Portal:Current events/June 2008

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June 2008 was the sixth month of that leap year. The month, which began on a Sunday, ended on a Monday after 30 days.

Portal:Current events

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from June 2008.

Current events of June 1, 2008 (2008-06-01) (Sunday) Thirteen people are killed and 14 others injured in a bus crash in Anzoátegui, Venezuela. (Xinhua) At least 8 people are suffocated at the Samuel K. Doe stadium in Monrovia, Liberia in a 2010 World Cup qualification match between Liberia and Gambia. (AP via CNNSI) The Rajasthan Royals led by Shane Warne win the first Indian Premier League cricket competition defeating the Chennai Super Kings in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. (AAP via Fox Sports) 2008 United States presidential election: New York Senator Hillary Clinton wins the Puerto Rico Democratic primary, 2008. (The Guardian) The Australian Army ends its combat role in Iraq, as about 500 troops withdraw from Nasiriyah. (Reuters) Macedonian voters go to the polls for the Macedonian parliamentary election, 2008 with reports of violence in ethnic Albanian areas. The Prime Minister of Macedonia Nikola Gruevski claims victory for his centre-right party. (Reuters) (BBC News) Voters in the Bolivian departments of Beni and Pando go to the polls for autonomy referendums. (AP via CNN) A large fire breaks out at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles. There was at least one explosion. (Sky News) Current events of June 2, 2008 (2008-06-02) (Monday) A SNCF train runs into a school bus at a level crossing at Mesinges, near the town of Allinges in the mountainous Haute Savoie area of France with at least six people killed. (Reuters) Astronomers using the Mount John University Observatory discover MOA-2007-BLG-192-L b, the smallest known extrasolar planet which does not orbit a pulsar. (PhysOrg.com) A suicide bomber strikes outside the Danish embassy in the Pakistani capital Islamabad with at least eight people dead. (CNN) Subprime mortgage crisis Wachovia, the fourth largest bank in the United States, fires its Chief Executive Officer, G. Kennedy Thompson, due to losses incurred in the subprime mortgage crisis. (Bloomberg) The Bank of England says that new mortgage approvals in the United Kingdom in April were at record lows. (The Guardian) Supreme Court of the United States: In United States v. Santos, by a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court takes a narrow interpretation of federal laws regarding money laundering, and uses the decision in Cuellar v. United States to unanimously overturn the money laundering conviction of Humberto Cuellar. (Fox News) The Supreme Court refuses to hear Major League Baseball Advanced Media v. C.B.C. Major League Baseball had sought to overturn a judgement against them in state court in Missouri that permitted C.B.C. to run fantasy baseball leagues using real player names without a license from MLB. (Sports Illustrated) The International Atomic Energy Agency will send an inspection team to Syria to investigate claims by the United States that it was secretly building a nuclear reactor. (Reuters) The United Nations Security Council goes on a mission to Africa with the first leg of the mission to Djibouti to discuss the Somali Civil War. (BBC News) The United Nations Security Council unanimously passes a declaration allowing foreign naval vessels to enter Somali territorial waters to deal with pirates. (BBC News) Current events of June 3, 2008 (2008-06-03) (Tuesday) Antonio Pettigrew hands back the gold medal he won as part of the United States Olympic 400 metre relay team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney following an admission that he used EPO and human growth hormone between 1997 and 2003. Michael Johnson, another member of the team, returns his gold medal on the grounds that it was "tainted". (AP via Forbes) (AP via CNN) China National Petroleum Corporation signs an agreement to produce oil in Niger. (BBC News) General Motors announces it will close 4 pickup truck and sports utility vehicle factories in Janesville, Wisconsin, Oshawa, Ontario, Moraine, Ohio, and Toluca, State of Mexico, eliminating 10,000 jobs; it also announces plans for a small car that will achieve 45 miles per gallon in response to rising fuel prices. (AP via Google News) NASA reveals that Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center sustained unusual amounts of damage during the launch of STS-124. They are unsure what caused the damage, but are certain it will not cause any delay for the next launch, STS-125, in October. (CBS News via Spaceflight Now) United States Democratic Party primaries, 2008: Illinois Senator Barack Obama wins the Democratic Party presumptive nomination, becoming the first African American to be nominated by a major party. (AP via Time) (BBC News) Senator Obama wins the Montana Democratic primary, 2008. New York Senator Hillary Clinton wins the South Dakota Democratic primary, 2008. (BBC News) The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization opens the High-Level Conference on World Food Security in Rome, focusing on the world food price crisis, climate change and agriculture and food vs fuel issues. Three people are dead and many more injured as a result of flooding in the Zollernalbkreis region in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. (CNN) Current events of June 4, 2008 (2008-06-04) (Wednesday) The Detroit Red Wings defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in the sixth game to win the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals 4-2. (AP via Google News) (CBC) Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the 2008 Danish embassy bombing stating it was revenge for the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy. (Bloomberg) Tony Rezko, a Chicago property developer and former fundraiser for Barack Obama, is convicted on 16 charges of corruption. (Chicago Tribune via Los Angeles Times) A coolant leak at Krško Nuclear Power Plant in Slovenia triggers the European Union's ECURIE nuclear emergency alert system. Slovenian authorities state the situation is under control, with no radiation leak into the environment. (BBC News) Reassembly of the Obelisk of Axum begins in Axum, after the monument was returned to Ethiopia from Italy in 2005. (BBC News) The International Olympic Committee releases a shortlist of 2016 Summer Olympics bids consisting of Chicago, United States; Tokyo, Japan; Madrid, Spain; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Sports Network) Zimbabwean police detain Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai while campaigning in the second round of the Zimbabwe presidential election. He is later released after eight hours in detention. (The Times) (BBC News) Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas announces plans to avoid recession as growth of the Lithuanian economy slows. (Bloomberg) The Malaysian government announces a 40% increase in fuel prices, with gasoline rising from 1.92 ringgit (US$0.61) per litre to 2.70 ringgit by midnight. (BBC News) (International Herald Tribune) Current events of June 5, 2008 (2008-06-05) (Thursday) An Irish opinion poll shows the EU Treaty of Lisbon heading for defeat. (The Irish Times) American and British diplomats are detained in Zimbabwe. (France24) United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announces the resignation of United States Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne and his Chief of Staff General T. Michael Moseley over the 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident. (The Washington Post) The USS Essex, USS Juneau, USS Harpers Ferry and USS Mustin