Current Events for the Week of 19 September 2011
Current Events for Monday, 19 September 2011
- U.S. Department of State accuses Pakistan of complicity with Haqqani network in Kabul siege
- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presses Pakistani equal in three-and-one-half-hour meeting over Haqqani network
- Medical study: child abuse incidents rise in recession
- Moody’ Investors Service (Moody’s) maintains negative outlook on state, local economies
- Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) fails to agree to cabinet
- World Bank report: gender equality has economic benefit
- At least 20 killed as unknown gunmen open-fire at Bujumbura, Burundi bar
- Xinhua news agency: Zhejiang province solar panel factory shut-down after violent protests over its environmental impact
- China Medical University Hospital in Taichung study shows patients with schizophrenia are six times more likely to also suffer from epilepsy
- U.S. sweet light crude oil prices fall $1.14 to $86.82 per barrel, Brent crude falls $0.95 to $117.27 per barrel on Eurozone fears
- South Korean financial regulators shut seven savings banks citing their weak financial state
- At least eight killed in Karachi bomb attack aimed at Pakistani police
- Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia—Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army) rebels attack Norte de Santander province police station, injure eight
- BBC-GlobeScan poll of 19 countries shows 49% support Palestinian statehood in U.N.
- At least 26 Yemeni protesters killed by security forces in Sana’a anti-government march
- U.S. lawmakers considering legislation to protect privacy, security of private data “in the cloud”
- Republican leaders attack U.S. President Barack Obama’s (D.) “Buffet tax” on millionaires, label it “class warfare”
- Lawyer for two American hikers being held in Iran: Iranian judge won’t sign release order until Tuesday
- Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, cabinet meet to discuss more austerity measures
- Swiss bank UBS AG raises “rogue” losses to $2.3 billion
- German center-left Social Democrats beat ruling conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in regional elections, sixth consecutive electoral set-back for Chancellor Angela Merkel
- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton (D.) to organize philanthropic summit, push for corporations and non-profits to hire
- Libyan NTC forces repelled by forces loyal to ousted President Muammar al-Gaddafi in Bani Walid
- U.S. National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) investigating crash of World War II-era fighter plane at Nevada air race that killed nine
- Mid-East Quartet—i.e., European Union (E.U.), Russia, U.N., U.S.—to meet in New York, seek solution to current Palestinian statehood crisis
- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to demand U.N. recognition of Palestine personally
- General Motors Co., United Auto Workers (UAW) agree to new contract
- Auction of online video site Hulu.com slowed by developments, puts entire sale at risk
- Davis-Monthan Air Force Base briefly locked-down after “potential security situation” identified
- American consumer outlook up, but lowest in 31-years
- At least seven killed in Nepal, northern India after 6.8-magnitude earthquake rocks Himalayan range
- Egyptian military announces 21 November for beginning of first free elections since ousting of President Hosni Mubarrak
- U.N. launches $365 million plea for aid to Pakistani flooding
- Pakistani soliders, Taliban fighters exchange fire in fight for crashed U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, “drone”)
- Irish political party Sinn Féin announces deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness will be their nominee for the Irish presidency
- Malagasy political leaders sign deal for new elections within a year, return of ousted leader Marc Ravalomanana
- Sony Inc. to require gamers to waive right to collectively sue company to use PlayStation Network (PSN)
- Nigerien army patrol attacks convoy carrying suspected al-Qaeda militants
- Amnesty International urges Eritrean government to release 11 former top politicians being held without trial for the last decade
Current Events for Tuesday, 20 September 2011
- Death toll rises as Yemeni security forces shell protester camp, at least 58 dead
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) probing trades made just previous to Standard & Poor’s (S&P) downgrading of U.S. credit rating
- Brazil seeks to aid Eurozone through International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- Taiwan continues to push U.S. for latest generation of General Dynamics’ F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets
- International lenders press Greece to shrink scope, size of state as way of avoiding default
- Swiss parliament applies dual-prong pressure to UBS AG as center-left party pushes for ban of risky investing, lower house approves bill to raise capital requirements
- S&P downgrades Italian unsolicited ratings by one notch, keeps outlook negative
- U.S. President Obama lays-out $3.6 trillion deficit plan, rise in taxes for those making over $1 million per year
- U.S. Senate begins debate on three waylayed trade bills
- 10 U.S.C. §654 (“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” DADT) set to expire today
- Secretary of the United States Air Force (USAF) Michael Donley reaffirms commitment to troubled Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II “Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)” as U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) considers further delays
- Top U.S. intelligence officials: U.S. intelligence community still lacks basic language-skilled analysts for troubled regions
- Obama administration plan to save U.S. Postal Service (USPS) would cut Saturday home mail delivery
- News International Ltd. to pay-out $4.7 million to settle mobile phone hacking accusations
- E.U. to urge China to boost production, Japan and U.S. to fix their own economic woes to help global finances
- Netflix Inc. splits digital video disc (DVD) mail rentals, online streaming content
- Netflix chief executive officer (CEO) Reed Hastings aplogizes to customers via email, Youtube appeal
- U.S. National Association of Home Builders (NAHB): home builder sentiment fell in September
- Tyco International Ltd. announces three-way business split, stocks jump 4%
- Four earthquakes shake Guatemala, killing at least one
- British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg: U.K. unlikely to become euro (€) member “in his lifetime”
- Indian rescue workers struggling to reach Sikkim earthquake affected
- Dozens killed in Chinese flooding
- Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) update: nine of 137 developing nations to meet goals to improve health of women, children
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offers direct peace talks with Palestinian President Abbas in move to forestall bid for Palestianian statehood recognition in the U.N.
