Lebanon’s polarized politicians appealed to Qatar May 17 to come up with a proposal on the question of Hezbollah’s weapons during Arab-brokered talks in Doha. 65 people were killed in nearly a week of fighting, in which Hezbollah and its… Read moreLebanon: “civil war by any standard”
On May 15, thousands gathered in Ramallah to mark the 60th anniversary of al-Nakba. Crowds marched from refugee camps around Ramallah, converging in the center of the city for speeches and traditional dancing. At Kalandia camp, thousands of black balloons… Read moreRamallah: black balloons commemorate Nakba
May 5 marked the beginning of an intended thirty-day strike, with public transport workers and truckers in Nicaragua protesting rising fuel costs and the lack of government impetus to do anything about it. With road blockades in several places in… Read moreNicaragua: rising fuel costs spark transit strike
Fifty environmental activists protested Barrick Gold’s controversial Pascua Lama gold mine in Chile on May 8. The event went unnoticed by Chile’s mainline media—La Tercera and El Mercurio—but was reported in La Nacion, the state-owned daily. The demonstration coincided with… Read moreChlieans protest Barrick Gold
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
Colombia’s Defense Ministry assured that the US air base now housed at Manta, Ecuador, would not be relocated to the Colombian Caribbean coastal zone of La Guajira—hours after Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said Bogotá was “playing with fire,” and that… Read moreUS base plans escalate Colombia-Venezuela border tensions
Again displaying his penchant for name-calling, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez called Interpol chief Ronald Noble a “corrupt” and “immoral” “gringo policeman” and “international vagabond,” and branded as “ridiculous” a new report authenticating computer data allegedly seized from a FARC camp… Read moreChávez: Interpol chief “corrupt gringo policeman”
This is a clear sign of chastisement in high places. We sure hope these folks have got Barack Obama‘s ear! Jim Lobe writes for InterPress Service May 14: New Approach Awaited on Latin America, Cuba WASHINGTON – More than 150… Read moreCouncil on Foreign Relations reconsiders Monroe Doctrine
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
President Bush’s $163 billion Iraq war funding request collapsed in the House May 15. Republicans expected to provide the winning margin instead sat out the vote in protest of Democratic efforts to add money for the unemployed and an expansion… Read more“Plan Mexico” dies with Iraq funding bill —for now
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
