Portal:Current events/July 2013

Armed conflicts and attacks

2012–2013 Egyptian protests:
- Demonstrations across Egypt gather about 15 million people nationwide calling for the resignation of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. (The Atlantic)
- At least 16 people, including an American, have been killed, and 800 injured, in the anti-government demonstrations that began last week. (The Jerusalem Post) (CNN)
- Egyptian army officials issue a 48-hour ultimatum to the Muslim Brotherhood-linked government of President Mohamed Morsi to respond to the concerns of millions of protesters who have taken to the streets calling for Morsi’s resignation, or it will “step in to restore order”. (BBC) (The New York Times) (CNN)
At least 47 people are killed and more than 90 wounded in two separate bomb blasts in Pakistan, one in a Shiite suburb of Quetta and the other in an attack on a paramilitary convoy in the northwest of the country; a Sunni extremist group reportedly claims responsibility. (CNN)
Two suspected militants and a policeman are shot dead during a gun battle in Tral, Jammu and Kashmir. (BBC)

Arts and culture

The United States commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, a decisive battle in the American Civil War. (Washington Post)

International relations

Croatia becomes the 28th member of the European Union. (ABC News)
Former United States spy agency contractor Edward Snowden applies for political asylum in Russia. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet gets a landslide victory, becoming the presidential candidate of the Nueva Mayoría centre-left coalition for the next November elections. Pablo Longueira, former Minister of Economy, wins the centre-right primary. (The New York Times)
Vítor Gaspar, Minister of Finance of Portugal, resigns due to lack of support and willingness to strengthen austerity measures, prompting a political crisis. The Minister is replaced by Treasury Secretary Maria Luís Albuquerque. (Globe and Mail)

July 2, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

July 2013 Egyptian protests:
- At least 16 people are killed and over 200 injured in clashes near Cairo University. (Ahram Online)
- Mohamed Kamel Amr resigns as the Foreign Minister of Egypt along with five other ministers who also submit their resignations after Sunday protests. (Reuters via MSN)
- The President of Egypt Mohammed Morsi vows to stay in office despite the protests. (The Telegraph)
Naxalite-Maoist insurgency: Six policemen in the eastern India state of Jharkhand are killed in an attack by Naxalites. (NDTV)
War in Afghanistan (2001–present):
- Militants attack NATO headquarters in the north of Kabul resulting in at least two deaths. (Reuters), (AP via Newsday)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- A wave of market bomb attacks mostly targeting Shi'ite Muslims kills 46 people (Herald Sun)
At least seven people are killed in Pakistan after an American drone strike targets a militant compound near the border with Afghanistan. (IBN Live)

Arts and culture

Pending approval from Pope Francis, reports that Pope John Paul II may be canonized at the end of the year are confirmed after approval by the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints of an alleged second miracle. (CBS News)

Disasters and accidents

At least eleven have been killed and dozens of people are injured in Indonesia's Aceh Province after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake. (Xinhua)

Law and crime

The Obama administration postpones enforcement of a major requirement of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act healthcare law - that pertaining to employers offering coverage to their workers - for a full year after its planned January 1, 2014 implementation. (Washington Post)
68 Islamists accused of conspiring against the United Arab Emirates federal government, sentenced to 15 years. (BBC)
Two Russian married couples are found guilty by a German court of espionage for Russia (BBC)
Court proceedings against former Chadian President Hissène Habré commence in Senegal, with charges including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and torture. (BBC), (Euro news), (Deutsche Welle)

Politics and elections

France and Portugal refuse to allow the plane of Bolivian President Evo Morales to land on their respective territories after suspicions that Edward Snowden was on board. (The Washington Post)
Wales becomes the first country in the UK to adopt a presumed consent system of organ donation after members of its legislative assembly vote in favour of the system. (BBC)
Portuguese political crisis, 2013:
- Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs Paulo Portas quits after disagreeing with the prime minister's choice for Finance Minister, Maria Luís Albuquerque. The Minister for the Environment and Agriculture and the Minister of Social Security are also set to resign. (Euro news), (BBC)
The Communist Party of Cuba announces a shakeup of its leadership with former President of the National Assembly of People's Power Ricardo Alarcón and several others losing roles on the Central Committee. (AP)

Science and technology

A Russian Proton-M rocket carrying three GLONASS navigation satellites loses control and crashes shortly after launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.(Spaceflightnow.com)
The International Astronomical Union names Pluto's fourth and fifth moons, Kerberos and Styx. (Sydney Morning Herald)

July 3, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2013 Egyptian coup d'etat:
- Egypt's military deposes President Mohamed Morsi, and installs Adly Mansour, the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, as the country's new interim leader. (CNN)
- The Egyptian military takes control of state TV studios and places a travel ban on Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders as a military coup d'etat unfolds, following a week of anti-government unrest. (The Independent)
- President Morsi is reportedly placed under house arrest as troops deploy across Cairo and armored vehicles and soldiers mass at Cairo University and other key sites. (The Times of Israel)
U.S. drone attacks on Pakistan:
- The death toll from a United States drone strike on a militants camp in the North Waziristan area of Pakistan rises to 16. (AP via Huffington Post)
- Pakistan condemns the latest deadly U.S. drone strike to violate its "sovereignty and territorial integrity". (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

A 4,000-year-old pyramid at El Paraíso in Peru is destroyed by property developers. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

The death toll from a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia's Aceh Province rises to 42, with more than 400 injured and thousands of buildings damaged. (AFP via Fox News)

International relations

Diversion of Bolivian president Evo Morales' flight:
- The presidential jet of Bolivia is denied access to European airspace and forced to land in Vienna amid concerns that Edward Snowden is on board. (BBC)
- Bolivia files a complaint at the United Nations over what is called the "kidnapping" of its president. (The Guardian)
- Morales's fellow South American leaders condemn what they consider to be an act of aggression by the U.S. and its allies. Protests take place at the French Embassy in Bolivia. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Ecuador announces the discovery of a bugging device used to listen in on its embassy in the United Kingdom. Ecuador's foreign minister Ricardo Patiño declares it as "another instance of a loss of ethics at the international level in relations between governments". (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)

Movies

The Movie Premiere of Despicable Me 2
Sequel: Despicable Me (2010)

Politics and elections

King Albert II of Belgium announces his abdication (effective July 21) for health reasons in favour of his son Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant. (Nieuwsblad) (DeRedactie.be)

July 4, 2013 (Thursday)

Arts and culture

The Statue of Liberty opens for the first time since Hurricane Sandy caused extensive damage to Liberty Island in New York harbor in late October 2012. (The Atlantic Wire)

