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October 2004
October 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
See also: October 2004 in sports
Events
October 1, 2004
- The University of Manchester, the largest university in the United Kingdom outside London, is created by the merger of the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST. (BBC)
- Ichiro Suzuki, a Japanese baseball star now playing for Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners, breaks George Sisler's 84-year-old record for hits in a season, prompting praise from Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and celebrations in both Seattle and Tokyo. (CNN/SI)
- Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington awakens, with a minor eruption of steam, smoke, and ash. (Fox News) (CNN)
- The government of Denmark is investigating whether it can claim ownership of the North Pole, by studying how far the underwater portion of Greenland, a Danish territory, extends. Canada and Russia are already undertaking similar investigations regarding their own claims. (Toronto Star)
- U.S. presidential debates: "Instant-response" polls of viewers of last night's U.S. presidential debate show that a majority of viewers thought the challenger, John Kerry, won the contest. (The Guardian) (BBC) (Indianapolis Star) (CBS)
- At least 19 people are killed in an explosion — suspected to be a suicide bombing — at a Shia mosque in the Pakistani city of Sialkot (located near the border of Indian-controlled Kashmir). The attack follows the killing of a leading Sunni cleric. (BBC)
- Irish presidential election, 2004: Mary McAleese is appointed to a second seven-year term as President of Ireland, without an election, when no other candidate secures the necessary nominations. This is the third time a sitting president has been reappointed unopposed, following President Seán T. O'Kelly in 1952 and President Patrick Hillery in 1983. (Irish Examiner) (RTÉ)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- Israeli troops, backed by tanks and other military vehicles, enter the northern Gaza Strip city of Jabaliya, and the nearby towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. At least five Palestinians are killed by Israeli rocket strikes on Jabaliya. (BBC) (The Guardian)
- The Israeli military releases unmanned drone footage of the Gaza Strip showing what Israel says are Palestinian militants loading rockets into a van marked "UN". The UN dismisses the claim, saying that the footage actually shows a stretcher being loaded into a van. (Islam Online) (Haaretz: 1, 2)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- U.S. and Iraqi government forces attack the insurgent-held city of Samarra in northern Iraq. U.S. officials say over 100 militants were killed and 37 were captured, while local doctors say at least 80 people died, and 100 were wounded, including civilians. (BBC) (Canada.com News) (The Independent)
- U.S. officials say that U.S. forces rescued Yahlin Kaya, a Turkish construction worker who had been held hostage by militants, during today's assault on the city of Samarra. (Reuters) (The Australian)
- Same-sex marriage debates: The cabinet of Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero approves a bill to legalize same-sex marriage; the government believes that the bill will pass the full parliament. (CNN) (BBC)
October 2, 2004
- U.S. presidential election: Fox News apologizes for an incident on Friday, October 1, in which it posted a story containing false quotes attributed to presidential candidate Senator John Kerry. Fox says the reporter who wrote the story, Carl Cameron, had written the article "in jest" and had not intended for it to be posted. (Houston Chronicle) (The Guardian)
- A series of bombings in the states of Nagaland and Assam in north-east India kill at least 48 people. Local police suspect a rebel group, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). (BBC) (Hindustan Times)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- Yassir Arafat declares a state of emergency in the Gaza Strip and calls for international aid following Israel's raid into Jabaliya. (News 24 [S. Africa])
- Israeli forces shoot dead four Palestinian militants, members of Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Hamas, who had tried to infiltrate the Israeli Kibbutz of Nahal Oz, about 200 meters outside of that Kibbutz. (Haaretz) (Al Jazeera) (The Statesman [India]) (INN [Israel])
- The U.S. government issues a statement urging Israel not to use excessive force during its current offensive into the Gaza Strip. (BBC)
- The Palestinian militant group Hamas says that it will continue using rockets to attack Israeli communities that border on the Gaza Strip, or Israeli settlements within it, regardless of Israeli military operations. (BBC)
- The Israeli military begins an operation to create a 9 km (5.5 mile) "buffer zone" within the northern Gaza Strip. Israel says that the purpose of the zone is protect Israel from attacks using Qassam rockets (which have a 9 km (5.5 mile) range). (The Telegraph) (CNN)
October 3, 2004
- Conflict in Iraq: On the third day of the assault on Samarra, which has left 125 insurgents and 70 civilians dead, U.S. and Iraqi government officials say they have secured 70 percent of the city. (AP) (BBC)
- The Prime Minister of Slovenia, Anton Rop, concedes defeat in today's parliamentary elections. Early results suggest the opposition will make large gains at the expense of the current government. (BBC)
- French police announce that they have arrested Mikel Albizu Iriarte ("Mikel Antza") and Maria Soledad Iparraguirre, who are suspected of being important leaders in the Basque separatist group ETA. Sixteen other people were detained. (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- In interview with the CBC, UNRWA commissioner Peter Hansen says that he is sure that members of Hamas are also members of UNRWA. The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, which has designated Hamas a terrorist organization said it "will immediately seek clarification from Mr. Hansen directly and from UN authorities". (CBC)
- The United Nations Relief and Welfare Agency (UNRWA) demands an apology from Israel over claims that Gaza militants used a UN vehicle to transport a homemade Qassam rocket. The UN body showed what it said was the ambulance seen in footage released by the Israel Defense Forces and presented its driver and rescue workers to reporters. (Haaretz) (Jerusalem Post) (Israel Insider)
- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan requests that Israel halt its current military operations in the Gaza Strip, saying that they have led to "the deaths of scores of Palestinians, among them many civilians, including children". He also urges the Palestinian Authority to convince Hamas to halt the firing of rockets into Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
- At least four civilians — a deaf man and 3 children — were killed today during Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip town of Jabaliya. More than 60 Palestinians, including civilians, have been killed during Israel's current offensive into Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says the Gaza operation will continue until Qassam rocket attacks end. (BBC) (Toronto Star)
- Two Palestinians are killed by an Israeli helicopter-launched missile moments after they launch a Qassam rocket into Israel. (Reuters)
- Pope John Paul II beatifies five persons, including Anne Catherine Emmerich, a German nun, and Karl I, last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in a ceremony in Rome. John Paul II has made a total of 1,340 beatifications (including today's), more than all previous popes combined. (Reuters)
- Todd Zeile of the New York Mets Major League Baseball franchise hit a home run in his last at-bat of his career.
October 4, 2004
- Conflict in Iraq
- Three car bombs — two in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, and one in the northern city of Mosul — kill at least 26 people and wound at least 100. All the casualties are Iraqis. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Adina Senensieb, a seventh grader at A.C. Stelle Middle School, dies.
