Portal:Current events/2008 September 28

September 28, 2008 (Sunday)

SpaceX Falcon 1 makes orbit, becoming the first privately developed liquid-fueled space launch vehicle to do so. (AP via Google News)
Subprime mortgage crisis:
- US Congressional leaders and the George W. Bush administration reach an outline Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 of a bailout of financial institutions as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis. (Reuters)
- British bank Bradford & Bingley is to be purchased by the Treasury and Financial Services Authority. (BBC News)
- Belgian bank Fortis NV is partly nationalised as part of an 11.4 billion euro rescue package funded by the Governments of Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. (AP via Google News)
Piracy in Somalia:
- The captain of a Ukrainian vessel (MV Faina) loaded with tanks and weapons that was seized off the African coast says one crew member has died. (CNN)
- Somali pirates were surrounded by several foreign warships off the central coast of Somalia. (France 24)
Chinese astronauts return safely as the Shenzhou 7 re-entry capsule lands. This marks the third country to successfully return three astronauts from space, and the third country to successfully return a spacewalker from space. And the mission marks the third country to successfully develop and deploy a spacesuit. (Xinhua)
Four days after the formation of new Japan cabinet, Transport Minister Nariaki Nakayama resigns after series of controversial speeches. (BBC News)
Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia sets a new world record in the marathon of two hours three minutes 58 seconds at the Berlin Marathon. (Reuters)
Elections
- In the Bavaria state election, 2008, the rightist CSU loses its absolute majority after 40 years. (Deutsche Welle)
- Voters in Belarus go to the polls for the Belarusian parliamentary elections. According to election officials, allies of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will win all 110 seats renewing concerns about the process.(Reuters via The Globe and Mail) (Voice of America)
- Voters in Austria go to the polls for the Austrian legislative election. (AFP)^{[permanent dead link]}
Fernando Alonso wins the Singapore Grand Prix in Formula One's first night race. (BBC News)