Portal:Current events/2006 April 28
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April 28, 2006 (Friday)
- U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan becomes the highest-ranking officer to have charges brought against him in connection with the Abu Ghraib abuse. (Seattle Times)
- The Bush administration takes initial steps to use the States Secrets Privilege to block a lawsuit against AT&T and the NSA brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The EFF has alleged that the government has secret computer rooms conducting broad, illegal surveillance of U.S. citizens. (News.com)
- United States Congressman John Conyers and others file a lawsuit (Conyers v. Bush) against President George W. Bush alleging a violation of the United States Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. (ABC)
- Guilliame Mbairessem, the secretary-general of the Episcopal Conference of Bishops of Chad, joins U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Donald Yamamoto in calling for a delay of the upcoming presidential elections in Chad. (ABC News)
- The Congress of Mexico passes a bill which, if signed by the President, will decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, opium, LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms, amphetamines, and peyote. (Reuters)
- Five members of the United States Congress are arrested outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C., for protesting the Darfur genocide. (CNN)
- Around 50,000 people participate in the Puerto Rico Shouts march in San Juan, Puerto Rico, demanding a budget agreement to avert a partial shutdown of government offices and public schools. (Reuters)
- Chung Mong Koo, head of Hyundai Motor Company, is arrested in South Korea on charges of embezzlement of 100 billion won ($106 million USD), among other corruption charges. (CNN) (NY Times)
- In Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia, memorial services are held to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre, in which a lone gunman murdered 35 people at the popular tourist town in the country's worst killing spree. Prime Minister John Howard led prayers at the service. (BBC)
- US and Danish scientists conclusively date the massive Thera eruption, which destroyed the Minoan civilization on Crete, to the period around c.1627–1600 BC based on sophisticated radio-carbon analysis.(The Telegraph) Archived 2007-12-24 at the Wayback Machine (MSNBC)