World

UNITED STATES: DOJ drops subpoena on ISP worker On September 1, the US Department of Justice abandoned an attempt to subpoena Nicholas Merrill, a worker at Calyx Internet Access, the internet service provider for New York City's Indymedia website,

Jon Lamb Political tensions within the East Timorese elite continue to simmer amidst preparation for the first sitting of parliament since the arrival of the Australian-led international security force. The parliament is expected to discuss and

Eva Golinger, Caracas John Negroponte, director of national intelligence for the United States, announced on August 18 the creation of a new special CIA mission to oversee intelligence activities in Venezuela and Cuba. Negroponte, who coordinates

Nidal al Haddad On March 24, the United Nations Human Rights Commission adopted a resolution condemning Israel's assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin. Thirty-one countries represented on the commission, including UN Security

Lara Pullin Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) leader Schafik Jorge Handal — Comandante "Simon" — died suddenly of a heart attack on January 24. He collapsed at the airport on his return to El Salvador from Evo Morales's

Norman Brewer, Bremen The number of people taking part in the weekly Montagsdemonstrationen (Monday demonstrations) across Germany has been tripling from week to week. On August 16, more than 100,000 people marched in more than 100 cities,

Kim Bullimore According to a June 9 Bloomberg report, Hamas has "vowed to renew attacks" on Israeli forces in the wake of the deaths of at least 12 Palestinians during an Israeli artillery bombardment of the Gaza Strip. In March last year Hamas

Doug Lorimer On August 24, British troops in south-eastern Maysan province abandoned their base, which, Reuters reported had been under "almost nightly attack". The base has been a target for frequent mortar and rocket barrages since being set up in

Nick Fredman, Bangkok In the latest of a series of actions against the privatisation of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, 6000 public sector workers and supporters rallied on March 13. After widening opposition to the privatisation,

Eva Cheng Despite police repression thwarting a January 20 protest against the king's autocratic rule, a defiant demonstration of 10,000-50,000 people burst onto the streets of Nepal's capital Kathmandu on January 21. This was followed by more mass

Doug Lorimer Since August 5, fierce gunbattles have been fought in the south-central Iraqi city of Najaf between US occupation troops and rebel Iraqi Shiite leader Sayed Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army militia. The heaviest fighting has been around

Norm Dixon In the early hours of May 5, the most militarily significant Darfur rebel group — a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Minni Minnawi — reluctantly accepted a flawed "peace" agreement with Sudan's authoritarian