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Ortega Victory Certain, Nicaragua’s Future Unclear

Kristen B. Shelby November 21, 2006 Kristen B. Shelby

The presidential victory for the United States' Cold War Sandinista foe, Daniel Ortega, is certain. With 91.6% of polling stations reporting, the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) candidate Ortega is in first place with 38.07% of the vote. In second place is Alianza Liberal Nicaraguense (ALN) candidate Eduardo Montealegre with 29%, followed by Partido Liberal Constitucional candidate José Rizo with 26.21%. In fourth place is Movimiento Renovador Sandinista (MRS) candidate Edmundo Jarquín with 6.44%, and coming in last is Alianza para el Cambio (AC) candidate Edén Pastora with 0.27% of the vote. Montealegre officially conceded the victory to Ortega on November 7th.

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Killing Hope in Beit Hanoun

Ramzy Baroud November 20, 2006 Ramzy Baroud

"God is greater than Israel and America," was the echoing cry of tens of thousands of Palestinians, who descended into the graveyard in grief stricken Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip. They congregated in yet another familiar scene to bury their loved ones, killed by Israel's brutal war against the Palestinians.

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Oaxaca: The Painful But Necessary Birth of a Popular Revolt

Tomas Cruz November 16, 2006 Tomas Cruz

Recent events in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico have overturned the political climate in the country. More than 70 years of single party politics has finally changed at the national level. However, these winds of change never arrived in Oaxaca, where we have a dictatorial system of government that allows for killers of protesters - such as the case of Indymedia reporter Brad Will - to walk freely. Never before in the recent history of the state of Oaxaca have we seen such a degree of popular mobilizations for political purposes. Hundreds of thousands of people have shown up to peacefully demonstrate their support for the dismissal of the state governor, Ulises Ernesto Ruiz Ortiz.

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Running on Hype: The Real Scoop on Biofuels

Brian Tokar November 14, 2006 Brian Tokar

You can hardly open up a major newspaper or national magazine these days without encountering the latest hype about biofuels, and how they’re going to save oil, reduce pollution and prevent climate change. Bill Gates, Sun Microsystems’ Vinod Khosla, and other major venture capitalists are investing millions in new biofuel production, whether in the form of ethanol, mainly derived from corn in the US today, or biodiesel, mainly from soybeans and canola seed. It’s literally a "modern day gold rush," as described by the New York Times, paraphrasing the chief executive of Cargill, one of the main benefactors of increased subsidies to agribusiness and tax credits to refiners for the purpose of encouraging biofuel production. read more

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Ban Cluster Bombs! A UN Call

Rene Wadlow November 13, 2006 Rene Wadlow

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for urgent actions to address the disastrous impact of cluster munitions – warheads that scatter scores of smaller bombs, especially when used in populated areas as happened in this summer’s conflict in Lebanon.

Mr Annan was addressing the start of the Review Conference on the Convention on Prohibitions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects – the "Inhumane Weapons’ Convention" to its friends – on 7 November 2006 in Geneva.  He stressed that "Recent events show that the atrocious, inhumane effects of these weapons – both at their time of use and after the conflict ends – must be addressed immediately so that civilian populations can start rebuilding their lives." read more