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'Suits against detention'

BY JENNY LONG SYDNEY — Around 400 people gathered for the ChilOut (Children Out of Detention) and NSW Teacher's Federation's "Suits against detention: Middle Australia protests!" rally on March 7. Chilout's Junie Ong opened the speaking list,

WA toxic scandals continue

BY BARRY HEALY PERTH — Dr Jeffrey Claflin, director of Waste Control, the toxic waste treatment plant that exploded in February last year in what has been called Australia's worst toxic fire, has been charged with breaches of the company's

Howard's truth

Election blindercan't be kinderlip sewingchildren throwingpeople smugglingcountry jugglingcompassion presumingtime consumingqueue jumpingpeople dumpingrazor wirecells on fireleaky shipspoliticians' slipsTampa pamperingrather hamperingPacific

ISRAEL: Demand for gun permits soars

BY ROHAN PEARCE According to the Israeli interior ministry, the demand for gun permits rose 75% over the last year. In 2001, 7790 people applied for permits — almost twice the number of applications in 2000. In January of this year alone, 879

Socialist Alliance briefs

Socialists picket Bracks MELBOURNE — Supporters of the Socialist Alliance held a rally outside the Treasury Place office of Victorian Labor Premier Steve Bracks on March 5, protesting at the government's failure to reverse service cuts carried

Forest blockaders undaunted by police violence

BY ALEX BAINBRIDGE HOBART — On March 6, Tasmanian police broke up the Weld River community picket. The picket was established on February 4 to save more than 3000 hectares of unlogged, old growth forest, immediately adjacent to a World Heritage

Construction workers fight award stripping

BY SAM WAINWRIGHT SYDNEY — On March 6 Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) members employed on NSW construction sites went out on strike for 48 hours. They are defending a range of conditions that will be removed from their award under

How Muhammad Ali became a legend

AliDirected by Michael MannWritten by Eric Roth and Michael MannWith Will Smith, Jon Voight, Jamie Foxx and Mario Van PeeblesScreening at major cinemas REVIEW BY NICK EVERETT Michael Mann's Ali is a welcome departure from typical Hollywood

ISRAEL: Ehud Barak's Big Lie

BY URI AVNERY TEL AVIV — Last week, in Europe, I happened to pass a frozen lake. I was told that a few days before it was possible to skate on it. But the temperature had risen and the ice cover had started to melt. It still covers the whole

Goolengook forest blockade attacked

BY GRAHAM MATTHEWS MELBOURNE — The Victorian Labor government sent police and environment department staff to dismantle the Goolengook forest blockade in East Gippsland in the early morning on March 5. The blockade has been the longest

Government cuts domestic violence centre's services

BY KERRY VERNON BRISBANE — "It is with deep disappointment and sadness that we announce the closure of the Domestic Violence Resource Centre's statewide functions due to a decision by the Queensland minister of families and the department of

and ain't I a woman: US companies exploit women in Guatemala

and ain't I a woman: US companies exploit women in Guatemala Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report — "From the household to the factory: sex discrimination in the Guatemalan labor force" — which exposes the widespread abuse of