Australian Government Calling For Tenders – Nuclear Waste Dump in Northern Territory

The Australian Federal Government is calling for tenders of concept designs for Australia’s first radioactive nuclear waste dump. The Government had previously announced a preferred site for the dump at Muckaty Station, Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory.

The tender says the concept design will be appropriate for a site in arid to semi-arid areas of Australia.

The tender outlines say that the proposed facility should be designed to accommodate waste for at least 100 years, and equipment at the site may be required to repackage and retransport any radioactive waste stored at the facility.

Natalie Wasley from the Beyond Nuclear Initiative is campaigning against the dump. Ms Wasley was apparently unaware the tender was being released :: Read the full article »»»»

Australian Billionaire Clive Palmer Claims Green Groups Funded by CIA

Australian mining magnate Clive Palmer has outlandishly accused the United States Government of funding environmental group Greenpeace via the CIA to undermine Australia’s coal mining sector. Palmer made the extraordinary claim over Greenpeace’s plan to use the court system to tie up coal mining applications.

Palmer is apparently angry at Greenpeace’s plan to use lawyers to thwart future coal mining projects and claims funding is coming from US environmental charity the Rockefeller Foundation. He alleges it is funded by the CIA and says it is trying to harm Australia’s industry and help American interests.

Palmer referred to a paper produced by environmental group Greenpeace which calls for action to stop the expansion of the Queensland coal industry. Greenpeace’s plans were leaked to the media earlier this month as it organises a campaign to raise $6 million to fund legal battles against controversial coal mining projects across Australia. Read the full article »»»»

‘ASIO’ The Australian Spy Agency Seeks to Recruit Muslim Spies

The Muslim community has welcomed comments from the head of Australia’s spy agency – ASIO – that it needs to recruit more Muslims. ASIO director-general David Irvine made the comments during a rare public address at the Sydney Institute.

“ASIO needs to recruit more people from within our newly arrived migrant communities,” Irvine said. ”Connected to this is the need for ASIO to develop even better outreach into our different ethnic communities, particularly Australian Muslim communities, my constant message to our valued Islamic community is very simple: ‘ASIO is not against Islam, it is against terrorism; against terrorism that kills both Muslims and non-Muslims alike” Irvine said ”To achieve our common goal of a safe and harmonious community, we need to work with you’.”

Muslim community leader, Ahmed Kilani from Muslimvillage.com welcomes Mr Irvine’s comments, but has called for ASIO to be more open in its relations with the Muslim community. He says the relationship between Muslims and the intelligence agency has been uncertain since the September 11 attacks. ”Although it’s 10 years later, we welcome the comments but I also think there’ll be a lot of suspicion in the Muslim community just in the way that ASIO has been engaging with them in a very covert way, in a very unofficial way, would lead to a lot of suspicion and mistrust for what’s happened in the past,” he said.

“The first that we hear of this is through the news media; no-one in the Muslim community’s heard of this approach.” Kilani said ”Although I welcome what he’s saying, really we need to see a real change in the approach for it to have any credibility.”

India: Girl Sacrificed to Ensure Better Harvest

Raipur, India: Police in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh say they have arrested two people accused of sacrificing a child. The seven-year-old girl was kidnapped and found murdered in a lawless tribal district two months ago. Initial investigation suggested she was offered as a sacrifice in order to produce a better harvest.

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of killing the girl and offering her liver to the gods in a grisly tribal ceremony. Police said the men had confessed to the crime.

The body of Lalita Tati was found in October one week after her family reported her missing. Police say they are continuing their investigation into the killing of the girl. In 2006, The Guardian reported a case of sacrifice of a child in the village of Barha in the province of Khurja, Uttar Pradesh. Two suspected child sacrifices were also reported in Chhattisgarh in 2010. Read the full article »»»»

Russia Joins World Trade Organisation

After 18 years of negotiations Russia has been approved for membership in the World Trade Organisation – WTO. Russia is the largest economy in the world that was not a part of the WTO. Members of the organisation have finally agreed to its accession. Talks on joining the World Trade Organisation have dragged on for 18 years. Russia’s bid for entry had been held up by WTO member Georgia since the two countries fought a war in 2008. Russia hopes to boost exports of minerals, but a large number of domestic industries, such as car makers, will face new competition.

China: Occupy Wukan

Protesters in a southern Chinese village are defying authorities in the latest outburst of simmering rural discontent eroding the ruling Communist Party’s grip at the grassroots.

The latest protests were sparked by last weekend’s death in custody of Xue Jinbo, 42, who was detained on suspicion of helping organise protests against land seizures.

Hundreds of residents in Wukan Village in Guangdong province held an angry march and rally despite moves by authorities to halt the project at the centre of the months-long unrest and detain local officials involved.

Police and Communist Party officials have reportedly been forced out of the village, and have formed a blockade to prevent supplies from entering the town.

Rural land in China is mostly owned in name by village collectives, but in fact officials can mandate its seizure for development in return for compensation, which residents often say is inadequate and does not reflect the profits reaped :: Read the full article »»»»