112 items in this section. Displaying page 9 of 12
Where: Islamabad, Pakistan May 14, 2009 : Pakistan’s government signed a peace agreement with the Taliban*, which had taken control of the country’s Swat valley region in February 2009, and allowed it to impose Islamic Sharia law there. The militants started moving towards the capital Islamabad in the following months. Pakistani forces launched a military operation against them in late April using airstrikes, artillery bombardment and rocket attacks by helicopter gunships. On May 11, a spokesperson of the Pakistani armed forces said that 200 militants had been killed in the fighting....
Where: Lahore, Pakistan March 3, 2009 : In an incident that shocked the governments and the people of the cricket-loving region, visiting players became the targets of a terrorist attack. Seven members of the Sri Lankan cricket team touring Pakistan were injured and six Pakistani poicemen were killed. The players were on their way to the Gaddafi stadium on the third day of the second cricket test match against hosts Pakistan. The team bus and police escort vehicles were waylaid near the Liberty Square roundabout....
Where: Melbourne, Australia February 9, 2009 : Australia’s worst disaster in over a century, the bushfires could claim up to 230 victims. Bush* fires are common occurrences in the hot and dry Australian summer. This summer, the country has seen a severe drought and recorded temperatures as high as 47 degrees centigrade, as well as winds at speeds of over 90 km per hour. The fires have already destroyed more than 750 homes and an area of nearly 3,500 square kilometres....
Where: Shijiazhuang, China January 22, 2009 : The Sanlu Group is the largest producer of baby milk powder in China. The toxic substance melamine, which is used in the manufacture of resins, was added to raw milk so that it would appear to be higher in protein content. Six babies died as a result of drinking the milk and around 300,000 more took ill in September 2008. Around 900 tonnes of contaminated milk left the Sanlu dairies with the knowledge of the top management....
Where: Kathmandu, Nepal May 30, 2009 : Mr.Madhav Kumar Nepal took office as Prime Minister of Nepal on Monday. Earlier this month the Maoist-led government of Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal (“Prachanda”) had collapsed. “Prachanda” had led the Maoist movement to establish a republic and abolish monarchy. The Shah kings had been the rulers of Nepal since 1768. The rebellion lasted 10 years and ended in the year 2006. Around 14,000 people died in the conflict. In 2008, the monarch, King Gyanendra, stepped down, and Prachanda became the Prime Minister....
Where: Orbital Space around Earth February 15, 2009 : An American and a Russian satellite collided over Siberia, Russia, on February 10, 2009. Five days after the event, there were reports that burning fragments of the wreckage were spotted over several American cities. The American satellite, Iridium 33, was a civilian communications satellite launched in 1997, and the Russian one, Kosmos-2251, was a non-functioning military communications satellite, launched in 1993. Both satellites weighed over 450 kilograms....
Where: Harare, Zimbabwe January 23, 2009 : A report that the World Health Organisation made in early January said 2,200 people had died from cholera in Zimbabwe since August 2008. One week later, the United Nations reported a 20 per cent rise in cholera cases, and the figure now stands at 2,755. Nearly 50,000 people have been infected with the disease. The humanitarian aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres said that the epidemic was now spreading to rural areas....
Where London: United Kingdom February 5, 2009 : All of Europe and much of North America experienced very chilly weather and battled snow and ice through most of January. Snowfall of unexpected proportions hit Madrid, Spain, and severe storms blew across France, U.K., Germany, and Northern Italy. Since February 2, 2009 the U.K. has seen unusual amounts of snowfall. By midday on February 2 alone, about a foot of snow had fallen over London, the heaviest snowfall over the city in 18 years....
Where: Dhaka, Bangladesh February 28, 2009 : The Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) troops rose in revolt against their commanders on 25 February, 2009 after a dispute. The BDR is a paramilitary unit that patrols the country’s borders. There was resentment among the troops over some issues, including pay. The BDR chiefs are all officers from the regular Bangladesh Army, and this was not acceptable to the troops either. At a meeting between troops and officers where the men are allowed to air their grievances, the rebels started spraying bullets at officers....
Where: Athens, Greece December 11, 2008 : The shooting took place after a verbal disagreement between two police officers and a small group of people in the Exarcheia district of Athens. Eyewitnesses said the police officer fired directly at the boy. In the riots that followed, protesters expressed their rage against the government. They set hundreds of buildings on fire, and hurled petrol bombs at police. Even the giant Christmas tree on Athens’ central Syntagma Square was torched....
Source: https://www.pitara.com/authors/gowri-mohanakrishnan/
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