2006 CE

The 2006 Lebanon War takes place; Social media platform Twitter was launched; The 2006 Winter Olympics are held in Turin, Italy; The 2006 FIFA World Cup was held in Germany and was won by Italy against France; Multiple trains blew up as a result of bombings in India, killing 209; Montenegro declares its independence; An earthquake in Yogyakarta kills 5,700; Pluto is declared a dwarf planet; Comair Flight 5191 crashes following takeoff from the wrong runway, killing all but the pilot.

In the 2000s, the 21st century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 22 – Evo Morales is inaugurated as president of Bolivia.source
January 25 – Hamas wins the 2006 Palestinian legislative election.source
27 January - The UN Security Council adopts Resolution 1653 on peace and stability in the Great Lakes region, including Burundi.Burundi source
February 6 – Stephen Harper is sworn in as the Prime Minister of Canada after winning the federal election on January 23.source
March 5 - In the 2006 Beninese presidential election, Thomas Boni Yayi is elected for a first term.Benin source
March 10 – Michelle Bachelet becomes the first female president of Chile.source
March 15 – The United Nations General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to establish the United Nations Human Rights Council.source
9 April – Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Republic of the Congo president Denis Sassou-Nguesso host talks in Abuja between the rival groups in Darfur hoping to accelerate the peace process. Sudanese attendees include Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Minni Arcua Minnawi head of the most powerful faction of the divided Sudan Liberation Army, and Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the smaller Justice and Equality Movement.Sudan source
April 20 – Iran announces a deal with Russia, involving a joint uranium enrichment firm on Russian soil; nine days later Iran announces that it will not move all activity to Russia, thus leading to a de facto termination of the deal.source
June 3 – Montenegro declares its independence from Serbia and Montenegro after a May 21 referendum and becomes a sovereign state. Two days later, the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro officially disbands after Serbia declares its independence as well, ending an 88-year union between the two countries and leaving Serbia as the successor country to the union.source
5 June – Serbia becomes an independent country for the first time since 1918, following the dissolution of Serbia and Montenegro after Montenegro's secession from the country a couple of days earlier.Serbia source
July 2 – The 2006 Mexican presidential election is held. Felipe Calderón is confirmed as the winner on September 5.source
September 7 – British Prime Minister Tony Blair announces his intention to resign by the end of 2007.source
September 23 - Ali Abdullah Saleh, in office since 1978, is re-elected as President of Yemen with 77.2% of the votes, prompting allegations of electoral fraud from the Yemeni opposition coalition.Yemen source
October 6 – Fredrik Reinfeldt replaces Göran Persson as Prime Minister of Sweden.source
October 11–13 – St Andrews Agreement is held in Scotland between the British and Irish governments on devolution in Northern Ireland.source
October 13 – South Korean Ban Ki-moon is elected as the new Secretary-General of the United Nations, succeeding Kofi Annan.source
22 October – Presidential elections were held in Bulgaria.Bulgaria source
November 12 – The breakaway state of South Ossetia holds a referendum on independence from Georgia.source
December 14 - Uzbekistan nearly doubles the price of natural gas it sells to Kyrgyzstan from US$55 to US$100 (£51) per 1,000 cubic meters of gas amid growing tension between the two nations over alleged spying.Uzbekistan source
17 December – Parliamentary elections were held in the country.Gabon source
December 29 – UK settles its Anglo-American loan, post-WWII loan debt.source

