Portal:Current events/September 2011

Armed conflict and attacks

At least four people, including a high-ranking security service officer, are killed in a series of bombings and shootings across Russia's North Caucasus. (Voice of America)
2011 Libyan civil war: Libya's National Transitional Council extends the deadline for tribal leaders in Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte to surrender in order to avoid further fighting. (The Christian Science Monitor)
Three Pakistani soldiers and one Indian soldier are killed following an attack by Indian border forces on a Pakistani checkpost along the Line of Control. (Express Tribune)

Arts and culture

The remains of Australian bushranger Ned Kelly are found in the former HM Prison Pentridge in Melbourne, Victoria. (The Courier-Mail)
Protesters from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign disrupt a concert given by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for the BBC Proms at London's Royal Albert Hall. (BBC)

Business and economy

The world's largest food group, Nestlé SA, opens a new production unit in Konolfingen, Switzerland, and its CEO affirms that the company is committed to its home country, despite problems created by the unusually strong Swiss franc against the euro. (Reuters)
Former Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Maria van der Hoeven, takes office as Executive Director of the International Energy Agency. (Wall Street Journal)

Disasters

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal declares a state of emergency after Tropical Storm Lee forms in the northern Gulf of Mexico. (CNN)

September 2, 2011 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

The South Korean military resumes building a naval base on the island of Jeju-do after police clear the site of protesters. (Yonhap)

Business and economy

A court in Düsseldorf orders Samsung to stop selling its new tablet computer, Galaxy Tab, acting on a lawsuit brought by Apple. (Reuters)

International relations

2010 Gaza flotilla raid:
- Turkey expels Israel's ambassador and cancels all military agreements with Israel, hours before a UN report investigating the raid is published. (BBC) (The New York Times)
- The UN report finds that the IDF acted 'legitimately' in trying to enforce Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, except for the lack of a final warning to the activists and the use of "excessive" force. (Jerusalem Post)

Politics

The Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihiko Noda announces his new Cabinet with Jun Azumi as Minister of Finance and Kōichirō Genba as Minister for Foreign Affairs. (AFP via Google News)

September 3, 2011 (Saturday)

Disasters

2011 Chilean Air Force CASA 212 crash:
- Four bodies are recovered from the ocean after an airplane of the Chilean Air Force crashed near Robinson Crusoe Island on Friday. (CBC)
- The Chilean Minister of National Defense Andrés Allamand Zavala confirms that all 21 passengers of the flight died in the crash, including TV presenter Felipe Camiroaga. (La Tercera)

September 4, 2011 (Sunday)

Armed conflict and attacks

At least 24 people are killed in violence across Syria. (The Times of India)

Disasters

Tropical Storm Lee makes landfall near the US city of Lafayette, Louisiana, with the Gulf Coast hit by tornados. (Reuters)
Wildfires continue to burn in the US state of Texas, destroying tens of thousands of acres of land. (The Statesman)

Politics and elections

Voters in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern go to the polls for a state election with the Social Democrats and Greens performing well and the Christian Democrats and Free Democrats performing poorly. (PA via Google News)

Sport

Sonya Thomas wins the United States Chicken Wing Eating Championship by consuming 183 Buffalo wings in twelve minutes. (Buffalo News)
2011 World Championships in Athletics:
- The United States tops the medal count at the World Championships. (Yonhap News)
- The Jamaican 4x100-meter relay team of Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt sets a new world record. (Yonhap)

Science

The Emperor penguin who was washed up on a New Zealand beach in June is released back into the Southern Ocean. (BBC) (New Zealand Herald)

September 5, 2011 (Monday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Turkish air force strikes kill four members of the PKK in Northern Iraq. (Yahoo)
One person is killed and two injured by Iranian artillery shelling near the Iraqi border town of Siydah Khan, near Arbil. (Reuters)
Sky News reports that 30,000 Libyans may be missing as a result of the civil war. (Sky News)
A mosque in the Palestinian village of Kasra, north of Jerusalem, is attacked overnight, residents say. (BBC)
The government of Pakistan reports the arrest of senior Al-Qaeda chief Younis al-Mauritani. BBC
A convoy of troops loyal to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi crosses the border with Niger arriving in Agadez. (Associated Press)

Disasters

Rescuers in Japan look for survivors of Typhoon Talas, which has killed at least 35 people, with the Wakayama Prefecture on the Kii Peninsula the worst affected. (AP via Google News) (Japan Times)
The 2011 Somalian famine, which has killed 30,000 children and tens of thousands more adults, spreads to the Bay Region of Somalia. (New YorK Times)
2011 Atlantic hurricane season:
- Approximately 5,000 people are evacuated from their homes near the U.S. city of Austin, Texas, with wildfires caused in part by Tropical Storm Lee causing concerns in other parts of the state. (Xinhua) (Austin Statesman) (USA Today)
- Hurricane Katia strengthens to Category 4 strength but no warnings are in place. (National Hurricane Centre)
- The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee cause flooding in parts of the Southern United States. (USA Today)

International relations

South Korea announces that it will start sending emergency aid to North Korea next week after devastating floods. (Yonhap)

Law and crime

The trial of former French President Jacques Chirac on embezzlement charges begins in Paris. (AFP via France 24)
Turkish hackers gain access to the websites of several companies, including Vodafone, the Daily Telegraph and UPS, redirecting visitors to a site set up by the group. (BBC)

Politics

The President of the United States Barack Obama kicks off his re-election campaign with an appearance at the AFL-CIO Labor Day parade in the city of Detroit, Michigan. (Washington Times)
In the United Kingdom the first wave of independent state-funded schools, known as free schools, open their doors as the new academic year begins. (BBC)

September 6, 2011 (Tuesday)

Arts and culture

English musician PJ Harvey wins her second Mercury Prize for best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland for her album Let England Shake. (New York Times)

Disasters

A Russian Air Force Mikoyan MiG-31 crashes in Perm Krai in the Ural Mountains. (RIA Novosti)
A wildfire destroys at least 118,500 acres and destroys over 700 homes in Central Texas since Saturday with two deaths. (CNN) (Houston Chronicle)
A tropical storm watch is in place for Bermuda as Hurricane Katia gets closer. (National Hurricane Centre)

Economics

The Swiss National Bank introduces a minimum exchange rate of 1.20 CHF/EUR to prevent the overvaluation of the Swiss franc. (BBC)

