Portal:Current events

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Worldwide current events | Sports events

Topics in the news

Jack Layton (pictured), Canadian Leader of the Opposition, dies of cancer at the age of 61.
Fighting in the Libyan civil war intensifies as rebels enter Tripoli.
Hamas and Israel end a de facto truce after Israel responds to attacks in southern Israel with air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
Indian social activist Anna Hazare agrees to leave his jail cell after Delhi police allow a 15-day hunger strike against corruption.
Astronomers announce that TrES-2b has the lowest known albedo of any planet, reflecting less than 1% of the starlight falling upon it.
Google announces an agreement to acquire Motorola Mobility for US$12.5 billion.
In golf, Keegan Bradley wins the 2011 PGA Championship.

Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...

22 August 2011 (Monday)

edit

history

watch

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Libyan civil war:
- Mustafa Abdul Jalil, Chairman of the National Transitional Council, announces that Muammar Gaddafi's regime has collapsed. (TABNAK)
- National Transitional Council forces take control of Tripoli as Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is captured by rebels. (ABC News Australia) (Washington Post)
  - The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague call for Saif al-Islam to stand trial for his role in the civil war. (Evening Standard) (Huffington Post) (TABNAK)
- In an audio message, Gaddafi urges the people of Tripoli to "purge the capital" even as fighters sweep through the city and take control of the symbolic Green Square, which is subsequently renamed Martyrs' Square. (Press TV) (TABNAK)
- Heavy fighting is reported near Gaddafi's residence in southern Tripoli, while reports claim that Gaddafi and his family are moving to the Park Hotel in Tunisia. (AFP/Reuters via ABC News Online) (Farsnews)
- Anti-Gaddafi forces capture the house of Gaddafi's daughter, Ayesha al-Gaddafi. (TABNAK)
- People celebrate their victory in the streets of Tripoli by saying Shahada, ending to 42 years of dictatorship. (TABNAK)
- Large anti-Gaddafi protests take place, with some coming under fire from snipers perched on rooftops. (Yahoo! News)
- France announces plans to host a summit on Libya as early as next week. (Reuters)
- South Africa is reported to be involved in negotiations with Muammar Gaddafi's camp to offer him a place of refuge, though the government denies reports a plane has been sent for him. (Press TV) (The Daily Telegraph)
- More than 900 people are released from Ain Zara jail in Tripoli. (TABNAK)
- Iran's Foreign Ministry calls for the release of Musa al-Sadr, who they claim has been held in Libya since 1978. (IRNA)
Palestinian militants on the Gaza Strip fire rockets and mortars into Israel despite a truce. (AP via Google) (Reuters)
Pakistan announces it will send more troops to Bahrain in support of the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. (The Nation)
The Australian Army reports that another Australian soldier has been killed by an improvised explosive device lost in fighting in Afghanistan. (The Courier Mail) (The Australian)

Business and economy

Australia's BlueScope Steel announces the loss of a thousand jobs with 800 jobs lost in Port Kembla and 200 jobs in Western Port. (AAP via Sydney Morning Herald)
The price of crude oil falls on world markets due to the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi and bleak global economic outlook. (Reuters)

Politics

Jack Layton, leader of Canada's New Democratic Party and Leader of the Opposition, dies from cancer at age 61.

Disasters

Hurricane Irene reaches hurricane strength over Puerto Rico, becoming the first of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. (Reuters)

August 22, 2011 Wikinews articles

Libya: Rebels edge closer to Tripoli

21 August 2011 (Sunday)

edit

history

watch

Armed conflict and attacks

2011 Libyan civil war:
- Abdul Hafiz Ghoga, the Vice Chairman of the National Transitional Council, says that "the zero hour has started" with fighting continuing in Tripoli. (Xinhua) (Al-Jazeera)
- Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi recapture sections of the town of Brega. (Al-Jazeera)
- Gaddafi appears on Libyan television claiming to be the "father of Libya". (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
- al-Jazeera reports that the rebels have taken control of Tripoli Airport. (BBC)
- Barack Obama, the President of the United States, calls on Muammar Gaddafi to "relinquish power once and for all." (MSNBC)

Business and economy

Four employees of Deutsche Bank AG and its South Korean brokerage unit are indicted for alleged illegal trading on the Korea Exchange. (Yonhap)
The New York Times carries claims by anonymous sources that the Bank of Japan is said to be considering a further easing of monetary policy, and the government of Japan may intervene in markets to push the value of the yen down. (New York Times)