Disasters and accidents

A house fire kills 6 people in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (AP via Kansas.com)^{[permanent dead link]}

International relations

South Korea offers to hold talks with North Korea over reopening a joint factory complex in the North Korean town of Kaesong which shut down in April. (AP via The Hindu)

Law and Crime

Scotland Yard discovers new evidence and new witnesses in the Madeleine McCann case and opens a formal investigation into her disappearance. (BBC)
Egypt arrests Mohammed Badie, the Supreme Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, for "inciting the killing of protesters". (Wires via France 24)
Former President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, announces his resignation from the Constitutional Council of France following a finding that he exceeded spending limits in his 2012 Presidential election campaign. (The Local)
At least 19 people have been shot in the US city of Chicago since Wednesday with four people killed and 15 injured. (NBC Chicago)

Politics and elections

Campaigning gets underway in Japan for the House of Councillors election with voting to start on July 21. (Xinhua)
Portuguese political crisis, 2013
- A series of talks between Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister to solve the question around the former's resignation. After a third round the Prime Minister Passos Coelho is to meet with the President of the Republic Cavaco Silva.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela is now in a "permanent vegetative state" and doctors have advised his family to turn off his life support machine. (AFP via News24) (Sky News)

Science and technology

A new species of lizard is found in Sergipe, Brazil. (GloboNews)

July 5, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2013 Egyptian coup d'état:
- Islamist gunmen stage multiple attacks on security forces in the Sinai Peninsula with one soldier and five policemen reported dead. (Reuters)
- The death toll from clashes between supporters and opponents of former President Mohammed Morsi rises to 52 with another 2,500 people injured, after over 30 people are reported dead after clashes. The Egyptian Army clashes with protesters supporting Morsi. (Egypt Independent)
- The African Union has announced that it has suspended Egypt's membership. (CNN)
Syrian civil war:
- The Syrian opposition calls for immediate humanitarian aid to Homs after the Syrian army and Hezbollah step up their siege of the city with increased artillery shelling and incendiary bombs. (USA Today)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- 15 people die in a suicide bomb attack targeting a Shia mosque in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. (BBC)

An airstrike on anti-ship missiles in Latakia, Syria is carried out.(The Guardian)

Arts and culture

the Vatican declares Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII canonized as saints. (The Telegraph)

Business and economy

Samsung Electronics announces its second quarter results, missing its forecasts and disappointing investors. (Reuters)
The European Central Bank and the European Commission release a joint report on the banking system in Spain, indicating that system is solvent and will not require "further program disbursements." (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

39 people are injured due to malfunctioning fireworks at a 4th of July event in Simi Valley, California. (AP via SFGate) (FOX News)
In three states—Wisconsin, Minnesota (where an elderly person's death was reported), and Illinois—in the United States, Whole Foods Market Inc. is recalling three types of the Crave Brothers (based in Waterloo, Wisconsin) Les Freres cheese, sold in 30 states and in Washington, D.C., due to concerns that it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which causes listeriosis, dangerous especially to the immunocompromised and pregnant women. (NBC)

International relations

The People's Republic of China and Russia begin joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan. (BBC)
NSA spying scandal
- Bolivian president Evo Morales calls the Eurozone for a violation of international law and threatens to close down the U.S. embassy in Bolivia after the episode of having his official airplane being refused to land en route to Vienna, amid suspicions of having former NSA employee Edward Snowden on board. Ambassadors of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal are summoned to give full explanations.(The Guardian)
- Venezuela and Nicaragua offer Snowden asylum. (AP via USA today)

Law and crime

A New Zealand court orders Pike River Coal to pay $3 million in compensation for the 29 victims of the Pike River Mine disaster. (ABC News Australian)

Politics and elections

Portuguese political crisis, 2013
- Minister of Foreign Affairs Paulo Portas reportedly gives an ultimatum to the Prime Minister asking to exonerate the Minister of Finance Maria Luís Albuquerque in order to keep the first in the Government, as the President Cavaco Silva has demanded.
The Portuguese Parliament votes down a motion to apologize to the Government of Bolivia for not allowing the plane carrying President Evo Morales to land and fly over Portuguese national airspace.
Zimbabwe's top court rules that the general election should be held on July 31 despite an appeal by President Robert Mugabe and his main rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)

July 6, 2013 (Saturday)

Arts and Culture

English rock band, Muse held a concert in Rome, which is called "Live at Rome Olympic Stadium". The concert become the first ever live concert recorded in 4K resolution. [1]

Armed conflicts and attacks

Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- Islamic extremists kill 42 people, mainly students, in an attack on the Government Secondary School boarding school in the Nigerian town of Mamudo in Yobe state. (AP)
War in North-West Pakistan:
- A bomb in a market street kills 4 people and wounds 47 others in eastern Pakistan. (ABC)

Disasters and accidents

At least fourteen people are killed as Pakistan Railways Karakoram Express runs over a rickshaw near the city of Sheikhupura. (The News Pakistan)
A runaway train carrying crude oil derails and explodes in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Québec, Canada. Early reports say that five are dead, a hundred are missing and 2000 are evacuated. (CBC) (The Gazette)
A Boeing 777 flown by Asiana Airlines crash-lands at San Francisco International Airport with 3 dead and 181 injured. (CNN) (KTVU) (BBC News)

Politics and elections

Mali lifts a state of emergency ahead of a presidential election. (Reuters)
Mohamed ElBaradei is named as the Prime Minister of Egypt. (AAP via News Limited)
Portuguese political crisis, 2013:
- Paulo Portas becomes Deputy Prime Minister, the first since 1985. Prime Minister Passos Coelho will make additional reshuffles to his cabinet.

