- January 2004
January 2004 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- →Events
January 1
*
Ireland 'sRoman Catholic andProtestant Boy Scouts organisations merge after nearly a century of division, in spite of efforts by the Roman Catholicbishop s to block the merger.
* State papers released under Britain'sThirty Year Rule suggest that theUnited States considered using force to seize oil fields in the Middle East during an oilembargo by Arab states in 1973. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3333995.stm] State papers also released reveal that, contrary to what was believed at the time,Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom would not have lost her title andCivil List payments if she had marriedGroup Captain Peter Townsend, a divorced War hero in the 1950s. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3363809.stm] [http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-12964688,00.html]
* TheRepublic of Ireland takes over the presidency of theEuropean Union , succeedingItaly , whose presidency is widely criticised as having been a failure due to the collapse of efforts to adopt a European constitution. [http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0101/eu.html]
* Montréal/Dorval International Airport is renamed Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.
*ABritish Airways flight fromLondon toWashington, DC is canceled one day after the same flight is delayed for three hours on thetarmac atDulles International Airport for security screening. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=1&u=/ap/20040101/ap_on_re_eu/britain_flight_canceled]
*Comparing plannedUnited States finger-printing and photographic security controls on travelers fromBrazil and other nations to Nazi actions, a Brazilian judge orders thefingerprinting of all arriving United States citizens in response. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=1&u=/nm/20040101/ts_nm/brazil_usa_immigration_dc]
*Noleap second is added this year. This is the fifth year in a row without a leap-second after 28 years of adding leap-seconds to compensate for the slowing of the Earth's rotation. [http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/01/01/leap.second.ap/index.html]
*Haiti 's bicentennial celebrations erupt in violence. [http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20040102T230000-0500_53845_OBS_CALM_RETURNS_TO_HAITI_AFTER_CLASHES_AT_BICENTENNIAL_CELEBRATIONS.asp]January 2
* South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, composed of
foreign minister s from seven south Asian countries (Pakistan ,India ,Bangladesh ,Sri Lanka ,Nepal ,Maldives andBhutan ) meeting inIslamabad agree to create theSouth Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) by 2006. [http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=Indopakfaceoff&slug=Foreign+Ministers+clear+SAFTA+draft&id=13501&callid=0&category=National]
* It appears that Stardust has successfully flown pastComet Wild 2 collecting samples that it will return to Earth in two years time. This is the first sample return mission to a comet and the first time that samples have returned to Earth from any celestial body since 1974. The spacecraft also took detailed images of the comet's icy nucleus. [http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/news/status/031230.html] [http://spaceflightnow.com/stardust/040102image.html] [http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/stardust_update_040102.html]
*U.S. Representative Ralph Hall fromTexas files for reelection and switches parties from Democrat to Republican. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/02/national1903EST0642.DTL]January 3
* A
Boeing 737 , Flight 604, flown byEgypt ian charter companyFlash Airlines headed forCairo crashes into theRed Sea minutes after take-off from the holiday resort ofSharm el-Sheikh inEgypt . All 148 people on board are killed, of whom more than 120 were French tourists. Though bothUnited Kingdom Prime MinisterTony Blair and Egyptian PresidentHosni Mubarak were in the area, neither were involved in the incident, contrary to initial reports. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3364795.stm] [http://airdisaster.com/news/0104/03/news.shtml] [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=1&u=/nm/20040103/ts_nm/egypt_plane_dc]
* TheBBC cancels the appearance ofCoca Cola sponsorship credits in the music charts in itsBBC One "Top of the Pops " show, after criticism from politicians and health campaigners that it would be promotingjunk food and unhealthy drink products to teenagers. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/03/nchart03.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/01/03/ixportal.html]
* Ricardo Palmera, better known asSimon Trinidad , one of top sevenColombia n rebel group, FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) is arrested inEcuador . [http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/379017.html]
*Exploration of Mars : The first of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit, has successfully landed on the Martian surface with a "very strong signal" being received from the lander. It was a tense few minutes as no signal was received from the lander during the minutes while it bounced over the surface.Mission Control is described as being a wild place with the mission scientists very happy. The first pictures are expected at the earliest around 0730 UTC [http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html] [http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/spirit_lands_040103.html] [http://www.marsdaily.com/2004/040104045302.b7uog1c3.html] [http://www.marsdaily.com/2004/040104045621.j8itddj8.html]
* ThePeople's Republic of China 's fifth-largest brokerage is seized byChina Securities Regulatory Commission and local authorities for "illegal and irregular management operations and disorderly management." The unusual move to clamp down onChina Southern Securities is a high-profile attempt to stem corruption inMainland China . [http://edition.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/01/02/china.broker.reut/] [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_4-1-2004_pg5_20]
* Casey Kasem hosts his final edition of the popular radio program American Top 40. The following week, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest officially took over hosting duties of the show. Casey continues to host two other radio programs, American Top 20 and American Top 10.January 4
* The Loya jirga adopts a new
Constitution of Afghanistan [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3366455.stm BBC Article Describing Adoption of Afghan Constitution] ]
* Amilitary court inIsrael sentences five Israelis to one year in jail for refusing to serve in the military because of Israel's occupation of theWest Bank andGaza Strip . [ [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0105-03.htm Five Israeli Soldiers Jailed for conscientiously objecting to Gaza and West Bank occupation by Israeli troops] ] (Compareconscientious objector )
*Exploration of Mars : American Mars probe "Spirit" mission is successful and is sending back images. Spirit is alive after rolling to a stop on the surface of Mars; confirmed byNASA 'sDeep Space Network (9:00 p.m. PST). [ [http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/20040104a.html Press release on "Spirit's" Performance on Mars] ]
*Mikhail Saakashvili becomes president-elect of Georgia, following the Presidential elections. He had been widely expected to win following theNovember 23 ,2003 ousting of PresidentEduard Shevardnadze . [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3367495.stm BBC Article detailing Mikhail Saakashvili's victory in Georgian presidential elections] ]
