Pakistani officials said Nov. 26 that NATO aircraft had killed at least 25 troops in strikes against two military posts on the border with Afghanistan. The strikes, carried out by helicopters and fighter planes, apparently targeted posts in Mohmand tribal agency. Army chief of staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani called the attacks "unprovoked and indiscriminate." Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called it "outrageous" and convened an emergency meeting of the cabinet. The Pakistani government responded by ordering the CIA to vacate the drone operations it runs from Shamsi Air Base within 15 days. It also closed the two main NATO supply routes into Afghanistan, including the one at the border town of Torkham. NATO forces receive roughly 40% of their supplies through that crossing, which runs through the Khyber Pass. Islamabad gave no estimate for how long the routes will be shut down. (NYT, Associated Press of Pakistan, BBC News, Nov. 26)

In factory towns across China's Pearl River Delta industrial zone in Guangdong province, thousands of workers walked off the job this week in response to belt-tightening measures imposed by slowing orders from the West. Some 1,000 workers are striking at the Jingmo Electronics Corporation’s Shenzhen factory, located in the industrial district of Shajing township and owned by the Taiwan-based Jingyuan Computer Group. Workers are protesting mandatory overtime with no overtime pay, as well as the high rate of workplace injuries, abusive treatment by managers, mass layoffs of older workers and the lack of any benefits. At Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings' giant shoe factory in Huangjiang town—a major supplier for sports brand New Balance—some 8,000 workers took to the streets Nov. 24, blocking roads, overturning cars and clashing with police. The Federation of Hong Kong Industries has warned that up to a third of around 50,000 Hong Kong-owned factories in Guangdong and elsewhere in China could downsize or close by the end of the year, putting at risk hundreds of thousands of jobs. (Reuters, The Telegraph, Nov. 25; China Labor Watch, Nov. 23)

A 24-hour strike in Portugal against proposed austerity measures grounded flights and halted public transport Nov. 24, in what labor leaders called a "red card" for the government. Austerity measures adopted in return for a 78 billion euro ($104 billion) bailout by the European Union and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Hundreds of thousands of workers took part in the action, including air traffic controllers, trasnportation workers, teachers and hospital staff. The strike was called by Portugal's two leading labor unions, the General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP) General Workers Union (UGT) (BBC News, AP, Nov. 24)

Four men have been killed in protests this week by the Shi'ite minority in Saudi Arabia's east—the most serious violence in the kingdom since the start of the Arab Spring. Street clashes began after a youth was killed at a checkpoint near Qatif. On Nov. 24, security forces fired on the funeral of a slain protester, leaving two more dead. Police said they exchanged fire with gunmen who "infiltrated" the mourners. The Interior Ministry said that "a number of security checkpoints and vehicles have since Monday been increasingly coming under gunfire attacks in the Qatif region by assailants motivated by foreign orders." (The Independent, Middle East Online, Nov. 25)

The hegemonic media line that Greece's new "austerity" government is being staffed by non-ideological "technocrats" is deflated by Mark Ames on the Naked Capitalism blog Nov. 16. Ames documents that in fact this "technocratic" government includes figures from the old-line Greek fascist right, spawn of the military junta that ruled from 1967 to 1974. The post sports a photo of three men walking on a college campus—one armed with a club, another with an axe. The text explains:

Anonymous Israeli security officials told Haaretz newspaper Nov. 23 that they believe Turkey is preparing a military intervention in Syria, seeking to create a secure buffer zone on the border for armed opposition forces. Ankara has already given shelter to some 20,000 refugees fleeing repression by Syrian President Bashar Assad's security forces, and also hosts Syrian opposition groups. Unnamed Israeli officials said that Ankara is expected to set up bases that would be protected by the Turkish army from which Syrian opposition forces can operate. (Haaretz, Nov. 23)

Protests rocked Cairo for a sixth day Nov. 23, as security forces again used tear gas in another effort to clear Tahrir Square. Clashes raged in surrounding streets, and the square was illuminated by floodlights mounted on armored personnel carriers. Health officials say 32 are now dead in the six days of unrest. Protests also broke out in the Mediterranean port of Alexandria, the canal city of Suez, the central city of Qena, the northern city of Port Said, Assiut and Aswan in the south, in the Nile Delta province of Daqahliya, and the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The case against Jose Pimentel, the latest accused would-be Islamist terrorist who was busted in New York City, is starting to smell more and more dubious. It seems the case was left to the NYPD and Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance because the FBI—not exactly known for its caution or scrupulous reverence for defendants' rights—declined to get involved, fearing a weak case. City authorities are portraying Pimental as an "al-Qaeda sympathizer" (note: "sympathizer," not "operative") but also as a "lone wolf" with no actual overseas connections. He was impecunious (hardly a condition for an effective terrorist), and openly maintained a website espousing his jihadist beliefs and bad-assing about blowing shit up (ditto). The FBI was apparently worried about entrapment—which has already been invoked as a possibility by Pimentel's attorney.