Portal Current events November 2011

• The President of the United States, Barack Obama, makes Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, a National Monument. (Reuters)

• The FBI and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission launch an investigation into MF Global after $600 million of customers' money went missing. (CNN)
• The Palestinian Authority is hit by hackers disrupting Palestinian internet and mobile phone services. A link has been suggested to Palestine's UNESCO bid. (Reuters) (Jerusalem Post)
• The United Kingdom Office for National Statistics releases GDP figures indicating growth of 0.5% compared to a 0.1% figure in the previous quarter. (BBC)

• Over 1.5 million people are still without power and four states declare a state of emergency after a nor'easter hits the Eastern United States. (CNN)
• LOT Polish Airlines Flight 016 makes a successful emergency landing at Warsaw Chopin Airport. (CNN)
• At least seven people are killed and 200 injured following an explosion caused by two trucks carrying explosives crashing in Fuquan City in China's Guizhou Province. (CNN)
• A boat carrying 70 asylum seekers en route to Australia sinks off the coast of Java in Indonesia with eight confirmed deaths and fifteen people missing. (AAP via The Melbourne Age)

• Almazbek Atambayev, the newly elected President of Kyrgyzstan, states that a lease for a United States air base in Manas will not be renewed when it expires in 2014. (AP via Washington Post)

• At least twelve people are arrested in London outside the Parliament of the United Kingdom after a protest against anti-squatting legislation turns violent. (BBC)
• The City of London Corporation pauses its legal action against Occupy London protesters outside St Paul's Cathedral after the church halted its own action and expressed a wish to enter into dialogue with the demonstrators. (BBC)

• China launches the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft, intending to robotically dock it with the orbiting Tiangong 1 space station module. If successful, the mission will mark China's first orbital docking, and will be a major milestone in its efforts to construct a full-scale space station. (BBC)

• In horse racing, French horse Dunaden wins the 2011 Melbourne Cup. (ABC News Australia)

• French author Alexis Jenni wins France's literary Prix Goncourt for his novel L'Art français de la guerre. (BBC) (Bloomberg)

• Eight people are killed and dozens injured after a freight train collides with a bus at a level crossing in central Argentina. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)

• Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange loses his appeal in England's High Court against extradition to Sweden to face questioning over sexual assault allegations. (The Guardian)
• Four men are arrested in the U.S. state of Georgia for plotting to kill government officials with explosives and the toxic substance ricin. (Washington Post)
• Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is convicted in New York City for conspiracy to smuggle weapons to the Colombian terrorist group FARC. (The Guardian)
• American actress Lindsay Lohan is sentenced to 30 days in a Los Angeles jail for breaching the terms of her parole. (E! Online)

• Gaza aid flotilla:
  • An international flotilla of ships makes its way to the Gaza Strip on a purported humanitarian mission, with participants including Irish MEP Paul Murphy and former Irish parliamentarian Chris Andrews. (The Guardian) (RTE)
  • Israel vows to stop the flotilla from reaching its destination. (Reuters)
• Russia and Georgia strike a deal that will allow Russia to enter the World Trade Organization. (The Moscow Times)

• Greek economic referendum:
  • The Greek Cabinet unanimously supports plans by Prime Minister George Papandreou to hold a referendum on the European Union's proposed economic rescue plan. (AP via Newser)
  • The President of France Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel warn that a sixth tranche of financial aid will not be paid to Greece unless the referendum is successful. (Market Watch) (Wall Street Journal)

• China's unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft successfully docks with the orbiting Tiangong 1 space station module, marking China's first orbital docking. (BBC) (China.org)

• In baseball, the Chicago Cubs fire their manager Mike Quade. (ESPN)

• 2011 Syrian uprising:
  • At least 20 people and 13 soldiers are killed in ongoing fighting in the city of Homs. (Reuters)
  • President of Syria Bashar al-Assad agrees with the Arab League to end the crackdown on the uprising in Syria, releasing political prisoners and allowing international news agencies back into Syria. (CNN)

• The Port of Oakland in the US state of California reopens after a second police crackdown on Occupy Oakland. (USA Today)
• Advanced Micro Devices announces that it will be cutting 1,400 jobs or 12 per cent of its work force. (AP via News OK)

• An Egyptian ferry carrying 1200 people catches fire in the Red Sea between the Jordanian port of Aqaba and Nuweiba. (BBC)

• Eurozone debt crisis:
  • The 2011 G-20 summit gets underway in the French city of Cannes, with discussions expected to focus on the continuing Eurozone debt crisis. (BBC News)
  • The Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou holds an emergency Cabinet meeting, during which the cancellation of the Greek economy referendum is announced following negotiations with opposition lawmakers. (AP via Washington Post) (Financial Times)
  • Antonis Samaras, the leader of the main Greek Opposition party New Democracy, leads his party out of the Hellenic Parliament during a no-confidence debate. (CTV)

• Police fire tear gas at Occupy Oakland protesters after they blocked the Port of Oakland. (CNN)
• The City of London Corporation offers Occupy London demonstrators a deal to halt legal action which would allow them to stay at St Paul's Cathedral until 2012 providing they then dismantle their camp. (BBC)
• Three members of the Pakistan national cricket team (Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir) together with agent Mazhar Majeed are given jail sentences for their roles in a spot-fixing scandal. (New York Times)

• The U.S. Department of Energy publishes 2010 greenhouse gases levels, showing they are higher than the worst-case scenario outlined by IPCC climate experts just four years ago. (AP via CBS News)(AP via USA Today)(The Atlantic)(AccuWeather)

