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 [1] 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)