War in Afghanistan : Sixteen militants fighting under wanted Uzbek warlord Tahir Yuldash are killed in eastern Afghanistan . (AP via Google) [permanent dead link The United Auto Workers sets a Wednesday deadline to reach a new four-year contract with Chrysler . (NYT)
A sheriff 's deputy shoots dead six young people in Crandon, Wisconsin , United States . It was initially believed that he was killed by a police sniper after a manhunt , but is now believed to have committed suicide by multiple gunshots . (Reuters)
Costa Ricans approve CAFTA in a referendum with 52% of the votes. (AP via Google News) Pro-Taliban militants capture 28 Pakistan soldiers in the North Waziristan tribal region.[citation needed
2007 Pacific typhoon season :
A Syrian military plane crashes near Damascus , killing all three on board. (AP via Google News) [permanent dead link
Record-setting temperatures cause the 2007 Chicago Marathon to shut down after only three and a half hours and after the race has a men's open division photo finish , a death, and sprint finishes in the women's open and men's wheelchair divisions. (Chicago Tribune) [permanent dead link
Vandals punch a 10-cm (4") tear in the Claude Monet painting Le Pont d'Argenteuil Orsay Museum during Paris 's annual Nuit Blanche all-night cultural festival. (AP via Yahoo! News
Randy Orton is awarded the vacant WWE Championship which he loses in 10 minutes to Triple H , who defeats Umaga in the second title defense of the night, but loses in the 3rd to Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match .U.S. college football : On the heels of last week's historic AP Poll shakeup, another one of comparable size occurs, in which four Top Ten teams and eleven ranked teams overall move down the list or off the poll entirely. LSU receives first place from all 65 sports critics, the first time that has occurred for any team since December 2006 . #2 California earns its highest rank since 1951, #4 Boston College earns its highest showing since 1984, and #5 South Florida continues its ascent after first moving into the AP Poll three weeks ago. (AP via Yahoo! Sports)
Polish police evict about 65 rebellious ex-nuns who had illegally occupied a convent in Kazimierz Dolny , Poland , for more than two years in defiance of a Vatican order. (AP) [permanent dead link The general election in the Canadian province of Ontario gives the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty an enlarged majority. (Bloomberg)
Tibetan exiles storm the embassy of the People's Republic of China in New Delhi to protest the lack of religious freedom in China . (AP via CNN) Taliban frees one German and four Afghan hostages kidnapped in mid-July.[citation needed The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns consumers not to eat Banquet pot pies or other pot pies made by ConAgra with a printed code ending in C9 due to possible links with a salmonella outbreak. (AP via WJBF)
Mahmoud Abbas , the President of the Palestinian Authority , spells out his conditions for a peace deal with Israel prior to a conference in Annapolis, Maryland , next month. (The Guardian) The United Automobile Workers reaches a tentative agreement with Chrysler shortly after workers commence strike action . (Fox News)
The first Malaysian astronaut, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor , and the first female space station commander, Peggy Whitson , are launched towards the International Space Station on board Soyuz TMA-11 . (Spaceflightnow)
German scientist Gerhard Ertl is announced as the winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on chemical processes on solid surfaces. (BBC) The International Monetary Fund warns of a slowdown of the global economy in 2008 as a result of financial turmoil on global markets. (BBC)
An earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale is recorded just south of Katanning, Western Australia , and felt as far away as Perth, Western Australia . (ABC)
A 14-year-old high school student goes on a shooting rampage in Cleveland, Ohio , wounding two teachers and two students before his death. (CNN)
Montenegrin Prime Minister Željko Šturanović signs a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union , saying that Montenegro is hoping to lodge an official application for EU membership in the first half of 2008 . (EUobserver)
Battle of Las Anod : Troops from the breakaway Somali republic of Somaliland seize a town inside Puntland , a rival region loyal to the interim Somali government, killing at least 10 people. (Al Jazeera) Sir Menzies Campbell resigns as the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom , starting a leadership election . (The Guardian )
