#245: WED/THURS: Cora Fabros Speaks on the Global Spread Of US Military and Spy Bases

GLOBAL PEACE AND JUSTICE AUCKLAND NEWSLETTER #245, July 14, 2008

Website http://www.gpja.org.nz/ Contact details: Forums – John Minto, Work: (09) 845 2132, Home 09 846 3173 jbminto@xtra.co.nz; Newsletter Editor – Mike Treen 0295254744 mike@unite.org.nz; Web page - media@ndu.org.nz Donations can be sent to GPJA, P O Box 7175, Wellesley St, Auckland. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter visit http://www.gpja.org.nz/ or click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.

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Kia ora koutou,

WED/THURS: CORA FABROS SPEAKS ON THE GLOBAL SPREAD OF US MILITARY AND SPY BASES
Recent events have propelled the Waihopai spybase into the spotlight. It is a US spybase in all but name and NZ’s most important contribution to all US wars. Cora Fabros, from the Philippines, is a veteran activist with the anti-bases, anti-nuclear and peace movement. She is the Asia/Pacific Coordinator of the International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases.
The US is on a global war footing and the Asia/Pacific region is of immense strategic significance.This is the region that Cora will be speaking about. In Japan (particularly Okinawa) and South Korea, the huge US presence covers the full range from nuclear warfighting bases to conventional combat bases to a whole variety of spybases. Despite having been kicked out of the Philippines in the early 90s, the US military is back. Guam, a US territory, has been turned into a major nuclear warfighting base. Australia has given the US permission to build its first new spybase in 40 years. NZ hosts a US military transport base (at Christchurch Airport); and two “New Zealand” spybases, at Tangimoana and Waihopai. NZ’s role as a small, but vital, US satellite must be exposed, and the covert links ended. This is election year and ABC believes that NZ’s continuing links to the US should be a major issue.
Cora’s tour provides the regional context for how we aid and abet the US military and intelligence empire. Cora will be visiting all three NZ bases – Harewood, Waihopai and Tangimoana. She is an excellent speaker who has travelled the world for decades (including one previous NZ visit) talking on these issues. And, yes, she speaks excellent English (which is an official language in the Philippines).

TWO MEETINGS IN AUCKLAND WITH CORA FABROS

Wednesday, July 16, 7.30 p.m, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn
GPJA FORUM - “BASES OF EMPIRE - The Global Spread Of US Military & Spy Bases”. Guest speaker: CORA FABROS

Thursday July 17, 5-6.30 p.m, AUT Tower (WT Building) Rutland St entrance cnr Rutland and Wakefield Sts Opposite Aotea Square. Hear Cora Fabros, Asia/Pacific Coordinator of the International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases. Hosted by the Pacific Media Centre AUT University Contact: pmc@aut.ac.nz

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us, "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security." : Albert Einstein - (1879-1955) Physicist and Professor, Nobel Prize 1921

ANNOUNCEMENTS

OCTOBER 15TH SOLIDARITY GROUP
Dear Friends: I am writing on behalf of the October 15th Solidarity Group, Wellington. We were formed in the aftermath of last year's state terror raids in Aotearoa/New Zealand. We are writing to groups and individuals to ask them to support our work.
Although the police failed in their attempts to lay terrorism charges, people are still facing charges under the Arms Act. The depositions hearing for these charges will begin on 1 September, and last for at least a month. This will require those charged to be in Auckland for a month, at their own expense.
As part of the effort to fight these politically motivated charges we are calling for an international day of action on Saturday 30 August 2008.
We would really appreciate your support in this work, in the following ways:
1. Support the international day of action, by signing our solidarity statement, distributing information among your members, and/or organising something in your area. The solidarity statement is pasted below and we will be using endorsers of the statement for publicity purposes. We can send posters and leaflets, just let us know what you need (you can see the resources we have produced at
http://www.october15thsolidarity.info/en/node/236.)
2. Offer financial support, we need money to print resources, and also to support those arrested and their supporters during the depositions hearing. You can mail a cheque to PO Box 9263 or deposit the money directly into our bank account: Bank: Kiwibank, Account
name: October 15 Solidarity, Account Number: 38-9007-0239672-000
3. pass this statement onto groups or individuals who are supportive and asking them to sign on. Please ask people to respond to info@October15thSolidarity.info if they would like to sign on.
This international day of action, and depositions hearing, are just one stage in this work. We hope that you and your organisation will continue to be involved. We're really keen to hear from others who are interested in this work. If you have any ideas, questions, or want more information, then please get in touch. My contact details are Valerie Morse 021-295-2138 or info@October15thSolidarity.info
Thank you, Valerie Morse