Law and crime

News International phone hacking scandal:
- Four former News International executives are recalled by the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee to face further examination over phone hacking within the organisation. (BBC)
Margaret Moran, the former British Labour Party MP for Luton South is charged on 21 counts relating falsely claiming Parliamentary expenses. (BBC)
A mass shooting at an International House of Pancakes restaurant in Carson City, Nevada (U.S.A.) leaves four dead, including the shooter, and six wounded. (AP)

September 7, 2011 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

At least eleven people are killed following bombings in the Pakistan city of Quetta. (Dawn)
A bomb explosion outside the Delhi High Court in the Indian court in New Delhi kills at least nine people and injures another 45. (AP via Forbes) (Reuters via ABC News Australia)

Arts and culture

ICM Registry – the company that sponsors the .xxx Internet top-level domain for adult entertainment, planned for launch in 2012 – is giving organisations and people in the public eye the opportunity to block their names from being used by websites with the suffix. (BBC)

Business and economy

The economy of Australia recovers, achieving 1.2% growth in the second quarter after floods led to a contraction of .9% in the second quarter. (Dow Jones via The Australian)
The Swedish car maker Saab Automobile files for bankruptcy in a self-managed reconstruction process. (AP via Forbes)

Disasters

A Yak Service Yak-42 carrying the KHL hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl crashes near Yaroslavl, Russia, killing 44. (Lenta.ru)
Tropical Storm Nate is set to arrive at the Atlantic coast of Mexico tonight or tomorrow morning. (National Hurricane Centre)
Tropical Storm Lee remnants in the northeastern United States:
- Ten thousand people are ordered to evacuate in Broome County in the US state of New York due to flooding of the Chenango River and the Susquehanna River. (Press Connects)
- Flash flood warnings are issued in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland. (Washington Post)
- Heavy rain in the middle of Pennsylvania causes 1000 students in the Derry Township School District to be stranded at the Hershey Middle School. (Patriot News)

International relations

The Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina sign an accord ending four decades of disputes over the borders of India and Bangladesh. (IBN Live)

Politics

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond unveils a legislative programme for the coming year which includes plans to create a single police force and a single fire service for Scotland. (BBC)
Republican Party candidates in the 2012 US presidential election hold a debate in California's Simi Valley. (AP)

September 8, 2011 (Thursday)

Armed conflict and attacks

North Caucasus insurgency/Ingushetia civil war:
- Six people are killed and at least three injured in a series of raids by Russian forces on suspected militants in the North Caucasus. (Monsters and Critics)
- Over 2,600 people are classified as missing in the North Caucasus. (Interfax)
United States counterterrorism officials investigate reports of a potential terrorist threat against either New York City or Washington DC, linked to the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on Sunday. (New York Times)

Business and economy

Unemployment in Australia is reported to have risen to 5.3% in August 2011. (Market Watch)

Disasters

2011 Northeastern United States floods following Tropical Storm Lee:
- The National Weather Service issues flash flooding warnings for the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland and Virginia. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
- More than 12 inches (30 cm) of rain falls in the region surrounding the capital of Harrisburg, causing heavy flooding and evacuations. (Reuters)
- 115,000 people are ordered to evacuate from the city of Wilkes-Barre and Kingston as flood waters threaten the levees along the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. (The Times Leader)
- Heavy rains and rockslides close the Schuylkill Expressway, a major artery into Philadelphia. (FOX Philly)
- Pennsylvania closes and evacuates the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence and the state government is suspended. (Patriot-News)
- At least four deaths are reported in Pennsylvania and one Maryland. (WGAL) (Los Angeles Times via Bellingham Herald)
The death toll in Japan from Typhoon Talas reaches 54, with 55 people still missing. (Kyodo via Japan Times)
A blackout in southern California, Arizona and Baja California in Mexico caused by the loss of the entire San Diego Gas & Electric system leads to the closure of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and the loss of power to more than two million people. (Los Angeles Times) (NBC San Diego) (AP via Arizona Star)
Tropical Storm Nate causes heavy rain on Mexico's Atlantic Ocean coast. (NHC)

Politics and elections

Secretary General Tuiloma Neroni Slade is reappointed to a second, three-year term as head of the Pacific Islands Forum. (Fiji Times)
Up to 40,000 public sector workers gather in the Australian city of Sydney to protest a wages cap and job cuts in the 2011-12 budget proposed by the Government of the State of New South Wales. (News Limited) (Daily Telegraph)
President of the United States Barack Obama delivers a speech to a joint session of both houses of Congress, putting forward a new job-creation plan entailing major spending initiatives and tax cuts. (Voice of America) (Bloomberg) (Wall Street Journal)
Former President of Vietnam Vo Chi Cong dies in Ho Chi Minh City at the age of 99. (AP via Hindustan Times)

Sport

In American football, the 2011 NFL season begins, with the Green Bay Packers playing the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin with the Packers winning a shootout 42–34. (Reuters) (The Sports Network via The Sacramento Bee)

September 9, 2011 (Friday)

Politics

Arab Spring:
- 2011 Yemeni uprising:
  - Over a million people protest against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in one of the Yemeni opposition's largest protests. (CNN)
- 2011 Syrian uprising:
  - Syrians engage in mass Friday protests against the Syrian government, calling on the international community for assistance against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. (Al Jazeera)
- About 3,000 Egyptian protesters storm the Israeli embassy in Cairo.(CNN)

Disasters

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of Vancouver Island in Canada's British Columbia province. (Victoria Times Colonist)

Science

Australopithecus sediba skeletons found at the Cradle of Humankind site in South Africa are dated at 2 million years old, suggesting that the hominid species could be a transitional fossil between apes and humans. (The Australian)

Sport

In rugby union, the 2011 Rugby World Cup begins in New Zealand, with New Zealand's All Blacks playing Tonga's Sea Eagles in Auckland. (The Telegraph)

September 10, 2011 (Saturday)

Disasters

The MV Spice Islander I, a passenger ferry, sinks off the coast of Zanzibar, leaving at least 187 people dead. (BBC) (Daily Telegraph)
U.S. President Barack Obama declares a state of emergency in the state of Texas, amid wildfires that have already destroyed at least 1,300 homes. (CNN)

Politics

G8 nations pledge at least $40 billion to help Arab countries reconstruct and implement democracy following the turmoil of the Arab Spring. (BBC)
Post-Mubarak transition in Egypt:
- Protesters storm the Israeli embassy in Cairo, forcing the Israeli ambassador to Egypt to flee. (Sydney Morning Herald)
- The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the ruling military junta of Egypt, declares a national state of emergency. (Businessweek.com)

