Portal:Current events/October 2013

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- A team from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons enters Syria to begin work on dismantling the Assad regime's stockpile of chemical weapons. (BBC)

Politics and elections

United States federal government shutdown of 2013:
- U.S. President Barack Obama, the White House Office of Management and Budget, issues a partial shutdown of government agencies after the House and Senate fail to come to an agreement on a spending bill to keep government operations running. (NBC News)

Law and crime

A Buddhist mob torches more than 70 Muslim homes and stabs a 94-year-old woman to death in Rakhine State, Myanmar. (AP via The Times of India)
Bangladeshi politician Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury is sentenced to death for war crimes including murder, torture, and genocide for his atrocities in the Bangladesh Liberation War. (BBC)

International relations

The government of Venezuela expels three United States diplomats after accusing them of "economic sabotage". (BBC)

October 2, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- Gunmen shoot down a military helicopter in northern Iraq killing all four crew members. (Reuters)
The Russian embassy in Libya's capital Tripoli came under fire after an attempted attack by gunmen who tried to force their way into the compound. One of the attackers was killed and four others were injured according to Libyan authorities. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

American author Tom Clancy, best known for his military thriller novels, dies at the age of 66. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

An accident involving a church bus, a tractor-trailer, and an SUV on I-40 in Jefferson County, Tennessee, leaves eight dead and 14 injured. (NBC)

Law and Crime

Law enforcement in the U.S. shuts down "Silk Road," an internet marketplace for various illegal activities including the illicit drug trade, and arrests its alleged principal, Ross Ulbricht. (Reuters)
The jury in the Michael Jackson Estate vs. AEG Live court case finds AEG Live not guilty of negligence in hiring musician Michael Jackson's physician Conrad Murray. Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2011. (Sky News)

October 3, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Islamist insurgency in Nigeria:
- Air Force fighter jets bomb camps belonging to suspected Islamist militants in northeast Nigeria in response to a massacre of students at an agricultural college. (Reuters)
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan attacks a compound belonging to former Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan commander Nabi Hanfi leaving 15 dead near the border of North Waziristan. (Sky News)

Business and economy

The antitrust chief of the European Union, Joaquin Almunia, discusses coming charges against Gazprom, the Russian natural gas monopolist. (Reuters)
Twitter Inc. publicly files IPO related disclosure documents. (Reuters)

International relations

The Gambia is to withdraw from the Commonwealth, 48 years after joining the 54-member grouping, which includes the United Kingdom and most of its former colonies. (Daily Telegraph)
Russia evacuates Libya of all Russian diplomats and their families one day after an attack on their embassy left one dead. (AP via ABC)

Disasters and accidents

2013 Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwreck. A fire engulfs a boat carrying African migrants off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy, killing at least 114 people, 200 remain missing. (The New York Times) (AP)
A passenger plane carrying 27 people crashes at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, with 13 deaths reported. (BBC)

Law and crime

Indian politician Lalu Prasad Yadav is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for illegally taking money out of the Chaibasa treasury. (New York Daily News)
A woman is fatally shot by police after striking a barrier at a White House security checkpoint followed by a car chase. (BBC) (The Washington Post)
Adobe reveals that 2.9 million customers' data was stolen in a security breach which included credit card information. (BBC)

October 4, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Islamist protests in Egypt (July 2013–present):
- Four people are killed after supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi clashed with opponents and security forces. (Reuters), (BBC)
US forces initiate two major raids against terror in Africa. (FOX News)

Health

A man sets himself on fire at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Though he was breathing, conscious, and talking when airlifted, he died later that night at MedStar Washington Hospital Center due to the extensive severe gas burns to his face and arms. A motive was unclear. (Huffington Post) (AP via San Francisco Chronicle) (Washington Post)

Politics and elections

The Cabinet of India's approval of the bifurcation of the state of Andhra Pradesh causes protests and strikes in the Seemandhra region as a part of the ongoing Samaikyandhra Movement (Times of India)
Voters in the Republic of Ireland take part in a referendum to decide whether the Seanad Éireann (Irish Senate) – the upper house of their parliament – should be abolished, and reforms made to the Court of Appeal. (BBC)

October 5, 2013 (Saturday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Post-civil war clashes in Libya:
- Gunmen attack a military checkpoint near Bani Walid leaving 15 soldiers dead. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Prince Harry arrives in Sydney, Australia, to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Australian Navy. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

The United States Department of Defense calls back 350,000 of its furloughed civilian workers. (Washington Post)
In two referendums, voters in the Republic of Ireland reject government proposals to abolish Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the country's parliament, but support plans to create a Court of Appeal. (BBC)

