News In Brief...

* A wombles (White Overalls Movement Building Libertarian Effective Struggles) groups has set up in Bristol 07904 097065 bristolwombles@hushmail.com

* 300 people participated in an RTS in Leuven Belgium, on Sept 15th. The RTS coincided with a meeting of EU Transport ministers www.groenfront.nl/english

* www.seedswapper.com is a free, not-for-profit seed swapping website

* The 1st report of the government’s Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission “Crops on Trial” (published Sept 10th) has been highly critical of the validity of government sponsored Farm Scale Trials. This may cause some setbacks to commercialisation. Independent 10/9/01

* Riot police turned out in Sigalens, South-west France on Sept 1st where 250 activists had gathered to destroy 3 GM maize fields. This is the first major police intervention on a French GM action. On Sept 15th near Paris, 40 people destroyed a GM beet test crop

* On Sept 13th angry farmers in South Sulawesi, Indonesia ritually burnt around 2 tons of Monsanto’s Bt-cotton with the cry “Go to hell Monsanto”. Source Allsorts

* Aug 29th around 800 farmers trashed a field of Monsanto Bt-corn plants in Maltana, Philippines

* The websites of the Earth First Journal, Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front in the US have all mysteriously been removed from the internet

* A Manchester man reported twice trying (and failing) to log-on to his hotmail account. On the third attempt he was delivered an automated message telling him his account had been terminated as “it was not in the interests of US security”

* 3 Spanish anarchists charged with placing bombs in Madrid are in jail despite the judges admitting there was no real evidence against them. inforepresion@yahoo.es

* In response to ‘offensive’ articles, the Disabled Action Network protested at the Guardian newspaper’s Manchester offices in Sept. Source: Loombreaker

* Work was stopped for a few hours by an occupation of the site for a new MacDonald’s in Reddish after planning permission had been sneaked through. Source: Loombreaker

* During a speech on Oct 9th Phil Watts, chairman of Royal Dutch Shell, made the remarkable claim that Shell was preparing for “[the] end of the Hydrocarbon Age.”(?!)

* It is estimated at least 100 Canadians symbolically ate their ballots at the last federal election and 3 now face criminal charges carrying max 5 years in jail or up to $5000 fine under laws designed to stop people destroying other peoples ballots http://edibleballot.tao.ca

* Scottish Genetix Action have launched a website - www.scottishgenetixaction.org