Israel’s departing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced measures Nov. 2 in response to a rise in violence by extremist Jewish settlers in the West Bank, including a halt to all government financing of “illegal” Jewish settlement outposts. The announcement amounted… Read moreIsrael to cut West Bank settler funds after clashes
Voters in two US states Tuesday Nov. 4 defeated immigration-related ballot measures. In Arizona, Proposition 202 would have revoked the business licenses of employers that knowingly hire undocmented immigrants and would have strengthened penalties for identity theft. But in Florida,… Read moreArizona defeats anti-immigrant measure, rights referendum fails in Florida
The US Department of Defense Nov. 4 announced the transfer of one Guantánamo Bay detainee to Somaliland. DOD hailed the move as proof of the effectiveness of its review processes and of US desire not to hold detainees any longer… Read moreGitmo detainee transferred to Somaliland
A panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit Nov. 4 suspended its review the status of Guantánamo Bay detainee Yasin Muhammed of Yemen as an “enemy combatant,” saying it may lack jurisdiction over the case. Basardh… Read moreDC Circuit suspends status review for Yemeni Gitmo detainee
The jury in the US military commission trial of alleged al-Qaeda media director Ali Hamza Ahmad Suliman al Bahlul reached a verdict in the case Nov. 1, finding him guilty of material support for terrorism. The verdict was sealed until… Read moreUS military tribunal reaches verdict on accused al-Qaeda media director
Gen. Mario Montoya, commander of Colombia’s armed forces, resigned Nov. 4 after an investigation tied dozens of military personnel under his command to a growing scandal over the killing of civilians by the military in an apparent attempt to inflate… Read moreColombia: armed forces chief resigns in human rights scandal
On the night of Nov. 4, a Learjet carrying Government Secretary Juan Camilo Mouriño and José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, a former deputy prosecutor general, crashed in the middle of rush-hour traffic in an upscale neighborhood of Mexico City, killing all… Read moreMexico: interior secretary killed in (mysterious?) air crash
Media in South Texas are citing a leaked FBI intelligence report that apparently warns that the Zetas, paramilitary arm of Mexico’s Gulf Cartel, are planning attacks on US Border Patrol agents in retaliation against stepped-up interdiction efforts. Law enforcement agencies… Read moreMexico: Zetas planning attacks on US Border Patrol?
Anwar Tambe writes from Kenya for SkyNews, Nov. 5: It is scarcely believable, but it is true. A Luo can become President—of the United States of America, if not Kenya. I must admit I had a lump in my throat… Read moreObama wins: Kenya believe it?
The Peace Community of San José de Apartadó in Colombia’s northwestern Antioquia department reported on Oct. 31 that right-wing paramilitaries were threatening to murder community members. A joint operation of paramilitaries and the army’s 17th Brigade murdered eight people in… Read moreColombia: paras threaten Peace Community
The official theme of the 18th Ibero-American Summit, held Oct. 29-31 in San Salvador, El Salvador, was “Youth and Development,” but the global financial crisis was the main topic of discussions by the representatives of Spain, Portugal and 19 Latin… Read moreLatin America: leaders united on crisis?
The United Nations General Assembly voted on Oct. 29 to condemn the US embargo on trade with Cuba that has been in effect since 1962. This is 17th time the group has supported a nonbinding resolution against the embargo. The… Read moreUN votes against Cuba embargo; Havana woos Latin America
