Arab residents of the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem protest Israeli plans to destroy 88 of their homes, many by Israeli court order, many of which pre-date the foundation of the State of Israel. (BBC)
An Australian man of Vietnamese origin has been jailed for 20 years in Vietnam after being convicted of trying to smuggle 200g of heroin from Vietnam to Australia. (News Limited)
Mexican Secretary of Interior Santiago Creel turns in resignation to president Vicente Fox in order to pursue his party's candidacy to the 2006 Presidential Election. (BBC)
Schabir Shaik, a financial advisor to South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, is found guilty of two counts of corruption and one of fraud in a 165-page judgment broadcast live as it was delivered over three days. The affair is considered to be a blow to Mr Zuma's ambitions to succeed the current president, Thabo Mbeki. (BBC)
In Serbia several former soldiers are arrested after the transmission on Serbian TV of video showing them executing six Bosniak men from Srebrenica in July 1995. The video is evidence from the trial of former president Slobodan Milošević. Hitherto polls have shown that only half the population of Serbia believe that the Srebrenica massacre of 8000 men happened. (BBC)
The commander of U.S. Forces at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba reported five known incidents of mishandling the Qur'an by guards at the detention facility, including one incident in which a Qur'an was accidentally splashed with urine. (BBC)
Judge Karon O. Bowdre, presiding over the federal trial of Richard M. Scrushy in Birmingham, Alabama, delivers what is called the Allen charge to the jury in that case, in the hope of breaking its deadlock and producing a verdict. (NY Times)
New York City Radio Station WCBS-FM surprisingly drops its oldies format to become Jack FM at 1700 EDT.
Following allegations that the Muslimholy book, the Quran, was urinated on in front of inmates at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Bush administration drastically changes its position on the credibility of these reports, and now admits that desecration did in fact occur. (Wikinews)
A French court finds the newspaper Le Monde guilty of defamation against the Jews and Israel, in an article published in 2002 which used "Jews" and "Israel" interchangeably. (Haaretz)
Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas announces the postponement of legislative elections originally scheduled for July 17. He cited a report from the Palestinian election authority that it needs more time to implement changes in laws concerning seating of legislators. Hamas leaders object to the postponement. (New York Times), (Haaretz)
In separate referendums, the voters of Switzerland decide to ratify the Schengen treaty, abolishing all its normal land border controls by 2007, and also approve the legalizing of civil unions for gay couples, for tax and inheritance purposes, but not for child adoption. The Swiss Government had urged approval of both measures and the Swiss Parliament had previously passed legislation approving them. (BBC News)
Wal-Mart holds its annual shareholders' meeting on the campus of the University of Arkansas. Pending proposals include initiatives that would affect how Wal-Mart's board is selected and that would require a break-down of stock options by sex and race, and those addressing other issues. (WLNS News)
In Kuwait, two women become the first females to be appointed to municipal council. They are Sheikha Fatima al-Sabah of the ruling Sabah family and engineer Fawziya al-Bahar(Al-Jazeera)(Gulf Daily News)(BBC)
A spokesman for Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, dismisses rumors that Mugabe has died of a heart attack, after privately owned media report that Mugabe went to a local hospital to have his heart tested. CNN
The leader of the opposition in the IndianLok Sabha, Lal Krishna Advani, resigns from his post amid controversial comments he made about the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Advani had referred to Jinnah as a "secular" leader and drew intense criticism back at home in India. (BBC News)
A new type of sauropod has been discovered with a short, stubby neck. Unlike all other known sauropods, whose long necks could get up to four times the length of their backs, Brachytrachelopan's neck was shorter than its backbone. This species was also unable to lift its neck and head above horizontal. (National Geographic)
In Chile, the Santiago Court of Appeals cancels Augusto Pinochet's immunity from prosecution. Among other things, he faces charges of tax fraud. However, the court also ruled that he is too ill to face charges of human rights violations (Bloomberg)(BBC)
Claire Miles from Exeter in Devon gives birth by Caesarean section to two babies, one in each of her two half sized wombs. BBC
In Canada, rain begins to pound the province of Alberta starting an almost 3-week flooding crisis in the province.
