The Caribbean

Haiti: Lavalas barred from senate race

Hundreds of supporters of Haiti’s Lavalas Family demonstrated in Port-au-Prince to protest the barring of all 16 candidates from the party’s rival factions from running in April’s senate race.

The Andes

Colombia: two FARC hostages free—and talking

Colombian lawmaker Sigifredo López and former governor Alan Jara, freed from seven years in captivity by the FARC guerillas, had harsh words for both their ex-captors and President Alvaro Uribe.

North America

Eco-militant gets 21 years; violent racists half that

Eco-activist and mom Marie Mason got 21 years for an arson attack on a biotech lab—in which nobody was injured. Four men who carried out violent racist attacks the night of Obama's election got ten to 12.

Europe

Left complicit in anti-Jewish backlash?

Jonathan Freedland writes for The Guardian: “As British Jews come under attack, the left must not remain silent. It is possible to condemn Israel’s brutal action in Gaza while taking a stand against anti-Semitism.”

Iraq

Iraq’s hero shoe-thrower to face trial

Muntader al-Zaidi, the journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush, will face trial on Feb. 19 for assaulting a visiting head of state, with a maximum 15-year term, Iraqi officials announced.

Iraq

Iraq: US forces violate security agreement

Iraqi officials charge that twice in the last two weeks the US military violated the security agreement signed in November by attacking criminal suspects without coordinating with Iraqi forces.

Mexico

Mexico bails out Detroit

In a bid to soften the impacts of the auto industry crisis, Mexican officials are offering financial assistance to foreign-owned companies with maquiladora plants in the northern border states.