Portal:Current events/June 2012

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian uprising: The United Nations Human Rights Council votes to condemn the massacre carried out by Syrian forces in the town of Houla on May 25, despite Russia, China and Cuba voting against the resolution. (The Guardian)
The New York Times reports that U.S. President Barack Obama accelerated the pace of the American cyberwarfare campaign after the 2010 Stuxnet. (The Guardian) (The New York Times)
An armed Palestinian infiltrator and an Israeli soldier are killed during an exchange of fire along the Gaza border, and at least three militants are injured during an Israeli air strike on Gaza. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Madonna kicks off the MDNA Tour in Tel Aviv, Israel. (BBC)

Business and economics

World stock markets^[which?] hit their lowest level in 2012. (The Guardian)

Health

Gonorrhoea soars in England. (BBC)

International relations

China arrests a security ministry official on suspicion of spying for the United States; the official is reported to have been blackmailed by the CIA. (BBC)
The Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan begin direct trading.(Yomiuri)

Law and crime

The Venezuelan government outlaws the commercial sale of guns and ammunition, the latest in a series of initiatives to improve security and cut crime. (BBC)
Samoa announces the pardon of 35 prisoners to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its independence from New Zealand. (BBC)
The Food and Drug Administration, a U.S. government agency, goes to court to secure supplies of a drug used in lethal injections, which have dwindled since an importation ban. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Counting of votes in the Irish referendum on the European Fiscal Compact gets underway, with early tallies indicating the Compact has been approved. (Reuters via Yahoo! News Australia) (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)

Sports

In baseball, Johan Santana pitches a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals, the first in New York Mets history. (ESPN)

June 2, 2012 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian uprising (2011–present):
- Clashes between supporters and opponents of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad kill at least 12 and injure more than 40 people in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli. (Reuters)
War in North-West Pakistan:
- A drone attack conducted by the United States kills two suspected militants outside their hideout in South Waziristan in northwestern Pakistan. (AP via Google News)
War in Afghanistan (2001–present):
- Four aid workers kidnapped by Taliban insurgents in the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan on May 22 are rescued by ISAF forces. (CNN) (ISAF)

Disasters

An Allied Air cargo plane crashes into a minibus after overshooting the runway at Accra's Kotoka International Airport in Ghana killing at least twelve people. (The Daily Telegraph)

Law and crime

A court in Cairo, Egypt, finds former president Hosni Mubarak and former interior minister Habib al-Adly guilty for complicity in the killings of demonstrators in the 2011 revolution that ousted Mubarak and both are sentenced to life in prison. Mubarak and his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, are all acquitted on separate corruption charges. (BBC)
A shooting in the food court of the Eaton Centre mall in Toronto, Canada kills at least one man and injures seven other people. (BBC) (The Canadian Press via Canada.com)

Sports

In horseracing, Camelot trained by Aidan O'Brien, wins the Epsom Derby with 2,000 Guineas Stakes classes double. Also, with his son Joseph, become the first father son to win The Derby. (BBC)

June 3, 2012 (Sunday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Syrian uprising (2011–present):
- Sporadic fighting continues in Tripoli, Lebanon, between supporters and opponents of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. (The Daily Star)
A U.S. drone attack in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region kills at least 10 suspected militants. (AP via Boston Herald)
A suicide car bombing outside a church in the Nigerian city of Bauchi kills 15 people and injures 42 others. (AFP via Google News) (The Nation)

Arts and culture

The Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom reaches its peak with a pageant on the River Thames. (BBC)

Disasters

A plane carrying 153 people on board crashes in a residential neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria, killing everyone on board and 10 people on the ground. (CNN)

International relations

United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta visits a former U.S. base in Cam Ranh Bay, the first visit by an American official of cabinet rank to Vietnam since the Vietnam War. (AFP via Yahoo News)

Law and crime

Police in China crack down on political activists marking the 23rd anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. (The Daily Times)
Police in Japan arrest Naoko Kikuchi, a member of the Aum Shinrikyo cult and one of the two fugitives still at large wanted over the deadly sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway in March 1995. (BBC)

Politics

Demonstrations take place in Turkey against a proposed plan to limit the time for abortions. (Al Jazeera)
Speaking on the BBC's The Andrew Marr Show, British Prime Minister David Cameron says that Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt "acted wisely" in his handling of the BSkyB takeover bid. (BBC)

Sports

In golf, Tiger Woods wins the Memorial Tournament played at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, tying with Jack Nicklaus for PGA Tour victories. (AP via Google News)

Alexander Serebryakov wins cycling's Philadelphia International Championship. (VeloNation)

June 4, 2012 (Monday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Mexican Drug War: gunmen kill 11 people at a rehabilitation clinic in the city of Torreón, Coahuila. (Reuters)
A US drone attack kills at least 15 suspected militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan region. High ranked al-Qaeda official Abu Yahya al-Libi is killed in the attack. (AFP via NineMSN) (The Guardian)
A car bomb explodes near Iraqi government offices in central Baghdad, killing at least 26 and injuring 190. Eight others are killed in additional attacks across the country. (AP via The Brisbane Times) (Antiwar)
Buddhist vigilantes attack a bus in western Myanmar, killing nine Muslim passengers. (Reuters)
Aftermath of the Libyan civil war:
- A heavily armed militia takes over a runway at the Tripoli International Airport, demanding the release of their leader who went missing. (BBC)
- A Libyan military court sentences a group of Russian, Belarussian and Ukrainian men to long prison terms, having found them guilty of serving as mercenaries for Muammar Gaddafi in the Libyan Civil War. A Russian who was deemed the group's leader was sentenced to life imprisonment, and the rest were sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labor. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II:
- Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is taken to hospital with a bladder infection. (BBC)
- The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert, a pop concert featuring artists such as Robbie Williams, Stevie Wonder and Sir Paul McCartney, takes place at Buckingham Palace. (BBC)
Russian baritone singer Eduard Khil, made famous overseas by the "Trololo" internet meme, dies from complications of a stroke in St. Petersburg. (Los Angeles Times)

Business and economy

Japan's S&P/TOPIX 150 reaches its lowest level since 1983 as global stock markets continue to fall. (Wall Street Journal)

Disasters

At least 23 people are killed and 60 injured after a bus carrying a wedding party crashes near the Pakistani capital Islamabad. (AFP via Perth Now)

Law and crime

Luka Magnotta, a suspect in a murder case in Canada, is arrested in an Internet cafe in Berlin. (Daily Mail) (BBC)

Politics

The Parliament of Albania fails without a vote in the second round to elect the President of the Republic of Albania. (Ansa)
The Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihiko Noda announces a Cabinet reshuffle following a split in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan. (Bloomberg) (Washington Post)
Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is sworn in as a member of Parliament's upper house the Rajya Sabha. (AFP via The Australian)
China blocks Internet access to terms related to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 on the 23rd anniversary of the protests. (Reuters)

June 5, 2012 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Mexican Drug War: The dismembered remains of 7 bodies are found in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The bodies are discovered along with a written message accusing the authorities of cooperating with the Sinaloa Cartel, suggesting that the message may have been written by Los Zetas. (Washington Post)
Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of shooting dead five of its soldiers on the border of those two countries, a day after three Armenians were killed. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II:
- Elizabeth II attends a lunch at Westminster Hall following the Jubilee thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral. Celebrations ends with a flypast by the Red Arrows. (BBC)
- In a special message to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, the Queen says she has been "touched deeply" by seeing so many people celebrating her Diamond Jubilee together. (BBC)
- Ministers are urged to investigate reports that unemployed people hired as unpaid stewards for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant had to spend the night sleeping rough under London Bridge. (BBC)

Business and economy

Starbucks Corporation is embroiled in controversy after asking its Irish customers if they are "proud to be British." (The Guardian)

International relations

Amidst growing diplomatic tensions between Romania and Hungary, ignoring an official request not to, the Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament undergoes a visit in Transylvania triggering protests from Romanian state dignitaries. (Politics.hu)
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, begins a three-day visit to China. (Al Jazeera)
Der Spiegel reports that Israel is arming submarines supplied by Germany with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, provoking debate within Germany and internationally. (Der Spiegel) (PRESS TV)

Politics

Voters in the U.S. state of Wisconsin go to the polls for the gubernatorial and Wisconsin Senate recall election with incumbent governor Scott Walker retaining his office, and the Democrats control of the state Senate. (Journal Times)(AP via Google News) (CBS News)(Madison.com)

Science

The last transit of Venus of the 21st century begins at 22:09 UTC on June 5, and ends at 04:49 UTC on June 6. (BBC)

June 6, 2012 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

NATO planes launch an air strike on Afghanistan, allegedly killing civilians in the process. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Arab Spring:
- Syrian uprising: Opposition activists on the ground in Syria report that a massacre has been committed in the small village of Qubair, Hama, by the government-hired Shabiha militia. Activists report 78 dead, mostly women and children. (BBC)
- Bahraini uprising: Bahraini authorities re-arrest Nabeel Rajab on suspicion of posting tweets seen as critical of the Bahraini regime. (BBC)
2012 Armenian-Azeri border clashes: a new clash kills an Armenian soldier. (panorama.am)
At least twenty people are killed near Kandahar Airport in southern Afghanistan by a motorcycle bomb. (Reuters)
Controversy is stoked after a video emerges of a U.S. religious minister outlining his plan to imprison the country's gay and lesbian population behind an electric fence until they die. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

J. M. Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer are among those to criticise South Africa's "secrecy bill" which they say could fundamentally threaten free speech and investigative journalism. (The Guardian)
Ray Bradbury, author of The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451, dies at the age of 91 in his home in the Cheviot Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. (The New York Times) (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)
Broadway's Once wins four prizes at the Drama Desk Awards in New York. (BBC)
An MRI reveals that singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow has a growth on her brain. (BBC)
Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II:
- The Jubilee celebrations conclude with a lunch at Marlborough House on Pall Mall attended by Elizabeth II and Commonwealth leaders. (BBC)
- The BBC receives over 2,000 complaints from viewers about its Jubilee coverage. The broadcaster is also criticised by other media for its Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant coverage. (BBC)

Business and economy

A group of Irish people are thrown out of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt after attempting to hand a letter of protest to the bank's president Mario Draghi. (Cork Independent)

Disasters

Manchester Airport runs out of aviation fuel. (BBC)
Ireland is hit by another earthquake, this time off the coast of County Mayo. (RTE)

Law and crime

The defence of imprisoned U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning receives a boost with a ruling by the judge presiding over his trial at Fort Meade in Maryland ordering the Obama administration to hand over several documents the government had hoped would remain confidential. (The Guardian)
Hours after a bill to legalise settlement outposts is rejected, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders the construction of 300 new homes at the Jewish settlement of Beit El in the West Bank. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Li Wangyang, a labour activist and Chinese dissident jailed after the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing, is found dead in a hospital ward in central China, with foul play suspected. (Reuters UK)

