May 31, 2005

May 31 2005 (Tuesday)

* In Bolivia, police and protesters clash in the capital La Paz outside congress, disrupting its meetings. Protesters have closed the roads to the city. They demand nationalization of energy industry. [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N31688033.htm (Reuters AlertNet)] Private Entrepreneurs Confederation of Bolivia demands resignation of president Carlos Mesa [http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=5759 (MercoPress)]
* Serbia withdraws arrest warrant of Mirjana Marković, wife of Slobodan Milošević [http://kosovareport.blogspot.com/2005/05/serbia-withdraws-international-arrest.html (Kosovareport)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4598007.stm (BBC)]
* United Nations Security Council votes to extend its peacekeeping mission in Haiti until June 24 [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=14443&Cr=Haiti&Cr1= (UN News Centre)] [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N31499712.htm (Reuters AlertNet)]
* In Botswana, Australian lecturer Kenneth Good loses his appeal against deportation. He had criticized the government of president Festus Mogae [http://www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20050601&i=State_prevails_over_Good (Republic of Botswana)] [http://www.reuters.co.za/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp;:429c78ce:24f4873596beed1?type=topNews&localeKey=en_ZA&storyID=8653507 (Reuters SA)] [http://www.sabcnews.com/africa/southern_africa/0,2172,105627,00.html (SABC)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4597053.stm (BBC)]
* India opens new naval base in Karwar in the state of Karnataka [http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=INS+Kadamba+commissioned+at+Karwar&id=73777 (NDTV)] [http://www.hindu.com/2005/06/01/stories/2005060105071400.htm (Hindu)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4596581.stm (BBC)]
* Russian billionaire and businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky is sentenced to 9 years in prison in his tax evasion trial. [http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/06/01/001.html (Moscow Times)] [http://www.mosnews.com/commentary/2005/05/31/khodorkovsky.shtml (Mosnews)] [http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000006&sid=aHVVTJuVZG0c&refer=home (Bloomberg)] [http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,358406,00.html (Spiegel online, German)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4595289.stm (BBC)]
* In Bangkok, Thailand, the Canadian contestant Natalie Glebova is crowned Miss Universe 2005.
* "Vanity Fair" magazine reports that Ex-FBI official W. Mark Felt admits that he was the Watergate source known as Deep Throat. [http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/05/31/deep.throat.ap/index.html (CNN)]
* Hamas have declared that they will be boycotting the re-vote which was requested in three Districts of the Gaza Strip. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4595917.stm (BBC)]
* Police in Israel say they have uncovered an Industrial espionage plot involving 15 Israeli firms. Trojan horse computer viruses are believed to have been used to into rivals' systems and 20 people have so far been arrested. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4594255.stm (BBC)]
* China and Japan have opened two days of closed-door negotiations in Beijing aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over natural gas drilling rights in a disputed area of the East China Sea [http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-05-30-voa9.cfm (VOA News)]
* In France, the Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin resigns following the country's rejection of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. In an expected move, President Jacques Chirac appoints Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin to succeed him. [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=8649611 (Reuters)]
* China claims that arrested Singaporean journalist Ching Cheong was spying. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4594861.stm (BBC)] [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13957 (Reporters Without Borders)] [http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-05-31T092229Z_01_HO111316_RTRUKOC_0_CHINA-REPORTER.xml (Reuters)] [http://www.forbes.com/finance/feeds/afx/2005/05/31/afx2064468.html (Forbes)]
* China opens Three Gorges Dam to tourists. [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK265609.htm (Reuters AlertNet)]
* In Senegal, opposition leader Abdourahim Agne is charged with incitement to rebellion after he urged demonstrations against the president Abdoulaye Wade. [http://www.reuters.co.za/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp;:429c024d:5fc3714a1e39e383?type=topNews&localeKey=en_ZA&storyID=8647023 (Reuters SA)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4594043.stm (BBC)]
* Indonesia intends to vaccinate 6.4 million children against polio in the next couple of days. There are already 16 cases in the country. [http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20050531.C03&irec=2 (Jakarta Post)] [http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/health/view/150103/1/.html (Channel News Asia)] [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/JAK27301.htm (Reuters AlertNet)]
* Bob Geldof announces plans for a concert similar to Live Aid, which took place in 1985, to coincide with the G8 Summit in Edinburgh this July. The concert, named ‘Live 8’, will take place in Hyde Park, London on 2 July, with other concerts in Paris, Rome, Berlin and Philadelphia, and is intended to raise awareness of the Make Poverty History campaign. It is expected to include acts such as Sir Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, Coldplay and U2, as well as a rumoured reunion of the Spice Girls. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4594865.stm (BBC)] , [http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1496048,00.html (Guardian Unlimited)]
* The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of defunct accounting giant Arthur Andersen on charges arising from the Enron scandal, on the ground that the jury instructions were faulty, [http://www.thestreet.com/markets/matthewgoldstein/10225791.html (thestreet.com)]