Issue 622

Sue Bolton, Melbourne On March 23, a mass delegates' meeting called by the Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) voted for a work stoppage and mass protest on June 30, the day before the federal Coalition government takes full control of the Senate.

Paul Oboohov German-born, Australian permanent resident Cornelia Rau was abused by jailers, and immigration detention officials knew about her mental condition, ABC TV's Four Corners revealed on April 4. Rau, a former Qantas flight attendant, was

SYDNEY — A handful of protesters took their anti-war message to the Fleet Base East, where HMAS Tobruk was leaving for Iraq, on April 4. The supply ship is to provide sealift for Australian troops deploying to the Al Muthanna Task Group in

Kathy Newnam, Darwin The re-autopsy of the body of Douglas Scott has found further evidence that the Aboriginal man was tortured and murdered in the Northern Territory's Berrimah prison on July 5, 1985. Douglas Scott's widow, Letty, has fought

Karl Miller, Melbourne More than 80 people turned up to the Victorian state conference of the Socialist Alliance, the theme of which was "Organising a community and trade union fight-back against Howard's new attacks". This included around

Sue Bull, Ballarat Negotiations towards an enterprise agreement at the University of Ballarat have broken down. In response to the news, a meeting of 100 members of three unions voted on March 23 for a campaign of industrial bans, a series of

BRISBANE — On April 4, about 1000 teacher aides and teachers attended protest meetings in Brisbane and 12 Queensland regional centres jointly organised organised by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (representing teachers' aides) and

On March 19, 14 people were arrested for "public violence" after 750 people from the Kennedy Road Informal Settlement in Claire Estate blockaded a major road with burning tyres for four hours. On March 21, 1200 people marched to the local police

Rose Gentle, the mother of Gordon Gentle who was killed in Iraq last year, announced on April 5 that she would stand against minister for armed forces Adam Ingram in the May 5 British general election. The Scottish Socialist Party immediately

On February 18, the Israeli government set up an x-ray machine at the Rafah International Crossing Point, and forced all Palestinians trying to leave Gaza that way to submit to an enhanced x-ray process, that included taking naked photographs. The

Kim Bullimore On March 17, the Israeli state moved to re-arrest and charge nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu with 22 counts of violating the restrictions placed upon him when he was released from jail in April last year. Vanunu's arrest came

The following message from Carolus Wimmer, a member of the political bureau of the Communist Party of Venezuela and director of international relations for Venezuelan parliament, was sent to the Third Asia Pacific International Solidarity Conference

On April 11-17, events around the world will develop solidarity with the Venezuelan revolution. The week of solidarity will mark the third anniversary of the defeat of a US-backed coup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whose government is

Limerick City Council is considering a motion to declare Limerick city the world's first Caterpillar-free zone. In 2003, a Caterpillar bulldozer ran over human rights activist Rachel Corrie as she attempted to stop a house being demolished in Gaza,

Farooq Tariq, Lahore Yasmeen Kanwal, a leading activist with the women's rights organisation Women Workers Help Line (WWHL), was killed on April 4 in Shahdra, a suburb of Lahore. A medical investigation is being carried out to confirm reports she

Roberto Jorquera, an activist from the Venezuelan Solidarity Network in Australia, is in Caracas to help prepare for the solidarity brigade the network is organising from July 25-August 15, and to report on the unfolding revolution there. Regular

Ewa Jasiewicz is a human-rights activist and journalist from London who lived in US-occupied Iraq from June 2003 to February 2004. For much of her time there, she lived in Basra, working closely with a crucial union for workers in the oil industry.

Nicole Colson, Chicago Getting away with murder. There's no other way to describe the Pentagon's announcement that it is refusing to prosecute any of the 17 US soldiers who contributed to the deaths of three prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan in

Message Stick: Koori Court — "Broken Bones" is a gritty tale of social realism, portraying both the negative and positive aspects of Indigenous family culture. ABC, Friday, April 15, 6pm. Get Up Stand Up: We Shall Overcome — Identifies the