If you still think religion isn't political, this should disabuse you of your illusions. Ironically, the exiled Dalai Lama moves towards modernity, suggesting his successor could be elected rather than chosen by the cosmic forces of reincarnation. China, bizarrely, attempts to play a Tibetan fundamentalist card against the Dalai Lama, insisting that the ancient ways be honored—as long as the cosmic forces submit to Beijing's will, of course. From the BBC, Nov. 28, emphasis added:

Gillian Gibbons, the British school-teacher sentenced to 15 days in prison in Sudan for naming a class teddy bear "Mohammed," has been transfered to a secret location after thousands of Sudanese—many armed with clubs and swords and beating drums—marched in Khartoum to demand her execution. Some burned pictures of Gibbons and chanted "Kill her! Kill her by firing squad!" (Canadian Press, GMA, Dec. 1)

Rebels in Chad have declared war on the former colonial power France. Mahamat Hassane Boulmaye, spokesman for the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD), said in a statement: "The UFDD considers itself to be in a state of belligerence against the French army or any other foreign forces on national territory." He said the EU peacekeeping force to be stationed in Chad to help police neighboring Darfur is a "a hostile act," adding: "We will view the European soldiers as enemies, whether they are French or Austrian."

Turkey attacked PKK rebel targets in northern Iraq Dec. 1, saying it inflicted "heavy losses." The Turkish General Staff said it ordered artillery and air-strikes against a group of "50 to 60 terrorists...inside Iraq's borders" southeast of the Turkish town of Cukurca, Hakkari province. "If necessary, other army units will intervene in the region," the statement added. While there have been mounting reports of Turkish strikes on Iraqi territory in recent weeks, this is the first time Turkish authorities have admitted to such an attack.

Colombian prosecutors on Nov. 22 ordered the detention of an army captain, Guillermo Gordillo, for participating with paramilitary killers in the massacre of eight civilians, including three children, in San José de Apartadó in February 2005. (Fiscalia press release, Nov, 22) "The community was right," read the Semana headline about Gordillo's detention Nov. 24. The case led to the suspension of more than $70 million in US military aid that year. The prosecutors' move acknowledges what Peace Community leaders said from the beginning, but was categorically denied by Colombian Vice-President Francisco Santos (nominally designated as the Colombian state's human rights representative) and high military officials.

On Nov. 23, approximately 5,500 Colombian and Ecuadoran women marched for demilitarization, to end violence against women, to construct peace with dignity and social justice and for a negotiated solution to the conflict. Their celebration was to mark Nov. 25, the International Day to End Violence Against Women. This was the seventh year that women from all over Colombia mobilized "to make visible" an area of conflict in the country and specifically, how that conflict impacts women. Women marched from Tulcan, Ecuador and Ipiales, Colombia: they met at the international bridge of Rumichaca, the border between the two countries.

For more than four months 1,200 workers have been on strike at the Cananea copper mine in Sonora—the largest copper mine in Mexico and one of the largest mines in the world. Mexico's Mining and Metal Workers Union is demanding that health and safety conditions be addressed at the mine. Most of the copper mined at Cananea is exported to the US for use in electronics equipment. Between Oct. 6-8 a binational delegation of occupational health professionals, organized by the US United Steelworkers union and the Maquiladora Health Safety and Support Network, toured the site at the invitation of the Cananea workers. A report, released Nov. 12, found serious occupational hazards and deliberate neglect of safety precautions on the part of Grupo Mexico, SA, the owners of the mine. The Cananea strike follows a February 2006 explosion at a Grupo Mexico mine that killed 65 miners.

From the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), Nov 27:

Brutal Government Attacks on Community of Cutumay Camones Continue
On November 22, the community of Cutumay Camones was again brutally attacked by the Salvadoran riot police (UMO). The community, in their continuous resistance to the construction of a garbage dump, blocked the entrance of the construction site. Orlando Mena, Santa Ana's mayor, joined with Police Director Rodrigo Avila in sending more than 300 riot police to "dissolve the protest," attacking the community with tear gas fired from surrounding helicopters.