depart the coast of Burma as the State Peace and Development Council maintains its refusal of the ships' aid in Cyclone Nargis relief. (AP via Google News) Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others are arraigned at Guantanamo Bay detention camp under the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and charged with crimes related to the September 11, 2001 attacks. (AP via Google News) Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo of the International Criminal Court reports that crimes in the War in Darfur "required the sustained mobilization of the entire State apparatus" of Sudan. (allAfrica.com) (BBC News) A fire destroys major parts of the Rådhuset court house in Stockholm, the architectural landmark designed by Carl Westman. (The Local) (Svenska Dagbladet) Turkey's Constitutional Court reinstates a ban on the hijab in universities, citing the constitution's secular principles. (BBC News) Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert says that "the end of Iran's nuclear program is near". (Haaretz) Burma detains activist and comedian Zarganar who has been involved in private relief efforts for the victims of Cyclone Nargis and seize his computer and banned films including Rambo. (Reuters) Current events of June 6, 2008 (2008-06-06) (Friday) After five years of searching, the Caribbean Monk Seal is declared officially extinct (MSNBC) Japan and North Korea resume bilateral talks, last held in September 2007. (BBC News) Colombia and Ecuador restore relations following the Andean diplomatic crisis in March. (BBC News) (Reuters) A Venezuelan National Guard sergeant and 3 more people are captured in the Colombian Department of Vichada with 40,000 AK-47 rounds for the rebel group FARC. (El Tiempo) (Noticias24) The Diet of Japan recognizes the Ainu as an indigenous people for the first time. (BBC News) (Yomiuri Shimbun) The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc-Our Ukraine Bloc coalition loses its majority in Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada after two deputies quit. (BBC News) The America's Climate Security Act of 2007, a greenhouse gas emissions reduction bill, stalls in the U.S. Senate after a 48-36 vote fails to invoke cloture on a Republican filibuster. Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama were among six senators absent from the vote who expressed support for the bill. (AP via San Jose Mercury News) (BBC News) A rush-hour explosion targeting a bus in Colombo, Sri Lanka kills at least 21 people and injures 80. (BBC News) The price of a barrel of crude oil rises a single-day record of nearly US$11, settling at a new record of US$138.54. (CNN) Joseph Muscat becomes the leader of the Malta Labour Party, to become the opposition leader of Malta, to take the place of Charles Mangion, after the resignation of Alfred Sant. (Times of Malta) Current events of June 7, 2008 (2008-06-07) (Saturday) Big Brown becomes the first Triple Crown favorite to place last in the 2008 Belmont Stakes in New York. The undefeated colt previously won the 2008 Kentucky Derby and the 2008 Preakness Stakes. The 38/1 longshot Da'Tara wins in a wire-to-wire finish. The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978. (The Ledger) The Lord's Resistance Army, reportedly drafting recruits and acquiring new weapons, kills at least 23 people in attacks against south Sudanese troops. (Reuters) (BBC News) Hillary Clinton suspends her presidential campaign and endorses Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the 2008 election. (CNN) UEFA Euro 2008 begins in Austria and Switzerland. (Swissinfo) Attackers exchange gunfire with guards at Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi's home. (BBC News) Cuba offers free sex reassignment surgery. (Reuters) In tennis, Ana Ivanovic defeats Dinara Safina to win the French Open. (ESPN) Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper, Luke McCormick is held on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. (Sky News) Current events of June 8, 2008 (2008-06-08) (Sunday) Two bombs explode at a train station near Algiers, Algeria, killing at least 12 people. (BBC News) A fire sweeps through the historic Texas Governor's Mansion, leaving much of the 152-year-old building charred and severely damaged. (AP via Google News) A dispute between Southern Sudan and the central Sudanese government over Abyei will go to international arbitration. (BBC) Robert Kubica of the BMW Sauber team wins the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, becoming the first Pole to win a Formula One Grand Prix auto race, and giving BMW its first win as a constructor. (F1-live) (Formula1) (Wikinews) At least two people have been killed as an earthquake rocked southern Greece, collapsing buildings and causing panic. (CNN) The government of Southern Sudan withdraws its mediation efforts at the Juba talks between Uganda and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army. (The Uganda Monitor) At least 37 miners go missing after an explosion in a Ukrainian coal mine causes it to collapse. (RTÉ) (BBC News) At least 7 people are killed and 10 injured in a stabbing spree in Tokyo, Japan, coinciding on the 7th anniversary of the Osaka school massacre. (RTÉ) (BBC News) In tennis, Rafael Nadal wins the men's singles title at the 2008 French Open for the fourth year in a row, equalling Bjorn Borg's record. (BBC News) A day of mourning is declared in Russia's Kaliningrad Region as the death toll from Thursday's explosion and fire on the MV Yenisei reaches eight, with two missing. (Xinhua) (Wikinews) Current events of June 9, 2008 (2008-06-09) (Monday) French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner warns Ireland, saying the Irish would be the "first victim" if they reject the EU Treaty of Lisbon. (RTL France) June 2008 Midwest Flood: A stalled storm system in the midwest of the United States causes further heavy flooding in Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin with storms on the weekend causing 10 deaths in four states. (The New York Times) Pakistan lawyers begin a "Long March" of protests against the Government of the President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf calling for the reinstatement of judges dismissed last year including the former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. (The Guardian) 24 miners are rescued from the Ukrainian coal mine collapse with 12 still missing and one reported fatality. (Reuters) A further three British Conservative MEPs (Robert Atkins, Sajjad Karim, and John Purvis) are facing allegations of financial abuse, following the resignation of two fellow members from European Parliament positions last week. (The Independent) (The Daily Telegraph) (The Times) (The Courier) Ali Al-Naimi, the Saudi Arabian oil minister calls for a meeting of oil producing and consuming nations to discuss record oil prices. (AP via ABC News) Apple, Inc. introduces a new iPhone with 3G capabilities, a GPS, and new features. The device is called iPhone 3G. (Business Week) IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory break processing speed barrier with the world's first petaflop computer, Roadrunner. (Network World) The body of businessman Travis Alexander is found in his home in Mesa, Arizona. It is believed he was murdered. | (Arizona Republic) India's prime minister Manmohan Singh calls for global nuclear disarmament asking world countries to create 'timebound framework' to rid the world of atomic weapons. (VOA) Indonesia makes the practice of the Ahmadiyya form of Islam in Indonesia a crime punishable by five years in prison. (BBC News) McDonald's stops serving sliced tomatoes in its hamburgers in the United States following a Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak linked to raw tomatoes. (Chicago Tribune) Tens of thousands of Spanish truck drivers start an indefinite strike over the increases in the price of diesel. (BBC News) The government of the Indian state of Rajasthan meets with leaders of the Gujjar community after two weeks of protests over the reservation system. (BBC News) The President of the United States George W. Bush commences the last visit to Europe of his presidency. (USA Today) The United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates nominates Norton Schwartz to be the next Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force with Michael B. Donley nominated as the next United States Secretary of the Air Force. (RTT) Current events of June 10, 2008 (2008-06-10) (Tuesday) Two Kenyan ministers – Roads Minister Kipkalya Kones and Assistant Home Affairs Minister Lorna Laboso – die in a plane crash near Narok in western Kenya while traveling to campaign in by-elections. (BBC News) President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez revokes an intelligence law that opposition groups and the Roman Catholic church claim would have forced citizens to become government informants and asks the National Assembly to develop new legislation. (Bloomberg) A Moroccan court sentences 29 people to prison sentences for recruiting people to fight for militants in Iraq. (Reuters) President George W. Bush attends the final United States-European Union summit of his Presidency with agreements to tighten sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. (AP via Google News) United States Republican senators block moves to levy a windfall profits tax on oil companies. (MarketWatch) Water from the Tangjiashan Lake, created in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, floods the abandoned town of Beichuan. (Reuters) South Korea's cabinet, led by Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, offers to resign following widespread protests at decisions to resume US beef imports in South Korea. (BBC News) (CNN) Sudan Airways Flight 109 crashes on landing at Khartoum International Airport in Khartoum, Sudan, with around 200 on board. The death toll is 28 with 66 people unaccounted for.(CNN) (BBC News) (AFP/Reuters via ABC News) A series of strong thunderstorms track through Southern Quebec, causing heavy damage south of Montreal and leaving over 250,000 people out of electricity. Champlain Bridge is closed for several hours after a wind gust causes over a half-dozen semi-trailer to tip on their side. (CBC) (SRC) Current events of June 11, 2008 (2008-06-11) (Wednesday) Kosovo adopts a national anthem named "Europe"; composed by Mendi Menxhiqi, it comes without lyrics in any language to avoid offending the newly independent state's Serbian minority. (International Herald Tribune) (B-92) The United States Food and Drug Administration has received 167 reported incidents of Salmonellosis from eating tainted tomatoes in 17 states with New Mexico and Texas the worst affected areas. (Reuters) NASA launches the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) from Cape Canaveral, Florida. (AP via Google News) June 2008 tornado outbreak sequence: A tornado at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near Little Sioux, Iowa kills four Boy Scouts and injures several others. (Des Moines Register) (AP via Yahoo! News) (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) (National Public Radio) Cuba introduces a wages system where workers are paid according to productivity rather than all workers in the same job receiving the same income. (Miami Herald) The Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper apologises to tens of thousands of the indigenous peoples of Canada for more than a century of abuses of First Nations, Inuit and Métis at residential schools set up to assimilate them into Canadian society. (SBS) (AP via Yahoo! News) The United States House of Representatives votes today on whether to refer Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush introduced Monday evening by Rep. Dennis Kucinich to a committee. (The Washington Post) InBev, the world's largest brewing company makes an unsolicited $46 billion takeover bid for United States brewing company Anheuser-Busch. (AFP via Google News) Estonia, Greece and Finland ratify the Treaty of Lisbon. (Xinhua) (The International Herald Tribune) Norway legalises same-sex marriage. (Pink News) The last King of Nepal Gyanendra of Nepal departs from Narayanhiti Palace for the last time after Nepal is declared to be a republic. (CBC) The Metropolitan Police launches an inquiry after top secret British government intelligence on al-Qaeda is found on a train going from Waterloo Station to Surrey. (BBC News) Sheikh Hasina, a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh detained on corruption charges, is released to seek treatment in the United States. (Bloomberg) Stojan Župljanin, a wartime Bosnian Serb police commander is arrested near Belgrade and will be sent to the Hague where he will face trial for alleged war crimes. (Reuters via TVNZ) Former basketball referee Tim Donaghy accuses other referees in the National Basketball Association of rigging games, including Game 6 in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, allowing the Los Angeles Lakers to win that game, the series, and ultimately the 2002 NBA Finals. (ESPN) President George W. Bush says that he wants to solve the Iran issue peacefully but "all options are on the table" in a joint media conference with the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. (Reuters) The British House of Commons considers anti-terrorism legislation extending the period of preventive detention to 42 days with a close vote expected due to a backbench revolt in the Labour Party. The House eventually passes the bill by 315 votes to 306. (Press Association via Google News) (Press Association via The Guardian) Japan's House of Councillors passes a censure motion against the Prime Minister of Japan Yasuo Fukuda, the first such motion to be passed since World War II. (BBC News) Afghanistan: Airstrikes targeting militants have killed at least 31 people including some civilians. (AP via Google News) Reports claim that at least 10 Pakistan Army soldiers have died in an apparent United States-led air strike near the border with Afghanistan with eight Taliban militants also killed. Pakistan condemns the airstrike as "unprovoked and cowardly". The U.S. has released video of the strike showing the militants fighting in order to justify the attacks. (BBC News) (Reuters) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels overrun the Irukkulampiddi Sri Lankan Navy outpost killing at least 10 sailors. (AFP via Google News) Taiwanese negotiators led by Chiang Pin-kung, Chairman of the Strait Exchange Foundation, travel to the People's Republic of China to conduct talks on improving Cross-Strait relations. (BBC News) (AP via Yahoo! News) Current events of June 12, 2008 (2008-06-12) (Thursday) Wildfires in northern California lead to the evacuation of residents in Paradise, California and Bonny Doon, California. (AP via The Guardian) Ecuadorean police arrest four men including three Colombians on suspicion of plotting an assassination of the President of Ecuador Rafael Correa. (AP via International Herald Tribune) Tendai Biti, the Secretary of the Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe, is arrested in Harare. (AFP and ABC News Australia) Four thousand homes in Cedar Rapids, Iowa are evacuated as the Cedar River floods due to heavy rain in recent days. (CNN) David Davis, the Conservative Shadow Home Secretary resigns as the Member of Parliament for Haltemprice and Howden in order to contest the Haltemprice and Howden by-election, 2008 