Portal:Current events/2007 August 29

August 29, 2007 (Wednesday)

Baiji, a river dolphin recently declared functional extinct, is witnessed in Anhui, China. (New York Times)
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is all set to return to Pakistan after seven years of exile.
The Wyoming Republican Party votes to move its nominating convention to January 5, 2008, making it the first event in the nation for the Republicans in the 2008 United States presidential election. (MSNBC)
The Red Cross reports that at least 17,000 are still missing from the former Yugoslavia, including 13,400 from the Bosnian wars, 2,300 from the Croatian conflict and 2,047 from the Kosovo conflict. (AFP via NYT)
Moqtada al-Sadr suspends the activities of his Mehdi Army militia in Iraq for six months. (BBC)
Senator Tim Johnson announces that he will return to the United States Senate on September 5 after recovering from brain surgery since last December. (Reuters)
The United States Department of Defense's inspector general launches an investigation into the United States military's inability to account for weapons sent to Iraq after reports that Kurdish militants were using US weapons to attack Turkey. (Reuters)
Thousands of people protest in Chile against the economic policies of the President Michelle Bachelet with 350 arrests made when they attempt to enter the grounds of the presidential palace. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
A California produce company recalls bagged fresh spinach after it tests positive to salmonella. (CNN)
The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) claim to have captured a Sudanese army base in the Kordofan province of Sudan. (Reuters via ABC)
A NASA internal investigation finds no evidence of heavy drinking or drunkenness amongst astronauts prior to missions. (NYT)
The United States Senate Republican Party leadership requests that Senator Larry Craig of Idaho stand aside from his Senate committees until the United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics makes a ruling on his situation. Senator Craig agrees. (WSJ)
John Holmes, the United Nations' emergency relief coordinator, warns that refugees of the Darfur conflict are arming themselves and may soon be able to defend themselves if the Sudanese government renews its attacks. (BBC)
Three Palestinian children are killed in an explosion between Beit Lahiya and the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip caused by Israeli tank fire. The Israeli Defence Forces later claim they were aiming for rocket launchers in the area directed towards Israel, but eyewitnesses and medical sources said that there were no gunmen or rocket launchers at the scene. (BBC) (YNet)
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the murder of British schoolboy Rhys Jones. (Sky News)
Ten people are trapped alive in a collapsed apartment building in Baku, Azerbaijan with at least eight people having died. (Reuters via News Limited)
The Taliban release twelve South Korean hostages of the 19 they have been holding. (BBC)
A curfew is imposed in the Indian city of Agra after angry mobs clash with police resulting in one death and 50 police are injured. (BBC)
Prison officers in the United Kingdom call a surprise 24-hour strike. (Daily Telegraph)^{[permanent dead link]}
The United States releases seven Iranians hours after detaining them in a Baghdad hotel. (AP via Fox News)
Three people are killed - including a father and son - in a "targeted incident" involving firearms at a house in Bishop's Stortford. Two others are injured, but a 3 year-old girl is unharmed. Police are hunting "two Asian men" in connection with the attack. (BBC)
2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident