Fifteen residents were killed and 35 wounded as the Yemeni army bombarded the village of Souq al-Lail in the northern province of Saada on the night of May 30, setting a gasoline station ablaze. The region is the heart of Yemen's Shi'ite insurgency. An army official told AlJazeera: "The Yemeni authorities received information about an attack led by supporters of the rebellion against shops in Souq al-Lail in a bid to take over the petrol station and stock up on fuel. Security forces sought to strike the service station to prevent the rebels from seizing it." (AlJazeera, May 30)

Mexico's National Tourism Development Fund (Fonatur) has announced a new mega-complex to be built in the conflicted southern state of Chiapas. Centering around the Classic Maya ruins of Palenque, the complex will include an 8,000-room hotel, theme park and golf course. It will cover 58,490 hectares in the municipalities of Palenque, Catazajá, Chilón, Ocosingo, Salto del Agua and Tumbalá. Slated for completion in 2012, authorites say it will require the relocation of several local communities. (La Jornada, May 27) Meanwhile, the Federal Agency of Investigation (AFI) and Chiapas state police carried out raids of several houses and ranches in Palenque May 28. The raids came following an ambush of a patrol from the Chiapas State Agency of Investigation (AEI) just one block from Palenque's town plaza. The presumed sicarios (hired assassins) opened fire on the agents with AR-15 rifles from two cars, leaving one dead and two wounded. (APRO, May 29)

Mexico's National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) turned in its final report on last year's unrest in Oaxaca May 24, blaming both authorities and protesters for "excesses," and urging the government to investigate its finding that federal police tortured detainees. The independent governmental commission also blamed the government for not intervening to stop the crisis before it escalated to bloodshed. CNDH president José Luis Soberanes said the administration of then-President Vicente Fox had "unjustifiably delayed, for more than a month and a half, in complying with its constitutional duty to help restore order and peace in Oaxaca."

Bolivia's lower house Chamber of Deputies has approved a measure calling for incorporation of indigenous languages into the educational system. Warning that "every langauge represents a unique vision of the world," UNESCO recently found that 35 indigenous languages in Bolivia are in danger of extinction. The measure, Supreme Decree 25894, recognizes as official languages the indigenous tongues of Aymará, Baure, Besiro, Canichama, Cavineño, Cayubaba. Chácobo, Chimán, Ese Ejja, Guaraní, Guarasuwe, Guarayu, Itonoma, Leco, Machineri, Mojeño, Trinitario, Mojeño Ignaciano, More Mostén, Movida, Pacawara, Quechua, Reyesano, Sirionó, Tacana, Tapiete, Toromona, Uru Chipaya, Weenhayek, Yaminawa, Auki and Yuracaré. (La Epoca, Bolivia, via Quechua Network, May 29)

Ethiopian troops opened fire and killed five civilian bystanders May 30 after a land mine exploded as their convoy passed through the center of a western Somali town of Belet Weyne. (AP, May 30) As the transition government backed by Ethiopian and African Union troops struggle too impose authority on the country, NATO is said to be studying a request from the AU to provide air transport for its forces in Somalia. At present the AU force is made up of just 1,600 Ugandan troops. (Reuters, May 30)

Libya announced May 29 it will sign a $900-million exploration deal with BP, marking a return by the UK oil giant to the North African country after a 33-year absence. The announcement came ahead of a visit to Tripoli by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is starting a tour of Africa before he leaves office next month. "BP will be announcing that they're going back into Libya," a spokesperson for Blair said, confirming that the outgoing premier was due to hold talks with Libyan leader Moammar Qadaffi.

The US will face worse attacks than 9-11 if it does not heed al-Qaeda demands, according to a new statement from Adam Gadahn, a California-born convert to Islam and the first US citizen to be charged with treason since the World War II era. The Internet statement directly addresses George Bush: "Your failure to meet our demands...means that you and your people will, Allah willing, experience things which will make you forget about the horrors of Sept. 11, Afghanistan and Iraq, and Virginia Tech."

The Philippine government and the country's largest Islamic rebel group are moving closer to a deal on defining Muslim ancestral, leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have announced. "It's almost in the bag," said Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman. "The two sides are prepared to resume negotiations right after the dust of the elections settles. We're close to an agreement on the territory issue." The nearly 40-year-old conflict has killed more than 120,000 people and displaced 2 million in the southern island of Mindanao.