Portal:Current events/2012 August 2

August 2, 2012 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- A United States government source reveals that Barack Obama signed a secret order in early 2012 permitting the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide the rebels in Syria with support in order to overthrow the al-Assad regime. (The Guardian)
- 71 people are killed through Syria by mid-day, including dozens in a massacre perpetrated by the Syrian army in the Damascus suburbs. (Al Arabiya) (The Guardian)
- Kofi Annan resigns as the head of the U.N.-Arab League peace envoy for Syria, according to Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon. (CNN)
War in Afghanistan:
- Afghan security forces kill five insurgents planning a suicide attack in Kabul. (AFP via Google News)
- Two dozen Taliban fighters are killed in operations across Afghanistan during the last 24 hours. (Xinhua)
At least 23 people are injured as two blasts hit a fruit market in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore. (Xinhua)

Business and economy

French L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt sells D'Arros Island for $60 million. (BBC)
Italian football club Inter Milan sells a 15% stake to a Chinese investor group. (BBC)
Japanese media reports that electronics company Sharp Corporation plans to cut 5,000 positions worldwide. (AFP via France 24)

Disasters

Taiwan closes schools and offices ahead of Typhoon Saola. (BusinessWeek)
One person dies and at least ten other people are seriously injured when a fully loaded double-decker Megabus crashes into a bridge support on Interstate 55 in Illinois, ten miles north of Litchfield.(St.Louis Post-Dispatch) (NBC News)
Tropical Storm Ernesto forms in the Atlantic Ocean with storm warnings issued for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, St. Lucia, Martinique, and Guadelope. (AP via the Washington Post)

Law and crime

20 people are jailed in China on charges of terrorism in the Xinjiang region. (The Hindu)
Peru seizes $2.3 million in counterfeit U.S. 50 dollar bills heading to other South American countries. (Reuters)
Three men are arrested due to their alleged ties with al Qaeda in Spain. (The New York Times)

Politics and elections

The Constitutional Court of Romania postpones a decision regarding the impeachment referendum of suspended President Traian Băsescu until 31 August 2012, to allow time for the reevaluation of the permanent electoral lists. (Financial Magazine)
Egypt's new cabinet members are sworn in. (CNN)
Quebec premier Jean Charest calls a general election for September 2012 amidst student protests against tuition fee increases. (Hamilton Spectator)

Sport

Russian President Vladimir Putin makes an unofficial visit to the London Olympics to watch the judo competition. (BBC)