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)
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)
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
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)
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)
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 Milošević. Hitherto polls have shown that only half the population of Serbia believe that the Srebrenica massacre of 8000 men happened. (BBC)
The commander of U.S. Forces at Guantánamo 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
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)
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)
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)[permanent dead link
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)
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 25,000 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
Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Advani had referred to Jinnah as a "secular" leader and drew intense criticism back at home in India. (BBC News)
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
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)
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)
embassies of the US, 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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
Chinese blogs. They are accused of censoring words such as "freedom", "democracy", and "human rights". (RealOpinion.com), (BBC)
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)[permanent dead link
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)
In Formula One the United States Grand Prix sparked controversy, when only three teams on Bridgestone tyres competed because of Michelin not being able to supply safe tyres to the remaining seven teams running on the French company's rubber.
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
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
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.
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 19,000 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
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)
Sauber Petronas. In the next season the new team will be probably known as BMW Sauber. BBC Sport
The entire network of the
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 Colombia, congress approves a draft bill that offers sentences of only eight years to those members of paramilitarymilitias who give up their weapons. It demands that they confess, return the stolen property and disarm. Critics of president Álvaro Uribe say that the law is too lenient (IHT)(Colombia Journal)(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 José Dirceu, who had rejoined the congress, tried to defend the government against the bribery allegations (Bloomberg)
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)
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)[permanent dead link],(New York Times)
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 Lebanon, victorious anti-Syria coalition demands resignation of pro-Syrian president Émile Lahoud. They hold him responsible for assassinations of opposition figures (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)
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)
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)
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 200,000 acres (800 km²). (Guardian)
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)[permanent dead link
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.
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)
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)
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)
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
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
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.
. He is also under another investigation of misusing public funds meant for social programs.
CIA operative's name. This decision in the matter of Valerie Plame could avoid jail time for one of its reporters, Matthew Cooper
.
The
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
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.
