The late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez’s annointed successor Nicolas Maduro has squeezed through in the country’s elections with 51 per cent of the popular vote, according to reports.
Apr 152013
Mar 262013
Pope Francis is said to be strongly in favour of the canonisation of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who was shot dead while celebrating Mass in 1980 after he had spoken out against the brutal regime in that country.
Mar 072013
President Hugo Chavez who has passed away reduced poverty and income inequalities in Venezuela, empowered his people through participatory local democracy, and built a bulwark against neoliberalism in Latin America. See below for a video discussion of his legacy.
Jan 172012
Come 18 February, Europe will have more than half the total number of cardinal electors even though Latin America, Africa and Asia account for more than two thirds of the global Catholic population.
Aug 062011
Bolivia telah meluluskan rang undang-undang yang memberi hak asasi kepada Alam Semulajadi.
Mar 242011
President Obama has had to face up to memories of the US-backed repression in Central America during a visit that coincided with the anniversary of the assassination of the legendary Archbishop of El Salvador, Oscar Romero, on 24 March 1980. Protesters in El Salvador also demanded that Obama rework or scrap the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which has crippled agriculture in the country.
Oct 152010
The miners in Chile may have been miraculously rescued, but there are ghosts in that country that linger after the repression of the Pinochet years. Chile, after all, has its own Sept 11. This is the hidden story that the mainstream media have not reported: The accident that trapped the miners is not unusual in Chile and the inevitable consequence of a ruthless economic system that has barely changed since the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. Copper is Chile’s gold, and the frequency of mining disasters keeps pace with prices and profits. There are, on average, 39 fatal accidents every year in Chile’s privatised mines. The San Jose mine, where the men work, became so unsafe in 2007 it had to be closed – but not for long. On 30 July last, a labour department report warned again of “serious safety deficiencies ”, but the minister took no action. Six [Read more]
Oct 132010
So far, as at 12.40pm, two of the 33 miners trapped underground in Chile for 69 days have been rescued. The Chilean president, Sebastian Pinera, has publicly given thanks to God, describing the rescue as a miracle. Watch live BBC video footage of the Chilean miners being rescued here.
Aug 132007
I came across this interesting power-point presentation of the Stations of the Cross by Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate from Argentina, and I thought I would share it with you. What is different about these Stations is that the scenes of the Passion are actually contextualised to reflect current day realities. This particular presentation is set in Latin America with commentary by Alastair McIntosh, a writer, lecturer, social activist, broadcaster and campaigning academic based in Scotland. It is based upon, and builds on, original text from CIDSE agencies (Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité) that distributed the images. Download the powerpoint presentation here. Amazing how this 2,000-year-old Gospel event can jump to life when set against a backdrop of current day socio-economic realities.
May 222007
So Wolfowitz goes without being held accountable for his criminal scheming against Iraq. After I wrote the piece below, an academic friend told me, “Although he did have to step down, it was hardly a fall — guy walks away with that statement about acting in good faith, plus a golden hand-shake of a year’s salary. The girlfriend gets to keep her pay increase and the pension of USD100k.” Well, he has a point. Still, Wolfowitz’s gone, with his reputation in tatters. And, as an Indonesian activist told me when I was writing this piece, now that Wolfowitz is stepping down, it is time for people around the world to realise that the World Bank’s role is over. ”We must learn from Hugo Chavez that there is no development and democracy with the World Bank,” he stressed. ”I hope it’s not just Wolfowitz stepping down from the World Bank, but [Read more]