June 27, 2012 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian uprising:
- President Bashar al-Assad declares that a state of war exists in Syria as fighting spills into Damascus. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
- In the past seven days, 916 Syrians have been killed, making it the deadliest week since the uprising began, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (AFP)
- Gunmen storm a pro-government television station, killing seven people. (BBC)
- The Free Syrian Army’s commander, Riad al-Asaad, says that the Hezbollah is actively participating in the Syrian civil war on the side of the regime. (The Daily Star)
- Police in Bolivia end their violent rebellion after a pay deal is reached (CNBC)
- Roadside bombs and an ambush by the Taliban in their stronghold of Musa Qala, Afghanistan, kill 10 police officers. (RFERL)
- The MNLA and al Qaeda-linked Islamists clash in a gunbattle in Gao, Mali, that kills at least 20, witnesses say. (Reuters Africa)
- A United States drone attack kills five in Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
Arts and culture
- The Glastonbury Festival and promoters Festival Republic "go their separate ways" after working together since 2001. (BBC)
Business and economy
- Barclays Bank plc is fined £290m after trying to manipulate interbank interest rates. Chief Executive Bob Diamond also forgoes his bonus. (BBC) (CBS News) (Xinhua)
- Bank of China becomes the first Chinese bank to open a branch in Taiwan. (NHK World)[permanent dead link]
Disasters
- At least 50 people are killed in rain-triggered landslides in the Bangladesh districts of Cox's Bazar and Chittagong. (Al Jazeera)
- Thirty-two thousand people in the US city of Colorado Springs flee from the Waldo Canyon Fire that has destroyed hundreds of homes. (AFP via The Age)(MSNBC)
- An 11-year-old girl, Ashton Jojo, vacationing with her family at a miniature golf course at Orange Lake Resort, in Orange County, Florida, is accidentally electrocuted after she falls into a 2-foot deep pond at the course while looking for her lost golf ball. (MSNBC)[permanent dead link]
International relations
Law
- Former Pennsylvania State Representative Stephen Stetler is convicted of all six counts in his corruption case. (NBC)
Politics and elections
- Uruguay aims to become the world's first country to oversee and administer the nation's cannabis market. (MSNBC)
- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and former IRA commander and Sinn Féin deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness shake hands at a historic meeting in Belfast. (BBC) (RTÉ)
- The UK Government unveils its plans to reform the House of Lords to make it a mostly elected chamber. (BBC)
Science and health
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves weight loss drug lorcaserin, the first such drug approved since 1999. (Reuters)
Sport
- UEFA Euro 2012:
- Spain beat Portugal in a penalty shoot-out, with Fàbregas as game winner, to go through to Sunday's final in Kiev. (TSN) (BBC)
- Bert van Marwijk resigns as Netherlands coach after increasing criticism of his team's performances in the tournament. (UEFA)
- In professional basketball, the Indiana Pacers team president Larry Bird resigns, with Donnie Walsh being named to replace him. (ESPN)
- In professional ice hockey, the Edmonton Oilers name associate coach Ralph Krueger as the team's tenth head coach in franchise history. (TSN)