Last Saturday the civil resistance movement in Mexico held a national democratic convention in the capital Mexico City.
Zimbabwe’s government launched a brutal series of arrests last week when workers held a protest for basic rights.
Last night the military staged a coup against the elected, but controversial, government of Thaksin Shinawatra. In the tradition of all Thai military coups for the last 60 years, the dictatorship claimed to have staged the coup in order to "reform politics" and "protect democracy". They said they had "no interest in taking personal power" and would be "returning power to the people as soon as possible". And in the tradition of many previous coups they later sought and received support from the monarchy.
A group of people under the name of the "Administrative Reform Council (ARC) under the Democratic System" have staged a coup d'etat and removed power from a government elected under the constitution that was drafted by the people. Abolishing the constitution, harassing the media, and putting an end to the independent agencies are acts regarded as abolishing the system of parliamentary democracy. This act will lead to the same outcome as previous coups that had happened in Thai society.
On the evening of 19 September a military junta calling itself "The reform committee in the democratic system with a monarchy as head of state" staged a coup and overthrew the democratically elected, but controversial, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The next few months will be decisive ones for the "war on terror" as the US steps up its pressure on Iran. The Iranian nuclear issue is back on the agenda, with the passing of another United Nations (UN) deadline and another "negative report". This external pressure has implications for politics inside Iran.
‘As I speak thousands of Lebanese people are streaming in from the southern suburbs of Beirut to protest against Blair. The demonstration is very mixed - there are Christians, Shia and Sunni, family groups and flags from all sorts of parties.
One protester from the Samidoun network of activists managed to get into Blair’s press conference in Beirut and disrupt it in front of the world’s media.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has called for nationwide demonstrations for today, Wednesday 13 September in what the union has termed ‘Operation tatambura: usadherere mushandi’ we are suffering: don’t take workers for granted. The ZCTU is demanding salary increments aligned to the poverty line which would currently require more than double what most workers are earning. In addition the union is demanding a reduction of income tax to a maximum of 30% and access to anti-retroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV/Aids..
Friday 1 September was a key date in the battle against electoral fraud in Mexico. Outgoing president Vicente Fox was set to give his last annual state of the nation speech to Congress.
As Socialist Worker went to press on Tuesday of this week, the Turkish parliament was set to vote on sending troops to Lebanon as part of the United Nations (UN) force.
Workers in Bangladesh staged a national hartal (general strike) on Wednesday of last week. The victorious strike followed the shooting dead of six demonstrators protesting against a plan by a British company to construct an opencast mine.
