660

Ben Courtice, Melbourne Qantas Airways, Australia's major airline, announced on March 9 that it will close its Sydney Airport heavy maintenance base for its fleet of Boeing 747s, sack 480 workers, and transfer 140 of the positions to Brisbane and
Annolies Truman Fear that depleted uranium (DU) weapons have been used at the Lancelin Bombing Range in WA and that they could be poisoning Perth has prompted a campaign to close the base. Anne Snow, a resident of Lancelin, a small seaside town 123
Stuart Martin, Melbourne The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) held the first of a series of national delegates' meetings at Storey Hall on March 8. The meeting updated delegates and union activists about the campaign against the
Max Lane The second congress of the Acehnese Peoples Democratic Resistance Front (FPDRA), held on February 23-26 in Aceh Besar, took a decision to form a new political party in Aceh. The FPDRA was established in the late 1990s and grew out of
On March 8, demonstrations to mark International Women's Day took place across the globe, many focusing on opposition to war and occupation. Palestinians and Israelis joined together at the Ar Ram checkpoint near Jerusalem and marched along the
Stuart Munckton At the same time as the US government continues to escalate its hostile rhetoric towards the left-wing government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, March 8 marked the beginning of a week of solidarity with the US people. The
WA Liberal opposition leader Matt Birney has backed state police commissioner Karl O'Callaghan's call for mandatory jail sentences for people who assault police. O'Callaghan advocated the measure after two police officers were bashed during a riot
NEWCASTLE — Venezuelan revolutionary Carolus Wimmer wound up his national speaking tour here on March 5 when he addressed 35 people at the Resistance Centre. Wimmer, a member of the Latin American parliament, explained the need for international
Lisa Macdonald After yet another week of factional frenzy, for which the Australian Labor Party is increasingly renowned, it is clearer than ever that the party is in serious crisis. Some in the party's inner circle are once again blaming the
Tamara Pearson April 11 will mark four years since the US-backed coup against Venezuela's democratically elected president Hugo Chavez. Within just 36 hours, the coup was defeated by a mass uprising of the poor, who, along with loyal 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ of
Peter McGregor The Packer Dis-Memorial Collective, named after our protest at Kerry Packer's taxpayer-funded funeral on February 17, is organising a "take-two" on March 14 at 8.30am outside the Downing Centre court in Sydney. Eight people are
Door opener "As [AWB] chairman, I was trotted out to open doors or to be a figure head to take a political beating for the sake of doing business or to perform other ceremonial roles." — Trevor Flugge testifying on February 27 to the Cole inquiry