The infection source of Norway's recent outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease is surprisingly found to have been an industrial purification installation known as a scrubber, a device which cleans air using water. Reportedly, such facilities have never before caused a Legionnaire's outbreak anywhere in the world. Ten people have been killed, and 52 infected, in the outbreak, which is Norway's largest ever. (Aftenposten)
A previously unknown aria written by Johann Sebastian Bach in October of 1713 is discovered in documents from a German library. It is the first new work to be discovered by Bach since 1975.(CNN)
In Bolivia, widespread demonstrations continue. Ex-president Carlos Mesa, who has already offered his resignation, states that there is a threat of civil war without immediate elections. Congress will decide on Thursday whether to accept the resignation (Reuters AlertNet)(CNN)(BBC)
Zimbabwean opposition groups are preparing for a two-day general strike to protest over the huge number of arrests in recent days. Police are on standby to quell protests. (IOL)(BBC)
The Colima volcano in Mexico increases its eruptive activity, with strong explosions. (CNN)
The Bolivian Congress accepts the resignation of Carlos Mesa and names Supreme Court justice Eduardo Rodríguez as the new interim president (Bloomberg) Bolivian military says it is ready to intervene if protests continue (IHT)
In Japan, a high school student throws a bomb into classroom in Hikari, Yamaguchi Prefecture. 69 students are injured. (Japan Today)
In India, Subroto Roy, chairman of Sahara Group, goes public to state that he is healthy. Roy had been out of the public eye since April and his absence had aroused rumors of death, illness, intrafamily conflict and political pressure. (Hindu)(ExpressIndia)(BBC)
Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdulla al-Sabah is taken to the hospital.
The popular Battlefield 2 Demo was released to the public as a preview to the full version of the game Battlefield 2 launced on June 21, 2005.
A series of Bombs strike the Iranian cities of Ahwaz and Tehran, leaving 8 people dead and dozens wounded. There has been no claim of responsibility. (BBC)
Mike Tyson announces he will retire from boxing. Wikinews
In Canada, after 5 days of non-stop rain, the city of Calgary, AB is under its first local state of emergency. The Elbow River has risen to an extreme high and the town of Bragg Creek, just west of the city, is totally evacuated. This would be the first of 3 waves of major flooding.
In Canada, Cineplex Odeon announces that it is purchasing Famous Players, uniting the two largest movie theatre chains. Famous Players is currently owned by Viacom and will be purchased for about $500 million CAD. In fear of unfair competition, the Federal Commission of Competition has announced that Cineplex needs to sell off 35 of its theatres. (CBC)
A major earthquake strikes about 80 miles (130 kilometers) off the coast of northern California on Tuesday night, briefly prompting a tsunami warning along the Pacific coast but with no immediate reports of damages or injuries. (AP)
Asafa Powell breaks the world record in the 100 meters (328 feet, 1 inch) Tuesday with a 9.77 clocking at the Athens, Greece Olympic Stadium, making him the world's fastest human at 36.85 km/h (22.9 mi/h). (AP)
The Supreme Court of Argentina declares unconstitutional two laws that granted immunity to Dirty War human rights abusers. (Bloomberg)
JP Morgan Chase & Co. announced a settlement of a lawsuit brought against it by Enron investors who claim that it helped the management of that company defraud them. JP Morgan will pay claimants US$2.2 billion.
