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2005: January February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December  < June 2005 > 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     Other events in June 2005

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June 27: Shelby Foote June 27: John T. Walton June 26: Richard Whiteley June 25: John Fiedler June 25: Chet Helms June 24: Paul Winchell June 21: Jaime Sin June 20: Jack Kilby June 18: Syed Mushtaq Ali June 13: lvaro Cunhal June 13: Lane Smith June 11: Juan Jos Saer June 9: Richard Eberhart June 6: Anne Bancroft June 4: Chloe Jones June 1: George Mikan Contents 1 June 1 2005 (Wednesday) 2 June 2 2005 (Thursday) 3 June 3 2005 (Friday) 4 June 4 2005 (Saturday) 5 June 5 2005 (Sunday) 6 June 6 2005 (Monday) 7 June 7 2005 (Tuesday) 8 June 8 2005 (Wednesday) 9 June 9 2005 (Thursday) 10 June 10 2005 (Friday) 11 June 11 2005 (Saturday) 12 June 12 2005 (Sunday) 13 June 13 2005 (Monday) 14 June 14 2005 (Tuesday) 15 June 15 2005 (Wednesday) 16 June 16 2005 (Thursday) 17 June 17 2005 (Friday) 18 June 18 2005 (Saturday) 19 June 19 2005 (Sunday) 20 June 20 2005 (Monday) 21 June 21 2005 (Tuesday) 22 June 22 2005 (Wednesday) 23 June 23 2005 (Thursday) 24 June 24 2005 (Friday) 25 June 25 2005 (Saturday) 26 June 26 2005 (Sunday) 27 June 27 2005 (Monday) 28 June 28 2005 (Tuesday) 29 June 29 2005 (Wednesday) 30 June 30 2005 (Thursday) 31 News collections and sources June 1 2005 (Wednesday) In Cte d'Ivoire renewed violence in the west of the country costs at least 41 lives (Reuters AlertNet) (SABC) (BBC) In Italy court in Bologna gives life sentences to five members of Red Brigades for the murder of government advisor Marco Biagi in 2002. They are suspected members of the Communist Combatant faction of the Brigades (AGI) (IHT) (BBC) Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Haim Yavin one of Israel's most respected television news presenters has condemned the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories calling it "brutal" the first time he has spoken publicly on the subject. (BBC) (Boston Globe) (CBS) (The Guardian) The Shin Bet claim to have thwarted a double suicide bombing attack on Jerusalem arresting 5 Islamic Jihad militants who had two explosive belts. (Haaretz) Arab residents of the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem protest Israeli plans to destroy 88 of their homes many by Israeli court order many of which pre-date the foundation of the State of Israel. (BBC) Dan Halutz the former Israeli Air Force commander was appointed as the 18th Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces. (IDF official announcement) An Australian man of Vietnamese origin has been jailed for 20 years in Vietnam after being convicted of trying to smuggle 200g of heroin from Vietnam to Australia. (News Limited) Mexican Secretary of Interior Santiago Creel turns in resignation to president Vicente Fox in order to pursue his party's candidacy to the 2006 Presidential Election. (BBC) The American Family Association a Christian activist group a week after ending its boycott of the Walt Disney Company announced a boycott of the Ford Motor Company. In adding Ford to its ongoing boycotts of Kmart and the book One of the Guys by Robert Clark Young the AFA argues that Ford promotes "the homosexual lifestyle." (MSNBC) At least 20 people are killed and 40 are injured in a bomb blast in the city of Kandahar Afghanistan. (BBC) Sweden shuts down the Barsebck 2 nuclear reactor. (Planet Ark) (BBC) In Australia embassy of Indonesia was closed after it received a package containing suspected "biological agent". The case is probably related to the sentence of Schapelle Corby (Bloomberg) (Reuters AlertNet) In the Netherlands a national referendum on ratification of the European Constitution results in its rejection by a substantial margin. (Reuters) In Bolivia continuing protests against privatisation of basic utilities force congress to abandon a key session in the capital La Paz (BBC) In the June 6 issue of TIME Magazine Wikipedia and its founder Jimmy Wales have been featured in a story on the rise of wiki technology. (TIME) The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission William Donaldson announces that he will leave that post at the end of June. (thestreet.com) In Crosby Texas United States of America an oil well owned by Louisiana Oil & Gas Co. exploded. <<NEWSLINK MISSING>> June 2 2005 (Thursday) In Brazil police have issued 124 arrest warrants from people suspected of illegal logging in the Amazon Rainforest over the last 15 years. 89 people are arrested many of them from government agencies (Planet Ark) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC) In Western Australia large number of volunteers have helped 74 beached False Killer Whales return to sea. Only one dies on the ground (SMH) (ABC transcript) (News.com.au) (BBC) Cedar Revolution: In Lebanon bomb kills journalist Samir Qasir who had been critical of Syria (Al-Jazeera) (Arabic News) In Niger 200 protesters march in the capital Niamey to demand that government alleviate the food shortage (AllAfrica) (Reuters AlertNet) United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan announces a report that states that the AIDS epidemic is accelerating despite the major efforts to stop it. (UN News Centre) (Medical News Today) (Reuters) In the Maldives parliament members support move to multi party democracy. Before the parliamentary debate government arrested number of dissidents (Dhivehi Observer) (Reuters) (BBC) Schabir Shaik a financial advisor to South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma is found guilty of two counts of corruption and one of fraud in a 165-page judgment broadcast live as it was delivered over three days. The affair is considered to be a blow to Mr Zuma's ambitions to succeed the current president Thabo Mbeki. (BBC) In Serbia several former soldiers are arrested after the transmission on Serbian TV of video showing them executing six Bosniak men from Srebrenica in July 1995. The video is evidence from the trial of former president Slobodan Miloevi. Hitherto polls have shown that only half the population of Serbia believe that the Srebrenica massacre of 8000 men happened. (BBC) John Kerry criticizes the media for its coverage of the Downing Street memo and joins calls for an inquiry. (WikiNews) (South Coast Today) The parliament in Latvia votes to ratify the European Constitution in an overwhelming majority of 71 to 5. (Spiegel online German) In China authorities have arrested Lu Jianhua and Chen Hui of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for espionage (Reuters) In the Philippines male students organize a naked protest in Manila to demonstrate against too little funding in education (ABS-CBN Philippines) United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan dismisses senior official Joseph Stephanides for oil for food scandal (UN News Centre) (Bloomberg) Protests in European cities of Brussels and Helsinki against software patents occur. (NPE) Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Two alleged Islamic Jihad members involved in a twin suicide bombing attempt on Jerusalem were arrested by IDF forces. (Haaretz) Israel released 398 Palestinian prisoners the final phase of an Israeli pledge to release 900 prisoners as a goodwill gesture towards Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. (Haaretz)

June 3 2005 (Friday) The German political party Alliance '90/The Greens opens a Wiki that allows all users to contribute to the party's manifesto for the German federal election 2005 1(Spiegel online German) Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Two Israeli soldiers have claimed that they were ordered to kill Palestinian police officers following the deaths of six Israeli soldiers. (BBC) (the Guardian) Israel has announced plans to construct a further 22 homes in an Israeli settlement on the West Bank. (BBC) In Australia a suspicious package containing white powder sent to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer led security guards to close the mail-room of Parliament House in Canberra and enact decontamination procedures. Federal Police later deemed the package harmless but analysis continues.(News.com.au) (BBC) Cedar Revolution: In Lebanon opposition leaders blame Syria for the death of Samir Qasir and demand resignation of president mile Lahoud (Daily Star) Lebanon) (Al-Jazeera) (BBC) In Bolivia president Carlos Mesa calls for a referendum for regional autonomy on October 16 to quell the demonstrations against him. The elections for the constitutional assembly on the same day would reform the constitution in favor of the native majority (Forbes) (BBC) (Reuters AlertNet) Guantnamo Bay Qur'an desecration allegations: The commander of U.S. Forces at Guantnamo Bay Cuba reported five known incidents of mishandling the Qur'an by guards at the detention facility including one incident in which a Qur'an was accidentally splashed with urine. (BBC) Judge Karon O. Bowdre presiding over the federal trial of Richard M. Scrushy in Birmingham Alabama delivers what is called the Allen charge to the jury in that case in the hope of breaking its deadlock and producing a verdict. (NY Times)

