Portal:Current events/2012 August 4

August 4, 2012 (Saturday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Syrian civil war:
  - Clashes continue in Aleppo, with fighting near the city's television and radio station. (Al Jazeera)
  - Renewed fighting erupts in the capital, Damascus. (MSN)
  - Russia and China–two of the 12 countries that opposed a United Nations General Assembly resolution concerning Syria–criticise the resolution as one-sided. (Al Jazeera)
  - Nearly 48 Iranian pilgrims are kidnapped from a bus in the vicinity of a shrine near Damascus. (BBC)
- 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests:
  - A soldier and protester are killed in a demonstration in the eastern city of Qatif. (Al Jazeera)
- Bahraini uprising (2011–present):
  - The daughter of activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja has her detention extended and is charged with "destroying government property". (The Huffington Post)
A suicide bombing in the southern Yemeni province of Abyan kills at least 45 people. (BBC)
Gunmen attack an oil barge off the Niger Delta in Nigeria, killing two navy sailors and kidnapping four foreigners. (BBC)
Iran claims to have successfully test fired a Fateh-110 missile. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

Disasters

North Korea raises the death toll from recent floods to 169, with 400 missing. (IOL)
Heavy rains in the Indian state of Uttarakhand causes the loss of at least six lives in floods and landslides. (The Times of India)

International relations

Jailed Islamist cleric Abu Bakar Bashir threatens to wage war in Burma following alleged abuses by Buddhists against the country's Rohingya people by the Tatmadaw, in a letter to Burmese president Thein Sein. (Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Sudan confirms an oil agreement with neighbouring South Sudan. (Deutsche Welle)

Law and crime

The defence lawyer for the Russian band Pussy Riot says the accused face long jail terms, and accuses the court of pressuring the defendants and witnesses. (Bangladesh News 24)^{[permanent dead link‍]}

Politics

The Parliament of Afghanistan votes to dismiss the Defence and Interior Ministers over continued cross-border shelling by Pakistan. (Reuters)

Sport

2012 Summer Olympics:
- In athletics, Oscar Pistorius of South Africa becomes the first amputee to compete at the Olympic Games in the 400 meters. (The Daily Telegraph)
- Britain wins six gold medals and a silver on Day Eight of the 2012 London Olympics, making it the greatest British success in one day at an Olympics since 1908. (BBC Sport)
- Erick Barrondo wins the first Olympic medal in Guatemala's history in the 20km racewalking competition. (Chicago Tribune)^{[permanent dead link‍]}