Current events of 9 December 2006 (2006-12-09) (Saturday) edit history watch

William J. Jefferson is reelected as the member for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district in a runoff election defeating fellow Democrat Karen Carter despite facing an ongoing bribery investigation. (AP via CNN) The United States Senate passes legislation normalising trade with Vietnam, renewing tax cuts and opening the Gulf of Mexico to new drilling for oil and gas fields. The legislation had earlier been passed by the United States House of Representatives and will now go to President of the United States George W. Bush for approval. (Reuters) A fire at a Russian drug treatment hospital kills 45 people with arson suspected. (CNN) The Space Shuttle Discovery makes a rare night time launch. (Yahoo/AP) Two months after it opened, the "The World of Turkmenbashi Tales" themepark in Turkmenistan is made operational. The park, which is named after the Turkmenbashi, Saparmurat Niyazov, is expected to attract more children now that the rides work and all libraries have been closed. (USA Today) 2006 Fijian coup d'état: Media reports that gunfire had been heard near military barracks in Suva have been dismissed as being mistaken identification of a game of cricket. (AFP via OptusNet) DNA testing confirms that blood with a high blood alcohol content did indeed belong to Henri Paul, the driver in the crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales, Dodi al Fayed and Paul himself in 1997. (BBC)