The results of October 21 election for the parliament of Euskadi, the Basque autonomous community within the Spanish state, are expected to confirm the rising popularity of the left nationalist coalition, Euskal Herria Bildu (EH Bildu鈥旴asque Country Assembly).
Regardless of whether EH Bildu tops the vote or is pipped by the conservative Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), progressive politics in Euskadi seems certain to record its best ever result.
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Hundreds of people are expected to take part in Reclaim the Night in Fremantle on October 26. The annual march to stop violence against women has been held in Perth since 1978, the rally. But this year's march and festival will be a first for the port city of Fremantle.
The event is being held to demand an end to violence against women at home and on the street, an end to victim blaming, and the implementation of comprehensive consent education in schools and communities.聽
In 1988, then Labor Prime Minster Bob Hawke famously promised: 鈥淏y the year 1990, there will be no Australian child living in poverty.鈥
Yet the recently released 2012 report by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) reveals that 2,265,000 people, including 575,000 children, are still living below the poverty line in Australia.
It鈥檚 just before the turn of the 20th century, and colonial Australia is desperate to forge a 鈥渘ation鈥 and pull away from self-governing British colonies.
So-called native-born Australians are swept up in a wave of nationalism, keen to cut the apron strings of mother England. At the same time, on the southern edge of the Kimberley, another battle for independence is underway.
But this one won鈥檛 result in a constitution or the formation of a Commonwealth; it will end in rivers of black blood and the deaths of many.
PM Julia Gillard's sharp serve against opposition leader Tony Abbott鈥檚 sexism gave many, especially women, long overdue cause to fist-pump the air and think, 鈥淔inally, a point for us.鈥
Elders and activists from the Nyoongar Tent Embassy聽in Perth took to the streets on October 18 in a march to state parliament in defiance of Premier Colin Barnett's attempts to do away with native title.
Traffic was stopped as the聽crowd of 50 people took over St George's Terrace in Perth's CBD聽 and made its聽way to parliament.
The protest delivered a petition putting the Barnett government and the South West Land and Sea Council (SWLSC)聽 鈥渙n notice鈥 because they are illegitimate bodies to make policy decisions affecting local Aboriginal people.
A debate about sexism erupted when female prime minister Julia Gillard attacked the opposition leader in Australian parliament for his misogynist attitudes.
The Guardian鈥檚 description of Australia鈥檚 opposition leader Tony Abbott as 鈥渘eanderthal鈥 is not unreasonable. Misogyny is an Australian blight and a craven reality in political life. But for so many commentators around the world to describe Julia Gillard鈥檚 attack on Abbott as a 鈥渢urning point for Australian women鈥 is absurd.
It is that time of year again, when a bunch of Norwegian politicians decide who deserves a Nobel Peace Prize with an apparent disregard for any involvement in actual wars.
This year, the European Union was declared the winner. Coming just three years after the Norwegians gave the gong to US President Barack Obama, the decision is actually beginning to make me wonder if they have ever even heard of a place called Afghanistan. Perhaps we should all chip in for an atlas.
Protesters at a save TAFE rally in Geelong on October 19 chanted, 鈥淣o cuts, no second term. We all have a right to learn, learn, learn!鈥
Almost 200 people took part in the rally. It coincided with the VECCI business convention at the Mercure Hotel in Geelong, which Premier Ted Baillieu was to speak at.
Protesters were angered to learn Baillieu had made his appearance but had left through the back door two hours before the rally began.
The released the statement below on October 19.
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Another 38 asylum seekers, Iranian and Afghan, arrived in Nauru this morning (Friday 19 October) taking the number of asylum seekers, in the increasingly crowded detention centre to around 330.
But asylum seekers on Nauru continue to protest. A united protest of all detainees was held on October 17, demanding that processing of refugee claims start immediately and that the Australian government stop sending asylum seekers to Nauru.
More than 100 people attended an October 17 talk by Professor Damien Kingsbury of Deakin University titled 鈥淲hy are the Tamils fleeing Sri Lanka?鈥. The meeting was organised by the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project.
Kingsbury outlined the history of Sri Lanka. He said that British colonialism created a centralised administration of the previously separate Tamil and Sinhalese areas of the island. After independence in 1948, Sinhalese politicians established a 鈥渕ajoritarian鈥 political system that discriminated against the Tamil minority in terms of language, employment and education.
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