Timeline 2015 July-September
Return to home
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, US
House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner led a Congressional
delegation to Poland, part of a broader US attempt to strengthen
economic ties and reassure an ally nervous about Russian aggression
in the region.
   (AP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Wikileaks published
a list of German phone numbers that it claimed showed the US
National Security Agency eavesdropped on senior German officials
beyond Chancellor Angela Merkel.
   (SFC, 7/2/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Former California
state Sen. Leland Yee admitted that he took bribes from undercover
FBI agents in exchange for promises to vote on legislation, arrange
meeting for his purported donors and illegally smuggle guns from the
Philippines.
   (SFC, 7/2/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In San Francisco
Kathryn Steinle (32) was shot and killed on the waterfront at Pier
14 while walking with her father. Francisco Sanchez, an illegal
immigrant listed by police as 45, was soon arrested and charged with
murder. Sanchez, listed as 52 in jail records, later said he was
shooting at seals. He had been released from jail in SF on April 15
after a 10-year-old marijuana possession charge was dropped. The gun
Sanchez used was recently stolen in late June from a federal agent
in a car burglary.
   (SFC, 7/3/15, p.A1)(SFC, 7/4/15, p.A9)(SFC,
7/8/15, p.A11)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Episcopalians,
meeting in Salt Lake at the Episcopal General Convention, voted to
allow religious weddings for same-sex couples.
   (SFC, 7/2/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Afghanistan 3
children were killed and four wounded after they found an unexploded
mortar in a field while playing in southern Kandahar province.
   (AP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Border clashes
between Afghan and Pakistani security forces broke out, killing at
least one person and potentially undermining efforts by both sides
to improve relations.
   (Reuters, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Afghanistan a
nighttime Taliban attack on police checkpoints in the strategic
Wardak province killed 7 local policemen. The Taliban captured five
of the checkpoints attacked in Jalrez district and fighting
continued into the next day.
   (AP, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Nicholas Winton
(b.1909), British humanitarian, died. He almost single-handedly
saved 669 mostly Jewish children from the Holocaust. In 1938 Winton
arranged trains to carry Jewish children from occupied Prague to
Britain.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Winton)(AP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Burundi 6 people
including a policeman were killed in gun battles in the latest
violence as the country awaits results from elections boycotted by
the opposition and condemned internationally.
   (AFP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Chad banned the
wearing of the burqa, the Muslim woman’s covering that hides even
the eyes, two days after suicide bombers killed more than 30 people.
   (Econ, 2/13/15, p.40)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, The Chinese
government adopted a new national security law. The bill replaced
one passed in 1993.
   (SFC, 7/2/15, p.A3)(Econ, 7/4/15, p.35)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In northeastern
China a bus carrying a group of South Koreans fell off a highway
bridge, killing 7 South Koreans and 2 Chinese.
   (AP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Egypt Islamic
State militants launched a wide-scale coordinated assault on several
military checkpoints in the North Sinai. The army later said 21
troops and 90 militants were killed, but security officials and
media reports said 60-70 soldiers and some 100 militants died in the
fighting.
   (Reuters, 7/1/15)(AP, 7/2/15)(Econ, 7/11/15,
p.46)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Ethiopia $1.8
billion the Gibe III dam was completed on the Omo river. It was
expected to lower the water level of Lake Turkana by 30 feet.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgel_Gibe_III_Dam)(Econ, 7/11/15,
p.44)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Tens of thousands
of Hong Kong protesters marched for full democracy and called on the
Chinese-controlled city's leader to resign.
   (Reuters, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Iraq and Syria
US-led coalition forces conducted against Islamic State with 18 in
Iraq and 10 in Syria.
   (AP, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Israel's internal
security service said it has arrested 40 Hamas operatives working to
expand the militant Islamic group's reach in the West Bank.
   (AP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Liberian
authorities confirmed a 2nd case of Ebola in the same town where the
disease was recently detected in the corpse of a teenager.
   (SFC, 7/2/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Nigeria Boko
Haram militants gunned down 97 people including some women and
children in Kukawa, Borno state.
   (AFP, 7/3/15)(SFC, 7/3/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, North Korea opened
a new terminal building at Pyongyang's international airport,
underscoring an effort to attract more tourists.
   (AP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Portugal a new
law covering the so-called Golden Visa program, started three years
ago, came into force. But the government failed to set required
administrative procedures, leaving the Foreigners' Service unable to
issue permits.
   (AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, The Russian gas
company Gazprom halted supplies to neighboring Ukraine after the
collapse of pricing talks. An EU official said the dispute would not
affect the flow of Russian gas to Europe.
   (AP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Saudi tycoon Prince
Alwaleed bin Talal promised his entire $32 billion (28.8 billion
euro) fortune to charitable projects in coming years, in one of the
biggest ever such pledges.
   (AFP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Spanish police said
they have seized more than 3 tons of cocaine and broke up a major
international drug trafficking gang whose leader lived in luxury in
Madrid, posing as a soccer talent scout. The leader and 68 others
were arrested in recent months in Spain, Portugal, Croatia,
Montenegro and Serbia following a two-year probe.
   (AP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Syrian Kurdish
forces regained full control of Tal Abyad, expelling Islamic State
group fighters who had seized a district of the strategic border
town.
   (AFP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Syria at least
18 people were killed in government strikes across Daraa province.
The strikes included raids in and around the town of Saida that left
13 dead, and 5 killed in a barrel bomb attack in Tafas.
   (AFP, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, The UN said South
Sudan rebels have opened fire on a UN peacekeeping base sheltering
30,000 civilians, killing one and wounding six in a possible war
crime.
   (AFP, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Yemen rebel fire
on a residential district of Aden killed at least 31 civilians as
loyalist forces in central city Taez launched a manhunt for 1,200
escaped prisoners. A coalition strike in Lahj province killed 13
rebels.
   (AFP, 7/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Zimbabwe Cecil
the lion was killed in the western Hwange region. His carcass was
discovered days later by trackers. On July 29 two men, arrested for
illegally hunting the protected lion, were in court. They were
reportedly paid $50,000 by American dentist James Palmer to hunt a
lion for Palmer to kill with a crossbow. A Cabinet minister later
said Palmer had not broken local hunting laws.
   (AP, 7/29/15)(SFC, 7/29/15, p.A4)(SFC, 10/13/15,
p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, The Obama
administration placed sanctions on leaders from opposing military
forces in South Sudan for their roles in the country's conflict.
   (Reuters, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, The US Department
of Justice said BP Plc has reached a settlement with US authorities
and will pay about $18.7 billion in damages for water pollution
caused by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The agreement settles
claims against BP by the government and the states of Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Florida.
   (Reuters, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In northern
California Matthew Graham (33) reported his 6-month-old daughter
missing. On July 10 Graham went missing after stealing a gun, cell
phone and cash from his mother in Shasta County.
   (SFC, 7/13/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Whataburger, a
Texas restaurant chain with 780 locations in ten states, published
an open letter on its website saying it will not allow the open
carrying of guns in its restaurants.
   (http://tinyurl.com/pzbhwwq)(SFC, 7/13/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Aides of Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker said he is joining the Republican presidential
race.
   (SFC, 7/3/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In Cambodia a video
showed property tycoon Sok Bun dragging well-known actress known as
Sasa (Ek Socheata) off a couch at a Japanese restaurant in Phnom
Penh. He throws her to the ground, kicks her head and when she tries
to get up he punches, kicks her and stomps on her in a beating that
lasts about a minute. His bodyguard points a pistol at the actress'
head as his boss attacks her, until a worker at the apparently empty
restaurant manages to pull him away. Sok Bun soon fled the country.
On July 14 Sok Bun issued a pair of statements to plead for mercy
from his victim, society and PM Hun Sen. Bun was arrested on July 18
and charged with intent to commit violence.
   (AP, 7/16/15)(AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, The Egyptian
military killed 23 extremists in dawn raids in northern Sinai, a day
after Islamic militants attacked army positions in the restive
peninsula and set off the bloodiest fighting in decades.
   (AP, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, A French court
reinstated Jean-Marie Le Pen as a member of the far-right National
Front party he founded decades ago, delivering a biting blow to his
daughter and party president Marine Le Pen, who had suspended him
after a series of controversial and anti-Semitic statements.
   (AP, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Iraqi forces
cleared Islamic State militants from most of the northern town of
Baiji and hoped to drive them from the nearby oil refinery within
days.
   (Reuters, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In Mali 6 UN
peacekeepers were killed and five wounded in an attack on their
convoy near Timbuktu.
   (AP, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In Mexico
journalist Filadelfo Sanchez Sarmiento was shot and killed outside
his radio station in Miahuatlan de Porfirio Diaz, Oaxaca.
   (SSFC, 5/21/17, p.E7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Jacobo Zabludovsky
(87), Mexico's longest-serving TV anchor, died. He was frequently
criticized for overwhelmingly pro-government coverage. In 1959 he
was the only Mexican journalist to accompany Fidel Castro to Havana.
   (AP, 7/2/15)(Econ, 7/11/15, p.37)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Morocco said its
security forces have dismantled an Islamist militant cell affiliated
to the Islamic State group, including members with knowledge in
handling weapons and explosives.
   (Reuters, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Dutch police fired
warning shots and arrested 34 people during a third straight day of
unrest triggered by the June 28 death of a Caribbean man in police
custody. A temporary ban on public gatherings was imposed in a
neighborhood hit by rioting.
   (Reuters, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In Nigeria 6
children drowned in Lagos when the boat ferrying them to school
capsized after colliding with a bigger vessel on the city's lagoon.
   (AFP, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In northeastern
Nigeria a young female suicide bomber also killed 12 worshippers
when she blew herself up in a mosque in a Borno village.
   (AFP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In Pakistan at
least four cars of a train being used to transport soldiers fell
into a canal because of a bridge collapse in the eastern Punjab
province, killing at least 12 soldiers. A government investigation
into a train accident that killed 17 soldiers showed the train
driver was speeding and that his negligence caused the tragedy.
   (AP, 7/2/15)(AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In the Philippines
the ferry M/B Kim Nirvana carrying 189 passengers and crew capsized
minutes after pulling out of Ormoc city. 59 people were killed with
145 survivors. Murder complaints against the owner and crew were
soon filed.
   (AP, 7/2/15)(Reuters, 7/3/15)(SSFC, 7/5/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Saudi Arabia
officially opened a billion-dollar aviation gateway aimed at Muslim
pilgrims, in the kingdom's first airport privatization.
   (AFP, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, South Korea
reported two new cases of the potentially deadly Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, after four days in which no cases
were spotted.
   (AFP, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In Yemen Saudi-led
air strikes killed 8 people in Sanaa. 2 people were killed and 15
wounded in the latest air strikes on Saada.
   (Reuters, 7/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In Arizona a new
law made it possible for anyone to order a laboratory test with no
need to see a doctor. Theranos, a company based in Palo Alto, Ca.,
had lobbied for the legal change.
   (Econ, 6/27/15, p.51)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, An outbreak of
salmonella began in the US. By September one person was dead and at
least 285 others left sickened. It was traced to cucumbers imported
from Mexico by a San Diego distributor.
   (SSFC, 9/6/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Solar Impulse 2
landed in Hawaii following a record-breaking 5-day journey from
Japan. The 118-hour voyage by pilot Andre Borschberg broke the 2006
record of 76 hours set by Steve Fossett in a round the world jet
flight.
   (SFC, 7/4/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, US health insurer
Aetna said it has agreed to acquire smaller rival Humana for $37
billion in cash and stock.
   (SFC, 7/4/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, The Trans-Adriatic
Pipeline project, or TAP, said it has started investing in Albania's
infrastructure to prepare for starting construction of the pipeline
next year. The 870 km (540 miles) pipeline from the Shah Deniz II
field in Azerbaijan will cross Turkey, Greece and Albania and
undersea to Italy, and deliver Caspian gas to Europe in early 2020.
   (AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In China a
magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit a rural part of far western Xinjiang
region, killing 6 people, injuring dozens and destroying or damaging
thousands of homes.
   (AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Greece's PM Alexis
Tsipras defended a weekend referendum he hopes will reset bailout
negotiations and demanded creditors forgive a third of the country's
debt and allow delayed repayments for the rest.
   (AFP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, An Indian official
said some 1,400 primary school teachers have quit in Bihar state in
recent months amid an ongoing investigation into fake
qualifications.
   (AFP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Israeli commander
Yisrael Shomer shot and killed a Palestinian teenager in the
occupied West Bank as he and others hurled rocks at his SUV army
vehicle. A video later showed Muhammad al-Kasbah (17) was shot as he
fled the scene.
   (SFC, 7/4/15, p.A4)(SFC, 7/14/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In Libya at least
10 civilians were killed when three separate car bombs exploded
simultaneously in Derna. The bombings set off clashes between local
IS-militants and al-Qaida linked militias that continued into the
next day.
   (SSFC, 7/5/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Malaysian PM Najib
Razak denied news reports that nearly $700 million were funneled
from an indebted state investment fund into his personal accounts.
   (AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Dutch police have
detained some 200 people for ignoring a ban on public assembly
imposed in a neighborhood hit by four days of late-night rioting
following the death of a man in police custody.
   (AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In northeastern
Nigeria suspected Boko Haram militants killed 11 men in Miringa
village, dragging them from their homes and shooting them for
escaping forced conscription by their group. At Malari village, just
outside Maiduguri, an explosion from a teenage girl at the market
killed at least 10 people. Minutes later a woman in a taxi blew up
at a military checkpoint and killed a soldier and two passengers.
   (AFP, 7/3/15)(AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Palestinian forces
arrested overnight around 100 Hamas members in the West Bank. An
official said they had intended to carry out attacks against the
Palestinian Authority (PA).
   (AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Russian lawmakers
voted for a bill forcing online search engines to remove search
results about a specific person at that person's request.
   (AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Russia launched an
unmanned cargo ship from Kazakhstan to the Int’l. Space Station. The
Progress M-28 ship was set to dock on July 5.
   (SFC, 7/4/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Slovakia's spy
agency in its annual report said Russian agents have significantly
increased their activities in Slovakia and all other NATO and
European Union countries in connection with the crisis in Ukraine.
   (AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In South Korea an
explosion killed 6 workers at a chemical plant run by Hanwha
Chemical Co. in the southeastern city of Ulsan.
   (AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Syrian government
forces carried out heavy air strikes on rebel positions in and
around the northern city of Aleppo. Rebel forces seized some
buildings from government control on the northwestern city outskirts
of Jamiyat al-Zahra. At least 35 insurgents were killed in that
area, including a dozen Syrians and many others of central Asian
origin. A bomb exploded inside a mosque in an opposition-held suburb
of Damascus, killing a Sunni Muslim cleric.
   (Reuters, 7/3/15)(AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated a mosque on the grounds of his
gigantic palace complex naming it the "Bestepe People's Mosque" and
opened it to the public in an apparent effort to stave off more
criticism over his spending.
   (AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In southeastern
Yemen a drone attacked an army base held by al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula (AQAP), killing 4 suspected militants. Saudi-led air
strikes and clashes in Aden killed 13 Shiite Huthi rebels and 8
pro-government fighters.
   (Reuters, 7/3/15)(AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, The UN children's
agency said at least 29 people have died in South Sudan's latest
cholera outbreak.
   (AP, 7/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3 - 2015 Jul 10,
Tunisian authorities recovered 27 corpses of migrants off the
Mediterranean Coast who apparently died trying to reach Italy from
Libya.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Alexander Ciccolo
(23), the estranged son of a respected Boston police captain, was
arrested by FBI agents as part of a counter-terrorism operation
against alleged ISIS-inspired domestic terrorists.
   (http://tinyurl.com/y7o5nsnp)(ABCNews, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In NYC Matt Stonie
downed 62 hot dogs to beat Joey Chestnut and win the Nathan’s Famous
hot dog eating contest at Coney Island.
   (SSFC, 7/5/15, p.A12)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, South Korea found a
North Korean ship adrift and sinking with 5 sailors near the island
of Ulleungdo off of South Korea’s northeastern coast. On July 7
South Korea said three of the sailors had defected to South Korea.
   (SFC, 7/8/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Tunisian coast
guards recovered the decomposed bodies of 5 migrants who apparently
drowned at sea as they sought to reach Italy from conflict-hit
Libya.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In eastern Ukraine
5 government soldiers were killed and three wounded when a land mine
exploded in the Luhansk region.
   (SFC, 7/6/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In Yemen 5 children
were among 12 people killed at a shelter in an Aden kindergarten.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Burt Shavitz (80),
co-founder of Burt’s Bees, died in Bangor, Maine. He and Roxanne
Quimby had launched Burt’s Bees Lip Balm in 1991. By 2000 the
company’s annual revenue reached $23 million. In 2004 Quimby sold
the company to AEA Investors for a reported $173 million. Clorox
acquired the company in 2007 for a sum put at more than $900
million.
   (SFC, 7/7/15, p.C2)(Econ, 7/25/15, p.74)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, The UNESCO World
Heritage Committee approved the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, as a
world heritage site. Four other Spanish Roman Catholic sites were
also approved.
   (SFC, 7/6/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In Afghanistan
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, one of the best known jihadist leaders of the
1980s, announced that he had ditched the Taliban in favor of the
Islamic State caliphate.
   (http://tinyurl.com/neb86kv)(Econ, 8/1/15, p.36)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In Vancouver,
Canada, the US women’s soccer team won the World Cup with a 5-2
victory over Japan.
   (SFC, 7/6/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, The EU announced
that it was freezing its €40 million ($44m) aid program to Moldova.
   (Econ, 8/1/15, p.64)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In France at least
150 detonators and a stock of plastic explosives were stolen from
into the vast army logistics base in Miramas near Marseille,
triggering immediate probes into a theft that put authorities on
high alert.
   (AFP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In France a boy
(14) accidentally shot his twin brother dead during a family meal
while playing with guns that he did not know were loaded in the town
of Hennezel.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Greeks voted
overwhelming against austerity measures.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In Iraq and Syria
US-led forces conducted air strikes against Islamic State forces
with 11 in Iraq and 8 in Syria over the last 24 hours.
   (AP, 7/6/15)(SFC, 7/6/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, A dramatic breach
at Italian surveillance company Hacking Team soon laid bare the
details of government cyberattacks worldwide. Hacking Team's spyware
was used by a total of 97 intelligence or investigative agencies in
35 countries, according to South Korean National Intelligence
Service chief Lee Byoung Ho, who explained himself to lawmakers on
July 14 after it became clear his organization was among the
Milan-based company's clients.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In Japan the
world's oldest man, a retired educator, died. Sakari Momoi (112)
died from kidney failure at a nursing home in Tokyo.
   (AP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, The UNESCO World
Heritage Committee approved a collection of almost two dozen
Japanese sites, as a world heritage site, illustrating the country’s
industrial revolution during the 1868-1912 era of the Meiji Emperor.
   (SFC, 7/6/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In northern Mali
French special forces killed Mohamed Ali Ag Wadossene in an early
morning operation in the Kidal region of the Tigharghar mountains. A
dozen others were arrested. The Islamic extremist was released last
year in exchange for the freedom of a French hostage.
   (AP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Mexican marines
killed six suspected criminals after the gunmen shot at their Black
Hawk helicopter in the drug violence-plagued northern state of
Tamaulipas.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In southern Mexico
2 Central American migrants died and a dozen more were injured when
a truck carrying 41 migrants from Guatemala and Honduras overturned
near San Francisco Ixhuatan, Oaxaca state.
   (AP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In Nigeria more
than 60 people were killed in twin bomb blasts in the central city
of Jos.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)(SFC, 7/7/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, The Russian
Progress M-28 cargo ship successfully docked with the Int’l. Space
Station after two recent supply missions failed.
   (SFC, 7/6/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, A US federal
indictment said three members of the Salvadoran gang La Mara
Salvatrucha, or MS-13, killed two people in Maryland and wounded or
threatened four others.
   (AP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Philadelphia a
2005 deposition testimony by former TV star Bill Cosby was unsealed.
In it Cosby admitted that he had obtained quaaludes to give young
women before sex. More than two dozen women have accused Cosby of
sexual misconduct dating back more than four decades.
   (SFC, 7/8/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Washington state
a woman (34) was killed when tons of ice and rock collapsed on a
group of hikers at the Big Four Ice Caves in the state’s Cascade
Range.
   (SFC, 7/8/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Armenian police
cleared away barricades to unblock a central avenue in the Yerevan
that demonstrators had occupied for two weeks to protest hikes in
electricity prices in the impoverished former Soviet nation.
   (AP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Barbados about
3,000 chanting protesters took to the streets of the capital to join
a union-led rally against the recent dismissals of about a dozen
public workers. PM Freundel Stuart said disruptive street protests
were not in the best interests of the island's 28,000 public
workers.
   (AP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, The Canadian
military was called in to help fight wildfires in the Western
province of Saskatchewan, where 112 active fires have forced the
evacuation of more than 13,000 people and threatened several remote
towns.
   (Reuters, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Ecuador Pope
Francis celebrated an outdoor Mass for hundreds of thousands of
people gathered under a broiling sun at Samanes Park on the northern
edge of the port city of Guayaquil and then flew back to Quito.
   (AP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Egypt’s military
said it had killed 241 militants in the Sinai between July 1 and 5,
while losing 21 soldiers in jihadist attacks.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, The European
Central Bank maintained a key financial lifeline to Greek banks in
the wake of Greece's historic referendum but with tougher conditions
for liquidity. The IMF told Greece it could not provide funds to
countries that had missed payments due to the international lender.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)(Reuters, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Hungary's
parliament overwhelmingly approved the construction of a
controversial fence on the border with Serbia to keep out migrants.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, An Iraqi fighter
jet accidentally dropped a bomb on a Baghdad neighborhood, killing
at least 12 people on the ground.
   (AP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Libya's
unrecognized government announced a restructuring of its armed
forces into 11 brigades including militiamen who fought in the
country's 2011 revolution.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Mozambique
authorities burned more than 2.6 tons of ivory and rhino horns
confiscated during various anti-poaching busts, demonstrating a
tough stance on wildlife trafficking.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Nigeria a young
girl thought to be aged just 13 blew herself up near a major mosque
in the city of Kano as worshippers gathered for prayers but caused
no deaths or injuries.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, The Puerto
Rico-based World Boxing Organization stripped Floyd Mayweather of
the welterweight world title he won by beating Manny Pacquiao two
months ago. Mayweather had failed to meet a July 3 for paying a
$200,000 sanctioning fee required by the WBO after he took the belt
from Pacquiao on May 2 in Las Vegas.
   (AFP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In far eastern
Russia 2 pilots of a Sukhoi Su-24 military jet were killed when the
plane crashed during a training mission near the Khurba aerodrome.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, South Sudan's army
said it has retaken the strategic northeastern town of Malakal from
rebels, the latest time the ruined state capital has swapped hands.
   (AFP, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Customs officials
at Zurich airport seized 262 kg (578 pounds) of ivory that three
Chinese men had dispatched from Tanzania, contraband that may have
come from up to 50 elephants. The tusks had been sawed into 172
pieces to fit into luggage.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Syria a suicide
bomber from the Nusra Front blew himself up in a government army
outpost in a contested neighborhood in the divided city of Aleppo
and killed at least 25 soldiers and allied militia and injured
scores. Islamic State fighters stormed the town of Ain Issa held by
Kurdish-led forces near Raqqa city. In the northeast least 37
Islamic State fighters were reported killed and scores injured in
air strikes by the US-led coalition and in clashes with Kurdish YPG
militia.
   (Reuters, 7/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Yemen Saudi-led
warplanes bombed the Sanaa headquarters of the party headed by
rebel-allied former president Ali Abdullah Saleh overnight. More
than 45 civilians were reported killed in a Saudi-led airstrike in
Fayoush. Coalition bombing of a market in a Lahj town killed 41
civilians and six rebels. The Huthi-controlled Saba news agency said
air strikes killed 124 people in Lahj and other parts of Yemen.
   (AP, 7/6/15)(SFC, 7/7/15, p.A4)(AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Washington, DC,
Pres. Obama met with Nguyen Phu Trong, the head of Vietnam’s
Communist Party. Obama said that despite differences over political
philosophy the two countries are deepening cooperation on health,
climate and other issues.
   (SFC, 7/8/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, A US defense
officials said the US Army said it will cut 40,000 soldiers from its
ranks over the next two years at home and abroad. Some 17,000
civilians working for the Army will also be laid off.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, The US CDC reported
that the death rate from heroin overdoses nearly quadrupled to 2.7%
between 2002 and 2013.
   (SFC, 7/8/15, p.A9)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In San Francisco a
lawsuit was filed in which the SEC accused Luca Int’l. Group, led by
Binqing Yang of Fremont, of conducting a Ponzi-like scheme and
fraudulently raising $68 million from hundreds of investors in the
US and Asia.
   (SFC, 7/9/15, p.D2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, the South Carolina
Senate gave final approval to a bill for removing the Confederate
flag from a pole in front of the State House. The proposal still
needed to pass the state House.
   (SFC, 7/8/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In South Carolina
an F-16 fighter jet smashed into a Cessna 150 killing 2 people in
the small plane. Maj. Aaron Johnson ejected safely.
   (SFC, 7/8/15, p.A9)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani said he had sent a delegation to Pakistan to meet
Taliban representatives, his first acknowledgement of official talks
with insurgents who are fighting to topple the government in Kabul.
The Taliban staged two separate suicide bombings in Kabul, killing
at least one person and wounded three, including a NATO soldier.
   (Reuters, 7/7/15)(AP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Afghanistan
Shahidullah Shahid, a former member of the Pakistani Taliban, was
killed along with 5 militants. He had defected to the Islamic State
and was operating in Afghanistan. Shahid was killed in the same
strike that killed Islamic State number two in Afghanistan Gul
Zaman, along with 49 militants in the eastern Achin district of
Nangarhar province. One other commander was also killed.
   (Reuters, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Trading in over 90%
of the 2,774 shares listed in Chinese exchanges was suspended or
halted. Shares had fallen by a third in less than a month.
   (Econ, 7/11/15, p.13)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Cuba and Norway
called for restraint in Colombia as they helped facilitate peace
negotiations in Havana between Colombia and FARC rebels.
   (AP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, The EU extended the
suspension of sanctions on Iran until July 10 to allow ongoing talks
on a long-term nuclear agreement with it to succeed.
   (AP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, A French court
jailed a woman for conning thousands of Chileans into buying a kit
to make "magic cheese" they could sell back to French cosmetics
firms for use in luxury beauty products. Gilberte Van Erpe (74) was
given a six-year prison sentence -- three years suspended -- and a
250,000-euro ($270,000) fine for her scam. The scam. Which began in
2005, collapsed in July 2006 and Van Erpe was arrested in the French
Riviera city of Nice in 2008, but it was not possible to extradite
her.
   (AFP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Greek authorities
said a sailboat carrying migrants sank in the Aegean sea between
Turkey and Greece and at least 17 people were missing.
   (Reuters, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Iraq and Syria
the United States and its allies staged 25 air strikes on Islamic
State targets with 14 in Iraq and 11 in Syria.
   (Reuters, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Japan’s Kyushu
Electric Power Co. began loading fuel into a nuclear reactor where
operations are scheduled to resume next month in the country's first
restart under safety requirements set following the 2011 Fukushima
disaster.
   (AP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In northeast Kenya
al Shabaab gunmen killed 14 people, mostly quarry workers as they
slept in Soko Mbuzi village, Mandera County, in an early morning
attack on a residential complex targeting Christians.
   (Reuters, 7/7/15)(SFC, 7/8/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Malaysian
authorities said they have frozen six bank accounts as part of an
investigation into allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars
were transferred from a state investment fund to the personal
accounts of PM Najib Razak.
   (AP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Nigeria’s President
Muhammadu Buhari approved a bailout of more than $2 billion for
states to resolve a crisis that has left hundreds of thousands of
workers unpaid for months. Eighteen of Nigeria’s 35 states had
unpaid workers.
   (AP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In northern Nigeria
at least 25 people were killed when a bomb blast ripped through a
packed government office in Zaria.
   (AP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, A Norwegian court
sentenced four former top executives at Yara, the world's biggest
nitrate fertilizer maker, to prison for paying bribes in Libya and
India.
   (Reuters, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Pakistani
paramilitary forces killed 3 suspected Sunni militants, including a
senior commander, in Quetta.
   (AFP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Pakistani rescuers
say flash floods caused by heavy monsoon rains have killed at least
5 people in Islamabad.
   (AP, 7/7/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, The Philippines
asked an international tribunal at The Hague to declare China's
claims to virtually all the South China Sea invalid.
   (AP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Spanish police
arrested a woman on the Canary Islands suspected of recruiting girls
and teenagers for the Islamic State group.
   (AFP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Spain two
Americans and a Briton were gored and eight other people were
injured as thousands of daredevils dashed alongside fighting bulls
through the streets of Pamplona on the first bull run of the annual
San Fermin festival.
   (AP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Syria intense
clashes broke out in the northern city of Aleppo after militants
attacked a government-held neighborhood there, capturing several
buildings.
   (AP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Turkey's army said
it had detained 768 people trying to cross illegally from Syria,
including three suspected Islamic State militants, after bolstering
security in border areas near where the radical Islamists hold
ground.
   (Reuters, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Abdulaziz
al-Ghurair, the son of wealthy Emirati businessman Abdullah
al-Ghurair, said his father is giving away a third of his assets, or
more than a billion dollars, to educate Arab youth.
   (AP, 7/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Yemen at least
30 soldiers were killed in coalition air raids and clashes after
troops attempted to defect to Iran-backed rebel ranks near the
border with Saudi Arabia. A car bomb exploded outside a mosque in
Sanaa, killing at least one person and wounding five. 4 rebels were
killed and 10 wounded in a suicide car bombing that targeted a
police station in rebel-held Baida.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, The United Arab
Emirates and the US launched the Sawab Center in Abu Dhabi. The new
digital communications effort focused on using social media to
counter the Islamic State group’s propaganda efforts.
   (SFC, 7/9/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, The South Carolina
House approved taking down the Confederate flag from the Capitol
grounds. Gov. Nikki Haley was expected to sign it.
   (SFC, 7/9/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, The NYSE halted
trading for over three hours to technical problems related to a
software upgrade.
   (SFC, 7/9/15, p.C1)(SFC, 7/10/15, p.C3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, All United
Continental flights in the US were grounded for about two hours due
to computer network problems.
   (SFC, 7/9/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Afghan lawmakers
rejected the first ever female nominee for the country's Supreme
Court, a setback to the government's efforts to promote women to
high-profile positions. Anisa Rasouli, the head of the Afghan Woman
Judges' Association and a juvenile court judge, needed 97 votes out
of 193 to win, but managed only 88 votes.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In southern Algeria
at least 22 people were reported killed in two days of clashes
between Chaamba Arabs and Mozabite Berbers in the M'zab valley.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Australia
extradited Dragan Vasiljkovic, also known as Captain Dragan and
Daniel Snedden, to Croatia to face war crimes charges. He was a
former Serb paramilitary commander during the 1991-1995 Balkan wars.
   (AP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Bangladesh
Samiul Islam Rajon (13), was tied to a pole and then subjected to a
brutal assault in which he pleaded for his life. A 28-minute video
of Samiul was widely circulated after being posted on social media.
On July 14 authorities arrested prime suspect Moyna Chowkidar (38)
on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Sylhet. Police later
filed charges against 13 men.
   (AFP, 7/15/15)(AP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Pope Francis flew
to Bolivia after drawing about 1.5 million people to Masses in
Ecuador on the first leg of a "homecoming" tour.
   (Reuters, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Britain’s
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne unveiled fresh austerity
measures to slash the country's debt. Osborne said Britain will
commit to maintaining defense spending at NATO's target of 2 percent
of gross domestic product every year for the rest of the decade.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)(Reuters, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Colombia's largest
guerrilla army declared a month-long, unilateral cease-fire as of
July 20.
   (AP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Egypt 5
civilians were killed when a mortar round hit a house in a North
Sinai village where the army is battling jihadist insurgents.
   (AP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, The European
Parliament approved a proposal to begin reform of the world's
biggest carbon market in 2019.
   (Reuters, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, A French court
suspended a postal ballot organized by the far-right National Front
on whether to scrap founder Jean-Marie Le Pen's post as honorary
president.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Greece made a
request for aid from Europe's bailout fund as it rushed to deliver
details of its proposed economic reforms in time to secure the
country's future in the euro and avoid a descent into financial
chaos. Greece promised to implement pension and tax reforms as early
as next week as the first step to securing a three-year rescue loan
to cover debt obligations.
   (AP, 7/8/15)(Reuters, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, India's leading
crime-fighting agency registered a case against a prominent critic
of PM Modi for accepting foreign funds, amid concerns that overseas
charities are interfering in the country's domestic affairs. Teesta
Setalvad faced charges of fraud, misappropriation of funds and
violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
   (Reuters, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, An Iraqi court in
Baghdad sentenced 24 suspected members of the Islamic State terror
group to death for their role in the killing of hundreds of soldiers
during the extremists' blitz across the country last year.
   (AP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Italian authorities
said they have seized assets worth more than 1.6 billion euros
($1.75 billion) from a family of five Sicilian pensioners believed
to have links to a prominent mafia clan. The haul belonged to
Carmelo Virga (66), his brothers Vincenzo (78), and Francesco (71),
and their sisters Anna (76) and Rosa (68).
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Libya fighting
erupted in the center of Benghazi. At least 14 people were killed in
battles between militiamen and forces loyal to the internationally
recognized government. Taher Allush, a senior military intelligence
officer, was killed in Misrata when a bomb concealed in his car
exploded.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Myanmar ratified
the chemical weapons convention, bringing the treaty a step closer
to its goal of acceptance by every country in the world. It will
become the organization's 191st nation when it comes into force 30
days after the ratification.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Pakistan said
Afghan and Taliban representatives have agreed to meet again after
landmark through-the-night talks aimed at ending a 13-year
insurgency.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, A Palestinian
appeals court ruled in favor of maintaining parliamentary immunity
for Mohammed Dahlan (53), a rival to President Mahmoud Abbas. Dahlan
fell out of favor in 2011 and has been charged with corruption.
   (Reuters, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Russian lawmakers
in the pro-Kremlin upper chamber called on authorities to blacklist
12 foreign NGOs as "undesirable", the first proposals under a new
law critics say is part of a clampdown on civil society.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, South Sudan rebel
leader Riek Machar called on President Salva Kiir to resign along
with all ministers and the parliament or risk sparking a revolution.
   (AP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said a drone strike as part of a US-led
campaign against Islamic State militants has killed a senior
IS-Uzbek figure in Raqqa. Muhsin Al-Fadhli, leader of the Khorasan
al-Qaeda cell, was killed while traveling in a vehicle near Sarmada.
Hackers claiming to be affiliated with the Islamic State group took
down the website of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor
and threatened its director. At least 19 civilians, including 5
children, were killed by a regime barrel bomb attack and rebel
rocket fire in Aleppo.
   (Reuters, 7/8/15)(AFP, 7/8/15)(AFP, 7/9/15)(SFC,
7/23/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Turkey Cilem
Karabulut (28) killed her husband Hasan Karabulut (33) in the
southern Adana region with a pistol stored at home. She was detained
by police and admitted to murdering her husband out of "honor" after
he repeatedly beat her and tried to force her into prostitution.
   (AFP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, A UN resolution
condemning the 1995 massacre of Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica as a
"crime of genocide" was vetoed by Russia, earning denunciations by
the US and Britain and by international human rights groups like
Amnesty International.
   (SFC, 7/9/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Yemen some 40
inmates escaped in a jailbreak after coalition jets bombed the area
surrounding a prison in Mahawit province, northwest of Sanaa. Rebels
fired rockets at a residential district killing 8 civilians, among
them 3 children.
   (AFP, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, America’s Office of
Personnel Management admitted that hackers had stolen the sensitive
personal information of 22 million government employees.
   (Econ, 7/18/15, p.10)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Pennsylvania
Gary Machinshok (29) of Wilkes-Barre was sentenced to up to 27 years
in prison for raping his wife's daughter (15) in an effort to
conceive a baby the couple could raise. Machinshok testified against
his wife, who was sentenced in April to 15 to 30 years in prison.
She pleaded guilty in January to charges including rape, assault,
endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy.
   (Reuters, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, As today
Backstage.com users posting advertisements of an adult nature, such
as escort services, must use Bitcoin, Litecoin or Dogecoin to pay
any posting fees. The move makes Backpage the first mainstream
resource of its type to experiment with a cryptocurrency-only
payment model.
  Â
(http://cointelegraph.com/news/114796/backpagecom-adult-section-goes-100-crypto)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Bolivia Pope
Francis rallied tens of thousands of flag-waving Bolivians during
his first public Mass.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In England a
24-hour strike by staff and drivers brought London’s underground
rail network to a halt and left millions struggling to get to work.
   (Reuters, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, China began
rounding up civil-rights lawyers and support staff for
interrogation. By mid-July many of around 120 detainees were
released but 31 were still missing or believed to be in custody.
   (Econ, 7/18/15, p.37)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, European Union
chairman Donald Tusk joined growing international calls for Greece
to be granted debt restructuring as part of any new loan deal if it
delivers convincing reforms to avert imminent bankruptcy.
   (Reuters, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, German space agency
DLR made contact with the Philae space probe that landed on a comet
last year for the first time in more than two weeks.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, India and the
United States signed a tax information sharing agreement, under a
new US law meant to combat offshore tax dodging by Americans.
   (Reuters, 7/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, India's top court
ordered a federal investigation into a multimillion-dollar college
admission and government job recruitment scandal in central India
said to be linked to dozens of mysterious deaths.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Iraqi
paramilitaries exchanged fire with police in Baghdad, the latest
sign of tension between the government and the country's Shiite
militias.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Honda said it is
recalling 4.5 million vehicles in Japan and other markets outside
North America to replace airbags supplied by Takata. Some 40 million
vehicles have been affected in what has become the world’s most
extensive auto-safety recall.
   (SFC, 7/10/15, p.C3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Mexico gunmen
believed to belong to a local drug cartel killed 5 members of a
family near the border city of Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In western Mexico
the Colima Volcano, also known as the Volcano of Fire, began
erupting and continued into the next morning.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, A New Zealand judge
sentenced AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd (61) to eight months of home
detention after the musician pleaded guilty to threatening to kill a
man who used to work for him, along with possession of
methamphetamine and marijuana.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In southeast Niger
Boko Haram militants slit the throats of 5 civilians in Dagaya
during a targeted attack by the Islamist group wreaking havoc in the
region.
   (AFP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Nigeria said its
troops have arrested the mastermind of bombings in the central
cities of Jos and Zaria this week that killed at least 69 people.
   (Reuters, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Nigeria an
accidental explosion on an oil pipeline operated by Italian energy
giant Eni left 12 people dead and three injured in the southern
Niger delta region.
   (AFP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Poland offered to
accept 2,000 refugees from Africa and the Middle East as part of a
European Union plan. This thrown into doubt the next day when the
junior partner in its coalition government complained of not being
consulted.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Portugal Armando
Vara (61), a deputy minister in two Socialist governments between
1995-2000, was arrested on suspicion of corruption, tax fraud and
money-laundering. A court last year sentenced Vara to five years in
prison for influence-peddling in a major corruption case but, as is
usual in Portugal, he was set free while he awaits the outcome of
his appeal.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, South African
police destroyed more than 14,000 firearms to mark International Gun
Destruction Day in the furnace of a steel manufacturing plant
outside Johannesburg.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, South Korean
officials said young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has executed 70
officials since taking power in late 2011 in a "reign of terror"
that far exceeds the bloodshed of his dictator father's early rule.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Switzerland said it
has paid out $4.9 million to hundreds of people who as children were
taken from their parents and sent to work on Swiss farms or placed
in homes. The practice of sending poor children, aka “slave
children,” to farms started in the early 1800s and was in full swing
until the 1960s.
   (SFC, 7/10/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Syrian army troops
backed by war planes advanced to within several kilometers of
Palmyra, battling Islamic State group fighters outside the ancient
city. New UN figures said the number of people who have fled Syria
has surpassed 4 million.
   (AFP, 7/9/15)(SFC, 7/10/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Thailand sent back
to China more than 100 ethnic Uighur refugees, drawing harsh
criticism from the UN refugee agency and human rights groups over
concerns that they face persecution by the Chinese government.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Tunisia said its
army is building a 105-mile barrier along the border with Libya to
keep out extremists.
   (SFC, 7/10/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Turkey
protesters stormed the Thai Consulate in Istanbul early today to
denounce Thailand's decision to deport 109 ethnic Uighur migrants
back to China.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Ugandan police
detained three-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye and former
PM Amama Mbabazi, two of the president's top challengers.
   (AP, 7/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Yemen an air
strike late today hit a school where internally displaced people
have taken refuge in the southern province of Lahj, killing 9 people
and wounding 14 others.
   (Reuters, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Pres. Obama signed
a declaration making Berryessa Snow Mountain California’s newest
national monument.
  Â
(www.fs.fed.us/visit/berryessa-snow-mountain-national-monument)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, South Carolina’s
divisive Confederate flag came down at the State House in Columbia.
The flag was taken to the nearby Confederate Relic Room and Military
Museum.
   (AFP, 7/10/15)(SFC, 7/11/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Hawaii state
officials voted to restrict access to mauna Kea for 120 days to
allow construction to resume on the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter
Telescope.
   (SSFC, 7/12/15, p.A10)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Michigan Dr.
Farid Fata (50), a Detroit area cancer doctor, was sentenced to 45
years in prison for putting some 533 patients through needless,
grueling treatments to collect millions from insurers.
   (SFC, 7/11/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Afghanistan
Hafez Saeed, a senior commander in the Pakistani branch of the
Taliban, was killed in a US air strike along with 30 other militants
as they gathered in Achin district of Nangarhar province. He was
among a small but increasing number of senior Taliban militants who
have switched allegiance to Islamic State.
   (Reuters, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, An Austrian jury
acquitted Alnur Mussayev, Kazakhstan's former spy chief, and
presidential family guard Vadim Koshlyak of double murder in a trial
whose main suspect, the president's former son-in-law, was found
hanged in jail.
   (Reuters, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In central
Bangladesh a stampede killed 21 elderly women and four young people
early today when hundreds of people stormed the home of a
businessman for a charity handout during the holy Muslim month of
Ramadan.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Bolivia Pope
Francis arrived at the notorious Palmasola prison, greeting some by
hand ahead of a message that focused on encouragement. The prison
built for 800 inmates has more than 5,000.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Burundi's
government said it backed regional calls to postpone controversial
polls, but only by a few days, saying it had asked the election
commission to implement the delay. Burundian soldiers clashed with
gunmen in a northern region near Rwanda. Government soldiers killed
31 suspected rebels and captured another 170 in Kayanza province.
   (AFP, 7/10/15)(SFC, 7/14/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, China's national
weather service said super Typhoon Chan-hom is expected to make
landfall by early tomorrow at the eastern province of Zhejiang, and
has issued its highest-level alert. Authorities have evacuated tens
of thousands of people, canceled scores of trains and flights and
shuttered seaside resorts.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Omar Sharif (83),
Egyptian-born actor, died in Cairo. He soared to international
stardom in movie epics "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Doctor Zhivago".
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Egypt 4
children and a woman were killed when a mortar round crashed into
their home in Sheikh Zuweid, near North Sinai's main town of
El-Arish.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, The European Union
extended a suspension of sanctions on Iran until July 13 to allow
ongoing talks about the country's nuclear ambitions to succeed.
   (Reuters, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, European
plane-maker Airbus flew its E-fan plane from Lydd, England, to the
French port of Calais. About 12 hours before Airbus' Channel flight,
French pilot Hugues Duval took his two-engine, one-seat Cricri
electric plane from Calais to Dover and back.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In France the
leader of a banned group was sentenced to nine years in jail on
terrorism charges after police raids found weapons and a list of
Jewish targets in his personal files. Mohamed Achamlane (37) was one
of 14 people tried on charges of criminal conspiracy related to a
terrorist enterprise. Forsane Alizza (Horsemen of Pride in Arabic)
was banned in 2012.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Germany a man
from the town of Ansbach named as Bernd G. (47) shot and killed two
people in northern Bavaria. Two mechanics working at a petrol
station in Bad Windsheim overpowered the man after he entered the
shop and threatened employees with a gun.
   (Reuters, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Greek PM Alexis
Tsipras appealed to his party's lawmakers to back a tough reforms
package after abruptly offering last-minute concessions to try to
save the country from financial meltdown.
   (Reuters, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, The prime
ministers of nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan agreed at a
rare meeting to cooperate on eliminating terrorism in South Asia.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Indonesia Mount
Raung in East Java province began spewing ash sparking chaos for
holidaymakers. Airports were closed and international airlines
canceled flights to tourist hotspot Bali, stranding thousands.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Iran and Iraq
tens of thousands marched in Tehran and Baghdad in annual Quds
(Jerusalem) Day demonstrations in support of Palestinians. Saudi
Arabia this year joined arch-foe Israel as the target for
protesters.
   (AFP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Iraqi government
and Shiite militia repelled an Islamic State group attack in Anbar
province. At least 10 soldiers and 12 IS fighters were killed.
   (SFC, 7/11/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Iraq and Syria
the United States and its allies carried out 34 air strikes against
Islamic State militants with 17 in Iraq and 17 in Syria.
   (Reuters, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Nigeria's head of
state's spokesman Garba Shehu said Pres. Muhammadu Buhari will take
only half of the salary paid to former head of state Goodluck
Jonathan. In the northeast at least 10 people were killed when a
large commando of Boko Haram Islamic extremists attacked Ngamdu
village, Borno state, and took over a major highway in the region.
Later reports said four villages were attacked and some 43 people
killed. Boko Haram gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire residents
returning to Gamboru killing 5 men and 3 women.
   (AFP, 7/10/15)(AP, 7/11/15)(AFP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In northeastern
Nigeria commercial flights resumed into Maiduguri, nearly 18 months
after the airport was shut in the wake of a daring Boko Haram raid.
   (AFP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Oslo-based Scatec
Solar said Mali said has signed an agreement to build west Africa's
first industrial-scale solar power plant.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Pope Francis
arrived in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion on the final leg of
his three-nation tour of South America's poorest countries that
included Ecuador and neighboring Bolivia.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Russia’s President
Vladimir Putin announced that India and Pakistan will join the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a group dominated by Russia and
China and also including former Soviet republics in Central Asia.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Saudi Arabia's
Prince Saud al-Faisal (b.1940), formerly the world's longest-serving
foreign minister, died in the US. He oversaw four decades of
turbulent diplomacy for the oil-rich kingdom.
   (AFP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Somalia at
least 6 civilians and 4 militants were killed when al Shabaab
Islamists attacked the Siyad and Weheliye hotels in the center of
Mogadishu.
   (Reuters, 7/11/15)(SFC, 7/11/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, The International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said a dozen patients have died
and dozens more wounded are without care in a South Sudanese
hospital after fighting forced medics to flee.
   (AFP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Tanzania
extradited Jamil Mukulu to Uganda to face multiple counts of murder
stemming from his alleged role as leader of the Congo-based Allied
Democratic Forces, an Islamic militant group that regularly attacks
civilians in eastern Congo.
   (SFC, 7/11/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In southern
Thailand 3 women were killed by a motorcycle bomb that exploded late
today near a karaoke bar in the border town of Padang Besar. Arson
was blamed for the deaths of 3 people at a shop in Sungai Kolok,
another border town, where eight other people were wounded,
including three women from Laos, by an improvised bomb hidden in a
planter in front of a hotel.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Tunisian security
forces killed 5 Islamist militants in clashes in the mountains near
the central town of Gafsa and that military helicopters were
pursuing more in the area. Mourad Gharsalli, a senior leader of the
Al-Qaeda-linked Okba Ibn Nafaa Brigades jihadist group, was among
the dead.
   (Reuters, 7/10/15)(AFP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Turkey's state-run
news agency said police have carried out raids in Istanbul and three
other cities, detaining at least 21 people suspected of being
members of the Islamic State extremist group.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In eastern Ukraine
an unidentified gunman shot and killed 3 postal workers as they were
transporting money, escaping with the equivalent of $115,000 in the
government-held city of Kharkiv.
   (AP, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Yemen’s main
warring factions endorsed a UN-brokered humanitarian truce from
midnight today although heavy fighting on the ground and Saudi air
strikes carried on relentlessly.
   (Reuters, 7/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In southeastern
Yemen two missile strikes by unmanned American drones killed 10
suspected members of Al-Qaeda, including 3 local chiefs at the port
of Mukalla.
   (AFP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, The NAACP passed a
resolution lifting its 15-year economic boycott of South Carolina
after the state took down a Confederate battle flag flying near its
State House.
   (SFC, 7/13/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Patricia Crone
(b.1945), Danish-American author, scholar, orientalist, and
historian, died in New Jersey. Her books included “Hagarism: The
Making of the Islamic World” (1977), co-authored with Michael Cook.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Crone)(Econ, 8/1/15, p.78)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Afghanistan Abu
Khalil al-Sudani, described as a high-ranking Al Qaeda operational
commander, was killed in a US airstrike in Paktika province. He was
reportedly the head of Al Qaeda's suicide and explosives operations.
   (CSM, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Bosnia Anger
boiled over at a massive commemoration of the Srebrenica slaughter
20 years ago as people pelted Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic with water
bottles and other objects.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Serena Williams
won a sixth Wimbledon title as the world number one became the
oldest woman to win a Grand Slam crown with a 6-4, 6-4 victory
against Garbine Muguruza.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Chad a man
dressed in a woman's burqa blew himself up in the main market in
N'Djamena early today, killing 15 people and injuring 80. A second
explosion about 30 km north of N'Djamena killed one person.
   (Reuters, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In central China a
fire late today at a residential building in Wuhan city killed 7
people and injured 12 others.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In China Typhoon
Chan-hom slammed ashore in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, paralyzing
transport links and devastating farmland as authorities evacuated
more than a million people. The storm killed 5 people in the
Philippines earlier in the week
   (AP, 7/10/15)(SSFC, 7/12/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Egypt the
Islamic State claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack at the
Italian consulate in Cairo. One person was killed.
   (Reuters, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Iraq bombings
and a shooting have killed at least 11 people in and around Baghdad.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, An Israeli drone
crashed in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli, in the second
such incident in three weeks.
   (AFP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Japan Satoru
Iwata (55), head of Nintendo Co., died at Kyoto University Hospital
after a lengthy illness. He had led the video game company through
years of growth with its Pokemon and Super Mario franchises.
   (AP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Libyan political
parties and members of civil society initialed a UN-proposed peace
accord in Morocco, despite the absence of a rival parliament not
recognized by the international community.
   (AFP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, A Mali army
commander said special forces have disrupted a network of at least
six Islamic extremists plotting an attack in Bamako. The extremists
were linked to the Ansar Dine group.  Â
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Mexican drug lord
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman escaped through a lengthy tunnel under his
prison cell's shower, marking his second jail break and an
embarrassing blow to the government.
   (AFP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In western Mexico
ash and cinders spewed from the Colima Volcano, prompting
authorities to close the airport in the state capital of Colima and
order the evacuation of a half dozen hamlets on the flanks of the
peak.
   (AP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In southern Niger
suspected Boko Haram militants launched an attack on the prison in
Diffa late today, in an apparent bid to free fellow members of the
Nigerian Islamist group held there.
   (Reuters, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In northeastern
Nigeria an attempted bomb attack at Maiduguri’s largest bus station
failed when an explosives-ladden tuk-tuk was prevented from entering
the site early today. The tuk-tuk exploded, killing the driver and 3
of its occupants.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, A Pakistani
military official said troops in the Waziristan tribal region near
the Afghan border have killed 9 militants after an attack on a
military checkpoint.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Paraguay Pope
Francis received a very Argentine welcome at Paraguay's most
important pilgrimage site, with thousands of his countrymen joining
hundreds of thousands of Paraguayan faithful for a Mass that served
as a makeshift homecoming for the Argentine pope.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Syria monitors
said a helicopter strike on the Islamic State-controlled town of
al-Bab killed at least 28 people including 3 children. A Syrian
military source said the army had not carried out any air strikes
today in al-Bab.
   (Reuters, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Thailand sent
eight more ethnic Muslim Uighur refugees to Turkey, days after the
Thai government faced intense international criticism for deporting
109 refugees back to China despite fears they could face persecution
there. 52 Uighurs remained in Thailand.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In western Ukraine
at least 2 people were killed in a gun and grenade attack in
Mukhachevo involving the country's notorious nationalist militia
Right Sector.
   (AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Yemen a
UN-proposed truce, aimed at delivering desperately needed aid to
millions threatened with famine, failed to take hold. The spokesman
for the Saudi-led coalition targeting Yemen's Shiite rebels in
airstrikes since March said the coalition is not bound by the new
truce deal.
   (AFP, 7/11/15)(AP, 7/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Afghanistan at
least 12 civilians were reported killed in a pair of roadside bomb
explosions in Kapisa and Kunduz provinces. In the southeast a
suicide car bomb killed 33 people and wounded 10 on the outskirts of
Khost city.
   (AP, 7/12/15)   (Reuters,
7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Bahraini
authorities arrested top opposition leader Ibrahim Sharif, less than
a month after he was freed from prison following time served for his
role in Arab Spring-inspired protests. Sharif was freed from prison
on July 11, 2016, after serving a yearlong sentence over comments
supporting political change in the kingdom.
   (AP, 7/12/15)(AP, 7/11/16)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Burundi a
regional governor said the army has captured scores of gunmen and
killed others in two days of clashes in the north.
   (Reuters, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In northern
Cameroon at least a dozen civilians and a Chadian soldier were
killed in two suicide attacks by suspected Boko Haram militants in
the town of Fotokol.
   (Reuters, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Canadian opera
singer John Vickers (b.1926), nicknamed "God's tenor" for his
inimitable voice and strong Christian beliefs, died in Ontario.
   (AP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, China's
anti-corruption watchdog said Xi Xiaoming, vice president of the
Supreme People's Court, has come under investigation for corruption,
becoming one of the most senior judicial officials to be swept up by
the country's anti-graft dragnet.
   (Reuters, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In northern China
a warehouse containing fireworks exploded, killing at least 3 people
and injuring more than a dozen others in Ningjin county, Hebei
province.
   (AP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In China Tibetan
lama Tenzin Delek Rinpoche (65) died in prison 13 years into serving
a sentence for what human rights groups say were false charges that
he was involved in a bombing in a public park.
   (AP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Euro zone leaders
told near-bankrupt Greece at an emergency summit on that it must
restore trust by enacting key reforms before they will open talks on
a new financial rescue to keep it in the European currency area.
   (Reuters, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Guam's war against
the coconut rhinoceros beetles, which have ravaged many coconut
trees, was reported to have become more challenging as the beetles
seemed to have developed an immunity to the Oryctes nudivrus, which
has been used to kill the beetles.
   (AP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, An Indian
government report said 10 endangered Asiatic lions, 1670 blue bulls
and 87 spotted deer were amongst hundreds of wild animals killed in
the recent floods to hit west India's Gujarat. At least 81 people
died in mudslides collapsed homes or high waters in Gujarat state
last month.
   (AFP, 7/12/15)(SFC, 7/13/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Indonesia the
airport on Bali reopened after the erupting Mount Raung volcano
forced its closure for the second time in just a few days and caused
fresh travel misery for stranded holidaymakers.
   (AFP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Iraq at least
35 people were killed in a series of car bombs and suicide attacks
in mainly Shi'ite districts.
   (Reuters, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Israel released
Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan. He had staged a 56-day hunger
strike which brought him near death in a protest against the
controversial procedure allowing detainees to be held indefinitely
without charge.
   (AFP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Liberia a
second person died from Ebola in the latest resurgence of the deadly
disease in the West African nation. The woman in her early 20s was
linked to the 17-year-old boy who died on June 28.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Myanmar’s navy
rescued the last of 102 Bangladeshi migrants stranded for nearly a
month on Saung Gauk Island.
   (Reuters, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Myanmar several
hundred workers rallied for a higher minimum wage despite a warning
by factory owners that the demand might put them out of business.
The daily minimum wage stood at 3,000 kyat ($2.65).
   (AP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Paraguay Pope
Francis put into practice his call for the world's poor and
powerless to not be left on the margins of society by visiting a
flood-prone slum outside Asuncion on the final day of his 3-nation
tour.
   (AP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Philippine police
killed 5 suspected car thieves and robbers in a gunbattle north of
Manila in an ongoing anti-crime crackdown.
   (AP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Russia 23
soldiers were crushed to death after their military barracks
collapsed in Omsk, Siberia.
   (AFP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, South Sudan said
it it has decided to expel UN diplomat Mary Cummins from norhtern
Unity state in retaliation for the publication of a human rights
report that accused the government of committing widespread
attacks on civilians there.
   (SFC, 7/13/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Spain a fire
swept through a nursing home early today outside the northeastern
city of Zaragoza, killing 8 elderly residents and injuring 12 other
people.
   (AP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Tanzania's ruling
party anointed government minister John Magufuli as its candidate
for presidential elections due to be held in October.
   (AFP, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Yemen at least
10 people were killed in air strikes overnight, as a Saudi-led
coalition continued bombing Sanaa in violation of a temporary
humanitarian truce.
   (Reuters, 7/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Zimbabwean writer
Chenjerai Hove (59) died in exiled in Norway. His work largely
portrayed the struggles of Zimbabwe's powerless groups. He left
Zimbabwe for France in 2001 at the height of Zimbabwe's political
tumult, claiming he was in danger. He later relocated to Norway.
   (AP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Pres. Obama cut
the prison sentences of 46 nonviolent drug offenders. The sentences
of all 46 will now expire on Nov 10, 2015.
   (SFC, 7/14/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In Kentucky a
flash flood in the area of Flat Gap left at least 3 people dead.
   (SFC, 7/17/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In Texas Sandra
Bland (28) died in jail three days after she was arrested in a
traffic stop in Waller County. Police alleged that she had hanged
herself using a plastic liner taken from a garbage can. On Jan 6,
2016, Trooper Brian Encinia was indicted for perjury and faced
dismissal.
   (SFC, 7/22/15, p.A5)(SFC, 7/23/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Wisconsin Gov.
Scott Walker (47) became the 15th prominent Republican to join the
US presidential race.
   (SFC, 7/14/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, British
authorities confirmed an outbreak at a farm of the H7N7 strain of
avian flu that is both highly contagious and potentially deadly for
birds.
   (AFP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In London Ashley
Mote (79), a former Eurosceptic member of the European Parliament,
was sentenced to five years in prison for fraudulently claiming
almost 500,000 pounds ($777,000) in expenses.
   (AP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Cambodia's
National Assembly approved a controversial draft law that critics
say gives authorities sweeping powers to crack down on civil society
groups that challenge the government.
   (AP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In China police in
Shenyang, Liaoning Province, killed 3 Uighur men from the Xinjiang
region said to belong to a terrorist organization.
   (SFC, 7/15/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Euro zone leaders
made Greece surrender much of its sovereignty to outside supervision
in return for agreeing to talks on an 86 billion euros ($95 billion)
bailout to keep the near-bankrupt country in the single currency.
   (AP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, EU authorities
fined Spain almost 19 million euros ($21 million) for manipulating
economic statistics for one of its regions, the first penalty of its
kind.
   (AP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Hungary said it
has begun building a fence on the country's southern border with
Serbia, meant to stem the unprecedented flow of migrants. Around
80,000 migrants and refugees have reached Hungary so far this year.
About 80 percent of them are from war-torn countries like Syria,
Iraq and Afghanistan. 900 soldiers were tasked with building the
fence using materials prepared by inmates.
   (AP, 7/13/15)(SFC, 7/17/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In central India
rebels held up a bus carrying a group of police commandos in
Bijapur, Chhattisgarh state, and abducted four of them. The bodies
of the men were found on July 15 on the side of a road.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In eastern India a
couple and their six children were asleep in their mud home in the
village in Odisha's Keonjhar district when a mob armed with axes
broke in and attacked them. Two of the children survived. Nine
people were soon arrested for the hacking to deaths. They had
accused the family of practicing witchcraft and making village
children sick.
   (Reuters, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Indonesian
authorities said an orangutan trader has been jailed for two years
after he was caught trying to sell a baby ape from a backpack, a
rare conviction for wildlife crime in the country. A court in Medan
also ordered Vast Haris Nasution to pay a 10 million rupiah ($750)
fine after he was found guilty last week under laws that ban the
trade in orangutans.
   (AFP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Iraqi troops and
Shi'ite Muslim militia forces attacked Islamic State fighters on
several fronts in Anbar province.
   (Reuters, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Lithuania said it
is removing all the Soviet statues remaining in its capital,
prompted by renewed calls to take down the symbols of an oppressive
Soviet occupation amid the Ukraine crisis. The four remaining
statues, depicting Red Army soldiers, workers, students and
peasants, were erected on the historic Green Bridge over the River
Neris in 1952.
   (AP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Nigeria's
President Muhammadu Buhari sacked his army, navy, air force and
defense chiefs, a widely anticipated move as the former general has
made crushing Islamist militant group Boko Haram his top priority. A
suicide bomber hit a military checkpoint on the outskirts of
Maiduguri.
   (Reuters, 7/13/15)(AFP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In Northern
Ireland say some 24 officers were hurt in riots that were touched
off when a Protestant brotherhood was blocked from marching past a
Catholic district.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Romania’s National
Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) indicted PM Victor Ponta as part
of a wide-ranging corruption investigation and seized his assets,
increasing pressure on him to resign.
   (AP, 7/13/15)(Econ, 2/11/17, p.39)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, A court in
Belgrade, Serbia, sentenced Darko Saric, for years one of the most
wanted crime figures in the Balkans, to 20 years in jail for
trafficking cocaine from Latin America to Europe and laundering 22
million euros.
   (Reuters, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 13, In Singapore some
28,000 people rallied in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) rights.
   (Econ, 7/18/15, SR p.4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, The United Arab
Emirates put to death by firing squad Bader al-Hashemi (30), an
Emirati woman convicted of the jihadist-inspired murder of a US
school teacher. Hashemi was sentenced to death last month for
stabbing to death mother of three Ibolya Ryan (47) in a toilet of an
Abu Dhabi shopping mall on December 1, 2014.
   (AFP, 7/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, The US Justice
Department investigators shut down what they called the world's
largest-known English-language malware forum, an online marketplace
called Darkode where cybercriminals bought and sold hacked
databases, malicious software and other products that could cripple
or steal information from computer systems. More than 70
cybercriminals in the US and 19 other countries were targets of the
investigation.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In Missouri David
Zink (55) was executed for the 2001 sexual assault and killing of
Amanda Morton (19).
   (SFC, 7/15/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In western
Virginia two trains collided, leaving two crewmembers hurt and more
than 20,000 gallons of lubricant oil seeping onto the ground near
Dublin.
   (CSM, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, CERN scientists
said new kind of subatomic particle called the pentaquark has been
detected for the first time. The existence of pentaquarks was first
proposed in the 1960s by American physicists Murray Gell-Mann and
Georg Zweig. Gell-Mann, who coined the term "quark," received the
Nobel Prize in 1969.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, The New Horizons
spacecraft flew to just 7,800 miles from Pluto to take the first
high-resolution images of the dwarf planet.
   (SFC, 7/15/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, China's state
media accused more than two dozen human rights attorneys rounded up
in recent days of being troublemakers intent on illegal activism.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, China said it has
begun building a 314-meter (1,030-ft) high dam which will be among
the world's tallest. The Shuangjiankou dam on a tributary of the
Yangtze river will be completed in 2022.
   (AFP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, France celebrated
Bastille Day with a spectacular display of fighter jets and with
anti-terror forces marching in the yearly parade in Paris for the
first time.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, French sources
said two explosions which sparked huge fires at a petrochemical
plant in in Berre-l'Etang near Marseille-Marignane airport early
today are believed to have been the result of a "malicious act".
   (AFP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Hong Kong students
Joshua Wong and Nathan Law were charged with obstructing police
during a protest earlier in the year and released on bail. They rose
to fame during pro-democracy demonstrations that angered Beijing
last year.
   (Reuters, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In southern India
at least 27 people were killed and dozens injured in a stampede on
the first day of the Hindu Pushkaralu bathing festival on a bank of
the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh state.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Iran and six major
world powers reached a nuclear deal, capping more than a decade of
negotiations with an agreement that could transform the Middle East.
In the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Iran will slash by
around two-thirds the number of centrifuges from around 19,000 to
6,104 under the deal. The agreement will now be debated in the US
Congress, but Obama said he would veto any measure to block it.
   (Reuters, 7/14/15)(AFP, 7/14/15)(Econ, 7/18/15,
p.21)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In Iraq and Syria
the United States and its coalition partners targeted Islamic State
forces with 17 air strikes in Iraq and 16 Syria.
   (Reuters, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Israel's PM
Netanyahu said his country is not bound by the international nuclear
agreement with Iran, and that Israel reserves the right to defend
itself.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Kuwait charged 29
people over the suicide bombing of a Shiite mosque on June 26,
claimed by the Islamic State group, that killed 26 people and
wounded more than 200.
   (AFP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Nigeria's Ministry
of Information announced that it had "successfully jammed the
signals" of Radio Biafra, because it is unlicensed. The station
dedicated to creating a breakaway state for the Igbo people remained
on the airwaves.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In northeastern
Nigeria at least 30 people were killed in three attacks by Boko
Haram Islamists. Boko Haram insurgents raided Ngamdu, the border
town of Damasak and attacked Warsala in Borno state.
   (AFP, 7/15/15)(Reuters, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Pakistani military
jets reportedly killed 14 militants in the North Waziristan tribal
region.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In far eastern
Russia 2 pilots were killed when a strategic Tu-95 bomber with seven
people on board crashed while landing outside of the city of
Khabarovsk.
   (AFP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Rwandan lawmakers
backed a motion to let President Paul Kagame run for a third term in
office, paving the way for a referendum to amend the constitution.
   (Reuters, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, South Korea sent
back two North Korean fishermen who were rescued from South Korean
waters but said it would not return three others who requested
asylum.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In Spain
Pamplona's famed San Fermin festival held its last bull run with no
fatalities in the nine-day event. Officials said a French tourist
died after being gored by a bull in a small town festival in eastern
Spain.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In Switzerland a
helicopter crashed in the area around the popular tourist attraction
Jungfraujoch glacier, killing the pilot.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In northern Syria
a double suicide bombing in Idlib targeting the heqdquarters of
Ahrar-al-Sham, an ultraconservative Islamic rebel group, killed its
leader Abu Abdelrahman Salqeen, as well as 6 other high-ranking
members.
   (SFC, 7/15/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, A Thai military
court sentenced 10 people to prison terms for distributing online
content that it said insulted the country's monarchy. Eight of the
10 were ordered to serve 5-year jail terms and two others, found to
have only abetted the others, were given three years each.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Turkey’s PM Ahmet
Davutoglu said the nationalist opposition does not want to share
power in a government with the ruling AK Party, dealing a blow to
his efforts to find a junior coalition partner.
   (Reuters, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Ugandan rebels
shot dead or burned alive 9 people during an attack in eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo.
   (AFP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In eastern Ukraine
two rebel fighters were killed as well as one civilian.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Yemeni forces
battling the Shiite rebels in the country's south said they have
taken control of the airport in the strategic port city of Aden and
that they have driven the rebels into a part of the city jutting out
into the sea. The Saudi-led coalition carried out airstrikes in
Sanaa.
   (AP, 7/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, The John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts said "Star Wars" creator
George Lucas, groundbreaking actresses Rita Moreno and Cicely Tyson,
singer Carole King, rock band the Eagles and acclaimed music
director Seiji Ozawa will receive this year's Kennedy Center Honors.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, California
regulators ordered Uber to pay a $7.3 million fine and hand over
required information about safety and accessibility or shut down in
the company’s home state.
   (SFC, 7/16/15, p.C6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, The Colorado Bard
of health voted 6-2 against adding PTSD to the list of ailments
eligible for treatment with marijuana.
   (SFC, 7/17/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, The Solar Impulse
team said it is suspending its journey in Hawaii to at least next
April after the plane suffered battery damage during its flight from
Japan.
   (SFC, 7/16/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Austria the
Vienna regional court found Oliver N. (17) guilty of participating
in a terror organization and incitement to terrorism and sentenced
him to 2 ½ years in prison for joining the Islamic State group.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Bahrain a man
accidentally blew himself up as he tried to plant a bomb targeting
police in a Shi'ite Muslim village.
   (Reuters, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Bulgaria’s
interior ministry said a man (21), suspected of belonging to a
network of Islamist hackers responsible for attacks on more than
3,500 websites worldwide, has been arrested. The man was said to be
part of a group using the acronym MECA (Middle East Cyber Army).
   (AFP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, A Cameroon
governor said the country's north has banned women from wearing
burkas and face-covering veils in response to the July 12 attacks
that left 14 dead. The Far North Region also banned Muslims from
meeting in large groups without permission.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In China Wan Li
(99), a politician known for his reform policies, died in Beijing.
Wan was best known for the reform policies that he began
implementing in the late 1970s, especially in rural China.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Egypt’s military
foiled an attempted attack on a military post on a highway linking
Cairo with the Red Sea coast. The driver of a car that was carrying
500 kg (1,100 pounds) of dynamite refused to stop at a checkpoint,
drawing fire from the troops. The car then swerved off the road and
the driver was killed.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, The European
Commission published its assessment of Greece's bailout request,
taking a different view of Athens' debt sustainability than the IMF,
but also signaling a possibility of debt relief.
   (Reuters, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Germany Oskar
Groening (94), known as the "bookkeeper of Auschwitz," was sentenced
to four years in prison for his role in the murder of 300,000 people
at the Nazi death camp. Groening, who had been sent to work at the
camp in 1942, inspected people's luggage, removing and counting any
bank notes and sending them on to SS offices in Berlin, where they
helped to fund the Nazi war effort.
   (Reuters, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Greece
municipal workers, pharmacists and others went on strike to protests
the impact that new reforms will have on their livelihoods.
   (Econ, 7/18/15, p.41)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In eastern India
police recovered the remains of a man who was beaten to death and
burnt by a mob last week over allegations of sorcery in Odisha's
Rayagada district. Ten people have been arrested.
   (Reuters, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Iraqi journalist
Jala al-Abadi (b.1988), who was taken from his home with his phone
and laptop on June 4, was executed in Mosul by firing squad after
being sentenced by an IS court.
   (AFP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Ireland’s
transgender people won legal recognition of their status through the
passage of the Gender Recognition Bill, allowing them to change
their legal gender with no medical or state intervention.
   (Reuters, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Italy a Milan
court convicted 11 former Pirelli managers, including two former
CEOs, on charges of manslaughter and gave them prison sentences for
the deaths of about 20 workers who developed tumors or lung disease
after being exposed to asbestos.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Japan-based Toyota
said it is recalling 625,000 Prius hybrid vehicles worldwide because
they can stall without warning.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, The Lebanese army
said troops have confiscated a drone in the eastern Bekaa Valley as
it was being taken to insurgents on the Syrian side of the border.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Macedonia's main
political leaders reached a final agreement early today to resolve a
protracted and severe political crisis that has roiled the small
Balkan country for months.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Mexico opened its
energy sector with an auction of oil exploration rights ending
the 77-year monopoly of Pemex. In the first round only two of
fourteen blocks on offer were sold, to a Mexican-British-American
consortium.
   (Econ, 7/18/15, p.8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In southeastern
Niger Boko Haram jihadists killed 16 civilians in an attack on a
village near Bosso. Another person succumbed later to their wounds.
   (AFP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, The Pakistani
military shot down a small Indian spy drone in Kashmir. Indian and
Pakistani troops exchanged fire in Kashmir, killing a woman and
wounding at least 4 other people on the Indian-controlled side.
   (Reuters, 7/15/15)(AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In the Philippines
nearly 500 policemen launched simultaneous raids on drug dens and
other criminal hideouts in the southern city of Davao, killing 7
suspects and arresting 39 others in one of the largest single-day
anti-crime operations this year. Army troops and police in Sulu
province shot Mahmur Jupuri, a suspected Abu Sayyaf militant, who
they said was linked to the kidnappings of seven people. Jupuri was
killed and his companion was wounded.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Some 335 migrants
arrived in port in Augusta, Sicily, after a week at sea. Parents of
a 10-year-old Syrian girl with diabetes said she died after the
smugglers threw her insulin overboard. Police in Sicily soon
arrested three Egyptians who allegedly were in charge of the
smuggling boat.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In south-central
Somalia a US drone strike destroyed a vehicle belonging to al
Shabaab militants. The attack targeted al-Shabab commander Ismael
Jabhad and three other fighters near Bardhere. Kenya said at least
30 Shebab militants were killed.
   (Reuters, 7/16/15)(AFP, 7/16/15)(SFC, 7/17/15,
p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Syria 13
civilians, among them 7 children, were killed in aerial attacks by
the government on the northern province of Aleppo. 22 IS fighters
were killed when regime warplanes struck a convoy traveling between
the provinces of Deir Ezzor in the east and Hasakeh in the
northeast. Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate and its Islamist allies
launched an attack on the last two Shiite Muslim villages under
regime control in northwest Idlib province.
   (AFP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Ukraine said 8
government troops were killed and 16 wounded in the war-torn east
over the last 24-hours.
   (AP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Yemen loyalists
of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, buoyed by their
recapture of the airport, seized more ground in second city Aden as
they pressed their biggest fightback yet against Iran-backed rebels.
Saudi-led warplanes carried out six raids on rebel positions before
dawn.
   (AFP, 7/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, The US Department
of State conferred the 2014 Human Rights Defender Award on Azimjon
Askarov, a journalist and activist. His son Sherzod accepted it on
his behalf. Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek, was convicted of "organizing
mass disturbances" and stirring up ethnic hatred leading to the
killing of a policeman during clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan in June
2010, when more than 400 people were killed. The next day Kyrgyzstan
protested the award.
   (AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, The United States,
Russia and other Arctic nations signed an agreement to bar their
fishing fleets from fast-thawing seas around the North Pole. The
accord was also signed in Oslo by the ambassadors of Canada, Norway
and Denmark.
   (Reuters, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Colorado James
Holmes was pronounced guilty of 165 counts of murder, attempted
murder, and other charges relating to the July 20, 2012, massacre in
a movie theater in Aurora.
   (SFC, 7/17/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In northeastern
Montana 4 tank cars of a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed
and leaked an estimated 35,000 gallons of oil that was being hauled
from North Dakota.
   (SFC, 7/18/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Tennessee
Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez (24), born in Kuwait but naturalized and
raised in America, opened fire at two military facilities. 4 Marines
were killed. Police shot and killed Abdulazeez. A 5th sailor died of
wounds on July 18.
   (AFP, 7/17/15)(SFC, 7/17/15, p.A1)(AFP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Afghanistan
Taliban gunmen killed 8 people including 4 police officers and 2
children in an ambush in Mihtarlam, the provincial capital of
Laghman province.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Bangladesh a
special war crimes tribunal sentenced Forkan Mollick to death on
charges that he committed rape and murder in 1971 during the war for
independence from Pakistan. Mollick, a former low-ranking activist
of the Muslim League, shouted his innocence as police took him away.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Britain’s
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority confirmed that it has
given lawmakers a 10 percent pay increase, a headache for PM David
Cameron who has pledged that public sector workers should only get a
1 percent raise.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Burkina Faso state
media said Blaise Compaore, the former president who ruled this West
African country for nearly three decades, has been charged with
"high treason" over his bid to change the constitution and run for a
third term. Compaore lived in neighboring Ivory Coast, though he
reportedly flew to Morocco this week for medical treatment.
   (AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, An Egyptian navy
vessel was targeted by militants affiliated with the Islamic State
group, who said they destroyed it with a rocket while it was
anchored off the Sinai peninsula's Mediterranean coast.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Greek PM Alexis
Tsipras won the backing of parliament in the early hours for the
stringent reform measures demanded by creditors. Hours later Europe
moved to re-open funding to Greece's stricken economy.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, EU finance
ministers agreed to use the European Financial Stability Mechanism
for a 7 billion euro bridge loan to Greece until the country
negotiates its next full bailout.
   (Reuters, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, India and Pakistan
exchanged gunfire and mortar bombs in the disputed Kashmir region,
killing 5 civilians and injuring more than a dozen.
   (Reuters, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Indonesia
eruptions at Mount Raung and Mount Gamalama caused closures at three
airports, including Juanda International serving Surabaya, the
country's 2nd-largest city.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Kyrgyzstan's
security police killed at least 2 members of an "international
terrorist organization" in a firefight near the center of the
capital Bishkek that was still going on. 6 militants killed by
security forces in Bishkek belonged to Islamic State. Another seven
were reported caught during the operation.
   (Reuters, 7/16/15)(Reuters, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In central Morocco
a crowd lynched and fatally injured a man and seriously hurt his
alleged accomplice after accusing them of robbery near a weekly
market.
   (AFP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Nigeria two
bombs killed at least 49 people buying goods for the holiday at the
market of Gombe town.
   (AFP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Saudi Arabia a
suicide bomber wounded two policemen at a checkpoint near a
high-security prison in Riyadh in an attack claimed by the Islamic
State jihadist group. The bomber, identified as Abdullah al-Rashid
(19), had also killed his uncle, a colonel in the interior ministry,
before blowing himself up.
   (AFP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Swiss authorities
said extradited to the United States an official detained in a US
corruption investigation into world soccer's governing body FIFA.
Jeffrey Webb is one of seven current and former FIFA employees
arrested in Switzerland in May.
   (Reuters, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Syria Kurdish
fighters besieged members of the Islamic State group in the
northeastern city of Hassakeh as they pushed forward under the cover
of airstrikes by the US-led coalition. At least 11 civilians, among
them 3 children, were killed in regime barrel bomb attacks on
jihadist-held Al-Bab.
   (AP, 7/16/15)(AFP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In southern
Thailand unidentified gunmen shot dead 2 soldiers in an ambush.
Dozens of banners were found in the provinces of Pattani, Yala and
Narathiwat, home to a Muslim majority in predominantly Buddhist
Thailand, calling for independence.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Ukraine's
parliament gave preliminary approval to a bill that would devolve
more powers to separatist-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine and
sent it for review at the country's highest court.
   (AP, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Yemen fighting
intensified in the southern port city of Aden as Saudi-backed troops
pushed to drive Shiite rebels out of several neighborhoods. The
Shiite rebels meanwhile fired rockets at the city's airport, killing
at least 3 people. Senior members of the exiled administration flew
into Aden to make preparations for the government's return.
   (AP, 7/16/15)(Reuters, 7/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, A fast-moving
wildfire swept across a freeway in a Southern California mountain
pass. Some 30 vehicles were destroyed or damaged and the main
freeway from Los Angeles to Las Vegas was forced to close, though
two southbound lanes were later reopened. There were no reports of
serious injuries.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In Maine Anthony
Lord (35), a registered US sex offender, was arrested on suspicion
of killing two men, shooting three people and kidnapping a woman in
an overnight crime spree.
   (AFP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In Michigan
Michelle Blair (36) of Detroit was sentenced to life in prison. In
June she had pleaded guilty to killing two of her four children and
storing their bodies in a home freezer.
   (SFC, 7/18/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In New York former
US Rep. Michael Grimm (45) was sentenced to eight months in jail for
tax evasion.
   (SFC, 7/18/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In Algeria 9
soldiers were killed in a militant ambush in the rugged Ain Defla
province. Al-Qaida's North Africa branch claimed responsibility for
the attack, putting the toll at 14.
   (AP, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In England an
explosion ripped through the mill in the village of Bosley, in
Cheshire. Three men and a woman, believed to be at the site, were
missing.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Chadian troops
killed 19 insurgents after Boko Haram attacked an army post on the
fringes of Lake Chad.
   (AFP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Chinese state
media said police have detained Wang Lin, a well-connected
self-proclaimed master of the spiritual martial art of Qigong, on
suspicion of the murder of a disciple. The case has gripped China
with lurid tales of wealth and magic. Wang was detained in Jiangxi
province over the alleged kidnapping and death of a businessman,
provincial legislator and disciple called Zou Yong earlier this
month.
   (Reuters, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Cyprus' largest
bank said it has sold off more than three quarters of its Russian
operations to limit its exposure to risk and to concentrate on its
core, domestic business.
   (AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Egyptian security
forces and Muslim Brotherhood supporters traded gunfire that killed
at least 6 people after clashes erupted during a demonstration in
Cairo.
   (AP, 7/17/15)(SFC, 7/18/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, The EU approved a
short-term loan of 7.16 billion euros ($7.8 billion) to Greece
allowing it to meet a huge payment to the ECB and repay the IMF
while a new bailout is still being ratified.
   (AFP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Gambia's President
Yahya Jammeh warned that death row inmates should expect to have
their sentences implemented, apparently signalling an end to a
three-year unofficial moratorium on executions.
   (AFP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, German lawmakers
voted in favor of Berlin starting negotiations on a third bailout
program for Greece, but a sizeable minority opposed the talks, in a
setback for Chancellor Angela Merkel.
   (Reuters, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In Iraq a powerful
blast killed at least 115 people in an attack on a crowded
marketplace in the town of Khan Beni Saad, Diyala province. At least
170 people were wounded. The Islamic State group claimed
responsibility.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Japan scrapped the
design of the Olympic stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Games because of
soaring costs and said it will reopen bidding for a new plan, in a
stunning reversal that leaves the 2019 Rugby World Cup without a
main venue. The $13.6 billion design by Iraqi-British architect Zaha
Hadid was likened to a giant turtle.
   (Econ, 6/20/15, p.38)(AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Powerful Typhoon
Nangka lashed Japan, killing at least 2 people and triggering
floods.
   (AFP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, The Mexican
Attorney General's office said it had arrested seven officials over
suspected involvement in the jail break of drug kingpin Joaquin "El
Chapo" Guzman.
   (Reuters, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In northeastern
Nigeria 3 young female suicide bombers killed at least 13 people in
Damaturu as worshippers gathered to mark the Muslim Eid al-Fitr
holiday. Army spokesman Sani Usman gave a toll of 9 dead and 18
wounded.
   (Reuters, 7/17/15)(AFP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Norway’s Univ. of
Oslo said convicted mass killer Anders Behring Breivik (36) has been
admitted to the University’s political science program, although he
will stay in his cell to study.
   (AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Portugal's
government said it has approved new procedures it hopes will remove
legal obstacles that have halted granting residence permits to
wealthy investors from outside the European Union. A new law
covering the program came into force July 1. But the government
failed to set required administrative procedures, leaving the
Foreigners' Service unable to issue permits.
   (AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In the central
Philippines a wall in a vast coal pit collapsed, killing 5 workers
and leaving at least four others missing at a site where a similar
deadly accident occurred two years ago at the open Panian pit on
Semirara Island.
   (AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Romania's
President Klaus Iohannis refused to pass into law a series of tax
cuts backed by the center-left governing coalition saying they could
lead to "domestic and external risks," including unsustainable
economic growth. Iohannis said Romania needed higher revenues in
order to hike spending in defense to 2 percent in 2017 in line with
NATO demands.
   (AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In southern
Somalia African Union troops launched Operation Jubba Corridor, a
new offensive against Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab rebels, vowing to
flush the insurgents out of rural areas.
   (AFP, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In South Africa
239 commuters were injured in a rush hour train collision when
a moving train crashed into the back of a stationary train traveling
from the Johannesburg city center to the township of Soweto.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Syrian authorities
released more than 240 prisoners, many of whom were detained under
"anti-terror" laws, to mark the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday.
   (AFP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, The Ukrainian
parliament voted to call local elections across the country in
October, but not in the rebel-occupied east.
   (AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In Ukraine Maria
Gaidar was appointed as deputy governor of Odessa, now led by former
Georgian Pres. Mikhail Saakashvili. Gaidar (32), the only daughter
of Russia’s 1992 reformist prime minister Yegor Gaidar, served as
deputy governor in Russia's Kirov region in 2009-2011 and advised
Moscow's deputy mayor in 2012-2013.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, A Yemeni
government spokesman said that government troops are consolidating
control of the southern port city of Aden, with only a few
"terrorist pockets" of Shiite rebels remaining to be cleared out.
   (AP, 7/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, US commander of
the Pacific Fleet joined a seven-hour surveillance flight over the
disputed South China Sea on board a P-8A Poseidon plane, one of
America's newest spy planes.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, The crew of US
Coast Guard cutter Stratton seized 16,000 pounds of cocaine off a
semi-submarine in int’l. waters off the Pacific coast of Central
America. Four men were taken into custody. 12,000 pounds were loaded
onto the Stratton. The rest was lost as the smuggling vessel took on
water sank in 13,000 feet of water.
   (SFC, 8/7/15, p.D4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In southern
California firefighters battled a fast-moving brush fire near the
I-15 freeway as crews worked through the night to evacuate hundreds
of nearby campers, including children.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In Iowa Donald
Trump blustered his way into more trouble as he criticized US Sen.
John McCain's war record at a conservative forum, overshadowing
fellow presidential candidates promoting their credentials to
evangelical Christians. "He is a war hero because he was captured. I
like people who weren't captured," Trump said when the moderator
described McCain as a war hero.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In New York Steven
Romeo (55) of Southold crashed his pickup into a limousine killing 4
women and injuring several others on Long island. Romeo was
arraigned on a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated.
   (SFC, 7/20/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, British-based
organizations — Conflict Armament Research and Sahan Research —
reported that Islamic State forces used chemical agents delivered
through what appears to be locally manufactured shells to attack
Iraqi peshmerga forces and Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units
(YPG), on June 21, 22 and 28.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In Burundi three
candidates announced their withdrawal from the July 21 elections
saying the presidential contest will not be free and fair.
   (SSFC, 7/19/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Chinese police
shot dead one man and injured another during an apparent protest at
a construction site in Luoyang city.
   (AFP, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Egypt’s military
reportedly killed 59 militants during operations in the Sinai
Peninsula. At least 7 government soldiers were killed.
   (AP, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Formula One driver
Jules Bianchi (25) died in a French hospital from head injuries
sustained in a crash at the Oct 5, 2014, Japanese Grand Prix.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In eastern India a
stampede at a religious festival attended by tens of thousands of
people left two women dead at the Rath Yatra (Chariot Festival) in
Puri, Orissa state. A building caved in late today in New Delhi
killing at least 5 people.
   (AP, 7/18/15)(AP, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In Iraq a roadside
bomb on a commercial street in Baghdad's Dora district killed 4
people and wounded seven. A roadside bomb on a commercial street in
al-Rashidiya killed 3 people and wounded 11.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In Iraq and Syria
US-led forces targeted Islamic State militants with 16 air strikes
in Iraq and nine in Syria.
   (Reuters, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Japanese PM Shinzo
Abe's support rate fell nearly 10 points to 37.7 percent in a poll
released today, the first since his ruling bloc pushed forward
legislation marking a dramatic shift in the nation's post-war
defense policy.
   (Reuters, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In eastern Lebanon
five Czech nationals and their Lebanese driver went missing at army
checkpoint in the town of Kefraya.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In Mexico 11 men
traveling in three vehicles on a dirt road were killed in a remote
area of Durango when they were apparently ambushed by armed
civilians.
   (AFP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Niger’s army said
32 Boko Haram fighters were killed from July 15-17 during operations
following the July 15 attack by "Boko Haram elements".
   (AFP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In the Philippines
Andal Ampatuan Sr. (74), a former governor and one of the main
suspects accused of ordering the killings of 58 people in the
Philippines' worst massacre, died of a heart attack in a government
hospital. He was on trial for the 2009 massacre and was brought to
the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in early June, when he
was diagnosed with liver cancer.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Saudi Arabia
announced it has broken up planned Islamic State attacks in the
kingdom and arrested 431 suspects in an anti-terrorism sweep.
   (AP, 7/18/15)(Reuters, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, A South Korean
government spy was found dead in an apparent suicide alongside a
note that seemed to comment on the recent revelation that the spy
agency had acquired hacking programs capable of intercepting
communications on cellphones and computers.
   (AP, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Ukraine said 3
civilians have been killed by shelling by pro-Russian rebels in the
separatist eastern regions. One government serviceman was also
reported killed and four others wounded.
   (Reuters, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In Yemen local
fighters and army forces wrested two military bases from Houthi
forces overnight, building on a week of gains against the country's
dominant faction. Islamic State in Yemen issued a statement and
several photographs online claiming for the first time to have taken
part in the clashes in Aden.
   (Reuters, 7/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, The family of
Babar Ahmad, a British man who was last year sentenced by a US court
to 12-1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to running a website
that supported the Taliban, said he has been released. His sentence
included 10 years he had already served.
   (Reuters, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In California 2
Spanish racers were killed in a chain-reaction crash on the first
lap of a World Superbike race at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In Ohio Univ. of
Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing (25) shot and killed motorist
Samuel DuBose (43) after stopping him for a missing front license
plate. On July 29 a murder charge was announced against Tensing. On
Jan 18, 2016, the family announced a $5.3 settlement with the
university. On March 22, 2018, The Univ. of Cincinnati said Officer
Tensing will receive about $344,000 in back pay and legal fees to
settle a union grievance related to his firing following his
indictment.
   (AP, 7/30/15)(SFC, 1/19/16, p.A4)(SFC, 3/23/18,
p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Argentina's
conservative opposition party was expected to win today’s mayoral
run-off election in Buenos Aires, retaining its power in the capital
ahead of presidential voting later this year.
   (AP, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, German Economy
Minister Sigmar Gabriel arrived in Iran with an economic delegation,
becoming the first high-ranking western politician to visit the
country after it struck a nuclear deal with world powers.
   (Reuters, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Beach lovers on
the French Riviera expressed their anger over the imminent arrival
of the Saudi royal family, who have ordered a long stretch of beach
to be closed off to the public.
   (AFP, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Iraqi militants
from the Islamic State group blew up a sports stadium near Ramadi,
Anbar province. In recent months it was used as a military base for
Iraqi security forces and allied militia groups. The IS group also
ambushed a military unit near the city of Fallujah, killing the
group's commander, Ali Ahmed, and 4 of his men.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Libyan war planes
sank one ship and attacked a second vessel near the eastern city of
Benghazi.
   (Reuters, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, The Marshall
Islands, a small island country at high risk of climate
change-induced sea level rise, vowed to cut greenhouse gas emissions
by a third within a decade.
   (AFP, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Five
near-simultaneous explosions in Gaza targeted members of the armed
branches of Hamas and Islamic Jihad amid growing tensions between
the Palestinian territory's rulers and extremist opponents.
   (AFP, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, The Ukrainian
military and pro-Russian separatists accused each other of shelling
residential districts of separatist-held Donetsk overnight, the
first attack on central parts of the city since a February ceasefire
agreement. The Ukrainian military said one serviceman had been
killed and seven wounded in separatist attacks in the past 24 hours.
   (Reuters, 7/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In Yemen the
Saudi-led coalition targeted Houthi positions north of Aden and in
Dar Saad killing at least 55 rebels. The death toll in Aden reached
nearly 100.
   (AP, 7/19/15)(Reuters, 7/21/15)(SFC, 7/21/15,
p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, The United States
and Cuba quietly ushered in a new era of post-Cold War relations,
formally restoring diplomatic ties severed more than five decades
ago and re-establishing embassies in each other’s capitals.
   (Reuters, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Barack Obama
welcomed Nigeria's freshly elected Pres. Muhammadu Buhari to the
White House, lending a personal endorsement after the country's
first ever democratic transition.
   (AFP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Lockheed Martin
agreed to buy Sikorsky, which makes the Black Hawk helicopter for
the US Army, from United Technologies in a $9 billion deal.
  Â
(www.wsj.com/articles/lockheed-agrees-to-buy-sikorsky-for-9-billion-1437392758)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, A NATO airstrike
hit two Afghan military checkpoints in a restive province east of
Kabul, killing 7 Afghan troops in what an Afghan official described
as an accident due to bad coordination. President Ashraf Ghani
expressed his "profound sorrow" over the tragedy and ordered an
investigation into the killings.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, PM David Cameron
set out a five-year strategy to tackle extremism in Britain, vowing
to take on those responsible for radicalizing young British Muslims
and demanding that internet companies do more to help.
   (Reuters, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, British
cosmologist Stephen Hawking launched the biggest-ever search for
intelligent life in the universe in a 10-year, $100-million
(143-million-euro) project to scan the heavens. The Breakthrough
Listen project was backed by Russian Silicon Valley entrepreneur
Yuri Milner.
   (AFP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, China's state
media said Ling Jihua, former President Hu Jintao's top aide, has
been stripped of his party membership, removed from all government
positions, and will be criminally prosecuted on corruption charges.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In eastern China
an unemployed man suffering from a liver ailment blew himself up in
an explosion that also killed one other person and injured 24
outside Huxi Park in Heze city, Shandong province.
   (AP, 7/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In northern China
the colliery at Hegang, Heilongjiang province, flooded trapping 15
miners with at least 4 killed. Investigators blamed the accident on
a downpour. Six men were rescued on July 27 with five still trapped.
   (AFP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Greece reopened
its banks and started the process of paying off billions of euros
owed to international creditors in the first signs of a return to
normal after a deal to agree a new package of bailout reforms.
   (Reuters, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In India Moni
Orang (63), a mother of five, was seized from her home in the
northeastern state of Assam after local priests said she was casting
spells. Orang was dismembered and beheaded by machete-wielding
villagers who accused her of practicing witchcraft. Seven people
were soon arrested. Villagers the next day stormed the local police
station to protest against the arrests.
   (AFP, 7/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Iran and Germany
moved tentatively towards reviving a once close trade relationship,
anticipating the lifting of western economic sanctions against
Tehran following a landmark nuclear deal as Economy Minister Sigmar
Gabriel made the first top level German government visit to Tehran
in 13 years.
   (Reuters, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Israel’s attorney
general ordered a criminal investigation into excessive spending at
his residences by PM Netanyahu.
   (SFC, 7/22/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Italy’s Foreign
Ministry said four Italian construction workers working in Mellitah,
Libya, have been kidnapped.
   (SFC, 7/21/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Japan about
10,000 spectators watched the purification rite at the annual Marine
Day at the Hamaori Festival in Chigasaki. This also marked the
arrival of summer in the Chigasaki region.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Workers in
Lithuania began dismantling the last Soviet statues in Vilnius,
following calls prompted by the Ukraine crisis that symbols of the
Soviet occupation be removed.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Malaysia’s The
Edge, which has a daily and a weekly business newspaper, ran
extensive reports alleging Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho and
PetroSaudi International had cheated Malaysia of $1.83 billion in
cash through an aborted joint venture with 1MDB in 2009. On July 24
The Edge media group said the government will suspend its publishing
permits for three months as of July 27, over the reports alleging
fraud.
   (AP, 7/24/15)(SSFC, 7/26/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In southern Nepal
protesters clashed with police as the government tried to collect
the public's suggestions on the draft of the country's long-overdue
constitution. About 200 protesters from Rastriya Prajatantra Party
Nepal scuffled with police at the national stadium and demanded that
Nepal remain a Hindu nation.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In northern
Nigeria at least 2 people were killed by a car suicide bomb at a
checkpoint on the outskirts of Damaturu, capital of Yobe state.
   (Reuters, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In the northern
Philippines New People's Army guerrillas fired on 11 army outposts
and a police station in the northeastern provinces of Albay,
Camarines Norte and Sorsogon, sparking a clash that killed one of
the insurgents.
   (AP, 7/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In the southern
Philippines a teenager who was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf gunmen in
March escaped her captors when government troops discovered the
militants' jungle hideout. Store cashier Ledejie Tomarong and two
children had been snatched by at least six gunmen who failed to
kidnap the teen's employer, a wealthy bakery owner, in Zamboanga del
Sur province.
   (AP, 7/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Senegal the
trial of former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, accused of
overseeing the deaths of thousands, had a chaotic beginning as
security forces ushered the ex-leader into and then out of the
Senegal courtroom amid protests by his supporters.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, A Syrian Kurdish
militia said it was in near full control of the northeastern city of
Hasaka, expanding its sway at the expense of the Damascus government
in the wake of an Islamic State attack in the area.
   (Reuters, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Activists said the
Islamic State group is banning private internet access in its Syrian
bastion Raqa, forcing residents and even its own fighters to use
internet cafes where they can be monitored.
   (AFP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Turkey a
suspected Islamic State suicide bomber killed 33 people, mostly
young students, in an attack on the town of Suruc near the Syrian
border. The students from the Federation of Socialist Youth
Associations had been planning a trip to Kobani to build a library,
plant a forest and build a playground. The bomber was later
identified as Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoaz (20) from Adiyaman.
    (AP, 7/20/15)(AFP, 7/21/15)(AFP,
8/14/15)(Econ, 7/25/15, p.40)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, The United Arab
Emirates announced new legislation aimed at combatting intolerance
that outlaws actions which stoke religious hatred and discriminate
based on religious or ethnic background.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, The United Nations
Security Council endorsed a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program in
return for sanctions relief, but it will be able to re-impose UN
penalties during the next decade if Tehran breaches the historic
agreement.
   (Reuters, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, The UN's Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) said markets and farms in Nigeria,
Burkina Faso, Niger, Ivory Coast and Ghana have been hit with the
deadly H5N1 virus over the past six months.
   (Reuters, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Yemen a
spokesman said local fighters and army units backed by the exiled
government have taken control of Tawahi, the last district of
central Aden still held by the Iran-allied Houthi militia and its
allies.
   (AP, 7/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Theodore Bikel
(b.1924), actor, singer and activist, died in Los Angeles. His films
included “The Defiant Ones” (1958) and “The Russians Are Coming, The
Russians Are Coming” (1966). He played Tevye on stage in “Fiddler on
the Roof” more than 2,000 times beginning in 1967.
   (SFC, 7/23/15, p.D4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, E.L. Doctorow
(84), one of America's most accomplished novelists of recent
decades, died in New York. He was best known for his historical
fiction such as such as "Ragtime" (1975) "Billy Bathgate" (1998) and
"The March” (2006).
   (AFP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Polls for
Burundi’s presidential election opened to the news that 3 people had
been killed overnight. On July 24 the election commission announced
that President Pierre Nkurunziza won his controversial third
consecutive term in office
   (AP, 7/21/15)(AFP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In Cambodia a
court in Phnom Penh sentenced 11 members of the opposition Cambodia
National Rescue Party to long prison terms after convicting them of
insurrection in connection with the July 15, 2014 violent protest.
Meach Sovannara, an opposition spokesman, was one of three
defendants sentenced to 20 years in prison for leading the protest.
Eight others received seven-year sentences for taking part.
   (AP, 7/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, A former chief
librarian at a Chinese university admitted in court to stealing more
than 140 paintings by grandmasters in a gallery under his watch and
replacing them with fakes he painted himself. For two years up until
2006, Xiao Yuan substituted famous works including landscapes and
calligraphies in a gallery within the library of the Guangzhou
Academy of Fine Arts.
   (AP, 7/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Khalil Hizran, a
Swede of Palestinian descent, was arrested after flying into Tel
Aviv, and confessed under interrogation to working for Hezbollah. On
August 9 Hizran was indicted on three criminal counts.
   (Reuters, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Japan-based
Toshiba Corp. acknowledged a systematic cover-up, which began in
2008. Toshiba's CEO and eight other executives resigned to take
responsibility for doctored books that inflated profits at the
Japanese technology manufacturer by 152 billion yen ($1.2 billion)
over several years. Regulators imposed a record fine of $60 million
on the company.
   (AP, 7/21/15)(Econ, 1/7/17, p.50)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In Lebanon garbage
piled up on the streets of Beirut amid a growing dispute over the
country’s largest trash dump, picketed by residents as it should
have closed permanently days earlier.
   (AP, 7/21/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In Moldova the
Democratic Party, the Liberal-Democratic Party and the Liberal
Party, which together hold 55 out of 101 seats in Parliament,
reached an agreement at midnight to form a ruling coalition that
will demonstrate the country's commitment to moving closer to the
European Union.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, A Myanmar court
fined two editors of a weekly newspaper 1 million kyat ($809) each
after finding them guilty of violating the country's media law by
insulting the president.
   (AP, 7/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In Somalia Ugandan
troops with AMISOM, which fights alongside Somali government forces
against the Shebab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, massacred 6 men in "cold
blood" at a wedding after a bomb attack. Three AMISOM soldiers were
later indicted for their role in the killings.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In northern Syria
a missile attack on a rebel-held neighborhood in the city of Aleppo
reportedly killed at least 18 people and wounded many others. At
least 7 people were reported killed in the shelling by the Army of
Conquest alliance on the regime-held villages of Fuaa and Kafraya
over the last 24 hours.
   (AFP, 7/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Yemeni fighters
backed by Saudi-led air strikes battled to take back northern
suburbs of Aden from Houthi opponents, a day after completing their
capture of the center of the strategic port city. The UN said that
over 3,600 people have died during the almost four months of air
raids and civil war in Yemen.
   (Reuters, 7/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, The Obama
administration issued permits with conditions clearing the way for
Royal Dutch PLC to begin limited exploratory drilling in Chukchi Sea
off Alaska’s northwest coast.
   (SFC, 7/23/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Police and media
reports said US and Israeli authorities have arrested four men in
two separate fraud schemes and who are said to be linked to last
year's massive hack of computers at JPMorgan Chase. Court documents
in the stock scam say Joshua Samuel Aaron, Gery Shalon, and Ziv
Orenstein gained millions of dollars in their operations to
artificially pump up the prices of small stocks and cash in while
other investors lost heavily. In the other case, Anthony Murgio and
Yuri Lebedev allegedly used a front company and a licensed credit
union to hide an operation to transfer large sums of money using the
crypto-currency Bitcoin.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, The MacArthur
Foundation, a prominent American non-governmental organization that
has operated in Russia for more than two decades, announced it was
leaving Russia because of the government's crackdown on foreign
groups. The group, which has worked in Russia since 1992, says it
has awarded more than $173 million in grants here.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In the San
Francisco Bay Area Hayward police Sgt. Scott Lunger (48) was shot
and killed during a routine traffic stop. Suspect Mark Anthony
Estrada (21) was soon arrested as he showed up at a hospital with
gunshot wounds.
   (SFC, 7/23/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Researchers at the
Alzheimer’s Association Int’l. Conference in Washington, DC,
announced that an antibody called solanezumab appeared to slow the
progress of the disease.
   (Econ, 7/25/15, p.63)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In northern
Afghanistan a suicide bomber attacked a market crowded with
shoppers, killing at least 19 people and wounding 38 amid other
Taliban assaults in Faryab province.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, A supporter of
Burundi's opposition was shot dead, a victim of electoral violence
as the country awaits results of the presidential election amid
unrest due to President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Cameroon twin
suicide bombings by two young girls killed at least 22 people in a
market in Maroua. Boko Haram was blamed.
   (AP, 7/23/15)(AFP, 7/24/15)(SFC, 7/24/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Chinese artist and
social critic Ai Weiwei received his passport back after it was
seized by authorities in 2011 in apparent retaliation for his social
and political activism.
   (SFC, 7/23/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In the Czech Rep.
a high speed train hit a truck at a rail crossing in the eastern
town of Studenka as it was traveling from Bohumin to the western spa
of Frantiskovy Lazne. 2 people were killed and a 3rd died of
injuries the next day. In 2016 a Czech court convicted a Polish
truck driver of being responsible for the collision and sentenced
him to 8 1/2 years in prison.
   (AP, 7/23/15)(AP, 2/24/16)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Former Egyptian PM
Ahmed Nazif, who served under ousted president Hosni Mubarak, was
sentenced to five years in jail on graft charges in a retrial.
   (Reuters, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Egypt at least
21 people celebrating an engagement were killed on the Nile north of
Cairo late today when a cargo ship hit their chartered boat. The
death toll soon rose to 36.
   (AFP, 7/23/15)(AFP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Egypt Tomislav
Salopek (30) of Croatia was captured in Cairo by Islamic State
militants.
   (AP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Indonesia
eruptions of ash at five volcanoes shrouded the skies over parts of
the archipelago, forcing three airports to close.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Iran said it will
not accept any extension of sanctions beyond 10 years, in the latest
attempt by its pragmatist government to sell a nuclear deal with
world powers to skeptical hardliners.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Iraq two car
bombings in a mainly Shi'ite Muslim district of Baghdad killed at
least 26 people. IS militants the next day claimed responsibility.
   (Reuters, 7/23/15)(SFC, 7/23/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Israel Mohammed
Ahmed Alauna (21), a Palestinian man, died after he was shot by
Israeli troops during a clash near the town of Jenin.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Italian police
seized assets worth 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) and issued 41
arrest warrants in raids on gambling companies in Italy and abroad
run by the 'Ndrangheta mafia organization.
   (Reuters, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Italian police
arrested two men suspected of supporting the Islamic State group and
plotting to carry out attacks in the country.
   (AFP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Japan an
outside director of Mitsubishi Materials said that the company hopes
to apologize to former British, Dutch and Australian World War II
POWs, and also reach an amicable agreement with Chinese forced
laborers, following a landmark apology to American POWs earlier this
week.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Kurdish militants
claimed responsibility for today’s assassination of two Turkish
police officers in what they said was retaliation for the July 20
suspected Islamic State suicide bombing which killed 32 mostly young
students.
   (Reuters, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Maldives’
President Yameen Abdul Gayoom appointed Ahmed Adeeb, his trusted
tourism minister, as vice president. Parliament ousted his former
deputy on negligence charges a day earlier.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Mexican government
data showed a poverty rate increase to 46.2% compared to 45.5% in
2012. This meant that 55 million of the country’s nearly 120 million
people live in poverty.
   (SSFC, 7/26/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Mexico 7
corpses, including some with signs of torture and a decapitated
body, were discovered in the southern state of Guerrero. One of the
dead was a member of a local Guerrero drug cartel, Reds.
   (AFP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, A court in
northern Myanmar sentenced 153 Chinese nationals to life in prison
after convicting them of illegal logging in a case that has already
strained relations with Beijing.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Nigeria bomb
blasts blamed on Boko Haram killed 37 people at bus stations in
Gombe. President Muhammadu Buhari warned that the US refusal to sell
his country strategic weapons is "aiding and abetting" the Islamic
extremist group.
   (AP, 7/23/15)(Reuters, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Pakistan's
military deployed helicopters and boats to evacuate flood victims in
and around the city of Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where
monsoon rains and flash floods washed away several villages this
week. So far, 3 people have died while 285,000 have been affected by
the floods.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Philippine
authorities said that 155 foreigners, mostly Chinese, face
deportation after being arrested for working in the country
illegally.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Portugal
lawmakers in the center-right government coalition used their
majority to amend the 2007 law that granted abortion on demand up to
the 10th week of pregnancy. Women seeking an abortion in Portugal
will now have to pay for the procedure and attend mandatory prior
counselling.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Federal
authorities in the US territory of Puerto Rico began serving more
than 100 arrest warrants on drug trafficking and weapon charges.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Belgrade
leaders of former Balkan foes Serbia and Bosnia pledged to boost
fragile post-war ties shaken earlier this month on the 20th
anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Romania's Pres.
Klaus Iohannis signed into law legislation that punishes Holocaust
denial and the promotion of the fascist Legionnaires' Movement with
prison sentences of up to three years.
   (AP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Ugandan rebel
leader Jamil Mukulu, accused of killing hundreds of civilians, was
charged in court with crimes against humanity and mass murder.
Mukulu, leader of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), was arrested
in neighboring Tanzania in April, before being extradited to Uganda
earlier this month.
   (AFP, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, The United Arab
Emirates said it is ending gas price subsidies effective Aug 1.
Current prices were about $1.78 per gallon.
   (SSFC, 7/26/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Yemen a Saudi
military plane loaded with arms for fighters loyal to Yemen's
deposed president landed at Aden airport, the first flight to reach
the embattled port city in four months.
   (Reuters, 7/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, US defense
officials said that Turkey has agreed to allow manned US planes to
stage air strikes against Islamic State militants from an air base
at Incirlik, close to the Syrian border. US drones are already
launched from the base.
   (Reuters, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Louisiana John
Russell Houser (59), sitting in a packed movie theater, stood up
about 20 minutes into the showing of "Trainwreck"Â and began
firing into the crowd, killing two and wounding at least nine others
before fatally shooting himself at the Grand 16 theater in
Lafayette.
   (AFP, 7/24/15)(SSFC, 7/26/15, p.A10)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Oklahoma police
found 5 members of the Bever family either dead or dying and a girl
(13) stabbed but alive near the front door of a home in Broken
Arrow. Brothers Michael (16) and Robert Bever (18) were taken into
custody. Both faced trial as adults.
   (SFC, 7/24/15, p.A11)(SFC, 7/25/15, p.A4)(SFC,
10/13/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Astronomers
reported the discovery an Earth-like planet some 1,400 light-years
away. Signals from the Kepler spacecraft indicated that Kepler-452b
orbited around a star believed to be about 4.6 billion years old.
   (SFC, 7/24/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Belgium the
center-right government of PM Charles Michel pushed through a tax
shift to lighten the cost of labor for businesses and offset it with
taxes on energy, alcohol and tobacco. After all-night negotiations
that stretched into today, the Michel government announced it would
balance the budget by 2018.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Belgium arrested
two former detainees of Guantanamo prison on charges of terrorism,
saying the men are suspected of seeking recruits to fight in Syria.
   (Reuters, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Brazil's
government said the jobless rate in Latin America's largest country
rose for the sixth straight month in June.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In England Simon
Reynolds (50) was absent from the court in Sheffield as a jury
returned a verdict of four counts of theft. The Church of England
priest was convicted of pocketing around 24,000 pounds ($37,000) of
church funds. Reynolds turned himself in to police on July 27. On
July 28 a judge jailed Reynolds for two years and eight months for
pocketing church funds.
   (AP, 7/24/15)(AFP, 7/27/15)(AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Pearson PLC, the
owner of the Financial Times, said it has agreed to sell FT Group to
Nikkei Inc. for 844 million pounds ($1.3 billion), payable in cash.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Cameroon the
governor of the East Region chaired a security meeting that included
Muslim clerics where he "announced the ban of a full veil or burqa.
   (AP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Congo DRC
Ugandan ADF rebels killed 3 women and burned down four buildings in
the village of Mayi-Moya, North Kivu province.
   (AFP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In the Czech Rep.
a Prague court convicted David Rath, a former prominent member of
the ruling Social Democrats, of corruption and sentenced him to
eight and a half years in prison.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Egypt’s
northern Sinai one officer and 3 soldiers died when their armored
vehicle hit the bomb in Rafah. Clashes with militants then ensued,
killing a fifth soldier.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, The European Union
launched an antitrust case against six major US movie studios and
British satellite broadcaster Sky UK, in a move that could
profoundly shake up the highly lucrative pay-television market in
Europe.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Angry French
farmers blocked the Mont Saint-Michel causeway and highways leading
to the Alps to denounce low milk and meat prices.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Amnesty Int’l.
said Iran has executed 694 people between January 1 and July 15.
Iran officially acknowledged only 246 executions in the same period.
   (SFC, 7/24/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Mexico 4
children were among 7 people from the same family killed in a
devastating lightning strike in the town of Mesa Cuata, Guanajuato
state.
   (AFP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, A Palestinian man,
Falah Abu Maria, (53) was killed during a clash between Palestinians
and Israeli troops in the West Bank.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Reconstruction
began on the first homes in Gaza since the war with Israel last
summer destroyed some 11,900 homes and damaged some 140,000
dwellings.
   (SFC, 7/24/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Poland hundreds
of police, firefighters and other uniformed workers picketed the
main government building to demand higher pay and modernization of
their sectors. The Interior Ministry said pay rises are planned for
January.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Poland a bus
traveling from Ukraine to Warsaw crashed, killing 5 people and
injuring more than two dozen others.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Romanian police
detained Gabriel Berca, a former interior minister (2012), on
charges of illegally receiving 185,000 euros ($203,000) from a
businessman.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, A Soyuz space
capsule carrying a Russian, an American and a Japanese docked
smoothly with the International Space Station.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Spain raised the
minimum age for marriage from 14 to 16 to boost protection of minors
and bring the country in line with its EU neighbors.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Tunisia one
militant was killed and 16 others arrested in a late-night operation
that foiled a planned attack.
   (AFP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Turkey
suspected Islamic State militants fired at a Turkish military
outpost from inside Syrian territory, killing a Turkish soldier and
wounding two others. 5 members of Islamic State were also killed
during the exchange of fire.
   (AP, 7/23/15)(Reuters, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Yemeni troops and
local militias, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, seized full
control of the strategic port city of Aden after repelling Shiite
rebels from their last holdout in this southern city and pushed to
solidify their gains.
   (AP, 7/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, US President
Barack Obama arrived in his ancestral homeland Kenya.
   (AFP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Animal rights
activists Joseph Buddenberg (31) and Nicole Kissane (28) of Oakland,
Ca., were arrested for allegedly driving more than 40,000 miles
across the country to save hides of 5,000 mink destined to become
furs.
   (SFC, 7/25/15, p.C1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In Florida Perry
Cohen (14) and Austin Stephanos (14) went missing after setting out
on a fishing trip. Their capsized boat was found on July 26.
   (SFC, 8/1/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Individuals from
across the country gathered at Cleveland State University in
response to incidents of police brutality targeting the
African-American community.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_for_Black_Lives)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, It was reported
that Anthem is buying rival Cigna for $48 billion creating the
nation’s largest health insurance.
   (SFC, 7/25/15, p.D1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Armenian army
units reportedly shelled Azerbaijani positions at the Karabakh
frontline and the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border. One Azeri
serviceman was killed in the crossfire. Armenia denied that it had
sustained any casualties and accused Azerbaijan of violating a 1994
ceasefire.
   (AFP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Khadija Ismayilova
(39), a top Azerbaijani investigative journalist and anti-graft
campaigner, went on trial on charges she denounced as politically
motivated. She has accused the country's president of corruption and
was charged with inciting a former colleague to commit suicide, tax
evasion and embezzlement.
   (AFP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Mining groups
Anglo American and Lonmin announced plans to cut their headcounts by
a combined 12,000 staff owing to falling metals prices in a weak
global economy. Lonmin, the world's third largest platinum producer,
said it would cut 6,000 jobs in South Africa.
   (AFP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Cambodia's Senate
approved tight restrictions on non-governmental organizations,
rejecting appeals from rights groups that say the law could be used
for political repression.
   (AP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In Chile mining
contractor Nelson Quichillao was shot dead after clashing with
police during protests by workers employed by service contractors at
the state-run copper giant Codelco.
   (AP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Prominent exiled
Chinese dissident Wu'er Kaixi announced his candidacy for a seat in
Taiwan's parliament, saying he wants to serve as a check on the
ruling Nationalist Party and help shore up the island's global
status.
   (AP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, France’s
Constitutional Council approved a law giving its intelligence
services sweeping new spying abilities.
   (SFC, 7/25/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Gambia released
more than 200 prisoners, including 31 jailed for treason during
multiple plots to overthrow long-ruling President Yahya Jammeh.
   (Reuters, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In Germany 49
countries reached a deal to cut tariffs on around 200 technology
products. The WTO said major economies reached a tentative accord
that caps three years of talks. details of the deal should be
finalized by December.
   (AP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Jairo Orellana, a
suspected Guatemalan drug kingpin with ties to the violent Mexican
cartel Los Zetas, was extradited to the United States to face trial
for conspiring to traffic narcotics.
   (Reuters, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Residents in a
chic Rome suburb and a northern Italian village staged angry
anti-immigrant protests, with villagers setting mattresses ablaze in
a bid to stop authorities from housing migrants. Italy was hosting
more than 80,000 migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean fleeing
war, persecution or poverty in the Middle East and Africa.
   (AFP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In Italy at least
7 people died in an explosion at the Bruscella fireworks factory in
Modugno on the Adriatic coast.
   (AP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In northeastern
Nigeria Boko Haram militants attacked the villages of Kopa,
Maikadiri and Yaffa in southern Borno state. At least 21 people were
killed in Maikadiri and 4 more in Yaffa.
   (AFP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In Pakistan aid
agencies said flash flooding caused by torrential monsoon rains have
killed at least 28 and affected hundreds of thousands of people,
with further downpours expected in the coming days.
   (Reuters, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Moscow's highest
court sentenced Ilya Goryachev (33), a leader of a militant neo-Nazi
group, to life in prison after he was convicted of ordering five
brutal killings, including that of a prominent human rights lawyer.
   (AP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, A Romanian court
sentenced Alexandru Visinescu (1925-2018), a Stalinist-era political
prison commander, to 20 years in jail for murder, the first such
ruling against a prison head since the collapse of the dictatorship
of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989. Visinescu commanded the jail on the
outskirts of the small town of Ramnicu Sarat between 1956 and 1963.
   (Reuters, 7/24/15)(AP, 11/5/18)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, South Korea’s
National Assembly passed an amended criminal procedure law, removing
a 25-year statute of limitations on first-degree murder.
   (AFP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Syria's two main
political opposition groups, long at odds, announced that they have
agreed on a "roadmap" to end their country's long-running civil war,
starting with establishment of a transitional governing body.
   (AP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Thailand said it
would indict 72 people including a senior army officer over human
trafficking after the plight of desperate Myanmar and Bangladesh
migrants stranded at sea triggered an international outcry over the
grim trade.
   (AFP, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Turkish warplanes
pounded Islamic State targets in Syria for the first time, with
President Tayyip Erdogan promising more decisive action against both
the jihadists and Kurdish militants at home. Police rounded up
nearly 300 people in raids against suspected Islamic State and
Kurdish militants.
   (Reuters, 7/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In Yemen Saudi-led
coalition airstrikes killed more than 120 civilians and wounded more
than 150 after shelling a residential area in the Taiz province.
   (AP, 7/24/15)   Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Afghanistan
Meya Hassian Adel, a respected tribal elder and former head of the
provincial council in Kunar, was killed by gunmen in eastern Kunar
province. At least 11 people were wounded after a bomb attached to a
motorbike detonated near a police station in northern Takhar
province. In eastern Nangarhar province, two civilians and two
policemen were wounded when a bomb exploded in Jalalabad.
   (AP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In northeastern
Afghanistan the Taliban took control of the Tirgaran police base in
Badakhshan province after some 100 police and border guards
surrendered and joined the insurgents following three days of
fighting. Elsewhere in Badakhshan heavy rains left at least 6
people, including women and children, dead in Kofab district. In
northern Baghlan province 11 people were kidnapped after gunmen
stopped their vehicle in Dahna-i Ghori district.  Â
   (AP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Britain lifted an
official warning against all but essential travel to Iran, citing
"decreased hostility" in the wake of a landmark nuclear deal.
   (AFP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Burundi's main
opposition leader Agathon Rwasa denounced the third consecutive term
win by President Pierre Nkurunziza and demanded fresh elections.
   (AFP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In northern
Cameroon a 12-year-old girl blew herself, killing at least 20 people
and wounding 79 others this evening in the Pont Vert neighborhood in
Maroua.
   (AP, 7/25/15)(AFP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, A court in
northeast China sentenced five people to prison for spreading the
teachings of Quannengshen, a banned religious group that's been
linked to a killing of a woman in a McDonald's restaurant last year.
   (AP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Colombian
President Juan Manuel Santos ordered a halt to air strikes against
FARC rebels, giving a major boost to stop-start peace talks.
   (AFP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Egypt the first
cargo ships passed through the New Suez Canal in a test-run before
it opens next month. Construction of another canal near the East
Port Said port on the Mediterranean Sea would begin as soon as the
New Suez Canal had been inaugurated on August 6.
   (Reuters, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Egypt a sniper
killed a police conscript on the grounds of a police station in the
restive northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid.
   (AP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In northern Iraq
at least 12 people were killed when two suicide bombers attacked a
crowded swimming pool in Tuz Khurmatu. Most of the victims were
Shi'ites from the country's ethnic Turkmen minority.
   (Reuters, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Iraq five US
military air strikes in the Ramadi area destroyed IS positions and
vehicles.
   (AFP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, The Italian
coastguard said more than 1,200 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan
Africa and Syria, arrived in Sicily, after having been picked up in
the Mediterranean.
   (AFP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Kenya President
Barack Obama said the United States was ready to work more closely
in the battle against Somalia's Islamist group al Shabaab, but
chided his host on gay rights and said no African state should
discriminate over sexuality. Obama commended President Uhuru
Kenyatta for his commitment to rooting out corruption in the east
African state.
   (Reuters, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In southern
Lebanon Talal al-Urduni, a senior security official with the
mainstream Palestinian Fatah movement, died in a hail of gunfire
along with his bodyguard after they were intercepted by gunmen near
the Nidaa hospital in a neighborhood of the camp.
   (AP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In central Nigeria
8 people were killed and some 100 treated in hospital after inhaling
chlorine gas following an explosion at a water treatment plant in
Jos.
   (Reuters, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In northwest
Pakistan a magnitude-5.1 quake rocked Islamabad and elsewhere early
today killing 3 people.
   (AP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In northern
Pakistan heavy monsoon rains lashed an already-deluged area before
dawn, as rescuers found the bodies of another 24 people killed by
the flooding inundating parts of the country. On July 27 the death
toll was raised to 81.
   (AP, 7/25/15)(AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, The military wing
of Hamas opened its Gaza summer camp, aimed at providing basic
combat training for 25,000 Palestinians in the embattled strip.
   (AFP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, King Salman of
Saudi Arabia arrived in France for a Riviera beach holiday at the
family's seafront villa in Vallauris, bringing with him no fewer
than 1,000 people from his entourage.
   (Reuters, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Saudi-led
coalition forces announced a five-day humanitarian ceasefire would
take effect starting July 26 evening at the request of exiled
president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Southern secessionist forces
allied to a Saudi-led coalition captured Houthi military commander
Abdul-Khaliq al-Houthi.
   (Reuters, 7/25/15)(Reuters, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Somalia gunmen
sprayed the car of MP Abdulahi Hussein Mohamud with gunfire as he
traveled through a southern district of Mogadishu, killing him, his
two guards and the driver.
   (AFP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Syria's President
Bashar Assad granted a general amnesty for army deserters and draft
dodgers. The decree stipulated that deserters must turn themselves
within two months to benefit from the amnesty. Rebel rocket fire on
a government-held area of Aleppo killed 5 children, four of them
brothers.
   (AP, 7/25/15)(AFP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Syria the
Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) advanced in Hasakeh city
against IS and at the expense of the regime. The YPG was now said to
control 70 percent of Hasakeh city, the IS 10 percent and the regime
20 percent. Islamic State militants detonated explosive laden trucks
in two villages near the Kurdish-controlled border town of Tel
Abyad, with reports of casualties.
   (AFP, 7/25/15)(Reuters, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In southern
Thailand a Buddhist monk and a policeman were killed and six other
people wounded in a bomb attack by suspected Muslim insurgents in
Pattani province.
   (AP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Tunisia's
parliament overwhelmingly approved legislation allowing the death
penalty for those convicted on terrorism charges after Islamist
militant attacks that killed dozens of foreign visitors in the past
few months.
   (Reuters, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Turkish fighter
jets and ground forces hit Islamic State militants in Syria and
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in Iraq overnight, in a campaign
Ankara said would help create a "safe zone" across swathes of
northern Syria. Kurdish militants said the conditions for
maintaining a ceasefire with Turkey were no longer in place, after
Turkish warplanes bombed their stronghold in northern Iraq.
   (Reuters, 7/25/15)(AFP, 7/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Ukraine's border
guards detained two people including a Russian officer who was
driving a truck packed with weapons including rocket-propelled
grenades at a checkpoint about 30 km (19 miles) south of Donetsk.
   (AP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, President Barack
Obama arrived in Ethiopia, the first time a sitting US president has
been to this East African country.
   (AP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In San Francisco
some 25,000 people took part in the city’s 38th marathon.
   (SFC, 7/27/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Santa Cruz,
Ca., Madyson Middleton (8) disappeared. Her body was found the next
day in a trash bin at the apartment complex where she lived. Adrian
Jerry Gonzalez (15) was soon taken into custody. Gonzalez had
kidnapped, raped and stabbed Middleton in the neck and dumped her in
a recycling bin where she died of positional asphyxiation.
   (SFC, 7/28/15, p.A1)(SFC, 7/30/15, p.D1)(SFC,
9/7/17 p.D3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Bobbi Kristina
Brown (22), the daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, died in
hospice care. She had been found unresponsive in a bathtub last
January in her suburban Atlanta home. In 2016 a judge ordered her
partner, Nick Gordon, to pay $36.25 million in her wrongful-death
case. An autopsy declared that drug intoxication and immersion in
water were the cause of the pneumonia and brain damage that
ultimately led to Brown's death.
   (http://tinyurl.com/vu87yu3)(SFC, 11/17/16,
p.A10)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, South Carolina
police shot and killed Zachary Hammon (19) during an attempted drug
sting in Seneca. In 2016 Hammon’s family settled a wrongful death
lawsuit against the city for $2.15m.
   (SFC, 3/31/16, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In northern
Afghanistan a shootout at a wedding party left 21 people dead and
eight wounded in Baghlan province. In northern Sari Pul province, a
local police commander and seven of his men surrendered to the
Taliban in Kohistanat district.
   (AP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Australian nurse
Adam Brookman (39) was charged with terrorism offences for allegedly
supporting the Islamic State group in Syria. He had voluntarily
returned home from the war-torn country on July 24. Brookman told
Fairfax Media in an interview in the past week he carried out
humanitarian work in Syria and was forced to join the jihadist group
after being injured and sent to IS-controlled territory.
   (AFP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Britain’s deputy
speaker of the House of Lords, John Sewel (69), resigned his
position after publication of photos and a video allegedly showing
him using cocaine with prostitutes. He remained a member of the
House of Lords. On July 28 Sewel terminated his membership in the
House of Lords
   (AP, 7/26/15)(AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Cameroon 3
villagers were beheaded during a raid in Cameroon by Boko Haram
jihadist fighters from neighboring Nigeria.
   (AFP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Egypt a
roadside bombing in the Sinai Peninsula wounded 18 police
conscripts. The Egyptian Islamic State affiliate claimed
responsibility for the attack.
   (AP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, French police
searched for the driver of a car that smashed through a security
barrier in central Paris near the finish line of cycling's Tour de
France. Witnesses saw two men and two women leaving the
bullet-ridden car. Two people soon surrendered including a woman
injured in the crash.
   (AFP, 7/26/15)(AP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, French police
discovered nearly six tons of cannabis resin, known as hashish, in a
villa in the southern city of Marseille and arrested three men.
   (AFP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In eastern France
433 hot air balloons lifted off from fChambley-Bussieres air base
and soared straight into the record books. The previous record was
set at the same spot in 2013 when 391 balloons went up.
   (AP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Iraqi government
forces recaptured Anbar University campus on the outskirts of Ramadi
from the Islamic State group, seizing a key position for any
offensive to retake the city.
   (AFP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Japan a small
plane crashed into a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo, killing the pilot,
a passenger and a woman on the ground. Three people were pulled
alive from the wreckage.
   (AP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Kenya US
President Barack Obama ended his visit saying Kenyans need deepen
democracy, tackle corruption and end exclusion based on gender or
ethnicity.
   (Reuters, 7/26/15)(AFP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Lebanon trash
collection resumed in Beirut after an almost week-long crisis that
has seen streets overflowing with waste and the air filled with the
smell of rotting garbage.
   (AFP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In northern Mexico
eight men from the same family, including two minors, were
kidnapped. One person managed to escape and alerted authorities.
Their decapitated bodies were found on July 28-29 near Casa Quemada,
Chihuahua state.
   (AFP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Police in
Myanmar's seized more than 26 million stimulant tablets after an
inspection of a parked vehicle in Yangon's northern suburbs, in what
appeared to be the country's biggest such seizure ever. The pills,
identified by police as amphetamine hydrochloride, had an estimated
street value of over $100 million.
   (AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In northeastern
Nigeria a blast set off by a female suicide bomber tore through a
crowded market in the city of Damaturu, killing at least 15 people.
   (Reuters, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Pakistan gunmen
killed Iqbal Baig, a local employee of the US Embassy in Islamabad.
A motive for the attack was unclear. He worked for the US Drug
Enforcement Agency.
   (AP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Saudi Arabian gas
prices were reported to be about 60 cents per gallon.
   (SSFC, 7/26/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Somalia at
least 15 people were killed when al Shabaab Islamist militants drove
a car packed with explosives at the gate of the Jazeera hotel in
Mogadishu.
   (Reuters, 7/26/15)(AP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Syrian President
Bashar Assad, in his first public address in a year, vowed to win
his country's long-running civil war while acknowledging his troops
had lost territory because of a shortage of manpower.
   (AP, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Turkey an
overnight car bomb and roadside explosives hit a passing military
vehicle on a highway near Diyarbakir. Kurdish militants then opened
fire with long-range rifles killing 2 soldiers, At least six people
were detained in the attack.
   (Reuters, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Yemeni forces
allied with a Saudi-led coalition fought Houthi militia for control
of the country's largest air base north of Aden. Residents said
forces of the so-called Southern Resistance, a secessionist movement
allied with the coalition, had taken and Sabr, a northern district
of Aden. The residents reported 25 Houthis and 10 Southern
Resistance fighters had been killed. A bomb exploded underneath a
passenger bus in Sanaa, killing 3 people and wounding five.
   (Reuters, 7/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, A senior US
official said United States and Turkey have agreed to work together
to clear the Islamic State group from northern Syria.
   (AFP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, The US State
Department took Malaysia and Cuba off its “tier 3” list of countries
failing to combat modern-day slavery, leaving the US open to
criticism that politics is swaying the often-contentious rankings in
its annual human trafficking report. South Sudan, Burundi, Belize,
Belarus and Comoros were downgraded to Tier 3, where Thailand
remained for a second year.
   (AP, 7/27/15)(Reuters, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, A US federal judge
in New Orleans ordered BP to begin paying up to $1 billion in
settlements to compensate local governments across the Gulf Coast
for lost tax revenue and other damages for the company’s 2010 oil
spill. The judge said all payment s must be made within 30 days.
   (SFC, 7/28/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In New Jersey ATM
employees forgot a bag of $150,000 outside a business in Mahwah. On
July 29 police arrested Alton Harvey (42), who purchased a new
Chevrolet Tahoe with money from the bag of cash just hours after it
was left behind. Suspect Jamar Bludson (35) was reported arrested on
Aug 13.
   (SFC, 8/1/15, p.A4)(SFC, 8/13/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Delta said it will
pay $450 million to buy a stake in China Eastern Airlines as the
Atlanta-based airline seeks to expand into China's fast-growing
travel industry.
   (AP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Australia's Royal
Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse,
launched in 2013, heard that the local Jehovah's Witnesses Church
failed to report to police more than 1,000 cases of child sexual
abuse going back more than 60 years.
   (Reuters, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, The Bosnian
government adopted a plan of reforms in a crucial step forward on
the country's EU integration path. The plan addresses socio-economic
issues and aims to decrease the 40 percent unemployment rate in the
country.
   (AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In El Salvador
street gangs called for a public transport boycott, ordering bus
drivers to stay off the roads. They killed five defiant drivers that
day and another a day earlier. A 7th driver was killed July 29 for
defying their campaign and force the government to recognize the
feared gangs. On July 28 police captured a suspected leader of a
gang called Barrio 18.
   (AFP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In Ethiopia US
President Barack Obama praised the country for its fight against
Shebab militants in Somalia, but also challenged Addis Ababa on its
democratic record.
   (AFP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, EU foreign
ministers formally approved the launch of the first phase of a
military operation to target people smugglers in the Mediterranean.
   (AFP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, French farmers
angry over low prices turned back hundreds of trucks at the German
border, looking for cargos of foreign meat and milk products.
   (AP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Indian forces
fought an extended gunbattle with militants who attacked a moving
bus and stormed into the Dina Nagar police station at the Pakistan
border in Gurdaspur, Punjab state. 3 civilians and 4 policemen were
killed in the violence. All 3 attackers were killed in the 12-hour
fight.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Gurdaspur_attack)(AP,
7/27/15)(SFC, 7/28/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Israeli police
said Palestinian Mohammed Abu Latifa (19), wanted on suspicion of
planning a militant attack, fell to his death from a rooftop as he
fled from police in the occupied West Bank. A witness said Latifa
was shot dead and had not fallen off the roof.
   (Reuters, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Israel's Teva
Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said it is purchasing Dublin-based
Allergan PLC's generic pharmaceuticals business for $40.5 billion,
in what Israeli analysts called the largest-ever acquisition by an
Israeli company.
   (AP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In Laos a
Soviet-made Mi-7 Lao military helicopter missing with 23 people on
board. Search teams located the crash site on July 29.
   (AP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, A Malawian
official said hundreds of Mozambicans have fled into the neighboring
country following fighting between the government and opposition
fighters.
   (AP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Myanmar’s
state-run Kyemon daily reported that recent flooding due to heavy
rains falling in the northwest has killed at least 14 people.
   (AP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In northeastern
Nigeria Boko Haram Islamists slit the throats of 10 men in villages
near Baga on the shores of the Lake Chad. This included 4 fishermen
in Bundaram, 2 in Fishdam and 4 in Kwatar Mali.
   (AFP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In Pakistan gunmen
opened fire on a police convoy, killing 2 officers and a woman
passer-by in the southwestern city of Quetta. Police fired back and
killed one of the attackers and wounded the other who escaped.
   (AP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Peruvian soldiers
rescued 26 children, 10 women and 3 men whom they said had been held
as slaves for up to 30 years by Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path).
   (Econ, 8/1/15, p.33)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In South Sudan
soldiers believed to be with the South Sudanese army and allied
militia stole relief supplies and killed 7 people in an attack on a
rebel-part of Unity state. The attack on Dablual village forced some
35,000 civilians to flee into the bush.
   (SFC, 7/31/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Syrian journalist
Thaer al-Ajlani, working for pro-government media, was killed early
today as he was reporting on clashes in the Jobar area of east
Damascus.
   (AFP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In northern Syria
the YPG made further gains against Islamic State, capturing a town
near the Euphrates River after a month-long offensive aimed at
cutting their supply lines. Kurdish fighters in northern Syria
accused the Turkish army of shelling their positions.
   (Reuters, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In Turkey a
gendarmerie major in the eastern province of Mus died after being
shot by suspected PKK militants. In the nearby province of Van a
military unit came under fire.
   (Reuters, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Yemeni military
sources Saudi-led coalition warplanes hit positions of
pro-government forces in south Yemen by mistake, killing 12 people
on the first day of a humanitarian truce.
   (AFP, 7/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Lawyers for
convicted spy Jonathan Pollard said the US has granted his parole
and that he will be released in November. Pollard was arrested in
1985 for spying for Israel.
   (SFC, 7/29/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Scientists and
tech experts, including professor Stephen Hawking and Apple
co-founder Steve Wozniak, warned of a global arms race with weapons
using artificial intelligence.
   (AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In Bahrain a bomb
killed 2 policemen and the explosives resembled some seized at the
weekend that the government say were smuggled in from Iran. Several
suspects were soon arrested. On August 13 Bahrain's chief of police
said five suspects with links to Iran have been arrested in
connection with a bombing.
   (AP, 7/28/15)(SFC, 7/30/15, p.A2)(AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In Ethiopia US
President Barack Obama said that Ethiopia "cannot unleash the full
potential of its people" if it jails journalists and restricts
legitimate opposition groups. In a speech at the African Union,
Obama also said Central African Republic leaders needed to commit to
inclusive elections and a peaceful transition of power.
   (Reuters, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, French
archaeologists said two students have found a human tooth from about
560,000 years ago in a famous prehistoric cave at Tautavel in
southwestern France, the oldest human body part ever discovered in
the country.
   (AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In Germany the
14th annual Maccabi Games, Europe’s largest Jewish sporting event,
opened in Berlin.
   (Econ, 8/1/15, p.48)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Iran and the
European Union said they have agreed to start talks on issues
including confronting terrorism.
   (Reuters, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Japan approved an
increase in compensation payments for the Fukushima crisis to 7.07
trillion yen ($57.18 billion), as tens of thousands of evacuees
remain in temporary housing more than four years after the disaster.
   (Reuters, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Twelve Jordanians
were sentenced to jail terms of up to 15 years for their involvement
in a cell recruiting members for the Palestinian Islamist movement
Hamas. Four of the twelve were sentenced in absentia.
   (AFP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Kenyan rangers
found the carcasses of 5 elephants killed overnight with their tusks
hacked off in Tsavo West National Park.
   (SFC, 7/31/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Kuwait National
Petroleum Co said it has awarded four contracts worth $11.5 billion
(10.5 billion euros) to international consortia to build a 615,000
barrel per day refinery.
   (AFP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, A court in Libya
sentenced Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, a son of Moammar Gadhafi, to death
by firing squad after convicting him of murder and inciting genocide
during the country's 2011 civil war. A militia in western Libya has
refused to hand him over to the government for the past four years.
   (AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In Libya 3
soldiers were killed and 11 wounded when a suicide bomber blew
himself up in central Benghazi.
   (Reuters, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Malaysian premier
Najib Razak sacked his deputy premier and attorney general in a
cabinet reshuffle widely seen as an attempt to strengthen his hold
on power as he battles corruption allegations.
   (AFP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Romania’s the
anti-corruption agency said that 61 homes and offices were searched
in Bucharest and in the northwest Transylvania region for evidence
that drug companies offered doctors vacations and other incentives
in exchange for prescribing cancer drugs.
   (AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In Russia Igor
Kalyapin, head of the Committee against Torture, told reporters that
the organization will be "liquidated" this week because they refuse
to comply with the law and thus admit that they "work for a foreign
benefactor." Kalyapin said they have set up a new head office that
won't accept foreign funding, thus being able to dodge the listing
of "foreign agent."
   (AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, A Saudi lawman was
killed and two others were wounded during an attack in a
Shiite-dominated area of Eastern Province. Two suspects were
arrested after the patrol came under fire in al-Jesh village of
Qatif district.
   (AP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, South Korea said
it is now virtually free of the deadly MERS virus that killed 36
people and sickened nearly 200 since an outbreak was declared in
May.
   (AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan said it was impossible to continue a peace process
with Kurdish militants and urged parliament to strip politicians
with links to them of immunity from prosecution.
   (Reuters, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In Yemen Saudi-led
warplanes resumed raids on rebels, who clashed with loyalists. Air
strikes targeted rebels north of Aden, rebels in nearby Lahj
province and a rebel convoy near Sabr. Other raids hit a building
occupied by insurgents in Jaawala. An overnight strike hit rebels in
Marib east of Sanaa.
   (AFP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, The UN said the
civilian death toll from four months of fighting in Yemen has risen
to nearly 1,900, with at least 202 people killed over the past 12
days.
   (AP, 7/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Ohio a drone
dropped a package of drugs onto a prison yard at Mansfield
Correctional Institution. The drop sparked a fight amongst inmates.
   (SFC, 8/5/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Pennsylvania US
Rep. Chaka Fattah (58) was indicted with four associates in a
racketeering case stemming from the alleged misappropriation of
hundreds of thousands of dollars after a failed 2007 run for mayor
of Philadelphia.
   (SFC, 7/30/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Microsoft debuted
Windows 10.
   (SFC, 7/30/15, p.C2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, The Afghanistan
government said Mullah Omar, leader of the Taliban movement behind
an escalating insurgency against the government in Kabul, had died
in April, 2013, in Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban appointed Akhtar
Mohammad Mansour as leader of the insurgency.
   (Reuters, 7/29/15)(Reuters, 7/30/15)(SFC,
7/30/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Australia
Leonard John Warwick (68) was arrested for a 1980-1984 series of
bombings and shootings in Sydney left four people dead. Warwick, a
former firefighter, had an extended dispute in the Family Court with
his estranged wife over the custody of their infant daughter in the
early 1980s. In 2020 Warwick was sentenced to life in prison.
   (AP, 7/29/15)(SFC, 9/4/20, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Hundreds of
Chileans took to the streets of affluent Santiago neighborhoods,
clanging kitchenware and waving banners to protest what they say is
an explosion in crime. Statistics indicated that crime has, in fact,
fallen in the past year.
   (Reuters, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Croatian lawmakers
voted overwhelmingly to withdraw from a border arbitration with
Slovenia, dealing a further blow to efforts to resolve a
longstanding dispute.
   (AP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In France one man
died as overwhelmed authorities for a 2nd night fought off some
2,000 desperate attempts by migrants to enter England through the
Channel Tunnel, prompting France to beef up its police presence.
   (AFP, 7/29/15)(SFC, 7/30/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, German police
began finding some 400 kg (880 pounds) of cocaine hidden inside
shipments of bananas sent to supermarkets across the north and west
of the country.
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Iraq
back-to-back suicide attacks targeting Iraqi security forces near
the Islamic State-held city of Ramadi killed at least 12 troops, as
the government pressed on with efforts to reclaim territory under
the extremists' control. Near Fallujah a suicide bomber in an
explosives laden Humvee killed 6 troops. Clashes southwest of Ramadi
left one soldier and 14 militants dead.
   (AP, 7/29/15)(SFC, 7/30/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, An Israeli air
strike on a government-held village on the Syrian side of the Golan
Heights ceasefire line killed five pro-regime forces. An Israeli
drone attack in southern Syria killed at least three pro-government
gunmen.
   (AFP, 7/29/15)(AP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Israel gave final
approval for plans to build 300 new homes in a Jewish settlement in
the occupied West Bank, announcing the move as it carried out a
court demolition order against two vacant apartment blocks at the
site.
   (Reuters, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Japan’s PM Shinzo
Abe outlined the largest increase in the country’s minimum wage
since 2002 from ¥780 (about $6.30 an hour) to ¥798,( 6.45/hr).
   (Econ, 8/15/15, p.66)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Jordan handed down
jail sentences against seven of its citizens and a Syrian for
planning attacks on US soldiers in the country and on the Israeli
embassy. The Jordanians were all arrested in May 2014. The Syrian,
who was tried in absentia, was sentenced to 15 years.
   (AFP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Libya at least
26 IS fighters were killed when the Shura Council of Jihadis
attacked the group in Darna, where the IS group gained its first
foothold in Libya last year. 13 members of Shura Council of Jihadis
were also killed.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, A Mexican judge
issued an order to extradite fugitive drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo"
Guzman to the United States -- if he is recaptured after his
jailbreak.
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In north-central
Mexico 27 people, including a baby, were killed when a truck's
brakes failed and plowed into pilgrims in Mazapil, Zacatecas state.
The driver fled the scene. 43 people were hospitalized.
   (AP, 7/30/15)(AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In northeastern
Nigeria at least 10 people were killed when Boko Haram Islamist
gunmen raided a village in Yobe state in a revenge attack against
local vigilantes.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In eastern
Pakistan Malik Ishaq, who directed the operations of the Taliban-
and al-Qaida-linked Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group, was gunned down along
with 5 other detained militants during an assault on a police convoy
that was transporting him from prison in Multan. 8 of the attackers
trying to free him were also killed. Ishaq helped found
Laskhar-e-Jhangvi in the 1990s.
   (AP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In the Philippines
winners were announced of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often regarded
as Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. They included Indian
anti-corruption campaigner Sanjiv Chaturvedi (40); fellow countryman
Anshu Gupta (44) who recycles clothes for the poor; Kommaly
Chanthavong (71) of Laos for reviving her country's ancient art of
silk weaving; Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa (71) of the Philippines for
her crusade in preserving a dance form of the southern Philippines;
and Kyaw Thu (55) of Myanmar for helping to provide free funeral
services to help relieve the emotional and financial burden of the
poor.
   (AP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Poland Jan
Kulczyk (65), the country’s richest man and the founder and
president of investment empire Kulczyk Holding, died from
complications following surgery. He made his fortune during Poland's
economic transformations.
   (AP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Plane debris was
found washed up on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean
and was believed to be part of a Boeing 777, potentially the biggest
breakthrough in the search for Flight MH370, missing since March 8,
2014.
   (Reuters, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, The Russian
government formally branded the US National Endowment for Democracy
as an “undesirable” operation, forcing the organization to shut down
offices and cease issuing grants to Russian rights groups.
   (SFC, 7/30/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, From Saudi Arabia
Yemen's exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi ordered that
militias battling Shiite rebels in Yemen be merged with his national
army, in an apparent attempt to unify ground forces.
   (AP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Syrian commander
Nadeem Hassan and seven of his fighters, trained by the US, were
kidnapped by the al-Nusra Front as they returned from a meeting in
Turkey. On August 16 Division 30 said seven of its members had been
freed by Al-Nusra. In late July 13 were kidnapped by Al-Nusra,
including a commander, and at least 3 more were killed in clashes
with the jihadist group.
   (SFC, 7/31/15, p.A2)(AFP, 8/4/15)(AFP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with top Chinese officials amid tensions
over China's treatment of its Uighur minority and sensitive
negotiations surrounding the possible purchase of a Chinese missile
system.
   (AP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Turkey’s Deputy PM
Bulent Arinc gave a breakdown of the terror suspects rounded up in
the nationwide police operation, saying that of the 1,300 detained
only 137 were suspected of links to IS. Some 31 have been charged so
far, while 18 were released. In contrast, police detained as many as
847 PKK suspects. A total of 142 have been charged so far, while 120
were released.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Turkey said it has
formally signed a deal with the United States opening its Incirlik
air base to the US-led coalition against Islamic State militants. In
exchange the Americans agreed to help establish a 65-mile IS-free
zone along a western section of the Turkish-Syrian border.
   (Reuters, 7/29/15)(Econ, 8/1/15, p.42)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Turkish jets
launched their heaviest assault on Kurdish militants in northern
Iraq overnight since air strikes began last week. A Turkish soldier
was killed and three seriously wounded in the eastern province of
Agri in what appeared to be a PKK attack.
   (Reuters, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Ukrainian Pres.
Petro Poroshenko vowed to push for justice despite Russia's veto of
a UN resolution that would have set up a tribunal to try those
responsible for shooting down passenger flight MH17 on July 17,
2014.
   (AFP, 7/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Yemen Saudi-led
warplanes bombed targets in northerly Saada province. A car bomb
exploded outside the Ismaili Al Faydh Alhatemy mosque in an eastern
district of Sanaa, killing 3 people and wounding seven. The Islamic
State militant group claimed responsibility. Ismailis are a minority
Shi'ite Muslim sect, as are the Zaydi Shi'ites, a community whose
interests the Houthi group says it defends. Al-Qaida made 6 captured
Houthi fighters, who were in their early 20s, kneel and kiss their
hands before shooting them in Dar Saad.
   (Reuters, 7/29/15)(AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, The United States
began delivery of eight F-16 fighter jets to Egypt, the first since
Washington fully lifted in March a freeze on arms delivery.
   (AFP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, The United States
imposed further Russia and Ukraine-related sanctions, adding
associates of a billionaire Russian gas trader, Crimean port
operators and former Ukrainian officials to its list of those it is
penalizing in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine.
   (Reuters, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In California
firefighter Dave Ruhl (38) of South Dakota died while fighting the
Frog Fire in the Modoc National Forest outside Alturas. This was one
of 18 large wildfires fought by about 8,000 firefighters deployed
across the state.
   (AFP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Maryland’s Gov.
Larry Hogan announced plans to immediately shut down the Baltimore
City Detention Center, where inmates and guards ran a criminal
conspiracy.
   (SFC, 7/31/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, NYC said 31 cases
of Legionnaire’s disease have been reported in the South Bronx since
July 10. NYC reported more than 100 cases since January 1.
   (SFC, 7/31/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, The Taliban's
official spokesman disavowed peace talks with the Afghan government,
throwing fledgling efforts to negotiate an end to 14 years of war
into disarray.
   (Reuters, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Belgian farmers
blocked roads and entrances to grocery store distribution centers to
protest what they say are unfairly low prices for milk, pork and
other products.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, The Bosnian-Croat
regional parliament adopted a new labor law that aims to create a
more business-friendly environment with the intention of creating
jobs, amid the protests of thousands of workers. The former labor
law was inherited from the communist regime and offered wide
protection to workers but was not business-friendly. It was partly
the reason for the 40 percent unemployment rate.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, British teenager
Liam Lyburd (19) was convicted of planning a gun and bomb attack at
his former college, buying a semi-automatic handgun and ammunition
online to carry out a massacre at northern England's Newcastle
College, which had expelled him for being disruptive in class.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Royal Dutch Shell
announced deep cuts to jobs and investment on as the global energy
giant prepares for a prolonged period of low oil prices.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Canada’s labor
minister announced that the government would declare microbeads to
be a toxic substance and prohibit the manufacture, import and sale
of personal care products that contain them.
   (Econ, 8/8/15, p.29)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Chad reintroduced
the death penalty just six months after its abolition, as
legislators passed a stringent anti-terror bill in the face of a
spate of deadly Boko Haram attacks.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, China said it will
prosecute Guo Boxiong (73), a former top military officer, for
corruption. He was a vice chairman of the powerful Central Military
Commission until he stepped down in 2012.
   (Reuters, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Greek PM Alexis
Tsipras called for his Syriza party to hold an emergency congress
next month to overcome divisions but said a snap party referendum
would be acceptable if leftist dissenters wanted a quicker solution.
   (Reuters, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, India hanged Yakub
Abdul Razak Memon (53), an accountant convicted of supporting the
1993 Mumbai bombings that killed 257 people in the country's worst
terrorist attack, ignoring pleas and petitions by civil society
groups.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Indonesia and
Turkey agreed to strengthen their intelligence cooperation as a way
to bolster their efforts to combat terrorism and prevent the spread
of radicalism.
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In Iraq and Syria
the United States and its allies hit Islamic State forces. 17 air
strikes hit Iraq. In Syria 17 strikes hit Deir ez-Zor and 7 near
Hasakeh.
   (Reuters, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Israel's
parliament passed a contentious law that would permit the
force-feeding of inmates on hunger strike, eliciting harsh criticism
over the practice.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In Israel Yishai
Shlissel stormed a gay parade with a knife, attacking six before
being quickly arrested amid pandemonium in Jerusalem's city center.
Shira Banki (16) was stabbed in the back and died of her wounds a
few days later. On April 19, 2016, a Jerusalem court convicted
Shlissel (40) of murder. On June 26 Schlissel was sentenced to life
in prison.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)(AP, 4/19/16)(AFP, 6/26/16)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In Mexico gunmen
fired more than 100 shots and killed police commander David Urquizo
in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero state. Hours later,
Urquizo's unit killed 3 criminal suspects and wounded three others
in a clash in the same city. Six other people were detained after
the gunfight.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Moldova's
Parliament approved the pro-European government of Valeriu Strelet
(45), nominated after the last prime minister resigned.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Myanmar freed over
150 Chinese workers sentenced to life in prison for illegal logging
under a massive presidential pardon that included 6,966 prisoners.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In Nepal
landslides caused by heavy rains buried several mountain villages,
killing at least 30 people as bad weather hampered the search for
others.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Nigeria's Pres.
Muhammadu Buhari headed home after meeting with his Cameroon
counterpart for two days of talks focused around the threat posed by
Boko Haram.
   (AP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, A Kremlin aide
said Russia has reached a compensation deal with France for the
non-delivery of two Mistral warships, but Paris the next day refused
to confirm a final agreement.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Sierra Leone
authorities said they have quarantined 500 people after a man died
of Ebola in his home village after contracting the disease in
Freetown.
   (SFC, 7/31/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In northern Syria
at least 10 Kurdish fighters and 8 Islamic state members were killed
when IS jihadists attacked Sarrin, a town recently captured by
Kurdish forces.
   (AFP, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In southeast
Turkey Kurdish rebels attacked security forces in two separate
assaults in Simak province, killing 3 soldiers and an officer. One
rebel was also killed. Kurdish rebels raided a Turkish police
station and fired on railway workers in two separate attacks that
left 5 dead.
   (AP, 7/30/15)(AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Ukrainian forces
and pro-Russian separatists accused each other on of shelling
civilian areas near the rebel-held city of Donetsk despite a
ceasefire, with 4 civilians and one soldier killed.
   (Reuters, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Yemeni forces
backed up by Saudi-led coalition air strikes recaptured positions on
the outskirts of Aden used by the Houthi group to fire rockets into
the southern port city. Abyan province residents and local officials
said 4 suspected members of the al Qaeda affiliated Ansar al-Sharia
militant group were killed in an overnight air strike by an unmanned
aircraft.
   (Reuters, 7/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, WikiLeaks said the
US National Security Agency targeted Japanese politicians, its top
central banker and major firms for years, in the latest revelations
about Washington's snooping on allies.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, California's Gov.
Brown declared a state of emergency as 18 large wildfires raged
across the state.
   (Reuters, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Los Angeles
Moshe Matsri (49) was sentenced in federal court to 32 years in
prison on a slew of money laundering, drug and extortion charges.
Prosecutors said he was a leader of an Israeli organized crime ring
that moved drugs and money across the globe.
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In California a
wildfire began east of Fresno. By Sep 5 it covered 134 square miles
and was 25% contained.
   (SSFC, 9/6/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, An ASEAN official
said China and Southeast Asian nations have agreed to set up a
foreign ministers' hotline to tackle emergencies in the disputed
South China Sea.
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Bangladesh and
India hoisted their respective flags in 162 enclaves -- 111 in
Bangladesh and 51 in India -- to assume sovereignty over the
territories following a border agreement in June. Around 1,000
people on the Bangladesh side opted to keep their Indian
nationalities, meaning they will have to relocate by November.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Brazil's
state-owned oil company received the equivalent of more than $20
million that was recovered as a result of an investigation into a
corruption-kickback scandal engulfing Petrobras. This represented
about 80 percent of the nearly $29 million repatriated in April from
a Swiss bank account opened by former Petrobras executive Pedro
Barusco. He's charged with receiving bribes from some of the
country's top construction firms.
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Britain's Serious
Fraud Office (SFO) said it has opened a criminal investigation into
Soma Oil and Gas following allegations of corruption in Somalia. On
August 3 Soma, a private company chaired by Lord Michael Howard,
denied paying more than half a million dollars to Somali government
officials to protect an oil exploration deal signed in 2013.
   (AFP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Britain performed
an about-face and granted a six-month visa to dissident Chinese
artist Ai Weiwei, apologizing for rejecting his application over an
alleged criminal conviction.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In southern
England a pilot and three passengers died when a Saudi-owned
executive jet crashed into a parking lot and burst into flames while
trying to land at Blackbushe Airport. The dead included a sister,
brother-in-law and stepmother of Osama bin Laden as well as the
plane's Jordanian pilot.
   (AP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Amnesty
International said Muslims in the western part of Central African
Republic are being forced to hide their religion or convert to
Christianity under threat of death by anti-Balaka militia.
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, The Chadian army
said in a statement that 117 jihadist fighters and two soldiers have
died in an operation against Boko Haram Islamists holed up on the
islands of Lake Chad in the last two weeks with ongoing military
operations.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Beijing was
awarded the 2022 Winter Olympics, capitalizing on its previous 2008
Summer Games experience and defying concerns about its air quality
and lack of natural snow.
   (CSM, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Colombia 11
military personnel were killed when their Airbus CN235 transport
plane suffered motor failure and crashed in the northern province of
Cesar, killing all on board.
   (Reuters, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, A Picasso painting
was seized from a yacht by Corsican customs agents. Spain accused
the painting's owner, Jaime Botin (79), a well-known Spanish banker
whose family founded the Santander banking group, of trying to
illegally export it to Switzerland. Painted in 1906, "Head of a
Young Woman" is considered by Spain to be a national treasure.
   (AFP, 8/11/15)(AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, France’s
Constitutional Council confirmed the ban on the creation of new
cockfighting rings — called cockpits. The law, dating back to 1964,
aims to gradually get rid of all cockpits and therefore,
cockfighting.
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Ghana's Medical
Association said more doctors working at public hospitals across the
country are set to join a strike demanding better working
conditions. Â Â Â
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Researchers said
an Ebola test vaccine has provided blanket protection in a field
trial in Guinea, possibly heralding "the beginning of the end" for
the devastating West African outbreak that has killed thousands.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, India ordered
Internet service providers to block access to 857 adult websites in
what the government has described as a way to protect social
decency.
   (AP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Iraq and Syria
the United States and its allies launched air strikes with 19 in
Iraq and 11 in Syria in the coalition campaign against Islamic State
militants.
   (Reuters, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Israeli forces
shot Laith Khaldi (14) of the Jalazon refugee camp in the chest
during clashes near the Atara checkpoint. Khaldi died hours later in
hospital. A Palestinian man was killed and another wounded by
Israeli fire when they approached a security fence separating the
Gaza Strip from Israel.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Five Libyan troops
loyal to the internationally recognized government were killed and
another 18 are missing after an attack on an eastern checkpoint
allegedly carried out by the Islamic State group.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Mexico Ruben
Espinosa Becerill (31), a photographer for the investigative
magazine Proceso, was found slain along with 4 women early in an
apartment in Mexico City. He had fled his home state of Veracruz
after being harassed. Authorities on August 4 arrested ex-convict
Daniel Pacheco Gutierrez in the latest case. On August 30
authorities arrested former police officer and ex-convict Abraham
Torres Tranquilino (24) in connection with the brutal slaying.
   (AP, 8/1/15)(AP, 8/31/15)(SSFC, 5/21/17, p.E7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Myanmar
authorities said 21 people died in July following heavy rains, and
that between 67,000 and 110,000 people were "severely affected" by
the floods.
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, NATO allies agreed
on a package of measures to help strengthen Iraqi security and
defense forces, including in the fields of military training,
demining and countering improvised explosive devices.
   (AP, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In northeastern
Nigeria a suicide bomber struck the crowded market city of Maiduguri
killing 6 people.
   (Reuters, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Palestinian baby
Ali Dawabsheh (18 months) died and his parents were injured in a
fire started by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Doma.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon labelled the attack an act of
terrorism. The father of the toddler died August 8 from injuries he
suffered in the attack. The mother was buried on Sep 7 after she
died of her wounds overnight. Brother Ahmed was the sole survivor
from the immediate family but was left with severe burns. In 2018 an
Israeli court struck down some of the confessions of two Jewish
suspects in the arson attack, ruling that interrogators obtained
them by duress.
   (AFP, 7/31/15)(AFP, 8/8/15)(AFP, 9/7/15)(Econ,
8/8/15, p.40)(AFP, 6/19/18)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Senegal jailed
journalist Tamsir Jupiter Ndiaye to six months in prison for acts of
homosexuality. He was arrested in June after a young man accused him
of attempted rape.
   (SFC, 8/1/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In South Sudan
thousands of civilians in Upper Nile state faced starvation after
the government blocked aid groups from using the Nile River to
deliver relief food.
   (AP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Sri Lanka four
gunmen opened fire at campaign workers in Colombo, killing one woman
and wounding 12 people. The workers were campaigning for Finance
Minister Ravi Karunanayake of the United National Party.
   (AP, 7/31/15)(AFP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Syria members
of al-Qaida launched an attack on the command headquarters of a
US-backed rebel faction in northern Syria, killing at least five
fighters. US-led coalition air strikes destroyed two key bridges
used by the Islamic State group on the Syrian side of the Iraqi
border. 25 rebels, including 3 senior commanders, were killed in a
failed attack on a makeshift army base outside the northern city of
Aleppo. 9 regime forces were also killed in the fighting that
erupted after several rebel groups launched the attack late today.
   (AP, 7/31/15)(AFP, 7/31/15)(AFP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Venezuela
Gustavo Patinez (21) died of a gunshot wound to the chest and 60
people were detained following looting of supermarkets in the
southeastern city of Ciudad Guayana. President Nicolas Maduro said
the violence was premeditated and blamed the United States as being
behind it.
   (Reuters, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Southern Yemeni
fighters backed by a Saudi-led air coalition took more territory
from Houthi militiamen, expanding their control around the port city
of Aden. They reported 14 Houthis were killed and 40 captured. Local
officials said 9 soldiers were killed and 30 wounded in a car
bombing at an army base by suspected Islamist militants in southern
Hadramout province.
   (Reuters, 7/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, Surgeons at the
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia completed a double-hand
transplant for Zion Harvey (8) of Maryland, who had lost his hands
and feet to a serious infection.
   (SFC, 7/30/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, This month was
reported as America’s hottest since 1880.
   (Econ, 9/12/15, p.32)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, Brazil’s Pres. Dilma
Rousseff scrapped an 11-year agreement with Ukraine to launch
satellites aboard Ukrainian Cyclone-4 rockets from its Alcantara
spaceport in Maranhao province.
   (Econ, 8/8/15, p.29)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, Lithuania pulled the
plug on its state-owned bulk carrier line.
   (Econ, 10/31/15, p.61)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, Papua New Guinea’s PM
Peter O’Neill announced a ban on foreign, mostly Australian,
consultants. A ban on vegetable imports from Australia soon
followed.
   (Econ, 9/12/15, p.39)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, Spanish journalists
Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre went missing a
few days after crossing into Syria from Turkey. They had gone to the
northern city of Aleppo to report on fighting there. All three
arrived in Madrid on May 8, 2016, in apparent good health after
nearly 10 months in captivity.
   (Reuters, 5/8/16)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, In Switzerland a
farmer in Ueken in the northern canton of Aargau discovered 4,166
bronze and silver coins dating back to Ancient Rome and weighing 15
kilos (33 pounds). They stretched from the rein of Emperor Aurelian
(year 270-275) to that of Maximilian (286-305), with the most recent
coins dated to year 294. Archeologists said it was impossible to
determine their original value due to rampant inflation at the time.
   (AFP, 11/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, Venezuela officially
rolled out Operation Liberate the People, which aimed to take back
neighborhoods overrun by gangs. Over the next two months police shot
and kill more than 80 suspected criminals.
   (AP, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, The WHO’s Int’l.
Agency for Research on Cancer found that the herbicide glyphosate is
“probably” carcinogenic.
   (Econ, 3/5/15, p.50)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, HitchBOT, the
adorable hitch-hiking robot cobbled together from household
odds-and-ends, prematurely ended its summer travels across America,
after being destroyed by vandals and abandoned on the side of a road
in Philadelphia. The little talking automaton had hitchhiked
unscathed last summer across thousands of miles in Canada, and had
traversed parts of Europe as well without so much as a scratch.
Canadian creators Frauke Zeller and David Smith considered
rebuilding it.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)(SFC, 8/3/15, p.A4)(SFC, 8/4/15,
p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In Tennessee
Tremaine Wilbourne (29) shot and killed Memphis police Officer Sean
Bolton (33) as the officer interrupted a marijuana deal in progress.
Bolton was shot 8 times and Wilbourne escaped the scene. Wilbourne
surrendered to police on Aug 3. On Nov. 4, 2018, a jury found
Wilbourne guilty of first-degree murder.
   (SFC, 8/3/15, p.A4)(SFC, 8/4/15, p.A4)(SFC,
11/5/18, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Fiat Chrysler said
it is recalling 322,000 sedans worldwide because side air bags can
inflate if doors are slammed too hard. Last week more than 843,000
Dodge Ram pickup trucks were recalled for the same problem.
   (SSFC, 8/2/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Benin's Pres.
Thomas Boni Yayi visited Nigeria and vowed to contribute 800 troops
to a regional force intended to combat the Boko Haram group.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Rival protests
featuring those welcoming migrants and far-right wingers opposed to
their presence were held in the British port town of in Folkestone
at the mouth of the Channel Tunnel.
   (AFP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In Canada dozens of
topless women — and men — attended a "Bare With Us" rally meant to
educate the public about women's right to go shirtless if they
choose. Ontario women have had the right to go topless in public
since 1996.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, French riot police
sprayed migrants with a chemical irritant as they tried to storm the
Channel Tunnel. Some 200 migrants broke down several security fences
but were forced to retreat by riot police as they attempted to
breach the final fence near the entrance of the 50-km (30-mile)
tunnel under the English Channel.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In Germany some
1,300 people rallied in Berlin in support of two journalists who
prosecutors are investigating for treason over two reports revealing
authorities' plans to expand surveillance of online communication.
   (AP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Iraq's Kurdish
regional government called on the Kurdistan Worker's Party to
"withdraw" from Iraq's Kurdish territory to prevent civilian deaths
amid a campaign of Turkish airstrikes targeting the group.
   (AP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Italy's coast guard
rescued about 1,800 migrants from seven overcrowded vessels, while 5
corpses were found on a large rubber boat carrying 212 others.
   (Reuters, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Japanese police
arrested Mark Karpeles, head of the MtGox Bitcoin exchange, after a
series of fraud allegations led to its spectacular collapse and
hammered the digital currency's reputation.
   (AFP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Two Malian soldiers
were killed and four wounded in an ambush on their convoy near the
central town of Nampala.
   (Reuters, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Myanmar officials
said heavy rains have caused more flooding and left 9 people dead,
devastating several townships and forcing more than 18,000 people
into temporary shelters.
   (AP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Nigerian air
strikes for a second day hit the village of Bita on the fringes of
the Sambisa forest near the Cameroonian border, where Boko Haram was
preparing to launch an offensive.
   (AP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Peruvian officials
said security forces have rescued 54 adults and children, mostly
members of the Ashaninka indigenous group, who had been held by
Shining Path rebels in a remote jungle region. Some of the adults
were kidnapped between 20 and 30 years ago from Puerto Ocopa and
nearby towns back when the rebel movement was still strong.
   (AP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Puerto Rico
Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla paid out just 628,000 dollars of
$58 million in Puerto Rico Public Financing Corporation (PFC) debt
that came due today, pleading a lack of liquidity in the
recession-wracked US commonwealth.
   (AFP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Russia's President
Vladimir Putin placed a major archaeological site in Crimea, which
he has hailed as the country's most sacred spiritual symbol, under
federal control following turmoil over the appointment of its
director. The ancient Greek city of Chersonesus was founded by Greek
colonists about 2,500 years ago, and later became part of the
Byzantine Empire.
   (AP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said at least 20 regime forces and 19
rebels from the Army of Conquest alliance had been killed in 24
hours of clashes in Hama province's Sahl al-Ghab region.
   (AFP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Turkey’s official
Anatolia news agency said around 260 members of the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have been killed and hundreds more
wounded in Ankara's week-long campaign of air strikes against
targets of the group inside Turkey and in northern Iraq. Turkish war
planes struck the village of Zarkel (Zergele in Kurdish) in northern
Iraq killed at least 6 people.
   (AFP, 8/1/15)(AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Yemeni PM Khaled
Bahah flew to the devastated port of Aden from Saudi exile, two
weeks after loyalist forces ousted Shiite rebels from the city.
Government forces pressed an advance north and east of Aden to
dislodge rebels still entrenched in Lahj and Abyan provinces.
   (AFP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, The UN reported
that at least 1,332 Iraqis were killed by violence in July amid the
war against the Islamic State group, a slight drop from June.
   (AP, 8/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, US officials said
the United States has decided to allow airstrikes to defend Syrian
rebels trained by the US military from any attackers, even if the
enemies hail from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
   (Reuters, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In northern
California the Rocky Fire in Clear Lake County doubled its size over
24 hours to 54,000 acres. 24 homes were destroyed in the area and
12,000 evacuated.
   (SFC, 8/3/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Afghanistan 8
fighters, including a commander, were killed in a battle over the
leadership between two Taliban groups in a village in Shindand
district.
   (Reuters, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Bronwyn Bishop, the
speaker of Australia's House of Representatives, resigned following
weeks of accusations that she used taxpayer money to pay for
extravagant and unnecessary travel. The travel row erupted with
reports on July 15th that Mrs. Bishop had spent A$5,227 ($3,800)
last November chartering a helicopter to fly from Melbourne to
Geelong, two cities little more than an hour’s car ride apart.
   (http://tinyurl.com/kphj7bs)(AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Britain and France
vowed that a cross-Channel migrant crisis was their "top priority"
in a united front that belied simmering anger over an issue which
has become a political hot potato.
   (AFP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Burundi General
Adolphe Nshimirimana, a close aide to Pres. Pierre Nkurunziza, was
killed in a rocket attack on his car in Bujumbura.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Canada’s PM Stephen
Harper requested the dissolution of parliament and began campaigning
for an October 19 vote.
   (SFC, 8/3/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In the Central
African Republic one UN peacekeeper was killed and eight were
injured in Bangui after they came under attack by armed men bearing
machine guns and grenades.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In El Salvador six
incarcerated gang members escaped from jail after prying open the
bars of their cell.
   (Reuters, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Iran said it will
stop giving cash handouts to another million of its wealthiest
citizens in order to ease a budget crisis caused in part by plunging
oil prices and sanctions linked to its disputed nuclear program. The
new cuts will be implemented by August 22.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Israel Shira
Banki (16) died today after being seriously wounded when an anti-gay
extremist stabbed her and several others in last week's attack on
Jerusalem's gay pride parade. She was among six people wounded July
30 by ultra-Orthodox Jewish Yishai Schlissel, who had carried out a
similar attack on a gay pride parade in 2005.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, A Moroccan man (27)
suffocated to death while trying to illegally enter Spain hidden
inside a suitcase in the trunk of a car. Police soon charged the
man's brother (34) with involuntary manslaughter.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Nigeria's military
besieged Boko Haram positions in the Islamist militant group's
heartland in Borno state after setting free 178 hostages, mainly
women and children. 13 bodies were recovered following an assault on
Malari village about 20 km from Maiduguri.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Pakistani security
forces killed Umar Lateef, a senior Al-Qaeda commander, and detained
his wife in an overnight raid on his hideout in the southwestern
province of Baluchistan. His wife was head of Al-Qaeda's women's
wing in south Punjab and Baluchistan.
   (AFP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Russia's
counterterrorism agency said its forces in Ingushetia province have
killed 8 militants who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State
group. Those killed included the group's leader, Adam Tagilov, who
was accused of staging December's attack in Chechnya's provincial
capital, Grozny, which left 25 people dead.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, A Russian Mi-28
military helicopter from an elite aerobatic squadron crashed during
an air show, killing one pilot and injuring another in the Ryazan
region.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Russia police in
St. Petersburg detained several gay activists who held pickets in
defense of gay rights on Airborne Forces Day.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Natalia Molchanova
(b.1962), Russian champion and the world’s greatest free diver, went
missing during a recreational dive near Ibiza, Spain. Search efforts
were abandoned on August 5.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalia_Molchanova)(Econ, 8/15/15,
p.82)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Two Turkish
soldiers were killed and 31 wounded in a suicide bombing overnight,
as violence escalated following Ankara's air bombardment of Kurdish
militants in northern Iraq. A day later the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) claimed responsibility.
   (Reuters, 8/2/15)(AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, The United Arab
Emirates' top prosecutor referred 41 people to trial on charges of
planning to carry out terrorist acts with the aim of overthrowing
the government and establishing an extremist state.
   (AP, 8/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, A small town in
north Wales appointed its first resident jester for over 700 years,
naming him in an elaborate medieval ceremony. Russel Erwood was
officially dubbed Erwyd le Fol (French for 'fool') during an event
in the main square in Conwy.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Pres. Obama
unveiled an aggressive plan to sharply limit greenhouse gases
emitted by US power plants.
   (SFC, 8/4/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Robert Conquest
(98), British-born historian, died in Palo Alto, Ca. His 21 books
included “The Great Terror: Stalin’s Purge of the Thirties” (1968).
   (SFC, 8/6/15, p.D3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In Florida a free
fall training accident occurred at the Eglin Air Force Base.
Sergeant Timothy Officer (32) and Sergeant Marty Bettelyoun (35)
soon died from injuries sustained during the parachuting accident.
   (Reuters, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In New Hampshire
Robert Young (41) and his daughter Annabelle (6) were killed when a
circus tent collapsed under high winds at the Lancaster Fairgrounds.
In 2016 Walker Int’l. Events of Sarasota, Fl., was indicted with one
felony account and seven misdemeanors. In 2017 the circus operator
agreed to pay $25,000 in fines to resolve criminal charges in the
tragedy.
   (http://tinyurl.com/zwraj63)(SFC, 7/21/16,
p.A6)(SFC, 2/16/17, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Oklahoma regulators
imposed new restrictions on energy companies injecting wastewater
underground, in the latest effort to stem a sharp increase in
earthquakes.
   (Reuters, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Texas Attorney
General Ken Paxton (52) was booked on securities fraud charges
accusing him of misleading investors in a tech startup before he
took office in January.
   (SFC, 8/4/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Virginia-based
Alpha Natural, one of America’s largest coal firms, filed for
bankruptcy.
   (Econ, 8/8/15, p.22)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, US airlines Delta
and American banned the shipment of big game trophies on flights, in
the wake of outrage over the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe.
   (AFP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Archer Daniels
Midland said it has sold its chocolate business to agribusiness
conglomerate Cargill for $440 million.
   (AP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Brazil's federal
police arrested former government minister Jose Dirceu, one of the
most senior members of the ruling Workers' Party to be jailed so far
in a probe of alleged corruption at state-run oil company Petrobras.
   (Reuters, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Britain's
government promised new measures to crack down on illegal immigrants
by making landlords evict them, as the Calais migrants crisis
continued to dominate the headlines.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Former British PM
Edward Heath (d.2005) was drawn into a child sex abuse scandal when
police watchdog the Independent Police Complaints Commission said it
would investigate a retired policeman's claim that a prosecution was
dropped in the 1990s when the accused threatened to expose the
ex-premier. Heath led Britain between 1970 and 1974, taking it into
the European Economic Community in 1973.
   (AFP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In London Tom
Hayes, (35), a trader who worked for UBS and Citigroup, was jailed
for 14 years after becoming the first person to be found guilty by a
jury of rigging the benchmark Libor inter-bank lending rate.
Prosecutors said Hayes was the "ringmaster" of more than a dozen
traders who worked to rig the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor).
   (AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Burundian human
rights activist Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa was shot in the face as he
made his way home from work by a gunman on a motorbike. He publicly
opposed Pres. Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial and successful bid
for a third term last month. Mbonimpa survived and his condition the
next day was reported stable.
   (AFP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In northern
Cameroon suspected Boko Haram fighters disguised as refugees with
explosives hidden in their luggage were arrested at a camp.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In Canada a
shooting began at the Muzik nightclub in Toronto during an event
hosted by rapper Drake and then spilled onto the streets leaving at
least 2 people dead and three wounded.
   (SFC, 8/5/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In China Wu Shengfu
(51) the general manager of China First Heavy Industries (CFHI), was
found hanging in his office in the northeastern city of Qiqihar as
anti-corruption investigators probed his firm.
   (AFP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Chinese officials
said authorities over the weekend seized thousands of bottles of
spirits laced with chemicals used to make erectile dysfunction drugs
such as Viagra.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In Colombia Genaro
Garcia, a community leader and activist for those forced to flee
their homes by the five-decade guerrilla war, was gunned down in
Tumaco. On August 24 FARC guerrillas admitted to the killing and
said it would punish all commanders and fighters involved.
   (AFP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, A consortium of
German automakers Audi, BMW and Daimler announced it is buying Nokia
Corp.'s HERE map business in a deal that values the unit at 2.8
billion euros ($3.1 billion).
   (AP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Greece's stock
exchange closed with a record drop of 16.23 percent on reopening
after a five-week shutdown caused by capital controls.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, India's PM Narendra
Modi signed an accord in New Delhi with Thuingaleng Muivah, the
leader of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council
of Nagaland (NSCN), ending a rebellion that festered in Nagaland and
Manipur states for more than six decades.
   (AP, 8/3/15)(Econ, 8/8/15, p.33)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In eastern India at
least 75 people have died and tens of thousands have had to take
refuge in state-run relief camps after heavy rains caused floods and
landslides. Exacerbated by Cyclone Komen which struck the east coast
on July 31, the rainfall has made major rivers overflow, inundating
villages in parts of West Bengal, Odisha and Manipur states.
   (Reuters, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Iran banned a
weekly newspaper owned by a critic of its nuclear deal and issued a
formal warning to the country's leading conservative daily for
alleged breaches of reporting guidelines.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In Iraq North Oil
Company (NOC) chief engineer Saad Ali Hussain was driving to his
office in the northern oil city of Kirkuk when gunmen in a sports
utility vehicle opened fire, killing him and his driver.
   (AP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Italian police
arrested 11 suspects linked to the fugitive head of the Sicilian
Mafia, including a former boss who ran a secret message system for
the mobster using a sheep-based code. Matteo Messina Denaro (53) had
been on the run since 1993.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Malaysia's
anti-corruption agency said that $700 million in PM Najib Razak's
personal bank accounts came from donations, not from a debt-ridden
state investment fund. Critics urged the agency to reveal the
donors.
   (AP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In northern Mali at
least 10 soldiers were killed in a "terrorist" attack on their camp
at Gourma-Rharouss in the Timbuktu region.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)(SFC, 8/4/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Pakistani
authorities said the death toll from flash floods triggered by
seasonal monsoon rains in various parts of the country has risen to
118. Floodwater has inundated vast areas, leaving tens of thousands
homeless.
   (AP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Puerto Rico’s
Public Finance Corp., a government agency, failed to make a $58
million payment to bondholders.
   (Econ, 8/8/15, p.61)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Russia said it has
merged several branches of its military into the Aerospace Forces, a
reorganization aimed at enhancing coordination and efficiency.
   (AP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Russia's Federal
Security Service (FSB) forces killed six Islamist rebels in in
Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria.
   (Reuters, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Sierra Leone said
two new cases of Ebola have surfaced in the Tonkolili District after
a man died last week in the area where the deadly virus had been
gone for months. Following the death authorities quarantined 500
people.
   (AP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Syrian government
air raids in the northwestern town of Ariha and a subsequent crash
by a Syrian warplane that slammed into a residential area there
killed at least 31 people.
   (AFP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Ukraine’s military
said 4 servicemen have been killed and 15 wounded in fighting with
pro-Russian rebels in the past 24 hours just before talks on a
ceasefire were due to start.
   (Reuters, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In Yemen hundreds
of pro-government troops and dozens of tanks and armored personnel
carriers pushed north toward the al-Anad military base, as Saudi-led
coalition airstrikes cleared the path for their advance. Houthi
rebels appeared to have lost most of their heavy weapons in a battle
to defend the al-Anad in Lahj.
   (AP, 8/3/15)(AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Connecticut
Jeffrey and Jeanette Navin went missing in Easton. Their bodies were
found on Oct 29 outside a vacant home in Weston. Police soon
arrested their son Kyle (27) and his girlfriend Jennifer Valiante
(31). The parents had planned to cut Kyle out of their will.
   (SSFC, 11/1/15, p.A16)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, NYC officials said
the number of people sickened by Legionnaires’ disease in the Bronx
has climbed to 86. Water cooling towers were thought to be the
source of the problem, which has left 7 elderly people dead.
   (SFC, 8/5/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, The Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Milwaukee said it will pay $21 million top more than
300 victims of clergy abuse in a settlement that would end a
four-year bankruptcy proceeding.
   (SFC, 8/5/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, The Arab League
condemned Turkey's actions and called on Ankara to recognize the
sovereignty of Iraq. The Arab League also called on Turkey and Iraq
to increase cooperation in order to try and preserve peace. Qatar
however, distanced itself from the Arab League declaration.
   (AFP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, ASEAN countries
backed a US call to halt land reclamation in the South China Sea,
underlining unease in the region over Beijing's continued expansion
on disputed islands.
   (Reuters, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Taliban official
Syed Mohammad Tayab Agha announced he was stepping down as director
of the Political Office in the Qatari capital Doha, originally set
up to enable the Taliban to negotiate in any peace process. His
resignation came amid a growing leadership struggle in the Afghan
insurgent movement after the news of the death of leader Mullah
Mohammad Omar last week.
   (Reuters, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Cameroon said it
has expelled more than 3,000 Nigerians as part of the fight against
Nigeria's Islamic extremists who have launched attacks across
borders. 9 people were killed and about 50 others were believed
kidnapped by suspected Boko Haram militants in an overnight raid on
Tchakarmari village near the northern border. Dozens of children and
teenagers who were thought to have been kidnapped by Islamic
extremists returned home on August 6 after having avoided being
abducted.
   (AP, 8/4/15)(Reuters, 8/4/15)(AFP, 8/5/15)(AP,
8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, China’s Catholic
Church ordained Joseph Zhang Yinlin as coadjutor bishop of Anyang,
Hebei province. The appointment was approved by the Vatican.
   (http://tinyurl.com/zknhsqv)  Â
(Econ, 4/9/15, p.45)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Egypt militants
in the restive northern Sinai shelled a house near a security
checkpoint early today, killing an entire family of 5 members inside
it and wounding nine of their neighbors.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, The EU and Vietnam
announced a free trade deal removing nearly all tariffs, with
Brussels calling it a "milestone" on the way to a region-wide
agreement with Southeast Asia.
   (AFP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Migrants in France
made hundreds of attempts overnight to penetrate the Channel Tunnel
to get to Britain overnight, as an unidentified "anomaly" in the
tunnel slowed traffic.
   (AFP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In India 12 people
were killed early today when an old building on the outskirts of
Mumbai collapsed after days of heavy rain.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Kashmir
Pakistani and Indian border guards traded gunfire and mortar shells
along their disputed border, killing two Pakistanis and an Indian.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Kosovo lawmakers
approved a law overnight to set up a special war crimes court paving
the way for indictments to be filed against top wartime leaders and
current politicians. A day earlier the assembly amended the
constitution so that the court could be created.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Kosovo police said
they have arrested three people suspected of committing cyber
crimes, following a joint investigation with the US Federal Bureau
of Investigation.
   (Reuters, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Kuwait reported
that the Interior Ministry will soon prepare a DNA database of all
persons living or visiting the country.
   (SSFC, 8/9/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Around 250 Latvian
nationalists picketed the Riga’s main government building to protest
against EU plans to resettle refugees from Africa and the Middle
East. The Baltic state has agreed to take in 250 refugees over two
years under the EU's controversial plan to distribute 40,000
migrants across the 28-country bloc.
   (AFP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Liberian state
radio said 14 men from Sierra Leone illegally mining for gold fell
victim to a landslide last week. They were trapped under rubble and
were presumed dead.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Macedonia’s PM
Vladimir Pesevski said overnight flash floods killed at least 4
people, including 3 children, and injured a dozen others as
landslides, power outages and road damage followed a storm in the
northwest of the country.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Pakistan Shafqat
Hussain was this morning executed, despite widespread calls, both
within and outside the country, for a stay. School records showed
was 17 in 2004 when he was burnt with cigarettes and had fingernails
removed until he confessed to killing a child. His family said he
was 14 at the time.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In the southern
Philippines flash floods caused by heavy rain killed at least 7
people, including 4 children. Two others remain missing.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Russia pressed a
claim at the UN for an additional 1.2 million square km (463,000
square miles) of Arctic shelf, an area of escalating international
tension.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Russia tightened
controls on imports of cut flowers from the Netherlands, a move that
comes amid a strain in ties over the downing of a Malaysia Airlines
plane in Ukraine.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Russia's PM Dmitry
Medvedev ordered preparation of retaliatory measures against several
non-EU European nations that have joined the European Union's
sanctions against Russia. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway,
Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine joined the EU sanctions
last week.
   (AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Russian police
broke into a family apartment in Nizhny Novgorod and found the
bodies of the six children and their mother hacked to pieces. Oleg
Belov was detained on suspicion of carrying out the murders. A woman
(52), identified as Belov's mother, was found hacked to pieces, in
the neighboring Vladimir region. Local media said Belov was
unemployed and lived on disability payments after being diagnosed
with schizophrenia.
   (AFP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, A South African
judge threw out a corruption case against firebrand politician
Julius Malema after three years of delays, giving a major boost to
President Jacob Zuma's fiercest critic.
   (AFP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Al-Qaeda's Syria
affiliate captured at least five more US-trained rebel fighters in
overnight raids in northwestern village of Qah.
   (AFP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Thailand police
said they have arrested five people suspected of trafficking Thai
women into sex slavery in China and believed to be part of a ring
that has also trafficked women into Malaysia and Singapore.
   (Reuters, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Two Turkish
soldiers and an armed guard were killed in a blast from a homemade
mine planted by Kurdish militants in Sirnak province. Turkish
warplanes pounded suspected Kurdish rebel targets near Daglica,
Hakkari province, in retaliation to a rebel mortar attack at a
military base which wounded a 6-year-old girl. Kurdish militants
attacked Turkey's Shah Deniz pipeline carrying natural gas from
Azerbaijan, but the blast did not impact supply as flow had already
been halted for maintenance.
   (Reuters, 8/4/15)(AP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Doctors Without
Borders (MSF) said that health services in Yemen were "nearing
collapse", with pregnant women dying for lack of transport and
hospitals under fire from snipers.
   (AFP, 8/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, The US Treasury
targeted two financiers from Qatar suspected of being major
supporters of al-Qaida and the Al Nusra Front. Penalties were
imposed on Sa’d bin Sa’s Muhammad Shariyan Ka’bi and Abd al-Latif
Bin ‘Abdallah Salih Muhammad Kawari.
   (SFC, 8/6/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, The SEC approved a
rule that would require most public companies to regularly reveal
the gap between the compensation of the chief executive officer and
the average pay of the rest of their employees.
   (SFC, 8/6/15, p.C6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, The California Fish
and Game Commission voted 3 to 2 in favor of ending the commercial
and recreational trapping of bobcats in California, becoming the
first state in the nation to do so.
   (http://tinyurl.com/phplrmo)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In southern
Colorado some 3 million gallons of sludge from the Gold King mine in
the San Juan Mountains spilled into a creek and then to the Animas
River, which connects to the Colorado River. Workers trying to
staunch a leak accidentally opened a passage to the creek. On May
23, 2016, New Mexico became the first state to sue the federal
government and owners of the two mines for environmental and
economic damages caused by the spill.
   (SFC, 8/10/15, p.A5)(SFC, 5/23/16, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Louisiana
suspect Grover Deandre Cannon killed police Officer Thomas LaValley
(29) in Shreveport. State police used drones and helicopters to
search for the shooter, who fled the scene after opening fire on the
officer. LaValley was taken into custody the next day.
   (Reuters, 8/6/15)(SFC, 8/7/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In central Missouri
a fire swept through a condominium building in Osage Beach, killing
4 young children.
   (SFC, 8/6/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Tennessee
Vincente David Montano (29) armed with a pellet gun unleashed a
volley of pepper spray at police inside the Carmike Hickory 8 movie
theater in Antioch. He was shot dead by a SWAT team as he tried to
escape.
   (SFC, 8/6/15, p.A6)(SFC, 8/7/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Mazda said it is
recalling its biggest SUV to fix suspension parts that can rust and
come loose, causing a loss of steering control.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, An Afghan official
said drone strikes have killed up to 60 insurgents, many of them
allied to the Islamic State group, in recent days in Nangarhar and
Paktika provinces.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Austria stopped
accepting new arrivals at its main refugee camp, where the United
Nations has described conditions as "inhumane". The temporary ban at
Traiskirchen camp came into force at midnight.
   (AFP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, British radical
preacher Anjem Choudary (48) was charged under anti-terror laws with
inviting support for the Islamic State jihadist group.
   (AFP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, London Underground
staff walked out this evening and will not return until August 7
morning, causing a shutdown of the subway network that has severely
disrupted transport in the capital.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, British cell phone
retailer Carphone Warehouse discovered a security breach. On August
8 the company said personal details of up to 2.4 million customers
may have been accessed after the company was hit by a cyber-attack.
   (AP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Burundi Come
Harerimana, a local leader of the ruling party, was attacked and
killed in Bujumbura, the third high-profile attack in three days.
   (Reuters, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, A Cambodian court
charged three activists from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue
Party with insurrection in connection with a July 15, 2014, protest
that turned violent.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, China’s foreign
minister, at a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers, said
reclamation work in the South China Sea has been halted. China and
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to speed
up consultations on a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.
   (Reuters, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Two German-speaking
jihadists claiming to belong to the Islamic State militant group,
threatened Germany with attacks in an execution video broadcast
online. The five-minute clip shows the men use assault rifles to
kill two bound and kneeling male hostages in the Syrian ancient city
of Palmyra.
   (AFP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, A video purportedly
released by the Islamic State threatened to kill a Croatian hostage
if Egyptian authorities do not release Muslim women held in prison
within 48 hours. Tomislav Salopek (30) said he was captured on July
22.
   (SFC, 8/6/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In India two
passenger trains jumped off damaged tracks on a bridge near a
rain-swollen river, killing at least 24 people near Harda, Madhya
Pradesh state.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Iraqi forces
battled Islamic State militants in Anbar province, leaving at least
17 troops dead. Militants detonated bombs in commercial areas of
Baghdad and in northeastern Diyala province, killing at least 8
civilians and wounding 31.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In
Indian-controlled Kashmir 2 paramilitary soldiers and a suspected
rebel were killed when a convoy of troops was ambushed. Indian
forces captured a Pakistani militant after the deadly attack. Two
boys aged 10 and 11 were killed in a blast as they were playing with
an explosive device they found in the Ganderbal area.
   (AP, 8/5/15)(Reuters, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, The Italian Coast
Guard rescued 367 migrants and recovered 25 bodies after a fishing
boat carrying an estimated 600 capsized in the Mediterranean Sea
north of Libya. The Irish Navy patrol boat LE Niamh carried the
survivors and the dead to Palermo. At least 185 migrants were feared
to have drowned.
   (AP, 8/5/15)(AFP, 8/5/15)(SSFC, 8/9/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Myanmar’s director
of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement warned
that the Irrawaddy Delta, the country's rice bowl, was at critical
risk of calamitous flooding. Floods had already caused 69 deaths and
affected 260,000 people after more than a month of heavy monsoon
rains and a cyclone.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Nepal about 500
protesters demanding Nepal be declared a Hindu state in the
country's new constitution clashed with police in Kathmandu.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Pakistan's Supreme
Court ruled to allow military trials for terror suspects.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, A deepening drought
in Puerto Rico that has affected 2.5 million people forced the
government to extend severe water rationing measures to more
communities that are already struggling with an economic crisis.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In far eastern
Russia at least 16 people were killed and more than 50 others were
injured when two buses collided head-on on a highway linking
Khabarovsk, on the border with China, and Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In central Syria
three IS suicide bombers targeted army checkpoints at the entrance
of Qaryatain, setting off a fierce battle.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Turkey said a
US-led coalition will soon launch a "comprehensive battle" against
Islamic State militants from Turkish air bases, but Syria said any
military action not coordinated with Damascus would breach its
sovereignty.
   (Reuters, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Pope Francis
declared that divorced Catholics who remarry, as well as their
children, deserve better treatment from the church, warning pastors
against treating these couples as if they were excommunicated.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Venezuela 4 men
were murdered in Aragua state. Eight police officers were later
arrested for the alleged murders, shortly after a video began
circulating on social networks that appeared to show an execution.
   (Reuters, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Yemen five
civilians were killed in Taiz in clashes between rebels and
pro-government troops at a state security building that the Houthis
have been using as a base since March.
   (AP, 8/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In Ohio Donald
Trump, the billionaire leading the Republican primary race, offered
the best and worst of himself as opponents strained to offer more
gravitas in the first major debate of the 2016 campaign.
   (AFP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Pennsylvania’s
Attorney Gen’l. Kathleen Kane was charged with leaking secret grand
jury information and lying about her actions under oath.
   (SFC, 8/7/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, A US District Judge
dissolved an injunction that allowed the Confederate battle flag to
appear on Virginia license plates. Virginia’s DMV planned to recall
and replace existing plates.
   (SFC, 8/8/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, CF Industries, a
fertiliser manufacturer, and Coca-Cola Enterprises announced they
would move their domiciles to Britain after mergers with
non-American firms in a continuing tax-driven exodus by American
firms.
   (Econ, 8/15/15, p.56)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Afghan officials
said a truck bomb targeting an Afghan special forces base in Logar
province killed at least 6 people and wounded dozens.
   (Reuters, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, An Afghan
Russian-made M-17 military helicopter crashed, killing all 17 people
on board. The Taliban said it shot down the helicopter in the
southern province of Zabul, but a government official blamed a
technical failure and said there had been no gunfire.
   (Reuters, 8/6/15)(SFC, 8/7/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In northeastern
Brazil Gleydson Carvalho, a radio journalist in the town of Camocim,
Ceara state, was shot five times at point blank range. Police
suspected political motives for the murder.
   (AFP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi staged a lavish ceremony to unveil a "new" Suez
Canal, seeking to boost the country's economy and international
standing by expanding the vital waterway.
   (AFP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, French Defense
Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the total cost to France of
reimbursing Russia for cancelling two warship contracts will be less
than 1.2 billion euros ($1.31 billion).
   (Reuters, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, The world's first
ever ant map showing the distribution of the tiny industrious
creatures around the globe was launched by the University of Hong
Kong in a bid to shed more light on the insect world.
   (AFP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In eastern Iraq an
overnight explosion targeting a power installation disrupted the
flow of electricity from neighboring Iran.
   (Reuters, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Top Kenyan athletes
completed a giant 840-km (522-mile) "Walk for Peace" against ethnic
violence, accompanied by cheering crowds.
   (AFP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Macedonian police
announced the arrests of nine people suspected of belonging to the
Islamic State group and said they are seeking a further 27.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Malaysia said paint
color and maintenance-record matches proved that a piece of wing
found on the shore of an Indian Ocean island was part of the
wreckage of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which vanished without
trace on March 8, 2014.
   (Reuters, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In northwest
Pakistan a military helicopter crashed in a mountainous region near
the district of Mansehra in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing
at least 8 people on board.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Pakistani
authorities said the death toll from flash floods triggered by
seasonal monsoon rains in various parts of the country has risen to
169.
   (AP, 8/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, An explosion ripped
through a house in the southern Gaza Strip killing 4 people and
wounded dozens, but the cause of the blast was unclear.
   (AFP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Conservative
Andrzej Duda was sworn in as Poland's new president, bringing
political change to the nation's top office.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, A report by
Portugal's weather monitoring service said 79 percent of the country
is experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions after eight
months of below-average rainfall.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, The Russian
government steamrolled tons of contraband cheese and destroyed fruit
with tractors in a public display of its commitment to its
one-year-old ban on Western foods. The move raised protests in
Russia, with people signing a petition urging the government to
instead donate the food to the poor suffering through the country's
vicious recession.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Residents of Saipan
were without water and electricity and were rationing gasoline four
days after Typhoon Soudelor hit the most populated island in the US
territory of the Northern Marianas.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In in south-west
Saudi Arabia a suicide bomb attack on the mosque of a local security
force headquarters in Abha city killed 15 people, including 12
members of the force.
   (Reuters, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, South Sudan's rival
forces began peace talks, as international pressure mounts ahead of
an August 17 deadline to strike a deal to end 19 months of civil
war.
   (AFP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In Syria a cousin
of President Bashar al-Assad shot dead a senior air force officer in
a road rage incident in the Latakia coastal heartland of their
minority Alawite community. On August 10 Latakia's Gov. Khodr
al-Salem said Suleiman Assad has been arrested. On Jan 21, 2016, a
court in Latakia sentenced Suleiman al-Assad to 20 years in prison
for the murder of Colonel Hassan al-Sheikh.
   (AP, 8/7/15)(AP, 8/11/15)(AFP, 1/22/16)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, The Islamic State
group seized Qaryatain, a key town in central Syria, following heavy
clashes with President Bashar Assad's forces, in the militants'
biggest advance since capturing the historic town of Palmyra in May.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Hundreds of Taiwan
students protesting revisions to history textbooks which they say
attempt to promote "one China" ended a week-long sit-in in front of
its ministry of education, as typhoon Soudelor bore down on the
island.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Uganda's Supreme
Court ruled that refunding of goods paid to a bride's family after
divorce was illegal.
   (AFP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Pope Francis
slammed the "atrocious, inhuman and inexplicable" persecution of
Christians and minorities, urging the international community not to
remain silent.
   (AFP, 8/6/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Yemeni officials
said the local al-Qaida branch has exploited the chaos in this
embattled country to capture three towns near Aden, where
pro-government forces have been advancing against Shiite rebels in
recent weeks.
   (AP, 8/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, An “unprecedented”
agreement between the Chicago Police Department and the American
Civil Liberties Union went into effect. It will allow independent
evaluations of the department’s controversial "stop and frisk"
program.
   (CSM, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Dallas police
Officer Brad Miller shot and killed Christian Taylor (19), who was
found roaming inside a car dealership in the early hours of the
morning. The FBI was called in to investigate the shooting. Miller
was fired on August 10.
   (SSFC, 8/9/15, p.A7)(SFC, 8/12/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Vermont Jody
Herring (40), upset about losing custody of her daughter, used a
hunting rifle to fatally shoot child-welfare agency worker Lara
Sobel, who had handled her case. Herring was detained by people in
and around the building after the shooting in Barre City. Herring
was soon also charged with the murder 3 women whose bodies were
found earlier in the day.
   (AP, 8/8/15)(SSFC, 8/9/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Virginia a
federal jury convicted Irek Hamidullin (55), a former Russian
military tank commander, of planning and leading a Taliban attack on
US forces in Afghanistan. He allegedly led three groups of
insurgents in a 2009 attack on Afghan border police in Khost
province.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Afghanistan an
early morning truck bomb tore through buildings in central Kabul,
killing at least 15 people and wounding 248 others. A suicide
bombing at a police academy killed 27 people and wounded 28. One
international service member and 8 Afghan contractors were killed in
an attack on Camp Integrity.
   (Reuters, 8/8/15)(AFP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Bangladesh a
gang armed with machetes hacked secular blogger Niloy Chakrabarti
(40) to death at his home in Dhaka, sparking protests in the capital
over the fourth such murder in Bangladesh this year.
   (AFP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Arthur Finger
(b.1926), former SF Bay Area media veteran, died at his home in
Vancouver, BC. In 1963 and 1965 the State of California awarded him
two gold medals for his “Mayor Art’s Almanac,” the first TV newscast
for children in the US.
   (SFC, 8/10/15, p.C1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Chile Manuel
Contreras (86) died. He had led Chile's now-defunct and much feared
secret police force for several years under the dictatorship of
Augusto Pinochet. After his death was announced, dozens of people
gathered outside the hospital to celebrate.
   (Reuters, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In eastern Congo
DRC an earthquake killed 2 children and a police officer and
triggered fears that nearby volcano Mount Nyiragongo could erupt.
   (Reuters, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, The European Union
appealed to member countries to live up to pledges to provide planes
and other assets so that its border agency can help Greece and
Hungary cope with a migrant influx.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, News weekly Der
Spiegel said Germany's domestic spy agency named not just bloggers
but also lawmakers in a criminal complaint that sparked a
controversial treason probe.
   (AFP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Doctors in Ghana
stopped providing emergency care in a strike over allowances and
training.
   (AFP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, PM Alexis Tsipras
said Greece's infrastructure cannot handle the thousands of people
landing on its shores from places like war-torn Syria and
Afghanistan and needs European Union help.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In northern India a
building wall collapsed while being constructed, killing 10 workers
near Narnaul, Haryana state.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Iraq several
thousand demonstrators gathered in Baghdad to protest at rampant
corruption and abysmal electricity services, calling for officials
to be held to account.
   (AFP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Iraq and Syria
the US-led coalition conducted 19 air strikes on Islamic State
targets with 10 in Iraq and nine in Syria.
   (Reuters, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Italy arrested five
North African men on suspicion of multiple homicide and human
trafficking in the presumed drowning of more than 200 people, saying
they used clubs and knives against migrants.
   (Reuters, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In central Mali
gunmen stormed a hotel in Sevare in an apparent attempt to kidnap
Westerners, killing 4 soldiers, 4 UN contractors and a driver in an
ongoing standoff with the army. 4 attackers were killed. The Macina
Liberation Front (FLM) was suspected.
   (AFP, 8/7/15)   (AP, 8/8/15)(AFP,
8/9/15)(SSFC, 8/9/15, p.A6)(AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In western Nepal
Dahlia Yehia (27), an American teacher from Texas, disappeared from
the resort town of Pokhara. Police later arrested a local teacher,
Narayan Paudel, who was hosting Yehia while she was in Pokhara to
help victims of a devastating earthquake in April. Paudel confessed
to hammering the victim to death and throwing her body into the Seti
River.
   (AP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Nigeria
suspected pirates traveling by speedboat killed 4 soldiers and a
policeman and stole weapons in a raid late today on a military base
in the oil-rich southern delta region.
   (Reuters, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, North Korea
announced that it will turn back its current standard time by 30
minutes effective August 15. The move will allow it to differentiate
its time zone from that of Japan and South Korea.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Pakistan a
suspected US drone strike killed 4 militants in the village of Datta
Khel, North Waziristan.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In the Philippines
a homemade bomb believed to have been set off by Abu Sayyaf
militants killed two soldiers in Basilan province.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, A Saudi soldier was
killed by shelling from across the Yemeni border, becoming the third
death this week.
   (AFP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, It was reported
that Thailand’s new Inheritance Tax Act 2015 has gone into effect
and that it will start collecting inheritance tax for the first time
next February.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, The UK-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said at least 230 people were kidnapped
or detained, including dozens of Christians, some of whom were taken
from a church in Qaryatain, the town captured overnight after heavy
fighting with the Syrian army.
   (Reuters, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Two Thailand
military courts handed down the country’s harshest sentences in
recent decades for insulting the monarchy. A man in Bangkok was
sentenced to prison for 30 years for six Facebook postings, and a
mother of two young girls in the province of Chiang Mai was
sentenced to 28 years for seven postings.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Turkey 5 people
including a Turkish soldier died and several others were injured in
clashes in the restive Kurdish-majority southeast, as violence raged
between Kurdish militants and security forces.
   (AFP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Turkey’s official
Anatolia news agency reported that the government has frozen the
assets of officials from Yemen's former regime including
ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, along with Huthi rebel leaders. The
freeze will be in place until February 26, 2016.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Turkey an
Iranian bus was hit in Dogubayazit district of the eastern Agri
province. The driver was fatally shot in the head. Turkish
authorities blamed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants. The
passengers were unhurt.
   (AFP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Saudi-backed Yemeni
officials said pro-government forces have retaken Labouza base, the
last military base in the country's south that was held by Shiite
rebels known as Houthis.
   (AP, 8/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, The UN Security
Council unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at identifying those
responsible for using chlorine and other chemical weapons in attacks
in Syria.
   (SFC, 8/8/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, The US Justice
Department said Julito Francis, a former US Virgin Islands
government official, faces 11 counts including conspiracy, bribery
and perjury. He was charged in a $17 million bribery scheme. A
construction company owner and the co-principal of an architectural
company were also charged.
   (AP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, San Francisco
resident Kim Chambers (38) completed a 30-mile swim from the
Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge in 17 hours and 12
minutes, becoming the first woman to do so.
   (SSFC, 8/9/15, p.A12)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Texas police found
the bodies of 6 children and 2 parents in a Houston-area home after
a standoff that ended with a man's surrender. David Conley (48) was
arrested and charged with the murders. Conley had an earlier
relationship with the mother Valerie Jackson, and was believed to be
the father of one of the children.
   (AFP, 8/9/15)(SFC, 8/10/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In Afghanistan a
suicide bomber in northern Kunduz province killed 29 people, mainly
members of illegal armed groups that have clashed with security
forces and the insurgents in the past. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah
Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.
   (AP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In Brazil at least
30 boats of all sizes paraded across Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara Bay
to protest contamination in the waters where sailing events will be
held next year during the Olympic Games.
   (AP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In Cambodia Chhouk
Bandith, former governor of Bavet town in the eastern province of
Svay Rieng, turned himself in for arrest in Phnom Penh. He had been
convicted of shooting and wounding 3 female garment workers during a
2012 protest.
   (AP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In China Typhoon
Soudelor hit the city of Putian in Fujian province late today.
Strong winds caused power outages to more than 1.41 million
household in the province.
   (AP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In Egypt gunmen
killed a policeman southwest of Cairo.
   (AFP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Finland detained a
Russian citizen, Maxim Senakh, at the request of US federal
authorities on computer fraud charges. Senakh was accused in the
state of Minnesota of infecting computer servers with malware,
resulting in criminal gains worth millions of dollars. Russia later
called the move illegal.
   (Reuters, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Hong Kong recorded
its hottest day since authorities began taking temperature readings
130 years ago, due to the influence of a nearby typhoon. The daily
maximum temperature hit 36.3 degrees Celsius.
   (AFP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In eastern India
dozens of villagers beat to death 5 women, accusing them of
practicing witchcraft and blaming them for a series of misfortunes
in Kinjia village, Jharkhand state. Police arrested around 50 people
involved in the attack.
   (AP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Iran issued an
advisory warning its citizens to avoid land travel to neighboring
Turkey after an Iranian bus was attacked by gunmen.
   (AFP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Today marked the
anniversary of the US beginning airstrikes against the extremists in
Iraq. US-led forces conducted 16 air strikes in Iraq and seven in
Syria against Islamic State targets.
   (AP, 8/8/15)(AP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In the Central
African Republic a Rwandan soldier serving with the UN peacekeeping
mission shot dead 4 Rwandan troops and wounded eight others before
committing suicide.
   (Reuters, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Mali's special
forces rescued four people who hid in a hotel in Sevare for nearly
24 hours after Islamic extremists stormed the building and launched
a rare attack far from their northern strongholds that killed 12
people.
   (AP, 8/8/15)(AFP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In Mexico the body
of Miguel Angel Jimenez, leader of a group searching for 43 missing
students, was found behind the wheel of his taxi near Acapulco. 2
men were killed by gunfire outside a home in La Paz where a party
had been held. Two other people were found dead at a home in Cabo
San Lucas, earlier in the day. Both victims, a man and a woman, had
been shot in the head.
   (AFP, 8/10/15)(AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Six Russian
opposition activists ended their hunger strike in Novosibirsk after
one of them was hospitalized following 12 days of going without food
to protest being barred from elections.
   (AP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In Russia a
privately owned Cessna seaplane and a Robinson R44 helicopter
collided over the Istrinskoye reservoir outside Moscow late today
and fell into the water. All 9 people aboard the two crafts were
killed.
   (AFP, 8/9/15)(AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Spain's Guardia
Civil police force said they have arrested 34 suspected members of a
gang based in Colombia that smuggled drugs between the two
countries.
   (AFP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Syrian activists
said hundreds of Christian families have fled the central town of
Sadad toward the government-held central city of Homs and Damascus,
as Islamic State fighters advanced toward it. A shell hit a street
in central Damascus, killing 5 people and wounding 36.
   (AP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Typhoon Soudelor
battered Taiwan with strong wind and torrential rain, cutting power
to 3.62 million households as the death toll rose to 6 with four
missing. The eye of the typhoon passed Taiwan and headed toward
mainland China.
   (Reuters, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In southern Turkey
Kurdish PKK rebels fired at a police vehicle, killing a policeman
and wounding another.
   (AP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, UAE state news
agency WAM said 3 soldiers from the United Arab Emirates have been
killed while taking part in a Saudi-led military campaign against
Yemen's dominant Houthi group.
   (Reuters, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In Yemen
pro-government forces, strengthened by tanks newly supplied by a
Saudi-led coalition, launched an offensive to retake Zinjibar, the
rebel-held capital of Abyan province. A Saudi-led coalition
airstrike hit allied fighters in a friendly fire incident, killing
at least 20 fighters on a coastal road as they headed toward
Zinjibar.
   (AFP, 8/8/15)   (AP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Zimbabwe police
blocked the country's main workers union from protesting against a
recent wave of job losses and briefly held union leaders.
   (AFP, 8/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Frank Gifford
(b.1930), Pro Football Hall of Famer, died at his home in
Connecticut. He led the NY Giants to a league championship in 1956
and was named NFL MVP.
   (SFC, 8/10/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Missouri police
shot and critically wounded a man who opened fire at them in
Ferguson, ending what had been a day of remembrance for a black teen
killed a year earlier. Tyrone Harris Jr. (18) was wounded during a
gun battle with plainclothes officers. Unrest in continued into the
next day as St Louis County issued a state of emergency in Ferguson
and county prosecutors charged Harris with four counts of assault on
law enforcement and shooting at a motor vehicle.
   (AFP, 8/10/15)(http://tinyurl.com/p6xj8ov)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Argentines voted in
presidential primaries seen as an early indicator of who is best
positioned to succeed President Cristina Kirchner later this year.
Daniel Scioli, the president's chosen successor, easily won the open
primaries.
   (AFP, 8/9/15)(AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Bangladesh police
said 6 suspected wildlife poachers were killed in a clash with law
enforcement in the Khulna district Sundarbans forest. Officers
seized five guns and three tiger skins. Only about 100 Bengal tigers
were left in the Bangladeshi part of the Sundarbans.
   (SFC, 8/10/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Typhoon Soudelor
dumped heavy rain and winds on the Chinese mainland, leaving a total
of 22 people dead or missing, collapsing homes and trees and cutting
power to more than a million homes in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces.
   (AP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, The East Timor
government said former guerrilla leader Mauk Moruk has been killed
in a security operation.
   (Reuters, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Egypt a roadside
bomb hit a police armored vehicle in the northern part of the Sinai
Peninsula, killing an officer and a conscript and wounding three
others.
   (AP, 8/9/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Haiti staged
legislative elections in a vote overshadowed by fears of violence
and poor turnout in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
   (AFP, 8/9/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Iraqi PM Haider
al-Abadi won the support of his cabinet to eliminate a layer of
senior government positions, part of a push to reduce corruption and
save money in the face of mounting unrest.
   (Reuters, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Israel arrested
several suspects in raids linked to the deadly firebombing of a
Palestinian home and placed alleged Jewish extremists Meir Ettinger
and Eviatar Slonim in a controversial form of detention without
trial.
   (AFP, 8/9/15)(SFC, 8/10/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Kashmir 2
suspected rebels and an Indian army soldier were killed in two
gunbattles after a group of militants crossed over from Pakistan in
the nearby Tangdar sector of the border.
   (AP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Libya a car bomb
attack claimed by the Islamic State group killed 9 people and
wounded dozens in the eastern coastal city of Derna.
   (AFP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Mali’s army said
gunmen have killed 10 civilians in an attack on the northern village
of Gaberi.
   (AP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Mexico a man was
shot to death in his SUV in La Paz, and another passenger was
seriously wounded.
   (AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Myanmar’s
government said the number of people affected by flooding across the
country approached 1 million, with waters in the low-lying
southwestern delta inundating homes and forcing villagers into
temporary shelters. The death toll was on the verge of topping 100.
   (AP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Northern Ireland
the annual anti-internment parade, organized to mark the
introduction of internment without trial during the height of the
Troubles in August 1971, was stopped by police from entering Belfast
city center, after the parade had defied a Parade Commission ruling.
Protesters pelted police with petrol bombs, stones and bottles.
   (AFP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In the Philippines
about 10 heavily armed Abu Sayyaf militants opened fire on the
soldiers and stole one of their motorcycles before fleeing into the
jungle in Sulu province. 2 soldiers were killed. Army troops later
caught up with the attackers and engaged them in a brief gunbattle
that may have killed some of the militants.
   (AP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Scotland's devolved
government said it intended to ban the growing of genetically
modified (GM) crops on its territory to protect its "clean and green
brand" and because there was little evidence that Scottish consumers
wanted GM products.
   (Reuters, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Singapore threw a
big party for its 50th anniversary of independence and unrivaled
economic success.
   (AP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Spain David
Gonzalez (32) became the 9th person gored to death at village
fiestas this summer as he tried to capture a charging bull on his
mobile phone camera in Villaseca de la Sagra.
   (Econ, 8/22/15, p.46)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Syria at least 9
people were killed and several wounded in a series of mortar bomb
attacks on Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an
Islamist fighters' counter-offensive had forced the Syrian army to
withdraw from such villages as Mansoura, Zeyara and Tal Waset toward
bases northwest of Hama city.
   (Reuters, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Syria the al
Qaeda-linked Nusra Front said it has quit frontline positions
against Islamic State north of Aleppo and ceded them to other
rebels, leaving a northern area where Turkey wants to set up a
buffer zone. Rebels began heavy shelling on Fuaa and Kafraya, among
the last regime-held outposts in the northwestern province of Idlib.
At least 20 people were killed, including 8 civilians.
   (Reuters, 8/10/15)(AFP, 8/10/15)(AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Turkey’s official
Anatolia news agency reported that 390 members of the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have been killed and hundreds injured
in two weeks of Turkish airstrikes on positions in northern Iraq.
Operations in the eastern Agri province killed 7 PKK militants.
   (AFP, 8/9/15)(Reuters, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Venezuela John
Pate, an American lawyer, was stabbed to death in his apartment in
Caracas. He looked to be the victim of a botched robbery.
   (Econ, 8/29/15, p.29)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Yemen forces
loyal to the exiled government recaptured Zinjibar, the capital of
Abyan province, from Shiite rebels and their allies as they pressed
an advance from second city Aden.
   (AFP, 8/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Warren Buffet’s
Berkshire Hathaway announced a $37 billion (including debt) takeover
of Precision Castparts, a supplier to the aerospace and oil
industries. This was the biggest deal in the conglomerate’s 50-year
history.
   (Econ, 8/15/15, p.56)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, The Afghan Pres.
Ashraf Ghani called on Pakistan to crack down on the Taliban after a
suicide car bombing earlier in the day killed 5 people near Kabul's
international airport.
   (AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In China a
military court gave a suspended death sentence to General Gu
Junshan, the highest-ranking military officer to be tried since
China's president began cracking down on corruption in the country's
vast army. Junshan, the People's Liberation Army's former head of
logistics, was found guilty of abuse of power, embezzlement,
accepting bribes and misusing state funds and received a death
sentence with a two-year reprieve.
   (AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Alibaba said it is
taking a 20 percent stake in Chinese electronics store chain Suning
in a move that helps the Chinese e-commerce powerhouse expand in the
brick-and-mortar arena.
   (AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Egypt a small
bomb exploded near a traffic post in Cairo wounding four policemen,
two of them seriously, in an attack claimed by a Cairo-based
militant group.
   (AFP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Egypt 19 people
died when temperatures reached around 40 degrees Celsius (100
degrees Fahrenheit) in the country's north. A day earlier the
heatwave killed 21 people. The heatwave killed at least 61 people
across Egypt from Aug 9 to Aug 11 and caused nearly 600 people to be
admitted to hospital
   (AP, 8/11/15)(Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, The European
Commission approved 2.4 billion euros ($2.6 billion) of aid over six
years for countries including Greece and Italy that have struggled
to cope with a surge in numbers of immigrants.
   (Reuters, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In eastern India a
stampede at a temple during a Hindu religious festival left 10
pilgrims dead and dozens injured n Deoghar, Jharkhand state.
   (AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Iraq two bombs
hit neighborhoods in Diyala province killing at least 35Â
people in Baquba and 7 in the village of Kanaan.
   (SFC, 8/11/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Italian customs
police said they have seized 49 kg (108 pounds) of pure cocaine
hidden in a container transporting frozen totani, a kind of squid,
on a cargo ship from Argentina.
   (AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Authorities in the
Maldives intercepted a boat carrying seven foreign tourists and a
local crew that was apparently heading to the Indian Ocean island of
Diego Garcia, where the United States maintains a military base.
   (AP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In central Mali an
army vehicle hit a roadside bomb, killing 3 soldiers and injuring
four others near the town of Diabozo.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Moldovan
authorities seized more than 130 kg (290 pounds) of heroin in a
truck transporting tiles overnight from Ukraine to Bulgaria.
   (AP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Nepali police shot
dead at least 2 demonstrators and injured about a dozen others after
they attacked buildings during a protest against proposals for
administrative reform.
   (Reuters, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Pakistani police
in Punjab province arrested five more people over a major child sex
abuse scandal after a lawyer for the victims accused them of
protecting culprits, while activists said the case was just the tip
of the iceberg. At least 280 children were filmed being sexually
abused by a gang of 25 men who used the hundreds of videos they
produced to blackmail the youngsters' parents. Videos dated back to
2007.
   (AFP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, South Korea
restarted propaganda broadcasts across the border with rival North
Korea for the first time in 11 years in retaliation for the North
allegedly planting land mines last week that maimed two South Korean
soldiers.
   (AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Sweden 2 people
were killed and one seriously injured in a knife attack at an IKEA
store in the city of Vasteras, about an hour west of Stockholm.
Swedish police the next day said two suspects arrested after the
knife attack were born in Eritrea and lived in a nearby asylum
center. Abraham Ukbagabir (36) soon confessed to the deadly
stabbing. The other (23) was released for lack of evidence. On Dec
22 Ukbagabir was sentenced to life in prison.
   (Reuters, 8/10/15)(AP, 8/11/15)(AP, 8/13/15)(AP,
12/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Turkey two
women shot at the US consulate in Istanbul. The Revolutionary
People's Liberation Army-Front (DHKP-C), considered a terrorist
organization by the US and Turkey, said one of its members was
involved in the attack. The bombing of an Istanbul police station
left 4 people dead, 3 of them PKK attackers. At least 8 people were
killed in a wave of separate attacks on security forces.
   (Reuters, 8/10/15)(Reuters, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Ukraine’s military
said 400 rebel fighters supported by tanks had attacked government
forces around the village of Starohnativka, 50 km (30 miles) north
of the Kiev-held port city of Mariupol. One servicemen was reported
killed, one missing in action and 16 wounded in the past 24 hours.
   (Reuters, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Pope Francis
designated Sept. 1 as a day for Catholics to pray for the care of
the environment.
   (AP, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Yemen fighters
opposed to the dominant Houthi movement seized four districts in the
central province of Ibb, bringing the armed resistance closer to the
group's stronghold in the capital Sanaa.
   (Reuters, 8/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, US federal
prosecutors said group of Ukrainian hackers worked with securities
traders in the US to make $30 million by breaking into the computers
of companies that put out corporate press releases and trading on
the information before it was made public.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In California a
DMV employee and trucking school owner pleaded guilty to conspiracy
to commit bribery and identity fraud in a case where as many as 100
commercial truck drivers paid up to $5,000 each for illegal licenses
going back to 2011. Two other DMV employees and two other trucking
school operators faced similar charges.
   (SFC, 8/12/15, p.D3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In North Carolina
the GlaxoSmithKline plant in Zebulon was shut down after routine
testing found the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s in cooling
towers.
   (SFC, 8/12/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Howard Brody
(b.1932), American physicist of tennis, died in Bryn Mawr, Pa. His
work included “Tennis Science for Tennis Players” (1987).
   (Econ, 8/29/15, p.74)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In eastern
Afghanistan unknown gunmen kidnapped 12 ethnic minority Hazaras from
a car in Ghazni, days after suspected Taliban fighters kidnapped and
killed 4 Hazaras in the same province.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Australian
lawmakers in PM Tony Abbott's conservative government agreed on a
target of curbing carbon gas emissions to at least 26 percent below
2005 levels by 2030.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Australian PM Tony
Abbott's conservative coalition government blocked its members from
voting in favor of gay marriage, a politically risky move that
effectively rules out a marriage equality bill passing under his
government.
   (Reuters, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Bangladesh a
war crimes tribunal sentenced one man to death and another to life
in prison for collaborating with Pakistan to commit mass killings
and other crimes during the 1971 war for independence. The head
judge handed down the sentences to Sheikh Sirajul Islam and Khan
Akram Hossain.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, British Defense
Secretary Michael Fallon said his nation is doubling the number of
Ukrainian troops it will train this year to 2,000 in an effort to
support Kiev in its fight against Russia-backed separatists.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, A Cameroon
officials said the military has freed 72 people, including children,
held illegally in the north for periods ranging from eight months to
four years.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, China devalued its
tightly controlled currency by 3% following a slump in trade,
allowing the yuan's biggest one-day decline in a decade.
   (AP, 8/11/15)(Econ, 10/3/15, SR p.12)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In southwestern
China an accident at a coal and gas mine killed 10 people in Guizhou
province.
   (AFP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Greece and its
international lenders reached a multi-billion euro bailout agreement
after talking through the night, officials said, potentially saving
the country from financial ruin. The agreement, reached after a
23-hour session of talks, must still be adopted by Greece's
parliament and euro zone countries.
   (Reuters, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Greek police used
fire extinguishers and batons against migrants on the island of Kos,
as tensions boiled over in a sports stadium where hundreds,
including young children, had gathered to wait for immigration
papers.
   (Reuters, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Hong Kong police
searched Uber's office after officers posing as customers arrested
five drivers offering their services through a mobile app.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, An Indian official
said the government is seeking damages from Nestle India, accusing
it of unfair trade practices and false labeling after several states
found its popular brand of instant noodles contained unsafe levels
of lead.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Iraq's parliament
unanimously approved PM Haider al-Abadi's reform program aimed at
curbing the corruption and government waste.
   (AFP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In northern Iraq
Kurdish forces in the Makhmur area near Arbil were reportedly
attacked with Katyusha rockets filled with chlorine. IS has
previously been accused of using chlorine against Kurdish forces in
Iraq.
   (AFP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In northern Italy
Francesco Seramondi (65) and his wife Giovanna Ferrari (63) were
shot repeatedly with sawn-off shotguns inside their takeaway
pizzeria in Brescia. Pakistani national Mohamed Adnan (32) and
Indian Sarbjit Singh (33) later admitted to the mafia-style slaying.
   (AFP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Italian rescuers
picked up more than 1,500 migrants from other seven vessels in the
Mediterranean Sea. Up to 50 migrants went missing after a large
rubber dinghy sank.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Japan control
rods were lifted from the reactor core at the Sendai nuclear plant,
ending a ban on nuclear power following meltdowns at Fukushima.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Indian Kashmir
government troops killed 2 militants in a prolonged gunbattle that
also wounded a police officer. One protester died in a separate
incident.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, The future of
Libya's internationally recognized government was uncertain after PM
Abdullah al-Thani said he would resign.
   (AFP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Mexico gas
pipeline explosion killed 5 people near Monterey. It was reportedly
caused by construction workers who hit a pipeline with excavating
machinery.
   (AP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In northeastern
Nigeria a blast at a market in Borno state killed at least 50 people
and injured another 51.
   (Reuters, 8/11/15)(AFP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Pakistan’s army
said it has foiled a militant plot to attack Independence Day
celebrations on August 14. The army said it had carried out a raid
in Karachi as part of the operation.
   (AP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Russia and Saudi
Arabia failed in talks to overcome their differences on the fate of
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a central dispute in Syria's civil
war that shows no sign of abating despite renewed diplomacy.
   (Reuters, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Russian security
services said Magomed Suleimanov (39), the leader of a Caucasus
Islamist group in the Dagestan region, has been killed along with 4
others in a mountain raid near Gimry that included air strikes.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Russian officials
said more than 5,000 emergency workers were battling to put out
wildfires raging across forests in Siberia with over 1,250 square km
of woodland ablaze in at least six eastern regions.
   (AFP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, A top South Sudan
rebel general said that he and other powerful commanders had split
from their chief Riek Machar, rejecting ongoing peace talks and
risking a worsening of the country's civil war.
   (AFP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Spanish police
arrested a man in Naron for selling T-shirts showing a British aid
worker as he was about to be executed by Islamic State militants as
well as a range of clothing bearing IS slogans.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, A Syrian army
airstrike hit a busy vegetable market in the northern city of Idlib,
killing at least 7 people and wounding more than 23. The Islamic
State launched a new offensive against Syrian rebels north of
Aleppo. IS suicide attackers detonated four car bombs overnight. The
IS said its fighters had attacked two buildings in Marea. At least
25 Syrian rebels were killed overnight in an attack by Islamic State
group fighters on an insurgent stronghold in Aleppo province. At
least 8 IS fighters died.
   (AP, 8/11/15)(Reuters, 8/11/15)(AFP,
8/11/15)Â Â Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In southern
Thailand a pickup truck carrying a group of students careened onto a
traffic island and hit some trees, killing 8 of the students and the
driver. A WHO survey has ranked Thailand the second worst traffic
fatality rates in the world after Namibia.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Turkish warplanes
hit 17 Kurdish militant targets in the southeastern province of
Hakkari over the last 24 hours.
   (AP, 8/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, A Venezuelan
military court granted parole to former general Raul Baduel. He was
key in the rescue of Hugo Chavez from a coup in 2002, but later
broke ranks with the late leader's socialist government. Baduel,
arrested in 2009, was serving an eight-year sentence for illicit
enrichment while Defense Minister, accusations he deemed politically
motivated.
   (Reuters, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Yemen
militiamen clashed with the dominant Houthi group inside the city of
Ibb, in their latest significant advance into territory the Houthis
had held unopposed for months. Clashes with Houthi forces also raged
in the central provinces of al-Bayda and Shabwa. Al Qaeda said it
carried out 12 separate gun and bomb attacks on Houthi fighters in
the central province on al-Bayda.
   (Reuters, 8/11/15)(Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Redel Kentel Jones
(30), a black woman, was killed by police in the 4100 block of
Marlton Avenue in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw neighborhood of Los
Angeles following an $80 robbery at a pharmacy. Courtyana Franklin,
a woman who said she witnessed the shooting, said she watched the
events unfold from the side view mirror of her car, and in her
version, Jones was running from officers when she was shot. On July
12, 2016, a police commission announced that the shooting was
justified.
  Â
(http://homicide.latimes.com/post/redel-kentel-jones/)(CSM, 7/13/16)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In northern
California the Jerusalem Fire running rampant through
drought-parched vegetation grew by several thousand acres overnight,
as firefighters worked to stop the flames from spreading.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)(SFC, 8/12/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Kraft Heinz said
it is cutting 2,500 jobs in the US and Canada, including about 700
in Northfield, Ill., where the company is headquartered.
   (SFC, 8/13/15, p.C2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Texas executed
Daniel Lee Lopez (27) for fatally striking a police lieutenant with
an SUV during a chase in 2009.
   (SFC, 8/13/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Afghanistan
Taliban fighters disguised in police uniforms infiltrated a security
forces compound in Helmand province and killed 14 security
personnel. The Taliban used US-built Humvees with mounted machine
guns.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)(Reuters, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, British publishing
company Pearson said it has agreed to sell its 50-percent stake in
The Economist Group, owner of prestigious magazine The Economist,
for $730 million (663 million euros), split between The Economist
Group itself and Italian investment firm Exor, which is controlled
by the Agnelli family.
   (AFP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Chad’s Pres.
Idriss Deby said Boko Haram has a new commander named Mahamat Daoud,
said to have replaced Abubakar Shekau, and that Daoud is willing to
negotiate with Nigeria’s new government.
   (SFC, 8/13/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, China cut the
yuan's value against the dollar for the second consecutive day. The
yuan hit a four-year low falling for a second day.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)(AFP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In northern China
more than 60 people were missing after a landslide buried the living
quarters of a mining company under one million cubic meters of earth
in Shanyang county, Shaanxi province.
   (AFP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In China two huge
explosions tore through an industrial area where toxic chemicals and
gas were stored in the northeastern port city of Tianjin. Tianjin
Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics was identified as the
owner of the site. On Aug 15 police confirmed for the first time the
presence of deadly sodium cyanide at the site of the blast as a
series of new explosions were heard and small fires broke out. In
September the final death toll was set at 173 with no hope of
finding 8 missing. Residents whose homes were destroyed were offered
2,000 yuan ($312) for three months.
   (Reuters, 8/13/15)(AP, 8/14/15)(Reuters,
8/15/15)(AP, 8/22/15)(AP, 8/31/15)(Econ, 8/22/15, p.38)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Islamic State
sympathizers circulated an image that appears to show the grisly
aftermath of the beheading of Tomislav Salopek, a Croatian hostage
abducted in Egypt.
   (AP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Estonia’s
Agriculture ministry spokeswoman Karin Volmer said a total of 15,700
pigs have been killed to prevent the spread of African swine fever
since the first case was reported there on July 21.
   (AP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Guinea Bissau's
Pres. Jose Mario Vaz dismissed the government late today because of
a deepening power struggle with PM Domingos Simoes Pereira.
   (Reuters, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Indonesia’s Pres.
Joko Widodo fired four Cabinet ministers in a much anticipated
reshuffle as the government struggles to improve the economy.
   (SFC, 8/13/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Indonesian
authorities seized the Thai-owned Silver Sea 2, a massive
refrigerated cargo ship believed to be loaded with slave-caught
fish. It was escorted about 80 miles (130 km) to a naval base in
Sabang.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Iraq’s Kurdish
region Farhad Jaafar Mahmood and wives Khuncha Hassan Ismaeil and
Berivan Haider Karim were hanged following convictions in April last
year over the kidnapping and murder of two girls.
   (AP, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Libya’s rival
factions met for a second day of UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.
The warring factions ended two days with a pledge to end the
political crisis and military conflict in the country within weeks.
   (AFP, 8/12/15)(Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, A Malaysian
opposition party filed a civil lawsuit against PM Najib Razak for
alleged election offenses involving $700 million in his bank
accounts.
   (AP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Myanmar's health
minister scrapped plans to fill more of the 300 vacancies at his
ministry with military personnel, after thousands of people joined a
rare online protest against eight initial appointments. The Black
Ribbon Movement, launched this week by medical workers and doctors
following the appointments, called on the government to end the
"militarization" of the ministry.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Nigeria a
helicopter, owned by Bristow Group of Houston, Texas, crashed as it
traveled from an oil rig into a lagoon in Lagos, killing 6 people.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Northern
Ireland Kevin McGuigan, a former Irish Republican Army militant, was
killed in East Belfast. The murder was widely seen as score-settling
within paramilitary ranks and revived fears that the IRA is still
operating in secret.
   (AFP, 9/1/15) (SFC, 9/11/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In southern
Pakistan gunmen killed 4 policemen in Karachi. The military said it
has captured militants involved in a plot to attack Independence Day
celebrations on August 14. including Bakhat Zaman, the deputy chief
of the Pakistani Taliban.
   (AP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In South Korea
Choi Hyun-yeol (80) set himself on fire during a protest calling for
Japan to apologize for forcing Korean girls and women to work in
military brothels during World War II. He was in critical condition
with burns to his neck, face, and upper torso.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, A South Korean
media report said Choe Yong Gon (63), North Korea's vice premier,
was executed by firing squad this year after showing discontent with
the policies of the country's leader Kim Jong Un.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Syria heavy
rebel shelling and government airstrikes around Damascus killed at
least 36 people and wounded scores more in a surge in violence just
hours before the arrival of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif.