• The Israeli Navy boards two ships carrying pro-Palestinian activists en route to the Gaza Strip. (BBC/Reuters via ABC News Australia)
• U.S. General John R. Allen, the head of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, sacks Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller for making inappropriate comments about Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his government. (AP via WVEC)
• Alfonso Cano, the head of the Colombian militant organisation FARC, is reportedly killed in a raid by the Colombian Army. (AP via Google News)

• Millions of Muslims start the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. (Radio Free Europe)

• Toyota extends production cuts in Japan and Thailand due to parts shortages caused by the 2011 Thailand floods. (BBC)
• Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney is appointed chairman of the Financial Stability Board. (Globe and Mail)

• Rescuers are working to save 57 coal miners trapped in Sanmenxia in China's Henan province. (AP via Times of India)
• A 27-vehicle traffic collision on the M5 Motorway, near Taunton in the English county of Somerset, results in at least 7 deaths, 35 injuries and the closure of the motorway. (BBC)

• The jury retires to consider its verdict in the trial of Dr Conrad Murray for the alleged involuntary manslaughter of U.S. entertainer Michael Jackson. (CNN)
• Jill Evans, a Welsh MEP, is fined £575 after refusing to pay her TV licence fee in protest over changes to the Welsh-language channel S4C. (BBC)

• The Hellenic Parliament rejects a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou following a failed attempt to hold a referendum on a Eurozone bailout. (Reuters) (Sydney Morning Herald)
• British Business Secretary Vince Cable apologises after confidential documents are discovered dumped in waste bins outside his constituency office. (BBC)
• Former journalist and recently elected MSP Ruth Davidson is announced as the new leader of the Scottish Conservative Party. (BBC)

• The Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram claims responsibility for a series of bomb and gun attacks in the north-eastern Nigerian town of Damaturu that have killed at least 63 people. (BBC)
• Canadian Freedom Waves to Gaza organizers say activists on the Canadian ship Tahrir that, along with the Irish MV Saoirse, who were headed to the Gaza Strip, were intercepted by Israeli troops. The activists refused to voluntarily leave the ship; Israel says no one was hurt.(The Globe and Mail) (CBC) (Salem-News.com) (Jerusalem Post) (Ynetnews.com)

• Rescuers pull a further 45 trapped coal miners to the surface in Sanmenxia in the People's Republic of China, with eight miners reportedly having died. (AP via Washington Post) (CNN) (BBC)
• Residents of El Hierro in Spain's Canary Islands are evacuated following continuing volcanic activity. (AP via Fox News)

• A Pakistan anti-terror court indicts two police officers and five alleged members of the Taliban for the murder of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto. (Dawn)

• South Belfast MP Alasdair McDonnell is elected leader of Northern Ireland's Social Democratic and Labour Party, replacing Margaret Ritchie who stepped down in September. (BBC)

• Al-Sadd wins the 2011 AFC Champions League beating Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-2 (4-2 in penalties) in the 2011 AFC Champions League Final. (AFC)

• A 5.6 magnitude earthquake, the largest in the state's history, strikes 21 miles NNE of Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA, causing significant damage. (USGS) (Fox News)
• A landslide kills 18 and injures dozens in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia (CNN)
• Eleven Hungarian tourists die after a bus overturns near the Egyptian resort of Hurghada. (AP via Winnifred Free Press)

• Thousands of people protest in Washington DC against the proposed Keystone XL project. (CBS News)
• The two leading Greek political parties reach an agreement to form a coalition government with the Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou to resign once the new government is formed. (Washington Post)

• The New York City Marathon begins with over 45,000 runners participating in the 26.2-mile run with Geoffrey Mutai and Firehiwot Dado winning the men's and women's races, respectively. (Fox News) (Huffington Post), (AP via Yahoo News)^{[permanent dead link]}

• The Swedish Enforcement Administration (Kronofogden) announces the public auction of seven paintings originally believed to be painted by German leader Adolf Hitler.(TT via Dagens Nyheter) (Swedish)

• Gary Gensler, chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, recuses himself from that agency's investigation into the bankruptcy of MF Global. (Wall Street Journal)
• Barnes & Noble, a company best known for its chain of book stores, enters the tablet computer market with the Nook Tablet, an extension of its line of Nook eReaders. (Reuters)

• Flooding continues in Italy with seven people having died in the past week and thousands of people ordered to evacuate in Turin as the Po River continues to rise. (BBC)

• Conrad Murray is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in relation to the death of American entertainer Michael Jackson. (USA Today)
• Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal stands trial in Paris over four bomb attacks in the early 1980s that killed 11 people. (BBC)

• The opposition National Democratic Party, led by Orlando Smith, defeats incumbent Premier Ralph T. O'Neal's Virgin Islands Party, winning 9 seats of the 13 seats in the 2011 British Virgin Islands general election. (Virgin Islands News)
• An inquiry is launched following claims identity checks on travellers entering the United Kingdom from outside Europe were scaled back during the summer. Home Secretary Theresa May tells the House of Commons she does not know how many entered the country without proper checks. (BBC)
• Voters in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan go to the polls with the Saskatchewan Party led by Premier Brad Wall winning in a landslide. (CBC News)

• Former world champion boxer Joe Frazier dies of liver cancer. (ESPN) (ABC News America)

• 2011 Syrian uprising:
  • The Syrian government continues its crackdown on protesters and army defectors in the city of Homs, killing dozens of civilians in the process. (Al Jazeera)
  • The United Nations reports that the death toll of the eight-month-old Syrian uprising has reached 3,500. (BBC)

• Russia starts commercial natural gas deliveries to Central Europe via the Nord Stream, the world's longest submerged pipeline. (The Local)
• A record number of Americans — 49.1 million — are living below the poverty line, based on a new census measure. (Washington Post)

