Portal:Current events/2006 August 1

Current events of August 1, 2006 (2006-08-01) (Tuesday)

El Paso, Texas is hit by heavy, intense rain, causing much flooding and making the Rio Grande overflow its banks, reaching levels not seen in over 50 years. Roads are destroyed, dirt and rocks litter the streets. The West and Northeast sides are most heavily hit. Ciudad Juárez, across the United States-Mexico border is also devastated. (El Paso Times) Tropical Storm Chris forms east of the Lesser Antilles, prompting the issuance of tropical storm warnings for ten islands as well as tropical storm watches for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. (National Hurricane Center) There is major outcry in Iran following the death of democracy activist Akbar Mohammadi in Evin Prison. Mohammadi was condemned to death for his role in the 1999 student protests at Tehran University. He had been on a hunger strike for more than a week, protesting the refusal by the Islamic Regime to allow him to seek proper medical treatment for life threatening injuries suffered as a result of torture. Reportedly he was beaten severely by prison guards the night of his death.(Persian Journal), (AKI), (Guardian) 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict The Battle of Ayta al-Sha`b rages, with multiple Israeli casualties. (Yedioth Ahronoth) The International Committee of the Red Cross have so far extracted 28 bodies from the rubble, 19 of whom are children, in the wake of Sunday's airstrike on Qana. Earlier reports by the Lebanese police reported double the current confirmed deathtoll, claiming at least 56 fatalities, including 37 children. (ICRC) Israel's Security Council approves expansion of ground offensive in Lebanon and rejects a cease-fire until an international peacekeeping force is in place. (CBS) Tony Blair said in a speech on 1 August 2006 in Los Angeles, California that Hezbollah was armed by Iran. (Yahoo News) A political scandal involving the Parliamentary Secretary for the Japanese Trade Ministry, Satsuki Katayama, and Yamaha Motor Company, accused of illegally exporting a helicopter into China by the trade ministry, deepens. (Asahi Shimbun)