Portal:Current events/2012 July 1

• Syrian civil war:
  • Syrian opposition groups reject a UN-brokered peace plan accepted yesterday in Geneva for a political transition in Syria, arguing that it is ambiguous and a waste of time, and vowing not to negotiate with President Bashar Assad or members of his regime. (AP)
  • Turkey scrambles a total of six F-16 fighters jets near its border with Syria in response to three cases of Syrian military helicopters approaching the Turkish border, although there is no border violation. (BBC)
• At least 17 people are killed and 45 injured in an attack on two churches in the eastern Kenyan town of Garissa. (BBC) (MSNBC)
• Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan:
  • At least five people are killed and 11 injured after a bomb strikes a bus near the Afghan city of Ghazni. (AP via Winnipeg Free Press)
  • A gunman wearing Afghan National Police uniform kills three members of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in southern Afghanistan. (RTE)

• Barclays chairman Marcus Agius is to resign following the Libor interest rate scandal. (BBC)
• Japan provokes protests from its people by restarting the first nuclear reactor since last year's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. (BBC)

• Colombia evacuates towns near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano over concerns about a possible eruption. (AP via Atlanta Journal Constitution)

• Voters in Mexico go to the polls for a general election with Institutional Revolutionary Party presidential candidate Enrique Pena Nieto claiming victory. (The New York Times) (Reuters)
• Hong Kong:
  • Protesters throng the streets of Hong Kong, hours after China's paramount leader Hu Jintao of China swore in Leung Chun-ying as new Chief Executive and the Executive Council for the territory.(The New York Times)
  • Hong Kong marks the fifteenth anniversary of the handover from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China. (BBC)
• Writing in The Sunday Telegraph British Prime Minister David Cameron says he is prepared to consider a referendum on the UK's relationship with the European Union, but only when the time is right. (BBC)

• A Soyuz space capsule containing Oleg Kononenko (Russia), André Kuipers (Netherlands) and Don Pettit (United States) lands safely in Kazakhstan. (Sky News Australia)

• UEFA Euro 2012:
  • The Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in Kiev prepares to host the UEFA Euro 2012 Final, contested by Spain and Italy. (National Post via Calgary Herald)
  • Spain defeat Italy, with a record-breaking scoreline to win their third consecutive major trophy. David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata all score goals, with Torres becoming the first footballer to score in two UEFA European Championship Finals and ending up as the tournament's Golden Boot winner, based on assists and minutes spent on the pitch. (Al Jazeera) (RT) (Sky Sports)
• In golf, Tiger Woods wins the AT&T National passing Jack Nicklaus for PGA Tour wins and is now second behind Sam Snead. (USA Today)