Disasters

A tornado hits the town of Goderich in the Canadian province of Ontario causing significant damage and one death. (Vancouver Sun), (AP via the Washington Post)

International relations

An Egyptian protester removes the flag from the Israeli embassy as thousands protest outside following the death of five policemen near the border. (AFP via Maan News)
Vietnamese police shut down an anti-China rally in Hanoi over disputed territory in the South China Sea. (AP via The Washington Post)

Science

A team of Australian and British geologists claim to have the found the world's oldest fossils in the Strelley Pool rock formation in outback Western Australia. (New York Times)

August 21, 2011 Wikinews articles

20 August 2011 (Saturday)

edit

history

watch

Armed conflicts and attacks

At least six Pakistani police officers are killed and 50 injured in an attack in Karachi. (Xinhua)
2011 Libyan civil war
- Libyan rebels claim to have captured the strategic oil port of Brega. (AP via MSNBC)
- Heavy fighting is reported in the capital Tripoli as the rebel advance continues. (The Telegraph)
Arab-Israeli conflict:
- Eight Israelis and three Palestinians are injured by mortar and rocket fire in Palestinian terrorist attacks in southern Israel. The Iron Dome missile system successfully intercepted a rocket. (Ynetnews)
- Three Palestinians illegally residing near the city of Ashdod, Israel are wounded by incoming rockets launched from the Gaza Strip. (AFP via Google News)
- The Israeli Air Force attacks targets in the Gaza Strip for a third successive day as over 90 rockets have been launched into Israel since Thursday. (AFP via Google News)

Disasters

A pair of earthquakes, magnitude 7.1 and 7.0, occur in Vanuatu. (USGS)
2011 Atlantic hurricane season:
- Tropical Storm Harvey is expected to cross the coast of Belize with a tropical storm watch in place for Guatemala and parts of Honduras. (CNN) (Alertnet)
- Tropical Storm Irene forms with a tropical storm warning in place for Puerto Rica, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda amongst others. (Hurricane Terrapin)
At least 25 people die in a bus crash in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province. (BBC)
A pilot dies as an RAF Red Arrows aeroplane crashes at the Bournemouth Air Festival following a display. (BBC)
A First Air Boeing 737 crashes in the northern Canadian territory of Nunavut near the hamlet of Resolute Bay with fifteen people on board, killing 12. (Globe and Mail)

Politics

At least 10,000 people gather in the Indian capital New Delhi to support a hunger strike by social activist Anna Hazare in support of tougher anti-corruption legislation. (Reuters)

Sport

In football, the start of the Spanish La Liga 2011–12 season is delayed by a players' strike. (AFP via France 24)

Other

Striking Verizon Communications workers will return to work from a strike on the night of Monday, August 22, 2011, even without a formal contract.(Journal Star (Peoria))

August 20, 2011 Wikinews articles

Red Arrows pilot killed at 2011 Bournemouth air display

19 August 2011 (Friday)

edit

history

watch

Armed conflicts and attacks

A Taliban attack on a British Council centre in Kabul, Afghanistan, results in the death of at least eight people. (BBC) (CNN) (Reuters) (AFP via The Strait Times)

Arts and culture

The Pukkelpop music festival in Belgium is cancelled following the death of at least five people in a storm. (The Inquisitr)

Business and economy

Hewlett-Packard shares drop 20% on news that the company plans to split off its personal computer division as a separate company.(Wall Street Journal)
August 2011 stock markets fall
- The Tokyo Stock Exchange's Nikkei Stock Average falls by 1.9% in early trading as the trend of stock market falls continues. (Wall Street Journal)
- The All Ordinaries Index on the Australian Stock Exchange falls by 4.4% with Asian markets generally down. (AAP via The Australian)
U.S. retailing giant J.C. Penney agrees with its largest shareholder, William Ackman, that Ackman will cap his shareholdings at 16.5 percent, while increasing his exposure through a "synthetic long position." (Dow Jones Newswire)

Disasters

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of Japan with a tsunami warning issued and then retracted. (Reuters) (AP via Sydney Morning Herald)
A Chinese scientist is reported missing on Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region's Muztagh Ata glacier after conducting research on the Tibetan Plateau. (Bernama) (The People's Daily)
Three people die in the city of Pittsburgh in the US state of Pennsylvania as a result of flash flooding. (AP via Google)

