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World

• INDIA: AIPWA conference organises Indian women's fightback

  Linda Waldron, Delhi The Fourth National Conference of the All India Progressive Women's Association was held in Delhi on November 24-25. The conference opened with two minutes' silence to honour Manju Singh, an AIPWA activist from Bihar gunned
• West Papuan independence day commemorated

  December 1, West Papuan Independence Day, was commemorated by solidarity activists across the world. Indonesia has banned the display of West Papua's "Morning Star" flag in West Papua, and the province's governor, Jaap Salossa, banned all celebration
• CHILE: Divorce finally legalised

  As of November 18, Chilean women can finally achieve financial independence from abusive husbands, as the country finally legalised divorce. Until now, the only ways to end a marriage in Chile were to have it annulled, which is complicated, must be
• IRAQ: US, Iraqis dying in ever increasing numbers

  Doug Lorimer November was the deadliest month for the US occupation forces in Iraq since the war began in March 2003, with twice as many US soldiers dying as in October. At least 135 US troops died in November — the same number as last April,
• In brief

  Three US broadcast networks have rejected an advertisement from the United Church of Christ, deeming it too controversial. The ad is designed to advertise the church's welcoming policy, particularly towards gay men and lesbians. It depicts two
• IRAQ: Filling up with anger

  Donna Mulhearn, Baghdad In the chilly darkness, Baghdad father of three Ali rises at 3am. He grabs a blanket and makes his way to the car. He nervously watches the fuel gauge, deep in the red, as he slowly crawls through back streets to join the
• INDIA: The agony of Bhopal

  Twenty years after the horrific disaster in Bhopal, probably responsible for 20,000 deaths, the victims are still fighting for compensation. This article on this act of mass murder is abridged from <;, where information on
• ARGENTINA: 'Less work so we can all work'

  Raul Bassi Under the slogan "less work so we can all work", around 5000 people filled one of the historic places for the Argentine working class, Federacion del Box, on October 29. Delegates and representatives from different unions — including
• VENEZUELA: Education for revolution

  Jo Williams Since its election in 1998, the Venezuelan government led by Hugo Chavez has implemented a range of mass social programs aimed at eradicating widespread poverty, and at reversing the systematic social exclusion of millions of
• SWITZERLAND: Indigenous activists end hunger strike

  Six indigenous activists ended a hunger strike on December 3, after attempting to draw attention to US and British attempts to stall the adoption of a United Nations declaration on indigenous peoples' rights. 2004 marks the end of the UN's Decade of
• HAITI: 10,000 protest for Aristide

  On November 26, 10,000 Haitians marched in support of deposed President Jean-Paul Aristide. Aristide was ousted in a US-backed coup in February, and a new government installed. The protesters called for the establishment of a new "government of
• RUSSIA: Putin's Ukraine catastrophe

  Boris Kagarlitsky, Moscow On Russia's state television channels there was hysteria. Astonished viewers, plunged into a Cold War atmosphere, learned that neighbouring Ukraine was experiencing a coup d'‚tat planned by foreign spy services. The
• BRITAIN: Asylum-seeker attempts to set himself alight

  On November 26, an asylum seeker doused himself in petrol inside the British Home Office's immigration headquarters, in front of a long queue of asylum seekers. He said that he was going to set himself alight. Police officers guarding the centre
• VENEZUELA: An unfolding revolution

  The following is based on a report by Stuart Munckton that was adopted by the national committee of the Democratic Socialist Perspective, an affiliate of the Socialist Alliance, on November 7. The Venezuelan revolution is the first revolution of
• CANADA: Thousands protest Bush

  Jeff Shantz, Ontario Over November 30 - in Ottawa - and December 1 - in Halifax - US President George Bush made his first official visit to Canada to participate in bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Paul Martin and the ruling Liberal caucus.
• AFGHANISTAN: US abuse of prisoners exposed, again

  According to the December 3 Washington Post, a recent classified report found similar abuses existed in Afghanistan's prisons to those in jails in Iraq. The report found that a lack of available guidelines had "created opportunities for abusing the
• BRITAIN: Galloway wins libel case

  On December 1, the British High Court ruled that the Telegraph had defamed former Labour MP George Galloway when it claimed that documents had been found in Baghdad alleging Galloway was in the pay of Saddam Hussein. The paper was ordered to pay
• PALESTINE: Barghouti nominates for PA job

  Kim Bullimore, West Bank Ten candidates, including jailed Palestinian leader, Marwan Barghouti, have nominated to contest the January 9 Palestinian presidential elections. Barghouti, who had previously said he would not contest the elections in
• ITALY: Millions oppose austerity budget

  A half-day stoppage brought Italy to a halt on November 30, as millions of workers protested the planned 2005 austerity budget of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Berlesconi is planning sweeping cuts to public spending, particularly on public
• Students demand justice for Bhopal

  Alison Dellit Students from more than 60 colleges, universities, and high schools worldwide organised events to mark the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, and to demand that Dow Chemical resolve its legal and moral responsibilities for the
• SOUTH AFRICA: Courts rule in favour of same-sex marriage

  South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal issued a ruling on November 30 that may enable same-sex marriage in the country within a year. A lesbian couple applied to the court to change the common-law definition of marriage from "a union between a man