Four hostages held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were released Feb. 27, in a deal brokered by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. The four ex-members of Colombia’s congress are among some 40 high-profile hostages held for years by… Read moreFARC free four more hostages
Mas Selamat Kastari, accused Singapore commander of the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah militant network, escaped from a detention center in the Southeast Asian city-state Feb. 27. Kastari allegedly oversaw plans seven years ago to attack Singapore targets including the US Embassy,… Read moreJihadi jailbreak in Singapore
ExxonMobil asked the Supreme Court Feb. 27 to reverse a lower court’s decision awarding $2.5 billion in punitive damages to Alaskan fishermen, cannery workers and others impacted by the disaster. The 3,000-square-mile slick caused by the 11-million spill forced the… Read moreExxon spills crude propaganda on Supreme Court
Our February issue featured the story “Oil Shock Redux: Is OPEC the Real Cartel —or the Transnationals?,” by Vilosh Vinograd, which argued that the unprecedented $100 a barrel is due less to OPEC production levels than the correct perception that… Read moreOur readers write: $200 a barrel oil?
The Native Alaskan coastal village of Kivalina is suing two dozen oil, coal and power companies that they claim have affected the climate, causing their land and homes to slide into the Chukchi Sea. An Inupiat village numbering nearly 400… Read moreNative Alaskan village sues energy companies over global warming
Lawmakers in Mexico’s lower-house Chamber of Deputies Feb. 26 removed a draconian measure from their plan to reform the country’s judicial system that would have given police the power to enter homes without first obtaining a warrant in emergencies and… Read moreMexico’s “gestapo law” defeated
In his recent tour of African capitals, President Bush did his best to avoid any mention of the Pentagon’s new Africa Command (AfriCom), focusing instead on development projects and his new initiative against AIDS. But on Feb. 20 in Ghana,… Read moreAfrican leaders, civil society reject Pentagon’s Africa Command
Dozens of Senegalese gays are reported to have fled to neighboring Gambia and Mali following a wave of arrests and violent anti-gay street protests. The anti-gay campaign began when newspapers reported on a gay wedding that took place on the… Read moreAnti-gay pogroms in Senegal
The Taliban, it seems, are a bunch of posers. If they were for real in their rejection of modernity, they would want cellular telephones banned on principle, and not merely to prevent the whereabouts of their apparently cellphone-addicted militants being… Read moreTaliban threaten cell phone companies
Patrick Cockburn writes for The Independent, Feb. 27: Iraq is disintegrating faster than ever. The Turkish army invaded the north of the country last week and is still there. Iraqi Kurdistan is becoming like Gaza where Israel can send in… Read moreIraqi Kurdistan: Turkey’s Gaza?
Kinda says it all, doesn’t it? From AP, Feb. 23: BAGHDAD – The Iraqi military on Saturday indefinitely banned all motorcycles, bicycles and hand-pushed and horse-drawn carts from the streets of Baghdad, a military spokesman said. Although the reason for… Read moreBaghdad bans bicycles
After 27 months of negotiations and despite official efforts to decertify their union, tens of thousands of Puerto Rican public school teachers went on strike on Feb. 21. Public employees are barred from striking under Puerto Rican law, and the… Read morePuerto Rico: teachers start walk-out