*Bolivian Gas War : In a televised speech,Bolivia n PresidentCarlos Mesa announces that a national referendum will be held on28 March to resolve the issue of how Bolivia's large natural gas reserves will be exploited. [ [http://www.forbes.com/markets/newswire/2004/01/05/rtr1198107.html Forbes Article announcing a referendum, to be held March 28, to discuss the exploitation of Bolivia's Natural gas reserves] ]
*Britney Spears abruptly marries a childhood friend,Jason Allen Alexander , in a Las Vegas,Nevada wedding chapel at 5:30 a.m.; by afternoon, the couple have arranged an annulment, which is expected to be made official when the courts reopen on Monday. [ [http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040104.wbrit0104_2/BNStory/Entertainment/ Britney Spears' abrupt marriage and equally abrupt annulment] ]January 5
* A British and a German
Member of the European Parliament both receive letter bombs in the post. This follows an earlier letter bomb sent to thePresident of the European Commission ,Romano Prodi . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3369129.stm]
*Ulster Unionist Party defectorJeffrey Donaldson and two other MLAs join Rev.Ian Paisley 'sDemocratic Unionist Party , pushing the DUP's numbers in theNorthern Ireland Assembly to 33. [http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0105/north.html]
*Jaap de Hoop Scheffer of theNetherlands became the new Secretary General ofNATO , replacing Britain'sLord Robertson . [http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2004/01-january/e0105a.htm]
* TheUnited States begins tracking foreign arrivals according to the newUnited States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040105/ap_on_re_us/airport_security&cid=519&ncid=716]
*Pakistan PresidentPervez Musharraf andIndia n Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayee meet face-to-face to discuss improving relations between their two countries. [http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040105_817.html]
*South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which comprisesIndia ,Pakistan ,Sri Lanka ,Nepal ,Bangladesh ,Bhutan and theMaldives , signs theSouth Asia Free Trade Agreement , a draft agreement to eliminatetariff s by 2016. [http://www.iht.com/articles/123880.html]
* Norwegian prosecutors announce that they have abandoned their attempts to prosecuteJon Johansen for his release of theDeCSS DVD decryption software. [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=702236]
*Panhellenic Socialist Movement , the ruling political party ofGreece , is about to change leadership. The official report is expected to be published onJanuary 7 ,2004 . It is expected by many that the new leader will beGeorge Papandreou, junior . See [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=506866&lngDtrID=244] and [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=506507] (Greek)
* A potential local root vulnerability [http://isec.pl/vulnerabilities/isec-0013-mremap.txt] has been found inLinux 2.2, 2.4, and 2.6, andLinux Kernel developers have corrected the issue in 2.4 and 2.6; distributors are expected to offer the patches soon, for the benefit of those users who do not compile their own kernels.January 6
* The man charged for the murder of Sweden's FM
Anna Lindh onSeptember 10 ,Mijailo Mijailović , through his defence lawyer requests aninterrogation to give critical details on the stabbing. Seemingly Mijailović thereby confesses the assault.* The "
Daily Mirror ", a British tabloid, publishes the blacked out portion of a letter whereinDiana, Princess of Wales alleged that someone was trying to kill her. The relevant portion reads: " [M] y husband is planning 'an accident' in my car, brake failure & serious head injury in order to make the path clear for him to marry." The part "my husband" (referring toCharles, Prince of Wales ) had been previously blacked out, and the word "him" replaced with "Charles" in transcripts of the letter released by Diana's butler,Paul Burrell . [http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=13785435&method=full] The revelation comes on the same day the inquest into the death of Diana and her loverDodi Al-Fayed is officially opened. [http://people.aol.com/people/news/now/0,10958,571219,00.html]
*Pakistan is cited as the source ofnuclear weapon technology supplied toLibya ,Iran andNorth Korea . The components intercepted at sea byItaly en-route to Libya were fabricated inMalaysia . There is no evidence that the Pakistani government of PresidentPervez Musharraf knew about the transfer of technology of Libya. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/01/06/MNGD7448BA1.DTL] [http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=107214]*
Pakistan andIndia have agreed to a new round of talks to settle theKashmir dispute. The talks will be begin February 2004. [http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=107214]
*Exploration of Mars : The first color images have been released from the Spirit rover on Mars. They are the highest resolution images ever taken on the surface of another planet. It has also been announced byNASA that they plan to name the rover's landing site on Mars "Columbia Memorial Station" in honor of the crew ofSTS-107 . [http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/040106columbia.html] [http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040106a/PIA04995_br.jpg] [http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/spirit_color_040106.html] [http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-mers-04i.html]
*Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate is declared the official anthem ofKarnataka [http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/01/11/stories/2004011103410400.htm]January 7
* In the
United States , the Bush administration proposes a major reform ofimmigration law , creating a temporary worker program and giving legal status to both illegal and foreign workers for renewable three-year periods. [http://www.iht.com/articles/124131.html] [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,107644,00.html]
* The Supreme Court ofIndonesia upholds the death sentence handed down to Bali bomberAmrozi . The12 October ,2002 attacks killed 202 mainly holiday makers on the resort island ofBali . [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1021822.htm] [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/07/1073437329581.html]*
Costas Simitis , theprime minister ofGreece and president of the rulingPASOK , after informing the country's presidentCostis Stephanopoulos , announced his resignation. At the same time he announced national elections forMarch 7 ,2004 , when PASOK will have a new president, expected to be George Papandreou. PASOK will be challenged by the New Democracy opposition led byKostas Karamanlis . See [http://www.primeminister.gr/gr/showdoc2.asp?menu=3000104&p1=1328&p2=3&p3=1&p1s=&p2s=&p3s=] , [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=507210&lngDtrID=244] , [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=507133] , [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=507247] (Greek) and [http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=426057] , [http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=426055] , [http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=426060] , [http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=426206] , [http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=426061] (English).
*Exploration of Mars :Mars Express failed to hear any signal from theBeagle 2 spacecraft during its first pass over the landing site. This is major blow, but scientists have once again not given up all hope. They will attempt again tomorrow using a different communication mode. The Beagle 2 mission manager,Colin Pillinger , setFebruary 7 as the day to abandon contact efforts. By that time Beagle 2 would have switched into an autotransmit mode after having not received any signal for over a month if it was still alive [http://www.beagle2.com/news/index.htm] .
