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December 20032003: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → A timeline of events in the news for December, 2003. - Papal Nuncio to Burundi, Irish-born Archbishop Michael Courtney, is killed in an ambush. http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1113827,00.html
- The United States Department of Homeland Security announces that it will require armed security personnel on all airline flights, whether US or foreign carriers, when the department has intelligence that there is a threat to a flight. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/30/politics/30TERR.html?ex=1073365200&en=b2c710d712341409&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
- Cuban officials are investigating who is responsible for altering a photograph of Fidel Castro on the front page of the official government newspaper, Granma, to make him look like Adolf Hitler. http://www.guardian.co.uk/cuba/story/0,11983,1113857,00.html
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation issues a memo instructing police to be alert of people carrying almanacs, stating that information in these reference works could be used to aid in the planning of terrorist attacks. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3564366,00.html
- After getting FCC approval on December 19, News Corporation Ltd. completed a US$7.6 billion cash and stock deal to buy control of Hughes Electronics and its DirecTV satellite television division from General Motors. http://www.hughes.com/ir/pr/03_12_22_gmh.asp
- The People's Republic of China plans to peg its currency, the yuan, to a basket of ten currencies instead of only the U.S. dollar, according to its state press. http://money.inq7.net/breakingnews/view_breakingnews.php?yyyy=2003&mon=12&dd=22&file=9
- Parmalat is likely to declare "controlled administration" as Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said the government would intervene and "above all save the industrial part of the company and jobs". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3339459.stm
- Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher is assaulted by Palestinians during prayer at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Mr. Maher was taken to an Israeli hospital for observation as a result of the incident after being treated at the scene by the Magen David Adom. After several hours care in the hospital, he was escorted to his airplane by an Israeli cardiologist and paramedic. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/23/international/middleeast/23MIDE.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3341435.stm
- A list of people who have declined a British honour was leaked to The Sunday Times. The list includes David Bowie, David Hockney, Aldous Huxley, Nigella Lawson, and Harold Pinter. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-938915,00.html, http://politics.guardian.co.uk/whitehall/story/0,9061,1111643,00.html, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/22/ngong22.xml&sSheet=/portal/2003/12/22/ixportal.html
- The Gulf Cooperation Council announces that they will revise school textbooks and remove from them material describing followers of other religions as infidels and enemies of Islam. http://english.aljzeera.net/NR/exeres/B97096D6-41FB-416A-9980-818FF4E26AAC.htm
- SCO v. IBM:
- An earthquake strikes near San Simeon, California, at 19:15 UTC (11:15 PST). The quake registers a 6.5 magnitude on the Richter Magnitude Scale, and causes two deaths from the collapse of a building in the town of Paso Robles. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/12/22/ca.earthquake/index.html,http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsUS/Quakes/nc40148755.htm
- The Philippines declares a calamity in a southern province after floods killed up to 209 people. http://asia.news.yahoo.com/031223/3/19vvc.html
- "The American Soldier" is named as TIME magazine's "Person of the Year". The periodical's editors chose the anonymous soldier to represent the 1.4 million men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces. http://www.time.com/time/personoftheyear/2003/ http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=3&u=/ap/20031221/ap_on_re_us/time_person_of_the_year http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-12-21-time-person_x.html http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,106330,00.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3533323,00.html http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=22&art_id=qw1072012685498B211&set_id=1 http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_503640,00050001.htm
- Citing increased "chatter" regarding potential terrorist attacks over the holiday period, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security raises its terrorism alert level from "elevated" (yellow) to "high" (orange). http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=4028248
- A senior French police source claims Diana, Princess of Wales was pregnant when she was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997. A Clarence House spokesperson for The Prince of Wales refuses to comment on the issue. Mohamed Al-Fayed, the father of Diana's partner Dodi Al-Fayed had long insisted that Diana was pregnant with Dodi's baby and that she was murdered to stop her from giving birth. http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=475166 http://www.itv.com/news/1839342.html
- Quoting an unnamed senior British military intelligence officer, a report in the Sunday Express (Britain) claims that before Saddam Hussein was captured by US troops, he had already been discovered by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Kurdish forces had been alerted to his location by a member of the al-Jabour tribe whose daughter had been raped by Saddam's son Uday Hussein. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/21/1071941609659.html
- Retired Gen. Wesley Clark presented 4,000 petition signatures to qualify for South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary ballot today. He's the second of the nine candidates for the Democratic nomination to file for the February 3 ballot. Campaign workers for Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts gave the state Democratic Party a check for $2,500 last week to qualify.
