It seems as though the thirty or so years that American neocons have poured money into right-wing political movements in Canada is really paying off. Not only does Canada have a conservative prime minister, he seems to think that he and the government are equivalent. L'État, c'est moi! But the Liberal party is fighting back.

Up to 50,000 people participated in a demonstration in Madison, Wisconsin, Saturday, as protests against Governor Scott Walker’s budget cuts completed their third week. In this video, workers speak about their suspicions that the Democrats are preparing to accept Walker’s demands, and give their thoughts on a general strike.

New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key has said 10,000 homes in Christchurch cannot be rebuilt after the 22 February earthquake. He also announced a national memorial day of 18 March, with events planned for Christchurch's Hagley Park. On Sunday the treasury department said that quake recovery would cost the country NZ$15bn ($11bn; £7bn). The death toll, at 166 so far, is expected to rise to around 200 as rescue work continues.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A NASA scientist's claim that he found tiny fossils of alien life in the remnants of a meteorite has stirred both excitement and skepticism, and is being closely reviewed by 100 experts. Richard Hoover's paper, along with pictures of the microscopic earthworm-like creatures, were published late Friday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Cosmology, which is available free online. Hoover sliced open fragments of several types of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, which can contain relatively high levels of water and organic materials, and looked inside with a powerful microscope. He found bacteria-like creatures that he calls "indigenous fossils," which he believes originated beyond Earth and were not introduced here after the meteorites landed. "He concludes these fossilized bacteria are not Earthly contaminants but are the fossilized remains of living organisms which lived in the parent bodies of these meteors, e.g. comets, moons, and other astral bodies," said the study. "The implications are that life is everywhere, and that life on Earth may have come from other planets."

WASHINGTON -- As several U.S. lawmakers push the Obama administration to craft plans for a no-fly zone around Libya, President Obama's chief of staff suggested Sunday those calling for U.S. military intervention don't know what they're talking about. Pressed on U.S. contingency planning in light of a growing armed rebellion against Libyan strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley would neither commit to a no-fly zone nor describe Libya as a vital U.S. security interest. "Lots of people throw around phrases of 'no-fly zone' and they talk about it as though it's just a game, a video game or something. Some people who throw that line out have no idea what they're talking about," Daley said, without indicating whom he meant.

U.S. defense officials argue that setting up a no-fly zone would mean removing Libya's air defenses, a move tantamount to war. On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a Senate panel that the overall military effort of a no-fly zone would require more airplanes than are available from a single American aircraft carrier, though the Pentagon could arrange it if President Obama ordered it.

WSWS: Australian government calls for air strikes on Gaddafi forces

Pink Floyd band member Roger Waters joins a campaign of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. In 1980, a song I wrote, "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2," was banned by the government of South Africa because it was being used by Black South African children to advocate their right to equal education. That apartheid government imposed a cultural blockade, so-to-speak, on certain songs, including mine.

Twenty-five years later, in 2005, Palestinian children participating in a West Bank festival used the song to protest Israel's apartheid wall. They sang "We don't need no occupation! We don't need no racist wall!" At the time, I hadn't seen first-hand what they were singing about.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has proposed to give up power and leave Libya if the saftey of his family and him are guaranteed, the London-based Asharq Alawsat Newspaper reported. Also according to the report, Gaddafi demanded to be allowed to leave for any country he chooses, without future prosecution. The opposition's Benghazi-based national council did not comment, but the newspaper asserted that the council's general policy is to reject negotiations with Gaddafi, no matter what.

PressTV: Gaddafi agrees to conditional surrender
Democracy Now: Hopes of Peaceful Revolution in Libya End as Opposition Prepares for Long Battle Against Gaddafi Forces

As the diplomatic team in Libya were rescued by HMS Cumberland after their humiliating capture, the Ministry of Defence was left trying to work out what on earth went wrong. When the helicopter touched down outside Benghazi in the early hours of Friday morning, the SAS troops on board knew they were entering a volatile situation. Tasked with escorting a diplomat to meet rebel Libyan forces and assessing the humanitarian situation on the ground, they did not, however, expect a hostile reception. With the British Government openly rejecting Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and already in dialogue with opposition leaders, it should have been an uncontroversial visit. However, the manner of their arrival – in the dead of night, armed with weapons, maps and explosives while dressed in plain black clothing – did little to assuage local panic. The contingent of seven SAS officers and one MI6 official landed about 20 miles from Benghazi, where local witnesses said warning shots were fired as they arrived. As the soldiers tried to get to a nearby compound, they were quickly surrounded by the local militia who demanded to know who they were and what they were doing.

Antiwar: Libyan Rebels Release Captured SAS Troops
WSWS: US and allies step up military and intelligence operations in Libya
USA Today: Obama says U.S., allies considering possible military responses in Libya

The French finance ministry has shut down 10,000 computers after a "spectacular" cyber attack from hackers using Internet addresses in China, officials and reports said Monday. The hackers were hunting for documents relating to the Group of 20 (G20) developed and developing nations, which this year is led by France, said Budget Minister Francois Baron, adding that a probe was under way into the attacks. "We have leads," Baroin told Europe 1 radio, saying that what he called a "spectacular" attack was "probably the first time" that the French government's computer system had been hit on this scale. President Nicolas Sarkozy is determined his G20 legacy will be the reform of the world financial and trade system, in order to iron out the imbalances that led to the recent global economic crisis.