Portal:Current events/2010 June 24

June 24, 2010 (Thursday)

One person dies and another two are injured when a shell left over from the Vietnam War explodes in the central province of Quang Ngai. (Thanhnien News)
The death toll in Brazilian storms rises to 46 in Brazil's Alagoas and Pernambuco states. (Xinhua)
A parcel bomb delivered to the public order ministry in Athens, addressed to counter-terrorism minister Michalis Chrysohoidis, is opened by an aide, instantly killing him; Chrysohoidis is unhurt. Prime Minister George Papandreou labels it a terrorist attack. (BBC) (Aljazeera) (The Daily Telegraph) (The Guardian)
Belgian authorities raid their country's Catholic Church HQ during an investigation into child sexual abuse as rumours circulate about a cover-up. (BBC) (The Guardian) (Aljazeera) (The New York Times) (RTÉ) (The Age)
Rescue workers continue the search for hundreds of people who have disappeared during floods in Brazil. (Aljazeera)
At least twelve people are killed, and 17 more people are injured, in a train accident in Castelldefels, near Barcelona. (El País) (BBC News)
A Knesset parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe, led by Yohanan Plesner, seeks to block a key vote intent on establishing an international probe into the Gaza flotilla raid. (The Jerusalem Post)
Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd steps down after his leadership is contested following considerable drops in popularity in polls in recent months. Julia Gillard becomes Australia's first female Prime Minister. (SMH)
Several people are killed during suicide attacks and bombings across Iraq. (Aljazeera)
Public sector workers strike in their millions across France. (The Age) (Aljazeera) (BBC) (The Independent) (RTÉ)
President Hu Jintao of China arrives in Ottawa on a three-day state visit to Canada. The two countries sign a tourism agreement. (Global Times)
Five American men are jailed for 10 years in Pakistan after being arrested in possession of maps of sensitive locations. The men deny they have links to militants and say they are charity workers. The verdict is announced inside a prison in the presence of American diplomats. (BBC) (Xinhua) (Aljazeera) (The Guardian)
Organisers of a fresh aid flotilla to Gaza cancel the event due to what they describe as "Israeli threats", while the United States Department of State issues a statement calling aid flotillas to Gaza "irresponsible". (Haaretz) (Ynetnews)
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon states as "illegal and unhelpful" the plan to demolish Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem to make way for a tourist park. (BBC)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East commissioner-general Filippo Grandi questions the fine print of Israel's promise to ease its blockade on Gaza, citing parts which are unclear and saying it is "urgent, because the conditions are very bad on the ground". (Daily Times)
Hooded gunmen kill 4 commuters in Philippines. (CBS)
Burundi's defence minister Germain Niyoyankana says he hopes opposition leader Agathon Rwasa has not gone into hiding as this is banned. Rwasa, an ex-rebel chief, signed a peace deal in 2009. A spokesman says he has only gone on holiday for 15 days. (BBC)
During a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, Austria's Chancellor Werner Faymann calls on him to lift the Gaza Strip embargo. (Austrian Independent)
Somaliland is set to go to the polls with its president facing a challenge to be reelected. (Aljazeera)
Russia's natural gas export monopoly Gazprom announces that it will restart gas supply to Belarus in full following payment of the debt. (Reuters)
Bridgeport, Connecticut in the United States is put under a state of emergency when hurricane-force winds from a strong storm went through, causing injuries and severe damage including the collapse of a multi-story building. (CNN)(CTPost)
Sri Lanka announces that a United Nations panel investigating human rights abuses will not be allowed to enter the country. (BBC) (Times of India)
China announces it has broken up what it describes as a terrorist ring in Xinjiang in the west of the country. (China Daily) (AP) (Al Jazeera)
Slovakia defeat defending champion Italy by a 3-2 score; following France's elimination on Tuesday, this marks the first time in World Cup history that both previous finalists fail to progress beyond the first round of play. (BBC News)
American John Isner defeats Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (3), 70-68, in the longest match in tennis history, finally advancing from the first round of the 2010 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles tournament. The match took over 11 hours, spanning three days. (ESPN)
Writer Neil Gaiman wins the Cilip Carnegie Medal for The Graveyard Book. (BBC)
Four specimens of Anogramma ascensionis, a plant native to Ascension Island and presumed extinct for 60 years, are discovered alive and well in Kew. (BBC)