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September 2006 was marked by a controversy surrounding statements made by Pope Benedict XVI regarding Islam, during the same week as the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Steve Irwin, star of The Crocodile Hunter, died early in the month due to a stingray attack. Meanwhile, the Space Shuttle Atlantis made a mission to the International Space Station and a coup d'état was carried out by the Royal Thai Army, ousting Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The following events also occurred during the month:
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- AU officials report that Sudan has launched a major offensive in Darfur, a day after it rejected UNSC Resolution 1706, calling for a new 20,000 UN peacekeeping force. Over 20 people are reported dead and 1,000 displaced in clashes which broke earlier in the week. (AP)
- Disputed Mexican election: Deputies and senators of the PRD occupy the stage of Congress and prevent President Vicente Fox from delivering his final State of the Nation speech. Fox later addresses the nation on an all-channel telecast. (Associated Press) (Washington Post)
- Category 2 Hurricane John makes landfall near the tip of Baja California at around 7 p.m. PDT (0200 UTC September 2). (U.S. National Hurricane Center) (CBS)
- An Iranian passenger jet Tu-154, (Iran Air Flight 945) carrying 148 passengers crashes in Mashad, Iran killing 29 people. (CNN), (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- Spain approves plans to deploy 1,100 troops to Lebanon as part of a UN peacekeeping force. (BBC)
- The Japanese Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Takao Kitabata, says Japan has enough petroleum reserves to prevent an oil crisis if economic sanctions are imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. Japan is almost entirely dependent on the Middle East for its oil and imports 15 percent of its total oil consumption from Iran. (IranMania)
- The 2006 Zakouma elephant slaughter is the latest of a series of massacres which has killed off over 97 percent of the original (the year 1970) Chadian elephant population of 300,000 animals. (National Geographic)
- Prime Minister of Poland, Jaros“aw Kaczy-ski, calls on the EU to develop a common foreign policy and build a "credible" military force. (Yahoo!)
- The Miss World 2006 pageant officially starts with the arrival of 104 nations to Warsaw, Poland for a month of activities across the country prior to the pageant's final on September 30th, 2006. (Times of India)
- Famous plastic model kit brand Airfix goes into administration after its parent company Humbrol is unable to produce kits at the Heller owned factory in Trun, N.France after Heller goes into administration
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- The security officers of Georgia arrest nearly 30 members of the opposition political party "Samartlianoba" (Justice) and its satellite organizations on suspicion of plotting a coup against the government. The party, which advocates closer political ties with the Russian Federation, is led by the nation's fugitive security chief Igor Giorgadze who is wanted by Interpol for his alleged involvement in the 1995 attempt on former Georgian President Shevardnadze's life. (BBC)
- The United States government announces that fourteen suspected terrorists are to be transferred to the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp and admits that these suspects have been held in CIA black sites. These people include Khalid Sheik Mohammed, believed to be the No. 3 al-Qaida leader before he was captured in Pakistan in 2003; Ramzi Binalshibh, an alleged would-be 9/11 hijacker; and Abu Zubaydah, who was believed to be a link between Osama bin Laden and many al-Qaida cells before he was also captured in Pakistan in March 2002. (BBC)
- The Singaporean economy tops a list of 175 economies as the most business-friendly economy in the world in a survey conducted by the World Bank's International Finance Corporation. (CNA) (IFC).
