July 2008 – Page 3 – Upside Down World

Central America: Winners and Losers in the Global Mining Industry

July 18, 2008 Grahame Russell 0

There is a huge distance geographically between where the corporate, financial and investor decisions are taken to initiate and extend mining around the world, and the places – like San Miguel Ixtahuacan – where most of the harms and destruction caused by this type of mining are experienced. There is an even greater distance culturally, ethically and spiritually between the winners and losers in this global business enterprise. […]

Venezuela to Give Energy-Saving Light Bulbs to Low-Income U.S. Communities

July 17, 2008 Venezuelanalysis.com 0

Source: Venezuela Analysis The Venezuelan-owned Oil Company Citgo, together with the organization Citizen’s Energy, will provide about 460,000 energy efficient light bulbs to low-income households throughout the U.S., according to Citgo’s CEO Alejandro Granado. The […]

Argentina: “Domino Effect” Feared in Withdrawal of Mining Company

July 16, 2008 David Modersbach 0

On June 25, British mining company Alexander Gold announced their withdrawal from a $40 million mining project in the province of Salta, Argentina. The company stated that growing social and political uncertainty led to their decision to halt the León copper mining project, located in the department of Metán.
[…]

Metal Mining in Central America: Pain and Resistance

July 15, 2008 James Rodriguez 0

After almost a year of arduous work, Oxfam America will be presenting in Guatemala the photo-publication titled Metal Mining in Central America: Pain and Resistance. The negative impact produced by metal mining at industrial levels in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, as well as the many types of local resistance which have sprouted in the region, are documented visually and supported by investigative text throughout the publications’ 72 full-color pages.

[…]

Solidarity Needed in Oaxaca

July 15, 2008 VOCAL 0

We of the space called Oaxacan Voices Constructing Autonomy and Freedom (VOCAL) are writing to denounce the serious climate of harassment, criminalization, and persecution that the Ulises Ruiz Ortiz government and the local news media […]

The Soybean Crop in Uruguay: The Creation of a Power Block

July 15, 2008 Raúl Zibechi 0

Photo: Indymedia Uruguay

In Uruguay, as in all other countries in the region, the expansion of single-crop agriculture (monoculture) combined with the powerful presence of agri-multinationals, has led to the creation of new power blocks. This in turn creates a policy environment where important decisions are made to facilitate these groups. […]

La soja en Uruguay: La creación de un nuevo bloque de poder

July 15, 2008 Raúl Zibechi 0

Fuente: Programa de las Américas Como sucede en todos los países de la región, la expansión de los monocultivos y la fuerte presencia de empresas multinacionales está creando las condiciones para la formación de nuevos […]

Peru: Social Rebellion Spreads Nationwide

July 14, 2008 Milagros Salazar 0

(IPS) – The Peruvian capital, faced with rapidly rising cost of living, was the epicentre of protests calling for fulfilment of social and wage agreements signed by the government. Although only one violent incident occurred, […]

Anti-Chávez Student Group Attacks Police, Creates Chaos in Mérida, Venezuela

July 14, 2008 James Suggett 0

Source: Venezuela Analysis Advocating the fall of the government, the students waged violence that left one student dead, two police officers shot, dozens more wounded, and sections of the city sacked and destroyed. (Tamara Pearson) […]

Nicaraguans Demand Justice From World Bank-Financed Sugar Cane Company

July 11, 2008 Sydney Frey 0

Workers march for health rights

Communities in the Northern Pacific lowlands of Nicaragua are hoping to attract national and international attention to their struggle against kidney disease among workers at the Ingenio San Antonio sugar cane company that owns and cultivates large stretches of land in the area. Workers are demanding medical care and compensation for the loss of their family members. […]