Bolivia’s new constitution, which is being attacked by the lowland oligarchs as centralizing too much power in the hands of President Evo Morales, actually devolves many powers to “indigenous nations and peoples,” recognizing their right to “free determination and territoriality.”… Read moreBolivia’s constitutional crisis: rival “decentralizations”
Survivors and their supporters gathered in the mountain hamlet of Acteal in southern Mexico’s conflicted Chiapas state Dec. 22 to mark the tenth anniversary of the massacre of 45 unarmed Tzotzil Maya peasants by a paramilitary group linked to the… Read moreSurvivors accuse Mexican state at Acteal massacre commemoration
The empire strikes back—against California. From the Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 21: The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to refuse California’s request to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from automobiles is all but certain to provoke lawsuits that could tie the matter up… Read moreWHY WE FIGHT
Another development in the ongoing church-vs.-state conflict over the Orthodox patriarchate in the Holy Land, with (as ever) the struggle over West Bank lands and the future of Jerusalem in the background. From the Jerusalem Post, Dec. 19, emphasis and… Read moreGreek patriarch pawn in secret war for fate of Jerusalem?
The Technical Investigative Corps (CTI) of Colombia’s FiscalĂa General has opened an official probe of Chiquita and the local banana companies Probán, Unibán and Sunisa-Del Monte for their links to paramilitary groups in the conflicted banana-growing zone of Urabá. Those… Read moreColombia’s prosecutor probes Chiquita
Panama’s National Assembly Dec. 20 voted unanimously to declare the anniversary of the 1989 US invasion a day of “national mourning,” and established a commission to determine how many people were killed in the episode. “This is a recognition of… Read morePanama declares “national mourning” on invasion anniversary
On Dec. 15, tens of thousands took to the streets of La Paz to cheer President Evo Morales and celebrate Bolivia’s new constitution. Simultaneously, tens of thousands took to the streets of the eastern lowland cities Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni… Read moreDueling referendums on Bolivia’s future
The White House is hoping Congress will pass the Bush administration’s request for an initial $550 million for narcotics enforcement in Mexico and Central America before the fast-approaching holiday recess. The proposed aid package, known as the “Merida Initiative,” has… Read moreCongress mulls “Plan Mexico”
The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) agreed Dec. 14 to postpone demolition of three public housing projects pending a hearing before City Council. Opponents of the demolition had filed a suit contending the Council’s consent was required by the… Read moreBlow against ethnic cleansing in New Orleans
A Dec. 12 Daily Kos piece resurrecting the old CIA-cocaine connection is rapidly making its way around the Internet conspirosphere. Below a YouTube video showing a private jet flying over a tropical landscape and footage of Mexican troops guarding seized… Read moreCIA torture jet in Yucatan coke crash?
The recapture of Musa Qala from the Taliban by British-led forces has resulted in many civilian casualties, local residents say. British military authorities report only two civilian dead in the battle—both children. But residents say they counted 15 women and… Read moreAfghanistan: civilian casualties in Musa Qala?
Security forces are on alert in Bolivia ahead of rallies planned in four eastern departments to inaugurate declarations of autonomy. Rejecting the draft constitution recently completed by supporters of President Evo Morales, regional assembly members in Santa Cruz Dec. 13… Read moreBolivia on the brink?