- The Holy See announces plans to beatify the last Austro-Hungarian emperor Karl. Karl, who was overthrown in 1918 and died in exile in 1922, is expected to be beatified, a step to sainthood, in the next year. Karl's widow, Zita of Bourbon-Parma died in 1989. His son, former Crown Prince Otto von Habsburg was until recently a German MEP. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031220/en_afp/vatican_pope_austria_031220185645 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031220/od_uk_nm/oukoe_pope_emperor_1
- CCTV footage at Hampton Court Palace near London, once home of King Henry VIII of England, is released, and claimed to show a "ghost". The footage, taken in October 2003, shows a man in 16th century clothes closing a firedoor that had blown open. The palace markets itself as one of Britain's most haunted locations. http://www.itv.com/news/1720815.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3336299.stm
- Celebrations marking the Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase culminate in New Orleans, Louisiana. http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/1203/20louisiana.html
- Irish charity fundraiser John O'Shea attacks Manchester United football manager Sir Alex Ferguson as "greedy" for demanding 90,000 to attend a cancer charity function in Ireland in 1999. According to O'Shea, a sports celebrity demanding 'appearance money' from a charity is unheard of in his experience. Ferguson's appearance fee amounted to half the money raised. The fundraisers, until now unaware that Ferguson had taken half the proceeds, denounce his behaviour and say if they had known about it at the time they would have cancelled the event.
- Former Argentinian president Carlos Menem is charged with tax fraud for failing to declare a Swiss bank account containing $600,000. If convicted he could be debarred from public office. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3336367.stm
- The World Court says it will hear legal arguments about Israel's construction of a controversial barrier in the West Bank to separate Israeli and Palestinian areas. The hearings will begin on 23 February 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3336229.stm
- Spanish Prime Minister Jos Mara Aznar pays a surprise visit to Spanish troops in Iraq. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3336565.stm
- Massive landslides in The Philippines caused by heavy rain result in the deaths of up to 90 people. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3336327.stm
- A Malaysian opposition website is shut down by its British web-hosting company amid claims of "political censorship" from the opposition. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3337019.stm
- Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai tells his supporters to "fight fear" as they campaign against President Robert Mugabe. His comments follow the decision of Zimbabwe's police to occupy the offices of Zimbabwe's only privately owned newspaper in defiance of a court order that the newspaper could resume publication. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3337147.stm
- Eleven people, mainly young people from Germany, die in a bus crash in Belgium. http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-12955762,00.html
- In Comoros, leaders signed an agreement clearing the way for legislative elections in April. http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=38549&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=COMOROS
- NASA announces that the new name for the "Space Infrared Telescope Facility" will be the Spitzer Space Telescope (after the late Dr. Lyman Spitzer, Jr.). This coincides with the release of the telescope's first images, which show the glowing stars of the Elephant's Trunk nebula, the dusty arms of the Messier 81 spiral galaxy, a disc of planet-forming debris, and organic material 3.25 billion light years away. http://sirtf.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2003-06/release.shtml http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_2517041,00.html http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8210502%255E1702,00.html
- Legal status of suspected terrorists:
- Capture of Saddam Hussein: a Jordanian news source claims that Saddam Hussein was drugged and betrayed by his personal bodyguard, General Mohammed Ibrahim Omar al-Muslit, a member of his own family. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,6119,2-10-1460_1461125,00.html
- The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rules to disqualify Spanish athlete Johann Mhlegg and Russian athlete Olga Danilova from all the cross-country skiing races they participated in during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and thus withdraw their medals, due to doping by darbepoetin. http://www.tas-cas.org/en/medias/media3.htm
- Prosecutors in California charge singer Michael Jackson with seven counts of child molestation and schedule hearings for January 16, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/showbiz/3323237.stm
- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warns the Palestinian Authority that Israel will take unilateral steps to separate from the Palestinians unless there is progress on the road map peace plan and sets a deadline of "a few months" for Palestinian compliance. The speech is strongly criticised by the United States, the Israeli left, the Jewish settler movement and the Palestinians. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3332361.stm
- Red Hat, in its third quarter, buys Sistina Software. Red Hat expects that it will close the deal by early January for $31 million dollars. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/34598.html
- Sudanese authorities close the Khartoum office of the Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera and detain its bureau chief for questioning. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031219/ap_on_re_af/sudan_al_jazeera
- Linux kernel 2.6.0 is released by Linus Torvalds.
