2007 Sharpie 500
This race was the tenth to use NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, as Kyle Busch won the inaugural event with this car, the Food City 500 on March 25 this year. But that race was on 36-degree high banked turns and the old concrete surface. For this race, one of the most popular in NASCAR, the new concrete surface with its new progressive banked turns between 24 and 30 degrees made its NEXTEL Cup debut.


2007 Sharpie 500, Qualifying
Kasey Kahne won the pole position on the newly rebanked and resurfaced track. This was Kahne's 14th start on the point. Juan Pablo Montoya joined Kahne on the front row; Montoya's second starting position is the best of his NASCAR career so far.


2007 Sharpie 500, Qualifying
Failed to qualify: David Reutimann (#00), Sterling Marlin (#78), Brian Vickers (#83), Kevin Lepage (#37) and Stanton Barrett (#34).


2007 Sharpie 500, Race
Carl Edwards won the Sharpie 500 for his second win of 2007 and the sixth of his career. Together, he and second-place finisher Kasey Kahne led 487 of the race's 500 laps. Kahne alone led 305 of them, more than in any other race in his career.


2007 Sharpie 500, Race
The rest of the Top 5 finishers were Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.


2007 Sharpie 500, Race
Denny Hamlin suffered an engine failure and did not finish. It was the first such occurrence in 53 races.


2007 Sharpie 500, Race
Owing largely to the new, wider racing surface, there were only nine cautions at a track which typically sees 15 or more in a 500-lap Cup race. The first of those did not come until lap 127.


2007 Sharpie 500, Race
Jeff Gordon left with a 359-point lead over Stewart on top of the championship standings. Kurt Busch retained a 158-point lead over Earnhardt Jr. for the 12th and final position in the Chase. Gordon, Hamlin, Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and Stewart have assured themselves of participation in the NASCAR "playoff."


2007 Shatoy Mi-8 crash
The 2007 Shatoy Mi-8 crash occurred on April 27, 2007, when a Russian military Mil Mi-8 helicopter carrying special forces troops and officers crashed in mountainous terrain in southern Chechnya, killing all 20 people on board.


2007 Shatoy Mi-8 crash
The incident is the largest officially acknowledged loss of life for federal troops in Chechnya in 2007 and the worst Russian military aircraft disaster since August 2002, when an enormous Mil Mi-26 transport helicopter packed with troops crashed into a minefield after being hit by a missile, killing 127 soldiers.


2007 Shatoy Mi-8 crash, Crash
The crashed helicopter was one of three Mi-8 transports and two Mil Mi-24 attack helicopters of the Russian Air Force which lifted off from a helipad to the east of the city of Gudermes. It was carrying 15 GRU Spetsnaz Rostov Brigade recon commandos and two high-ranking Russian military officers from the main Russian military base at Khankala in Chechnya.


2007 Shatoy Mi-8 crash, Crash
Russian officials initially claimed the helicopter was downed by small arms fire from Chechen separatists. Chechen authorities cited mechanical fault as a cause of the crash. A special commission tasked with investigating the crash eventually determined that the most likely cause was human error.


2007 Shatoy Mi-8 crash, Background
The two officers on board as passengers—a Lieutenant Colonel and a Major—were to serve as liaison officers to ethnic Chechen troops who had, according to federal sources, spotted a group of up to 15 Chechen separatists near the southern village of Shatoy. These allied Chechens had reportedly asked for federal assistance and air support. According to the separatist account, the pro-Russian troops were ambushed by separatist fighters who inflicted heavy losses on them.


2007 Shatoy Mi-8 crash, Background
On April 28, 2007, Russian officials asserted that at least three rebels were killed during a ground operation near the crash site, while Russian media reported five soldiers, including two Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) servicemen, died in the fighting. At the same the separatists, reportedly led by Dokka Umarov and Ramzan Saluyev, claimed to have killed 30-50 soldiers on the ground and 20-30 airborne soldiers, compared to their own claimed losses of two fighters killed and several wounded.


2007 Sheffield City Council election
Sheffield City Council elections took place on Thursday 3 May 2007 with one third of council seats up for election; one in each ward. Since the previous election, Liberal Democrat Martin Davis (representing Stocksbridge & Upper Don) defected, sitting as an independent. This set of elections saw the Conservatives lose the only seat they had on the council since 1996, and the party did not had any councillors elected to Sheffield City Council until 2021.


2007 Sheffield City Council election
The election seen several gains for the Liberal Democrats, returning the council to no overall control. Overall turnout was 36.0%, up slightly from last year's 34.5%.


2007 Sheffield City Council election, Election result
This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season
In the 2007 season, Shelbourne finished 5th in the League of Ireland First Division.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Overview
Following the financial crisis of 2006, at the start of the 2007 season, the club was left with just two senior players by January, and the club's financial crisis resulted in the club pulling out of the Setanta Cup. The crisis even began to threaten their participation in the Champions' League for 2007. Shelbourne's woes were deepened on 25 January 2007 when owner and general manager, Ollie Byrne, was taken to hospital with a reported brain tumour, most likely, stress-induced.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Overview
Shelbourne, with no manager and just one remaining senior player by February were said to be massively in debt – some reports putting it at €6 million, and others between even €10 million and €12 million. The fiasco only served to increase the pressures on the FAI, who already had to find two new replacement clubs to participate in the league following the extinction of Dublin City F.C. and Limerick F.C. in 2006.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Overview
The association decided to set up a review of the awarding of a Premier Division licence to the club and eventually decided that the club should be stripped of the chance to compete in the Premier Division. Shelbourne had their Premier licence revoked and were, instead, considered lucky to be placed in the First Division for the 2007 season. There had been worries that the club would face outright extinction and that the FAI would throw the club out of the league altogether, especially after Limerick, who had less severe problems than Shelbourne, were denied a First Division licence.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Overview
Liam Moggan, the chairman of the FAI's Licensing Committee resigned in protest after the decision was made to grant Shelbourne a First Division licence as he believed that the club - manager-less, player-less and heavily in the red - did not meet the criteria for the awarding of such a licence, even though its criteria were less strict than those required to pass for a Premier licence.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Overview
It is probable that the Committee as a whole took an extremely sympathetic view while taking into account the long history of the club and, facing a minimal time-frame for exploring alternatives before the kick-off in March, logistical factors, such as ensuring that the league began with the preferred number of teams, when coming to a final decision to keep Shelbourne in the league.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Overview
However, the FAI did not specifically announce whether their decision was punishment for continuing off-the-field abuses from 2006, such as failing to pay players their wages, or whether it was a repercussion of Shelbourne failing to meet the requisite criteria for partaking in the 2007 Premier Division (although it is likely that the course of action taken was due to the latter as if it were a punishment for the 2006 season a deduction in points from that season's tally would be the usual penalty, which would have led to the club being stripped of their title in this scenario). If the relegation was indeed due to a failure to meet standards for 2007, the club's off-the-field abuses during 2006 remain to be seen as having been permissible for that season.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Overview
Meanwhile, Waterford United were invited to take Shelbourne's place in the Premier Division for 2007 as they were the next best-placed First Division club in the Independent Assessment Group's rankings. Waterford United accepted the invitation, while the task of sourcing funds, a manager and squad before the transfer-deadline of 28 February remained at the forefront of the club's worries by mid-February. On 23 February, Shelbourne announced that Dermot Keely had been appointed as their new manager. The signing of a new squad of players commenced immediately afterward - quite a few of these players being youngsters and loaned players from other clubs, although the club did also manage to entice a number of ripened seniors to Tolka Park for the 2007 season.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Exodus
This is the squad that completed the 2006 season, winning the Premier Division in the process. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Exodus
The following players were registered to Shelbourne, but had been sent out on loan by the then manager Pat Fenlon.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Exodus
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Exodus
Following the ongoing financial problems during the 2006 season, Pat Fenlon resigned and the vast majority of players left. Several of them had reached the end of their contracts, whilst some were sold shortly after the celebrations in November, and others left after being declared free agents in the courts following missed payment of wages. Only 2 senior players remained with the club, the experienced Jim Crawford, and the young James Chambers who had spent 2006 on loan at Premier Division side Waterford United.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Withdrawal from the Setanta Cup
In February Shelbourne were forced to withdraw from the 2007 Setanta Sports Cup shortly before it was due to commence. The general assumption was that the club would be unable to field a team. St. Patrick's Athletic were invited to fill the vacancy, and they duly accepted.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Demotion
Before the start of the new league season, the club were demoted to the First Division by the FAI.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Demotion
The FAI issued a First Division licence in place of the Premier Division licence which had been revoked by order of the FAI's First Instance Committee due to the financial situation. Shortly after this, the club's majority shareholder Ollie Byrne suffered a brain tumour and Joe Casey was installed as Chairman.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Demotion
Former manager Dermot Keely was brought in as manager once more and assembled a squad of players in barely 72 hours - just in time for the club to take its place in the 2007 First Division.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Withdrawal from Champions League
On 30 March 2007, when applications for UEFA licences were nearly due and the clubs' First Division licence was up for review, Shelbourne announced that they would not be applying for a UEFA licence; thus relinquishing the Champions League spot that was rewarded for winning the league in 2006. Part of the statement read:


