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Environmental 'super-group' forms

BY ANDY GIANNIOTIS WOLLONGONG — A proposal to unite the different threads of environmental action in the Illawarra into one "super-group" was adopted unanimously at a public meeting at Macabe Park on March 19. Organised by the Illawarra

Australia seeks tighter refugee convention

While the Australian government seeks to avoid its obligations under United Nations conventions against racial discrimination in regards to mandatory sentencing, it is trying to toughen the terms of another UN convention to further narrow the

INDONESIA: Alternative economic program

Alternative economic program The People's Democratic Party (PRD) says that the government does have alternatives to slavishly following the International Monetary Fund's austerity prescription for Indonesia's ailing economy. Its alternative

'The frustration is building up'

On April 6, Prime Minister John Howard and minister for Aboriginal affairs Senator John Herron were forced to apologise over the federal government submission made to the Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee's inquiry into the stolen

UNITED STATES: The money in testing

LOS ANGELES, California — This was the year California schools went test-crazy. In every district, students have taken the new state-mandated STAR (Standardised Testing and Reporting) test by the thousands. Based on their scores, every school in

ENGLAND: British Nuclear fooled again

ENGLAND: British Nuclear fooled again The problems facing British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) continue to mount. On April 2 it was revealed that four workers at BNFL's Sellafield plant in north-west England were sacked for forging entry passes. The

EUROPE: Top food manufacturers shifting from GMOs

Top food manufacturers shifting from GMOs Federal agriculture minister Warren Truss argues that Australia should continue with trials of genetically modified crops in order to avoid "missing the boat on the new science". However, in Europe, many

Action updates

Asylum seekers protest Asylum seekers at the remote Woomera detention centre in outback South Australia have launched a peaceful protest, demanding to be released. Several hundred men, women and children gathered on April 7 near the razor-wire

Forest activists occupy Timbercorp

Forest activists occupy Timbercorp MELBOURNE — Forest campaigners from Friends of the Earth (FoE) occupied the offices of Timbercorp here to protest against the company's destruction of one-third of red tail black cockatoo nesting sites at a

Immigration increase favours business

Immigration minister Philip Ruddock's announced increase in migration places for 2000-2001 further shifts Australia's immigration policy towards wealthier and better educated business and skilled migrants and away from family reunion and humanitarian

Mass DNA test in NSW

Mass DNA test in NSW BY SEAN HEALY SYDNEY — Civil libertarians expressed horror at the mass screening of DNA samples from men in the north-west New South Wales town of Wee Waa. It is the first mass screening in Australia. Police hope the

SWEDEN: Parliament acknowledges Armenian genocide

SWEDEN: Parliament acknowledges Armenian genocide SWEDEN: Parliament acknowledges Armenian genocide Sweden's parliament on March 29 formally acknowledged the Armenian and Assyrian genocide, committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. During World