Sports

In IndyCar Racing, Scott Dixon wins Race 1 in the Grand Prix of Houston at Reliant Park. (IndyCar)
Wladimir Klitschko Won the WBA (regular) World Heavyweight Championship

October 6, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Islamist protests in Egypt (July 2013–present):
- At least 53 people are killed during clashes between supporters and opponents of former president Mohamed Morsi on the 40th anniversary of Egypt's crossing of the Suez Canal in 1973. (Reuters) (Euronews)
A suspected militant attack leaves one Israeli child wounded in a West Bank Israeli Settlement. (The New York Times)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- Two car bombs detonate in a village near Tal Afar, Iraq killing and wounding dozens of people. (Xinhua)
Human rights group Free Tibet and Radio Free Asia report that People's Liberation Army troops shot into a crowd in Biru County in the Tibet Autonomous Region injuring 60 people. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

The final death toll 2013 Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwreck could rise to between 325 and 363 individuals. (WDRB)

Law and crime

One man is killed and 12 others are injured during a shooting at a motorcycle clubhouse in Fresno, California, U.S. (AP via San Francisco Chronicle)

Sports

In horseracing, filly Treve keeps her undefeated record, winning the 2013 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (BBC).

October 7, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Islamist protests in Egypt (July 2013–present)
- Six Egyptian soldiers are killed in an ambush west of Ismaïlia, close to the Suez Canal. In the South Sinai, a suicide bomber kills 3 and injures 55 others after an attack against security buildings in the provincial capital El-Tor. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

Typhoon Fitow makes landfall in the Chinese province of Fujian, bringing heavy rain and killing at least two people. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Mulatu Teshome succeeds Girma Wolde-Giorgis as President of Ethiopia. (ERTA)

Science

American scientists James Rothman and Randy Schekman and German scientist Thomas C. Südhof win the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on transport systems in cells. (Al Jazeera)

October 8, 2013 (Tuesday)

Business and economy

Reuters reports that major money market fund managers are avoiding U.S. Treasury debt due to mature in the next few months, as the debt ceiling nears and Governmental deadlock deepens. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Heavy flooding in the Philippines city of Zamboanga leads to thousands of families being displaced and schools and most government offices being closed. (ABS-CBN)
At least four people are killed and hundreds of thousands of people evacuated as Typhoon Fitow hit eastern China yesterday. (Reuters)

International relations

North Korea claims to put its army on alert and warns the United States of a "horrible disaster". (Reuters)

Science

Theoretical physicists, Briton Peter Higgs and Belgian François Englert, win the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on the origin of the mass of subatomic particles. (The Guardian) (CNN)

Law and crime

A Denver couple, Wayne Sperling, 66, (jailed) and Lorinda Bailey, 35, (free) are accused of felony child abuse in one of the most egregious cases of suspected abuse in state history. Four boys, ages 2 to 6, were living in a house filled with cat feces and urine, with flies everywhere. They were nonverbal, malnourished, filthy, and uneducated, communicating to caseworkers and police in grunts. The couple were accused of misdemeanor abuse of 3 other children in 2006. (MSN)
Four people living at the same address in Savannah, Tennessee (3 men and 1 woman), believed to be involved in an area child pornography investigation and who had earlier fled a September 2013 FBI investigation (where computers and cameras were seized) are found dead of gunshot wounds (they may have been drugged) in a murder-suicide on a road in Double Springs, Winston County, Alabama. (MSN)
Proposals for a Royal Charter on self-regulation of the British press put forward by the press industry itself are rejected by the Privy Council. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Voters in Canada's Nova Scotia Province go to the polls to select members to the province's Legislative Assembly.^{[citation needed]}

October 9, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Clashes between local militias and former Séléka rebels leave an estimated 60 people dead in Central African Republic. (Reuters)

Business and economy

U.S. President Barack Obama nominates Janet Yellen to become the next chair of the Federal Reserve after Ben Bernanke leaves that office. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A fire at a garment factory in Gazipur, Bangladesh, kills 10 people. (AP via ABC)

International relations

The United States government suspends military and cash aid to Egypt worth hundreds of millions of dollars. (CNN)
The 25th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and 8th East Asia Summit are held in Brunei. (Russia India Report)