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Withdrawal from Champions League
The club feels that following its recent success over the last number of years it would not be of benefit to the club's record to play in this year's Champions League qualifying round. It also felt that it would be of no benefit to the league's co-efficient in Europe.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Pre-season, Withdrawal from Champions League
League runners-up Derry City were handed the Champions League place.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Players
Jim Crawford and James Chambers were the only existing senior players to stay with the club for the 2007 season. Jim was appointed captain by Keely. Goalkeeper Tony O'Dowd signed for Shelbourne, returning to the club with whom he had started his footballing career. Experienced defender Alan Murphy was signed from Longford Town and was appointed vice-captain, whilst a plethora of young players arrived from a host of clubs.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Players
Mark Leech signed on a season-long loan from Premier Division club Drogheda United, and new Derry City arrival Kyle Moran did the same.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Players
Four players arrived at Shelbourne from Dublin rivals Bohemians; Conor Rafferty and 2006's top scorer for the First Division Davitt Walsh signed on loan deals until the end of July, defenders Aidan Collins and Niall O'Reilly made their moves to Tolka Park permanent.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Players, FIFA Regulations: Article 5.3
Two of Shelbourne's new players, Mark Leech and John Brophy, who had already played with two clubs within the year prior to the season's kick-off, were left ineligible to play for the club in competitive action until July at the beginning of the season as FIFA's rules, or, in particular, Article 5.3 of FIFA’s Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players, stated that no player could play for more than two different clubs between 1 July of one season and 30 June of the following year.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Players, FIFA Regulations: Article 5.3
Both players were eventually cleared by FIFA, and made their competitive debuts in a 1-1 draw with Kilkenny City at Buckley Park on 30 March 2007.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Players, 2007 Squad
A total of 37 players represented Shelbourne at various stages during the 2007 season.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Players, 2007 Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Results, League of Ireland First Division, League Results summary
Last updated: November 10, 2007. Source: League of Ireland First Division Fixtures


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Results, FAI Ford Cup
The draw for the FAI Ford Cup took place on May 31, 2007. Shels, like all League sides, automatically went into the second round.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Results, League of Ireland Cup
Shelbourne began the League of Ireland Cup in the Second Round, as the club was officially classed as European entrants when the draws were made. Shelbourne were drawn against Dublin rivals Bohemians, who had begun the 2007 season in the top flight with two of last year's championship winning Shelbourne team, Owen Heary and Glen Crowe. Despite a valiant effort from the young Shelbourne team, the difference in quality eventually told, with Bohemians qualifying for the next round due to 2 late goals from the man who had scored the goal that won Shelbourne the league just a few short months previous, Glen Crowe.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
Shelbourne's 2007 season in the First Division began brightly with a dogged display against Kildare County at Tolka Park less than 2 weeks after their squad was assembled. Darren McKenna's dramatic late equaliser in that game secured a point for Shels giving the Tolka Park side much optimism for the season ahead.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
Shels next two games against the much fancied promotion favourites Finn Harps and Dundalk brought the young Shels side back to earth with two defeats, including conceding a last minute equaliser to Harps.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
After a frustrating 1-1 draw against 10 man Kilkenny City at Buckley Park, Shels first victory of the season arrived 5 games in against Athlone Town at Tolka Park courtesy of a Mark Leech header. Shels' generally young and inexperienced side failed to build on their first victory and would draw 4 of their next 5 games, their loss during this five game period came courtesy of conceding another last minute goal this time away to Cobh Ramblers. With injuries to notable players such as Jim Crawford and Aidan Collins, Shels' strength in depth would face a stern test during this period.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
A heavy 3-0 away defeat to Dundalk in May was countered by an encouraging 2-0 victory at home to Kilkenny City but that game was marred after John Brophy suffered a broken leg after a heavy challenge ruling him out of action for 4 months.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
Shels inconsistent start to the season was capped with a 1-0 defeat away to Athlone Town leaving Shels far too close to the foot of the First Division table for their liking. Injuries and player departures would take their toll on Shels during June and Shels suffered their heaviest defeat of the season during this period with a 4-0 defeat away to Monaghan United. Despite encouraging displays against Cobh Ramblers (2-2 draw) and another late defeat this time to Limerick 37 (3-2) would not be not enough to prevent numerous changes during the upcoming July transfer window.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
Shelbourne made significant changes at the start of the July transfer window. A total of 11 players joined Shels during the month of July including Stuart Malcolm, Marc McCulloch, Alan Keely, Anto Flood and Mark Rooney whileMark O'Brien and Noel Haverty joined Shels on loan from rivals Bohemians and St. Patrick's Athletic respectively.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
The impact of Shels newly assembled squad was felt immediately with a 1-0 victory over Wexford Youths at Tolka Park, only Shels 3rd win of the season. After a 1-0 away defeat to Finn Harps, Shels revitalised themselves with 3 consecutive victories against Dundalk, Kilkenny City and Athlone Town. July's turnaround in Shelbourne's form gave Shels optimism for securing the 3rd place play-off spot.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
Shels hopes of securing 3rd place were dashed over one weekend at Tolka Park with a 1-1 draw against Monaghan United and a defeat by Finn Harps with yet another last minute goal conceded.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
Shelbourne Football Club was in mourning during August after the death of Chief Executive Ollie Byrne. The first match after Byrne's death came against Limerick 37 at Tolka Park. In what was an emotional night at Tolka Park, Shelbourne provided one of their most impressive displays of the season with a comprehensive 4-0 victory.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
Two more victories over Wexford Youths and Kildare County gave Shels much optimism over finishing in 4th place but these ambitions were hit after another defeat to Finn Harps with yet another last minute conceded goal, the third time Shelbourne conceded a last minute winner to Harps this season.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
With no promotion prospects during the remainder of the season, Shelbourne's form slipped dramatically during the season run in. Despite a comfortable 4-1 win away to Athlone Town, Shels struggled during this period with a defeat to Dundalk and a disappointing home draw to lowly Kilkenny City.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
Shelbourne's finish to the season was one they would rather forget. 4 defeats in their final 4 matches marked a considerable decline in the Shels form after a new lease of life during the months of July and August.


2007 Shelbourne F.C. season, Season Overview
After what was a truly difficult season both on and off the pitch, Shelbourne finished 5th in the First Division table and Mark Leech finished the club's top goalscorer with 12 league goals.


2007 Shelbourne Irish Open
The 2007 Shelbourne Irish Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor carpet courts. It was the 2nd edition of the event, and part of the 2007 ATP Challenger Series of the 2007 ATP Tour. It took place at the tennis courts at the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin, Ireland, from 2 through 7 July 2007.


2007 Shelbourne Irish Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2007 Shelbourne Irish Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry as lucky losers into the singles main draw:


2007 Shelbourne Irish Open, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2007 Shelbourne Irish Open – Doubles
Jasper Smit and Martijn van Haasteren were the defending champions but chose not to compete this year.


2007 Shelbourne Irish Open – Doubles
Rohan Bopanna and Adam Feeney won the title, defeating German pair Lars Burgsmüller and Mischa Zverev in the final, 6–2, 6–2.


2007 Shelbourne Irish Open – Singles
Mischa Zverev was the defending champion but lost in the quarterfinals to Rohan Bopanna.


2007 Shelbourne Irish Open – Singles
Bopanna went on to win the tournament, defeating Danish qualifier Martin Pedersen in the final, 6–4, 6–3.


2007 Shepway District Council election, Results, Elham Valley Division
Carol Crees had been elected as a Lib Dem in 2003 but defected to People First in 2004. She sought re-election in Folkestone East ward.


2007 Shepway District Council election, Results, Folkestone North East Division
Cllr Alan North had gained the seat for the Conservatives at a by-election in 2004. Janet Andrews had been elected as a Lib Dem in 2003 but defected to People First in 2004. Carol Crees has been elected as a Lib Dem in Elham and Stelling Minnis ward in 2003 but defected to People First in 2004. Cllr Tony Dunning now sits as a Conservative.


2007 Shepway District Council election, Results, Folkestone North East Division
Cllrs Paul Marsh and Brian Copping were both elected as Lib Dems in 2003 and defected to People First in 2004.


2007 Shepway District Council election, Results, Folkestone South Division
Kim Culshaw had been elected as a Lib Dem in 2003 but defected to People First in 2004. Cllrs Emily Sanger and Sue Wallace now sit as Conservatives.


2007 Shepway District Council election, Results, Folkestone South Division
Richard Green had been elected as a Lib Dem in 2003, before defecting to People First and then Greens 4 Shepway in 2004 and then standing down from the council. He stood for election in Folkestone Park on the People First platform. Cllr Philip Martin had gained the seat for the Conservatives in the ensuing by-election.


2007 Shepway District Council election, Results, Folkestone West Division
Trevor Buss and Linda Cufley had been elected as a Lib Dem in 2003 but defected to People First in 2004. Cllr Peter Gane now sits as a Conservative.


2007 Shepway District Council election, Results, Folkestone West Division
Tony Baker had been elected as a Liberal Democrat in 2003, but defected to Independent in 2004 and did not seek re-election. Gary George had been elected as a Liberal Democrat in 2003, but defected to People First in 2004 and did not seek re-election.


2007 Shepway District Council election, Results, Folkestone West Division
Joy MacMillan had been elected as a Conservative but resigned the whip in 2006 and sought re-election as an Independent


2007 Shepway District Council election, Results, Hythe Division
Wendy Harris had been elected as a Liberal Democrat but defected to the Green Party in 2004. She did not seek re-election.