SOLIDARITY STATEMENT:
We demand the unconditional freedom of the people who are facing charges as a result of the state terror raids on 15 October 2007.
Attempts by the Police to lay charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act (TSA) failed but people are still facing politically motivated charges under the Arms Act. These charges are the result of a racist operation.
Police used the Terrorism Suppression Act and over $8 million to harass and punish political activists who they saw as supporting Tino Rangatiratanga.
The Police have arrested a few people but we're all targeted. The arrests of October 15h are aimed at intimidating and frightening all of our communities and cannot be tolerated.
We therefore call on everyone to stand up against this attack on our communities. We support the global day of action on 30 August 2008 and are mobilising to demand the unconditional freedom of the people facing charges as a result of the state terror raids.

OCTOBER 15 ACCUSED SUPPORT GROUP
Please check out the website developed by the Wellington support group for the October 15th accused.
http://october15thsolidarity.info
NEW NEWSLETTER FOR OCT 15 ACCUSED – REMEMBER THE STATE TERROR RAIDS
http://october15thsolidarity.info/files/newsletter%20vol%203.pdf

BELFAST POETS PLAY THE NORTH ISLAND
The Belfast Poets Touring Group, widely acclaimed as the world's best performance poetry group, are playing the North Island over the next three weeks. They will be visiting Auckland, Whangarei, Kerikeri, Mercer, Hamilton, Rotorua, Palmerston North and Wellington. Their new show is called "1968: The morning after the Summer of Love". It loosely revolves around 1968, that tumultuous year of anti-war protests, civil rights marches, sexual experimentation, hippies and yippies, upsurges and initiatives from the grassroots. It's a year that right-wing politicians and ideologues are still trying to bury. Anyone who experiences the Belfast Poets walks away with a different idea of what poetry is. In their show poetry is not something read out by one person. It's sometimes all five of them (three women, two men) all declaiming in tandem. It's dynamic, energising, rhythmic. And many shows will feature an integrated film and soundtrack element. Their warm-up act is Roger Fowler, an accomplished NZ singer/guitarist/songwriter who has entertained pickets and protests for over 30 years as well as featuring on television and in plays and shows. Roger is a man with a very powerful voice, and he will be performing 1968-era songs in tune with the Belfast Poet's theme. Come along to one of their shows if you can and have a fantastic time! Here's their itinerary:
WEDNESDAY 16 JULY: 8pm Dogs Bollix, Newton, central Auckland.
THURSDAY 17 JULY: 12.30pm Auckland Central Library.
FRIDAY 18 JULY: 12.30pm Hamilton Public Library, 9 Garden Pl, Hamilton; 8.30pm Biddy Malone Irish pub, Victoria St North, Hamilton.
SATURDAY 19 JULY: 7.30pm The Butter Factory, 8 Butter Factory Lane, Whangarei.
SUNDAY 20 JULY: 2pm The Venue at Wharepuke, 190 Kerikeri Rd, Kerikeri.
MONDAY 21 JULY: 12.15pm Whangarei Public Library, 7 Rust Av, Whangarei.
WEDNESDAY 23 JULY: 2pm Atrium Building, Main Campus, Massey University at Albany, North Shore.
FRIDAY 25 JULY: 10.30am Howick Public Library, 25 Uxbridge Rd, Howick, Manukau City; 7pm Devonport Vintage Bookshop, 81A Victoria Rd, Devonport, North Shore.
SATURDAY 26 JULY: 7.30pm Wellington Irish Society bar, 10 Fifeshire St (off Cambridge Tce), central Wellington.
SUNDAY 27 JULY: 2pm Palmerston North Residents Association special conference on GST taxes, Palmerston North City Council chambers, The Square, Palmerston North. The Belfast Poets will end the conference, starting at 3.30pm.
MONDAY 28 JULY: 7pm Happy cafe, corner Tory & Vivian Sts, central Wellington.
TUESDAY 29 JULY: 2pm Rotorua. The venue still to be confirmed. Contact Bernie (07) 3459 853.
WEDNESDAY 30 JULY: 7pm Auckland University, Library Basement, Alfred St, central Auckland.
Grant Morgan, NZ tour manager, 021 2544 515, grantmorgan@paradise.net.nz

