September 2004
Time: 04:25 UTC |
Date: December 22 |
See also:
Current sports events
- The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, continuing a tour of Latin America, arrives in Puerto Rico for a two-day visit. He is scheduled to make several addresses on the subjects of human rights and demilitarization and to be awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Puerto Rico.
- Court officials arrive on the remote British territory of Pitcairn Island, which has only 47 inhabitants, to begin the trial of seven islanders, on charges of sexual abuse that date back more than 40 years.
- The United States agrees to release Yaser Esam Hamdi, who was born in the United States and raised in Saudi Arabia, after having held him for almost three years, without charges, as an "enemy combatant". In exchange, Hamdi agrees to relinquish his American citizenship and to never return to the United States.
- Conflict in Iraq: The governments of the United Kingdom and Iraq announce that they will not comply with the demands of the militant group Tawhid and Jihad, which has threatened to behead its hostage, British citizen Kenneth Bigley.
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season:
- Experts and officials from Interpol and 19 countries met Tuesday in Burkina Faso to elaborate a strategy to combat terrorism and crime in Africa. Countries participating included France, the United States, Britain, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Chad, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Benin, Burundi, Togo and Mauritania.
- Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan announce in a joint statement that have agreed work together on a plan for reforming the United Nations, including securing a permanent seat or seats on the UN Security Council for at least one of the four nations.
- The United States Senate, by a vote of 77–17, confirms the nomination of Porter Goss as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Some Democratic senators had charged that Goss is too partisan to deliver unbiased reports to the White House.
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season: The remnants of Hurricane Ivan, having circled back into the Gulf of Mexico, regenerate as a tropical depression; the storm is currently expected to strike Texas in the next few days as a tropical storm.
- The Republic of Ireland's telecommunications regulator, ComReg, announces that, starting on October 4, it will suspend direct-dial telephone services to thirteen island nations and dependencies, in order to counter telephone dialer scams which have cost some customers thousands of euros.
- The United States military drops espionage charges against Syrian-American airman Ahmad al Halabi after he pleads guilty to four lesser charges. The judge criticizes the prosecution for improperly handling key evidence and for failing to correct the mistranslation of a crucial document.
- Three members of Texans for a Republican Majority, a political action committee founded by Tom DeLay, Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, are indicted by a grand jury in Travis County, Texas on charges of money laundering and accepting illegal campaign contributions.
- U.S. President George W. Bush addresses a skeptical United Nations audience to discuss his plans regarding Iraq.
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season: The number of people confirmed dead in Haiti from the effects of Hurricane Jeanne rises to at least 691, with the number of missing at more than 1,000. The city of Gonaïves remains flooded, and thousands are homeless.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security intercepts a United Airlines flight from London, so that Yusuf Islam, the musician formerly known as Cat Stevens, can be arrested and deported for allegedly financially supporting groups linked to terrorism.
- Syria begins a "phased redeployment" of its forces in Lebanon (currently estimated at 20,000 troops), moving about 1,000 troops out of bases south of Beirut; it is not clear whether they will be redeployed in Lebanon or Syria. Earlier this month, UN Security Council Resolution 1559, drafted by the United States and France, called for all foreign troops to leave Lebanon.
- Defying a recent United Nations resolution, Iran announces that it will continue converting 37 tons (33,600 kg) of yellowcake uranium into uranium hexafluoride, a requirement for producing nuclear power plant fuel, but which some fear might be used to build nuclear weapons.
- Conflict in Iraq: Tawhid and Jihad, a militant group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, beheads American hostage Jack Hensley. The group threatens to behead the remaining hostage, Briton Kenneth Bigley, within 24 hours unless the United States meets its demands. Eugene Armstrong was beheaded yesterday.
- An earthquake swarm is currently in progress in the Adobe Hills about 18 miles (29 km) east of California's Mono Lake. Over 600 earthquakes have been recorded since September 18, including events of moment magnitude 4.8, 5,4, and 5.5.
- The United States formally lifts its general trade and aviation sanctions against Libya today, in response to Libya's decision last year to permit the removal of many of its weapons of mass destruction.
- The government of India announces that Tamil will be the first language recognized as a "classical language" in India. Government ministers add that Sanskrit and other languages could be granted the status, depending on their "heritage and legacy". The Indian government plans to create a center for the study of languages so designated.
- Three men are arrested in New Delhi, India for attempting to sell a 800 year old Tibetan Buddhist manuscript, which had been reported stolen from a monastery at Kalimpong, West Bengal several months earlier. The thieves attempted to sell the manuscript for 30 million rupees (535,000 euros), although experts say that it could be worth three times that much on the international market.
- Researchers at the University of Central Florida publish an article in the Lancet documenting a strong link between Crohn's disease and the bacterium Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis. This is the latest in a series of studies that strongly suggest a link between the bacterium and the disease.