Law and crime

The People's Republic of China arrests 139 people in Xinjiang for allegedly calling for jihad. (AFP via Euronews)
Andrea Sanderlin, the Scarsdale "Pot Mom", admits to running a multimillion dollar marijuana operation. (NY Daily News)
A retired policeman is killed after firing over a dozen rounds at the Wheeling Federal Building in Wheeling, West Virginia. (MSN)
"Elmo" is sent to jail as Times Square characters raise concerns. A bogus costumed Elmo, who collected tips for cuddling children in family photos in New York's Times Square, is sent to jail for a year for trying to extort $2 million from the Girl Scouts of the USA. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Voters in Azerbaijan go to the polls for a presidential election with incumbent President Ilham Aliyev expected to be elected amid concerns about the fairness of the election. (BBC)
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina successfully undergoes surgery to remove a subdural hematoma. Presidential duties will be carried out by Vice President Amado Boudou for the duration of Kirchner's estimated month-long recovery. (BBC)

Science

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel for their work on multiscale models for complex chemical systems. (BBC)
Juno flies by Earth on its way to orbit Jupiter, but suffers a glitch during the fly-by that puts it in safe mode. (Space.com)

October 10, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Post-civil war violence in Libya:
- The Prime Minister of Libya Ali Zeidan is kidnapped from a hotel in Tripoli but later released. (The Telegraph) (AFP via France 24)

Arts and culture

The Canadian writer Alice Munro is awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. (CNN)
Official alternative names are announced for the North Island and South Island of New Zealand with Te Ika-a-Maui and Te Waipounamu as the respective Maori language names. (TV New Zealand)
The BBC announce the discovery of nine missing episodes of Doctor Who starring Patrick Troughton, located in Nigeria, including the remainder of the partially-missing serial The Enemy of the World and 4 of the 5 missing episodes of The Web of Fear. (BBC)

Business and economy

French air traffic controllers begin strike action with the south of France expected to be worst affected. (ITV)
The Delaware Supreme Court, setting aside a lower court's order, clears the way for a transaction in which Activision Blizzard can buy back its equity from Vivendi. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Former Mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick is sentenced to 28 years in prison for racketeering, conspiracy, fraud, and tax crimes. (MSN)
The Justice Ministry of Iraq announces it has executed 42 terrorism convicts in two days amidst condemnation from human rights groups. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

The Cabinet of Malawi is dissolved by President Joyce Banda amidst a graft scandal. (Reuters)

Science

Scott Carpenter, Mercury 7 astronaut and second American to orbit the earth, dies at 88 following complications from a stroke.(Fox News)

October 11, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is accused by Human Rights Watch of killing at least 190 villagers in pro-government areas and kidnapping hundreds more. (Washington Post)
An Israeli man is killed and his wife injured after an attack by Palestinian militants inside their house on the West Bank. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A fire in a hospital in Japan's Fukuoka prefecture kills ten people. (BBC)
Cyclone Phailin: India's Odisha and Andhra Pradesh prepare for storm. (BBC)
A migrant boat sinks in the Channel of Sicily with at least 27 people dead but over 200 rescued. (ANSA) (AP via Houston Chronicle)

International relations

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons wins the Nobel Peace Prize. (BBC) (Reuters via ABC News Australia)

Law and crime

The Constitutional Council of France upholds a ban on fracking. (AP via ABC News America)
Myunghee Bae arrives in North Korea to visit her American son Kenneth Bae, who is serving 15 years of hard labor. (CNN)
The UK government publishes a draft royal charter aimed at underpinning self-regulation of the British press following an agreement on the issue by the country's three main political parties. However, the proposals are greeted with concerns about press freedom by the industry. (BBC)

October 12, 2013 (Saturday)

Disasters and accidents

Cyclone Phailin is expected to make landfall on the east coast of India today. (AFP via Australia Network)
Typhoon Nari hits the Philippines killing at least five people and leaving two million without power. (AFP via ABC News)
At least 50 people are dead after a truck veers off a cliff in La Convencion Province in Peru. (Reuters via ABC Australia)
A series of explosions at a fireworks factory in northern Vietnam has killed at least 15 people and left many others injured.(BBC)
A building collapses in Colombia, killing 1; 10 still missing. (CNN)

Sports

In boxing, Timothy Bradley defeats Juan Manuel Márquez to win the World Boxing Organization Welterweight Title. (Los Angeles Times)

October 13, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Gunmen kidnap seven workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross from northern Syria. (Fox News)
- Opposition activists say Syrian army tanks killed 11 civilians including 3 children in a crossfire incident during the battle for the city center of Daraa. (Haaretz)

Disasters and accidents

Indian authorities commence rescue efforts in the aftermath of Cyclone Phailin, with initial reports of at least 20 casualties and widespread damage along the landfall area. (First Post)
A stampede breaks out on a bridge near the Ratangarh Mata Temple in Datia district, Madhya Pradesh, India during the Hindu festival Navratri, killing 115 people and injuring more than 110. (BBC)

