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PALESTINE: Israel invades Balata refugee camp

Harrison Healy, Nablus Over several days beginning on February 19, the Israeli army conducted a series of incursions in the Balata refugee camp, claiming it was trying to track down 16 Palestinian resistance fighters. According to camp residents,

Hollywood: Swimming against the right-wing tide?

SyrianaDirected and written by Stephen GaghanWith George Clooney, Matt Damon and Jeffrey WrightScreening nationally REVIEW BY LACHLAN MALLOCH Syriana is part of a new wave of political films coming from Hollywood that are more or less critical of

Compensation victory for detention victim

Sarah Stephen, Sydney On March 2, the immigration department reached an out-of-court settlement with the parents of an 11-year-old Iranian boy, Shayan Badraie, over his experiences in the Woomera and Villawood detention centres in 2000 and 2002.

IRAQ: Media's "civil war" talk conceals colonial war

Doug Lorimer In the aftermath of the February 22 bombing of the Shiite Golden Mosque in Samarra - a predominantly Sunni city 125 kilometres north of Baghdad - by four men wearing Iraqi interior ministry commando uniforms, the Western corporate

INDIA: Dalit activist brutally attacked

Eva Cheng On January 5, Bant Singh, a Dalit (low-caste) activist from the Mansa district of Punjab, was brutally attacked by seven thugs. It is believed that the attackers were sent by the local village head in revenge for Singh's five-year pursuit

RUSSIA: Mayor bans gay pride march

The US-based Human Rights Watch has condemned a plan by the mayor of Moscow to ban the city's first ever gay pride march. Organisers have been anticipating 5000 participants for the May 27 parade. A spokesperson for the mayor told reporters on

UNITED STATES: South Dakota's all-out abortion ban

Elizabeth Schulte, Chicago In the most sweeping anti-abortion measure in 10 years, South Dakota state senators voted on February 22 for a bill that will ban virtually all abortions. Under the bill — which states that human "life begins at the

Our Common Cause: Beat Abbott back

Health minister Tony Abbott thinks women are having too many abortions. On February 16 he said, "Every abortion is a tragedy and up to 100,000 abortions a year is this generation's legacy of unutterable shame". The morning after parliament removed

Health minister Tony Abbott thinks women are having too many abortions. On February 16 he said, "Every abortion is a tragedy and up to 100,000 abortions a year is this generation's legacy of unutterable shame".

Young workers' conference planned

Sue Bull, Geelong A young workers' network is being set up to organise a conference here on June 17. The February 22 meeting of the Geelong Trades Hall Council (GTHC) voted to endorse and support the proposal. Conference organiser and Resistance

Sue Bull, Geelong

A young workers' network is being set up to organise a conference here on June 17. The February 22 meeting of the Geelong Trades Hall Council (GTHC) voted to endorse and support the proposal.