On May 14 at 7 AM, Francisco Puerta, a leader of the Colombian “peace community” of San Jos茅 de Apartad贸, was assassinated by paramilitaries outside the bus terminal in the town of Apartad贸, the municipal seat. Two para gunmen approached… Read moreColombia: another killing at “peace community”
Street fighting in Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city, left at least 39 dead over the weekend, as competing rallies timed for a visit by suspended chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry exploded into violence. Fighting spread to neighborhoods dominated by rival ethnic… Read morePakistan: death toll rises in political violence
Gamaliel L贸pez Candanosa and Gerardo Paredes P茅rez, two journalists with Mexico’s national network TV Azteca in Nuevo Le贸n, have been “disapeared” for the last four days, the network says in a May 14 statement. “The atmosphere of violence generated in… Read moreMexico: more journalists “disappeared”
Downtown San Salvador was rocked by clashes between police and protesters May 12 after authorities tried to clear the stalls of street merchants who were peddling pirate CDs and other contraband. The elite riot squad, the Unit for the Maintenance… Read moreProtests in El Salvador: “acts of terrorism”?
Jo Tuckman in Mexico City writes for The Guardian, May 12: Man in the mask returns to change world with new coalition and his own sexy novel A bead of sweat is visible through the eyehole of his famous black… Read moreSubcommander Marcos writes erotica, predicts social upheaval
Two families who adhere to the indigenous organization Las Abejas have fled their homes in the hamlet of Tzanembolom, Chenalh贸 municipality, following threats from local followers of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in southern Mexico’s conflicted Chiapas state. The families,… Read moreChiapas: more threats at Acteal; rural violence escalates
Mexico’s federal government has expropriated more than 14,000 hectares of the Lacandon Selva, the lowland rainforest region of southern Chiapas state. The expropriation, approved by the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat (SEMARNAT), came in response to a request by the… Read moreChiapas: government expropriates 14,000 hectares of Lacandon Selva
Iraq’s most powerful Shi’ite party, Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), has announced key changes to its platform, moving closer to Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani鈥攁nd away from Iran, where the party was formed… Read moreIraq: SCIRI breaks with Tehran?
A draft report by the US Government Accountability Office reveals between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels of oil from Iraq are unaccounted for and may have been siphoned off through corruption of smuggling. Based on an average of $50 per barrel,… Read moreBillions in Iraq oil money missing: GAO
From Newsday, May 12: Driveway hit-and-run shatters family Arjun Nalinvilawan couldn’t wait for Mother’s Day. “I was calling all my friends to find out what to get my mom,” he said. Instead of celebrating with mom on Sunday, the 16-year-old… Read moreWHY WE FIGHT
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has prepared an aid plan for the refugees of Darfur which it will submit to the cabinet for approval in the coming days. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Haaretz that the ministry’s aid plan is intended to… Read moreIsrael to aid Darfur refugees?
Sudan has asked a UN team to travel to Darfur to evaluate the status and needs of 45,000 men, women and children who have crossed over from Chad in the last three months. Gathered in camps near the Sudanese border… Read moreArab refugees flee Chad 鈥攊nto Darfur?
