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Inside Al-Qaeda and the TalibanM By Syed Saleem Shahzad Pluto Press, 2011 260 pp., $39.95 Deadly Waters, The Hidden World of Somalia鈥檚 Pirates By Jan Bahadur Scribe, 2011 300 pp., $29.95 The Interrogator, A CIA Agent鈥檚 True Story By Glenn Carle Sribe, 2011 321 pp., $32.95 The Wizard of Lies, Bernie Madoff & the Death of Trust By Diana B. Henriques Scribe, 2011 419 pp., $35.00
The statement below has been officially endorsed by the general assemblies of , and . Read more coverage on the Occupy movement . * * *
The October 23 declaration of Libya鈥檚 鈥渓iberation鈥 by the National Transitional Council (NTC), the de-facto government since taking Tripoli from former dictator Muammar Gaddafi on August 21, was a showcase victory for the West鈥檚 vision of how the Arab democratic awakening should progress. An uprising began in Libya on February 17 鈥 part of the popular rebellion that has broken out against dictatorial regimes across the Arab world. The Gaddafi regime's brutal repression 鈥 carried out with Western-supplied weapons 鈥 meant the rising turned into a civil war.
Serious flooding in Thailand has affected millions of people. Houses, property and infrastructure have been seriously damaged. Factories and workplaces have been closed and hundreds of thousands of people have become temporarily unemployed. Agricultural land has been flooded, leading to further loss of incomes. Millions of people who are living modest lives will have their incomes and savings drastically lowered and the economy will be dragged down. The waters are predicted to remain high for at least a month.
The decision by Qantas management to ground the airline's fleet and look out its workforce has caused uproar around the country. However, the mainstream media have overwhelmingly focused on the position and arguments publicly put by Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.
Occupy Sydney protest outside the Qantas conference at UNSW on October 28 2011.

鈥淚 don't understand what the Occupy protests are all about,鈥 is one common complaint in response to the global movement against corporate power.

In September, 麻豆传媒 Weekly spoke to Mamdouh Habashi and Dr Muhammad Hesham, members of the Egyptian Socialist Party (ESP), about developments in Egypt since the popular uprising overthrew dictator Hosni Mubarak on February 11. The ESP is one of several new parties formed since Mubarak's ouster. A longer version of this interview can be found at ThawraEyewitness.blogspot.com. * * * What is the role of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF, who has been in power since Mubarak's ousting)?
Despite the police brutality faced by Occupy Melbourne protesters just over a week before during their eviction from City Square, Occupy Melbourne returned to the streets on October 29. About 500 occupiers assembled at the State Library with the same anti-corporate message and a louder voice. After the meeting at the State Library, there was a march to Treasury Gardens where the general assembly (GA) was held. During the march, the numbers swelled to 1000 or more.
Stop CSG banner

Jess Moore from Stop CSG Illawarra addressed Occupy Sydney at Martin Place on October 22. Moore, who is also a member of the , was awared the NSW Nature Conservation Council's Rising Star award for "the most outstanding environmental effort of an individual under 30".

Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) members in the Australian Taxation Office have voted to reject management's latest proposed enterprise agreement. As a result, the CPSU has launched a campaign for a "no" vote in the all-staff ballot to take place over November 9-15. Management is still offering a pay rise of only 9% over three years. The CPSU has produced posters highlighting the discrepancy between this 3% a year offer to workers and the 58% rise that Tax Commissioner Michael D'Ascenzo has sought from the Remuneration Tribunal.
The ABC鈥檚 program on October 24 was the first to discuss the Occupy movement sweeping the world. Reportedly there are now occupations in 2200 cities. It revealed why the politicians that represent the richest 1% have no credibility any more.
Warren Smith

Warren Smith, assistant secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia, addressed Occupy Sydney at Martin Place on October 22.