Portal:Current events/August 2011

Armed conflict and attacks

At least 11 people, including 5 suspects, are killed and 15 others are injured on Sunday's violence in China's Xinjiang region, raising the death toll to 20 over the weekend attacks in Kashgar. (CRI) (The Guardian)
2011 Syrian uprising:
- More than 142 people are killed across the country in a continuing crackdown on protests. (Al Jazeera)
- Russia calls for an end to the "use of force" against civilians. (Lebanon Now) (The Moscow Times)
The Lebanese Armed Forces exchanged fire with the Israeli Defense Forces patrolling the border, with one Lebanese soldier being injured. (Jerusalem Post)

Business and economy

The HSBC bank announces plans to cut 5,000 jobs now and 25,000 by 2013. (Reuters)
Foxconn Technology, a computer assembler headquartered in Taiwan, plans to add one million robots to its plants over the next three years, according to a Reuters report. (Reuters)
BBC journalists stage another 24-hour strike in protest at planned redundancies. (Mail Online) (The Guardian)

Disasters

Anna Bligh, the Premier of Queensland, releases the results of an inquiry into the 2010–2011 Queensland floods which killed 35 people. (Courier Mail)
The Italian news agency Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata reports that 25 refugees have been found dead in a boat off the coast of Lampedusa. (CNN)
Tropical Storm Emily forms in the Atlantic Ocean with tropical storm warnings issued for Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Desirade, Les Saintes, Marie Galante and the Dominican Republic. (National Hurricane Centre) (NOLA.com)

International relations

North Korea agrees to further talks with the United States as part of efforts to restore Six Party talks on its nuclear weapons program. (Yonhap)
South Korea bans three Japanese lawmakers all from the Liberal Democratic Party due to an assertion of Japanese sovereignty over the Liancourt Rocks. (Mainichi Shimbun) (Yonhap)

Politics

Kevin Rudd, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and former Prime Minister of Australia, goes into hospital to have the aortic valve in his heart replaced. (Courier Mail)
2011 U.S. debt ceiling crisis
- The United States House of Representatives passes legislation to raise the debt ceiling and avert the 2011 U.S. debt ceiling crisis. (Reuters and AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
- More than twenty protesters are arrested after disrupting debate in the House. (Washington Post)
- Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords makes her first appearance on Capitol Hill since the 2011 Tucson shootings to cast her vote amongst applause. (BBC) (Washington Post)
The United States Senate fails to pass a bill ending the partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration. (AP)

August 2, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2011 Libyan civil war: Seven rebels are killed and 50 injured in fighting in the town of Zlitan. (Xinhua) (Reuters)
Suicide bombers attack a guesthouse used by foreigners in the northern Afghanistan province of Kunduz with at least four security guards dead. (Reuters)
2011 Syrian uprising: Syrian Army forces shell the town of Hama for a second successive day. (BBC)
Fifteen people are wounded in a bombing of a Syrian Catholic Church in Kirkuk, Iraq. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Egypt's military police and riot police end a three-week Tahrir Square sit-in. (The Washington Post) (The National) (Al-Ahram)
Four Ethiopian peacekeepers are killed by a landmine in the Abyei region of Sudan. (Reuters)

Disasters

The United Nations warns that Uganda could be the next country to be affected by the famine in the Horn of Africa. (Reuters)
Tropical Storm Emily moves towards Puerto Rico. (NOAA)

International relations

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention calls on China to release Liu Xiaobo and his wife. (BBC)
Israel's Supreme Court orders the West Bank outpost of Migron, inhabited by 250 Jewish settlers, to be evacuated without delay. (Reuters)
Four European nations (the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Portugal) circulate a draft United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the Government of Syria for its recent crackdown on protesters. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

South Korean prosecutors send a summons to Park Chul, President of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, over alleged embezzlement. (Yonhap)
News International phone hacking scandal
- Former News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner is arrested and later bailed as part of the ongoing investigation into phone hacking. (BBC)
- Jonathan May-Bowles is jailed for six weeks for throwing a foam pie into the face of Rupert Murdoch at a House of Commons Select Committee hearing. (BBC)

Politics

Around 10,000 Papuan people demonstrate in support of independence from Indonesia in the Papuan capital of Jayapura. (Straits Times)
Peter O'Neill of Southern Highlands Province is elected Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea in a 70-24 vote, ousting acting Prime Minister Sam Abal who promises to contest the decision in court. (Sydney Morning Herald)
The United States Senate passes legislation to raise the debt ceiling in order to avert the 2011 US debt ceiling crisis and President Barack Obama signs it into law. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald) (New Zealand Herald)

Science

French and Ugandan scientists discover a 20-million-year-old skull of a tree-climbing ape in the Karamoja region of Uganda. (Reuters) (Hindustan Times)

August 3, 2011 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising:
- Syrian forces shell and advance on the city of Hama. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

South Africa agrees to loan Swaziland 2.5 billion rand (US$368 million) to ease the latter's economic crisis. (Mail & Guardian) (AFP via Google News)
The Chinese Dagong Global Credit Rating downgrades the United States credit rating from A+ to A with a negative outlook. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
The plans of cable entrepreneur John Malone to purchase book store chain Barnes & Noble may have hit a snag, especially over how to value the B&N eReader, the Nook. (New York Post)

Disasters

More than 26,000 people have permanently left New Zealand's Canterbury Region since the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake in February. (AAP via News Limited)
Ten people die as a Bell 412 helicopter crashes in Indonesia's North Sulawesi province. (Jakarta Post)

International relations

Computer security firm McAfee uncovers one of the largest series of cyber attacks against the International Olympic Committee, Indian government, the United Nations, the steel industry and defence and security firms. (BBC)

