November 2003

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A timeline of events in the news for November, 2003.

See Also: Iraq Timeline Liberian Crisis North Korean Crisis Hutton Inquiry Bloody Sunday Inquiry Road Map to Peace Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 2004 Canadian Federal Election 2004 U.S. Presidential Election 2004 ROC Presidential Election Same-sex Marriage SCO v. IBM War on Terrorism Afghanistan timeline November 2003

November 30, 2003

• Syria hands over 22 suspects to Turkey on Sunday in connection with four deadly suicide bombings in Istanbul, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported. [1]
• According to the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, the People's Republic of China has freed three people detained on charges of posting information critical of the government on the Internet. [1]
• The Observer newspaper reports that a deal is imminent to repatriate British men being held in Guantanamo Bay. [1]
• Israeli army chief Moshe Yaalon and former heads of Shin Bet criticise Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for his unwillingness to consider the Geneva plan. [1] [1] [1]
• The Japanese government announces its intention to temporarily nationalize regional bank Ashikaga Bank after inspections show that it is insolvent; the cost may exceed $9 billion. [1]
• Iribnews.com reports that Georgia's parliament has elected Tedo Dzhaparidze as the new foreign minister. [1]
• Occupation of Iraq: Two South Korean civilians working for a US firm are killed on a highway near Tikrit.
• There is evidence that the tuberculosis drug D-cycloserine may be the first effective agent for the treatment of phobias. [1]
• Pakistan is to end a ban on Indian flights over its territory, in another sign of improving relations between the neighbours [1]
• Nathaniel Jones, a 41 year old, 350 lb (159 kg) unarmed black man dies after being clubbed by police with metal truncheons in Cincinnati, Ohio. [1] Six police officers are suspended from duty afterwards. A video of the beating, captured by the video camera mounted in an officer's cruiser, is released to the public, stoking racial tensions in Cincinnati nearly three years after the city was rocked by riots. Preliminary autopsy results show that Jones had an enlarged heart, and his blood contained cocaine and PCP, Hamilton County Coroner Carl Parrott says.class="external">[1
• The draw is made for the 2004 European Football Championship. England are drawn with holders France, and hosts Portugal are drawn with neighbours Spain. [1]
• In tennis, Australia wins the Davis Cup by three rubbers to one when Mark Philippoussis defeats Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the first reverse singles match, played in Melbourne. It is the 28th time Australia has won the trophy, the most prestigious title in men's team tennis. [1]

November 29, 2003

• In Norfolk, Virginia, the USS Cole leaves port on the destroyer's first overseas deployment since it was bombed is the year 2000 in Yemen's port at Aden. [1]
• Police in Turkey announce the arrest of a yet-unnamed man they state has admitted giving the order to suicide bombers to attack Beth Israel synagogue in Istanbul on November 15. [1]
• Luan Enjie, director of the National Aerospace Bureau of the People's Republic of China states that "By 2020, we will achieve visiting the moon." [1]
• Occupation of Iraq: A team of 8 Spanish intelligence agents is attacked south of Baghdad; 7 are killed and 1 wounded. [1] Two Japanese diplomats are killed near Tikrit. Two U.S. soldiers and a Colombian civilian contractor are killed in Baghdad.
• In Australia, the opposition Labor Party's finance spokesperson, Mark Latham, announces that he will contest the party leadership ballot on 2 December against the former leader Kim Beazley. Press reports place the two candidates at about 40 votes each, with about ten undecided. [1]
• French and German university students continue to hold protests, including strikes, over controversial policies such as tuition fees. German students also occupied the central offices of the PDS in Berlin, following a similar protest earlier in the week in which 30 to 40 students occupied the office of Thomas Flierl for more than 24 hours. Protests in both countries have been continuing to spread for the last two weeks.[1] [1] [1] German press: [1], [1]

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. [1]
• The United States is about to back down over its restrictions on steel imports that had caused such alarm in Europe and Asia. [1]
• 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. [1]
• 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 2004 Canadian election. Martin praises Manley's past accomplishments and takes the unusual step of publicly offering Manley the posting of Ambassador to the U.S.[1]
• In Italy, Alessandra Mussolini, grand-daughter 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". [1]
• 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. [1]
• 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. class="external">[1
• 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.class="external">[1
• 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. [1] [1]

