BY LISA MACDONALD
SYDNEY — Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to protest for refugees' rights on the weekend of June 22-23 around Australia. In Sydney alone, organisers believe between 50,000 and 100,000 people will be willing to come
Issue 488
News
BY TERRICA STRUDWICK & SAM KING
ROCKHAMPTON — At a 2000-strong mass meeting on April 13, meatworkers locked out by Consolidated Meat Groups (CMG) voted unanimously to reject a new proposed enterprise bargaining agreement, after the Queensland
BY PIP HINMAN
SYDNEY — The news that two Acehnese activists sought refuge in the Finnish embassy in Jakarta on April 10 didn't surprise Erwanto, an Acehnese activist currently visiting Australia. "Aceh is like hell on Earth", he said. "Already
BY BILL MASON
BRISBANE — Targeting major corporations that profit from war and misery, Brisbane's M1 Alliance rallied outside the offices of the giant US corporation Boeing on April 12. Boeing is one of the world's biggest aircraft and weapons
BY JORDAN WILLIAMS
CANBERRA — Around 300 people rallied peacefully outside the Israeli embassy on April 13 in support of a free Palestine.
The intimidating presence of at least 100 police officers, was unable to prevent the impassioned chants
BY LISA MACDONALD
SYDNEY — Pakistani socialist Farooq Tariq wrapped up his Australian speaking tour with an April 12 public address at the Lidcombe offices of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU).
Tariq, who is general
BY BILL MASON
BRISBANE — Indigenous organisations and leaders in Queensland have cautiously greeted the state ALP government's plan to take control of alcohol-serving canteens away from elected indigenous community councils in Queensland's far
BY SUE BOLTON & CHRIS SLEE
On April 10, protests were held around the world to call for the unconditional release of six Malaysian government critics, including Tian Chua, the organiser of the Labour Resource Centre in Malaysia. The critics have
BY EDWIN WISE & ANTHONY DEFRAINE
"Palestinians are being attacked with rockets and [helicopter] gunships", cried Asem Judeh from the Australian Solidarity Committee for Palestine at an emergency speakout on April 10 at Melbourne's LaTrobe
BY ALISON DELLIT
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission's inaugural policy conference, held March 25-26 in Canberra, should have been a chance to reflect on a decade of struggle by Australia's Indigenous people. Instead, the federal
BY MIKE BYRNE
BRISBANE — More than 80 people met on April 7 to discuss immigration minister Philip Ruddock's proposal to build a 200-bed medium-security detention centre at Pinkenba, close to Brisbane airport. The meeting was called by federal
BY KERRIE BARRON & KERRYN WILLIAMS
CANBERRA — "Against abortion? Don't have one!" was the popular slogan of a rally attended by 300 people outside the ACT Legislative Assembly on April 9. The rally was called by Options for Women in support of
Unions call for sanctions on Israel
On April 10 Tony Maher, mining and energy general president of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union, and Paddy Crumlin, the national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia issued a joint call
Brazilian MST leaders tour
More than 250,000 poor and working class families in Brazil have won
the right to farm a parcel of land, a public meeting in Newcastle was told
on April 8.
Roberto Baggio, one of two leaders of Brazil's
BY TERRICA STRUDWICK
ROCKHAMPTON Central Queensland University (CQU) Student Association
staff, along with the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), has been
fighting for an enterprise agreement since last May. Top management refuse
BY JENNY LONG
SYDNEY — Palestine's supporters have continued to protest against Israel's brutality, and the Australian government's unwillingness to oppose it. After almost daily vigils, many at the Israeli consulate, activists met on April 10 to
BY KERRYN WILLIAMS
CANBERRA — "The Palestine question is a question of justice, human rights, international law and fairness", Ali Kazak, the head of the Palestinian Delegation to Australia told an April 10 Resistance forum on the Australian
World
BY TONY AVIRGAN
As the United States drifts deeper into the Colombian quagmire of drugs and war, policymakers need to take a new look at the problems of poverty, joblessness, and hopelessness that have made that country such a trouble-spot.
And,
BY EVA CHENG
On April 8, thousands of workers gathered again in numbing cold at the Tieren Square in the north-eastern oil city of Daqing, taking their almost daily protests since March 1 into their sixth week.
PetroChina Co., which owns most of
BY SUE BOLTON
The leaders of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) resigned en masse on April 3, in response to heavy criticism of their decision to call off general strike in solidarity with striking power workers on the day it was due
BY MALIK MIAH
SAN FRANCISCO — Under President George Bush's new world of "morality" everything is "black and white". People, groups and states are either "good" or "evil". Countries are with the US or against it. The "evil" terminology permeates
The Queen Mother was a racist snob who excelled in extravagant living. After all the grovelling, hypocritical tributes paid to her last week, here are some facts to remember.
The Queen Mother referred to black people as "nig-nogs" or "blackamoors".
BY GREGORY WILPERT
CARACAS, April 12 — In the early morning hours, Venezuelan army generals arrested President Hugo Chavez. The orchestration of the coup was impeccable and, in all likelihood, planned a long time ago.
First of all, the military
BY ALLEN JENNINGS
Once again, the US government has shown how ridiculous and anachronistic its policies are towards Cuba. On April 3, James Sabzali, a Canadian businessperson based in Philadelphia, was convicted for selling water-purification
BY JOHN PILGER
LONDON — On April 4 US President George Bush called on Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian cities occupied by its forces during the previous week.
He excused Israel's violence, but lectured the Palestinians and the rest of
BY NORM DIXON
The US and British governments' carefully scripted countdown to a massive military attack on Iraq is being disrupted — possibly delayed — by mounting popular anger throughout the Middle East provoked by Israel's murderous
BY FLORENCIA BELVEDERE
JOHANNESBURG — After having participated in march upon march to protest against evictions and electricity and water cut-offs, more than 1000 Soweto residents decided at an April 5 public meeting that Johannesburg's African
Culture
SYDNEY — Grab a hankie and get set for some serious laughter at New Theatre. Stop laughing, this is serious celebrates 70 years of political revue at New Theatre. It will be an evening of the songs, singers and musicians who brought you last
The United States and the World After 2000, Nicholas Guyatt, Zed Books, Pluto Press, MELANIE SJOBERG, September 11, terrorist attacks, terrorism">
US policies create terrorism
Another American Century? The United States and the World After
BY KIRSTIN ROBERTS
Just days before the US began bombing Afghanistan, a Bush administration adviser met with Hollywood executives to enlist them in a Second World War-style propaganda offensive. The Hollywood elite have raced to show just how
I am going to plant peace in the desertI am going to plant hearts and hands togetherIn the desert of my blank pageI am going to draw a peace dove in the sky of WoomeraI am going to draw an open gate for the detention centre.
I am going to draw a