• The 2006 Asian Games are officially opened by Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani at the 50,000 seater Khalifa Sports Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia 's Olympic -style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated Emir ( Arabic: ar أمير;, female أميرة; emira;) ( Farsi and Urdu: امیر) Sheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Cheikh, Shaikh, and other variants ( Arabic:, shaykh Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (الشيخ حمد بن خليفة آلثاني became the Emir of the State of Qatar on June 26 1995 after deposing Khalifa International Stadium (ستاد خليفة الدولي is a multi-use Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Doha (الدوحة or Ad-Dōḥah) is the Capital city of Qatar. Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated (AFP via Yahoo! News)
• The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles settles 45 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests for $60 million. Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual acts by one person upon another A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities (AP via Minneapolis-St Paul Tribune)
• Hezbollah members demonstrate their opposition to the Siniora administration in Beirut, Lebanon. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation Fouad Siniora (alternative spellings Fouad Sanyoura Fuad Siniora Fouad Saniora Fouad Seniora ( فؤاد السنيورة, Fu'ād As-Sanyūrah is the Prime Beirut (بيروت Bayrūt) is the Capital and Largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2 Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية (The Guardian) (BBC)
• As Bahrain prepares for tomorrow's second round of its parliamentary elections, a Member of Parliament from the Kingdom's largest party calls for legislation to restrict women's employment. The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf Bahrain held parliamentary elections on 25 November 2006 for the 40-seat lower house of parliament the Chamber of Deputies as well as municipal elections A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. (Gulf Daily News)
• Felipe Calderón becomes the President of Mexico. This article is about the current president of Mexico For the Filipino politician and historical figure see Felipe Calderón y Roca. The Constitutional Citizen President of the United Mexican States (the official title in Spanish is Ciudadano Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (Reuters)
• Typhoon Durian has killed at least 388 people in Albay province on the island of Luzon in the Philippines with the death toll expected to climb as rescuers get to affected villages. }The 2006 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds it ran year-round in 2006 but most Tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between Albay is a province of the Philippines Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP (Bloomberg) (CNN)
• Kim Beazley calls a vote for the leadership of the Federal Australian Labor Party for Monday. For Kim Beazley's father Kim Beazley senior, see Kim Edward Beazley. He will face a challenge from Kevin Rudd, the Opposition spokesman on foreign affairs. Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957 is the 26th and current Prime Minister of Australia and federal leader of the Centre-left Australian Labor Jenny Macklin faces a challenge from Julia Gillard for the Deputy Leadership. Jennifer Louise Macklin (born 29 December 1953 is an Australian politician Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961 is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and deputy leader of the federal Australian Labor Party (ALP (Melbourne Herald Sun) (AAP via News Limited)
• Fijian military commander Frank Bainimarama says he intends to begin a "clean up" campaign of Government now that his deadline has passed. Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, MSD, OStJ, Fijian Navy, known commonly as Frank Bainimarama and sometimes by the chiefly title Laisenia Qarase, the Prime Minister of Fiji, has advised that he has been given a new deadline of noon on Monday. Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) served as the Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006 As a former British colony, Fiji has largely adopted British political models and follows the Westminster, or Cabinet system of government in which the (NZ Herald) (ABC News Australia)
• The United States warns of a possible al-Qaeda attack to disrupt the stock market and other financial institutions with a cyber attack. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The A stock market, or (equity market is a private or public market for the trading of company Stock and derivatives of company (BBC)
• Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian sold off the last of his shares in General Motors, the Wall Street Journal reported. Kerkor "Kirk" Kerkorian (born June 6, 1917) is an Armenian-American Billionaire, and president/ CEO of Tracinda General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. It was clear that Kerkorian had sold 14 million shares for $28. 75 per share, or about $400 million, slicing his stake to 4. 95%. (MSN Money)

• Protestors begin their second day of demonstrations in their bid to convince the current Lebanese administration to step down. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. (BBC)
• Leaked Pentagon memo by United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says US policy in Iraq is "not working well enough or fast enough. The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9 1932 is a United States Businessman, Politician, the 13th Secretary of Defense under President " (The New York Times)
• Iraqi insurgency: At least 50 people are killed by three car bombs exploding in Baghdad. The Iraqi insurgency is composed of diverse mix of militias foreign fighters all Iraqi units or mixtures using violent measures against the US-led Coalition in Iraq Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous (BBC)
• Bahrainis go to the polls today in the second round of voting in the Kingdom's parliamentary elections. The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf Bahrain held parliamentary elections on 25 November 2006 for the 40-seat lower house of parliament the Chamber of Deputies as well as municipal elections (BBC)
• Rescuers in the Philippines continue to look for survivors of Typhoon Durian. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP }The 2006 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds it ran year-round in 2006 but most Tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between (ABC News Australia)
• London police are examining whether the killers of Alexander Litvinenko also tried to poison Mario Scaramella, an Italian security expert who met the Russian exile on the day that he fell ill. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko (Алекса́ндр Ва́льтерович Литвине́нко ( 30 August 1962 – 23 November 2006 Mario Scaramella (born April 23, 1970 Scaramella is currently under investigation by the Italian justice department for Calumny accusations which Scaramella Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending (The Times)
• War in Chad (2005–present)/Darfur conflict: Chadian rebels have attacked the eastern town of Guéréda, neighbouring Sudan's war-torn Darfur region. The current civil war in Chad began in December 2005. The conflict involved Chadian government forces and several Chadian rebel groups The War in Darfur is a military conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Chad (Tchad تشاد Tshād) officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a Landlocked country in Central Africa. Guéréda is a town in the Wadi Fira Region, Chad. It is located at around. Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. Darfur (دار فور daar foor, lit "realm of the Fur " is a region in Sudan. (BBC)
• Police and aid workers recover more than 100 bodies from Malakal in south Sudan resulting from fighting between former rebels and Government forces. For Malakal Island in Palau, see Malakal Island. Malakāl (ملكال is the capital of the Wilayah Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. (AP via CBS News)
• As Kazakhstan begins its nuclear program the Japanese Government sends a delegation to make sure nuclear materials are not susceptible to theft by Kazakh terrorists. Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the Japan no longer officially has the traditional Federal system, and its 47 prefectures, and prefectural and municipal assembly members are popularly elected for The threat of terrorism in Kazakhstan plays an increasingly important role in Kazakhstan 's relations with the United States which in 2006 were at an all time high (Japan Today)
• Fijian military commander Frank Bainimarama announces that he has taken control of Fiji. Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, MSD, OStJ, Fijian Navy, known commonly as Frank Bainimarama and sometimes by the chiefly title The Fijian Coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état (NZ Herald)
• Stéphane Dion is elected leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, defeating Michael Ignatieff. Stéphane Maurice Dion PC not change it to "Liberal"! --> MP The Liberal Party of Canada ( Parti libéral du Canada) colloquially known as the Grits (originally " Clear Grits " is a major Canadian political Michael Grant Ignatieff, MP (/ɪgˈnatʃəf/ (born May 12, 1947 in Toronto) is a Public intellectual, Historian, (CBC)
• Ed Stelmach is elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and will become the next premier of Alberta, replacing outgoing leader Ralph Klein and defeating competitors Jim Dinning and Ted Morton. Edward Michael Stelmach (ˈstɛlmæk (born May 11 1951 is the current Premier of Alberta, Canada having served in this capacity since December 14 2006 The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial right-of-centre party in the Canadian province of Alberta. The Premier of Alberta is the First minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Ralph Phillip Klein (born November 1, 1942) was the premier of the Canadian province of Alberta and leader of the Alberta Jim Dinning (Born December 4, 1952 in Edmonton) is a Canadian Progressive Conservative politician and businessman Frederick Lee (Ted Morton (born March 28, 1949, Los Angeles California) is a former University professor, an Albertan politician (CBC)

• The protests in Lebanon led by Hezbollah last for a third day. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation (Reuters via CNN)
• Venezuela holds elections, with incumbent president Hugo Chávez facing a challenge from Manuel Rosales, Governor of the western state of Zulia. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela held presidential elections on 3 December 2006, to choose a president for the six-year term to begin on ||-||} Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->The President of Venezuela (Presidente Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (ˈuɰo rafaˈel ˈtʃaβ̞es ˈfɾias (born July 28 1954 is the current President of Venezuela. Manuel Antonio Rosales Guerrero (b December 12 1952, in Santa Bárbara del Zulia) is a Venezuelan politician and current governor of the Estado Zulia is one of Venezuela 's 23 states ''(estados''. The state capital is Maracaibo. With 78% of votes counted by the National Electoral Council, Chávez wins with 61% over 38% for Rosales. (Reuters)
• At least 804 people are dead or missing in the Philippines as a result of Typhoon Durian with the death toll expected to rise further. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP }The 2006 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds it ran year-round in 2006 but most Tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between (Bloomberg)
• Former President of Chile Augusto Pinochet is in a military hospital after having had a heart attack. Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (November Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Doctors decide to perform coronary artery bypass surgery. Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure (BBC), (Ireland Online)
• Madagascar holds an election with incumbent Marc Ravalomanana expected to be elected as the President of Madagascar. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern Presidential elections were held in Madagascar on 3 December 2006. Marc Ravalomanana (born December 12, 1949 in Imerinkasinina) is a Malagasy politician who is currently the President of presidends of Madagascar rchs of Madagascar (1787-1897== Merina Dynasty King Andrianampoinimerina ( 1787 - 1810) King Radama (Reuters via the Scotsman)
• The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was won by The Tolmachevy Twins from Russia with the song "Vesenniy Dzhaz". The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the fourth edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for young singers aged 8 to 15 Russia have been very successful in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. (ESC Today)
• Russia wins the 2006 Davis Cup after a 3-2 victory over Argentina (BBC Sport)

