- December 17, 2003
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December 17 ,2003 =*
Linux kernel 2.6.0 is released byLinus Torvalds .
*Capture of Saddam Hussein :
**Mowaffaq al-Rubaie says thatSaddam Hussein will be tried in Iraq by an Iraqi court. Mowaffaq, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council, denies reports that the prisoner has been taken out of Baghdad. [http://www.washtimes.com/world/20031217-113503-9915r.htm]
**United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld confirms thatSaddam Hussein will not be treated as aprisoner of war subject to theGeneva Conventions . [http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/146787p-129619c.html]
* Stephen Kenny, the first civilian lawyer to visit any of the former Afghan war suspects in Guantanamo Bay, describes it as a physical and moral black hole. He says prisoners are not treated equally and that there is a pecking order with Americans being treated best. (In fact there are no Americans being held at Guantanamo Bay.) [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3329631.stm] [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=4012139]
*Occupation of Iraq : A fuel tanker explodes in downtownBaghdad , killing 10 and wounding 15. Initially believed to be caused by a bomb, officials later conclude that a traffic accident was responsible. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3326499.stm]
*Terrorism :
** The head of the Greek terrorist groupRevolutionary Organization 17 November and their chief hitman are jailed for life, along with four other members of the organisation. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3326609.stm]
**Thomas Kean , chairman of the independent commission investigating theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks , says that the attacks could have been prevented and that public officials were to blame for not anticipating and pre-empting the threat. The commission's report is due in May, 2004. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/17/eveningnews/main589137.shtml] [http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/13807.htm]
*Ian Huntley andMaxine Carr are convicted for their roles in the August 2002 murders of 10-year-oldHolly Wells andJessica Chapman in the English village ofSoham . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3312551.stm]
* Taiwan reports the first confirmedSARS case in 5 months, a medical researcher who had studied the virus. [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=753&e=10&u=/ap/20031217/ap_on_sc/taiwan_sars]
* TheUnited States National Weather Service warns of "excessive heat" after theEarth reportedly breaks out of its orbit and begins falling into thesun . Fortunately, it turns out to be a mistakenly published test message. [http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=17000138]
* "", the final part ofPeter Jackson 's film adaptation ofJ. R. R. Tolkien 's "The Lord of the Rings ", goes on broad public release in theUnited States and much ofEurope . Industry pundits predict that it could become only the second film after "Titanic" to earn over US$1 billion at the box office. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3325051.stm]
*Republic of Congo : A gunbattle breaks out inBrazzaville . [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031217/ap_on_re_af/republic_of_congo_fighting]
*Health : The UK government says that a case ofvariant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may have occurred throughblood transfusion . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3327745.stm]
*FormerGovernor of Illinois George H. Ryan is indicted on corruption charges for receiving payoffs, gifts and vacations in return for government contracts and leases while he served as the Governor and Secretary of State ofIllinois . [http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/politics/national/stories/121703dnnatindict.9f1c0.html]
*Governor of Connecticut John G. Rowland announces that he will not resign, despite allegations of corruption involving the receipt of free modifications to a vacation cottage, and the indictments of several of his top aides. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-12-13-ct-governor_x.htm]
*:President of France Jacques Chirac announces that he will support a ban on the wearing ofMuslim headscarves,Jew ishyarmulke s and large Christiancross es in schools and government offices. If passed, the law will come into effect in September 2004. Muslim clerics counter that the ban is an attack on their religion. [http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=75137®ion=3] [http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3224,36-346398,0.html]
*Space exploration :
**Space tourism magnates celebrate the 100th anniversary of theWright Brothers ' first flight by demonstratingSpaceShipOne , a privately-funded passenger-ferryingsuborbital space plane , flying at supersonic speeds to an altitude of 68,000 feet. [http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/rutan_update_031217.html]
**Space Adventures announces the availability of two more tickets to fly to theInternational Space Station at a cost of US$20 million each. [http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=13235] [http://space.com/missionlaunches/next_tourists_031217.html]
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