Portal:Current events/2006 November 17

November 17, 2006 (Friday)

Abkhazia, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, South Ossetia, and Transnistria mutually recognized each other.
In an interview British Prime Minister Tony Blair says Iraq "is pretty much a disaster." (The Times)
The Government of the Netherlands announces it will introduce a bill banning the wearing of the burqa in public, stating that burqas disturb public order, citizens and safety. About 5% of the Dutch population is Muslim, but only a small percentage of those wear the burqa. (BBC)
Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant reports that officers of the Military Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands have physically abused prisoners in the Iraqi governorate of Al Muthanna. (BBC)
2006 Tonga riots:
- Australian and New Zealand military forces are on standby to fly to Tonga following riots in the Tongan capital Nukuʻalofa yesterday. Eight people died in the riots. The Tongan government declares a state of emergency and passes emergency laws giving security forces the right to stop and search people without a warrant. (NZ Herald) (Radio NZ)^{[permanent dead link]} (Radio NZ)
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev calls on the government to switch the alphabet used in the Kazakh language from Cyrillic letters to Latin. (EurasiaNet)
Former Uruguayan dictator Juan María Bordaberry is arrested in connection with the 1976 abduction and assassination of two Congressmen. (BBC) (CNN)
President of the United States George W. Bush and Prime Minister of Australia John Howard discuss Iraq strategy over lunch. The two leaders are attending an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Hanoi. (ABC News Australia)^{[permanent dead link]}
The Government of the People's Republic of China blocks internet access to Wikipedia in China less than one week after a year-long ban was lifted. (CNN), (RSF)
Greg Anderson, personal trainer to U.S. professional baseball player Barry Bonds, is ordered to go to prison for the third time for contempt of a grand jury for refusing to testify against Bonds regarding alleged perjury in connection to an earlier steroids investigation. (ESPN)
A change to Nicaragua's abortion law bans abortion in all cases, removing an exception where the woman's life was in danger. (Guardian)
Sony releases its new console in North America with 14 launch titles, the PlayStation 3.