May 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Look up May in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → 31 December 2005 (Saturday) 25-year-old Scottish human rights worker Kate Burton and her parents are freed unharmed in the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian gunmen who kidnapped them two days earlier. ... January 2006 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → 31 January 2006 (Tuesday) U.S. President George W. Bush delivers the State of the Union Address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate). ... February 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → 1 February 2006 (Wednesday) Governor of West Virginia Joe Manchin asks for a halt in coal mining following two more coal mining deaths in the state that saw fourteen people die in coal mining disasters in... March 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Events 1 March 2006 (Wednesday) Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase announces that the 2006 Fiji general elections will be held in the second week of May 2006 from the 6th to the 13th. ... April 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Events 1 April 2006 (Saturday) Marcos Pontes, Brazils first astronaut, reaches the International Space Station. ... June 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → June 1, 2006 (Thursday) Extraordinary renditions. ... July 2006 is the seventh month of that year. ... August 2006 is the eighth month of that year, and has yet to occur. ... September 2006 is the ninth month of 2006 and has yet to occur. ... October 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Template:October 2006 events Events by month 2006: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December 2005: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, 2004: January, February... November 2006 is the eleventh month of that year and has yet to occur. ... December 2006 is the twelfth and final month of that year and has yet to occur. ... It is proposed that this article be deleted, because of the following concern: Crystal ball, user has created future months and dates before, and been told not to (See User Talk:Jose and Ricardo). ...

May 30 is the 150th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (151st in leap years). ... Shohei Imamura (今村 昌平 Imamura Shōhei) (born 15 September 1926 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese film director. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... Paul Gleason on the cover of the February 1977 issue of Soap Opera Digest. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... Space Ghost, one of Toths most famous designs. ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... Édouard Michelin (August 13, 1963 - May 26, 2006), managing partner and CEO of the Michelin Group. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... Desmond Dekker (July 16, 1941 – May 25, 2006), was a Jamaican ska and reggae singer and songwriter. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... Lee Jong-wook (12 April 1945, Seoul, South Korea – 22 May 2006, Geneva), was the Director-General of the World Health Organization. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... Katherine Mary Dunham (22 June 1909 – 21 May 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, and songwriter who was trained as an anthropologist. ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... Album Cover Freddie and the Dreamers were a British musical band who had a number of hit records between May 1963 and November 1965. ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... Andrew Martinez reading the paper in a park in Berkeley, California. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... The Right Honourable Michael Eric Forth (born September 9, 1944, Glasgow) is the British Conservative Member of Parliament for Bromley & Chislehurst, having previously been Member of Parliament for Mid-Worcestershire from 1983 to 1997. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... Stanley Jasspon Kunitz (born July 29, 1905) is a noted American poet who served two years (1974–1976) as the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (a precursor to the modern Poet Laureate program), and served another year as United States Poet Laureate in 2000. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American heavyweight boxing champion who made history multiple times in the sport of boxing. ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... Alexandr Zinoviev Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Zinovyev (, alternative transliterations: Alexandre, Alexander, Zinoviev, Zinovyev); (September 29, 1922 – May 10, 2006), was a well-known Russian logician, sociologist, writer and satirist. ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... Soraya Raquel Lamilla Cuevas (March 11, 1969 – May 10, 2006) was a Colombian-American songwriter, guitarist, arranger, record producer, and singer. ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... Abraham Michael A.M. Rosenthal (May 2, 1922 – May 10, 2006), born in Sault Ste. ... May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... Richard Carleton Richard Carleton (born 1943 in Bowral, New South Wales, died 7 May 2006 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania) was an Australian television journalist most noted for his work on 60 Minutes. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... Naushad Ali (December 25, 1919 - May 5, 2006) was an Indiaan musician. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... Pramod Venkatesh Mahajan (प्रमोद वेंकटेश महाजन in Devanagari) (30 October 1949 – 3 May 2006) [1] was a prominent Indian politician. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... Earl Woods (March 5, 1932 – May 3, 2006) was a pioneering African-American athlete, a Green Beret lieutenant colonel, and the father of golfer Tiger Woods. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... Louis Richard Rukeyser (born January 30, 1933) is a U.S. business columnist, economic commentator, and newscaster. ...

May 1, 2006 (Monday)

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

May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (Chinese: 中国天主教爱国会, pinyin: Zhōngguó Tiānzhǔjiào Àiguó Huì), abbreviated CPA, CPCA, or CCPA, is a division of Beijings Religious Affairs Bureau, and has oversight over Chinas Catholics. ... Anhui (Chinese: 安徽; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: An-hui; Postal System Pinyin: Ngan-hui, Anhwei or An-hwei) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Joseph Ma Yinglin is the Catholic Bishop of Kunming, China. ... Yunnan (Simplified Chinese: 云南; Traditional Chinese: 雲南; Hanyu pinyin: ) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the far southwestern corner of the country. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals during a consistory. ... Joseph Zen Joseph Zen Ze-kiun (Traditional Chinese: 陳日君) (born January 13, 1932) is the bishop of Hong Kong. ... Gyanendra in royal dress Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (Nepali: ज्ञानेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाहदेव; Gyānendra Vīra Vikrama Śāhadeva) of Nepal (born July 7, 1947) has been the King of Nepal since June 4, 2001, when he succeeded to the throne upon the death of Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The position of Prime Minister of Nepal was created in 1799. ... Dr. Baburam Bhattarai (born 26 May 1954) is a Nepalese communist. ... The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) or CPN(M) is a Maoist political party and military organization founded in 1994 and led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal (referred to as Chairman Prachanda). It was formed following a split in the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre) and it used the name... List of Heads of State of Chad (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Affiliations:- See also:- Chad Heads of Government of Chad Colonial Heads of Chad lists of incumbents Categories: Lists of office-holders ... Time in Office 2 December 1990 – Present Predecessor Hissène Habré Date of Birth 1952 Place of Birth Fada, Chad Idriss Déby (born 1952) is the president of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. ... The 2006 Chad presidential election will take place on May 3. ... Donald Yamamoto is the current U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. ... The Government of Chad has been controlled by Idriss Déby and his Patriotic Salvation Movement since December 2, 1990, and officially since February 28, 1991. ... This article needs to be updated. ... The Bolivian Gas War was a social conflict in Bolivia centering around the exploitation of the countrys vast natural gas reserves. ... The President of Bolivia is the head of state of Bolivia. ... Juan Evo Morales Ayma (born October 26, 1959 in Orinoca, Oruro), popularly known as Evo (IPA: ), is the President of Bolivia, and is considered to be the countrys first indigenous head of state in over 450 years since the Spanish Conquest. ... Juan Evo Morales Ayma (born October 26, 1959 in Orinoca, Oruro), popularly known as Evo (IPA: ), is the President of Bolivia, and is considered to be the countrys first indigenous head of state in over 450 years since the Spanish Conquest. ... Many stoves use natural gas. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require rewriting and/or reformatting. ... The 2006 Puerto Rico budget crisis is a political, economic, and social crisis that saw much of the government of Puerto Rico shut down after it ran out of funds near the end of the 2005-2006 fiscal year. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The term public school has different (and in some cases contradictory) meanings due to regional differences. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation). ... Jammu and Kashmir (Kashmiri: جۄم تٕہ کٔشِیر ज्वम त॒ कॅशीर, Urdu:جموں و کشمیر, Hindi:जम्मू और कश्मीर) (often abbreviated as Kashmir), is the northern-most state of Republic of India, lying mostly in the Himalayan mountains. ... Rewrite of the Islamism article This page and Islam as a political movement were proposed (by whom?) as a replacement for Islamism which is disputed. ... The country of Sudan The Darfur conflict is an ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, mainly between the Janjaweed, a militia group recruited from local Baggara tribes, and the non-Baggara peoples (mostly tribes of small farmers) of the region. ... Anthem: Let us all unite and celebrate together Capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Membership 53 member states Official languages The African languages, as well as Arabic, Swahili, English, French and Portuguese Formation - As OAU - As AU - May 25, 1963 - July 9, 2002 Chairman of the African Union Denis Sassou-Nguesso Chairman... Location of Beaconsfield The Beaconsfield mine collapse occurred on April 25, 2006 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia. ... Location of Beaconsfield Beaconsfield is a town near the Tamar River, in the north-east of Tasmania, Australia. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... A flyer for the May 1st, 2006 Great American Boycott events in Los Angeles, California. ... A man holds up a street puppet designed to resemble George W. Bush at a demonstration against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on April 16, 2005 in Washington, D.C.. American Civil Rights March on Washington, leaders marching from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, August 28... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated in May and a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. ... The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is an ongoing conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and a minority terrorist group consisting of Ethnic Sri Lankan Tamils on the island-nation of Sri Lanka. ... Batticaloa (மட்டக்களப்பு in Tamil, මඩකලපුව in Sinhala) was the provincial capital of the eastern province of Sri Lanka, but now both northern and eastern provinces have merged and Trincomalee has been declared as the provincial capital of the north-east province. ... LTTE is an acronym or initialism for: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Known for their guerilla warfare forcibly killing every other independent groups aiming for seperate state. ... Karuna Amman was the second highest commanding officer of the LTTE who broke away due to Tigers attacks on civilians in Batticaloa, corruption within LTTE and the recruitment of child soldiers. ... Parts of the M18A1 Claymore The M18A1 Claymore Antipersonnel Mine is a weapon often used by many countries around the world, named after the large Scottish sword, by the inventor, Norman A. MacLeod. ... The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, pronounced L-T-T), also known as the Tamil Tigers, is the main Tamil anti-government organization operating in Sri Lanka. ... Bay of Trincomalee (View from Temple) Trincomalee North East city of Sri Lanka. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, pronounced L-T-T), also known as the Tamil Tigers, is the main Tamil anti-government organization operating in Sri Lanka. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Bay of Trincomalee (View from Temple) Trincomalee North East city of Sri Lanka. ... The location of the Jilin Province of China. ... Jilin City (Chinese: 吉林市; Pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city located in Jilin Province in China. ... The Amur River (Russian: Амур; Simplified Chinese: 黑龙江; Traditional Chinese: 黑龍江; Hanyu Pinyin: , or Black Dragon River; Mongolian: Хара-Мурэн, Khara-Muren or Black River; Manchu: Sahaliyan Ula, literal meaning Black River) is one of the world’s ten longest rivers, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Manchuria in China. ... Location of the Songhua River is in dark blue. ... Khabarovsk Bridge (1916) used to be the longest in Imperial Russia and Eurasia. ... Far Eastern Federal District (highlighted in red) Russian Far East (Russian: Д́альний Вост́ок Росс́ии; English transliteration: Dalny Vostok Rossii) is an informal term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i. ...

