Newswire

Cities are the location of economical constraints and repressive policies all over the world. But at the same time they are contested areas characterised by the fight for self-determination and participation. Presently, we are experiencing crises, social protests and new movements. In order to multiply these conflict lines on the city’s terrain, a day of action against capitalist urban development and gentrification is going to take place.

The Refugee Action Collective (Victoria)organised a rally and march reiterating demands for an end to mandatory detention and offshore processing. This came in the wake of two events: the High Court decision ruling the government’s intended Malaysia deal illegal, and the drowning deaths of asylum seekers off the coast of Java a few days previously.

by Ray Jackson, President, Indigenous Social Justice Association it is with an ongoing sense of horror and disbelief that thanks to ms. pc i have been made aware of yet another gaol death of a young Aboriginal man in Borallon Gaol in Queensland on 27 october, 2011. The unnamed young man, from Mt. Isa, was only 25 or 26 (reports differ as to his age) when he was found dead in his gaol cell at 0915 and gaol staff (officers/nurses/a doctor perhaps?) proceeded with CPR until the ambulance arrived and pronounced him deceased at 0952.

How to deal with pepper/capcicum spray should you ever need to

Dear fellow community activists, The Abbotsford Convent is again under threat with the Sophia Mundi Steiner school’s proposal to take over public land for their own fenced playground, build four additional classrooms and associated structures – including some on St Mary’s paddock (the “goats paddock”): See: http://cararesidents.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/threat-to-our-public-open-... The plans are objected to by the local community, the local council (C

Scientists have been studying the climate change impact on ice shelfs and glaciers for some time in Antarctica, and particularly around the Antarctic Peninsula where there is substantial warming occurring increasing ice shelf melt and the speed and discharge of glaciers. The most recent studies predict a faster retreat for the Thwaites Glacier and that warm ocean currents are already speeding the melting of the Pine Island Glacier and Ice Shelf and Getz Ice Shelf. A NASA Icebridge flight detected a major new rift in the Pine Island ice shelf on October 14 - the start of the calving of a massive iceberg. A recent paper in Nature Geoscience discusses the Stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet in a warming world and the likelihood of collapse that would raise sea level by more than three metres over the course of several centuries or less.

Related: Record Increase in Greenhouse Gas Emissions for 2010 | The Wilkins ice Bridge collapsed in April 2009 as Polar regions felt the heat of climate change. I reported as far back as 2004 that warming in Antarctica was cause for concern with ocean food chain crashing due to Antarctic warming. More recently in April 2011 I discussed Penguin numbers suffering with krill decline due to Global Warming.

Melbourne, Australia – Filipino and Australian organizations criticized Prime Minister Julia Gillard for launching a $127 million ‘smart aid’ for poor but mineral-rich nations during a forum at the University of Melbourne.

Recently, the Gillard government has launched ‘Mining for Development Initiative’ which aims to help more than 30 developing countries, including the Philippines, address mining related challenges, including everything from managing environmental impacts of mining to governance issues.

Protesters who are peacefully assembled at the Treasury Gardens as ‘Occupy Melbourne’ are currently resisting (potentially unlawful) harassment by officers from the City of Melbourne and Victoria Police. The Australian Services Union (servicing Melbourne City Council workers) has called the Council actions “abhorrent”; is not imposing bans but will discuss the matter at its next executive meeting. Protesters earlier today asked people to get to the Treasury Gardens as soon as possible to help them resist this arbitrary abuse of state power.

Dear Friends of the Rainforest,

Anyone who produces fuels from food plants offends ruthlessly against people and nature. Because food prices are rising, hunger is worsening, rainforests are cut down and their inhabitants chased away.

Agro-energy is no solution to our energy and climate problems because just the clear-felling pushes more CO2 into the air than agrofuels save.

Ten international UN organisations clearly and emphatically urge the biggest industrial countries (G20) to stop producing socalled biofuel.