The Independent UK Farmers are warning they will still need thousands of foreign workers

Farmers are warning they will still need thousands of foreign workers for the UK harvest next year despite a campaign to attract domestic workers. National Farmers Union (NFU) figures, given exclusively to the BBC, reveal only 11% of seasonal workers in the 2020 season were UK residents. That is despite a high profile Pick for Britain campaign during the summer. The NFU now wants government assurances about labour for next year after the Brexit transition period ends. The Horticulture Seasonal Worker Survey covered 244 growers, recruiting more than 30,000 people - equating to nearly half the workforce. The NFU said the worker response was promising, but was not enough to sustain the industry long term.

Vegetable farmer Martin Haines employs 150 seasonal workers in the Cotswolds, picking pumpkins, beans and broccoli.

A former NSW auditor-general has warned that the shredding of documents related to $250 million in council grants was likely to be unlawful and should end Gladys Berejiklian's leadership. Tony Harris, who has also served as a senior Commonwealth public servant, said he was confident the Premier's office breached the State Records Act when it destroyed paper and digital records. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is loved by voters but there are still calls for her to resign.CREDIT:NICK MOIR "The role that the Premier's office had in the shredding of documents is good reason for her departure, she should resign," he said. NSW Labor is also arguing that the shredding of documents breached the act and has referred Ms Berejiklian to the NSW Police Commissioner for investigation. Advertisement NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. OPINION GOVERNMENT GRANTS Maguire aside, the Premier's steadfast command has been shredded A spokeswoman for the Premier said: "The Premier’s Office complies with its obligations under the State Records Act.” Mr Harris said while there had been no "persuasive reason" for Ms Berejiklian's resignation on the back of revelations of her relationship with disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire, "enough is way too much". "I allege that the shredding those documents is unlawful, and so when you package everything up together, it's time for her to go," he said. A senior policy officer from Ms Berejiklian's office told a parliamentary committee on Friday that she provided briefing notes to the Premier with a list of projects – one of them involving $90 million for Hornsby Shire Council – and later shredded the documents. Sarah Lau said she gave Ms Berejiklian a "working advice note" and the Premier indicated "on that note that she was comfortable" with the projects. When asked where the note was, Ms Lau responded: "I then disposed of those working advice notes that I had used to prepare that final record". The final record was an email.

Morning Star

SECRET Transport for London (TfL) document shows that driverless trains on London Underground would cost a staggering £7 billion and would still need a driver aboard for safety reasons. Train drivers’ union Aslef has obtained a 26-page document, which was compiled in August, saying that the huge cost means that using driverless trains is “unviable” and that the astronomic cost “shuts the door” on government demands that TfL introduce driverless trains in return for funding. The union said today that the cost would bankrupt London Underground. Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “We know that passengers don’t want driverless trains. “Whenever they are asked, they always answer with a resounding ‘No!’ And now we know it is not economically feasible, either.” Aslef London Underground organiser Finn Brennan said: “Leaked internal Transport for London documents demonstrate that it would cost an additional £7 billion, on top of the money needed to upgrade existing lines, to make Underground trains ‘driverless’ and that TfL has concluded that there is, given the evidence, no economic case for doing so. “Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that introducing driverless trains should be a condition of a funding settlement for TfL. “But these documents show that not only is there no business case for this, but it would make TfL’s financial position much worse. “When Boris Johnson was Mayor of London, his failed vanity projects, like the Garden Bridge and those Boris buses, cost Londoners almost £1 billion. “But this is dwarfed by the vast cost of his ideological obsession with driverless trains, a project that every transport expert, as well as TfL senior managers, have concluded makes no financial sense.” He said that the documents showed that TfL knows trains would still need a driver “for the safety and security of passengers.” “Aslef has always pointed out that driverless trains on London Underground are a politically driven fantasy,” continued Mr Brennan. “These documents show that we are right. And if the government tries to force TfL to waste huge sums on this pointless exercise, it would suck resources away from projects that could have real positive benefits for passenger safety – and bankrupt the entire Tube network.” A TfL spokesman said: “The possibilities, costs and benefits of driverless trains are things that TfL has looked at in the past and will continue to keep under review but it is not something we are actively pursuing.”

