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The Queensland Association for Healthy Communities (QAHC) will present the 4th Annual Tropical Alternatives Film Festival in Cairns over May 6-9.
Arctic researchers have found vast amounts of methane — a powerful greenhouse gas — are leaking from the seabed off the East Siberian coast. This is the first time a study has found so much methane escaping into the atmosphere from the ocean.
Physicians for a National Health Program is an organisation of 17,000 doctors who support single-payer national health insurance (similar to Britain’s National Health Scheme or Australia’s Medicare). It released the following statement on March 22 after the US House of Representatives passed the health care bill.
Two Melanesian activists are currently touring Australia to promote their campaigns against land privatisation through the Asia-Pacific region.
In the past year in Indonesia, almost 3000 asylum seekers have been stopped from heading to Australia, the Herald Sun said on March 23. The Australian government does not care what happens to these people, who are often detained in horrific conditions or deported back to unsafe countries.
SYDNEY — A model drone, Guantanamo-style orange jump suits and many colourful banners were part of a 100-strong protest to mark the seventh anniversary of the invasion of Iraq (timed to coincide with the visit of US President Barack Obama that was subsequently cancelled).
The vicious underbelly of the right-wing “tea party” movement was on full display in the run-up to March 21 vote on health care in Washington.

French voters have dealt a blow to right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy in the first and second rounds of voting in the French regional elections. The opposition Socialist Party (PS) expanded its control of regional presidencies to 23 of the 26 regions, based on a record voting percentage in the second round on March 21. There were mixed results for parties to the left of the PS, and also a resurgence of the far-right National Front (FN). The elections have been marred by record-low voter turnout, with 46.5% and 51% of voters taking part in the two rounds.

In what is emerging as a deadly pattern in Western Australia, a 39-year-old Aboriginal prisoner died tragically in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital on March 22, after laying for several days in a brain-dead state.
Nationwide strikes in France on March 22 have hobbled public services from transport to schools as part of a union campaign to put the brakes on right-wing reforms planned by President Nicolas Sarkozy. But new labour minister Eric Woerth vowed to press on with changes to the "extremely fragile" pension system — the most controversial proposal. Unions say Sarkozy's conservative government hadn't offered satisfactory plans on jobs, salaries, purchasing power and working conditions.
BRISBANE — On March 23, Sam Watson was preselected to lead the Socialist Alliance Senate team for Queensland in the upcoming federal elections.