George Bush is ending the pretence that Iraq is a "democratic state". He is imposing new "security accords" that will strip the country of its sovereignty and allow it to be used as a platform to launch more wars.
On Monday students at Rome's La Sapienza university occupied, and stopped Roberto Fiore, leader of the hard line fascist Forza Nuova from addressing a conference. Fiore spent much of the 1980s in Britain, having fled Italy after being sought for involvement in the 1980 bombing of Bologna station which killed 85 people.
Pro-choice activists won a significant victory on Tuesday last week when amendments to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill that sought to lower the legal time limit for abortion were defeated.
Three senior cabinet ministers – Ruth Kelly, Des Browne and Paul Murphy – voted to cut the time limit for legal abortions to just 12 weeks, the lowest limit stipulated in any amendment tabled last week. All three are sponsored by trade unions that are affiliated to the Abortion Rights campaign.
Many anti-abortionists are hoping for a Tory victory in a future general election in the belief that a David Cameron‑led government will back an renewed attack on abortion rights.
Workers locked in pay struggle Some 50 workers at Link Lockers in Halesfield, Telford, struck for three days over pay last week – the second action in less than a month.
Copeland Refuse workers at Copeland council in Whitehaven, Cumbria, were set to start an all out indefinite strike from Tuesday of this week.
Community union members at Wybone bin factory in Barnsley staged their fourth strike on Friday of last week.
Members of the NASUWT teachers’ union at Sinfin Community School in Derby were out on strike on Wednesday of last week in protest against plans to turn the school into an academy.
A lively and enthusiastic 25-strong picket on Thursday of last week marked the start of a five-day strike over pay by 34 journalists at Newsquest York.
Over 270,000 members of the PCS civil service workers’ union are set to throw their weight behind the public sector pay revolt.
Workers in the Unite union at Blackburn with Darwen council struck on Friday of last week in protest at plans to impose a single status pay structure that would cut some wage packets by thousands of pounds a year.
