Portal:Current events/2012 July 15

July 15, 2012 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian uprising (2011-present):
- The Red Cross (ICRC) says the conflict is now in effect a civil war, meaning combatants will now be officially subject to the Geneva Conventions. (BBC)
- Opposition fighters battle Syrian government forces in poor districts of Damascus. (Reuters)
The President of Libya's Olympic committee, Ahmed Nabil al Taher al Alam, is abducted in Tripoli. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Business and economy

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates open new pipelines bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping lane that Iran has repeatedly threatened to close. (The Financial Times)

Disasters and accidents

A bus crash kills at least 39 pilgrims in the southern Nepali town of Parasi. (BBC)
Hand, foot and mouth disease kills 149 people in Hunan, China. (Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
One person is killed and ten are injured by a tornado in north west Poland (BBC)

International relations

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo agree an international border force to patrol their mutual border. (BBC)
Saudi Arabia decides to donate $100 million to the Palestinian Authority. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia criticises comments by Russia about the human rights situation in the country, calling them "hostile". (Al Jazeera)
The African Union choose Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of South Africa as its leader, making her the first woman to occupy the post, in a hard fought battle with incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon. (BBC)
Egyptian protesters throw tomatoes and shoes at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's motorcade during her first visit to the country since the election of President Mohamed Morsi. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Jason Kidd is arrested by Southampton Town police for alleged drunken driving. (USA Today)

Politics and elections

Hundreds of Israeli protesters gather in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheba to show their solidarity with the man who self immolated on 14 July 2012. (The Jerusalem Post)

Science

A Russian Soyuz rocket begins its mission to the International Space Station with three international crew members. (AP via The Washington Post)