On his 50th birthday June 28, the day after presiding over a massive rally of his supporters in Lima's Plaza San Martín, Peru's President Ollanta Humala flew to Junín region to officiate over the unveiling of a water development project—where he offered comments on the conflict in northern Cajamarca region, now nearly one month into a civil strike to oppose the pending Conga gold mine project. He had words of admonition for Newmont Mining of Colorado that hopes to develop the project: "The mining companies sometimes do not understand the concept of social responsibility, and generate a lack of confidence." But calling on Newmont's local subsidiary Yanacocha to "comply with its commitments to win the confidence of the people," he also called on "all the leaders" of the region to enter into a dialogue—without specifically mentioning Cajamarca's regional president Gregorio Santos, a key figure of the movement against the mine. (La Republica, June 28; El Comercio, June 27) Protesters in Cajamarca meanwhile marked Humala's birthday by holding a mock funeral for him—marching through the city with a cross and casket marked with his name. (Caballero Verde, June 27)

In a second day of mobilization, some 20,000 informal gold miners from the communities of Rinconada, Lunar de Oro, Limbani and Phara filled the streets of the city of Puno in southern Peru, demanding that the regional government support their demands for "free sale" of gold—meaning a lifting of all government controls on its purchase and trade. Miners leader Víctor Mejía Chambi warned regional president Mauricio Rodrigues that "other methods" would be considered if their demands were not met. (Los Andes, RPP, June 26)

Venezuelan activist website APORREA reported June 23 the murder of Yukpa-Wayuu indigenous activist Alexander Fernández Fernández and two others, who were leaders of the Yukpa movement fighting for their land in Machiques de Perija municipality, Zulia state, near the Colombian border. The victims had been living on recovered land since December last year. Their families have stated that wealthy nearby ranchers wanted to invade the land, originally owned by the Yukpa people, and have accused the ranchers of being behind the crime. Fernández was briefly jailed with Yukpa chief Sabino Romero in 2010, in what their followers have labelled "political persecution."

On June 27, Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa, at a meeting in Quito with a delegation of the US-based activist group SOA Watch, made the announcement that Ecuador is ceasing to send soldiers to the School of the Americas, the US Army training facility that has officially been renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). Ecuador joins Venezuela, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia, who have likewise pulled out of the SOA/WHINSEC.

Police detained 89 demonstrators after more than 6,500 people flooded Tel Aviv's Habima Square the night of June 23 to protest the arrest of Daphni Leef, a leader of last summer's mass movement against inequality and the high cost of housing in Israel. Tel Aviv's district police commander Aharon Eksel told newspaper Haaretz, "Protesters crossed the line. They set out to clash with the police." Police also said the protest was illegal, because no permit had been applied for. Protesters responded that the lack of a permit was intentional, to make the point that permits are difficult to obtain. Clashes were reported from nearby Rabin Square, where protesters attempted to break into banks, and broke the window of one. The elite police "Special Forces" riot squad was mobilized to the scene. The gathering was publicized as an attempt to reboot last year's movement, under the slogan, "Emergency protest! Returning power to the people!" (Allison Kilkenny on The Nation blog, June 25; Haaretz, June 23)

Three Federal Police officers were killed in a shoot-out at a food court in Terminal 2 of Mexico City's Benito Juárez International Airport on June 25, sending travelers scrambling for cover under tables and into bathrooms. Although initial accounts said police were met with gunfire when they tried to arrest suspected traffickers, the Public Security Secretary later admitted that both sides in the shoot-out were uniformed Federal Police. A team of agents was apparently trying to arrest two other uniformed agents, who responded with gunfire. No civilians were reported wounded. Prosecutor General Marisela Morales says she has ordered in investigation into cartel infiltration of police at the airport. Mexico City's own Federal District Prosecutor General of Justice (PGJDF), which oversees a "Secure Airport" program to coordinate police forces at Benito Juárez, said it had detected no signs of personnel at the facility being co-opted by traffickers. (Excelsior, Notimex, El Universal, June 26; LAT, June 25)

After more than a week of student anti-austerity demonstrations in Sudan, President Omar al-Bashir finally responded to the movement on June 24, telling a gathering of students affiliated to his ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Khartoum that the protesters are "bubbles and aliens" who will be "dealt with." He urged students not to listen to the "conspirators, traitors and collaborators"—words usually used to describe armed rebels in Darfur and South Kordofan. He also implied the protesters are tools of the US: "We are not afraid of being overthrown by anybody. Not America or anyone else because it is Allah who gives the rule." In comments the next day, Finance Minister Ali Mahmoud said the government had no choice but to cut spending in response to a budget gap. "If international oil prices go up, we'll increase fuel prices," he told reporters in Khartoum. "We will not retreat from the decision to lift the subsidies."

The Ninth Indigenous March, now camped at Yolosa on the edge of the Bolivian Altiplano, held a celebration June 21 of the Aymara New Year festival, Willkakuti or "Return of the Sun"—marking year 5520 in Aymara calendric reckoning. For the first time, the festival was jointly honored by the Aymara and indigenous peoples of Bolivia's Amazon lowlands who have joined together for the Ninth March under the respective leadership of the National Council of Ayllus and Markas (CONAMAQ) and the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of the Oriente of Bolivia (CIDOB). Leaders of the two groups pledged to renew their commitment to fight for the protection of Mother Earth and indigenous rights in both the Altiplano and Amazon. (CONAMAQ statement [PDF], June 21)