Oct. 21, 2006

UNITED NATIONS — The crisis set off by the detonation of a nuclear device by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) has continued to escalate, with hawks calling for confrontation, while more level-headed leaders calling for negotiations.

On Nov. 8 the United Nations General Assembly will vote on a Cuban resolution calling for an end to the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba. In preparation for the vote, Deputy Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez held a press conference in Havana, Oct. 2, where he released Cuba’s annual report on the blockade’s impact.

Liberia: Truth Commission starts work
Russia: Autoworkers face anti-union pressure
Asia-Pacific region: Rising seas could leave millions homeless
Brazil: Combating 21st-century slave labor
UN report: Violence vs. women violates human rights

North American labor solidarity
Union voter rights patrols
‘Domestic goddess’ to host minimum wage event
Eight years without a break
Three more state federations for single payer

ST. LOUIS — With less than three weeks to go until the Nov. 7 midterm elections, many Republicans are defensively licking their wounds and trying to distance themselves from the Mark Foley scandal. Democrats, on the other hand, feel the shift in the winds and are cautiously taking the offensive.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The 14-month strike by 4,000 mechanics, cleaners and custodians at Northwest Airlines may end within 30 days if a majority of the workers, represented by the independent Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, ratify a tentative agreement.

MIAMI (PAI) — Saying three years is too long to wait, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and Florida union leaders are demanding the state’s GOP Attorney General Charlie Crist move against Miami’s police chief and other officers responsible for the violence during the demonstrations against the Free Trade Area of the Americas in November 2003.

It is commonly believed that the U.S. blockade against Cuba, in force for over four decades, is limited to politics and economics. Cooperation for people’s health is allowed, right? Wrong.

Today a mighty groundswell of senior fightback is underway. Its effect will be felt in the November elections. Retiree leader George Kourpias recently went so far as to say, “Retirees will determine who wins the 2006 elections.” Kourpias, president of ARA (Alliance for Retired Americans) added, “To us, Nov. 7 is not just Election Day, it’s Judgment Day.”

The Republican record on Social Security, 1935-2006