Queen signs; heavenly quartet plays aloft ….

High Court unanimously strips away people’s right to face factual charges

One January day just over six years ago, the then prime minister of Australia, John Howard, and his foreign minister, Alexander Downer, changed out of their summer-holiday clothes and put on suits to meet their counterparts from the small neighbouring state of Timor-Leste, Mari Alkatiri and Jose Ramos Horta.

from Independent Australia ….

from Crikey ….

Accidental crusader: how a regional reporter prompted a royal commission

from Crikey ….

Here's the real story of Australian debt

NSW Premier, “Barangaroo” Barry O'Farrell, sent the above announcement to all public servants yesterday.

from Crikey ,,,,,

Cox: when did 'Labor values' become John Howard's values?

Thursday's sound and fury in Canberra changed only one thing. A government that was on the ropes now has the smell of death to it.

News Limited is the main perpetrator of media abuses in Australia, writes Alan Austin, and hence the strongest proof the current self-regulation system is useless.

Journalists and editors love to bang on about press freedom - but which interests curtail freedom of the press most? Veteran journo Trevor Grant on the day his idealism died

Indigenous people travelled for three days to get to Canberra to put their case to a Parliamentary committee; Tony Abbott walked in late, didn’t apologise, sat down and then fell asleep. Lavinia Projustice saw it all.

Today, Catholic Cardinals will assemble at the Sistine Chapel to elect the next Pope. But that’s not the only news out of Italy involving men closely gathered in a room. It turns out the Holy See purchased 20 shares of an apartment building housing Europe’s largest gay sauna.

I find myself wondering how many of our present day leaders, President Obama in particular, are aware of what happened in Palestine on 10 March 65 years ago.