Climate Strike: At UN, Youth Activists Press For Bold Action
This first-ever UN Youth Climate Summit follows Friday’s global ‘climate strike’, which saw millions of young people from across the globe walk out of school and jam streets in major cities, from New York to New Delhi and Santiago to San Francisco. More>>

ALSO:

• School Strike 4 Climate - 4 days until intergenerational climate strike
• The Nation - Simon Shepherd Interviews James Shaw
• National - Coal use increasing under Labour-Green policies
• NZ Council of Trade Unions - NZCTU calls on employers to release staff for Climate Strike
• Interim Climate Change Committee - Interim Climate Change Committee Call for evidence launched
• Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre - Climate change is here - we all need to do our part
• University of Queensland - Preventing climate change cheaper than dealing with damage
• Video via UNFCCC - Winners of 2019 Global Youth Video Competition
• Binoy Kampmark - Extinction Rebellion: Leaving it to the Students
• Greenpeace - Major IPCC report: ‘The climate crisis is an oceans crisis’
• Citizen News Service - Inside out: Climate change induced migration
• ITUC - Just Transition for climate ambition

Pacific Island Forum: Australia v Everyone Else On Climate Action
Traditionally, communiques capture the consensus reached at the meeting. In this case, the division on display between Australia and the Pacific meant the only commitment is to commission yet another report into what action needs to be taken. More>>

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• RNZ - Australian PM's attitude 'neo-colonial' says Tuvalu
• Binoy Kampmark - Condescension and Climate Change - Denying Climate Change and Boosting China’s Threat
• NZ Govt - NZ boosts support for climate action across the Pacific - Prime Minister to attend Pacific Islands Forum
• RNZ - PM Ardern to tackle climate change conversation in Tuvalu
• Oxfam - Ardern must meet Pacific calls
• 350.org - Pacific Pawa Shift Builds Momentum to Climate Action Summit
• West Papua Action Auckland - Ardern urged to support West Papua at Pacific Islands Forum

For NZ, It Was May 6: Earth Overshoot Day 2019 Is The Earliest Ever
Humanity is currently using nature 1.75 times faster than our planet’s ecosystems can regenerate. This is akin to using 1.75 Earths... More>>

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• Out-Link - Country Overshoot Days 2019 – Earth Overshoot Day

Asylum: More Manus Refugees Fly To US But Hundreds Still In Limbo
“The US deal was never going to provide enough places for the refugees Australia has held on Manus and Nauru. There are over 1800 refugees needing resettlement,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition. More>>

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• UN - 1.4 million refugees set to need urgent resettlement in 2020 - UN rights experts urge more protection for LGBTI refugees
• Refugee Action Coalition - Manus Crisis Reaching Breaking Point
• ACRT - Australian Churches Back Medevac
• Image via RNZ - World Refugee Day: Nothing to celebrate on Manus and Nauru

Food Security: African Swine Fever Rapidly Spreading In Asia
African Swine Fever is rapidly spreading in East and Southeast Asia threatening food security and livelihoods of households relying on pig farming... More>>

ALSO:

• Harrington's Smallgoods - Kiwi Pork Needs to Be Protected

"NZ Leadership Needed": Japan Resume Commercial Whaling
The Green Party is deeply concerned by Japan’s resumption of commercial whaling, Green Party Animal Welfare Spokesperson Gareth Hughes said today. More>>

ALSO:

• Image out-link - WordRidden on Flickr

Gordon Campbell: On Collective Punishment In Venezuela
Yemen, Venezuela, Iran, Gaza… beyond the particulars of their suffering, each of these countries currently share one thing in common: their ordinary citizens are being subjected to collective punishment, in order to bring about regime change. More>>

Widely Ignored Report: 40,000 Dead Venezuelans Under US Sanctions
A new report on April 25 by a respected think tank has estimated that US sanctions imposed on Venezuela in August 2017 have caused around 40,000 deaths... Additional sanctions imposed in January 2019 are likely to lead to tens of thousands of further deaths. More>>

ALSO:

• Caitlin Johnstone - Trump Has Murdered Over 40,000 Venezuelans With Sanctions
• Image Out-Link - Venezuela Lost 20 Billion Dollars due to Foreign Sanctions | periodico26.cu

Gordon Campbell: On The Left-Wing Victory In Spain
Portugal and Spain continue to be striking exceptions to the rise of rightwing populism in Europe, a fact that’s commonly explained by the relatively recent experience both countries have had of living under fascist regimes. (Franco in Spain, and Salazar in Portugal.)
That horrific past still seems very much alive in the minds of voters... More>>

Easter Bombings Kill Hundreds: UN, World Leaders Condemn Sri Lanka Attacks
More than 200 have been killed and hundreds injured by a series of explosions inside churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, as Christians gathered for services to celebrate Easter.. More>>

ALSO:

• RNZ - Sri Lanka blasts: Vigil, letter of support from NZ - Sri Lanka attack 'devastating' - Grant Robertson
• NZ Govt - Prime Minister sends condolences to Sri Lanka
• Binoy Kampmark - Lethal Bungling: Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings
• Waitakere Indian Association - Waitakere Indian Association statement on Sri Lanka
• Islamic Women's Council of NZ - Condolences to our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka
• Jewish Council - Sri Lanka - Terrorist Attack

Rachel Pammeyrol Reports: Notre-Dame Severely Damaged In Fire
An accident during renovation works started the fire, according to preliminary investigation. The cathedral spire quickly collapsed and most of the roof was reduced to ashes... More>>

ALSO:

• Binoy Kampmark - Burning Gothic: Reflections on Notre-Dame de Paris
• Out-Link - How the far right is trying to turn Notre Dame into the next Reichstag Fire | The Spinoff
• Ramzy Baroud - Notre Dame of Gaza: Mosques and Churches are Also Burning

