North Africa
Mali poised for multi-sided war
With French troops fighting on the ground in Mali, jihadist militias advance on the capital, while Tuareg rebels pledge to re-establish a separatist state in the north.
Greater Middle East
UN Security Council urged to refer Syria to ICC
More than 50 countries asked the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, saying atrocities against the population are now “almost the norm.”
Greater Middle East
Saudi court convicts Egyptian rights lawyer
A Saudi Arabian court convicted Egyptian human rights lawyer Ahmed el-Gezawi of smuggling drugs, sentencing him to five years imprisonment and 300 lashes.
Southern Cone
Chile: ‘terrorist’ attacks in Mapuche region
The Chilean government prepared to step up repression against Mapuche activists after an elderly couple died in a fire set at their estate by some 20 masked men.
Central America
Honduras: two more campesinos killed in Aguán
Two campesinos were shot dead as violence continued in land disputes in the Lower Aguán Valley; the victims had been occupying land claimed by a university.
The Caribbean
Dominican Republic: Haitian workers protest
About 100 Haitian immigrant workers protested in front of the Labor Ministry in Santo Domingo, while hundreds more blocked a bridge at the border in the northwest.
The Caribbean
Haiti: Aristide gets questioned; Duvalier gets new passport
A prosecutor met with former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide for about 30 minutes to discuss criminal complaints accusing Aristide of theft, swindling and abuse of confidence.
Afghanistan
Pakistan: Sufi leads anti-corruption protests
Thousands of Pakistanis chanitng “we want change” filled the streets of Islamabad in a massive anti-corruption protest led by Sufi cleric Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri.
Afghanistan
Pakistan: Shi’ites stage die-in —for real
Shi'ites in Quetta, capital of Pakistan's Balochistan province, spent three nights in the freezing cold with the bodies of their slain loved ones at one of the city's main intersections.
Mexico
Peace of the graveyard in Ciudad Juárez?
Violent deaths in Ciudad Juárez dropped to 800 last year, down from a peak of 3,622 in 2010—likely because the Sinaloa Cartel has finally crushed local rival, the Juárez Cartel.
The Amazon
Bolivia: deforestation decree protested
A new law promulgated by Bolivia’s President Evo Morales forgives past illegal deforestation in the name of boosting food production—drawing criticism from ecologists.
Planet Watch
Chief Spence maintains hunger strike —despite Ottawa meetings
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Gov-Gen. David Johnston met with First Nations chiefs in Ottawa, but Chief Theresa Spence announced that she will maintain her hunger strike.