UN report says NT intervention ‘discriminatory’ ABC News 6 April 09

The United Nations Human Rights Committee is calling on the Federal Government to redesign its ‘discriminatory’ intervention into Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.

A report from the committee says many of the intervention policies discriminate against Aboriginal people, which means Australia is not complying with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

It’s time to get serious about ridding the world of nuclear weaponsMalcolm Fraser, Gustav Nossal, Barry Jones, Peter Gration, John Sanderson Brisbane Times April 8, 2009 – “……………………………

For the first time a US president has been elected with a commitment to abolish nuclear weapons. Barack Obama needs all the support and encouragement in the world. Unlike the last opportunity, at the end of the Cold War, this one must not be squandered. An increasingly resource- and climate-stressed world is an ever more dangerous place for nuclear weapons. We must not fail.

Abolishing nuclear weapons is a paramount challenge for the entire world – a precondition for survival, sustainability and health for our planet and future generations. Both in the indiscriminate devastation they cause, and in their persistent, spreading, genetically damaging radioactive fallout, nuclear weapons are unlike any other “weapons”. They cannot be used for any legitimate military purpose. Any use or threat of use violates international humanitarian law.

The notion that nuclear weapons can ensure anyone’s security is fundamentally flawed. They most threaten those who possess them, or – like Australia – claim protection from them, because they become the preferred targets for others’ nuclear weapons. Accepting that they have a legitimate place – even for “deterrence” – means being willing to accept the incineration of tens of millions of fellow humans and radioactive devastation of large areas, and is fundamentally immoral…………………………………….The most effective, expeditious and practical way to abolish nuclear weapons is to negotiate a comprehensive, irreversible, binding, verifiable treaty – a nuclear weapons convention…………………..Achieving a world free of nuclear weapons will require not only existing arsenals to be progressively dismantled and destroyed, but production of the fissile materials from which nuclear weapons can be built – separated plutonium and highly enriched uranium – to cease, and existing stocks eliminated or placed under secure international control.

Earth Day 2009’s Renewable Energy Focus Energy matters 8 April 09 Earth Day is now celebrated around the world, but larger events such as festivals and rallies are often held on the weekends before or after April 22. Many communities also celebrate Earth Week or Earth Month through environmental activities during the month of April.Earth Day 2009 will herald the beginning of the “Green Generation Campaign”; a two-year project culminating with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010. With negotiations for a new global climate agreement this year, Earth Day 2009 organisers are looking to a massive day of action and civic participation, to highlight the Green Generation’s core principles: * A carbon-free future based on renewable energy that will end dependency on fossil fuels, including coal.