Portal:Current events/2011 November 4
November 4, 2011 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- The Israeli Navy boards two ships carrying pro-Palestinian activists en route to the Gaza Strip. (BBC/Reuters via ABC News Australia)
- U.S. General John R. Allen, the head of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, sacks Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller for making inappropriate comments about Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his government. (AP via WVEC)
- Alfonso Cano, the head of the Colombian militant organisation FARC, is reportedly killed in a raid by the Colombian Army. (AP via Google News)
Arts and culture
- Millions of Muslims start the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. (Radio Free Europe)
Business and economy
- Toyota extends production cuts in Japan and Thailand due to parts shortages caused by the 2011 Thailand floods. (BBC)
- Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney is appointed chairman of the Financial Stability Board. (Globe and Mail)
Disasters
- Rescuers are working to save 57 coal miners trapped in Sanmenxia in China's Henan province. (AP via Times of India)
- A 27-vehicle traffic collision on the M5 Motorway, near Taunton in the English county of Somerset, results in at least 7 deaths, 35 injuries and the closure of the motorway. (BBC)
Law and crime
- The jury retires to consider its verdict in the trial of Dr Conrad Murray for the alleged involuntary manslaughter of U.S. entertainer Michael Jackson. (CNN)
- Jill Evans, a Welsh MEP, is fined £575 after refusing to pay her TV licence fee in protest over changes to the Welsh-language channel S4C. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- The Hellenic Parliament rejects a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou following a failed attempt to hold a referendum on a Eurozone bailout. (Reuters) (Sydney Morning Herald)
- British Business Secretary Vince Cable apologises after confidential documents are discovered dumped in waste bins outside his constituency office. (BBC)
- Former journalist and recently elected MSP Ruth Davidson is announced as the new leader of the Scottish Conservative Party. (BBC)