Echoes from the Class War (Oct 4)

Basque Country:

Many thousands demonstrate in Pamplona against political trials ··> Ateak Ireki[es], includes photo slideshow.

For political freedoms - ALL RIGHTS FOR ALL - Basque youth free and legal

Urbina: Protest against trial of two people arrested arbitrarily by police in a march against the High Speed Train (HST, AHT in Basque, TAV in Spanish) ··> Ateak Ireki[es].

They ask prison for opposing the HST - Criminalization and HST stop!

Also in Barañain (··> AI[es]):

Documentary (12 mins) on the brutal police occupation and violent repression in Errekaldeberri, Bilbao, in the context of the eviction and demolition of Kukutza social center ··> Sare Antifaxista (very visual, no narration: just occasional voices from context or TV in Spanish or, less commonly, Basque).

Literature prize (Euskadi Literatura Saria) for Joseba Sarrionandia 'Sarri', on-the-run ETA member and prolific top-quality author in Basque language. Basque Government rejects paying money prize even if the decision of the juries can't be changed ··> Gara[eu].

Back in the day, when he and Iñaki Pikabea 'Piti' starred an spectacular flight from prison inside a musical loudspeaker, Basque ska band Kortatu dedicated him one of their most danced songs ever: Sarri Sarri:

Europe:

England: Manchester: many thousands take over to the streets emulating US protests, demanding an end to austerity measures against the poor ··> video at PO, another video before Tory Conference (trigger of the protests), at Inside the M60, but nothing too apparent in mainstream media, not even in "red" media like Morning Star.

Demo at Manchester - source

Check also Occupy Manchester site.

Iceland: protesters boo Members of Parliament at start of new year. First Lady crosses the police wall and joins protesters ··> video at PO.

Greece: large demonstrations in solidarity with Revolutionary Struggle prisoners ··>  Contra Info (includes letter of the three main accused, who have admitted responsibility).

Demo of solidarity with Revolutionary Struggle

Nuclear energy news (via EneNews):

• Playground radiation in Prague caused by a small metal rod of unknown origin ··> Prague Daily Monitor.
• Hinkley Point (Somerset, England) to be blockaded by activists ··> Jack Bristol.
• Life-long Chernobyl health studies will not be funded by EU ··> Nature. 

Breaking news (update 18:15 CET):

Spanish-language Catalan rapper Pablo Hasél arrested for apology of terrorism (··> SA[es]). In a recent interview (··> Kaosenlared) he admitted that it was possible that something like this could happen under the current state of ideological terror against any dissidence in the State of Spain and worldwide yet he said I am aware and I assume the consequences.

See also his sites at MySpace, YouTube and YouTube (TV).

North Africa: 

Libya: NTC militias torture prisoners (has anything changed?) ··> Morning Star.

America:

USA:

Police violence against New Yorkers shown in Russia Today but not in local media ··> video at PO.

New York: Economics Nobel Prize Joseph Stiglitz addresses the protest ··> video at PO - a little hard to follow because of the 'echo chamber' method (there's a modern invention called megaphony, WTF?!)

Los Angeles: hundreds protest in front of City Hall ··> video at PO.

Seattle: protest at Westlake Park ··> video at PO, another video.

Nuclear problems all around the country:

• Radioactive water under Georgia nuclear power plant (what did you expect?) ··> EneNews.
• Los Alamos nuclear military complex: 43,000 cubic yards of radioactive debris were extracted just across the street from local business ··> EneNews.
• Many other nuclear issues ··> EneNews.

Honduras:

Another person murdered in Bajo Aguán: Carlos Martínez, member of the Unified Movement of Peasants of Aguán (MUCA) was shot dead by (probably) mercenaries of Miguel Facussé, the feudal cacique of the region, who enjoys full support of the ilegitimate authoritarian regime of Porfirio Lobo ··> LINYM[es], includes video of the secular funeral.

Recently another farmer activist, Germán Castro, was attacked and injured, being shot dead his wife instead, Enelda Marcos. As many as 40 farmers have been murdered by death squads in the last two years, since the coup ··> LINYM[es].

Photos of the extreme militarization of the region ··> LINYM[es].

Railroad workers don't burn trains

Argentina: demand freedom for framed-up railroad union members Rubén Sobrero and Leonardo Portorreal ··> Rolando Astarita Blog[es].

More on the Sobrero/Portorreal case here[es]: the only witness and apparent material author, homeless Alan Skrobacki has a version that does not hold up (describes Sobrero as tall with a piercing in the eyebrow, when he is short and wears no piercings, for example).

South Asia:

Nepal: Maoist labor unions (recently split) to strike against Maoist government ··> Revolution in South Asia.

India sues Monsanto for biopiracy ··> Food Freedom.

East Asia:

Japan: 

Latest nuclear headlines ··> EneNews.

Opera crew members opt out trip to Japan on radiation concerns ··> Pollstar. 

Breaking news (update 18:15 CET):

Government planning 'New Tokyo' (old Tokyo too dangerous, it seems) ··> Fukushima Diary.

Government acknowledges that fleeing Fukushima Prefecture 'in panic' was rational decision ··> Ex-SKF.

Fukushima children begin suffering thyroid cancer ··> Fukushima Diary.

Oceania:

Australia: Sydney protest against ongoing genocide against Hazara people in Pakistan ··> video at PO.

Science:

Solar system once had extra planet ··> PysOrg.

Could primordial black holes be dark matter ··> PhysOrg.

Magic mushrooms (Psylocibes sp.) can change personality (for the better) with single dose in certain circumstances or for certain people ··> SD, but check this critique at Psychedelic Research.

IgNobel Prizes 2011 (link):

• Physiology: no evidence of contagious yawning in turtles.
• Chemistry: development of pungent horse-radish (wasabi) fire alarm.
• Medicine: on the influence of peeing urgency on decision making in humans.
• Psychology: why do people sigh?
• Literature: how to procrastinate and still get things done.
• Biology: sexual fetishism among beetles: they love beer bottles!
• Physics: why discus throwers become dizzy while hammer throwers do not?
• Mathematics: for a long list of doomsayers who have predicted the end of the world and failed.
• Peace prize: the mayor of Vlinus for demonstrating that armored tanks can be recycled into luxury-car-smashing tools for the good of humankind, traffic fluidity and Internet popularity success.
• Public safety: for testing how can you drive while losing sight intermittently (video).