World Events: 2007Q2

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World Event

1-Apr-07

Solomon Islands - Magnitude-8.0 earthquake and tsunami (USGS): 28 people were killed (CNN International, 3-Apr-07); more than 100,000 became homeless (Bloomberg, 3-Apr-07).

2-Apr-07

Ampara - Sri Lanka - Bus bomb killed at least 15 people (Washington Post-AP).

New York, NY; Greenwood Village, CO - U.S. - Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) agreed to acquire First Data Corp. for about $29 billion (First Data Corp.).

U.S.; Korea - United States and South Korea bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). (Bloomberg; NYT; Xinhua.)

Washington, DC; New York, NY - U.S. - Hillary Clinton's campaign announced it raised $36 million in 2007Q1. The amount includes $10 million transferred from Senator Clinton's senate reelection account. (Hillary for President, HillaryClinton.com.)

Washington, DC - U.S. - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), are pollutants under the Clean Air Act. Environmental Defense argued that "Duke Energy must clean up old, polluting plants when it refurbishes them" (Environmental Defense) (U.S. Supreme Court: Environmental Defense v. Duke Energy Corp., Docket 05-848). (See also ScienceNOW; NYT; Los Angeles Times.)

Irvine, CA - U.S. - Subprime mortgage lender New Century Financial Corporation filed for Chapter 11 protection (New Century Financial Corporation Restructuring Information web site). (See also Bloomberg; NYT.)

Chicago, IL - U.S. - Real estate tycoon Sam Zell to acquire Tribune Co., which owns the Los Angeles Times, for $8.2 billion. (Tribune Company; Chicago Tribune; Los Angeles Times; Globe and Mail.)

3-Apr-07

New Delhi - India - 14th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit. SAARC members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Mogadishu - Somalia - Fighting between Ethiopian-Somali troops and Islamist insurgents reportedly killed about 400 people (Reuters India; Washington Post-AP; Los Angeles Times).

Kiev - Ukraine - Thousands of supporters of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych protest against pro-West President Victor Yushchenko's decision on 2-Apr-07 to dissolve Parliament (Guardian Unlimited-AP; BBC; Bloomberg).

4-Apr-07

Pakistan - Pakistani tribal forces killed more than 40 people linked to al Qaeda (VOA News; The Hindu, 5-Apr-07).

Tehran - Iran - Iran pardoned and released 15 British sailors and marines accused of illegal incursion into Iranian territorial waters (BBC; VOA News; IRNA). The sailors and marines were detained on 23-Mar-07 (BBC). [4-Apr-07 - 5-Apr-07.]

U,S. - Barack Obama's presidential campaign announced it raised at least $25 million in 2007Q1 (Barack Obama's presidential campaign). Total raised by Democratic and Republican presidential candidates: About $127 million (Xinhua, 5-Apr-07).

5-Apr-07

London - U.K. - The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted to maintain the official Bank Rate paid on commercial bank reserves at 5.25%.

U.S. - Hilary O. Shelton, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): "Without intervention, sub-prime foreclosures will impose the greatest drain on African-American and Latino wealth ever experienced in this country" (National Fair Housing Alliance; Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; National Council of La Raza). Center for Responsible Lending (CRL): "As this year [2006] ends, 2.2 million households in the subprime market either have lost their homes to foreclosure or hold subprime mortgages that will fail over the next several years. These foreclosures will cost homeowners as much as $164 billion, primarily in lost home equity" (CRL report: Losing Ground: Foreclosures in the Subprime Market and Their Cost to Homeowners, Dec-06).

Iraq - U.S. Black Hawk helicopter downed south of Baghdad (Washington Post-AP).

Washington, DC - U.S. - Sen. Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the declassified report of the Department of Defense Inspector General on its “Review of the Pre-Iraqi War Activities of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy” (Report No. 07-INTEL-04, 9-Feb-07) (Carl Levin, U.S. Senator). The report debunks the intelligence assessment activities of the office of Under Secretary of Defense Doug Feith (Christian Science Monitor). (See also Los Angeles Times; dougfeith.com).

Santorini Island - Greece - Cruise ship Sea Diamond sinks on 6-apr-07 after hitting a rock on 5-Apr-07; 2 people are missing (BBC News). [5-Apr-07 - 6-Apr-07.]

6-Apr-07

Brussels - Belgium - IPCC released "Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability" report. Key findings include: "A global assessment of data since 1970 has shown it is likely that anthropogenic warming has had a discernible influence on many physical and biological systems"; "Poor communities can be especially vulnerable, in particular those concentrated in high-risk areas. They tend to have more limited adaptive capacities, and are more dependent on climate-sensitive resources such as local water and food supplies."

Ramadi - Iraq - Suicide truck bomber kills at least 35 people; the truck was loaded with chlorine (BBC News).

Kabul - Afghanistan - Suicide bomber kills 6 people (VOA News).

Beijing - China - China State Council banned trade in human organs (Xinhua; BBC News; CNN International-AP).

7-Apr-07

Japan - Japanese banks, including Mizuho Corporate Bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. to provide Citigroup Inc. with a 1.7 trillion yen line of credit; Citigroup to acquire Nikko Cordial Corp. (The Japan Times-Kyodo News; Washington Post; The Australian. See also: Bloomberg). Citigroup announced it launched its tender offer for 100% of the shares of Nikko Cordial on 14-Mar-07 (Citigroup).

Diwaniya - Iraq - U.S. forces bomb Diyaniya (Al Jazeera-Agencies; Washington Post); 16 people were killed (Washington Post). Throughout Iraq, at least 64 were dead (Guardian Unlimited-AP). [7-Apr-07 - 8-Apr-07.]

Los Angeles, CA - U.S. - Thousands of people protested the Bush administration immigration reform plan ($3,500 Z-visas and $10,000 re-entry fines) (VOA News).

Iraq - Fighters kill 10 U.S. soldiers outside Baghdad (Washington Post; Los Angeles Times). [7-Apr-07 - 8-Apr-07.]

8-Apr-07

Vatican City - Vatican - Pope Benedict XVI, in his "Urbi et Orbi" Easter message: "Afghanistan is marked by growing unrest and instability; In the Middle East, besides some signs of hope in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian authority, nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual slaughter as the civil population flees." (Holy See, Vatican.)

Baghdad; Mahmudiya - Iraq - Blasts killed at least 20 people (Al Jazeera-Agencies).

Afghanistan - Roadside bombs killed 7 Nato soldiers (6 from Canada) (Al Jazeera-Agencies; CBC News; VOA News-AFP & Reuters).

9-Apr-07

Najaf - Iraq - Tens of thousands demonstrate against the occupation of Iraq (VOA News). (See also: Al Jazeera-Agencies; BBC News; Guardian Unlimited-AP; Tehran Times-AFP).