- Thirty-two prisoners in three Veracruz prisons escape in major operation
- U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals rules José Padilla’s 17-year prison sentence for terrorism-related offenses “too short”
- Zambians vote in what is expected to be a very tight presidential election
- Bangladeshi police fire rubber bullets, tear gas at Islamist protesters in Dhaka
- Syrian security forces continue crackdown on protesters, U.N. brings deathtoll to 2,700
- Iran arrests six over “BBC links”
- Cyprus begins oil, natural gas drilling in eastern Mediterranean despite Turkish opposition
- Sudan, South Sudan agree to set-up 10 border crossings
- Facebook, Twitter closer to integration
- World Health Organization (WHO) announces plan to fight “lifestyle” killers, like heart disease
- Explosion rocks Ankara, cause unknown
- U.S. President Obama: “This isn’ class warfare; this is math.”
- Is Texas Governor Rick Perry (R.) too conservative for “purple” America?
Current Events for Wednesday, 21 September 2011
- U.S. accuses Pakistani Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of using Haqqani Network as “proxy” for war
- U.S. President Obama to meet Palestinian President Abbas, personally ask him to withdraw demand for U.N. recognition of Palestine
- U.S. Republican lawmakers “stepping-up” probe of energy loans to bankrupt Solyndra Corp.
- Solyndra Corp. executives expected to “plead the Fifth” in congressional hearings
- Europe expected to come-under heavy Group of Twenty (G20) pressure at meeting this week
- U.S. Federal Reserve looks ready to launch fresh effort to invigorate faltering U.S. recovery, embarking on what could be the first in series of incremental steps to foster stronger growth
- IMF: Europe “behind the curve”
- U.S. prosecutors label online poker site Full Tilt Poker “global Ponzi scheme”
- Poll woes do not slow U.S. President Obama’s reelection fundraising
- Governor Perry speaks at New York Jewish group, denounces U.S. President Obama’s “appeasement” of the Palestinians
- Afghan peace envoy, former President Burhanuddin Rabbani killed by suicide bomber in Kabul
- U.S. embassy in Kabul issues “duck and cover” alarm due to security concern
- Greece vows to cut state jobs as way to alleviate economic pressure
- U.S. Department of Commerce: housing starts dropped more than expected in August, underscores deep economic woes
- Thirty-five corpses found in two Veracruz trucks
- Pakistani sectarian group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claims Tuesday gun attacks in western Pakistan which killed 29
- Powerful Typhoon Roke makes landfall in Japan, heading towards crippled Fukushima region
- Tokyo Electoric Power Company (TEPCO) considering layoffs as part of financial restructuring plan
- German police still trying to unravel mystery of 15-year-old male who walked into Berlin City Hall on 5 September, claiming to have lived in a nearby forest for five years
- Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta prepares to present case at International Criminal Court (ICC), accused of crimes against humanity in 2007 election
- Indian Planning Commission: half-a-dollar per day is “adequate” for a villager to spend on food, education, health
- British Heart Foundation study: vehicle exhaust exposure raises heart attack risk for six hour “window”
- Rising value of yen (¥) hurting Japanese exports
- Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole refuses to commute Troy Davis’ death sentence
- Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) stays Lee Foster’s, Dwayne Buck’s Texas executions
- WHO confirms Chinese polio outbreak
- Sana’a ceasefire declared after Yemeni security forces shell protester camp
- IMF cuts growth forecast for U.K.