Chileans have voted overwhelmingly in support of rewriting their constitution

Chileans have voted overwhelmingly in support of rewriting their constitution, which dates to the dictatorship of Gen Augusto Pinochet. With nearly 90% of the vote counted,

78% of people had voted "yes" in a referendum that was called after mass protests against inequality. President Sebastian Piñera acknowledged the result and praised the peaceful vote. He said it was "the beginning of a path that we must all walk together". A mass anti-government protest movement began in Chile a year ago. From the beginning one of the demonstrators' key demands was that the country needed a new constitution to be able to fix deep inequalities in society. "Until now, the constitution has divided us," Mr Piñera said as people took to the streets in celebration. "From today we must all work together so that the new constitution is the great framework of unity, stability and the future."

Songs and poems about work and working conditions in Australia

Songs and poems about work and working conditions in Australia provide a rich lode for the historian. This thesis examines the origins and uses of this lyrical material as an important part of the culture that influenced the way the Australian labour movement developed. Analysis of the one hundred and fifty songs and poems produced across a time frame ranging from colonisation to the Second World War and cited in this work reveals a long history of composition, publication and performance of this lyrical material. The material describes and argues a contending world view among organised workers, especially about rights and the way inequality affects those who labour. These popular vernacular narratives also indicate the transplanted culture of those who were transported to Australia and demonstrate the refashioning of this culture to meet the very different circumstances they faced in the new colony. The Australian labour movement with its trade unions and political organisations, its banners, meetings, marches, speeches, its connections to similar movements overseas, its defeats and victories, has at its heart a significant tradition of working song and poetry. At the core of this lyrical material lies a determination to assert what power and agency is available in each period to gather support in order to bring about radical social change. Embedded in the songs and poems is powerful evidence for the historian of a rebellious tradition that proclaims working class attitudes and concerns. I examine the provenance and the use of this lyrical material from the colonial beginnings to the Second World War, reflecting on its trajectory over time. Symbolically, it can be argued, this lyrical material reinforces the legitimacy of the rebellious traditions of the labour movement, essential to the legitimacy and agency of the movement itself. My aim is is to significantly expand our understanding of the role played by lyrical material in the Australian labour movement and how the existence and continued production of such material constitutes a heritage where meaning and values are always under discussion and are revised by continuous negotiation. History from below encourages attention to the cultural traditions of the labour movement especially those that show a radical approach and determination to change class society, opening it up to embrace equality as fundamental. The Australian labour movement has proved itself capable of extending rights to benefit the whole of society, even overcoming its own prejudices in the process of exposing, challenging and often confounding self-interested hegemonic ruling power.

Brad Pitt has narrated a new campaign advert for Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

Brad Pitt has narrated a new campaign advert for Democratic candidate Joe Biden. In the commercial, Biden is seen with his wife, Dr Jill Biden, on stage as well as meeting with supporters. “America is a place for everyone,” the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star begins. “Those who chose this country. Those who fought for it. Some Republicans. Some Democrats. And most, just somewhere in between. “All looking for the same thing: Someone who understands their hopes, their dreams, their pain. To listen, to bring people together, to get up every day and work to make life better for families like yours. Sponsored NEWS The ratings are in for Trump and Biden's last debate and they're not good

Trump Exposed CNN President Donald Trump is trying to invent his own reality about coronavirus

New York (CNN Business)President Donald Trump is trying to invent his own reality about coronavirus. On Saturday at a North Carolina rally, he claimed the media would no longer report on the pandemic after Election Day. He implied that news organizations are trying to drum up fear about the pandemic to get former Vice President Joe Biden elected. But facts are facts: Cases are rising sharply and the American public is increasingly at odds with the president's views on the coronavirus. More then three-quarters -- 78% -- of Americans remain concerned about getting infected with Covid-19, according to an ABC News/Ipsos Poll released Sunday. And 61% of Americans say they disapprove of Trump's response to Covid-19, according to the same poll. That's why Trump's denial of the importance of coronavirus and attempts to change the subject aren't working, according to CNN's chief media correspondent Brian Stelter. "This is less about media fear-mongering and more about public health experts leading the way," Stelter said in his opening monologue on "Reliable Sources" Sunday. The United States reported its second-highest day of new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, with nearly 84,000 Americans contracting coronavirus. As of Sunday, there were at least 8,575,000 total coronavirus cases in the United States. In total, more than 220,000 Americans have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. Creating his own reality "He's resisting reality," Stelter said of Trump. "He's trying to create his own reality." Earlier this month, Trump made at least 66 separate false or misleading claims over a three-day span, according to CNN reporter and fact-checker Daniel Dale. "In general, we want to be on high alert for misinformation and disinformation," Michelle Lipkin, the executive director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education said. "I think we have to ask ourselves some pretty important questions like why in this situation does the president only want to do interviews that don't ask tough questions?" Many journalists see Trump's conspiracy theories as a distraction. Media outlets needs to cover election security and election access as the top story right now, Politico's founding editor John Harris said. "For the first time in a couple of centuries, that's under question," Harris added. "It's really an enormous story and we can't cover it enough." Meanwhile, at least three people in Vice President Mike Pence's orbit tested positive for the coronavirus in recent days. "They want to keep it a secret because Pence is the head of the coronavirus task force and people on his staff can't keep themselves from getting the coronavirus," USA Today columnist and CNN senior political analyst Kirsten Powers said. "Much more than the average American, they have so many more opportunities to find out who has it and take the precautions." And on Sunday, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows fueled the fire when he told CNN's Jake Tapper that the United States is "not going to control" the pandemic, as cases continue to surge across the country and Americans prepare for a harsh winter.

