Portal:Current events/2011 August 23

August 23, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Battle of Tripoli
- Heavy fighting continues in the Libyan capital Tripoli as Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi leads a counterattack despite earlier reports of his capture. (ABC News Australia)
- Rebels capture Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia compound after heavy fighting. (BBC)
Turkey claims to have killed 100 Kurdistan Workers' Party terrorists in bombing raids on positions in northern Iraq since last Wednesday.(Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review)
Suspected Islamic insurgents kill two Thai Army soldiers and wound 14 other people in southern Thailand. (AP via Google News)
The United Nations Human Rights Council orders an investigation into alleged human rights violations by the Government of Syria in the 2011 Syrian uprising. (BBC)
At least one Palestinian is killed and several injured following an Israeli drone aircraft attack on Gaza shortly after an informal ceasefire was reached. (Al-Jazeera)

Business and economy

Disasters

Hurricane Irene reaches Category 2 strength as it hits the island of Hispaniola containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic. (CNN)
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes near Mineral, Virginia; a nearby nuclear reactor is automatically shutdown due to the quake. This is the most powerful earthquake to hit Virginia since 1897. (New York Times) (The Guardian)

International relations

Law and crime

A judge in New York City rules in favour dropping sexual assault charges against former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn. (New York Times)

Politics

President Obama provides temporary relief for illegal immigrants who are students, veterans, the elderly, crime victims and those with family, including same-sex partners, as part of immigration reform in the United States. (Los Angeles Times) (New York Times)
An e-petition calling for the British Government to release of Cabinet documents relating to the Hillsborough disaster collects 100,000 signatures - enough for MPs to consider a House of Commons debate on the matter. It is the first government e-petition to reach the target. (BBC)
News International phone hacking scandal
- The BBC reports that former News of the World editor Andy Coulson continued to receive a severance pay package from News International while working as Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. (BBC)
Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree is declared the winner in the Democratic Party primary election in Mississippi, becoming the first black candidate to win a major party nomination in a gubernatorial race. (Clarion Ledger)