United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, makes a commitment to "ensure security for the civilian population by deploying civilian police and by disarming militias". (Reuters)[permanent dead link
]
gun control legislation, including a nationwide register of all firearms, both privately owned and government issued, comes into force. (BBC)
Entertainer
African American community, saying illiterate blacks are "going nowhere" and advising unemployed black men to "stop beating up your women". (CNN/archive.org)
Tracy Perkins, are charged with offenses ranging up to involuntary manslaughter in the January 3 drowning death of an Iraqi detainee whom they reportedly forced to leap into the Tigris from atop a bridge in Samarra. (Reuters)
Democratic Party members of the U.S. House of Representatives request that the United Nations send observers to monitor the November 2 presidential election, citing the disputed 2000 presidential outcome. (AFP)
first direct Indonesian presidential election is held, with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expected to win with one-third of the vote. If no candidate wins at least 50 percent of the vote, the two top finishers will compete in a September runoff. The race for second place, between President Megawati Sukarnoputri and former army chief General Wiranto, is still too close to call. (VOA)(PolitInfo)
President Vicente Fox, resigns over "political differences" with his boss, including the presidential ambitions of First Lady Marta Sahagún. The announcement came shortly after, but was not related to, a bad day for Fox's PAN party in state elections in its northern heartland. (BBC)(Reuters)
dereliction of duty in a "friendly fire" bombing that killed four and seriously wounded eight Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan in 2002, given an official reprimand and fined US$5,672, which will be made in two monthly payments of US$2,836. (CNN)(Washington Post)
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence uncovers that, before the War on Iraq, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was told by relatives of Iraqi scientists that Iraq's programs to develop unconventional weapons had been abandoned. (Guardian)
Houston, Texas. Enron filed for bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, after investigators discovered that it had hidden more than $1 billion in debt and inflated profits. (CNN)(BBC)(Democracy Now!)
The
Roman Catholic sex abuse cases have exhausted all of its funds. (The Guardian)
Japan tells the
Security Council because of its participation in the multinational force in Iraq. (VOA)(JapanToday)
antiretroviral drugs. Despite being 60,000 short of its target, the organisation says it is still hopeful of achieving its aim of distributing to 3,000,000 people by the end of 2005 (BBC)
Department of Homeland Security asks the Justice Department's office of legal counsel to research on the legal requirements for postponing the November elections, stating that they are concerned that terrorists might disrupt the elections. (Newsday)
The Iranian government rejected requests for Canadian government observers to attend the trial of intelligence agents charged with the death of Canadian photographer, Zahra Kazemi
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, troops from the United Kingdom are accorded the honour of leading France's parade on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. (BBC)
government for using unreliable intelligence, which it says was 'open to doubt' and 'seriously flawed', but blames no single individual. (BBC)(Guardian)(Independent)
A Turkish court orders a retrial of four Kurdish former members of parliament who were jailed in 1994. They have been accused of supporting separatism and for making speeches in Kurdish. (BBC)
American celebrity Martha Stewart is sentenced to five months in a federal prison, five months of house arrest, two years probation, and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine, for attempting to cover up illegal stock trading. The sentence is stayed pending appeal. (Reuters)Archived 2013-09-29 at archive.today
Acceding to the demands of Iraqi militants who kidnapped and threaten to behead truck driver Angelo de la Cruz, the Philippines agrees to withdraw from Iraq. Eleven soldiers leave today, while the remaining 32 are slated to withdraw at a later date. (BBC)
Palestinian Authority Chief of Police of the Gaza Strip, at gunpoint following an ambush of his convoy and the wounding of two bodyguards. The Jenin Martyrs' Brigade claims responsibility. Hours later the police chief is released and another official of the Palestinian Authority kidnapped. (Reuters)Archived 2005-04-08 at the Wayback Machine(BBC)
Iyad Allawi himself summarily executed six prisoners at a Baghdad police station one week before becoming Iraqi prime minister, to "send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents". His office completely denies the event. (SMH)(Age)
Jordanian troops detect and intercept four unidentified individuals attempting to "infiltrate to the western side of the Jordan River" (Israel). Three are killed and the fourth arrested. (JNA)
anti-semitism (510 anti-semitic acts or threats in the first six months of 2004, compared to 593 for all of 2003). The French government describes his comments as unacceptable. An Israeli spokesperson later claims that Sharon had been misunderstood. (BBC)(Haaretz)
A tanker truck bomb in Baghdad kills nine Iraqis and wounds another 60.
