World

  • PALESTINE: Israel punishes Palestinians for Hamas vote

    Kim Bullimore On February 18, the newly elected, Hamas dominated, Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) was officially sworn in, despite attempts by the Israeli military to disrupt the ceremony, which opened the way for a Palestinian government to

  • VENEZUELA: Electoral commission rules against opposition

    Doug Lorimer Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) announced on March 2 that not enough valid signatures had been collected to force a recall referendum on left-wing President Hugo Chavez. The decision is a blow for the US-backed,

  • IRAQ: Ramadi siege creates humanitarian crisis

    Doug Lorimer The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued a statement on June 20 complaining that access to Ramadi, capital of Iraq's western Anbar province, "is very restricted. As a result, food and medical supplies are

  • VENEZUELA: Paper factory under workers' control

    Nick Everett In September last year, the owners of Venepal, a paper mill in Venezuela's Carabobo state, decided to cease operations and not pay their workers' wages. A year later the paper mill, now known as Invepal (Venezuelan Endogenous Paper

  • BOLIVIA: Was referendum result a victory for Mesa?

    Federico Fuentes Nine months after the popular revolt that ousted the previous president, the Bolivian and international media are trumpeting the result of the July 18 referendum on Bolivia's natural gas industry as a win for President Carlos

  • TAIWAN: Chen manipulates massacre anniversary for votes

    Eva Cheng More than 60,000 people formed a human chain in southern Taiwan on February 1, acting in defiance of Beijing's military threats. Supported by President Chen Shui-bian and former president Lee Teng-hui, the protesters vowed to form a much

  • UNITED STATES: Majority want Iraq withdrawal to begin

    According to an opinion poll conducted by Hart/McInturff on June 9-12 for the Wall Street Journal and NBC TV News, 52% of US adults think removing Iraq's Saddam Hussein from power was not worth the number of US military casualties and the financial

  • Venezuelan union supports Australian workers' struggle

    The following is an abridged message of solidarity issued by Venezuela's National Union of Workers (UNT). The National Union of Workers of Venezuela backs the actions of the Australian workers in their struggle against the anti-union laws being

  • UNITED STATES: Military families applaud Fahrenheit 9/11

    Kevin Shay, Washington I recently saw Michael Moore's film, Fahrenheit 9/11, which even reviewers for conservative media outlets like Fox News have praised. I knew I would like the documentary, based on reviews I read. But still, I can't remember

  • WESTERN SAHARA: Calls for urgent refugee aid

    On February 4, the Saharawi Red Crescent made an urgent appeal for assistance for 158,000 Saharawi refugees in the south of Algeria. Emergency food supplies will only last until March, the organisation stated, and medical supplies have already run

  • UNITED STATES: Kevin Cooper saved from execution

    Alison Dellit After a sustained campaign by anti-death penalty activists, Californian death-row prisoner Kevin Cooper was granted a stay of execution on February 9 — less than eight hours before his murder was scheduled to happen. The 11th hour

  • UNITED STATES: Close Guantanamo Bay!

    In response to the suicides of inmates at the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, US group International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and Racism) issued the following statement. Three men who had been held at Guantanamo Bay for four years resorted to