November 27, 2003

• Scientists warn that a devastating influenza epidemic is not only inevitable but may be imminent. [1]
• The People's Republic of China angrily rejects US anti-dumping measures on imports of televisions from China, saying that the US measures breach WTO agreements and discriminate against Chinese firms; Premier Wen Jiabao is due to visit Washington, DC next month. [1]
• British police say that explosives have been found in the Gloucester home of a 24 year old man being held on suspicion of terrorist activity and links to Al-Qaeda; the suspect is British born of Asian origin. class="external">[1
• Kofi Annan says that the global war against AIDS is being lost. [1]
• War on Drugs: European Union justice ministers agree to tougher anti-drug laws, but the Netherlands say its "coffee shops" -- where cannabis is openly sold and smoked -- would survive. [1]
• Peruvian police clash with campesinos in the town of Carhuamayo (department of Junín), leaving two dead and more than 20 people injured, during a protest against mining pollution. Strikers are demanding the government hand over $58 million from the privatization of a state electricity company for the cleanup. [1]
• At the end of the First Count of elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, and reflecting the early tallies the Democratic Unionist Party attracts the highest popular vote, with Sinn Féin coming second, the Ulster Unionist Party third and the SDLP fourth. Minor parties like the Progressive Unionist Party, the Alliance Party and the UK Unionist Party suffer major collapse, with the Women's Coalition losing all its seats. Later counts are expected to boost the middle ground UUP and SDLP, who show greater possibilities of picking up inter-party transfers than the more extreme DUP and Sinn Féin. Nevertheless, Sinn Féin is widely expected to have more MLAss than the SDLP, a reversal of the results in the 1998 Assembly elections. It is too close to call whether the previous larger UUP or the Rev. Ian Paisley's DUP will have more seats after all counts. The final results will not be known until late on Friday, when all six seats in each constituency are filled. The election was held under PR.STV. [1]
• Plans for the handover of power in Iraq have to be revised after senior Shiites object to indirect elections. [1]
• President George W. Bush makes a surprise visit to Baghdad to visit the American troops on Thanksgiving Day. The visit is not announced publicly until after Bush has left. [1]
• Larry Spencer of the Canadian Alliance Party makes public statements stating his desire to recriminalize homosexual behaviour in Canada to combat what he claimed was a conspiracy by the homosexual community to infiltrate social institutions to recruit children into the "homosexual lifestyle". He was quickly denounced by numerous public figures including his own party leader, Stephen Harper, who also made him resign his position as Family Issue Critic in the House of Commons with an apology. However, commentators have noted that these inflamatory homophobic statements have placed the pending vote on the proposed merger with the Progressive Conservative Party on December 6 in jeopardy by illustrating fundamental differences between the parties concerning social attitudes.

November 26, 2003

• Action movie star FPJ (Fernando Poe, Jr) announces he will seek the presidency of the Philippines. His popularity has caused political observers to suggest he'll have a major impact on the campaign to choose an opposition candidate for next May's race. [1]
• Australian Test cricket captain Steve Waugh announces his retirement from international cricket. [1]
• The People's Republic of China dismantles its satellite tracking station in Kiribati following the Pacific atoll nation's recognition of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on November 7.[1]
• ROC Presidential Election 2004: The Kuomintang drops its opposition to holding a referendum on Taiwan independence, a position that has been advocated by President Chen Shui-bian.[1]
• Chairman Choe Byung-yul of the Grand National Party in South Korea has begun a hunger strike after President Roh Moo-hyun vetoed a bill demanding the appointment of an independent prosecutor for Mr. Roh's campaign finances.[1]
• India and Pakistan announce a ceasefire in the Kashmir region. [1].

November 25, 2003

• Annualized Q3 growth rate in the US gross domestic product exceeds 8%, the highest rate of growth since the Reagan administration. [1]
• In a speech to lawyers in London, one of the United Kingdom's most senior Law Lords, Lord Steyn, condemns the detentions at Guantanamo Bay as a monstrous failure of justice. [1] class="external">[1 Australia reaches a deal concerning 2 men detained at Guantanamo Bay. [1]
• Occupation of Iraq: At least two rockets are reported fired near the US compound in central Baghdad. [1]
• Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, is not invited to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference to be held in Nigeria. [1]
• UNAids and the World Health Organization report record numbers of new AIDS cases. [1]
• Canadian National Railway buys British Columbia Railway from the British Columbia provincial government. [1]