on civil liberties issues. (The Times) The Salmonella outbreak in the United States caused by tainted tomatoes continues to worsen with 228 victims in 23 states. (Bloomberg) The United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates invites Pakistan and Afghanistan to participate in an investigation of the Gora Prai airstrike. (AP via Forbes) Cuban hurdler Dayron Robles sets a world record of 12.87 seconds for the 110 metre hurdles at a Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic. (Associated Press) More than 80 countries and international aid organisations meet in Paris to develop a strategy for delivering billions of dollars in aid to Afghanistan. (AFP via The Australian) The People's Republic of China and Taiwan begin their first formal talks in a decade on improving cross-strait relations. (AFP) Irish voters go to the polls for the Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland to enable ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon of the European Union. (RTÉ) In Boumediene v. Bush, the U.S. Supreme Court holds that foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantánamo Bay have constitutional rights to challenge their detention there in US courts. (The New York Times) Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin wins the Hart Memorial Trophy as most valuable player for the National Hockey League 2007-2008 season as well as the Art Ross Trophy for most points and the Rocket Richard Trophy for top goal scorer. (TSN) Bill C-61, An Act to amend the Copyright Act, is tabled in the second session of the 39th Canadian Parliament by Minister of Industry Jim Prentice, in efforts to better comply to the WIPO treaty. (CBC News) Current events of June 13, 2008 (2008-06-13) (Friday) The Chamber of Deputies of Haiti rejects Robert Manuel, who was the second nominee for the post of prime minister after Jacques-Édouard Alexis resigned in April 2008. (AP via Google News) A Taliban attack on a prison in Kandahar, Afghanistan allows almost all of the 1150 inmates to escape, including 390 Taliban inmates. (AP via Google News) (Reuters) A Zimbabwe judge orders the police to bring Tendai Biti, the arrested Secretary-General of the Movement for Democratic Change to court on Saturday. (Zimbabwe Guardian via All Africa) Kim Jong-hoon, the South Korean Minister for Trade, heads to the United States to push for additional safeguards against mad cow disease in talks with Susan Schwab, the United States Trade Representative as protests continue in South Korea over the decision to resume importing beef from the United States. (VOA) June 2008 Midwest United States floods: The Governor of Iowa Chet Culver declares that 83 of the 99 counties in Iowa are disaster areas as flooding leads to evacuations in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. (AP via Forbes) The upper Mississippi River is closed to shipping as three people die in Indiana and three in Iowa. (Reuters) Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister of Iraq, states talks with the United States on a long-term security agreement have reached "a dead end". (AP via The International Herald Tribune) A hydrogen sulfide leak at a fertiliser plant in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province in China, kills six people and injures 28. (AFP via ABC News Australia) At least 40 people are injured on Sagar Island in the Ganges delta in clashes between supporters of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and local Muslim villagers. (BBC News) Finance ministers from the Group of Eight meet in Osaka, Japan with rising food and oil prices high on the Agenda. (AFP) Pakistani lawyers hold a protest rally in Islamabad to demand the reinstatement of judges sacked by the President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf. (BBC News) The People's Republic of China and Taiwan agree to regular civil aviation flights across the Taiwan Strait for the first time since 1949 with flights limited to weekend charters. (Reuters via The Guardian) Irish voters reject the Treaty of Lisbon in a referendum, thus putting into question the reform programme of the European Union. (RTÉ) The Station nightclub fire: Sealed Air pay a US$25 million settlement for manufacturing foam used in the club. 100 people died in the disaster. (AP via Google News) (Wikinews) American political news reporter Tim Russert dies after collapsing at the NBC Washington D.C. Bureau offices where he worked. (AP) Current events of June 14, 2008 (2008-06-14) (Saturday) Argentine police arrest farm leader Alfredo de Angeli and 14 other farmers in an order to end the farmers strike. (Bloomberg) Condoleezza Rice, the United States Secretary of State, criticises a planned expansion of Israeli housing in East Jerusalem as "not helpful" to the Middle East peace process. (AP via Google News) The Space Shuttle Discovery lands having successfully completed mission STS-124. (Reuters) (NASA) The President of the United States George W. Bush and the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy warn Syria to break with Iran and state that they will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. (AFP via Google News) A fire breaks out at Campsfield House, a privately run Immigration detention Centre near Oxford in the United Kingdom. (BBC News) A roadside bomb in Farah Province of Afghanistan kills 4 United States troops. (AP via Google News) (AP via Google News) The magnitude 6.8 Mw 2008 Iwate earthquake shakes Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures on Japan's main island of Honshū, killing at least 6 people and injuring at least 8 others.(BBC News) (AFP via News Limited) (AP via Forbes) The French Defense Ministry announces France is increasing its military presence in Djibouti following border clashes with Eritrea. France has a mutual defense agreement with Djibouti. (Xinhua) Current events of June 15, 2008 (2008-06-15) (Sunday) Anjouan, an island part of the Union of the Comoros, hold its first presidential election since the 2008 invasion of Anjouan which ousted Mohamed Bacar. (AFP via Google News) Six members of the Kuratong baleleng Philippines crime gang, as well as a police officer are killed in a shootout with police officers in Manila. (AFP via Google News) August: Osage County wins the 62nd Tony Award for best play while In the Heights wins best musical. (AP via Google News) The American International Group (AIG), the world's largest insurance company, removes Martin J. Sullivan as its CEO due to losses caused by the subprime mortgage crisis. (Reuters) Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate will play in an 18-hole playoff to determine the winner of the 2008 U.S. Open Golf Championship. (The Washington Times) Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr claims that he is developing a new force to fight United States forces in Iraq. (CNN) Afghanistan The President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai warns the Taliban that he will send forces into Pakistan in hot pursuit of militants. (AP via Google News) More than 15 Taliban insurgents are killed as NATO and Afghan forces attempt to recapture the hundreds of prisoners who escaped following the Kandahar prison raid. (Reuters) The Prime Minister of Pakistan Yusuf Raza Gillani warns that Pakistan will not tolerate incursions over its borders. (BBC News) Heavy rain in southern China causes flooding with at least six people dead, four missing and 150,000 people evacuated from Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. (AP via Google News) Japanese rescue squads resume the search for missing people after the 2008 Iwate earthquake including seven people feared buried by a mudslide at a hot springs hotel in mountains outside the town of