Central America
Will OAS summit broach drug decrim?
The OAS summit in Guatemala opens in the wake of a ground-breaking report dissenting from the US-led “drug war” and broaching decrim and legalization strategies.
Author: CounterVortex
Turkish hopes for a new beginning
Whether or not the protestors currently occupying Istanbul’s Taksim square can evolve into an effective, open and progressive opposition to the AKP’s authoritarian neoliberal regime remains to be seen. But John McSweeney writes for openDemocracy that one thing is clear: this… Read moreTurkish hopes for a new beginning
The Andes
Peru: ‘opium mafia’ revealed in national police
The local anti-drug prosecutor in Peru’s Amazonas region has opened an investigation into 25 suspected of running an “opium mafia” within the security services.
The Andes
‘Narco-pardons’ scandal shakes Peru elite
A parliamentary Mega-Commission investigating corruption under ex-president Álan García has shocked Peru with its findings that hundreds of narco-traffickers were pardoned.
The Andes
Peru: protests over militarization of coca zone
Peasants protested in Peru's coca-producing Apurímac-Ene River Valley after army troops fired on a public transport microbus, injuring nine. A state of emergency permits impunity.
Greater Middle East
Lebanon’s hashish valley drawn into Syrian war
Lebanon’s hashish heartland of the Bekaa Valley is increasingly embroiled in the civil war raging across the border in Syria, with a wave of sectarian clashes and abductions.
Inner Asia
Kyrgyzstan: emergency over mining protests
Kyrgyzstan declared a state of emergency after hundreds of protesters stormed the offices of the Kumtor gold mine, run by the Canadian-based Centerra Gold.
Greater Middle East
Next: Turkish spring?
Istanbul police raided a protest camp in Taksim Gezi Park, slated to be bulldozed for a new shopping mall. Demonstrations continue, and have spread to Ankara.
North Africa
Niger mine attack launched from Libya: France
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in Niger that the attackers who carried out double suicide bombings on a military camp and uranium mine likely came from Libya.
Greater Middle East
‘Sunni cleansing’ in Syria?
Turkey sees in the battle for Qusayr a strategy to create an Alawite mini-state within Syria, purged of Sunni Muslims, to which the ruling elite can withdraw for a last stand.
Whither Iran’s democratic opposition?
A protester for women’s equality in Tehran. As we approach the June 2013 Iranian presidential election, the real frontrunners of the 2009 election, as well as many young activists, remain in prison. But several defining issues continue to fuel the grassroots… Read moreWhither Iran’s democratic opposition?
North Africa
Mali to resume talks with Tuareg rebels
Mali’s government and the MNLA, at odds over whether army troops will be allowed into the rebels’ northern stronghold for upcoming elections, will resume talks in Burkina Faso.