Portal:Current events/November 2008

Floods kill 24 people in Vietnam including 11 in the central province of Nghệ An. (BBC News)

Nineteen Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels are killed by Filipino military air strikes in the southern part of the island of Mindanao. (AFP via ABC)

A strong aftershock measuring 5.0 on the Richter magnitude scale hits southwestern Pakistan three days after it was struck by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. (AFP via ABC)

India's first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, transmits two pictures of the Earth while en route to the Moon. (The Hindu)

November 2, 2008 (Sunday)

Lewis Hamilton wins the 2008 Formula One Drivers' Championship, beating Felipe Massa by one point to become the youngest and first black Formula One World Champion in history. (Sky News)

Sébastien LoebofCitroën becomes the first World Rally Championship driver to become World Champion for the fifth consecutive time. (BBC News)

Rupiah Banda of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy is sworn in as PresidentofZambia after being elected on October 30. (Canadian Press via Google)^{[permanent dead link]}

November 3, 2008 (Monday)

A report issued by an independent investigator hired by the Alaska Personnel Board finds that Republican Vice Presidential candidate and Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin did not violate the law with regards to the so called "Troopergate scandal". However, a previous, separate legislative investigation concluded that she did abuse her office. (MSNBC)

ARATS president Chen Yunlin, the official delegation of the People's Republic of China, arrives in Taiwan for talks with SEF chairman Chiang Pin-kung. (CNN)

Itaú and Unibanco announce they will merge their banking, credit, and insurance operations, creating the largest financial services group in Brazil and the Southern Hemisphere. (Folha de S. Paulo)

The Bangladeshi government schedules general elections on December 18, 2008, which will end the rule of the one and half year military-backed interim government. (BBC News)

November 4, 2008 (Tuesday)

United States general elections:

Mexican Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mouriño dies along with at least 12 others after the airplane he was on crashes into rush-hour Mexico City traffic. (BBC News)

The Straits Exchange Foundation and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits sign four agreements for the Three Links across the Taiwan Strait, a major step in normalizing Cross-Strait relations. (CNN)

Democrat Barack Obama wins the 2008 United States presidential election after beating Republican John McCain, becoming the first African American to be elected to the office of President of the United States. (CNN)
The Democratic Party picks up at least five seats in the Senate and modestly expands control in the House of Representatives. (BBC News)

Australia Viewed wins the Melbourne Cup in a historic photo finish, followed by Bauer, second, and C'est la Guerre, third. (About.com)

Michael Crichton, author of several famous novels including Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and The Andromeda Strain, dies at age 66. (Gale Cengage Learning)

November 5, 2008 (Wednesday)

California Proposition 8, a referendum that amended the State Constitution, passes and defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, thus ending same-sex marriage in California. (Los Angeles Times)

In a continuation of the Kivu conflict, General Nkunda's forces capture Kiwanja, near Rutshuru in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after a two-day battle with the pro-government militias. (BBC News)

India's Gagan Narang wins a gold medal in the men's 10 metre air rifle event at the 2008 ISSF World Cup Final, breaking the world record. (IBNLive.com)

In his State of the Nation address, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announces a proposal to extend the presidential term from four years to six. (The New York Times)

PresidentofRussia Dmitry Medvedev announces that his country will place short-range conventional warhead missiles in Kaliningrad in order to counter United States missile defense facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic, however, he expressed hope that Russia–United States relations would be mended with the presidency of Barack Obama. (CBC)

November 6, 2008 (Thursday)

Lindsay Roy of the Scottish Labour Party wins the Glenrothes by-election despite concerns that his party may lose the seat to the Scottish National Party. (BBC News)

According to officials, an explosion kills at least 11 people aboard a minibus in the North Caucasus city of Vladikavkaz, Russia. (BBC News)

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is coronated as the fifth KingofBhutan, replacing his father Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who abdicated his power, making him the world's youngest monarch. (BBC News)

