Iraq's ambassador to the UN, Samir Sumaidaie, accuses U.S. Marines of the "cold-blooded murder" of his 21-year-old cousin during a June 25 raid of his home in Al Anbar province. (Reuters)
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 10 people have died during protests over delay to the presidential elections. Opposition claims the numbers are closer to 42. (Wikinews)(BBC)
A Torontomosque makes history by hosting the first known Muslim prayer service in history to be led by a woman. (CBC)
General Motors Corp. announces that it had its best month in 19 years in June 2005, increasing total deliveries by 41% against June 2004, (GM website)
Romania's legal tender, leu was re-valued, 10,000 old lei becoming 1 new leu. Thus the ISO 4217 code was changed from ROL (Romanian leu) to RON (Romanian New leu).
Former World No.1 Venus Williams comes back from match point down to defeat Lindsay Davenport in the longest ever Wimbledon Ladies' final of all time (4-6 7-6 9-7) for her third Wimbledon title and her first Grand Slam title since September 2001.
Roger Federer defeats Andy Roddick in the Men's Wimbledon Final in straight sets to capture his third consecutive Wimbledon crown and fifth Grand Slam title overall.[Newslink missing]
In Pristina, Kosovo, three bombs explode almost at the same time 9:30 PM. They explode near Kosovo's parliament building and EAR building; at the Commercial Bank near the OSCE building; and local United Nationspeacekeeping headquarters. No injuries are reported. President Ibrahim Rugova and prime minister Bajram Kosumi state that the explosions were intended to "destabilize" the region prior to assessment of possibilities for future independence. (B92)(Reuters AlertNet)
Computer microchip manufacturer AMD asks a Delaware court to order that third parties to its antitrust lawsuit against industry giant Intel, preserve certain documents in their possession that may be required as evidence. The court grants that request, ordering the third parties to suspend normal document destruction as to the documents described. (TechWorld)
The first VODcast (RSS on-demand TV channel) was published.[Newslink missing]
The Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the country's current opposition party that ruled for over 70 years, has claimed victory in elections for the governor of the country's most populated state, Mexico. (BBC)
Shareholders of French liquor distributor Pernod Ricard approve its acquisition of Britain's Allied Domecq, parent company of US coffee and baked goods chain Dunkin' Donuts
In India, militants attack and try to storm a makeshift temple of Ram in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh; most of them die in a firefight with the security forces. There are differing reports about the number of attackers and how many were killed. The temple site is a source of dispute between Muslims and Hindus. (Newindpress)(Rediff)(Reuters AlertNet)
In Iraq, gunmen attack envoys from Pakistan and Bahrain. The attacks come three days after Egypt's top envoy was ambushed in the street and injured. The attempted kidnappings are meant to discourage other nations from having ties with Iraq. (LA Times)Archived 2005-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
The government of Indonesia announced the extension of its immunization campaign against polio. The second round in this campaign was originally scheduled to end yesterday. (Bloomberg)
United States The ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars premiered, Kelly Monaco won the competition.
Yahoo! Answers, Yahoo!'s current question-and-answer service, is launched. Their first question is posted just a couple of hours after their 9 A.M. launch time.
Twenty-four people confirmed dead after more than 300 heavily-armed UN troops, assisted by the Haitian National Police, carry out a major pre-dawn military raid in Cité Soleil, one of the poorest communities in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in what eyewitnesses claim was not a firefight, but a slaughter, using machine guns, tanks, 83-CC grenades, and tear gas. Eyewitnesses reported that when people fled to escape the tear gas, UN troops shot them from behind. The UN military commander, Lieutenant General Augusto Heleno, claimed the operation a success, and that the victims were "outlaws". UN Colonel Morano suggests that ballistics tests be done on the dead. Records from Medicine Without Borders (the single hospital that serves Cité Soleil) show an influx of civilian casualties, starting at 11:00 a.m. on July 6: twenty-six live victims -- 20 of them women or children -- from Cité Soleil suffering mostly from gunshot wounds. (DemocracyNow.org); (HaitiAction); (BBC)(RBN)[permanent dead link] (video link, requires RealPlayer)
In India 1000 demonstrators protesting attack in Ayodhya clash with riot police in New Delhi. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. There are small protests in other cities as well but police state that disturbances are minor compared to clashes in previous years. Congress president Sonia Gandhi warns that opposition should not "politicize" the incident (Newindpress) (registration required), (Reuters India) (Link dead as of 04:20, 16 January2007 (UTC)), (BBC)
George W. Bush collides with a police officer while riding a bike. Bush suffers minor scrapes and the officer's ankle is injured. (Yahoo! News) (Link dead as of 04:20, 16 January2007 (UTC))