- Darfur conflict: Peace talks between the Sudanese government and Darfurian rebels, which began three weeks ago, collapse. Sudan accuses the United States of prolonging the conflict by describing the actions of Arab militias in Darfur as genocide. Rebels will meet with Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo Friday evening to give their version of the story.
- U.S. presidential election: At a firehouse campaign rally in Hamilton, New Jersey, Sue Niederer, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, is arrested after disrupting a speech by First Lady Laura Bush.
- U.S. air raids in the city of Falluja, allegedly aimed at militants loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, kill an estimated 60 fighters, according to claims from the U.S. military. A spokesman for Iraq's health ministry says at least two women and 17 children were among the wounded. Meanwhile in central Baghdad, a suicide car bomb leaves at least 13 dead.
- Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev claims responsibility for the Beslan school massacre, saying that it was carried out by a "martyr battalion" from Riyadus-Salikhin, the group that he heads.
- In an interview with the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiyya satellite television network, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell plays down the importance of Wednesday's report by the State Department — which listed Saudi Arabia as a country that severely restricts religious freedom — saying that he hopes that he will be able to use dialogue to remove Saudi Arabia from the list.
- Prominent Saudis reject yesterday's declaration by the U.S. State Department that Saudi Arabia severely restricts religious freedom, arguing that the report that made the declaration was politically motivated.
- Manitoba becomes the fourth province, and the fifth jurisdiction, in Canada to legalize same-sex marriage.
- Afghan President Hamid Karzai survives an assassination attempt when a rocket misses his helicopter, bound for the city of Gardez, by some 300 yards (275 m). The helicopter returned to Kabul.
- Indonesia sentences Islamic militant "Ismail", also known as Ricky Putranto, to 12 years in prison for his role in the bombing of a Marriott hotel in Jakarta last year.
- The New York Times, citing unnamed U.S. government officials, reports that, in late July, the National Intelligence Council prepared a pessimistic classified report for President George W. Bush that predicted three likely outcomes for Iraq by the end of 2005, the best of which is "tenuous stability", and the worst of which is a descent into civil war.
- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan reluctantly describes the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as an "illegal" violation of the UN Charter, in response to repeated questions on the subject during a press conference.
- The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China convenes in Beijing for four days with speculation over whether Jiang Zemin will resign from his remaining post as Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
- HRH Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Christina Manley anounce their separation and eventual divorce.
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season:
- For the 12th consecutive year, the General Assembly of the United Nations rejects a request for the Republic of China (Taiwan) to be represented in the United Nations. This reiterates the Assembly's position that UN Resolution 2758, which admitted the People's Republic of China to the body, prevents Taiwan from being separately represented. Taiwan's supporters argue that the resolution did not give the People's Republic the exclusive right to represent the people of Taiwan. )]
- Canada's federal government and its provincial and territorial leaders reach an accord to increase funding for the country's national health care system. In exchange for an increase in federal funding of CAD 18 billion over the next six years, provincial and territorial leaders agree to reforms intended to reduce patient waiting times.
- In a report released today, the U.S. State Department for the first time places the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on its list of "countries of particular concern" (CPCs) that engage in "particularly severe violations" of religious freedom. A designation as a CPC requires the State Department to take whatever steps are necessary — up to the level of sanctions — to increase religious tolerance in the designated country.
- Six Palestinian gunmen and four others are killed, including an 11 year old girl by Israeli troops.
- In Afghanistan, three Americans are sentenced to up to 10 years imprisonment for illegally detaining and torturing Afghans, and for running an illegal private jail in Kabul. The defiant Americans — Jonathan Idema, Brent Bennett, and Edward Caraballo — say they intend to appeal the decision.
- A Countryside Alliance rally outside Britain's Parliament buildings, in opposition to a bill that would ban fox-hunting, descends into violence as protesters and police clash. Some protesters successfully breach security and enter the floor of the House of Commons. The bill later passes 339–155. (BBC: , )
- Five crew members of an Irish yacht, who had been adrift in a liferaft for seven days after abandoning their ship, are rescued by helicopter off the Cornwall coast of Britain. The crew members ran out of water on Monday and were running low on food when rescued.
- Both the European Union and the government of the United States express concern about Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement that, as a means of responding to terrorism, he would significantly alter Russia's political system. The Russian government rejects the United States' concerns as inappropriate interference in Russia's internal affairs. (Reuters: , )
- In Southern California, the radio system linking air traffic controllers to high-altitude planes breaks down at 17:00 local time, Tuesday (0000 UTC September 15), prompting the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to halt outgoing flights for three hours at Los Angeles International and several other airports.
