Portal:Current events/September 2006

Armed conflicts
	Acholiland insurgency; Arab-Israeli conflict (al-Aqsa Intifada) 2006 Israel-Gaza conflict; 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict; ; Darfur conflict in Sudan; Sri Lankan Civil War; Iraq War; Ituri conflict in the DR Congo; Ivorian Civil War; Nepal Civil War; Second Chechen War; South Thailand insurgency;

Deaths
	1: Nellie Connally; 1: György Faludy; 1: Bob O'Connor; 2: Bob Mathias; 2: Charlie Williams; 4: Steve Irwin; 4: Giacinto Facchetti; 4: Colin Thiele; 8: Peter Brock; 10: Daniel Wayne Smith; 10: King Tupou IV; 11: William Auld; 13: Ann Richards; 14: Elizabeth Choy; 15: Raymond Baxter; 15: Oriana Fallaci; 15: Abe Saffron; 16: Rob Levin; 19: Sir Hugh Kawharu; 23: Malcolm Arnold; 23: Sir Charles Cutler; 25: Tetsurō Tamba; 25: Safia Ahmed-jan; 26: Gerhard Behrendt; 26: Iva Toguri D'Aquino; 26: Byron Nelson; 26: Ralph Story; 29: Walter Hadlee;

Events
	Avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak; Black sites scandal; Cole Inquiry; East Timor military and political crisis; Alleged trans-Atlantic aircraft terrorist plot; Immigration law debates in the US; Iran's nuclear program; NSA warrantless surveillance controversy; Operación Puerto doping case; Natural disasters Atlantic hurricane season Tropical Storm Ernesto; ; North American heatwave; North Indian cyclone season; Pacific hurricane season Hurricane John; Hurricane Kristy; ; Pacific typhoon season Typhoon Ioke; ; Southern Hemisphere cyclone season;

September 2006 was the ninth month of that common year. The month, which began on a Friday, ended on a Saturday after 30 days.

Portal:Current events

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from September 2006.

September 1, 2006 (Friday)

AU officials report that Sudan has launched a major offensive in Darfur, a day after it rejected UNSC Resolution 1706, calling for a new 20,000 UN peacekeeping force. Over 20 people are reported dead and 1,000 displaced in clashes which broke earlier in the week. (AP)
Disputed Mexican election: Deputies and senators of the PRD occupy the stage of Congress and prevent President Vicente Fox from delivering his final State of the Nation speech. Fox later addresses the nation on an all-channel telecast. (Associated Press) (Washington Post)
Category 2 Hurricane John makes landfall near the tip of Baja California at around 7 p.m. PDT (0200 UTC September 2). (U.S. National Hurricane Center) (CBS)
An Iranian passenger jet Tu-154, (Iran Air Flight 945) carrying 148 passengers crashes in Mashad, Iran killing 29 people. (CNN), (BBC)
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- The European Union proposes new talks on the Middle East roadmap for peace. (Reuters)
Spain approves plans to deploy 1,100 troops to Lebanon as part of a UN peacekeeping force. (BBC)
The Japanese Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Takao Kitabata, says Japan has enough petroleum reserves to prevent an oil crisis if economic sanctions are imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. Japan is almost entirely dependent on the Middle East for its oil and imports 15 percent of its total oil consumption from Iran.
The 2006 Zakouma elephant slaughter is the latest of a series of massacres which has killed off over 97 percent of the original (the year 1970) Chadian elephant population of 300,000 animals. (National Geographic)
Prime Minister of Poland, Jarosław Kaczyński, calls on the EU to develop a common foreign policy and build a "credible" military force. (Yahoo!)
The Miss World 2006 pageant officially starts with the arrival of 104 nations to Warsaw, Poland for a month of activities across the country prior to the pageant's final on September 30th, 2006. (Times of India)

September 2, 2006 (Saturday)

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki meets with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf, Iraq. (Al Jazeera)
In Afghanistan, 14 British armed forces personnel are killed after their aircraft crashes in Kandahar. (BBC)
Offices of at least six Alaska legislators, including Republican Senate President Ben Stevens, son of the senior Republican U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, are raided by federal agents searching for possible ties between the lawmakers and VECO, an Anchorage based company whose executives are major contributors to political campaigns. (Yahoo!) (CNN) (New York Times) (Anchorage Daily News)
British police hold 14 men after anti-terrorism raids on locations in south and east London including one restaurant. (Boston Globe), (BBC)
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict:
- Hezbollah sets up armed militias of more than 2,000 children of shahids aged 10-15, training them to sacrifice their lives, an Egyptian weekly reports. (Ynet)
- Italian troops arrive in Lebanon as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Indonesia announces plans to contribute 1,000 troops to the force. (CNN)
Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- Donors promise $500m in aid for the Palestinian territories but the UN warns there must be a new peace process too. (BBC)
- A senior Palestinian official calls for an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza and a political solution to the humanitarian crisis. (Al Jazeera)

September 3, 2006 (Sunday)

Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- Egyptian daily Al Akhbar reports that three Palestinian terrorists are planning to carry out attacks on Israelis on holiday on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. (Haaretz)
Europe's first lunar probe, SMART-1, successfully crash-lands onto the Moon, ending its 16-month mission. (BBC)
Iraqi insurgency
- Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's National Security Advisor, announces the capture of Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi, the second most senior figure in al-Qaeda in Iraq. (CNN)
Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan
- More than 200 Taliban rebel and four Canadian troops die in a major offensive in Kandahar. (CTV) Archived 2006-09-06 at the Wayback Machine
Kayaking world record
- The Swedish adventurer Lasse Schmidt finishes the first solo crossing of the Baltic Sea in a kayak. The crossing between Sweden and Estonia took three days to complete without sleep.(Documentation and media)

September 4, 2006 (Monday)

A burial cave dating back to the 1st century BC is discovered beneath a high school in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Ynet)
A lone gunman shoots and kills a British tourist and wounds six others in Amman, Jordan. The gunman is arrested, and police are investigating if the gunman belongs to any groups. (Reuters)
Steve Irwin, "The Crocodile Hunter", is killed by a stingray while filming a documentary on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. (News.com.au), (Reuters)
MTV en Español is Changing to MTV Tres
The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) discovers the 44th Mersenne prime. It was verified on September 11. (MathWorld News)

September 5, 2006 (Tuesday)

Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan
- More than 50 Taliban insurgents are killed in the ongoing Operation Medusa. (CNN)
Felipe Calderón of the PAN is declared the winner of Mexico's 2 July presidential election. (BBC)
Bill Ford steps down from his position as CEO of Ford Motor Company. He is replaced by Alan Mulally, the former executive vice president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airlines. Bill Ford will remain chairman. (USA Today)
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
- The Turkish Parliament votes to authorize the Turkish government to send troops to the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Deputy speaker Nevzat Pakdil said 340 of the 533 lawmakers present in the 550-seat house voted for the deployment; 192 voted against and one abstained. (Turkish Press)
- Lebanese troops move into the southern town of Bint Jbeil. (MSNBC)
In Lebanon, a roadside bomb seriously wounds Lt. Col. Samir Shehade, a Lebanese police officer and kills four of his aides. Shehade was involved in the August 2005 arrest of four pro-Syrian Lebanese generals, on suspicion of involvement in the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri. (Al Jazeera), (AP)
Waziristan War:
- Pakistan has signed a truce with pro-Taliban militants on the Afghanistan border agreeing to withdraw most Pakistani troops in exchange for the militants' promise not to support cross-border violence. (BBC)
Fidel Castro claims that he is recovering well despite losing 18 kg (41 lb) as a result of intestinal surgery. (MSNBC), (Al Jazeera)
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran calls for a purge of liberal and secular professors from the nation's universities. He said: "Today, students should shout at the president and ask why liberal and secular university lecturers are present in the universities." (MSNBC)
President George W. Bush has nominated Mary Peters as United States Secretary of Transportation. (CNN)
One of four existing Aerocar I's (flying cars) is up for sale for US$3.5 million. (Seattle Times)

September 6, 2006 (Wednesday)

The security officers of Georgia arrest nearly 30 members of the opposition political party "Samartlianoba" (Justice) and its satellite organizations on suspicion of plotting a coup against the government. The party, which advocates closer political ties with the Russian Federation, is led by the nation's fugitive security chief Igor Giorgadze who is wanted by Interpol for his alleged involvement in the 1995 attempt on former Georgian President Shevardnadze's life. (BBC)
The United States government announces that fourteen suspected terrorists are to be transferred to the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp and admits that these suspects have been held in CIA black sites. These people include Khalid Sheik Mohammed, believed to be the No. 3 al-Qaida leader before he was captured in Pakistan in 2003; Ramzi Binalshibh, an alleged would-be 9/11 hijacker; and Abu Zubaydah, who was believed to be a link between Osama bin Laden and many al-Qaida cells before he was also captured in Pakistan in March 2002. (BBC)
The Singaporean economy tops a list of 175 economies as the most business-friendly economy in the world in a survey conducted by the World Bank's International Finance Corporation. (CNA) (IFC).
In the United Kingdom junior defense minister Tom Watson and six Parliamentary Private Secretaries (Khalid Mahmood, Wayne David, Ian Lucas, Mark Tami, Chris Mole and David Wright) resign over Tony Blair's continuing refusal to declare when he will step down as Prime Minister. (BBC) (Guardian) (This is London)
Japan's Princess Kiko gives birth to a son by caesarean section. The as-yet unnamed boy is the first male heir born to the Japanese Imperial Family in more than 40 years, and will ultimately become Emperor if the current succession laws are unchanged. The child's father, Prince Akishino is the second son of Emperor Akihito. (Japan Times), (Forbes)
Côte d'Ivoire Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny dissolves his Cabinet after toxic waste was dumped in the city of Abidjan, making over 1,500 people ill and killing three. (BBC)

September 7, 2006 (Thursday)

The National Liberation Forces (FNL) signs a ceasefire with Burundi, the last rebel group to enter the peace process to end the Burundi Civil War.(BBC)
Ralph "Bucky" Phillips is the most recent addition to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list following his jail break and suspected shooting of New York State troopers. (FBI)
Ukrainian archaeologists claim they have found underground pyramids near Luhansk that predate the pyramids at Giza. BBC news's Helen Fawkes calls the complex the "Ukrainian Stonehenge." (BBC)
Belgian False Flag Terror arrests: Police in Belgium make arrests at army barracks and soldiers' homes as part of an investigation into suspected far-right terrorists (Bloed-Bodem-Eer en Trouw) operating inside the military. The soldiers were reportedly planning attacks aimed at destabilizing the country. (BBC)
The U.S. military prohibits cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment for "unlawful combatants" in a sweeping revision of DoD Directive 2310. (Wash. Post) (Wash. Times)
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
- Israel says it will lift its air and sea blockade of Lebanon. (BBC)
Tony Blair announces that he will step down as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom within 12 months but declines to give an exact date for his departure. (BBC)

September 8, 2006 (Friday)

Australian motor racing legend Peter Brock has been killed in a crash while taking part in the Targa West rally in Western Australia. (News.com.au)
Ralph "Bucky" Phillips, the most recent addition to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, surrenders to Pennsylvania State Police. He is wanted for shooting three New York State troopers, one of whom died, after he escaped from jail. (The Buffalo News)
Chilean Supreme Court lifts Augusto Pinochet's immunity concerning the Villa Grimaldi case. (BBC).
The non-governmental organization Freedom House ranks Burma, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan as the worst violators of human rights. FH also cited Tibet and Chechnya as areas of intense repression. (Payvand)
The United States Senate states there is no evidence of formal links between Iraqi ex-leader Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq prior to the 2003 Iraq War. (BBC)
Missing United States Air Force officer Major Jill Metzger who disappeared in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan earlier this week is found in good health. Metzger says she was kidnapped by three men and a woman. (CBS)
Shuji Nakamura is awarded the 2nd Millennium Technology Prize for his work on blue and white LEDs. The first recipient of the award was Tim Berners-Lee, developer of the World Wide Web. (BBC)
A series of bomb blasts rock Malegaon town in Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra, killing 37 and injuring around 100. (Bloomberg)
Zimbabwe has failed to keep its promise to build new homes for the thousands whose houses were demolished last year during Operation Murambatsvina. (BBC)
Taliban insurgency: A suicide car bomb explodes near the United States embassy in Kabul, killing at least ten people. (Boston Herald) (CNN)

September 9, 2006 (Saturday)

BBC's The Proms 'Last Night at the Proms' took place at Royal Albert Hall in London. The proms were simulcasted to cities across the United Kingdom like Glasgow, Swansea, Belfast, Manchester and London Hyde Park. More than 100,000 people attended the festival in London and elsewhere. The proms are currently in their 112th season. (BBC News)
Tens of thousands of protesters begin their anticorruption protests, "Million Voices Against Corruption, President Chen Must Go", against President Chen Shui-bian in Taipei, Taiwan. (Associated Press via Washington Post), (BBC)
Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off from John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin STS-115. (CNN.com)
A 4.4 magnitude earthquake affects Israel and the West Bank. No injuries are reported. (Reuters)
Taliban insurgency (Operation Medusa):
- NATO-led forces in Afghanistan say they have killed 40 more Taliban rebels in the ongoing offensive in the south. (BBC)
The Sri Lankan Army says that 28 soldiers were killed and 119 were wounded while battling the Tamil Tiger rebels in Jaffna. The deaths of nearly 150 Tamil Tigers were also reported. (CNN)
19-year-old Maria Sharapova wins her second Grand Slam, upsetting Justin Henin-Hardenne 6–4, 6–4 in the final of the 2006 U.S. Open. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

September 10, 2006 (Sunday)

A lengthy statement from al-Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks calls on Muslims to step up their resistance against the United States. (CNN)
Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, the King of Tonga, dies at the age of 88 in an Auckland, New Zealand hospital after battling illness. (BBC)
Roger Federer wins the U.S. Open defeating Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. (Fox Sports)
Taliban insurgency (Operation Medusa):
- NATO and Afghan forces killed 94 Taliban fighters in intense overnight clashes in southern Afghanistan, the military alliance says. (BBC)
Hurricane Florence forces hurricane warnings for Bermuda as it threatens the island with rain of 13 to 20 cm (5 to 8 inches). Florence is also expected to become a Category 2 hurricane prior to affecting the island. (CNN), (National Hurricane Center)
The most successful driver in Formula One history, German Michael Schumacher, announces his retirement from the sport at the end of the 2006 season. (BBC)
Daniel Wayne Smith, (son of Anna Nicole Smith), dies from a drug overdose just three days after his half-sister is born.

September 11, 2006 (Monday)

The 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement begins in Havana, Cuba. (Official Site)
India celebrates a day of peace: the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of peaceful resistance - satyagraha. On September 11, 1906, Gandhi called on his compatriots to use non-violent means to disobey the law, and thousands of Indians were jailed, including Gandhi, for refusing to cooperate and burning their identity booklets. (CTV.ca)
American President George W. Bush states that the war against terrorism is "the calling of our generation" and urged Americans to put aside differences and fight to victory. (San Francisco Chronicle), (White House - full text)
Tropical Storm Gordon forms in the open Atlantic Ocean with 45 mph winds and is expected to head towards Bermuda. (Associated Press)
U.S. & New York leaders, along with families and friends of those who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks, remember the 5th anniversary of the attacks with speeches and moments of silence. (Forbes/AP)
A new video broadcast shows Al-Qaeda deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, issuing a warning about possible future attacks in Israel and the Persian Gulf. (BBC)

September 12, 2006 (Tuesday)

Cypriot authorities respond to an Interpol alert and intercept Grigorio-1, a North Korean ship bound for Syria. Cypriot security agents found a mobile air defense system and the components of a missile launcher in the ship, though the Government of North Korea insists the ship only contained weather-observation equipment. The Syrian government has requested the ship be allowed to dock in Syria. (World Tribune)
Belgian False Flag Terror arrests: A court in Belgium prolongs the custody of 12 suspects in the case against a neo-Nazi group inside the Belgian Army, named Bloed-Bodem-Eer en Trouw (BBET). They are accused of terrorism, weapons traffic, racism and negationism. (Wikinews)
At least 51 people, mostly children, are killed in a stampede in a stadium in Ibb, Yemen, during a campaign rally for President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The children were killed when some of the citizens, who were bused in to hear the president speak, tried to leave. (CNN)
Tom Noe, a rare-coin dealer and fundraiser for the United States Republican Party, is sentenced to two years jail for illegally channelling US$45,000 into President George W. Bush's re-election campaign. (Associated Press)
Norwegian politician Erik Solheim announces that the Government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers have agreed to hold "unconditional peace talks" in October in Oslo. The Sri Lankan government denies ever agreeing to talks without conditions, and criticizes the Government of Norway for violating Sri Lankan sovereignty. (TODAYonline)(TamilNet)
An explosion in Diyarbakir in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey kills at least seven people, five of whom were children, and injures 14. (CNN)
Japan's new baby prince is officially named Hisahito. (CNN)
Gunfire and explosions are reported near the U.S. embassy in Damascus, Syria, amid reports that the heavily fortified compound has been attacked by armed men. One Syrian guard was killed, and one Chinese diplomat was mildly injured. (The Times)(Reuters)

September 13, 2006 (Wednesday)

The Solar System's largest dwarf planet, designated until now as 2003 UB₃₁₃, is officially named "Eris"; its satellite is now known as "Dysnomia".(SpaceRef)
Andrei Kozlov, deputy chairman of Russia's Central Bank, dies hours after being shot. (International Herald Tribune)
Dawson College in Montreal is the scene of a shooting, with preliminary reports indicating at least two killed (one being the gunman) and 20 injured. (CBC)
Imam Zulqarnain Sakandar Madni, the spiritual leader of Norwegian Muslims, accuses the United States Government of masterminding the September 11 attacks and expresses doubt that Osama bin Laden exists, citing the online documentary Loose Change. The U.S. embassy in Oslo issues a statement condemning Madni for "spreading false stories to protect terrorists." Mohammad Hamdan, leader of the Islamic Council in Norway, says Madni's views must be put into context and that it is not important "who is behind it, but how we can fight terrorism and live together in peace." (Aftenposten)
Belgian False Flag Terror arrests: Belgian justice denies Flemish TV vtm’s claims that the neo-Nazi group Bloed, Bodem, Eer en Trouw (BBET), close to the Flemish branch of Blood & Honour, was projecting false flag terrorist operations (although it does accuse the group, which included soldiers, of preparing bombings to "destabilize" the country, and prolonged detention of the suspects on September 12). VTM Flemish TV declared that BBET was preparing itself to kill Filip Dewinter, one of the leaders of the far right Flemish party Vlaams Belang, and to charge the Islamist movement for the assassination. In the ensuing confusion, they would have then assassinated Dyab Abou Jahjah, leader of the European Arab League Le Soir, (French)Knack, (Dutch).
The main events leading up to the 61st Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group as part of Singapore 2006 commence in Singapore. (CNA)
NATO members fail to respond to a call from military commanders for reinforcements to try to quell the Taliban insurgency in southern Afghanistan, an alliance spokesman said. (CNN)
Sectarian violence in Iraq: The bodies of 65 tortured and executed Iraqi men have been found all over the city of Baghdad. (ABC)
A Japanese economist and ex-professor at the graduate school of Waseda University Kazuhide Uekusa is arrested for molesting a high school girl on a train in Tokyo.(Japundit)

