Iran's President Ahmadinejad Challenges Barack Obama to TV Debate
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has invited Barack Obama, his US counterpart, to face him in a televised one-on-one debate to see who has the best solutions for the world's problems.

The provocative proposal came as Iran dealt with a new wave of international sanctions - driven by Washington - aimed at pressuring the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme.

"Toward the end of summer we will hopefully be there for the (UN) General Assembly and I will be ready for one-on-one talks with Mr Obama, in front of the media of course," Mr Ahmadinejad said in an address broadcast live on state television. >>> | Monday, August 02, 2010

Australian PM Kevin Rudd Fighting Leadership Coup
THE TELEGRAPH: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is fighting to hold on to power after senior colleagues forced him to call a leadership election.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd speaks during a press conference in Canberra, Australia, on 16 June 2010. Photo: The Telegraph
Mr Rudd was told he had lost the backing of several MPs and the AWU, one of the country's most influential unions, who were switching their support to his Deputy Julia Gillard.

Party bosses urged Ms Gillard to challenge the prime minister after he failed to secure a lift in the polls in what was considered a make-or-break week.

She spoke to him on Wednesday to demand the leadership vote after being told the majority of Labour Party MPs would back her.

During an extraordinary night in Canberra, one unnamed MP reportedly said that Mr Rudd was a "cryptofascist" who had never bothered to build support within the party and was now paying for his mistakes.

The dramatic move against Mr Rudd comes amid fears he will lose an election later this year. Labour Party MPs hope Ms Gillard, who is seen as more voter-friendly than the rage-prone prime minister, has a far better chance. >>> Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran—Or I Will
The message from Israel's new prime minister is stark: if the Obama administration doesn't prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, Israel may be forced to attack.
An Atlantic exclusive

THE ATLANTIC: In an interview conducted shortly before he was sworn in today as prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu laid down a challenge for Barack Obama. The American president, he said, must stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons—and quickly—or an imperiled Israel may be forced to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities itself.

“The Obama presidency has two great missions: fixing the economy, and preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu told me. He said the Iranian nuclear challenge represents a “hinge of history” and added that “Western civilization” will have failed if Iran is allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

In unusually blunt language, Netanyahu said of the Iranian leadership, “You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs. When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran.”

History teaches Jews that threats against their collective existence should be taken seriously, and, if possible, preempted, he suggested. In recent years, the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has regularly called for Israel to be “wiped off the map,” and the supreme Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, this month called Israel a “cancerous tumor.” >>> By Jeffery Goldberg | Interview | Tuesday, March 31, 2009