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News Briefs

AMEC workers victory MELBOURNE — Workers employed by AMEC, the company contracted to install new generators at the Carrum Downs water treatment plant, are back at work. They won the reinstatement of eight workers, including the Australian

'We can give hope to people'

BY LISA MACDONALD & OWEN RICHARDS Osama Yousif, 35, arrived in Australia as a political refugee from Sudan in June 2000. Today, he is an upper house candidate for the Socialist Alliance in the March 22 NSW election. Yousif first

Howard refugee policy 'brutalising'

BY JODY BETZIEN MELBOURNE — On February 16, 800 people packed into St Michaels Uniting Church for a forum organised by Women for a Humane Refugee Policy. Federal Labor MP Carmen Lawrence told the forum that the Howard government's treatment of

Socialists urge voters to write 'No war' on ballots

BY SUSAN PRICE SYDNEY — "If the Howard government won't consult the people by holding a nationwide referendum on the war, then the people should organise their own referendum", Lisa Macdonald, the Socialist Alliance's lead candidate for the NSW

March 5 strike builds in Adelaide

BY AMY MCDONNELL ADELAIDE — “Young people need to be leading the anti-war movement. Tens of thousands of Australian students were involved in stopping the war in Vietnam, and we can stop the war in Iraq”, said University of Adelaide student

JOHN PILGER: Bush, Blair, Howard, Murdoch have 'blood on their hands!'

BY JOHN PILGER [The following speech was delivered at the anti-war rally in Sydney on February 16, which was attended by 500,000 people.] On this historic day, we should be very clear about one thing: George Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard are

Anti-war activist notebook 3

Wollongong’s peace train and IWD plans BY MARG PERROTT WOLLONGONG — After the 5000-strong February 8 anti-war rally here, a large crowd was expected to travel from Wollongong to Sydney on February 16. Although originally NOWAR had

Scorcese's Gangs of New York: an epic whitewash

REVIEW BY LEE SUSTAR Gangs of New YorkDirected by Martin ScorseseWritten by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth LonerganWith Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson, Jim Broadbent and Cameron DiazAt major cinemas The events of the

UNITED STATES: Chicago defies Bush and cold to oppose war

BY PATRICK QUINN CHICAGO — On February 15, close to 10,000 Chicagoans participated in a spirited march and demonstration opposing the impending US war against Iraq. Given the brutally cold weather, the size of the march was all the more

Rumbiak denounces West Papua provincial carve up

BY IGGY KIM SYDNEY — The Indonesian government's decision to divide West Papua into three provinces is a further attack by Jakarta on the Papuan people's right to self-determination, West Papua Institute for Human Rights supervisor John Rumbiak

NEW ZEALAND: Anti-war protests pressure Labour

More than 20,000 people marched against war on Iraq on February 15 in more than 20 cities and towns around New Zealand.

CFMEU's national 36 hour campaign continues

BY MICK BULL & SUE BOLTON The campaign by the construction division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) to extend the 36-hour working week to all building workers, regardless of which state they happen to be