A Saudi secondary school teacher has been ordered imprisoned for three years for blasphemy, and sentenced to 750 lashes, to be delivered—50 a week—in the public market of the town of al-Bikeriya. Chemistry teacher Muhammad al-Harbi of Qassim province was… Read moreSaudi teacher jailed for blasphemy
More arrests in Italy–but note that this time they are being held under a new post-9-11 law that considerably dumbs down the standards for detaining suspects. These standards were weakened still further following the London attacks this summer, as the… Read moreSalafist cell busted in Italy?
Guatemala's anti-drug chief and two of his senior officials were arrested Nov. 16 on charges of conspiring to import and distribute cocaine in the United States. The Guatemalan government assisted in the investigation but the arrests were an embarrassment for… Read moreGuatemalan drug czar busted
Weeks after India and Pakistan agreed to open the Line of Control in Kashmir in the wake of the devastating earthquake, families divided by the de facto border remain frustrated that only relief workers have been allowed to cross—not local… Read moreDialectic of terror in quake-stricken Kashmir
Human rights groups have strongly condemned the ruling by Uzbekistan’s supreme court finding 15 defendants guilty of terrorism and sentencing them up to 20 years for their role in the May violence in Andijan. “It was expected and some could… Read moreUzbekistan concludes “show trial”; signs defense pact with Russia
Two Iraqi men arrested in Iraq in 2003 but never charged with any crimes now say US troops put them in a cage with lions, subjected them to a mock execution, and humiliated them during interrogations at various detention facilities…. Read moreIraq detainees: US troops threw us to lions
Police and troops in Kampala, capital of Uganda, are reported to be firing live and plastic bullets in running battles with protesters angered by the arrest on treason charges last night of the president’s main political rival, Kizza Besigye. The… Read moreUprising in Uganda
The Pope greeted a group of Tuareg desert nomads in St Peter’s Basilica Nov. 13, using the occassion to invoke the “universal brotherhood” of all the world’s peoples. The ten Tuareg visitors, dressed in blue and white robes and turbans,… Read moreTuaregs do Vatican
The apparent identification of a suicide bomber in the Jordan hotel attacks as an Iraqi who had been detained by US forces in Iraq adds a new dimension to reactions in the Hashemite kingdom. Authorities say three Iraqi men died… Read moreJordan: Jihadis question terror tactics
Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority is to launch its own satellite television this month. After deadly riots in Alexandria Oct. 21, many Copts see the creation of the channel as an essential tool to assert their long-repressed identity. But some fear… Read moreEgyptian Copts get TV station —but not tolerance
Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, facing over 20 criminal charges in Peru, was arrested Nov. 7 by Chilean police following his surprise arrival in Santiago from Japan the previous day. The former leader said he was on the way to… Read morePeru-Chile tensions escalate
Earl Krugel, a Jewish Defense League militant convicted of plotting to bomb a Los Angeles mosque and the office of a local politician, was murdered just three days after being transferred to a new prison. The former dental assistant, who… Read moreJewish terrorist killed in prison
