Prime Minister John Howard scored a convincing victory in Australia’s federal election, winning a historic fourth term in a vote that will ensure the country keeps its troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard appeared to be heading for a historic fourth-term victory in his country’s federal election today, in a vote that will ensure the country keeps its troops in Iraq.

The Australian government has announced it has sold a 99-year lease for Sydney airport, Australia’s largest, to an Australian-led consortium for (Aus) €5.5bn (€3.24bn).