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Zimbabwe doctors win, nurses strike

Zimbabwe doctors win, nurses strike By Norm Dixon Nurses in several Zimbabwean cities went on strike on November 9 to demand a pay increase, three days after doctors ended their seven-week strike in protest at low salaries, poor working

East Timor benefit

East Timor benefit CANBERRA — On November 6, Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor (ASIET) and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union organised a benefit for East Timor at the University of Canberra bar. The folk-rock

Loose cannons

Royal plural "Our industry is intensely competitive and innovative." — Bill Gates after a US court ruled that his Microsoft has a software monopoly that harms consumers and "quashes innovation". Political talent "We are trying not to

Pro-choice doctors threatened

By Robyn Marshall BRISBANE — United States doctor Warren Hern was detained and questioned by immigration authorities for two hours at Sydney airport on November 10. Hern, a supporter of women's right to choose abortion, was in Australia to attend

Another win for the NTEU

Another win for the NTEU By Jeremy Smith MELBOURNE — A strike scheduled for November 10 at the Victoria University of Technology was called off after management indicated it would settle an agreement with the National Tertiary Education

Government backs away from nuclear reactor rhetoric

Government backs away from nuclear reactor rhetoric By Jim Green When the federal government decided to fund the construction of a new nuclear "research" reactor in 1997, it faced a difficult public relations exercise. The government decided to

Cashing in on misery

By Veronika Habib An Australian businessman has shown his entrepreneurial spirit by opening a new "hotel" in East Timor, the Dili Lodge, where stubbies of VB and Carlton Cold can be purchased, along with plastic thongs. For $110, you can spend the

SA union secretary resigns

SA union secretary resigns By Bronwen Beechey ADELAIDE — Paul Noack resigned as the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) South Australian branch secretary on October 29. Noack's resignation followed a meeting of the AMWU's federal

Establishment media on racist rampage

By Rohan Pearce and Nikki Ulasowski HOBART — Recent articles in the Murdoch-owned Mercury are an example of how the media can reinforce racist myths and whip up nationalism. The government's crackdown on "boat people" has been an excuse for the

Mapoon elder slams Lingard over 'straw hut' remarks

Mapoon elder slams Lingard over 'straw hut' remarks By Bill Mason BRISBANE — A leader of the Aboriginal community at Mapoon on the Cape York Peninsula has slammed National Party MP and former Aboriginal affairs minister Kev Lingard over racist

Artists reclaiming the streets

Artists reclaiming the streets By Bruce White SYDNEY — "Reclaim the streets" is a striking phrase. It implies that some activities are now wrongfully excluded from the streets. It implies that someone imposed and maintains the exclusion, and it

Millions demand referendum in Aceh

By Sam King BANDA ACEH — The mass action that overwhelmed Aceh's capital city on November 8 is undeniable proof of the people's desire for a referendum and their resolve to campaign for it. Some 2 million people took to the streets, in the