Syria
Russia ‘withdraws’ from Syria —not
Despite misleading media accounts, Moscow has only withdrawn its aircraft carier from Syria’s coast, and is in fact beefing up forces at its bases within the country.
Southern Cone
Argentina: Mapuche land struggle terrorist-baited
Authorities in Argentina's Chubut province accused Mapuche indigenous activists of being "terrorists" after a clash with police at a protest encampment on usurped lands.
Greater Middle East
Turkey: life term for Kurdish opposition leader?
Turkish prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Figen Yüksekdağ, co-chair of the Kurdish-led Peoples’ Democratic Party, on charges of “terrorism” for her alleged ties to PKK.
The Amazon
Bolivia plans Amazon ‘mega-dams’ amid opposition
Indigenous communities in the Bolivian Amazon are joining with ecologists to oppose a "mega-dam" complex the government has announced for the Río Beni.
Mexico
Mexico: protest caravan for missing students
A "Caravan for Memory and Hope" departed from Guerrero state toward Mexico City to demand justice in the case of the 43 "disappeared" college students.
Watching the Shadows
Obama’s final year: a CounterVortex scorecard
With a Trump despotism looming, CounterVortex offers its final assessment of Barack Obama's record in addressing the oppressive legacy of the Global War on Terrorism.
Watching the Shadows
Amnesty: ‘final plea’ to Obama to close Gitmo
Ahead of the 15th anniversary of the first detainees arriving at Guantánamo Bay, Amnesty International issued a "final plea" to President Obama to close the facility.
The Andes
Mass prisoner pardon in Bolivia
President Evo Morales on Christmas Eve pardoned and released 1,800 prisoners—part of his ongoing effort to curtail dangerous overcrowding in Bolivia's penal system.
Iran
Iran: imprisoned activists on hunger strike
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran expressed urgent concern for eight imprisoned activists believed to be on life-threatening hunger strikes.
Europe
UN reports record high migrant deaths in 2016
The UN International Organization for Migration reports that 2016 saw more recorded migrant deaths than any previous year, with a minimum of 5,079 lost at sea.
North America
New pipeline showdown brews in New Jersey
The Ramapough Lunaape tribe in Mahwah, NJ, is protesting the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline that would carry shale oil down the Hudson Valley through their lands.
Central America
Climate change and Bolivia’s crisis drought
A local campesino looks out on what remains of the Desaguadero River. Lake Poopó was once Bolivia's second largest lake, after Titicaca—the two connected by the Desaguadero. Now climate change has melted the Andean glaciers that fed Poopó. Water from its tributaries… Read moreClimate change and Bolivia’s crisis drought