Iraq
Kurdish forces advance towards ISIS capital
Kurdish and allied Free Syrian Army forces, backed by US air-strikes, have advanced into Raqqa governorate, where ISIS has its de facto capital at the provincial seat.
Author: CounterVortex
Palestine
Protests as Israel starts Golan Heights drilling
Hundreds of residents and environmentalists protested in the occupied Golan Heights as exploratory oil drilling was initiated by US-owned Afek Oil & Gas.
The Andes
Peru declares no-fly zone over coca valley
Peru announced a no-fly zone over the conflicted coca-producing region known as the VRAE—reviving a controversial policy that claimed innocent lives 14 years ago.
The Andes
Colombia: rights situation grim despite peace talks
A UN report warns that Colombia's humanitarian situation remains severe in spite of ongoing peace talks with the FARC, stressing continued paramilitary activity.
The Andes
Colombia: protests against illegal mining in Cauca
Hundreds of indigenous and Afro-Colombian protesters in Colombia's Cauca region marched cross-country against illegal gold mining—despite paramilitary threats.
Southern Cone
Argentina: Chinese spaceport plan protested
Protesters marched to a construction site in Argentina's Neuquén province where plans are moving ahead for a spaceport to be overseen by China's space agency.
Africa
Sudan: mass rape by army in Darfur
Sudanese army forces raped more than 200 women and girls in an organized attack on the north Darfur town of Tabit in October, Human Rights Watch charges.
North Africa
Libya: Coptic Christians abducted by ISIS?
Presumed ISIS adherents in Libya have released photos on social media purporting to show some 20 abducted Coptic Christians, saying they await execution.
The Amazon
Peru: protests against PlusPetrol turn deadly
Two have been killed by army troops in militant protests against the operations of PlusPetrol at Pichanaki, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest Peru's Junín region.
Africa
Sahara drug trade funds Boko Haram insurgency
Traffickers have established a dope-for-guns pipeline across the Sahel and Sahara, integrating Boko Haram into drug-smuggling networks that stretch to Asia.
Mexico
Another sentencing in Sinaloa-Chicago connection
Twin brothers were the latest to be sentenced in a series of high-profile cases targeting Sinaloa Cartel operations in Chicago—despite having infiltrated the cartel for the DEA.
North Africa
Mali: Tuareg autonomy at issue in new fighting
UN "peacekeepers" have been drawn into fighting between Tuareg separatist rebels and pro-government paramilitaries as northern Mali remains divided.