World

By Jennifer Thompson The 99.98% referendum vote in favour of another seven years' presidency for Saddam Hussein on October 15 served to show the world that the Hussein regime is still in control of Iraq despite US and British-led attempts to install

By Nick Soudakoff MANILA — On November 30, 23,000 people demonstrated outside the presidential palace in solidarity with the plight of the urban poor. Similar demonstrations were held across the country. The Bonifacio Day demonstration in Metro

By Neville Spencer Haiti's first presidential election since the ousting of the military regime is to take place on December 17. In the last few weeks violence has broken out accompanied by a souring of relations between President Jean-Bertrand

Fighting austerity: French workers mobilise Over the last week, the strikes in France to stop the Chirac government's plans to raise taxes and cut welfare spending have consolidated in the public sector, and extended to some sections of the private

Behind the war in Jaffna The recent offensive by the Sri Lankan army against the Tamil people hasn't been criticised by the world's capitalist powers. Green Left Weekly's ANA KAILIS spoke to DR A.E SELVANATHAN, sub dean of the Department of Asian

By Boris Kagarlitsky MOSCOW — During the campaign for the elections of December 1993 Russian business leaders vied with one another to sponsor "Russia's Choice" and other "Westernising" political groups. The entrepreneurs believed in an open

By Nick Soudakoff MANILA — Twenty-one trade unions and urban poor organisations have set up a tent city outside Congress to demand, among other democratic rights, an end to employers' attacks on unions. The Tent City campaign, begun on September 4,

By Norm Dixon The decision of the Iowa Board of Parole to release US socialist Mark Curtis is being celebrated by his supporters. "This is a tremendous victory", said an ecstatic Curtis, who will be freed sometime after December 7. Curtis has spent

Nigeria: US, Britain, EU refuse sanctions By Norm Dixon The governments of the United States, Britain and the European Union (EU) have defied calls for oil sanctions on the brutal Nigerian regime, choosing instead to put their economic interests

The recent industrial action and the demonstrations in France are part of a campaign against the Chirac government's plans to cut welfare benefits and impose a tax under the pretext of trying to reduce France's Social Security deficit. Among the

By Sujatha Fernandes For some time the West, in particular the US government, has been warning about the arms build-up in south Asia. While the nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan is cause for concern, especially given the rise of Islamic

In the final years of perestroika, when there was little in Soviet shops except bare shelves and bored salespeople, Russians could still comfort themselves: at least you could always get bread. In four or five varieties, at prices so low they are almost painful to remember: about 25 kopecks (at the time, a few US cents) for a half-kilo loaf.