Iran

US, Iranian forces converge on Syria

Some 5,000 US troops are in Jordan to participate in the multi-national Eager Lion exercises—just as Iran is sending 4,000 Revolutionary Guards to support Syria's Bashar Assad.

Greater Middle East

Turkish unions appeal for solidarity

Turkey’s DISK labor federation is calling for international solidarity as Prime Minister Erdogan declared its general strike in support of the protest movement “illegal.”

The Andes

Bolivia: how many indigenous nationalities?

Meeting with Bolivia’s jurists to hash out protocols for autonomy, traditional authorities accused the government of underestimating the number of indigenous peoples.

The Andes

Peru: is Conga project cancelled?

Peru’s mining minister Jorge Merino denied media reports that the controversial gold project at Conga, in northern Cajamarca region, has been cancelled.

Central America

Guatemala militarized after armed attack

Guatemala’s President Otto Pérez Molina inaugurated a new paramilitary force after an armed attack on a National Police post left eight officers dead and a commander abducted.

Central America

Nicaragua approves China-backed canal plan

Nicaragua sealed a pact granting Chinese business magnate Wang Jing exclusive rights to build a multibillion-dollar inter-oceanic canal through the Central American nation.

Africa

Egypt threatens Ethiopia over hydro project

Egyptian politicians threatened military action as Ethiopia began diverting waters of the Blue Nile for a mammoth new hydro-electric project, abrogating a colonial-era pact.

Inner Asia

Asia’s secret nuclear arms race

For all the hoopla about North Korea, a far more significant threat on the Asian continent is getting virtually no coverage: the nuclear arms race between China and India.