Middle East
Palestine admitted to UNESCO in defiance of US bullying
Palestine achieved a significant breakthrough in its bid for recognition as a state on October 31. In a landslide vote of 107 in favour and 14 against, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) admitted Palestine as its 195th member.
Egyptian protests demand end to military rule
More than 100,000 Egyptians packed Tahrir (Liberation) Square on Friday, November 27 for the ninth consecutive day since new protests began on November 18, calling for democracy, social justice and an end to the military’s control of the country. Despite the death of at least 40 protesters and injuries to more than 2000 others at the hands of the security forces, hundreds of thousands have continued to flood onto the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and other major centres.
Iranian parliament endorses president's cabinet nominations
In early August Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad nominated four new ministers to the 290-member Majlis, the Iranian parliament. Among the four was a new oil minister, Rostam Ghasemi. Until his nomination Ghasemi was the head of the major engineering arm of the 125,000-strong Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which employs 25,000 staff on projects worth an estimated US$7 billion. These include government contracts to develop oil and gas fields.
Workers strike at Iranian petrochemical complex
More than 6000 workers at the petrochemical complex in Mahshahr City in Khuzestan province struck for 10 days from September 25, demanding an end to individual contracts and abolition of all subcontracts at the complex.
US response to 9/11 nothing to do with victims
As the corporate media and pro-war politicians launch an intensified propaganda campaign around the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to sell the war in Afghanistan it is important to examine the US response to these terrible events and the impact this has had on working class people in Australia and around the world.
Cowardice as Foreign Policy
On September 5, the Cuban Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Libya affirming, among other things, that “the Republic of Cuba does not recognize the National Transition Council or any other provisional authority and will only give its recognition to a government legitimately constituted in that country without foreign intervention and through the free, sovereign and sole will of the sister Libyan people.” This contrasts totally with the mad rush by many other states, led by France, the UK and Qatar, to recognise the NTC. Cuba’s statement is highly critical of NATO: “On the crude pretext of protecting civilians, NATO has killed thousands of people, has ignored the constructive initiatives of the African Union and other countries and has even violated the questionable resolutions imposed by the Security Council, in particular by attacking civilian targets, by funding and supplying weapons to one side, as well as through the deployment of operative and diplomatic personnel on the ground.”
Palestine: Real state or Bantustan state?
It is very possible that in late September or early October, the United Nations Security Council will vote on whether to recognise Palestine as a state and accept it as a member of the United Nations. The president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mohammed Abbas, will address the General Assembly of the United Nations on September 23. According to the PA foreign minister, Riyad al-Malki, Abbas will hand a request for that recognition to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will pass it on to the Security Council.
Brisbane BDS campaign holds protest at Max Brenner
Justice for Palestine, Brisbane media statement, August 29.
Brisbane BDS supporters have pledged to intensify their campaign following a successful protest on August 27. Despite the rain, fifty protestors took to the streets to highlight the links between the Max Brenner chocolate store and the Israeli military occupation of Palestine.
