Portal:Current events/October 2007

October 2007 is the tenth month of that year. It began on a Monday and 31 days later, ended on a Wednesday.

International holidays

• October 2 – Gandhi Jayanti (India)
• October 3 – Last third of Ramadan which includes Laylat al-Qadr (Islamic)
• October 3 – end of Sukkot, sunset (Judaism)
• October 5 – Proclamation of Republic (Portugal)
• October 8 – Thanksgiving (Canada)
• October 8 – Health and Sports Day (Japan)
• October 8 – Columbus Day (United States)
• October 16 – World Food Day
• October 13 – Eid ul-Fitr (Islam)
• October 20 – Kenyatta Day (Kenya)
• October 21 – Apple Day

• October 24 – United Nations Day
• October 25 – Thanksgiving Day (Grenada; commemorates Invasion of Grenada, 1983)
• October 31 – Halloween
• Independence Day
  • October 1 – (Nigeria and Cyprus)
  • October 4 – (Lesotho)
  • October 8 – (Croatia)
  • October 24 – (Zambia)
  • October 27 – (Azerbaijan, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Turkmenistan, Czech Republic, and Slovakia)

Portal:Current events

October 1, 2007 (2007-10-01) (Monday) Pope Benedict XVI replaced Archbishop Piero Marini, the longtime director of office of papal liturgies, with Father Guido Marini of the Genoa archdiocese. (Novus Motus Liturgicus) President of Russia Vladimir Putin announces he will run on centrist list in the parliamentary elections in December and that he does not exclude the option of becoming Prime Minister of Russia after the election. [1] Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007: With 70 percent counted, Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc and Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party had 48 percent of the vote. Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's party and his Communist and Socialist allies had 36.8 percent. (Bloomberg) At least 15 people are killed and 19 others injured in a suspected suicide bomb blast in Bannu in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province. (BBC) The Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres in an extra-innings tiebreaker game to clinch a wild card birth to the playoffs October 2, 2007 (2007-10-02) (Tuesday) 2007 Summer Special Olympics opens in Shanghai, China. (Wall Street Journal) Citigroup buys out minority shareholders of Japanese brokerage Nikko Cordial for $4.6 billion. (Reuters via CNBC) Five workers are trapped underground in an Xcel Energy hydroelectric plant near Georgetown, Colorado, United States due to a chemical fire. They are later found dead. (Reuters) (Fox News) At least 27 people are killed when a bus catches fire in Chongqing, southwest China. (News Limited) Pakistan: The Pakistani cabinet announces plans to drop all corruption charges against former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf appoints General Ashfaq Kiyani to succeed him as the head of the Pakistan Army after Saturday's election. (Washington Post) Israel confirms it conducted an airstrike on Syria on September 6. (Ynet) Iraq War: The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown makes his first visit to Iraq, where he announces the withdrawal of 1,000 troops. (BBC) (AP via Topix) War in Afghanistan: A suicide bomber blows himself up near a bus carrying policemen killing at least 11 in Kabul. (BBC) The President of South Korea Roh Moo-hyun walks across the Korean Demilitarized Zone in travelling to Pyongyang for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. (BBC) (CNN) Manhattan Community Board 5 voted to add the Hotel Pennsylvania to the list of NYC Historic buildings. (CB5) 2007 Burmese anti-government protests: United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari meets with Burmese General Than Shwe to tell him to stop the killing of dissidents. (The Guardian) Gambari later meets with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi with growing fear about the wellbeing of approximately 1000 dissidents held in a warehouse in the Government Technical Institute in Rangoon. (AFP, Reuters via The Melbourne Age) October 3, 2007 (2007-10-03) (Wednesday) More than 3,000 gold miners are trapped underground in the Elandskraal mine at Elandsrand, northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, owned by Harmony Gold Mining. (BBC) The United States and Russia sign a pact to use Russian technology on NASA missions to hunt for water on the moon and Mars. (Reuters) United States President George W. Bush vetoes an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. (AP via Google News) Edward Pietrzyk, the Polish ambassador to Iraq, is hurt and his bodyguard is killed by a bomb attack in Baghdad. (Bloomberg) Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto says that the corruption charges against her have not been dropped, and that Minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad's announcement is part of a disinformation campaign. (CNN) (NYT) Lal Masjid mosque opens to the public three months after being seized by the Pakistani army. 2007 Burmese anti-government protests: The State Peace and Development Council releases 80 Buddhist monks and 149 Buddhist nuns. (Reuters via News Limited) United Nations envoy Ibrahim Gambari leaves the country, while arrests and intimidation of demonstrators continue. (NYT) (Guardian) (BBC) 2007 Pacific typhoon season: Vietnam evacuates 400,000 people from the provinces of Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh ahead of Severe Tropical Storm Lekima (Hanna). Two people die and hundreds of houses collapse when the storm strikes.