Other

The announcement of possible wreck relocation of Swedish 16th century warship Mars in the Baltic Sea. (AFP via Dawn.com)

August 19, 2011 Wikinews articles

18 August 2011 (Thursday)

edit

history

watch

Armed conflicts and attacks

At least fourteen people die after a minibus hits a roadside bomb in Afganistan's Herat province. (Voice of America)
Turkey launches an air strike on PKK positions in northern Iraq. (AP via Google News)
Southern Israel attacks
- Eight people are killed and dozens are injured in southern Israel near the Egyptian border, after a string of terrorist attacks on a highway targeting two civilian buses and cars as well a military bus responding to the attacks. (Ynetnews) (New York Times)
- In retaliation, Israel launches an air raid on the town of Rafah killing five Palestinians militants from the Popular Resistance Committee according to officials in Gaza. (The Guardian), (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald) (New York Times)

Business and economy

South Korean banks temporarily stop making household loans to stop the growth of household debt. (Yonhap)
August 2011 stock markets fall
- The DAX, CAC 40, Nasdaq drop over 5%, the FTSE 100 index by 4.5%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 3.7%. (BBC), (New York Times)
- Gold hits a high of US$1,826 an ounce. (BBC)

Disasters

More than 60,000 people are homeless after flooding in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh. (Pakistan)
An Australian Broadcasting Corporation helicopter goes missing near Lake Eyre in outback South Australia with journalist Paul Lockyer, pilot Gary Ticehurst and cameraman John Bean feared dead. (AAP via Melbourne Herald Sun)

Law and crime

A rabbi in the U.S. state of New Jersey has been indicted for alleged sex crimes against two 13-year-old Israeli boys who were visiting the rabbi through a scholarship fund. The two boys had reported the abuse separately following their return. (Jerusalem Post)
Seven people are killed and 17 injured after a fight in a western Venezuelan prison in the town of Cabimas. (AP via Google News)
The BBC airs a special edition of its Crimewatch programme aimed at identifying people involved in the 2011 England riots. (The Telegraph) (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Roch Wamytan is elected President of the Congress of New Caledonia by the Congress of New Caledonia with 32 votes. (RNZI)

August 18, 2011 Wikinews articles

17 August 2011 (Wednesday)

edit

history

watch

Armed conflict and attacks

A rocket is fired into the compound of the President of Afghanistan in Kabul. (AP via Salon)

Business and economy

Workers at the Polish Przewozy Regionalne passenger rail network commence a 24-hour strike. (RIA Novosti)
Verizon Communications says that striking workers who do not return to work by the end of August will lose medical, prescription drug, and related benefits. (Bloomberg)
The price of gold reaches a new record after the President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez announces plans to nationalize the Venezuelan gold industry. (Dow Jones via The Australian)
The Financial Times reports that sources "familiar with the situation" say Liberty Media is losing interest in a purchase of Barnes & Noble, due to financing constraints. (Financial Times)

Law and crime

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon publishes an indictment against Hezbollah members accused in the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. (Los Angeles Times) (Washington Post) (UPI) (The Telegraph)
A lawyer claims that 25,000 South Koreans will be suing Apple Inc. in relation to alleged privacy breaches in relation to collection of iPhone location addresses. (AP via MSNBC)
Three sexual assault cases are lodged against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami. (Miami Herald)
A Toronto Imam is charged in relation to alleged sexual assaults and death threats committed against five victims over the course of three years. (Toronto Star)
A fourth man is charged with murder following the deaths of three men hit by a car in Birmingham, UK, during recent rioting which spread across England. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Vasyl Dzharty, the Prime Minister of Crimea, an autonomous region of Ukraine, dies in office. (Kyiv Post)
Singapore's Presidential Elections Committee approves four presidential candidates for the presidential election on August 27: Tony Tan Keng Yam, Tan Cheng Bock, Tan Kin Lian and Tan Jee Say. (Wall Street Journal)

