Iran
Report: Iranian incursion into Pakistan
Pakistani security forces reportedly arrested 12 personnel of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards near the border town of Mashkel in the restive Baluchistan region.
Author: CounterVortex
Afghanistan
US denies Blackwater arms stockpiling in Pakistan
The US embassy in Pakistan rejected claims that an Islamabad warehouse in the possession of a subcontractor to Blackwater/Xe was used to store heavy arms and ammunition for the company.
Palestine
Israel rations Palestinians to trickle of water: Amnesty International
Amnesty International accused Israel of denying Palestinians the right to access adequate water by maintaining total control over shared water resources and pursuing discriminatory policies.
Palestine
Plot to “divide al-Aqsa Mosque” seen in latest Temple Mount violence
Hamas leaders are charging an Israeli plot to divide the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the wake of the latest violence at the Temple Mount, that left several injured and 20 detained.
South Asia
Sri Lanka: 245,000 still languish in camps
Six months after the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war some 245,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) remain in camps, where aid donors are increasingly concerned over harsh conditions.
Iraq
Federal court rules Iraq murder case can proceed against Blackwater
A Virginia federal judge affirmed in the notorious Blackwater/Xe case that the murder of civilians in connection with an armed conflict overseas is actionable in the US courts.
Europe
Spain: UN protests arbitrary detentions
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention protested Spain’s imprisonment of Basque nationalist politician Karmelo Landa—as Madrid carried out more raids in the Basque Country.
Europe
Czech Republic: 18 charged following raids on neo-Nazis
Czech police charged 18 followers of the ultra-right White Justice and National Resistance organizations with plotting attacks following raids in Prague and other cities.
North America
Feds target California for gang, marijuana raids
The FBI conducted anti-gang sweeps across South LA, arresting 74 suspected members of the Rolling 40s, as the DEA announced charges against 18 in a high-tech marijuana ring.
Mexico
Justice Department nets 300 in raids on Michoacán’s bloody “Familia”
Staging raids across 19 states, the Justice Department claimed a major blow against the stateside networks of Mexico’s cultish “La Familia Michoacana” drug cartel.
Central America
Guatemala intercepts narco-sub in 10-ton coke haul
The Guatemalan coast guard, with assistance from the US Navy, seized a small submarine carrying a record 10 tons of cocaine—likely the largest drug bust the country has seen.
Afghanistan
US drones assist Pakistan’s anti-Taliban offensive: report
The US military is providing intelligence from Predator drones to assist the Pakistani army in its anti-Taliban offensive in South Waziristan, the Los Angeles Times reports.