Portal:Current events/2011 June 7

June 7, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- The Syrian ambassador to France resigns in protest at the violence in a statement on French television; a denial claiming to be from the diplomat later airs on Syrian state TV. (Wall Street Journal) (Syrian Arab News Agency) (CNN)
- Residents of the town Jisr al-Shughour flee ahead of a suspected army assault, with some crossing the border into Turkey. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- A Syrian-American blogger who calls herself "Gay Girl in Damascus" and who has become a prominent opposition voice has allegedly been abducted by Syrian security agents. (CNN) (USA Today)
- British Foreign Secretary William Hague says that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is losing legitimacy and should reform or resign, and that Britain was trying to win support for a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning repression in Syria and exploring the potential for further European Union sanctions on Syria if the violence continues. (The Jerusalem Post)
Yemeni uprising:
- Fighting resumes in the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula held city of Zinjibar with at least 15 people dead. (Reuters)
- Rebel gunmen are reported to have taken control of the city of Ta'izz. (CNN)
- Royal Marines are on standby off the coast of Yemen to evacuate British citizens as violent protests continue. (Sky News)
Libyan Civil War:
- Tripoli is hit by successive NATO air strikes, including a rare daytime strike. (The Daily Mail)
- Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi vows not to surrender even as NATO air strikes target his compound in Tripoli and the Libyan government says that at least 29 civilians have been killed and dozens more wounded. (CNN) (Al Jazeera) (The Jerusalem Post)
- The United Nations warns of an "aid crisis" in the country. (Reuters)
Three explosions and gunfire are heard in the northeastern Nigerian town of Maiduguri after suspected Islamist sect Boko Haram attack police stations. (Reuters)
Fighting in Sudan's South Kordofan state between northern and southern-allied rebels kills six people. (Reuters)
Jewish settlers are accused of attacking a mosque in the West Bank, setting alight carpets and daubing Hebrew graffiti on its walls; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemns the act. (Reuters) (BBC) (The Jerusalem Post)

Business and economy

Nintendo unveils its new video game system, Wii U, featuring a touch-screen display designed to be a bridge between console video games and portable and tablet-based games, to be released next year. (USA Today)

Disasters

14 people die and 53 are missing after floods affecting Guizhou province in southwest China that have also damaged thousands of homes. (CNN)
European Union Agriculture Ministers meet in Luxembourg to discuss the continuing 2011 E. coli O104:H4 outbreak that has so far killed 23 and for which no cause has yet been found; a 150 million euro compensation fund is proposed, but no Europe-wide bans on produce. (BBC) (CNN)
A massive wildfire burning in the US state of Arizona already covering almost 500 square miles remains completely uncontained and is sending dense smoke billowing across several other states; evacuations have been ordered for several communities. (USA Today)
Rainstorms in southern Haiti trigger floods and mudslides, resulting in at least 23 deaths with the capital Port-au-Prince worst affected. (USA Today), (BBC News)
Tropical Storm Adrian forms in the eastern Pacific Ocean becoming the first tropical storm of the 2011 Pacific hurricane season. (AP via Google News)
Minor earthquake (4.2) in St. Louis, Missouri area within New Madrid Seismic Zone, one of the few intraplate zones. (Reuters)

International Relations

NATO and Russia conduct first-ever joint military exercises, codenamed 'Vigilant Skies 2011', to improve cooperation to protect passenger flights between NATO member states and Russia and to prevent hijackings such as the September 11 attacks. (AFP) (Reuters) (NPR)
At a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US President Barack Obama says the United States and its allies may impose additional sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, after Iran says that no offer could halt its enrichment of uranium. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Two gunmen attack a drug rehabilitation facility in the Mexican city of Torreon in Coahuila. (AP via Washington Post)
The former Governor of Chiapas state in Mexico Pablo Salazar is arrested on charges on embezzling more than $90 million from hurricane relief funds. (AP via Sun-Sentinel)

Politics

Students at four South Korean universities Korea University, Sogang University, Sookmyung Women's University and Ewha Womans University go on strike for a day in favour of reduced tuition fees.(Yonhap News)
The President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff accepts the resignation of her Chief-of-staff Antonio Palocci following the publication of reports that he became wealthy as a consultant while serving as a member of the National Congress of Brazil. (Reuters)

Sport

The American television network NBC buys the rights for four Olympic Games from 2014 onwards for $4.3 billion. (New York Times)
In North American basketball, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 86-83 to tie the 2011 NBA Finals at 2 games all. (Dallas Fort Worth NBC)