Greek Orthodox and Armenian worshipers got down to fisticuffs Sunday Nov. 9 in East Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christian denominations jealously guard their divided areas of the traditional site of the crucifixion. Dozens of worshipers dressed in… Read moreMonastic slugfest rocks Holy Sepulchre —again!
Venezuela plans to build five military bases along its border with Colombia, Justice Minister Tarek El Aissami announced Nov. 9 on a visit to the mountainous border zone, saying the bases will help President Hugo Chavez’s government fight drug smuggling,… Read moreVenezuela to militarize Colombian border
Mitsubishi, which plans to release its own electric car soon, estimates that the demand for lithium—a critical ingredient in the batteries—will outstrip supply in less than 10 years unless new sources come on line. And those sources are in the… Read moreNext in Bolivia: lithium wars?
Grisly narco-terror continues to escalate in the Mexican border city of Juárez. A beheaded body was left hanging from an overpass on Nov. 7. A banner aimed at rival drug gangs was hung next to the body, and police found… Read moreMexico: narco-Satanism in Ciudad Juárez?
A green-energy ballot initiative in Missouri, Proposition C, was approved by voters, calling for the state to increase the use of renewable energy to 15% by 2021, mandating steady yearly increases. Prop C made Missouri the 27th state to require… Read moreMissouri passes alternative energy initiative; politics kill other such efforts
Judge Richard Leon of the US District Court for the District of Columbia Nov. 6 began habeas corpus hearings for six Algerians challenging their detention at Guantánamo Bay. The hearings are the first to be held since the Supreme Court… Read moreFederal court begins habeas hearings for Gitmo detainees
On his Electronic Intifada Nov. 5, Ali Abunimah digs up the hardline pro-Israel dirt on Rahm Israel Emanuel, Barack Obama‘s first appointment, for chief of staff. While Emanuel was doubtless chosen for his “key role in delivering a Democratic majority… Read moreObama’s first appointment: pro-Israel hardliner
Threats from resurgent paramilitary groups continue against the San José de Apartadó Peace Community in Colombia’s conflicted Urabá region. On the morning of Nov. 7 at the San José vereda (hamlet) of Playa Larga, some 50 rifle-wielding paramilitaries in camo… Read moreColombia: more threats, displacement at Peace Community
Mexican federal police Nov. 7 apprehended Gulf Cartel kingpin Jaime “the Hummer” González, one of the country’s most-wanted men, in an intelligence operation in the border city of Reynosa. An armed commando tried to rescue González as troops drove to… Read moreMexico: another Gulf Cartel kingpin busted, guns blazing
As the grassroots right groundswell mobilized by Sarah Palin subsides in defeat, the New York Times reports Nov. 7 a sudden surge of gun sales across rural America—explicitly seen as a response to the election of Barack Obama—with NRA propaganda… Read moreRight wing prepares anti-Obama “underground”
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a letter congratulating US president-elect Barack Obama, said his nation and the world expect “fundamental” changes to US policy, and “welcomed” the prospect for “justice, respect for human rights, friendship, and non-interference in other countries’… Read moreIran: Ahmadinejad “welcomes” Obama, appeals for “friendship”
Two Iraqi insurgent groups called on president-elect Barack Obama to withdraw US forces from Iraq, an Internet monitoring service reported Nov. 7. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State of Iraq said it would be better “for you and us”… Read moreIraq: al-Qaeda offers Obama truce?
