Portal:Current events/2007 October 23

October 23, 2007 (Tuesday)

Thousands of Venezuelan students clash with riot police and supporters of President Hugo Chávez over proposals to remove term limits from the presidency. (BBC)
An Argentine court initiates legal proceedings against former president Fernando de la Rúa for failing to prevent the deaths of five protesters during the December 2001 riots at the peak of the 1999–2002 economic crisis. (BBC)
Space Shuttle Discovery successfully lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the United States. The Shuttle was carrying the STS-120 crew on an assembly mission to the International Space Station, as well as the Harmony module. (NASASpaceflight.com)
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signs a decree dissolving the parliament, moving to strengthen his control after voters overwhelmingly approved constitutional changes in a referendum called by the president. (AP via The Moscow Times)
Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz rejects a demand for a probe by foreign experts in recent Karachi suicide bombings.
The European Court of Justice rules against Germany's "Volkswagen Law", paving the way for Porsche to take over Volkswagen. (AFP via News Limited)
Carrie Underwood releases her second album, entitled Carnival Ride.
California wildfires of October 2007:
- President George W. Bush declares that an "emergency exists" in areas of California and authorises the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate relief. (Reuters)
- Over 1,000,000 people are forced to evacuate in southern California due to the wildfires.(AP)
- More than 1,300 houses have been destroyed including 1,000 in San Diego County, California, alone.(CNN)
- The death toll from the fires rises to five. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
The government of Somalia frees Idris Osman, the head of the World Food Programme in Somalia, after six days in detention. (BBC)
Nike agrees to buy United Kingdom sportswear firm Umbro for £285 million. (BBC)
A United States Government report states that the Department of State is unable to account for much of the $1.2 billion in funding that it gave to DynCorp International to train Iraqi police. (CNN)