Category Archives: Politics

BBC Articles on Lebanon Conflict – History and Future

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BBC correspondent Jim Muir in Lebanon has two excellent articles on the current conflict in Lebanon – “History repeats with a vengeance” and Washington risks a wider conflict.

The second article makes a very interesting point, saying:

The Hezbollah operation of 12 July was apparently launched at least partly in support of the embattled (Sunni) Hamas in Gaza, perhaps at the prompting of their mutual supporter Iran.

So the seeds of co-operation between Sunni and Shia radical groups are already there, and – encouraged by Iran and Syria – they could start sprouting elsewhere in the region.

This, I bet, is something that Israel and its US backers would probably not have envisaged when they started on this tragedy and I fear that his thought that:

If an increasingly isolated US, with anaemic support from Britain, continues to support or even encourage Israel’s absolutist approach, the consequences could be dire both in Lebanon and in the wider region.

is probably not far off the mark.

Australian Academics Branded Anti-American for Being Pro-Australian

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This makes me sick..

Vice-chancellor Professor Ian Chubb says ANU researchers were labelled as “anti-American” after they released a study of Australia’s free trade agreement with the US, which revealed adverse results.

The fact that some people believe publicising the fact that this “Free” Trade Agreement isn’t good for Australia is “Anti-American” seems to speak volumes about their real sympathies, which is really sad given that some of them are our politicians. 🙁

Professor Chubb says he received several calls suggesting the university would be unwise to promote the research.

I’d love to know where those calls were from!

Another Tragedy in Lebanon

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The UK Independent Newspaper reports:

The Israeli bombing was directed at what the army described as Hizbollah strongholds in southern Beirut, as well as roads, bridges and fuel installations across the country.

An Israeli missile incinerated a van in southern Lebanon, killing 20 people, among them 15 children. Police said the van was carrying two families fleeing the village of Marwaheen after Israeli loudspeaker warnings to leave their homes.

Other raids on north, east and south Lebanon killed 14 people and wounded 37. At least 103 people, all but four of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s four-day-old assault.

So the Israelis have managed to kill 4 Hizbollah at the cost of 99 civilian lives, that’s almost 25 civilian lives per fighter.

It is an appalling figure and yet the UN Security Council can’t even agree a statement calling for a truce, although it’s too late now for those civilians (and, I fear, a lot more in the near future) anyway.

How much of our humanity and caring have we sacrificed in the name of this “War on Terror” ?

Twins for Polish PM and President

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Interesting.. the BBC is reporting that:

The twin brother of Polish President Lech Kaczynski has accepted the governing party’s nomination to be the country’s prime minister.

Here’s the a composite photo from the AP via the BBC putting the Polish PM and President side by side. Or is it the Polish President and PM ?

Polish PM and President, or is it the Polish President and PM ?

Apparently the new PM turned this opportunity down once before because he felt it wasn’t right, but with the resignation of the previous PM he’s decided that it was better than the alternatives.

A Sick Joke

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You remember those old jokes like the signs that say “credit only granted to those over 80 accompanied by both parents” ?

Well how about this for a new twist:

If the employee is unable to attend work for reasons other than an emergency (as determined by the company), the employee must provide 12 hours verbal notice. If the employee breaches this clause, the employee expressly authorises the company to deduct from the employee’s weekly remuneration the amount of $200.

In other words, if you are going to be too sick to work you need to give at least 12 hours notice beforehand, otherwise you get fined $200 in addition to not getting paid for the time you are unable to work.

Unfortunately this is not a joke, this is from the very real “Australian Workplace Agreement” which a mining company tried to force Lorissa Stevens to sign, with the company representative apparently attempting to browbeat her into signing.

Lorissa Stevens: She stood over me, basically said that if I didn’t sign the AWA that I would not have a job with the company, and that she would personally go out of her way to destroy me and make sure I didn’t enter in on another Hunter Valley mine site again.

In addition to this craziness the AWA in question also abolishes their workers sick leave (hence no pay for being off sick) as well as cutting their pay rates.

This is in a mining industry where safety is meant to be a top priority, but obviously it can’t be that important to this mob if they’re willing to risk making sick people work to avoid getting fined in addition to no pay..

Zimbabwe

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The International Crisis Group launched a report on the 6th June called Zimbabwe’s Continuing Self-Destruction, highlighting the dire situation the country is in.

In April 2006, inflation officially topped 1,000 per cent, helped by the decision to print $230 million worth of Zimbabwean currency to pay international debts and sustain operations. Unemployment is over 85 per cent, poverty over 90 per cent, and foreign reserves are almost depleted. Over four million persons are in desperate need of food. HIV/AIDS and malnutrition kill thousands every month. Agriculture, the major source of foreign currency earnings, has been particularly hard hit. There are severe shortages of basic consumer items, and the prices of fuel and food are beyond the reach of many. The 2005 “Operation Murambatsvina” to clear urban slums forcibly deprived more than 18 per cent of the population of homes or livelihoods and badly damaged the informal sector, the lifeline for many urban poor.

The overview I’ve linked to above gives a good example of how complicated the situation is, with in-fighting within the opposition as well as within Zanu-PF. South Africa is trying to help by facilitating talks, but got caught out by Mugabe:

South Africa has tried to use financial leverage, in the form of a credit line, to press for new inter-party constitutional talks, repeal of repressive laws and an economic recovery plan. Mugabe sidestepped the initiative by printing enough currency to repay debts to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in February 2006.

You can read the entire 20 page PDF report freely available online.

US Government Gives Monty Python Response to Guantanamo Suicides

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The BBC is reporting that 3 detainees at Guantanamo Bay have committed suicide by hanging themselves – but the camp commander seems to have been taking Life of Brian too seriously:

The camp commander said the two Saudis and a Yemeni were “committed” and had killed themselves in “an act of asymmetric warfare waged against us”.

Human Rights Watch are probably a bit closer to the truth..

Ken Roth, head of Human Rights Watch in New York, told the BBC the men had probably been driven by despair.

“These people are despairing because they are being held lawlessly,” he said.

“There’s no end in sight. They’re not being brought before any independent judges. They’re not being charged and convicted for any crime.”

It Gets Worse

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I can’t believe that just a minute after my last post I find this report via Google News about the state of Villawood detention center.

A WOMAN held at the nation’s second-biggest immigration detention centre was allegedly raped repeatedly in front of her toddler because she could not lock the door to her room.

The claim — and reports of widespread drug abuse among detainees — will be at the centre of an investigation ordered by the Immigration Department into the privately run Villawood centre in western Sydney.

The Weekend Australian has learned the probe will investigate claims women have been sexually assaulted by guards and male detainees. It will also examine the availability of illicit drugs in the detention centre, and has already heard evidence that detainees in the high-security area have been seen shooting up and claim to be able to access speed, ice, heroin, morphine and marijuana.