Main News of August 25

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

*Nineteen people were killed in an explosion at Venezuela's biggest oil refinery.

*The number of refugees fleeing Syria for neighboring nations has risen "well above" 200,000 as the violence intensifies, the United Nations refugee agency said.

*Tropical storm Isaac is currently lashing Haiti with heavy winds and rain, according to U.S. National Hurricane Center tracking data.

 

RUSSIA

*Ex-world chess champion turned Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov was cleared on Friday of taking part in an unauthorized protest against the conviction of the all-female punk band Pussy Riot.

 

ENVIRONMENT

*The Arctic sea ice extent has fallen to 4.21 million square km, its lowest level since satellite observation began in 1979, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reported.

*A Russian firefighting aircraft has arrived in Serbia to help the Balkan nation put out a number of forest fires, an Emergencies Ministry spokesman told RIA Novosti.