Portal:Current events/2009 November 19
< Portal:Current events
November 19, 2009 (Thursday)
- New guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for cervical cancer screening suggest that a woman should have her first pap smear at age 21. (New York Times)
- Google releases the source code of its open source Operating system Chrome OS. (PCMAG)
- U.S. media mogul and talk show host Oprah Winfrey announces she will end her long running talk show in 2011. (AP via Newser)
- European Union / Three new positions created by the Treaty of Lisbon:
- The Prime Minister of Belgium, Herman Van Rompuy, is chosen as the first permanent President of the European Council by European Union leaders. (BBC)
- British politician Catherine Ashton is selected as EU's first Foreign Minister. (BBC News)
- French diplomat Pierre de Boissieu is selected as the first Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union. (AFP via Google News)
- Yemeni government forces say they have killed a leader during fighting with Houthi rebels in the north of the country. (Reuters)
- Egypt recalls its ambassador to Algeria after complaints about violence towards its football fans after a World Cup play off. Sudan also summons its envoy to Egypt over media coverage of the game's aftermath. (BBC) (AFP) (Al Bawaba)
- Irish politicians, including Taoiseach Brian Cowen, call for a controversial football playoff for the 2010 FIFA World Cup between France and Republic of Ireland to be replayed as the Football Association of Ireland lodges an official complaint with FIFA. (RTÉ) (The Guardian) (Radio Netherlands) (The LA Times)
- The discovery of three ancient crocodile species, Kaprosuchus saharicus, Araripesuchus rattoides and Laganosuchus thaumastos, is announced. (AP) (National Geographic News) (Times Online)
- The European Court of Justice rules that airlines will have to pay compensation to passengers who experience delays of more than three hours. (Independent) (European Court of Justice)
- Bangladesh's Supreme Court upholds the death sentences of five former soldiers convicted of assassinating the country's founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. (bdnews24.com) (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
- Zimbabwe begins withdrawing soldiers from diamond mines after recommendations by the Kimberley Process regarding human rights abuses. (The Herald) (Reuters South Africa) (AFP)
- The Russian Constitutional Court prolongs a ban on the death penalty. The moratorium had been due to expire on January 1. (RIA Novosti) (BBC) (Xinhua)
- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo steps down as head of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party and endorses her former defense minister Gilberto Teodoro for President. (Straits Times) (BBC) (Philippine Star)
- Cambodia takes control of a Thai-owned air traffic control firm in a deepening diplomatic row between the two countries. (Thai News Agency) (BBC) (UPI)
- A suicide blast near the judicial complex in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills at least 17 people and wounds more than 30 others. (NY Times)