Current events
June 23 2005 (Thursday)
- In Indonesia, the team that is investigating the death of human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib states that the Indonesian intelligence agency BIN may be involved. Munir died of arsenic poisoning en route to the Netherlands on September 7, 2004. (Channel News Asia)
June 22 2005 (Wednesday)
- German car manufacturer BMW acquires the Formula 1 team Sauber Petronas. In the next season the new team will be probably known as BMW Sauber. BBC Sport
- The entire network of the Swiss Federal Railways shuts down due to a power failure in its 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 Chad, referendum votes to allow president Idriss Deby to stand elections for the third term in office (Reuters SA)
- According to former U.S. ambassador to South Korea Donald Gregg and former journalist Don Oberdorfer, George W. Bush in 2002 turned down an offer from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to discuss the issue of nuclear weapons. (Reuters)
- An Italian military tribunal in La Spezia has sentenced 10 German former Nazi officers in absentia to life imprisonment for their role in a World War II massacre of 560 civilians in the Tuscan village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema. (BBC News)
- In Colombia, congress approves a draft bill that offers sentences of only eight years to those members of paramilitary militias who give up their weapons. it demands that they confess, return the stolen property and disarms. Critics of president Alvaro Uribe say that the law in too lenient (IHT) (Colombia Journal) (Reuters AlertNet)
- International Whaling Commission meeting in Ulsan, South Korea, does not support Japan's suggestion to resume coastal whaling or increase its own scientific one. Commission also voted down a request thta Japan could catch 150 minke whales a year (Japan Today) (Channel News Asia) (Reuters AlertNet)
- In South Africa, president Thabo Mbeki names energy and minerals minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as his deputy president. She is also the first woman in the position (SABC) (Reuters SA) (News24) (BBC profile)
- Peruvian government condemns supreme court decision to drop the case of former president Alberto Fujimori for forging signatures for 2000 elections (Reuters AlertNet)
- Peruvian government states that they 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 Ethiopia. main opposition group Coalition for Unity and Democracy states that government investigaros have dropped all their complaints about possible election fraud. Government still has not released any results (AllAfrica) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)
- United Nations Security Council votees to send 750 more peacekeepers to Haiti for elections and extend the UN mandate to February 15 2006 (UN News Centre) (ReliefWeb)
- In Poland, oppositon demands resignation of prime minister Marek Belka because of allegations because a declassified files show that 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)
June 21 2005 (Tuesday)
- The Cosmos 1 solar sail test flight is launched by a Russian Volna rocket (a converted SS-N-18 ICBM) from a Russian Delta III submarine submerged in the Barents Sea. (BBC) However, the spacecraft, dubbed Solar Sail, is feared lost after the rocket failed 83 seconds after launch. SBS
- The LA Times suspends an experiment called "wikitorial" after three days because of vandalism. (MSNBC) (BBC)
- 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 Manchester, UK, 30 police raid a house at 5 a.m. and arrest a 40-year old man on suspicion of involvement 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)
- In Mexico, Zapatista rebels are in alert, pulling out of villages and closing their radio stations. The reasons are unknown, although the move may be due to an army drug raid in Los Altos. Subcomandante Marcos announces that foreign aid workers can stay only at their own risk. Later news indicate that Zapatistas are gathering for a conference. Marcos announces that the movement is entering a "next step in the struggle" and that the organization has reorganized itself to survive the loss of current leadership. (Indymedia Chiapas, English translation (Indymedia Chiapas, English translation) (Reuters) (Reuters AlertNet) (Reuters AlertNet)
- In Brazil, president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva demands that the opposition present proof of its allegations that government had given bribes for political support (Reuters) (BBC)
- In Lebanon, a remote control bomb that had been placed under the passenger seat of his car kills anti-Syrian politician George Hawi, former secretary general of Lebanese Communist Party (Daily Star) (Ya Libnan) (Al-JAzeera) (IHT) (Reuters)
- In the Philippines, congress begins an inquiry into allegations that president Gloria Arroyo had rigged votes in last year's presidential elections. President states that shell comemnt the process later. Her supporters and the opposition demonstrate in Manila (INQ7, Philippines) (Manila Times) (Sun Star) (Channel News Asia)
- In Zambia, former health ministry official Kashiba Bulaya has been charged again with accepting a bribe from a Bulgarian firm that manufactures anti-retrovirus drugs against AIDS. Government's decision to halt the case a month ago aroused protests. (Reuters SA) (BBC)
- A U.S. Court of Appeals struck down a regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission designed to ensure an independent board of directors for mutual funds, holding that the SEC didn't comply with the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act. (Chamber of Commerce)
June 20 2005 (Monday)
- In USA, chief US immigration judge Michael Creppy rules that Ukrainian-born John Demjanjuk can be deported because he was a concentration camp guard during World War Two (WBNS, Ohio) (Washington Post) (Reuters)
- In Brazil, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva names energy minister Dilma Rousseff as a cabinet chief because of José Dirceu's resignation (AE Brazil) (Reuters)
- Turkey sentences Islamist extremist Metin Kaplan, the "Caliph of Cologne", to life in prison for his role in a plot to blow up the the mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk.
