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Power to the peaceful

BY MICHAEL FRANTI SAN FRANCISCO — "We can bomb the world to pieces, but we can't bomb it into peace", this best sums up my opinion on militarism. The line came to mind at an organising meeting for a mass concert and rally we put on in San

5000 workers join on M1 May Day rally

BY TONY ILTIS MELBOURNE — This year's May Day rally, held on May 1 for the third year running rather than on the following weekend, had the theme "For a people's budget, not a war budget". The rally, which was organised by the Victorian Trades

Anti-dump activists win 'green Nobel Prize'

BY JIM GREEN ADELAIDE — Mrs Eileen Brown and Mrs Eileen Wingfield were announced as winners of the prestigious Goldman Prize for the Environment on April 15 for their role in fighting the federal government's plan for a national radioactive waste

News Briefs

Qld electricians win 25% pay rise BRISBANE — After months of negotiations and substantial industrial action, on April 29 contract electricians won a 25% pay rise as part of a new industry standard in south-east Queensland. More than 30

Marches commemorate May Day

On May 3 and 4, marches were held in several Australian cities to mark May Day, a traditional day of workers' struggle. In Sydney, around 2000 people rallied in Hyde Park on March 4 before marching, behind several trucks decorated with union

SCOTLAND: 'A new political force emerges'

BY SARAH PEART GLASGOW — Socialism has taken a giant leap forward in Scotland. In a wonderful May Day election success, the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) will send six members into the Scottish parliament. The leader of the SSP, Tommy

Drought

In the midst of parched desertno-one can come with usWe cannot journey hand in handThere is no green place to rest the eyeand the scorching wind of destiny lashes at our backsA call to DIMIA is like the smell of rain in the desertHope, like black

Cleaners sacked in dirty deal

BY TIM DOUGHNEY GEELONG — Six cleaning staff employed at the Gordon Institute, the largest provider of technical and further education in the Geelong region, have lost their jobs after a change of contractor. Waynes Cleaning Systems, a

CFMEU's Kingham acquitted

BY VANNESSA HEARMAN MELBOURNE — Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) state secretary Martin Kingham was acquitted of breaching the Royal Commission Act at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on May 2, following a three-day court

CUBA: Intellectuals launch campaign against US provocations

BY MARCE CAMERON On May 1, 160 foreign intellectuals and artists — including Nobel Prize winners Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Rigoberta Menchu, Aldolfo Perez Esquivel and Nadine Gordimer — launched an international declaration in defence of Cuba.

VENEZUELA: 'Nothing can stop this revolution'

BY CHRISTANO KERRILLA "There is a driving force behind this revolution and nobody or nothing can stop it", declared Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez on April 13 at the closing rally of the four-day World Encounter of Solidarity with the Bolivarian

May 1 meeting debates blocking budget

BY TONY ILTIS MELBOURNE — A May 1 forum organised by the Socialist Alliance hosted a lively debate about whether the budget should be blocked, after Greens speaker Pamela Curr explained her party's opposition. The forum, attended by 60 people,