- Capture of Saddam Hussein:
- 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 downtown Baghdad, 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:
- Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr are convicted for their roles in the August 2002 murders of 10-year-old Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in the English village of Soham. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3312551.stm
- Taiwan reports the first confirmed SARS 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
- The United States National Weather Service warns of "excessive heat" after the Earth reportedly breaks out of its orbit and begins falling into the sun. Fortunately, it turns out to be a mistakenly published test message. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=17000138
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final part of Peter Jackson's film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, goes on broad public release in the United States and much of Europe. 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 in Brazzaville.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 of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may have occurred through blood transfusion. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3327745.stm
- Former Governor 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 of Illinois. 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
- Islam in France: the hidjab issue: President of France Jacques Chirac announces that he will support a ban on the wearing of Muslim headscarves, Jewish yarmulkes and large Christian crosses 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 Adventures, a space tourist company, announces that two American customers have paid to board a Soyuz spacecraft on its journey to the International Space Station and back in 2004 and 2005. http://www.spacedaily.com/news/tourism-03d.html
- Capture of Saddam Hussein:
- Congressman Jim McDermott suggests that George W. Bush timed the capture of Saddam Hussein for political gain. http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-saddam-mcdermott,0,2235697,print.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines
- The Israeli military reveals it developed a secret plan to assassinate Saddam Hussein in retaliation for Scud missile attacks on that country during the Gulf War. The plan was called off after five commandos were accidentally killed while training for the mission. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/16/israel_saddam031216
- Saddam Hussein's daughter, Raghad Saddam Hussein, tells the Dubai-based Al Arabiya television network, Saddam "should not be tried by the [Iraqi] governing council which was put in place by occupiers ... we want an international, fair and legal trial". http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1108190,00.html
- Occupation of Iraq:
- Prosecutors in Santa Barbara, California, announce that they will file charges against the singer Michael Jackson on December 18 or 19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/showbiz/3323237.stm
- A major expansion of British airports is announced by the UK government, with Stansted, Heathrow and Birmingham set to gain extra runways. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3322277.stm
- An advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that the morning-after pill (for emergency contraception) be made available without a prescription. http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/12/16/morning.after.pill/index.html
- Somalia: 31 people die in the course of fighting between rival militias.http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031217/ap_on_re_af/somalia_fighting
- A plot by militants linked to Al Qaeda to blow up the United Kingdom embassy in Yemen is foiled. http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=421471§ion=news
- Germany announces plans to commemorate gay victims of the Nazi Holocaust, with a monument to be erected in central Berlin. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3314887.stm
- Queen Elizabeth II has a benign non-cancerous growth removed from her face. Buckingham Palace confirms the removed growths will be subject to further tests but denies there are any cancer fears surrounding the 77 year old sovereign. She also underwent a knee operation. http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-12947243,00.html
- Canada's BC Ferry system returns to normal operations after the company and its union agree to commit to binding arbitration. http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_strike_two20031212
- A European Union defence policy is agreed upon by Britain, France and Germany at the beginning of an EU summit in Brussels where the member countries will discuss a forthcoming constitution for the EU. Defence policy: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3312265.stm; EU constitution: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3252628.stm.
