Spanish judge weighs probe of US federal attorneys on Gitmo
Crusading Spanish judge Baltazar Garzon has asked prosecutors to investigate the US lawyers reportedly behind the establishment of the Guantánamo Bay detention center.
Federal judge sets timetable for reports on CIA torture tape destruction
A US judge in New York March 27 ordered the CIA to release reports on the destruction of 92 videotapes of terrorism suspect interrogations within 30 days or explain why it should not do so.
Obama forges “Af-Pak” strategy as Taliban insurgency spreads
Barack Obama’s new Afghanistan strategy will dispatch 4,000 more troops to train Afghan security forces—as Afghan and Pakistani Taliban leaders have forged a cross-border alliance.
UN human rights report blasts Bolivian opposition
The UN High Commissioner of Human Rights issued a report finding that opponents of Bolivian President Evo Morales were responsible for some of the country’s worst rights violations last year.
UN launches “unprecedented” program for Colombian refugees
In a program called “unprecedented” in Latin America, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has begun registering some 50,000 Colombians who have fled their country for Ecuador.
Mexico: US backpedals on “failed state” claim
National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair, contradicting a recent Pentagon report, told reporters in Washington: “Mexico is in no danger of becoming a failed state.”
$100 million still owed from Exxon Valdez oil spill
On the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the federal and Alaska state governments have yet to collect the $92 million that the oil company agreed to pay.
Turkey: colonel arrested in Kurdistan killings
A Turkish officer, Col. Cemal Temizoz, was arrested in connection with suspected extrajudicial killings in the country’s predominantly Kurdish southeast in the 1990s.
Lashkar-e-Taiba rocks Kashmir
Pakistan is failing to control the Lashkar-e-Taiba group in the disputed territory of Kashmir and between 40 and 50 terrorist camps are operational in the region, Indian army chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor said March 25, the same day the army… Read moreLashkar-e-Taiba rocks Kashmir
Did Israel bomb Sudan?
An airstrike on a convoy of arm smugglers in Sudan in January was launched by Israel and not US, according to growing reports. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert boasted: “We operate everywhere.”
Netanyahu expects blank check from Obama; green light for Israeli far-right?
Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that he expects no serious pressure from Washington—as Israel’s ultra-right pledged more provocative marches in Arab towns.