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Russia faces financial meltdown

By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — Partly as a result of President Boris Yeltsin's efforts to buy himself victory in the June 16 elections, Russia in coming months is due to experience its most severe financial shocks since the policies of "reform" began

Calls for controls on new smelter

By Andrew Hall WOLLONGONG — Some 350 people attended a May 8 meeting to discuss the reopening of the Southern Copper smelter, closed for economic reasons since early 1995. The Coalition for Economic Advancement, which is coordinating the bid to

Greenhouse alliance formed

By Lisa Macdonald Hundreds of people rallied in Australia's cities on May 15 to mark World Climate Day, a non-government day of action to heighten awareness about global climate change. On the same day, several environment and development groups

Don't look now, but is that a black hole?

By Allen Myers It's an article of faith in the new federal Coalition government that it inherited a "black hole" budget deficit of $8 billion from its Labor predecessor. This alleged black hole immediately became the justification for sweeping

May Day celebrated internationally

An estimated 1.3 million people gathered in Havana's Revolution Plaza on May 1, the biggest May Day celebration in Cuba's history. In the country's second largest city, Santiago de Cuba, another 300,000 marched. Tens of thousands more celebrated in

De Klerk bails out as constitution passes

By Norm Dixon National Party leader F.W. de Klerk on May 9 announced that his party will withdraw from South Africa's government of national unity (GNU) on June 30. The sudden announcement finally ends the apartheid party's 48-year continuous

Battle to preserve Tomago sand beds

By Jane Beckmann NEWCASTLE — The Tomago Sandbeds Action Group (TSAG) is fighting to stop the mining company RZM from destroying old growth forests, threatening endangered species and polluting the aquifer at Tomago. It set up a blockade on May 10

Worth a second look

Power Without Glory Published in the early 1950s, Frank Hardy's Power Without Glory has as its central theme the corruption inherent in capitalism. John West in the early 1890s sets up an illegal tote in the poor working-class suburb of

Students say: enough is enough!

By Vaarunika Dharmapala PERTH — Chanting "Stop the cuts — enough is enough!", "Education for all, not just the rich" and "Students united will never be defeated!", almost 700 students rallied here on May 15. This lively and militant "student

Letter from the US: Affirmative action threatened

Part and parcel of the capitalist offensive against working people in the United States is the drive by both the Democrats and Republicans to trim back the gains won by blacks and other people of colour, and by women. One aspect of this campaign

News briefs

British feminist speaks ADELAIDE — On May 8, a meeting organised by the South Australian Women's Caucus heard well-known British feminist Beatrix Campbell speak about the impact of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's policies on

When courses meet the market, students lose

By Mark Bahnisch and Sacha Blumen BRISBANE — At least one department has been closed at the University of Queensland; it has completely disappeared, though nary a word has been heard from our student union. The Russian Department has been