September 14, 2006 (Thursday)

U.S. Senate committee approves a bill to give more rights to "terrorism" detainees. The White House and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agree that signing the bill into law would end a classified CIA interrogation program, which a recent Supreme Court ruling leaves on tenuous ground. (Chicago Sun-Times) (Wash. Times)
U.S. Representative Bob Ney (R-Ohio) has agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges related to his dealings with the lobbyist Jack Abramoff according to lawyers and others with knowledge of the investigation. (New York Times News Service)
The International Atomic Energy Agency call a United States House of Representatives committee report on Iran's nuclear capabilities "outrageous and dishonest." (Washington Post)
The United States Department of the Interior’s Inspector General accuses the top officials at the agency of tolerating widespread ethical failures, from cronyism to cover-ups of incompetence. (New York Times)
The Ford Motor Company and the United Automobile Workers union agree on a program that will offer buyouts and other incentives to more than 75,000 Ford workers in the United States to persuade them to leave their jobs. (New York Times)
Amnesty International accuses Hezbollah of war crimes, in its deliberate targeting of civilians in Israel during the recent Israel-Lebanon conflict. (Amnesty)
A partial roof collapse occurred in part of the Mahon Airport terminal building in Menorca, Spain while undergoing renovations/construction work. The collapse may have been caused by a build-up of heavy rain water. The debris temporarily trapped 20 and injured three workers (BBC)
The African Union has endorsed an IGAD peacekeeping operation in Somalia, to be known as IGASOM. (Shabelle.net)

September 15, 2006 (Friday)

The U.S. State Department's annual report on religious freedom criticizes the governments of Uzbekistan, Iran and China for increasing repression while noting improvement in the practices of the governments of Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Vietnam. (Voice of America)
Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy: Pope Benedict XVI is criticized throughout the Islamic world for comments he made on September 12, quoting the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaiologos (1391-1425) regarding Muhammad and Islam. Street protests take place in parts of South Asia. (CNN)
Taliban insurgency: The Afghan security forces have retaken a district headquarters in the western Farah province after a short Taliban occupation. (BBC)
Yemen foils two attempts by four suicide bombers to attack two oil refineries, Al Jazeera reports. (Al Jazeera),(Reuters)
Tarcisio Bertone becomes new Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See, and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti is named new Secretary for Relations with States (foreign minister). At the same time, Angelo Sodano retires after sixteen years as Cardinal Secretary of State. [1]
Close to half a million people stage a march in Taipei to demand the resignation of President Chen Shui-Bian. (BBC), (CNN)
UPN network shuts down, marking the first time in 50 years a United States broadcast television network ceased broadcasting.

September 16, 2006 (Saturday)

Winners of the 2006 Lasker Awards for medical research are announced. (Reuters), (laskerfoundation.org)
Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy:
- Pope Benedict XVI's security has increased due to the controversy. (Ynet News)
- Pope Benedict XVI is quoted as saying that he is "very upset" and "sorry" that his comments regarding Islam on Tuesday offended Muslims. (CNN), (BBC)
- Violence erupts when Palestinian militants bombed and engaged in shootings against five churches in the West Bank. (AP via Yahoo! News)
Hurricane Lane strengthens to a Category 3 hurricane with nearly 125 mph winds as it approaches Mexico's Pacific coast. (CNN)
- Hurricane Lane has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane after striking the Pacific coast of Mexico. (AP via Yahoo! News)
Darfur conflict: On the eve of the International Day for Darfur, British Prime Minister Tony Blair insists the government of Sudan must start to "live up to its obligations" towards the war-torn region. (BBC)
Iraq insurgency: Baghdad police find 47 corpses across the city, most bound and shot, thought to be more victims of the ongoing sectarian killing that has been taking place in the region and appears aimed at provoking civil war. (Reuters)
2006 United States E. coli outbreak: Bagged spinach recalled in United States after products linked to at least 94 cases of E. coli in 19 states. (CNN)
A Delta Air Lines flight makes an emergency landing at Shannon Airport in Ireland. The flight was en route to New York from Shannon itself, and had 276 passengers on board. It was reported that there was smoke in the cabin. (RTÉ)

September 17, 2006 (Sunday)

Five basketball players at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are shot on campus after they tried to calm a disturbed man at a dance in the Student Union. Three of the five are hospitalized, with one in critical condition. (ESPN)
Recent expeditions by Conservation International and the government of Indonesia revealed a "Lost World" of nearly 60 new species near Bird's Head Seascape of the Coral Triangle. The species include a "walking shark", 20 new corals, 8 shrimp species, and 24 new fish species including one that can "flash" colors. (ABC)
The Associated Press claims that Bilal Hussein, an AP photographer and Iraqi citizen, has been held for five months in a United States military prison without charges against him. AP claims they tried to have Hussein released quietly, but when that failed, they went public. (MSNBC)
Pope Benedict XVI states that he is "deeply sorry" about the angry reaction from his comments and says that his remarks came from a text that didn't reflect his personal opinion. (AP via CBS News) (BBC - full text of apology)
A Roman Catholic nun, who worked as a nurse for SOS Children's Villages, and her bodyguard are shot dead by gunmen in Mogadishu. (SOS) (Reuters)
Pacific Hurricane Lane is downgraded to a tropical storm. (ABC News)
At least 21 people have been killed after a truck bomb went off in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, according to local police. Reports indicate that the bomb exploded near the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan of Jalal Talabani, the President of Iraq. (BBC) (ABC News)
Four people are dead and 62 are wounded when five bomb blasts go off in the southern Thailand city of Hat Yai. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
A global day of action, dubbed the 'International Day for Darfur' by Amnesty International, takes place with prayer vigils and demonstrations in 30 of the world's cities to highlight the plight of refugees and victims of genocide in the region. (BBC)
The 2006 Swedish general election is held to elect 349 members to the Riksdag. Elections to county and municipal councils are on the same day. Voting is between 08:00 and 20:00 CEST (UTC+2).
- Sweden's center-right opposition alliance Alliance for Sweden declares victory after nearly complete official election results showed it narrowly defeating the governing Swedish Social Democratic Party. The Prime Minister of Sweden, Göran Persson, conceded defeat. (ABC News)
Hosts Germany fought back from 3–1 down to beat Olympic champions Australia 4–3 and retain their title in the 11th edition of the Hockey World Cup. (BBC)
Eva Avila wins the 4th season of Canadian Idol.
After 11 years of broadcasting, the WB and UPN networks close down permanently. The WB had a Night of Farewells while UPN went quietly.