May 2, 2006 (Tuesday)

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

May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 24 is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... (born 29 September 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... The President of the Italian Republic is the head of State of Italy, and represents national unity. ... Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (born 9 December 1920 in Livorno) is an Italian politician and banker who has been both Prime Minister of Italy and President of the Italian Republic. ... (born 9 August 1939) is a centre-left Italian politician. ... A general election for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy was held on April 9 and April 10, 2006. ... The President of Bolivia is the head of state of Bolivia. ... Juan Evo Morales Ayma (born October 26, 1959 in Orinoca, Oruro), popularly known as Evo (IPA: ), is the President of Bolivia, and is considered to be the countrys first indigenous head of state in over 450 years since the Spanish Conquest. ... The Bolivian Gas War was a social conflict in Bolivia centering around the exploitation of the countrys vast natural gas reserves. ... Nationalization or nationalisation is the act of taking assets into state ownership. ... Many stoves use natural gas. ... A decidous beech forest in Slovenia. ... Chuquicamata, the largest open pit copper mine in the world, Chile. ... Self Portrait with Skeleton Arm, 1895 Edvard Munch [IPA: ɛdvɒ:rt mʏnx] (December 12, 1863 – January 23, 1944) was a Norwegian expressionist painter and printmaker. ... An agonized figure wails against a blood red Oslofjord skyline in Edvard Munchs The Scream (1893), National Gallery, Oslo. ... Edvard Munchs Madonna Madonna is a famous painting by the Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch. ...

May 3, 2006 (Wednesday)

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

May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Frente del Pueblo en Defensa de La Tierra or Peoples Front in Defense of Land, was formed in 2002, by residents of San Salvador Atenco, to resist their forced displacement by the government of Mexico, to make way for a new Mexico City Airport. ... San Salvador Atenco is the Municipal seat of Atenco, in the Mexican state of Mexico. ... Texcoco is a city in México State, Mexico, located to the east of Mexico City at 19. ... Protestors in San Salvador Atenco. ... It has been suggested that Tegel be merged into this article or section. ... The Nepal Civil War, a conflict between Maoist rebels and the government of Nepal, was launched by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on February 13, 1996. ... An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. ... The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) or CPN(M) is a Maoist political party and military organization founded in 1994 and led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal (referred to as Chairman Prachanda). It was formed following a split in the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre) and it used the name... Armavia Flight 967 was a flight operated by Armavia, the largest international airline of Armenia on May 3, 2006, from Yerevan in Armenia to Sochi, a Black Sea coastal resort city in Russia which has had an Armenian guest worker population. ... The Airbus A320 is a short-to-medium range commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by Airbus. ... The Armavia Airbus A320 crashed in the Black Sea Armavia (Ô±Ö€Õ´Õ¡Õ¾Õ«Õ¡) is currently the largest airline in Armenia operating international flights out of its main base at Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan, Armenia. ... Map of the Black Sea. ... Located at Adler, disctrict of Sochi, Russia. ... Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo (Persian: رامین جهانبگلو , born 1961 in Tehran) is an Iranian political philosopher and a university professor. ... The 2006 Chad presidential election will take place on May 3. ... Men turning out to vote in the Australian 1899 Federation referendum. ... List of Heads of State of Chad (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Affiliations:- See also:- Chad Heads of Government of Chad Colonial Heads of Chad lists of incumbents Categories: Lists of office-holders ... Idriss Déby (born 1952) is the president of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. ...

May 4, 2006 (Thursday)

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

May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Protestors in San Salvador Atenco. ... San Salvador Atenco is the Municipal seat of Atenco, in the Mexican state of Mexico. ... -1... List of Prime Ministers of the Solomon Islands Categories: | ... Snyder Rini (born July 17, 1949) was the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands for eight days during April 2006. ... The Cabinet of Israel is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen and led by a Prime Minister. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Ehud Olmert (IPA ; Hebrew: אהוד אולמרט; born September 30, 1945) is the 12th and current Prime Minister of Israel. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with President of the United States oath of office. ... A tsunami warning system is a system to detect tsunamis and issue warnings to prevent loss of life. ... The moment magnitude scale was introduced in 1979 by Tom Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori as a successor to the Richter scale and is used by seismologists to compare the energy released by earthquakes. ... The 2006 Tonga earthquake occurred on 4 May 2006 at 4:26 local time ( May 3, 2006 at 15:26 UTC). ... The tsunami that struck Malé in the Maldives on December 26, 2004. ... Young Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (October 25, 1881 – April 8, 1973) was a Spanish painter and sculptor. ... Dora Maar au Chat by Pablo Picasso, 1941 Dora Maar au Chat (Dora Maar with Cat) is a 1941 painting by Pablo Picasso. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... This is a list of the highest prices paid for paintings. ... Yang Berhormat Dato Shahrir Abdul Samad is a member of Parliament in Malaysia, and the chairman of the Barisan Nasional Back-Benchers Club. ... Barisan Nasional (National Front or BN) is a political coalition in Malaysia. ... The Houses of Parliament in Kuala Lumpur. ... The Parliament of Malaysia consists of the lower house (Dewan Rakyat or literally Peoples Hall, in Malay) and upper house (Dewan Negara or Nations Hall in Malay). ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield. ... The Labour Party has, since the early twentieth century, been the principal left wing political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... Local government elections took place in England (only) on Thursday May 4, 2006. ...

May 5, 2006 (Friday)

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

May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cloud seeding, also known as weather modification, is the attempt to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls out of clouds, or their structure, by dispersing substances into the air which allow water droplets or ice crystals to form more easily. ... Beijing (Chinese: ; pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng; ; IPA: ), a city in northern China (formerly spelled in English as Peking or Peiking), is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Avian influenza (also known as bird flu) is a type of influenza virulent in birds. ... Qinghai (Chinese: 青海; pinyin: Qīnghǎi; Wade-Giles: Ching-hai; Postal System Pinyin: Tsinghai) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, named after the enormous Qinghai Lake (Koko Nor). ... The country of Sudan The Darfur conflict is an ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, mainly between the Janjaweed, a militia group recruited from local Baggara tribes, and the non-Baggara peoples (mostly tribes of small farmers) of the region. ... The Alliance of Revolutionary Forces of West Sudan was formed on January 20, 2006, when the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement merged to form a single rebel alliance in the Sudanese region of Darfur. ... Abuja, estimated population 2,5 Mil. ... Porter Goss Porter Johnston Goss (born November 26, 1938) is an American politician and the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency . ... Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) serves as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which is part of the United States Intelligence Community. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... CIA redirects here. ... The Labour Party has, since the early twentieth century, been the principal left wing political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... Local government elections took place in England (only) on Thursday May 4, 2006. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the head of Her Majestys Government and so exercises many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield. ... In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen by the Prime Minister. ... In the parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a Head of Government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in his or her cabinet. ... Following poor results for the Labour Party in the May 4, 2006 local elections in England, British Prime Minister Tony Blair held a Cabinet reshuffle on May 5. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department, known as the Home Secretary, is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order (except in Scotland). ... The Rt Hon. ... The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ... John Whitaker Jack Straw M.P. (born August 3, 1946, Buckhurst Hill) is a British Labour Party politician. ... John Leslie Prescott (born May 31, 1938) is a British Labour Party politician who is Deputy Prime Minister, First Secretary of State and Member of Parliament (MP) for Hull East. ...

May 6, 2006 (Saturday)

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

May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ordination is the process in which clergy become authorized by their religious denomination and/or seminary to perform religious rituals and ceremonies. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Beijing (Chinese: ; pinyin: Běijīng; ; IPA: ), a city in northern China (formerly spelled in English as Peking or Peiking), is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... A defence minister (Commonwealth English) or defense minister (American English) is a cabinet portfolio (position) which regulates the armed forces in a sovereign nation. ... This article needs to be updated. ... Grant William McLennan (12 February 1958 – 6 May 2006) was an Australian singer-songwriter with the independent band The Go-Betweens, which he co-founded with Robert Forster in Brisbane, Australia in 1977. ... The Go-Betweens in 2005: Robert Forster and Grant McLennan (background) The Go-Betweens were an internationally influential indie rock band from Australia, formed by guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan in Brisbane in 1977. ... Brisbane () is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Party logo with a symbol of red lightning that signifies action. ... The 2006 Singapore parliamentary general election was held on May 6, 2006. ... Legend of the Seas moored at San Diego, California A cruise ship, or less commonly cruise liner, is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the amenities of the ship are considered an essential part of the experience. ... Calypso is a cruise liner owned by Louis Cruise Lines. ... Tilbury is located on the north bank of the River Thames, in the borough of Thurrock in England, at the point where the river suddenly narrows to about 800 yards/740 metres in width. ... This is a map of Guernsey. ... // Eastbourne is a medium-sized town in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, with a population, according to the 2001 Census, of around 90,000. ... A crew comprises a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. ... For the 1944 movie, see Lifeboat (film). ... For the 1944 movie, see Lifeboat (film). ... For other uses, please see Satellite (disambiguation) A satellite is an object that orbits another object (known as its primary). ... Bulk composition of the moons mantle and crust estimated, weight percent Oxygen 42. ... Physiognomy (Gk. ...

May 7, 2006 (Sunday)

• A disgruntled bus driver goes on a rampage in Dublin, Ireland, smashing through stopped and on-coming vehicles as he drives through streets, across tram lines and up the wrong side of a dual-carriageway. One woman is killed and 13 people more injured, including five Gardaí (Irish Police). Armed Gardaí open fire on three occasions to try and stop the bus. (RTÉ News)
• United States President George W. Bush announces his support for closing Guantanamo Bay detention center. (Reuters)
• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatens to pull Iran out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the United States and the EU 3 do not accept Iran's nuclear program. (CNN)
• Arsenal F.C. play their last game at Highbury, or Arsenal Stadium. They have played there for 93 years (BBC).
• Gloucester,MA and other coastal cities were flooded after a long rain since Saturday,May 6.

May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bus Driver was a superhero who inhabited the lands of Minneapolis (Books 1-3), and Baltimore (Book 4: The Grand Finale). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Luas (Irish for speed), also promoted in the development stage as the Dublin Light Rail System, currently encompasses two unconnected on-street light rail lines in Dublin, Ireland. ... A dual carriageway or divided highway is a road or highway in which the two directions of traffic are separated by a central barrier or strip of land, known as a central reservation or median. ... A member of the motorcycle unit of the Garda Síochána. ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American businessman and politician, was elected in 2000 as the 43rd President of the United States of America, re-elected in 2004, and is currently serving his second term in that office. ... Detainees upon arrival at Camp X-Ray, January 2002 Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, serving as a joint military prison and interrogation center ( Joint Task Force Guantanamo: JTF-GTMO), has occupied a portion of the United States Navys base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2002. ... Mohammad Khatami, Irans president, 1997-2005. ... (IPA [mæhʼmud æhmædineʼʒɒd]), sometimes also transcribed into English as Mahmud, Mahmood, Ahmadinezhad, Ahmadi-Nejad, Ahmadi Nejad (Persian: ; born October 28, 1956), is the sixth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. ... The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a treaty, opened for signature on July 1, 1968, restricting the possession of nuclear weapons. ... This article is about Irans civilian nuclear program. ... Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in north London. ... Highbury Clock is located just north of Highbury Fields, near the junction of Highbury Barn and Highbury Hill. ... Arsenal Stadium has been the home ground of Arsenal Football Club since 1913. ... A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ... Rain falling For other uses see Rain (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ...