• Baidu, the leading search engine in Chinese language, announces its plan to provide service in Japanese. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The 2006 Davis Cup was the 95th edition of the most important tournament between nations in men's Tennis. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Baidu ( ( is the leading Chinese Search engine for websites audio files and images is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities (Reuters via The Washington Post)
• NASA announces plans to build a base on either the north pole or south pole of the Moon. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is subject to the caveats explained below defined as the point in the northern The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth. (Reuters) (Money Times)
• John Bolton will resign as U. John Bolton may refer to John R Bolton, former United States government official and a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Sir S. ambassador to the United Nations when his recess appointment expires in January 2007. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security A recess appointment occurs when the President of the United States fills a vacant federal position during a recess of the United States Senate. (The Times)
• It is now widely expected that Kazakhstan will head the OSCE in 2009 despite strong opposition from the United States. Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the Kazakh President Nazarbayev is visiting Brussels, Belgium, which supports Kazakhstan's bid, and he recently visited London, meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose government also supports Kazakhstan. Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( Kazakh: Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев æbəʃʊˈlɯ nɑzɑrˈbɑjəf Russian: Нурсултан Brussels (Bruxelles pronounced; Brussel pronounced) officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to (RFE/RL)
• President of the Philippines Gloria Arroyo declares a "state of national calamity" following the death and destruction caused by Typhoon Durian. The President of the Philippines is the head of state and government of the Republic of the Philippines. Maria Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (born Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal on April 5 1947 is a Filipina Politician. Typhoon Durian (international designation 0621, JTWC designation 24W, designated Typhoon Reming by PAGASA and sometimes (The Australian)
• A US Marine is jailed for raping a woman at Subic Bay after joint exercises with the Philippines. This article is about the body of water for the Freeport see Subic Bay Freeport Zone, for other uses see Subic Bay (disambiguation. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Three other Marines were acquitted in a case which caused anti-American protests. Anti-Americanism, often anti-American sentiment, is opposition or hostility to the people culture or policies of the United States. (INQ7 Philippines)
• Kevin Rudd is elected as the new leader of the Federal Australian Labor Party with the caucus electing him by 49 votes to 39 votes for Kim Beazley. Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957 is the 26th and current Prime Minister of Australia and federal leader of the Centre-left Australian Labor For Kim Beazley's father Kim Beazley senior, see Kim Edward Beazley. Julia Gillard is the new deputy leader. Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961 is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and deputy leader of the federal Australian Labor Party (ALP (The Age)
• Fijian troops take over the headquarters of the armed police division, occupy the main police station in Suva, and surround a police academy in an escalation of the 2006 Fijian coup d'état plot. The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF with a total manpower of 3500 men is one of the smallest militaries in the world Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force A police station (also called stationhouse) is a Building which serves as the Headquarters of a Police force or unit which serves a specific Suva is the Capital and largest city of Fiji. It is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Central A police academy is a Training School for new Police Recruits also known as a law enforcement academy The Fijian Coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état (The NZ Herald)
• The Government of Iran blocks Wikipedia, IMDb and nytimes.com, among many sites both commercial and informative. The politics and government of Iran takes place in the framework of a Republic with an Islamic ideology The Persian Wikipedia ( Persian: ویکی‌پدیا، دانشنامهٔ آزاد Vikipedia Daneshname-ye Azad meaning Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer (The Guardian)

• Yury Chaika, the Prosecutor General of Russia, has stated that Russia will not extradite any suspects in the radioactive poisoning death of Alexander Litvinenko. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Yury Yakovlevich Chaika (Юрий Яковлевич Чайка is the current Prosecutor General of Russia. The Prosecutor General of Russia (also Attorney General of Russia Генеральный Прокурор Российской Федерации heads the system of official Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Extradition is the official process by which one nation or state requests and obtains from another nation or state the surrender of a suspected or convicted criminal Alexander Litvinenko was a former officer of Russian Federal Security Service, who escaped prosecution in Russia and received a Political asylum in Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko (Алекса́ндр Ва́льтерович Литвине́нко ( 30 August 1962 – 23 November 2006 (CNN)
• The United States Senate Committee on Armed Services unanimously approves the nomination of Robert Gates to be the next United States Secretary of Defense. The Committee on Armed Services is a Committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Robert Michael Gates (born September 25 1943) is currently serving as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense. The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U (Reuters)
• A majority of a 15-judge panel in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rules that Kamehameha Schools can favour Native Hawaiians in admissions. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a federal court with Appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts Kamehameha Schools, formerly called Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate, is a private Co-educational college-preparatory institution in Hawai{{okina}}i "Kanaka" redirects here For the Tamil actress see Kanaka (actress. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• An outbreak of E. coli bacteria has sickened more than a dozen people on Long Island, including several who ate at Taco Bell. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches Taco Bell Corp, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc, is a restaurant chain based in Irvine California specializing in Tex-Mex -inspired Officials have asked eight Taco Bell restaurants be closed. (CBS)
• The Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase warns that Fiji faces the imminent threat of a coup as troops reportedly surround his complex. As a former British colony, Fiji has largely adopted British political models and follows the Westminster, or Cabinet system of government in which the Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) served as the Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006 Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य The Fijian Coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état Later, Fiji's military commander Frank Bainimarama confirmed that the military was in control of the country while the Foreign Minister of Australia Alexander Downer warned that Fiji would face international sanctions. Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, MSD, OStJ, Fijian Navy, known commonly as Frank Bainimarama and sometimes by the chiefly title The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF with a total manpower of 3500 men is one of the smallest militaries in the world In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Alexander John Gosse Downer (born 9 September 1951 is an Australian Liberal politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December (BBC) (ABC)
• Early election results indicate that Marc Ravalomanana will be re-elected in a landslide as the President of Madagascar. Elections in Madagascar gives information on Election and election results in Madagascar. Marc Ravalomanana (born December 12, 1949 in Imerinkasinina) is a Malagasy politician who is currently the President of presidends of Madagascar rchs of Madagascar (1787-1897== Merina Dynasty King Andrianampoinimerina ( 1787 - 1810) King Radama (IOL)
• The French Government launches state-owned and controlled France 24, a 24-hour television news show. The government of France is a Semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares France 24 (pronounced France Vingt-Quatre vɛ̃tkatʁ on all three editions is an international news and current affairs Television channel (NPR)
• U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appoints former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano as the new United Nations-envoy to negotiations between the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel paramilitary group. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. Kofi Atta Annan, GCMG (born 8 April 1938 is a Ghanaian Diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations Latest election List List of Heads of State of Mozambique The official residence is the Palácio da Ponta Vermelha. Joaquim Alberto Chissano (born 22 October 1939) served as the second President of Mozambique for nineteen years from 6 November 1986 The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Politics of Uganda takes place within the framework of a presidential Republic, whereby the President of Uganda is both Head of state and A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force but which are not regarded as having the same status (BBC News)
• The World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik loses a final game and a match with a computer program, Fritz-10. See also Development of the World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the Board game Chess Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (Влади́мир Бори́сович Кра́мник (born June 25, 1975) is a Russian Chess grandmaster The idea of creating a Chess -playing machine dates back to the eighteenth century Fritz is a German chess program developed by Frans Morsch and Mathias Feist and published by ChessBase. The final score is 2-4. (Seattle Post)
• German painter Tomma Abts wins the 2006 Turner Prize. This article is about an artist named Tomma Abts For the chemical 22'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid see ABTS. The Turner Prize, named after the painter JMW Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual Artist under 50 (BBC)

• Joseph Kabila, the first freely elected leader of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 40 years, is inaugurated as President. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Joseph Kabila Kabange (born June 4, 1971) known commonly as Joseph Kabila, became president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo General elections were held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on July 30, 2006, the first multiparty elections in the country in 46 years The Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to (BBC)
• The Iraq Study Group Report calls the situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating" and calls for a change in strategy including the removal of most United States troops by early 2008. Scope and task See also Iraq Study Group The US government formed the Research Group under the auspices of Bipartisanship due to growing concern from For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the (CNN)
• The Australian House of Representatives passes private members legislation allowing therapeutic cloning after a conscience vote. The House of Representatives is one of the two houses (chambers of the Parliament of Australia; it is the Lower house, the Upper house being the Senate Genetics and Developmental biology, somatic cell nuclear transfer ( SCNT) is a Laboratory technique for creating an Ovum with a donor A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are each expected to vote according to their own personal conscience rather The Australian Senate had already approved the bill prepared by Senator Kay Patterson meaning that it will become law. The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. Kay Christine Lesley Patterson (born 21 November 1944 is an Australian politician (News Limited)
• The United States Senate confirms Robert Gates as the next United States Secretary of Defense by 95-2. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Robert Michael Gates (born September 25 1943) is currently serving as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense. The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U Gates will be sworn in on December 18. (CNN)
• Philippe Douste-Blazy, the Foreign Minister of France, says that the United Nations Security Council will impose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program. Philippe Douste-Blazy (born on 1 January, 1953) was the Foreign Minister of France in the cabinet of Dominique de Villepin The Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Government of France, is the cabinet minister responsible for the Foreign relations of France. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. However, the five permanent members of the Security Council as well as Germany have failed to agree on what the sanctions should be. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. (AFP via Khaleej Times)
• 2006 Fijian coup d'état:
  • Fijian military Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the leader of the coup, usurps Ratu Josefa Iloilo as President of Fiji. The Fijian Coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, MSD, OStJ, Fijian Navy, known commonly as Frank Bainimarama and sometimes by the chiefly title Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank An equivalent title Adi (andi is used by females of chiefly rank Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, CF, MBE, MSD, KStJ, (born December 29, 1920) has been the President Fiji 's Head of State is the President of the Republic of the Fiji Islands. He promises to ask the Great Council of Chiefs to reappoint Iloilo to the office in one week's time. The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a now dormant 1997 constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. (The NZ Herald)
  • Bainimarama appoints Jona Senilagakali as interim Prime Minister of Fiji. Dr Jona Baravilala Senilagakali is a medical doctor and former diplomat who was installed as interim Prime Minister of Fiji by Commodore Josaia Voreqe (Frank As a former British colony, Fiji has largely adopted British political models and follows the Westminster, or Cabinet system of government in which the (Fiji Times)
  • The Fijian military deports deposed Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase to his home island in the remote Lau Group. Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य As a former British colony, Fiji has largely adopted British political models and follows the Westminster, or Cabinet system of government in which the Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) served as the Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006 The Lau Islands (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific The military has also arrested senior Government officials. (Sydney Morning Herald)
  • The Fiji Times resumes publication after the military promises to refrain from further attempts at press censorship. The Fiji Times is a daily Newspaper published in Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869, it is Fiji's oldest Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor (Fiji Times) Editors immediately blast the coup as illegal. (Fiji Times)
  • The United Kingdom joins the United States, Australia and New Zealand in halting defence foreign aid. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Aid (from the french word aide, also known as international aid, overseas aid, or foreign aid, especially in the United States) is (Fiji Times)
  • Bainimarama fires Fiji police commissioner Moses Driver, who had declared that the Fiji Police will stand up to the Fiji Military. Moses Driver is a Fijian Police officer who is the immediate past Deputy Commissioner of Police. Bainimarama warned against a popular uprising against the coup. (CNN)
• NASA presents "compelling" evidence that liquid water flowed recently on the surface of Mars. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. (NASA), (BBC)
• A large explosion occurs near downtown Milwaukee, killing 3, injuring 37 others and leveling a factory compound. The 2006 Falk Corporation explosion refers to a large and fatal Propane gas explosion at the Falk Corporation facility in the industrial Menomonee River Valley (AP)
• Officials of the Islamic Courts Union in power in Bulo Burto, Somalia, declare that, under their interpretation of Sharia, all people in the city must pray five times a day, or they will be beheaded on sight. The Islamic Courts Union ( ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga Arabic: اتحاد المحاكم الإسلامية Ittihād al-mahākim Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. Decapitation (from Latin, caput, capitis, meaning head or beheading, is the cutting off of the head of a person or animal (Fox News)
• Hundreds of thousands of Dalits stage a mass rally in Mumbai to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of their leader, B. R. Ambedkar. Dalit is a self designation for group of people of South Asian descent who were traditionally regarded as untouchables or low Caste. Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar ( Marathi:डॊभीमराव रामजी आंबेडकर ( April 14, 1891 — December 6, 1956 (BBC)
• James Kim is found dead in Oregon after spending 11 days in the wilderness. James Kim ( August 9, 1971 &ndash December 3&ndash4 2006 was an American television personality and technology analyst for the former TechTV Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. (CNN) (CNET)