7 July 2005 London bombings: Four explosions are reported on the London Underground and bus system, leading to the entire transport network being shut down. A previously unheard-of splinter group of al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility, though their involvement has not yet been verified. The attacks have left at least 50 people dead and roughly 700 others injured. (BBC (1))(BBC (2))(Wikinews)
Researchers halt a study in Africa after results indicate that circumcised men are 70% less likely to contract AIDS. The study will be presented at the Third International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment later this month. Meanwhile, others argue that ritual circumcision increases the risk of infection because of poor sanitary conditions. (Advocate)(AllAfrica)
In Mexico, the city of Nuevo Laredo chooses Omar Pimentel as the new chief of police. When gangsters assassinated the previous chief a month ago, Mexican federal police occupied the city and arrested the whole police force for investigation. (El Universal)(BBC)
Following general elections in May, Ethiopia releases the first round of official results for 307 of 527 parliamentary seats. The ruling EPRDF has won 139 seats, while opposition parties CUD and UEDF won 93 and 42, respectively. Smaller parties and independent candidates won the remaining 33 seats. CUD and UEDF announced plans to form a coalition government. (BBC News)
Florida Governor Jeb Bush closes the inquiry into the case of Terri Schiavo, having been informed by prosecutors that there is no evidence of any crime leading to her 1990 collapse. (Reuters)
File-swapping service iMesh confirms that it has entered into a licensing agreement with music giant Sony/BMG. The deal is widely considered a reaction to a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court threatening liability for file swapping software providers.
In Azerbaijan, about 30,000 (other sources varying from 10,000 up to 50,000) opposition members demonstrated in the country's capital, calling for fair parliamentary elections. (Photos)
Karl Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, acknowledges that Rove was connected to the leak that led to the revelation of Valerie Plame's position as a CIA agent. Luskin confirmed that Rove had been interviewed by Cooper for the article. It is unclear, however, what passed between Cooper and Rove. "Rove did not mention her name to Cooper," Luskin said. "This was not an effort to encourage Time [magazine] to disclose her identity. What he was doing was discouraging Time from perpetuating some statements that had been made publicly and weren't true." Luskin had previously said that Rove "absolutely did not identify Valerie Plame." (Newsweek), (Washington Post)
The Indonesian government asks TV stations to close down between 1 am and 5 am daily for six months in order to save energy after recent increases in the price of crude oil. Broadcasts of immensely-popular live European football matches which happen in the middle of the Indonesian night, are excluded from the shutdown. (BBC)
The General Synod of the Church of England adopts a resolution "that the process for removing the legal obstacles to the ordination of women to the episcopate should now be set in train"; and schedules debate on the best form of legislation to achieve this for its February 2006 session. (BBC)
Brazilian police detains opposition congressman and bishop João Batista Ramos da Silva of the Liberal Front Party and six others who had been transporting $2.6 million in cash in seven suitcases (MercoPress)(Bloomberg)
London police identify four suspects in the 7 July 2005 London bombings; all are British citizens apparently from Leeds, West Yorkshire, and at least one is believed to have died in the blasts. Raids find explosive materials and other forensic evidence. (Reuters)(BBC)
In Monaco, Prince Albert is inaugurated as ruling prince, in succession to his father Prince Rainier who died in April. The unmarried Prince Albert acknowledged last week that he has a 22-month-old illegitimate son, Alexandre, and that there may be other paternity suits. (BBC), (CNN), (Mail&Guardian)
In Washington, D.C., Presidential Press Secretary Scott McClellan refused for the second day in a row to respond to reporters' questions about Newsweek's revelation that Karl Rove disclosed the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame. McClellan had asserted Rove's innocence on many occasions in the past. The President, at a photo-op today, ignored reporters who asked if his pledge to fire any staffer involved was still operative. (Bloomberg)
Stockholders of both Procter & Gamble and Gillette overwhelmingly approve a combination of the two huge consumer-product companies, although the deal faces regulatory scrutiny both in Europe and in the United States. (Forbes)
In the Philippines, thousands of protestors gather in Manila to demand the resignation of president Gloria Arroyo, who has reshuffled her cabinet. The military is on alert in case of violence. (Sun Star)(Reuters)
In Peru, thousands of demonstrators protest in Lima against a US trade pact that could lead to increase in the cost of medicines. (Reuters AlertNet)
In Chile, the Senate reforms the country's constitution, decreasing power of the military in the upper house and reducing the presidential term for four years. The previous constitution is from the era of Augusto Pinochet. (Reuters)
