From Nancy Pelosi’s blog, The Gavel, July 24: House Votes to Ban Permanent Bases in Iraq “The Democratic Congress will go on record – every day if necessary – to register a judgment in opposition to the course of action… Read moreBush-Pelosi showdown over Iraq bases?
It’s a beautiful time to be alive—if you’re a Halliburton shareholder. From Reuters, July 23: Halliburton Co., the world’s second-largest oil services company, said on Monday second-quarter profit from continuing operations rose 19 percent, topping Wall Street views, helped by… Read moreHalliburton shares hit new high
Human bones, organs and tissues will be considered commodities if the pending Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is ratified, Costa Rica’s Foreign Trade Ministry has acknowledged. The admission came in a statement released from Minister Marco Vinicio Ruiz to… Read moreCAFTA to make human organs commodities
The Wayuu indigenous people of Venezuela sent a message saluting the "Encuentro of the Pueblos Zapatistas with the Peoples of the World," which has just opened at the village of Oventic in Chiapas, Mexico. The message was harshly critical of… Read moreVenezuela: indigenous people salute Zapatistas
Labor unrest, infrastructure problems and charges of corruption at Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA have reached the point of a “significant operational emergency,” PDVSA vice president for exploration and production Luis Vierma told the National Assembly’s comptroller committee July 18…. Read moreVenezuela: “operational emergency” in oil sector?
A front-page New York Times story July 24 reveals details of a classified plan calling for achieving “localized security” in Baghdad by the summer of 2008—and “sustainable security” throughout Iraq by the summer of 2009. The document, known as the… Read morePetraeus: “sustainable security” in Iraq —in 2009
Italian anti-terrorism police arrested three Moroccans—an imam and two of his aides—at a mosque in Perugia, capital of Umbria region, July 22, saying it served as a base for an extremist cell that ran courses in hand-to-hand combat, making bombs… Read moreSalafists target Italy?
Afghanistan has announced three days of official mourning for the country’s former king, Mohammad Zahir Shah, 92. Announcing his passing, President Hamid Karzai, a relative, hailed Zahir Shah as the “father of the nation.” (RFE/RL) An editorial bidding him farewell… Read moreAfghan king, paradoxical voice for secularism, dead at 92
In the July 22 ballot, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured the largest share of votes in a Turkish election since 1965, in a contest which saw heated controversy about the country’s future as a secular republic. His Justice and… Read moreTurkish nationalism loses at polls—Kurdish nationalism wins?
Iranian intelligence operatives detained over a dozen squirrels found within the nation’s borders earlier this month, claiming they were serving as spies for Western powers determined to undermine the Islamic Republic. “In recent weeks, intelligence operatives have arrested 14 squirrels… Read moreImperialist rodents threaten Iran, Iraq
On July 10, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 25 current or former employees of the Swift & Company meat processing firm. Twenty of those arrested were sought on federal and state warrants; most were picked up on… Read moreUnion rep arrested in Swift immigration sweeps
Some 5,000 campesinos, students and activists marched in the eastern Salvadoran port city of La Union on July 15 to protest plans to build two electric plants near the Conchagua Volcano. The Virginia-based AES Corporation, which controls most of the… Read moreSalvadorans march against power plant development