Kurihara, Miyagi. (BBC News) The constitution of Kosovo comes into effect. (BBC News) Current events of June 16, 2008 (2008-06-16) (Monday) Chadian rebels take the town Biltine as they move toward the capital N'Djamena. (BBC News) Hundreds of Taliban militants swarm in the Arghandab District of Kandahar Province with the Afghan government sending reinforcements to the nearby city of Kandahar. (The New York Times) Same-sex marriage in California comes into effect following a court ruling on May 15, 2008. (Reuters) International Criminal Court judges severely criticize prosecutors in the case against Thomas Lubanga. (BBC News) Israel and Syria conclude talks on the Golan Heights issue held in Turkey. (BBC News) An official of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that effect food crisis on Somalia is creating a worse humanitarian situation than the War in Darfur. (BBC News) Tiger Woods defeats Rocco Mediate in a playoff to win the 2008 U.S. Open Golf Championship. (AP via The New York Times) The European Union agrees to tougher sanctions against Iran for its alleged nuclear weapons program with the United Kingdom freezing assets of Iran's largest bank Bank Melli. (AP via Google News) France announces plans to cut 54,000 defense jobs and push for a stronger European Security and Defence Policy as part of a new defense strategy. (AP via CNN) South Korean construction workers join truck drivers in going on strike seeking higher pay and lower fuel costs. (Reuters) Japan turns away a Taiwan activist boat near the disputed Senkaku Islands in a protest against a ship collision last week. (Reuters) Heavy rainstorm and major flooding continues in the South China region. Millions of people are affected in Anhui, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong. Tens of thousands of victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake are evacuated due to heavy rains as 65 people are dead or missing with flood warnings on the Yangtze River and Pearl River amongst other rivers. (AFP) At least 12 police officers are killed and many more people wounded by a suicide bombing outside a police station in the town of Vavuniya in northern Sri Lanka. (BBC News) (AFP via Yahoo! News) Current events of June 17, 2008 (2008-06-17) (Tuesday) Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama opens the U.S. general election campaign with a narrow lead over Republican John McCain. (Reuters) Demonstrators in the Moquegua Region in southern Peru release 48 police officers who they had held hostage for a day. (CNN) The Boston Celtics defeat the Los Angeles Lakers to win the 2008 NBA Finals. (NZ Stuff) President Nicolas Sarkozy announces that France intends to return to the military structure of NATO for the first time since Charles de Gaulle led it out of the organisation in 1966. (AFP via Google News) Iraq: A military judge dismisses charges against a United States Marine Corps colonel of failing to investigate the Haditha killings. (AP via Google News) A car bomb at a bus stop in northern Baghdad kills at least 51 people and injures another 75. (AFP via Google News) In its annual report, the UNHCR says the number of refugees in the world rose to 11.4 million in 2007 from 9.9m in 2006. (AP via Forbes) Tsutomu Miyazaki, known as "The Otaku Murderer", is executed by hanging in Tokyo for the murders and cannibalization of four young girls in 1988 and 1989. He was hanged with two others, each convicted in separate, unrelated murders. (The Times) In the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the Chinese government faces growing criticism from grieving parents who allege that corrupt and shoddy construction was behind the disproportionately high number of collapsed school buildings. (Christian Science Monitor) Lebanese security officials say that clashes between pro-government and anti-government lead to three deaths in the villages of Taalabaya and Saadnayel in eastern Lebanon. (AP via Google News) The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions calls a one day strike for July 2 in protest at the President of South Korea Lee Myung-bak's economic reform plans. (Reuters via The Guardian) Summer 2008 China region floods: Large areas of southern China are hit by the worst floods in decades with Guangzhou and Shenzhen worst affected. So far, 63 people have died and 1.66 million have been evacuated. (AFP via Google News) Current events of June 18, 2008 (2008-06-18) (Wednesday) Brazil celebrates the 100th year of the Japanese Immigration. (Folha Online) Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed survives an assassination attempt. (BBC News) The Parliament of the United Kingdom ratifies the Treaty of Lisbon. (Bloomberg) The United States and China agree to negotiate an investment treaty and to cooperate more closely on energy security and global pollution. (AP via Google News) The European Parliament passes legislation to allow undocumented aliens to be held in detention centres for up to 18 months and banned from European Union territory for five years. (The New York Times) Mexico reaches an agreement with industry groups to fix the prices of 150 food items as a result of accelerating inflation. (Bloomberg) Sudan and former southern rebels start deploying joint forces in the troubled Abyei region as part of an agreement. (AP via Forbes) Russian prosecutors charge three men in the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. (BBC News) China and Japan agree to joint development of the Chunxiao gas field in a disputed area of the East China Sea. (BBC News) Relatives of Srebrenica massacre victims open a case in a Dutch court against the United Nations and the Netherlands for the failure of the Dutchbat force to prevent the killings. (BBC News) The Gujjar community of the Indian state of Rajasthan achieves a compromise recognition as a special category of Other Backward Class in the state's affirmative action program, comparable to the status of Banjaras and Rabaris. (BBC News) American golfer Tiger Woods will miss the rest of the golf season to have additional surgery on his left knee. (MarketWatch) Romanian villagers vote to re-elect a dead man as their mayor, to prevent his living rival winning. (BBC News) The High Court of South Africa extends affirmative action benefits of the Black Economic Empowerment program to members of the South African Chinese community. (BBC News) Six laptops containing information on about 20,000 patients are stolen from a London hospital. (BBC News) Afghan and Canadian forces begin an offensive against the Taliban in the Arghandab District of Kandahar. (Press Association via Google News) Israel agrees to a truce starting Thursday with the Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip. (BBC News) Israel suggests peace talks with Lebanon to end the 60-year Israeli-Lebanese conflict. (The Guardian) Sweden votes in favour of the FRA law, allowing all e-mails and phone calls to be monitored. (The Local) Current events of June 19, 2008 (2008-06-19) (Thursday) The President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez threatens to stop selling oil to European countries who apply new European Union legislation on illegal immigration. (Reuters) Iraqi security forces enter the city of Amarah, arrest its Sadrist mayor, and take control. (BBC News) An Alabama state judge upholds a fraud verdict against AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in a Medicaid drug pricing suit but reduces the value of damages to $160 million. (AP via Forbes) The President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accuses the United States of plotting to kidnap and assassinate him during a visit to Iraq. (AP via Forbes) Subprime mortgage crisis A Congressional ethics panel is examining allegations