New Democratic Peoples Front

More than two million public sector workers took strike action yesterday. That amounted to a virtual general strike of the public sector. In terms of numbers, the action was bigger than the “Winter of Discontent” in 1979 - bigger even than the 1926 General Strike. Even The Financial Times, the organ of Big Business, surprisingly described Wednesday’s strike as “undoubtedly historic”.

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Four opposition candidates in the Democratic Republic of Congo's election say it should be cancelled because of fraud and violence.

Many voters were unable to cast their ballots on Monday and so polling was extended until Tuesday in some areas. However, the BBC's Christophe Pons visited one such polling station in the capital, Kinshasa, and found that voting had still not taken place by Tuesday lunchtime.

Votes have been counted in some polling stations, but it is not clear when results would be announced. Election officials are only now starting to organise the transport of these results to regional tallying centres, where provisional results can be announced, correspondents say. Angry residents told him that there were 1,300 registered voters but only 100 ballot papers had been received.

Kamerhe sent a letter to the election commission and international bodies, saying the vote should be annulled.

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The leaders of France and Germany will meet next week and plan to push for fundamental changes to the European treaty governing the currency shared by 17 nations, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday.

Sarkozy said in a speech in the southern port city of Toulon that during their meeting in Paris on Monday he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will unveil proposals to try to lift Europe out of its debt crisis and "guarantee" its future.

"France will push with Germany for a new European treaty refounding and rethinking the organization of Europe," Sarkozy said. "The Maastricht Treaty has revealed itself to be imperfect," Sarkozy said, referring to the pact that led to the creation of the euro currency in 1999.

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The Pentagon is selling 4,900 smart-bomb kits to the United Arab Emirates in what many see as a move to equip an armed military bloc against Iran. Meanwhile, the EU is cutting all diplomatic channels with the troublesome country.

The Pentagon has addressed Congress over a large arms deal with the UAE worth some $304 million. The proposed arms package will allow the UAE to convert its unguided bombs into high accuracy missiles. 

At least 600 of the bombs to be converted are of the hard-target penetrator class also known as “bunker-busters,” which are capable of penetrating two meters of concrete-steel constructions.

The Pentagon sees the deal as a chance to "improve the UAE's capability to meet current and future regional threats." The upgraded weaponry would give the country “one of the most capable air forces in the region, thereby serving US interests by deterring regional aggression,” its Wednesday statement said.

The United Arab Emirates already has a fleet of F-16 fighters capable of carrying those bombs. Moreover, it already has several hundred smart missiles in stock that were earlier supplied by the US.

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