Sports

In boxing, Vitali Klitschko defeats Tomasz Adamek by technical knockout to retain the WBC Heavyweight Championship of the World in Wrocław, Poland. (Taipei Times)
In mixed martial arts, Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett advance to the finals of the Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament by defeating Antônio "Bigfoot" Silva and Sergei Kharitonov, respectively, at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov in Cincinnati, Ohio, US. (Sherdog)

September 11, 2011 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks:
- Memorial ceremonies are held at New York's Ground Zero and elsewhere in the United States, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Ceremonies are also held worldwide to mark the anniversary of the attacks. (Yahoo News via AP)
- The National September 11 Memorial, located on the site of the former World Trade Center, opens in New York City. (Daily Sundial)
A truck bomb at a military outpost in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, kills several civilians. (Miami Herald)
Police in Gothenburg, Sweden, arrest four people after a suspected failed terrorist attack. (Sky News)

Disasters

At least 22 people are dead in the Indian state of Orissa as a result of flooding. (IBN)

Law and crime

UK police raid the Greenacre caravan site in Leighton Buzzard, rescuing 24 men who had been held there as slaves in squalid conditions . (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Voters in Guatemala go to the polls for a general election. (Christian Science Monitor)

Sport

In tennis, Samantha Stosur of Australia wins the Women's Singles in the 2011 US Open, defeating Serena Williams of the United States 6-2, 6-3. (New York Times)

September 12, 2011 (Monday)

Arts and culture

The EU Council votes to extend the copyright on sound recordings from 50 to 70 years. (BBC)
British comedian David Walliams completes a 140-mile charity swim along the River Thames, raising £1 million in aid of the BBC's Sport Relief. (BBC)
Leila Lopes of Angola is named Miss Universe 2011. (LA Late)

Business and economy

Stocks on Asian markets fall sharply due to renewed concerns over the Eurozone debt crisis. (Market Watch)
The UK's Independent Commission on Banking recommends that British banks should separate their retail banking divisions from investment banking arms to safeguard against riskier banking activities. (BBC)

Disasters

At least 75 people are killed by a petrol pipeline explosion in Nairobi, Kenya. (BBC)
At least 19 people die in a bus crash on the Indonesian island of Java. (Jakarta Post)
At least 240 bodies have been recovered off the coast of Zanzibar following Saturday's ferry sinking. (Xinhua)
An explosion occurs at the Marcoule nuclear power plant in southern France, killing one person and injuring four. (BBC)

Law and crime

Police in Kenya are searching for a gang who killed a British tourist and kidnapped his wife at a beachside resort. (BBC)
Former British Conservative peers Lord Taylor of Warwick and Lord Hanningfield are released early from prison sentences for fiddling parliamentary expenses. (BBC)

Politics

Bernard Hogan-Howe is named as the new Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police. (BBC)

Sport

In tennis, Novak Djokovic of Serbia wins the Men's Singles at the 2011 US Open defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1. (New York Times)

September 13, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Investigators in Gothenburg, Sweden, now think that the four men arrested for the 2011 failed Gothenburg terrorist attack have links to the terrorist network Al-Qaida. (CBC)
Taliban insurgents attack the United States embassy, NATO headquarters and police buildings in the Afghan capital Kabul. (BBC)

Economics and business

U.S. bankruptcy court judge Mary Walrath rejects a reorganization plan submitted by Washington Mutual, holding that the Debtors erred by planning to pay senior debtholders a contract rate of interest rather than the federal judgment rate. (Wall Street Journal Online)

Disasters

12.3 million people have been displaced and 11.2 million homes affected, as well as 1.7 million acres of fertile land inundated, in the wake of the monsoonal 2011 Sindh floods in Pakistan. The death toll from the flooding currently stands at 270. (Express Tribune)
At least 11 people are killed and over 228 injured in a collision between a bus and train in the suburb of Flores in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. (Buenos Aires Herald)
The Pagami Creek wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of the U.S. state of Minnesota spreads to over 100,000 acres, with smoke drifting across the Midwest. (Lakeland Times) (Duluth News)
Pakistani Taliban gunmen opened fire on a Peshawar school bus that kills 15 people. (The Guardian)

Health

Over 5,000 people have reportedly been infected by an outbreak of dengue fever in Pakistan. (ARY News)

Politics and elections

Voters in New York's 9th congressional district go to the polls for a special election to replace former member of the United States House of Representatives Anthony Weiner with Republican Bob Turner winning a tight race with Democrat David Weprin (New York Times) (The Atlantic Monthly) (AP)
Voters in Nevada's 2nd congressional district go to the polls for a special election to replace former member of the United States House of Representatives, Senator Dean Heller, with Republican Mark Amodei defeating Democrat Kate Marshall. (New York Times) (AP)
The date of the Venezuelan presidential election is set for 7 October, 2012. (BBC)
The British House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee announces its intention to recall James Murdoch as its probe into the News International phone hacking scandal continues. (BBC)
The United Kingdom Boundaries Commission publishes proposals to redraw constituency boundaries in England and Northern Ireland to reduce the number of MPs in the House of Commons from 650 to 600 at the next general election. Proposals for Scotland and Wales will be announced later. (BBC)
Unions in the United Kingdom call on members to stage a nationwide "day of action" on 30 November in protest at changes to public sector pensions. (BBC)

September 14, 2011 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Taliban attack on Kabul:
- A Taliban attack on the centre of the Afghan capital Kabul ends with 11 people dead. (The Telegraph)
- The United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned that the United States would retaliate against the Pakistan-based Haqqani network of terrorists that it believes was responsible. (AFP via Google News)
More than twenty people are killed and scores injured in attacks in Iraq, including 16 people killed in a car bombing in Babil Province. (AP via Washington Post)

Arts and culture

Archaeologists in the US state of Maryland claim to have found a fort in the Zekiah Swamp in Charles County built to protect the "friendly" Piscataway Indians in 1680. (Baltimore Sun)

Business and economy

Robert Zoellick, the President of the World Bank, claims that the world economy has entered the "danger zone", with the United States, European Union and Japan having to make tough decisions. (Reuters)

Disasters

Tropical Storm Maria is strengthening in the Atlantic Ocean with a hurricane watch issued in Bermuda for when it arrives either late tonight or tomorrow. (National Hurricane Centre via NOLA)

