Portal:Current events/2015 July 31

July 31, 2015 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani Network, is reported as having died in 2014. (BBC)
Turkey–PKK conflict
- Two Turkish police officers and two PKK militants are killed following a PKK raid on a police station in the south-eastern town of Pozantı. Also, in the eastern province of Kars, PKK militants bombed a railway line and then fired at repair workers, leaving one dead. (BBC)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- Houthi shelling kills four Saudi Arabian soldiers and wounds eight others in the Saudi town of Aseer near the volatile Yemeni border. Jazeera)

Business and economy

Swiss National Bank reports a first half loss of 50 billion CHF as a result of the franc to euro peg removal earlier this year. (BBC)
Russian financial crisis (2014–present)
- The Central Bank lowers interest rate to 11%, while the ruble falls 1.5% on the day to close at 60.60 against the dollar. (Reuters UK)

Disasters and accidents

Four people including members of the Bin Laden family are killed in a business jet crash close to Blackbushe Airport in the United Kingdom. (BBC), (BBC)
More than 21 people are killed in flooding in Myanmar and up to 150,000 people are displaced.

Law and crime

2015 West Bank Arson attack
- Suspected Jewish settlers set fire to a West Bank home and burned a sleeping Palestinian toddler to death in an attack that drew Palestinian rage and widespread Israeli condemnation. (KLTV)(NY Times)

International relations

India and Bangladesh have swapped control of some 160 small pockets of land on each other's territory. Residents were asked to choose where they wanted to live and which nationality they would prefer. Most of them decided to change nationality and stay where they live. (BBC)
France agrees to pay Russia €1.16bn in refund and compensation after the cancellation of the sale of two warships following the military intervention in Ukraine. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Philippine presidential election, 2016:
- President Benigno Aquino III endorses the presidential candidacy of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas in 2016. (Rappler), (AP via Yahoo! News)
- Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas announces his presidential candidacy in 2016. (Rappler)

Sports