that Democrat Senators Christopher Dodd of Connecticut (the sponsor of a major $300 billion housing bailout bill) and Kent Conrad of North Dakota received preferential loans by troubled mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp. (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers are arrested and will be the first Wall Street executives to face criminal charges. (Bloomberg) Royal Dutch Shell shuts down an offshore oil installation in Nigeria after an attack from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. (AP via Google News) Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008: Zimbabwe police arrest an opposition Movement for Democratic Change lawmaker and place six others on a wanted list. (AFP) The bodies of four people who opposed Robert Mugabe have been found in Harare. (Sky News) Lee Myung-bak, the President of South Korea, apologises to South Koreans over an unpopular decision to resume importing beef from the United States. (Reuters) Commencing at dawn, the Israeli Government and Hamas declare a truce in the Israel-Gaza conflict, halting attacks across the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. (Chicago Tribune) A report reveals sailors onboard the submarine HMCS Chicoutimi during a 2004 fire may develop serious health problems as a result. (Canada.com) Four German and Spanish servicemen die when their EUFOR helicopter crashes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Deutsche Welle) Current events of June 20, 2008 (2008-06-20) (Friday) A female Iranian student who accused the vice-chancellor of her university of sexually harassing her was arrested. The charges against her aren't clear. The vice-chancellor was also arrested.BBC News 2008 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Fengshen in the Philippines At least two people die in a landslide in Cotabato City in Mindanao as Typhoon Fengshen hits the Philippines. (Bloomberg) UAE wins the first ever Arab Cup of Ice Hockey by defeating Kuwait 4-1. (National Team Scores) Thai Political Crisis People's Alliance for Democracy marched to the Government House in Bangkok demand that the Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej step down. (BBC News) The Franco-American Jason-2 satellite launches, with a mission of furthering the study of physical oceanography. (BBC News) Police in Nepal detain more than 700 Tibetan exiles protesting outside the Chinese embassy and arrest three activists for alleged anti-China activities. (AFP via Google News) A suicide bomb attack in southern Afghanistan kills 6 civilians. (BBC News) Phoenix lander exploration of Mars After white patches uncovered by digging from the Phoenix lander are found to have sublimated by the lander's cameras, NASA believes it has found water ice on Mars. (NASA) The European Union agrees to lift the sanctions it has imposed on Cuba since the 2003 Cocktail Wars dispute. (RTÉ) (BBC News) Twelve people are trampled to death trying to escape a police raid in northern Mexico City. (CNN) Current events of June 21, 2008 (2008-06-21) (Saturday) France and Algeria sign an agreement that could lead to French nuclear power technology being employed in Algerian reactors. (BBC News) Militants in Pakistan fire mortars on a NATO base and Afghan army base. (Economic Times in Pakistan) An employee for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Somalia is kidnapped. (AP via International Herald Tribune) The Government of the Central African Republic signs a peace deal with two rebel groups which promises amnesty for rebel soldiers. (AP via International Herald Tribune) Militants in Delta State, Nigeria, blow up a Chevron oil pipeline leading to a cessation of production by Chevron in Nigeria. (Bloomberg) 2008 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Fengshen in the Philippines The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Fengshen rises to at least 20 from flooding and landslides. Ten people drown after the Rifao River overflows its banks and sweeps away three houses in South Upi, Maguindanao. (Xinhua) At least four people die with the balance missing when the ferry MV Princess of the Stars, carrying 700 passengers, sinks near Sibuyan island in the wake of Typhoon Fengshen. (Reuters) (Reuters) South Korea renegotiates its beef import deal with the United States following widespread protests at the original deal due to concerns over mad cow disease. (Bloomberg) Four ISAF soldiers are killed by a bomb in Afghanistan. (AP via MSNBC) Sudan Airways is grounded for a month by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sudan for violations prior to their most recent crash. (BBC News) (Reuters) UEFA Euro 2008: Russia beat Netherlands 3-1 after extra time, advancing to the semi-finals. (UEFA Euro 2008 website) Current events of June 22, 2008 (2008-06-22) (Sunday) The Global Anglican Future Conference, a forum for conservative bishops and leaders of the Anglican Communion, opens in Jerusalem as an alternative to the Fourteenth Lambeth Conference. (BBC News) Tarija Department becomes the fourth Bolivian department to vote for greater autonomy from the government of the President of Bolivia Evo Morales. (AFP via Google News) A female suicide bomber kills at least 16 people and injures another 40 in Baquba, Iraq. (CNN) Saudi Arabia offers to increase its oil production slightly at an oil summit in Jeddah. (The New York Times) Zimbabwe Electoral Crisis Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulls out of the June 27 run-off presidential election after President Robert Mugabe's supporters attacked his rally. (Reuters) (Bloomberg) 2008 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Fengshen in the Philippines The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Fengshen rises to at least 155 according to Red Cross estimates with 59 people dead and 40 people missing in Iloilo province alone. (AP via Google News) (AP via Google News) A large bus collides head-on with a smaller minibus in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, leaving nine dead. (The International Herald Tribune) Current events of June 23, 2008 (2008-06-23) (Monday) Malaysia releases Buhary Syed Abu Tahir, a leading business associate of Pakistani nuclear scientist A. Q. Khan. (BBC News) The 2008 meeting of the International Whaling Commission begins in Santiago, Chile. (BBC News) Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), is found ineligible by a court to stand in upcoming by-elections. (BBC News) In Serbia, the Milošević-founded Socialist Party is to join the coalition led by the pro-Western Democratic Party which came to power in 2007 elections. (BBC News) China fires twelve officials for misconduct in the Sichuan earthquake relief effort. (BBC News) The Supreme Court of the United States refuses to hear an appeal of eminent domain eviction notices in connection with the Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn, New York City. (AP via Yahoo! News) The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rules that Hozaifa Parhat, a Chinese Uyghur militant currently detained at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, cannot be ruled an "enemy combatant" because he never took up arms against the United States. (AP via Yahoo! News) The European Union agrees to new sanctions against Iran including a freeze on the assets of Bank Melli, Iran's largest bank, over the refusal to curb its nuclear program. (Reuters via Sydney Morning Herald) Zimbabwean Electoral Crisis: Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai seeks refuge in Dutch Embassy. (BBC News) The United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice questions the legitimacy of the upcoming presidential election and calls for relevant bodies such as the