The Caribbean
Haiti: Sandy kills 54, threatens food supplies
Haiti suffered the worst damage of the Caribbean nations that Sandy affected, even though the storm’s center never passed over the country.
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?
Mexico
Mexico: torture and abuse cases continue to increase
Complaints of torture and other abuse by the police and the military have tripled since 2008, as the government steps up its militarized “war on drugs.”
Southern Cone
Chile: court approves call for US officer’s extradition
Chile’s Supreme Court approved a request for the extradition of a former US Navy captain to stand trial for his involvement in the murders of two US citizens in 1973.
Southern Cone
Chile: Supreme Court annuls Mapuche convictions
The Supreme Court quashed the convictions of two Mapuche prisoners for attempted homicide of police agents; the prisoners had protested their convictions with a 60-day fast.
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.
Southeast Asia
Indonesia indigenous peoples: We exist!
Indonesia responded to UN recommendations to recognize the rights of its indigenous peoples by claiming that none live in the country—as massacres of tribal peoples continue.
The Andes
Peru: land, water conflicts grow in Cajamarca
A campesino family in Cajamarca may face a four-year prison term for defending their lands in an ownership dispute with the US-backed Yanacocha mining company.