Politics and elections

Mexican president Felipe Calderón signs a law making Mexico only the second country in the world to introduce binding targets on climate change. (BBC)
Kwame R. Brown, the Chair of the Council of the District of Columbia responsible for the US capital Washington D.C., resigns after being charged with bank fraud. (AP via Chicago Sun-Times)

Science

The Solar Impulse, a solar plane, lands in Morocco, completing the world's first intercontinental flight powered by the Sun. (Associated Press)

Sport

Footballer Mahmoud al-Sarsak, who has been on hunger strike for 80 days while in prison without trial or charge, faces imminent danger of death according to human rights groups. (BBC)
Cardiff City Football Club announces it is to change to a red kit from its traditional blue, effective immediately. (Press Association via The Guardian)
Four-time world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan announces his decision to take time off from the game. (BBC)

June 7, 2012 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

U.S. military drone attacks carried out by the CIA on Pakistan raise serious legal questions, announces United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay at the end of a fact-finding visit to Pakistan. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Philip Roth wins the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature and pays tribute to his "dear friend" Carlos Fuentes who died last month. (The Guardian)
Archaeologists announce the discovery of the remains of the 16th-century Curtain Theatre, where some of William Shakespeare's plays were first performed. (BBC)
Former Fleetwood Mac member Bob Welch is found dead from a gunshot wound. (Associated Press) (MSNBC)
Clarence House confirms that Prince William has qualified as an RAF search and rescue captain, and will now command search and rescue operations in Sea King helicopters. (BBC)

Business and economy

Credit agency Fitch slashes Spain's rating to BBB. (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)
Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announces she is switching her personal savings from the U.S. dollar to the Argentine peso. (BBC)
LinkedIn says that some of its members' passwords have been "compromised" following reports that more than six million passwords were leaked on the Internet. (BBC)
Last.fm also reports that some of its passwords have been leaked and urges users of its website to change them immediately. (BBC)

Disasters

A helicopter with foreign nationals on board goes missing in an Amazon region of southern Peru. (BBC) (AFP via France24) (Al Jazeera)
Two apartment buildings collapse following a gas leak in the Italian town of Conversano, resulting in four people being missing. (Reuters)
At least 16 people die and 32 are injured after a bus falls into a ravine north of the Bolivian capital La Paz. (AP via Google News)
A small Pilatus PC-12/47 aircraft crashes in a remote rural area of Florida in the Tiger Creek Swamp area near Lake Wales, Florida, southeast of Lakeland, Florida in the central portion of the state. The airplane began to break up at around 26,000 feet in southeastern Polk County, Florida. (MSNBC)

International relations

CIA director David Petraeus makes an unofficial visit to Bulgaria, meeting the president and prime minister. (New Europe)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta makes an unannounced trip to Kabul and warns that his country is "reaching the limits of our patience here" with regard to Pakistan. (BBC) (AFP via the Daily Nation) (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)
An additional 550 settler homes are announced by Israeli construction minister Ariel Attias in addition to the 300 new settler homes ordered yesterday by the land's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Jewish settlement of Beit El in the West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
UK government ministers announce their intention to boycott group games involving the England national football team at UEFA Euro 2012 in Ukraine. (BBC) (The Guardian)

Law and crime

An Israeli court paves the way for the deportation of hundreds of illegal South Sudanese migrants, despite opposition to the move from human rights groups. (Deutsche Welle) (Al Arabiya) (The Times of Israel)

Politics and elections

A Golden Dawn politician assaults two other politicians on a live television talk show and flees the scene ; at least one copycat incident is reported to have taken place with two MPs being assaulted by the neo-Nazi party's supporters. (The Guardian)
UK Labour leader Ed Miliband claims that so-called "Englishness" is being overlooked in the debate about Scottish independence, though he rejects calls for an English Parliament. (BBC) (The Guardian)

Sport

Football coach Manuel Preciado Rebolledo, due to be unveiled as the new Villarreal manager on Friday, is found dead from a heart attack at the age of 54. (Daily Mail)
Usain Bolt triumphs in the 100m in Oslo in a time of 9.79 seconds. (BBC)

June 8, 2012 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Syrian uprising:
  - United Nations monitors reach the site of the massacre in Mazraat al-Qubeir, where up to 78 people are reported to have been killed. (Daily Star Lebanon)
  - One person is shot dead and three others wounded by gunfire in clashes in a pro-Syrian government neighbourhood of Tripoli, Lebanon. (France 24)
- Bahraini uprising: Bahraini authorities tear gas and sound bomb a pro-democracy rally, among the largest such rallies there in recent weeks. Meanwhile, a defence lawyer confirms that a court hearing is scheduled for next week in the case of a jailed 11-year-old boy accused of protesting against the regime. (Al Jazeera) (Press TV)
- Egyptian protestors rally on the streets of Cairo to demand the ban of the ousted regime's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq from standing in the country's presidential run-off election. (Press TV)
- The people of Jordan rally in Amman against their government's decision to raise fuel and electricity prices to ease budget deficit. (Press TV)
7 United Nations peacekeepers from Niger are killed in an ambush in Ivory Coast. (Al Jazeera)
Mexican Drug War: At least 14 mutilated corpses are abandoned inside a vehicle in Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas, about 250 miles from the Texas border. The bodies are accompanied by a banner taking credit for the killings. (Los Angeles Times)
A bomb targeting a bus carrying Government of Pakistan employees kills 32 people. (AP via Newser)
Amnesty International issues a report claiming that Israel is guilty of torture and human rights violations, but the report is criticised as biased because of the alleged involvement of an anti-Israel activist in its writing. (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Arts and culture

The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, North London, vows to recognise Amy Winehouse's contribution to music by erecting a statue to her. (The Guardian)
Booker Prize winning writer of historical fiction Barry Unsworth dies in Italy. (The Guardian) (The New York Times)
The Commonwealth Writers prizes are handed out at Hay: Shehan Karunatilaka from Sri Lanka wins the £10,000 Commonwealth Book Prize for his debut novel Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, while Emma Martin from New Zealand wins the £5,000 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for "Two Girls in a Boat". (BBC)

Business and economy

Chesapeake Energy shareholders, at their annual meeting, reject two incumbent directors in a vote widely regarded as a repudiation of CEO Aubrey McClendon. (BusinessWeek)

International relations

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ends talks with Iran, with IAEA chief inspector Herman Nackaerts claiming "There has been no progress". (Al Jazeera)
Malawi cancels its hosting of the African Union summit after disagreements over the attendance of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court. (Capital FM Kenya)

Law and crime

A military judge at Fort Meade in Maryland rejects dropping charges against imprisoned U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning and says his trial would likely be delayed by two months until November. (Press TV) (The Guardian) (Voice of America)
Chuck Blazer, the FIFA official who blew the whistle on corruption within the governing body last year, faces accusations by Jack Warner of secretly funding the rent on a luxury New York apartment using funds from the football federation he ran. (BBC)
Jamaican "drug lord" Christopher "Dudus" Coke is sentenced to 23 years in a U.S. prison. (BBC)

Politics and elections

The Parliament of Albania fails without a vote in the third round to elect the President of the Republic of Albania. (Top Channel)
UK Home Secretary Theresa May announces plans to introduce new laws to jail parents who force their children into arranged marriages. (BBC)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- The UEFA European Football Championship gets underway in Poland. (BBC)
- UEFA confirms incidents of racist chanting were aimed at Netherlands players during an open training session ahead of the tournament. (BBC) (The Guardian)
- An Irish fan becomes the target of a World Wide Web hunt after leaving his tickets in an airport shop. (BBC)
- Co-hosts Poland take on 2004 champions Greece in the opening match at the National Stadium in Warsaw. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer in straight sets to reach his first French Open final. (BBC)

June 9, 2012 (Saturday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Syrian uprising:
  - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that shelling in the town of Deraa has claimed the lives of 17 people overnight. (Reuters Alertnet)
  - It is reported that heavy bombing on Homs has been taking place since this morning. Young activists of the Sham News Network also report violent clashes in various neighbourhoods of Damascus between loyal forces and rebels of the Free Syrian Army (AGI)
  - Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi is awarded the Front Line human rights prize. (The Irish Times)
- Yemeni army reports that seventeen militants and at least two government soldiers have died in clashes in south Yemen.(BBC Middle East)
Four members of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force are killed in Afghanistan's Kapisa province. (Reuters via Jerusalem Post)
At least 20 people are killed and over three hundred houses are burned down during riots in western Burma. (The Nation)

Business and economy

Spain's economy and finance minister Luis de Guindos confirms the receipt of up to 100 billion euros ($125 billion) in loans to help shore up its struggling banks, with the exact amount to be determined by the end of the month. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)

Disasters

Search crews locate the wreckage of a missing Sikorsky H-34 helicopter near Mt. Mamarosa in southern Peru, with all 14 on board confirmed dead. (BBC) (Aviation Safety) (Al Jazeera)
400 people are trapped by landslides in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. (IBN live)
Over 12 inches of rain fail on Pensacola, Florida and adjacent areas, leading to widespread flooding. (Weather Channel)
More than 150 people are helped to safety by emergency services after heavy overnight rain caused flooding in Wales. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Protesters and riot police clash for the third night in a row in Montreal near the Grand Prix events on the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Crescent. (CBC) (Radio-Canada)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Michael Krohn-Dehli's first-half strike earns the Danes a shock win against the Dutch at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv. (BBC)
- Moments before he was due to be substituted, Mario Gómez's second-half header earns Germany a winning start against Portugal at the Arena Lviv in Lviv. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- UEFA begins disciplinary proceedings against the Football Union of Russia for "improper conduct of supporters" during Friday's game against the Czech Republic at the Stadion Miejski in Wrocław. (BBC)
Maria Sharapova defeats Sara Errani in the 2012 French Open Women's Singles final, returning to the World No. 1 ranking, ending a four-year major title drought and completing a career Grand Slam. Sharapova had been as low as World No. 126 during the drought, having suffered a serious shoulder injury in 2008. (ESPN)
In NBA basketball, Miami Heat defeat the Boston Celtics to win their 3rd Eastern Conference title and proceed to the 2012 NBA Finals, where they will face Oklahoma City Thunder. (New York Daily News)
The Norfolk Admirals defeat the Toronto Marlies in a sweep to clinch their first ever AHL championship. (NBC Sports)

June 10, 2012 (Sunday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Syrian activists claim that at least 35 people have died in an Syrian Army offensive in Homs over the past day. (Reuters)
A state of emergency is declared in western Burma after clashes between Buddhists and Muslims. (BBC)

Arts and culture

The 66th Tony Awards for American theatre are held at the Beacon Theatre in New York City with Clybourne Park winning the Tony Award for Best Play and Once winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. (New York Times)

Business and economy

Data released on the website of the General Administration of Customs in the People's Republic of China indicates that China is significantly increasing its importation of crude oil to a record high, and some refineries have increased their processing rate. (Business Week)