2007 Shepway District Council election, Results, Romney Marsh Division
Terry Preston and Shirley Maile had defected from Lib Dem to People First in 2004.


2007 Shetland Islands Council election
Elections to Shetland Islands Council were held on 3 May 2007 the same day as the other Scottish local government elections and the Scottish Parliament general election. The election was the first one using seven new wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Each ward elected three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system, a form of proportional representation. The new wards replaced 22 single-member wards which used the plurality (first past the post) system of election. The Council was one of only three in Scotland with a majority of elected members who were independents.


2007 Shimizu S-Pulse season
The 2007 S-Pulse season was S-Pulse's sixteenth season in existence and their fifteenth season in the J1 League. The club also competed in the Emperor's Cup and the J.League Cup. The team finished the season fourth in the league.


2007 Shinagawa city assembly election
The local election for city assembly of Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan was held on April 15, 2007. The total turnout was 41.59%.


2007 Shinjuku local election
Shinjuku, Tokyo held a local election for the city assembly on April 22, 2007 as part of the 2007 Japanese unified local elections.


2007 Shinwar shooting
The Shinwar Shooting or Shinwar Massacre was the killing of a number of Afghan civilians on 4 March 2007, in the village of Spinpul, in the Shinwar District of the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. United States Marines, fleeing the scene of a car bomb attack and ambush by Afghan militants, fired on people and vehicles surrounding them, according to initial reports, killing as many as 19 civilians and injuring around 50 more. The exact casualty figures have not been firmly established.


2007 Shinwar shooting
The United States Marine Corps began an internal inquiry in January 2008. In May, it exonerated the Marine Corps unit, determining that the unit had acted "appropriately and in accordance with the rules of engagement". All involved troops were subsequently issued Combat Action Ribbons, and one gunner was issued a Purple Heart. The report was condemned by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and by the United Nations mission in Afghanistan. Further revelations in 2010 led employees of Amnesty International and the International Bar Association to assert that there was prima facie, or superficial evidence that international humanitarian law had been violated, but could not speculate further without knowing the details of the inquiry.


2007 Shinwar shooting
In 2019 the Board for Correction of Naval Records recommended the platoon's Marine commander be retroactively promoted to lieutenant colonel with back pay, and the board criticized the 2007 senior commanders who failed to "respond appropriately to an enemy information operation and stand by the troops."


2007 Shinwar shooting, Sequence of events
On 4 March 2007, Haji Ihsanullah, a member of Hezb-i Islami Khalis (or the Tora Bora Military Front, depending on source), drove a minivan laden with explosives into one of the vehicles making up a U.S. military convoy, which included either three or six Humvees. A U.S. Marine was injured. Sources differ on whether hidden gunmen then also opened fire on the convoy. The Marines fled the area, firing on some vehicles for between 6 and 16 miles while driving along the Afghan street.


2007 Shinwar shooting, Sequence of events
According to several witnesses and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, the U.S. Marines' response to the car bombing included indiscriminate firing at passing civilians on the busy highway. They asserted that elderly men, women and children were killed. Akhtyar Gul, a local reporter who witnessed the shooting, claimed that the Marines sprayed civilians with machine gun fire even though the Marines were not under attack. According to Associated Press and Afghan journalists, U.S. troops confiscated photos and videos of the incident and its aftermath. A freelance photographer working for the Associated Press claimed that two Marines and a translator asked him: "Why are you taking pictures? You don't have permission." Another photographer claimed that he had been told by U.S. troops through an interpreter: "Delete them [your photos], or we will delete you."


2007 Shinwar shooting, Afghan response
The killings were followed by widespread protests across Afghanistan and drew sharp criticism from President Hamid Karzai. The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission's report asserted that: "In failing to distinguish between civilians and legitimate military targets, the U.S. Marine Corps Special Operators employed indiscriminate force. Their actions thus constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian standards."


2007 Shinwar shooting, Aftermath
Major General Frank Kearney, head of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), ordered the entire 120-member unit out of Afghanistan pending an investigation into the incident and announced that there was no evidence supporting the Marines' story that they had come under fire. The unit's commander and senior officer were relieved of their duties on 3 April 2007 and reassigned to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Kearney's order to have the unit depart Afghanistan was later found by the Department of Defense's Inspector General to be within his authority and reasonable. Compensation payments of $2,000 each were paid to the families of those killed or wounded; overall more than fifty Afghans received compensation payments.


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry
The shooting came under investigation by both Afghanistan and the United States. On 12 April 2007, an initial investigation headed by a United States Air Force colonel was conducted, endorsed by a United States Army general. It determined that the Marines used "excessive force when they killed civilians after a suicide bombing" and referred the case to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for a criminal inquiry; the investigation occurred two months after the shootings, with investigators only able to study the site of the shooting for an hour. The New York Times of 20 April 2007 included an article asserting that the shooting was similar to the Haditha massacre.


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry
The Pentagon issued a formal apology for the incident on 7 May 2007. "This was a terrible, terrible mistake," said U.S. Army Colonel John Nicholson, "and my nation grieves with you for your loss and suffering. We humbly and respectfully ask for your forgiveness." Nicholson commanded Task Force Spartan, whose area of operation as defined by ISAF Regional Command East included the area of the shooting. This was dismissed as premature by General James T. Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps, who said: "I would just as soon that no one ... apologize or talk about 'terrible, terrible mistakes'."


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry
James Mattis, then a Marine Corps lieutenant general, ordered a court of inquiry to be held. The court at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, formally investigated the incident in January 2008, hearing from more than 50 witnesses, including Afghans, over 17 days. Much of the testimony was characterized as "vague and contradictory". The four Marines who had fired their weapons did not testify—according to Declan Walsh, writing in The Guardian of London, "because they had not been granted immunity from prosecution".


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry
During the court of inquiry, Colonel Nicholson stated the Marines did not coordinate their operations with his command when conducting operations and that the Marines' failure to remain at the scene of the attack amounted to failing to "preserve evidence", according to David Zucchino of the Los Angeles Times. Marines who had been present testified that they had been forced to leave the scene by a "complex ambush". One Marine testified that not all Marines in the convoy returned fire against those ambushing the convoy—return fire, he said, was limited to some gunners.


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry
This Marine elaborated that the gunners were ordered to cease fire some minutes later by a Marine captain. Testimony by Afghans, including an Afghan police lieutenant colonel, and a 1980s mujahideen commander, contradicted the testimony of the Marines. Nicholson testified that thirty minutes after U.S. Marines left the area, other U.S. troops arrived at the location of the minivan attack and found no dead or wounded Afghans. He speculated that this might be because Afghans collect and bury their dead quickly in line with Islamic tradition, but also acknowledged that Taliban insurgents often fake or exaggerate civilian deaths, stating "That's why it's so important for us to stay on the scene."


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry
According to one of the Marines' defence lawyers, Mark Waple, an investigation by the U.S. Navy estimated that the number of people killed was between five and seven, all adult men; Waple continued that despite the prior claims of massacred women and children, witness statements attested only to a wounded 16-year-old boy and a woman with an injured hand. In May 2008, the court of inquiry concluded that they had "acted appropriately and in accordance with the rules of engagement and tactics, techniques and procedures in place at the time in response to a complex attack."


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry
Testimony to the inquiry was classified and not released, and the 12,000-page report was not published. In March 2015, excerpts of the "key conclusions" were published in the Military Times. No criminal charges were brought, although "some officers" did receive an "administrative reprimand". The court of inquiry recommended judicial and/or administrative actions be taken upon two Marine captains and two enlisted Marines. The verdict infuriated the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. Kubra Aman, a member of the Afghan House of Elders from Nangarhar, said "I am very angry. This is too much."


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry
The decision was also criticised by the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, whose spokesperson Aleem Siddique said "It is disappointing that no one has been held accountable for these deaths". The two Marine captains were later "cleared of wrongdoing", according to the Marine Corps Times. More than a year after the court of inquiry concluded, Marines involved received Combat Action Ribbons, and an injured turret gunner was awarded the Purple Heart.


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry
In 2010, Mark Ellis of the International Bar Association told Channel 4 News of the UK that based on documents released by WikiLeaks, "there is prima facie evidence from the military log that suggests the troops could be investigated for war crimes" but that legal hurdles would probably prevent a hearing before the International Criminal Court. Sam Zafiri of Amnesty International took a similar line, saying that "There is certainly prima facie evidence of violations of international humanitarian law ... It's not so much about whether an investigation into what happened at Jalalabad is re-opened, but rather publish what the U.S. military did investigate, who they talked to, what were the results and how did they arrive at the decision they came to."


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry
In March 2015, the Military Times published a series of articles about the incident, written by Andrew deGrandpre. Fred Galvin, who commanded the Marine unit at the time of the incident, said that despite being cleared by the court of inquiry, he and his men thought that their side of the story had not been properly publicised and that they still felt they were stigmatised as a result of the accusations. Although cleared of wrongdoing, members of the unit were adversely effected by the perception of the event.


2007 Shinwar shooting, Investigation and inquiry, 2019 Retroactive promotions
In January 2019, the Board for Correction of Naval Records reported that Major Fred Galvin (USMC retired) should be promoted to lieutenant colonel and given back pay. The board found Galvin "was beset by a perfect storm of toxic officers," following the false accusations of 2007. The board found "The ambush of 4 March 2007 was not a tactical "misstep". The board found the convoy's response was irreproachable and found no fault relative to the Marines' conduct and performance. The only misstep was the inability or unwillingness of senior U.S. leaders to respond appropriately to an enemy information operation and stand by the troops until competent evidence was gathered."