Sport

At the 2013 Wimbledon Championships in tennis:
- Marion Bartoli of France defeats Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6–1, 6–4 in the Ladies' Singles final, claiming her first Grand Slam singles title. (AP via ESPN)
- Bob and Mike Bryan of the USA defeat Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 in the Gentlemen's Doubles final, becoming the first men's doubles team in the Open era to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time. (BBC Sport)
In rugby union, the British and Irish Lions rout Australia 41–16 in Sydney to win their three-Test series 2–1. It is the Lions' first series win since 1997, when they defeated South Africa. (BBC Sport)

July 7, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

A serial blast injures 5 people near Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya, in the Indian state of Bihar. (TOI)

Disasters and accidents,

A De Havilland Otter air taxi crashes near the Soldotna Airport in Soldotna, Alaska, killing all ten on board. (Associated Press via ABC News) (Peninsula Clarion)

Law and crime

Abu Qatada, a Palestinian Muslim cleric allegedly affiliated with al-Qaeda, is deported from the United Kingdom to Jordan to face charges of terrorism. (BBC)
Police in Sweden fatally shoot a knife-wielding man after he allegedly stabbed three people, an elderly woman fatally. (AP via News 24)

Politics and elections

Opponents of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi call for demonstrations to be held today in the aftermath of the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état (AAP via Herald Sun)

Sport

Andy Murray of the United Kingdom wins the Men's Singles at Wimbledon, defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia in straight sets. Murray becomes the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. (News Limited)

July 8, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Aftermath of the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état:
- At least 42 people have been killed and hundreds injured after the Army raids a sit-in by supporters of former President Mohamed Morsi in the Nasr City district of Cairo. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

At least twelve people are killed and a dozen injured when a dilapidated hotel collapses in the Indian city of Hyderabad. (The Hindu)
After six days with temperatures over 40°C (104°F), Portugal officially has a heat wave. Temperatures have reached as high as 45°C in some places in Alentejo and Ribatejo.
In the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, 126 mm of rain falls causing major flooding bursting most rivers and creeks. It is the single highest rain total in a day since Hurricane Hazel. (CBC News)

International relations

2013 mass surveillance scandal
- Bolivia summons the ambassadors of France, Spain and Portugal to explain why their countries blocked President Evo Morales' official jet en route to land on the Eurozone last week, amid orders to be searched if Edward Snowden was on board. (BBC)
- Brazil calls on the United States, asking to explain why US intelligence agencies have been monitoring millions of emails and phone calls of Brazilian citizens in their country. (The Guardian)
- The US Department of State confirms dialogue with Brazil on the alleged intelligence activity. (Merco Press)

Law and crime

Former Chinese Railways Minister Liu Zhijun is given a suspended death sentence for corruption. (BBC)
A French court clears oil company Total S.A., its chief executive and over a dozen defendants of corruption charges related to the United Nations oil-for-food programme in Iraq. (BBC)

Politics and elections

The Syrian Ba'ath Party announces a shakeup of leadership positions with Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa losing his position. (AFP via Fox News)
The Syrian opposition figure Ghassan Hitto task with forming an interim government to administer rebel-held areas has resigned, citing an inability to do so during a meeting in Istanbul. (BBC) (Ya Libnan)
Governor of Texas Rick Perry, the longest serving governor in his home state, announces he will not seek a fourth term. (BBC)

Science and technology

NASA Curiosity Mars rover begins its mission to its destination and drives to Mount Sharp. (BBC)

Religion

Pope Francis visits the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, holds a mass to pay tribute to the many immigrants who have drowned trying to reach Europe and condemns the "global indifference" to their plight. (BBC), (The Guardian)

July 9, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, calls for a ceasefire during Ramadan. (Al Jazeera)
- A car bomb targeting the office of the Shia militant group Hezbollah located in the Lebanese capital Beirut injures 53 people. (BBC) (The Independent) (The Guardian)
War in Afghanistan (2001–present):
- An Afghan soldier kills a Slovak soldier and wounds six others. (BBC)
- Seventeen people are killed by a roadside bomb in western Afghanistan. (BBC)

Business and economy

Greece secures an additional 6.2 billion euros from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund despite warnings that the Greek government is moving too slow to reform the government. (BBC)

Law and crime

Francesco Schettino, former captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, goes on trial in Italy for manslaughter and abandoning ship during the disaster on 13 January 2012. (AP via the Houston Chronicle)

Politics and elections

British Labour Party leader Ed Miliband says he will end the automatic affiliation fee paid to the Party by three million union members after the Unite union was accused of secretly signing up its members in order to get its favoured candidate elected in the Falkirk constituency. (BBC)
Egypt's military-backed interim government selects economist Hazem Al Beblawi as the interim Prime Minister. (New York Times)

July 10, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war
- Syrians in Aleppo stage a protest against a rebel siege of government-held areas in the city. (BBC)

Arts and culture

American country music star Randy Travis suffers a stroke while being hospitalized for congestive heart failure. (MSN)

Business and economy

A U.S. district court rules that Apple Inc. has conspired to fix the prices of eBooks. The ruling could expose Apple to significant damages. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A rain-triggered landslide in southern China's Sichuan Province buries between 30-40 people. (Xinhua)
The death toll from the Lac-Mégantic derailment in the Canadian province of Quebec rises to 20, with 30 people missing presumed dead. (AP via CBS News)

Law and crime

Boston Marathon bombing
- Suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev makes his first appearance in a U.S. court since his arrest on April 19. (AP via Montreal Gazette)
- Tsarnaev pleads not guilty to 30 counts including using a weapon of mass destruction in his first court appearance. (The Verge), (BBC)
Egyptian prosecutors seek the arrest of Mohammed Badie, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, for allegedly instigating the 2013 Republican Guard headquarters clashes. (BBC)

Politics

President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj is sworn into office for his second term as President of Mongolia in front of Genghis Khan's monument, the Parliament and public on main Sükhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar. This is the first time Mongolian President took oath in front of public in the country's history. (Montsame News Agency)
Prominent Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny registers himself to stand in September's vote for Moscow mayor. (BBC)
The President of Portugal Cavaco Silva calls for a national salvation understanding between the three main parties: the Socialists, and the governing coalition PSD and CDS-PP. In a statement after the President's communication to the country, the Socialists said they will not support such Government and called for early elections. (Reuters)

Sports

In cricket, the 2013 Ashes series between England and Australia begins at Trent Bridge in the English county of Nottinghamshire. (Daily Mail)
Host Sweden are held by Denmark in a 1-1 draw with two second half penalties saved in Euro 2013 group stage opener. (BBC Sports)

Science

With still two years until its closest approach, NASA's New Horizons team releases the spacecraft's first high resolution view of the Pluto/Charon dwarf planet system. (JHUAPL)

July 11, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Bomb and gun attacks across Iraq kill more than 30 people including members of the Iraqi security forces. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

2013 Assam floods: Floods in Indian state of Assam force nearly 250,000 people to leave their homes. (BBC)
The death toll from the Lac-Mégantic train disaster is presumed at 50. (Los Angeles Times)
Heavy rain in southwest China causes floods and landslides with at least 9 people dead and 62 missing. (AFP via Channel News Asia)
Taiwan evacuates 2,000 tourists as it prepares for Typhoon Soulik expected later this week. (AFP via France 24)
Eight people are injured (three seriously) in Lower Manhattan as a result of an explosion and partial collapse, of as-yet unknown cause, in a five-storey building, in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City, on Pike Street, near Henry Street. (NBC)