November 24, 2003

• Radical Muslim cleric Sheik Nasser al-Fahd denounces suicide bombings, declaring on Saudi TV that "blowing oneself up in such operations is not martyrdom; it is suicide". Some consider this a response to pressure from the Saudi government to recant previous statements.[1]
• The High Court in Glasgow rules that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, convicted in 1999 of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988, must serve a minimum of 27 years before being considered for parole. [1]
• A former ANC intelligence operative appears in a South African Court on Monday in connection with an alleged plot to oust or kill President Thabo Mbeki. [1] [1]
• A fire in a student hostel at Moscow's Patrice Lumumba University kills 32 and injures about 150 people, all foreign students. The fire services blame an electrical fault. [1]
• Pro-democracy groups gain in the Hong Kong District Council elections, as the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong loses 21 of its previous 83 elected seats. DAB chairman Tsang Yok-sing offers to resign. [1]
• Canada, Northwest Territories general election, 2003: Voters in the NWT choose their new government, electing the independent members of their consensus legislature. The premier will be chosen by and among the members on Dec. 10. [1]
• In the United States, telephone number portability as mandated by the FCC takes effect in major metropolitan areas. [1]
• HIV-positive muppet Kami is appointed UN mascot for juvenile AIDS victims. [1]

November 23, 2003

• A BBC Correspondent programme, based on computer-generated images, suggests that the Warren Commission's controversial magic bullet theory, in which is was claimed that the same bullet hit President John F. Kennedy and Governor John Connally during Kennedy's assassination in 1963, was correct. Using state of the art computer generated images based on the Zapruder film, the programme concludes that a lone gunman could have shot Kennedy. ABC News and Court TV arrived at a similar conclusion [1]
• Beleaguered Georgiann President Eduard Shevardnadze resigns. Elections will be in 45 days, but until then, Nino Burdzhanadze will be the acting president. [1] [1]
• Nationalist party HDZ appears set to beat the ruling centre-left coaltion in Croatia's general election. [1] [1]
• EADS, the largest European aircraft company, is doing preliminary work on a hypersonic passenger aircraft that would take the place of the recently-retired Concorde; the planning includes collaboration with Japanese firms and METI. [1] However, its subsidiary Airbus' A380 'super-jumbo' sub-sonic vehicle is the product expected to become the dominant commercial aircraft in the near-future. [1]
• The New York Times reports that the FBI is actively monitoring and gathering intelligence on anti-war protest movements' activities, ostensibly to detect possible terrorist activity. Opponents such as the ACLU criticize the practice as regressionary to the days of J. Edgar Hoover's intense monitoring of private organizations for potential Communist links. [1] [1]
• The People's Republic of China plans to start tests of a SARS vaccine on humans by the end of December; trials with monkeys show that the vaccine was effective. [1]
• 10,000 trade unionists, environmentalists, and farmworkers march in Miami to protest against the Free Trade Area of the Americas expansion meeting. Other street protests erupt into violent confronations with police several times throughout the day. Protester sources indicate upwards of 250 protesters incarcerated, along with reports of physical and sexual assault while in custody. [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] Other demonstrations take place in cities throughout the Americas.
• Occupation of Iraq:
  • Three US troops are killed in Iraq, two of them in a civilian vehicle in Mosul and the third in a roadside bombing in Baquba. A mob desecrates the bodies of the Mosul victims and loots their gear. [1] [1]
  • A female acting ambassador to the USA is chosen by Iraq's Governing Council: Rend Rahim, an Iraqi/American educated in Britain, France and Lebanon. [1]
• A US military helicopter crashes near Bagram, Afghanistan, killing five soldiers and wounding seven. [1]
• An opinion poll in Pakistan says that about 75% of Pakistanis are completely dissatisfied with President Pervez Musharraf. [1]

November 22, 2003

• In Tbilisi, Georgia, opponents of President Eduard Shevardnadze seize the parliament building and demand the president's resignation. Opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili vows to "trample" the country's leadership following unrest over disputed election results. Shevardnadze denounces what he calls an attempted coup and declares a state of emergency. [1]
• The United States tests the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb or (MOAB), the world's largest non-nuclear bomb, in Florida. [1] [1]
• Occupation of Iraq:
  • Car bombs outside police stations in the towns of Khan Bani Saad and Baquba, north of Baghdad, detonate around 08h local time (0500 UTC), killing upwards of 18 people. [1]
  • A cargo plane belonging to courier company DHL makes an emergency landing at Baghdad airport after being hit by a surface-to-air missile. [1] Commercial flights in and out of the airport are suspended. [1]
• At 5:51 AM, the United States House of Representatives passes the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act by a vote of 220-215, as fifteen Democrats change their votes. Three hours earlier the same bill had failed, 211-222.
• Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo apologizes for the 70,000 people killed in the 15-year battle with the Shining Path rebel movement. He promises to punish members of Armed Forces who were resonsible for many abuses. [1]
• 2003 Rugby Union World Cup: Regular time in a dramatic final match ends in a 14-14 tie. England finally defeat Australia 20-17 to win the William Webb Ellis Trophy – the first time it has been won by a Northern Hemisphere team. [1] [1]
• The Heritage Classic is played in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the first outdoor ice hockey games in the history of the National Hockey League. Over 50,000 spectators watch the two games. [1]