• Flooding in Thailand reaches the residence of the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in Bangkok, forcing her to withdraw from the Hawaii APEC summit to deal with the crisis. (Bangkok Post) (Reuters)
• At least 16 people are killed in a stampede during a religious festival in the Indian city of Haridwar, Uttarakhand. (CNN)
• A British Red Arrows pilot dies after being accidentally ejected from his BAE Hawk jet aircraft while on the ground at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. (The Telegraph)

• The International Atomic Energy Agency releases a report that says that Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device, and that the project may still be under way. (The New York Times) (CNN)
• Human rights groups send an open letter to the President of the People's Republic of China, Hu Jintao, pressing the Chinese government to address the underlying causes of protests that have led 11 Tibetans to set themselves on fire since March. (The Tibetan Post)
• Journalists report comments by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to US President Barack Obama at the G20 summit in Cannes, in which Sarkozy called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "liar". (BBC)

• The Australian Senate votes to introduce a controversial carbon tax, a form of carbon pricing. (The West Australian via Yahoo! 7 News)
• Resignation of Silvio Berlusconi:
  • Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi narrowly wins a key budget vote in the Italian Parliament, but loses his parliamentary absolute majority as both allied and opposition politicians call on him to resign. (Reuters)
  • Berlusconi announces that he will resign after the parliament passes a budget law. (Reuters)
• Voters in Liberia go to the polls for the second round of a presidential election, with the incumbent President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, likely to be re-elected. (Wall Street Journal)
• Voters in the United States vote in state, municipal, and local elections.
  • Democratic Governor Steve Beshear is re-elected Governor of Kentucky. (CNN)
  • Republican Phil Bryant is elected Governor of Mississippi. (Jackson Clarion Ledger)^{[permanent dead link]}
  • Democrat Jonathan Rothschild is elected Mayor of Tucson, Arizona. (Tucson Sentinel)
  • Democrat Greg Stanton is elected Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, in a runoff election. (Ahwatukee Foothills News)
• Brodie Clark, head of the UK Border Agency, resigns after saying that comments made by Home Secretary Theresa May amounted to "constructive dismissal", and states that he will launch legal proceedings against the government. (BBC)

• NASA observes the asteroid YU₅₅ as it makes a close Earth flyby, passing within 0.85 lunar distances (about 201,700 miles) of the Earth. YU₅₅ is approximately 400 metres (1,300 ft) across, and is the largest asteroid to make a close pass since 1976. (BBC) (WSJ) (SLOOH)
• A Scottish-designed bionic leg exoskeleton, designed to allow handicapped people to walk, is approved for sale in the United Kingdom. (BBC)

• Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar becomes the first player in history to score 15,000 Test runs. (The Guardian)

• A British soldier is killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan. (BBC)
• A U.S. Federal investigation finds gross mismanagement of the remains of servicemen and women at the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs at Dover Air Force Base. (Washington Post)

• A survey of businesses and consumers in Wales indicates widespread support among both groups for the country to have its own top-level domain name. (BBC)
• Taylor Swift wins Entertainer of the Year at the American Country Music Association Awards. (USA Today)

• Italy's cost of borrowing reaches a record high, with interest rates on 10-year loans rising to 7%, as fears grow of an escalating economic crisis. (BBC)

• 2011 Thailand floods:
  • The death toll from the ongoing flooding in Thailand reaches 529. (AFP via Google)
  • Floods are predicted to enter the centre of Bangkok early next week, and have already affected nearby roads and sewage systems, according to the Thai Flood Relief Operations Command (FROC). (The National) (Bangkok Post)
• The British Ministry of Defence suspends training flights in aircraft with ejector seats similar to that which killed a Red Arrows pilot on Tuesday. (BBC)
• A magnitude 5.7 earthquake hits Van, Turkey, leading to the collapse of numerous buildings. The tremor comes in the wake of last month's destructive 7.1 magnitude earthquake. (USA Today) (BBC)

• The first ever national test of the Emergency Alert System occurred on this date, at 2:00 p.m. EST. This test was transmitted with the Emergency Action Notification code, and was testing the ability to transmit a national-level emergency alert, such as a nuclear attack. This test failed, with 2 other Primary Entry Point (PEP) radio stations relaying the alert over the original alert itself, creating an echo effect. One of the overlaying PEP stations were WCCO (AM), and the other one cannot be determined. However, the issues in this alert have (mostly) been fixed.

• Response to IAEA report on Iran's nuclear program:
  • Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the International Atomic Energy Agency report is based on "empty claims" and that Iran would not budge from its nuclear program despite allegations it may be trying to develop nuclear weapons; European countries and the US say they will consider fresh sanctions against Iran. (BBC) (Reuters Africa) (Bloomberg)
  • Russia dismisses calls for further sanctions against Iran in the aftermath of the report on suspect Iranian nuclear activities. (The New York Times)

• Thousands of students march in central London over a rise in university tuition fees. (BBC)
• Members of the UK's National Association of Head Teachers vote to take strike action for the first time over planned changes to their pensions. (BBC)
• Voters in San Francisco, California, elect Ed Lee as the city's interim Mayor. Lee is the first Asian-American to become Mayor of San Francisco. (San Francisco Chronicle)

• Russia's Fobos-Grunt mission to the Martian moon of Phobos runs into problems shortly after its launch, with no telemetry reported from the spacecraft. (MSNBC)
• Dutch scientists build a nanoscopic electric car made of a single complex molecule. Currently the world's smallest vehicle, the nanocar is capable of travelling small distances when an electric current is applied to it. (BBC) (AdelaideNow)

• The trustees of Pennsylvania State University sack the coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, Joe Paterno, and the University president, Graham Spanier, following allegations of a coverup of sexual abuse by assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. (Los Angeles Times)

