Monday 21 September 2009

Holidays:

• Mabon - Neopagan festival of Mabon
• International Day of Peace of the United Nations, as propagated by Peace One Day
• In ancient Greece, the eighth day of the Eleusinian Mysteries, when the secret rites in the Telesterion finish and the feast, Pannychis, begins.
• Philippines - Thanksgiving Day
• Independence Day in Malta (1964), Belize (1981) & Armenia (1991)

• Also see September 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• RC Saints - Matthew the Evangelist

Famous Birthdays:

• RadioJH Auto: YouTube Star.

Facts:

• A trial against former Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin, over the Clearstream affair, begins in Paris. (''The Guardian'')
• Legislative elections in Macau attract a higher turnout than usual and strengthen the democratic minority. (Radio Australia News)
• Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya returns to his country, almost three months after the coup which overthrew him. He seeks shelter in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa. Interim president Roberto Micheletti orders a 26 hour curfew and shuts down the airport as a result of the demonstrations sparked by Zelaya's return. (Reuters)
• A 6.1 magnitude earthquake occurs in eastern Bhutan and is felt in northeast India, Tibet and Bangladesh, leaving at least 10 dead. (''Malaysia Star'')
• A passenger train is intentionally derailed near Craiova, Romania, injuring many people. (Roumanie.com)

• New clashes break out in the Darfur region of Sudan. (''Taiwan News'')
• South African President Jacob Zuma admits disagreements do exist between the ANC and the trade union federation (COSATU)mdashone of its main political partners. (BBC)
• Italy holds a state funeral for six soldiers killed in Afghanistan last week. (Adnkronos)
• Russia's first President Boris Yeltsin spent his retirement in a ampquotgolden cageampquot, his phone tapped and the Kremlin controlling visitors, a colleague reveals. (''The Irish Times'')
• Sir Alex Ferguson, Gary Lineker and Fabio Capello are among 1,000 guests at a memorial service held for the recently deceased football manager Sir Bobby Robson. (''USA Today'')
• Most of the world's major river deltas are sinking, including Colorado, Nile, Pearl, Rhone and Yangtze, increasing the flood risk faced by ½ a billion people, scientists report. (BBC)
• New figures released by the Japanese government indicate one in four women are aged 65 or over for the first time. (AFP)
• Lou Nuer militiamen kill more than 100 civilians and security force members in an attack in Sudan's Duk Padiet in Jonglei, the latest in a series of ethnic clashes. (BBC)
• A judicial official says a 51-year-old man has confessed to sending threatening letters containing bullets to President of France Nicolas Sarkozy and other prominent figures. (IOL)
• In swimming, Lisa Cummins becomes the first Irish person and the 20th person ever to complete a two way crossing of the English Channel. (Kent Online)
• Adidas and Puma end their 60-year-old feud. (BBC)
• Singer Jade Ewen is confirmed as the new member of internationally successful girlband Sugababes, replacing the only original member Keisha Buchanan. (''Daily Mail'')
• Massimo Busacca, a high-profile Swiss football referee who officiated the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final and was expected to take part at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, is suspended ampquotimmediatelyampquot for waving his middle finger at fans during a match. (BBC)
• Rescuers scour the sea off the Morocco coast for dozens of African migrants who are missing and feared dead after their boat capsized in an accident that kills eight others. (Xinhua)