May 8, 2006 (Monday)

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

May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Deputy President of South Africa is appointed by the President of South Africa. ... Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (born Inkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 12 April 1942) is a former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and current deputy president of the governing political party, the African National Congress (ANC). ... Human immunodeficiency virus (commonly known as HIV, and formerly known as HTLV-III and lymphadenopathy-associated virus) is a retrovirus that is the cause of the disease known as AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, a syndrome where the immune system begins to fail, leading to many life-threatening opportunistic infections. ... Mohammad Khatami, Irans president, 1997-2005. ... (IPA [mæhʼmud æhmædineʼʒɒd]), sometimes also transcribed into English as Mahmud, Mahmood, Ahmadinezhad, Ahmadi-Nejad, Ahmadi Nejad (Persian: ; born October 28, 1956), is the sixth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. ... The presidential seal was used by President Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American businessman and politician, was elected in 2000 as the 43rd President of the United States of America, re-elected in 2004, and is currently serving his second term in that office. ... On May 2, 2006, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy Fausto Bertinotti, in agreement with Senate Speaker Franco Marini, convoked the two houses of the Italian Parliament, integrated with a number of Grand Electors appointed by the 20 Italian regions, in a common session on May 8... Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (born 9 December 1920 in Livorno) is an Italian politician and banker who has been both Prime Minister of Italy and President of the Italian Republic. ... The President of the Italian Republic is the head of State of Italy, and represents national unity. ... Gianni Letta (born April 15, 1935 in Avezzano) is an Italian politician, member of the Forza Italia party. ... London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom, and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... Apple Computer, Inc. ... Between 1978 and 2006 there have been a number of legal disputes between Apple Corps (owned by The Beatles) and the computer manufacturer Apple Computer over competing trademark rights. ... The Beatles were an English Rock n Roll group from Liverpool, who continue to be held in the very highest regard for their artistic achievements, their huge commercial success, and their ground-breaking role in the history of popular music. ... Apple Records logo, featuring a Granny Smith apple. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...

May 9, 2006 (Tuesday)

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

May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ruth Maria Kelly (born 9 May 1968) is a British politician of Irish descent. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... For other uses, see Opus Dei (disambiguation). ... The word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings over time. ... The Islamic Courts is the name given to a loose band of militias operating in Somalia. ... The Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) is a Somali alliance made by powerfull warlords and businesspeople, while some of them were ministers in the transitional federal government of Somalia. ... Motto: None Anthem: Somalian National Anthem Capital Mogadishu Largest city Mogadishu Official language(s) Somali, Arabic, Italian (as a language of administration) Government Transitional Government  - President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed  - Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi Independence From United Kingdom, Italy   - Date July 1, 1960  Area    - Total 637,657 km² (41st)   246... Mogadishus location in Somalia Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho, popularly Xamar; Arabic: ‎ ; Italian: ), is the largest city in Somalia, and its nominal capital. ... A trade fair (or trade show) is an exhibition organised so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their new products and services. ... This article is about computer and video games. ... E³ logo The Electronic Entertainment Expo (or Exposition), commonly known as E³ or E3, is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Location of Beaconsfield The Beaconsfield mine collapse occurred on April 25, 2006 in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia. ... The Riigikogu is the legislative assembly of Estonia. ... The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, commonly referred to as the European Constitution, is an international treaty intended to create a constitution for the European Union. ... // The flag of the Council of Europe and the European Union. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and former lifetime senator, is the President of the Italian Republic. ... On May 2, 2006, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy Fausto Bertinotti, in agreement with Senate Speaker Franco Marini, convoked the two houses of the Italian Parliament, integrated with a number of Grand Electors appointed by the 20 Italian regions, in a common session on May 8... The President of the Italian Republic is the head of State of Italy, and represents national unity. ...

May 10, 2006 (Wednesday)

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

May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... The Sino-Soviet split was a major diplomatic conflict between the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), beginning in the late 1950s, reaching a peak in 1969 and continuing in various ways until the late 1980s. ... The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is charged under the law with overseeing open market operations, the principal tool of US national monetary policy. ... The Federal Reserve System is headquartered in the Eccles Building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. The Federal Reserve System (also the Federal Reserve; informally The Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. ... The federal funds rate is the interest rate at which depository institutions lend balances (federal funds) at the Federal Reserve to other depository institutions overnight. ...

May 11, 2006 (Thursday)

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

May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mogadishus location in Somalia Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho, popularly Xamar; Arabic: ‎ ; Italian: ), is the largest city in Somalia, and its nominal capital. ... Warlord is a term that refers to one who has de facto military control of a subnational area, due to armed forces which are personally obedient to — somewhat circularly — that warlord. ... Islamism is a political ideology derived from the conservative religious views of Muslim fundamentalism. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... A death toll is the number of dead as a result of war, violence, accident, natural disaster, extreme weather, or disease. ... A grizzly-polar bear hybrid is a rare ursid hybrid that has occurred both in captivity and in the wild. ... Banks Island, Northwest Territories. ... Motto: None Official languages Dene Suline, Cree, Dogrib, English, French, Gwichʼin, Inuktitut, Slavey Flower Mountain avens Capital Yellowknife Largest city Yellowknife Commissioner Tony Whitford Premier Joe Handley (Consensus government - no party affiliations) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 1 1 Area Total  - Land  - Water    (% of total)  Ranked 3rd 1... Baidu Baike (Chinese: 百度百科; Pinyin: bÇŽidù bÇŽikÄ“) is a Chinese collaborative online encyclopedia hosted by the major Chinese search engine Baidu. ... Brockhaus Konversations-Lexikon, 1902 An encyclopedia or encyclopaedia, also (rarely) encyclopædia,[1] is a comprehensive written compendium that contains information on all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge. ... Baidu (百度) (NASDAQ: BIDU) is a popular Chinese search engine. ... Wikipedia (IPA: , or , else ) is an international Web-based free-content encyclopedia project. ... The Rhodesia Herald of September 21, 1966. ... The blocking of Wikipedia in mainland China is a series of denials of access, which the Peoples Republic of China and internet service providers (ISPs) located in mainland China have imposed against Wikipedia and its parent foundation, Wikimedia. ... Proxy may refer to something which acts on behalf of something else as in: Proxy democracy, a bottom-up democracy or delegative democracy Proxy server, a computer network service that allows clients to make indirect network connections to other network services Proxy pattern, a software design pattern in computer programming... Image:Security Agency seal. ... The NSA call database is a reported database of telephone calls created by the United States National Security Agency (NSA) with the cooperation of four of the largest telephone carriers in the United States: AT&T, SBC, Verizon and BellSouth. ... AT&T Inc. ... This article or section should include material from Bell Atlantic This article or section should include material from GTE Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is a local exchange telephone company formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic, a former Bell Operating Company, and GTE, which was the largest independant local exchange... BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS) is a U.S. telecommunications company based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... Qwest Communications International Inc. ... In law, a warrant can mean any authorization. ... Ernest Lee Fletcher (born November 12, 1952) has served as governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky since 2003. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... Official language(s) English Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Tamil Nadu The Tamil Nadu state assembly election of 2006, part of a series of state assembly elections in 2006, took place on May 8, 2006 in 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu, India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

May 12, 2006 (Friday)

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

May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (133rd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Ethiopia highlighting Addis Ababa (in red). ... On May 12, 2006, an oil pipeline ruptured outside Lagos, Nigeria. ... Cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of an original. ... The physicist Albert Einstein is probably historys most widely recognized scientist. ... Hwang Woo-Suk (황우석) (born 29 January 1953) is a South Korean biomedical scientist. ... In the common law legal system, an indictment is a formal charge of having committed a serious criminal offence. ... Bioethics is the ethics of biological science and medicine. ... A scandal is a widely publicized incident involving allegations of wrong-doing, disgrace, or moral outrage. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells. ... Yoweri Kaguta Museveni became President of Uganda on January 29, 1986. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with President of the United States oath of office. ... The President of Uganda is the head of state in Uganda. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the federal criminal investigative and intelligence agency, which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Kyle Dustin Dusty Foggo (born March 17, 1954) is an American spy who was the Executive Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the third-ranking official in that organization. ... CIA redirects here. ... World map of the Corruption Perceptions Index In broad terms, political corruption is the misuse of public (governmental) power for illegitimate, usually secret, private advantage. ... Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy with the goal of influencing a governing body, in order to ensure that an individuals or organizations point of view is represented in the government. ... Brent R. Wilkes (May 1954–) is a defense contractor, who became well known for his involvement with the Duke Cunningham defense contracting scandal. ... Randy Duke Cunningham speaking January 2005 Randall Harold Cunningham (born December 8, 1941), usually known as Randy or Duck, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Californias 50th Congressional District. ... Justin Gatlin (born February 10, 1982) is an American sprinter. ... 100 m is the classic sprints race distance. ...

May 13, 2006 (Saturday)

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

May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... On 31 December 2003, Khaled el-Masri, a German of Lebanese descent, was detained by Macedonian agents in Skopje, Macedonia. ... Extraordinary rendition is an American extra-judicial procedure which involves the sending of untried criminal suspects, generally suspected terrorists or alleged supporters of groups which the US Government considers to be terrorist organizations, to countries other than the United States for imprisonment and interrogation[1]. According to Swiss councillor Dick... Torture is any act by which severe pain, whether physical or psychological, is intentionally inflicted on a person as a means of intimidation, deterrence, revenge, punishment, or information gathering. ... In litigation, a dismissal the result of a successful motion to dismiss. ... The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a committee of Swiss nationals and probably will be so as long as the ICRC exists. ... The Geneva Conventions consist of treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland that set the standards for international law for humanitarian concerns. ... Lowest pressure 910 mbar (hPa) Damages $482 million (2006 USD) Fatalities 93 direct Areas affected Philippines, Taiwan, southeast China, Japan Part of the 2006 Pacific typhoon season Super Typhoon Chanchu (named Super Typhoon Caloy by PAGASA) was the second tropical storm, first typhoon, and first super typhoon of the 2006... Hurricane Charley making landfall on August 13, 2004 at its peak intensity. ... Masbate is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. ... The United Front for Democratic Change (officially abbreviated as F.U.C.) is the largest Chadian rebel alliance, made up of eight individual rebel groups, all with the goals of overthrowing the government of current Chadian President Idriss Deby and after a two-year period, holding free and internationally monitored... The Government of Chad has been controlled by Idriss Déby and his Patriotic Salvation Movement since December 2, 1990, and officially since February 28, 1991. ... The Alliance of Revolutionary Forces of West Sudan was formed on January 20, 2006, when the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement merged to form a single rebel alliance in the Sudanese region of Darfur. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require rewriting and/or reformatting. ... Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ... Darfur (Arabic دار فور, meaning home of the Fur) is a region of far western Sudan, bordering the Central African Republic, Libya, and Chad. ... The Janjaweed (Arabic: جنجويد, variously transliterated Janjawid, Janjawed, Jingaweit, Jinjaweed, Janjawiid, Janjiwid,etc. ... George Seitz (born 1941 in Novi Slankamen, Serbia and Montenegro) is a Labor Member of the Legislative Assembly in Victoria, Australia. ... The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ... The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of Victoria in Australia. ... Emblems: Pink heath (floral) helmeted honeyeater (bird) Leadbeaters possum (faunal) Motto: Peace and Prosperity Slogan or Nickname: Garden State, The Place To Be, On The Move Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Government Governor Premier Const. ... In Australian politics, branch stacking is the act of enrolling persons to a party by offering inducement, or enrolling persons for the principal purpose of influencing the outcome of internal pre-selections of candidates for public office. ... Smoking Bromo and Semeru (background) volcanoes on Java in Indonesia. ... Mount Merapi, Gunung Merapi in Indonesian language, is a conical volcano in Central Java, Indonesia. ...