International relations

An Iranian exile group claims that it has evidence of secret nuclear facilities located in tunnels beneath a mountain near the town of Damavand. (AFP via France 24)
Six women climb western Europe's tallest skyscraper, The Shard, towering over Shell's headquarters in London, to protest against Arctic drilling. (BBC)

Law and crime

A district court in Moscow convicts the late investment fund auditor Sergei Magnitsky of tax evasion in Russia's first posthumous trial. (Russia Today)
An Indian juvenile court is due to deliver its verdict on a seventeen-year-old boy accused of participating in the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in the New Delhi suburb of Munirka. (BBC)
Three suspected robbers are killed in a shoot-out in Davao City, Philippines, and one suspected robber is returned to Manila to be imprisoned. (ABS-CBN News Online)
The lower house of the Irish parliament passes the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill, legalising abortion when the woman's life is at risk. (RTE)

Politics and elections

The Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker resigns over a scandal in the Service de Renseignement de l'État (State Intelligence Service), leading to an election being called. (BBC)
The Mali government returns to the northern city of Kidal. (ABC), (Washington Post)

July 12, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

The Moro National Liberation Front kidnaps eight civilians in the Philippines Basilan province later releasing four of them. (Inquirer)
Somali Civil War (2009–present):
- A car bomb explodes near an African Union convoy killing three soldiers. (Capital FM Kenya)

Business and economics

Swedish high-quality crystal glassware producer Orrefors closes down. (Svenska Dagbladet)
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 close at record highs, with the NASDAQ hitting its highest level in ten years. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

The toll of dead and missing people from the 2013 Southwest China floods rises above 40 with Sichuan province worst affected. (Reuters)
9 people are feared dead and 88 are rescued by Australian authorities after a boat carrying asylum seekers capsizes north of Christmas Island. (The Australian)
A commuter train derails in the Paris suburb of Brétigny-sur-Orge with at least eight people dead. (France24) (ITV)
A third person, a critically injured unidentified girl, dies at San Francisco General Hospital of injuries she sustained as a result of the Saturday, July 6, 2013 crash-landing of Asiana Airlines Flight 214, a Boeing 777 (180 were injured, 16 remain hospitalized, including two critical adults; autopsy results will take about 3 weeks). (NBC)
An empty Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner catches fire eight hours after landing at London Heathrow Airport, closing runways for an hour. Another Boeing 787 Dreamliner (Thomson Airways-owned) was forced to return to Britain's Manchester Airport after an unspecified mechanical problem. (MSN)

International relations

The US calls on the Egyptian Army to free deposed president Mohamed Morsi. (BBC)
Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan visits the UN headquarters in New York City to celebrate her 16th birthday with the UN address. (AP via Yahoo! News)

Law and crime

Authorities in Indonesia search for 70 prison inmates who escaped from the Tanjung Gusta prison in North Sumatra province after a prison riot last night. Twelve of the escapees were convicted of terrorism related offences. (AAP via SBS)
In Ireland, the Dáil votes to approve the controversial Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013 (RTÉ)
Two people are killed and one person is wounded during a shooting in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States. A suspect is in custody. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Romanian Transport minister Relu Fenechiu is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for complicity in abuse of power but the decision is not final. (Realitatea TV)

Politics and elections

Supporters and opponents of deposed President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi hold rallies on the first Friday of Ramadan. (Sky News)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announces her resignation to become the President of the University of California. (Los Angeles Times)

July 13, 2013 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

The African Union – United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur confirms that seven peacekeepers were killed and 17 injured in a patrol while returning to their base in Manawashi near Nyala, the capital of Sudan's South Darfur state. (France 24)

Arts and culture

Canadian actor Cory Monteith, of the TV series Glee, is found dead in his Vancouver hotel room. (Canada.com)

Disasters and accidents

At least ten people are killed in Brazil's Minas Gerais state after a bus accident. (AP via New Straits Times)^{[permanent dead link]}
Eighteen people are killed and at least 40 injured after a gravel truck smashes into a bus near Podolsk, Russia. (Rappler)

Law and crime

George Zimmerman is found not guilty in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. (Yahoo! News) (AP via CBC) (USA Today)

Politics and elections

The Bhutanese People's Democratic Party led by Tshering Tobgay wins 32 out of 47 seats in the National Assembly election. (Yahoo! News)

Television

Vortexx Premiere of Bolts and Blip

July 14, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Syria's opposition claims that 200 civilians are trapped in a mosque in a Damascus suburb while fighting rages outside. (CTV)
Unknown attackers kill six people in and near the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. (Press Association via Independent Ireland)
Four policemen are killed in Russia's restless Dagestan region as gunmen open fire on their car. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Typhoon Soulik kills three people in China's Guangdong province after having killed two people in Taiwan. (BBC)

Law and crime

The Mexican Army captures Miguel Treviño Morales, a leader of the Los Zetas criminal gang. (CBS News)

Politics and elections

Protests occur in several American cities following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in relation to the shooting of Trayvon Martin. (AAP via News Limited)

Sport

In athletics, six athletes are announced to have failed drug tests including American Tyson Gay and Jamaican Asafa Powell. (The Guardian)

July 15, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Mexican Drug War
- The Mexican Army captures Miguel Treviño Morales, the supreme leader of Los Zetas drug cartel. (CBS News)
Militants open fire on a bus carrying workers from a cement factory in Arish, Northern Sinai, Egypt, killing three and injuring 17. The gunfire is believed to have been intended for a police vehicle.(AFP via NDTV)
The M23 rebel movement and the Congolese Army are engaged in heavy fighting in the environs of Goma. (BBC)
A car bomb strikes Deir Atiyah, north of Damascus, killing 13. (BBC)

Arts and culture

International linguists announce the discovery of a new language in Australia called Light Warlpiri. (news.com.au)

Business and finance

Asiana Airlines says they will sue Oakland, California television station KTVU for defamation after the station reported the wrong names of the pilots of Asiana Airlines Flight 214. (CNN)
Loblaw Companies Limited, one of Canada's largest supermarket chain owners, agrees to purchase Canada's largest pharmacy retailer Shoppers Drug Mart for almost $12.4 Billion dollars. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Two British soldiers die during a training exercise as they take part in a gruelling selection process for the elite SAS unit on the hottest day of the year. (AFP via News24)