(AP), (AP via CNN) North Korea: The President of South Korea Roh Moo-hyun and the leader of North Korea Kim Jong-il commence talks in Pyongyang. (Reuters) Kim Jong-il proposes to extend the talks by one day, but Roh Moo-hyun declines. (CNN) At the six-party talks in Beijing, North Korea agrees to fully shut down its nuclear program by the end of the year. (NYT) October 4, 2007 (2007-10-04) (Thursday) United States Republican Party Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico announces that he will retire at the end of his current term due to a degenerative brain disease. (AP via Google News) The Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper chooses Mark Carney to succeed David Dodge as governor of the Bank of Canada. (Bloomberg) The recording industry wins a key victory with a court in the U.S. state of Minnesota finding that a woman was liable for damages of $220,000 for sharing copyrighted music online through Kazaa. (USA Today) Family members of deceased de facto president of Chile Augusto Pinochet are arrested in Santiago on charges of embezzlement. (BBC) Republican Party Senator Larry Craig from Idaho vows to serve out his term in the United States Senate despite losing a court bid to rescind a guilty plea for an indecent act in a Minneapolis Airport men's room. (AP via the Guardian) India asks neighboring Myanmar to free Aung San Suu Kyi. (Times of India) Bangladesh Supreme Court denies bail to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a corruption and extortion case against her. An Africa One Antonov An-26 cargo plane crashes into a residential area in Kinshasa, DR Congo. (Sky News) North Korea and South Korea agree to seek talks with the People's Republic of China and the United States to reach a permanent peace agreement to formally end the Korean War. (Reuters) Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian Federal Environment Minister, approves the Gunns Tamar Valley Pulp Mill but with an extensive list of conditions. (News Limited) A rescue operation begins for 3,200 gold miners trapped in Elandsrand, South Africa. All of the miners are eventually rescued leading to wild celebrations. (AFP via News Limited) (SABC News) (Reuters via ABC News Australia) A court case to challenge the overthrow of Laisenia Qarase's government of Fiji opens in Suva. (Radio New Zealand) Russia celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, which marked the start of the Space Race. (BBC) October 5, 2007 (2007-10-05) (Friday) Two bomb blasts in Kidapawan City, on Mindanao in the Philippines, the explosion killed a child and injured 36 people. (Radio Australia) Topps Meat Company announces that it is going out of business as a result of recalling 21.7 million pounds of beef in the United States linked to 30 cases of E. coli-related illness. (Reuters) Canada stops the sale of Novartis anti-inflammatory drug Prexige and cancels its authorisation due to the risk of liver-related effects such as hepatitis. (Reuters via Wall Street Journal) 2007 Burmese anti-government protests: Burmese security forces claim that they are looking for four of the monks that led the protests. (AP via CNN) United Nations envoy Ibrahim Gambari briefs the Security Council on the situation in an open session. (CNN) Iraq War: United States forces kill at least 25 members of a Shiite militia in a firefight. (AP via Topix) Marion Jones admits using banned substances during her athletic career and risks being stripped of her five Olympic medals. (AFP via ABC News Online) Saudi Arabia announces that it will overhaul its judicial system including the creation of a supreme court, an appeals court and new general courts to replace the Supreme Judicial Council. (BBC) Elections for a Nepalese Constituent Assembly are delayed as the Seven Party Alliance of ruling parties and the former Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) rebels fail to break a deadlock over the republic issue and the voting system to be used. (BBC) SELENE, Japan's lunar probe, successfully achieves an orbit around the moon. (AP via NYT) October 6, 2007 (2007-10-06) (Saturday) A collision between a train and a bus kills at least 28 people and injures over 70 in Cuba's eastern Granma province. (CNN via AP) The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown rules out calling an early election. (AP via CNN) Danish police arrest more than 400 people in protests in Copenhagen over the closure of the Ungdomshuset youth centre earlier in the year. (BBC) 2007 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Krosa hits Taiwan, killing at least four people and injuring 40 more. (BBC) (Bangkok Post) Typhoon Krosa later heads for the People's Republic of China, where 730,000 people are evacuated from Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. (VOA) War in Afghanistan: A suicide bomb attack on a United States convoy in Kabul kills a U.S. soldier and five civilians. (Reuters) (BBC) Pervez Musharraf wins the Pakistani Presidential Election in unofficial results. The announcement of the official result will be withheld until a Supreme Court verdict is made on the legality of his candidacy. (BBC) Adventurer Jason Lewis of Expedition 360 completes the first human-powered circumnavigation of the globe. (BBC) Quentin L. Cook is called as an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 177th Semi-Annual General Conference. (Deseret News) Christopher John Worden, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable from Hay River, Northwest Territories, is shot and killed by an unknown assailant. (CBC News)(CTV News) October 7, 2007 (2007-10-07) (Sunday) War in Afghanistan: Sixteen militants fighting under wanted Uzbek warlord Tahir Yuldash are killed in eastern Afghanistan. (AP via Google) The United Auto Workers sets a Wednesday deadline to reach a new four-year contract with Chrysler. (NYT) A sheriff's deputy shoots dead six young people in Crandon, Wisconsin, United States. It was initially believed that he was killed by a police sniper after a manhunt, but is now believed to have committed suicide by multiple gunshots. (Reuters) Costa Ricans approve CAFTA in a referendum with 52% of the votes. (AP via Google News) Pro-Taliban militants capture 28 Pakistan soldiers in the North Waziristan tribal region. 