* A report from theInternational Monetary Fund expresses alarm regarding mounting budget deficits in theUnited States due to recession, tax cuts, and spending for the war on terrorism. The report says that the unprecedented level of external debt incurred poses "significant risks" not just for the United States but for the rest of the world. However, many outside economists note that other countries are also running large deficits and that underlying economic conditions in the U.S. are still robust. [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/07/politics/07CND-FUND.html?hp] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3377795.stm]*
U.S.-led occupation of Iraq : Mortar attacks by Anti-American insurgents wound 35 U.S. soldiers at a military camp west ofBaghdad . Six mortar rounds exploded around 6:45 p.m. local time. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/07/international1725EST0702.DTL]January 8
*
Levi Strauss & Co. shuts its last U.S.jeans sewing plant inSan Antonio, Texas , ending all U.S. manufacturing as it shifts to a contract production model. The closure ends a "Made in the U.S.A." tradition dating back to the 1870s. [http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2343774]
*The "Queen Mary 2" is christened by Queen Elizabeth II. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3368707.stm]
* AnRTÉ "Prime Time" investigation accuses theGarda Síochána , theRepublic of Ireland 's police force, of violent abuse of people arrested. Irish Minister of StateDick Roche accuses Gardaí of "torture" of one student beaten up in aDublin police station, while a former judge accuses police of committingperjury in his courts. The Gardaí deny all allegations. [http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0108/garda.html]* The
United States withdraws a group of 400 weapons inspectors fromIraq after finding nothing of substance. 1400 inspectors remain. [http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2386490] [http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2004&dt=0109&pub=Utusan_Express&sec=World&pg=wo_03.htm]
*Occupation of Iraq : NineUnited States soldiers are reported killed after a Black Hawk helicopter makes an emergency landing near the central Iraqi town of Falluja. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/3379433.stm]
* TheCarnegie Endowment for International Peace publishes a report accusing theUnited States of "systematically misrepresenting" the threat posed by "Iraq's weapons of mass destruction". [http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1467121,00.html] [http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1118424,00.html] [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/7662169.htm]
*TheNew Jersey legislature passes a bill creating adomestic partnership status for same-sex couples, with many of the same legal rights asmarriage . It becomes the fifth U.S. state to offer such a status to same-sex couples. [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/01/08/nj_senate_oks_legal_rights_for_same_sex_couples_governor_expected_to_sign/]January 9
*
Education in Greece :George Papandreou, junior talks about the possibility to allow private universities inGreece . [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=507815] (Greek)
*Turkey fully abolishes the death penalty. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3384667.stm]
* USA lowers the terrorism advisory level to yellow (elevated) from orange (high). [http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/09/terror.threat.level/]
*Bangladesh bans books published by theAhmadiyya movement, anIslam ic sect. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3382931.stm]
*Exploration of Mars : Engineers atJPL decide to turn the Mars Spirit Rover around on its lander after it was found the airbags could not be retracted enough to allow it to move off in a forward direction. It is expected the rover will drive off sometime next week. The Rover has also stood up and deployed its front wheels. [http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/040108airbags.html] [http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]
*Twovolcano es erupt: thePiton de la Fournaise onRéunion Island, and theVolcán de Fuego nearAntigua Guatemala ,Guatemala . The eruption in Guatemala is not thought to be serious enough to require evacuations. [http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040109.wvolc0109/BNStory/International/]
*InGuatemala City , fifteen people die and twenty are hurt when a public bus collides with a crane. [http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0109GuatemalaCrash09-ON.html] [http://www.lahora.com.gt/04/01/09/index.html]
*Enron Corporation : Former Assistant TreasurerLea Fastow and wife ofAndrew Fastow , failed to respond to aplea agreement by the deadline. The offer would have allowed her to plead guilty in federal court to lesser charges and serve five months in return for her testimony. Her trial for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion is scheduled to startFebruary 10 . [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/10/business/10enron.html]January 10
*
Occupation of Iraq : Protests in the city ofAmarah because ofunemployment occur. Police officers and soldiers open fire on demonstrators. Five or six are killed and one or eleven wounded. [http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/11/sprj.nirq.main/index.html]
* In publicity for a new book for which former U.S. Treasury SecretaryPaul O'Neill is the primary source, "60 Minutes " reveals O'Neill's claims that the Bush administration was making plans for an invasion of Iraq within days of Bush'sinauguration . Bush officials note thatregime change in Iraq had been official U.S. policy since 1998, three years before Bush took office. O'Neill, fired for his opposition to tax cuts, also characterized Bush as so disengaged in cabinet meetings that he "was like a blind man in a roomful of deaf people". On the positive side, O'Neill also described Bush as such a good listener that he (O'Neill) was able to give a non-stop monologue for nearly an hour in a one-on-one meeting. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/60minutes/main592330.shtml]
* "SCO v. IBM ":SCO Group claims that it has "low-level talks" withGoogle about a possible license agreement related toLinux . [http://www.forbes.com/markets/bonds/newswire/2004/01/09/rtr1205268.html]
*Iraq and weapons of mass destruction : OnJanuary 9 ,2004 , Danish troops discovered decade-old mortar rounds containing suspicious liquid buried in SouthernIraq . Initial tests now indicate that the rounds contain the banned chemical weaponblister gas . Final tests should be available in two days. [http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/10/sprj.irq.chemicals/index.html] [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=3&u=/nm/20040110/ts_nm/iraq_chemicals_dc_5]
* A speed boat carryingillegal immigrants fromAlbania , bound forItaly broke down and capsized. 11 people survived, while as many as 21 died due to drowning and exposure. Two have been arrested by Albanian authorities forpeople smuggling , while other senior officials have been implicated in connection with the tragedy. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3386481.stm] [http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/01/10/albania.immigrant.ap] [http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=436718§ion=news]
* American Idol host Ryan Seacrest officially takes over hosting duties of the popular radio program American Top 40. His predecessor,Casey Kasem , continues to host other similar programs.January 11
*
Exploration of Mars :NASA 's "Spirit" rover now has its arm and all six of its wheels free, and only a single cable must be cut before it can turn and roll off its lander onto the soil of Mars. As that milestone is completed, scientists are taking opportunities to take extra pictures and gather other data. [http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2004/15.cfm]
*Occupation of Iraq :
**U.S. military records show that attacks against coalition soldiers have decreased by 22% in the four weeks following thecapture of Saddam Hussein . [http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-01-12-iraq-attacks-down_x.htm]
**More protests inAmarah take place. Demonstrators, many of them related to the victims ofJanuary 10 , requested compensation. No significant violence reported. [http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/11/sprj.nirq.main/index.html]January 12
*The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announces the ten top United States patent recipients. For the 11th year in a row,
