International notes
Iraq: ICFTU calls for trade union rights / Colombia: New Bogota mayor takes office / China: Gov’t says pay migrant workers promptly
Huge rally marks 1804 Haitian revolution
Many tens of thousands of cheering Haitians flooded the streets surrounding the National Palace in Port-au-Prince on New Year’s Day in celebration of the 200th anniversary of their country’s independence.
Earthquake wreaks massive devastation
The catastrophic effects of the Dec. 26 earthquake in Bam, Iran, and the surrounding areas are enormous. Eighty percent of the city has been destroyed, with at least 30,000 dead (some say this figure could reach 50,000) and more than 100,000 homeless.
Imperialism behind coup in Georgia Imperialism behind coup in Georgia
Since the invasion and occupation of Iraq, it has become fashionable to characterize U.S. foreign policy as imperialist. Apologists have shamelessly embraced the description, while critics are appalled at what they see as a departure from previously idealistic, human rights-based foreign policies.
Big losses for India's Congress Party
NEW DELHI – Provincial elections held recently in three states – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chattisgarh – went heavily in favor of right-wing, Hindu nationalist forces and their political arm, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
International notes
Australia: Tied to U.S. coattails? / Zimbabwe: SACP delegation visits / El Salvador: Workers’ rights abused / South Africa: Nobel prize proposed for AIDS fighters
Cuba develops low-cost childrens vaccine
Cuban researchers have developed the first synthetic vaccine against the bacteria that causes pneumonia and meningitis, the main cause of almost half of the infections of children under five in the developing world. According to UNICEF, haemophilus influenzae type B kills one half million children each year.
International notes
Israel and Palestine: Majority favors two-state plan / Kenya: Union leaders against cuts / Venezuela: Alternative proposed to FTAA / United Kingdom: Rail workers to switch parties? / Canada: Demand hearings on missile defense / Japan: New anti-missile venture with U.S.
International notes
Africa: ILO summit vs. poverty / Honduras, Nicaragua: Protest Powell’s visit / Japan: Protests vs. troops to Iraq / Poland: Coal miners strike vs. closings / East Timor: NGOs demand fair boundaries
International Notes
Lesotho: Strike leaders arrested; Russia-China-South Korea: Giant gas pipe planned; Cuba: Development, not war; Tunisia: Hunger strike for civil liberties; Canada: Workers locked out
