National News
Cold War hysteria in parliament
by Global Times
A 28-year-old man was arrested in March on suspicion of breaking the Official Secrets Act. He has been granted bail until early October. But as of now, no charges have been filed, suggesting a lack of concrete evidence. In the context of the generalisation of national security in the UK, this would typically be a minor case. In September, however, this case, along with another similar one, was publicised as “Chinese espionage activities”, causing a significant stir in British politics and public opinion.
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George Johannes remembered
by New Worker correspondent
A celebration of the life of African National Congress (ANC) and communist activist, and former ambassador to the Holy See, George Johannes took place last week at the South African high Commission in London’s Trafalgar Square.
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Off the rails
by New Worker correspondent
At present the major issue is the planned closure of railway station ticket offices. This has been the subject of a nationwide campaign including 680,000 responses to a public consultation conducted by watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch, and an emergency motion passed at the TUC. The former means that the consultation has been extended until the end of October
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Warmonger Britain – Stop Arming Zelensky!
by New Worker correspondent
London comrades were back in Whitehall last weekend demanding an end to British military aid to Ukraine. The protest picket, called by the International Ukraine Anti-Fascist Solidarity campaign (IUAFS), was covered by the Arab and Russian media. The Lebanese satellite TV news channel Al Mayadeen broadcast interviews with NCP leader Andy Brooks and Theo Russell, the national organiser of the IUAFS, and Theo was later interviewed by Russia Today (RT).
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Ukraine Anti-Fascists at the TUC
by New Worker correspondent
Anti-fascist protesters from No2Nato, Stop The War and the International Ukraine Anti-Fascist Solidarity campaign (IUAFS) gathered outside a pro-Zelensky TUC fringe meeting in Liverpool last week, some having travelled from London.
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Scottish Political News
by our Scottish political affairs correspondent
Scottish politics are presently in a something of a state of suspended amination. All eyes are on the forthcoming Rutherglen & Hamilton West by-election. By-elections vary greatly in importance. Early in her premiership Margaret Thatcher airily dismissed a Liberal triumph in a hitherto safe Tory seat as being merely a sign of Spring akin to the first cuckoo. Others, such as the 1938 Oxford by-election, were important for delivering a verdict on major issues, such as appeasement in that case.
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International News
G20 and Vietnam: US hegemony
looks ever more perilous
by Amiad Horowitz, People’s World (USA)
US President Joe Biden just finished a major trip to Asia for the G20 Summit in India, with an important stopover in Hanoi, Vietnam. The trip saw a mix of successes and setbacks for the Biden administration.
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G77 and China: an historic summit in Cuba
by Maylín Vidal, Radio Havana Cuba
From Cuba and to the world, the Group of 77 & China (G77+China) staged an historic summit, in which they launched a message of unity to those who want to continue imposing imperialist rules.
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Historic auto strike hits Big Three at once
by Martha Grevatt , Workers World (USA)
For the first time in its 88-year history, the United Auto Workers (OAW) is striking at Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis (which includes Chrysler) simultaneously. When the 2019–23 contracts between the union and the corporations expired at midnight on the night of 14th September, the selective strike targeting one assembly plant at each company was launched. Workers at GM’s Wentzville, Missouri, plant; Ford’s Wayne, Michigan, plant; and the Toledo, Ohio, Jeep plant are maintaining militant picket lines around the clock..
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Features
The Pinochet coup: Viviana Corvalan speaks out
by Maxim Grishenkin, Sputnik
Fifty years ago, on 11th September 1973, a military coup took place in Chile. Socialist President Salvador Allende was deposed and a junta led by General Augusto Pinochet came to power, imposing a brutal dictatorship over the country. To mark this date, Viviana Corvalan, the daughter of iconic Chilean communist Luis Corvalan, talks about the events of half a century ago, her family’s life in forced exile in the Soviet Union, and current concerns in international politics.
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Morocco: China sends a helping hand
by Huang Lanlanand Cui Fandi, Global Times
A 6.8 magnitude quake struck southern parts of Morocco at midnight local time, on 9th September, killing over 2,800 and injuring thousands more. Chinese President Xi Jinping extended condolences to Moroccan King Mohammed VI for the tragic loss of life and expressed sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured on behalf of the Chinese government and people. For many Chinese people, Morocco is a faraway but not alien country. There are thousands of Chinese residents living in Morocco, with an increasing number of Chinese tourists visiting the country in recent years. After the initial shock many Chinese nationals volunteered to help the earthquake victims and their families, offering medical aid, financial donations, and the transportation of supplies. These are some of their stories…
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Palestine: absent justice…
by Fouad Baker, The author is a member of the international criminal court bar association and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)
Although 41 years have passed, we can still smell the stench of death and hear the voices of the martyred men, women and children when we pass through the streets of the Shatila camp and the Sabra neighbourhoods in West Beirut.
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