Iraq
Turkish special forces intervene in Iraq
The Turkish military carried out a ground operation against PKK guerillas in northern Iraq, followed by airstrikes in the Kandil Mountains along the border.
Palestine
Chomsky sloppy on Gaza —and timid on Palestine’s future
Noam Chomsky, writing on his visit to the Gaza Strip, gets numerous facts wrong. But worse is his acceptance of the "two-state solution," a betrayal of secular-democratic principles.
Watching the Shadows
Haiti: Hidden costs of the industrial zone
Workers’ rally outside the Port-au-Prince industrial park, Oct. 8. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill Clinton, US special envoy to Haiti, were both on hand for the opening of the new Caracol Industrial Park, a 617-acre tax-exempt… Read moreHaiti: Hidden costs of the industrial zone
North America
Montana voters: corporations are not people
In a landslide victory, Montana voters approved an initiative stating “that corporations are not entitled to constitutional rights because they are not human beings.”
North America
Obama’s re-election: more historic than 2008?
Obama was re-elected with a shrinking minority of the white vote compared to 2008. This bodes poorly for the GOP's future, and also explains its radicalization.
Greater Middle East
Turkey: 700 Kurdish prisoners on hunger strike
Thousands held demonstrations in Ankara, Istanbul and Diyarbakir to show solidarity with Kurdish political prisoners who have been on hunger strike in Turkey.
Iran
Iran: women prisoners on hunger strike
Nine female political prisoners in Iran—including some deemed “prisoners of conscience” by Amnesty International—have started a hunger strike in response to abuse by prison guards.
Guardians of the Lagunas
Organized as “Guardians of the Lagunas,” campesinos in Cajamarca, Peru, have established an encampment to maintain round-the-clock vigilance at the proposed site of US-backed Yanacocha company’s Conga gold mine. The effort was launched in response to reports of construction work… Read moreGuardians of the Lagunas
The Andes
Peru: threats against Cajamarca movement
Campesinos who support the proposed Conga mine are threatening to evict the encampment estabished at the concession bloc by the "Guardians of the Lagunas."
Planet Watch
Sandy and climate change: media hot air
Media bloviators argue about whether superstorm Sandy was "caused by" climate change, oblivious to the obvious reality: such extreme weather events are climate change!
New York City
NYC: obligatory disaster rant
"Mandatory evacuation" set a dangerous precedent for executive power and displacement of the poor—but will the "Frankenstorm" at least be a climate-change wake-up call?
Southeast Asia
Mindanao: fighting despite new autonomy deal
New fighting was reported from the southern Philippines island group of Mindanao, despite a recent deal on regional autonomy aimed at ending the decades-long insurgency.