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DELEGATES TO the conference of the second biggest teachers’ union voted last week for a national industrial action ballot unless the government withdraws its plans to raise the pension age.

The trial of 28 Italian police officers involved in a violent assault on protesters during the anti-G8 demonstrations in Genoa in July 2001 was set to start on Wednesday of this week.

South Yorks gets music and unity Unity was the message as Rotherham rocked to its first ever Love Music Hate Racism event on Saturday of last week. Asian music award winners Metz and Trix — who filled in for bhangra band RDB at the last minute — went down a storm.

Activists were campaigning for Respect up and down England and Wales even before the general election was announced on Tuesday this week.

Teachers will march in Edinburgh against poverty At this year’s National Union of Teachers conference our general secretary Steve Sinnott said on a number of occasions that he would be taking the national banner to the Make Poverty History demonstration in Edinburgh on 2 July.

Thursday 7 AprilLaunch meeting of ASBO Concern, 7pm, Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London (Euston station).

With the general election date set for Thursday 5 May, we really have to step up the campaign. We have four weeks to reach as many people as possible.

German filmmakers are making a new cinematic effort to come to terms with the Nazi years. In the last three months, two big productions have been box office hits — Downfall, which was released in Britain last week, and Sophie Scholl.

ITV workers’ strike set to hit flagship programmes Members of the Bectu and Amicus unions at ITV were set to strike on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this week in their pay dispute. The strike involves over 700 broadcasting, production and studio staff at ITV centres in London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Norwich, Nottingham and Birmingham.

A high Court judge has sharply criticised the government’s postal voting system as being wide open to electoral fraud and manipulation.

Out of PlaceDean Gallery of Modern Art, EdinburghUntil 26 June

Walsall branch attacked Local government managers in Walsall, West Midlands, have launched an attack on the Unison union — effectively suspending branch officers and padlocking the union office.