Portal:Current events/2008 June 11

June 11, 2008 (Wednesday)

Kosovo adopts a national anthem named "Europe"; composed by Mendi Menxhiqi, it comes without lyrics in any language to avoid offending the newly independent state's Serbian minority. (International Herald Tribune) (B-92)
The United States Food and Drug Administration has received 167 reported incidents of Salmonellosis from eating tainted tomatoes in 17 states with New Mexico and Texas the worst affected areas. (Reuters)
NASA launches the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) from Cape Canaveral, Florida. (AP via Google News)
June 2008 tornado outbreak sequence: A tornado at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near Little Sioux, Iowa kills four Boy Scouts and injures several others. (Des Moines Register) (AP via Yahoo! News) (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) (National Public Radio)
Cuba introduces a wages system where workers are paid according to productivity rather than all workers in the same job receiving the same income. (Miami Herald)
The Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper apologises to tens of thousands of the indigenous peoples of Canada for more than a century of abuses of First Nations, Inuit and Métis at residential schools set up to assimilate them into Canadian society. (SBS)^{[permanent dead link]} (AP via Yahoo! News)
The United States House of Representatives votes today on whether to refer Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush introduced Monday evening by Rep. Dennis Kucinich to a committee. (The Washington Post)
InBev, the world's largest brewing company makes an unsolicited $46 billion takeover bid for United States brewing company Anheuser-Busch. (AFP via Google News)
Estonia, Greece and Finland ratify the Treaty of Lisbon. (Xinhua) (The International Herald Tribune)
Norway legalises same-sex marriage. (Pink News)
The last King of Nepal Gyanendra of Nepal departs from Narayanhiti Palace for the last time after Nepal is declared to be a republic. (CBC)
The Metropolitan Police launches an inquiry after top secret British government intelligence on al-Qaeda is found on a train going from Waterloo Station to Surrey. (BBC News)
Sheikh Hasina, a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh detained on corruption charges, is released to seek treatment in the United States. (Bloomberg)
Stojan Župljanin, a wartime Bosnian Serb police commander is arrested near Belgrade and will be sent to the Hague where he will face trial for alleged war crimes. (Reuters via TVNZ)
Former basketball referee Tim Donaghy accuses other referees in the National Basketball Association of rigging games, including Game 6 in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, allowing the Los Angeles Lakers to win that game, the series, and ultimately the 2002 NBA Finals. (ESPN)
President George W. Bush says that he wants to solve the Iran issue peacefully but "all options are on the table" in a joint media conference with the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. (Reuters)
The British House of Commons considers anti-terrorism legislation extending the period of preventive detention to 42 days with a close vote expected due to a backbench revolt in the Labour Party. The House eventually passes the bill by 315 votes to 306. (Press Association via Google News) (Press Association via The Guardian)
Japan's House of Councillors passes a censure motion against the Prime Minister of Japan Yasuo Fukuda, the first such motion to be passed since World War II. (BBC News)
Afghanistan:
- Airstrikes targeting militants have killed at least 31 people including some civilians. (AP via Google News)^{[permanent dead link]}
- Reports claim that at least 10 Pakistan Army soldiers have died in an apparent United States-led air strike near the border with Afghanistan with eight Taliban militants also killed. Pakistan condemns the airstrike as "unprovoked and cowardly". The U.S. has released video of the strike showing the militants fighting in order to justify the attacks. (BBC News) (Reuters)
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels overrun the Irukkulampiddi Sri Lankan Navy outpost killing at least 10 sailors. (AFP via Google News)
Taiwanese negotiators led by Chiang Pin-kung, Chairman of the Strait Exchange Foundation, travel to the People's Republic of China to conduct talks on improving Cross-Strait relations. (BBC News) (AP via Yahoo! News)