June 7, 2001

Economic uncertainty over the controversial Honeymoon uranium project in South Australia is growing ahead of today¹sThursdays Annual General Meeting of mining company Southern Cross Resources in Ontario Canada. The company attempting to develop the controversial acid leach uranium mine near Broken Hill has been beset by delays and has failed to secure a joint venture. Southern Cross are seeking Australian Government approval before the next federal election as present Federal Labor policy opposes the project.

June 4, 2001

Call for Immediate Solidarity!
We have just been informed that Kimy Pernia Domico, respected leader of the Embera Katio Indigenous Nation of Colombia has been kidnapped.

May 31, 2001

"We understand that Shell has, in recent years, invested heavily in an image laundering campaign in Europe and North America. However, the media campaigns have not resulted in improvement in practice of the company in the Niger Delta of Nigeria". Environmental Rights Action (Friends of the Earth, Nigeria) and a broad grouping of Nigerian civil society groups concerned about the environmental and human rights situation in the Niger Delta area have expressed grave concerns about the proposal of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to support the activities of Shell in Nigeria. The proposal involves the IFC contributing US$15 million to a fund to be managed in a partnership with Shell Nigeria and an unnamed Nigerian Bank. The purpose of the fund is to provide loans to so called small and medium-sized local contractors working for Shell and other Shell affiliates in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria.

May 30, 2001

The Ecuadorian Government has approved a bid from a consortium called OCP for the construction of a pipeline that will cross the country from East to West, seriously affecting extremely fragile areas and regions of great agricultural importance for the country.

May 19, 2001

On Friday, May 19, the Australian mining giant Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP) held its Annual General Meeting in its headquarters city of Melbourne, Australia. BHP shareholders attended the crucial meeting to consider a pending merger with the London-based South African miner Billiton, which owns the proposed Crandon mine project in Wisconsin, USA. (BHP shareholders were expected to approve the merger to create the world's second-largest mining company, which would be called BHP Billiton.)

May 16, 2001

Traditional owners of Fraser Island and conservationists say they're not looking for any confrontation with authorities over the construction of an unauthorised dingo fence on the Island this morning.

May 15, 2001

Friends of the Earth Maryborough is very concerned about the ongoing culling of the Dingoes on Fraser Island. The question must be asked whether the QNPWS is planning to continue killing this rare Fraser Island icon until there is none left?

May 11, 2001

Friends of the Earth, Australia has today called on the Government and the ALP to reject the Bush administration's National Missile Defence (NMD) scheme. US State Department Assistant Secretary James Kelly is will meet 'selected front benchers' in Melbourne today as part of US plans to promote the controversial "Star Wars" scheme. Mr. Kelly is also set to brief Opposition leader Kim Beazley this afternoon before meeting with Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for talks in Adelaide tomorrow.

May 10, 2001

Shell is dropping plans to explore for gas in Kirthar National Park in Pakistan. The oil giant has announced a "re-alignment of their Pakistan business portfolio". The sudden move has been greeted with delight by Friends of the Earth International, which was pursuing a major legal case against Shell in the Pakistani courts.

May 9, 2001

Anti-nuclear groups will today launch a new national website - www.votenuclearfree.org - outside the Commonwealth Parliaments joint Commemorative Ceremonial Federation Sitting at the Royal Exhibition Buildings.