Conflict & Security

January 1–4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.source
January 17 - Supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo attack United Nations peacekeepers after the Ivorian Popular Front withdraws from the Ivorian Civil War peace process.Ivory Coast source
February 9 - U.S. forces are searching for the USS Cole attacker who escaped from prison last Friday. According to Interpol, an al-Qaeda operative who had been sentenced to death for plotting the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 escaped with a group of convicts from their prison last week in Sana'a.Yemen source
February 22 – 2006 al-Askari mosque bombing: Explosions occur at the al-Askari Shrine in Samarra, Iraq. The attack on the shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, causes the escalation of sectarian violence in Iraq into a full-scale war (the Iraqi Civil War of 2006–2008).source
March 20 - The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, says it has been ordered to leave Uzbekistan within one month.Uzbekistan source
April 18 - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warns that violence from Chad could spread to neighboring Central African countries.Chad source
3 June – Human Rights Watch releases a video showing South Sudanese Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon bribing cult and rebel leader Joseph Kony and his second-in-command Vincent Otti of the Lord's Resistance Army to not attack southern Sudanese citizens.Sudan source
June 15 - Hundreds are wounded in fighting between rival factions of the Movement of the Democratic Forces of Casamance led by Salif Sadio, who supports the continuation of the Casamance conflict, and Magne Dieme, who supports reconciliation with the government of Senegal. The fighting has spread to the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau may intervene.Gambia source
June 28 – Israel launches an offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to rocketfire by Hamas into Israeli territory.source
June 28 – The United States Armed Forces withdraws its forces in Iceland, thereby disbanding the Iceland Defense Force.source
July 12 – 2006 Lebanon War: Israeli troops invade Lebanon in response to Hezbollah kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and killing three others. Hezbollah declares open war against Israel two days later.source
August 10 – News was revealed of a thwarted terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks, aboard multiple transatlantic air flights.source
September 19 – The Royal Thai Army overthrows the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup.source
November 16 - Riots begin in Nuku'alofa after a crowd of democracy advocates protested against the lack of government action.Tonga source
November 23 – A series of car bombs and mortar attacks in Sadr City, Baghdad, kills at least 215 people and injure 257 other people.source
December 1 – WikiLeaks leaks Hassan Dahir Aweys' conspiracy to assassinate Somali government officials.source
December 5 – The military seizes power in Fiji, in a coup d'état led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama.source
December 5 — Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, overthrows the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase.Fiji source
December 11 – Mexican drug war: Felipe Calderón sends the Mexican military to combat the drug cartels and put down the violence in the state of Michoacán, initiating Mexico's drug war.source
December 24 – War in Somalia (2006–09): Ethiopia admits its troops have intervened in Somalia.source

Exploration & Expansion

May 14 – The Israeli Navy intercepted a Palestinian boat carrying a large amount of explosives near the Gaza Strip in an attempted smuggling operation. The boat contained about 450 kg of TNT and parts of mines.Palestine source
July 6 – The Nathu La pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opens for trade after 44 years.source
The Argentine government calls the UK's decision to grant broad 25-year fishing licenses to Falklanders "illicit and unilateral", since the area is "subject to a sovereignty controversy".Argentina source
October 8: 2006 Southeast Asian hazeIndonesia source
October 16 – Iranian runner Hossein Fazeli wins world cross-country title in Sweden Sunday.Iran source
October (date unknown) – The Offshore MPA project is initiated.source
December 7 – Prime Minister allowed rice export again.Vietnam source
December 13 - The High Court of Botswana rules that thousands of Bushmen should not have been evicted from their ancestral home which is now the Central Botswana Game Reserve.Botswana source
The 2006 AFC Challenge Cup was held between 1 and 16 April 2006 in Bangladesh. Sixteen teams were split into four groups, the top two in each group qualifying for the quarterfinals, and from then on a straight knockout contest. Bangladesh defeated Cambodia, Guam and drew with Palestine to reach the knock-out round, but then left the tournament after losing to eventual champion Tajikistan.Bangladesh source
Poland at the 2006 Winter ParalympicsPoland source

Religion & Belief

23rd - Archbishop Peter Derry is appointed Cardinal by The Vatican at age 88Ghana source
March 23 – members of the Special Air Service recovered British and Canadian hostages ending the Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis.Iraq source
10 June – Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume is appointed to the Council of State.Luxembourg source
June 24: The orthodox Christian party SGP lifts its ban on female membership. The party had lost its government subsidy because a court in The Hague found the ban on female membership to be in violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.Netherlands source
July 1: Finland receives the presidency of the Council of the European Union.Finland source
13 July – Viru Prison was established.Estonia source
21 August – Dawra degree of Qawmi Madrasah gets recognition as equivalent to master's degree.Bangladesh source
October 10 - A couple is caught having sex in a mosque during Ramadan in Gilgil and are sentenced to 18 months in prison.Kenya source

Economy & Finance

January 26 – Saudi Arabia withdraws its ambassadors to Denmark, due to the Muhammad cartoons.Saudi Arabia source
February 13 - In a televised address to the nation, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki announces the resignations of two government ministers in connection with two separate corruption scandals, the "Goldenberg" and "Anglo Leasing" affairs. Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi and education minister George Saitoti both deny any wrongdoing.Kenya source
March 1 - The United States urges the United Arab Emirates to end its boycott of Israel: "The Bush administration said yesterday it is pressing the United Arab Emirates to drop its economic boycott of Israel – a major sticking point in the proposed takeover of key U.S. ports by a UAE-owned firm."United Arab Emirates source
3 March – Kenya and Sudan, completing trade talks that have gone on since 2001, announce plans to sign a landmark trade agreement.Sudan source
March 12 – Abdelhak Layada, one of the founders of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), is released from prison due to the February 28, 2006, national reconciliation charter decree of application.Algeria source
June 7 - The World Bank Group says Cambodia must repay US$7.6 million in development funds that were mishandled.Cambodia source
August 26 - President Déby forces oil companies Chevron and Petronas out of the country, citing that neither company had not paid taxes to the country.Chad source
October 9 – Google purchased YouTube for US$1.65 billion.source
National Transportation Services Limited founded JanuaryBelize source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 15: The first round of the 2006 presidential election.Finland source
March 21 – Microblogging and social networking service website Twitter(now known as X) was launched.source
April 11 – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirms that Iran has successfully produced a few grams of low-grade enriched uranium.source
June 14 - The 2006 Kismet Train Collision occurs in California. At 5:51 AM, two BNSF Railway freight trains collided head-on at the Kismet Siding in Kismet, California near Madera, California. The southbound mixed manifest train disregarded a red signal at East Kismet instead of stopping and crashed into the northbound grain train.source
July 1 – The Qinghai–Tibet railway begins operation, making Tibet the final province-level entity of China to establish a conventional railway.source
September 1 — Analog terrestrial television is switched off in Luxembourg, being the first country to do so.source
September 30 - The collapse of the Gusau Dam kills six people in Zamfara.Nigeria source
October 9 – North Korea claims to have conducted its first-ever nuclear test.source
October: The Qorlortorsuaq Dam is opened in the Nanortalik district of the Kujalleq municipality.Greenland source
October 26th Dubai built a towerUnited Arab Emirates source
November 3 – Microsoft releases Office 2007 for manufacturing.source
November 8 – Microsoft releases Windows Vista for manufacturing.source
November – WAEMU provides wells to Burkina Faso for access to clean water to prevent diseases from entering the water supply.Burkina Faso source
December 11 – Analog terrestrial television is switched off permanently in the Netherlands.source
VPV-FM November 5 bought by PUPBelize source
Emmanuel Arthur, a Ghanaian journalist is awarded the Ghana Journalists Association Television News Reporter of the year.Ghana source
The Namibian Music Awards (NMA) begins.Namibia source

