NEW DELHI — Rajinder Singh, 35, breaks imported used car batteries for a living. He pries them open and stacks the lead plates with his bare hands while the small, almost open furnace is fired to receive another batch. Meanwhile,
-
-
HOBART — Last November, members of the Antarctica and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), the international environmental lobby group trying to keep fishing "honest" in the southern seas, left Hobart's Wrest Point Casino on a yacht
-
An editorial in the Financial Review over the January 16-17 weekend adopted a rather plaintive tone regarding the scandals that have recently shaken the Olympics. Headed Cash tarnishes Games goal, the editorial began by
-
At its 18th congress on January 5-10, the Democratic Socialist Party adopted a document which concluded that China, like Russia and the other former Soviet republics (as well as the former "Communist"-ruled countries of Eastern
-
The owners of big retail chain stores and mega-shopping centres are rubbing their hands with glee following the Christmas and post-Christmas sales frenzy. Most have posted record profits for the period, despite concerns that "consumer confidence"
-
Actively Radical TV — Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues from the activist's point of view. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Thursday, 10pm and Saturday, 7pm. Ph 9565 5522. Access News —
-
Australia 'world's best' for nuclear waste dumpThe federal government and the nuclear industry might have hoped the leaked video identifying Australia as the "world's best" site for an international nuclear dump would have made the
-
More cops + more jails = more injusticeIt has become predictable that state elections begin to resemble an auction, both major parties vying for the title of being the "toughest on crime". The New South Wales election campaign is
-
Australia Day 1999 Sheep shit in the South Pacific. With your baa lambs and your empty sky, you big fella stretched out in sun drying. Sunburnt. Sleepy. Empty. You lucky bastard of a country. You your own planet, your own boss cockie —
-
The killing of Lake BaikalMOSCOW — There are not many places in the world where you can leave an industrial plant in operation and doom hundreds of species of plants and animals to extinction. One such place is Siberia's Lake
-
... and ain't I a woman?: Less spice, more sport Just after Christmas, Brisbane's Courier-Mail newspaper reported stories of young women in the Australian Institute of Sport being treated unfairly by coaches in the women's tennis program, since
-
The New York Times in October ran "Playing God in the Garden" by Michael Pollan. It explains why many people in the US are already eating genetically engineered foods like corn and potatoes without knowing it, and why there is a
-
South Park and capitalism I totally agree with Alison Dellit's article in Cultural Dissent (GLW #344). South Park is an excellent series. With brilliant humour, and satire which could poke your eyes out from the other side of the street. Yet
-
Wheels for the World By Brandon Astor Jones "Next, I want to go to town" — Liu Qiaoling Do you ever get tired of reading, seeing and hearing about bad news? If your answer to that question is yes, please read on. In the hope of doing what I
-
The Howard government is trying to push through legislation to cut junior wages. This is an attack on all workers. Living in Britain for the past two years, I've experienced first hand the reality of poverty pay. For many
-
Where did you buy your copy of һƷ̽ Weekly? Was it in Adelaide's Rundle Mall? Hobart's Salamanca Markets? Melbourne's Flinders Street Station? Or perhaps it was at protests against the dictatorship in Indonesia or the
News
-
US1. We can understand history The 10 richest people in the world own more wealth than that produced each year by the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. Facts like these are often presented to us as inexplicable, just part of the ways
-
Textile workers force company to talkMELBOURNE After 50 days of being locked out, members of the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union (TCFUA) at the Australian Dyeing Company (ADC) have won a couple of victories in
-
Sydney — On January 17-18, around 150 students, a number of academics and staff gathered at the University of Technology Sydney for an anti-VSU ("voluntary student unionism") planning conference. The conference adopted four
-
Fight the System: join ResistanceThe system sux — but the question is what are you going to do about it? Resistance is getting organised in the knowledge that people are more powerful collectively than on their own. Resistance
-
Young people need a voice. We can't just hang around until we are 18, when we get to vote for the racist policies of Liberal or Labor. That is why last year Resistance organised the high school walkouts
-
National Action is racist, court rulesADELAIDE — The leader of National Action, Michael Brander, has lost a defamation action after a magistrate ruled that he is a racist. Brander's claim for damages over a 1995 column by
-
IWD: 'Women and workers united' IWD: 'Women and workers united' By Margarita Windisch MELBOURNE — The International Women's Day Collective has decided that this year's theme will be "Women and workers of the world united in action". The day's
-
Last year Resistance led the high school walkouts against racism. Here is what our opponents said about the rallies: Shaun Nelson (Queensland One Nation MP): Putting children into the line of fire ... is child abuse ... these
-
Stop VSU: we will not be silenced! By Wendy Robertson On December 21, federal education minister David Kemp announced that the government would introduce "voluntary student unionism"(VSU) legislation in the next sitting of
-
