from the Sydney Morning Herald …..

‘Photos & articles depicting Saddam Hussein's execution shown to inmates at Guantanamo Bay, including David Hicks, were provided for their "intellectual stimulation", the US military said.

The existence of the display of the articles & photos, & an accompanying message saying liars would meet the same fate, garnered international headlines after they were revealed by Mr Hicks's legal team on Thursday.

from the Sydney Morning Herald …..

‘John Howard’s plan to take control of the Murray-Darling Basin threatens to put him on a collision course with the mining giant BHP Billiton, which uses millions of litres of water a day without paying for it.

His plan for the Commonwealth to take control of the river system includes cracking down on the unsustainable extraction of water from the Great Artesian Basin.

from the Centre for American Progress …..

‘Three years ago, President Bush delivered the State of the Union containing the infamous 16 words that alleged Iraq was developing a nuclear program. During the following summer, the insurgency was picking up steam, the search for WMD had turned up nothing, whistleblowers like former Ambassador Joseph Wilson were beginning to question the administration's motives, and the White House was hitting back against its critics.

‘I don't think it's a question of using the corporations power, but the best and cleanest way of fixing this problem is for the states to refer their powers.

But I made it very clear last Thursday that our plan, and the payment of the money, was conditional on the power referral and I am writing to the states this week outlining in more detail what is involved in the power referral.

Bushit said on Wednesday "I don't feel abandoned" by fellow Republicans in Congress who are working with Democrats to protest his Iraq policy with a congressional resolution.

In a television interview, the great deciderarean shrugged off criticism of his plan to surge 21,500 more US troops in Iraq & said he hoped lawmakers would give US forces what they needed to get the job done.

‘A US Ambassador lashed out against a foreign official last week for standing up to the Bush administration - and it wasn't against Hugo Chavez or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or any of the other usual suspects.

It was Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day - a fundamentalist creationist, anti-abortion, anti-gay rights hawk who once spoke at a "Canadians for Bush" rally. At the onset of the Iraq war, he published a pro-Bush letter in the Wall Street Journal with Stephen Harper, who would become Canada's prime minister in 2006. Day and Harper blasted their own government's opposition to the U.S. invasion and lauded the Bush administration's "fundamental vision of civilization and human values."

from the ABC …..

Education Minister dismisses Labor's degree plan

The Federal Government has dismissed as a waste of money a Labor proposal for HECS incentives to attract students to maths and science courses.

Howard rules out independent Murray-Darling panel

Prime Minister John Howard has ruled out creating an independent body to manage the Murray-Darling Basin.

South Australian Premier Mike Rann has called for an independent panel, free from political interests.

But Mr Howard says he will not agree to it. "It's basically surrendering the responsibility that I was given by the Australian people," he said. "I was elected to try and solve the nation's problems, I'm trying to solve one of the nation's problems with this proposal."

Mr Howard says he does not think relations between the Federal Government and the states have broken down. Mr Rann and the federal Minister for Water, Malcolm Turnbull, have been exchanging verbal blows this week over who should have control over water resources. Mr Howard has called for all parties to work together. "I regret that Mr Rann made a rather personal attack on Mr Turnbull," he said. "Let's put all of that aside, let's address the substance of the issue and let's put the national interest ahead of any local interests, although in this case, the national interest promotes the local interest." But New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma says the Commonwealth should not rule out considering Mr Rann's call for an independent board to control the system.

Having absorbed the links between Halliburton and the attempted sabotage and takeover of the Romanian petroleum industry, let's celebrate the announcement of the Lord Of Halliburton, Vice President Cheney's visit to Australia with a look back..

The last time the US Vice President came to Australia was as the Leader Of Halliburton. Fresh from a stint as "Secretary of Defense" in which he'd outsourced a lot of military work to the private sector, Cheney was extending his scheming into the rest of the world. In the parlance that considers resources as something not yet turned into cash, there were many opportunities in Australia for "monetisation".

Crikey's Michael Pascoe has had a look at Firepower's substantiative documentation and found it, shall we say, lacking a little.

Instead of the stack of documents 30 centimetres thick indicated by CEO John Finnin, it was a much thinner file and most of it was irrelevant.

The promised tests by DEKRA and San Antonio’s Southwest Research Institute weren’t about fuel efficiency and emissions, just showing Firepower’s additives didn’t change the fuel’s ratings, i.e. fuel with the additive still met engine specifications.

from our ABC …..

Bush warns Iran over Iraq 'interference'

By Washington correspondent Kim Landers

US president George W Bush is warning Iran that America will "respond firmly" if the country increases what he calls its "interference" in Iraq.

from the ABC …..

Prince Charles makes virtual joke over green award

The heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, has collected an environmental award in New York and has tried to make a joke about the controversy it has caused in Britain.

‘Iraq is in negotiations with San Ramon-based Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. to build a new $3 billion petrochemical facility, and is in talks with several other Western companies over industrial projects.

In an interview Thursday, Fowzi Hariri, Iraq's minister for industry and minerals, said the discussions with Chevron and Exxon began this week in Washington and are at an early stage.

from the ABC …..

Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has vowed to provide universal access to early education for children as young as four.

Mr Rudd says it would be one of the first legislative changes to be made if Labor wins the next election, but would take five years to roll out because of an under-supply of early education teachers.