- The U.S. military continues its aerial bombardment of the rebel-held city of Fallujah. Local hospital officials say that nine people were killed. Elsewhere, two U.S. soldiers are shot dead at a checkpoint in Baghdad. (AP) (BBC)
- Canada's 38th Parliament opens with the selection of the Commons Speaker. It is the first minority government in 25 years. The Throne Speech follows tomorrow. (CBC)
- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is officially declared the winner of last month's Indonesian presidential elections. (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan agrees to investigate claims that Palestinian terrorists are using UNRWA ambulances. (Jerusalem Post)
- At least 3 civilians are among the dead in the sixth day of the Israeli raid into the Jabaliya refugee camp. (BBC) (Channel news Asia) (Reuters)
- Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne reaches an estimated altitude of 112.2 km (69.7 miles), lands safely and wins the Ansari X Prize. (Spaceflight Now) (X Prize Foundation)
- Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck are awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries regarding odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system. (Nobel Prize)
- The retrial of 16 Hindus accused of murdering 14 people, mostly Muslims, in the Gujarat riots of 2002 begins in Mumbai. India's Supreme Court ordered a re-trial after a Gujarat court acquitted the defendants. (BBC)
- The parliament of Cambodia ratifies legislation creating a tribunal that will try leaders of the former regime, the Khmer Rouge, for genocide and crimes against humanity. (BBC)
- Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper dies of Parkinson's disease.
October 5, 2004
- A major British influenza vaccine company, Chiron, has its manufacturing license revoked due to an outbreak of bacteria. Chiron had been expected to supply half of this season's flu vaccines in the United States. (BBC)
- U.S. presidential campaign: Incumbent United States Vice President Dick Cheney and challenger Senator John Edwards meet in Cleveland, Ohio, for the only vice presidential debate of the 2004 U.S. presidential election. (ABC) (MSNBC) (BBC)
- United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, when asked about connections between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda in an interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, states "To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two". Several hours later he issues a statement saying that he was "regrettably misunderstood" and that there was "solid evidence of the presence in Iraq of al-Qaeda members, including some that have been in Baghdad". (BBC) (Reuters)
- The incumbent President of Indonesia, Megawati Sukarnoputri, concedes defeat in the country's presidential election, which took place last week. Her successor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, will be inaugurated on October 20. (NEWS.com.au)
- Iran announces that its Shahab-3 missile has been modified to increase its range (originally 810 miles (1,300 km)) to 1,250 miles (2,000 km). This puts parts of Europe — and all of the Middle East — within range of Iran's missiles for the first time. (Reuters) (The Scotsman)
- Afghanistan presidential election: With elections due in four days, Hamid Karzai makes a public appearance in Ghazni, his only campaign rally outside of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. One of Karzai's main opponents, General Abdul Rashid Dostum makes an appearance at Mazari Sharif, whilst another, Yunus Qanuni, addresses crowds in the capital. (BBC)
- American physicists David Gross, David Politzer, and Frank Wilczek are awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for "the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction". (Nobel Prize)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- The United States vetoes a United Nations resolution urging Israel to halt its current offensive in the Gaza Strip. Over 70 Palestinians, including civilians, have died in the offensive. (Xinhua [China]) (Reuters)
- Israel backs down from its claim that a rocket was loaded into a UN ambulance. The Israeli military said that it is "re-evaluating" its claim. (The Guardian) (AP)
- Israel arrests 13 Palestinians employed by the United Nations, saying that they are suspected of links to terrorist groups. (Haaretz)
- In Gaza City, Bashir al-Dabbash, a leader in the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, is killed by a missile fired from an Israeli aircraft. (INN [Israel]) (BBC)
October 6, 2004
- Appearing before the United States Senate Armed Services Committee, Charles Duelfer, head of the Iraq Survey Group announces that the group found no evidence that Iraq under Saddam Hussein had produced any weapons of mass destruction since 1991, when UN sanctions were imposed. This directly contradicts the main argument used by the George W. Bush administration for invading Iraq in 2003. (CNN) (BBC)
- A team of Japanese and Mongolian archaeologists announce that they have found the 13th century palace of Genghis Khan, at a site about 150 miles east of Ulan Bator, Mongolia, and that his tomb may be located nearby. (CNN) (Japan Times) (Scotsman)
- Conflict in Iraq: A suicide car bomb kills 16 and injures 24 people outside an Iraqi National Guard recruiting center in Anah, a roadside bomb kills a civilian and wounds four policemen in Basra, and a Kurdish tribal leader and his companion are shot dead in Mosul. (Reuters)
- Same-sex marriage in Canada: The Supreme Court of Canada begins three days of hearings into the federal government's reference of a draft bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The court will review the bill's constitutionality, hearing arguments from groups on either side of the debate. A ruling is not expected for months. (CBC)
- A British Royal Navy rescue ship reaches the HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879), which is adrift off the Irish coast following an electrical fire en route to Halifax yesterday. Heavy seas have impeded rescue efforts, and one crewman has died being airlifted to hospital. (BBC)
- The European Commission recommends that talks be opened with Turkey aiming for it to join the European Union. (BBC)
- Mark Chapman, the man who killed John Lennon, is denied parole for the third consecutive time. (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- Three people, including a 15-year-old boy, are killed after Israel shells the town of Beit Lahiya. (BBC)
- Three Hamas militants are killed after infiltrating the Israeli settlement of Kfar Darom. One of the militants blew up when hit by Israeli gunfire, killing a Thai worker in addition to himself. The other two militants were killed by IDF forces. Gaza Strip. (Haaretz) (INN [Israel])
- The UNRWA denies Israel's claim that it has detained 13 of its staff in Gaza. A spokesman said a member of the Gaza staff had been in detention for two years, but knew of no one else in Israeli custody. Israel qualified its earlier statement, admitting that the number 13 referred to people detained in the past four years, some of whom are no longer in custody. (BBC)
- Israeli scientists Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko and American Irwin Rose are awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation". (Haaretz) (Nobel Prize)
October 7, 2004
- In Canada, a last minute compromise between the current minority federal government and the two largest opposition parties ends a dispute over the wording of the throne speech and avoids a premature dissolution of parliament. (Toronto Star)
- The FBI seizes the servers of the open-publishing network Indymedia in the U.S. and the UK, disabling Indymedia websites in many countries. No reason was given. (IMC: 1, 2)
- Three car bombs are detonated in Egyptian towns in the Sinai Peninsula frequented by Israeli tourists. The largest explosion, which killed at least 34 and wounding 105, was at the Hilton Taba in Taba, near the border with Israel. The other two explosions occurred at the towns of Ras al-Sultan and Nuweiba, killing two Israelis and four Egyptians. A group calling itself Jamayia al-Islamia al-Alamiya ("World Islamist Group") later claims responsibility and threatens further attacks. (Al Jazeera) (Haaretz) (The Australian) (ABC) (CNN)
- HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879), one of Canada's four Victoria-class submarines, is taken under tow, after being adrift for two days following an onboard fire that crippled the boat. One member of the crew has died. (BBC: 1, 2) (Pravda)
- Austrian author Elfriede Jelinek is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for "her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power". (Nobel Prize) (ABC)
- Two bombs explode in the Pakistani city of Multan, killing 39 people at a memorial for murdered Sunni leader Azam Tariq. (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- The United Nations issues a special report warning of an imminent humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The report says that 72.5 percent of Palestinians will be living in poverty by the end of 2006, that Israeli restrictions are hampering emergency aid deliveries, and that, since September 28, 82 Palestinians and 5 Israelis, including 26 children, have been killed. (BBC) (UN)
- Witnesses say that two Palestinian children were killed when the Israeli military shelled a crowd near the Jabaliya refugee camp. Israel says that an Israeli helicopter gunship fired at two people attempting to launch a Qassam rocket. (BBC)
- Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia, announces his abdication. His successor will be chosen by a special council. (CNN)
October 8, 2004
- U.S. presidential debates:
- U.S. President George W. Bush and challenger Senator John Kerry meet at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri for the second of three U.S. presidential debates. (BBC) (AP) (Reuters) (AFP)
- Third party candidates for U.S. president, Michael Badnarik of the United States Libertarian Party and David Cobb of the United States Green Party, are arrested while attempting to attend the second of the three planned U.S. presidential debates. (AP) (WorldNetDaily)
- Rescue teams retrieve at least 30 bodies from the ruins of the Hilton Taba in Taba, Egypt. Officials say up to 20 more bodies could be recovered. (Haaretz)
- An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 occurs near Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. Its effects are felt as far as 90 miles (145 km) north of the city. The quake causes buildings to sway and knocks out power in some areas, but no serious damage or injuries are reported. (CNN) (USGS)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- Reports confirm that British hostage Kenneth Bigley was beheaded yesterday by his captors, members of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad militant group, despite last-minute exchanges between the group and the British government. (The Guardian) (The Telegraph) (Al Jazeera) (Al-Bawaba)
- A U.S. air strike destroys a building in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, killing at least 12 people and wounding 16. The U.S. says that it bombed a safe-house used by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but local doctors say the strike hit a house soon after a wedding party, killing civilians, including children. (Swiss Info) (Reuters) (Boston Globe) (BBC)
- Kenyan environmental and political activist Wangari Maathai is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace". (Nobel Prize) (BBC)
- A bomb explodes outside the Indonesian Embassy in Paris, shattering windows in nearby buildings and injuring about 10 people. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Philippines "Sinagot ni Gretchen si Lawrence".
