Europe
ETA still wants independent Basque Country
Separatist group ETA said in a communique that it will not abandon its goal of an independent Basque state on the French-Spanish borderlands despite surrendering its arms.
Tag: autonomy
Syria
Hawks fear anarchist haven in Syria
The ultra-hawkish Henry Jackson Society warns that the US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria are allied with anarchists and elements of the Turkish and European armed left.
Southeast Asia
Control of oil, water at issue in Burma peace talks
As Burma's government tries to lure hold-out ethnic rebel armies to the negotiating table, Chinese-backed oil and hydro projects emerge as a last obstacle to peace.
The Caucasus
Alania re-emerges from history, Georgia pist
The vote over the name change from South Ossetia to Alania reveals how the autonomist aspirations of the Ossetians (however legitimate) have been exploited in the Great Game. (Map: Wikipedia)
Syria
Syria: carnage and betrayal in Raqqa endgame
The US air-lifts Kurdish fighters into ISIS territory in preparation for a final assault on Raqqa—while bombing the city, deepening the growing enmity between Kurds and Arabs.
Africa
Pirates or protesters in Somalia sea stand-off?
Somalis who captured an oil tanker later released it with no ransom paid, and said they had seized it to protest toxic waste dumping and over-fishing in their waters.
North Africa
Mali: Tuareg rebel militias again seize Timbuktu
Installation of an interim authority in Timbuktu under a peace deal with Tuareg rebels in Mali's desert north was blocked as hardline factions erected street barricades.
East Asia
South Korean farmers protest THAAD deployment
As the US moves to deploy the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, local farmers have launched a protest campaign and lawsuit to halt the installation.
The Andes
Colombia: top court deals blow to open-pit project
Colombia's Constitutional Court ruled that "prior consultation" with local communities must be carried out before an open-pit gold mine project can move ahead.
Central Asia
Anti-terror ‘security state’ in Xinjiang
The Uighur people of China's Xinjiang province are coming under unprecedented surveillance and militarization amid official fears of terrorism in the far-western region.
The Andes
Colombia: courts uphold local power over mining
Colombia's Constitutional Court upheld the power of municipalities to block mining operations on their lands, clearing the way for local referenda throughout the country.
Iran
Iran: call for solidarity with Ahwazi eco-intifada
Overlooked by the world media, Ahwazi Arabs filled the streets of Iran's southern oil heartland to protest air and water pollution, and the lack of basic services.