November 21, 2003

• President George W. Bush arrives back in the United States after his controversial State Visit to the UK. [1]
• U.S ambassador to the People's Republic of China Clark Randt is called to meet Chinese ministers twice (second day in succession) in connection with US plans to restrict imports of Chinese textiles; Beijing is shocked at the US move. [1]
• Occupation of Iraq:
  • In the pre-dawn hours RPGss are launched from donkey carts at two Baghdad hotels and the oil ministry building. Reports indicate slight damage and one casualty. [1]
  • Former senior U.S intelligence official and UNSCOM inspector Scott Ritter urges the Parliament of the United Kingdom to investigate the questionable way in which units of British secret intelligence agencies massaged public opinion prior to war with Iraq. [1] [1]
• The Global Environment Facility Council Approves $224 Million in Grants for 19 Projects to Improve the Global Environment [1]

November 20, 2003

• The FTAA negotiations in Miami end one day early; a menu approach is adopted to assure the future of the agreement, allowing individual countries to opt out of controversial or unacceptable provisions. Between 10,000 and 25,000 protestors demonstrate outside the conference center; the police use rubber bullets, and over 100 people are arrested. [1] [1]
• Terrorist attacks: Bombs hit Istanbul, Turkey. At least 25 are killed and hundreds injured in two car-bomb blasts that devastate the headquarters of the HSBC bank and the British consulate. British Consul-General Roger Short is among the dead. The Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front (IBDA-C), a radical Islamist group, claims responsibility. [1]
• Between 110,000 (according to the police) and 300,000 (according to the organization) people demonstrate in and around Trafalgar Square in London against the war in Iraq and George W. Bush's state visit. [1]
• The People's Republic of China says it may retaliate against restrictions the US is to impose on imports of Chinese textile products. [1]
• Pop musician Michael Jackson turns himself in to the Santa Barbara Sheriff's office and is officially charged with child molestation. [1]

November 19, 2003

• The Canada-U.S. Power System Outage Task Force releases an interim report, citing a loss of situational awareness in First Energy Corporation's control room as the primary cause and "immature" monitoring software used at the Midwest Independent System Operator as a secondary cause. [1]
• FTAA: The Bush administration says it is opening free-trade negotiations with Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Panama. It hopes to start the free trade talks by the second quarter of 2004. [1]
• The People's Republic of China expresses firm opposition to US restrictions on imports of textiles (from mainland China) and vows to take the dispute to the WTO. [1] [1] Abandoning tolerance toward Taiwan for the first time since 2000, the PRC threatens to use force and, ultimately, conduct war against Taiwan if it pursues independence. The PRC's state press condemns Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's move toward holding a referendum on "independence" and providing the legislative framework for declaring a Republic of Taiwan. [1] [1]
• An arrest warrant is issued for pop singer Michael Jackson [1].
• The United States Department of Justice charges 47 people, including former employees of JP Morgan and UBS, with offenses related to foreign exchange fraud. [1] [1] At the same time investigations into fraud in the US mutual fund industry widen. [1] The U.S. House of Representatives approves a draft bill that explicitly bans some of the troublesome mutual fund practices. [1] Some commentators think these various financial scandals are undermining the US dollar, which falls to an all time low against the euro. [1]
• President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt is taken ill during a live television broadcast; he had taken antibiotics whilst fasting during Ramadan. [1]
• Politics of Japan: The Diet of Japan names Junichiro Koizumi Prime Minister in a short special session.
• Speaking in London, UK, Richard Perle says that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was an illegal act but morally correct: "international law stood in the way of doing the right thing". [1]
• A tabloid journalist claims to have penetrated Buckingham Palace security preceding the visit of U.S. President George W. Bush to the UK. The Palace is seeking a restraining order to prevent The Mirror from publishing further information about the royal household. [1]
• The four-match chess contest between Gary Kasparov and X3D Fritz ends in a draw. [1]
• UEFA: The final 5 qualifying countries for the 2004 European Football Championship are settled, with Latvia astonishingly defeating Turkey 3-2 on aggregate over two games. [1]

