October 2009 Current Events: World News

U.S. News | Business/Science News

Here are the key events in world news for the month of October 2009.

• Iran Sending Enriched Uranium to Russia (Oct. 1): In talks with U.S. and other major powers, Iran agrees to send its enriched uranium to Russia and open up the newly discovered nuclear plant to international inspection. If Iran follows through with this promise, it would significantly reduce Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons.
• Rio de Janeiro Wins Bid for 2016 Olympics (Oct. 2): Rio de Janeiro, Brazil wins the bid for the 2016 Olympics and will be the first South American city to host the Games. Rio beat Tokyo, Madrid, and Chicago, Ill., for which President Obama had shown his support in an address to the International Olympic Committee.
• Herta Müller Wins Nobel Prize in Literature (Oct. 8): Herta Müller, a Romanian-born German novelist and essayist "who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed," wins the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her writing focuses on oppression in her native country and the difficulties of political exile. (Oct. 9): President Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." Obama responds to the recognition with surprise and humility, saying that the award is a "call to action" for further cooperation around the world in the promotion of peace.
• Bombings in Baghdad Kill Over 155, Deadliest Since 2007 (Oct. 25): Two suicide bombings in Baghdad, Iraq kill at least 155 people and wound 500 others. These are the deadliest attacks in the country since 2007, and raise the question of the safety of Iraq, despite Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's recent assurances that the country is becoming safer.
• 14 Americans Killed in Afghanistan Helicopter Crashes (Oct. 26): Fourteen Americans—eleven soldiers and three civilians—are killed in two separate helicopter crashes in Afghanistan. The casualities contribute to one of the deadliest days of the 8-year war. (Oct. 27): Eight U.S. troops are killed during several bomb attacks. Three U.N. staff members are also killed in separate attacks. These deaths make Oct. 2009 the deadliest month for Americans for the entirety of the war.
• At Least 300 Dead in Taliban Attack in Pakistan (Oct. 28):The Taliban, retaliating against an offensive by the Pakistan army in late October, launched a series of terrorist attacks that killed at least 300 people in Peshawar, Islamabad, and Lahore. The attack coincided with a visit to Pakistan by U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
• Agreement Brokered Between Honduran Pres. Zelaya and Leader Micheletti (Oct. 30): The U.S. brokered an agreement between Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and self-appointed leader of the country, Roberto Micheletti, that left Zelaya's reinstatement up to a congressional vote, called for the establishment of a government of national unity and a truth commission, and required Zelaya to abandon a referendum on constitutional reform. Presidential elections are set for Nov. 29, but the U.S., the Organization of American States, and UN have said they will not recognize the results if the political impasse continues.
• Abdullah Quitting Afghanistan Presidential Race (Oct. 31): Abdullah Abdullah withdraws from the presidential race in Afghanistan in protest of the Karzai administration's refusal to dismiss election officials accused of taking part in the widespread fraud that marred the first round of the election. Karzai will begin his second five-year term as president in November.