Mexico
Mexico: 23 dead in Durango prison riot
A riot at the notoriously harsh Durango prison known as Social Readaption Center (CERESEO) No. 1 left 23 inmates dead. Army troops were sent in to put down the violence.
The Caribbean
Haiti: US, UN beef up troop strength
The US is sending another 4,000 sailors and marines to Haiti, boosting the number of troops involved in the mission to 16,000. The UN is also beefing up its “peacekeeping” force.
Iraq
Five killed as death squads re-emerge in Baghdad
Death squads returned to the streets of Baghdad with the first targeted killing of civilians in the city for more than two years, Iraqi media reported.
Africa
Nigeria: town under curfew following sectarian violence
Nigerian authorities imposed a curfew in the north-central city of Jos after four days of fighting between Muslims and Christians killed at least 200 people.
Watching the Shadows
UK rights group urges further investigation of Gitmo suicides
UK-based rights group Reprieve issued a statement suggesting the Obama administration has suppressed information on the investigation of three Guantánamo Bay suicides.
Watching the Shadows
US trial begins for Pakistani woman alleged to be al-Qaeda agent
The federal trial of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman with alleged ties to al-Qaeda, began in New York. Siddiqui denies the charges and says she was tortured at Bagram air base.
The Caribbean
Day Three in Port-au-Prince: “A difficult situation”
David L. Wilson of Weekly News Update on the Americas was in Port-au-Prince with a delegation when the Jan. 12 earthquake struck the city. Because of limited electricity and internet access, he was unable to send this report out until… Read moreDay Three in Port-au-Prince: “A difficult situation”
The Caribbean
Doctors Without Borders plane repeatedly diverted from landing in Haiti
A Doctors Without Borders cargo plane carrying 12 tons of medical equipment was turned away three times from Port-au-Prince airport since Sunday night, the group protests.
Afghanistan
Afgahanistan: will “surge” deepen humanitarian crisis?
Thousands of fresh foreign troops arrive in Afghanistan this year, but some aid agencies are voicing concerns that this could lead to the intensification of the conflict.
Africa
Somalia: displaced people on the run again as fighting hits Beletweyne
Thousands of internally displaced in Somalia’s central town of Beletweyne are on the move again following 10 days of fighting between rival Islamist militias.
Bill Weinberg to speak in Manhattan on Zapatista struggle in Mexico
Bill Weinberg, author of Homage to Chiapas: The New Indigenous Struggles in Mexico, looks back on both on the gains and defeats over 16 years of the Zapatista rebel movement.
The Caribbean
Day Two in Port-au-Prince: “Young men with crowbars”
In a third account from stricken Port-au-Prince, David Wilson reports “young men with crowbars” working to rescue trapped victims, but still sees little sign of the authorities.