Law and crime

The acquittals of former Premier of Western Australia Brian Burke, former Cabinet Minister Julian Grill and former public servant Nathan Hondros on corruption charges are overturned by the Court of Appeal in Perth, with the three set to face a retrial. (AAP via Sydney Morning Herald)
A French Appeals Court clears former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin of charges of involvement in a smear campaign against current President Nicolas Sarkozy. (Irish Times)
Paul Tiensten, a former Minister in Papua New Guinea, flees to Australia after being summonsed in East New Britain Province to face charges of fraud and corruption. (AAP via The Australian)
Two days after his release from prison, British Conservative peer Lord Hanningfield is arrested on suspicion of fraudulently claiming expenses during his time as leader of Essex County Council. (BBC)
In a court case concerning the theft of Kevlar-related trade secrets, DuPont is awarded US$920 million in damages.(BBC)

Politics and elections

The Australian government's Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy, announces an inquiry into the national media. (SBS)

Science

NASA announces plans for a Space Launch System to replace the Space Shuttle program with the first flight tentatively scheduled for 2017. (New York Times)

September 15, 2011 (Thursday)

Business and economy

Japanese automaker Toyota resumes full production at its North American plants, having finally overcome parts shortages caused by the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. (Bloomberg via Japan Times)
A contract between the North American automaker Chrysler and the United Auto Workers expires at midnight while negotiations continue between the union and General Motors. (Detroit Free Press)
Switzerland's UBS reports that it has lost US$2 billion on unauthorised deals by Kweku Adoboli, one of its London-based traders. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
Stock markets in the United States and Europe rally after major banks, including the European Central Bank and the United States Federal Reserve, initiate a plan to help end the European sovereign debt crisis. (CNN)

Disasters

International aid group Oxfam sets up an emergency appeal for victims of the 2011 Sindh floods in Pakistan, which have so far killed more than 200 people. (ABC News Australia)
Rescue efforts continue to release four miners trapped 90m (295ft) underground following an explosion at Gleision Colliery near Cilybebyll, Pontardawe in the Swansea Valley, Wales, on Thursday morning. (BBC) (AP via Sydney Morning Herald)
Earthquakes hit off the coasts of Vancouver Island, Cuba, Japan, and New Zealand's north island. (MSNBC)
Hurricane Maria passes Bermuda on its way to Newfoundland off the coast of Canada. (National Hurricane Centre)
The Norwegian cruise ship Nordlys catches fire off Ålesund. Two people are killed and twelve are injured. BBC

International relations

The Prime Minister of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra visits Cambodia in an effort to improve relations after the border clashes near the Preah Vihear Temple earlier this year which led to the deaths of twenty people. (Bloomberg)
Israel withdraws its ambassador to Jordan due to fears of a violent protest in Amman. (Reuters)
Senior NATO leaders including the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy fly to Libya to meet with Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the leader of the National Transitional Council, and other leaders. (BBC)
UNICEF releases a child mortality report indicating that the number of children dying under the age of five has fallen from more than 12 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010. (UNICEF)
The United States designates the Indian Mujahideen as a terrorist organisation. (Indian Express)

Law and crime

The People's Republic of China sentences four people to death in the Xinjiang region following threats to crack down on terrorism in the far-western region. (AFP via Google News)
Figures from the United Kingdom's Ministry of Justice indicate that three quarters of those charged with offences relating to the riots which occurred in August had previous criminal convictions. One quarter had committed more than ten previous offences. (BBC)
The UK's Metropolitan Police arrest trader Kweku Adoboli after Swiss bank UBS says it lost $2bn (£1.3bn) as a result of unauthorised trading by a member of staff. (BBC)
The Supreme Court of the United States halts the execution of Duane Buck for double murder in Texas while it reviews his case that the sentence was unfair because of a question asked about race during his trial. (AP)

Politics and elections

Danish election:
- Voters in Denmark go to the polls for parliamentary elections with a left-wing Coalition led by the Social Democrats winning enough seats to form Government. (Christian Science Monitor) (Wall Street Journal)
- Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the leader of the Social Democrats, looks set to become the first female Prime Minister of Denmark. (NPR)
Australians will now be able to choose "indeterminate" as a gender on their passports together with male and female. (AP via Mercury News)
Eight Flemish and Francophone parties represented in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives reach a breakthrough on the Bruxelles-Halle-Vilvorde which had been one of the issues holding up formation of a new government since an election in 2010. (Xinhua)

Science

Researchers at Australia's Monash University have identified a previously unknown species of bottlenose dolphin living in waters in and around Southeastern Australia, which they have named Tursiops australis. (BBC)

September 16, 2011 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Authorities in South Korea arrest a North Korean citizen for an alleged assassination attempt against Park Sang-hak, a noted defector and activist. (Yonhap)

Disasters

Hurricane Maria hits the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador as a Category 1 hurricane. (National Hurricane Centre)
Areas in Delhi, India, are flooded by heavy rain, with record rainfall recorded at Indira Gandhi International Airport. (IBN Live)
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yusuf Raza Gilani, cancels a visit to the United States to address the United Nations General Assembly as a result of the 2011 Sindh floods. (Reuters)
Four trapped coal miners are confirmed dead following a mining accident at the Gleision Colliery in South Wales. (BBC)
2011 Reno Air Races crash: At least 5 people are killed and at least 50 injured when a P-51D Mustang airplane crashes into the crowd at the annual Reno Air Races in Reno, Nevada, in the United States. (MSNBC), (AP via Washington Post) (Reno Gazette-Journal)

International relations

Kosovo Serbs block off two border crossings with Serbia as the Kosovo government seeks to take them over. (AFP via Google)
The Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, arrives in Libya for a meeting with the National Transitional Council. (Euronews)

Law and crime

The first security camera pictures are released of Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks. (MSNBC)
The Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China arrests more than 2,000 people in a crackdown on gang-related crime. (AP via Washington Post)
UBS trader Kweku Adoboli is charged with fraud and false accounting. (BBC)

Politics

Ecofin ministers agree on a bill on financial governance in Europe, aiming to prevent future economic crises. (Wall Street Journal)
The Health Services Union disaffiliates from the Australian Labor Party in the states of New South Wales and Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, following the commencement of a New South Wales Police Force investigation into alleged "inappropriate practices" by current and former union officials, including Craig Thomson, a member of the House of Representatives. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sinn Féin's officer board gives its approval to put forward Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness as a candidate for the 2011 Irish presidential election. (BBC)
Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian National Authority, says he will push for full United Nations membership as a nation state for the Palestinian National Authority at the September 23 UN General Assembly meeting. (CNN)(Bloomberg News via S.F. Chronicle)

