From the ABC

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has denied Barnaby Joyce was forced to stand down from the finance portfolio after being white-anted by some of his own colleagues.

Senator Joyce was sacked from the Opposition finance portfolio yesterday, with Victorian Liberal Andrew Robb getting the job as Mr Abbott reshuffled his frontbench.

This morning Senator Joyce took another swipe at anonymous Coalition figures who he says have mounted an anonymous briefing campaign against him.

"Obviously it's disappointing when you have colleagues who are anonymous," he told ABC2.

Former Federal Treasurer Peter Costello has declared the Coalition is back in the political game under Tony Abbott's leadership.

The Opposition Leader has dumped Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce from the finance portfolio, replacing him with Victorian Liberal Andrew Robb.

Labor has attacked the move, saying Mr Abbott lacks economic credibility for not dumping Senator Joyce sooner, while the Coalition says the Government should feel threatened.

Britain took the extraordinary step Tuesday of expelling an Israeli diplomat for the first time in more than 20 years, after concluding there was compelling evidence that Israel was responsible for the use of forged British passports in the plot to slay a senior Hamas operative in Dubai.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said trust between the two countries had been badly dented, demanded formal assurances it never happen again and - in an unusual step - issued travel advice to U.K. citizens warning their identity details may be at risk if they visit Israel.

‘Everything will be shit’ including the BBC if David Cameron becomes PM, says Stephen Moffat

 

By Rachel Helyer Donaldson

The boss of one of the BBC's biggest shows has launched an extraordinary attack on the Conservative party, saying that a win for David Cameron's party would see the "brilliant" BBC turn to "shit".

10 states line up to sue over health bill, Florida AG says

 

(CNN) -- Ten states plan to file a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new health care reform bill, Florida's attorney general announced Monday.

Westpac gets ready to gouge Australia

Glenn Dyer writes:

A fascinating scandal has erupted in Washington that is exposing the sordid underbelly of the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.

According to a New York Times investigation and other Washington sources, the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies have fielded covert mercenary networks in Afghanistan, Pakistan (AKA "Afpak"), and Iraq whose mission is to murder tribal militants and nationalists opposing Western occupation.

 

Don't believe a politician who tells you the worm is a harmless distraction, or a TV toy they ignore.

In the words of Greg Turnbull, a former adviser to both Paul Keating and Kim Beazley: "The worm they regard as completely unscientific mumbo jumbo - except when it supports you."

Viewers who tuned in to today's lunchtime debate got a contest that on one side at least, pandered to the worm.

Did you notice Kevin Rudd's opening gambit?

The great world powers would learn from local criminal groups about how to deal with brutally enforced occupation of land by gun-laden heavies and the subtle and sometimes savage negotiations and killings needed to move that group out and replace them with muscled-up rightful owners of the turf.

Kings Cross is now called Little Lebanon. It wasn't too long ago that it was under Jewish control by Abe Saffron, using independent local private security firms led by Lenny McPherson - the Australian equivalent of the US's Blackwater.

Now, on the seventh anniversary of the unconstitutional, immoral, aggressive, unjust, unnecessary, manufactured, manipulated, and senseless war that is the war in Iraq, the escalation of the war in Afghanistan has eclipsed any mention of the ongoing war in Iraq. And this in spite of the fact that there are still 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

On March 4th, Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman introduced a bill called the "Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010" that, if passed, would set this country on a course to become a military dictatorship.

It's none of my business, but maybe you have Northern tissue on your toilet roll. You might also buy Brawny paper towels, Dixie paper cups, and Vanity Fair napkins. Maybe you have clothing that owes its clingy and comfy stretchiness to Lycra, and perhaps you have a Stainmaster carpet or a Solarmax couch in your home.

Retired general: Gays made Dutch weak in Bosnia

WASHINGTON — A retired U.S. general says Dutch troops failed to defend against the 1995 genocide in the Bosnian war because the army was weakened, partly because it included openly gay soldiers.

Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott traded bitter blows on health policy as the last Question Time until May descended into chaos.

Six MPs were ejected as debate raged between the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader over which side had better health credentials.

Mr Rudd and Mr Abbott have now agreed to go head to head on the issue at the National Press Club next Tuesday.

The stoush started when the Government attempted to ambush Mr Abbott by suspending Question Time in order to make Mr Abbott outline whether or not he would support Labor's hospital reform plans.