• NASA delays the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-116 until Saturday. Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Space Shuttle Discovery ( Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103 is one of the three currently operational orbiters in the Space Shuttle fleet of STS-116 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS flown by Space Shuttle '' Discovery''. (CNN)
• George W. Bush, the President of the United States says that Syria and Iran might be included in regional talks on the future of Iraq if they meet certain conditions. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. (CNN)
• Hewlett-Packard pays a fine of $14. 5 million to settle an investigation by the Attorney General of California related to leaks from its boardroom. The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of the Government of the state of California in the USA. (Bloomberg)
• Police in Phoenix, Arizona believe that they have captured the Baseline Killer who has nine killings attributed to him. Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, The Baseline Killer (or Baseline Rapist) is one of the Serial killers that operated around Baseline Road on the southern edge of Phoenix Arizona They had Mark Godeau in custody since September in relation to two alleged sexual assaults in 2005. Sexual assault is any Assault of a sexual nature on another person (CNN)
• A tornado has ripped through Kensal Green in North West London, injuring 6. A tornado is a violent rotating column of air which is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a Cumulonimbus cloud or in rare cases the base of a Cumulus Kensal Green is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Brent. North West London may refer to NW postcode area western part of North London (The Times)
• The Doha Asian Games suffered a tragedy when South Korean rider Kim Hyung-chil died after falling from his horse during the equestrian competition. The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia 's Olympic -style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Kim Hyung-chil ( Hangul: 김형칠 Hanja: 金亨七 ( 1 July 1959 - 7 December 2006 in Doha) was a (Aljazeera)
• Nigerian gun men attack an Agip oil terminal in the Niger River delta and take three Italians hostage. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Agip (Azienda Generale Italiana Petroli established in 1926 is an Italian automotive Gasoline and Diesel retailer The Niger River (ˈnaɪdʒɚ NYE-jer) is the principal River of western Africa, extending about 4180 km (2600 miles Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest (Reuters)
• Nearly 100 people are dead or unaccounted for in Vietnam as a result of Typhoon Durian. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Typhoon Durian (international designation 0621, JTWC designation 24W, designated Typhoon Reming by PAGASA and sometimes It had earlier killed over 550 people in the Philippines and left a similar number missing. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP (Reuters)
• Seven towns are under immediate threat from bushfires in Gippsland in the Australian state of Victoria. Ladysmith-RFSJPG|right|thumb| Ladysmith NSW RFS fire fighting tanker]]A Bushfire is a Fire that occurs in the bush (collective term for Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. (Reuters)
• A motion brought by the Conservative government to reopen debate on same-sex marriage in Canada is defeated by the Canadian House of Commons. The Conservative Party of Canada ( Parti conservateur du Canada) colloquially known as the " Tories " is a conservative On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the approval of the Civil Marriage Act. The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and (CBC)
• 2006 Fijian coup d'état:
  • Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs condemns the coup d'état and calls on coup leader Frank Bainimarama to stop his activities. The Fijian Coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a now dormant 1997 constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, MSD, OStJ, Fijian Navy, known commonly as Frank Bainimarama and sometimes by the chiefly title It refuses to meet with him. (ABC News Australia)
  • Jona Senilagakali, the newly-installed Prime Minister of Fiji, conceded the coup had been "illegal" but it was "an illegal takeover to clean up the mess of a much bigger illegal activity of the previous government. Dr Jona Baravilala Senilagakali is a medical doctor and former diplomat who was installed as interim Prime Minister of Fiji by Commodore Josaia Voreqe (Frank As a former British colony, Fiji has largely adopted British political models and follows the Westminster, or Cabinet system of government in which the " (BBC)
  • Claims are being made that the military may attempt to arrest Ratu Ovini Bokini, Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs. Ratu Ovini Bokini Ratu (born 3 November 1944) is a Fijian chief and political leader The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a now dormant 1997 constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. Around 300 villagers have surrounded his compound in Tavua to defend him. Tavua is a town in Fiji, 91 kilometers from Nadi and 9 kilometers from the Gold Mining settlement of Vatukoula. (Fiji Times)
• Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani of Iran issues a fatwa calling for the deaths of Azeris Rafiq Tağı, a writer, and Samir Sadagatoglu, his editor, who were charged in November 2006 with "inciting national, racial and religious enmity" after they criticized Islam. Clerical activities Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani was declared as the most knowledgeable specialist in the field of the Islamic law ( Marja al-taqlid) by the central For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. A fatwā (فتوى plural fatāwā فتاوى in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion on Islamic law issued by an The Azerbaijanis are an Ethnic group mainly in the Republic of Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran. Rafiq Tağı, born Rafig Nazir oglu Taghiyev is an Azerbaijani journalist who worked for Sanat newspaper until police arrested him and Senet editor For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. (EurasiaNet)
• The Hard Rock Cafe chain of cafes, hotels and casinos, as well as its extensive collection of rock and roll memorabilia, is purchased from the Rank Group by the Seminole Tribe of Florida for US$965 million. Hard Rock Cafe was founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, and their first Hard Rock Cafe opened near Hyde Park Corner in London, Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African A souvenir (from French, for memory) memento or keepsake is an object a traveler brings home for the memories associated with The Rank Group plc ( was established on 22 December, 1995 as a Public limited company in England and Wales and in October 1996 The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida and now residing in Florida and Oklahoma. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been (Fox News)
• Nintendo's next generation gaming console, the Wii, is released in Australia. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Three people are killed and a fourth injured when a gunman starts shooting at a Chicago skyscraper. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable Building. There is no official definition or a precise cutoff height above which a building may clearly be classified as a skyscraper The gunman was then shot dead by a Chicago Police Department SWAT sniper. SWAT ( Special Weapons And Tactics) is an elite special operations tactical unit in American Police departments similar to the Taiwan Thunder Squad READ DISCUSSION PAGE BEFORE MAKING ANY EDITS TO CAPTION BELOW http//en (Chicago SunTimes)
• Bushfires in the Australian state of Victoria threaten at least six townships in the Gippsland region with extreme weather conditions over the weekend expected to increase the danger. Ladysmith-RFSJPG|right|thumb| Ladysmith NSW RFS fire fighting tanker]]A Bushfire is a Fire that occurs in the bush (collective term for For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border The Victorian Department of Education closes 24 schools due to threat of fire. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
• Ethiopian involvement in the Somali Civil War: The Somali and Ethiopian militaries engage the Islamic Court Union inside Somalia. The War in Somalia is an ongoing armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG forces versus the Somali The Islamic Courts Union ( ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga Arabic: اتحاد المحاكم الإسلامية Ittihād al-mahākim Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known (BBC)
• Officials organizing the 2006 ASEAN summit in the Philippines, originally due to begin on December 10, have announced that it has been postponed due to Severe Tropical Storm Utor. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN holds annual meetings in relation to economic and cultural development of Southeast Asian countries The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V }The 2006 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds it ran year-round in 2006 but most Tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between Officials also denied that the postponement was due to a terror threat. (BBC)
• Research linking the spread of the AIDS virus with malarial infections in Africa is published in Science. A virus (from the Latin virus meaning Toxin or Poison) is a sub-microscopic infectious agent that is unable Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including Science is the Academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is considered one of the world's most prestigious Scientific (BBC)
• 2006 Fijian coup d'état:
  • Fiji is suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations following a meeting of Commonwealth foreign ministers in London. The Fijian Coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. (BBC)
  • Former Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase warns that Fijians are planning a campaign of civil disobedience against the regime of Commodore Frank Bainimarama. As a former British colony, Fiji has largely adopted British political models and follows the Westminster, or Cabinet system of government in which the Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) served as the Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006 Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain Laws demands and commands of a Government, or of an occupying power, without resorting to physical Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, MSD, OStJ, Fijian Navy, known commonly as Frank Bainimarama and sometimes by the chiefly title (AFP via ABC Online)
• Alaska State Representative Tom Anderson (R) is taken into custody by the FBI in connection with the probe of alleged [[unethical association by Alaska Legislature with VECO Corporation. Thomas T (Tom Anderson (born August 4, 1967 Mr Anderson was sentenced on October 15 2007 to a term of 60 months in prison and was required to surrender to Alaska political corruption probe refers to a widespread investigation from 2004 to the present by the Public Integrity Section of the U The Alaska Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Alaska. VECO Corporation was an Alaska -based oil pipeline service and construction company until its purchase in September 2007 by CH2M HILL. (KTUU)
• Nintendo Wii is released in Europe

• William J. Jefferson is reelected as the member for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district in a runoff election defeating fellow Democrat Karen Carter despite facing an ongoing bribery investigation. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on Events 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. William Jennings "Bill" Jefferson (born March 14, 1947) is an American politician from the U Louisiana's 2nd congressional district contains nearly all of the city of New Orleans (a small portion being located in the neighboring) and some of its suburbs including The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Karen Carter Peterson (born November 1, 1969) is a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing the 93rd District Bribery, a form of pecuniary corruption is an act usually implying money or gift given that alters the behaviour of the recipient in ways not consistent with the duties of that person (AP via CNN)
• The United States Senate passes legislation normalising trade with Vietnam, renewing tax cuts and opening the Gulf of Mexico to new drilling for oil and gas fields. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world The legislation had earlier been passed by the United States House of Representatives and will now go to President of the United States George W. Bush for approval. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. (Reuters)
• A fire at a Russian drug treatment hospital kills 45 people with arson suspected. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The 2006 Moscow hospital fire was a fire that occurred on December 9 in a drug addict rehabilitation centre in Southern Moscow, Russia (CNN)
• The Space Shuttle Discovery makes a rare night time launch. Space Shuttle Discovery ( Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103 is one of the three currently operational orbiters in the Space Shuttle fleet of STS-116 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS flown by Space Shuttle '' Discovery''. (Yahoo/AP)
• Two months after it opened, the "The World of Turkmenbashi Tales" themepark in Turkmenistan is made operational. Turkmenistan ( Türkmenistan; also known as Turkmenia) is a Turkic country in Central Asia. The park, which is named after the Turkmenbashi, Saparmurat Niyazov, is expected to attract more children now that the rides work and all libraries have been closed. Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow (θɑːpɑːrmɯːrɑːt niːjɑːðɒv ( 19 February, 1940, Gypjak, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union (USA Today)
• 2006 Fijian coup d'état: Media reports that gunfire had been heard near military barracks in Suva have been dismissed as being mistaken identification of a game of cricket. The Fijian Coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état Suva is the Capital and largest city of Fiji. It is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Central (AFP via OptusNet)
• DNA testing confirms that blood with a high blood alcohol content did indeed belong to Henri Paul, the driver in the crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales, Dodi al Fayed and Paul himself in 1997. Blood alcohol content or blood alcohol concentration (abbreviated BAC) is the concentration of alcohol in a person's Blood. Henri Paul ( July 3, 1956 &ndash August 31, 1997) was the Deputy Head of Security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Moneim Fayed ( Arabic عماد الدين محمد عبد المنعم الفايد) ( April 15, 1955 &ndash Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar (BBC)

