Portal:Current events/2008 September 16
September 16, 2008 (Tuesday)
- Unrest in Bolivia:
- Governor of Pando Leopoldo Fernández is taken into custody by the armed forces, on charges of hiring hitmen to attack pro-government protesters. (BBC News)
- The United States organises at least two evacuation flights from Bolivia as the political situation worsens. (AP via Google News)
- Fighting in Somalia has killed 838 people since June, according to local rights activists, bringing the total to have died in an insurgency that began early last year to 9,474. (Reuters)
- 2008 Russian financial crisis:
- Russia's most liquid stock exchange MICEX and the dollar-denominated RTS suspend trade for one hour after the worst one-day fall in ten years as Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin reassured markets there was no "systemic" crisis. (Reuters)
- Subprime mortgage crisis: The United States Federal Reserve agrees to lend the American International Group $85 billion in return for a 79.9% stake. (The New York Times)
- Six men have been found guilty of terrorism-related offences in Melbourne, Australia. Abdul Nacer Benbrika was found guilty of intentionally directing the activities of a terrorist organization while five other men were found guilty of being members of the same organization. Four other men were acquitted and the jury is still considering its verdict on two men. (ABC News Australia)
- The United States government opens up a partnership with the Swedish municipality of Södertälje, a city of 80,000 that has received nearly 6,000 Iraqi refugees since the beginning of the Iraq war. (The Local)
- Hamas-Fatah conflict: Fierce fighting between Hamas security forces and the pro-Fatah Doghmush organised crime family leaves 5 dead in Gaza City. (BBC News)
- Ukraine's ruling coalition is formally dissolved after parties supporting Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, in alliance with the Party of Regions, pushed legislation limiting the powers of President Viktor Yushchenko resulting in his party's withdrawal from the coalition. Tymoshenko's party is expected to form an alliance with the Party of Regions or new elections will be held. (AFP via Google News)
- Viktor Yushchenko earlier accused pro-Western Yulia Tymoshenko of committing a high treason for not supporting Georgia during the 2008 South Ossetia war. (AFP via Rawstory) (The Telegraph)
- The employees (not the members) of Oregon's largest teachers' union go on strike against the union itself. (OPB News)
- Malcolm Turnbull is elected as the new leader of the Federal Liberal Party of Australia and Leader of the Opposition following a leadership spill. (News Limited)
- The Republic of China adopts Hanyu Pinyin as its official Chinese romanization, switching from the previously-official Tongyong Pinyin.(Taipei Times), (China Post)