• 2011 Syrian uprising:
  • Opposition activists claim that at least 38 people, including six children, have been killed by security forces across Syria: 16 in the city of Homs, 10 in Idlib, six in Hama, three in the suburbs of Damascus and three in Daraa. (CNN)

• Hinchingbrooke Hospital in the English county of Cambridgeshire becomes the first NHS hospital to be run by a private firm. Healthcare partnership Circle has been awarded a ten-year contract, and will take over administration of the hospital – which has heavy financial debts – in February 2012. (BBC)

• An inquest opens into the deaths of 7 people killed in last Friday's multiple vehicle pile-up on the M5 in the English county of Somerset. (BBC)

• Response to IAEA report on Iran's nuclear program:
  • The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemns the incriminating International Atomic Energy Agency report about the Iranian nuclear program, and warns of harsh retaliation in response to a military attack against it. (The New York Times)
  • The United States says it will look at ways to impose additional pressure on Iran following the IAEA report on Iran's nuclear program and does not "rule anything out, or in". (The Jerusalem Post)

• The New Zealand Department of Labour files 25 criminal charges in relation to the Pike River Mine disaster, which killed 29 miners in November 2010. (AP via Google News)
• Israel's Supreme Court upholds a seven-year rape sentence against former President Moshe Katsav. (BBC) (The Jerusalem Post)
• James Murdoch, the chief executive of News International, makes his second appearance before the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, as the News International phone hacking scandal continues. (BBC)
• British Home Secretary Theresa May bans the Islamic extremist group Muslims Against Crusades, which planned to repeat a poppy-burning demonstration held on Remembrance Day in 2010. (BBC)
• Venezuelan police investigate the kidnapping on Wednesday of Washington Nationals baseball catcher Wilson Ramos. (USA Today)
• Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs of the United States Army is convicted of murder in relation to the 2010 Maywand District killings in Afghanistan. (The News Tribune)

• Lucas Papademos is appointed interim prime minister of Greece's new unity government, and pledges to implement a European bailout package to help resolve the Greek government debt crisis. (BBC) (New York Times) (CNN)
• The President of Nauru, Marcus Stephen, resigns amid allegations of corruption, and is replaced by Freddie Pitcher. (ABC)
• A former Libyan envoy to the Arab League confirms that Musa al-Sadr, an Iranian-Lebanese scholar, was executed by Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 1978. (PressTV)
• In South Africa, controversial ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema is suspended from the country's ruling party for 5 years. (Cape Argus)
• 200,000 Canadian college and university students vote in favour of boycotting classes in Quebec. Thousands are expected to participate in a protest march against tuition fee increases in Montreal. (Canadian Press via The Globe and Mail)
• Incumbent Virginia State Senator Edd Houck concedes defeat in the state elections, giving the Republican Party control over the Virginia General Assembly. (The Republic)^{[permanent dead link]}
• The incumbent President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is declared the winner of the Liberian presidential election, gaining 90% of the vote following a boycott by opposition candidate Winston Tubman. (Huffington Post)

• England's Newcastle United F.C. rebrands its St James' Park stadium as the Sports Direct Arena in a bid to attract international sponsorship. (BBC)

• Arab Spring:
  • 2011 Syrian uprising: 250 Syrians, mostly civilians, have been killed so far this month, as the violence escalates in Syria's eight-month-old crackdown on pro-democracy protests and attacks on security forces increase. (CBC) (MSNBC)
  • 2011 Yemeni uprising: At least seven people die after forces loyal to the President of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh shell the city of Taez. A further 32 were injured. (Al-Arabiya) (CNN)
• An armed hijacker claiming to have a bomb takes control of a ferry on the Sea of Marmara near the Turkish port of Izmit but is later killed by the Turkish military. (AP via Google) (Jerusalem Post)

• First-person shooter video game Modern Warfare 3, published by Activision, sells over 6.5 million copies in North America and United Kingdom, setting a new record. (Los Angeles Times)
• Action-adventure video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by Bethesda was first released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

• Francisco Blake Mora, the Mexican Secretary of the Interior, dies in a plane crash on a way to a meeting with judicial officials. (Huffington Post)

• The Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea issues orders for the arrest of Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah and Attorney General Allan Marat over contempt of court charges. (AAP via Yahoo News Australia)
• The former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, already serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of office, is charged with tax evasion, theft and concealing foreign currency revenues. (Reuters)
• Sidney Nsubuga Enoch is jailed for 35 years in Uganda for the murder of gay activist David Kato in January. (Reuters)
• Washington Nationals baseball catcher Wilson Ramos is found alive in Venezuela near where he was kidnapped on Wednesday. (NBC Sports) (CNN)

• Michael D. Higgins is inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland. (RTÉ)
• Danny Philip resigns as the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands before the National Parliament votes on a no confidence motion. (ABC News Australia)
• Lucas Papademos is sworn as the Prime Minister of Greece. (Reuters via Sydney Morning Herald)
• The Senate of Italy passes austerity measures demanded by the European Union. (Reuters via Sydney Morning Herald)

• The Gold Coast in the Australian state of Queensland is chosen as the host city for the 2018 Commonwealth Games ahead of Hambantota in Sri Lanka. (The Australian)
• London in the United Kingdom wins the rights to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships ahead of Doha, Qatar. (The Guardian)
• In Major League Baseball, the Florida Marlins officially change their name to the Miami Marlins. ESPN.com
• 2011 Southeast Asian Games, the largest multi-sport event in the region, was opened in Palembang by the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. (The Jakarta Post)

