The Andes

Bolivia: police clash with disabled

Riot police in La Paz clashed with disabled protesters in wheelchairs and on crutches. The “Wheelchair Caravan for Integration” traveled 100 days cross country to demand rights and government aid for Bolivia’s disabled.

Mexico

Mexico busts more Sinaloa kingpins —but still not El Chapo

Mexican federal police announced the arrest of two leading Sinaloa Cartel figures, Jaime Herrera Herrera AKA "El Viejito" and osé Antonio Torres Marrufo AKA "El Marrufo"—but maximum boss Joaquín Guzmán AKA "El Chapo" (Shorty) remains at large.

Africa

Somalia: Ethiopian advance takes Baidoa from Shabaab

As Ethiopian forces press their offensive in Somalia, Shabaab rebels relinquished control of Baidoa, a key southern city that had been under their control for three years. The rebels still control the largest swath of Somalia’s south.

Afghanistan

Afghan “surge” of military advisors amid anti-US protests

The next round of deployments to Afghanistan was announced amid a wave of anti-US protests. Five brigades and one army command will train and support the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), an unprecedentedly large training mission.

Greater Middle East

Yemen: one-candidate elections marred by violence, boycotts

Yemeni officials hailed a 60% turnout in elections that officially ended President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule, despite boycott calls by separatists in the south where violence marred polling. Shi’ite rebels in the north also boycotted the polls.

Greater Middle East

Egypt: court rules parliamentary election process unconstitutional

Egypt’s High Administrative Court ruled that the voting system used in recent parliamentary election was unconstitutional. It is not clear whether the ruling will lead to invalidation the elections, widely viewed as Egypt’s freest vote in decades.

Central America

Honduras: growing unrest in wake of prison fire

Hundreds of relatives of inmates who burned or suffocated to death at the Comayagua prison fire in Honduras pushed past security guards to force their way into a morgue to demand the remains of loved ones. Police cleared the morgue with tear gas.

Mexico

US, Mexico open transboundary waters to oil and gas exploitation

Officials from the US and Mexico signed an agreement that opens the way for oil and gas development along the two countries’ maritime boundary in the Gulf of Mexico. A moratorium on drilling had been extended after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

South Asia

Piracy paranoia sparks Italo-Indian imbroglio

Indian police detained two members of an Italian navy security team over the fatal shooting of two fishermen from an oil tanker off the coast of Kerala, sparking a diplomatic fracas. Italy says the naval guards mistook the fishermen for pirates.

Planet Watch

Meanwhile, the oceans are dying…

A new report by British scientists finds that the current level of carbon dioxide emissions will wipe out about 30% of the world’s marine species by the end of the century. Released carbon dioxide is leading to acidification of the oceans.