News: Oceania
July 4, 2008
Judge orders Google to give YouTube user data to Viacom
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - A US judge has ordered Google to expose to Viacom the video-viewing habits of everyone who has ever used YouTube in a decision condemned by the Internet giant and privacy advocates.
Read AFP news story at google.com
Comment: The ruling, which could have serious privacy implications for internet users worldwide, orders Google to turn over every record of every video watched by YouTube users, including users' names and IP addresses.
June 5, 2008
EU vision for Asia-Pacific
KEVIN RUDD has outlined an ambitious vision for Australia and the other nations of the Asia-Pacific to form a community modelled on the European Union by 2020. In a speech to the Asia Society in Sydney last night, the Prime Minister said the new body would share a "comprehensive sense of community" in security, trade, economics and politics.
Read article in the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Comment: Democracy in the European Union has now been almost completely subverted by corporate interests. As such, Rudd's proposal here should clearly be viewed with great suspicion.
June 2, 2008
Premier urges halt to GM food approvals
West Australian Premier Alan Carpenter has called for an immediate halt to the approval of all genetically-modified (GM) foods in Australia. Mr Carpenter also is asking for federal government support to enforce better labelling of foods containing GM ingredients. He wants Australia's national food regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, to stop approving any more GM foods for human consumption until independent scientific trials prove their safety. "I find it unbelievable and unacceptable that the national food regulator relies principally on the say-so of the GM companies when assessing GM foods as safe to eat," Mr Carpenter said.
Read article in the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
May 19, 2008
Democracy and the Web
Users of the Internet take for granted their ability to access all Web sites on an equal basis. That could change, however, if Internet service providers started discriminating among content, to make more money or to suppress ideas they do not like. A new "net neutrality" bill has been introduced in the House, which would prohibit this sort of content discrimination. Congress has delayed on this important issue too long and should pass net neutrality legislation now.
Read editorial in the New York Times (USA)
Comment: To learn more about the need for net neutrality and internet freedom, click here.
April 25, 2008
Malaysia's ex-PM Mahathir wants Iraq war leaders on war crimes charges
LONDON (AFP) - Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has called for an international tribunal to try Western leaders with war crimes over the war in Iraq, a spokesman for the organisers said. In a speech at Imperial College, London, Mahathir called for a tribunal to try US President George W. Bush plus former prime ministers Tony Blair of Britain and John Howard of Australia for their part in the conflict, said a spokesman for the Muslim group the Ramadhan Foundation, which set up the event. Spokesman Mohammed Shafiq told AFP that Mahathir, who was in office from 1981 to 2003, wants to see the trio tried "in absence for war crimes committed in Iraq.
Read AFP news story at yahoo.com
February 13, 2008
Govt promises action after apology
The Federal Government has promised practical measures will follow the symbolism of today's apology to the Stolen Generations. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd this morning delivered an emotional address to Australia's Stolen Generations in federal Parliament, in which he spoke of the "profound grief, suffering and loss" experienced by Australia's Indigenous people. Mr Rudd used the word "sorry" on three separate occasions in his formal apology and Opposition leader Brendan Nelson echoed his sentiments. The Prime Minister also called on the Opposition to join in a "war cabinet" to deal with Aboriginal housing issues and matters of constitutional change and spoke of moving into the future with "arms extended" rather than with "fists still clenched".
Read article on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation website
February 11, 2008
How the spooks took over the news
In his controversial new book, Nick Davies argues that shadowy intelligence agencies are pumping out black propaganda to manipulate public opinion – and that the media simply swallow it wholesale.
Read article in the Independent (UK)
February 5, 2008
Warning over popular fungal treatment Lamisil
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has warned of adverse side-effects from oral Lamisil, a pill formulation for ringworm and nail fungal problems. It is prescribed for people who do not respond to fungal creams but the TGA says it can cause liver failure. The TGA has received 722 adverse event reports on Lamisil, known generically as terbinafine, including 70 liver reactions, 61 implicating the tablet form as the sole suspected drug.
Read article at news.com.au (Australia)
January 7, 2008
Australia 'no' to compensation for Indigenous children
The Australian Government has ruled out setting up a billion dollar compensation fund for the 'Stolen Generations'. The Stolen Generation refers to Aborignal children taken from their families by the state and institutionalised - a practice that continued until 1970. Indigenous leaders have renewed calls for compensation as the new Australian Government, under Kevin Rudd, prepares to apologise for the forced removal of thousands of people from their families. A decade-old inquiry into the Stolen Generation recommended reparations for the Stolen Generations.
Read article on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation website