Portal:Current events/2011 October 24

October 24, 2011 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Kenyan-Somalian military operation:
- Kenyan and Somali forces prepare to take the Somali town of Afmadow, defended by Islamist al-Shabaab militiamen. (Daily Nation)
- Kenyan warplanes bomb a military base in the Islamist-held city of Kismayo, while a French Navy warship patrolling Somali waters bombards the town of Kuday, south of Kismayo. (Daily Nation)
- One person is killed and at least fourteen people are injured in two separate terrorist attacks in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, both attributed to al-Shabaab. (Al-Jazeera) (BBC)
Aftermath of the 2011 Libyan civil war:
- The corpses of 53 pro-Muammar Gaddafi fighters are found in Sirte, all having apparently been summarily executed by NTC troops. (BBC)

Business and economy

The Tokyo Stock Exchange announces that it is asking for more disclosure from the embattled Japanese camera and imaging equipment manufacturer Olympus, which is facing a stock price collapse following the dismissal of its CEO, Michael Woodford. The TSE cannot at this time confirm violations of any listing requirements by Olympus. (Reuters)

Disasters

The death toll from Turkey's recent earthquake reaches 279, and is expected to increase further as rescue teams search the rubble of the city of Van for survivors. Meanwhile, thousands made homeless by the quake are forced to endure freezing overnight temperatures in the open. (CNN) (Reuters and ABC News Australia) (BBC)
Torrential rain causes flooding in parts of the United Kingdom, with Cornwall, West Devon, Pembrokeshire and Northern Ireland most affected. (BBC)

Law and crime

Julian Assange's whistleblowing website Wikileaks announces that it will suspend the publication of classified files and will instead focus on fundraising, after a "financial blockade" by numerous American companies reportedly destroys 95% of the site's revenue. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Following Tunisia's first election since the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January, the moderate Islamist Renaissance Party declares victory, with their centre-left rivals, the Progressive Democratic Party, conceding defeat. The official results of the election are due to be released next week. (Reuters)
The British House of Commons votes to reject a proposed referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, with 483 MPs voting against the proposal and 111 voting in favour. Among those who supported the proposal were 81 Conservative Party members, who rebelled against the anti-referendum stance of Prime Minister David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party. (BBC)

Science

Ghulam Nabi Azad, India's Minister of Health and Family Welfare, reports that the country has almost entirely eradicated polio through a vaccination program which immunises over 170 million children every year. No new polio cases have been reported in India for over nine months. (BBC)
A coronal mass ejection makes the Northern Lights visible over much of North America. (Space Weather)