2007 Shonan Bellmare season
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Monkbot (talk | contribs) at 18:01, 4 January 2020 (→Other pages: Task 15:  language icon template(s) replaced (1×);). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2007 Siberian orange snow
The Siberian orange snow of 2007 was an anomalous phenomenon that occurred in early February 2007. Beginning on 31 January 2007, an orange-tinted snow fell across an area of 1,500 square kilometres (580 sq mi) in Omsk Oblast, Siberian Federal District, Russia, approximately 2,300 km (1,400 mi) from Moscow, as well as into the neighboring Tomsk and Tyumen Oblasts. It was unclear what caused the orange snow. Speculation ranged from pollutants to a storm in neighboring Kazakhstan.


2007 Siberian orange snow, Description
The orange snow was malodorous, oily to the touch, and reported to contain four times the normal level of iron. Though mostly orange, some of the snow was red or yellow. It affected an area with about 27,000 residents. It was originally speculated that it was caused by industrial pollution, a rocket launch or even a nuclear accident. It was later determined that the snow was non-toxic; however, people in the region were advised not to use the snow or allow animals to feed upon it. Colored snow is uncommon in Russia but not unheard of, as there have been many cases of black, blue, green and red snowfall.


2007 Siberian orange snow, Possible causes
This orange snow may have been caused by a heavy sandstorm in neighboring Kazakhstan. Tests on the snow revealed numerous sand and clay dust particles, which were blown into Russia in the upper stratosphere. The speculation that the coloration was caused by a rocket launch from Baikonur in Kazakhstan was later dismissed, as the last launch before the event took place on 18 January 2007.


2007 Siberian orange snow, Possible causes
Russia's environmental watchdog originally claimed that the colored snowfall was caused by industrial pollution, such as "waste from metallurgical plants." It stated that the snow contained four times the normal quantities of acids, nitrates, and iron. However, it would be nearly impossible to pinpoint a culprit if pollution were the cause, as there are various industries nearby, such as the city of Omsk, which is a center of the oil industry in Russia.


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship
The 2007 FIM Sidecarcross world championship, the 28th edition of the competition, started on 9 April and finished after eight race weekends on 16 September 2007 with Daniël Willemsen taking out the title once more.


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship, Overview
The 2007 season was the 28th edition of the sidecarcross world championship. It resulted in a record sixth world championship for Daniël Willemsen, his fifth in a row, but the first with his new passenger Reto Grütter from Switzerland. The team absolutely dominated the season, winning fifteen out of the sixteen races, of those, the first twelve in a row. Despite this, their winning margin of 89 points was not a new record, this is still held by Kristers Sergis / Artis Rasmanis with 168, set in 2002, however, in a 28 race season.


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship, Overview
The only race the world champion didn't win, number 13, they team finished outside the points on 24th rank. Second placed Jan Hendrickx / Tim Smeuninx did not win a race all season but nine podium finishes and the fact that the team saw the final flag in all races put them well ahead of place three. Kristers Sergis, five times world champion, came third in the 2007 season, with eight second places and a win to his name, in their home GP. Apart from this performances, his results were not strong enough for a sixth title.


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship, Overview
The eight races of the season were held in six countries, France, Belgium, Germany, Croatia, Latvia and the Netherlands.


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship, Format
Every Grand Prix weekend is split into two races, both held on the same day. This means the 2007 season with its eight Grand Prix had sixteen races. Each race is currently 30 minutes plus 2 rounds long. The 2007 season had 60 teams registered but not all of them raced in every event. Teams go through a qualifying, usually on Saturday. Typically, around 50 teams compete for 30 spots on the starting grid, meaning around 20 teams miss out on the race altogether. Some teams did not actually get a race start all season, failing in qualifying each time. All up, 48 of those teams gained competition points. Only three teams qualified but never scored any points. About fifteen teams never achieved to get above the cut.


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship, Format
The first twenty teams of each race scored competition points, allocated accordingly to the following system:


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship, Calendar
The 2007 season had the same number of races as in the previous year, however, only half the races were held in the same locations as in 2006. The countries hosting GP's however had not changed:


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship, Race by race statistics
The numbers for every team are allocated according to their 2006 season finish, meaning the world champion received number one and so on. The numbers for drivers not participating this season were not re-allocated, for example number 16 was not used as Uli Müller who finished 16th in 2006 had retired. New entries received a random number.


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship, Race by race statistics
In the last season, 50 teams finished with points in the overall table, every number above this is therefore a new entry or has not scored points the previous year, the exception being the numbers 68 and 116 who should have been numbers 13 and 21. This system makes it possible to see a driver's improvement or decline from last year by comparing number with position.


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship, Race by race statistics
The sixteen race events finished as follows and resulted in this final table:


2007 Sidecarcross World Championship, Manufacturers
The manufacturers of side car frames are very specialized companies, catering for a small market, but within this they are very well known. Engines can be large half litre off-the-line machines. However, specialized sidecar engines are available to, like the 2-stroke engines from MTH (630cc) and Zabel (685cc). In the 2007 season, four out of the top-five used a VMC frame, including the world champion. Zabel provided the engines to the world champion and the runner-up. The only other engines found in the top ten were KTM and JAWA.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election
General elections were held in Sierra Leone on 11 August 2007. Seven candidates competed in the first round of the presidential election; no candidate received the necessary 55% of the vote to win in the first round, and a second round was held between the top two candidates, Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) and Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), on 8 September. According to official results, Koroma won the election with 54.6% of the vote.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election
566 candidates stood in the parliamentary election, in which 112 seats, out of a total of 124, were at stake. Voting for seats in parliament was done on a first-past-the-post constituency basis, rather than the system of proportional representation used previously. 12 members of parliament were chosen by traditional chiefs, who have been considered to be allied with the SLPP, in a separate election.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Background
Vice-President Solomon Berewa was chosen as the presidential candidate of the ruling SLPP, as well as the party's leader, in early September 2005. The incumbent president, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah of the SLPP, was prohibited from running again by term limits. On July 2, 2007, Foreign Minister Momodu Koroma was named as the party's vice-presidential candidate. Ernest Bai Koroma was nominated as the presidential candidate of the main opposition party APC, with Samuel Sam-Sumana as his vice-presidential candidate. Charles Margai was nominated as the presidential candidate of the People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), with Ibrahim Tejan-Jalloh as his vice-presidential candidate. Margai formed the PMDC as a split from the SLPP in 2005, and this was seen as weakening the latter party. Prior to the election, Berewa, Koroma, and Margai were considered the main three presidential candidates.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Background
In May 2007, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) delayed the election by two weeks from the previously set date of 28 July, saying that it was necessary to have additional time after parliament was dissolved in late June 2007. This decision was sharply criticized by the opposition, since it meant the election would be held when the rainy season was at its peak, potentially making voting difficult for many people. On 11 May, NEC Chairperson Christiana Thorpe rejected requests for the election to be delayed until December, saying that it would be unconstitutional to hold them so late. Acknowledging the impact the rain would likely have on voter turnout, Thorpe said that there would be more polling stations in order to make voting more convenient.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Background, Campaigning
Campaigning for the election began on 10 July. The campaign was marred by some violence, but on 2 August an army spokesman described the country as "relatively calm and peaceful" and predicted a "peaceful, credible and violence-free" election. He also said that the army would not intervene in politics.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Background, Campaigning
APC candidate Koroma was allegedly the target of an assassination attempt in the early hours of July 23, 2007, when, according to the APC, a group of armed men led by Tom Nyuma, who was a participant in the 1992 coup that ousted the APC, attempted to enter his hotel room in the southern city of Bo to kill him. In a letter to the Inspector General of Police in early August, Berewa alleged that the APC and the PMDC were planning to disrupt the election and intimidate SLPP supporters. He claimed that they planned to send their own supporters dressed in Operational Support Division uniforms to polling stations. APC Secretary-General Victor Foh accused the SLPP of planning electoral fraud.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence
Acts of violence escalated in the run up to the polls, especially in the capital, Freetown, and the south-eastern cities of Bo Kenema and Koidu Town. In July, police arrested scores of people after clashes in Bo between SLPP and PMDC supporters.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
There were about 2.6 million registered voters at the time of the election and 6,171 polling stations. Voting was reported to be peaceful, although in some places young people were said to have disrupted vote counting, leading to increased security measures. An electoral commission official described the voting process as "smooth and successful". Turnout was reported to be high, despite the rains, with long lines at polling stations. Observers gave the election a positive appraisal and placed voter turnout at more than 70%.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Marie-Anne Isler, head of the European Union observer mission, described voting as "well organized, positive and transparent", but also said that the SLPP enjoyed a strong advantage due to incumbency and the support of some traditional chiefs, and that it was "extremely dominant" in state television coverage. EU observers also said that Berewa appeared to have distributed money to voters at his home, a claim that the SLPP denounced as "baseless and unfounded".


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Vote counting was done publicly at polling stations, with party representatives present. On August 13, Kabbah discouraged "provocative or inflammatory statements" and said that police would "deal firmly with any threats to the peace and stability of the nation". On the same day, NEC Chairperson Thorpe announced results from 7.4% of polling stations; out of these 150,374 votes, Koroma had 107,341 and Berewa had 33,041. Further results on August 14, from about 19% of polling stations, showed Koroma remaining well ahead of Berewa, with 204,774 votes against 106,487 for Berewa. Margai, in third place, had 43,904 votes. Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon appealed for the preservation of "an atmosphere of calm and public order" and said that "any potential dispute" should be resolved "within the established legal channels".