   (AP, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Syria's warring
parties declared a 48-hour ceasefire in two frontline areas after
unprecedented mediation from Turkey and Iran. The ceasefire halted
fighting in the rebel-held town of Zabadani and in a pair of Shi'ite
Muslim villages in Idlib province.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, A Turkish soldier
and two fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed
when militants attacked a military outpost in the southeastern
province of Diyarbakir.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, A UN report said a
measles outbreak in the copper-mining Katanga province in the
Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 315 people and infected at
least 20,000.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Venezuela
Daniel Ceballos, the former mayor of the restive western city of San
Cristobal, was granted house arrest on medical grounds while
awaiting trial for his alleged role in inciting violence during last
year's anti-government protests.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In eastern Yemen a
suspected US drone strike killed 5 al Qaeda men in their car while
they were traveling on a coast road east of the port of Mukalla.
   (Reuters, 8/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Connecticut’s
Supreme Court spared the lived of all eleven men remaining on death
row. The state’s death penalty had been abolished in 2012.
   (SFC, 8/14/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In New York a jury
acquitted Charles "Teddy" Pierre in the deaths of Clara Sconiers and
Thomas Reed. The Trinidad-born man had served 13 years in prison for
a 2002 double homicide. He still faced a possible deportation.
   (AP, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, A Pennsylvania
judge, citing new DNA evidence, vacated the murder conviction of
Lewis Fogle (63), who has been in prison for 34 years in the
shooting death of a girl (15).
   (SFC, 8/14/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Tesla Motors Inc
CEO Elon Musk said he will invest $20 million as part of the
company's $500 million stock offering in a show of confidence at a
time when the electric car maker is burning through cash.
   (Reuters, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, A high-level
Afghan delegation arrived in Pakistan to discuss security
cooperation and peace efforts.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Al Qaeda leader
Ayman al-Zawahiri, in an online audio message, pledged allegiance to
Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour, the new head of the Afghan Taliban,
in a move that could bolster his accession after the death of
Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar.
   (Reuters, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Australia’s Sidney
Morning Herald reported that the Islamic State has hacked the
personal information of Defense Force employees and their relatives,
New South Wales health employees and several other public servants.
It said the IS has bragged of gathering the names of some 1,400
people, most of whom are supposedly US military personnel.
   (SSFC, 8/16/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Azerbaijan a
court in Baku sentenced Leyla Yunus, a prominent rights defender, to
8½ years in prison on charges of fraud, tax evasion and illegal
business activities. Her husband Arif Yunus was given a 7-year
sentence on fraud charges, and the court also confiscated the
couple's assets.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Brazil at least
17 people were shot to death within the span of about three hours in
the suburbs of Sao Paulo. Police soon began investigating whether
the string of murders were a coordinated act of revenge by off-duty
officers following the nearby deaths of two colleagues.
   (AP, 8/14/15)(Reuters, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Britain said it
would make a formal protest to Ecuador over its decision to provide
asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy and
so prevent his extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes.
   (Reuters, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Burundi's ruling
party termed the controversial re-election of President Pierre
Nkurunziza (51) a "divine miracle", as the opposition accused him of
declaring war by clinging to power. Meanwhile violence continued
unabated with at least 3 people killed in the last 24 hours.
   (AFP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Beijing a man
slashed a Chinese woman to death and injured her French companion in
one of the city’s busiest shopping districts in broad daylight. The
man (25), family name Gao, was arrested.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Egypt's health
minister said 17 more people have died due to an "unprecedented"
heat wave, raising this week's death toll to 76.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Egypt police
Lieutenant Colonel Amr Farouk was sentenced to a reduced five years
in jail in a re-trial over the deaths of 37 Islamist prisoners being
transported to jail in an overcrowded van in August, 2013. Three
other officers again received suspended terms.
   (Reuters, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Iraq a truck
bomb ripped through the popular Jameela market in a predominantly
Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad’s Sadr City early today, killing at
least 67 people. The IS group claimed responsibility.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Israel a tent
was torched and Hebrew-language graffiti was sprayed at a
Palestinian Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank in what
residents and an NGO said was a suspected attack by Jewish
extremists.
   (AFP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, President Anote
Tong of the low-lying Pacific island nation of Kiribati called for a
global moratorium on new coal mines to slow global warming and a
creeping rise in world sea levels.
   (Reuters, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In central Libya
at least 17 people were killed in heavy clashes between Islamic
State fighters and a rival Islamist group in the Islamic State-held
city of Sirte. Earlier this week a Salafist Muslim group and armed
residents attacked IS fighters in Sirte. Residents said around 15
local fighters and two IS commanders were killed.
   (Reuters, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Mexico five
gunmen burst into a bar early today and killed Jose Marquez
Balderas, a reputed local boss of the Zetas drug gang, journalist
Juan Santos Cabrera and 4 other people in the coast state of
Veracruz.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Myanmar's
military-backed ruling party announced the ouster of Shwe Mann, its
politically popular chairman, hours after security forces seized the
party headquarters, preventing some members from leaving. Shwe Mann
was seen as a leading candidate for the presidency in upcoming Nov 8
elections.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Nigeria's
President Muhammadu Buhari swore in a new set of military chiefs,
ordering them to end Boko Haram's bloody six-year Islamist
insurgency within three months.
   (AFP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Pakistan's army
announced the death penalty for six militants linked to the Dec 16,
2014, assault on a school in Peshawar that killed 151 people, mainly
students. The army also announced it would execute another man for
carrying out an attack on soldiers in the city of Karachi in March
that killed three.
   (AFP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Romanian education
authorities were reported investigating some 400 cases in which
students are suspected of getting into high schools without having
the necessary grades.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Russia's foreign
minister hosted a delegation of the main Syrian opposition group,
part of the Kremlin's new push for a mediation role in the Syrian
conflict.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Russia broadened a
food embargo imposed in retaliation for Western sanctions over
Ukraine to include Iceland, a significant fish importer, as well as
Montenegro, Albania and Liechtenstein.
   (AFP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Sergio Morate
(29), wanted by Spain for murdering his girlfriend and another
woman, was detained in the western city of Lugoj, Romania. A
Romanian court ruled the next day that he can be extradited to his
home country to face charges.
   (AP, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Swedish
prosecutors dropped a sexual assault probe against Julian Assange
after the time limit on the case expired but the Wikileaks founder,
who still faces a rape claim, voiced disappointment.
   (AFP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Syria rockets
hit several districts in Latakia, a stronghold of Pres. Bashar
Assad, killing 2 civilians and wounding 13. A two-day cease-fire
between Hezbollah fighters and rebel groups in Zabadani, as well as
in Foua and Kfarya, two Shiite villages in Idlib province, was
extended for another 48 hours.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Thailand's
military-installed interim PM Prayuth Chan-ocha defended a new law
that places tight restrictions on public gatherings and warned it
will be strictly enforced as the Public Assembly Act took effect.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Turkey efforts
PM Ahmet Davutoglu to forge a coalition alliance with the country's
pro-secular party failed, edging the country closer toward new
elections.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Yemen mortar
rounds fired by Shiite Houthi rebels killed 6 civilians in the
central city of Taiz.
   (AP, 8/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, US Marines raised
the American flag at the embassy in Cuba for the first time since
1961, symbolically ushering in an era of renewed diplomatic
relations between the two Cold War-era foes.
   (Reuters, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, A US court hearing
on the fate of 18 beluga whales captured in Russia pitted federal
regulators against the Georgia aquarium seeking to bring them to the
US.
   (Reuters, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Michigan
authorities said Candy Lawson (44) of Corunna has been charged with
unlawful imprisonment, vulnerable adult abuse and embezzlement from
a vulnerable adult, for keeping her disabled adult sister (42)
locked in a closet for six or seven years with little food, water or
clothing and only a bucket for urination.
   (AP, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, The price of crude
oil hit its lowest level in 6½ years amid concerns over a slowing
economy in China.
   (AP, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Cameroon's
president vowed to send 2,450 troops to join a regional army to
fight Nigeria-based Boko Haram, nearly tripling his initial pledge.
Boko Haram was estimated to have some 6,000 fighters.
   (AP, 8/15/15)(Econ, 7/11/15, p.45)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, The Dominican
Republic said it has resumed the detention of people deemed to be
illegal migrants after the expiration of a deadline for undocumented
foreigners to apply for temporary residence.
   (Reuters, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Eurozone finance
ministers approved a third bailout worth up to 86 billion euros to
keep Greece in the single currency in return for an unprecedented
package of reforms that Athens had previously rejected.
   (AFP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Greek PM Alexis
Tsipras faced the widest rebellion yet from his leftist lawmakers as
parliament approved a new bailout program, forcing him to consider a
confidence vote that could pave the way for early elections.
   (Reuters, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, The ruling party
in Guinea Bissau renominated Domingos Simoes Pereira as prime
minister, three days after he was sacked by President Jose Mario
Vaz.
   (AFP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In Indonesia
Canadian teacher Neil Bantleman (45) and local teaching assistant
Ferdinant Tjiong, sentenced to 10 years in prison for child sexual
offenses, were released after a Jakarta court overturned their April
2 convictions.
   (AP, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In Iraq Islamic
State militants attacked the outskirts of the northern oil refinery
town of Baiji overnight with car bombs and clashed with the army and
Shi'ite militias in the town's western districts.
   (Reuters, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In Israel
Palestinian detainee Mohammed Allan (30) was 60 days into his hunger
strike, launched in protest of his detention without charge in an
Israeli jail, when he slipped into unconsciousness. Allan was
arrested in November 2014 and was being held for his activities in
Islamic Jihad.
   (AP, 8/14/15)(AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, The UN said at
least 4 people have died and more than 20,000 have been affected by
floods in Niger caused by weeks of heavy rain.
   (AFP, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, South Sudan's
government said it was pulling out of peace talks to end a 20-month
long civil war after rebel forces split despite international
threats of sanctions. The UN said South Sudan's army has lifted a
more than a month-long aid blockade into rebel areas.
   (AFP, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Thailand's
legislature voted against impeaching 248 members of the previous
Parliament, sparing them a ban from politics for trying to amend the
constitution.
   (AP, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Turkish state
media said the military has started building a concrete wall along
the border with Syria following a series of attacks. Security forces
said a soldier was killed after a mine laid by militants was
detonated remotely in the eastern province of Bingol. 2 PKK fighters
were killed during an operation in response to the attack.
   (AFP, 8/14/15)(Reuters, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, The UN Committee
against Torture called on Iraq to close what it described as secret
detention centers where militant suspects, including minors, are
severely tortured.
   (Reuters, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In Yemen hundreds
of women protested in the country's rebel-held capital of Sanaa over
a shortage of gasoline.
   (AP, 8/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In central
California Kern County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed Benjamin
Peter Ashley (34) after he failed to comply with orders to drop his
weapon. Ashley was suspected of killing retired dentist David
Markiewitz (64), whose body was found on July 30 in a cabin in
Jawbone Canyon, and later wounding two deputies as they searched for
him in Kelso Valley.
   (SFC, 8/17/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Julian Bond
(b.1940, former Georgia state Representative and Senator, died in
Florida. He helped start the Student Non-violent Coordinating
Committee. In 1998 he was elected chairman of the NAACP and served
for ten years.
   (SFC, 8/17/15, p.A12)013
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Idaho fire
managers said the north central Clearwater Complex fires have
destroyed 50 homes and 75 outbuildings. Authorities have urged
residents of the small mountain town of Kamiah to be prepared to
flee at a moment’s notice.
   (Reuters, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Afghan police
arrested five people near the northern town of Sar-e-Pul after they
were filmed beating a man and his daughter accused of robbery by a
village fortune teller.
   (Reuters, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Brazil's labor
ministry said its inspectors have found 11 men hired by the
construction firm building the athletes' village for the 2016 Rio de
Janeiro Olympics living in slave-like conditions.
   (AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Brazilian
newspaper O Globo reported that immigration agents at Rio de
Janeiro's airport are under investigation for allegedly accepting
bribes to allow Chinese immigrants into the country illegally.
   (AFP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Burundi
unidentified gunmen shot and killed Col. Jean Bikomagu, the former
army chief of staff, in the second high-profile killing this month
amid chaos linked to the disputed reelection of President Pierre
Nkurunziza.
   (Reuters, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Cambodian
authorities arrested opposition Senator Hong Sok Hour, two days
after PM Hun Sen accused him of treason for comments criticizing a
36-year-old border agreement with Vietnam posted on Facebook.
   (AP, 8/15/15)(AP, 10/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Ecuador several
villages were evacuated, as the Cotopaxi volcano rumbled to life,
angrily spewing ash into the sky and threatening nearby residents
with potential volcanic landslides.
   (AFP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Egypt's state news
said the scorching heatwave over the past week has killed at least
93 people. Temperatures were expected to be high in the coming days.
By August 18 the death toll reached 106.
   (AP, 8/15/15)(AP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Greece migrants
desperate to get off the island of Kos fought each other while
nearby a passenger ship chartered to house and process refugees lay
empty 24 hours after it had arrived.
   (Reuters, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In northern Haiti
16 people died in a truck accident near Cap-Haitien.
   (AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, India and
Pakistani troops traded heavy gunfire and mortars in Kashmir,
killing at least 4 civilians and injuring 23 others.
   (AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, The IAEA said Iran
has given the UN Int’l. Atomic Energy Agency documents linked to the
agency's probe of allegations that Tehran tried to develop atomic
arms.
   (AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Iraq a car bomb
at the Sadr City Habibiya car dealership in Baghdad killed 8 people.
   (AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Some 49 migrants
died in the hold of an overcrowded fishing boat off the Italian
coast. The victims were apparently asphyxiated by fuel fumes and
were primarily married men who had given spots on the deck to their
wives. Some 312 survivors were pulled off the boat. On August 18
Italian police said eight suspected human traffickers have been
arrested on suspicion of homicide.
   (AFP, 8/16/15)(Reuters, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Lebanese
authorities arrested Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, a fugitive hard-line
Sunni cleric, who was wanted on suspicion of being involved in
deadly clashes with government troops in 2013 that deepened
sectarian tensions in the country.
   (AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Libyan state news
reported that Islamic State group jihadists have beheaded 12 people
and hung them on crosses during a battle for Sirte. LANA also
reported that IS militants executed 22 other Sirte residents who had
taken up arms against the jihadist group as they lay wounded in a
city hospital.
   (AFP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Libya’s
internationally recognized government appealed to Arab countries to
carry out air strikes against the local Islamic State affiliate,
which was expanding its hold on Sirte.
   (SFC, 8/17/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, A Mexican police
officer was shot after spotting an attempted kidnapping in the
Tabasco state capital of Villahermosa. The attackers fled and
exchanged fire with pursuing officers, killing 2 more. 3 suspects
were killed as their vehicle crashed. Two others were badly injured
and died as they were being taken to a hospital.
   (AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, The Pakistani
government says senior Cabinet minister Mushahidullah Khan has
resigned from his post after claiming in an interview that the
country's former spy master Zaheerul Islam wanted to overthrow PM
Nawaz Sharif through violent rallies in Islamabad last year. The
military denied Khan's claim and Sharif's government said it was not
aware of any such conspiracy.
   (AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Pakistani spy
master Hamid Gul (b.1936) died of a brain hemorrhage. He came into
real power when he became chief of the ISI in 1987 and led the
powerful Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency as it funneled US
and Saudi cash and weapons to Afghan jihadis fighting against the
Soviets and later publicly supported Islamic militants.
   (AP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Palestinian Rafiq
Taj (21) from Nablus was shot dead by Israeli forces after stabbing
a border policeman in the northern West Bank.
   (AFP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, A Russian Mi-8
helicopter crashed into the Sea of Okhotsk in the far east, and five
of the 16 people on board were missing and presumed dead.
   (AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Somalia Ahmed
Madobe was elected as president of Jubbaland for four more years by
members of the regional parliament, which has defied a government
decision in June to disband it on the grounds it was
unrepresentative and dominated by hand-picked members of Madobe's
clan.
   (AP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, South Sudan's
government said it would continue with peace talks to end a 20-month
civil war, but without President Salva Kiir attending.
   (AFP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Spain Jose
Alberto Penas (34), a newly elected town councilor of
Traspinedo,   died after he was gored by a bull
while celebrating nearby Penafiel's annual feast day. He was the 4th
person gored to death in Spain during this year's August holiday.
   (AP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Syria a
temporary ceasefire between warring parties collapsed as
negotiations failed to reach a more permanent agreement to end
fighting in a town near the Lebanese border and two villages in the
northwest.
   (Reuters, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Turkey’s state
news reported that Kurdish rebels detonated a roadside bomb between
the eastern provinces of Bingol and Erzurum as a military vehicle
was passing by, killing 3 soldiers. A police officer was killed
after PKK rebels opened fire near the town of Semdinli.
   (AP, 8/15/15)(Reuters, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Authorities in
Ukrainian-controlled territory along the frontline said that
shelling over the past day had killed 2 civilians and wounded 15
more.
   (AFP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Ukraine masked
men fired tear gas into a venue in Odessa where gay rights activists
were to hold a forum after deciding against marching in defiance of
a ban.
   (AFP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Yemen forces
loyal to the exiled government retook a fifth southern province,
extending recent gains against Iran-backed Shiite rebels who still
control Sanaa. The rebels handed over Shabwa province to government
forces and withdrew after being promised a safe route out.
   (AFP, 8/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In southern
California two small planes collided midair as they approached Brown
Field Municipal Airport in San Diego County, killing 5 people.
   (SFC, 8/17/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Brazil
demonstrators took to the streets of cities and towns across the
country for a day of nationwide anti-government protests.
   (AP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Egypt's President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi boosted police and judicial powers with a new
anti-terrorism law that also imposes hefty fines for "false" media
reports.
   (AFP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, East African
leaders met in Ethiopia ahead of a deadline for South Sudan's
warring leaders to strike a peace deal or risk international
sanctions.
   (AFP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Indian and
Pakistani troops traded heavy gunfire and mortar rounds for a
seventh straight day along the highly militarized line of control in
Kashmir. Indian police said six civilians had died in the Pakistani
shelling over the last two days. Pakistan's army said that two
civilians had been killed.
   (AP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Indonesia an
aircraft with 54 people on board crashed in the remote and
mountainous region of Papua. The 27-year-old Trigana ATR 42-300
crashed into Tangok mountain. All 54 people on board the aircraft
were killed.
   (Reuters, 8/16/15)(Reuters, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, An Iraqi
parliamentary panel called for dozens of security and political
officials, including former PM Nuri al-Maliki, to be referred to
court in connection with the fall of the northern city of Mosul to
Islamic State.
   (Reuters, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Iraq Islamic
State militants launched an attack against government troops outside
the militant-held city of Fallujah, killing at least 17 troops.
   (AP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Libyan residents
said the Islamic State has executed and displayed the bodies of 4
members of a rival group which had staged a revolt against the
militants in the central city of Sirte. Unknown gunmen fired on the
airport of Benghazi, partly destroying a passenger terminal. Rockets
also landed in a residential district in the eastern city of Derna,
from which Islamic State was expelled by a rival group in June.
   (AP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Nicaragua 5
police officers were killed in the south of the country after being
attacked by a criminal group trying to free a detained member in
Punta Gorda.
   (Reuters, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Nigeria's ruling
party called on the country's people to support efforts by President
Muhammadu Buhari to recover billions of dollars lost to government
corruption and punish the perpetrators in the graft-plagued nation.
   (AFP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Abubakar Shekau,
the leader of Nigeria's Boko Haram, denied he had been killed or
ousted as chief of the jihadist group in an audio recording released
today and attributed to him by security experts.
   (AFP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Pakistan a bomb
killed Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada and 18 other people at
his home in the political heartland of PM Nawaz Sharif.
Lashkar-e-Islam, a Taliban-affiliated militant group, claimed
responsibility for the attack.
   (Reuters, 8/16/15)(AP, 8/17/15)(Reuters, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In the Philippines
the decomposing body of Kevin Fleischauer, a 58-year-old American,
was found. The body of his Filipino-American wife, Lolly Mangilaya
Fleischauer (60), was found a day later in a well. They had been
missing for about two weeks in a case of suspected robbery in Murcia
town, Negros Occidental province.
   (AP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Portugal former
Serb army commander Mile Mrksic (68), serving a 20-year sentence for
his role in the massacre of Croats during the Balkans wars, died in
Lisbon. The former officer in the Yugoslav army (JNA), was convicted
in 2007 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) for aiding and abetting the torture and murder of
nearly 200 civilians in Vukovar in eastern Croatia in 1991.
   (AFP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In South Africa a
small Namibian medical plane crashed in the Tygerberg Nature Reserve
east of Cape Town, killing all 5 people aboard.
   (AFP, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Spain an animal
rights activist was beaten with a duck by a woman defending one of
the country's most bizarre and controversial festival traditions in
the Catalonian seaside town of Roses. Every year since 1918 about 50
ducks are thrown into the sea in the town north of Barcelona, with
swimmers then racing in to catch them and bringing them ashore
however they can.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, A Syrian
government air strike northeast of Damascus killed at least 96
people in a marketplace in Douma. A Syrian military source said air
force strikes on Douma and nearby Harasta targeted the headquarters
of the rebel group Islam Army.
   (Reuters, 8/16/15)(AFP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Yemen militia
forces loyal to the exiled government fought their way deep into the
central city of Taiz, largely pushing out Houthi militiamen from the
country's third largest city.
   (Reuters, 8/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, US Army officials
said two women will graduate from Ranger School in Fort Benning,
Georgia, on August 21. The two West Point officers were the first
women to complete the Army’s premier leadership course.
   (SFC, 8/19/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In Afghanistan a
German woman, believed to be employed by German government aid
agency GIZ, was kidnapped in Kabul by armed assailants.
   (AP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In Bangladesh a
court Dhaka sentenced six officials of a now-dissolved drug company
to 10 years in jail for producing toxic paracetamol syrup that
reportedly killed hundreds of children who developed kidney diseases
and other ailments after taking the medicine in the 1990s.
   (AP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Bangladesh’s elite
forces arrested three suspected Islamist militants, including a
British citizen of Bangladeshi origin, for masterminding the
killings of secular bloggers Avijit Roy on Feb 26 and Ananta Bijoy
Das on May 12. Touhidur Rahman (58) and two active members of
outlawed Islamist group Ansarullah Bangla Team were arrested in
Dhaka.
   (Reuters, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Gabon’s Pres. Ali
Bongo pledged to donate part of his inheritance to the country’s
youth. The assets of of his father, Omar Bongo (d.2009), were yet to
be distributed among 53 declared heirs.
   (Econ, 8/22/15, p.42)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In northern India
brothers Nanhe and Gul Hasan beheaded Phool Jehan (17), their
teenage sister, and carried her head through their village because
they disapproved of her romantic relationship with a cousin.
   (AP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Indian budget
airline IndiGo finalized an exceptionally large order for 250
single-aisle Airbus A320neo jets to keep up with rapid growth in the
country's air travel.
   (AP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Iraq's judicial
council rejected calls for judge Medhat al-Mahmoud, head of Supreme
Judicial Council, to retire amid calls for widespread government
reform.
   (AP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Israel offered to
free Palestinian detainee Mohammed Allan (31), whose two-month
hunger strike has left him in a coma, but only if he goes abroad.
Allan’s lawyer immediately dismissed the offer. Doctors were using
artificial breathing equipment, fluids and vitamins to keep Allan
alive. On August 19 Israel’s Supreme Court suspended the detention
order against Allan after medical tests showed he had suffered brain
damage from the fast. On August 20 Allan ended his hunger strike.
   (AFP, 8/17/15)(SFC, 8/20/15, p.A2)(SFC, 8/21/15,
p.A3)(Econ, 8/22/15, p.41)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In northern Mali
several people died in clashes pitting a pro-government Tuareg group
and the main Tuareg rebel body at Agnefis.
   (AFP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In western Mexico
a tractor trailer rig that swerved to avoid another vehicle had 10
people packed into the cab when it crashed, burned and fell 20
meters (65 feet) off a bridge in Michoacan state. 6 of the dead were
children.
   (AP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Pakistani air
strikes killed at least 24 suspected militants in four areas of
North Waziristan. A shootout in the southern port city of Karachi
killed two suspected al-Qaida members and an intelligence officer.
   (Reuters, 8/17/15)(AP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, A Palestinian man
was shot dead by Israeli police troopers after he stabbed and
lightly wounded one of them at a military checkpoint outside Nablus.
   (Reuters, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, The Saudi military
said 2 soldiers have been killed along the border by a missile fired
from inside Yemen.
   (AP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, South Sudan's
government and rebels signed a peace agreement, hours before the end
of a deadline threatening international sanctions. The agreement was
signed by rebel chief Riek Machar and Pagan Amum, the
secretary-general of the ruling party. Pres. Salva Kiir, who only
initialed the deal, rather than signing it as Machar did, had
reservations over the proposal's plan to demilitarize the capital,
Juba.
   (AFP, 8/17/15)(Reuters, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Sri Lankans voted
in parliamentary elections that will decide the political future of
Mahinda Rajapakse, a former strongman leader seeking a comeback,
eight months after being unseated in a shocking election loss. PM
Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party won 106 out of 225
seats, while Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance secured
95.
   (AP, 8/17/15)(AP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In Syria rockets
fired by insurgents killed 3 people in the coastal city of Latakia,
a government stronghold.
   (AP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In Thailand a bomb
exploded just outside a Hindu shrine in Bangkok, killing 20 people,
including 14 foreigners, with 123 wounded. The government said the
attack was a bid to destroy the economy. A man suspected of the
bombing at the Erawan shrine was seen in grainy CCTV footage
entering the compound with a backpack on, sitting down against a
railing and then slipping out of the bag's straps. On Nov 24 two
ethnic Uighurs from China’s Xinjiang region, alleged members of a
people-smuggling gang, were indicted.
   (Reuters, 8/17/15)(Reuters, 8/18/15)(Reuters,
8/20/15)(SFC, 11/25/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Turkey’s Supreme
Court ruled that the Turkish state should cover all the expenses of
cemevis, the prayer houses of the Alevi community, as it does for
mosques, churches and synagogues. Alevis revere Imam Ali, son-in-law
of the Prophet Mohammed. Theirs is a Turkish version of Alawism,
prominent in neighboring Syria.
   (AFP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In eastern Ukraine
Fighting flared between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels
near the port of Mariupol and at rebel-held Horlivka overnight,
killing at least 10 people including 2 Ukrainian soldiers over the
last 24 hours.
   (Reuters, 8/17/15)(AFP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In Yemen heavy
fighting between government loyalists and rebels for control of Taez
left at least 81 people dead in the past 24 hours.
   (AFP, 8/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In Alaska 3 men
were believed buried by a landslide at a construction site in Sitka.
Six landslides hit the city following 2.5 inches of rain over the
last 24 hours.
   (SFC, 8/20/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Bangladesh
authorities arrested three lawyers for funding a newly founded
militant group. Sakila Farzana, Hasanuzzaman Liton and Mahfuz
Chowdhury Bopon allegedly channeled more than 10 million takas
($129,870) to the Shaheed Hamza Brigade for the new militant group
to buy weapons and fund its operation.
   (AP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In Burundi 4
people were killed in Bujumbura as violence persisted following the
controversial re-election of President Pierre Nkurunziza.
   (AP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, China’s Ministry
of Public Security said police have arrested 15,000 people on
suspicion of cybercrimes as the government tightens its control over
the Internet.
   (AP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, The Greek
government gazette said reported an agreement to sell to a German
company the rights to operate 14 regional airports.
   (AP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Haitian electoral
officials disqualified nine candidates for engaging in violence or
inciting chaos during the August 9 parliamentary elections.
   (AP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In the
Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir suspected rebels opened fire at
a police post, killing a police constable and a civilian.
   (AP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In northern Iraq
Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, also known as Haji Mutaz, was killed in a US
air strike. He was IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's senior deputy
and second-in-command of the Islamic State jihadist group.
   (AFP, 8/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Myanmar's
parliament voted to again extend martial law for three months in a
restive area along the country's border with China, where there have
been clashes between the military and an armed ethnic group since
February.
   (Reuters, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In the southern
Philippines a motorcycle-riding gunman killed Gregorio Ybanez, the
publisher of a small newspaper. Colleagues said they suspect his
killing could be linked to his other job as a director of an
electric cooperative.
   (AP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Russian police
said they had detained an "international criminal gang" that
produced contraband cheese worth some $30 million using banned
Western ingredients. An unnamed source in law enforcement said that
the rennet used by the ring had been imported illegally from
countries including Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which are subject
to Russian sanctions.
   (AFP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Syrian government
forces recaptured four northwestern villages as they pounded the
area with air strikes in a counter-attack on insurgents threatening
strongholds of President Bashar al-Assad.
   (Reuters, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In Syria Islamic
State militants beheaded Khaled al-Asaad (81), a leading antiquities
scholar who spent most of his life looking after the ancient ruins
of Palmyra, then hung his body from a pole in a main square of the
historic town and then reportedly cut into pieces.
   (AP, 8/19/15)(AFP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Six Syrian
migrants, including an infant, drowned off the Turkish coast as they
tried to reach the Greek island of Kos.
   (SFC, 8/19/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In Turkey Muslim
scholars and environmental advocates from about 20 countries called
for a global phase-out of greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.
   (AP, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Uganda told South
Sudan's warring factions to put their egos aside and make peace, a
day after President Salva Kiir refused to sign a deal to end a
20-month-old conflict.
   (Reuters, 8/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In Yemen warplanes
from a Saudi-led coalition hit the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of
Hodeida, destroying cranes and warehouses in the main entry point
for aid supplies to the north. Houthi rebels ambushed pro-government
forces. Fighting near the Aqaba-Tharaa area left 65 anti-rebel
forces dead along with 15 Shiite rebels. In the north a Saudi-led
coalition air strike killed 13 teaching staff and four children in
Amran province. 5 Huthis were also killed in the
strike.  Â
   (Reuters, 8/18/15)(SFC, 8/19/15, p.A3)(AFP,
8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In Indiana Jared
Fogle (37), the longtime pitchman for the Subway sandwich chain,
pleaded guilty to allegations that he paid for sex acts with minors
and received child pornography. On Nov 19 Fogle was sentenced to 15
years and eight months in prison.
   (SFC, 8/20/15, p.A6)(SFC, 11/20/15, p.A14)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In Massachusetts
brothers Scott Leader (38) and Steve Leader (30) were arrested and
ordered held without bail for an attack on a 58-year-old Mexican
citizen. They urinated on him and then beat him because he appeared
to be a homeless undocumented immigrant.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, St. Louis police
shot and killed Mansur Ball-Rey (18) who reportedly fled a home and
pointed a handgun at officers as they served a search warrant. The
confrontation drew protesters and unrest onto the streets. An
autopsy showed that Ball-Rey died from a single wound in the back.
   (SFC, 8/21/15, p.A7)(SFC, 8/22/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In Washington
state 3 firefighters were killed as wildfires advanced on towns in
the north central area of the state.
   (SFC, 8/20/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Hackers claimed to
have exposed data on millions of spouses who signed up to the
cheating website Ashley Madison.
   (AP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Germany's
parliament approved a third bailout for Greece after Finance
Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble argued the country should get "a new
start", while in Athens the government agonized over whether to call
a snap election.
   (Reuters, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Ghana’s health
minister said it is going to bring in about 170 Cuban doctors to
work at health facilities amid a doctors' strike.
   (AP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, The Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency launched an unmanned transport vehicle
that is carrying water, parts and other supplies to the
International Space Station.
   (AP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In Kashmir border
guards from Pakistan and India continued trading fire in violence
that killed two Pakistani villagers.
   (AP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In North Korea the
Slovenian rock band Laibach played to a full house in Pyongyang as
part of the “Liberation Day Tour,” coinciding with the Korean
Peninsula’s 70th year anniversary of liberation from Japanese
colonization.
   (SFC, 8/20/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Pakistani military
air strikes killed at least 25 suspected militants in the northwest,
taking to 133 the army's toll of insurgents in the region this week.
   (Reuters, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Philippine
security forces killed at least 15 al Qaeda-linked Islamist
militants in an attempt to rescue foreign captives on Jolo Island.
The two coast guard personnel managed to escape during the two-hour
gunbattle.
   (Reuters, 8/19/15)(AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In the Philippines
radio reporter Teodoro Escanilla (57) was shot inside his home in a
fishing town in rural Sorsogon province.
   (AFP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Russia sentenced
Estonian intelligence officer Eston Kohver to 15 years in jail,
drawing ire from the EU after Tallinn said he was kidnapped
September 5, 2014, at gunpoint on its territory.
   (AFP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Saudi authorities
said they have closed an emergency ward in King Abdulaziz Medical
City after at least 46 people, including hospital staff, contracted
the potentially fatal Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The
Health Ministry recorded three new MERS deaths in Riyadh. That
brings the total number of deaths to 483 since the virus was first
identified in 2012.
   (AP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Peace efforts in
South Sudan were in tatters as warring rivals blamed each other for
attacks and the army claimed that the rebels had broken their own
peace deal hours after signing.
   (AFP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In South Sudan
Peter Julius Moi, a reporter for the Corporate Weekly, was shot
twice in the back late today. The attack that came days after
President Salva Kiir was reported to have threatened to kill
reporters "working against the country." Moi was the seventh
journalist to be killed in South Sudan this year.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In northeastern
Syria a suicide bomber killed at least 16 people in an attack on
Kurdish security forces. The blast in Qamishli killed 10 members of
the Kurdish forces, called the Asayish, and 6 civilians. IS claimed
responsibility. Aerial bombardment by the government of Harasta, a
rebel stronghold east of Damascus, left at least 10 people dead.
   (AFP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In Thailand prime
minister and coup leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-Ocha attended the opening
in Hua Hin of a new park containing the colossl statues of seven
long-dead Thai kings built by the army at a cost of about $20
million.
   (Econ, 8/22/15, p.34)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Turkish police
arrested two people after a hand grenade was hurled and shots were
fired at officers guarding Istanbul's Dolmabache Palace. In the
southeast PKK militants killed 8 soldiers in a bomb attack in Siirt
province.
   (AP, 8/19/15)(Reuters, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, The UN said
typhoid has broken out among residents of the Yarmouk Palestinian
refugee camp in Syria.
   (Reuters, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro ordered a 72-hour closure of a major border
crossing with Colombia in western Tachira state after three soldiers
were attacked while looking for smugglers.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Vietnam allowed
its currency to weaken by at least 1% following the devaluation of
the Chinese yuan and the expectation of a possible US interest rate
hike.
   (AP, 8/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, The US stock
market endured its worst day in 18 months as the Dow Jones fell 350
to 16,990; the S&P fell 43.8 to 2,035; the Nasdaq fell 141 to
4,877.
   (SFC, 8/21/15, p.C1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Florida divers
of the S/V Capitana said they have found $4.5 million in Spanish
gold coins three weeks ago from the wreckage of a fleet of eleven
Spanish ships that sank 300 years ago.
   (SFC, 8/21/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Brazil’s attorney
general filed corruption charges against Eduardo Cunha, speaker of
the lower house of Congress. He was accused of accepting $5 million
in bribes in connection with the construction of two Petrobras
drilling ships.
   (SSFC, 8/23/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Burundi President
Pierre Nkurunziza was sworn in for a third term without any fanfare
or even a public announcement beforehand.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Canada's Valeant
Pharmaceuticals said it is paying $1 billion to buy North
Carolina-based Sprout Pharmaceuticals, which just won US government
approval to sell the first "female Viagra" drug. Valeant shares were
up 0.2 percent at $245.47 in pre-market trade on the New York Stock
Exchange.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, China’s state
media reported that flooding in three central provinces has left at
least 13 people dead and 13 others missing and disrupted the lives
of nearly 1 million people.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Colombia's Marxist
rebels indefinitely extended a month-old ceasefire as peace talks
resumed in Havana, with the government still pledging not to conduct
air raids on rebel camps.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Egypt Islamic a
car bombing wounded 30 people, including 8 policemen, near a state
security building and courthouse in a Cairo suburb. Islamic State's
Egypt affiliate (Sinai Province) said it was behind the car bombing.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In France
Jean-Marie Le Pen (87) was excluded from the far-right National
Front, which he had founded, following a disciplinary hearing.
   (SFC, 8/21/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, German federal
prosecutors said they have charged a German spy, identified as
Markus R. (32), for allegedly acting as a double agent for the US
and Russia and harming the country’s national security.
   (SFC, 8/21/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Greece's president
gave the conservative opposition a chance to form a new government
following the resignation of PM Alexis Tsipras, but the country
appears almost certain to be heading for its third election in as
many years next month.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Greece repaid a
huge slice of debt to the ECB, effectively starting its third
mammoth bailout.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Iraqi PM Haider
al-Abadi ordered major cuts in the number of guards for officials,
the latest step in a reform drive to curb corruption and streamline
the government.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Iraqi Kurdistan
president Massud Barzani's extended term expired today, leaving the
autonomous region in a "legal vacuum" that Kurdish political parties
were still trying to resolve.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Israel hit 14
Syrian army positions in the Syrian-controlled sector of the Golan
in response to the rocket attacks.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Italy the
funeral of purported mobster Vittorio Casamonica featured a gilded,
horse-drawn carriage carrying his casket and a band playing "The
Godfather" theme outside the church. Police and Carabinieri patrols
accompanied the funeral procession. A helicopter pilot flew low over
Rome to drop flower petals.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Kazakhstan
currency plunged by over 20 percent against the dollar after the
government decided to move to a free float to cope with big swings
in global currencies and commodity prices. The policy change came a
day after President Nursultan Nazarbayev ordered a reduction in the
deficit to prepare for a possible further crash in the price of oil,
which he said could drop as low as $30 a barrel.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Macedonia stepped
up security on its border with Greece, stranding thousands of
migrants on a dusty field.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Malaysian police
said they had arrested and were investigating 10 Malaysians
suspected of links to Islamic State, among them six members of the
country's security forces.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Pakistani
airstrikes reportedly killed 43 militants in North Waziristan.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Peru's Congress
unanimously approved a bill reauthorizing its air force to shoot
down planes linked to drug trafficking.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Saudi authorities
executed two alleged Chadian militants for murdering a French
engineer in the Red Sea city of Jeddah 11 years ago.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Slovakia two
planes carrying dozens of parachutists collided in midair, killing 7
people. 31 others on board survived by jumping out with their
parachutes.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, A car ferry
carrying just over 2,400 Syrian refugees arrived on the Greek
mainland as a wave of migrants fleeing conflict and poverty
continued unabated.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, South Korea fired
tens of artillery rounds toward North Korea after the North launched
shells to protest South Korea's anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts
along the border.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Tanzania said it
has suspended about a quarter of its recruitment agencies in a bid
to crackdown on human trafficking after complaints that girls sent
as domestic servants to the Middle East were used as sex slaves and
forced to work without pay.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, The Ukrainian
military said 4 servicemen have been killed and 14 wounded in
fighting with pro-Russian rebels in the past 24 hours.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Yemen an
improvised explosive device went off Gov. Nayef al-Bakry's office in
Aden killing 4 people with 10 wounded. Air strikes led by Saudi
Arabia killed 43 people in the central city of Taiz. Houthi attacks
on the city killed 13 people, including 7 children.
   (AP, 8/20/15)(Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, US District Judge
Dolly Gee ordered the government to release immigrant children from
family detention centers "without unnecessary delay," and with their
mothers when possible.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, US stock prices
plunged for a 2nd day. The DJIA fell 530 to 16,459. The S&P fell
64 to 1,970. Nasdaq closed down 17 to 4,706.
   (SFC, 8/22/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In Afghanistan a
Taliban ambush on Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum's convoy
backfired when the war-hardened leader's men fought back, killing at
least 4 militants and capturing a dozen more on a remote highway in
Faryab province.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF) said around 40,000 people have fled their homes in
Chad in the past two weeks following attacks by Islamist militant
group Boko Haram.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In northern France
two people were wounded in the struggle to subdue a
Kalashnikov-toting attacker aboard a high-speed train from Amsterdam
to Paris. US servicemen Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos, American
Anthony Sadler and French-American Mark Moogalian were among the
passengers who stopped the gunman, later identified as Ayoub el
Khazzani (26) of Morocco and known to European authorities as a
suspected Islamist militant. Khazzani had boarded the train in
Brussels. Moogalian, who wished to remain anonymous was the first
person to discover the attacker leaving a restroom with a
Kalashnikov slung over his shoulder. He tried to tackle him before
the attacker fired several shots with a hand gun. Moogalian was
hospitalized with a bullet wound. Stone and another passenger
suffered knife wounds.
   (Reuters, 8/22/15)(Reuters, 8/23/15)(SFC,
8/22/15, p.A3)(Reuters, 8/24/15)(AP, 8/25/15)(SFC, 8/27/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In Greece far left
Syriza members, who oppose the promises of yet more austerity and
economic reform that PM Tsipras made to secure 86 billion euros ($97
billion) in bailout loans, broke away to form a new party.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Guatemala's
attorney general sought to impeach President Otto Perez over a
customs fraud that led to the arrest of his former vice president
Roxana Baldetti.
   (Reuters, 8/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In Iraq Islamic
State militants killed up to 50 soldiers in two separate ambushes in
Anbar province.
   (SSFC, 8/23/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Israel said it
carried out an air raid that killed up to 5 Iran-backed militants it
said were behind a rare rocket attack from across the border in
Syria.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Italy's civil
aviation authority suspended the license of the helicopter pilot who
flew low over Rome a day earlier to drop flower petals during the
over-the-top funeral of a purported local crime boss, the first head
to roll in a scandal that has outraged city residents.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, A court in Kenya
granted bail to Feisal Mohammed Ali, the suspected ringleader of an
ivory smuggling gang. Government prosecutors said they would appeal.
On August 24 his bail was suspended.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)(AFP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Macedonia said it
would allow a limited number of "vulnerable" migrants to enter the
country after sealing its border with Greece to them. At least 1,000
migrants and refugees pressed against Macedonian police lines on the
Greek-Macedonian border and at least 10 people appeared to faint in
the crush.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)(Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, North and South
Korea appeared headed toward another clash, as Seoul refused an
ultimatum that it halt anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts by Aug
22 afternoon or face military action, and North Korea said its
troops were on a war footing.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In the northern
Philippines 4 people died and hundreds fled their homes as category
three Typhoon Goni bore down on Cagayan and Batanes provinces.
   (Reuters, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In Senegal a panel
of judges sentenced seven men to six months in prison for
homosexuality. The verdict was based on a police discovery of
condoms and lubricant in the house where the men were arrested, and
became a hammer blow to groups promoting safe sex.
   (Reuters, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Sri Lanka's new
prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was sworn in and the island
nation's two major political parties signed an agreement to work
together and draft a new constitution that would safeguard the
rights of ethnic groups.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In central Syria
the Islamic State group demolished the Saint Elian Monastery founded
more than 1,500 years ago, near Qaryatain, a town where the
extremists abducted dozens of Christians earlier this month.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, A UK military
drone strike killed 3 fighters in Syria, including 2 British men,
Reyaad Khan and Ruhul Amin, who had joined Islamic State militants.
This was the first such drone strike acknowledged by the British
government.
   (AP, 9/7/15)(Econ, 9/12/15, p.44)(AP, 4/26/17)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Turkey’s private
Dogan news agency said 12 km (7 miles) of concrete barrier have
already been erected along the border at Reyhanli town, in Hatay
province, a main point for smuggling and border crossing from Syria.
   (AP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, A Turkish captain,
was killed in a rocket and long-range gun attack late today on a
military post in Beytussebap district in southeastern Sirnak
province.
   (AFP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Venezuela's
President Nicolas Maduro indefinitely closed his country's border
with Colombia and declared a state of emergency in part of the
frontier region, following an earlier attack that wounded four
people.
   (AFP, 8/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In Yemen 3
suspected Al-Qaeda militants were killed in an apparent US drone
strike in Marib province.
   (AFP, 8/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In Yemen a
helicopter from the Saudi-led forces battling anti-government
fighters crashed along the Saudi border, killing the two pilots.
Huthi rebels said they have shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter. 53
civilians died in Saudi-led air strikes on Taiz that also hit 20
homes.
   (AFP, 8/21/15)(Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, It was reported
that an infestation of Melacoryphus lateralis bugs has hit towns in
California’s Inyo and Kern counties on the eastern slopes of the
Sierra Nevada. Outbreaks of the fingernail-size bugs had not been
seen before in California.
   (SFC, 8/22/15, p.C3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Afghanistan a
car bomb targeting a vehicle carrying foreign citizens killed 12
people, including 3 US contractors, outside a hospital on a busy
Kabul street. Security sources said the target was a group of
foreign security contractors working for DynCorp International.
   (Reuters, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Afghanistan
three US air strikes killed up to 40 militants, but they regrouped
and chased government officials out of Musa Qala, Helmand province.
   (Reuters, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Algerian soldiers
killed 2 Islamist gunmen in an operation in the Ain Laksar area near
Skikda, east of Algiers.
   (AFP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Azerbaijan police
detained 21 people after they held a protest to demand justice for a
man who died in police custody in the western town of Mingachevir.
The Interior Ministry said Bahruz Hajiyev (27) had "unexpectedly
jumped out of a third-floor window during questioning" on Aug 20 and
died of his injuries.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Clashes erupted
between troops from Azerbaijan and the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh
region. 5 Armenian soldiers were killed and eight wounded.
   (Reuters, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Belarusian
President Alexander Lukashenko unexpectedly pardoned six political
prisoners in the former Soviet republic, including former opposition
presidential candidate Nikolai Statkevich (59), who spent nearly
five years in prison.
   (AP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In southern
England a single-seater jet, participating in the Shoreham Airshow,
crashed near Brighton. 11 people died when the jet plowed into
several cars on a busy road near the air show. In 2019 Pilot Andrew
Hill (54), whose plane crashed at the airshow, was cleared of
manslaughter charges.
   (AP, 8/22/15)(AFP, 8/23/15)(AP, 3/8/19)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Cambodia Ieng
Thirith (83), a Khmer Rouge leader, died. She was the
highest-ranking woman in the genocidal regime that oversaw the death
of nearly 2 million Cambodians in the late 1970s. She had served as
minister of social affairs and was married to Ieng Sary, the
regime's former foreign minister, who died in 2013.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In eastern China
an explosion at a chemical plant killed one person and injured nine
others. The facility, owned by Shandong Runxing Chemical Technology
Co., produced adiponitrile, which can give off toxic fumes when
burned.
   (AP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In El Salvador at
least 14 gang members held at a prison were killed in violence
authorities blamed on a conflict within a faction of the Barrio 18
gang.
   (AP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Egypt's state-run
news agency said Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie and 16
others have been sentenced to life in prison on charges related to
the killing of five people in an attack on a police station in 2013.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Germany at
least 31 police officers were hurt in scuffles with about 600
protesters, many hurling bottles and stones, angry about the arrival
of asylum seekers in the eastern town of Heidenau near Dresden.
   (Reuters, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Indian officials
said monsoon flooding killed at least 14 people and forced around
200,000 to leave their water-logged homes and take shelter in
state-run camps this past week in northeastern Assam state.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Iran unveiled a
short-range solid fuel ballistic missile, an upgraded version that
the government says can more accurately pinpoint targets.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Italy's coastguard
said it was coordinating the rescue of up to 3,000 migrants from
waters off Libya after receiving SOS calls from 18 different crowded
vessels. Operation Triton rescued some 4,400 migrants on this day
alone.
   (AFP, 8/22/15)(Econ, 8/29/15, p.41)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Japan lodged a
protest over Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev's visit to one of four
disputed Pacific islands which have strained ties between the two
countries since the end of World War Two. The islands are known in
Russia as the Southern Kuriles and referred to as the Northern
Territories in Japan.
   (Reuters, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Macedonia
thousands of rain-soaked, mostly Syrian migrants stormed across the
border as police lobbed stun grenades and beat them with batons,
struggling to enforce a decree to stem their flow through the
Balkans to western Europe. Macedonian police finally re-opened the
border with Greece, allowing thousands to travel north towards
Serbia in the next stage of their bid to enter the European Union.
   (Reuters, 8/22/15)(AFP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In northeastern
Nigeria suspected Boko Haram fighters ambushed a convoy carrying the
head of the Nigerian army, sparking a firefight in which 10
militants and a soldier were killed in Faljari village.
   (AFP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, North Korea and
South Korea held their first high-level talks in nearly a year at a
border village to defuse mounting tensions that have pushed the
rivals to the brink of a possible military confrontation.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In North Korea
some 1,070 houses and 99 public buildings such as schools and
hospitals were destroyed by torrential rains over the last 24 hours.
   (AP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Pakistan
Chinese bicyclist Hong Xudong, kidnapped near Dera Ismail Khan by
the Taliban in May, 2014, was freed.
   (Reuters, 8/23/15)(AP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Philippine
officials said the death toll from Typhoon Goni has risen to 9 after
five more people were buried by landslides in mountainous areas.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Russia published a
government resolution affirming the country's claim to the seabed
and natural resources in the central part of the Okhotsk Sea between
the Kuriles and the Russian mainland, adding more than 50,000 square
km (19,000 square miles) to Russia's territory.
   (Reuters, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Somalia Islamic
extremist suicide bombers killed at least 10 soldiers in an
explosion at a military camp in the southern port city of Kismayo.
Two militants in the attack were killed and two more suspected
militants were arrested.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Syrian airstrikes
on the Damascus suburb of Douma killed 34 civilians and wounded
dozens in the latest wave of government attacks on the crowded
rebel-held area.
   (AP, 8/22/15)   (AFP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Turkey's military
said warplanes have conducted new air strikes against Kurdish rebel
targets in northern Iraq, killing 29 militants on Aug 20-21.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Turkey said its
security forces have detained 435 migrants and Syrian refugees along
with three suspected people smugglers, before they embarked on an
attempt to cross the Aegean Sea to Greece.
   (AFP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Yemen al-Qaida
militants took Tawahi district, home to a presidential palace and
Aden's main port, and were patrolling the streets, some carrying
black banners. The militants also took Crater, Aden's commercial
center, and parts of Dar Saad town, just north of Aden, including an
army base that they turned into a training camp.
   (AP, 8/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, An Afghan official
said the bodies of 3 border police officers, abducted last week in
Paktika province, have been found by local residents.
   (AP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Militants firing
from Afghan territory killed four Pakistani soldiers along the
border at the Akhandwala Pass.
   (Reuters, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Britain's foreign
secretary reopened his country's embassy in Tehran in a long-awaited
step signaling better relations four years after a mob stormed the
compound, forcing its closure.
   (AFP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, German Vice
Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said the number of asylum-seekers in
Germany is expected to hit 800,000 in this year.
   (AFP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Iraq 17
soldiers and 6 Sunni militia fighters were killed in an attack by IS
militants in the rural district of Jaramshah, north of Anbar's
provincial capital, Ramadi.
   (AP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Lebanese security
forces fired water cannon at protesters demonstrating against the
government near PM Tammam Salam's offices in Beirut as protesters
mobilized over the government's failure to resolve a crisis over
rubbish disposal.
   (Reuters, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Malaysian police
said that they have found 24 more bodies of suspected human
trafficking victims this week in jungles bordering Thailand. 106
bodies had been found earlier.
   (AP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Maldives police
took former President Mohamed Nasheed back to jail even though his
13-year sentence was commuted to house arrest last month.
   (AP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, North and South
Korea resumed top-level talks on avoiding a threatened military
clash, even as Seoul accused Pyongyang of undermining the process
with provocative naval and land deployments.
   (AFP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Typhoon Goni blew
out of the northern Philippines after leaving at least 15 people
dead and several others missing, including a dozen miners whose work
camps were buried by a huge mudslide in a mountain village.
   (AP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Switzerland two
light planes collided in flight at an air show in Dittingen, killing
one of the pilots.
   (Reuters, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Syria separate
rocket attacks killed 11 people in the regime-held, Eastern Ghouta
neighborhood northeast of Damascus. One person was killed in the
capital itself. Airstrikes hit the town of Arbin, killing 4
civilians.
   (AFP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Syria the
Islamic State group blew up a famed temple in Palmyra, in an act the
UN condemned as a war crime and an "immense loss" for humanity.
   (AFP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Turkey Kurdish
militants armed with assault rifles attacked a hydroelectric power
station near the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, killing a soldier
and wounding three others.
   (Reuters, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, The United Arab
Emirates said that its military freed British hostage Robert Douglas
Semple (64) who was kidnapped 18 months ago by al-Qaida in Yemen.
The UAE has military forces in Aden and is part of a Saudi-led
coalition of mostly Arab countries that has been bombing the Houthis
and their allies since late March.
   (AP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Venezuela Gov.
Jose Gregorio Vielma Mora of Tachira state said that 791 Colombians
living in Venezuela illegally had been handed over to Colombian
authorities as a result of a now five-day crackdown against
smugglers and criminal gangs operating along the 1,400 mile (2,200
km) border.
   (AP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Venezuela fire
broke out at a private senior facility in the upscale neighborhood
of La Castellana on the east side of Caracas, leaving 8 people dead.
   (AP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Yemen the
Saudi-led coalition bombed rebel positions near the Bab el-Mandeb
strait to weaken them in preparation for a ground offensive there.
13 Houthi fighters reported were killed in the airstrikes. 4
suspected Al-Qaeda militants were killed overnight in an apparent US
drone strike in Mukalla.
   (AP, 8/23/15)(AFP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Yemen
Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired rockets into a residential district
of Taez, killing 14 civilians, mostly women and children.
   (AFP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Louisiana State
Trooper Steven Vincent (43) died after being shot in the head a day
earlier by Kevin Daigle (54) during a traffic stop.
   (SFC, 8/24/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, The US stock
market fell again as the Dow Jones dropped 588 to 15,871; the
S&P fell 77 to 1,893; the Nasdaq fell 179 to 4526.
   (SFC, 8/25/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In Afghanistan the
Taliban seized Musa Qala, Helmand province, despite US air strikes
to repel them.
   (Reuters, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Brazil's
government announced it will slash the number of ministries and
reduce its spending, in an effort to show commitment to austerity
that could be politically costly for President Dilma Rousseff.
   (Reuters, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, British citizen
Damian Moran said almost 80,000 people had signed a petition urging
the arrest of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes when he
visits London next month. Israel launched military action in the
Gaza Strip on July 8, 2014, leading to the deaths of more than 2,000
Palestinians and 66 Israeli soldiers.
   (AFP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Chinese border
patrol officials seized 620 wild turtles and tortoises, 510 of them
considered endangered, that were found alive in a shipment of frozen
seafood from Vietnam.
   (AP, 8/30/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In Egypt a bomb
struck a bus carrying policemen, killing 3 and wounding 33 in the
Nile Delta province of Baheira.
   (AFP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, French President
Francois Hollande awarded France's highest honor, the Legion
d'honneur, to three US citizens and Briton Chris Norman, who on
August 21 helped disarm a suspected Islamist militant on a train.
   (Reuters, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Guinea-Bissau's
new PM Baciro Dja (39) sacked the chiefs of the state-owned radio
and television services for "bias" in their reporting of a recent
government shake-up. Dja was appointed last week after President
Jose Mario Vaz fired his predecessor Domingos Simoes Pereira.
   (AFP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Iraqi Shiite
cleric Moqtada al-Sadr urged followers to hold anti-corruption
protests in Baghdad this week, the first major political figure to
issue such a call. A series of Islamic State suicide car bombings
targeting a military outpost in Anbar province killed 8 soldiers and
wounded six. In Baghdad three separate roadside bombings killed 7
people and wounded 24. In Baghdad Col. Ahmed Zarzour, an Army
helicopter pilot, was killed by an explosive device attached to his
car.
   (AFP, 8/24/15)(AP, 8/24/15)(SFC, 8/26/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Thousands of
exhausted migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa crossed on
foot from Macedonia into Serbia on their way to Western Europe.
   (AP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In Nepal 11 people
were killed when demonstrators attacked police with spears, knives,
axes and scythes during a protest against proposals for
administrative reform. Protesters from the Tharu ethnic group were
demanding a separate state in the new constitution. At least 7
policemen were killed in clashes when tens of thousands massed in
Tikapur.
   (Reuters, 8/24/15)(AP, 8/25/15)(Econ, 8/29/15,
p.33)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, An international
arbitration panel said Russia must compensate the Netherlands for
seizing a Greenpeace ship protesting at an oil platform in Arctic
waters in breach of an international treaty regulating the laws of
the sea. The Arctic Sunrise, sailing under a Dutch flag, was seized
by Russian authorities in September 2013 during a protest against an
offshore oil platform.
   (AP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, A strike by
Palestinian teachers and personnel in Gaza kept more than 200,000
children from returning to school for the new term, as the UN agency
that employs them struggled financially.
   (AFP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, South Korean
President Park Geun-hye demanded that North Korea apologize over
recent landmine blasts, even as the bitter rivals held marathon
talks to defuse tensions that have brought the peninsula back to the
brink of armed conflict.
   (Reuters, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Sri Lanka's police
arrested four army personnel, including two senior officers, in
connection with the abduction of dissident cartoonist Prageeth
Eknaligoda in January, 2010, that triggered international
condemnation of the island's rights record. The cartoonist was never
seen again.
   (AFP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, A Swiss official
says his country has made headway toward returning some $40 million
that was stolen from the Tunisian state and has been sitting in
Swiss banks since Tunisia's longtime regime collapsed in the Arab
Spring uprising.
   (AP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In Syria a US air
strike outside Raqqa killed Junaid Hussain (21), an Islamic State
hacker from Birmingham, England. The strike also killed 3 civilians.