IBM tops the list; the next three in the list are headquartered inJapan . Companies from theNetherlands (Philips ) and Korea (Samsung ) also make appearances. [http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/speeches/04-01.htm]
*The U.S. State Department concludes that the Israeli attack on USS "Liberty" in 1967, although probably accidental, was an act of grossnegligence and that Israel should be held responsible. [http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/12/us.israel.ussliberty/index.html] [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1073881745637]
*Canadian federal election, 2004 :Stephen Harper announces his entry into the race to lead the newConservative Party of Canada . Earlier today,Jim Prentice drops out of the leadership contest, citing a lack of funds. [http://globeandmail.ca/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040112.wprentince0112/BNStory/National/]
*Israeli-Palestinian conflict : Over 100,000 people rally inTel Aviv toprotest Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 's plans to withdraw from parts ofGaza and theWest Bank , which would involve abandoning someIsraeli settlements in those areas. [http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/12/sharon.protest/index.html]
* The deadline forSCO Group to present evidence "with specificity" in the "SCO v. IBM" lawsuit expires
* IBM and Intel Set Up $10m SCO Defense Fund. [http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5138820.html]
*Astronauts on board theInternational Space Station think that a leak in a hose used to stop the fogging of an Earth observation window was causing the slow loss of pressure in the station. Although it would have taken a couple of months for the crew to be in any danger, some equipment on the station was only rated to just below the normal pressure. Although the cause appears to have been located, ground controllers are still getting the crew to close the station into three sections to allow them to get baseline pressure readings and to make sure that there are no more leaks. [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/spacenews/reports/issreports/2004/iss04-3.html]
* "Computer Associates says may face SEC civil action": Software company Computer Associates International Inc, which is under investigation by federal regulators over its accounting practices, says it may face civil charges for improper accounting of revenue in fiscal 2000. [http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=governmentFilingsNews&storyID=4111261]
*Iran 's provincial governors are threatening to resign unless a decision by the conservative Guardian Council is reversed. [http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=D0FAA0AF-CD90-4691-90C40E9FCF88BA77]
*Mars Exploration Rover Mission : The "Spirit"' s air bags that cushioned its landing on Mars have been obstructing the vehicle's path, and this complication has postponed its exit of the launch vehicle until Wednesday or Thursday. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=753&e=10&u=/ap/20040112/ap_on_sc/mars_rover_shoving_off]
*TheWorld Wildlife Fund -UK reports that theorangutan is in danger of becoming extinct within the next 20 years because of commerciallogging and clearance foroil palm plantation s. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040112/sc_nm/environment_orangutans_dc_1]
*Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , religious leader ofIran , announces that he will not intervene in a growing political confrontation between progressives and hardliners after the Guardian Council, which he controls, barred thousands of candidates from running in upcoming Parliamentary elections (including 80 current members of Parliament). [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/13/international/middleeast/13TEHR.html?ex=1074574800&en=4ad1412984e737e9&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE]January 13
*
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict :Tom Hurndall , a British peace activist with theInternational Solidarity Movement , dies after being shot in the head by an Israeli soldier onApril 11 2003 . The Israeli government say that they may consider bringingmanslaughter charges against the soldier; the man's family claim that he should be tried formurder . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3394899.stm]
*Education in Greece : Debate over the private universities issue andGeorge Papandreou, junior 's suggestions (see9 January ) between New Democracy andPASOK . [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=508624] (Greek)
*The Constitutional Court ofItaly strikes down a law enacted to give Prime MinisterSilvio Berlusconi immunity fromprosecution while in office. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3392973.stm]
*Britishserial killer DrHarold Shipman is found dead in his cell. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3391871.stm]
*TheBichard Inquiry into events preceding theSoham murders formally opens [http://www.bichardinquiry.org.uk/] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3391433.stm]
*Occupation of Iraq : AUnited States Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is shot down near the central Iraqi town of Habbaniya, but is able to land without casualties. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3392211.stm]
*A Yak-40airliner en route fromTermez inUzbekistan crashes near the capitalTashkent , killing all 37 crew and passengers, including the U.N.'s top official in the country, Richard Conroy. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3393845.stm]
*Robin Cook says that theBritish Museum 's Parthenon Marbles must be returned toGreece . [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=508606] (Greek), [http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=427404] (English), [http://www.greece.gr/CULTURE/CulturalHeritage/marbles.stm] (Background, English)January 14
*
J.P. Morgan Chase strikes a $58 billion merger deal to buyBank One to create the second-largestbank in the United States.
*Iraq and weapons of mass destruction : Tests performed by American and Danish military experts indicate no chemical agents are present in the "suspicious" mortar shells discovered in Iraq onJanuary 9 . [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=5&u=/ap/20040114/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_mortar_shells_9]
* Self-confessed killer of Swedish FMAnna Lindh , 25-year-oldMijailo Mijailović , says during cross-examination in aStockholm court that he heard voices in his head commanding him to attack Lindh when he encountered her in a Stockholm shopping mall10 September last year. Lindh died the next day from the many stab wounds she received. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3396409.stm]
*Federal Reserve Bank ChairmanAlan Greenspan said, "It's just a matter of time before we begin to see employment start to pick up quite significantly, as it always has in the past." Greenspan is also not worried about the fall of the dollar or the half trillion dollar U.S. trade deficit. [http://www.washtimes.com/business/20040113-113126-4771r.htm]
*Israeli-Palestinian conflict :
** Reem El-Reyashi, aPalestinian suicide bomber , kills four border guards at theErez Crossing . She is the firstfemale suicide bomber used byHamas . Four months before,Israel targeted Hamas leadership, includingAhmed Yassin , as a result Hamas halted all suicide bombing for four months. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3395973.stm]
** Jack Kelley,USA TODAY foreign correspondent and a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize just two years ago, was forced to resign after the newspaper determined he repeatedly misled editors during an internal investigation into stories he wrote. Among the stories that are being investigated is one published Sept. 4, 2001, contains an account of an attack on Palestinians by 13 Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Mark Memmott, the reporter asked to investigate Kelley, said he could not find anyone with first-hand knowledge of the attack. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/2004-01-13-reporter_x.htm]
* A secondary school student in the Netherlands kills a teacher in his school cafeteria. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3394831.stm]
*Greek electronic game ban : Greek police raid Internet cafés inLarissa . 80 computers are taken by the police as evidence and 3 Internet café owners are arrested. [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=508793&lngDtrID=252] (in Greek).
*Education in Greece : 114 University professors sign a document against George Papandreou's positions on private universities and their recognition ("anagnorisi"). [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=508745&lngDtrID=244] (Greek)
*Jacques Delors referred toPrime Minister ofGreece Costas Simitis , Prime Minister ofLuxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker , and former Prime Minister ofBelgium Jean Luc Dehaene as the top three candidates for the position of the President of theEuropean Commission . [http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=427305]
* A 45-year oldSudan ese man travelling fromWashington Dulles International Airport to airportDubai is arrested en route at London'sHeathrow Airport on suspicion of carrying 5 bullets in his coat pocket. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3396667.stm] [http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/7708240.htm]
* U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush , in a speech atNASA headquarters, announces a plan to develop a new space vehicle to return humans to themoon by the year 2015 and proposes the retirement of thespace shuttle fleet by 2010 along with a $1 billion funding increase for NASA. [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040114-3.html]
*Enron Corporation : FormerCFO Andrew Fastow and his wifeLea Fastow , former Assistant Treasurer, accept aplea agreement . Andrew Fastow will serve a ten-year prison sentence and forfeit $23.8 million. Lea Fastow will serve a five-month prison sentence and a year of supervised release, including five months of house arrest. Both will provide testimony against other Enron corporate officers. [http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/4319468.html]
*Turkey andGreece : 22 Turkish military aircraft entered into the GreekAthens FIR . 5 of these aircraft were loaded with ammunition. Greek aircraft intercepted them. Source:Athens News Agency andin.gr . [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=508975&lngDtrID=244] (Greek)
* Noted authord.g.k. goldberg died after a long and hard-fought battle with brain tumors and lung cancer.January 15
*The
United Nations sides with theUnited States on voting inIraq . Secretary-GeneralKofi Annan and other UN officials call direct elections in advance of July 2004 impractical, due to continuing disorder in Iraq and other factors. [http://www.washtimes.com/world/20040115-112502-3479r.htm]
*30,000Shiite protesters inBasra call for immediate country-wide elections inIraq , a move that would give them more power than the UN-backed plan for regionalcaucus es mandated by the US-led coalition [http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1074166569307&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154]
*South Korea 's foreign ministerYoon Young-kwan resigns after a controversy in which his ministry was accused of diverging from the government's policy of increased independence from theUnited States . [http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3627495,00.html]
*TheEuropean Union asks theWorld Trade Organization for authorization to imposetrade sanctions against theUnited States in response to the U.S.'s anti-dumping scheme, which has been ruled illegal by the WTO. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/wto/article/0,2763,1123880,00.html]
*Canadian federal election, 2004 : FormerOntario Health MinisterTony Clement declares his candidacy for the leadership of theConservative Party of Canada . Also confirmed is the candidacy of auto parts magnateBelinda Stronach , who will announce her entry into the leadership race next week. [http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/01/15/conservatives_clement040115]
*Italy has indicted three Germans, all former members of an SS Panzergrenadier Division, on charges of massacring 560 people in 1944 in the Italian village ofSant'Anna di Stazzema . The three Germans,Gerhard Sommer , 83;Alfred Schonenberg , 83; andLudwig Sonntag , 80, are currently living in Germany. It is not clear whether Italy will request the three men'sextradition from Germany. [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=56139]
*U.S. presidential election, 2004 :Carol Moseley Braun drops out of the race and endorses Dr.Howard Dean , confirming rumors circulating the night before as she taped an appearance on "The Daily Show ". [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040115/ap_on_el_pr/braun&cid=694&ncid=716]
*The date for the publication of theHutton Inquiry 's report into the death of British weapons scientistDr David Kelly is announced asJanuary 28 ,2004 . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3400303.stm]
*The creditors of ailing Finnishlow-cost carrier Flying Finn have threatened to confiscate the airline's planes. [http://www.iltasanomat.fi/uutiset/sahkeet.asp?id=703525]
*Exploration of Mars : The Spirit Rover has rolled off its lander to start its exploration. The first journey was only three metres. It took the rover about 78 seconds, ending with the back of the rover being 0.7 metres from the lander. [http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/040115drive.html]
* The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) announces the release of theComposite Capability/Preference Profiles (CC/PP 1.0). W3C's new standard profiling language CC/PP provides a standardized format of the description of information that will allow Web-enabled devices to effectively communicate their capabilities to the desired server and aids in delivering Web content to broad range of devices.
*José Bono , a prominentSocialist Spanishpolitician , is recorded callingTony Blair "a complete dickhead" ("un gilipollas integral"). [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/16/wspain16.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/01/16/ixworld.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=165966]
*Popeye , like Tintin, turns 75 this month. [http://www.kingfeatures.com/pressrm/rel_154_12_1_2004.htm]January 16
*
Chen Shui-bian makes a televised address reiterating theFour Noes and One Without pledge and announcing the two questions for a referendum to coincide with theROC presidential election, 2004 onMarch 20 . [http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/01/16/taiwan.referendum.ap/index.html] [http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2004-01/17/content_299926.htm]
*U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush appoints Charles Pickering to theUnited States Court of Appeals . His nomination wasfilibuster ed in the U.S. Senate, so President Bush made arecess appointment . [http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040116/D8044KNG0.html]
*Earthquake in Iran: Iran updates the death toll from theBam earthquake to 41,000 people. The final figure could be as high as 45,000. [http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=21685&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs]
*ThePeople's Republic of China arrests a topHong Kong official into custody over suspicion of espionage for theUnited Kingdom . [http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1073281079666]
*Nunavut general election, 2004 : PremierPaul Okalik ofNunavut ,Canada , requests a dissolution of the territory's legislature and an election call forFebruary 16 . [http://north.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=nune-nominations]
*On or around this date, the United States national debt passes US$7 trillion.January 17
*Planned NASA servicing missions for the
Hubble Space Telescope are cancelled. Safety concerns are cited as the main reason behind the decision. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/157010_hubble17.html] [http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0401/16hubblesm4/]
*Human cloning : Fertility expert Dr.Panos Zavos claims to have successfully transplanted a two week old embryo into a 35 year old woman. He said he had not done the act anywhere where "the spirit of the law" was against such a procedure. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3406129.stm]
*George Papandreou ofGreece promised that he will suggest to sign a mutual agreement withTurkey for lowering their defensemilitary expenses. [http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=509619&lngDtrID=244] (Greek).
