The US Sept. 12 announced it will expel the Venezuelan ambassador, and declared that Venezuela’s top two intelligence officials have supported “narco-terrorist activities” in the region. The Treasury Department accused the intelligence officials of aiding Colombia’s FARC, “even as it… Read moreUS boots Venezuelan ambassador
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez told a crowd of thousands of supporters in the city of Puerto Cabello Sept. 11 that he is giving US Ambassador Patrick Duddy 72 hours to leave the country—saying he issued the order in solidarity with… Read moreVenezuela boots US ambassador
Japan announced Sept. 12 that it plans to end its military airlift mission in Iraq by year’s end. Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said his government is discussing withdrawal Air Self-Defense Force troops deployed in Kuwait for the air support… Read moreJapan to end Iraq mission, increase Afghan commitment?
At least two were killed and 80 wounded in renewed repression in India-controlled Kashmir Sept. 12. Police fired bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds in two towns near Srinagar after separatist leaders issued a call for Muslims across the… Read moreMore deadly repression in Kashmir
Pakistan’s army chief harshly criticized the US military for making unilateral cross-border raids from Afghanistan Sept. 12. Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, Chief of Army Staff, said there was “no agreement or understanding with the coalition forces whereby they are allowed to… Read morePakistan army chief blasts US border raids
Mexico says it has arrested 12 people on terrorism charges in the years since 9-11—but an official said none were linked to Islamist groups like al-Qaeda or were planning to strike in the US. Mexico’s Federal Institute of Information Access… Read moreMexico reports no evidence of al-Qaeda links
The Department of Homeland Security said at Congressional hearings Sept. 10 that cost overruns, legal obstacles and other problems imperil its goal of completing the 670 miles of fencing and technological improvements on the Southwest border. Rising construction costs and… Read moreHomeland Security admits to cost, time overruns in border fence
At least 25 civilians were killed and 50 injured in an armed attack on a Sunni mosque Sept. 10 in the Maskanai area of lower Dir (NWFP), Pakistan. Unidentified militants threw grenades in the mosque in Banai village, less than… Read morePakistan: Sunni civil war?
From B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, Sept. 10: Access Denied: Israeli measures to deny Palestinians access to land around settlements For years, Israeli authorities have both barred Palestinian access to rings of land… Read moreIsraeli rights group charges “piratical” land enclosure on West Bank
Two Russian Tu-16 bombers landed in Venezuela Sept. 10 as part of military maneuvers. President Hugo Chávez said he hopes to “fly one of those things” himself. The maneuvers mark the first time Russian strategic bombers have landed in the… Read moreVenezuela hosts Russian bombers —and Hezbollah?
On Aug. 29 Guatemalan interior minister Francisco Jimenez announced the capture of former legislative deputy Manuel Castillo at a luxurious residence he owned near the border with El Salvador. Castillo is accused of masterminding the murder of three Salvadoran deputies… Read moreGuatemalan legislator arrested in murder of Salvadoran delegates
As of Sept. 6 more than 500 people had reportedly died in Gonaives, Haiti’s third largest city, following the passage of tropical storm Hanna; deforestation has left the Gonaives area vulnerable to flooding, and as many as 3,000 people died… Read moreHanna takes deadly toll in Haiti; Cuba weathers Gustav
