Palestine
Palestinian on hunger strike beaten by soldiers
Hunger-striking prisoner Mohammad Rimawi in Suroka Hospital at Beersheba was beaten by Israeli soldiers, shackled to his bed, and threatened with force-feeding.
Author: CounterVortex
Palestine
Egypt: Israeli drone strike on Sinai peninsula?
Egyptian militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis claimed that a strike that killed four of its fighters in the Sinai peninsula was carried out by an Israeli drone.
Palestine
Syria: Palestinians still caught up in fighting
At least 28 Palestinian refugees were killed in Syria last month as refugee camps in the country continue to be dragged into the civil war, leaving thousands displaced.
Mexico
Mexico: notorious kingpin Caro Quintero freed
Mexico’s most notorious kingpin, Rafael Caro Quintero, was released from Puente Grande federal prison in Jalisco where he had been incarcerated for the past 28 years.
The Andes
Colombia: coca production down as narcos diversify
The area planted with coca leaf in Colombia has fallen by 25% according to the UN—but experts fear armed narco networks are moving into illegal gold and emerald mining.
South Asia
India: Gorkha separatists block tea exports
A general strike called by Gorkha separatists in West Bengal has brought production of the world-famous Darjeeling tea to a halt to demand creation of “Gorkhaland.”
Southeast Asia
Burma marks 1988 pro-democracy uprising
Burma’s regime finally allowed commemorations of the 1988 uprising that launched the democracy movement—but there has been no accountability for the bloody repression.
The Andes
Venezuela: Yukpa killed in land confrontation
Venezuelan army troops intervened in a confrontation between indigenous Yukpa residents and local ranchers over disputed lands, leaving one community member dead.
Greater Middle East
Yemen: US terror alert enflaming conflict?
The closing of the US embassy in Yemen has coinicided with drone strikes and clashes in Marib province, and a gun-battle between rival factions in the capital Sanaa.
Africa
Darfur: ethnic war exploding again
Efforts by pastoralist militias to bar refugees from returning to their lands in Darfur have sparked yet a new wave of fighting and displacement—with 250,000 uprooted this year.
Central America
Nicaragua: indigenous groups challenge canal plan
Nicaraguan civil society groups in the Caribbean region have challenged plans by a Hong Kong company to build an interoceanic canal through the Central American country.
The Andes
Peru: police ‘death squad’ leader absolved
A court in Trujillo, Peru, issued a ruling absolving former National Police colonel Elidio Espinoza, who was charged with running a secret "death squad" within the force.