Solidarity 045, 5 February 2004

On 4 January five Israeli Conscientious Objectors - Noam Bahat, Matan Kaminer, Adam Maor, Haggai Matar and Shimri Tsameret - were sentenced by a military court to a second year in military jail. They have refused to enlist in the Israel army (IDF) while it remains an occupation force. It is not usual for conscripts and reservists who refuse to serve to be treated so harshly. "Refuseniks" are jailed but not for such long periods. Many young Israelis get out of their military service. Around 10% claim "psychiatric" problems. Others who do not want to go to the Occupied Territories are assigned...

By Pablo Velasco Brazilian left calls for a new party Indonesian left starts election campaign Anti-union laws in Argentina Brazilian left calls for a new party Heloisa Helena, the senator expelled from Brazil's Workers Party (PT) in December last year, has issued a call for the formation of a new party of the "Socialist and Democratic Left". Helena, a founder member of the PT and one of its most prominent senators, was expelled from the party with three other MPs for voting against government cuts in public sector pensions. The appeal, put out with other trade unionists and well known left...

Get out of town! (Not) getting a rise in politics Arise Sir Bill… oh, defender of free speech? New TV boss Old TV boss Get out of town! In a bout of ultra-parochial huffiness the leaders of Derby and Leicester city councils threatened boycotts of their nearest airport. This was because the airport - located near the speedtracks at Castle Donnington - had been given the name Nottingham East Midlands - apparently at the behest of cut-price airline BMIBaby. Nottingham is further away from the airport. But it is home to Robin Hood and mint sauce with mushy peas and therefore was considered to have...