Natanz - Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "From now on, Iran is placed in the category of the nations producing fuel at industrial level." (IRNA). (See also: Bloomberg; BBC News; Guardian Unlimited-AP; National Post; Xinhua.)

Iraq - Saifeddin Fulayh Hassan Taha al-Rawi, former commander of Iraq's Republican Guard: "The enemy [U.S.] used neutron and phosphorus weapons against Baghdad airport . . . " (Al Jazeera).

10-Apr-07

U.S. - U.S. charged China with copyright piracy and interference in the distribution of products, at the World Trade Organization (WTO) (Washington Post; CNN; Xinhua; Al Jazeera-Agencies.)

Somalia - Hawiye clan claimed that recent fighting between Ethiopian forces and Islamists killed 1,086 people; property losses estimated at $1.5 billion (Al Jazeera-Agencies).

Muqdadiya - Iraq - Woman suicide bomber killed 17 police recruits (Gulf News; PakTribune; Guardian Unlimited-AP.)

Sudan - Chadian forces clashed with soldiers in Sudan; 17 Sudanese soldiers were killed (BBC News). (See also: Bloomberg; Washington Post-AP, 11-Apr-07.)

11-Apr-07

Tokyo - Japan - China-Japan Summit. China-Japan trade: $240 billion in 2006 (Washington Post-Reuters). (See also: Bloomberg; BBC News; Xinhua.) [11-Apr-07 - 13-Apr-07.]

New York, NY - U.S. - Citigroup Inc. to cut about 17,000 jobs to save from $2.1 billion in 2007 to $4.6 billion in 2009 (Citigroup Inc.).

Algiers - Algeria - Al Qaeda suicide bombers killed 33 people (Al Jazzier-Al Jazeera and Agencies, 12-Apr-07; VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters). (See also: CNN International; Bloomberg, 12-Apr-07; NYT; Xinhua.)

Washington, DC - U.S. - US Senate passed S.5, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell research (The Library of Congress-THOMAS; VOA News).

12-Apr-07

Baghdad - Iraq - Truck bomb damaged Sarafiya Bridge over the Tigris; killed at least 10 people (CNN International; Guardian Unlimited-AP; Al Jazeera-Agencies). (See also: BBC News).

Baghdad - Iraq - Suicide bomber targeted Iraq's parliament; killed 1 MP (UPI). (See also: Telegraph; Al Jazeera-Agencies; BBC News.)

Wheeler Island - India - India test-launched Agni III, a ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear weapon with a range of more than 3,000 kilometers (VOA News; The Times of India; DailyIndia; Washington Post-Reuters).

Washington, DC - U.S. - World Bank President and neocon architect of the Iraq war Paul D. Wolfowitz apologized for his role in promoting and increasing the salary of his girlfriend Shaha Ali Riza (CNN; Bloomberg; NYT; BBC News; Economist; Al Jazeera). (World Bank Group.)

Shahjoy - Afghanistan - Afghan forces claimed they killed 35 fighters (Al Jazeera-Agencies).

U.S. - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow "corn milling" ethanol producers to emit up to 250 tons of pollution per year; the previous limit was 100 tons per year (Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0089) (EPA; ENS). The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), while still having concerns, was "on balance . . . pleased" (ACE).

13-Apr-07

Guerrero - Mexico - Magnitude-5.4 earthquake (USGS).

Mountain View, CA; New York, NY - U.S. - Google Inc. to acquire DoubleClick Inc. for $3.1 billion (Google Inc.; DoubleClick Inc.). (See also: Bloomberg; NYT; PC World.)

14-Apr-07

Karbala; Baghdad - Iraq - Car bomb in Karbala killed about 40 people (BBC News); car bomb targeting a bridge in Baghdad killed 10 people (CTV; Washington Post). (See also: Washington Post-Reuters; Al Jazeera-Agencies; Guardian Unlimited-AP).

Washington, DC - U.S. - World Bank Group-International Monetary Fund meeting Spring Meeting (IMF). Key U.S. issue: foreign-exchange surveillance (Bloomberg); key issue for China: trade protectionism (Xinhua). [14-Apr-07 - 15-Apr-07.]

Moscow; St Petersburg - Russia - About 4,000 people protested against President Vladimir V. Putin; the protests were organized by the Other Russia coalition which is led by Gary Kasparov. More than 10,000 people protested in support of President Putin. (The Moscow Times, 16-Apr-07.) (See also: NYT; Washington Post.) [14-Apr-07 - 15-Apr-07.]

15-Apr-07

U.S. - Lenders have abused the National Student Loan Data System (Washington Post).

Baghdad; Taji - Iraq - Bombs killed at least 45 people (International Herald Tribune-AP). 2 UK military helicopters crashed near Taji; 2 service members were killed (BBC News; VOA News).

16-Apr-07

Blacksburg, VA - U.S. - Gunman killed 33 people, including students, at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech University Campus Alert). (See Also: CNN; Bloomberg; Al Jazeera-Agencies.)

Reston, VA - U.S. - Investment group including J.C. Flowers & Co., Friedman Fleischer & Lowe LLC, Bank of America Corp., and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to acquire SLM Corporation (Sallie Mae) for about $25 billion; Sallie Mae is the U.S.'s leading provider of student loans (Sallie Mae) (See also: NYT; CNNMoney.com; Bloomberg; Houston Chronicle-AP; BusinessWeek). The student loan sector is estimated at $85 billion per year (Bloomberg).

New York, NY - U.S. - Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) up 108.33 to 12,720.46 (Dow Jones & Co.). (See also: Yahoo! Finance.)

Mosul - Iraq - 13 Iraqi soldiers and 2 academics were killed (Al Jazeera-Agencies).

Alexandria, VA - U.S. - CNA Corporation (CNAC) released "National Security and the Threat of Climate Change." The Military Advisory Board included 11 of the U.S.'s most senior former officers and national security experts. Key findings include: "Projected climate change poses a serious threat to America's national security; climate change acts as a threat multiplier for instability . . .; projected climate change will add to tensions even in stable regions of the worldclimate change, national security and energy dependence are a related set of global challenges." (The CNA Corporation). (See also: ENS.)

17-Apr-07

Washington, DC - U.S. - Federal regulators encourage financial institutions to work with homeowners who are unable to make mortgage payments (The Federal Reserve Board).

Washington, DC - U.S. - George Soros criticized AIPAC: "[C]riticism of our policies toward Israel is very muted indeed. . . One explanation is to be found in the pervasive influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) . . . AIPAC's mission is to ensure American support for Israel but in recent years it . . . became closely allied with the neocons and was an enthusiastic supporter of the invasion of Iraq. . . The current policy of not seeking a political solution but pursuing military escalation—not just an eye for an eye but roughly speaking ten Palestinian lives for every Israeli one—has reached a particularly dangerous point." (The New York Review of Books, Vol. 54, No. 6, 12-Apr-07). (See also: Executive Intelligence Review; Al Jazeera-Agencies; Washington Post-Reuters.)

