World

  • THE NETHERLANDS: Greenpeace shuts down coal port

    On September 8, at Europe's largest coal port in Rotterdam, the Greenpeace ship Argus blocked cranes from unloading coal imported from South Africa, the US, Indonesia and Australia. Greenpeace is demanding that European governments immediately cease

  • VIETNAM: 60 years of independence

    Eva Cheng, Hanoi Around 100 solidarity and left-wing activists travelled here from some 40 countries on August 31-September 2 to join the 82 million Vietnamese people in celebrating their 60 years of hard-won independence. Throughout several days

  • VENEZUELA: Government seizes Heinz plant

    Stuart Munckton The Venezuelan government seized a Heinz Baked Beans processing plant that was left idle by the company, just days after a similar seizure of an idle maize processing plant owned by Alimentos Polar, the largest food company in

  • UNITED STATES: War and poverty aren't natural

    Stan Goff I haven't been sure how to respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, or its coincidence with the almost 1000 Iraqis who were killed during a panic stampede when a bridge suffered a structural failure. I go back and forth, between

  • BOTSWANA: Bushmen threatened at gunpoint

    Survival International reported on September 5 that Bushmen in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve have been threatened at gunpoint by wildlife guards in an attempt to force them to abandon their homes. This is part of a crackdown by Botswana's

  • ACEH: Concerns remain about peace deal

    James Balowski, Jakarta On August 15, the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a first step in seeking a peaceful and lasting solution to the decades-long conflict in Aceh.

  • ITALY: Washington blocks Iraqis from speaking

    John Catalinotto, New York A group of right-wing members of the US Congress close to the Bush administration has pressured the Italian government into interfering with an October conference in Rome aimed at building solidarity with Iraqis fighting

  • PALESTINE: Israel steps up colonisation in East Jerusalem

    Kim Bullimore While the world has been distracted by the Gaza "disengagement", Israel has continued to approve plans for, and to build and expand, illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In July, Israeli planners approved

  • CANADA: Ottawa steps up support for US-led war efforts

    Roger Annis, Vancouver The commander of Canada's armed forces, General Rick Hillier, is speaking out boldly in support of the US-led imperialist war effort in the Middle East and Asia. He is spending the summer months on a lecture circuit as the

  • SOUTH AFRICA: 'New UDF' sparks left debate

    Dale T. McKinley, Johannesburg A great deal of excitement has been generated, among South Africa's general population and also in left-wing political and activist ranks, by the launch of what has been labelled by the mainstream media the "new

  • BRITAIN: Gate Gourmet workers' struggle continues

    Alex Miller The bitter Gate Gourmet airline catering firm dispute, which led to the temporary shutting down of London's Heathrow Airport last month, shows no sign of being quickly resolved. On September 2, Tony Woodley, general secretary of the

  • VENEZUELA: Chavez to help poor in South and North America

    Stuart Munckton The furore continues to grow over the call to assassinate left-wing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made on US national television on August 22 by Pat Robertson, a right-wing Christian televangalist and well-known supporter of US