May 2006

May 2006

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May 2006 was a month with thirty-one days.

The following events also occurred during the month:

May 1, 2006 (Monday)

Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association outraged Vatican by planning to ordain another bishop, Liu Xinhong in Anhui Province. On Sunday, China has already ordained Ma Yinglin, not approved by the Holy See, as a bishop in Yunnan. Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen urged the Vatican to stop diplomatic talks with China [1]
King Gyanendra of Nepal swears in Girija Prasad Koirala as the new Prime Minister of Nepal. Baburam Bhattarai of the CPN(M) which controls two thirds of the country, states that his party will respect the results of an election to a constituent assembly, so long as these are "free and fair". (BBC)
President of Chad Idriss Déby refuses to delay upcoming presidential elections despite pressure from U.S. diplomat Donald Yamamoto, high ranking Chadian Christian officials, and the head of the Chadian human rights league. However, he announced the Chadian government is negotiating with the United Front for Democratic Change rebel group to avoid violence. (VOA)
Spain, Portugal, Finland and Greece join the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and Sweden in allowing workers from the ten countries which joined the European Union two years ago free access to their labour markets. (BBC)
Bolivian Gas War: President Evo Morales has signed a decree nationalising the nation's natural gas industry, instructing foreign energy firms to channel their activities through the Bolivian government within a six-month deadline or face expulsion, and ordering the Bolivian military to occupy and secure key energy installations. (BBC)
Puerto Rico budget crisis: The government of Puerto Rico is partially shut down, including public schools. More than 90,000 employees of the public sector are put in license without salary. Their salary will not be paid until further notice, but they will remain employed whether they present themselves to work or not. If they present themselves to work it will be on a voluntary basis without retroactive payment. (Reuters)
Terrorism in Kashmir: At least 22 Hindus in two small villages in Indian-administered Kashmir are killed by Islamic militants. (BBC), (Reuters)
Darfur conflict: The African Union extends the deadline for a peace deal by 48 hours. (BBC), (Reuters)
Beaconsfield mine collapse: Rescuers at a mine in Beaconsfield, Tasmania have begun work after two miners were detected alive. The two had been trapped alive over 1 kilometre underground for the past five days. (BBC)
Immigrant workers and their supporters across the United States stay home from work or school and abstain from commerce during the 2006 Immigration Policy Boycott in the United States, also called the "Great American Boycott" or "Day Without Immigrants", a protest against the enforcement of immigration law. Demonstrations are planned nationwide. In Latin America, a one-day boycott of American products called the "Nothing Gringo Boycott" is planned in conjunction with U.S. events. (Guardian) (CNN) (SFGate)
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: The first day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States.
Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka:
- Over 10 rebels are killed and many injured in Batticaloa as the Tamil Tigers attack a breakaway faction led by Col. Karuna Amman. (BBC)
- A claymore mine attack by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels kills 4 civilians and 1 soldier in Trincomalee. In the same district, a suspected Tiger rebel opens fire on two labourers. (Telegraph)
- Tamil Tiger rebels attack a Sri Lankan Navy vessel, wounding 5 sailors off the coast of Trincomalee. (Daily Times)
A second wave of pollutants from last year's toxic chemical spill in Jilin City, China, trapped in the frozen Amur and Songhua Rivers during the winter, is now being released by the spring thaw, affecting Khabarovsk and other settlements in the Russian Far East. (BBC), (Guardian), (CNN)

May 2, 2006 (Tuesday)

Nepal's new cabinet is unveiled. (New York Times)
German hostages René Bräunlich and Thomas Nitzschke are freed. Both were taken hostage in Iraq on January 24, 2006. (BBC)
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi officially hands in his resignation to President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. Berlusconi was defeated by Romano Prodi in the April 9-10 elections, but Ciampi has asked him to remain in office, "for the handling of current affairs". (BBC) (Corriere)
Newly-elected President Evo Morales orders the nationalization of Bolivia's gas industry. This process is a result of his plan to nationalize major industries, he said in his election campaign. Further nationalizations are planned in forestry and mining. (BBC)
The thieves of the famous Edvard Munch paintings The Scream and Madonna are sentenced to four and eight years in prison. (BBC)

May 3, 2006 (Wednesday)

