Wednesday 21 September 2011

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:

• Ella Midgley: English child of noted family, parents are English presenter Jenni Falconer and husband James Midgley.

Facts:

• 2011 Yemeni uprising: Yemeni government forces break a recently-established ceasefire by firing mortar rounds at mourners at the funerals of protesters. (AP via ''The Australian'')
• Parts of the Pakistani city of Quetta observe a shutdown in response to the killing of 29 Shiite protesters on Tuesday. (''Daily Times'')
• US rock band R.E.M. announce they are splitting up. (''The Telegraph'')
• Google+, the social network service developed by search engine giant Google, is released to the general public. (''Wall Street Journal'' via ''The Australian'')
• Indonesian search and rescue agencies continue to search for survivors after a boat sinks off the coast of Bali, with 11 people confirmed dead and 14 missing. (''Straits Times'')

• Typhoon Roke bears down on northeastern Japan, with four people reported dead due to flooding. (''Chicago Sun Times'')
• The death toll from the 2011 Sikkim earthquake rises above 100. (Voice of America)
• The governments of North Korea and South Korea meet but fail to reach an agreement on the resumption of Six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. (AP via Fox News)
• Two American hikers, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, are set free on bail by Iran as a humanitarian gesture, after being detained in prison for over two years under allegations of espionage. (Chron)
• Troy Davis case:
• The United States Supreme Court decides to delay the execution of Troy Davis, superseding the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles rejection of the request for death row clemency. (USA Today)
• Shortly thereafter, the United States Supreme Court refuses to delay the execution of Troy Davis Davis' execution goes ahead as scheduled. (''Atlanta Journal Constitution'')
• The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that the United States will host the 2015 UCI World Championships in Richmond, Virginia. (Associated Press)