Iraq
Birth defects soar in Fallujah: local doctors
Doctors in the Iraq city of Fallujah report a huge boost in birth defects, with many saying the weapons used by US forces in the intense 2004 fighting are to blame.
Author: CounterVortex
Central America
Suit charges Coca-Cola complicity in Guatemala rights abuses
Guatemalan union leaders and their families filed a lawsuit in New York, accusing the world’s biggest beverage company of complicity in violence against labor leaders.
Central America
Guatemalan police destroy opium, cannabis crops
Guatemalan troops and DEA agents destroyed 319 million opium plants and 250,000 marijuana plants in San Marcos department, considered a “sanctuary” of drug cultivation.
Central America
Guatemala: top cops busted, death squads exposed
Guatemalan authorities arrested three top anti-narcotics officials on corruption charges, as other leading officials went public with the existence of resurgent death squads.
The Andes
Ecuador: indigenous movement calls national uprising
Following an “extraordinary assembly,” the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) called for an “uprising” to press demands for a “pluri-national state.”
The Andes
China enters free trade deal with Peru
The China-Peru FTA took effect, calling for phasing out tariffs on 90% of goods exchanged between the two nations. Peruvian minerals are critical to the pact.
Central America
Honduras: new charges against Zelaya; coup leader ousted from military
The new Honduran government brought fresh corruption charges against the exiled Manuel Zelaya, but also removed the military chief who ousted him in last year’s coup d’etat.
Southern Cone
“State of exception” in quake-stricken Chile
President Michelle Bachelet has declared a “state of catastrophe” in Concepción in the wake of the devastating earthquake, placing the zone under control of the armed forces.
Palestine
Temple Mount violence signals renewed Intifada?
Hamas and Islamic Jihad urged an escalation of protests in response to the new violence at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa compound, where Palestinian youth clashed with Israeli police.
Iran
Our readers write: Will Israel attack Iran?
Three months ago we noted widespread rumors that Israel was preparing imminent air-strikes on Iran—particularly predicted for around the New Year—and asked our readers in an Exit Poll: “Will Israel attack Iran within the next three months?” We received 99… Read moreOur readers write: Will Israel attack Iran?
The Andes
Colombian re-election referendum unconstitutional: court
Colombia’s Constitutional Court voted down the proposed referendum to allow President Alvaro Uribe to run for a third term, calling the idea “unconstitutional in its entirety.”
Central America
Honduras: National Resistance Front marches against repression
Thousands of adherents of the National Popular Resistance Front marched in the Honduran capital to protest the slaying of civil resistance leaders under the new government.