The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) declared itself in opposition to the government of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa on May 12. The CONAIE accused the president of continuing right-wing neoliberal economic and racist social policies. The harsh condemnation… Read moreEcuador: indigenous movement condemns Correa
Mass arrests of monks and their supporters continue in Tibet and the neighboring Tibetan ethnic regions of the People’s Republic of China. On May 7, thousands of People’s Armed Police and Public Security Bureau personnel surrounded Labrang Monastery, Xiahe County,… Read moreMonks protest at Labrang Monastery
Spanish ministers and royalty attended the funeral of a Civil Guard killed in a May 14 car bombing blamed on ETA at a barracks in Legutiano, near the Basque city of Vitoria. Four officers were hurt. (BBC, May 15) Meanwhile,… Read moreNew ETA blast —as UN reviews Spanish “anti-terror” measures
China’s Ministry of Water Resources has dispatched teams to Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces to prevent dams that were damaged by the devastating earthquake from bursting and endangering the lives of residents. Several dams are believed to be… Read moreChina: Sichuan quake imperils hydro-dams
The price of rice in Burma has jumped 50% since Cyclone Nargis devastated the country’s most important croplands and destroyed several fully stocked grain warehouses. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that the cyclone may “sharply decrease national rice… Read moreBurma: cyclone devastates rice market
Truce talks between Pakistan’s government and tribal militants may be causing a rise in terror attacks in Afghanistan, NATO spokesman James Appathurai told reporters in Brussels. “The concern is that deals being struck between the Pakistani government and extremist groups… Read morePeace in Pakistan equals war in Afghanistan?
In a massive sweep of shantytowns in urban areas across the country, Italian police arrested nearly 400 undocumented immigrants in Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi‘s first week back in power. 118 were immediately expelled, and many others held to face immigration,… Read moreBerlusconi back: no immigrants, yes nukes
South Sudanese former SPLA rebel fighters engaged government forces May 14 in the disputed oil-rich Abyei region, leaving up to four dead and sending hundreds fleeing. Heavy exchanges of machine gun and mortar fire could be heard from a UN… Read moreSudan: SPLA ex-combatants take up arms over Abeyi
Mali is sending army reinforcements to the desert North after attacks by Tuareg guerillas on several army posts left one dead May 6. A military base in Diabaly was attacked by rebels who made off with army supplies. (AFP, May… Read moreMali: Tuareg ceasefire breaks down
A little-known organization called the Indian Mujahedeen claimed responsibility for serial terror blasts in Jaipur (Rajasthan state), which killed 63 and wounded more than 150 on May 13. Indian Mujahideen is the same group that had sent an e-mail to… Read more“Indian Mujahedeen” claim Jaipur blasts
Colombia extradited 14 top commanders of the right-wing paramilitaries to the US May 13 on drug trafficking and other charges. Security forces rousted the warlords from their prison cells in a surprise pre-dawn operation and took them to Bogotá’s military… Read moreColombia extradites paramilitary commanders
