8 SEPTEMBER WORLD EVENTS

  World-Historical Events of 8th September : Past & Present

International Literacy Day: The Key to a Better Future

International Literacy Day is celebrated annually on 8th September to raise awareness about the importance of literacy one of the Basic Human Rights that is the Right To Education and to promote the power of literacy as a driver for sustainable development throughout the world.

The theme of this year International Literacy Day 2023 is "Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies". This day was declared by, UNESCO on October 26, 1966, and was first celebrated on 8th September 1967.

This year UNESCO has launched the #ImALifelongLearner campaign where one can share their literacy learning story. This campaign emphasizes that the right to education is a right to lifelong learning with no age bars.

World Physical Therapy Day: Importance of Physical Therapy

World Physical Therapy Day is celebrated annually on September 8 to raise awareness of the importance of physical therapy and to give value to the dedicated services provided by physiotherapists to their patients and societies. It also aims to support member organisations in their efforts to promote the profession and advance their expertise.

The day was declared by the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, currently known as World Physiotherapy, in 1996. The day is observed annually on September 8, the date on which the World Conference for Physical Therapy was founded in 1951.

The theme for WPT Day 2023 is "Arthritis: Moving Forward Together". which highlights the importance of physical therapy in managing arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis. Physiotherapists can help people suffering from arthritis by counselling and diagnosis to improve their range of motion, strength, and chronic pain management.

Siege of Leningrad:

The Siege of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) lasted from September 8, 1941, to January 27, 1944, and was one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history. The German army surrounded the city and cut off all supply lines, forcing the people of Leningrad to survive on starvation rations. An estimated 1.5 million people, including civilians and soldiers, died during the siege. Despite the hardships, the people of Leningrad refused to surrender. They fought back against the Germans and eventually managed to break the siege.

Queen Elizabeth II's First Death Anniversary:

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regnant in world history, passed away on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. Her death was a major event in recent British history and will be mourned by millions around the world.

The Galveston Storm: Deadliest Natural Disaster in US History

The Galveston Storm, also known as the Great Galveston Hurricane, was a Category 4 hurricane that struck the island city of Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900. The storm is the deadliest natural disaster in United States history, with an estimated death toll of between 6,000 and 12,000 people.

The Surrender of New Amsterdam: A Major Event in the History of New York City

The Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the English on September 8, 1664, without a fight. The English renamed the city New York in honour of the Duke of York, who was the brother of King Charles II.

Launch and Crash of NASA's Genesis Spacecraft:

The Genesis spacecraft was launched on August 8, 2001, and it entered orbit around the Sun in December 2001. The spacecraft was designed to collect solar wind particles and return them to Earth for analysis. The spacecraft spent three years collecting solar wind particles. In September 2004, the spacecraft was supposed to return to Earth in a parachute-assisted landing. However, the parachute did not deploy properly, and the spacecraft crash-landed in the Utah desert on September 8, 2004.

Republic of Macedonia's Independence by A Referendum

The Republic of Macedonia, a landlocked Balkan State whose capital is Skopje, declared its independence from Yugoslavia on 8th September 1991, following a referendum in which 95.5% of voters cast their vote in favour of independence. This country was initially recognized as the "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM) due to a dispute with Greece over the name Macedonia. However, the country was renamed North Macedonia in February 2019 after both countries mutually signed the Prespa Accord in June 2018 which, among other things, resolved the decades-long dispute over the Republic of Macedonia's name.

The Pledge of Allegiance: A History of Patriotism

The Pledge of Allegiance was first published in The Youth's Companion magazine in the United States on September 8, 1892. It was written by Francis Bellamy, a Christian socialist minister, as part of a campaign to promote patriotism in schools.

Gerald Ford Pardons Richard Nixon: A Controversial Decision

On September 8, 1974, President Gerald Ford granted a full and unconditional pardon to former President Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office. The pardon ended the Watergate scandal, which had led to Nixon's resignation in August 1974. He was the first American president to resign from office.

The Top Headlines of 8th September 2023:

1. Japan launches rocket carrying X-ray telescope to explore origins of universe, lunar lander.

2. Myanmar scribe gets a 20-year sentence

A court in Myanmar sentenced a photojournalist for an underground news agency to 20 years in prison with hard labour for his coverage of a deadly May cyclone's aftermath. The sentence given to Sai Zaw Thaike, a photographer for the independent online news service Myanmar Now, appeared to be the most severe for any journalist detained since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

3. Mexico ends federal ban on abortion

A Mexican Supreme Court ruling that invalidated all federal criminal penalties for abortion continued a regional trend of widening access to the procedure but left in place a patchwork of varying state restrictions.

