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Though a diverse Islamic community thrives in Australia, cultural contrasts persist — and sometimes turn ugly. In the latest incident, a fight over a proposed religious school has locals accusing their Islamic neighbors of trying to take over the country.
Photo: Australian Muslims, Western tourists/Betta Design
Important but overlooked news from around the world. QUOTED:
“This is not a good place to do interviews. In a disaster like this, there will be a lot of opinions. The government will solve their problems.” — A Chinese official on protests by the parents of earthquake victims who blame shoddy school construction for the deaths of their children (see “Top Stories,” below).
Important but overlooked news from around the world. QUOTED:
“This town has every nationality … but Muslims do not fit in this town.” — Bias is widespread in one Australian town, amid debate over plans for a new Islamic school (see “Islam,” below). CONTENTS:
*Islam*
Muslims Down Under: Bias and Sketch Comedy
*Olympics*
Olympic stadium mobile home
*Nation*
Where did all the dead bodies go?
Activists and diplomats from around the world are in Dublin, Ireland, this week to try to establish a treaty banning the use of cluster bombs. They say unexploded bomblets pose risks to civilians, who sometimes mistake the devices for humanitarian aid packages (at right).
Photo: globalresearch.ca
Elizabeth Dole, a household-name Republican senator from North Carolina, appears to be fighting for her political life against a Democratic challenger. In the past month, her double-digit lead in the polls over State Sen. Kay Hagen has evaporated.
Photo: Elizabeth Dole (handout)
Important but overlooked news from around the world. QUOTED:
“A lot of people are very angry at the situation in Burma but they won’t come out. They won’t speak to the radio, they won’t come in front of the TV because of the fear of repercussions and their family left behind.” — Dr. Kyaw Myint Malia of the Burmese Friendship Association on children of the Myanmar junta who are studying in Australia (see “Burma/Myanmar,” below). CONTENTS:
*Politics*
Household-name Republican fighting for her political life
*Burma/Myanmar*
Australian press points to children of Burmese junta
*War & Peace*
Gathering around cluster bombs
POLITICS
* Household-Name Republican Fighting for Her Political Life
With congressional elections coming up this fall, many Republican incumbents are looking vulnerable even in states where their party previously seemed to have a lock on the vote.
Important but overlooked news from around the world. QUOTED:
“At the end of the day, life and death in India for the poorer convicts on death row is a like a lottery.” — Activist Mukul Sharma on what he says is a biased capital punishment policy in India (see “Crime & Punishment,” below). CONTENTS:
*War & Peace*
Japan’s military dilemma
*Capital Punishment*
New execution inquiries
WAR & Peace
* Japan’s Military Dilemma
Japanese activists turned out in the thousands last week to oppose changes to the nation’s pacifist constitution. At issue is the so-called Article 9, a charter which severely restricts the activity of the Japanese military, and which has been targeted for updating as the nation’s international role has changed in recent years.
Drought is hitting the ten-year mark in some regions, hopes for a good soaking from La Niña are rapidly fading, and Australia’s government says climate change is at least partially to blame.
Photo: Lake Hume at four percent (Suburbanbloke)
Among the many threats to national security during the Cold War, the United Kingdom was particularly worried about the effects of a thermonuclear attack on tea supplies, and released an extensive report on the topic in the 1950s.
Photo: Rooney
Important but overlooked news from around the world. QUOTED:
“The combination of record heat and widespread drought during the past five to 10 years over large parts of southern and eastern Australia is without historical precedent and is, at least partly, a result of climate change.” — Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology on persistent, nationwide drought (see “Top Stories,” below). CONTENTS:
*Top Stories*
More deaths alleged at Chevron’s Myanmar pipeline
Africa reels from illegal fishing
Drought persists Down Under
*Environment*
New wind-power projects becalmed
*War, & Other Civilized Pasttimes*
For Cold War Brits, the Day After was a tea-time nightmare
TOP STORIES
* More Deaths Alleged at Chevron’s Myanmar Pipeline
Alleged human rights abuses by soldiers guarding a Burmese pipeline have revived old questions about pipeline co-owner Chevron’s relationship with the military dictatorship that hosts it. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the activist group EarthRights International has interviewed villagers near the Yadana Pipeline, who say government troops working for Chevron have killed local residents, and used others as slave labor.