Afghanistan

Was Osama bin Laden sheltered by Pakistan regime?

Osama bin Laden was apparently killed in a US Special Forces raid on a mansion in Abbottabad, a military garrison town just 100 kilometers outside Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, and supposed nerve-center of the counter-insurgency.

Africa

Regime shuts down social media as protests rock Uganda

President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the Uganda Communication Commission to shut down all social networking sites, fearing they will be used as a tool for organizing protests following deadly unrest in Kampala.

Watching the Shadows

Petraeus to CIA; regime change on agenda?

The ascension to Langley of Gen. David Petraeus—architect of Bush’s Iraq “surge”—comes just as the Obama administration has explicitly taken on a regime change project in Libya.

North Africa

Qaddafi shells Misrata, calls for ceasefire

Qaddafi forces resumed shelling of the rebel-held Libyan port of Misrata, as the besieged dictator went on TV both to offer a ceasefire and warn NATO against a ground invasion: “Either freedom or death. No surrender.”

North Africa

Morocco: al-Qaeda outflanks protest movement?

A deadly Marrakesh bomb blast attributed to al-Qaeda came days after thousands of Moroccans marched nationwide to demand sweeping reforms before a new constitution is unveiled in June by King Mohammed VI.

The Andes

Bolivia to enshrine “rights of nature” in law

The Bolivian Sentate’s Commission on Natural Resources and Environment announced introduction of a Law of Mother Earth, which would officially enshrine the “rights of nature” in the Andean nation’s legal code.

The Andes

Peru: one dead as strike paralyzes Puno

At least one is reported dead in Peru’s southern region of Puno after the National Police fired on protesters during a civil strike or paro called to demand a halt to local mining and petroleum leases.

Greater Middle East

More deadly repression in Yemen; refugees flee Syria

At least nine were killed and more than 100 wounded as troops opened fire on anti-regime protesters in Sanaa, capital of Yemen. Meanwhile, hundreds have fled repression in Syria to take refuge in neighboring Lebanon.