Law and crime

Five people are injured during a shooting at a Hmong New Year's celebration in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. Two men, 19 and 21 years old, are arrested. (CNN)
Over 380 people are detained after an anti-migrant Russian nationalist riot in southern Moscow. (Russia News)

Politics and elections

Bill Shorten is elected as the head of the federal Australian Labor Party, defeating Anthony Albanese in a leadership ballot. (Yahoo! News)
Vietnamese independence hero General Võ Nguyên Giáp is buried after an elaborate two-day state funeral. (BBC)

Sports

In Bathurst, New South Wales, Mark "Frosty" Winterbottom, driving for Ford, wins his maiden Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercars race. (V8supercars)
Novak Djokovic wins the Shanghai Masters Tennis Competition for the second straight year. (The Telegraph)
Frederik Van Lierde wins the 2013 edition of the Ironman Triathlon. (NY Times)

October 14, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Ethiopian officials report that a plot by a group of Somali nationals to attack Sunday's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match in Addis Ababa failed when their explosives detonated inside their home, killing two of the would-be suicide bombers. (Reuters UK)

Business and Economy

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences goes to three Americans, in connection with their work in asset prices: Eugene Fama, Lars Peter Hansen, and Robert Shiller. (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences)

Disasters and accidents

The death toll from Cyclone Phailin rises to at least 18 in India as it dissipates. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
A judicial inquiry is ordered into a stampede during Navrati festivities near a temple in India's Madhya Pradesh state that resulted in 109 deaths and 120 people being injured. (NDTV)

Law and crime

A man is arrested after attempting to enter Buckingham Palace, London, while in possession of a knife. (Huffington Post)
A dry ice bomb explodes in an employee restroom at Los Angeles International Airport. Nobody was injured, and no arrests were made. Terminal 2 was briefly shut down and evacuated. It was the second incident of its kind to have occurred at the airport in two days. (CNN)

October 15, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–present):
- A bomb in a mosque in Afghanistan's Logar Province kills the governor Arsala Jamal and results in other injuries. (Reuters via IOL)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- A bomb detonates outside a Sunni mosque in Kirkuk, Iraq, killing 12 worshipers and injuring another 24. (The Irish Times)
Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- The Israeli army finds a second tunnel laden with explosives dug from the Gaza Strip into Israel and proceeds to destroy it. (AP via Fox News) (The Times of Israel)

Arts and culture

New Zealand author Eleanor Catton wins the 2013 Man Booker Prize for her work "The Luminaries". (AFP via Yahoo News Australia)

Business and Economy

United States debt-ceiling crisis of 2013:
- International credit rating group Fitch Ratings places the United States under a "Rating watch negative" in response to the looming financial crisis. (Reuters)
Glenn Greenwald, a reporter with The Guardian who has published information provided him by NSA contractor Edward Snowden, is leaving the British newspaper to join a new journalistic enterprise to be bankrolled by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2013 Bohol earthquake:
- A magnitude 7.2 earthquake is reported in the Philippines near the town of Balilihan in Bohol province resulting in at least 74 deaths. (Reuters)
A state of emergency is declared in the New Zealand district of Whanganui due to flooding. (TV New Zealand)
Typhoon Nari hits central Vietnam with over 122,000 people being evacuated. (Reuters)

Law and crime

The former Liberian President Charles Taylor arrives in the United Kingdom to serve the remainder of a 50-year sentence after becoming the first head of state to be convicted of war crimes since World War II. (BBC)
The perpetrator of the 2013 Beijing Capital International Airport bombing Ji Zhongxing is sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by a Chinese court. (The Australian)

October 16, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- At least 21 civilians are killed when their minibus hits a land mine in southern Syrian town of Nawa, with opposition activists blaming the Syrian army. (Reuters), (BBC)

Business and economy

United States debt-ceiling crisis of 2013:
- The United States Senate reaches a bipartisan deal to avoid default and end the 16-day US government shutdown. The House passes the legislation by 285–144. The bill now goes to the president, who is expected to sign it. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald), (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

Lao Airlines Flight 301 crashes in the Mekong River near Pakse International Airport, killing 44 passengers and 5 crew members. (BBC)
Typhoon Wipha hits Japan resulting in at least 14 deaths. (The Australian)
A Panamanian registered ship sinks off the coast of South Korea, killing 9 sailors and leaving 2 others missing. Coast Guard officials rescue another 8 crew members. (Yonhap)

