Security forces in Syria are reported to have killed 24 civilians in Friday protests on July 1, as tens of thousands marched to demand the resignation of President Bashir Assad in some of the biggest demonstrations of the three-month uprising. Lawyer Razan Zaitouna told Reuters by phone that the 24 dead included seven protesters in the central city of Homs, and 14 villagers in the northwestern province of Idlib, where troops backed by tanks and helicopters have been deployed. "Bashir get out of our lives," read placards carried by thousands of Kurds who marched in the northeastern city of Amouda, according to a video taken by resident.

Venezuela's National Telecommunications Commission announced June 30 that it has opened sanction proceedings against Caracas-based news channel Globovision, which it accuses of spreading "anxiety in the population" by broadcasting images of the recent deadly violence at El Rodeo prison. Globovision faces charges of violating the country's Law of Social Responsibility in Radio and Television. Peter Maldonado, director of the telecommunication agency, said that Globovision could be subject to a fine of 10% of gross income obtained in the previous fiscal year, and may have its transmission suspended for up to 72 hours.

The UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) on June 30 released to Lebanese authorities an indictment with four arrest warrants in relation to the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri. The warrants were issued for Mustafa Badreddine, Salim al-Ayyash, Hasan Aineysseh and Asad Sabra, who are alleged members of Hezbollah. Lebanon has 30 days to arrest the suspects before the STL personally summons them and makes the indictment public. In a press conference, Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated that "the indictments, from whatever source, [are] not sentences, and the charges need to contain compelling evidence beyond any doubt, and that every defendant is innocent until proven guilty." Many have interpreted this statement as an indication that Hezbollah members will not be arrested. Although Mikati was endorsed in the election by Hezbollah, he said he will not "take sides."

The Audacity of Hope, US-registered lead ship in the latest Gaza aid flotilla, was stopped by the Greek Coast Guard just some 20 minutes outside the port of Perama on July 1. Dimitris Delavekouras, a spokesman for the Greek Foreign Ministry, confirmed that the vessel had been detained. Athens warned that all ships bound for Gaza will be prohibited from leaving Greek ports. The Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection issued a statement saying that the Minister, C. Papoutsis, decided to prohibit the departure of ships flying either Greek or foreign flags "to the maritime area" of Gaza.

More than 20,000 local Aymara residents filled the public square in Desaguadero, in Peru's southern region of Puno, to hear Walter Aduviri, leader of the Natural Resources Defense Front of the Southern Zone of Puno, announce a formal end to the civil strike that the organization has maintained for more than 40 days. Aduviri said the decision was taken after consultation with the Front's base communities along the shores of Lake Titicaca. In his address, he detailed accords reached in recent negotiations with the government in Lima for the suspension of a controversial mining concession in Puno. (Radio Onda Azul, Puno, June 26)

The Israeli human rights group Gisha, which advocates for freedom of movement for residents of the besieged Gaza Strip, last week appealed to Israel's Supreme Court a judgement upholding the policy that allows Christians —but not Muslims—to exit the besieged Gaza Strip for worship at Jerusalem's holy sites. The ruling by the Beer Sheva District Court rejected a petition filed in February by seven Muslim women from the Gaza Strip. The petitioners sought to enter Israel in order to exercise their right to freedom of worship and pray at the al-Aqsa Mosque. Despite the declared sensitivity towards freedom of worship at Jerusalem's holy sites, Israel does not allow the entry of Muslim worshippers from Gaza, even subject to security screening, but does allow Christian worshippers to enter.

President Barack Obama said June 28 that his newly announced drawdown of US military forces in Afghanistan will be done "in a responsible way." Under the plan, 10,000 troops will be pulled out of the country by year's end, and a total of 33,000 troops will be out by next summer, fully returning the "surge" troops the president announced in late 2009. (Xinhua, May 30) Simultaneously, coalition and Afghan officials will be tripling the size of a US-funded program to establish local self-defense militias to fight against insurgents. The militia forces—said to be modeled after the Sons of Iraq, led by Sunni ex-insurgents who turned against al-Qaeda—are to grow from a current 6,500 recruits to 30,000. "Where we have them trained and fully employed the Taliban is not re-emerging," boasted Army Brig. Gen. Jefforey Smith, an assistant commanding general at the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan. (USA Today, June 29)

Egyptian security forces fired tear gas at some 3,000 protesters, some of whom hurled back stones, in Cairo's Tahrir Square the evening of June 28. The clashes were apparently triggered when family members of the more than 800 protesters killed during the campaign to oust Hosni Mubarak attempted to storm a theatre where a memorial service was being held for those fallen in the uprising. Activists said the families of the victims had been denied entry to the memorial, and were beaten by police when they tried to force their way in. Activists have called for a massive rally on July 8 aimed at keeping up the pressure for democratic reforms. (Middle East Online, June 29; AlJazeera, June 28)