News Timeline: October 2006

 

October 2 – Middle East: TURKEY

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) declares a unilateral ceasefire with the Turkish government. The announcement is made from a camp in Iraq. Turkey has previously said a truce can only be between two states. The conflict between the PKK and Turkey began in 1984 and has cost more than 30,000 lives.

October 5 – East Asia: NEPAL/CHINA

Seventy Tibetan refugees are shot at by Chinese border guards while trying to flee to a UN-sponsored refugee center in Nepal. Two are killed, several are injured, and forty-two enter Nepal safely. Hundreds of Tibetans try to cross the border each year attempting to escape Chinese rule.

October 5 – South Asia: AFGHANISTAN

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) takes command of 10,000 U.S. troops in the eastern provinces of Afghanistan, considered by many to be an al-Qaeda stronghold. With 31,000 troops, Afghanistan is the biggest NATO ground deployment in history. The supreme commander of NATO has said its exit strategy is a matter of economic and political reconstruction rather than a military victory.

October 5 – South Asia/East Asia: NEPAL/CHINA

Seventy Tibetan refugees are shot at by Chinese border guards while trying to flee to a UN-sponsored refugee center in Nepal. Two are killed, several are injured, and forty-two enter Nepal safely. Hundreds of Tibetans try to cross the border each year attempting to escape Chinese rule.

October 5 – Latin America: ARGENTINA

Argentine prisoners reach an agreement with authorities over swifter trials and improved conditions, ending a hunger strike that involved 14,000 prisoners from almost 30 jails. Strike leaders estimate that over 80 percent of Argentine inmates have not yet seen trial, and some are not scheduled to appear in court until 2013. The agreement includes a ruling that time spent in jail will count towards any potential sentence.

October 5 – North America: UNITED STATES/MEXICO

President George W. Bush signs a bill that will pay for a fence blocking one-third of the U.S. border with Mexico. Mexico condemns the seven-hundred-mile fence, saying it will harm relations between the two countries. In 2005, 1.2 million illegal immigrants were arrested while trying to cross the border into the United States.

October 5 – International Organizations: NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) takes command of 10,000 U.S. troops in the eastern provinces of Afghanistan, considered by many to be an al-Qaeda stronghold. With 31,000 troops, Afghanistan is the biggest NATO ground deployment in history. The supreme commander of NATO has said its exit strategy is a matter of economic and political reconstruction rather than a military victory.

October 11 – Europe/Africa: SPAIN/SENEGAL

Spain and Senegal agree to support legal migration to Spain in an attempt to curtail an influx of illegal immigrants. The plan allows Spain to recruit workers from Senegal and also includes 15 million euros for Senegal in development aid, to be disbursed over five years. Over half of the 26,000 illegal immigrants landing in the Spanish Canary Islands this year come from Senegal.

October 11 – North America/Latin America: UNITED STATES/CUBA

The U.S. government sets up a new task force to police its trade sanctions with Cuba. Consisting of law enforcement units from several departments, the new task force will aggressively pursue those who travel illegally to or trade with Cuba. Violators could face up to ten years in prison and a large fine. The U.S. embargo against Cuba has been in place since the 1960s.

October 12 – East Asia: CHINA

China’s trade surplus reaches $110 billion, exceeding the record set in 2005. China has attained over $1 trillion in foreign reserves as its exports continue to grow faster than its imports. Both the United States and the European Union are concerned about China’s trade imbalance, arguing that China keeps its currency artificially low to boost exports.

October 12 — Europe: FRANCE

The French parliament passes a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of the Turks in the early 1900s. The measure provides for a year in jail and a heavy fine to anyone who denies the Armenian genocide. The move strains relations between Turkey and France, which further complicates Turkey’s bid for European Union membership.

October 13 – East Asia: TAIWAN

A recall motion against Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian fails to get enough parliamentary votes. President Chen has recently faced numerous protests due to charges of corruption against him, his family, and his aides. He denies any personal wrongdoing and insists that he will serve out his full term in office. This is the opposition’s second failed attempt to recall the president.

October 16 – Africa: SUDAN

Sudan’s government signs a peace deal with the Eastern Front rebel group from the east of the country, ending the low-intensity 10-year conflict with the faction. Eritrea hosted and mediated the talks, which unlike peace agreements in the south and west did not include the international community. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir hails the agreement as an example of Africans solving their own problems without international assistance.

October 16 – Latin America: PERU

Abimael Guzmán, head of Peru’s Shining Path Maoist guerillas, is sentenced to life in prison for acts of terrorism during the movement’s 12-year rebellion. The Shining Path conducted a violent insurgency against the Peruvian government in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in about 70,000 deaths. Guzmán claims that he is “a revolutionary combatant,” not a terrorist.

October 17 – Africa: BURUNDI

A group of 13,000 Burundian refugees are resettling in the United States after living in Tanzania for over thirty years. The relocation is an attempt to reduce the number of displaced people in United Nations refugee camps in western Tanzania, which currently hold about 200,000 Burundians. Burundi is emerging from a civil war that has claimed 300,000 lives.

