Iraq
US prepares ground troops for Syria
The Pentagon is dispatching some 2,500 combat troops to back up forces fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, as the US-led anti-ISIS coalition continues to fracture.
Author: CounterVortex
North Africa
Mali: Tuareg rebel militias again seize Timbuktu
Installation of an interim authority in Timbuktu under a peace deal with Tuareg rebels in Mali's desert north was blocked as hardline factions erected street barricades.
The Andes
Colombia: terror continues against social leaders
Even as the FARC guerillas begin the disarmament process under Colombia's peace plan, the ongoing wave of deadly violence against social leaders remains unrelenting.
The Andes
Peru: legal persecution of anti-mining activists
A trial opened in Peru's Cajamarca region against 16 community leaders facing prison terms for their participation in a protest against the Conga mining project.
East Asia
South Korean farmers protest THAAD deployment
As the US moves to deploy the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, local farmers have launched a protest campaign and lawsuit to halt the installation.
Syria
Kurdish forces hand over villages to Assad regime?
Amid shifting alliances in the scramble for northern Syria, Kurdish-led forces are accused of handing over territory to the Assad regime, in a deal brokered by Russia.
Southeast Asia
Philippines: legal persecution of drug war critic
One of the Philippines' only lawmakers openly critical of President Rodrigo Duterte's blood-drenched "war on drugs" is herself facing "politically motivated" drug charges.
Burma: scribe’s murder tests democratic opening
Yangon vigil for assassinated journalist Ko Soe Moe Tun. The climate for media freedom in Burma has improved since the long years of military dictatorship, when the press was censored and journalists were slain with impunity. But the recent killing of… Read moreBurma: scribe’s murder tests democratic opening
North Africa
Libya: oil ports change hands yet again
The Benghazi Defense Brigades seized Libya's key oil ports from warlord Khalifa Haftar, and urged the Tripoli-based "official" government to take control of the country's "oil crescent."
Greater Middle East
Yemen: US warplanes strike Qaeda targets
US warplanes and drones struck supposed al-Qaeda targets across three provinces in Yemen, killing at least 12 suspected militants and wounding multiple civilians.
The Andes
Colombia: top court deals blow to open-pit project
Colombia's Constitutional Court ruled that "prior consultation" with local communities must be carried out before an open-pit gold mine project can move ahead.
The Andes
Colombia: FARC disarmament process begins
Under UN oversight, the FARC guerillas began the process of turning over their weapons at the 26 "transitional camps" established for the purpose around the country.