Disasters

Kenyan Cabinet Minister George Saitoti and five other people are killed in a helicopter crash in the Ngong Hills near Nairobi. (Capital FM Kenya)
A 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes near the Aegean Sea resort of Ölüdeniz in southern Turkey, resulting in dozens of injuries especially in the city of Fethiye. (AFP via News Limited)
Flash floods in West Yorkshire, England, close the M1 motorway. (BBC)
Heavy rainfall damages roadways and bridges the Southeastern United States, with 20 inches falling in Escambia County, Florida. (CNN)

International relations

Over documents delivered to Saif al-Islam, detained son of slain leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya arrests an Australian lawyer from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trying "to deliver documents to the accused, documents that have nothing to do with his case and that represent a danger to the security of Libya". (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Three people are shot to death and three are wounded during a party held at an apartment complex near the campus of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, U.S. (CNN)

Politics

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez claims his latest tests since his cancer treatment claim to deliver "absolutely fine" results. (Al Jazeera)
Local elections take place in Romania. The ruling Social Liberal Union wins by a landslide. (Reuters)
Voters in France go to the polls for the first round of parliamentary elections with the Socialist Party doing well. (AP via Google News), (Reuters)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Nikica Jelavić's controversial offside goal helps Croatia to a victory over the Irish at the Stadion Miejski in Poznań. (GOAL) (The Guardian) (RTÉ)
- Spain and Italy draw in the early game at the Stadion Miejski in Wrocław. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
- Germany hit by a UEFA disciplinary after firing missiles onto the pitch in their game yesterday. (BBC)
Usain Bolt is unhurt following a car accident in Jamaica. (BBC)
In golf, Shanshan Feng becomes the first Chinese player to win a major after winning the 2012 LPGA Championship. (BBC)

June 11, 2012 (Monday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Bahraini uprising: An 11-year-old child is released after weeks in detention, but still faces being put on trial for "joining an illegal gathering". (Al Jazeera)
- Syrian uprising: Heavy fighting is reported overnight in the Damascus suburb of al-Abbaseen between Syrian government forces and the Free Syrian Army. (Al-Arabiya)
Afghanistan:
- Five people are killed after an ambulance hits a roadside bomb in Sar-e-Pul Province. (AP via Google News)
- Four civilians are killed in a Taliban attack in Ghazni province. (AP via Google News)
Mexican Drug War:
- Margarito Genchi Casiano, a politician of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, is gunned down in the southern state of Guerrero. (Fox News)
Researchers uncover direct links between the Flame and Stuxnet cyber-attacks on Iran, saying the attackers worked together on both at early stages of each threat's development. (BBC)
Twenty three people are killed in an attack on two villages in northern Nigeria. (BBC)

Arts and culture

The size of the Nobel Prize is being reduced by 20% in order to avoid an undermining of its capital in a long-term perspective. (Nobel Foundation) (BBC)
After six years, Google reaches a deal with a publishing group that opposed its scanning and publishing of books online. (BBC)
Madonna exposes her right breast on stage in Istanbul. (Hindustan Times) (Irish Independent)
Lady Gaga suffers a concussion after smacking her head with a pole during a show in New Zealand. (MTV)
A pan-Arab satellite television channel, Al Mayadeen ("The Squares" in Arabic), is launched in Lebanon that is speculated to be a mouthpiece for Iran and Hezbollah. (AP via AJC)

Business

Dangote Cement opens a new line of production at its Obajana facility in the Kogi State, making the plant the largest in Sub-Sahara Africa and one of the largest in the world. (AFP)

Disasters

Burma declares a state of emergency after several people are killed in sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims (The Guardian)
More than 80 people die in a landslide triggered by two earthquakes in Afghanistan; an entire village is buried. (BBC)
More than 170,000 houses are left without power in south-western Western Australia after winds up to 140 km/h batter the region. (WA Today)
Flooding hits large parts of England and Wales. (The Guardian)

International relations

Somalia–United States relations:
- Al-Shabaab offers a reward of 10 camels for information about the whereabouts of Barack Obama and chickens for information on Hillary Clinton in response to the U.S. announcement of rewards of $3-7 million for various militant commanders. (BBC)
- The U.S. threatens to impose sanctions on individual Somalis oppose peace plan. (BBC)
The U.S. withdraws a team of negotiators from Pakistan, with The Pentagon announcing: "The decision was reached to bring the team home for a short period of time". (BBC)
The U.S. grants permission to seven countries on three continents to continue importing oil from Iran in contravention of the declared U.S. policy of isolating Iran. (BBC)

Law and crime

John Bryson crashes:
- Police in the San Gabriel Valley in southern California cite United States Secretary of Commerce John Bryson for felony hit and run for alleged involvement in a series of accidents on the weekend. (Los Angeles Times) (AP via Newsday)
- Bryson takes medical leave while he undergoes test related to a seizure that occurred during the crashes. (Los Angeles Times)
Leveson Inquiry
- Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown tells the Leveson Inquiry into press standards that he did not declare war on Rupert Murdoch after the Labour Party lost the support of The Sun newspaper in 2009. (The Telegraph)
- NHS Fife apologises to Brown after finding it was "highly likely" one of its staff members leaked details of his son's cystic fibrosis to The Sun, which ran a story about his medical condition. (BBC)
- Chancellor George Osborne tells the Inquiry that suggestions of a deal between the Conservative Party and Rupert Murdoch are "complete nonsense". (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Martin McGuinness resigns from the House of Commons. (The Guardian)
The Parliament of Albania elects Bujar Nishani President of the Republic of Albania. (ABC)
Russian police with assault rifles in an early morning raid swoop on the homes of opposition political activists, including Alexei Navalny, Ilya Yashin and Sergei Udaltsov, intent on attending a mass opposition rally in Moscow tomorrow; they are summoned to appear in court instead. (Al Jazeera) (Associated Press)(Reuters) (Deutsche Welle)
Ali Larijani is sworn in as Chairman of the Parliament of Iran for another term. (Press TV)

Science

The European Extremely Large Telescope is given the go-ahead by member states of the European Southern Observatory organisation. (BBC)

Sports

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Andriy Shevchenko scores two as Ukraine rally from behind to defeat Sweden at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in Kiev. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- England and France draw in the early game at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
In tennis, Rafael Nadal wins the men's singles at the 2012 French Open. (NDTV SPORTS) (Al Jazeera)
In ice hockey, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings defeat the New Jersey Devils 6-1 in game 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals to win Los Angeles Kings' first Stanley Cup. Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP. (ESPN), (Fox Sports)

June 12, 2012 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Bahraini uprising: The 11-year-old child imprisoned by the regime speaks of being chased down while playing in the street. (Al Jazeera)
- In the wake of serious rioting, Tunisia declares an overnight curfew for eight regions, including the capital Tunis. (BBC)
Russian and Polish football fans clash in Warsaw ahead of their UEFA Euro 2012 match. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Mexican Drug War: 14 corpses are found in an abandoned truck in the Mexican state of Veracruz. (Washington Post)
Unrest continues in Burma as more buildings are burned. (BBC)

Business and economics

The first female Nobel Prize laureate in Economics, Elinor Ostrom, dies at the age of 78. (Wall Street Journal)
Tokyo passes Luanda as the world's most expensive city to live in, according to new research. (BBC)

Disasters

Heavy rain causes flash floods in Taiwan and the death of four people in landslides leading to the evacuation of 3,000 people. (AP via ABC News America)
Six flood warnings and 42 flood alerts remain in place in London and South East England. (ITV)

International relations

Israeli lawmakers dedicate a session of parliament to possible commemorations of the Armenian genocide, now that relations with Turkey have deteriorated since Israel killed nine Turks in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea in 2010. (Los Angeles Times)

Law and crime

The NME issues a public apology to English singer and lyricist Steven Patrick Morrissey over an article it published in 2007, which falsely suggested he was racist and led to a libel case. (BBC)
John Major, who was British Prime Minister between 1990 and 1997, tells the Leveson Inquiry that Rupert Murdoch warned him before the 1997 general election to switch policy on Europe or his newspapers would not support him. The Conservative Party subsequently lost power to Labour, with Murdoch's The Sun tabloid daily supporting Major's rival Tony Blair. (BBC) (The Guardian)
A coroner in Australia's Northern Territory rules that a dingo was responsible for the death of baby Azaria Chamberlain at Uluru in August 1980. (AAP via SBS) (Al Jazeera) (BBC)

Politics and elections

A day after the arrest of opposition politicians, a mass anti-Putin protest takes place in central Moscow. (Al Jazeera) (BBC) (The New York Times) (AP via Time)
The Falkland Islands government announces that it will hold a referendum on the islands' sovereignty next year. (BBC)
Turkey announces plans to introduce elective Kurdish language course in schools, a step aimed at easing tension that Kurdish minority activists argue does not go far enough. (AP via Fox News) (Al Jazeera)
Voters in the 8th congressional district in the US state of Arizona go to the polls for a special election caused by the resignation of Gabrielle Giffords due to health reasons with Democrat Ron Barber duly elected. (The Hill)

Science and health

An extensive study concludes that several factors aligned to cause the extinction of wooly mammoths. (Live Science)
The World Health Organization (WHO) concludes that diesel exhaust causes cancer. (BBC)
Scientists announce creation of a new chemical compound, NOTT-202, capable of selectively absorbing carbon dioxide. (BBC)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Jakub Błaszczykowski scores the equaliser as Poland hold Russia to a draw at the National Stadium in Warsaw. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- Polish and Russian fans clash in Warsaw with at least ten people injured and 56 fans detained. (AP via New Zealand Herald)
- Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Čech drops a clanger in his country's game against 2004 champions Greece in a match that had the fewest shots in the European Championship since 1980. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- Anti-gay comments by Italy striker Antonio Cassano cause controversy. (BBC) (The Guardian) (news.com.au) (Reuters)
FIFA president Sepp Blatter writes to the Israel Football Association amid reports that several players from the Palestine national football team have been illegally detained in Israel. (Al Arabiya) (Reuters)
Rangers Football Club will face liquidation after main creditor HM Revenue and Customs rejects a Company Voluntary Arrangement to bring the club out of administration. (Press release)

June 13, 2012 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

A series of bombings across Iraq, including Baghdad, Hillah and Kirkuk, kills at least 93 people and wounds over 300 others. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
An airstrike kills nine al Qaida fighters in southern Yemen as the Yemeni military maintain pressure on the group a day after government troops backed by armed tribesmen recaptured two militant strongholds. (AP via ABC News)

Arts and culture

Jon McGregor wins the 2012 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the world's richest literary prize. (The Guardian) (CBC News)
Thomas Pynchon permits his entire backlist to be published in digital format. (The Guardian)

Business and economics

Bankrupt car maker Saab is sold to a Chinese-Swedish investment group, aiming at transforming the company into a maker of electric vehicles. (BBC)
Greeks withdraw their cash from banks and stock up on non-perishable food ahead of Sunday's election. (Al Jazeera)
Syrian uprising: The Syrian government begins printing money for the first time in a sign that the Syrian economy is on the verge of total collapse. (The Atlantic Wire)