THE HOLLOW MEN - THE INSIDE STORY OF A NATIONAL PARTY ELECTION CAMPAIGN
This new feature length documentary will have its World Premiere at the Wellington International Film Festival at 1pm Sunday the 20th July 2008 at the Paramount Cinema. Tickets are available from 37th Wellington Film Festival.
Also screening at 1.30pm Tuesday 22nd July at the Paramount Cinema

Auckland premiere at the Auckland International Film Festival at 6.15pm Thursday 24th July at the Sky City Cinema.
Tickets are available from 40th Auckland Film Festival
Also sceening at 11.45am Friday 25th July at the Sky City Cinema.

The film will be screening at all 18 film festivals around the country over coming months, from Whangarei to Greymouth, as well as in the main centres. DVD copies of the film will be on sale after the screenings in the cinema foyers for $30 or you can pre-order your DVD copy from communitymedia@paradise.net.nz. We will mail you a copy after the cinema screenings in your centre with an invoice for $30 which you can pay by cheque or direct on-line credit to our bank account. Please include your mailing address. Orders can also be made by mail to Community Media Trust, PO Box 3563, Wellington. (Please note: Institutions, including universities and libraries will be charged $110 per DVD)
Film Festival Programme Notes: The 'stolen' insider emails that informed Nicky Hager's best-selling account of National's 2005 election campaign return in Alister Barry's (Someone Else's Country) new film - just in time to caution us against campaigning politicians in 2008. Addressing each other like schoolboy Machiavellis, party leader Don Brash and his advisors spelled out how they'd copy the big boys in Australia and the US in order to win the votes of people who'd never support the kind of policies such men are widely presumed to represent. The dividing and conquering began at Orewa. Barry strings the emailed stage directions through a chronology of public performances as Brash appears nightly on television, dispensing disharmony while espousing honesty, fair play and integrity. There can be fewer more telling images of the spiritual bankruptcy of mid-00s politics than Barry's footage of the man who intends to be PM evading jounalists' basic questions about his intentions with the dogged, on-message politeness of a Mumbai call centre help desk.
“Whatever your political leanings this makes for essential viewing.”
- Bill Gosden, Director of the New Zealand International Film Festival
"The secret to success is sincerity and conviction - Once you can fake that you've got it made"
Peter Keenan, Political advisor and speech writer.

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE
Alex Gibney's Academy Award winning documentary digs deep into the systematised abuse and outright murder of "enemy combatants" held in American military prisons. Gibney, director of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and producer of the equally compelling No End in Sight, assesses the political mentality that encourages the use of torture by its military interrogators. The eponymous taxi was driven by an innocent Afghan tortured by US soldiers in Bagram. The film traces responsibility for his grueling, pointless death all the way to the top. — BG
For more information, visit http://www.nzff.co.nz/n6051.html

THE NEW HORIZONS FOR WOMEN TRUST
This charitable trust makes awards to help women return to education and training and promote research on women's issues. Supported by many women's organisations it raises funds to provide more awards and broaden its activities