October 9, 2004
- Israeli-Palestinian conflicts:
- In the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli troops shoot and kill Abed Rauf Nabhan, a local Hamas leader, as he prepares to fire an anti-tank missile at Israeli tanks in Jebaliya. The Israeli military says that Nabhan was responsible for a rocket attack that killed two Israeli children in Sderot on Sukkot eve. (Maariv)
- In addition to Abed Rauf Nabhan, seven Palestinians, including two Palestinian Authority policemen, are reported to have been killed today. A total of 94 Palestinians, about half of whom were civilians, including 18 children, have been killed since Israel began its offensive 10 days ago. (ABC News)(BBC)
- Conflict in Iraq: A peace agreement is reached in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City between the Iraqi government and local militants loyal to Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The militants will turn in medium and heavy weapons during a five-day grace period, and Iraqi and U.S. forces will then take control of the area. (CNN)
- Afghanistan's presidential election ends peacefully, but its legitimacy comes into question when all 15 candidates opposing incumbent president Hamid Karzai withdraw, alleging that election irregularities had invalidated the vote. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Australia votes in its 2004 Federal election, with the incumbent Coalition government winning a fourth term. As a result, in December, Australian Prime Minister John Howard will become the nation's second longest-serving Prime Minister. (ABC)
October 10, 2004
- Typhoon Ma-on, the strongest storm to strike eastern Japan in a decade, kills six people in the Tokyo area. (Channel News Asia)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Palestinian witnesses say that a missile fired from an Israeli helicopter destroyed a home in the Gaza Strip town of Jabaliya, killing a schoolteacher and wounding six others. (BBC)
- Somalia's transitional parliament elects Abdullahi Yusuf, a former army officer, interim president. He will be Somalia's first head of state since 1991, when tribal warlords overthrew the ruling military dictatorship. The election was held in Nairobi, Kenya, since the situation in Somalia remains dangerous. (BBC) (ABC)
- Conflict in Iraq: Two car bombs explode in Baghdad, killing at least 10 people and wounding 17, including a U.S. soldier. (AP)
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Matthew floods southeastern Louisiana, dropping as much as 7 inches (180 mm) of rain. (CNN)
- Christopher Reeve who played Superman in the movie passes away.
- The 2004 movie Alien Vs Predator takes place on this date (Fictional).
October 11, 2004
- The Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry requests that all non-Muslims currently in Saudi Arabia refrain from eating, drinking or smoking in public. "Authorities will take deterrent measures such as terminating work contracts of, and deporting, violators" [1]
- War on Terrorism: Human Rights Watch issues a report charging that the United States government's treatment of certain suspected terrorists being held outside the U.S. is in violation of U.S. treaties, international human rights law, and the Geneva Conventions. (BBC)
- Conflict in Iraq: A rocket attack in southern Baghdad kills two U.S. soldiers and injures five others, while in the northern city of Mosul a suicide car bomb detonated near a U.S. military convoy kills a U.S. soldier and two Iraqis and injures 27 others. (ABC/AP) (News.com.au)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- Israeli military police are investigating charges that an Israeli army company commander repeatedly shot a 13-year-old Palestinian girl while the girl lay wounded or dead. (Haaretz) (BBC) (Maarviv) (The Guardian)
- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is withholding his approval to end Operation Days of Penitence, the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, despite a recommendation by the Israel Defense Forces to withdraw. Since the offensive began, 114 Palestinians — 39 civilians and 75 combatants — have been killed. (Haaretz)
- Finn Kydland and Edward Prescott are awarded the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for "their contributions to dynamic macroeconomics: the time consistency of economic policy and the driving forces behind business cycles". (Nobel Foundation)
- Rescue efforts end in Taba, Egypt at the site of Thursday's bombing. Egypt and Israeli forensic experts announce that they have identified 12 Israelis, 6 Egyptians, 2 Italians, 1 Russian, and 13 Eastern Europeans among those killed. (Haaretz) (Israeli MFA)
- Workers in Nigeria begin a four day general strike in protest of fuel price increases caused by the last year's repeal of government subsidies. (BBC)
- Early results in the first round of Lithuania's general election show the opposition Labour Party winning the largest proportion of the vote. (BBC)
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October 12, 2004
- Federal, state, and local officials in the U.S. state of Nevada are gathering information regarding allegations that a private voter registration firm, Voters Outreach of America, destroyed registration forms collected from Democratic voters while submitting those collected from Republican voters. (KLAS-TV)
- Cambodia's legislature votes to allow a nine-member council to choose a successor to King Norodom Sihanouk. It is expected the council will choose Prince Norodom Sihamoni. (VOA)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- Moussa Arafat, cousin of Yasser Arafat and a top security official in the Gaza Strip, survives an apparent assassination attempt when a car bomb explodes in his convoy. (Reuters)
- In the Gaza Strip, Ghadir Mokheimer, an 11-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl, is struck in the chest and critically wounded by gunfire when Israeli troops open fire near her school. She dies one day later. The Israeli army says soldiers returned fire after coming under mortar attack. (BBC: 1, 2) (CNN)
- The Nigerian government announces that last month, Nigerian Sharia courts sentenced two women, one of whom is pregnant, to death by stoning on charges of committing adultery, while acquitting the two men involved. The sentence may still be appealed. (Reuters)
- The government of Saudi Arabia announces that women will be prohibited from running as candidates or voting in the country's upcoming municipal elections. The elections, the first in Saudi Arabia since the 1960s, will be held from February 10 to April 21, 2005. (CNN)
- Conflict in Iraq: A U.S. Air Force air strike destroys Haji Hussein, the most popular restaurant in insurgent-controlled Fallujah. The U.S. says the restaurant was being used by militants loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Witnesses say two civilian security guards were killed in the attack. (BBC) (ABC Australia) (Reuters)
- The trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević for alleged war crimes has resumed after a month's delay. (BBC)
- Pakistan test fires a nuclear-capable missile with a range of 1,500 km (930 miles), sufficient to reach most cities in neighboring India. Pakistan and India routinely test their missiles. (BBC)(The Hindu [India])
October 13, 2004
- The People's Republic of China rejects an offer by Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian to begin a peace dialogue, deriding the offer as "meaningless", and accusing Chen of making "an open and audacious expression of Taiwan independence" by explicitly stating that the "Republic of China is Taiwan and Taiwan is the Republic of China". (VOA)
- U.S. presidential debates: U.S. President George W. Bush and challenger Senator John Kerry meet at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona for the last of three U.S. presidential debates. (ABC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- The British Foreign Minister Jack Straw comments on Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip, saying that the United Kingdom "unreservedly condemns all acts of terrorism including the firing of Qassam rockets", but that "Israel has an obligation under international law to ensure that its response to terrorism is proportionate to the threat it faces, as well as a duty to avoid innocent civilian casualties", and that "[Israel] is not meeting those obligations". (BBC) (E-Politix)