May 14, 2006 (Sunday)

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

May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip are at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ×”×”×’× ×” לישראל , [Army] Force for the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated with the Hebrew acronym צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces, comprising the Israeli Army, the Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Navy. ... Islamic Jihad (Arabic: ‎, Harakat al-Jihad al-Islami) is a terrorist Islamist group based in the Syrian capital, Damascus. ... Jenin (Arabic: , Hebrew: גנין), a city on the West Bank, is a major Palestinian agricultural center. ... It has been suggested that Female suicide bomber be merged into this article or section. ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ההגנה לישראל Tsva Ha-Haganah Le-Yisrael ([Army] Force [for] the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces (army, air force and navy). ... Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is an explosive. ... // In politics The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... List of Heads of State of Chad (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Affiliations:- See also:- Chad Heads of Government of Chad Colonial Heads of Chad lists of incumbents Categories: Lists of office-holders ... Time in Office 2 December 1990 – Present Predecessor Hissène Habré Date of Birth 1952 Place of Birth Fada, Chad Idriss Déby (born 1952) is the president of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. ... The 2006 Chad presidential election will take place on May 3. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC; Portuguese for First Command of the Capital; IPA pronunciation: []) is a Brazilian prison gang-turned-criminal organization founded in 1993 by inmates of Taubaté prison in São Paulo. ... Mount Merapi, Gunung Merapi in Indonesian language, is a conical volcano in Central Java, Indonesia. ... Map of Central Java province within Indonesia Central Java (Indonesian: Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia. ... Diamond Head, a well-known backdrop to Waikiki in Hawaii, is an ash cone that solidified into tuff Volcanic ash is the term for very fine rock and mineral particles less than 2 mm in diameter that are ejected from a volcanic vent. ... Look up lava, Aa, pahoehoe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Smoking Bromo and Semeru (background) volcanoes on Java in Indonesia. ... Emergency evacuation is the movement of persons from a dangerous place due to the threat or occurrence of a disastrous event. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield. ... Filmed by PETA, Covance primate-testing lab, Vienna, Virginia, 2004-5. ... Kermanshah (Kurdish: KirmaÅŸan, Persian: کرمانشاه,) is the capital of Kermanshah Province of Iran. ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... Species Alligator mississippiensis Alligator sinensis An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. ... This is a list of fatal alligator attacks that occurred in the United States by decade in reverse chronological order. ... A state of the United States (a U.S. state) is any one of the fifty states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, along with the District of Columbia, form the United States of America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,794 sq mi (170,451 km²)  - Width 162 miles (260 km)  - Length 497 miles (800 km)  - % water 17. ...

May 15, 2006 (Monday)

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

May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American businessman and politician, was elected in 2000 as the 43rd President of the United States of America, re-elected in 2004, and is currently serving his second term in that office. ... On May 15, 2006, United States President George W. Bush gave a speech on immigration reform, proposing to send 6,000 National Guard troops to the United States-Mexican border. ... Mount Merapi is a mountain in Central Java, Indonesia. ... Mount Merapi is a mountain in Central Java, Indonesia. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... The U.S. list of state sponsors of international terrorism is a list complied by the U.S. State Department of countries that the United States sees as sponsoring terrorism. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and former lifetime senator, is the President of the Italian Republic. ... The President of the Italian Republic is the head of State of Italy, and represents national unity. ... On May 2, 2006, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy Fausto Bertinotti, in agreement with Senate Speaker Franco Marini, convened the two houses of the Italian Parliament, integrated with a number of Grand Electors appointed by the 20 Italian regions, in a common session on May 8... A political faction is presently an informal grouping of individuals, especially within a political organisation, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with some kind of political purpose (referred to in this article as the “broader organisation”). It may also be referred to as a... The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), also known as Jiyū Minshutō (自由民主党, or the abbreviation Jimin-tō 自民党) is a liberal conservative political party and the largest political party in Japan, as of 2005. ... Students at Yasukuni The main building of Yasukuni Shrine Yasukuni Shrine ) (literally peaceful nation shrine) is a controversial Shinto shrine located in Tokyo, Japan dedicated to the spirits of soldiers who died fighting on behalf of the Japanese emperor. ... Junichiro Koizumi , born January 8, 1942) is the current Prime Minister of Japan. ... The Prime Minister of Japan (内閣総理大臣 Naikaku sōri daijin) is the English political nomenclature of the head of government of Japan, although the literal translation is Prime Minister of the Cabinet. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ...

May 16, 2006 (Tuesday)

• The United States releases a list of 759 former and current inmates of the Guantánamo Bay prison camp in Cuba after a Freedom of Information Act action was filed by the Associated Press. (Pentagon list) (The Age)
• Darfur conflict: The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to initiate the process which would lead to a UN peacekeeping force relieving the beleaguered African Union peacekeepers in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan. The Government of Sudan opposes the move. (BBC), (VoA)
• Chadian Information Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor accuses the Government of Sudan of facilitating a new alliance between the Mahamat Nour's UFDC and the defected troops of Mahamat Nouri against the Déby administration. Neither group has confirmed or denied the merger. (CNN)
• Italian centre-left leader Romano Prodi is given the mandate to form a new government by President Giorgio Napolitano. Prodi is supposed to present his list of ministers on May 17. (BBC)
• At least 23 people have been killed in a shooting and bombing attack in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police say. (BBC)
• Mark Inglis, a New Zealander, became the first double-amputee to climb Mount Everest [3]
• A British-Ugandan team reports a substantial reduction in glacial cover atop the Rwenzori Mountains in Central Africa, attributable to increases in air temperature over the past four decades. This "Mountains of the Moon", according to 2nd Century geographer Ptolemy, is one of the sources of the Nile, and is projected in the study to disappear in two decades. (BBC)
• A tattooed mummy of a woman in her late 20s of the Moche tribe from 1,500 years ago is found near Trujillo, Peru. (BBC)

May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Detainees upon arrival at Camp X-Ray, January 2002 Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, serving as a joint military prison and interrogation center ( Joint Task Force Guantanamo: JTF-GTMO), has occupied a portion of the United States Navys base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2002. ... Nearly sixty countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation, which sets rules on governmental secrecy. ... Associated Press logo The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The country of Sudan The Darfur conflict is an ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, mainly between the Janjaweed, a militia group recruited from local Baggara tribes, and the non-Baggara peoples (mostly tribes of small farmers) of the region. ... The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the organ of the United Nations charged with maintaining peace and security among nations. ... UN refugee camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. ... The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) originated in early July 2004, when both the African Union and European Union sent monitors to monitor the Darfur crisis cease-fire signed in April 2004. ... Darfur (Arabic دار فور, meaning home of the Fur) is a region of far western Sudan, bordering the Central African Republic, Libya, and Chad. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require rewriting and/or reformatting. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require rewriting and/or reformatting. ... For the stepson of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, see Mohammed Nour al-Din Saffi Mohammed Nour founded and led the Chadian rebel group Rally for Democracy and Liberty until it became a subsidiary to the United Front for Democratic Change rebel alliance, led by Nour and formed between December... The United Front for Democratic Change (officially abbreviated as F.U.C.) is the largest Chadian rebel alliance, made up of eight individual rebel groups, all with the goals of overthrowing the government of current Chadian President Idriss Deby and after a two-year period, holding free and internationally monitored... Time in Office 2 December 1990 – Present Predecessor Hissène Habré Date of Birth 1952 Place of Birth Fada, Chad Idriss Déby (born 1952) is the president of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. ... (born 9 August 1939) is a centre-left Italian politician. ... The President of the Italian Republic is the head of State of Italy, and represents national unity. ... Giorgio Napolitano (born June 29, 1925 in Naples), an Italian politician and former lifetime senator, is the President of the Italian Republic. ... Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: ‎ translit: , Kurdish: Bexda, from Persian Baagh-daad or Bag-Da-Du meaning “Garden of God” [1]) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Mark Joseph Inglis (born September 27, 1959) is a mountaineer, researcher, winemaker and motivational speaker. ... Everest redirects here. ... Aletsch glacier, Switzerland A glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity. ... The Ruwenzori Range, now officially called Rwenzori Mountains (the spelling having been changed in about 1980 to conform more closely with the local tribal name) is a small but spectacular mountain range of central Africa, often referred to as Mt. ... The term Mountains of the Moon or Montes Lunae referred to a mountain range in central Africa that was long believed to be the source of the White Nile, but whose actual location was -- and remains -- uncertain. ... The 2nd century is the period from 101 - 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... A geographer is a crazy psycho whose area of study is geocrap, the pseudoscientific study of Earths physical environment and human habitat and the study of boring students to death. ... Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: ; c. ... The Nile (Arabic: النيل an-nīl), in Africa, is the longest river on Earth. ... Leopard on shoulder A tattoo is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin: in technical terms, tattooing is micro-pigment implantation. ... A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold or dryness, or airlessness. ... Moche pottery (Image © PROMPERU, used with permission) The Moche civilization (aka the Mochica culture, Early Chimu, Pre-Chimu, Proto-Chimu, etc. ... Trujillo is a city in northwestern Peru. ...

May 17, 2006 (Wednesday)

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

May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... DND Photograph Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard (1980 – 2006) was the first female Canadian soldier killed, and the 16th Canadian soldier killed in Canadian operations in Afghanistan. ... The Royal Canadian Horse Artillery is the name given to the regular field artillery units of the Canadian Army. ... Flag flown by the Taliban. ... For the 2001 movie by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, see Kandahar (film). ... The 2006 São Paulo violence began on May 12, 2006 in São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in South America. ... Flag Seal Motto: Non ducor, duco (Latin: I am not led, I lead) Location Administrative division of the city Government Country Region State Brazil Southeast São Paulo Mayor Gilberto Kassab (PFL) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,522. ... // In politics The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ... Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) is the Prime Minister of Fiji. ... The Constitution of Fiji requires general elections for the House of Representatives to be held at least once every five years. ... The Turkish Council of State is the highest court in the Republic of Turkey and is based in Ankara. ... Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the countrys second largest city after Istanbul. ... A judge or justice is an official who presides over a court. ... Mustafa Yücel Özbilgin was a Turkish judge, who was shot dead in a courtroom in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday 17th May 2006 by Aslan Alpaslan. ... Interior of the Hagia Sofia, Istanbul, Turkey, June 1994. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Islamism. ... Futbol Club Barcelona, popularly known as Barça, is a sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ... European Clubs Champions Cup, the trophy of the UEFA Champions League European Cup redirects here. ... Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in north London. ... For the cyclist of the same name, see Jens Lehmann (cyclist) Jens Lehmann (IPA—German ) (born November 10, 1969 in Essen) is a German football goalkeeper who currently plays for Arsenal. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Yellow card. ... Juliano Haus Belletti (born June 20, 1976 in Cascavel, Brazil), often known as Belletti, is a Brazilian-Italian football player who currently plays for FC Barcelona of the Spanish La Liga. ... Samuel Etoo with his son at the press conference after winning the UEFA Champions League 2005-06 Samuel Etoo fils (born March 10, 1981 in Nkon, Cameroon) is a football striker, who currently plays for FC Barcelona. ... Sulzeer Jeremiah Sol Campbell (born 18 September 1974) is an English footballer with Arsenal and England. ...

