From our ABC .....

US transfers control of Abu Ghraib prison

An Iraqi government spokesman says the US military has transferred control of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison to Iraqi authorities and the "prison is now empty of any detainees or prisoners".

"The Abu Ghraib prison has been officially handed over yesterday (Friday) by the coalition forces to the Iraqi forces and the prison is currently under the Iraqi administration," spokesman Ali al-Dabaqh said.

While he predicted victory, resurrecting a word he had dropped months ago
and using it 12 times in a 44-minute speech, Mr. Bush also cautioned that the road ahead would be fraught with obstacles.

But he put particular emphasis on what he said would be the consequences of a failure to ensure Iraq's stability, saying: "If we give up the fight in the streets of Baghdad, we will face the terrorists in the streets of our own cities."

From Our ABC .....

Westpac outsources 77 Adelaide jobs to India

A major investment company owned by Westpac has denied that the outsourcing of more than 70 South Australian jobs to India is a cost-cutting exercise.

The BT Financial Group argues the redundancies are aimed at improving customer service.

Workers at the BT office at Bedford Park, in Adelaide's south, were told yesterday that 77 administration jobs would go offshore.

‘Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday the world faces "a new type of fascism" and warned against repeating the pre-World War II mistake of appeasement.

Rumsfeld alluded to critics of the Bush administration's war policies in terms associated with the failure to stop Nazism in the 1930s, "a time when a certain amount of cynicism and moral confusion set in among the Western democracies."

Without explicitly citing Bush critics at home or abroad, he said "it is apparent that many have still not learned history's lessons." Aides to Rumsfeld said later he was not accusing the administration's critics of trying to appease the terrorists but was cautioning against a repeat of errors made in earlier eras.’

From the ABC .....

Howard rejects warning on greenhouse emissions

Prime Minister John Howard has dismissed calls for Australia to cut its greenhouse emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 in order to combat the effects of global warming.

The suggestions were made in a report commissioned by the Business Roundtable on Climate Change, comprising companies such as BP, the Visy Corporation and Westpac Bank.

From the ABC .....

Govt has learnt lessons from Katrina, Bush says. 

As the first anniversary of hurricane Katrina approaches, US President George W Bush has promised Americans that his administration has learnt its lessons from the storm.

US authorities have warned that if the same storm were to hit New Orleans today, the city's levees would again fail.

Abbott remains unconvinced of stem cell benefits ….

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott says there is no convincing evidence that therapeutic cloning will lead to a medical breakthrough in the treatment of diseases.

Liberal Senator Kay Patterson is developing a Bill to overturn a ban on therapeutic cloning, and the Prime Minister says he will allow a free vote on the issue.

Mr Abbott has told the ABC's Insiders program that despite the findings of the Lockhart review on stem cell research, [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200608/s1719247.htm|hedoes not think changes should be made].

From the ABC …..

Manufacturing tariffs to stay in China FTA

The Federal Industry Minister has ruled out abolishing import tariffs in the automotive and clothing industries as part of a free trade agreement with China.

It is expected Chinese negotiators will push for import tariffs to be cut to allow China to sell more products in the Australian market.

From the ABC …..

Communications Minister Helen Coonan says the Government will not necessarily go ahead with the final sale of Telstra.

Telstra has decided not to proceed with a new $4 billion broadband technology expansion, saying it would not be viable to invest in a fibre-to-the-node network under the current government regulations.

Senator Coonan says the Government will now look at the best way to move ahead with Telstra.

From the ABC …..

Coalition rules out cutting petrol excise.

The federal Coalition party room meeting has ended without coming up with a solution to high petrol prices.

Many MPs and senators say their constituents are angry about the extra dollars they have to spend because petrol costs have risen so much.

But in their first gathering since the winter break, they have decided there is little the Federal Government can do to ease the pain.