The governments of Brazil and Venezuela are leading efforts to create a NATO-style South American Defense Council, which could be formed by the end of the year. The regional body would coordinate defense policies, deal with internal conflicts and presumably… Read moreChávez contemplates South Atlantic Treaty Organization (SATO)
Terrance Nelson, chief of the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation in Manitoba, has sent a letter to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez asking for a $1 million donation or loan to hire lawyers to force two energy companies to share revenues… Read moreManitoba First Nation appeals to Chávez in pipeline fight
First Nations activists could target the 2010 Vancouver Olympics for protests similar to the pro-Tibetan demonstrations surrounding the upcoming Games in Beijing, warned Phil Fontaine, chief of Canada’s Assembly of First Nations. Speaking in Ottawa, Fontaine said Native leaders could… Read moreCanada: First Nations protests could target 2010 Olympics
South African dock workers are refusing to unload a Chinese cargo ship carrying 77 tons of small arms destined for Zimbabwe. The arms, including three million rounds of ammunition for AK-47s and 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades, were ordered by the Zimbabwean… Read moreSouth African dock workers refuse to unload Chinese arms bound for Zimbabwe
An agreement on a draft oil law for Iraq may finally have been reached this week, bringing multinationals like BP and Royal Dutch Shell closer to long-sought contracts, Forbes reports. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told United Press International April… Read moreMajors eye Iraq fields as oil law advances
Nicaragua, an outspoken member of the new anti-imperialist bloc in the western hemisphere, last month won the backing of the 33-member Latin American and Caribbean group at the UN for presidency of the General Assembly—nearly assuring it of election to… Read moreNicaragua headed for General Assembly presidency; US, Colombia miffed
Which is worse: that Absolut vodka is commodifying Mexico’s claim to its lost northern territories (Aztlan), or the predictable uptight gringo backlash? From the Daily 49er, the Cal State Long Beach student newspaper, April 15: Mexican booze ad not intoxicating… Read moreMadison Avenue exploits Mexican irredentism
James McKinley reports for the New York Times April 16 that cartel wars for control of Ciudad Juárez are reaping a “Wild West Blood Bath” in the border city, with more than 210 lives lost in the first three months… Read more“Wild West bloodbath” in Ciudad Juárez
Rights workers in Guatemala are calling upon the government to protect a Roman Catholic bishop from assassination after a rash of threats. Mgr. Álvaro Ramazzini, Bishop of San Marcos, has been warned that he will be killed unless he withdraws… Read moreGuatemala: bishop recieves death threats for defending campesinos
Venezuela’s government announced April 9 it will nationalize the country’s largest steel maker following months of tense negotiations between the foreign-owned Sidor and its workers, who have been demanding better salaries and benefits. Days earlier, President Hugo Chávez announced a… Read moreVenezuela to nationalize steel company
From the International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI), April 14: About 30 workers of Alborz Tire Manufacturing Company were released on April 14th after signing letters promising not to get involved in any protest actions against their… Read moreIran: labor repression at Alborz tire plant
