United States President Barack Obama pledged on June 30 that in the face of Republican intransigence on immigration, he would take executive action to ease the plight of undocumented immigrants facing deportation.
On September 6, the White House announced that it would delay any action until after the November midterm election.
Cristina Jimenez, managing director for United We Dream, an advocacy coalition for immigrants largely made up of young Latinos, said: 鈥淭he President鈥檚 latest broken promise is a slap in the face of the Latino and immigrant communities.鈥
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Prime Minister Tony Abbott has committed Australia to join the US鈥檚 latest military intervention in the Middle East. About 600 Australian military personnel and aircraft operating from a base in the United Arab Emirates will join US forces in bombing Islamic State forces in Iraq and assisting the Kurdistan Regional Government with weapons and training.
鈥楬UMANITARIAN鈥 WARMAKING
A fortnight out from Brazil鈥檚 October 5 national elections, the big news is the significant surge in support for Marina Silva, with some polls predicting the former Workers鈥 Party (PT) government minister and environmental activist could end up winning the presidential race.
Incumbent president and PT candidate Dilma Rousseff maintains a narrow lead over Silva, but the election will almost certainly go to a second round run-off on October 26.
Cables sent from the US Embassy in Quito during Rafael Correa鈥檚 first three years as president document rising tensions between Ecuador and the US.
Correa鈥檚 government, first elected in 2006, increasingly rejected US hegemony and asserted control over Ecuador鈥檚 economic and political development.
The cables highlight the embassy鈥檚 preoccupation with Ecuador鈥檚 鈥渄ifficult investment climate鈥, with many reports attempting to assess and predict Correa鈥檚 economic policies.
Yet again, the Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate (a federal government body set up to attack unions in the building industry) has launched legal action in the Federal Court against the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU).
The inspectorate said on September 12 that CFMEU organiser Theo Theodorou was alleged to have told the director of a demolition company wishing to work at a Carlton building site that: 鈥渁s [the demolition company] is working in the city, it needs to obtain an enterprise agreement with the CFMEU for its employees鈥.
More than 800 police carried out simultaneous raids on houses in Sydney and Brisbane on September 18. Fifteen people were detained as a result, but only two were charged.
The high profile police raid 鈥 coordinated with the media 鈥 has been described as the 鈥渘ation鈥檚 biggest counter terrorism operation in history鈥. It comes one week before the government plans to bring anti-democratic 鈥渢error laws鈥 to a vote in parliament and as troops are deployed for a new Iraq war.
A meeting of about 200 union delegates and activists, organised by Unions NSW on September 17, unanimously supported a call for statewide action against the federal budget to defend jobs, workers鈥 rights and services.
Unionists concerned that Unions NSW was failing to lead a campaign against the budget attacks drafted the motion, which was moved from the floor. Initially, Unions NSW Secretary Mark Lennon told the group there would not be time to move the motion.
However, just before the meeting closed the motion was put to the vote and unanimously supported.
Following a mass campaign that mobilised thousands of people across the country and beyond, it appears the Western Australian government's shark cull has been dropped.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has advised against continuing the cull this summer. Premier Colin Barnett said he was 鈥渄isappointed鈥 by the decision but is unlikely to challenge it and is also unlikely to reinstate the cull in future.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NMWA) has commissioned a billboard on Sydney's northside to send a message to Premier Mike Baird to planned for the city's Northern Beaches.
The billboard, featuring nurses from the area, displays the slogan: "Stop the privatisation of our Northern Beaches Hospital鈥.
The Disability Services Commission (DSC) in Western Australia announced last October that it planned to privatise 60% of its accommodation and early childhood intervention services, relinquish its status as a registered training organisation and dismantle its learning and development arm.
At the same time it abolished its Community Development Directorate, dissolved its Post School Options section and made its staff in the Community and Family Living team redundant.
In the past five years the global bee population has been devastated. This matters because they are critical to the food chain, pollinating 70% of our food either directly or indirectly. Besides pollinating vegetables, fruits and nuts, they also pollinate the lucerne that feeds our cattle and cotton that makes our clothes.
The US lost 60% of its bee population in 2012 and then another 40% last year. The European wild honey bees .
After two years of campaigning, Scotland鈥檚 independence referendum has ended. It saw victory for the No side, the opponents of independence with 55% backing compared to 45% who backed a Yes to independence.
The referendum saw an unprecedented level of engagement and debate throughout Scotland. This was reflected in the huge and unprecedented turnout of 84.59%, reversing the trend of recent decades of dwindling poll turnouts. Some rural areas even recorded 100% turnout.
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