Microsoft is criticized for censoring Chinese blogs. They are accused of censoring words such as "freedom", "democracy", and "human rights". (RealOpinion.com), (BBC)
World leaders of the Group of 77 and China today launched in Doha the two-day second South Summit amid calls to wealthy countries to honour pledges of additional aid to close the gap between the rich and poor. (Xinhua), (Reuters) (Link dead as of 03:21, 15 January2007 (UTC))
A memo from 1998 from an executive of Cotecna Inspection S.A. suggests that Kofi Annan was aware of their bid to participate in the Oil-for-Food Programme, reawakening suspicions of a conflict of interest. (Yahoo! News) (Link dead as of 03:21, 15 January2007 (UTC)). However, the IIC’s 2nd Interim Report of March 29, 2005, concluded that “the evidence is not reasonably sufficient to show that the Secretary General knew that Cotecna had submitted a bid on the humanitarian inspection contract in 1998.”Second Interim Report (29 March 2005)
A Jewish cemetery in West Ham has been attacked. This was the 117th time a Jewish cemetery in Great Britain has been attacked in 15 years. (The Independent)
In Cambodia, 6 unidentified gunmen take over a school in the town of Siem Reap near Angkor Wat and hold a number hostage for six hours. Reports of the number of hostages range from 24 to 70. Many of them were children from foreign families that work in the area. Gunmen demand money, weapons and a car. A Canadian child is executed by the gunmen before the rest are freed. (BBC)(CBC)(Channel News Asia)(Channel News Asia)(Reuters),(Reuters)
Controversial Pakistani scientist AQ Khan is said to be stable after suffering a heart attack. (BBC)
In Kyrgyzstan, hundreds of protesters seize a government building in the capital of Bishkek. They support presidential candidate Urmat Baryaktadasov, who was denied registration because the government says he is also a citizen of Kazakhstan. Police later seized the building. (RIA Novosti)(CNN)(Guardian Unlimited)(BBC)
Dennis Kozlowski, the former chief executive of Tyco International, and Mark Swartz, its erstwhile chief financial officer, are found guilty by a New York state court jury on all but one of 31 counts of grand larceny, conspiracy, falsifying business records and securities fraud. (Houston Chronicle)
In Canada, the rain died down and the state of emergency came to an end. With one evening of pounding rain, hail and cold temperatures, the Elbow River spilled over the dam for the first time. Again the low-lying areas of Calgary, AB were evacuated, the town of Bragg Creek, the towns of High River and Okotoks, and the small town of Sundre were all evacuated.
In Formula One the 2005 United States Grand Prix was taking place when only 6 cars raced because of tyre company Michelin not being able to supply safe tyres to the teams running on Michelin tyres.
An unarmed Palestinian teenager, Ihab an-Nabahin, is shot by Israelis in a closed border area of the Gaza Strip, and killed according to Palestinian sources. (BBC) (Al-Jazeera)
According to the Israeli army, a Palestinianfemale suicide bomber was caught in the Erez Crossing, carrying explosives and a detonator in her underwear. Israeli media added that she planned to carry out a suicide bombing attack in the Soroka hospital, where she received medical treatment and was scheduled for a doctor's appointment (the army has not confirmed this.) The woman was identified as Wafa Samir Ibrahim Bass and said she was sent by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades decline to comment. (Haaretz NewsFlash), (Ynet) (BBC) (Al-Jazeera)
In Canada, after 2 straight days of rain, the city of Calgary, AB is under another state of emergency ands now the Elbow River is now flowing steadily over the Glenmore Dam. The towns of Bragg Creek, High River, Sundre, Okotoks, Drumheller, and Cochrane have to be evacuated. The low lying area of Calgary also have to be evacuated. This wave of floods is the last of the floods and the damage of the floods is almost incalculable.
In Israel 8 people are killed and about 200 injured when a train is reported to have struck a truck on a level crossing near Kiryat Gat. (BBC)
At Stonehenge in England, some 19,000 people gather to celebrate the rising sun on the summer solstice.
Clearup operation continues in North Yorkshire after the serious flash flooding on Sunday Night / Monday Morning. The towns of Thirsk, Helmsley and Hawnby were seriously affected, as were several villages when the rivers Swale and Rye burst their banks.
