Top Stories of 2006

It's that time of the year... It's time for a recap of some of the most notable stories of 2006! Granted, it's only January 1, but that's what will make this so much fun! See, currently the plan is every few months to release a "top stories of the year" list. I hope to have two or three throughout the year. THEN, come December 31, 2006, when I post my final list, you can look back at the various lists, and see how things changed!

Incidentally, being a beacon of fashion, TDI regrets to inform that the colors put in the graphic above will be the main colors for fashion, '06. Everybody will be wearing those colors this year. Yeah, it will be kind of sad, especially for guys. Furthermore, those colors and the resulting clothes will define this decade. I know, it's horrible!

Without further ado, here's some of the top stories of the year!

Bolivia's President-elect, Evo Morales, is on a fast track to become another heavyweight communist leader. After meeting with Fidel Castro, Morales announced that he will be meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Morales scoffs at Washington criticism of such alliances, saying that he doesn't "aim at an axis of evil; rather, to an axis of good." The growing relationships between leftist leaders starts TDI's 2006 list.

Russia' natural gas monopoly halted sales to Ukraine, as a result of a price dispute. It also began reducing pressure in transmission lines that carry substantial supplies to western Europe. However, Russia says that for now, there will be enough gas in the Ukraine for people and municipal services. Russia wanted the Ukraine to quadruple the funds it paid for gas.

Iraqi militants blew up 13 cars in three hours, injuring at least 20 people. In other violence, 13 Iraqis were killed in violence related to 2005's contested parliamentary elections. Six kidnapped Sudanese embassy employees were freed right around the beginning of the new year. A Cypriot kidnapped in 2005 was also freed after his family paid a $200,000 ransom. Another hostage, a Lebanese engineer, was also released.

Loa'i Mohammed Haj Bakr al-Saqa, wanted by Turkey for the 2003 bombings in Istanbul that killed 58 people, is said to have eluded intelligence services by using an array of fake ID's, using aliases even within al-Qaeda, and finally by faking his own death in Fallujah in late 2004, as we found out in 2006. He is now in custody, and is awaiting trial on terrorism trials. Authorities say that this is another example of just how crafty al-Qaeda is. The story of Loa'i Mohammed Haj Bakr al-Saqa makes it to TDI's 2006: In Review.

The big news in America was the wildfires in Oklahoma. At least a dozen wildfires continued to burn across Oklahoma as I wrote this piece, fires which are being fanned by winds up to 50 mph, and by hot, dry weather. Several people have been evacuated, but so far no injuries or deaths have been reported. At least 20 fires sprang up in Texas, including an 8,000-acre blaze that threatened up to 200 homes near Carbon (125 miles W of Dallas). The fires in the Midwest make it to TDI's 2006: In Review NewsWire list.

And those are pretty much the top stories of 2006 so far! Kind of quiet, I know. Stay tuned for continual updates, and stay tuned for the occasional "2006: The Year in Review, So Far"!