February 2010 - Page 5 of 6

Chile: Activists Fear Setbacks Under Rightwing Government

Pamela Sepúlveda February 4, 2010 Pamela Sepúlveda

(IPS) – Trade unions and non-governmental organisations in Chile are worried that rightwing billionaire Sebastián Piñera’s election as president will mean setbacks in terms of social policy and respect for labour and social rights.

Statements by the conservative president-elect, who triumphed in the Jan. 17 runoff vote, with regard to overhauling state-owned enterprises to boost efficiency and adopting policies aimed at increasing economic growth, sparked concern among the labour movement, environmentalists, indigenous peoples’ associations and other social organisations. read more

Beer Battles: Workers in Belgium Take on Brewing Giant

Benjamin Dangl February 4, 2010 Benjamin Dangl

Brewery Workers at Road Blockade*

For two weeks in January Belgian brewery workers blocked roads, set fire to beer crates, kidnapped managers and handed out free beer as part of their tactics against job cuts proposed by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer. The company announced the cuts in spite of profits of $1.55 billion in the third quarter of 2009. "This is the ugly face of capitalism," Roger Van Vlasselaer, the leader of a major Belgian union said.

The Violence of Work: New Book Brings Work Out of the Shadows

Micah Uetricht February 3, 2010 Micah Uetricht

It's 6:00 PM and you've just arrived home from work. Stomach growling and body exhausted, you dial your favorite restaurant and order a chicken Caesar salad, delivery; at the door, you exchange pleasantries with the deliverer and pay. The only thought you might give to those who made your meal possible is one of annoyance-the chicken is overdone, or the cook forgot the croutons. But what about the farm worker who cut and picked the lettuce your overcooked meat now lies on, despite his aching back and throbbing hands?

Drug Surveillance Drones Frequent Flyers in Latin America

Marcelo Ballve February 2, 2010 Marcelo Ballve

Source: New American Media

Drone aircraft are increasingly engaged in counterdrug missions over South American jungles and Mexican cities.

The drones represent the latest high-tech escalation of Latin America’s anti-drug efforts.

Unlike the U.S. military’s Predator drones used to shoot missiles at suspected terrorists in Pakistan’s tribal areas, the models known to be in use in Latin America limit their roles to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Latin America’s unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs- as drones are known in aviation circles- are not known to have flown armed missions. read more

Haitians Will Defend Their Sovereignty

The Real News Network February 2, 2010 The Real News Network

Source: The Real News

Ronald Charles: Providing aid like this is a way to humiliate us and many Haitians will not accept it

Ronald Charles is a Ph.D. student in Biblical Studies at the Department of Relgion, University of Toronto. He is a poet and a violinist. And he was lecturer at Christianville University College in Haiti, where he translated parts of the Bible into Haitian Creole.

Transcript

PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: Welcome to The Real News Network. I’m Paul Jay. Aid has begun to trickle to the people of Haiti, but apparently still only a trickle. To help us understand what’s going on in Haiti, we’re now joined by Ronald Charles. He’s a Ph.D. student in biblical studies at the school of religion at the University of Toronto. He’s a poet and a violinist, and he used to lecture at Christianville University college in Haiti. Thanks for joining us. read more

Tony Blair: The Middle East Peace Envoy’s Thirst for War

Stefan Simanowitz February 2, 2010 Stefan Simanowitz

In a speech in May 1997 newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair stated: "Mine is the first generation able to contemplate the possibility that we may live our entire lives without going to war or sending our children to war." Last week, two disastrous wars and countless deaths later, Tony Blair appeared in front of the Iraq Inquiry. He was supposed to be there to answer questions on the war in Iraq but used the opportunity to also make clear that he favored military action against Iran. In the course of his testimony he mentioned Iran no less that 58 times, the Middle East peace envoy once again showing his thirst for war.