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.
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French workers and students defend social services By Sam Stratham MONTPELLIER, France — Hundreds of thousands of students, workers and unemployed people took to the streets around the country on November 30 to protest against the Chirac
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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,
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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
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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
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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
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French students' strike escalatesBy Sam Stratham FRANCE Following the Chirac government's passage of the education budget on November 9, hundreds of thousands of students took to the streets across France on November 21. Education Minister Beyrou's
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By Eva Cheng The recent Osaka heads of government summit of the 18 nations in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group was widely hailed as a success. While the meeting achieved little of substance, it revealed a major conflict of interest
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By Norm Dixon The Queensland Greens are to launch a campaign over the execution of Ogoni leader Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other leaders. Internationally, there are growing demands for an immediate imposition of sanctions on Nigeria's oil trade and for
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By Kevin Jardine or Mary MacNutt TORONTO — When France and China tested nuclear weapons this year the Canadian government expressed official "regret". However, PM Jean Chretien's effort to sell the Chinese government two nuclear reactors completely
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By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — On November 10 aides came away from the bedside of Russian President Boris Yeltsin, hospitalised a fortnight earlier following a heart attack, bearing an order vetoing a recently adopted law which set out the basis for
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By Norm Dixon On November 22, after 47 days on strike, 61% of striking Boeing workers in the United States voted to continue a strike that has virtually closed down the world's largest manufacturer of passenger jets. Workers rejected Boeing latest