There is no editorial but these links to some of the week’s issues and concerns beyond the standard media have been compiled by staff and subscribers. Thanks.
Australian refugee policy changes
‘I was initially hopeful until I checked the finer details of their proposals and sadly found that whilst the changes are a small step forward, in reality nothing significant appears to have changed for asylum seekers based on the information I have so far.’ Kon Karapanagiotidis, Co “ordinator, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre , Melbourne
Thanks to Bill Leak at the Australian |
Asylum Seekers and Absconding – The Real Figures ‘Hotham Mission has compiled the actual statistics available both national and internationally, showing the level of absconding for refused asylum seekers as very low’. Hotham Mission
‘Senior members of the Howard government have recently made allegations that long-term detainees prolonged their own incarceration by endless appeals We have research demonstrating actual examples of some of the many cases in which it was the Minister for Immigration and/or the Department that caused much of the delay.’ Uniting Church Media Release , 8 June 2005
The Leader of the Opposition
INTERVIEWER: And Beazley pulled a muscle, hasn’t he?
SPOKESMAN: He did, but that won’t affect his batting, I don’t think, Bryan.
INTERVIEWER: Wouldn’t matter, he doesn’t get any runs anymore anyway.
SPOKESMAN: No and he hardly moves. He’s not going to hurt himself.
Clarke and Dawe talk cricket, 7.30 Report , ABC
INTERNATIONAL
Sudan
Peace Deal in South Sudan Not Yet a Reality for Refugees, UN Official Says, allAfrica.com
Iraq
‘Last week’s New York Times/CBS News Poll found that the mounting casualties and continuing turmoil in Iraq have made Americans increasingly pessimistic about the war. A majority said the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq and only 37 percent approved of the president’s handling of the war. What hasn’t changed is the fact that the vast majority of the parents who support the war do not want their children to fight it.’ Someone Else’s Child by Rob Herbert, the New York Times Thanks to Russell Salton
Halliburton Contractors Denied Insurance Benefits, CorpWatch – War Profiteers
US Patriot Act
‘According to the Washington Post, Republicans with a conscience crossed the floor to defeat the extension of the US Patriots Act. I can’t see John Howard extending his belief in the US system to permit similar acts in our parliament.’ From Joanna Mendelssohn, Washington Post.
Reporters Without Borders and the OSCE make six recommendations to ensure freedom of expression on the Internet.
G8 concerts‘The World Bank has also responded to the popular mood, and will advance a loan of $100 to everyone in the third world, on the condition that no more versions of “Do They Know It’s Christmas” are released.’ The Chaser News
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