Portal:Current events/2011 October 19

• Turkey launches a military operation against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, in response to attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party that killed at least 24 Turkish soldiers in southeastern Turkey. (Hurriyet Daily News) (BBC)

• The members of the Irish boy band Westlife announce that they are to split. (RTE) (The Telegraph) (Sky News)
• The rock group Coldplay released their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto, by EMI.

• Google unveils the latest version of its Android mobile operating system, 4.0 (code named Ice Cream Sandwich), along with the Galaxy Nexus, its newest flagship smartphone. (The Telegraph) (ZDnet)
• The United States' largest bank, Bank of America, is surpassed by JPMorgan Chase in total assets, according to Bank of America's quarterly financial earnings report. (New Mexico Business Weekly)
• The parent of American Airlines, AMR, reports a larger third-quarter loss than expected, due to the cost of aviation fuel and the volatility of foreign exchange. (Reuters)

• Floodwaters threaten the Thai capital of Bangkok as the 2011 Thai floods - which have killed 317 people and affected nearly nine million in Thailand since August - continue unabated. (Washington Post)

• Queen Elizabeth II commences her 16th visit to Australia in the capital Canberra. (ABC News Australia)
• The President of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, meets with the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, in Seoul. (Yonhap)

• 56 animals are intentionally released by their owner from an exotic animal farm in Muskingum County, Ohio. The owner subsequently commits suicide. (CBS/AP)

• The Hellenic Parliament gives approval in principle to further austerity measures, as street protests in Athens turn violent amid Greece's worsening economic crisis. (BBC)