Tropical Storm Paloma, the 16th named storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, forms off the coast of Nicaragua with the potential to become a hurricane within 24 hours. (AP via Yahoo News)

Philosopher and academic Jean-Luc Marion is elected to become a member of the French Academy, replacing the late Jean-Marie Lustiger. (Académie française)

Johnson Toribiong is declared the winner of the Palauan presidential election and will succeed Thomas Remengesau Jr.asPresident. (Pacific Magazine)

November 7, 2008 (Friday)

Hurricane Paloma strengthens to Category 2 strength as it lashes the Cayman Islands. (AFP via Google News)

Adoctored photoofNorth Korean Kim Jong-il, released Wednesday, renews speculation about the leader's health. (BBC News)

A two-story schoolinPétion-Ville, Haiti, collapses with 500 students inside, killing at least 75 people. (Reuters)

Malaysian blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin is released from detention under the Internal Security Act after a court ruled that his detention was illegal. (BBC News)

PresidentofAfghanistan Hamid Karzai opens a new terminal at Kabul International Airport. (BBC News)

Unemployment in the United States reaches its highest rate in 14 years. (BBC News)

The Kivu conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues while the United Nations meets to discuss peace talks. (VOA)

November 8, 2008 (Saturday)

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with African leaders to discuss resolutions to the ongoing Kivu conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (CNN)

Acoalition consisting of the National Party, ACT and United Future wins a majority of seats in the Parliament of New Zealand, ending nine years of Labour Party-led rule. (The New Zealand Herald)

Hurricane Paloma reaches Category 4 strength near the Cayman Islands, with winds up to 140 mph (225 kph). (NHC)

November 9, 2008 (Sunday)

A total of €750 million of cocaine is seized off the coast of Ireland, in the largest such seizure in the country's history. (The Sunday Business Post)

The Latvian government effectively nationalizes the country's second-largest bank, Parex, acquiring a controlling 51% stake for the symbolic sum of just two lati.(Reuters)

The owner of the Haitian school that collapsed is arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter. (UPI)

An accident aboard K-152 Nerpa, a nuclear-powered Russian Navy submarine doing a test run in the Sea of Japan, kills more than 20 people. (Al Jazeera)

Huda bin Abdul Haq, Imam Samudra, and Amrozi bin Nurhasyim are executed by firing squadonKambangan IslandinIndonesia for their involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings. (BBC News)

Ananti-police riotinShenzhen, China involving 400 people, takes place after a police official threw a walkie-talkie at a motorcyclist causing his death. (AFP via Yahoo! News)

November 10, 2008 (Monday)

Reports surface that a United States nuclear weapon was lost somewhere in the ice after the January 21, 1968 crash of a B-52 Stratofortress outside Thule Air Base, Greenland. (BBC News)

Ryanair Flight 4102 is forced to make an emergency landing at Rome's Ciampino Airport after several birds were sucked into its engines as it prepared to land. (BBC News)

The United States government announces a second bailout of American International Group; the total value of the new plan, roughly US$150 billion, represents the largest government support package extended to a private company in US history.(MarketWatch)
American retail chain Circuit City files for protection from its creditors under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. (MarketWatch)
Sweden's Financial Supervisory Authority announces that it is revoking the banking licence of the struggling Carnegie Investment Bank. (Reuters)
Stocks gain worldwide after China announces a stimulus package involving US$586 billion to finance programs in 10 major domestic areas in the next two years. (CNN)

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi repeats a comment that United States President-elect Barack Obama is "young, handsome and also tanned," refusing to apologize for remarks he insisted are "flattering". (The Moscow Times)

India wins the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by defeating Australia 2-0 in the five-Test-match cricket series. (CricketNext.in)

An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 on Richter scale shakes western China's Qinghai province. (CNN)

November 11, 2008 (Tuesday)

2008 Russian financial crisis:

Peter EastgateofDenmark wins the 2008 World Series of Poker main event, the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship, winning over US$9.1 million. (ESPN)