   (SFC, 8/28/15, p.A4)(AFP, 1/29/16)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In northeastern
Turkey two buildings collapsed during heavy flooding, killing eight
people in Artvin province.
   (Reuters, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, UN Security
Council members opened their first-ever meeting on LGBT rights to
hear Syrian and Iraqi gays tell of terror under Islamic State rule.
   (AFP, 8/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Venezuela
announced a 60-day extension of its partial closure of the border
with Colombia.
   (SFC, 8/25/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In Yemen
unidentified gunmen raided the office of the International Committee
of the Red Cross in Aden, holding staff at gunpoint and stealing
cars, cash and equipment.
   (Reuters, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Cambodian police
said they have confiscated nearly 1.5 tons of marijuana from Laos in
what they described as their biggest seizure of the drug since they
started cracking down on it 15 years ago.
   (AP, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, China cut interest
rates for a fifth time in nine months in a new effort to shore up
slowing economic growth. European and US shares rebounded on
bargain-hunting as China cut rates.
   (AP, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In northern France
a police officer and 3 other people, including a woman and a baby,
were killed in a shootout in a Gypsy camp in the Somme department.
The attacker was injured in the melee.
   (SFC, 8/26/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Germany confirmed
it has stopped returning Syrian asylum-seekers to their first port
of entry in the EU, an action hailed as "European solidarity" as
thousands more migrants pour into the bloc seeking refuge.
   (AFP, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In India a mass
rally turned violent, with protesters torching cars, buses and
police stations in Gujarat state. The violence appears to have been
triggered by the detention of the 22-year-old leader of a mass
movement by the Patidar or Patel caste to demand preferential
treatment for jobs and university places. At least 6 people died in
the worst violence to hit PM Narendra Modi's home state in more than
a decade.
   (AFP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In Iraq a suicide
bomber in an explosives-laden army vehicle drove into a group of
soldiers southeast of Ramadi killing 13. A major in the Interior
Ministry’s intelligence agency was killed by an explosive device
attached to his car in Baghdad.
   (SFC, 8/26/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Israel began
releasing hundreds of African migrants from the remote Holot
detention center, after a court ruling earlier this month ordered
the release of those held for more than a year.
   (AP, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Kosovo and Serbia
reached the agreement brokered in Brussels by EU foreign policy
chief Federica Mogherini on four areas including energy and
telecoms.
   (AFP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Morocco's Interior
Ministry said 13 people were arrested in raids in several cities
across the country, including Nador and Hoceima on the Mediterranean
coast close to the Spanish enclave of Melilla, as well as Fez and
Casablanca. A Spanish Interior Ministry statement said one person
was arrested in the central town of San Martin de la Vega. Both
ministries said the network was aimed at recruiting fighters for the
Islamic State to fight in Syria and Iraq and also to carry out
IS-type actions in Morocco and Spain.
   (AP, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In northeastern
Nigeria a young female bomber killed 6 people and wounded dozens
outside a bus station in the heartland of the Boko Haram Islamist
insurgency in Damaturu. In the northeast Boko Haram extremists
killed 24 people in an attack on Marfunudi.
   (AFP, 8/25/15)(AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, North and South
Korea agreed early today to end a military standoff that sparked an
exchange of artillery fire and had ratcheted up tension on one of
the world's most heavily-fortified borders.
   (Reuters, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In Russia Crimean
filmmaker Oleg Sentsov was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in a
Russian maximum-security prison for an alleged terror conspiracy.
   (AP, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Russia’s Consumer
Protection Agency said recent inspection of selected goods by top
foreign brands such as Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble
have found high levels of toxic ingredients in them leading
authorities to begin removing them from stores.
   (SFC, 8/27/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, A record 2,533
mainly Syrians, Afghans and Pakistanis crossed from Serbia into EU
member Hungary.
   (Reuters, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In South Africa
eight policeman were found guilty of murdering Mido Macia (27), a
Mozambican man, who died after being dragged behind a moving police
van on February 26, 2013, an incident that provoked global outrage.
   (AFP, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, The Turkish
military said 34 militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
were killed in its latest air strikes on the group's camps in
northern Iraq's Qandil mountain region.
   (Reuters, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In Yemen about 100
Saudi forces arrived in Aden to help rebuild the local police force.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it has
temporarily suspended its activities in Aden after its office was
raided by unidentified gunmen a day earlier. Al-Qaeda dynamited a
headquarters of the secret police in Mukalla.
   (Reuters, 8/25/15)(AFP, 8/26/15)
 2015      Aug 25, The World
Food Program (WFP) said around 1.5 million Zimbabweans are predicted
to go hungry this year after a dramatic fall in maize production due
to severe drought this year.
   (Reuters, 8/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In the SF Bay Area
Michael James Pipkin Tyree, a mentally ill inmate, died in a Santa
Clara County jail of multiple blunt force injuries, visceral
lacerations, and internal bleeding. Officers Rafael Rodriguez (27),
Jereh Lubrin (28), and Matthew Farris (27) were arrested on Sep 3 on
suspicion of murder. In 2016 Santa Clara County settled a wrongful
death suit and civil rights violation claim by agreeing to pay $3.6
million to Tyree’s family. On June 1, 2017, the three officers were
convicted of second-degree murder. On Jan. 5, 2018, all three guards
received sentences of 15 years to life in prison.
   (SFC, 9/4/15, p.A1)(SFC, 12/10/16, p.C6)(SFC,
6/2/17, p.A1)(SFC, 1/6/18, p.C1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Colorado James
Holmes (28), the man convicted of killing 12 people on July
20, 2012, at a movie theater in Centennial, was ordered to serve 12
consecutive life sentenced in prison without parole.
   (SFC, 8/27/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, A Tennessee judge
upheld the state’s lethal injection process for executing inmates.
   (SFC, 8/27/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Virginia WDBJ
reporter Alison Parker (24) and cameraman Adam Ward (27) were shot
dead while conducting an on-air interview in Moneta, near Roanoke.
Television footage captured a fuzzy image of the gunman. Vester Lee
Flanagan II died soon after of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He
had been terminated from WDBJ in 2013.
   (AFP, 8/26/15)(SFC, 8/27/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Walmart confirmed
that it will no longer carry assault rifles in its US stores. It
will continue to sell shotguns and other hunting weapons.
   (SFC, 8/27/15, p.C4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Afghanistan two
men in military uniforms opened fire in the former British base of
Camp Bastion, killing 2 NATO soldiers. In southern Afghanistan US
forces launched multiple air strikes on Musa Qala, seized by the
Taliban a day earlier.
   (AFP, 8/26/15)(SFC, 8/28/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Algeria said its
armed forces have mounted operations against Islamist militants in
the eastern coastal regions of Jijel and Skikda and killed 5
fighters in the past few days.
   (Reuters, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Egypt three
gunmen in a speeding car shot and killed 2 policemen in the restive
northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula.
   (AP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Hungary made plans
to reinforce its southern border with helicopters, mounted police
and dogs, and was also considering using the army as record numbers
of migrants, many of them Syrian refugees, passed through coils of
razor-wire into Europe. Over 140,000 have been caught entering so
far this year.
   (Reuters, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Israel released a
second group of around 600 African migrants from a desert detention
center after a court order.
   (AFP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Myanmar's Pres.
Thein Sein signed two laws restricting religious conversion and
interfaith marriage.
   (Reuters, 8/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Northern Ireland’s
Ulster Unionist Party said it intended to pull out of officeÂ
following the August 12 gangland murder of Kevin McGuigan.
   (Econ, 8/29/15, p.47)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Pakistan Asim
Hussain, a petroleum minister in the previous PPP-led government,
was arrested. A day later he was accused in court of financing
terrorism.
   (Reuters, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Panama's top court
canceled a $120 million government contract to purchase a radar
system from Italian industrial giant Finmeccanica due to corruption
concerns. A government lawsuit argued that the contract signed by
former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) was the product of
bribes and kickbacks.
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Romania's PM
Victor Ponta hiked doctors' and nurses' wages, among the lowest in
Europe, by 25 percent after medics threatened to strike following a
court ruling that they could no longer accept informal payments and
gifts.
   (AP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, The Saudi-owned
Asharq al-Awsat daily reported that Ahmad Ibrahim al-Mughassil (48),
a key suspect in the bombing of a housing complex in Saudi Arabia
that killed 19 US airmen almost two decades ago, was detained in
Beirut and sent to Saudi Arabia where he is being interrogated.
   (AFP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, The Swedish ship
Poseidon, working with the European Union's border control agency
Frontex, found 52 migrants dead in the hold of a boat off the coast
of Libya. Rescue operations saved over 700 other people. On Aug 28
prosecutors in Sicily detained crew included seven Moroccans, two
Syrians and a Libyan on suspicion of smuggling and murder.
   (Reuters, 8/26/15)(SFC, 8/27/15, p.A4)(AP,
8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, South Sudan’s
President Salva Kiir signed a peace deal to end a 20-month conflict
with rebels. Kiir also issued a list of "serious reservations"
warning the deal might not last.
   (AFP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Thailand destroyed
over two tons of ivory, a victory for animal rights groups fighting
against the trade in a country renowned for being a hub for illegal
tusks.
   (AFP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Turkish PM Ahmet
Davutoglu invited three lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish Peoples'
Democratic Party (HDP) to join an interim government to take Turkey
to November 1 elections.
   (AFP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Turkey Jamil
Raadoun, the commander of Sukour al-Ghab from the rebel Free Syrian
Army, died in a bomb attack on his car in the southern province of
Hatay. Raadoun, who defected from the Syrian army early on in the
four-year-old civil war, had been in Turkey for about a year.
   (Reuters, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, UN peacekeepers
said they would have to cut rations for 6,800 ex-rebels and their
families left in limbo in government camps in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, blaming a shortage of funds and calling for the
state to step in.
   (AP, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Yemen al-Qaeda
militants blew up an army headquarters and set up checkpoints in the
jihadist network's southeastern stronghold of Mukalla, Hadramawt
province. Yemeni army units allied to the Houthi militia fired a
ballistic missile toward southern Saudi Arabia but the Saudi
military said it intercepted it and retaliated with air strikes on
Yemeni territory.
   (AFP, 8/26/15)(Reuters, 8/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In Austria 71
refugees were found dead in an abandoned freezer truck near the
Hungarian border. Three Bulgarians and an Afghan were soon arrested
in connection with the truck deaths.
   (Reuters, 8/27/15)(Reuters, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, China accused 11
transport and customs officials and several municipal authorities in
Tianjin of “dereliction of duty” and “abuse of power” over a
chemical explosion on Aug. 12 that killed some 140 people in the
northeastern city.
   (CSM, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Chinese state-run
media reported that courts in the restive, western region of
Xinjiang have jailed 45 people on terrorism-related charges,
including 18 convicted of organizing illegal border crossings.
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In China debris
from a Long March-4 rocket carrying a remote sensing satellite
crashed into a villager's home minutes after the launch from Shaanxi
province.
   (AFP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Tropical Storm
Erika unleashed severe flooding across Dominica, triggering
landslides that destroyed at least 20 homes in the tiny eastern
Caribbean island. At least 31 people were killed and 371 homes were
destroyed.
   (AP, 8/27/15)   (AP, 8/28/15)(AP,
9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, French police
cleared out one of the country’s biggest Roma camps, dismantling a
sprawling network of makeshift shelters next to a Paris region
highway under pouring rain. The camp had housed 200-300 people for
at least three years.
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Two French
investigative journalists were arrested and soon charged in Paris
with trying to blackmail the king of Morocco out of two million
euros ($2.2 million) in hush money. Eric Laurent and Catherine
Graciet were working on a book about King Mohammed VI, which was due
for release early next year.
   (AFP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Greece's top
Supreme Court judge Vassiliki Thanou was named the head of a
caretaker government to lead the country to elections expected next
month.
   (Reuters, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In Guatemala
pressure grew on President Otto Perez Molina as protesters prepared
to march for his resignation and the attorney general's office urged
him to step down due to corruption scandals.
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, The Indian army
killed 4 insurgents and captured another during a 12-hour clash near
the disputed border with Pakistan in the Indian-controlled portion
of Kashmir.
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, The Islamic State
said it carried out the suicide car bomb attacks near Ramadi,
capital of Iraq's western Anbar province, which had killed at least
five people, including two senior military commanders.
   (Reuters, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Italy's government
put Rome city hall under close supervision following allegations it
had fallen under the sway of organized crime, but allowed
beleaguered Mayor Ignazio Marino to stay in office.
   (Reuters, 8/27/15)(Econ, 9/5/15, p.58)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, The International
Atomic Energy Agency said it has signed an agreement with Kazakhstan
to establish a low-enriched uranium bank in the Central Asian
country, a move that supporters say could reduce concerns about
nuclear weapons proliferation.
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, An overcrowded
boat sank on its way to Europe sank in waters off the Libyan town of
Zuwara. 198 of some 500 migrants were rescued. Up to 200 people were
killed.
   (Reuters, 8/28/15)(AP, 8/29/15)(Reuters, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Monaco's Prince
Albert II apologized for his country's role in deporting Jews to
Nazi camps — seven decades after police rounded up scores of people
from the seaside principality, including those who had sought refuge
from the Holocaust in what they thought was a safe and neutral land.
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, NATO opened a
training center in Georgia as it eyes closer partnership with the
Western military alliance. Russia called the move provocative.
   (AFP, 8/27/15)(Reuters, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In northeastern
Nigeria Boko Haram extremists attacked the fishing village of Kafa,
killing 4 people.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, A Pakistani
anti-corruption court issued an arrest warrant for former PM Yousaf
Raza Gilani (2008-2012) and another senior party leader, Makhdoom
Amin Fahim, in a case alleging millions of dollars of graft in a
trade development scheme.
   (Reuters, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In central
Pakistan a suspected Taliban militant blew himself up during a
police raid, killing his own wife and two children in the town of
Pir Mahal.
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In the Philippines
radio commentator Cosme Maestrado (46) was shot dead in front of a
public market in the southern port city of Ozamiz.
   (AFP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Romania's PM
Victor Ponta gave Moldova 100 million euros ($117 million) in
financial aid in a gesture of support for the former Soviet
republic's EU membership bid, as Moldova marked its 24th anniversary
of independence. Ponta called for a Romanian gas pipeline to be
extended to Chisinau, the Moldovan capital.
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In Russia
Alexander Borodai, a former leader of pro-Russian separatist rebels
in eastern Ukraine, announced he was launching a support network for
Russian volunteers who fought in the conflict and the families of
those killed.
   (AFP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Saudi Arabia's
Health Ministry said 15 more people have died in the last seven days
after contracting the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, A Syrian judge
said courts are hearing a series of cases against officials accused
of corruption and mismanagement.
   (AFP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In southeastern
Turkey 6 people were killed in street fighting between security
forces and Kurdish rebels in a mainly Kurdish town of Yuksekova
after authorities imposed a curfew in the town late the previous
day.
   (Reuters, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, The Ukrainian
government said it has reached a deal with its international
bondholders to lighten its public debt burden, a crucial move that
will help the country avoid default as it tries to cope with the
devastating costs of war.
   (AP, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Ukraine said 7
servicemen have been killed and 13 wounded in fighting with
pro-Russian separatists in the past 24 hours.
   (Reuters, 8/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Arizona a
string of shootings began on Phoenix-area highways. By September 10
at least 11 vehicles were struck by bullets or projectiles. On Sep
18 suspect Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. (21) was arrested. Merritt said
the gun has been in a pawn shop for the last two months.
   (SFC, 9/11/15, p.A11)(SFC, 9/18/15, p.A5)(SSFC,
9/20/15, p.A9)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Texas Darren
Goforth (47), a white sheriff’s deputy for Harris County, was shot
and killed while pumping gas for his patrol car. Shannon Miles (30),
a black man, was soon arrested and charged with murder.
   (SSFC, 8/30/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Virginia teenager
Ali Shukri Amin (17) was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison
for helping another teen travel to Syria to join the Islamic State
and providing other aid to the militant group.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Afghanistan at
least 8 officers were killed and 15 wounded in separate Taliban
attacks on police checkpoints in Andar and Qarabagh districts. 5
police officers were killed when their vehicle hit roadside bomb in
the Chora district of Uruzgan province An Afghan forces airstrike
killed 16 insurgents and wounded 17 in Ghazni's capital. Afghan
forces launched an operation to retake the district of Musa Qala in
fighting that killed six soldiers and wounded 14.
   (AP, 8/29/15)(AP, 8/30/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In the Central
African Republic the armed anti-Balaka militia group released 163
children, some of thousands who have been conscripted in jobs like
cooks, messengers, and even combatants.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Estonia said it is
planning to cover a 136-km (84-mile) stretch of land along its
border with Russia with state-of-art technology to combat illegal
border-crossing and illicit traffic.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Greece's new
caretaker government, led by the nation's first female prime
minister, was sworn and headed straight into a cabinet meeting as
the country faces an election next month.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, India's army
killed 5 insurgents from a Naga rebel group that months earlier
attacked the military in the country's remote northeastern region.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Iraq an
explosion ripped through the parking lot of a Baghdad police station
when a police bomb squad tried to defuse a car bomb while colleagues
looked on, killing 6 and wounding 10.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Japanese lawmakers
approved a law requiring large employers to set and publicize
targets for hiring or promoting women as managers.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Kashmir Indian
and Pakistani border guards traded gunfire and shelling overnight,
leaving 9 civilians dead and another 63 wounded.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Nigeria's domestic
intelligence agency warned travelers to be ready for an attack on
the capital's airport after announcing it had smashed a spy network
run by the radical Islamist group Boko Haram. The Department of
State Services (DSS) said in a statement that it had arrested a
14-year-old at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja who
admitted he had been ordered to spy on security procedures.
   (AFP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In northeastern
Nigeria suspected Boko Haram gunmen on horseback reportedly killed
68 people in an attack on Baanu village in Borno state. A government
official put the death toll at 56.
   (AFP, 8/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In the southern
Philippines at least 3 Abu Sayyaf extremists were killed and 10
marines wounded in a clash with about 300 of the militants in Sulu
province.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Poland's defense
ministry signed a preliminary agreement with Bulgaria to modernize
the Balkan country's Soviet-era fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Russia court in
St. Petersburg sentenced Mikhail Glushchenko, a former lawmaker, to
17 years in prison for organizing the 1998 assassination of Galina
Starovoitova, a leading democratic politician. Glushchenko insisted
that he organized the killing at the request of a powerful mafia
leader who was threatening him.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Prosecutors in
Sicily detained 10 people on suspicion of smuggling and murder for
having allegedly crammed dozens of migrants into the airless hold of
a boat where 52 bodies were found this week.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In South Africa
five passengers carrying over $5 million in cash were detained while
boarding an Emirates flight at Johannesburg's main international
airport. Rumors followed that the cash was headed for the Islamic
State group, but by Sep 22 authorities had not found any tangible
evidence.
   (AP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, South Sudanese
President Salva Kiir ordered all government troops to cease fighting
rebel forces as part of a peace agreement. A full ceasefire was to
begin August 29.
   (AFP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Swaziland at
least 38 girls and young women were killed in a crash while
travelling to the country’s annual reed dance. Police later reduced
to death toll to 13. Pro-democracy activists from the
Johannesburg-based Swaziland Solidarity Network said 65 were killed.
SSN activists claimed King Mswati III had fabricated the lower
figure.
   (AP, 8/29/15)(AFP, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Syria's Al-Qaeda
offshoot and other rebel groups advanced towards a military airport
that is the last remaining government-held facility in the
northwestern province of Idlib.
   (AFP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Turkish jets took
part in US-led coalition air strikes against Islamic State in Syria
for the first time.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In southeastern
Yemen witnesses said Al-Qaeda militants have publicly flogged 10 men
in Hadramawt province for insulting God and consuming alcohol and
drugs. Each man received between 80 and 100 lashes.
   (AFP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, The Vatican said
Jozef Wesolowski (67), its former ambassador to the Dominican
Republic, was found dead as he awaited trial. He was the
highest-ranking Holy See official to ever be charged with sexually
abusing young boys.
   (AP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, The Yemeni army
said it has recruited 4,800 southern fighters following a
presidential decision to integrate loyalist militiamen who helped
push Iran-backed rebels out of second city Aden.
   (AFP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Zimbabwe media
reported that President Robert Mugabe has signed a new law banning
mass lay-offs following a spate of redundancies that unions say put
30,000 people out of work.
   (AFP, 8/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, A Taliban official
said gunbattles between rival Taliban factions left at least five
dead in southern Afghanistan as its members met in Pakistan to
resolve a leadership crisis following the death of its former leader
Mullah Mohammad Omar.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, China said
legislators have approved amendments to the country’s 15-year-old
air pollution law that grants the state new powers to punish
offenders and create a legal framework to cap coal consumption.
   (Reuters, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In China workers
were overcome with toxic gas from a paper mill's waste pool in Hunan
province and seven of them died.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Chad executed 10
members of Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram by firing
squad, a day after they were sentenced on terrorism charges. Among
the executed was Mahamat Moustapha, a 30-year-old Cameroonian who
was accused of masterminding a series of attacks on N'Djamena.
   (Reuters, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, China's National
People's Congress approved a prisoner amnesty as part of
commemorations of World War II's end that could see thousands of
inmates such as war veterans or juveniles released.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In China about 15
tons of sulfuric acid spilled early today from a crashed tanker
truck in the eastern province of Zhejiang. The driver and a
passenger in the truck were killed when it veered off the road into
farm land near the resort city of Hangzhou.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, An Egyptian court
sentenced three Al-Jazeera English journalists to three years in
prison. Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohammed were all
arrested in December 2013 on terrorism-related charges.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, The leaders of
France, Germany and Russia backed a new ceasefire in eastern Ukraine
in a three-way phone call.
   (Reuters, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, A shootout at sea
between Greek port police and human smugglers killed a 17-year-old
migrant off the island of Symi when a yacht carrying 70 migrants
from Turkey's western shores tried to illegally enter Greek waters.
   (AFP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Hungary arrested
four men suspected of being involved in the deaths of 71 migrants
found in a truck in Austria. They included three Bulgarians and one
Afghan. A fifth suspect, a Bulgarian national, was arrested in the
evening. In 2017 eleven men were indicted in the case.
   (AP, 8/29/15)(AP, 8/30/15)(AP, 5/4/17)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Iraq Islamic
State militants detained 200 people in Rutbah, Anbar province,
following a rare street demonstration protesting the extremist
group's execution of a local resident. A roadside bomb hit a border
guard convoy making its way to the border crossing of Trebil on the
Jordanian border, killing 5 officers. A pair of roadside bombs
killed 5 people and injured 19 south and west of Baghdad.
   (AP, 8/29/15)(AP, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Lebanon tens of
thousands of protesters flocked to a mass rally in downtown Beirut
against a political class accused of corruption and failing to
provide basic services.
   (AFP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Malaysia tens
of thousands wearing yellow T-shirts and blowing horns defiantly
held a major rally in the capital to demand the resignation of
embattled PM Najib Razak.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Myanmar banned
political parties from criticizing the army or the
military-dominated constitution in state media during campaigning
for the Nov 8 elections.
   (Reuters, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Mozambique
veteran journalist Paulo Machava, known for his crime reporting, was
gunned down on the streets of the capital.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In northeastern
Nigeria suspected Boko Haram gunmen on horseback killed 4 people in
Karnuwa village, Borno state.
   (AFP, 8/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, A Nigerian Air
Force plane crashed into a house in the northern city of Kaduna,
killing all 7 people on board.
   (Reuters, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, The Pakistani
military killed 14 suspected militants in its latest airstrikes in
in Shawal, North Waziristan.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Russia said Latvia
has refused permission to a Russian state news agency to open a
bureau in the country, a case that Moscow says is open
discrimination.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, South Sudan's
rebel chief Riek Machar ordered his troops to lay down their arms in
line with a ceasefire to end a 20-month civil war. South Sudan's
army and rebels accused each other of sparking fresh fighting in the
north-east, hours before the start of a ceasefire to end a brutal
20-month civil war.
   (AFP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, A truce between
Syrian regime forces and rebel groups in three key towns ended early
today as the warring parties resumed clashes and shelling.
   (AFP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Syria 8 IS
fighters were killed in a coalition air raid on Raqa, the de facto
"capital" of their caliphate. An IS car bomb on Tal Rifaat, in
Aleppo province, left 11 fighters and 8 civilians dead.
   (AFP, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Thai police
arrested a foreigner (28) who matched the description of a man who
left a bag at the site of a Bangkok blast that killed 20 people on
August 17. The DNA of the suspect, later identified as Mieraili
Yusufu or Yusufu Meerailee, did not match the bomber’s DNA but did
match DNA at two apartments where bomb-making material was
found.Â
   (Reuters, 8/29/15)(SFC, 9/5/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Turkish media
reported that three attacks or clashes between security forces and
Kurdish rebels have killed 5 people and injured 24 others in the
southeast.
   (AP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Yemen warplanes
from the Saudi-led coalition hit rebel positions as reinforcements
reached pro-government forces preparing for an anticipated advance
towards the capital.
   (AFP, 8/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, The Obama
administration announced its decision to bestow the traditional
Alaska Native name of Denali for what has been known as Mt. McKinley
on the eve of Pres. Obama’s 3-day visit to the state.
   (SFC, 9/3/15, p.A12)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Oliver Sacks
(b.1933), neurologist and writer, died at his home in NYC. His books
included “Awakenings” (1973), “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a
Hat” (1985), and “The Island of the Colorblind” (1977).
   (SFC, 8/31/15, p.A12)(Econ, 9/5/15, p.90)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In Texas a statue
of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy during the US
Civil War, was taken down from its pedestal outside the clock tower
of the Univ. of Texas campus in Austin. It was to be relocated to
the Briscoe Center for American History on the university campus.
   (SFC, 8/31/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Wes Craven
(b.1939), American writer and film director, died. His films
included “Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984, “Scream” (1996) and “Music
of the Heart" (1999).
   (AP, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In southern
Austria a small plane crashed at an air show, fatally injuring the
pilot.
   (AP, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Indian scholar
Malleshappa M. Kalburgi (77) greeted two unidentified visitors and
was shot in the head and the chest, becoming the third critic of
religious superstition to be killed in the country in three years.
   (AP, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Italian energy
giant ENI announced the discovery of the "largest ever" offshore
natural gas field in the Mediterranean inside Egypt's territorial
waters. The Zohr field would meet Egypt's own natural gas demands
for decades.
   (AFP, 8/30/15)(Econ, 8/19/17, p.40)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In Japan tens of
thousands of protesters rallied outside parliament to oppose
security legislation in one of this summer's biggest protests ahead
of its anticipated passage next month.
   (AP, 8/30/15)  Â
     Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, A Libyan official
said a boat carrying migrants sank off Khoms, killing at least 7
people. Fishermen later discovered 30 more bodies in the same area.
   (Reuters, 8/30/15)(Reuters, 8/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In Malaysia big
crowds of protesters returned to the streets of Kuala Lumpur demand
the resignation of PM Najib Razak over a financial scandal.
   (AP, 8/30/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In Nepal hundreds
of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transvestites paraded through the
capital to demand that rights for sexual minorities be included in
the country's new constitution that is being finalized.
   (AP, 8/30/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Nigeria's secret
police said it had arrested notable Boko Haram suspects, including a
key commander, linked with several suicide attacks across the
country. The Department of State Services (DSS) said that Usman
Shuiabu, also known as Money, and other frontline members of the
hardline Islamist group were picked up in Lagos, Kano, Plateau,
Enugu and Gombe states between July and August.
   (AFP, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In northeastern
Nigeria suspected Boko Haram gunmen on horseback killed 7 people in
Hambagda village, Borno state, and injured five others.
   (AFP, 8/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In southwestern
Pakistan gunmen attacked a small airport, killing two officials at
Baluchistan province's Jewni airport.
   (AP, 8/30/15)  Â
     Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In the Philippines
thousands of members of Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), or
INC, occupied Manila's main highway for a third night in a row to
protest alleged intrusion by the government in church affairs.
   (Reuters, 8/30/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Qatar officials
said exports plunged more than 40 percent in value in the year up
until July 2015, on the back of a slump in petrol and hydrocarbon
sales.
   (AFP, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Saudi Arabia
allowed women to register to stand in local elections, in a historic
first for the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom.
   (AFP, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Saudi authorities
executed a Pakistani man for attempting to smuggle drugs into the
ultra-conservative kingdom. Up to 129 people have been executed in
Saudi Arabia so far this year.
   (AFP, 8/30/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In eastern Saudi
Arabia a large fire broke out in the basement of a residential
complex in Khobar, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than
200.
   (AP, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, South Sudan
government troops attacked a village in Unity state on the first day
of a cease-fire that both sides have pledged to implement. The
attack on the village in Mayendit County followed attacks on two
other villages in the same area the previous evening.
   (AP, 8/30/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said 32 civilians were among 91 people
executed for "crimes" in the jihadist group's self-proclaimed
caliphate between July 29 and August 29.
   (AFP, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In central Syria
Islamic State militants in Syria destroyed the main building of the
2,000-year-old Bel Temple in Palmyra, considered one of the greatest
sites of the ancient world.
   (AP, 8/30/15)   (SFC, 8/31/15,
p.A2)(Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In southeastern
Turkey a child, 3 other civilians and 2 police officer were killed
in violence following the breakdown of a ceasefire between the
government and Kurdish militants in Diyarbakir province.
   (Reuters, 8/30/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, The United States
and its allies staged 15 airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq
and seven in Syria over the last 24 hours.
   (Reuters, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In Yemen gunmen on
a motorbike shot dead Colonel Abdelhakim al-Sanidi, the director of
security operations in Aden. A Saudi-led coalition air raid struck a
factory in northern Yemen killing 17 civilians and 14 Shiite Huthi
rebels.
   (AFP, 8/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Austria stepped up
vehicle inspections at its Hungarian border, creating a huge traffic
jam on the main Budapest-Vienna highway. A train carrying hundreds
of migrants headed to Vienna after being held for hours at Austria's
border with Hungary amid a security clampdown on trafficking gangs
and efforts to apply fraying European rules intended to manage the
flow of refugees.
   (AP, 8/31/15)   (Reuters,
8/31/15)Â Â Â Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, The Chinese
Ministry of Public Security said it has punished at least 197 people
in recent days for spreading rumors online.
   (SFC, 9/1/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In China a fire at
the Shandong Binyuan Chemical Co Ltd, in Lijin county, killed 13
people. It was extinguished before dawn the next day.
   (Reuters, 9/1/15)(AP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In eastern Congo
DRC unidentified gunmen killed six elite presidential guard soldiers
in an ambush north of Goma.
   (Reuters, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In India rioters
set fire to the homes of seven lawmakers during a rampage to protest
new legislation defining who can claim to be from the northeastern
state of Manipur. By the next day at least 5 people were left dead.
   (AP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, The Hotel Okura, a
favored Tokyo lodging for US presidents, movie stars and other
celebrities, closed the doors of its landmark main building to make
way for a pair of glass towers ahead of the 2020 Olympics. The
building had opened in 1962, ahead of the 1964 Games.
   (AP, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Myanmar's Pres.
Thein Sein signed into law the last of four controversial bills
championed by radical Buddhists. The Monogamy Bill sets punishments
for people who have more than one spouse or live with an unmarried
partner other than the spouse. The measures are part of four "Race
and Religion Protection Laws" championed by Ma Ba Tha, the Committee
for the Protection of Nationality and Religion.
   (Reuters, 8/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Nigerian Aliko
Dangote, Africa's richest man, said he would build a cement plant in
Zimbabwe.
   (Reuters, 8/31/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Norway’s police
Chief Inspector Goeran Stenseth said that 151 migrants have crossed
the border this year near the northeastern town of Kirkenes.
   (AP, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Singapore said it
has lifted a two-decade ban on HIV-infected people from entering the
country, but will limit their stay to a maximum of three months.
   (AP, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, South Sudan's
rebel chief Riek Machar accused the government of breaking a
ceasefire, jeopardizing a peace agreement aimed to end the country's
20-month civil war.
   (AFP, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In northeastern
Spain a huge explosion at the Pirotecnia Zaragozana factory killed 6
people in Pinseque, near Zaragoza.
   (AP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Thai police issued
arrest warrants for two more suspects, Thai woman Wanna Suansun (26)
and a foreign man of unknown nationality, as part of a widening
investigation in connection with the Aug 17 deadly bombing in
Bangkok.
   (AP, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Turkish
authorities offered up to 4 million lira ($1.37 million) in rewards
for those who help a crackdown on "terrorists", in a new ruling
published today.
   (AFP, 8/31/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In Ukraine a
national guardsman was killed and nearly 90 others protecting the
parliament were wounded by grenades hurled by protesters as deputies
backed reforms to give more autonomy to rebel-held areas. By the
next day 2 more guardsman died from wounds sustained in the violent
protests.
   (Reuters, 8/31/15)(Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, An algae bloom across
Lake Erie, the largest on record, stretched from Toledo, Ohio, to
Cleveland and covered some 300 square miles.
   (SFC, 11/11/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, Cameroon banned the
wearing of the burqa in its northern-most region following
suicide-bombings by people clad in burqas.
   (Econ, 2/13/15, p.40)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, In China four men
posing as corruption investigators snatched agriculture official
Zhang Wei and his wife from their home, telling them they had been
targeted by President Xi Jinping's campaign against corruption.
Police in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang later arrested
three of the alleged perpetrators.
   (AFP, 10/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, A total of 1,325
Iraqis were killed and another 1,811 were injured in violence during
the month of August including 585 civilians according to a UN
report.
   (AP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, Egypt began digging
18 fisheries along the 9-mile border with Gaza to grow mullet fish
and shrimp and to make digging underground tunnels impossible.
   (SFC, 9/1/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, Iran's most expensive
movie, "Muhammad", opened nationwide in the Shiite Islamic republic
last week. It depicted the prophet on screen, an act that is
prohibited in Sunni Islam. Saudi Arabia's top cleric soon hit out at
the film describing its portrayal of the prophet's childhood as a
"hostile act" and a "distortion" of Islam.
   (AFP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, In the Ivory Coast
roving bands of kids as young as 12, dubbed microbes, raised alarm
this month over crime in working-class neighborhoods of Abidjan.
President Alassane Ouattara's government has described the
"microbes" as children traumatized by Ivory Coast's postelection
crisis of 2010-11, which claimed more than 3,000 lives after
ex-President Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat.
   (AP, 8/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, Spanish authorities
arrested Michael Desaedeleer, a businessman with dual
American-Belgian citizenship, who has been accused of enslavement
and pillaging "blood diamonds" during Sierra Leone's civil war.
   (AP, 8/30/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, Uganda wildlife
officials were stumped by a mysterious illness among the lions of
Kidepo Valley National Park that has left the big cats emaciated and
docile.
   (SSFC, 8/23/15, p.C12)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Pres. Obama visited
the Exit Glacier in Alaska, which has receded 1.25 miles since 1815
and 187 feet since last year alone, and called it a signpost of
climate change.
   (SFC, 9/2/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, California’s prison
officials reached a settlement with inmates who filed a class-action
suit in 2012 over solitary confinement. Changes will return as many
as 1,800 inmates to the general population, allow access to
vocational and educational programs, phone calls, mail deliveries
and family visits.
   (SFC, 9/2/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Illinois three
armed suspects reportedly shot dead police officer Lt. Charles
Joseph Gliniewicz (52) in the Chicago suburb of Fox Lake. On Nov 4
it was announced that Gliniewicz had staged his suicide after
stealing and laundering money over the course of years.
   (YahooNews, 9/2/15)(SFC, 11/5/15, p.A9)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Missouri Jeff
Mizanskey, sentenced to life in prison without parole on a
marijuana-related charge, walked out of prison a free man. He had
been sentenced in 1996 after police said he conspired to sell 6
pounds of marijuana to a dealer connected to Mexican drug cartels.
   (AP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Afghan Pres. Ashraf
Ghani called for a national jihad (holy war) against corruption.
   (SFC, 9/2/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Azerbaijan
sentenced award-winning investigative journalist and anti-graft
campaigner Khadija Ismayilova (39) to seven and a half years in jail
on corruption charges. Ismayilova has denounced her prosecution as
politically motivated and an attempt to stop her critical reporting.
Freedom House says there are now more than 80 political prisoners in
Azerbaijan.
   (AFP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, The Lizard Squad of
hackers claimed they had downed the website of Britain's lead law
enforcement agency. The attack came four days after the NCA arrested
six hackers, accusing them of buying code from Lizard Squad that
enables DDoS attacks.
   (AFP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Statistics Canada
said the national economy shrank again in the second quarter,
putting the country in recession for the first time since the
financial crisis.
   (Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Chinese President
Xi Jinping welcomed Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, an
accused war criminal, as an "old friend", as China's foreign
ministry defended his invite to a military parade to mark the end of
World War Two.
   (Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Greek authorities
said a coast guard special unit raid has found a shipment of weapons
on board a foreign-flagged cargo ship sailing near Crete.
   (AP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Guatemala’s
Congress lifted Pres. Otto Perez Molina’s immunity of office opening
up to possible prosecution in a widening customs corruption scandal.
   (SFC, 9/2/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Hungary hundreds
of angry migrants demonstrated outside Budapest's Eastern Railway
Terminus demanding they be allowed to travel on to Germany, as EU
asylum rules came close to collapse under the strain of
unprecedented migration.
   (Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Iraq a series of
suicide attacks by the Islamic State group outside a town in Anbar
province west of Baghdad killed 12 soldiers and allied Sunni
militiamen. Airstrikes by the US-led alliance destroyed six IS
vehicles and killed 13 militants as they approached the site.
   (AP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Kuwait state news
said 26 people have been charged with possessing weapons and having
contacts with Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group in order to plot
attacks against the Gulf state.
   (Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Lebanon of
protesters marched into the Environment Ministry in Beirut, staging
a sit-in outside the minister’s office and demanding his resignation
over the country’s snowballing trash crisis.
   (SFC, 9/2/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Mali suspected
Islamic extremists attacked an army checkpoint in Timbuktu, killing
at least 2 soldiers by slashing their throats.
   (AP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Nepali police shot
dead at least 4 protesters and killed a fifth as demonstrators threw
stones and petrol bombs, angry at a new planned constitution.
   (Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In northwestern
Pakistan a suicide bomber killed at least 6 people and wounded 31
others when blowing himself up outside a local government office.
   (AP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Sierra Leone a
food trader (67) died of Ebola in Sella Kafta village in the
northern district of Kambia, after being sick for up to 10 days
without the authorities' knowledge. The entire village of almost
1,000 was soon placed under quarantine.
   (AFP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In southern Somalia
Al-Shabab overran an African Union base early today in the small
farming town of Janale. Al-Shabab said it killed about 50 AU troops
from Uganda at the base. Another 50 troops were missing. A Uganda
later said 12 soldiers were killed in the attack.
   (AP, 9/1/15)(AFP, 9/2/15)(SFC, 9/4/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Thailand police
arrested a second foreign suspect in connection with the August 17
attack that killed 20 people.
   (Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Turkish police
raided the offices of the Koza Ipek group, a conglomerate linked to
a US-based cleric accused of plotting against President Tayyip
Erdogan.
   (Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, A Turkish soldier
vanished and another was killed in cross-border shooting with
Islamic State fighters near the town of Kilis, close to Syrian
territory that has been under Islamic State control for months.
   (Reuters, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Ukraine a
fragile truce between government forces and pro-Russian separatists
appeared to be holding as both sides made a renewed effort to
silence their guns and make the much-abused ceasefire work.
   (Reuters, 9/1/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, The UN said 95
civilians have been killed in the past two weeks in Yemen's
southwestern city of Taiz where a collapsing health care service and
outbreak of dengue fever are compounding a dire humanitarian
situation.
   (Reuters, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, At the Vatican Pope
Francis called on priests to pardon women who have abortions, and
the doctors who perform them, during the upcoming Jubilee year --
overruling hardline traditionalists within the Catholic Church.
   (AFP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Yemen 17 rebels
were killed in Saudi-led coalition air strikes that also
"mistakenly" left 3 pro-government fighters dead over the past 24
hours in Baihan, a region between the provinces of Shabwa which is
government-held, and oil-rich Marib which both sides are fighting to
control.
   (AFP, 9/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, President Barack
Obama secured a landmark foreign policy victory as US Senate
Democrats amassed enough votes to ensure the Iran nuclear deal
survives in Congress.
   (AP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In North Carolina
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lewis (31) was killed in a helicopter accident
during night time training at Camp Lejeune.
   (SFC, 9/5/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Dallas, Texas,
pediatric dentist Kendra Hatcher was shot to death in a
murder-for-hire. Crystal Cortes (23), accused of driving the shooter
to the garage, was arrested Sep 5 and charged with capital murder.
Kristopher Love (31) was later identified as the shooter and was
charged with capital murder. Brenda Delgado (33), who reportedly
planned the killing, remained a fugitive. Delgado was reported
arrested in Torreon, Mexico, on April 8, 2016.
   (AP, 10/3/15)(SSFC, 4/10/16, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, It was reported
that malicious software targeting smartphones with the Android
operating system is becoming more common, with some handsets already
infected when they're bought.
   (AP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Burundi
anti-government protesters resumed in some neighborhoods in the
capital after residents accused the police of harassment. At least 4
people were killed in the renewed clashes.
   (AP, 9/2/15)(AFP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, A cattle war was
reported raging amid the sectarian violence in the Central African
Republic. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said herd
figures have dropped by 77 percent compared to levels before the
crisis, due to mass slaughter and theft.
   (AFP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In France 8 people,
including 2 children, were killed in a fire in a Paris apartment
building that investigators believe may have been started
deliberately. Police arrested a man in his 30s who might have been
at the scene.
   (AFP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Hundreds of
migrants poured overnight onto the high-speed railway linking Paris
with London near the French port of Calais, stranding thousands of
passengers in darkness for hours aboard Eurostar trains.
   (Reuters, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Iraq gunmen in
military uniform seized 18 Turkish workers from a sports stadium
they were building in northeastern Baghdad. Two of the workers were
freed on Sep 15. The remaining sixteen were freed on Sep 30.
   (Reuters, 9/2/15)(AFP, 9/16/15)(AP, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Iraq army
Colonel Muthana al-Daini was shot dead near Baquba, 65 km (40 miles)
east of Baghdad, in a killing his family said was politically
motivated. Daini was the brother of Sunni lawmaker Nahida al-Daini,
who has been outspoken in accusing Shi'ite militias of committing
atrocities in Diyala province.
   (Reuters, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Kazakhstan the
first Dane in space accompanied by 26 custom-made figurines from
Danish toymaker Lego blasted off in a Soyuz spacecraft as part of a
three-man team on an unusually long two-day mission to the
International Space Station.
   (AFP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Mali 19 people
died when an overloaded canoe capsized on a stretch of the Niger
river passing through the town of Bangou. 70 people survived and
four were still missing.
   (AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Mexican authorities
say a four-year search of a ranch in Nuevo Leone has turned up bone
fragments belonging to at least 31 individuals.
   (AP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In northern Nigeria
gunmen killed at least 5 villagers in a raid in Mainari village,
Borno state, before being repelled by government troops. The
Nigerian army said it has reinstated some 3,000 soldiers who were
dismissed for alleged indiscipline in the battle against Boko Haram
insurgents in the northeast.
   (Reuters, 9/3/15)(AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Pakistani warplanes
bombarded the Shawal Valley, killing at least 17 suspected
militants. More air strikes in the Khyber tribal area killed at
least 14 militants and wounded six more. A suspected US drone strike
on a militant hideout in northwestern Pakistan killed 6 men. In the
northwestern city of Peshawar gunmen ambushed a police patrol,
killing 3 police officers and wounding six.
   (Reuters, 9/2/15)(AP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Puerto Rico’s
troubled state-owned power company announced a restructuring plan
with some of its creditors that would provide breathing room for an
island staggering under the weight of its public debt.
   (AP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Russia staged a
military parade to commemorate seizing Sakhalin and the nearby
Kurile islands chain from Japan in 1945, a move likely to inflame
tensions over a long-running territorial dispute with Tokyo.
   (Reuters, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In South Sudan
monitors of the regional bloc of East African states known as IGAD
witnessed government "helicopter gunships flying towards and
engaging the SPLM/A(IO) rebel forces on the west bank of the Nile.
Machar's rebels also violated the August ceasefire by launching
attacks in Unity state on August 23.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Syria at least
10 people were killed and dozens wounded when a car bomb exploded in
Latakia. Syrian air force strikes killed at least 14 people east of
Damascus. A mortar attack on part of the campus of Damascus
University killed at least 2 students and wounded several. Heavy
shelling killed 3 civilians and wounded 45 in Jaramana city, east of
Damascus.
   (Reuters, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, An image of Aylan
Kurdi (2), a drowned toddler washed up on the beach in one of
Turkey's prime tourist resorts, swept across social media, after at
least 12 presumed Syrian refugees died trying to reach the Greek
island of Kos. Aylan, his brother (5) and mother were among the
dead. In 2020 three Turkish men were sentenced to 125 years in jail
for their part in the drownings.
   (Reuters, 9/2/15)(SSFC, 9/6/15, p.A18)(SFC,
3/14/20, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In eastern Ukraine
2 civilians were killed undermining fresh efforts to end simmering
violence as the EU agreed to extend sanctions against individuals
deemed responsible for the conflict.
   (AFP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, The World Health
Organization (WHO) said officials have found two children stricken
by a mutated polio virus in Ukraine, the country's first cases of
the paralytic disease in nine years. Health officials had warned
Ukraine was at high risk of a polio outbreak due to its low
vaccination rates.
   (AP, 9/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Yemen 2 local
Red Cross employees were shot dead in the northern province of Amran
by an unknown attacker. At least 32 people were killed and dozens
wounded in two bombings near a mosque in a northern district of
Sanaa.
   (Reuters, 9/2/15)(AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In San Francisco
James Thomas (61) was fatally stabbed on Sixth Street. In 2018
Carlos Argueta (35), a tenants' rights attorney, was acquittedÂ
of three possible charges in the stabbing.
   (SFC, 12/19/18, p.C1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In Kentucky Rowan
County Clerk Kim Davis was jailed for contempt after she insisted
that her conscience would not allow her to follow federal court
rulings on gay marriage.
   (SFC, 9/4/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Part of the
Mississippi River was closed after two tow boats collided near
Paducah, Kentucky, damaging at least one barge carrying clarified
slurry oil, which is heavier than water. The coast Guard said a
little more than 120,000 of 250,000 gallons spilled into the river.
   (SFC, 9/4/15, p.A8)(SFC, 9/5/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In NYC protests
took place outside of Trump Tower over negative comments made by
Donald Trump about Mexico and Mexican immigrants. Six protesters
later filed a lawsuit saying they had been assaulted during the
protests.
   (SSFC, 9/22/19, p.A14)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In Afghanistan
officials from more than 30 nations and 40 international
organizations gathered in Kabul for a regional economic conference
to explore ways of rebuilding the country after more than 40 years
of war.
   (AP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Bolivian
authorities working on a corruption case arrested Adolfo Chavez, a
top indigenous leader, who has been critical of President Evo
Morales' push to drill for oil and develop mining on traditional
native lands in the eastern lowlands. On Sep 5 Chavez was released
from detention by a judge who threw out the corruption case.
   (AP, 9/4/15)(AP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, PM David Cameron
promised Britain would fulfil its "moral responsibilities" in the
migrants crisis but resisted growing pressure at home and abroad to
accept a bigger share of Syrian refugees.
   (AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In northern
Cameroon least 30 people were killed in two successive suicide
attacks.
   (AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, China unveiled new
"carrier-killer" missiles and announced a 300,000 cut in troop
numbers at a spectacular WWII anniversary parade.
   (AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, An Egyptian court
said that female singers Bardis and Shakira promoted indecency in
their music videos and sentenced both to six months in prison.
   (SFC, 9/4/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, France and Germany
agreed that the European Union, facing an unprecedented influx of
migrants, should impose binding quotas on the numbers member states
take in.
   (AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In France more than
1,000 tractors descended on Paris in a boisterous protest by farmers
who blocked highways to express their anger over falling prices for
their goods and high taxes.
   (AP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Guatemala’s Pres.
Perez Molina (64) appeared in court after submitting his
resignation. A judge had issued an order to detain him in a customs
fraud case. Congress met in an emergency session to hand power to
the vice president.
   (AP, 9/3/15)(Reuters, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Hungarian police
halted a train packed with migrants bound for the Austrian border
and tried to force them to disembark in a town with a detention
camp, a confrontation that has become a focus of Europe's migration
crisis.
   (Reuters, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, An overloaded
wooden boat believed to be carrying about 70 Indonesian illegal
immigrants sank off the coast of Malaysia, killing 61 people, among
them 23 women. The number of survivors stood at 19.
   (Reuters, 9/3/15)(AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In Iraq at least 12
people were killed in bomb attacks in commercial and residential
neighborhoods across Baghdad.
   (Reuters, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, The Israeli
military said its air force had attacked a Hamas military position
in the Gaza Strip overnight from which gunfire had hit homes in
southern Israel.
   (AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, The WHO announced
that Liberia, recently ravaged by Ebola, was free of the virus, 42
days after the last confirmed case passed a second negative test.
   (AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Libya's coastguard
said it rescued 104 African migrants on an overloaded rubber dinghy
bound for Europe that was about to sink off the coast of Tripoli.
About 30-40 people migrants drowned in the Mediterranean after a
dinghy carrying 120-140 Somalis, Sudanese and Nigerians deflated
after sailing from Misrata. The International Organization for
Migration said there were 91 survivors.
   (AFP, 9/3/15)   (AP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Some 5,600 people
crossed into Macedonia from Greece.
   (AFP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, NATO inaugurated a
military center in the Lithuanian capital amid growing concerns in
the Baltic countries over Russia's military presence.
   (AP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, The Sudan
Liberation Army – Abdul Wahid, a Darfur-based rebel group, released
18 government soldiers over the last 24 hours who were being held as
prisoners. The release was assisted by the Red Cross.
   (AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, PM Ahmet Davutoglu
said Turkey will continue to keep its doors open to refugees and
urged European countries to take their share of the burden.
   (Reuters, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Four Turkish police
were killed in a bomb attack on their vehicle in the country's
southeast blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
   (AFP, 9/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, President Barack
Obama hosted Saudi Arabia's new monarch for the first time and said
that the US shares King Salman's desire for an inclusive government
in Yemen that can relieve that impoverished Arab country's
humanitarian crisis.
   (AP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Florida Boeing
celebrated the opening of its commercial crew and cargo processing
facility which will serve as home to its future space fleet and
named it Starliner.
   (SFC, 9/5/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In NYC Deniss
Calovskis (30), a Latvian computer code writer, pleaded guilty to
helping create the Gozi virus, which spread to more than a million
computers worldwide and corrupted some at NASA. He admitted that he
was hired to write code for the virus.
   (SSFC, 9/6/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Austria and Germany
threw open their borders to thousands of exhausted migrants, bussed
to the Hungarian border by a right-wing government that had tried to
stop them but was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers reaching Europe’s
frontiers.
   (Reuters, 9/5/15)(Econ, 10/1/16, p.54)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Bolivia said an air
force captain was detained as he tried to take off from near the
Peru border with 362 kg (796 pounds) of cocaine in his plane.
   (AP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, PM David Cameron
said Britain will provide an extra 100 million pounds (137 million
euros, $153 million) in humanitarian aid for the Syrian crisis,
bringing its total contribution to more than 1.0 billion pounds.
Cameron said Britain will take in thousands more Syrian refugees.
   (AFP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, The prime ministers
of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia rejected any
quota system for accepting migrants in the European Union's 28
members.
   (AP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Greece a fire
broke out at the Dafni psychiatric hospital in western Athens
killing at least 3 people.
   (AP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Guatemala’s Pres.
Perez Molina resigned as president after prosecutors and a UN
comission investigation corruption alleged that he was part of a
multimillion-dollar graft ring.
   (SFC, 12/10/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Hungary's
parliament introduced emergency anti-migration laws, in a tough
response to the record number of refugees and migrants crossing the
EU member's border as they try to reach western Europe. Hundreds of
migrants broke out of a border camp and others set off on foot from
Budapest as authorities scrambled to contain a migrant crisis that
has brought Europe’s asylum system to breaking point.
   (AFP, 9/4/15)(Reuters, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Lebanon the
civil campaign that has organized protests against politicians in
Beirut called for a nationwide mobilization against a government
they say is too corrupt to function.
   (AFP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Libya clashes
broke out between Islamic State and army units loyal to the
country's official government near the eastern city of Derna,
killing 4 soldiers.
   (Reuters, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Mexican authorities
said police have seized a ton of so-called "black cocaine" at Mexico
City's airport and destroyed more than 100 tons of marijuana plants
in western state of Nayarit.
   (AP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Moroccans began
voting in local elections seen as a test for the ruling Islamists.
The Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) formed by a close
associate of Morocco's king secured most seats in local elections.
It was closely followed by the ruling PJD Islamist party which also
won in major cities.
   (AFP, 9/4/15)(Reuters, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, A Nepali policeman
was shot dead in the latest round of clashes to hit the country's
southern plains as protests intensify against a proposed new
constitution.
   (AFP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, A Russian Soyuz
spacecraft carrying three new crew docked at the International Space
Station.
   (AP, 9/4/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, A Saudi policeman
was killed and two others wounded when a terrorist attacked a
security site in the Abqaiq region in the country's Eastern
province.
   (AP, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Syria two
explosions late today and ensuing protests killed at least 37 people
including Druze leader Sheikh Wahid al-Balous in and around the town
of Sweida. 20 Islamist and other rebel fighters were killed in the
clashes throughout the day centered on the town of Marea, Aleppo
province, along with 27 IS jihadists.
   (Reuters, 9/5/15)(AFP, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Tajikistan 9
policemen were killed in attacks the authorities blamed on gunmen
loyal to the country's own deputy defense minister. 13 rebels were
also killed. The interior ministry blamed the attacks on a group led
by Major General Abdulkhalim Mirzo Nazarzoda, the deputy defense
minister, who was soon dismissed by Imomali Rakhmon, the president,
for committing a crime.
   (Reuters, 9/4/15)(AP, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Turkey imposed a
curfew on Cizre, a city of 120,000 on the border with Syria and
close to Iraq, in an effort to cripple the PKK. The curfew was
lifted on Sep 12. The government said that up to 32 Kurdish
militants were killed during the curfew and anti-terror operations.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said 21 civilians
were killed.
   (AFP, 9/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Yemen
Iranian-allied Houthis attacked a weapons storage facility in Marib
killing 45 soldiers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 5
Bahrainis, 10 Saudis and 4 Yemenis.
   (Reuters, 9/4/15)(AFP, 9/5/15)(Reuters, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In northern
Afghanistan at least 13 people were killed by gunmen who attacked a
minibus in Balkh province. All the victims belonged to the largely
Shi'ite Hazara ethnic minority.
   (Reuters, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Finnish PM Juha
Sipila offered to host refugees at his country home.
   (AFP, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, The Greek
coastguard said that about 13,370 migrants and refugees had been
ferried from Greece's eastern islands to Athens since Aug 31.
   (Reuters, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Japan's government
lifted a 4 1/2-year-old evacuation order for the northeastern town
of Naraha that had sent all of the town's 7,400 residents away
following the disaster at the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant.
   (AP, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Former US
intelligence worker Edward Snowden received a prize from the
Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression via a live
link from Russia, where he has sought asylum from US charges.
   (SSFC, 9/6/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, A small
Senegalair-operated plane from Burkina Faso carrying seven people
including a sick French woman was believed to have crashed into the
Atlantic ocean off the coast of Senegal.
   (AP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In southern Somalia
al Shabaab Islamist militants said they have seized control of two
towns, El Saliindi and Kuntuwarey, over the last two days and
attacked two African Union (AU) convoys in the same region.
   (Reuters, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, A South Korean
fishing charter boat capsized leaving at least 10 people dead and
eight missing. The 9.77-ton Dolphin went missing off the southwest
coast near the island of Chuja. 3 survivors were rescued the next
day.
   (AFP, 9/6/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In northwestern
Spain a race car lost control during the Coruna Rally and crashed
into onlookers killing 6 people. The toll soon rose to 7 following
the death of an 11-year-old spectator.
   (AP, 9/6/15)(AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In southern Syria
Druze gunmen killed six government security personnel during violent
protests after a Druze leader and dozens of people died in two car
bomb blasts overnight.
   (Reuters, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In Tajikistan an
armed group attacked a police post outside Dushanbe, and there were
losses among the officers guarding it.
   (Reuters, 9/5/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Colorado a
twin-engine Cessna 310-H went down in a remote section of the San
Juan Mountains, part of the Rocky Mountain range. At least 4 people
were killed.
   (Reuters, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, PM Tony Abbott said
Australia will accept more refugees from camps bordering Syria and
Iraq and “is open” to providing more financial assistance.
   (Reuters, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Austrian Chancellor
Werner Faymann said it was time to phase out extraordinary measures
allowing the unimpeded inflow of thousands of migrants from Hungary
to Austria and Germany.
   (Reuters, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Congo DRC local
officials said 7 civilians were killed in a new attack by Ugandan
rebels in the restive North Kivu Province. The Allied Democratic
Forces (ADF) are accused of killing more than 400 people over the
last 10 months.
   (AFP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In France ministers
and diplomats from 57 countries gathered in Paris to discuss the
make-or-break issue of finance in a climate rescue deal to be sealed
in the French capital in December.
   (AFP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, German police said
they expected a record 10,000 refugees to arrive through the
southern state of Bavaria today.
   (AFP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Greece sent troops
and police reinforcements to Lesbos after renewed clashes between
police and migrants. Syrian refugees on the island were targeted
with Molotov cocktail attacks.
