Anti-Ethiopia riots erupted in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, Dec. 29, a day after Ethiopian troops and allied Somali militias took the city from Islamist forces. Hundreds took to the streets to hurl rocks at Ethiopian soldiers, set tires on fire and… Read moreSomalia: Ethiopia-backed forces pledge “iron hand”; Islamists pledge resistance from Kismayo
Lest we forget. From the NY Daily News, Dec. 29: Kiss before dying As his father lay dying, crushed by a car that smashed into his Long Island house, Brian Calhoun gave him a final kiss. “There was no question… Read moreWHY WE FIGHT
A little more than a year ago, when the media noted a lesser milestone—2,000 US troops killed in Iraq—we pointed out that the media’s habit of only counting the deaths of US troops as opposed to all US-led forces actually… Read moreUS troops killed in Iraq top 9-11 toll
Predictable but depressing. Given the current popularity of “dual loyalty” insinuations against American Jews (even in supposedly progressive cricles), you’d think there’d be a little Jewish outrage over essentially identical arguments being used against American Muslims. This Dec. 28 column… Read moreGoode-Ellison affair reveals Jewish myopia
A potential opening for the kind of universalism that could go a long way towards chilling the planet out—and taking the wind out of al-Qaeda’s Iberian franchise. But the local Catholic hierarchy isn’t going for it. Maybe the Pope will… Read moreMuslims appeal for prayers in Spain’s Cordoba Cathedral
A pretty astounding figure. But as we noted the last time it happened, in May: when resource hyper-exploitation co-exists with dire poverty, such incidents are absolutely inevitable. From IRIN, Dec. 28: LAGOS – The Nigerian Red Cross has taken the… Read moreNigeria: 2,000 dead in ten years of pipeline blasts
Ali Mohamad Gedi, prime minister of Somalia’s Federal Transition Government (FTG) announced his parliament will declare a period of martial law to maintain control of the country after Ethiopian and FTG troops wrested the capital from Islamists Dec. 28. “This… Read moreSomalia: Ethiopia takes Mogadishu; martial law imposed; Yemen fires on refugees
Ethiopian troops seized towns throughout southern and central Somalia Dec. 25 and bombed the international airport at Mogadishu, in a dramatic escalation of a new offensive against Islamic militants who have taken power in much of Somalia. Ethiopian forces seized… Read moreSomalia: US backing Ethiopian offensive?
The bishops of San Cristobal de las Casas, Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel (titular), Enrique Diaz Diaz (auxiliary) and Samuel Ruiz Garcia (emeritus) officiated at a mass in the Chiapas Highland village of Chenalho Dec. 22 in memory of the victims of… Read moreChiapas: Acteal massacre commemorated
Four people were wounded in an armed clash between rival factions of Tzotzil Maya settlers in the outlying colonia (neighborhood) of Molino de los Arcos in the Chiapas Highland city of San Cristobal Dec. 21. The settlers are originally from… Read moreMexico: more factional violence in Chiapas
From AP, Dec. 23: OVENTIC, Mexico – About 5,000 Zapatista rebels, many in black ski masks, gathered in this village in southern Mexico to show their support for protesters in the historic city of Oaxaca who are trying to oust… Read moreChiapas: Zapatistas march for Oaxaca
Thousands of supporters of the Popular People’s Assembly of Oaxaca again took to the streets of southern Mexico’s Oaxaca City Dec. 22 to demand the resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz, as well as the release of “political prisoners” arrested in… Read moreInternational mobilization for Oaxaca
