Unionists are pointing to lax standards since privatization of Argentina’s extensive state-owned rail system as lying behind the horrific accident onf a Buenos Aires commuter line that killed 51 passengers and injured more than 700.
Syria held a referendum on a new constitution, with much of the international community dismissing it as a “sham.” The vote comes just one day after 89 people were reportedly killed in Homs, the center of the opposition.
The high-tech industry hopes the new rare earth refinery in Malaysia’s Pahang state will break China’s “stranglehold” on the essential precious metals. But local residents concerned about radioactive contamination have launched a protest campaign.
Some 60,000 Azeris gathered in Baku to mark the 20th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre in the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian forces that control the enclave have opened it to copper, lead and barite exploration.
Just as the presidential horserace starts to gain velocity, so do oil prices. Are the Koch brothers manipulating prices to undermine Obama in November? Their recent dabblings in “contango” oil market speculations indicate this may be the case…
With Khader Adnan still recovering after his 66-day hunger strike against his “administrative detention” by Israel, a Palestinian woman, Hana Yahya al-Shalabi, began her own hunger strike against her detention without charge or trial.
Hamas turned against its long-time ally President Bashar Assad of Syria, throwing its support behind the rebellion aimed at overturning his rule. Meanwhile in Tunis, Hillary Clinton bashed Russia and China for opposing UN action against Assad.
Former Somali prime minister Mohamed Ali Samantar accepted legal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity in US federal court. The civil suit was brought by survivors of his repression who now have asylum in the US.
A federal immigration judge in Florida decided that former Salvadoran defense minister Gen. Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova can be deported for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during El Salvador’s civil war.
In the worst clash in the recent protests at Jerusalem's Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, Israeli police used tear gas and stun grenade at the entrance of al-Aqsa Mosque. Protests began after right-wing politicians called for closing the site to Muslims.
The International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI) released a statement condemning the threats of war and economic sanctions against Iran, as well as opposing the Islamic Republic’s internal repression of workers’ struggles.
Unsettling findings. From e! science news, Feb. 23: Classic Maya civilization collapse related to modest rainfall reductions A new study reports that the disintegration of the Maya Civilization may have been related to relatively modest reductions in rainfall. The study… Read moreClimate lessons in Maya collapse: study
