Global briefs
RUSSIA: Russia's nuclear forces are reportedly preparing their largest manoeuvres in two decades in an exercise involving the test-firing of missiles and flights by dozens of bombers in a massive simulation of an all-out nuclear war. President Putin is expected to personally oversee the manoeuvres, which are apparently aimed at demonstrating the revival of the nation's military might in the lead-up to the Russian presidential elections on March 14.* * * CUBA: President Castro addressed a gathering of about 1000 international activists against "free trade" and in particular the US-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). In a five- hour speech in Havana, Fidel Castro also referred to the US President's plans to overthrow the Cuban Government and to him. "We knew that Mr Bush had made a commitment with the mafia [Cuban exiles] of the Cuban-American foundation to kill me. I accuse him of this", Fidel Castro said. "This dead man can still talk. This dead man can make plans. This dead man — is not dead yet. With a gun in my hand, I don't care how I die, but I'm confident that if they invade us, I will go down fighting", Mr Castro said to tumultuous applause from the audience, which included Andean Indians, landless Brazilians, and Canadian postal workers. Fidel Castro survived several CIA plots to assassinate him during the 1960s but many Cubans now fear that Washington, frustrated by the failure of a 40-year embargo to bring down Fidel Castro, may be planning an imminent land invasion. Some 130,000 "committees for the defence of the revolution" and other local organisations have been told to step up their vigilance. President Bush has set up a special committee to monitor events in Cuba and "plan for the happy day when Castro's regime is no more". If Bush loses the coming elections, he would be the 10th US President that the Cuban leader has seen off.* * * NORTHERN IRELAND: Loyalist paramilitaries have launched a spate of racist attacks against ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland. Over 200 incidents were reported in the past nine months. Chinese, Romanian and Ugandan families have been burnt out of their Belfast homes. A Muslim was shot at through their kitchen window. Another person was left in a coma after a beating, while others have had legs and noses broken. At the same time loyalist paramilitaries continue to make attacks on Catholics Most of this violence goes unreported in the British media.* * * SOUTH AFRICA: Management at Ingwe Collieries, a subsidiary company of BHP Billiton Australia, has informed the National Union of Mineworkers that it intends retrenching 397 workers. This is on top of the more than 3400 workers already sacked over the past two years. The NUM proposal to avoid retrenchments. Ingwe claims it needs to improve its performance. It wants to increase the rate of return (profits as a percentage of investment) from nine percent to 13 percent.