June 2007

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June 2007 is the sixth month of that year. It began on a Friday and 30 days later, ended on a Saturday.

International holidays

June 4 – Queen's Official Birthday (New Zealand)
June 5 – Constitution Day (Denmark)
June 5 – World Environment Day (United Nations General Assembly)
June 6 – D-Day
June 11 – Kamehameha Day, Hawaiian state holiday. United States
June 11 – Queen's Official Birthday (Australia)
June 12 – Independence Day (Philippines)
June 19 – Juneteenth (United States)
June 21 – Summer Solstice (longest day of the year)
Flag Day
- June 6 – National day of Sweden
- June 7 – Peru
- June 14 – United States

Flag Day (continued)
- June 15 – Denmark
- June 20 – Argentina
- June 26 – Romania
Father's Day
- June 5 – Denmark
- June 17 (3rd Sunday) – Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
- June 23 – Poland and Nicaragua

June 1, 2007 (Friday)

In the Amazon Rainforest, a new tribe of indigenous people is discovered. The tribe is called "Metyktire" and is a subgroup of the Kayapo tribe. (The Star)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns consumers to discard all toothpaste made in China after discovering diethylene glycol, a poison related to a chemical used in antifreeze, in some samples. (New York Times)
The Ukrainian parliament votes to approve a package of legislation clearing the way for a parliamentary election on September 30. (BBC)
Militants launch two attacks on the Indian Army in Indian-administered Kashmir, resulting in two soldiers killed and 19 injured. (CNN)
Dr. Jack Kevorkian is released from prison after serving 8 years for assisting terminally ill patients with suicide. (Washington Post)
The Palestinian Army of Islam militant group posts a video of the BBC's kidnapped Middle East correspondent, Alan Johnston, on a website. (ITV)
2007 North Lebanon conflict: Fighting resumes at the Nahr el-Bared camp between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
Thousands of South African public sector workers go on strike for a 12% pay raise for the second Friday in a row. (BBC)
Fiji lifts the state of emergency that was imposed during the 2006 Fijian coup d'état. (The Australian)
A United States Navy destroyer, the USS Chafee, fires on suspected terrorists staying in Puntland, in northern Somalia. The three suspects are accused in taking part in the 1998 bombings of the United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. (MSNBC)

June 2, 2007 (Saturday)

The U.S. Navy dock landing ship USS Carter Hill confronts pirates off the coast of Somalia after they had hijacked a Danish merchant vessel, the MV Danica White. (AP via USA Today)
Israeli troops kill a Palestinian shopkeeper and seriously injure another in the West Bank town of Nablus. (BBC)
Three suspects are arrested in relation to a terrorism plot involving John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, with a fourth suspect being sought. (CNN)
Scotland Yard detectives who went to Jamaica to probe Bob Woolmer's death come to the verdict of the murder investigation, saying that Bob Woolmer died of heart failure and was not murdered. (FOX) (BBC)
Thousands of protesters and antiglobalisation demonstrators gather in Rostock, Germany to protest the 33rd G8 summit to be held in Heiligendamm later in the week. (Chicago Tribune)
- Sporadic violence breaks out, with police attacked by rocks and bottles and some cars burned; some 100 police officers are injured. (Sky News)
The President of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika accepts the resignation of his Cabinet after recent elections. The Prime Minister of Algeria Abdelaziz Belkhadem is expected to retain his position when a new Cabinet is chosen. (BBC)
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation names Alexis Flores as the 487th person placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He is wanted for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (UPI)

June 3, 2007 (Sunday)

A Paramount Airlines helicopter crashes in Sierra Leone, killing 22 people, with reports of at least one survivor. (BBC) (Reuters AlertNet)
2007 North Lebanon conflict: Soldiers and Islamist militants clash at a second Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. (BBC)
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes southern China near the Myanmar and Laos borders, causing casualties. (AFP via ABC)

June 4, 2007 (Monday)

The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that 40% of the world population will be affected by the loss of glaciers and snow on the mountains of Asia due to global warming. (UNEP)
A massive mudflow destroys Eurasia's unique Geyser Valley. (The Independent)
The United States government arrests ten people, including former Laotian Army general Vang Pao, on charges of organizing a plot to overthrow the Laotian government. (CNN)
The government of Nigeria sues pharmaceutical company Pfizer for $6.95-billion in damages. (Reuters)
The Palestinian government agrees on the terms of a cease-fire proposal for Israel.
Fresh clashes break out between protesters and police in Rostock, Germany prior to the 33rd G8 summit. (AFP via News Limited)
Cyclone Gonu forces the Government of Oman to evacuate 7,000 people from Masirah Island, off the east coast of Oman. (AP via Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
A military judge dismisses terrorism-related charges against a Canadian Guantanamo Bay detainee charged with killing a United States Army soldier in Afghanistan. (CNN)
Russian President Vladimir Putin announces that Russia may consider targeting new sites across Europe with nuclear weapons if part of the United States' nuclear capability is introduced into Europe. (Kremlin.ru) The United States and NATO condemn Putin's stance. (CNN) (Reuters)
China publishes its first National Action Plan on Climate Change, expected to cut national carbon emissions by up to 1.5 million metric tons annually by 2010. (Xinhua)
Sri Lankan Civil War:
- Two Red Cross aid workers are found dead after being detained for questioning by unknown men claiming to be police. (BBC)
- There is heavy fighting in the north of Sri Lanka, with both the Army and the Tamil Tigers claiming that they have inflicted heavy casualties on their opponents. (BBC)
The war crimes trial of former President of Liberia Charles G. Taylor at the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone begins at The Hague. (The Southern African)
The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games unveils the official logo for the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Paralympics, to be held in London, England. (BBC)

June 5, 2007 (Tuesday)

The British Antarctic Survey announces that the flow rate of 300 previously unmeasured glaciers increased by 12% between 1993 and 2003, adding to concerns over glacier retreat and the rise in sea levels caused by global warming. (British Antarctic Survey)
A Guyanese suspect who allegedly planned an attack on New York City's JFK Airport surrenders in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. (Sky)
United States v. Libby: I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Jr., former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is sentenced to 30 months in prison after being convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in the CIA leak grand jury investigation. (CNN)
U.S. President George W. Bush begins his tour of Europe in Prague before the G8 summit in Germany. During his visit, he intends to address the deployment of interceptor rockets, the establishment of radar bases in Poland and the Czech Republic, and the related tension that has arisen between the United States and Russia. (BBC)
Spanish Basque separatist group ETA announces it will end its 15-month cease-fire tonight at midnight (CEST). (RTÉ)
Thailand's interim government removes a ban on political party activities. (BBC)
Eleven people are killed and around 30 injured in a train crash 10 kilometres north of Kerang, Victoria, Australia. (BBC) (RTÉ)

June 6, 2007 (Wednesday)

Tens of thousands of people are evacuated from Oman as Cyclone Gonu arrives. (CNN)
The Anaheim Ducks defeat the Ottawa Senators to win the Stanley Cup in five games. (AP via Charlotte Observer)
HIV drug Viracept is recalled in the UK after it is discovered that it has been contaminated with a substance that could cause cancer. (Sky)
Armed forces from Turkey are reported to have crossed the border into Iraq, chasing Kurdish guerillas a couple of miles in Iraqi territory. Other reports contradict this. (CNN)
Five people are acquitted of the 1982 murder of "God's Banker," Italian financier Roberto Calvi. (Sky)
During a weekly audience with Pope Benedict XVI, a man leaps over metal barriers, attempting to jump into the popemobile. He was promptly wrestled to the ground (without the Pope's even noticing) and is now in the custody of Vatican police. (BBC News)
Leaders of the G8 assemble in Rostock, Germany for the 33rd annual G8 summit to discuss primarily issues of climate change and international aid, but also U.S.-Russia tensions over an antimissile system in Europe. (Reuters via CNN)
Dozens of people are trapped in a collapsed hall in Leshan in the southwestern province of Sichuan in China. (BBC)

June 7, 2007 (Thursday)

Sri Lankan Civil War: Police in Sri Lanka force hundreds of the minority Sri Lankan Tamils community out of Colombo for what they say are security reasons. (BBC)
Italian police arrest a group of people for allegedly providing material support for an al Qaeda-linked organisation, Salafist Group for Call and Combat. (AP via CNN)
33rd G8 summit:
- President of the United States George W. Bush and President of Russia Vladimir Putin meet to discuss missile defense. (AP via the Guardian) Putin, in a minor reversal of recent rhetoric regarding Bush's European missile shield plans, suggests placing a radar installation in Azerbaijan. (The Guardian)
- G8 leaders reach agreement on a deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. (Press Association via the Guardian)
- Four supposed agent provocateurs who had encouraged peaceful protesters to throw stones are unmasked. A police spokesperson points to a possible involvement of Intelligence agencies. (Indymedia) (Spiegel)
At least 12 citizens of Oman are killed by Cyclone Gonu. (Reuters via Australia)
Hamas militants kill a Fatah member, and five other Palestinians are injured in a renewal of fighting between the two groups. (AFP via CBS News)
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand raises interest rates in New Zealand to 8%, the highest level of any industrialised nation. (BBC)
American scientists identify a new strain of potentially lethal bacteria called Bartonella rochalimae. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Cloture votes fail in the United States Senate on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, potentially killing the bill. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

June 8, 2007 (Friday)

The Council of Europe publishes a report claiming to prove that member states Romania and Poland conspired with the American CIA to kidnap and torture suspected terrorists. (BBC) (CoE Report)
Chinese police rescue 31 workers kept as slaves at a brickworks in Linfen, in Shanxi province, run by the son of a local official of the Communist Party of China. (Reuters via News Limited)
At least 14 people are killed in two bomb explosions in Qurna near Basra in Iraq. (BBC)
New South Wales in Australia is battered with severe storms, killing at least nine people and causing major flooding in Newcastle, the Hunter region, and the Central Coast. The coal freighter Pasha Bulker is forced to run aground on Nobby's Beach, a major Newcastle beach. (ABC News Australia) (ABC News Australia) (ABC News Australia)
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched with a crew of seven on an assembly mission to the International Space Station on mission STS-117. (BBC)