Leonid Hurwicz , Eric S. Maskin and Roger B. Myerson are announced as winners of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Economics for having laid the foundations of mechanism design theory. (Nobelprize.org) Ibrahim Gambari , the United Nations special envoy to Myanmar , warns the Burmese government to stop arresting dissidents. (Reuters Canada) [permanent dead link Airbus delivers its first A380 aircraft to launch customer Singapore Airlines in a ceremony in Toulouse , France , almost 18 months behind schedule, but denies rumours that further delays to the programme are looming. (BBC News) (Reuters UK) William Street underground platforms and The Esplanade Station begin service in Perth , Western Australia . Part of the New MetroRail project, they are the first stations to open on the new Mandurah Line . (ABC News Australia) Police raids are made across New Zealand under the Terrorism Suppression Act , with individuals supporting Māori sovereignty targeted, and arrested, for their alleged involvement in paramilitary activities. Activist Tame Iti is among those arrested. (The New Zealand Herald ) The 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opens in Beijing , China , marking the beginning of a 7-day conclave of China's top leadership. General Secretary Hu Jintao delivers the work report for the past five years, and sets the party's direction in the coming five years. Hu also said in the keynote speech that the Communist Party has "fallen short of the people's expectations". (BBC News) Xinhua
Richard Brunstrom , the Chief Constable of North Wales Police , calls for all classified drugs to be legalised in the United Kingdom . He argues that the current policy of prohibition is not working, and is based on dogma . (The Independent )
EU leaders agree in Lisbon that the transcription "eвро" (evro) will be used in Bulgarian translations of the euro in official EU documents. (EuObserver) The Dow Jones Industrial Average drops 369.1 points, or 2.7%, on the 20th anniversary of Black Monday . (CNN Money)
James D. Watson , who shared the 1962 Nobel prize for deciphering the double-helix of DNA , apologizes for reported comments suggesting that black people, over all, are not as intelligent as whites. (NYT) Six people die as a result of storms in the midwestern United States and Washington state. (AP via Google)
Two US Marines including a battalion commander will face a court martial in connection with the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha in 2005. (BBC)
Tens of thousands of people are evacuated from villages near Mount Kelud on Java as the volcano threatens to erupt. (AP via IHT)
Four United States Air Force officers are relieved of command following an investigation of an incident where live nuclear warheads were carried on a B-52 bomber from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana . (CNN)
Sam Brownback , Senator for Kansas , pulls out of the 2008 United States presidential election due to a lack of support and funds. (AP via Fox News) British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that his predecessor Tony Blair would be a "great candidate" to become the first President of the European Council after EU leaders agree on a new Reform Treaty for the union. (AP via PR Inside)
2007 Karachi bombings : The death toll from the bombings rises to 136 with 387 people wounded. (CNN) An explosion kills up to eight civilians Glorietta Mall in Makati City , Philippines Jee Ann De Gracia was one of the 11th victim of Bombing. (AFP via Inquirer)
A ship sinks off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia resulting in at least 31 deaths and 35 people missing. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
Thailand arrests suspected Canadian child molester Christopher Paul Neil after an international man hunt. (Reuters) (CNN) Leaders of the European Union reach agreement on the Lisbon Treaty following last-minute concessions to Poland , Italy and Bulgaria . (EuObserver) (ABC News Australia)
Tokelauan ex-pats in Samoa go to the polls for the Tokelauan self-determination referendum . (Radio New Zealand) Turkish people vote in favor of a constitutional referendum on electoral reform with a 69% majority. (AP via IHT) Voters go to the polls in Slovenia to elect a new President , with Lojze Peterle winning most votes but not a majority. A runoff between him and Danilo Türk will be held on November 11 . (AP via Google News) [permanent dead link
Marco Fu wins the 2007 Royal London Watches Grand Prix snooker tournament , defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan 9 frames to 6. (BBC) Kyrgyz people go to the polls to vote on a constitutional referendum called by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev . (Reuters) Speaking at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy , United States Vice President Dick Cheney states: "The United States joins other nations in sending a clear message - we will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon ." (BBC)
A fire in an illegal shoe factory kills at least 34 people in Putian in Fujian province, China. (BBC)
The Boston Red Sox defeat the Cleveland Indians 11-2 winning the 2007 American League Championship Series and going on to meet the Colorado Rockies , the 2007 National League champions, in the 2007 World Series . (AP via Fox News)
2007 California fires :
The world's biggest banks endorse a rescue plan, also supported by the United States Treasury , to restore the world's financial system. (BBC)
Polish Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński is conceding defeat as exit polls give Donald Tusk 's Civic Platform a large lead over his ruling nationalists in the parliamentary elections . (VOA) (BBC)