The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 sets sail on her final voyage before she is refurbished and turned into a hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (BBC News)

Germany announces new charges against John Demjanjuk in the deaths of 29,000 people at the Sobibor extermination campinPoland during the Holocaust. (BBC News)

A Holocaust survivor group announces the abandonment of negotiations with the LDS Church over the latter's continued posthumous baptism of Jews killed in the Holocaust. (CNN)

Egypt's antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, announces the discovery of a 4,300-year-old pyramid belonging to Queen Sesheshet, mother of King Teti. (CNN)

Former President Chen Shui-bian of the Republic of China is arrested while the anti-corruption prosecutors have asked a three-judge panel to formally detain the former President. (CNN)

The Indian Navy foils an attempt by Somali pirates to hijack a merchant ship in Gulf of Aden. (The Indian Express)

Mohamed Nasheed is sworn in as the new President of the Maldives. (CNN)

Russian regulators halt trading on one of the country's two main stock indexes, the MICEX, after it fell 6.5%, dragged down by commodity and banking shares. (AP via Google News)^{[permanent dead link]}

November 12, 2008 (Wednesday)

2008 Russian financial crisis:

A judge in Taipei, Taiwan, rules that the former President Chen Shui-bian, should be held in jail while prosecutors seek his conviction on charges of money laundering and corruption. (The New York Times)

India's Chandrayaan-1 lunar exploration mission successfully completes its journey to the Moon, entering its intended operational orbit 100 km (62 mi) above the surface. (CNN-IBN)

Russia's two main stock exchanges are suspended for one hour after the market opened with a more than 10% decline in response to trends on global markets and falling oil prices. (Interfax via OnNet.pl Biznes)^{[permanent dead link]}
Trade in Russian shares has been shifting to London traded Global Depositary Receipts during frequent suspensions in Moscow, dictated by rules imposed by the regulator to reduce volatility on Moscow's increasingly illiquid stock market.(Forbes)

India successfully test fires the first Sagarika submarine-launched ballistic missile from a land-based launcher. (The Times of India)

North Korea announces that it will close its land border with South Korea on December 1, 2008. (BBC News)

November 13, 2008 (Thursday)

2008 Russian financial crisis:

Blizzard Entertainment launched the latest expansion pack to the highly popular computer game MMORPG World of Warcraft, entitled Wrath of the Lich King.

Josef Fritzl is charged with murder, rape and enslavement after allegedly sexually abusing and incarcerating his daughter in the cellar of his home, where one of the children she was forced to bear died due to lack of medical attention. (Reuters)

Three planets orbiting HR 8799 and one planet orbiting Fomalhaut are visually verified by telescopes, the first extrasolar planets whose existence have been confirmed via direct imaging. (CNN)

The Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange falls 5% as trade resumes after a one-day limit-down halt, prompting confusing suspension announcements and orders to the contrary from the Federal Financial Markets Service. (The Guardian)

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin questions the commitment of the European Union to the construction of the Nord Stream pipeline to establish a natural gas delivery network from his country to Europe. A European Commission spokesman responds, "The EU continues to strongly support the Nord Stream pipeline". (The Wall Street Journal)

November 14, 2008 (Friday)

At a summit in Nice, France, the European Union and Russia agree to refrain from deploying missilesormissile defense systems at least before mid-2009, when a pan-European security framework is discussed between Russia, the United States and the EU. (Xinhua)

General Ann E. Dunwoody becomes the first female four-star general in the history of the United States Army. (BBC News)

AnItalian court convicts 16 and acquits 13 police officers of beating protesters at the 2001 G8 summitinGenoa.(The Telegraph)

The Eurozone enters its first recession as the combined gross domestic product of the 15 members dropped 0.2% in the second and third quarters of 2008. (Sky News)

India's Chandrayaan-1 unmanned lunar exploration mission successfully lands the Moon Impact Probe on the south pole of the Moon. (The Times of India)

