be relatively cost effective," it said.

But the study says it provides "little guidance" as to what the starting price of carbon should be.

... the full story is more interesting than any caricature. In the last decade, Germany has succeeded in some important ways that the United States has not. The lessons aren’t simply liberal or conservative. They are both.

With our economy weakening once again — and with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany visiting the White House this week — now seems to be a good time to take a closer look.

The brief story is that, despite its reputation for austerity, Germany has been far more willing than the United States to use the power of government to help its economy. Yet it has also been more ruthless about cutting wasteful parts of government.

To understand this story, you have to reel back to the birth of the IMF. In 1944, the countries that were poised to win the Second World War gathered in a hotel in rural New Hampshire to divvy up the spoils. With a few honourable exceptions, like the great British economist John Maynard Keynes, the negotiators were determined to do one thing. They wanted to build a global financial system that ensured they received the lion's share of the planet's money and resources. They set up a series of institutions designed for that purpose – and so the IMF was delivered into the world.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has dismissed Labor stalwart Bob Hawke's support of the carbon tax, saying he is "as dishonest" as Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Mr Hawke today joined Ms Gillard to launch a report into how climate change would affect Kakadu National Park.

He said Mr Abbott was "as mad as a cut snake" over his opposition to the carbon tax.

But the Opposition Leader hit back during Question Time, saying both Ms Gillard and Mr Hawke have been caught lying to the public.

Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce says the Coalition would repeal any proposed income tax cuts linked with a carbon tax if elected.

The Government plans to introduce a carbon tax on the 1,000 biggest polluters in 2012, and offer compensation for low- to middle-income households.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has argued it would be hard for the Coalition to put taxes back up as part of scrapping a carbon price.

But Senator Joyce has told ABC TV's Lateline the tax cuts would be abolished along with the carbon tax if the Coalition was in power.

Sarah Palin made a grand entrance at the Rolling Thunder biker rally on Sunday, wearing a black Harley-Davidson helmet and visibly enjoying herself as a crush of reporters and bikers swarmed her motorcycle.

Ms. Palin, the former governor of Alaska, was joined by her husband, Todd, who was wearing a matching helmet, and her daughters, Bristol and Piper. Their arrival at the Pentagon North parking lot turned the lazy Sunday morning into a celebrity affair.

Nationals Senate Leader Barnaby Joyce has criticised the appearance of actress Cate Blanchett in an advertising campaign urging Australians to "Say Yes" to a tax on carbon.

The advertisement, which also features actor Michael Caton and begins on television tonight, is funded by a coalition of unions and green groups.

Senator Joyce says highly paid actors like Blanchett need to understand many people will be hit hard by the carbon tax.

The Turanor PlanetSolar, the world's largest solar boat, will berth at Brisbane's Riverside Centre pontoon near Eagle Street tomorrow.

The 31-metre Turanor PlanetSolar.

It will be the first Australian stop on its quest to become the first entirely solar-powered vessel to circumnavigate the world.

The $16.7 million yacht, which has been compared to Star Trek's Starship Enterprise, relies on the force of the sun and its extremely powerful batteries.

The multi-hull catamaran, which measures 31 metres by 15 metres, is fitted with 38,000 high-efficiency solar cells.