June 9, 2007 (Saturday)

The Central Intelligence Organization arrests almost 400 soldiers in Harare, Zimbabwe for allegedly plotting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe. Air Vice Marshal Elson Moyo, Major General Engelbert Rugeje, and Colonel Ben Ncube are allegedly the ringleaders. (ZWNews)
Russia warns the United States to halt its missile defense system in central Europe in order to continue further talks. (BBC)
U.S. President George W. Bush calls for a UN-backed action over Kosovo's independence despite Russian and Serbian opposition. (BBC)
Racehorse Rags to Riches becomes the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in 102 years by defeating Preakness winner Curlin. (AP via The Citizen)

June 10, 2007 (Sunday)

The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate criticizes Islamic Jihad militants for using a vehicle marked with a "TV" sign to approach Gaza's frontier border with Israel in an attempt to kidnap an Israel Defense Forces soldier from a position across the border. (Haaretz)
On the Sunday talk show Meet the Press, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell calls for the immediate closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. (NBC News)
France holds a parliamentary election; early projections indicate that President Nicolas Sarkozy's center-right UMP party will secure a comfortable victory. (BBC)
Belgium holds a general election. Liberal Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt is expected to lose power to the Christian Democrats of Yves Leterme. (Reuters)
Five people are killed in a ferry fire in the Philippines. (AP)
President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai escapes an apparent assassination attempt.
The hit tv series The Sopranos, was discontinued completely. (AP)

June 11, 2007 (Monday)

A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia rules that the United States government cannot indefinitely detain U.S. residents as "enemy combatants." (AP via CNN)
At least 78 die in monsoons in Bangladesh. (AP via CNN)
Two-thirds of the Iraqi Council of Representatives removes Speaker of the Council of Representatives Mahmoud al-Mashhadani due to repeated acts of violence to other members by him or his staff. (New York Times)
Flooding in the southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Fujian, and Jiangxi damage agricultural land and crops, kill 66 people, and force 600,000 people from their homes. (BBC)
Majeedah Bolkiah—daughter of Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei—marries Khairul Khalil, an official in the office of the Prime Minister in a lavish Islamic wedding ceremony. (AP via Yahoo! News)
Newcastle, New South Wales remains on alert for rising floodwaters from the Hunter River as people evacuated from Maitland, New South Wales return to their home. (AAP via the West Australian)

June 12, 2007 (Tuesday)

Nigerian author Chinua Achebe wins the Man Booker International Prize in honour of his career. (BBC)
Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel, declares victory in a vote for the leadership of the Israeli Labor Party, with 51.5% of the vote compared to 47.5% for former security chief Ami Ayalon. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
The PKK declares that it will stop attacks on Turkey but will defend itself if attacked. (AP via the Kansas City Star)
Jamaican police declare that former Pakistani cricket team coach Bob Woolmer died of natural causes, ending a murder investigation. (Radio Jamaica)
Severe rain causes flash flooding throughout Ireland, where places have been flooded after just 30 minutes of rain, particularly in Ulster. This brings to an end a period of very warm temperatures of up to 29 °C (84 °F) on the island. The town of Omagh and parts of Belfast are worst hit. (RTÉ) (Irish Independent) (UTV) (BBC)
Mudslides and floods kill nearly 130 in Bangladesh. Rescuers find 20 more bodies buried under mud in Chittagong, bringing the total number of flood-related deaths to nearly 130. (Reuters)
Milan Martić is found guilty of murder and persecution committed while he was leader of the Krajina Serb republic between 1991 and 1995. (BBC)
Afghan officials claim that seven members of the Afghan police were killed by Coalition air forces in a friendly fire incident. (Reuters)
Palestinian factional violence: Hamas officials report that a rocket-propelled grenade has been fired at the house of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, causing damage but no injuries. (AP via Forbes)
Structural failure is suspected after the top two floors of a five-storey building collapse in central London's Dean Farrar Street. (BBC)

June 13, 2007 (Wednesday)

