World

By Eva Cheng COLOGNE — The Social Democratic Party's (SPD) September victory, coming to government in alliance with the Greens, ended 16 years of rule of the conservative Christian Democratic Party and raised hopes that it might turn its back on
Crisis-hit Russians look to the stars By Irina Glushchenko MOSCOW — Suddenly, the Russian capital has been overrun by rabbits. You can find them in the markets, on the newsstands and in the toyshops. The reason? In Chinese astrology, 1999 is
By Barry Sheppard US politics must seem quite odd to people in other countries. The Democratic president of the United States is put on trial in the Senate by the Republicans for trying to cover up his affair with a young White House intern. In
East Timor: is a breakthrough looming? By Max Lane Speculation on the future of East Timor is rife in Jakarta. There have even been unconfirmed reports that the Habibie-Wiranto military regime may allow East Timorese resistance leader Xanana
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on January 12 restored the powers of the speaker and deputy speaker of the Sindh provincial assembly. The federal government of Nawaz Sharif had dismissed the Sindh provincial government, ruled by Sharif's Pakistan
US Threat to gay rights in Fiji SUVA — Right-wing political forces and conservative church groups in Fiji are attempting to reverse a constitutional provision that outlaws discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. A clause in the Bill
Airline passengers and crew can be exposed to hazardous pesticides without their knowledge, according to a report by the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP). “Flyers Beware: Pesticide Use on International and Domestic
Dita Sari rejects bail offer THE INDONESIAN MEDIA announced on December 13 that Indonesian political prisoner Dita Sari had been offered early bail by the Habibie government. Dita, a labour activist and leader of the People's Democratic Party, was
By Farooq Tariq LAHORE — In a drastic move to curb trade union activity in the power and water sector, the Pakistan government last month "suspended" the trade unions covering the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA)for two years. On
100,000 remember Liebknecht and Luxemburg BERLIN — The traditional January 9 march to the graves of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, the revolutionary Communist leaders murdered in 1919 on the orders of the Social Democrats, attracted 100,000
Landowners threaten to shut Ok Tedi mine Landowners near BHP's giant Ok Tedi gold and copper mine have threatened to close the mine if the Papua New Guinea government does not agree to review an agreement between the state and landowners by
The EAST TIMOR INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT CENTRE argues that the Australian government's supposed "historic shift" in policy on East Timor, recently announced by foreign minister Alexander Downer, is much ado about little. Since the 1970s, both