A bomb blast killed at least seven—including women and children—Aug. 17 in the Pakistani town of Charsadda, NWFP. The bomb was hidden in a box of medicine given to the driver of the vehicle to deliver in a nearby village. It was a time device that went off when the driver stopped at a fuel station. Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the blast, saying the victims belonged to a tribe that had raised an anti-Taliban militia.

Mexico's Supreme Court Aug. 12 overturned the sentences of 22 men who were imprisoned in the 1997 massacre of 45 indigenous peasants at Acteal in southern Chiapas state. In a 4-1 vote, the court found that irregularities were committed by prosecutors who handled the case. The cases of 35 more convicted in the massacre are under review. Victor Hugo López of the Fray Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center agreed the case should be reopened, but urged a wider probe: "We also agree that some procedures were violated as these people were investigated. But we think there is more to it. We do not think that the Acteal massacre resulted from a conflict between rivaling communities. We think the Mexican state is responsible for this crime." (FSRN, NYT, Aug. 12)

Police in Peru fired tear gas to disperse protesters blocking a highway near Pisco Aug. 15. The protesters were denouncing government inaction on helping the southern town rebuild from a 2007 earthquake that destroyed some 75,000 homes. Two years later, many people in the region still live in tents and shacks. Protesters burned tires and snarled traffic on the Pan-American highway for hours. (Reuters, BBC News, Aug. 15)

A leader in the movement opposed to re-opening the El Dorado goldmine in El Salvador is in stable condition after being shot eight times in the back and legs Aug. 13. Doctors at San Salvador's Rosales Hospital said it was "miraculous" that Ramiro Rivera survived the attack, which occurred in front of his home. Rivera identified one of two assailants, who was detained by police in Cabañas.

The Yemeni army entered into its fifth day of deadly fighting against Zaydi Shi'ite insurgents in the north of the country Aug. 16. Airstrikes and artillery fire were used in battles with Zaydi militants of the Houthi militia. Six government troops killed, an official from Amran province said. (AlJazeera, Aug. 16)

Israeli Knesset member Dove Hannen (Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) was one of hundreds of international and Israeli peace activists who participated in the weekly anti-wall protest in the village of Bil'in on Aug. 14. Hannen was tear gassed, shot at with rubber-coated metal bullets and subjected to sound bombs by soldiers from his country's military as he marched with Palestinian villagers and internationals toward the Israeli separation wall being built on the village lands. (Ma'an News Agency, Aug. 15)

Hamas security forces in the southern Gaza border city of Rafah Aug. 14 battled armed militants of the Jund Ansar Allah ("Warriors of God"), who had earlier in the day declared the coastal strip an "Islamic emirate." Fifteen Palestinians were confirmed dead following the operation by Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades. Some 120 Palestinians, including civilians, were injured, many critically.

Supporters of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya clashed with soldiers and police in the capital Tegucigalpa in two days of unrest throughout the city Aug. 11 and 12. Security forces fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of thousands and protesters responded by throwing stones in a confrontation near the congress building on the 12th. Zelaya's wife attended another protest that day in the industrial city of San Pedro Sula, which was also broken up by police firing gas canisters. (Reuters, Honduras Resists, Aug. 12)