Science

Scientists at NASA announce the Kepler mission's discovery of a planet orbiting two suns. This is the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet, i.e., a planet that orbits two stars instead of one. (BBC) (NASA.gov)

September 17, 2011 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Libyan civil war: forces loyal to deposed Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi launch a counter-attack against opposition fighters in the towns of Bani Walid and Sirte. (Al-Jazeera)

Disasters

At least three people are killed and 25 injured in a train crash near the Alawwa railway station, 60 kilometres north of Colombo in Sri Lanka. (AFP via News Limited)
The US National Transportation Safety Board begins its investigation into Friday's Reno air crash, which killed at least three people and injured dozens. (BBC)
A North American T-28 Trojan crashes at an air show at the Eastern WV Regional Airport near Martinsburg, West Virginia, killing the pilot. (The Journal of Martinsburg) Aviation Safety Network
A strong 6.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of aftershocks occur off the coast of Honshu in Japan. (AFP via Hindustan Times)

International relations

Former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra visits Cambodia for high-level talks with the government of Cambodia over a variety of issues, including the ownership of the disputed Preah Vihear Temple. (Voice of America)
Two people in Finland are held for investigation into alleged involvement in international terrorist activities. (CNN)

Law and crime

Tanzanian authorities charge four people with negligence in relation to the Zanzibar ferry sinking that cost at least 240 lives on September 10. (AP via New York Times)

Politics and elections

Hundreds of United States citizens rally to peacefully occupy Wall Street, demonstrating against corporate dominance and perceived tax evasion by the super-rich. The movement is reportedly inspired by the periodic protests tactic of the Arab Spring. (Al-Jazeera)
Voters in Latvia go to the polls for a parliamentary election. (NPR)

September 18, 2011 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arab Spring:
- 2011 Syrian uprising:
  - Syrian activists call for mass protests in schools against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad as the school year begins. (Haaretz)
  - Syrian opposition groups claim that at least four people have been killed across Syria. (CNN)
- 2011 Libyan civil war: Heavy fighting continues in the Libyan towns of Sirte and Bani Walid, with eight anti-Gaddafi fighters killed on Saturday. (BBC)
- 2011 Yemeni uprising: Witnesses claim that at least 26 people were killed and dozens wounded after security forces open fire on protesters in Sana'a. (AP via The Guardian)

Arts and culture

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards for television programs broadcast in the United States are held in Los Angeles with Mad Men winning the outstanding drama series and Modern Family winning the Outstanding Comedy. (The Guardian) (USA Today)

Disasters

2011 Sikkim earthquake:
- A magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs in northwestern Sikkim, northern India, causing shaking in parts of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Tibet Autonomous Region. At least thirty seven deaths are reported. (Times of India) (Bangladesh News 24 Hours) (CNN) (The Australian)

Law and crime

Former head of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn gives his first television interview on the French television network TF1 since rape charges against him were dropped in New York City. (BBC)
Police in Brazil arrest two people in connection with the murder of environmental activist José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and his wife Maria do Espírito Santo in Pará State. (AP via Daily Bulletin)

Politics and elections

Negotiations begin as Latvian politicians seek to form a new government after yesterday's election, with the Social Democratic Party "Harmony" having won the most seats and Zatlers' Reform Party and Unity also doing well. (Reuters)
Berlin election:
- Voters in the German capital of Berlin go to the polls for a state election, with current mayor Klaus Wowereit and his Social Democrats doing well. (Reuters)
- The Pirate Party enters a state parliament for the first time while the Free Democrats achieve 2% of the vote. (BBC)
Sinn Fein announces that Martin McGuinness, current Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and former Irish Republican Army commander, will be a candidate for the Irish presidential election with John O'Dowd serving as acting Deputy First Minister. (Financial Times)

Sport

In golf, Lexi Thompson of the United States becomes the youngest player to win a LPGA event winning the Navistar LPGA Classic at age 16. (USA Today)

September 19, 2011 (Monday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Terrorism in Pakistan:
- A bomb explodes outside the home of a senior police officer in Karachi, Pakistan, killing at least eight people. (AP via NineMSN) (AFP via Dawn)
- At least five people are killed and 21 injured after a bomb explodes in Peshawar. (Daily Times)
Syrian activists and residents claim that the Syrian military have shot dead eight people, including six civilians, north of the city of Homs. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

The Montreal band Arcade Fire wins the 2011 Polaris Music Prize for best Canadian album for The Suburbs. (Canadian Press via Winnipeg Free Press)

Business and economy

Standard & Poor’s lowers Italy's credit rating from A+ to A, due to concerns about its high level of debt and the stability of its government. (Bloomberg) (Reuters via Sydney Morning Herald)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission files a lawsuit alleging that unnamed persons engaged in illegal insider trading in the two days before French company Technip announced its plan to buy U.S. company Global Industries. (Reuters)

Disasters

The United Nations launches an appeal for US$357 million (€307 million) of international aid for victims of the 2011 Sindh floods in Pakistan. (Radio Free Europe)
At least 27 people are dead and dozens missing after heavy rains in the People's Republic of China. (AFP via Google News)
Rescue efforts continue for the victims of the 2011 Sikkim earthquake, which has claimed at least 67 lives in India, Nepal and Tibet. (ABC News)
An earthquake of approximately 5.8 magnitude, two lesser related quakes, and an accompanying series of landslides kill at least three people in a municipality 32 miles south of Guatemala City, Guatemala. (Huffington Post)
A fire at a prison in Baghdad, Iraq kills 8 and injures a further 31. (Washington Post)

Law and crime

Authorities in Iran arrest 19 people allegedly involved in a $2.6 billion bank fraud. (AP via The Republic)
The former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, gives his first public interview about allegations of sexual assault made against him in May 2011, to French TV channel TF1. (CNN)
Seven people are arrested in the United Kingdom city of Birmingham in relation to alleged involvement in an Islamic terrorist group. (The Independent)

Politics and elections

George Cadle Price, the first Prime Minister of Belize, dies at 92 following emergency surgery. (Go Jamaica)
Sinn Féin nominate John O'Dowd to replace Martin McGuinness on a temporary basis as deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. (BBC)
The President of the United States, Barack Obama, outlines a plan to cut US deficits by $3 trillion over 10 years, with half of the reductions coming from tax increases. (The Guardian)

Sport

In baseball, Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees sets a record in Major League Baseball for career saves. (AP via Taiwan News)