September 18, 2006 (Monday)

New laws come into force across England, Wales and Scotland making the use of child seats in cars compulsory for all children under the age of 12 who are less than 4ft 5in (135cm) tall. (BBC)
Taliban insurgency:
- A suicide bomber has killed at least four Canadians in an attack on a NATO patrol in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, Canada's military says. (BBC)
- 11 killed in a suicide bombing in Herat, Afghanistan. (La Repubblica)
Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf survives an assassination attempt when two bombs explode near the parliament building, killing 11 people. (BBC)
A chemical spill is reported on the International Space Station and a fire is feared, although this latter report proves to be unfounded. (CNN)
2006 referendum in Transnistria: The vast majority of the population of Transdniestr, a self-proclaimed republic in Moldova, voted for independence and future accession to Russia, the central election committee said. (RIA Novosti)
Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy:
- Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemns the recent speech by Pope Benedict, claiming it is the "latest link" in "the chain of a conspiracy to set in train a crusade against Islam". (BBC)
- Al Qaeda in Iraq calls for war against what it calls "worshippers of the cross" in response to the Pope's remarks. (Reuters)
- An influential Egyptian cleric, Sheik Youssef al-Qaradawi, called for peaceful protests after weekly prayers on Friday. (AP)
Manasseh Sogavare, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, accuses Australia of "heavy-handed" interference in his country's domestic affairs. (BBC)
Soyuz TMA-9 has launched at 04:08 UTC from Baikonur in Kazakhstan onboard with two member of ISS Expedition 14 Mikhail Tyurin, Michael Lopez-Alegria and with Anousheh Ansari, the first female space tourist. (BBC) (NASA)
2006 protests in Hungary:
- Peaceful demonstrations began in Budapest and several cities of the countryside against the government in Hungary. On September 17th, 2006, an audio recording surfaced from a closed floor meeting after the Hungarian Socialist Party won the elections and before they announced several restraints on which Prime Minister Gyurcsány said, that "[...] Evidently, we lied throughout the last year-and-a-half, two years. It was totally clear that what we are saying is not true. [...]" Demonstrators demand a new election. (BBC) (Index.hu)
- Overnight, anti-government protests in Budapest turn violent. Protesters besieged the headquarters of state television and broke down the front doors. The station was taken off the air. Violence broke out as police used water cannons and tear gas against the crowd. By morning, the streets are calm and the PM vows to stay on in office, and to crack down on any further disorder. (Reuters) (HVG)
New Brunswick general election, 2006: New Brunswickers oust Bernard Lord's Tories and elect a Liberal majority government under Shawn Graham. (CBC)
The CW launches their network in the US

September 19, 2006 (Tuesday)

Thailand coup d'état:
- A coup d'état occurs in Thailand, with tanks seen moving into place around government buildings in Bangkok. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declares a state of emergency in a TV broadcast from the United States, where he went for the United Nations General Assembly, but the transmission is reported to have been cut off.
- An announcement on Thai television declared that a "Council of Administrative Reform" with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as head of state had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance. State TV stations are broadcasting messages of loyalty to the King, while international broadcast channels were blocked. (Reuters) (Forbes) (BBC) (ABC News)
President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and President of the United States George W. Bush both speak at the United Nations General Assembly. Ahmadinejad said that Bush's policies in the Middle East were "moving the world toward war." Bush said that "The greatest obstacle to this future is that your (Iranian) rulers have chosen to deny you (the Iranian people) liberty and to use your nation's resources to fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons." (MSNBC) (Reuters)
A judicial panel in Canada finds that Canadian citizen Maher Arar was falsely accused when he was secretly extradited by the United States to Syria, and that he was tortured there. (MSNBC).
Israeli media report an explosion in Tel Aviv. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the blast appeared to be criminal in nature and not a terrorist attack. (AP via Yahoo! News)
The return of the space shuttle Atlantis is delayed by one day after a mysterious object is found floating near the shuttle. (AP via Yahoo! News) (SpaceflightNow)
2006 protests in Hungary: demonstrations continue in Hungary peacefully to enforce the resignation of the Gyurcsány-government. The demonstrators expressed their regret on the vandalism done at the Hungarian Television's headquarters last night. In the meantime, farmers announced that they will close roads in the countryside and around Budapest. (HírTV)
Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy: In Ankara, protesters demand that the Justice Ministry arrest the Pope upon his arrival in Turkey, should he go ahead with his planned visit there in November. (AP via Yahoo! News)
A corporal in the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment becomes the first British soldier to confess to committing a war crime in Iraq, after admitting inhumane treatment of civilians, at a court martial. (BBC)
Western New England College has embarked on the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the College's history. Transformations: The Campaign for Western New England College is a $20 million effort that will enable the College to advance its mission of helping students achieve their educational and career goals. [2]

September 20, 2006 (Wednesday)

