Portal:Current events/2008 August 16

August 16, 2008 (Saturday)

2008 South Ossetia war:
- Georgian officials claim Abkhazian army, backed by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, takes control of 13 Georgian villages. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
- The President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev signs the six-point peace plan for a ceasefire in the 2008 South Ossetia War. (Press Trust of India)
2008 Atlantic Hurricane season: The Governor of Florida Charlie Crist declares a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Fay is due to hit Florida on Monday, possibly at hurricane strength. (AP via The Guardian)
A bomb explodes outside the house of Mayor Lito Pinol in the city of Mlang, Philippines, but fails to assassinate the Mayor. Police successfully defuse a bomb placed in the market of Kidapawan City. (Khaleej Times)
At least eight people die and 60 are injured after a passenger train collides with a goods train in Indonesia's Lampung province. (Reuters via International Herald Tribune)
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics:
- Sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica wins the 100 metre-title in a world record time. (The New York Times)
Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics:
- Michael Phelps of the United States wins his seventh gold medal of the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 100 metre butterfly, tying Mark Spitz's record for gold medals at an Olympic Games. (The New York Times)
- Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe wins the 200 metre backstroke title setting a world record. (The New York Times)
- Rebecca Adlington of Great Britain wins the 800 metres freestyle, breaking Janet Evans’ 19-year-old world record in the process. (The New York Times)