2007 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Krosa moves towards China's southern Zhejiang and northern Fujian provinces. (AP via CNN) The death toll from Severe Tropical Storm Lekima (Hanna) rises to 55. (AP via CNN) A Syrian military plane crashes near Damascus, killing all three on board. (AP via Google News) Record-setting temperatures cause the 2007 Chicago Marathon to shut down after only three and a half hours and after the race has a men's open division photo finish, a death, and sprint finishes in the women's open and men's wheelchair divisions. (Chicago Tribune) Vandals punch a 10-cm (4") tear in the Claude Monet painting Le Pont d'Argenteuil at the Orsay Museum during Paris's annual Nuit Blanche all-night cultural festival. (AP via Yahoo! News Randy Orton is awarded the vacant WWE Championship which he loses in 10 minutes to Triple H, who defeats Umaga in the second title defense of the night, but loses in the 3rd to Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match. U.S. college football: On the heels of last week's historic AP Poll shakeup, another one of comparable size occurs, in which four Top Ten teams and eleven ranked teams overall move down the list or off the poll entirely. LSU receives first place from all 65 sports critics, the first time that has occurred for any team since December 2006. #2 California earns its highest rank since 1951, #4 Boston College earns its highest showing since 1984, and #5 South Florida continues its ascent after first moving into the AP Poll three weeks ago. (AP via Yahoo! Sports) October 8, 2007 (2007-10-08) (Monday) U.S. athlete Marion Jones returns the five medals she won at the Sydney Olympics and accepts a two-year ban from the sport after admitting to her use of a prohibited substance. (Sydney Morning Herald) Australia suffers its first combat casualty in Afghanistan following the explosion of a bomb in the southern province of Orūzgān. (Canadian Press) Washington plane crash Air crews conduct search and rescue missions for an airplane carrying 8-10 passengers that is believed to have crashed in a mountainous area of the U.S. state of Washington 45 miles west of Yakima. (Reuters) The wreckage of a small plane carrying nine skydivers and the pilot is found in Washington with no sign of survivors. (AP via Google) The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown announces that Britain will cut its troop commitment in Iraq by half to 2,500 troops. (AFP via ABC News Australia) H D Kumaraswamy resigns as Chief Minister of the Indian state of Karnataka. Governor Rameshwar Thakur is likely to recommend presidential rule till further elections. Mario R. Capecchi, Oliver Smithies, and Sir Martin J. Evans are announced as winners of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of the principles for introducing specific gene modifications by the use of embryonic stem cells in mice. (Nobelprize.org) Pakistan: A helicopter escorting the helicopter of President Pervez Musharraf crashes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing four security officials and injuring his spokesman. Forty five Pakistani soldiers and 130 pro-Taliban militants have died in two days of fierce fighting in North Waziristan, the Pakistani army says. (Aljazeera) 2007 Burmese anti-government protests: Burma's junta announces that Buddhist monasteries have accepted US$8000 as well as food and medicine from its soldiers to signify the armed forces have not left the faith. (AFP via Melbourne Herald Sun) New Zealand introduces its biofuel bill. (NZ parliament) October 9, 2007 (2007-10-09) (Tuesday) The British Government drops plans to ban the mixing of sperm and eggs from different species. (The Guardian) Christian von Wernich, a Roman Catholic priest and former police chaplain is sentenced to a life sentence for his role in torture, kidnapping and murder during Argentina's dirty war. (Reuters via News Limited) The United States Supreme Court dismisses the case of the German citizen Khalid El-Masri who accuses the CIA of abducting him to a secret prison in Afghanistan where he claims he was tortured. The US government had argued that a public trial would reveal state secrets. (Deutsche Welle)(LA Times) Pakistan - Battle of Mir Ali: 20 people are injured in Peshawar, Pakistan, when a bomb rips through a music shop. At least sixty people are killed as Pakistani aircraft bomb a bazaar in Epi village in North Waziristan. (CNN) Iraq War: Employees of Australian-owned security firm Unity Resources Group open fire on a car in Baghdad killing two Iraqi women.(CNN) Twin blasts in the town of Baiji kill at least eight people and injures dozens more. (BBC) Japan extends sanctions against North Korea, citing a lack of progress in a dispute about the abduction of Japanese nationals. (BBC) The President of France Nicolas Sarkozy travels to Moscow to meet with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin to discuss a broad range of policies including Kosovo, Chechnya, and Iran. (AFP via Google) Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg are announced as winners of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of giant magnetoresistance. (Nobelprize.org) (USA Today) The general election in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador gives the Conservative government of Premier Danny Williams an enlarged majority at the expense of the Liberals. (CBC) The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its highest point in history, closing at a record high of 14,164.53. October 10, 2007 (2007-10-10) (Wednesday) Polish police evict about 65 rebellious ex-nuns who had illegally occupied a convent in Kazimierz Dolny, Poland, for more than two years in defiance of a Vatican order. (AP) The general election in the Canadian province of Ontario gives the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty an enlarged majority. (Bloomberg) Tibetan exiles storm the embassy of the People's Republic of China in New Delhi to protest the lack of religious freedom in China. (AP via CNN) Taliban frees one German and four Afghan hostages kidnapped in mid-July. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns consumers not to eat Banquet pot pies or other pot pies made by ConAgra with a printed code ending in C9 due to possible links with a salmonella outbreak. (AP via WJBF) Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, spells out his conditions for a peace deal with Israel prior to a conference in Annapolis, Maryland, next month. (The Guardian) The United Automobile Workers reaches a tentative agreement with Chrysler shortly after workers commence strike action. (Fox News) The first Malaysian astronaut, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, and the first female space station commander, Peggy Whitson, are launched towards the International Space Station on board Soyuz TMA-11. (Spaceflightnow) German scientist Gerhard Ertl is announced as the winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on chemical processes on solid surfaces. (BBC) The International Monetary Fund warns of a slowdown of the global economy in 2008 as a result of financial turmoil on global markets. (BBC) An earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale is recorded just south of Katanning, Western Australia, and felt as far