Russia Russia becomes the 156th member of the World Trade Organization. Vanuatu becomes the 157th member.
Pennsylvania State University Penn State's ex-president Graham Spanier rejects the report by former FBI head Louis Freeh accusing the university of a cover-up, saying he never heard even a hint of child sex abuse by Jerry Sandusky, despite indications of "horseplay", having never met a higher level of awareness.
Research finds that elderly men pass on more genetic mutations to their children if they become fathers.
Tony Nicklinson Tony Nicklinson, a 58-year-old British man with locked-in syndrome who lost his fight for doctors to legally end his life, dies after refusing food at his home in Melksham, Wiltshire.
Hurricane Isaac Hurricane Isaac causes so much disruption that hearings at Guantánamo Bay are cancelled again.
State of emergency A state of emergency is declared in California over wildfires threatening hundreds of buildings
Maasai Mara A plane carrying 11 tourists crashes in the Maasai Mara game reserve in southwestern Kenya, killing at least four people and injuring up to three others.
BBC The BBC turns down "flat" a proposal for a statue to George Orwell who resigned from the organisation "because for some time past I have been conscious that I was wasting my time and the public money on doing work that produces no results."
Nina Bawden Nina Bawden, the writer of seminal work "Carrie's War" and shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1987 and the Lost Man Booker Prize in 2010, dies at her London home.
Clashes At least 48 people are killed during clashes, over grazing rights for cattle, between the Pokomo and Orma tribes in Kenya.
Syrian civil war Syrian forces shell two separate districts in the capital Damascus; rebels say at least 47 people are killed. Frequent fighting is reported in Aleppo and other parts of the country. The United Nations estimate that 18,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
A Chinese state news commentary on recent U.S. "red line" remarks states that, once again, Western powers are digging deep for excuses to intervene militarily in another conflict-torn Middle East country. It sharply denounces the U.S.' "calculus".