Current events of 26 September 2008 (2008-09-26) (Friday) edit history watch

Senators John McCain and Barack Obama take part in the first of the United States presidential election debates. (ABC News Australia) 2008 Chinese Milk Scandal: Japan and Hong Kong detect melamine in Chinese food products including breakfast cereals and crackers. (AP via Houston Chronicle) German commandos storm a KLM airliner at Cologne-Bonn Airport and arrest two men suspected of planning to carry out a terrorist attack. (AFP via News Limited) Subprime mortgage crisis: In the biggest bank failure in American history, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation seizes Washington Mutual and sells most of the bank to JPMorgan Chase. (The New York Times) (FDIC) A Ukrainian vessel carrying 30 T-72 tanks is captured by pirates 200 miles off Somalian coast. Russia sends its military ship to combat piracy in Somalia. (The New York Times) Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83, after suffering from lung cancer for more than 6 months.