Security forces fired on hundreds of mourners marching toward Bahrain's Pearl Square Feb. 18, with a helicopter spraying fire on protesters as they fled. Marchers were chanting "Peaceful, peaceful" when the troops opened fire. At least 50 were wounded. The funeral march was held to honor those killed in protests the previous day. (NYT, AP, NPR, Feb. 18)

Amnesty International (AI) on Feb. 17 released a report asserting new evidence that the the Supreme Military Council of Egypt has been torturing protester-detainees. Through various detainee accounts, AI stated that individuals were tortured "to intimidate protesters and to obtain information about plans for the protests." In addition, protesters contend that they were told to confess that they were trained by the Israeli or Iranian governments. AI's director for the Middle East and North Africa Malcolm Smart stated, "The Egyptian military authorities have committed publicly to creating a climate of freedom and democracy after so many years of state repression. Now they must match their words with direct and immediate action."

A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled Feb. 15 that former Somali prime minister and defense minister Mohamed Ali Samantar is not entitled to legal immunity from civil lawsuits. Samantar, who has lived in the greater Washington DC area for more than 15 years, was sued in 2004 by two Somali men who alleged he spearheaded a campaign of ethnic repression against the northern Somali Isaaq clan during his tenure in office.

Israel's Knesset approved an initial reading of a bill banning boycotts against the state Feb. 16, following a heated debate during which Arab and left-wing MKs walked out. Meanwhile, the Foreign and Justice ministries warned that the bill could harm Israel's relations with other states. The bill was proposed by MK Zeev Elkin (Likud) and 24 other MKs, including some from the Kadima Party. The bill would impose fines on any Israeli calling for or supporting a boycott against Israeli citizens, factories, companies or state agencies. The basic fine is $8,200. Additional fines can be charged if damages are deemed to have been incurred. (YNet, Feb. 15)

A report from Israeli rights organization Yesh Din shows 91% of Palestinian complaints about settler violence on the West Bank end without indictments. Yesh Din has filed such cases of behalf of West Bank Palestinians since 2005. The report shows that 488 of the 539 cases, or 91%, filed by Yesh Din were closed without indictments. In 315 cases, police cited "assailant unknown" as the reason for this and in 33 cases "no criminal culpableness" was found.

For years we have been noting specious terrorism cases in which FBI operatives entrap gullible hotheads by pretending to be from al-Qaeda. Well this time it's different. This time its DEA operatives pretending to be from the Taliban. But once again, if you just read the headline you'd never know that the real Taliban had nothing to do with the case whatsoever. A sinister federal practice is compounded by irresponsible journalism. From the New York Times, Feb. 14:

February's freezing fury has left a path of crumpled crops, pummeled harvests and dashed dreams in the countryside of northern Mexico. Hardest hit was the northwestern state of Sinaloa, known as the "Bread Basket of Mexico," where about 750,000 acres of corn crops were reported destroyed after unusually cold temperatures blanketed the north of the country in January and early February. Sinaloa is among Mexico's major producers of white corn, the variety of maize used to make staple tortillas. Heriberto Felix Guerra, secretary of the federal Secretariat for Social Development (SEDESOL), called the weather-related losses "the worst disaster" in the history of Sinaloa.

Gunmen on a highway in northern Mexico killed an agent of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bureau on Feb. 14, and wounded another. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the agents were assigned to the ICE attaché office at the US embassy in Mexico City, and were been shot in the line of duty while driving between the city and Monterrey. ICE identified the deceased as Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the wounded agent as Victor Avila, who was shot twice in the leg. Gunmen apparently ambushed their SUV in San Luis Potosí state. (AP, Feb. 16; NYT, Feb. 15)