- Israel arrests Imad Qawasameh, a senior Hamas leader, in Hebron. The Hebron branch of Hamas has claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing on August 31 in the Israeli city of Beersheba that killed 16 people. (BBC) (Haaretz)
- The Israeli army expands its operation in the Gaza Strip into Beit Lahiya. A missile fired from an Israeli helicopter kills a Hamas militant, Mohammed Marous, and wounds three others. Separately, two Fatah militants are killed. (Haaretz) (Reuters)
- Hamas launches two Qassam rockets at the Israeli town of Sderot. Residents are alerted by a newly installed early warning system; no injuries are reported. (Haaretz) (Reuters)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi issues an ultimatum to the city of Fallujah, warning that a major new military operation will be launched if all foreign militants are not expelled from the city. (Reuters)
- Relations between local insurgents and foreign Arab militants in the Iraqi city of Fallujah deteriorate, with locals threatening to expel the foreigners by force. Locals have killed at least five foreign fighters in recent weeks, and foreign fighters have taken refuge in the city's commercial district after being denied shelter in residential neighborhoods. (MSNBC)
- In the novel The Copper Scroll by Joel C. Rosenberg the Sanhedrin council reconvened after having disbanded 1,600 years before.
October 14, 2004
- Prince Norodom Sihamoni is named the new King of Cambodia by the country's Throne Council. His father, former King Norodom Sihanouk, abdicated on October 7. (CBC News)
- The British government orders the freezing of any assets that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's militant group, Tawhid and Jihad — which has claimed responsibility for killing Kenneth Bigley — may hold in Britain. (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon accepts an Israeli Defence Force plan to begin withdrawing troops from Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip this weekend. (Haaretz)
- About 100,000 Israelis in 100 cities march in a series of demonstrations across Israel opposing their government's proposal to withdraw Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.
- Conflict in Iraq:
- United States warplanes launch sustained air strikes against the rebel-held city of Fallujah, following a breakdown in peace talks between the Iraqi government and representatives of the city. (Reuters)
- Iraqi insurgents carry out two bomb attacks within Baghdad's heavily fortified "Green Zone", which houses Iraqi government offices and U.S. military facilities. U.S. officials say that 6 Iraqis and 4 Americans were killed in the attacks. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad militant group later claims responsibility for the bombings. (BBC)
- The Iraqi government warns of a possible increase in terrorist activity during the Muslim month of Ramadan (which starts tonight), and says the government is taking extra precautions. (Reuters)
- The Israeli government announces that it will not restrict the number of worshippers allowed to enter Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound (located in the area known as the Temple Mount in Judaism) during the Muslim month of Ramadan, despite concerns voiced by security officials that the site is dangerously structurally unstable and could collapse if too many people visit. The Israeli government had earlier suggested it would limit the number of visitors, with mosque officials accusing Israel of having "political reasons" to do so. (Haaretz) (Jerusalem Post) (AFP)
- Russia and the People's Republic of China sign an agreement ending their last border dispute. Details of the agreement have not yet been released. (AP/Reuters) (Economic Times [India])
- The European Court of Human Rights agrees, for the first time, to hear cases brought against Russia by Chechen civilians. (BBC) (ECHR press release)
- Authorities in Republika Srpska, the Bosnian Serb division of Bosnia and Herzegovina, admit for the first time the actual scale of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, providing a list of over 7,000 Muslim victims. The Bosnian Serb president admitted in June that Serb forces had committed the massacre, but did not give a specific number of victims. (BBC) (Melbourne Herald-Sun) (Channel News Asia)
- A Boeing 747 cargo plane, en route to Spain, crashes at the end of a runway at Halifax International Airport in Nova Scotia, Canada. All 7 of the crew are confirmed dead in Canada's worst-ever air cargo crash. (CBC)
October 15, 2004
- Presidential elections in the war torn country of Burundi are postponed until April 2005. (BBC)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- The U.S. Army is investigating up to 19 members of an Army Reserve unit stationed in Iraq who refused to take part in a fuel delivery convoy mission they considered unsafe. Relatives of the soldiers say that several soldiers described it as a "suicide mission". Relatives also say that the soldiers were held under guard for almost two days, although an army spokesperson denies the claim. (Daily Telegraph) (San Francisco Gate) (Washington Times)
- Major United States air strikes against Fallujah continue. The U.S. military says that the bombings are "not the beginning of a major offensive". (Reuters)
- Senior British military sources say that the U.S. has asked that some British troops be moved to an area south of Baghdad to replace U.S. troops moved to Fallujah. Sources also say that the troops would be under U.S. command, a possibility which provokes criticism from opposition members of Parliament. (BBC)
- Former OAS and Costa Rican president, Miguel Angel Rodriguez, is arrested after stepping down last week on allegations of corruption. He is not formally charged but a judge is demanding him to testify. (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:
- The Israeli army clears an officer accused of repeatedly shooting a Palestinian schoolgirl, Iman al-Hams, while she lay wounded or dead, accepting the officer's claim that he actually shot into the ground near the girl. A separate military police investigation is continuing. (BBC)
- The United Nations chooses Argentina, Denmark, Greece, Japan, and Tanzania as the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for its next two-year term, which begins in January 2005. (BBC)
- A United Nations official says that about 70,000 people have died in the troubled Darfur region of Sudan since March. (BBC)
- Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is acquitted of treason charges. (BBC)
- Indonesian prosecutors file charges against Abu Bakar Bashir, alleging he was involved in an August 2003 bomb attack on a Jakarta hotel and accusing him for the first time of involvement in the 2002 Bali terrorist bombing. (BBC) (ABC)
October 16, 2004
- The Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, under The United States Department of Veterans Affairs, concludes in a report that "a substantial proportion of Gulf War veterans are ill with multisymptom conditions not explained by wartime stress or psychiatric illness" and a "probable link" to exposure to neurotoxins. (BBC) (NY Times)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- Car bombs are detonated in Qaim and Mosul, Iraq, killing three U.S. soldiers and a civilian in Qaim, and one U.S. soldier in Mosul. A mortar attack in Qaim kills four Iraqis and wounds 30. (Reuters)
- Bombs explode at five Christian churches in Baghdad. No casualties are reported. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Two U.S. military transport helicopters crash in southwestern Baghdad leaving two U.S. soldiers dead and two others wounded. (Reuters)
- Expedition 10, carrying cosmonauts Salizhan Sharipov (Салижан Шарипов) and Yuri Shargin (Юрий Шаргин), and astronaut Leroy Chiao, docks successfully at the International Space Station. Chiao and Sharipov will be relieving Mike Fincke and Gennady Padalka (Геннади Падалка) from Expedition 9, and will spend six months aboard the station. (BBC News)
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:
- Israeli forces withdraw from the northern Gaza Strip, ending Operation Days of Penitence. Three men, allegedly militants, and a 70-year-old Palestinian woman are killed on the final day. Over 100 Palestinians have died in the course of the 16-day operation; BBC sources say about one third were civilians.
- Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Ala says that 140 Palestinians were killed during the operation. Israeli Defence Forces sources, however, place the number killed at about 130, with only a few civilian deaths. (BBC) (News First Class) (Haaretz)
October 17, 2004
- A two meter long section of a Chinese scientific satellite strikes a house in Penglai, Sichuan, China. No one is hurt. (CNN)
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israel Defense Force troops enter the southern Gaza Strip refugee camp of Rafah with ten tanks and three bulldozers. (BBC)
- The UK ambassador to Uzbekistan is recalled and suspended after criticizing the use of intelligence allegedly obtained under torture by the Uzbekistan government. (BBC)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- Heavy fighting in Fallujah continues as U.S. tanks blockade the city and insurgent targets are hit by air and artillery. Hospital officials say four civilians, including a child, were killed. (Reuters) (ABC)
- A mortar round hits an arms collection depot in the Sadr City suburb of Baghdad shortly before the scheduled visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, killing two Iraqi National Guard members and a civilian. In Latifiyah (25 miles south of Baghdad), gunmen ambush and kill nine Iraqi policemen who were returning from training in Jordan. (Reuters) (ABC)
- About 20,000 protesters march in London, United Kingdom to demand an end to the "illegal occupation" of Iraq. (Reuters) (The Scotsman)
- Approximately 10,000 people gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the Million Worker March, a pro-labor and anti-war demonstration.
October 18, 2004
- India's most wanted bandit, sandalwood smuggler and elephant poacher Veerappan, is shot dead by the Special Task Force in Tamil Nadu at 11 p.m. IST, after having evaded capture for 20 years. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Venkaiah Naidu resigns from his post as president of India's main opposition party, BJP. He will be replaced by Lal Krishna Advani. (BBC)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- Dalibor Lazarevski and Zoran Naskovski, citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, are believed to have been beheaded by the group Islamic Army in Iraq. (Reuters)
- U.S. and Iraqi interim government officials decline a Saudi proposal for a Muslim peacekeeping force to be deployed in Iraq over concerns regarding the chain of command. (NYT).
- The Iraqi resistance group Tawhid and Jihad declares an alliance with al Qaida. Group leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi swears loyalty to Osama bin Ladin and claims to have contacted him regarding operations in Iraq. (Arabic News)
- Early voting begins in Florida and ten other U.S. states for the 2004 U.S. presidential election, which officially takes place November 2. (CNN)
- A referendum is held in Belarus on a proposal by President Alexander Lukashenko to permit Lukashenko to run for a third term by amending the country's constitution to remove term limits. The Belarus electoral commission says the referendum won the support of at least 75 percent of voters, but independent elections monitors say that the voting procedures "fell significantly short" of international standards. In Minsk, the capital, more than 2,000 people protest the results of the referendum. (BBC) (Reuters)
- Iran says that it is willing to negotiate with the U.K., Germany, and France regarding a suspension of its uranium enrichment activities, but that it will never renounce its right to enrich uranium. Iran's nuclear program is currently under investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency. (Reuters)
- The Anglican Communion's Lambeth Commission on Communion releases the Windsor Report. The Commission recommends that churches throughout the Communion express regret for the divisions that they have caused in the Communion. This report was precipitated by the consecration of the openly gay Reverend Gene Robinson as a bishop in the United States Episcopal Church, and by the responses of other Anglican churches to his consecration. (BBC) (Windsor Report)
- David Ortiz single-handedly triumphed over the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series twice on this day. His first triumph occurred at 1:10 a.m. EST when he hit a two-run walkoff home run. At 10:50 p.m., Ortiz hit a walk-off single into center field. [2]
- Australian journalist John Martinkus is released after approximately one day in the custody of unknown captors in Iraq. Martinkus was in Iraq compiling a report for SBS' Dateline program. (AAP)
October 19, 2004
- In Minsk, Belarus, protests continue over the results of Monday's referendum, which permitted President Alexander Lukashenko to seek a third term. At least 30 protesters are arrested, including opposition leader Anatoly Lebedko. Supporters say Lebedko was badly beaten by police and was refused treatment for his injuries. (BBC)
- Hassan Rowhani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, says that he believes Iran's interests would be better served by the election of Republican incumbent George W. Bush, rather than Democrat John Kerry, to the U.S. Presidency. (Yahoo News/AP) (Link dead as of 22:35, 14 January 2007 (UTC))
- Conflict in Iraq:
- An unknown militant group kidnaps Margaret Hassan, head of the international charity CARE International, in Baghdad, Iraq. Ms. Hassan holds British, Irish and Iraqi citizenship. (Reuters) (Link dead as of 22:35, 14 January 2007 (UTC)), (AAP Australia)
- A mortar attack on an U.S. army compound in central Baghdad kills a U.S. contractor, while another mortar attack, on an Iraqi National Guard base in Mushahida, kills four guardsmen and injures 80. Iraqi security forces, backed by U.S. Marines, arrest 100 suspected insurgents south of Baghdad. Three car bombs kill two Iraqis in Mosul. (BBC)
- British police charge Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri with 16 crimes, including encouraging the murder of non-Muslims. (Reuters) (Link dead as of 22:35, 14 January 2007 (UTC))
- British and German officials announce that, on Thursday, representatives of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany will meet in Vienna with Iranian officials to offer Iran a final chance to halt uranium enrichment plans before proposed U.N. sanctions are imposed. (Reuters) (Link dead as of 22:35, 14 January 2007 (UTC))
- Thai officials say that Myanmar's military has removed the current prime minister of Myanmar, General Khin Nyunt, from office and placed him under house arrest. (BBC)
- Polytechnic University of the Philippines celebrates its centennial founding.