A VERY CONTROVERSIAL BOOK JUST RELEASED IN NEW ZEALAND - FREEDOM FROM OUR SOCIAL PRISONS.
Anthony Ravlich, Chairperson of the Human Rights Council Inc., 10D / 15 City Rd., Auckland City. Ph: (09) 302 2761.
My book – Freedom from our Social Prisons: the Rise of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights – which has been just released in New Zealand has so far been ignored by the establishment. However on reading a broad outline of the book, released by a major publisher in America, Rowman and Littlefield Ltd, Noam Chomsky described it as ‘most interesting’, Yash Ghai, who spoke at a recent Commonwealth Conference, described it as ‘very valuable’ and Professor William Felice, of Ekerd College, America, and an international expert in the field, provides a very positive endorsement on the back cover of the book. The book demonstrates that a more civilized version of neo liberalism can be adopted by liberal democracies such as New Zealand. As a first step to a comprehensive human rights vision it is considered necessary to address the most serious violations by ensuring core minimum obligations for all such as ensuring a voice in the mainstream for the poor and marginalized, ensuring no one falls below the poverty line as well as the right to human rights education and the right to development. The latter two rights will empower the most disadvantaged to hold the elite to account making use of the democratic process and supporting those who wish to a follow their dreams, including their holistic development. At present, in my view, leadership in New Zealand is spiritually bankrupt. It is argued that if those with talents and abilities are encouraged and given more opportunities, rather than being forced to leave New Zealand, they will eventually employ the underclass.
The book can be obtained at the library by interloan or you can google Lexington Books, enter the title, and order. It is hardcover (approximately $NZ120) but in about eight months time it could be more than half the price as a soft cover.

INTERNATIONAL BRIGADE “50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRIUMPH OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION”
Dear Friends: Next year the Cuban Revolution will arrive to its 50th anniversary: 50 years of solidarity and friendship between Cuba and the peoples of the world. From October 5th through 19th this year, our Institute will welcome the “50th Anniversary of the Revolution” International Brigade and friends coming from all over the world will enjoy this unique opportunity to celebrate this important date in Cuba. We are looking forward to hosting you!!!!
Asia-Pacific Division, Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, Email: dasia@icap.cu Tlf: (53-7) 838 2430

INVITATION TO VENEZUELA EDUCATION STUDY TOUR
A Collaborative Exchange and Study Tour for Academics, Teachers & Students January 2009
Dear Friends and Colleagues, We would like to invite you to participate in the first Education Exchange and Study Tour of Venezuela. A number of educators here in Australia and internationally have become increasingly interested in the radical education reform currently taking place in Venezuela. The study tour will take place in January 2009 and will involve a range of meetings (seminars) and visits with educational groups, institutions, and community organisations. The details of the week are to worked out in conjunction with colleagues from the Bolivarian University of Venezuela, and local schools and community organizations in Caracas. For further details, to contribute ideas and/or to register your interest please contact the organising committee: Tom Griffiths Tom.Griffiths [at] newcastle [dot] edu [dot] au / Jo Williams Jo.Williams [at] vu [dot] edu [dot] au / Roberto Jorquera roberto [at] latinamericasolidarity [dot] org / Jorge Jorquera Jorge.Jorquera [at] rmit [dot] edu [dot] au

WHAT’S ON IN AUCKLAND

Wednesday, July 16, 8pm Dogs Bollix, Newton, central Auckland. $10 door charge
A PERFORMANCE POETRY SHOW ABOUT 1968: THE YEAR OF REVOLT - Written and performed by Scream Blue Murmur Formerly the Belfast Poets Touring Group.

Wednesday, July 16, 7.30pm, trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn
GPJA FORUM: “BASES OF EMPIRE – THE GLOBAL SPREAD OF US MILITARY AND SPY BASES” with international guest Cora Fabros from the Philippines, who is a veteran activist with the anti-bases, anti-nuclear and peace movement. She is the Asia/Pacific Coordinator of the International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases.

