October 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Events
- North Korea crisis: North Korea claims to "have already processed" 8,000 fuel rods from its Yongbyon nuclear reactor (north of Pyongyang) and is using the plutonium extracted during the process to make atomic bombs to boost its nuclear capabilities for nuclear deterrent force. Citing a "hostile policy" by the United States, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon states this is a means to safeguard the country's territory. [5] [6]
- Occupation of Iraq: UN Security Council discusses a new United States draft resolution on Iraq, which would enhance the United Nations' role in Iraq. Secretary General Kofi Annan states draft did not go in the direction he recommended. A quicker transfer of sovereignty "may change the dynamics on the ground, in terms of the security situation, and send a message". [7]
- Technology - Genome: The genome chip arrived with several companies rushing to sell the known human genes. The products will allow scientists to scan all genes in a human tissue sample at once to determine which are active, with lower cost and increased speed. [8]
- Sino-American relations: US Navy blames the People's Republic of China for 2001 collision. A report released to Jane's Defense Weekly under the FOIA said that the pilot of the Chinese jet fighter made 3 passes at the US propeller-driven reconnaissance plane over international waters. On the third pass, the Chinese fighter hit a propeller on the US plane. [9]
- Ontario general election, 2003: Dalton McGuinty becomes the new premier of Ontario when his party defeats Ernie Eves's incumbent Tories and Howard Hampton's NDP.
- J. M. Coetzee wins Nobel Prize for literature. [10]
- European Union: United States draft legislation which urges The Pentagon to buy defence parts from American manufacturers has turned heads in Brussels, with some warning of yet another trade dispute at the WTO. [11]
- European Union: The first bilateral meeting between France and Austria since 1998 is marked by disagreements over the European Constitution. Austria heads the group of small countries seeking to make changes to the text, but France wants to leave the draft by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing broadly untouched. [12]
- Media: A Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) study (conducted with California-based Knowledge Networks), titled "Misperceptions, the Media, and the Iraq War", is released. According to this study, misperceptions about the 2003 invasion of Iraq are most common among consumers of Fox News Channel and least common among consumers of PBS and NPR; common among supporters of US President George W. Bush and uncommon among supporters of Democratic presidential candidates. The study also found that frequent viewers of Fox News are more likely to believe in the misconceptions than less frequent ones. One example misconception is the belief that weapons of mass destruction have already been found in Iraq. [13], [14]
- Near-Earth asteroid: Confirmation on the closest near-miss of a natural object ever recorded. The asteroid (designated 2003 SQ222), about the size of a small house, flew past Earth at a distance of around 88,000 kilometres. It would have made a fireball had it entered the atmosphere. [15]
- Iraq and weapons of mass destruction: The world continues to digest David Kay's report that finds very little evidence of WMD in Iraq, although the regime did intend to develop more weapons with additional capabilities. Such plans and programs appear to have been dormant, the existence of these were also concealed from the United Nations during the inspections that began in 2002. Weapons inspectors in Iraq do find clandestine "network of biological laboratories" and a deadly strain of botulinum. The US-sponsored search for WMD has so far cost $300 million and is projected to cost around $600 million more. [16] [17]
- California recall: Arnold Schwarzenegger denies admiring Hitler. Arnold Schwarzenegger's denial comes days before the vote for the next governor of California. [18]
- Politics: General Wesley Clark has made a bold political move and arguably a risky one by suggesting that members of the Bush administration may be liable to criminal charges in connection with the Iraq war. Mr. Clark alleges that the plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and other interventions in the Middle East (possibly including Lebanon and Syria), pre-dated the inauguration of the President and that the reasons for the war were misleadingly presented to the US people.