- In the United Kingdom junior defense minister Tom Watson and six Parliamentary Private Secretaries (Khalid Mahmood, Wayne David, Ian Lucas, Mark Tami, Chris Mole and David Wright) resign over Tony Blair's continuing refusal to declare when he will step down as Prime Minister. (BBC) (Guardian) (This is London)
- Japan's Princess Kiko gives birth to a son by caesarean section. The as-yet unnamed boy is the first male heir born to the Japanese Imperial Family in more than 40 years, and will ultimately become Emperor if the current succession laws are unchanged. The child's father, Prince Akishino is the second son of Emperor Akihito. (Japan Times), (Forbes)
- Côte d'Ivoire Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny dissolves his Cabinet after toxic waste was dumped in the city of Abidjan, making over 1,500 people ill and killing three. (BBC)
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- Australian motor racing legend Peter Brock has been killed in a crash while taking part in the Targa West rally in Western Australia. (News.com.au)
- Ralph "Bucky" Phillips, the most recent addition to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, surrenders to Pennsylvania State Police. He is wanted for shooting three New York State troopers, one of whom died, after he escaped from jail. (The Buffalo News)
- Chilean Supreme Court lifts Augusto Pinochet's immunity concerning the Villa Grimaldi case. (BBC).
- The non-governmental organization Freedom House ranks Burma, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan as the worst violators of human rights. FH also cited Tibet and Chechnya as areas of intense repression. (Payvand)
- The United States Senate states there is no evidence of formal links between Iraqi ex-leader Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq prior to the 2003 Iraq War. (BBC)
- Missing United States Air Force officer Major Jill Metzger who disappeared in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan earlier this week is found in good health. Metzger says she was kidnapped by three men and a woman. (CBS)
- Shuji Nakamura is awarded the 2nd Millennium Technology Prize for his work on blue and white LEDs. The first recipient of the award was Tim Berners-Lee, developer of the World Wide Web. (BBC)
- A series of bomb blasts rock Malegaon town in Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra, killing 37 and injuring around 100. (Bloomberg)
- Zimbabwe has failed to keep its promise to build new homes for the thousands whose houses were demolished last year during Operation Murambatsvina. (BBC)
- Taliban insurgency: A suicide car bomb explodes near the United States embassy in Kabul, killing at least ten people. (Boston Herald) (CNN)
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- A lengthy statement from al-Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks calls on Muslims to step up their resistance against the United States. (CNN)
- Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, the King of Tonga, dies at the age of 88 in an Auckland, New Zealand hospital after battling illness. (BBC)
- Roger Federer wins the U.S. Open defeating Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. (Fox Sports)
- Taliban insurgency (Operation Medusa):
- Hurricane Florence forces hurricane warnings for Bermuda as it threatens the island with rain of 13 to 20 cm (5 to 8 inches). Florence is also expected to become a Category 2 hurricane prior to affecting the island. (CNN), (National Hurricane Center)
- The most successful driver in Formula One history, German Michael Schumacher, announces his retirement from the sport at the end of the 2006 season. (BBC)
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- The 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement begins in Havana, Cuba. (Official Site)
- India celebrates a day of peace: the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of peaceful resistance - satyagraha. On September 11, 1906, Gandhi called on his compatriots to use non-violent means to disobey the law, and thousands of Indians were jailed, including Gandhi, for refusing to cooperate and burning their identity booklets. (CTV.ca)
- American President George W. Bush states that the war against terrorism is "the calling of our generation" and urged Americans to put aside differences and fight to victory. (San Francisco Chronicle), (White House - full text)
- Tropical Storm Gordon forms in the open Atlantic Ocean with 45 mph winds and is expected to head towards Bermuda. (Associated Press)
- U.S. & New York leaders, along with families and friends of those who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks, remember the 5th anniversary of the attacks with speeches and moments of silence. (Forbes/AP)
- A new video broadcast shows Al-Qaeda deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, issuing a warning about possible future attacks in Israel and the Persian Gulf. (BBC)