Zimbabwean Minister of Lands Didymus Mutasa says the government will remove all remaining white farmers from their farms and divide their land among landless black citizens. (ReliefWeb)
Ireland's Green Party (Comhaontas Glas) agrees to go into government with Fianna Fáil as part of Ireland's 30th Dáil when it opens on 14 June. (RTÉ)
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hits south of Puerto Quetzal, on Guatemala's Pacific Coast. (USA Today)
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom awards Sir Tim Berners-Lee the Order of Merit for his pioneering work on the worldwide web. (BBC)
Gigantoraptor erlianensis, a gigantic birdlike dinosaur, is discovered in Inner Mongolia by paleontologist Xu Xing. (AFP via Discovery Channel)
Shimon Peres is elected as the President of Israel after opponents bow out in the first round of the Israeli presidential elections. (Haaretz) (Los Angeles Times)
An explosion in Beirut kills at least 10 people, including MP Walid Eido. (MSNBC)
Hamas militants kill at least 16 Palestinians, including 2 UNRWA workers and 13 Fatah members, as clashes intensify in the Gaza Strip. (Haaretz)
Hamas and Fatah officials claim that they have agreed on a cease-fire, but fighting continues. (BBC)
A South African public sector strike closes down most of the schools and hospitals in that country. (BBC)
EADS Astrium unveils its space tourism project, one week ahead of the Paris Air Show. (BBC)
A landmark ruling by the UK's highest appeal court, the Law Lords, allows the family of an Iraqi who died in UK military custody to sue the British Government and demand a public inquiry into the circumstances of his death. (The Times) (Scotsman)
A strike by Indian Airlines ground staff disrupts air traffic throughout India. (CNN-IBN)
An explosion at the Al-Askari Mosque in Samarra, Iraq is reported to have destroyed two of its minarets. (Reuters Alertnet) (BBC) (Reuters)
Indonesian police claim to have arrested Abu Dujana, the military leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings. (BBC)

June 14, 2007 (Thursday)

A U.S. federal jury convicts former Klansman James Ford Seale of kidnapping and conspiracy in connection with the 1964 deaths of two African-American teenagers in Mississippi. (AP via USA Today)
Fatah-Hamas conflict:
- Hamas claims full control of Palestinian Authority security agencies on the Gaza Strip. (CNN)
- Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, dissolves the Unity Cabinet and declares a state of emergency. (AFP/Reuters via ABC News Australia)
- Hamas tightens its control of the Gaza Strip as violence continues. (Reuters) (AP)
Golf's U.S. Open begins at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (ESPN)
Music producer and alleged con artist Lou Pearlman is arrested in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia and deported to the United States territory of Guam. He is accused of defrauding over 1,800 individual investors out of a total of $317-million. He will eventually be returned to Florida to face criminal charges and a growing list of civil litigation. (Orlando Sentinel)
Bertie Ahern of Fianna Fáil is elected as Ireland's Taoiseach for a record third term upon the opening of the 30th Dáil; the Taoiseach then announces his new cabinet with ministries. (RTÉ)
Entertainer Michael Barrymore is arrested in the UK along with two others over the murder of Stuart Lubbock, who was found dead in Barrymore's swimming pool in 2001. (Sky)
Lebanon prepares to bury anti-Syrian parliamentarian Walid Eido and nine others killed in yesterday's bombing, with a national day of mourning declared. (CNN)
Iraq War: Three Sunni mosques near Baghdad are burned in apparent retaliation for the latest Al-Askari Mosque bombing. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
The Indian Airlines strike continues for a second day, causing continuing disruption to Indian aviation. (BBC)
New Zealand condemns the expulsion of its High Commissioner to Fiji, Mike Green, by Frank Bainimarama's military government, which gave no reason for the expulsion. (BBC)
Cuba introduces a United Nations resolution on Puerto Rico calling on the United States to expedite Puerto Rico's self-determination process; the text also requests the General Assembly to consider the question and urges cleanup of Vieques island and release of Puerto Rican political prisoners. (UN)
The San Antonio Spurs defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the 2007 NBA Finals to win the 2007 National Basketball Association Championship. (SI)
Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins wins the Hart Memorial Trophy as the National Hockey League's most valuable player during the 2006–07 season in the annual NHL awards. (TSN)

June 15, 2007 (Friday)

Thousands of Chinese policemen rescue 450 slave workers while arresting 120 suspects. (VOA)
Mike Nifong, facing disbarment for his actions in the 2006 Duke University lacrosse case, agrees to resign his position as district attorney for Durham County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. (AP via ESPN.com)
Switzerland opens the world's longest rail tunnel on land, the 34-kilometre Lötschberg tunnel under the Alps. (BBC)
In the UK, seven members of Dhiren Barot's al Qaeda cell are sentenced to a total of 136 years in prison. (Sky)
Indonesia claims that it has captured Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zarkarsih. (Reuters via MSNBC)
A roadside bomb kills at least seven soldiers in Yala Province, Thailand. (BBC)
United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal Al-Maliki and U.S. military leaders in Iraq to discuss the effectiveness of the current military campaign. (Reuters)
Two oil and transport unions begin a strike in Nigeria over an increase in fuel duty and a doubling of sales tax. (BBC)

June 16, 2007 (Saturday)

