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GERMANY: Left Party polls higher than Greens

According to a June 29 Forsa poll, the new Left Party, formed by an alliance between the Party of Democratic Socialism and the Electoral Alternative for Jobs and Social Justice (WASG) could expect 11% of the vote in the September 18 parliamentary

PALESTINE: Settlers attempt lynching

Israelis have reacted with shock and outrage to images broadcast on television on June 29 of a bunch of right-wing extremists trying to stone an unconscious Palestinian teenager to death in the Gaza Strip. The incident started when young men from an

WORLD TRIBUNAL: Iraq needs justice, not occupation

Rohan Pearce "In February 2003, weeks before war was declared on Iraq, millions of people protested in the streets of the world. That call went unheeded. No international institution had the courage or conscience to stand up to the aggression of

The voices you love to hate

InfluenceWritten by David WilliamsonDirected by Bruce MylesStarring John Waters, Octavia Barron-Martin, Zoe Carides and Vanessa DowningMelbourne Theatre CompanyAt the Playbox, Melbourne, until August 30 REVIEW BY VANNESSA HEARMAN Influence is

Indigenous prisoners broadcast

BY BREE MCKILLIGAN For the fourth year running, Australia's only prison radio broadcasts will go to air. Indigenous prisoners in Victoria will be broadcasting live radio from July 4-8 on community radio 3CR during NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and

INDONESIA: Suharto-era spy network revived

James Balowski, Jakarta After criticisms that intelligence agencies had failed to prevent a May 28 deadly bomb blast at a crowded market in central Sulawesi, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered regional governments to revive the Regional

Maleny protesters prepare to confront developers

Jim McIlroy, Brisbane "Now's the time — we're in the trenches", Platypus Action Group spokesperson John Woodlands told protesters on June 24. "Enough is enough. It's now or never.... We're not moving until we save this place." Woodlands was

What next to defeat Howard's anti-union laws?

Sue Bolton Union leaders around Australia were overwhelmed by the size of the mobilisations against the federal Coalition government's anti-union laws. Up to 300,000 people joined the protests during the Australian Council of Trade Unions' week of

Howard IR changes 'a return to 19th century'

Paul Oboohov, Canberra On June 29, 200 people attended a public forum organised by Unions ACT at Old Parliament House to hear a range of speakers on Prime Minister John Howard's planned new anti-union laws. Paul Munro, the retired vice-president

Loose Cannons

What it's really all about "An early withdrawal would have serious negative consequences. Iraq would be in danger of exploding into civil war; jihadists would claim they had beaten the American infidels; many Iraqis would feel abandoned by the

Spain & Canada approve gay marriages

On June 29, Canada's House of Commons passed a bill legalising same-sex marriages. The bill, which included a caveat allowing religious institutions to refuse to marry same-sex couples, passed by a comfortable margin, although one member of the

PALESTINE: Israeli soldier convicted of manslaughter

Kim Bullimore On June 28, the Israeli courts found former soldier Wahid Taysir al Heib guilty of the manslaughter of International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist, Tom Hurdnall. Hurdnall, a 22-year-old British student, was shot in the head by