Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/12/russia-india-nuclear-reactor-deal

India and Russia today signed a nuclear co-operation agreement, which paves the way for the building of about a dozen nuclear reactors in India, with Russian help, over the next few decades.

Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7060024.ece

President Obama today delayed his visit to Asia, his first international trip of the year, to focus on his all-out push to salvage his embattled health reform legislation.

Link: http://www.economyincrisis.org/content/health-care-reform-could-reshape-tax-system

Just one week away from the White House’s self-imposed deadline for the House to pass the Senate’s version of health care reform, President Obama has taken the show on the road to drum up support for the plan. One group he could have a difficult time convincing is the wealthiest of Americans who could see a hefty tax increase if the plan is passed.

Link: http://www.economyincrisis.org/

Many members of Obama's party simply do not believe that increased “free trade” will do much more than add to an already exploding trade deficit, ultimately resulting in massive job loss.

Link: http://wsws.org/articles/2010/mar2010/vide-m12.shtml

On January 5, a fire killed three people living in a home on Dexter Avenue in Detroit. Lawrence Porter, chairman of the Citizens’ Inquiry into the Dexter Avenue Fire, and Charlotte Nash, sister of two of the fire victims, spoke at a press conference March 11.

Link: http://wsws.org/articles/2010/mar2010/prev-m12.shtml

Haitian President René Préval met Barack Obama at the White House Wednesday to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Haiti following the January 12 earthquake that killed up to a quarter of a million people. In a private meeting, Préval made an appeal for continued financial support for the relief efforts in his beleaguered country.

In the wake of the financial crisis that erupted in 2008, leading capitalist nations and blocs of nations are employing increasingly aggressive forms of protectionism to advance their interests. The issue of protectionism arose sharply this week when the European aviation company EADS announced it was abandoning its bid for a $35 billion contract to build 179 tanker jets for the US military.

Link: http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/324.php

Anyone who monitors Canadian media closely will recognize the recent and drastic shift in policy, or at least rhetoric, stemming from the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) and Cabinet. It started with a lofty call issued by the Prime Minister on January 26, just prior to the World Economics Forum in Switzerland.

Link: http://www.redress.cc:80/zionism/asabrosky20100312

Alan Sabrosky considers the characteristics that differentiate Jewish nationalism from other nationalisms, highlighting in particular its intrinsic extremism, its xenophobia, racism and militarism, its undermining of civic loyalty among its adherents in other countries and its propensity to hatred and racial exclusivity.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/12/juanita-goggins-frozen-death-southcarolina

The neighbours knew Juanita Goggins only as an elderly recluse with no friends and a family that was rarely seen.

Link: http://www.salem-news.com:80/articles/march122010/corrie-goodman.php

Rachel Corrie was a college student from Washington state who tried to slow the destruction of Palestinian homes in Gaza. She was run down by an Israeli military bulldozer operator while she communicated with him on a bullhorn. The Israeli Defense Forces were not held accountable. But, the parents of Rachel Corrie this week, are actually having their day in court. They are currently in Haifa, Israel for the civil case involving the death of their daughter.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/12/polar-bears-endangered-species-listing

It is a familiar story in the climate change debate. The US government is at odds with the rest of the world and, despite criticism, wants other countries to change their minds and fall in line behind Uncle Sam. This time, the tale comes with an unexpected twist. This weekend, the US will warn that the threat from climate change to the survival of the polar bear is so great that the world must grant it the highest possible protection.