Brazilian Workers Charge Shell with "Environmental Crimes"

Brazilian WorkersLeft to right: Rasteiro, Cascone, de Lima

(November 12, New York City) -- Brazilian chemical workers addressing a New
York audience of students, academics, and union members said that the Shell
Oil Company, one of the world's largest, had willfully ignored
life-threatening exposures to its workers who handled hazardous chemicals in
South America. ... read full story / add a comment

The new free monthly newsletter featuring the latest updates from the No Borders Network and beyond: ... read full story / add a comment

Yassamine Mather writes on how workers confidence has increased in the ongoing demonstrations in Iran. While the militias beat many protesters, they were also opposed and in some cases forced to retreat. Full text at link.

No-one in Iran will ever forget November 4 2009. It was the day when illegal demonstrations in at least six separate locations in Tehran and 20 cities and university campuses throughout the country overshadowed the state-organised event. As the national broadcasting service was showing live pictures of the gathering outside the former US embassy, shouts of “Death to the dictator” from protesters on neighbouring streets and squares were so loud that it was difficult to hear the minister’s speech. In Tehran the six locations were Enghelab Square, Ferdowsi, Haft Tir, Enghelab Square, Vali Asr and Vanak Square.
... read full story / add a comment

Des Dalton has become leader of Republican Sinn Fein
... read full story / add a comment

Yassamine Mather interviews Ali Pichgah a leader of the Iranian oilworkers strikers during the revolutionary period.Ali emphasises the importance of opposing all Imperialist sanctions. Full text of interview at link

How do you evaluate the recent political protests and the role of the working class in them?

The protest against the regime’s rigged elections took such dimensions because the majority of the population are opposed to the absence of political freedoms in Iran. In particular the youth, who constitute a high percentage of the population, feel contempt for the way the religious state interferes in their private lives. People are losing patience and in general opposition to the regime has reached unprecedented levels. I think what is different this time is the terrible economic situation. Inflation above 25%, mass unemployment, the growing gap between rich and the poor ... and from this point of view one can say that the relentless workers’ struggles of the last two years against job losses and poverty, against non-payment of wages, as well as the demonstrations by teachers, nurses and so on against the economic policies of the government, were precursors to the huge demonstrations we saw this summer.

Of course, many of these protests were defensive (wage-earners trying to maintain what little they had), yet the working class has remained the most persistent opposition to the entire regime over the last few years, in the run-up to June 2009. Coincidently we see the continuation of the mass protests of early summer in the unprecedented level of workers’ struggles in recent weeks, the victory of the Iran Khodro workers (where the regime clearly retreated), the revolutionary tactics of Pars Wagon workers (from ransacking the refectory to mounting hunger strikes), workers bringing their families along to demonstrations .
... read full story / add a comment

An important study which illustrates the paucity of US media reports of civilian deaths in Iraq. hence it is hardly shocking that US citizens are unaware tof the true extent of civilian casualties. Full story at related link.

In February of 2007 Associated Press conducted a survey of 1,002 adults across the United States about their perceptions of the war in Iraq. Whilst the respondents accurately estimated the death toll of U.S. soldiers (the median estimate was 2,974 while the actual toll at the time was 3,100), they grossly underestimated the number of Iraqi civilian casualties (the median answer was 9,890 at a time when several estimates put the toll at least 10 times that number and some as high as 50 times that number). ... read full story / add a comment

THE HEALTH Service Executive is examining substantial fees paid by dozens of health service bodies and agencies to employer’s body Ibec. ... read full story / add a comment

Last week a consortium of three companies bought a Sellafield site with a view to a 2016 expansion of
UK nuclear energy provision, this emanates from the *Entente Formidable* fiscal deal between the Heir
to Slitherin' Gordon Brown (pal of Alistair Campbell , currently being investigated for Provence parties
and expenses and best matey of Toxic Blair, who really had to go and is not getting Europe BTW) and
the Gallic Shrimp Premier Sarkozy.