International relations

Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy is embroiled in controversy after sending a text to his finance minister in which he claimed "Spain is not Uganda." (BBC)
Israel announces that the first planeload of illegal South Sudanese migrants will be deported on Sunday. (Al Jazeera) (The Times of Israel)
The UN Conference on Sustainable Development begins in Rio de Janeiro, launching a new round of debate on the future habitability of Earth, its resources and people, 20 years after the first Earth Summit. (AFP via Google News)

Law and crime

A schoolteacher in Montreal is suspended after showing pupils a video said to depict a murder. (BBC)
Former President of Tunisia Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in absentia by a Tunisian military court for inciting murder and violence during the revolution that ousted him from power in January 2011. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
U.S. federal prosecutors drop corruption charges against former Senator John Edwards following a mistrial. (Washington Post)
Leveson Inquiry
- At the Leveson Inquiry into media standards Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond claims that The Observer accessed his bank account records in the run up to the 1999 Scottish Parliament election. (The Independent)
- Lib Dem MPs abstain in a House of Commons vote calling for an investigation into the ministerial conduct of Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt over his handling of the BSkyB takeover bid. The motion is rejected by 290 votes to 252, but Conservative Party MPs are angered by the lack of support from their coalition partners. (The Independent)
Rebekah Brooks, the former CEO of News International, appears at Westminster Magistrates Court on phone hacking charges alongside her husband and four other News International employees. (The Independent)

Politics and elections

Hundreds of people sign a letter written by Manal al Sharif to Saudi King Abdullah urging him to allow women to get behind the wheel on the first anniversary of the Women2Drive campaign, launched in June 2011. (The Australian Eye) (BBC)
Myanmar democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi returns to Europe after more than two decades for a European tour, including Norway, Switzerland, France, Ireland and Britain. (Washington Post)
Israel's State Comptroller criticises prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision-making during the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid. (Al Jazeera) (BBC) (The Times of Israel)

Science and health

Japanese stem cell scientist Dr. Shinya Yamanaka is awarded the Millennium Technology Prize for discovering how to reprogram human cells to mimic embryonic stem cells, which can become any cell in the body. (BBC)
Scientists decode the bonobo genome, making it last great ape to have its DNA sequence laid bare, following the chimpanzee, orang-utan and gorilla. (BBC)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Germany striker Mario Gómez tears a lacklustre Netherlands team apart at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- Substitute Silvestre Varela's late strike gives Portugal's victory over Denmark at the Arena Lviv in Lviv. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- UEFA slaps Russia with a suspended six-point deduction due to the behaviour of their fans during their victory over the Czech Republic; Russian president Vladimir Putin blames Poland for the trouble. (BBC)
Two ex-heads of China's football league, Nan Yong and his predecessor Xie Yalong, are both accused of accepting bribes and are jailed for 10-and-a-half years each for corruption, making them the most senior football officials sentenced in the country. (BBC)
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency brings drugs charges against seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. (BBC)
In baseball, pitcher Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants throws the first perfect game in the club's history. (San Jose Mercury News)

June 14, 2012 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Tunisian authorities ban protests planned for Friday. (BBC)
- Egypt's supreme court calls for the dissolution of the lower house of parliament and for fresh elections after ruling that last year's parliamentary vote was unconstitutional. (BBC)
Mexican Drug War: Víctor Manuel Báez Chino, a journalist for the Mexican newspaper Milenio, is found dead after being kidnapped in the coastal state of Veracruz. (Milenio)
Violent protests demanding election reform in Togo enter into a third day. (BBC)
Indonesian police kill separatist leader Mako Tabuni, causing violent protests. (BBC)
The U.S. military expands its secret network of air bases across Africa, according to reports in the U.S. media. (Al Jazeera) (Washington Post)

Arts and culture

Westlife singer Shane Filan is declared bankrupt. (The Guardian) (BBC)

Business and economics

German deputy finance minister Steffen Kampeter rejects calls to pool European debt, saying "debt is a national responsibility." (BBC)
Nokia announces it will cut 10,000 jobs. (BBC)
Coca-Cola says that it will start doing business in Burma after sixty years as soon as the U.S. government issues a license allowing American companies to make such investments. (The Washington Times)

Disasters

An explosion at a government-owned steel plant in Visakhapatnam, India kills 11 and severely injures 16 others. (BBC)

International relations

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that the supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un "has a choice to make" about the country's current policies. (CNN)

Law and crime

José Treviño Morales, an alleged money launderer of the Mexican criminal group Los Zetas and a prominent quarter horse racer in the U.S., is arrested in Lexington, Oklahoma. (ESPN)
British Prime Minister David Cameron appears before the Leveson Inquiry. The hearing is told of his relationship with former News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks, while he says his decision to appoint Andy Coulson as his Director of Communications will haunt him. (BBC)
The UK Supreme Court dismisses a bid by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to reopen his appeal against extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

Mental health problems are no longer to be a bar to becoming an MP in the United Kingdom. (The Guardian)
Photos of a woman forced to have an illegal abortion by Chinese authorities due to the country's One-Child Policy spark controversy. (BBC)
Falklands War anniversary:
- A ceremony is held in the Falkland Islands capital Stanley to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War. (BBC)
- Addressing the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, Argentina's President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner demands the United Kingdom enters negotiations over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. (BBC)
A new survey finds that global support for U.S. president Barack Obama has declined since 2009. (BBC)
Venezuela's president Hugo Chávez gives a televised address from the country's defence ministry to discuss his defence plans. (BBC)
HBO issues a public apology for any offence suffered after the use of a severed head in Game of Thrones; the head on a spike is said to resemble that of former U.S. president George W. Bush. (BBC)

Science and health

A 10-year-old girl receives what is believed to be the world's first stem cell assisted vein transplant. (HealthDay)
2012 LZ1, a large near-Earth asteroid, is scheduled to pass by the planet. (National Geographic)
Australia announces plans to create the world's largest marine reserve. (BBC)
A second person dies after contracting Legionnaires' disease in Edinburgh. (BBC)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Fernando Torres scores twice, while David Silva and Cesc Fàbregas also score, to knock the Republic of Ireland out of the tournament in Gdańsk. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- Mario Mandžukić's second-half equaliser earns Croatia a draw against Italy in the early game at the Stadion Miejski in Poznań. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Premier League club Tottenham sack manager Harry Redknapp. (Al Jazeera)
Turkish weightlifting champion Nurcan Taylan is banned for four years for doping and therefore misses the London Olympics. (The Washington Post)
Financier and cricket mogul Allen Stanford is sentenced to 110 years in prison after siphoning billions from investors. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
Robert Nkemdiche, top high school football recruit in the U.S. according to several sources, makes a verbal commitment to play collegiately for Clemson University. (ESPN) (Rivals.com)

June 15, 2012 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

The Yemeni army captures Shuqra, the third militant stronghold to fall in the last week. (BBC)
Police officers attempting to evict landless farmers occupying a property in the Paraguayan department of Canindeyú turn into clashes, killing 16 officers and farmers. (BBC)

Arts and culture

American singer Chris Brown and Canadian rapper Drake reportedly brawl with each other over fellow popstar Rihanna in a New York nightclub. (MTV)

Business and economy

Italy announces it will sell off three state-owned business in hopes of reducing the country's debt problems. (BBC)
Former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta is convicted of three counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy related to insider trading in 2011.(Wall Street Journal)
Credit downgrades:
- Moody's Investor Service downgrades the credit rating of five Dutch banks including ING Bank. (Reuters)
- Moody's also cuts the rating of Nokia's debt to "junk" status. (Reuters)
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, convenes a conference call to discuss possible fall-out from the weekend's elections in Greece. (Reuters)
Chinese manufacturer Yili Group recalls baby formula after some products are discovered with high mercury levels. (BBC)
An Apple I computer sells at an auction in New York for $374,500, setting a new record. (BBC)

Disasters

2012 Pacific hurricane season:
- Hurricane Carlotta makes landfall on the coast of Mexico. (AlertNet)

International relations

Canada and the U.S. state of Michigan announce a deal to construct a bridge between the U.S. city of Detroit and the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Police in Japan arrest Katsuya Takahashi of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, the last fugitive wanted over the March 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway that killed 13 people. (BBC)
China suspends three officials and the government of Ankang city apologizes to a woman, Feng Jianmei, 23, who is forced to undergo an illegal abortion seven months into her pregnancy after graphic photos of the mother and her dead baby are circulated online. (AP via The Star)
Baker Atyani, Al Arabiya's TV bureau chief for southeast Asia, disappears with four other people on the restive southern Philippine island of Jolo where Muslim militants are active. (AP via TIME)
Three employees of an armoured car company are reported dead and one injured in a shooting at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. (CBC News)

Politics and elections

Ukrainian prime minister Mykola Azarov is accused by the opposition of violating the law by drinking an alcoholic beverage in a government building. (Reuters)
U.S. president Barack Obama announces that the U.S. will stop deporting some illegal immigrants. (The New York Times)
The Congress of Colombia approves a law aimed at facilitating peace talks between the government and guerrilla groups. (BBC)

Religion

The Holy See establishes the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, for former Anglicans in Australia. (Bollettino)
Bulgarian remains believed by some to be John The Baptist are scientifically dated to the first century AD. (The Washington Post)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- In an unprecedented development, the match between France and Ukraine at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine, is postponed for 55 minutes in the midst of a lightning storm and torrential rain. (BBC) (The Guardian)

June 16, 2012 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian uprising (2011-present):
- The United Nations suspends its peacekeeping mission in Syria amid escalating violence. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
At least 32 people are killed in a car bomb attack targeting Shia Muslims in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. (BBC) (CNN)
A bomb explodes in the Pakistani town of Landi Kotal, killing at least thirteen people. (Reuters) (BBC)

Arts and culture

Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi personally accepts the Nobel Peace Prize, 21 years after she was awarded the prize in absentia. (BBC) (Christian Science Monitor)
Actors Kenneth Branagh and Kate Winslet and singer Gary Barlow are among those recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours. (BBC)
Coca-Cola returns to Myanmar after 60 years, leaving North Korea and Cuba as the only two countries in the world where the company does not do business. (Voice of America)

Disasters

The collapse of a stage intended for a Radiohead concert in the Canadian city of Toronto kills one person. (BBC)
More than 30 people are killed and 15 injured after a bus falls into a gorge in Osmanabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. (IBN Live)
A Blue Islands ATR 42 aircraft suffers an undercarriage collapse on the runway at Jersey Airport. The aircraft is later evacuated with no injuries reported. (BBC)

Law and crime

A priest is stabbed to death in a church in the city of Focșani, Romania. (Realitatea TV)
One of the United States's most wanted fugitives, Air Force deserter David A. Hemler, has reportedly been living and working in Stockholm, Sweden, for the past 28 years. (Dagens Nyheter)

Politics and elections

Voters in Egypt go to the polls for the second round of a presidential election, with ex-Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood competing for the presidency. (AFP via News Limited) (Al Jazeera)
Saudi Arabia states that Crown Prince Nayef has died in Geneva. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)

Science

China successfully launches its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts – including the first female Chinese astronaut, Liu Yang – to the Tiangong-1 orbital module. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
The United States Air Force's robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after a classified 469-day orbital mission. (Space.com)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- UEFA opens disciplinary proceedings against the Croatian Football Federation after bananas are thrown and racist chants are heard at the Italy-Croatia game. (BBC)
Daredevil Nik Wallenda becomes the first person to walk a tightrope above the brink of Niagara Falls between the United States and Canada. (AP via Sydney Morning Herald)

June 17, 2012 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Multiple bombings kill at least 12 people in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Google reveals it has removed so-called 'terrorism videos' from the web at the request of governments, as well as blocking more than 100 YouTube videos which allegedly insult the Thai monarchy. (BBC)

Disasters

A fire breaks out in a prison in the southeast Turkish province of Şanlıurfa, killing 13 prisoners. (BBC)

Law and crime

Rodney King, whose videotaped beating by Los Angeles police officers in March 1991 later led to riots in April 1992, is found dead at the bottom of a swimming pool in Rialto, California. (BBC) (CNN) (Al Jazeera)
Two Palestinians who attempt to rob an Israeli truck driver are shot dead in self defense near Hebron in the West Bank. (BBC) (Ynet)

Politics and elections

Voters in Greece go to the polls for a second legislative election after the first election on May 6 failed to form a coalition government. (Al Jazeera) (BBC) (CNN)
Voters in Egypt go to the polls for a second day to vote in the second round of a presidential election, with former prime minister Ahmed Shafik and Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party both competing for the presidency. (BBC)
Voters in France go to the polls for legislative election with the Socialist Party winning a majority. (AP via Idaho Press-Tribune)

Sport

UEFA opens disciplinary proceedings against The Football Association after England fans attempted to invade the pitch during their game with Sweden in Kiev. (BBC) (UEFA)
In tennis, David Nalbandian is disqualified from the final of the 2012 AEGON Championships after kicking an advertising board into the left shin of a line judge, seriously injuring him; his opponent, Marin Čilić, who was trailing Nalbandian at the time, is awarded the title and Nalbandian stands to lose the prize money he would have received for finishing as runner-up. (BBC) (Sky Sports)
In golf, American Webb Simpson wins the U.S. Open. (NBC Sports)

June 18, 2012 (Monday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Arab Spring:
- 2011–2012 Yemeni revolution: Yemeni Army commander General Salem Ali Qatan is killed in a suicide attack in the port city of Aden by a man wearing an explosives belt. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- Political uncertainty continues in Egypt. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
At least two people are killed in an attack on the border between Israel and Egypt. (Reuters via MSNBC) (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
A suicide attack kills at least fifteen people and wounds forty people at a Shia funeral in Baquba, north of Baghdad.(BBC)
A bomb explodes near a university bus in the Pakistani city of Quetta killing at least two students and injuring more than 35 others. (AFP via Herald-Sun)
Three men in Afghan police uniform kill a NATO soldier in eastern Afghanistan.(BBC)

Arts and culture

It is disclosed that Jack Osbourne has the incurable neurological condition multiple sclerosis (MS). (BBC)
The music world expresses shock at the news of Scott Johnson's death ahead of a Radiohead concert in Canada. (BBC)

Business and economy

Australian newspaper publisher Fairfax Media announces restructuring plans which will lead to a cut of 1900 jobs. (The Australian)
The largest stockholder of the London-based telecommunications firm Vodafone, institutional investor Orbis, ends its opposition to a planned acquisition by Vodafone of Cable & Wireless Worldwide; the deal now seems certain to go through. (Reuters)

International relations

A new round of talks on nuclear power between Iran and six world powers opens in Moscow. (BBC)
Aung San Suu Kyi is due in Ireland. (RTE)
2012 G-20 Mexico summit:
- The 2012 G-20 summit opens in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, with the Eurozone crisis high on the agenda. (BBC)
United States President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin discuss the uprising in Syria, Iran, and trade at the summit. (CNN)

Law and crime

Rwanda's "gacaca courts", set up to try those responsible for playing a role in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, finish their work. (UPI)
Former American Major League Baseball player Roger Clemens is acquitted on all charges in a perjury trial. (CBS News)

Politics and elections

Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz is nominated as heir apparent of Saudi Arabia. (BBC)

Science

Blue Gene/Q becomes the world's fastest supercomputer. (TOP500)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Italy trash ten-man Ireland to go through to the quarter-finals, with Ireland on their worst run for more than 40 years. (BBC) (RTE)
- UEFA fines and bans Nicklas Bendtner of Denmark for one game after showing boxer shorts with a brand name on it against Portugal. Bendtner says: "I didn't know I was breaking any rules". (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
Next season's soccer fixtures:
- Premier League fixtures are announced, with champions Manchester City kicking off at home against newly promoted Southampton. (BBC)
- Rangers, set to be liquidated, do not appear on the Scottish Premier League fixture list and are instead replaced by a mysterious entity known as "Club 12". (BBC)
British police investigate tennis player David Nalbandian after yesterday's disqualification from the final of the 2012 AEGON Championships over kicking an advertising board into the left shin of a line judge, seriously injuring him; his opponent, Marin Čilić, who was trailing Nalbandian at the time, was awarded the title and Nalbandian lost the prize money he would have received for finishing as runner-up. (BBC)

June 19, 2012 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arab Spring:
- post-Mubarak Egypt:
  - Tens of thousands of people converge on Cairo's Tahrir Square to demonstrate against Egypt's military rulers, who have seized power following the ousting from power of Hosni Mubarak in last year's revolution. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
  - Hosni Mubarak suffers a stroke in prison and is reportedly "clinically dead", though several Egyptian officials refute the announcement made by the state agency. (The Daily Telegraph) (CNN) (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
- Syrian uprising: A ship carrying military helicopters and missiles from Russia to Syria is halted and turned back off the coast of Scotland after its insurance coverage is cancelled. (MSNBC) (The Daily Telegraph)
Palestinian militants fire a barrage of rockets into southern Israel following an Israel Air Force strike that killed two Islamic Jihad gunmen; IAF strikes at militant targets in Gaza have killed six Palestinians since yesterday. (Al Jazeera) (The Jerusalem Post) (Ynet News)
Striking miners and riot police clash in northern Spain as Mariano Rajoy's austerity drive causes escalating violence. (BBC)
Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Sarsak, on hunger strike over his detention without charge for three years in an Israeli jail, agrees to resume eating if released from captivity. (BBC)
At least seven people and 15 members of the Turkish Army are killed in a Kurdistan Workers' Party ambush in the Yüksekova district near the border with Iraq and Iran. (BBC)

Business and economics

Ryanair tries to buy Aer Lingus. (BBC)

International relations

A United Nations investigator calls on the United States to justify its increasing use of drones against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets. (Reuters)
Wikileaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange takes refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden on charges of sexual misconduct. (Al Jazeera) (USA Today)
2012 G-20 Mexico summit: UK prime minister David Cameron confronts Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner over a letter she sent to him regarding the Falkland Islands. (BBC)

Law and crime

The Supreme Court of Pakistan disqualifies prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani from holding office after Gillani was found guilty in a contempt-of-court case on April 26. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
A Saudi man is beheaded on charges of sorcery and witchcraft in Najran Province of Saudi Arabia. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Antonis Samaras, leader of the New Democracy party in Greece, continues to negotiate with political rivals to form a coalition government, as Greece struggles to overcome its economic crisis. (The New York Times)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- The debate surrounding goal-line technology resurfaces as co-hosts Ukraine are denied an apparent goal in controversial circumstances against England, with John Terry hooking the ball from behind the goal line after a shot by Marko Dević under the eyes of the fifth official beside the goal. Wayne Rooney's header in the second half carries England through at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk. (The Daily Telegraph) (Bleacher Report) (Reuters via Yahoo!) (The Washington Post) (Daily Mail)
- Andriy Shevchenko announces his intention to retire from the national side after that defeat. (Yahoo!)
- Sweden sweep aside France with ease at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, with goals from Zlatan Ibrahimović and Sebastian Larsson subjecting the French to their first defeat in 24 games. (Sky Sports)

June 20, 2012 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

A gunman is detained after seizing four hostages at the Crédit Industriel et Commercial bank in the southern French city of Toulouse, the same city where Mohammed Merah shot dead five people in March. (BBC)
Rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip are followed by Israeli airstrikes in response, resulting in at least one death. (AP via The Washington Post) (Al Jazeera)
Turkey's military confirms it has carried out strikes on Kurdish rebel targets inside Iraq. (BBC)
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that at least 20 Syrian Army soldiers and five rebels are killed in heavy fighting near Latakia district. (Al Jazeera)
Tribal clashes in western Libya lead to 105 people dead and some 500 injured. (BBC)

Business and economics

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch launches a surprise takeover bid for billionaire James Packer's stake in Consolidated Media Holdings, a major stakeholder of Foxtel and Fox Sports Australia. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Larry Ellison, the American CEO of Oracle Corp, agrees to buy 98 per cent of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. (AP via The Sydney Morning Herald)

International relations

The United States Congress suggests to extend its military presence in Kuwait. (Al Jazeera)
Fund for Peace releases its 2012 Failed States Index, with Libya, Japan, and Syria scoring the largest increases since the previous study. (Fund for Peace)

Law and crime

The former Prime Minister of Romania, Adrian Năstase, narrowly survives a suicide attempt by gunshot to the throat following a controversial court decision sentencing him to two years in jail. (BBC)

Politics and elections

In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, ousted from power in last year's revolution, is reported to in a coma and has been taken off life support. (BBC)
The Supreme Elections Commission in Egypt announces that the results of the presidential election are not going to be released on Thursday due to complaints by rival candidates. (USA Today)
Operation Fast and Furious:
- The United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform cites the Attorney-General Eric Holder for contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with an investigation into Operation "Fast and Furious". (The Washington Post)
- President Barack Obama invokes executive privilege on documents associated with Fast and Furious following a request by the House Oversight Committee. (The Washington Post)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- UEFA Euro 2012's off-day is dominated by the fall-out of yesterday's ghost goal scored by Ukraine against England, with John Terry hooking the ball from behind the goal line after a shot by Marko Dević under the eyes of the additional assistant beside the goal. (The Daily Telegraph) (Reuters via Yahoo!)
- As Ukrainian media criticise the incident and denial of at least a point to Ukraine, UEFA's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina says the goal should have been given. (The Daily Telegraph)
- Italy coach Cesare Prandelli thanks UEFA president Michel Platini after his side secured qualification for the quarter-finals, thanks in part to the extra officials beside the goal. (The Daily Telegraph)

June 21, 2012 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Syrian uprising: The pilot of a Syrian MiG 21 fighter plane defects to Jordan after landing in a military air base in northern Jordan. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, ousted from power in last year's revolution, is reported to be "clinging to life" as his deterioration adds further to Egyptian uncertainty. (The Independent) (IBN Live)
- Human Rights Watch expresses concern over the Egyptian military's level of commitment to handing over power to civilian rule. (Al Jazeera)
War on Drugs:
- Mexican Drug War: Mexican marines detain Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, the son of Joaquín Guzmán Loera (alias El Chapo), Mexico's most-wanted drug lord in the western state of Jalisco. (The Washington Post)
- The Uruguayan government announces plans to start selling marijuana in limited amounts to registered users. (RT)
In Afghanistan, Taliban soldiers invade a hotel in Kabul, kill guests, and hold some hostages. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)

