Eastman Kodak Co., charging that the firm paid them less and promoted them less often than white colleagues. (Reuters)Archived 2004-12-05 at the Wayback Machine
Four car bombs explode just minutes apart outside neighboring four churches in central Baghdad and one car bomb explodes at a church in Mosul during Sunday evening services, killing 5 and injuring at least 46 people, witnesses say. The attacks appeared to be the first targeting churches during the 15-months of violent insurgency. (AP)CNN
Jean Pierre Bercot, says that France will deploy 200 soldiers to help secure Chad's eastern border with Sudan's conflict-torn Darfur region. The troops will also bring humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of Darfur refugees in Chad. (BBC)
Turkey's truckers' association says it will stop delivering goods to U.S. forces in Iraq, in what appears to be a direct response to insurgents' videotaped killing of a Turkish hostage. (Herald Sun)
Doom 3, the long-awaited second follow-up to the 1993 first-person shooting classic, is leaked online. (BBC)
A
Philippine lawyer who helped recover millions of dollars stashed by late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and a doctor who exposed China's SARS outbreak are among this year's winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, a prestigious prize in Asia. (AP)
religious strife and drive Christians out of the country. (Khaleej Times)
UN resolution on the conflict in Darfur is "a declaration of war" and threatens to fight any foreign intervention. (BBC)
India's junior
Edappakath Ahamed, declares that the Indian government has no confirmation of the release of three truck drivers who were taken hostage in Iraq in late July. (Reuters)
court martial hears allegations by the lead criminal investigator that Iraqi prisoners were abused 'for fun' at Abu Ghraib. (Reuters)
The truce between Muqtada al-Sadr's militia and occupation troops ends as US troops surround his house in Najaf to arrest him. (BBC)
Reports state that information that led the US to raise the
al Qaeda is known for its planning, and that this information became available following the apprehension of a Pakistani member of the organization. (CNN)(Xinhuanet)
The death toll in the market fire in Asunción, Paraguay rises to 464. Six people, including the co-owner, are arrested for manslaughter on charges that they locked the doors after the fire started, in order to prevent looting. (The Scotsman)(ABC News)
A ceremony is held at London's Cenotaph to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the United Kingdom's entry into the First World War. Four of the 23 surviving British veterans of the war, aged between 103 and 108, are well enough to attend. (BBC)
Mary Kay Letourneau is released from a Washington prison after serving a sentence of over seven years for statutory rape. The former elementary school teacher became notorious for her sexual involvement with one of her male students, who was 12 years old when the illicit relationship began. She bore two children by the boy, who is now 21 years old. (FOX News)
soccer final, Japan defeats China 3–1, prompting clashes between Chinese fans and police in Beijing. A Japanese diplomat's car is attacked and the Japanese players and fans are bussed out from Workers' Stadium, under guard. (Asian Cup Official Website)(BBC)
Ministry of the Interior in Baghdad, and immediately intervened—only to subsequently receive orders from their superior officers to "stand down" and leave the grounds. (Portland Oregonian)
U.S. intelligence officials and non-government experts conclude that diplomatic efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons to Iran and North Korea have failed to slow their weapons development programs.
Fierce fighting continues between U.S. forces and backers of Shiite cleric
Moqtada al-Sadr. Sadr threatens that he "will defend Najaf until my last drop of blood." According to the U.S. military, U.S forces have killed 300 supporters of Sadr in some of the most violent clashes since the fall of Baghdad. (democracy now!)