Law and crime

The former President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, leaves the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt to return to Cairo for his trial. (AFP via The Melbourne Age)
News International phone hacking scandal:
- Charity campaigner Heather Mills tells the BBC's Newsnight that a senior Mirror Group journalist admitted hacking voicemails left for her by Sir Paul McCartney while they were together. (BBC)

Politics

Luke March, who was charged with investigating the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal, resigns from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority after refusing to name those under suspicion. (BBC)
The Iranian parliament confirms four new ministers including Rostam Ghasemi as Minister of Petroleum. (Tabnak)
David Wu resigns his seat representing Oregon's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a result of a sex scandal. (The Oregonian)

August 4, 2011 (Thursday)

Armed conflict and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–present):
- A senior intelligence officer in Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security, Payenda Khan, is killed in a bombing in Kunduz Province. (CNN)

Business and economy

Kraft Foods announces that it will split into two operations consisting of its North American grocery business and its global snack foods business. (Reuters via Yahoo!)
Stock markets around the world fall on the back of concerns about global economic growth with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling by 4%. (New York Times)

Disasters

Tropical Storm Emily is expected to make landfall on Haiti where it is expected to cause heavy flooding. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
The Japanese government led by Prime Minister Naoto Kan announces that it is firing three senior bureaucrats responsible for nuclear energy policy as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster earlier this year. (AP via Washington Post)
Fourteen states in the Southern United States are on a heat alert with several dozen deaths since July as part of a heat wave. (MSNBC)

International relations

Sky News reports new evidence that North Korean officials have been involved in the illegal drugs trade. (Sky News)
The shutdown of the United States Federal Aviation Administration will end August 8th. (Washington Post)

Law and crime

A judge rules that Donald Rumsfeld can be sued personally for damages by a U.S. Army veteran in his 50s who says he was imprisoned unjustly and tortured by the U.S. military in Iraq. (Huffington Post)
Heather Mills claims that a Mirror Group journalist admitted hacking into her phone and listening to a message from then-boyfriend Paul McCartney - Piers Morgan has admitted to hearing it although he was not the journalist involved. (BBC)
The Virginia Tech campus, site of an April 2007 mass shooting, goes on lockdown as a precaution after reports of a man, possibly armed with a gun, on or near the campus were made by teenagers attending a camp there. [1]

Politics

Nelson Jobim resigns as the Minister of Defence in Brazil after making critical remarks about the government of President Dilma Rousseff and fellow Ministers - he is replaced by Celso Amorim. (Wall Street Journal)
The British Government launches a new e-petition website to encourage the public to prompt parliamentary debate on topics they feel are important. Several petitions concern proposals for and against restoring the death penalty, last used in the UK in 1964.(BBC) (BBC)

Sport

In American football, players in the US National Football League ratify a new collective bargaining agreement including provisions for tests for human growth hormone. (New York Times)

August 5, 2011 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising:
- Turkey confirms it has seized an Iranian arms shipment to Syria. (Today's Zaman)
- Tens of thousands of people again protest across the country, amid a government crackdown. (BBC)
2011 Libyan civil war: Rebels claim that a NATO airstrike has killed Muammar Gaddafi's youngest son Khamis but this is later denied. (Al Jazeera) (MSNBC) (Reuters)
Meng Jianzhu, the Minister for Public Security in the People's Republic of China, orders a clampdown in Xinjiang following recent unrest. (AP via Washington Post)
Burmese state media say rebels in the northeast of the country killed seven workers from a Chinese-backed hydroelectric power project. (Straits Times)

Business and economy

Stock markets in Asia and Australia continue falls from Europe and the United States. (SBS) (BBC)
The Standard & Poor's credit rating agency downgrades the credit rating of the United States from AAA to AA+ with a negative outlook. (Reuters) (AP via Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Disasters and accidents

A bus in Ivory Coast plunges into the capital Abidjan's lagoon, killing 12 people. (Reuters)
Typhoon Muifa:
- Typhoon Muifa approaches the Japanese island of Okinawa causing localised flooding, cancellation of flights to and from Naha International Airport and 30,000 homes to lose power. (Stars and Stripes)
- The People's Republic of China warns residents of Zhejiang province and Shanghai to prepare for the arrival of Typhoon Muifa tomorrow or Sunday, which is expected to be one of the most powerful storms to hit China in recent years. (China Daily)

International relations

UNICEF calls on Australia not to send 18 asylum seekers who are allegedly unaccompanied minors to Malaysia as part of a people swap. (AFP via Google News) (AAP via SBS News)

Politics

Former Prime Minister of Ukraine, and leader of the most numerous opposition party Yulia Tymoshenko is arrested in Kiev. (Kyiv Post)
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III meets with rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front leader Al Haj Murad Ibrahim in Tokyo. (Philippine Inquirer) (Radio Australia)
Yingluck Shinawatra is officially elected as the Prime Minister of Thailand by the parliament. (Reuters)
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Andrzej Lepper is found dead in what police suspect is a suicide by hanging. (WBJ) (The Telegraph)

August 6, 2011 (Saturday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising: The Gulf Co-operation Council urges an end to the "bloodshed" in Syria, and calls for reforms. (Al Arabiya)
The Islamist al-Shabaab rebels in Somalia pull out of the capital Mogadishu. (BBC)
Police in Saudi Arabia shoot dead a gunman who fired at the palace of Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud in Jeddah. (Al Jazeera)
A NATO Chinook helicopter crashes in the Sayd Abad district of Afghanistan's Wardak province after being shot down by the Taliban with 37 deaths. (Dawn) (New York Times)
- At least 20 of the U.S. Navy SEALs killed in the attack were members of SEAL Team Six, the unit that carried out the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden. The Associated Press and CNN later reported that none of the unit members that participated in the raid were involved. (AP)