Politics and elections

Solberg's Cabinet is appointed as the 61st cabinet of Norway by the King following the parliamentary election on 9 September. ^{[citation needed]}

Law and crime

Malala Yousafzai will be awarded with Honorary Canadian citizenship. (CBC)
A terminal at Miami International Airport was briefly evacuated after a bomb-sniffing dog discovers "a possible explosive device". (Miami Herald)

Science

Divers in Russia recover a 570kg (1,255lb) portion of the Chelyabinsk meteor that landed on February 15 2013. It is one of the largest meteorite fragments found to date. (BBC)

October 17, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
- A Naxalite landmine kills three police officers in the Gadchiroli district of India's Maharashtra state. (Zee News)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal)
- Attacks on Shia Muslims killed at least 59 people across Iraq, including a suicide truck bomb targeting at least 15 members of the country's Shabak people. (Reuters)
Islamist gunmen kill two Tunisian policemen in clashes in the northeastern city Goubella. (Reuters)
Suspected Renamo rebels kill 7 Mozambican soldiers in an ambush near Gorongosa. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Swedish archaeologists in Old Uppsala unearth a great number of mysterious posts in perfect alignment for more than a kilometre in what is suggested to be a display of power of a fifth century Swedish chieftain. (Dagens Nyheter)

Business and economy

President of the United States Barack Obama signs a bipartisan deal approved by Congress to end the Government shutdown and the debt ceiling crisis. (The Hill)

Disasters

The death toll in the Philippines from the 2013 Bohol earthquake rises to 156 with 374 people injured. (Wall Street Journal)
In Australia, at least seven emergency warnings have been issued for bushfires in New South Wales resulting in one death at Lake Munmorah, significant property damage and closure of airports and highways. (The Guardian) (The Guardian)
At least 18 people are dead and 45 people are missing in Japan after Typhoon Wipha hit yesterday. (Zee News)

Politics and elections

Chad, Chile, Lithuania, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia are elected to the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term, starting on January 1, 2014. (Reuters)

October 18, 2013 (Friday)

Business and economy

China's economy grew at a rate of 7.8 percent in the third quarter. (Reuters)

International relations

The Prime Minister of Canada and the European Union tentatively sign a free trade and copyright agreement. CBC
Japanese cabinet minister Yoshitaka Shindō visits the controversial Yasukuni Shrine potentially causing conflict with the Philippines, South Korea and the People's Republic of China. (AFP via Google News)

Law and crime

Former Tijuana Cartel leader Francisco Rafael Arellano Félix is killed in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur. (Terra México)
Thirty-five members of the US owned MV Seaman Guard Ohio are arrested in the Indian port of Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu for alleged illegal possession of arms and ammunition. (Zee News)
The Constitutional Council of France rules that the country's mayors cannot refuse to officiate at same-sex marriages. (France 24)
In London, the High Court dismisses a lawsuit against former directors of the London branch of Bernard Madoff's operations, including his one living and one deceased son. The judge, Mr. Justice Popplewell, spoke rather harshly of the plaintiffs, praising the "commendable dignity and restraint" of certain of the defendants. (Financial Times)

Politics and Elections

Saudi Arabia announces it will decline to accept a seat on the United Nations Security Council after being elected for it, citing the UN's inability to the stop the Ghouta chemical attack. (BBC)
Republican U.S. House of Representatives member Bill Young of Florida dies in office. (AP via ABC News)

Science

Asteroid 2013 TV135 is discovered with an approximately 1 in 63,000 chance of colliding with the earth in 2032. (CNN)

October 19, 2013 (Saturday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Syrian Civil War:
- A suicide bomber kills 16 Syrian Army soldiers at a checkpoint near Damascus. (Wall Street Journal)
War in Somalia (2009–present):
- 16 people are killed and 30 wounded by a suicide bomber in an attack in a crowded restaurant in the central Somali town of Beledweyne. (Reuters)
Tunisian security forces have killed 10 people (claimed by authorities to be Islamist militants) near the border with Algeria in a three-day operation against gunmen who attacked police patrols in the remote northern region. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least 79 people have been injured, some seriously, in a train crash at the Once railway station in Buenos Aires. (Time)
At least 11 people have been killed after a small plane carrying skydivers crashes near Namur, Belgium. (The Telegraph)

Law and crime

Reuters reports that the United States Department of Justice and JPMorgan Chase have reached a tentative $13 billion settlement on the issue of selling bad mortgage loans to investors, the practice that contributed to Subprime mortgage crisis. (Reuters)

