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VENEZUELA: Ruling class becomes increasingly desperate

BY CHRISTIANO KERRILA When Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez was elected in 1998, the country's capitalist class viewed him as an irritating populist. After his government introduced a democratic constitution and a set of progressive laws, which

SOUTH KOREA: 'Anti-dispatch' movement opposes troops to Iraq

BY LEE YU KYUNG On September 16, representatives of more than 360 South Korean organisations, including trade unions, student unions and progressive parties, announced their opposition to any decision by the Seoul government to send combat soldiers

Abbott's latest attack: Defend the right to strike!

BY SUE BOLTON Any white-collar worker or member of an industrially weak union is kidding themselves if they think that the federal Coalition government's legislation restricting the rights of building workers won't also affect them. At the press

Ruddock 'celebrated'

BY KATRINA HECKENDORF SYDNEY — On September 22, the "Friends of Philip Ruddock" celebrated his 30th year in parliament. Partygoers paid more than $100 each to join the immigration minister, Prime Minister John Howard and a long list of other

Labor backs 'big brother' powers

BY DALE MILLS A law presently before federal parliament, if passed by the Senate, would allow immigration officials to collect "biometric data" on all non-citizens entering Australia. Biometric data includes records of a person's face, iris,

IRAQ: Chirac ready to cut a deal with Bush

BY DOUG LORIMER While French President Jacques Chirac used the opportunity of his speech to the UN General Assembly on September 23 to criticise Washington's decision to invade Iraq without UN Security Council authorisation, he also indicated that

BOLIVIA: Security forces massacre 'gas war' protesters

BY BENJAMIN DANGL COCHABAMBA — A new cycle of conflict has developed in Bolivia as trade unionists, coca farmers and ordinary citizens unite to prevent the sale of the country's gas reserves to the United States. In Bolivia, a country whose

Bush visit sparks anti-war protest preparations

BY NORM DIXON Activists around Australia are preparing for big anti-war protests to coincide with the visit to Australia by US President George Bush. Bush is expected to arrive any time after October 21. The biggest protest is likely to be in

WA teachers rally for public education

BY CHRIS LATHAM PERTH — On September 24, 500 angry public school teachers rallied outside the Western Australian parliament to demand that Premier Geoff Gallop's Labor government agree to the log of claims their union has put to the government.

UNITED STATES: Why antiwar movement should demand 'US troops out now!'

BY PAUL D'AMATO CHICAGO — Ted Glick, a leading antiwar activist, recently wrote an article titled "The United Nations and Iraq", which makes the most coherent case for a phased withdrawal of US troops and its replacement by a UN-led occupation.

BRITAIN: 100,000 condemn Tony 'B-liar'

BY NORM DIXON Around 100,000 protesters filled the streets of London on September 27 to oppose the US-led occupation of Iraq and to demand that British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour government pull British troops out of Iraq. There was a sea

BRITAIN: Hutton inquiry finishes hearings

BY ROHAN PEARCE The inquiry into the apparent suicide of David Kelly, an advisor to the British defence ministry who was involved in compiling British Prime Minister Tony Blair's September 2002 dossier on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction,