October 1, 2010
(Friday)
Armed conflicts and incidents
- In Abuja, two car bombs explode during Nigeria's 50th anniversary celebrations of its Independence from the British Empire, killing 12 and injuring 17. Militant rebel group MEND claims responsibility. (BBC)
- Prominent video journalist Merajuddin is hospitalised in Srinagar after being severely beaten with a baton in his neck by Kashmir police. They also beat up his son and colleague in the latest police attack on the media there. (BBC)
- Following the killing of 3 Pakistani soldiers by NATO, tankers carrying supplies for NATO troops based in Afghanistan are set alight in Shikarpur, Sindh, injuring no one. (Al Jazeera)
- 6 sailors taken hostage off the coast of Cameroon on September 12 by the Africa Marine Commando are released. (BBC)
- An airstrike launched by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) kills 15 insurgents in the Tsowkey district of Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province. (Xinhua)
Arts and culture
- American author Jonathan Franzen advises British fans to cease reading his latest novel Freedom as a printing error has led to the publication of an old draft of his text, with thousands of copies set to be pulped. (The Guardian)
- Sky 3D, the first dedicated 3D TV channel in Europe, launches in the UK. (BBC) (The Guardian) (The Daily Telegraph) (The Independent)
Business and economics
- BMW announces the international recall of hundreds of thousands of luxury cars. (BBC)
- American Bob Dudley succeeds Tony Hayward as the new CEO of BP after the recent controversies over the Oil Spill crisis in the Deepwater Horizon. (AP via Google News)
Disasters
- A massive rainstorm, formed from the combination of the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole and a second extratropical low, drenches the East Coast of the United States from North Carolina to Maine. (AOL) (AP via WMBF)[permanent dead link ]
International relations
- The United Nations publishes a toned down version of its report into war crimes said to have occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the 1990s after Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi rejected the report's findings. (Al Jazeera) (BBC) (The Guardian) (AFP via The Straits Times)
- North Korea and South Korea agree to restart a family reunion program for families separated in the Korean War. (AFP via Google News)
Law and crime
- Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire is to be deported from Israel within 48 hours after her appeal to overturn her entry refusal was rejected. (BBC)
- Nigerian police free 15 schoolchildren kidnapped by an armed gang. (NEXT) (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Politics
- Politicians in Iceland flee from their own people as they protest on the streets of Reykjavík. (The Guardian)
- David Lloyd Johnston is sworn in as new Governor General of Canada, succeeding Michaëlle Jean. (The Globe and Mail)
- Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf launches a new political party - the All Pakistan Muslim League - in London. (Dawn) (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
- Thailand lifts a state of emergency in Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani but it remains in place in Bangkok and the nearby provinces of Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan. (AFP via Google News) (Thai News Agency)
- President of the United States Barack Obama calls a press conference in the White House to make a "personnel announcement" reported to be related to the departure of his aide Rahm Emanuel. (BBC)
Science and technology
- Sky has launched its 3D Channel, Virgin Media has announced the launch of 3D Movies On Demand – the first digital TV service. (Sky) (Virgin Media)
- The 2010 Ig Nobel Prizes are announced. (The Guardian) (BBC) (AP via The New Zealand Herald)[permanent dead link ]
- The discovery of Inkayacu, an extinct genus of prehistoric penguin that lived in the Late Eocene period, is announced. (The New York Times)
- More than 1,200 NASA employees are laid off despite a $19 billion funding budget passed by the United States Congress earlier in the week. (CNN)
- China launches the Chang'e 2 lunar probe from Sichuan. (Xinhua) (BBC)
Sport
- The 2010 Ryder Cup between golfers representing the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour begins at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. (BBC)
Television
- Fox Sports en Español is Changing to Fox Deportes