Portal:Current events/2009 August 5
August 5, 2009 (Wednesday)
- The 40th Pacific Islands Forum leaders' meeting opens in Cairns, Australia. (RNZI)
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is officially sworn in as President of Iran for a second term. (Press TV) (BBC)
- The funeral of Corazon Aquino, the first female President of an Asian country and the Philippines, takes place in the Philippines. (CNN)
- Brazilian President Lula da Silva says his country is “now advising the International Monetary Fund, IMF”. (MercoPress)
- Bolivian President Evo Morales expresses concern in La Paz about the possibility that the “Pinochetistas” in Chile and the “fascist right” in Argentina could win the general elections in those countries and that it "would be very serious for Latin American democracy and for South America". (MercoPress)
- Iraq's government announces that all Bremer walls will be removed from Baghdad within forty days. (BBC)
- 11 men drown when a boat sinks on the Nile near Khartoum, Sudan. (IOL)
- Two United States journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who had been detained by North Korea, return home with former U.S. President Bill Clinton. (CNN)
- Former Madagascar leader Marc Ravalomanana is hopeful that a relaunch of peace talks between the country's rival factions will bring progress toward a return of political stability. (IOL)
- A dog featured in an American film called I Love You, Man, which was named after assassinated Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat, leads to a court case as bloggers complain that their country has been insulted. (BBC)
- Fourteen people are shot at a women's dance class in LA Fitness gymnasium in Collier Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Three women die, as does the gunman. (BBC News)
- Eight people are injured when an Airbus A320 plane catches fire on one of its engines at Paris-Orly Airport. The fire is quickly brought under control. (Reuters) (BBC News)
- Three more men are charged with plotting a suicide attack on a military base in Australia. (BBC News)
- Ireland's Health Service Executive threatens several pharmacies with High Court injunctions if they do not adhere with their contracts to dispense drugs. (The Irish Times) (RTÉ)
- Part-nationalised UK lender Lloyds Banking Group reports pre-tax losses of £4 billion for the first half of this year. (Sky News)
- Chansa Kabwela, the news editor of the The Post, goes on trial in Zambia after being accused of distributing obscene images. (BBC) (IOL)
- Police fire teargas at protesters rallying in support of Lubna al-Hussein, the Sudanese woman facing 40 lashes for wearing trousers in public. (IOL)
- A court in Moscow opens a new trial into the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. (RIA Novosti) (BBC) (AFP)
- A Chinese teenager sent to an internet addiction rehabilitation camp is allegedly beaten to death by its counsellors. (BBC) (Global Times)
- The United States White House defends its decision to award its Presidential Medal of Freedom to former President of Ireland Mary Robinson. (Irish Examiner) (The Irish Times) (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- Austrian police probe the shooting of two adolescents who allegedly broke into a supermarket and died by police. (Deutsche Welle)
- An anthem sung by FC Schalke 04's fans draws Islamic protests because of its reference to the Prophet Muhammad. (BBC)
- Romanians who fled Belfast following racist attacks return to Northern Ireland. (BBC) (The Irish Times)
- Belgian Justice Minister Stefaan De Clerck is under fire after three men with criminal records escape from a courthouse in Brussls. The escape follows the helicopter breakout of three inmates, including one of Belgium's most dangerous criminals, and the ladder breakout of six more convicts all in the space of twelve days. (Deutsche Welle)
- Former Argentine President Fernando de la Rúa is indicted in a bribery case. (MercoPress)
- Former Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands Timothy P. Villagomez is sentenced to seven years in prison for political corruption. (Sapain Tribune)
- Thirty-three people are reported missing following the sinking of the Princess Ashika ferry in Tonga. (RNZI)