We recently noted that the ACLU is calling for President-elect Barack Obama to close Guantánamo Bay prison camp his first day in office. Now the Pentagon says it is working on a plan to close the camp—but, based on a… Read moreObama to close Gitmo —in two years?
A new report by the US Army War College‘s Strategic Institute warns of massive domestic unrest in the wake of converging crises that it terms a “strategic shock,” and discusses the possibility of Pentagon resources and troops being used at… Read moreUS Army War College issues report on martial law
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hosted Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega at the Kremlin Dec. 18, as a group of Communists in St. Petersburg called for naming one of the city’s new subway stations “Nicaragua” or “Sandinista” as “a sign of Russia’s… Read moreNicaragua: ’80s nostalgia in wake of contested elections
A Niger guerilla faction led by dissident Tuareg insurgent leader Rhissa Ag Boula announced Dec. 16 it had abducted Canadian UN special envoy Robert Fowler, who disappeared with an aide while driving some 30 miles northeast of the capital Niamey…. Read moreNiger: Tuareg rebels seize UN envoy?
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled on Dec. 15 that the route of the West Bank “separation barrier” cannot be based on plans to expand Jewish settlements. The court rejected a plan that would route the wall through Bil’in village, on the… Read moreIsraeli high court orders “Apartheid Wall” rerouted at restive village
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack has been chosen by President-elect Barack Obama for agriculture secretary, the LA Times reports Dec. 17. The Organic Consumers Association warned a month ago against choosing Vilsack, calling him “Monsanto’s buddy” and “a shill for… Read moreObama USDA pick another “biofuel” booster
Masked youths attacked the riot police headquarters in Athens Dec. 16, throwing petrol bombs and stones, damaging police vehicles parked outside. Elsewhere in the city, schoolchildren blocked streets, and scores of teenagers halted traffic outside the main court complex. (AP,… Read moreGreece: headed towards revolution?
From Times Up!, Dec. 16: NYPD Police Officer Patrick Pogan, who was caught on video aggressively knocking cyclist Christopher Long off his bicycle during the July 25, 2008 Critical Mass bicycle ride, has been indicted on five charges, including Falsifying… Read moreNYC: indictment in police assault of Critical Mass cyclist
Reporter Muntadhar al-Zeidi notoriously hurled his shoes at Bush—a vile insult in the Muslim world—during a press conference in Baghdad, yelling “this is a farewell kiss, you dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed… Read moreIraq: the politics of shoe-throwing
For the first time, the US has released Guanánamo Bay detainees in response to a court order, sending three Algerian-born prisoners to their adopted homeland of Bosnia Dec. 16. The three are among five Algerians ordered released last month by… Read moreThree Gitmo detainees released to Bosnia
Another 44 people were killed in Mexico’s narco wars this weekend, including four police officers in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, which has been the scene of some 1,500 violent deaths this year. Two police were killed at a… Read moreMexico: Ciudad Juárez civil strike to protest narco violence
A US anti-kidnapping expert was himself kidnapped in northern Mexico Dec. 10, Coahuila state authorities revealed. Felix Batista—a veteran FBI agent now working for ASI Global Kidnap & Ransom Response of Houston who claims to have helped resolve nearly 100… Read moreMexico: anti-kidnapping expert kidnapped