Thursday July 17, 5-6.30 p.m, AUT Tower (WT Building) Rutland St entrance cnr Rutland and Wakefield Sts Opposite Aotea Square. Hear Cora Fabros, Asia/Pacific Coordinator of the International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases. Hosted by the Pacific Media Centre AUT University Contact: pmc@aut.ac.nz

Thursday , July 17, 8pm 12.30-2pm Auckland Central Library.
A PERFORMANCE POETRY SHOW ABOUT 1968: THE YEAR OF REVOLT - Written and performed by Scream Blue Murmur Formerly the Belfast Poets Touring Group.

Sunday, July 20, 2pm, Workers Educational Association, 9 Henderson Valley Road, Henderson
STOP ROCKETING PRICES ! Forum on the Cost of Living, Are you, your family and community hungry, sick, freezing? Can't afford clothing, shoes, food, decent-or any- housing? Can't run a car, and no decent public transport available?
Workers- Are you not earning enough to make ends meet?Do you work casual hours, with no job security? Beneficiaries- Did your income drop when the Special Benefit was abolished? - Are you being refused essential child support ( In Work Payment) simply because you are a beneficiary? The international capitalist system is in crisis, and we are paying the price. Together we can change this! When workers and beneficiaries unite we can get results! Come to the forum, share your experiences, and plan some actions. Together we can achieve a liveable income for all! Abolish GST ! We want a Price Freeze now! Affordable public transport and state housing for all! Organised by the Waitemata Branch of Unite, tel 8369104, 021-2166937

Thursday, July 24 & Friday July 25
THE HOLLOW MEM: Auckland premiere at the Auckland International Film Festival at 6.15pm Thursday 24th July at the Sky City Cinema. Tickets are available from 40th Auckland Film Festival. Also sceening at 11.45am Friday 25th July at the Sky City Cinema.

Monday, July 28, 7pm, St Columba Centre, 40 Vermont St Ponsonby, Auckland.
Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) AGM. “Children’s experiences of poverty and exclusion” - Presentation by special guest Dr Tess Ridge, University of Bath, UK. Stories from the lives of children in low-income households. 7:00 pm AGM business, 7:45 pm guest speaker. Plenty of parking round the back. For further information contact Rachel Somerfield, CPAG NZ Administrator admin@cpag.org.nz or (09) 303-9260.

BEST ON THE WEB

NEW ZEALAND
ACC may be boon for Aussie insurers
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4604087a13.html
Matt McCarten: Mayor's truckie support brings food for thought on lowly paid
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10520121
Legal case addresses hole in safety net for poorest children
http://www.cpag.org.nz/news/cpag-news/nr1212471513.pdf
Enthusiasm for pepper-spray needs to be reviewed
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0807/S00056.htm
Tangata whenua rally to protect foreshore
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0807/S00024.htm
Spotlight on the Whangamata Marina
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0807/S00024.htm
New Zealand’s worst employment contract
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0806/S00446.htm
Stronger protections for casual and temp workers
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0806/S00340.htm
How National's spin doctors operate
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4609464a6160.html
Matt McCarten: Compromise and coalition hold only hope for a Labour victory
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10521226

FEATURES
NAOMI KLEIN: Bush-Led 'Disaster Capitalism' Exploits Worldwide Misery to Make a Buck - These cases of disaster capitalism are amateurish compared with what is unfolding at Iraq's oil ministry. It started with no-bid service contracts announced for ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP and Total (they have yet to be signed but are still on course).
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20235.htm
SEIU Targets Buyout Fund KKR for Global Action - Massive use of high-risk debt, aggressive restructuring, asset stripping, "quick flips" and the systematic exploitation of tax loopholes (many of which their lobbying efforts have inspired) - these are the tools behind the enormous profits raked in by private equity, or leveraged buyout funds.
http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=default&uid=default&ID=5187&v...
The crisis of the global economy - A report of the Institute of Globalisation and Social Movements, Moscow
http://links.org.au/node/517