• Incumbent Igor Smirnov wins the presidential elections in the self-declared state of Transnistria. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Igor Nikolaevich Smirnov (Игорь Николáевич Смирнóв (b The 2006 presidential election in Transnistria was held on December 10 of that year Transnistria, also known as Trans-Dniester, Transdniestria, and Pridnestrovie (full name Pridnestrovian (DPA)
• Ex Chilean president Augusto Pinochet dies. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (November (The New York Times) (CNN)
• A video has emerged showing the current president of Croatia Stjepan Mesić praising the German puppet-state Independent State of Croatia during a speech in the early 1990s. Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (born December 24, 1934) is a Croatian politician The Independent State of Croatia ( Croatian: Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH was a Puppet state of the Axis powers. (index.hr)
• According to results released by the Interior Ministry of Madagascar, a total of 61. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern 45% of the country's registered 7. 3 million voters went to the polling stations on December 3 and re-elected Marc Ravalomanana as President with 54. Presidential elections were held in Madagascar on 3 December 2006. Marc Ravalomanana (born December 12, 1949 in Imerinkasinina) is a Malagasy politician who is currently the President of presidends of Madagascar rchs of Madagascar (1787-1897== Merina Dynasty King Andrianampoinimerina ( 1787 - 1810) King Radama 8% of the votes, Jean Lahiniriko and Roland Ratsiraka received 11. Jean Lahiniriko (born April 1 1956) is a Malagasy Politician. Iarovana Roland Ratsiraka (born August 15 1966) is a Malagasy Politician. 68% and 10. 1%, respectively. (BBC), (AP)
• Nobel Prizes: Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus accepts the Peace Prize, urging world leaders to end terrorism by fighting poverty. The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially An economist is an expert in the Social science of Economics. Muhammad Yunus (মুহাম্মদ ইউনুস pronounced bn-Latn ''Muhammôd Iunus'' (born 28 June 1940 is a Bangladeshi Banker and Economist Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion Poverty (also called penury) is deprivation of common necessities that determine the quality of life including food clothing shelter and safe Drinking water, and (AP via The Guardian)

• In Nagorno-Karabakh 98. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. For the republic see Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh is a Region in the South Caucasus. 6 percent of voters vote in favor of a constitution favoring independence from Azerbaijan. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising Azerbaijan ( English; Azərbaycan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Respublikası is the largest and most populous country in the South (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLibery)
• Former GAM rebel leader Irwandi Yusuf is elected governor of the Indonesian province of Aceh in elections that are part of a peace deal ending the civil war. The Free Aceh Movement ( Indonesian: Gerakan Aceh Merdeka or simply GAM) also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front ( ASNLF Irwandi Yusuf (born in Bireuen, Nanggröe Aceh Darussalam, August 2, 1960) is the current Governor of Indonesian province Regional elections were held in Aceh on 11 December 2006 after a peace treaty had been signed between the Government of Indonesia and the Free The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. See also Sultanate of Aceh Aceh (ʔaˈtɕɛh generally anglicized as ˈɑːtʃeɪ is a special territory ( daerah istimewa) of Indonesia The insurgency in Aceh was waged by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM in order to obtain indepence from Indonesia between 1976 and 2005. (Bernama)
• Former Prime Minister of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka is cleared of two charges of mutiny in relation to the mutinies of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état. As a former British colony, Fiji has largely adopted British political models and follows the Westminster, or Cabinet system of government in which the Major-General Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, MSD, OStJ, (born September 13, 1948 is best known as the instigator of two military Two military mutinies took place in connection with the civilian coup d'état that rocked Fiji in 2000, the first while the rebellion instigated (ABC News Australia)
• Archaeologists working for the Vatican have found the tomb of Paul of Tarsus. The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and (USA Today)
• United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan strongly criticizes the United States, in particular the Bush administration, claiming it has strayed from multilateralism and human rights, in his final speech. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. Kofi Atta Annan, GCMG (born 8 April 1938 is a Ghanaian Diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Presidency of George W Bush began on his inauguration on January 20, 2001 as the 43rd and current President of the United States of America Multilateralism is a term in International relations that refers to multiple countries working in concert on a given issue Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled (BBC)
• The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust gets underway in Iran to examine whether the Holocaust took place or not. The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust was a two-day conference that opened on December 11, 2006, in Tehran, Iran For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as Holocaust denial is the claim that the Genocide of Jews during World War II —usually referred to as The Holocaust —did not occur in the (BBC)
• Traces of polonium-210 are found in a flat in Hamburg, Germany, on objects touched by former Russian spy Dmitri Kovtun a day before he met poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko in London. Polonium ( Po) has 33 known isotopes, all of which are radioactive. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Dmitry Kovtun is a Russian businessman and ex- KGB agent who met the poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko several times in London, the last time Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko (Алекса́ндр Ва́льтерович Литвине́нко ( 30 August 1962 – 23 November 2006 (The Times)
• Unidentified gunmen try to assassinate Baha Balousheh, a security chief associated with Fatah, but instead shoot and kill his three children in the Gaza Strip. Fatah (فتح literally opening, is a reverse Acronym from the Arabic name Harakat al-Tahrir al-Watani al-Filastini (حركة التحرير The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة, רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt on the south-west The assassination attempt may have been a revenge attack for the attempted assassination of Interior Minister Sayid Seyam of Hamas. (BBC) (JTA)
• The Space Shuttle Discovery successfully docks with the International Space Station with the crew to spend a week rewiring the space station. NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States Space Shuttle Discovery ( Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103 is one of the three currently operational orbiters in the Space Shuttle fleet of (CNN)
• In an interview with Jeff Stein, a national security editor for Congressional Quarterly, Silvestre Reyes, the incoming Chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee incorrectly claims that Al Qaeda is a "predominantly Shiite" organization. Congressional Quarterly Inc, or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress Silvestre Reyes (born November 10, 1944 in Canutillo Texas) represents Texas's 16th congressional district in the United States House of The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The When asked if Hezbollah is a Sunni or a Shiite organization, Reyes said "It's hard to keep things in perspective and in the categories. Hezbollah (حزب الله, literally " party of God " is a Shi'a Islamic political and Paramilitary organisation " (Fox News)
• A devastating bushfire rips through the town of Scamander, Tasmania in Australia, destroying 23 homes. Ladysmith-RFSJPG|right|thumb| Ladysmith NSW RFS fire fighting tanker]]A Bushfire is a Fire that occurs in the bush (collective term for Scamander is a small town situated at the mouth of the Scamander River between St Helens and St Marys on the north-east coast of Tasmania in Australia For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. (News.com.au)

• An Ethiopian court finds exiled former president Mengistu Haile Mariam guilty of genocide. Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Mengistu Haile Mariam (መንግስቱ ኃይለ ማርያም məngɨstu hi lə maryam (born 1937 a repression campaign against the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party and (BBC)
• Leading climatologists warn that most of the Arctic ice will have melted by 2040 and the North Pole will be open water. Climatology (from Greek grc κλίμα klima, "region zone" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of Climate, scientifically The Arctic is the Region around the Earth 's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. 2040 ( MMXL) will be a Leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is subject to the caveats explained below defined as the point in the northern (The Times)
• The President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, orders security forces to deploy across the Gaza Strip in response to the murder of a Fatah security chief's three sons. The President of the Palestinian National Authority ( رئيس السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية) is the highest-ranking political position (equivalent to Mahmoud Abbas (محمود عباس (born March 26, 1935) also known by the kunya Abu Mazen (ابو مازن was elected President The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة, רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt on the south-west (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
• Police in Ipswich, UK are hunting a possible serial killer after five prostitutes are found dead within the last ten days. Ipswich ( ˈɪpswɪtʃ is a Non-metropolitan district and the County town of Suffolk, England on the Estuary of the River Orwell The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Ipswich 2006 serial murders took place during the November and December of 2006 when the bodies of five Murdered women were discovered at different locations near Ipswich Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. (BBC)
• Vietnam will become the 150th member of the World Trade Organization on January 11, 2007. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The move finalises Hanoi's near-12-year wait to join the WTO. (BBC)

• The High Court of Botswana rules that thousands of Bushmen should not have been evicted from their ancestral home which is now the Central Botswana Game Reserve. Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Bushmen, San, Sho, Basarwa, ǃKung or Khwe are indigenous people of southern Africa that spans most areas of South Africa (Washington Post)
• Belgian state TV station RTBF shows a spoof news report announcing the secession of Flanders and thus the dissolution of the Belgian state. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those RTBF or Radio télévision belge de la communauté française is the national broadcasting organisation of the government of the French-speaking southern The Flemish Region ( Dutch: Vlaams Gewest) is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium alongside the Walloon Region It further reported the escape of the Belgian Royal Family into exile. Monarchy in Belgium is Constitutional and popular in nature The hereditary Monarch The report fools foreign diplomats and panics Belgian viewers. (BBC News) (AP via Yahoo)
• Bomb and mortar attacks kill 23 Iraqis and wound at least 52 in Baghdad and Kirkuk. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous Kirkuk (also spelled Karkuk or Kerkuk; Kurdish: كه‌ركووك Kerkûk; Arabic: كركوك Turkish:Kerkük; (CNN)
• Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych arrives in Kazakhstan. The Prime Minister of Ukraine (Прем'єр-міністр України Prem'ier-ministr Ukrayiny) presides over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( Ukrainian: Viktor Fedorovyč Janukovyč; Виктор Фёдорович Янукович (born on July 9, 1950 Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the He plans on meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov. Leaders of Kazakhstan since 1919 Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1920-1925 Secretaries of the Kirghiz Regional Committee of the Communist Party Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( Kazakh: Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев æbəʃʊˈlɯ nɑzɑrˈbɑjəf Russian: Нурсултан List of Heads of Government of Kazakhstan (1920-Present Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1920-1925 Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars Daniyal Kenzhetayuly Akhmetov ( Дaниал Кенжетaйұлы Ахметов) (born 15 June, 1954 in Pavlodar, Kazakh SSR) (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty)
• The Dutch care-taker government of prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende is in crisis after a parliamentary motion of disapproval was passed against immigration minister Rita Verdonk. Jan Peter Balkenende (pronounced ˈjɑn ˈpetər ˈbɑɫkənɛndə) (born 7 May 1956 is a Christian Democratic politician who has been the Prime Minister of the The Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal ( literally "Second Chamber of the States-General" short Tweede Kamer, is the Dutch Lower house. Drs Maria Cornelia Frederika ("Rita" Verdonk (born 18 October 1955) is a Dutch Politician who was minister for Immigration (Financial Times)
• Malaysia crowns its thirteenth king - the second youngest ever - in a traditional ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, 44, takes over from outgoing King Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin, 63, whose five-year term as monarch ended on December 12. Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin ibni Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail is the second of ten children of HRH Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian (BBC)
• In a survey conducted by the Social Opinion Center of Uzbekistan, 93. Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly 7% of respondents said they opposed religious extremism and 3. Extremism is a term used to describe the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups outside the perceived political center of a society or otherwise claimed to violate 9% said religious freedom is restricted, but only 39. 4% said they had conditions that "satisfied their religious needs. " (Interfax)
• 78-year-old assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian is to be paroled in June. Assisted suicide is the process by which an individual who may otherwise be incapable is provided with the means (drugs or equipment to commit Suicide. Jack Kevorkian (kɛˈvɔrkiːɛn (born on May 26, 1928) is an Armenian-American (Detroit News)
• In the largest such crackdown in American history, U. S. federal immigration authorities raid numerous Swift & Co. meat-processing plants in six U. Swift & Company, the wholly-owned operating subsidiary of privately-held S. states, arresting nearly 1,300 illegal immigrant employees [1] [2] [3] [4].