away as Perth, Western Australia. (ABC) A 14-year-old high school student goes on a shooting rampage in Cleveland, Ohio, wounding two teachers and two students before his death. (CNN) October 11, 2007 (2007-10-11) (Thursday) The Prime Minister of Australia John Howard proposes a constitutional referendum recognising indigenous Australians in the Australian constitution, if he is reelected. (BBC) Mychal Bell of the Jena 6 is ordered to spend 18 months in a juvenile facility for violating probation for previous convictions. (CNN) An AMC Airlines MD-83 makes an emergency belly landing at the Atatürk International Airport, overshooting the runway. There is one injury, and the plane is badly damaged. (Reuters) A group of 138 prominent Muslim clerics and scholars send an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders, calling for greater understanding between the two faiths. (BBC) Turkey recalls its ambassador to the United States due to anger over an upcoming House of Representatives vote on recognizing the Armenian Genocide. (CNN) The British writer Doris Lessing wins the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature. (The Nobel Foundation) October 12, 2007 (2007-10-12) (Friday) The Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper appoints a five-member advisory committee on Afghanistan to be chaired by John Manley of the opposition Liberal Party of Canada. (ABC News Australia) The President of Russia Vladimir Putin threatens to renounce the Cold War-era INF Treaty while calling on the United States to abandon a proposed European missile shield in talks with the United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defence Robert Gates. (AFP) Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) share the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. (Washington Post) Indonesia and Australia commemorate the fifth anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings. (ABC News Australia) (BBC) Three people are dead at the Newhall Pass interchange on Interstate 5 just north of Los Angeles, California after thirty-one vehicles collide in a highway tunnel, closing the freeway entirely. (CNN) October 13, 2007 (2007-10-13) (Saturday) At least nine people die and 8 people go missing as a result of torrential rain in and around Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. (AFP) At least 20 people die following a landslide at an open pit gold mine near Suarez in Colombia's Tolima department. (Reuters) At least 11 people are dead and 23 more injured after a natural gas explosion in an apartment building in Dnipropetrovsk in eastern Ukraine. (AFP via ABC News Australia) Four people are killed and over 50 injured when rear carriages of Probhati Express derails near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Tens of thousands of people participate in a pro-government rally in Rangoon as Ibrahim Gambari, the United Nations envoy, returns to Southeast Asia. (AFP via ABC) Flooding after several days of torrential rain kills at least 23 people in Haiti with the town of Cabaret being worst affected. (BBC) October 14, 2007 (2007-10-14) (Sunday) A bomb explodes in a movie theatre in Ludhiana in India's Punjab state killing at least six people and wounding at least 30 others. (AP via CNN) Three million Italians go to the polls to elect the leader of the new Democratic Party. The current Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni, wins with about 75% of the votes. (AFP via Google News) The Attorney-General of Israel launches a third criminal inquiry into the behaviour of the Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert before he was Prime Minister: the latest inquiry is into granting political favours as Trade Minister. (BBC) Burma restores some Internet access but continues to deny access to foreign news services such as the BBC and CNN, blogs and dissident sites. (AP via Google News) The Interfax news agency reports that Russian security forces have received a warning of plans to assassinate the President of Russia Vladimir Putin in Iran.(Reuters) At least eight people including six tourists die when trapped by a flood in the Nam Talu cave in Khao Sok national park in southern Thailand. (Reuters) Voters in Togo go to the poll for the Togolese parliamentary election, 2007. (BBC) The Prime Minister of Australia John Howard asks the Governor-General of Australia Michael Jeffery to dissolve the Parliament of Australia and call an election on 24 November. (ABC News Australia) (ABC News Australia) After 25 centuries, the marbles of the Acropolis of Athens are cautiously moved to the New Acropolis Museum. (BBC) October 15, 2007 (2007-10-15) (Monday) Montenegrin Prime Minister Željko Šturanović signs a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union, saying that Montenegro is hoping to lodge an official application for EU membership in the first half of 2008. (EUobserver) Battle of Las Anod: Troops from the breakaway Somali republic of Somaliland seize a town inside Puntland, a rival region loyal to the interim Somali government, killing at least 10 people. (Al Jazeera) Sir Menzies Campbell resigns as the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom, starting a leadership election. (The Guardian) Leonid Hurwicz, Eric S. Maskin and Roger B. Myerson are announced as winners of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Economics for having laid the foundations of mechanism design theory. (Nobelprize.org) Ibrahim Gambari, the United Nations special envoy to Myanmar, warns the Burmese government to stop arresting dissidents. (Reuters Canada) Airbus delivers its first A380 aircraft to launch customer Singapore Airlines in a ceremony in Toulouse, France, almost 18 months behind schedule, but denies rumours that further delays to the programme are looming. (BBC News) (Reuters UK) William Street underground platforms and The Esplanade Station begin service in Perth, Western Australia. Part of the New MetroRail project, they are the first stations to open on the new Mandurah Line. (ABC News Australia) Police raids are made across New Zealand under the Terrorism Suppression Act, with individuals supporting Māori sovereignty targeted, and arrested, for their alleged involvement in paramilitary activities. Activist Tame Iti is among those arrested. (The New Zealand Herald) The 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opens