World

NZ students win against VSU By Zanny Begg Students in New Zealand have had a victory against the government's attempts to weaken student unions through the voluntary student membership (VSM) legislation. The legislation required student unions to
By Patrick Bond JOHANNESBURG — The lack of a serious left alternative to the centre-right African National Congress ruling party — whose macro-economic strategy (aside from new labour regulations) is more austere and business-friendly than
East Timor's freedom in the balance By Jon Land On April 27, as Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Indonesian President B.J. Habibie joked and chatted following their discussions on the situation in East Timor, the people of East Timor
By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — On April 18, the Russian Communist League of Youth (RKSM) held its fourth national congress here — and survived as the largest, best organised force on the Russian far left. For the RKSM — often known by the
Indian priest calls for peace in Sri Lanka By Nadeem Ansari CANBERRA — The Reverend Jegath Gaspar Raj told a public meeting here on April 28 that war in Sri Lanka has brought misery to the Tamil people and has polarised the Tamil and Sinhalese
By Norm Dixon Britain's Independent Television Commission (ITC) on April 23 revoked the licence of Med TV, the satellite television station watched by millions of Kurds in Kurdistan, Turkey, the Middle East and Europe. "The decision is undoubtedly
Marchers demand new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal By Barry Sheppard Two mass marches and rallies were held on April 24 in defence of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a revolutionary journalist and former Black Panther leader who has been on death row
Burmese leader was no socialist By Myint Zan In an article titled "The Last Fifty Years of Burmese Law: E Maung and Maung" (Law Asia, 1997), Andrew Huxley from London's School of African and Oriental Studies claims that the former president of
By Barry Sheppard For two weeks in the wake of the police's February 4 shooting of Ahmed Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant in New York, daily protests kept the spotlight on police terror against blacks and Hispanics. A mass civil disobedience
Global demo for cancelling Third World debt By Eva Cheng BRUSSELS — An international demonstration planned for June 19 to press for the cancellation of all Third World debt was endorsed at a conference organised by the Committee for the
South Korean prosecutors are trying to arrest at least 20 leaders of the Seoul subway workers' union, including its president Seok Chi-soon, as part of an attempt by the South Korean government and big business to stop a Korean Confederation of Trade
By Norm Dixon The results of Turkey's April 18 national, provincial and local elections signal increased repression against the country's Kurdish minority and greater austerity for the working class. However, the strong vote in the south-east of