Portal:Current events/2011 July 1

July 1, 2011 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights claims the Congo government troops raped 121 women between June 11 and 13 then pillaged their villages. (AP via The Washington Post)
Arab Spring:
- 2011 Syrian uprising:
  - Hundreds of thousands of people protest against the regime nationwide as the crackdown against civilians continues. (BBC)
  - The death toll is reported to be at least 11 in Syria today. (Al Jazeera)
- 2011 Libyan civil war:
  - Rebels withdraw from the town of Bir al-Ghanam, 80km south of Tripoli after coming under rocket attack from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. (Reuters)
  - Muammar Gaddafi, speaking via an audio message broadcast to a square in central Tripoli, calls on NATO to stop its bombing campaign or he will target European "homes, offices, families". (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
  - Members at the African Union summit in Equatorial Guinea express annoyance at NATO's intervention in Libya over fears that it is only making the situation worse. (Al Jazeera)
- 2011 Bahraini uprising: Some expatriate Bahrainis are sent "loyalty pledges" in light of the uprising. (MSNBC)
- 2011 Yemeni uprising: Demonstrations are held in the capital Sana'a and across the country, while protesters in Ta'izz chant slogans against a possible Saudi Arabian intervention, "Tell Saudi Arabia that Yemen is a republic" and "Yemen is not Bahrain", in reference to Saudi Arabia's suppression of the Bahraini uprising. (Al Jazeera)
Freedom Flotilla II:
- Activists increase their guard of the remaining boats bound for Gaza following the alleged sabotage of other boats. (The Jerusalem Post) (Al Jazeera)
- Greek authorities prevented a US-flagged vessel, The Audacity of Hope, carrying dozens of U.S. activists, from departing for the Gaza Strip, towing it back to the port of Perama after commandos, reportedly carrying weapons, intercept it. (Al Jazeera) (The Jerusalem Post)

Arts and culture

Albert II, Prince of Monaco weds Charlene Wittstock, the Olympic swimmer, at the royal palace; Wittstock becomes Her Serene Highness, Princess Charlene. (BBC)

Business and economy

Bank of Moscow, the fifth largest bank in Russia, in record bailout of $14 billion, after the discovery that almost a third of the bank's assets are "problematic," the Central Bank of Russia said.(BBC)(Moscow Times)
A Bank of Japan survey shows that business confidence has fallen markedly since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. (Washington Post)
Manufacturing activity in the People's Republic of China is at its lowest level in more than two years after three successive months of falls indicating a continued slowdown. (Wall Street Journal) (Financial Times)

Disasters

The towns of Colman and Flandreau in the US state of South Dakota are hit by a heavy storm resulting in the loss of power for several days. (Argus Leader)^{[permanent dead link]}

International relations

The Yonhap News Agency reports that North Korea is tightening border controls with South Korea to stop defections. (Yonhap News)
Poland takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months. (BBC)

Law and crime

A Moscow court declares books and brochures by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard as "extremist", banning them from distribution in Russia. (The Moscow Times) (AP)
The Australian Federal Police charges six senior executives, all former employees of two companies owned by the Reserve Bank of Australia, Securency and Note Printing Australia, in relation to alleged bribery of officials in Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. (Sydney Morning Herald) (Herald-Sun)
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
- The New York Times reports that the sexual assault case against former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn is on the verge of collapse due to concerns over the credibility of the alleged victim's testimony. (The New York Times)
- A judge releases him from house arrest as prosecutors said that the maid had made false statements. (Reuters via Montreal Gazette) (France 24)
The Chosunilbo newspaper in South Korea reports that Kim Pyong-il, the half-brother of current North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, is under house arrest in Pyongyang. (Kyodo News)
Italian police arrest the Mafia boss of Corleone in Sicily. (AFP via France 24)
Danish drug company Lundbeck restricts use of its Nembutal drug to stop its use in lethal injections in some US states. (AFP via France 24)
A US Federal Appeals Court overturns the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative banning the use of race and gender preferences in college admissions and government hiring and contracting in the US state of Michigan. (Detroit News)
Former British Conservative peer and leader of Essex County Council, Lord Hanningfield is jailed for nine months for fiddling his parliamentary expenses. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez makes his first speech since receiving treatment for cancer in Cuba. (BBC)
Canada celebrates the 144th anniversary of the enactment of its Constitution Act. (CBC)
The government of the U.S. state of Minnesota is to shut down as a result of a budget dispute between Democratic Governor Mark Dayton and the Republican Legislature. (Star-Tribune) (AP via Google News) (Politico)
Morocco votes in a constitutional referendum. (Al Jazeera)
The British Labour Party's Iain McKenzie wins the Inverclyde by-election with a majority reduced from 14,416 in 2010 to 5,838. (BBC)
Leon Panetta is sworn in as the new United States Secretary of Defense, succeeding Robert Gates. (BBC)

Sport

In basketball, owners in the North American National Basketball Association commence a lockout after failing to reach a collective bargaining agreement with players. (The Wall Street Journal)
In tennis, Rafael Nadal defeats Andy Murray in the semi-final of Wimbledon. (BBC Sport)