Heres the Contract site which the Irish Times did not make mention of during the sale period :

[] http://www.contractjournal.com/Articles/2009/10/28/7308....html ... read full story / add a comment

Leading British Marxist activist and theoretician Chris Harman has passed away. Former editor of Socialist Worker and International Socialism Journal, Chris was a leading member of the SWP. ... read full story / add a comment

In the region of 20,000 workers march through Cork City centre today to oppose Government cuts and the ongoing attacks on wages and conditions. ... read full story / add a comment

Vibrant rallies were held today in Dublin, Cork, Dundalk, Galway, Limerick, Sligo, Tullamore and Waterford to protest against the treatment of workers and the vulnerable in Irish society. It is estimated that over 20,000 marched in Dublin, up to 15,000 marched in Cork and up to 5,000 or more in other cities and towns around Ireland. This is undoubtedly a powerful collective message to our government. ... read full story / add a comment

Britain:NUJ General Secretary Jeremy Dear has spoken out against threats to reporters by Islamophobic racists. Dear called for “tough and urgent action” against the EDL and other Islaophobic and racist groups after reporter , Marc Vallée, and video journalist, Jason N. Parkinson, were intimidated verbally and by email for their coverage of an EDL march last weekend.
... read full story / add a comment

Brian Currin, a South African attorney working as a mediator, said the left-wing nationalist movement should not stop putting forward new initiatives despite the arrest of its top members. ... read full story / add a comment

Superhero/Austere Fiscal Enforcement Officer The Hat tackles Healthcare. ... read full story / add a comment

Ever notice how the police on demonstrations seem to know your name and use it?

How they take pictures and video of specific individuals but not others?

This report from London might explain things. Of course, the gardaí don't use similar tactics and systems for catagorizing "trouble-makers" and people "who may instigate offences".

Oh no. That could never happen here. ... read full story / add a comment

An interesting short film about the revolt in Athens Greece December 2008.

you can download from indymedia athens:

http://www.black-tracker.gr/details.php?id=311

(Subtitles in engish included)

... read full story / add a comment

In his forthcoming book - Hopes and Prospects, Noam Chomsky predicts hope for the future through grassroots activism as a mechanism for progressive change. “Activism is growing all over the world and ordinary people are realising that they can be agents for change”, he says.

... read full story / add a comment

The vote at the European Parliament was on a "motion condemning interference in the media and calling for legislation banning media monopolies in EU countries was defeated" thanks to Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. The majority of the sycophantic media in Ireland will
no doubt ignore this story - and fair play and thank you to The Irish Examiner for printing it.

So ... there's no fear for Tony & Gavin O'Reilly's "Independent News and Media" or for Denis O'Brien's "Comunicorp" semi--and-growing-monopolies of Irish newspaper and radio respectively, when we see the cringing support given from Ireland's FF and FG Members of the European Parliament to Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi.

Gobshite right winger Thatcherite embarrassements that they are. ... read full story / add a comment

Yassamine Mather analyses the development of the struggle in Iran following the rigged presidential elections. She critiques the Green Movement and points to the for support of the Iranian Left and the struggles of the Iranian Working class. Yassamine also illustrates how ordinary Iranians suffer most from Sanctions. Full text at link.

Every day for the last few weeks Iranian workers have been protesting, at times in their thousands - at their workplaces, outside government offices and provincial offices complaining about job losses, non-payment of wages, privatisation ... Universities have been the scene of daily protests and ordinary people have used every opportunity, even football matches, to express their opposition to the regime. At the same time a new wave of exiles, including reporters, writers, professors of literature, are leaving the country, despairing of continued repression and the ineffective ‘reformist’ leaders. ... read full story / add a comment

From the preamble to the document:
"In January 2002 the Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) became an autonomous Paris-based agency of the European Union. Following an EU Council Joint Action of 20 July 2001, modified by the Joint Action of 21 December 2006, it is now an integral part of the new structures that will support the further development of the CFSP/ESDP [common foreign and security policy and european security and defence policy]. The Institute's core mission is to provide analyses and recommendations that can be of use and relevance to the formulation of the European security and defence policy. In carrying out that mission, it also acts as an interface between European experts and decision-makers at all levels." ... read full story / add a comment