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Portal:Current events
August 20, 2012
(
2012-08-20
)
(Monday)
history
watch
Armed conflict and attacks
Syrian civil war
:
United Nations
observers
leave the country as their mandate expires. The total number of casualties over the previous weekend is now estimated at more than 100 deaths. The UN envoy describes the conflict as a civil war. Russia says only the UN should decide on force against Syria. The U.S. claims it has "contingency plans" and threatens to change its "calculus" if it finds Syria moving or using chemical or biological weapons. Fighting continues.
(Reuters)
(
Atlanta Journal Constitution
)
[
permanent dead link
]
(Bloomberg)
(
Jerusalem Post
)
(
Washington Post
)
(
Christian Science Monitor
)
War on Terror
:
Afghanistan
:
John Key
, the
Prime Minister of New Zealand
, announces that the Government will withdraw forces from
Afghanistan
early in 2013.
(AP via
The Washington Post
)
Iraq
:
AFP
says at least 409 people were killed and 975 wounded during the previous
month
in Iraq.
(
Al Arabiya
)
A
riot in the Yare I prison
in the
Venezuelan
capital of
Caracas
kills at least 20 people.
(BBC)
At least eight people are killed by a
bomb attack
in the city of
Gaziantep
,
Turkey
.
(BBC)
Officials say three suspected Islamic militants die while plotting a car bombing in the
Republic of Tatarstan
,
Russia
.
(RFERL)
Arts and culture
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh
, is discharged from hospital following treatment for a
bladder infection
.
(BBC)
American comedienne
Phyllis Diller
dies at the age of 95.
(
USA Today
)
Disasters and accidents
An ocean surge into nearby
shanties
kills one person and leaves 15 others missing off the coast of
Lagos
,
Nigeria
.
(IOL)
Health
United States Congressman
Todd Akin
, who is also a candidate for the
United States Senate
, says "legitimate rape" would lead to pregnancy only in "really rare" cases. In a follow-up statement, he says that he "clearly misspoke" and that he holds a "deep empathy" for the "thousands of women who are raped each year". He stirs a US-wide
controversy
over the
issue
of
abortion
.
(Fox News)
(NPR)
(
Los Angeles Times
)
Law and crime
Gu Kailai
, the wife of ousted
Chongqing
Politburo
leader
Bo Xilai
, is given a
suspended death sentence
for the murder of
Neil Heywood
in
China
.
(AP via
The Washington Post
)
Former
Polly Peck
tycoon
Asil Nadir
is found guilty on three counts of stealing millions of pounds from his company by a jury at London's
Old Bailey
.
(BBC)
In a case before the
Supreme Court
, the
Indian Patent Office
and pharmaceutical giant
Novartis
will present final arguments this week concerning the right to make and sell
patented medicine
.
(
Business Standard
)
Politics and elections
Meles Zenawi
, the long-term
Prime Minister
of
Ethiopia
, dies of a mystery illness after not having been seen in public for weeks.
(AP via
New Zealand Herald
)
Myanmar
announces that it is ending
media censorship
, as part of the
ongoing political reforms in the country
.
(AFP via Google News)
In
Somalia
, a new parliament is formed, with the new task of electing the country's
president
.
(Al Jazeera)
Sports
South Africa
win
the third test to clinch victory in their
three match series with England
and move into first place in the
ICC cricket ratings
.
Month
August 2012
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August 21
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