Thousands of protesters marched on an army base in Indian-controlled Kashmir, following the apparent murder of a young woman. Protesters say that the young student from the Kupwara district died after being assaulted by a member of India's Territorial Army. A general strike over the incident has brought the Kashmir Valley to a standstill. A soldier has been charged in the killing. The death is the tenth in recent weeks to be blamed on the security forces. (BBC News, July 10)

What are we to make of apocryphal Iraqi insurgent leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi? We have been repeatedly told he is dead, he is captured, or he never existed. Every time one of these theories is announced to the world, he issues another statement. In 2007, he issued a statement daring Washington to nuke Iran. After Obama's election he tentatively offered a truce if the US would immediately withdraw. Now he (supposedly) issues a statement urging his insurgents to keep fighting despite the US pull-back from Iraq's cities. From Stars & Stripes, July 10:

Both ousted President Manuel Zelaya and de facto President Roberto Micheletti, arriving in Costa Rica July 9 for talks on the Honduran impasse, denied that there is anything to discuss. "I am not here to negotiate," Zelaya said at a press conference upon his arrival in San José. "Not to advocate the return of a democratically elected president would be ridiculous." Saying that international opinion is behind him, he added: "We hope during the next 24 hours, tomorrow that is, we have a clear response by the golpistas who broke the democratic process in the country." (Inside Costa Rica, July 9)

At least 25 were killed in Afghanistan's Logar (Lowgar) province after a truck loaded with explosives hidden under firewood skidded off the road and crashed. The payload exploded when police and crowd of civilians gathered around the vehicle to investigate. Of the dead, only four were police; 16 were schoolchildren aged 8 to 12, who had been on their way class. Authorities believe the explosives were detonated remotely. No-one has claimed responsibility. (NYT, LAT, July 9)

Some 300 protesters marched on Tehran University chanting "Death to the dictator!" before being dispersed by police who used tear gas and fired shots in the air. The march was held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of student protests that were put down by the Basij militia in 1999. The march was held in defiance of the threats from Tehran governor Morteza Tamaddon, who warned one day earlier: "If some individuals plan to have anti-security move through listening to a call by counter-revolutionary networks, they will be smashed under the feet of our aware people." (BBC News, AP, The Independent, July 9)

International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said July 7 that he has filed an appeal to have Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir charged with genocide in the Darfur conflict. In March, the court indicted Bashir on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity—including murder, rape and torture—but ruled that it had insufficient grounds for a charge of genocide. Bashir has dismissed the allegations as part of a Western conspiracy.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced July 7 that Costa Rican President Oscar Arias will serve as international mediator in the Honduran crisis. Clinton made the announcement at the State Department after meeting privately with ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. She said Zelaya as well as the Honduras' de facto president, Roberto Micheletti, agreed to recognize Arias as mediator. Clinton also said she had spoken to Arias that day, and noted that he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for helping broker an end to Central America's civil wars. "He is the natural person to assume this role," she told reporters.

Peru's government ordered more than 32,000 police and over 6,000 soldiers to keep order around the country as a paro or series of coordinated strikes against the free-trade policies of President Alan García entered its second day July 8. The education and transportation sectors are those most affected. The Unitary Syndicate of Peruvian Education Workers (SUTEP) claimed 80% teacher participation in the strike in Lima and 100% in the provinces, while the General Confederation of Peruvian Workers (CGTP) claimed widespread compliance with a transportation strike in the capital. Rallies were held in several locations around Lima, the largest being the Plaza Dos de Mayo. With bus lines halted, taxis and combis raised their prices.