Piers Akerman
FEDERAL Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull’s selection of shadow cabinet members will reveal how he intends to meet the challenges of his new leadership.
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60 dead in bombing at Marriott Hotel in Islamabad
By Masroor Gilani
A SUICIDE bomber has detonated a truck packed with explosives at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, killing at least 60 people in a brazen attack in the heart of Pakistan's capital.
Police said 200 people were also wounded in the massive explosion, which ruptured a gas pipeline and triggered a huge blaze that engulfed the heavily-guarded site in flames.
Many victims leapt to their deaths from the upper floors of the hotel to escape the fire, a senior security official said, and there were fears more were buried in the debris.
Officials said they were worried that the hotel, a key meeting place for foreigners, would collapse.
The attack came hours after new President Asif Ali Zardari - who faces a serious challenge in reining in al-Qaeda and Taliban militants - delivered his first address to parliament, which is just a few hundred metres away.
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MP Bill Shorten dumps wife for Quentin Bryce's daughter
By Sharri Markson
LABOR MP Bill Shorten has left his wife for the daughter of Kevin Rudd's newly appointed Governor-General, Quentin Bryce.
The parliamentary secretary for disabilities and children's services separated from his wife, Deborah Beale, in the past month and is understood to be in a relationship with Chloe Bryce, The Sunday Telegraph reports.
Mr Shorten, who was formerly the Australian Workers' Union national secretary, has been touted as a future Labor leader for several years.
He is understood to have broken the news to Ms Beale at an AFL game at the MCG a month ago.
"He told her 'I don't think I want to be married anymore'," said a Labor source. - this possible ALP leader is all class. - ed.
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Premier Nathan Rees haunted by Milton Orkopoulos
By Sharri Markson
NEW SOUTH WALES Premier Nathan Rees has been accused of choosing to remain ignorant about the allegations against his former boss, pedophile Milton Orkopoulos, because he was told the sex scandal would derail his career.
Former Labor MP Paul O'Grady said Mr Rees questioned him about the former NSW minister on three occasions between October, 2005 and a month before his arrest in November, 2006.
Mr Rees was Orkopoulos's chief-of-staff until three days before he was charged over the under-age sex and drug offences.
"Nathan raised the issue with me on at least two, if not three, occasions,'' Mr O'Grady said.
"He said: 'What's going on with Milton?'
"I said to him, 'As someone who wants to be a (political) candidate, do you think that's an intelligent question to ask?'
"I don't know (how much he knew) because I didn't encourage the conversation.''
Mr O'Grady, who was a friend of Orkopoulos, also told The Sunday Telegraph Mr Rees had confronted his then-boss about his marijuana use.
"I know he had conversations with Milton about the marijuana use,'' he said.
As well as child sex offences, Orkopoulos also smoked marijuana with teenagers in his parliamentary office. - he has no policy but ignorance. Perfect for the ALP leader in NSW - ed.
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Iguanagate interviews to go public
By Andrew Chesterton
POLICE have closed the case, but key players in the Iguanagate scandal are duelling over their version of events.
Federal MP Belinda Neal and her former staffer Melissa Batten have recorded interviews for the ABC's Australian Story that will be aired tomorrow night.
The program will also air video footage of Ms Batten's police interview, recorded in the days following the June 6 incident at Iguanas Waterfront restaurant at Gosford.
The Sunday Telegraph understands the footage includes claims Ms Batten was instructed by a senior staff member in Ms Neal's Gosford electorate office to avoid giving a statement to police.
It is understood the footage will include claims that Ms Batten was told to hide from police at the back of Ms Neal's office to avoid being interviewed about the incident.
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Journalist 'punched in the face' by Vietnamese police
A journalist was beaten by police who detained him while he covered a Catholic prayer vigil in Vietnam.
Ben Stocking, an Associated Press reporter positioned in Hanoi, was released from police custody on after about two and a half hours and required four stitches to the back of his head. His camera was confiscated by police.
"They told me I was taking pictures in a place that I was not allowed to be taking pictures.
"But it was news, and I went in," Stocking said.
Stocking said plainclothes police escorted him away from the prayer vigil, took his camera and punched and kicked him when he asked for it back. - it is still a communist nation. Thank you Gough Whitlam. - ed.
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