Iraq

According to the Interior Ministry, 1,990 civilians and 100 police were killed this month (CNN.com).

1 JANUARY 2007

Europe, diplomatic affairs

Bulgaria and Romania became members of the EU (AP).

Somalia

Interim government and Ethiopian forces entered Kismayo (AP).

Thailand

There were nine bomb blasts in Bangkok during New Year festivities which killed three people and wounded 38; there was no claim of responsibility for the attacks (AP).

Slovenia, economic affairs

The country adopted the Euro currency (Reuters).

3 JANUARY 2007

Venezuela, politics

President Hugo Chavez made a few changes in the government including replacing Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel with Jorge Rodriguez (Reuters, www.rulers.org).

4 JANUARY 2007

Somalia

The interim government said several hundred Islamic militia were surrounded in the Badade district, near the Kenyan border (AP).

Iraq

Two car bombs in western Baghdad killed at least 13 people (CNN.com).

Middle East and North Africa, diplomatic affairs

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt (CNN.com).

5 JANUARY 2007

United States, military affairs

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced changes in military commanders, subject to Senate confirmation. Lt. Gen. David Petraeus would become commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq, replacing Gen. George Casey, who would become Chief of Staff of the Army. US Pacific Command (USPACOM) commander Adm. William Fallon would replace Gen. John Abizaid as commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) (CNN.com).

6 JANUARY 2007

Sri Lanka

A suicide bomber attacked a bus in Meetiyagoda, 95 kilometers south of Colombo, killing at least 15. The government blamed the LTTE rebels, who denied involvement (CNN.com).

Iraq

A bomb attack in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood killed two people (CNN.com).

7 JANUARY 2007

Bangladesh

There were clashes in Dhaka between anti-government protesters and police as the political opposition launched a transport blockade in an attempt to derail the 22 January elections (Reuters).

8 JANUARY 2007

Iraq

There were several attacks on civilians in Baghdad including a bomb attack in the southeastern Zaafaraniya neighborhood (CNN.com).

9 JANUARY 2007

Iraq

In central Baghdad there was a sharp clash between Iraqi and US troops and insurgents in the Haifa Street area (CNN.com).

Somalia

There were some US airstrikes on al-Qaeda-related targets near the Kenyan border (AP).

10 JANUARY 2007

Philippines

Three bomb attacks on Mindanao island killed 10 people (Reuters).

11 JANUARY 2007

Diplomatic affairs

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing. Afterwards, Olmert said, "China made it absolutely clear that it opposes Iran going nuclear, in the sense of obtaining nuclear bombs" (Reuters).

China, military affairs

The country tested an anti-satellite missile (AP).

11-12 JANUARY 2007

Bangladesh, politics

President Iajuddin Ahmed announced that he was stepping down as leader of the caretaker government but that he would remain president (AP). The next day former central bank governor Fakhruddin Ahmed was sworn in to head a new caretaker government (CNN.com).

15 JANUARY 2007

Colombia

Eugenio Montoya Sanchez, believed to be a leader of the Norte del Valle drug cartel, was arrested in El Dovio (AP).

Around this time, police conducted raids on houses used by drug traffickers in the Cali area which seized some $50 million (CNN.com).

16 JANUARY 2007

Philippines

Abu Sulaiman, a senior member of the Abu Sayyaf group, was killed on Jolo island by security forces (AP).

Iraq

There were several attacks on civilians in Baghdad, particularly in the Sadr City area, including an attack on Mustansiriya University by a suicide bomber and a car bomb which killed 70 people and wounded 170.

The latest Human Rights Report of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq said that 6,376 civilians were killed in November and December 2006, 4,731 of them in Baghdad (CNN.com).

17 JANUARY 2007

Iraq

A car bomb attack in the Sadr City area of Baghdad killed at least 17 people (CNN.com).

19 JANUARY 2007

Mexico

The government extradited to the US, among others, purported Gulf cartel leader Osiel Cardenas, as well as Ismael and Gilberto Higuera Guerrero and Hector Palma Salazar (AP).

21 JANUARY 2007

Kenya

Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, former chairman of the Executive Council of Islamic Courts in southern Somalia, crossed from Somalia into Kenya and turned himself over to the custody of Kenyan authorities (AP).

21 JANUARY-15 MAY 2007

Serbia, politics

Parliamentary elections were held. The Serbian Radical Party (SRS) won 81 of 250 seats, President Boris Tadic's Democratic Party (DS) won 65 seats, up from the 37 it won in December 2003, and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's coalition of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and New Serbia (NS) won 47 seats, down from the 62 those two parties won in 2003. All of the above parties wanted Kosovo to remain part of Serbia; all of them except SRS promised to resolve the situation through peaceful means. (AP, IFES)

On 15 May parliament approved a government led by Kostunica with Vuk Jeremic as foreign minister, Dragan Sutanovac as defense minister and Dragan Jocic as interior minister. (www.rulers.org)

22 JANUARY 2007

Iraq

There was an attack on a market in Baghdad's central al-Sharqi district using two car bombs which killed at least 88 people and wounded 160. A bomb attack in Khalis killed 12 (CNN.com).

Guinea

There were deadly clashes in Conakry between security forces and opponents of President Lansana Conte (Reuters).

23 JANUARY 2007

Lebanon

There were violent clashes in Beirut and other cities between supporters and opponents of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government. In the evening the opposition announced it would end its roadblocks and general strike, saying it had succeeded in delivering a warning to the government (AP).

25 JANUARY 2007

Iraq

There were several bomb attacks in Baghdad which killed dozens of people (CNN.com).

26 JANUARY 2007

Iraq

A bomb attack in Baghdad killed 15 people (CNN.com).

Algeria

The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) announced it was changing its name to Al Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (Reuters).

26-29 JANUARY 2007

Israel, Gaza Strip

There were violent clashes between Fatah and Hamas (AP).

27 JANUARY 2007

Iraq

Two car bomb attacks in southeast Baghdad killed 15 (CNN.com).

United States

Tens of thousands demonstrated in Washington for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq (AP).

28 JANUARY 2007

Iraq

In heavy fighting, Iraq and US forces apparently preempted an operation by hundreds of fighters belonging to a group called “Soldiers of Heaven” to seize Najaf and kill Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and other Shiite clerics.

Two car bombs in Kirkuk killed 16 people, and four bomb attacks in Baghdad killed 15 (CNN.com).

29 JANUARY-1 FEBRUARY 2007

Democratic Republic of Congo

In Bas-Congo province there were violent protests in several towns by supporters of Jean-Pierre Bemba which were put down by security forces using deadly force (AP).

30 JANUARY 2007

Iraq

Dozens of people, many of them Shiite pilgrims commemorating Ashura, were killed in Diyala province and in Baghdad (CNN.com).

Ecuador

Hundreds of protesters stormed parliament demanding that it approve President Rafael Correa's proposed referendum on changing the constitution; they were quickly ejected by police (Reuters).

31 JANUARY 2007

Venezuela, politics

The National Assembly passed an enabling law giving President Hugo Chavez special powers for 18 months. Chavez is to be able to enact measures by decree in several areas including the economy, energy and defense. He said on 1 February that nationalizations would be limited to “strategic areas” of the economy (AP).