UM, GUYS? - Ousted Honduran President Mel Zelaya is questioning why Washington is prepared to recognize the November 29 presidential election if it takes place before he is returned to power, as expressed on CNN en Espanol yesterday by the top U.S. envoy to Latin American. Last week, Zelaya and the leader of the coup regime cut a deal under the watchful eye of the U.S. State Department. The deal called for a reinstatement of Zelaya contingent on the approval of Congress. Washington hailed the pact as a triumph for democracy. Now the Honduran Congress is dragging its feet on the vote and the election is rapidly approaching. Link

UN SHIFTS STAFF FOR SAFETY - The United Nations today announced plans to relocate 600 staff members in Afghanistan for their own safety. Last week five UN personnel and 3 Afghans were killed in a Taliban attack on a guest house in Kabul. The relocation won't affect aid delivery, which is done by Afghan staff. Kai Eide, the UN's head of mission in Afghanistan, said that some of the workers will be moved within Afghanistan and others will be transferred to other countries. Link

US-COLOMBIA PACT SPARKS UPROAR - Colombian opposition leaders are up in arms over a new 10-year pact with the United States that would allow the U.S. to use not only Colombian military bases but civilian airports as well. U.S. military and civilian contractors would enjoy diplomatic immunity under the deal. We all know how well de facto immunity worked out for Blackwater in Iraq. Link

ICC TO PROBE KENYA VIOLENCE - The International Criminal Court announced today that it will begin an inquiry into the wave of post-election carnage that overtook Kenya in 2008. ICC investigator Luis Moreno-Ocampo told Kenyan leaders that the ICC was bound to investigate because the atrocities that took place were "crimes against humanity." More than 1000 people died in the post-election conflict. Link

MEXICAN MILITARY CALLED OUT AT IACHR - The 137th session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) kicked off Monday in Washington, D.C. Today there will be a hearing on "Public Security and Human Rights in Tijuana, Mexico." Activists and family members will testify about alleged human rights abuses by the military in northern Mexico. President Calderone has effectively placed the country under military occupation in the name of his stepped-up drug war. Accusations of rape, arbitrary detention, torture, and murder by soldiers have skyrocketed since soldiers began to take the place of police officers on the beat. Link