- In its annual report on national militaries, the International Institute for Strategic Studies says that the US-led invasion of Iraq has, at least for the short term, increased the risk of terrorism. (ABC) (Reuters) (Link dead as of 22:35, 14 January 2007 (UTC))
- A team of explorers reached the bottom of the world's deepest cave, located in Krubera. The depth reached was 2,080 meters (6,824 feet), setting a world record. (National Geographic) Sentiao 14:12, 8 March 2007 (UTC)
October 20, 2004
- Conflict in Iraq:
- U.S. war planes strike a building in Fallujah. Local sources say the strike killed a family of six, including four children. The U.S. military, however, denies a family was killed and issues a statement saying that "intelligence sources indicate a known Zarqawi propagandist is passing false reports to the media". (Reuters: 1, 2)
- In Samarra, two car bombs kill at least 8 civilians, including a child, and wound 11 U.S. soldiers. In Baghdad, an adviser to the political party of Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is killed in a drive-by shooting. (Reuters)
- CARE International, a health and water aid agency, announces that it is suspending operations in Iraq. Its local manager, Margaret Hassan, was abducted yesterday. (BBC)
- U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick pleads guilty to conspiracy, dereliction of duty, maltreatment of detainees, assault, and committing an indecent act for his actions in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. He is the third person to plead guilty in the scandal. (CNN)
- Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri resigns and says he will leave the government, ending several weeks of conflict between Hariri and the Syrian-backed President, Émile Lahoud. Lahoud's term in office was extended last month, allegedly as a result of pressure from Syria; in response, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning foreign interference in Lebanon and demanding the withdrawal of foreign troops. (Reuters) (Daily Star [Lebanon]) (ABC)
- The Boston Red Sox top the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, and win the series after being down 3-0, winning four straight games. The Red Sox continue on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.
- Ubuntu released it's first version of the Linux operating system called Warty Warthog (4.10). It is based on the Linux distribution Debian.
October 21, 2004
- A University of Florida scientist, Thomas DeMarse, announces that he has grown a "brain" of rat neurons that can fly an airplane simulator. A "brain" such as this could be used to study how actual brains compute information and, potentially, as a sort of living computer. (Wired) (Discovery) (U. of FL press release)
- Lebanese President Émile Lahoud names staunch pro-Syrian politician Omar Karami as Prime Minister following Rafic Hariri's resignation on October 20, 2004. Karami, Prime Minister from 1990 to 1992, was forced to resign in 1992. (Jerusalem Post)
- Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse: The U.S. Army sentences Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick to eight years in prison for sexually and physically abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison. (Reuters)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- A bus carrying workers to a Baghdad airport is attacked, leaving 4 dead and 11 injured. (Reuters)
- Several mortar rounds land near Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi while he visits the city of Mosul, in northern Iraq. (Reuters)
- In Xinmi, China, a gas explosion in a coal mine kills 62 people; 86 are still missing. (Xinhuanet) (BBC)
- A U.S. pilot is killed in Afghanistan when his Sikorsky HH-60 helicopter crashes due to technical problems. (BBC)
- Fidel Castro, long-time ruler of Cuba, falls after a televised speech, breaking a leg and an arm. (BBC)
- In response to dropping public support for his party, Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson reorganizes the Swedish government by replacing two cabinet ministers. (Bloomberg)
- Typhoon Tokage kills at least 66 people and injures hundreds more in southern Japan, making it the deadliest typhoon to hit Japan in 22 years. (BBC) (Reuters)
- The Human Genome Project revises its estimate of the number of genes in the human genome, putting the number at 20,000 to 25,000, about 30 percent fewer than the previous estimate. (ABC News)
October 22, 2004
- The state-of-art Canadian Light Source synchrotron opens for atomic research in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. (CBC)
- The Kyoto Treaty on climate change is ratified by Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament. The treaty will now go to the upper house and President Vladimir Putin for their approval. (BBC)
- Pakistani forces attack suspected Islamic militants using mortars and helicopters near the Afghanistan border. (Reuters)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- Officials from the Republic of Macedonia confirm that three Macedonian contract workers kidnapped on August 21 have been executed. (BBC)
- Carlos Valenzuela, top United Nations electoral expert in Iraq, says that despite the absence of international monitors, "Things could go wrong . . . But, so far, everything is on track" for Iraqi national assembly elections in January 2005. (AP/Boston Globe) (NYT)
- Margaret Hassan, the humanitarian aid worker who was kidnapped in Baghdad on October 19, is shown on the al Jazeera television network pleading for her life. (BBC)
- U.S. and Iraqi forces reportedly detain Sheikh Abdel-Sattar Abdel-Jabbar, a Sunni Muslim cleric and a leading member of the Muslim Clerics' Association, a group which, according to members, has played a major role in hostage negotiations and in negotiating the recent cease-fire in Fallujah. The U.S. military, however, says it has no record of any Iraqi cleric being arrested in Baghdad. (Reuters) (al-Jazeera)
- U.S. Air Force planes strike suspected weapons dumps in the Iraqi city of Fallujah. Local hospital officials say seven people were killed and three were wounded. (Turkish Press)
October 23, 2004
- Political Crisis in French Polynesia continues with the fall of the government of Oscar Temaru and doubts cast on the legitimacy of the re-election of Gaston Flosse as President of French Polynesia. (Pacific Islands Report)
- Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, Somalia's new president, requests 20,000 African Union troops to help secure the country. (BBC)
- The United States Navy commissions the USS Virginia, the lead ship of the Virginia class. (AP) (AFP) (Virginian-Pilot)
- Prosecutors in France file charges against former Chilean leader Augusto Pinochet for the disappearance and torture of four French citizens in the 1970s. (BBC)
- Conflict in Iraq: A suicide car bomb kills 16 and wounds 40 at a police training base in Ramadi west of Baghdad. A separate car bomb kills four Iraqi National Guard soldiers at a check point in Samarra. Two die and four are injured in U.S. air strikes on Falluja. In Mosul, two Turkish drivers are killed and two wounded when their convoy is attacked. Mortars land in central Baghdad killing two civilians. The U.S. military say they have captured a senior official of al-Zarqawi's militant organization. (Reuters) (BBC)
- A powerful 2004 Chūetsu earthquake 6.7 measuring and six aftershocks of similar scale occur in the Tokamachi area. A huge landslide occurs on the outskirts of Nagaoka. Both area is southern and central Niigata Prefecture in Japan. According to Japanese officials, 68 people are killed, 4,085 are injured, and 103,000 are rendered homeless.
