1-8 NOVEMBER 2006

Israel, Gaza Strip

An IDF operation in the northern Gaza Strip, particularly in and around Beit Hanoun, killed or captured dozens of Palestinian militants. But there appeared, at times, to be an indiscriminate use of force as there were also significant civilian casualties and much damage to infrastructure and property (AP, CNN.com).

2 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

A bomb attack in the Sadr City area of Baghdad killed five people (CNN.com).

5 NOVEMBER 2006

Nicaragua, politics

Elections were held. Daniel Ortega of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) won the presidential election with 38% of the vote; Eduardo Montealegre of the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance (ALN) won 28.3% and José Rizo of the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) won 27.1%. In parliamentary elections, the FSLN won 38 of 90 contested seats, the PLC won 25 and the ALN won 22 (www.rulers.org).

Iraq

Former dictator Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death for a brutal crackdown in Dujail following the assassination attempt against him there in 1982. Hussein's half brother and former intelligence chief Barzan Hassan and former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court Awad Bandar were also sentenced to death. Former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan was sentenced to life in prison; three others were given 15 years imprisonment. The prosecution had charged that many innocent people were killed in the Dujail crackdown. Some international observers questioned the impartiality and transparency of the proceedings. Most political groups in Iraq appeared to accept the convictions and verdicts as justified.

Hussein was hanged on 30 December. Ramadan's sentence was changed to death in December, and he was hanged on 20 March 2007 (CNN.com).

6 NOVEMBER 2006

Tajikistan, politics

President Imomali Rakhmonov was reelected by an overwhelming margin (www.rulers.org).

7 NOVEMBER 2006

United States, politics

In mid-term elections the Democratic Party gained enough seats to take control of both the Senate and House of Representatives. In the Senate they gained control of 51 seats (including two independents caucusing with them), up from 44 after the November 2004 elections. In the House they won 233 of 435 seats, up from 200, while the Republican Party won 202. Dissatisfaction with Republican President George W. Bush's Iraq policy was a major campaign issue (CNN.com, www.rulers.org, IFES).

Kyrgyzstan

Thousands of opponents and supporters of the government clashed in Bishkek (AP).

9 NOVEMBER 2006

Nepal

Representatives of the government and the Maoist rebels concluded two days of talks just after midnight on the 8th. The Maoists agreed to camp their 35,000-strong force in seven cantonments across the country and store their weapons in lockups under U.N. monitoring. By 26 November they are to join an interim 330-seat parliament in which they will have 73 seats. The monarchy is to continue in an almost powerless form until a constituent assembly takes a final decision on its fate in 2007; elections for the assembly are to be held by the middle of the year (CNN.com, Reuters).

Sri Lanka

The government claimed that, in a naval clash with LTTE rebel forces off the Jaffna peninsula, it had sunk 22 of 26 rebel boats; the LTTE claimed to have sunk one navy fast attack craft and damaged another (AP).

Argentina

Federal Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral ordered international arrest warrants for former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and eight others in connection with a July 1994 truck bomb attack on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association building in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and wounded over 200 (Reuters).

10 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

The government said a raid in Rawa, in Anbar province, had captured Abu Zaid al-Suri, also known as Abu Zaid the Syrian, suspected to be one of al Qaeda's leaders in Iraq, along with nine other suspected terrorists and a large quantity of weapons (CNN.com).

Sri Lanka

Member of parliament Nadaraja Raviraj, of the Tamil National Alliance, was assassinated in Colombo. President Mahinda Rajapakse condemned the killing as a "cowardly and heinous act" (AP).

11 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

Two bombs in downtown Baghdad killed eight people (AP).

Lebanon, politics

Five ministers – three from Hezbollah and two from Amal – resigned from Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's cabinet. Hezbollah had sought control of at least a third of the cabinet and had threatened street protests unless a new unity administration was formed. This prompted talks between parties, talks which collapsed on the 11th, after which the ministers resigned (CNN.com).