Kimi Räikkönen wins the 2007 Formula One World Drivers Championship . (BBC) Kurdistan Workers' Party militants kill at least 12 Turkish soldiers and wounded 11 others on Sunday in a cross-border attack in mountains near the Iraqi border, security sources said. (Reuters) Soyuz TMA-10 lands safely outside Arkalyk , 340 kilometers (210 mi) short of the planned landing site in Kazakhstan , due to a computer glitch. (ABC News) 2007 Ogaden conflict : A rebel group in eastern Ethiopia , the Ogaden National Liberation Front , says it has carried out an attack on government troops, killing 140 troops. (BBC) Swiss voters go to the polls for the 2007 Swiss federal election , with the right-wing Swiss People's Party set to win. (BBC)
Three of the People's Republic of China 's top politicians, namely, Vice-President Zeng Qinghong , anti-corruption chief Wu Guanzheng , and Luo Gan , are dropped from the Communist Party of China 's Central Committee . Also retiring are Vice-Premier Wu Yi , Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan , and Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan . Hu's Scientific Development Concept (BBC)
Comet 17P/Holmes grows significantly brighter overnight, going from magnitude 17 to magnitude 3 in just a few hours, while in the constellation of Perseus. (USA Today) The Bank of America announces that it will lay off 3,000 staff following an announcement of a significant decline in earnings in the third quarter. (NYT)
A storm in the Gulf of Mexico kills 18 Mexican oil workers fleeing an oil rig , with Navy rescue teams trying to reach survivors. (Reuters) (BBC)
Moderating winds improve the outlook in the fight against the California wildfires of October 2007 . (CNN)
Richard J. Griffin resigns as head of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in the United States State Department following the Blackwater shooting in Iraq . (AP via CNN) The United Kingdom announces a unilateral end to the Common Travel Area with the Republic of Ireland . From 2009, passports will be required for the first time, bringing to an end centuries of unimpeded travel between the two countries. (Irish Times)
Turkey-PKK conflict
China launches its first lunar orbiter, Chang'e 1 , on an exploration mission to the moon. (BBC) The Pakistan Peoples Party claims that its leader, former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto , has been forbidden to leave the country. (BBC)
Prime Minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen calls early elections for 13 November 2007, less than three years after the last elections in early 2005 . (ABC) The ITER Organization was officially established. (ITER)
The strain of HIV most common in the United States , Europe , Japan , Australia and much of South America is traced back to Haiti in 1969. (BBC)
The USS Arleigh Burke enters Somali waters in pursuit of a Japanese ship carrying benzene that was hijacked by pirates . (CNN)
Argentine general election, 2007 : Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is elected President of Argentina . (Argentina results) (CNN) King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia claims the Government of the United Kingdom failed to act on intelligence given to it by the Government of Saudi Arabia which could have prevented the 7 July 2005 London bombings . (Guardian Unlimited)
The Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert announces that he has been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer . (NYT)
Salim Aliyow Ibrow becomes Prime Minister of Somalia in the Transitional Federal Government as the embattled Ali Mohamed Ghedi resigns. (BBC) The UK embassy in Baku , Azerbaijan , is closed as a precaution after a terrorist attack in the city is prevented. The US embassy also closes its doors after the Azerbaijan Government reports of the thwarting of a "large-scale, horrifying terror attack." (Sky) (AP)
People's Republic of China :
An earthquake with magnitude of five on Richter scale shakes central Nepal .[citation needed
All banks and post offices in Borlänge , Sweden , are kept closed by the local police due to an "elevated risk level of bank robbery ". (TT via Dagens Nyheter) [2]
Kasereka Kabamba , a Mai Mai militia leader in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , surrenders to Nord-Kivu Army Chief Vainqueur Mayala. Kabamba maintains his forces fought against rebels loyal to Laurent Kabila , in the service of the government. (BBC) One of two men alleged to be involved in a gay-sex-and-drugs blackmail plot against a minor member of the British Royal Family will appear in court this week. (Times Online)
Events
Ongoing Natural disasters
Elections
Recent October 15 –21 : People's Republic of China , Leadership of the Communist Party of China October 16 : United Nations , Security Council October 17 : Kiribati , President October 21 : Switzerland , Parliament October 21 : Åland , Lagting October 21 : Slovenia , President October 21 : Turkey , constitutional referendum October 21 : Poland , Parliament October 21 : Kyrgyzstan , constitutional referendum October 20 –24 : Tokelau , referendum on self-determination October 27 : Oman , Assembly October 28 : Argentina , President and Parliament Upcoming
Holidays and observances
November
