1054

Photo: Kurdpress.com. The June 7 elections to Turkey鈥檚 Grand National Assembly are shaping up to be the most important in a long time. The bold decision of the People鈥檚 Democratic Party (HDP) to run as a party and strive to exceed the grossly undemocratic 10% threshold needed to win representation in parliament has put the group at the political centre stage.
Greek pensioners joined the march for a better healthcare in Athens.
"Resign Now" placard.

"Resign Now" is the rallying cry of the popular movement bringing together diverse social sectors calling for President Perez Molina's resignation. Photo: Prensa Comunitaria. Despite growing social movement pressure and emerging corruption scandals, Guatemalan President Perez Molina says he will not resign.

The fossil fuel industry receives US$5.3 trillion a year in government subsidies, despite its disastrous toll on the environment, human health, and other global inequality issues, a new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has found. That means that governments worldwide are spending $10 million every minute to fund energy companies 鈥 more than the estimated public health spending for the entire globe.
As Nepal struggles to revive from the catastrophe caused by the April 25 earthquake that registered 7.8 on the Moment Magnitude Scale and its aftershocks, Latin America's socialist governments are busy soothing the wounds of the Nepalese people. The orange-coloured team of Venezuelan aid workers and white-coloured medical team from Cuba have brought to the people of Nepal the spirit of Argentine-born Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara and Venezuela's late revolutionary president Hugo Chavez.
Traces of chemicals commonly used for fracking were found in鈥 鈥瑃he鈥 鈥琩rinking鈥 鈥瑆ater鈥 鈥瑂upply of three homes in Bradford County in the US state of Pennsylvania,鈥 鈥琣 study revealed on May鈥 鈥18.鈥 The investigation,鈥 鈥瑆hich appeared in scientific鈥 鈥琷ournal鈥 鈥鈥琍roceedings of the National Academy of Sciences鈥<鈥/i鈥>鈥,鈥 鈥琾roved the long-held worry of damaging underground drinking water sources from the method of extracting gases known as hydraulic fracturing.鈥 鈥琓he report explicitly links the practice with the affected water systems.鈥
Supporter and campaigners of the Green Party of England and Wales, 2015.

Britain's May 7 general elections, in which the Conservative Party won an outright majority, produced a couple of silver linings on a very large black cloud. One was the success of the Green Party of England and Wales. While the party did not sweep into Westminster, it made progress politically and in terms of votes.

More than鈥 鈥200鈥 鈥琫nvironmental activists鈥 鈥琤locked a terminal in Seattle鈥欌瑂 port to protest against Royal Dutch Shell鈥欌瑂 imminent plans to begin drilling for oil in the Arctic.鈥 A huge vessel,鈥 鈥琻amed Polar Pioneer,鈥 鈥琲s temporarily stationed at the port before heading out to the Arctic to explore for oil.鈥 鈥琁f successful,鈥 鈥琲t will be the first time the multinational has exploited oil in the Arctic.鈥
Protests in Burundi, 2015.

Burundi's embattled President Pierre Nkurunziza agreed on May 20 to postpone parliamentary elections, but refused to change the date of the presidential vote. Parliamentary and local elections were moved back from May 26 to June 6. However, the contentious presidential vote remains scheduled for June 26.

Left-wing activist Ada Colau with Podemos leader Pablo Iglasias

Popular left-wing activist activist Ada Colau has won Barcelona's May 24 mayoral elections. Running on the ticket of Barcelona Together, which united several left groups and grassroots activists, Colau came first with 25% of the vote.

Condolences and tributes to legendary revolutionary and champion of women鈥檚 rights Nora Castaneda have been pouring in from across Venezuela after news of the activist鈥檚 death on May 16. An economist, university lecturer and much-loved revolutionary, Castaneda is renowned for having founded and presided over Venezuela鈥檚 internationally celebrated Women鈥檚 Development Bank, 鈥淏anmujer鈥 since 2001. She was also one of the chief protagonists of Venezuela's working-class women鈥檚 movement that emerged in the 1980s.
On May 18, Baba Jan was declared the official candidate of the Awami Workers Party (AWP) by the returning officer of Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly constituency Hunza 6. Baba Jan is in jail serving a life sentence. This is the first time in the history of the Hunza Valley that a political activist will contest general elections from jail. Gilgit-Baltistan is a Himalayan territory administered by Pakistan.