Portal:Current events/September 2005

September 14, 2024 (2024-09-14) (Saturday)

July 6 2005 (Wednesday)

• New York Times reporter Judith Miller is jailed for refusing to divulge her source in an investigation around the leak of a CIA operative's name.
• The European Parliament rejects the proposed Directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions by a 648-14 vote with 18 abstentions, ending four years of intense debate and lobbying. (BBC) (Forbes) (Bloomberg) (Businessweek)
• The International Olympic Committee names London, UK as the site of the 2012 Summer Olympics. (BBC) (ABC) (CNN)
• In India, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party calls for a nationwide strike in protest of the Tuesday attack on the Ayodhya site. The police are on high alert in case of religious violence. (Newindpress) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC) (Bloomberg)
• In Bolivia, the senate decides to call for early elections. There will also be a referendum on regional autonomy next July. (Bloomberg) (BBC)
• In Burundi, the former Hutu rebel group Forces for the Defence of Democracy wins 58% of the vote in parliamentary elections. (News24) (Reuters AlertNet)

July 5 2005 (Tuesday)

• Kansas City Southern Railway names Francisco Javier Rión as the new CEO, succeeding interim CEO Vicente Corta Fernandez, for its subsidiary Grupo Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana. Before joining TFM, Rión was president of Bombardier's Rail Control Solutions Division in London, England, from 2001 to 2005, president and managing director of Bombardier's Mexican division from 1995 to 2001, and general director of Dina Autobuses/Consorción-Grupo Dina from 1991 to 1995. (Business Journal of Kansas City) (KCS)
• The Al Jazeera Network states it will be expanding by broadcasting English language content into the United States by March of 2006. (CNN)
• The United Church of Christ becomes the first mainline U.S. Christian denomination to officially support same-sex marriages by passing a resolution calling for member churches to consider wedding policies "that do not discriminate against couples based on gender." It also asks churches to consider supporting legislation granting equal marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples and to work against laws banning gay marriage. (San Jose Mercury News) (BBC) (Turkish Weekly) (United Church of Christ) (AP)
• Scientists uncover evidence that humans lived in the Americas 45,000 years ago, 30,000 years earlier than previously thought. (BBC)
• Elections in Albania: Vote tallying in the 2005 Albanian general election continues. Voter turnout was over 50% and results are expected later in the day. International observers, including OSCE, have expressed reservations about the voting process. Three people have been killed during the election. (Euro-Reporters) (Reuters) (Guardian Unlimited)
• In Indonesia, an earthquake ranking from 6.0-6.7 on the Richter scale hits Sumatra. No reports on any damage have yet been released. (Channel News Asia) (Malaysian Star) (Reuters AlertNet)
• In India, militants attack and try to storm a makeshift temple of Ram in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh; most of them die in a firefight with the security forces. There are differing reports about the number of attackers and how many were killed. The temple site is a source of dispute between Muslims and Hindus. (Newindpress) (Rediff) (Reuters AlertNet)
• In Germany, Sven Jaschan, suspected creator of Sasser worm, goes on trial. (BBC)
• In Brazil, secretary general Silvio Pereira of the ruling Worker's Party resigns for the duration of the parliamentary inquiry into vote-buying. (BBC)
• In Iraq, gunmen attack envoys from Pakistan and Bahrain. The attacks come three days after Egypt's top envoy was ambushed in the street and injured. The attempted kidnappings are meant to discourage other nations from having ties with Iraq. (LA Times)
• The government of Indonesia announced the extension of its immunization campaign against polio. The second round in this campaign was originally scheduled to end yesterday. (Bloomberg)
• In Germany, workmen remove the unofficial Berlin Wall memorial in Berlin, after the original builders refuse to obey a court order to do so. (Deutsche Welle) (IHT)
• In Peru, former president Alberto Fujimori receives new identity papers and may return to the country. Peru still wants him for charges of murder and corruption. (Reuters AlertNet)
• In Austria, state procecutors investigate allegations that Iran's president-elect Mahmood Ahmadinejad would have been involved with the 1989 assassination of Kurdish leader Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou in Vienna. (IranMania) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)
• In France, large forest fires rage in the French Riviera. Authorities evacuate thousands. (BBC)
• Sudanese government and two rebels groups, including Sudan Liberation Movement and Justice and Equality Movement, sign a declaration of principles towards the peace talks. This ends three weeks of negotiations in the Nigerian capital Abuja. Talks are adjourned until August 24. (Reuters AlertNet) (Reuters) (BBC)

