< Portal:Current events
October 16, 2011 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Libyan Civil War (2011): Fighting continues in the city of Bani Walid, one of the few remaining towns loyal to the ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi, between pro-Gaddafi fighters and besieging forces loyal to the National Transitional Council. (BBC)
- 2011 Yemeni protests: At least six people are killed in the Yemeni capital Sana'a after government troops open fire on protesters. These killings constitute the second incident of fatal protest violence in Sana'a in under 48 hours. (MarketWatch)
- Somali Civil War (2009–present): Kenyan Army troops advance up to 100 kilometers into Somalia to pursue Al-Shabab militants. (Al Jazeera)
Arts and culture
- A ceremony is held to officially re-name the English town of Wootton Bassett with the prefix "Royal" in honour of its role in the repatriation of British military personnel killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is the first town to receive such an honour since 1909. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- François Hollande defeats Martine Aubry in a primary runoff election held by the French Socialist Party, becoming the party's official candidate to challenge incumbent President of France Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential election. (AP via Washington Post)
- Voters in Bolivia go to the polls for a judicial election - the first ever held in Latin America - with opposition politicians urging voters to spoil their ballots in protest against the government of incumbent President Evo Morales. (BBC)
Sport
- New Zealand defeats Australia 20-6 in the semi-final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. (BBC)
- In motorcycle racing, Australian Casey Stoner wins the 2011 MotoGP World Championship with a victory at the Australian motorcycle Grand Prix. (CNN)
- English auto racing driver Dan Wheldon dies in a crash in the final race of the 2011 IndyCar Series at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with three other drivers reportedly hospitalised in the crash. (AP via NBC Sports) (Sydney Morning Herald)
- In baseball, the Saint Louis Cardinals defeat the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2011 National League Championship Series; the Cardinals now go on to face the Texas Rangers in the 2011 World Series. (St Louis Today)
- 100-year-old British Indian Fauja Singh is certified by Guinness World Records as being the oldest person ever to complete a full marathon. (The Tribune)
- In Indycar, fifteen cars were involved in a wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the final race of the season. Dan Wheldon, who was involved in the wreck, was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead while the race was red-flagged. The wreck happened on lap 11, and the remaining 188 laps were not raced.
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