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Macquarie Fields: new year, same problems

Peter Perkins, Sydney February 25 marks a year since the Macquarie Fields "riots" which followed a police chase in which two teenagers died. For four days and nights, the suburb was locked down by police in a pitched battle with residents. The

RU486: women should decide

Kamala Emanuel Pro-choice forces registered a victory when the Senate voted on February 9 in favour of a private members' bill removing the health minister's veto over the availability of the abortion drug RU486. The bill, which is yet to pass

Campaign against art censorship

The federal Coalition government's anti-terrorism legislation — backed by all state governments — is a serious threat to civil liberties and freedom of artistic expression. The January 20 confiscation by Footscray police of Azlan McLennan's

PKK terrorist tag criticised

Kerry Smith The Refugee Council of Australia, which represents more than 100 organisations and individuals working with and for refugees in Australia and around the world, has questioned the Howard government's listing of the Kurdistan Workers

Lawyer claims US special forces infiltrating Venezuela

Jim McIlroy &Coral Wynter, Caracas The United States government has infiltrated special forces troops into Venezuela along the frontier with Colombia, as part of its destablisation plans against President Hugo Chavez, according to US writer and

NSW police to trial Taser stun guns

Dale Mills, Sydney NSW Police are to trial Tasers hand-held stun guns that fire two metal probes attached to copper wires, delivering 55,000-volt electric shock that lasts for five seconds. Victims typically fall to the ground and involuntarily

On the box

Message Stick — Inside the lives of Indigenous Australians across the country, in their own voices. ABC, Friday, February 17, 6pm. The End of the World as We Know it — Writer Marcel Theroux examines the issue of global warming. SBS, Friday,

Venezuela and south-south links

Tim Anderson I went to Caracas in December, during the National Assembly elections (en route to Cuba) and again in late January for the World Social Forum (WSF). I was interested in what was going on in Venezuela, and in the growing links between

Parkin deported for peanut butter sandwiches?

Dale Mills More information has come to light on possible reasons for the arrest and detention in Australia of US peace activist Scott Parkin last September. According to a report on the US Newsweek magazine's website, a peanut butter and jelly

PERU: BHP Billiton forced out

BHP Billiton has announced plans to sell its Tintaya copper mine in Peru following disputes with local residents. Last year, the Australian mining giant was forced to close down its operations for one month after residents of the nearby town Espinar

Survey reveals racism growing in high schools

Emma Clancy A survey of Victorian high school students has found that more than half view Muslims as "terrorists" and nearly half believe Muslims "behave strangely". The 2005 study of year 10 and 11 students by the Australian Catholic University

SOUTH AFRICA: Staff and students strike

DURBAN — On February 8, the third day of their strike, 2000 University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) staff marched in defiance of management's ban on mass action on campus. All four unions at the university called the action. Staff at UKZN are on