July 4 2005 (Monday)

• The Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the country's current opposition party that ruled for over 70 years, has claimed victory in elections for the governor of the country's most populated state, Mexico. (BBC)
• Elections in Burundi for the National Assembly begin under tight security. The voters will elect the first democratic government after the civil war. The vote is expected to favor the Hutu group Forces for the Defence of Democracy. The Hutu Forces for National Liberation are the only group that have not laid down their arms. (News24) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)
• The impactor of NASA probe Deep Impact successfully strikes comet Tempel 1. (NASA)
• In Canada, Karla Homolka, who was connected to murders with her husband Paul Bernardo, is released from prison after 12 years. She gives an interview to French service of CBC, stating that she does not want to be "hunted down." (CTV) (CBC interview) (Canada.com) (Reuters)
• Mexican police believe that they have arrested Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, leader of a Juárez drug cartel. (Reuters AlertNet)
• In the Philippines, president Gloria Arroyo states that she would welcome impeachment proceedings as an opportunity to refute allegations about vote-rigging. The military has expressed its support of the president amid rumors of a coup. (Manila Times) (Sun Star) (Channel News Asia)
• In Israel, president Moshe Katsav states that he is worried about a possible assassination plot against Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon. (Jerusalem Post) (Reuters)
• France abolishes the legal differences between legitimate and illegitimate children. The decree will take effect July 2006. (Daily Telegraph)
• Russian astrologer Marina Bai sues NASA for $300 million because she believes the Deep Impact collision has affected her life. Her lawyers claim that it would have affected cell phone communications. (BBC)
• In Malaysia, police arrest 21 members of religious group Sky Kingdom. (Malaysian Star) (BBC)
• In Sri Lanka, five men receive the death sentence for the assassination of judge Sarath Ambepitiya last November. (Colombo Page) (BBC) (TamilNet)

July 3 2005 (Sunday)

• Aviators Steve Fossett and Mark Rebholz, flying a replica World War I Vickers Vimy bomber, re-enact the first non-stop transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown in 1919, landing at Clifden, Connemara, Ireland at 1704 local time (1604 UTC), about 18 hours after they took off from St. John's, Newfoundland. (Bloomberg)
• Ihab al-Sherif, Egypt's most senior envoy to Iraq is kidnapped by gunmen while buying a newspaper. He was to be promoted to ambassador, representing the first Arab nation to recognize the new Iraqi government. (Guardian)
• Albanians vote in parliamentary elections. Final results are expected in Tuesday (Reuters) (BBC)
• In Mexico, Enrique Peña of the Institutional Revolutionary Party wins election for a governor in the state of México. (Reuters) (Bloomberg)
• In Priština, Kosovo, three bombs explode almost at the same time 9:30 PM. They explode near Kosovo's parliament building and EAR building; at the Commercial Bank near the OSCE building; and local United Nations peacekeeping headquarters. No injuries are reported. President Ibrahim Rugova and prime minister Bajram Kosumi state that the explosions were intended to "destabilize" the region prior to assessment of possibilities for future independence. (B92) (Reuters AlertNet)
• In Mauritius, parliamentary elections begin. The main rivals are prime minister Paul Bérenger of the Mauritian Militant Movement and Navin Ramgoolam of the opposition Social Alliance. (IOL) (BBC)
• In Malaysia, medical experts gather in a bird flu conference in Kuala Lumpur. (Channel News Asia) (BBC)
• In Japan, underwater volcano causes a column of steam near the island of Iwo Jima. (Mainichi Daily News) (Japan Today) (Reuters AlertNet)
• Computer microchip manufacturer AMD asks a Delaware court to order that third parties to its antitrust lawsuit against industry giant Intel, preserve certain documents in their possession that may be required as evidence. The court grants that request, ordering the third parties to suspend normal document destruction as to the documents described. (TechWorld)

