A new Human Rights Watch report, “The Human Cost,” accuses the Taliban, Hezb-e-Islami and other insurgent groups of war crimes in Afghanistan. Joanne Mariner, HRW’s terrorism and counter-terrorism director, said in a statement: “Suicide bombings and other insurgent attacks have… Read moreHuman Rights Watch slams Afghan insurgents
Tens of thousands of people marched throughout Argentina on April 9 as part of a general strike called to protest the death of a teacher, Carlos Fuentealba, who died on April 5 in the southwestern province of Neuquen after being… Read moreWork stoppage in Argentina
According to exit polls released after balloting ended, Ecuadorans voted overwhelmingly on April 15 to support President Rafael Correa’s plan for a constituent assembly to write a new constitution. The exit polls conducted by the Cedatos-Gallup firm among 40,000 voters… Read moreEcuador: voters approve constitution rewrite
Late at night on April 5, a permenant protest vigil (plantón) outside the government palace in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, was attacked without warning and borken up by the state police. The vigil, organized by the San Luis Potosí State… Read moreMine protesters attacked in San Luis Potosí
On April 14, a group of gunmen opened fire with small arms on Rufino Juarez Hernandez, director of the Triqui Region Social Welfare Union (UBISORT) in Putla de Guerrero, Oaxaca. Hospitalized with a leg wound, Juarez named as intellectual author… Read moreMore political violence in Oaxaca
Hussein Aideed, a veteran Somali warlord who is now deputy prime minister of the transitional government, accused Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu of committing “genocide” since arriving in December. Ethiopia dismissed the comments as an absolute fabrication. Hundreds of residents have… Read moreSomalia: Ethiopia accused of “genocide”
A Mauritanian court indicted six men on terrorism charges April 11—the same day al-Qaeda’s North African wing claimed responsibility for two deadly blasts in Algeria. The six are said to belong to a local cell linked to “al-Qaeda in the… Read moreSalafists indicted in Mauritania —ex-junta leader next?
Chanting secularist slogans and waving Turkish flags, more than 300,000 from throughout Turkey rallied April 15 to discourage Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan from running for the presidency. The protesters marched to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of… Read moreTurks rally for secular government
At least 2,000 Quechua marchers and dancers in traditional costume filled the streets of Cusco, Peru on March 5 to protect the Andean sacred site of Q’oyllur Riti from mining activities. They came by bus or on foot from eight… Read moreQuechua dance to save Andean sacred site
Scott Ritter has been wrong before, but The Nation is still enamored of him. Robert Scheer has also been wrong before. Now they team up for a little collaborative error. In an April 13 piece on Scheer’s TruthDig, “The Final… Read moreRitter blames the Jews —again
Houzan Mahmoud of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) writes for The Guardian’s Comment is Free blog, April 13: Around seven months ago, a draft constitution for the Kurdistan region was made available for discussion, suggestions and amendments…. Read more“No to a medieval Kurdistan”
For the first time since his tour stop in Matamoros in December, Subcommander Marcos of the Zapatista rebels arrived back on Mexico’s US border April 11. Traveling with 10 Zapatista comandantes from Chiapas, Marcos stopped at the desert village of… Read moreZapatistas back on US border