In Manchester, UK, 30 police raid a house at 5 a.m. and arrest a 40-year old man on suspicion of involvement in suicide bombings in Iraq. Another man resident in the same house is believed to have gone to Iraq in February to carry out a bombing. Last week, police in Spain and Germany also made arrests in connection with bombings in Iraq, but it is not known if the cases are related. (BBC)
New Zealand's telecoms network crashes for five hours when a rat chews one of the North Island's main fibre-optic cables at the same time as a workman damaged another cable in another part of the island. Mobile phone and Internet communications were badly affected, and the Stock Exchange had to close for several hours. (BBC)
In Zambia, former health ministry official Kashiba Bulaya has been charged again with accepting a bribe from a Bulgarian firm that manufactures anti-retrovirus drugs against AIDS. Government's decision to halt the case a month ago aroused protests. (Reuters SA)(BBC)
German car manufacturer BMW acquires the Formula 1 team Sauber Petronas. In the next season the new team will be probably known as BMW Sauber. BBC Sport
The entire network of the Swiss Federal Railways shuts down due to a power failure in its overhead wire system. The power failure is also affecting international transit through Switzerland as such intercity trains use the same system. Initial reports indicate that the power failure started with a voltage drop in Ticino (in the St. Gotthard region) that then spread to the entire system. The initial failure happened at about 1700 local time, with some power supplies restored about 2015, but the last trains did not reach their destinations until 0300. (SwissInfo)(BBC)
In Colombia, congress approves a draft bill that offers sentences of only eight years to those members of paramilitarymilitias who give up their weapons. It demands that they confess, return the stolen property and disarm. Critics of president Álvaro Uribe say that the law is too lenient (IHT)(Colombia Journal)(Reuters AlertNet)
The Peruvian government states that it will allow limited growing of coca plant for traditional uses (MercoPress(BBC)
In Brazil, heated arguments in the congress result in fighting and the session is suspended. Fighting begun when former chief of staff José Dirceu, who had rejoined the congress, tried to defend the government against the bribery allegations (Bloomberg)
In Poland, opposition demands resignation of prime minister Marek Belka because of allegations that declassified files show he had ties to communist-era security services. Belka refuses to do so, stating that he signed a contract to be allowed to go to study trip to USA (Radio Polonia)(Warsaw business Journal)(Reuters)
Thousands of workers from UPM-Kymmene and Stora Enso, two leading Finnish companies in the paper industry go on strike over pay and working hours. Finland provides two thirds of the paper supply for the European magazine market. Industry analysts believe that the strike may have serious repercussions on the magazine market of Europe. (BBC)
In Romania, orthodox priest Daniel Corogeanu was arrested for 24 hours and faces charges for death of nun Maricica Irina Cornici. He allegedly crucified her for exorcism and claims that her death was the "Will of God". Four nuns who helped him were arrested as well. Church has closed the convent. (Scotsman)(Reuters)
In Israel, Mordechai Vanunu appeals to the supreme court to order Shin Bet to release letters he wrote during his time in prison. Security service claims that the letters contain sensitive information (Haaretz(Reuters)
In Lebanon, victorious anti-Syria coalition demands resignation of pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud. They hold him responsible for assassinations of opposition figures (Reuters AlertNet)
The investment bank Morgan Stanley agrees to an out-of-court settlement with Italian dairy group Parmalat. The new management of the reorganized Italian company sued Morgan Stanley for work it did that may have assisted the old management in looting the company. (BBC)
An Italian judge ordering the arrest of 13 people linked to the CIA on charges of kidnapping terrorism suspect Abu Omar allegedly in order to have him tortured in Egypt dramatizes a growing rift between the U.S. and its allies in the War on Terrorism. (IHT)
The Irish Republican Army apologises unreservedly to the family of 14-year old Kathleen Feeney, whom it shot dead in Derry in November 1973. The IRA had previously blamed the British Army for the killing. (BBC), (RTE)
The Sri LankaMuslim Congress, a political party, says it would boycott the deal between the government and Tamil rebels for sharing tsunami relief because it shortchanged Muslims. (BBC)
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Silvan Shalom, apologises to New Zealand for the actions of two Israeli citizens, believed to be Mossad agents, who attempted to gain New Zealand passports under false pretences in 2004. The apology allows diplomatic relations between the two countries to return to normal. (NZ Herald)
U.S. officials meet with Iraqi insurgents in attempt to quell attacks. More than 30 are killed in series of suicide bombings across the country. (The Times), (NY Times)
The Socialists win a plurality with 31.44% of the vote, with incumbent Prime Minister and ex-TsarSimeon Saxe-Coburg receiving 20.13%. Despite the plurality, the results fall far short of pre-election forecasts for the Socialists. (Reuters)
Florida beaches reopen after the shark attack Saturday that killed Jamie Daigle. (CNN)
Fires in the Southwestern United States threaten a small community and close a highway in Utah. Blazes in California, Arizona, and Nevada have already consumed 200,000 acres (800 km²). (Guardian)
In the Philippines, president Gloria Arroyo apologizes and admits that she took a phonecall to an election official during the presidential elections last. She denies any vote fixing and refuses to resign. (Manila Bulletin(Sun Star)(Reuters)
Operation Red Wing, a counterterrorism mission in Kunar province, Afghanistan, involving four U.S. Navy SEAL members, took place. Three of the SEALs were killed during the operation, whilst a fourth was protected by local villagers and was rescued by the US military. In addition, an MH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying 8 Nightstalkers - members of the Army's elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) - and 8 US Navy SEALs was shot down while attempting to come to their rescue to provide extraction in the mountains of the Kunar province, Afghanistan.
