Daily Report

Honduras: indigenous protests to protect forests

On Feb. 16 indigenous Hondurans closed off roads in Intibucá department at the beginning of a 12-day mobilization organized by the Civic Council of Grassroots and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) against the destruction of forests in the territories of the Lenca people. COPINH said the protesters succeeded in maintaining "three strategic takeovers...completely paralyzing the exploitation of timber," and that the mobilization also resulted in the temporary suspension of authorizations for cutting trees in San Marcos de Sierra municipality and in Wise community in Intibucá municipality.

Please help World War 4 Report survive

We're more than half way to our necessary winter fund-drive goal of $2,000. Please help us meet this goal so we can continue our work. And please do it today, so we don't have to extend the winter fund drive into the spring. Help World War 4 Report continue to bring you important stories and provocative analyses overlooked by the mainstream and alternative media alike.

Phoenix: 5,000 march against Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in downtown Phoenix Feb. 28 to protest Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and policies that critics charge violate basic human and civil rights. Organizers estimated the number of marchers at more than 5,000. Soon after the march began, Phoenix police blocked traffic to Central Ave. and allowed demonstrators to fill the street, because of their overwhelming numbers—despite the fact that the march had lacked a permit).

Japan: seaborne protest greets US aircraft carrier

Protesters in small motor-boats flying red flags circled the USS John C. Stennis chanting "carrier get out!" through megaphones as as the warship arrived Feb. 27 for a visit to Japan's Sasebo Naval Base, outside Nagasaki. Some 100 activists from the Nagasaki Peace Action Center, Rimpeace Sasebo and All Japan Dockworkers Union also gathered on the city's docks to cheer on the protest flotilla of some 25 boats.

US bombs Pakistan —again

Two missiles fired March 1 from a US drone killed at least eight militants in the Sora Rogha area of South Waziristan, a tribal region controlled by the Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. The dead reportedly include four Arab militants, a Pakistani intelligence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. (NYT, March 1)

Pakistan: suicide blast at girls school

Five people were killed March 2 in a suicide attack on a girls' school in Pishin district of Pakistan's conflicted Baluchistan region. At least 12 were injured in the attack, which took place as Maulana Mohammed Khan Shirani, leader of the Jamiat-e-Ulemae Islam (JUI) political party, arrived to attend a function. Witnesses said the bomber was a teenaged man, who detonated his explosives after being stopped by security guards. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Maulana Shirani is a prominent opponent of Pakistani Taliban. (AKI, Italy; Gulf Times, Qatar, March 2)

Spain: 100,000 vote for banned slate in Basque Country

Voters in Spain's northern Basque country March 1 ended 29 years of rule by the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), leaving the way open for prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's socialists to lead a new government in the region. But supporters of outlawed Basque parties say that without the banning of their slate, the nationalist forces would be the majority in the regional parliament. They assert that more than 100,000 people voted for the banned candidates as a symbolic protest.

Britain's anti-terrorism reviewer urges inquiry into complicity with US torture

The UK government's independent reviewer of terror laws March 1 called for a judicial inquiry into British complicity in US "rendition" and torture. The reviewer, Lord Carlile of Berriew, specifically cited the case of Binyam Mohamed, the British resident who alleges that he was tortured with the knowledge of MI5 while held in US custody in Pakistan in 2002. Labour Party Deputy Leader Harriet Harman was non-committal, saying only that, "We'll have to listen to what he [Berriew] says, but at the moment, we've got an investigation by the Attorney General." Asked if she would rule out a judicial inquiry, Harman responded, "We'll just have to see what lies ahead on that."

Syndicate content