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Dick Nichols The death on July 26 of renowned French Marxist historian Pierre Broue after a long and painful battle with cancer closes the life of one of European Trotskyism's most remarkable figures. Born in 1926 into a family of deeply
John Pilger, London The latest bombings in London have produced a strange political atmosphere here; I cannot recall anything like it. A truth is struggling to be heard. It is being said guardedly, apologetically. Occasionally, a member of the
Federico Fuentes, Caracas With a firm date, December 4, set for Bolivia's presidential elections, the left is discussing how to best approach the current political situation. The elections were won through a popular uprising in May-June, which
Sue Bull, Ballarat At a meeting on August 5, 90 National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members employed at Ballarat University vowed to fight any attempts by their administration to stand them down for bans imposed as part of a dispute over a new
On July 27, a 100-strong protest of mostly women textile workers in the south-eastern province of Kerman was brutally attacked by security forces. The workers at the Asia Wool-Spinning Company are owed up to 3 million Tomans (about $3500) in unpaid
Sibylle Kaczorek, Sydney On August 2, Sister Susan Connelly, assistant director of the Mary MacKillop Institute for East Timor Studies, said that "fairness" should be the overarching principle in the David versus Goliath stand-off that
The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) will embark on an indefinite strike from August 8 in support of its demands for a living wage. This follows a three-day strike that began on July 27, along with large marches in most major cities. On
"Workplaces can be distressing for gay men and lesbians. Many attempt to hide their sexuality, which is difficult and demoralising, and they may live in fear of being found out. For those who are 'out' the treatment they receive can lead to
Marce Cameron, Sydney Without any public consultation, Sydney City Council (SCC) voted on August 1 to allow a council sub-committee to consider a development application that would grant "consent to enable the lodgement of a development application
Susan Price, Sydney The announcement by two key NSW Labor MPs — former treasurer and deputy premier Andrew Refshauge and former planning minister Craig Knowles — that they would be following former Premier Bob Carr into political retirement has
Michelle Lim "Voluntary student unionism" (VSU), at least the form that previously existed in WA, will mean universities will be unable to collect a compulsory general service fee (GSF). It will affect all students in all Australian and regional
Farida Iqbal, Perth The Western Australian Labor government is granting exploration leases for mining tenements holding uranium. The government claims that the leases include a condition to prevent uranium mining from occurring, however the