- Evo Morales has said that Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, president of Bolivia, may be preparing a coup. [19] (in Spanish)
- Missiles: Polish soldiers of the United States-led Coalition have discovered four advanced missiles around central Iraq in the Hilla region near a highway. The Roland-type French-made missiles (which are fired from a mobile launcher vehicle against low flying aircraft) are believed to have been manufactured earlier this year. Arms exports to Iraq had been barred by the United Nations after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. France says it last shipped Roland missiles to Iraq in 1986. The Polish soldiers are later found to have misinterpreted markings that read 07-01-KND 2003 as a date on the missiles. [20] [21] [22]
- 2004 U.S. Democratic Primaries: Senator Bob Graham announces on Larry King Live that he is ending his 2004 presidential campaign. [28]
- Chechen Election: Moscow's choice, the Kremlin-backed Akhmad Kadyrov swept presidential election in the Russian republic of Chechnya, winning 81 percent of the votes. [29]
- SCO v. IBM: In an open letter to the Linux community published by Silicon Graphics (SGI), SGI states it conducted a comprehensive comparison of the Linux kernel and the UNIX System V source code owned by The SCO Group. According to the letter (authored by SGI Vice President of Software Rich Altmaier), SGI's "exhaustive comparison" of the source codes turned up only "trivial" code segments that "may arguably be related" to SCO's software. The letter also disputed SCO's claims that SGI inappropriately contributed its XFS (eXtensible File System). [30]
- Middle East: Facing renewed threats from Israel, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, declares a state of emergency in Palestinian areas and installs a new government by decree. Ahmed Qurei is appointed prime minister and head of the eight-member emergency cabinet. [31]
- Israel: In his first public comments since the Israeli attack on Syria, President Bush says that Israel has the right to defend its homeland; at the same time Mr. Bush asks Prime Minister Sharon to avoid any further actions that might destabilize the region.
- Paul Lauterbur and Sir Peter Mansfield are jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning Magnetic Resonance Imaging. [32]
- Occupation of Iraq: Some in the international community have rejected a revised United States draft UN resolution concerning Iraq (calling for a multinational force of peacekeeping troops in Iraq under American command; transferring power gradually to elected civilian rule [though there is no handover timetable for sovereignty]). The resolution is being supported by the United Kingdom. France, Germany, and Russia (which opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq) have joined Kofi Annan in opposing the resolution. Annan states that the United Nations itself will not become heavily involved unless there are early moves toward passing sovereignty to the Iraqi people. Annan's stance is similar to that of Pope John Paul II and some members of the European Union. [33] [34] [35] [36] [37]
- Irish political magazine Magill is closed down by its publishers, blaming poor readership numbers. The magazine, which played a central part in Irish politics in the 1970s and 1980s, has never regained the readership it attracted under its founder, maverick journalist and political commentator Vincent Browne, who, after an earlier closure, relaunched the title and sold it to its current owners. [38]
- Attempts by the Republic of Ireland's government to ban smoking in pubs, restaurants and hotels run into more trouble as a government minister who will have responsibility for enforcing the ban, Frank Fahey, refuses to deny that he is critical of the plan and wants a compromise that would allow smoking in some areas to continue. A former Mayor of Galway and Fianna Fáil councillor who has links with the pub industry resigns from a health authority in protest at the refusal of the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrat government to compromise on the proposed ban. This follows an earlier announcement that publicans in County Kerry will refuse to obey the new law and indications of growing popular opposition to the ban. [39]
- Former Sky News correspondent James Furlong, who resigned over allegations that he had faked a report during the Iraq War, is found dead. Furlong, aged 44, had served as Sky News' Defence and Royal Correspondent. He had previously worked for ITN. [40]
- A United Nations report says that almost 1 billion people worldwide are living in slums. By 2050 3 billion, out of a world urban population of 6 billion, may be living in slums, unless radical policies are implemented, according to the UN. Dr Anna Tibaijuka of the UN says the persistence of the slums should shame the whole world. [41]
- California recall: The state of California held a special election to decide whether to recall Governor Gray Davis, and, if so, who to replace him with. Also on the ballot: Proposition 53, the "California Twenty-First Century Infrastructure Investment Fund," and Proposition 54, the "Racial Privacy Initiative."
