May 10 - Barack Obama took the first superdelegate lead over Hilary Clinton for the Democratic Nomination, according to superdelegate counts by the media. Since the nomination race begun, Obama has trailed Clinton in committed superdelegates. The change in alliance by some superdelegates that formerly supported Clinton and the commitment from previously unaligned superdelegates occurred shortly after Obama earned a convincing win in North Carolina and a close loss to Clinton in Indiana; Clinton required huge margins in those primaries to weaken Obama's momentum in the race. Some news outlets reported that Obama's loss in Indiana occurred mostly because of crossover votes from Republicans, signaling that Republicans see Obama as more of a threat to the presidential run of the presumptive Republican candidate, John McCain.
May 11 - An earthquake struck Western China, destroying homes, schools and offices and killing nearly 15,000 people. The Chinese government led by Prime Minister Wen Jiabo launched a rescue effort sending tens of thousands of troops to the danger zone.
April 22 - The average life expectancy for many American women is decreasing. This is the first time that there has been a significant decline since the influenza epidemic in 1918. The most dramatic drop is in southern Virginia, where the life expectancy is five years less than it was in 1983. According to the report, the decline is due to an increase in deaths from lung cancer, diabetes, emphysema and kidney failure, many of which can be attributed to smoking cigarettes.
April 29 - Investigators were shocked to discover that an Austrian man, Josef Fritzl, had been holding his daughter captive in his cellar for 24 years. He had repeatedly raped her and fathered seven of her children, one of whom he was also holding captive. Fritzl was discovered when he took her to a hospital.
April 16 - The Supreme Court ruled that lethal injections as a method of execution are constitutional. This decision will allow resuming the executions of the prisoners on death row in 34 states. A temporary ban was placed on executions while the case was being heard. Virginia will remove the ban on capital punishment immediately, according to Governor Timothy Kaine. The justices agreed that the injections did not violate the Eighth Amendment, which bans cruel and unusual punishment, in a 7 - 2 vote.
April 11 - A vehicle exploded, killing eight civilians and wounding 20 more. The circumstances of the bombing remained unclear, but the Taliban did claim responsibility for the attack.
Blair's annual International Night captivated the audience, taking Blazers around the world with a superb showcase of diverse cultural talents. Although the crowd was small in the auditorium on April 11, the magnificent performances kept the eager audience fired up throughout the night.
April 3 - Al-Qaeda denied rumors that Osama Bin Laden is sick and vowed to attack Jewish people in and outside of Israel.
April 3 - The U.S. economy may be experiencing a recession, according to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Fed officials are predicting a shrink in the economy during the first half of the year but then for the economy to strengthen in the second half of the year and to be strong by 2009. This announcement reflects a change in attitude by economic officials who two weeks earlier had said that there was a limited amount of economic activity but did not acknowledge the possibility of a recession.
March 16 - A chain of blasts were set off, killing five people and wounding at least 240, as Albanian workers moved stocks of bombs and bullets stored at a base. Albania was required to dismantle its arsenal as one of the requirements to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
March 8 - Hearing damage is the primary reported disability of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). The VA predicts that about 70,000 of the 1.3 million soldiers who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan receive disability payments for tinnitus, a ringing in the ears, and over 58,000 more receive money for other hearing problem. The United States Army has announced plans to strengthen the efforts to protect soldiers from hearing loss.
March 7 - An 8-year-old boy was blocked from entering a law university after passing an entrance exam. The university wanted him to finish elementary and high school first. His father is planning to take the matter to court.
Feb. 20 – After a long illness, Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba's president. His brother, Raul Castro, will become the next head of state.
Feb. 20 - A complete lunar eclipse occurred, an event that will not happen again until 2010. Near the moon, Saturn and the star Regulus were visible.
Feb. 3 - A rebel army entered the capital of Chad, resulting in gun battles surrounding the president's palace. The attack was linked to the arrival of a European Union force attempting to protect refugees from bordering Sudan.
Jan. 23 - The Chinese government proposed a detailed plan that would limit the pollution in Chinese lakes by 2010 and have them returned to their original state by 2030. Last year, algae in lakes created a crisis that threatened the livelihood of fishermen.
Jan. 22 - The Department of Homeland Security plans to require identification at the Canadian and Mexican borders starting on Jan. 31. A driver's license or a declaration of citizenship will no longer be sufficient for passing between Canada and the United States. This goes against a bill passed by Congress after Sept. 11 that says extra identification cannot be required. The bill is supposed to go into effect in June 2009.
Jan. 4 – A suicide bomber attacked a group of Indian engineers traveling by convoy. Six policemen and one of the engineers were killed. The attack was tied to "terrorists," the term used by Afghan officials to describe Taliban insurgents.
Dec. 13 - A fire killed 21 people in a 28-story apartment in Wenzhou, China. Over 200 firefighters battled the fire for three hours.
Chehalis, WA Dec. 6- Flooding is a major concern in the Pacific Northwest following a strong storm that ravaged the area with powerful winds and drenching rain. At least seven people have died, hundreds were forced to evacuate, 300 were rescued by helicopter and miles of the major highway were left under water as a result of the storm. The damage is expected to be in the billions, according to Washington Governor Chris Gregoire. Gregoire was looking for FEMA to examine the damage and to deliver supplies and for the president to make an emergency declaration.
China Nov. 27 - Chinese officials asserted that the Three Gorges Dam project is not responsible for any problems or disasters in the geology of the area. The government has spent $1.6 billion to shore up areas in the region prone to landslides, said Wang Xiaofeng, director of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee.
Con la victoria de Cristina Fernández de Kirchner en las elecciones presidenciales de Argentina, el país celebra el logro de tener su primera jefa de estado en la historia nacional. La primera dama Fernández de Kirchner declaro victoria el domingo por la noche el pasado 28 de octubre desde el hotel Intercontinental de Buenos Aires, en donde dio su discurso como presidenta electa.
Nov. 20- The FBI disclosed the statistics of domestic hate crimes for 2007. Over 9,000 offenses were reported because of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and disabilities. The number is an eight percent increase from the year before.
November 16 - Iran has been blocked at least 75 times in the past nine years from buying nuclear-related materials. Iran has been prevented from purchasing the nuclear materials due to suspicions that the purchases could be used for making bombs, according to an international monitoring group.
Oct. 31- Approximately 1.8 million veterans are currently uninsured according to private research. About one of every eight veterans under the age of 65 is uninsured. This high rate is attributed to high incomes, which make veterans unable to qualify for free health care from the Department of Veteran Affairs.
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