The crushing of a rally for the restoration of democracy in Nepal Feb. 10 rated a tiny blurb of wire copy on page 10 of the next day’s NY Times. Meanwhile, the crisis in the Himalayan kingdom rapidly deepens. Security… Read moreNepal crisis deepens; AI sends high-level team
The BBC reported a glimmer of hope Jan. 27 from Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province, where Taliban-inspired movements have won local political control over the semi-autonomous Tribal Areas. Two local kids, Tariq Hussain Bacha and Zeeshan Khan (respectively 12 and 11), have… Read moreYoung music stars defy mullahs in Pakistan’s Tribal Areas
The Basque separatist group ETA reportedly claimed responsibility for a car bomb that exploded outside a Madrid convention center Feb. 9, injuring at least 40. The blast went off hours before Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were to… Read moreETA militants arrested after Madrid blast
A front-page story in the Feb. 10 NY Times notes that Saudi Arabia is holding its first national election that day–albeit with an "asterisk": women are barred from the vote, and even men only get to elect half the members… Read moreSaudi dissidents freed on eve of election
The first public protest for restoration of democracy in Nepal since King Gyanendra suspended civil government Feb. 1 was predictably shut down by police Feb. 10, as 12 members of the Human Rights and Peace Society were arrested upon arriving… Read morePro-democracy rally crushed in Nepal
The FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorist Task Force is investigating twin vandal attacks on Army recruiting centers in New York City–one in Manhattan’s Flatiron section, the other in the Parkchester district of the Bronx. David Seigel, 19, of Litchfield, CT, was arrested… Read moreAnarchist scare: feds probe arson attacks
Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel responded angrily to charges by US Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Roger Noriega that his government’s new arms deal with Russia is intended for trafficking to Colombian guerillas. "Venezuela is a… Read moreVenezuela defends Russian arms purchases
With most of the international community condemnding King Gyanendra’s suspension of civil government and democratic rights in Nepal, Pakistan’s embassy in Kathmandu released a statement of support for the king, saying "Pakistan and Nepal share the objectives of combatting terrorism… Read morePakistan supports Nepal emergency powers
A week after Nepal’s king dismissed his government and imposed emergency rule by personal decree, the isolated Himalayan nation has largely disappeared from the headlines. The NY Times reported Feb. 9 in short page 13 story that King Gyanendra has… Read moreNepal: crackdown on rights activists
More ironic timing for Washington’s push to restore military ties with Indonesia. With Condi Rice on the stump claiming Jakarta is cleaning up its nasty human rights situation, the DC-based Marijuana Policy Project sends us the following chilling story: In… Read moreIndonesian justice: firing squad for pot possession
It appears that different factions of the American Indian Movement (AIM) have released statements either condemning or supporting Ward Churchill, in equally vehement terms. First this, from the AIM Grand Governing Council in Minneapolis: The American Indian Movement Grand Governing… Read moreAIM splits over Churchill affair
Tom Wilner, attorney for 11 Kuwaiti men arrested by US forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan and now held at Guantanamo Bay, told the press his clients say they were beaten, tortured and subjected to electro-shock and sodomy to extract confessions…. Read moreKuwaiti GitMo detainees: We were tortured