May 18, 2006 (Thursday)

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

May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Parliament (Sansad) of Nepal has two chambers: The House of Representatives (Pratinidhi Sabha) has 205 members elected for five year term in single-seat constituencies. ... Royal Standard of Nepal The king of Nepal is known as the Raja; his Queen is known as the Rani. ... Gyanendra in royal dress Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (Nepali: ज्ञानेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाहदेव; Gyānendra Vīra Vikrama Śāhadeva) of Nepal (born July 7, 1947) has been the King of Nepal since June 4, 2001, when he succeeded to the throne upon the death of Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ... Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) is the Prime Minister of Fiji. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with President of the United States oath of office. ... The Constitution of Fiji requires general elections for the House of Representatives to be held at least once every five years. ... The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official with a rank one step below Presidential Cabinet level. ... Snow alongside President George Bush and outgoing press secretary Scott McClellan Robert Anthony Tony Snow (born June 1, 1955) is the White House Press Secretary for the George W. Bush administration. ... The Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) is a Somali alliance made by powerfull warlords and businesspeople, while some of them were ministers in the transitional federal government of Somalia. ... List of the Heads of Government of Somalia (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Political Affiliations SNL - Somali National League SRSP - Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party SYL - Somali Youth League USC - United Somali Congress Mil - Military n-p - Non-partisan See also History of Somalia Presidents of Somalia... Ali Mohammed Ghedi Ali Mohammed Ghedi (born 1952) is a veterinary surgeon and an African Union official, Mr. ... The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The inside of the building The European Parliament (formerly European Parliamentary Assembly) is the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU), directly elected by EU citizens once every five years. ... Extraordinary rendition is an American extra-judicial procedure which involves the sending of untried criminal suspects, generally suspected terrorists or alleged supporters of groups which the US Government considers to be terrorist organizations, to countries other than the United States for imprisonment and interrogation[1]. According to Swiss councillor Dick... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... (born 9 August 1939) is a centre-left Italian politician. ... Combatants Republic of Iraq (Saddam Hussein regime), Baath Loyalists, Iraqi insurgency Al Qaeda United States, United Kingdom, Multinational force in Iraq, New Iraqi Army, Kurdish forces Commanders Saddam Hussein Abu Musab al-Zarqawi† Moqtada al-Sadr Abu Ayyub al-Masri Mujahideen Shura Council Tommy Franks George Casey Strength 375... Lowest pressure 910 mbar (hPa) Damages $482 million (2006 USD) Fatalities 93 direct Areas affected Philippines, Taiwan, southeast China, Japan Part of the 2006 Pacific typhoon season Super Typhoon Chanchu (named Super Typhoon Caloy by PAGASA) was the second tropical storm, first typhoon, and first super typhoon of the 2006... The South China Sea, showing surrounding countries and neighbouring seas and oceans The South China Sea is a marginal sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from Singapore to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 km². It is the largest sea body after the five... The historic quarter of Shantou, which features both Western and Chinese architecture Shantou (Simplified Chinese: 汕头; Traditional Chinese: 汕頭; Hanyu Pinyin: ; POJ: Sòaⁿ-thau; also seen as Swátōw or Suátao) is a city of 784,000 in coastal eastern Guangdong Province, China, metropolitan area 4,721,117 (calculation... Guangdong (Simplified Chinese: 广东; Traditional Chinese: 廣東; Pinyin: Guǎngdōng; Wade-Giles: Kuang-tung; Postal System Pinyin: Kwangtung or Canton Province, Jyutping: gwong2 dung1), is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... View of Xiamen Xiamen (Simplified Chinese: 厦门; Traditional Chinese: 廈門; Pinyin: Xiàmén; Wade-Giles: Hsiamen) is a coastal sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian province, Peoples Republic of China. ... Fujian (Chinese: 福建; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal System Pinyin: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China. ...

May 19, 2006 (Friday)

• 2006 Iranian sumptuary law controversy:
  • The Canadian National Post reports that certain "Iranian expatriates living in Canada" are claiming that the Iranian parliament has passed a law that would require the country's non-Muslim religious minorities to wear distinctive markings: yellow ribbons for Jews, red for Christians and blue for Zoroastrians. After great controversy, the National Post retracts its original report. (National Post) (UPI) (Ynet) (Jerusalem Post)
  • The AP has reported refutations by numerous people, including Iranian legislators and the Jewish Member of the Legislature Morris Motamed. (AP) The National Post, which broke the story, has also carried a story listing numerous refutations (National Post)
• The United States Senate votes on an amendment to an immigration reform bill which would "... declare English as the national language of the United States", giving English an increased de jure capacity (in addition to a de facto one) as the official language within the country. The bill, S. 2611, has yet to be voted on in the Senate. (AP via Forbes) (CBS) (U.S. Senate)
• A riot takes place at the United States prison camp at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba after several inmates attempted suicide. (Times) (Toronto Star)
• The United Nations Committee Against Torture tells the United States it should close any secret prisons abroad and the Guantánamo Bay facility in Cuba, saying they violate international law. It also calls for the US not to use interrogation techniques that amount to torture and to stop the practice of "extraordinary renditions". (Reuters) (Muslim News)
• The case of Khaled el-Masri, who says he was abducted and tortured by the CIA because he was mistaken for another person, is dismissed by a district court in Alexandria, Virginia, as it would be a "grave risk" of damage to U.S. national security by exposing government secrets. The court rules that if the claims are true he "deserves a remedy" but this cannot be found in the court. (Deutsche Welle) (Washington Post)
• Fijian opposition (Labour) led by Mahendra Chaudhry decides to join Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's United Fiji Party to form a multi-party multi-ethnic cabinet. (BBC)
• The Da Vinci Code film comes out in theaters worldwide. The movie is based on the controversial thriller by Dan Brown. (Despatch, South Africa)
• The film See No Evil , was also released, starring WWE wrestler Kane

May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... On May 19, 2006, the National Post of Canada published pieces by Amir Taheri and Chris Wattie claiming that the Iranian parliament had passed a sumptuary law mandating a national dress code for all Iranians, Muslim and non-Muslim alike. ... The National Post is a major Canadian English language national newspaper based in Toronto. ... مجلس شورای اسلامی - The Majles; Irans Parliament. ... The Canadian National Post has reported that, as part of a new sumptuary law authorized by the Iranian parliament that will enforce a uniform national dress, the countrys non-Muslim religious minorites will be required to wear distinctive markings: yellow ribbons for Jews, red for Christians and blue for... The definition of a minority group can vary, depending on specific context, but generally refers to either a sociological sub-group that does not form either a majority or a plurality of the total population, or a group that, while not necessarily a numerical minority, is disadvantaged or otherwise has... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recounted in the Gospels. ... Zoroastrianism is the name of the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathushtra, Zartosht). ... Maurice Motamed (born 1945; sometimes transcribed from Persian as Morris Motamed) was elected in 2000 and again in 2004 as a member of the Iranian Parliament, representing the Jewish community which has benefited constitutionally of a reserved seat since the Persian Constitution of 1906. ... Seal of the Senate The Senate of the United States of America is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Look up De jure in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The terms de jure and de facto are used instead of in principle and in practice, respectively, when one is describing political situations. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... Detainees upon arrival at Camp X-Ray, January 2002 Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, serving as a joint military prison and interrogation center ( Joint Task Force Guantanamo: JTF-GTMO), has occupied a portion of the United States Navys base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2002. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ... United Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) is an international human rights instrument, organized by the United Nations and intended to prevent torture and other similar activities. ... Detainees upon arrival at Camp X-Ray, January 2002 Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, serving as a joint military prison and interrogation center ( Joint Task Force Guantanamo: JTF-GTMO), has occupied a portion of the United States Navys base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2002. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Torture is any act by which severe pain, whether physical or psychological, is intentionally inflicted on a person as a means of intimidation, deterrence, revenge, punishment, or information gathering. ... Extraordinary rendition is an American extra-judicial procedure which involves the sending of untried criminal suspects, generally suspected terrorists or alleged supporters of groups which the US Government considers to be terrorist organizations, to countries other than the United States for imprisonment and interrogation[1]. According to Swiss councillor Dick... On 31 December 2003, Khaled el-Masri, a German of Lebanese descent, was detained by Macedonian agents in Skopje, Macedonia. ... Extraordinary rendition is an American extra-judicial procedure which involves the sending of untried criminal suspects, generally suspected terrorists or alleged supporters of groups which the US Government considers to be terrorist organizations, to countries other than the United States for imprisonment and interrogation[1]. According to Swiss councillor Dick... Torture is any act by which severe pain, whether physical or psychological, is intentionally inflicted on a person as a means of intimidation, deterrence, revenge, punishment, or information gathering. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... In litigation, a dismissal the result of a successful motion to dismiss. ... Location Location in Virginia Coordinates , Government Country State United States   Virginia Founded 1718 Mayor William D. Euille Geographical characteristics Area     City 39. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Security measures taken to protect the Houses of Parliament in London, England. ... The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji. ... Mahendra Pal Chaudhry (born 9 February 1942) is the leader of the Fiji Labour Party and currently the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. ... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ... Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) is the Prime Minister of Fiji. ... The United Fiji Party (Fijian: Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua) is a political party in Fiji. ... The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 feature film based on the bestselling 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code, by author Dan Brown. ... Dan Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for writing the controversial 2003 bestselling fiction novel, The Da Vinci Code. ... See No Evil is a 2006 horror film directed by Gregory Dark, written by Dan Madigan, produced by Joel Simon, and starring professional wrestler Kane (Glen Jacobs). ... World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, is a professional wrestling promotion, currently the largest in North America. ... Kayfabe notice: Some events in this section and/or article are kayfabe and refer to events that take place in professional wrestling continuity. ...

May 20, 2006 (Saturday)

• Ray Nagin is re-elected Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.(BBC)
• The construction of the Three Gorges Dam wall, the largest dam in the world, is completed in the People's Republic of China. (Reuters)
• Campaigning in Montenegro's referendum on independence ends at midnight local time, with voting scheduled to begin the following morning. (B92) A final poll shows the independence forces with 56% support, slightly above the internationally-imposed threshold of 55%. (EUObserver)
• 5,000 medical students, doctors, and lawyers rally in New Delhi, India against the boosting of quotas for lower-caste students in medical, engineering and other colleges from 22.5% to 49.5%. (ChannelnewsAsia.com) (Wikinews)
• The Iraqi National Assembly votes in a new government, leaving the ministries of Defense, National Security and Interior in temporary hands. (BBC)
• United States Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) claims U.S. Marines in Haditha, Iraq, killed 24 civilians in an incident in 2005. Earlier Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) had said even innocent women and children were killed in cold blood. (Washington Post) (Times of India)
• Finnish rock band Lordi wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah". (BBC), (Reuters), (CNN)
• Booth Middle School of Georgia and Troy High School of California win the 22nd annual U.S. Science Olympiad for their respective divisions, held at Indiana University Bloomington.