November 18, 2003

• SCO v. IBM: SCO Group plans to widen its legal battle against the open-source operating system, stating intent to sue large-scale Linux users for copyright infringement. [1]
• US President George W. Bush arrives in London for the start of his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom amid an extremely high-security operation. [1]
  • Protestors in the United Kingdom make preparations for President Bush's state visit to the UK starting Tuesday. class="external">[1
  • More Britons approve of President Bush's visit to the UK than disapprove of it. In an ICM survey for The Guardian, 43% of those questioned said they welcomed Bush's visit, while 36% said they did not. In the new poll, 62% agreed that the US was "generally speaking, a force for good", while 15% thought it was "an evil empire". The survey contrasted with a poll published last week by Populus for The Times newspaper. [1] [1]
• The Mexican government announces the imminent resignation of its ambassador to the United Nations, Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, who, in a speech in Mexico City last week, said that the political and intellectual class of the United States sees Mexico as "a country whose position is that of a back yard". [1] [1]
• Enron announces proposed sale of Portland General Electric for $2.35 billion, including assumption of debt. The sale is to a newly formed LLC backed by a private investment firm from Texas. This happens after Portland-area residents defeated a ballot measure to take over the utility on November 4. PGE had outspent supporters of the takeover 60-to-1. [1]
• The United States announces restrictions on the import of textiles from the People's Republic of China. [1] [1]
• An inquest finds that prominent Sky News journalist James Forlong, who had resigned from the station when it was revealed that he had faked footage during the Iraq War, committed suicide by hanging himself. [1]
• The European Union strongly criticises Israel's plans to build the Israeli West Bank barrier encircling Palestinian areas on the West Bank. It also criticises the intensification of suicide attacks by Palestinians and describes Israel's building of settlements in the West Bank as an "obstacle to peace". [1]
• Fermilab confirms the existence of a mystery subatomic particle that is inconsistent with existing theories of how the universe works. [1]
• The US Centers for Disease Control warn of a possible severe flu season and urges Americans to get a vaccination. [1]
• Occupation of Iraq: The United Kingdom is reportedly pushing for a changed approach in Iraq that goes beyond military strategy to reach out to the Iraqi people and the country's neighbours. [1]
• The United Nations suspends operations in south-eastern Afghanistan following the fatal 16 November shooting of Bettina Goislard, a French employee of the UNHCR. [1]
• CALPERS, the United States' largest pension fund, is to terminate its contracts with Putnam and withdraw its funds. class="external">[1
• Same-sex marriage in the United States: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules 4-3 in Goodridge et al. v. Department of Public Health that the state's non-recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and gives the state legislature 180 days to change the law. [1]
• Santa Barbara County, California police search the Neverland ranch of pop icon Michael Jackson, looking for evidence to corroborate a 12-year-old boy's complaint that he was sexually molested. [1]
• Roger Federer beats Andre Agassi to win the final of the tennis Masters Cup in Houston. [1]
• Barry Bonds is selected the National Baseball League's Most Valuable Player, for the third year in a row and the sixth time overall, both unprecedented. [1]
• Prominent British footballer Jody Morris, who plays for Leeds United, is charged with rape. [1]