UK The Independent

A senior Tory has said the government "misunderstood" the public mood over extending the free school meals scheme over holidays, amid mounting pressure for a U-turn on the issue. Sir Bernard Jenkin and other Conservative MPs have added their voices to the increasing calls for a rethink after a vote last week rejected a bid to extend provision over the school holidays. Labour has vowed to bring the issue back to the House of Commons in the absence of a U-turn before Christmas.

At Home

USA Today

Melbourne Mural

UK The Independent

Hundreds of protesters marched to Buckingham Palace to protest Donald Trump's presence in London, amid fears for the future of the NHS. Demonstrators, including some NHS staff, joined anti-war activists on the march as Nato leaders were hosted by the Queen. It came after Jeremy Corbyn wrote to Mr Trump demanding he take the NHS “off the table” in any post-Brexit trade deal, though the president claimed the US wanted “nothing to do with [the NHS]”.

South Australia Strides Ahead on. Clean Energy

South Australia's renewable energy boom has achieved a global milestone. Key points: All of SA's power came from solar for one hour on October 11 The generation of too much solar power can create grid instability A new interconnector planned with NSW will help manage the growth of solar power The state once known for not having enough power has become the first major jurisdiction in the world to be powered entirely by solar energy. For just over an hour on Sunday, October 11, 100 per cent of energy demand was met by solar panels alone. "This is truly a phenomenon in the global energy landscape," Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) chief executive Audrey Zibelman said. "Never before has a jurisdiction the size of South Australia been completely run by solar power, with consumers' rooftop solar systems contributing 77 per cent." Large-scale solar farms, like the ones operating at Tailem Bend and Port Augusta, provided the other 23 per cent. Any excess power generated by gas and wind farms on that day was stored in batteries or exported to Victoria via the interconnector.

The Independent UK Brexit trade talks to resume

Brexit trade talks to resume Brexit negotiators will enter an “intensified phase of talks” today after the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, made conciliatory signals to his UK counterpart Lord Frost. With the deadline for a deal looming, Number 10 acknowledged "significant gaps" remain between the two sides and it was "entirely possible that negotiations will not succeed". The negotiations had been in limbo after Boris Johnson's previous deadline for a deal passed last week. Key issues of contention are fishing rights, the governance of any deal and the “level playing field” aimed at preventing unfair competition. Time is short to reach an agreement, with the Brexit transition period set to end on 31 December 31. Both sides had previously said a deal would need to be reached by mid-October in order to allow time for ratification.