   (AFP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Guatemalans
streamed to the polls in general elections held amid public
disenchantment with government just days after the country's
president was jailed on corruption charges. Early returns put TV
comedian Jimmy Morales in the lead followed by businessman Manuel
Baldizon and ex-first lady Sandra Torres.
   (AFP, 9/6/15)(SFC, 9/7/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In India lightning
killed 22 people, mostly farm laborers working in fields, across the
southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh.
   (AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In western Iran 11
Iraqi Shiite religious pilgrims returning from Qom were killed after
a bus overturned in the western province of Hamadan.
   (AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Iraq’s air force
said it has put F-16 warplanes acquired from the United States into
action against the Islamic State group for the first time with
fifteen air strikes in the past four days.
   (AFP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Iraq the US-led
coalition conducted 11 air strikes against the Islamic State, as
well as four strikes targeting the militant group in Syria.
   (AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Israel thousands
of people rallied in Jerusalem to demand more funds for Christian
schools which they say receive a third of what the Israeli
government allocates to Jewish ones.
   (AFP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, More than 250
people injured in Yemen's conflict were flown in to Jordan for
hospital treatment.
   (AFP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Moldova tens of
thousands rallied in the heart of the capital Chisinau in the
biggest street protests in memory, demanding the resignation of
President Nicolae Timofti and early elections over a $1 billion bank
fraud that has hit living standards.
   (Reuters, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Pakistan used its
first-ever armed drone, killing 3 "high profile" militants in the
Shawal valley of the Waziristan tribal region.
   (AP, 9/7/15)(SFC, 9/11/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Romanian
anti-corruption prosecutors detained Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu
on suspicion that he took bribes of 25,000 euros ($28,000) from
firms working for city hall.
   (AP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Saudi-led coalition
jets bombed a Houthi military position and army bases in the Yemeni
capital Sanaa through the night and into this morning in what
appeared to be further retaliation for the killing of dozens of
coalition soldiers two days ago.
   (Reuters, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In central Somalia
Al Shabaab took control of populous Buqda town after African Union
forces left the area.
   (Reuters, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Syria arrested an
Islamist insurgent from the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, who
confessed to the two car bombs on Sep 4 and involvement in unrest
that followed.
   (Reuters, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Thailand's
military-backed legislature rejected an unpopular draft of a new
constitution, delaying a return to democracy following a coup last
year.
   (AP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Turkey the W-20
— a grouping of female leaders — was launched in Ankara, aimed at
boosting the role of women in global economic growth, as G20 finance
ministers and central bank governors met for talks on the global
economy.
   (AP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In eastern Turkey 2
policeman were killed and three others injured in Diyarbakir when
Kurdish militants clashed with security forces. Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) rebels reportedly killed 31 members of the armed forces
in an attack on a convoy and clashes in the mountainous Daglica area
of Hakkari province. Turkey’s army statement said 16 had died.
   (Reuters, 9/6/15)(Reuters, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Pope Francis said
the Vatican will shelter two families of refugees who are "fleeing
death" from war or hunger, as he called on Catholic parishes,
convents and monasteries across Europe to do the same.
   (AP, 9/6/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Pres. Obama in a
Labor Day speech in Boston announced a new executive order that will
require federal contractors to offer employees up to 7 paid sick
days a year.
   (SFC, 9/8/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, An Afghan official
said a NATO airstrike in southern Helmand province has killed at
least 11 police officers and employees of the Interior Ministry's
anti-narcotics department. US officials denied that a NATO strike
was responsible.
   (AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Australia's PM Tony
Abbott said that his country will resettle a "significant" number of
refugees from Syria this year, while the opposition called for an
additional 10,000 refugee places to help the world cope with a
humanitarian crisis.
   (AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, President Dilma
Rousseff said Brazil will welcome Syrian refugees with open arms.
Brazil has already taken in more than 2,000 Syrian refugees since
the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, PM David Cameron
said Britain will take 20,000 Syrian refugees from camps near the
war-torn country's borders over the next five years.
   (AFP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, British
archaeologists said they had found the buried remains of a
mysterious prehistoric monument close to the famous Stonehenge
heritage site dating back some 4,500 years. The discovery was made
at Durrington Walls -- a so-called "superhenge" located less than
three km (1.8 miles) from Stonehenge.
   (AFP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Burundi the
spokesman for an opposition party was shot and killed outside his
home in Bujumbura.
   (AP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, President Michelle
Bachelet says Chile will welcome an important number of refugees.
   (AP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, China said it would
remove personal income tax on dividends for shareholders who hold
stocks for more than a year.
   (Reuters, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Cyprus said it
would be willing to take in up to 300 migrants fleeing upheaval in
the Middle East under new EU quotas, but would prefer them to be
Christians.
   (Reuters, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Egypt's agriculture
minister Salah el-Din Helal was detained shortly after tendering his
resignation amid a corruption investigation.
   (AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Egypt a roadside
bomb struck a military vehicle in the restive northern Sinai,
killing an officer and a conscript and wounding five soldiers.
   (AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, The EU announced it
will release 500 million euros to aid European farmers suffering
plunging milk and meat prices partly blamed on a Russian embargo, as
thousands of farmers protested outside EU headquarters in Brussels
to demand more aid and higher prices for their milk and pig meat.
   (AFP, 9/7/15)(AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, President Francois
Hollande said France is ready to take in 24,000 refugees as part of
EU plans to welcome more than 100,000 in the next two years.
   (Reuters, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, France’s culture
ministry agreed to demands by artist Anish Kapoor that anti-Semitic
graffiti not be cleaned off a giant sculpture, dubbed the “queen’s
vagina” at Palace of Versailles.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, German media
reported that Germany’s foreign intelligence agency BND has
collected evidence of mustard gas use in northern Iraq by the
Islamic State group.
   (AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, A Greek official
said the United States has asked Greece to deny Russia the use of
its airspace for supply flights to Syria.
   (Reuters, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Guinea at least
7 people were killed and 12 others injured following heavy rains in
an overnight mudslide in Tougnifili.
   (AP, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Libya 8 soldiers
were killed repelling an attack on their post by Islamist militants
eight km (five miles) southwest of the eastern city of Benghazi. One
soldier was missing and 10 were wounded.
   (Reuters, 9/7/15)(AP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, North and South
Korea started talks at a border village on resuming the reunions of
families separated by the Korean War.
   (AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Some 1,000 Qatar
ground troops arrived in Yemen, escalating Gulf Arab intervention in
Yemen's war ahead of a planned offensive against Iranian-backed
Houthis holding the capital Sanaa. At least 15 civilians were killed
in Saudi-led air strikes.
   (Reuters, 9/7/15)(Reuters, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights said Islamic State fighters have seized the Jazal
oil field, last major oilfield under Syrian government control
during battles over a vast central desert zone. The Observatory also
said US-led coalition bombing raids in areas in the militant's de
facto capital of Raqqa had killed at least 16 militants, including
five foreign jihadists.
   (Reuters, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Trinidad and Tobago
held elections amid complaints about corruption and violent crime.
   (SFC, 9/7/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Turkish warplanes
bombed Kurdish insurgent targets overnight after the militants
staged what appeared to be their deadliest attack since the collapse
of a two-year-old ceasefire in July. 16 Turkish soldiers were killed
in the Kurdish-dominated southeast of the country in an attack
blamed on the PKK.
   (Reuters, 9/7/15)(AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, The head of the UN
atomic energy agency said satellite imagery of North Korea's main
nuclear site indicates that the country is expanding its atomic
program.
   (AP, 9/7/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Venezuela's
President Nicolas Maduro said he has ordered more of his country's
vast border with Colombia closed amid a diplomatic crisis over
deportations and smuggling.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, The US mission to
war-torn Somalia began work without an ambassador or an embassy and
based in neighboring Kenya.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, The US State
Department announced that Hezbollah spokesman Samir Kuntar along
with Hamas military leaders Yahya Sinwar, Rawhi Mushtaha, and
Muhammed Deif had been added to the specially designated global
terrorists list.
   (AP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Lagunitas Brewing
Co. based in Petaluma, Ca., announced that Heineken is buying a 50%
share in the company.
   (SFC, 9/9/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, United Airlines CEO
Jeff Smisek and two other top executives resigned amid a federal
corruption investigation.  Â
   (Econ, 9/12/15, p.30)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Bulgaria, a member
of NATO, said it has refused permission to an unspecified number of
Russian aircraft to cross its airspace late last week, amid growing
US fears that Moscow is boosting military support to Syria’s
President.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, The Motorola unit
of Lenovo launched the first smart watch, supported by Google and
powered by its Android operating system, that understands Chinese
voice commands.
   (Econ, 9/12/15, p.58)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, European lawmakers
voted overwhelmingly to strengthen an EU ban on seal products,
narrowing exceptions made for Canada's indigenous Inuits.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, France carried out
its first surveillance flights over Syria to prepare possible
attacks on Islamic State jihadists.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Tens of thousands
of migrants massed on Greek islands as EU President Donald Tusk
warned the refugee crisis would last for years.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In Iraq gunmen in
Baghdad kidnapped Abdulkarim Fares, the acting deputy justice
minister, and wounded his driver.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In Iraq US-led
coalition air strikes destroyed an Islamic State operating base at a
stadium near Ramadi that was a key supply hub storing weapons and
explosives.
   (Reuters, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, A sandstorm
blanketed Beirut and Damascus causing at least 5 deaths.
   (SFC, 9/9/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Joost Zwagerman
(b.1963), Dutch writer, poet and essayist, committed suicide. In
2017 “The Penguin Book of Dutch Short Stories,” edited by Zwagerman,
was published.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joost_Zwagerman)(Econ, 3/11/17, p.79)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Nigeria's military
said it has banned the use of horses in the northeastern state of
Borno to stop deadly raids by Boko Haram gunmen.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Tajikistan charged
Major General Abduhalim Nazarzoda, a rebel former deputy defense
minister, with high treason and terrorism after deadly street
battles broke out in the ex-Soviet country last week.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Turkish warplanes
launched a massive air operation against the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, killing as many as 40 rebels.
Kurdish militants killed 14 police officers in a bomb attack on a
minibus in a Turkish province bordering Armenia and Iran. Turkish
ground forces crossed into northern Iraq for the first time since
2011 in a "short-term" operation to hunt down Kurdish rebels.
   (AFP, 9/8/15)   (Reuters,
9/8/15)(AP, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Pope Francis
revolutionized the procedure for Roman Catholics to get marriage
annulments, making them faster and simpler and calling on bishops to
provide greater help to divorced couples.
   (Reuters, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In Yemen a
Saudi-led alliance launched more air strikes Sanaa and more foreign
troops were reported to be moving into the country as the campaign
to rout Houthi forces intensified. 15 citizens were reported killed
and 77 were wounded in the attacks.
   (Reuters, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Zimbabwe's ousted
vice president, Joice Mujuru, published plans to relax security and
media laws and review divisive black empowerment legislation,
signaling she could be lining up a challenge to President Robert
Mugabe in 2018 elections.
   (Reuters, 9/8/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Australia’s PM Tony
Abbott said his country would take an additional 12,000 refugees
from Iraq and Syria and would join in an air campaign against the
Islamic State.
   (SFC, 9/10/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Grenade attacks in
Central African Republic's Bangui killed at least 2 people in a rare
incident of violence in the capital.
   (Reuters, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In China Hu
Qinggang (43), apparently upset with a court verdict, stabbed four
judges with a knife smuggled into a courthouse in Shiyan city, Hubei
province.
   (AP, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, EU leader
Jean-Claude Juncker proposed a plan to distribute 160,000 people
throughout the member nations, even while acknowledging that the
plan was inadequate to the depth of the crisis.
   (SFC, 9/10/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, A German court
issued an injunction ordering a halt to a strike by pilots at
Lufthansa, that caused the cancelation of 1,000 flights affecting
140,000 travelers.
   (AP, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, All train services
were halted between Germany and Denmark after Danish police stopped
hundreds of migrants arriving by train across the border.
   (AP, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Guinea-Bissau's PM
Baciro Dja announced his resignation, just two days after his
government was sworn in, plunging the chronically unstable African
nation deeper into a simmering political crisis. His decision came
after the country's Supreme Court declared that his unpopular
appointment by President Jose Mario Vaz by presidential decree just
weeks earlier had violated the constitution.
   (AFP, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Police in India
investigated complaints from two Nepalese women that a Saudi Arabian
diplomat raped them repeatedly and confined them in his home near
New Delhi. He claimed diplomatic immunity, and the Saudi embassy in
a statement denied all the allegations.
   (AP, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, A top Indian Muslim
leader said more than 1,000 Muslim clerics in India have ratified a
religious ruing that condemns the Islamic State and calls the
extremist group's actions "un-Islamic".
   (AP, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Indonesia made it
easier for foreigners to open bank accounts, struck down import
restrictions on some goods, and eliminated some onerous business
regulations.
   (Econ, 10/17/15, p.79)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Israel outlawed
"Mourabitoon" and "Mourabitaat," two grassroots Palestinian Islamist
groups involved in vocal protests at the flashpoint al Aqsa mosque
compound in Jerusalem against stepped-up visits by religious Jews.
   (Reuters, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Lebanese
demonstrators returned to the streets to protest government
dysfunction as politicians failed to make progress in the first
round of talks to resolve a trash crisis and address other
longstanding problems.
   (AP, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In southern Nepal
police opened fire on protesters demanding statehood, killing at
least 4 people in two towns.
   (AP, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In Pakistan gunmen
shot dead journalist Aftab Alam in Karachi, less than 24 hours after
a technician working for the country's most popular news channel was
killed in a similar attack.
   (Reuters, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Puerto Rico's
government released a long-awaited fiscal reform plan on that would
reduce much of the island's $72 billion public debt and calls for
restructuring the remainder at the expense of bondholders. Gov.
Garcia Padilla’s plan put the island’s cash shortfall at $28 billion
in 2016-2020.
   (AP, 9/9/15)(Econ, 9/12/15, p.69)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Russia’s Foreign
Ministry confirmed that Russian military advisers were in Syria as
part of a long-standing agreement to provide military aid to the
government.
   (SFC, 9/10/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, The Syrian army
withdrew completely from Idlib province after insurgents captured
the Abu al-Duhur military airport there. In eastern Syria jihadists
of the Islamic State group edged closer to the regime-held military
airbase outside Deir Ezzor in heavy clashes that killed 36 IS
fighters. 56 soldiers either died in combat or were killed
afterwards by the insurgents. A coalition air raid west of Raqqa
reportedly killed as many as 20 civilians drafted to dig trenches
for the jihadists. On Sep 19 the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
said a total of 71 members of government forces had been executed at
Abu al-Duhur air base since its capture.
   (Reuters, 9/9/15)(AFP, 9/10/15)(Reuters,
9/10/15)(Reuters, 9/19/15)(Econ, 9/12/15, p.44)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, A Syrian military
official said Russian military experts have expanded their presence
in Syria over the last year. US officials said Russia has sent two
tank landing ships and additional aircraft to Syria in the past day
or so and has deployed a small number of naval infantry forces.
Germany's foreign minister warned Russia against increased military
intervention in Syria.
   (Reuters, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Dr. Keith
Christopher Rowley was elected as the 8th prime minister of the twin
isle Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Rowley)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In Yemen warplanes
of the Saudi-led coalition bombed Shiite Huthi rebel positions in
Sanaa, stepping up attacks in the wake of a deadly missile strike on
its troops.
   (AFP, 9/9/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Pres. Obama
awarded Alice Waters (71), the Berkeley pioneer of the farm-to-table
movement, the National Humanities Medal. Nine other recipients
included actress Sally Field, and writer Larry McMurtry.
   (SFC, 9/11/15, p.D1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, The US Treasury
Department sanctioned four Hamas officials and financiers and a
Saudi Arabia-based company controlled by one of them for providing
financial support to the Palestinian militant group.
   (Reuters, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, US authorities
charged three Colombian nationals with helping to run a global money
laundering network that processed billions of dollars in drug
trafficking profits through bank accounts in China and Hong Kong.
   (Reuters, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, California
lawmakers announced a deal to regulate and license the state’s
medical marijuana industry.
   (SFC, 9/11/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In southern
California Joseph Adel Noriega (37) was arrested following a bank
robbery in South Pasadena. He was suspected to be the “Bluto Bandit”
linked to more than a dozen bank robberies.
   (SFC, 9/14/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Irish retailer
Primark, owned by Associated British Foods (ABF) opened its first
shop in America with a flagship store in Boston.
   (http://tinyurl.com/peo64ze)(Econ, 9/5/15, p.65)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Minnesota a
family of 5 was found shot dead. Investigators believed that Brian
Short, the founder of a networking service for nurses, used a
shotgun to kill his wife Karen and 3 teenage children at their
lakeside home in Greenwood, a suburb of Minneapolis.
   (SFC, 9/12/15, p.A5)(SSFC, 9/13/15, p.A12)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Afghanistan a
roadside bomb killed 5 officers who were on patrol in Ghazni city.
The annual celebration of national hero Ahmed Shah Massoud
(1953-2001) descended into violence leaving at least 2 people dead
in Kabul.
   (AP, 9/10/15)(SFC, 9/11/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Bangladesh
overnight arrested three members of the outlawed Islamist group
Ansarullah Bangla Team, including its leader, Abul Bashar, for their
alleged involvement in the killings of online critics of religious
militancy.
   (Reuters, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In the Czech Rep.
Radim Palous (90), a leading anti-communist dissident and the first
rector of Prague's Charles University after the collapse of
communism, died. He was among the first to sign the Charter 77 human
rights manifesto inspired by Vaclav Havel and became its spokesman
in 1982 and '83. During the 1989 Velvet Revolution, he was among the
leaders of the Civic Forum that oversaw the transition to democracy.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Denmark said
police will no longer try to stop migrants and refugees from
transiting through the country to get to Sweden and other Nordic
countries.
   (AP, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Egypt’s military
reported killing 48 militants in four days in an operation in
northern Sinai dubbed "The Right of The Martyr."
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Finland proposed
increasing capital gains tax and income tax on high earners to help
pay for a 10-fold increase in refugees expected to arrive this year.
   (Reuters, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Iraqi PM Haider
al-Abadi said nearly one in five workers are employed by the
government, as he attempted to reform the country's bloated and
often-corrupt civil service.
   (AFP, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Central and
eastern Japan were doused with unusually heavy rains over the last
two days on the heels of Tropical Storm Etau that triggered flooding
and landslides. Rising waters of the Kinugawa River broke through a
flood berm, sending water gushing into Joso city where 22 people
were left missing.
   (AP, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Kuwait signed a
contract worth 116 million dinars ($385 million) with Spain's TSK
Group for a 50 megawatt solar energy project as part of its
renewable energy drive.
   (AFP, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Kuwait agreed to
buy 28 Typhoon warplanes, becoming the third country in the Gulf
region to order the combat aircraft. Eurofighter is a partnership
between Italy's Finmeccanica, Britain's BAE Systems and civilian
plane maker Airbus.
   (AFP, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Northern
Ireland Peter Robinson, the leader of the majority pro-British
Democratic Unionist Party, resigned as chief executive after other
parties refused to vote to suspend assembly business pending an
investigation in the August 12 killing of former IRA member Kevin
McGuigan.
   (SFC, 9/11/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, A Philippine court
declared the militant group Abu Sayyaf a terrorist organization in a
ruling that provides the government with another legal weapon
against militants who have survived years of US-backed offensives.
   (AP, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Serbia's war
crimes prosecutors brought charges against eight suspects in the
1995 massacre in Srebrenica — Europe's worst carnage since World War
II, when some 8,000 Muslims were killed by Bosnian Serb troops.
   (AP, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Air pollution in
Singapore reached its highest level in a year as smog from
Indonesian forest fires shrouded the island nation in a veil of
gray, irking tourists and alarming authorities with hours left
before general elections.
   (AP, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, The prime
ministers of Slovakia and Ukraine condemned a recent deal to expand
a pipeline that delivers natural gas directly from Russia to
Germany. An agreement signed earlier this month between Russian
giant Gazprom and energy companies from Western EU countries,
including E.ON, OMV, Royal Dutch Shell and others, is meant to
expand the current Nord Stream pipeline under the Baltic Sea that
directly links Germany with Siberia's natural gas reserves.
   (AP, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, South African
scientists said they've discovered a new member of the human family
tree based on fossils found in 2013 at a cave near the town of
Magaliesburg. Researchers named the creature Homo naledi
(nah-LEH-dee) and estimated the species to be some 2.5 million to
2.8 million years old.
   (AP, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Sweden said it
will increase spending on better integrating immigrants into the
labor market and increase compensation for municipalities where
refugees settle.
   (Reuters, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Turkey
suspected smugglers opened fire from Syria and shot dead a Turkish
soldier, the second cross-border firefight to have killed a member
of the Turkish security forces in as many weeks.
   (Reuters, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, A Venezuelan judge
sentenced opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez to a maximum sentence of
nearly 14 years in prison for inciting violence in last year’s
antigovernment protests.
   (CSM, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Yemen war
planes from a Saudi-led military alliance bombed Sanaa, in what
witnesses described as the fiercest attacks on the city in over five
months of war. Residents of Mukalla said 3 suspected al Qaeda
militants were killed in an apparent drone strike on a vehicle near
the airport.
   (Reuters, 9/10/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, The US government
said it is abandoning decades of tradition and moving out of New
York's famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which a Chinese firm bought last
year from Hilton Worldwide, and move to the New York Palace Hotel
for UN work.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, US federal safety
regulators, the insurance industry and ten carmakers announced an
agreement to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature in
future car models sold in the US.
   (SFC, 9/12/15, p.D1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, It was reported
that nearly 39,000 people Chinese nationals were awaiting
deportation for violating US immigration laws. Some 900 of them were
classed as violent offenders.
   (Reuters, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, The California
Legislature passed ABX2-15, a controversial aid-in–dying bill that
would allow doctors in the state to prescribe lethal medicine to
terminally ill patients wanting to end their lives.
   (SFC, 9/12/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In California a
rapidly spreading wildfire spurred evacuations of thousands of
mountain homes in the state’s gold-rush country as flames from a
larger Sierra Nevada blaze edged close to a famed grove of giant
sequoia trees in Kings Canyon National Park.
   (Reuters, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, It was reported
that Saudi businessman Abdallah S. Kamel has donated $10 million to
Yale law School to established a center for the study of Islamic
law.
   (SFC, 9/11/15, p.A9)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Republican Rep.
Cindy Gamrat (42), a socially conservative Michigan lawmaker, was
expelled from office and GOP Rep. Todd Courser (43) resigned after
they rocked the Legislature with an extramarital affair and a
botched attempt to conceal it with a fictional, sexually explicit
email.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, A British court
sentenced seven men to prison for raping and sexually abusing babies
and young children and sharing the abuse online through pictures and
live videos.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Burundi the
head of the armed forces survived an assassination attempt in the
capital Bujumbura. At least seven people were killed in the attack.
   (AFP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In central China a
slick of rice wine spilled from a truck caused a traffic accident
that killed 12 people.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Colombia 2
people died when a plane carrying crew members from a film starring
Tom Cruise crashed in San Pedro de los Milagros. The film was based
on the life of American pilot Barry Seal, who worked for drug
kingpin Pablo Escobar, who was killed in Medellin in 1993.
   (AFP, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Cuba's highest
authority said it is releasing 3,522 prisoners ahead of next week's
visit to the island by Pope Francis, the third time Cuba has granted
inmates freedom before a papal visit.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Denmark said it
will not take part in a scheme to share out 160,000 refugees
proposed by European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker.
   (Reuters, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Egypt’s army said
a woman and child were killed in a car bomb, and four soldiers died
in a separate explosion in the northern Sinai Peninsula, where the
military is engaged in a sweeping campaign against jihadists.
   (AFP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Hungary's PM
Viktor Orban angrily accused illegal migrants of "rebelling" against
the rule of law in his country as security forces across Europe
struggled to control record flows of hungry, scared refugees.
   (Reuters, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Indian and
Pakistani border forces agreed to maintain restraint on their
disputed Kashmir frontier, as they sought to defuse tensions that
have been heightened in recent months by militant attacks that each
side blames the other for.
   (Reuters, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In India twelve
suspected Islamic militants were convicted in the July 12, 2006,
bombings of seven Mumbai commuter trains that killed 188 people and
wounded more than 800.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, India said the
bodies of six Indian seamen missing since their boat was apparently
hit by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen have been found and a
seventh is still missing. Boats carrying 21 Indian nationals had
been hit as they traveled across the Red Sea to the Yemeni port of
Mokha on September 8.
   (AFP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Ivory Coast at
least 19 people were killed and 37 hurt when a crowded minibus and
another passenger vehicle collided in the port town of San Pedro.
   (AFP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Kazakhstan's
President Nursultan Nazarbayev (75) signed off on daughter Dariga's
appointment as deputy-prime minister, in a move that could be linked
to the ex-Soviet republic's looming succession issue.
   (AFP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Kenya announced a
new security operation aimed at ousting Islamic extremists from a
forest along the border with Somalia.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Mexico the
Veracruz state prosecutor's office said the remains of 9 corpses
have been discovered.
   (Reuters, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Moldova's PM
Valeriu Strelet said his government's priorities are reforming the
justice system and fighting corruption as protesters continued a
demonstration over up to $1.5 billion that disappeared from Moldovan
banks.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In southern Nepal
a member of the armed police was killed in the district of Mahottari
after protesters dragged him out of an ambulance on its way to a
hospital and assaulted him. Separately police shot and killed 3
demonstrators in a neighboring district, bringing the death toll to
at least 39 in protests that erupted after a draft constitution was
unveiled last month.
   (Reuters, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In northeastern
Nigeria a bomb went off in an internally displaced persons camp on
the outskirts of the Adamawa state capital Yola, killing at least 7
people.
   (AFP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, A Romanian
government agency said it has discovered undeclared bank accounts
holding 780,000 euros ($880,000) in the name of Radu Mazare, former
mayor of Constanta, being investigated for bribery.
   (AP, 9/11/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov called on world powers to help arm the Syrian
army, describing it as the most efficient force against the Islamic
State group.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Saudi Arabia said
it has taken in about 2.5 million Syrians on religious and
humanitarian grounds in the years since the country's conflict began
and has offered residency to hundreds of thousands. Saudi Arabia did
not specify how many of those Syrians admitted remain in the
country.
   (AP, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Saudi Arabia
stormy winds knocked over a crane which collapsed onto Mecca’s Grand
Mosque killing at least 107 people.
   (Reuters, 9/12/15)(SSFC, 9/13/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Saudi Arabia
banned the slaughter of camels during this year's hajj pilgrimage,
after a surge in deaths from the MERS virus linked to the animals.
   (AFP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Singapore held
compulsory elections. The ruling People's Action Party (PAP) took
70% of the national vote and got 83 of the 89 seats in Parliament,
while the opposition Workers' Party captured six seats.
   (AP, 9/11/15)(AP, 9/12/15)(Econ 6/10/17, p.20)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Spain tens of
thousands of separatist-minded Catalans swarmed Barcelona, giving
raucous backing to independence advocates as they launched a
campaign to elect a majority of secessionists in regional
parliamentary elections this month.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Syria 11 people
were reportedly killed in rebel rocket fire on Damascus. State news
said the shelling on the area had killed 4 people and injured 25.
   (AP, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In southeastern
Turkey Kurdish militants fired on a restaurant frequented by police
in Diyarbakir, killing a waiter and wounding three officers after
Turkish jets bombed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in
northern Iraq for a fifth straight night. Media reported that at
least 60 PKK fighters were killed in the air strikes by F-16 and F-4
jets which hit 64 targets in the group's camps across the region.
   (Reuters, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Yemeni security
and health officials said two days of airstrikes by a Saudi-led
coalition targeting Shiite rebels killed 7 civilians in Sanaa.
   (AP, 9/11/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In California the
so-called Valley Fire erupted and spread quickly to a cluster of
small communities in the hills and valleys north of the Napa Valley
wine country. Thousands of residents were forced from their homes in
the area. By Sep 14 the blaze had devoured about 61,000 acres
(24,690 hectares), and was only about 5 percent contained. By Sep 21
the fire was 70% contained. At least 1,783 structures were consumed
making it the third-most destructive inferno in state history. Five
people were killed by the fire which started due to faulty hot tub
wiring.
   (Reuters, 9/14/15)(SFC, 9/18/15, p.A9)(SFC,
9/22/15, p.C2)(SFC, 12/20/17, p.D2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Jeremy Corbyn was
elected leader of Britain's opposition Labour party by 59% of the
party’s electorate.
   (Reuters, 9/12/15)(Econ, 10/3/15, p.59)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, The foreign
ministers of Colombia and Venezuela agreed to renew diplomatic
contacts that had been interrupted by an ongoing border crisis
between the two neighbors.
   (AFP, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi accepted the resignation of the government
under PM Ibrahim Mehleb after it was rocked by a corruption scandal,
and tasked oil minister Sharif Ismail with forming a new cabinet.
   (AFP, 9/12/15)(Econ, 9/19/15, p.44)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In western Germany
5 young men were killed when a train hit their car at a crossing in
Monzingen.
   (AP, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, The Greek
coastguard picked up 25 survivors after a dinghy carrying them and
other migrants sank off the island of Samos. 4 children were
missing. A vessel of the EU's Frontex border agency plucked 32
people out of the sea off the Greek island of Lesbos. A man believed
to be about 20 years old was missing.
   (Reuters, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Max Beauvoir (79),
Haitian biochemist and voodoo high priest, died.
   (Econ, 9/19/15, p.90)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In central India
90 people were killed at a restaurant when a cooking gas cylinder
exploded and triggered a second blast of mine detonators stored
illegally nearby in the town of Petlawad, Madhya Pradesh state.
Police looked to arrest contractor Rajendra Kashawa for illegally
storing the detonators.
   (AP, 9/12/15)(SFC, 9/14/15, p.A3)(SFC, 9/14/15,
p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In India two
trains derailed, killing at least four passengers, including two
British tourists near Kalka, Himachal Pradesh state.
   (AP, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, A Russian space
capsule landed safely in Kazakhstan, bringing home a three-person
crew from the International Space Station, including a
record-breaking Russian cosmonaut. Gennady Padalka completed his
fifth mission for a world record of 879 total days in space.
   (AP, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Thai authorities
issued an arrest warrant for a 12th suspect in connection with last
month's bombing at a Bangkok landmark that killed 20 people,
identifying him as a 27-year-old ethnic Uighur from China.
   (AP, 9/12/15)
 2015      Sep 12, Hundreds of
Tunisians marched through the capital under heavy security to
protest a law offering amnesty for those accused of corruption.
   (AP, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In Yemen Saudi-led
raids killed at least 16 civilians nationwide. A suspected US drone
strike killed at least 5 al Qaeda fighters, including mid-level
commander Othman al-Sanaani, gathered inside a military base outside
the eastern coastal city of Mukalla.
   (Reuters, 9/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In Zambia at least
17 people died when a bus and lorry collided west of Lusaka, after
the lorry cut in front of the bus.
   (Reuters, 9/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Kentucky State
Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder (31) was shot and killed after a
driver fled his car following a traffic stop. Suspect Joseph Thomas
Johnson-Shanks of Florissant, Mo., was shot by police hours later
when he refused to drop his weapon.
   (SFC, 9/15/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Oklahoma
violence erupted at the for-profit Cimarron Correctional Facility in
Cushing. 3 inmates were stabbed to death. A 4th died overnight.
   (SFC, 9/14/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Al-Qaeda leader
Ayman al-Zawahiri called for jihadists to close ranks and take the
battle to Western cities, especially in the US, in an Internet audio
message.
   (AFP, 9/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Austria roughly
6,000 migrants had entered the country since midnight, and the
number for the day was expected to surpass 10,000.
   (Reuters, 9/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In northern
Cameroon two suicide bombers killed 7 people in twin attacks
Kolofata near the border with Nigeria.
   (AFP, 9/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, China's Communist
Party issued a long-awaited blueprint for overhauling bloated state
industries while retaining the party's dominance in the economy.
   (AP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, El Salvador police
discovered the bodies of Marcela Vargas (21) and her friend Liset on
the banks of a stream in the center of San Salvador. They had
disappeared nine days earlier and both were found tied up and
stabbed repeatedly. Murders in the country totaled some 4,930 for
the first nine on this of this year.
   (Econ, 10/10/15, p.35)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, German Economy
Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a newspaper interview that Germany
was now reaching its limit as thousands of refugees continue to
stream across its borders every day. Germany began reinstating
controls at its border with Austria as it struggled to cope with a
record influx of refugees.
   (Reuters, 9/13/15)(AFP, 9/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Greek authorities
say 28 people have drowned, half of them children, after a wooden
smuggling boat capsized in the southeastern Aegean Sea.
   (AP, 9/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Moldova some
20,000 people demonstrated against the government for the 8th
straight day demanding a probe into the estimated $1.5 billion that
disappeared from three local banks last year.
   (SFC, 9/14/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Nigeria a one
story, mud-brick school building collapsed, killing 4 students and
injuring 24 at the Abu Naima Islamic School.
   (AP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Russia held local
elections. The Kostroma region was the only one of eleven regional
parliaments in allowing the anti-Putin opposition to run. Candidates
from the ruling United Russia party won the governor's seat in all
21 regions where an election was held, as well as in 11 regional
legislatures.
   (SSFC, 9/13/15, p.A5)(AP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Saudi Arabia 5
soldiers were killed by fire from across its border with Yemen. A
helicopter pilot died when his chopper crashed during a training
mission.
   (AP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Sierra Leone a
girl (16) died from Ebola, dealing a blow to optimism that the west
African country has finally turned the page on the devastating
epidemic.
   (AFP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In southeast
Turkey Kurdish militants killed 2 police officers in a car bomb
attack on a checkpoint in Sirnak province. Turkish forces shelled a
mountainous area where PKK fighters had fled after the checkpoint
attack, killing 6 of them. The PKK also launched an attack with
rocket-propelled grenades and rifles in the Silvan district of
Diyarbakir province, killing one police officer and wounding
another.
   (Reuters, 9/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Yemen's exiled
government pulled out of UN-mediated peace talks with its Houthi
adversaries as troops from the Saudi-led coalition that is seeking
to restore it took part in ground fighting in a central province for
the first time.
   (Reuters, 9/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Hawaii a
federal judge signed an agreement between the US Navy and
environmental groups that will limit the navy’s use of sonar and
other training that inadvertently harms marine mammals.
   (SFC, 9/15/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Mississippi
university instructor Shannon Lamb (45) died from a self-inflicted
gunshot wound in Greenville after fleeing police following the fatal
shooting in Gautier of Amy Prentiss (41), a woman he lived with, and
Ethan Schmidt (39), a professor at Delta State Univ.
   (SFC, 9/15/15, p.A14)(SFC, 9/16/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In TexasÂ
Ahmed Mohamed (14), was arrested at MacArthur High School in Irving,
Texas, for bringing an alleged hoax bomb to school. He had
repackaged an electronic clock in a pencil box and brought it to
school to show his teachers. On Nov 23 a law firm sent letters
demanding $10 million from the city of Irving and $5 million from
the city’s school district.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Mohamed_clock_incident)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Seattle, Wa.,
schools were closed for a 4th day as a strike by teachers entered
its 2nd week. Teachers reached a tentative agreement as the strike
entered a 5th day but continued to picket pending its approval.
   (SFC, 9/15/15, p.A5)(SFC, 9/16/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Afghanistan
Taliban insurgents stormed a prison on the outskirts of Ghazni,
killing police and releasing 355 of the 436 prisoners, including
nearly 150 deemed a threat to national security, and then attacked
troops rushing to help. 4 Taliban and 4 members of the security
forces were killed in the attack.
   (Reuters, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Australia will
have its fifth prime minister in eight years after the ruling
Liberal Party voted out Tony Abbott in favor of longtime rival
Malcolm Turnbull, following months of infighting and crumbling voter
support. Turnbull made a fortune in the 1990s by investing in
OzMail, an Australian internet-service provider.
   (Reuters, 9/14/15)(Econ, 1/9/16, p.57)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Austria and
Slovakia said they were reinstating border controls to cope with a
flood of refugees, following a similar move by Germany, which warned
it could face up to one million migrant arrivals this year.
   (AFP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Thirty-two
countries including the United States and Britain expressed concern
about Bahrain's human rights record.
   (Reuters, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Egyptian security
forces killed 12 people and wounded 10 "by accident" when they
mistook a convoy of mostly Mexican tourists for a group of militants
they were hunting in the desert. The dead included 8 Mexicans.
   (Reuters, 9/14/15)(SFC, 9/16/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, EU member states
approved plans for military action against people smugglers in the
Mediterranean, seizing and if necessary destroying boats to break up
the networks operating out of Libya.
   (AFP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Hungarian police
rounded up a total of 7,437 migrants crossing the Serbian border by
1400 GMT (10 a.m. EDT), by far the highest daily figure this year.
   (Reuters, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In
Indian-controlled Kashmir the bullet-riddled bodies of three local
men bearing torture marks were found in the Sopore region, leading
to days of protests and clashes between Kashmiris and government
forces.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Indonesia said it
has agreed to share with Singapore the names of companies suspected
of causing forest fires that have led to a deterioration of air
quality in the city state.
   (Reuters, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Israeli police and
Muslims clashed at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound
for a second straight day as Jews celebrated their new year and
protesters vowed to protect Islam's third-holiest site.
   (AFP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Kenya media
reported that attackers tried to hack off body parts from Enock
Jamenya (56), a man with albinism, to sell for witchcraft.
   (AFP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Madagascar police
said at least 18 people, including a paramilitary policeman, were
killed in cattle-rustling violence over the weekend when thousands
of animals were also stolen.
   (AFP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Malaysian PM Najib
Razak said the government will pump 20 billion ringgit ($4.6
billion) into an equity fund to support the stock market and ruled
out capital controls despite the ringgit's plunge.
   (AP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, The Netherlands
said police will carry out spot border checks in response to a surge
in asylum seekers into the European Union.
   (Reuters, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Norway held local
elections. The opposition Labor Party emerged as the winner of the
election with 33 percent, its best result in a local election since
1987. The two parties in the right-leaning coalition government
suffered large losses, partly because of the anti-immigration
Progress Party's opposition to Syrian refugees.
   (AP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In the Philippines
suspected Abu Sayyaf militants stopped a truck at gunpoint and
abducted nine construction workers. Two escaped and sought help from
authorities on Basilan Island.
   (AP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, South Sudan's army
repelled a fresh rebel attack, the latest battle to rock the country
despite a ceasefire aimed at ending a brutal 21-month civil war.
   (AFP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Syria at least
26 people including 2 children were killed in twin suicide car bomb
attacks in the northeastern city of Hasakeh. IS claimed
responsibility for the two attacks.
   (AFP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Turkish police
raided the liberal news magazine Nokta (Full Stop) and detained one
of its senior editors over a photomontage on its cover portraying
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan taking a selfie at a soldier's
funeral.
   (AFP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Yemen
Saudi-backed loyalist forces pressed an offensive against Shiite
Huthi rebels, the second day of a major campaign aimed at retaking
the capital a year after its fall.
   (AFP, 9/14/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Amazon founder
Jeff Bezos said he is shipping his Blue Origin space company to
Florida, where he will build rockets and launch them from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Base.
   (SFC, 9/16/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In North Carolina
the town council in coastal Surf City approved the retirement of
Police Chief Mike Halstead, who said he was forced to retire after
he described the Black Lives Matter movement as "an American-born
terrorist group" in a post on his personal Facebook page this month.
   (Reuters, 9/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Utah 12 people
were killed after flash floods struck the town of Hildale overnight.
Another 7 people were killed in nearby Zion national Park.
   (AFP, 9/15/15)(SFC, 9/16/15, p.A7)(SFC, 9/18/15,
p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Australia
multi-millionaire former banker Malcolm Turnbull (60) was sworn in
as the nation’s 29th prime minister and the fourth in just over two
years.
   (AFP, 9/15/15)(Econ, 9/19/15, p.35)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Chile a 24-hour
strike by civil aviation workers grounded departing flights.
   (AP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Congo DRC more
than 1,000 people demonstrated on the streets of the capital against
what they said are plans by President Joseph Kabila to cling to
power after his constitutional mandate ends next year.
   (Reuters, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In France 7 people
were killed when an avalanche swept them away at the Snow Dome in
the Alps' Massif des Ecrins.
   (AFP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Germany called for
an EU summit on Europe's biggest migrant crisis since World War II
as Hungary's right-wing government shut the main land route for
migrants into the EU, taking matters into its own hands to halt
Europe's influx of refugees. Berlin called for financial penalties
against countries that refused to accommodate their share of
migrants, drawing a furious response from central Europe.
   (Reuters, 9/15/15)(AFP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, At least 22
Greece-bound migrants drowned when their boat sank off Turkey.
Police blocked hundreds of others seeking to find an alternative
route to Europe by land.
   (AFP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Israeli forces
stormed Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound as they clashed with
Palestinians for the third day straight at the flashpoint site.
   (AP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Kenya Google
launched its Street View service in Samburu park, in a move
conservationists said could help protect endangered elephants.
   (AFP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, A Kuwaiti court
sentenced seven men to death, five of them in absentia, for their
roles in the deadly June 26 Shiite mosque bombing claimed by the
Islamic State group. The court sentenced eight people, including
five women, to jail terms ranging from two to 15 years for providing
weapons training, abetting the attack, or knowing about it and
failing to inform authorities.
   (AFP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, A Malawian teacher
was arrested on suspicion of attempting to sell an albino schoolgirl
for $10,000.
   (AFP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, North Korea said
its main nuclear complex was operating and it was working to improve
the "quality and quantity" of its weapons which it could use against
the United States at "any time".
   (Reuters, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Norway said it
will make a final $100-million payment to Brazil this year to
complete a $1-billion project that rewards a slowdown in forest loss
in the Amazon basin.
   (Reuters, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Pakistan's
military accused neighboring India of killing a Pakistani soldier by
resorting to what it called "unprovoked firing" in the disputed
Himalayan region of Kashmir.
   (AP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Romania city
officials suspended Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu (63), who is under
arrest on suspicion of taking bribes worth 25,000 euros ($28,000)
from companies working for the city hall.
   (AP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Russian state news
agencies said French supermarket chain Auchan has been fined over
$370,000 by Russian officials over alleged food safety violations.
   (AP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Saudi police
captured two suspected militants, along with several weapons and an
explosive vest, in two raids around the capital Riyadh.
   (Reuters, 9/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Sierra Leone
health authorities said they had quarantined almost 700 people as
they battled to contain a new outbreak of Ebola.
   (AFP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, PM Robert Fico
said Slovakia will never support mandatory quotas as part of the
European Union's response to its migrant crisis.
   (Reuters, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, South Sudan's
president urged his people to "join hands" in implementing a peace
deal to end more than 20 months of conflict.
   (Reuters, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Spain a
fighting bull was stabbed to death with lances as the town of
Tordesillas held its controversial annual festival to a background
of clashes between animal rights activists and participants.
   (Reuters, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Switzerland said
it is ready to accept a migrant quota on the lines proposed by
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, providing the EU
accepts the plan. The planned admission of some 29,000 migrants was
later raised to 30,000 as hundreds of thousands of migrants surged
through the Balkans.
   (Reuters, 9/15/15)(Econ, 10/24/15, p.50)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Tajikistan
Major General Abduhalim Nazarzoda (51) was killed by security forces
after a failed coup in which gunmen loyal to him clashed with
government forces in battles that killed dozens of people.
   (http://tinyurl.com/yaytft92)(Reuters, 8/9/17)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Tunisia, whose
economy has remained stagnant since the ouster of a long-time
dictator in 2011, unveiled the outlines of a five-year plan to cut
unemployment by stimulating growth.
   (AFP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Vietnam agreed
with Japan to step up security cooperation, becoming the latest
Southeast Asian country to seek closer ties with Tokyo as China
maintains an assertive posture in disputed waters in the South China
Sea.
   (Reuters, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Yemeni loyalist
forces, backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, said they were
advancing in a key province east of Sanaa, on the third day of a
major offensive against rebels.
   (AFP, 9/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, US and allied
forces conducted 21 air strikes in Iraq and one in Syria against
Islamic State militants.
   (Reuters, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, A US federal
parole board cleared Libyan “forever prisoner” Omar Mohammed
Khalifhas for release from Guantanamo. The decision raised to 53 the
number of cleared captives among the 116 detainees.
   (SFC, 9/17/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, The WWF
conservation group said the amount of fish in the oceans has halved
since 1970, in a plunge to the "brink of collapse" caused by
over-fishing and other threats.
   (Reuters, 9/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, The Afghan Taliban
said that a major dispute undermining the movement has been
resolved, after relatives of the militant group's late leader,
Mullah Omar, pledged support for his appointed successor Mullah
Mansour.
   (Reuters, 9/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Albanian
authorities said they have destroyed almost all of the marijuana
planted in the country, a major European producer of the plant.
   (AP, 9/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In Argentina the
government of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner issued an executive
order overriding the extradition of Kurt Frederick Sonnenfeld to the
US. The Argentina Supreme Court had approved the extradition in
December. Sonnenfeld claims prosecutors framed him for his wife's
2002 death to silence him. He also claimed to have video footage
indicating the government knew the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
would happen.
   (AP, 11/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In Burkina Faso
junta leader Gilbert Diendere led a coup and arrested acting
president Michel Kafando, PM Isaac Zida, and two ministers. Diendere
said he did not want to keep power and would hand it back to
civilian rule when conditions were in place to do so.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)(AFP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, A Burundi official
said more than 100 men in a central province have been arrested in
two days by security forces trying to prevent Burundians from being
recruited to fight the government.
   (AP, 9/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In Chile a
magnitude 8.3 earthquake killed at least 12 people and sent powerful
waves barreling into coastal areas, forcing more than 1 million
people from their homes.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)(SSFC, 9/20/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Hungarian police
fired tear gas and water cannon at protesting migrants demanding
they be allowed to enter from Serbia as a border crackdown by
Budapest turned violent. A group of migrants crossed into Hungary
illegally. Ahmed Hamed, a Syrian-Cypriot, spoke to the crowd using a
loudspeaker before hundreds of migrants forced open the border gate
and police fired water cannon and teargas. In 2018 Hamed was
sentenced in a preliminary ruling to seven years in prison for
illegally crossing the border and for being an accomplice in "an act
of terror" during clashes with the police.
   (Reuters, 9/16/15)(Reuters, 3/14/18)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Israel reinstated
the detention without trial of Palestinian Mohammed Allan (31),
whose recent two-month hunger strike brought him near death and
boosted tensions in the occupied West Bank.
   (AFP, 9/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Lebanese police
beat back protesters with clubs and sticks and arrested dozens of
people in downtown Beirut as a second session of dialogue between
politicians got underway. Heaps of garbage have accumulated in
Beirut's streets after authorities closed the capital's main
landfill on July 17 and failed to provide an alternative.
   (AP, 9/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Libya's coast
guard intercepted a Russian-flagged tanker suspected of carrying an
illegal shipment of petrol and detained 12 crew members from Russia.
   (AFP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Malaysian police
fired water cannons at ethnic Malays who turned unruly at a
pro-government rally that many fear has the potential to provoke
racial trouble in this multiethnic nation with large Chinese and
Indian minorities. Some 40,000 ethnic Malays had gathered in a park
in support of the United Malays National Organization (UNMO) Riot
police prevented a mob of protesters from marching down a Petaling
Street, where ethnic Chinese stallholders served bargain-hunting
tourists.
   (AP, 9/16/15)(Econ, 9/26/15, p.38)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Nepal passed a
long-awaited constitution. It set the country up as a secular
federation of seven states, each with a legislature and chief
minister.
   (AP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, A Pakistani
counter-terrorism official said police have arrested Mohammad
Shabih, an alleged al-Qaida financier, in the southern port city of
Karachi.
   (AP, 9/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In Sierra Leone
severe flooding followed torrential rain. In Freetown at least 10
people were killed. A week later an estimated 9,000 survivors were
still sheltering in tents.
   (AFP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In South Sudan at
least 203 people were killed when an oil truck exploded as a crowd
tried to gather fuel from the vehicle after it had veered off the
road.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)(AFP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Thailand police
arrested former primary school teacher Decha Pradit, who they said
admitted to having sexually abused 24 schoolgirls, after a tip-off
from the US Department of Homeland Security. The abuse occurred over
a decade ago while he had worked as a gym teacher at a school in
northern Uttaradit province from 2002 to 2004.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Ukraine’s Pres.
Petro Poroshenko signed a decree late today enacting targeted
measures against some 400 officials and 90 companies held
responsible for Ukraine's bloody pro-Russian uprising and Moscow's
annexation of Crimea last year. Dozens of foreign reporters were
blacklisted.
   (AFP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Ukraine's
parliament unanimously voted in favor of a recommendation for the
United Nations to revoke Moscow's right to block Security Council
resolutions in cases when "conflicts grow especially fierce".
   (AFP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Yemeni PM Khaled
Bahah returned to the southern port of Aden in a step towards
restoring a government on home soil after months of working from
exile with Gulf Arab allies to fight against Houthi control of the
country. The conflict has killed more than 4,500 people over nearly
six months.
   (Reuters, 9/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, The US Pentagon
said Moroccan prisoner Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri (46) has been
sent home to his native country after nearly 14 years at Guantanamo
after a security review and notification of Congress as required
under the law. He had been held at Guantanamo since May 2002 and was
never been charged. His release reduced the prison population to
115.
   (AP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, US federal
prosecutors said GM has agreed to pay $900 million to resolve
criminal charges for concealing an ignition-switch defect linked to
at least 169 deaths.
   (SFC, 9/18/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In Florida Anthony
Moscatielo was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the
mob-connected 2001 slaying of Konstantinos Boulis during a dispute
over gambling ships.
   (SFC, 9/18/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Everett Parker
(b.1913), a minister who used the communication office of the United
Church of Christ as a platform for spearheading reforms in
broadcasting in the 1960s and 1970s, died in White Plains, NY.
   (SFC, 9/21/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In South Dakota
the bodies of 6 members of the Westerhuis family were found in their
burned home in Platte. Authorities believed that Scot Westerhuis
shot and killed his wife and four children before turning a gun on
himself.
   (SFC, 9/23/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In Burkina Faso at
least one person died and scores more were injured in protests after
a coup led by a close ally of toppled strongman Blaise Compaore.
   (AFP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Croatia said it
could not cope with a flood of migrants seeking a new route into the
EU after Hungary kept them out by erecting a fence and using tear
gas and water cannon against them. More than 7,300 people entered
Croatia from Serbia in the last 24 hours after clashes between
Hungarian riot police and stone-throwing refugees.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, The EU announced
its leaders would hold an emergency summit on Sept. 23 to try to
resolve the migration crisis.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In France PM
Manuel Valls signed a decree authorizing the extradition to Russia
of jailed Kazakh tycoon Mukhtar Ablyazov. Ablyazov was notified in
October at the prison where he is being held outside Paris. The
businessman accused of embezzling up to $6 billion from his former
bank BTA planned to lodge an appeal.
   (Reuters, 10/12/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, France said it
will use a new European opt-out scheme to ensure a ban on the
cultivation of genetically modified crops in the country remains in
place.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, French startup
Blablacar, which hooks up travelers who want to share a car for
long-distance trips, announced it has raised $200 million in new
funds from US and other investors as it seeks to ramp up global
expansion. The company soon boasted some 20 million users in 19
countries.
   (AP, 9/17/15)(Econ, 10/24/15, p.61)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In Germany police
were called after reports that a man was waving a knife about on a
street in Spandau, Berlin. The man, a known Islamic extremist,
seriously injured a female officer before another officer shot and
killed him.
   (AP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Indonesian police
said they have identified seven companies and 133 individuals
suspected of causing forest fires that are spreading choking smoke
and polluted air across parts of western Indonesia and neighboring
Malaysia and Singapore.
   (AP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In Iraq bomb
attacks claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group killed at least
23 people and wounded 68 others in Baghdad.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Japan’s police
said Jonathan Nakada (30), who threw himself out a second-story
window as police pursued him, is being investigated in the slayings
of 3 people inside the house and 3 more this week in the
neighborhood near Tokyo.
   (AP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Kenyan security
forces searching one of its ships at Mombasa port discovered
undeclared weapons among the consignment of UN vehicles. The
consignment of vehicles was from Mumbai, India, and was destined for
the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo. On Sep 27 the
Norwegian-flagged ship was reported released.
   (AP, 9/23/15)(AP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Lesotho police
arrested a 63-year-old Danish man after they found 21 pieces of
female genitalia in his freezer at his home in Bloemfontein.
   (AP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Mozambique
declared itself free of landmines, ending two decades of work to rid
the country of a legacy of war that killed or maimed thousands of
people.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Nigerian troops
rescued 23 men, 33 women and 34 children from Boko Haram Islamists
in the villages of Dissa and Balazala, which lie in the vicinity of
the town of Gwoza in Borno state.
   (AFP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF) said cholera has killed 16 people in three camps in
Nigeria housing over one million people who have fled the Boko Haram
insurgency.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Romanian
prosecutors formally indicted Prime Minister Victor Ponta (42) on
corruption charges, including tax evasion and money-laundering, and
said he will be tried by the country's top court.
   (AP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Switzerland ruled
that former FIFA vice president Eugenio Figueredo, a Uruguayan
national, should be extradited to the US, the first suspect facing a
forced transfer in the corruption case that has shaken world
football.
   (AFP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In Syria at least
53 people were killed in air raids by Syrian government forces in
rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo over the last 24
hours. Syrian warplanes carried out at least 12 airstrikes across
Raqqa, the self-declared capital of the Islamic State group. In the
south regime barrel bombs killed at least 17 people in Bosra Sham.
   (Reuters, 9/17/15)(AP, 9/17/15)(SFC, 9/18/15,
p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In southern
Thailand nine bomb blasts targeting different areas of Narathiwat
province killed 3 people and injured 14 others. Police blamed
separatist insurgents for the explosions.
   (AP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, A Venezuelan air
force jet with two crew members crashed while monitoring an illegal
flight that had entered the country near the Colombian border.
   (AP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In Yemen the
Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels pounded the insurgents'
positions with heavy artillery fire on the outskirts of the central
city of Marib, part of their push to retake the capital, Sanaa.
   (AP, 9/17/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, The United States
issued regulations easing restrictions on American companies seeking
to do business in Cuba and opening up travel in the latest action to
weaken the US trade embargo amid warming relations with the
Communist country.
   (Reuters, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, The US repatriated
Yang Jinjun to China. He was on a Chinese list of 100 wanted
corruption suspects published in April. He had fled to the United
States in 2001, was the general manager of a company called Minghe
Group in Wenzhou city and was wanted on suspicion of corruption and
bribery.
   (Reuters, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, The United States
and Russian militaries renewed high-level contacts to discuss their
roles in the conflict in Syria.
   (AFP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, America’s
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that several
diesel-engined Volkswagens and Audis had software which switched
NOX-controlling technology on only when faced with highly
predictable sort of demands seen under test conditions.
   (Econ, 9/26/15, p.24)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In southern
California a sheriff's deputy in a helicopter shot at a suspected
home invasion robber who led authorities on a 100-mph chase, and the
suspect died on I-25 in San Bernadino.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Palo Alto
Networks, a California-based network security company, reported that
it had identified 39 apps in the Apple App Store infected with
XcodeGhost, after developers in China began noticing something
strange in Apple’s suite of coding tools. The malware could be used
to obtain passwords or other personal details.
   (SFC, 9/22/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, The Oklahoma
Corporation Commission (OCC), which regulates the state's oil and
gas industry, ordered companies to shut or reduce usage of five
saltwater disposal wells around the north-central Oklahoma city of
Cushing. Days later an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 struck
near the crude oil hub of Cushing.
   (Reuters, 11/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In Afghanistan at
least 8 police officers were killed after their checkpoint was
attacked in southern Zabul province.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, The African Union
suspended Burkina Faso and slapped sanctions on the leaders of its
military coup as troops tried to stop protesters from marching on
the capital's Revolution Square.
   (AFP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Burkina Faso's
military released interim President Michel Kafando and PM Isaac Zida
as soldiers blocked demonstrators from gathering in the capital.
Both men were detained Sep 16 during a coup that dissolved his
government.
   (AP, 9/18/15)(SFC, 9/18/15, p.A9)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In China at least
5 police officers were stabbed to death by separatists in a knife
attack at a coal mine in the violence-prone far western region of
Xinjiang.
   (Reuters, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Croatia’s PM Zoran
Milanovic warned matters were out of control and that his government
would no longer be able to register or accommodate the migrants.
Hundreds of migrants crossed into Hungary from Croatia, handed over
by bus under the watch of Hungarian security forces. Some 8,000
migrants arrived in Hungary from Croatia with more on their way.
   (Reuters, 9/18/15)(Reuters, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In Finland a
one-day strike halted public transportation and shut down ports
nationwide as workers protested against government cutbacks aimed at
trying to drag the Nordic country out of a three-year economic
downturn.
   (AP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In Germany
employees of a logistics company in Woerth am Rhein found 300 kg
(661 pounds) of cocaine in a container loaded with engine parts that
had been shipped from Brazil to the Belgian port of Antwerp.
   (AP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In northern
Guatemala social activist Rigoberto Lima Choc was slain near a civil
courthouse in Sayaxche, Peten department. A day earlier, a court
ordered the temporary closure of a company that grows palm trees for
oil production. The ruling came in response to a complaint by Lima
Choc over the contamination of a local river known as the Rio de la
Pasion.