*Protesters call for resignation of German Federal Police chief Ulrich Kersten: about 6,000 people demonstrates against moving Germany's Federal Police (BKA) headquarters fromWiesbaden toBerlin . [http://www.deutschewelle.de/english/0,3367,1432_A_1091660_1_A,00.html]January 18
*
Occupation of Iraq : At around 8 am local time (5 am GMT) inBaghdad ,Iraq , an insurgent suicide bomber driving a car filled with explosives blew himself up while attempting to enter "Assassin's Gate ." Early reports said that about 18 people, including 16 Iraqi civilians and twoUnited States Department of Defense workers were killed, while another 56 Iraqi civilians were wounded. [http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/18/sprj.nitop.baghdad.blast/index.html]
*Israeli Prime MinisterAriel Sharon praises the Israeli ambassador to Sweden,Zvi Mazel , for vandalising the artwork entitled "Snow White and The Madness of Truth " displayed at aStockholm museum. The piece, created by an Israeli-born composer/musician, consists of a white float carrying a picture of a Palestiniansuicide bomber in a pool of blood-coloured water. Mazel was caught on surveillance video disconnecting the electric power from the display and throwing a lamp into the water. Mazel says, "This exhibit was the culmination of dozens of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish events in Sweden." [http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3639943,00.html]
*Ex-Australia n cricketer and current Victorian coachDavid Hookes is rushed to hospital after being hit from behind during a brawl outside the Beaconsfield Hotel inSt Kilda, Victoria . He is "technically dead" by the time paramedics arrive, but is revived, and is placed inMelbourne 'sAlfred Hospital in a coma and on life support. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/19/1074360687447.html]January 19
* Cargo ship "
MS Rocknes " with a crew of 30 including the pilot capsizes nearBergen, Norway at 1630 local time (1530UTC ). Two people are reported dead and 24 still missing the morning after the accident. The ship was carrying a heavy load of rocks for use as shielding on top of a gas pipeline toEmden , Germany from the Norwegian Ormen Lange offshore gas field [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3412079.stm] .
* The English Court of Appeal calls for an end to the prosecution of parents whose babies may have died ofSudden Infant Death Syndrome (cot death) in cases where the only evidence is contended expert testimony. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/3409183.stm]
* TheEuropean Space Agency releases detailed colour images of the surface of Mars, taken by its orbitingMars Express probe. [http://www.esa.int/export/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMWF0474OD_0.html]
*NASA 's Spirit rover arrives at its initial destination, a rock named "Adirondack", and prepares for analysis. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=96&e=1&u=/space/20040120/sc_space/spiritpreparestounlockadirondack] [http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20040119/spirit.html]
*U.S. presidential election, 2004 : TheIowa caucuses yield unexpectedly strong results for Democratic candidatesJohn Kerry , who earns 38% of the state's delegates andJohn Edwards , who takes 32%. Former front-runnerHoward Dean slips to 18%, and Richard A. "Dick" Gephardt's fourth-place (11%) finish [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30424-2004Jan19.html] [http://pennlive.com/newsflash/lateststories/index.ssf?/base/politics-1/107456304117782.xml] prompts him to end his presidential bid. [http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040119_1786.html]
*Yigal Amir ,assassin ofYitzhak Rabin , plans to marry. [http://www.blogitorial.com/2004/01/yigal_amir_to_marry.html]
* "Snow White and The Madness of Truth " displayed at aStockholm museum is again vandalized. A Russian-Jewish artist floats another image in the pool, that ofMijailo Mijailović , the murderer of Swedish foreign ministerAnna Lindh . [http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=56425]
*José María Aznar 's government in Spain is dissolved prior to March general elections. He has said he will not run for a third term of office. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,2763,1126831,00.html] .January 20
*2004 Canadian Federal Election:
Belinda Stronach officially announces her run for leadership of theConservative Party of Canada . [http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1074596565057&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154]
*Martha Stewart pleads not guilty to five criminal counts that include conspiracy, obstruction of justice and securities fraud stemming from a sale ofImClone stock in 2001. Conviction on any of the charges against her could put Ms. Stewart in federal prison. The five counts carry a total prison term of 30 years and a $1.25 million fine. [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/20/business/20CND-MARTHA.html?hp]
*ColonelRashid Abu Shbak of thePalestinian Authority , said that information was still coming in and the investigating team had been upgraded, but he had no new leads on who was behind the bombing attack of an American diplomatic convoy onOctober 15 ,2002 . Three people died in the attack. U.S. officials have been stopped from going toGaza since the attack. No decision has been made yet on when they might be allowed to return. Col. Shbak blamedIsrael for the lack of progress in the investigation. [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4169415]January 21
* The
International Olympic Committee urgesAthens to continue working round-the-clock for the2004 Summer Olympics . The deadline is forAugust 13 . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/3417755.stm]
* Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon Magnus's wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit gives birth to a daughter, at 0913 local time (0813 UTC), at Rikshospitalet University Hospital inOslo . The newborn princess, named Ingrid Alexandra, weighs in at 3,686gram s and is 51 cm tall. She is second in succession to the Norwegian throne. [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=713922] [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=714840]
* The latestWorld Economic Forum event opens inDavos ,Switzerland , with a keynote address byIran ian PresidentMohammad Khatami .
* TheRoyal Canadian Mounted Police raid the residence of "Ottawa Citizen "reporter Juliet O'Neill for the purposes of searching for evidence of leaked information in theMaher Arar deportation scandal . It was widely denounced by media groups andcivil libertarian sJanuary 22
*
Mars Exploration Rover Mission : MER-A "Spirit" rover stops transmitting meaningful data and has thought to have gone into 'safe mode'. The cause of this is unknown but the rover is still able to send back a simple acknowledgement tone. [http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/status.html]
*Staff members of theUnited States Republican Party are accused of infiltrating Democratic Party computers and making copies of confidential files stored on the compromised computers. The infiltrations reportedly began in early 2002. [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/01/22/infiltration_of_files_seen_as_extensive/]
*Maher Arar sues theUnited States government for having deported him toSyria and notCanada , his country of citizenship. He was reportedly tortured in Syria. [http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/01/22/ararsuit040122]
*Enron Corporation :Richard Causey , former chief accounting officer was indicted inHouston, Texas on federal charges of securities fraud and conspiracy for his role in masking Enron's faltering fiscal health in late 2001. He has pled not guilty. [http://www.newsday.com/business/printedition/ny-bzenro233638506jan23,0,167980.story?coll=ny-business-print]
