Journalists in Iraq’s Kurdistan face arrest and harassment for reporting on government corruption and poor public services, the UN says in a new report on the autonomous region. The report also criticises Kurdish officials for failing to respond to growing… Read moreIraq: Kurds limit women’s rights, press freedom
Defying President Bush’s veto threat, the House of Representatives April 25 narrowly approved a war funds bill that sets a timeline for the withdrawal of all US combat troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008. “Tonight, the House of Representatives… Read moreUS House wants US out; al-Sadr wants US in?
The following account makes it sound like the the litigants were whining and frivolous, just looking for a cynical buck. But a photo caption accompanying the story in the Denver Post read: “Protesters display a photo of a sick child… Read moreIndonesia: Newmont Mining cleared in pollution trial
April 24 marks the 92nd anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide, and Armenians worldwide commemorated the “First Genocide of the 20th Century” with solemn religious and civil ceremonies. However, little more than a week before the anniversary, the… Read moreArmenians commemorate 1915 genocide —despite Turkish censorship
Combatants of Hamas’ military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have ended their five-month truce with Israel, firing 61 mortars and 30 rockets into Israel [April 24]. The group described the attack as in response to Israel having failed to respect… Read moreHamas militants end truce
Ogaden National Liberation Front guerillas stormed a Chinese-run oil field at dawn April 24 in eastern Ethiopia, killing 74 workers, abducting seven others and destroying the facility, the guerrilla group and government officials said. The rebel group claimed responsibility for… Read moreEthiopia: Ogaden rebels attack Chinese oil field
From Amnesty International, April 19: Political activist David Venegas was arbitrarily detained by state police in central Oaxaca City on 13 April, and reportedly tortured. He has been charged with serious criminal offences, on the basis of evidence which appears… Read moreOaxaca: Amnesty International alert for arrested activists
Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa announced on April 21 during his weekly radio program that he planned to expel World Bank representative Eduardo Somensatto from the country and would consider legal actions against the lending institution itself. According to Correa, the… Read moreEcuador: World Bank under fire
Agents of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have detained two former Peruvian military officers living in the US who are charged with human rights abuses in connection with an Aug. 14, 1985 military raid that killed 69 villagers—many… Read moreUS detains accused South American rights abusers —on immigration charges
Sixteen protesters have received terms of one to six months in federal prison in connection with a Nov. 19, 2006, demonstration at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia; they were demanding the closing of the US Defense Department’s Western Hemisphere… Read moreSOA protesters start prison terms
Unknown gunmen shot dead 23 textile factory workers from the ancient Yazidi culture in an apparent revenge killing in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul April 22. Authorities said the gunmen erected a roadblock, forced the workers out of a… Read moreIraq: Yazidi workers massacred in Mosul
At the behest of Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, US officials have agreed to stop the construction of a wall separating Sunni and Shia enclaves in Baghdad. The 5km, 3.6m-tall wall surround the Sunni neighbourhood of Adhamiya, billed by US… Read moreBaghdad: more walls planned?
