1. US Backs Howard’s Nuclear Vision
2. UN Battles Australia Over East Timor Presence
3. Australian Soldiers Injured By Rocket Attack in Baghdad
4. Australian Forces Build Regional Links
5. Australian Military ‘Stretched Too Thin’ To Join Peacekeepers in Lebanon
6. Indonesia: Bombing Season Is Back
7. Radicals Brainwashing Aborigines in Prison
8. How Are The Neighbours? The Millennium Development Goals and Our Region

1. US Backs Howard’s Nuclear Vision, Geoff Elliott, Australian, 2006-08-17

   The US will support an Australian uranium enrichment industry, despite the White House’s policy to restrict new entrants to the world nuclear club. Dennis Spurgeon, assistant secretary for nuclear power at the US Department of Energy, said Australia and Canada were likely to be given special consideration because they would play a pivotal role in a new nuclear suppliers club the US is trying to establish.

    

2. UN Battles Australia Over East Timor Presence, Mark Coultan, SMH, 2006-08-17

   The majority of the UN Security Council want to replace the Australian-led multinational force in East Timor with a UN-led military contingent. However, Australia has support from Britain, Japan and the US to continue its military operation and leave the UN to concentrate on providing East Timor with an international police force to maintain stability.

   • Japan Aims for UNSC Action on East Timor by Weekend, Japan Times, 2006-08-17

      

3. Australian Soldiers Injured By Rocket Attack in Baghdad, Cynthia Banham, SMH, 2006-08-15

   Four Australian soldiers serving in the security detachment in Iraq have been injured in a rocket attack in Baghdad, with one – a female – receiving hospital treatment for lacerations and bruising.

   • Aussie Guard Dies from Bomb Injuries, AAP, SMH, 2006-08-15

      

4. Forces Build Regional Links, Mark Dodd, Australian, 2006-08-15

   The ADF is working closely with counterparts in The Philippines [in the troubled southern province of Mindanao] and in Indonesia [with specialist units of the Indonesian military on counter-hijack and hostage recovery training] to improve counter-terrorism measures in the region, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said.

   • Manila Urged to Stem Political Killings, Roel Landingin, FT, 2006-08-15

      

5. Australian Military ‘Stretched Too Thin’ To Join Peacekeepers in Lebanon, Patrick Walters, Australian, 2006-08-17

   Australia is unlikely to contribute military forces to the expanded UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Senior government sources say that even a small specialist military contribution could be ruled out, given the security pressures on the defence force in Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor. Senior ministers are also concerned about the effectiveness of the new UN resolution 1701 adopted by the Security Council last week.

   • A Few Gains for Israel, Greg Sheridan, Australian, 2006-08-17

      

6. Bombing Season Is Back, Warns Expert, Deborah Snow, SMH, 2006-08-17

   The International Crisis Group’s Sidney Jones has warned of a new “bombing season” in Indonesia, as Islamic militants seek to repeat a pattern established since October 2002 of attacking Western targets between August and October. Documents seized last October confirmed that the terrorist network had sought to continue a pattern.

    

7. Radicals Brainwashing Aborigines in Prison, Richard Kerbaj, Australian, 2006-08-17

   Federal police yesterday warned that criminal converts could become “a significant issue in the future”. Mr Davis, head of Redfern’s Aboriginal Youth Centre in Sydney’s inner south, said he was concerned about 40 Aboriginal prisoners he believed were Wahabi converts. Mr Davis said “If you’re disenfranchised and you’re oppressed … you’re the most likely to become a terrorist and … my people are disenfranchised, they’re oppressed.”

   • Seminar to Address Radicalisation in Prisons, AFP, Press Release, 2006-07-24

8. How Are The Neighbours? The Millennium Development Goals and Our Region, World Vision Australia, 2006 [PDF]

   This paper finds that while there is progress throughout the region, most of our neighbours are struggling and at least eight of our 22 neighbouring countries are significantly off track. The paper concludes with recommendations aimed at improving Australia’s role in achieving the plan in our neighbourhood.

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