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Catalan referendum: resisting the Spanish government siege

In 1713-14, it took the troops of Spain鈥檚 Borbon monarchy 14 months to take Barcelona and end Catalan self-rule. Three centuries later, Catalonia is again under siege, this time from the central Spanish People鈥檚 Party (PP) government.

Under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish state is concentrating all its firepower on stopping the Catalan government鈥檚 October 1 independence referendum, where Catalan citizens will be asked to vote on whether 鈥淐atalonia should become an independent state in the form of a republic鈥.

What would an ecological society look like 鈥 and how could we win it?

The devastating hurricanes that hit the southern US and the Caribbean, and the catastrophic flooding in South Asia, have highlighted the worsening reality of global warming-related extreme weather.

The worsening reality of 聽weather-related disasters was explicitly recorded in a little-noticed United Nations Office for Disaster risk reduction report The Human Cost of Weather-Related Disasters: 1995-2015. The report noted that both the number of extreme-weather events, and the number of people affected, has risen dramatically over the past two decades.

Labor under pressure over WestConnex in new Inner West Council

There was a 6% swing against the Liberal Party in the Inner West Council (IWC) election in Sydney on September 9.

This was a common pattern, reflected in other local elections also conducted then for councils that were forcibly amalgamated by the NSW Liberal government last year.

IWC is the product of the forced amalgamation of the former Ashfield, Marrickville and Leichhardt Council.

Seminar on feminist struggle in northern Syria

"Northern Syria鈥檚 Feminist Revolution" is the title of a one-day seminar to be held at Victoria University on November 4.

It is being jointly organised by the Kurdish Democratic Community Centre of Victoria, the Kurdish Women鈥檚 League of Victoria and the Australians for Kurdistan solidarity group. It is also sponsored by Victoria University鈥檚 Community, Identity and Displacement Research Network.

France: Mass protests begin against Macron鈥檚 attacks

France鈥檚 militant unions held the first major day of protest on September 12 against the ordinances introduced by the government to undermine the country鈥檚 labour laws.

Their protests were seen as the start of the campaign to defend workers鈥 rights. It served as a major test for the capacity of the movement to mobilise working people while France鈥檚 unions are divided as to how to respond to the attacks.

Lining their pockets, inside and out of parliament

The former NSW roads minister Duncan Gay has joined the list of recently resigned NSW MPs who have taken lucrative jobs with corporations associated with their former portfolio.

Gay, a former National Party leader, left parliament at the end of July. A parliamentary ethics committee has only just become aware that he is working as an advisor with MU Group 鈥 a company bidding for, and winning, NSW government transport contracts.

Newcastle socialists poll well

Socialists polled well in the Newcastle council elections on September 9. Steve O鈥橞rien, Samantha Ashby and Gayle Dedman won 891 votes (4.13%) in Ward 1.

Their vote was more than 4% in five of the 13 booths, with the highest being in Newcastle East at 7.5%. O鈥橞rien also won 2.10%, or 1909 votes, for Lord Mayor.

The 鈥淐ommunity need not developer greed鈥 platform resonated in a context where Labor boasted it would help developers, ignoring the impact on communities.

VicForests breaches environmental code of practice

, a new report by Friends of the Earth, Fauna and Flora Research Collective and Goongerah Environment Centre, has documented 27 unlawful native forest logging operations by Victoria's state-owned logging company VicForests in protected threatened species habitat and rainforest in East Gippsland and the Central Highlands.

WA to ban plastic bags

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has announced his state will ban single-use plastic bags from July 1 next year, the same day Queensland begins its ban. South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and ACT have already implemented a ban.

The Conservation Council of WA welcomed the decision. Director Piers Verstegen said: 鈥淧lastic pollution is a worldwide problem because plastics remain in the environment, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces which contaminate soil and water and affect the health of wildlife.

Esso protest continues

A protest by maintenance workers outside Esso鈥檚 Longford gas plant in Victoria has entered its 12th week.

France accused of racist response to Irma

Residents of the Caribbean islands of Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy and the British Virgin Islands have been left with little support to face the humanitarian crisis caused by Hurricane Irma.

According to the latest count, nine people died on the French administered side of Saint Martin and hundreds more were injured after Irma hit on September 5. About 1 million people have had no water or electricity since the hurricane hit with winds of 250 kilometres an hour, destroying around 95% of the French side of Saint Martin.

Hurricane Irma lays bare France鈥檚 Venezuela hypocrisy

Hurricane Irma has just passed through the Caribbean, in a procession of tragedies that have destroyed lives and left material damage behind.

In response to this natural disaster, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sent humanitarian aid to Cuba, Antigua and Barbuda (with 95% of buildings in Barbuda destroyed), and the French colony of Saint Martin on September 10.