World

Roj Shuhe, Toronto During the last year, the larger protests against the war in Iraq here have featured sizeable and militant contingents from the Kurdish community. At the time of the invasion, the Kurdish population was deeply and evenly divided

Vannessa Hearman On June 22, East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao threatened to resign if Fretilin Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri does not resign first. Gusmao accused the Fretilin majority in the government of doing "bad things to the people". In

Eva Cheng The world was stunned when the Indian Ocean tsunami hit the shores of Asian countries in December 2004. It killed 300,000 people. But "slow-motion" disasters are unfolding every day with a killing power equal to three such tsunamis every

Doug Lorimer "What we're seeing in Iraq is an attempted power grab by extremists and terrorists", US President George Bush declared at an April 16 White House press briefing. The claim that Iraqis who are engaged in armed resistance to the US-led

Kim Bullimore, West Bank The first day of the Palestinian school year was marked by 1000 children, school students, teachers and peace activists marching against the construction of the Israeli apartheid wall at the Ar'am village junction, 20

Coral Wynter & Jim McIlroy, Caracas Maria Rosa Jimenez is a leader of the Frente Francisco de Miranda (FFM), the major organisation mobilising young people in support of Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution. She will shortly be touring Australia to

John Cleary There are about 35,000 electrical industry workers in Venezuela. They are organised in 30 unions, which together form Fetraelec. About 80% of all workers in the electrical industry are in unions. A new leadership was elected in

Ali Abunimah The April 14 meeting between US President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Washington sent Palestinian leaders into a flying panic. But their response reeks of desperation and self-interest rather than any real

Merhdad Valipour Up to 500 bus drivers in Iran's capital were arrested on January 27 in an attempt by the Iranian authorities to pre-empt strike action called for January 28 by the 9000-member Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company.

Fred Fuentes Mass protests are shaking Bolivia, forcing interim President Carlos Mesa to back down from his threat not to authorise any new bills until his hydrocarbon law was passed, unamended and without discussion. Mesa had claimed that the

On June 11, Suzanne Swift was arrested at her mother's house in Eugene, Oregon. Swift, a soldier in the military police, had refused to return to Iraq. The Register-Guard reported on June 15 that Swift says she will not redeploy because "she was

Margarita Windisch & Susan Price, Caracas In January, the Sixth World Social Forum will take place on three continents: Africa (in Mali), Asia (in Pakistan) and Latin America (in Venezuela). The Caracas forum is scheduled for January 24-29 on the