ENVIRONMENT
George Monbiot: Green Lifeline - A radical new idea could save the world’s ecosystems. But what will it do to the economy?
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2008/07/01/green-lifeline/
Court Rewards Exxon for Valdez Oil Spill By Greg Palast - Twenty years after Exxon Valdez slimed over one thousand miles of Alaskan beaches, the company has yet to pay the $5 billion in punitive damages awarded by the jury. And now they won't have to. The Supreme Court today cut Exxon's liability by 90% to half a billion. It's so cheap, it's like a permit to spill.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20177.htm

REVIEWS
Arundhati Roy- Our world Laid Bare By Priscilla Jebaraj - Arundhati Roy’s latest book The Shape of the Beast is an exercise in connecting the many dots that she first started plotting over a decade ago in The God of Small Things
http://www.countercurrents.org/jebaraj030708.htm
The Rising of Latin America - The Genesis of 'The War On Democracy' By John Pilger - They moved through the dust of a snow-capped wilderness, along roads that were ribbons of red mud, and they lived in shanties that defied gravity. "We are invisible," said one man; another used the term abandonados; an indigenous woman in Bolivia unforgettably described her poverty as a commodity for the rich.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20083.htm
Freedom Next Time - Propaganda as Journalism By John Pilger – Video: Australian journalist, author, film maker John Pilger speaks about global media consolidation, war by journalism, US military's quest for domination/hegemony in the post 9/11 era, false history in the guise of 'objective' journalism.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20082.htm

AFGHANISATAN
US occupation forces kill 16 civilians: Afghan governor : An Afghan provincial governor said Saturday 16 civilians including women, children and doctors were killed in US-led occupation forces air strikes but the force insisted the dead were militants.
http://tinyurl.com/5f7ays
Nato has to win in Afghanistan, the Taliban only needs not to lose
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080621/OPINION/580875713
Fear, disillusion and despair: notes from a divided land as peace slips away: Six years after the fall of the Taliban, Nato claims the war is being won. But as Peter Beaumont discovered in his journey across the country, the West is in danger of losing the peace as millions suffer the fallout from social and economic collapse.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/990938.html

BOLIVIA
The Revolution on Hold – Departmental Autonomy and the Crisis of the Left in Bolivia
http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2008/07/revolution-on-hold-departmenta...

BURMA
Burma, Victim Of The "War On Terror" - John Pilger marks the Burmese junta's renewal of the house arrest of Aung San Suu Ky with an examination of the intimidations of the 'war on terror' on those who help to free her and her people.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20034.htm

CUBA
Humanitarian Goods Seized - Take Action Now!
http://cubasolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/07/humanitarian-goods-seized-tak...

IRAN
Preparing the Battlefield - The Bush Administration steps up its secret moves against Iran. By Seymour M. Hersh. Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country's religious leadership.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20203.htm

IRAQ
The Real State of Iraq - The apocalypse that the United States has unleashed upon Iraq is among the greatest catastrophes to befall any country in the past 50 years. It is a much worse disaster over time than the Burmese cyclone or the Mississippi floods.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20157.htm
Iraq: Status of Forces Agreement - Is Iraq Independent or "a Client State of the US" - Veteran reporter Patrick Cockburn broke the story of Bush's secret Iraq plan. He explains its terrible implications for Iraqi sovereignty.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20102.htm
Iraq - What Happened To The $23 Billion? The Greatest Heist In History - Must Watch BBC - Video
The US justice department has imposed gagging orders which prevent the real scale of the problem emerging. But Panorama's Jane Corbin has spoken to some of those involved - with astonishing stories to tell of who got rich and who got burned.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20071.htm

KOREA
US wavered over S. Korean executions - AP IMPACT
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/06/internationa...

LATIN AMERICA
A new immigration law passed by the European Union has provoked an angry backlash at a summit of South American leaders.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/07/20087211928130274.htm...

