As protests have repeatedly rocked the Chilean capital Santiago in recent days, environmentalists and Mapuche indigenous leaders rallied peacefully in the remote town of Curarrehue (Cautín province, Araucanía region) Oct. 16 to oppose the planned Panqui hydro-electric project, which would inundate several small Mapuche communities. The company charged with building the 9-megawatt dam, RP El Torrente SA, has met with Curarrehue municipal authorities to win support for the project, but it is opposed by the local Movement for the Defense of the Territory of Curarrehue. (Radio Biobio, Oct. 16; La Opinión, Santiago, Sept. 27)

Judicial authorities in Guatemala on Oct. 13 declared ex-president Oscar Humberto Mejía Victores a fugitive and ordered his arrest to face charges of genocide. The 80-year old Mejía, who led a coup against former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt and served as president from 1983 to early 1986, is wanted for ordering massacres in the Ixil Triangle, a Quiché Maya indigenous region, when he served as chief of the military from 1982 to 1983. Guatemalan national police raided four homes in the capital, but failed to find Mejía.

President Barack Obama announced Oct. 21 that he will be bringing US forces home from Iraq by year's end. "I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year," Obama said, referring to his campaign pledge in 2008. "After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over." But reading past the headline, of course, reveals a bunch of caveats about whether this really means that all US troops are coming home. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that once US troops have left, negotiations might take place over how many of them might return, and when. "We're prepared to meet their training needs," he said. But you've got to read pretty deep into the Wall Street Journal account to get to the real deal:

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.