Iraq
Iraq: countdown to withdrawal?
Obama said the US can safely meet a deadline for removing combat troops from Iraq by year’s end—despite the fact that the country has still failed to form a new government.
Author: CounterVortex
The Andes
Colombia’s new president joins Chávez to honor BolĂvar
Colombia’s new President Juan Santos met with Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez in a move to restore relations. The meeting took place at Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, where SimĂłn BolĂvar died in 1830.
The Andes
Colombia: soldiers acquitted in San José Peace Community massacre
A judge in MedellĂn acquitted ten soldiers, including a colonel and major, of participation in the massacre of eight civilians at the “peace community” of San JosĂ© de ApartadĂł in February 2005.
Afghanistan
Amnesty International: Taliban should be prosecuted for war crimes
The Taliban should be prosecuted for war crimes, Amnesty International said, following the release of a UN report showing a rise in targeted killings of civilians by insurgents in Afghanistan.
Iran
Iran: appeal for prison hunger strikers
Iranian political prisoners have an issued an appeal for support of the demands of 17 hunger strikers at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, who have refused food for the past two weeks.
Palestine
Israel: police demolish Bedouin village
Personnel of the Israel Lands Administration, backed up by a large police contingent, demolished the homes of some 300 residents in the “unrecognized” Bedouin village of al-Arakib in the Negev.
Central America
El Salvador: students demand justice on 35th anniversary of massacre
Hundreds students, professors and staff from the University of El Salvador took to the streets to commemorate of the military regime’s massacre of student protesters on July 30, 1975.
Central America
World Bank approves mining company suit against El Salvador
In a decision highlighting the implications of US trade pacts for the national sovereignty of member countries, a World Bank tribunal approved a Canadian mining company’s lawsuit against El Salvador.
The Andes
Bolivia: protests paralyze PotosĂ
The southern Bolivian city of PotosĂ has been paralyzed by strikes and protests for over a week, with roads blocked, businesses closed and the airport under occupation.
The Andes
Bolivia: civilian defense training begins amid intervention fears
Bolivia’s government announced it has started a program of military training for civilians at army barracks in the east of the country—a stronghold of the right-wing opposition.
The Amazon
Ecuador agrees to keep Amazon biodiversity treasure free of oil drilling
Ecuador and the UN Development Programme agreed to establish a trust fund to protect Yasuni National Park from oil development in exchange for payments in compensation for foregone revenue.
The Andes
Colombia: hip-hop artist assassinated —again
Community activist and hip-hop artist Marcelo Pimienta Sánchez AKA “MC Chelo,” 23, was shot dead by unknown assailants near his home in the conflicted Comuna 13 district of MedellĂn.