Singapore 2006:
- The 61st International Monetary Fund-World Bank annual meeting ends with an agreement on the need to revive stalled global trade talks, and to curb risks to global economic growth. (BusinessWeek)
- The Singapore 2006 organizing committee thanks Singaporeans and corporations for helping to make what delegates called the "best and most memorable IMF/World Bank meeting they've had" a success. Mrs. Lim Hwee Hua, Minister in Charge of Singapore 2006, also clarified some pointers over the about-turn in the handling of 27 Civil Society Organisation representatives whom the Singaporean authorities originally objected to being allowed entry into the country. (CNA)
In Kazakhstan, 41 miners die in the nation's worst mining accident after a methane explosion in a coal mine. (Reuters)
Former South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma's corruption trial is thrown out by the judge at Pietermaritzburg High Court, who rules that the State's case goes "from one disaster to another" and failed to follow proper procedure. This is thought likely to improve Zuma's chances of succeeding President Thabo Mbeki, but prosecutors have said that they will refile charges later. (Mail & Guardian Online)
Dozens are killed and hundreds missing in India and Bangladesh after heavy rainstorms in the Bay of Bengal. (BBC)
The United States Federal Reserve decides to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 5.25% for a second successive month. Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues believe a slowing economy and falling energy prices are starting to relieve inflation pressures. (USA Today)
Shinzo Abe is elected as party leader of the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan, replacing the current Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. He will likely be elected as the new prime minister on 30 September 2006. (Bloomberg)
Thailand coup d'état:
- The leader of the military coup in Thailand, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, declares that a new civilian prime minister will be appointed in two weeks to replace the deposed Thaksin Shinawatra. (BBC)
2006 protests in Hungary:
- A second night of violence in the capital Budapest leaves nearly 60 people injured and leads to 100 arrests as police clash with demonstrators seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány. (Reuters)
A public memorial service is held at Australia Zoo in Beerwah, Queensland, Australia, for "The Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin. (ABC Australia)
The Football Association is to investigate allegations of corruption and the taking of illegal payments (known colloquially as 'bungs') within the sport. (Sky Sports)
After a Globe and Mail article from journalist Jan Wong created controversy and accusations of racism against Quebec, the Canadian House of Commons unanimously passes a motion requesting an apology from The Globe and Mail. (CBC)
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, addressing the United Nations 61st General Assembly, said 'Yesterday the devil was here, and today it still smells of sulfur at this podium,' in reference to US President George W. Bush.

September 21, 2006 (Thursday)

In Uzbekistan, Komiljon Usmanov is on trial for "threatening Uzbekistan's constitutional order and public security," and is accused of allegedly leading the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization. Usmanov was sentenced in 2001 to 10 years in jail on similar charges, but was freed under an amnesty. He maintains his innocence. (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty)
Former Peruvian spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos is sentenced to a 20-year prison term for running guns to Colombian FARC guerrillas. (BBC)
Israeli troops raid a branch of Jordan National Bank and 23 other financial institutions, seizing the equivalent of over US$1.5 million in cash from West Bank cities. (Jordan Times)
A U.S. federal judge in San Francisco orders two San Francisco Chronicle reporters jailed for up to 18 months for refusing to reveal who leaked them secret grand jury testimony about steroids in baseball. (AP via Boston Herald)
Cong Thanh Do, a U.S. democracy activist, is released by Vietnam. (Mercury News)
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf says U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage threatened to bomb his country "back to the Stone Age" after the 2001 September 11 attacks if he did not help the U.S.-led War on Terror. (CTV NEWS) Archived 2006-10-03 at the Wayback Machine
The Government of Indonesia executes Christians Fabianus Tibo, 60, Marinus Riwu, 48, and Dominggus da Silva, 42 by firing squad. The three men were accused of leading attacks on Muslims in 2000 that left 70 people dead. Thousands of police are blocking roads leading to the prison and are guarding churches. Various human rights workers have called the trial a shame. (CBS News)
Response to President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez's remarks that United States President George W. Bush is like the devil: (Washington Post) Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine
- Democratic United States Representative Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi calls Chávez a "thug." (Reuters)
- United States Representative Charles Rangel (D) also said in a press release that an attack on Bush is "attack on all of us (Americans)." (Rangel Press Release)
- Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says Chavez is "A Dictator without Class." (News Limited/AAP)
- Iowa Senator Tom Harkin (D) says that Chávez's comments were "incendiary." (Radio Iowa)
United States Senate Republicans and the Bush administration announce an agreement on interrogation methods and the trial of suspects in the War on Terror. (CBS News)
Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond is seriously injured during filming for upcoming series. Hammond rolled a jet powered car at 300 mph. (BBC)
The Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center, ending STS-115. (Reuters)
Thailand coup d'état:
- The leaders of Thailand's coup ban all meetings and other activities by political parties, two days after taking power. (BBC)
- Thaksin Shinawatra urges the coup leaders "to reconcile and work toward national reconciliation for the sake of our king and country". Currently in London, he stated he was going to take a "deserved rest" for the time being. (CNN)
Turkish writer Elif Shafak is cleared of charge of "insulting Turkishness", under the controversial Article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code, in an Istanbul Court. (Guardian Unlimited)
New York Comptroller Alan Hevesi admitted that he hired an employee of the state to drive around his wife. (New York Daily News)

September 22, 2006 (Friday)

The U.S. military officially retires the F-14 Tomcat, famous from the movie Top Gun. (AP)
Patricia Dunn announces her resignation as Hewlett-Packard's chairman and board member, following a pretexting scandal. Mark Hurd has replaced Dunn as chairman of the company, effective immediately. (WSJ)
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ranks fifth (7% support) in an Israeli poll of potential prime ministers. (JTA)
Thousands riot in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, following the execution of three Christian militants found guilty of taking part in an attack on a Muslim boarding school. (Reuters)
Richard Hammond is released from intensive care and is walking and talking after a car crash whilst filming for the BBC show, Top Gear. (News Limited/Reuters)
A prototype Transrapid Maglev train crashes into a maintenance vehicle on elevated track in Emsland, Germany, killing 23 people and severely injuring 10. (Washington Post/Reuters) Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine (BBC) (Deutsche Welle)
The reported number of people fallen ill after eating tainted spinach reaches 166 in 25 U.S. states. (CDC)
Murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart by classmates Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik in Pocatello, Idaho.[3]

September 23, 2006 (Saturday)

Ali Abdullah Saleh, in office since 1978, is re-elected as President of Yemen with 77.2% of the votes, prompting allegations of electoral fraud from the Yemeni opposition coalition. (BBC)
In an interview with Fox News Sunday, to be aired on September 24, Former U.S. President Bill Clinton says, "At least I tried. That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now," responding to those who criticize him for the September 11th terrorist attacks, "They had eight months to try, they did not try. I tried. So I tried and failed." (Reuters)
Toomas Hendrik Ilves is elected the new President of Estonia, defeating incumbent Arnold Rüütel. (BBC)
French authorities are investigating reports that Osama bin Laden has died of typhoid after a leaked French secret service report. Time magazine also cites an unknown Saudi Arabian source that Bin Laden had a waterborne disease and may be dead. However, French and U.S. authorities are unable to confirm these reports. (CTV NEWS) Archived 2006-10-04 at the Wayback Machine (BBC News) (Reuters)
Kids' WB Premieres of Krypto the Superdog, Monster Allergy, Tom and Jerry Tales, Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! and Legion of Super Heroes
New Episodes and Season Premieres of Johnny Test, The Batman, Xiaolin Showdown and Loonatics Unleashed
Iraq insurgency:
- A car bomb attack on a fuel station in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, Iraq, kills at least 26 people. Many others are injured. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Iraq's Interior Ministry announces they have arrested one of the leaders of Islamist militant group Ansar al-Sunna. (CNN)
Japan's Solar-B mission is launched from the Uchinoura Space Center. With its successful launch, it is rechristened "Hinode". (BBC)

