Defying President Bush's veto threat, the House of Representatives April 25 narrowly approved a war funds bill that sets a timeline for the withdrawal of all US combat troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008. "Tonight, the House of Representatives voted for failure in Iraq and the president will veto its bill," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) said it was "ironic" that Bush will be sent the bill on May 1, the fourth anniversary of the president's speech aboard a US aircraft carrier emblazoned with a banner claiming "mission accomplished" in Iraq. Said House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio: "We can walk out of Iraq, just like we did in Lebanon, just like we did in Vietnam, just like we did in Somalia and we will leave chaos in our wake." (Reuters, April 26) He may be right. But the alternative may be staying—presiding over, and contributing to chaos.

The following account makes it sound like the the litigants were whining and frivolous, just looking for a cynical buck. But a photo caption accompanying the story in the Denver Post read: "Protesters display a photo of a sick child whose disease believed to have been caused by pollution from the Newmont mining during a demonstration against the mining company outside a court in Manado, 24 April 2007." From the AP, April 24:

April 24 marks the 92nd anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide, and Armenians worldwide commemorated the "First Genocide of the 20th Century" with solemn religious and civil ceremonies. However, little more than a week before the anniversary, the United Nations dismantled an exhibit on the Rwandan genocide and postponed its scheduled opening by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon—in response to objections from the Turkish mission to the exhibit's references to the Armenian genocide, which Turkey denies happened.

Combatants of Hamas’ military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have ended their five-month truce with Israel, firing 61 mortars and 30 rockets into Israel [April 24]. The group described the attack as in response to Israel having failed to respect the cease-fire, having killed nine Palestinians over the weekend. [AlJazeera, April 24] Palestinian interior minister Hani al-Qawasmi submitted his resignation on Monday after the failure of his administration to stem the increasing lawlessness gripping the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh refused to accept al-Qawasmi’s decision, who has agreed to remain in his post for the time being. [The Guardian, April 23]

Ogaden National Liberation Front guerillas stormed a Chinese-run oil field at dawn April 24 in eastern Ethiopia, killing 74 workers, abducting seven others and destroying the facility, the guerrilla group and government officials said. The rebel group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to the AP, saying it had launched "military operations against units of the Ethiopian armed forces guarding an oil exploration site." The statement boasted the rebels had "wiped out" three Ethiopian military units. It warned all international oil companies not to operate in the region.

From Amnesty International, April 19:

Political activist David Venegas was arbitrarily detained by state police in central Oaxaca City on 13 April, and reportedly tortured. He has been charged with serious criminal offences, on the basis of evidence which appears to have been fabricated. He may be at risk of further ill-treatment and unfair judicial proceedings. Human rights lawyer Isaac Torres Carmonas was with him when he was arrested, and the police reportedly threatened him.

Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa announced on April 21 during his weekly radio program that he planned to expel World Bank representative Eduardo Somensatto from the country and would consider legal actions against the lending institution itself. According to Correa, the World Bank held up a $100 million credit when he was economy minister in 2005 because of a reform of the law governing funds from petroleum; the reform increased the amount budgeted to social services and cut back the amount for debt repayment.

Agents of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have detained two former Peruvian military officers living in the US who are charged with human rights abuses in connection with an Aug. 14, 1985 military raid that killed 69 villagers—many of them tortured and raped—in the Peruvian Highlands village of Accomarca during the military's war against Peruvian Communist Party (PCP, Shining Path) guerrillas.