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Cyanide spill reveals the cost of gold By Jim Green The environmental and political fallout from a major cyanide spill at a Romanian gold and silver mine on January 30 continues to spread. Aurul Gold, the Baia Mare mine operator, is half-owned by
Amnesty backs new trial for Mumia Amnesty International (AI) on February 17 called for a new trial for US political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal because his original trial was "deeply flawed". After many years of monitoring the case and an exhaustive
By Bea Brear SYDNEY — With International Olympics Committee (IOC) chief Juan Antonio Samaranch in town on February 16, the Sydney offices of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) became the focus of an angry rally. One
By Jon Land DILI — East Timorese workers at the floating Hotel Olympia and Amos W. complex have won better wages and conditions following a 24-hour sit-in strike. The action, which began on February 10, involved 40 hospitality and housekeeping
Pressure mounts to abolish mandatory sentencing By Jo Ellis DARWIN — The death in custody of a 15-year-old Aboriginal youth on February 10 has increased calls for the abolition of mandatory sentencing laws in the Northern Territory and Western
By Sue Boland To convince voters that harmful policies will be "good" for them in the long run, politicians need to create the impression that they are honest and trustworthy, and that they are concerned about people's suffering. Politicians do not
Humane " ... my heart goes out to those who may be suffering." — Esmerelda Exploration chairperson Brett Montgomery explaining why his company is refusing to accept responsibility for the contamination of water downstream from the cyanide spill
ACI workers picket CUB MELBOURNE — Locked out workers from the ACI glass mould manufacturing plant in Box Hill picketed the Carlton and United Breweries plant in Abbotsford on February 17. The picket, which involved 50 people and lasted four
By Kerry Baker HOBART — Last September, the University of Tasmania student union held a referendum on whether or not to create a "men's officer" position on the Student Representative Council (SRC). Because of the way the proposal was phrased,
SA education workers demand better pay and conditions By Bronwen Beechey ADELAIDE — The Australian Education Union (AEU) and the South Australian Liberal government returned to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) on February
Unemployed Many of Australia's 3 million unemployed and underemployed will take a cynical view of the Prime Minister's handling of the National Textiles situation. Forcing company administrators and creditors to accept a "deed of arrangement" in
On February 7, Israel launched a devastating series of bombings against civilian areas in Lebanon, which injured 17 civilians and destroyed three major electrical power plants. The Israeli air strikes followed a series of successful military actions