Murray Smith, a member of the European Left Party's executive bureau, looks at the emergence of new parties in Europe over the past 25 years. He responds to criticisms of his perspective by Mick Armstrong from Australia's Socialist Alternative.
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鈥淏udget Reply (Hey Joe)鈥 is Australia鈥檚 first musical response to Joe Hockey鈥檚 deeply unpopular 2014 budget.
Less than two weeks after concluding its largest military assault on the occupied West Bank in more than a decade, Israel has relentlessly pounded the besieged Gaza Strip since July 7.
The ongoing bombing campaign is the most severe violence inflicted by Israel on Gaza since its eight-day assault in November 2012, during which more than 150 Palestinians were killed, 33 of them children.
More than 1400 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, including 350 children, during Israel鈥檚 three consecutive weeks of attacks from air, land and sea during winter 2008-09.
Australian environmental and international solidarity campaigner Natalie Lowrey was arrested and detained for six days in Kuantan, Malaysia for standing with Malaysian activists campaigning against Australian company Lynas Corp's toxic rare earth refinery near that city.
At a peaceful protest of more than 1000 people outside the Lynas plant on June 22, 16 protesters were arrested and a number were injured by police, one very severely. Lowrey was released with no charge on June 27, the other 15 protesters faced court on July 8 on a variety of charges. She has since returned to Australia.
The NSW Coalition government's proposed private North West rail link, from Chatswood to Rouse Hill, will be "unfit for the purpose" it is intended for, according to Gavin Gatenby, co-convener of .
Instead of being a more efficient mode of mass commuter transport, the planned single-deck line would be an "entry wedge for the privatisation of the city's rail system鈥.
More than 80 people attended a community forum and organising meeting at the Ingleburn Community Centre in Sydney鈥檚 south west on June 29 in opposition to coal seam gas (CSG) mining.
Stop CSG Illawarra spokesperson Jess Moore, Doctors for the Environment鈥檚 Helen Redmond and Australia Institute researcher Mark Ogge addressed the meeting.
Moore presented a brief introduction to the nature of the CSG industry and detailed the environmental catastrophes that have followed the industry from the US to Australia.
Venezuela: Social programs expanded in poorest communities
The Venezuelan government has initiated its policy of expanding social programs in the country鈥檚 most deprived areas in a bid to eradicate extreme poverty, on June 30.
The initiative, called 鈥淩ed Sundays鈥, involves teams of social program workers visiting poorer communities every Sunday to diagnose which households are deprived of certain basic needs and which social programs are required to attend to these needs.
About 120 Sydney residents, concerned about the impact of the proposed WestConnex motorway, met at the Annandale Neighbourhood Centre on June 25.
The meeting heard that WestConnex, the biggest and most expensive motorway in the Australia, will not reduce congestion and is just an excuse for a developer land grab along Parramatta Road.
The Party of the European Left is a European-wide political grouping that unites 26 parties to the left of social democracy, such as SYRIZA in Greece. It released the statement below on July 2. For more information visit .
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We consider the main factors in the Ukraine crisis to be the imperial atttitude towards the country, as shown by all major powers involved: the deliberately provocative and bellicose moves by the US, NATO and European Union, as well as the aggressive steps taken by Russia.
Players in Algeria's national football team have announced that they plan to put prize money earned in the World Cup to good use, said on July 2.
Striker Islam Slimani said the entire squad would donate the earnings to the people of embattled Gaza, saying 鈥淭hey need it more than us鈥.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas challenged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 2 to condemn the abduction and murder of teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir in east Jerusalem.
Abbas accused extremist Jewish settlers of 鈥渒illing and burning a little boy鈥 and demanded Israel 鈥渉old the killers accountable鈥.
Just hours after Israel buried three teenagers recently murdered in the West Bank, relatives of Khdeir said the 17-year-old had been forced into a car in east Jerusalem before it sped off.
His burned body was found shortly afterward in a Jerusalem woodland beauty spot.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on July 1 the need for 鈥渁 complete and profound revolution within public administration鈥. Maduro appointed planning minister Ricardo Menendez and vice-president Jorge Arreaza to facilitate a 鈥渞estructuring鈥 of the government system, to take place until July 15. 鈥淔rom July 1 to 15, we鈥檙e going to shake-up the revolutionary government entirely, to change everything and authentically improve socialist efficiency in the Homeland Plan鈥檚 development,鈥 Maduro said from the Caracas working-class neighbourhood Los Magallanes de Catia.
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