Portal:Current events/2016 August 11
August 11, 2016 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- August 2016 Thailand bombings
- Two bombs hidden in plant pots explode killing at least one person and injuring 10 others, including foreign tourists, in Hua Hin District, Thailand. (BBC)
- Thirteen people are injured when a roadside bomb hits a Pakistani security vehicle in the southwestern city of Quetta, the same town where at least 74 were killed in a suicide bombing at a hospital on Monday. The police were escorting a judge, who was not injured. (Reuters)
- Syrian Civil War
- Suspected Russian airstrike in Aleppo city kills Khaled Omar Harrah while carrying out a rescue mission. Omar is a Syrian rescue worker who became famous around the world after saving a baby buried for 16 hours under rubble. (The Telegraph)
Disasters and accidents
- An apartment building explosion in Silver Spring, Maryland, kills at least two and injures 34, with five to seven people missing. The blast has displaced more than 90 residents. Fire and rescue responded to "a smell of gas" on July 25. The cause of the explosion is being investigated. (The Washington Post) (NBC News)
- At least 21 people are killed and five are injured following an explosion at a power plant in the city of Dangyang, Hubei province in central China. The blast occurred around 3:20 p.m. local time, when a high-pressure steam pipe exploded, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. (Reuters)
Arts and culture
Politics and elections
- Zambian general election and Zambian constitutional referendum, 2016
- Voters go to the polls to elect a president and the unicameral national assembly, and on proposed amendments to the bill of rights and Article 79. Incumbent President Edgar Lungu again faces off against President of the opposition United Party for National Development Hakainde Hichilema, and seven other candidates. (The New York Times)
Science and technology
- The 2016 Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight. (CBS News) (Space.com)
Sport
- Chronological summary of the 2016 Summer Olympics
- American Michael Phelps wins the gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley becoming the first swimmer to win gold medals in the same event at four successive Olympic Games. It is Phelps' 22nd gold medal in total. (Washington Post)