An inquiry by the Egyptian Interior Ministry into last month's bombings of hotels in the Sinai concludes that the perpetrators received no external help, contradicting assertions by Israeli officials that the blasts were linked to al-Qaeda. (Reuters)Archived 2004-11-13 at the Wayback Machine(BBC)
Controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh is stabbed and shot dead in Amsterdam; the suspected murderer is arrested after a firefight with police. van Gogh had received numerous death threats after his movie Submission elicited criticism among the Dutch Muslim community. (Reuters)[permanent dead link](ABC US)
U.S. civil rights organizations report on a number of misleading voter fliers and phone calls aimed at African-American voters, alleging that these are an attempt to suppress the African-American vote in today's U.S. presidential election. (Reuters)
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá leads with 3,880 votes of advantage against Pedro Rosselló with 98.27% of the total votes counted. By law, a recount must be performed when the winning margin is less than 0.5%. The official winner will be certified on December 31 after the recount is finished. (CEE-PUR)
The Puerto Rican Independence Party has been unable to reach 3% of the total votes so far, putting in danger their franchise as a principal political party by Puerto Rican electoral laws. Because of this, the party may not receive funds from the government of Puerto Rico nor have a separate column in ballot papers on the following elections. However, Maria de Lourdes Santiago makes history by becoming the first woman to be elected Senator in the party's history. (El Nuevo Dia)
Senator John Kerry concedes to President George W. Bush "The outcome should be decided by voters, not a protracted legal process", Kerry said. "I would not give up if there was a chance we could prevail." (Reuters)(BBC)
The Republican Party widens its majority in the Senate and House of Representatives. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle concedes defeat to Republican challenger John Thune, thus becoming the first Senate leader in 52 years to lose a re-election bid and leaving the leadership of the Democratic Party in the Senate open. (CNN)
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reports that on November 2, touch-screen electronic voting machines in at least six U.S. states had incorrectly recorded their choices, including for the presidential election. Incorrectly recorded votes make up roughly 20 percent of the e-voting problems. (EFF)
A roadside bomb kills a U.S. soldier and wounds another in Salman Pak, south of Baghdad. An Iraqi Oil Ministry official is shot dead while leaving his house in Baghdad. The militant group Army of Ansar al-Sunna release a video on their website confirming the beheading of an Iraqi officer kidnapped in Mosul. In Tikrit, fires continue to burn from major oil wells and a pipeline attacked earlier, halting oil exports. The militant Brigades of Iraq's Honorable People release videos showing beheadings of three Iraqi security guards kidnapped in Baghdad. (Reuters)[permanent dead link](BBC)
Hungary announces the withdrawal of its 300 troops by the end of next March. Poland says it will scale back the 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq early next year. (Reuters)Archived 2005-05-01 at the Wayback Machine(BBC)
Sgt. Charles Robert Jenkins, who crossed over the DMZ to North Korea in 1965, pleads guilty to desertion and aiding the enemy at his court martial in Japan. He is sentenced to 30 days in prison and given a dishonorable discharge. (BBC)
The shutdown of the Number 2 Balakovonuclear reactor in the Saratov region of southern Russia due to a turbine malfunction causes widespread local panic. Local pharmacies' supplies of iodine sell out; residents flee, urging each other to drink vodka and avoid public water. Engineers at the plant find no leak of radiation. A number of people are hospitalized for iodine overdose; the government and media are criticized for poor coordination. (Bellona)
SpammerJeremy Jaynes, rated the world's eighth most-prolific spammer, is convicted of three felony charges of sending thousands of junk e-mails through servers located in Virginia, and is recommended to be sentenced to nine years' imprisonment. His sister is fined $7500 for related offences. (Computerworld)(CBC)
Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a bill approving parliament's ratification of the Kyoto protocol bringing the number of countries bound by the treaty to 126. (Reuters)
The NGO aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières ends work in Iraq due to the "escalating violence" and "the warring parties have repeatedly shown their disrespect for independent humanitarian assistance." (BBC)
The United States recognizes the Republic of Macedonia under its constitutional name rather than the name "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" used by the United Nations, the first major foreign policy move by the re-elected Bush administration. The move outrages Greece, who had the European Union's support in lobbying against recognition since Macedonia's independence in 1991. (Reuters)Archived 2005-03-10 at the Wayback Machine(BBC)
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps arrested and charged with driving under the influence. Maryland State Police say Phelps was stopped around 11:30 Thursday night, near the intersection of Route 13 and Bateman Street in Salisbury, after a trooper spotted an SUV that failed to stop at a stop sign. Beside the charge of driving under the influence, Phelps was also charged with driving while impaired by alcohol, violation of a license restriction, and failure to obey a traffic control device. (WBAL Radio)
