Iraq

More US troops to Iraq —on whose side?

The Pentagon will send 600 additional troops to Iraq to help in the offensive to retake Mosul from ISIS—but it is unclear if they will be backing Shi'ite, Sunni or Kurdish forces.

North Africa

Libya: rival governments clash over oil ports

Forces loyal to Libya's eastern government launched an attack on three ports held by Petroleum Facilities Guard troops, loyal to the UN-recognized Tripoli government.

Southeast Asia

Hague tribunal rules in flashpoint South China Sea

China refuses to recognize a Hague tribunal ruling in favor of Philippine maritime claims—just one of several conflicts at play as tensions rise in the South China Sea.

Planet Watch

A ‘New Oil Order’?

Experts declare a "new oil order" in which hydrocarbons will lose market share to renewables. But is it market conditions or geopolitics that explain the current price slump?

The Amazon

Peru: Amazon leaders broach separatism

Authorities in Peru's northern rainforest region of Loreto announced plans for a referendum on seceding from the country, saying Lima treats the region as an internal colony.

Southern Cone

Protests rock Brazil as Lula takes cabinet post

Brazil has seen its biggest protests since the end of the dictatorship as ex-president "Lula" da Silva is appointed to a cabinet post that gives him immunity in a corruption scandal.