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Good news (for a change)

Firefighters save flying foxes

Temperatures above 40掳C on February 10 and 11 were perilous for Canberra鈥檚 flying fox colony in Commonwealth Park.

Extreme heat can cause them to become distressed and sometimes die, as happened in Singleton, where temperatures over 45掳C killed hundreds of grey-headed flying foxes.

Knowing the risk to the animals, volunteers from ACT wildlife, the National Capital Authority, Jerrabomberra Rural Fire Service Brigade and ACT Fire and Rescue combined to spray water on the animals.

Clearing our rainfall away

Vegetation creates rain. That is one of the conclusions of a review of more than 150 scientific papers on land-clearing鈥檚 impact on rainfall, conducted by Dailan Pugh for the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA). The review, , reveals how land-clearing affects rainfall and its impact on the climate.

Threat of US-driven war is real, but it can be stopped, John Pilger says in new film

The Coming War On China
Written & directed by John Pilger
http://thecomingwarmovie.com
Screening now, visit site for details

The Coming War on China is possibly John Pilger鈥檚 best film in years.

In classic Pilger style, the Australian-born filmmaker 鈥 responsible for dozens of films critical of great power 鈥 depicts the threat the US war machine poses in the Asian region in the context of the rise of China.

That lump of dense matter in parliament

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison pulled out a lump of coal in parliament on February 9 and launched a rant in which he accused the opposition of 鈥渃oal-o-phobia鈥 and regurgitated PM Malcolm Turnbull's outrageous National Press Club speech urging more coal-fired power stations be built.

Morrison went wild while behind him other Liberals and Nationals joined in a pantomime by passing the lump of coal to each other.

Palestine: On eve of Netanyahu visit, illegal settlements at tipping point

In the first ever visit by a serving Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in Australia this month as part of an international tour aimed at shoring up Israel鈥檚 reputation abroad.

The visit has actually attracted attention 鈥 but not the kind Netanyahu would like.

Faulty child welfare system the real issue behind our youth justice crisis

Somewhere along the way, many vulnerable children in state care turn to crime. How this happens and what can be done about it are two of the most important crime-prevention questions facing society.

Evidence indicates that, if the is not acknowledged and addressed, today鈥檚 vulnerable kids will become tomorrow鈥檚 criminals.

Day Without Immigrants' protests and strikes shake US

"McDonald's workers clearly aren't lovin' Trump's immigration policies,"聽聽"On Thursday, McDonald's restaurants across the United States, along with a聽, closed their doors as part of a nationwide '

To make Trump鈥檚 America ungovernable, African American struggles are key

鈥淭rump鈥檚 America,鈥 wrote a leading African American journalist, Charles Blow in the New York Times, January 30, 鈥渋s not America: not today鈥檚 or tomorrow鈥檚, but yesterday鈥檚.

鈥淭rump鈥檚 America is brutal, perverse, regressive, insular and afraid. There is no hope in it; there is no light in it. It is a vast expanse of darkness and desolation.鈥

There is a lot of disgust toward Trump and his white nationalist strategist Steve Bannon, former executive chairman of Breitbart News, a leading promoter of conspiracy theories and white supremacists.

University apologises for presence of hate group on campus

I teach at Victoria University, in the heart of Footscray. Footscray is an extremely vibrant and bustling suburb with an incredible population diversity, which is also reflected in VU鈥檚 student and staff population. This diversity is a real asset to our university and I feel privileged to be able to teach in such a unique environment.

Pakistani socialists condemn Sehwan shrine and Lahore attacks, slam authorities

Thwe two statements below were聽released by the socialist Awami Workers Party (AWP) in response to the February 16 terrorist attack on the Lal Shehbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, Sindh and the February 13 terrorist attack in Lahore. They are reposted from聽.

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Changes to Centrelink robo-debt recovery

The federal government announced changes to Centrelink鈥檚 controversial automated debt recovery system on February 14.

The changes include no longer demanding immediate payment from people who dispute a debt; allowing people to use bank statements, instead of hard-to-obtain payslips, to prove their income; making it easier to contact Centrelink; and allowing people to by-pass the MyGov portal to review their debt.

But unions, community groups, Labor, the Greens and GetUp! have all warned the changes do not address fundamental flaws with the system.

Lex Wotton to stand for parliament

First Nations activist Lex Wotton has announced he will contest the state seat of Townsville as an independent in the yet-to-be-announced Queensland election.

Wotton was jailed for two years for his role in the Palm Island riots of 2004.

More recently the Federal Court found that police breached the Racial Discrimination Act after the death of Cameron Doomadgee, but the Queensland Government has appealed the ruling.

It was this appeal that spurred him into action.