May 20 is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ray Nagin Clarence Ray Nagin, Jr. ... The New Orleans mayoral election of 2006 is scheduled to take place on April 22, 2006. ... The post of Mayor of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana has been held by the following individuals: Etienne de Boré 1803-04 James Pitot 1804-05 John Watkins 1805-07 James Mather 1807-12 Charles Trudeau 1812 Nicholas Girod 1812 LeBreton Dorgenois 1812 Nicholas Girod 1812-15 Augustin Macarty... Flag Seal Nickname: The Crescent City, The Big Easy, The City That Care Forgot Location Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates , Government Country State Parish United States Louisiana Orleans Parish, Louisiana Founded 1718 Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 350. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33... Three Gorges Dam construction site, downstream side, 26 July 2004 Three Gorges Dam, receiving, upstream side, 26 July 2004 Three Gorges Dam, ship locks for river traffic to bypass the dam, May 2004 The Three Gorges Dam (Simplified Chinese: 三峡大坝; Traditional Chinese: 三峽大壩; pinyin: Sānxiá Dàbà) (30. ... Motto: None Anthem: Oj, svijetla majska zoro Capital Podgorica Largest city Podgorica Official language(s) Serbian of the Ijekavian dialect1 Government Republic  - President Filip Vujanović  - Prime Minister Milo Đukanović Independence    - Formation 1356   - Recognition March 3, 1878   - Unification with Serbia July 20, 1917   - Independence June 3, 2006   - Recognised June 8, 2006... The Montenegrin independence referendum was a referendum on the independence of the Republic of Montenegro from Serbia and Montenegro that was held on May 21, 2006. ... Opinion polls are surveys of opinion using sampling. ... Diplomatic recognition is the act in which a states government is formally recognized by another state as being legitimate. ... The Humayuns Tomb, situated in New Delhi, has an architectural design similar to the Taj Mahal. ... Candles aligned to write No Quotas, street of Delhi. ... Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social stratification, such as clans, gentes, or the Indian caste system. ... The Iraqi National Assembly is the unicameral parliament of Iraq which meets in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. ... The government of Iraq from 2006 to 2010 will be formed from the Iraqi National Assembly that was elected in December 2005. ... Congress in Joint Session. ... Duncan Lee Hunter (born May 31, 1948), American politician, has been a Republican member of the House of Representatives since 1981 from the 52nd District in northern and eastern San Diego County (map). ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... Haditha, Iraq Haditha (حديثة) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, about 240 km northwest of Baghdad. ... The Haditha massacre is a massacre of civilians reportedly committed by United States Marines on November 19, 2005 in the town of Haditha in Iraq. ... John Murtha John Patrick Jack Murtha, Jr. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... Official language(s) None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 160 miles (255 km)  - Length 280 miles (455 km)  - % water 2. ... It has been suggested that Blood red sandman be merged into this article or section. ... The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the fifty-first Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on the 18 May 2006 (for the semi-final) and 20 May 2006 (for the final). ... Hard Rock Hallelujah is a song by the Finnish heavy metal/hard rock band Lordi, which won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with 292 points, a record in the history of Eurovision. ... Official logo Science Olympiad is a primarily American elementary, middle school, or high school team competition that requires knowledge of various science topics and engineering ability. ... Indiana University Bloomington is the principal campus of the Indiana University system. ...

May 21, 2006 (Sunday)

• Montenegrin independence referendum, 2006: The Republic of Montenegro votes to secede from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. (BBC)
• Watford F.C. stand to gain the largest amount of money from any single sporting event by securing approximately 39 million pounds (72 million US dollars) through beating Leeds United in The Championship play off final.

May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Montenegrin independence referendum was a referendum on the independence of the Republic of Montenegro from Serbia and Montenegro that was held on May 21, 2006. ... Motto: None Anthem: Oj, svijetla majska zoro Capital Podgorica Largest city Podgorica Official language(s) Serbian Government • President • Prime Minister Republic Filip Vujanović Milo Đukanović Independence Part of Serbia and Montenegro Area  - Total    - Water (%)   13,812 km² (157th if ranked) 5,333 sq mi  N/A Population  - 2003 est. ... Watford Football Club are an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. ... Officially the pound is the name for at least three different units of mass: The pound (avoirdupois). ... Alternate uses: Dollar (disambiguation) The dollar is the name of the official currency in several countries, dependencies and other regions (see list below). ... Leeds United F.C. is the only professional association football club in Leeds. ... The Football League Championship (often referred to as The Championship for short or the Coca-Cola Football League Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system. ...

May 22, 2006 (Monday)

• For the first time in 175 years a brown bear touched German soil by entering Bavarian territory. The brown bear killed several sheep and caused minor property damage. Even Germany's WWF branch agrees that the bear should be captured or killed because it presents a threat to people. (BBC),1, (BBC),2
• Prime Minister Tony Blair declares that British troops should be out of Iraq within four years. (Globe and Mail)
• U.S. congressman William J. Jefferson (D-La) refuses to resign, as he denies allegations of bribery after an FBI weekend raid of his office. (New York Times)
• The cooling tower of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in the U.S. state of Oregon implodes, as planned. (Oregonian)

May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Binomial name Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758 Brown Bear range The Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) is a species of bear that can reach masses of 130–700 kg (300–1500 pounds). ... WWF, the global environment conservation organization, was constituted and registered in 1961 pursuant to Sections 80 et seq. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield. ... Seal of the Congress. ... William Jefferson William Jennings Jefferson (born March 14, 1947) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33... Bribery is a crime defined by Blacks Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions as an official or other person in discharge of a public or legal duty. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the federal criminal investigative and intelligence agency, which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Building implosion is a term in use in the controlled demolition industry. ...

May 23, 2006 (Tuesday)

• A voice purporting to be that of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden says on an audiotape that Zacarias Moussaoui had no link to the September 11, 2001 attacks. (BBC) (FOX) (Reuters)(Washington Post)
• Mobs of angry garment workers set fire to seven fabric factories in Bangladesh in response to the announced death of Rana, a workers' rights leader. 100 people were injured amidst clashes between police and firefighters and protesters. Workers are forced to work overtime and seven days a week.(San Diego)
• Greek and Turkish military F-16 jets collide above Karpathos whilst intercepting each other in the disputed airspace above the southern Aegean Sea. (BBC), (CNN), (Reuters)
• Israel captures Hamas leader Ibrahim Hamed in a Ramallah raid. (BBC)
• President of Mexico Vicente Fox begins a tour of the United States in Salt Lake City.

May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Osama bin Laden Usāmah bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Lādin (Arabic: ‎; born March 10, 1957 [1]), most commonly known as Osama bin Laden or Usama bin Laden (أسامة بن لادن) is an Islamic fundamentalist militant, an alleged primary founder of the al-Qaeda Islamist paramilitary organization, and a member of the... Moussaoui mugshot Zacarias Moussaoui (Arabic: زكريا موسوي) (born May 30, 1968) is a French citizen of Moroccan descent, and was convicted of conspiring to kill Americans as part of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. ... For the 1993 bombing, see World Trade Center bombing. ... Fabric may mean: Cloth, a flexible artificial material made up of a network of natural or artificial fibres Fabric (club), a London dance club Fibre Channel fabric, a network of Fibre Channel devices enabled by a Fibre Channel switch using the FC-SW topology This is a disambiguation page, a... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft designed in the United States. ... This is a list of notable incidents and accidents involving military aircraft grouped by the year that the incident or accident occurred. ... Karpathos (Greek: Κάρπαθος, Turkish : Kerpe, Italian :Scarpanto, Latin :Carpathus; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in southeast Aegean sea. ... Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a particular country on top of its territory and territorial waters or, more generally, any specific portion of the atmosphere. ... The Aegean Sea. ... The Hamas emblem shows the Dome of the Rock, two crossed swords, Palestinian flags, and a map of the land they claim as Palestine (present-day Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip). ... Ibrahim Hamed is a Hamas military commander in the West Bank who ordered suicide bombing attacks during the Al-Aqsa Intifada[1] until he was apprehended by Israeli security sources on May 23, 2006. ... Ramallah (Arabic: is a Palestinian city in the West Bank of approximately 57,000 residents. ... The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state of Mexico. ... Vicente Fox Quesada[1] (born July 2, 1942) is the current President of Mexico. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ...

May 24, 2006 (Wednesday)

• The United Kingdom government announces plans to overhaul the pension system (BBC)
• The 5th Season of the talent search American Idol comes to a close with a two hour finale, and Taylor Hicks being crowned the winner.
• The Kuomintang announces that it plans to cease publishing the Central Daily News, the oldest Chinese language newspaper in existence, by the end of this month. (ChinaPost)
• The World Health Organization is investigating several bird flu deaths for a possible person-to-person transmission chain. (Reuters)
• The ABC News claims that Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Dennis Hastert is under investigation for corruption, but the Justice Department issues a denial. (ABC) (UPI) Hastert denies knowledge of any FBI investigation, and jointly issues a statement with Democrat House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi demanding that the FBI return documents found in a court ordered search of Democratic Representative Bill Jefferson, based on the constitutional principle of separation of powers. (ABC News)
• Over 100 people are feared dead following heavy rains and flooding in northern Thailand. (BBC) (Irrawaddy News)
• Four Russian soldiers die during fighting in Chechnya. (BBC) (MosNews)
• Disgruntled former soldiers and government troops clash in East Timor, leading to at least two deaths in Dili. Australians evacuate as violence escalates. (CNN), (Daily Telegraph) As requested by the East Timor government, at least four countries, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Malaysia, are sending in troops in an effort to maintain order. (CNN)
• A large fire breaks out at the cargo terminal of Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, forcing the suspension of air traffic. (BBC)
• President of Mexico Vicente Fox begins a tour of the United States in Salt Lake City by criticizing a proposed border wall. This comes amid the U.S. Senate passing a sweeping immigration bill. (AP via Yahoo!) (AP) (LA Times).

May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Taylor Reuben Hicks[2] (born October 6, 1976[3]) is an American pop-soul singer, songwriter, musician, and winner of the fifth season of American Idol. ... The Chinese Nationalist Party (Traditional Chinese: 中國國民黨; Simplified Chinese: 中国国民党; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo Kuo-min-tang; Tongyong Pinyin: Jhōngguó GuómíndÇŽng), commonly known as the Kuomintang (KMT), is a conservative political party currently active in the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan. ... The Central Daily News (Chinese: 中央日報) is the official newspaper of the Kuomintang and the oldest Chinese language-newspaper still in existence. ... Chinese (written) language (pinyin: zhōngw n) written in Chinese characters The Chinese language (汉语/漢語, 华语/華語, or 中文; Pinyin: H nyǔ, Hu yǔ, or Zhōngw n) is a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ... Flag of World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, acting as a coordinating authority on international public health, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ... Avian influenza (also known as bird flu) is a type of influenza virulent in birds. ... Dennis Hastert, the current Speaker, presiding from a chair in the front of the chamber. ... Dennis Hastert John Dennis Hastert, born January 2, 1942, is an American politician, and has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 1999 (he surpassed Joseph Gurney Cannon as the longest-serving Republican Speaker on June 1, 2006). ... The Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives serves as floor leader of the opposition party, and is the minority counterpart to the Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives. ... Representative Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives. ... William Jefferson William Jennings Jefferson (born March 14, 1947), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1991, representing the 2nd District of Louisiana, which includes much of the Greater New Orleans area (map) On July 30, 2005, he was caught on video... The separation of powers (or trias politica, a term coined by French political thinker Montesquieu) is a model for the governance of the state. ... Look up flood in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces, traditionally referred to as the Army, are the protection of the state border, combat on dry land, the security of occupied territories, and the crushing defeat of the enemy and his troops. ... Capital Grozny Area - total - % water Ranked 80th - 15,300 km² - negligible Population - Total - Density Ranked 49th - est. ... Military of East Timor from the CIA World Factbook 2002 // Military branches The Forças de Defesa de Timor Leste (Tetum: Forcas Defensa Timor Lorosae English: Timor Leste Defense Force) or FALINTIL-FDTL (often F-FDTL) comprises an Army and a small Naval component; note - plans are to develop a... Dili, also spelled Díli, Dilli or Dilly, is the capital of East Timor. ... Atatürk International Airport (IATA: IST, ICAO: LTBA) is the major international airport in Istanbul, Turkey. ... Istanbul (other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and economic center. ... The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state of Mexico. ... Vicente Fox Quesada[1] (born July 2, 1942) is the current President of Mexico. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with United States immigration debate. ...

