Portal:Current events/2011 April 27

April 27, 2011 (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Arab Spring:
- 2011 Yemeni protests: Yemeni security forces kill at least 12 people and wound more than 100 others with bullets in Sana'a and elsewhere as protests against the Ali Abdullah Saleh regime continue. (The Daily Telegraph) (BBC) (Reuters via France24)
- 2011 Bahraini protests: Students rally across Iran to protest against the silent response of the United Nations to the crackdown on peaceful demonstrations by the Bahraini government (with the assistance of Saudi Arabia). (Press TV)
- 2011 Syrian protests: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom summon Syrian ambassadors to condemn the government's recent violent crackdown on people protesting against the Bashar al-Assad regime. (BBC)
- 2011 Libyan civil war: A team from the United Nations (UN) arrives in Tripoli to investigate the Libyan government's crackdown on people protesting. (BBC)
Natural gas supplies to Jordan and Israel are hit by an explosion in the Arab Gas Pipeline in the town of Arish in North Sinai near Egypt's border with Israel with an armed group believed responsible. (BBC) (AP via AM1150) (Haaretz)
Troops from Thailand and Cambodia exchange gunfire for the sixth straight day as the death toll from the conflict during the period reaches fourteen. (BBC)
BP discovers a German naval mine from World War II near pipelines in the North Sea near Peterhead, Scotland with removal of the bomb likely to lead to the temporary closure of 16 oil fields and a consequent rise in the price of oil. (The Guardian)
Ivory Coast militia leader Ibrahim Coulibaly is killed in fighting with the forces of new President Alassane Ouattara. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Nearly half a million people gather in the Indian town of Puttaparthi for the funeral of religious leader Sathya Sai Baba. (BBC)
Alejandro Chaskielberg is announced as the Sony world photographer of the year (L'Iris D'Or) after spending two years capturing islanders living on the Paraná Delta in Argentina. (BBC) (The Guardian) (Der Spiegel)

Business and economy

Julian Assange confirms the presence of Indian names in the Swiss bank data list about to be made public and that the names come from "the U.S., Britain, Germany, Austria and Asia — from all over" including "business people, politicians, people who have made their living in the arts and multinational conglomerates — from both sides of the Atlantic". (The Hindu)
In an unprecedented question and answer meeting with reporters, the U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke expects less economic growth for 2011 as the economy has been weaker in recent months than he had thought it would be. (BBC)
Standard & Poor's cuts Japan's debt outlook to negative. (Bloomberg)
The Australian dollar reaches new 29-year highs against the US dollar due to higher than expected inflation figures sparking predictions of higher interest rates. (ABC News)
US company Johnson & Johnson agrees to buy Synthes for $21.3 billion in cash and stock. (Bloomberg)
President of France Nicolas Sarkozy endorses Mario Draghi to become next President of the European Central Bank, to succeed Jean-Claude Trichet. (Business Week)

Disasters

Emperor of Japan Akihito and Empress Michiko visit areas worst-affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. (AFP via News Limited)
A train overturns on the Alishan Forest Railway near the town of Alishan in Taiwan resulting in at least five deaths and forty injuries. (CBC News)
Southeast US storms
- Two tornadoes hit Tuscaloosa County in the US state of Alabama causing extensive damage, with the main strongest wedge tornado crossing over the state of Alabama and affecting the Gadsden Metropolitan Area. (Birmingham News)
- Extreme storms in Alabama cause the temporary closure of three Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear reactors and knocking out eleven high-voltage power lines. (Reuters)
- The Downtown Tuscaloosa tornado passes over the University of Alabama campus close to the Bryant-Denny Stadium.(Times Daily) (The State)^{[permanent dead link‍]} (WAFF)
- At least 54 people have died in the storms of Tuesday and Wednesday with 40 people dead in Alabama, five in Mississippi and one in Arkansas. (Montgomery News) (BBC) (Reuters via Yahoo News) (CNN) (AFP via Google News) (Fox News)
- Storms cause numerous power outages in Alabama; more than 176,000 in Birmingham, Alabama are left without electricity. (CBS42)
- At least 9 people are killed in Mississippi by the outbreak. (Clarion Ledger)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
- Tornado watches affect areas from Northern Georgia to Upstate New York. (ABC 40)^{[permanent dead link‍]} (News Channel 7)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
- A local National Weather Service building is evacuated as a tornado passes over its radar site and it temporarily switches operations to Mobile in the same state of Alabama.
- Reports of gas leaks from Birmingham, Alabama. (Al.com)

International relations

Israeli–Palestinian conflict:
- Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructs his inner cabinet to continue diplomatic efforts to thwart an upcoming aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip. (Haaretz)
- Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah sign a unity deal, calling for the foundation of a single government in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian Authority-controlled areas of the West Bank, presidential and legislative elections in a year, and the release of prisoners. (Ynetnews), (Palestine News Network)
The Premier of China Wen Jiabao starts a four day tour of South East Asia to discuss economic issues. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

Daniel Ellsberg, the man who released the Pentagon Papers, says U.S. president Barack Obama has "given a virtual directed verdict" of guilty in the case of imprisoned Welsh-born U.S. serviceman Bradley Manning after Obama is caught on camera accusing Manning of breaking the law. (Huffington Post)

Politics and elections

Lobsang Sangay is elected as the Prime Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration, replacing the 5th Samdhong Rinpoche. (AP)
The Singapore's ruling party People Action Party was not returned to government on Nomination Day, 82 of 87 seats will be contested in the coming election. (Channel News Asia)
In response to persistent accusations by potential Republican primary candidate Donald Trump and others, President of the United States Barack Obama releases his long-form birth certificate, certifying his birth in the state of Hawaii. (Fox News)
Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada appoints US Congressman Dean Heller to replace Senator John Ensign. (BBC)

Sports

Duncan Fletcher is appointed as the coach of the India national cricket team. (ESPN)

Technology

Sony's PlayStation Network remains offline after a worldwide security breach obtains 77 million of users' personal information, making this the largest breach of personal information in history. (PlayStation.com)