July 2013 Current Events: Business News Here are the key events in business and science news for the month of July 2013. *. Job Growth Continues in June (July 5):According to the Labor Department, 195,000 jobs are added in June, twenty thousand more jobs than were added in May. Meanwhile, unemployment held at 7.6 percent, the exact same percent as in May. See also: Current Events: U.S. News, July 2013 Current Events: World News, July 2013 Current Events: Disasters & Science News, July 2013 Recent Deaths People in the News

July 2013 Current Events: Disasters & Science. Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of July 2013. *. Plane Crashes in San Francisco Killing Three and Injuring Dozens (July 6):A passenger jet of Asiana Airlines crashes at the San Franciscointernational Airport while attempting to land. The plane, traveling from Seoul, South Korea, catches fire. Three people are killed. More than 180 others are injured and taken to various San Francisco hospitals. The cause of the plane crash is not clear. The National Transportation Safety Board begins an investigation immediately. *. A Train in Quebec Derails and Explodes (July 6):In Lac-Megantic, Quebec, an unattended runaway train carrying crude oil derails and explodes. Fifty people are missing and presumed dead. Thirty buildings are destroyed. The engineer left the train to take a break, engaging the breaks before he left. *. Paris Train Derails, Killing at Least Six (July 12):A passenger train from Paris travels south and slams into a station platform. At least six people are killed and a dozen more are seriously injured. The train provides regional service. The accident happens at the Bretigny-sur-Orge station, 16 miles south of Paris, France. *. Spain Has Worst Train Crash in Decades (July 24):A passenger train derails and crashes in northwest Spain, just outside of Santiago de Compostela. At least 78 people are killed and dozens more are injured. Investigators are looking into the reason for the incident, although early reports have said that the train was traveling at an excessive speed, taking a curve at more than twice the speed limit just before it derailed.

July 2013 Current Events: World News. Here are the key events in world news for the month of July 2013. *. Morsi Deposed by Military After One Year in Office (July 1):The protests in Egyptcontinue and the military issue a statement saying they will step in if Mohammed Morsidoes not respond to the protesters in 48 hours.(July 4):The military deposes Morsi and suspends the constitution, saying the move is an attempt at "national reconciliation" rather than a coup. Morsi, however, calls it a "complete military coup." He is taken into custody and several members of his inner circle are placed under house arrest. Adli Mansour, the chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court, is sworn in as interim president. He dismantles the Shura Council, the only functioning body of parliament.(July 5):Thousands of Morsi supporters take to the streets of Cairo in protests organized by the Muslim Brotherhood.(July 8):Troops and police fire on protesters during morning prayers, killing more than 50 Morsi supporters and wounding more than 300. Reports in the news media say the attack was unprovoked. However, the military say soldiers were fired at first. About 650 members of the Muslim Brotherhood are arrested. The violence escalates the political crisis.(July 6):The day after the violence-the worst since the revolution began in 2011-the interim military government names Hazem el-Beblawy, a respected economist who supported the ouster of Mubarak, as prime minister and says a new constitution will be drafted and elections will be held within six months. The Muslim Brotherhood, however, rejects both the appointment of Beblawy and the timeframe for a return to a civilian government. Most members of the opposition, ranging from liberals to conservative Islamists, call the timeframe unrealistic and poorly planned. In another development, Saudi Arabiaand the United Arab Emiratessay they will loan Egypt $8 billion, giving the country a much-needed infusion of cash to shore up the crippled economy.(July 26):At the urging of Gen. Sisi, hundreds of thousands of protesters take to the streets to back the military and to "confront terrorism." The next day, members of the Muslim Brotherhood stage their own demonstration in Cairo in support of Morsi, and police open fire, killing more than 80 people and wounding several hundred. Despite the escalating violence, the Islamists vow to continue their protests. *. Morales Embroiled in Controversy Involving NSA Leaker Snowden (July 3):Bolivia finds itself involved in the international controversy surrounding the future of Edward Snowden, the former CIA employee who leaked top-secret information about U.S. domestic surveillance to several news organizations in June 2013. A plane carrying Morales from Russia back to Bolivia is diverted because several European nations, believing that Snowden is on board the plane, refuse Morales access to their airspace. The move creates a diplomatic furor, and Morales calls the incident an "affront to all [Latin] America," and the vice president, Alvaro Garcia, says Morales is "being kidnapped by imperialism."