The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York Oct. 2 overturned the convictions of Yemeni cleric Sheikh Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad and assistant Mohammed Zayed because of evidentiary errors that deprived the defendants of a fair… Read moreSecond Circuit overturns terror conviction of Yemeni cleric
With bodies still emerging daily throughout the city, the toll of residents killed narco-violence in Tijuana over the past week is approaching 50. Five bodies turned up in an alley between two shopping centers and nine on a vacant lot… Read moreMexico: narco-killing spree shakes Tijuana
Ramiro Guillén Tapia, a campesino leader from Mexico’s Sierra de Soetapan, doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire Sept. 30 in front of the Veracruz state government headquarters in Xalapa, saying it was an act of protest against… Read moreMexico: campesino self-immolation in Veracruz
The Amazon is being destroyed more than three times as fast as last year, Brazilian officials said Sept. 29, acknowledging a sharp reversal after three years of decline in the rate of deforestation. Brazilian Environment Minister Carlos Minc said upcoming… Read moreBrazil: rate of Amazon destruction increases
Farmers in Argentina began a six-day strike Sept. 3, halting delivery of grain crops and beef and holding public assemblies by the side of roads in several areas around the country. The strike comes after farmer leaders broke off talks… Read moreArgentina: farmers strike again
President Evo Morales said Oct. 4 that he has rejected a request from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to fly over Bolivian territory. “Two days ago I received a letter…asking a government institution for permission to fly over national… Read moreBolivia: Evo bars DEA overflights
In the first six months of 2008, the “desplazados,” or internally displaced persons from Colombia’s conflict, reached a record number of 270,675—about 41% more than the same period in 2007. “The national rate shows an average of 632 desplazados for… Read moreColombia: war refugees reach two-decade peak
“Post-conflict” is a buzz-word these days in Colombia. Since the demobilization of 30,000 paramilitaries, Colombian officials celebrate the country’s “transition”; many Washington policymakers are convinced Colombia is now on the right track. In this phase, there are only “emerging criminal… Read moreColombia: wave of violence and threats against popular leaders
A former paramilitary fighter testified in special judicial proceedings that Colombia’s armed forces chief, Gen. Mario Montoya, delivered weapons to a paramilitary death squad when he was a commander in Medellín, and the Colombian prosecutor general has opened an investigation… Read moreColombian army chief accused of arming paramilitaries
Latin American leaders who came to New York the week of Sept. 22 for the annual opening session of the United Nations General Assembly suggested that the US and European countries should use economic models from the South to resolve… Read moreLatin America: reactions to “giant’s toppling”
According to exit polls, Ecuadoran voters overwhelmingly backed a proposal for a new Constitution in a referendum held Sept. 28. The Santiago Pérez Investigación y Estudios polling firm showed 66.4% of voters supporting the measure, while Cedatos-Gallup put the proportion… Read moreEcuador: easy win for new constitution
Teachers in the central Mexican state of Morelos, on strike since Aug. 13, escalated their tactics on Sept. 22 by blocking access to state government offices in Cuernavaca, the state capital. Gov. Marco Antonio Adame Castillo, of the governing center-right… Read moreMexico: teacher strikes continue
