November 28, 2003

=November 28, 2003=

* The November 28 issue of the journal "Science" reports that the United States is not sufficiently prepared to respond to an influenza pandemic. [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031128082159.htm]
* The United States is about to back down over its restrictions on steel imports that had caused such alarm in Europe and Asia. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3246976.stm]
* War on Terrorism: A terrorism expert with access to intelligence on Al-Qaeda says the group wants to launch a catastrophic attack in the United States. [http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2235560]
* The anti-Good Friday Agreement Democratic Unionist Party with 30 seats becomes the biggest party in Northern Ireland in the Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 2003, replacing the Ulster Unionist Party (27 seats), while Sinn Féin at 24 seats replaces the SDLP (18 seats) as the major Irish nationalist party.
*John Manley, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, announces he will not take a position in the new cabinet of leadership rival Paul Martin that will take office on December 12, and will not run again in his riding of Ottawa South in the forthcoming federal election. Martin praises Manley's past accomplishments and takes the unusual step of publicly offering Manley the posting of Ambassador to the U.S.. [http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/11/28/manley031128]
*In Italy, Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of Benito Mussolini and niece of Sophia Loren, resigns from the right wing National Alliance party after she considers that party leader and deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini "dishonoured her family's history" when apologising in Israel for Italy's actions before and during the Second World War and describing fascism as "an absolute evil". [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3243420.stm]
*Simon Crean announces his resignation as leader of the Australian Labor Party, the main opposition party in Australia. Crean has led the party since November 2001, but has consistently trailed Prime Minister John Howard in opinion polls. Crean becomes the first Labor leader to resign without having fought an election. His successor will be elected at a meeting of the Labor Caucus on 2 December. The candidates will probably be former leader Kim Beazley and finance spokesman Mark Latham. Foreign Affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd may also stand. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s999345.htm]
*ROC referendum, 2004: In Taiwan, a referendum bill written by majority pro-Chinese reunification pan-blue coalition legislators, is passed by the Legislative Yuan. The move is met by opposition from the People's Republic of China as it is seen as a possible route for declaring Taiwan independence, even though the bill blocks referendums on sovereignty issue and changing the official name of the Republic of China. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3242210.stm] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3245428.stm]
*In Russia, the planned merger between YUKOS and Sibneft has reportedly been suspended by Sibneft. It is unclear whether the two oil firms will carry on with the merger. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3245884.stm] [http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2234640]
*Global warming: In a new report, the WWF warned that billions of people may suffer severe water shortages if glaciers, which contain 70 percent of the world's fresh water reserves, continue to melt. [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1128-04.htm] [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,7997921%5E30417,00.html]