Portal:Current events/2011 January 11

January 11, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2010–2011 Tunisian protests:
- Fresh protests break out in Tunisia, in the capital Tunis. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- Up to 50 people are killed following protests against rising unemployment in Tunisia. (AFP via SBS)
Assassination of Masoud Alimohammadi:
- The Iranian government says an Israeli spying network - since dismantled - assassinated the University of Tehran's distinguished professor of elementary particle physics Masoud Alimohammadi; an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson vows to sue. (Xinhua)
- The apparent confession of Majid Jamali-Fash is broadcast on television; he says he was hired and trained by Israel before being sent to kill Alimohammadi in Iran. (The Guardian)
Lawyers for Julian Assange warn that he could be killed if he is extradited to the U.S. from Britain; Assange draws parallels between the rhetoric of the 2011 Tucson shooting and the language used against him by commentators such as Joe Biden, U.S. Vice President. (AFP)
One person is killed and seven injured by a gunman on a train in Egypt. (BBC)
Three Georgian Army soldiers are killed and 13 wounded when a mortar bomb explodes during exercises at a military base near Tbilisi, Georgia. (Reuters)
At least five people are killed in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, as clashes continue between police and supporters of presidential aspirant Alassane Ouattara. (CNN)
An Israeli missile attack kills a Palestinian militant while he was riding a motorcycle in the Gaza Strip.(Reuters)
18 people are killed by attackers armed with machetes in the villages of Wareng and Bardin Laki in Central Nigeria. (Reuters)

Disasters

At least 13 people are killed by floods and mudslides in Sao Paulo state, Brazil. (BBC)
2010–2011 Queensland floods:
- The floods in the Australian state of Queensland continue to worsen, with ten people confirmed dead as search and rescue efforts continue to locate dozens of missing people. The Courier-Mail (SBS) (SBS)
- The Brisbane River breaks its banks in the state capital Brisbane, prompting flood warnings for its central business district as well as several suburbs. (ABC News Australia), (Reuters)
- Premier of Queensland Anna Bligh declares that three-quarters of the state is a disaster zone. (The Melbourne Age)
Thousands of airline flights are cancelled in the south, Great Lakes and northeast regions of the United States due to storms. (AP via Miami Herald)^{[permanent dead link‍]}

International relations

An official investigation in Kyrgyzstan into deadly ethnic riots last year reports that local Uzbek leaders were to blame. (BBC) (24.kg News Agency)

Law and crime

Former British Labour Party MP Eric Illsley, now an Independent, pleads guilty to charges he fraudulently claimed more than £14,000 in parliamentary expenses. (BBC)
British television presenter Miriam O'Reilly, 53, wins an employment tribunal case against the BBC for ageism and victimisation, but the tribunal rejects claims of sexism. She had claimed victimisation after being dropped from the BBC One programme Countryfile when it was rescheduled to an evening slot in 2009. (The Guardian) (The Telegraph) (BBC)
Dr Conrad Murray is ordered to face a trial for the manslaughter of Michael Jackson in California. (TMZ)

Politics and elections

Alassane Ouattara rejects an offer by incumbent Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo to be Vice President. (Al Jazeera)
The Palestinian National Authority states it will seek United Nations recognition through both the Security Council and the General Assembly in September. It is currently lobbying nations for recognition during the stalled peace talks with Israel. (AP via Google) (Press TV)

Science

China successfully tests the Chengdu J-20 Black Eagle, one of its fifth generation stealth, twin-engine fighter aircraft programs. (Shanghai Daily) (AFP via News Limited)
Scientists detect streams of antimatter positrons annihilating electrons being responsible for Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes above the tops of thunderstorms. (BBC)
The Arctic Sun rises over Ilulissat, Greenland two days earlier than expected. A possible explanation is alterations in atmospheric refraction or inversion from ice crystals that may or may not be the result of global warming. (Daily Mail) (First Post) (LiveScience)