June 4 2005 (Saturday) In the context of the Parti Qubcois National Congress Bernard Landry announces his surprise resignation as leader of the Parti Qubcois the major party in Quebec that advocates national independence for Quebec. (CTV) Guantnamo Bay Qur'an desecration allegations: Following allegations that the Muslim holy book the Quran was urinated on in front of inmates at Guantanamo Bay Cuba the Bush administration drastically changes its position on the credibility of these reports and now admits that desecration did in fact occur. (Wikinews) A French court finds the newspaper Le Monde guilty of defamation against the Jews and Israel in an article published in 2002 which used "Jews" and "Israel" interchangeably. (Haaretz) Hundreds of people attend the funeral in Beirut of anti-Syrian columnist Samir Kassir killed by a bomb on Thursday. Opposition leaders Gibran Tueni and Saad al-Hariri son of slain former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri are in attendance. Reuters Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announces the postponement of legislative elections originally scheduled for July 17. He cited a report from the Palestinian election authority that it needs more time to implement changes in laws concerning seating of legislators. Hamas leaders object to the postponement. (New York Times) (Haaretz) Roberto Maroni Italian Minister of Welfare calls for Italy to stop using the Euro and revert to the Lira. Sunday Mail

June 5 2005 (Sunday) In separate referendums the voters of Switzerland decide to ratify the Schengen treaty abolishing all its normal land border controls by 2007 and also approve the legalizing of civil unions for gay couples for tax and inheritance purposes but not for child adoption. The Swiss Government had urged approval of both measures and the Swiss Parliament had previously passed legislation approving them. (BBC News) Wal-Mart holds its annual shareholders' meeting on the campus of the University of Arkansas. Pending proposals include initiatives that would affect how Wal-Mart's board is selected and that would require a break-down of stock options by sex and race and those addressing other issues. (WLNS News) In Lebanon Hezbollah and Amal parties claim victory in the parliamentary election in the south of the country. Both groups are supporters of Syria (Daily Star) (Reuters) In Kuwait two women become the first females to be appointed to municipal council. They are Sheikha Fatima al-Sabah of the ruling Sabah family and engineer Fawziya al-Bahar (Al-Jazeera) (Gulf Daily News) (BBC) Scientists in Canada France and USA report that they have developed a vaccine that works in monkeys against Marburg virus and Ebola (Medical News Today) (Science Daily) (BBC) In Spain 250000 people demonstrate in Madrid against a government plan to negotiate with the Basque ETA (EITB) (BBC) (Reuters AlertNet) June 6 2005 (Monday) Syrian vice-president Abdel-Halim Khaddam resigns during a Ba'ath party congress (BBC) (Jerusalem Post) In Ethiopia police arrest more than 500 students who protest against the parliamentary elections. The ruling EPRDF party claims victory but official results have been delayed until July 8 due to complaints of electoral fraud and opposition protests (News24) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC) In Burundi former rebel group Hutu Forces for the Defence of Democracy wins 75 out of 129 seats in municipal elections (AllAfrica) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC) In Kyrgyzstan the top prosecutor issues an arrest warrant for the former prime minister Nikolai Tanayev for mishandling government funds (Guardian Unlimited) (BBC) Bolivian president Carlos Mesa offers his resignation when unrest continues.(El Clarin) Debian GNU/Linux: Version 3.1 codenamed sarge is released. (Press release) Apple Computer announces they would change the processors for their Macintosh computer lineup from IBM to Intel. - Ziff Davis; BBC News The Supreme Court of the United States found for the federal government in a 6-3 decision in the medical marijuana case Ashcroft v. Raich. The court also decided in Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd. by ruling that the ADA applies to foreign cruise ships. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened the 35th General Assembly meeting of the Organization of American States Sunday in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Secretary Rice called on member states to do more to protect democracy in the region and strengthen civil society. (VOA News) The International Criminal Court announces an investigation into crimes against humanity in Darfur (Sudan Tribune) (Reuters AlertNet) Protests against privatisation of essential utilities continue in Bolivia (Reuters AlertNet) In Bougainville Joseph Kabui is elected president of the autonomous government (Radio Australia) (BBC) In Australia Chinese defector Chen Yonglin claims that the Australian government rejected his request for political asylum without interviewing him. China states that his claims about a large espionage ring in Australia are false (ABC) (Taipei Times) (BBC) In Washington state United States the battle over the results of the 2004 gubernatorial election is settled by a county judge approving the final count in favor of Christine Gregoire. June 7 2005 (Tuesday) Hungarian opposition candidate Lszl Slyom wins the 2005 presidential election in a 185-182 victory over Katalin Szili. 2 United States Senator Jon Corzine wins the New Jersey Democratic Party gubernatorial primary. Doug Forrester a former mayor wins the New Jersey Republican Party gubernatorial primary after a heated contest with another former mayor Bret Schundler. The November 2005 election will be the first since Governor James McGreevey resigned over a scandal in which he was revealed to be homosexual. (Boston Globe) Scientists at UCLA use a pyroelectric crystal heated from -34.4 to 7.2 degrees Celsius to produce an electric field of about 100000 volts accelerating hydrogen nuclei and producing helium nuclei in the subsequent collisions. This cold fusion experiment has been repeated successfully and other scientists have confirmed the results. (CSMonitor) (Nature) (UCLA) (MSNBC) After a four hour long debate French centrist Party UDF refuse to vote confidence to the new government. - Yahoo France - AFP General Motors announces that it will lay 25000 people off. BBC News Siemens announces the sale of its mobile phone assets to the Taiwanese electronics company BenQ. BBC News Israeli-Palestinian conflict: A day of violence erupts in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Haaretz. A spokesman for Robert Mugabe President of Zimbabwe dismisses rumors that Mugabe has died of a heart attack after privately owned media report that Mugabe went to a local hospital to have his heart tested. CNN The leader of the opposition in the Indian Lok Sabha Lal Krishna Advani resigns from his post amid controversial comments he made about the founder of Pakistan Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Advani had referred to Jinnah as a "secular" leader and drew intense criticism back at home in India. (BBC News) A new type of sauropod has been discovered with a short stubby neck. Unlike all other known sauropods whose long necks could get up to four times the length of their backs Brachytrachelopan's neck was shorter than its backbone. This species was also unable to lift its neck and head above horizontal. (National Geographic) New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's veto of the plan to build the West Side Stadium the key component to the New York bid all but ends New York City's chances of receiving the 2012 Olympics leaving the field to a face-off between Paris and London. (NYtimes) (Reuters) The National Assembly of the Republic of China approves a package of amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of China to halve the number of seats in the Legislative Yuan and abolish itself.(Taipei Times) (TaiwanNews) (Reuters) In the Philippines the government orders the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate a case where opposition tapped the telephone conversation of president Gloria Arroyo. They allegedly used it to create a tape where she is supposedly talking about electoral fraud (ABS-CBN) (Manila Bulletin) (Bloomberg) In Chile the Santiago Court of Appeals cancels Augusto Pinochet's immunity from prosecution. Among other things he faces charges of tax fraud. However the court also ruled that he is too ill to face charges of human rights violations (Bloomberg) (BBC) Human Rights Watch demands investigation about the unrest in Uzbekistan accusing the leaders of the country trying to cover up a "massacre" (Human Rights Watch) (Reuters AlertNet) (RIA Novosti) In Australia Hao Fengjun second Chinese defector backs claims of Chen Yonglin about a large Chinese espionage network in the country (Radio Australia) (Reuters) In Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promises investigation on allegations that his party offered bribes to parliamentarians for political support (Bloomberg) (BBC)

