World

Jon Lamb Heightened tensions within East Timor and rumours of further violent clashes have subsided with the passing of the Fretilin congress, held in Dili on May 17-19. The congress was a test of support for Fretilin leader and East Timor's Prime

Peter Gellert, Mexico City A massive civic movement in the southern state of Oaxaca has placed what was a local conflict onto the centre stage of Mexican political life. In May, Local 22 of the National Teachers Union — which in Oaxaca has a

Michael Shaik What are we to make of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's extraordinary talk of relocating almost all Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and 10 settlements in the West Bank as part of a "disengagement plan" from the Palestinian

Gilda Chacon, head of the international section (Asia-Pacific Region) of the Cuban Federation of Workers (CTC) and a member of the Cuban parliament, is touring Australia at the invitation of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union

Federico Fuentes Tension is rising in Bolivia, South America's poorest country, as a July 18 referendum on the future of the country's natural gas industry approaches. Nationalisation of the gas reserves was the central demand of the mass

On May 15, the US announced that it would halt weapons sales to Venezuela due to its alleged lack of cooperation in the US "war on terrorism". In response, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told the BBC during a recent London visit: "If it's true that

Vannessa Hearman Major Alfredo Reinado and 56 other men escaped Dili's Becora Prison on August 30. On that day, a report by David O'Shea and John Martinkus on SBS's Dateline alleged links between President Xanana Gusmao and military defectors

Roberto Jorquera & Neville Spencer On January 1, Haiti marked the 200th anniversary of its independence — the first black republic in the world. Yet the celebrations were overshadowed by protests against the government of Jean Bertrand Aristide,

Eva Cheng According to a university pilot study released on July 28, the dioxin-contaminated defoliant Agent Orange, which the US Army sprayed and dumped extensively during the Vietnam War, has led to significant genetic damage for those exposed to

The following open letter to Canadian PM Stephen Harper was issued on September 8 by Ken Georgetti president of the Canadian Labour Congress the largest trade union federation in Canada representing 3 million workers. In May Harper's minority

Greenpeace reported on August 4 that four of Sweden's 10 nuclear plants were shut down after the discovery of several faults. The plant closures immediately cut Sweden's electricity supply by around 20%. Following a serious incident at the Forsmark

Kim Bullimore On September 13, Palestinian political leaders condemned Washington's refusal to lift its aid embargo against the Palestinian Authority (PA) after Hamas and Fatah, the two major Palestinian political parties, reached agreement on