October 24, 2004
- Iran's nuclear program:
- Iran rejects an European Union proposal to provide civilian nuclear technology to Iran in exchange for Iran scrapping its uranium enrichment program, calling for more negotiations. A decision to refer to matter from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the United Nations Security Council is expected on November 25, 2004. (Reuters)
- Iran states that a facility for converting yellowcake into uranium hexafluoride is now 70 percent operational. Iran's first uranium mine will become operational by March 2005. (Reuters)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- 49 unarmed Iraqi army recruits, based at Kirkush, are ambushed, forced from their vehicles, laid out in rows of twelve people, and murdered by gunshot to the head. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claims responsibility, describing the dead as apostates. (Reuters)(BBC)
- In Falluja, hospital officials report five civilians dead resulting from what witnesses claim were U.S. military airstrikes. Military officials say a precision strike had destroyed a known enemy command and control post. (Reuters) (BBC)
- A U.S. diplomat is killed when mortars land near Baghdad airport. (Reuters) (BBC)
- A car bomb kills a Bulgarian soldier in Kerbala. A Turkish truck driver is killed by gunmen north of Baghdad. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Brazil successfully launches its first rocket, a VSB-30, or Brazilian Exploration Vehicle, into space from the Alcantara rocket launch site, after its first attempt a year earlier failed and left 21 people, including key technicians, dead. (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: In Khan Yunis, located in the Gaza Strip, two Palestinian militants are killed and a third wounded by a missile fired from an Israel Defence Force drone. (Reuters)
October 25, 2004
- The Roman Catholic Church publishes a handbook intended to guide business, cultural, and political leaders in making decisions regarding social issues. The publication comes one week before the U.S. presidential election. In response to a journalist's question as to how Roman Catholics should vote, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls says that "the Holy See never gets involved in electoral or political questions directly". (MSNBC)
- At the behest of Premier Ralph Klein, the provincial legislative assembly of Alberta, Canada is dissolved and elections called for November 22. (CBC)
- Tensions remain high in French Polynesia as the Leadership remains in doubt. The Legislative Assembly failed to sit on Monday 25 October. Gaston Flosse, elected President on 22 October, attempted to enter the Presidential palace on the weekend but was met by closed gates. (Oceania Flash)
- Conflict in Iraq: A roadside bomb kills a U.S. soldier and wounds five others in western Baghdad. Hospital officials say five civilians are killed from U.S. snipers in the western city of Ramadi. In Kirkuk, a roadside bomb kills an Iraqi civilian. An Estonian soldier is killed and five wounded in a bomb blast in Baghdad. A mortar lands on a Iraqi National Guard checkpoint north of Baghdad, killing an Iraqi civilian. In Mosul, a car bomb kills a tribal leader and two civilians. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:
- Yasser Arafat undergoes minor exploratory surgery for stomach pains and vomiting. (Reuters)
- Israeli television news reports that Yasser Arafat is granted permission to go to hospital due to suffering from gall stones and had an intestinal infection. Palestinian spokesman Saeb Erekat says "It is unfounded that President Arafat requested to go to a Ramallah hospital" and "He is recuperating from an acute case of the flu". (Reuters)
- 14 Palestinians are killed in the Gaza Strip following "ceaseless mortar attacks" on neighboring Israeli settlements. (Reuters)
- The International Atomic Energy Agency announces that two weeks ago, the Iraqi government informed the agency that about 380 tons (345,000 kg) of powerful explosives, potentially usable in detonators for nuclear bombs, apparently disappeared from the Al-Qaqaa weapons facility, a site about 30 miles south of Baghdad, sometime shortly before or after Saddam Hussein's government fell. The Iraqi director of planning attributed the disappearance to "the theft and looting of the governmental installations due to lack of security", although other sources indicate the explosives could have been removed by the Hussein regime itself. (Reuters: 1, 2) (CNN : 1, 2)
- Six men from Pitcairn Island, including mayor Steve Christian, are convicted of sexual offences involving women and girls as young as 12. The island has a population of 47, mainly descendants of the Bounty crew. (MSNBC) (ABC)
October 26, 2004
- The co-pilot of American Airlines Flight 587 caused the November, 2001, crash in New York City that claimed the lives of 265 people, the staff of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said. (Globe and Mail)
- A report by the media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranks press freedom across the world. The ten lowest scoring countries (least free) in the report were North Korea, Cuba, Myanmar, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, the People's Republic of China, Vietnam, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, while the ten highest were Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Latvia. (BBC News) (RSF report)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Knesset approves Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw 21 settlements from the Gaza Strip and 4 from the West Bank by next year. Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and three other cabinet ministers from Sharon's ruling Likud government threaten to resign if a referendum over the plan will not be held. (Reuters) (Guardian)
- A food fight breaks out during a lunchtime conference in the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan. (BBC) (Reuters) (USA Today)
- The People's Republic of China shuts down dozens of illegal or unsanitary blood collection stations as part of its efforts to curb the spread of AIDS in the country. (VOA)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- Iraq's appointed Prime Minister Iyad Allawi tells the interim national council that yesterday's killing of 49 unarmed army recruits "was the outcome of major neglect by some parts of the multinational (forces)." (Reuters)
- The U.S. military reports a known associate of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in an early morning air strike on a safe house in Fallujah. Local residents say that the houses destroyed were empty for over a month and hospital staff report no casualties. (CNN) (Reuters)
- 78 people died of suffocation while in the custody of Thailand police following the dispersal of a violent demonstration on October 25 in the restive Muslim-majority southern region of the country. The deaths appeared to have occurred during a five hour trip in closed trucks to a detention facility. (Reuters)(BBC)
October 27, 2004
- The Boston Red Sox win their first World Series title since 1918 — and break the "Curse of the Bambino" — by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 3–0 in the fourth game of the 2004 World Series of baseball.
- The United States Air Force commissions its first F-22 Raptor jet, the world's most expensive fighter aircraft. The Air Force has ordered 277 of the planes. (BBC)
- Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's health declines sharply, and a team of doctors is called in to treat him. Doctors performed a minor diagnostic procedure on Arafat on Monday, after he complained of stomach pains. (Reuters) (Haaretz)
- Scientists announce the discovery on the Indonesian island of Flores of the skeleton of a previously unknown species of extinct human, named Homo floresiensis. Unusually, the creature, while quite different from modern humans — as an adult, it stood only 3 feet (90 cm) tall — dates from only 18,000 years ago, disproving the accepted theory that modern humans became the sole human species 160,000 years ago. (AP)
- Four British citizens, who were detained at the U.S. military installation in Guantanamo Bay for almost three years, sue the U.S. government for £5.5 million ($10 million) each, alleging torture and other human rights violations. The principal defendants are Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers. (BBC)
- Three Russian policemen are charged with negligence over the Beslan school hostage crisis; more than 350 people, about half of whom were children, died in that event. (Reuters)
- Three militants with alleged links to al-Qaeda are killed by Pakistani forces near the border with Afghanistan. (Reuters)
- Amnesty International declares the Bush administration to be "guilty of setting conditions for torture and cruel treatment by lowering safeguards and failing to respond adequately to allegations of abuse", amid other criticisms of the "war on terror", which the report says is "violating basic rights in the name of national security" and urged the President and challenger John Kerry to support an independent inquiry into detention and interrogation policies. (Reuters)
- Slobodan Milošević trial: Slobodan Milošević's defense team asks for a withdrawal, saying Milošević refuses to cooperate. (Reuters)
- U.S. presidential election: The BBC reports that it has obtained a document from George W. Bush's Florida campaign headquarters containing a list of 1,886 names and addresses of voters in largely African-American and Democratic areas of Jacksonville, Florida. Democratic Party officials allege that the document is a "caging list" that the Bush campaign intends to use to issue mass challenges to African-American voters, in violation of federal law. (BBC)
- A vote by the European Parliament over the approval of the new European Commission has been delayed, after incoming president José Manuel Barroso asks for more time to reshuffle his team. (EUobserver) (BBC)
- The Cassini-Huygens space probe makes its first close flyby of Titan, resulting in images up to 100 times better than anything seen before. (Astrobio)
- At 3am on a massive fire almost destroyed the entire Branston Pickle factory in Bury St Edmunds.
