July 31, 2012 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- The Syrian military continues to pound Aleppo with artillery. Opposition forces claim that they have driven the Syrian army out of the city. (Reuters)
- Police in Norway evacuate the area surrounding the U.S. embassy in the capital Oslo after a suspicious package was discovered. It is later confirmed as a false alarm. (Reuters)
- At least 21 people are killed in two car bomb blasts in Baghdad, Iraq. (BBC)
Arts and culture
- American writer Gore Vidal dies at the age of 86 from complications of pneumonia. (Los Angeles Times)
Business and economy
- Advertiser accuses Facebook of fraud after discovering that 80% of the clicks they're paying for are from bots, and not actual potential customers. (Business Insider)
- Following the @ reply and # hashtag, social media service Twitter introduces the $ symbol, a way for users to click on stock symbols and see related tweets. (CNN Money)
- German global financial services company Deutsche Bank announces plans to cut 1,900 jobs. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2012 northern India power grid failure:
- A second power cut hits northern India and leaves 670 million people without electricity. (BBC) (CNN) (Reuters)
- The northeastern power grid also fails becoming the third after the north and eastern grids. (AFP via NineMSN)[permanent dead link]
International relations
- United States President Barack Obama announces additional sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. (CNN)
Law and crime
- Russian anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny is charged with fraudulent conversion. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Mercosur grants full membership for Venezuela. (Reuters) (El País)
- Voters in the US state of Texas go to the polls for a runoff election in the Republican Senate primary with Ted Cruz defeating David Dewhurst. (Washington Post)
Sport
- 2012 Summer Olympics:
- In swimming, Michael Phelps of the United States wins a record 19th Olympic medal, with gold in the 4x200 metres freestyle relay. (BBC)
- In artistic gymnastics, the United States of America's women's team known as the Fierce Five (composed of members Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney, and Kyla Ross) wins the Olympic gold medal in the artistic team final, the second ever women's team gold medal for the United States, and the first to be won at an Olympics held outside the USA.