Australian army getting Olympic role

The Australian prime minister, John Howard, has confirmed that his government is taking new powers to involve the army in dealing with any threat of terrorism during next month's Olympic Games in Sydney.

Soldiers and police have been training together for months on anti-terrorist exercises, but the authorities say they're not aware of any specific threat.

The Australian parliament is expected to approve the law in the next few days, giving the army authority to detain suspects, search premises and erect roadblocks.

Mr Howard says the new law will merely formalise the use of troops to assist police.

But opposition politicians say the measure is too vague and could allow troops to be used for breaking up industrial disputes.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service