ASEAN Boosts Naval Cooperation

Hanoi, Jul 28 (Prensa Latina) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is holding the 5th Conference of Commanders of its naval forces today, in Vietnam for the first time.

See Dossier: ASEAN: to promote stability and confidence in the Asiatic region

 Under the slogan “Regional naval cooperation for peace and maritime security,” the forum is attended by the top naval commanders of nine of the 10 member countries of the bloc, plus the Laotian defense attaché in Vietnam.

Activist arrested for videotaping police

By Gene Clancy /Rochester, N.Y.

Political activist Emily Good was awakened by police lights flashing in front of her home in an oppressed community on May 12. Concerned about previous cases of Rochester police profiling, she went outside and began videotaping.

Ryan Acuff, Good’s friend and fellow activist, described the scene:

“We both went outside to see what the commotion was about, and we found two police cars blocking the street as they were performing a traffic stop. Later on a third police car pulled up, making a total of four officers on the scene. The person pulled over was a young Black male. It was unclear why the man was originally pulled over, but one of the officers interrogated the man and accused him of possessing drugs.

Entrance of Venezuela in Mercosur to transform the bloc into energy power

Caracas, 30 Jun. AVN .- Venezuelan Energy and Oil minister Rafael Ramirez said this Wednesday, from Paraguay, that the entrance of his country in the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) would transform the bloc into an energy power.

Participate in a: IV Union Meeting ” Nuestra America” at Managua, Nicaragua- August 24 to September 3, 2011Please

US/Cuba Labor Exchange

P.O. Box 39188 Redford, MI 48239 Phone/Fax: (313) 318 5159 E-mail: laborexchange @ aol.com

Join the U.S./Cuba Labor Exchange to participate in a: IV Union Meeting ” Nuestra America” at Managua, Nicaragua -Hundreds of unions within the region decided to invoke the Union Organization of our America. This is a political and union initiative with the objective of raising the level of struggle and unity of the worker movements of the continent, “Our America” Uniting America’s Working Class and Increasing its Influence Raising the level of struggle and Unity of the Worker Movements.

House Republicans Lining Up Sharp Rebuke Of Obama On Libya

WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders will bring a bill to the floor as soon as Friday to defund U.S. military operations in Libya, a much stronger course of action than the non-binding resolution originally set to come up.

Obama to Announce Phase 1 of Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal

US President Barack Obama Photo: - L. Jackson

President Barack Obama is set to announce on Wednesday the first phase of a withdrawal from Afghanistan that could see up to 10,000 U.S. soldiers leave the country by the end of the year.

Defense officials have been quoted as saying that President Obama will call for an initial withdrawal of  5,000 troops, followed by an additional 5,000 by the end of 2011.

Nuevo Aeropuerto de Quito de construcción en un 78 por ciento

Quito, 21 jun (PL) La construcción del nuevo aeropuerto de Quito se encuentra en un 78 por ciento, y se espera comenzar a operar vuelos comerciales en octubre de 2012, teniente de alcalde de la capital, Jorge Albán, anunció el lunes.

El período de construcción está previsto para concluir en abril de 2012.Las pruebas se harán durante seis meses a partir de esa fecha, los vuelos comerciales que se iniciará en octubre, con una capacidad promedio de 44 operaciones de vuelo por hora, dijo Alban.

Ban’s Second Term: The Case for a Woman Secretary-General

By Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury*

 EW YORK, Jun 20, 2011 (IPS) – Last Friday’s recommendation to give the incumbent U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon another five-year term drew the international community’s attention to another opaque, non- democratic process that is the hallmark of the 15-member Security Council’s decision-making.

NATO Intensifies Attacks, Fighting Continues

Tripoli, (Prensa Latina) NATO fighter planes intensified their attacks on Wednesday on civilian and military targets in the capital and surrounding areas, where fighting continued between rebels and troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez Meet

Havana,  (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Raul Castro received Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday.
Chavez, who is concluding a tour that took him to Ecuador and Brazil, arrived in this capital early today.

NATO Intensifies Tripoli Bombings

Tripoli,  (Prensa Latina) A series of new explosions and NATO low-flying warplanes shook this capital on Wednesday, after at least 31 people died Tuesday in 60 air raids aiming at destroying a residential complex belonging to leader Muammar Gaddafi.

African Union calls for end to NATO bombing of Libya

By Abayomi Azikiwe/Editor, Pan-African News Wire

South African President Jacob Zuma paid a state visit to Libya on May 30 that proved to be a fruitless effort to bring about a ceasefire in the war launched by Western-backed rebels and NATO forces, which have intensified their bombing of the capital of Tripoli and other areas of the country. Zuma was acting on behalf of the African Union, which held an extraordinary meeting on May 25 aimed at bringing an end to the war against Libya.

