Gunmen stormed two adjacent homes in al-Tahrir neighborhood of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul late Nov. 15, killing the two male heads of the households, the latest in a series of attacks targeting Christians. Simultaneously, a bomb detonated outside a Christian's home in central Mosul, damaging the house's exterior.

Thousands demonstrated in Madrid Nov. 13 against Morocco's recent crackdown on protesters in the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara. Violence escalated Nov. 8, when Moroccan soldiers and police attacked a protest camp that had been established to mark the 35th anniversary of the territory's annexation by Morocco. The camp at Gdeim Izik, some 15 kilometers outside the regional capital Laayoune (El Aaiun), had grown to over 20,000 since being established on Oct. 9. Western Sahara's independence movement, the Poliario Front, is demanding a UN probe of the repression, claiming 36 protesters were killed, with hundreds injured and more than 160 detained. Morocco denies the claims, while asserting that eight members of its security forces were killed. The clashes occurred on the day that Morocco and Polisario held their latest round of UN-mediated talks near New York on the future of Western Sahara. (Reuters, Nov. 15; Green Left Weekly, Nov. 14; AP, Nov. 13; Sahara Press Service, Nov. 12)

Mexican authorities fear retaliatory violence after the killing of Gulf Cartel kingpin Ezequiel Cárdenas Guillén AKA "Tony Tormenta" in a three-hour shootout with soldiers in Matamoros, Tamaulipas state, on Nov. 5. Three cartel gunmen, two members of the security forces and a journalist were also killed in the gun-battle. The federal army used 300 grenades in the battle, leaving several local buildings badly damaged. Local homes have since put up signs reading "Por favor—No lanzar granadas" (Please don't throw grenades). Municipal authorities report receiving telephone bomb threats aimed at Matamoros schools. (La Otra División del Norte blog, Matamoros, Nov. 13; AFP, Nov. 9)

In the wake of Barack Obama's visit to Indonesia, a video has emerged showing the torture of helpless detainees in the restive territory of West Papua. Rights groups are describing the footage as "Indonesia's Abu Ghraib," and say it raises serious questions about the Obama administration's decision to embrace cooperation with the Indonesian security forces. The video is the second in recent months to offer graphic footage of Indonesian security force torture of Papuans.

Burmese opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest Nov. 14, walking free for the first time in seven years. Euphoric crowds of supporters greeted her as spoke to them for the first time since 2003 from the front gate of her crumbling lakeside villa on University Avenue in Rangoon.

A Lebanese military court on Nov. 12 convicted cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed of terrorism and sentenced him to life in prison. Bakri was found guilty of belonging to an armed group that plotted to carry out terrorist acts against Lebanese soldiers and was sentenced along with 54 others who fought in clashes with the Lebanese army in 2007. Tried and convicted in absentia, Bakri was reportedly surprised when his lawyer informed him of the verdict. He claims to have never received a summons or an arrest warrant. As Bakri lives openly in Tripoli, a city in the north of Lebanon, and appears regularly on television, it is not immediately clear why he was not arrested. Bakri maintains that the charges are fabricated and has refused to turn himself in.

Nicaragua has refused to withdraw troops from a disputed island along the river border with Costa Rica, and is asking Internet giant Google not to change its maps with respect to the contested Isla Calero. The request came from Nicaragua's foreign minister, Samuel Santos, in a letter sent to Jeffrey Hardy at Google, a copy of which was made available to the press.

No criminal charges will be brought against Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officials for destroying videotapes of controversial interrogations of terror suspects during the Bush administration, a federal prosecutor announced Nov. 9. US Department of Justice special prosecutor John Durham "has concluded that he will not pursue criminal charges for the destruction of the interrogation videotapes," said DoJ spokesperson Matthew Miller.