Law and crime

English rioters set police cars on fire on the High Road in the London suburb of Tottenham after Metropolitan Police shot Mark Duggan on Thursday. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

500,000 people are evacuated in eastern China as Typhoon Muifa approaches. (Channel NewsAsia)

International relations

Asylum seekers at the Christmas Island Immigration Reception and Processing Centre off the Indian Ocean coast of Western Australia start a hunger strike in protest at their deportation to Malaysia. (The West Australian)

Culture

Ilya Shikshin won the European Go Championship

August 7, 2011 (Sunday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising:
- The Syrian army attacks the city of Deir ez-Zor according to opposition activists. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
- The Arab League calls on Syrian authorities to end the violence against civilians. (Kuwait News Agency) (Emirates 24/7)
- Saudi Arabia withdraws its ambassador to Syria in protest at the violence. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
2011 Yemeni uprising: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh leaves hospital in Saudi Arabia after injuries sustained during the ongoing uprising. (CNN)
2011 Libyan civil war: Rebels report more gains south of the capital Tripoli. (Reuters)
2011 Bahraini uprising: Two opposition MPs are released from prison. (Al-Masry Al-Youm)
Fighting erupts in the Somali capital Mogadishu a day after al Shabaab rebels had reportedly left the city. (Reuters)
Australian French Resistance leader Nancy Wake dies in London at the age of 98. (Sydney Daily Telegraph)

Disasters and accidents

One person is killed and six are missing after a landslide in eastern Malaysia. (Xinhua)

Law and crime

2011 London riots
- The Metropolitan Police Service restores order in Tottenham, north London, after a riot on Saturday night in which twenty-six police officers were injured. (AFP via Hindustan Times) (BBC)
- Outbreaks of looting and civil disorder are reported in a number of areas including Hackney, Brixton and Walthamstow. (The Guardian) (The Telegraph)
Nepal bans smoking in public places. [http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_699698.html (Straits Times)

[Copley Shooting 2011][2]

Science and technology

The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, the longest guided busway in the world, opens after years of delays. (BBC)

August 8, 2011 (Monday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising
- The Syrian opposition reports that the Army has entered the town of Maarat an-Numan. (Al Jazeera)
- Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, again warns the President of Syria Bashar al-Assad to stop violence against civilians. (Ynet)
- The website of the Ministry of Defense of Syria is taken over by Anonymous. (Huffington Post)
- Kuwait and Bahrain recall their ambassadors to Syria in protest of the violence, a day after Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador. (Gulf News) (Daily Star Lebanon)
- Syria rejects a statement by the Gulf Cooperation Council condemning its crackdown on protests. (Syrian Arab News Agency)
2011 Libyan civil war: Fighting continues on the eastern and western fronts. (Al Jazeera)
The Royal Navy appoints its first female war ship commander; Lieutenant Commander Sarah West, 39, will take command of HMS Portland in April 2012. (BBC)

Business and economy

Stock markets in Asia, Australia, and the United States fall further after the credit rating of the United States is downgraded with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling by over 634 points, 5.55%. (Market Watch) (AAP via SBS) (Herald Sun) (Bloomberg) (USA Today) (News Limited)
Rice futures trading on the Tokyo Grain Exchange is suspended following fears that the Japanese crop has been contaminated by radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. (Bloomberg).

Disasters

Seven people are killed in a landslide in Malaysia's Cameron Highlands. (Straits Times)
More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from China's Shandong Province as former Typhoon Muifa travels along the eastern coast as a tropical storm. (Xinhua)

Law and crime

The High Court of Australia grants an injunction against the removal of asylum seekers to Malaysia until a full hearing later this month. (ABC News)
2011 London riots:
- More than 215 people have been arrested in London, England since the riots began. (AFP via Herald-Sun) (Belfast Telegraph)
- Fresh violence breaks out in Hackney, Lewisham, Peckham, Croydon and several other areas of London as Home Secretary Theresa May meets with police chiefs to discuss the crisis. (BBC)
- London Mayor Boris Johnson says he will return early from his family holiday on Tuesday to deal with the riots. (The Telegraph)
- British Prime Minister David Cameron returns home early to chair a meeting of the COBRA Committee. (Daily Mail)
- Unrest breaks out in Birmingham City Centre and Liverpool. (BBC) (BBC)

Politics and elections

Mike Rann, the Premier of the Australian state of South Australia, announces that he will be resigning on October 20 to be replaced by Education Minister Jay Weatherill. (Herald Sun)

August 9, 2011 (Tuesday)

Arts and culture

Australians fill out the 2011 Australian census. (ABC News Australia)

Business and economy

August 2011 stock markets fall
- The Australian Commonwealth and Westpac banks cut fixed home loan rates. (News Limited) (Sydney Morning Herald) (Market Watch) (Reuters)
- South Korea's financial authorities promise to take action to stabilise markets as stocks on the Korea Exchange continue to fall. (Yonhap)
- The Australian and New Zealand dollars continue to fall as investors seek security with the Aussie dollar falling below parity. (Bloomberg)
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average on the New York Stock Exchange as world stock markets recover after recent falls. (Wall Street Journal)
The U.S. Federal Reserve announces it will keep interest rates at "exceptionally low levels" at least through mid 2013, though it makes no commitment for further quantitative easing. (Reuters)

