Portal:Current events/2012 July 14

July 14, 2012 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Syrian uprising (2011-present):
  - A suicide bomber blows up his car in a central Syrian town, Mhardeh, killing three civilians and one security officer. (AP via ABC)
  - Hundreds of Syrian soldiers, along with helicopter gunships, attack Khirbet Ghazaleh in the Daraa province. (AFP via Arab News)
  - United Nations observers say the assault on the village of Tremseh targeted army defectors and opposition activists. (Al Jazeera)
- Bahraini uprising (2011–present):
  - Fresh anti-government protests take place in Bahrain, sparking confrontations with riot police. (Washington Post)
A suicide bomber kills 22 people and injures 22 at a wedding reception in northern Afghanistan, including prominent lawmaker Ahmad Khan Samangani who was the father of the bride. (Reuters)
Ten Turkish policemen are injured by a roadside bomb explosion in Van. (AP via The Sacramento Bee)
North Caucasus insurgency: The Russian military kill 8 militants, including two regional commanders, in Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

The musical Chicago is to close after a run of 15 years on London's West End, the longest run for a revival in British theatre. (The Scotsman)

Accidents and disasters

Italian and French rescue crews recover the bodies of two climbers on Mont Blanc in the Alps, two days following an avalanche that swept away nine climbers. (AP via USA Today)
About a quarter of a million people are asked to leave the southern Japanese island of Kyushu after flooding caused by days of heavy rain leaves 20 people dead. (Al Jazeera)
A surfer is killed by a shark off near Wedge Island, about 160km (100 miles) north of Perth in Australia. (BBC)
A fire onboard the German container ship MSC Flaminia forces the crew to abandon ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. (TradeWinds)

International relations

Shipper International Port Corp, with permission from the United States, delivers the first shipment of humanitarian aid to Cuba, the first time in 50 years. (Al Jazeera)
The Philippines states that a Chinese warship entered its territory in the South China Sea. (AP via ABC)

Law and crime