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Letter from the US: Affirmative action and a society that isn't colour blind

By Barry Sheppard Last year, the board of regents of California's university system voted to end affirmative action to help minorities gain admission. It claimed that affirmative action discriminated against whites. The results have been

When the political becomes personal

When the political becomes personal Diving for PearlsBy Katherine ThomsonDirected by Adam CookWith Deborah Kennedy, Danny Adcock, Steve Rodgers, Cornelia Frances and Sacha HorlerEnsemble Theatre, KirribilliUntil July 4. Review by Allen Myers

Teachers stop work in Victoria

Teachers stop work in Victoria By Mary Merkenich MELBOURNE —Victorian Australian Education Union (AEU) members struck on May 27 as part of a campaign the AEU has been waging to win a certified agreement with the state government and to get the

Privatisation blackmail

Privatisation blackmail By Melanie Sjoberg ADELAIDE — In the May 28 state budget, the Liberal government has tied funding for South Australia's ailing education and health systems to the privatisation of the electricity utility, ETSA. Treasurer

UPNG students boycott classes

UPNG students boycott classes By Norm Dixon Angry University of Papua New Guinea students on May 22 launched a class boycott and a blockade of the Port Moresby campus in response to a proposed restructure of the university. Students claim the

Making life harder for the unemployed

By Richard Southall On May 1, the structure of employment services was transformed as provision was opened up to private companies. The Howard government claims that this partial privatisation will result in better services because the unemployed

Students adopt political prisoner

By Sarah Peart Andi Arief was kidnapped by the Indonesian military from his brother's house in Lampung, Sumatra on March 28. For four weeks he was "disappeared". The military emphatically denied having detained him, despite eyewitness reports to

Outrage at NSW police shooting

SYDNEY — On May 26, the NSW police force's latest victim was killed outside his grandmother's house. The Coalition Opposing Police Shootings (COPS) has called on the NSW police commissioner to immediately adopt English-style, unarmed beat policing.

Uranium companies evade environment controls

By Francesca Davis Even as the blockade at ERA's Jabiluka uranium mine site was broken up by the Tactical Response Group last week, the campaign to stop uranium mining in Kakadu was gathering support. That support is founded on a widespread

'Zimbabwe's Suharto must go'

'Zimbabwe's Suharto must go' By Norm Dixon Inspired by the fall of Indonesian dictator Suharto, thousands of student demonstrators on May 28 marched through the streets of the capital, Harare, to demand the resignation of Zimbabwe president

International news briefs

International news briefs Climate treaty under attack The Global Climate Coalition (GCC), a grouping of some of the biggest multinational corporations, is launching a new campaign to strip the Kyoto greenhouse gas accord of its scientific

Hundreds march in support of Jabiluka blockade

Hundreds march in support of Jabiluka blockade By Lachlan Malloch and Arun Pradhan In response to the arrest of nine activists blockading the proposed Jabiluka uranium mine site by police on May 26, Sydney's Jabiluka Action Group (JAG) called an