18-Apr-07

Baghdad - Iraq - Despite the surge in U.S. forces, bomb attacks killed 190 people in Baghdad (VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters); more than 230 were killed throughout Iraq (Forbes-AP; Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies). (See also: NYT; Washington Post; BBC; Times of India; Xinhua.)

Mogadsishu - Somalia - Islamic insurgents battled Ethiopian forces; at least 113 people were reportedly killed (VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters, 21-Apr-07). (See also: BBC News, 21-Apr-07; Al Jazeera-Agencies, 21-Apr-07.) [18-Apr-07 - 21-Apr-01.]

Washington, DC - U.S. - The Supreme Court of the United States upheld a federal ban on Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003” (Supreme Court of the United States: Gonzales, Attorney General v. Carhart et al., Docket No. 05-380, 18-Apr-07). (See also: NYT-Congressional Quarterly; Washington Post.)

19-Apr-07

Washington, DC - U.S. - U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D) for Nevada, regarding Iraq war: ". . . this war is lost" (NYT; Washington Post-Reuters; San Francisco Chronicle-AP). (See also: Sen. Reid's website, press release, 19-Apr-07.)

20-Apr-07

New York, NY - U.S. - Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) surged 153.35 to a record 12,961.98 (Dow Jones). (See also: Yahoo! Finance; NYT-AP, 21-Apr-07; Los Angeles Times, 21-Apr-07.)

Houston, TX - U.S. - An alleged Jacobs Sverdrup contractor employee with NASA killed a NASA civil servant, then himself, at NASA's Johnson Space Centre (NASA JSP). (See also: CBS News-AP; Al Jazeera-Agencies.)

22-Apr-07

France - France's presidential election, first round: conservative Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP), 31.11%; socialist Segolene Royal (PS), 25.84%; François Bayrou (UDF), 18.55%; Jean-Marie Le Pen (FN), 10.51% (L'Express; Le Monde). Turn out, about 85% (VOA News). (See also: Bloomberg; Washington Post-AP; Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies.)

Mosul - Iraq - Gunmen killed 23 people (BBC News).

Washington, DC - U.S. - Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. Statement on the 2007 Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund Reports: " . . . to make the system whole on a permanent basis, the combined payroll tax rate would have to be raised immediately by about one-third from 12.4 percent to about 15.9 percent, or benefits reduced immediately by 22 percent." The Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund (Medicare) is expected to become insolvent by 2019; The Social Security trust fund, by 2041 (U.S. Treasury Department, HP-367). (See also: NYT.)

23-Apr-07

Moscow - Russia - Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin died at the age of 76 (RIA Novosti; CNN; Washington Post-AP; Bloomberg ).

London; Amsterdam - U.K.; The Netherlands - Barclays PLC to buy ABN AMRO Holding N.V. for $91 billion (Barclays PLC; ABN AMRO Holding N.V.). (See also: Bloomberg).

London; Gaithersburg, MD - U.K.; U.S. - AstraZeneca PLC to buy U.S. biotechnology company MedImmune Inc. for $15.2 billion (AstraZeneca PLC; MedImmune Inc.) (See also: Bloomberg; MSN Money-Reuters.)

Baquba; Baghdad; Tall Lasqaf - Iraq - Bombings killed at least 33 people across Iraq (Los Angeles Times; Bloomberg).

Nigeria - Umaru Yar'Adua (People's Democratic Party) won Nigeria's presidential elections; fraud and violence were alleged (VOA News; Al Jazeera-Agencies; NYT). (See also: AllAfrica-Daily Trust.)

24-Apr-07

Diyala - Iraq - Suicide car bombers killed 9 U.S. soldiers and 10 policemen (VOA News; Al Jazeera-Agencies). (See also: NYT; Guardian Unlimited-AP.)

Toyota, Aichi; Detroit, MI - Japan; U.S. - Toyota Motor Corporation overtook General Motors Corporation in 2007Q1 in car sales (CNN Money; NYT; BBC News).

Abole - Ethiopia - The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) attacked a Chinese oil field; killed 74 people, including 9 Chinese (China View-Xinhua; VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters; Bloomberg; NYT).

MD - U.S. - Survey by Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM), University of Maryland: Muslims believe the U.S. is trying to undermine Islam (VOA News). (See also: Program on International Policy Attitudes, CISSM.)

Abole - Ethiopia - The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) attacked a Chinese oil field; killed 74 people, including 9 Chinese (China View-Xinhua; VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters; Bloomberg; NYT).

25-Apr-07

New York, NY - U.S. - Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) up 135.95 to 13,089.89 (Dow Jones & Co.). (See also: Yahoo! Finance.)

Edinburgh; Madrid; Brussels; Utrecht - U.K.; Spain; Belgium; The Netherlands - Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) consortium, including Santander and Fortis, proposed to acquire ABN AMRO for $98.2 billion (BBC News; CNN Money-Reuters). (see also: Forbes-AP.)

26-Apr-07

Moscow - Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his state-of-the-nation address: he announced a moratorium on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty (RIA Novosti; VOA News); charged that foreigners are using money to interfere in Russian affairs (VOA News; Bloomberg); and declared that the big rich-poor gap is unacceptable (Bloomberg). (See also: Globe and Mail-Reuters.)

27-Apr-07

Saudi Arabia - Saudi police arrested 172 Islamic militants who were allegedly planning suicide attacks on multiple targets, including oil fields and military facilities (NYT; CNN; Al Jazeera-Agencies). (See also: Washington Post-Reuters; Bloomberg.)

Alishar, Khost - Afghanistan - NATO airstrike killed 13 Taliban fighters (VOA News-AFP-Reuters, 28-Apr-07).

28-Apr-07

Charsadda - Pakistan - Suicide bomb targeting Pakistan's interior minister killed 28 people (Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies, 29-Apr-07). (See also: VOA News.)

Karbala; Baghdad; Falluja - Iraq - Car bomber killed 68 people in Karbala (Guardian Unlimited-AP, 29-Apr-07; NYT, 29-Apr-07). Militants killed 13 people in Baghdad; U.S. fighter jet bombs a truck in Faluja (VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters).

29-Apr-07

Istanbul - Turkey - More than one million Turks protested in favor of a secular Turkey (Al Jazeera-Agencies; BBC News; International Herald Tribune).

30-Apr-07

Washington, DC - U.S. - U.S. Department of State: Country Reports on Terrorism 2006: Key findings: "Both expeditionary and guerrilla approaches co-exist, alongside true "home-grown" terrorism involving local cells acting spontaneously . . . "; "Radicalization of immigrant populations, youth and alienated minorities in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa continued. . . Terrorists seek to manipulate grievances represent a "conveyor belt" through which terrorists seek to convert alienated or aggrieved populations, convert them to extremist viewpoints, and turn them, by stages, into sympathizers, supporters, and ultimately, members of terrorist networks." National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) statistics: Incidents of terrorism worldwide increased from 11,153 in 2005 to 14,338 in 2006; the number of individuals worldwide killed as a result of incidents of terrorism increased from 14,618 in 2005 to 20,498 in 2006 (NCTC, 30-Apr-07).

