Portal:Current events/2009 July 29

July 29, 2009 (Wednesday)

Nigerian battles
- The death toll in Nigeria's worst violence since November 2008 reaches over 250. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- Boko Haram members flee Maiduguri after the military storms their leader's base and overruns their enclave. (BBC)
São Tomé and Príncipe signs a loan deal with former colonial power Portugal aimed at anchoring the dobra to the euro. (BBC)
Moldova goes to the polls for a parliamentary election, with an exit poll suggesting a setback for the Communist Party. (Boston Globe) (BBC) (Reuters) (The Moscow Tkmes) (Time)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Massoud Barzani is re-elected President of Kurdistan. (IOL)
Guinea-Bissau former leader Malam Bacai Sanhá wins a presidential run-off to decide who replaces the assassinated João Bernardo Vieira. (BBC)
A car bomb explodes outside a police barracks in the northern Spanish city of Burgos, injuring dozens of people. (RTÉ) (Sky News)
An Internet blog belonging to a group calling itself "al-Qaeda Organisation Indonesia" claims responsibility for the July 17 Jakarta hotel bombings. (IOL)
Iran announces it is to put 20 people detained during protests on trial after the disputed presidential election. (Xinhua) (AFP)
Venezuela "freezes" diplomatic relations with Colombia, after a dispute over Swedish weapons bought by Venezuela were allegedly found on FARC rebels. (Colombia Reports) (El Universal)^{[permanent dead link‍]} (BBC)
Dozens of people are arrested at opposition rallies in Kyrgyzstan, protesting against the disputed presidential election. (Press TV) (AFP) (The Straits Times)
China announces it will reduce its use of the death penalty for all but the most serious crimes. (China Daily) (Reuters India) (BBC)
The trial of Sudanese journalist and United Nations worker Lubna Ahmed Hussein, who faces 40 lashes for wearing trousers, is adjourned. (BBC)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy claims he is fine after his fainting fit. (IOL)
The International Monetary Fund says it will take "unprecedented" measures to help poor countries cope with the economic downturn. (BBC)
Cuba and Russia sign a deal which allows Russia to begin oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. (BBC)
A rocket is launched from Kazakhstan carrying two British-built satellites designed to help monitor natural disasters. (BBC)