July 2 2005 (Saturday)

• On the McLaughlin Group programme, MSNBC analyst Lawrence O'Donnell claims to have known that the identity of Matthew Cooper's source in the Valerie Plame exposure scandal was Karl Rove. (Huffington Post)
• Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unveils the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project amidst protests from fishermen and environmentalists. Nearly 600 are arrested. (Rediff), (Reuters)
• The Live 8 concerts begin their globe-spanning tour in Tokyo. Several famous artists and musical groups are joining in this effort to raise awareness about poverty and AIDS in the leadup to the G8 summit and on the anniversary of the 1985 Live Aid concerts. (Wikinews),(Wired), (Globe and Mail), (LA Times). Related information: (Live 8 home page), (The ONE organization), (AOL Music (live webcast))
• In Australia, the place of the last stand of bushranger Ned Kelly in Glenrowan, Victoria, is made a national heritage site. (ABC) (Australian)

July 1 2005 (Friday)

• Iraq's ambassador to the UN, Samir Sumaidaie, accuses U.S. Marines of the "cold-blooded murder" of his 21-year-old cousin during a June 25 raid of his home in Al Anbar province. (Reuters)
• Following a public statement from the denomination president on the eve of the event, the congregationalist United Church of Christ begins their 5-day General Synod 25 in Atlanta, Georgia to debate a number of controversial resolutions, including same-sex marriage. Some are concerned about denominational schism. DailyBulletin.com Chicago Tribune Christian Science MonitorWashington Times UCC web page UCC news blog
• Indonesian police arrest 24 people suspected of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings and a 2003 attack on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta. (BBC)
• U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announces her retirement after 24 years of service on the Court. (n:United States Supreme Court Justice O'Connor to retire) (NYTimes.com)
• The UK assumes the rotating presidency of the European Union amidst its funding crisis. (BBC News)
• The members of the Australian Senate elected at the election of 2004 take office, granting the government of John Howard control of both Houses of Parliament, the first time a government has had such power since 1981. (ABC News Online)
• Much of the government of Minnesota shuts down as the state legislature fails to pass a budget by the end of the fiscal year. (Wikinews) (Bloomberg)
• In the UK, cot death expert Sir Roy Meadow testifies before the General Medical Council hearing. He was involved with four court cases where four women were falsely accused of killing their children. Medical journal The Lancet defends him saying that he is just a "scapegoat" (BBC) (Scotsman)
• In the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 10 people have died during protests over delay to the presidential elections. Opposition claims the numbers are closer to 42. (Wikinews) (BBC)
• In Germany, the Bundestag passes a Motion of no confidence in the government of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder by 296 to 151. The vote, at Schröder's insistence, opens the way for new elections to be held on September 18. (Wikinews) (Deutsche Welle) (IHT) (BBC)
• Italian police in Genoa discover a parallel police force, called the Department of Anti-terrorism Strategic Studies, that was apparently founded to benefit from funding after 2004 Madrid bombings. The group's website is now down. (Google cache) (AKI) (AGI) (BBC)
• A Toronto mosque makes history by hosting the first known Muslim prayer service in history to be led by a woman. (CBC)
• General Motors Corp. announces that it had its best month in 19 years in June 2005, increasing total deliveries by 41% against June 2004, (GM website)
• Romania's legal tender, leu was re-valued, 10,000 old lei becoming 1 new leu. Thus the ISO 4217 code was changed from ROL (Romanian leu) to RON (Romanian New leu).

Past events by month

see list of months by year for a more complete list.

2005: January February March April May June
2004: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2003: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2002: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2001: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2000: January February March April May June July August September October November December

News collections and sources

• Wikipedia:News collections and sources.
• Wikipedia:News sources - This has much of the same material organized in a hierarchical manner to help encourage NPOV in our news reporting.