World

Federico Fuentes, La Paz This year marks the 20th anniversary of the implementation of Decree 21060, which heralded the dawning of the era of neoliberal "free market" policies in Bolivia. According to Jim Schultz, executive director of the

Sam Pillay Responsibility for the abuse of prisoners in Iraq reaches all the way to General Richard Myers, who is the chairperson of the joint chiefs of staff, and defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, according to the United States Army Times online

Graham Matthews Sun Xiaodi, a former miner at the Gansu No. 72 Uranium Mine in Chinese-controlled Tibet, remains "missing" over six months after he was abducted, following an interview with an AFP journalist in Beijing on April 28. Sun had

Simon Cooper, Istanbul In three successive days, criminal investigations were launched against five leaders of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) by Turkish government authorities. The alleged crimes are of "praising and aiding" the

Doug Lorimer "Fallujah will be their Stalingrad. The Euphrates will be a river of their blood. Now the resistance is spreading all over Iraq and everyone is coming to Fallujah to help us. It will not be conquered." These comments by Amar Abbas, a

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 "Hundreds of US Marines stormed through dimly lit hallways of the largest hospital in western Iraq on [July 5], taking control of a facility allegedly used by insurgents", Associated Press reported from Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's

Jack Cohen-Joppa & Alison Dellit As he walked out the prison door on April 21, the thumping beat of a police helicopter overhead, the shouts from the press and the cheers and jeers of demonstrators just outside the massive gate may have prevented

Benjamin Ball, Kathmandu Since King Gyanendra seized direct power in February 2005, the Nepalese security forces have arrested hundreds of political leaders, trade unionists, student activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. More

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

Zoe Kenny The 20-year international moratorium on commercial whaling suffered a blow from the Japan-led campaign against it at this year's International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting, which was held on the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts on June

Michael Karadjis Clashes between Albanians and Serbs, involving firearms, grenades and rocks broke out on March 17 in the northern Kosova city of Mitrovica. They were sparked by the drowning of three Albanian children. Tensions began in Caglavica