Portal:Current events/2009 July 15
July 15, 2009 (Wednesday)
- The Episcopal Church of the United States votes to overturn a three-year ban on the appointment of gay bishops. (BBC)
- The Catholic Church praises Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince after previously accusing the books of promoting witchcraft and the occult. (Irish Independent)
- Caspian Airlines Flight 7908, flying from Tehran to Yerevan, Armenia with 153 passengers and 15 crew members on board, crashes in Iran shortly after takeoff. (BBC) (Press TV)
- A 7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes off South Island, New Zealand, generating brief fears of a small tsunami. (Associated Press) (New Zealand Herald) (RTÉ) (USGS)
- China's foreign exchange reserves have reached a record of US$ 2.13 trillion, which is more than twice the size of Japan's—the second-biggest holder. (BBC) (Xinhua)
- China urges its citizens in Algeria to "take extra care" after reports circulate of a militant group's plans to avenge recent deaths of Muslim Uyghurs. (BBC)
- Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara, the world's oldest new mother, is announced to have died of cancer aged 69, three years after giving birth. (BBC)
- Six people, including two traffic police, are killed and sixteen people are injured in a suicide attack in Anbar, Iraq. (RTÉ)
- A group of soldiers who took part in Israel's assault in Gaza say widespread abuses were committed against civilians under "permissive" rules of engagement. (BBC)
- Two people are killed and five are injured in the explosion at a Total petrochemicals plant in Carling, France. (France 24) (RTÉ)
- Chansa Kabwela, editor of Zambia's biggest-selling newspaper The Post, is charged with distributing obscene materials relating to a health sector crisis. (BBC) (IOL) (Sowetan)
- The British government opts not to end the Common Travel Area between the United Kingdom and Ireland. (BBC) (RTÉ)
- Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on mission STS-127 to the International Space Station. (BBC)