Tasmanian logging giant Gunns Ltd announced suddenly on March 14 that it was withdrawing its proposal to build a $2 billion pulp mill at Bell Bay in northern Tasmania from the independent Resource Planning and Development Commission (RPDC) and called on Labor Premier Paul Lennon鈥檚 government to legislate to approve the project.
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The Pacific island-nation of Tuvalu is the first country to have evacuated some of its citizens because of the sea-level rise driven by global warming. The highest point on the eight coral atolls that make up Tuvalu聮s 26 square kilometres of territory sits only five metres above sea level. Almost a quarter of the nation聮s population have already been evacuated and the remaining 8000 Tuvaluans may also have to leave in future years.
The small Andean nation of Ecuador is facing a political crisis as the Congress and the courts turn on each other over new president Rafael Correa鈥檚 plans for a Constituent Assembly and a 鈥渃itizens鈥 revolution鈥 to build 鈥21st century socialism鈥 in the poverty-stricken country.
On March 8, 300 people protested the Israeli military invasion of Nablus at the Huwwara checkpoint. Organised by a wide coalition of groups including the Popular Committee Against the Closure of Nablus and the General Women's Union, demonstrators chanted and carried Palestinian flags, signs, and photographs of loved ones who have been killed and arrested by Israeli occupation forces. Once at the checkpoint, several women leaders made speeches condemning the Israeli invasion of Nablus. The protest tried to pass through the checkpoint but was confronted by soldiers and border police. Demonstrators resisted when the Israeli soldiers and police created a barricade and prevented demonstrators from getting through the checkpoint. The Huwwara checkpoint was closed for one-and-a-half hours.
US President George Bush has been touring Latin American countries this March with two goals in mind: keep the continent divided and keep it subservient to US imperialist interests. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has also been visiting his neighbours. His goals are the opposite: to unite the countries of Latin America and to encourage and support the continent鈥檚 independence from US imperialism.
The internet launch on March 5 of the Independent Australian Jewish Voices (IAJV) has provoked both criticism and support. Author Antony Loewenstein, one of the initiators, told 麻豆传媒 Weekly that the Jewish establishment reacted 鈥渧ery badly鈥 because, in his view, their position as the spokespeople for the Jewish community for decades is now being challenged.
March 14 was Black Bashing Day on Tim Blair鈥檚 blog . Most other days are Muslim-bashing days, but on this day his red-neck cyber-mates decided to pick on Jakalene X, Aboriginal activist, rap artist and the lead candidate on the Socialist Alliance upper house ticket for the March 24 NSW election.
During a whirlwind tour of a series of Latin American nations, in what the media reported as a 鈥渃ounter-tour鈥 to that being carried out by US President George Bush at the same time, Venezuela鈥檚 socialist President Hugo Chavez signed a number of agreements that extend his country鈥檚 push to integrate the region鈥檚 economies. Via the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), promoted in alliance with socialist Cuba, Venezuela is signing a large number of agreements that aim to promote pro-people development based on cooperation rather than competition, in order to break foreign economic domination of the continent, predominantly by US capital.
John Bonsai (a very small bush) Howard is morally bankrupt, and cannot be trusted. While Saddam Hussein was a nasty bit of work, all of Bonsai鈥檚 arguments for war were lies.
'Welfare cheats'
The Howard government has spent the past decade misrepresenting the facts to justify frequent "crackdowns on welfare cheats". There are around 3000 convictions for welfare fraud per year, or 0.05% of the total number of
A March 9 press release by the Washington-based Venezuela Information Office (VIO) pointed out that a US State Department report released on March 6 聯reveals that Venezuela strives to guarantee human rights and in fact, is beefing up measures to provide accessible avenues for lodging complaints and holding violators accountable聰.
It seems the Howard government鈥檚 relentless attempts to blast opposition leader Kevin Rudd for meetings last year with disgraced former WA Labor premier and current 鈥減olitical lobbyist鈥 Brian Burke have missed their target, or even backfired. A poll, published in the March 12 Sydney Morning Herald, showed Labor鈥檚 potential vote and approval for Rudd continuing to climb, with support for the Coalition and PM John Howard鈥檚 ratings declining further.
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