*Zimbabwe 's only independent daily newspaper resumes publishing. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040123/ap_on_re_af/zimbabwe_media]January 23
*
David Kay steps down fromIraq Survey Group .George Tenet names former UN weapons inspectorCharles Duelfer to succeed Kay. [http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040123222319.3mq7ylpu.html]
* TheInternational Monetary Fund has joined theWorld Bank in forgiving US$4 billion of the $6.5bn debt owed byNicaragua , sharply reducing the nation's overall debt payments. [http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=2D3D6D01-D8B3-4FA3-9F6AB47FF0B27966]
* TheEuropean Space Agency 'sMars Express orbiter directly detects waterice in the southern polar region of the planet Mars. [http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/SEM8ZB474OD_index_0.html] [http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/01/23/mars.water.ice/]
*NASA 's Spirit rover communicated with Earth in a signal detected by NASA'sDeep Space Network antenna complex nearMadrid, Spain , at 12:34 Universal Time (4:34 am PST) this morning. The transmissions came during a communication window about 90 minutes after Spirit woke up for the morning on Mars. The signal lasted for 10 minutes at a data rate of 10 bits per second. Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., plan to send commands to Spirit seeking additional data from the spacecraft during the subsequent few hours. [http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/20040123a.html] The flight team for NASA's Spirit received data from the rover in another communication session that began at 13:26 Universal Time (5:26 am PST) and lasted 20 minutes at a data rate of 120 bits per second. [http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/20040123b.html]
* A Thai man suspected of having bird flu died, according to the Public Health Ministry. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=753&e=10&u=/ap/20040123/ap_on_sc/asia_bird_flu]
*At least 51 people, including abridegroom , were killed on Friday when a fire ripped through a makeshift wedding hall in the southernIndia n state ofTamil Nadu during a marriage ceremony. [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/EE0FD6AA-6A32-4B78-82F7-4D6BEE0C8AC0.htm]
*An explosion has killed two people atZhengzhou railway station, one of thePeople's Republic of China 's biggest transport hubs. [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/68E3BD44-319D-4D3B-AE3D-67CD101F491D.htm]January 24
*
Mars Exploration Rover Mission
**NASA isolates theflash memory aboard "Spirit" as the most probable cause of communications problems; work continues on a method to operate the rover without it. [http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/20040124a.html]
**MER-B "Opportunity" successfully lands on Mars and continues communications through all stages.January 25
* Georgia's new president,
Mikhail Saakashvili , is sworn in. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3426977.stm]
*Chess playerViswanathan Anand wins in group A of theCorus chess tournament . Thirteen-year-old Norwegian prodigy,Magnus Carlsen , wins in group C. [http://www.coruschess.com/]
*David Kay says, in his opinion,Iraq had no banned WMD stockpiles: "I don't think they existed," Kay said, "What everyone was talking about is stockpiles produced after the end of the last (1991)Gulf War , and I don't think there was a large-scale production program in the '90s." [http://www.npr.org/display_pages/features/feature_1615880.html] David Kay also says that part ofSaddam Hussein 's secret weapons programme may have been hidden inSyria . [http://www.manoramaonline.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=manorama/MmArticle/CommonFullStory&c=MmArticle&cid=1074829704662&channel=News&p=1002194839100&count=7] [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7ECE4398-8057-49B2-8B13-1B3D7F7CADCB.htm] Syria denies receiving Iraq arms. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3428383.stm]
*Indonesia announces that millions of birds have died fromavian influenza in the last few months. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/indonesia/Story/0,2763,1131233,00.html]
*Golden Globe Awards : Major winners include "", "Lost in Translation" and "Angels in America".
* Hungarian footballerMiklos Fehér dies in a match between Benfica andVitória Guimarães inPortugal . Benfica will subsequently retire his number 29 shirt.January 26
* President
Hamid Karzai signs into law the new constitution ofAfghanistan . [http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1075117169557&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037]
*Avian influenza has now been detected in a total of nine countries, withPakistan andLaos as the latest additions. Pakistan has detected less dangerous strains H7 and H9. A six-year-old Thai boy became the seventh victim inAsia , with another ten suspected cases in the country. Around 19 million chickens have been slaughtered as a result of fighting the spread of the flu. TheWorld Health Organisation expresses concern about a serious human outbreak. (WHO) [http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/01/27/d4012701066.htm] [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/445711.cms] [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1031975.htm]
*In "Fellers v. United States ", theUnited States Supreme Court unanimously reaffirms theMiranda Warning . [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=558&e=8&u=/ap/scotus_police_questioning]
*A federal judge inLos Angeles, California declares a portion of theUSA Patriot Act , banning "expert advice and assistance" to suspected foreign terrorist groups, to be unconstitutional. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&e=3&u=/nm/security_patriotact_dc]
*The House of Representatives ofConnecticut votes unanimously to investigate the dealings of GovernorJohn Rowland , a step which might lead toimpeachment proceedings. Rowland is accused of using state contractors for his personal gain. [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=4211318]
*The US Energy Department's Inspector General releases a report stating that guards at theY-12 enriched uranium storage facility inOak Ridge, Tennessee have been cheating onsecurity drills, possibly for 20 years. [http://www.ig.doe.gov/pdf/ig-0636.pdf] [http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,62052,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2]
* TopHamas officialAbdel-Aziz al-Rantissi offered a 10-yeartruce ifIsrael would withdraw from territory occupied since 1967 and acknowledge the creation of a Palestinian state. Israel dismissed the peace offer as "ridiculous". [http://www.reuters.com/locales/newsArticle.jsp?type=worldNews&locale=en_IN&storyID=4209129]January 27
* The
People's Republic of China announces an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain ofavian influenza in the autonomous region ofGuangxi , becoming the 10th country in Asia to do so [http://www.straitstimes.com.sg/latest/story/0,4390,232055,00.html?] . There are suspected cases inHunan andHubei provinces [http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2004-01/27/content_301172.htm] [http://www.iht.com/articles/126779.html] .
* British Prime MinisterTony Blair narrowly defeats a rebellion in his own party over the Higher Education Bill - a highly controversial bill to reformhigher education funding, including the introduction of increased and variabletuition fees. It is approved in the House of Commons by 316 votes to 311. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3434329.stm] [http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/tuitionfees/story/0,12757,1132974,00.html]
*U.S. presidential election, 2004 : SenatorJohn Kerry wins theNew Hampshire primary .Howard Dean comes second.
