The Israeli military brass is investigating whether human error or computer malfunction resulted in killing 19 Palestinians in their apartment block in Beit Hanoun, Gaza on Nov. 8. According to Ha'aretz, Nov. 9:

According to the IDF, the "normal" margin of error for an artillery shell under these conditions is about 200 meters, which is why IDF regulations for Gaza state that artillery targets must be at least 200 to 300 meters from civilian houses. But a 450-meter deviation would require only a three-degree deviation in the gun barrel, which is "undetectable by the human eye," said Brigadier General (reserves) Zvi Fogel, a former senior artillery officer.

Note the last paragraph. Tajikistan, it seems, is the new Uzbekistan. Islam Karimov may now be Moscow's son of a bitch. But Emomali Rakhmonov is (as FDR said of Nicaraguan dictator Anastaio Somoza) "our son of a bitch." From Pakistan's Daily Times, Nov. 8:

Tajik president courted by the West cruises to poll victory

DUSHANBE: Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov was declared winner on Tuesday of a presidential election in the strategic Central Asian state, a result likely to be welcomed by foreign powers despite doubts about its fairness.

From the Brunei Times, Nov. 9:

Surayud eyes autonomy for Thai south
Thailand's military-appointed prime minister, whose visit to the troubled deep South yesterday sparked a new wave of violence, is mulling to allow the rule of sharia law in the majority-Muslim region as a long-term solution to its problems.

Central American defense ministers meeting in Nicaragua last month expressed the need to create a regional military force in order to fight the rising tide of drugs and gangs. (ISN Security Watch, Oct. 10) It is still unclear whether Washington will help fund, train and arm such a program, which has been dubbed the "Mesoamerican Strategy", but recent remarks by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as to how organized crime and terrorism in the region was too big for a single country to handle is an indication that the US supports the idea.

From the New York Post, Nov. 3:

Ground Zero's "Angel" Nun Dies
An Episcopal nun who spent five months blessing remains at the World Trade Center died this week and has been granted her dying wish - to be autopsied to prove her lung disease was caused by toxins she inhaled.

Have we finally arrived at the pinnacle of cynicism? The use of torture is used as an excuse to keep detainees from speaking publicly about...the use of torture. From AP, Nov. 5, link added:

Court Told It Lacks Power in Detainee Cases

Washington: A suspected terrorist who spent years in a secret CIA prison should not be allowed to speak to a civilian attorney, the Bush administration argues, because he could reveal the agency's closely guarded interrogation techniques.

From the General Federation of Trade Unions-Iraq:

To all labor unions and organizations of the world,
On the General Federation of Trade Unions- Iraq (GFTU-Iraq) first convention

Solidarity greetings:

Our union GFTU-Iraq that was formed in June 2006 after a merger of the General Federation of Democratic Trade Unions and the Unions of Employees of Iraq will be holding its first convention in November 18, 2006 under very complicated political situations such as the absence of security and civil war that has been escalating viciously day by day.

On Oct. 24 residents of the Ecuadoran town of Arenillas, on the border with Peru, began a peaceful blockade of the Panamerican highway to demand that the Chacra-La Palma pedestrian border crossing be officially reopened to allow local commerce. Customs officials had closed the footbridge, arguing that it was being used for trade in contraband goods. Local authorities and residents in the neighboring town of Huaquillas, where the official border bridge is located, opposed the reopening of the footbridge.