• The head of UK security service MI5, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, has announced she will step down from her post after four years. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Director General of the Security Service is the head of the Security Service (commonly known as MI5 the United Kingdom 's internal Counter-intelligence Elizabeth Lydia Manningham-Buller Baroness Manningham-Buller DCB (born 14 July 1948) was Director General (DG of MI5, the (The Times)
• A research expedition concludes that the Chinese River Dolphin is now likely extinct, directly due to human action. The ( ( Lipotes vexillifer, Lipotes meaning "left behind" In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. (Globe & Mail)
• Ban Ki-moon is officially sworn in as the next United Nations Secretary-General. Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944 Korean: 반기문 Hanja: 潘基文 is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. (BBC)
• The Supreme Court of Israel decides that the targeted assassination of Palestinian militants by the Israeli military can be legal under international law. The Supreme Court ( Hebrew: בית המשפט העליון Beit haMishpat ha'Elyon) is at the head of the court system in the State of Israel. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of States and Intergovernmental organizations. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
• U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) undergoes surgery after suffering a brain hemorrhage due to an arteriovenous malformation. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. An intracranial hemorrhage is a Hemorrhage, or bleeding within the Skull. Cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM is a malformed collection of Blood vessels within the brain, characterized by tangle(s of Veins and arteries If he is incapacitated, the Republican Party Governor of South Dakota, Mike Rounds, will be able to appoint his replacement, potentially changing the balance of the Senate. The Governor of South Dakota is the head of the executive branch of the government of South Dakota. Marion Michael "Mike" Rounds (born October 24, 1954) is an American politician. (CNN)
• Gunmen dressed in military uniforms kidnap between 20 and 30 people in the Sanak area of central Baghdad. In Criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or Asportation of a person against the person's will usually to hold the person in False imprisonment Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous (BBC)
• Operation Paget, the inquiry into the death in 1997 of Diana, Princess of Wales headed by Lord Stevens, a former chief of London's Metropolitan Police, concludes that there were no suspicious circumstances and that the fatal car crash in which she died was a 'tragic accident'. Operation Paget is the Metropolitan Police inquiry led by Lord Stevens, investigating the deaths of Diana Princess of Wales and Dodi Al-Fayed Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar John Arthur Stevens Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington KStJ QPM DL FRSA (born 21 October 1942 was Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. "Metropolitan Police" redirects here See also Metropolitan police. On 31 August 1997, Diana Princess of Wales died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma road (BBC)
• UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is interviewed by police investigating cash for honours allegations. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Cash for Honours (also Cash for Peerages, Loans for Honours or Loans for Peerages) is the name given by some in the media to a political (BBC)
• The European Union announces it will introduce a common EU-wide driving licence in 2013. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in 2013 ( MMXIII) will be a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. (BBC News)
• The Nintendo Wii breaks record sales in Australia and is the fastest selling gaming console in Australian history. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. (Sydney Morning Herald)

• Muqtada al-Sadr withdraws his support for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Hojatoleslam Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr or Moktada al Sadr ( ar سيد مقتدى الصدر Muqtadā aṣ-Ṣadr) (born August 12, Office The Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraq's Head of government. Nouri Kamel Mohammed Hassan al-Maliki ( Arabic: نوري كامل محمّد حسن المالكي transliterated Nūrī Kāmil al-Mālikī; born June (RFE/RL)
• The Government of Saudi Arabia announces plans to build a separation barrier between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in a framework of an Absolute monarchy whereby the King of Saudi Arabia is not only Head of state, but also the The term separation barrier is a Euphemism for walls or fences constructed to limit the movement of people across a certain line or Border, or to separate two populations The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The barrier will cost $12 billion to build. (RFE/RL)
• The king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, abdicates in favor of his son, two years before he had initially planned to do so. The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Jigme Singye Wangchuck (born November 11, 1955) was the fourth Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan from 1972 to 2006 (BBC)
• A severe windstorm hits the American Pacific Northwest overnight, with wind gusts reported as high as 97 miles per hour. The Hanukkah Eve Wind Storm of 2006 was a powerful Pacific storm that slammed into the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America (the term refers to the land not the ocean Three people were killed in Washington, and at the peak of the storm about one million homes in western Washington and over 400,000 in the Greater Portland area were without electricity. Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the Confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers In BC, Stanley Park had $5 million dollars damage. Stanley Park is a 4049 hectare (1000 acre Urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Bellingham Herald) (Oregonlive)
• United States district court judge Jeremy Fogel imposes a moratorium on lethal injections in California stating that they are unconstitutional. The United States district courts are the general Trial courts of the United States federal court system. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. In an unrelated incident, the Governor of Florida Jeb Bush has suspended lethal injections in Florida pending an investigation into the system after the recent execution of Ángel Nieves Díaz took 34 minutes after it was botched. List of Governors Military governor Spanish Florida was acquired from Spain in the Adams-Onís Treaty, which took effect July 10 John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American Politician and was the 43rd Governor of Florida Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Ángel Nieves Díaz ( August 31, 1951 &ndash December 13, 2006) was a Puerto Rican (CNN #1), (CNN #2)
• The 2006 Asian Games is officially closed at the 50,000 seater Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar marking the end of 15 days of competition. The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia 's Olympic -style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia 's Olympic -style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar Khalifa International Stadium (ستاد خليفة الدولي is a multi-use Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Doha (الدوحة or Ad-Dōḥah) is the Capital city of Qatar. Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated (Doha 2006 Asian Games website)
• Retired Formula One driver Clay Regazzoni dies in a car accident when the Chrysler Voyager he was driving hit a lorry head on, outside Parma, Italy. Personal and early life Gianclaudio Regazzoni was born in Mendrisio, Switzerland on September 5 1939 a few days after the start of the Second World War The Chrysler Voyager is a Minivan marketed by Chrysler LLC. In the United States, the Chrysler Voyager was produced from 2000 to 2003 as part of the This article is about the semi-truck For the North American use of the word see Pickup truck. Parma is a City in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna near Modena famous for its Architecture and the fine countryside around it Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest (BBC)
• Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer announces that the United States has no plans to commit troops to intervene in the Somali civil war to root out al Qaeda cells operating in the country. Jendayi Elizabeth Frazer is the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, heading the Bureau of African Affairs. The Advance of the Islamic Courts Union is the period in the Somali Civil War that began on May 2006 with the Islamic Courts Union 's (ICU conquest of Mogadishu Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The (U.S. State Department)
• Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, says the six men involved in the Flying Imams controversy should have been "arrested and prosecuted for pretending to be terrorists. Newton "Newt" Leroy Gingrich, (born Newton Leroy McPherson on June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the Speaker The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer&mdashor speaker &mdashof the United States House of Representatives. The Flying Imams controversy (sometimes humorously referred to as sheiks on a plane, a reference to the movie Snakes on a Plane) is a controversy concerning " (UPI)

• The Financial Report of the United States Government for 2006 was released late Friday evening. The combined federal deficits now total more than 400% of GDP. [5]

• Time names "You" – contributors of user-generated content to websites such as YouTube and Wikipedia – as its Person of the Year. Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and YOU' ' is a South African magazine which is the English version of the Afrikaans family magazine Huisgenoot. User generated content ( UGC, often hyphenated also known as Consumer Generated Media ( CGM) or User created Content ( UCC) refers YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees ***************************************************************************************** * * Person of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States Newsmagazine Time that features and profiles (Time), (MSNBC).
• Christopher R. Hill, US Chief negotiator in the six-party talks concerning North Korea's nuclear program, announces plans to meet with North Korea prior to the resumption of the talks on Monday. Christopher Robert Hill (born 1952 is an American Diplomat who currently serves as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. The six-party talks aim to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, (AFP via New Strait Times)
• Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calls for early legislative elections to end the stalemate in creating a national unity government with the Hamas party. Mahmoud Abbas (محمود عباس (born March 26, 1935) also known by the kunya Abu Mazen (ابو مازن was elected President Ḥamas (ar حركة حماس acronym ar حركة المقاومة (CNN)
• Egyptian High Court rules that the members of the Bahá'í Faith in Egypt should not receive government Identification cards, thus removing their rights to health care, education, work and other basic rights. The Bahá'í Faith is a Religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. (IHT)

• Armed militia in Peru ambush and kill seven people involved in a crackdown on the illegal growing of coca. Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. Not to be confused with Cocoa. Coca is a Plant in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to north-western South America (BBC)
• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offers to share Iran's nuclear technology with neighboring countries. The President of Iran is the highest elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, second only to the Supreme Leader. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدی‌نژاد; born October 28, 1956) is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States as part of the Atoms for Peace program (Concorde Monitor)
• Hamas-Fatah conflict:
  • Masked gunmen kill an officer of an elite force loyal to the President of PNA Mahmoud Abbas in a dawn raid on a Gaza training camp as tensions worsen between Hamas and Fatah. The President of the Palestinian National Authority ( رئيس السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية) is the highest-ranking political position (equivalent to Mahmoud Abbas (محمود عباس (born March 26, 1935) also known by the kunya Abu Mazen (ابو مازن was elected President The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة, רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt on the south-west Ḥamas (ar حركة حماس acronym ar حركة المقاومة Fatah (فتح literally opening, is a reverse Acronym from the Arabic name Harakat al-Tahrir al-Watani al-Filastini (حركة التحرير (Reuters)
  • The two sides now say that they have agreed to a ceasefire. A ceasefire (or truce) is a temporary stoppage of a War or any Armed conflict, where each side of the conflict agrees (Haaretz)(BBC)
• A roadside bomb kills three United States Army soldiers and wounds another north of Baghdad. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous (USA Today)
• Masked gunmen kidnap 30 workers from the Red Crescent in Iraq with six low-level employees of the organisation later being released. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. (CNN)
• A climber who had been lost on Oregon's Mount Hood is found dead in a snow cave minutes after rescuers were exploring a nearby cave with various related equipment inside. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Mount Hood (called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe) is a Stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc in northern (Fox News)

• Uzbekistan nearly doubles the price of natural gas it sells to Kyrgyzstan from USD $55 to $100 (£51) per 1,000 cubic meters of gas amid growing tension between the two nations over alleged spying. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly Natural gas is a Gaseous Fossil fuel consisting primarily of Methane but including significant quantities of Ethane, Propane, Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been (BBC News)
• Six-party talks resume on North Korea's nuclear weapons program with North Korea and the United States being "poles apart" in their opening positions. The six-party talks aim to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, The United States of America —commonly referred to as the (CNN)
• 2006 Ipswich murder investigation: Police arrest a 37-year-old man in Trimley St. Martin near Felixstowe, England on suspicion of the murders of five prostitutes. The Ipswich 2006 serial murders took place during the November and December of 2006 when the bodies of five Murdered women were discovered at different locations near Ipswich Trimley St Martin is parish and village between Felixstowe and Ipswich in Suffolk, England Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. (BBC) (Guardian)
• Palestinian Civil Skirmishes increase after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas calls early elections and a truce between his forces and the Hamas government appeared close to collapse in the Gaza Strip. Mahmoud Abbas (محمود عباس (born March 26, 1935) also known by the kunya Abu Mazen (ابو مازن was elected President Ḥamas (ar حركة حماس acronym ar حركة المقاومة The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة, רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt on the south-west (Reuters)