• Syrian uprising:
  • The Arab League votes to suspend Syria over its violent suppression of the Syrian uprising, pledging new sanctions and urging member states to withdraw ambassadors from Damascus. (AP via NDTV) (The Washington Post) (The Jerusalem Post)
  • Reuters reports that crowds have attacked the Saudi Arabian embassy in Damascus and the French and Turkish consulates in Latakia. (Reuters)
• Nine civilians are killed by a bomb explosion on a bus in Laghman province in eastern Afghanistan in a suspected Taliban attack. (CNN)
• Two massive explosions occur at a Revolutionary Guard ammunition depot western of the Iranian capital, Tehran; at least 17 people, including a senior commander, are killed according to Iranian state media. Mossad assumed responsible. (Haaretz)(CNN) (PressTV) (The Washington Post)
• A suspected Islamist attacker kills seven people in the southern Kazakh city of Taraz before blowing himself up. (AFP) (Fox News) (The New York Times)

• APEC United States 2011: The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit gets underway in the US city of Honolulu. (Wall Street Journal)
• The Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa sign an accord to develop a mega-hydroelectric plant on the Congo River to address their nations' growing energy needs. (AFP)
• Response to IAEA report on Iran's nuclear program:
  • United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demands that Iran respond soon to the "serious concerns" raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency report that Iran appeared to be working on nuclear bomb technology. (The Jerusalem Post)
  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticizes Russia and China's opposition to further sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program following an International Atomic Energy Agency report that Iran had worked on an atomic weapon design. (The Jerusalem Post)

• Prosecutors at the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon set up to prosecute the killers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri ask judges to defer a decision to hold a trial in absentia for four Hezbollah members indicted in Hariri's assassination. (The Daily Star) (The Washington Post)

• Silvio Berlusconi resigns as Prime Minister of Italy to make way for an emergency government to address the country's economic crisis; thousands of Italians celebrate his departure in street demonstrations. (BBC) (Reuters) (The Independent)
• At a Republican party presidential primary debate, US Presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich say they would go to war to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. (CBS News)

• In athletics, the International Association of Athletics Federations names Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Sally Pearson of Australia as its World Athletes of the Year. (IAAF)

• At least six people are dead and four injured after a bomb in a donkey cart explodes in Mastak in Pakistan. (AFP via Google News)
• The Yemeni Army and tribal fighters kill nine suspected Al Qaeda militants in fighting in the town of Zinjibar. (Reuters)
• Members of Occupy London report harassment during Remembrance Sunday services at St Paul's Cathedral. (The Guardian)

• Undercover British police officer Mark Kennedy admits that, in the guise of an environmental activist, he was used by the police forces of 22 countries, was responsible for the closing down of the Youth House community centre in Copenhagen, and committed two crimes on behalf of German police between 2004 and 2009, one of which was arson. (The Guardian)
• Frisking of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam by the United States:
  • Former President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam is frisked and has his clothes inspected for explosives by officials in New York, with the United States apologising for its breach of protocol. (BBC) (Wall Street Journal) (Straits Times)
  • India threatens retaliatory action against the United States and the Congress utters its condemnation. (Times of India) (Hindustan Times) (NDTV)

• Belden Namah, the Deputy Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, and Allan Marat, the Attorney General, agree to hand themselves into Police following a ruling by the Supreme Court. (News Limited)
• Law enforcement in Brazil occupy Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro's biggest favela or slum, in a bid to clean the city ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. (AP via MSNBC)
• Former South African rugby union player Solly Tyibilika is shot dead in a bar in Cape Town. (Bigpond News) (BBC)
• The police in the US city of Portland, Oregon close down the Occupy Portland site resulting in 50 arrests. (Reuters)

• An Israeli cabinet committee passes legislation backed by prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to limit potentially tens of millions in foreign funding to non-government organizations. (Jerusalem Post)
• Voters in South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia, go to the polls for a presidential election and a referendum. (RIA)
• The President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano nominates Mario Monti to be the new Prime Minister. (CNN Money)

• British television soap Coronation Street becomes the first prime time television show in the UK to use product placement after signing a deal with the Nationwide Building Society. A Nationwide cash machine is seen on screen in an episode. (Sky News)

• The death toll from the 2011 Thailand floods rises to 562. (Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link]}

• Libya's National Transitional Council criticizes Niger's offer of asylum to ousted Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saadi Gaddafi, for whom Interpol has issued an arrest warrant, saying Niger's position is "hostile" and a "challenge" to Libya. (CNN)
• Three French aid workers with Triangle Generation Humanitaire kidnapped in Yemen in May are freed. (Associated Press)

• Anders Breivik goes on trial for terrorism in Norway. (DR.dk)
• The Leveson Inquiry into phone hacking gets underway in London. (BBC)
• At London's Old Bailey the trial begins of two men accused of the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence. (BBC)
• Riot police shut down the Occupy Portland and Occupy Oakland rallies. Dozens of people are arrested. (Los Angeles Times) (BBC) (New Zealand Herald)

• British Member of Parliament Alan Keen, the Labour Party member for Feltham and Heston, dies at the age of 73. (The Independent)
• 200,000 people protest in Bogotá, Colombia, against government cuts in public education. (BBC)

• A suspected drone attack in Pakistan's North Waziristan province kills six militants. (BBC)
• The New York Police Department evicts Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zuccotti Park. (ABC)
• Syrian uprising:
  • After a meeting with Russian officials in Moscow, the opposition Syrian National Council calls for UN peacekeepers to be introduced into Syria. (CNN)
  • Pressure is applied to the Syrian government from many sides as Turkey threatens to cut electricity to its southern neighbor, while the European Union increases sanctions on the regime. (CNN)
  • The Jordanian embassy in Damascus is attacked after Jordan’s King Abdullah II criticizes the violent crackdown on protesters and calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. (ABC-Australia) (The Washington Post)
• Following months of violent protests against his 33-year rule, Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh says he will leave office "within 90 days" of an agreement regarding elections with the regional Gulf Cooperation Council.(CNN)