The Montecito Tea FireinCalifornia burns 2,500 acres and damages more than 100 homes and the campus of Westmont College. (Los Angeles Times)

An investigation concludes that wake turbulence is the most likely cause of the November 4, 2008, airplane crashinMexico City that killed, among others, Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño and José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos. (Reuters)

November 15, 2008 (Saturday)

Over 1 million people in 300 cities protest the passing of California's Proposition 8. (USAToday)

At least 12 miners die in mine explosionsinPetrila, Romania. (ABC)

The G20 meetsinWashington, D.C. to discuss responses to the current economic crisis. (BBC News)

Mission STS-126 commences with the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The spacecraft will deliver equipment required to increase the crew capacity of the International Space Station from three to six members. (NASA)

Israel shuts down Gaza border crossings after Qassam rockets are launched toward Israel in breach of an armistice. (ABC)

A fiery bus-truck collision in Burkina Faso kills at least 60 people. (CNN)

November 16, 2008 (Sunday)

Jimmie Johnson wins NASCAR's 2008 Sprint Cup Series championship, becoming the second driver to win three in a row. (The New York Times)

A7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Indonesia, kills two; a tsunami warning is issued, but later lifted. (CNN)

United States President-elect Barack Obama resigns his Senate seat. (The Washington Post)

November 17, 2008 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

The MVSirius Star, a Saudi-owned oil tanker, is captured off the coast of Somalia by pirates. This is the largest vessel to date to be hijacked by Somali pirates. (BBC News)

Business and economy

Global financial crisis of 2008:
- Citigroup will cut 75,000 jobs by early 2009. (BBC News)
- The Japanese economy posts consecutive second-quarter contraction for the first time since 2001, officially putting the country in a recession. (CNN-IBN)
- On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude oil futures contracts fall by 3.7% to close at $US54.95 per barrel, the lowest price in 22 months. (MarketWatch)
- 2008 Russian financial crisis: The Russian Trading System stock exchange is suspended after its nine indices fall by more than 5%. (Forbes)

November 18, 2008 (Tuesday)

Democrat Mark Begich defeats Republican incumbent Ted StevensinAlaska's highly contested Senate race. Begich will be the first Democratic senator representing the state in twenty-eight years. (AP via MSNBC)

Togiola Tulafonoisre-electedasGovernorofAmerican Samoa, easily defeating challenger Utu Abe Malae. (Pacific Magazine)

Takehiko Yamaguchi, a former Japanese Vice Minister for Health, and his wife are found stabbed to death in Saitama, a suburb of Tokyo. (BBC News)

Central European stocks drop to a three-week low on expectations of slowing economic growth. Poland forecasts economic growth to drop to 2.3% in 2009 from 5.4% in 2008 and the Warsaw Stock Exchange's WIG 20 index falls 3.5% in two hours. Bulgaria's Sofia Stock Exchange is at a five-year low. Both Bulgaria and Romania may need International Monetary Fund loans to repay US$100 billion of external debt. (Bloomberg)
HSBC Holdings announces 500 layoffsinHong Kong. (CNN-IBN)
Pepsi announces 3,000 layoffs in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. (CNN-IBN)
2008 Russian financial crisis: Trading will remain suspended at the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange for another two days or until the Federal Financial Markets Service instructs otherwise. (Forbes)^{[permanent dead link]}

2008 Nord-Kivu fighting: War crimes are reported in the Nord-Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after a ceasefire is broken and fighting resumes, leaving at least 100 civilians dead. (INSI)

November 19, 2008 (Wednesday)

The International Monetary Fund approves a US$2.1 billion rescue package for Iceland following its financial crisis. (The Wall Street Journal)

The Supreme CourtofCalifornia agrees to hear a challenge to Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state (Los Angeles Times)

The Supreme CourtofNepal approves foreign same-sex marriage for Nepalese citizens. (Hindustan Times)