June 8 2005 (Wednesday) Claire Miles from Exeter in Devon gives birth by Caesarean section to two babies one in each of her two half sized wombs. BBC In Canada rain begins to pound the province of Alberta starting an almost 3-week flooding crisis in the province. The infection source of Norway's recent outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease is surprisingly found to have been an industrial purification installation known as a scrubber a device which cleans air using water. Reportedly such facilities have never before caused a Legionnaire's outbreak anywhere in the world. Ten people have been killed and 52 infected in the outbreak which is Norway's largest ever. (Aftenposten) A previously unknown aria written by Johann Sebastian Bach in October of 1713 is discovered in documents from a German library. It is the first new work to be discovered by Bach since 1975.(CNN) In Bolivia widespread demonstrations continue. Ex-president Carlos Mesa who has already offered his resignation states that there is a threat of civil war without immediate elections. Congress will decide on Thursday whether to accept the resignation (Reuters AlertNet) (CNN) (BBC) The Philippine senate is evacuated after a bomb threat. (Reuters AlertNet) Ethiopian general elections: At least 22 Ethiopians are killed at demonstrations in Addis Ababa between police and students who accuse the ruling party of fraud in last month's general elections. (News 24 South Africa) (Guardian) The European Commission and its president Jos Manuel Barroso survive the no confidence vote (EUpolitix) (IHT) (Bloomberg) HealthSouth and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reach a settlement. The company will pay $100 million to put the SEC investigation behind it. June 9 2005 (Thursday) Italian Clementina Cantoni a worker with CARE International who was held hostage in Afghanistan is released unharmed. (Pakistan Dawn) (Reuters AlertNet) In Syria the ruling Baath party votes to end the state of emergency that has lasted for 40 years. (Al-Jazeera) (BBC) In Norway Mullah Krekar Kurdish founder of Ansar al-Islam goes to court to resist deportation to Iraq. (Aftenposten) (Kurdishmedia) (Al-Jazeera) In Mexico a court overturns the murder conviction of Raul Salinas de Gortari brother of former president Carlos Salinas de Gortari. (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC) An Amnesty International report states that numbers of killed and sexually abused women have increased in Guatemala. (Amnesty International) (BBC) (BBC) In Oman Sultan Qaboos pardons 31 people previously convicted of a coup attempt. (Gulf Daily News) (Al-Jazeera) (BBC) 2005 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Arlene the first storm of the season forms south of Cuba and is expected to strike Cuba and the U.S. Gulf coast later in the week. (NHC) (CNN) Protesters in Bolivia take over seven oil fields managed by BP and Repsol YPF. (IHT) In Australia Parliament House and the embassies of the USA the UK Japan and South Korea receive suspicious packages containing white powder. Federal Police later state that analysis showed the powder to be "harmless" and was sent as a hoax following similar events in the past week. (Radio Australia) (ABC) (Bloomberg) (Reuters) Zimbabwean opposition groups are preparing for a two-day general strike to protest over the huge number of arrests in recent days. Police are on standby to quell protests. (IOL) (BBC) Togolese president Faure Gnassingb names Edem Kodjo leader of the opposition Patriotic Pan-African Party as prime minister. (Republique Togolaise) (BBC) (Reuters AlertNet) A former Bank of America broker Theodore Sihpol is acquitted by a jury in a New York Court of charges that he assisted a New Jersey hedge fund in trading illegally in mutual funds at the expense of investors in the latter. (Lipper/HedgeWorld)

June 10 2005 (Friday) In the Philippines whistleblower Samuel Ong accuses with audio evidence President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of rigging the 2004 elections thus starting an electoral crisis. (IHT) The Colima volcano in Mexico increases its eruptive activity with strong explosions. (CNN) The Bolivian Congress accepts the resignation of Carlos Mesa and names Supreme Court justice Eduardo Rodrguez as the new interim president (Bloomberg) Bolivian military says it is ready to intervene if protests continue (IHT) In Japan a high school student throws a bomb into classroom in Hikari Yamaguchi Prefecture. 69 students are injured. (Japan Today) In Australia a Queensland government inquiry states that medical doctor Jayant Patel should be charged with murder fraud negligence and medical malpractice due to the death of 87 of his patients. Jayant Patel has left the country and his current location is unknown. (ABC) (SBS) In India Subroto Roy chairman of Sahara Group goes public to state that he is healthy. Roy had been out of the public eye since April and his absence had aroused rumors of death illness intrafamily conflict and political pressure. (Hindu) (ExpressIndia) (BBC) Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdulla al-Sabah is taken to the hospital. The popular Battlefield 2 Demo was released to the public as a preview to the full version of the game Battlefield 2 launced on June 21 2005. Agerton's second mayor Yona Levine.

June 11 2005 (Saturday) The G8 announces the cancellation of the multilateral debt of eighteen of the poorest countries in the world (BBC) 2005 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Arlene makes landfall near Pensacola Florida. One death has been reported thus far. (ABCNews) In Ethiopia opposition says that the leaders of Coalition for Unity and Democracy Hailu Shawel and senior official Lidetu Ayalew are under house arrest and demand their release. (IOL) (BBC) In Portugal former prime minister Vasco Gonalves one of the figures of the Carnation Revolution dies (Guardian Unlimited) (BBC) In Poland gay rights activists defy ban and march in the streets of Warsaw (Radio Polonia) (BBC) June 12 2005 (Sunday) Steve Jobs CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios deliveres a Commencement addresses in Stanford University. (Stanford University) French journalist Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi interpreter Hussein Hanoun al-Saadi have been freed after five months of captivity in Iraq. (BBC) Conflict in Iraq: 28 bodies believed to mainly be Sunni Arabs have been found in Baghdad sidestreets. (BBC) (A.P) Four US Soldiers die from two roadside bombs in Baghdad bringing the total death toll of US troops to over 1700. (Associated Press) A series of Bombs strike the Iranian cities of Ahwaz and Tehran leaving 8 people dead and dozens wounded. There has been no claim of responsibility. (BBC) Mike Tyson announces he will retire from boxing. Wikinews Lebanese general elections: Results of the third round of the Lebanese parliamentary elections in Mount Lebanon and the Beqaa show the triumph of Michel Aoun's list in the upper part of the region (Metn) and the success of Walid Jumblatt's coalition in the lower part (Chouf). (Daily Star) (ABC) (IHT)(Daily Star) (Reuters) (Al-Jazeera) Last stage of the elections will be next Sunday in North Lebanon. Kuwait appoints first female cabinet minister Massuma al-Mubarak (Al-Jazeera) (Arab News) (IHT) In the Philippines president Gloria Arroyo asks for unity in the face of so far unproven allegations of electoral fraud. The army is in alert to thwart any coup attempts. Opposition organizes a brief protest to demand Arroyo's resignation (Sun Star Philippines) (ABS-CBN) Kurdish parliament in Northern Iraq elects Masoud Barzani as a president of the region (Reuters) In China official death toll in the flood in Heilongjiang Province rises to 92 (Xinhua) (People's Daily) Ethiopian opposition appeals for calm after the last week's protests (Reuters AlertNet) Nepal lifts a ban on Indian television stations. (Deepika) (BBC) June 13 2005 (Monday) In Canada after 5 days of non-stop rain the city of Calgary AB is under its first local state of emergency. The Elbow River has risen to an extreme high and the town of Bragg Creek just west of the city is totally evacuated. This would be the first of 3 waves of major flooding. An earthquake of magnitude 7.9 hits Chile with epicenter in the northern region of Tarapaca near the Bolivian border killing at least 8 people. (CNN) The jury in Michael Jackson's trial for child molestation finds the pop star not guilty on all counts. (CNN) (BBC) Swedish diplomat Jan Eliasson is unanimously elected President of the United Nations General Assembly. He will take over the presidency on September 20 2005. (RealOpinion.com) Ninety-two people almost all children have died after a flash flood hit a school in Shalan Heilongjiang province China. (BBC). Italians end voting in a two-day referendum about strict fertility treatment laws. The Catholic Church has recommended that Catholics boycott the poll which needs 50% turnout to be valid. Initial turnout has been low and it is projected not to reach the 50% level. (Reuters AlertNet) (Reuters) (BBC) (IHT) In the Philippines president Gloria Arroyo's press secretary Ignacio Bunye states that the president is ready to face proper impeachment charges if the opposition follows the proper legal process. Many politicians have expressed support to her. (ABS-CBN) (Manila Bulletin) Philippines police are ready to charge former National Bureau of Investigation deputy director Samuel Ong for illegal wiretapping and sedition (Sun Star) The last Australian peacekeeping troops leave East Timor. (SBS) (ABC) (Reuters) In South Korea Kim Woo Choong former head of Daewoo Group intends to return to the country after five years living abroad. He faces charges of