Bones of a mammoth are found in Silicon Valley: Paleontologist Mark Goodwin said that bones discovered Saturday by Roger Castillo, an environmental activist, may be the femur, tusks and pelvic bones of a Columbian mammoth, a species of ancient elephant that roamed the area tens of thousands of years ago. (San Francisco Chronicle)
In Haiti, Jacques Roche, kidnapped prominent journalist and poet, is found dead. Police says he was tortured and shot. Roche was kidnapped July 10 (Reuters) (Link dead as of 00:39, 15 January 2007 (UTC))
In Zimbabwe, court jails male athlete Samukeliso Sithole for 3.5 years for masquerading as a female in women's sports. Sithole had said that he has both male and female sexual organs (Reuters)(BBC)
In the Philippines, opposition demonstrators demanding resignation of president Gloria Arroyo seize the building of the Department of Agriculture and smash windows before dispersing before police. Her political opponents in the senate want to begin impeachment procedures (ABS-CBN)(Channel News Asia)(Reuters AlertNet) Governor Luis Singson, claims that he has a tape of a conversation where the jailed president Joseph Estrada is planning to return to power by disposing of whoever would lead the transitional government after Arroyo resigns. (ABS-CBN)(INQ7)
A suicide bomber detonates explosives near an LPG (propane) fuel tanker parked near a gas station south of Baghdad, sparking a massive explosion that kills more than 60 people and wounds as many as 100 in one of the worst insurgent attacks to hit the area since the US occupation of Iraq. (CNN)
In Egypt, presidential feminist aspirant Nawal El Saadawi pulls out of the race due to restrictive election regulations for first-time candidates. (Al-Jazeera)(Reuters)
6 killed in Srinagar blast near school. The suicide bomber rammed his car on a passing army jeep, causing a massive explosion. Pakistani group Hizbul Mujahideen is suspected to be behind the attack. (Rediff)
In Spain, huge forest fire continues to rage, threatening villages of Selas and Ablanque. A group of ten day-trippers has confessed being responsible for the start of the fire and one of them has been charged (EITB)(BBC)
Hurricane Emily makes landfall along the northeast coast of Mexico, about 75 miles south of the Mexico–United States border, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, causing damage along the coast. In Texas, flooding and tornadoes have been reported from the effects of Emily. (CBS news)
Police in Pakistan have detained about 200 suspected Islamist extremists in a series of raids on religious schools, mosques and other properties. (BBC)
Canada becomes the 4th nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.(National Post)
Indian Army announces that it has unveiled a scam where contractors responsible for transportation of fuel to depots of its Northern Command had sold off the fuel and filled the tanks with water (Times of India)(NDTV)
In Maharashtra, India, the state Assembly unanimously adopts a Bill amending the Bombay Police Act, 1951 which will ban dance bars across the state. (IndianExpress)
After a blitz of detentions of suspected militants and Islamists, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf calls for a holy war against preachers of hate and announces steps to curb militant Islamic schools and groups. (Reuters)
Parts of the London Underground are evacuated, as British police are investigating reports of three separate incidents involving minor explosions in Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street and Oval underground stations. There are also reports of an incident on the no. 26 bus in Hackney, East London. There are no reported casualties and police are not yet treating the incidents as "major". (BBC)
The People's Bank of China announces a 2 percent revaluation of its currency, the Renminbi (yuan), and says the yuan will no longer be pegged to the US dollar, instead trading within a narrow range against a market basket of currencies. (AP)
In Morocco, authorities detain five supporters of Western Saharan independence for their alleged part in violent demonstrations last May. (Al-Jazeera)
In China, a group of farmers in Shengyou village in Hebei province that demonstrated over seizure of an arable land for the power plant, win in a dispute. (Reuters AlertNet)(BBC)
A bomb explodes from beneath a car in the Lebanese capital of Beirut causing injuries, but no deaths. (BBC)
About 88 people are killed and 200 injured in a series of car bombs in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh at about 0100 local time (2200 UTC Friday). (BBC)
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says that he feels it is his duty to prevent Islam and its symbols from being used to propagate violence. He has set three missions for himself – continuing to remind the world community to understand the root causes of terrorism, explaining that Islam is a religion of peace and opposed to violence, and showcasing Malaysia as a modern Islamic country and a safe place to invest and visit. (The Star)(Iranian Quran News Agency)[permanent dead link](Islam Online)
Microsoft announces that the former codenamed "Windows Longhorn" will now officially be known as "Windows Vista". The first beta test will be launched on August 3.