• Somali Civil War: Somalia's Islamic Courts Union (ICU) say they are finalising plans to fight Ethiopian forces deployed in the country as a seven-day ultimatum for Ethiopia to pull out its troops nears its deadline. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Advance of the Islamic Courts Union is the period in the Somali Civil War that began on May 2006 with the Islamic Courts Union 's (ICU conquest of Mogadishu Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known The Islamic Courts Union ( ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga Arabic: اتحاد المحاكم الإسلامية Ittihād al-mahākim The War in Somalia is an ongoing armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG forces versus the Somali NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page (Al-Jazeera)
• Kyrgyz Prime Minister Felix Kulov resigns, automatically dismissing the Ministers of the Kyrgyz government, after political parties throughout the country called on him to resign. The prime minister of Kyrgyzstan is the head of government of Kyrgyzstan. Felix Sharshenbayevich Kulov (Russian Феликс Шаршенбаевич Кулов - variously transliterated born 29 October 1948) served as The Politics of Kyrgyzstan take place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic Republic, whereby the President is Deputy Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov says President Kurmanbek Bakiyev should dissolve the Parliament and hold elections. Daniyar Üsönov is a Kyrgyz banker and politician former mayor of Bishkek. The President of Kyrgyzstan is the Head of state and the highest official of Kyrgyzstan. Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev ( Kyrgyz: Курманбек Сали уулу Бакиев Russian: Курманбек Салиевич Бакиев born 1 August (RFE/RL)
• Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev condemns the Iranian government for acting "as the center of growing insecurity in Asia" by supporting terrorism, weapons and drug trafficking, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and illegal migration. Leaders of Kazakhstan since 1919 Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1920-1925 Secretaries of the Kirghiz Regional Committee of the Communist Party Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( Kazakh: Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев æbəʃʊˈlɯ nɑzɑrˈbɑjəf Russian: Нурсултан The politics and government of Iran takes place in the framework of a Republic with an Islamic ideology Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global Black market consisting of the cultivation manufacture distribution and sale of illegal Drugs A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e The Foreign Ministry later says news agencies misquoted him. (IRNA)
• Palestinian civil skirmishes:
  • Five people have been killed and 12 injured after gun battles erupted between armed Palestinians loyal to Hamas and Fatah in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian people or Palestinians ( الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni; الفلسطينيون, al-filasTīnīyyūn Ḥamas (ar حركة حماس acronym ar حركة المقاومة Fatah (فتح literally opening, is a reverse Acronym from the Arabic name Harakat al-Tahrir al-Watani al-Filastini (حركة التحرير The Gaza Strip (قطاع غزة, רצועת עזה Retzu'at 'Azza) is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt on the south-west (Al-Jazeera)
  • The Prime Minister of Palestine Ismail Haniyeh calls for an end to the fighting and for all factions to unite in the fight against Israel. The Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority is the Head of government of the Palestinian government Ismail Haniyeh ( Arabic: إسماعيل هنية sometimes transliterated as Ismail Haniya or Ismail Haniyah) (born January 1963 is a For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. (AP via Boston Globe)
• Hugo Chávez announces his plans to merge the parties which support the Bolivarian Revolution into the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (ˈuɰo rafaˈel ˈtʃaβ̞es ˈfɾias (born July 28 1954 is the current President of Venezuela. The “Bolivarian Revolution” refers to a mass social movement and political process in Venezuela. The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela PSUV) is a left wing political party in Venezuela that is in the process (BBC)
• Further cases of patients and staff infected with a new strain of MRSA are revealed in a UK hospital after two people die from the superbug. (The Times)
• A Libyan court sentences five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death for allegedly knowingly infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV. Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab The HIV trial in Libya (or Bulgarian nurses affair) concerns the trials appeals and eventual release of six foreign medical workers charged with conspiring to deliberately infect The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Palestinian people or Palestinians ( الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni; الفلسطينيون, al-filasTīnīyyūn Human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) is a Lentivirus (a member of the Retrovirus family that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (BBC)
• 2006 Ipswich murder investigation: Police investigating the murder of five women in Ipswich, Suffolk arrest a second man on suspicion of their murders. The Ipswich 2006 serial murders took place during the November and December of 2006 when the bodies of five Murdered women were discovered at different locations near Ipswich Ipswich ( ˈɪpswɪtʃ is a Non-metropolitan district and the County town of Suffolk, England on the Estuary of the River Orwell Suffolk (ˈsʌfək is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. (BBC)
• Chilean congress approves the creation of two new administrative regions within the country. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the (Peoples Daily)

Tommy Oravec was born

• The Home Office department of the United Kingdom Government announces plan to require foreign nationals living in Britain to have biometric ID cards. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for security and order Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at (Guardian Unlimited)
• Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Republic of Macedonia, and Kosovo sign the Central European Free Trade Agreement extending the free trade zone to southeastern Europe. This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova ( Republica Moldova) is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania Montenegro ( British English) Montenegrin / Serbian: PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THE LANGUAGES WITHOUT CONSENSUS ON THE TALK PAGE! Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country The Republic of Macedonia (Република Members As of 1 May 2007, the parties of the CEFTA agreement are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia A free trade zone ( FTZ) or export processing zone ( EPZ) is one or more special areas of a country where some normal Trade barriers such as (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty)
• The Government of Kazakhstan is considering giving Kyrgyzstan USD $100 million in aid. The Government of Kazakhstan oversees a presidential Republic. Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been (ITAR-TASS)
• The 2006 Malaysian floods caused by heavy monsoon rain force the evacuation of 26,000 people in the southern Malaysian state of Johor. The 2006-2007 Malaysian floods are a series of Floods that hit Malaysia. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Johor (alt English spelling Johore, Jawi scriptجوهر is a state of Malaysia between 1°20"N and 2°35"N Flooding is also reported in the southern states of Malacca and Negeri Sembilan but the situation there is not as serious. Negeri Sembilan (also Negri Sembilan, Jawi: نڬري سمبيلن meaning "state of nine" in Malay, is a state of Malaysia. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
• Somali Civil War: Heavy fighting breaks out on at least two fronts near the Somali interim government's base in Baidoa. The Advance of the Islamic Courts Union is the period in the Somali Civil War that began on May 2006 with the Islamic Courts Union 's (ICU conquest of Mogadishu The Transitional Federal Parliament of the Somali Republic ( Golaha Shacabka Federaalka Kumeelgaarka ee Jamhuuriyada Soomaaliya; often Baarlamaanka Federaalka Soomaaliya Baidoa ( Baydhabo) is a city in south-central Somalia, situated 256 kilometers (159 miles by road northwest of the capital Mogadishu. Somalia's interim government and the Islamic Courts Union pledge to begin peace negotiations. The Islamic Courts Union ( ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga Arabic: اتحاد المحاكم الإسلامية Ittihād al-mahākim (BBC) (Reuters)
• "Jack" Thomas will face a retrial under the Australian Anti-Terrorism Act 2005 based on media interviews. Joseph Thomas can refer to Joseph Earl Thomas, an American football player The Australian Anti-Terrorism Act 2005 (Revised is legislation intended to hamper the activities of any potential Terrorists in Australia He had earlier been jailed under the act before an Appeals Court freed him on the grounds that an interview with Thomas in Pakistan had been involuntary. Court of Appeal, Court of Appeals, and Appellate Division redirect here for a list of specific courts using those titles see Court of Appeal Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and (AAP via SBS News Australia)
• The United States military claims to have captured a senior leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI is a group playing an active role in the Iraqi insurgency. (AP via ABC News)
• The €752 million, 5-kilometre Dublin Port Tunnel opens almost 2 years (23 months) after its originally planned date. Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e The Dublin Port Tunnel ( Tollán Calafoirt Bhaile Átha Cliath in Irish is a road traffic Tunnel in Dublin, Ireland, that forms part of the (RTÉ)

• Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir is cleared of any involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings by the Supreme Court of Indonesia. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Abu Bakar Bashir (also Abubakar Ba'asyir, Abdus Somad, and Ustad Abu ("Teacher Abu" born August 17 1938 is an Indonesian Muslim The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. (News Limited)
• Ipswich murder case: Suffolk police announce that Steven Wright has been charged with all five murders. The Ipswich 2006 serial murders took place during the November and December of 2006 when the bodies of five Murdered women were discovered at different locations near Ipswich Suffolk Constabulary is the Home Office police force responsible for policing Suffolk in East Anglia, England. The Ipswich 2006 serial murders took place during the November and December of 2006 when the bodies of five Murdered women were discovered at different locations near Ipswich (Suffolk Constabulary statement)
• U.S. military prosecutors charge three Marines with murder in connection with the Haditha killings. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with Malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries The Haditha killings (also called the Haditha incident or the Haditha massacre) refers to the incident where 24 Iraqi men women and children were killed on November (CBC)
• New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine signs a bill granting civil unions to same-sex couples, with all the rights and privileges of marriage. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government Jon Stevens Corzine (born January 1 1947 is the Governor of New Jersey and a former United States Senator A civil union is a legally recognized union similar to Marriage. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** New Jersey becomes the third U.S. state to offer civil unions, and the fifth to offer some version of marriage to gay couples. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Same-sex marriage, also referred to as gay marriage, is a Marriage between two persons of the same sex (San Francisco Chronicle)
• War in Somalia:
  • Fresh heavy fighting is reported near the weak Somali government's Baidoa base, amid fears conflict could plunge the entire Horn of Africa into crisis. The Advance of the Islamic Courts Union is the period in the Somali Civil War that began on May 2006 with the Islamic Courts Union 's (ICU conquest of Mogadishu Baidoa ( Baydhabo) is a city in south-central Somalia, situated 256 kilometers (159 miles by road northwest of the capital Mogadishu. The Horn of Africa (alternatively Northeast Africa, and sometimes Somali Peninsula; shortened to HOA) is a Peninsula in East Africa (BBC)
  • Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts says it is at war with Ethiopian troops. The Islamic Courts Union ( ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga Arabic: اتحاد المحاكم الإسلامية Ittihād al-mahākim (Aljazeera)
• Opponents of the President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad win a number of victories in local elections and elections to the Assembly of Experts as dissatisfaction grows with his Presidency. The President of Iran is the highest elected official in the Islamic Republic of Iran, second only to the Supreme Leader. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدی‌نژاد; born October 28, 1956) is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran The Iranian City and Village Councils election of 2006 took place on December 15, 2006. The Iranian Assembly of Experts election of 2006 was held on December 15, 2006. The Assembly of Experts (also Assembly of Experts of the Leadership) of Iran ( Persian: مجلس خبرگان رهبری Majles-e-Khobregan or (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Saparmurat Niyazov, the President-for-life of Turkmenistan, dies at the age of 66. Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow (θɑːpɑːrmɯːrɑːt niːjɑːðɒv ( 19 February, 1940, Gypjak, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union Turkmenistan ( Türkmenistan; also known as Turkmenia) is a Turkic country in Central Asia. (BBC) The date of the next presidential election is to be announced on 26 December 2006. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. (Pravda)
• Shane Warne, the leading test cricket wicket taker of all time, announces that he will retire from international cricket at the end of the 2006-07 Ashes series. Shane Keith Warne (born 13 September 1969 is a former Australian international Cricketer who is widely regarded as one of the Test cricket is the longest form of the Sport of Cricket. It has long been considered the ultimate test of playing ability between cricketing nations (AP via CNN)