October 20, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- A suicide truck bomber attack by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front on a government checkpoint outside Hama, Syria, kills at least 30 people, including a number of soldiers. (AP via USA Today)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- Suicide bombers targeting police and local officials in Rawa, northwest of Baghdad, kill 15 people. (AFP)
- At least 37 people are killed in a suicide bombing at a cafe in the Shia-dominated area of Baghdad. (BBC)
South Sudan internal conflict (2011–present):
- Cattle raiders believed to be led by David Yau Yau attack villages in Jonglei state, leaving at least 78 dead. (BBC)
Gunmen open fire on a Christian wedding in a Cairo suburb in Egypt, with at least three people killed and nine others injured. (BBC)

Business and economy

Toyota Motor Corporation recalls 885,000 vehicles due to electrical problems that could prevent airbags from deploying. (NBC)

Disasters and accidents

Barry O'Farrell, the Premier of the Australian state of New South Wales, declares a state of emergency due to bushfires that have already claimed one life and destroyed hundreds of homes. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Jamalul Kiram III, claimant to the Sultanate of Sulu and leader of the militant group behind the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff, dies in Manila. (The Washington Post)
At Luxembourg's general election, Jean-Claude Juncker's Christian Social People's Party loses three seats, but remain the largest party in the Chamber of Deputies with 23 of the 60 seats. (BBC)

October 21, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

A female suicide bomber detonates an explosive vest on a bus in the Russian city of Volgograd, killing at least 6 and injuring at least 28 others, 8 of them critically. (BBC) (Reuters)
War in North-West Pakistan:
- An explosion on the Jaffar Express, travelling between the Pakistani cities of Rawalpindi and Quetta, kills 7 people and injures at least another 10. (The Express)

Disasters and accidents

2013 New South Wales bushfires:
- Authorities warn that three fires burning out of control in Australia's Blue Mountains region near the towns of Lithgow, Springwood and Mount Victoria could merge and form a "megafire". (ABC)
Heavy smog envelopes the Chinese city of Harbin leading to the closure of schools and highways. (Xinhua)

International relations

Laurent Fabius, the Foreign Minister of France, summons the United States ambassador over allegations of US spying on millions of French phone calls reported in Le Monde. (France 24), (BBC)

Politics

New Jersey becomes the 14th U.S. state to allow same-sex marriages. (NBC New York)

October 22, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Islamist insurgency in Nigeria:
- Nigerian troops kill 37 Boko Haram Islamist militants in air and ground strikes in their bases in the northeast. (Reuters)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- Militants kill 22 security forces in police and military checkpoints in Anbar Province. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Apple announces the introduction of iPad Air and the availability of the newest version of OS X, Mavericks. (CNN)

Law and crime

Australian Capital Territory becomes the first Australian territory to legalize same-sex marriage while the Government of Australia launches a legal challenge in the High Court. (News.com.au)

Politics and elections

The Maldives sets a new date for a presidential election to be held on November 9. (AP via The Hindu)

October 23, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- The Al-Nusra Front captures the Syriac Orthodox village of Sadad, killing at least 9 people and sparking heavy fighting with Syrian Army forces. (Reuters)
- Syrian rebels attack a gas pipeline close to Damascus International Airport, causing a country-wide power outage. (Reuters)
Eight police officers and two Islamist militants are killed in clashes near Sidi Bouzid in the southern part of Tunisia. (Global Post)
A suicide bomber kills two Chadian troops and injures six other MINUSMA peacekeepers in an attack on a checkpoint at the entry to the northern town of Tessalit, Mali. (Reuters)
A teenager in Bahrain dies following an explosion in the village of Bani Jamra, east of the capital Manama. (BBC)

International relations

China and India sign a new border defence agreement aimed at improving bilateral relations. (Al Jazeera) (ABC)

Law and crime

Iran spares the life of a convicted drug trafficker who survived a hanging. (Bangkok Post)
A 14-year-old student from Danvers, Massachusetts is accused of killing his math teacher at Danvers High School and dumping the body in the woods. (ABC)(CNN)

Politics

2013 protests in Tunisia:
- Thousands of Tunisian protesters take to the streets calling for the Islamist government led by the Ennahda Movement to step down hours before crisis talks between the government and opposition leaders. (Reuters)
A Chinese newspaper publishes a rare appeal for the release of one of its journalists held by police. (BBC)
Thousands of opposition supporters protest in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh following disputed July elections which saw incumbent Prime Minister Hun Sen re-elected. (Times of India)

President Obama's staff has unmasked and fired a national security official who tweeted critical comments under a pseudonym. (USA Today)

