Portal:Current events/2012 June 30

Current events of June 30, 2012 (2012-06-30) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks Syrian uprising (2011–present): 83 people are killed, mostly civilians, in the violence across Syria. In a single incident, 30 people are killed while attending a funeral in the town of Zamalka, just east of Damascus. (Sacramento Bee) International powers including the United States, Russia and the People's Republic of China agree to a transition plan for Syria. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald) Arts and culture A UNESCO World Heritage site is destroyed by Muslim fighters in Timbuktu. The mausoleum of Sidi Mahmoud Ben Amar is destroyed. The fighters are said to have ties with al-Qaida. (The Washington Post) A Salvador Dalí drawing lifted last week from a New York gallery is returned by post. (BBC) Business and economics Mobile photo-sharing service Instagram and others sites are forced offline due to thunderstorms and widespread power outages in the eastern United States. (Mashable) (Al Jazeera) Libor Inter-bank interest rate The UK government announces an independent review of the workings of the Libor inter-bank lending rate in the wake of the Barclays scandal. (BBC) Barclays Chief Executive Bob Diamond is summoned to appear before British MPs next week. (ITV News) Samsung is barred from selling its Galaxy Nexus phone in the United States due to a patent dispute with Apple Inc. (The Washington Post) Disasters A strong earthquake hits the Xinjiang region of western China with rescuers dispatched to search for casualties. (AP via USA Today) The death toll from storms in the Mid-Atlantic states of the United States reaches 13, with millions out of power and states of emergencies declared in the states of Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland as well as the District of Columbia. (AP via Boston Globe) Law and crime A top leader of the Texan gang known as Barrio Azteca is extradited to the United States from Mexico. The gang member was responsible for killing two U.S. consulate workers in Ciudad Juárez in March 2010. (Chicago Tribune) Politics and elections Mohamed Morsi is sworn in as President of Egypt, the first president elected since Hosni Mubarak was ousted in last year's revolution. (Los Angeles Times) President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili names Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili as the country's new Prime Minister. (Chicago Tribune) Science and technology The Molecule of the Year 2011 is BMP7 as announced by Isidro A. T. Savillo, President, ISMCBBPR. (Scientist Solutions) Sport UEFA Euro 2012: Laurent Blanc vacates his job as manager of the France national football team following his team's exit from the tournament. (BBC) (ESPN) UEFA president Michel Platini dismisses suggestions that France midfielder Samir Nasri ought to be suspended for two years as "ridiculous and shameful". (ESPN) Michel Platini suggests UEFA Euro 2020 could be spread across the continent. (BBC)