Portal:Current events/2011 June 16

June 16, 2011 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Ayman al-Zawahiri is selected as the successor of leadership of al-Qaeda succeeding Osama bin Laden (CNN)
Web sites associated with the Government of Malaysia are hacked according to a deadline set by the Anonymous group. (Malaysia Star)
Sections of the British media report that Prince Harry has been cleared to return to service in the Afghan War. (Sky News)
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli is hit by a NATO bombing raid. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)

Arts and culture

The BBC apologises to clothing retailer Primark for a Panorama documentary showing boys in a Bangalore clothing workshop. (BBC)
The auction record for a painting by Sir Stanley Spencer is broken twice in quick succession at Sotheby's in London. (BBC)
British comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams end their partnership which led to successful television shows Come Fly With Me and Little Britain. (The Herald-Sun)

Business and economy

Software company Oracle announces that it is looking for damages "in the billions of dollars" from Google in an ongoing patent law action over the smartphone. (Reuters)

Disasters

Australian airlines QANTAS and Virgin Australia cancel flights to New Zealand and postpone flights to Argentina due to the continued presence of volcanic ash from the 2011 Puyehue eruption. (Marketwatch)
A strong earthquake of 6.6 magnitude occurs off the coast of New Britain in Papua New Guinea but no tsunami warning is issued. (AP)

International relations

Traces of dioxin are found in stream waters near the United States Army base Camp Carroll in South Korea where drums of Agent Orange were allegedly dumped three decades ago. (Yonhap)

Law and crime

An Indonesian court delivers a guilty verdict in the terrorism trial of radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir in the Sοuth Jakarta District Court and sentenced to 15 years in prison. (ABC News Online) (Jakarta Post) (Sydney Morning Herald)
Simon Overland resigns as the Chief Commissioner of Police in the Australian state of Victoria following the release of a damning Ombudsman's report on the release of dodgy crime statistics before the 2010 Victorian election. (Herald Sun)
Authorities in the Ivory Coast set up a national commission to investigate crimes committed during the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis. (BBC)
A senior aide and consultant to former Governor of the U.S. state of Maryland Bob Ehrlich are indicted in connection to robocalls in the 2010 Maryland gubernatorial election. (Washington Post)

Politics