Portal:Current events/2013 August 23

August 23, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- The United Nations reports that there are a million child refugees. (AP via Fox News)
- The Syrian government prevents UN inspectors from visiting the site of the reported chemical massacre. (Reuters)
Explosions occur outside mosques in the Lebanese city of Tripoli. Over 50 are reported killed. (Al-Jazeera)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- 26 people are killed and 55 wounded by a suicide bomber in a park in northern Baghdad (FOX News)
UN troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo launch an offensive, shelling positions held by rebels near the eastern city of Goma. (BBC)
Israeli warplanes strike Na'ameh, Lebanon in response to rocket attacks. (CBS News)

Arts and culture

Real estate developers are reported to have severely damaged the UNESCO world heritage site of Cyrene, Libya. (France 24)

Business and economy

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announces that he will retire within the next 12 months. (Wall Street Journal)

Law and crime

Former U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan is convicted of multiple murder and attempted murder counts in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. (CNN)
Former U.S. Army Sergeant Robert Bales is sentenced to life in prison without parole for the killing of 16 Afghan civilians in March 2012. (NBC News)

Politics and elections