389

By Maire Leadbeater AUCKLAND — A new group, Justice for Asylum Seekers, has been formed here to agitate against the scandalous treatment of those seeking refuge from persecution. The inspiration for the group's formation was the hunger strike by
The Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA) on January 6 expressed its shock and grief at the murder of Kumar Ponnampalam, a human rights lawyer and general secretary of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, a political party in Sri Lanka. He
By Sean Roberts Iraqi Kurdistan has been plunged into an atmosphere of lawlessness and terrorism after the 1991 US-sponsored Operation Desert Storm invasion of Iraq. Following the Gulf War, Iraqi Kurdistan was separated from Iraq under the United
By Max Lane For the first time since 1974, a public split has emerged within the Indonesian army's top generals over how best to preserve the political authority of the Indonesian armed forces (TNI). The split has been provoked by the inquiry,
By Boris Kagarlitsky MOSCOW — The campaigning for the December 19 elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, was notable for the listlessness of everyone who took part. It was not simply that the various candidates and
Mahathir cracks down on Malaysian opposition The Malaysian government has begun an attack on opposition groups. The United Malays National Organisation/National Front government of Prime Minister Mahathir is arresting leaders of opposition groups
Visas denied to Marxism 2000 guests By Sean Healy SYDNEY — Three international guests scheduled to speak at the Marxism 2000 conference in Sydney in January were denied entry visas to Australia. Another guest was granted entry only after public
Cuba's path out of underdevelopment By Roberto Jorquera Since 1959, the Cuban revolution has been an inspiration to millions around the world. A small underdeveloped nation, Cuba has been able to demonstrate what is feasible with a
Churches take over Job Network By Jonathan Singer In a $3 billion round of contracts offered at the end of 1999, the Coalition government largely completed its privatisation of the employment services previously provided by the Commonwealth
Media sharks just got bigger By Sean Healy The January 11 US$350 billion merger of the world's largest media company, Time Warner, and US internet giant America Online (AOL) will spur a new wave of mergers and acquisitions, centralising control
Woman forced to return to Iran An Iranian woman fearing persecution for making "pornographic" films in her home country has lost her attempt to stay in Australia. The Federal Court has dismissed her appeal against an earlier decision to refuse her
Court affirms: Brander is still racist By Stan Smith ADELAIDE — The South Australian Supreme Court has reaffirmed an earlier court decision that Michael Brander is a "racist in the worst sense". This is despite its January 12 ruling partially