The Andes
Peru: naked protesters storm congress
National Police troops used tear-gas and armored vehicles against hundreds of partially naked marchers for abortion rights who attempted to storm Peru's Congress building.
Author: CounterVortex
Planet Watch
British Columbia mine waste spill: one year later
One year after a catastrophic waste spill at British Columbia's Mount Polley Mine, the facility is set to re-open—but its expansion is blocked by the opposition of local First Nations.
Southern Cone
Chile: suicide follows ‘dirty war’ conviction
One day after Chile's Supreme Court sentenced him to 20 years in prison for a "dirty war" crime, a Pinochet-era general shot himself in the head in his apartment in Santiago.
The Andes
Colombia: peace negotiator implicated in atrocity
An imprisoned paramilitary commander testified that an army general taking part in peace talks with FARC rebels was involved in the killing of journalist and comedian Jaime Garzón.
The Andes
Ecuador: general strike, indigenous march on Quito
An indigenous March for Life and Dignity arrived in Quito just as a general strike was launched to press Ecuador's President Rafael Correa on economic and environmental demands.
The Amazon
Brazil: indigenous activists occupy Justice Ministry
Some 100 Guarani activists launched an occupation of the Justice Ministry building in Brasilia, demanding action on demarcation of ancestral lands usurped by ranchers and agribusiness.
Iraq
Mass protests shake Baghdad regime
Tens of thousands took to the streets of Baghdad to protest economic conditions and corruption. The demonstrations are bringing together Sunnis, Shi'ites and leftists.
The Andes
Peru: army claims rescue of Sendero slaves
Peru's army announced that it had "rescued" 39 people—the majority indigenous Asháninka and 26 of them underage—who were held captive in Sendero Luminoso camps.
The Amazon
Peru: plan to ‘contact’ isolated tribe draws protest
Indigenous advocates are urgently opposing a plan by Peru's Culture Ministry to establish "contact" with an isolated band in the Amazon under pressure from illegal loggers.
Greater Middle East
Suez Canal expansion amid regional war
Egypt formally opened an expansion to the Suez Canal amid pomp, spectacle—and a massive troop presence. The new trade hub opens as a jihadist insurgency mounts in the Sinai.
Planet Watch
Anishinaabe ‘Water Walk’ against pipeline plan
Anishinaabe activists in north Ontario are walking 125 kilometers of the proposed Energy East pipeline route to demonstrate their opposition, citing a threat to the region's waters.
Planet Watch
San Carlos Apache caravan to stop mineral grab
Members of the San Carlos Apache tribe returned to Arizona after traveling to Washington DC to protest a land-swap that would turn a sacred site over to copper mining.