Iraq
ISIS: too radical for al-Qaeda?
Ayman al-Zawahiri purged ISIS from al-Qaeda and confered the local franchise on the rival Nusra Front. But with the old Qaeda leadership moribund, ISIS now controls much of Iraq.
Afghanistan
US drone strikes on Pakistan after six-month hiatus
US drone strikes on two targets killed at least 16 presumed militants in North Waziristan, ending a nearly six-month halt in the Pakistan drone campaign.
Iraq
Kurds take Kirkuk, ISIS press offensive
Iraq's contested northern city of Kirkuk was taken by Kurdish forces after being abandoned by the army—while the ISIS offensive is halted just 75 miles outside Baghdad.
Watching the Shadows
Appeals court dismisses Gitmo detainee lawsuit
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia dismissed a torture lawsuit brought by an ex-Guantánamo detainee against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Greater Middle East
Egypt: activist sentenced to 15 years in prison
An Egyptian court sentenced Alaa Abdel Fattah, a prominent activist from the 2011 revolution, to 15 years in prison for organizing an unsanctioned protest last year.
Iraq
Iraq: half a million flee Mosul; ISIS advance south
An estimated half a million people have fled Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, since it was seized by ISIS forces—who have since taken Tikrit and are advancing on Baghdad.
Africa
Nigeria: more sectarian attacks
Gunmen killed at least eight people and burned down a church in attacks on two villages in Nigeria's central Plateau state—as 30 Fulani women were abducted in Borno.
Southern Cone
Brazil: strikes and protests greet World Cup
"There won't be a Cup; there'll be a strike," school teachers said in Rio, joining tens of thousands protesting government policies as the soccer championship opens.
Central America
El Salvador: US tries to block seed program
The US is threatening to cut aid if the Salvadoran government insists on buying seeds from small producers instead of big companies linked to US agribusiness.
Mexico
Mexico: Atenco campesinos face new land dispute
After defeating government "development" plans and repression a decade ago, militant campesinos are again confronting a program that would urbanize their farmlands.
The Caribbean
Haiti: UN ‘peacekeeping’ mission turns 10
Haitian and Latin American organizations are pushing for an end to the UN's military and police "stabilization" mission—after 10 years of corruption, violence and disease.
Palestine
Rights group protests Israel raid on Palestine TV
Reporters Without Borders said it was "outraged" by an Israeli police raid on the East Jerusalem studio of Palestine TV, in which a producer and cameraman were detained.