May 25, 2006 (Thursday)

• Scientists confirm the theory that the HIV virus originated among wild chimpanzees in Cameroon. (AP) (BBC)
• Human Rights Watch discovers that on April 12 and April 13, 2006, Sudanese soldiers and Chadian rebels massacred 118 civilians in the city of Djawara with machetes and then buried them in mass graves. If the allegations are true, then the Sudanese government has sponsored genocide in Chad, and it has violated the Tripoli Accord. (VOA News)
• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issues an ultimatum to Hamas, giving them ten days to recognise Israel or have the question put to the people in the form of a plebiscite.(CNN)
• Former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling are found criminally guilty for their role in the demise of the now-defunct energy-trading firm. (The New York Times)
• The US House of Representatives approves H.R.5429, the American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act, which targets the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ("ANWR"). H.R.5429 allows oil and gas exploration and development on 2,000 acres (8 km²) of the Arctic Coastal Plain (the key Wildlife Reserve in Alaska). (SITNEWS).

May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Human immunodeficiency virus (commonly known as HIV, and formerly known as HTLV-III and lymphadenopathy-associated virus) is a retrovirus that is the cause of the disease known as AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, a syndrome where the immune system begins to fail, leading to many life-threatening opportunistic infections. ... Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzees, also called chimps, are the common name for two species in the genus Pan. ... Human Rights Watch Banner Human Rights Watch is a U.S.-based international non-governmental organization that conducts research on human rights. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sudan Peoples Armed Forces is a 60,000-member army supported by a small air force and navy. ... This article needs to be updated. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require rewriting and/or reformatting. ... Genocide is defined by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) Article 2 as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; Causing... The Tripoli Agreement or the Libya Accord or the Tripoli Declaration, was signed on February 8, 2006, by Chadian President Idriss Déby, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, and Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, effectively ending the Chadian-Sudanese conflict that has devastated border towns in eastern Chad and... Mahmoud Abbas (Arabic: محمود عباس) (born March 26, 1935), commonly known by the kunya Abu Mazen (ابو مازن), was elected President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on January 9, 2005 and took office on January 15, 2005. ... The Hamas emblem shows the Dome of the Rock, two crossed swords, Palestinian flags, and a map of the land they claim as Palestine (present-day Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip). ... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... Enron Corporation is an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, United States. ... Kenneth Lee Ken Lay (April 15, 1942 – July 5, 2006), was an American businessman, best known for his role in the widely-reported corruption scandal that led to the downfall of Enron Corporation. ... Jeffrey Keith Jeff Skilling (born November 25, 1953) is the former CEO of Enron Corporation, who was convicted of federal felony charges relating to Enrons financial collapse. ... The House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the U.S. Congress, the other being the United States Senate. ... Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Map The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) covers 19,049,236 acres (79,318 km²) in northeastern Alaska, in the North Slope region. ...

May 26, 2006 (Friday)

• Las Vegas Sands wins the bid to build the first casino Integrated Resort in Singapore, The Marina Bay Sands, at a cost of over S$5 billion. (CNA)
• Well-known Australian mountain climber Lincoln Hall is reported to have died on Mount Everest, but is later reported to be alive, having survived a night exposed near the summit of the mountain without oxygen. (Sydney Morning Herald) (BBC)
• In Berlin, Germany, Europe's largest train station, Berlin Hauptbahnhof, is opened by Chancellor Angela Merkel, Deutsche Bahn Chairman Hartmut Mehdorn and Industrial Commissioner of the European Union Günter Verheugen. The station is the hub of routes from Stockholm to Rome and Paris to Moscow. 1,200 trains will depart and arrive every day. The station is expected to have cost €800 million. (CNN) At the end of the ceremony, a stabbing rampage occurred, injuring 28 people, six of them heavily. Police say one of the first stabbing victims was HIV positive, so other victims may have been infected. (Scotsman) (BBC)
• Mahmoud al-Majzoub, a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is killed in a car-bombing along with his brother, Nidal. (AP) (NYT)
• The United States Capitol building complex in Washington, D.C. is locked down after reports of what sounded like gunfire reached US Capitol police. The Senate was in session as a report of at least one person seeing a gunman in the Rayburn House Office Building gym was issued. Police say that the sound was likely that of a pneumatic hammer and that the 'gunman' may have been a plainclothes police officer. (CNN)
  • The United States Senate was in session, when gunfire was reported, as Michael V. Hayden, who had been nominated to be director of the CIA, and Brett M. Kavanaugh, who had been nominated to be a United States court of appeals judge for the DC circuit, were both confirmed. (U.S. Senate news release)
  • The United States Senate also confirmed Dirk Kempthorne as the new United States Secretary of the Interior by voice vote. The previous Secretary, Gale Norton, had resigned. Lynn Scarlett had been serving as Acting Secretary until a nominee could be confirmed. (Department of the Interior news release)

May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Las Vegas Sands Corp. ... The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. ... Integrated Resorts (IRs) proposed casinos-based resorts in Singapore. ... The parcel of land for the new Marina Bay Sands, the area in the background is the financial district of Singapore. ... The Singapore dollar, divided into 100 cents, is the monetary unit of Singapore (currency code SGD). ... Mountaineering is the sport or hobby or profession of walking, hiking and climbing up mountains. ... Lincoln Hall (born 1956) is a veteran Australian mountain climber and author. ... Everest redirects here. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... Passengers bustle around the typical grand edifice of Londons Broad Street station in 1865. ... Berlin Hauptbahnhof Berlin Ostbahnhof was named Berlin Hauptbahnhof from 1987 to 1998. ... The head of government of Germany has been known as the Chancellor (German: Kanzler) ever since the creation of the post. ... Angela Dorothea Merkel (pronounced //), born in Hamburg, Germany on July 17, 1954 is the current Chancellor of Germany. ... Germanys main train operator, the Deutsche Bahn AG (German Railway Corporation, also known as DB or DBAG) provides passenger and freight service via federally owned tracks. ... Hartmut Mehdorn was born on 31 July 1942. ... Günter Verheugen (born 28 April 1944 in Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate) is a German politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry. ... Stockholm panorama from the City Hall is the capital of Sweden, located on the south east coast of Sweden. ... This article is about the capital of Italy. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur Tossed by the waves, she does not founder Coordinates : , Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) Administration Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Département Paris (75) Région ÃŽle-de-France Mayor Bertrand Delanoë (PS) City (commune) Characteristics Land Area 86. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... Human immunodeficiency virus (commonly known as HIV, and formerly known as HTLV-III and lymphadenopathy-associated virus) is a retrovirus that is the cause of the disease known as AIDS, or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, a syndrome where the immune system begins to fail, leading to many life-threatening opportunistic infections. ... Mahmoud al-Majzoub also known as Abu Hamza (± 1965 - May 26, 2006) was a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. ... The emblem of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad shows a map of the land they claim as Palestine (roughly, present-day Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip) superimposed on the images of the Dome of the Rock, two fists and two rifles. ... The United States Capitol Capitol Hill redirects here. ... Flag Seal Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... The Rayburn House Office Building (RHOB), named after former Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn, is located between South Capitol Street and First Street in Southwest Washington, D.C. // History The newest of three U.S. House of Representatives office buildings, the Rayburn House Office Building was completed in early... Michael V. Hayden as Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Brett Kavanaugh is the current Staff Secretary in the Executive Office of the President of the United States. ... The United States Courts of Appeals (or circuit courts) are the mid-level appellate courts of the United States federal court system. ... The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, known informally as the D.C. Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. ... Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951 in San Diego, California), became governor of Idaho in 1999. ... The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior, concerned with such matters as national parks and The Secretary is a member of the Presidents Cabinet. ... Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton Gale Ann Norton (born March 11, 1954) served as the 48th United States Secretary of the Interior, serving under President George W. Bush. ... Acting Secretary Lynn Scarlett P. Lynn Scarlett is the Acting United States Secretary of the Interior, serving in the Cabinet of George W. Bush. ...

May 27, 2006 (Saturday)

• Tropical Storm Aletta forms south-southwest of the Mexican port of Acapulco, marking the first storm of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season. (NHC)
• Myanmar extends the house arrest detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for another year, amid continued pressure from the U.N. for her release. (Bangkok Post) (BBC)
• Over 70 participants in a banned gay pride parade are detained in Moscow. Amongst them are organizers and members of European Parliament. German parliamentary member Volker Beck is punched in the face and arrested by police. Moscow's mayor, Yuriy Luzhkov banned the march, saying "homosexuality is unnatural." (RIA Novosti) (Interfax) (BBC) (CNN)
• 2006 Java earthquake: A tectonic earthquake centred 25 kilometres (16 miles) south of Yogyakarta on the island of Java, Indonesia kills more than 4300 people and injures more than 3400. The 6.2 magnitude quake strikes at 5:54 a.m. (22:54 UTC, 26 May). The epicenter is southwest of the city and near the erupting Mount Merapi. (BBC) (CNN) (AP)

May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1Systems of at least tropical depression strength (>25 mph) The 2006 Pacific hurricane season is an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. ... Acapulco (Officially: Acapulco de Juárez) is a city and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, 300 km (190 miles) southwest from Mexico City, at . ... 1Systems of at least tropical depression strength (>25 mph) The 2006 Pacific hurricane season is an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. ... In justice and law, house arrest is the situation where a person is confined (by the authorities) to his or her residence. ... Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (Burmese: ; IPA pronunciation: ; born June 19, 1945 in Yangon (Rangoon), is a nonviolent pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar (Burma). ... United Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Six color rainbow gay pride flag flying over Castro Street, San Francisco, June 2005 The gay pride or simply pride campaign of the gay rights movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of what they are, that sexual diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The inside of the building The European Parliament (formerly European Parliamentary Assembly) is the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU), directly elected by EU citizens once every five years. ... The Bundestag (Federal Diet) is the parliament of Germany. ... Volker Beck (12. ... Yuriy Mikhailovich Luzhkov (Ю́рий Миха́йлович Лужко́в) (born September 21, 1936 in Moscow, Russia, USSR) is a Russian political figure. ... The 2006 Java earthquake occurred at 05:54 local time on 27 May 2006 (22:54 GMT 26 May), in the Indian Ocean around 25 km (15 miles) south-southwest of the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, near Galur, on the southern side of the island of Java (), 17. ... An earthquake is a phenomenon that results from and is powered by the sudden release of stored energy that radiates seismic waves. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... A mile is any of a number of units of distance, each in the magnitude of 1–10 km. ... Yogyakarta (also Jogjakarta in pre-1972 spelling or Jogja) is a city and province of Indonesia on the island of Java. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... The moment magnitude scale was introduced in 1979 by Tom Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori as a successor to the Richter scale and is used by seismologists to compare the energy released by earthquakes. ... It has been suggested that leap second be merged into this article or section. ... The epicenter is directly above the earthquakes focus. ... Mount Merapi, Gunung Merapi in Indonesian language, is a conical volcano in Central Java, Indonesia. ...

