From the Associated Press, Nov. 9:

Wanted Mexican leftist says Oaxaca rebellion will spread
OAXACA, Mexico — Flavio Sosa is remarkably relaxed for a wanted man.

As the most visible leader of a leftist movement that has rattled the Vicente Fox administration, chased state police out of this southern Mexican city and challenged hundreds of federal troops — Sosa faces arrest warrants on riot and conspiracy charges.

From the NY Daily News, Nov. 9:

SUV kills Brooklyn boy, 5

An SUV fleeing a fender bender jumped a Brooklyn sidewalk and mowed down a mother and her three children as they held hands - killing a 5-year-old boy, police and witnesses said.

Responding to the Nov. 6 bomb attacks in Mexico City, Mexico's contested president-elect Felipe Calderon pledged to "work arduously to recover the capacity of the state to face delinquency and terrorism... I have to be honest about this approach, it will not be easy, it will not be fast, it would be pretentious to offer immediate results, it would be an unpardonable boast to say the solution is simple and within easy reach; it will cost us work, time, economic resources, and it will cost us, unfortunately, human lives."

Kinda heartwarming, eh? From The Telegraph, Nov. 8:

Jews and Muslims unite against homosexuals
Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem have found common ground in their fierce opposition to a gay rights rally due to be held in the city this week. Leaders from both faiths have united to denounce the parade, which has prompted nights of street protest by ultra-orthodox Jews, who regard homosexuality as an "abomination", and death threats against those taking part.

As Mexico's federal Government Secretary Carlos Abascal appealed to Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz Ortiz to reconsider his stated intention to remain in office, thousands of the embattled governor's supporters rallied in the streets of Oaxaca City Nov. 7. That same day, a women's march demanding the withdrawal of federal polcie was attacked by armored vehicles with water cannons. Meanwhile, the Popular People's Assembly of Oaxaca (APPO) issued a statement demanding not only the resignation of Ruiz, but of his attorney general Lizbeth Caña, state police chief Lino Celaya and all the local state and municipal police commanders, as well as the withdrawal of federal police from Oaxaca, as pre-conditions for re-establishing dialogue with the federal government.

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.

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 El Universal, Nov. 7, via Chiapas95:

OAXACA - A combative grandmother known as Doctor Berta has become the signature voice of the insurgents in Oaxaca, where radio airwaves have become an essential tool of protesters.