Sports

2013 World Series: Jon Lester, Red Sox win Game 1 against mistake-ridden Cardinals (washingtonpost.com)

October 24, 2013 (Thursday)

Arts and culture

Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana, the 19th Supreme Patriarch of Buddhism in Thailand, dies at the age of 100. (ABC News via Associated Press)

Business and economy

Twitter sets a modest-seeming goal of US$1.6 billion for its forthcoming initial public offering. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

China's Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources will send inspection teams to Chinese regional cities to inspect air quality following the 2013 Harbin smog incident. (Reuters Trust)
An NSW Rural Fire Service pilot dies when his plane crashes while fighting fires near the town of Ulladulla, New South Wales, Australia. (Courier Mail)

Health

The World Health Organization reports that a polio outbreak has begun in the war-torn city of Deir Ezzor, Syria. (Reuters)

International relations

Germany summons the United States Ambassador over claims that the US monitored Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel's mobile phone. (BBC)

Law and crime

Portuguese Police reopen the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. (BBC)

Sport

France's top football clubs announce plans for a strike in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 at the end of November in protest at the President François Hollande's 75% supertax proposal. (AFP via Yahoo! Singapore)
2013 World Series: The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 to tie the World Series at 1-1. (ESPN)

October 25, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Islamist insurgency in Nigeria:
- Military officials report that 74 members of Boko Haram have been killed in a combined ground and aerial assault on militant camps in northeastern Borno State. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Japan's emergency agencies declare a tsunami warning after an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 strikes off the east coast. (AP via News24)

International relations

In a joint statement, leaders of the European Union say that recent claims about the United States spying on European leaders, such as Germany's Angela Merkel and citizens, "could prejudice co-operation in intelligence gathering". (BBC)

Science

The complete nuclear genome of a Siberian boy who died 24,000 years ago suggests that about a third of the ancestry of today's Native Americans can be traced to Western Eurasia, with only two-thirds coming from Eastern Asia. (Science Magazine/AAAS)

October 26, 2013 (Saturday)

Armed conflict and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–present):
- A gunfight between Afghan and foreign soldiers on the outskirts of the capital Kabul, kills at least one Afghan serviceman and injures a number of other soldiers. (Reuters)
Iran hangs 16 rebels in retaliation for 14 border guards being killed in clashes on its border with Pakistan. (BBC)

Law and crime

Michael Guzzo shoots and kills four people and two dogs in their house, and then commits suicide in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. (AP via Huffington Post)

Politics and elections

Results of the Czech legislative election are very fragmented, the big winner being the new centrist liberal ANO 2011 which gains 47 out of 200 seats. (BBC)

Sports

2013 World Series, Game 3 ends on a controversial obstruction call, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 series lead over the Red Sox. (NY Times)

October 27, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

8 bomb blasts rock the city of Patna in the Indian state of Bihar killing 5 and injuring over 70 people.(Firstpost)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal)
- A series of car bombings around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, kills at least 38 people. (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2001–present):
- A roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan kills 18 people. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Lou Reed, lead singer of the band The Velvet Underground, dies at the age of 71. ^{[citation needed]}

Disasters and accidents

The United Kingdom braces itself for the St Jude storm, the worst since 1987, which is due to make landfall tonight. (BBC)

Law and crime

A 37-year-old woman and four children are stabbed to death in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. A man is arrested in connection with the murders. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Voters in Georgia go to the polls for a presidential election with Giorgi Margvelashvili winning a landslide victory. (BBC), (AFP via NineMSN)
Voters in Argentina go to the polls for mid-term elections, where races for one third of the Senate and half the Chamber of Deputies will be decided. The governing Front for Victory maintained an absloute majority in both chambers (adding one Senator and five Deputies); but the new Renewal Front won by 12% in the largest district, the Province of Buenos Aires. (New York Times)

October 28, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Two Thai police die while trying to defuse a bomb in Narathiwat province. (Bangkok Post)
An Indian Army soldier is reported killed and another injured along the Line of Control on the border with Pakistan in Kashmir. (Hindustan Times)
Islamist protests in Egypt (July 2013–present):
- Three Egyptian policemen are killed by masked men in an attack at a checkpoint in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura. (Reuters)
Syrian civil war:
- The Syrian army retakes the ancient Christian town of Sadad. (Press TV) (The Huffington Post)
Syrian civil war spillover in Lebanon:
- Two people are killed in the northern city of Tripoli in fighting between supporters and opponents of the Syrian government and the Lebanese army. (Reuters)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict:
- Two rockets fired from the Gaza strip at a southern Israeli coastal city are shot down. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
War in Somalia (2009–present):
- A suspected U.S. drone strike kills at least two Islamist Al-Shabaab insurgents and commander driving in a car south of the Somali capital Mogadishu. (Reuters) (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2001–present):
- Australia declares its war in Afghanistan over while the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, visits Afghanistan. (Herald Sun)

