October 2, 2003

=October 2, 2003=

* "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. [http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/10/01/nkorea.nukes/index.html] [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,98875,00.html]
* 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". [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=8436&Cr=iraq&Cr1=]
* 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. [http://www.iht.com/articles/112288.html]
* 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. [http://www.washtimes.com/national//20030912-110434-9850r.htm]
* 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. [http://www.nobel.se/literature/laureates/2003/press.html]
* 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. [http://www.euobserver.com/index.phtml?sid=9&aid=12889]
* 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. [http://www.euobserver.com/index.phtml?sid=9&aid=12888]
* 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. [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EJ04Ak01.html] , [http://www.pipa.org/]