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan warns that an assault on Falluja may result in a Sunni Muslim boycott of January elections. British ambassador to Iraq Jones Parry states: "You can't have an area the size of Falluja operating as a base for terrorism." Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi describes Annan's letter as confused and unclear. (Reuters)[permanent dead link]
Two U.S. soldiers are killed and five wounded when fighting breaks out near a base on the outskirts of Falluja. After weeks of intensive airstrikes, U.S. and Iraqi troops seal off all roads to the city. They drop leaflets and play loudspeaker messages encouraging all civilians to leave, but say they would arrest any men under 45. Near Baghdad, two children are killed when a mortar shell lands near a police station. (Reuters)(BBC)
Episcopal Church: The Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh approves an amendment to its Constitution which allows it to differ with the opinion of the national church on issues which the diocese believes to be "contrary to the historic faith and order" of the church. (Diocese of Pittsburgh)
An Indian spokesman says the Indian Army has been conducting counter-insurgency operations on the border of Burma. Two Indian soldiers and 13 rebels have been killed so far. (BBC)
Chilean army commander General Juan Emilio Cheyre releases a statement saying abuses under Augusto Pinochet were "punishable and morally unacceptable acts of the past", reversing its previous stance that they were excesses carried out by individual officers. (BBC)
Nine French peacekeepers and a U.S. citizen are killed in the rebel-held town of Bouake in Côte d'Ivoire after government warplanes bomb the town to root out insurgents. In response, the French military launches attacks which destroy two warplanes at Yamoussoukro airport. (CNN)(BBC)
At an anti-nuclear waste shipment protest rally near the French town of Avricourt a protester, Sébastien Briat, is killed after a train severs his leg. The 23-year-old French man was protesting against the CASTOR transport. (BBC)
In Broward County, officials find the software used in Broward can handle only 32,000 votes per precinct. After that, the system starts counting backward. The problem affected running tallies and not the final vote totals. All absentee ballots had been placed in a single precinct to be counted and only the votes for constitutional amendments reached the threshold and encountered the problem. (The Palm Beach Post)
Microsoft announces it will pay NovellUSD$536 million to settle its ten-year-long antitrust suit and will pay legal costs incurred by the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA). In return, CCIA will not pursue its arguments in favor of the European Union's antitrust suit. (Reuters)Archived 2013-09-29 at archive.today
Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi publicly authorizes an offensive in Fallujah and Ramadi to "liberate the people" and "clean Falluja of terrorists". U.S. and Iraqi forces advance. A hospital doctor in Falluja reports 15 people killed and 20 wounded. (Reuters)[permanent dead link](BBC)
In Baghdad, three Iraqis are killed when a suicide car bomb explodes near a U.S. convoy. A U.K. soldier is killed by a roadside bomb near Camp Dogwood. A U.S. soldier is killed when gunmen open fire on a military patrol. At least three people are killed and 40 others injured in explosions at two Christian churches. (Reuters)Archived 2005-03-10 at the Wayback Machine(BBC)
A Muslim school in Eindhoven in the Netherlands suffers a bomb attack. It is believed to be a revenge attack in retaliation for the murder of Theo van Gogh, following a weekend in which several mosques were attacked throughout the Netherlands. (BBC)
The current wave of violence in Côte d'Ivoire causes London markets to fear a lack of cocoa exports, sending cocoa to a five-year high. French forces, including tanks, deploy throughout the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, to restore order. (BBC)
Conflict in Iraq: U.S. troops reach the center of Falluja with heavy fighting reported throughout the city. The Pentagon announces 10 U.S. and two Iraqi soldiers killed in the assault. One third of prisoners captured in Falluja by Iraqi forces have been foreigners from Egypt and Syria. Residents say a U.S. airstrike hit a clinic killing medical staff and patients. A nine-year-old boy dies because of lack of medical assistance after he was hit by shrapnel in what parents say was a separate airstrike. The mainly SunniIraqi Islamic Party withdraws from the Iraq Interim Governing Council. Iraqi and U.S. forces capture a mosque in northwest Falluja that was being used as an arms depot and insurgent meeting place and the Muslim Clerics Association called for a boycott of the election in protest of the assault. In Mosul, two U.S. soldiers are killed when mortars land in a military base. Three police stations are attacked in Baquba with casualty reports ranging from 25 to 45 people killed. A car bomb outside an Iraqi National Guard base near Kirkuk kills three people and wounds two. In Samarra, a senior local government official is assassinated. (Reuters)(BBC)
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and Former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas have visited Arafat at his bedside, and Mr. Abbas has described his condition as "very serious" (BBC)
Violence in Côte d'Ivoire has left 20 dead and 600 injured and stopped cocoa exports. South African President Thabo Mbeki has flown to the country to help find a settlement. (CNN)
The euro reaches a new record high against the United States dollar, valued at more than $1.30. Concerns over the U.S. trade deficit, the $427 billionbudget deficit and $166 billion current account deficit are thought to be behind the dollar's recent losses. (BBC)(BBC)
The trial of the suspected French serial killerÉmile Louis proceeds, as the Yonneassize court transports itself to the location where the bodies of two victims were found under Louis' indications.