Jerusalem - Israel - Winograd Commission interim report criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and Israeli Defense Forces Chief Dan Halutz regarding Israel's failed war in Lebanon (Ynetnews; BBC News; NYT, 1-May-07).

1-May-07

U.S. - Immigrant rallies (VOA News).

New York, NY - U.S. - Rupert Murdoch made a friendly offer to acquire Dow Jones & Company for $5 billion (News Corporation; Dow Jones & Company); the Bankroft family rejected the offer (Dow Jones & Company, 2-May-07). (See also: BusinessWeek, 3-May-07; Economist, 2-May-07; Guardian Unlimited, 3-May-07.)

Baghdad - Iraq - Abu Ayyub al-Masri, leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, was reportedly killed (China View-Xinhua, 3-May-07). Report unconfirmed (Al Jazeera-Agencies, 3-May-07; CNN International-AP, 2-May-07).

3-May-07

Tel Aviv - Israel - More than 100,000 Israelis demand the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (Haaretz; Washington Post, 4-May-07). (See also: BBC News; Al Jazeera-Agencies, 4-May-07.)

5-May-07

Douala - Cameroun - A Kenya Airways plane crashed in Cameroun; 114 people were killed or were missing (BBC News, 7-May-07).

6-May-07

France - The French elected Nicolas Sarkozy as president (53.06% for Sarkozy v. 46.94% for Segolene Royal; turnout at 85%) (BBC News). Sarkozy's maternal grandfather, Aaron Mallah, was born in 1890 in the Sephardic Jewish community of Thessaloniki, Greece (Wikipedia, 13-May-07). (See also: Radio France; VOA News.)

Baghdad; Diyala - Iraq - Car bomb killed at least 33 people in Baghdad (BBC News); Al Qaeda affiliate claimed it killed 6 U.S. soldiers (VOA News, 7-May-07). (See also: CNN International.)

7-May-07

Ramadi - Iraq - Suicide bombers killed 25 people near Ramadi (NYT).

Washington, DC - U.S. - President George W. Bush welcomed Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the White House (The White House).

8-May-07

Ramadi; Baghdad; Kufa - Iraq - At least 68 people were killed or found dead throughout Iraq (Guardian Unlimited-AP); suicide car bomb killed at least 16 people in Kufa (BBC News). (See also: Washington Post.)

Herodium; Jerusalem - Israel - Israeli archeologist Ehud Netzer of Hebrew University claimed to have located the grave of "bloody" King Herod, who was elected "king of the Jews" by Rome (BBC News; Los Angeles Times, 9-May-07).

9-May-07

Brazil - Pope Benedict XVI Apostolic Journey to Brazil on the occasion of the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Conferences (The Holy Sea, Vatican). [9-May-07 - 14-May-07.]

Washington, DC - U.S. - The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to keep its target for the federal funds rate at 5.25% (Federal Reserve).

Washington, DC - U.S. - The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) to catalog all 1.8 million earth species over the Internet; EOL was initiated by The Field Museum of Natural History, Harvard University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, and Biodiversity Heritage Library (Encyclopedia of Life; VOA News).

Irbil, Kurdistan - Iraq - Truck bomber targeted the Interior Ministry in Irbil and killed at least 14 people (VOA News).

10-May-07

Frankfurt am Main - Germany - The Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) decided that the minimum bid rate on the main refinancing operations will remain unchanged at 3.75% (ECB). (See also: BBC News.)

New York, NY - U.S. - Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) down 147.74 to 13,215.13 (Dow Jones & Co.). (See also: Yahoo! Finance.)

11-May-07

New York, NY - U.S. - Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) up 111.09 to 13,326.22 (Dow Jones & Co.). (See also: Yahoo! Finance.)

New York, NY - U.S. - Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) launched an online database providing counter-terrorism technical assistance related to the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1373, by country and region (UN News). (See also: United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee; CTC Directory of Counter-Terrorism Information and Sources of Assistance.)

12-May-07

Karachi - Pakistan - Pro- and anti-government clashes killed at least 37 people (Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies, 13-May-07; The Times of India-IST-AP, 13-May-07; CNN International, 13-May-07). (See also: VOA News, 13-May-07.)

Canonsburg, PA; Darmstadt - U.S.; Germany - Mylan Laboratories Inc. to acquire Merck KGaA Generics business for $6.7 billion (Mylan Laboratories Inc.; Merck KGaA, 13-May-07).

13-May-07

Makhmur; Baghdad - Iraq - Suicide truck bomber targeted Kurdish political party and killed at least 55 people (Al Jazeera-Agencies). Blast in Baghdad killed 12 (CNN). (See also: BBC News; VOA News.)

14-May-07

New York, NY; Stuttgart - U.S.; Germany - Cerberus Capital Management, L.P to acquire an 80.1% stake in Chrysler Group and Related Financial Services Business for $7.4 billion (DaimlerChrysler AG).

Zahri, Kandahar - Afganistan - NATO-led air strike reportedly killed 60 Taliban fighters; the Taliban disputed the claim (Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies, 15-May-07). [14-May-07 - 15-May-07.]

15-May-07

Toronto, ON; Stamford, CT; London - Canada; U.S.; U.K. - Thomson Corp. to buy Reuters Group Plc for $17.2 billion (Thomson Corporation; Reuters Group PLC; Reuters Founders Share Company Ltd).

Irvine, CA - U.S. - RealtyTrac April 2007 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report: foreclosure filings up 62% from April 2006 (RealtyTrac Inc.). (See also: Bloomberg.)

Peshawar - Pakistan - Bomb at hotel killed at least 24 people (Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies; PakTribune; BBC News; Bloomberg; VOA News-AP-Reuters).

16-May-07

Redmond, WA - U.S. - Microsoft to acquire aQuantive Inc. for $6 billion (The Street).

New York, NY - U.S. - Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) up 103.69 to 13,487.53 (Dow Jones & Co.). (See also: Yahoo! Finance.)

Abu Saydah, Diyala; Nasiriyah - Iraq - A car bomb in Diyala killed at least 32 people; 9 more were killed in Nasiriyah (VOA News; Guardian Unlimited-AP; China View-Xinhua).

17-May-07

New York, NY; Dallas, TX - U.S. - The Blackstone Group to acquire Alliance Data Systems Corp. for $7.8 billion (Alliance Data Systems Corporation; The Blackstone Group). (See also: MarketWatch; TheStreet.com; Washington Post-Reuters.)

Washington, DC - U.S. - Paul D. Wolfowitz resigned as president of the World Bank effective 30-Jun-07 (World Bank Group). (See also: BusinessWeek; NYT.)

