Israel launches its first satellite, "Offeq-1" (Horizon 1) onboard a Shavit rocket from the Negev Desert over the Mediterranean, becoming the ninth country in space. As an experimental satellite it was possibly on an experimental surveillance mission. Its announced functions: 1) Experimentation in generation of solar power; 2) Experimentation in transmission reception from space; 3) Verification of system's ability to withstand vacuum and weightless conditions; 4) Data collection on space environment conditions and Earth's magnetic field.

China recalls a large amount of milk and milk products, such as baby formula, after inspectors find melamine in liquid milk and tainted baby formula kills four children and gets over six thousand sick. Three of the country's largest milk producers were involved in the scandal after trying to decrease costs by diluting the products. Update: In 2009 a number of senior executives from the companies involved are executed by Chinese authorities and more than 300,000 babies had fallen ill from consuming milk products tainted with melamine.