
United States

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There was another incident that also brought up the issue of gun control in the States. But this time the cops were to blame. On Saturday afternoon in Anaheim, California, Manuel Diaz—who was unarmed at the time and posing no threat—was chased down by police and shot in the neck and back of the head. Soon after, family and friends gathered in protest, and instead of the police explaining what happened and reassuring the family that an investigation would take place, they opened fire with rubber bullets and pepper balls and at one point released an attack dog into the crowd. This was captured on video, sparking further protests which could escalate.
India

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Italy
Police and demonstrators rejoined their fighting in Val Susa, Italy on Sunday, over the construction of a high-speed rail link to France. Alongside a healthy distaste for the French, protesters working under the banner of the "NO TAV" movement have cited the rail link's extravagant costs and potential to destroy the local scenery as reasons for losing their shit. The protests have been building for years and often end in violence. On Sunday, a high-ranking cop named Giuseppe Petronzi was injured when an IED exploded at a demonstration. Police have vowed to crack down harder on future demos, so it's likely that things will get worse before they get better.
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Bulgaria

Syria
Last week, it looked like the Syrian regime was on its last legs and the Free Syrian Army might have struck the killing blow. Unfortunately, however, the rebels weren't able to bring the conflict to a close. Nevertheless, the FSA have made significant gains and Assad's regime is certainly not out of the shit yet, as rebels took over a number of suburbs in Damascus and assasinated three of President Assad's closest advisors in a bomb attack.
This week, a number of the rebel-controlled suburbs fell back into the hands of the regime. Meanwhile, the FSA have taken control of a number of posts on the borders with Turkey and Iraq, opening up supply lines for much-needed ammunition and medical supplies. Elsewhere, the Kurdish community in northeastern Syria took up arms, forcing out the police and army from major towns and cities. Over the weekend, the FSA attacked government positions in Aleppo, and the regime, pranging out at the prospect of losing control of the country's largest city and trade hub, sent in armored reinforcements and assaulted rebel positions with fighter jets. This is the first time Assad has used his air force and such escalation should be treated as a real sign of how desperate he's getting.The international community wasn't moved to respond to that, but they did react to the threat of chemical weapons being used against any foreign intervention. So, it's OK to murder hundreds of your own people using fighter jets, but threaten some white guys with possibly non-existent mustard gas, and that's not cool? Come on, guys.Ending on a lighter note, this week 50 Israeli soldiers crossed into Lebanon and kidnapped 900 goats. Although fairly minor in comparison to, say, bombing the shit out of schools and hospitals in Gaza, it's still kinda a sucky thing to do and certainly isn't what the region needs: a costly and bloody livestock-rustling war.Check back next week to see whether Lebanon retaliates or I've joined some hippy cult to try and achieve world peace through endless enemas, or something.Follow Henry on Twitter: @Henry_Langston
