Hundreds of al-Qaeda prisoners escape during armed raids on two Iraqi prisons, including the Baghdad Central Prison (formerly known as Abu Ghraib). (The Telegraph)
Disasters and accidents
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes under Cook Strait in New Zealand, causing moderate damage in the capital city Wellington. (Fairfax NZ)
Fifteen Egyptian Army soldiers are killed and another injured after their bus crashes into a truck on a highway on the Mediterranean coast. (AP via Montreal Gazette)
Law and crime
At least 12 people have been killed or wounded in a clash between two Muslim families in the province of Lanao del Sur in the southernPhillipines. (Mindanao Examiner)
Politics and elections
Voters in Japan go to the polls for a House of Councillors (Japan’s upper house) election with the governing coalition led by Shinzo Abe winning control of the upper house. (USA Today), (Bloomberg via Business Week)
King Albert II of Belgium abdicates in favour of his son Prince Philippe. (AP)
Sport
In cycling, the 2013 Tour de France finishes today in Paris with Kenyan-born British rider Chris Froome winning his first Tour de France. (ABC News Australia)
In golf, American golfer Phil Mickelson wins the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield in Scotland for the first time. (Al-Jazeera), (AP via The Washington Post)
In motorcycling, the World Superbike Championship race at the Moscow Raceway is cancelled after the Italian rider Andrea Antonelli dies after a crash on the opening lap. (Guardian)