MUA HERE TO Stay

BBC

Bulletin Of Atomic Scientiists

Google has made “substantial” contributions to some of the most notorious climate deniers in Washington despite its insistence that it supports political action on the climate crisis. Among hundreds of groups the company has listed on its website as beneficiaries of its political giving are more than a dozen organisations that have campaigned against climate legislation, questioned the need for action, or actively sought to roll back Obama-era environmental protections. The list includes the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a conservative policy group that was instrumental in convincing the Trump administration to abandon the Paris agreement and has criticised the White House for not dismantling more environmental rules. Google said it was disappointed by the US decision to abandon the global climate deal, but has continued to support CEI. Google is also listed as a sponsor for an upcoming annual meeting of the State Policy Network (SPN), an umbrella organisation that supports conservative groups including the Heartland Institute, a radical anti-science group that has chided the teenage activist Greta Thunberg for “climate delusion hysterics.” SPN members recently created a “climate pledge” website that falsely states “our natural environment is getting better” and “there is no climate crisis”. Google has defended its contributions, saying that its “collaboration” with organisations such as CEI “does not mean we endorse the organisations’ entire agenda.” It donates to such groups, people close to the company say, to try to influence conservative lawmakers, and – most importantly – to help finance the deregulatory agenda the groups espouse. A spokesperson for Google said it sponsored organisations from across the political spectrum that advocate for “strong technology policies.” “We’re hardly alone among companies that contribute to organisations while strongly disagreeing with them on climate policy,” the spokesperson said. Amazon has, like Google, also sponsored a CEI gala, according to a programme for the event reported in the New York Times. CEI has opposed regulation of the internet and enforcement of antitrust rules, and has defended Google against some Republicans’ claims that the search engine has an anti-conservative bias. But environmental activists and other critics say that, for a company that purports to support global action on climate change, such tradeoffs are not acceptable. “You don’t get a pass on it. It ought to be disqualifying to support what is primarily a phoney climate denying front group. It ought to be unacceptable given how wicked they have been,” said Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic senator from Rhode Island who is one of the most vocal proponents of climate action in Congress.

Operators of Barry Café penalised

Operators of Barry Café penalised The Fair Work Ombudsman has secured a total of $232,545 in penalties in Court against the company that operates 'Barry Cafe', in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote, and two of its directors after they deliberately underpaid 73 staff members more than $180,000.

