Southeast Asia
Philippines: protests against martial law
Protests are emerging in the Philippines against ultra-hardline President Rodrigo Duterte's declaration of martial law in the southern island of Mindanao.
The Caribbean
Cuba Verde: survival of the ecological alternative
CounterVortex editor Bill Weinberg will give a presentation at New York’s Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space on ecological alternatives instated in Cuba after the Soviet collapse, and how they are faring in the current economic opening.
Greater Middle East
UAE accused of grave rights abuses in Yemen
Human Rights Watch accused the United Arab Emirates of operating secret facilities in Yemen, where detainees have been "forcibly disappeared, tortured, and abused."
Greater Middle East
Egypt: top court halts Red Sea islands transfer
Following rare public protests in defiance of harsh security measures, Egypt's Constitutional Court temporarily blocked the transfer of two disputed Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.
Africa
CAR: attacks continue despite peace accord
With armed factions proliferating across the Central African Republic, a cycle of revenge attacks is continuing despite recent peace accords by the principal actors.
The Andes
Colombia: push to resume glyphosate spraying
A new ruling by Colombia's top court may open the way for a resumption of glyphosate spraying to wipe out coca crops, which was suspended in 2015 due to health concerns.
Southern Cone
US guns to Brazilian narco-gangs
Amid fast-escalating nightmarish narco-violence in Brazil, police in Rio de Janeiro seized 60 assault rifles hidden in a freight shipment that had just arrived on a flight from Miami.
Iraq
Who destroyed Mosul’s al-Nuri mosque?
ISIS and the United States exchanged accusations over destruction of Mosul's historic Grand al-Nuri Mosque—another blow to the city's heritage, coming during the holiest days of Ramadan.
Indigenous resistance halts Bougainville mine
The push to re-open a controversial copper mine on the Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville was halted after indigenous residents blocked roads to prevent officials from going to the mine site and signing new agreements with landowners. The Panguna… Read moreIndigenous resistance halts Bougainville mine
Oceania
Indigenous resistance halts Bougainville mine
The push to re-open a controversial copper mine on the Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville was halted after indigenous residents blocked roads to prevent officials from reaching the site. (Image via Radio Australia)
Watching the Shadows
Supreme Court limits suits by post-9-11 detainees
The Supreme Court ruled 4-2 in Ziglar v. Abbasi that Muslim men detained in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks cannot sue top US officials, as they are protected by immunity.
Syria
Syria: popular uprising against al-Qaeda rule
Thousands of residents have repeatedly taken to the streets of Ma’arat al-Numan, a town in Syria’s Idlib governorate, to oppose the rule of jihadist forces that have seized control there.