Tupua Tamasese Tupuola Tufuga Efi is chosen as the O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa by the Fono. (AAP via News Limited)
Mike Nifong is disbarred in the U.S. state of North Carolina for his role in the prosecution of the 2006 Duke University lacrosse case. (AP via WRAL)
Police in Zimbabwe confiscate opposition leader Arthur Mutambara's passport as he tries to leave for South Africa and the United Kingdom. (VOA)
The Chinese Ministry of Labour and Social Security undertakes an investigation into claims that up to 1,000 minors worked as slave labour in central China. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
Iraq War: U.S. soldiers find the Common Access Card ID cards of two captured U.S. soldiers; Iraqi insurgents had previously released a video containing images of the IDs. (CNN)

June 17, 2007 (Sunday)

Air strikes in Afghanistan on a suspected Al Qaeda headquarters kill several militants as well as civilians, including children. (Reuters)(BBC)
Ángel Cabrera wins the 2007 U.S. Open Golf Championship at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (NZPA)
Linate Airport in Milan, Italy is closed for three hours at dawn to allow wildlife experts to trap 80 hares that have bred in recent months and are confusing ground radar. (BBC)
Audi wins their seventh 24 Hours of Le Mans in eight years, including their second straight win with a diesel R10 prototype. (SpeedTV) (BBC)
A Canadian pilot and five British passengers die in a plane crash in Malawi. (Channel 4 UK)
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority, outlaws armed factions of Hamas. (CTV)
At least 35 people die in Kabul, Afghanistan as the result of a bombing of a police bus. (Newswire) (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
French voters go to the polls to elect a new French National Assembly. The centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UPM) wins a comfortable majority; however, the left did make some gains, with senior minister Alain Juppe losing his seat in Bordeaux. (BBC) (Canada East) (Reuters via CNN)

June 18, 2007 (Monday)

The Comcast Center officially becomes the tallest building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after a topping out ceremony.
Nine firefighters are killed in a collapse at a furniture warehouse blaze in Charleston, South Carolina, the largest loss of firefighters in the United States in one incident since the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001.
The President of Turkey, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, vetoes a bill bringing forward a referendum of the direct election of the president. (BBC)
Floods kill four people in north Texas. (Reuters) (AP via The New York Times)
The European Union and United States restore foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority. (AP via Time)
Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar issues an ultimatum to the Palestinian Army of Islam to free kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston or face military action. (BBC)
A global internet pedophilia ring with over 700 suspects worldwide is smashed by UK police; 31 children are rescued. (Sky)
Two former Croatian generals, Mirko Norac and Rahim Ademi, go on trial in Zagreb, charged for alleged atrocities against Serb civilians in 1993. (AP via IHT)
Rwanda and Burundi join the East African Community in a meeting in Kampala, Uganda. (BBC)
Mongolian authorities confirm a helicopter crash that claimed 14 lives last Wednesday. (BBC)
As many as 36 people are killed south of Baghdad in fighting between Shiite militiamen and British forces doing door-to-door searches. (AP via San Jose Mercury News)
Parts of Melbourne, Australia are in lockdown after a gunman shoots three people in the CBD, sparking a massive manhunt throughout the city. (The Age) (ABC)
New negotiations begin between Morocco and the Polisario. (Reuters), (Herald Sun via Reuters)

June 19, 2007 (Tuesday)

A preliminary study by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency indicates that China's greenhouse gas emissions have overtaken those of the United States for the first time, exceeding those of any other country. (NEAA)
French prosecutors launch an investigation into alleged embezzlement by two African leaders, Omar Bongo Ondimba of Gabon and Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo. (BBC)
Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, leaves the Republican Party and registers as an independent. (New York Times)
North Korea is reported to have test-fired a short-range missile towards the Sea of Japan. (BBC)
Two armed robbers are holding several people hostage in a Crédit Lyonnais bank in Paris. (Sky)
Cadbury Schweppes announces plans to axe around 7,800 jobs from its workforce, closing as many as ten manufacturing sites worldwide. (The Times)
Iraq War:
- The United States military launches Operation Arrowhead Ripper near Baqubah, Diyala province, with approximately 10,000 troops involved. (Reuters)
- The Al-Khilani Mosque is bombed, killing 78. (BBC)
An early fossil proving that the giant panda was once a pygmy is found. (The Times)
Fiji's interim government agrees in principle to elections in 2009, following a Pacific Islands Forum assessment, and calls for assistance from the European Union and Pacific nations like Australia for funding. (Bloomberg)
A candidate in the forthcoming Papua New Guinea election is charged with attempted murder of Deputy Prime Minister Don Polye. (ABC News Australia)
After Senegal's parliamentary elections, Macky Sall resigns as Prime Minister and President Abdoulaye Wade appoints former Deputy Minister for the Budget Cheikh Hadjibou Soumaré in his stead.