ABORIGINAL SONGS AND DANCES

Incidents of the chase were woven into songs and dances. IN all aboriginal schools the most popular item is singing. In the settlements on the islands in the Clarence River, in the schools on the Richmond and on the reserve at Pooncarie, near the Darling, the zest for singing prevails. The children learn quickly, they have good voices, and sing really well. The popular songs of the day also appeal to the abo women. In 1895 I was spelling horses for a week at a Scalpers' camp, above Merrivale Station, near the head of the Maranoa, and was surprised to hear two' gins singing "Daisy Bell" and "Sweet Marie"- two popular songs of that time. They had beautiful voices, and entertained us by the camp-fire at night. During the day their job was to string wallaby scalps on long lines stretched between trees to dry. They wore a one-piece garment - one split down the back, and whenever the wearer stooped all the frock from the shoulders fell out to the front. There were about 60 black fellows in the camp, who hunted wallabies in the brigalow scrubs for a white boss, and all the clothes the whole mob had were two old shirts. These were worn in turn whenever a couple of them wanted to go to the home stead. In such a camp one hardly, expected to hear a faultless rendering of the songs of the period. At Taroom, on the Dawson River, at the same time, a singer with a local reputation was an aborigine named Willie. As he was the best vocalist in the district, he was always in demand for concerts, wedding parties and so forth. Among his regular associates or in a camp he was splendid, but in a lighted hall before a mixed crowd, and in a white shirt and collar, he seemed to get stage fright - unless he was given a nobbler or two of rum to start with. THE gum-leaf, with which the experts produce good flute-like music, and the possum-skin drum, used for corroboree dances, were the only musical instruments played by the blacks of the northern districts of N.S.W. But there was one in the Big Scrub days of Lismore whose musical attainments made him welcome at bush dances. His name was Charlie Brown. Among the Big Scrub timber-getters he was known as Concertina Charlie. The concertina was his favorite instrument, and on it he could beat any of the district white men, but he could also play the clarinet and other instruments. The bush blacks were rather afraid of him; but one day some of them, sneaked into his bark humpy when he was away at work. On the bunk was Charlie’s concertina. One curious intruder grasped the strap to pick it up, but as he lifted it the strange thing creaked and groaned. He dropped it in a fright and jumped back. The others clustered at the door. Then one knocked it over with a waddy, and again the instrument protested. At that they bolted for their lives, believing that a debil debil was inside it. At the Yarrabah mission station (N.Q.), which is an abo. township with its own little newspaper, called the "Aboriginal News," entertain ments are occasionally given by the blacks, who have their own brass band. One year this band supplied the music at the Atherton Show. Ulgundhi and Cabbage-tree, two of the island settlements in the Clarence, which are provided with schools for the black children, have produced many good singers. Ulgundhi is. an exclusive black-farming settlement. bIn one year the abo. growers sold over £500 worth of cane, besides big crops of beans, maize and potatoes, whilst the school, in competition with all the district schools, obtained first prize for the best display of work and products at the Lower Clarence Agricultural Society's Show. WHEN blacks were numerous on these rivers corroborees were frequently held, and on such occa sions some hew songs or variants of old ones were composed by the geniuses of the tribes. All were fond of song and dance; and the song-maker was respected for his talents. Usually hunting and other bush experiences were mimicked, the actors representing hunters and birds and animals, and the song referring to various incidents connected with them, the comic element being particularly relished. The comic poet who "made 'em laugh” was lifted to the peaks of happiness. It was success, and he looked for no other reward.. The aboriginal poet had a good sense of humor. A song I heard sung by a group of blacks related to a local settler's father, an aged man whom the blacks had noticed splitting timber. The old fellow accompanied the blow of his maul with a prolonged grunt, as though that gave it more force. In the first part of the song the singers' arms swung to and fro in imitation of the working of a cross cut saw, the vocalists at the same time making a hissing sound with their lips. In the second part, at intervals they bent and swung their arms downwards, terminating the action with a loud concerted "Whuh." That was the fall of the splitter’s maul, accompanied by the splitter’s, grunt. In the concluding part they hopped around on one foot, holdingnthe other in their hands, and finally hopped or limped away singing a distressful chant. That was where the old fellow dropped a wedge on his toes. As the audience knew the aged settler and his peculiarities the action song was a howling success. SOME of the aboriginal songs and dances originated in the days of the bunyip, and were passed down from generation to generation. An old-time maker of songs was Jacky Jacky, the heroic Hunter River native who accompanied explorer Kennedy in 1848, and who played such a noble part in that tragic expedition when his leader was killed near Escape River. His aboriginal name was Galmarra, which means maker of songs. A Russel River grass (Paspalum galmarra) was named after him by the Queensland botanist, F. M. Bailey. Among his own people, he was a great poet, and his corroborees were played or acted by all the clans of the Hunter, and prob ably farther afield. The brolga dance-the quaint quadrilles of the brolgas' or native” companions on the marshy plains were incorporated in the corroborees from the Castlereagh to North Queensland, and on some of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. The brolga was a widely-protected bird, being held sacred by many tribes. The Castlereagh tribe had a legend that in the "dream times" of their race there was a beautiful girl named Brolga, who was far-famed for her dancing. She was kidnapped by two giants, whose incantations and wizardry changed her into a great crane. In that form she returned to dance before the camps and was recognised by certain steps that no one but she had danced. By and bye, on the plains, the one bird became many, and for ever afterwards they were known as Brolgas. In the lore of other tribes it was the festive birds of the plains that taught the blacks to dance. The ordinary corroboree was entirely for amusement, and differed from that of the bora ceremony. As much fun as possible was introduced in song and dance, combined with spectacular effect, as in a pantomime. The spectators did not always understand it - neither did the actors’ in some cases. There was a legend on the mid-eastern rivers that a great man long ago came down from the north and taught the tribes some new corroborees, enjoining them to pass on the songs and dances to their children. Sometimes a song of pleasant melody was sung to quaintly dancing feet, but in a lingo that was meaningless to most. Aboriginal traders, travelling through different territories, but always on defined trade routes, for the purpose of bartering, picked up corroboree dances and snatches of songs. The traders were more or less accomplished linguists, and this enabled them to understand a good part of what they saw and heard. LIKE theatre lovers, black audiences were always keen for something new. There was much in the lives of early settlers that was seized upon as good material for pantomimes. In a Manning River corroboree, one of the performers, a little fellow, was a cat with a wallaby tail. This originated with the tribe's first acquaintance with the domestic feline. The refrain of the accompanying song was mostly "meeow," and an imitation of "Where are you, Maria?" Incidents of the chase were woven into songs and dances by the talented members of the clan. The star artists imitated many creatures of the wild. Where the snake came in they hissed and wriggled; for the kan garoo they, crouched with hands on the ground, rose suddenly without straightening the legs, and listened; then one gave the grey beast's signal, and the troupe hopped along one behind the other, finally stampeding as a number of armed warriors dashed in from the dark for the hunting song. To imitate the kookaburra they ran, bent down with a sweeping motion, jumped in the air and laughed like the bird-which signified the killing of the snake. All blacks were mimics, and their kookaburra chorus was realistic. The frog dance of the New England blacks usually came at the end of a night's performance-to keep away bad spirits. This amusing finale was prompted by the swamp chorus after rain, when the frogs seemed to follow one another as though some genius had arranged the symphony. The troupe imitated the festive amphibians, uttering a variety of notes in a pleasing melody from the musical tenor of the chorus ters to the deep bass of the old bull frog. Now and again they all croaked together in a fortissimo crash, which was followed by a slight pause; then again each one croaked in his allotted place with varying modulations. These corroborees were rehearsed several times before the grand performance, the composers being the chief instructors. As they had no "book yabber," and thus nothing was committed to writing, the poet had to memorise his compositions-and it was a wonderful medley that he had to "carry in his head;" But there was never much variety in the tunes-a low chanting, melody to which the gins beat time with waddies on the ground, or on their possum rugs, which were drawn skin-side up across the knees, and two or three musicians played an accompaniment with gum leaves, manipulated with the fingers and lips. The slightest mistake in the song annoyed the poet and composer, and sometimes when his masterpiece, was being murdered he jumped up and stopped the performance. One night a New England mob performed before a white crowd at Tenterfield, and astonished the audience by singing popular English songs between the corroboree chants. One of the items was "Molly Riley," and it brought down the house. FROM: ABORIGINAL SONGS AND DANCES THE LAND JULY 17, 1936 E. S. Sorenson Digitisation generously supported by More Info More Info New South Wales Government

