Portal:Current events/2012 July 30
July 30, 2012 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war:
- 200,000 people flee intense fighting in Syria's largest city Aleppo. (BBC)
- Syria's chargé d'affaires in London, Khaled al-Ayoubi, resigns in protest over "oppressive acts" by the Syrian regime. (USA Today)
Arts and culture
- Three women from Russian feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot go on trial in Moscow for holding an "unsanctioned performance" which called for the ouster of Vladimir Putin at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February. (BBC)
- The sudden death of writer Maeve Binchy, who sold more than 40 million books worldwide, is announced on Irish television by Vincent Browne. (The Journal) (RTE)
Disasters and accidents
- A train fire kills 32 passengers and injures 27 on the Tamil Nadu Express in Andhra Pradesh, India. (BBC) (Times of India)
- A power grid failure in Delhi leaves more than 300 million people without power in northern India. Minister for Power Sushilkumar Shinde announces that all those affected should have power restored within "hours". (Reuters)
- Nine people are killed after a train crash in Bratoszewice in Poland. (BBC)
- A fire ignites at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati during pyrotechnic testing before WWE Raw. No one was injured. (WWE)
Law and crime
- Four people are sentenced to death for their involvement in a bank fraud scandal in Iran. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff convenes a truth commission to investigate Brazil's military dictatorship. (Tagesschau)
- Romanian President Traian Băsescu could survive the referendum on his impeachment that shows a massive vote against him but under 50% turnout.The Constitutional Court of Romania will give the final word on whether to validate the referendum later this week.(BBC)
Sport
- 2012 Summer Olympics:
- 15-year-old Rūta Meilutytė wins Lithuania's first ever Olympic gold in the pool. (BBC)
- In weightlifting, Kim Un-Guk of North Korea sets a new world record in winning a gold medal in the 52 kg class. (Reuters)
- In swimming, Dana Vollmer of the United States sets a new world record in the 100 meter butterfly. (CBS News)