• About 60,000 people in Johor, Malaysia have been displaced by the 2006 Malaysian floods. Events 1790 - The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Johor (alt English spelling Johore, Jawi scriptجوهر is a state of Malaysia between 1°20"N and 2°35"N For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The 2006-2007 Malaysian floods are a series of Floods that hit Malaysia. (CNN), (BBC)
• Rape charges are dropped against the three Duke University lacrosse players who were accused of raping a stripper in the 2006 Duke University lacrosse team scandal. Duke University is a private Research University located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. The 2006 Duke University lacrosse case was a Scandal that started in March 2006 when Crystal Gail Mangum an African American Stripper and escort (AP)
• Andrew Wallis of The Times accuses the French government of aiding and abetting genocidaires in the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. The government of France is a Semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda 's minority Tutsis and the moderates of its Hutu majority Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Current Rwandan President Paul Kagame has also expressed his belief that the French and Belgian governments were complicit. This page contains a list of presidents of Rwanda. See also List of incumbents, List of Prime Ministers of Rwanda, List of Kings of Rwanda. Paul Kagame (born October 23, 1957) came to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF whose invasion of Rwanda is often cited as the The executive branch of the Belgian federal government consists of ministers and secretaries of state ("junior" ministers or smaller departments (The Times)
• Space Shuttle Discovery lands safely at the Kennedy Space Center at 5:32 p. Space Shuttle Discovery ( Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103 is one of the three currently operational orbiters in the Space Shuttle fleet of The John F Kennedy Space Center ( KSC) is the NASA Space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center ( Spaceport) on m. EST (22:32 UTC), concluding mission STS-116. STS-116 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS flown by Space Shuttle '' Discovery''. They spent 13 days in space and visited the International Space Station. (NASA)
• The party of dictator Omar Bongo, the Gabonese Democratic Party, has apparently won a vast majority in the legislative election held on 17 December 2006. El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba (born Albert-Bernard Bongo on 30 December 1935) became President of Gabon in 1967 This article is about the Gabonese Democratic Party formed in 1968 Legislative elections were held in Gabon on 17 December 2006 (even though seven seats were only decided on 24 December Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. (BBC)
• Ethiopian war in Somalia:
  • Thousands of Somali civilians flee their homes as hundreds of troops and trucks move towards the front lines, after a night of artillery and mortar fire. The War in Somalia is an ongoing armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG forces versus the Somali Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine A mortar is a muzzle-loading Indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities short ranges and high-arcing ballistic trajectories (Aljazeera)
  • The Islamic Courts Union say they will send ground troops to attack on Saturday, instead of fighting from a distance with heavy weapons as they have been doing so far. The Islamic Courts Union ( ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga Arabic: اتحاد المحاكم الإسلامية Ittihād al-mahākim (Al Jazeera)
  • The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) calls for the protection of citizens in the Somali Civil War, the latest of many ongoing diplomatic and humanitarian appeals and efforts to minimize the growing humanitarian crisis. "ICRC" redirects here For other uses see ICRC (disambiguation. The Somali Civil War is an armed conflict in Somalia that started in 1988 See also Somali Civil War (2006, War in Somalia (2006–present, Disarmament in Somalia The Somali Civil War began in 1988 (Common Dreams)
• The second part of the fifth round of the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program end without any agreement being reached or a date for the next round being set. The six-party talks aim to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, North Korea claims to possess Nuclear weapons and the CIA asserts that it has a substantial arsenal of Chemical weapons. (The Guardian)

• The UN Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1737, sanctioning Iran for its nuclear program. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737 was unanimously passed by the United Nations Security Council on 23 December 2006. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. (Bloomberg)
• The U.S. military reports that top Taliban military commander Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani was killed on Tuesday by a U. The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani or Usmani (died December 19, 2006) was a senior leader of the Taliban, treasurer for the organization and close S. airstrike while traveling by vehicle in a deserted area in the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand. An airstrike is a Military strike by Air forces on either a suspected or a confirmed enemy ground position Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Helmand ( هلمند) is one of the 34 Provinces of Afghanistan. Taliban spokesmen deny he is dead. (CNN)

• United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan warns of "troubling developments" in Burundi that could lead to violence. Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. Kofi Atta Annan, GCMG (born 8 April 1938 is a Ghanaian Diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations Burundi (buˈɾundi officially the Republic of Burundi, is a small country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda (allAfrica)
• Ethiopian intervention in Somalia:
  • Ethiopia has confirmed that its troops have invaded and are fighting Islamic militiamen that control much of Somalia. The War in Somalia is an ongoing armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG forces versus the Somali NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known (BBC)
  • Ethiopian aircraft have dropped bombs and fired missiles on several towns in Somalia in what a government spokesman described as a "counter-attack" against the Islamic Courts Union. The Islamic Courts Union ( ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga Arabic: اتحاد المحاكم الإسلامية Ittihād al-mahākim (Aljazeera)

• Iraqi insurgency: Soldiers from the British Army storm a police headquarters in Basra, Iraq, arresting allegedly corrupt officers, transferring prisoners thought to have been subject to torture, and demolishing the building. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Iraqi insurgency is composed of diverse mix of militias foreign fighters all Iraqi units or mixtures using violent measures against the US-led Coalition in Iraq The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Basra ( BGN: AlBasrah also called Basorah Abillah and Uruk or IRAQ The name that British colony has adopted for Basra For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. [6]
• James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," dies of heart failure at the age of 73. James Joseph Brown Jr (May 3 1933 – December 25 2006 commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul" the "King of Funk" and "The (AP via Yahoo)
• Flooding in Indonesia's Aceh and North Sumatra provinces has killed up to 80 people. A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land a deluge The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. See also Sultanate of Aceh Aceh (ʔaˈtɕɛh generally anglicized as ˈɑːtʃeɪ is a special territory ( daerah istimewa) of Indonesia North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara is a province of Indonesia. Its capital is Medan. More than 100,000 people have been forced out of their homes. (BBC)
• The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan does not pass amendments proposed by acting Prime Minister Felix Kulov to the Constitution, some of which would alter the make up of the Council by expanding the number of Parliamentarians and electing members by party-line-voting. The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan ( Жогорку Кеңеш, Žoghorku Keňgesh) is the Unicameral Parliament of Kyrgyzstan The prime minister of Kyrgyzstan is the head of government of Kyrgyzstan. Felix Sharshenbayevich Kulov (Russian Феликс Шаршенбаевич Кулов - variously transliterated born 29 October 1948) served as The Constitution of Kyrgyzstan is the document that represents the supreme governing law of the Kyrgyz Republic. A party-line vote in a Deliberative assembly (such as a Constituent assembly, Parliament, or Legislature) is a Vote in which every The Supreme Council may vote again on the amendments over the next week. (EurasiaNet)
• War in Somalia:
  • Ethiopian jets have bombed two airports in Somalia in a widening operation against the Islamic Courts Union. The War in Somalia is an ongoing armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG forces versus the Somali NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known The Islamic Courts Union ( ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga Arabic: اتحاد المحاكم الإسلامية Ittihād al-mahākim (BBC)
  • The Ethiopians captured the town of Baladweyne. Battle of Beledweyne may refer to Battle of Beledweyne (2006 Battle of Beledweyne (2008 Beledweyne ( Beledweyne)(بليث وين is a city in central Somalia. (Aljazeera)

• Gerald Ford, former President of the United States, dies at 93. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr (July 14 1913 December 26 2006 was the thirty-eighth President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 and the fortieth Vice President The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by (MSNBC) (BBC News)
• Almaz Atambayev, Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, warns that if Prime Minister Felix Kulov's proposed amendments to the constitution are passed, giving greater power to the executive branch, Kyrgyzstan will descend into civil war. Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev ( Cyrillic: Атамбаев Алмазбек Шаршенович born September 17, 1956) was the Prime Minister Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan is a political party in Kyrgyzstan. The prime minister of Kyrgyzstan is the head of government of Kyrgyzstan. Felix Sharshenbayevich Kulov (Russian Феликс Шаршенбаевич Кулов - variously transliterated born 29 October 1948) served as The Constitution of Kyrgyzstan is the document that represents the supreme governing law of the Kyrgyz Republic. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан A civil war is a War between a State and domestic political actors that are in control of some part of the territory claimed by the state (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty)
• Trial of Saddam Hussein: An appeal court in Baghdad has rejected former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's appeal against the death sentence handed down on November 5 for the 1982 killings of Shias in Dujail. The Trial of Saddam Hussein was the trial of the deposed President of Iraq Saddam Hussein by the Iraqi Interim Government for alleged Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Dujail ( Arabic: الدجيل; alternate spelling Ad Dujayl) is a small Shiite town in the Salah ad Din Governorate. By Iraqi law, the execution by hanging has to be carried out within 30 days after the announcement of the rejection. Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death (BBC News)
• Between 200 and 500 people have been killed in an oil pipeline explosion in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, according to the Red Cross. The 2006 Abule Egba pipeline explosion is a disaster that occurred in the heavily populated neighborhood of Abule Egba in Lagos, Nigeria on December Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Lagos ( pron ˈleɪgɒs or /ˈlɑːgoʊs/ overseas is the most populous Conurbation in Nigeria with The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated The blast is believed to have been caused by thieves puncturing the pipeline in an attempt to siphon off fuel into a tanker. A siphon (also spelled syphon) is a continuous tube that allows liquid to drain from a reservoir through an intermediate point that is higher than the reservoir the flow being (BBC)
• War in Somalia: Somalia's Islamist militia are reported to have withdrawn from frontlines after a sustained assault by government forces backed by Ethiopian troops. The War in Somalia is an ongoing armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG forces versus the Somali Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page (BBC)
• Southwestern Taiwan is shaken by a 7.2 earthquake at 20:28 (GMT+8). Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. The 2006 Hengchun earthquake occurred on Tuesday December 26 2006 at 1225 UTC (2025 local time) with an Epicenter off the A second aftershock, estimated at 7. 1 and centered in Pingtung County, is felt 5 minutes later. Pingtung County ( is a county in Southern Taiwan. Pingtung County is officially administered as a county of Taiwan. According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, no Pacific-wide tsunami is expected. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC operated by NOAA in Ewa Beach Hawaii, USA, is one of two tsunami warning centers in the United States The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions A tsunami ((tsuːˈnɑːmi is a series of waves created when (TVBS) (CNN)