June 20, 2007 (Wednesday)

A fire in a Russian nursing home in Omsk kills at least ten people. (BBC)
The Special Court for Sierra Leone issues the first-ever guilty verdicts by an international court related to the military use of children. (BBC)
The government of Dubai announces that it has purchased the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 from Cunard Line for US$100-million. It intends to turn her into a floating hotel at the Palm Jumeirah when she leaves service in late 2008. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, dissolves parliament, triggering a legislative election for August 18, 2007. (BBC)
Ehud Barak, the new Minister for Defense, states that Israel will admit "humanitarian cases" of Palestinians fleeing the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. (AP via CBC)
The Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, announces plans to buy three Spanish-designed warships and two large Spanish landing ships for the Royal Australian Navy at a cost of $A11-billion. (AAP via the West Australian)
The Sri Lankan military claims to have killed 30 members of the Tamil Tigers in overnight clashes in the east of the country. (BBC)
Industrial action in Nigeria over increases in fuel duty and a doubling of sales tax is stepped up to become a general strike. (BBC)

June 21, 2007 (Thursday)

Lebanon declares victory over Fatah al-Islam, an Al Qaeda-linked group, after a month-long battle at a Palestinian refugee camp. (Reuters via Daily Times)
Inflation in Zimbabwe reaches 9,000%, the highest in the world. (CNN)
NASA postpones the landing of Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center due to inclement weather, prolonging STS-117 for another day. NASA states that it can extend the mission until June 24 if necessary. (CNN)
A polar blast moving north over the South Island of New Zealand causes major disruptions and claims at least one life. (One)
The United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone finds three leaders of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council—Alex Tamba Brima, Brima Bazzy Kamara, and Santigie Borbor Kanu—guilty of war crimes. (AP via CNN)
The President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, invites the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, Israel, and Jordan to a summit on Sunday to discuss the Palestinian crisis. (FOX)
The Kuwaiti government condemns the besieging of its embassy in Iran and the beating of a diplomat, regarding it as an "attack on Kuwait." The Iranian Foreign Ministry says it regrets that the incident occurred. (Gulf News)
Deposed Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra is ordered to return to Thailand to face charges in an asset-concealment case. (UPI)
Japan changes the name of Iwo Jima to its original name, Iwo To, to reflect the wishes of its original inhabitants. (BBC)

June 22, 2007 (Friday)

Inflation in Zimbabwe rises to 11,000%; U.S. ambassador Christopher Dell predicts it will reach 1.5 million percent by December. (BBC News)
2007 Israel-Gaza conflict: IDF soldiers near Hebron shoot an unarmed Palestinian, who later died. The IDF states that the man was trying to run through the gate; the soldiers yelled for him to halt, which he did not; they then shot the man. (Ynetnews)
Director Michael Hayden of the United States Central Intelligence Agency announces plans to declassify documents detailing illegal activities performed by the agency between 1950 and 1980, including assassination plots, domestic spying and wiretapping, kidnapping, and human experiments. (BBC)
Space Shuttle Atlantis lands safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California after inclement weather had prevented its programmed landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ending STS-117. (ABC News Australia)

June 23, 2007 (Saturday)

Torrential rains in Pakistan, including the city of Karachi, kill 230 people. (CNN)
The 27 members of the EU agree on guidelines for a new treaty after negotiations to replace EU's current constitution. (CNN)

June 24, 2007 (Sunday)

Mauricio Macri, a member of the National Congress of Argentina and president of Boca Juniors, is elected as the Chief of Government of Buenos Aires. (Reuters via CNN)
Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as "Chemical Ali," is sentenced to death for his role in killing 180,000 Kurds under Saddam Hussein. (BBC via ABC News Australia)
A roadside bomb hits a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon patrol, killing six Spanish-speaking peacekeepers (three of whom were Colombian) and injuring two others. (BBC)
More than 200 people die in accidents related to storms in Karachi, Pakistan. (ITV)
Government of the United Kingdom:
- Gordon Brown becomes the Leader of the Labour Party, replacing Prime Minister Tony Blair. Brown will replace Blair on 27 June. (BBC)
- Harriet Harman becomes Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, replacing Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. She is not expected to follow Prescott as Deputy Prime Minister, and won the Labour deputy leadership election with 50.43%, narrowly beating Alan Johnson. (BBC)

June 25, 2007 (Monday)

Three people die in Yorkshire and the Humber as heavy rains and flooding continue in England and Wales. (The Telegraph)
Conoco Phillips and ExxonMobil reject a deal with PDVSA, the nationalised oil company of Venezuela, over the future participation in development of reserves in the Orinoco Belt. (BBC)
Middle East leaders President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak, President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert, and King Abdullah II of Jordan meet to support Abbas' leadership of the Palestinian Authority. Olmert announces that he will release 250 Palestinian political prisoners as a gesture of goodwill. (BBC)
Iran invites the International Atomic Energy Agency to Tehran to discuss its nuclear program. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
The United States Supreme Court issues three 5–4 split-decision rulings limiting student freedom of expression (AP via IHT), barring ordinary taxpayers from challenging governmental funding of faith-based initiatives (AP via Guardian Unlimited), and allowing "issue ads" to air on television close to election dates. (AP via Guardian Unlimited)
PMTair Flight U4 241 crashes in Cambodia with 22 on board; there are no survivors. (WikiNews)