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
On August 15, an APC spokesman claimed that, based on its own count, the party had won 61 seats in parliament, which would be a majority, although at the time official results for only four seats had been announced, two for the APC, one for the SLPP, and one for the PMDC. Partial results for the presidential election released by the National Electoral Commission on August 15, accounting for 34.3% of polling stations, showed Koroma still leading, although more narrowly; Koroma had 297,206 votes, compared to 227,353 for Berewa and 97,669 for Margai. Further results on August 16, accounting for 45.3% of polling stations, showed Koroma with 400,027 votes, Berewa with 310,321 votes, and Margai with 120,231 votes. Results from about 62% of polling stations on August 17 showed Koroma with 516,442 votes, Berewa with 421,812 votes, and Margai with 169,408 votes.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
On August 18, results from 81% of polling stations showed Koroma with 44% of the vote and Berewa with 38%. On August 20, results from 93.1% of polling stations showed Koroma with 754,696 votes, Berewa with 654,756 votes, and Margai with 239,637 votes. In the parliamentary election, the APC had 21 seats, the SLPP had 10, and the PMDC had four. Turnout is placed at about 76%.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
On August 19, Margai stated his support for Koroma in the second round of the election. On August 20, the PMDC's Karamoh Kabba explained what he said was the reasoning behind the decision: the PMDC sought to "ensure a more representative government, the survival of the PMDC as a political party and the creation of a third formidable political force for smooth running of democracy in Sierra Leone".


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
According to Kabba, backing the APC would help to bridge the regional political divide marking Sierra Leone's politics (the SLPP and PMDC draw their main support from the south, while the APC draws its main support from the north), while backing the SLPP would deepen it; furthermore, he said that the APC had a natural reason to want the PMDC to survive, while the SLPP had a natural reason to want to destroy it. Margai's support for the APC provoked controversy in the PMDC, however, with some feeling that his decision was made without properly consulting the party.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
SLPP spokesman Victor Reider expressed confidence for his party ahead of the second round, to be held in September, and said that the SLPP would warn voters about "the risk of destroying everything that we have been able to put together since 2002 when the war ended".


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Full provisional results announced on August 23 showed Koroma with 815,523 votes (44.3%), Berewa with 704,012 votes (38.3%), and Margai with 255,499 votes (13.9%). Thorpe confirmed that a second round would be necessary between Koroma and Berewa. In the parliamentary election, the APC won 59 seats, the SLPP won 43 seats, and the PMDC won 10 seats. Turnout was placed at 75.8%.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Results by region reveal how Margai's PMDC party cut into the SLPP's support in the south and east. Especially significantwas the PMDC's winning of 41% of the vote in the SLPP stronghold of Southern Province. In Northern Province, which has thelargest voting population, the APC maintained its support and Koroma got almost 77% of the vote, the largest share by region for any of the candidates. The APC also received strong support in Western Area.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Comparing the first-round performances of the SLPP and APC presidential candidates in 2002 and 2007 makes clear the SLPP's loss of ground in the south and east. While in 2002 the SLPP's candidate Kabbah won 92% and 95% in Eastern and Southern provinces, respectively, five years later the SLPP's candidate Berewa won just 66% and 46% there.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
The SLPP's biggest losses were in the Western Area districts around Freetown. While the SLPP won more than half the seats in Western Area parliamentary elections in 2002, voters turned away from the SLPP in droves and the party lost all 21 seats in Western Area to the APC in 2007.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Margai said on August 24 that the APC and the PMDC would campaign together for the second round. Koroma's campaign called for Berewa to recognize defeat and back out of the second round in order to save the money that would have to be spent on it, but the SLPP refused to do so. Reider predicted victory for Berewa and said that the government should receive credit for being democratic and law-abiding, enabling the APC to win the parliamentary election.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
On August 25, the NEC confirmed the provisional results, announced that the second round of the presidential election would take place on September 8, and said that second round campaigning would take place from August 25 until September 6.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
The results were strongly marked by the regional divide between support for the APC, which won overwhelmingly in the north and also by a large margin in the west, and the SLPP, which won in the south and east, although it split its support there with the PMDC. The parties performed poorly outside of their regional support bases; the APC won only two of its 59 parliamentary seats outside of the north and west. Koroma received his best results in Bombali District (83.9%), Tonkolili District (82.2%), and Port Loko District (78.6%), while Berewa received his best results in Kailahun District (77.1%), Kenema District (63.0%), and Kono District (57.1%). Margai received a majority only in Bonthe District (61.1%).


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Reider of the SLPP said that, despite "reservations over the conduct of the elections", his party accepted the results. The APC's Victor Foh said that his party accepted the results as well.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Foh alleged that a paramount chief in an eastern district had brought mercenaries from neighboring Guinea to intimidate voters by firing near polling stations.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Two small parties, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Peace and Liberation Party (PLP), respectively led by Amadu Jalloh, the fifth place presidential candidate, and Kandeh Baba Conteh, the sixth place candidate, announced their support for Berewa in a press conference on August 27. Fourth place candidate Andrew Turay of the Convention People's Party (CPP) also announced his support for Berewa in early September.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
After clashes between supporters of the two sides in Freetown and Koidu Town, President Kabbah on August 27 warned that he would declare a state of emergency "if the current state of intimidation, molestation and violent acts is not stopped". A curfew was imposed in Koidu. In an interview with Voice of America, Reider claimed that Berewa had actually received 20,000 more votes than Koroma and that there were irregularities, particularly in the north and west, regarding which he said the SLPP had requested an investigation from the NEC. He also blamed the violence on the APC.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Clashes were reported in Segbwema, in the south, on August 30, after SLPP supporters pelted an APC convoy with rocks; the local SLPP headquarters was burned. The violence led Koroma to end his campaigning in the south. Clashes erupted in Freetown on September 1 and reportedly left dozens of people injured; police intervened with tear gas. On the same day, Koroma and Berewa agreed to hold a peace march on September 3 in hopes of deescalating the violence. The two candidates also agreed to allow the police to handle their security, instead of entrusting it to private bodyguards.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Voter awareness of the concept of a second round and the need for it is said to be low, and it is speculated that voter turnout may be lower in the second round as a result. The NEC has been working to inform voters about the importance of the second round.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
The peace march agreed to by Berewa and Koroma was eventually held on September 6, but it was boycotted by Koroma. The APC said that the SLPP had not corrected the problems that it said led to the previous violence and alleged that its supporters were being harassed that the Kamajor militia, active during the civil war, was being rearmed. Berewa made an appearance, but he did not participate in the actual march.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
In the election on September 8, the parties traded accusations of harassment of their polling agents at polling stations. Berewa alleged that police mistreated SLPP agents and the SLPP's Alhaji Jah said there were reports that between 40 and 50 of his party's agents "were harassed, intimidated and taken out of polling stations". For his part, Koroma alleged that APC representatives were being harassed and kept away from polling stations in Kailahun. He also said that five APC agents were attacked and kidnapped in Bo and that many people had voted twice in Kenema. Police imposed a curfew in Kailahun.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
European Union observers gave a positive assessment of the day of the election. In a statement on September 10, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon praised the election as proceeding in a "generally orderly and peaceful atmosphere, in spite of the tensions and violence that marred the campaign period" and urged people to "exercise restraint".


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
As vote counting occurred, both the SLPP and the APC claimed to be ahead and both said that they would reject results from areas where their agents were allegedly not allowed access to polling stations. The SLPP's Reider said that in three districts in the north the party's agents were kept away from the polling stations, and that there were 50 polling stations where SLPP agents were not present; he alleged that SLPP agents were arrested for two hours and that people from the APC took advantage of this to stuff the ballot boxes. APC spokesman Alpha Kanu said that his party's agents had been unable to access polling stations in parts of Kailahun, Kenema, and Pujehun districts in the south.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
The first official results, released by the NEC on September 10, showed Koroma well ahead with 64% of the vote against 36% for Berewa, based on results from slightly more than 20% of polling stations; however, officials said that these results came primarily from the west of the country, where the APC is stronger. Thorpe emphasized the importance of an "atmosphere of calm" while votes are counted and results are released.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Koroma claimed victory, saying it was "not possible" for him to lose, but Reider of the SLPP accused him of "trying to steal victory" and said that according to the SLPP's figures, Berewa was in the lead. Reider was also strongly critical of a report from the EU's observers that alleged that the number of votes in parts of the south and east exceeded the number of registered voters there.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Results released on September 11, based on about 37% of polling stations, showed Koroma with about 60% of the vote and Berewa with about 40%. With 50.8% of the vote counted on 12 September, Koroma had about 58.5%; out of the country's 14 districts, Koroma and Berewa each led in seven of them. On the same day, Kabbah urged people to accept the final results when they are released, regardless of who is declared the winner.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Results released on September 13, with 76.1% of the vote counted, showed Koroma leading with 60.2% (859,144 votes) against 39.8% (567,449 votes) for Berewa. The APC's Alpha Kanu said that his party held an "unassailable lead" and was waiting for a concession from Berewa. The SLPP's Reider, however, said that his party was filing a court injunction to prevent the publication of any further results due to what he described as discrepancies in the results. There have been allegations that the NEC has withheld some results from the SLPP's support bases in the south and east, and on September 15 a protest outside NEC offices was broken up by police.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
On September 17, 2007, the NEC said that Koroma had won the election with 54.6% of the vote to Berewa's 45.4%; Koroma had 950,407 votes and Berewa had 789,651. Results from a total of 477 polling stations were invalidated because there were more ballots than there were registered voters: 426 of these polling stations were in the pro-SLPP Southeast, while 45 were in the Northern Province and six were in the Western Area.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
This decision was taken by Thorpe and two of the four Regional Commissioners; the two remaining Regional Commissioners, representing the south and east, left in protest when Koroma was declared the winner. Berewa promptly conceded defeat. According to Kanu, both Kabbah and Berewa called Koroma and congratulated him. Although the SLPP's injunction was scheduled to be heard on the same day, a judge postponed it. The official results can be challenged within seven days of the official proclamation.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Koroma was sworn in as President at State House in Freetown on 17 September, the same day that the results were announced, at a ceremony attended by Berewa and Kabbah. Koroma said on this occasion: "Let us begin the process of healing the wounds that suddenly and unnecessarily appeared during the course of this political campaign. Let us endeavour to reconcile ourselves as one nation under God." Shortly afterward, the SLPP headquarters in Freetown was looted. Police intervened, using tear gas and firing into the air to end the looting; some looters were reported arrested and at least one person was reported killed.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
The 124 members of parliament were sworn in on September 25. Justice Abel Stronge was elected as Speaker and the APC's Victor Chukuma Johnson was elected as Deputy Speaker. Edward Turay was chosen as Leader of the Majority Party, and Momoh Pujeh was chosen as Leader of the Minority Party.