Lucas Heights EIS releasedSYDNEY — On January 18, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) released the final environmental impact statement on a new nuclear reactor in the southern Sydney suburb of Lucas
-
Education workers score 'great win' By Melanie Sjoberg ADELAIDE — Following recommendations by the Industrial Relations Commission that the government release funds for extra staffing in schools and that the Australian Education Union
-
Tamils protest Sri Lankan minister's visitCANBERRA — Australian Tamils and their supporters from Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney protested outside the Sri Lankan embassy and National Press Club on January 22. About 150 protesters
-
Rage against the regime: students fight for democracy in IndonesiaLast May mass demonstrations toppled one of the most brutal dictators in the world — President Suharto of Indonesia. Having held power for over 32 years, with
-
Injury highlights mine safety crisisBRISBANE — On January 20, mining apprentice Brant North had both legs amputated in a horrific accident at MIM's Oaky Creek mine, about 350 kilometres north-west of Rockhampton. North is in a
-
MUA rank and file group grows PERTH — On January 18, the Western Australian Maritime Union of Australia rank-and-file group held a successful general meeting at the Buffalo Club in Fremantle. The turnout of 80 members was double the inaugural
-
Jabiluka campaign gathers paceADELAIDE — Three anti-uranium activists are facing charges including assaulting a police officer, obstructing arrest and property damage following a December 13 rally and march against the Jabiluka
-
The first International Women's Day (IWD) was organised by women active in the socialist movement in the early 1900s. They wanted to set aside a day on which women could organise for their demands and celebrate their
-
True non-believers "Just because it's in the agenda doesn't mean it is something we believe in or something we're pushing." — Steven Ciobo, Queensland president of the Young Liberals, after the group's state conference rejected a motion to fine
-
One Nation MP in row over CJCBRISBANE — Queensland One Nation MP Jack Paff has pledged to introduce bills to abolish the Criminal Justice Commission and its parliamentary watchdog, the Parliamentary Criminal Justice Committee.
-
Pakistan socialist speaks CANBERRA — Farooq Tariq, secretary of the Labour Party of Pakistan, was the guest speaker at a һƷ̽ Weekly public meeting, "The struggle for people's democracy and nationhood in South Asia", on January 14. Farooq
-
Mine owners ravage West Coast TasmaniaROSEBERY — Three of West Coast Tasmania's major mines are facing bleak prospects as management and financial backers threaten mass sackings, back-breaking roster changes and possible
-
MELBOURNE — On January 18, Victoria's Student Unionism Network (SUN) met. More than 40 student activists from a wide range of Victorian universities and National Union of Students (NUS) state and national
-
Cops attack Timbarra protestLISMORE — Police violently attacked a protest at the entrance to the Timbarra gold mine, under construction near Tenterfield, on January 19. Twelve people were arrested at the peaceful action. The
Analysis
-
Cop of the world It didn't get a lot of media coverage — being nowhere nearly as interesting as the ongoing Washington soap opera, Monicagate — but US President Bill Clinton has proposed an increase in the US government's military
World
-
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
-
East Timor: is a breakthrough looming?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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
USBrazil's financial crisis, which erupted on January 13, had been anticipated since the middle of last year even by those, such as President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who tried to reassure the markets by denying the obvious.
Culture
-
Godfrey Bigot gets back to basics By Brad Pedersen The major parties are lining up for a law and order policy auction, each seeking to make the highest bid. They will trade in pseudo-solutions that prey on the public's fears and
-
Lost Civilisations of the Stone AgeBy Richard Rudgley Century Books, 1998$39.95 Review by Robert Hodder The words "Stone Age" and "civilisation" are rarely seen together in popular history. Richard Rudgley's book sets out to turn our assumptions
-
Three of the world's top bands have joined forces to highlight the frame-up of radical journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal. Rage Against the Machine, rap group Beastie Boys and Bad Religion have scheduled a benefit concert on January 28 in East
-
Let the rainbow shine By Shayne Wilde Judy Small has long been recognised as the voice of our times. Describing herself as a singer who writes songs, Judy has recorded eight CDS, mainly in the folk tradition, but her music also has
-
Down but not quite out in New York US Visiting Mr GreenBy Jeff BaronDirected by Sandra BatesEnsemble Theatre, Sydney Review by Brendan Doyle Another New York Jewish play, I hear you groan! Another play about the generation gap! Okay, but this
-
Review by Geoff Francis UnAustralian SongsBy David Beniuk and the UnAustraliansTo order, write to PO Box 29, Wollongong East 2520. Many contemporary Australian folk artists have fallen into a rut of churning out a succession of bland "feel good"
-
Sacred Places: War Memorials in the Australian LandscapeBy Ken S. InglisMelbourne University Press, 1998522 pp., $49.95 (hb) Review by Phil Shannon On Anzac Day each year, the air hums and whines with a verbal barrage — "sacrifice", "bravery",
-
Godfrey Bigot, spokesman for the political establishment and candidate for the NSW upper house, shares his vision for society and helps us to understand where the current law and order debate is taking us. "It is time to get back to basics", says