- Nobel Prize: The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded jointly to Alexei Abrikosov, Vitaly Ginzburg and Anthony Leggett for their work on the theory of superconductors and superfluids. [42]
- Middle East: United Nations envoy and Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Terje Roed-Larsen, condemns attack from Lebanese territory that killed an Israeli soldier across the southern withdrawal line and urges Beirut to control the use of force everywhere in its jurisdiction. Roed-Larsen, states the attack "constitutes a clear violation of the Blue Line and Security Council resolutions and could escalate tension between Israel and its northern neighbours" and he calls on all sides to use diplomacy and take no action that "could increase the already high level of tension in the region". [43]
- Congo: UN spokesman states that a United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has discovered 65 bodies, mostly children, apparently massacred. [44]
- Occupation of Iraq: The Turkish Parliament votes (358-to-183) to approve the dispatch of peacekeepers to Iraq, in a major victory for United States efforts to broaden foreign involvement in Iraq. In Baghdad, Iraqi Governing Council officials state that they would oppose any new foreign troop deployment to Iraq. No formal decision had been made by the Council and leaders of the council have stated they would support this if the United States requested this. [45]
- Capital punishment: Some legal and medical professionals are stating warnings about the apparent tranquillity of a lethal injection, declaring this may be deceptive. According to these professional the standard chemical combination used to execute people may lead to paralysis that masks intense distress, leaving a wide-awake inmate unable to speak or cry out as he slowly suffocates. [46]
- Genetic engineering: Small group of protesters brave chilly winds and strip off outside New Zealand Parliament to lobby against lifting the Genetically modified food moratorium. [47]
- Africa: The South African government announce they would not prosecute the five policemen accused of killing Steve Biko in 1977, citing insufficient evidence to support a murder charge. [48]
- Asia: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announces its intention to form a single-market "Asian Community" by 2020.
- Palestinians: Time magazine reports that Yassir Arafat, whose health has led to confused reporting over the past days, with him variously reported as having had flu and having had a heart attack, in actuality has stomach cancer. [56]
- Nuclear Weapons: Pakistan successfully test fires a medium-range, nuclear-capable missile, the second such test in less than a week, the Pakistan army states. The Hatf-4 missile, also known as the Shaheen 1, was fired off, according to the army. The missile has a range of 435 miles, meaning it can hit most major targets in India. The test followed a similar launching on Friday of the short-range Hatf-2 Ghaznavi after which Pakistan said it was in the middle of a series of such tests. Pakistani army spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said India had been told of each of the launches beforehand and he states the tests should not affect the international relations between the two neighbors. [57]
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered dispatches of Israeli troop reinforcements to the Palestinian Areas, West Bank and Gaza Strip, and weighed a call-up of reserves, citing new warnings about planned attacks by Palestinian militants. The Israeli military also extended a two-week lockdown on Palestinians' travel within the West Bank and Gaza in what it states as a bid to prevent further attacks. [58] Meanwhile, prime minister Ahmed Qurei is reported to have declined to form a government and told President Yasser Arafat he wants to quit his post.[59]
- Occupation of Iraq: Twin attacks in Baghdad killed a Spanish diplomat (by gunshot) and, in the other, at least ten people following an attack on a police station in Baghdad's main Shi'ite neighbourhood, exactly half a year since Coalition troops occupied the Iraqi city. [60] [61]
- Safe sex: A BBC report claims that the Roman Catholic Church is incorrectly claiming that condoms are ineffective to prevent the spread of AIDS for ideological reasons, and hence putting lives at risk in high-risk countries. [62] [63]
- Stereotyping: Ghettopoly board game upsets black leaders and clergymen in Philadelphia and they are outraged by this new unofficial version of Monopoly. The board game has "playas" acting like pimps, cards reading "You got yo whole neighbourhood addicted to crack. Collect $50" and squares labelled "Smitty's XXX Peep Show" and "Tyron's Gun Shop". Opponents state the game should be banned and have called for a boycott of Pennsylvania company, Urban Outfitters, unless they stop selling it. [64]
