Portal:Current events/2010 June 23

June 23, 2010 (Wednesday)

The death toll in yesterday's train crash in the Republic of the Congo rises to 76. (TVNZ) (Aljazeera)
Anthrax kills 30 hippopotamuses in Uganda. (The Straits Times)
9 Iraqis are killed in bombings, including two leaders of U.S. government-backed Sunni militants. (TIME)
An Indian colonel dies in Kashmir for the first time in three years. (The Times of India) (The News International) (BBC) (Press TV)
25th anniversary of Air India Flight 182:
- Relatives of those killed in Air India Flight 182 gather with diplomats and politicians from Canada, India and Ireland in Cork to mark the 25th anniversary with a memorial service. (RTÉ) (BBC) (AFP)
- Stephen Harper of Canada apologises for his country's treatment of the dead. (AFP) (Toronto Star) (Taiwan News)
Southeast European Cooperation Process summit:
- Slovenia is approved as a new member of the organization in the opening session of the summit. (People's Daily)
- The 12 other European nations meeting at the summit issue a joint statement saying they "deplore the loss of life and injuries during the incident in international waters" during the Gaza flotilla raid and "call "an impartial, independent and internationally credible investigation on this matter". (Today's Zaman) (The Jerusalem Post) (Haaretz) (The Straits Times)
General Stanley A. McChrystal magazine remarks controversy:
- General Stanley A. McChrystal, America's top military commander in Afghanistan, submits his resignation after being summoned home by an "angry" Barack Obama due to his expression of critical opinions about senior American politicians and diplomats in a Rolling Stone magazine profile. Afghan President Hamid Karzai supports McChrystal, while the Taliban say the incident is "another sign of the start of the political defeat" for America's Afghan policies. (BBC) (Dawn) (Aljazeera) (The National)
- Obama relieves McChrystal of command in Afghanistan, and names General Petraeus as his replacement. (The New York Times)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict:
- The Association for Civil Rights writes to Israel's Attorney General after being alerted to the secrecy surrounding the jailing of a "Mister X" in a maximum security jail in Ayalon. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- Dockworkers launch a week-long boycott of cargo to and from Israel at all Swedish ports - handling 95% of foreign trade - in protest at Israel's raid on the Gaza-bound international flotilla which led to nine people being killed. (Aljazeera) (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) (Ynetnews)
- A lawyer for 33 Greek citizens on board during the Gaza flotilla raid announces legal action against several Israeli politicians, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak and army leader Gabi Ashkenazi. (Haaretz)
- King Abdullah II meets with Mahmoud Abbas to discuss Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. (Xinhua)
- The United States Department of State expresses concern about an Israeli plan for the demolition of 22 Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem to make way for a tourist park. (BBC)
Kenya permits prisoners to vote in a referendum on a new constitution in a landmark court ruling. (BBC) (Daily Nation) (KBC)
Strikes in China which began on 21st of June have shut down Toyota and Honda plants there. "The BBC's China editor Shirong Chen says the government has tolerated strikes at foreign-owned plants, which are obliged to respect workers' rights, but maintains strict control at Chinese-owned factories for fear of widespread social unrest." (BBC)
27 people are questioned about a bomb attack which killed five people in Istanbul. (The Straits Times) (Reuters)
1 person is killed when a crane crashes at Chennai International Airport, Chennai, India. (India Times)
The International Whaling Commission does not reach agreement on curbing whaling by Japan, Norway and Iceland in a meeting in Agadir, Morocco. (AP via San Jose Mercury News)
The Palace of Monaco announces the engagement of Albert II, Prince of Monaco to South African native and Olympian swimmer Charlene Wittstock. (AP)
BP chief executive Tony Hayward hands over responsibility for cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to senior executive Bob Dudley "effective immediately". (AFP via the Sydney Morning Herald)
2 American service members die following bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan. (CBS)
2 Australians are injured after shooting each other in the buttocks and legs. (The Straits Times)
A Toronto man is charged with possessing explosives alleged to be part of a plot to bomb the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit in Canada. (AFP via Google News)
An earthquake occurs 56 kilometres north-northeast of Ottawa, registering a 5.0 on the Richter scale. Slight damage was reported near the epicenter, and the tremor was felt in Sudbury, Windsor, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Toronto, Milwaukee, Northern Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York State. (CBC) (Ottawa Sun) (Ottawa Citizen)
Hours after the earthquake struck Central Canada, severe thunderstorms rolled through Central Ontario, Canada, which has spawned at least 2 tornadoes in cottage country, including one confirmed F-2 tornado touch down in Midland, Ontario, north of Toronto, The most significant damage was reported at Smith's Camp, a trailer park at the south end of the town, where several mobile homes were completely destroyed. (CTV)
Golfer Graeme McDowell returns home to celebrations after becoming the first European to win the U.S. Open since 1970. (The Irish Times) (The Belfast Telegraph) (BBC)
Isner–Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships becomes the longest match in Association of Tennis Professionals history, and is adjourned after 9 hours. (The Guardian)