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ITALY: 500,000 protest war, support journalist

On February 19, 500,000 people flooded Rome calling for an end to the war and occupation, and for the freeing of kidnapped Il Manifesto journalist and feminist activist Giuliana Sgrena. During Sgrena's one-month imprisonment, Italian television

One Mile Dam community faces more lies

Kathy Newnam, Darwin The One Mile Dam community, an Aboriginal camp just outside Darwin's CBD, is still waiting for answers about government plans for the future of the special purpose lease on which the camp resides. In recent months, rumours

VENEZUELA: Lock-out leader arrested

Carlos Ortega, formerly a leader of the pro-boss "trade union" CTV, was arrested in Caracas on February 28. Ortega, who was carrying false identity documents, was one of the key leaders of the 2002 shutdown of the oil industry, orchestrated by the

Pro-choice campaigning planned

HOBART — In response to the high-profile abortion-bashing by federal health minister Tony Abbott and friends, the Hobart International Women's Day collective has decided to prioritise pro-choice campaigning this year. Meeting on February 28, the

Labor backs Gunns pulp mill

Alex Bainbridge, Hobart The Tasmanian Labor government has spent $30,000 organising a bus to tour the state to bolster support for Gunns' new pulp mill. Gunns Limited is Australia's largest woodchipper and the company behind the lawsuit against 20

CPSU members debate union's direction

Paul Oboohov, Canberra Members of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) are currently debating the future direction of the union in response to yet another round of proposed restructuring. Under the proposal, decision-making power will be

SCOTLAND: SSP plans for anti-G8 protests

Alex Miller Thousands of anti-capitalist and anti-war activists are expected to protest against the G8 summit that is to be held in Gleneagles from July 6-8. The summit will bring together the leaders of the world's wealthiest countries,

NTEU supports anti-war protest

SYDNEY — Activists in the Sydney anti-war movement received good news over the past week when the University of NSW branch of the National Tertiary Education Union and the NTEU NSW division both passed motions of support for the March 20

Our Common Cause: Money for aid, not war

March 20 marks the second anniversary of the start of the criminal war on Iraq. Today, Iraq lies in ruins; its own people have become prisoners of war and terror. The war and occupation has brought neither freedom nor democracy. The elections have

Protest supports Palm Island community

BRISBANE — A protest was held outside state parliament on March 2 in solidarity with the Palm Island community and the family of Mulrunji Doomadgee, who died in police custody in November. The protest demanded the sacking of Labor Premier Peter

Howard plans to freeze minimum wage

Sue Bolton Both Coalition and Labor federal governments have traditionally opposed ACTU applications to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) for annual for increases to the minimum wage. However, it is only since Prime Minister

IRAQ: Bush's coalition continues to shrink

Doug Lorimer US President George Bush's "broad coalition" of countries participating in the US-led "multinational force" (MNF) occupying Iraq is steadily shrinking. Since Spain's pull-out of its 1300 troops last April, a dozen other countries have