WORLD NEWS - AUGUST 2009

Saturday, August 01st 2009
Unrest in Nigeria
A fierce row has been raging between the supporters of a Muslim sect and the Nigerian police for the suspected killing of the sect's leader Mohammad Yusuf in police custody. The militant preacher of the Boko Haram sect, Mohammad Yusuf wanted a wider adoption of the sharia law across Nigeria. More than hundred people suspected to be members and supporters of the sect have been killed in clashes since Sunday. The violence is said to have started on Sunday when a few members of the sect were arrested on suspicion of plotting an attack on a police station in the Bauchi state. The Nigerian president Umaru Yar'Adua has ordered the police forces to use any means necessary to contain the sect.

Monday, August 03rd 2009
16 go missing as a plane disappears in Java
16 people aboard a twin otter plane disappeared over Eastern Indonesia on Sunday. The commercial flight was over the remote Papua region when it lost contact with the ground officials. The Papua region is covered by thick forests and mountains and planes that have crashed in this region in the past have never been found. Rescue operations have been affected so far due to bad weather.

Wednesday, August 05th 2009
Auto right to UK citizenship ends
With the introduction of “probationary citizenship”by the UK government in its new proposals for migrants, non-EU citizens which includes Indians cannot apply for a British passport after five years of employment in the UK. Under the new proposal migrants must demonstrate their commitment to the country through voluntary work and integration. They will be awarded points based on skills shortages in Britain, their income and qualifications. The wait to get a citizenship will now be longer for non-EU migrants.

Saturday, August 08th 2009
Taliban Chief killed in US drone attack
Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud who is also Pakistan's most feared terrorist was killed in a US missile attack on the house where he was in hiding. Mehsud is said to have established the Taliban as a force in Pakistan, unleashing attacks across the country. The house where Mehsud was in hiding was in Zangara village, his wife, brother-in-law and six body guards were killed in the drone attack.

Monday, August 10th 2009
Chopper and plane in a head on collision over NY
A tourist helicopter and a small plane entered each other's airspace and collided over the Hudson river, nine people are feared to be dead. The helicopter was carrying five Italian tourists. The collision is said to have occurred mid day on Saturday. Divers are still on a lookout for survivors and remains of the mid air crash.

Monday, August 10th 2009
Typhoon 'Morakot' hits China
A typhoon hit the East coast of China on Sunday. Over one million people were evacuated before the typhoon 'Morakot' hit the Chinese coast. A six storey hotel collapsed and plunged into a river as flood waters because of the typhoon eroded its base. No human casualties were reported.

Wednesday, August 19th 2009
Presidential Palace in Kabul attacked
The Taliban which had vowed to disrupt the elections in Afghanistan struck early on Tuesday morning with two attacks. A rocket struck the presidential palace and the police headquarters in Kabul two days before the elections. This is the second attack following the earlier one in the western military convoy in Kabul three days earlier. A suicide bomber had rammed an explosive laden car into the military convoy. Seven people were killed in the earlier bomb attack and 52 injured. Nobody was hurt at the presidential palace attack.

Thursday, August 20th 2009
Explosions hit Baghdad, 95 killed
Six blasts which were targeted near government ministries on Wednesday killed 95 and wounded 536 people. After the US combat troops withdrew in June the Iraqi security forces have been left to cope with issues of insurgency. This has been termed as the worst ever blast that Iraq has faced this year. The situation is expected to worsen as the nation prepares for its polls in January

Friday, August 21st 2009
Lockerbie bomb suspect gets a release
Prime accused and suspect in the Lockerbie case Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was freed from prison on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government. The 57 year old Libyan national who is suffering from cancer and in his last stages was welcomed back by the home crowd at the Tripoli airport. The release has however brought criticism from the US government. Many of the families of those who had lost their lives in the blast were angered by the release. Most of the 270 people who died when Pan Am Flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie in 1988 were Americans. Mr. Megrahi continues to claim that he is innocent and had nothing to do with the blast. There are many who support his claims both in Libya and Britain.

Tuesday, August 25th 2009
Massive wildfires in Greece
Greece witnessed six major blazes on Monday the most dangerous of them all being the one near Athens. There were blazes on the islands of Evia and Skyros in the Aegean and Zakynthos in the west. The fire near Athens broke out in the north of the marathon plain and spread over Mount Penteli. The massive wildfires had broke out on Friday and since then has razed around 58 sq miles of forest and brush. It has so far damaged and destroyed several homes and caused thousands of people to flee from the affected areas. Firefighters and local residents continue to contain the fires.

Thursday, August 27th 2009
Afghan blast kills 41
41 civilians were killed in a bomb explosion near foreign owned company in Kandahar late on Tuesday. A cluster of bomb laden vehicles detonated simultaneously. The company which seems to have been the likely target has plans to build a road through an insurgent-held area.

Monday, August 31st 2009
Japan’s Yukio Hatoyama wins election by landslide
Japan's next leader, Yukio Hatoyama, has come to power after winning a landmark general election. The Democratic Party of Japan defeated the Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed almost unbroken since 1955. Prime Minister Taro Aso has conceded defeat and said he would resign as LDP head.