Portal:Current events/2010 October 29

Current events of October 29, 2010 (2010-10-29) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks The memoir of George W. Bush reveals his initial belief that he had United Airlines Flight 93 shot down during the September 11 attacks in 2001. (The Guardian) Israeli soldiers fire tear gas and sound grenades to shut down rallies across the West Bank held to protest an annexation of land by Israel. The events are attended by Norwegian politicians Torunn Kanutte Husvik and Stine Renate Håheim. (Ma'an News Agency) Israeli crossings authorities shut Gaza for the weekend. (Ma'an News Agency) A suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt kills at least 21 people, mostly Shiites, in Balad Ruz, the town north of Baghdad. (AP) (Xinhua) At least one Islamist militant from the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is killed in an operation in Tajikistan. (Interfax) 20 militants are killed and six others wounded as helicopter gunships pound militant hideouts in Khadizai, Shahu Wam, Kasha and Saifal Dara areas of Orakzai tribal region of Pakistan. (Dawn) At least nine Mexican police officers in the state of Jalisco are shot dead during an ambush with drug cartels, continuing a recent wave of violence connected to the Mexican Drug War. (BBC News) Saboteurs attack an oil pipeline in Nigeria's Niger Delta, shutting in 4,000 barrels a day of crude oil production. (Reuters) (AFP) Al-Shabaab militants take control of a town on the border between Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya from pro-government forces, following fighting that displaced 60,000 people. (AHN) Russian and American forces conduct their first joint anti-narcotics operation in Afghanistan. (RIA Novosti) (Reuters) (The Hindu) North Korea fires two shots at South Korean military units across the border at Kwacheon, South Korea. (BBC) (MSNBC) (Xinhua) (Yonhap) NATO is expected to reduce its peacekeeping force in Kosovo by half, citing improved security situation. (BBC News) The death toll from the suicide bombing of a cafe in the Diyala Governorate near Baghdad, Iraq reaches 22. (Reuters) Security alert in the United Kingdom and United States: Law enforcement authorities in the UK and the US are on high alert after suspicious packages are found on flights arriving from Yemen. A similar package is discovered in Dubai. (BBC News) (CNN) United States investigators sweep cargo planes at Newark Liberty Airport and Philadelphia International Airport. (New York Times) Arts and culture The Parliament of New Zealand successfully amends New Zealand labour laws, as a part of a deal with Warner Bros. to keep the production of The Hobbit film project in the country. (BBC News) Kings of Leon are announced as headliner of the 30th anniversary of Ireland's Slane Concert, to be held at Slane Castle in May 2011. (The Irish Times) (Irish Independent) (Hot Press) (The Belfast Telegraph) Business and economy Wikimedia, the owner of online encyclopedia Wikipedia, plans to open its first non-US office in India as it seeks to take advantage of the country's open Internet culture, the group tells AFP. (Deccan Chronicle) Japan's Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission and the Tokyo Stock Exchange investigate recent trading activity due to allegations of insider trading ahead of new share issues by Japanese companies. (CNN) TeliaSonera, through its Nepal subsidiary Ncell, announces that a series of eight 3G wireless transmitters have been installed along the trail to base camps on Mount Everest, with coverage reaching the summit. (BBC News) British Airways reports a half-year profit of £158m, the first in two years. (BBC News) German rail operator DB Fernverkehr conducts a test run of their high-speed Intercity-Express train inside the Channel Tunnel, with passengers on board. (BBC News) A U.S. Court of Appeals upholds the conviction of Conrad Black for one fraud count and one obstruction-of-justice charge, while reversing two other fraud counts on the basis of a Supreme Court decision last year. (The Globe and Mail) Disasters and accidents Indonesian tsunami The death toll from the Indonesian tsunami climbs to 394 with 312 still missing. (BBC), (CNN) Only nine of the 23 sensor buoys off the coast of Indonesia of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System are working due to technical problems or vandalism. (ABC News Australia) The death toll from the 2010 Haitian cholera outbreak reaches 300 as new cases are reported nearer the capital Port-au-Prince. (BBC) Three bodies are found by rescuers at a crash site in Antarctica involving a French helicopter. A fourth person is still missing. (BBC News) Seven people are killed and one missing after a blast at a coal mine in Sichuan, China. (Trend News Agency) (CRI) 2010 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Shary strengthens and nears Bermuda, while Tropical Storm Tomas forms and approaches the Caribbean Sea. (ABC News) International relations Iran says it is ready to resume international talks over its nuclear program "in a place and on a date convenient to both sides", says a letter to the European Union. (The Guardian) European Union leaders agree to reform of the Treaty of Lisbon to keep member states budget deficits in line at a two-day summit in Brussels, Belgium. (Deutsche Welle) Foreign Ministers from Japan and China meet to try to resolve soured relations over a maritime territorial dispute. (AP via Sign On San Diego) (BBC News) The UN Convention on Biological Diversity places a ban on geoengineering projects and experiments. (Washington Post) Law and crime A British man is sentenced to 18 weeks in prison for posting malicious and abusive messages on Facebook memorial sites, including the page for deceased reality TV star Jade Goody. (BBC News) An American judge has ruled that a six-year-old may be sued for negligence after crashing into an elderly woman while riding a bicycle at age four.(BBC) Politics and elections Néstor Kirchner is buried amid a mass outpouring of grief in Argentina. (AFP via France24) (The Independent) (BBC) (Sky News) The Supreme Court in Burma hears an appeal from lawyers of Aung San Suu Kyi against her house arrest. (Bangkok Post) (BBC)