US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Aug. 2 rejected a controversial plea deal that would have prevented three accused 9-11 terror attack planners from facing the death penalty. Two days earlier, a letter to the families of 9-11 victims revealed that accused co-conspirators Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Walid Bin 'Attash and Mustafa al Hawsawi had pled guilty to orchestrating the attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

The Indian government has removed a 58-year-long policy forbidding civil servants and bureaucrats from joining or associating with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an opposition leader revealed July 21. Jairam Ramesh, a member of Parliament with the Indian National Congress, posted a photo on Twitter of the memorandum lifting the ban by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT). In his post, Ramesh noted that the ban was put in place in response to the assassination of independence leader Mohandas Gandhi by RSS militant Nathuram Godse in 1948. The initially temporary ban was made permanent in 1966. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely perceived to be "on the same page" as the RSS, and his Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has long-standing ties to the right-wing Hindu paramilitary organization. This has been protested by the opposition as contrary to the spirit of India's secular constitution. The result of India's elections for the lower house of Parliament, the Lok Sabha, was announced June 4, with the BJP-led coalition winning a third consecutive term.

Amnesty International responded to the enactment of Amnesty Law No. 10 of 2024 in the Autonomous Administration of North & East Syria (AANES) in a press release July 23. The rights group commended the new law, which calls for a review of convictions under the regional administration's expansive counter-terrorism laws. Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East, said: "The general amnesty law could reduce the sentences of Syrians convicted after unfair trials in the People's Defence Courts, or, in some cases, offer them the chance to be free and resume their lives. Detainees were denied access to a lawyer and in many cases were subjected to torture or other ill-treatment to extract forced confessions."

Meeting in the Chinese capital July 23, senior leaders from Fatah and Hamas as well as 12 other Palestinian factions signed a joint document called the "Beijing Declaration to End the Division & Strengthen Palestinian National Unity." A statement released by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the meeting reads: "The most important consensus from the Beijing talks is to achieve reconciliation and unity among the 14 factions; the core outcome is the affirmation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people; the biggest highlight is the agreement on establishing an interim government of national reconciliation focusing on the post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza; and the strongest call is for truly establishing an independent State of Palestine in accordance with relevant UN resolutions." 

Egyptian security forces have detained 119 people, including at least one child, since the start of the month for participating in anti-government protests, Amnesty International reported July 18. In recent weeks, frustrations over price hikes and power cuts have spurred demonstrations and calls for revolution against the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The arrests have spanned six governorates, with some prominent activists being detained in raids on their homes. Several detainees are in the hands of the elite Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP), where they are being investigated on dubious charges that include "joining a terrorist group, publishing false news, and misuse of social media."

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on July 19 that Israel's occupation and settlement of Palestinian territory breach international law. The decision came after the UN General Assembly requested an advisory opinion from the body on Israel's practices in the occupied territories. The ruling held that Israel's practices violate a number of international agreements including the Hague Convention of 1907, the Fourth Geneva Convention, the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

A Russian military court on July 15 convicted a playwright and a theater director and sentenced them each to six years in prison over a play that was found to "justify terrorism." The judge found writer Svetlana Petriychuk and director Yevgeniya Berkovich, who had been in pre-trial detention since May 2023, guilty under Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code. This provision makes the offense of "justifying terrorism" punishable by up to seven years imprisonment.

Chinese and Russian naval forces have begun a joint exercise at a southern Chinese military port, China's Ministry of National Defense announced July 12. The "Maritime Joint-2024" exercise is taking place off Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, on the South China Sea. Its stated objectives include demonstrating the the two nations' ability to address maritime security threats, maintain regional stability, and deepen their strategic partnership.