Amnesty International's report on the 2008 South Ossetia war highlights Georgia's role as aggressor and notes evidence of "notoriously inaccurate" Georgian artillery fire resulting in "scores" of civilian deaths in South Ossetia, of aimed artillery fire at Russian peacekeepers base, and of Russian failure to provide defense to civilians during the conflict. (Amnesty International) (AP via CBS)

Piracy in Somalia:

The Indian Navy frigate INS Tabar destroys a pirate ship and forces the abandonment of another pirate vessel off the coast of Somalia. (BBC News)
The MVDelight, a Hong Kong cargo ship carrying 36,000 tons of wheat and 25 crew members is hijacked near Yemen's coast in the Gulf of Aden. (CNN)
AThai fishing ship with 16 crew members is hijacked off the coast of the Horn of Africa. (AsiaOne)

New Zealand and Australian researchers identify a new species of penguin, the Waitaha penguin (Megadyptes waitaha), which lived in New Zealand until its extinction 500 years ago. (AAP via Sydney Morning Herald)(Science Daily) (BBC)

John Key is officially sworn in as the Prime MinisterofNew ZealandbyGovernor-General Anand Satyanand. (AFP via Google News)

The first successful trachea transplant using a tissue-engineered organ is performed in Spain. (BBC News)

NASA successfully tests the first deep-space communications protocol to pave the way for Interplanetary Internet. (MSNBC)

November 20, 2008 (Thursday)

United States Attorney General Michael Mukasey collapses while giving a speech to the Federalist SocietyinWashington, D.C. (Politico)

The Swedish Parliament ratifies the Treaty of Lisbon. (Dagens Nyheter)

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter discovers evidence of enormous underground depositsofwater iceonMars; one such deposit, under Hellas Planitia, is estimated to be the size of Los Angeles. (NASA)

Automotive industry crisis: Executives of the top three U.S. automakers (Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Chrysler) testify before Congress for a bailout package. (AP via Google)
French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroën announces plans to cut 2,700 jobs due to falling demand in Europe. (BBC News)

At least one person is dead and twenty injured after a bomb is thrown into a People's Alliance for Democracy protest compound in Bangkok, Thailand. (ABC)

PiracyinSomalia:

The Russian Navy announces that it will deploy more warships in the Gulf of Aden to curb piracy. (AFP via Google)
The Indian Navy receives permission from the Somali government to enter its territorial waters in pursuit of pirates. (CNN-IBN)

Five Guantánamo Bay detainees who successfully argued Boumediene v. Bush before the Supreme Court are ordered freed by Judge Richard J. Leon of the District Court for Washington, D.C. (The New York Times)

November 21, 2008 (Friday)

Global and Russian financial crises:
- Construction of several skyscraper buildings in Russia (Norman Foster's Russia Tower, Gazprom's Okhta Center) are canceled due to lack of credit available during the global financial crisis. (The Guardian)

The 2010 Winter OlympicsinVancouver may be "facing challenges" as several corporate sponsors may stop financing the Olympics due to the crisis. The Russian government announces it will review spending on the 2014 Winter OlympicsinSochi, saying it had "set a target of saving some money". International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge says there is "no issue" of financing for the coming three Games: the 2010 Olympics, the 2012 Summer GamesinLondon, and the 2014 Winter Games; however, the organizers may need to "hold down the size" of the Games to cope with the global financial downturn. (The Globe and Mail) (The Guardian) (The Times)

Toyota cuts its Japanese temporary workforce by 50 percent from 6,000 to 3,000 due to falling automobile sales. (Bloomberg)

Burmese comedian Zarganar is sentenced to 45 years in prison for organising relief for victims of Cyclone Nargis. (AFP via Google News)

Confirmation of Neil Barofsky as special inspector general of the Troubled Assets Relief Program is delayed by an unnamed Republican United States Senator. (The Deal)^{[permanent dead link]}

According to unofficial sources, Hillary Clinton has agreed to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of State and Timothy F. Geithner as the next Secretary of the Treasury under the presidencyofBarack Obama. (The New York Times)

The U.S. National Intelligence Council predicts a major decline in U.S. economic, military, and political dominance over the next two decades (BBC News)

Malaysia bans the practice of yogabyMuslims. (BBC News)

South Africa changes to an open telecommunications market ending a long monopoly and duopoly environment as smaller independent service providers gain certainty on their rights to build network infrastructure. (FM Tech)

Regal Entertainment Group (RGC) stock shares reached one of its all time lows, selling for $7.45 USD.

