Portal:Current events/2008 June 24

June 24, 2008 (Tuesday)

Representing Pope Benedict XVI, Colombian Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos is pressing the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X to accept five conditions, including respect for the pope and his authority, as part of a reconciliation offer. (CNS) (Catholic World News) (The New Liturgical Movement)
Plans are unveiled for the world's first swirling skyscraper in Dubai, with each floor rotating up to once an hour to form an ever-changing profile on the skyline. (ABC) (The Independent) (Reuters)
A bomb at an office building in Baghdad kills eight people and injures 10. The U.S. military blames the attack on rogue members of Shia Muslim militias. The attack is believed to be a suicide bombing, but the U.S. military is investigating allegations that a bomb was planted in the building. (BBC News)
An Israeli security officer shoots himself as French President Nicolas Sarkozy is about to board his plane after a 3-day trip to Israel and the West Bank. (BBC News)
The authorities in Mexico City sack 17 police officers for their role in a stampede during a raid at a nightclub that caused the death of 12 people. (BBC News)
The National Assembly of Niger votes to try former Prime Minister Hama Amadou on graft charges. (Reuters)^{[permanent dead link]}
The U.S. state of Florida purchases 187,000 acres from the US Sugar Corporation to add to protected lands in the Everglades. (The Guardian) (BBC News)
Franz Josef Jung, the German Minister of Defence, announces plans to commit a thousand extra troops to Afghanistan. (Reuters)
2008 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Fengshen in the Philippines
- Divers see bodies in the wreck of the MV Princess of the Stars off the coast of the Philippines, but no sign of survivors. (Reuters via The Age)
Economic crisis of 2008
- Ireland's Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) says the country is in the grip of a recession for the first time in a quarter of a century. However, it predicts the economy will return to positive growth in 2009 and normal growth by 2010. (RTÉ News)