Disasters

Tropical Storm Mufia
- At least four people are dead and two missing after former Typhoon Muifa hits South Korea - 600 homes had earlier been destroyed in the People's Republic of China. (Chosun Ilbo) (AFP via Google News)
- At least ten people are reported to have died in North Korea. (CNN)

Law and crime

English riots:
- Rioting continues in London with lawlessness spreading to other English cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham. (BBC), (The Australian)
- The Prime Minister David Cameron returns to Britain to chair an emergency meeting on the crisis and later recalls Parliament on Thursday. (BBC) (BBC)
- Police arrest 334 people and charge 69 after last night's riots. (Al-Jazeera)
- The Football Association calls off a friendly match between the England and Netherlands national teams. (The Guardian)
- The far-right English Defense League says it will send its members onto the streets to quell riots. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
Warren Jeffs, former leader of the FLDS Church and formerly on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, is sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years for a conviction on child sexual assault charges. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Voters in some parts of the US state of Wisconsin go to the polls for recall elections for six Republican Party State Senators with Republicans retaining four of the six seats and their majority in the chamber. (The New York Times), (Bloomberg)
Penny Wong, the first openly gay member of the Australian Cabinet, announces that her partner will be having a baby. (Adelaide Advertiser)

August 10, 2011 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

The People's Republic of China's first aircraft carrier, the refitted Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag, commences its first sea trial under the Chinese flag. (Bloomberg) (Reuters)
Korean Peninsula:
- The Yonhap news agency reports that sources have advised them that North Korea is plotting to assassinate Kim Kwan-jin, currently South Korea's defence minister. (Yonhap News)
- North and South Korea exchange artillery fire near Yeonpyeong Island. (Bloomberg)
A US drone missile attack kills at least 18 people in Pakistan's North Waziristan district. (Dawn)

Arts and culture

The south ridge of Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain, is renamed Hillary Ridge after Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to conquer Mount Everest. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Stock markets in Asia and Australia continue to rebound after the United States Federal Reserve promises to keep interest rates near zero for two years. (CNBC)
The trade surplus of the People's Republic of China rises to US$31.5 billion in July, the highest level in two years. (Bloomberg)
Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority gives Tiger Airways the all clear to resume operations after a six-week suspension for safety violations. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Law and crime

Australian crime figure Judy Moran is sentenced to 26 years in jail for her part in the murder of Des "Tuppence" Moran in Melbourne with the actual murderer Geoffrey Armour also sentenced to 26 years. (Sydney Morning Herald)
England riots:
- Rioting hits other English cities including Manchester, Salford, Liverpool, Nottingham and Birmingham, though London is largely quiet. (BBC)
- The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, holds another cabinet meeting to discuss responses to the riots with police authorised to use water cannon and rubber bullets. (CNN) (The Guardian)
- Police from Scotland are sent to England to help combat riots and disorder. (BBC)
News International phone hacking scandal
- Former News of the World news editor Greg Miskiw is arrested, then later bailed as the investigation into phone-hacking continues. (BBC)

August 11, 2011 (Thursday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Karen Drambjan, a left-wing Estonian lawyer, storms the Defense Ministry in Tallinn and takes two hostages, but is killed when special police forces storm the building. (RT)
At least five people including four police officers are killed after a bomb explodes near a police van in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. (BBC)

Business and economy

August 2011 stock markets fall and rebound
- Stock markets in Asia and Australia fall on the back of a sharp decline in Wednesday's trading on the New York Stock Exchange. (MarketWatch) (MarketWatch)
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 423.37 points, the fourth-straight day U.S. stocks have changed by over 400 points. The market dropped on Monday and Wednesday, and registered increases Tuesday and today. (Hartford Courant)

Disasters

The City Council in the New Zealand city of Christchurch announces plans to rebuild its central business district after the recent earthquake. (TV New Zealand)

International relations

Final approval is given for the building of 1,600 Israeli settler homes in disputed East Jerusalem by Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai despite a diplomatic rebuke Tuesday from the United States over earlier construction plans. (BBC) (Toronto Globe and Mail)

Law and crime

Umar Patek, a key suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings, faces trial on terrorism charges in Jakarta after being extradicted from Pakistan to Indonesia. (AP via News Limited)

Politics and elections

The Parliament of the United Kingdom comes back from its summer break to debate the 2011 England riots. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
The Philippine Senate Electoral Tribunal proclaims Aquilino Pimentel III as the winner of the 2007 election days after Juan Miguel Zubiri resigned due to alleged electoral fraud. (BBC News)

August 12, 2011 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Two bombers kill themselves in an attempted attack in the Philippines city of Kidapawan in Cotabato province. (Philippines Star)
2011 Syrian uprising: Massive protests are planned against the President Bashar al-Assad, after recent raids by the Army. (Al Arabiya)

Business and economy

Chinese Bullet trains on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway are withdrawn and all sections of track are inspected following a recent crash. (Wall Street Journal)

Law and crime

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit strikes down the health insurance mandate of President Barack Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (AP via Washington Post)

Sport

In rugby league, Darren Lockyer of the Brisbane Broncos plays his 350th match in first grade setting a new record for the National Rugby League. (Sydney Morning Herald)

Disasters

A passenger train derails at Baby, Piotrków County, Poland. One passenger is killed and 45 are injured. (BBC)

August 13, 2011 (Saturday)

Disasters

Stage rigging collapses at the Indiana State Fair, killing at least five and injuring dozens of fans of the musical group Sugarland and singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles. (CNN)
The Thomson and Mitchell rivers flood in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. (ABC News Australia)
A ruptured oil pipeline is discovered near Gannet Alpha platform, run by Shell 113 miles from Aberdeen, Scotland. BBC