Villagers from the People's Front in Defense of Land in San Salvador Atenco, Mexico, blockade the highway to Texcoco, in support of local flower vendors. Massive violence from State Polices ensues.
German hostages René Bräunlich and Thomas Nitzschke returned home to Germany. They landed safe on a governmental aircraft at 2:24 pm in Berlin-Tegel. (BBC)
Nepal Civil War: The Nepalese cabinet declares a cease-fire with Maoist rebels and announces that they will no longer consider them a terrorist group. The government urges the rebels to open peace talks. (BBC) (Reuters)
Armavia Flight 967, an Airbus A320 airliner of Armenian airline Armavia, carrying over 110 people, crashes into the Black Sea while approaching Adler-Sochi International Airport. Rescue workers had found baggage, pieces of the shattered plane and oil floating at the site of the crash. (BBC)
The Iranian author Ramin Jahanbegloo is arrested in Tehran. (BBC)
In Chad, opposition parties boycott the 2006 presidential election and voter turnout is "extremely low". Results are not due for another 10 days, but President Idriss Deby is expected to win. (BBC)

May 4, 2006 (Thursday)

Violence continues during the police raids of San Salvador Atenco, Mexico.
Manasseh Sogavare is elected Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, following Snyder Rini's brief period in office. Sogavare was previously prime minister from 2000 to 2001. (ABC)
In Israel, a new Cabinet under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is sworn in. (BBC)
A tsunami warning was issued for Fiji and New Zealand following a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in Tonga which occurred at 15:26 UTC (04:26 May 4, local time). The warning was canceled when it was found that the earthquake did not produce a tsunami. (USGS) (Pacific Tsunami Warning Center)
Picasso's Dora Maar With Cat is sold in an auction for US$95,216,000, becoming one of the most expensive paintings in the world. (BBC)
Shahrir Abdul Samad resigns as chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club in the Parliament of Malaysia, after a motion to refer a Member of Parliament implicated in a corruption scandal to the Dewan Rakyat House Rights and Privileges Committee failed. (The Sun)
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party suffers one of its worst electoral defeats, losing more than 200 council seats in the 2006 UK local elections, and coming third in total votes, behind the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. (Reuters), (BBC)
The latest update is the 2006 Red List. It evaluates 40,168 species as a whole, plus an additional 2,160 subspecies, varieties, aquatic stocks, and subpopulations.

May 5, 2006 (Friday)

The government of China has made artificial rainfall to wash a layer of sand and dust off Beijing. (Xinhua News)
The Agriculture Ministry of China confirmed another outbreak of bird flu in Qinghai Province, killing more than 120 birds. (reuters)
The government of Sudan signs an accord with the main Darfur rebel group, the Alliance of Revolutionary Forces of West Sudan, reached through mediation in Abuja, Nigeria. (BBC)
Porter Goss resigns as director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). (NY Times) (Washington Post)
Following significant Labour Party losses in the English local elections, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announces the largest Cabinet reshuffle of his tenure. The changes include sacking embattled Home Secretary Charles Clarke, the demotion of long-serving Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, and the stripping from Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott of his departmental portfolio. (BBC)(BBC)

May 6, 2006 (Saturday)

The People's Republic of China announces Vatican-approved Paul Pei Junmin will be ordained as a Catholic bishop on Sunday, just days after a diplomatic clash due to the unilateral ordination of two other bishops by Beijing. (Reuters)
Mahamat Nouri, until recently the Chadian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, who has previously served as the Chadian Defense Minister, defects to Sudan and joins the United Front for Democratic Change rebels. (Reuters)
Grant McLennan, co-founder of the legendary Australian band The Go-Betweens dies at age 48, while sleeping in his house at Brisbane, Australia, from a reported heart attack.
The People's Action Party is returned to government in Singapore for the twelfth time, winning 82 out of 84 seats with the ruling party winning 66.6% of the total votes in the 2006 general election. (CNA)
The starboard engine of the cruise liner Calypso, sailing from Tilbury to St Peter Port on Guernsey, catches fire at 4 am, 16 miles off Eastbourne, southeast of the British coast. Its crew puts the fire out, after its 708 passengers are moved into its lifeboats. Rescue lifeboats attend but neither these nor the ship's lifeboats are needed.(Yahoo News).
The People's Republic of China plans to launch satellites for lunar surveying, probing the moon's surface, physiognomy, landform and geological structure. (People's Daily)

