Current events of 29 August 2008 (2008-08-29) (Friday) edit history watch

Protestors from the People's Alliance for Democracy seeking the overthrow of the Government of Thailand force the closure of Phuket Airport, Krabi Airport and Hat Yai Airport. (Melbourne Age) Hurricane Gustav reaches hurricane strength en route to the Cayman Islands, Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico. (CNN) Georgia cuts diplomatic ties with Russia following Russian recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. (AFP via ABC News Australia) Italian airline Alitalia files for bankruptcy protection. (BBC News) John McCain picks Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. presidential election. (AP via Google News) Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić refuses to enter pleas to charges including genocide and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at the Hague. (AP via Google News) At least 11 people die this week and five are missing as a result of floods and landslides caused by heavy rain in Hà Giang province in northern Vietnam. (AFP via ABC News) Energy group E.ON cuts 1,800 jobs as it closes two-thirds of its domestic service centres in Germany. (BBC News)