Mexico

Mexico: Zetas kill bloggers

The decapitated and mutilated body of an unidentified man was found in Nuevo Laredo. A message left under the decapitated head named the man as “El Rascatripas”, a moderator for a website where citizens anonymously report narco-violence.

Iran

Mossad behind blast at Iran missile base?

A blast at Iran’s Alghadir missile base at Bid Ganeh—so powerful it rattled windows 30 miles away in Tehran—has raised speculation about Israeli covert action against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

New York City

NYC: police evict Occupy Wall Street encampment

Hundreds of riot police descended on Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park after midnight, in a surprise sweep of the Occupy Wall Street encampment. Occupiers are regrouping at other parks and preparing a “Shut Down Wall Street” action Thursday.

North America

Occupation camps evicted in Portland, Denver, Chapel Hill

Riot police evicted Occupation camps from public parks in Portland, Ore., and Denver, arresting scores, while rifle-wielding officers were sent in to remove protesters from an abandoned property they had taken over in downtown Chapel Hill, NC.

The Andes

Peru: anti-mining protesters occupy Cajamarca

Residents in Cajamarca, Peru, held a general strike, blockading the local highway and occupying the university campus, to demand that the US-owned Yanacocha Mining Corp. drop its plans to develop a giant gold mine.

Africa

Full-scale war looms as Khartoum bombs refugees in South Sudan

The newly independent South Sudan accused Khartoum’s armed forces of bombing targets in its territory—including a refugee camp at Yida in oil-rich Unity state, where reports indicate at least 12 dead. Khartoum denies responsibility.

Mexico

Mexico: HRW charges widespread rights abuses in “drug war”

Mexico’s military and police commit widespread rights violations with “near total impunity,” Human Rights Watch says, documenting of numerous cases of torture, “disappearance” and extrajudicial killings since President CalderĂłn took office.