New Labour is a key supporter of the new round of trade talks that will allow the multinationals to continue to ride roughshod over the poorest people in the world. But the British government has provided other aid to Qatar to help ensure that the WTO conference runs smoothly. Over the past two years New Labour has licensed the sale of anti-riot guns, assault rifles, crowd control ammunition, CS gas grenades and shotguns to Qatar. Southampton University announced that it was founding a research group into astrology. This coincidentally came after it received funding from an astrology-promoting body called the Sophia Trust.
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The Ukranian police recently used teargas and truncheons against people demonstrating against President Leonid Kuchma. Britain has exported projectile launchers, small arms, small arms ammunition and telescopic sights to Ukraine. The army in Ecuador used teargas and live bullets on a popular uprising against the International Monetary Fund in February. Eight people died. Huge protests brought down the corrupt Peruvian president, Alberto Fujimori, last year despite the best efforts of the British government which allowed assault rifles, submachine guns, sniper rifles, telescopic sights and night vision goggles to be exported to Peru.