Silvia Mancilla, spokesperson of Oxfam Mexico said:

“It’s hard to get precise information at this stage on the number of people that are missing. The local government sent rescue teams in the morning from Oaxaca City but as of this afternoon they have not been able to access the area. Access is extremely difficult and dangerous. Helicopters are struggling to land as heavy rainfalls continue in the region.

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On Friday 1st of October, Oxfam Ireland will launch a collection of T-shirts by leading Irish fashion designers. Oxfam has partnered up with A|wear, Ireland’s leading female fashion retailer to supply the designs.

Oxfam, in collaboration with independent Irish T-shirt label Turtlehead, commissioned five fashion designers to create a collection of limited edition T-shirts to help support Oxfam’s climate change campaign.

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This afternoon, the Guardian facilitated a live web chat with TckTckTck executive director Kelly Rigg.

The public posed questions about TckTckTck funding, the role of China in climate negotiations, climate fatalism and many other issues.

Have a look for yourself and let me know what you think.

Marks & Spencer today announces its first ever Suit Exchange Scheme in partnership with Oxfam. Launching in Northern Ireland, the initiative gives men the chance to trade in their old M&S suits in exchange for money off a brand new one this autumn.

Between the 5th October and the 11th November 2010, customers can donate their old M&S suit in-store* and receive a £30 off voucher for their next M&S suit purchase in-store**. The scheme, lasting five weeks, will run in ten stores across Northern Ireland.

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Here are some of the latest happenings from the world of climate change;

• Mary Robinson and Wangari Maathai have called for women to influence the current narrative on climate change.
• The International Maritime Organisation is meeting in London this week.  Oxfam will be highlighting the need to secure new and additional climate finance from international transport
• Is climate change causing Kilimanjaro’s icy summit to melt or are there other factors?
• Is the recent weather in Russia, making some commentators re-adjust their assumptions on climate change?

By 2050, more than 40% of China’s landscape could be covered in artificial forest.

Legislative measure have resulted in ordinary Chinese people planting roughly 56 billion trees across China in the last decade and currently there is 20% forest cover.  Some of the proposed advantages of the afforestation project are;

• The halting of China’s fast moving deserts in the west and the north.
• Improved carbon absorption.

However there are critics who claim that man-made forests have put excessive pressure on water resources, do not facilitate biodiversity and are not as effective at addressing the effects of climate change as existing forests.

Is China on the right path with this massive tree planting programme?

Tagua nut stacked rings in red, orange or purple

The Oxfam Ireland Fair Trade shops have just received new styles of jewellery made in South America from the tagua nut. The tagua nuts come from the ivory palm tree (often called vegetable ivory for its similar properties) which grows only in the rainforests of Ecuador and Peru. Once it reaches maturity a tree will bear fruit for up to a century!

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Oxfam George’s St is looking for enthusiastic volunteers who will donate four hours per week of their time to sort and price clothes, bric-a-brac, books and music, operate the till, serve bridal customers or arrange our displays, to make the shop a friendly and welcoming place for customers.

Full training will be given, so either pop into the shop in Georges Street (next to The George pub) and pick up an application form, or ring 01-4780777 and speak to Solène or Kayoko. Minimum commitment of 3 months.

Emma Seery, Oxfam’s spokesperson, said:

“The summit has been a mirage. The promises look good from a distance, but the details are hard to see, and when the world’s poorest people most need help, pledges could still vanish into thin air.”

“While leaders celebrated a big package of money for global health, they failed to acknowledge their collective disastrous failure to meet their aid targets, which is putting the lives of women and children at risk daily. With five short years to the MDGs deadline, another global summit has passed and the world’s poor are still waiting for when they will see a difference in their lives. We need answers on how the money that’s been promised will be raised, and the hard work starts today.”

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Miriam O’Callaghan was joined on RTE Primetime by Emma Seery of Oxfam in New York to discuss why the Millennium Development Goals have failed to materialise.

Oxfam’s Food Policy expert Chris Leathers at the MDG summit in NY was interviewed in the 6pm RTE News with Richard Downes