John Howard has finally called the election. He has a big 16 seat majority and would need a swing of over 5 per cent to topple his government, but the polls all suggest there will be a change of Government come November 24. Only a miracle campaign would stop the inevitable demise of Howard and his Government after 12 years in power.

Tears of shame
Three-time Olympic champion Marion Jones pleaded guilty to lying to US government investigators when she denied using performance-enhancing drugs, and subsequently announced her retirement from athletics.

Outside the courthouse, Jones broke down in tears as she apologised for her actions, saying she fully understands she has disappointed her friends, family and supporters.

"I have let them down. I have let my country down, and I have let myself down," she said.

Australia's CSIRO is holding up a new super fast home wireless system, claiming it holds key patents. It has refused to give guarantees it will not sue companies breaching its patents. This has caused the standard setting agency (IEEE) to delay confirming the new super fast Wi-Fi "N" standard. CSIRO successfully sued other Wi-Fi developers last year claiming they were in breach for earlier versions of Wi-Fi. Litigation is continuing with other developers.

According to one of the only first hand reports coming out of Burma the military systematically swept the grid-like streets of Rangoon over the weekend, hunting down groups of young protesters, beating them with long sticks and carrying them away.

The Herald's special correspondent reported blatant thuggery and beatings of protesters. The Herald also carries a rare photo of protesters being detained.

Inflation will rise to about 5 percent in Europe and the United States, said former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan in an interview with a Dutch paper, published on Monday. Interest rates would have to rise towards 10 percent because of higher inflation, Greenspan told NRC Handelsblad. "The lower inflation of the last two decades will turn out to be a once-only event, the exception that confirms the rule," Greenspan was quoted as saying.

Has lost Cabinet supportEmbattled Prime Minister, John Howard, remains isolated - with no significant support from his colleagues and only fear of election annihilation from him fellow MP's saving his leadership ahead of the imminent election.

AT&T is paying millions to be the exclusive United States provider of Apple’s much-hyped and glowingly reviewed gadget, the iPhone. It took 17-year-old George Hotz two months of work to undermine AT&T’s investment. Mr. Hotz, a resident of Glen Rock, N.J., published detailed instructions online this week that he says will let iPhone owners abandon AT&T’s service and use their phones on some competing cellular networks.

Labor leader Kevin Rudd faces a new assault over workplace flexibility in the wake of revelations his wife's company employs all her 800 staff under individual contracts and profited from finding jobs for workers to be employed under AWAs.

 

After agreeing to sell the domestic arm of her multi-million-dollar business to avoid claims of conflict of interest, Therese Rein revealed yesterday that her company did not use awards to pay her staff, preferring the flexibility of common-law agreements.

 

Although Mr Rudd has stressed that his wife's company never employed staff under Australian Workplace Agreements, it was revealed yesterday that the company had matched vacancies with jobseekers who were in some cases offered jobs under AWAs, which the Opposition Leader would ban if he is elected prime minister.