Muslim cleric MuftiTaissir Dayut Tamimi, a close personal friend of Arafat, flies to Paris to attend to Arafat's spiritual needs. Aides deny reports that Arafat will be taken off life support. (National Post {Canada})(BBC)
A Dutch police squad comes under a grenade attack, injuring three policemen, following an antiterrorist raid on a house in The Hague. The area's airspace is closed as a precaution. Two arrests have been made.(BBC)(Reuters)Archived 2004-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
A Muslim school in Uden was set on fire in another of a series of sectarian attacks on Islamic schools in the Netherlands. (BBC)
President Bush says, "For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbors." (Washington Times)
Israeli Justice minister Tommy Lapid says it is "good that the world is rid of him ... The sun is shining in the Middle East". (BBC)
Conflict in Iraq: Heavy fighting continues in Falluja, where U.S. military officials say over 500 insurgents, 18 U.S. and five Iraqi troops had been killed. In Baghdad, 17 people are killed when a car bomb explodes near a shopping center. (BBC)
Scott Peterson is found guilty of murder in the first degree of his wife, Laci Peterson, and in the second degree of his unborn son, Connor. The penalty phase of the trial was scheduled for November 22, 2004. (CNN)
Yasser Arafat's funeral procession is held in Cairo, Egypt. Arafat is given full military honours and his coffin is led by a horse-drawn carriage. Leaders of Muslim and Arab countries as well as other dignitaries attend, including Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas, who is currently sought by Israel. (Reuters)[permanent dead link](BBC)
Israel has barred the entire population of the Gaza Strip from attending Yassir Arafat's funeral in Ramallah, and has sealed off many West Bank towns. (BBC)
Ramallah is described as in a state of "chaos" as tens of thousands of people pack the area in and around the Muqata, prior to Arafat's burial. Gunmen in the crowd shot repeatedly into the air, but there is no serious violence; and plans for Arafat to lie in state appear to have been dropped due to the huge crowd. He was buried in soil from Al Quds.(BBC)
A fire has badly damaged a mosque in the south-eastern village of Helden, Netherlands, in the latest of a series of attacks on Dutch Muslim sites. (BBC)
A fire has badly damaged a mosque in the south-eastern village of Helden, Netherlands, in the latest of a series of attacks on Dutch Muslim sites. (BBC)
The BBC based on a water test of one well claims thousands in India still face a risk of poisoning after the Union CarbideBhopal disaster 20 years ago that killed at least 4000 people. (BBC)
Japan's trade minister Shoichi Nakagawa says he believes that a Chinese submarine, which Tokyo says intruded into Japanese waters last week, is linked to gas exploration by China in a remote island area claimed by both countries. (VOA)
Researchers claim to have found a site that may be a candidate for the lost city of Atlantis on the bottom of the east Mediterranean, 80 kilometers southeast of Cyprus. The Cypriot government disputes the claim, saying more evidence is needed. (CNN)
US troops in Falluja have launched new air strikes and artillery attacks against suspected rebel positions. (BBC)
The US military says they believe civilian casualties are low in Falluja because so many people fled the city before the assault began, but this is disputed by some eyewitnesses. The military is still refusing to allow aid workers in and casualty figures cannot yet be confirmed. (BBC)(Gulf Daily News)(AP)
French scientists at the Institut Pasteur announce they have successfully stimulated antibodies to block HIV from infecting human cells in vitro. The achievement is a significant breakthrough towards the goal of an HIV vaccine. (365gay.com)
Margaret Hassan, the Irish-born aid worker kidnapped in Iraq, is believed to have been killed. A tape apparently showing her being shot has surfaced. (BBC)
Dino Rossi defeats Christine Gregoire by 261 votes in the Washingtongovernor's race, pending a state-mandated recount. It is the final undecided race of the 2004 United States election season. (Note: After the recount, Gregoire is shown to have, in fact, won the highly contested race.)