- Cedar Revolution: The Anti-Syrian bloc of Saad al-Hariri captured control of the Lebanese Legislature in the Lebanese general election of 2005, winning 72 of the 128 available seats. (Yahoo!)
- A Suicide bomber in Iraq kills 13 policemen, and injured more than 100 people, in the city of Irbil, northern Iraq. BBC News
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- One Israeli is killed in West Bank ambush after Palestinian militants shot his car. The 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 Palestinian female suicide bomber was caught in the Erez Crossing, carrying explosives and a detonator in her underwear. Israeli media added that she planned to carry out 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)
- US Planetary Society, in association with Cosmos Studios and Japan Planetary Society, intends to lauch Cosmos I, an experimental solar sail spacecraft, on June 21 (PhysOrg) (Washington Post)
- British Potato Council demonstrates for the removal of the term "couch potato" from the Oxford English Dictionary because potatoes are "inherently healthy" (BBC) (Guardian Unlimited)
- In Japan, magnitude 4.9 earthquake hits central Niigata prefecture, with little reported damage and no tsunami risk (Japan Today) (Reuters AlertNet)
- International Whaling Commission meets in Ulsan, South Korea. Japan tries to ease its restrictions to whaling but its suggestion to exclude proposed creation of whale sanctuaries is voted down (CNN) (Reuters) (Japan Today)
- John Rigas, founder of cable company Adelphia Communications is sentenced to 15 years in prison on last summer's securities fraud conviction. (Bloomberg)
June 19 2005 (Sunday)
- In the United Kingdom, flash flooding severely affected several North Yorkshire villages and towns, including Thirsk, Helmsley and Hawnby, when the rivers Swale and Rye burst their banks.
June 18 2005 (Saturday)
- No events submitted for this date.
June 17 2005 (Friday)
- The murder weapon used to kill Leon Trotsky is purported to have surfaced in Mexico. (BBC)
- A United Nations investigation has concluded that Rafik Hariri, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, was killed by a truck bomb. (BBC)
- Controversial Pakistani scientist AQ Khan is said to be stable after suffering a heart attack. (BBC)
- In Kyrgyzstan, hundreds of protesters seize a government building in the capital of Bishkek. They support presidential candidate Urmat Baryaktadasov, who was denied registration because the government says he is also a citizen of Kazakhstan. Police later seized the building. (RIA Novosti) (CNN) (Guardian Unlimited) (BBC)
- The 2005 Presidential election begins in Iran. Most pre-voting polls favor Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. (Middle East Online) (Al-Jazeera) (Reuters) (IHT)
- Cambodian police have arrested a security guard who allegedly planned the hostage drama in Siem Reap. (Channel News Asia) (Reuters)
- The Taiwanese Supreme Court rejects the opposition's appeal to nullify the results of the 2004 presidential election. Chen Shui-bian won the election by a narrow majority. (Channel News Asia) (Bloomberg)
- In the United Kingdom, the Ugandan-born bishop of Birmingham Rt Rev Dr John Sentamu is named the new Archbishop of York. He is the first ever black person to be appointed an Archbishop of the Church of England. (BBC) (Reuters)
- The Vatican announces that it has taken the unusual step of suspending the announced beatification of the Reverend Leon Dehon in order to investigate charges of anti-Semitism. AP
- Dennis Kozlowski, the former chief executive of Tyco International, and Mark Swartz, its erstwhile chief financial officer, were 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)
June 16 2005 (Thursday)
- A report by the Metropolitan Police in the UK states that children are being trafficked into the UK from Africa to be used as 'human sacrifices'. (BBC), (Guardian)
- 26 of 60 tank cars carrying fuel oil derail near Rzhev, Russia (about 200 km / 125 miles northwest of Moscow), sending a very large amount of oil into the ground contaminating Moscow's water supply and the Volga River after flowing down the Vazuza River from the accident site. It is not yet known if this incident is related to the bomb that was exploded on June 12 that derailed a passenger train. (RIA Novosti) (RIA Novosti) (Pravda)
- Conflict in Iraq: Five U.S. Marines die from a roadside bomb in Ramadi, Western Iraq. (BBC)
- A Jewish cemetery in West Ham has been attacked. This was the 117th time a Jewish cemetery in Great Britain has been attacked in 15 years. (The Independent)
