A survey of the world's strongest brands by Anholt-GMI has placed Australia as the leading "nation brand", ahead of Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Last years top brand, Sweden, dropped to fifth place, whilst the United States dropped from fourth to eleventh place. (The Age)(NZ Herald)
One person has been killed and another injured in an explosion on a Russian
Leaked communications between two U.S. military prosecutors reveal internal doubts about the military commission system established to
Australian Government came under renewed pressure to withdraw its support for the commissions, under which Australian citizen David Hicks would be tried. (Wikinews)(ABC)
disengagement protesters rally in Sderot. The organizers said the crowd numbered 50,000, but police estimated the figure between 10,000 and 15,000. Some 18,000 troops and 12,000 police are involved in preventing protesters from getting to the Gush KatifIsraeli settlement on the Gaza Strip. (INN), (BBC), (HaAretz)
Unocal quelling the fears that the deal would give a foreign government too much control over American oil reserves. Chevron is now expected to acquire Unocal. (NY Times)
In Germany, police in Brandenburg announce that they have uncovered bones of nine newborn babies that had been buried in flower pots. The woman believed to be their mother, identified in newspapers as "Sabine H.", has been arrested in the worst case of individual infanticide in German history. (Reuters)(BBC)
Muslim women to refrain from wearing clothing, such as the Hijab, which identifies them as Muslim following a large increase in "Islamophobia" and Hate crimes. (BBC), (BBC)
Northern Ireland Secretary, has been admitted to hospital, apparently critically ill. (BBC)
US Marines have been killed following an insurgent attack in Haditha, north-western Iraq. U.S. Officials deny that a Marine has been taken hostage. (BBC)
More than 800 people have been wounded and 84 killed in the violence which erupted in Sudan after ex-rebel southern leader John Garang died in a helicopter crash. (BBC)(Reuters)
Rahim Noor, who beat him September 1999 ago when he was arrested on dubious grounds. In return, Ibrahim drops the case again him. (Channel News Aaia)(Reuters)
Yahoo! has introduced a test version of a new search service Yahoo! Audio Search that it claims can comb through 50 million music, voice and other audio files. (Yahoo! Audio)
Palestinian man, Muhammad Qashta, is shot dead as he stands outside his home in Rafah, Gaza Strip. IDF soldiers fire shots to the head and chest from an observation post. (Al Jazeera), (Kuwait News Agency)
oil-for-food program, resigns before the publication of a report that is expected to accuse him of corruption. He blames Kofi Annan for "sacrificing" him and denies all charges (BBC)(Reuters)
A committee in Sudan is formed to investigate the death of vice-president John Garang in a helicopter crash. (BBC)
American actor Matthew McGrory dies from natural causes at his home.
A chemical plant explodes in Romulus, Michigan (20 miles southwest of Detroit). No persons were injured; nearby residents were evacuated from their homes.
The United States and the African Union have dropped their demands that last week's coup in Mauritania be reversed. The US is working with the military junta to ensure that multi-party elections are held as soon as possible (BBC)
A private company, Space Adventures, announces plans to create a tourism program to send people around the Moon. A 5 1/2 day lunar flight could happen in 2008 or 2009, and cost about 100 million USD. (Yahoo), (CNN)
Vice-President of Sudan, following the recent death of John Garang. (BBC)Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has threatened to close down newspapers which continue to publish "conspiracy theories" about Garang's death. (BBC)
Kashmiri insurgents kill two defence committee soldiers and three members of their families, and injured nine others, three of them critically, in Mahore area of Udhampur district. (Economic Times)
Heathrow forces British Airways to cancel over 100 flights. Flights have resumed. (BBC)
International relations
Salva Kiir, the new vice-president of Sudan, is opposed to independence for the country's south. (BBC) The Ugandan government shuts down a radio station for broadcasting a debate on the cause of death of former Sudanese vice-president John Garang. (BBC)
Singapore President S. R. Nathan is returned unopposed by the Presidential Elections Committee, which ruled that he is the only eligible candidate out of 4 applicants. Singapore's nomination day is on October 17. (Bernama)
Kurmanbek Bakiyev has been sworn in as Kyrgyzstan's new president after winning nearly 90 percent of the vote last month in an election to find a successor to President Askar Akayev, who was ousted during protests in March.(Reuters)
Thirty bodies are found in a
Iraqi insurgents captured in a raid yesterday. (Newsday; AP)
Many countries celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the
Emperor Akihito, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologizes for people's suffering Japan caused during World War II. The ceremony was met with scattered protests. (Xinhua)(BBC China)
U.S.-Canada softwood lumber dispute, leading to Canada's Finance Minister Ralph Goodale saying he was considering trade sanctions on the US. (Boston Globe)
pullout plan. The Kissufim Roadblock was shut down at midnight between August 14 and August 15. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas hailed the move as "historic" but said Israel should also pull out of the West Bank. (BBC), (Canada.com)
The Indonesian government and rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) sign a peace deal aimed at ending their near 30 year conflict. (BBC), (chosun.com). UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan applauded both parties for reaching a peaceful settlement of the dispute through dialogue, and commended Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland, for the mediation role that he played throughout the negotiation process. (XinHua)