International relations

Thein Sein, the President of Burma (Myanmar) visits the United Kingdom. (The Telegraph via the Brisbane Times)

Law and crime

Indonesian police report that at least 18 people were killed and 47 injured following a riot at a boxing match. (Associated Press via Inquirer) (AFP via Yahoo News South Africa)
A war crimes tribunal finds Bangladeshi ex-politician Ghulam Azam, former leader of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, guilty of war crimes during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. (BBC)
The House of Lords, the upper house of the United Kingdom, approves the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, meaning it will become law, enabling gay marriage in England and Wales to take place from 2014. (BBC)

Sports

Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Céspedes defeats Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals to win the 2013 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby. (ESPN)

July 16, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Pro-government militiamen kill six mediators in the Syrian province of Homs. (BBC)

Business and economy

Unions in Greece call a general strike over new austerity measures. (France 24)
McDonald's announces that it will open its first outlet in Viet Nam early next year, which will be in Ho Chi Minh City, and will be operated by Henry Nguyen, a Vietnamese businessman and the son-in-law of Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. (Marketwatch)

Arts and culture

The British Columbia coroner's office reports that actor Cory Monteith died of an overdose of heroin and alcohol. (MSN)

Disasters and accidents

As many as 27 children die and 25 others are hospitalised after eating lunch served at their school in eastern India. (AFP via News24) (Times of India) Initial indications are that a jar previously used to hold an insecticide was reused for cooking oil and was thus thereby contaminated by organophosphorus. (CNN)

International relations

Panamanian authorities seize North Korean bulk carrier Chong Chon Gang after a missile is found on board. The captain of the ship, which was en route from Cuba, attempted to commit suicide. (BBC News) (USA Today)
South Korea blames North Korea for cyberattacks on government websites last month. (Wall Street Journal)

Law and crime

Clashes continue between Egyptian police and supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi in central Cairo with 22 people injured. (Reuters)
Norwegian black metal musician, Kristian "Varg" Vikernes, and his wife are arrested in France on suspicion of alleged plans for a terrorist act after buying 4 rifles at the same time. (BBC)

Science

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano almost drowns while undertaking a spacewalk on the International Space Station. (ABC News America)

Sport

In baseball, the American League defeats the National League 3–0 in the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game played at Citi Field in New York City. New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, in his final MLB season, is named MVP. (Detroit Free Press)

July 17, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula confirms that its former deputy Said Ali al-Shihri was killed in a US drone strike. (ABC Online)
Protests break out in Egypt when envoys from the European Union visit the country, protesting for Morsi to be brought back to power. (Al Jazeera)
Syrian civil war:
- 1 man and a 15-year-old boy are killed near the Turkish border town of Ceylanpınar after clashes erupted between Al-Nausra and female Kurds of the YPG. (Hurriyet Daily News), (Daily star News)
- 7 people are killed by a car bomb close to Damascus. (Sky News)
A bomb detonates inside a teahouse in Mosul, Iraq killing at least 10 people. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least 58 people are dead and 175 missing in floods in China's Sichuan province. (xinhuanet)
A heat wave settles over the United States with at least one death reported. (AP via Newser)

Law and crime

A Bangladesh war crimes tribunal sentences Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami political party, to death for atrocities committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War. (Reuters)
German authorities indict Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone for alleged bribery. (Guardian)
Same-sex marriage becomes legal in England and Wales after the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill receives Royal Assent. (BBC)
In a new law the United Arab Emirates is offering citizens a gram of gold for every kilogram of weight they lose in an attempt to curb the rising obesity rate in the nation. (NPR)
Asiana Airlines redacts their lawsuit of San Francisco news station KTVU over displaying racist names. (NPR)

Movies

The Movie Premiere of Turbo
From the People Who Brought You Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, The Croods, How to Train Your Dragon and Shrek

Politics and government

Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and his convoy are pelted with stones, coming days after he was suspended from People's Democratic Party, allegedly for lodging his opposition against Goodluck Jonathan. (BBC)
Senior Syrian government official Mohammed Darrar Jamo is shot dead in Sarafand, Lebanon. (BBC)
Thousands of protesters gather outside the Hellenic Parliament in opposition of a new bill that would cut thousands of public sector jobs. (Reuters)
Chilean politician Pablo Longueira withdraws his candidacy for the presidential election, less than a month after winning the primaries of the right-wing coalition. (Reuters)

Science

Researchers from different medical centers at major cities in the United Kingdom, led by Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute and University College London, are embarking on a massive long-term effort to study lung cancer's resistance to treatment by mapping involved genes using patient profiles. (BBC)

July 18, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Eight Afghan labourers are killed on their way to work at a U.S. military base in Logar Province. (BBC)
Indian paramilitary forces shoot dead seven protesters outside a Border Security Force station in Kashmir with dozens injured. (AFP via Ahram Online)

Business and finance

The Dow Jones Industrial Average hits its intraday high of 15,552. (CNN)
With $18.5 billion in debts, the city of Detroit, Michigan files for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, becoming the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. (Detroit Free Press)

Disasters and accidents

A massive wildfire burns over 19,000 acres of forest on and around the San Jacinto Mountains and engulfs numerous buildings including seven homes, prompting the evacuation of Idyllwild-Pine Cove, California. (Reuters)
Steam begins to rise at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant with utility company Tepco saying that it is possibly because of rain and that the levels of radioactivity in the surrounding areas have remained unchanged. (Reuters)

Law and crime

2012 Kunsthal Art theft:
- Romanian investigators find the remains of paint, canvas and nails in the oven of a woman whose son is charged with stealing seven paintings by Picasso, Monet and Matisse from the Kunsthal gallery in October 2012. (AP via Australian)
New Zealand police decide not to proceed with manslaughter charges against the managers of the Pike River Mine over the deaths of 29 workers in the 2010 Pike River Mine disaster. (AFP via Fox News)
Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is convicted of embezzlement from a state-owned timber company. (The Guardian)
The Supreme Court of India has ordered acid sales to be regulated by local and national governments. Acid is mainly used for attacks on people, especially women. (BBC)

Politics and elections

The Hellenic Parliament passes a bill that will cut thousands of public sector jobs. (Reuters)

Science

A study published in The Archives of Diseases in Childhood states that breastfeeding, in addition to its numerous more well-known physical and psychosocial benefits, may increase the infant's future upward mobility. (MSN)

July 19, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- A suicide bombing inside a Sunni mosque in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala kills at least twenty people. (BBC)
Colombian FARC offer to release Kevin Scott Sutay, an American soldier captured last month. (AFP via France 24)

