The Opposition's Treasury spokesman, Joe Hockey, has dismissed claims he is jockeying for the leadership position.

An article in The Australian newspaper claims senior Liberals believe he has been too keen to distance himself from the OzCar affair, rather than stand by leader Malcolm Turnbull.

But Mr Hockey says it is a beat-up.

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How would you like a job with a six figure salary and the ability to vote yourself an additional healthy chunk of taxpayer money to be used for "expenses?"

Need millions and millions each year to run your household?

Then become a member of the Congressional royalty and you too can wallow in the pork of nearly FOUR BILLION dollars to be used for "expenses."

$3.7 billion divided by 535 members of Congress works out to a sweet $6.9 MILLION for each one of our Congressional "princes" to spend on "expenses."

The Rudd Government has buckled under pressure from the big supermarkets and abandoned its $13 million election promise to force grocery prices down.

The joint might of Woolworths and Coles has successfully blocked the Grocery Choice scheme just six days before its scheduled launch next Wednesday. The price monitoring website had promised to impose unprecedented transparency on the powerful supermarket duopoly.

And a bit of perspective is what Agriculture Minister, Tony Burke, who has a talent for getting under Turnbull's skin, gave us in question time this week.

On Tuesday, Mr Burke reminded Mr Turnbull of his decision, in the final days of his stint as environment minister, to approve a $2 million grant of federal money to the Australian Rain Corporation.

Officer Paul Abel, a veteran of counter-insurgency warfare in the Regime's illegal occupation of Iraq, was deeply drunk last June 28 when somebody punched him at a stoplight.

Abel, an eight-year veteran of the police force, "drove around the block, until he spotted [21-year-old Kaleb] Miller, whom he knew from the neighborhood," recounts the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Witnesses said the officer hit Mr. Miller on the neck with the butt of his Glock and the gun went off, grazing Mr. Miller's hand."

Like a Fourth of July crescendo of fireworks, our gasoline prices are rising higher and higher. While this is tough on consumers, we're assured by a covey of tongue-clucking industry analysts that nothing can be done about it, for it's simply the law of supply and demand in action -- so suck it up, and pay up.

Since shortly after 9/11, BuzzFlash.com and other progressive sites - as well as many a book - offered extensive information that appeared to closely link some members of the Saudi Royal family to financing and supporting Al-Qaeda. This was something that the Bush Administration went to great lengths to deny, but their deference to the Saudis (including George W. walking pinky-entwined-with-pinky with Saudi princes, for real) was really all as usual about oil.

Mr Turnbull has refused to say whether Mr Grech has been supplying him with information
The Treasury official at the centre of the OzCar affair, Godwin Grech, has supplied unofficial information to the Coalition, dating back to its days in government, the ABC has learned.

The revelation lifts already intense pressure on Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull to explain how much he knew, and when, about the email forgery that has backfired so spectacularly.

Barack Obama, the US president, has condemned as "unjust" the Iranian government's treatment of protesters disputing results of the recent presidential poll.

Obama said the international community was "appalled and outraged" by what he said were the "threats, beatings, and imprisonments" of demonstrators.

"I have made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not interfering in Iran's affairs,'' he said during a news conference at the White House on Tuesday.

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon says his bid to defer a vote on an emissions trading scheme is not designed to delay action on climate change.

He wants debate on the scheme to be pushed back to the next sitting period in August to allow more economic modelling to be done.

Senator Xenophon says the Parliament should consider alternative designs for the scheme that would have less economic impact.

But he says a decision should be made during the next sitting week.

A confidential record of a meeting between President Bush and Tony Blair before the invasion of Iraq, outlining their intention to go to war without a second United Nations resolution, will be an explosive issue for the official inquiry into the UK's role in toppling Saddam Hussein.

At more than $15 billion, the F-35 fleet will be the single largest purchase of any kind by an Australian government since Federation.The yet-to-be-completed F-35 has been plagued by cost overruns and delays, but it has retained the solid support of both the RAAF and Dr Nelson, who says it is easily the best, most cost-effective option for Australia's strategic requirements.

then ....

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has challenged the opposition to prove claims that he abused his position to help a friend's car-dealing business.

Mr Rudd said opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull must resign if he fails to produce an e-mail on which the claims are based by Monday afternoon.
Mr Turnbull has called for the prime minister to stand down, accusing him of lying to parliament over the issue.

"They have used their offices & taxpayers' resources to seek advantage for one of their mates & then lied about it to the Parliament."

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday that the BRIC economies are a factor of stability and growth amid the global economic crisis when commenting on the first BRIC summit meeting in Russia earlier this week, according to local media reports. Singh told Indian journalists that there was a need for reforming the present systems of global governance and international financial system.

He expressed his hope that the BRIC countries -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- would not remain only a "talk-shop" and they would work together so that their voice is heard in the global arena.