Green Bans and Trees and more

The Independent UK MPs have rejected a plan to extend free school meals into the school holidays by 322 votes to 261.

UK MPs have rejected a plan to extend free school meals into the school holidays by 322 votes to 261. The Labour motion, which was defeated by a majority of 61, would have extended provision of hot food for children until Easter 2021. Boris Johnson had whipped Tory MPs to vote against the plan, arguing that it was not the job of schools to “regularly provide food during the school holidays”. More than 1.4 million children experience food insecurity during the holidays, according to the Food Foundation, while 6.3 per cent of children are worried about going hungry during the impending October half-term.

Sydney Sun

Vale Paul Murphy

Australian journalist Paul Murphy, best known for his decade-long tenure as host of the ABC's PM program as well as being the first host of SBS's Dateline, has died aged 77. He was in the host's chair at PM when Nelson Mandela walked free from Victor Verster prison, and during the Tiananmen Square protests. Murphy first joined the ABC in the late 1960s and became a political reporter in the Canberra press gallery, before joining the ground-breaking ABC television current affairs show This Day Tonight. In 1994 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to public broadcasting and to journalism. In 2000 he was awarded the Walkley Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism. 'The best political interviewer we've ever had' Former 7.30 host Kerry O'Brien described Murphy as a role model to him as well as a dear friend.

The re-run election has been postponed twice due to coronavirus. When conservative Senator Jeanine Áñez took over as interim president on 12 November 2019, just days after Mr Morales publicly announced his resignation, she said her task would be to lead the country to a re-run of the October 2019 elections. This vote, in which Mr Morales sought a controversial fourth term, had ended in chaos, conflict and allegations of fraud. Electoral authorities set the fresh elections for 3 May 2020 but with Bolivia gripped by the Covid-19 emergency, they were postponed until 6 September, and then put back again until 18 October. Mr Morales' Mas party and other critics of the right-wing interim government of Ms Áñez have accused it of using the pandemic to try to hold on to power. They say the Áñez administration has focused more on trying to persecute political opponents, especially the exiled Mr Morales, his Mas party and his indigenous supporters, than on working to ensure fair elections and a smooth transition of power. Under the Áñez administration, Mr Morales, who has sought refuge in Argentina, was barred by electoral authorities from standing as a senator, and he has also been formally charged with "sedition" and "terrorism".

Kimchi disaster

NYT The polls finally catch up with the news And they are not good for President Trump.

The polls finally catch up with the newsAnd they are not good for President Trump. We’ve talked a lot recently about how the polls have lagged behind the news. Events were moving so fast that by the time the polls had measured the state of public opinion after something like a debate, the news had already moved on to the next big thing, like the president’s coronavirus diagnosis. Now the news has slowed a bit and the polls are finally caught up. Just before Thursday night’s dueling town halls, we were left with an unmistakable picture: The president trails badly, even though his negative news cycles, like the first debate or his coronavirus hospitalization, are well in the rearview mirror.