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season:
- As of 13:00 local time (1800 UTC September 15), the center of Hurricane Ivan is located about 275 km (170 miles) south of the coast of Alabama and is moving northward at about 23 km/h (14 mph). The hurricane is now projected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast of the United States very early on Thursday. Forecasters now predict that there is little risk that the hurricane will pass over New Orleans. A hurricane warning is in effect for the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle.
- As Hurricane Ivan approaches the Gulf Coast of the United States, an estimated 1.9 million people, including 1.2 million residents of metropolitan New Orleans, are advised to evacuate. The situation is particularly dangerous for New Orleans, since a direct or close hit by the hurricane could breach the levees around the city, causing its streets to fill with a mixture of floodwater, raw sewage, gasoline, and chemicals.
- The China Times reports that the People's Republic of China has deployed heavily armed troops to guard the Three Gorges Dam from a possible terrorist attack.
- An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), by a vote of 15-8, recommends that warnings be added to antidepressants, stating that the medications can be linked to suicidal behavior in some children. The FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of its advisory panels, but usually does so.
- In the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person yet tried in the U.S. in relation to the 9/11 attacks, the court refuses to allow Moussaoui to call Camp X-Ray detainees as witnesses, but does allow him to use written evidence from some of the detainees. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Massaoui, who admits to being a member of al-Qaeda but denies involvement in the 9/11 plot.
- At least 45 people are killed and over 100 others are injured when a car bomb explodes in central Baghdad, Iraq. The blast leaves a three-meter (10 ft) crater in the road in a busy shopping area; many of the dead are Iraqi job-seekers who were queuing up outside a nearby police station.
- The United States lifts its siege of the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar after Turkey threatens to end all cooperation with the U.S. in Iraq if the attacks, which had killed many civilians in the largely Ontario Superior Court permits the first divorce of a same-sex couple in Canada (and perhaps the first in the world), declaring that the portion of Canada's Divorce Act that excludes same-sex marriages from the act's effects is unconstitutional.
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season:
- Hurricane warnings are issued for Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands in anticipation of Tropical Storm Jeanne, which is expected to become a hurricane by tomorrow.
- As of 13:00 local time (1800 UTC September 14), Hurricane Ivan is located about 650 km (405 miles) south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and is moving along a north-northwest path at about 9 mph (14.5 km/h). The hurricane is now projected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast of the United States on Thursday morning.
- As of 23:00 local time (0300 UTC September 14), Ivan is located about 60 km (40 miles) west-northwest of the western tip of Cuba. Forecasters are predicting landfall somewhere between eastern Louisiana and the panhandle of Florida late Wednesday.
- The center of Hurricane Ivan passes over the Guanahacabibes peninsula on the western tip of Cuba, flooding coastal areas, ripping roofs off houses, and knocking down trees and power lines, but sparing Cuba its worst effects.
- Following Time Warner's withdrawal, the management of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer accepts a take-over offer from Sony worth just under US$3 billion.
- A Fathers 4 Justice protester dressed as Batman breaches security at Buckingham Palace and scales a wall. He remains on a balcony for five hours before being arrested by police.
- United States Secretary of State Colin Powell says that he saw no direct connection between Saddam Hussein's former regime in Iraq and the September 11, 2001 attacks. During an interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Powell also said he believes that if John Kerry were president at the time of a terrorist attack he would respond in a "robust" way.
- The "pre-election offensive" against the Iraqi resistance continues in the rebel-held city of Fallujah, with air-strikes killing at least 16, including women and children. Joint U.S.-Iraqi forces say that they are targeting Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who is linked to al-Qaeda. The U.S. military says it is investigating an incident that occurred September 12th in Baghdad in which five people, including an al-Arabiya journalist broadcasting live, were killed in a helicopter attack.
- In Afghanistan, 22 insurgents believed to be members of the Taleban and al-Qaeda are killed in the province of Zabul. Zabul Province is widely regarded as a Taleban stronghold.
- Former UDA member Ken Barrett pleads guilty to the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989 — one of the most controversial murders of Northern Ireland's Troubles.
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season:
- Hurricane Ivan, still at Category Five strength, continues to travel northward, causing damage throughout the western Caribbean. As of 23:00 local time (0300 UTC September 13), it is located about 285 km (175 miles) southeast of the western tip of Cuba, and it is predicted that the eye of Ivan will pass over that part of the island Monday afternoon or evening.
- The Cuban government evacuates between 800,000 and 1.3 million people from coastal cities and developed areas. Cubans have begun calling the hurricane "Ivan the Terrible".
- A storm surge from Hurricane Ivan travels at least 1 km (0.6 mile) inland on Grand Cayman, the largest of the three islands of the Cayman Islands, forcing residents to seek shelter on their house roofs.