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- Cypriot authorities respond to an Interpol alert and intercept Grigorio-1, a North Korean ship bound for Syria. Cypriot security agents found a mobile air defense system and the components of a missile launcher in the ship, though the Government of North Korea insists the ship only contained weather-observation equipment. The Syrian government has requested the ship be allowed to dock in Syria. (World Tribune)
- Belgian False Flag Terror arrests: A court in Belgium prolongs the custody of 12 suspects in the case against a neo-Nazi group inside the Belgian Army, named Bloed-Bodem-Eer en Trouw (BBET). They are accused of terrorism, weapons traffic, racism and negationism. (Wikinews)
- At least 51 people, mostly children, are killed in a stampede in a stadium in Ibb, Yemen, during a campaign rally for President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The children were killed when some of the citizens, who were bused in to hear the president speak, tried to leave. (CNN)
- Tom Noe, a rare-coin dealer and fundraiser for the United States Republican Party, is sentenced to two years jail for illegally channelling US$45,000 into President George W. Bush's re-election campaign. (Associated Press)
- Norwegian politician Erik Solheim announces that the Government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers have agreed to hold "unconditional peace talks" in October in Oslo. The Sri Lankan government denies ever agreeing to talks without conditions, and criticizes the Government of Norway for violating Sri Lankan sovereignty. (TODAYonline)(TamilNet)
- An explosion in Diyarbakir in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey kills at least seven people, five of whom were children, and injures 14. (CNN)
- Japan's new baby prince is officially named Hisahito. (CNN)
- Gunfire and explosions are reported near the U.S. embassy in Damascus, Syria, amid reports that the heavily fortified compound has been attacked by armed men. One Syrian guard was killed, and one Chinese diplomat was mildly injured. (The Times)(Reuters)
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| Current events of September 13, 2006 (2006-09-13) (Wednesday) |
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- The solar system's largest dwarf planet, designated until now as 2003 UB313, is officially named "Eris"; its satellite is now known as "Dysnomia".(SpaceRef)
- Andrei Kozlov, deputy chairman of Russia's Central Bank, dies hours after being shot. (International Herald Tribune)
- Dawson College in Montreal is the scene of a shooting, with preliminary reports indicating at least two killed (one being the gunman) and 20 injured. (CBC)
- Imam Zulqarnain Sakandar Madni, the spiritual leader of Norwegian Muslims, accuses the United States Government of masterminding the September 11 attacks and expresses doubt that Osama bin Laden exists, citing the online documentary Loose Change. The U.S. embassy in Oslo issues a statement condemning Madni for "spreading false stories to protect terrorists." Mohammad Hamdan, leader of the Islamic Council in Norway, says Madni's views must be put into context and that it is not important "who is behind it, but how we can fight terrorism and live together in peace." (Aftenposten)
- Belgian False Flag Terror arrests: Belgian justice denies Flemish TV VTM-s claims that the neo-Nazi group Bloed, Bodem, Eer en Trouw (BBET), close to the Flemish branch of Blood & Honour, was projecting false flag terrorist operations (although it does accuse the group, which included soldiers, of preparing bombings to "destabilize" the country, and prolonged detention of the suspects on September 12). VTM Flemish TV declared that BBET was preparing itself to kill Filip Dewinter, one of the leaders of the far right Flemish party Vlaams Belang, and to charge the Islamist movement for the assassination. In the ensuing confusion, they would have then assassinated Dyab Abou Jahjah, leader of the European Arab League (Le Soir, (French)Knack, (Dutch)).
- The main events leading up to the 61st Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group as part of Singapore 2006 commence in Singapore. (CNA)
- NATO members fail to respond to a call from military commanders for reinforcements to try to quell the Taliban insurgency in southern Afghanistan, an alliance spokesman said. (CNN)
- Sectarian violence in Iraq: The bodies of 65 tortured and executed Iraqi men have been found all over the city of Baghdad. (ABC)
- A Japanese economist and ex-professor at the graduate school of Waseda University Kazuhide Uekusa is arrested for molesting a high school girl on a train in Tokyo.(Japundit)
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- U.S. Senate committee approves a bill to give more rights to "terrorism" detainees. The White House and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agree that signing the bill into law would end a classified CIA interrogation program, which a recent Supreme Court ruling leaves on tenuous ground. (Chicago Sun-Times)
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