International relations

The Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, announces a plan to settle asylum seekers who come by boat in Papua New Guinea. (The Australian)

Law and justice

Pope Francis names a new Pontifical Commission to investigate current accounting practices among all Vatican offices and bodies and to help devise new strategies for greater fiscal responsibility and fiscal transparency. (Catholic News Service)
A Russian court releases Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny a day after being sentenced for alleged embezzlement. (AP via The Hindu)

Politics and elections

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy returns home to contest the general election after receiving a royal pardon for a conviction in 2009. (AP via Calgary Herald)^{[permanent dead link]}
The Muslim Brotherhood calls for millions of supporters to hold rallies across Egypt two weeks after Mohamed Morsi was deposed as president. (NBC News)

July 20, 2013 (Saturday)

Arts and culture

American veteran journalist Helen Thomas, who covered the White House for nearly five decades, dies at 92. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Two US marine harrier jets forced to drop several unarmed bombs on the world-heritage listed Great Barrier Reef due to an emergency during a training exercise. (news.com.au)
Bihar school meal poisoning incident:
- Police say that a forensic report confirmed the cooking oil contained "very toxic" levels of monocrotophos, an agricultural pesticide. (The Guardian),(BBC)

International relations

Venezuela ends its rapprochement with the United States due to a statement by Samantha Power, nominated to become the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. (AFP via News24)
Israel announces that it will release Palestinian prisoners if peace talks are resumed. (Reuters)
17 government soldiers are killed in an attack by FARC revolutionaries in the Colombian department of Arauca. BBC

Law and crime

Five Costa Crociere employees plead guilty to manslaughter and negligence charges in relation to the Costa Concordia disaster that cost 32 crew and passengers their lives off the coast of Italy. Captain Francesco Schettino is being tried separately. (AP)
A man sets off homemade black powder explosive in Beijing Capital International Airport, injuring himself. No one else was hurt in the explosion. (CNN)
Three female bodies are found in plastic sheets in East Cleveland, Ohio; a 35-year-old sex offender was arrested on suspicion of all three cases, but has not been charged. Police say he may have been influenced by convicted Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell. (Peoria Journal Star)

July 21, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Hundreds of al-Qaeda prisoners escape during armed raids on two Iraqi prisons, including the Baghdad Central Prison (formerly known as Abu Ghraib). (The Telegraph)

Disasters and accidents

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes under Cook Strait in New Zealand, causing moderate damage in the capital city Wellington. (Fairfax NZ)
Fifteen Egyptian Army soldiers are killed and another injured after their bus crashes into a truck on a highway on the Mediterranean coast. (AP via Montreal Gazette)

Law and crime

At least 12 people have been killed or wounded in a clash between two Muslim families in the province of Lanao del Sur in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

Politics and elections

Voters in Japan go to the polls for a House of Councillors (Japan's upper house) election with the governing coalition led by Shinzo Abe winning control of the upper house. (USA Today), (Bloomberg via Business Week)
King Albert II of Belgium abdicates in favour of his son Prince Philippe. (AP)

Sport

In cycling, the 2013 Tour de France finishes today in Paris with Kenyan-born British rider Chris Froome winning his first Tour de France. (ABC News Australia)
In golf, American golfer Phil Mickelson wins the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield in Scotland for the first time. (Al-Jazeera), (AP via The Washington Post)
In motorcycling, the World Superbike Championship race at the Moscow Raceway is cancelled after the Italian rider Andrea Antonelli dies after a crash on the opening lap. (Guardian)

July 22, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Six people – including army officers and policemen – are killed and another eleven wounded in a series of militant attacks in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. (Reuters)
At least 37 people are killed in Iraq amid a two-day spate of suicide bombings and armed prison escapes. (AP via Fox News)

Arts and culture

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, gives birth to a healthy boy, George Alexander Louis. The child, formally known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge, is third in line to the British throne. (BBC) (The Guardian) (New Zealand Stuff) (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

Two earthquakes strike Gansu province, China, killing at least 89 people and injuring over 500. (CNN) (Reuters) (NBC News) (BBC)
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 crash-lands at New York's LaGuardia Airport, injuring ten passengers. (Sky News) (BBC)

International relations

Pope Francis begins a week-long official visit to Brazil, his first foreign trip since assuming the pontificate. (BBC)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees states that there are approximately 625,000 refugees from the Syrian civil war living in Lebanon. (IANS via Vancouver Post)
The European Union announces the addition of the military wing of Hezbollah to its official list of terrorist organizations. (CNN)
The presidents of Colombia and Venezuela meet to resolve a high-level diplomatic dispute. (Reuters)

Law and crime

British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline admits that some of its senior executives in China appear to have broken the law as part of a bribery scandal. (Reuters)
British Prime Minister David Cameron announces plans for every household in the UK to automatically have pornography blocked by their internet service provider, unless they choose otherwise. (BBC)
At least five people are killed and seven injured after criminals open fire on community safety volunteers in the western Mexican state of Michoacan. (AP via Silicon Valley Mercury)
A 76-year-old man is sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2012 murder of a 13-year-old boy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (AP) (Huffington Post)

Science

The United Kingdom experiences its hottest day since July 2006, with a temperature of 33.5C (92.3F) recorded at Heathrow and Northolt in London. (BBC)
American scientists report that dolphins have unique names for one another, which they respond to just as humans do. (National Geographic)

Sports

Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers is suspended without pay for the rest of the season for violating Major League Baseball's drug policies. (USA Today)

July 23, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Nine people are killed in Cairo, Egypt, as fighting between supporters and opponents of former President Mohamed Morsi continues. (BBC)
A bomb kills eight people in Afghanistan's Wardak Province, including three United States Army soldiers, four Afghan National Army soldiers and an Afghan interpreter. (New York Times)

Arts and culture

Tens of thousands of Roman Catholics greet Pope Francis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during his first foreign trip as pontiff. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

A collision between a tour bus and a truck kills at least 19 and injures 22 in Saraburi, Thailand. (Bangkok Post) (BBC)
The Cyclospora parasite sickens more than 250 people in the Midwestern United States as the result of contamination of fresh produce shipped across state lines. The CDC report that eight people have been hospitalized with cyclosporiasis. (NBC)
Japan begins a renewed effort to halt the leak of radioactive material from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (BBC)
Hercules 264, a Gulf of Mexico natural gas drilling rig, partially collapses off the coast of Louisiana after catching fire. (NBC) (Wall Street Journal)