Scientists speaking at a news conference on natural disasters raise the alarm that the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, Canary Islands, could erupt at any time, sending a 250 km2. rock crashing into the Atlantic Ocean and producing a tsunami that could devastate the Atlantic's coastline, within hours. Very little seismological monitoring of the volcano is being carried out. (BBC)
University of Newcastle upon Tyne) become the first in Europe to be granted permission to clone human embryos. (The Guardian)
Pakistan announces that it will soon release 449 Indian prisoners, a majority of them fishermen who were detained for allegedly entering the country's territorial waters. (Navhind Times)
Moqtada al Sadr report that he has been wounded in fighting in the holy city of Najaf; the government denies the reports. The Najaf offensive triggers pro-Sadr protests in cities all over Iraq. (BBC)(protest pictures – BBC)
In
Sunday Telegraph, unless US troops withdraw from Najaf within 24 hours. He is released after intervention by al-Sadr. (BBC)
Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. There are multiple fatalities.(CNN)
Same-sex marriage in Canada: Three Nova Scotia couples have filed suit requesting that the provincial government be ordered to issue them marriage licences. Such a ruling would make Nova Scotia the fifth province or territory to recognize same-sex marriages. (365Gay.com)
flash flooding at Boscastle in Cornwall, UK, results in buildings, roads, and over 50 cars swept away. Flood waters race through town at speeds up to 65 km/h (40 mph). Many have to leave their homes; helicopters airlift 150 people to safety. (BBC)(Reuters)
Same-sex marriage in Canada: Federal justice minister Irwin Cotler announces that the federal government will no longer resist court proceedings aiming to require provincial governments to issue same-sex marriage licences. (Toronto Star)
Iyad Allawi's government to "liberate" it. Al-Sadr further agrees to disband his Jaish-i-Mahdi militia, and enter the "mainstream political process". It remains unclear when the withdrawal will actually take place. (CNN)(Reuters)Archived 2004-08-19 at archive.today
UN and other international institutions, saying that developing countries should not allow powerful nations to dictate the world on their own terms. (BBC)
Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, vows to press on with his disengagement plan, despite it receiving another rejection from his Likud party. (BBC)
Nature magazine reveals that five new satellites and a further candidate moon have been discovered orbiting Neptune, bringing its tally to 13. (BBC)
U.S. State Department has offered a $2 millionreward for Higuera's capture. (CNN)
Imam Ali Mosque, a shrine in Najaf, Iraq in some of the heaviest fighting since the 20-day-old rebellion erupted. (Reuters)Archived 2004-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
Soft drinks company Rubicon announces the release of the Sensory Straw, which has four small holes rather than one large one, an innovation said to improve the drinking experience. (Marketing Magazine)
Chile's Supreme Court strips former military ruler Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution, allowing him to be prosecuted for alleged crimes including involvement in murder and torture. (BBC)
Najaf standoff
Twenty-five people are killed and 100 wounded during a
Moqtada al-Sadr in a bid to end the fighting in Najaf for three weeks. Sistani tells thousands of Iraqis heading to the holy city to wait on the outskirts of Najaf. (khaleejtimes) Ayatollah Sistani calls a pause in fighting, telling protesters to stay home, and urging all forces to withdraw. US and Iraqi troops suspend attacks for 24 hours. (CSMonitor)(Reuters)Archived 2004-08-27 at archive.today
Between 5,000 and 6,000 participants take part in the Critical Mass bicyclist ride as part of the 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity. The monthly NYC Critical Mass ride usually attracts about 1500 riders. Police eventually arrested 264 people for deliberately blockading roads during the event. This is the first time the NYPD made any significant arrests of Critical Mass participants. (NYC-IMC)
Interbrew completes its merger with Ambev. Both were among the top five largest breweries in the world, and together they will become the largest, when measured by volume. The merged company will be called InBev(Bloomberg)
The Lebanese Cabinet, under Syrian pressure and despite widespread opposition, votes to modify the constitution to allow President Émile Lahoud a second term in office. Patriarch Sfeir states "we have completely lost sovereignty of our territory and our independence and freedom in choosing our rulers and deciding our own affairs." (NYT)
The British Royal Society, with 68 other organizations, urges the UN to ban reproductive but not therapeutic use of the technology in response to a US bid to ban human cloning altogether. (BBC)
Khufu. They believe the corridor would lead directly to Khufu's burial chamber, a room which – if it exists – is unlikely to have been accessed since the burial and may still contain the king's remains. (The Guardian)(AustBC)
war crimes for his alleged role in the conflicts in which tens of thousands were killed. He maintains the charges are 'unscrupulous lies'. (BBC News)(Reuters)Archived 2005-04-08 at the Wayback Machine
U.S. Congress, with over $30 million budgeted among twelve candidates' campaigns. (AP/Bradenton Herald)
The two smallest
extrasolar planets ever discovered are announced: one orbiting 55 Cancri in the constellation Cancer, and another orbiting Gliese 436 in the constellation Leo. They are both around the size of Neptune. (Globe and Mail)
The
Cleveland Indians baseball team beats the New York Yankees 22–0, the Yankees' worst loss in their 101-year history. (ESPN box score)
