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Poem: To the women of Bolivia

Her name is Lucha, short for Luisa. It means “struggle”.
She wears a purple polera, down to her knees,
And carries her shop in the rainbow aguayo on her back
Her husband died 2 years ago,
She has 3 children
She is 26.
LuchaÂ’s mass the rusted roads, the birthing soils.

Taiwan: Referendum in sight after UN bid failed

On September 21, the UN General Assembly supported by consensus a decision by the 22-member General Committee not to put Taiwan’s bid for UN membership on the assembly’s agenda. It was the island’s 15th application for UN membership in as many years. This year was the first time that the application was made in the name of Taiwan rather than the “Republic of China” (ROC), signalling a more aggressive independence push by President Chen Shui-bian’s government.

Iraq: Maliki backs down on US mercenary firm

The US-backed Iraqi government of PM Nuri al Maliki has dropped its demand for the expulsion of US security firm Blackwater, under investigation over the killing of 11 Iraqis on September 16, a government security official told reporters in Baghdad five days later.

Israel, US reject call for nuke-free region

By a vote of 53-2, the 51st general conference of the UNÂ’s International Atomic Energy Agency, held in Vienna on September 17-21, approved a non-binding resolution sponsored by Egypt calling on all Middle East countries to abide by IAEA safeguards against the development of nuclear weapons.

Capital's crimelords

Gangster Capitalism: The United States and the Global Rise of Organised Crime
By Michael Woodiwiss
Constable, 2005
260 pages, $44.95 (pb)