Feb 1, 2003

Mexico filed suit in the World Court of International Justice in the Hague against the United States, Jan. 21, for violating international law and the human rights of Mexican citizens in this country. Mexican citizens are rarely afforded the right to consult with their country’s counsul, Mexico charged.

Iraqi communists have faced grave difficulties opposing a U.S. war against Iraq, while at the same time fighting for democratic alternatives to a repressive government headed by Pres. Saddam Hussein.

Half a million Venezuelans converged on the capital city, Caracas, Jan. 23 to support the democratically elected government of President Hugo Chavez, and to protest a shutdown declared Dec. 2 by a business-led coalition.

Britain: Greenpeace blocks military port / Greece: Demonstrators protest war, anti-labor policies / Turkey: A gain for civil liberties / Korea: Sides seek peaceful solution of nuclear issue / South Africa: Mbeki calls for peace / China: Airliner arrives from Taiwan

SACRAMENTO – Over 1,000 people supporting a living wage ordinance here crowded into a marathon City Council hearing that lasted past midnight, Jan. 9. Another hearing is scheduled for March 4.

BALTIMORE – Domino Sugar workers voted overwhelmingly, Jan. 11 to ratify a new three-year contract, crowning with victory their 35-day strike at the refinery in the inner harbor here.

The United Nations estimates that in sub-Saharan Africa 38 million people are in danger of starvation within months. To give this some perspective, this figure is roughly equivalent to the population of Poland or Spain, and less than ten million less the entire population of the Republic of South Africa.

TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, Ala. – This is the second bitter winter for 13 families in Brookwood, Ala. They are awaiting a full accounting of the worst coal mining disaster in 17 years and the “official” report from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released in December did not to relieve their pain nor bring justice to this tight-knit community of 1,483.

Maximizing their already astronomical profits, prescription drug manufacturers are devising programs to increase their profit rates. They know that these measures will hurt people most in need, but they truly have no shame.

The AFL-CIO charged in a Jan. 27 report that, despite President Bush’s rosy claims, the economy is in worse shape than it was two years ago when measured by all the key indicators important to working families.