On Nov. 29 five Mapuche rights activists were in the 51st day of a hunger strike at the Angol prison in Chile's Region IX. Each of the hunger strikers—Mapuches Jaime Marileo Saravia, Juan Millalen Milla, Hector Llaitul Carrillanca and Jose Huenchunao and non-Mapuche Patricia Troncoso Roble—has lost more than 15 kilos. The five prisoners have been on hunger strike since Oct. 10 to demand the release of more than 20 indigenous Mapuche activists they consider political prisoners; an end to the militarization of the traditional Mapuche territories; and an end to repression against Mapuche activists.

On Nov. 29, troops from the Mobile Anti-Riot Squad (ESMAD), the National Police and the National Army attacked a group of Nasa indigenous people working on the La Emperatriz farm in Caloto municipality, in the southern Colombian department of Cauca, during the community's rituals for the "Liberation of Mother Earth." As the troops attacked the community with tear gas, men in civilian clothing emerged from among the police and ESMAD agents and began firing pistols at the community. Four community members were seriously wounded: Rodrido Pito from the Chocho community of the Huellas Caloto reservation; Antonio Conda from the Altamira community of the same reservation; Lorenzo Largo Dagua of the Gallinazas community of the Tacueyo reservation; and Delio Quitumbo of the La Palma community of the Toribio reservation. (Asociación de Cabildos Indigenas del Norte del Cauca-ACIN message posted, Nov. 29 on Colombia Indymedia)

Having lost his constitution reform vote by a razor-thin margin, Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez said he will accept the results—with caveats. "I faced a great dilemma," he said. "I wanted to wait until the results were irreversible, but we cannot subject the Venezuelan people to a long wait... I am proud of this effort." He admitted: "For now, we can't do it." (El Universal, Mexico, Dec. 3) "This is not a defeat. This is another 'for now,"' Chávez said, repeating a famous quote from when, as a paratrooper in 1992, he acknowledged his coup attempt had failed. (Reuters, Dec. 3)

Last week, a US-Canada oil pipeline exploded in Minnesota, briefly affecting global prices—and highlighting the criticality of Canadian resources to the US and global economy. Our November issue featured the story "Flashpoint in the Flathead: US-Canada War Looms Over Energy, Water" by WW4 REPORT editor Bill Weinberg, noting resource conflicts now brewing in regions that span the border—such as the Flathead Valley, where coal mining on the British Columbia side is opposed by farmers and environmentalists downstream in Montana. Writes Weinberg: "While on the economic front all talk is currently of integration and falling trade barriers, battles are already being waged by the grassroots both sides of the border against resource plunder and mega-development schemes. These could eventually mean war between the two longtime allies if a populist government comes to power in Ottawa and tries to turn off the spigot of south-bound resources—and the Pentagon has already drawn up plans for this contingency." Our November Exit Poll was: "Which is a more likely prophecy of the future: George Orwell's 1984 or Michael Moore's Canadian Bacon? (In other words, is the US on a trajectory towards eventual war with Canada, or are we just paranoid?)" We received the following responses:

From Newsday, Nov. 26:

Tour bus runs over woman in Chinatown
A New York City sightseeing tour bus ran over a woman on a Chinatown street yesterday, sending her to the hospital, where she was listed in critical condition.

If you still think religion isn't political, this should disabuse you of your illusions. Ironically, the exiled Dalai Lama moves towards modernity, suggesting his successor could be elected rather than chosen by the cosmic forces of reincarnation. China, bizarrely, attempts to play a Tibetan fundamentalist card against the Dalai Lama, insisting that the ancient ways be honored—as long as the cosmic forces submit to Beijing's will, of course. From the BBC, Nov. 28, emphasis added:

Gillian Gibbons, the British school-teacher sentenced to 15 days in prison in Sudan for naming a class teddy bear "Mohammed," has been transfered to a secret location after thousands of Sudanese—many armed with clubs and swords and beating drums—marched in Khartoum to demand her execution. Some burned pictures of Gibbons and chanted "Kill her! Kill her by firing squad!" (Canadian Press, GMA, Dec. 1)

Rebels in Chad have declared war on the former colonial power France. Mahamat Hassane Boulmaye, spokesman for the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD), said in a statement: "The UFDD considers itself to be in a state of belligerence against the French army or any other foreign forces on national territory." He said the EU peacekeeping force to be stationed in Chad to help police neighboring Darfur is a "a hostile act," adding: "We will view the European soldiers as enemies, whether they are French or Austrian."