North Africa
Algerian court acquits ex-Gitmo detainee
A criminal court in Algeria acquitted former Guantánamo Bay detainee Mustafa Hemlili of charges of counterfeiting and affiliation with a militant group.
WHY WE FIGHT
From the New York Times, Feb. 21: Hit and Run in Brooklyn Leaves One Brain-Dead An employee of the mayor’s office was declared brain-dead on Sunday morning after she and another woman were struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing… Read moreWHY WE FIGHT
Southern Cone
Falklands war redux?
Several British companies are poised to begin offshore exploration in waters around the Falkand Islands—sparking a diplomatic row with Argentina, which claims the archipelago.
Central America
Honduras iced from Latin American summit
Honduran President Porfirio Lobo is not invited to the second Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean, with organizers saying his government should first be recognized by the OAS.
Mexico
Mexican government tilts to Sinaloa Cartel?
Critics of Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s so-called Drug War charge he is favoring the Sinaloa Cartel, cracking down on its rivals and allowing it to consolidate power.
Afghanistan
Dutch government falls in dispute over Afghan mission
The Netherlands’ coalition government collapsed after the two largest parties failed to agree on whether to withdraw Dutch troops from Afghanistan later this year.
North America
Austin IRS attacker: “hero” or terrorist?
While politicians and law enforcement equivocate on whether the Austin attack was an act of “terrorism,” Teabaggers and Patriots are hailing Joe Stack as a “hero.”
North Africa
Niger: uranium interests behind coup d’etat?
A race between French and Chinese uranium interests—and a possible uranium deal with Iran—may be behind the coup d’etat that topped President Mamadou Tandja in Niger.
Southeast Asia
Malaysia: three women caned for adultery
In a move denounced by Amnesty International as “tantamount to torture,” Malaysian authorities have caned three Muslim women under Islamic law for acts of adultery.
The Andes
Bolivia: Evo Morales launches “decolonization of judiciary”
Bolivian President Evo Morales appointed 18 judges ahead of the country’s judicial elections, calling the move “the beginning of the decolonization of the judiciary.”
Watching the Shadows
White House mulls indefinite detention: Sen. Graham
The White House is considering a law to allow the indefinite detention of terrorist suspects to break a logjam with Congress over closure of Guantánamo, said Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Iraq
Iraq between two poles of terrorism
A suicide blast killed 11, including a young girl, in Ramadi, while provincial officials in Maysan charge US forces shot eight “innocent bystanders” in a “massacre” during a village raid.