Portal:Current events/2012 August 29

August 29, 2012 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Russia calls for a joint United Nations-Arab League inquiry on terrorist mass slaughters of civilians. (Ria Novosti)
- The Free Syrian Army claims to have surrounded Tiftinaz military airport in the city of Aleppo. (Al-Arabiya)
- The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, arriving in Iran for the Non-Aligned Movement summit, says Iran "can play an important role in the peaceful settlement of (the) Syrian crisis". (Xinhua)
War in Afghanistan:
- Three Australian Army soldiers are killed and another two injured in a shooting by someone wearing an Afghan Army uniform in Oruzgan province. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- Another two Australian special forces are killed in a helicopter crash in Helmund province, making it the worst day for Australians in combat since the Vietnam War. (The Daily Telegraph)
Anonymous officials say the Taliban has attacked a Pakistan Army post in South Waziristan killing nine soldiers. Pakistani Taliban say they killed twelve. (AP via Yahoo! News) (BBC)
Georgian forces free 10 hostages held by militants from Russia's North Caucasian republic of Dagestan. Three Georgian police officers and 11 militants die in a clash. (The Seattle Times) (RIA Novosti)
With Operation Eagle, its biggest since 1979, the Egyptian Army says it used tanks and helicopters to kill 11 suspected terrorists and arrest 23 others in the Sinai, following the attack that killed 16 border guards. (Ahram)

Business and economy

Gazprom completes building the second leg of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline connecting Russia, Germany and neighbouring countries. (RIA Novosti)
The UK's Serious Fraud Office launches an investigation into payments between Barclays and Qatar Holding LLC after Barclays sought investment from the latter during the financial crisis in 2008. (The Guardian)

Disasters

Hurricane Isaac arrives in the US city of New Orleans on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the city. Damage is limited. (Reuters)

International relations

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expresses "serious concerns on the human rights abuses and violations" in Iran at the meeting of non-aligned nations being held in Teheran. (The Los Angeles Times) (AP)
Japan and North Korea hold their first talks in four years in Beijing. (BBC)
President Hu officially receives Egypt's president Morsi, who is in China for in-depth discussion and cooperation talks. (Xinhua)

Law and crime

A judge orders the arrest of Tomás Yarrington, a former governor of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, for allegedly fomenting drug trafficking. (The Monitor)
The Indian Supreme Court upholds the death sentence of Pakistani Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the perpetrator of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. (BBC)
A special Gujarat state court charges 32 people with murder, including Maya Kodnani, later a minister in the Narendra Modi government, for their parts in the riots that led to the killing of 95 people in the Patia neighborhood of Naroda, India. (The Washington Post) (Firstpost)

Science and technology

The banana spider venom is found by Brazilian researchers in some cases to relieve erectile dysfunctions in less than 20 minutes. (Medical Daily)

Sports