Portal:Current events/2012 October 4
October 4, 2012 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian–Turkish border clash:
- The Turkish parliament approves a motion authorizing cross-border military operations against Syria after Syrian forces shelled the Turkish border town of Akçakale on October 3, killing five people. (BBC)
- Turkish forces continue to bombard Syrian territory for a second day in retaliation for a cross-border strike from Syria that killed five people in Akçakale. (The Daily Telegraph)
- Syria offers condolences for the shelling deaths in Akçakale; a Turkish official says Syria has offered formal apologies. (CBS) (SANA)
- Protesters storm the headquarters of the Libyan General National Congress in the capital Tripoli angry at Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur's proposed cabinet line-up, saying it is not fully representative of the country. (Reuters)
- The FBI conducts its investigation into the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in one day. (BBC)
Disasters
- Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and other government officials observe three minutes of silence to mourn the victims of a ferry collision off Lamma Island on October 1, marking the start of a three-day mourning period. (BBC)
- A landslide buries at least 19 people in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan with 18 later confirmed dead and one missing. (BBC) (AP via San Francisco Chronicle)
Politics and elections
- Expelled Ulster Unionist Party member David McNarry, who represents Strangford, joins the UK Independence Party, giving it its first representative in any of the devolved assemblies in Britain and Northern Ireland. (The Irish Times)
- An abortion rights activist ship is blocked from entering the Moroccan port of Smir; the vessel is operated by the Dutch non-profit organization Women on Waves, which provides abortions and related medical services to women living in countries with restrictive abortion laws. (UPI)
- Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is arrested in hospital on new charges of allegedly misusing state funds while in office. (ABS-CBN News)
- Jordan's official news agency announces that King Abdullah dissolves parliament, paving the way for early elections. (BBC)
Science
- GCHQ director Iain Lobban gives a rare public speech in which he speaks of the "enduring lessons" to be drawn from the work of Alan Turing, who reportedly committed suicide. (BBC)
Sport
- The 2013 Championship draw is made at GAA headquarters in Croke Park. (The Irish Times)
- The German Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher announces his retirement from the sport. (BBC Sport)