The high court ordered on Wednesday that abortion be removed from the federal penal code, and will require the federal public health service and all federal health institutions to offer abortion to anyone who requests it.

4. Central African Republic faces a humanitarian crisis: UN

Central African Republic is facing a humanitarian crisis with 2.4 million people in need of assistance and the UN's USD 534 million appeal only 36 per cent funded, a UN official said on Wednesday. Mohamed Ag Ayoya, deputy special representative for the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, told a news conference that 10 years of conflict have displaced half a million people within the country while 700,000 have fled to neighbouring countries.

5. Prosecutors seeking new indictment for Hunter Biden

Federal prosecutors plan to ask a grand jury to indict President Joe Biden's son Hunter by the end of the month, according to court documents filed Wednesday. The exact charges the president's son would face were not immediately clear but appeared related to a gun possession charge in which he was accused of having a firearm while being a drug user. He has also been under investigation by federal prosecutors for his business dealings. Defence attorneys have argued that an agreement sparing Hunter Biden from prosecution on a felony gun charge remains in place. It was part of a plea deal on misdemeanour tax offences that fell apart during a court appearance in July. Biden was charged in June with two misdemeanour crimes of failure to pay more than USD 100,000 in taxes from over USD 1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018.

6. Trump White House adviser acted above the law

A White House adviser to President Donald Trump acted as if he were "above the law" when he refused to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, prosecutors argued at his trial Wednesday.

7. Sudan's army chief travels to Qatar for talks with emir as conflict rages

Sudan's army chief left for Qatar on Thursday for talks with the country's emir, making his third international trip since fighting broke out between the military and a rival paramilitary force in April, Sudanese state media said. Sudan plunged into chaos almost five months ago when long-simmering tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, escalated into open warfare on April 15. Burhan planned to hold talks with Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in the Qatari capital, Doha, according to the state-run SUNA news agency. Acting Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq and Gen. Ahmed Ibrahim Mufadel, head of the General Intelligence Authority, accompanied him on the trip, SUNA said. The visit comes amid a flurry of similar diplomatic meetings convened in Egypt and South Sudan. Burhan held talks about the conflict with South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, on Monday in Juba.

8. Australia, China open first high-level dialogue in 3 years

Australia and China opened their first high-level dialogue in three years on Thursday in a sign of a slight thaw to relations between countries that have clashed on everything from human rights to COVID-19 origins to trade. On Thursday, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also met with China's Premier Li Qiang at the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia, describing the engagement as positive.

China's and Australia's relations had sunk to low depths during the pandemic. The previous Australian government passed laws that ban covert foreign interference in domestic politics, barring Chinese-owned telecommunications giant Huawei from rolling out Australia's 5G network due to security concerns, and calling for an independent investigation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response, China effectively blocked out Australian barley in 2020 by imposing an 80.5 percent tariff, widely regarded in Australia as punishment. China also put tariffs on Australian wine, beef, and coal, as well as other products. China recently lifted the tariff against barley.

9. Catholic convents sheltered Jews during WWII

Researchers have discovered new documentation that substantiates reports that Catholic convents and monasteries in Rome sheltered Jews during World War II, providing names of at least 3,200 Jews whose identities have been corroborated by the city's Jewish community, officials said on Thursday. Researchers from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust Research Institute and Rome's Jewish community released the findings at an academic conference Thursday held at the Museum of the Shoah, part of Rome's main synagogue.

10. China will send a delegation to North Korea to celebrate its founding as nations foster ties

A Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu Guozhong will visit North Korea to participate in celebrations for its 75th founding anniversary, which is on Saturday, the North's state media said Thursday.

11. Floodwaters in Greece after rainstorms

More than 800 people have been rescued over the past two days from floods in Greece, the fire department said Thursday, after severe rainstorms turned streets into raging torrents, hurling cars into the sea and washing away roads.

The rainstorms have also hit neighbouring Bulgaria and Turkey, leaving 14 people dead in the three countries, including three people in Greece.