New Zealanders Mourn Death of Once-Fugitive Sheep

New Zealanders are in mourning the loss of Shrek, a marino sheep who became a beloved national hero after it was discovered in 2004 that he had evaded the shearing sheds for six years.

Strauss-Kahn: a metaphor for IMF practices

Leonardo Boff/ Theologia/Earthcharter Commission

One might think that it is a tragedy that the head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, succumbed to his vice, the obsessive search for perverse sex. Running naked after a Black maid in suite 2806 of the Sofitel Hotel in New York City, he grabbed and forced her to have sex. The details were thoroughly described by the New York District Attorney. For the sake of decency, I will not repeat them. It was not a tragedy for him: it was just one more person in this world whom he has victimized. Afterwards, he got dressed, and went directly to the airport. What is funny is that he left his cell phone in the hotel suite, and because of that, the police were able to detain him, after he had already boarded the plane.

Democracy: Can Russia Catch Up With Brazil?

When will Russians attain the political maturity of Brazilians?

When will Russians, like Brazilians, be allowed to elect state governors and big city mayors, and to have free, competitive elections for congress and the presidency?

Brazil's new President Dilma Rousseff attends a ceremony to celebrate Army Day in Brasilia on April 19. As a university student, she was jailed for working with an urban guerrilla unit opposed to military rule. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

James Brooke*

These questions are faintly offensive to many Russians. 
After all, Brazil was a mere Portuguese colony of banana trees and coconut palms at the time when Ivan the Terrible was forging the nucleus of a modern state in the snowy wastes of Russia. But fast forward five centuries and Russia and Brazil have roughly the same economic clout. Each has a $2 trillion economy. Both are founding members of the BRICS group of rising nations. The political comparison is timely as Russia embarks on an election year, electing parliament in December and a new president in March.

Syrian President Promises More Reforms, Protests Continue

Damascus, May 25 (Prensa Latina) Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad promised on Wednesday to promote more reforms to satisfy demands from popular sectors unhappy with the countryâ�Ös reality, but the opposition maintains the mobilizations and announced new protests.

Venezuela Captured Canadian Drug-trafficker Circulated by Interpol

Caracas, May 24 (Prensa Latina) Venezuelan authorities in the island state of Nueva Esparta captured a Canadian wanted by Interpol for drug trafficking, reported the Drug Enforcement Chief of the Bolivarian National Guard, Miguel Vivas.

Former IMF Director Pleads Not Guilty

Washington, May 23 (Prensa Latina) Frenchman Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, pleaded not guilty on charges of attempted rape, according to a letter sent to the IMF personnel and published Monday.

Return of Manuel Zelaya is Triumph of the People, Says Resistance

Tegucigalpa, May 23 (Prensa Latina) The National Front for Popular Resistance (FNRP) said Monday that the return of former President Manuel Zelaya is a triumph of the Honduran people.

According to Juan Barahona, deputy coordinator of the FNRP, hereinafter the resistance begins a new fight, this time to achieve a Constituent Assembly in the country.

Japan: Radiation Hampers Search for Bodies

Tokyo, Mar 31 (Prensa Latina) Radiation levels in the evacuation area around the Fukushima-1 nuclear plant is hampering the search for about 1,000 victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Cuba Condemned Foreign Military Intervention in Libya

Havana, Mar 21 (Prensa Latina) Cuba has strongly condemned the foreign military intervention in Libya´s domestic affairs.

Gaddafi Says Bombing of Libya a “Colonial Crusade”

U.S. People Protest Pentagon s Wars

Conflicts should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, and not by the use of military force, underlines a statement issued by the Cuban Foreign Ministry.

European Left Looks at EU Immigration Policy

Madrid, Mar 12 (Prensa Latina) The European Left Party on Saturday met to discuss the treatment of immigrants in EU countries where their rights have dramatically declined.

Evo Morales Urges Promotion of Productive Education

Cochabamba, Bolivia, Feb 21 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian President Evo Morales urged on Monday to promote the productive character of education in fiscal institutions, which will mean more development for Bolivia in the future, he said.

PSUV must foster and strengthen socialism through dialog

Caracas, 21 Ene. AVN .- Chairman of Venezuela”s Unified Socialist Party (PSUV) Hugo Chavez urged representatives of this political organization to summon up knowledge, conscience and discursive capacity to strengthen socialism and convince the majority about that this is a system of government to grant power to the people.

Cuban Vice President Visits Venezuela

Caracas, Jan 3 (Prensa Latina) Cuban First Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura begins a working visit to Venezuela on Monday and will focus on the assistance Cuban collaborators are giving to thousands of landslide and flooding victims.

Machado was received by Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, President of the National Assembly Cilia Flores, and Cuban Ambassador Rogelio Polanco.