fraud after the collapse of Daewoo Group (Korea Times) (Korea Herald) (Channel News Asia) (BBC) In Canada Cineplex Odeon announces that it is purchasing Famous Players uniting the two largest movie theatre chains. Famous Players is currently owned by Viacom and will be purchased for about $500 million CAD. In fear of unfair competition the Federal Commission of Competition has announced that Cineplex needs to sell off 35 of its theatres. (CBC) In Nigeria president Olusegun Obasanjo gives an order that all illegal oil refineries in the Niger River delta should be destroyed (Reuters SA) (IHT) In Mexico army soldiers and federales take over the city of Nuevo Laredo near the US border. The whole local police force is detained for investigation in connection to drug trafficking and for drug testing. City's just-appointed police chief Alejandro Dominguez was assassinated last Wednesday. On Saturday a policeman shot a federal agent (Houston Chronicle) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC) 14 people drown off the coast of Morocco in a boat that tried to reach Spain (Al-Jazeera) (BBC) In France police arrest serial impostor Frederic Bourdin who had taken a role of a schoolboy (BBC) June 14 2005 (Tuesday) A major earthquake strikes about 80 miles (130 kilometers) off the coast of northern California on Tuesday night briefly prompting a tsunami warning along the Pacific coast but with no immediate reports of damages or injuries. (AP) Asafa Powell breaks the world record in the 100 meters (328 feet 1 inch) Tuesday with a 9.77 clocking at the Athens Greece Olympic Stadium making him the world's fastest human at 36.85 km/h (22.9 mi/h). (AP) The Supreme Court of Argentina declares unconstitutional two laws that granted immunity to Dirty War human rights abusers. (Bloomberg) Jacob Zuma Executive Deputy President of South Africa is fired for being implicated in a high-profile corruption trial. (Reuters) Conflict in Iraq: 22 people have died following a suicide bombing in Kirkuk northern Iraq. (BBC) Football (soccer) sex crime allegations: George Best the former Manchester United star from Northern Ireland has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of indecently assaulting a young girl. (BBC) Robin van Persie the Dutch Arsenal footballer has been arrested in Rotterdam on suspicion of rape. (BBC) Sudan rejects the UN's decision to use the International Criminal Court to try criminals in relation to the atrocities of the Darfur conflict and instead opens its own recently-created special court. (Al-Jazeera) (ReliefWeb) (ISN) A TNS/MRBI Irish Times opinion poll predicts that Ireland previously seen as certain to vote yes is likely to vote no in its planned referendum on the European Constitution. Only 30% of voters indicated that they would vote for the constitution the lowest level in any country in the European Union to date. (The Scotsman) A four-year-old boy is reported dead shortly after losing consciousness while riding Mission: SPACE at Walt Disney World's Epcot. (CNN) According to Washington Post US and Russian defense officials blocked NATO demand of investigation into crackdown of unrest in Uzbekistan (Washington Post) (ReliefWeb) (IHT) In Indonesia lawyers of Schapelle Corby file appeal in Bali court (Australia) (Reuters) In Mexico Ral Salinas de Gortar is released from prison on bail. He has been in prison for ten years (El Universal) (Reuters) JP Morgan Chase & Co. announced a settlement of a lawsuit brought against it by Enron investors who claim that it helped the management of that company defraud them. JP Morgan will pay claimants US$2.2 billion. June 15 2005 (Wednesday) Venezuela officially requests extradition of Luis Posada Carriles from USA (Reuters) (Link dead as of 03:21 15 January 2007 (UTC))(BBC) The Serbian special war crimes tribunal asks the government to ask Argentina for extradition of Neboja Mini suspected of crimes against humanity in Kosovo in 1999 (B92) (Reuters) (Link dead as of 03:21 15 January 2007 (UTC)) Zambian government reopens a case against Kashiwa Bulaya former health ministry official and ally of president Levy Mwanawasa. Bulaya is accused of diverting AIDS drugs funds (Times of Zambia) (AllAfrica) (Reuters) In Mexico supreme court rules that former president Luis Echeverra can be charged with human rights violations connected to 1971 deaths of student activists (El Universal) (Bloomberg) (BBC) Microsoft is criticized for censoring Chinese blogs. They are accused of censoring words such as "freedom" "democracy" and "human rights". (RealOpinion.com) (BBC) World leaders of the Group of 77 and China today launched in Doha the two-day second South Summit amid calls to wealthy countries to honour pledges of additional aid to close the gap between the rich and poor. (Xinhua) (Reuters) (Link dead as of 03:21 15 January 2007 (UTC)) Qatari Prime Minister Abdallah ibn Khalifah Al Thani and German Chancellor Gerhard Schrder agree to begin a study to look into the feasibility of building a maglev line approximately 160 km long linking Qatar and Bahrain powered by Transrapid technology developed by Siemens AG and ThyssenKrupp. Also being considered is a possible extension to the United Arab Emirates that would make the combined length of the line roughly 800 km. (AME Info) (Expatica) Spanish police arrest 17 suspected Islamic extremists in a series of raids around the country. Eleven are alleged to be associated with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and 5 are alleged to be connected to the Madrid train bombings of 11 March 2004. (Times) The Israeli Shin Bet (SHABAK) states that one month ago it arrested an alleged eight-member Palestinian militant cell in Nablus that included four teenage would-be suicide bombers. It claimed that the cell was part of Fatah (the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority) and that the Lebanese group Hezbollah was behind it. (Haaretz) (Link dead as of 03:21 15 January 2007 (UTC)) A memo from 1998 from an executive of Cotecna Inspection S.A. suggests that Kofi Annan was aware of their bid to participate in the Oil-for-Food Programme reawakening suspicions of a conflict of interest. (Yahoo! News) (Link dead as of 03:21 15 January 2007 (UTC)). However the IICs 2nd Interim Report of March 29 2005 concluded that the evidence is not reasonably sufficient to show that the Secretary General knew that Cotecna had submitted a bid on the humanitarian inspection contract in 1998.Second Interim Report (29 March 2005) In Russia explosion and fire in an oil depot near Moscow kills two (RIA Novosti) (Russia Journal) (BBC) Catholic Archbishop Chaput warns Europe about growing anti-Semitism and intolerance. (BeyondtheNews) Douglas Wood an Australian hostage residing in California is released in Iraq after 47 days in captivity and is now being moved to a secret location. (ABC Online) In Guatemala a mudslide kills 22 people and injures around 45 others. (Reuters AlertNet) (Link dead as of 03:21 15 January 2007 (UTC)) (Reuters AlertNet) (Link dead as of 03:21 15 January 2007 (UTC)) June 16 2005 (Thursday) A report by the Metropolitan Police in the UK states that children are being trafficked into the UK from Africa to be used as 'human sacrifices'. (BBC) (Guardian) 26 of 60 tank cars carrying fuel oil derail near Rzhev Russia (about 200 km / 125 miles northwest of Moscow) sending a very large amount of oil into the ground contaminating Moscow's water supply and the Volga River after flowing down the Vazuza River from the accident site. It is not yet known if this incident is related to the bomb that was exploded on June 12 that derailed a passenger train. (RIA Novosti) (RIA Novosti) (Pravda) Conflict in Iraq: Five U.S. Marines die from a roadside bomb in Ramadi Western Iraq. (BBC) A Jewish cemetery in West Ham has been attacked. This was the 117th time a Jewish cemetery in Great Britain has been attacked in 15 years. (The Independent) In Cambodia 6 unidentified gunmen take over a school in the town of Siem Reap near Angkor Wat and hold a number hostage for six hours. Reports of the number of hostages range from 24 to 70. Many of them were children from foreign families that work in the area. Gunmen demand money weapons and a car. A Canadian child is executed by the gunmen before the rest are freed. (BBC) (CBC) (Channel News Asia) (Channel News Asia) (Reuters)(Reuters) In Japan former tycoon Yoshiaki Tsutsumi confesses to financial fraud and insider trading. (Japan Today) (Channel News Asia) Chilean authorities have found a weapons arsenal in Villa Baviera former Colonia Dignidad during the investigation of the colony's founder Paul Schaefer (BBC) Uzbekistan deports four members of human rights group International Helsinki Federation after they had investigated unrest in Andijan. (Mosnews) (Reuters AlertNet) In Brazil minister Jos Dirceu resigns due to allegations that he knew about bribery but insists that he is innocent (BBC) (Forbes) Eastern Orthodox Church demotes former patriarch Irenaios I to a rank of a monk (Jerusalem Post/AP) (BBC) The police chief of Nuevo Laredo Mexico Alejandro Domnguez is gunned down just seven hours after his inauguration. June 17 2005 (Friday) A mudslide in San Antonio Senahu Guatemala kills 23 people including several children. Most of the dead were of Mayan descent. (alternet) The murder weapon used to kill Leon Trotsky is purported to have surfaced