Natural calamities in the South Pacific have been dominating the news over the past fortnight, with India, the latest region affected. The Wire found out more... Featured in story: Vasanti Hari Prakash, senior journalist with Indian TV station, NDTV; Senior Country Program Co-ordinator with World Vision Australia, Ian Dawes.

Ampilatwatja is a small community three hundred kilometres north east of Alice Springs. A few months ago, the residents walked out of town to protest the atrocious living conditions post-NORTHERN TERRITORY intervention. Now, they’ve moved even further, they’re in SYDNEY tonight starting a National tour to promote awareness of their plight in the N-T. In this interview, Ampilatwatja spokesmanand one of the speakers on the tour - Richard Downs.

South Australian politician David Winderlich has until today been the last Democrat left standing in Australian politics. A couple of months ago he threw down the gauntlet to his party, saying said that unless they recruited a thousand new numbers he would be leaving They only managed a hundred and most of those were recruited by Winderlich himself He says the party’s attitude led to his decision today to leave the Democrats and become an independent.

With no members in any parliament and many of the issues they stood for replaced by more environmental concerns, the Democrats do seem to be a spent force. Politics lecturer from the University of Adelaide Clem McIntyre says that while they may remain as a political party, David Winderlich's departure almost definitely marks the end of the Democrats as any kind of political force.

Some people say melting glaciers in the Arctic are a natural phenomenon and have nothing to do with man-made global warming. But for others, the melting glaciers are the canary in the coal mine; a global call to action. Experienced Australian explorer, Eric Philips, is just back from a three-month expedition to the North Pole. Onboard Greenpeace icebreaker, Arctic Sunrise, Eric led a group of independent scientists to record and bear witness to the melting glaciers. As safety guide to those on board, Eric kept the scientists safe on the glaciers, pack ice and from polar bears. Eric has been awarded the Medal of Order of Australia for his achievements in polar exploration and has made numerous documentaries about his experiences in some of the coldest and most dangerous places in the world. The Wire’s Hannah Chipperfield asked Eric what he saw in the Arctic.