Mexico's federal Public Security Secretariat (SSP) announced the detention of 13 "delinquents" at Rancho San Isidro, in San Andrés Larráinzar, a highland municipality in conflicted Chiapas state Jan. 30. The SSP said 45 stolen vehicles were confiscated, as well as two firearms and an "arsenal" of ten home-made bombs. (La Jornada, Jan. 31) Meanwhile, the Good Government Junta "Corazón Céntrico de los Zapatistas delante del Mundo," governing body of the Zapatista rebels for the Highland region, issued a statement protesting deprivation of water to Zapatista followers in Zinacantán municipality. Citing lack of action by the state or federal governments, the statement said Zapatista authorities would "directly resolve" the problem and restore water to Sokón hamlet. It blamed the caciques (political bosses) of Nachig hamlet for diverting the water, calling them "priístas-perredistas"—meaning they have collaborated with both parties that have held power in the state and municipality, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). (La Jornada, Jan. 28)

On Jan. 25, seven adherents of the People's Front in Defense of the Land (FPDT) from the central Mexican village of San Salvador Atenco were liberated from the Mexico State prison at Molino de Flores, after a federal judge cleared them of charges of kidnapping and attacking communications infrastructure. They had been in prison since their arrest in violent confrontations with the police in May 2006. (La Jornada, Jan. 26) Charges were also dropped against 53 other FPDT followers who had been freed on bail. (Uno Mas Uno, Jan. 25) A collective of "Zapatista lawyers" announced plans to bring criminal charges against Judge Jaime Maldonado, for having "arbitrarily" ordered the 164 FPDT followers imprisoned. (La Jornada, Jan. 27)

From Bush's final State of the Union address, via the New York Times:

Ladies and gentlemen, some may deny the surge is working, but among the terrorists there is no doubt. Al Qaeda is on the run in Iraq, and this enemy will be defeated...

At least five were killed in Beirut Jan. 27 in clashes between Lebanese soldiers and young Shi'ite residents protesting electricity cuts. Hezbollah issued a statement holding "the de facto authorities" fully responsible for "every drop of blood shed," and demanding that the army identify "who opened fire on innocent citizens demanding their social rights." Meanwhile, the 14 March coalition, which supports the western-backed government, accused "forces of the Syrian-Iranian axis" of "detonating the situation and stirring up dangerous disturbances." It said the opposition were "acting on the orders of the Syrian-Iranian axis, which is openly inciting disorder, and exploiting economic problems..." (BBC, Jan. 28)

Freedom's on the march. From the Winston-Salem Journal, NC, Jan. 26:

An inmate claiming widespread harassment of Muslims in U.S. prisons cannot sue prison guards who he says took his Qurans and prayer rug, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez told a Caracas press conference Jan. 26: "I accuse the government of Colombia of devising a conspiracy, acting as a pawn of the US empire, of devising a military provocation against Venezuela. A military aggression is being prepared." He warned that Venezuela would cut off all oil exports in the event of a military strike. "In that scenario, write it down: The price of oil would reach US$300, because there wouldn't be oil for anyone. The invaders would have to step over our dead bodies."

A three-year prison sentence was imposed Jan. 18 by a court in Minsk on Alyaksandr Zdvizhkou, former deputy editor of the weekly Zhoda, for reprinting the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that first appeared in a Danish newspaper. He was found guilty of "inciting racial hatred" under article 130 of Belarus' criminal code at the end of a trial behind closed doors. (Reporters Without Borders, Jan. 18)

The International Energy Agency is urging OPEC to boost production, with IEA executive director Nobuo Tanaka at the World Economic Forum in Davos calling global supplies "very tight." Oil ministers from Iraq and Qatar at Davos were noncommittal, saying the decision would be made at the OPEC summit in Vienna next month. (Bloomberg, Jan. 25) Speaking in Caracas, price-hawk Venezuela's oil minister Rafael Ramirez rejected calls for boosting output, but said the "possible impact on the energy market" of a US economic downturn would be considered at Vienna. (Reuters, Jan. 25) President Hugo Chávez, sounding unusually conciliatory, said the price "is there, close to 100 dollars, hopefully it won't keep going up, hopefully it will stabilize." Prices reached $100 a barrel earlier this month, and now hover at around $90. (Reuters, Jan. 25) On Jan. 7, when prices hit $100, Bloomberg wrote: "The fastest-growing bet in the oil market these days is that the price of crude will double to $200 a barrel by the end of the year."