in Beijing, China, marking the beginning of a 7-day conclave of China's top leadership. General Secretary Hu Jintao delivers the work report for the past five years, and sets the party's direction in the coming five years. Hu also said in the keynote speech that the Communist Party has "fallen short of the people's expectations". (BBC News) Xinhua Richard Brunstrom, the Chief Constable of North Wales Police, calls for all classified drugs to be legalised in the United Kingdom. He argues that the current policy of prohibition is not working, and is based on dogma. (The Independent) October 16, 2007 (2007-10-16) (Tuesday) Irish writer Anne Enright wins the 2007 Man Booker Prize for her novel The Gathering. (BBC News) Libya, Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Croatia and Costa Rica are elected to the United Nations Security Council as non-permanent members. (BBC News) The Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh advises the President of the United States George W. Bush that India is unlikely to sign a pact with the United States on civil nuclear cooperation. (The Sydney Morning Herald) Macedonian singer Tose Proeski passes away in Croatia October 17, 2007 (2007-10-17) (Wednesday) French public transport workers hold a 24-hour strike protesting at changes to pensions. (BBC via ABC News Australia) John Fahey, former Premier of New South Wales, is appointed as the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency. (Herald Sun) The Dalai Lama is awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the United States Congress; the decision is defended by George W. Bush. Burmese activist and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is granted honorary citizenship by Canada. (Globe and Mail) 2007 Turkish offensive on Iraqi territories against Kurdish rebels: The Turkish Grand National Assembly approves a government request for their troops to cross the Iraqi border to attack Kurdish rebels. (Sky News) The President of Sudan Omar Hassan al-Bashir approves a Cabinet reshuffle meeting one of the demands of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) who had earlier withdrawn participation in the government. (Reuters) Trading on the Bombay Stock Exchange's BSE Sensex is briefly suspended after a 9% decline in the market. (BBC) Floyd Roland becomes the new Premier of the Northwest Territories, Canada. (Globe and Mail) Pope Benedict XVI announces he will create twenty-three new members of the College of Cardinals in the consistory of November 24. (ZENIT) October 18, 2007 (2007-10-18) (Thursday) Oil prices reach $90 a barrel for the first time due to the low dollar and ongoing tension between Turkey and Iraq. (BBC) The BBC announces 1,800 job cuts as part of restructuring to fill a £2 billion (US$4 bn) shortfall caused by lower than expected funding by the British government. (AFP via Google) At least four people are killed in three days of tribal warfare near the Grasberg mine in the Papua province of Indonesia. (BBC) French commuters face chaos after a public transport strike over proposed changes to pensions of transit workers continue. (Reuters) Cécilia and Nicolas Sarkozy file for divorce. (CNN) Return of Benazir Bhutto: Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan after eight years of self-exile, with a crowd of a million expected in Karachi to welcome her back. (CNN) 2007 Karachi bombings: At least 138 people are killed and 600 injured as two bombs explode near a truck carrying Benazir Bhutto. (CNN) October 19, 2007 (2007-10-19) (Friday) EU leaders agree in Lisbon that the transcription "eвро" (evro) will be used in Bulgarian translations of the euro in official EU documents. (EuObserver) The Dow Jones Industrial Average drops 369.1 points, or 2.7%, on the 20th anniversary of Black Monday. (CNN Money) James D. Watson, who shared the 1962 Nobel prize for deciphering the double-helix of DNA, apologizes for reported comments suggesting that black people, over all, are not as intelligent as whites. (NYT) Six people die as a result of storms in the midwestern United States and Washington state. (AP via Google) Two US Marines including a battalion commander will face a court martial in connection with the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha in 2005. (BBC) Tens of thousands of people are evacuated from villages near Mount Kelud on Java as the volcano threatens to erupt. (AP via IHT) Four United States Air Force officers are relieved of command following an investigation of an incident where live nuclear warheads were carried on a B-52 bomber from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. (CNN) Sam Brownback, Senator for Kansas, pulls out of the 2008 United States presidential election due to a lack of support and funds. (AP via Fox News) British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that his predecessor Tony Blair would be a "great candidate" to become the first President of the European Council after EU leaders agree on a new Reform Treaty for the union. (AP via PR Inside) 2007 Karachi bombings: The death toll from the bombings rises to 136 with 387 people wounded. (CNN) An explosion kills up to eight civilians Glorietta Mall in Makati City, PhilippinesJee Ann De Gracia was one of the 11th victim of Bombing. (AFP via Inquirer) A ship sinks off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia resulting in at least 31 deaths and 35 people missing. (Reuters via ABC News Australia) Thailand arrests suspected Canadian child molester Christopher Paul Neil after an international man hunt. (Reuters) (CNN) Leaders of the European Union reach agreement on the Lisbon Treaty following last-minute concessions to Poland, Italy and Bulgaria. (EuObserver) (ABC News Australia) October 20, 2007 (2007-10-20) (Saturday) Bobby Jindal of the Republican Party is elected as the next Governor of Louisiana and becomes the first Indian American governor in the history of the United States. With 53% of the vote, he defeats five Democrats, a Libertarian and five independents without requiring a runoff. (NYT) Riots erupt in the immigrant quarter of Amsterdam for the sixth night in succession after the death of a Moroccan man the previous weekend. (Reuters via ABC News Australia) Hundreds of thousands of left wing Italians march in Rome putting increased pressure on the Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi. (Reuters