September 20, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Yemeni uprising: Rockets hit a protest camp in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, killing at least two people. (Reuters)
Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former President of Afghanistan, is killed in a suicide bombing at his home in Kabul while meeting with a Taliban delegation to discuss a possible peace deal. (Al-Jazeera), (AFP via The Australian)
Gunmen in the Pakistan province of Baluchistan open fire on a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims to Iran, killing at least 25 people. (New York Times)
A bombing attack in the centre of the Turkish capital Ankara kills at least 3 people and injures 34. (New York Times)

Arts and culture

Gears of War 3, the final game in the acclaimed Gears of War video game franchise, goes on sale, with 20,000 game stores around the world opening at midnight for its release. (The Guardian)

Business

Qantas flights throughout Australia are disrupted by a four-hour strike by airport ground staff and baggage handlers. (Sydney Morning Herald)
The International Monetary Fund warns of a possible global double-dip recession in the coming years. (Sky News)
The world's 8th-largest search engine, Yandex, expands into Turkey, marking its first venture outside the Commonwealth of Independent States. (Total Telecom)
Wadah Khanfar steps down as the head of the Al Jazeera news network, and is replaced by Sheikh Ahmad bin Jassim bin Mohammad Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family. (Financial Times) (Irish Times) (Al Jazeera)

Disasters

Floods and landslides caused by a week of heavy rain in the People's Republic of China have killed at least 57 people and made as many as a million people homeless. (BBC)
An investigation by Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee into the fatal crash of RusAir Flight 9605 in June 2011 finds that the disaster, which killed 47 people, was caused by a combination of pilot error, an inadequate weather forecast and inadequate ground equipment. It is furthermore reported that the aircraft's navigator was intoxicated at the time of the crash.(Wall Street Journal)
The road to the Indian town of Mangan reopens after the 2011 Sikkim earthquake, with the death toll expected to rise as rescuers reach the worst affected areas. (Times of India)
The European Court of Human Rights rules that Russia did not abuse legal processes to destroy Yukos, once its largest oil company. (The Scotsman)
2011 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Ophelia forms in the central Atlantic Ocean, with no storm warnings currently in place. (National Hurricane Centre via NOLA.com)

International relations

The African Union officially recognises the National Transitional Council as Libya's legitimate leadership. (AFP via Google)

Law and crime

A Norwegian judge orders Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, to be kept in solitary confinement for four more weeks. (CNN)
The United States military officially ends its policy known as "don't ask, don't tell" and allows homosexual personnel to publicly declare their sexual orientation without being dismissed. (New York Times)
A group of Italian scientists go on trial for allegedly downplaying the risk of a major earthquake before the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake, which killed 308 people. (The Independent)
Mexican gunmen dump 35 bodies in the city of Boca del Rio, with at least some of the victims having links to organised crime. (AP via Bakersfield Now)

Politics and elections

Voters in Zambia go to the polls for a general election, with a close presidential race expected between incumbent Rupiah Banda and opposition leader Michael Sata. (Voice of America)

September 21, 2011 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Yemeni uprising: Yemeni government forces break a recently-established ceasefire by firing mortar rounds at mourners at the funerals of protesters. (AP via The Australian)
Parts of the Pakistani city of Quetta observe a shutdown in response to the killing of 29 Shiite protesters on Tuesday. (Daily Times)

Arts and culture

US rock band R.E.M. announce they are splitting up. (The Telegraph)

Business and economy

Google+, the social network service developed by search engine giant Google, is released to the general public. (Wall Street Journal via The Australian)

Disasters

Indonesian search and rescue agencies continue to search for survivors after a boat sinks off the coast of Bali, with 11 people confirmed dead and 14 missing. (Straits Times)
Typhoon Roke bears down on northeastern Japan, with four people reported dead due to flooding. (Chicago Sun Times)
The death toll from the 2011 Sikkim earthquake rises above 100. (News Limited) (Voice of America)

International relations

The governments of North Korea and South Korea meet but fail to reach an agreement on the resumption of Six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. (AP via Fox News)
South Korean religious leaders leave for North Korea on a rare visit. (Yonhap)
Two American hikers, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, are set free on bail by Iran as a humanitarian gesture, after being detained in prison for over two years under allegations of espionage. (Chron)
Turkey signs an accord with North Cyprus to explore for oil and gas in the Mediterranean in response to a decision by the Government of Cyprus to drill for oil. (AFP via Google)

Law and crime

Troy Davis case:
- The United States Supreme Court decides to delay the execution of Troy Davis, superseding the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles rejection of the request for death row clemency. (ABC News) (USA Today)
- Shortly thereafter, the United States Supreme Court refuses to delay the execution of Troy Davis; Davis' execution goes ahead as scheduled. (Washington Post) (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Sports

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that the United States will host the 2015 UCI World Championships in Richmond, Virginia. (Richmond Times-Dispatch) (Associated Press)

September 22, 2011 (Thursday)

Armed conflict and attacks

At least five people are killed in a bus bombing in Pakistan's Bajaur Agency. (Xinhua)

Business and economy

World stock markets plunge amid growing global fears of recession. (Sky News)
Facebook makes major changes to its social networking interface, updating its profile page, adding an app store, and amending its news feed with a "timeline" feature. (CNN) (MSNBC)
Hewlett-Packard fires CEO Leo Apotheker, replacing him with former EBay CEO Meg Whitman. (Wall Street Journal via The Australian)

Disasters

Typhoon Roke passes through the Japanese island of Honshu, causing 13 deaths, and arrives in Hokkaido. (AP via ABC News America)
At least four people are killed and 18 injured in a factory fire in the suburb of Dombivli in the Indian city of Mumbai. (IBN Live)
Heavy floods and related disasters across China, especially in the drainage basin of the Han and Wei Rivers, leave 90 dead and 22 missing. (Xinhua) (AFP via Google)
2011 Pacific hurricane season: Hurricane Hilary reaches category-three strength off the coast of Mexico, but is not expected to make landfall. (NHC)

International relations

The Anniston Chemical Activity destroys its last mustard gas shells, becoming the fifth of nine US chemical weapons depots to close under terms of the Chemical Weapons Treaty. (Anniston Star)
Pope Benedict XVI commences a state visit to Germany. (The Telegraph)
China warns the United States over its proposed sale of newer versions of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon to Taiwan. (Reuters)
Representatives of the United States and European nations walk out of the General Assembly of the United Nations during an accusatory speech by the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (AFP via The Australian)

