India, Pakistan in military clash
The Indian government has stepped up its offensive against
guerrilla forces fighting for independence in Kashmir,
bringing it into sharp conflict with the Pakistani regime.
Pakistani army spokesperson Brig. Rashid Quereshi declared May
27 that Islamabad's forces had shot down two Indian warplanes
that ventured "well inside our territory." The Indian
government said only one plane was shot down and the other
crashed due to mechanical problems. The next day New Delhi
announced four of its soldiers and a pilot died May 27 when
the guerrillas shot down one of its helicopters. One-third of
the region of Kashmir is inside Pakistan, and the rest is held
by India.
The governments of India and Pakistan have fought two wars over the territory of Kashmir in 1947 and 1965. This was the first time in nearly 30 years the Indian government used air power, which included Jaguar bombers, MiG fighters, and helicopter gunships. Both of the regimes tested nuclear weapons last year.
Filipino dock workers strike
Dock workers and cargo handlers walked off the job at the
Cebu port May 24, paralyzing one of the Philippines' largest
ports. Tons of cargo and thousands of passengers were stuck at
the port, which accounts for at least 80 percent of the
country's shipping industry.
The unionists were protesting the firing of 14 workers of the Puerto Servicio de Cebu cargo handling company, as well as unfair labor practices by other companies. The dock workers said they will continue their strike until their demands are addressed by the bosses at the United South Dockhandlers Inc., Puerto Servicio de Cebu, and other shipping firms.
Palestinians fight land grab
Israeli cops attacked Palestinians in East Jerusalem May 27
as they tried to block the construction of a Zionist
settlement in Ras al-Amud, a neighborhood of 11,000
Palestinians. It was the first confrontation since the May 17
Israeli election. The Palestinian Authority has demanded
Israeli prime minister-elect Ehud Barak halt the expansion of
the Zionist land grabs when he takes office and return all
land and property stolen from Palestinians.
East Jerusalem is claimed by the Palestinian leadership as the future capital of a Palestinian state. Along with the West Bank, East Jerusalem was captured from Jordan by Tel Aviv during the 1967 Mideast war. The Zionist regime also seized the Golan Heights from Syria and the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt in that war.
Miners end walkout in Ghana
Gold miners at the Ashanti Goldfields Company returned to
work May 25 after a 12-day strike. The workers were demanding
pay increases, including a hike in the minimum monthly wage
from $132 to $500. They ended the walkout after the bosses
agreed to start wage negotiations within 72 hours and not
victimize those who participated in the strike. Gold bosses
said the strike cost the company more than $8 million in
export earnings and a loss in gold production of more than
28,000 ounces of gold. Gold is one of Ghana's main exports.
Polish farmers block highways
Farmers in Poland demanded an increase in government
subsidies as they blocked dozens of roads with farm equipment
throughout the country May 27. Cops broke up some of the
roadblocks. Thousands of farmers joined several protests in
the capital city of Warsaw earlier this year, demanding higher
prices for their products and a ban on food imports. "We are
going to be wiped out," said Jan Kuchta, a farmer in the
Kruczy Borek hamlet.
The farmers are being devastated by the fall in sales to Russia, the international collapse in agricultural prices, and government attempts to carry out "market reforms" in agriculture. Farm production has dropped 20 percent and demand for farm commodities has fallen 25 percent in the 1990s, according government officials.
Spain: farmers defend land against pollution `cleanup' plan
Farmers in Aznalcázar, Spain, are fighting government plans
to expropriate 10,000 acres of farmland polluted by the waste
reservoir of a nearby zinc mine that burst open last year.
Toxic sludge, containing high levels of acid, cadmium, lead,
and arsenic, is now embedded in the soil and water. Government
inspectors annually approved the faulty reservoir.
"I'm not moving," declared farmer José Alvarez, whose land is on the expropriation list. "I won't give it up. They're offering half the value." Carmen Moraira, a local farmer and an organizer of the farmers protests, said Madrid's "new love for the environment is a phony," pointing to piles of trash on public land.
10,000 workers strike in Guyana
Some 10,000 postal workers, nurses, clerks, ferry boat
operators, and other members of the Guyana Public Service
Union walked off the job in April after the government
rejected their demand for a 40 percent pay hike. The
government offered a 4.6 percent wage increase. Riot cops
attacked several thousand strikers May 25 as they protested in
front of President Janet Jagan's office. Union officials say
they are planning a "national civil disobedience campaign."
Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress federation ended a three-
day general strike over the May 22-23 weekend.
Student arrested after walking out on prayer at graduation
Nick Becker was detained by a Maryland State cop May 26 when
he tried to return to his high school graduation after walking
out to protest prayer during the Calvert County commencement
ceremony. "I told the cop I'm getting my diploma," said
Becker. The cop barred him from reentering and threatened to
give the student a citation "for failing to obey a lawful
order."
Becker said prayer didn't belong in a public ceremony and had successfully appealed for a moment of silence. But a sizable layer in the audience, led by government officials including County Commissioners President Linda Kelly and County Commissioner David Hale, participated in the prayer. "This is a churchgoing community, and no one... is going to tell us when and where we can pray," Kelly declared, after trampling on the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution separating the state and religion.
Airline bosses: safety is too costly
The failure of the Federal Aviation Administration to
enforce regulations regarding crew rest "is seriously
compromising aviation safety," said Richard Rubin, a member of
Allied Pilots Association. The rule stipulates that pilots
receive at least eight hours of guaranteed rest between flight
duties. Fatigue has been blamed for a number of plane crashes.
Currently major airlines such as American, Delta, United, and others may use "reserve" pilots who are on call for days at a time and sometimes end up being awake continuously for 23 hours by the time their flight duty ends. Airline bosses balk at following the FAA regulation, saying it would force them to hire more pilots, costing them millions of dollars.
- MAURICE WILLIAMS