Law and crime

2011 England riots
- Two people are charged with the murder of three men who were hit by a car in Birmingham as they tried to protect their property from looters. (BBC)
- British Prime Minister David Cameron hires so-called U.S. supercop Bill Bratton to advise the British Government on dealing with gang-related violence. (BBC)

Politics and elections

The first electoral contest of the 2012 United States Presidential election takes place in the Iowa town of Ames with the Ames Straw Poll for Republican Party candidates with Michele Bachmann emerging as the winner. (AP via Yahoo! News) (Washington Post)

August 14, 2011 (Sunday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising: Syrian Navy gunboats fire heavy machine guns targeting waterfront districts in Latakia, as ground troops and security agents backed by armor storm several neighborhoods. Up to 26 people are killed. (Haaretz) (Ynet News)
Iran confirms the arrest of the second-in-command of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Murat Karayılan, by the country's intelligence agency. (PressTV)
Anti-Muammar Gaddafi rebels make major progress in the 2011 Libyan civil war, advancing into Zawiya, only 50 km west of the capital city, Tripoli. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Egyptian activist Asmaa Mahfouz is charged with inciting violence in what seems to be a clear violation of human rights. (Al-Ahram) (Almasry Alyoum) (Associated Press) (Washington Post)
Six people are killed in a stabbing incident on the Channel Island of Jersey (BBC)
2011 England riots
- A third person is charged with the murder of three men hit by a car in Birmingham. (BBC)

Politics

Former Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty announces the end of his campaign for the Republican Party nomination in the 2012 United States presidential election following a poor result in the Ames Straw Poll. (Washington Post)
Jhala Nath Khanal resigns as the Prime Minister of Nepal due to the failure of Nepalese political parties to adopt a constitution or end infighting. (AP via Houston Chronicle)

Sport

American golfer Keegan Bradley wins the United States 2011 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club, defeating Jason Dufner in a playoff. (Atlanta Journal Constitution), (CBS Sports)

August 15, 2011 (Monday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising:
- The Syrian navy shells the city of Latakia, killing as many as 26 people, including Palestinian refugees from Ramel refugee camp in southern Latakia. (Al Jazeera) (The Daily Telegraph) (Los Angeles Times) (CNN) (VOA) (Jerusalem Post)
- Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoğlu says that unspecified "steps" would be taken by Turkey if Syria fails to end the crackdown. (Al Jazeera)
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi gives a live address to the nation after rebels claim a number of victories in the 2011 Libyan civil war. (CNN)
A double bombing in the Iraqi city of Kut kills at least 34 and injures 68 people. (CNN)

Business and economy

Japan's economy shrinks by 0.3% in the April-June quarter confirming the country is in a recession caused in part by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. (Market Watch)
Authorities in the north-eastern Chinese city of Dalian order a petrochemical plant, which produces paraxylene (PX), to be shut down and relocated, after tens of thousands of local residents protested through the streets on Sunday, fearing potential pollution. The protests resembled to a similar case, when citizens went on a protest "stroll" in the southeastern city of Xiamen in June 2007. (China Daily) (The Guardian) (The Atlantic) (The Wall Street Journal)
Google announces a proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility. (Reuters)

Disasters

Tropical Storm Gert passes Bermuda. (National Hurricane Centre)
A cold snap in New Zealand causes widespread snow on both the North and South Islands, disruption to power supplies and the closures of roads and Wellington International Airport. (TV New Zealand) (The Guardian)

Politics

Japan's Cabinet approves a plan to establish a new energy watchdog under the Environment Ministry. (Japan Today)
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak appears in court for the second session of his trial with his two sons Alaa and Gamal who share corruption charges with him; the trial is subsequently adjourned and ordered to be merged with that of former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly. (PressTV) (BBC)

Sport

In baseball, Jim Thome of the Minnesota Twins becomes the eighth player in the history of North American Major League Baseball to hit 600 career home runs. (MSNBC)
In motorsport, Marcos Ambrose wins the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen, becoming the first Australian ever to win a race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. (Australian Associated Press via The Sydney Morning Herald)

August 16, 2011 (Tuesday)

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 17, 2011 (Wednesday)

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 18, 2011 (Thursday)

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 terrorists 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)
Five people die on the first day of the Belgian Pukkelpop festival when a hurricane hits the festival field. The rest of the festival is cancelled.

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 19, 2011 (Friday)

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)
Rocket attacks in southern Israel kill eight people. (Ha'aretz)

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 20, 2011 (Saturday)

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:
- One Israeli is killed, seven are wounded in Beersheba and three Palestinian illegal aliens are wounded near the city of Ashdod by incoming mortars and rockets launched from the Gaza Strip. (Ynetnews) (Ynetnews) (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 of Peoria)

August 21, 2011 (Sunday)

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)
Rockets fired from Gaza, reportedly aiming for Israel, land in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. (AFP via Google News)

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 the outback of the Australian state of Western Australia. According to the Monday, August 22 Huffington Post online video and short article about them [3] they "are thought to be 3.4 billion years old. Some believe that the organisms could also have lived on Mars, as at the time when they lived there was very little oxygen on Earth, and Mars was known to have had both the water and sulphur necessary to sustain the life forms." (New York Times)

August 22, 2011 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Libyan civil war, 2011 Battle of Tripoli:
- 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 reported 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 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)
The UN says 600 people have been killed in clashes in South Sudan. (New York Times)

Arts and culture

Jerry Leiber, the American lyricist of the Leiber and Stoller duo that wrote many of the most popular songs in the early years of rock and roll, dies at the age of 78 in Los Angeles. (New York Times)
Nick Ashford, American R&B singer-songwriter and one half of the husband-and-wife songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, dies from throat cancer aged 69. (The Telegraph)