Arts and culture

U.S. artist LeRoy Neiman, one of the world's most commercially successful contemporary artists and an official painter of five Olympiads famed for his instant renditions of sporting action, dies in New York. (BBC)
A Lucian Freud self-portrait painted on an egg shell is sold at auction to a private collector for £27,000. (BBC)

Business and economics

Vassilis Rapanos, chairman of Greece's largest private bank, is named finance minister. (RTE)
Air France announces its decision to cut just under 10% of the total workforce (more than 5,000 jobs) by the end of next year in an attempt to restore profitability. (BBC)
Moody's downgrades the credit rating of 15 major world banks: UK (The Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and HSBC), US (Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan), Rest of world (Credit Suisse, UBS, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, Deutsche Bank, Royal Bank of Canada and Morgan Stanley). (CNBC) (BBC)
Avianca, Copa Airlines and TACA Airlines join Star Alliance, becoming the 26th, 27th and 28th member airlines. This will prompt TAM Airlines to transfer to Oneworld in the foreseeable future (Fox Business)
The US Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 251 points on the back of weak economic data and poor news from the Eurozone. (CNBC)

Disasters

An Indonesian Air Force Fokker 27 crashes in a residential complex in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, killing at least six people. (BBC)
A boat carrying up to 200 asylum seekers capsizes north of Christmas Island, between Indonesia and Australia with 110 survivors rescued. (BBC) (AAP via Brisbane Times)

International relations

President of Ecuador Rafael Correa decides on the issue of granting asylum to WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange as Assange remains in the Ecuadorian embassy of London, risking arrest by the British authorities. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Oakland-based group Courage to Resist asks participants in the 42nd annual Pride parade this Sunday to march in celebration of the imprisoned U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning, imprisoned by the U.S. government for alleged leaking of classified information into the public domain. (San Francisco Examiner)
A court in Jakarta sentences Umar Patek to 20 years' imprisonment for Patek's involvement in the October 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
The father of previous President of Chile Michelle Bachelet was probably tortured to death after the 1973 coup led by Augusto Pinochet, a judge says. (BBC)
Penn State child sex abuse scandal:
- The adopted son of former football coach Jerry Sandusky says that Sandusky molested him. (CNN)
- The jury begins deliberations in the trial. (CNN)

Politics and elections

John Bryson resigns as United States Secretary of Commerce following a seizure that led to two car accidents. (Politico)
President of Paraguay Fernando Lugo faces impeachment. (BBC)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Cristiano Ronaldo scores the match-winning goal as Portugal defeat the Czech Republic and continue into the semi-finals. (BBC)
- Reports are made of a France dressing room bust-up involving at least two separate incidents after the team's defeat to Sweden, including a "shouting match" between Alou Diarra and Samir Nasri, followed by an ugly exchange between Laurent Blanc and Hatem Ben Arfa. (New York Daily News)
In American basketball, the Miami Heat wins the 2012 NBA Finals defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder four games to one. LeBron James wins the NBA Finals MVP award. (ESPN) (Wall Street Journal)

June 22, 2012 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Syrian uprising (2011-present):
- The Syrian military shoots down a Turkish F-4 Phantom fighter jet after it had entered Syrian airpsace over the Mediterranean Sea. (BBC)
- Twenty-six people believed to belong to the pro-government armed group Shabiha are killed in northern Aleppo Governorate. (Al Jazeera)
- Saudi Arabia announces it plans to pay salaries of the Free Syria Army, in an attempt to encourage more defections from Assad's forces. (The Guardian)
NATO-backed Afghan security forces end a 12-hour siege carried out by Taliban insurgents on the Spozhmai Hotel outside Kabul, killing all five insurgents. (BBC)
Anti-austerity protests spread through the Sudanese city of Khartoum, with security forces breaking them up. (Al Jazeera)
At least 14 people are killed and 106 others wounded in two successive bombings at a popular market on the northern outskirts of Baghdad. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Carol Ann Duffy, Jeanette Winterson, Simon Armitage, Melvin Burgess and the creator of Coronation Street are among signatories calling for the destruction of books to stop in Manchester. (The Guardian)
Thousands of students in rebel Islamist-controlled northern Mali leave schools after the imposition of Sharia law. (IRIN)
Torrential rain causes chaos at the Isle of Wight musical festival. (The Guardian)

Business and economics

The Philippines lends the International Monetary Fund $1 billion. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Wells Fargo plans to move jobs to India and the Philippines. (Reuters)

International relations

WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange gives an interview on Australian radio as his attempt to gain political asylum in Ecuador continues. (The Guardian)
South China Sea dispute:
- China criticizes Vietnam for passing a law that claims sovereignty of the Spratly Islands. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- China asks the Philippines to refrain from "influencing public opinion" in their dispute over the Scarborough Shoal. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Law and crime

Ugandan ethics minister Simon Lokodo signs a government statement saying that it does not discriminate against homosexuals and that they are free to meet. (IOL)
Khilal Mamedov, a prominent Azeri human rights activist and journalist, is arrested on suspicion of drug possession, a move a fellow rights watchdog says is politically motivated. (MSNBC)
Jerry Sandusky, former American football coach at Pennsylvania State University, is convicted on 45 charges of child sex abuse. He is on suicide watch. (AP via Atlanta Journal-Constitution) (MSNBC)

Politics and elections

Protests over pay by police officers in Bolivia spread; a police building is ransacked while president Evo Morales offers concessions. (BBC) (Latin American Herald Tribune) (France 24)
Teachers in Swaziland go on an open-ended strike in a dispute over pay. (IOL)
The Senate votes to impeach the President of Paraguay Fernando Lugo with former Vice President Federico Franco sworn in as the new president. (BBC) (AP via Yahoo News)
Egyptian presidential election:
- Thousands of Egyptians crowd Cairo's Tahrir Square ahead of the announcement of the results of the presidential election. (Al Jazeera)
- Possibly unreliable reports claim that Ahmed Shafiq will be named the president of Egypt on June 24. (AhramOnline) (CNN)
The ruling Pakistan People's Party nominates Raja Pervez Ashraf to replace Yousuf Raza Gilani after a judge orders the arrest of its first choice candidate Makhdoom Shahabuddin for alleged illegal importation of drugs. (BBC)
Daphne Leef and several other Israeli activists tried to restart the housing protests by re-erecting a tent encampment in the Rothschild Boulevard in Tel-Aviv. The municipality had not given a permit and as a result Leef, along with eleven other activists, were arrested when they resisted the 20 policemen and municipal inspectors who arrived to dismantle the tents. The protesters' tents were confiscated by the police forces as well.(Jerusalem Post)(Ynet)
Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness will shake hands with Elizabeth II at a historic first meeting between a British Monarch and member of Sinn Féin during the Queen's forthcoming trip to Northern Ireland. (BBC)

Sports

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Germany defeat Greece 4–2 in their quarter-final meeting, with goals from Philipp Lahm, Sami Khedira, Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus sending the Greeks to a Euro exit at the PGE Arena in Gdańsk. (TSN)
- Milan Baroš announces his retirement from international football after the Czech Republic's exit to Portugal at the quarter-final stage yesterday; Baroš was top scorer at the 2004 tournament. (BBC)

Technology

Software developer Tim Bray proposes a new HTTP status code inspired by Fahrenheit 451, the 1953 dystopian novel written by Ray Bradbury. (The Guardian)

June 23, 2012 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Palestinian militants fire rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel severely injuring an elder. Israel launches a missile strike in return, killing two Palestinians. (The Jerusalem Post) (BBC)
In a Mexican Drug War-related crime, 14 mutilated corpses are found inside a truck outside of a Mexican supermarket. (Reuters)
In the Pakistani city of Quetta, armed people on motorcycles kill eight people; targeting Shias. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

100,000 people attend the first day of a two-day music concert at Hackney Marshes in London, which forms part of the build-up to the 2012 Summer Olympics. (The Guardian)

Business and economics

Tens of thousands of Ulster Bank customers continue to struggle to access their cash after days of problems. (Evening Herald) (The Irish Times) (Irish Examiner)
Greece's new coalition seeks to slow down austerity by proposing a two-year extension to the period allocated to it to meet bailout targets, without further cuts to salaries and pensions. (BBC)

Disasters

At least eight people are killed and 44 injured after a bus carrying Czech tourists crashes in Croatia. (AP via CP-24)
At least 51 people are injured after a bus carrying pensioners crashes in Ireland. (RTE) (Irish Examiner)
A major clear-up operation begins after a month's worth of rain falls in 24 hours, causing flooding across parts of northern England. (BBC)
2012 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Debby forms in the Gulf of Mexico with a warning issued for the US state of Louisiana. This is the first time since 1851 that four storms have formed before July. (MSNBC) (AP via The Province)
76 monks are taken to hospital following an attack by a swarm of bees at Chedi Luang in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai Province. (BBC)
Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario undergoes a partial structural failure when a segment of the rooftop parking deck collapses into the building. 22 people are injured and two bodies are recovered four days later. (Toronto Star)

International relations

Ecuador's ambassador to the UK, Anna Alban, is reported to be flying to Quito to discuss WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange's attempt to gain political asylum. (The Guardian)
Latin American countries come together to express concern over the ousting from power of President of Paraguay Fernando Lugo, with Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez vowing not to recognise the government of the newly-installed Paraguayan leader. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
The United Nations sustainable development summit ends in Brazil with a warning on corporate power. (BBC)

Law and crime

A United States judge dismisses an injunction from Apple Inc. against Motorola for patent infringement. (PC World)
After a five-day trial in the High Court, 27-year-old assistant tutor Luke Cooper, who is completing a PhD in international relations at the University of Sussex, is awarded £35,000 over a front page Evening Standard article and £25,000 over a follow-up piece in the Daily Mail. These articles threatened his future academic prospects during the November 2010 march against government cuts. (Press Association via The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Voters in Papua New Guinea start going to the polls for a general election. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Results in Egypt's election are now expected tomorrow as Hosni Mubarak languishes between life and death. (Associated Press via CBC)
Hundreds of people demonstrate against next week's visit of Elizabeth II to Belfast. (BBC)
Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner becomes the national security minister of Trinidad and Tobago. (BBC)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Spain tear through a feeble France team in their quarter-final meeting at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk, with Xabi Alonso scoring two goals on his 100th international appearance. (BBC) (The Daily Telegraph)
- UEFA punishes Russia for a third time over the misbehaviour of their fans. (BBC)
Alan McDonald, former Northern Ireland captain and veteran of his country's 1986 FIFA World Cup campaign, collapses and dies suddenly at the age of 48. (BBC) (ESPN) (Sky Sports)
In athletics, Ashton Eaton sets a new world record for the decathlon in the US selection trials for the 2012 Summer Olympics. (AP via ABC News America)