(July 4):France apologizes the day after the incident. Morales's regional allies, including presidents from Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela, meet in a show of solidarity and demand an explanation about the incident. *. Historic Wimbledon Crowns Andy Murray and Marion Bartoli (July 6-7):In the Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship, Marion Bartoli of Francedefeats Germany's Sabine Lisicki in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. It is the first Grand Slam title for Bartoli. It is only the second Wimbledon Championship match in the Open era played by two women who have never won a Grand Slam. Andy Murraybecomes the first Brit in 77 years to take the Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship. He beat number one seed Novak Djokovicin straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. Of the historic match, Murray says, "That last game will be the toughest game I'll play in my career, ever." *. Hitto Steps Down as Prime Minister of Syrian National Coalition (July 8):Ghassan Hitto steps down as the prime minister of the opposition Syrian National Coalition after holding the post for less than four months and making little progress in organizing the rebels and their strongholds. Hitto's efforts to garner aid from the West also fell short of expectations. His resignation comes just days after Amad Jarba, a tribal leader from the northeastern part of the country, is elected president of the coalition. As the opposition shows signs of fracturing; Sunni v. Shiite violence intensifies; and Assad's forces hold on to Damascus, most of central Syria, and cities in the north with the help of Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, the U.S. acknowledges that Bashar al-Assadwould likely remain in power and control parts of Syriaindefinitely. Meanwhile, the UN reports that the death toll in Syria's civil war had surpassed 100,000.

June 2013 Current Events: World News. Here are the key events in world news for the month of June 2013. *. Taliban Opens Office in Qatar (June):The Talibanopens an office in Doha, Qatar, and its representatives hold a press conference with an international media contingent. The U.S. says it will begin long-delayed peace talks with the group. Afghanistanwas expected to do the same, but instead says it will not engage in any dialogue with the Taliban, saying such discussions lent the militants credibility. Karzai also seems to want to control the terms of the talks, saying they must be "Afghan-owned and Afghan-led," implying they cannot be held in Qatar. In addition, Karzai pulls out of talks with the U.S. on the important status-of-forces agreement (SOFA), which will govern the status of remaining U.S. troops in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdraws in 2014.(June 18):The Afghan National Security Force assumes complete responsibility for the security of the country, taking over the last areas under NATO control. The 352,000-troop force has shown steady improvement over the past few years and has assumed control over most urban areas. The transition is an important milestone in the country's fight against the Taliban and its move away from dependence on outside forces for stability. *. Anti-Government Protests in Turkey Call for Erdogan's Resignation (June 1):Police withdraw from Istanbul's Gezi Park in Taksim Square and let the occupation continue. Protesters criticize Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan for being authoritarian and call for his resignation. Erdogan initially dismisses the protesters as "thugs," but agrees to meet with representatives of the many groups of demonstrators.(June 11):Police storm the park, again spraying protesters with tear gas and water, and force protesters out of the area. The protests are compared to the Occupy movementthat took hold in the U.S. in September 2011. Erdogan has been popular since taking office in 2003, leading an economic recovery, expanding the middle class, and weakening the influence of the military. At the same time, his critics accuse him of being heavy-handed and allowing his religious views to influence his leadership. *. Reports of Chemical Weapon Use in Syria Continues (June 4):A human rights team working for the United Nations reports that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that government forces in Syriahave used chemical weapons. French foreign minister Laurent Fabius reports that sarin, a nerve gas, has been used on multiple occasions.(June 5):Syrian rebels pull out of the town of Al-Qusayr, a former strategic stronghold for them. The Syrian Army regains control of the town. Iran's government, in an official statement, congratulates the Syrian army for recapturing Al-Qusayr. *. Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal Win French Open (June 8): Serena Williamsbeats last year's champion, Maria Sharapova, 6-4, 6-4, to win her second French Open women's championship. It is exactly eleven years to the day that Serena beat her older sister Venusto win her first French Open in 2002.(June 9): Rafael Nadalbeat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3, to take the men's crown for a record eighth time. The men's championship is interrupted by two anti-gay marriage protesters. One of them runs on the court with a flare. The incident is reminiscent of the 1993 on court stabbing of Monica Selesin Germany. *. Centrist Wins Presidential Election in Iran (June 15):Hassan Rowhani, a moderate cleric and Iran's former negotiator on nuclear issues, wins June 2013's presidential election, taking just under 51% of the vote. Reformists throw their support behind Rowhani after their preferred candidate, Mohammad Reza Aref, drops out of the race. Thousands of Iranians take to the streets to celebrate Rowhani's victory. While he has the backing of reformists, Rowhani has long been a member of the country's conservative establishment, having served in parliament for more than 20 years and playing a strategic role in the execution of the Iran-Iraq war. He has campaigned on a promise to reach out to the west and improve relations with the United States. After his victory is announced, Rowhani promises to "follow the path of moderation and justice, not extremism."

