Haiti's Collective for Mobilization Against the High Cost of Living held a sit-in on July 25 in front of the Hotel Karibe Convention Center in Port-au-Prince to demand cancellation of Haiti's external debt. The protesters carried signs with such slogans as: "We're not in debt," "We have nothing to pay," "France is the one that's in debt." (Haiti was born from a massive slave rebellion against French colonial rule in the late 18th century.) According to the collective's spokesperson, Guy Numa, Haiti currently pays $60 million each year in interest on an external debt of a little more than $1 billion. (Agence Haitienne de Presse, July 25)

On Aug. 4, a federal court in Buenos Aires, Argentina, sentenced former federal police officer Julio Simon to 25 years of prison for the 1978 abduction and torture of Chilean citizen Jose Poblete Roa and his Argentine companion, Gertrudis Hlaczik, and the theft of the couple's eight-month-old daughter, Claudia Victoria.

It was the first such sentence since Argentina's Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that two amnesty laws passed in the 1980s were unconstitutional, clearing the way for trials over human rights abuses committed during the country's 1976-1983 dictatorship.

Seems like both sides in the Cuban political divide are atempting to co-opt Santeria, which is definitely bad news for the doves and chickens of Miami and Havana. Apparently neither the Fidelistas or the anti-Fidelistas are playing to the animal-rights constituency. From an Aug. 4 Reuters account, dateline Miami:

After Cuba announced on Monday that Castro had stomach surgery and put brother Raul in charge, Rigoberto Zamora, a babalawo, or priest, of what he calls Yoruba, the African name for Santeria, performed a fact-finding ritual.

After sacrificing a couple of black hens and a rooster to satisfy the hunger of the gods, he got the word from them: Castro is already dead; he died on Monday.

This July 30 Chicago Tribune story is suddenly much more relevant, since Fidel ceded executive powers—just one day after it appeared! The existence of groups like Elizardo Sanchez' Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation (about which more below) is anathema to the dogmatists on either side of the Havana-Washington/Miami divide.

U.S. aid unproductive, some Castro foes say
HAVANA - The Bush administration's plans to send an additional $80 million over the next two years to support Cuba's struggling opposition movement is being criticized by the very people the money is intended to help.

A story on new international interest in Cuba's offshore oil rights made the front page of the New York Times in May. But very interesting that the London Times gives it similar top billing Aug. 5, just as Fidel has (ostensibly temporarily) stepped down, ceding executive powers to his younger brother and security chief Raul for the first time since 1959.

Cuban oil grab sparks row in US over embargo of near neighbour
As the Spanish, Chinese and Canadians move in on Cuba's reserves, US politicians are fighting over what their response should be

The undiscriminating nature of aerial warfare is producing some surreal ironies in the Israel-Lebanon mess. As we have noted, Israel appears to be loaning military support to Iraqi Kurds due to mutual enmity for the Arabs, leading Arabs and Turks alike to increasingly view Kurdish separatism as a Jewish conspiracy. Yet the latest Israeli air strike on Lebanon's Bekaa Valley wiped out a bunch of Syrian Kurdish migrant fruit pickers. From Reuters, Aug. 4:

From La Jornada, Aug. 1, via Chiapas95 (our translation):

Guerilla groups will "not permit the imposition"

Chilpancingo, Guerrero, July 31 -- The guerilla organizations Revolutionary Workers Command "Mexico Barbaro"; the Comando Jaramillista Morelense "May 23"; the Popular Revolutionary Command "Fatherland is First", and the Democratic Revolutionary Tendency-Army of the People called for the Mexican people to "not permit the conservative and reactionary right to impose a spurious president, and not accept, under any circumstances, the negation and mockery of the popular will as expressed at the ballot boxes. Do not even diminish your protests!" The communique warned: "if in spite of everything the men of power and money succeed in consumating the usurpation of the government of the Republic, let there be no doubt: sooner rather than later, they will face the consequences!"

A communique in support of prisoners from the village of San Salvador Atenco, being held at Santiaguito prison in Mexico state. Via Chiapas95, Aug. 1 (our translation):

SANTIAGUITO PRISONERS DENOUNCE ATTACK BY GUARD AGAINST POLITICAL PRISONER

published by Radio Pacheco

Prisoners' letter, July 31
The aggression has begun again, this time against our companero David Medina Neri, a 42-year old man who was beaten by a guard today. Supposedly it's the guards' job to protect us from the aggression of other inmates, but now it turns out that the blows we receive come from them. Our companero David is sick and we know that any sickness hits people harder as they get older. He was lying down because he had the flu and a fever when the guy began kicking his right leg that had been hurting a few days before. He jerked him up and shoved him out of the cell, cursing at him all the while. The guard was told that we who were arrested at Atenco have a protective order that forbids that kind of treatment. It had happened once before when they tried to take our companero Arturo Sanchez Romero's shoes. The guard began to yell at us that he didn't give a shit about Atenco or protective orders, that they were just bullshit. Some of the companeros began to argue with him about what he was doing and he left as soon as he could.