Portal:Current events/2011 August 17

Current events of August 17, 2011 (2011-08-17) (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks A rocket is fired into the compound of the President of Afghanistan in Kabul. (AP via Salon) Business and economy Workers at the Polish Przewozy Regionalne passenger rail network commence a 24-hour strike. (RIA Novosti) Verizon Communications says that striking workers who do not return to work by the end of August will lose medical, prescription drug, and related benefits. (Bloomberg) The price of gold reaches a new record after the President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez announces plans to nationalize the Venezuelan gold industry. (Dow Jones via The Australian) The Financial Times reports that sources "familiar with the situation" say Liberty Media is losing interest in a purchase of Barnes & Noble, due to financing constraints. (Financial Times) Law and crime The Special Tribunal for Lebanon publishes an indictment against Hezbollah members accused in the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. (Los Angeles Times) (Washington Post) (UPI) (The Telegraph) A lawyer claims that 25,000 South Koreans will be suing Apple Inc. in relation to alleged privacy breaches in relation to collection of iPhone location addresses. (AP via MSNBC) Three sexual assault cases are lodged against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami. (Miami Herald) A Toronto Imam is charged in relation to alleged sexual assaults and death threats committed against five victims over the course of three years. (Toronto Star) A fourth man is charged with murder following the deaths of three men hit by a car in Birmingham, UK, during recent rioting which spread across England. (BBC) Politics and elections Vasyl Dzharty, the Prime Minister of Crimea, an autonomous region of Ukraine, dies in office. (Kyiv Post) Singapore's Presidential Elections Committee approves four presidential candidates for the presidential election on August 27: Tony Tan Keng Yam, Tan Cheng Bock, Tan Kin Lian and Tan Jee Say. (Wall Street Journal)