Dog's Brexit: UK MPs Vote Against Amended Deal
MPs in UK's House of Commons this morning have rejected British Prime Minister Theresa May's amended Brexit deal... If a no-deal option is rejected, MPs could get a vote on Friday on whether to request a delay to Brexit from the EU. More>>

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• RNZ - UK MPs Vote Against No-Deal Brexit
• Gordon Campbell - Gordon Campbell on tax dodges, and the Brexit vote
• BusinessDesk - NZD slips against pound as British MPs prepare to vote - NZ dollar higher against British pound on Brexit jitters
• deVere - A second Brexit vote is the only credible solution

Climate Change: The World Talks While Kiribati Suffers
As public discussion on climate change and ways to arrest its impact continue around the world, one of many low-lying atolls in the Pacific wrestles with the issue right now. More>>

Gordon Campbell On Kashmir Escalation And... Why This Guy Shouldn’t Get Nukes
All but unnoticed, two of the world’s nuclear powers have been preparing to go to war this week. Military action has been ramping up between India and Pakistan over (as usual) the disputed territory of Kashmir... More>>

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• NZ Govt - NZ expresses concern at tensions in Jammu and Kashmir - Tabuteau to visit the Gulf to strengthen links

Gordon Campbell: On The Anti-Corbyn Split In British Labour
The resignation of seven UK Labour MPs in protest against the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn is another example of the centre-left’s readiness to sabotage its own cause ... More>>

The Gili Islands: A Community Earthquake Recovery Effort
Joseph Cederwall travelled to the Gili Islands in October 2018 to talk to locals about their experiences of the event and witness the impact and the rebuild efforts on this unique ecotourism destination. More>>

Gordon Campbell: On Why We Shouldn’t Support The US-Led Coup In Venezuela
There’s a decidedly retro feel to the US-engineered coup now unfolding in Venezuela, which looks like a throwback to the 1950s, back when the US could overthrow any country (Iran 1953, Guatemala 1954) that posed a problem (or presented an opportunity) for US corporate interests. More>>

ALSO:

• Joseph Cederwall - Venezuela; Oil, Neoliberalism and White Supremacy
• The Scoop Team - PM's Post-Cabinet Press Conference 29/1/19: Low Finance
• RNZ - Australia supports Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido (and NZ stays out of it) - What you need to know about the latest crisis in Venezuela
• National - New Zealand must support democracy in Venezuela
• ACT - Ardern’s silence on Venezuela telling
• Maria Ayala - Open Letter to Rt. Hon. Winston Peters
• United Nations - UN calls for dialogue to ease tensions in Venezuela - Solidarity Needed to Overcome Attacks on Venezuela Refugees - Venezuela: At least 20 dead, situation could rapidly spiral
• Binoy Kampmark - Everybody Else’s Business: Coup Fever in Venezuela
• Jim Miles - Canada and Huawei; Canada and Venezuela
• Access Now - Social media shutdown in Venezuela a warning
• Paul Martin - Venezuelan Madness

Gordon Campbell: On The Ongoing Carnage In Gaza
The past month has devoted a lot of space to the best music and films of 2018, and far less to the past year’s human rights violations. The under-reporting on the ongoing carnage in Gaza has been a case in point. More>>

ALSO:

• Ramzy Baroud - When Bolsonaro and Netanyahu Are ‘Brothers’

New Report: Refugees In PNG Being Pushed To The Brink
Refugee Council of Australia and Amnesty International paint a stark picture of a traumatised refugee population hit hard by Australia's recent healthcare and counselling service cuts, as well as continued threats to their safety. More>>

ALSO:

• Amnesty International - Australian and PNG leaders must act urgently to save lives

Deal On Paris Implementation: Rapid Action Urged At Climate Change Conference
Following a year of devastating climate disasters around the globe, from California to Kerala, and Tonga to Japan, the annual UN Climate Change Conference opens with the goal of finalising the implementation guidelines for the Paris Climate Change Agreement. More>>

ALSO:

• Out-Link - COP24: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Katowice | Carbon Brief
• RNZ - UN climate conference agreement: Mixed reactions - Climate change risk assessment faces uninsurable 'conundrum'
• United Nations - At COP24, world nations agree on a concrete way forward - New Era of Global Climate Action To Begin - UN Secretary-General's remarks at the conclusion of the COP2 - ‘Going green’ is good business says private sector at UN - COP24 addresses climate change displacement - G20 told COP24 climate change conference 'must succeed' - CO2 emissions on the rise for first time in four years - UN - #TakeYourSeat at the UN Climate Change Conference
• Carbon Market Watch - COP24 countries fail to agree on basic accounting principles
• Greenpeace NZ - COP24 ends without firm promises to raise climate action - NZ called on by global leaders to step up at COP24
• NZ Govt - Climate Change Minister James Shaw COP24 comments - Conference to write rules on climate change action
• Global Climate and Health Alliance - COP24 Must Put Health First in Climate Negotiations - Lancet Countdown Climate and Health Report
• Maori Climate Commissioner - Culture of climate change denial - Maori Climate Commissioner demands government response
• NZ Climate And Health - Major health report shows urgent climate action needed
• Association of Salaried Medical Specialists - Senior doctors urge action on climate change
• SPREP - The battle for 1.5 at the UN Climate Conference in Poland
• Iwi Chairs Forum - National Iwi Chairs Forum Delegation at COP24 UNCCC Katowice
• BusinessDesk - Govt opens $238M of grants to encourage tree planting
• NZ Energy and Environment Business Week - Crown Minerals Act Review coming, as DoC mining ban delayed
• University of Otago - Cycle lanes and walkways cut car use