I first met Hugo Chávez in New York City in September 2006, just after his infamous appearance on the floor of the UN General Assembly, where he called George W. Bush the devil. “Yesterday, the devil came here,” he said, “Right here. Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of.” He then made the sign of the cross, kissed his hand, winked at his audience and ...

'Bedroom tax' will force people out of their homes   Tory ‘under-occupancy’ rules will force people to move when no affordable alternative is available, writes Dave Sewell The government’s attack on benefits could see thousands of people lose their homes. One attack in particular, popularly known as the “bedroom tax”, is set to push almost 100,000 social housing tenants into arrears on their rent from ...

Alexandropoulis does not want goldmine, Ambassador Robert Peck told Photo: Perama locals protest against the Eldorado mine at Perama, November 2012 (AMNA) The mayor of a area in the northern region of Thrace where a Canadian company is planning a controversial goldmine project has told the Canadian ambassador to Greece that his people want to be left in peace. "We want to be left alone to develop our fisher ...

Via Mint Partners' Bill Blain, Today’s big event was Italy's 10% auction. Buyers can’t ignore yield, and I suspect many were “encouraged” to participate. But a decent Italy auction doesn't change the brutal facts. Electoral fall-out blankets the Euro battlefield, but it was decisions made years ago that have brought us to this blasted heath. Markets are caught in... Stalemate. On one side you have the disbe ...

Stephanos Mwange, a Greek-born citizen of Ugandan descent, says his love for Greek history and mythology have inspired him to act ancient Greek tragedies such as Hecuba. He's a well-known actor, though his positive experience as a naturalized Greek citizen is exceptional. Most from a similar background say they've been made to feel like foreigners. When it comes to immigration, Greece faces a dilemma: The c ...

Unions question the wisdom of austerity as unemployment grows and a contracting economy means less tax revenue. Greece’s austerity policies could create a crisis of insolvency within the country, undermining the very reason they were implemented – to repay the country’s debt - says the country’s biggest labour confederation. “I am afraid that we may see a phenomenon that could cause a social explosion,” say ...

For many people flying to Greece means sunshine and leisure. Indeed the sun is shining today and the sea is blue and tempting. But for others, the same sea is dark and dangerous. After arriving in Lesvos, an island right next to Turkey, the first thing we saw on the way from the airport were backpacks and clothes dispersed over a nearby beach. ‘’Irregular migrants landed here this morning,’’ said the taxi d ...

On the occasion of the general strike in Greece on February 20th, ReINFORM sent the following letter to the Dutch trade union asking them to declare their support to the struggle of the Greek workers. ...

Egypt stands at a crossroads. Its future remains uncertain and the past cannot be escaped. What comes next depends on the outcome of the various conflicts that continue to define Egyptian political, economic and social life. The Muslim Brotherhood Government of Mohammed Morsi represents another stage in the continuing contestation over both the state and the meaning of the Revolution. ...

Latin American presidents have attempted to regulate by law the content of media owned and controlled by a very few private individuals, and to reduce the concentration of that ownership. The task is not an easy one. Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva drafted a media bill a few months before he left office, intended to regulate content and reduce the concentration of media ownership — 14 families ...