- In Cambodia, 6 unidentified gunmen take over a school in the town of Siem Reap near Angkor Wat and hold a number hostage for six hours. Reports of the number of hostages range from 24 to 70. Many of them were children from foreign families that work in the area. Gunmen demand money, weapons and a car. A Canadian child is executed by the gunmen before the rest are freed. (BBC) (CBC) (Channel News Asia) (Channel News Asia) (Reuters),(Reuters)
- In Japan, former tycoon Yoshiaki Tsutsumi confesses to financial fraud and insider trading. (Japan Today) (Channel News Asia)
- Chilean authorities have found a weapons arsenal in Villa Baviera, former Colonia Dignidad, during the investigation of the colony's founder Paul Schaefer (BBC)
- Uzbekistan deports four members of human rights group International Helsinki Federation after they had investigated unrest in Andijan. (Mosnews) (Reuters AlertNet)
- In Brazil, minister José Dirceu resigns due to allegations that he knew about bribery but insists that he is innocent (BBC) (Forbes)
- Eastern Orthodox Church demotes former patriarch Irenaios I to a rank of a monk (Jerusalem Post/AP) (BBC)
June 15 2005 (Wednesday)
- Venezuela officially requests extradition of Luis Posada Carriles from USA (Reuters) (BBC)
- The Serbian special war crimes tribunal asks the government to ask Argentina for extradition of Nebojša Minić, suspected of crimes against humanity in Kosovo in 1999 (B92) (Reuters)
- Zambian government reopens a case against Kashiwa Bulaya, former health ministry official and ally of president Levy Mwanawasa. Bulaya is accused of diverting AIDS drugs funds (Times of Zambia) (AllAfrica) (Reuters)
- In Mexico, supreme court rules that former president Luis Echeverría can be charged with human rights violations connected to 1971 deaths of student activists (El Universal) (Bloomberg) (BBC)
- Microsoft is criticized for censoring Chinese blogs. They are accused of censoring words such as "freedom", "democracy", and "human rights". (RealOpinion.com), (BBC)
- World leaders of the Group of 77 and 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)
- Qatari Prime Minister Abdallah ibn Khalifah Al Thani and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder agree to begin a study to look into the feasibility of building a maglev line approximately 160 km long linking Qatar and Bahrain, powered by Transrapid technology developed by Siemens AG and ThyssenKrupp. Also being considered is a possible extension to the United Arab Emirates that would make the combined length of the line roughly 800 km. (AME Info) (Expatica)
- Spanish police arrest 17 suspected Islamic extremists in a series of raids around the country. Eleven are alleged to be associated with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and 5 are alleged to be connected to the Madrid train bombings of 11 March 2004. (Times)
- The Israeli Shin Bet (SHABAK) states that one month ago it arrested an alleged eight-member Palestinian militant cell in Nablus that included four teenage would-be suicide bombers. It claimed that the cell was part of Fatah (the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority), and that the Lebanese group Hezbollah was behind it. (Haaretz)
- A memo from 1998 from an executive of Cotecna Inspection S.A. suggests that Kofi Annan was aware of their bid to participate in the Oil-for-Food Programme, reawakening suspicions of a conflict of interest. (Yahoo! News)
- In Russia, explosion and fire in an oil depot near Moscow kills two (RIA Novosti) (Russia Journal) (BBC)
- Catholic Archbishop Chaput warns Europe about growing anti-Semitism and intolerance. (BeyondtheNews)
- Douglas Wood, an Australian hostage residing in California is released in Iraq after 47 days in captivity, and is now being moved to a secret location. (ABC Online)
- In Guatemala, a mudslide kills 22 people and injures around 45 others. (Reuters AlertNet) (Reuters AlertNet)
June 14 2005 (Tuesday)
- 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)
- Asafa Powell breaks the world record in the 100 meters (328 feet, 1 inch) Tuesday with a 9.77 clocking at the Athens, Greece Olympic Stadium, making him the world's fastest human at 36.85 km/hr (22.9 mi/hr). (AP)
- The Supreme Court of Argentina declares unconstitutional two laws that granted immunity to Dirty War human rights abusers. (Bloomberg)
- Jacob Zuma, Executive Deputy President of South Africa, is fired for being implicated in a high-profile corruption trial. (Reuters)
- Conflict in Iraq: 22 people have died following a suicide bombing in Kirkuk, northern Iraq. (BBC)
- Football (soccer) sex crime allegations:
- George Best, the former Manchester United star from Northern Ireland, has been arrested and bailed on suspicion of indecently assaulting a young girl. (BBC)
