Portal:Current events/2012 June 23

Current events of June 23, 2012 (2012-06-23) (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)