As the 28th Australian soldier was killed in Afghanistan, four Christian activists were arrested during a peaceful blockade of the secretive Swan Island military base in Victoria.
News of the death of Sergeant Todd Langley, 35, came on the second day of the week-long 鈥淧eace Convergence鈥 in opposition to Australia's ongoing military involvement in what activists have called an 鈥渦nnecessary and ineffective war in Afghanistan鈥.
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Pro-choice campaigners and activists will assemble outside a fertility control clinic in East Melbourne on July 23 for several reasons.
The clinic is under constant harassment from far-right Christian groups, including Right to Life and the Helpers of God鈥檚 Precious Infants. These groups rally outside the clinic every fourth Saturday of the month, and sometimes on weekdays too.
These groups mobilise their members to harass not only women using the clinic, but also women who just happen to walk past.
As rocks fly and tear gas wafts through the streets of Athens, Greece鈥檚 Prime Minister George Papandreou has warned of a coming crackdown on protesters and striking workers.
Meanwhile, a new bailout for the banks is being prepared in the halls of power in Europe.
Papandreou was able to secure breathing room for the Greek government with another round of emergency loans that saved it from the immediate prospect of default 鈥 the state failing to pay back some or all of its debts.
Critics have dubbed the Intelligence Services Legislation Amendment Bill now before parliament the 鈥淲ikiLeaks Amendment鈥.
It will strengthen the powers of Australia鈥檚 spy agency ASIO to target any individual or organisation that opposes the interests of the Australian government, even if Australia鈥檚 defence interests and international relations are not at stake.
This would include Australian citizens involved in non-violent political activities abroad, which do not constitute a threat to Australia鈥檚 security.
Michael Coleman is keen to rejoin a Gaza Freedom Flotilla at any time (although his parents would say something different). The youth worker from Sydney has just returned from taking part of the international protest against Israel鈥檚 illegal siege on Gaza.
Coleman narrowly avoided a jail term for trying to help a Canadian boat 鈥 the Tahrir 鈥 leave a port on the Greek island of Crete as part of the Freedom Flotilla 2. He is very proud to have been part of an international protest which has again put the spot light back on to Israel.
There鈥檚 been so much political spin around the Julia Gillard government鈥檚 carbon tax announcement. Of course, there鈥檚 the predictable hysterical hollering from Tony Abbott, Barnaby Joyce and the climate change denier鈥檚 camp, but there is also tons of bullshit from the Labor government. However, a couple of developments have provided a much-needed reality check.
You could be forgiven for thinking that when the Labor government says its new carbon price plan will cut Australia鈥檚 greenhouse gas emissions by 5%.
Climate campaigners have been understandably happy about the funding bodies for renewable energy contained in the carbon price package. It seems that these measures are largely in place because of strong campaigning by the grassroots climate movement and the Greens MPs in negotiations.
Action on climate change is one of the most important issues of all. But the Gillard government鈥檚 carbon price plan is not a serious response, grounded in the climate science.
Two Australian Palestine solidarity activists, former NSW Greens MP Sylvia Hale and Jews Against the Occupation activist Vivienne Porzsolt, were released from immigration detention by an Israeli court on July 13. The court ordered they not be deported.
The judge ruled that while they had not broken any rules, they had a limited time to apply to the Israeli Defence Force to visit Bethlehem and Ramallah in the West Bank. The pair had told immigration on entry to Israel that they wanted to visit Palestine.
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