A Russian naval flotilla led by an aircraft carrier docked in the Syrian port of Tartus in what Damascus hailed as a show of solidarity by Moscow—as NATO member Turkey broached military intervention in the conflicted Arab nation.
The Chinese government’s new white paper outlining its plans for the next five years in space broaches placing a human being on the Moon—as tensions with US allies again mount in contested areas of the South China Sea.
A “Plurinational Encuentro” held last month in Cochabamba brought together lawmakers and leaders of popular movements—but was boycotted by Bolivia’s main labor federation and dissident campesino organizations.
An investigative commission in Afghanistan issued a statement alleging the abuse of detainees held by the US military at prisons in the country. The commission called for the transfer of all prisoners held by the US to Afghan custody.
Following a wave of forest fires in the southern Araucania and Bio-Bio regions that left seven fire-fighters dead this week, Chile’s government suggested that “terrorism” by indigenous Mapuche activists may have been responsible.
Despite the mobilization of some 500 National Police troops, the streets of towns in Colombia’s northern Urabá region have been cleared by threats from Los Urabeños paramilitary network, which has declared an “armed strike.”
The Oromo Support Group reports that authorities in the de facto state of Somaliland are forcibly repatriating asylum-seekers from the oppressed Oromo and Ogadeni ethnic groups to Ethiopia, where they face persecution.
The Pentagon’s new “strategic guidance” document foresees a shift to the Asia-Pacific theater as the primary focus of US global policing. Budget cuts would only bring the US back to 2007 levels—still ahead of the 10 nearest rivals.
Internet restrictions passed last year are set to go into effect in Belarus, amid international criticism. The new law creates several tiers of limitations on use of the Internet, imposing penalties for visiting “blacklisted” sites.
Mexican federal officials have mobilized thousands more military troops to violence-torn northeastern Tamaulipas state in an emergency move prompted by escalating violence—punctuated by a prison riot that left over 30 dead.
Hundreds of Libyan soldiers protested in the eastern city of Benghazi, demanding payment of overdue wages and complaining that militia groups have taken over their bases and resist joining a new national army.
Amid growing tensions in the Persian Gulf, the US and Israel are preparing to hold the largest missile defense exercise in the history of the Jewish state. The drill will involve the deployment of thousands of US troops to Israel.