We will build back better from the Covid crisis’: Jacinda Ardern’s landslide win

‘We will build back better from the Covid crisis’: Jacinda Ardern’s landslide win New Zealand’s prime minister and her Labour Party coasted to victory in national elections, riding a wave of support for her response to the coronavirus. Ms. Ardern has now cemented her position as New Zealand’s most popular prime minister in generations, if not ever. The 40 year-old politician has become a global standard-bearer for a progressive politics that defines itself as compassionate and competent in crisis. “We will govern as we campaigned: positively,” Ms. Ardern said in her acceptance speech on Saturday night. “We will build back better from the Covid crisis. This is our opportunity.” Political rebalancing: Ms. Ardern’s first term was marked by a partnership with the populist, center-right New Zealand First Party. Now Labour will be able to govern on its own, giving her more leeway to move left. The core decision that Ms. Ardern faces is how far to push. Details: With more than 95.5 percent of the vote counted, Labour had secured 49 percent, with the National Party at 27 percent. Labour was expected to win 64 of the 120 seats in Parliament, with 35 expected to go to the National Party. It is the best result for Labour in 50 years.

Morning Star “We are all internationalists. We are all anti-fascist.”

TRIBUTES took place nationwide over the weekend to commemorate the International Brigade volunteers. About 2,500 volunteers from Britain and Ireland went to Spain in the 1930s as part of the International Brigades to fight fascism and defend the Spanish Republic and 526 did not return. October 17 1938 was the day the International Brigades left Spain, after being honoured in Barcelona by the Spanish people alongside whom they fought. The commemorations were organised by the Communist Party of Britain, and supported by the International Brigades Memorial Trust An event in Manchester, organised by north-west district of the Communist Party, was attended by people from Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cheshire and members of the International Brigade greater Manchester group. Also present were members of the Communist Parties of Ireland and Spain. Speeches took place outside Manchester Central Library followed by wreath-laying and displays of banners and flags at Manchester’s new Peterloo memorial. Dolores Long of the IBMT and International Brigade Greater Manchester Group was among the speakers. She delivered the famous “you are legend” farewell speech of gratitude by the Spanish communist MP La Pasionaria to International Brigade volunteers as they left Barcelona. Paul Ward spoke about volunteers from the north-west and said: “Today in an increasingly troubled world with a Prime Minister in Britain who is openly racist, homophobic, misogynistic and promotes Islamophobia, we can all join the fight against racism and fascism. “We are all internationalists. We are all anti-fascist.”

Smithsonian Magazine Photo

The way energy is produced and the way it is consumed is changing rapidly.

The way energy is produced and the way it is consumed is changing rapidly. With the shift from fossil fuels to renewables; With new technology that allows people to not just buy energy, but also generate, store, consume and trade it; and with changing energy business models, It is easy to feel overwhelmed. On top of this, governments, regulators and business are working on major changes to how the energy market works. The Australian Council of Social Service and the Total Environment Centre, with the support of Energy Consumers Australia, Are developing a New Energy Compact to ensure people are at the centre of the thinking and ensure the changes work for ALL consumers. This special Australia at Home Consultative Town Hall will give you the chance to inform the development of the Compact and have your say in the future of energy in Australia

On the afternoon of Feb. 24, President Trump declared on Twitter that the coronavirus was “very much under control” in the United States, but hours earlier, senior members of the president’s economic team, privately addressing board members of the conservative Hoover Institution, were less confident. Tomas J. Philipson, a senior economic adviser to the president, told the group he could not yet estimate the effects of the virus on the American economy. To some in the group, the implication was that an outbreak could prove worse than Mr. Philipson and other Trump administration advisers were signaling in public at the time. The next day, board members — many of them Republican donors — got another taste of government uncertainty from Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council. Hours after he had boasted on CNBC that the virus was contained in the United States and “it’s pretty close to airtight,” Mr. Kudlow delivered a more ambiguous private message. He asserted that the virus was “contained in the U.S., to date, but now we just don’t know,” according to a document describing the sessions obtained by The New York Times. The document, written by a hedge fund consultant who attended the three-day gathering of Hoover’s board, was stark. “What struck me,” the consultant wrote, was that nearly every official he heard from raised the virus “as a point of concern, totally unprovoked.” New York Times 15 Ocotber 2020

LABOUR urged the government today to impose a temporary national coronavirus lockdown