In Israel, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), investigating alleged crimes by an Israeli officer, is seeking to exhume the body of 13-year-old Iman al-Hams. The schoolgirl was shot at least 15 times by the IDF. (BBC)
Three Palestinians are buried while digging a smuggling tunnel in Rafah. The tunnel collapsed due to heavy rain. The Israeli Defence Force permitted Palestinian rescue forces to try to rescue them, and later sent its own bulldozers to help. The rescue efforts succeeded and three Palestinian were recovered from the ruins alive. They were treated by IDF medical staff and later taken to investigation. (Washington Times), (Maariv), (Haaretz)
Three Egyptian paramilitary security officers stationed at the Sinai–Gaza border are killed by Israeli tank fire, after IDF troops allegedly mistook them for Palestinianterrorists or militants. The Egyptian government accepts an apology from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and demands an investigation on the incident. (Haaretz)(Reuters)(BBC)
Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, one of the most controversial Dutch politicians, advocates a five-year halt to non-Western immigration in the wake of the murder of Theo van Gogh stating: "The Netherlands has been too tolerant to intolerant people for too long, we should not import a retarded political Islamic society to our country". (NYT)
Russia announces it will sell off the main production unit of Yukos, the energy company seized last year for supposedly failing to pay taxes. (BBC)
The U.S. U.S. Congress raises the national debt ceiling by USD800 billion to a total of USD 8.18 trillion. This makes the new borrowing cap 30% higher than the debt Bush inherited, and 70% of the size of the U.S. economy. (CNN)(Debt Clock)
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, members of the NBAIndiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons engage in a brawl involving players and spectators. Ron Artest of the Pacers initiated the conflict with fans when he entered the crowd at The Palace of Auburn Hills after a fan threw a cup of beer at him. The game was postponed with 45 seconds remaining. Artest was suspended for the rest of the season, while several members of both teams were suspended by the league for their involvement.
U.S. Military officials report that 102 soldiers, 85% of which are serving in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, have contracted a rather rare blood infection by Acinetobacter baumannii. Military investigators say there is no evidence of biochemical agents in the infection which surfaces occasionally in unsanitary hospitals, but that some soldiers were arriving with infections. (CNN)
World Vision, one of the last aid agencies left in Iraq, announces it will pull its staff out of the country following the murder of its senior manager. (BBC)
In Baghdad, two people are killed when clashes break out as Iraqi forces backed by U.S. troops enter a popular Sunnimosque to arrest dozens of members reportedly including the imam. (BBC)
The Spongebob Squarepants Movie debuts in movie theaters across the United States, grossing $32,018,216 during its opening weekend.
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi premieres on Cartoon Network and scores the highest-ever Kids 2-11 rating and delivery and the second highest Kids 6-11 rating (4.4) and delivery (1,068,000) ever for an original series premiere.
Conflict in Iraq: The nineteen member Paris Club agrees to forgive 80% of nearly $40 billion in Iraqi debt, in three stages: 20% now, 30% in 2005 and 20% in 2008 in tandem with Iraq's implementation of an International Monetary Fund economic programme. $80 billion in debt to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, among others, will remain. (BBC)
U.S. Secretary of StateColin Powell arrives in Israel for talks with leaders of both sides of the conflict with an aim to restarting the stalled peace process. (BBC)
Ukraine holds the second vote in a run-offpresidential election today. Voters will decide between Moscow-oriented Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and western-leaning reformer Viktor Yushchenko. Observers have expressed concern over possible Russian interference, election abuses, and bias in reporting by the state media. With 74% of vote counted, Yanukovych leads Yushchenko 49–48%. Yushchenko has alleged that massive election fraud has taken place. (BBC)(BBC)
A mechanical failure has been blamed for an oil spill on the eastern coast of Canada. Experts estimate 170,000 litres of oil have been spilled into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, covering an area 9 km long by 1 km wide. (CBC)
An Israeli military court indicts an unidentified outpost commander in charge of soldiers who killed a 13-year-old Palestinian girl in the Gaza Strip on October 5. (Haaretz)
2004 Ukrainian presidential election: Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko declares himself winner and takes a symbolic oath of office at a parliament special session, boycotted by pro-government MPs. Crowds of around 200,000 Yushchenko supporters rally outside the parliament building in Kiev. Freedom House releases a statement saying that the runoff election was "tainted by massive voter fraud." Russian Foreign Ministry expresses "extreme concern" about the disobedience actions by the Ukrainian opposition. (BBC)(Reuters)Archived 2005-03-10 at the Wayback Machine(FH)
The city governments of Lviv, Ternopil, Vinnytsia and Ivano-Frankivsk announce their support for Yushchenko. A crowd estimated at 200,000 surrounds the Parliament building in Kiev, calling for Yanukovych to step down. (The Guardian)
Ohio law requires state officials to perform a recount when called for by candidates on the ballot, but a federal judge today declared that the results can be declared final before the recount occurs. (CNN)
Justice Through Music has posted a minimum $200,000 reward for specific evidence of vote fraud in the recent election in light of the many instances of reported voter irregularities. (eMediaWire)
Israeli Defence Force officer claims, he was right to repeatedly shoot an unarmed 13-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza, saying he would have killed her even if she was three years old.[7]
Despite earlier reports that Ukraine's Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko had agreed to hold talks over the country's heavily disputed elections, this now seems unlikely. Protests continue, with an official election result due to be announced at around 1400 UTC. (BBC)
The Ukrainian Supreme Court bars publication of the presidential election results, delaying inauguration, and decides to examine a complaint alleging fraud on November 28. (Reuters)Archived 2005-03-10 at the Wayback Machine
The Luhans'k region of Ukraine, the easternmost Russian-speaking region, has reportedly declared itself autonomous and requested recognition from the Russian Federation. Several more regions, including Donetsk, have ruled to put autonomy on popular referendum.
