Portal:Current events/2010 May 28

May 28, 2010 (Friday)

Terrorists attacked two major mosques simultaneously belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Lahore, Pakistan killing nearly 100 Ahmadis. See:May 2010 attacks on Ahmadi mosques in Lahore
Contributions from Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland allow the World Bank to cancel $36 million in Haiti's remaining debt following January's devastating earthquake. (Al Jazeera) (The New York Times) (Reuters) (CNN)
At least three people die, at least four others are missing, a 15-day state of calamity is declared and the international airport is shut down due to the eruption of the Pacaya volcano in Guatemala. (CNN)
Assailants attack two mosques in Lahore, Pakistan, killing at least 80 and injuring 50 more. (Al Jazeera) (Times of India) (Malaysia Star)
At least 25 people are killed and 150 injured in India after a Mumbai train with 13 passenger coaches is derailed by an explosion on the tracks and collides with another train as it traveled through the Paschim Medinipur district, a rebel stronghold in eastern India. (Reuters) (USA Today) (The Hindu) (Times of India) (BBC)
Hundreds of corpses buried in a mudslide which swept away three villages on the slopes of Mount Elgon near Bududa, Uganda, three months ago are yet to be recovered. (BBC)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict:
- Five boats belonging to pro-Israel advocacy group StandWithUs leave Ashdod and Herzliya to demonstrate against the international flotilla by displaying “Free Gaza from Hamas” banners and wearing bloodstained T-shirts, representing Hamas’ attacks. (The Jerusalem Post)
- The Israeli Navy also sets off to confront the international flotilla carrying 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid as hundreds of people on board attempt to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. (The Guardian)
- The meeting is considered an international "public relations battle" to be "waged on the high seas". (The Australian) (The Sydney Morning Herald) (The Hindu) (CNN)
- Israel's foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman denies the existence of a humanitarian crisis and says the flotilla is "an attempt at violent propaganda against Israel" and promises that "Israel will not allow a violation of its sovereignty at sea, in the air, or on land". (Ynetnews)
- Cypriot authorities prevent any activists from leaving the island to join the flotilla, while Turkey urges Israel to treat the convoy as humanitarian aid. (Reuters)
Voters in the Czech Republic vote in legislative elections. (Al Jazeera) (BBC) (France24) (Reuters)
Nepal heads towards another political crisis. (Al Jazeera)
North Korea:
- A leaked United Nations report states that North Korea is exporting nuclear technology to Burma, Iran and Syria. (AP) (The Guardian)
- China says it will "not protect" whoever sank the ROKS Cheonan in March. (Al Jazeera) (Joongang Daily) (BBC)
Peruvian AIDESEP indigenous leader Alberto Pizango, detained on Wednesday as he returned from almost a year in exile in Nicaragua and charged with objecting to oil digging in the rainforest, is released on bail. (BBC)
President of South Africa Jacob Zuma, in a rare disagreement with another African state, issues a statement of condemnation following Malawi's sentencing of a same-sex couple to 14 years in jail. (IOL)
The BBC intervenes and tensions escalate after the UK cabinet members' threat to boycott Question Time unless Alastair Campbell, former adviser to Tony Blair, is removed from the panel. (The Guardian) (RTÉ) (Sky News) (BBC)
Foxconn increases the wages of the workers in its Shenzhen factory, where several employees have committed suicide, increases wages, by 20 per cent in an effort to boost morale. (BBC)
Gulf of Mexico oil spill:
- BP and other agencies report progress in halting the flow of oil using a "top kill" operation. (Los Angeles Times)
- U.S. President Barack Obama fends off criticism that he has been too slow to respond. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters) (Chicago Tribune)
Australia promises to begin legal action against Japan due to disagreeing with its annual whaling hunt in the Southern Ocean. (BBC)
Indonesia announces a two-year moratorium on rainforest logging in return for up to $1bn in aid from Norway, which will help preserve forests. (Al Jazeera) (The New York Times) (ABC), (The Norway Post) (The Jakarta Post)
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Steven Spielberg help unveil the rebuilt outdoor sets with imitation New York streets of Universal Studios in Los Angeles, United States. The sets were destroyed in a 2008 fire. (BBC) (CBC)
After a personal intervention from Nicolas Sarkozy, France beats Turkey and Italy for the right to stage the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. (CBC) (BBC) (RTÉ) (France24)
Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama give the United States men's national soccer team a presidential send-off to South Africa from the White House ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. (China Daily) (IOL) (The News International)