from Weekly News Update on the Americas:

by Mandeep Dhillon, Upside Down World

by Marc Becker, Upside Down World

Thousands of Indigenous peoples from 24 countries gathered in Guatemala on March 26 for the Third Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities of Abya Yala. After U.S. President George W. Bush visited the country two weeks earlier during his contentious "diplomatic" tour of Latin America, Maya priests cleansed the site of his "bad spirits" in preparation for the summit.

from Weekly News Update on the Americas:

Guatemala: Three Salvadoran Reps Murdered; Accused Killers Follow Them to Grave

Three Salvadoran legislative deputies to the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) were murdered along with their driver on the afternoon of Feb. 19 as they were visiting Guatemala to attend a session of the parliament. Assailants followed them in vehicles to a place about 36 km from Guatemala City, killed them and set their van on fire—although there was evidence that some of the victims may have been alive when the fire was set.

from Weekly News Update on the Americas:

On March 24, two separate but nearly simultaneous marches were held in Buenos Aires to mark the anniversary of Argentina's 1976 coup and remember the 30,000 people who were disappeared by the military regime.

from Weekly News Update on the Americas:

Real Change on Anti-Woman "Hudood" Laws?

by Abira Ashfaq, Peacework

In November 2006, women in Pakistan and around the world celebrated the passage of the Women's Protection Bill, a rare instance of positive legislative reform offering some relief from Pakistan's infamous "Hudood Ordinances"—a set of religious-based laws that includes extreme restrictions and punishments for women. While celebration is justified, the women's movement in Pakistan has a long way to go.

Israel and its Allies Instrument Social Disaster

by Jennifer Bing-Canar and Adam Horowitz, Peacework