Turkey

Police estimated 50-80,000 people attended the funeral of former prime minister Bulent Ecevit, who died on the 5th at age 81 (CNN.com).

12 NOVEMBER 2006

Georgia

The separatist region of South Ossetia carried out a referendum on independence. The next day separatist leaders said the result was overwhelmingly in favor of independence; the vote was not recognized internationally (AP).

13 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

A suicide bombing of a bus in Baghdad killed ten (Reuters).

14 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

Three bomb attacks in Baghdad killed 14 people (CNN.com).

15 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

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

Philippines

Authorities caught and arrested former colonel Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan in Manila. Honasan was wanted in connection with activities against the government, including an alleged plot in February (see 24 February 2006) (Reuters).

Israel, Gaza Strip

There were some airstrikes against Palestinian militants in Gaza (CNN.com).

16 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

Several attacks by bombs and gunmen killed 14 people in Baghdad (CNN.com).

Tonga

There was rioting in Nuku'alofa after the government proposed delaying democratic reforms; the prime minister then signed a measure increasing the number of representatives in parliament who are elected (AP).

17-20 NOVEMBER 2006

Diplomatic affairs

US President Bush visited Vietnam and Indonesia and participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. On the 17th, concerning North Korea's nuclear weapons program, he said, “We want the North Korean leaders to hear that if it gives up its weapons – nuclear weapons ambitions – that we would be willing to enter into security arrangements with the North Koreans, as well as move forward new economic incentives for the North Korean people” (AP).

18 NOVEMBER 2006

Sri Lanka

The navy said it destroyed two LTTE gunboats that were approaching the country's northwest coast (AP).

19 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

A suicide bomber in Hilla killed 17 people, and three car bombs in southeast Baghdad killed at least 10 (CNN.com).

19-20 NOVEMBER 2006

Diplomatic affairs

British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. The next day he visited Afghan President Hamid Karzai. After their meeting, Blair said, "We came to Afghanistan because the sickness and the evil that was here came to us....I don't believe there is an alternative but to fight this and to fight it for as long as it takes" (AP).

19-21 NOVEMBER 2006

Middle East and North Africa, diplomatic affairs

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem visited Iraq. On the 19th he met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad. Moallem said, "We believe that a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq will help in reducing violence and preserving security." He also said Syria is "ready to submit all our support to Iraq to preserve Iraq unity both of its people and its land" (CNN.com). On the 21st Iraq said it had restored “full diplomatic relations” with Syria. Syria broke diplomatic ties with Iraq in 1982 (AP).

20 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

A bomb in the Sadr City area of Baghdad killed two (CNN.com).

21 NOVEMBER 2006

Nepal

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal Prachanda (the leader of the Maoist rebels) signed the peace agreement in Kathmandu (see 9 November). The government and Maoists have agreed to hold the constituent assembly elections in June 2007 (CNN.com).

Diplomatic affairs

The leaders of the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya and Sudan met in Tripoli, Libya to discuss ways to advance peace in Sudan's Darfur region and improve relations between Chad and Sudan (Reuters).

Lebanon

Lebanese Christian Cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel was assassinated (Reuters).

20-26 NOVEMBER 2006

Asia and the Pacific, diplomatic affairs

Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Indian and Pakistan. He met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on the 20th. The two leaders said they had agreed to increase trade between their respective countries and push for an early settlement of outstanding border disputes. On the 23rd he arrived in Pakistan, where he met with President Pervez Musharraf and other officials; the two countries agreed to increase economic and military cooperation (AP).

22 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq released its report for September and October. It said that 3,345 civilians were killed in September and 3,709 were killed in October. The report cited estimates by the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees that 1.6 million people have left Iraq since 2003, and that almost half a million people have been displaced since February (CNN.com).