African Union and the United Nations Security Council to consider the issue. (Reuters) The United Nations Security Council condemns the Government of Zimbabwe for a "campaign of violence". (AP via Google News) The 2008 Wimbledon Championships begins in London. (TSN via Canada.com) 2008 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Fengshen in the Philippines An additional 28 survivors from the MV Princess of the Stars are found but there are still more than 800 missing from the vessel that sunk during Typhoon Fengshen. (Reuters) An Australian air safety group claims that Yogyakarta International Airport was operating illegally with no valid license at the time Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 crashed, killing 21. They also accuse two other airports of similar violations and three official bodies of keeping it from public knowledge. (Crikey) Current events of June 24, 2008 (2008-06-24) (Tuesday) Representing Pope Benedict XVI, Colombian Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos is pressing the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X to accept five conditions, including respect for the pope and his authority, as part of a reconciliation offer. (CNS) (Catholic World News) (The New Liturgical Movement) Plans are unveiled for the world's first swirling skyscraper in Dubai, with each floor rotating up to once an hour to form an ever-changing profile on the skyline. (ABC) (The Independent) (Reuters) A bomb at an office building in Baghdad kills eight people and injures 10. The U.S. military blames the attack on rogue members of Shia Muslim militias. The attack is believed to be a suicide bombing, but the U.S. military is investigating allegations that a bomb was planted in the building. (BBC News) An Israeli security officer shoots himself as French President Nicolas Sarkozy is about to board his plane after a 3-day trip to Israel and the West Bank. (BBC News) The authorities in Mexico City sack 17 police officers for their role in a stampede during a raid at a nightclub that caused the death of 12 people. (BBC News) The National Assembly of Niger votes to try former Prime Minister Hama Amadou on graft charges. (Reuters) The U.S. state of Florida purchases 187,000 acres from the US Sugar Corporation to add to protected lands in the Everglades. (The Guardian) (BBC News) Franz Josef Jung, the German Minister of Defence, announces plans to commit a thousand extra troops to Afghanistan. (Reuters) 2008 Pacific typhoon season: Typhoon Fengshen in the Philippines Divers see bodies in the wreck of the MV Princess of the Stars off the coast of the Philippines, but no sign of survivors. (Reuters via The Age) Economic crisis of 2008 Ireland's Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) says the country is in the grip of a recession for the first time in a quarter of a century. However, it predicts the economy will return to positive growth in 2009 and normal growth by 2010. (RTÉ News) Current events of June 25, 2008 (2008-06-25) (Wednesday) EU's representative in Kosovo Pieter Feith says he expects Montenegro will recognize Kosovo's unilateral independence "as soon as possible", as it would "contribute to regional stability". (B92) Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is stripped of his honorary Order of the Bath knighthood, upon the advice of the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. (The Guardian) United States Supreme Court The US Supreme Court rules in Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker that the damages awarded in the Exxon Valdez case were excessive and reduces them from $2.7 billion to $507 million. (AFP via Google News) The US Supreme Court rules in Kennedy v. Louisiana that the death penalty may not be used for crimes which did not result in the death of another person. (The New York Times) Violent protests over the Amarnath shrine immobilize Srinagar and other parts of Indian Jammu and Kashmir. (BBC News) China reopens Tibet to foreign tourists as a ban imposed during the Tibetan unrest is lifted. (BBC News) The Italian Senate passes a bill which the opposition claims is designed to ameliorate the legal troubles of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. (BBC News) Saudi Arabia announces that it is holding 520 al-Qaeda-linked militants in the insurgency in Saudi Arabia arrested in 2008. (BBC News) The Supreme Court of Pakistan delays by-elections until it can handle the appeal of disqualified candidate Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N). (BBC News) A worker at a plastics plant in Henderson, Kentucky shoots and kills five people and wounds another before killing himself. (WYMT-TV) The Government of New Zealand agrees to hand over $NZ420 million in forestry assets to seven Maori tribes as part of the reconciliation process. (AFP via Google News) The Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert strikes a deal with the Labor Party to avoid dissolution of the Knesset in return for Olmert holding a leadership contest for the Kadima party by September. (BBC News) Current events of June 26, 2008 (2008-06-26) (Thursday) The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) relaxes rules on the creation of top-level domain names like .com or .edu, which could pave the way for companies or individuals to create an array of new addresses for the Web. Icann also approves measures that will allow top-level domain names to be written in scripts such as Arabic or Cyrillic. (The Wall Street Journal) (CNN) (Reuters) A former Taliban fighter claims that members of the Pakistan military secretly supported the insurgency in Afghanistan by providing training and material support. (Canadian Press via Google News) North Korea releases details of its nuclear program and the United States removes it from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. (Bloomberg) The Austrian SPÖ states that in the future, it wants to hold referendums on EU treaties. (STANDARD) A report published in the journal Nature says a 365 million-year-old fossil of a four-legged fish found in Latvia sheds new light on the process of evolution. The creature, named Ventastega curonica, had a fish-like body but the head of an animal more suited to land than water. (BBC News) (The Daily Telegraph) (Science News) Irish and British transport ministers agree to a mutual driver disqualification scheme. (RTÉ) (BBC News) In a 5–4 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States holds in District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects an individual right to own a firearm and keep it on their property, ruling a District of Columbia gun control law unconstitutional and putting many other similar measures in jeopardy. (CNN) A bus and a truck collide in China's Henan Province, leaving five dead and eight injured. (Xinhua) Current events of June 27, 2008 (2008-06-27) (Friday) Serbian President Boris Tadić has named Mirko Cvetković for the new Prime Minister following the parliamentary election that were held in May. (Balkan Insight) Vinicio Gómez, Guatemala's Interior Minister, dies in a helicopter crash in the central department of Baja Verapaz; deputy minister Édgar Hernández and two pilots are also killed. (BBC News) Richard Scruggs, a high-profile United States lawyer known for his lawsuits against the tobacco, pharmaceutical and construction industries, is sentenced to five years jail for conspiracy to bribe a judge. (Reuters) The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are struck by an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale. (Bloomberg) North Korea destroys the cooling tower of the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center as a sign of its commitment to ending its nuclear weapons program. (The