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Polls released in the first week of October have shown a surge in support for marriage equality, the result of new Australian Electoral Commission enrolments by young people, women and inner-city residents who are more likely to vote Yes.

Nearly 2000 retired workers and Social Security department workers gathered in Athens on October 3 to protest 鈥渋nhumane鈥 cuts to pensions.

An army of 1500 senior citizens marched behind banners, chanting 鈥渟hame on you鈥 and calling for the government to cancel the memorandum that has led to ongoing cuts since 2010, with further cuts set for 2019.

Spainish Civil Guards attack Catalans

Is it possible to have a successful referendum when your country is effectively occupied by 10,000 police and paramilitaries with orders to stop it?

The holding of Catalonia鈥檚 October 1 referendum on independence shows it is: all you need is a mobilised people with a clear view of where they are going, Europe鈥檚 most powerful and persistent social movement to help guide them, and a government committed to carrying out its promises.

Last week a conceptual barrier carefully constructed by South Africa鈥檚 elites since 2015 was suddenly cracked at the University of the Witwatersrand Great Hall, by two of the country鈥檚 leading economic personalities: Pravin Gordhan, who served as a pro-business finance minister for seven years until being sacked in March, and super-consultant Iraj Abedian, who in 1996 co-authored the country鈥檚 post-apartheid structural adjustment programme. Two more solid bourgeois representatives would be hard to find.

France鈥檚 Council of Ministers approved five ordinances on September 22 that undermine union power and employment rights within France鈥檚 Labour Code, which came into effect the next day.

The government imposed these changes by using undemocratic measures in France鈥檚 constitution, which allows it to push new measures into law without passing legislation through parliament.

In the face of this, the movement against the changes continues to build.聽

Fluctuating poll results indicate that the imminent Queensland election is an open contest between the Annastacia Palaszczuk Labor government and the Liberal National Party (LNP) opposition. Strong campaigns by the Greens and One Nation could also see newcomers into the state parliament from both left and right.

Former Sydney Swans player, anti-racism campaigner and 2014 Australian of the Year Adam Goodes was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney on September 30. The Adnyamathanha and Narungga man was named a Doctor of Health Sciences (honoris causa) for his work in supporting the Indigenous community, his charity work, his community leadership and his sporting exploits.

Members of the National Political Council of the Revolutionary Alternative Forces of the Commons (FARC) rejected the threats and violence that have claimed the lives of 25 people since signing peace accords with the government last November.

鈥淪ince the signing of the peace agreement, five聽former combatants, nine聽militiamen and 11 relatives of members of the FARC have been murdered,鈥 the group said in a statement on October 2.

Tony Abbott cannot take a trick.

First, Abbott condemned the NRL for 鈥減oliticising鈥 sport 鈥 for having US hip hop performer Macklemore as its pre-show entertainment for the October 1 grand final. But far from the NRL backing down, all the ex-PM achieved was sending Macklemore鈥檚 2013 song in support of marriage equality 鈥淪ame Love鈥 to number 1 on iTunes 鈥 four years after it originally hit number 1 on the ARIA charts.

Workers at the Streets ice-cream factory in Minto are planning a boycott of Streets products 鈥 including the iconic Paddle Pop 鈥 if Unilever continues its efforts in the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to end their enterprise agreement.

that the army take control of gas resources in states that have banned or limited unconventional gas mining shows the lengths to which the recalcitrant fossil fools will go to defend dirty energy corporations, which are under increasing fire as the national debate over energy security continues.聽

Puerto Rico is facing a huge humanitarian crisis after being hit by two super-strong hurricanes. It suffered a glancing blow by Irma and then a direct hit by Maria, both storms greatly strengthened by warmer ocean water caused by climate change.

The crisis is still unfolding weeks after Maria hit. The full picture and extent of the damage will not be known for some time.