May 7, 2006 (Sunday)

A disgruntled bus driver goes on a rampage in Dublin, Ireland, smashing through stopped and on-coming vehicles as he drives through streets, across tram lines and up the wrong side of a dual-carriageway. One woman is killed and 13 people more injured, including five Gardaí (Irish Police). Armed Gardaí open fire on three occasions to try and stop the bus. (RTÉ News)
United States President George W. Bush announces his support for closing Guantanamo Bay detention center. (Reuters)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatens to pull Iran out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the United States and the EU 3 do not accept Iran's nuclear program. (CNN)
Arsenal F.C. play their last game at Highbury, or Arsenal Stadium. They have played there for 93 years (BBC).

May 8, 2006 (Monday)

Former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma is acquitted of a rape charge; the judge rules that a sexual encounter with a 31-year old HIV-positive woman was consensual. (Guardian)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad writes to United States President George W. Bush. This marks the first time in 27 years that an Iranian President has written to a U.S. President. (CBC)
The Italian parliament starts to vote in order to elect the successor of Carlo Azeglio Ciampi as President of the Italian Republic. Gianni Letta leads after the first round of balloting.(BBC)
Judgement is given in London for Apple Computer in a high-profile trademark suit brought by The Beatles' company, Apple Corps. (Reuters)
A Historic Election is about to take place in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Where two major parties AIADMK and DMK are contesting to capture the power.

May 9, 2006 (Tuesday)

The United Kingdom's new Minister for Local Government, Ruth Kelly, who is a Roman Catholic and a member of Opus Dei, refuses to state whether or not she believes that homosexuality is a sin. (BBC)
The Mogadishu Islamic Courts and the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism declare a cease-fire after 57 people are killed, and 103 are wounded, mostly civilians, in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu. (CNN)
The world's largest annual trade show for the computer and video games industry, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E³), is held in Los Angeles. (Wired News)
Two Australian miners are rescued after 14 days trapped in the Beaconsfield mine collapse. (Reuters)
The Estonian parliament ratifies the European constitution, making Estonia the fifteenth EU country to do so. (EU Observer)
Lifetime Senator Giorgio Napolitano is elected as the new President of the Italian Republic after four ballots. (BBC)
A twentieth anniversary of the movie Short Circuit was released.^[1]

May 10, 2006 (Wednesday)

China declassifies its rare diplomatic files from between 1956 and 1960, including records of the Sino-Soviet split. (Xinhua)
The Federal Open Market Committee of the United States' central bank, the Federal Reserve, decides upon an increase in the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 5.00%.(Fed)

May 11, 2006 (Thursday)

Residents flee Mogadishu as warlords and Islamist militias battle for control of the Somali capital. The death toll in five days of fighting reaches 120. (VoA), (BBC)
A grizzly-polar bear hybrid is found on Banks Island in Canada's Northwest Territories. (MSNBC)
Baidu Baike, a collaborative online encyclopedia, is launched in People's Republic of China by Baidu.com, modelled on Wikipedia but heavily self censored. Wikipedia is largely inaccessible without a proxy in China. (BBC)
The United States National Security Agency is reported to operate "the largest database ever assembled in the world", containing a record of all calls (domestic and international) placed through AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth. Qwest Communications refused to provide customer records, citing the need for a warrant. (USA Today)
Ernie Fletcher, Republican governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky, is indicted on three misdemeanor counts of conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination for hiring, promoting, demoting and firing state employees based on political loyalties.(Lexington Herald-Leader)
Results for the state election held in Tamil Nadu, India, on May 8 were announced and the DMK and its allies have captured the power.And the AIADMK becoming a stronger opposition in the history of Tamil Nadu.
- The State of West Bengal also made a History. "The Communist Party of India (Marxsist) emerged victorius for another 5 years, making its stand of almost 35 years at a stretch"

May 12, 2006 (Friday)

