Federal agents raided a Phoenix gun store May 6 in the biggest weapons bust in years. Authorities said the store was a source for at least 650 high-powered weapons, including 250 AK-47 automatic weapons, smuggled to Mexican drug cartels. The raid on X-Caliber Guns followed an 11-month investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Phoenix Police Department and the Arizona Attorney General's Office. Agents seized 1,300 weapons, closed down the business, and arrested owner George Iknadosian and two others, Hugo Miguel Gamez and Cesar Boroguez-Gamez. The Gamez brothers are accused of setting up a network of "straw purchasers" to procure weapons for the cartels.

In El Paso County, TX, commissioners voted 3-to-1 May 5 for a resolution demanding a halt to construction of the border wall, asserting it would interfere with the region's long-established way of life. Thousands cross the border daily between El Paso and Juárez on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, including students who attend classes in Texas. Commissioner Miguel Terán introduced the resolution, calling construction of the wall an act of racism. Although terrorist suspects have been arrested crossing the border with Canada, "we're not building walls over there," he said. "We're building them here."

Brendan J. Cassar, chief of UNESCO's cultural program in Afghanistan, has—for the moment—backed denials by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) denial that their soldiers damaged remains of the Bamiyan Buddha statues (destroyed by the Taliban seven years ago) by setting off charges in the area. Najibullah Harar, chief of information and culture for Bamiyan, said the blast conducted near the smaller of the two statues on May 1 had caused cracks in what is left of the 114 foot-high ancient structure and its side walls. (New Zealand Herald, May 5; AP, May 4)

In the face of growing violence, NATO is considering ending its rotating command for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. NATO commander Gen. Bantz Craddock of the US said "it would be better if we had one country take lead as opposed to rotate." ISAF includes 47,000 soldiers from 40 countries who work alongside a separate US-led coalition numbering about 20,000 and the Afghan security forces. The US has 34,000 troops in Afghanistan, 16,000 of whom are under ISAF. (AFP, May 8)

The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK)—also known as the Mujahedeen Khlaq Organization (MKO), the Peoples Mujahedeen Organization of Iran (PMOI) and the National Council of Resistance (NCR)—was ordered removed from the UK's list of "terrorist organizations," potentially opening the way for the EU to follow suit. The London Court of Appeal denied the British government permission to challenge a November 2007 decision by a panel of judges that ordered the removal of MEK from the list, with Lord Chief Justice Phillips finding no evidence of involvement in terrorism.

Did anyone catch this one? Can you imagine the media frenzy if it'd been a Palestinian? From Haaretz, May 2:

US envoy cuts short Hebron trip after clash with settlers
The American bodyguards of a Bush administration envoy who was dispatched to the region to monitor the implementation of the road map engaged in a violent confrontation with right-wing Israelis who sought to disturb a visit to Hebron on Friday, Israel Radio reported.

A referendum to decide the fate of Kirkuk—the northern province contested by Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, among others—was enshrined in Iraq's 2005 constitution, and was initially scheduled for December 2007. Delayed six months after rival groups were unable to agree on terms, it is now no closer to realization as the deadline looms. UN special envoy to Iraq Staffan de Mistura told AFP: "In December, the question of Kirkuk was a ticking time bomb. The United Nations has stopped the clock."

Even after the humbling of Judith Miller, the Times seems to be up to the same old tricks. The latest propaganda from Michael Gordon is deconstructed by Greg Mitchell of Editor & Publisher, May 5 (links added):

NYT vs McClatchy on Iran's Link to Iraqi Insurgents
NEW YORK — Michael Gordon, the military writer for The New York Times who contributed several false stories about Iraqi WMD in the runup to the U.S. attack on Iraq in 2002, has written several articles in the past year about Iran's alleged training of Iraqi insurgents—or supplying them with weapons to kill Americans. He produced another major report on this subject for today's Times—based solely on unnamed sources—which is at odds with an account from McClatchy’s Baghdad bureau.