June 2013 Current Events: U.S. News. Here are the key events in United States news for the month of June 2013. *. U.S. Government under Heavy Scrutiny after NSA leaks (June 6):The Guardianreceives information that reveals that the National Security Agency (NSA) is using PRISM to spy on the web activities, including email, of U.S. citizens. Through PRISM, a clandestine national security surveillance program, the NSA has direct access to Facebook, YouTube, Skype, Google, Apple, Yahoo and other websites. In its report,The Guardiandoes not state who they received the information from.(June 7):The Wall Street Journalreports that the NSA also monitors the credit card transactions and customer records of three major phone service providers. U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper calls the recent newspaper reports on government surveillance "reprehensible."(June 8):The Guardianpublishes a report on another NSA tool called Boundless Informant, used by the U.S. government to watch activity in every country in the world. Facebook's Mark Zuckerbergand Google's Larry Pageboth deny any knowledge of PRISM. President Obamaconfirms PRISM's existence and its use to spy on the online activity of U.S. citizens.The New York Timesreports that some companies, such as Facebook and Google, negotiated with the U.S. government over spying on customers. The report contradicts previous denials by those companies.(June 9):Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee, comes forward and admits that he is the source of the recent NSA leaks. Snowden, fearing prosecution, defects to Hong Kongand is currently on the run, wanted for questioning. *. Supreme Court Orders University to Re-examine Affirmative Action Policy (June 24):InFisherv.University of Texas, the Supreme Court allows universities to continue considering race as a factor in admissions to achieve diversity, but it does tell them that they must prove that "available, workable race-neutral alternatives do not suffice" before considering race. The court rules 7–1 to send the case back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit for further review to determine if the school passes the test of "strict scrutiny," the highest level of judicial review. The ruling is considered a compromise between the court's conservative and liberal factions. *. Supreme Court Rules on Voting Rights Act (June 25):In Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court strikes down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which established a formula for Congress to use when determining if a state or voting jurisdiction requires prior approval before changing its voting laws. Currently under Section 5 of the act nine-mostly Southern-states with a history of discrimination must get clearance from Congress before changing voting rules to make sure racial minorities are not negatively affected. While the 5-4 decision does not invalidate Section 5, it makes it toothless. Chief Justice John Roberts says the formula Congress now uses, which was written in 1965, has become outdated. "While any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions," he says in the majority opinion. In a strongly worded dissent, Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg says, "Hubris is a fit word for today's demolition of the V.R.A." (Voting Rights Act). *. Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA (June 26):The Supreme Court rules that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. In a 5 to 4 vote, the court rules that DOMA violates the rights of gays and lesbians. The court also rules that the law interferes with the states' rights to define marriage. It is the first case ever on the issue of gay marriage for the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.votes against striking it down as does Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alitoand Clarence Thomas. However, conservative-leaning Justice Anthony M. Kennedyvotes with his liberal colleagues to overturn DOMA. *. Supreme Court Rules on California Same-Sex Marriage Case (June 26):The Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage opponents in Californiadid not have standing to appeal the lower court ruling that overturned the state's ban, known as Proposition 8. This ruling will most likely remove legal battles for same-sex couples wishing to marry in California. However, the ruling does not directly affect other states.