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Tony Abbott with a funny face.

New polls show that had an election been held in mid-August, Tony Abbott's federal Coalition would have suffered a 7.5% swing against it. The Prime Minister鈥檚 prevarication on marriage equality and the scandal over entitlements are fueling the dissent.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced Thursday that he will step down and call snap elections for September 20, after facing strong resistance from within his own SYRIZA party. 鈥淚 will ask the Greek people if they think we have made achievements,鈥 said the prime minister. 鈥淵ou will decide how we will recuperate the Greek economy, with your vote you will decide the future of Greece.鈥

The battle continues at Hutchison Ports terminals in Sydney and Brisbane against the sacking of 97 waterside workers by the company on August 6. The campaign for reinstatement of the workers and for the defence of jobs on the waterfront refuses to die.

Coal mine in Godavarikhani, India.

The federal Coalition鈥檚 plan to repeal a section of a 16-year-old environmental law can only be for one reason 鈥 to support mining companies at the expense of communities and the environment.

A protest outside parliament house over moves to abandon the Renewable Energy Target.

This is a reply by GetUp!鈥檚 Anthony Gough to Andrea Bunting鈥檚 article 鈥淕etUp, Oxfam鈥檚 Powershop partnership raises questions鈥 printed in 91自拍论坛 Weekly #1064.

When it comes to elections in Venezuela, there are at least three things you can usually count on. The upcoming December 6 elections for the National Assembly are no different 鈥 even if the result is far from certain. The first is that much is at stake. In a country where the poor majority has sought to advance radical change through popular mobilisations and votes, every election since Hugo Chavez鈥檚 successful 1998 bid for president has been transformed into a referendum on the future of the country鈥檚 鈥淏olivarian revolution鈥.

Margarita Windisch presented this talk at the 鈥淔ighting Misogyny and Sexism Today鈥 seminar, hosted by Socialist Alliance and Resistance, in Sydney on August 8. Margarita is a sexual assault worker, a lecturer and a member of the Socialist Alliance.

Vigil of government supporters outside the presidential palace. After days of anti-government demonstrations, some indigenous groups aligned with the right-wing opposition have vowed to continue protests and strike against President Rafael Correa. The opposition has described its national strike as indefinite.
Students rallied across the country on August 19 to protest education minister Christopher Pyne's third attempt to introduce a fee deregulation bill. Tony Abbott鈥檚 government has twice failed to pass fee deregulation, which could allow fees in excess of $100,000 for students. The bill has not yet been put for a third time, but Pyne is determined to pass it. More than 80 people rallied at the Sydney University protest, called by the National Union of Students, to oppose deregulation, defend current degrees and oppose all course and job cuts.
TTP rally New Zealand.

There were huge protests against the Trans-Pacific Partnership held across New Zealand on August 15. About 10,000 protesters marched in Auckland, 5000 in Wellington, 4000 in Christchurch and thousands more in other parts of the country.

Marines join protesting German workers in Berlin during the November 1918 revolution. The German Left & the Weimar Republic By Ben Fowkes Haymarket Books, 2015 399 pages, US$28. Socialist historian Ben Fowkes has given us a unique and vivid text documentary of the German workers鈥 movement during the tumultuous years of its greatest influence 鈥 from November 1918 to its defeat by Nazism 15 years later.
About 7000 people marched for equal marriage rights in Melbourne on August 15. It was the largest such rally in years. Contingents of teachers, nurses and other unions were out in force. The march featured a portable rainbow and ended with a mass illegal wedding outside the registry office. Rally chair Anthony Wallace rejected PM Tony Abbott's call for a referendum and said "Just pass the bloody bill!".