At least 2,000 Quechua marchers and dancers in traditional costume filled the streets of Cusco, Peru on March 5 to protect the Andean sacred site of Q'oyllur Riti from mining activities. They came by bus or on foot from eight different communities in Ocongate district, about six hours away from Cusco.

Houzan Mahmoud of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) writes for The Guardian's Comment is Free blog, April 13:

Around seven months ago, a draft constitution for the Kurdistan region was made available for discussion, suggestions and amendments. Article seven of this proposed constitution states: This constitution stresses the identification of the majority of Kurdish people as Muslims; thus the Islamic sharia law will be considered as one of the major sources for legislation making.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has met with military commanders to discuss a request made by the governor of Rio de Janeiro for a military presence on the city's streets, as a means of supplementing police patrols. Drug-fueled crime has long ravaged Rio's slums, but now violence is spreading. No decision has been reached, but the president will meet with commanders again next week, who have agreed to lend assistance "within the constitutional parameters." [AlJazeera, April 12]

Tribal leaders of Somalia's largest clan, the Hawai, have declared war against Ethiopian troops. A spokesperson for the Hawai clan has implored Somalis to assist them in their fight, exclaiming: "The war is not between Ethiopia and our tribe, it is between Ethiopia and all Somali people". The move threatens to undermine the already precarious Ethiopian-backed interim government. Diplomats from neighbouring nations met today in Kenya in a bid to address the escalating violence in Somalia, as well the role and cost of the AU presence in the country. They are expected to push for an increased peacekeeping force for the country. [AlJazeera, April 13]

Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, head of Turkey's army, has advocated a military operation into Northern Iraq, in an effort to tackle the "freedom of movement" which the region affords the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). A US State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, has criticised the statement, claiming that a cross-border operation is "not an appealing option" for Iraqi stability. There are already several large-scale operations being conducted in Turkey against the PKK, although the army is yet to submit this most recent proposal to the Turkish parliament for approval. [AlJazeera, April 13]

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), refugee flows from Iraq are placing a considerable strain on neighboring countries, such as Syria and Jordan. Syria, for instance, has received roughly 1.2 million Iraqis fleeing the instability in their homeland which ensued following the US-led invasion, while a further 800,000 reside in Jordan. In the case of the latter, there is the fear, according to UNHCR's regional representative Stephane Jaquemet, "that the number is growing and that the balance between the local population and the refugee community is now quite shaky." A UNHCR conference to be held next week in Geneva is set to focus on the humanitarian requirements for the 2 million Iraqis who have been translocated by hostilities in Iraq, along with the further 1.9 million internally displaced persons. [Reuters, April 13]

Exiled Russian multi-millionaire Boris Berezovsky has disclosed that he intends to instigate a coup in the Kremlin to oust President Putin. Based in Britain, he is said to have forged close ties with, as well as have bankrolled, Russian political elites close to Putin. "It isn't possible to change this regime through democratic means," he remarked, lambasting Putin for having unstitched democratic reforms, violated the country's constitution, suffocated political opposition and monopolised the reins of power. Dmitry Peskov, the chief spokesperson for the Kremlin, last night described this proclamation as a criminal offence under Russian legislation. He also hastened that such a statement might serve to undermine Berezovsky's claim to asylum in Britain. [The Guardian, April 13]

Canada's Canoro Resources has signed an agreement with India's parastatal Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) to explore for crude in the jungles of Nagaland, a state in the country's remote northeast, where large swaths of territory have been controlled by separatist guerillas for decades. Nagaland Industry & Commerce Minister Khekhiho Zhimomi said the predominantly Christian state of two million has the potential to yield some 600 million tons of crude. "Nagaland is literally sitting on a multi-million dollar oil reserve," Zhimomi said. Exploration work undertaken by ONGC in 1994 was suspended following threats from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM). This time Zhimomi says things will be different: "We have the full support of the local people this time while executing the agreement with the ONGC. We hope there should be no problems now."