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)

Disasters

Hurricane Irene:
- Twenty people including British billionaire Richard Branson and actress Kate Winslet have to be rescued after Hurricane Irene destroys Branson's mansion on Necker Island in the Caribbean Sea. (Winnipeg Free Press)
- Hurricane Irene reaches hurricane strength over Puerto Rico, becoming the first of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Prosecutors in New York City ask for charges against former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn to be dropped. (ABC Online)

Politics

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

August 23, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Battle of Tripoli
- Heavy fighting continues in the Libyan capital Tripoli as Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi leads a counterattack despite earlier reports of his capture. (ABC News Australia)
- Rebels capture Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia compound after heavy fighting. (BBC)
Turkey claims to have killed 100 Kurdistan Workers' Party terrorists in bombing raids on positions in northern Iraq since last Wednesday.(Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review)
Suspected Islamic insurgents kill two Thai Army soldiers and wound 14 other people in southern Thailand. (AP via Google News)
The United Nations Human Rights Council orders an investigation into alleged human rights violations by the Government of Syria in the 2011 Syrian uprising. (BBC)
At least one Palestinian is killed and several injured following an Israeli drone aircraft attack on Gaza shortly after an informal ceasefire was reached. (Al-Jazeera)

Business and economy

Swiss bank UBS AG announces plans to cut 3,500 jobs. (Financial Times)

Disasters

Hurricane Irene reaches Category 2 strength as it hits the island of Hispaniola containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic. (CNN)
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes near Mineral, Virginia; a nearby nuclear reactor is automatically shutdown due to the quake. This is the most powerful earthquake to hit Virginia since 1897. (New York Times) (The Guardian)

International relations

Thailand says it will recognize the State of Palestine during its September bid at the United Nations General Assembly. (Ma'an News Agency)

Law and crime

A judge in New York City rules in favour dropping sexual assault charges against former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn. (New York Times)

Politics

President Obama provides temporary relief for illegal immigrants who are students, veterans, the elderly, crime victims and those with family, including same-sex partners, as part of immigration reform in the United States. (Los Angeles Times) (New York Times)
An e-petition calling for the British Government to release of Cabinet documents relating to the Hillsborough disaster collects 100,000 signatures - enough for MPs to consider a House of Commons debate on the matter. It is the first government e-petition to reach the target. (BBC)
News International phone hacking scandal
- The BBC reports that former News of the World editor Andy Coulson continued to receive a severance pay package from News International while working as Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. (BBC)
Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree is declared the winner in the Democratic Party primary election in Mississippi, becoming the first black candidate to win a major party nomination in a gubernatorial race. (Clarion Ledger)

August 24, 2011 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Battle of Tripoli
- National Transitional Council Chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil announces legislative and presidential elections within eight months, and promises that Muammar Gaddafi will be tried in Libya. (Ynetnews)
- Muammar Gaddafi vows to fight until "death or victory" despite the capture of his Bab al-Azizia compound in southern Tripoli. (The Telegraph)
- A former United Nations weapons inspector, Olli Heinonen, warns that a research centre near Tripoli has materials that could be used to make a nuclear dirty bomb. (Reuters via the New York Times)
Air strikes kill 30 Al-Qaeda linked militants near Zinjibar in Yemen's Abyan Governorate with eight army soldiers killed in fighting. (AP via Huffington Post)

Business and economy

Moody's credit rating agency downgrades Japan to Aa3 due to weak economic growth prospects and high levels of public debt. (Bloomberg)
Steve Jobs resigns as the CEO of Apple Inc. Tim Cook took over the CEO position for the company. (Wall Street Journal)

Disasters

Hurricane Irene
- Hurricane Irene strengthens to Category 3 status as it heads towards The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos and then the East Coast of the United States. (News Limited via The Herald Sun). (CNN)
- Thousands of people on Ocracoke Island off the U.S. state of North Carolina are told to evacuate ahead of the arrival of the hurricane later in the week. (AP via The Chronicle-Herald)
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hits near the Amazon region of Peru (MSNBC) (CNN)

International relations

North Korea indicates it is ready to bring about a self-imposed moratorium on its nuclear weapons program. (AP via USA Today)

Law and crime

Russian police arrest a former senior police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov suspected of organising the murder of former Kremlin reporter Anna Politkovskaya in 2006. (AFP via Google News)

Sport

In athletics, Lamine Diack of Senegal is elected unopposed to another term as President of the International Association of Athletics Federations. (AP via Yahoo!)

Science

A Progress resupply vehicle destined for the International Space Station experiences a catastrophic engine failure and fails to reach orbit impacting in the Altai Republic.

August 25, 2011 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

More than 50 people are killed in an attack on a casino in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. (BBC News) (AP via Youtube)
Libya's National Transitional Council announces plans to move its headquarters to Tripoli following the capture of the city from Muammar Gaddafi. (AFP via The Australian)
17 rockets and mortars are fired from Gaza at southwestern Israeli cities. 2 people, one of them a nine-month-old baby, are hurt in the attack. (Arutz Sheva)

Arts and culture

Gunmen attack prominent Syrian political cartoonist Ali Farzat, beating him badly and breaking both of his hands, with the beating believed to be related to cartoons critical of President of Syria Bashar Assad and his family. (AP via Boston Globe)

Business and economy

Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate headed by Warren Buffett, announces a plan to invest $5 billion in Bank of America. (DealBook)

