Portal:Current events/2012 September 7

September 7, 2012 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- A bomb kills five policemen after Friday prayer outside Rukniyeh mosque in Rukn Eddeen, central Damascus. (AP via TIME) (AFP via NDTV) (VOA via YaLibnan)
- The United Kingdom and the Netherlands call for the European Union to include Hezbollah on its terror list over Hezbollah's stated support for President Assad. (Haaretz)
Iranian sources citing Ash-Shabaab say a U.S. drone attack killed eight people in Kismayo, south Somalia. (Press TV)
Humanitarian groups express concern over Chile's army head, involved in controversy over a directive instructing military recruiters not to admit homosexuals. (BBC)

Business and economy

News Limited makes a formal bid for James Packer's Consolidated Media valuing the company at 1.94 billion Australian dollars. (AAP via Sydney Morning Herald)
The Reserve Bank of India permits Indian investments to and from Pakistan. India's minister of external affairs SM Krishna arrives in Pakistan for a meeting on Saturday in Islamabad with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar. (Hindustan Times) (Deccan Times)
Cipla does not infringe a valid Roche patent on erlotinib (trade name Tarceva) for the production of its generic cancer drug Erlocip, says the Delhi High Court. (Reuters) (LiveMint)

Disasters

A series of earthquakes hits south-west China, leaving at least 64 people dead and 715 injured. (BBC)

International relations

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton notifies Congress of her intent to include the Haqqani network on the government's terror list. An attaché at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington dismisses the decision as an "internal matter" of the United States and reaffirms Pakistan's commitment to "combating extremism and terrorism." Haqqani senior commanders say the decision will not help in bringing peace to Afghanistan. (CNN) (Dawn)
Canada–Iran relations:
- Canada closes its embassy in Iran and orders all Iranian diplomatic staff out of Canada, citing Iran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran's "among the worst" human rights record, its lack of respect for the Vienna conventions, its nuclear program and the security of Canadian diplomatic personnel. It sees Iran as the world's "most significant threat to global peace and security." Minister of foreign affairs Baird says the Canadian government files Iran as a "state sponsor of terrorism" under the Canadian Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act. (CBC) (Communiqué)
Germany and France's foreign ministers say they are in favour of new sanctions to target Iranian finance, trade and oil in around ten days, if talks about Iran's nuclear program do not "make any substantial progress." (AP via Seattle Times)
South Korea offers food aid to North Korea after recent floods which have killed over 500 North Koreans. (Sky News Australia)
Pakistan orders foreign nationals working for the Save the Children NGO to leave the country within four weeks. The Pakistani government has accused the organization of being linked to the fake vaccination program used in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. The charity and the U.S. government deny any links. (AFP via The Nation) (The Guardian)
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC):
- Economic leaders assemble on Russky Island, off the coast of Vladivostok, Russia, for the forum's 24th summit on September 8th and 9th. (The Globe and Mail) (Cri.cn) (Building program) (apec2012.ru)

Law and crime

Some details emerge, but no suspect nor a motive, about Wednesday's murder of four people in the foothills of the French Alps. (CBS News) (CNN)
A former Premier League football youth star is jailed for life with a minimum term of 10 years after being convicted of murdering his girlfriend, who sustained at least 60 stab wounds to the head and body. (BBC)

Politics

The Iranian ministry of interior sets 14 June 2013 as the date of the next presidential election, for a successor of current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. For the first time, this election is to be held on the same date as the next municipal elections. (Reuters via Huffington Post)

Sports

Aries Merritt sets a new world record of 12.80 seconds on the outdoor 110 metres hurdles at the Memorial Van Damme IAAF Diamond League meeting in Brussels. (De Standaard)