August 17, 2011 Wikinews articles

16 August 2011 (Tuesday)

edit

history

watch

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Libyan Civil War
- National Transitional Council forces in Libya began cutting off supply lines to Tripoli after a 48 hour operation capturing key towns around the capital and surrounding the city. (Reuters via Yahoo) (Reuters via Yahoo)
The Israeli Air Force launches an air strike east of Gaza City, killing a Hamas gunman, in response to a rocket launched at Israel which landed in the Negev Desert. (Jerusalem Post)
A United States drone attack in the Pakistani province of North Waziristan kills four militants. (AFP via Dawn)

Arts and culture

BBC Magazines agrees a £12m deal to sell the Radio Times – together with ten other titles – to Exponent, owner of thetrainline.com.(BBC)

Business and economy

Australian airline Qantas announces that it will be cutting 1000 jobs while steel maker OneSteel announces the loss of 400 jobs. (AAP via News Limited)
The economy of Germany grows by only 0.1% in the second quarter of 2011, raising concerns about the European economy as a whole. (AP via Washington Post)

Law and crime

Indian social activist Anna Hazare is arrested in New Delhi ahead of a proposed fast against corruption. (IBN Live)
Detained illegal immigrants injure 15 policemen and 3 soldiers in a riot in Malta. (Times of Malta)
News of the World phone hacking scandal:
- MPs release a letter sent to News International in 2007 by former News of the World Royal editor Clive Goodman, in which he alleges senior staff at the newspaper were aware of phone hacking activities. (BBC)
2011 England riots:
- Two men who set up a Facebook site to incite violence during the riots are sentenced to four years imprisonment at Chester Crown Court. (BBC)

Politics

Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang visits Hong Kong on a three-day official tour; observers indicate that this solidifies his status as the next Premier of China. (Wall Street Journal)

Sports

Former Brazilian football star Zico signs a contract to manage the Iraq national football team. (SAG)

Other

In Canada, the Canadian Forces Maritime Command and the Canadian Forces Air Command are restored to their pre-1968 service titles, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force respectively. At the same time, the Canadian Forces Land Forces Command is redesignated the Canadian Army. (BBC)

August 16, 2011 Wikinews articles

More August 2011 events...

Ongoing events
Disasters Horn of Africa famine Economic Japanese recession Global financial crisis European sovereign debt crisis Greek economic crisis August 2011 stock markets fall Medical HIV/AIDS in Africa Haiti cholera outbreak Political Anti-austerity protests Greek protests Spanish protests Arab Spring Bahraini uprising Egyptian revolution Jordanian protests Libyan civil war Moroccan protests Syrian uprising Tunisian revolution Yemeni uprising Belgian political crisis Chilean student protests Kurdish protests News International phone hacking scandal Scientific Expedition 28

Recent deaths
August 22: Jack Layton 19: Raúl Ruiz 19: Jimmy Sangster 18: Paul Lockyer 17: Vasyl Dzharty 16: Huw Ceredig 14: Shammi Kapoor 14: Shawn Tompkins 12: Charles P. Murray, Jr. 12: Robert Robinson 11: Jani Lane 11: Karen Overington 10: Babak Masoumi 7: Mark Hatfield 7: Harri Holkeri 7: Nancy Wake 6: John Wood 5: Andrzej Lepper 5: Francesco Quinn 4: Naoki Matsuda 3: Annette Charles 3: Ray Patterson 3: Bubba Smith 1: Stan Barstow July 31: Clyde Holding 28: Abdul Fatah Younis 27: Richard Chavez 27: Ghulam Haider Hamidi 27: Hideki Irabu 27: Polly Platt 27: Bejaratana Rajasuda 27: John Stott 26: Margaret Olley 25: Michael Cacoyannis 25: Jeret Peterson 24: G. D. Spradlin 24: Dan Peek 23: Bill Morrissey 23: John Shalikashvili 23: Amy Winehouse 22: Linda Christian 22: Charles Taylor Manatt 20: Lucian Freud 18: Bob Stenehjem 18: James Wong 17: Juan María Bordaberry 17: John Kraaijkamp, Sr. 16: Rouhollah Dadashi 16: David Ngoombujarra 15: Cornell MacNeil 15: Googie Withers 13: Jerry Ragovoy 12: Allan Jeans 12: Ahmed Wali Karzai 12: Sherwood Schwartz 11: George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood 10: Roland Petit 9: Facundo Cabral 9: Würzel 8: Betty Ford 7: Manuel Galbán 7: Dick Williams 6: Josef Suk 6: Mani Kaul 6: John Mackey 5: Neil Dougherty 5: Armen Gilliam 5: Mika Myllylä 5: Cy Twombly 4: Otto von Habsburg 3: Anna Massey 2: Itamar Franco edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Global War on Terror Terrorist incidents Operation Active Endeavour Operation Enduring Freedom War on Drugs Africa Libyan civil war Tunisian revolution Maghreb insurgency OEF - Trans Sahara Casamance conflict Niger Delta conflict Nigerian Sharia conflict South Kordofan conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Somalia: Civil war War 2009- Piracy OEF - Horn of Africa Europe Basque conflict Real IRA North Caucasus insurgency Ingushetia civil war Middle East Iraqi insurgency Iran-Jundallah conflict Fatah–Hamas conflict Arab–Israeli conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Palestinian political violence and rocket attacks Yemen: Terrorism and al-Qaeda crackdown South Yemen insurgency Shi’ite insurgency Kurdistan: Turkey–PKK conflict Iran–PJAK conflict Asia Afghanistan War Military operations Taliban insurgency Pakistan: Terrorism North-West War Balochistan conflict Drone attacks Sectarian violence India: Terrorism Jammu and Kashmir insurgency Naxalite-Maoist insurgency Northeast India insurgency Nagaland ethnic conflict Kashmir conflict Siachen conflict Korean maritime border incidents Southeast Asia: Laos insurgency Burma internal conflict Burma border clashes South Thailand insurgency Cambodian–Thai border dispute Philippines insurgency OEF - Philippines Papua conflict Americas Colombian conflict Plan Colombia FARC Mexican Drug War Mérida Initiative Peru internal conflict edit sidebar