- Robin van Persie, the Dutch Arsenal footballer, has been arrested in Rotterdam on suspicion of rape. (BBC)
- Sudan rejects the UN's decision to use the International Criminal Court to try criminals in relation to the atrocities of the Darfur conflict, and instead opens its own recently-created special court. (Al-Jazeera) (ReliefWeb), (ISN)
- A TNS/MRBI Irish Times opinion poll predicts that Ireland, previously seen as certain to vote yes, is likely to vote no in its planned referendum on the 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 Mission: SPACE at Walt Disney World's Epcot. (CNN)
- According to Washington Post, US and Russian defense officials blocked NATO demand of investigation into crackdown of unrest in Uzbekistan (Washington Post) (ReliefWeb) (IHT)
- In Indonesia, lawyers of Schapelle Corby file appeal in Bali court (Australia) (Reuters)
- In Mexico, Raúl Salinas de Gortarí is released from prison on bail. He has been in prison for ten years (El Universal) (Reuters)
- JP Morgan Chase & Co. announced a settlement of a lawsuit brought against it by Enron investors who claim that it helped the management of that company defraud them. JP Morgan will pay claimants US$2.2 billion.
June 13 2005 (Monday)
- An earthquake of magnitude 7.9 hits Chile with epicenter in the northern region of Tarapaca near the Bolivian border, killing at least 8 people. (CNN)
- The jury in Michael Jackson's trial for child molestation finds the pop star not guilty on all counts. (CNN), (BBC) (WorldEscape)
- Swedish diplomat Jan Eliasson is unanimously elected President of the United Nations General Assembly. He will take over the presidency on September 20, 2005. (RealOpinion.com)
- Ninety-two people, almost all children, have died after a flash flood hit a school in Shalan, Heilongjiang province, China. (BBC).
- Italians end voting in a two-day referendum about strict fertility treatment laws. The Catholic Church has recommended that Catholics boycott the poll, which needs 50% turnout to be valid. Initial turnout has been low and it is projected not to reach the 50% level. (Reuters AlertNet) (Reuters) (BBC) (IHT)
- In the Philippines, president 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)
- Philippines police are ready to charge former National Bureau of Investigation deputy director Samuel Ong for illegal wiretapping and sedition (Sun Star)
- The last Australian peacekeeping troops leave East Timor. (SBS) (ABC) (Reuters)
- In South Korea, Kim Woo Choong, former head of Daewoo Group, intends to return to the country after five years living abroad. He faces charges of fraud after the collapse of Daewoo Group (Korea Times) (Korea Herald) (Channel News Asia) (BBC)
- In Canada, Cineplex Odeon announces that it is purchasing Famous Players, uniting the two largest movie theatre chains. Famous Players is currently owned by Viacom and will be purchased for about $500 million CDN. In fear of unfair competition, the Federal Commission of Competition has announced that Cineplex needs to sell off 35 of its theatres. (CBC)
- In Nigeria, president Olusegun Obasanjo gives an order that all illegal oil refineries in the Niger River delta should be destroyed (Reuters SA) (IHT)
- In Mexico, army soldiers and federales take over the city of Nuevo Laredo near the US border. The whole local police force is detained for investigation in connection to drug trafficking and for 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)
- 14 people drown off the coast of Morocco in a boat that tried to reach Spain (Al-Jazeera) (BBC)
- In France, police arrests serial impostor Frederic Bourdin, who had taken a role of a schoolboy (BBC)
June 12 2005 (Sunday)
- French journalist Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi interpreter Hussein Hanoun al-Saadi have been freed after five months of captivity in Iraq. (BBC)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- 28 bodies, believed to mainly be Sunni Arabs, have been found in Baghdad sidestreets. (BBC), (A.P)
- Four US Soldiers die from two roadside bombs in Baghdad, bringing the total death toll of US troops to over 1,700. (Associated Press)
- A series of Bombs strike the Iranian cities of Ahwaz and Tehran, leaving 8 people dead and dozens wounded. There has been no claim of responsibility. (BBC)
- Mike Tyson announces he will retire from boxing. Wikinews
- Lebanese general elections: Results of the third round of the Lebanese parliamentary elections in Mount Lebanon and the Beqaa show the triumph of Michel Aoun's list in the upper part of the region (Metn) and the success of Walid Jumblatt's coalition in the lower part (Chouf). (Daily Star) (ABC) (IHT)(Daily Star) (Reuters) (Al-Jazeera) Last stage of the elections will be next sunday in North Lebanon.