- Cell phones: A Dutch teenager suffers burns to his leg when his Nokia mobile phone explodes in his pants pocket. Nokia previously stated that such incidents could result from use of non-Nokia replacement batteries. [65]
- Nobel Prize: Shirin Ebadi, Iranian human rights lawyer, is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. [66]
- In Iraq two more soldiers are killed and 4 wounded in an ambush in the Sadr district of Baghdad. The troops are lured into the ambush by civilians in what could be a new tactic by hostile forces in Iraq. [67]
- Camp X-ray: The United States' policy of detaining up to 600 people in Guantanamo Bay comes under fierce attack from the Red Cross and a group of American former judges, diplomats and military officers who are asking the Supreme Court of the United States to review the situation. The Red Cross criticises the policy of holding detainees without legal representation and in contravention of legal conventions; it reports a worrying deterioration in the mental health of detainees. [68]
- Canadian Census: NDP MP Bill Blaikie accuses the Canadian federal government of contracting out the census to American manufacturer Lockheed Martin, a charge Industry Minister Allan Rock does not confirm or deny. Blaikie raises dire concerns of privacy. [69]
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Israeli military officer states Palestinian militants are feared to be using a tunnel to smuggle anti-tank missiles and portable anti-aircraft missiles, though no tunnels had been found yet. The army states it's encountering strong resistance from Palestinians using dozens of homemade bombs, rocket propelled grenades and other grenades and automatic weapons. One Palestinian child and four adults killed in overnight attack on Rafah refugee camp in Gaza. [70]
- Sports - Rugby union: The 2003 Rugby World Cup, with 20 countries competing for the William Webb Ellis Trophy over a 7 week period, starts after a spectacular opening ceremony at the Telstra Stadium, Sydney, Australia with Australia defeating Argentina 24-8 in the opening match. [71]
- Royalty: Prince Johan-Friso of the Netherlands, second son of Queen Beatrix and second in line of succession to the throne will lose his succession rights when he marries Mabel Wisse Smit without the Dutch Parliament's permission. Government assent was refused because the couple had been less than candid about the bride's interactions with gangster Klaas Bruisma in the late 1980s. [72]
- The flagship channel of the Adventist Television Network (ATN), Hope Channel is launched
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Israeli troops pull back in Gaza. Israel will continue to demolish tunnels. The Israeli army states it discovers three tunnels in the camp, but no weapons have been found. A Palestinian teenager is shot dead and up to 10 homes were demolished and water and electricity facilities were hit. Palestinian militants were seeking to smuggle from Egypt shoulder-fired missiles that could be used against tanks, helicopters, and fighter jets. [73]
- Endangered species: President George W. Bush proposes a change in United States Fish and Wildlife Service regulations which would allow American citizens to travel abroad to capture, kill, and import endangered species. The regulation would not allow Americans to do the same to endangered species inside the United States.[74]
- Middle East: German magazine Der Spiegel reports that Israel is preparing an attack on Iranian atomic plants. [75]
- Middle East: Syria says that it will retaliate if attacked by Israel again. A week after Israel's attack the two countries continue to exchange insults; the UN Security Council is unable to agree on a resolution condemning Israel's attack. [76]
- Occupation of Iraq: The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), a grouping of Muslim nations meeting in Malaysia, calls on the US to quit Iraq as soon as possible and to hand over to the UN; the OIC also pledges support to Syria. [77]
- Japanese Politics: The House of Representatives of the Diet of Japan is dissolved by the Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro and the election will take place on November 9, 2003. See Japan general election, 2003 for more. [78]
- The Spanish rail company RENFE opens its second AVE high-speed line, serving Madrid, Guadalajara, Calatayud, Zaragoza, and Lleida. It is expected to reach Barcelona by 2005. (Another line is being built from Madrid to Valladolid, and others to Valencia and Lisbon are planned.)[79]
- During the ALCS, after a series of tense moments, Pedro Martínez of the Boston Red Sox moved toward New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens resulting in a bench clearing brawl that included 74 year old Don Zimmer of the Yankees charging and being thrown to the ground by Martinez.
