Halloween is still a month away, but ghouls, ghosts and other grotesque creatures are already roaming America's streets, possibly preparing to knock at your door. What makes them so scream-out-loud horrifying is that they are the newly issued spawn of - shriek! - Wall Street.

The very same greed-fueled bankers who brought us the disaster of 2008's financial crash have created another exotic financial horror to replace their securitized subprime-mortgage packages that exploded all over us.

What are you waiting for Mr President if you cannot put at least a temporary hold on the $3 billion plus-a-year "aid" your country gives to Israel? If you cannot stop arms sales to Israel when US law expressly states they must be used for defensive purposes only, and when there is precedent for doing so?

If you cannot countenance the UN Security Council reaching its own conclusions free of US veto on the charges of war crimes in the Goldstone report? If you cannot distance the US administration from Israel's aggression and defiance even though it hurts America's interests?

In 2001, the Observer in London published a series of reports that claimed an "Iraqi connection" to al-Qaeda, even describing the base in Iraq where the training of terrorists took place and a facility where anthrax was being manufactured as a weapon of mass destruction. It was all false. Supplied by US intelligence and Iraqi exiles, planted stories in the British and US media helped George Bush and Tony Blair to launch an illegal invasion which caused, according to the most recent study, 1.3 million deaths.

BEIJING — They said there would be blue skies, and blue skies there were, as President Hu Jintao stood erect in his limousine Thursday morning to review the troops and to view the country’s high-tech missiles and tanks at the opening of ceremonies marking China’s 60th anniversary as a republic.

Wearing a Sun Yat-sen suit in honour of the man often called the father of the Chinese republic, Hu greeted an estimated 5,000 soldiers as they stood at attention saying: “Hello, comrades. Work hard.”

KABUL: Afghan and international forces killed 22 Taliban militants in a fierce battle yesterday, as it was revealed that the deputy UN special envoy to Afghanistan would not be returning to his post after a dispute over the fraud-tainted election.

Peter Galbraith, who left Kabul last week after a row with his boss, Kai Eide, over whether to order a recount, "won't be coming back to Kabul", a UN official said. It was not clear whether the American had been sacked or would be moved to another UN post.

It was about 10 minutes to 10 on Tuesday night that mobile phones across Brighton started bleeping. They belonged to the members of the Cabinet and caused many to abandon their dinners and hunch over their Blackberrys, urgently discussing what to do next.

Britain's brashest and biggest-selling tabloid newspaper, which likes to sometimes make news rather than merely report it, was at it again. After 12 years of supporting the Labour Party, The Sun was filling its front page the next morning with the headline "Labour's lost it".

The big powers are moving tentatively towards global de-nuclearisation, taking small but significant steps to show they do want everyone to pitch in. Obama's decision to shelve the European defence missile programme shows serious intent, so too Gordon Brown's announcement that Britain would cut down from four to three its Trident missile-carrying submarines.

There you have it. The president of the United States and his European puppets are doing what they do best – lying through their teeth.

By accusing Iran of having a secret "nuclear weapons program" and demanding that Iran "come clean" about the nonexistent program, adding that he does not rule out a military attack on Iran, Obama mimics the discredited Bush regime's use of nonexistent Iraqi "weapons of mass destruction" to set up Iraq for invasion.

As there is no real case against Iran, Obama took a script from Bush's playbook and fabricated one.

Alistair Darling is set to ask bankers to crack down immediately on bonuses in a key speech to Labour's conference.

The chancellor is to bring in new laws in the autumn but will say to bankers that there is no need to wait for legislation and they should act now.

Labour is using its week in Brighton to launch a fight back against the Tories, claiming it is now the "underdog".

But there was controversy on the first day as the prime minister was quizzed on his health on the BBC's Marr show.

Seven primary schools in New South Wales are offering to participate in the pilot of an ethics course

as an alternative to religion classes.

The Education Act prohibits non-scripture students being taught while others receive religious instruction.

It reflects a 19th Century deal between the New South Wales government and churches.

Scripture opt-out rates can be as high as 50 or 80 per cent.

blasted by sonic cannon

picture by Gus

A lot could be said about the recent dust storms in Sydney, in regard the weather being slightly out of whack for whatever reason.

A week ago Sydneysiders enjoyed their third series of sunny days in the low 30 degrees C (89-90 F). Then the weather cooled off. A big electric storm one night was followed the next morning (September 23rd) by a massive red dust storm that had passed over by around midday. The roll of dust, as seen on satellite pictures, was more 2000 kilometres long, as it passed through Brisbane and further north, as well as way south of Sydney.

Three days later another lesser dust storm passed over the city and by 9 o'clock it had all gone.

From the New York Times

PARIS — A bitter political trial became even more so on Thursday after President Nicolas Sarkozy, a plaintiff in the case, called those on trial “guilty parties.”

Prominent among those in the dock is Mr. Sarkozy’s political rival Dominique de Villepin, a former prime minister who is accused with four others of planning a smear campaign in 2003-4 intended to undermine Mr. Sarkozy’s presidential ambitions.