Samara - Russia - Russia-EU summit (RIA Novosti; Bloomberg). [17-May-07 - 18-May-07.]

18-May-07

Beijing - China - The People's Bank of China (PBC) increased the floating band of the RMB trading prices against the US dollar from 0.3% per day to 0.5% per day (effective 19-May-07). PBC earlier increased its 1-year benchmark lending rate by 0.27%, from 6.12% to 6.39% (effective 18-Mar-07); and RMB reserve requirement ratio of depository financial institutions by 0.5% (effective 16-Apr-07). (The People's Bank of China.)

Hyderabad - India - Bombing at mosque and shooting kill 12 people in Hyderabad (Dawn, 19-May-07). (See also: Gulf News-AP, 19-May-07; Washington Post, 19-May-07.)

19-May-07

Estonia - Massive cyber attacks targeted Estonia; Estonians accused Russia; Russia denied the accusation (Washington Post; NYT; Guardian Unlimited-The Guardian).

20-May-07

Nahr el-Bared - Lebanon - The Lebanese army battled Fatah al-Islam in a Palestinian refugee camp; more than 75 people were killed (VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters; CNN International). (See also: Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies; Guardian Unlimited-AP.) [20-May-07 - 22-May-07.]

Little Rock, AR - U.S. - TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners (private equity unit of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc) to buy Alltel for $27.5 billion (Alltel Corporation). (See also: PC World; Washington Post; NYT.)

21-May-07

Fairfield, CT; Riyadh - U.S.; Saudi Arabia - General Electric Co. to sell its GE Plastics business to Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) for $11.6 billion (MarketWatch).

Guangxi - China - Thousands of villagers rioted against China's one-child policy and fines (BBC News; CNN-Reuters; NYT, 22-May-07; Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies, 22-May-07).

The Hague - The Netherlands - NGOs against World Bank water privatization; Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) wanted to fund water privatization projects (ENS).

Cannes - France - World premiere of Michael Moore's "Sicko" at the Cannes Film Festival (MichaelMoore.com). (See also: Los Angeles Times; Washington Post; Globe and Mail.)

22-May-07

Baghdad - Iraq - Car bomb kills at least 25 people (VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters; Bloomberg; Al Jazeera-Agencies).

Ankara - Turkey - Bomb killed 6 people in Ankara (NYT; Al Jazeera-Agencies, 23-May-07; Guardian Unlimited-AP, 23-May-07).

23-May-07

Gulf - 9 US warships enter the Gulf off Iran's coast (Al Jazeera-Agencies).

Diyala - Iraq - Suicide bomber killed at least 15 people (Guardian Unlimited-AP); 9 U.S. soldiers and Marines were also killed (Bloomberg; Washington Post-Reuters.)

24-May-07

Delft, Jaffna peninsula; Colombo - Sri Lanka - Tamil Tiger rebels attacked a naval base; at least 22 people were killed; bomb in Colombo killed 1 soldier (Guardian Unlimited; Washington Post-AP). (See also: CNN International.)

Peru - Military DHC-6 plane with 20 people on board crashed; 8 survivors were located (Bloomberg, 25-May-07; BBC News, 25-May-07).

Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo - Russia - Coal mine explosion killed 38 miners (RIA Novosti; VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters; Bloomberg; China View-Xinhua).

Washington, DC - U.S. - Congress passes an increase in the federal minimum wage rate (NYT).

25-May-07

Camp David, MD - U.S. - President George W. Bush signed H.R. 2206, the "U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007;" the bill provides $120 billion -- in FY 2007 supplemental appropriations for the war on terror, hurricane disaster relief and recovery, and other purposes (The White House; The Library of Congress-THOMAS). (See also: Al Jazeera-Agencies, 26-May-07.)

Turkey - Bomb killed at least 6 Turkish soldiers; Kurdish rebels were suspected (Deutsche Welle). (See also: VOA News.)

DPRK - North Korea fired missiles into the Sea of Japan (VOA News; Economist; Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies). Government Accountability Office: the U.S. spent $300 billion on the war in Iraq (NYT-AP).

Washington, DC - U.S. - U.S. Department of Defense released to Congress the “2007 Military Power of the People’s Republic of China” report; China military inventory included 20 CSS-4 ICBM missiles with an estimated range of 12,900+ km (US DOD; VOA News). China to increase its military spending by 17.8% in 2007 (BBC News). (See also: CNN.)

26-May-07

Caracas - Venezuela - Tens of thousands protested for and against the decision to close RCTV on 28-May-07 (Washington Post; NYT, 27-May-07); RCTV supported a coup against Hugo Chavez in 2002 (NYT, 27-May-07). (See also: BBC News, 27-May-07; NYT-Reuters, 28-May-07; VOA News, 28-May-07.) [26-May-07 - 28-May-07.]

Kanyola - DRC - Suspected Rwandan rebels killed at least 17 people (VOA News, 28-May-07). [26-May-07 - 27-May-07.]

28-May-07

Baghdad - Iraq - Car bomb killed 24 people (Al Jazeera-Agencies). (See also: BBC News; VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters; WSJ-AP.)

29-May-07

Plesetsk Cosmodrome - Russia - Russia successfully tested the RS-24 intercontinental missile (multiple warheads) (VOA News-AP-Reuters; BBC News).

Edinburgh; Madrid; Brussels; Utrecht - U.K.; Spain; Belgium; The Netherlands - The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Banco Santander Central Hispano, and Fortis made a $95.6 billion bid for ABN AMRO (RBS). (See also: Bloomberg; CNN; NYT, 30-Apr-07.)

Baghdad; Muqdadiyah - Iraq - Two car bombs killed at least 44 people in Baghdad; 10 U.S. soldiers were killed; and a U.S. helicopter was downed (Washington Post, 30-May-07). (See also: VOA News; UPI; Al-Jazeera-Agencies.)

New Delhi - India - India to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 25% by 2020 (ENS).

Beijing - China - China's Ministry of Public Security warned investors against scams and illegal activities in the stock market (China View-Xinhua).

30-May-07

Shanghai; Hong Kong - China - Shanghai Composite Index (SSE) down 281.84 to 4,053.09, and Hang Seng Index (HIS) down 175.83 to 20,293.76 (Yahoo! Finance; Reuters UK; China View-Xinhua), after China's State Council increased the stamp tax on securities trading from 0.1% to 0.3% (China View-Xinhua; VOA News). China's central bank wants stricter supervision of financial markets (China View-Xinhua).

New York, NY - U.S. - Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) up 111.74 to 13,633.08 (Dow Jones & Co.); S&P 500 closed at an all-time high 1,530.23 (Standard & Poor's). (See also: Yahoo! Finance.)