*Academy Awards : nominations announced, leading films are ' (11), ' (10), "Seabiscuit" (7), "Mystic River" (6), and "Cold Mountain" (6).Keisha Castle-Hughes , at 13, becomes the youngest nominee ever for theAcademy Award for Best Actress
* A newe-mail worm,Novarg/Mydoom , is spreading rapidly to thousands of machines runningMicrosoft Windows . It rapidly becomes the fastest-spreading e-mail worm to date. [http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/novarg.shtml] , [http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_100983.htm] , [http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.novarg.a@mm.html] , [http://www3.ca.com/virusinfo/virus.aspx?ID=38102] , [http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=WORM_MIMAIL.R] [http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/0,2000061744,39115847,00.htm] .January 28
*
Milan Babić , the former leader of the breakawayRepublic of Serbian Krajina (now re-incorporated intoCroatia ), pleads guilty tocrimes against humanity at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
*David Kay testifies before aUnited States Senate committee stating that evidence of weapons of mass destruction was based on inaccurate intelligence. "I believe that the effort that has been directed to this point has been sufficiently intense that it is highly unlikely that there were large stockpiles of deployed, militarized chemical weapons there" and, even ifIraq did not have weapons stockpiles, this does not mean that nation wasn't dangerous. Kay urges for aninquiry into theintelligence failure and states that theUnited States needed better intelligence. [http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040128_129.html] [http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0401/S00195.htm] [http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2464394] [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=reutersEdge&storyID=4230282]
*TheHutton Inquiry report is released, stating thesuicide ofIraq i weapons expert David Kelly did not involve "dishonourable conduct" on the part of theUnited Kingdom 's government and exoneratesPrime Minister Tony Blair of any wrongdoing in Kelly's death. TheBBC receives harsh criticism for the allegations withinAndrew Gilligan 's report onweapons of mass destruction and the BBC's subsequent backing of the report.Gavyn Davies takes full responsibility for any wrong-doing and resigns as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC. [http://www.the-hutton-inquiry.org.uk/] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3434661.stm] [http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_1099230_1_A,00.html] [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/DC3A6AA9-AF97-45F3-9920-71731BAC5FE3.htm]
*The discovery of a new form of matter,Fermionic condensate , has been announced. [http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/01/28/matter.new.reut/index.html] .
*TheWorld Wide Web Consortium releasesDocument Object Model Level 3 Validation as aW3C Recommendation . [http://www.w3.org/]
*San Jose, California mayorRon Gonzales suffers a mildstroke while giving the State of the City address. The mayor is expected to make a full recovery.
*A rare artefact from 1800s used againstwitchcraft is found in theUnited Kingdom . Now displayed in a museum. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lincolnshire/3437241.stm]January 29
* A 60-ton
sperm whale carcass explodes in downtown Tainan,Taiwan , causing traffic chaos and showering vehicles and pedestrians with blood and entrails. [http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4096586/]
* A report submitted today to the State ofMaryland states that theelectronic voting machines made byDiebold Election Systems "have such poor computer security and physical security that an election could be disrupted or even stolen by corrupt insiders or determined outsiders". The machines have been purchased by a number of states in theUnited States . [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/29/technology/29CND-SECU.html] This is the third report to state that the machines do not meet the security requirements of an election. Previous reports are available online: [http://www.dbm.maryland.gov/dbm_search/technology/toc_voting_system_report/votingsystemreportfinal.pdf] , [http://avirubin.com/vote/] .
*Hutton Inquiry : The BBC Director-General,Greg Dyke , resigns in the continuing fall-out from the report. Mr Dyke is the second high-ranking BBC official to resign.Mark Byford is appointed Acting Director-General. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3441181.stm] The UK media in general condemns the report as a whitewash. [http://media.guardian.co.uk/huttoninquiry/story/0,13812,1134025,00.html]
* TheAl-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades ofFatah claim responsibility for asuicide bombing aboard a city bus, in whichAli Yusuf Jaara , a member of thePalestinian police force, kills 10Israelis and wounds more than 50, outside the Prime Minister's residence inJerusalem . Simultaneously with the bombing,Shaul Mofaz ,Israel i Defense Minister, is meeting with American envoys Wolfe and Sauterfield, who have requested an easing-up of conditions for the Palestinians. The explosion also coincides with a German-brokered prisoner swap between Israel and the Lebanese guerrilla groupHezbollah . [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/388486.html] [http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=56993] [http://www.dunnconnect.com/articles/2004/01/28/ap/Headlines/d80chhb00.txt]January 30
*
Hutton Inquiry : ReporterAndrew Gilligan resigns from theBBC in the continuing fallout of the publication of Lord Hutton's report into the circumstances of the death ofDr David Kelly . This follows the earlier resignation of the Director-GeneralGreg Dyke and chairman of the Board of GovernorsGavyn Davies . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3446391.stm] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3446443.stm]
* Former French Prime Minister and current Mayor ofBordeaux Alain Juppe is convicted of a party funding scam in the 1980s and early 1990s, and is given an 18 month suspended jail sentence and disqualified from elected office for 10 years, although he retains hismayor alty pending his appeal. He had been viewed asJacques Chirac 's likely successor in the 2007 Presidential election. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3444239.stm]
* Muslims begin the annualHajj today amid fears of a possible attack by Saudi-bornOsama bin Laden 'sal Qaeda network. [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=4249017]
* SheikAhmed Yassin , leader ofHamas , announces that his group is making an all-out effort to kidnapIsrael i soldiers to use as bargaining chips forPalestinian s in Israeli prisons, following the prisoner exchange betweenIsrael andHezbollah in which the remains of three Israeli soldiers and a businessman were exchanged for over 400 prisoners onJanuary 29 ,2004 . [http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Israel-Palestinians.html]
* Self-confessed German cannibalArmin Meiwes is sentenced to 8 years and 6 months' imprisonment formanslaughter [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3443293.stm] . The prosecution had sought a life sentence for murder.
*David Bradley , creator of the famous "Ctrl-Alt-Del" keystroke combination, retires fromIBM . [http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/35226.html]January 31
*The
United States defence budget is set to exceed US$400 billion next year—an almost 7% increase—according to budget proposals inadvertently posted onthe Pentagon 's website. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3447281.stm] [http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=93200472&p=93zxyy78]
*ThePeople's Republic of China putspoultry export bans on three more areas after aWorld Health Organization warning that the chance of controlling the Avian flu outbreak is slipping. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3446881.stm] A new SARS case is confirmed inGuangdong province. [http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4254330§ion=news]
*British Airways andAir France cancel five upcoming US flights to Washington DC andMiami, Florida amid fears of targeting byAl-Qaida . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3447715.stm] [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A839-2004Jan31.html] [http://www.forbes.com/personalfinance/retirement/newswire/2004/01/31/rtr1237099.html]
*TheSvalbard Undersea Cable System is officially put into operation, giving the island group at 78° North a 40Gb connection to the Norwegian mainland. The dual 1,440 kmfiber optic lines from Svalbard toHarstad is needed for communicating withpolar orbit ing satellite stations on Svalbard, some owned byNASA andNOAA . [http://www.ksat.no/] , [http://www.tyco.com/tyco/press_release_detail.asp?prid=622]
*Copper prices rise to a 6-year high in New York as 441 unionised workers strike atBHP Billiton 's Cerro Colorado mine in northernChile after pay negotiations fail. [http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040131/RCOMX31/TPBusiness/MoneyMarkets]References
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