August Highlights

• Sunday August 01, US National Guard - Mexico border deployment

  The Department of Homeland Security announced (July 19) that beginning today it was deploying National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border to 'support federal law enforcement along the southwest'.

• Tuesday August 03, White House Forum with Young African Leaders - Barack Obama hosts

  President Obama hosts forum for '120 young leaders from civil society and the private sector representing more than forty countries in sub-Saharan Africa'.

• Wednesday August 04, Howard K Stern and doctors charged with providing drugs to Anna Nicole Smith - trial

  Former lawyer and ex-boyfriend of Anna Nicole Smith, Howard K Stern, and doctors Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich, appear charged with numerous counts related to the alleged illegal provision of prescription drugs to Anna Nicole Smith, who died in 2007 of an accidental overdose.

• Thursday August 05, Charles Taylor on war crimes charges - Naomi Campbell testifies

  Supermodel Naomi Campbell is scheduled to testify in the case of Charles Ghankay Taylor, former President of Liberia, facing 11 charges of crimes against humanity, violations of Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and other serious violations of international humanitarian law.

• Monday August 09, Israeli public inquiry into Gaza flotilla - Benjamin Netanyahu testifies

  Israeli Prime Minister testifies before the Turkel Committee, an independent public commission charged with investigating Israel's May 31 attack on the Gaza flotilla.

• Tuesday August 10, Federal Reserve Board meeting - interest rate decision

  12-member Federal Reserve Open Market Committee, made up of the seven members of the Board of Governors; the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; and four presidents from the 11 other Reserve Banks, meets to decide whether to raise, lower or maintain the US rate of interest.

• Wednesday August 11, Ramadan

  Annual Muslim festival runs for 29 or 30 days and marks the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which strict fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset.

• Monday August 16, Pakistani woman accused of attempting to kill US officers - sentencing

  Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman who previously resided in the US, was found guilty, February 3, on charges including one count of attempting to kill US officers and employees and one count of assaulting US officers and employees.

• Friday August 20, 1 year ago: Lockerbie bomber released

  Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi was released after serving eight years of a life sentence for his role in the 1988 explosion of an aircraft that killed 270 people.

• Monday August 23, Terrorist suspects accused of New York bomb plot - trial begins

  James Cromitie aka 'Abdul Rahman', David Williams aka 'Daoud', Onta Williams aka 'Hamza', and Laguerre Payen aka 'Amin' face eight charges, including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction within the United States and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles.

• Saturday August 28, West Virginia Senate primary

  Primary for Democratic and Republican candidates in the race to succeed Robert Byrd.

• Tuesday August 31, US combat missions in Iraq - end date

  In an address to military personnel at Camp Lejeune North Carolina (February 27, 2008), President Barack Obama announced that US combat missions in Iraq would cease today.