Law and crime

Burma frees dozens of political prisoners as part of the country's ongoing effort at political reform. (Deutsche Welle)
Eighteen Britons are arrested on the Greek island of Crete, following the murder of a male tourist and a violent confrontation between tourists and local police. (BBC)
China announces a five-year ban on the construction of new government buildings, as part of a major effort to curtail state corruption and overspending. (The Guardian)
The Simon Wiesenthal Center begins a public campaign in Germany to bring to justice the last surviving Nazi war criminals from the Second World War. (BBC)
A New York nuclear power plant supervisor is charged with falsifying test results involving emergency generators to prevent the plant from being shut down. (NBC)

Politics and elections

Protesters besiege the Parliament of Bulgaria in Sofia amid major anti-government rallies. (Chicago Tribune)
The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, sacks his entire government, including the Vice President, Riek Machar. (Voice of America)

July 24, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Mexican Drug War:
- Clashes between the Knights Templar Cartel and the Mexican federal police leave 22 dead in the state of Michoacán. According to government press reports, two of the dead were law enforcement officials, while the rest were cartel gunmen. (BBC)
A bomb explodes at a police station in the Egyptian city of Mansoura, the capital of the Dakahlia Governorate, killing at least one person and injuring 17. (Reuters via Hindustan Times)
Four people are killed and at least 40 wounded in a bomb and gun attack on an Inter-Services Intelligence compound in Sukkur, Pakistan. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Wells Fargo of the United States becomes the world's largest bank by market capitalisation, replacing the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China amid an economic slowdown in China. (AFP via France 24)^{[permanent dead link]}

Disasters and accidents

An Australia-bound boat carrying Iranian asylum seekers sinks off the coast of Indonesia, leaving at least three people dead, 157 rescued and an uncertain number missing. (The Australian) (BBC)
A high-speed train carrying 225 passengers derails near Santiago de Compostela, Spain, leaving 80 dead and over 140 injured. It is Spain's deadliest rail incident since the 2004 Madrid train bombings, and the country's worst accidental train disaster since the Torre del Bierzo rail disaster in 1944. (Bloomberg) (El Mundo) (Reuters) (BBC)

Law and crime

A British judge rules that Shrien Dewani will be extradited to South Africa to stand trial for the 2010 murder of Anni Dewani. (Sky News)
At least three prisoners die in a prison riot in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. (BBC)

International relations

Despite earlier reports to the contrary, fugitive NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden remains stranded at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russia. (CNN)

Science

Scientists warn that a massive release of methane resulting from Arctic sea ice decline could cause significant global disruption, potentially costing the world economy an extra US$ 60 trillion to $400 trillion from the effects of global warming and climate change. The full impact of climate change in the Arctic, including, for example, ocean acidification, and altered ocean and atmospheric circulation, will be much greater.(The Independent)(Nature)

July 25, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

The United Nations states that the death toll of the ongoing Syrian civil war has exceeded 100,000. (CNN)

Arts and culture

The Oxford English Dictionary confirms that it will change the definition of the word "marriage" to include the LGBT community. (Daily Mail)

Business and economy

China begins a major effort to boost its economic growth with business tax breaks and export liberalization, amid an increasing industrial slowdown. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Santiago de Compostela derailment:
- Mariano Rajoy, the Prime Minister of Spain, declares three days of national mourning for the 78 people killed in the derailment, Spain's worst train accident since 1944. (RTE)
- The driver of the Alvia high-speed train involved in the accident is arrested, as investigations show that the train was travelling at more than double the local speed limit at the time of the crash. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Mohamed Brahmi, the leader of the Tunisian People's Movement, is fatally shot outside his house in Tunis, sparking clashes between police and protesters. (BBC)
Disgraced Chinese Communist Party official Bo Xilai is charged with corruption and abuse of office, in the culmination of one of China's most significant political scandals in recent years. (Financial Times)
A New Jersey attorney announces the largest alleged commercial hacking and data breach scheme ever prosecuted in the United States. (AP via Fox News)

Politics and elections

Togolese parliamentary election, 2013
- Voters in Togo go to the polls for a parliamentary election, which was delayed from October 2012 due to mass protests. (BBC)

Science

British scientists discover the mechanism which causes human allergy to cats, and state that a general cure for the condition could become available within five years. (Daily Mail)

July 26, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Aftermath of the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état:
- Mass rival demonstrations are held across Egypt three weeks after Mohamed Morsi was deposed as president in a military coup d'état. At least eight people die and hundreds are injured in violence during the rallies. (Reuters) (BBC) (Times of Israel) (Al-Jazeera)
At least 57 people are killed in a marketplace bombing in Parachinar, Pakistan. (BBC)

Business and economy

A general strike is called in Tunisia following the assassination of opposition leader Mohamed Brahmi on July 25. (AP via Fox News)

Disasters and accidents

Landslides caused by heavy rain kill at least nine people and trap eight others south of Dingxi, China. (AP via Fox News)
A state of emergency is declared in Ireland as torrential rain floods a hospital in the north-west of the country and shuts roads and other transport links in the east. (RTÉ)
Qatar Airways grounds one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners following a "minor" technical issue, as pressure mounts on Boeing over possible new electrical problems with the newly released jet. (Reuters)
Large storm causing 97 mph winds and heavy rain hit Albuquerque NM. This storm cut power to large portions of the city and causes heavy flooding for the area [2]

Law and crime

Police in Spain formally detain the driver of a high-speed train that derailed and crashed in Santiago de Compostela, killing 78, on July 24. The driver is accused of manslaughter and reckless driving. (BBC) (The Guardian)
Ariel Castro, a 53-year-old man charged with the kidnappings of three women from Cleveland, Ohio, between 2002 and 2004, is sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after accepting a plea deal with prosecutors. (BBC)
Swiss bank UBS AG pays $885m in a settlement with American regulators over allegations that the bank misrepresented mortgage-backed bonds during the pre-2007 housing bubble, paving the way for billions more to be paid by other banks. (Reuters)
A gunman kills six people in Hialeah, Florida, and gets fatally shot by police. (Los Angeles Times)

Sports

Large-scale athletic events are held in London on the anniversary of the 2012 Summer Olympics. (Daily Telegraph)

July 27, 2013 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Aftermath of the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état:
- Over 100 people are killed and around 1,500 injured in a violent crackdown against protesters in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. (BBC) (The Guardian)
At least six people are killed and 37 injured in a bomb blast in Cagayan De Oro City, Philippines. (ABS-CBN News Online)

Disasters and accidents

Three people are killed and several more are injured, some critically, after a bus overturns outside Indianapolis, Indiana. (NBC)