Garda Siochána (Irish police) dig up a garden in a Dublinsuburb to search for the remains of a baby murdered in the 1970s. The child's mother states that she became pregnant twice, aged 11 and 15, as a result of incest. On both occasions her family murdered her newborn child. One of the two murdered children was found dumped on a Dún Laoghaire street in 1973. (RTÉ)
Guinea-Bissau's former president Kumba Yala declares that he accepts the results of presidential elections in the country "in the interest of peace and democracy" but still insists that he actually won. No candidate has won 50% of the vote and the next round of elections commences in July. (Reuters SA)(BBC)
In Egypt presidential candidate Ayman Nour pleads not guilty in forging signatures in his party's registration. His supporters demonstrate outside the courthouse. Nour is regarded as the main rival canditate to incumbent president Hosni Mubarak. (Arab News)(Al-Jazeera)(BBC)(Reuters)
In Germany, former deputy defense minister Holger Pfahls admits that in 1990 he took a bribe worth million euros from arms dealer Karlheinz Schreiber in connection of a sale of armored vehicles to the USA. He is in trial accused of taking bribes from Saudi Arabia in a similar deal in 1991. (Deutsche Welle)(Bloomberg)
In Australia, councillor Paul Tully wants to exhume the bodies of outlaws Steve Hart and Dan Kelly, two members of Ned Kelly's gang, because he suspects they may have survived and fled to Queensland. (ABC)(Australian)(BBC)
The United States House of Representatives passes a $1.17 billion funding bill for Amtrak in fiscal year 2006, an amount that is still short of the $2 billion Amtrak was originally seeking. The funding was approved in an amendment to a more general transportation and treasury appropriations bill. The House also removed the requirement in the bill that would mandate Amtrak to end passenger train service on currently unprofitable routes. The funding has yet to be approved by the Senate.
New York officials release the design for the signature building of the World Trade Center. The building will be called "The Freedom Tower" and shine a ray of light from its spire.
Hezbollah shells Israeli positions with mortars and rockets in the disputed Shebaa farms, wounding five soldiers and killing one, The Israeli military shelled areas around several villages in southern Lebanon and planes launched missiles. Israel intends to file a complaint against Lebanon and UNIFIL for failing to prevent aggression by Hezbollah.
In Ethiopia, government promises to rerun some elections in constituencies where there have been allegations of election fraud(IOL)(Reuters AlertNet) Government also arrests four journalists who had criticized the government crackdown against protesters (Reuters AlertNet)
In Russia, a court in St. Petersburg sentences two men for the 1998 murder of liberal MP Galina Starovoitova. Organizer Yuri Kolchin received 20 years in prison, Vitaly Akishin receives 23.
The Sudanese government releases jailed Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi and lifts a ban of his Popular Congress Party. He was detained for plotting a coup
Spain's parliament votes to legalize same-sex marriages, the third European country to do so after the Netherlands and Belgium, and in the same week as Canada. The bill passed by a margin of 40 votes, with 187 votes in favor, 147 opposed, and four abstentions.
In India, Gautam Goswami, main suspect of a massive flood relief scam connected to 2005 Indian Ocean earthquake, gives himself up after several weeks and is remanded to judicial custody. He is also under another investigation of misusing public funds meant for social programs.
Time Magazine says that it will hand over records in compliance with a court order in the investigation of the leak of a covert CIA operative's name. This decision in the matter of Valerie Plame could avoid jail time for one of its reporters, Matthew Cooper.
The EPA says that a chemical used to make Teflon is "likely" to cause cancer. The compound is used in the creation of cookware and clothing.
Survivors of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis claim that Iran's president-elect, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was among their captors. The United States is looking into the matter.
In Egypt, Ayman Ismail, co-defendant in the case of forged signatures with Ayman Nour, withdraws his guilty plea, stating that government security agents pressured him to do so.
