On July 25, WikiLeaks released the Afghan War Diary, comprising more than 91,000 reports on the US-led war in Afghanistan, including details of Afghan civilians murdered by the occupation forces. Visit here for the complete list of documents.

[The following is from Studentsforbhopal.org, about the latest protests calling for justice and compensation for victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas explosion, which killed more than 20,000 people and left another 100,000 with severe health problems. Visit the protest blog for daily updates.]

July 26 -- More than 150 Bhopal survivors and people from water-affected areas began an indefinite dharna in Jantar Mantar that will last through the parliamentary session. The agitation intends to pressure the Central Government to revisit its recent decisions on issues of compensation, health care and rehabilitation, legal action against Union Carbide and Dow Chemical, and hazardous waste clean-up.
Simultaneously, a Bhopal survivor has filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court asking the court to strike down the Delhi Police's arbitrary order prohibiting overnight stay at Jantar Mantar. “The Police order violates our fundamental right to express ourselves,” the five organisations coordinating the dharna said.

[In the highlands town of Wamena (pictured), shops and businesses closed as thousands of Papuans rallied on July 8 to call for a referendum on independence from Indonesia. Photo: westpapuamedia.info.]
By Jacques Friedman, Intercontinentalcry.org
An unprecedented mass demonstration took place on July 8 in Jayapura, the capital of Indonesian-occupied West Papua, Straighttimes.com said that day.
Thousands of people joined a long march, walking 17 kilometres from the Papua People’s Assembly (MRP) to the Papuan Provincial Legislature (DPRP) to reject the “special autonomy” granted by Indonesia in 2001. Protesters demanded a referendum on West Papuan independence and an internationally-mediated dialogue with Jakarta.

By Farooq Tariq, Labor Party Pakistan
July 23 -- This afternoon, after 17 days of strike by over 20,000 power looms workers in the Jhang district, the bosses agreed to meet the demands. The district coordination officer (DCO) announced at the textile workers’ strike camp that all workers would be issued social security cards. At a meeting the director of social security, the district administration and employers jointly agreed. This will be first time that industrial workers in the Jhang district will be able to receive the benefits of social security, including free health service, special marriage and death grants and free education for their children at social security schools.

The following statement was released on July 18 by S. Arutchelvan (pictured), Secretary General of the Malaysian Socialist Party in response to government subsidy cuts. See here for information on planned protests.
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Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) views the recent price hike of three types of fossil fuels, sugar and cooking gas as a continuation of the neoliberal agenda of [Malaysian PM Najib Tun Razak's National Front (BN)], which will effectively have a two-prone effect on the rakyat (people). It makes little sense when the government acknowledges that 75% of the Malaysian households are earning below RM3000 while 25% are earning less than RM1000, yet no alternative plan was implemented to ease the hardship of these populations prior to cutting the subsidy. Obviously, the subsidy cut is a recipe to exploit the rakyat for the well-being of a few, as it:

July 18, 2010
By Pip Hinman, Green Left Weekly
Defence minister Senator John Faulkner has joined the list of cabinet members who, since Julia Gillard became prime minister, have said they will resign from the front bench after the upcoming elections.
He dismissed suggestions that this was because he had doubts about the unpopular war in Afghanistan, which he has the task of promoting.
On May 21, I met with Faulkner as part of a delegation from seven anti-war groups. We lobbied — unsuccessfully — in support of legislation proposed by the Greens to prevent governments involving Australia in any war without the approval of parliament.

[Pictured: Unionist Mustansar Rindhawa (third from left) with Farooq Tariq (fourth from left). Muntansar was murdered on July 6 for his attempts to organise exploited workers. Photo: Viewpointonline.net.]
By Farooq Tariq
July 18, 2010 -- On July 6, while 32-year-old Mustansar Rindhawa was listening to a worker who had not been paid his wages by a textile boss, an unknown person with a Kalashnikov entered the front room and fired.
Mustansar tried to save his life by running to the next room, but 10 people were determined to finish him off.

[Pictured: Thai army troops confront Red Shirt protesters in Bangkok on April 10. Photo: Lee Yu Kyung.]
By Lee Yu Kyung -- On July 6, the Thai government approved the extension of an emergency decree in 19 provinces, which includes many in the heartland of the pro-democracy Red Shirts in the country’s north-east.
The extension came a day after the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) recommended the government immediately lift the decree and hold fresh elections.

[Pictured: Luta Hamutuk activists.]
Luta Hamutuk, a Dili-based non government organisation, released the following statement on July 7. It was translated from Tetum by Tomas Freitas.
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The July 7 Java Post said: “Prime Minister Julia Gillard has tightened Australia immigration law. Not wanting to be bothered by the economic and social problems caused by asylum seekers, the Australian leader plans to build a detention center for asylum seekers in Timor-Leste.”
The above statement shows how Australian foreign policy contains “racist characteristics” toward Timor-Leste and the region.