November 17, 2003

• Conrad Black is pushed to resign as chief executive of his media empire, which may be sold. [1]
• Arnold Schwarzenegger is sworn in as Governor of California. [1]
• Occupation of Iraq:
  • Izzat Ibrahim, a top general in the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein, is directly implicated in recent attacks on US troops; he is number six on the US list of most wanted Iraqis and the second-highest target still at large after the former president himself. [1]
  • Italian official Marco Calamai resigns from the U.S.-led administration running Iraq, stating that "The provisional authority simply doesn't work". He says that the Iraqis are becoming angry and that the UN needs to step in. He accuses the US of underestimating the complexity of Iraq's social structure. [1]
• Tony Blair publicly defends his decision to invite President Bush to the UK on a state visit. [1]
• John Allen Muhammad is unanimously convicted of all four counts in the indictment against him, including two charges of capital murder, committed during the October 2002 sniper shootings in the Washington, DC metro area. The jury is currently deciding whether Muhammad will be sentenced to death or to life in prison. [1]
• People living near remote submarine bases in the West Highlands of Scotland are to be issued with potassium iodate tablets in case of a nuclear accident. [1]
• Coca eradication: The White House Drug Policy Office claims the area planted with coca in Peru and Bolivia combined fell by 35 km² in the year up to June, suggesting that the coca eradication program in neighboring Colombia was not driving production over the borders. But the US figures were very different from preliminary estimates in September by the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Colombia, which suggested output in Peru and Bolivia may have risen by as much 21 per cent this year.[1]
• Chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov is level-pegging against X3D Fritz after 3 games played. [1]
• The United States contract bridge team defeats the team from Italy to win the 2003 Bermuda Bowl in Monaco. After thirteen days and over 1000 hands of bridge, the US team wins by one point, after Italian Lorenzo Lauria plays the wrong card from the dummy to lose the last hand. [1]

November 16, 2003

• The Serbian presidential election fails as only 38% of the registered electorate show up to vote. About 18% of registered voters cast a vote for Tomislav Nikolic, 14% for Dragoljub Micunovic, 4% for Velimir Ilic, and 3% for other candidates. With a turnout of less than 50%, the poll is declared invalid. [1]
• Occupation of Iraq:
  • An audio-tape, purportedly from Saddam Hussein, airs on the Dubai station al-Arabiya. The CIA later informs that it is probably not the voice of Saddam Hussein. [1]
  • At least 2 loud blasts echo across Baghdad after dark on Sunday night. [1]
  • Top Iraqi scientist Dr. Modher Sadeq-Saba al-Tamimi flees to Iran. After 8 months without work, and with no clear plans from the occupying Coalition, the scientist seeks work abroad. Iranian officials deny the claims. [1]
  • In the United Kingdom, Tony Blair faces the "electoral poison" of U.S. President George W. Bush's state visit next week. [1] [1] [1]
• A BBC poll suggests that there is dangerously poor AIDS awareness in China and India; the poll leaves little grounds for optimism. [1]
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict: In Israel, four former heads of Shin Bet say Israel is heading for disaster unless Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's right-wing government changes its policies with regard to the Palestinians and begins negotiations. [1] Ministers accuse the former security heads of creating a controversy for political reasons. [1]
• A 7.5-magnitude earthquake in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska triggers tsunami warnings.
• 2003 Rugby Union World Cup: England beats France 24-7 in high winds and heavy rain in the World Cup semi-final. [1]

November 15, 2003

• Two car bombs explode outside synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey, at about 0700 UTC (1000 local time), killing at least 20 people and injuring another 250. A radical Islamist group, the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front, claims responsibility. [1]
• In Louisiana, conservative Democrat Kathleen Blanco defeats Republican Bobby Jindal to become the first woman governor elected from that state. Jindal is the son of immigrants from India. [1]
• One hundred thousand people of various organisations demonstrate in Paris on occasion of the last day of the European Social Forum [1].
• Occupation of Iraq:
  • Iraq's Governing Council announces that sovereignty is to be restored to Iraq in June 2004, with full elections to be held in 2005. [1] [1]
  • Two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters crash near Mosul in northern Iraq. Reports suggest one helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and it then collided with the other helicopter. Latest reports suggest 17 dead and 5 injured. [1] [1] [1] [1]
  • One U.S. soldier is killed and 2 are injured in a roadside blast in northern Baghdad. [1]
• Former United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Robin Cook expresses puzzlement as to why George W. Bush should have been invited for a state visit to the UK. [1] Opinion polls suggest that 60% of the British people think President Bush is a threat to world peace. [1]
• Police in Hebei province, People's Republic of China, arrest a suspected serial killer alleged to have killed at least 65 people. [1]
• In Saint-Nazaire, France, 15 people, including 2 children, die and 32 are injured or missing when a gangway falls off the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship, which has just finished construction. [1] [1]
• 2003 Rugby Union World Cup: In the semi-finals Australia defeats New Zealand by 22 points to 10 to win a place in next weekend's final. [1]