May 28, 2006 (Sunday)

• The body of Canadian diplomat Lewis Brooke Miskell is found in Naples, Italy, three months after his disappearance. (Globe and Mail)
• The Wind That Shakes the Barley, a film by British director Ken Loach, is awarded the Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
• Comoros volcano Mount Karthala erupts. (Washington Post)
• Barry Bonds hits his 715th home run against the Colorado Rockies, passing Babe Ruth to move into second place on the list of all-time home run hitters. (ABC News)
• President Alvaro Uribe gets reelected in a landslide in the Colombian presidential election, 2006, winning 62.2% of the votes in a landslide. This is the first time a Colombian President gets reelected in more than a century. He will serve another 4-year term.

May 28 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (149th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Nàpule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region and the Province of Naples. ... The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a 2006 film set during the Irish War of Independence (1919-21) and the subsequent Irish Civil War of 1922-23. ... Ken Loach (born June 17, 1936) is a British television and film director, known for his social realist style and socialist themes. ... The Palme dOr (Golden Palm) is the name of the highest prize given to a film at the Cannes Film Festival. ... Poster for 2006 Cannes Film Festival, from the film In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai. ... The Karthala (2361 m) is an active volcano on Grand Comore island, the highest point of the Comoros. ... Barry Bonds (born July 24, 1964 in Riverside, California) is a left fielder for Major League Baseballs San Francisco Giants. ... In baseball, a home run is a base hit in which the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring a run himself (along with a run scored by each runner who was already on base), with no errors by the defensive team on... Major league affiliations National League (1993-present) West Division (1993-present) Current uniform Ballpark Coors Field (1995-present) Major league titles World Series titles (1) 1980 {{{WORLD CHAMPIONS}}} NL Pennants (1)1980 West Division titles (1) 1993 Wild card berths (1) 1995 The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball... For the band named Babe Ruth, see Babe Ruth (band). ... lvaro Uribe V lez (born July 4, 1952) is the President of Colombia (since 2002). ... The 2006 Colombian presidential election will take place on May 28, 2006. ...

May 29, 2006 (Monday)

• A labor dispute causes Toronto Transit Commission to shut down the city's public transit system unexpectedly, leaving commuters stranded. (CBC)
• In the Italian municipal elections, centre-left incumbent mayors Walter Veltroni, Sergio Chiamparino and Rosa Russo Iervolino lead in Rome, Turin and Naples, respectively. In the regional election of Sicily, incumbent president Salvatore Cuffaro of the House of Freedoms leads over Rita Borsellino. (BBC)
• In Kabul, Afghanistan, thousands demonstrate against the United States after several civilians were killed in a car accident in which 3 US humvees collided with a traffic jam. (Washington Post) (Al Jazeera)
• The Times reports on investigations into an incident in al-Haditha, Iraq, where US Marines are accused of having covered up the murder of 24 civilians after a soldier had been killed in an attack. (The Times)
• The Lebanese-based Hezbollah group threatens Israel with Iranian-made rockets. (Haaretz)
• Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman airs!

May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Toronto Transit Commission, or TTC, is a public transport authority that operates buses, streetcars, and rapid transit lines in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... A number of elections for the renewal of both municipal councils and mayors will be held in Italy on May 28 and 29, 2006. ... Walter Veltroni (Rome, 03 July, 1955) is a Italian politician and lead member of the Democrats of the Left party. ... Sergio Chiamparino (born September 1, 1948 in Moncalieri) is the current mayor of Turin, Italy. ... Mayor Rosa Russo Jervolino of Naples (left) with Antonio Bassolino, governor of Campania. ... This article is about the capital of Italy. ... Turin (Italian: ; Piedmontese: Turin) is a major industrial city in north-western Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the west bank of the Po River. ... Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Nàpule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region and the Province of Naples. ... A regional election for the renewal of the Regional Assembly and the Presidency of Sicily will be held on May 28 and 29, 2006. ... Salvatore Totò Cuffaro (born February 21, 1958 in Raffadali, Agrigento) is an Italian politician, and the current President of Sicily. ... Casa delle Libertà, or House of Freedoms in English, is an Italian right of center party alliance led by national media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi. ... Rita Borsellino Rita Borsellino (born 2 June 1945 in Palermo) is an Italian anti-mafia activist, and sister of the late judge Paolo Borsellino, killed in 1992 by a car bomb. ... A view of the old city Kabul Kabul (, Kâbl, in Persian کابل) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population variously estimated at 2 to 4 million. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ... Haditha, Iraq Haditha (حديثة) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, about 240 km northwest of Baghdad. ... United States may refer to: Places: United States of America SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. ... United States Marine Corps seal The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military, which along with the U.S. Navy, is under the United States Department of the Navy. ... The Haditha massacre is a massacre of civilians reportedly committed by United States Marines on November 19, 2005 in the town of Haditha in Iraq. ... Flag of Hezbollah For other uses, see Hezbollah (disambiguation). ... FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman is a new show on PBS Kids GO! that premiered Memorial Day 2006 (May 29, 2006). ...

May 30, 2006 (Tuesday)

• A motion to vote on a bill opening the Three Links between mainland China and Taiwan is defeated for the third time in the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China when a Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker tries to eat the written cloture motion. The opposition Pan-Blue Coalition controls the legislature and would have likely passed the bill. (Reuters) (ChinaPost)
• British mobile phone operator Vodafone posts the largest annual loss in British corporate history – £21.8 billion – as it writes down the value of company purchases made mainly in Germany in the years up to 2000. (Guardian)
• The board of the Engelhard Corporation agreed to a takeover by BASF. BASF will become the world's largest manufacturer of catalytic converters. BASF will pay USD 5.0 billion for Engelhard, which translates to $39 per share. (BBC)
• Seven United Nations peacekeepers are taken hostage by the Nationalist and Integrationist Front militia of Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (BBC)
• The European Court of Justice rules illegal an EU-US agreement to pass airline passenger data to the US authorities, as it does not ensure privacy protection for European passengers. (BBC), (Guardian)
• The Constitutional Council of Chad, the highest court in Chad, confirms Idriss Déby's victory in the presidential elections which took place on May 3, 2006. However, the court only gives him 64.67% of the vote, instead of his administration's claim of 77.4%. Turnout was also reduced to 53.08% instead of the previous 60%. (allAfrica.com)(BBC)
• 2006 Java earthquake: The death toll in last Saturday's earthquake in Indonesia is officially raised to 5,427. (Reuters)
• Former Daewoo boss Kim Woo-jung is sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud. (BBC)
• John W. Snow has resigned as United States Secretary of the Treasury. President George W. Bush has nominated Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson to succeed him. (Washington Post)

May 30 is the 150th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (151st in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Three Links or Three Linkages (Chinese: 三通; pinyin: sān tōng) are direct postal (通郵 tōng yóu), transportation (especially airline) (通航 tōng háng), and trade (通商 tōng shāng) links between Mainland China and Taiwan. ... The highlighted area in the map is what is commonly known as mainland China. Mainland China (Simplified Chinese: 中国大陆; Traditional Chinese: 中國大陸; pinyin: Zhōnggúo Dàlù; literally The Chinese Massive Landmass or Continental China) is an informal (disputed — see talk page) geographical term which is usually synonymous with the area... The Legislative Yuan building in Zhongzheng District, Taipei City (the view is blocked by the childrens hospital building of the National Taiwan University Hospital). ... Motto: None Anthem: National Anthem of the Republic of China Capital Taipei City (de facto) Nanjing (de jure)1 Largest city Taipei City Official language(s) Mandarin (GuóyÇ”) Government Semi-presidential system  - President Chen Shui-bian  - Vice President Annette Lu  - Premier Su Tseng-chang Establishment Xinhai Revolution   - Declared October... The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) (Chinese: 民主進步黨; abbrev. ... The Pan-Blue Coalition (Traditional Chinese: 泛藍聯盟; Simplified Chinese: 泛蓝联盟; Hanyu Pinyin: ), or Pan-Blue Force (Traditional Chinese: 泛藍軍; Simplified Chinese: 泛蓝军; Hanyu Pinyin: ), is a political coalition in Taiwan, consisting of the Kuomintang (KMT), the People First Party (PFP), and the smaller New Party (CNP). ... Vodafone Group plc is a British mobile phone operator headquartered in Newbury, Berkshire, England, is the largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world by turnover and has a market value of about $134 billion (June 2006). ... ISO 4217 Code GBP User(s) United Kingdom Inflation rate 2. ... Engelhard Corporation NYSE: EC is an international Fortune 500 and Forbes 500 company headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey. ... BASF AG (NYSE: BF, LSE: BFA) is a German chemical company and the biggest chemical company in the world. ... A catalytic converter (colloquially, cat or catcon) is a device used to reduce the toxicity of emissions from an internal combustion engine. ... This article is about general United States currency. ... United Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... MONUC peacekeepers MONUC is a French acronym for Mission de l Organisation des Nations unies en République démocratique du Congo, in English: Mission of the United Nations (UN) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ... The Nationalist and Integrationist Front (FNI) is a militia group comprised of ethnic Lendu active in the Ituri region of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Country Democratic Republic of the Congo Capital Bunia Largest city Bunia National Language Swahili Land area¹ ? km² Governor Petronille Vaweka (a. ... The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is formally known as the Court of Justice of the European Communities, i. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... The Constitutional Council of Chad judges the constitutionality of legislation and treaties in Chad. ... Time in Office 2 December 1990 – Present Predecessor Hissène Habré Date of Birth 1952 Place of Birth Fada, Chad Idriss Déby (born 1952) is the president of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. ... The 2006 Chad presidential election will take place on May 3. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 2006 Java earthquake occurred at 05:54 local time on 27 May 2006 (22:54 GMT 26 May), in the Indian Ocean around 25 km (15 miles) south-southwest of the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, near Galur, on the southern side of the island of Java (), 17. ... This article is about the chaebol Daewoo Group. ... Kim Woo Joong was the founder and former chairman of the Daewoo Group. ... John W. Snow John William Snow, Ph. ... John W. Snow, the current Secretary of the Treasury. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American businessman and politician, was elected in 2000 as the 43rd President of the United States of America, re-elected in 2004, and is currently serving his second term in that office. ... Henry Paulson Henry M. (Hank) Paulson, Jr. ...

May 31, 2006 (Wednesday)

• Ohio Republican Thomas Noe pleads guilty to illegally directing $50,000 into the 2004 re-election campaign of President George W. Bush.(AP)
• The United States is expected to change its policies regarding Iran and its nuclear program. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State of the USA said that the USA may join Iran nuclear talks. (MSNBC) (CNN)
• The Pirate Bay is closed when servers located in Stockholm, Sweden, are confiscated in a police raid initiated by the Swedish anti-piracy bureau. Massive media-discussion and criticism against the bureau's methods and the acts of the Swedish police follows, since at least 20 non-piracy sites are taken down at the same time - including the website of Piratpartiet, a Swedish political party aimed to run in the 2006 elections. (ABC)