The Andes
Peru: mass grave uncovered
In the remote Peruvian village of Huanta, Ayacucho department, forensic workers are exhuming the remains of 49 buried in a mass grave and thought to be victims of an army massacre.
Author: CounterVortex
The Andes
Bolivia: another US diplomat expelled; CIA design on hydrocarbons seen
President Evo Morales expelled a US diplomat, accusing him of “coordinating contacts” in a conspiracy to infiltrate the state oil and gas company on behalf of the CIA.
Europe
Greece: bomb blast at Citibank
A bomb exploded at a Citibank in Athens, gutting the ground floor of the building. Authorities suspect Revolutionary Struggle, a militant group that fired a grenade at the US embassy in 2007.
North Africa
Libya releases two political prisoners convicted in subversion plot
The government of Libya has released two men convicted in 2007 of planning to overthrow the government and meeting with a foreign official, Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced March 10. Jamal al-Haji and Faraj Humaid were arrested as part of… Read moreLibya releases two political prisoners convicted in subversion plot
Greater Middle East
Saudi Arabia: widow, 75, sentenced to 40 lashes
A 75-year-old widow in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 40 lashes and four months in prison for associating with two young men who are not close relatives, her lawyer said March 9. The newspaper al-Watan said the woman, Khamisa… Read moreSaudi Arabia: widow, 75, sentenced to 40 lashes
Watching the Shadows
UN rights rapporteur blasts GWOT
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights Martin Scheinin cited the case of Canadian citizen and former US detainee Maher Arar in a report critical of international counter-terrorism practices.
Iraq
Iraq: more terror as Obama begins draw-down
President Obama will not replace two US brigades now departing Iraq—leaving 128,000 US troops there. But nine bombings over the weekend demonstrate the survival of a Sunni insurgency.
Afghanistan
Pakistan: violence continues in Tribal Areas despite peace deal
Several were killed in clashes between Pakistani troops and Taliban militants in the Tribal Areas—the same day the government signed a peace pact with tribal leaders.
Watching the Shadows
Destroyed CIA interrogation tapes contained torture evidence: documents
Twelve of the 92 videotapes destroyed by the CIA contained evidence of torture, according to redacted documents filed with a federal court under an FOIA suit brought by the ACLU.
East Asia
Sabres rattle in South China Sea incident
The US March 9 vowed to keep up military surveillance in waters off China and protested what it called harassment one day earlier of a US surveillance ship operated by civilian contractors for the Navy’s Military Sealift Command. The Pentagon… Read moreSabres rattle in South China Sea incident
Inner Asia
China claims blow against “Dalai clique”; Dalai Lama calls for autonomy
China claimed declaration of March 28 as “Serfs Emancipation Day” as a “tit-for-tat” against the “Dalai clique,” while in Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama called for “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet.
The Caribbean
Guadeloupe: strike wins —repression next?
A 44-day general strike in Guadeloupe ended with an agreement—but union leaders are under investigation as unrest spreads to the French overseas departments of Martinique and La Réunion.