The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance released this statement on June 23.
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The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), the union and professional association for Australia鈥檚 journalists, condemns the verdict of the Cairo court in the case involving journalists from Al Jazeera English and calls on Egyptian authorities to urgently intervene to free the three journalists who have been detained for simply doing their jobs.
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In the Shadow of Gallipoli
By Robert Bollard
NewSouth, Sydney 2013
On April 25, 1915, Australian troops landed at Gallipoli on Turkey鈥檚 coast. They were part of a British imperial force aiming to capture Constantinople (now called Istanbul) and the land alongside the narrow waterway linking the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.
It was hoped this would enable British ships to enter the Black Sea and bring supplies to allied Russia.
The Summit of the Group of 77 plus China, marking the alliance鈥檚 50th anniversary, closed in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on June 15 with the adoption of a declaration entitled 鈥淔or a New World Order for Living Well鈥.
There were delegates from 104 nations out of the 133 from the global South that now make up the Group of 77 plus China. Bolivia is chairing the alliance this year, and its president, Evo Morales, hosted the summit.
An Egyptian court sentenced three Al Jazeera journalists to seven years in prison on terrorism-related charges on June 23.
Baher Mohammed, the team鈥檚 producer, received an extra three years for possession of ammunition, a charge concerning a souvenir spent shell found in his possession, Morning Star said that day.
The verdicts against Australian Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian Mohammed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohammed came after a five-month trial that Amnesty International described as a 鈥渟ham鈥, calling the rulings 鈥渁 dark day for media freedom in Egypt鈥.
Breakthrough 2014, National Climate Restoration Forum, held over June 21 to 22 in Melbourne, brought together scientists, economists, engineers, business leaders and climate activists.
In some regards, the forum represented an important step forward for the Australian climate movement. It highlighted the urgent need to respond to the climate crisis and discussed the possibility of restoring a reasonably safe climate in which human civilisation could continue.
Under intense lobbying by big electricity companies, the Tony Abbott government is attempting to scrap the Renewable Energy Target (RET) which aims to have 20% of Australia鈥檚 electricity come from renewable energy sources by 2020.
In response to this threat, a new community group called Solar Citizens is campaigning to defend existing solar power and extend solar to even more households. They have held public meetings in Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.
Three Muslims were killed and about 10,000 made homeless after attacks by Sinhalese Buddhist mobs during the week starting June 15.
Violence began in the town of Aluthgama after a rally by the Sinhalese-Buddhist chauvinist group Buddhist Power Force (BBS). It then spread to several other towns.
Muslim-owned shops, houses and vehicles were burnt by the mobs. Police were sometimes present, but did nothing to stop the violence.
The BBS has been engaging in a campaign of anti-Muslim propaganda and violent attacks for several years.
鈥淭he rising sea levels caused by global warming threaten the very existence of some of our neighbours,鈥 Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama (PIDF).
鈥淜iribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands 鈥 and are already swamping the coastal areas of many Pacific nations, including Fiji.鈥
LIFE FOR MOST AUSTRALIANS IS GETTING HARDER, WHILE POLITICIANS SERVE THE WEALTHY. BUT PUBLIC BACKLASH IS BREWING INTO A MOVEMENT TO CHALLENGE THIS SYSTEM, WRITES SUSAN PRICE.
In handing down its first budget, the Coalition government echoed its National Commission of Audit, warning that a 鈥渂usiness as usual鈥 scenario for public spending on welfare, pensions, public services, health and education is 鈥渦nsustainable鈥, even 鈥渋rresponsible鈥 in Australia today.
United Nations experts warned the city of Detroit on June 26 that service cut-offs could constitute a violation of the human right to water.
Several groups concerned about Detroit residents who had their water shut off for nonpayment had taken the unusual step of appealing to the UN for support in an effort to force the restoration of services.
About 250 Aboriginal people and their supporters gathered in solidarity at the steps of South Australia鈥檚 Parliament House on June 17 to protest against the proposed federal budget.
Included in the budget is $534 million in cuts to Aboriginal programs around the country. The rally was organised by Narungga elder Tauto Sansbury.
Australian resident Natalie Lowrey remains in detention in Malaysia after her arrest at a peaceful protest demanding an Australian company to close down its operation of the Lynas Advanced Material Plant (LAMP) in Kuantan.
Lowrey was arrested at the peaceful protest on June 22 along with 15 Malaysian citizens 鈥 the locals have all been released, yet Lowrey remains detained.
Colleague and Rare Earth campaigner Tully McIntyre is in Malaysia, has visited Natalie and has expressed concern for her wellbeing.
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