Portal:Current events/2010 October 16

October 16, 2010 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Three blasts rocked southern Afghanistan's restive city of Kandahar, killing at least four people and injuring two others. (Xinhua)
Senior United Nations envoy Roger Meece calls the scale of sexual attacks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo "enormous". More than 15,000 rapes occurred in the east of the country last year. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Oscar Wilde receives a Google doodle on the 156th anniversary of his birthday, a portrait from his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. (The Guardian)
The number of visitors to Expo 2010 Shanghai exceeds 64 million, breaking the record the history of the World's Fairs. (Global Times)

Business and economy

Dubai World Trade Centre opens GITEX technology week 30th Anniversary. (Khaleej Times)
2010 strikes in France: Thousands of students join millions more people on the streets of France for a fifth day of protests against government pension reform plans; Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport is running out of fuel amid calls by the government for people "not to panic". (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Two of four trapped Ecuadorean gold miners are found dead near the town of Portovelo. (Reuters) (BBC)

Disasters

A gas explosion in a Chinese coal mine in Henan province kills at least 20 workers. Another 17 are declared missing. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (CNN) (AFP via Yahoo! News)
28 of 33 miners rescued in the 2010 Copiapó mining accident are secretly discharged from hospital in Chile, with 2 remaining inside. (BBC)

International relations

China mounts a diplomatic campaign to block the publication of a U.N. report that claims that Chinese ammunition has been shipped into Darfur in the past year in violation of U.N. sanctions. (The Washington Post) (Bor Globe)
On World Food Day, United Nations calls for united front against food shortages, because one billion people are still hungry. (UN) (Sina)
The Israeli Air Force and the Hellenic Air Force combine for manoeuvres involving helicopters and jets as Israel seeks new air links following its disagreement with Turkey. (BBC)
Zambia investigates an incident in which managers at a Chinese-run mine allegedly shot and wounded at least 11 miners who had objected to their working conditions. (Zambia Post) (BBC)

Politics and elections

44 people are arrested regarding poll-related violence in the second phase of the panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh, India. (DNA)
Environment and Water Minister of Dubai, Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd greets Sheikha Fatima on her appointment as FAO Goodwill Ambassador. (WAM)
The Georgian parliament votes 112 to 4 to introduce 44 changes to its constitution. (Xinhua)
The Government of India sets up an inquiry into allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. (NDTV)
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe states that a power sharing deal with Morgan Tsvangirai should not be extended past its expiration in four months time. (BBC)
A delegation of The Elders visits the Gaza Strip to survey conditions, expressing disagreement with the Israeli restrictions in evidence there. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is to join them tomorrow. (AFP via Google News) (Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link‍]} (Xinhua)

Science

Sports

The #18-ranked Wisconsin Badgers defeated the previously unbeaten #1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes by a score of 31-18 in Madison, Wisconsin. The victory provided a spark for the Badgers' season, which culminated in a 2010 Big Ten Conference championship, ending a decade-long championship drought, and a Rose Bowl appearance on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. The victory would go on to become a defining transition moment for Wisconsin football, as the program again established itself as a perennial Big Ten powerhouse. The Badgers would go on to win three consecutive Big Ten Championships, extend its postseason bowl streak, and produce many nationally-recognized players (including multiple Heisman Trophy finalists) in the coming years. The 2010 team featured many future NFL players, including future NFL MVP runner-up and Defensive Player of the Year J. J. Watt, 2010 Outland Trophy winner Gabe Carimi, Lance Kendricks, Kevin Zeitler, Rick Wagner, and Brad "B52" Nortman, among others. [1]