2007 Sierra Leonean general election, Election violence, Election day and counts
Some in the SLPP have accused Kabbah of contributing to its defeat, alleging that he betrayed the party due to distrust and jealousy that he harbored towards Berewa.


2007 Sigerson Cup
The 2007 Sigerson Cup was the 97th staging of the Sigerson Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1911.


2007 Sigerson Cup
The Sigerson Cup is the top division of university football in Ireland. It is administrated by the Higher Education committee which is part of the Gaelic Athletic Association.


2007 Sigerson Cup
The 2007 Sigerson Cup winners were Queen's University Belfast, who defeated UUJ in the final 0-15 to 0-14.


2007 Sigerson Cup, Summary
In the quarter-finals were UCD, Sligo IT, and Jordanstown beat the 2006 Sigerson Cup champions DCU to gain a place in the last eight. Other teams include NUI Galway, Cork IT, Maynooth, and Queen's.


2007 Silverstone GP2 Series round
2007 Silverstone GP2 Series round was a GP2 Series motor race held on 7 and 8 July 2007 at Silverstone Circuit, United Kingdom. It was the fiveth round of the 2007 GP2 Series season. The race weekend supported the 2007 British Grand Prix.


2007 Silverstone Superbike World Championship round
The 2007 Silverstone Superbike World Championship round was the seventh round of the 2007 Superbike World Championship season. It took place on the weekend of May 25–27, 2007, at the 3.561 km Silverstone International Circuit in the United Kingdom. Troy Bayliss won the only Superbike race, as race 2 was cancelled because of heavy rain. Anthony West won the Supersport race.


2007 Silverstone Superbike World Championship round, Races summary
Heavy rains made for a wet first Superbike race and Supersport race at Silverstone and also caused the second Superbike race to be cancelled.


2007 Silverstone Superbike World Championship round, Races summary
Troy Bayliss took the win in the only Superbike race over Noriyuki Haga. Third was Troy Corser. Roberto Rolfo rode a good race to score fourth position, Regis Laconi took fifth place, his best result of the year so far. Max Biaggi finished sixth and Lorenzo Lanzi was seventh and the last rider not to be lapped by the Bayliss.


2007 Silverstone Superbike World Championship round, Races summary
Championship leader James Toseland crashed on lap three and he rejoined the race down in 18th place and eventually finished eighth. Ruben Xaus also fell on lap 24, allowing Toseland through, but also rejoined to finish ninth. Only 13 riders finished the race at Silverstone.


2007 Silverstone Superbike World Championship round, Races summary
In the Supersport race, Anthony West scored a fabulous win in only his second Supersport race, proving to be the clear victor by some 33 seconds from Robbin Harms. The race was red-flagged six laps earlier than scheduled when a fallen machine blocked the racing line. Katsuaki Fujiwara was the final podium finisher. Championship leader Kenan Sofuoğlu fell on lap one and was ruled out of the points for the first time this year.


2007 Silverstone Superbike World Championship round, Superbike race 2 cancelled
The second World Superbike race at Silverstone was cancelled due to the weather conditions.


2007 Singapore League Cup
The inaugural Singapore League Cup was held in 2007. The tournament was held before the start of the S.League season that year. Prior to this tournament, there is another tournament with the same name that was held until in 1997 where the Singapore Armed Forces had defeated Geylang United by 1-0 in the final. However that old Singapore League Cup was subsequently renamed into present Singapore Cup and evolved to be the major cup competition in Singapore football. In recent years, invitational foreign teams participated in the Singapore Cup along with the local clubs. The League Cup, however, is solely reserved for domestic clubs.


2007 Singapore League Cup
The 2007 competition was sponsored by SingTel, and officially titled the SingTel League Cup. A direct knockout format was used, with the first round being the quarter-final stage as only eight out of the twelve S.League teams participated in the competition.


2007 Singapore League Cup
The 4 teams who withdrew due to prior pre-season commitments were:


2007 Singapore League Cup
The winners received a prize of S$20,000 with the runners-up and second runners-up taking home S$10,000 and S$5,000 respectively.


2007 Singapore League Cup
Woodlands Wellington defeated Sengkang Punggol 4-0 in the final to win the first Singapore League Cup. Gombak United defeated Home United in the third-place match 9-8 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.


2007 Singapore Super Series
The 2007 Singapore Open Super Series (officially known as the Aviva Open Singapore Super Series 2007 for sponsorship reasons) was a badminton tournament which took place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, from 1 to 6 May 2007 and had a total purse of $200,000.


2007 Singapore Super Series, Tournament
The 2007 Singapore Open Super Series was the fifth tournament of the 2007 BWF Super Series and also part of the Singapore Open championships, which had been held since 1987. This was also the first tournament that offered valuable ranking points for the qualification to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.


2007 Singapore Super Series, Tournament, Venue
This international tournament was held at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.


2007 Singapore Super Series, Tournament, Point distribution
Below is the point distribution for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the BWF Super Series event.


2007 Singapore Super Series, Tournament, Prize money
The total prize money for this tournament was US$200,000. Distribution of prize money was in accordance with BWF regulations.


2007 Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7s
The 2007 Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7s was the ninth year of the Singer Sri Lankan Airlines Rugby 7s tournament. Hong Kong defeated South Korea 37 points to 5 in the final of the Cup.


2007 Six Days Track Cycling Events
The 2007 Six days track cycling events are multi-race competitions, each taking place over six days at various locations in mainland Europe. The riders challenge each other in track cycling disciplines including the madison, track time trials, sprints, and Derny motor-paced races.


2007 Six Days of Zürich
The 2007 Six Days of Zürich were six-day track cycling races held from 28 December 2006 to 2 January 2007 in the Hallenstadion in Zürich.


2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 Six Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the international championship. Fifteen matches were played over five weekends from 3 February to 17 March.


2007 Six Nations Championship
In this year, France again won on points difference above Ireland, after four teams had at least a mathematical chance of topping the table going into the final week. Italy had their first away win of the tournament, beating Scotland in Edinburgh. It was also the first time that they won two of their matches, as they went on to beat Wales in Rome, finishing in 4th place, their best result so far. Scotland won the wooden spoon on points difference below Wales, and Ireland won the Triple Crown for the second straight year and third time in four years.


2007 Six Nations Championship, The first four rounds
In the build-up to the competition, Ireland were being tipped as favourites for the Grand Slam, having played well during the Autumn Tests. However, despite having started strongly with a win against Wales, they lost to France 20–17 in an historic encounter at Croke Park. In turn, Ireland went on to beat England, who subsequently won against France.


2007 Six Nations Championship, The first four rounds
Round 3 of the competition saw Italy win their first ever away match in the Six Nations. Scotland conceded three tries (all converted) in the first six minutes, and Italy went on to secure an historic 37–17 victory. In the same round, England's defeat by Ireland at Croke Park 43–13 marked their worst result ever in the history of the tournament, both in number of points conceded and in points difference (30 points).


2007 Six Nations Championship, The first four rounds
In round 4, Italy achieved a second victory in the same tournament for the first time, when they defeated Wales 23–20 in Rome in a match that ended in controversy. Trailing by three points, Wales had the chance to equalise in the closing moments of the game when they were awarded a kickable penalty near the Italian 22-metre line.


2007 Six Nations Championship, The first four rounds
But, having been informed by the referee that 10 seconds remained, they chose to kick for touch, believing that there was time for an attacking line-out and possible try-scoring opportunity, only for the referee to blow his whistle and end the game before the line-out could form. The Welsh players were incensed and the referee later apologised for the misunderstanding that had arisen.


