World

Burma's repressive military junta has been invited as an observer to the ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) foreign ministers' meeting on July 22-28 in Bangkok. Many observers see this as the first step towards

Indonesian opposition gets organisedThe campaign in Indonesia against the closures, in late June, of the country's three major news weeklies has spurred on discussion on how best to advance the development of an organised

"I regard the death penalty as a savage and immoral institution that undermines the moral and legal foundations of society. I reject the notion that the death penalty has any essential deterrent effect on potential

July 26 is a special day in the history of the Cuban revolution. On this day in 1953, Fidel Castro led an attack on the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba. The attack was crushed and Castro was tried and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.

In the October 1993 issue of its World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund muses on the question, "Is the debt crisis over?" The answer is a qualified yes. It's become a commonplace in the business press that the Third World debt

British Labour moves further rightLONDON — Thirteen years ago the British Labour Party erupted with the most sustained and radical left-wing challenge since the 1920s. In September 1981, the leading figure of the Labour

The California Policy Seminar (CPS), a joint program of the University of California and the California state government, released in June "Pesticides in the Home and Community: Health Risks and Policy Alternatives", targeting the extensive use of

Youth leagues support prisoners Youth organisations have backed calls by the South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights for amnesty for non-violent prisoners. On July 9, representatives of the youth leagues of the ANC, IFP, PAC and

Mining takes its toll on West Papua In the shadow of glacier-capped Puncak Jaya in West Papua the US-owned Freeport Mining Company is extracting ore from the largest gold reserves and above-ground copper deposits in the world. The mine earns

US restricts military aid to Indonesia The United States Senate banned light arms sales to Indonesia on July 14 because of continuing human rights violations on East Timor. In a unanimous vote, the Senate added a provision to the Foreign

A number of activist groups, including the People's Coalition against Vat (KOMVAT) and Kill VAT are planning major protest actions against the Ramos governments' expanded value added tax (VAT) law. The actions are being timed

Greenpeace acts against asbestos exports ITALY — Eight Greenpeace activists blocked a convoy of four asbestos-contaminated passenger railcars ready for export to eastern Europe on July 4. At the small Casarsa railway station, near the