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Venezuela: 'Another television is possible'

Jim McIlroy &Coral Wynter, Caracas On February 2, the Latin American TV channel Telesur and the Arabic channel Al Jazeera signed an agreement to exchange information and technology, formalising a growing link that was initiated when Telesur began

PKK terrorist tag criticised

Kerry Smith The Refugee Council of Australia, which represents more than 100 organisations and individuals working with and for refugees in Australia and around the world, has questioned the Howard government's listing of the Kurdistan Workers

Lawyer claims US special forces infiltrating Venezuela

Jim McIlroy &Coral Wynter, Caracas The United States government has infiltrated special forces troops into Venezuela along the frontier with Colombia, as part of its destablisation plans against President Hugo Chavez, according to US writer and

Women, not politicians, should decide

Greens MLC Sylvia Hale and feminist doctor Kamala Emanuel were among speakers at a February 6 action in Sydney to protest against politicians denying women their right to choose to use the abortion drug RU486. On February 9, the Senate passed a

Loose cannons

The Lucky (for some) Country "In just 15 years the average yearly income of some of Australia's most powerful chief executives has risen 564 per cent to $3.4 million, new research shows. Between 1990 and 2005 the average annual regular cash

Campaign against art censorship

The federal Coalition government's anti-terrorism legislation — backed by all state governments — is a serious threat to civil liberties and freedom of artistic expression. The January 20 confiscation by Footscray police of Azlan McLennan's

Venezuela and south-south links

Tim Anderson I went to Caracas in December, during the National Assembly elections (en route to Cuba) and again in late January for the World Social Forum (WSF). I was interested in what was going on in Venezuela, and in the growing links between

PERU: BHP Billiton forced out

BHP Billiton has announced plans to sell its Tintaya copper mine in Peru following disputes with local residents. Last year, the Australian mining giant was forced to close down its operations for one month after residents of the nearby town Espinar

RU486: women should decide

Kamala Emanuel Pro-choice forces registered a victory when the Senate voted on February 9 in favour of a private members' bill removing the health minister's veto over the availability of the abortion drug RU486. The bill, which is yet to pass

On the box

Message Stick — Inside the lives of Indigenous Australians across the country, in their own voices. ABC, Friday, February 17, 6pm. The End of the World as We Know it — Writer Marcel Theroux examines the issue of global warming. SBS, Friday,

SOUTH AFRICA: Staff and students strike

DURBAN — On February 8, the third day of their strike, 2000 University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) staff marched in defiance of management's ban on mass action on campus. All four unions at the university called the action. Staff at UKZN are on

SOUTH AFRICA: Left candidate targeted

Trevor Ngwane is a well-known campaigner against the ANC government's privatisation and commercialisation of basic services, like power and water. Ngwane lives in Pimville and thanks to an electricity connection provided by grassroots campaigners, he