• Following several acts of self-immolation by Tibetans in Tibet, exiled Tibetans in India urge the Chinese government to end its repressive policies restricting the religious freedom of Tibetans. (The Tibet Post)

• Chinese artist Ai Weiwei pays 8.45 million yuan in taxes after receiving a large number of donations from supporters who believe the debt was politically motivated because of his criticism of the Chinese government. (CNN)
• Police in the English city of Birmingham arrest four men in the Sparkhill district in a major anti-terrorism operation. (BBC)

• The first Gas Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum opens in Doha. (Gulf Times) (AFP) (Trend News Agency)
• Nauru swears in its third President in less than a week, as President Freddie Pitcher, in office for just six days, is ousted in a 9-8 vote of no confidence. Sprent Dabwido is sworn in as the new president. (Sydney Morning Herald)
• The New York Police Department clears Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zuccotti Park. (New York Times)
• Negotiators from the United States Senate and House of Representatives reach a partial budget agreement. (Federal Times)

• Syrian uprising:
  • The opposition Free Syrian Army kills at least eight Syrian soldiers in attacks on bases near Damascus and other targets in the country. (Times of India) (CNN)
  • France recalls its ambassador to Syria following attacks against diplomatic missions and increasing violence in the Syrian uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. (Ynetnews) (Times of India)
• Suspected US drone missiles kill 13 militants in a compound in Pakistan's South Waziristan province. (AP via Google News)

• The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Oversight Committee, Darrell Issa, whose panel has been investigating charges that defunct lender Countrywide Financial used its VIP-lending program to buy influence, says that a forthcoming report will include "significant new findings" on that point. (Morningstar)

• Thai authorities consider constructing a waterway linking existing natural canals into a 200-km long "super-canal" that would hold 1.6B cubic meters of water and speed the draining of run-off to prevent flooding like that currently inundating Bangkok and other parts of the country. (CNN)
• Eighteen children and two adults die after an overloaded school bus collides with a coal truck in northwest China's Gansu province. (CNN)

• 2011 Tibetan self-immolation protests:
  • Tibetans demonstrate near the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, India, following recent self-immolations by Tibetan monks and nuns protesting the Chinese government's repressive policies in Tibet. (VoA) (San Francisco Chronicle)
  • The chief abbot of a Tibetan monastery, Kirti Rinpoche, condemns what he calls new and harsh repressive measures against the monks at the monastery where a series of self-immolation protests have occurred against Chinese rule. (The New York Times)
• The President of the United States Barack Obama arrives in Australia for a visit to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the ANZUS treaty; the United States and Australia announce an agreement to expand military cooperation between them, including the stationing of up to 2,500 U.S. Marines near Darwin. (CNN) (The Australian) (The New York Times) (BBC)

• Two bullets are found to have been fired at the White House in Washington, DC., one into a window that was stopped by bullet-proof glass. (CNN)

• Mario Monti is sworn in as Italian prime minister and temporary finance minister, with the task of implementing austerity measures to prevent the euro area's third-biggest economy from collapsing as a result of the debt crisis. (Business Week) (CNN)
• Gordon Lilo Darcy of the ruling National Coalition for Reform and Advancement is elected Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands in a 29-20 parliamentary vote over Milner Tozaka. (Solomon Times)
• The new Greek prime minister, Lucas Papademos, wins a vote of confidence in Parliament, opening the way for his government of national unity to take the steps to restore financial stability in Greece. (CNN)

• 2011 Syrian uprising: Explosions and gunfire are reported in the Syrian capital Damascus. (CNN)
• The presidents of Kenya, Somalia and Uganda meet in Nairobi to discuss coordinated military operations against the al-Qaeda-linked Somali terrorist group Al-Shabaab. (CNN)

• Swedish divers find the wreckage of the warship Svärdet, sunk in 1676 during the Battle of Öland. (Discovery)

• The British Government sells the Northern Rock bank – which was nationalised in 2008 – to Virgin Money for £747m. (BBC)

• An Idaho man, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, is charged with the attempted assassination of U.S. President Barack Obama, after two bullets are found embedded in the exterior of the White House. The President and First Lady were not present at the time of the alleged attack. (New York Times)

• The Polynesian Leaders Group, an eight-member governmental cooperative regional grouping, is formally launched in Apia, Samoa. (Radio New Zealand International)
• Reports emerge that nearly 14,000 North Korean anti-chemical-weapon suits, believed destined for Syria, were seized by Greek authorities in November 2009. (Space Daily)

• The United States House of Representatives considers censoring the Internet for the first time with the Stop Online Piracy Act. (Washington Post)
• Daniel Ortega, the President of Nicaragua, is declared the winner of the recent Presidential election, but opponents protest the results. (CNN)

• China's unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft successfully returns to Earth, landing in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region after docking twice with the Tiangong-1 orbital laboratory module. (Xinhua) (BBC)

• The ongoing NBA lockout continues, with NBA commissioner David Stern warning NBA team owners that the 2011–12 NBA season might be cancelled. (ESPN)

Business and economy

• Hewlett-Packard adds Ralph Whitworth of Relational Investors, the corporate-governance activists—to its board of directors. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

• Former President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is arrested over charges of electoral fraud. (BBC)
• A verdict is due in the trial of former Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, Sarath Fonseka, on charges of "spreading disaffection". (BBC)
• The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reopens its investigation into the death of film star Natalie Wood after receiving fresh information. Wood drowned off the coast of California in 1981. (BBC)