New York, NY - U.S. - Rob Vos, Director of the Development Policy and Analysis Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), launched the midyear update of the 2007 World Economic Situation and Prospects report. Risk of global recession: a serious recession in the U.S. can "significantly slow the world economy and transmit the recession into the rest of the world"; a "dollar crash must be averted to sustain global economic growth" (UN News).

Washington, DC - U.S. - President George W. Bush nominates Robert Zoellick as president of The World Bank (The White House; VOA News).

Kajaki, Helmand - Afghanistan - A U.S. CH-47 Chinook of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was downed by the Taliban; 7 soldiers were killed (CNN-CNN-Reuters; China View-Xinhua, 31-May-07). (See also: Globe and Mail-AP.)

Global Peace Index (GPi) by rank: 1. Norway; 2. New Zealand; 3. Denmark; 4. Ireland; 5. Japan; 8. Canada; 12. Germany; 49. United Kingdom; 96. United States of America; 97. Iran; 118. Russia; 119. Israel; 121 Iraq (Vision of Humanity; The Economist Intelligence Unit; experts from Peace Institutes and Think Tanks; Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Sydney, AU).

Schaumburg, IL - U.S. - Motorola, Inc: to eliminate about 4,000 jobs, and achieve $600 million in cost savings in 2008 (Motorola, Inc.).

31-May-07

Round Rock, TX - U.S. - Dell Inc. to terminate about 10% of its 88,100 jobs over the next 12 months (Dell Inc.). (See also: PC World; Guardian Unlimited-The Guardian, 1-Jun-07; NYT, 1-Jun-07.)

Charlotte, NC; St. Louis, MO - U.S. - Wachovia Corp. to buy A.G. Edwards Inc. for $6.8 billion; the combined retail brokerage firm will have $1.1 trillion in client assets (Wachovia Corporation; A. G. Edwards Inc.). (See also: Bloomberg; WSJ; TheStreet.com.)

Shah Joy - Afghanistan - Fighting killed 26 people: 16 Afghan policemen and 10 militants (NYT, 1-Jun-07). (See also: Daily Times, 1-Jun-07.)

1-Jun-07

Lebanon - Lebanese army attacks on militants in a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli escalated after they were resumed on 26-May-07 (Al Jazeera, 26-May-07 and 30-May-07); 18 people were reportedly killed (NYT, 2-Jun-07), including 6 soldiers (CNN-CNN-AP). Since 28-May-07, 91 people were killed, including 30 soldiers (Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies, 2-Jun-07). (See also: China View-Xinhua, 1-Jun-07.) [1-Jun-07 - 2-Jun-07.]

2-Jun-07

Rostock - Germany - Tens of thousands of anti-globalization demonstrators protested against the upcoming G8 summit scheduled for 6-8-Jun-07 in Germany. The turnout was estimated at 80,000 by organizers and at 25,000 by the police (Spiegel-dsl/dpa/ddp/afp). Violent incidences were reported (DW; BBC News; Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies). Neo-Nazi march was banned (DW). (See also Bloomberg; FOX News.)

New Delhi - India - India's economy expanded in FY2006 at a record rate of 9.4% (VOA News).

New York, NY - U.S. - Authorities foiled an alleged plot to blow up John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) (CNN; New York Daily News).

3-Jun-07

Ain al-Hilweh - Lebanon - Militants in Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon opened a new battle front in Lebanon; since 28-May-07, more than 100 people were reportedly killed (BBC News, 4-Jun-07). The violence could potentially spread to more of Lebanon's 12 refugee camps (VOA News, 4-Jun-04). [3-Jun-07 - 4-Jun-07.]

4-Jun-07

Beijing - China - China issued its first National Climate Change Program; the program does not quantify greenhouse gas emission reduction targets (China View-Xinhua; Washington Post-Reuters; NYT). (See also: China View-China.org.cn.)

Basking Ridge, NJ - U.S. - TPG Capital LLC and Silver Lake Partners to acquire Avaya for about $8.2 billion (Avaya). (See also: MarketWatch; Bloomberg).

U.S. - According to Bloomberg data, the number of buyout deals worldwide in 2007 was 1,008; the deals were valued at $452 billion. The deals in 2006 were valued at a record $701.5 billion. (Bloomberg.)

Shanghai - China - The Shanghai Composite Index lost 439.25 points to 3,670.40 (Yahoo! Finance).

5-Jun-07

Gaza Strip; West Bank; East Jerusalem - Palestine - 40th anniversary of Israeli military occupation of Palestine (Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies; People's Daily-Xinhua; NYT).

Afghanistan - NATO helicopter sinks boat; 30 Talibans reportedly drowned. Airstrike in Kandahar killed up to 40 Taliban. (NYT, 6-Jun-07.) (See also: BBC News.)

Nairobi - Kenya - Police kill 22 members of the Mungiki sect after 2 officers were killed on 4-Jun-07 (NYT-AP; AllAfrica-The Nation, 6-Jun-07). (See also: VOA News.)

Amiriyah, Anbar - Iraq - Cat bomb near Fallujah killed at least 15 people (BBC; China View-Xinhua, 6-Jun-07; Washington Post, 6-Jun-07).

Shanghai - China - The Shanghai Composite Index gained 96.70 points to 3767.10 (Yahoo! Finance; SmartMoney).

Oman; UAE; Iran - Cyclone Gonu killed at least 35 people in Oman and Iran; 30 were missing in Oman (Al Jazeera-Agencies, 8-Jun-07). (See also: Khaleej Times-AFP, 7-Jun-07; Guardian Unlimited-AP, 7-Jun-07; IRNA, 7-Jun-07; BBC News, 7-Jun-07.) [5-Jun-07 - 7-Jun-07.]

6-Jun-07

Heiligendamm - Germany - G8 Summit 2007: Heiligendamm (Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, Germany). (See also: University of Toronto G8 Information Center.) [6-Jun-07 - 8-Jun-07.]

Heiligendamm - Germany - Thousands of anti-globalization protesters blockaded the G8 Summit; 16,000 police protected the Summit (Spiegel). 10,000 demonstrators managed to penetrate the restricted zone (NYT, 7-Jun-07). (See also: Guardian Unlimited-The Guardian.)

Frankfurt am Main - Germany - The Governing Council of the ECB decided to increase the minimum bid rate on the main refinancing operations of the Eurosystem 0.25% to 4.00%, effective 13-Jun-07 (ECB).

New York, NY - U.S. - The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) tumbled 129.79 points to 13,465.67 (DJ; Yahoo! Finance). Slower productivity gains, higher labor costs, and inflation concerns were blamed (Bloomberg; NYT, 7-Jun-07; BBC News).

7-Jun-07

New York, NY - U.S. - The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) tumbled 198.94 points to 13,266.73 (DJ; Yahoo! Finance).

New York, NY - U.S. - Blackstone Group LP, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., TPG, and the private-equity arm of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to acquire Biomet Inc. for $11.4 billion (Bloomberg).