June 24, 2012 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

At least 16 Syrian soldiers are killed in clashes with rebels in Aleppo. (BBC)

War in North-West Pakistan:
- Seven Pakistani soldiers are beheaded and four others remain missing after being seized by Taliban militants close to the Afghan border.(BBC)

Ousted President of Paraguay Fernando Lugo condemns the "coup against the citizenry and democracy" that ousted him from his office. (BBC)

Business and economics

Ulster Bank opens branches on a Sunday for the first time as the payments crisis affecting the bank continues unabated. (BBC)

Disasters

Tropical Storm Debby continues to organize off the coast of Florida, lashing the state with high winds and heavy rains. The outer bands of the storm spawn two tornadoes, killing one person near Sarasota. (CNN)
Rescue efforts end after a boat capsized near Christmas Island, with more than 90 people still missing. (Al Jazeera)
Manitou Springs in the U.S. state of Colorado is evacuated due to a raging wildfire just three miles from the popular vacation town. (ABC)
The roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada collapses killing at least one person and trapping several others in the debris. (CBC)

Entertainment

Canadian-American game show personality Alex Trebek suffers a mild heart attack, but is expected to "fully recover". (Hollywood Reporter)

International relations

Pope Benedict XVI chooses Fox News reporter and Opus Dei member Greg Burke to take a strategic communication role in the Vatican's most important government department, the secretariat of state. (The Guardian)
Antonis Samaras, the Prime Minister of Greece, is to miss a European Union summit as he recovers from an eye operation. (BBC)
NATO is to meet on Tuesday, based on a request from Turkey to consult them on what to do with Syria which shot down a Turkish jet after it had entered Syrian airspace. (Al Jazeera)
The United States admits that it infected Iranian computers with Spyware. (Washington Post)

Law and crime

Imprisoned U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning's civilian lawyer argues the U.S. government is deliberately attempting to prevent his client from receiving a fair trial. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood is declared the winner of Egypt's presidential election run-off. (BBC)
Tunisia extradites former Libyan Prime Minister Al Baghdadi Ali Al Mahmoudi. (BBC)

Science

China successfully carries out its first manual docking of a spacecraft between the Shenzhou 9 capsule and Tiangong-1 station. (BBC)
Lonesome George, the last known Pinta Island Tortoise, is found dead in the Galapagos Islands. (BBC)

Sport

Miki Roqué, a defender of the Spanish football club Real Betis, dies of cancer at the age of 23. (ESPN)
UEFA Euro 2012:
- England lose by a penalty shoot-out, with former West Ham player Alessandro Diamanti converting from the spot at the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in Kiev to take Italy through to the semi-final against Germany. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- Philipp Lahm, captain of the Germany team due to meet the winner, concludes that Italy are "a bit stronger" than England. (BBC)
- France midfielder Samir Nasri criticises the media after his team's quarter-final exit to Spain, saying "you are always looking for shit, you write nothing but shit in your papers". His comments came after a L'Equipe journalist wrote an article that upset Nasri's mother. (AFP via NDTV) (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Several former Rangers players, including Steven Naismith and Steven Whittaker, lodge objections to their transfer from the old team to the new, saying they now consider themselves free agents. (BBC)
Saudi Arabia allows its women athletes to compete in the Olympics for the first time. (BBC)
In single-seater auto racing, the Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso wins the 2012 European Grand Prix at the Valencia Street Circuit, becoming the first driver this season to win two races. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)

June 25, 2012 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian uprising (2011-present):
- At least 33 army officers, including a general, defect to Turkey. (BBC) (CNN)
- Turkey's deputy prime minister, Bülent Arınç, states that Syrian forces opened fire on a second Turkish plane, a CASA search and rescue plane searching for the wreckage of an F-4 fighter jet earlier shot down by Syria. (AP via FOX News) (BBC)
At least 40 people are injured due to a fire attack by protesters on a religious shrine in India. (GloboNews)
Mexican Drug War: Alleged drug traffickers shoot and kill 3 policemen who were on an anti-narcotics operative inside the Mexico City International Airport. The assassins were wearing law enforcement uniforms, although the Mexican authorities said that the cartel members sometimes wear false uniforms. No suspects have been arrested. (Yahoo! News)
War On Terror: The chief of one of Britain's top intelligence agencies says that potential British terrorists are going to countries that have been made unsecure by the Arab Spring to get training from Al Qaeda. (Reuters)

Business and economics

Tens of thousands of Ulster Bank customers will now be unable to access their money until at least the end of the week as the crisis worsens, with monthly salaries due to be paid this week. (The Irish Times) (Irish Examiner)
Greece's new finance minister Vassilis Rapanos resigns due to ill health. (Reuters)
Cyprus says that it plans to ask its European partners for a loan of about 1.8 billion euros by the end of this week; this would make Cyprus the fifth European country to seek help. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)

International relations

UK Labour MP Tom Watson adds his voice to the growing opposition to the extradition of Richard O'Dwyer, calling it an example of a younger generation being "hung out to dry by lawmakers". (The Guardian)
Fernando Lugo, the deposed President of Paraguay, rallies allies at home and abroad, and creates a parallel cabinet intent on returning to power. (Al Jazeera)
Vladimir Putin makes a rare trip to Israel and discusses Iran's nuclear program and the uprising in Syria. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

The pre-trial hearing of imprisoned U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning takes place at Fort Meade, Maryland. (WBAL Radio)
The mother of Julian Assange reports that the WikiLeaks editor-in-chief has been "buoyed" by the public's support since he sought refuge in Ecuador's London embassy, refers to U.S. threats to withdraw billions of dollars in aid from Ecuador if it granted asylum, and condemns the Australian government, which has not sought to intervene on behalf of her son, as "nothing more than a puppet" of the United States. (BBC)
Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow tells the Leveson Inquiry that Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, is worse than News International's titles, that it has a "pernicious" and sometimes "mendacious" agenda to undermine people in public life, and predicts that "very possibly they will go after me for saying so". (The Guardian)
Indian police report that Sayed Zabiuddin, a key figure allegedly involved in the planning of the deadly Mumbai attacks of 2008, is arrested. (BBC) (Times of India)
The United States Supreme Court rules that the sentence of life imprisonment without parole cannot be automatically given to a minor at all, extending its earlier restrictions on its automatic use in cases involving minors. (Catholic News)
The United States Supreme Court rules that Arizona's immigration law is mostly unconstitutional, except for the part that allows for law enforcement officers, in the course of their duties, to ask about an illegal immigrant's legal status if they have actual reasons to believe that the person is an immigrant and is here illegally, especially if they are of relevance to a case. (CNN) (Al Jazeera)

Politics

Former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling launches Better Together, the "no" campaign for the forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence. (BBC)

Science and technology

Venezuela announces its intent to design unmanned aircraft for defence and to monitor pipelines, dams and other rural infrastructure. (Al Jazeera)
The final steel beam of 4 World Trade Center is lifted into place in a ceremony. (AP)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Police launch an investigation into allegations of online racist abuse during England's quarter-final exit on penalties after their latest defeat on Sunday. (BBC)
- UEFA punish Germany for a second time. (BBC)
Liquidation of Rangers Football Club:
- The Crown Office asks Strathclyde Police to investigate Craig Whyte's takeover of Rangers Football Club in May last year. (BBC) (The Guardian)
- Six clubs publicly oppose the application of Newco Rangers, meaning they will not likely get the votes required for transfer to the Scottish Premier League. (BBC) (Daily Record) (GOAL)
2012 Wimbledon Championships:
- Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is dumped out of the first round by Elena Vesnina. (BBC)
- Heather Watson is the first British woman to win a game on Centre Court since Jo Durie in 1985. (BBC)
- The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club considers moving Wimbledon back one week in future to give players more recovery time following the French Open. (BBC)
2012 College World Series:
- Arizona defeats South Carolina to win its first College World Series title since 1986 and fourth overall. Arizona outfielder Robert Refsnyder is named the Most Outstanding Player. (ESPN)

June 26, 2012 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Bahraini uprising: The government of Bahrain announces it will pay US$2.6 million to the relatives of 17 people who died in the revolt against the government. (Reuters)
- Syrian uprising: Turkey officially requests backing from NATO allies after a Turkish fighter jet is shot down by Syrian air defenses. (Reuters)
Mexican Drug War: Armed men beat up and abduct Marcelo Ávila López, a candidate for the municipal presidency of Apaxtla, Guerrero, and politician of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). (CNNMéxico)
Thousands of Muslim Rohingya people flee Burma following religious clashes with Buddhists. (Al Jazeera)
A bomb explodes outside the Tunisian consulate in Libya; no casualties are reported. (Reuters)
A fire breaks out on the fifth floor of the Syndicate of Journalists building in downtown Cairo. (Egypt Independent)
The top police chief of Sudan announces a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in the capital, Khartoum. (Philly.com)

Arts and culture

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo boycotts e-books in a bid to encourage people to buy from their local bookstores. (BBC)
The five members of the Spice Girls reunite to launch Viva Forever!, a new West End musical based on their hit songs. (BBC)
The Stressful Life of Salman Rushdie and Implementation of his Verdict, an in-development video game designed to introduce the younger generations to The Satanic Verses controversy, is unveiled at a Tehran games expo. (The Guardian)

Education

The University of Virginia reinstates President Teresa Sullivan after she was ousted without a formal vote earlier this month. (My Northwest)

Finance

The city of Stockton, California's mediation with creditors fails, forcing the city to declare bankruptcy, making it the largest in the U.S. to do so. (Fox News)

Disasters

Bhutan's four-century old Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, a ridge-top monastery, catches fire and is destroyed; however no relics were destroyed since the monastery was undergoing a renovation. (CNN)
2012 Atlantic hurricane season:
- Tropical Storm Debby nears the Gulf Coast of the Florida peninsula as flash floods cut off sections of Interstate 10 and Interstate 75 in the state. (USA Today)
- Some areas of the state receive up to 25 inches (640 mm) of rain. (Wall Street Journal)
Rescue efforts restart at Algo Centre Mall, after the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, orders them resumed. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper asks the Canadian Forces to ready for deployment, if they should be needed. (Toronto Star) (Washington Times)
A boat carrying around 150 people capsizes 107 nautical miles north of Australia's Christmas Island. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Imprisoned U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning wins his battle against the U.S. government to account for the steps his prosecutors have taken to disclose to his lawyers evidence that could be crucial in his defence. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Yannis Stournaras is appointed as Greece's new finance minister. (Reuters)
The vice president of Colombia, Angelino Garzón, awakes from an induced coma following his ischemic stroke. (Colombia Reports)

Science and technology

Social network Facebook perturbs some of its users by making its @facebook.com email system the default contact shown on profiles without asking for permission. (BBC)
Zynga unveils FarmVille 2. (BBC)