November 14, 2003

• 2003 California recall: California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley officially certifies the recall election and he declares Arnold Schwarzenegger the Governor-Elect. The swearing-in is set to take at 11:00am PST on Monday November 17 on the steps of the State Capitol in Sacramento, California.
• Four former heads of Israel's internal security criticise the policies of the right wing Likud-led government of Ariel Sharon towards Palestinians and say the policies if not changed would see Israel "headed for (an) abyss". The four headed the security services for two decades between 1980 and 2000. [1]
• In Paris over 40,000 people participate in the European Social Forum.
• Attempting to calm fears that the recent takeover of oil giant YUKOS will mean a return to the era of a state-managed economy, Russian president Vladimir Putin tells Russian businessmen that the government is not planning to take control of the economy. [1]
• Politics of Canada: Paul Martin is elected leader of the Liberal Party. He becomes Prime Minister-designate and will assume office upon Jean Chrétien's retirement sometime between now and February. [1]
• The US trade deficit with the People's Republic of China hit a record USD $12.7 billion in September, with imports from mainland China also a record at $14.8 billion. For the first nine months of this year, the total trade deficit was $89.7 billion. At this pace, it will surpass the record of $103 billion set in 2002. [1]
• Occupation of Iraq:
  • During his visit to London, President Bush plans to meet the families of UK troops killed in Iraq. [1]
  • Two US troops are killed near Samarra when their vehicle is blown up. [1] US forces kill seven Iraqis thought to have been preparing a rocket attack. [1]
  • Pentagon bans cameras at funerals in Arlington National Cemetery. Coverage of bodies arriving at Dover Air Force Base is already banned. [1]
• Economy of Japan: Japan's economy grows 0.6% in Q3 to give the 7th quarter of growth after a long recession. [1]
• War on Terrorism: A leaked UN report claims that attempts to cut off the flow of funds to al-Qaeda are being undermined by lack of will. [1]
• Politics of Germany: German opposition party CDU votes to expel Member of Parliament Martin Hohmann after he made a speech that was widely criticised for being anti-Semitic. [1]
• India and the People's Republic of China hold joint naval exercises near Shanghai. [1]

November 13, 2003

• SCO v. IBM: SCO Group files subpoenas for Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds. [1]
• A British Daily Mirror opinion poll suggests nearly half the people of the United Kingdom see the United States as the biggest threat to world peace and are opposed to President Bush's state visit to the UK. [1]
• A Belfast Telegraph opinion poll in Northern Ireland in the run up to the Northern Ireland Assembly elections predicts that the Ulster Unionist Party will remain the largest unionist party, defeating the Democratic Unionist Party, while the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party, contrary to many expections, will outpoll Sinn Féin. At the start of the campaign, many commentators had predicted that both the DUP and Sinn Féin would topple their rivals. [1]
• Occupation of Iraq:
  • Japan delays sending troops to Iraq because of the worsening security situation. [1]
  • According to military analysts, recent attacks on coalition forces in Iraq are, reportedly, part of a guerrilla strategy to isolate the United States during attempts to achieve international support for rebuilding the country. [1]
  • With growing insurgency in Iraq and increasing criticism in the United States, the White House is pushing for faster action on crucial aspects of its strategy toward Iraq, accelerating the timetable for Iraqi self-government, redoubling military efforts against insurgents via Operation Iron Hammer, and increasing efforts to convince the American public of the long-term benefit of the transformation of Iraq. [1]
• Mass media:
  • Leading Saudi Arabian newspaper al-Riyadh (which often reflects government thinking) claims that Qatar's Al Jazeera television coverage of the bombing in Riyadh is aimed at inciting more violence. [1]
  • Thirty media outlets claim, with two separate letters sent to The Pentagon, that United States troops are harassing journalists in Iraq and sometimes confiscating equipment, digital camera media and videotapes. A statement by a Pentagon official states the military is aware of reports that soldiers had sometimes not followed procedures on dealing with the media and promises to take appropriate action.[1]
• In Canada, the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP rules that the police force used excessive force during the anti-globalization protests at the Quebec City Summit of the Americas FTAA negotiations in April 2001. [1]
• The Economy: Germany, France and the Netherlands, which together account for more than half the economic activity of the eurozone, report returns to growth in the third quarter as a global economic recovery stokes demand for exports. [1]
• Chief Justice of Alabama Roy Moore is removed from office by the Alabama Court of Judiciary for failure to remove Ten Commandments monument from court house pursuant to order by U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson. [1]
• A British court rejects a request by the Russian government for extradition of Akhmed Zakayev, an envoy of the Chechen rebels, who is accused of being a terrorist and having committed a number of crimes including kidnapping, murdering Russian soldiers, and levying war. The request was denied on the grounds that Mr. Zakayev was considered likely to be tortured if he was extradited, which would make such deportation illegal under article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The prosecution's evidence was described as a "farce" by one BBC reporter, and reminiscent of Soviet-era show trials. [1] [1] [1]
• Cybercrime: Californian man is fined and sentenced to community service for cracking into the website of satellite TV network Al Jazeera during the war in Iraq. [1]
• United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan holds talks with Bolivia's President Carlos Mesa, Cabinet, indigenous leaders, and local UN staff during the final leg of his South American tour. The visit came several weeks after the tumultuous Bolivian Gas War forced the previous president out of office. [1]
• Immigration: Long known as a haven of multicultural tolerance, the Netherlands' integration policy comes under scrutiny. [1]
• Science: Craig Venter and his group announce creation of artificial virus that reproduces, and put the technology into the public domain. [1]

