World

  • Czechs and Slovaks head for 'velvet divorce'

    PRAGUE — Leading Czech and Slovak politicians agreed on a formula that will divide the Czechoslovak federation into two independent republics, during discussions that culminated on June 17. The agreement is the result of

  • Labour struggles in the Urals

    The Urals region is one of the main industrial centres of Russia. However, its social infrastructure lags behind that of cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg, while such industrial centres of the region as Yekaterinburg (formerly Sverdlovsk),

  • Democracy a 'farce' in India

    SYDNEY — "Human life is very cheap in India. Democracy has been reduced to a farce", according to K.G. Kannabiran, president of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee. Speaking to about 50 people at

  • CRA accused of cyanide pollution

    CRA accused of cyanide pollutionThe Environmental Youth Alliance is planning to confront the Australian company CRA over charges that it is polluting the Indonesian environment. CRA is the majority shareholder (67.95%) in

  • British Greens in crisis

    British Greens in crisis LONDON — The British Green Party is in financial crisis as its membership plummets under the control of the Green 2000 group, which swept the party's executive positions in elections last year. The party now has 8000

  • Privatisation from within

    Privatisation from within SERGEI POROSHIN works at the Lenin Metallurgical Plant in Perm. He is a member of the trade union committee, and also of the Rabochy group. Has the issue arisen of privatising the Lenin plant? The factory has been

  • Nuclear cuts reflect changing US strategy

    Nuclear cuts reflect changing US strategyThe latest US-Russian nuclear arms cuts, announced by presidents Bush and Yeltsin in Washington on June 16, reflect a continuing move by the US towards armaments more suitable to its

  • John Major and the 'tigers' of central Europe

    PRAGUE — British Prime Minister John Major's tour of central Europe in May served not only to improve the electoral chances of the Czech-based Civic Democratic Party. It also drew attention to economic and political

  • Israel pursues a militarised 'peace'

    While Israelis long for peace, they seem unwilling to yield anything for it. In the current election campaign, both Labour and Likud are adamant in rejecting an independent Palestinian state. While Labour, unlike

  • Which way for the Russian left?

    ALEXANDER BUZGALIN is a professor of economics at Moscow State University and one of the leaders of the Party of Labour. BORIS SLAVIN is a political commentator for the newspaper Pravda and a member of the Russian Party of Communists. VADIM

  • Soeharto's control eroded by election campaign

    As expected, the Soeharto regime's GOLKAR party suffered a small drop in its vote in last week's election. Early counting shows GOLKAR dropping from 72% to 67%. The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), which ran the closest thing to

  • Election divides Czechoslovak federation

    PRAGUE — By sending a majority of nationalist and left-of-centre candidates into the new federal parliament in June 5-6 elections, Czechoslovakia's voters signalled that the free- market economic reform program is far from