The debate over genetically modified (GM) food has flared up again recently, after Greenpeace destroyed an experimental CSIRO wheat crop in Canberra on July 14.
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The Australian Federal Police is now investigating Greenpeace over the incident, which CSIRO scientists claim has set their research back by up to a year.
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Greenpeace argued the crop posed a threat to the environment and human health. Plans are underway for human trials of the GM wheat before tests are conducted on animals.
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NSW groups opposed to the rollout of coal seam gas mining in the state have said new rules for the industry fall far short of what is needed to protect water reserves, farmland and communities from toxic contamination.
The changes, announced on July 21, put a moratorium on fracking until the end of the year and ban the use of evaporation ponds to dispose of toxic wastewater from the coal seam gas mining process.
Members of forest conservation group Code Green held a direct action protest at a woodchip mill at Bell Bay in northern Tasmania on July 29. The protest temporarily shut down the mill, which is owned by logging company Artec.
One protester chained herself to a truck loaded with native, old growth logs.
Code Green said the action was meant to highlight 鈥渢he continued destruction of Tasmania鈥檚 natural environment, and the government鈥檚 unwillingness to create real peace in the forest鈥.
To mark the 28th anniversary of the 1983 Black July massacre of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka, Australian Tamils held a solidarity rally in Melbourne on July 23.
More than 200 Australians assembled at Federation Square to condemn the human rights violations taking place in Sri Lanka and to raise a voice for an international investigation into war crimes by the Sri Lankan government.
Homeless crisis deplorable
I have been an active trade unionist for many years and that is why I realise your paper is the authentic voice of labour.
It is distressing and deplorable that many thousands of people are homeless and exposed to the cold weather and rain.
I am of the opinion that a sustained campaign should be launched to induce state governments to buy unoccupied units to provide accommodation to the homeless.
It is a matter of urgency as we have two more months of winter ahead of us.
Sydney Stop The War Coalition held a street-theatre protest in Darling Harbour on July 29 outside a $1000-a-head speaking engagement for former British PM and war criminal Tony Blair.
The protesters held a mock trial of Blair, who was charged, tried and convicted of making fraudulent excuses for the invasion of Iraq, the murder of a million Iraqi people, profiting from the proceeds of crime and other crimes against humanity.
About 80 people gathered on July 28 at the Holiday Inn on Darwin鈥檚 Esplanade for one of the federal government鈥檚 鈥渃onsultations鈥.
One woman said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit late, mate.鈥
In the very early morning of August 3, about 180 workers and volunteers from the City of Sydney鈥檚 will do a count of the 鈥渞ough sleepers鈥 in the city.
The previous count in February, when the weather was much warmer, found 363 people sleeping on Sydney鈥檚 streets. Last winter鈥檚 count was 289.
In and numerous other works, veteran MIT linguistics professor and libertarian socialist author/activist Noam Chomsky has argued the United States is 鈥渁 leading terrorist state.鈥
According to the author of a recent diatribe in Australia鈥檚 Monthly magazine, these 鈥渧iews on American foreign policy鈥 are 鈥渕yopic鈥 and 鈥渃onspiratorial鈥 and make Chomsky an unsuitable recipient of the 2011 Sydney Peace Prize.
Accused Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik praised four Australian conservative leaders in his 1500-page manifesto, abc.net.au on July 26.
鈥淚n a manifesto posted online under the Anglicised pseudonym Andrew Berwick, the killer quoted [former prime minister John] Howard, former treasurer Peter Costello, Catholic Cardinal George Pell and conservative writer and historian Keith Windschuttle,鈥 the ABC said.
If you were sexually assaulted by a member of your school sporting team, would you want to cheer for them when they played? Would you expect your school to uphold your rights over those of your attacker? If the school failed to uphold your rights, would you then expect the courts to find in your favour if you sued?
The answers to these questions should be obvious, but this is not an exercise in rhetorical questioning.
The Tunisian Communist Workers鈥 Party (PCOT) held the first session of its first party congress as a legal organisation on July 22. The congress was held over July 22-24 in Tunis.
It featured foreign delegates and guests from Europe, Latin America and the Arab world. Estimates of attendees ranged from 1700 to 2000 people.
PCOT leader Hamma Hammami gave a speech in which he defended the party from accusations of involvement in violence.
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