September 24, 2006 (Sunday)

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro is detained in John F. Kennedy International Airport for secondary screening. (BBC)
At least 47 people, including a number of children, are killed in a bus crash near Quito, capital of Ecuador. (CNN)
The New York Times leaks a conclusion from a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate that the Iraq War has made the overall terrorism problem worse. (The New York Times) (BBC)
Members of Basque separatist movement ETA vow not to surrender their weapons while still seeking independence from Spain, despite the organisation having called a ceasefire six months ago. (BBC) (Reuters)
Europe retains golf's Ryder Cup to score a third consecutive win, beating the United States by a score of 18.5 to 9.5. (Washington Post) Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine

September 25, 2006 (Monday)

Up to a million cluster bomblets discharged by Israel in its conflict with Hezbollah remain unexploded in southern Lebanon, the UN has said. (BBC)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that rabbis are more critical of Zionism and the "Zionist regime" than he has been. He expresses hope that "God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism." (Al Jazeera.com)
Condoleezza Rice, the United States Secretary of State, and Barry Lowenkron, the assistant secretary of state for human rights, meet with Kasymzhomart Tokayev, the foreign minister of Kazakhstan. They discussed the War in Afghanistan and Iraq and the Nazarbayev administration's desire to head the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2009, which the United States Government opposes. (AP) (Eurasia Net)
2003 invasion of Iraq and its aftermath:
- Iraq insurgency: British forces are reported to have killed senior Al-Qaeda operative Omar al-Faruq during a gunfight in Basra, Iraq. (BBC)
- The United States Marine Corps says three troops from Camp Pendleton will face courts-martial on murder charges in the death of an Iraqi man. (AP via KESQ)
- Saddam Hussein is back in court in Baghdad to face charges of genocide against the Kurds in the late 1980s. His legal team boycotts proceedings over claims of interference by the Iraqi government, and he is subsequently ejected for protesting. (Reuters)
The family of the lone survivor in the crash of Comair Flight 5191 says doctors have amputated co-pilot James Polehinke's left leg, and he has no memory of the crash. (NBC Lexington)
Remains of Dagmar of Denmark, the mother of the last Tsar of Russia, are transported from the Roskilde Cathedral to Saint Petersburg in order to be reburied in the Peter and Paul Cathedral on 28 September. (BBC)
After taking over Kismayo, Somali Islamist militants open fire on anti-sharia protesters. Three deaths are being reported. (BBC)
Two gunmen kill Safia Ahmed-jan, the provincial director of Afghanistan's Ministry of Women's Affairs outside her home in Kandahar. (AP via Yahoo! News) (BBC)
Chen Liangyu, the Shanghai Communist Party of China General Secretary and a senior member of the Shanghai clique, is dismissed for corruption. (ABC)
The New Orleans Saints return to the Superdome for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. (The New York Times)

September 26, 2006 (Tuesday)

Riots break in Dhaka, Bangladesh, due to frequent power outages. Hundreds are injured in confrontations with riot police .(AP)
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair makes his final speech at a Labour Party Conference. (Sydney Morning Herald)
In the United States, a jury rules in favor of the pharmaceutical corporation Merck & Co. Inc. in a court case related to the painkiller Vioxx. The jury rejects claims that Vioxx caused the plaintiff's heart attack. (AP via Sharewatch)
The Bush administration releases excerpts of a report stating that the Iraq War has bred deep resentment in the Islamic world and provided Islamist militants with a "cause célèbre" that allowed the global movement to cultivate supporters. (Reuters Alertnet)
Zambian archbishop Emmanuel Milingo is excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI. (BBC)
Former WorldCom chief Bernard Ebbers reports to a federal prison in the U.S. state of Louisiana to begin a 25-year prison term. (AP via Kiplinger Forecasts)
At least 18 people are killed in an explosion outside a government office in Lashkar Gah in southern Afghanistan. (BBC)
The Diet of Japan confirms Shinzo Abe as the Prime Minister of Japan. At 52, he is the youngest Prime Minister since World War II. (Reuters via Tiscali)
The European Commission confirms that Bulgaria and Romania are set to join the European Union on 1 January 2007, in what may be the last EU expansion before a European constitution is established. (BBC)
"Weird Al" Yankovic releases Straight Outta Lynwood in the USA.

September 27, 2006 (Wednesday)

A hostage situation at Platte Canyon High School near Bailey, Colorado, United States ends with the death of the gunman. A wounded female student later died.(CNN) (KCNC/AP)
The U.S. Republican Party selects Minneapolis–St. Paul as the venue for its 2008 convention. (Los Angeles Times)
Legislation passes in the U.S. House and Senate giving President Bush authority to detain, interrogate and try terrorism detainees before military commissions. (San Francisco Examiner)
A funeral service for Empress Maria Fyodorovna of Russia is held at the Gothic Chapel at Peterhof. (Interfax)
U.S. Democrats urge the Bush administration to release in full a report linking the Iraq conflict and global terrorism. (BBC)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict:
- An Israeli court sentences Asher Weisgan to four consecutive life sentences plus an additional 12 years in prison for murdering four Palestinian workmen and wounding a fifth in August 2005. Weisgan must also pay more than 1,000,000 shekels ($US 235,000) in compensation to the victims' families. (Haaretz)
- Israel Defense Forces raid several Palestinian towns, arresting eight people in Jenin, seven people in Hebron, three people in Nablus, and twenty people in Khan Yunis. (IMEMC), [4], [5], [6].
- An Israeli military court has ordered the release of the Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister, Nasser Ed-Deen Al Sha'er, who had been captured by the Israel Defense Forces on 19 August, as there was not "enough evidence". Al Sha’er will not be allowed to enter Ramallah, where the Palestinian Government offices are located, and will not be allowed to leave the Palestinian territories until October 15. Another 23 Palestinian legislators had their remand extended. (BBC) (IMEMC)

September 28, 2006 (Thursday)