Palestinian Authority, seeking to quiet unrest in the Gaza Strip reinstates Abdel-Razek al-Majaideh, demoting his cousin Moussa Arafat who was appointed just three days ago. (Reuters)Archived 2005-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
Shiite infidels"; later, the group denies involvement in the bombing and proclaims its solidarity with Shiites and Hezbollah. (INN)(Daily Star)
Palestinian Authority, agrees to withdraw his resignation, three days after tendering it. Qurei is maintaining a threat to quit "because he has no powers". (Reuters)[permanent dead link
Palestinian Authority, is shot twice in his right leg after returning from a television interview in which he criticized Yasser Arafat. (Reuters)[permanent dead link
Despite threats, Japan rebuffs demands that Japanese troops be withdrawn from Iraq. Deputy Cabinet Secretary Masaaki Yamazaki states: "For the rebuilding of Iraq, we must continue our support and not give in to terrorism". (Reuters)Archived 2004-11-13 at the Wayback Machine
Following the decision of the Philippines to accede to hostage-takers' demands that it withdraw all 51 soldiers from Iraq, militants in Iraq abduct three Indians, two Kenyans and an Egyptian, announcing that the hostages would be beheaded unless their countries immediately announce the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
The United Nations raises its threat warning level for the Gaza Strip to "Phase Four" (the maximum is five) and plans to evacuate non-essential foreign staff from the Gaza Strip. (Reuters)Archived 2005-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
Kenya calls on its citizens to leave Iraq, after the recent abductions of three Kenyan citizens (AP)
In Canada, one person is reported to have died and five others hospitalized due to an
In Turkey a passenger train travelling between Istanbul and Ankara derails at about 18:45 local time (16:45 UTC) near Pamukova in Sakarya Province. Initial fatality reports from the government suggested that 139 people were killed; this was reduced to approximately 30, without explanation, a few hours later, and the actual number is unclear. (BBC)
dirty war", where it classifies the killings by government forces as genocide, and requests warrants be issued for the arrest of former president Luis Echeverría and 11 other ex-government figures. (BBC)(La Jornada in Spanish)
Palestinian, Hassan Zaanin, is shot dead in Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip when he and his family attempt to stop Palestinian gunmen from planting an anti-tank explosive outside their house. (Haaretz)(BBC)
An arrest is made in
Cecilia Zhang murder case, nine months after she was abducted. (Toronto Star)
The bridge in Mostar dividing Croatian and Bosniak communities is opened 11 years after it was destroyed in the Bosnian war. (BBC)
A special prosecutor files genocide charges against former President of MexicoLuis Echeverría for actions taken by the Mexican military during a student protest in 1971.
A roadside bomb explodes in Karachi, Pakistan, killing an electrician and wounding six others. The victims were all students and staff at an Islamic seminary, and appear to be the targets of the attack. (BBC)
In
dirty war". Prosecutors are expected to appeal the decision. (BBC)
suicide bomber attacks near a U.S base in the northern city of Mosul
, killing two civilians and an Iraqi security guard. Three U.S soldiers and an Iraqi security guard were wounded.
The Iraqi interim Interior Ministry's Deputy Chief of Tribal Affairs, Col. Musab al-Awadi, is assassinated in Baghdad, along with two of his bodyguards.
Insurgents kill two Iraqi women working as cleaners for British forces in Basra in southern Iraq.
Militants threaten to kill two Jordanian truck drivers they captured within 72 hours if their Jordanian employer does not stop doing business with the U.S. military. (AP)
The
Straits of Malacca however, attacks rose by a third. (BBC)
A lower French court annuls the same-sex union of Stephane Chapin and Bertrand Charpentier, stating that the
Civil Code does not allow same-sex unions and that allowing them is for the legislature. The couple say they will appeal against the court's ruling, even to the European Court of Human Rights. The mayor who officiated at the ceremony, Noel Mamere of the left-wing Greens Party, had been suspended from duties for one month by the national executive. (AP)[permanent dead link
Guerilla mortar fire, directed at the Green Zone in Baghdad, strikes the nearby neighborhood of Salhiya, killing an Iraqi garbage collector, wounding another, and injuring 15 U.S. soldiers.
