Estonia, one of the most wired societies in Europe, has been subject in recent weeks to massive and coordinated cyber-attacks on government, banking and telecommunications wesbites, Internet service providers and news organizations. Computer security specialists call it an unprecedented assault… Read moreRussian cyber-attacks target Estonia?
Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe has ordered his military to intensify efforts to free hostages in the hands of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC)—asserting that they are being held in “concentration camp” conditions “more cruel” than those of the Nazis…. Read moreColombia: Uribe calls for military raids to rescue FARC hostages
A home-made bomb ripped through a bus terminal in Mindanao’s Cotabato City May 18, killing three and injuring 15 others. About half of the casualties were children. Authorities said the motive was probably extortion, as the bus company had been… Read moreMore terror in Mindanao
Mohamed Meziane, president of Algeria’s energy parastatal Sonatrach, meeting with US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman in Washington, said he wants to triple natural gas exports to the US from 4 billion to 12 billion cubic metres per year by 2015…. Read moreAlgeria seeks closer US energy ties
An Israeli airstrike targeting a minivan supposedly carrying a Hamas fighter in northern Gaza City killed three people and wounded 12 on May 18. Israeli tanks also fired five shells near a housing project in the northern Gaza town of… Read moreGaza: towards re-occupation?
Tuareg rebel leader Moktar Roman of the Mouvement des Nigeriens pour la Justice (MNJ) spoke to the UN news agency IRIN May 17 about the reasons behind the resurgence of armed attacks in the north of Niger this year. “The… Read moreNiger: Tuareg rebel leader speaks
A bomb exploded in a historic mosque in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. At least nine people have been killed and fifteen injured in the Mecca Mosque, where over one thousand people had gathered for Friday prayers [May 18]…. Read moreIndia: historic mosque bombed in Hyderabad
Mexico May 15 called upon the US to prevent weapons from landing in the hands of drug gangs that increasingly use them to kill soldiers and police. “The firepower we are seeing here has to do with a lack of… Read moreMexico: US arms narco gangs
Fidelity Investments of Boston is denying that a sharp reduction in holdings of oil companies doing business in Sudan is a result of activist pressure over Darfur. Anne Crowley, a spokeswoman for the mutual-fund giant, said the sales were decided… Read moreBig finance feels pressure on Darfur?
Big Oil went on the defensive May 16, getting grilled before a House Judiciary Committee antitrust panel and denying accusations that mismanagement and a lack of competition are the reasons behind this spring’s record gasoline prices. Gas prices hit $3.10… Read moreHouse anti-trust panel grills Big Oil
From the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM), May 15: The Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri Al-Maliki, will meet in Baghdad with a delegation of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU), led by its… Read moreIraq: oil workers threaten strike
Colombian National Police officer Jhon Frank Pinchao, held hostage by the FARC guerillas for nearly nine years, escaped his captors and spent 17 days lost in the jungle of Vaupes department before he was found by an army patrol on… Read moreColombia: FARC hostage escapes