LEBANON
The 'Hezbollah Model' - Interview with Franklin Lamb by Mike Whitney - There is for the first time in modern history an Arab/Muslim deterrence to Zionist and Western colonialism.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20084.htm

PALESTINE
Israeli Arabs find barriers insurmountable: Asma Nasar is afraid to leave her home. Like many other Palestinians married to Israeli Arabs, the 21-year-old from the West Bank city of Hebron is living illegally in Israel with her husband and two young daughters.
http://tinyurl.com/6xp4eh
Israel to destroy attacker's home: Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has ordered the army to prepare to demolish the home of the Palestinian who killed three Israelis in Jerusalem. Reports say about 20 people live in the home of the attacker Hussam Dwayat in the Sur Bahir area of East Jerusalem.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7490212.stm
The story of Palestine: Barghouti Presentation: An excellent extended overview of the Israeli - Palestinian conflict by Dr Mustafa Barghouti and Israel's apartheid policies of continued ethnic cleansing and annexation of up to 58% of the West Bank through illegal settlement expansion.
http://peoplesgeography.com/links/barghouti-presentation/
On the Future of Israel and Palestine - An Interview with Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomsky - Within Israel itself, there is serious discrimination, but it's very far from South African Apartheid. Within the occupied territories, it's a different story.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20051.htm
From Triumph To Torture By John Pilger - Israel's treatment of an award-winning young Palestinian journalist is part of a terrible pattern
http://www.countercurrents.org/pilger020708.htm

PHILIPPINES
Youngblood : Quiapo vendors - The day after “Ka Bel” died, my father sent me an email urging me to go to the wake for the party-list representative. He said Crispin Beltran was once his boss and one whom he deeply respected, and he felt it was his filial obligation to offer flowers and prayers at his wake.
http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=146106

SOUTH AFRICA
Dennis Brutus, veteran anti-apartheid campaigner, describes how US, British and other major multinational corporations colluded with the racist regime of apartheid South Africa. Brutus is attempting to win reparations for superprofits made through the exploitation and repression of black South African workers. For further background to
this, go to ``Can reparations for apartheid profits be won in US courts?
http://links.org.au/node/513

SRI LANKA
War toll in Sri Lanka jumps to 215,000 – study
http://www.nation.lk/2008/06/22/news11.htm
Torture endemic in Sri Lanka police-rights group
http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSCOL56321

TIMOR LESTE
Xanana Gusmao govt depletes Petroleum Fund, arrests protesting studentS
http://www.asia-pacific-action.org/node/90

UK
We're riddled with debt... but the cure is a killer - For 10 years, individuals, companies and the public sector have all been living on credit, going still deeper into the red. Meanwhile, as a nation, we're saving less of our income than at any time since the 1950s. Amid government inertia and misguided intervention by the Bank of England, the day of reckoning is approaching, says Phillip Blond
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/were-ri...
Human rights body condemns counter-terrorism bill: Government plans to extend pre-charge detention for terror suspects to 42 days are "unnecessary, disproportionate and counter-productive" and should be rejected when they come before the House of Lords next week, an international human rights group said today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jul/04/terrorism.civilliberties
Britain's War in the Cause of Fear and Ignorance By John Pilger - Muslims are alone as they watch the British state, with its "obstinate incomprehension" of their faith, do to them as it would never do to those of other faiths. Imagine Jews treated this way. You cannot imagine it; the profanity is too great. The silence of British Jews, who have the history, is also great.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20182.htm
George Monbiot: Mind-Forged Manacles - Crime is down, convictions are down, but the prisons are bursting. Why?
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2008/06/24/mind-forged-manacles/

USA
This Recession, It's Just Beginning
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR200806...
The real McCain - To his fans he's a lovable patriot with a maverick streak. But to his critics he's an anti-abortion Creationist who surrounds himself with religious extremists. Paul Harris uncovers the dark side of John McCain
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/22/johnmccain.uselections2008
Obama's Chicago Boys By Naomi Klein - Barack Obama waited just three days after Hillary Clinton pulled out of the race to declare, on CNBC, "Look. I am a pro-growth, free-market guy. I love the market."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20089.htm
Senator McCain Has a Serious "Knowledge Gap": It's an Issue
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/91177/