Disasters

At least 19 people are feared dead in Zimbabwe after a haulage truck and bus collide (Radio VoP)
The RAF gives the Red Arrows clearance to fly again following Saturday's fatal crash at the Bournemouth Air Festival, but cannot confirm if they will fly at similar events this year. (BBC)
Hurricane Irene:
- New York City announces its plans to shut down subways, buses and commuter trains ahead of the likely arrival of Hurricane Irene. (NBC News)
- The US city of Norfolk, Virginia declares a mandatory evacuation of lowlying areas by 8am Saturday morning. (Norfolk Government)
2011 Pacific typhoon season: At least one person in the Philippines is missing and several towns are flooded as a result of Typhoon Nanmadol which is now heading for Taiwan. (Washington Post)

Law and crime

London's Metropolitan Police Service says that it has now made over 2,000 arrests in connection with the riots which occurred in London. (BBC)
A 61-year-old man is arrested after making threats to the British Conservative Party MP Louise Mensch via email and social networking sites. (BBC)
Police in Austria have arrested an 80-year-old man for allegedly imprisoning and sexually abusing his two daughters over a period of 40 years. (BBC)

Politics

Former Iranian Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi is hospitalized after a heart attack. (Balatarin)
A protester is arrested for throwing a paint bomb at British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as he arrives at a Liberal Democrats party meeting in Glasgow. (BBC)

Sports

The New York Yankees hit three grand slam home runs in a single game, the first time such a feat has occurred, to win over the Oakland Athletics. (The New York Times)

August 26, 2011 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Al Arabiya television reports that three rockets have hit the border area between Kuwait and Iraq. (Reuters)
As many as ten people are feared dead after a bomb explodes at a United Nations building in Abuja, Nigeria. (The Guardian) (Sky News)

Arts and culture

The Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China bars 100 songs from music download sites including Lady Gaga's "Judas" and Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". (AP via Google News)

Business and economy

Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve, gives a keynote address at a central banks conference at the US resort of Jackson Hole, Wyoming as statistics show that the US economy grew by 1%. (Reuters via CNBC)
The Federal Reserve announces that it will hold hearings on the proposed acquisition, by Capital One, of ING Direct, a potential $9 billion deal. (Reuters)

Disasters

Hurricane Irene:
- Hurricane Irene approaches the east coast of the United States ahead of making landfall on Saturday with 50 million people in its path. (WRAL) (Reuters)
- The United States Navy sends its Second Fleet out of its base in Naval Station Norfolk to ride the storm out at sea. (Reuters)
- A state of emergency is declared in a number of states including North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut as well as the city of Baltimore in the state of Maryland. (BBC) (AP via San Luis Obispo Tribune) (Fox News)
- The unveiling of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington D.C. is postponed indefinitely. (Daily Mail)
- The casinos in Atlantic City close as gamblers and residents evacuate from the New Jersey coast. (AP via NJ.com)
- The Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg orders the mandatory evacuation of some low-lying parts of the city, and the shutdown of the subway. (International Business Times) (AP via YouTube)
- The President of the United States Barack Obama urges Americans in the path of the hurricane to take appropriate precautions for a "historic storm". (CBS News)

Law and Crime

The Japanese National Police Agency reveals that 90 per cent of cyberattacks on its web site on July 10 came from Internet Protocol addresses in the People's Republic of China. (MDN)
The Associated Press reports that U.S. President Barack Obama's uncle, Onyango Obama, 67, is stopped on suspicion of drunken driving in Framingham, Massachusetts. (Peoria Journal Star)

Politics

Oh Se-hoon resigns as the Mayor of Seoul after losing a referendum on free school lunches. (AP via Google News)
Naoto Kan announces his resignation as Prime Minister of Japan after the Parliament passes two key pieces of legislation. (AP via NineMSN) (AP via San Jose Mercury News)
An investigation by the consultancy firm Deloitte clears Iris Robinson, the wife of the Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson, of any wrongdoing over a council contract which was awarded to an individual with whom she was conducting an affair. (BBC)
Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen calls for Parliamentary elections to be held on September 15 - nearly two months ahead of the scheduled date. (Xinhua)

Science

Scientists at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne announce their discovery of J1719-143, a planet made entirely of diamond orbiting a pulsar - only the second time such a planetary mass has been discovered. (CBC)

August 27, 2011 (Saturday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Dozens of dead bodies are found at the Abu Salim Hospital in Tripoli which had been abandoned by medical staff earlier in the week when it came under heavy gunfire. (NPR)

Disasters

Hurricane Irene:
- At least 65 million people on the East Coast of the United States will be in the direct path of Hurricane Irene over the next few days. (News Limited)
- Hurricane Irene makes landfall in the U.S. state of North Carolina near Cape Lookout. (Washington Post) (ABC News)
- At least 4 people die in North Carolina as a result of Hurricane Irene. (CBS News) (CNN)

Politics

The Parliament of India debates the Jan Lokpal anti-corruption legislation, prompted in part by an ongoing hunger strike by social activist Anna Hazare. (Hindustan Times')
Voters in Singapore go to the polls for the presidential election. (Link TV) (AFP via Google News)
Hundreds of thousands of Canadians attend events and tributes across Canada in honour of Jack Layton, as an unprecedented state funeral is held. (CBC News)

Sport

In rugby union, the Australian Wallabies defeat the New Zealand All Blacks to win the 2011 Tri Nations Series. (3 News)
In cricket, the Leicestershire Foxes win the Friends Life T20 Cup, beating Somerset Sabres by 18 runs in the final. Both teams reached the final after winning a one over eliminator, the first time such decider had been used in the finals of the competition. [4]

August 28, 2011 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

At least 29 people are killed in an suicide bombing in Baghdad's largest Sunni mosque including Khalid al-Fahdawi, a member of the Council of Representatives of Iraq. (AP via Google News)

