Portal:Current events/2015 July 1

Current events of July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks Yemeni Civil War (2015) Shells fired by Houthi forces have killed at least 18 people near the southern port city of Aden, meanwhile United Nations officials have warned that a deadly dengue fever outbreak is rapidly gaining pace in the war-torn country. (Reuters) Sinai insurgency: July 2015 Sinai attacks Militants launch attacks on Egyptian Armed Forces checkpoints in North Sinai, leaving dozens of security personnel and insurgents killed. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for the assaults. (Times of India)(AP) Egypt's security forces kill nine 'terrorists' during a raid in a Western Cairo suburb. The group were among "the most dangerous terrorists" wanted in Egypt according to Giza deputy security director Magdy Abd El-Aal. It has also been reported that Nasser al-Hafi, a former MP and a leading lawyer for the Muslim Brotherhood was among those killed. (Ahram) Arts and culture The Episcopal Church in the United States adopts its liturgy for same sex marriages. (General Convention), (NBC News) Business and economy Greek government-debt crisis Greece becomes the first advanced economy to miss a payment to the International Monetary Fund in the 71-year history of the IMF, unwinding decades of precedent and affecting consequences for the fund's future rescues. (Financial Times) (IMF) The Prime Minister of Greece Alex Tsipras has written to creditors claiming he will accept a bailout but with conditions. (Daily Telegraph) Moody's Investors Service downgrades Greek bonds further to caa3 saying that it expects the country to default further without further support from official creditors. (Reuters) The World Bank urges the People's Republic of China to undertake financial reforms to keep economic growth on track. (AP) Disasters and accidents 2015 Indonesia Hercules C-130 crash The death toll from yesterday's crash in the Indonesian city of Medan rises to 141. (The Guardian) International relations The Russian gas company Gazprom suspends shipments of gas to Ukraine following a payment dispute. (BBC) The United States and Cuba officially announce that embassies will be reopened in each other's countries for the first time since 1961. (BBC) Law and crime The United States Department of Justice begins an investigation into whether US airlines entered into collusion to illegally keep ticket prices high. (BBC) A woman, Kathryn Steinle, is shot dead in a random attack at the busy Embarcadero district in San Francisco, California. A Mexican national is arrested in connection with her death. (CNN) (Yahoo News) Politics and elections Thousands of people are expected at a pro-democracy demonstration in Hong Kong on a holiday to mark the transfer from British to Chinese rule. (AP) Burundian legislative election, 2015 The President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza claims victory for his National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy coalition despite the fact that opposition parties did not contest the election. (African Media Agency via Mail and Guardian) The Constitutional Court of Russia rules that it is constitutional to hold the 2016 legislative election in September rather than early December. (AP via Fox News) Science and technology The black hole in the Milky Way galaxy's V404 Cygni system wakes up (becomes energized, with a flow of gamma rays and very brief intense flashes of light) after 26 years. (MSN)