Iraq
Cultural legacy lost as ISIS torches Mosul library
Many rare and antique volumes were lost as ISIS forces put the Mosul library to the torch—over vociferous pleas and protests from the city's notables.
Author: CounterVortex
The Andes
Colombia: threats mount against victim reps
Victim representatives at peace talks with the FARC rebels held a press conference in Bogotá to demand action from the Colombian government over mounting death threats.
The Andes
Informal miners strike in Colombia
Small-scale gold and emerald miners in Colombia launched a strike, blocking roads at several points across the central department of Antioquia to protest raids on their operations.
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.
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.