- 2003 occupation of Iraq: New draft resolution being circulated at UN aims at getting international aid. The resolution sets a deadline for initial steps, if only for a transitional step, toward restoring Iraqi sovereignty, giving the Iraqi Governing Council until December 15 to develop a timetable for writing a constitution and holding elections. The Bush administration proposes that the United Nations recognize the Iraqi Governing Council as a unit that "will embody the sovereignty" of Iraq until the country returns to self-rule. [89] [90]
- Mass media: Rush Limbaugh's drug addiction revealed by housekeeper. Newsweek reports Limbaugh’s exposure as a pain-pill addict began when Wilma Cline (who had worked at Limbaugh from 1997 to July 2001) showed up at the Palm Beach County state attorney's office late last year eager to sic the cops on her former boss. Cline had delivered enough pills to Limbaugh "to kill an elephant", she stated to The National Enquirer. [91]
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Israeli incursion leaves 1,240 Palestinians homeless, UN agency finds. The Israeli demolition of refugee shelters in Rafah camp on the southern Gaza Strip last week has left 1,240 people homeless, United Nations relief workers state. [92]
- Ireland: The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, have begun talks in Downing Street on a possible restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland.[93]
- 2003 occupation of Iraq: Three more US soldiers have been killed in separate incidents. [94]
- Medicine-The conjoined twins do well after their first night apart. They are in drug-induced comas, and will be for several more days, to aid their recovery. [95]
- Science and publishing: The Public Library of Science commences publication of an open-access scientific journal, PLoS Biology and its website is immediately overwhelmed by traffic. [96]
- Religion: RTÉ's Prime Time current affairs programme reports that Cahal Cardinal Daly, then Bishop of Down and Conor, refused to accept allegations passed on to him by students of improper sexual conduct by Monsignor Micheal Ledwith, then head of St Patrick's College, Maynooth, Ireland's major seminary. According to the programme Daly became aggressive, telling students "go back and say your prayers". The TV programme confirms that Daly, and his predecessor, Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, were centrally involved in efforts to silence critics of Ledwith, including forcing the resignation of one dean of students who informed them of allegations that Ledwith was making sexual advances against student priests. Ledwith subsequently left the college after paying damages to an under-age teenager to whom he allegedly made sexual advances. Ledwith, once an internationally famous Roman Catholic theologian tipped to become Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, is now associated with an American New Age cult. Having been tracked down by the programme, Ledwith refuses to comment 'for legal reasons'.
- Liberia: The Inauguration of a new government takes place. The rebels are expected to disarm.
- Sniper - Terrorism: Trial of John Allen Muhammad, who is suspected of being the Washington DC serial sniper, begins. He pleads not guilty.[97]
- Weapons: The BBC reports that dissident IRA groups are supplying the weapons that have led to a recent surge in UK gun crime. [98]
- Instant Messaging: Microsoft chatrooms close today. Free unmoderated chatrooms outside the US are close in what Microsoft claim is an attempt to safeguard children. [99]
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Israel orders the expulsion of 15 Palestinian detainees from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip. [100]
- British Politics: Conservative Party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, is being investigated by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Sir Philip Mawer over allegations that he paid a secretarial salary to his wife without her doing sufficient work to warrant the payments. [101]
- Law - A British HIV carrier is found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm after infecting two lovers. [102]
- Steve Bartman Incident - A Chicago Cubs fan, Steve Bartman intereferes with a foul ball leading to the Chicago Cubs losing to the Florida Marlins in Game 6 of the 2003 Major League Baseball NLCS.
