Wojtyla and Teresa, or a Case of Saintly Overproduction It is not easy to be a saint, and least of all in the sinful world of the 21st century - or so one might think. But this opinion is definitely not shared by Pope John Paul II. In fact, he has already manufactured no fewer than 474 of them during his stint at the Vatican. So there can be no complaints about his level of productivity. He has become an enthusiastic market leader in the saint-manufacturing business.
The Status of "Socially Vulnerable Groups" in China Introductory note: We have received this article from a Chinese sympathizer who gives a very good insight to the real situation facing millions of workers in China. In spite of all the gloss about the economic development of China in the past few years thanks to the introductions of "market economy" methods, there is another side to the situation. The closure of state-run industries is creating millions of unemployed and to these further millions are added from the rural areas drifting to the cities in desperate search of work. Although we may not agree with some of the conclusions such as the explanation that the emergence of socially vulnerable groups in the urban areas is a...
Nepal - The collapse of the "Peace Talks" and the impasse facing the workers and peasants Last month we witnessed mass protests against the self-appointed Nepalese government and the collapse of the "Peace Talks" that had started back in January of this year.On August 28 security forces in Nepal were on alert after Maoist rebels announced they were withdrawing from the ceasefire and after a senior army officer had been shot dead by the guerrillas. This was the first casualty in the new wave of clashes.
The 1946 rebellion of the sailors of the British Indian Navy One of the most spectacular episodes of the intense revolt against the British Raj was the uprising of the sailors of the British Indian Navy in 1946. On February 18 of that year the sailors and shipmen of the British Indian Navy battleship HMS "Talwaar" went on strike. They invited the masses of Bombay to join in the struggle they had started. As a result, anti- British imperialist sentiments started to spread like wildfire throughout the region.
Asian Marxist Review editorial statement As the scorching summer heat begins to recede, the lengthening shadows and falling leaves announce the onset of another autumn. After blistering Asian summers the autumn monsoons tend to bring some relief. Yet this year there is no respite for the oppressed and the deprived of the region.
The decadence of the Indian film industry The Indian film industry is the second largest in the world producing about 300 movies a year. Not more than 5 or six movies hit the box office. One wonders why people keep on investing in an apparently money losing business.
Philippines: 300 troops mutiny unmasks "war on terror" As the annual date of the State of the Nation Address of President Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) was approaching, a group of 296 soldiers staged on July 27 a siege of the Oakwood Premier luxury hotel at the Ayala Center in Makati, a financial district of Metro Manila. Based on their own statements, as reported on Tv and radio, they were asking the entire administration to resign.
Mass Demonstrations in Hong Kong - The choice before the pro-democracy movement In less than two weeks Hong Kong has been shaken to the foundations by three mass rallies demanding democratic change. Over 500,000 protested against the passage of "anti-subversion" laws; over 50,000 demonstrated outside of the Legislative Council halls July 9 to appeal for democratic reforms, and on Sunday, over 20,000 participated in a rally for universal suffrage.
Pakistan: PTUDC seminar rejects 2003 Federal Budget and calls for socialism On June 12, the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign organised a seminar on Pakistan's 2003 Federal Budget at the Rawalpindi press Club. More than 50 trade unionists were invited representing 20 trade unions in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Kashmir.
Lessons from the history of the Nepalese Communist movement Nepal is not often mentioned in the western media, apart from the occasional report of an attack of the Maoist guerrillas or such events as the royal coup. However behind this obscure image of Nepal being a far and distant place somewhere in the Himalayas, there is a real tradition of class struggle and revolutionary history.
India: "the biggest general strike in independent times" On Wednesday, millions of workers in India went on a national strike protesting against government plans to privatise state-owned firms. The one-day stoppage heavily affected sectors such as banking, insurance, oil, power, coal mining, telecommunications, engineering and textiles.
India and Pakistan: War and peace on the subcontinent - A class perspective The sudden peace overtures sent out by Vajpayee on April 18 have stirred the political landscape of the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Most sections of the intellectual and political elites of both India and Pakistan, and even far beyond, are astonished. Yet, if we take a quick look at the post partition history of the subcontinent it is not surprising at all.
May Day in Pakistan The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign's (PTUDC) national bureau announced before May Day that this year it would be celebrated in Pakistan as a "day of collective struggle of the working class against capitalism" and a "day of struggle for socialist revolution in Pakistan". On this basis May Day was celebrated all over the country with the same agenda.
Pakistan: National meeting of PTUDC in Lahore On March 24 the PTUDC (Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign) held a meeting in Lahore, which was attended by more than 300 PTUDC leaders and members who came from all over the country.
Alan Woods speaks at the Pakistan High Court At ten o'clock this morning at the Kayani Hall, the High Court in Lahore, Alan Woods delivered a lecture on the war in Iraq and the role of imperialism to the Lahore High Court Bar Association, the most prestigious lawyers elected body of lawyers in Pakistan. It is without precedent that a foreign Marxist should be invited to address this body.
