Portal:Current events/2015 September 30

September 30, 2015 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War
  - The upper chamber of the Russian parliament approves a law allowing the use of the Russian Armed Forces outside its borders, following a request by Russian President Vladimir Putin. (The News Hub)
  - Russia begins airstrikes against anti-government targets in Syria following a request from President Bashar al-Assad. A U.S. official said the air attack struck near the Syrian city of Homs, where the official said ISIS currently does not have a major presence. (NPR), (ABC News), (Washington Post)
  - The Western-backed Syrian rebel group, the Free Syrian Army, says one of its 'leading officers' has been killed in a Russian airstrike in the central Homs Governorate. (AP)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Battle of Kunduz
  - The U.S.-led coalition dispatches American troops to Kunduz to help Afghan forces combat Taliban militants. (The Washington Post)
2006 Mumbai train bombings
- An Indian court sentences five suspected Islamic militants to death and seven others to life imprisonment for bombing attacks nine years ago on seven Mumbai commuter trains that killed 188 people and wounded more than 800. (AP via ABC News)^{[permanent dead link]}, (Reuters), (BBC)
At least six people are killed and dozens injured in explosions at 15 locations in Liucheng County in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The explosives were reportedly concealed inside express delivery packages. Chinese officials have identified a suspect, but the motive is not yet known. (South China Morning Post), (UPI)
2015 Hajj stampede
- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warns Saudi Arabia of "harsh" measures if the Kingdom fails to promptly repatriate the bodies of more than 200 Iranian pilgrims killed in last week's Hajj stampede. (AP via Denver Post), (Reuters)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- An Iranian fishing boat loaded with weapons, including rockets and anti-tank shells, is intercepted and seized in the Arabian Sea, 150 miles southeast of the Omani Port of Salalah, by Arab coalition forces. Saudi Arabia has previously accused Iran of supplying weapons to Houthi militants in Yemen. (BBC)

Arts and culture

The Dalai Lama, following his routine check-up at Minnesota's Mayo Clinic, cancels his U.S. speaking engagements in October after doctors advised him to rest. The 80-year-old Tibetan Buddhist leader is scheduled to return home to Dharamsala, India, Saturday. (The Times of India), (Radio Free Asia)

Business and economy

Volkswagen emissions violations
- Oliver Blume is appointed the new CEO of Porsche. (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

2015 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Joaquin
  - Hurricane Joaquin passes over ocean with temperatures near 86°F (30°C) - the warmest since record keeping began in 1880. (National Hurricane Center), (UPI), (Reuters)
  - Hurricane Joaquin reaches maximum sustained winds of 115 mph and becomes a Category 3 hurricane. The storm, with additional strengthening expected, should linger over the The Bahamas through October 2 before heading toward the U.S. (ABC News), (NHC)
  - The hurricane is expected to pass The Bahamas tomorrow, bringing tropical-storm-force winds, storm surges, coastal flooding, and 5-10 inches of rain. While the European forecast model suggests Joaquin will avoid the U.S. East Coast, the American model predicts it will ram into Virginia, Maryland, or North Carolina this weekend. (NBC News), (NHC)
  - Governor Terry McAuliffe declares a state of emergency as Virginia prepares for potentially dangerous flooding from a separate Nor'easter storm system and the possible landfall of Hurricane Joaquin. (Virginia), (Inside Northern Va.)
An earthquake strikes the Dutch province of Groningen, damaging some buildings. (NL Times)

International relations

Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, states that Palestine will no longer abide by the Oslo accords and claims that Israel has not been complying with them. (CNN)
The flag of the State of Palestine is raised above the grounds of the United Nations Headquarters in New York for the first time. (Newsweek), (The Guardian)

Law and crime

The American state of Georgia executes Kelly Gissendaner for her role in the murder of her husband despite several appeals and a plea for clemency by Pope Francis. (AP via News 12), (Daily Mail)
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin issues a 37-day stay of Richard Glossip's execution that was scheduled for today to allow the American state time to address questions about chemicals and protocol. Pope Francis, who spent last week in the U.S., asked Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, to intercede with the governor and request she commute Glossip's sentence. (CNN), (Reuters)
Mexican authorities arrest American Paul Erven Jackson for kidnapping and torturing two women in Oregon after more than 24 years on the run. (BBC)