Portal:Current events/2011 June 9

June 9, 2011 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising:
- The United Nations Security Council considers a resolution condemning the crackdown on Syrian protesters by security forces. (Al Arabiya)
- A video emerges appearing to show the torture of Thamer al-Sahri, a 15-year-old boy, by security forces. (Al Jazeera)
- Thousands of refugees from Syria cross into Turkey and Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
The Government of Somalia claims to have killed a Canadian member of the al-Shabab terrorist organization. (The Globe and Mail)
The United States intensifies air raids against suspected Al-Qaeda members in Yemen amid anti-government protests. (Al Jazeera)
At least nine people die in Afghanistan after a gunman attacks a wedding party in the Dur Baba District of Nangarhar Province. (BBC News)
2011 Libyan civil war:
- Turkey sets up a US$100 million fund to support the Libyan rebel National Transitional Council. (Reuters)
- The International Criminal Court accuses Muammar Gaddafi's regime of using rape as a weapon of war. (The Guardian)
- The President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, calls on Gaddafi to step down. (Reuters)
2011 Yemeni uprising: President Ali Abdullah Saleh undergoes surgery in Saudi Arabia for injuries sustained in a bomb blast. (UPI)

Business and economy

The Financial Times reports that computer hackers may have gained access to details of Citigroup bank card customer details. (Reuters)
The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a 2009 jury verdict in a patent dispute at the expense of software giant Microsoft in favor of Canadian company i4i. (Cornell University Law School)

Disasters

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster:
- The Government of Japan submits a report to the International Atomic Energy Agency calling for revision of nuclear reactor design standards in the wake of the disaster.(Yomiuri Daichiri)
- Shares in Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, fall to a record low due to continuing concerns over its viability and ongoing problems at the plant. (AFP via Google News), (Kyodo News)

International relations

Law and crime

Eritrea accuses four Britons of espionage and terrorism. (Reuters)
Five Saudi women are arrested for practising driving. (Press TV)
Extradition of Cesare Battisti:
- Italian communist militant Cesare Battisti is freed from jail in Brazil after the Brazilian Constitutional Court rules against extraditing him to face charges in Italy. (AFP via News 24)
- Italy announces it is to sue Brazil at the International Court of Justice over this breach of their bilateral extradition treaty. (BBC)
The Australian Federal Police are called in to quell another riot at the Christmas Island Immigration Reception and Processing Centre. (News Limited)
Four Mapuche activists give up a hunger strike after 86 days to protest their arrest under Chile's anti-terrorism laws. (AP via Washington Post)

Politics and elections

Voters in the UK parliamentary constituency of Belfast West go to the polls for a by-election to replace Gerry Adams, who is now serving in the Parliament of Ireland representing Louth. (RTE)

Science

Cheaper new meningitis vaccinations reduce cases in Africa, with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger recording the lowest number of cases. (Reuters)
Scientists announce the discovery of more than 1,000 new species resulting from a 2006 survey conducted on Espiritu Santo island in Vanuatu. (RNZI)

Sport

The 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix is officially cancelled due to continuing unrest. (Autosport)
In North American basketball, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 112-103 to win Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals and take a 3-2 lead in the series. (Los Angeles Times)