- Google Inc. confirms social media site Google+ open to all users
- South Korean nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac to meet with his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong-ho, in Beijing, meeting to focus on restarting stalled nuclear talks
- African Union (A.U.) recognizes NTC as de facto Libyan government
- U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals lifts ban on Ecuadorans collecting damages totalling $18.2 billion from Chevron Corp. over Amazonian oil pollution
- Largest Japanese defense firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) confirms its servers were hit by several hacking attempts
- Libyan NTC advancing on pro-Gaddafi forces in Sabha
- Iranian lawyer Masoud Shafie: American hikers to be freed today
- Beltway talk still focusing on Ron Suskind’s Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President
Current Events for Thursday, 22 September 2011
- SCOTUS refuses to stay Troy Davis execution, goes-on as planned; time of death: 11:08pm
- U.S. Federal Reserve warns of “significant risks” to already weak U.S. economy, launches new plan—Operation Twist—to lower long-term borrowing costs and bolster battered housing market, cost estimated at $400 billion
- Reuters economic poll: Wall Street sees 15% chance U.S. Federal Reserve’s “twist” program working
- Global shares drop on U.S. Federal Reserve plan
- South Korean Yonhap news agency: North Korea, U.S. look to start new round of nuclear talks
- Released American hikers change plans, head to Oman first
- Palestinian President Abbas: Palestinians will push forward with statehood bid, despite U.S. objection
- U.S. House of Representatives (House) unexpectedly defeats government spending bill 195-230
- Greece sharpens austerity measures, IMF warns over bank solvency
- Greek unions call for 24-hour public transport strike to protests
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit throws-out case against U.S. security contactors brought by Iraqis held at Abu Ghraib prison
- American billionaire Warren Buffett to headline $38,500 per plate fundraiser for U.S. President Obama next month in Chicago
- U.S. Department of Commerce: existing home sales up, prices still low
- Major fire at Mumbai textile factory kills at least four
- Free lunch laced with rat poison at Peruvian school kills three, sickens dozens
- China hits-out at Taiwan-U.S. fighter jet deal
- Google Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt denies allegations search engine giant “cooks” results in congressional hearing
- In landmark U.N. address, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff demands greater role for developing nations in international institutions
- U.S. quietyl, without fanfare introducing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, “drone”) strikes in Horn of Africa to fight terrorism, piracy
- U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’ (NASA) Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) continues downward spiral to Earth
- Syrian forces kill at least five anti-government protesters in Homs crackdown
- Forbes Magazine List of U.S.’s richest people released, top five:
- Bill Gates, $59 billion
- Warren Buffett, $39 billion
- Larry Ellison, $33 billion
- Charles Koch, $25 billion
- David Koch, $25 billion
- China executes Pakistani Zahid Husain Shah for drug trafficking
- Satellite tags confirm bowhead whales are using Northwest Passage
- Close ally of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Valentina Matviyenko, elected to chair the upper house of the State Duma, the Federation Council
- At least three anti-goverment protesters killed as Yemeni ceasefire breached
- American motion picture director Steven Spielberg announces his biopic on former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln will be delayed until after 2012 presidential election
- U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee ties U.S. aid to Pakistan to fighting the Haqqani Network
- Thousands of police deployed in Dhaka to maintain calm during dawn to dusk general strike
- Governor Perry: former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R.) “Obama-lite”
- Washington, D.C. Police Department: foreign diplomats’ unpaid parking tickets total $500,000
- Former U.S. President Clinton: no new taxes or spending cuts “until we get this economy off the ground”
- USA Today/Gallup survey: more Americans blaming U.S. President Obama on economy
- U.S. Department of Justice audit highlights government waste
Current Events for Friday, 23 September 2011
- U.S. House Republicans regroup and pass spending bill 219-203, Democrats vow U.S. Senate will not pass it
- Dutch economist, European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council member Klaas Knot: Greek default “not impossible”
- Second of five U.S. soldiers accused of killing innocent Afghan civilians pleads guilty to murder
- European shares inch-up from 26-month low, euros (€) rise on word G20 to work to preserve financial stability
- Governor Perry’s immigration policies take heavy fire at Florida Republican debate sponsored by Fox News and Google
- U.S. President Obama demands U.S. Congress pass the American Jobs Act quickly while stumping at rusting, dilapidated bridge connecting U.S. House Speaker John Boehner’s (R., OH) home state of Ohio, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’ (R., KY) of Kentucky
- In bid to restore investor confidence, Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) removes harshly criticized CEO Leo Apotheker, replaces with former eBay Inc. CEO Meg Whitman
- Pakistan finally weighs-in on recent harsh language from Washington, D.C., warns of “losing an ally”
- Leaders of congressional “super committee” square-off over necessity of tax increases
- New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) shares collapse 3%, global stocks fall 4%
- Americans filed less claims for jobless benefits last week, recession fears remain
- Developing nations considering more aid to Europe, finance ministers for the so-called BRICS—i.e., Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa—meet
- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh makes surprising return to Yemen after spending three months in Saudi Arabia recovering from assassination attempt
- Tens of thousands student protesters demanding free public education clash with police in Chile
- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gives speech at U.N., claims he doubts planes crashing into the former World Trade Centers on 9/11 could cause them to collapse, E.U., U.S. stage U.N. walk-out
- University of East Anglia study: females become more promiscuous in inbred situations
- Opposition leader Michael Sata declared winner in close Zambian presidential election, defeats incumbent Presidentia Rupiah Banda
- Nike, Inc. meets profit expectations, shares jump more than 5% in after-hours-trading
- Facebook outlines plans to become online media hub
- Libyan NTC fighters take pro-Gaddafi town of Sabha
- Ugandan Constitutional Court orders former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel commander Thomas Kwoyelo released, given amnesty
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Gallup surveys show more than one million young Americans gained health insurance last year due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)
- U.S. NASA refines UARS crash time to sometime this evening
- Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Germany on first official state visit to his native land
- U.S. Census Bureau data: young Americans hit hardest by recession, highest unemployment rate since World War II
- The Washington Post/ABC News poll: U.S. President Obama’s “strongly favorable” support among black voters falls from 83% to 58%