The Platte Canyon High School killer is identified as Duane Morrison, who has no known connections with Bailey, Colorado. (CBS News)
Georgia-Russia spying row:
- Russia recalls its ambassador from Georgia over the detention there of several Russian army officers on spying charges and ordered a partial evacuation of Russian diplomatic staff from that country. (Reuters)
Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, the new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, urges Muslims to make the month of Ramadan a "month of holy war" in an audiotape posted on an Islamic web site. (Associated Press)
Empress Maria Fyodorovna of Russia is interred in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of Saint Petersburg, next to her husband, Alexander III of Russia. (BBC)
Israeli radio reports that Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert said he plans to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in coming days. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond leaves Leeds General Infirmary for an undisclosed hospital near his home to recuperate after major car crash whilst filming the week before. (AFP via News Limited)

September 29, 2006 (Friday)

The HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter takes its first low-orbit, high-resolution pictures of Mars. (Space.com) (HiRISE team blog)
A high school principal is shot to death by 15-year-old Eric Hainstock. Principal John Klang of Weston High School in Cazenovia, Wisconsin is shot three times by Hainstock with a gun which he stole from his family home. A custodian and others confront the student who is now in police custody. (AP)
Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 with 154 passengers onboard collides with a smaller jet in midair, 470 miles south of Manaus, Brazil. The Boeing 737-800 wreckage has been found by FAB near Peixoto de Azevedo (Reuters) (G1 NEWS, Portugesse) (Associated Press)
A tape of senior Al Qaeda figure Ayman al-Zawahiri is released in which he brands US President George W. Bush a "lying failure" over the war on terror. He goes on to condemn Pope Benedict XVI as an "impostor" for his recent controversial speech and labels Roman Catholicism a religion "made of myths". (CNN) (BBC)
Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., resigns from the United States House of Representatives in the wake of questions about e-mails and instant messages he wrote to a former Capitol page. (AP via Sun Sentinel) (The New York Times)
Soyuz TMA-8, with the Expedition 13 crew and Iranian-American space tourist Anousheh Ansari on board, lands safely on the Kazakh steppe. (Reuters)
Typhoon Xangsane lashes the northern Philippines, killing at least 48 people and causing extensive damage. (International Herald Tribune)
Lenovo recalls 526,000 Sony laptop batteries due to fire risk. (Xinhua)
A general strike is being observed in Indian-administered Kashmir to protest the planned execution of Jaish-e-Mohammed militant, Mohd Afzal, set for October 20. (PTI)
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission submits its report to the government and the LTTE rebels. The report accuses both sides of human-rights violations and breaking the terms of the cease-fire, citing over 200 civilians killed and over 200,000 displaced in the last two months. (AP)

September 30, 2006 (Saturday)

The Los Angeles Times has reported that Jason Grimsley, a former pitcher for several Major League Baseball teams who has been accused of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to several players, allegedly named stars Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Miguel Tejada in a sworn statement as users of performance-enhancers. (LA Times)
In Nigeria, the collapse of a dam wall kills forty people in Gusau, Zamfara state. (ABC Australia)
Eighteen-year-old Taťána Kuchařová from the Czech Republic was crowned Miss World 2006 at the conclusion of a ceremony held at Sala Kongresowa in Warsaw, Poland. 1st Runner-Up was Ioana Boitor from Romania and 2nd Runner-Up was Sabrina Housammi from Australia. 104 nations competed for the title. (Reuters)
In Ireland the controversy continues over payments by businessmen friends to Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern in 1993 when he was Minister for Finance; it has come to light that the largest of the payments was drawn on a company cheque. (Irish Times) (RTÉ)
Talks between the European Union and the United States Department of Homeland Security on the transfer of airline passenger data break down. The US demands over 30 items of data on each passenger, an earlier agreement which had been deemed to break European privacy laws. Midnight tonight was the deadline for reaching a new agreement. Airlines face losing landing rights in the US if they do not provide the information, and heavy fines in the EU if they do. (BBC)
Three lanes of the overpass on Boulevard de la Concorde and a pedestrian sidewalk collapsed onto Autoroute 19 in the Montreal area, Quebec. Two cars were trapped under, 5 were killed and at least 6 are injured, 2 critically. (Reuters) (CTV NEWS) Archived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine
A Brazilian Air Force search and rescue team locates the wreckage of Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 near the town of Peixoto de Azevedo, in northern Mato Grosso state. The Boeing 737-800 disappeared from radar after allegedly colliding in mid-air with an Embraer Legacy 600 executive jet. There are no reports on survivors. (Reuters) (Globo, Portuguese) (AP)
Indian police accuse Pakistan's security and intelligence service, the ISI, of masterminding the Mumbai train bombings in July, carried out by militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which killed nearly 200 people. (Hindustan Times) Archived 2006-11-09 at the Wayback Machine (Reuters)
West Coast Eagles beat Sydney Swans by 1 point to win 2006 AFL Grand Final.

Elections

Trials
Peru: Alberto Fujimori (extradition) Chile: Augusto Pinochet Ethiopia: 111 defendants, including leaders of the CUD and journalists, on charges related to the 2005 elections. Iraq: Iraqi Special Tribunal Saddam Hussein & military chiefs of staff Netherlands: ICC Thomas Lubanga Netherlands: ICTY Sierra Leone: SCfSL Charles Taylor UK: Leo O'Connor & David Keogh U.S.: Brian Nichols U.S.: Jeffrey Skilling (sentencing) U.S.: Tom DeLay

Holidays and observances
1: Teachers' Day (Singapore) 1: Constitution Day (Slovakia) 2: National Day (Vietnam) 3: Father's Day (Australia, New Zealand) 3: Flag Day (Australia) 3: Armed Forces Day (Taiwan) 4: Labor Day (United States) 4: Labour Day (Canada) 5: Teachers' Day (India) 6: Defence Day (Pakistan) 6: Stillbirth Remembrance Day (United States, Canada) 7: Independence Day (Brazil) 8: International Literacy Day 9: Republic Day (North Korea) 9: Independence Day (Tajikistan) 10: National Grandparents' Day (United States) 11: Patriot Day (United States) 14: Feast of the Cross (Western Christianity) 16: Independence Day (Mexico) 18: Respect for the Aged Day (Japan) 21: International Day of Peace 22: Rosh Hashanah (Judaism, begins at sunset) 23: Ramadan (Islam, begins at sunset, est.) 24: Heritage Day (South Africa) 26: European Day of Languages 27: World Tourism Day 27: Meskel (Ethiopia) 27: French Community Holiday (Belgium) 28: St. Wenceslas Day (Czech Republic) 28: Teachers' Day (Taiwan) 29: Michaelmas

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