Portal:Current events

August 1, 2005 (Monday)

• Conflict in Iraq: At least six US Marines have died following an insurgent attack in Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. (NBC)
• A survey of the world's strongest brands by Anholt-GMI has placed Australia as the leading "nation brand", ahead of Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Last years top brand, Sweden, dropped to fifth place, whilst the United States dropped from fourth to eleventh place. (Sydney Morning Herald) (NZ Herald)
• One person has been killed and another injured in an explosion on a Russian nuclear-powered submarine in dock for decommissioning. (BBC)
• Leaked communications between two U.S. military prosecutors reveal internal doubts about the military commission system established to try Guantanamo Bay detainees. In separate emails, the prosecutors allege that the commission system is rigged in favour of the prosecution and that the cases being pursued are "marginal". In Australia, the Australian Government came under renewed pressure to withdraw its support for the commissions, under which Australian citizen David Hicks would be tried. (Wikinews) (ABC)
• Vice-President John Garang of Sudan, a central figure in the new peace deal ending the Second Sudanese Civil War, is reported dead with 13 other people in an aircraft crash near the Uganda-Sudan border. (Wikinews), (Reuters), (CNN), (AP via Yahoo!News) (Link dead as of 02:29, 15 January 2007 (UTC))
  • Deadly riots erupt in Khartoum after Garang's death. (Reuters) (Link dead as of 02:29, 15 January 2007 (UTC))
• King Fahd of Saudi Arabia has died in a hospital at the age of 83. It was believed that he was in poor health and entered the hospital on May 27 with acute pneumonia. Crown Prince Abdullah, who had been effective regent for years, accedes to the throne. Defence Minister Prince Sultan will be the new Crown Prince. (Wikinews) (Reuters) (Al-Jazeera)
• New European Union directive banning tobacco advertising comes into effect (Euronews)
• President Bush circumvents the Senate after a five-month impasse to appoint John Bolton as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. (Wikinews) (Yahoo News) (Link dead as of 02:29, 15 January 2007 (UTC))
• In Egypt, opposition party al-Wafd (Delegation Party) announces that it will endorse its leader Numan Gumaa as a candidate in presidential election next September (Al-Jazeera)
• NASA announces that astronauts will make repairs on the bottom of the space shuttle Discovery to ensure its safety in re-entry (Space.com) (Science Daily) (Reuters) (Link dead as of 02:29, 15 January 2007 (UTC))
• In Colombia, paramilitary group United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia begins disarming (BBC)
• In Brazil, Valdemar Costa Neto, leader of the Liberal Party, steps down after he admitted that he received money from the ruling Worker's Party (MercoPress (Reuters) (Link dead as of 02:29, 15 January 2007 (UTC)), (Bloomberg)
• In India, HCL infosystems and Dayanidhi Maran, communications minister, unveil cheap "PC for India" with Linux OS, costing 9990 rupees (equivalent to US$225) (The Hindu) (Hindu Business Line) (BBC)

August 2, 2005 (Tuesday)

• In Iran, Judge Masoud Ahmadi Moghaddasi, who had ruled the case of Akbar Ganji, is assassinated by a gunman. (Guardian)
• President Bush endorses intelligent design, stating that it should be taught in school. He is quoted as saying: "I think that part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought. You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, the answer is yes." A large portion of the scientific community does not recognise ID as a scientific theory and considers it to be creationist pseudoscience.(Boston Globe)
• In Ohio's Second District, voters are choosing a new congressman. The candidates are Jean Schmidt and Paul Hackett. Schmidt ultimately wins the election.
• While landing during a severe lightning storm, Air France Flight 358 skidded off the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport at 4:03 p.m. local time and burst into flames. All 309 passengers and crew on board survive. (CJAD 800) (CBC) (BBC)
• Anti-disengagement protesters rally in Sderot. The organizers said the crowd numbered 50,000, but police estimated the figure between 10,000 and 15,000. Some 18,000 troops and 12,000 police are involved in preventing protesters from getting to the Gush Katif Israeli settlement on the Gaza Strip. (INN), (BBC), (HaAretz)
• Scientists at Stanford University have used nanotechnology to kill cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. (BBC)
• Conflict in Iraq: At least 15 people have died following a series of insurgent attacks throughout Iraq. (BBC)
• The Chinese national oil company CNOOC has withdrawn a bid for Unocal quelling the fears that the deal would give a foreign government too much control over American oil reserves. Chevron is now expected to acquire Unocal. (NY Times)
• In Zimbabwe, state prosecutors dropped treason charges against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Mr Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, was accused of organising mass protests in 2003 to overthrow Robert Mugabe's controversial régime. (AFP)
• In Germany, police in Brandenburg announce that they have uncovered bones of nine newborn babies that had been buried in flower pots. The woman believed to be their mother, identified in newspapers as "Sabine H.", has been arrested in the worst case of individual infanticide in German history. (Reuters) (BBC)
• Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore agree to joint anti-piracy patrols in the Malacca Strait. (Jakarta Post) (Channel News Asia) Thailand later joins them. (Channel News Asia) (New Straits Times) (Reuters AlertNet)
• In Turkey, two explosions injure 6 people in Antalya, a popular tourist resort. The tourism minister blames gas leaks but the police are investigating. (Turkish Press) (Reuters AlertNet)
• In France, medical authorities investigate a case where remains of 351 stillborn fetuses had been kept in storage in St Vincent de Paul hospital against the law and the parents' consent. (BBC)

