Iran's Basij militia has asked prosecutors to investigate the role of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi in the protests that rocked the Islamic Republic after last month's contested elections. The government-backed militia that enforced much of the crackdown against protesters accused Mousavi of several crimes including undermining national security—which could see him imprisoned for up to 10 years.

The Iraqi Oil Ministry announced that a contract will be signed to develop the Rumaila oil field—the largest in Iraq and one of the largest in the world—with a joint venture formed for the project by BP and the China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC). Iraq's Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani hailed the awarding of the Rumaila contract as a "great achievement". (Dow Jones, July 1) A rival bid was placed by a joint venture of Exxon and Malaysia's Petronas. (Dow Jones, June 30)

Pakistani jet-fighters continued to run bombing raids over North Waziristan tribal region, killing seven people on June 30, residents said. Warplanes bombed the Wacha Bibi area, west of Miramshah. A military convoy was ambushed in the locality on Sunday in which 27 soldiers were killed. The army claimed that 10 militants were killed in a counter attack.

Amnesty International July 21 accused Israeli forces of war crimes, saying they used children as human shields and conducted wanton attacks on civilians during their offensive in the Gaza Strip. The rights group also accused Hamas of war crimes, but found no evidence that the Islamist rulers of Gaza similarly used civilians as human shields during the 22-day Israeli offensive. It reiterated its call for an international arms embargo against Israel.

Our June issue featured the stories "The 'Colombianization' of Chihuahua" and "Mexico's Resurgent Guerillas," both from Frontera NorteSur. They noted escalating narco-war violence throughout Mexico, growing talk of military intervention in Washington, and the re-emergence of a guerilla insurgency in the impoverished southern mountains. Our June Exit Poll was: "Is Mexico on the brink of a new Revolution, 100 years after the last one? Will this one also mean nearly a decade of anarchy? Will it be anarchy in the good sense or the bad sense, or (as last time) both?" Much to our chagrin, we received only one response:

Honduran Prosecutor General Luis Alberto Rubi said June 30 that ousted President Manuel "Mel" Zelaya would "immediately" be arrested if he returns to the country, where legal officials have accused him of 18 crimes including "treason" and "abuse of authority." Zelaya, meanwhile, vows to return on Thursday July 2—raising the prospect of an imminent showdown. The secretary general of the Organization of American States, José Miguel Insulza of Chile, Argentine President Cristina Kirchner and Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa have offered to accompany Zelaya on his return.

Iran's Guardian Council June 29 confirmed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory in the disputed June 12 election as police and Basij militiamen wielding batons and cables prevented more than a thousand demonstrators from gathering to protest the results at various points around Tehran. "The Guardian Council, after studying the issues in numerous sessions, dismisses all the complaints received and approves the accuracy of the 10th presidential election," the chairman, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, was quoted as saying. A Council spokesman added: "The dossier of the...election has been closed today."

Iraqi forces assume formal control of Baghdad and other cities June 20 as US troops hand over security in urban areas. A countdown clock broadcast on Iraqi TV ticked to zero as the midnight deadline passed for US combat troops to finish their pullback to bases outside cities. When the hour arrived, fireworks were set off in celebration. "The withdrawal of American troops is completed now from all cities after everything they sacrificed for the sake of security," said Sadiq al-Rikabi, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "We are now celebrating the restoration of sovereignty." Al-Maliki declared a public holiday, proclaiming June 30 as "National Sovereignty Day." (AP, June 29)