Sports

Australian lawmakers unanimously back a motion supporting a moment of silence at the London Olympics in memory of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered at the Munich Olympics 40 years ago. (JTA)
UEFA charges the Russia national football team and Spain national football team for racist comments made by fans. (Associated Press)
Four more players - captain Steven Davis, Allan McGregor, Kyle Lafferty and Jamie Ness - object to their transfer to a "newco" Rangers. (BBC)
Jockey Campbell Gillies dies the day before his 22nd birthday after an accident while on holiday in Corfu. (BBC)
In ice hockey, the Washington Capitals name Adam Oates their new head coach, sources say. (ABC)
In basketball, San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker reveals that he nearly lost his left eye due to injuries suffered during an alleged June 14 altercation in a New York City nightclub between entertainers Chris Brown and Drake. (Yahoo! Sports)

June 27, 2012 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian uprising:
- President Bashar al-Assad declares that a state of war exists in Syria as fighting spills into Damascus. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
- In the past seven days, 916 Syrians have been killed, making it the deadliest week since the uprising began, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (AFP)
- Gunmen storm a pro-government television station, killing seven people. (BBC)
- The Free Syrian Army’s commander, Riad al-Asaad, says that the Hezbollah is actively participating in the Syrian civil war on the side of the regime. (The Daily Star)
Police in Bolivia end their violent rebellion after a pay deal is reached (CNBC)
Roadside bombs and an ambush by the Taliban in their stronghold of Musa Qala, Afghanistan, kill 10 police officers. (RFERL)
The MNLA and al Qaeda-linked Islamists clash in a gunbattle in Gao, Mali, that kills at least 20, witnesses say. (Reuters Africa)
A United States drone attack kills five in Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

The Glastonbury Festival and promoters Festival Republic "go their separate ways" after working together since 2001. (BBC)

Business and economy

Barclays Bank plc is fined £290m after trying to manipulate interbank interest rates. Chief Executive Bob Diamond also forgoes his bonus. (BBC) (CBS News) (Xinhua)
Bank of China becomes the first Chinese bank to open a branch in Taiwan. (NHK World)

Disasters

At least 50 people are killed in rain-triggered landslides in the Bangladesh districts of Cox's Bazaar and Chittagong. (Al Jazeera)
Thirty-two thousand people in the US city of Colorado Springs flee from the Waldo Canyon Fire that has destroyed hundreds of homes. (AFP via The Age)(MSNBC)
An 11-year-old girl, Ashton Jojo, vacationing with her family at a miniature golf course at Orange Lake Resort, in Orange County, Florida, is accidentally electrocuted after she falls into a 2-foot deep pond at the course while looking for her lost golf ball. (MSNBC)

International relations

The Somali president urges everyone to donate funds to Somalia to help combat pirates. (Reuters)

Law

Former Pennsylvania State Representative Stephen Stetler is convicted of all six counts in his corruption case. (NBC)

Politics and elections

Uruguay aims to become the world's first country to oversee and administer the nation's cannabis market. (MSNBC)
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and former IRA commander and Sinn Féin deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness shake hands at a historic meeting in Belfast. (BBC) (RTÉ)
The UK Government unveils its plans to reform the House of Lords to make it a mostly elected chamber. (BBC)

Science and health

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves weight loss drug lorcaserin, the first such drug approved since 1999. (Reuters)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Spain beat Portugal in a penalty shoot-out, with Fàbregas as game winner, to go through to Sunday's final in Kiev. (TSN) (BBC)
- Bert van Marwijk resigns as Netherlands coach after increasing criticism of his team's performances in the tournament. (UEFA)
In professional basketball, the Indiana Pacers team president Larry Bird resigns, with Donnie Walsh being named to replace him. (ESPN)
In professional ice hockey, the Edmonton Oilers name associate coach Ralph Krueger as the team's tenth head coach in franchise history. (TSN)

June 28, 2012 (Thursday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Mexican Drug War: A kidnapped Mexican mayor is found tortured and killed in the state of Oaxaca. (Fox News)
Syrian uprising (2011–present):
- Turkey sends rocket launchers and anti-aircraft guns to its border with Syria following the downing of a Turkish military plane last week. (BBC)
- An explosion occurs in the carpark of the Palace of Justice in Damascus, wounding at least 3 people. (AP via USA Today)
The Taliban releases a video of 17 decapitated Pakistani soldiers. (Global Post)
In Pakistan, a bomb in Quetta explodes next to a bus carrying Shias, killing 10 and leaving 30 injured.(Reuters)
At least 14 people are killed and more than 50 wounded in a series of car bomb attacks in Iraq. (BBC)

Business and economics

The share price of Barclays bank plunges by 17 per cent after it was hit with a record fine for distorting key interest rates to rig international markets. (Al Jazeera)
The Wall Street Journal reports that the board of News Corporation has agreed to split the company into two businesses for publishing and entertainment. (The Wall Street Journal via The Australian)
Eurozone leaders hold an emergency meeting on assistance to Spain and Italy. (AP via Seattle PI)

Disasters

The United Nations expresses concern over the historical city of Timbuktu. (BBC)
2012 Great Britain and Ireland floods:
- A man is killed as torrential rain causes widespread flooding across England. The storms also force the Olympic torch relay to be halted briefly. (BBC)
- Both main rail lines connecting England and Scotland are closed after the tracks are blocked by landslides. (BBC)

International relations

Vice President of Iran Mohammad-Reza Rahimi delivers an anti-Semitic speech at a United Nations conference on the illegal drug trade saying that a central Jewish text, the Talmud, was responsible for the spread of illegal drugs around the world; his speech draws condemnation from U.N. and the European Union diplomats. (The Age) (The Times of Israel)
The Metropolitan Police Service's extradition unit delivers a notice to WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange at Ecuador's London embassy. (BBC)
South Korea announces it will sign a military pact with Japan to encourage sharing of sensitive military intelligence. (New York Times)

Law and crime

The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including the requirement for citizens to acquire health care by 2014. (Reuters) (MSNBC) (Al Jazeera)(New York Times)
The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal acquits Radovan Karadžić of one of two genocide counts. (Al Jazeera)
A New Zealand court rules that search warrants used to raid the home of Kim Dotcom, founder of MegaUpload, in connection to alleged copyright infringement were invalid. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

The BBC uncovers files showing that Raymond Mawby, a Conservative Minister during the 1960s, passed information to Czechoslovak agents in exchange for money. (BBC)
British Prime Minister David Cameron says the management of Barclays faces "serious questions" about its role in distorting key interest rates to rig international markets. (BBC)
The United States House of Representatives holds Attorney-General Eric Holder in contempt for his perceived obstruction of the Congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious. Most House Republicans and 17 Democrats approve the decision. (CNN)

Science and technology

Google vice president Sundar Pichai officially claims that Google Chrome is the most used web browser in the world. (PC Advisor)
The Emirates Air Line gondola lift opens in London. (BBC News)

Sport

UEFA Euro 2012:
- Italy defeat Germany during their semi-final meeting at the National Stadium in Warsaw, with two first-half goals from Mario Balotelli helping Italy to the UEFA Euro 2012 Final. (TSN) (BBC)
- Mario Balotelli describes his match-winning performance as "the best night of my life". (BBC)
English football:
- Alan Shearer suggests England cannot win the 2014 FIFA World Cup. (BBC)
- The Great Britain Olympic football squad is selected. Los Angeles Galaxy star David Beckham is not named to the squad; former Barcelona star Gary Lineker expresses his shock at the exclusion. (BBC)
In basketball, the 2012 NBA Draft takes place in Newark, New Jersey. (USA Today)
At the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, World No. 100 Lukáš Rosol upsets World No. 2 and two-time Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal in five sets, to achieve one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history. (ESPN)

June 29, 2012 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Mexican Drug War: A car bomb explodes outside the city hall in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo, injuring 7 bystanders. This is the third car bomb in Nuevo Laredo this year, and much of the violence is blamed on the country's most powerful cartels: Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel. (San Antonio Express-News)
Syrian uprising (2011–present):
- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad states that Syria will not accept a foreign solution to their problem. (Al Jazeera)
- Syrian helicopter gunships reportedly bombard a strategic town in northern Syria overnight and tanks move close to Aleppo. (MSNBC)
A man self-immolates in Birmingham city centre in a case reminiscent of Mohamed Bouazizi. (The Guardian)
The GPS system of a flying drone is "hacked" in Texas, USA. (BBC)
Sixteen Naxalite Maoist insurgents are killed by Central Reserve Police Force in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. (DNA)
Rampant sexual abuse is uncovered in the British police, with victims of crime among those targeted by sexual predators. (The Guardian)
Three bombs in the Iraqi city of Balad kill at least six people and injure 45. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

A controversial beauty pageant for survivors of The Holocaust is held for the first time in the Israeli city of Haifa. Critics describe it as "offensive" and "macabre." (BBC) (The Times of Israel)
The sunken Italian World War II flagship Roma is discovered off the coast of Sardinia. (Die Zeit)
Alternative rock band The Flaming Lips set a new Guinness World Record for performing the most live shows in different cities over 24 hours. (BBC)
People magazine reports that American actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have announced they will be getting a divorce after five years of marriage. (Fox News) (BBC)
Pop star Adele is pregnant with her first child. (BBC)

Business and economics

Bob Diamond, the chief executive of Barclays bank, refuses to resign over the bank's role in manipulating interest rates. (BBC)
British tax payer funding to support Prince Charles rose by 11% during the past financial year, it is disclosed. (The Guardian)
Crisis in the European Union:
- European Union leaders agree to use a bailout fund to recapitalise struggling banks and to work on a plan for tighter budgetary and political union. (AP via USA Today)
- World stock markets soar over news of European Union members agreeing on a deal to help some struggling Eurozone members. (CNN)

Disasters

A fast-moving line of storms knocks out power to nearly four million people in the Mid-Atlantic states of the US and kills one person in Springfield, Virginia. (NBC Washington), (AP via WVEC)

International relations

The South American trade bloc Mercosur suspends Paraguay's membership following the impeachment of Fernando Lugo but will not impose sanctions. (AP via Business Week)
A petition objecting to the extradition of Richard O'Dwyer to the United States garners 160,000 signatures in less than five days. (The Guardian)
A representative for WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange declines a Metropolitan Police order to surrender himself at a police station, instead electing to remain in Ecuador's London embassy until he is granted asylum. (BBC) (The Guardian)
South Korea abruptly postpones signing a military treaty with Japan after opposition parties in Seoul accuse the government of trying to rush it without proper discussion. (The New York Times)
Mohammed Morsi, the president-elect of Egypt, vows to free Omar Abdel-Rahman who was jailed for plotting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in the United States. (AP via CBS News)
Uzbekistan quits the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization. (RIA)

Politics and elections

Over 15000 Japanese protest against nuclear power. (Reuters)

Science

The Chinese Shenzhou 9 space capsule lands safely with all three astronauts aboard. (AP via Washington Post)

Sports

Sweden's Moa Hjelmer wins the 400 metres final at the 2012 European Athletics Championships and breaks the national record on the distance. (Aftonbladet)
Oscar Pistorius misses the qualifying time required for him to become the first amputee sprinter to compete individually at an Olympics. (BBC)

June 30, 2012 (Saturday)