Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has given a guarantee he would keep interest rates lower than a Labor government in a move that could backfire on him as it did for former prime minister John Howard.

Mr Abbott on Sunday said Labor policies and the size of the government's debt were pushing up living costs and putting upward pressure on interest rates.

But in comments reminiscent of a promise made by Mr Howard during the 2004 election campaign, Mr Abbott suggested a coalition government would be able to keep interest rates lower.

Tony Blair waged an extraordinary two-year battle to keep secret a lucrative deal with a multinational oil giant which has extensive interests in Iraq.

The former Prime Minister tried to keep the public in the dark over his dealings with South Korean oil firm UI Energy Corporation.

Mr Blair - who has made at least £20million since leaving Downing Street in June 2007 - also went to great efforts to keep hidden a £1million deal advising the ruling royal family in Iraq's neighbour Kuwait.

Rushing like lemmings to the cliff, this rotten state government mounts yet another attack on the ordinary punter. From Monday, six mobile speed cameras will be prowling the roads, concealed in nondescript white vans, each one of them able to fine six drivers every second.

This is yet another arm of the government's long established policy of bullying and punishing motorists. I can't remember the name of this week's roads minister and nor can I be bothered to find out, but whoever it is was on TV the other day, po-faced, bleating that he would be delighted if not one extra dollar was raised.

The catastrophe confronting us is the severest that life has ever faced and incredibly its one of our own making. The scientific and technological advances that civilisation experienced in the past two centuries changed the world from a vibrant diverse ecosystem to a fragile one. It's hard to find any branch of the ecosystem that is in better condition to support human life today than it was at the beginning of the industrial revolution. This is in spite of the exponential increased in knowledge and abilities.

from Crikey .....

Our wealthy getting a free ride: time to start giving back

Daniel Petre, entrepreneur, philanthropist and former vice-president of Microsoft, writes:

The true extent of the Labour government's involvement in the illegal abduction and torture of its own citizens after the al-Qaida attacks of September 2001 has been spelled out in stark detail with the disclosure during high court proceedings of a mass of highly classified documents.

The US Senate has given final approval to the biggest overhaul of American financial regulation in decades.

The reforms are intended to avert a repeat of the 2008 crisis that brought the world economy to the brink of collapse.

The Senate vote is a major victory for President Barack Obama and comes after months of political wrangling.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Obama said the new regulation would give the strongest consumer protection in history.

He said the American people would never again be asked to foot the bill for Wall Street's mistakes.

The full exit strategy in Afghanistan will presumably involve a big effort to create a sense that Nato forces have the upper hand.

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The generals know that the Afghan army will not be up to the necessary level in terms of numbers and training until around 2014.

Exit strategy

But that will be well after the next US presidential election, in 2012, and uncomfortably close to the next British election in 2015.

Both President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron will need to see results in good time before their respective deadlines.

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What is the difference between the three pictures?

This month marks the 154th anniversary of Nikola Tesla's birth.

What's that - you didn't know?

Tsk tsk. Time to freshen up on all things Tesla with this short cradle to the grave animation.

http://www.crikey.com.au/video/

Climate policy won't affect power prices: Abbott

Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott says he can guarantee electricity prices will not rise as a result of the Coalition's climate change plan.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is chairing a Federal Cabinet meeting today and is expected to release her new climate change policy within days.

The Government has indicated it will outline a new plan to reduce carbon emissions after its emissions trading scheme was shelved.

A fourth argument holds that women wear the burqa only because they are coerced.  This is a rather implausible argument to make across the board, and it is typically made by people who have no idea what the circumstances of this or that individual woman are.   We should reply that of course all forms of violence and physical coercion in the home are illegal already, and laws against domestic violence and abuse should be enforced much more zealously than they are.

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Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the latest loss increased the determination of the soldiers serving in Afghanistan to get the job done.

"There will be Australians today who are asking themselves in the face of this loss why as a country do we continue to pursue our mission there." she told reporters in Darwin, ahead of the funeral of one of three Australian soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan last month.

"We pursue that mission because Afghanistan is a safe haven for terrorists.

"I believe Australia, while mourning these losses, will understand our continuing determination."

NSW Origin great Steve Mortimer has nominated former prime minister John Howard for preselection as the inaugural leader of rugby league's independent commission.

Howard had previously been mentioned as a candidate for league's soon-to-be top job, but he was nominated by Cricket Australia and its New Zealand counterpart as their choice to ultimately head the International Cricket Council.

That, however, has turned into a diplomatic nightmare after the sport's dominant Afro-Asia bloc ambushed his nomination for reasons it has refused to divulge. One theory is that he would shine an unwelcome light on the sport's murky areas. Howard has refused to withdraw his candidature.