November 22, 2008 (Saturday)

The governmentofColombia confirms that the eruption of Nevado del Huila, a volcano in southern Colombia, has led to at least 10 deaths in recent days and the evacuation of 12,000 people. (BBC)

The Kurdistan Workers Party claims responsibility for bombing an oil pipeline between Iraq and Turkey. (ABC News Australia)

Saudi Arabia's Royal Navy joins NATO's mission in combating piracyinSomalia. (Bloomberg)

New Zealand's national rugby league team defeats Australia's team 34 to 20 in the final of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. (IHT)

Studies reveal children in the Northern Hemisphere born in the autumn months have the highest rates of asthma, probably caused by winter viruses like RSV. (U.S. News & World Report) (AJRCCM study)

Zimbabwe refuses to grant visas for Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter and Graça Machel, who were traveling to the country on a humanitarian mission. (VOA News)^{[permanent dead link]}

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's annual summit opens in Lima, Peru, amid an ongoing economic crisis that is expected to lead discussions. (Reuters)

November 23, 2008 (Sunday)

Mario Fernando Hernández, a Liberal Party member of the Honduran National Congress, is shot dead in San Pedro Sula. (ABC News Australia)

Mahmoud Abbas is appointed as the President of the "State of Palestine" by the Central Council of the Palestinian National Authority. (BBC)

Human rights activists and opposition politicians in Russia's southern republicofIngushetia say that the predominantly Muslim region is now in a state of civil war. (BBC)

One person is killed and several injured in an apparent failed coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau, hours after the controversial results of the parliamentary election were announced where the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde won 67 of 100 seats. (BBC News)

The governmentofBurundi abolishes capital punishment and bans homosexuality. Genocide and war crimes are now recognized as illegal activities. (Gulf Times)

Scientists led by the University of Calgary are searching for the remains of a meteorite that is believed to have struck northern Canada, around the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan, overnight. (CBC)

Venezuelans go to the polls for regional elections. Allies of President Hugo Chávez win 17 of 21 governorships, but the opposition wins in the two biggest statesofMiranda and Zulia as well as the mayorship of Caracas. (Reuters), (BBC)

The Dalai Lama warns that he is losing confidence in Chinese officials and that the Tibetan people are facing "great danger". (AFP via Google News)

The Calgary Stampeders defeat the Montreal Alouettes 22-14 to win the 96th Grey Cup. (TSN)

The Columbus Crew defeat New York Red Bulls 3-1 to win MLS Cup 2008. (ESPN)

November 24, 2008 (Monday)

United States President-elect Barack Obama announces his Treasury team, which includes Timothy F. GeithnerasSecretary, Lawrence Summers as president of the National Economic Council, and Christina Romer as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. (BBC News) Obama is also expected to announce Peter R. Orszag as director of the Office of Management and Budget. (CNN)

United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown outlines plans to raise the income tax rate for the first time since 1975. (AP via Google News)

Flooding in the Southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina causes at least 45 deaths and forces the evacuation of 20,000 people. (BBC News)

Bangladesh's Electoral Commission reschedules the date for the general election from December 18toDecember 29. (BBC News)

Aftermath of the 2008 South Ossetia war:

Georgian Interior Ministry claims "shots were fired" at a convoy including Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Polish President Lech Kaczyński on the border of Georgia and South Ossetia. Several witnesses travelling with the convoy say they heard the automatic gunfire, though it was unclear from which direction it came. Polish Parliament spokesman later comments the incident was "not very serious at all", though "unfortunate" as it put the Polish president in an "awkward" situation.(CNN-IBN) (Washington Post) (Moscow Times)
Georgian Parliamentary hearing into the 2008 South Ossetia war marred by "angry exchanges" after the commission member, and a supporter of Mikeil Saakashvili, throws a pen at a high-ranking Georgian diplomat, a former close ally of Saakashvili, in response to his testimony that the "Georgian leadership started the military action first" during the conflict. (Reuters UK)

People's Alliance for Democracy protestors surround Thailand's National Assembly as part of a "final push" against the government. (AFP via The Melbourne Age)

Citigroup receives US$32 billion from the United States Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. (News.com.au)

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's annual summit ends in Lima, Peru, amid an ongoing economic crisis with a declaration of commitment with free markets and an openness of the economy, refrainment from raising trade barriers in goods and services over the next 12 months, the regulation and supervision of financial systems, and the ensuring of corporate social responsibility.

November 25, 2008 (Tuesday)

Reports indicate that President-elect Barack Obama has decided to keep Robert Gates as the United States Secretary of Defense and tap Marine General James L. JonesasNational Security Advisor. (USA Today)

The U.S. Federal Reserve announces a new US$800 billion "stimulus" package in which it will buy debt and mortgage-backed securities and make loans to holders of consumer debt (BBC News)

Armenia retains their championship title by beating China 2.5-1.5 in the 11th and final round at the 38th Chess OlympiadinDresden, Germany. (AP via Google News)

Three people are killed in a car bombing near the Udelnaya Metro station in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (AFP via Google News)

BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company, withdraws a $66 billion bid for the Rio Tinto Group due to the global financial crisis. (Bloomberg)

Israel again seals off the Gaza Strip in response to rocket attacks. (AFP via ABC News Australia)

About 10,000 protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy surround Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's temporary office at Don Mueang International AirportinBangkok, Thailand. (AFP via Google News)
Thousands of tourists are left stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport after protests against the return of the Prime Minister of Thailand from the APEC Peru 2008 summit. (Melbourne Herald-Sun)

November 26, 2008 (Wednesday)

The United Nations Security Council gave the green light to a plan by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the deployment of an EU civilian police and justice missioninKosovo.(Reuters)

The Czech constitutional court unanimously ruled that the disputed parts of the Lisbon Treaty are in line with the Czech Constitution.(Bloomberg)

Woolworths Group PLC agrees to put its chain of 815 stores in the United Kingdom and DVD distribution businesses into administration with 30,000 jobs at risk. (Times Online)

The European Union proposes a €200 billion stimulus package that will include already-spent money (BBC News) (WSJ) (IHT) (Al Jazeera)

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama announces that he will create a new "economic recovery board," headed by Paul Volcker, designed to provide "fresh perspective" on the current economic issues (CNN)

At least 80 people are dead and over 250 wounded in coordinated terrorist strikes across Mumbai, India. (The Times of India)

Vitaly Karayev, the mayor of Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia-AlaniainRussiaisassassinated. (BBC)

The People's Alliance for Democracy claims to be in complete control of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok's international airport. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Thai authorities evacuate thousands of passengers from Suvarnabhumi Airport. (ABC News Australia)
Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat rejects calls for election. BBC News adde

The Greenlandic self-government referendum passes with 75% approval. (BBC)

Edna Parker, the oldest living person in the world, died at age 115 in her hometown of Shelbyville, Indiana. (Shelbyville News) (BBC News)

November 27, 2008 (Thursday)

AnAirbus A320 owned by Air New Zealand with 7 people aboard crashes into the sea off the southern French coast during a training flight, exactly 29 years to the day (NZDT) after Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed in Antarctica. (CNN)

A Polish ABW secret service report says the shooting incident in Georgia involving Polish President Lech Kaczyński and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was most likely "a provocation" staged by the Georgians (The Warsaw Voice)

