|  Lenin, communism and the emancipation of womenMost of the world’s women today are very far from achieving equality, let alone liberation. The wage gap between men and women is one thing, but inequality and oppression are about so much more than that. From the fear of leaving our drinks unattended when we are on a night out; to the anxiety of walking home alone, having to put up with constant sexist comments and stares; to doing the majority of housework; to doctors not taking ‘women’s diseases’ seriously and generally being treated as of lesser worth, the list goes on and on… |  Austria: the Carnival Coalition comes to townAfter the recent failure of coalition talks between Austria’s conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) and demagogic right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ), the ÖVP again approached the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the liberal Neos to revive talks of a three-way coalition, which had initially failed in early January after the elections late September. This coalition – which has aptly been formed just in time for Austria’s Carnival celebrations – has now been sworn in, with the ÖVP's Christian Stocker becoming the new Chancellor. |  Trump humiliates Zelensky, Europe rearms, general strike in GreeceThis week's row in the Oval Office between Trump and Zelensky served to dramatically underscore the fact that we are passing a seismic shift in world history. The old alliances and institutions are breaking down, and a realignment, reflecting the changed balance of forces, is taking place for all to see. | |