August 3, 2005 (Wednesday)

• The FCC and DOJ have given approval to the proposed merger of Sprint and Nextel, to create the new company of Sprint Nextel
• Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin will announce on Thursday that Michaëlle Jean has been chosen to succeed Adrienne Clarkson as Governor General of Canada. (CBC)
• Two people are known to have died following a bomb blast in Istanbul, Turkey. (BBC) (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters AlertNet)
• The BBC has uncovered documents which reveal that in 1958 the British Government helped Israel attain nuclear weapons. (BBC)
• The chairman of the British Council of Mosques and Imams has advised British Muslim women to refrain from wearing clothing, such as the Hijab, which identifies them as Muslim following a large increase in "Islamophobia" and Hate crimes. (BBC), (BBC)
• Mo Mowlam, the former Northern Ireland Secretary, has been admitted to hospital, apparently critically ill. (BBC)
• Conflict in Iraq: 14 US Marines have been killed following an insurgent attack in Haditha, north-western Iraq. U.S. Officials deny that a Marine has been taken hostage. (BBC)
• More than 800 people have been wounded and 84 killed in the violence which erupted in Sudan after ex-rebel southern leader John Garang died in a helicopter crash. (BBC) (Reuters)
• In Singapore, an announcement was made declaring the election date for the presidential election to be on 27 August, with nomination day slated for 17 August. (CNA)
• NBC Universal gets permission from parent company General Electric to buy Dreamworks SKG. (Yahoo)
• Adidas acquires Reebok for $3.8 billion. (Economic Times) (BBC)
• Oracle Corporation acquires i-flex for $909 million. (Business Standard)
• In Australia, Morris Iemma becomes the 40th Premier of New South Wales after being elected unopposed as leader of the state Australian Labor Party.
• In Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad officially becomes new president. (IRNA) (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters)
• In Saudi Arabia the new King Abdullah has been invested. Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac, along with many European Monarchs are present for the "bayaa" ceremony while George H. W. Bush and Dick Cheney will meet with the new King the following day. (BBC)
• In Malaysia, former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim receives apology and compensation from former chief of police Rahim Noor, who beat him September 1999 ago when he was arrested on dubious grounds. In return, Ibrahim drops the case again him. (Channel News Aaia) (Reuters)
• Australian justice minister Chris Ellison wants to create tough laws against practice of sending young girls overseas to forced marriages. (The Australian) (BBC)
• Reports from Mauritania indicate that the Army has seized control of the government. State media is reportedly taken over by troops, signaling a military coup while President Ould Taya is out of the country attending the funeral of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd. (Middle East Online) (BBC) (afrol News)
• In China, death toll of the pig-carried disease rises to 38, The Ministry of Agriculture announces a new prevention program (Xinhua) (Channel News Asia) (Xinhua)
• In USA, fake Saudi princess who used a name Antoinette Millard, pleads guilty to fraud in New York court and is sent to mental hospital for one year (Newsday) (Reuters)
• In Norway, thieves steal three worthless copies of Edvard Munch's paintings from an Oslo hotel (Aftenposten) (Reuters)

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