June 26, 2007 (Tuesday)

Bolivia reclaims two oil refineries from Brazilian state-owned energy company Petrobras. (BBC)
The militant group Army of Islam, holding BBC Middle East correspondent Alan Johnston captive, renews its threat to kill him. (CNN)
The Central Intelligence Agency releases the "family jewels," secret documents detailing illegal activities—including a plot to hire members of the Mafia to assassinate Fidel Castro—and domestic spying. (Reuters)
On the eve of Gordon Brown's assuming office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Conservative Member of Parliament Quentin Davies defects to the Labour Party. (Financial Times)
An International Atomic Energy Agency team heads to North Korea to see if Pyongyang's nuclear reactor has been shut down. (Reuters)
Tony Blair and Arnold Schwarzenegger hold talks at 10 Downing Street on Blair's last day as Prime Minister; the environment and climate change are the primary issue. (Guardian UK) (Guardian UK)
In the United Kingdom, hundreds of people are evacuated from villages in South Yorkshire, and a section of the M1 motorway is closed amid fears of an imminent collapse of the dam at the Ulley reservoir following heavy rainfall and widespread flooding across the UK. (BBC)

June 27, 2007 (Wednesday)

At least 18 people die in fights between police and gangsters in a Rio de Janeiro favela. (BBC)
Protesters take to the streets in Iran as the government introduces petrol rationing and raises prices. (CNN)
Dr. Ashraf Marwan, who had been accused of being a senior Mossad agent operating in Egypt prior to the Yom Kippur War, is found dead below the balcony of his home in London; Scotland Yard investigates the "unexplained" death. (Haaretz),(Guardian)
At least ten people drown and thousands move to higher ground as a cyclone hits Balochistan, Pakistan. (CNN)
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, United Kingdom:
- Longstanding tradition is abandoned in the House of Commons as every serving Member of Parliament, and others, clap and give a standing ovation to Tony Blair after he finishes his last Prime Minister's Questions.
- Queen Elizabeth II accepts the resignation of Tony Blair as Prime Minister.
- Gordon Brown, MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath and former Chancellor of the Exchequer, accepts Queen Elizabeth II's invitation to form a new government, becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- Tony Blair takes the Chiltern Hundreds to stand down as MP for Sedgefield and accepts a role as the main Middle East envoy for the Quartet on the Middle East. His appointment is announced at the United Nations headquarters. Zalmay Khalilzad, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, welcomes the appointment of Blair as envoy.
- Journalists learn that Patricia Hewitt and Margaret Beckett will not be reappointed Health Secretary and Foreign Secretary, respectively, when Brown assembles his government.
- Brown begins contact by telephone with U.S. President George W. Bush, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi, and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, discussing working closely together. (All of the above, BBC News) (10 Downing Street)
The wreckage of PMTair Flight U4 241 is discovered in Kampot Province, Cambodia; all 22 people on board are killed in the crash. (BBC)
The Government of Kyrgyzstan abolishes capital punishment. (Nasdaq)
Jamaican-born Floridian Barrington Irving becomes the youngest person—and the first black person—to fly solo around the world. (Miami Herald)

June 28, 2007 (Thursday)