via ABC News Australia) Thousands flee a fresh outbreak of fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Turkish Press) South Africa defeats England to win the 2007 Rugby World Cup. (BBC) Karachi police release a photograph of the suicide bomber who killed at least 130 people in the 2007 Karachi bombings. (BBC) J.K. Rowling has revealed that Dumbledore of the Harry Potter books is homosexual. (CNN) Myanmar's State Peace and Development Council lifts the curfew it imposed in Yangon and Mandalay on September 26. (BBC) French trains resume service after a two-day strike against President Nicolas Sarkozy's proposed welfare reform. (BBC) Iraqi President Jalal Talabani criticizes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for his support of a possible Turkish attack against Kurdistan Workers Party fighters in the Iraqi Kurdistan. (BBC) Mikhail Gorbachev founds a new political party in Russia, called Union of Social-Democrats. (BBC) Saeed Jalili replaces Ali Larijani as Iran's nuclear negotiator. (Reuters via News Limited) At least seven people die in a bomb blast in the town of Dera Bugti in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. (BBC) October 21, 2007 (2007-10-21) (Sunday) Tokelauan ex-pats in Samoa go to the polls for the Tokelauan self-determination referendum. (Radio New Zealand) Turkish people vote in favor of a constitutional referendum on electoral reform with a 69% majority. (AP via IHT) Voters go to the polls in Slovenia to elect a new President, with Lojze Peterle winning most votes but not a majority. A runoff between him and Danilo Türk will be held on November 11. (AP via Google News) Marco Fu wins the 2007 Royal London Watches Grand Prix snooker tournament, defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan 9 frames to 6. (BBC) Kyrgyz people go to the polls to vote on a constitutional referendum called by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. (Reuters) Speaking at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, United States Vice President Dick Cheney states: "The United States joins other nations in sending a clear message - we will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon." (BBC) A fire in an illegal shoe factory kills at least 34 people in Putian in Fujian province, China. (BBC) The Boston Red Sox defeat the Cleveland Indians 11-2 winning the 2007 American League Championship Series and going on to meet the Colorado Rockies, the 2007 National League champions, in the 2007 World Series. (AP via Fox News) 2007 California fires: At least nine wildfires burn out of control in Southern California leading to the death of a San Diego man. (Reuters) Fire engulf parts of Malibu, California leading to the evacuation of homes including those of James Cameron and Olivia Newton-John. (News Limited) The Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger declares a state of emergency in seven counties including Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura County. (News Limited) The world's biggest banks endorse a rescue plan, also supported by the United States Treasury, to restore the world's financial system. (BBC) Polish Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński is conceding defeat as exit polls give Donald Tusk's Civic Platform a large lead over his ruling nationalists in the parliamentary elections. (VOA) (BBC) Kimi Räikkönen wins the 2007 Formula One World Drivers Championship. (BBC) Kurdistan Workers' Party militants kill at least 12 Turkish soldiers and wounded 11 others on Sunday in a cross-border attack in mountains near the Iraqi border, security sources said. (Reuters) Soyuz TMA-10 lands safely outside Arkalyk, 340 kilometers (210 mi) short of the planned landing site in Kazakhstan, due to a computer glitch. (ABC News) 2007 Ogaden conflict: A rebel group in eastern Ethiopia, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, says it has carried out an attack on government troops, killing 140 troops. (BBC) Swiss voters go to the polls for the 2007 Swiss federal election, with the right-wing Swiss People's Party set to win. (BBC) Three of the People's Republic of China's top politicians, namely, Vice-President Zeng Qinghong, anti-corruption chief Wu Guanzheng, and Luo Gan, are dropped from the Communist Party of China's Central Committee. Also retiring are Vice-Premier Wu Yi, Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan, and Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan. Hu's Scientific Development Concept is enshrined in the Party Constitution. (BBC) October 22, 2007 (2007-10-22) (Monday) France and Morocco agree to a deal to build a high-speed rail link between Tangiers and Marrakech. (BBC) The Kurdistan Workers Party declares a unilateral ceasefire following an attack on Turkish forces. (CNN) The President of the United States George W. Bush asks the United States Congress for $189.3 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Reuters via ABC) Al-Jazeera broadcasts an audiotape purporting to be from Osama bin Laden calling on Al-Qaeda in Iraq and other Sunni militants to unite forces. (CNN) An investigation concludes pilot error caused the crash of Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 on March 7, killing 21 people. (See report) California wildfires of October 2007: At least a dozen wildfires burning throughout Southern California force the evacuations of more than 250,000 residents. (LA Times) The Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger orders the deployment of 1500 California National Guard members to help fight the fires. (Agence France Press via News Limited) More than 600 homes are destroyed in the fires. (AFP, AP via Sydney Morning Herald) Joaquim Chissano wins the inaugural Prize for Achievement in African Leadership for "his role in leading Mozambique from conflict to peace and democracy." (AP via CNN) (BBC) Georgia and Slovakia offer to send troops to support the Australian/Dutch taskforce in the south of the Afghanistan as the Dutch government is under pressure to reduce troops. (The Age) The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) demands general elections in Pakistan in two months time. Voters in Fakaofo go to the polls for the Tokelauan self-determination referendum. (AFP via Herald Sun) The United States dollar reaches a new record low against the euro, which is