   (AP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In
Indian-controlled Kashmir gunmen first threw a grenade, and when
that didn't explode they sprayed bullets at Bashir Ahmed, himself a
former militant, outside his home as he was carrying his son. Ahmed
died right away. His son (3) died the next day.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In Iran Nizar
Zakka, an American-Lebanese IT expert, went missing after attending
a conference in Tehran. On Nov 3 state broadcaster IRIB said he has
been arrested and linked to US military and intelligence agencies.
   (Reuters, 11/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In Iran flash
floods triggered by heavy rains killed 10 people in Tehran, and
south of the country.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Kenya's education
ministry ordered all schools to shut because of a three-week
teachers' strike over pay.
   (AFP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Fighters from
Mali's former rebel alliance, the Coordination of Azawad Movements
(CMA), took control of the northeastern town of Anefis after
loyalist fighters who seized it last month withdrew.
   (AFP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In northwest
Pakistan an attack by Taliban gunmen on an air force base killed 29
people including 16 worshippers, who were gunned down when the
militants stormed a mosque inside the compound during prayers. 13
gunmen were also killed in the attack on Badaber air base, about 10
km (6 miles) south of Peshawar.
   (Reuters, 9/18/15)(AP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Palestinians
clashed with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem and the occupied
West Bank after the Islamist movement Hamas called for a "day of
rage" over tensions at the Al-Aqsa mosque site.
   (AFP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Russia delivered
new arms including warplanes as the regime increases attacks on
jihadists.
   (AFP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Saudi authorities
said incoming fire from Yemen hit a residence for construction
workers in the south, killing at least 3 people and wounding 28.
   (AP, 9/18/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In Somalia 12
government soldiers were killed in an attack by Al-Qaeda-affiliated
Shebab militants at the military base in the Yaq-Bariweyne area.
Several of the militants were also killed during the fighting.
   (AFP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Spanish
authorities said they have seized 1.5 metric tons (1.7 tons) of
cocaine and arrested 10 suspects from a ring that imported the drug
from South America via large ships that offloaded the cargo off
Spain's northern coast to smaller recreational boats for shipment
ashore.
   (AP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Syrian regime
aircraft carried out at least 25 strikes on jihadist-controlled
Palmyra, the country's famed ancient city, with 8 civilians among
the dead.
   (AFP, 9/18/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In Yemen at least
14 pro-government troops were killed overnight when a Saudi-led
coalition air raid targeted their position "by mistake" in the
region of Harib. The United Nations' children's agency said it was
"appalled" that vital water supplies, which were intended to help
11,000 people, were destroyed in the bombing of a warehouse used by
the agency in southern Sanaa. Raids on the rebel-held capital killed
15 people, 10 of them civilians.
   (AFP, 9/18/15)(AP, 9/19/15)(AFP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Best-selling
romance novelist Jackie Collins (77), whose first book was so steamy
it was banned in some countries, died of breast cancer in
California. She was the sister of actress Joan Collins (82).
   (AFP, 9/20/15)(Econ, 9/26/15, p.94)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Florida
Spanish-language TV host Don Francisco, aka Mario Kreutzberger,
ended a 53-year career, offering a last, emotional show on Sábado
Gigante in which President Barack Obama and his wife praised him by
video and a constellation of Latin American pop stars thanked him
for advancing their careers.
   (AP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Burkina Faso
hundreds of protesters burned tires and erected barricades in the
streets of Ouagadougou in a third day of unrest since a military
coup ousted the country's interim government.
   (Reuters, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Canada's
conservative government said it would accept 10,000 Syrian refugees
within one year by simplifying and speeding up the immigration
application process.
   (AFP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Egypt
unidentified assailants gunned down police General Ahmed Abdel Satar
on the street in the North Sinai provincial capital El-Arish, a
stronghold of the Islamic State group.
   (AFP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Finland started
border checks for asylum seekers arriving from Sweden in the
northern town of Tornio, while people there demonstrated against a
growing influx of refugees.
   (Reuters, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, French President
Francois Hollande arrived in Morocco for a two-day visit aimed at
strengthening cooperation against terrorism and boosting economic
partnership with the former colony.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In France a judge
ruled that anti-Semitic graffiti must be removed from Anish Kapoor’s
funnel-like sculpture at the Palace of Versailles. The ten-meter
high structure, dubbed the "queen's vagina" but officially called
"Dirty Corner," was first vandalized in June and then cleaned.
   (AFP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, A girl believed to
be five years died and 13 other migrants were feared lost overboard
after their boat sank in choppy seas off the Greek island of Lesbos.
   (Reuters, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In western India
sporadic clashes erupted as police detained Hardik Patel, the
popular leader of a farming caste group, after denying him
permission to hold a rally in Surat, Gujarat state.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In
Indian-controlled Kashmir villagers discovered the bullet-riddled
body of a militant in an orchard in Indian Kashmir's Tangmarg area.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Iraqi officials
said a suspected cholera outbreak has killed 4 people west of
Baghdad, where vulnerable displaced populations have been affected
by the lack of clean water.
   (AFP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Israel carried out
air strikes in the Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants there
fired rockets into southern Israel.
   (Reuters, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, The Italian coast
guard said twenty rescue operations picked up over 4,500 people off
the Libyan coast.
   (AFP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Japan passed
security bills that reinterpret the pacifist Article 9 of the
Constitution and that allow its military to engage in fighting
abroad even if Japan is not attacked.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In central Mali a
gun attack blamed on jihadists left two policemen and two civilians
dead.
   (AFP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Pakistani jets
killed 16 suspected militants in bombing raids in the Tirah Valley
near the Afghan border. Communications intercepts showed the
Pakistani Taliban gunmen were being directed by handlers in
Afghanistan.
   (Reuters, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Russian President
Vladimir Putin said he has backed the establishment of an airbase in
neighboring Belarus.
   (Reuters, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Russian
investigators arrested and charged Komi region regional governor
Vyacheslav Gayzer (Gaiser) along with 18 others with serious crimes
including fraud and membership of a criminal group. Gayzer was
suspected of heading a criminal group along with other senior
officials including deputy Alexei Chernov.
   (Reuters, 9/19/15)(SSFC, 9/20/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Thailand some
200 pro-democracy protesters in Bangkok defied a ban on protests and
staged a rare rally against the country's ruling military
government.
   (AFP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Turkey’s state-run
Anatolia news agency reported that Turkish fighter jets carried out
a new barrage of cross-border airstrikes this week against Kurdish
militants in northern Iraq, killing at least 55 rebels.
   (AFP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Pope Francis began
a 10-day trip to Cuba and the United States, embarking on his first
trip to the onetime Cold War foes after helping to nudge forward
their historic rapprochement.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Yemen overnight
airstrikes carried out by a Saudi-led coalition against Shiite
rebels and their allies killed 29 people, including civilians, in
Sanaa.
   (AP, 9/19/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Sec. of State John
Kerry said the US will increase its cap on the number of refugees it
admits and resettles to 85,000 in the coming fiscal year and to
100,000 in 2017.
   (SFC, 9/21/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Australia's new PM
Malcom Turnbull announced sweeping changes to his first Cabinet and
promoted more women, including Australia's first female defense
minister.
   (AP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Roughly 10,700
migrants walked into Austria from Hungary and a motorway passing
through the border was partially closed.
   (Reuters, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Burkina Faso
pro-coup demonstrators stormed a hotel due to host talks aimed at
restoring a civilian interim government and attacked participants
arriving for the meeting.
   (Reuters, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In northern
Cameroon two young suicide bombers killed 3 people in the town of
Mora.
   (AFP, 9/20/15)
 2015      Sep 20, China’s
first high-speed passenger railway line to the borders of North
Korea and Russia opened.
   (SSFC, 9/27/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Cuba Pope
Francis met with Fidel Castro after urging thousands of Cubans to
serve one another and not an ideology.
   (SFC, 9/21/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Ethiopia the
first modern tramway opened in Addis Ababa, marking the completion
of a massive Chinese-funded infrastructure project hailed as a major
step in the country's economic development.
   (AFP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Greeks voted in
their third national polls this year, called on to choose who they
trust to steer the country into its new international bailout.
Voters gave Alexis Tsipras and his Syriza party a second chance to
tackle Greece's problems. Syriza's stronger-than-expected win
secured it 145 of 300 parliamentary seats, meaning the party
requires only one small coalition partner to form a government.
   (AP, 9/20/15)(Reuters, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Hungary erected a
steel gate and fence posts at a border crossing with Croatia.
   (Reuters, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Nepal formally
adopted a much anticipated and long-delayed constitution that took
more than seven years to complete following a decade of political
infighting.
   (AP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In northeastern
Nigeria at least 54 people were killed and 90 wounded in a multiple
bomb attack in Maiduguri, Borno state. A suspected Boko Haram
suicide bomber detonated IEDs (improvised explosive devices) at a
mosque in Ajilari and some insurgents also threw IEDs at a viewing
center. More than 20 people were killed in a bomb attack in the
garrison town of Monguno.
   (Reuters, 9/21/15)(AFP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Serbia hundreds
attending a tightly-secured gay pride event called for solidarity
with tens of thousands of migrants passing through the Balkan
country in search of a new life in Western Europe.
   (AP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Syria warring
parties agreed local ceasefires in two Shi'ite villages in
northwestern Syria and a town near the Lebanese border. At least 14
civilians, including seven children, were killed when rebels shelled
a government-controlled neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo.
   (Reuters, 9/20/15)(AP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In southern
Thailand a court in Songkhla province issued arrest warrants for
four military officers in connection with the trafficking of ethnic
Rohingya migrants.
   (AP, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Thailand police
arrested former Philippines Gov. Joel Reyes of western Palawan
island province and his brother Mario Reyes, an ex-municipal mayor.
They were among the country's most-wanted crime suspects for the
2011 murder of a radio anchor and prominent environmentalist.
   (AP, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Turkey at least
10,000 demonstrators rallied in central Istanbul for a protest aimed
at denouncing violence by Kurdish rebels.
   (AP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, At least 13
migrants died off the coast of Turkey after the inflatable dinghy
carrying them to Greece collided with a ferry.
   (AFP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, The UN accused the
army of Libya's internationally recognized government of
deliberately trying to sabotage crunch peace talks with a new
offensive in second city Benghazi.
   (AFP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Yemen's Shiite
Houthi rebels released six foreigners whom they were holding
hostage. They included three Americans, two Saudis and a British
national and flew out of Sanaa to Oman. Saudi-led air strikes on a
security complex controlled by Shiite rebels in Ibb province killed
11 people, some of them prisoners.
   (AP, 9/20/15)(AFP, 9/20/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Texas Daniel
Spencer (32), a gay film editor, was stabbed to death by James
Miller (64) following an alleged attempt by Spencer to kiss Miller.
In court Miller cited a panic attack and was sentenced to just six
months in prison and ten years of probation.
   (https://tinyurl.com/y5f3bdrq)(Econ., 11/28/20,
p.25)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, The British
government said it will underwrite 2 billion pounds ($3.1 billion)
in Chinese financing for a new nuclear power plant in southwest
England, as it encourages major Chinese investment in the UK nuclear
sector.
   (AP, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Burkina Faso Gen.
Gilbert Diendere, who seized power in a coup last week, apologized
to the nation and said he would hand over control to a civilian
transitional government after the military warned that its forces
would converge on the capital and forcibly disarm the soldiers
behind the power grab.
   (AP, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, China issued a
reform plan laying out the basis of future policy.
   (Econ, 10/3/15, p.46)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In the Czech Rep.
a gunpowder explosion took place in the Sellier & Bellot plant
in the town of Vlasim. At least 3 workers were killed.
   (AP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Egyptian troops
killed 10 militants near the Bahriyah Oasis in the country's western
desert — an area where Egyptian forces earlier this month mistakenly
attacked a group of Mexican tourists.
   (AP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, French police
fired tear gas as they broke down several makeshift camps around the
port city of Calais, leaving nearly 400 people, mostly Syrian
refugees, without shelter.
   (AP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, France's labor
court ordered the national railway to pay 150 million euros ($169
million) in compensation after finding that Moroccans had faced
discrimination in benefits compared with their French colleagues.
   (AP, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Germany
Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn came under pressure as the
company saw around 15 billion euros ($16.9 billion) wiped off its
market value following revelations that the German carmaker rigged
US emissions tests for about 500,000 diesel cars.
   (AP, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Lebanon’s
education ministry said it is to provide schooling for tens of
thousands more children this year including Syrian refugees.
   (Reuters, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In the southern
Philippines gunmen overnight kidnapped two Canadian tourists, a
Norwegian employee and a Filipina from yachts at Samal, a luxury
resort island. Hundreds of government troops launched an offensive
to capture at least six foreign Islamic militants and their Abu
Sayyaf rebel allies in Sulu province. In November Abu Sayyaf
demanded $21 million for each captive. In April, Abu Sayyaf
militants beheaded Canadian John Ridsdel, a former mining executive,
after a ransom demand of 300 million pesos ($6.3 million) was not
paid. On June 13, 2016, Canadian Justin Trudeau said his government
has "compelling reason to believe" that Robert Hall, the second
Canadian held hostage in the Philippines, has been killed by his
captors.
   (AFP, 9/22/15)(AP, 9/22/15)(AP, 11/4/15)(AP,
6/13/16)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Russia Israeli
PM Benjamin Netanyahu met Pres. Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss
ways of avoiding any unintended clashes in Syria between Israel and
Russian forces supporting President Bashar al-Assad.
   (Reuters, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Lawyers for Sergei
Pugachev, a tycoon once dubbed "Putin's banker" because of his
influence in the Kremlin, said he has filed a claim against Russia
for more than $10 billion after his business empire was carved up
when he fell out of favor with President Vladimir Putin. The case
will likely to be heard in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The
Hague.
   (Reuters, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Russian radio
engineer Gennady Kravtsov, who once worked for military
intelligence, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for seeking work
with a Swedish company. The judge in the trial, which was held
behind closed doors, turned down all of the 23 motions the defense
filed and did not allow a single defense witness to testify.
   (AP, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Somalia 5
people were killed in a suicide car bombing at the presidential
palace in Mogadishu. The blast was claimed by the Islamic extremists
of al-Shabab. 2 Polish citizens were among the 3 foreigners killed.
   (AP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Syria heavy
bombardment by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad killed at
least 18 civilians in a residential district of the northern city of
Aleppo. 4 people were reported killed in twin car bomb attacks on
the frontier town of Ras al-Ain. Kurdish security forces were among
the dead. At least 38 Islamic State group fighters were killed in
air strikes by the Damascus regime against Palmyra and two other
towns in Homs province.
   (AFP, 9/21/15)(AFP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Syria the
Islamic State group executed 7 men in Rastan, Homs province, and 2
men and a boy in Hreitan, Aleppo province, it accused of being gay.
   (AFP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Islamic State
militants released Massoud Aqeel, who was kidnapped last year in
northern Syria, as part of a prisoner swap with a Kurdish militia.
The IS group still held reporter Farhad Hamo.
   (Reuters, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, The Turkish
military said it has killed 5 Kurdish rebels in airstrikes on the
southeastern province of Hakkari.
   (AP, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, The head of the UN
nuclear watchdog said environmental samples have been taken at a
sensitive military site in Iran, citing "significant progress" in
its investigation of Tehran's past activities.
   (Reuters, 9/21/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Yemen Saudi
alliance raids killed around 50 people.
   (Reuters, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Pope Francis (78)
arrived Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, where he was
greeted by US President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and their
two daughters. His historic six-day trip will focus on consumerism,
poverty and the marginalized.
   (AFP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In Massachusetts
Catherine Greig (64), the longtime girlfriend and fugitive companion
of mobster James “whitey” Bulger was indicted on one count of
criminal contempt. She was already serving an 8-year sentence for
conspiracy to harbor a fugitive.
   (SFC, 9/23/15, p.A14)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Martin Shkreli,
the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, announced that he would lower the
price of Daraprim, a 62-year-old drug used to treat a parasitic
infection. The company had recently raised the pill cost from $13.50
to $750.
   (SFC, 9/23/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Lawrence Peter
Berra (b.1925), aka Yogi Berra, champion baseball player, died in
New Jersey.
   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogi_Berra)(Econ,
10/3/15, p.98)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In northern
Afghanistan 10 soldiers died in an "insider attack" when fellow
soldier Mohammad Alim smuggled insurgents inside a checkpoint to
kill his colleagues in Qush Tepa district of Zawzjan province. A
roadside bombing in northern Balkh province killed 5 police
officers, including a district police chief.
   (AP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In eastern
Afghanistan a NATO soldier was killed in an attack near Bagram
Airfield.
   (AP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Chinese President
Xi Jinping began his US state visit in the West Coast hub of Seattle
aiming to woo American businesses and take the edge off the White
House's wariness of the Asian giant. Jinping said that China and the
United States could work together to address cybercrimes.
   (AFP, 9/22/15)(AP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, EU interior
ministers approved plans that require all to take their share of the
hundreds of thousands of migrants who have overwhelmed states such
as Greece and Italy, overriding opposition from eastern states.
   (AFP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, German police
carried out dawn raids in Berlin targeting individuals suspected of
inciting people to go and fight for the Islamic State group in
Syria.
   (AFP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Volkswagen issued
a profit warning and said it is setting aside $7.3 billion to cover
the fallout over software in some 11 million diesel cars that was
designed to manipulate emissions test results.
   (SFC, 9/23/15, p.C1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, India cleared a
$2.5 billion deal to buy 37 military helicopters from aviation giant
Boeing, on the eve of PM Narendra Modi's visit to the United States.
   (AFP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, A Palestinian
militant (23) died overnight when a bomb he was trying to throw at
Israeli forces blew up near the West Bank city of Hebron. The
Islamic Jihad militant group named him as Diyaa Abdul Halim
Talahmeh, claimed him as one of its members and said he had been
shot dead by the soldiers. Hours later Israeli troops shot and
wounded a Palestinian woman (18) as she tried to stab a soldier. A
Palestinian witness the next day disputed the Israeli army's account
of her shooting.
   (Reuters, 9/22/15)(AP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In Peru Peter
Cardenas Schulte, of Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA), was
released from prison after serving 25 years. Cardenas, who used the
alias "Comrade Alfonso," had been jailed since April 14, 1992.
   (AFP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In Saudi Arabia
more than 2 million Muslims started the first rites of the annual
hajj. It was estimated that the hajj brought in $8.5 billion each
year.
   (AP, 9/22/15)(Econ, 9/19/15, p.45)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Serbia threatened
to retaliate after Croatia halted all cargo traffic from its eastern
neighbor. More than 30,000 migrants, many of them Syrian refugees,
have entered European Union member Croatia from Serbia in the last
week.
   (Reuters, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Spain’s Interior
Ministry said in a statement that ETA leaders David Pla and Iratxe
Sorzabal were detained in a country house in the western mountain
town of Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorry, a few km (miles) from the Spanish
border, in a joint operation by French and Spanish police.
   (AP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, The UN’s Climate
change Secretariat launched Climate Neutral Now, a website that
estimates an individual’s carbon footprint based on whereabouts,
recycling habits, energy use and so on.
   (Econ, 10/3/15, p.63)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Venezuela’s
President Nicolas Maduro said he is extending an anti-smuggling
crackdown to a fourth state on the border with Colombia as foreign
ministers from the two countries prepared to meet in Caracas.
   (AP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Yemeni President
Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi landed in Aden airport, returning to the
southern port city for the first time since he escaped to Saudi
Arabia as Houthi fighters closed in six months ago. Saudi alliance
warplanes bombed two houses in the capital Sanaa, killing at least
20 people. The Saudi Defense Ministry said that two Saudi soldiers
strayed into enemy territory in Yemen and are presumed to be in the
hands of the Houthis.
   (Reuters, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In Yemen an
overnight US drone strike killed 2 suspected members of Al-Qaeda on
the outskirts of the city of Marib.
   (AFP, 9/22/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Washington, DC,
Pope Francis celebrated the canonization of Junipero Serra at the
Basilica of the National shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
   (SFC, 9/23/15, p.A1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Seattle, Wa.,
Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,
billionaire investor Warren Buffett and other top American and
Chinese business leaders, vowing that his country would work to
remove barriers to foreign investment and improve intellectual
property protections.
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Los Angeles
Saudi Prince Majed Abdulaziz Al-Saud (28) was arrested for allegedly
trying to force a woman to perform oral sex on him at a Beverly
Hills mansion.
   (AFP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, SF-based Uber
announced plans to move some 3,000 employees to a seven-story
building at 20th and Broadway in Oakland.
   (SFC, 9/24/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Wilmington,
Delaware, a police officer shouting "Show me your hands!" shot and
killed Jeremy McDole (28) sitting in a wheelchair on a street behind
a car in broad daylight. The event was captured on video.
   (AFP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Afghan Pres.
Ashraf Ghani pledged to stamp out widespread sexual abuse of boys by
powerful Afghan commanders.
   (SFC, 9/24/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Burkina Faso's
interim leader Michel Kafando was officially restored to power at a
ceremony attended by regional heads of state.
   (AFP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Chinese media
reported that local companies have agreed with Boeing to buy 300
jets and build an aircraft assembly plant in China in deals signed
during President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States.
   (AP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Colombian
President Juan Manuel Santos announced a surprise trip to Cuba for a
key meeting with government negotiators and the rebels' top military
commander. A joint statement said they have overcome the last
significant obstacle to a peace deal by settling on a formula to
punish belligerents for human rights abuses.
   (AP, 9/23/15)(SFC, 9/24/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Egypt's President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned 100 prisoners including three Al
Jazeera television journalists, a day before he plans to head to the
annual UN summit of world leaders.
   (Reuters, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Egypt agreed to
buy two Mistral warships which France built for Russia before
scrapping the sale over the Ukraine crisis, showing Paris
increasingly values Cairo as a stable partner in a chaotic region.
   (AFP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, EU leaders agreed
to boost border controls and to send $1.1 billion to int’l. agencies
helping refugees at camps near their home countries.
   (SFC, 9/24/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Volkswagen CEO
Martin Winterkorn said he is stepping down. His bonuses survived and
he received €5.9m in performance related pay for 2015.
   (AP, 9/23/15)(Econ, 6/25/16, p.12)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Mexican police and
soldiers said they have captured Yhovany Castro Urbano (27), a
suspected drug cartel lieutenant. He was linked to an April 6 ambush
in the western state of Jalisco that killed 15 state police
officers.
   (AP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Mexico’s federal
prosecutors' office said a judge has issued a second arrest warrant
to detain escaped drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman based on an
extradition request from the US.
   (AP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Russian President
Vladimir Putin in Moscow opened one of the biggest mosques in
Europe, warning against the lure of jihadists as the government
frets over its citizens fighting for the Islamic State group.
Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian president Mahmud
Abbas were the guests of honor.
   (AFP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, It was reported
that Russia is planning a second major military base near the border
with Ukraine, where NATO accuses Russian troops of helping
pro-Moscow separatists fight Kiev's forces.
   (Reuters, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Saudi Arabia
Around two million Muslims poured into the vast Saudi plain where
the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his final sermon, for
the peak of the hajj pilgrimage.
   (AFP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, South African
authorities said Cape Town's Pollsmoor Prison, that once held Nelson
Mandela, is being evacuated after two prisoners died from
leptospirosis, a disease carried by rats.
   (AP, 9/23/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, A senior adviser
to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Russia and the United
States have reached a "tacit agreement" on ending Syria's bloody
crisis.
   (AFP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In eastern Ukraine
rebel leaders in Luhansk decided to expel the staff of the UN
refugee agency along with other int’l. agencies.
   (SFC, 9/26/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, The United States
and its coalition partners targeted Islamic State with 22 fresh
airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.
   (Reuters, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Kuang Wanfang, a
Chinese woman who served a US prison term for money laundering was
returned to China, just ahead of a meeting between President Barack
Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Wanfang, the wife of a
former official of the state-owned Bank of China, was wanted in a
bribery investigation.
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Washington, DC,
Pope Francis issued a ringing call to action on behalf of
immigrants, urging US lawmakers to embrace "the stranger in our
midst" as he became the first pontiff in history to address a joint
meeting of the legislators.
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In south Texas an
SUV crammed with at least 15 people rolled during a police chase
leaving 6 people dead in Edna.
   (SFC, 9/25/15, p.A9)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Seattle, Wa., a
“Ride the Duck” amphibious tour vehicle and a charter bus carrying
foreign college students collided on the Aurora Avenue bridge
killing 4 foreign students.
   (SFC, 9/25/15, p.A9)(SFC, 9/26/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Virginia David
W. Landersman, a senior navy intelligence officer, was indicted by a
federal grand jury on charges of theft and conspiracy as part of a
long-running investigation into a secretive military operation. His
brother, Mark S. Landersman, was convicted in October, 2014, on
conspiracy charges for building untraceable silencers and shipping
them across state lines without a proper firearms license.
   (SSFC, 10/4/15, p.C3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Burundi
unidentified gunmen raided a police station in Bujumbura. One of the
attackers was killed with no other casualties.
   (Reuters, 9/25/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Congo DRC at
least 8 people were killed in an attack on an army camp late today
in Rumangabo village, North Kivu province, that local sources blamed
on Rwandan Hutu rebels targeted by a Congolese army operation.
   (Reuters, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, German customs
investigators said they had seized their largest-ever haul of
illegal pharmaceuticals -- 3.5 million pills from India, mostly
slimming and sexual potency "lifestyle drugs". The seizures were
carried out in some 20 raids on homes, flats and garages earlier
this month.
   (AFP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, It was reported
that Matthias Mueller, the head of German luxury sports car maker
Porsche, has been picked to succeed Martin Winterkorn as the chief
executive of scandal-battered auto giant Volkswagen.
   (AFP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Indonesia pledged
to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent by 2030,
relative to a business-as-usual scenario without climate action. It
pledged to raise that target to 41 percent with international
support, including access to finance and clean technology.
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Israel approved
harsher measures to combat the practice of stone throwing amid a
recent surge in Palestinian violence. A Palestinian man died from
wounds after being shot by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank last
week.
   (SFC, 9/25/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Japan's PM Shinzo
Abe announced an updated plan for reviving the world's third-largest
economy, setting a GDP target of 600 trillion yen ($5 trillion).
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Nepal nearly
400 protesters clashed with police in Birgunj, a town on the border
with India. They belonged to ethnic and religious groups
dissatisfied with Nepal's constitution adopted on Sep 20, and
demanded more territory and rights for ethnic federal states.
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Hamas accused
Egypt of further besieging the Gaza Strip by flooding the border
area to the south of the Palestinian enclave, which is already under
an Israeli blockade.
   (AFP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, The International
Criminal Court unveiled at least 60 new war crimes charges against
Dominic Ongwen, the deputy leader of Uganda's Lord's Resistance
Army, including the use of child soldiers and keeping sex slaves.
   (AFP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, New Zealander
lawmakers amended rules to add a fifth new flag design called "Red
Peak" to the original four finalists, following a popular campaign
for the geometric design.
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In southeastern
Niger 15 civilians were killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants
on a border village.
   (AFP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Saudi Arabia at
least 717 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at Mina outside of
Mecca, the worst disaster to strike the annual hajj pilgrimage in 25
years. On October 8 an AP count put the number killed to at least
1,313. On Oct 14 the death toll was raised to 1,621. On Oct 19 the
death toll was raised to at least 2,121.
   (Reuters, 9/24/15)(SFC, 10/9/15, p.A2)(SFC,
10/15/15, p.A2)(SFC, 10/20/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In northern Saudi
Arabia gunmen opened fire at two police checkpoints in Hail
province, killing at least 3 people.
   (AP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Saudi Arabia an
Islamic State loyalist and his brother allegedly killed their
cousin, a Saudi soldier, and 3 other people after luring them to a
desert area. On Sep 26 Saudi forces tracked the brothers to a
mountainous area where Abdul-Aziz Radi Ayash al-Anzi (18) was killed
in an ensuing gunfight. His brother, Saad Radi Ayash al-Anzi (21),
was wounded and arrested.
   (AP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Serbia banned
imports from Croatia to protest Croatia's decision to close the
border to cargo as the two countries criticized each other for their
handling of migrants. Croatia responded by banning all
Serbian-registered vehicles from entering the country.
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Singapore ordered
emergency school closures as air pollution reached "hazardous"
levels due to suffocating smoke from agricultural fires raging on a
nearby Indonesian island.
   (AFP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, The South African
military said it is withdrawing about 50 peacekeepers from a United
Nations mission in Congo because they violated disciplinary codes.
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, South Korea-based
Samsung Semiconductor dedicated its new 1.1 million-sq.-foot North
American headquarters in San Jose, Ca.
   (SFC, 9/26/15, p.D1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Syrian government
planes carried out several airstrikes and dropped barrel bombs on
the IS-controlled city of Palmyra for the third straight day,
forcing hundreds of civilians to flee their homes in the ancient
city.
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Two Turkish
soldiers and 34 Kurdish rebels were killed in fighting in Sirnak
province.
   (AFP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, The United
Nations' highest court ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear a case
focusing on Bolivia’s access to the Pacific Ocean. Bolivia asked the
International Court of Justice in 2013 to order Chile to negotiate
over Bolivia's claim to at least part of the 240-mile (400-km) strip
of the Pacific coast.
   (AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Yemen as many
as 25 Muslim worshippers performing Eid al-Adha prayers were killed
when Islamic State suicide bomber Abu Omar al-Hadidi, disguised as a
woman, blew himself up at the al-Balili mosque, run by the Houthi
group, just outside the Old City of Sanaa. 4 children and an adult
were killed when Houthis and their allies fired mortar shells into a
residential neighborhood in the city of Taiz.
   (Reuters, 9/24/15)(AP, 9/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, US President
Barack Obama welcomed China's Xi Jinping to the White House with
pointed remarks about human rights, cyber espionage and Beijing's
territorial ambitions. The United States announced agreements with
China on a military hotline and rules of behavior to govern
air-to-air encounters. Obama laid out a fresh threat of sanctions
for economic espionage emanating from China, even as he and
President Xi Jinping pledged their countries would not conduct or
support such hacking.
   (AFP, 9/25/15)(Reuters, 9/25/15)(AP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, US House Speaker
John Boehner (65) told a closed-door meeting that he will resign
next month as Speaker and from Congress.
   (AFP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In NYC Pope
Francis declared that there is a "right of the environment" and that
mankind has no authority to abuse it.
   (AP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In NYC world
leaders opened a summit to formally approve an ambitious and costly
15-year blueprint to eradicate extreme poverty, combat climate
change and address more than a dozen other major global issues.
   (AP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, British officials
said the US government has decided to release Shaker Aamer, the last
British resident to be held at Guantanamo Bay, to the UK. Aamer was
captured in Tora Bora in northern Afghanistan in December 2001
before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in February 2002. Aamer
was released in October. In December he told a newspaper that
British security officers had witnessed him being tortured by
American soldiers at Bagram air base in Afghanistan.
   (AFP, 9/25/15)(AP, 12/13/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, The leaders of
Burkina Faso's week-long coup demanded guarantees for their safety
before they disarm.
   (AFP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, China’s Pres. Xi
Jinping announced that China would launch a national carbon-trading
scheme in 2017.
   (Econ, 10/3/15, p.63)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In southern China
a highway crash involving two trucks, a coach bus and a van killed
22 people and injured 13 in Hunan province.
   (AP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In Colombia
American tourist John Mariani (65) was shot to death during an
apparent robbery attempt after leaving his hotel in a wealthy
enclave of Medellin.
   (AP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, The Croatian
parliament, controlled by a center-left coalition, agreed to
dissolve on Sept. 28, paving the way for the European Union's newest
member to hold a general election in November. Croatia lifted its
blockade of the border with Serbia.
   (Reuters, 9/25/15)(SFC, 9/26/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Egyptian security
forces killed 9 armed members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood in
a raid on a Cairo home.
   (Reuters, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Finland's
government condemned a racist protest in which demonstrators --
including one dressed in a Ku Klux Klan outfit -- attacked a bus
transporting asylum seekers in the early hours today.
   (AFP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, A report in Le
Monde newspaper cited a French intelligence source saying French
jihadist Salim Benghalem was currently part of the Islamic police of
IS and participated in executions and corporal punishments. He was
named along with Mehdi Nemmouche, who carried out a fatal attack on
the Jewish Museum in Brussels last year, as suspected jailers for
the Islamic State group.
   (AFP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In the Indian
portion of Kashmir government forces fired tear gas and used batons
to quell thousands of anti-India protesters who turned violent after
Eid prayers in various mosques.
   (AP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Israeli soldiers
assaulted an AFP photographer and cameraman in an unprovoked attack.
The incident was caught on film and the Israeli military soon
suspended the officer in charge.
   (SFC, 9/27/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Nigeria's military
said more than 200 members of Boko Haram surrendered as troops
regained control of the northeastern town of Banki, from where
attacks had been launched into Cameroon.
   (AFP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Yemen officials
said airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels
as well as fighting on the ground between rebels and pro-government
fighters in the central city of Taiz have killed at least 13 people
and wounded dozens.
   (AP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Montenegro said it
is preparing for the likely influx of migrants from Syria and beyond
as they carve out a new path on their journey to Western Europe.
   (AFP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In Mozambique 9
members of a convoy carrying Mozambique's opposition leader Afonso
Dhlakama were killed along with a driver in a shootout. Surviving
Renamo members, apparently including Dhlakama, fled into the bush
and a police operation was continuing in the area.
   (AFP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In Saudi Arabia a
senior officer and another border guard were killed in a gunbattle
after a landmine blast along the frontier with Yemen.
   (AFP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In Syria a
UN-backed truce deal for two key front-lines was reached. The deal
allows rebels to evacuate from an area besieged by pro-government
forces in exchange for an evacuation of thousands of Shiites from
two villages surrounded by militants in northern Idlib province.
   (AP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In Turkey 4
civilians were killed after they were caught in clashes between
Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants in the southeast.
Turkish military killed more than 30 Kurdish militants in a
cross-border operation.
   (AFP, 9/26/15)(Reuters, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In southern Turkey
13 people were killed in a road accident as millions took to their
cars for the annual Muslim holiday season of Eid.
   (Reuters, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Ukraine said it is
banning flights by Russian airlines from Oct. 25 as part of a wave
of sanctions against Russia over its support for separatists in the
east of the country. PM Arseny Yatseniuk added that any Russian
planes carrying military hardware or troops had also been banned
from flying over Ukrainian territory. The government statement also
forbade Ukrainian state companies from using Russian software,
particularly from the Russian anti-virus giant Kaspersky Lab.
Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said that Russia would be forced to
take retaliatory measures.
   (Reuters, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, At the UN
international leaders approved an ambitious 15-year plan to tackle
the world's biggest problems, from eradicating poverty to preserving
the planet and reducing inequality.
   (AP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, The UN refugee
agency criticized Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine for
shutting the door on international aid, while the rebels themselves
said the ban was instituted to restore order.
   (AP, 9/25/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In NYC Chinese
President Xi Jinping, speaking at a sustainable development summit
of world leaders at the UN, announced that Beijing will establish an
assistance fund with an initial pledge of $2 billion to help
developing countries implement a global sustainable development
agenda over the next 15 years.
   (Reuters, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Pope Francis
traveled to Philadelphia to promote the issue of religious freedom
on the penultimate day of his first visit to the United States.
   (Reuters, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Azerbaijan said
one soldier was killed over the past day by Armenian artillery, and
the Nagorno-Karabakh defense ministry said four of its fighters died
from an Azerbaijan barrage.
   (AP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Bolivia's Congress
voted to amend the country’s constitution to let President Evo
Morales run for re-election again in five years, and potentially
extend his presidency to 2025. The changes must be ratified by a
national referendum set for February 21, 2016.
   (AFP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In the Central
African Republic at least 21 people were killed and another 100 were
wounded when Muslims attacked a mainly Christian neighborhood in
Bangui in reprisal for the murder of Moctar Mahamat, a Muslim man.
   (Reuters, 9/27/15)(SFC, 9/30/15,
p.A5)Â Â Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In Egypt 2
soldiers were killed by a roadside car bomb in northern Sinai.
   (AP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In Guyana more
than 1,000 soldiers marched through the capital and elsewhere in the
country amid a growing border dispute with Venezuela.
   (AP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Indonesia arrested
the Thai captain of a seized cargo ship carrying an estimated $2
million worth of seafood on suspicion of illegal fishing.
   (AP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, A coalition led by
the United States conducted 20 air strikes against Islamic State in
Iraq and three against the militant group in Syria.
   (Reuters, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Ahmad Al Mahdi Al
Faqi, known as Abu Tourab, an alleged Islamic extremist charged with
involvement in the destruction of religious buildings in the
historic city of Timbuktu in Mali in 2012, was sent to the
International Criminal Court to face justice.
   (AP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Russia exchanged
Estonian Eston Kohver, who had been convicted of espionage, for
Aleksei Dressen, a former Estonian policeman convicted of treason
for passing state secrets to Moscow.
   (AP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Moscow pressed its
military buildup at a new airbase in Syria. The US trained Division
30 of the New Syrian Forces handed over US provided military
equipment to the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front in exchange for
safe passage in northern Syria.
   (AFP, 9/26/15)(Reuters, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Saudi Arabia
deployed large numbers of special forces as pilgrims performed the
final rituals of a hajj marred by double tragedy, with the toll from
a stampede rising to 769.
   (AFP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, The Syrian army
fired a missile into the last rebel-held neighborhood of the central
city of Homs killing 17 people, most of them civilians.
   (AFP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Two Taiwanese
pilots were found dead in the cabin of the aircraft that went down
in a mountainous area of central Taiwan earlier in the week.
   (AP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Thai authorities
said they were now "convinced" their first arrest, a man named as
Adem Karadag, planted the bomb on August 17 which killed 20 people
after weeks of an often confusing and contradictory police
investigation. The other man in custody has been identified as
Yusufu Mieraili, who was seized with a Chinese passport marking
Xinjiang as his birthplace.
   (AFP, 9/26/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In Yemen Gulf
troops and allied tribesmen continued heavy ground battles with
militiamen and their allies in Yemen's army in the desert province
of Marib. At least 20 bodies from both sides were seen on the
battlefield. Saudi Brigadier Gen. Ibrahim Omar Ibrahim Hamzi died
the next day of wounds.
   (Reuters, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In Philadelphia,
Pa., Pope Francis met with victims of child sexual abuse on the
final day of his US visit and promised to hold accountable those
responsible for the scandal in the church.
   (AP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In eastern
Afghanistan Islamic State gunmen attacked checkpoints in Nangarhar
province, killing 3 police in the group's first attack on the
country's security forces. Afghanistan responded to the pre-dawn
attack with a wave of airstrikes that killed 85 IS militants. All
the terrorists killed were reportedly Pakistani citizens under the
command of Hafiz Saeed, who was also killed.
   (AP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Brazil pledged to
slash greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent by 2030 as its
contribution to a UN climate agreement, but said it will include
reductions from past efforts against deforestation to help it reach
the target. Pres. Dilma Rousseff presented the country's pledges
during a speech at the UN General Assembly in NYC.
   (Reuters, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In Congo DRC 13
people were killed in the restive in an attack on a convoy
transporting some $40,000 in salaries for teachers in South Kivu
province.
   (AFP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, France launched
its first air strikes against Islamic State in Syria in an act of
"self-defense" to stop to the militant group from carrying out
attacks inside France.
   (AP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Paris, France,
held its first car-free day.
   (Econ, 9/26/15, p.53)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, India’s PM Modi
concluded a diplomatic visit to California with a visit to San Jose.
He has promised to turn India into the next Silicon Valley.
   (SFC, 9/27/15, p.C1)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, An Iraqi spokesman
said Iraq, Russia, Iran and Syria have agreed to set up an
intelligence committee in Baghdad aimed at sharing and analyzing
information.
   (AFP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Clashes erupted
between Palestinians and Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's
flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, with further trouble feared in
the week ahead as Jews celebrate the Sukkot holiday.
   (AFP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Christian schools
in Israel said they would end a nearly month-long strike over cuts
in government funding after reaching an agreement with the Education
Ministry.
   (AP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In Moldova some
20,000 people protested against the government, days after the
International Monetary Fund said it would not negotiate a new loan
agreement with the pro-European leadership which says it needs the
money to pay salaries and pensions.
   (AP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Nepal started
imposing restrictions on the movement of vehicles as a blockade of
cargo trucks trying to enter the country from neighboring India
continued to severely limit supplies of fuel and other essential
commodities.
   (AP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Ten fishermen died
and three were missing after the crew of a fishing trawler abandoned
their vessel in rough seas off the South African coast.
   (AP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In Spain
separatists won a clear majority of seats in Catalonia's parliament
in an election that sets the region on a collision course with the
central government over independence.
   (Reuters, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Rebels in Sudan's
Darfur region ambushed a South African unit that is part of a
UN-African Union peacekeeping mission, killing one soldier and
seriously injuring another.
   (AP, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Syrian regime air
strikes killed 4 civilians in Kfarbatna. 2 people died inside
Damascus when opposition fighters fired shells onto the Adwa
district.
   (AFP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Seventeen migrants
drowned when their boat sank off the Turkish coast while headed for
the Greek island of Kos. 20 people were rescued.
   (Reuters, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Yemen’s Pres.
Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi urged Shiite rebels to lay down their arms
and resume dialogue to end conflict, as he left for the UN General
Assembly. Air strikes by helicopters from a Saudi-led alliance
killed 25 civilians in the village of Bani Zela.
   (AFP, 9/27/15)(Reuters, 9/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Prers. Obama said
the United States is willing to work with Iran and Russia to try to
end the Syrian conflict, but insisted there could not be a return to
the status quo under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
   (Reuters, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In northern
Afghanistan Taliban fighters battled their way into the center of
Kunduz city and freed hundreds of fellow militants from jail, in one
of the most serious security breaches in 14 years of war. 3
militants and at least 17 Afghan police were reported killed in the
fighting. Over the next three days the Taliban hounded women of
public profile and looted and destroyed offices of many
organizations that supported and protected women in the city.
   (Reuters, 9/28/15)(Reuters, 9/29/15)(SFC,
10/15/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In Bangladesh
Cesare Tavella (50), an Italian aid worker, was shot dead in Dhaka
in an attacked claimed by the Islamic State. On Oct 26 Bangladeshi
police said four people were arrested overnight in connection with
the killing.
   (Reuters, 9/29/15)(AP, 10/2615)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Britain’s PM David
Cameron says more than 300 British troops will be deployed to South
Sudan and Somalia as part of peacekeeping efforts to counter Islamic
militants.
   (AP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In Central African
Republic 3 protesters were killed in Bangui when UN peacekeepers
opened fire on a crowd amid a resurgence of deadly violence. After
the break-up of the protest, shooting broke out elsewhere in the
city where a teenager too was killed after being hit by a stray
bullet.
   (AFP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Estonia launched
its first full-scale Russian-language television channel in an
attempt to lure the country's sizable Russian-speaking minority away
from Moscow's sphere of influence.
   (AP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, A German court
jailed Ignace Murwanashyaka, the former political leader of a
Rwandan rebel group, for abetting war crimes committed in
neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from his European
exile. Straton Musoni, his one-time deputy, also got eight years on
a charge of being a ringleader of a terrorist organization.
   (Reuters, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Guinea inaugurated
a $500-million hydropower plant, in a bid to boost the power-starved
national grid and halt the outflow of economic migrants from the
impoverished west African nation.   It was completed
in the summer and was three-quarters funded by China Exim Bank.
   (AFP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, India successfully
launched its first space observatory and six satellites into orbit.
   (AP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Indian and
Pakistani authorities said Saudi Arabia has given foreign diplomats
1,090 photographs of the dead from last week's hajj crush and
stampede, an indication of a significantly higher death toll than
previously offered by the kingdom.
   (AP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In northern India
Mohammad Akhlaq (50) was beaten to death with bricks and his son
(22) severely wounded over allegations they had eaten beef. Six
suspects of the Save the Cow movement were soon arrested and police
searched for at least four others. On July 15, 2016, police
registered a case of cow slaughter against Akhlaq’s family.
   (SFC, 10/1/15, p.A2)(SSFC, 10/11/15, p.A23)(AP,
7/16/16)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In northeastern
India a motorized boat crowded with passengers capsized and sank in
the Kolohi River of Assam state. Dozens of people were missing and
feared drowned.
   (AP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, At the Hague-based
Special Tribunal for Lebanon tribunal set up to try the killers of
former Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri fined journalist Karma Khayat 10,000
euros for obstruction of justice. The judge found her guilty of
obstruction of justice because she failed to remove the broadcasts
from the Al-Jadeed TV website and social media as ordered.
   (AFP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Madagascar’s
customs officials found 771 endangered tortoises hidden in socks and
baby diapers in unaccompanied freight due to be flown to Malaysia.
   (SFC, 10/1/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In the Maldives an
explosion took place aboard the president's boat. Authorities called
it an assassination attempt. President Yameen Abdul Gayoom's wife,
an aide and a bodyguard were injured in the blast.
   (AP, 10/24/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Nepal's cable
federation said it would suspend Indian television channels and
protesters marched in Kathmandu carrying an effigy of India's PM
Modi, accusing their neighbor of imposing an economic blockade and
meddling in internal politics.
   (Reuters, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Palestinians
clashed with Israeli riot police after barricading themselves inside
a mosque at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, throwing firebombs
and rocks at officers outside during a major Jewish holiday.
   (AP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Poland's army said
it has begun inspecting the southwestern area where two men claim to
have discovered an armored Nazi gold train buried at the end of
World War II.
   (AFP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Romania’s
anti-corruption prosecutors' office said that parliamentary Deputy
Speaker Dan Motreanu and former presidential adviser George Scutaru
have been indicted and will be tried by the High Court of Cassation
and Justice on money laundering charges.
   (AP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Saudi Arabia's
Interior Ministry said that security forces killed two suspected
militants and arrested three others during a series of
counterterrorism raids, who state-linked media said were part of an
alleged Islamic State cell.
   (AP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In eastern Syria
15 civilians, including 5 children, were killed in regime air raids
on a popular market in the jihadist-held city of Mayadeen, Deir
Ezzor province.
   (AFP, 9/28/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In southern Turkey
2 police officers were killed in an attack by suspected PKK
militants in Adana province. 6 PKK militants were killed in
operations carried out in the southeastern province of Hakkari.
   (Reuters, 9/29/15)(AP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, At the 70th annual
UN General Assembly Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping made a $1 billion
pledge for UN peace efforts.
   (SFC, 9/29/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, UN Sec. Gen. Ban
Ki-Moon for the first time called for the civil war in Syria to be
referred to the Int’l. Criminal Court. Pres. Obama and Russian Pres.
Vladimir Putin sharply disagreed over the chaos in Syria.
   (SFC, 9/29/15, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In southwest Yemen
at least 40 people were killed when a wedding hall was bombarded in
a suspected Saudi-led coalition air strike in Wahijah village near
Mokha. The death toll was soon raised to 131. The Saudi-led
coalition denied it was behind the incident.
   (AFP, 9/28/15)(AFP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Pres. Obama held
private talks with Cuban Pres. Raul Castro on the sidelines of the
UN gathering of world leaders.
   (SFC, 9/30/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, The United States
imposed sanctions against more than 30 Islamic State leaders,
financial figures, supporters and affiliated groups in an effort to
block the militants from the international financial system. The
newly designated individuals included citizens of Britain, France,
Russia, Syria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.
   (Reuters, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, The US EPA
announced a $70 million settlement with Guardian Industries, a
Michigan-based global glass manufacturer, resolving allegations that
it violated the Clean Air Act by releasing illegal levels of
chemical pollutants in plants in seven states.
   (SFC, 9/30/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, A US federal audit
by the Dept. of Health and Human Services said Medicare paid $30
million ambulance rides for which no record exists that patients got
medical care at their destination, the place they were picked up
from or anywhere else.
   (SFC, 9/30/15, p.A6)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In the SF Bay Area
artist Antonio Ramos (27) was shot and killed as he worked on a
community mural on the 3500 block of West Street under I-580 in
Oakland.
   (SFC, 10/1/15, p.A11)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Vo Phien (b.1925),
Vietnamese writer born as Doan The Noan, died in Santa Ana, Ca. He
left Vietnam as Saigon fell in 1975 and then struggled to preserve
the literature that he sensed was about to be erased. In 1999 he
published “Van Hoc Mien Nam, Tong Quan,” a collection of Vietnamese
literature from 1954-1975.
   (SSFC, 10/4/15, p.C9)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Oklahoma a
panel that oversees artwork at the statehouse voted 7-1 to authorize
the removal of a granite monument depicting the Ten Commandments
after the state’s highest court ruled that it violated the state
constitution.
   (SFC, 9/30/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Phil Woods
(b.1931), a leading American jazz saxophist, died in Stroudsburg,
Pa.
   (SFC, 10/1/15, p.D2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Afghan forces
backed by US air support battled Taliban fighters for control of the
northern city of Kunduz, after the militants seized a provincial
capital for the first time since their ouster 14 years ago. At least
30 insurgents claiming loyalty to Islamic State were killed when
militants attacked police checkpoints in Achin district, Nangarhar
province.
   (Reuters, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Burkina Faso’s
army took over the baracks of the presidential guard after they
refused to disarm following a short-lived coup. The army arrested
Djibril Bassole, a former high-ranking minister accused of
collaborating with the mutinous soldiers.
   (SFC, 9/30/15, p.A5)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, The Central
African Republic's interim President Catherine Samba Panza appealed
for calm as the UN reported 36 people dead and almost 30,000
displaced in three days of bloodshed terrorizing the capital Bangui.
   (AFP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Germany toughened
rules for asylum seekers from the Balkans as Europe struggled to
cope with a record surge in migrants, with those crossing the
Mediterranean exceeding the half a million mark.
   (AFP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, India’s central
bank cut interest rates by half a point citing flagging global
demand.
   (Econ, 10/3/15, p.74)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Indonesia more
than 200 ethnic Rohingya stormed out of an encampment as tensions
erupted following alleged rapes and beatings by locals at the site
where members of Myanmar's long-persecuted minority have been held
since arriving by boat four months ago.
   (AP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Iraq a suicide
attack on a security checkpoint north of Baghdad, killing at least 7
people.
   (AP, 9/29/15)  Â
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Lithuanian police
said they have seized 600 kg (1,300 pounds) of cocaine discovered in
a coal shipment from Colombia. Police commissioner Linas Pernavas
said the drugs were probably bound for the Russian market, with an
estimated street value of 40 million euros.
   (AP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Puerto Rico FBI
agents arrested 10 police officers as the US territory struggled to
crack down on corruption during a federally mandated police
department reform.
   (AP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, South African
police crime statistics showed murder rising by 4.6% with 49 people
murdered each day. Violent crimes increased for a third year in a
row.
   (SFC, 9/30/15, p.A2)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Switzerland's
justice ministry granted an American request to extradite former
Costa Rican soccer federation president Eduardo Li in the FIFA
bribery case.
   (AP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Taiwan authorities
said super typhoon Dujuan has killed 3 people and left more than 300
injured after it swept across the island before making landfall in
eastern China.
   (AP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Turkish warplanes
late today struck 24 targets in a bombardment of Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) positions in the southeastern province of Hakkari. 2
soldiers were killed when a bomb buried in the ground went off when
a military vehicle passed by on a road between southeastern towns of
Semdinli and Yuksekova.
   (Reuters, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, The United Arab
Emirates announced labor reforms to be enforced from Jan. 1 aimed at
curbing abuse and protecting the rights of millions of foreign
workers.
   (AFP, 9/29/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Vietnamese fishing
boat captain Dang Dung and the nine crew members were sleeping after
a night of fishing near the Paracels islands when a Chinese vessel
slammed the side of their boat and five Chinese men jumped aboard.
The men carried knives and took away his boat's navigation devices,
fishing equipment and their catch. His boat sank about 12 hours
later, and the crew then spent four hours floating with life vests
before being rescued by another Vietnamese fishing boat. It was not
clear if the Chinese vessel belonged to the government.
   (AP, 10/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Arab coalition
forces waging a military campaign against Houthi fighters in Yemen
seized an Iranian boat loaded with weapons in the Arabian Sea on its
way to deliver supplies to the group.
   (Reuters, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Pres. Obama
signed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open
through Dec 11 following approval by the US Congress.
   (SFC, 10/1/15, p.A8)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, The US state of
Georgia early today executed Kelly Gissendaner (47), its first woman
in 70 years, despite an appeal for clemency by Pope Francis. She had
been sentenced to death after being found guilty of conspiring to
murder her husband in February, 1997. Her lover, Gregory Owen, who
did the killing, was serving a life sentence and eligible for parole
in 2022.
   (AFP, 9/30/15)(SFC, 9/30/15, p.A7)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, In Afghanistan
special forces from the US-led military coalition battled insurgents
near the northern city of Kunduz that was captured by the Taliban
this week.
   (Reuters, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, In the Central
African Republic at least two people died in clashes between gangs
and militias in Bangui, where peacekeepers and pressure from world
powers have failed to halt more than two years of violence.
   (Reuters, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, In southwest China
17 package bombs exploded in the city of Liuzhou, killing at least 7
people and injuring 51. Police called it a criminal act. On Oct 2
state media said the man killed 10 people and injured 51 others, had
died in the blasts and had disputes with local villagers and
companies. Another bomb exploded a day later killing one person.
Police later identified quarry worker Wei Yinyong (33) as the
mastermind behind the 18 bombings.
   (Reuters, 9/30/15)(SFC, 10/1/15, p.A5)(AP,
10/2/15)(SFC, 10/3/15, p.A3)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Germany said it
has told the European Commission that it will ban growing crops with
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) under a rule that allows
European Union countries to opt out of GMO cultivation.
   (AP, 10/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Indian trucks
carrying food and fuel began trickling into Nepal, a welcomed
development for a nation grappling with shortages caused by a
blockade during protests against the country's new constitution.
   (AP, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, An Indian court
sentenced five suspected Islamic militants to death and gave seven
others life in prison for bombing attacks nine years ago on seven
Mumbai commuter trains that killed 188 people and wounded more than
800.
   (AP, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, In northern Iraq
Kurdish forces attacked Islamic State in the latest of several
offensives aimed at driving the militants away from the oil-rich
city of Kirkuk.
   (Reuters, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Israeli air raids
hit the Gaza Strip in response to a rocket fired from the
Palestinian enclave that was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile
defense system.
   (AFP, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, In northern
Liberia authorities imposed a curfew in Ganta town after violent
protests following a wave of suspected ritual killings.
   (Reuters, 10/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Pakistani PM Nawaz
Sharif proposed steps to ease tensions between the nuclear rivals,
including the formalization of a fraying 2003 cease-fire along the
disputed frontier in Kashmir at the annual gathering of world
leaders at the UN. The next day India delivered a blunt response:
"Give up terrorism" and we can talk.
   (AP, 10/2/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Russia launched
air strikes against Islamic State in Syria after Pres. Vladimir
Putin secured his parliament's unanimous backing to intervene to
prop up the Kremlin's closest Middle East ally. Russian air strikes,
which Moscow said targeted Islamic State fighters, hit a rebel group
in Hama province supported by Western opponents of Pres. Bashar
al-Assad. The Russian air strikes killed at least 36 civilians and
targeted areas where Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked fighters were
not present.
   (Reuters, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Saudi Arabia
arrested a Syrian man, Yasser Mohammed Shafiq al-Barazi, and a
Filipina, Lady Gioi Aban Bali Nang, for allegedly manufacturing
suicide bomb belts in Riyadh.
   (AP, 10/3/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, In Thailand three
city policemen in Bangkok were fired after failing to appear for
questioning about their alleged role in extorting 1 million baht
($27,500) from a Japanese businessman.
   (AP, 9/30/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, In Thailand
protesters began blocking access to several government websites over
a plan to route all Internet traffic though a single gateway.
   (AP, 10/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Tunisian troops
stopped two bomb-laden cars crossing from Libya and seized arms and
documents bearing the symbol of Islamic State.
   (Reuters, 10/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Vietnamese
journalist Ha Huy Hoang was found guilty of spying for China and
sentenced to a six-year jail term by a Hanoi court after a
three-hour trial.
   (Reuters, 10/1/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, In California a huge
fire in Amador and Calaveras counties destroyed 549 homes and killed
two people. In 2017 PG&E was fined $8.3 million for failing to
maintain a power line that sparked the blaze.
   (SFC, 4/26/17, p.A4)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, Standard & Poor’s
downgraded Brazil’s credit rating from investment grade to junk. In
a fortnight the real plunged from 3.8 to the dollar to 4.2. The
country was said to be losing 100,000 formal jobs a month.
   (Econ, 10/3/15, p.38)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, Egypt sent 800 men to
Yemen to join the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels.
   (Econ, 9/12/15, p.45)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, Some 200,000 migrants
arrived in Germany this month. Forecasts for the year rose to
800,000.
   (Econ, 10/10/15, p.51)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, Haiti imposed a ban
on 23 imports from the Dominican Rep. in response to that country’s
expulsion of Haitian immigrants.
   (Econ, 1/30/16, p.29)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, New Zealand suspended
its aid to Nauru’s judicial sector.
   (Econ, 9/12/15, p.39)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, In Peru 3 people were
killed in a protest over last minute changes to the design of Las
Bambas, a giant copper mine bought in 2014 for $7 billion by MMG, a
Chinese group, from Glencore, a Swiss commodities company.
   (Econ, 2/6/15, p.31)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, In Spain the board of
El Corte Ingles, Europe’s largest department store chain, incited a
row over its decision to sell a 10% stake to Qatari investor Sheikh
Hamad Bin Jasim Al Thani for €1 billion.
   (Econ, 9/12/15, p.59)
2015Â Â Â Sep, UN figures showed that Syria’s
population has shrunk to just 16.6 million, down from a pre-war
level of 22 million.
   (Econ, 9/26/15, p.46)
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