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FOR THE anniversary of D-Day, the landings in Normandy, President George Bush will visit Paris and Rome to mark their liberation. In reality he will spend little time in either city, fearing demonstrations against the American occupation of Iraq. Neither the Americans nor the British liberated Paris. An insurrection by French resistance forces freed the city.

FELTHAM YOUNG offenders' institution is notorious for its racism, violence and general degradation of the human spirit. The appalling case of Zahid Mubarek was bad enough. He was killed by a psychopathic racist Robert Stewart, who he was forced to share a cell with.

BUSH AND Blair's occupation of Iraq is threatening economic chaos as oil prices spiral. Now the siege in Saudi Arabia has triggered a new leap in prices. The impact on the world's poorest could be catastrophic.

Gilad Atzmon wanders on stage in Brighton tugging on a customary cigarette. "Smoking kills," he announces. "But Blair kills more." On clarinet or saxophone, Gilad is now among the top UK-resident jazz musicians, winning awards and plaudits from all corners. Last year his Exile album won both the Radio 3 and Time Out awards for jazz album of the year.

They only want to post a profit

Bad Education Directed by Pedro Almodovar

Rising petrol prices sparked protests in Beirut in Lebanon last week, where six demonstrators were killed by the army in the suburb of Hayy El Seloum in the south of the city. The army tried to disperse a protest led by taxi drivers by shooting live ammunition in the air. Protesters retaliated by throwing stones. The army then opened fire, killing protesters.

THE ELECTIONS next week are set to be a defining political moment. People will be voting across Britain for the last time before the general election, expected next year. The results on 10 June will shape the political landscape, the forces on that landscape and the direction those forces take.

THE SEIZURE and killing of foreign employees in Saudi Arabia last weekend has underlined the depth of the crisis the US faces across the Middle East. Shockwaves spread through the world's oil markets in the wake of the attack. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter and the only country currently with the capacity to boost output to drive down prices.

VIV FROM Manchester told me how Socialist Worker went down with the firefighters who took unofficial action against the government's "modernisation" plans last week. "We got a really good response from all the stations we visited. Over two days we went to some 20 stations and we sold copies of the paper at every one. We also sold 15 at the firefighters' mass meeting. They really liked the coverage of their dispute in the paper, but they weren't just interested in their own dispute. The troops out of Iraq petition went down well and the firefighters were really interested in Respect."

THE ANNUAL conference last weekend of the lecturers' union Natfhe clearly demonstrated widespread anger over Labour's policies. Natfhe has conspicuously supported the Stop the War Coalition. This was reflected in a series of motions which condemned the brutal treatment of Iraqi prisoners and civilians as well as the obscene levels of war funding.