Widespread reports (e.g. in Turkish Press Nov. 18) indicate an arrest warrant has been issued by Iraq’s Interior Ministry for Sheikh Harith al-Dhari, the leading Sunni religious figure in the country and head of the Muslim Scholars Association. This Nov…. Read moreNext in Iraq: Sunni civil war?
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has warned it does not have enough money to feed more than 3 million Afghans who will depend on aid in the coming winter. A WFP spokesperson says a further 3 million Afghans… Read moreHunger, chaos loom in Afghanistan
From AP, Nov. 16: SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The U.S. military called no witnesses, withheld evidence from detainees and usually reached a decision within a day as it determined that hundreds of men detained at Guantanamo Bay were “enemy… Read moreLegal proceedings on Gitmo detainees called “sham”
From El Universal, Nov. 16 via Chiapas95: Enough evidence exists to put Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz and three top federal officials on trial for rights abuses, according to a report released Wednesday by the president of the Senate Human Rights… Read moreOaxaca: Ruiz to face federal charges?
From El Universal, Nov. 14 via Chiapas95 (our translation): Mexican police officials on Monday rejected a critical report from the National Human Rights Commission, saying it relied on false information to accuse federal police of brutality during May protests in… Read moreMexico: controversy grows over Atenco torture case
In a communique, the Democratic Revolutionary Tendency-Army of the People (TDR-EP) denied that the Nov. 6 bomb attacks in Mexico City were “terrorist acts,” saying instead “They were a cry of protest and indignation before the…abuse of the lords of… Read moreMexico: TDR-EP guerillas deny “terrorism”
Media accounts have failed to emphasize that the folks cynically exploited by the sneering faux journalist are not only Romanian but Roma (Gypsy)—as if they don’t have enough problems already. From The Guardian, Nov. 15: The residents of a remote… Read moreBorat screws Roma
A commentary entitled “Peacekeeping mission: The other means to neo-colonialism,” published by the Eritrean Ministry of Information’s official Shabait newspaper, via AllAfrica: Western countries, especially USA have been putting extensive pressure, so that the peacekeeping mission of the African Union… Read moreEritrea: Darfur intervention is “neo-colonialism”
From IRIN, Nov. 16: NAIROBI – Three Eritrean reporters who have been in detention in a remote northeastern jail for five years are believed to have died in unclear circumstances, a global media freedom watchdog reported. Reporters Without Borders, which… Read moreEritrea: reporters “died in custody”?
From Somalia’s Garowe Online, Nov. 15: Chad has imposed a 12-day curfew in its capital to counter growing tension between Arab tribes and local inhabitants. Three regions besides N’djamena come under the scope of the curfew, Al Jazeera said on… Read moreState of emergency in Chad
It is a real sign of hope that there is more to be lost than gained from overt racism (at least) in American politics, even in Dixieland. Former senator George Allen’s foot-in-mouth routine brought to light a particularly anachronistic epithet…. Read moreSo, what was up with that “macaca” jive anyway?
No surer sign of creeping (or galloping) totalitarianism. From AP, Nov. 5: ASMARA, Eritrea — Gospel singer Helen Berhane, who belonged to a banned evangelical church in Eritrea, has been released after more than two years in detention, a human… Read moreFear of music in Eritrea
