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Cuban President Raul Castro has urged the Caribbean nation's citizens to contribute to a free and frank debate on the future of Cuba鈥檚 socialist project. For the Cuban Communist Party (PCC), the aim of this debate is twofold: to strive for consensus on a new Cuban model of socialist development and to empower Cuba鈥檚 working people to implement what has been decided. In other words, to advance a socialist renewal process in the face of entrenched opposition from within the administrative apparatus.
NT Consultation Report 2011 鈥 By Quotations Published by Concerned Australians 72 pages, hardcover, $15 www.concernedaustralians.com.au The latest Concerned Australians book, NT Consultation Report 2011 鈥 By Quotations, couldn鈥檛 have been released at a better time. The simple but powerful collection of quotes are selected from the federal government鈥檚 Stronger Futures consultations, conducted across the Northern Territory between June and August last year.
Invisible Children staff

Ugandan newspaper the Observer reported on March 2 serious allegations against Ugandan troops in the Central African Republic (CAR), where they have been present since 2007, chasing the remnants of the Ugandan militia, the Lord鈥檚 Resistance Army (LRA).

The Solidarity Choir in Sydney is celebrating its 25th anniversary on March 31. The event will take place from 7.30pm upstairs at the Gaelic Club, 10 Devonshire St, Surry Hills, near Central Station.

The 2012 International Women's Day (IWD) march in Sydney, Australia, took place on March 10. Protesters marched from Town Hall to First Fleet Park near Circular Quay, where they held a IWD picnic.

A new media watchdog to regulate big media corporations 鈥 but also smaller, independent and online media operations 鈥 was the key recommendation of on Australian media released on February 28.
Wayne Swan.

Media watchers should be forgiven for a degree of confusion over statements by federal treasurer and deputy prime minister Wayne Swan in the past two weeks.

Mike Crook.

Mike Crook, the Socialist Alliance candidate for Sandgate in the March 24 Queensland state elections, is a former ALP member, who radicalised when working on construction and mining projects over many years.

A public forum 鈥淏eyond the Carbon Price鈥 will take place at NSW Parliament House on April 27 to open the fourth Climate Action Summit, to be held at the University of Western Sydney over April 27-29. A diverse panel of speakers will engage with the question of how Australia should tackle climate change now that the carbon price has been adopted.
A 鈥渇ree trade agreement鈥 being negotiated by Australia, the United States and other countries could have profound impacts on crucial public policy issues including food security, natural resource management, access to essential medicines, public assets and more. Negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) 鈥 including Australia, the US, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam 鈥 are taking place in unprecedented secrecy.
People marching across bridge

Despite the NSW government's promise to rule out sensitive areas to coal seam gas (CSG) activity, the long-awaited Strategic Regional Land Use Plan and Aquifer Interference Policy means 鈥渆very part of NSW is still up for grabs鈥, Jess Moore from Stop CSG Illawarra said on March 6. Liberal premier Barry O鈥橣arrell鈥檚 government policy is 鈥渁 disaster and a broken election promise鈥. Moore said 鈥渘o areas are off limits to CSG鈥.

Sarah Ross

More than 50 people rallied outside the Perth headquarters of British multinational corporation Serco on March 9 to protest against the company's ongoing push to privatise and take over public services. Serco runs Australia鈥檚 immigration detention centres and is responsible for implementing the oppressive government policy of mandatory detention.