Portal:Current events/2007 July 12

July 12, 2007 (Thursday)

The African kingdom of Lesotho declares a food crisis due to UN report showing a "major food gap" for 20% of the population. (Reuters) Archived 2010-01-22 at Archive-It
Two British teenagers are arrested at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, for attempting to smuggle 6.5 kg of cocaine worth £300,000 to the UK.(BBC)
An attorney convicted of leaking evidence given by U.S. baseball player Barry Bonds and other athletes from the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) Inquiry is sentenced to two and a half years in prison. (AP via San Jose Mercury News)
A Mexican federal court suspends the genocide trial of former President Luis Echeverría. (BBC)
The Spanish Civil Guard raids a boat operated by Odyssey Marine Exploration that it claims may have taken treasure worth hundreds of millions of dollars from a Spanish galleon. (Reuters via ABC News Australia) (BBC)
Cécilia Sarkozy, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, flies to Libya and visits the Bulgarian medics condemned to death for allegedly infecting children with HIV and also the families of the infected children. She will also meet Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, the President of Libya. (BBC)
The Nepalese government introduces a budget that scraps payments to King Gyanendra of Nepal and nationalises royal property. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
The Lebanese army has resumed shelling Fatah al-Islam positions inside the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp near Tripoli. All of the refugees have left the camp after recent fighting. (BBC)
A Philippines ferry, the MV Blue Water Princess, sinks off the southeastern coast of Luzon, leading to four deaths and 18 people being declared missing. (News Limited)
Iraq War:
- An interim report says the Iraqi government has made "mixed progress" on the goals set out by the U.S. Congress. (BBC) (NYT) (WSJ)
- The United States House of Representatives votes 223-201 to withdraw United States troops from Iraq. President George W. Bush has threatened to veto the Bill. (Bloomberg)
- July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike
  - An airstrike is carried out by two United States Army AH-64 Apache helicopters in Al-Amin al-Thaniyah, in the district of New Baghdad in Baghdad, during the occupation of Iraq. The helicopters carried out three airstrikes, killing several men—including Reuters news staff Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen—and wounding two children. (The Washington Post)
Al-Qaeda:
- A National Counterterrorism Center report claims that Al-Qaeda has "regrouped to an extent not seen since 2001." (BBC)
- At a press conference, U.S. President George W. Bush denies the report, saying that it is "simply not the case." (BBC)
Six Afghan policemen are killed by an improvised explosive device in the Khost Province. Another IED kills two civilians in the Paktika Province. (BBC)
An Israeli soldier is killed by Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip. It is the first Israeli combat casualty since November 2006. (NYT)
Six Swiss Army recruits are killed by an avalanche on the Jungfrau mountain in Switzerland. (BBC)
A false alarm causes the diversion of American Airlines Flight 136. The plane crew was concerned that a passenger of Middle Eastern descent might have bypassed security controls. (BBC)
A ship carrying oil for fuel to North Korea departs from South Korea. The government of North Korea may close the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center after the shipment arrives. (BBC)
The government of Côte d'Ivoire decides to ask the United Nations to probe the failed assassination attempt against Prime Minister Guillaume Soro. (BBC)
President Pervez Musharraf praises the military for ending the Lal Masjid siege and vows to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan. (BBC)
The government of Sri Lanka plans to hold a "victory party" in Colombo after the fall of the last Tamil Tiger base in Thoppigala. (BBC)
The government of Liberia submits a bill to the Parliament which would allow the seizure of the assets of former President Charles G. Taylor, his relatives and associates. (BBC)
At a press conference, U.S. President George W. Bush admits for the first time that someone in his administration may have leaked the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame. (WSJ)