Entertainment

• The video game Minecraft gets its first official release

• 2011 Syrian uprising: At least 19 people are killed across Syria by security forces as protests continue against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. (CNN)
• At least two people are killed and over 600 injured in violent clashes with police in Cairo's Tahrir Square, following mass protests against Egypt's post-revolutionary military leadership. (BBC) (Al-Jazeera)
• Muammar Gaddafi's fugitive son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, is captured in Libya. (CNN) (BBC)

• Tajikistan hints that it may release a Russian pilot detained on charges of smuggling, after Russia deports hundreds of Tajik migrant workers. (The Independent)

• Roger Dean, an Australian nurse, is charged with murder in relation to the deaths of five residents of a nursing home in the Sydney suburb of Quakers Hill. (The Australian)
• English Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC seeks leave to prosecute Sky News for contempt of court over its reporting of the 2009 kidnapping of Paul and Rachel Chandler, after the news channel allegedly breached an injunction preventing the disclosure of the couple's welfare. (BBC)
• Four Metropolitan Police officers are stabbed while chasing a suspect in Kingsbury, north London. Two of the officers suffer serious injuries, while a 32-year-old male is arrested for attempted murder. (BBC)

• The United States successfully tests a new hypersonic weapon system, capable of striking targets 3,700 kilometres (2,300 mi) away in under 30 minutes, as part of its Prompt Global Strike program. (BBC)

• At least 13 people are killed and as many as 900 injured as violent protests continue in Cairo's Tahrir Square against Egypt's ruling military government. Security forces attempt to disperse the crowds with tear gas and baton charges. (BBC)
• 2011 Syrian uprising: Two rocket-propelled grenades hit the headquarters of Syria's ruling Ba'ath Party in Damascus amid ongoing anti-government protests. (BBC) (Reuters)
• Jose Pimentel, a 27-year-old Dominican-American, is arrested in New York City after planning to detonate pipe bombs, according to New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. The suspect is believed to have Al-Qaeda sympathies, although no wider conspiracy is suspected. (CNN)

• The President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, commences a three-day state visit to the United Kingdom. (BBC)

• A man is charged with attempted murder following Saturday's stabbing of four Metropolitan Police officers in Kingsbury, north London. (BBC)

• Voters in Spain go to the polls for a general election, with the centre-right Popular Party winning a parliamentary majority. (AP via MSNBC) (BBC)

• 2011 Egyptian revolution:
  • At least 11 people are killed in ongoing clashes between Egyptian protesters and security forces in Cairo's Tahrir Square. (BBC)
  • The Cabinet of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf submits its resignation to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, but its resignation is officially rejected. (BBC) (Al Arabiya)
• Two people are injured after Syrian soldiers attack buses carrying Turkish citizens returning through Syria from a hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. (CNN)

• The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada impose further sanctions against Iran's nuclear program. (CNN)
• The President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev states that the decision to go to war with Georgia in 2008 prevented the eastward enlargement of NATO. (Reuters)

• The trial begins of the three most senior surviving members of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime, on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. (BBC)
• Dutch baseball player Greg Halman of the Seattle Mariners is stabbed to death, with his brother as a suspect. (AP via BET)

• Voters in the Marshall Islands go to the polls for a general election. (Radio New Zealand)
• A Congressional panel fails to agree on proposals to cut the United States' national budget deficit by $1.2 trillion, leading to automatic budget cuts. (CBC)

• 2011 Egyptian revolution: Three American University in Cairo students are arrested after throwing firebombs at security forces amid ongoing protests in Cairo, Egypt. (CBS News)

• Multinational public transport company Arriva wins a major public bus and rail transport contract in Stockholm, Sweden. (Stockholm Transit – in Swedish)

• Darren Scully, the mayor of the Irish town of Naas, resigns after the latest in a series of scandals, having made radio comments about the "aggressive attitude" of "black Africans". A police investigation into his actions is underway. (RTE News) (Daily Mail) (Irish Times)

• Scientists discover Bulbophyllum nocturnum, the first orchid known to flower at night, in New Britain off the coast of Papua New Guinea. (BBC)
• American evolutionary biologist Lynn Margulis dies aged 73. (National Center for Science Education)

• Egypt protests: Violent anti-regime protests enter their fifth day in Cairo's Tahrir Square, with 35 people killed and over 3,200 injured to date in clashes between protesters and security forces. (CNN)

• Six people, including three children, are killed in an air crash in the Superstition Mountains in the U.S. state of Arizona. (Sydney Morning Herald)

• The United States announces that it will stop observing the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. The decision comes four years after Russia withdrew compliance from the treaty. (Spacewar)
• In a warning to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls al-Assad's ongoing crackdown on protests cowardice, comparing al-Assad to past dictators such as Adolf Hitler and Muammar Gaddafi. (CNN)

• The European Space Agency claims to have made contact with Russia's stranded Fobos-Grunt probe, two days after the closure of the spacecraft's window for launch to Mars. (Discovery.com)

• Uzbek midfielder Server Djeparov is named Asian Footballer of the Year for the second time, in a ceremony held at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters. (Goal.com)

• Three roadside bombs detonate in the Iraqi city of Basra, killing at least 19 people and injuring 67. (CNN)

• India's government decides to relax rules concerning the operation of foreign-owned retailers such as Wal-Mart and Tesco within India. (The New York Times)

• The Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Harry Jenkins resigns to be replaced by Opposition MP Peter Slipper. (The Australian) (The Australian)

• Voters in Morocco go to the polls for a parliamentary election with the Justice and Development Party claiming victory. (CNN) (Reuters)
• Kamal Ganzouri is appointed as new Prime Minister of Egypt as a replacement for Essam Sharaf, who resigned after protests. (VoA)