Dr. Qassem el-Obaidi, assistant director of Mahmudiya hospital, is assassinated in Mahmudiya, 25 miles south of Baghdad.
A suicide bomber launches a failed attack in
Baquba
, north of Baghdad, killing himself but inflicting no other casualties.
The Jordanian company Daoud and Partners decides to withdraw from Iraq, so as to secure the release of two Jordanian hostages.[1]
The United Nations warns that Bangladesh is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis, as severe flooding causes more than 350 deaths. Forty-one of the country's sixty-four districts are affected by the floods, and officials say 14 million people are either marooned or homeless; other estimates reach as high as 30 million. (BBC)
The
Arab militias blamed for atrocities in Darfur. (BBC)
Insurgents launch simultaneous attacks on U.S bases around
Al Anbar
province, west of Baghdad.
A U.S soldier is killed and three wounded in a roadside bomb attack on a convoy in the town of Balad Ruz, north of Baghdad.
A U.S soldier is killed and another three wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad. An Iraqi civilian was also injured in the blast.
Seven Iraqi policemen and 35 guerillas are killed in a battle in the town of Suwariyah, southeast of Baghdad, that was started by a raid by Iraqi security forces backed by U.S and Ukrainian troops.[2]
About 220 North Koreans fly to South Korea from an unnamed third country, following 247 who arrived the day before. They arrive at Incheon International Airport on a plane chartered by the South Korean government. The North Korean government describes their apparent defection as "kidnapping". (BBC)
A United Airlines flight carrying 246 passengers to Los Angeles, US, is forced to return to Sydney, Australia, after a bomb threat. Police later describe a hoax warning, found written on an air sickness bag. (CNN)
United States Senator John Kerry formally accepts the 2004 Democratic Presidential candidate nomination. In his acceptance speech he undertakes to "restore trust and credibility to the White House". (MSNBC)
1998 U.S. embassy bombings. The US Government had offered a reward of up to $25 million for information leading to the arrest of Ghailani. (BBC)CNN
The
pounds for the first time. Coupled with increasing interest rates, this increased amount of debt has caused a sharp rise in the number of people seeking help with money problems – up 44% on five years ago. (BBC)
Two Australian anti-war protestors who daubed "No War" in red paint on the top sail of the Sydney Opera House on March 18, 2003, take their case to the New South Wales Court of Appeal. David Burgess, 33, and Will Saunders, 42, claim their defence of self-defence was not heard by their original trial judge. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Nguyen Dan Que is sentenced by the Ho Chi Minh People's Court for "abusing democratic rights to jeopardise the interests of the state, and the legitimate rights and interests of social organisations and citizens". Que is the third dissident this month to be jailed after using the Internet to criticise the ruling Communist government. (Vietnam News Agency) (note the Agency is state-controlled), (Miami Herald)
.
Doughnut maker Krispy Kreme announces that its accounting practices are the subject of an informal inquiry by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The inquiry is concerned with the company's repurchase of franchises as well as a recent earnings warning. (AP)
Scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute announce the discovery of a new genus of deep sea worms, Osedax (meaning bone devourer). The worms feed on lipids found in the bones of whale carcasses. (MBARI)
Abdurahman Alamoudi, founder of the American Muslim Council, admits taking part in the plot, as he pleads guilty to three charges of illegal dealings with Libya. US Attorney General John Ashcroft says the case has provided "critical intelligence" in the war on terror. (BBC)
The
Football World Cup 2006 final, Germany's biggest sporting spectacle since reunification, exactly 70 years after the infamous Nazi Olympics. (BBC)
Valve & Sierra's joint WON system was permanently shut down, and replaced by Valve's new Steam client.
The Vatican denounces feminism, claiming that it would blur differences between men and women and threatens the institution of the traditional family of one man and one woman, stating that the drive for equality makes "homosexuality and heterosexuality virtually equivalent, in a new model of polymorphous sexuality". (AP)[permanent dead link]
Iran states that it has resumed building nuclearcentrifuges to enrich uranium, reversing an October 2003 pledge to Britain, France and Germany to suspend all uranium enrichment-related activities. The United States contends that the purpose is to produce weapons grade uranium. (Reuters)Archived 2005-04-08 at the Wayback Machine
