Portal:Current events/2009 August 10

August 10, 2009 (Monday)

In an open letter four South African opposition leaders accuse President Jacob Zuma of abuse of power after his naming of Sandile Ngcobo as Chief Justice. The office of President Jacob Zuma responds by saying there was "nothing unconstitutional" in Zuma's action. (The Times) (IOL)
The UNASUR summit opens in Quito to discuss issues such as Venezuela's “ethics responsibility” clause, Colombian military bases and the Honduras crisis. (MercoPress)
At the funeral of Vice-President Joseph Msika, President Robert Mugabe lashes out at "racist" western countries, saying "Zimbabwe need not be tied to any one corner of the world, least of all, to a corner of former imperialist and racist colonisers". (The Times) (IOL)
During a tour of Africa, Hillary Clinton, the United States Secretary of State, attacks a Congolese university student for asking about the opinion of her husband Bill Clinton. (IOL) (New York Daily News) (ABC News) (The Guardian)
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa is sworn in for a second term vowing to deepen his socialist “revolution”. (MercoPress)
The interim government in Honduras agrees to accept a delegation from the Organization of American States to help solve the political crisis in the country. (AFP) (CNN)
Pope Benedict XVI triggers a “scandalous poverty” debate in Argentina, with Buenos Aires province governor Daniel Scioli preparing to meet with all Catholic bishops of his area. (MercoPress)
The head of Hyundai Asan, embarks on a mission to North Korea to attempt to secure the release of a company worker. (BBC)
Libya and Chad sign seven agreements to boost trade, security and political co-operation. (IOL)
Negotiators gather in Austria for informal talks aimed at unblocking a 34-year-old dispute between Morocco and the Western Sahara independence movement. (IOL)
The head of MI6 John Scarlett denies complicity in the alleged torture of British detainee Binyam Mohamed, as the government rejects calls for an inquiry. (BBC) (The Times) (The Daily Telegraph)
More than 350 new species—including 244 plants and 16 amphibians—are discovered in the Eastern Himalayas. (WWF) (The Daily Telegraph) (Xinhua)
The Fatah Palestinian faction votes in leadership elections for the first time in 20 years. (AFP) (Al Jazeera)
A series of bombings in Iraq kill 48 people and injure 231 in Baghdad and Mosul in continuing violence between Shiites and Sunnis in the area. (CNN)
Ecuador’s Health Minister Caroline Chang says South America’s twelve nations have pledged to respect regional vaccine price ceilings to prevent businesses from exploiting fear of the A/H1N1 flu pandemic. (MercoPress)
Two Namibians and a Chinese who are suspected in a corruption investigation involving a firm linked to the son of China's President Hu Jintao appear in a Windhoek court asking to be released on bail. (IOL)