It is announced that people will be asked to commit to a 7-point pledge on global warming during the July 7 Live Earth concerts. (Live Earth)
The June 2007 Texas floods cause evacuations in some areas. (MSNBC)
The death toll of the June 2007 United Kingdom floods rises to six, with Northern England and the English Midlands hardest hit. (The Telegraph)
Eleven Colombian lawmakers hostages out of twelve are killed by the leftist guerilla group FARC. Abducted in 2002, the FARC alleges that the hostages died in a crossfire when an unidentified military group attacked. The FARC blames the Colombian government, but the government says they knew nothing of the location or of any attempt of rescue. (CNN)
Russia successfully test fires a sea-based ballistic missile, the Bulava. (BBC)
A TAAG-Angola Airlines Boeing 737 crashes in northern Angola, resulting in the death of at least five passengers on the same day the European Union bans the airline from European airspace. (Reuters via News Limited)
Scientists take a first step towards making synthetic life by transferring genetic material from one species of bacteria to another, making it a copy of the first. (Reuters via News Limited)
Record high temperatures in Greece lead to nine deaths through heat stroke; outbreaks of wildfires, killing two people; and extensive power cuts. (AP via the Washington Post)
A bill to legalize millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States is defeated in the United States Senate. (AP via the Houston Chronicle)
Former Libyan intelligence agent Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, convicted of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, wins a case for an appeal in the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission. (The Guardian)
An Italian man is arrested in Spain on suspicion of bribery in connection with the kidnapping of Madeleine McCann. (Sky)
Premiership of Gordon Brown, United Kingdom:
- In a major Cabinet reshuffle, every person's post is changed, bar one.
- Alistair Darling becomes Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Miliband becomes Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and Jacqui Smith becomes the first female Secretary of State for the Home Department.
- Alan Johnson takes Health, Jack Straw takes Justice and First Secretary of State, Hilary Benn takes Environment, Des Browne remains as Defence Secretary but also becomes Secretary of State for Scotland, and Ruth Kelly takes Transport.
- Douglas Alexander takes Secretary of State for International Development; Peter Hain remains Secretary of State for Wales but also becomes Work and Pensions Secretary; Shaun Woodward becomes Northern Ireland Secretary; John Hutton takes Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary; Hazel Blears takes Communities Secretary and Minister for Equality; James Purnell takes Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families; and Tessa Jowell becomes Minister for the Olympics and will only attend Cabinet when required.
- Baroness Ashton becomes Leader of the House of Lords; Harriet Harman—Labour's deputy leader—becomes Leader of the House of Commons and Minister for Women; whilst Ed Balls becomes Children, Schools and Families Secretary. John Denham becomes Innovation, University and Skills Secretary; and Baroness Scotland becomes the new Attorney General of England and Wales. The Cabinet is set to change. (Office of the Prime Minister)
Rivers in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia flood, leading to evacuations in Bairnsdale and Sale as a result of days of heavy rain. (ABC) (ABC)
A car bomb in the Bayaa district of Baghdad kills at least 20 people and injures another 35. (Reuters Alertnet)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors arrive at the Yongbyon reactor in North Korea to discuss plans to shut it down. It follows North Korea test firing of short-range missiles yesterday. (AP via CNN)
The United States Supreme Court hands down a divided decision against two school districts in Seattle, Washington and Louisville, Kentucky, saying the districts' plans to admit students to schools based partially on their race violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection. (CNN)
The commercial space station prototype Genesis II from Bigelow Aerospace is launched at 15:02 UTC from Russia by a Dnepr. (NASASpaceflight.com)
UNESCO designates 22 new World Heritage Sites, including the Sydney Opera House; Canada's Rideau Canal; Japan's Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine; Turkmenistan's Parthian Fortresses of Nisa; India's Red Fort complexes; the Lope-Okanda Landscape of Gabon; the Richtersveld desert of South Africa; the rock carvings of Twyfelfontein in Namibia; the fortified tower houses of Guangdong Province in the People's Republic of China; Teide National Park in the Canary Islands, Spain; the ancient beech forests of Central Europe; Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bordeaux and the Port de la Lune in France; the Old Town of Corfu in Greece; and the Palace of Galerius in Gamzigrad-Romuliana in Serbia. (The Globe and Mail) UNESCO press-release
The Bald Eagle is removed from the endangered species list. (National Geographic)

June 29, 2007 (Friday)

The EPR nuclear power plant, under construction in Finland and 18 months behind schedule, is reported as having a number of safety-related design and manufacturing "deficiencies." (New Scientist)
Spanish scientists find fossil evidence of humans living in Europe over a million years ago in Burgos, Spain. (Xinhua via the Hindu)
Rebels unsuccessfully try to assassinate Guillaume Soro, Prime Minister of Ivory Coast, but kill three others in a rocket attack. (Bloomberg)
British police defuse a bomb in Central London; a second bomb is found hours later. (CNN) (The Globe and Mail)
At least 13 people die in clashes between militants and Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. (BBC)
The European Union revises its list of designated terrorist organizations, removing Anti-Imperialist Territorial Units, Unit for Revolutionary Proletarian Initiative, and Units for Proletarian Initiative while adding Revolutionary Struggle. (Payvand)
After 16 years of existence, the (U.S.) National Football League announces that it will shut down its European operation known as NFL Europa, with immediate effect. (NFL.com)
Apple releases the iPhone to great fanfare.

June 30, 2007 (Saturday)

Glasgow International Airport attack:
- A car on fire crashes into the main terminal building of Glasgow Airport. Two people are arrested at the scene by police, with one man reportedly on fire as he is being arrested.
- The airport closes, with all plane flights cancelled and the airport evacuated.
- COBRA conducts an emergency meeting, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown makes a statement afterward in which he thanks emergency services after today's attack and the London car bombs plot yesterday.
- Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announces that the national security threat level is elevated from "severe" to "critical"—the highest possible, meaning "further attacks are imminent"—and everyone should be on "high alert." (BBC)
- Police treat the incident as a terrorist attack, linked to yesterday's London car bombs plot. (BBC)
- Police arrest two men in Cheshire in connection with the bombings. (Reuters via Canada.com)
Archbishop Pius Ncube, head of the Catholic church in Zimbabwe, calls on the British government to invade Zimbabwe and overthrow President Robert Mugabe. (Times Online)
United States troops kill 26 militants in an attack on Sadr City in Baghdad. (ITV)
Voters in Papua New Guinea go to the polls to elect a new Parliament of Papua New Guinea. (Radio Australia)
East Timorese voters go to the polls to elect a new Parliament of East Timor. (CNN)
Hong Kong celebrates the tenth anniversary of the handover from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China. (BBC)

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