PRAGOTI

President Hugo Chavez's recent victory in Venezuela's presidential elections is another step in making the path to socialism irreversible in that country. Whether Chavez will manage to heed some of his leftist critics and allies and evolve further reforms that broaden the scope of the socialist project remains to be seen, but the signs are promising.   

The mineworkers employed at the Lonmin platinum mine in Rustenburg (South Africa) has returned to work on September 20. Their strike committee and the Lonmin management have signed an agreement of basic wage increases by 22 percent. This remarkable outcome has followed the strike for 36 days; and the tragic bloodbath which took the toll of 35 lives of mineworkers and six police personnel.

What India should realistically do is to deepen its engagement with Iran, irrespective of the pressure coming from Western capitals. In that context, the Tehran summit is an opportunity for India to make its Iran line even stronger. Stanly Johny writes as the NAM summit in Tehran commences. 

"A conflict between students and the government over a tuition increase has exploded into social revolt. Montreal, Quebec’s metropolis, is covered in red squares, the symbol of the striking students, which can be seen pinned lapels, draped over balconies, or glued to windows and public signs. The students have helped break the perception that there is no alternative to neoliberalism and broke the establishment’s stranglehold on public discourse" says Lazar Konforti.