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Soccer鈥檚 role in Egypt鈥檚 current crisis

If you want to understand why Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has declared a 鈥渟tate of emergency鈥 or if you want to understand why the country鈥檚 defence minister warned on January 29 of 鈥渢he collapse of the state鈥, you first need to understand the soccer fan clubs in Egypt - otherwise known as the 鈥渦ltras鈥 - and the role they played in the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Malaria scare in Australia's refugee camp

A possible malaria scare in the Manus Island refugee detention camp has sparked new calls to label the offshore detention regime a violation of human rights. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said on January 27 that a 10-year-old girl had been in the camp's medical centre with malaria-like symptoms 鈥 high fever, shivering and bodily pain.

Income management costs over $100 million a year

A new report by the Australian National Audit Office has found the federal government spends more than $100 million a year to administer income management in the Northern Territory. Over 17,000 people were on income management at the end of June last year, while welfare quarantining remains a key component of the controversial NT Intervention, The scheme costs the Commonwealth Government between $6600 and $7900 per person, per year. Stop the Intervention Collective Sydney's Paddy Gibson says he condemns the government's decision to maintain compulsory income management.

Strong action needed to stop hospital cuts

This statement was released by the Melbourne branch of Socialist Alliance on February 1. *** Labor and Coalition governments are both to blame Hospital administrators and staff are reeling. The Ted Baillieu state government axed $616 million from its last two health budgets and the Julia Gillard federal government has recently cut $107 million from Victorian hospitals.

Why we need an ecosocialist revolution

The recent floods in Queensland, as well as bushfires in three states, have dramatically shown that climate change is a serious threat and is getting worse. Climate change is not an abstract issue that will be a problem at some point down the track; it is having real impacts now. Extreme fires and floods are becoming the norm in Australia, rather than infrequent disasters. It is expected that there will be more frequent and more damaging extreme weather events if action to stop climate change soon does not happen soon.

Making Fremantle a 'social justice town'

Sam Wainwright has been a Socialist Alliance councillor on the City of Fremantle council since 2009, when he was elected in the Hilton ward with 33% of the vote. He spoke to 麻豆传媒 Weekly's Mel Barnes about what he has been able to achieve while on council. ***

Carlo's Corner: Good news! We can now destroy the world even quicker

This is surely a country that could use a bit of good news. It has been a tough few weeks with raging bushfires, severe flooding and, just when it seemed it couldn't get worse, the heartbreaking news we will be subjected to the longest election campaign in Australian history.

Burke told to stop coal expansion

Front Line Action on Coal released this statement on January 30. *** Front Line Action on Coal has hit Whitehaven鈥檚 Tarrawonga mine and federal environment minister Tony Burke鈥檚 office in Roseland with simultaneous actions, unfurling huge banners that read: 鈥淭he Burke stops here鈥. 聽 The banners call on the Federal Environment Minister to reject coal expansions that would decimate the Leard Forest. 聽

Refugee groups plan national protest

This statement was released by the Refugee Rights Network on January 30. *** Refugee rights groups across Australia will be聽converging聽on the remote Yongah Hill detention centre in Perth on the long weekend of April 25 to 28. We will protest against the mandatory detention of asylum seekers in hellholes such as Yongah Hill and the offshore processing of refugees on Nauru and Manus Island.

Campaign fires up to defend public housing estates

A packed-out meeting of tenants from Fitzroy's Atherton Gardens public housing estate established a resident鈥檚 committee聽to lead a campaign against the government鈥檚 plans to sell off open space and playgrounds to developers. The meeting was initiated by Socialist Party Yarra councillor Steve Jolly, and was also attended by nearby private residents, including members of the local African, Chinese and Vietnamese communities, construction union members, Greens MP Adam Bandt and an ALP councillor.

Preparing for 'longest election campaign in history'

Veteran political commentator Michelle Grattan has dubbed PM Julia Gillard's early announcement of a September 14 federal election as the opening of the 鈥渓ongest election campaign in history鈥. She says it's 鈥渃lever tactics鈥 on Gillard's part. Another prominent political commentator, Lenore Taylor, says that this is an attempt by an embattled ALP government to 鈥渞eboot the political debate鈥.

Oil, gas exploration threatens Arnhem Land

Protect Arnhem Land is a campaign to fight offshore exploration, mining and drilling around the entire coastline of the Northern Territory Arnhem Land region. Last August, it came to light that there are more than 40 potential petroleum exploration sites off the coast of Arnhem Land. The people living on this country had not been informed of the submission of such exploration permits nor were they aware of what mining exploration entails.