in Mexico. (BBC) A United Nations investigation has concluded that Rafik Hariri the former Prime Minister of Lebanon was killed by a truck bomb. (BBC) Controversial Pakistani scientist AQ Khan is said to be stable after suffering a heart attack. (BBC) In Kyrgyzstan hundreds of protesters seize a government building in the capital of Bishkek. They support presidential candidate Urmat Baryaktadasov who was denied registration because the government says he is also a citizen of Kazakhstan. Police later seized the building. (RIA Novosti) (CNN) (Guardian Unlimited) (BBC) The 2005 Presidential election begins in Iran. Most pre-voting polls favor Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. (Middle East Online) (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters) (IHT) Cambodian police have arrested a security guard who allegedly planned the hostage drama in Siem Reap. (Channel News Asia) (Reuters) The Supreme Court of the Republic of China rejects the opposition's appeal to nullify the results of the 2004 presidential election. Chen Shui-bian won the election by a narrow majority. (Channel News Asia) (Bloomberg) In the United Kingdom the Ugandan-born bishop of Birmingham Rt Rev Dr John Sentamu is named the new Archbishop of York. He is the first ever black person to be appointed an Archbishop of the Church of England. (BBC) (Reuters) The Vatican announces that it has taken the unusual step of suspending the announced beatification of the Reverend Leon Dehon in order to investigate charges of anti-Semitism. AP Dennis Kozlowski the former chief executive of Tyco International and Mark Swartz its erstwhile chief financial officer are found guilty by a New York state court jury on all but one of 31 counts of grand larceny conspiracy falsifying business records and securities fraud. (Houston Chronicle) June 18 2005 (Saturday) In Canada the rain died down and the state of emergency came to an end. With one evening of pounding rain hail and cold temperatures the Elbow River spilled over the dam for the first time. Again the low-lying areas of Calgary AB were evacuated the town of Bragg Creek the towns of High River and Okotoks and the small town of Sundre were all evacuated. June 19 2005 (Sunday) In the United Kingdom flash flooding severely affected several North Yorkshire villages and towns including Thirsk Helmsley and Hawnby when the rivers Swale and Rye burst their banks. In Formula One the 2005 United States Grand Prix was taking place when only 6 cars raced because of tyre company Michelin not being able to supply safe tyres to the teams running on Michelin tyres. June 20 2005 (Monday) In USA chief US immigration judge Michael Creppy rules that Ukrainian-born John Demjanjuk can be deported because he was a concentration camp guard during World War II (WBNS Ohio) (Washington Post) (Reuters) In Brazil president Luiz Incio Lula da Silva names energy minister Dilma Rousseff as a cabinet chief because of Jos Dirceu's resignation (AE Brazil) (Reuters) Turkey sentences Islamist extremist Metin Kaplan the "Caliph of Cologne" to life in prison for his role in a plot to blow up the mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk. Cedar Revolution: The Anti-Syrian bloc of Saad al-Hariri captured control of the Lebanese Legislature in the Lebanese general election of 2005 winning 72 of the 128 available seats. (Yahoo!) A Suicide bomber in Iraq kills 13 policemen and injured more than 100 people in the city of Irbil northern Iraq. BBC News Israeli-Palestinian conflict: One Israeli is killed in West Bank ambush after Palestinian militants shot his car. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility calling it retaliation for arrests of Islamic Jihad members. (Ynet) (Haaretz) An unarmed Palestinian teenager Ihab an-Nabahin is shot by Israelis in a closed border area of the Gaza Strip and killed according to Palestinian sources. (BBC) (Al-Jazeera) According to the Israeli army a Palestinian female suicide bomber was caught in the Erez Crossing carrying explosives and a detonator in her underwear. Israeli media added that she planned to carry out a suicide bombing attack in the Soroka hospital where she received medical treatment and was scheduled for a doctor's appointment (the army has not confirmed this.) The woman was identified as Wafa Samir Ibrahim Bass and said she was sent by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades decline to comment. (Haaretz NewsFlash) (Ynet) (BBC) (Al-Jazeera) British Potato Council demonstrates for the removal of the term "couch potato" from the Oxford English Dictionary because potatoes are "inherently healthy" (BBC) (Guardian Unlimited) In Japan magnitude 4.9 earthquake hits central Niigata Prefecture with little reported damage and no tsunami risk (Japan Today) (Reuters AlertNet) International Whaling Commission meets in Ulsan South Korea. Japan tries to ease its restrictions to whaling but its suggestion to exclude proposed creation of whale sanctuaries is voted down (CNN) (Reuters) (Japan Today) John Rigas founder of cable company Adelphia Communications is sentenced to 15 years in prison on last summer's securities fraud conviction. (Bloomberg) The Second International Conference on Gross National Happiness opens at St. Francis Xavier University Antigonish Nova Scotia Canada June 21 2005 (Tuesday) In Canada after 2 straight days of rain the city of Calgary AB is under another state of emergency ands now the Elbow River is now flowing steadily over the Glenmore Dam. The towns of Bragg Creek High River Sundre Okotoks Drumheller and Cochrane have to be evacuated. The low lying area of Calgary also have to be evacuated. This wave of floods is the last of the floods and the damage of the floods is almost incalculable. The Cosmos 1 experimental solar sail spacecraft a project of international space advocacy group The Planetary Society and science based entertainment company Cosmos Studios is launched by a Russian R-29R Volna ICBM from a Russian Delta III submarine submerged in the Barents Sea. However the spacecraft is feared lost for the rocket failed 83 seconds after launch. (PhysOrg) (Washington Post) (BBC) (SBS) (The Planetary Society) The LA Times suspends an experiment called "wikitorial" after three days because of vandalism. (MSNBC) (BBC) In Israel 8 people are killed and about 200 injured when a train is reported to have struck a truck on a level crossing near Kiryat Gat. (BBC) At Stonehenge in England some 19000 people gather to celebrate the rising sun on the summer solstice. Clearup operation continues in North Yorkshire after the serious flash flooding on Sunday Night / Monday Morning. The towns of Thirsk Helmsley and Hawnby were seriously affected as were several villages when the rivers Swale and Rye burst their banks. In Manchester UK 30 police raid a house at 5 a.m. and arrest a 40-year old man on suspicion of involvement in suicide bombings in Iraq. Another man resident in the same house is believed to have gone to Iraq in February to carry out a bombing. Last week police in Spain and Germany also made arrests in connection with bombings in Iraq but it is not known if the cases are related. (BBC) New Zealand's telecoms network crashes for five hours when a rat chews one of the North Island's main fibre-optic cables at the same time as a workman damaged another cable in another part of the island. Mobile phone and Internet communications were badly affected and the Stock Exchange had to close for several hours. (BBC) In Mexico Zapatista rebels are in alert pulling out of villages and closing their radio stations. The reasons are unknown although the move may be due to an army drug raid in Los Altos. Subcomandante Marcos announces that foreign aid workers can stay only at their own risk. Later news indicate that Zapatistas are gathering for a conference. Marcos announces that the movement is entering a "next step in the struggle" and that the organization has reorganized itself to survive the loss of current leadership. (Indymedia Chiapas English translation (Indymedia Chiapas English translation) (Reuters) (Reuters AlertNet) (Reuters AlertNet) In Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva demands that the opposition present proof of its allegations that government had given bribes for political support (Reuters) (BBC) In Lebanon a remote control bomb that had been placed under the passenger seat of his car kills anti-Syrian politician George Hawi former secretary general of Lebanese Communist Party (Daily Star) (Ya Libnan) (Al-JAzeera) (IHT) (Reuters) In the Philippines congress begins an inquiry into allegations that president Gloria Arroyo had rigged votes in last year's presidential elections. President states that she will comment on the process later. Her supporters and the opposition demonstrate in Manila (INQ7 Philippines) (Manila Times) (Sun Star) (Channel News Asia) In Zambia former health ministry official Kashiba Bulaya has been charged again with accepting a bribe from a Bulgarian firm that manufactures anti-retrovirus drugs against AIDS. Government's decision to halt the case a month ago aroused protests. (Reuters SA) (BBC) A U.S. Court of Appeals struck down a regulation of the SEC designed to ensure an independent board of directors for mutual funds holding that the SEC didn't comply with the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act. (Chamber of Commerce) A