Portal:Current events/2016 August 28

August 28, 2016 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Moro conflict
- Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants break free supporters from a Marawi jail in the Philippines. (BBC)
Colombian conflict
- The FARC orders all its fighters to observe a ceasefire from midnight local time (Monday 1 a.m. EDT). (BBC)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)
- A suicide bombing kills at least 15 people at a wedding in the southern Shiite city of Kerbala. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

European migrant crisis
- The Spanish-based Proactiva Open Arms NGO rescues more than 700 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea about 17 miles north of Sabratha, Libya. The rescued, who are from Nigeria, are transferred to the Italian Coast Guard. (AP via NBC News)
2016 Central Italy earthquake
- Officials report the death toll is at least 290 people with at least 10 others still missing. (Reuters)
2016 Louisiana floods
- A bus carrying volunteers crashes into emergency vehicles responding to an earlier accident near New Orleans killing two, including the St. John the Baptist Fire District Chief, and injuring 43 more. (Reuters)
2016 Pacific hurricane season
- Tropical Storm Madeline is expected to reach the American state of Hawaii Tuesday, just before world leaders arrive for the World Conservation Congress. (AP) (KHON-TV)

Law and crime

Politics and elections

Political reshuffle in China:
- Wu Yingjie becomes the Communist Party Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region, replacing Chen Quanguo, who will assume another post.
- Chen Hao becomes Communist Party Secretary of Yunnan, replacing Li Jiheng, who will assume another post.
- Du Jiahao becomes Communist Party Secretary of Hunan, replacing Xu Shousheng. (Reuters)
German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel claims the TTIP negotiations "have de facto failed", citing a general lack of progress. The U.S. and the European Commission have no immediate response to his comment. (AP)
Gabonese presidential election, 2016
- Both President Ali Bongo Ondimba and his main challenger, former Foreign Minister Jean Ping, say they won yesterday's election for a seven-year term as president. Official results are expected Tuesday. (Reuters)

Science and Technology

The Indian Space agency ISRO successfully tests its Scramjet engines. Two scramjet engines were mounted alongside of a two-stage, solid fueled rocket called Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV), which is an advanced sounding rocket. Scramjet engines were then ignited when ATV achieved a speed of Mach 6 (7350 km/hr) at an altitude of 20 km. (The Hindu)

Sport

Anita Włodarczyk of Poland breaks her own hammer throw world record, set earlier this month at the Rio Olympics, by close to ¾ meter, with a throw of 82.98 meters at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Warsaw. (AP)