Science & Discovery

January 15 – NASA's Stardust mission successfully ends, the first to return dust from a comet.source
January 19 – NASA launches the first interplanetary space probe to Pluto, the New Horizons.source
The International Atomic Energy Agency has announced it has evidence within its report for the Thursday meeting that Iran obtained documents showing how to mold highly enriched grade uranium into the core of warheads.Iran source
February 26 - The Dubai Ports World controversy continues with Miami-based Eller & Company trying to obtain an injunction in the UK High Court to prevent the sale of P&O to Dubai Ports World.United Arab Emirates source
March 9 – NASA's Cassini–Huygens spacecraft announces a geyser-like emission of vapor, dust, and small ice crystals on Saturn's moon Enceladus, possibly indicating the presence of water.source
March 10 – NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter enters orbit around Mars.source
March 29: Partial solar eclipse.Finland source
29th - Ghana experiences solar eclipseGhana source
April 11 – The European Space Agency's Venus Express space probe enters Venus' orbit.source
20 April – SES Astra launches its Astra 1KR satellite.Luxembourg source
May 17 – The Human Genome Project publishes the final chromosome sequence, in Nature.source
July 5 – First Qassam rocket of increased strength is fired into the school yard in the Southern Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon. This has been the first instance of an increased distance Qassam rockets can reach and the first time a significantly large city has been attacked. No one was injured in this attack.Palestine source
August 24 – The International Astronomical Union defines 'planet' at its 26th General Assembly, removing Pluto's status as a planet and reclassifying it as a dwarf planet 76 years after its discovery. Ironically, this was in the same year when NASA sent its first probe to the celestial body.source
September 7 – Partial lunar eclipse, visible over most of Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia.source
September 22 – Annular solar eclipse, visible in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, parts of Brazil, and the southern Atlantic.source
September 22: Former Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin is announced as the successor of Piet Hein Donner. Former Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment Pieter Winsemius succeeds Sybilla Dekker.Netherlands source
November 11 – Sony releases the PlayStation 3.source
November 19 – Nintendo releases the Wii.source
2006 North Korean missile testNorth Korea source

Health & Medicine

March 27: Newspaper Rakyat Merdeka publishes a cartoon depicting the Australian prime minister and foreign minister as copulating dingoes in response to the West Papuan refugee crisisIndonesia source
A curfew originally imposed during the 1972 mass killings of Hutus is lifted after over 3 decades.Burundi source
May 25 - Scientists confirm the theory that HIV originated among wild chimpanzees in Cameroon.Cameroon source
June 22 - Mahendra Chaudhry warns that the Fiji Labour Party will withdraw from the coalition government if government programs continue to be biased towards indigenous Fijians.Fiji source
June – Medications such as praziquantel and ivermectin are distributed across the country to aide in prevention of intestinal parasites and related diseases.Burkina Faso source
July 8 - The Nigerian government announces it will lay off over 33,000 of 160,000 civil servants before 2007.Nigeria source
July 31 – The humanitarian assistance rendered by the Armenian government has been delivered to Lebanon via Syria. The 7.5-ton humanitarian cargo includes 52 types of medical products and first-aid means.Armenia source
November 1 - Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko: Litvinenko, former officer of the Russian Federal Security Service and critic of the Putin administration, is poisoned with Polonium-210. He dies of acute radiation syndrome on 23 November, causing widespread accusations that the Russian government was behind the poisoning.source
December 23 – 23 students were required to retake exams after High School Graduation Examination scandal in Hà Tây province.Vietnam source

Crime & Justice

January 20 – Bùi Tiến Dũng, General Director of PMU18, was arrested in PMU 18 scandal.Vietnam source
January 30 – Jennifer San Marco goes on a killing spree in Goleta, California, United States, that leaves seven people dead before she takes her own life.source
February 14 - Kenyan police instruct 20 leading figures not to leave the country as investigations into two corruption scandals, the Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing scandals continue. Among the people told to hand in their passports is George Saitoti whose resignation as education minister was announced by President Mwai Kibaki yesterday. Meanwhile, 80 Members of Parliament have demanded the resignation of Deputy President Moody Awori, who is accused of involvement in the Anglo-Leasing scandal.Kenya source
April 4 – The Faddoul Brothers, kidnapped on February 23, 2006, in Caracas, Venezuela, are found dead, causing outrage and mass protests against insecurity in the country.source
27 April - the Bus Uncle viral video is filmedHong Kong source
July 1 - A man is arrested after crashing a car into the gates of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV's residence in Auckland, New Zealand.Tonga source
July 6 – In Buenos Aires, Argentina, serial shooter Martín Ríos opens fire against passers-by on Cabildo Avenue, killing an 18-year-old and injuring six others.source
August 28 – Armenian tennis champion Andre Agassi played at the U.S. Open. It was the last opportunity for tennis fans to see Agassi in the Association of Tennis Professionals play live. He faced Romania's Andrei Pavel in the first round.Armenia source
Gabriel Rufyiri, head of the anti-corruption group OLUCOME, is imprisoned on libel charges after denouncing government corruption.Burundi source
September 21 - Komiljon Usmanov is on trial for "threatening Uzbekistan's constitutional order and public security," and is accused of allegedly leading the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir organization. Usmanov was sentenced in 2001 to 10 years in jail on similar charges, but was freed under an amnesty. He maintains his innocence.Uzbekistan source
November 5 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death by hanging by the Iraqi Special Tribunal. He is later executed by hanging for crimes against humanity on December 30.source
2006 Belizean municipal electionsBelize source

Disasters & Accidents

January 12 – A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 pilgrims.source
January 23 - A five-story building in Nairobi collapses and kills at least eight people, burying dozens more. Rescuers use their bare hands to dig through the rubble.Kenya source
January 25 - Nigerian militants attack the industrial facility of a subsidiary of the Italian oil giant, Nigerian Agip Oil Company in Port Harcourt killing eight policemen and a civilian worker.Nigeria source
January 29 – The roof of one of the buildings at the Katowice International Fair collapsed in Katowice, Poland, killing 65 and injuring 170.source
February 4 – Egyptian passenger ferry, MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98, sinks in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia, killing over 1,000 people.source
February 17 – A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines killing an estimated 1,126 people.source
March 23 - More than 100 people die after their boat capsizes in Cameroon.Cameroon source
May 3 – An Armavia plane crashed into the sea while attempting to conduct a go-around following its first approach to Sochi airport, Russia, killing all 113 people on board.Armenia source
July 11 – A series of seven bomb blasts hits the city of Mumbai, India, killing more than 200 people.source
11 July – 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings: A series of coordinated bomb attacks struck several commuter trains in Mumbai, India during the evening rush hour.India source
August 16 – Russian government patrol boat 31st Kisshin Maru incident, killing one crew member.source
August 22 – Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 612 crashes near the Russian border in Ukraine, killing all 170 people on board.source
22 August – Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 612, a scheduled passenger flight operated by Saint Petersburg-based airline Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise, flying from Anapa Airport to Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg, crashes in Donetsk Oblast, near the Russian border, killing all 170 people on board.Ukraine source
August 27 – Comair Flight 5191 crashes on takeoff from Blue Grass Airport, Lexington, Kentucky, killing all 47 passengers and two of three crew members.source
September 23 - A Shree Air Mil Mi-8 helicopter crashes in Ghunsa, Taplejung killing 24 on board including prominent conservationists.Nepal source
September 29 – Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907, a Boeing 737-800, collides with an Embraer Legacy 600 over the Amazon rainforest, killing all 154 occupants on board the 737 whereas all 7 on board the Legacy survive.source
October 19 - An Uzbek military Antonov An-2 aircraft crashes near Tashkent killing all of the 15 people on board. The Uzbek Emergency Ministry says the pilots lost control of the plane while trying to land.Uzbekistan source
November 22 – A toxic waste dumping incident occurs in Côte d'Ivoire by a Panama ship sent by Singaporean oil company, causing 3 deaths and the poison treatment of 1500 people.source
Anvil Mining of Australia bought the Kinsevere, Tshiufa and Nambulwa mines, north-west of Lubumbashi, Mining Company Katanga (MCK), controlled by Moïse Katumbi, governor of Katanga Province. MCK acquired the mines from Gécamines when it was privatized.Democratic Republic of the Congo source

Climate & Environment

February 16 - Oxfam reports hundreds of thousands are affected by severe water shortages in Kenya and Somalia.Kenya source
May 12 - A pipeline explosion on the outskirts of Lagos kills about 100 people. Vandals were tapping into the pipeline to steal oil when the blast erupted.Nigeria source
May 27 – The 6.4 Mw Yogyakarta earthquake shakes central Java in Indonesia with an MSK intensity of IX (Destructive), leaving more than 5,700 dead and 37,000 injured.source
May 27: 2006 Yogyakarta earthquakeIndonesia source
6 August – The Dechatu River floods, killing over 200 people.Ethiopia source
August 16 – Britain's Ian Porterfield was named Armenia's new soccer coach. The 60-year-old Scotsman replaced Dutchman Henk Wisman, who was fired four months ago following a string of poor results.Armenia source
30 August - The Burundi government accuses acting Special Representative Nureldin Satti and requests his removal from office.Burundi source
September 4 — Australian conservationist Steve Irwin is fatally stung in the heart by a stingray while filming an underwater documentary.source
September 4 - Mike Fay of National Geographic uncovers that poachers had killed 100 dead elephants near a preserve in Northern Chad.Chad source
September 28 – Typhoon Xangsane passed Manila on its way to causing more than 300 deaths, mostly in the Philippines and Vietnam.source
October 1 – Typhoon Xangsane made landfall in Da Nang.Vietnam source

