From the International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI), Feb. 14:

Resolution against the economic sanctions and threat of war on Iran
The International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI) strongly condemns militaristic policies of capitalism. IASWI is a part of the anti-capitalist movement, of the working class global front and the 99% of the world's population, for a real and enduring peace based on freedom, equality, social and economic justice and the abolition of exploitation.

After traveling 100 days cross-country, Bolivia's "Wheelchair Caravan for Integration" arrived in La Paz Feb. 24, demanding measures to accommodate social inclusion of the disabled, as well as an annual state subsidy of 3,000 bolivianos, or about $400—up from the current $120. Some 250 in wheelchairs and on crutches covered more than 1,500 kilometers from the city of Trinidad, living off aid provided by communities along the way. Arriving at the capital's central Plaza Murillo, they attempted to push past riot police who barred their way—and were met with truncheons and pepper-spray. The protesters were able to establish an encampment a block away from the plaza, where the local press reported two "crucified" themselves. March organizer Camilo Bianchi said from his wheelchair that they would not move until their demands are met. "We don't want to use radical methods, but they are forcing us to," he said. (Opinión, Opinión, Cochabamba, Feb. 25; EFE, BBC News, Televisa, La Gran Epóca, Feb. 24)

Mexican federal police on Feb. 14 announced the arrest in Culiacán, Sinaloa, of Jaime Herrera Herrera AKA "El Viejito" (Little Old Man), said to be a major manufacturer and distributor of methamphetamine for the Sinaloa Cartel. (NYT, Feb. 14) The bust came ten days after the arrest in León, Guanajuato, of José Antonio Torres Marrufo AKA "El Marrufo"—said to be leader of the Gente Nueva gang, armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel. Prosecutors suspect Marrufo of ordering the 2009 attack on a drug treatment clinic in Ciudad Juárez in which 18 people were killed. The cartel's maximum boss, Joaquín Guzmán AKA "El Chapo" (Shorty), still remains at large. (BBC News, Crónica de Hoy, RTT, Feb. 14; El Diario, Ciudad Juárez, Feb. 6; BBC News, Feb. 4)

As Ethiopian forces press their offensive in Somalia, Shabaab rebels relinquished control of Baidoa, a key southern city that had been under their control for three years. Eyewitnesses told the BBC that about 50 vehicles, including some 20 tanks, had entered Baidoa, which was apparently abandoned by the Shabaab. After the port of Kismayo, the town was the Shabaab's most important base. Since the city changed hands, scattered IED attacks have been reported near former Shabaab bases. Shabaab's Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab said: "Baidoa will be a cemetery for the Ethiopians."

Two US troops were killed by an Afghan army solider outside a coalition military base in Nangarhar province Feb. 23 as protests escalated over the burning of Korans that had been issued to detainees at Bagram Air Base. Protests have spread across half a dozen provinces following the revelations, with demonstrators arming themselves with rocks, bricks, sticks and pistols. The Taliban issued a statement signed by the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" on their website, Voice of Jihad, calling for an uprising against the "American invaders." The unrest comes as the US Department of Defense announced the next round of unit deployments to Afghanistan. Five brigades and one army command will deploy to Afghanistan between April and August 2012. These units will not be assigned to regular combat operations, but to train and support the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The deployment will constitute an unprecedentedly large training mission. (VOA, Feb. 23; NYT, Feb. 22; Long War Journal, Feb. 19)

Yemeni electoral officials on Feb. 21 hailed a 60% turnout in single-candidate elections that officially ended President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule, despite boycott calls in the south where violence marred polling. The separatist Southern Movement announced a day of "civil disobedience" to mark the vote. A leader of the movement, Abdulhamid Shokri, said four civilians—including a child—were killed in Aden during street clashes with security forces. Authorities said two soldiers were also killed in the south. Turnout was significantly lower in Aden and the south. There was no polling at all in southern towns controlled by Islamist militants. In the far north, Shi'ite rebels also boycotted the vote. In the US, where Saleh is receiving treatment for wounds sustained in the bombing of his Sanaa compound last June, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the vote was "another important step forward in their [Yemen's] democratic transition process." The only person on the ballot was Vice President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi, who became acting president in November as the result of a power transfer brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council after months of protests. (Middle East Online, BBC News, CNN, Feb. 22)

Hundreds of relatives of inmates who burned or suffocated to death at the Comayagua prison fire in Honduras forced their way into a morgue in Tegucigalpa Feb. 20 to demand the remains of loved ones. The group, mostly women, pushed past security guards, entered the morgue, broke into a refrigerated container and opened at least six body bags. (The Guardian, Feb. 10) Relatives of those who went missing in the conflagration have converged on Tegucigalpa from around the country, and are being housed on the premises of the government aid agency INFOP, as they await word from the Public Security ministry on the fate of their loved ones. They are reportedly facing poor conditions there, with inadequate food, water and shelter. (Red Morazánica de Información, Feb. 21)

Officials from the United States and Mexico on Feb. 20 signed an agreement that opens the way for exploration and development of oil and natural gas reservoirs along the two countries' maritime boundary in the Gulf of Mexico. Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Mexican Minister of Foreign Relations Patricia Espinosa, and Mexican Minister of Energy Jordy Herrera joined Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, for the signing ceremony. The signing took place on the sidelines of at a ministerial meeting of Group of 20 nations. As a result of the agreement, nearly 1.5 million acres of the US Outer Continental Shelf will now be made more accessible for exploration and production activities. Estimates by the US Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) indicate this area contains as much as 172 million barrels of oil and 304 billion cubic feet of natural gas. The agreement establishes a framework for US companies and Mexico's Pemex to enter into agreements to jointly develop transboundary reservoirs.