Portal:Current events/2015 June 29

Current events of June 29, 2015 (2015-06-29) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War The Turkish military is reportedly preparing for an imminent invasion of northern Syria following a National Security Council meeting. The aim is to establish a buffer zone for refugees and drive back Islamic State militants. The Kurdish militia group YPG have said they will oppose any Turkish intervention in Syria. Turkey has for decades fought against Kurdish separatist movements such as the PKK (Telegraph) Four Israelis were shot and injured in a drive-by shooting attack near Shilo, as a manhunt begins for the suspects. (YNet) A Palestinian woman was arrested after stabbing and seriously wounding a female IDF soldier at a checkpoint near Bethlehem. (Haaretz) Five Chadian security officials and six militants have been killed during an explosion in a raid in the capital N'Djamena. (BBC) Egypt's state prosecutor Hisham Barakat dies in a bomb attack in Cairo. (AP via Fox News) Afghan Civil War: According to witnesses who fled fighting in Nangarhar province, fighters loyal to Islamic State seize substantial territory in Afghanistan for the first time, wresting areas in the east from rival Taliban insurgents in a new threat to stability, scorching opium poppy fields that help to fund the Taliban's campaign to overthrow the Afghan government. (Newsweek) Yemeni Crisis (2011–present) A car bomb explodes behind a military hospital in the Yemeni capital Sana'a causing 28 casualties. Islamic State has claimed responsibility. (AP), (AFP via France 24) International relations The Israeli Navy intercepts and takes control of the lone ship still involved in Freedom Flotilla III and pilots it to Ashdod. The other three ships involved had already turned back after being intercepted. Israel offered all ships to unload their humanitarian aid cargo in Israeli ports and transport it into Gaza for free but the ships refused. (Israel National News)(Times Of Israel) The United States Office of Personnel Management closes down its system for employee background checks following the theft of millions of records in a computer hacking incident suspected to be conducted by Chinese hackers. (Breaking News) Law and crime The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the use of capital punishment by lethal injection involving midazolam. (USA Today) The California State Legislature passes a bill which would enact a state requirement for the vaccination of children enrolled in schools. The bill is now pending Governor Jerry Brown's approval before going into law. (Los Angeles Times) Politics and elections Burundian legislative election, 2015 Voters in Burundi go to the polls for a legislative election with several polling places attacked overnight. (Al-Jazeera) Puerto Rico government-debt crisis Governor Alejandro García Padilla said the region has failed attempts and is unable to pay off the $72 billion debt. (USA Today) U.S. President Barack Obama signs the Defending Public Safety Employees Retirement Act (H.R. 2146), renewing Trade Promotion Authority, and the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 (H.R. 1295), extending Trade Adjustment Assistance. (Farm Futures)(Brownfield)(AP) NBC drops support of 2016 United State Presidential candidate Donald Trump after Trump gives a campaign speech which includes accusedly racist remarks. (The Washington Post) Science and technology A robot kills a man, who was a contractor, at a Volkswagen production plant in Baunatal, Germany. Spokesman Heiko Hillwig said the 22-year-old victim was part of a team that was setting up the robot when it grabbed and crushed him against a metal plate. The death was preliminarily attributed to human error, rather than any issue with the robot itself; prosecutors are contemplating whether to charge anybody. (MSN) Sports Guus Hiddink, the head coach of the Netherlands national football team, prematurely resigns before the end of his term. (Espnfc)