Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos will speak with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez about the presence of the Colombian guerilla groups FARC and ELN in Venezuela, reported Caracol Radio Aug. 3. The move follows Colombian armed forces commander Adm. Edgar Cely's July 31 remarks that the FARC and ELN are still using Venezuela as a staging ground—a charge that was repeatedly made by former president Alvaro Uribe. Cely's comments were quickly disavowed by Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera. Chávez nonetheless said, "We are awaiting clarification regarding strange statements that came from Colombia's senior military chief." (Colombia Reports, Aug. 3)

A woman and seven young children were killed in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province when a NATO patrol called in an airstrike against insurgents firing on them from a mud compound, local Afghan officials said Aug. 6. Habibullah Shamlani, the governor of Nad-Ali district, said the foot patrol came under fire from the compound the previous day. One soldier was killed, and an Afghan interpreter was wounded. The home belonged to Mullah Abdul Hadi, a local imam who Afghan officials say was assisting the Taliban. He was killed along with one of his two wives and his seven children, all younger than seven years old, Shamlani said. "People from the area said the imam was involved in making IEDs," or improvised explosive devices, Shamlani said. "We found three hand grenades in his house." NATO would not confirm whether any civilians were killed, but did say in a statement that "shortly following the engagement, coalition forces received reports that civilians were being held captive by the insurgents and may have been present during the airstrike." (NYT, Aug. 6)

Moisés Montero Álvarez AKA "El Coreano" (The Korean), alleged to be a top leader of the Independent Cartel of Acapulco (CIDA), was captured by Mexican federal police in the wee hours of Aug. 1 in a raid of a high-end restaurant in the resort city in southern state of Guerrero. Three others were arrested with him, including José Arturo Lareta Álvarez AKA "El Pulpo" (The Octopus) and a 16-year-old boy. Álvarez was wanted in the kidnapping and killing last year of 20 Mexican tourists who were vacationing in Acapulco. The victims worked in a mechanic shop in Michoacán state and traveled together annually to Acapulco. Last year, 22 of the men, driving cars with Michoacán plates, arrived in the city, where they were apparently assumed to be members of the Michoacán Family, a rival of the CIDA. Two of the 22 survived because they were not with the group at the time of the mass abduction. The disappearance of the rest provoked marches by their friends and relatives in Michoacán, who demanded justice. (CNN, Aug. 2; Milenio, Aug. 1)

Israeli soldiers fired tear gas Aug. 5 to disperse the weekly anti-wall protest in the Palestinian village of Bil'in, west of Ramallah on the West Bank—marking the first Friday of the Ramadan holy month. (Ma'an News Agency, Aug. 5) Thousands gathered at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque for prayers, despite Israeli restrictions that barred Palestinian men under the age of 50 from entering the city. (MSNBC, AFP, Aug. 5)

The International News Safety Institute (INSI) issued a statement Aug. 5 expressing concern over a July 30 NATO air-strike on the Tripoli headquarters of state broadcaster al-Jamahiriya that killed three staff and wounded 21, according to media reports. The statement calls on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to determine whether the air-strike was a breech of a 2006 Security Council resolution that bans attacks on journalists. NATO said the bombing was in line with its UN mandate. Countered INSI director Rodney Pinder: "NATO forces in Libya are acting under a Security Counsel mandate to protect civilians and journalists are civilians." He added that such attacks could not be excused "on the basis that you disagree with the point of view of the news organizations." AP notes that the International Federation of Journalists also condemned the bombing and called for a probe.

Tens of thousands returned to the streets in towns and cities across Syria for the first Friday protests of the Ramadan holy month Aug. 5, especially declaring their support for the residents of Hama, where an estimated 200 have been killed in a military crackdown over the past week. Rights advocates said 14 were killed in Erbin, Homs and Mouadhamiya. State-run Syrian TV broadcast footage from inside Hama for the first time, showing scenes of burned-out buildings, barricaded streets and damaged cars. In YouTube footage purporting to come from protesters in Hama, heavy gunfire can be heard and improvised roadblocks seen in the street, with a tank in the background. A voice says in Arabic: "Hama, 5 August 2011, severe artillery shooting in Hama... tanks incursion of Hama... gangs of Bashar al-Assad are shooting Hama neighborhoods." The date and name of the city are repeated. (The Guardian, Reuters, Aug. 5)

Belarus faced condemnation from European and UN leaders Aug. 5 over the arrest of Ales Beliatsky, head of the human rights group Vyasna (Spring) who was detained outside his home after months of police pressure and charged with crimes punishable by seven years in prison. Beliatsky was ostensibly arrested on tax evasion charges, but his organization had been closely monitoring the regime's response to ongoing "social network" protests in Belarus. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Belarus "to guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Beliatsky and all human rights defenders in Belarus." (AFP, Aug. 5)

An immigrant family on Aug. 1 accused federal immigration officials of brutalizing a 46-year-old woman during a drug raid on a their home in Norco, Calif., where they had moved less than three weeks before. Carmen Bonilla told reporters in Spanish at a press conference at the headquarters of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles that roughly 40 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stormed the house on July 19, pointing guns at her and threatening to shoot. They said "shut up or we'll shoot," said Bonilla, before the agents shoved her to the floor and began kicking her. Bonilla said she and her daugter-in-law were held face-down on the floor with guns to their heads as agents searched the house, apparently for drugs. She said she later went to a hospital for treatment of scratches and bruises. "This family suffered an unjust attack by the authorities and had nothing to do with the drugs they were looking for," said immigration lawyer Jessica Domínguez, who represented the family at the press conference. Since the raid, the Bonillas say deportation proceedings have been brought against all undocumented family members. (LA Weekly's Informer blog, AP, EFE, NBC LA, Aug. 1)