Eight bombs explode in a coordinated strike in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Three people are killed and 48 are wounded. No group has yet claimed responsibility. (AP)
200 people are killed in an oil blast in Ilado, Nigeria. (AB via AmBC News), (BBC)
Cloning scientist Hwang Woo-Suk is indicted for fraud, embezzlement and violation of bioethics law in a scandal in South Korea over his faked stem cell research. (BBC) (Reuters) (CNN)
Yoweri Museveni takes his oath of office for a third consecutive term as President of Uganda.
21 people are killed in an Egyptian bus crash. (BBC)
The U.S. FBI raids the home of Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, outgoing number three man at the CIA, in an investigation into political corruption, including the use of prostitutes and bribery in connection with lobbyist Brent Wilkes, revealed to be the "no. 1 unindicted co-conspirator" in the Randy "Duke" Cunningham scandal. (Bloomberg.com)
Justin Gatlin breaks the world record in the 100 meter dash with a time of 9.76 seconds. (ABC)
Time Warner takes full control of Court TV Networks from Liberty Media.
First reported instances of the Year 2038 problem strike.

May 13, 2006 (Saturday)

CIA officials try to get the case of Khaled el-Masri, who says he was abducted and tortured, dismissed as it "could undermine U.S. relations with foreign countries". (Washington Post) (New York Times)
The International Committee of the Red Cross criticizes the United States for denying access to detainees in violation of the Geneva Convention. The US admits holding detainees secretly but claims they do not fall under that convention. (ABC Australia) (Xinhua)
Typhoon Chanchu makes landfall twice in the Philippines. 23 people are killed and five remain missing after a boat capsizes in the stormy seas off Masbate island. (CNEWS), (CNN), (Reuters), (SwissInfo)
Chad:
- FUC spokesman Albissaty Saleh Allazam announces that none of the eight organizational members that make up the Chadian rebel alliance will end attacks on the Déby administration despite the recent peace deal between ARFWS and the Government of Sudan. (CNN)
- The UNHCR has opened a new refugee camp within Chad just outside of the city of Habila to accommodate the 7,000 Fur refugees who fled Janjaweed attacks in western Sudan. (IRIN)
George Seitz, a Labor Party Member of the state Legislative Assembly in Victoria, Australia, is accused of running an elaborate branch stacking operation to manipulate results in state and federal elections and pre-selections. (The Age)
Authorities in Indonesia issue a red alert for active volcano Mt. Merapi, evacuating 17,000 people in expectation of an eruption. (BBC) (MSNBC)
Liverpool F.C. win the FA Cup against West Ham United F.C. on penalties after a last minute 40-yard Steven Gerrard equalizer. (BBC)

May 14, 2006 (Sunday)

Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- The IDF killed Elias al-Ashkar, the senior Islamic Jihad commander in the Jenin area who was accused of planning several suicide attacks that killed nearly 30 people, including US high-school student Daniel Wultz. Six other Palestinians were also killed. (Haaretz), (Miami Herald)
- The Israeli Navy intercepted a Palestinian boat carrying a large amount of explosives near the Gaza Strip in an attempted smuggling operation. The boat contained about 450 kg of TNT and parts of mines. (The Statesman), (Israel MFA)
Ahmat Mahamat Bachir, the president of the Chadian Independent National Election Commission, announces that incumbent President of Chad Idriss Déby won the 2006 Chadian presidential election held on May 3 with 77.5% of the vote. The official turnout was 61%, though international observers estimated turnout at 4–10%. (Al Jazeera)
Organized crime led by the group Primeiro Comando da Capital causes rioting in Brazil and claims over 50 lives. (BBC)
Mount Merapi in Central Java, Indonesia, which has been rumbling for about a month, is shooting out black smoke, volcanic ash and lava, and a volcanic eruption appears to be imminent. Mandatory evacuations are under way. (BBC) (CNN) (Reuters)
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, signs a petition in support of animal testing and condemns the acts of animal-rights extremists. (BBC)
Seven people are wounded as two bombs explode in the Iranian city of Kermanshah. A local branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility. (Reuters)
Alligators kill three women in one week in separate incidents across the U.S. state of Florida. [2]

May 15, 2006 (Monday)

United States President George W. Bush gives a speech proposing major immigration reform in the United States. (Washington Post)
Mount Merapi erupts, according to the national Indonesian news agency. (CNA)
The United States State Department announces it will re-establish diplomatic ties with Libya and remove it from its list of states that sponsor terrorism. (CNN)
Giorgio Napolitano is sworn in as President of the Italian Republic, following his election held in May 10. (BBC)
Makoto Koga, a political faction leader within the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and former secretary general, proposes that Yasukuni Shrine set up a separate shrine for the 14 Class-A war criminals enshrined there. (Asahi Shimbun) Junichiro Koizumi is poised to become the first Prime Minister of Japan to make a speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress in June. (Asahi Shimbun)

