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... and ain't i a woman?: Taslima Nasreen

Taslima Nasreen In Bangladesh, feminist Taslima Nasreen is in hiding. An Islamic fundamentalist group has declared a death sentence on her for criticising the Koran. Nasreen is a doctor and author who writes a regular column in a

Mabo Day on Thursday Island

Mabo Day on Thursday Island THURSDAY ISLAND — Getano Lui, chair of the Islands Coordinating Commission, and Pedro Stephens, mayor of Thursday Island, proclaimed June 3 a public holiday to commemorate the 1992 Mabo ruling. This High Court

Walkers seek freedom for Peltier

By Cam Walker Native American activist Leonard Peltier has been in jail since 1976 for the murder of two FBI agents. Last year, he stated: "I have served over 18 years in prison ... The prosecutors have now admitted that they have no idea who

Cuban musician launches Brisbane tour

Cuban musician launches Brisbane tour By Bill Mason BRISBANE — More than 100 people packed into the Resistance Centre here on June 25 to hear the brilliant percussion playing of award-winning Cuban musician Jacinto Herrera. The Cuba

25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots

The 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the event that heralded the rise of the movement for gay and lesbian liberation, was celebrated in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide on June 25. In Sydney, 2000 people marched from Taylor Square,

Solidarity rally to focus on Australia's role

By Nick Fredman SYDNEY — When hundreds of young activists gather here from Friday to Sunday, July 8-10, for the Resistance national conference, international solidarity will be high on the agenda. Campaigning against Australian imperialism's

More unwanted attention for ASIO

ASIO: An Unofficial History By Frank Cain Spectrum, 1994. 292 pp., $19.95 (pb) Reviewed by Phil Shannon ASIO is receiving a lot of unaccustomed attention lately. Hard on the investigative heels of David McKnight's recent book comes Frank

Economic, military links with Jakarta strengthened

By Jon Land Australia's biggest trade and business promotion ever held overseas was opened by foreign affairs and trade minister Gareth Evans in Jakarta on June 14. The $8 million project has displays by some 500 businesses. During the

PNG scuttles Bougainville talks

By Frank Enright Despite a promising start to peace talks between Papua New Guinea and Bougainville Interim Government representatives in the Solomon Islands, the meetings have been called off. After two meetings, and in breach of a signed

Capital finds a Russian growth industry

By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — Not so long ago, many Russians still believed that if they embraced capitalism, foreign investment would pour in to help modernise and expand their country's decrepit factories. That's a suggestion the new

Coroner slams police over death

Coroner slams police over death By Alex Cooper MELBOURNE — A report into the first of seven deaths at the hands of police between 1988 and 1989 was released by the coroner on June 20. The coroner slammed police actions during a raid on

How the West funds Suharto's repression

By Jon Land A controversial report released in the US has exposed funding of the Indonesian military through World Bank loans. These loans have the full backing of the US government, which has the controlling vote over World Bank projects.