In Mumbai, India, LeTmilitant and alleged Al-Qaida operative, Mohammed Afroze, is convicted of criminal conspiracy, conspiracy to disturb relations between friendly nations, and forging documents. However, he is acquitted on charges of waging war against the nation. (NDTV)
At least 36 people are dead after two days of violent fuel riots in Yemen. (BBC)
At least 15 people are killed when a dam collapses in south-west China. (BBC)
A mosque in east London and the surrounding area is evacuated for an hour following receipt of a bomb warning. The all-clear is given after the mosque is searched by police. (Wikinews), (Sky News)
The strongest earthquake to hit Tokyo in more than a decade strikes eastern Japan at 4:35 p.m. local time, injuring at least 27 people, rattling buildings and disrupting train and plane services. (CBC)
British police admit that the man killed yesterday by undercover officers had no connection to the suicide bombings or attempted bombings of previous days and weeks. Metropolitan Police has described the killing as a "tragedy". The victim, Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, was Brazilian. (BBC)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduces a Congressional Resolution of Inquiry which, if passed, will require the White House and the U.S. State Department to "transmit all information relating to communication with officials of the United Kingdom between January 1, 2002, and October 16, 2002, relating to the policy of the United States with respect to Iraq." (Wikinews)
Israel has summoned the ambassador from the Vatican to explain why the Pope did not condemn Palestinian militant attacks on Israelis, in a statement on Sunday, July 24, Pope Benedict XVI said that he deplored attacks in "countries including Egypt, Turkey, Iraq and Britain". (BBC)
At least five people have been killed after grenades were thrown at a night-club and official residences in Ethiopia's Somali region. (BBC)
A mystery illness spreading through Western China has claimed its 17th victim. Doctors have confirmed the disease is neither bird flu nor SARS(BBC). Chinese health officials announce that autopsies point to Streptococcosis II as the probable culprit. (Xinhuanet).
At least 12 workers have been shot dead as they are driven away from the state owned factory they work at, in the Abu Ghraib area, by insurgents. (BBC)
Over 200 people have been killed in intense rain storms in Maharashtra, India, described by the Chief Minister of the state as the heaviest recorded rainfall in a single day in India. One third of the state Capital, Mumbai, is said to be underwater causing more than a two hundred thousand people to be stranded in offices and roads for about 24 hours. (Rediff), (BBC)
Several protesters have been injured again in India on this second day of protests. (BBC)
The Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off at 1039 EST this morning on mission STS-114. The NASA commentator says during launch "Lift-off, lift-off, and return to America's journey to the Moon, Mars, and beyond". (BBC).
In China, the human death toll from an outbreak of the pig pathogen Streptococcus suis is 24. 21 are in critical condition and number of infections has increased to 117 BBC
Two people have died following an explosion which destroyed a train tanker carrying oil, believed to have been caused by a bomb on the tracks. [Death Toll Confirmed](BBC)
Six Iraqi soldiers have died following clashes in two Baghdad streets. (BBC)
Seven people have been killed and 38 others injured in an explosion on a moving passenger train in India. (BBC)
The Provisional IRA issues a statement formally ordering an end to the armed campaign it has pursued since 1969 and ordering all its units to dump their arms, with effect from 1600 BST today (1500 UTC). The IRA has been on "cease-fire" since 1996 and said it would follow a democratic path ending more than 30 years of violence. It will not, however, disband.(BBC)(RTE)(Guardian)(Transcript of Statement)
The strongest tornado in Britain in 25 years, rating a 2 on the Fujita scale, hits Birmingham, damaging homes and injuring 20 people. (BBC)
The United States, China, India, Japan, South Korea and Australia have formed a partnership aiming to cut the emissions of gasses that lead to global warming. The agreement is known as the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.
The UK government imposes a travel ban on Kenyan transport minister Chris Murungaru, who is investigated for corruption, forbidding him from visiting Britain (BBC)(KBC)(AllAfrica)
Indian bomb disposal experts have found traces of explosive in the train which exploded on Thursday killing 7 people. (BBC)
BBC News has been told, by the activist settler Noam Livnat, that 20,000 Israeli soldiers had signed a petition vowing to block any attempt at removing Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip. (BBC)
Conflict in Iraq: At least two British private security agents have been killed following an attack on a convoy in Basra, south Iraq. (BBC)
Lawyers for the former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, claim he was attacked by an unidentified man after questioning by the Iraqi special tribunal on Thursday; however the United States denies the event. (BBC)
More torrential monsoon rains have returned to Mumbai in India, as it tries to recover from the recent floods. The death toll in the floods rises to about 1,000. (BBC)