New York Times) Zimbabweans go to the polls for a runoff election with the President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe expected to be reelected following the withdrawal of Morgan Tsvangarai of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. (CNN) Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, finishes work at the company before starting fulltime philanthropic work for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (AFP) The discovery that the sunken Philippines ferry MV Princess of the Stars was carrying 10,000 kilos of the dangerous pesticide endosulfan leads to the temporary cessation of the recovery of the bodies on board. (CBC) American Foam Corporation offers to pay $6.3 million to settle legal action filed against them for manufacturing dangerous foam that contributed to the Station nightclub fire. 100 people died in the disaster. (Hartford Courant) Current events of June 28, 2008 (2008-06-28) (Saturday) The state government of India's Jammu and Kashmir has rebuked the decision to transfer forested land to Amarnath shrine following wide protests across the state. (BBC News) The Los Angeles Dodgers become only the fifth team in modern major league baseball history to win a game in which they didn't get a hit, defeating the Anaheim Angels 1-0. (AP via Yahoo! Sports) Thousands of people riot in Guizhou province in southern China following the death of a girl and a perceived government coverup. (Reuters) Thousands of people rally in Paris in support of the European Union removing the People's Mujahedin of Iran from its list of terrorist organisations. (VOA) Police in South Korea use water cannons to disperse thousands of people protesting in Seoul about the resumption of beef imports from the United States. (BBC News) The Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija, elected in May by the Serbian population, convenes its first meeting, in defiance of the Republic of Kosovo. (BBC News) Médecins Sans Frontières claims that South Africa has expelled 450 Zimbabwean refugees. (AP via Google News) Wendy Alexander resigns as the leader of the Scottish Labour Party following a ruling from the Scottish Parliament's ethics committee over political donations. (BBC News) (AFP via Yahoo! News) Pakistan commences a military operation against Taliban militants in the Khyber Agency near Peshawar. (AP via The Guardian) Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao beats the American David Díaz to win the WBC world lightweight title. Pacquiao becomes the first Asian boxer to win four titles in four different weight divisions. (Yahoo! Sports) Current events of June 29, 2008 (2008-06-29) (Sunday) A ship arrives in North Korea carrying food aid from the United States as part of a deal between North Korea, the US and the United Nations. (CNN) Katie Hoff and Michael Phelps set world records for the 400-meter individual medley at the United States Olympics swimming trials in Omaha, Nebraska. (AP via Google News) Two medical helicopters collide in Flagstaff, Arizona, resulting in seven deaths and three people being critically injured. (AP via Google News) Spain wins the UEFA Euro 2008 championship defeating Germany 1-0 in the final through a goal by Fernando Torres. (BBC News) China will commence a new range of talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama in early July. (AFP via Google News) At least six people die and 39 are laid by bomb blasts in Assam, India, with the United Liberation Front of Asom believed to be responsible. (AFP via Google News) The Israeli cabinet votes in favour of a prisoner swap with Hezbollah. (AP via Forbes) Voters in Mongolia go to the polls for the Mongolian legislative election, 2008. (BBC News) An investigation into the crash of a Black Hawk helicopter on HMAS Kanimbla that killed two concludes excessive loading on the engine caused it to lose power. (The Australian) Robert Mugabe is sworn in for his sixth term as President of Zimbabwe after a controversial run-off presidential election in which opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdraws his candidacy due to election-related violence. (AFP via Google News) An aide of Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim lodges a police report claiming that he had been sodomised by Anwar. (BBC News) Current events of June 30, 2008 (2008-06-30) (Monday) An International Security Assistance Force attack in Khost province results in the death of 33 militants. (AP via Google News) Chrysler announces that it will indefinitely close a minivan plant in South St. Louis, Missouri and cut production at another due to falling demand for large vehicles. (AP via Google News) The Court of Arbitration for Sport upholds a two year ban against cyclist Floyd Landis meaning that he will lose his 2006 Tour de France title. (AP via Google News) The African Union meets at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt with Robert Mugabe recently reelected as President of Zimbabwe representing Zimbabwe. (The Herald via AllAfrica) Peru's largest federation of mining unions commences strike action in order to pressure the Congress of Peru to pass legislation to improve labor benefits. (Reuters via The Guardian) An Ilyushin Il-76 crashes minutes after takeoff from Khartoum International Airport. All four Russian crew were killed. It is the second major air crash in the country this week. (Jerusalem Post) MV Princess of the Stars disaster: The Bureau of Marine Investigation says it has uncovered multiple lapses in Sulpicio's training and orientation of the ship's crew, but cautioned that it cannot yet draw any conclusions about the disaster's cause. (Inquirer.net) Sulpicio sue the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and two of its officials for allegedly misforcasting the route of Typhoon Fengshen, which they say makes them responsible for the sinking. (ABS)

June 2008 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Ongoing events Diplomatic response to Kosovar independence UEFA Euro 2008 Economic crisis in U.S. and Europe Olympic torch relay Subprime mortgage crisis U.S. presidential election World food price crisis Recent deaths June 22: Dody Goodman 22: George Carlin 21: Scott Kalitta 21: Kermit Love 18: Jean Delannoy 17: Cyd Charisse 16: Gareth Jones 15: Stan Winston 14: Esbjörn Svensson 13: Tim Russert 11: Võ Văn Kiệt Ongoing conflicts Acholiland insurgency Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Gaza Strip) Colombian armed conflict Iraq War Insurgency in the Philippines Fatah-Hamas conflict War in Somalia Turkey-PKK conflict Second Chechen War Insurgency in Ogaden South Thailand insurgency Sri Lankan Civil War War in Afghanistan War in North-West Pakistan War in Darfur Civil war in Chad Sa'dah insurgency (large-scale wars in bold) Elections Recent 1: Macedonia, Assembly 1: Switzerland, Referendum 7: Niue, Parliament 12: Ireland, Treaty of Lisbon referendum 22: Slovenia, Regionalisation referendum 27: Zimbabwe, President (2nd round) 29: Mongolia, Legislative Trials Upcoming Canada: Larry O'Brien US: James Charles Kopp US: Ehren Watada US: Tom DeLay US: William J. Jefferson US: Kwame Kilpatrick US: Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá Ongoing Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Tribunal Iraq: Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal Netherlands: ICC Thomas Lubanga Netherlands: ICTY Peru: Alberto Fujimori Sierra Leone: SCfSL Charles Taylor UK: Barry George US: Jena Six US: Brian Nichols US: José Padilla US: Phil Spector Upcoming holidays and observances 8: Dragon Boat Festival (Traditional Chinese) 9: Shavuot 20: June Solstice, also known as Midsummer or Litha 30: Independence Day (Congo) July 1: Canada Day (Canada) 4: Independence Day (United States)