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It is now 25 years since, in Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh in Central India, in the early hours of the morning of 3 December 1984, forty five tons of escaping gas, methyl isocyanate (MIC), from the Union Carbide pesticides plant surged through the little streets of the shanty town that had grown … [Read more…]

The Copenhagen Conference on climate change concluded with an accord, hastily cobbled together in last-minute negotiations on the evening of Friday 18 December between US President Barack Obama and the leaders of major developing nations – China, India, Brazil and South Africa.  This accord, not a binding treaty, is merely an expression of aims, recognising … [Read more…]

Now that the ‘credit crunch’ has been officially upgraded to a ‘recession’, which we are told could be with us for between the next 10-20 years, and knowing that the bourgeoisie of all countries will endeavour, as always, to pass the worst effects onto the working class by means of diminishing services, wage cuts, job … [Read more…]

Increased sovereign indebtedness2009 has been another year of relentless world recession.  Worldwide GDP shrank 2.2%, the first time there has been a drop in world GDP since the end of the Second World War.  This is despite the fact that Asia has seen growth of 5.7% (down from 7% in 2008) and some other countries … [Read more…]

When in November five British yachtsman were apprehended by the Iranian authorities after trespassing in Iranian waters, the bought and paid-for media scrambled in readiness for another orgy of Tehran-bashing.  Yet something very odd happened – or failed to happen.  The British bulldog defied all expectations and failed to bark. Indeed the BBC reported that for … [Read more…]

This is the second of a series of three articles that LALKAR is publishing to mark the 130th anniversary of the year of the birth of Joseph Stalin.This article is based on a presentation given by Godfrey Cremer to the Stalin Society in London on 18 March 2007 _____________________________This subject is daunting. It is very … [Read more…]

Those readers who are used to blogging, Facebook and Twitter may already be familiar with the postings from the Viva Palestina convoy that is making its way from Britain to Gaza.  The convoy of lorries, minibuses and ambulances, full of medical and other supplies, is expected to enter Gaza on 27 December (the anniversary of … [Read more…]

Legislation is going through Parliament and the US legislative procedure at the present time whose purport will be to curb the activities of the so-called ‘vulture funds’, which buy up the debts of countries who cannot afford to pay them – at a fraction of the amount owed – and then proceed to bring action … [Read more…]

There were protests and disruption when Daniel Ayalon, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel, in the UK to meet British government officials, visited universities.Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign organized a sizeable picket, at very short notice, when he visited Bristol University to speak at an early evening lecture.Then, on 26 October, over 50 students and activists … [Read more…]

On Sunday 25 October 2009, elaborate and high-level ceremonies took place in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to mark the 59th anniversary of the entry into the Korean war of the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV).The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on this as follows:“The Korean people pay respect to the fallen fighters … [Read more…]