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Amiri Baraka: 'I will not resign!'

BY NORM DIXON Amiri Baraka — a famous African-American poet and political activist who, as LeRoi Jones, wrote the classic book Blues People in the 1960s — is under attack for a poem he wrote about the 9/11 attacks, titled "Somebody Blew Up

INDONESIA: Bali attack intensifies political crisis

BY MAX LANE JAKARTA — As of October 18, the Indonesian police investigating the terrorist bombing of the Sari night club on October 12 — which killed nearly 200 foreign tourists and Indonesian workers — have not announced any clear

Crimes of the world's wildest rogue state

Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only SuperpowerBy William BlumZed Books, 2002308 pages, $24.95 (pb) REVIEW BY PHIL SHANNON Dossier season is upon us it seems. British Prime Minister Tony Blair's September 24 dossier on Iraq was spectacularly

PALESTINE: Promised aid not delivered

BY ROHAN PEARCE Although most leaders of the Arab countries claim to support for the Palestinian national liberation struggle, a recent report by the 22-member Arab League indicates that this commitment is primarily verbal. The October 15 Jordan

Troubles for gay and lesbian events

BY MAURICE FARRELL SYDNEY — Reporting on its 2002 readership survey, the October 10 Sydney Star Observer stated that “the gay and lesbian market remains buoyant, despite the difficulties faced this year by peak event-based community

Anti-war protest set for November 30

BY NICK EVERETT SYDNEY — On October 14, a meeting of the Palm Sunday Committee agreed to establish a new coalition of Sydney anti-war groups to organise a "walk against the war" on November 30 around the slogans "No war on Iraq! No Australian

Loose cannons

Like lots of oil "Iraq has unique characteristics that distinguish it." — US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, October 18, responding to a reporter's question: "If Iraq's a candidate for pre-emptive military action because it might be

Latin America's struggle for justice discussed

BY ROBERTO JORQUERA SYDNEY — The 35th anniversary of the death of Ernesto Che Guevara was marked with a seminar, entitled "Latin America's struggle for justice". More than 100 people participated. The gathering was initiated by Committees in

UNITED STATES: 'I sought to counter a grave injustice'

[The following statement was made by Ana Belen Monte to a US district court in Washington, DC, on October 16, before being sentenced to a 25-year prison term. She pleaded guilty in March to having spied for Cuba from the time she started work at the

Historic Cunningham vote turns 'Gong Green

BY BELINDA SELKE WOLLONGONG — The Greens have wrested the federal seat of Cunningham from the ALP, following an historic vote in Saturday's by-election. Greens candidate Michael Organ won roughly 23% of the primary vote, while the ALP's Sharon

EL SALVADOR: 50,000 march against privatisation

BY NORM DIXON The streets of El Salvador's capital San Salvador were flooded as more than 50,000 people marched on October 16 in a resounding rejection of the privatisation of health care. Doctors, nurses, medical students and health workers were

ZIMBABWE: Teachers fired for striking

BY TAFADZWA CHOTO HARARE — More than 600 teachers have been fired for striking for better pay, it was reported on October 15. The state-controlled Herald newspaper reported that 627 members of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ)