On October 7 in Trelawney, Zimbabwe, normally one of the most productive zones for tobacco and horticulture, 15,000 striking farm workers brought production to a standstill, blocking off roads and holding rallies. The government deployed armed police and helicopters to patrol the 144 mostly white-owned farms. The cops arrested more than 100 protesters. The Associated Press said that some farm workers destroyed crops. General Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union spokesperson Cuthbert Hute called for a return to work October 9, but strikers stayed out.

U.S. war jets fly deeper into Iraq
U.S. secretary of defense William Cohen announced October 9 that U.S. jet fighters will be "flying farther north [into Iraq] than they were before - in other words, they're going deeper into the no-fly zone" which extended to the 33rd parallel. The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Nimitz arrived in the Persian Gulf October 12, flanked by several U.S. warships. Washington's stepped-up threats are supposedly in response to Iraqi flights into the so-called no-fly zone - imposed and maintained by Washington since 1991 after the imperialist war against Iraq.

Cabinet resigns in Kazakhstan
Under the pressures of an economic crisis in Kazakhstan, Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin and the entire cabinet of that country resigned October 10. "It is bitter to acknowledge that we are poorer today and behind in development," said President Nursultan Nazarbayev, comparing their status today with its status as part of the Soviet Union. The oil-rich country was held up as one of the likely nations to climb out of third world status, but has yet to do so. While Nazarbayev accepted Kazhegeldin's resignation for "health reasons" the former prime minister had been under attack from other government members for allegedly secretly acquiring shares in Kazakhstan's lucrative oil refineries. He denied the charges.

Mexican cops `disappear' workers, youth in `war on drugs'
The Mexican government's "war on drugs" in has emboldened the cops to attack working people there. Cops smash their way into working-class families' homes, drag people out, and cart them away - some have never been seen again. Morris Tidball Binz, head of Amnesty International's Latin America programs said that "even though the police or the military are responsible, there is absolute denial."

In Juárez, Mexico, reported an October 7 New York Times article, "nearly 90 people have vanished, including 8 United States citizens." The article continues, "The Clinton Administration largely appears to have turned a blind eye toward the disappearances, consistently praising the Mexican Government's anti-drug efforts." Nineteen elite cops were implicated in the September 8 disappearance and execution- style killing of six Mexican youth. After initial denial, cops admitted that evidence found by the press matched the blood of the dead youth to blood traces in one of the police trucks.

Canadian gov't tightens borders
After dropping visa requirements for citizens of the Czech Republic last year, the Canadian government reinstated them in early October, saying there was an overflow of Roma (Gypsy) immigrants from that country. Seeking refugee status, the Roma say they are subject to attacks by skinheads, and discriminated against by the Czech government.

House passes school vouchers
The Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, cast the tie- breaking vote for a budget for the District of Columbia October 9, which includes issuing vouchers to public school students to help pay tuition at private schools. Gingrich said the vouchers are needed because children "are being cheated by the politicians, they are being cheated by the teachers, they are being cheated by the unions." U.S. president William Clinton has said he would veto the voucher proposal.

Army sergeant stripped of post
On October 9, the U.S. Army stripped Gene McKinney of his post as Sergeant Major - the top enlisted position - a day after it was announced that he would be court-martialed on charges of sexual misconduct. Army chief of staff Gen. Dennis Reimer stated that he had no opinion on whether McKinney was guilty or innocent, but removed him because trial proceedings would make it impossible for McKinney to fulfill his duties as Sergeant Major. The investigation began in January when McKinney's former public relations aide Sergeant Brenda Hoster alleged that he made sexual advances at her during an April 1996 conference in Hawaii.

Antiabortion bill vetoed
Clinton again vetoed a ban passed by Congress against the late-term abortion procedure called "intact dilation and extraction," on grounds that it did not include an exception when the health of the woman is in serious jeopardy. Supporters of the ban on what they have misnamed "partial- birth abortion" say they will try to override the veto this year. If enacted, it would be the first ban on an abortion procedure since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling legalized abortion.

`No selling off of Panama!'
About a dozen people picketed outside the offices of the Organization of American States (OAS) October 7. They carried picket signs that read, "Stop privatization! Justice for workers in Panama!" Thousands of Panamanian workers have lost their jobs in recent years due to the government's sale of major industries to private investors. Among those companies sold have been Panama's two principal concerns, the National Telephone Company and the State Cement Factory. "This has been a very hard struggle, but it is important to continue and we are confident we will win," explained Rolando Gómez a representative of the hydro-electrical worker's union in Panama. Gómez was joined by fellow unionist Luis Batista. Gómez and Batista had come to Washington seeking to speak before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission of the OAS.

In January 1994 unions in Panama filed human rights violations charges with the commission against the Panamanian government. They charge the government with violation of that country's labor laws and those of international conventions. The commission accepted the unionists' petitions, but it has declined to schedule a hearing on the charges. On September 24 Gómez and Batista were informed by the commission that their case would not be heard during its fall session currently taking place. In response Gómez announced the unionists would maintain a hunger strike until the commission meets with them.

- BRIAN TAYLOR

Sam Manuel, a member of the United Transportation Union in Washington, D.C., contributed to this column.  
 
 
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