Arts and culture

The Notting Hill Carnival, the world's second largest street festival, gets underway peacefully in London with a heavy police presence due to recent riots. (The Guardian)
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards conclude in Los Angeles with Katy Perry winning Video of the Year for Firework. (Entertainment Weekly)

Disasters

Hurricane Irene:
- A confirmed tornado in Delaware destroys a home and damages others. (ABC News)
- At least five people died in Maryland as a result of Hurricane Irene. (International Business Times)
- The storm reaches New York City with 370,000 people having been evacuated from low lying areas. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
- The state of Vermont is badly affected by the storm with the towns of Wilmington, Brattleboro and Dover all badly flooded and at least one death. (CNN)
Typhoon Nanmadol kills eight people in the Philippines and is headed for Taiwan. (Taiwan News)
Five people are killed and at least 27 injured when a tram derails in the Santa Teresa neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. (BBC)

Law and crime

The Government of the United Kingdom pledges to raise the issue of the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, allegedly by a Libyan official outside the embassy in London in 1984, with the new government in Tripoli. (Press Association via Google)

Politics

Indian social activist Anna Hazare breaks a hunger strike after Parliament passes strong anti-corruption laws. (Times of India)
Tony Tan Keng Yam becomes the President-elect of Singapore after winning the presidential election. (Press Trust of India via Hindustan Times)
Nepal elects Baburam Bhattarai as its new Prime Minister. (CNN)

August 29, 2011 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Libyan civil war:
- The National Transitional Council in Libya raises concerns about mass killing of political prisoners by the former government. (AM via ABC News Online), (AP via France 24)
- National Transitional Council fighters converge on Muammar Gaddafi's home town of Sirte. (Reuters)
- Several members of the Gaddafi family are reported as having fled to Algeria. (BBC)

Disasters

Stock, bond and commodities markets open as usual in the United States despite the impact of Hurricane Irene on New York City. (Bloomberg)
Typhoon Nanmadol hits Taiwan after killing 11 people in the Philippines. (AP via Google News)
Floods hit northern India with transport services disrupted in Mumbai and 15 villages isolated in Maharashtra state. (NewsxLive)

Politics and elections

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan selects a replacement for Naoto Kan as party leader and Prime Minister of Japan with current Minister of Finance Yoshihiko Noda winning the ballot. (Wall Street Journal) (Reuters) (The Australian)
Baburam Bhattarai of the Unified Communist Party is elected as Prime Minister of Nepal by the Parliament. (Himalayan Times)
Alexander Ankvab is elected President of partially recognized Abkhazia during elections held on August, 26. The elections are characterised by the Western media and independent observers as "democratic", but not recognized by Georgia.(The New York Times)(Washington Post)(Taz)
Toomas Hendrik Ilves is re-elected by an electoral body to another term as President of Estonia. (Reuters)

August 30, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Three suicide bombings leave 9 dead and 20 wounded in Grozny, the capital of the Republic of Chechnya, Russia. (CNN)
The Libyan National Transitional Council gives an ultimatum to supporters of Muammar Gaddafi in Sirte to surrender by the end of Eid ul-Fitr on Saturday. (The Scotsman)

Arts and culture

Muslims celebrate Eid ul-Fitr marking the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. In Indonesia, however, the government rules that the end of Ramadan should be delayed one day. (Wall Street Journal) (Hindustan Times)

Business and economy

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. asks a bankruptcy court to let creditors vote on a reorganization plan that would pay its creditors, on average, $0.20 on the dollar. (Reuters)

Disasters

Hurricane Irene:
- The death toll from Hurricane Irene reaches 40 in the continental United States plus three people in the Dominican Republic and one in Puerto Rico. (NZ Stuff) (Associated Press)
- The New England state of Vermont suffers its worst flooding in 100 years. (Associated Press)
- The U.S. state of New Jersey suffers extensive flooding with Passaic County, Mercer County and Middlesex County worst affected. (International Business Times)
Monsoonal rain causes heavy floods in the Indian state of Gujarat. (IBN Live)
Nineteen coal miners are rescued from a flooded pit in China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua)
At least 25 people are killed and thousands displaced due to floods in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria over the weekend. [5]
The Popocatepetl volcano south of Mexico City starts spewing ash into the sky. (AP via Washington Post)
A TTC bus collides with a hydraulic crane mounted on a construction truck on Lawrence Avenue Toronto, killing one and injuring thirteen, in the first such incident since the Russell Hill subway accident in 1995. (Globe and Mail) (Vancouver Sun) (The Hamilton Spectator)

Law and crime

While reportedly on his way to surrender to police in Atlanta, Georgia to face murder charges, former National Basketball Association player Javaris Crittenton is arrested by the FBI at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. (Associated Press via ESPN)

Politics

New Japanese Prime Minister:
- The Cabinet of former Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan resigns en masse following the election of Yoshihiko Noda as the presumptive Prime Minister. (Nikkei)
- The Diet of Japan approves Noda as the new Prime Minister. |(Hindustan Times)
Kenneth E. Melson is replaced as the acting head of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as a result of a controversial gun trafficking operation called Operation Fast and Furious. (Washington Post)
Environmentalists, citing greenhouse gas emissions and risks of oil spills, including climatologist James Hansen are arrested outside the White House in Washington D.C. in a protest to urge President Barack Obama to reject TransCanada Corp.'s $7 billion proposed Keystone Pipeline extension from the Athabasca Oil Sands in northern Alberta in Canada to the US Gulf Coast. (AP via Sydney Morning Herald)(Bloomberg) (The Nation) (The New York Times) (NPR)

August 31, 2011 (Wednesday)