Roger Louis Schutz-Marsauche, better known as Brother Roger, is murdered by a mentally-ill woman during an afternoon prayer service. Brother Roger is best known for founding the Taizé Community in 1940. His death saddened many officials and leaders across Europe, including Pope Benedict XVI. (BBC)(Bloomberg)
record for the most days spent in space, clocking almost 748 days over a 20-year career. (AFP via Yahoo! News) (Link dead as of 21:21, 14 January 2007 (UTC)), (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
horseback riding accident during her 47th birthday celebration. (MTV)
British Police on July 22, 2005, was not wearing a heavy coat, did not jump the ticket barrier, was not given a warning, and did not at any time flee from police. (ITN)
civilians in the West Bank. The attack was condemned by Ariel Sharon as a "Jewish Terror act" and "twisted thinking" while Hamas claimed the right to avenge the deaths. (Reuters)(BBC)
At least two people have been killed and several others injured in a series of over 300 blasts across
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, has claimed responsibility. (BBC)
Governor Bob Taft pleads no contest to four counts of filing incomplete financial disclosure statements in Columbus, Ohio and a Franklin County municipal court judge finds him guilty, fines him $4,000, and orders him to apologize publicly. Taft says he will not resign his office. (The Cincinnati Enquirer)
unilateral disengagement plan one by one from their strongholds in the synagogues in the Israeli settlements on the Gaza Strip. Some of the protesters threw paint, rocks and acid at the soldiers. (BBC), (ABC)
Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam has died in a hospice at the age of 55. (BBC)
A Jordanian soldier dies when three unexploded Katyusha rockets miss their targets and hit a warehouse and hospital in Aqaba, Jordan and hit a road by the airport in nearby Eilat, Israel. A group with alleged links to Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the attacks, stating the targets were US ships docked at the Red Sea port in Aqaba, the USS Kearsarge and the USS Ashland. (CNN), (MSNBC)
In a bid to end the armed conflict with Morocco, the
Merck & Co. loses the first wrongful death lawsuit over its painkiller Vioxx, with a jury awarding $253 Million in damages. There have been over 4000 cases filed against Merck over this drug. (MSNBC)(CNN)
Pennsylvania police announced the discovery of a body presumed to be that of missing woman
LaToyia Figueroa and the arrest of former boyfriend Stephen Poaches.(CNN
Bangladesh Rifles opens unprovoked fire at the India side at some outposts in West Bengal. About 500 rounds were fired in the skirmishes, but there was no casualty. (Press Trust of India)(Sify)
During one of the most intense
Toronto, Canada, a very heavy downpour of rain caused widespread flooding in the Greater Toronto Area and on the major freeway leading into downtown Toronto, the Don Valley Parkway
. Damage is estimated at at least CAN$ 500,000,000.
President of Indonesia, ordered the national intelligence agency and police to investigate after a power outage left about 100 million people without electricity. (Wikinews)
Randolph, VT. Martin Dillon was found dead, in the back yard of a Highland Avenue residence, in Randolph, VT. Musicians and supporters of the Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival [http://centralvtchambermusicfest.org
draft of that country's constitution, minutes before the revised deadline. The parliamentary vote on the constitution will be delayed until a final draft emerges. (ABC)
Netzarim, a religious farming community of about 500, completing the evacuation of all the enclaves. Four small militant settlements on the West Bank will also be cleared, with 5,500 troops heading there to begin evictions on Tuesday. (Reuters) (Link dead as of 00:41, 15 January 2007 (UTC)), IMRA
Qinghai-Tibet Railway is now the highest railway in the world. The railway also includes the highest railway station in the world at Lhasa, 5,068 m (16,627 ft) above sea level. The railway is expected to open later in 2005. (Xinhua)
sodomy laws after hearing the case of one Australian and one native Fijian who were previously sentenced to two years in jail under the legislation (365gay.com)(ABC)
14 children and three adults die as a fire breaks out in a building in Paris which housed African immigrants. (BBC)
Interior Ministry of Israel has announced that the number of Israeli citizens living in Israeli settlements on the West Bank has increased by more than 9,000 thus far this year. (BBC)
Muhammad Deif, the Hamas leader who heads Israel's most wanted list, releases a video taunting Israel. (BBC)
Nearly 1,000 detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison are released this week at the request of the Iraqi Government, the largest number of prisoners freed since the start of the war.
The All Blacks win the tri nations with a nail biting win over the Springboks 31-27 in Dunedin.(CNN)
Millions of people living in and around the below sea-level
New Orleans are leaving as Hurricane Katrina approaches. Storm surge is forecasted at 25 ft. The Mayor of New Orleans has issued a mandatory evacuation order, citing fears that the storm will break the levees protecting the city. (BBC), (CNN)
Louisiana Superdome is safe, with water only 3 ft. (1 m) deep outside. Death tolls there remain untold. Governor Kathleen Blanco
orders the evacuation of everyone remaining in New Orleans.
The storm surge has totally destroyed the Interstate 10causeway connecting the east side of New Orleans to mainland Louisiana over the east tip of Lake Pontchartrain.
Binyamin Netanyahu, has declared his intention to challenge Ariel Sharon for leadership of the Likud party. (BBC)
In Paris, France, seven die and fourteen are injured when a fire burns down an apartment housing African immigrants owned by the Société Immobilière d'Économie Mixte de la Ville de Paris 22:00 (GMT+1) (Bloomberg)
Prime MinisterManmohan Singh announced India would give US$50 million in additional aid for the reconstruction of Afghanistan during his meetings with Hamid Karzai. Earlier, it had pledged US$500 million to help rebuild the war-ravaged country.(MSN)