The Federation of Workers Councils Unions of Iraq (FWCUI) reports that workers in the Taq Taq Oil Operation Company in Kurdistan, jointly owned by Genel Enerji (Turkish-based) and Addax Petroleum International (a subsidiary of Sinopec), have submitted a complaint against the company over working conditions and a complete lack of equality for Kurdish employees. Workers are concerned at the complete absence of hazard protection on the worksites, where the constant danger of hydrogen sulphide gas is said to threaten employees' lives. There is also said to be significant discrimination in treatment between the Kurdish and expatriate workers in terms of safety equipment and protective clothing provided, as well as in food and rest facilities. The international chemical workers union ICEM said the scenes described are "reminiscent of the apartheid era in South Africa." The FWCUI is calling upon the company and the Kurdistan Regional Government to guarantee equal treatment at work. (ICEM, Oct. 10)

As nearly 10,000 Turkish troops chase down Kurdish rebels on the southeastern border and into Iraq, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi in Ankara Oct. 21, to pledge cooperation against the guerilla forces of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Accounts are disputed on how many Turkish troops have crossed into Iraq, with Ankara claiming it is largely pursuing the guerillas into Iraqi territory with air power. The offensive comes after PKK fighters launched coordinated attacks on multiple army outposts on Turkey's southeast border area in Hakkari province, leaving four soldiers dead.

The Basque armed group ETA issued a statement Oct. 20 saying it is ending its 43-year armed campaign for independence and called on Spain and France to open talks. The group made the announcement to Basque daily Gara, which it regularly uses as a mouthpiece. ETA declared a permanent cease-fire in January, but up to now had not renounced armed struggle, a key demand of the Spanish government as a condition for talks.

The Greek parliament approved the new austerity package Oct. 20—after a second day of street fighting in Athens, that saw the death of one protester. The 53-year-old construction worker apparently suffered a heart attack during clashes between riot police, masked youth and members of the Communist-led PAME union. PAME militants formed a human chain to block young protesters from attacking the parliament building. The masked youth attacked unionists and police alike with stones and Molotov cocktails. Greek Communist Party (KKE) leader Aleka Papariga described the attack against the PAME members as "premeditated attempted murder," spurred on by "anarcho-fascist" websites. Footage showed police with their uniforms aflame. Police reportedly fired tear gas at both groups. (Ekathimerini, FT, Oct. 20)

Jubilation erupted in Tripoli as news broke that Moammar Qaddafi had died after being captured in Sirte Oct. 20. But the circumstances of his death are greatly disputed. Initial reports said he was found hiding in a drainage tunnel after having been injured in a NATO airstrike on a convoy fleeing the town. Other reports indicated he was caught in crossfire after his capture. Images first showed him alive; other images then emerged of his gruesome corpse. "Keep him alive, keep him alive!" someone shouts in one video clip—just before gunshots ring out and the camera veers off. One National Transitional Council official speculated to the BBC that he was shot by own colleagues. By some reports, he died in a hospital in Misrata; by other accounts he was already dead upon arrival in the city. His son Mutassim is reported to have been killed alongside him. His other son Saif escaped from Sirte and remains at large.

Politicians, historians and others gathered in Paris Oct. 17 to mark the 50th anniversary of a police massacre of Algerian protesters that has become one of the most shameful episodes of modern French history. Although authorities still only acknowledge three deaths, estimates by historians and activists range from 50 to 300—many of the victims beaten and thrown into the river Seine. In an unprecedented move by a French politician, newly named Socialist presidential candidate François Hollande officiated at the rally, and threw a single red rose into the Seine from the bridge at Clichy, the suburb where many of the victims lived. Afterwards he unveiled a plaque engraved with the words: "From this bridge and other bridges in the Paris region, Algerian demonstrators were thrown into the Seine on the 17 October 1961, victims of a blind repression. In their memory."

Kenya's military forces crossed into Somalia Oct. 26 to support transitional government troops in a campaign against Shabab insurgents. The operation follows a wave of kidnappings by suspected Shabab militants that has threatened Kenya's multi-million dollar tourism industry. A Nairobi military spokesman said Kenyan and Somali government troops had killed 73 rebels in fighting, but Shabab denied it had suffered any casualties. Shabab fighters are converging on the Somali border town of Afmado in lower Jubba region to block the advance of Kenyan forces. Nearly the entire population of Afmado has reportedly fled.

US troops have been deployed to back up the forces of Uganda and neighboring nations to fight the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), in what authorities hope will be a final offensive to crush the notoriously brutal guerilla group, known for its campaigns of killing, rape, and use of child soldiers over the past two decades. US troops are landing in Uganda and from there may deploy to the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and southern Sudan, where the LRA's scattered force of some 400 is also operating. The US troops are combat-ready and have instructions to fight if attacked, but Pentagon spokesman Cpt. John Kirby said their mission is limited to helping Ugandan and other regional forces crush the LRA.