Culture & Society

February 10–26 – The 2006 Winter Olympics are held in Turin, Italy.source
February 10–26 – 5 athletes from Armenia competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.Armenia source
March - Nigeria was represented at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Nigeria source
April 8 – Bloc 8406 was established.Vietnam source
May 18–20 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 takes place in Athens, Greece, and is won by Finnish band entrant Lordi with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah".source
May 20: Lordi wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece.Finland source
June 9 to July 9 – The 2006 FIFA World Cup takes place in Germany; Italy defeats France in the final.source
June - The national football team the Black Stars play in the 2006 FIFA World CupGhana source
October 1 - 2006 Bosnian general election took place.Bosnia and Herzegovina source
October 22 – Fernando Alonso wins his second World Drivers Championship.source
October 24 – Taylor Swift releases her debut album,Taylor Swift.source
November 2 – No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock becomes the most expensive painting after it is sold privately for $140 million.source
December 21 – The Juraj Dobrila University of Pula is established.source
San Felipe Barcelona FC foundedBelize source
2006 Greenlandic Men's Football Championship.Greenland source

Births

June 3: Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau, Jonkvrouwe van AmsbergNetherlands source
June 3 – Nguyễn Công Phương, footballerVietnam source
November 10 - Hong Eun-chae, singerSouth Korea source
November 18 – Harleyava Princy, Indonesian actress and singerIndonesia source

Deaths

January 30 – Coretta Scott King, 78, American civil rights leader, widow of Martin Luther King Jr., ovarian cancer.source
February 7–11 people were killed when unidentified assailants attacked a village in the volatile western region of Côte d'Ivoire, 20 km from the town of Guiglo which has seen a series of deadly ethnically motivated clashes in 2005 and violent anti-UN protests in January 2006.Ivory Coast source
March 11 – Slobodan Milošević, 64, Yugoslav and Serbian politician, former president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia standing trial for war crimes, heart attack.source
March 27 – Rudolf Vrba, 82, Canadian pharmacologist, Auschwitz escapee and contributor to the Auschwitz Protocol, cancer.source
April 10 - 2006 Kenya plane crash, 14 people and a number of politicians are killed in a plane crash near Marsabit.Kenya source
April 12 – Rajkumar, 76, Indian actor, cardiac arrest.source
April 24 – Dr. Rajkumar, 76, Legendary Indian Kannada Cinema Actor, heart attack.source
June 7 – Al Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is killed by a US airstrike.source
June 13 – Charles Haughey, 80, Irish politician, Taoiseach (1979–1981, 1982, 1987–1992), prostate cancer.source
June 20 – Sa'd ibn Junaydil, historical geographer. (born 1915)Saudi Arabia source
August 14 – Sri Lankan civil war, Chencholai bombing: 61 female students in Mullaitivu are killed by the Sri Lankan Air Force in an air strike.source
November 16 – Milton Friedman, 94, American monetarist and free-market economist, winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize, heart failure.source
December 7 - Lyuben Berov, prime minister (1992-1994)Bulgaria source
December 10 – Augusto Pinochet, 91, Chilean president (1973–1990), complications from heart attack.source
December 25 – James Brown, 73, American Hall of Fame soul singer ("Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)", "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"), heart failure.source
December 26 – Gerald Ford, 93, American politician, President (1974–1977), Vice President (1973–1974), arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease and diffuse arteriosclerosis.source
December 30 – Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, was executed by hanging.source
December 30 – Saddam Hussein, 69, Iraqi President (1979–2003), execution by hanging.source