2008 Santa Catarina floods: The Brazilian federal government authorizes nearly 2 billion reais (881 million U.S. dollars) in emergency relief funds. (Reuters)

Russia and Brazil call for the first BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) summit of major emerging market countries in Russia to respond to the financial crisis in 2009. (Reuters)

Asuicide car bomb explodes near the United States embassyinKabul, Afghanistan, with at least one person dead. (AP via The New York Times)

An Australian soldier is killed and several injured in fighting in Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan. (Sydney Morning Herald)

The government declares a state of emergency over two airports. (BBC News) (BangkokPost.com)
The Criminal Court of Thailand throws out a defamation lawsuit brought by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra against the People's Alliance for Democracy. (Bangkok Post)
Thai companies, agencies and some schools send their employees/students home for security reasons and after the coup rumours. (Nation Multimedia)
People's Alliance for Democracy protesters close down Don Mueang International Airport a day after closing down Suvarnabhumi Airport, leaving Bangkok without any airports. (AFP via ABC) The international transferring is moved to the closest U-Tapao International Airport, but it will take more than one and a half hours to reach Bangkok by car. (Nation Multimedia)

November 28, 2008 (Friday)

Five people are arrested in France and Romania as a result of an investigation into the killing of Brahim Deby, a son of the President of Chad Idriss Deby. (AP via Google News)

Black Friday: As the Christmas shopping season begins in the United States, two are shot at a Toys R Us store in Palm Desert, California, and a Wal-Mart employee is crushed in a stampede after shoppers broke down a front door in Valley Stream, New York. (KABC)(Bloomberg)

November 2008 Mumbai attacks: Indian security forces attack a Jewish centre in Mumbai where gunmen are holding an unknown number of hostages. (BBC)

United Kingdom Conservative Party Shadow Minister Damian Green is arrested for alleged leaking of Government immigration statistics (BBC)

The Prime Minister of Thailand, Somchai Wongsawat, declares a state of emergency to allow police to clear Bangkok's two international airports of protesters. (Radio Australia)
The government deputy spokesman has announced that PM Somchai will still stay in Chiang Mai because of unsettled army situation and closure of the two airports in Bangkok. (Nation Multimedia)
People's Alliance for Democracy has prepared the third set of its leaders, in case its first and second set are arrested or assassinated, but have not announced the leaders' names yet. (Bangkok Post)
ASTV, a station that broadcast a People's Alliance for Democracy's demonstration is bombed with grenades and gunfire on early morning of Friday (GMT +7). (Nation Multimedia)
About 5,000 Muslim Haj pilgrims are unable to leave the airport to Mecca. (Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link]}

Canada faces a parliamentary crisis as the opposition Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois reject the policies in the Conservative minority government's "economic update." Following talks between the Liberals and NDP, plans are unveiled to hold a vote of no confidence and replace the Conservatives with a Liberal-NDP coalition. (Globe and Mail)

November 29, 2008 (Saturday)

November 2008 Mumbai attacks:

In an interview, U.S. President George W. Bush names No Child Left Behind as one of his most significant achievements and hopes to be remembered for the current situation in Iraq (ABC News)

Hundreds of people are reported to have been killed in the central Nigerian town of Jos after Christians and Muslims clashed over the result of a local election. (BBC)

2008 Thai political crisis: People's Alliance for Democracy protestors force the Royal Thai Police to abandon a checkpoint outside Suvarnabhumi Airport. (Reuters)

2008 Santa Catarina floods: The number of confirmed deaths rise to 105 people. (G1)

The death toll from the attacks rises to 160 with a further 327 people missing. (Melbourne Age)
The Mumbai terror attacks have finished with all militants at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower shot dead. (AFP, Reuters via News Limited)

The BlackSheeps win MGP Nordic 2008 held in Aarhus, Denmark. The BlackSheeps had a lead of 74 points at the end of voting. (Sveriges Television)

November 30, 2008 (Sunday)