Law and crime

The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrests suspected members of the computer hacking groups LulzSec and Anonymous in the US cities of Phoenix, Arizona and San Francisco, California. (Fox News)

Politics and elections

The first President of Cape Verde, Aristides Pereira, dies in Portugal at the age of 87. (Washington Post)
The Italian Chamber of Deputies rejects a request to arrest Marco Milanese, a former aide to the Minister of Economy and Finance, Giulio Tremonti, on corruption charges. (Bloomberg)
Tens of thousands of students protest in the Chilean capital Santiago for increased education expenditure. (AP)
Former television journalist Shelly Yachimovich is elected as the head of the Israeli Labor Party. (AP via Yahoo News)

Science

CERN researchers affiliated with the OPERA Experiment report experimental results that appear to show neutrinos exceeding the speed of light. (BBC)

September 23, 2011 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Yemeni uprising: The President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, returns from Saudi Arabia after a three-month absence, amid an increase in political unrest and violence in Yemen. (Al-Jazeera)
Thousands of mourners gather in Kabul for the funeral of former President of Afghanistan Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was killed by a suicide bomber earlier in the week. (BBC)

Business and economy

Global stock markets fall for a second day amid fears of a deepening economic crisis. (Sydney Morning Herald) (Bloomberg) (CNBC) (Sky News)
Thousands of Toyota workers in Australia go on strike over a pay dispute. (ABC News Australia)
Fitch Ratings predicts that financial returns on commercial property in the United States will stabilize, though slowly, in the months ahead. (Reuters)

Disasters

Floods in the Filipino province of Maguindanao affect 16,000 families. (Inquirer)

International relations

Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- During the opening of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, makes a bid for UN recognition in a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, which would exist in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and have East Jerusalem as its capital. (Washington Post) (Sky News)
- The quartet of Middle East negotiators - the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations - call on both Israel and Palestine to resume negotiations. (BBC)

Law and crime

South Korean prosecutors raid the offices of seven savings banks whose operations were suspended last week, with the president of one bank committing suicide. (Yonhap)

Politics

Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata is declared the winner of the Zambian presidential election. (BBC)
The United States House of Representatives passes a resolution providing funding for the Government through to November 18, but the Senate vows to reject it, making a government shutdown from October 1 possible. (Washington Post)

Science

NASA's 1991-era Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is expected to fall from orbit sometime this evening Greenwich Mean Time. (BBC)

September 24, 2011 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arab Spring:
- 2011 Libyan civil war: In the pro-Muammar Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte, National Transitional Council forces are massing in a square about a kilometer (0.6 miles) from the city center, as they weather heavy fire from pro-Gaddafi snipers. (Reuters)

International relations

Turkey seizes a Syrian ship possibly carrying weapons to the Syrian Army, as the 2011 Syrian uprising continues. (Voice of America)

Disasters

Six people die in a house fire in the London suburb of Neasden. (The Telegraph)

Law and crime

A Spanish oil tanker hijacked off the coast of West Africa is freed, with no harm reportedly done to the crew, and no ransom paid to the pirates. (AP via Google News)

Business

Oswald Grübel, chief executive of Swiss bank UBS, resigns in the wake of a rogue trading scandal. (Sky News)

Politics

At the United Russia Congress, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accepts President Dmitry Medvedev's proposal to run in the 2012 Russian presidential election. (BBC) (RIA Novosti)
Herman Cain wins a Florida straw poll for the 2012 Republican presidential primaries. (CNN)
Voters in Bahrain go to the polls for byelections caused by the resignation of Shiite members during the 2011 Bahraini uprising; many Shiite voters are expected to boycott the election. (Reuters)
Voters in the United Arab Emirates go to the polls for parliamentary elections. (BBC)

Science

The decommissioned NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite re-enters Earth's atmosphere without incident, after more than 20 years in orbit. (Washington Post)

September 25, 2011 (Sunday)

Armed conflict and attacks

A suicide bombing near a church in Central Java, Indonesia, kills at least two people and injures several others. (BBC)
Four consecutive bombings kill at least 10 people and injure 70 others in the Iraqi city of Karbala. (CNN)
The United Nations Security Council urges all sides in the 2011 Yemeni uprising to "show maximum restraint". (Al Jazeera)
Gunfire is reported at a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) compound in the Afghan capital Kabul. (BBC)

Disasters

A Buddha Air flight taking tourists to see Mount Everest crashes in Nepal, killing 19 people. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
An out-of-control forest fire near the Canadian town of Fort McMurray in Alberta causes the closure of Highway 63. (Vancouver Sun)

Law and crime

At least five people are shot dead in two locations in the US state of Indiana. (AP via ABC News America)

Politics

Senate elections in France result in a left-wing majority, headed by the Socialist Party, for the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic. (Le Monde)
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announces reforms giving women the right to vote and run in municipal elections. (BBC)
The Prime Minister of Jamaica Bruce Golding announces plans to step down as soon as the Jamaica Labour Party announces its new leader in December. (Go Jamaica)

Sport

In athletics, Patrick Makau Musyoki of Kenya breaks the world record for the marathon at the Berlin Marathon, pending official ratification by the International Association of Athletics Federations. (AP via the Wall Street Journal)

September 26, 2011 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Libyan civil war: Forces loyal to the National Transitional Council (NTC) enter Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold of Sirte, as the NTC's three-day assault on the city intensifies. (BBC)
The President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, orders the National Police's Detachment 88 counter-terrorism squad to investigate a recent suicide bombing in Solo, Java. (The Australian)

Arts and culture

Some of the Dead Sea Scrolls are published online in a joint project between Israel's national museum and Google. (AP)

Business and economy

Asian and European stock markets open lower in response to the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe. (BusinessWeek) (Bloomberg) (IBN) (Sky News)

Disasters

More than 100,000 people in the Philippines are evacuated ahead of Typhoon Nesat, with Albay province lying directly in the storm's pathway. (AP via NineMSN)

International relations

Tuvaluan Prime Minister Willy Telavi signs an agreement to establish diplomatic relations with Abkhazia during an official visit to Sukhumi. (RNZI)

Law and crime

Six people appear in court on terrorism charges, a week after being arrested in the English city of Birmingham. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
US actor Charlie Sheen settles his lawsuit with Warner Brothers and Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre. (Hollywood Reporter)