• 26 Pakistani soldiers are killed after a NATO helicopter opens fire on a Pakistani checkpoint, sparking outrage from the Pakistani government. (CNN)
• Colombian military forces raid a FARC rebel hideout in the province of Caquetá, freeing police sergeant Luis Alberto Erazu, who had been held hostage by FARC for 12 years. Four other hostages are killed by the rebels during the raid. (Miami Herald)

• New Zealand general election and voting method referendum:
  • Voters in New Zealand go to the polls for a general election and voting method referendum. (NZ Stuff)
  • The New Zealand National Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister John Key, wins 60 seats, one short of the 61 required for a majority. ACT New Zealand and United Future New Zealand indicate that they will work with the National Party to form a coalition government. (Television New Zealand)
  • The Mixed Member Proportional voting system, on early votes only, wins a majority of the vote in the referendum and will be kept. Full results will be released on 10 December 2011. (The Dominion Post via New Zealand Stuff)

• NASA launches the robotic Mars Science Laboratory, the largest rover yet sent to Mars, with the aim of finding evidence for past or present life on Mars. (BBC)

• NBA team owners and players reach an agreement to end the 149-day NBA lockout and to begin the current NBA season on Christmas Day. (ESPN)

• The cargo ship MV Swanland founders in the Irish Sea; two of her eight crew members are rescued. (BBC)
• In Canada, Chinook windstorms tear through Alberta and Saskatchewan, producing a dust storm in downtown Calgary and causing millions of dollars in damage. The windstorms fuel a grass fire that grows to two kilometres wide near Lethbridge, Alberta, before being contained, and gusts reach a maximum speed of 149 km/h (93 mph). (National Post) (Calgary Herald) (Montreal Gazette) (Medicine Hat News) (Metro News)^{[permanent dead link]}

• The Arab League approves sanctions against Syria amid the nation's ongoing violent uprising. The Syrian government calls the League's move "an unprecedented measure". (The Telegraph)

• In Canadian football, the BC Lions defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34–23 to win the 99th Grey Cup. (Vancouver Sun)
• Gary Speed, the manager of the Welsh national football team, is found dead at his home in Cheshire, England, having apparently committed suicide. (BBC)

• 2011 Yemeni uprising: At least 25 people are killed in fighting between Sunni and Shia groups in Yemen. (Al-Jazeera)
• Saboteurs attack Egypt's gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan, destroying a section of the pipeline west of al-Arish in Sinai. (Reuters)

• Fitch Ratings maintains the credit rating of the United States government at AAA, but downgrades its outlook on the government to negative. This follows rival ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating in August. (Fox Business)
• Jed S. Rakoff, a judge at the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, denies approval to a settlement agreement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the investment bank Citigroup, which the SEC has charged with deceiving investors about the conditions under which a certain portfolio's investments had been chosen. (New York Times)

• The government of Sudan expels Kenya's ambassador, following the Kenyan High Court's ruling that it will arrest Omar al-Bashir, the President of Sudan, if he enters Kenya. (CNN)
• The 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference (also known as COP 17) begins in Durban, South Africa. (Joburg.org.za)

• Voters in Egypt go to the polls for the first round of voting in parliamentary elections. (Reuters)
• The Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, and his cabinet resign after protesters storm the national Parliament. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
• Ante Marković, the last Prime Minister of Yugoslavia, dies aged 87 in the Croatian capital Zagreb. (AP via Washington Post)
• Voters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo go to the polls for a general election, with outbreaks of election violence reported. (Wall Street Journal)

• American Airlines, the world's fourth-largest airline, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. (CNN) (Reuters)

• Six staff members at the British embassy in Tehran are taken hostage after the embassy is stormed by Iranian students. (BBC) (AP via Times of India)
  • The UN Security Council condemns the attack on the British embassy. (CNN-IBN)
  • FARS News Agency states that Iranian police have secured the release of the six hostages. (USA Today)
• A new Russian anti-missile early-warning facility equipped with Voronezh-DM radar opens in Kaliningrad Oblast. (Voice of America)(BBC)

• Dr. Conrad Murray is sentenced to four years in jail for involuntary manslaughter in Los Angeles in connection to the death of Michael Jackson in 2009. (CNN), (AP via Sydney Morning Herald)
• Anders Behring Breivik is declared to have been criminally insane when he committed the 2011 Norway attacks that killed 77 people. (The Telegraph)
• Seven people, including a toddler, are shot while recording a music video in Oakland, California. (AP via Google News)

• The Prime Minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra, is hospitalised in Bangkok with suspected food poisoning. (AP via Times of India)

• A mass shooting occurs in east Texas, United States. Four children are killed, all less than 5 years old. (CNN)

• Up to two million public sector workers in the United Kingdom commence a 24-hour strike over pension reforms, affecting schools, hospitals, airports, ports and government offices nationwide. (BBC)

• It is announced that Laurent Gbagbo, the former President of Côte d'Ivoire, has been transferred to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, to face trial for crimes against humanity. (CNN)

• 2011 attack on British embassy in Iran:
  • The Iranian Foreign Ministry calls the attacks "unacceptable", stating that they happened despite the efforts of the embassy guards. Police arrest 12 protesters in connection with the attacks. (Fars News)
  • Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Ali Larijani claims that the students represent Iran's public opinion, and attacks Britain. (Fars News)
• United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Burma to urge political reforms. (Reuters)

• Researchers at Washington State University develop an artificial bone "scaffold" which can be produced using 3D printers, potentially allowing doctors to quickly print replacement bone tissue for injured patients. (BBC)