- 2003 occupation of Iraq: US concessions to proposals from Russia, the People's Republic of China and Pakistan ensure their support for a UN Security Council resolution to provide greater international legitimacy to the occupation force and the Iraq Interim Governing Council. The resolution draft, legitimizing US military and political control over Iraq's political future, was already supported by Britain, Spain, Cameroon, Bulgaria, Angola, Mexico, Chile and Guinea. Russia agrees to act as a mediator to achieve support for the compromise also from Germany and France.[103][104]
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Four people die in a bomb attack on a convoy of US diplomatic vehicles in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian Authority head Yasser Arafat calls the bombing "dirty and shameful" in an exclusive interview on BBC News. Secretary of State Colin Powell urges Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei in a telephone call "to take action to put an end to violence and terrorism," according to a Palestinian official. [105] [106]
- Space exploration: China launches its first astronaut, Yang Liwei into orbit aboard a Shenzhou spacecraft, Shenzhou 5. The 21-hour trip is planned to circle the planet 14 times.[107][108]
- 2003 occupation of Iraq: Japan offers $1.5 billion aid to Iraq in what could be the first tranche of a total of $5 billion. [109]
- United States Supreme Court : Supreme Court agreed to hear a case stemming from a lawsuit by an atheist over whether his nine-year-old daughter's tax-supported school should be permitted to hold a compulsory form of the recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance. An earlier court decision decreed that tax-supported schools may not require students to participate in the pledge. Plaintiffs in the suit charge claim that the patriotic oath as it is recited in most classrooms is an unconstitutional blending of church and state. The court is expected to settle whether the phrase "under God" will remain in the pledge when the court hears the case sometime next year. [110]
- Literature: The Irish-based Australian novelist D.B.C. Pierre (real name Peter Finlay) wins the 2003 Booker prize with his first novel, Vernon God Little, a satire on a Texas high-school massacre. [111]
- Religion: Anglican leaders from around the world meet in Lambeth Palace in an attempt to avoid a schism on the issue of homosexuality in the clergy. The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, Robin Eames says that the Anglican Communion is moving towards a "consensus situation" on the issue of homosexuality and the clergy at its meeting in Lambeth Palace. [112] [113]
- International relations - Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The US vetoes a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel's controversial West Bank wall. [114]
- New York City: A collision between the Staten Island Ferry "Andrew J. Barberi" and a pier at the St. George ferry terminal on Staten Island has left at least ten people dead. [115]
- The Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party of Canada strike a deal to merge. The deal creating the Conservative Party of Canada must be ratified by each party's membership before December 12. [116]
- Azerbaijan: Presidential elections. [117]
- Baseball: National League Championship Series: The Florida Marlins defeat the Chicago Cubs 4 games to 3 to advance to the 2003 World Series. [118]
- Baseball: The New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3, to win the American League Championship Series and move on the World Series. They will play the Florida Marlins, who defeated the Chicago Cubs, 4 games to 3, to win the National League Championship Series.
- Occupation of Iraq: The UN Security Council unanimously approves a new US resolution on Iraq. Russia, Germany and France back the resolution but will not provide troops or money. [119]. A survey indicates poor morale amongst the US troops serving in Iraq. [120]
- East Asia: President Bush re-affirms his intention to pressure China and Japan into fair policies re their exchange rates. [121]. China's trade surplus is shrinking as imports surge. [122] At the same time India is wrestling with the implications of the sustained appreciation of the rupee against the dollar. [123]
- Roman Catholicism: Tens of thousands of Catholics attend Mass celebrating the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II in Rome. The Pope will beatify Mother Teresa on Sunday, October 19, and install 30 new Cardinals on Tuesday, October 21. [124]
- Genetically Modified Foods: In a surprise move, Monsanto announce their intention to quit the European cereal business. Citing lack of success, the company has decided to cut costs. [125]
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: European Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten has questioned Israel's commitment to a two-states resolution to the conflict with the Palestinians. [126]
- Space exploration: The People's Republic of China's first astronaut, Yang Liwei returns to earth safely aboard a Shenzhou spacecraft, Shenzhou 5. During the 21-hour trip, he circled the planet 14 times. [127]
- Apple launches its iTunes Music Store, an online download music store, for the Microsoft Windows platform. The iTunes software can be downloaded from apple.com for free.
