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Throughout the Ashes, I'll be watching the Prime Ministerial website for cricketing references in John Winston Howard's media interviews. I'll also be keeping score on the number of references he makes to Darfur or any other major African conflict. (As regular followers of this blog will already be aware, the number of times that John Howard has used the word "Darfur" in public as recorded either in Hansard or in the pm.gov.au transcript archives currently stands at zero.)

Let's kick it off with JWH's interview with Virginia Trioli at 2BL ABC Local Radio Sydney on November 13:

So Natural Foods Australia Limited
(ASX code SNF)
21 November 2006

Response to Announcement of Retirement from Swimming of Ian Thorpe

So Natural Foods Australia Limited ("SNF") advises that while we at SNF will miss Ian competing in the pool, we understand his decision and fully support him as he moves into the next phase of his career.

I've just done a brief interview on BBC Five Live's Pods and Blogs program, the second time I've been on their show. They were doing a segment previewing the Ashes, talking mainly about the BBC Online coverage (which will include Test Match Special podcasts after each day's play).

But they also trotted out one of my more infamous podcasts from The Net Sessions, after which I gave my take on this year's Ashes (ie, that Australia's experience will be the decisive factor) and discussed blogging a little.

Australia is poised to become the first country to make copyright infringement a "no-fault" offence, a move aimed at broadening criminal penalties for infringement.

- Source: Intellectual Property Watch, 17.11.06

More on the potential impact of the amazing Copyright Amendment 2006, currently before the Senate, in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald.

We're number 47! Australia has been ranked 47th out of 56 nations covered by the Climate Change Performance Index, conducted by Germanwatch.

That's three places behind the Ukraine, four behind Indonesia, but six ahead of the USA and seven ahead of China.

Sweden is number one on the index, with the UK at two. Interestingly, India is at nine. Saudi Arabia drags the chain at 56.

The one area that bogs Australia down badly is in the realm of climate change policy.

Anoth

Iraq: Dujail Trial Fundamentally Flawed - Court Should Overturn Verdict, Death Penalty
The trial of Saddam Hussein and seven other defendants before the Iraqi High Tribunal for crimes against humanity was marred by so many procedural and substantive flaws that the verdict is unsound, Human Rights Watch said in a 97-page report released today. The shortcomings of the trial, for the killings of more than 100 people from the Iraqi town of Dujail, also call into question subsequent proceedings at the tribunal. [Human Rights Watch]

The UN General Assembly has, quite rightly in my opinion, condemned Israel for the killing of Palestinian civilians in Beit Hanoun on November 8. Their attacks on, and blockading of, the Gaza Strip represent a continuing outrage bordering on the genocidal.

An article posted on the highly recommended Haaretz.com today tells of some of the most heartening news I have heard from Gaza for a while. The IDF called off an air raid in northern Gaza on Saturday night after hundreds of civilians barricaded a house earmarked for attack. The best defence against attack, by sheer weight of humanity, and something the locals should have organised sooner.

Marcus Trescothick is one of my favourite cricketers of the last few years, and it's sad to see that's he is out of the Ashes series with what is apparently a recurrence of a depressive illness. Let's hope he does return to the England team once he is well enough. It was good to see a broad consensus of sympathy towards Trescothick among Australian fans this week after the news broke.

And in other news, Karl Rove thanked Miss Beazley for her message of condolence following his defeat in the mid-term congressional elections.

CHAD: Communities turn on one another - Chadian human rights groups say what began as cattle raiding has become “a veritable armed conflict” in southeastern Chad as inter-communal clashes escalate, imperiling efforts by aid agencies to help the wounded and displaced. [OCHA-IRIN]

The disturbing news from Chad should be the lead story everywhere today. See also this report from today's New York Times,