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Worrying rise in US immune diseases

By Peter Montague In 1987, about 45% of US residents were living with one or more chronic conditions (a term that includes chronic diseases and impairments). In 1935, the proportion was 22%, so chronic conditions have approximately doubled

Melbourne Uni deal jeopardises staff-student unity

By Ben Reid and Jo Williams MELBOURNE — Members of the National Tertiary Education and Industry Union (NTEU) at Melbourne University on April 9 voted by a narrow margin to accept an administration offer in the current round of enterprise

Rafting company attacked over threat to wilderness

By Amanda Sully and Mat Hines HOBART — The environment movement has deplored the rafting company Peregrine Adventures' use of the Mt McCall track in Tasmania's west. Contradicting the world heritage management plan, the federal government has

Library campaign: three rallies and a partial victory

Library campaign: three rallies and a partial victory By Alex Bainbridge and Rebecca Hensley NEWCASTLE — On April 11, Newcastle University Council agreed to review its decision to close the Huxley Library, after hundreds of students

Action updates

Call for Foster's boycott MELBOURNE — The Ethical Investment Group has called for a boycott of Foster's beer and other Carlton United Brewery products because of the company's involvement in Burma. Foster's has been operating in Burma,

The National Front in action

By Sam Wainwright PARIS — It is certainly not exaggeration or scaremongering to call the National Front (FN) fascist. Of course, given France's experience of Nazi occupation, the FN hotly rejects the label. But its leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen,

Letter from the US: If you don't fight, you'll never know

By Barry Sheppard SAN FRANCISCO — On March 25, at the beginning of what turned out to be my last shift as an operator at the Unocal oil refinery in northern California, the forewoman told my crew to collect our personal belongings at the end

Indonesians to boycott rigged elections

Indonesians to boycott rigged elections By Max Lane The militant section of the Indonesian pro-democracy movement has launched a campaign to galvanise the general sentiment to boycott the May 29 general elections into an active movement to

Strasbourg says no to the fascists

By Sam Wainwright PARIS — The shock of seeing Jean-Marie Le Pen's fascist National Front (FN) win the mayoral elections in the town of Vitrolles, the fourth town to fall under its control, has sparked widespread concern and debate about the

Inspection savaged in Victoria

By Sue Bolton MELBOURNE — A survey of 78 local governments conducted by the Victorian state parliamentary Labor Party, results of which were made public on April 9, revealed a massive drop in the number of food inspectors. This follows the

and ain't i a woman?: Abortion rights under attack — again!

Abortion rights under attack — again!Abortion rights under attack — again! In late March the Queensland parliament passed an amendment to the criminal code proposed by independent MP Liz Cunningham. The amendment to section 313, which

Mobutu's days numbered as rebels take key cities

By Norm Dixon "We're advancing, we're heading for Kinshasa. That is our objective ... this is the time for Mobutu to go", declared rebel leader Laurent Kabila on April 8 before a crowd of 50,000 cheering supporters in Mbuji-Mayi, the capital of