LABOUR urged the government today to impose a temporary national coronavirus lockdown, warning that more jobs will be put at risk if ministers wait for a U-turn. During a fiery Prime Minister’s Questions, PM Boris Johnson was grilled by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on why he had rejected experts’ advice to introduce a so-called circuit-breaker lockdown of two to three weeks. Sir Keir echoed the view of the Sage committee of scientists, saying that “tougher measures are now unavoidable.” He pressed Mr Johnson to go beyond the regional three-tier system that came into effect in England today. Sage told ministers three weeks ago that a temporary lockdown could substantially reduce the coronavirus-related death toll. Mr Johnson said he was ruling nothing out but repeated his wish to avoid the “misery of another national lockdown.” Sir Keir derided Mr Johnson as an “opportunist all his life” and asked the PM what alternative plan he had to get the current 1.2-1.5 R rate — the number of people an infected person is likely to spread the virus to — to below 1. Mr Johnson replied that his plan was “the plan that [Sir Keir] supported on Monday” and accused Labour of opportunism and reneging on its support for the tiered system. He urged Labour mayors to support the government’s current plans, telling MPs that he wants “the most stringent measures necessary in the places where the virus is surging.” During an opposition day debate, Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Labour counterpart Anneliese Dodds referred to reports last month that he had threatened to quit if Mr Johnson imposed a second national lockdown. She said: “More and more areas will eventually come under localised restrictions until the government is then forced into national restrictions in any case.” She said that economic uncertainty is costing more jobs as “more businesses go to the wall.” “The question isn’t whether we can afford a circuit breaker, the question is whether we can continue with a government that ducks making hard choices until its forced into them,” she said. Bill Esterson, Labour MP for Liverpool’s Sefton Central, said the circuit break was inevitable, adding: “I wonder whether the Prime Minister’s words will come back to haunt him in a couple of weeks’ time as he admits that and does yet another U-turn.” In another opposition day debate, Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said the government should sack Serco and give money to local public-health teams to test and trace for Covid-19. “Serco didn’t bid for the contact-tracing contract — they were handed it on a plate with no competition, no rigour and no transparency,” she said. Health Minister Jo Churchill responded that outsourcing companies were awarded contracts through a “fair and open competition.” Ms Reeves replied: “I challenge the minister today to name all of Serco’s subcontractors and publish details on how much they have been paid and for what … I fear that the more we know about what is happening in contract tracing under the bonnet, the worse that it gets.” She accused the government of being “obsessed with a failed model of outsourcing” but added that it is “not too late for the government to change course.” Meanwhile, campaign group Labour Assembly Against Austerity called for a “post-pandemic plan for the people” which includes full employment through a green new deal, as reported by LabourList. It is backed by more than 10,000 activists and endorsed by Labour MPs such as Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, Diane Abbott, Rebecca Long Bailey and Richard Burgon. The group said it hopes the Labour leadership backs the measures.

A clear majority of people would back Scottish independence

A clear majority of people would back Scottish independence in a fresh referendum, according to a new poll showing a record level of support. The survey by pollsters Ipsos MORI found that 58 per cent of those who said they were likely to vote in an independence referendum would vote Yes while 42 per cent would opt for No. Boris Johnson has consistently rejected calls from the SNP to grant the Scottish Parliament the powers to hold a second vote, insisting in January that it would “continue the political stagnation that Scotland has seen for the last decade”. The prime minister has also said the 2014 referendum, in which Scots voted against independence by 55-44 per cent, was a “once in a generation” ballot.

Mexico's water and sanitation crisis

Mexico's water and sanitation crisis Water supply and sanitation in Mexico has experienced both great achievements and continued challenges. Over the last two decades, Mexico saw a significant nationwide increase in access to piped water supply and improved sanitation in both urban and rural areas. The challenges include water scarcity in certain parts of the country; inadequate drinking water quality and wastewater treatment, and poor technical and commercial efficiency of most utilities. More than half of Mexican households with access to piped water receive services on an intermittent basis, particularly in smaller municipalities and poor areas. Now more than ever access to safe water is critical to the health of families in Mexico so they can prepare and protect themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases. 904,000 Lack access to safe water Mexico Capital: Mexico City Population of 129 million 904,000 lack access to safe water 11 million lack access to improved sanitation Our impact in Mexico Water.org completed a market assessment in Mexico in 2017. We found opportunities in the central and southern parts of the country where there are pockets of communities without access to networked water and sanitation systems and a robust microfinance market served by a variety of types of institutions. We are primarily working with associations of microfinance institutions in Mexico. Through this approach, we aim to empower apex institutions by equipping them with the technical skills and training they need to build the capacity of their microfinance institutions. Our partners disbursed their first loans for water and sanitation at the end of 2019. Water.org sees great potential in Mexico and is in the process of evaluating and scoping new market opportunities. We continue to refine our strategy in the country and explore ways to accelerate impact through new partnerships at the local and regional level.