Law and crime

More than 1,000 inmates escape from prison in Benghazi, Libya. (AFP via Raw Story)

Politics and elections

Voters in Kuwait go to the polls for a general election, with Shiite candidates losing half their parliamentary seats. (Al-Arabiya) (AFP via The Telegraph)

Sports

In horse racing, the German horse Novellist wins the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. (BBC)

July 28, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal)
- A suicide bombing in the Iraqi town of Tuz Khormato kills at least eight policemen. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

A bus returning 48 pilgrims from a weekend visit to the shrine of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, in San Giovanni Rotondo, goes off a bridge east of Naples, in Avellino Province, killing 39 people (including some children), and injuring at least 9 others. (English News CN)

International relations

In a first, India has offered a $100-million credit line to Vietnam to purchase military equipment. It will be used for purchasing four patrol boats. (The Hindu)

Law and crime

Francisco José Garzón Amo, the driver of the train involved in the Santiago de Compostela derailment, is charged with 79 counts of manslaughter in a Spanish court. (USA Today)

Politics and elections

Voters in Cambodia go to the polls for a general election with the governing Cambodian People's Party led by Prime Minister Hun Sen claiming victory amidst opposition claims of widespread irregularities. (BBC) (News Limited)
Voters in Mali go to the polls for a presidential election. (BBC)
The Togolese electoral commission releases official results for the recent parliamentary election with President Faure Gnassingbe's Union for the Republic party winning 62 of 91 seats with the Opposition threatening to challenge the results. (AP via Houston Chronicle)

Sports

In soccer news, the United States defeats Panama by a score of 1-0 to win the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. (CONCACAF)

July 29, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Iraqi insurgency (2011–13):
- A wave of twelve car bombs targeting Shiite communities in Iraq kills at least 44 people. (Reuters)
War in North-West Pakistan:
- The Pakistani Taliban attacks a prison in the Pakistani city of Dera Ismail Khan with more than 300 prisoners freed. (Times of India)

Disasters and accidents

2013 Pacific hurricane season: Tropical Storm Flossie is predicted to make a rare landfall in the US island state of Hawaii with warnings of heavy rain with the potential for flooding and landslides. (AP)
A building explosion and collapse in Philadelphia causes injuries to at least eight people. (CNN) (MyFoxPhilly)
Two passenger trains collide in the Swiss municipality of Granges-près-Marnand near Lausanne resulting in dozens of injuries including four serious injuries. (RT)
Seven people have been injured following a series of explosions at a propane plant in the US town of Tavares in central Florida. (Fox News), (BBC), (AP via Vancouver Post)
Five people died and a woman was injured in a helicopter crash, in Romania (Puterea.ro)^{[clarification needed]}^{[unreliable source?]}

International relations

The New Zealand Ministry of Defence announces that it will investigate claims that it collected telephone metadata on Jon Stephenson, a freelance journalist for The McClatchy Company in Afghanistan. (AP via MyFox Phoenix)

Law and crime

€103 million worth of diamonds and other jewels are stolen from the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel in Cannes, in one of Europe's biggest jewelry heists in recent years. (AP via News24)
FBI announces the arrests of 150 suspects, during a three-day sweep that took place in 76 cities across the United States, on charges of child sex-trafficking. (Reuters)

Sports

In association football, former Birmingham City and Club América striker Christian Benítez dies of cardiac arrest complications in a hospital in Qatar. Having won the championship in Mexico, Benítez signed with El Jaish SC. (Excélsior)

July 30, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- 28 people are killed in a series of explosions targeting bars in the northern Nigerian city of Kano. (BBC)
Syrian civil war:
- 17 people are killed and 26 wounded in a mortar attack in the government held district of Homs and the town of Dablan (ABC) (The Times of Israel)
- A car bomb kills Syrian Kurdish politician Isa Huso outside his home near the Turkish border. (Reiters)
134 people are reported to have been killed in a new wave of violence between two rival tribes in Sudan's Darfur region. (Voice of America)

Arts and culture

Vietnam’s Ministry of Justice, Hà Hùng Cường, becomes the second government ministry, after the Health Ministry, to back plans to legalize same-sex marriage in Vietnam, when he submits a draft of an amended Law on Marriage and Family to the government. (Gaystarnews)

Business and economy

Fiat wins at least a partial victory in Delaware Chancery Court, but the judge declines its invitation to order a United Autoworkers affiliated trust to sell its Chrysler shares to the Italian company. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least nine children are killed and another twenty injured after their school bus collides with a truck in the Indian city of Hanumangarh in Rajasthan state. (AP via ABC News America)
A mass funeral is held near the southern Italian town of Pozzuoli for the 38 victims of Sunday's bus crash. (BBC News) (CNN)
Eight people are injured in a gas explosion in the US state of Florida. (BBC)
The driver of a train that derailed in Spain last week, killing 79 people, is reported to have been on the phone with railway staff when the train crashed, possibly distracting him shortly before the crash, expert say. (CNN)
Honduras declares a state of emergency after an outbreak of dengue fever kills 16 people and sickens 12,000. (AP via CTV News)

International relations

US Secretary of State, John Kerry, announces that Israeli and Palestinian officials have agreed to resume negotiations for a peace agreement. (The Jerusalem Post) (CNN) (The Telegraph)
EU Foreign Affairs head, Catherine Ashton meets with deposed President Mohamed Morsi at an undisclosed location and confirms he is in good health, while Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood supporters call for continued demonstrations against the new regime. (The Times of Israel) (The Telegraph) (UPI)

Law and crime

In United States v. Bradley Manning, Bradley Manning is acquitted of aiding the enemy for giving classified United States Army information to WikiLeaks. Manning is found guilty of five espionage charges and five theft charges. (CNN)(The Guardian)
JPMorgan Chase settles with the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for $410M due to alleged manipulation of energy markets in California and the Midwest. (Bloomberg)
The United States Department of the Treasury issues sanctions to three Mexican nationals linked to the Sinaloa Cartel for laundering money for the drug lords Ismael Zambada García and Joaquín Guzmán Loera. The Kingpin Act sanctions prohibit Americans to do any kind of business with them. (The Wall Street Journal)
Raif Badawi, the editor of a Saudi Arabian website to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia, is sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes for founding an Internet forum that "violates Islamic values and propagates liberal thought." (Reuters via New York Daily News)

Politics and elections

Mamnoon Hussain is elected as the 12th President of Pakistan. (Geo)

July 31, 2013 (Wednesday)