Boston, MA - U.S. - MIT researchers demonstrate "WiTricity" – or "wireless electricity"; magnetically coupled resonance is used (MIT).

Baquba; Kirkuk; Basra - Iraq - More than 80 people were killed as a result of violence in Baquba, Kirkuk, and near Basra (VOA News). [7-Jun-07 - 8-Jun-07.]

8-Jun-07

New York, NY - U.S. - The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained 157.66 points closing at 13,424.39 (DJ; Yahoo! Finance).

9-Jun-07

Vatican City; Holy See; Rome - Italy - President George W. Bush visited the Pope; thousands of demonstrators protested against Bush and against globalization (VOA News). (See also: NYT; Guardian Unlimited-The Observer, 10-Jun-07.)

Iskandariya - Iraq - Suicide bomber killed at least 14 Iraqi soldiers (Guardian Unlimited-AP). (See also: NYT; Washington Post.)

Sri Lanka - Sri Lankan forces killed 30 rebels (VOA News). (See also: Al Jazeera-Agencies.)

U.S. - NASA launched space shuttle Atlantis (VOA News).

London - U.K. - Privacy International issued a consultation report titled "A Race to the Bottom: Privacy Ranking of Internet Service Companies." The report places Google at the bottom of the ranking. Privacy International's interim assessments: Google is "hostile to privacy," and "Google has created the most onerous privacy environment on the Internet." (Privacy International.)

10-Jun-07

France - French parliamentary elections, first round: President Nicolas Sarkozy's Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party and allies won by a landslide (VOA News; Spiegel, 11-Jun-07; Bloomberg, 11-jun-07). The turnout was 61% (Spiegel, 11-Jun-07; Bloomberg, 11-jun-07).

U.S. - Senator Lieberman agitates in favor of limited but aggressive U.S. military action against Iran. (See: NYT; Washington Post-AP; The New York Sun-AP, 11-Jun-07.)

Hunan; Guangdong; Guangxi; Guizhou; Jiangxi; Fujian - China - Floods killed 66 people; 12 were missing (China View-Xinhua, 11-Jun-07); about 600,000 were left homeless (Al Jazeera, 11-Jun-07).

11-Jun-07

Israel - Israel's military launched the Ofek 7, a spy satellite (The Jerusalem Post; Al Jazeera-Agencies).

Gaza - Internecine fighting between Hamas and Fatah killed at least 34 people over 2 days (Washington Post, 12-Jun-07); and more than 80 since May-07 (VOA News, 12-Jun-07). (See also: Al-Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies, 12-Jun-07.) [11-Jun-07 - 12-Jun-07.]

Bangladesh - Monsoon floods, mudslides, and lightning killed about 130 people in Bangladesh (Washington Post-Reuters, 12-Jun-07). (See also: CNN International, 12-Jun-07; Al Jazeera-Agencies, 12-Jun-07; The Times of India-PTI, 12-Jun-07.) [11-Jun-07 - 12-Jun-07.]

Stockholm - Sweden - Stockholm International Peace Institute (SIPRI): global military expenditure in 2006 was $1,204 billion, up 3.5% from 2005; global military expenditure rose by 37% during 1997–2006 (SIPRI). Military spending in 2006 (in 2005 dollars): U.S., $528.7 billion; China, $49.5 billion; Japan, $43.7 billion; Russia, $34.7 billion; India, $23.9 billion (SIPRI). Nuclear warheads held at the start of 2007 by the U.S., Russia, France, the U.K. and China: 26,000 (SIPRI). (See also: Deutsche Welle; VOA News.)

Khogyani, Nangarhar - Afghanistan - U.S. forces killed 7 Afghan police by mistake (China View-Xinhua; Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies; Guardian Unlimited-Agencies.)

12-Jun-07

New York, NY - U.S. - The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) lost 129.95 points to 13,295.01 (DJ; Yahoo! Finance).

13-Jun-07

Samarra - Iraq - Bombs destroyed 2 golden minarets of the holy Shia Imam al-Askariya shrine in Samarra (Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies; BBC News; NYT).

Gaza - Hamas took control of northern Gaza (CNN International); al least 17 people were killed (BBC News). (See also: Bloomberg.)

New York, NY - U.S. - The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained 187.34 points closing at 13,482.35 (DJ; Yahoo! Finance).

Iraq - 2 Sunni mosques were bombed or burned (VOA News, 14-Jun-07). [13-Jun-07 - 14-Jun-07.]

14-Jun-07

Washington, DC - U.S. - Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) National Delinquency Survey (NDS): The rate of loans entering the foreclosure process increased from 0.41% in 2006Q1 to 0.58% in 2007Q1; the percentage of loans in the foreclosure process rose from 0.98% in 2006Q1 to 1.28% in 2007Q1 (MBA). (See also: WSJ; Bloomberg; The Street.)

15-Jun-07

Tokyo - Japan - The Bank of Japan to keep the uncollateralized overnight call rate unchanged at 0.5% (BOJ).

Cape Canaveral, FL - U.S. - The United States launched 2 intelligence-gathering satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) (Reuters). (See also: Xinhua, 16-Jun-07; The Hindu, 16-Jun-07).

Iraq - A U.S. F-16 fighter jet crashed in Iraq (U.S. DOD, 16-Jun-07; Forbes-AP; Middle East Online, 16-Jun-07).

17-Jun-07

France - French parliamentary elections, final round: Sarkozy wins a small parliamentary majority - 345 out of 577 seats in the assembly (Washington Post-Reuters; Spiegel; Liberation; Le Monde).

West Bank - President Mahmoud Abbas swore in an emergency Palestinian government and outlawed Hamas militias (VOA News; Bloomberg; China View-Xinhua; Al Jazeera-Agencies). Abbas was accused of being part of an "American-Israeli conspiracy" (Washington Post).

Kabul - Afghanistan - Suicide bomber killed at least 35 people in Kabul (VOA News, 18-Jun-07; Washington Post, 18-Jun-07; Al Jazeera-Agencies, 18-Jun-07).

Paktika - Afghanistan - Airstrike by U.S.-led coalition forces killed 7 children (VOA News; Washington Post).

Myanishen, Uruzgan - Afghanistan - Fierce fighting left more than 100 dead (CNN, 19-Jun-07); including 60 civilians and 30 Taliban fighters (BBC News, 19-Jun-07). [17-Jun-07 - 19-Jun-07.]

18-Jun-07

Toulouse; Le Bourget - France - Airbus SAS won a $17 billion order from Qatar Airways (Airbus; Bloomberg). (See also: BusinessWeek.)

U.S. - The U.S. Supreme Court blocked (7-to-1) an antitrust lawsuit by investors alleging illegal rigging of initial public stock offerings (IPOs) ("laddering," high commissions, and "tying") in the dot.com boom by leading investment banks – including Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Credit Suisse Group and Merrill Lynch & Co. (Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC v. Billing, 05-1157) (U.S. Supreme Court; Bloomberg; Washington Post, 19-Jun-07; Los Angeles Times, 19-Jun-07). (See also: WSJ, 19-Jun-07.)

