Brazil Demonstrations marking International Women’s Day were different this year. They were organised to protest against inequality between men and women, but also to protest against the visit of George Bush.
The turmoil in Zimbabwe reached new heights this week as the government unleashed a further wave of repression.
Dahieh Thousands of Shiite Muslims packed into the Master of the Martyrs hall in Dahieh, South Beirut, earlier this year for the climax of the Achoura festival – their most important religious date. It is incredible to see thousands packed into the Wembley Arena sized venue for the solemn ceremony. More amazing still is the fact that less than five months ago this hall was a burned out shell after being destroyed by dozens of Israeli missiles.
Around 50,000 students took to the streets of Athens, Greece, on Thursday of last week against the right wing government’s plans to introduce new managers into universities. A huge movement of strikes and occupations has stopped the government changing the constitution to allow private universities, so the government plans to introduce changes by stealth. More demonstrations were planned for Thursday of this week.
The general strike in Guinea, West Africa, ended this week after President Lansana Conte appointed a prime minister from a list supplied by the trade unions.
Egypt’s winter of discontent is growing. Following victories in major strikes last month, 13,000 workers at the Samanoud textile factory walked out on Thursday of last week, demanding an increase in food allowances.
Zimbabwe in southern Africa slides deeper into crisis every day – but there are also signs of renewed resistance.
A third of the population of occupied Iraq now live in poverty -many more than prior to the US-led invasion.
More than 120,000 people crammed into the streets of Vicenza in the north of Italy on Saturday of last week to oppose a new US military base at the Dal Molin airfield.
Aitaroun is typical of the border villages of south Lebanon that were occupied during last year’s war. Town representative Najab Kousan explains that 150 houses and businesses were destroyed with a further 45 bulldozed and 250 in need of repair.
