Portal:Current events/2012 August 7

Current events of August 7, 2012 (2012-08-07) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks Mexican Drug War: The United States freezes the assets of three Belize-based associates of Mexico's top drug lord, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. (The Huffington Post) Syrian civil war: Saeed Jalili, a senior Iranian official, reaffirms the Iranian government's support for the Syrian government throughout the crisis. (Al Jazeera) A bomb hits a minibus in the Paghman District in Afghanistan's Kabul Province, killing at least nine people. (BBC) At least 21 people are killed in a gun attack on a church and later an Army patrol near the city of Okene in Kogi state, central Nigeria. (BBC) (Christian Science Monitor) Tuareg rebellion (2012): Burkina Faso's foreign minister Djibrill Bassole visits fighters linked to Al-Qaeda in northern Mali in an attempt to solve an ongoing crisis. (Al Jazeera) Disasters Flooding in the Philippines capital Manila forces at least 20,000 people to flee their homes with the death toll after eight days of heavy rain throughout the country reaching 53. (AFP via Google) The People's Republic of China evacuates 200,000 people from Shanghai ahead of Typhoon Haikui which is expected to make landfall in Zhejiang early tonight or tomorrow morning. (AFP via Yahoo! News) Law and crime Police in Malaysia detain eight people after a toddler reportedly dies during a 20 hour exorcism ritual. (Bangkok Post) Investigators probing the disappearance of Tia Sharp find CCTV film of the missing girl. (BBC) Politics A Tibetan man sets himself on fire in Sichuan, in the latest in a series of protests against Chinese rule. (Radio Television Hong Kong) Sports 2012 Summer Olympics: In the semi-finals of association football, Mexico defeats Japan 3–1 and advances to the final, facing Brazil. (Yahoo! Sports) Seven athletes from Cameroon go missing. (CNN) In athletics, Sally Pearson of Australia wins the 100 metres hurdles setting a new Olympic record of 12.35 seconds. (Herald Sun)