Nasiriya - Iraq - Fighting between Iraqi security forces and followers of Moqtada Sadr resulted in at least 35 killed (BBC News, 19-Jun-07). (See also: VOA News-AP-Reuters.) [18-Jun-07 - 19-Jun-07.]

19-Jun-07

Baghdad - Iraq - A car bomb killed at least 75 people near the Shia Khilani mosque (Al Jazeera-Agencies; VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters; BBC News; Pravda-AP).

Baquba - Iraq - U.S. forces launched Operation Arrowhead Ripper; more than 10,000 U.S. troops were involved; 22 fighters were killed (Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies).

Sri Lanka - Land and sea clashes killed about 70 Tamil rebels (VPA News).

Netherlands - Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency: China surpassed the U.S. in CO2 emissions by 8% in 2006 (Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.). Per capita emissions: China, 4,763 kilograms; United States, 19,278 kilograms (International Herald Tribune-AP, 20-Jun-07). (See also: Los Angeles Times, 20-Jun-07; Canada.com, 21-Jun-07.)

20-Jun-07

New York, NY - U.S. - Fallout from the subprime mortgage meltdown: higher borrowing costs; losses in 2 Bear Stearns Cos. hedge funds; plunge in U.S. stock prices (Bloomberg). (See also: NYT, 21-Jun-07; Washington Post, 21-Jun-07.)

New York, NY - U.S. - The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) lost 146.00 points closing at 13,482.35 (DJ; Yahoo! Finance); the S&P 500 lost 20.87 points, to 1,512.84 (Standard & Poor's).

Diyala - Iraq - U.S. operations killed about 50 (VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters).

Nigeria - General strike called by unions (VOA News; VOA News, 21-Jun-07). [20-Jun-07 - 21-Jun-07.]

21-Jun-07

Sulaiman Bek - Iraq - Suicide truck bomber killed at least 16 people (VOA News).

22-Jun-07

New York, NY - U.S. - The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) lost 185.58 points closing at 13,360.26 (DJ; Yahoo! Finance).

New York, NY - U.S. - Blackstone Group LP: Record $4.13 billion IPO (Bloomberg). (See also: NYT.)

Diyala - Iraq - Operation Arrowhead Ripper killed 17 al-Qaeda fighters on 22-Jun-07, and 68 over 4 days (UPI; CNN International).

Helmand - Afghanistan - NATO airstrike killed 25 civilians, including women and children (VOA News-AFP-AP-Reuters). Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack (VOA News-AFP-AP, 23-Jun-07). [22-Jun-07 - 23-Jun-07.]

23-Jun-07

India - Storms killed at least 45 people (Al Jazeera-Agencies).

Iraq - 11 U.S. servicemembers died in Iraq (U.S. DOD-American Forces Press Service).

24-Jun-07

Karachi - Pakistan - Storm killed 228 people in Karachi (NYT-Reuters; VOA-AFP-AP-Reuters; Al Jazeera-Agencies).

New York, NY; Toronto, ON - U.S.; Canada - In New York, the gay pride parade was lead by religious groups (International Herald Tribune-AP). In Toronto, critics complained that the celebrations of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people has evolved into commercialized corporate sponsored displays for corporate gain (CTV, 16-Jun-07).

25-Jun-07

Iraq - Suicide bombings killed more than 40 people throughout Iraq (NYT; Washington Post); bombing at Mansour Hotel in Baghdad killed 12 people, including anti-al Qaeda shieks willing to cooperate with U.S. forces (NYT; VOA News; Washington Post). (See also: Al Jazeera-Agencies.)

Chhuk - Cambodia - Russian-made AN-24 plane with 22 people on board crashed in Cambodia (International Herald Tribune-AP; ABC News-AFP). (See also: Bangkok Post; China View-Xinhua.)

Washington, DC - U.S. - The Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development unanimously selected Robert B. Zoellick to succeed Wolfowitz as president (The World Bank).

27-Jun-07

London - U.K. - Gordon Brown became the U.K.'s prime minister; Tony Blair to become a Middle East peace envoy for the Quartet (BBC News; NYT; China View-Xinhua).

Tehran - Iran - Gasoline rationing announced (NYT, 28-Jun-07); drivers riot and burn at least 6 gas stations and a bank (Al Jazeera, 28-Jun-07).

New York, NY - U.S. - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released "State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth." According to the report, the population of African and Asian will increase by 1.7 billion people by 2030; and the urban population will rise to 5 billion, or 60% of world population. (UNFPA.)

28-Jun-07

Baghdad - Iraq - Car bomb killed at least 22 people; 20 decapitated bodies were found south of Baghdad (Washington Post). (See also: Guardian Unlimited-AP.)

Washington, DC - U.S. - The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to keep its target for the federal funds rate at 5.25% (Federal Reserve).

Washington, DC - U.S. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced import control of all farm-raised catfish, basa, shrimp, dace (related to carp), and eel from China; shipments must be free of residues from drugs (FDA). (See also: CNN Money; NYT, 29-Jun-07; BBC News; China View-Xinhua, 30-Jun-07.)

Russia - The Russian navy successfully launched the R-30 Bulava ballistic missile; the missile is capable of delivering up to 10 nuclear warheads within a range of 8,000 km (ITAR-TASS). (See also: China View-Xinhua; BBC News.)

29-Jun-07

London - UK - Police in London defused 2 car bombs (CNN; Bloomberg; Globe & Mail-AP; VOA News, 30-Jun-07). (See also: Security Service-MI5 Statement.)

Gereshk, Helmand - Afghanistan - People from Gereshk claimed U.S. and NATO forces killed as many as 130 people, including women and children (CNN). Afghans were furious (Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera-Agencies, 30-Jun-07). (See also: Washington Post-AP, 30-Jun-07; China View-Xinhua, 30-Jun-07.)

New York, NY - U.S. - UN Security Council terminates the mandate of United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) in Iraq (UN News).

30-Jun-07

Baghdad - Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces killed about 26 people in Sadr City (VOA News).

Montreal, QC - Canada - Teachers Private Capital, the private investment arm of the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, Providence Equity Partners Inc. and Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC to acquire BCE, Inc. (Bell Canada Enterprises) for $48.5 billion (C$51.7 billion) (BCE; OTPP). (See also: CTV; NYT, 1-Jul-07).

Glasgow, Scotland - U.K. - Car on fire was rammed into Glasgow Airport (BBC News; CNN).

London - U.K. - The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) raised the UK's threat level from terrorism from Severe to Critical (threat of a terrorist attack is considered to be imminent) (Security Service-MI5 Statement).

WE7Q2/6-Apr-08