Supporters of opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko blockaded official buildings in Kiev Friday, in a direct challenge to the Moscow-backed government's control of the country. (Reuters)[permanent dead link]
Russian President Vladimir Putin said after a summit meeting with the European Union that the results of the Ukrainian presidential elections are absolutely clear. (AFP)
Virginia Tech begins its reign of dominance over UVA, the Hokies clinch the Commonwealth Cup in a 24-10 win at Lane Stadium. The Hokies continue to hold the Commenwealth Cup for over 4000 days following this victory.
According to the chairman of the Duma commission investigating the Beslan school massacre, there is indirect evidence of involvement by a foreign intelligence agency; however, the agency remains unnamed. (Interfax)
Ukraine's parliament votes for the annulment of the election results and asks PresidentLeonid Kuchma to dissolve the country's Central Election Committee. This is a non-binding request as the parliament cannot annul the results itself. (CNN)
Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot says that the EU believes fresh elections are the best option for Ukraine. (Reuters)
Swiss voters overwhelmingly approve government proposals to permit research using stem cells of human embryos. (BBC)
An explosion in a coal mine in the Chinese central province of Shaanxi leaves 187 men trapped underground. Official figures show 4,153 mining accident deaths in the last nine months, while 119 miners are still missing from a November 20 iron mine fire in Hebei. (BBC)(Xinhua)(Xinhua)
Conflict in Iraq: 42 primarily Shi'a parties release a statement saying a postponement of elections would be illegal. The U.S. military reports a U.S. soldier is killed by a roadside bomb in Duluiya north of Baghdad and that troops discover 17 more corpses in Mosul, raising the number found to at least 50 in two weeks. Hospital officials in Ramadi say two people are killed and three wounded when U.S. troops fire on suspected insurgents. (Reuters)Archived 2004-12-08 at the Wayback Machine(BBC)
The People's Republic of China and Association of South East Asian Nations sign a trade pact that could eventually unite a quarter of the world's population in a free trade zone. (BBC)
Deputy leader of al QaidaAyman al-Zawahiri releases a videotape vowing to continue fighting "until the last hour" and urging the U.S. to cooperate with Muslims and stop dealing "with them as free loot, robbed land and violated sanctity." (Reuters)Archived 2004-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
Attorneys for Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb asked a federal court to take jurisdiction of, and ultimately dissolve, a temporary restraining order issued by a Delaware County, Ohio, judge attempting to prevent Cobb from seeking a recount of the presidential ballots cast in that county.[9]
Attorneys representing John Kerry filed papers to join the Cobb/Badnarik Ohio recount case.[10]
If the Ohio recount does not begin before the votes are certified, then electors will be chosen before the recount begins.[11]
Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio dissolves the parliament after Prime minister Pedro Santana Lopes fails to present a plan to solve cabinet instability. The elections are expected to be scheduled to February 2005. (CNN)(BBC)
U.K. Home SecretaryDavid Blunkett defends his actions after newspaper allegations that he used his position to acquire a fast-track visa application for his former lover's nanny, ordering an independent enquiry into his own actions and denying any impropriety, whilst apologising for inadvertently misusing government funds to obtain her a first class train ticket. (BBC)
A South African court rules that the common law concept of marriage must be extended to include same-sex couples. Although the ruling does not immediately permit same-sex marriage in South Africa, it is considered a major step in that direction. (365gay.com)