- Asia - International relations: Leaders of Pacific-rim nations gather in Bangkok ahead of the 11th Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference. [134][135] [136] President George W. Bush arrives in Thailand ahead of an APEC summit of 21 Asia-Pacific government leaders which is likely to be dominated by discussions of the War on Terrorism and trade friction between rich and poor nations (trade and currency).
- Middle East: New audio tapes, allegedly from Osama bin Laden, air on the Al Jazeera network. [137]
- occupation of Iraq: Spain's government, one of the staunchest supporters of the attack on Iraq, has pledged $300 million over several years toward Iraqi reconstruction. [138]
- Petroleum: Zimbabwe's state oil corporation is reported to have run out of fuel, aggravating the continuing acute fuel crisis. [139]
- Natural disaster : Officials declare a state of emergency due to severe flooding in Squamish, British Columbia. Parts of the town are evacuated. [140]
- Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, visiting Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, is whisked out of Kabul owing to reports of a rocket attack. The reports turn out to be unfounded. [141]
- Kosovo: First death of forced starvation in Europe for the last 50 years. Zhivorad Velikinac (age 65) from Urosevac died in hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica after not eating for more than a month - he was disabled and not able to get out of his apartment on his own, his Albanian neighbours were threatened not to bring him food anymore, and other Serbs were too afraid to visit him.
- United Kingdom: A new biography, reported in The Sunday Times, claims that the prosecution of Oscar Wilde for sodomy was ordered by the then Liberal government, in a deal with the Marquess of Queensberry, the father of Lord Alfred Douglas, to prevent his exposure of a homosexual relationship between another of his sons, Viscount Drumlanrig, and British Prime Minister Lord Rosebery. According to reports, future prime minister Herbert Asquith played a key role in negotiating the deal, which led to the imprisonment of the Irish writer.
- United Kingdom: Frank Bruno leaves hospital in the UK where he has been undergoing treatment for depression. [142]
- United Kingdom: British Prime Minister Tony Blair is rushed to hospital with heart problems. An irregular heart-beat is diagnosed. Blair is given a cardioversion in hospital, where he stays for 4 or 5 hours before going back to Number 10 Downing Street, and is ordered by his doctors to take 24 hours complete rest. [143]
- Roman Catholicism: Pope John Paul II beatifies Mother Teresa. Hundreds of thousands attend the ceremony in St. Peter's Square. Mother Teresa, who founded the Missionaries of Charity, is now one step from sainthood. [144]
- International relations: South Korea and the United States are reported to be discussing the possible withdrawal of thousands of US troops. [145]
- North Korea crisis: The United States says it is willing to give North Korea security assurances in exchange for a nuclear standdown. U.S. President Bush rules out a non-aggression treaty demanded by Pyongyang. [146]
- Afghanistan: Bomb blows up a pickup truck on a dirt road in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar Province, killing four people, and two Afghan soldiers are killed in a separate land mine explosion in the country's south. The explosions come two days after the Taliban allegedly distributed pamphlets warning against working with the post-Taliban government of President Hamid Karzai. [147]
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Palestinian gunmen attack an Israeli army foot patrol near a West Bank village, kills three soldiers and wounds a fourth, rescue services and security sources state. Gunfire attacks near the Palestinian village of Ein Yabrud, east of the town of Ramallah, not far from the Israeli settlement of Ofra.
