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Graham Matthews & Sue Bolton At its March 7 meeting, the Australian Council of Trade Unions executive passed a resolution that called for "A week of activities, June 25-July 2, with rallies to be held on Wednesday 28 June 2006, under the National
Sarah Stephen On April 2, protesters will rally around Australia in support of a free and independent West Papua, and to demand immediate asylum for the 43 West Papuans who remain on Christmas Island awaiting the outcome of their applications.
West Papuan protesters demanding the closure of the US-owned Freeport-McMoRan gold and copper mine were attacked by police on March 16, who used tear gas and batons before firing on the crowd. Several police and protesters were killed in the clashes.
Kerry Vernon Despite an emergency accommodation crisis, minister for community services John Cobb said on ABC Radio on February 27 that NSW will not receive extra funding for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP). The NSW Council
Doug Lorimer On March 12, Iraqi interior minister Bayan Jabr announced that four employees in his ministry had been arrested for being members of a death squad. This was the first time that the US-backed Iraqi government had admitted the existence
Venezuela has a new national flag, approved by the National Assembly and launched by socialist President Hugo Chavez on March 12, the 200th anniversary of the original flag. The most significant addition is an eighth star to honour the province
Stuart Munckton Associated Press reported on March 14 that the left-wing Venezuelan government has hiked up the rate of income tax being paid by oil multinationals that invest in Venezuela, from 34% to 50%. Multinationals have already had to
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic died in his cell at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague on March 11, where he was facing trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Balkans during the 1990s, including the 1995 massacre of
The SupersizeMyPay.com campaign has pressured McDonald's into giving all workers a pay rise that the fast-food giant previously threatened to only give to non-union members. The reversal came two weeks after the Unite union filed legal papers to the
Alex Miller Universities all over Britain were closed down on March 7 as higher education unions staged a national one-day strike over pay. The Association of University Teachers (AUT) and the University and College Lecturers Union (NATFHE) called
Tony Iltis, Melbourne At a reception for Queen Elizabeth II on March 15, held at the Royal Exhibition Building and hosted by PM John Howard, Australian flags and Union Jacks were well outnumbered by Aboriginal flags. Royal well-wishers were also
Lara Pullin The March 12 National Assembly and municipal elections were marked by a record 52% participation of eligible voters. Yet the elections have been rife with irregularities and violence against the left-wing Farabundo Marti National