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WESTERN SAHARA: The wall of shame

Ron Guy A wall can take many forms. It can be the 2400 kilometres of earth — and estimated three million landmines — that separate the Western Saharan people from their homeland. Or it can be a wall of silence. Recently, I joined a delegation

Labor rams through road bill

Paul Oboohov, Canberra The ACT Labor government, with the support of the Liberal MLAs, rammed a bill through the ACT Legislative Assembly on May 25 to make the Gungahlin Drive extension immune from planning and environmental legislation. The

COLOMBIA: Workers halt privatisation process

Alison Dellit Colombian oil workers have returned to work after a victorious 37-day strike against the privatisation of the state-run oil company Ecopetrol. Colombia's government has been progressively privatising Ecopetrol through a restructure

On the box

Steps for the Future: A Miner's Tale — From seven different countries in southern Africa comes this unique collection of films which deal with the ever-present danger and tragedy of HIV/AIDS. SBS, Tuesday, June 15, 1.25am. Cutting Edge: The

BRITAIN: The de-fanging of the Mirror

John Pilger Piers Morgan, the editor of the Daily Mirror, Britain's most famous mass-circulation newspaper, was sacked on May 14 because he ran the only English-language popular paper to expose the "war on terror" as a fraud and the invasion of

Our Common Cause: If you don't fight, you lose

During the past 20 years, our life at work has become more stressful, unsafe and unrewarding. Some of us are taking home more money, but often the price is double shifts, enforced overtime and less time for family and leisure. Others are working two

CYPRUS: Washington seeks new military base

Steven Katsineris The US wants to upgrade its half-century intelligence presence on Cyprus into a fully fledged army base when the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides agree on reunification, according to a report by Iason Athanasiadis in the March 6

News briefs #1

#1 Teachers endorse further action SYDNEY — On June 2, 98% of teachers at Sky Channel-linked meetings across NSW voted in favour of further industrial action if the state government fails to fund a salaries increase from outside the existing

IRAQ: US still calls the shots

Doug Lorimer The selection of Iyad Allawi as prime minister of the Iraqi "interim government" is a clear demonstration that Washington has no intention of relinquishing its control over Iraq on June 30. Allawi was selected as Iraq's new PM on May

Global warming: has the meltdown has begun?

Norm Dixon Hollywood's global warming apocalypse flick, The Day After Tomorrow, has focused attention on how the melting of polar ice, the Arctic tundra and the world's glaciers can trigger abrupt climate change. There is now overwhelming evidence

Release all the children!

Dianne Hiles, Sydney The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) undertook an inquiry during 2002 into children in immigration detention. On May 13, the report, "A Last Resort?", and its recommendations were tabled, very quietly, in

We can avert a refugee crisis

Cam Walker World Refugee Day, marked on June 20, is a chance to acknowledge both the plight and the courage of refugees. It could also be a day for reflection on another looming crisis: the beginning of a new wave of refugees fleeing human-induced