2007 Six Nations Championship, Final day
All three matches in week five of the tournament were played on the same day and four teams — France, Ireland, England and Italy — still had a chance of winning the tournament: France were narrowly ahead of Ireland on points difference, England and Italy could become champions if they won by a large margin and the other results favoured them.


2007 Six Nations Championship, Final day
The game between Ireland and Italy was played first. At half-time, Ireland led by a single point, but they extended their lead in the second half. As time ran out, Ireland were in possession and could have kicked the ball into touch, ending the game and leaving France requiring a 30-point margin in their game; instead, they opted to seek another try, to set France a bigger target, only for Italy to regain possession and score a converted try, reducing France's target to 23 points.


2007 Six Nations Championship, Final day
The second game was between France and Scotland. After starting slowly, France steadily extended their lead, but were still three points short of their target when, with time running out, Elvis Vermeulen scored a try in injury-time, which was converted, to give France a 27-point victory and put them in the lead in the tournament. The referee referred the try to the Television Match Official (TMO), an Irishman, asking if there was any reason why the try should not be awarded. The TMO advised that there was no reason, and the referee awarded the try.


2007 Six Nations Championship, Final day
In the final match, England needed to beat Wales by 57 points to overtake France, while Wales were trying to avoid the wooden spoon. Wales led 15–0 after 15 minutes and 18–15 at half-time, and though England managed to draw level in the second half, James Hook then kicked two penalties and a drop goal, to give Wales the victory by 27–18. This result confirmed France's position as champions and handed the wooden spoon to Scotland, both on points difference.


2007 Skate America
The 2007 Skate America was the first event of six in the 2007–08 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania on October 25–28. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2007–08 Grand Prix Final. The compulsory dance was the Austrian Waltz.


2007 Skate Canada International
The 2007 Skate Canada International was the second event of six in the 2007–08 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec on November 1–4. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2007–08 Grand Prix Final.


2007 Skate Canada International, Results, Men
France's Brian Joubert won the men's title ahead of Belgium's Kevin van der Perren. Jeffrey Buttle of Canada took the bronze.


2007 Skate Canada International, Results, Ladies
Mao Asada of Japan won the ladies' title ahead of her compatriot Yukari Nakano and Canada's Joannie Rochette. Nakano landed a triple axel in her free skating.


2007 Skate Canada International, Results, Pairs
Germany's Aliona Savchenko / Robin Szolkowy won the pairs' title. Russia's Yuko Kawaguchi / Alexander Smirnov attempted a throw quadruple salchow jump in their free skating. They were credited with the rotation, but she fell on the landing, so it was not completed successfully.


2007 Skate Canada International, Results, Ice dancing
Canada's Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir won gold in ice dancing. Melissa Gregory / Denis Petukhov of the United States withdrew before the free dance due to an accident; he lost his footing and dropped her on her chest while performing a one-handed rotational lift during the six-minute warmup, and skidded into the boards himself. Gregory was rushed to a hospital on a stretcher but released later that night. They missed the rest of the competitive season while recovering from their injuries. The compulsory dance was the Yankee Polka.


2007 Skate Canada International, Results, Ice dancing
Hann-McCurdy and Coreno were substitutes, replacing a team which withdrew before the start of the event.


2007 Skycity Triple Crown
The 2007 Skycity Triple Crown is the sixth round of the 2007 V8 Supercar season. It took place on the weekend of 22 to 24 June at Hidden Valley Raceway in Northern Territory.


2007 Skyrunner World Series
The 2007 Skyrunner World Series was the 6th edition of the global skyrunning competition, Skyrunner World Series, organised by the International Skyrunning Federation from 2002.


2007 Skyrunner World Series, Results
The World Cup has developed in 7 races from May to September.


2007 Skyrunning European Championships
The 2007 Skyrunning European Championships was the 1st edition of the global skyrunning competition, Skyrunning European Championships, organised by the International Skyrunning Federation and was held in Poschiavo (Switzerland), took place on 10 June 2007, coinciding with the International SkyRace Valmalenco-Valposchiavo, from Valmalenco, Sondrio (Italy) to Valposchiavo, Switzerland.


2007 Skyrunning European Championships, Results
The race of the International SkyRace Valmalenco-Valposchiavo (31 km, +1850m/-1800m) was the only competition with 488 athletes who reached the finish line of both sexes and nations (including non-European ones). obviously the medals of the European Championships were awarded by compiling single rankings, male and female, and not including non-European athletes.


2007 Slamdance Film Festival
The 2007 Slamdance Film Festival took place in Park City, Utah from January 18 to January 27, 2007. It was the 13th iteration of the Slamdance Film Festival, an alternative to the more mainstream Sundance Film Festival. A full list of films appearing is shown below.


2007 Slamdance Film Festival, Awards
The 2007 Slamdance Film Festival recognized the following films at its awards ceremony held on January 26, 2007.


2007 Slamdance Film Festival, Films, Anarchy Online Films
All of the films in this category are available for free download on slamdance.com


2007 Slave Lake municipal election
The 2007 Slave Lake municipal election was held Monday, October 15, 2007. Since 1968, provincial legislation has required every municipality to hold triennial elections. The citizens of Slave Lake, Alberta, elected one mayor and six councillors (all at large), and participated in electing two of the High Prairie School Division No. 48's eight trustees (as Ward 4). The voters were also asked a series of plebiscite questions. Of the eligible voters, only 1,261 turned in a ballot, an average of 4.5 councillors per ballot.


2007 Sligo Senior Football Championship
This is a round-up of the 2007 Sligo Senior Football Championship. Tourlestrane claimed their eighth title in this year, and fifth since 1994, defeating Eastern Harps in the final by two points, despite the absence of captain and star player Eamon O'Hara. The holders Curry fell to a surprisingly heavy defeat to outsiders St. John's in a quarter-final second replay.


2007 Sligo Senior Football Championship, Group Stages
The Championship was contested by 15 teams, divided into four groups. The top two sides in each group advanced to the Quarter-Finals, with the remaining sides facing the Relegation playoffs to retain Senior status for 2008.


2007 Sligo Senior Football Championship, Sligo Senior Football Championship Final
Team:S. GildeaS. KingE. HaranC. NearyE. KellyB. KennedyD. DurkinB. EganA. McIntyreG. GaughanS. HenryT. Henry (1-0)G. McGowan (0-7)J. Marren (0-1)S. Dunne


2007 Sligo Senior Football Championship, Sligo Senior Football Championship Final
Team:P. WalshK. CryanR. DonovanP. RaffertyP. McGovern (Capt)B. PhillipsK. GallagherT. Cryan (0-1)K. Phillips (0-1)S. KingK. CartyD. O'Grady (0- 1)J. RaffertyR. Hannon (0-6)M. Doddy (0-1)


2007 Sligo Senior Football Championship, Relegation
The relegation playoffs saw Geevagh and Shamrock Gaels relegated, however the latter claimed that an oversight had been made, regarding the matter of points gained in the Championship itself being carried over into the playoff groups, which was not applied by the county's Activities Committee, but which the GAA's Official Guide stated should be the case. This case was successful, subsequently no team was relegated for the 2008 season, and the Championship restructuring was delayed as a result.


2007 Slough Borough Council election
Elections to the Borough Council in Slough, England, were held on 3 May 2007. One third of the council was up for election. This was the 122nd Slough general local authority election (including both whole Council elections and elections by thirds) since Slough became a local government unit in 1863.


2007 Slough Borough Council election
The 2007 election was to fill fourteen seats for the 2007–2011 term. The remaining twenty-seven Slough Councillors continued in office. The fourteen seats were previously contested in the whole Council election of 2004 following the redrawing of the ward boundaries in the Borough.


2007 Slough Borough Council election
In the last election in 2006, the Labour Party gained three seats, the Conservative Party lost two and the Liberal Democrats lost one. This result was slightly unusual compared with the other UK local elections on the same day in which the Conservative Party generally gained seats at the expense of the Labour Party.


2007 Slough Borough Council election
The counter cyclical changes continued in the 2007 election. The Labour Party gained another seat from the Conservatives and one from the Liberal Democrats. However the Conservative Party unseated the longest serving Labour Councillor and former Mayor, Lydia Simmons. Labour finished the count with a net gain of one, which leaves Slough in no overall control. The existing coalition administration (broadly supported by all Councillors not in the Labour group) is likely to continue in office for the next year.


2007 Slough Borough Council election
The turnout for the whole borough, as announced at the count on 4 May 2007, was 35.32% of the registered electors.


2007 Slough Borough Council election
The result in the Central ward was overturned, on 18 March 2008, at the hearing of an election petition (see the Central ward sub-section below for more details). This was the first time since the nineteenth century that a Slough local election result was overturned by the courts.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Recent political history of Slough
Slough has an unusual balance of political forces. The council has, since 2004, had no party in overall control. A coalition of the Britwellian, Independent, Liberal and Liberal Democrat Group (BILLD) and the Conservative Group form the current administration, with the Labour Group in opposition. There was (in April 2007) one non-Group affiliated member, an Independent Conservative (who was elected in 2004 as an official Conservative and has been nominated for re-election in 2007 as an official candidate).


