Portal:Current events/May 1996

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May 1996 was the fifth month of that leap year. The month, which began on a Wednesday, ended on a Friday after 31 days.

Portal:Current events

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from May 1996.

May 4, 1996 (1996-05-04) (Saturday) A Sudanese Federal Airlines jet crashes on a domestic flight in a severe dust storm, while making an emergency landing 325 kilometres north-east of Khartoum, killing all 53 passengers and crew. May 8, 1996 (1996-05-08) (Wednesday) The Keck II telescope is dedicated in Hawaii. May 9, 1996 (1996-05-09) (Thursday) South Africa's National Party pulls out of the coalition government formed two years earlier, and the African National Congress assumes full political control. Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni wins a landslide victory in the country's first direct presidential elections, securing 75% of the vote. May 10, 1996 (1996-05-10) (Friday) 1996 Everest disaster: A sudden storm engulfs Mount Everest with several climbing teams high on the mountain, leaving eight people dead. By the end of the month, at least four other climbers die in the worst season of fatalities on the mountain to date. The Australian government introduces a nationwide ban on the private possession of both automatic and semi-automatic rifles, in response to the Port Arthur massacre. Vietnamese Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong, facing forced repatriation due to their classification as economic migrants rather than refugees, stage a protest at the Whitehead Detention Centre. May 11, 1996 (1996-05-11) (Saturday) After takeoff from Miami, a fire started by improperly handled oxygen canisters in the cargo hold of Atlanta-bound ValuJet Flight 592, causes the Douglas DC-9 to crash in the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board. May 13, 1996 (1996-05-13) (Monday) Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people. May 15, 1996 (1996-05-15) (Wednesday) Nine hostages held by the Free Papua Organization in Irian Jaya are rescued after an operation by the Indonesian military; two other hostages are later found dead. May 17, 1996 (1996-05-17) (Friday) Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, is elected as Prime Minister of India, replacing P. V. Narasimha Rao of the Indian National Congress. However, the party does not receive an overall majority and Vajpayee resigns thirteen days later rather than face a no confidence vote, and is replaced by the United Front leader, Deve Gowda. May 18, 1996 (1996-05-18) (Saturday) The X Prize Foundation launches the $10,000,000 Ansari X Prize. May 20, 1996 (1996-05-20) (Monday) Gay rights – Romer v. Evans: The Supreme Court of the United States rules against a law that prevents any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of homosexuals. May 21, 1996 (1996-05-21) (Tuesday) The MV Bukoba sinks in Tanzanian waters in Lake Victoria, killing nearly 1,000 people in one of Africa's worst maritime disasters. The Trappist Martyrs of Atlas are executed. The famous 1913 Liberty Head nickel owned by Louis E. Eliasberg becomes the first coin to top $1,000,000 at a U.S. auction. May 23, 1996 (1996-05-23) (Thursday) Göran Kropp reaches the Mount Everest summit alone without oxygen, after having cycled there from Sweden. Members of the Armed Islamic Group in Algeria kill seven French Trappist monks, after talks with French government concerning the imprisonment of several GIA sympathisers break down. May 27, 1996 (1996-05-27) (Monday) First Chechnya War: Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a ceasefire for the dispute. May 28, 1996 (1996-05-28) (Tuesday) Albania's general election of May 26 is declared unfair by international monitors, and the ruling Democratic Party under President Sali Berisha is charged by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe with rigging the elections. Several hundred protestors gather in Tirana to demonstrate against the election result. May 30, 1996 (1996-05-30) (Thursday) The Likud Party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, wins a narrow victory in the Israeli general election. The Hoover Institution releases an optimistic report that global warming will probably reduce mortality in the United States and provide Americans with valuable benefits. May 31, 1996 (1996-05-31) (Friday) FIFA decides to give the FIFA World Cup 2002, the first World Cup in Asia, to Japan and South Korea, becoming the first World Cup with co-host countries in the history of the event.

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