traded at $1.4348. (BBC) The 2007 Kyrgyzstani constitutional referendum is approved by about 75% of voters. President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiyev dissolves the parliament and announces a snap legislative election will take place in December 2007, which he will contest with his newly founded party Ak Zhol. (BBC) At least 25 killed when Tamil Tiger fighters attack a Sri Lankan air force base in the Anuradhapura district with heavy fighting reported. (Reuters via News Limited) Four new members join the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, China's de facto top power organ. They are Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang. President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao retain their seats. (BBC) October 23, 2007 (2007-10-23) (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) October 24, 2007 (2007-10-24) (Wednesday) Comet 17P/Holmes grows significantly brighter overnight, going from magnitude 17 to magnitude 3 in just a few hours, while in the constellation of Perseus. (USA Today) The Bank of America announces that it will lay off 3,000 staff following an announcement of a significant decline in earnings in the third quarter. (NYT) A storm in the Gulf of Mexico kills 18 Mexican oil workers fleeing an oil rig, with Navy rescue teams trying to reach survivors. (Reuters) (BBC) Moderating winds improve the outlook in the fight against the California wildfires of October 2007. (CNN) Richard J. Griffin resigns as head of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in the United States State Department following the Blackwater shooting in Iraq. (AP via CNN) The United Kingdom announces a unilateral end to the Common Travel Area with the Republic of Ireland. From 2009, passports will be required for the first time, bringing to an end centuries of unimpeded travel between the two countries. (Irish Times) Turkey-PKK conflict Reuters reports that Turkish forces launched an attack on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) positions in northern Iraq earlier in the week killing 34 PKK fighters. (Reuters) Turkish warplanes attack a village near Shiranish Islam in Kurdistan. (Reuters) China launches its first lunar orbiter, Chang'e 1, on an exploration mission to the moon. (BBC) The Pakistan Peoples Party claims that its leader, former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, has been forbidden to leave the country. (BBC) Prime Minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen calls early elections for 13 November 2007, less than three years after the last elections in early 2005. (ABC) The ITER Organization was officially established. (ITER) October 25, 2007 (2007-10-25) (Thursday) Supporters of a U.S. congressional resolution condemning the Armenian genocide drop calls for a vote. (CNN) The death toll from the California wildfires of October 2007 rises to 12 as four bodies are discovered near the Mexican border. (Reuters via ABC News Australia) Ehud Barak, the Defense Minister of Israel, approves a plan to cut off supplies of electricity to the Gaza Strip which has been recently declared as "hostile territory". (CNN) 30 killed in a powerful explosion near the police lines in Mingora in Swat, Pakistan. The United States imposes economic sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for its support of terrorism. (Sky News) Yang Jiechi, the foreign minister of China, meets with Pranab Mukherjee, the Foreign Minister of India, to discuss India's aspirations to become a Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council. (AP via IHT) The Airbus A380 takes off on its inaugural passenger flight from Singapore to Sydney. (CNA) (Sydney Morning Herald) A 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia approximately 135 kilometres south-west of Bengkulu. (Reuters via ABC News Australia) The Tokelauan self-determination referendum fails by 16 votes. (New Zealand Herald) EasyJet announce their intentions to purchase British Airways franchise GB Airways for £103.5 million October 26, 2007 (2007-10-26) (Friday) An explosion shakes the Mexican consulate in New York City. The explosion was caused by two thrown hand grenades aided by additional explosive material. 7 injuries were reported, with several windows blown out and debris entering the building. (WCBS) UN Security Council urges Nepal to set early date for Constituent Assembly election. Former President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada is freed after receiving a pardon from the current President Gloria Arroyo. (BBC) Leaders of the European Union and Russia meet for their annual summit in Lisbon. (BBC) The southern segment of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway in Singapore, set to be the longest subterranean road tunnel in Southeast Asia when fully complete, opens to traffic. (CNA) Apple Inc. launches the sixth major release of their Mac OS X operating system, entitled Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. (BBC) October 27, 2007 (2007-10-27) (Saturday) War in Afghanistan: United States led coalition forces kill 80 Taliban fighters outside Musa Qala in Helmand province. (AP via Fox News) A suicide bomber explodes a bomb outside a United States base in eastern Afghanistan killing four Afghan soldiers and a civilian. (AP via CNN) Curlin wins the Breeders' Cup Classic at the Monmouth Park racecourse. In the same race, European star George Washington is euthanized after breaking down in the stretch. (Reuters) At least 30 people are killed and 100 injured in flooding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (BBC) California wildfires: Some fires are reported in the Mexican state of Baja California, south of the U.S. border, but these are generally brought fairly swiftly under control. (CalFires.com) The Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger vows to personally "hunt down" those responsible for starting the fires. (CNN) Yu Zhengsheng leaves his post as CPC party chief of Hubei to replace newly promoted Politburo Standing Committee member Xi Jinping as Shanghai party chief. (Xinhua) October 28, 2007 (2007-10-28) (Sunday) The Roman Catholic Church beatifies 498 people who were executed during the Spanish Civil War. The decision sparks controversy because most of them were supporters of dictator Francisco Franco. (BBC) The Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert apologizes to the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for possibly violating Turkish airspace. (VOA) Numerous locations and machines in North America are affected by newly instituted rules governing daylight saving time. (thenewspaper.com) (seattlepi.com) (tcpalm.com) Apparel manufacturer Gap Inc. convenes all of its Indian suppliers to "forcefully reiterate" its prohibition on child labor after The Observer found children young as 10 making clothing for it in a New Delhi sweatshop. (AP via CNN) Israel reduces the flow of oil to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. (CNN) Scandinavian Airlines decides to immediately and permanently discontinue services based on the use of its 24 Dash 8 Q400 after a series of crash landings. (Reuters) 2007 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Depression Sixteen forms 195 miles (310 kilometers) south-southeast of Port au Prince, Haiti. A tropical storm warning is issued for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, and a tropical storm watch is issued for the southeastern coast of Cuba. (NHC) Voters in Argentina go to the polls for the 2007 general election. Exit polls show First Lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner with a clear lead over Elisa Carrió. (BBC) The Boston Red Sox baseball team sweep the Colorado Rockies to win the 2007 World Series. (Providence Journal) October 29, 2007 (2007-10-29) (Monday) The strain of HIV most common in the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia and much of South America is traced back to Haiti in 1969. (BBC) The USS Arleigh Burke enters Somali waters in pursuit of a Japanese ship carrying benzene that was hijacked by pirates. (CNN) Argentine general election, 2007: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is elected President of Argentina. (Argentina results) (CNN) King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia claims the Government of the United Kingdom failed to act on intelligence given to it by the Government of Saudi Arabia which could have prevented the 7 July 2005 London bombings. (Guardian Unlimited) The Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert announces that he has been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer. (NYT) Salim Aliyow Ibrow becomes Prime Minister of Somalia in the Transitional Federal Government as the embattled Ali Mohamed Ghedi resigns. (BBC) The UK embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, is closed as a precaution after a terrorist attack in the city is prevented. The US embassy also closes its doors after the Azerbaijan Government reports of the thwarting of a "large-scale, horrifying terror attack." (Sky) (AP) People's Republic of China: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China announces that new Politburo Standing Committee member Li Keqiang has left his post as party secretary of Liaoning and is succeeded by Liaoning Governor Zhang Wenyue. (Xinhua) The Chinese government announces that it has arrested 774 people as part of a crackdown on the production of tainted drugs, food and agricultural products. (NYT) An earthquake with magnitude of five on Richter scale shakes central Nepal. All banks and post offices in Borlänge, Sweden, are kept closed by the local police due to an "elevated risk level of bank robbery". (TT via Dagens Nyheter) [2] Kasereka Kabamba, a Mai Mai militia leader in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, surrenders to Nord-Kivu Army Chief Vainqueur Mayala. Kabamba maintains his forces fought against rebels loyal to Laurent Kabila, in the service of the government. (BBC) One of two men alleged to be involved in a gay-sex-and-drugs blackmail plot against a minor member of the British Royal Family will appear in court this week. (Times Online) October 30, 2007 (2007-10-30) (Tuesday) An International Space Station solar wing relocated by the crew of STS-120 is torn during deployment. (spaceflightnow.com) A moderate earthquake of 5.6 magnitude strikes 9 miles northeast of San Jose, California. (Reuters) Tropical Storm Noel weakens after causing between 11 and 25 deaths in the Dominican Republic. (CNN) Patricia Etteh resigns as speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives amid accusations of corruption. (BBC) The United States Supreme Court halts an execution in Mississippi pending its decision as to whether lethal injections are a form of cruel and unusual punishment. (AP via Google News) The President of the United States George W. Bush nominates James Peake as the next United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. (LA Times) The United States Congress votes to extend a ban on Internet taxes for another seven years. (Technewsworld) Six people are killed and 11 injured in a suicide bomb attack near Pakistan Army headquarters in Rawalpindi. US light crude oil hits an all-time high of $US 93.53 (Xinhua) The New Zealand Cabinet is reshuffled, with three new ministers appointed, and two leaving Cabinet. (New Zealand Herald) October 31, 2007 (2007-10-31) (Wednesday) The United States Federal Reserve reduces short-term interest rates to 4.5 per cent, the second cut in three months. (NYT) The President of the United States George W. Bush nominates Fmr. Governor of North Dakota Ed Schafer for United States Secretary of Agriculture. (Prairie Farmer) At least 8 people are killed and 53 are injured when militants bomb a bus in Togliatti, Russia. (Bloomberg) 21 of the 28 people accused over the 2004 Madrid train bombings have been found guilty; four of them are charged with murder. (Sky News) Police question Prince Harry over an alleged shooting of endangered hen harriers at the Royal Family's Sandringham House estate. Alcatel-Lucent announces plans to cut 4,000 jobs. (Reuters) Buddhist monks return to the streets of Burma for the first time since a crackdown on protests last month. (BBC) Police in India's Meghalaya state say they have killed five tribal separatists in the capital of Shillong. (BBC) Los Angeles authorities reveals that a boy playing with matches caused one of the Los Angeles fires. (CNN) A United States district court blocks new patent rules relating to continuation practice at the USPTO, originally scheduled to take effect on November 1, 2007. (Forbes) (InformationWeek)

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