Portal:Current events/October 2004
Time: 18:07 UTC | Date: January 24 | See also: Current sports events
- HMCS Chicoutimi, one of Canada's four Victoria class submarines, remains adrift without power, two days after an onboard fire crippled the boat. One member of the crew has died. (BBC) (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)
- Two bombs explode in the Pakistani city of Multan, killing 39 people at a public meeting remembering murdered Sunni leader Azam Tariq. (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- Twelve United Nations agencies have issued a special report detailing how a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is imminent. It states 72% of Palestinians will be living in poverty by the end of 2006, and that Israeli restrictions are hampering emergency aid deliveries. Since September 28, 87 people have been killed including 26 children. The report follows a United States Security Council veto of a resolution calling for an Isreali withdrawl from Gaza. (BBC) (UN) (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)
- 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) (Mainichi)
- 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)
- U.S. troops are replaced in the Spanish National Day parade with French troops. (BBC)
- A British Royal Navy rescue ship reaches the HMCS Chicoutimi, 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)
- 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)
- 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 Mazar-e-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)
- 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)
- 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)
- Conflict in Iraq: On the third day of the assault on Samarra, which has left 125 insurgents and 70 civilians dead, US and Iraqi government officials say they have secured 70% 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
- On interview to CBC, UNRWA's commisioner, Peter Hansen says that he is sure that members of Hamas are also members of UNRWA. The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, who designate Hamas as 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)
- 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)
- 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, S. Arabia) (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)
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2003: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2002: January February March April May June July August September October November December
Logarithmic timeline of current events - most important events of the last ten years on one page.