hitherto unknown poem by Sappho was identified on an Oxyrhynchus papyrus by scholars of Cologne university and published in the Times Literary Supplement 3. The popular video game Battlefield 2 was officially released. June 22 2005 (Wednesday) German car manufacturer BMW acquires the Formula One team Sauber Petronas. In the next season the new team will be probably known as BMW Sauber. BBC Sport The entire network of the Swiss Federal Railways shuts down due to a power failure in its overhead wire system. The power failure is also affecting international transit through Switzerland as such intercity trains use the same system. Initial reports indicate that the power failure started with a voltage drop in Ticino (in the St. Gotthard region) that then spread to the entire system. The initial failure happened at about 1700 local time with some power supplies restored about 2015 but the last trains did not reach their destinations until 0300. (SwissInfo) (BBC) In Chad a referendum for allowing presidents particularly Idriss Dby run for office for three straight terms passes. (Reuters SA) According to former U.S. ambassador to South Korea Donald Gregg and former journalist Don Oberdorfer George W. Bush in 2002 turned down an offer from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to discuss the issue of nuclear weapons. (Reuters) An Italian military tribunal in La Spezia has sentenced 10 German former Nazi officers in absentia to life imprisonment for their role in a World War II massacre of 560 civilians in the Tuscan village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema. (BBC News) In Colombia congress approves a draft bill that offers sentences of only eight years to those members of paramilitary militias who give up their weapons. It demands that they confess return the stolen property and disarm. Critics of president lvaro Uribe say that the law is too lenient (IHT) (Colombia Journal) (Reuters AlertNet) International Whaling Commission meeting in Ulsan South Korea does not support Japan's suggestion to resume coastal whaling or increase its own scientific one. Commission also voted down a request that Japan could catch 150 minke whales a year (Japan Today) (Channel News Asia) (Reuters AlertNet) In South Africa President Thabo Mbeki names energy and minerals minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as his deputy president. She is the first woman to hold the position. (SABC) (Reuters SA) (News24) (BBC profile) The Peruvian government condemns supreme court decision to drop the case of former president Alberto Fujimori for forging signatures for 2000 elections (Reuters AlertNet) The Peruvian government states that it will allow limited growing of coca plant for traditional uses (MercoPress (BBC) In Brazil heated arguments in the congress result in fighting and the session is suspended. Fighting begun when former chief of staff Jos Dirceu who had rejoined the congress tried to defend the government against the bribery allegations (Bloomberg) In Ethiopia main opposition group Coalition for Unity and Democracy states that government investigators have dropped all their complaints about possible election fraud. Government still has not released any results (AllAfrica) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC) United Nations Security Council votes to send 750 more peacekeepers to Haiti for elections and extend the UN mandate to February 15 2006 (UN News Centre) (ReliefWeb) In Poland opposition demands resignation of prime minister Marek Belka because of allegations that declassified files show he had ties to communist-era security services. Belka refuses to do so stating that he signed a contract to be allowed to go to study trip to USA (Radio Polonia) (Warsaw business Journal) (Reuters) June 23 2005 (Thursday) The Supreme Court of the United States decides 5-4 in the case Kelo v. New London that local governments can seize residential and commercial property for private development projects against the will of property owners as a "public use" under the 5th Amendment. (Market Watch)(New York Times) Elderly former Ku Klux Klansman Edgar Ray Killen was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the 1964 killing of three civil rights workers the notorious crime that galvanized the civil rights movement and inspired the 1988 movie Mississippi Burning. Circuit Judge Marcus Gordon handed down the maximum possible sentence for the 80-year-old former Baptist preacher a punishment which will likely keep him in prison for the rest of his life. (Reuters) In Indonesia the team that is investigating the death of human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib states that the Indonesian intelligence agency BIN may be involved. Munir died of arsenic poisoning en route to the Netherlands on September 7 2004. (Channel News Asia) Thousands of workers from UPM-Kymmene and Stora Enso two leading Finnish companies in the paper industry go on strike over pay and working hours. Finland provides two thirds of the paper supply for the European magazine market. Industry analysts believe that the strike may have serious repercussions on the magazine market of Europe. (BBC) In the United Kingdom Prince William graduates from St Andrews University (BBC) (BBC "slideshow") (Guardian Unlimited) (Reuters) Japanese Sohgo Security Services announces a security robot GuardRobo D1 (Reuters/msn) In the USA large fires break out in Arizona and California. In Arizona 250 people are evacuated and 10 houses destroyed northeast of Phoenix. Two fires break out in California in Morongo Valley and San Bernardino Valley (Los Angeles Times) (KESQ) (Reuters) In Spain regional Basque Parliament elects Juan Jose Ibarretxe as their new president (EITB) (Berria) (Reuters AlertNet) In Romania orthodox priest Daniel Corogeanu was arrested for 24 hours and faces charges for death of nun Maricica Irina Cornici. He allegedly crucified her for exorcism and claims that her death was the "Will of God". Four nuns who helped him were arrested as well. Church has closed the convent. (Scotsman) (Reuters) In Israel Mordechai Vanunu appeals to the supreme court to order Shin Bet to release letters he wrote during his time in prison. Security service claims that the letters contain sensitive information (Haaretz (Reuters) In Lebanon victorious anti-Syria coalition demands resignation of pro-Syrian president mile Lahoud. They hold him responsible for assassinations of opposition figures (Reuters AlertNet) In Malawi parliament debates about possible impeachment of president Bingu wa Mutharika. United Democratic Party accuses him for violation of the constitution and misusing public funds. Debate is interrupted when the speaker of the house Rodwell Munyenyembe collapses. (Nation Online Malawai (about proposed impeachment) (BBC) (Reuters) Cameroon accuses Nigeria of attacks in the disputed and oil-rich Bakassi peninsula (AllAfrica) (BBC) (Reuters AlertNet) The investment bank Morgan Stanley agrees to an out-of-court settlement with Italian dairy group Parmalat. The new management of the reorganized Italian company sued Morgan Stanley for work it did that may have assisted the old management in looting the company. (BBC) In the equatorial Pacific Ocean a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket lifts off at 1403 GMT and successfully places its payload the 12125-pound Intelsat Americas 8 satellite in orbit. (Spaceflight Now) (Sea Launch) MapleStory South East Asia is launched. June 24 2005 (Friday) Five people are found shot to death at their Yuma Arizona home and a sixth victim dies at a local hospital 4 Juan Rivera Was Found Dead In His Carteret N.J Home Share prices of American airlines fell sharply as oil neared $60 a barrel. (Reuters) The United States House of Representatives voted to prevent United Airlines from transferring its pension plan obligations to the government insurer the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. (Chicago Sun-Times) An Italian judge ordering the arrest of 13 people linked to the CIA on charges of kidnapping terrorism suspect Abu Omar allegedly in order to have him tortured in Egypt dramatizes a growing rift between the U.S. and its allies in the War on Terrorism. (IHT) (Chicago Tribune) Ohio Governor Bob Taft says he will not resign despite ethical questions around him and his administration. (Akron Beacon-Journal) The Irish Republican Army apologises unreservedly to the family of 14-year old Kathleen Feeney whom it shot dead in Derry in November 1973. The IRA had previously blamed the British Army for the killing. (BBC) (RTE) Sir Donald Tsang is sworn in as the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong in the Great Hall of the People following his appointment by the Election Committee. (BBC) Iranian presidential election 2005 Second round of voting begins in presidential elections between candidates Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (IRNA) (Iran Focus) (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters) Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi announces that she will boycott the election (Al-Jazeera) 26 Iranians have been arrested for poll violations. (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wins the Iranian presidential elections. (Reuters) In China death toll in summer floods has risen to 536 (Xinhua) (Reuters AlertNet) In the Indian state of Bihar