BOOKS-US/IRAQ: Outrage in a Time of Apathy

Unlike most U.S. journalists who went to Iraq to cover a war, Dahr Jamail went to try to stop it.

LATIN AMERICA: Journey to Bring Big Screen to Small Towns

A young Argentine couple will set out from this capital city in December on an overland journey through 12 Latin American countries, as far as Mexico, taking their country’s films to small towns in rural areas, with backing from the state and civil society organisations.

PARAGUAY: The Dark Side of the Soy Boom

A sea of green stretches as far as the eye can see on both sides of the dirt road leading to the communities of Lima, Capiibary and Guayaibí, 250 km from the capital, in the northern Paraguayan department (province) of San Pedro, one of the country’s poorest.

RIGHTS-US: Gov’t Pillories Avant-Garde Academics

A week after 20-year-old charges were dropped against the last two defendants in the longest-running federal prosecution in U.S. history - the so-called "L.A. Eight" - another case threatens to take its place.

LABOUR: WTO Dusts Off Hidden Collection of Workers’ Art

Works of art with a powerful social message, donated by trade unions in the first half of the 20th century, will again be displayed at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) headquarters after being deliberately hidden for the past 30 years.

CUBA: Remembering Baldrich Through His Lens

One of Ángel González Baldrich’s lifelong friends and colleagues at the Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde once wrote that by a conservative estimate, the photojournalist took more than 70,000 photos and had around 10,000 published in different papers and magazines in Cuba.

Q&A: "My Work Reflects These Dark Times We Live In"

Stan Douglas is an internationally renowned photographer, filmmaker and multimedia installation artist who has been called "one of the most accomplished Canadian artists of the younger generation".

Q&A: &#39In My Mind, I Haven&#39t Reached My Vision&#39

New York's Carnegie Hall was akin to a pilgrimage site in September when Sonny Rollins marked the 50th anniversary of his debut at the revered venue. Jazz musicians and aficionados who have drawn inspiration from the self-named Saxophone Colossus turned out in droves: Lee Konitz, John Zorn, Pat Metheny and Joe Lovano were all spotted, as were the rock star Lou Reed and his wife Laurie Anderson.

EUROPE/HAITI: Singing for the Poor

The Arcade Fire, a rock band based in Quebec in Canada, has made raising awareness and money for Haiti's most disadvantaged its top priority.

CHILE: Breath of Fresh Air for Community Radio Stations?

After a seven year wait, community radio stations in Chile are celebrating a draft law that would regulate and promote their activities, which the government of President Michelle Bachelet has sent to Congress. But they remain aware of the hurdles that still lie ahead.

GUATEMALA: Mayan Manuscript Returned (In Replica)

A Mayan manuscript known as the Dresden Codex was acquired by the Royal Library of the court of Saxony in 1739. As of this week, an exact replica of the precious manuscript is on display in Guatemala, donated by the Saxon State Library in Dresden, Germany, which holds the original.

BOOKS-US: Decoding the Enigmatic Republic of Iran

Condoleezza Rice was in a triumphant mood the day Baghdad fell in April 2003, writes journalist Barbara Slavin in her new book, "Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies".

Q&A: ‘Being Silenced Is So Serious That the Reason Pales in Comparison&#39

A decision by the Cuban Radio and Television Institute (ICRT) not to broadcast several video clips by national filmmakers rekindled controversy about the government’s cultural policy and its effects on the media.

FILM-BRAZIL: Elite Unit – Heroes or Anti-Heroes?

The recently released film "Tropa de Elite" (Elite Squad) has sparked unprecedented debate in Brazil about the role and actions of the security forces as they combat drug trafficking mafias in shantytowns.

ARGENTINA-SPAIN: Letters from Political Prisoners

A book of the collected writings of over 100 women who were political prisoners during Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship, a symbol of what it means to fight for freedom and justice from inside a prison, was launched in Spain.

PORTUGAL: Black Actors Coming Into Their Own

Africans and dark-skinned Brazilians and Portuguese, who already have a strong presence in the fields of dance and music, are now appearing ever more frequently in films, television serials and plays in Portugal.

Q&A: ‘I Hate Politics and Intellectuals’

Croatian writer and journalist Slavenka Drakulic is preparing to launch the German edition of her latest novel, Frida, in November, in Berlin. In the meantime, she attended last week the 20th meeting of Eurozine (European Meeting of Cultural Journals) in Sibiu, Romania, the European city of culture for 2007.

BOOKS-US: G.I. Joe&#39s Midlife Crisis

When George W. Bush made an instantly-famous speech last month that used the legacy of Vietnam to justify a continued U.S. presence in Iraq, it marked the completion of a rhetorical journey that few would have anticipated six years earlier.

ARGENTINA: Gay World Cup Tries to Level the Playing Field

For the first time in its 10-year championship, the gay football World Cup is being held in Latin America, with teams from more than 20 countries hosted by Argentina this week.

FILM-US: How the “Gang of Four” Lost Iraq

Iraq, a quagmire? "No, that's someone else's business," former U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld brusquely told the White House press corps in the summer of 2003. "I don't do quagmires."

SPAIN: Rock Stars Collect 600,000 Signatures for Fair Trade with Africa

Several popular Spanish rock groups helped collect 600,000 signatures and delivered them to the government Tuesday in support of an international campaign calling for the Spanish government to modify its trade policy towards Africa and eliminate restrictions on imports from that region.