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COLOMBIA: US casualties rise

BY MARIA ENGQVIST As in Iraq, the number of US military personnel being killed in Colombia continues to rise. The US military has lost at least eight soldiers and pilots since February, including three CIA intelligence experts who were taken

Loose cannons

Flashback "Sending in Australian troops to occupy the Solomon Islands would be folly in the extreme... The fundamental problem is that foreigners do not have answers for the deep-seated problems afflicting the Solomon Islands." 鈥� Foreign minister

Rio Tinto workers reinstated after five years

1, Pacific Coal, Blair Athol, Errol Hodder, Hail Creek, Tony Maher "> Rio Tinto workers reinstated after five years BY ALISON DELLIT Five years and four days after their unfair dismissal, 16 Queensland miners have finally been granted the

Anger over $460,000 man

BY MATTHEW EGAN LISMORE 鈥� Students and staff at Southern Cross University (SCU) were angered to learn their vice-chancellor, Professor John Rickard, was paid a staggering $460,000 in 2002. According to the July 21 Sydney Morning Herald, this was

Class-struggle unions: we can beat Howard

BY SAM WAINWRIGHT PERTH 鈥� In the June Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) election, two of the three positions in the Western Australian branch were won by the Rank and File ticket, which called for a return to democratic and militant unionism.

ZIMBABWE: Letter from Harare

BY DAVE RENTON HARARE 鈥� The failure of the June's mass stayaway, called by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has hardly made life easier for activists. The government of President Robert Mugabe has unleashed gangs of young

On the box

Actively Radical TV 鈥� Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues from the activist's point of view. Includes the 麻豆传媒 news. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Sunday, 9pm. Phone (02) 9564 1277. Visit

A woman's place is in the struggle: Labor undermines domestic violence services

Victorian Premier Steve Bracks' Labor government is putting pressure on non-governmental community services organisations to make "productivity savings" in order to enable annual cuts to the Department of Human Services (DHS) budget over the next

NEW ZEALAND: Labour introduces racist immigration restrictions

BY PHILIP FERGUSON CHRISTCHURCH 鈥� New Zealand's Labour government has rushed through new immigration restrictions. The Immigration Amendment Bill and Immigration Amendment Bill (No. 2) were introduced into parliament on the evening of July 1

Union activists call for campaign against Carr job cuts

BY MELANIE SJOBERG SYDNEY 鈥� NSW Premier Bob Carr's Labor government calls its plan to cut 1000 jobs in the Department of Education and Training (DET) "lifelong and learning". However, public education needs more, not less, jobs. Students need

Drug usage: key facts

Dependant heroin users (NSW): more than 50,000 Opiate (eg, heroin) overdose deaths: Australia-wide in 1992: 327 (aged 15-44). Australia-wide in 1998: 700+ (aged 15-44) Percentage of drug users with hep C:50-70% Cost of drug consumption,

Injecting centre saves lives

BY DALE MILLS SYDNEY 鈥� The final report on the medically supervised injecting centre in the red-light district of Kings Cross has approved its continuation. It was the English-speaking world's first state-approved illegal-drug injecting centre.