- Kuwait appoints first female cabinet minister, Massuma al-Mubarak (Al-Jazeera) (Arab News) (IHT)
- In the Philippines, president Gloria Arroyo asks for unity in the face of so far unproven allegations of electoral fraud. The army is in alert to thwart any coup attempts. Opposition organizes a brief protest to demand Arroyo's resignation (Sun Star, Philippines) (ABS-CBN)
- Kurdish parliament in Northern Iraq elects Masoud Barzani as a president of the region (Reuters)
- In China, official death toll in the flood in Heilongjiang Province rises to 92 (Xinhua) (People's Daily)
- Ethiopian opposition appeals for calm after the last week's protests (Reuters AlertNet)
- Nepal lifts a ban on Indian television stations. (Deepika) (BBC)
June 11 2005 (Saturday)
- The G8 announces the cancellation of the multilateral debt of eighteen of the poorest countries in the world (BBC)
- 2005 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Arlene makes landfall near Pensacola, Florida. One death has been reported thus far. (ABCNews)
- In Ethiopia, opposition says that the leaders of Coalition for Unity and Democracy, Hailu Shawel and senior official Lidetu Ayalew, are under house arrest and demand their release. (IOL) (BBC)
- In Portugal, former prime minister Vasco Gonçalves, one of the figures of the Carnation Revolution, dies (Guardian Unlimited) (BBC)
- In Poland, gay rights activists defy ban and march in the streets of Warsaw (Radio Polonia) (BBC)
June 10 2005 (Friday)
- In the Philippines, whistleblower Samuel Ong accuses, with audio evidence, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of rigging the 2004 elections, thus starting an electoral crisis. (IHT)
- The Colima volcano in Mexico increases its eruptive activity, with strong explosions. (CNN)
- The Bolivian Congress accepts the resignation of Carlos Mesa and names Supreme Court justice Eduardo Rodríguez as the new interim president (Bloomberg) (Reuters AlertNet) Bolivian military says it is ready to intervene if protests continue (IHT)
- In Japan, a high school student throws a bomb into classroom in Hikari, Yamaguchi Prefecture. 69 students are injured. (Japan Today) (Reuters)
- In Australia, a 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) (Reuters AlertNet)
- In India, Subroto Roy, chairman of Sahara Group, goes public to state that he is healthy. Roy had been out of the public eye since April and his absence had aroused rumors of death, illness, intrafamily conflict and political pressure. (Hindu) (ExpressIndia) (BBC)
- Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdulla al-Sabah is taken to the hospital. (Reuters AlertNet)
June 9 2005 (Thursday)
- Italian Clementina Cantoni a worker with CARE International who was held hostage in Afghanistan is released unharmed. (Pakistan Dawn) (Reuters AlertNet)
- In Syria, the ruling Baath party votes to end the state of emergency that has lasted for 40 years. (Al-Jazeera) (BBC)
- In Norway, Mullah Krekar, Kurdish founder of Ansar al-Islam, goes to court to resist deportation to Iraq. (Aftenposten) (Kurdishmedia) (Al-Jazeera)
- In Mexico, a court overturns the murder conviction of Raul Salinas de Gortari, brother of former president Carlos Salinas de Gortari. (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)
- An Amnesty International report states that numbers of killed and sexually abused women have increased in Guatemala. (Amnesty International) (BBC) (BBC)
- In Oman, Sultan Qaboos pardons 31 people previously convicted of a coup attempt. (Gulf Daily News) (Al-Jazeera) (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)
- Protesters in Bolivia take over seven oil fields managed by British Petroleum and Repsol. (IHT)
- In Australia, Parliament House and the embassies of the USA, the