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Monday, 25 September, 2006.

The World Today is a comprehensive current affairs program which backgrounds, analyses, interprets and encourages debate on events and issues of interest and importance to all Australians. Below is the latest program summary and transcripts are published as soon as they become available. You can listen to today's full program or individual reports in Real Media, Microsoft Windows Media or MP3.

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Telstra Board opposes new Govt appointee

Today, Telstra's Chairman, Donald McGauchie, has revealed that the board of Australia's biggest telco will oppose a move by its largest shareholder, the Federal Government, to appoint a new member to the board. The Government is planning to use what's still its majority shareholding in Telstra to have Geoffrey Cousins, a close adviser to the Prime Minister, elected as a director of the company.

Board appointment an abuse of process: Sol Trujillo

Telstra's Chief Executive, Sol Trujillo, spoke on the issue a short while ago. He told journalists at a business function in Sydney that it was an abuse of process for the Government to try to hoist Mr Cousins onto the board without proper due diligence. And Mr Trujillo said it could be detrimental to the Telstra float because the move may undermine investor confidence.

Opposition challenges PM on increased terror threat

The Federal Labor Party has challenged the Prime Minister to admit that the war in Iraq has increased the terrorist threat. Responding to a US intelligence report, which has found that the war in Iraq has spawned a new generation of radical Islamism worldwide, Labor's Kevin Rudd has called on Mr Howard to be honest about what he was told before the war.

ABARE predicts resource boom will continue

It's the engine driving everything from the boom in the west to interest rate pressures, and it's set to keep up its record pace. That's the prediction on Australia's resources boom from the Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, which is predicting huge commodity export earnings this financial year. The forecast is based on expectations of continued strong world demand and modest growth in supply. However, the bureau says the outlook for farm exports is disappointing.

IGA workers suffer under change to AWA

The Labor Party has highlighted what it says is another loophole in the Federal Government's workplace relations laws, which could erode the working conditions of employees if the business they work for changes hands. Labor points to workers at a Perth supermarket who say they were forced by the store's new owner to sign Australian Workplace Agreements which stripped back their conditions, or face the sack.

Slow pace of change in Afghanistan prompts questions

Where did all the money go? Five years after they were promised a new Afghanistan, many locals see only broken promises from the West, which pledged billions of dollars in foreign aid to help reconstruct the country after the fall of the Taliban. Public dissatisfaction at the slow pace of change has now hurt the standing of the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai.

Thai corruption watchdog holds first meeting since coup

In Thailand, the country's reconstituted corruption watchdog is today holding its first meeting since the coup. One of the first acts of the military leaders who overthrew the Government last Tuesday was to re-establish the National Counter Corruption Commission. The commission is now expected to line up the ousted prime minister and some of his wealthy cabinet colleagues as its first targets.

Journalists face difficulties in Papua, even with work permits

Two weeks ago Australia was bemused by the story of a Channel Seven crew's misadventure in the Indonesian province of Papua in search of a story about supposed cannibalism. The Today Tonight crew was deported for travelling to Papua without permits. Since then the ABC's Indonesia Correspondent, Geoff Thompson, has travelled to Papua with one of the rarely issued permits. But he says that even with official permission to work there as a journalist, it's almost impossible to do so without being treated like a criminal by the local police.

Nationals face split over timber tax deductions

Having announced his shift back to the transport portfolio, to allow him to deal with domestic National Party issues, the party's leader, Mark Vaile, already has his hands full. He's walked straight into an internal fight, which sees farmers in his party pitched against wealthy investors, who want to plant forests in return for hefty tax breaks. Some Nationals, like their Liberal colleagues, are fiercely arguing against the generous tax deductions.

Toowoomba reaches level five water restrictions

Just weeks after rejecting recycled water in a referendum, the residents of the drought-stricken city of Toowoomba in south-east Queensland now face some of the toughest water restrictions in the country. Along with Goulburn in New South Wales, Toowoomba is to become one of the only areas in Australia on level five restrictions, which allow no outside tap water use.