Several weeks of conflict between the government of President Evo Morales and Bolivian trade unions has again thrown into sharp relief some of the serious challenges confront Bolivia鈥檚 process of change.
For two weeks in April, the Bolivian Workers Central (COB) called mobilisations across various cities to protest the government鈥檚 proposed 10% pay rise for teachers, health workers, police and soldiers, and 20% rise in the minimum wage.
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In April 1915, in the midst of a stalled military campaign on the Western Front, Britain and its allies attacked Turkey鈥檚 Gallipoli Peninsula in an attempt to gain control of the Dardanelles Straits and take German-allied Turkey out of World War I.
This impressively researched volume, which relies extensively on unpublished first-hand accounts from soldiers of all sides of the conflict, is a detailed account of this 鈥渄oomed鈥 and 鈥減ointless鈥 campaign.
Europe鈥檚 biggest polluters have made billions out of the European Emissions Trading System (ETS). But a new briefing by Carbon Trade Watch (CTW) says the scheme will ensure industry will not have to cut its emissions until at least 2017.
The ETS sets a cap, or upper limit, on total emissions for 11,000 power stations and industrial plants in 30 European countries. Each company receives permits to pollute, which can be traded with other companies.
Last year, Marrickville council in Sydney passed a resolution in support of the non-violent struggle of the Palestinian people for their human rights.
Since then The Australian and other media outlets have gone into a hysterical frenzy, accusing the councillors of being dangerous, naive, anti-Semitic extremists.
Actually they are just ordinary community members; some of who are in the Australian Labor Party, some in the Greens and some who have no political affiliations.
A 麻豆传媒 Weekly Culture of Resistance dinner, taking place in Sydney鈥檚 west on May 28, will pay homage to the people's power movements in the Arab world.
Each succulent dish served will be from a country in revolt, and speakers at the frontline from Egypt, Palestine and from Jews Against the Occupation will address the event.
Revolutionary Arabic band, Al-Salam (which means peace in Arabic) will perform on the night. Band member Samir Maarbani said: 鈥淎l-Salam is a group established during the Lebanese civil war in 1981 and has expanded into all kinds of musical arts.
It鈥檚 wonderful that WikiLeaks and Julian Assange are getting good publicity and support for their great efforts exposing the lies and deceptions of the US, Israel and others. But I also would like to draw some attention to the fate of two Israeli whistleblowers and political prisoners held in Israel, Mordechai Vanunu and Anat Kamm.
In 1986, Vanunu took a courageous moral stand against nuclear weapons. Vanunu exposed Israel鈥檚 secret nuclear weapons arsenal to the world after becoming disillusioned with his work at Dimona Nuclear Research Centre in Israel.
Three members of the Sydney-based refugee solidarity group the Cross Borders Collective occupied the rooftop of immigration minister Chris Bowen鈥檚 electoral office in Fairfield on April 29.
Their protest was a stand of support for the refugees who have been protesting inside immigration detention centres across Australia, including the week-long rooftop protest by three detainees in Sydney鈥檚 Villawood detention centre.
Police arrested the activists within a few hours and removed them from the roof.
After months of pressure from apologists for apartheid Israel, eight Marrickville councillors, including two Greens councillors, voted on April 19 to rescind the Council鈥檚 to support the global boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.
However, an important national discussion about Australia鈥檚 responsibilities to help Palestinians win their rights has begun.
In the lead up to the March 26 New South Wales state election, a concerted anti-Greens campaign was unleashed by the major parties and the corporate media. Despite this, Greens candidate and mayor of Leichhardt Jamie Parker won the seat of Balmain.
麻豆传媒 Weekly鈥檚 Kiraz Janicke spoke to Parker about the campaign and the Greens鈥 agenda in the next period.
Congratulations on being the first ever lower house Greens MP elected to the NSW parliament. Could you comment on the significance of this victory?
As part of a National Day of Action for refugee rights, about 250 protesters turned out to Melbourne鈥檚 Maribyrnong Detention centre on April 25 to show solidarity with refugees in detention and to oppose the mandatory detention of asylum seekers.
The human rights activists gathered at the detention centre entrance. They were addressed by speakers from the Greens, Students for Palestine and two former detainees including Ali Bakhtiavandi from the Socialist Alliance, who had been held in Maribyrnong for 16 months in 2001 and 2002.
Below is an address to Marrickville Council meeting on BDS by Dr. Peter Slezak, associate professor in history and philosophy at the University of New South Wales, arguing against a motion on April 19 to rescind the council鈥檚 support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.
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Not long ago, moral opposition to the Vietnam War and opposition to our complicity in the crimes in East Timor received the same denunciation we witness now against Marrickville council.
When climate change deniers took to the streets in March against the federal government鈥檚 proposed carbon price, some of this country鈥檚 most notorious shock jocks were leading the way.
Chris Smith, talkback host on Sydney commercial radio show 2GB, was a major promoter of the March 23 rally outside Parliament House in Canberra. The rally was littered with signs featuring misogynist slogans and bizarre rebuttals of the existence of climate change.
Everyone you鈥檇 expect at a conservative reunion was there, from opposition leader Tony Abbott to former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
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