October 17 – South Asia: SRI LANKA

The Sri Lankan Supreme Court reverses the 1987 merger of two majority Tamil-speaking provinces. The Indo-Sri Lankan accord required that Sri Lanka merge the two provinces and that the Tamils put down their arms. The referendum that was to solidify the merger never took place because people displaced by conflict had not yet returned. The Tamils were denied representation in the court case.

October 17 – Africa/International Organizations: SOUTH AFRICA/UNITED NATIONS

South Africa secures a two-year non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the first time. The country will serve alongside Indonesia, Italy, and Belgium. Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said South Africa plans to pursue UN reform, particularly expansion of the Security Council.

October 18 – East Asia: MALAYSIA

The Malaysian government frees Nik Adli Nik Aziz, son of the Islamic opposition’s spiritual leader. Aziz’s release marks the end of five years in jail as a suspected militant without seeing charges or trial. The number of people detained without trial in Malaysia has dropped in recent years, but activists continue to call for the release of more detainees.

October 18 – Middle East: JORDAN

A military court convicts eight militants of plotting to kill Americans and Jews in Jordan and U.S. troops in Iraq. The defendants call the charges “an honor.” Jordan has been successful in stopping many terrorist plans in recent years, but has also suffered several attacks.

October 20 – Middle East: PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Fatah and Hamas reach an agreement to end recent violence between their supporters. The rival Palestinian groups have been engaged in a power struggle. Hamas believes Fatah is in collusion with the West in trying to topple the government. Around twenty people have been killed in the fighting in recent weeks.

October 20 – East Asia: NORTH KOREA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il assures a Chinese envoy that his government has no plans to carry out more nuclear tests. Despite strong international opposition, North Korea has become the ninth country with nuclear weapons after it carried out its first test earlier in the month. In response, the UN Security Council unanimously approved sanctions against the country. North Korea’s state media deem the sanctions a “declaration of war.”

October 23 – East Asia/North America: MYANMAR/UNITED STATES

The United States grants asylum to thousands of refugees from the Chin state in Myanmar. Currently living in camps in Asia, the refugees will be allowed to relocate despite having supported rebel groups in Myanmar. The United States has previously opened its borders to many disaffected by the Myanmar military regime.

October 23 — Europe: ICELAND

Iceland violates a twenty-one-year-old international moratorium on commercial whaling by allowing the killing of endangered fin whales. The first killing comes one week after Iceland’s announcement that it planned to resume commercial whale hunting. Iceland claims that there are enough fin whales to support hunting in coastal waters, but the World Conservation Union lists the species as endangered.

October 23 – Latin America: PANAMA

Panamanian voters approve a project to expand the Panama Canal in a nationwide referendum. The expansion is needed due to the increasing size of modern cargo ships, many of which are now too large for the canal. The reconstruction is expected to create jobs and help lift the country out of poverty, but opponents argue that it would increase Panama’s debt. The Panama Canal faces increasing competition from the Suez Canal and Nicaraguan plans to build its own canal.

October 23 – North America/East Asia: UNITED STATES/MYANMAR

The United States grants asylum to thousands of refugees from the Chin state in Myanmar. Currently living in camps in Asia, the refugees will be allowed to relocate despite having supported rebel groups in Myanmar. The United States has previously opened its borders to many disaffected by the Myanmar military regime.

October 27 – Middle East: IRAN

Iran activates a second set of centrifuges, the machines needed to enrich uranium. The country’s first set consisted of 168 centrifuges, far short of the tens of thousands needed to make industrial-scale fuel. Iran plans to open 3,000 centrifuges by the end of this year. Western states fear Iran is planning to build nuclear weapons, but Iran insists it only wants to generate electricity.

October 30 — Europe: SERBIA

Serbian voters approve a new constitution stating that Kosovo is an integral part of the country. The draft constitution also calls for an end to the death penalty and a ban on human cloning. Kosovo Albanians do not participate in the vote because of boycotts on Serbian elections in place since 1990. The constitution is the first created in Serbia since the break-up of Yugoslavia.

October 30 – Latin America: BRAZIL

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is re-elected for a second four-year term. Lula won 60 percent of the vote in a run-off against rival Geraldo Alckmin. Lula’s campaign promises include boosting growth, reducing inequality, and alleviating poverty. Analysts say it is a resounding victory, particularly because Lula’s Workers’ Party was implicated in last year’s cash-for-votes scandal.

October 30 – Latin America: BOLIVIA

Bolivia’s government reaches energy deals with ten foreign firms after the nationalization of the oil and gas industry. President Evo Morales’ May 1 decree requires that foreign oil and gas firms cede majority control of their Bolivian operations and work in partnership with the state energy firm. Companies not agreeing to these terms by October 31 will be required to leave the country.