Elections
Recent: July 23: Latvia, Parliamentary dissolution referendum 25: Vietnam, President (indirect) Recent: August 7: Cape Verde, President (1st round) 7: São Tomé and Príncipe, President (2nd round) Upcoming: August 21: Cape Verde, President (2nd round) 23: Liberia, Constitutional referendum 26: Abkhazia, President 27: Singapore, President 29–30: Estonia, President (indirect) edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Cambodia: Kang Kek Iew Germany: John Demjanjuk Indonesia: Abu Bakar Bashir Netherlands: Geert Wilders United Kingdom: Levi Bellfield United States: Faisal Shahzad, Noshir Gowadia, Buju Banton, Barry Bonds, Raj Rajaratnam, Rod Blagojevich, Casey Anthony Ongoing Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Tribunal Canada: Russell Williams China: Organized crime in Chongqing France: Church of Scientology Germany: Heinrich Boere Iraq: Supreme Criminal Tribunal Iran: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim Netherlands: Thomas Lubanga (ICC), Radovan Karadžić (ICTY) Palau: Tommy Remengesau Peru: Joran van der Sloot Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr. Russia: Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev Sierra Leone: Charles Taylor (SCFSL) Singapore: Tak Boleh Tahan Thailand: Thaksin Shinawatra Turkey: Ergenekon network United States: David Headley, Ahmed Ghailani, Jared Lee Loughner, Charles P. White, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Roger Clemens Upcoming Egypt: Hosni Mubarak, Alaa Mubarak, Gamal Mubarak Sudan: Lubna al-Hussein Tunisia: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali United States: Viktor Bout, Allen Stanford, Nidal Malik Hasan, Conrad Murray, John Edwards edit sidebar

Holidays and observances
Recent edit sidebar

Events by month

Content listings

Lists
Featured content · Overviews · Portals · Lists · Outlines · Glossaries
Reference · Culture · Geography · Health · History · Mathematics · Nature · People · Philosophy · Religion · Society · Technology
Academic disciplines · Anniversaries (today) · Countries and territories · Current events · People (deaths this year) · Timelines (centuries · decades)

Indices
A–Z index · Categories · Dewey Decimal classes · Library of Congress Classification · Roget's Thesaurus · Spoken articles · Wikipedia books

Portal:Current events

Disasters

Economic

Medical

Political

Scientific

August

July

Global

Africa

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Americas

Recent: July

Recent: August

Upcoming: August

Recently concluded

Ongoing

Upcoming

Recent

Personal tools

Namespaces

Variants

Views

Actions

Search

Navigation

Interaction

Toolbox

Print/export

Languages