Portal:Current events/2011 July 7

July 7, 2011 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising: Over a thousand people flee Hama in fear of a government attack by the Syrian Army. (Al Jazeera)
2011 Libyan civil war:
- Russia announces plans to send another planeload of humanitarian aid to the Libyan cities of Benghazi and Tripoli. (RIA Novosti)
- NATO bombs Libyan oil facilities for the first time. (The Independent)
2011 Yemeni uprising: Security forces clash with rebels near the town of Zinjibar with eight dead including one soldier. (Al Jazeera)
War in Afghanistan:
- Canada ends mission in Afghanistan and withdraws 2850 troops. (CBC News) (Washington Post)
Thirty-four people are killed in attacks on buses and houses in Karachi, Pakistan, with a total three-day death toll of 63. (Dawn)

Business and economy

Japanese automaker Toyota announces plans to fully restore production from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in October, one month earlier than previously announced. (Japan Times)
Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority applies to extend grounding of Tiger Airways services in Australia to August 1. (BBC)
NYSE Euronext shareholders approve of the acquisition of that company, parent corporation of the New York Stock Exchange, by Deutsche Boerse AG. The deal still needs to receive the approval of the acquiring firm's shareholders. (Reuters)
News of the World phone hacking affair:
- News International shuts down the British newspaper the News of the World, as a result of a phone hacking affair, with the final edition coming out Sunday. (The Guardian) (BBC) (The Jerusalem Post)
- The Metropolitan Police are contacting up to 4,000 people whose names appear on documents which were seized from the News of the World in 2005. (BBC)

Disasters

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of New Zealand's Kermadec Islands resulting in a tidal surge. (TV New Zealand)
At least 36 people are trapped underground in a coal mine in China's Shandong Province after a fire breaks out. (AFP via Straits Times)
At least thirty people are feared dead after a collision between a passenger train and a bus in Uttar Pradesh, India. (The Times of India)
In Enschede the Netherlands part of the roof of the stadium of football club FC Twente De Grolsch Veste collapses leaving two people dead and a dozen injured. (NOS)
A heavy storm in the US city of Denver, Colorado, causes localized flooding and causing 10,000 houses to lose power. (Denver Post)

International relations

South Korea starts work on a new facility to rehouse refugees from North Korea to avoid both food shortages and political oppression. (Yonhap News)
Janet Napolitano, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, rolls out the Obama administration's strategy to curb drug smuggling on the Mexican border. (Reuters via MSNBC)

Law and crime

Australia bans eight types of synthetic cannabis from tomorrow. (News Limited)
A man holds thirty children and teachers hostage in a kindergarten in the city of Muar in Malaysia's Johor state; the hostages are all later rescued when police storm the classroom. (Edmonton Sun)
Seven people are shot dead in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with the gunman committing suicide and hostages being released. (AP via Google News) (Grand Rapids Press)
Humberto Leal García, a Mexican national, is executed in the US state of Texas despite concerns over whether the circumstances of his execution would breach international law. (BBC)
Casey Anthony is sentenced to four years for lying to law enforcement regarding the death of her child Caylee in the U.S. state of Florida but after credit for time served will be released on July 17. (Orlando Sentinel)

Politics

A general strike continues in Bangladesh over a proposed change to the electoral system. (CNN)
The People's Republic of China dismisses reports of the death of former President Jiang Zemin as "pure rumour". (AFP via Yahoo! News)^{[permanent dead link]}
Freedom Flotilla II: The Greek Coast Guard prevents the ship Dignity Al Karama from sailing to the Gaza Strip after it stops to refuel in Crete. (aljazeera) (The Jerusalem Post)
The southern branch of Sudan's ruling National Congress Party announces its split from the northern party ahead of South Sudan's independence (Al Jazeera).

Science

The molecular basis for the breakage of DNA, an important process in the development of cancer, has been identified by Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists. (The Jerusalem Post)

Movies