Berlin’s ambassador to Rwanda was given 24 hours to leave the country Nov. 11 in response to the Nov. 9 arrest of a Rwandan presidential aide in Germany in connection with the 1994 assassination of then-president Juvenal Habyarima that touched… Read moreRwanda expels German ambassador after presidential aide arrested
Headlines from Iraq Nov. 12 were dominated by the re-opening of Baghdad’s Two Imams Bridge, which links the Sunni district of Adhamiya and the Shi’ite area of Kadhimiya, and had been closed due to sectarian violence since 2005. (E.g. LAT)… Read moreIraq: spate of attacks leave 23 dead as Two Imams Bridge re-opens
Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe predicted that his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderón’s controversial efforts to combat the drug cartels with the military will be successful. “When you live in a country like Colombia that has already faced that intense fight against… Read moreColombia good model for Mexico: Uribe
The US has halted aid to three Colombian army units after officers and soldiers were implicated in the killing of civilians, a senior US official told Reuters. “We have determined that three army units are no longer eligible to receive… Read moreUS blocks aid to tainted Colombian army units: report
From The Hill, Nov. 11: Newly designated White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Sunday that the incoming Obama administration opposes attaching the Colombia Free Trade Agreement to an economic stimulus package in order to get the approval of… Read moreEmanuel: Obama won’t link Colombia FTA to stimulus package
Around 30 MPs opposed to Mauritania’s ruling junta boycotted the opening of the country’s parliament Nov. 10. The boycott followed a statement from the head of the five-party Front for the Defense of Democracy (FNDD), Mohamed Ould Moloud, who called… Read moreMauritania: opposition boycotts parliament; regime claims al-Qaeda threat
Unprecedented Muslim representation was seen at the Nov. 10 “Special Event Promoting Tolerance Throughout the European Continent” at the European Parliament in Brussels. Representatives of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Morocco, Turkey and Malaysia, among… Read moreMuslim states to join EU Kristallnacht memorial
Now they tell us. From the New York Times, Nov. 10, links and emphasis added: Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda WASHINGTON — The United States military since 2004 has used broad, secret authority to carry out nearly a… Read moreNYT: secret executive order approved strikes on al-Qaeda
The Afghan government accused US forces of killing up to 14 security guards for a construction company in the eastern province of Khost Nov. 10. The US says the victims were militants who were carrying rocket-propelled grenades and opened fire… Read moreAfghanistan: US kills 14 security guards
At least 28 people were killed—including women and schoolgirls—and dozens wounded in a triple bombing in a Baghdad market on Nov. 10, the deadliest attack to rock the Iraqi capital in months. The attackers first detonated a car bomb, blowing… Read moreIraq: media garble sectarian slaughter
Via the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA), Nov. 4: The Iraqi parliament voted on Monday, November 3rd on the issue of reserved seats for the Assyrians, Yezidies, Shabaks and Mandeans. The final vote of the Iraqi parliament is a huge… Read moreIraq: minorities denounce new election law quotas
From the Iraq Freedom Congress (IFC), Nov. 6: A letter to Mr. Barack Obama on his election as President of the United States of America Greetings… On behalf of the Iraq Freedom Congress, I would like to congratulate you on… Read moreIraq’s civil resistance to Obama: end the occupation
