571

UNITED STATES: Religious right's 'condom wars' take deadly toll

Caryl Rivers, Boston Women's eNews (<http://www.womensenews.org/> — The Vatican's anti-contraception campaign — which has an ally in the White House — has been blocked by a New York court. In places such as Kenya — where HIV is

On the box

Actively Radical TV — Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues. Includes the Green Left news. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Sunday, 9pm. Phone (02) 9564 1277. Long Night's Journey Into Day — This

VIETNAM: Agent Orange victims sue US chemical companies

Michael Karadjis Three Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange — the herbicide sprayed over Vietnam by the US military during its war against Vietnam in the 1960s and '70s — are suing more than 20 US chemical companies for compensation. The three

UNITED STATES: Military spending to hit $482bn next year

Doug Lorimer On February 2, US President George Bush submitted to Congress a budget for the next fiscal year (October 1, 2004- September 30, 2005) that envisages spending US$427 billion on the US war machine. The Bush administration puts its

IRAQ: Children's health deteriorating

Doug Lorimer On January 26, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported an increase in cases of encephalitis — a viral disease that causes swelling of the brain — among children in Baghdad over the preceding

A woman's place is in the struggle: Women's bodies are not 'obscene'

On February 1, pop singer Janet Jackson opened the half-time entertainment at the 2004 Super Bowl (the US football grand final) in Miami, singing her hit song "Rhythm Nation", which refers to a number of social injustices, including racism. During

Naomi Klein: Iraq needs genuine democracy

Naomi Klein If you believe the White House, Iraq's future government is being designed in Iraq. If you believe the Iraqi people, it is being designed at the White House. Technically, neither is true: Iraq's future government is being engineered in

Greens do well, One Nation badly in Queensland poll

Dave Riley, Brisbane With its majority only slightly trimmed at the February 7 state poll, the Labor government's expected electoral success may have obscured some interesting political trends evident in the poll. Standing in 72 of the 89 seats,

Free trade deal a bad idea

Australian and US government representatives finally agreed on a free-trade agreement (AUSFTA) on February 9, after 11 months of negotiations and widespread protest and controversy in both countries. Amid claims and counterclaims about which national

SCOTLAND: Gulf veteran wins DU claim

Edinburgh's Pension Appeal Tribunal Service has ruled in favour of an appeal by 1991 Gulf War veteran Kenny Duncan. Duncan is the first British soldier to win recognition for depleted uranium poisoning.

PALESTINE: The end of the two-state solution?

Michael Shaik What are we to make of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's extraordinary talk of relocating almost all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and 10 settlements in the West Bank as part of a "disengagement plan" from the Palestinian

A Cruise through Japan's political past

The Last SamuraiDirected and written by Edward ZwickWith Tom Cruise and Ken WatanabeShowing at major cinemas REVIEW BY DAVE RILEY Any serious examination of The Last Samurai must consider the historical context in which the film places its