Portal:Current events/2010 October 19

October 19, 2010 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Russian troops withdraw from the Georgian border town of Perevi and are replaced by a Georgian Army unit. Perevi is located just outside South Ossetia, and had been occupied since the 2008 war. (BBC) (Zee News)
The Kachin Independence Army, a Burmese ethnic militia, is in a tense stand-off with the Burmese military following the arrest of three of its members. (BBC)
Six people are killed and seventeen wounded following an attack on the Parliament of the Russian republic of Chechnya. (CNN) (RIA Novosti), (BBC)
CIA director Leon Panetta reveals Jordanian double agent Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi was not properly vetted before his suicide attack on the CIA's Forward Operating Base Chapman in Afghanistan. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Simon Cowell signs a deal with ITV which will see The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent return for the next three years. (Peace FM)
Google and the Israel Antiquities Authority announce plans to publish the Dead Sea Scrolls online. (AP via NPR)

Business and economy

China reveals plans to develop a "super-speed" train with a speed of up to 500 km per hour from the 431 km per hour speed. (China Daily)
Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, announces the opening of the 7th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning, capital of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua)
China raises deposit rate for 1st time since 2007, the People's Bank of China said in a statement. (China Daily)
French unrest
- French strikes against pension reform as the Government of France taps emergency reserves to meet a fuel shortage with more than four thousand petrol stations running out of fuel. (Reuters via France 24), (BBC)
- French police fire tear gas on rioting high school students in Paris with cars set on fire while there are reports of looting in Lyons. (AP), (BBC)
- Half the flights at Paris-Orly Airport and thirty per cent of flights at Charles de Gaulle airport are expected to be cancelled. (CNN)
The Crystal Cathedral Ministries, the California megachurch founded by televangelist Robert Schuller and best known for its weekly The Hour of Power television program, files for bankruptcy court protection. (Reuters)(AP)

Disasters

The death toll from Typhoon Megi in the Philippines rises to three as heavy rain falls on the island of Luzon for a second consecutive day. (AFP via Yahoo)

Law and crime

A British court finds Saudi Prince Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud guilty of murdering his servant in a hotel. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) agrees to pursue the criminal trial of former Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Jean-Pierre Bemba. (BBC)
The United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that she understands the trial of two hikers will start on November 6. (CNN)

Politics

The Kenyan Higher Education Minister William Ruto is suspended by President Mwai Kibaki after a court ruled he must stand trial for corruption allegations. (Daily Nation) (Reuters)
Human Rights Watch accuses the Ethiopian government of withholding foreign aid from opposition supporters. (BBC) (Reuters)
Salou Djibo, the de facto leader of Niger sacks his intelligence chief Seyni Chekaraou following the arrest of several members of the ruling Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy junta on suspicion of planning a coup d'etat. (BBC)
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron announces a cut to British Armed Forces of 17,000 or ten per cent over five years. (CNN)
Naheed Nenshi is voted mayor of Calgary, Alberta, the first Muslim person to be elected mayor of a major city in Canada. (The Globe and Mail)

Sports

The National Football League announces that it will suspend players for dangerous hits, especially those involving helmets. (AP via Yahoo! News)