Portal:Current events/2011 October 26

October 26, 2011 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising: At least 17 people are reported dead in Syria, as fighting continues between the government and opposition groups. (CNN)
A bomb hidden in a fuel truck kills at least 5 people and injures 45 in Afghanistan's Parwan province. (AP via Washington Post)

Arts and culture

Indian superhero film Ra.One, the most expensive Bollywood film to date, is released to coincide with the Hindu festival of Diwali. (BBC)
A coroner finds that the death of British soul singer Amy Winehouse in July was caused by alcohol poisoning. (AP via The Australian)

Business and economy

The composite-bodied Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes its first commercial flight with All Nippon Airways, flying between Tokyo and Hong Kong. (BBC)
Tsuyoshi Kikukawa resigns as the President and Chairman of Olympus Corporation, as financial and law enforcement bodies in Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom investigate the optical equipment company's acquisitions in recent years. (Wall Street Journal)

Disasters

Residents in the Mexican city of Cancún brace for Hurricane Rina, which is expected to make landfall on Thursday. (CNN)
Turkish earthquake:
- The search for survivors of the Van earthquake in eastern Turkey enters its third day, with 459 confirmed deaths and over 1,300 injured. (Reuters) (Daily Mail)
- Turkey announces it will accept offers of aid from foreign countries to cope with the aftermath of the earthquake. (BBC)
- The Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, blames the high death toll on shoddy construction. (AP via Google News)

International relations

European Union leaders hold an emergency meeting to discuss the European sovereign debt crisis. (BBC)

Law and crime

Former Goldman Sachs and Procter and Gamble director Rajat Gupta pleads not guilty to the charge of leaking confidential information to convicted fraudster Raj Rajaratnam. (Wall Street Journal)
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, is reported to be attempting to negotiate a surrender to the International Criminal Court. (Daily Telegraph)
Twelve former officials in the military junta that ruled Argentina between 1976 and 1983 are given life sentences for their roles in the dirty war against political opponents, including Alfredo Astiz. (Al-Jazeera)

Politics and elections

Occupy Wall Street movement:
- In California, Oakland police disperse Occupy Oakland protesters, using tear gas and rubber bullets and making numerous arrests. (DailyKos) (Reuters)
- A U.S. Marine Corps veteran is reportedly left in serious but stable condition after the Oakland clashes. (Reuters) (CNN)
Brazilian Sports Minister Orlando Silva resigns following corruption allegations, but insists he is innocent. (ESPN)

Science

American scientists confirm that a transmissible fungus, Geomyces destructans, is responsible for the white-nose syndrome that has decimated bat populations across North America since 2006. (BBC)
The United Nations states that the world population will reach seven billion people by October 31, 2011. (CNN)