International round-up

2,000th US death in Afghanistan

A grim landmark was reached last Saturday when the 2,000th US soldier was killed since the US invasion in 2001.

The occupying forces do not count the Afghan dead. But analysis of media reports and local testimony shows almost 13,000 civilians have been killed since 2006.

Protest: Naming the Dead, Bring the troops home by Christmas, Sunday 7 October, 1pm, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N. Called by the Stop the War Coalition.

French racists burn Roma camp

Racist vigilantes in Marseille, in the south of France, forced around 40 Roma people to flee their camp. They then burned the settlement.

This follows a number of expulsions of Roma camps over the summer by the Socialist Party government.

Protests bring Rome to a halt

Over 30,000 people marched in Rome on Friday of last week as part of a public sector strike that brought Italy to a standstill.

University professors, public administration workers, rubbish collectors and health workers also stopped work. Even the Colosseum was closed.

Prime minister Mario Monti’s austerity drive includes a two year wage freeze and cutting jobs. Transport workers struck on Tuesday this week.

Chavez ahead in Venezuelan poll

Voters in Venezuela are set to vote in a presidential election on Sunday. Left wing president Hugo Chavez is standing for re-election and polls have placed him well ahead of neoliberal opponent Henrique Capriles.

But Capriles has rallied support after three of his supporters were killed last Saturday, allegedly by government supporters.