October 28, 2004
- In Latvia, Indulis Emsis, the first Green Party prime minister steps down when the country's minority coalition government dissolves after the parliament rejects its 2005 budget. (CNN)
- An article in the Washington Times, citing U.S. Defense Department official John A. Shaw, alleges that Russian special forces moved weapons, explosives, and related materials out of Iraq and into Syria, Lebanon, and possibly Iran, shortly before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Russia denies the allegation, calling the claims "absurd". U.S. officials later say they cannot corroborate the claim, but are investigating. (Washington Times) (VOA) (Interfax)
- A Los Angeles-based company, Allerca, announced that within three years it will be able to produce a hypoallergenic cat using genetic modification. At the same time, the company denied that it will be able to do the same for dogs, because whereas cats have a single gene that produces the allergenic protein, dogs have many allergenic proteins controlled by multiple genes. (San Jose Mercury News) (New Scientist)
- U.S. presidential election:
- Election officials in Broward County, Florida report that over 50,000 absentee ballots for next Tuesday's U.S. presidential election are missing. Officials mailed 60,000 absentee ballots earlier this month, but only 2,000 were delivered. (BBC)
- Iraq explosives issue: U.S. presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry accuse each other regarding Monday's announcement by the International Atomic Energy Agency that 380 tons (345,000 kg) of explosives are missing from the Al Qa'qaa industrial facility in Iraq. (Japan Today)
- A methane gas explosion in Russia's Listvyazhnaya mine, which is located in Siberia near the border with Mongolia, kills 13 people and injures 23. (Reuters)
- A total lunar eclipse, visible in western Europe, western Africa, and most of North and South America, takes place. It lasts for 3 hours, 40 minutes (1:15 to 4:54 UTC); the next total lunar eclipse will not occur until March 2007. (NASA) (Seattle Times)
- The Boston Red Sox win Game 4 and complete a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to win the 2004 World Series, their first World Series championship in 86 years.
October 29, 2004
- NAACP sends out warnings about a forged letter that threatens the arrest of voters who have outstanding parking tickets or have failed to pay child support. (The State)
- Vaughn Meader, whose The First Family comedy-album spoof of John F. Kennedy was the fastest-selling American album of all time and won the 1963 Grammy Award for best album of the year, dies in Auburn, Maine. (CNN)
- Fighting broke out for the second time in a month in Somalia between the declared independent Republic of Somaliland and the autonomous Puntland. So far, fighting in the disputed region has left over a hundred dead.(BBC)
- In Rome, heads of state and government from the countries of the European Union sign the treaty establishing a constitution for Europe. The treaty is still subject to ratification by the member nations. (BBC)
- Norodom Sihamoni is crowned King of Cambodia. (BBC)
- Yasser Arafat is flown to Paris, France for medical treatment at Percy military hospital which specializes in blood disorders and cancer. Ahmed Qurei will manage the daily affairs of the Palestinian Authority and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestine Liberation Organization. (Reuters)
- Two bombings occur in southern Thailand, in the wake of clashes between minority Muslim protesters and Thai soldiers in which about 80 protesters were suffocated while being transported to detention camps. (see 26 October current events.) (INQ7.net)
- A Johns Hopkins University study, published in the British medical journal the Lancet, estimates that an additional 100,000 civilian deaths have occurred since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. However, the study has a significant margin of error — the actual figure predicted by the study is anywhere from 8,000 to 194,000 excess deaths. (The Lancet) (Lancet report [pdf]) (BBC) (Slate)
- The New York Times reports the existence of a videotape made by a KSTP-TV St. Paul, Minnesota television crew embedded with U.S. 101st Airborne Division troops on April 18, 2003, nine days after Hussein's fall. The videotape shows the sealed explosives containers at Al Qaqaa, clearly displaying the ammunition cache of explosives and other weapons supplies, sealed with the International Atomic Energy Agency seals which were reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency 18 months ago. (NY Times)
- Arab television network Al Jazeera broadcasts a new video tape of Osama bin Laden, addressing citizens of the United States, acknowledging his responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks, threatening further action against the U.S., and criticizing U.S. President George W. Bush. He said that the security of the American people depended neither on Mr. Bush nor on John Kerry, but on US policy. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Belgium : Strike of the buses, metros and tramways of the Brussels public transport company STIB/MIVB. Buses of De Lijn however worked. (Expatica.com) (Xinhua)
October 30, 2004
- Conflict in Iraq:
- 36th Chess Olympiad finished in Calvia, Spain. Winners were Ukraine (men) and China (women).
- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi indicates that he will likely withdraw the controversial nomination of Rocco Buttiglione to the European Union Commission which caused deadlock in the European Parliament this week. (BBC)
October 31, 2004
- Tabaré Vázquez is elected the next president of Uruguay. (Reuters UK)
- Two days before the 2004 United States presidential elections, President George W. Bush and challenger John Kerry tour the swing states of Ohio, New Hampshire and Florida. (CNN)
- A section of the Berlin Wall is re-erected at the former Checkpoint Charlie as a memorial to the 1,065 people who were killed trying to escape from East Germany. (BBC)
- Three United Nations workers taken hostage in Afghanistan are shown on a video issued by their captors. (BBC)
- Shamil Basayev, the Chechen rebel commander who claimed responsibility for the September 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis, threatens more attacks against Russian civilians. (BBC)
- The 2004 presidential election in Ukraine is held. Preliminary results indicate Viktor Yanukovich in first place with 40% and Viktor Yushchenko in second with 39%. The run-off will be held on November 21. International monitors report "serious irregularities" in the voting. (BBC)
- Darfur conflict: Rwanda begins deploying a contingent of 237 troops to Darfur, Sudan, as part of an African Union mission to bring stability to the troubled region. Sixty-five soldiers have been sent this weekend; the rest will be deployed as the week progresses. Rwanda already had some troops in Darfur. (CNN)
- Conflict in Iraq: 15 Iraqi Shia workers are killed and eight wounded in a rocket attack on a hotel in the predominantly Sunni city of Tikrit. (Reuters)
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