World

Roberto Jorquera, Caracas On June 26, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez hosted his weekly TV show from the city of Coro, about six hours west of Caracas on the Caribbean coast. The 226th episode of Hello President was dedicated to the launching of

A delegation of Norwegian nationals was deported on July 5 by Moroccan authorities from the long-contested Western Sahara region. The delegation, led by Arne Lynngard, chairperson of the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, included representatives of

On July 1, the Vietnamese government introduced a new health insurance policy under which the Vietnam Social Insurance agency (VSI) will cover all medical costs for insured patients. Previously, insured patients had to pay 20% of medical treatment

Alex Bainbridge, Chicago The packed out "Rally against war and empire" was the highlight of the Socialism 2005 conference, held here on July 1-4. The 1000-strong conference was organised by the International Socialist Organisation (ISO) — the

Kim Bullimore Israel has begun a new wave of demolitions against Palestinian houses and buildings in occupied East Jerusalem. Earlier this year, the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality demolished 37 Palestinian homes. According to the Israeli

Neville Spencer On July 1, following an internal discussion among the indigenous villagers who make up its base, the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) issued the "Sixth Declaration of the Lacondon Jungle". The statement declares the EZLN's

Eva Cheng The US government is stepping up its attempts to blame China for some of its own economic woes. In a May report to the US Congress, it threatened to officially designate China a "currency manipulating economy" if by October it hadn't

According to a June 29 Forsa poll, the new Left Party, formed by an alliance between the Party of Democratic Socialism and the Electoral Alternative for Jobs and Social Justice (WASG) could expect 11% of the vote in the September 18 parliamentary

Rohan Pearce The final declaration of the World Tribunal on Iraq, released on June 27 in Istanbul, strongly defended the right of Iraqis to resist the occupation, including by taking up arms against the occupying forces. "There is widespread

Stuart Munckton On June 1, 20,686 people graduated from Mission Ribas, which gives poor Venezuelans their first chance to pass high school. One of the most obvious aspects of Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution, led by President Hugo Chavez, the

On June 29, a heavily armed gunmen on the Brazil-Paraguay border attacked a group of Guarani Indians, hours after the Guarani, part of the Sombrerito community, had moved back onto land they had been forcibly evicted from 30 years ago by a cattle

Bernie Stephens, Harare The slogan "Go back to the rural areas where you come from" sums up President Robert Mugabe and his government's hatred for the workers and urban poor in Zimbabwe. The government boasts that Operation Murambatsvina ("Drive