Business and economy

Copper fabricator Southwire Co. drops its lawsuit against two giant Wall Street firms over a possible copper exchange-traded fund, as market and regulatory conditions make such an ETF seem decreasingly likely. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Five people are killed after a car crashes into barriers just outside the Forbidden City in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
St Jude storm:
- The storm hits England and Wales, causing at least one death with flights and train services cancelled. (BBC) (AP via CBS News)

Law and crime

Three Chinese anti-graft activists go on trial in Xinyu in west-central Jiangxi province. (Reuters)
Dr Conrad Murray is released from prison in the American city of Los Angeles for involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

2013 Tunisian protests:
- Government and opposition leaders launch talks discussing a new premier. (The Daily Star)
- Ennahda party leader Rashid al-Ghannushi announces in a televised interview that the party may be willing to give up the government but not power. (Al Arabiya)
Voters in the Canadian territory of Nunavut go to the polls to select members to the territory's Legislative Assembly.^{[citation needed]}

Science

Three new species of animals are discovered (a leaf-tailed gecko, a golden-coloured skink, and a boulder-dwelling frog) in the Cape York Peninsula of the Australian state of Queensland. (news.com.au)

October 29, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2013 Tiananmen Square incident: Police in China name two suspects from Xinjiang linked to an apparent suicide attack car crash outside the Forbidden City on Tiananmen Square in the capital Beijing. (BBC)
Syrian civil war:
- Syrian civilians leave the besieged Damascus suburb of Moadamiya. (BBC)
Four French hostages held in Niger by an Al-Qaeda offshoot since 2010 are released. (France 24)

Business and economy

The Nasdaq Composite and NASDAQ-100 stock indices froze for an hour before resuming at around 1 PM EST. (CNBC)
Turkey opens a sea tunnel connecting Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

St Jude storm:
- At least 13 people are confirmed dead after the storm hits northern Europe. (ABC News Australia)
The United Nations confirms an outbreak of polio in Syria. (CBC)
At least three people are dead after a dust storm causes an accident on Interstate 10 near Picacho Peak, Arizona, United States. (ABC)

Law and crime

Three judges in Egypt chairing the trial of the leaders Muslim Brotherhood step down, citing reasons of conscience. (Al Jazeera)
Two Kenyan soldiers are jailed for looting during the attack on the Westgate shopping centre attack in September. (BBC)
The leader of the Boeremag and 23 others are sentenced to 35 years in jail in South Africa for conspiring to kill former president Nelson Mandela. (News24)
A man shoots and kills five people and then commits suicide at a house in Greenwood County, South Carolina, U.S. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Marilyn Tavenner, the Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, becomes the first Obama administration official to apologise for the troubled roll out of the healthcare.gov website as part of the Affordable Care Act or "Obamacare" system. (CNN)

October 30, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

There are at least three dead and seven injured when a bomb explodes near the official residence of the Chief Minister of India's Manipur state Okram Ibobi Singh in the city of Imphal. (IBN) (NDTV)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- Twenty people are killed in bombings in Iraq. (BBC)
A suicide bomber blows himself up in the Tunisian tourist resort of Sousse and police foil another attempted attack in Habib Bourguiba's tomb in Monastir. No casualties are reported. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Forty-four people die after a bus fuel tank catches fire in the Indian city of Mahbubnagar near Hyderabad. (NDTV)

International relations

Israel releases 26 Palestinians convicted of homicide as part of a limited amnesty process. (Reuters)
Mongolian president Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj visits North Korea and becomes the first head of state to meet with Kim Jong-un since Kim's taking office as Supreme Leader. (The Diplomat)

Law and crime

2013 Tiananmen Square car attack:
- Chinese police arrest five suspects in connection to the Tiananmen square suicide attack. (The Guardian) (Daily Telegraph)

Media

The UK's Privy Council grants a Royal Charter on regulating the British press after the newspaper industry loses a last minute legal bid to seek an injunction against the plans. (BBC)

Sports

In baseball, the Boston Red Sox win the 2013 World Series defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in game 6 with a score of 6-1. This is the first series to be won in Boston by the Red Sox since 1918. (ABC News) (USA Today)

October 31, 2013 (Thursday)