• More than 105 people have died following days of heavy rains in Indonesia, and hundreds more are still missing. Events 537 - The Hagia Sophia is completed 1512 - The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. (BBC)
• Six people die and one person goes missing after a helicopter carrying gas workers ditches into Morecambe Bay east of the Irish Sea, off the coast of Morecambe, England. The 2006 Morecambe Bay Helicopter Crash was a fatal air incident that occurred on 27 December 2006 at approximately 1840 GMT whilst transporting replacement crew Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park The Irish Sea ( Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann; Scottish Gaelic: Muir Eireann Welsh: Môr Iwerddon, Morecambe is a resort town within the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland (Times Online)
• The Kazakh KNB has broken up and arrested members of the Stepnogorsk zhamaat terrorist organization, confiscating weapons and religious literature. Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the IJG redirects here For other uses see IJG (disambiguation. Jama'at al-Jihad al-Islami also known as the Jamaat of Central Asian Mujahedins (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty)
• An earthquake near Taiwan damages undersea cables, disrupts phone and Internet service in Asia and the U. The 2006 Hengchun earthquake occurred on Tuesday December 26 2006 at 1225 UTC (2025 local time) with an Epicenter off the A submarine communications cable is a cable laid beneath the sea to carry Telecommunications between countries S. (MSNBC) (Reuters) (Guardian) (International Herald Tribune)
• The French Space Agency (CNES) spacecraft COROT was successfully lauched in Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 14:28 UTC (GMT+4) to search for extrasolar planets. The fr '''Centre National d'Études Spatiales''' ( CNES) is the French government Space agency (administratively a "public establishment of industrial and commercial A spacecraft is a Vehicle or machine designed for Spaceflight. COROT ( CO nvection RO tation and planetary T ransits is a space mission led by the French Space Agency (CNES in conjunction with the European The Baikonur Cosmodrome ( Kazakh: Байқоңыр ғарыш айлағы, Bayqoñır ğarış aylağı; Russian: Космодром Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the An extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is a Planet beyond the Solar System, orbiting around other Stars As of September 2008 312
• War in Somalia:
  • Ethiopian/Transitional Federal Government forces regain Jowhar after heavy fighting. The War in Somalia is an ongoing armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG forces versus the Somali NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The Transitional Federal Government (TFG of the Somali Republic ( Dowladda federaalka kumeelgaarka) is the present internationally recognized government of Somalia The Battle of Jowhar was a battle in the 2006 Somali War fought between the Islamic Courts Union (ICU and affiliated militias against Ethiopian and Jowhar (Jowhar is the capital town of the Shabeellaha Dhexe region of Somalia (located at) and along with Baidoa, used to form the The Islamist militia go into a retreat towards Mogadishu. Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only Mogadishu ( Somali: Muqdisho, popularly Xamar, Hamar; مقديشو Maqadīshū (The Associated Press)
  • Mogadishu is besieged after Islamists retreated to it. Mogadishu ( Somali: Muqdisho, popularly Xamar, Hamar; مقديشو Maqadīshū The Fall of Mogadishu occurred on December 28, 2006, when the militaries of Somalia 's Transitional Federal Government Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only (Reuters)
• Former U. S. Senator and 2004 Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate John Edwards will run for the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination. Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 (MSNBC)

• The Majilis of Kazakhstan approves a bill pledging not to engage in nuclear proliferation while Kazakhstan begins its nuclear program. Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Majilis (also transliterated as Mazhilis; "Assembly" in Kazakh) is the lower house of the Bicameral Parliament of Kazakhstan, known Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of Nuclear weapons, fissile material and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information to nations (Kazinform)
• War in Somalia: Ethiopian and Transitional government troops capture Mogadishu without resistance. The War in Somalia is an ongoing armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG forces versus the Somali The Fall of Mogadishu occurred on December 28, 2006, when the militaries of Somalia 's Transitional Federal Government ICU fighters flee to Kismayo, their last remaining stronghold, 300 miles (500km) to the south. Kismayo or Kismayu (Kismaayo كيسمايو; Chisimaio is a Port (BBC) (Aljazeera)

• Police discover skulls, bodies of 15 missing children in Noida, India. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The 2006 Noida serial murder investigation began in December 2006 when the skeletal remains of a number of missing children were discovered in the village of Nithari, India
• AT&T, Inc. acquires BellSouth Corporation to create the one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world. Before proposing a merge request please see Talk and see if the merger you propose has recently been made and BellSouth Corporation is an American Telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta Georgia. [7]
• The United Kingdom pays off the last of its debts from World War II by paying the last $100 million to the United States and Canada. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The country still has debts outstanding from the Napoleonic Wars, which are cheaper to pay interest on than to redeem. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions (International Herald Tribune) (BBC)
• Kazakh Foreign Minister Kassym-Jomart Tokayev says that in the event of a war in Turkmenistan over succession to Turkmenbashi Saparmurat Niyazov, "Kazakhstan is not going to get involved. A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet minister who helps form the Foreign policy of a sovereign nation Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev or Qasymzhomart Kemelevich Toqaev ( Kazakh: Қасым-Жомарт Кемелұлы Тоқаев; Russian: Colour revolutions is a term used to describe related movements that developed in post-communist societies in Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow (θɑːpɑːrmɯːrɑːt niːjɑːðɒv ( 19 February, 1940, Gypjak, Turkmen SSR, Soviet Union " (Interfax)
• Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev will address the Supreme Council on 30 December 2006 in an effort to compromise on proposed amendments to the constitution. The President of Kyrgyzstan is the Head of state and the highest official of Kyrgyzstan. Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev ( Kyrgyz: Курманбек Сали уулу Бакиев Russian: Курманбек Салиевич Бакиев born 1 August The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan ( Жогорку Кеңеш, Žoghorku Keňgesh) is the Unicameral Parliament of Kyrgyzstan The Constitution of Kyrgyzstan is the document that represents the supreme governing law of the Kyrgyz Republic. Several Parliamentarians warn that Kyrgyzstan is on the verge of civil war. A civil war is a War between a State and domestic political actors that are in control of some part of the territory claimed by the state (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty)
• A 25 square mile (66 km²) chunk of the Ayles Ice Shelf was discovered to have broken off of Ellesmere Island, Nunavat, Canada. The Ayles Ice Shelf was one of six major Ice shelves in Canada, all located on the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Nunavut (ˈnuːnəvʊt ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ is the largest and newest territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page (NatlGeog), (BBC), (Scotsman), (Reuters), (CBC)

• Saddam Hussein is executed, by hanging, at approximately 06:00 local time (03:00 UTC). Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 The execution of Saddam Hussein ' s death sentence occurred on December 30 2006. (BBC News)
• A bomb exploding in the parking lot of Terminal 4 of Barajas Airport, Madrid, Spain, killes two people, damages cars and buildings. On the morning of December 30, 2006, an explosion took place in the carpark building attached to Terminal 4 of Madrid Barajas International Airport in Spain Madrid-Barajas Airport (Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas is the main international airport serving the Spanish capital Madrid. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. (CNN)
• The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan votes 50 to 1 in favor of amendments to the Constitution giving greater power to the executive branch after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev accuses Parliamentarians of "sabotaging" the political process. The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan ( Жогорку Кеңеш, Žoghorku Keňgesh) is the Unicameral Parliament of Kyrgyzstan The Constitution of Kyrgyzstan is the document that represents the supreme governing law of the Kyrgyz Republic. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. The President of Kyrgyzstan is the Head of state and the highest official of Kyrgyzstan. Kurmanbek Saliyevich Bakiyev ( Kyrgyz: Курманбек Сали уулу Бакиев Russian: Курманбек Салиевич Бакиев born 1 August The President will now have the power to appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister and his cabinet and regional governors. The prime minister of Kyrgyzstan is the head of government of Kyrgyzstan. The SNB, the domestic intelligence organization, will report to the President, not the legislature. (Al Jazeera)
• At least 500 people are feared to have drowned after the ferry Senopati Nusantara travelling between the port of Kumai on the Indonesian island of Borneo to Semarang on Java sank during a storm. The MV Senopati Nusantara was an Indonesian ferry that sank in a storm on December 30, 2006. Kumai is a port in Central Kalimantan province in Indonesia, on the island of Borneo. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. Java (Jawa is an Island of Indonesia and the site of its Capital city Jakarta. (BBC)
• Former U.S. President Gerald Ford's funeral is held at the United States Capitol. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr (July 14 1913 December 26 2006 was the thirty-eighth President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 and the fortieth Vice President Gerald Ford died on December 26, 2006 at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, at 645 p (CBS)
• The coat of arms of Nepal is changed as a gesture of reconciliation after the Nepalese Civil War. The coat of arms of Nepal was changed during the reconciliation period following the Nepalese Civil War. The Nepalese Civil War (labelled People's War by the Maoists was a conflict between Government forces and Maoist rebels in Nepal (People's Daily)
• A 67-year-old Spanish woman, whose name has not been revealed, is reported to have given birth to twins in Barcelona, becoming the oldest birth mother. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Pregnancy over age 50 has become more possible for women, due to recent advances in Assisted reproductive technology, such as egg donation. (BBC)
• Tiki Barber rushes for 234 yards in his final game in the nfl. For the Field hockey player see Kate Barber Atiim Kiambu Hakeem-ah "Tiki" Barber (TEE-kee (born April 7, 1975 The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. This is a record for the most rushing yards in a running backs last game, and a New York Giants team record for the most rushing yards in a game. The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York City suburb of East Rutherford New Jersey.

• Austrian Minister of the Interior Liese Prokop dies of aortic dissection. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Liesel ("Liese" Prokop-Sykora ( March 27 1941 &mdash December 31 2006) was an Austrian athlete who competed (IHT)
• New Year's Eve 2006-2007:
  • The world begins celebrations of the beginning of 2007, starting at 10:00 UTC when midnight strikes in the Line Islands, Kiribati. New Year's Eve is on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year and the day before New Year's Day. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Line Islands, or Equatorial Islands, are a group of eleven Atolls and low coral islands in the central Pacific Ocean south of the Hawaiian Kiribati or ( kirr-i-bas or KEE-ree-buhss ˈkiɾibas in Gilbertese) officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an Island nation located in (AP)
  • Terrorists set off eight coordinated explosions killing two people and injuring 12 in Bangkok, Thailand. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion The 2006 Bangkok bombings occurred on 31 December 2006 and 1 January 2007 during New Year's Eve festivities Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (krūŋtʰêːp máhǎːnákʰɔn) or Krung Thep ( for short is the Capital, largest The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The government cancels Bangkok's New Year's Eve celebrations. (CNN)
• War in Somalia: The Battle of Jilib erupts between the forces of the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government and the Islamic Courts Union. The War in Somalia is an ongoing armed conflict involving largely Ethiopian and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG forces versus the Somali The Battle of Jilib was a battle in the 2006 Somali War fought by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU and affiliated militias against Ethiopian and NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page The Transitional Federal Government (TFG of the Somali Republic ( Dowladda federaalka kumeelgaarka) is the present internationally recognized government of Somalia The Islamic Courts Union ( ICU, Somali: Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga Arabic: اتحاد المحاكم الإسلامية Ittihād al-mahākim (Reuters)
• The number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq reaches 3,000 since the 2003 U.S. invasion. Casualties of the conflict in Iraq since 2003 (beginning with the 2003 invasion of Iraq and continuing with the ensuing 2003 occupation of Iraq coalition presence For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign (Reuters)