Germany鈥檚 ruling centre-right coalition suffered a double defeat on May 9, when it lost its ruling majority in an important state election in North-Rhine Westphalia.
Chancellor Angela Merkel鈥檚 Christian Democratic Party (CDU) scored its lowest ever vote in the state, dropping 14 points to only 34.6%, on a par with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), which slipped to 34.5%.
Support for the arch-neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) 鈥 the CDU鈥檚 coalition partner on a state and federal level 鈥 stagnated at 6.8%. The Greens emerged as the big winners, doubling its vote to 12.1%.
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I have been selected as the Socialist Alliance federal election candidate for the seat of Gellibrand in Melbourne鈥檚 western suburbs. I have spent much of the last 13 years as a union activist here, working in the manufacturing industry.
This is the 鈥渞ust belt鈥 鈥 the old industrial heartland, and also one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the country.
As Tiger Woods returns to golf, not all his affairs are salacious headlines.
In Dubai, the Tiger Woods Golf Course is costing $100 million to build. Dubai relies on cheap Third World labour, as do certain consumer brands that have helped make Woods a billionaire.
Nike workers in Thailand wrote to Woods, expressing their 鈥渦tmost respect for your skill and perseverance as an athlete鈥 but pointing out that they would need to work 72,000 years 鈥渢o receive what you will earn from [your Nike] contract鈥.
Bangkok is bathed in blood, yet again. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit's soldiers have shot dead at least 50 people do far. Hundreds are injured.
The regime says there are 500 鈥渢errorists" in the protest site. Earlier they said that they would use snipers to shoot 鈥渢errorists鈥.
The only terrorists are in the Government, the army and the Palace.
Cuba provides the best conditions for motherhood among developing countries, Save the Children's State of the World's Mothers 2010 report has found.
The Times of India reported on May 5 that the report 鈥渆xamines 160 countries 鈥 43 developed and 117 developing ones 鈥 and analyses the best and worst places to be a mother based on 10 factors such as the educational status, health, economic circumstances of the mothers, as well as the basic well-being of children鈥.
In further moves to strengthen the state鈥檚 role in the economy, Venezuelan President Chavez announced on May 11 the creation of a publicly owned import-export company as part of a broader plan to combat 鈥渢he hegemony of the bourgeoisie鈥, speculation and inflation.
Despite price controls and a fixed exchange rate, inflation reached 25.1% in 2009 鈥 the highest in Latin America.
Central bank figures reported inflation climbed 5.2% in April (double that of March), bringing accumulated inflation for 2010 up to 11.3%.
One hundred people rallied in Brisbane Square on May 14 to commemorate Al Nakba 鈥斺 鈥渢he catastrophe鈥. Al Nakba took place on May 15, 1948, when Israeli forces drove hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians out of their lands, and consolidated the Jewish state.
Photographer David Hoffman had his London home visited by British police on the day of the May 6 general elections. They forcibly removed a poster from his window featuring a photo of Conservative Party leader (and now prime minister) David Cameron and the word 鈥渨anker鈥, the British Guardian said on May 11.
Hoffman said police threatened him with arrest and handcuffed him during the visit, claiming the poster was 鈥渙ffensive campaign material鈥. Hoffman said police 鈥渨ent completely over the top鈥, the Guardian reported.
Labor Treasurer Wayne Swan鈥檚 third budget, delivered on May 11, continued the neoliberal austerity agenda of the previous Howard government. Delivered in the shadow of the Henry tax review, released by the government on May 2, Labor鈥檚 budget continues to grind away at social and environmental spending in the name of fiscal conservatism.
It鈥檚 another election year and we鈥檙e witnessing another round of racist fear-mongering. Along with refugees, Muslims are in the crosshairs once again and the Liberal/National Coalition opposition is trying to grab votes by playing on people's worst instincts.
On May 6, Liberal Senator and parliamentary secretary Cory Bernardi called for a ban on the wearing of the burqa, after a case of armed robbery was committed by someone allegedly using the burqa as a disguise.
A great dinner and cultural event was held on May 8 in Lidcombe in Sydney鈥檚 west, bringing together progressive migrant groups, Socialist Alliance and Greens members and 麻豆传媒 Weekly supporters.
A lively crowd of 120 people attended. Eight migrant groups were present. Food was donated by Cafe Rare Treats and the Australian Palestinian Cultural Centre.
Sudanese Communist Party member and Socialist Alliance Senate candidate, Soubhi Iskander, spoke about how refugees were being harmed and not helped by the ALP.
Say what you will about coal, but at least it stays where it鈥檚 put. On its way to the user, coal doesn鈥檛 gush from the rail trucks, spreading itself through the atmosphere and warming it at about 70 times the rate of carbon dioxide.
Natural gas is different. A new draft study provides evidence that, in the US, enough natural gas leaks into the air to give gas-fired electricity, megawatt-hour for megawatt-hour, a bigger greenhouse impact than electricity from good-quality steaming coal.
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