December 28th Major News Events

1940 Rumania -- Social disorder

Social disorder and the killing of political foes in Rumania gave Germany cause for concern about possible disruption in oil and food reserves. Germany was going to impose military force if the situation did not resolve itself. If Germany intervened it would cause the Soviet Union alarm.

1954 Japan -- Suicides

In Japan the Welfare Ministry released the information that 20,000 Japanese suicides were committed in 1954. People who killed themselves represented the 9th leading cause of death in Japan.

1957 Great Britain -- Foot and Mouth Epidemic

The Foot and Mouth epidemic in Britain reaches an all time high as the Norths largest abattoir is closed down due to 20 cases of foot-and-mouth disease found in carcasses. All remaining cattle, sheep and pigs at the abattoir will now be slaughtered under supervision of Ministry of Agriculture vets. In it's battle against the disease Over 30,000 animals have been slaughtered so far during this epidemic.

1957 Germany -- Volkswagen Beetle

The Volkswagen Beetle reached it's 2 millionth vehicle .

1966 Haiti -- Drumbeats

1966 : In Haiti Saturday evening is an important time for the poor. "At dusk drumbeats from the hills call them to ‘bamcouches' or poor man's parties, where voodoo dances and ceremonies can occasionally be viewed by tourists."

1973 U.S.A. -- Endangered Species Act of 1973

President Nixon signs the "Endangered Species Act" to protect species and also "the ecosystems upon which they depend." It encompasses plants and invertebrates as well as vertebrates. The Endangered Species Act is administered by two federal agencies, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) who play the predominant role in law enforcement of the Act and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

1977 England -- The Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols had chosen to perform first for their British fans instead of their American ones. The band was to be on Saturday Night Live in America, but chose to perform at home in England because the one year British ban had been lifted off them.

1980 England -- Breakfast TV

The ( IBA ) Independent Broadcasting Authority announces that the breakfast television contract will go to TV-am and will launch in 1983.

The BBC launched "Breakfast Time". in January 1983

TV-am Launched it's service in February 1983

In the ratings war between the BBC breakfast time and TV-AM, the BBC won but after a major change of presenters and the introduction of Greg Dyke's furry puppet Roland Rat TV-AM built it's audience numbers until they lost the franchise in 1990.

1984 Mexico -- LPG Gas Explosion

A preventable tragedy in the giant gas-works on the outskirts of Mexico City left 500 dead and public facilities crammed with injured people. The LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) was stored in massive million-gallon containers which was a disastrous mistake. The gas should have been stored in smaller receptacles in various locations to prevent a calamity like this occurring.

1987 Nepal -- Food Poisoning

1987 : A wedding party turned tragic when 12 people died and 150 people got food poisoning in Nepal. The illnesses and death were caused by eating tainted meat and consuming infected water.

1995 Macao -- The Barrier Gate

A concrete structure called "The Barrier Gate" formerly a position only for foreign spies separated Macao, a Portuguese outpost, from mainland China. However, the people of Macao now could cross the border to Zhuhai in China to buy cheap produce and sundry goods, partaking of China's booming economy.

2003 England -- Sky Marshals

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 the British Government agrees that Armed undercover "sky marshals" will be placed on some British passenger planes in the United States,

2005 U.S.A. -- Ivan the Terrible

A U.S. immigration judge ordered retired auto worker John Demjanjuk, accused of being the Nazi concentration camp guard "Ivan the Terrible," a notorious SS guard at the Treblinka extermination camp who committed acts of extraordinarily savage violence and murder against camp prisoners. to be deported to his native Ukraine where he was tried convicted and sentenced to death for war crimes.

2006 Russia -- Alexander V. Litvinenko

Alexander V. Litvinenko, who had formerly been a KGB agent, was poisoned with a radioactive substance and died in a London hospital. In a starling new development in the case Russia's Prosecutor General launched an investigation into the possible guilt of Yukos Oil leaders.

2006 Russia -- Sanctions on Russian defence sales

2006 : Russia has accused the U.S. of illegally imposing sanctions against four Russian defence firms. Washington has said that these were selling banned items to Iran and Syria. The Russian foreign ministry said the U.S. was wrongly trying to force foreign firms to abide by American rules. The sanctions come into force on December 28, and are due to remain in place for two years.

2007 Nepal -- Nepalese king to be stripped of his sovereignty

King Gyanendra of Nepal has been stripped of his powers on December 28th, after the country's provisional parliament voted to abolish the 239-year-old monarchy. He will remain in his palace until the beginning of 2008, when the decision will be rubber-stamped by the newly elected assembly that is establishing Nepal as a democratic federal republic.

2011 Bosnia -- Bosnia Forms Government After 14 Months

Muslim, Croat, and Serb politicians in Bosnia agreed to form a central government after fourteen months of political deadlock. The parties agreed to pass a budget as part of the deal so that government institutions would have funding for the next year,

2013 China -- One-Child Policy Restrictions Eased

The Chinese legislature formally changed a few parts of the country's controversial one-child policy. One change stated that couples would be allowed to have a second child if one or both of the parents were single children themselves. Another change to the policy was the removal of labor camp re-education as a punishment for having extra children.