Oct. 28, 2006

The big electoral news here in Massachusetts is the fight for the governor’s office, largely between Democrat Deval Patrick and the Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healy. Two other candidates in the race are independent Christy Mihos, who originally was planning on running as a Republican, and Green-Rainbow candidate Grace Ross. All four have participated in the debates.

Argentina vacates a temporary UN Security Council seat on Jan. 1. General Assembly voting for a Latin American and Caribbean replacement candidate stalled on Oct. 23 after Venezuela and Guatemala each failed to gain a required two-thirds majority after 35 votes. The bizarre battle at the United Nations highlights dramatically changed power relations affecting Latin America.

The Czech Republic has become a testing ground for imperialist forces in Europe who seek to outlaw communist activity in the formerly socialist, now European Union-member states.

The Communist Party of China has just ended its annual central committee meeting, vowing to rebuild and renew its public health system and other social safety nets. It also emphasized efforts to improve education and raise the living standards for workers while narrowing the income gap between city and countryside

Britain: Bosses bag big pay
Israel: Students refuse military service
Philippines: Bishop Ramento, gov’t critic, killed
Kenya: College teachers strike over pay

Goodyear strike solid
Florida Wal-Mart workers walk off the job
U.S. charged with int’l labor law violations
Stuck with Stickler, mine safety down the shaft
AK Steel workers won’t go back without pension guarantee
Striking janitors sweep across Houston

WASHINGTON (PAI) — The burgeoning thousands of call center workers in India who serve U.S. and multinational companies, and who got jobs formerly handled by U.S. unionists, are tough to organize. They need new types of unions to accomplish that goal, the Communications Workers and Indian unionists say.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — “Unions seem to be becoming more and more active in North Carolina,” Jack Hawke, a former state Republican Party chairman, warned fellow conservatives at a recent Raleigh event. “And a lot of money is being thrown around this year.”

DETROIT — The concept of “going to the doctor” for a mild health problem does not exist for many Americans. They are forced to wait until their condition has become an emergency before they can afford time away from work. Many times, by this point, the mild condition has become exponentially worse.

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