1. Morsi to stand trial for inciting murder
Mohamad Morsi — Egypt's first democratically elected president, who was ousted by the military earlier this summer — has been accused, among other charges, of ordering the deaths of at least seven people in December 2012. On December 4 and 5, thousands of protesters had gathered outside of the presidential palace in response to the Islamist president's decrees giving himself more power. The state prosecutor referred Morsi for trial on Sunday evening, but the date of trial is yet to be announced. [BBC]
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2. Internet restrictions go into effect in Vietnam
A law prohibiting the sharing of non-personal information on blogs and social networks, known as Decree 72, has gone into effect in Vietnam. The law also requires that local servers for international internet companies remain in Vietnam. Many bloggers and other activists have already been convicted for publishing anti-state material. [BBC]
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3. Obama lobbies for strike on Syria
President Obama has launched a full international press campaign aimed at garnering support for a punitive attack on Syria following the announcement that chemical weapons, including the neurotoxin sarin gas, have been used to kill Syrian dissidents, including 1,400 in the Damascus suburbs on August 21. The campaign includes appeals to Congress, outreach to Egypt and France, and appearances by Secretary of State John Kerry on five morning talk shows on Sunday. [New York Times]
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4. California wildfires sweeping the Sierra are fourth largest ever
Ninety-four square miles of Yosemite National Park have burned so far in the wildfires sweeping the California Sierra, making the blaze the fourth largest in modern California history. The flames began on August 17 and are still growing, although as of the 28th, the blaze was 40 percent contained. The fires are expected to be fully contained by September 20. [San Francisco Chronicle]
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5. Tragedy halts Electric Zoo music festival
Randalls Island's fifth annual electronic music festival took a dark turn and has been abruptly canceled due to the deaths of two attendees allegedly resulting from the use of MDMA, the popular drug known better as Ecstasy or Molly. Made Event, the New York City festival's promoter, canceled the third and final day of events according to the recommendation of the mayor's office. [New York Times]
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6. Spain proposes taxing the sun, is met with ridicule
The Spanish government is attempting to levy a tax on solar panels in an attempt to alleviate the economic consequences of regulating energy costs. Spain, a global leader in adopting photovoltaic technology, faces a debt of €26 billion towards power producers. The law has been ill-received, garnering descriptors including "stupid" and "ludicrous" in major publications. [The Local]
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7. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg officiates same-sex wedding
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the first Supreme Court Justice ever to preside over a same-sex wedding on Saturday, marrying Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser and economist John Roberts. The wedding follows a summer flush with advances for the gay community, including the rejection of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Bader Ginsburg has another same-sex wedding planned for September. [Washington Post]
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8. Verizon and Vodafone to sign $130 billion deal
Verizon and Vodafone plan to announce a deal that would buy telecommunications behemoth Vodafone out of its 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless, pending final board approval. With $60 billion in cash to Vodafone, $60 billion in Verizon stock, and $10 billion from smaller transactions involved, the deal would be the third largest corporate agreement of all time. [Reuters]
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9. One-year-old boy shot in the head in Brooklyn
One-year-old Antiq Hennis was fatally shot in Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood on Sunday night while being pushed in a stroller by his parents. Multiple shots were fired, apparently intended for the child's father. Hennis was rushed to the emergency room but declared dead at the hospital from a gunshot wound to the left side of his face. [Washington Post]
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10. Animator Hayao Miyazaki to retire
Renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki has announced that his latest film, The Wind Rises, already playing in Japanese theaters, will be his final feature film. Koju Hoshino, president of Miyazaki's production firm Studio Ghibli, made the announcement on Sunday at a Venice Film Festival press conference. Miyazaki, 72, is the creator of many well-regarded films, including Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke. [LA Times]
