Portal:Current events/2012 June 25

Current events of June 25, 2012 (2012-06-25) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks Syrian uprising (2011-present): At least 33 army officers, including a general, defect to Turkey. (BBC) (CNN) Turkey's deputy prime minister, Bülent Arınç, states that Syrian forces opened fire on a second Turkish plane, a CASA search and rescue plane searching for the wreckage of an F-4 fighter jet earlier shot down by Syria. (AP via FOX News) (BBC) At least 40 people are injured due to a fire attack by protesters on a religious shrine in India. (GloboNews) Mexican Drug War: Alleged drug traffickers shoot and kill 3 policemen who were on an anti-narcotics operative inside the Mexico City International Airport. The assassins were wearing law enforcement uniforms, although the Mexican authorities said that the cartel members sometimes wear false uniforms. No suspects have been arrested. (Yahoo! News) War On Terror: The chief of one of Britain's top intelligence agencies says that potential British terrorists are going to countries that have been made unsecure by the Arab Spring to get training from Al Qaeda. (Reuters) Business and economics Tens of thousands of Ulster Bank customers will now be unable to access their money until at least the end of the week as the crisis worsens, with monthly salaries due to be paid this week. (The Irish Times) (Irish Examiner) Greece's new finance minister Vassilis Rapanos resigns due to ill health. (Reuters) Cyprus says that it plans to ask its European partners for a loan of about 1.8 billion euros by the end of this week; this would make Cyprus the fifth European country to seek help. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera) International relations UK Labour MP Tom Watson adds his voice to the growing opposition to the extradition of Richard O'Dwyer, calling it an example of a younger generation being "hung out to dry by lawmakers". (The Guardian) Fernando Lugo, the deposed President of Paraguay, rallies allies at home and abroad, and creates a parallel cabinet intent on returning to power. (Al Jazeera) Vladimir Putin makes a rare trip to Israel and discusses Iran's nuclear program and the uprising in Syria. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) Law and crime The pre-trial hearing of imprisoned U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning takes place at Fort Meade, Maryland. (WBAL Radio) The mother of Julian Assange reports that the WikiLeaks editor-in-chief has been "buoyed" by the public's support since he sought refuge in Ecuador's London embassy, refers to U.S. threats to withdraw billions of dollars in aid from Ecuador if it granted asylum, and condemns the Australian government, which has not sought to intervene on behalf of her son, as "nothing more than a puppet" of the United States. (BBC) Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow tells the Leveson Inquiry that Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, is worse than News International's titles, that it has a "pernicious" and sometimes "mendacious" agenda to undermine people in public life, and predicts that "very possibly they will go after me for saying so". (The Guardian) Indian police report that Sayed Zabiuddin, a key figure allegedly involved in the planning of the deadly Mumbai attacks of 2008, is arrested. (BBC) (Times of India) The United States Supreme Court rules that the sentence of life imprisonment without parole cannot be automatically given to a minor at all, extending its earlier restrictions on its automatic use in cases involving minors. (Catholic News) The United States Supreme Court rules that Arizona's immigration law is mostly unconstitutional, except for the part that allows for law enforcement officers, in the course of their duties, to ask about an illegal immigrant's legal status if they have actual reasons to believe that the person is an immigrant and is here illegally, especially if they are of relevance to a case. (CNN) (Al Jazeera) Politics Former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling launches Better Together, the "no" campaign for the forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence. (BBC) Science and technology Venezuela announces its intent to design unmanned aircraft for defence and to monitor pipelines, dams and other rural infrastructure. (Al Jazeera) The final steel beam of 4 World Trade Center is lifted into place in a ceremony. (AP) Sport UEFA Euro 2012: Police launch an investigation into allegations of online racist abuse during England's quarter-final exit on penalties after their latest defeat on Sunday. (BBC) UEFA punish Germany for a second time. (BBC) Liquidation of Rangers Football Club: The Crown Office asks Strathclyde Police to investigate Craig Whyte's takeover of Rangers Football Club in May last year. (BBC) (The Guardian) Six clubs publicly oppose the application of Newco Rangers, meaning they will not likely get the votes required for transfer to the Scottish Premier League. (BBC) (Daily Record) (GOAL) 2012 Wimbledon Championships: Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is dumped out of the first round by Elena Vesnina. (BBC) Heather Watson is the first British woman to win a game on Centre Court since Jo Durie in 1985. (BBC) The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club considers moving Wimbledon back one week in future to give players more recovery time following the French Open. (BBC) 2012 College World Series: Arizona defeats South Carolina to win its first College World Series title since 1986 and fourth overall. Arizona outfielder Robert Refsnyder is named the Most Outstanding Player. (ESPN)