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Rock for Refugees draws good crowd

SYDNEY — Around 1000 people enjoyed themselves at the inaugural Rock 4 Refugees concert on the afternoon of October 27. The concert was held at Henson Park, Marrickville. Among the bands that performed were Mental As Anything (pictured), the

and ain't i a woman?: Amina's crime: to be a poor women

Amina Lawal has been sentenced to death by stoning for the "crime" of bearing a child by a man she divorced two years previously. Under sharia laws in effect in many of Nigeria's northern states, which are based on a strict interpretation of Islam,

ALP refuses to end forest pillage

BY SHUA GARFIELD HOBART — The Tasmanian ALP state conference, held October 26-27 in Launceston, voted overwhelmingly to not debate a motion put by Denison MHR Duncan Kerr to end logging in areas of high conservation value. Instead, it

INDONESIA: Right exploits anger at 'war on terror' campaign

BY MAX LANE JAKARTA — The "war on terror" propaganda campaign being conducted by the Australian and US governments is providing ammunition for xenophobic right-wing political forces in Indonesia. Australian government support for the

WTO hides from protesters

BY NORM DIXON SYDNEY - The federal minister for trade, Mark Vaile, announced late on October 30 that the November 14-15 World Trade Organisation (WTO) informal meeting of trade ministers will be held at a new venue, the Novotel Hotel within the

IRAQ: US backs Turkey's threats against Kurds

BY NORM DIXON In recent months, Turkish government and military leaders have repeatedly threatened to invade northern Iraq to prevent Iraqi Kurds creating an "independent state" in the aftermath of Washington's planned war on Iraq. Even though US

DSP: Socialist Alliance is 'at a turning point'

BY JOHN PERCY [The following letter was sent on October 22 by Democratic Socialist Party national secretary John Percy on behalf of the DSP political committee to the national executive of the International Socialist Organisation. It was

Students protest WTO and war

BY MEG WHITE-FOX & DANNY FAIRFAX SYDNEY — On October 30, 200 students congregated at Sydney University's Manning Bar to listen to a debate on the question, “Is the World Trade Organisation a positive step for world development?”. It

Labor MPs shut down local anti-war stall

BY SUSAN PRICE& LIAM MITCHELL SYDNEY — On November 2, members of the Labor Party attempted to have the Leichhardt Council close down a Socialist Alliance anti-war stall outside Norton Plaza. The Socialist Alliance (SA) has held a stall

Bracks orders stop to logging in Goolengook

BY GRAHAM MATTHEWS MELBOURNE — On October 30, Victorian Labor Premier Steve Bracks ordered a moratorium on the logging of the Goolengook state forest in the East Gippsland. Under the moratorium, logging in the old-growth forest will be

Socialist Alliance candidate condemns ASIO raids

BY KIM BULLIMORE SYDNEY — “The raids by armed secret police on a number of Muslim families in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth must be condemned by all who value democratic rights”, said Sam Wainwright, the Socialist Alliance candidate for the

On the road with Che

The Motorcycle Diaries: a Journey Around South America By Ernesto Che Guevara Fourth Estate $20.95 REVIEW BY STEVEN KATSINERIS The Motorcycle Diaries is the incredible story of a remarkable road journey, written in the words of a