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Denzel Washington's first film as a director is deeply touching. The true story of Antwone Fisher, who wrote the screenplay, is an inspirational tale about a young man attempting to gain control over his present and future by coming to terms with his past. Antwone, played by Derek Luke, is enlisted in the US navy and is prone to uncontrollable outbursts of anger.

United against US OVER 10,000 Shia and Sunni Muslims marched through Baghdad on Monday to oppose the US occupation. US snipers overlooked the demonstration from rooftops as protesters chanted against the new US governor in Iraq, Paul Bremer, and his plans for a delayed Iraqi government in the future.

AMICUS MEMBERS at the Fujitsu Services site at West Gorton, Manchester, voted by two to one in an indicative ballot for action up to and including striking in support of their pay claim.

TONY BLAIR had some friends round for breakfast at Number 10 last week. On the menu was the carve-up of lucrative NHS contracts, and round the table a clutch of fat cat privatisers.

COUNCIL TENANTS and trade unionists face major battles in the coming months as the government presses ahead with its plans to privatise council homes. Some 125,000 council homes are targeted in the coming year in 17 major councils for straightforward transfer to housing associations, dubbed Large Scale Voluntary Transfers, from Manchester and Hartlepool to Lambeth and Islington.

THE devastating bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco shattered 75 lives, and with them the great lie at the heart of George Bush's "war on terror". We were told the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq would "make the world a safer place". The US government, and Blair, have all but abandoned the pretence that invading Iraq was about weapons of mass destruction. Instead, Bush says Saddam Hussein was a key player in the 11 September 2001 attacks.

DEMONSTRATORS protested against Nazi BNP councillors in Burnley on Thursday of last week. Around 80 Anti Nazi League members picketed Burnley council's first meeting since eight BNP members were elected. The Nazis turned up in two chauffeur-driven limousines to celebrate their election win.

More and more people standing up to Nazi BNP Many people in the local community here were shocked when the British National Party (BNP) got someone elected to Broxbourne council on 1 May. On Tuesday 13 May we had a local protest against the BNP councillor taking up his position.

SECTION ELECTIONS in the PCS civil servants' union have resulted in important gains for the left. The right wing lost control of the key inland revenue group and were almost wiped out in the Department of Work and Pensions.

CRIME RATES are falling - but that doesn't stop home secretary David Blunkett whipping up hysteria over crime to help him ram through major attacks on civil liberties.

"WE'VE NOW got to go out and win a resounding vote against this deal on the stations, and then at the recalled conference." With those words Paul Embury from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) at Islington station, north London, summed up the feeling of many hundreds of activists in the union.

GEORGE Galloway's suspension from the Labour Party is due to be considered by the party's top internal committee on 10 June. The National Executive Committee (NEC) has the power to overturn the suspension, which was issued by the party's unelected general secretary, David Triesman, on behalf of the Blairite hierarchy two weeks ago.