Community group Save Our Rail held a lively picket outside a 700-strong meeting of the anti-rail lobby Fix Our City (FOC) at Newcastle Town Hall on June 3.
FOC is a business and developer lobby group whose explicit aim is to have the Hunter Development Corporation (HDC) 鈥渦rban renewal report鈥 implemented.
The HDC report鈥檚 main proposal is to cut the Newcastle at Wickham station.
Save Our Rail drew 150 people to the counter-rally. It had the support of the Rail Tram and Bus Union, which brought several large union banners.
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The following text is from a petition by the World People鈥檚 Movement for Mother Earth, which demands that United Nations climate change negotiations include proposals from the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in April. You can sign the petition . Find out more about the Cochabamba summit, including resolutions passed,
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The following is a talk delivered by Scott Weinstein to a public forum in Winnipeg, Manitoba on May 7. Weinstein is a Montreal-based nurse who volunteered for five weeks of medical duty in Haiti shortly after the January 12 earthquake. The full speech can be read at .
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Israel鈥檚 latest atrocity
After yet another terrible massacre by Israel, this time against mostly foreign nationals in international waters, it must be said that several Western countries bear a lot of the responsibility for this and previous Israeli crimes.
These nations, principally the US, Britain and Australia, have constantly tolerated Israel carrying out atrocities without any condemnation or repercussions. In fact they usually make pathetic excuses for Israel鈥檚 actions, and stop criticism of Israel in the UN and other forums, granting Israel impunity.
The picture is clear: the activists attacked in the Israeli military鈥檚 May 31 nighttime commando raid on a boat bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza were not armed.
In Israel, the media is broadcasting disinformation, using edited videos. But it is clear there was no crossfire during the raid, just Israeli fire.
Israel claims there was an attempt by activists onboard the Mavi Marmara, to steal weapons from soldiers. But either the army鈥檚 spokespeople or the soldiers themselves are telling false tales.
One sentence in the final declaration of the Search Foundation鈥檚 Left Renewal Conference (From Global Crisis to Green Future) captured the key issue: 鈥淐apitalism has been unable to address inequality, war and ecological degradation, and must be replaced by a democratic system that puts human need before greed, and socialises wealth instead of debt.鈥
Refugee advocates have launched the 鈥淏ring them home, minister Evans!鈥 campaign in response to the news that 92-year-old Irene Joseph, deported to Sri Lanka with her 68-year-old son on March 5, had collapsed and almost died in the village where they now live.
Joseph is permanent resident of Australia and had lived here since 1979. In 1996, when she re-entered Australia after a holiday, she was mistakenly issued with a temporary visa.
Moshe Dayan, Israel鈥檚 most celebrated general, famously outlined the strategy he believed would keep Israel鈥檚 enemies at bay: 鈥淚srael must be a like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother.鈥
Until now, most observers assumed Dayan was referring to Israeli military or possibly nuclear strategy, an expression in his typically blunt fashion of the country鈥檚 familiar doctrine of deterrence.
About 2000 demonstrators gathered outside Israel鈥檚 Ministry of Defense late May 31 to protest the military's violent raid on an aid flotilla that attempted to break the country鈥檚 years-long siege on the Gaza Strip.
Haggai Matar, a member of the Coalition Against the Siege, told Ma鈥檃n news the protests were an expression of anger and shock about the Israeli navy raid that left at least 10 activists dead and dozens hurt a day earlier.
The socialist youth organisation Resistance unequivocally condemns the outrageous, illegal and murderous attack by the Israeli Defense Force on the civilian flotilla carrying aid to Gaza.
Israel's assault kills twice. The theft of urgently needed humanitarian aid that was destined for the starving people of Gaza, and the murder of at least nine innocent people by the Israeli commandos, is inexcusable.
On June 3, a small group of protesters educated Edgewater residents about the threat climate change poses to their suburb. Edgewater, one of Melbourne鈥檚 newest suburbs, could be partly underwater if climate change is not stopped. According to council data, 370 Maribyrnong homes were affected during floods in 1974.
After Israel鈥檚 May 31 raid on a civilian vessel trying to deliver goods to Gaza, Egypt announced on June 1 that it would temporarily open its border with Rafah to allow humanitarian and medical aid into the Gaza Strip.
On May 31, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak responded swiftly to the Israeli navy's assault on the Freedom Flotilla, affirming Egypt's support for the people of Gaza.
Israel鈥檚 ambassador to Egypt was quickly summoned by Egypt鈥檚 foreign ministry, and told Egypt condemns the violence against international activists and rejects the continued Gaza blockade.
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