The World

1 | Afghanistan

Civilian Casualties Up

The number of Afghans killed or wounded increased by nearly a third in the first six months of this year, compared with the same period last year, according to a report from the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The report says anti-government elements, including the Taliban, were responsible for 76% of all Afghan civilian casualties. Though it notes a 64% reduction in civilian casualties from pro-government air strikes, a recent NATO air strike killed at least a dozen Afghan civilians, one day after General David Petraeus’ directive emphasized the need to avoid such deaths. The U.N. report comes on the heels of a massacre in the country’s northeast that saw the execution of 10 foreign aid workers; the Taliban claimed responsibility.

Civilian deaths are up. Who’s to blame?

Deaths in the first six months of each year:

[The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.]

2007 684

2008 818

2009 1,054

2010 1,271

• Anti-government elements

• Pro-government forces

• Other

SOURCE: UNAMA

2 | Mexico

Supreme Court Rules On Gay Marriage

Less than a week after it upheld a Mexico City law legalizing same-sex marriage, Mexico’s Supreme Court addressed the rest of the nation. On Aug. 10, the judges ruled by a vote of 9-2 that all Mexican states must recognize gay marriages sanctioned in Mexico City. While individual states are not required to pass their own same-sex-marriage laws, couples married in Mexico City will retain rights outside the capital. The law, which was opposed by President Felipe Calderón’s National Action Party as well as the Catholic Church, was passed in December and took effect in March.

3 | California

An Unexpected Partnership

Google and Verizon announced a plan on Aug. 9 that would allow Internet providers to offer accelerated premium broadband and wireless content. Critics say the plan runs counter to the principle of Net neutrality, the idea that all legal online data–from government reports to YouTube videos–should be treated equally and delivered to all users at the same speed. The proposal would prevent preferential treatment over current broadband lines. But if adopted by Congress, it could also pave the way for Internet-subscription rates for some types of video similar to those offered by cable-TV companies. In the meantime, the FCC is considering regulating the Internet as a telecommunications service, which would restrict companies from prioritizing their content.

4 | Pakistan

Desperate for Help

More than 14 million people have been affected by intense flooding in northwestern Pakistan, yet international assistance has been sluggish. The U.N., which launched an appeal for $459 million in aid, has warned that militants could exploit the need. Some 1,600 people have died, and countless others have been stranded without food or shelter. The destruction has reached Sindh and Punjab provinces, Pakistan’s breadbasket. About 2.6 million acres (1 million hectares) of cropland are submerged.

5 | Greenland

Huge Iceberg Breaks Away

In what forecasters at the Canadian Ice Service called a “surprise,” a huge chunk of ice broke off the Petermann Glacier, one of Greenland’s largest, located along the northwestern coast. The “ice island,” as the iceberg has been dubbed, is more than four times the size of Manhattan and the largest piece of ice to be adrift in the Arctic since 1962. While there are fears for the safety of some North Atlantic shipping lanes, the greater concern is the rate at which the ice is melting below the surface of the glacier, where it is losing 80% of its mass.

6 | China

RAIN SETS OFF MASSIVE MUDSLIDE

In a year that has seen more than 1,800 people die because of flooding across China, a rain-triggered landslide in the northwestern county of Zhouqu on Aug. 8 proved to be the most devastating event yet. More than 1,100 people have been killed since the Bailong River in Gansu province swelled and broke its banks, cascading water and debris down hillsides. At least 7,000 rescuers were employed in search of hundreds of those still missing.

7 | Colombia

Two Leaders Make Nice

Three days after assuming the presidency of Colombia, U.S.-backed Juan Manuel Santos welcomed Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez on Aug. 10 at a summit aimed at restoring relations between the longtime rivals. Border tensions have spiked in recent weeks over claims that Colombian guerrillas were operating from inside Venezuela.

8 | Indonesia

Radical Cleric Charged

Police arrested Islamist cleric Abubakar Ba’asyir on Aug. 9 and charged him two days later under an antiterrorism law. He is accused of organizing and funding al-Qaeda in Aceh, whose terrorist training camp was found by police in February. Ba’asyir is thought to be a founder of Jemaah Islamiah, the militant group behind the 2002 attacks on nightclubs in Bali that killed 202 people.

9 | Washington

Pentagon Tightens Its Belt

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced his intention to shift Pentagon spending away from “the culture of endless money” to “a culture of savings and restraint.” Among Gates’ plans is the shuttering of Joint Forces Command, which was set up to improve coordination among the various military branches. Gates also announced plans to eliminate 50 general and flag-officer positions. The cuts are designed to trim the Pentagon’s considerable bureaucracy ahead of potential congressional budget cuts.

3,024

Military and DOD civilian positions eliminated

3,300

Civilian contractor jobs eliminated

$240 MILLION

Joint Forces Command budget that will be used elsewhere in the DOD

SOURCE: USJF.COM

10 | Rwanda

Kagame Coasts to Victory

On Aug. 9, Rwandan President Paul Kagame won re-election by a 93% landslide. Although Kagame is largely credited with promoting economic growth and helping the country recover from the 1994 genocide in which up to 800,000 people were killed, he has developed a noted authoritarian streak. Ahead of the election, Kagame denied involvement in the arrests of opposition leaders and the murder of an investigative journalist who had published an article linking Kagame to an assassination attempt against a rival.

* | What They’re Banning in Bangladesh: The Bangladeshi government has banned corporal punishment in educational institutions. The ban follows a July episode in which a 10-year-old student allegedly committed suicide after being exposed to harsh punishment by his teacher. Faculty found guilty of beating students will face reprimands from school officials. A 2009 UNICEF report estimated that 88% of schools in Bangladesh still used switches or sticks to punish children.