Portal:Current events/2006 August 30

Current events of August 30, 2006 (2006-08-30) (Wednesday)

Hurricane John lashes the Pacific coast of Mexico with the potential to cause flash floods and landslides. (Reuters) 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict: The UN's humanitarian chief accuses Israel of "completely immoral" use of cluster bombs in Lebanon.(BBC NEWS) A Hezbollah cabinet minister rejects a call by Kofi Annan for the unconditional release of the two Israeli soldiers, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.(Haaretz) Israel rejects a call by Kofi Annan to lift the blockade of Lebanon before United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 is implemented.(Reuters) Multiple bomb attacks across Baghdad, Iraq kill at least 40 people while 12 more die after bomb explodes near an army recruiting office in Hilla. (BBC) Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter successfully completed aerobraking, and is preparing to enter a Sun synchronized science orbit at Mars. Space.com Israeli troops kill at least eight Palestinians in fighting in Gaza City, as part of a two-month offensive in the territory.(Al Jazeera) Mexican presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador vows to form a parallel government following the Federal Electoral Tribunal's ruling that Felipe Calderón won the presidential election. (AP) Former United States Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage originally revealed the identity of Valerie Plame to columnist Robert Novak in 2003. (CNN) The UK Government announces plans to make the possession of violent pornographic images illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison. (The Guardian) Wake Island is evacuated, in preparation for its predicted inundation by Typhoon Ioke, now classified as a super typhoon, which is expected to destroy almost all structures on the island. (CNN) A United States federal judge overturns a jury's recent $50 million award against Merck on behalf of a Vioxx user, on the ground that the award was excessive. (Reuters) East Timor rebel leader Alfredo Reinhado and 56 other prisoners escape from a jail in the capital Dili, throwing the troubled nation back into turmoil. (News Ltd) The European Patent Office completely revokes Sara Lee’s European patent on the Senseo coffee pads. (Bloomberg)