May 16, 2006 (Tuesday)

The United States releases a list of 759 former and current inmates of the Guantánamo Bay prison camp in Cuba after a Freedom of Information Act action was filed by the Associated Press. (Pentagon list) (The Age)
Darfur conflict: The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to initiate the process which would lead to a UN peacekeeping force relieving the beleaguered African Union peacekeepers in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan. The Government of Sudan opposes the move. (BBC), (VoA)
Chadian Information Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor accuses the Government of Sudan of facilitating a new alliance between the Mahamat Nour's UFDC and the defected troops of Mahamat Nouri against the Déby administration. Neither group has confirmed or denied the merger. (CNN)
Italian centre-left leader Romano Prodi is given the mandate to form a new government by President Giorgio Napolitano. Prodi is supposed to present his list of ministers on May 17. (BBC)
At least 23 people have been killed in a shooting and bombing attack in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police say. (BBC)
Mark Inglis, a New Zealander, became the first double-amputee to climb Mount Everest http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=hampton
A British-Ugandan team reports a substantial reduction in glacial cover atop the Rwenzori Mountains in Central Africa, attributable to increases in air temperature over the past four decades. This "Mountains of the Moon", according to 2nd Century geographer Ptolemy, is one of the sources of the Nile, and is projected in the study to disappear in two decades. (BBC)
A tattooed mummy of a woman in her late 20s of the Moche tribe from 1,500 years ago is found near Trujillo, Peru. (BBC)

May 17, 2006 (Wednesday)

Captain Nichola Goddard, 26, of 1st RCHA is killed while engaged in combat against Taliban forces near Kandahar, Afghanistan. Captain Goddard is Canada's first female casualty since World War 2, and Canada's first female combat arms casualty. (BBC)
A total of 155 people are killed in a recent wave of violence in São Paulo, Brazil. (CNN)
Incumbent Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase of Fiji claims victory in the 2006 general election. (BBC)
A gunman opens fire at the Turkish Council of State, the top court in Ankara, while the court is in session, injuring four judges, and killing one - Mustafa Yücel Özbilgin. The shooting represents a rise in tensions between the secular apparatus of state and supporters of Islamic fundamentalism. (BBC)
Barcelona win the UEFA Champions League, defeating Arsenal 2-1 in the final. Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann became the first player ever sent off in a Champions League final. Barcelona's goals were scored by Belletti and Samuel Eto'o; Arsenal's goal was scored by Sol Campbell. (BBC) (SkySports)

May 18, 2006 (Thursday)

Nepali legislators vote unanimously to strip the king (Currently Gyanendra) of his powers, effectively turning the Hindu kingdom into a secular constitutional monarchy. (CBC)
Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase of Fiji swears in for a second term after winning the 2006 general election. (BBC)
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is unwilling to either confirm or deny U.S. financial and logistical support for the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism in Somalia. Previously, such accusations were denied. The current Prime Minister of Somalia, Ali Mohamed Gedi, criticized U.S. support for "criminals." (Philadelphia Inquirer)
The European Parliament committee examining the claims of para-legal deportations of individuals for torture-based questioning, known as "extraordinary renditions", reports that it has CIA confirmation that between 30 and 50 individuals underwent such deportations to seven "black sites" in Asia, Europe and Africa. Those in Europe have reportedly been closed down following the public outcry, but there is still one such site operating in a North African country. (EU Observer) (UPI) (Reuters)
New Italian prime minister Romano Prodi pledges to withdraw Italian troops from Iraq and calls the Iraq war a "grave mistake that has not solved but increased the problem of security". (Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
Typhoon Chanchu, the strongest storm on record to have entered the South China Sea in May, makes landfall between the cities of Shantou, Guangdong and Xiamen, Fujian in China. (BBC) (Reuters)

May 19, 2006 (Friday)

2006 Iranian sumptuary law controversy:
- The Canadian National Post reports that certain "Iranian expatriates living in Canada" are claiming that the Iranian parliament has passed