Palestine

UN welcomes State of Palestine

The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution to upgrade Palestine to a “non-member state” at the United Nations, implicitly recognizing a Palestinian state.

Watching the Shadows

Military coup d’état against Obama?

Was Rear Admiral Charles M. Gaouette sacked from his command of a Pacific carrier battle group last month because he was plotting a putsch against Obama? 

South Asia

Riots rock Bangladesh after factory fire

Bangladeshi workers blocked streets in a Dhaka industrial zone, throwing stones at factories and smashing vehicles, to demand justice for 112 people killed in a garment factory fire. 

Mexico

Mexico: torture and disappearances on the rise

Complaints about abuses by Mexican police and soldiers have risen dramatically over the past seven years, according to the president of the government’s own human rights office.

Southern Cone

Argentina: unions call general strike

In a break with President Cristina Fernández, two major labor confederations protested the government’s economic policies with a one-day general strike.

Palestine

Latin America protests attack on Gaza

The Mercosur trade bloc expressed “strongest condemnation of the violence unleashed between Israel and Palestine,” while Cuba and Venezuela issued stronger statements.

Planet Watch

Quebec fracking ban challenged under NAFTA

Energy firm Lone Pine Resources is challenging Quebec’s fracking moratorium under the North American Free Trade Agreement, and demanding $250 million in compensation.