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| A senior Muslim leader has written to federal political leaders urging them not to use Muslims in political manoeuvring as the federal election approaches, but to consult Muslims and build trade.
The president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Ikebal Patel, wrote this week to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Greens leader Bob Brown, saying it was well recognised that previous elections ''have been run on the back of Muslims and Islam-phobic scare-mongering''.
Also asking the leaders to instruct their candidates not to make Muslims an election issue, Mr Patel said Muslims had contributed to Australian culture and values.
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| AUSTRALIA has softened its traditionally staunch support for Israel in the United Nations but denied it was linked to tensions over the country's apparent use of forged Australian passports in an assassination in Dubai.
At a vote in the UN General Assembly - where Australia has been one of Israel's strongest supporters - the government abstained from a resolution demanding that Israel and the Palestinians investigate possible war crimes during the assault on Gaza that Israel began in December 2008.
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| Australian authorities had already warned Israeli intelligence against using doctored passports in its clandestine activities around the world, the newspaper The Australian reported on Thursday.
The Australian report came as Canberra warned Israel earlier Thursday that if it was involved in the alleged use of three forged Australian passports in the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai, it would not be considered the act of a friend.
The Canberra government called in Israel's ambassador after three people holding Australian passports were listed on Wednesday among 15 new suspects in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Dubai authorities are investigating the use of at least 26 possibly fake passports in connection with the killing.
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| AUSTRALIA has taken the rare step of publicly reprimanding Israel over the forging of three Australian passports used in an apparent assassination by Israeli spies in Dubai.
Kevin Rudd, who has described himself as a lifelong supporter of Israel, said he was ''deeply concerned'' about the affair and pledged Australia would ''not be silent on this matter''. While the government did not expressly blame Israel - which has refused to comment - it made the significant diplomatic move of summoning the Israeli ambassador, Yuval Rotem, to demand an explanation.
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| Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib has been given the green light to sue the Australian government in a landmark Federal Court ruling.
Mr Habib claims Australian authorities were complicit and sometimes present during torture he allegedly endured while detained in Pakistan, Egypt, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, the US army base in Cuba.
But the Commonwealth of Australia had asked the Federal Court to throw out the case, claiming it could not be heard here because of the "act of state doctrine".
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