575

UNITED STATES: Re-emergence of twin deficits sparks alarm

Eva Cheng The re-emergence of concurrent deficits in the external current account and the federal budget of the United States — dubbed the "twin deficits" — and the likelihood of them continuing to grow for a long time, has reignited a debate

Why sex workers believe 'smaller is better'

Australia, NSW in particular, has been internationally praised for sex industry reform and maintaining one of the lowest HIV rates of any sex industry in the world. However, Erica Red and Saul Isbister, winners of the NSW World Aids Day 2002

IRAQ: US benefits from shrine bombings

Doug Lorimer On March 2, a dozen suicide bombers killed 181 worshippers, injuring another 573, outside Shiite Muslim shrines in Karbala and Baghdad. US officials immediately claimed the attacks were part of a plot by Jordanian-born Islamic

Newcastle socialist election launch

Twenty members and supporters of the Newcastle Socialist Alliance branch launched the alliance's campaign for the Newcastle City Council with a rally at Civic Railway Station on March 12. Alliance candidates Peter Robson, Geoff Payne and Judy

GREECE: Right wins elections, radical left consolidates

James Vassilopoulos The social democratic Pan Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) was booted out of office in the March 7 general election. The conservative New Democracy (ND) gained government and the new Coalition of the Radical Left (SYN) won 6

British journalist attacks media distortions

Chris Slee, Melbourne Speaking to at least 500 people at a public meeting at Melbourne University on March 11, British freelance journalist Yvonne Ridley detailed the lies and manipulation of the media by the US and British governments during the

Anger at union support for HECS increases

Ben Reid, Newcastle A wave of disgust and some resignations from the National Tertiary Education Union have swept academic staff at the Newcastle University as a result of NTEU branch president Wayne Reynolds' support for increased HECS fees for

News Briefs

SYDNEY — On March 8, a police officer approached a bookstall at the University of NSW, staffed by members of the socialist youth organisation Resistance, and told them that unless they stopped handing out leaflets, the students could "disappear

THAILAND: Unions fight privatisation

Nick Fredman, Bangkok Marching behind a banner reading "Thailand is not a company Thaksin", tens of thousands of Thai workers protested in the Thai capital on March 9 against the plans of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinauatra's government to privatise

'Women unite!'

Kerryn Williams More than 1000 people joined rallies and marches on March 13 to mark International Women's Day. These followed rallies in a range of cities a week earlier. Kathleen Scott reports that in Sydney, 500 people marched to Hyde Park,

INDONESIA: IWD rallies champion women workers' rights

James Balowski, Jakarta One thousand people from the Indonesian capital and the satellite cities of Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang commemorated International Women's Day (IWD) with a march from the Hotel Indonesia roundabout to the offices of the

UNITED STATES: Paul Sweezy

Phil Gasper, Chicago Paul Sweezy, the grand old man of American Marxism, died at his home in Larchmont, New York, on February 28, just short of his 94th birthday. Sweezy founded the independent socialist magazine Monthly Review in 1949 and remained