Politics

About 300 students at Auckland University occupy a university building to protest increases in student fees. (New Zealand Herald)
Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai dies while undergoing cancer treatment at the age of 71. (BBC)
The British Labour Party votes to scrap the tradition of Shadow Cabinet elections at their annual conference in Liverpool. (BBC)
The United States Senate reaches a temporary deal to avoid a government shutdown. (The Globe and Mail)
The Prime Minister of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero dissolves the Cortes Generales and calls a general election for November 20. (Fox News Latino)

September 27, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

North Caucasus insurgency:
- One policeman and seven civilians die as a result of car bombing in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. (Reuters)
An explosion destroys the Arab Gas Pipeline in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula supplying natural gas to Jordan and Israel. (Reuters)
Australian Minister for Defence Stephen Smith announces that women will be serving in frontline-combat roles in the Australian military within five years. (ABC News Online)
2011 Syrian uprising:
- The Syrian Army launches an attack on the town of Rastan near the city of Homs. (Reuters via Alertnet)
Abu Sayyaf gunmen attack pro-government militia in the township of Sumisip on Basilan Island in the Philippines, with six people reported killed and five wounded. (AP)
A suicide bomber kills at least two people in the city of Lashkar Gah in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. (AP via Forbes)

Business and economy

Visitors to Australia face delays as Australian Customs and Border Protection Service staff go on strike over a pay dispute. (Daily Telegraph)
South Korea's Financial Services Commission announces plans to pump more money into suspended local savings banks. (Yonhap News)
Thousands of airline passengers are stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila after Philippine Airlines staff stage a walkout. (Philippines Star)
Defence company BAE Systems confirms almost 3,000 jobs will be lost among its UK workforce. (Sky News)
The board of LCH.Clearnet, an independent European clearing house, reportedly approves of a takeover proposal by the London Stock Exchange. (Reuters)

Disasters

Typhoon Nesat hits the island of Luzon in the Philippines with at least sixteen deaths, 100,000 people evacuated and the capital Manila brought to a standstill. (AFP via Inquirer) (Reuters) (AP via Fox News) (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
More than 80 people have died and more than two million affected by floods in India with the states of Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar worst affected. (BBC)
At least 37 people are killed, including 30 schoolchildren, and another seventy critically injured following a school bus accident at Kallar Kahar in the Punjab province of Pakistan. (Express Tribune)
One miner is killed and another injured following an underground roof collapse at Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire, one of the United Kingdom's deepest remaining mines. (BBC)

International relations

Israel approves the construction of 1,100 homes in the Jewish settlement of Gilo on the outskirts of Jerusalem. (BBC)

Law and Crime

CEOs of Iranian Melli Bank and Saderat Bank resign from their positions as a result of $2.6 billion bank fraud. (TABNAK)
Fugitive hijacker George Wright is caught in Portugal, thirty-nine years after he and members of the Black Liberation Army took control of Delta Air Lines Flight 841 and flew it to Algeria. (CNN)
The trial of Dr Conrad Murray for manslaughter in connection to the death of American singer Michael Jackson begins in California. (ABC News America)

September 28, 2011 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

The Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key announces that a second New Zealand Special Air Service soldier has died in fighting in Afghanistan. (Xinhua)

Business and economy

Greek transport workers commence a two-day strike over the latest austerity measures passed by the Hellenic Parliament overnight. (ABC News Australia)
The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner arrives in Tokyo, Japan, to commence service with All Nippon Airways. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)

Disasters

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention links an outbreak of listeriosis that has caused 13 deaths and 72 illnesses in 18 states to infected cantaloupes from Colorado. (CNN)
Residents and authorities in the Philippines clean up after Typhoon Nesat which killed at least 20 people, most in and near the capital Manila. (AP via The Guardian) (AP via The Star-Tribune)
A stampede on a docked ferry in Indonesia's East Java province results in eight deaths and dozens more injured. (TV New Zealand)
The Chinese city of Shanghai shuts down line 10 of its metro system and slows down train speed following a collision that injured 271 people. (Bloomberg via Business Week)
The iconic sport and concert venue K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen from 1938 burns down. (Copenhagen Post)

International relations

Japan asks South Korea to block plans to build a monument to Korean World War II "comfort women" near the Japanese embassy in Seoul. (Yonhap)

Law and crime

Australian newspaper columnist Andrew Bolt loses an action in the Federal Court of Australia in relation to breaches of the Racial Discrimination Act in columns about nine prominent aborigines. (The Australian)
The FBI arrests Rezwan Ferdaus, a 26-year-old American citizen, for plotting to fly remotely-controlled planes filled with explosives into The Pentagon and the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. (BBC)

Politics

Henry Tang resigns as the Chief Secretary for Administration in Hong Kong with the expectation that he will run for Chief Executive of Hong Kong in next year's election. (Bloomberg via Business Week)

Sport

In baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Rays qualify for wild card positions in the playoffs for the 2011 Major League Baseball season, while the Philadelphia Phillies complete their season with 102 wins, breaking their franchise record set in 1976 for most wins in a season. (AP via Wall Street Journal) (Atlanta Journal Constitution) (CSN Philly)

September 29, 2011 (Thursday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2011 Yemeni uprising: Heavy fighting is reported in the northern suburbs of Sana'a, Yemen's capital. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Maple Group, a consortium of Canadian concerns, says it is extending its bid to take over Canada's largest stock market operating company, TMX Group. (Reuters)

Disasters

2011 Pacific typhoon season
- The Hong Kong Stock Exchange closes as Typhoon Nesat nears China's Hainan Island with schools, transport services and government offices also closing. (Bloomberg) (Reuters) (AFP via The Australian)
- China upgrades its emergency response to deal with two typhoons, Nesat and Nalgae, expected to hit over the next few days. (People's Daily)
- The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Nesat rises to 35 with dozens missing. (AFP via Herald Sun)
Eighteen people are feared dead after a small plane crashes in the Bohorok region of Indonesia's North Sumatra province. (AP via San Jose Mercury News)

Law and crime

Australian criminal Matthew Johnson is found guilty of the murder of drug boss Carl Williams in Victoria's Barwon Prison. (ABC News Australia) (Melbourne Herald-Sun)
The United Kingdom's Department for Transport announces a consultation process on raising the motorway speed limit to 80mph (128km/h). (BBC) (Sky News)

Politics

The German Bundestag votes to approve the European Financial Stability Facility. (The Guardian)

Science

The People's Republic of China successfully launches the Tiangong 1 space laboratory, the country's first space station module, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. (China Daily)

Sport

Iran beats China 3-1 to win the 2011 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship held in Tehran. (Asianvolleyball)

September 30, 2011 (Friday)