November 12, 2003

• Occupation of Iraq:
  • A top-secret CIA intelligence report warns about growing numbers of Iraqis concluding the coalition can be defeated and supporting the resistance. The CIA report also cautions that more aggressive counterinsurgency tactics will induce other Iraqis to join the resistance. Slate magazine notes the new anti-insurgency measures in "postwar Iraq" means the situation is "Iraq War – Phase II." [1]
  • In response to a leaked report, Paul Bremer says that terrorists "are trying to encourage the Iraqi people to believe that the United States is not going to stay the course". The CIA report says that the incipient insurgency is deep rooted, growing rapidly and not confined to ex-Baathists. class="external">[1
  • President Bush and senior advisers meet in Washington to determine how to move forward in Iraq, given the slow progress of the Iraqi Governing Council and the deteriorating political situation as outlined in the CIA report. [1]
  • Thirty-one people, mostly members of Italian security forces, are killed in a mid-morning truck bombing in Nasiriya. Italian opposition politicians call for a pullout from Iraq. [1] [1]
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Palestinian parliament approves a new cabinet led by Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei. [1]
• The United Kingdom government announces plans to introduce identity cards, which are intended to eventually become compulsory. [1]
• The Peruvian Congress approves more charges against ex-President Alberto Fujimori, alleging he trafficked arms to Colombian guerrillas, sanctioned torture, was responsible for the disappearance of student activists, and mismanaged millions of dollars from Japanese charities to build schools for poor children in Peru, with an unexplained $2.3 million shortfall in funds received, among other irregularities.

November 11, 2003

• The US Senate backs legislation imposing sanctions on Syria; the bill allows the president to adjust sanctions as a function of Syria's co-operativeness. [1]
• Following yesterday's WTO decision, the People's Republic of China and Japan indicate that they will retaliate against US tariffs on steel imports if the US fails to amend its policy. [1]
• U.S. Presidential election, 2004: George Soros pledges USD $15.5 million to help defeat President George W. Bush in 2004. Soros says a "supremacist ideology" guides the White House and describes the US under the Bush administration as a danger to the world. [1]
• War on Terrorism: An Arab magazine claims to have received an e-mail from a member of the Al Qaeda group claiming responsibility for Saturday's bombing in Riyadh that killed 17 people and injured over 100. [1]
• Occupation of Iraq:
  • The Coalition detains about 20 people suspected of links to al-Qaida. [1]
  • Mayor of Fallujah says a US general threatens stern measures unless attacks on coalition forces stop. [1]
  • The British government and foreign policy establishment pushes privately for an early handover of sovereignty to Iraqis; they say the US shows too little sense of urgency. [1]
  • An Annenberg Public Policy Center poll, taken during widespread publicity over army helicopter shootdowns, says there has been a shift in US public opinion, now split about evenly over whether the war in Iraq is worthwhile. [1] [1] [1]
  • There is a rising trend of complaints from returning National Guardsmensmen and reservists as they return to work after assignments. [1]
• The Control Risks Group reports that London is the leading terrorist target in Western Europe due to British involvement in Iraq and the UK's large Muslim population. [1]
• Large parts of central London are to be sealed off during US President George W. Bush's state visit to the United Kingdom next week. Due to security concerns Bush is to be denied the traditional state ceremonial carriage-ride up the Mall to Buckingham Palace normally accorded to heads of state. [1]
• Toyota nudges out Ford in Q3 to become the world's second-largest manufacturer of automobiles behind General Motors. [1]
• Pornographer Larry Flynt states that he has bought topless photos of famous Iraq war soldier Jessica Lynch and was planning to publish them in January 2004; later, he says