Maoist rebels clash with police leaving at least 21 people dead. (The Hindu) (BBC) Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Palestinian militants kill an Israeli in drive-by shooting near the Israeli settlement of Beit Haggai in the West Bank outside Hebron. (BBC) (Al-Jazeera) Palestinian Authority arrests eight Palestinians in connection with the previous day's killing of a Palestinian policeman accusing Said Amin of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades of leading the killers. (Al- Jazeera) Billy Graham began his last crusade in New York. He led the first of three services at Flushing Meadows Corona Park (New York Times) Legg Mason announces the sale of its broker/dealer to Citigroup in exchange for Citigroup's asset management business June 25 2005 (Saturday) In Destin Florida a 14-year-old Louisiana girl is killed in a shark attack. A second case of mad cow disease has been confirmed in the United States. Elections in Bulgaria: The people of Bulgaria are voting today and the government of Prime Minister Simeon Sakskoburggotski the country's former Tsar is expected to be defeated. (Reuters) Pope Benedict XVI's new book contains material critical of the European Union's efforts that he characterizes as an "attempt to build a human community absolutely without God" and Western liberalization of abortion. (The Associated Press) Hong Kong's new leader Donald Tsang promises to rebuild the trust of the people in the government of the Chinese territory. (The Associated Press) The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress a political party says it would boycott the deal between the government and Tamil rebels for sharing tsunami relief because it shortchanged Muslims. (BBC) China's southern province of Guangdong suffers great damage from the flooding Pearl River. (The Associated Press) Chuck & Cindy's Wedding.5 In Iran the hardline Mayor of Tehran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wins Friday's run-off election for the nation's presidency with 62% of the vote. (BBC) (Bloomberg News) Residents in St. Louis Missouri are allowed back to their homes early today after an explosion at an industrial gas plant forced emergency evacuations Friday. (The Associated Press) The board of the NAACP unanimously selects business executive Bruce S. Gordon as the civil rights organization's next president. (Guardian) Billy Graham meets former President Bill Clinton onstage before a crowd of 80000 during the second of three services of his last crusade at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York. (AP) (New York Times) June 26 2005 (Sunday) Richard Whiteley who for 23 years presented the Channel 4 game show Countdown died aged 61. The Kremlin has called for an inquiry into fighting that took place on June 4 2005 between Chechens and Avars. Russian president Vladimir Putin threatens that if any future incidents take place "the North Caucasus will burn." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) The Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom apologises to New Zealand for the actions of two Israeli citizens believed to be Mossad agents who attempted to gain New Zealand passports under false pretences in 2004. The apology allows diplomatic relations between the two countries to return to normal. (NZ Herald) U.S. officials meet with Iraqi insurgents in attempt to quell attacks. More than 30 are killed in series of suicide bombings across the country. (The Times) (NY Times) Elections in Bulgaria The Socialists win a plurality with 31.44% of the vote with incumbent Prime Minister and ex-Tsar Simeon Saxe-Coburg receiving 20.13%. Despite the plurality the results fall far short of pre-election forecasts for the Socialists. (Reuters) Ataka a nationalist party founded only two months before wins 7.9% of the vote. The party opposes membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (Int'l Herald Tribune) Florida beaches reopen after the shark attack Saturday that killed Jamie Daigle. (CNN) Fires in the Southwestern United States threaten a small community and close a highway in Utah. Blazes in California Arizona and Nevada have already consumed 200000 acres (800 km). (Guardian) Colombia launches a large counter-offensive against FARC (BBC) (CNN) In Chile senator Jorge Lavandero receives suspended sentence for child molestation. Opposition criticizes the sentence (CNN) In Kenya 49 people die and 174 are hospitalized after drinking industrial alcohol (Standard Kenya) (Reuters AlertNet) (Guardian Unlimited) In Paris former sports minister Guy Drut withdraws from the Paris' bid to host 2012 Olympic Games because he is charged with involvement with corruption (GamesBids) (BBC) Syrian court acquits human rights activist Aktham Naisse (Al-Jazeera) (Al bawaba Rev. Billy Graham finishes what might be his final crusade. He preached before a crowd of 90000 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York. (New York Times) June 27 2005 (Monday) Domino Harvey dies of an OD Harvey was a legendary bounty hunter and her biography was made a movie with Keira Knightley as Domino. The Supreme Court of the United States releases a unanimous decision in MGM Studios Inc. v. Grokster Ltd. finding that P2P file sharing companies can be held liable for the copyright infringement of their users. (Wired) (Financial Times) Walmart heir John T. Walton dies when his ultra-light plane crashes right after taking off in Jackson Wyoming. (CNN) Kenya releases three men suspected of conspiracy to a suicide bombing in 2002 and links to al Qaeda. (BBC) (Reuters) South Africa's Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has organized a nationwide strike to protest job losses and unemployment. (IOL) (Reuters SA) (BBC) (Bloomberg) In the Philippines president Gloria Arroyo apologizes and admits that she took a phonecall to an election official during the presidential elections last. She denies any vote fixing and refuses to resign. (Manila Bulletin (Sun Star) (Reuters) In Mexico Subcomandante Marcos of the Zapatistas announces a "new political initiative" after a week-long meeting in the jungle. (Indymedia Chiapas - Spanish and English) (Reuters AlertNet) Greek prosecutor launches a preliminary investigation to determine if Greeks fighting for Bosnian Serbs were involved with the Srebrenica massacre. (Reuters AlertNet) In Bosnia Bosnian Serb police arrests 11 for connection with war crimes. (Reuters) Israeli military tribunal convicts ex-soldier Wahid Taysir of manslaughter for killing British peace activist Tom Hurndall in April 2003. The victim's family accuses Israeli army of using Taysir as a scapegoat. (Jerusalem Post) (Ha'aretz) (Times) (BBC) Dennis Rader plead guilty in the Sedgwick County District Court to ten counts of murder in the BTK trial. June 28 2005 (Tuesday) Operation Red Wing a counterterrorism mission in Kunar province Afghanistan involving four U.S. Navy SEAL members took place. Three of the SEALs were killed during the operation whilst a fourth was protected by local villagers and was rescued by the US military. In addition an MH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying 8 Nightstalkers - members of the Army's elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) - and 8 US Navy SEALs was shot down while attempting to come to their rescue to provide extraction in the mountains of the Kunar province Afghanistan. Garda Siochna (Irish police) dig up a garden in a Dublin suburb to search for the remains of a baby murdered in the 1970s. The child's mother states that she became pregnant twice aged 11 and 15 as a result of incest. On both occasions her family murdered her newborn child. One of the two murdered children was found dumped on a Dn Laoghaire street in 1973. (RT) Bill C-38 passes through the Canadian House of Commons placing Canada on track to become the third country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage likely by July. (CBC) AMD files an antitrust lawsuit against rival chipmaker Intel (Tom's Hardware) Pakistan's Supreme Court suspends the acquittal of five men accused of raping Mukhtaran Bibi. (BBC) In the Solent Queen Elizabeth II conducts a Fleet Review of 167 naval merchant and tall ships from Britain and 35 other nations to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Ironically the largest ship in attendance is the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Naval vessels from as far away as Japan and South Korea are in attendance. The tall ships will conduct a re-enactment of a Napoleonic War naval battle later in the day. (BBC) In France police search offices of specialty chemicals company Rhodia and finance ministry in the investigation of accounting irregularities and inside trading. Finance minister Thierry Breton was a member of the Rhodia board. (Business Week) (Forbes) (IHT) Countries backing the ITER fusion reactor meet in Moscow to decide if the experimental fusion reactor will be built in Cadarache Southern France instead of Japan. (PhysOrg) (European Commission) (BBC) (IHT) Emperor Akihito of Japan and empress Michiko pay an unannounced visit to the memorial of Korean war dead during his visit in Saipan. (Japan Today Asahi Shimbun) (Reuters) A team of US and Canadian scientists announces that they may have found a way of vaccination against Lassa fever. (BBC) (Reuters) Italian police detain Angelo Sacco after a shooting