Portal:Current events/2008 August 27

August 27, 2008 (Wednesday)

A flaw in the internet's Border Gateway Protocol that was described ten years ago now "can be used to invisibly eavesdrop on all traffic originating from a particular set of IP blocks." (Ars Technica)
U.S. presidential election: Democratic National Convention
- Senator Barack Obama is formally selected by acclamation as the nominee of the Democratic Party. Senator Joe Biden is formally selected as the vice presidential Democratic nominee in the same manner by acclamation. (AP via Google News)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
As many as 71 illegal immigrants are feared drowned after their boat sinks in the Mediterranean off the coast of Malta. (BBC News)
The Dalai Lama cancels two international trips (Mexico & Dominican Republic) to undergo medical tests due to "exhaustion". (AP via USA Today)
2008 South Ossetia war:
- David Cameron threw his weight behind international condemnation of Russia with a call for the suspension of European negotiations with the superpower. (The Guardian)
- A Russian armoured personnel carrier raced down the road to where Georgian policemen were manning their checkpoint at the village of Mosabruni, just inside South Ossetia. (BBC News)
- Georgia PM: War damage is estimated at $1 billion. (Forbes)
- Georgia is minimizing the level of diplomatic co-operation with Russia, recalling all but two diplomats from Moscow. (Xinhua)(Civil Georgia)
- French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is expressing concern that Russia, riding high after its victories in Georgia, may target other neighbors, such as Moldova and Ukraine. (USA Today)
- Russia's MICEX Index fell to its lowest level since September 2006 on Tuesday after President Dmitry Medvedev's recognized South Ossetia's and Abkhazia's independence, and the ruble tumbled to a seven-month low against the U.S. dollar. (Moscow Times)
- Russia will be looking for unambiguous support from Asian nations, including China, in its standoff with the West over South Ossetia and Abkhazia when the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meets Thursday in Dushanbe. (Moscow Times)
- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has condemned Russia's 'unacceptable' decision to recognise the Georgian rebel regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. (RTE)
- British Foreign Secretary David Miliband warns Russia against starting a new Cold War. (The Independent) (Sky News)
- U.S. aid arrives in tense Georgia. (CNN)
- The United States condemns the decision by the Russian President to recognize as independent states the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. (Rustavi 2)
- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said on August 27 Beijing was "concerned of the latest development in South Ossetia and Abkhazia." (Civil)
Hijackers of a Sudanese Boeing 737 free all 100 passengers at Kufra Airport in Libya but hold on to the flight crew. (AFP via Google News)
Thousands of protesters storm the Thai Prime Minister's office and other government buildings, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. (Reuters)
22 are killed after Hurricane Gustav makes landfall over Haiti. (AP via Yahoo! News)
An earthquake with a claimed magnitude of 9.0 occurred off the southern coast of Lake Baikal. It was felt strongly in Baykalsk and Slyudyanka, two towns in Slyudyansky District, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. (Information agency The city of News; in Russian language)