August 9, 2006 (Wednesday)
- The Venezuelan opposition selects Manuel Rosales, governor of Zulia State, as its unity candidate for the December presidential election. (Bloomberg)
- In Mexico, the partial recount of votes in the disputed 2006 presidential election held on July 2 begins amid escalating protests against alleged electoral irregularities in the close election. (CBC), (VOA)
- Chad and Sudan resume diplomatic relations as part of the Dakar accord. The heads of state of Chad, Sudan, and Libya embrace in front of a cheering crowd in N'Djamena. (BBC News)
- The Indian state of Kerala bans the sale and manufacture of soft drinks belonging to PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company due to the high levels of pesticide residue in the water used in these products. (AP)
- After killing two in the Philippines, Severe Tropical Storm Bopha makes landfall in Taiwan. Typhoon Saomai and Tropical Storm Maria also threaten to make landfall, on the Chinese mainland and Japan respectively. (The China Post) (Malaysia Star)
- 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict:
- Israeli Arab officials reject Hassan Nasrallah's call to leave Haifa metropolis, arguing against the attacks on civilian populations. (YNET NEWS)
- Spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert calls BBC "the only international English-speaking news outlet that is downright hostile to Israel on every level." The BBC's response to that noted that "our duty is to provide independent reporting and analysis of all perspectives of a story, so our audiences can make sense of what's going on in the world." (Jerusalem Post)
- Dr. Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Red Cross, comes under rocket attack on a visit to the Israeli city of Nahariya. (Ynet)
- Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah says that the United States imposes Israeli demands through the United Nations draft resolution. He also backs a Lebanese army deployment to South Lebanon. He also vowed for South Lebanon to become a "graveyard" for invading Israeli troops. (Reuters)(Reuters)
- Syrian-made missiles land in near Haifa and in the West Bank. (Ynet)
- Palestinian and Lebanese officials claim Israeli gunboats shelled Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon. (CBS)