spree in Bogogno near Milan. Three people are dead. (AGI) (BBC) Guinea-Bissau's former president Kumba Yala declares that he accepts the results of presidential elections in the country "in the interest of peace and democracy" but still insists that he actually won. No candidate has won 50% of the vote and the next round of elections commences in July. (Reuters SA) (BBC) United Nations rapporteur Manfred Nowak states that the United States may be secretly holding prisoners on military vessels. (BBC) In Egypt presidential candidate Ayman Nour pleads not guilty in forging signatures in his party's registration. His supporters demonstrate outside the courthouse. Nour is regarded as the main rival candidate to incumbent president Hosni Mubarak. (Arab News) (Al-Jazeera) (BBC) (Reuters) Ugandan parliament votes to remove the law that limits presidential terms to two 5-year terms. Opposition critics say that it intended to make Yoweri Museveni president-for-life. Police disperses opposition demonstrators with tear gas. (BBC) (Reuters) (Reuters AlertNet) Supreme court of Canada rules that Rwandan Leon Mugesera should be deported. He is accused of incitement during Rwandan genocide. (Canada.Com) (Reuters) In Malawi parliament speaker Rodwell Munyenyembe dies four days after he collapsed during a heated parliamentary debate. (News24) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC) In Pakistan fault in undersea cable severs some of the country's internet and mobile phone links abroad. Repairs may take three days. (Pakistan Dawn) (Channel News Asia (Reuters) In Germany former deputy defense minister Holger Pfahls admits that in 1990 he took a bribe worth million euros from arms dealer Karlheinz Schreiber in connection of a sale of armored vehicles to the USA. He is in trial accused of taking bribes from Saudi Arabia in a similar deal in 1991. (Deutsche Welle) (Bloomberg) In Australia councillor Paul Tully wants to exhume the bodies of outlaws Steve Hart and Dan Kelly two members of Ned Kelly's gang because he suspects they may have survived and fled to Queensland. (ABC) (Australian) (BBC) A federal jury in Birmingham Alabama acquits Richard Scrushy the former chief executive of HealthSouth of all criminal charges arising out of the $2.7 billion in accounting fraud at that company. June 29 2005 (Wednesday) The United States House of Representatives passes a $1.17 billion funding bill for Amtrak in fiscal year 2006 an amount that is still short of the $2 billion Amtrak was originally seeking. The funding was approved in an amendment to a more general transportation and treasury appropriations bill. The House also removed the requirement in the bill that would mandate Amtrak to end passenger train service on currently unprofitable routes. The funding has yet to be approved by the Senate. The United States Capitol in Washington D.C. was briefly evacuated due to an aircraft that entered restricted airspace. New York officials release the design for the signature building of the World Trade Center. The building will be called "The Freedom Tower" and shine a ray of light from its spire. In Spain Manuel Fraga the last politician from the era of Francisco Franco loses in elections in Galicia. A Belgian jury finds two Rwandans Etienne Nzabonimana and Samuel Ndashyikirwa guilty of involvement in the Rwandan genocide. Hezbollah shells Israeli positions with mortars and rockets in the disputed Shebaa farms wounding five soldiers and killing one The Israeli military shelled areas around several villages in southern Lebanon and planes launched missiles. Israel intends to file a complaint against Lebanon and UNIFIL for failing to prevent aggression by Hezbollah. UN special envoy Anna Tibaijuka meets Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe discussing about a recent urban crackdown that has left 300.000 people homeless In Serbia Belgrade court convicts 10 officials from the government of Slobodan Miloevi for an assassination attempt against then-opposition leader Vuk Drakovi. they include special police commander Milorad Ulemek and chief of state security Radomir Markovi (B92) (Reuters AlertNet) In Ethiopia government promises to rerun some elections in constituencies where there have been allegations of election fraud (IOL) (Reuters AlertNet) Government also arrests four journalists who had criticized the government crackdown against protesters (Reuters AlertNet) Venezuela forms Petrocaribe an energy cooperation pact with 13 Caribbean states to supply them with cheaper oil. Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados opt out (Caribbean Net News) (Reuters) (Bloomberg) International Federation for Human Rights demands that International Criminal Court investigate human rights abuses of Colombian paramilitary group Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) (World peace Herald) (BBC) In Liberia Gyude Bryant president of transitional government states that he is going to use death penalty against those who commit gboyo human sacrifice especially presidential candidates trying to boost their chances (Liberian Observer) (AllAfrica) (Reuters AlertNet) Giant sudoku puzzle appears near Bristol England (BBC) June 30 2005 (Thursday) In Belgium the Parliament Speaker Herman De Croo cancels a lunch with a delegation from the Iranian parliament led by Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel because of the Iranians' insistence on not serving alcoholic drinks and a meeting with senate president Anne-Marie Lizin because of the men in the delegation refusing to shake hands with her a non-related woman. In Russia a court in St. Petersburg sentences two men for the 1998 murder of liberal MP Galina Starovoitova. Organizer Yuri Kolchin received 20 years in prison Vitaly Akishin receives 23. Indian police in Delhi have arrested tiger poacher Sansar Chand In Lebanon former Minister of Finance Fouad Siniora is appointed prime minister. The Sudanese government releases jailed Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi and lifts a ban of his Popular Congress Party. He was detained for plotting a coup Somalian gunmen hijack a ship carrying United Nations food aid and demand $500.000 ransom for the crew. Spain's parliament votes to legalize same-sex marriages the third European country to do so after the Netherlands and Belgium and in the same week as Canada. The bill passed by a margin of 40 votes with 187 votes in favor 147 opposed and four abstentions. There are conflicting reports about Bandar bin Sultan Saudi Arabian ambassador to United States. BBC reports that he has resigned but the Saudi embassy says he is just in a holiday. International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo states that they have credible evidence of crimes against humanity in Darfur. Sudan refuses to extradite those suspected of war crimes. In France a court in Paris convicts 14 militant separatists from ETA and Breton Revolutionary Army In the Philippines agriculture minister Arthur Yap resigns because of charges of tax evasion In India Gautam Goswami main suspect of a massive flood relief scam connected to 2005 Indian Ocean earthquake gives himself up after several weeks and is remanded to judicial custody. He is also under another investigation of misusing public funds meant for social programs. Time Magazine says that it will hand over records in compliance with a court order in the investigation of the leak of a covert CIA operative's name. This decision in the matter of Valerie Plame could avoid jail time for one of its reporters Matthew Cooper. The EPA says that a chemical used to make Teflon is "likely" to cause cancer. The compound is used in the creation of cookware and clothing. Survivors of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis claim that Iran's president-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was among their captors. The United States is looking into the matter. In Scotland Western Isles Council approves plans to build a large wind farm in northern Lewis In Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva orders an investigation into allegations of corruption at the energy company Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA In Egypt Ayman Ismail co-defendant in the case of forged signatures with Ayman Nour withdraws his guilty plea stating that government security agents pressured him to do so. In the United States President George W. Bush names U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) member Cynthia A. Glassman as acting chair replacing William Donaldson who announced his retirement early this month effective today. In Minnesota the state legislature fails to come to an agreement on the state budget for the 2006-2007 biennium. At midnight the government shuts down leading to cries of derision from state residents and both of the state's largest newspapers the liberal-leaning Star Tribune and the conservative-leaning St. Paul Pioneer Press. v d eList of events by month 2009: January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December 2008: January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December 2007: January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December 2006: January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December 2005: January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December 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.