Netherlands, politics

In general elections, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's Christian Democrats (CDA) won 41 seats in the 150-seat Tweede Kamer (Second Chamber). The Labor Party (PvdA) won 33 seats, down from the 42 it won in January 2003. The Socialist Party (SP) won 25 seats, up from 9; the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) won 22 seats. Turnout was 80.4%. It was not immediately clear who would form the new government (IFES, AP, www.rulers.org).

23 NOVEMBER 2006

Lebanon

Hundreds of thousands attended Pierre Gemayel's funeral in Beirut (CNN.com).

23-24 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

There was an attack on the Sadr City area of Baghdad involving several car bombs and other munitions which killed over 200 people and wounded over 250. The next day there were reports of attacks on Sunni areas of the city (CNN.com).

24 NOVEMBER 2006

Iraq

A suicide bomber in Tal Afar killed 22 (CNN.com).

Diplomatic affairs

Rwanda announced it was breaking diplomatic relations with France effective on the 27th. On the 22nd a French judge issued arrest warrants for nine Rwandan officials suspected of helping spark Rwanda's 1994 genocide (AP).

25 NOVEMBER 2006

Mexico

In Oaxaca, some violence accompanied a protest against the Oaxaca state governor (AP).

25 NOVEMBER-2 DECEMBER 2006

Bahrain, politics

In elections for the 40-seat House of Deputies the Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society won 17 seats; the rest were divided among a number of parties and independents. Turnout was around 70% for the two rounds (www.rulers.com, Reuters, IFES).

26 NOVEMBER 2006

Chad

Government forces retook Abeche, which had recently been taken by the rebel Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD) (Reuters).

Ecuador, politics

Rafael Correa defeated Alvaro Noboa with 56.7% of the vote to Noboa's 43.3%. Turnout was 76%. During the campaign, Correa called for the election of a special assembly to rewrite the constitution (www.rulers.com, AP).

Turkey

Over 20,000 demonstrated in Istanbul against Pope Benedict (Reuters).

27 NOVEMBER 2006

India, military affairs

The defense ministry said it had carried out a successful ABM test. A modified Prithvi II SRBM was fired from the Chandipore test range about 250 kilometers north of Bhubaneswar. The interceptor, also a modified Prithvi II, was fired from Wheeler's Island in the Bay of Bengal (AP).

Israel

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that if the Palestinian Authority (PA) renounced violence, released Cpl. Gilad Shalit, recognized Israel's right to exist, established a new government committed to carrying out the internationally-backed 'road map' peace plan and gave up the right of Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war to return to Israel, Israel would take measures to improve the economy in Palestinian areas, including releasing funds for the PA and easing checkpoints in the West Bank. Israel would also release "many Palestinian prisoners”. Olmert said in the long-term, Israel “will agree to the evacuation of many territories and the settlements that we built there. This is extremely difficult for us, like the splitting of the Red Sea. We will do it for real peace” (AP).

28 NOVEMBER 2006

Chad

A government spokesman, Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor, said, "Today we are in a state of war with forces from Sudan. We consider ourselves under attack by Sudan” (AP).

India, Kashmir

Suhail Fazal, a divisional commander in Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed in a shootout with security forces in Bejibehara (CNN.com).

Iraq

The US military said it had killed or captured over 7,000 members of al Qaeda in Iraq since October 2004, as well as more than 30 senior members of the group since July (CNN.com).

Bolivia, economic affairs

President Evo Morales signed into law legislation aimed at major a redistribution of agricultural land (AP).

30 NOVEMBER 2006

Diplomatic affairs

US President Bush met Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Amman, Jordan. Afterward, Bush said, "The prime minister made clear that splitting his country into parts, as some have suggested, is not what the Iraqi people want, and that any partition of Iraq would only lead to an increase in sectarian violence. I agree." Al-Maliki, on the subject of security cooperation with neighboring countries, said, "We are ready to cooperate with everybody who believe that they need to communicate with the national unity government, especially our neighbors. Our doors are open.” Later that day al-Maliki said the Iraqi army would be ready to handle Iraq's security by itself by June 2007 (AP).