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Recent political history of Slough
The BILLD Group is itself a local coalition, containing members from six parties or groups of independents. The organisations represented in the group before the election are the Slough Liberal Democrats, the Slough Liberals, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and a representative or representatives from three groups of independents active in one ward each (the Independent Britwellian Residents in Britwell, Independent Langley Residents in Langley St Mary's and Independents in Wexham Lea wards). The existing members of the Group (excluding UKIP) have an electoral pact for the current election, continuing electoral arrangements which started with the 2001 Slough Council election. The Independent Langley Residents Councillor joined The Slough Party, just before the 2007 election.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Recent political history of Slough
A number of Independents and others, not affiliated to BILLD, contested the 2007 election.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Recent political history of Slough
During the 2006–2007 term the Conservative Party gained one seat from Independent Langley Residents in a by-election. The Independent Conservative councillor for Upton (Balwinder Singh Dhillon) received the official Conservative nomination for 2007, thus giving the Tories a notional gain. In April 2007, the composition of the 41 member council was:-


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Recent political history of Slough
In the 2007 election 50 candidates were nominated for the 14 seats up for election. One Independent candidate (Dominic Ashford in Wexham Lea) was nominated but withdrew before the poll. The list below is broken down by Party or group of Independents, with a residual category of Others who have no party label or are standing as Independents who are not affiliated to BILLD. The Independent Langley Residents have not nominated an official BILLD candidate in their ward, but their incumbent Councillor has proposed the nominee of The Slough Party in the area who would presumably join the BILLD Group if elected.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Summary of Council composition 2006–2007
Before the elections held on 3 May 2007, the composition of Slough Borough Council was as follows (the Conservatives made two gains from Others compared with the 2006 election, as a result of the Langley St Mary's by-election of 2006 and the Independent Conservative councillor from Upton being nominated as an official Conservative candidate):


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Summary of Council composition 2006–2007
Note: The Others category in this table includes all non-Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat Councillors. Richard Stokes (Liberal-Haymill) is the BILLD Group Leader, which group includes the Liberal Democrats and all but one of the Others category Councillors in 2006. The Independent Conservative councillor was not a member of any group in 2006–07, until he was nominated as an official Conservative for the 2007 election.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results
Slough was first warded in 1930. The town was re-warded 1950, 1983 and 2004.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results
Britwell and Wexham Court were added to Slough in 1973 (when the two new wards and eleven existing wards were allocated between two and nine seats, instead of the three per ward which had existed previously).


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results
Colnbrook & Poyle was added to Slough in 1995 and became a fourteenth ward, with one member 1995–1996 and two from 1997.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results
For 2004 Slough Council election the Borough was re-warded. There were still fourteen wards, but only Colnbrook with Poyle (formerly Colnbrook & Poyle) and Haymill had unchanged boundaries.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results
For brief notes on the individual wards used since 2004, see the individual ward sections below.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results
The turnout box figures given below include a number of spoilt ballots – see the official results on the Slough Borough Council website for further details.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results
As the 2004 Slough Council election was for the whole Council, with each ward returning multiple Councillors, no plus or minus percentages are given for individual candidates or majorities nor a swing figure.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Baylis & Stoke
Baylis & Stoke (born 2004) is a three-member ward in the north of the Borough, to the west of Central ward and to the east of Haymill. It broadly combined the former Baylis and Stoke wards. Baylis was named after Baylis House and the estate of Baylis, which from the sixteenth century was a sub-division of the parish of Stoke Poges. Stoke ward was named after the parish, southern parts of which were included in Slough, as part of the 1900 and 1930–1931 extensions of the district boundaries. The Liberal Democrats, (building on the Liberal tradition of the Liberal-Labour marginal Stoke ward) overcame the Labour leanings of the former Baylis ward, to win all three seats in 2004. In 2006 and 2007, with new Liberal Democrat candidates, two of the seats were lost to Labour.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Britwell
Britwell (born 1973) is a three-member ward in the north-west of the Borough. It includes Britwell parish, although since 1983 some unparished territory was added. Britwell elected some Liberal Councillors in the 1980s but was otherwise safely Labour until 2000. Since then Britwellian and Independent Britwellian Residents Councillors have become increasingly successful. In 1997 Labour won all three seats, but in 2004 the Residents took the three seats. Patl Janik, the incumbent IBR Councillor, stood for re-election in 2006 as a Slough Independents candidate in opposition to a new IBR nominee, who was elected. The IBR councillor up for election in 2007 was re-elected.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Britwell
The 2007 Borough election is being held at the same time as the vote to fill the thirteen seats on Britwell Parish Council. The Independent Britwellian Residents nominated eleven candidates (including their three Borough Councillors), whereas The Slough Party nominated four (including the Borough Council candidate). Eleven IBR and two TSP parish councillors were elected. The Labour Party, which before the rise of the IBR had dominated the Parish Council, has not nominated any candidates.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Central
Central (1930–1950 and 1983–) has had different boundaries during the three of the four Slough redistributions in which it has existed (it was divided between Central North and Central South wards 1950–1983), but it has always been a three-member ward with Wexham to the north, Langley to the east, Upton to the south, Chalvey to the south-west and Baylis & Stoke to the west.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Central
It was part of the original parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey, although the hamlet of Slough (a few scattered houses and coaching inns along the Great West Road and Windsor Road) was smaller than the villages of Upton and Chalvey until the Great Western Railway arrived in the 1840s. It was a safe Labour ward under the 1983 boundaries, but in 2004 the Conservatives won two of the three seats of the revised ward. In 2006 there was a straight fight between the Conservative incumbent and a Labour challenger, which the Labour candidate won. It is noticeable that he was the only Councillor elected in 2006 with more than 50% of the votes cast in his ward.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Central
In 2007, after a closely contested election, the Conservatives ousted the incumbent Labour councillor. An election petition was subsequently presented. At a hearing of the High Court held in Slough Town Hall on 18 March 2008, the 2007 result was declared void because of bogus electoral registrations and postal votes.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Chalvey
Chalvey (born 1930), (in the south of the Borough) is a three-member ward. It was part of the ancient parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey and was an original ward of Slough. The ward has existed in some form continuously since the district was first warded in 1930. Before 1970 Chalvey was Conservative but since then it has been safely Labour. The Liberal Democrats came within ten votes of winning the last seat in the ward in 2004. Labour retained the seat with an increased majority in 2006, so they still hold all three seats. In 2007 the Conservatives took over as runners up to Labour.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Cippenham Green
Cippenham Green (born 2004) is a three-member ward in the south-west of the Borough. It was one of the two wards based on the old Cippenham Ward, which was a Labour/Conservative marginal (six Conservative and eleven Labour wins between 1983 and 2003). This area is the western part of the previous ward, incorporates the old Cippenham village area (now a suburb of Slough). This ward includes the village green, which it is named after. In 2004 it elected 1 Conservative (since defected to UKIP) and 2 Labour Councillors. Labour councillors were re-elected in 2006 and 2007.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Cippenham Meadows
Cippenham Meadows (born 2004) is a three-member ward in the south-west of the Borough. It was one of the two wards based on the old Cippenham Ward, which was a Labour/Conservative marginal (six Conservative and eleven Labour wins between 1983 and 2003). This area is the eastern part of the previous ward, incorporating the Windsor Meadows development. This estate caused the large population growth in the area, since the 1983 redistribution of wards. Presumably these are the Meadows which the ward is named after. The ward elected 3 Labour Councillors in 2004. The Labour incumbents, up for election in 2006 and 2007, were re-elected.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Colnbrook with Poyle
Colnbrook & Poyle (1995–2004), Colnbrook with Poyle (born 2004) is a (since 1997) two-member ward in the furthest east part of the Borough between to the M4 motorway and Greater London. Labour elected some Councillors here, in 1995 and 1997 (1 seat), but by 2004 the ward was safely Conservative. There was no election in this ward in 2006.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Colnbrook with Poyle
In an unexpected result in 2007, the Conservative incumbent was ousted by a Labour candidate.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Farnham
Farnham (1930–1950 and 1983–) is a three-member ward in the west of the Borough, to the south of Britwell and west of Haymill. It was named after Farnham Royal parish, the southern part of which was incorporated in Slough as part of the 1930–1931 boundary extension. This was an original Slough ward. It was split between Farnham North and Farnham South wards 1950–1983. This was a safe Labour Ward, in 2004 as before. Labour won in 2006, but may be vulnerable to a less fragmented opposition in future elections.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Foxborough
Foxborough (born 1983) is a three-member ward in south-east Langley in the eastern part of the Borough. It is named after a 4-acre (16,000 m2) area mentioned in connection with the inclosure of Langley Marish parish in 1809. This was the ward where the Liberal Democrats won their first election to Slough Borough Council in 2000 and the party held all three seats after the 2004 election. The Liberal Democrats retained their seats in 2006 and 2007.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Haymill
Haymill (born 1983) is a three-member ward in the west of the Borough (to the east of Farnham ward and west of Baylis & Stoke), which was left unchanged by the 2004 redistribution. It is a safe Liberal ward having last elected a non-Liberal Councillor in 1984. The Liberal Councillors and activists, for this ward, did not join the Liberal Democrats in 1988. In 2006 and 2007 the Liberal Councillor up for election held their seats, so all three Councillors are still Liberals.


2007 Slough Borough Council election, Ward notes and 2007 results, Kedermister
Kedermister (sometimes locally pronounced Keddermeister) (1983–) is a three-member ward in south-west Langley, in the eastern part of the Borough. The ward was named after Sir John Kedermister (or Kidderminster), who was Warden of Langley Park and founded some almshouses in Langley in 1617. It is a safe Labour ward and the party held its seats up for election in 2006 and 2007.