- Paul Martin, Jr. is appointed Canada's 21st Prime Minister, and takes his oath of office along with his cabinet. Notable Ministers include Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan in Domestic Security, Ralph Goodale in Finance, Pierre Pettigrew in Health and Intergovernmental Affairs, Lucienne Robillard in Industry, Irwin Cotler in Justice, Bill Graham in Foreign Affairs and David Pratt in Defence. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/12/martin_cab031212
- In Haiti the biggest anti-government demonstrations in a decade take place, calling for the removal of President Aristide; after nightfall, squadrons of armed Aristide supporters take to the streets in response. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/haiti/7473826.htm http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/13/whait13.xml&sSheet=/portal/2003/12/13/ixportal.html
- Mick Jagger is knighted. http://www.nynewsday.com/entertainment/nyc-mick1213,0,6245456.story?coll=nyc-ent-short-navigation
- According to a poll published in the Israeli daily Maariv, half of Israelis distrust their Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=421224§ion=news
- In the central province Bie, Angola, a land mine explodes and kills 6 Angolan staff of the international humanitarian organization, CARE. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031218/ap_on_re_af/angola_mine_explosion
- Spamming: Virginia indicts two men (one arrested) on felony charges for violating state laws on bulk e-mail solicitations. http://www.wtop.com/?sid=150989&nid=25 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-12-11-spam_x.htm
- Electronic voting comes under scrutiny at a conference in Maryland. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/15/technology/15neco.html?ex=1072155600&en=9c98ed85b043f73f&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,113879,00.asp
- According to Pentagon investigations, Halliburton overcharged the US army for fuel in Iraq. Dick Cheney was chairman of Halliburton prior to becoming Vice President of the United States. http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20031211_2133.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/12/12/MNGTA3LVD21.DTL
- In Israel, an explosion at a money exchange office in a shopping district near the city center of Tel Aviv at 1230 local time (1030 UTC) kills three and injures at least eighteen people. Police say the cause of the explosion was probably criminal rather than terrorist. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3309825.stm
- A general strike in Quebec interrupts road and port traffic as well as non-essential surgeries and day-care service in Montreal, Quebec City, and Trois-Rivires. The strike was called in opposition to the Charest government's policies. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/11/quebec_031211
- US Economy: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 10,000 for the first time since May 24, 2002. http://www.washtimes.com/business/20031211-094903-1269r.htm http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/a/2003/12/11/national1610EST0666.DTL
- The Inuit Circumpolar Conference says it hopes to petition the inter-American human rights system to rule that Inuit basic rights are being violated by global warming. They claim that the greenhouse effect, exacerbated by the failure of Russia and the USA to sign the Kyoto Protocol, will lead to the destruction of their way of life. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/11/inuit031211 http://north.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=dec11inuitright11122003
- Western leaders are criticised at the World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva. http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=3968760§ion=news
- 2004 Taiwan Presidential Election: President Chen Shui-bian is officially nominated by his Democratic Progressive Party and picks Vice President Annette Lu as his running mate. http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V1414.AP-Taiwan-Vice-Pre.html
- Campaign finance reform, passed as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, is upheld by a slim majority of the U.S. Supreme Court. http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031210-102525-5148r, http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/03pdf/02-1674.pdf
- Canada's BC Ferry system experiences a total shutdown due to job action by its union, after an 80-day cooling-off period, imposed by the provincial government, was not rescinded. http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_strikepm20031210
- The Barron Report into the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings in 1974 concludes that the Ulster Volunteer Force was responsible for the largest terrorist attack in the history of the Irish Troubles, which killed 33 people. It also concludes that some members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British military intelligence may have been involved in the attacks. The report strongly criticises the Irish National Coalition government (1973-77) for its handling of the crisis and criticises the United Kingdom for failures to offer assistance and information to track down the murderers. http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/1210/bombings.html
- Shirin Ebadi of Iran receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. In her acceptance speech she delivers heavy criticism against the War on Terrorism as an excuse for human rights violations. She also repeats her argument that discrimination against women in Muslim countries has no foundation in religion, but rather in culture. http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=688293 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3306803.stm
- Occupation of Iraq:
- Following electoral success in the Northwest Territories general election, 2003 Joe Handley is unopposed for election as premier of the Northwest Territories by the legislature. Two prospective opponents had chosen not to run against him. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/10/nwt_premier031210
- Scott Brison becomes the fourth caucus member of the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada to leave the new Conservative Party of Canada, crossing the floor to the Liberals. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1071056728899&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154
- Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, issues a proclamation officially acknowledging the deportation of the Acadians, 248 years after it took place. The proclamation is delivered by Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, who is of Acadian descent. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/10/acadian031210
- The European Commission refuse to approve a controversial genetically modified sweet corn, thus de facto refusing to lift the moratorium on GMOs. See also Trade war over genetically modified food.
- The United States Congress passes the Can Spam Act of 2003. http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/12/08/HNspambill_1.html
- King Harald V of Norway successfully undergoes a 5½-hour cancer operation in which his bladder is removed and a new one constructed, at Rikshospitalet University Hospital in Oslo. http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=686979
- German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries unveils a draft bill aimed at policing company accounts following the Enron and WorldCom scandals in the USA. http://www.finance24.co.za/Finance/Companies/0,,1518-24_1456622,00.html
- South Dakota Congressman Bill Janklow is convicted of a series of criminal charges including second-degree manslaughter, which can carry a prison term of up to 10 years. He says he will resign his congressional seat. http://www.msnbc.com/news/999765.asp?vts=120820031804&cp1=1
- The new Conservative Party of Canada, resulting from the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, is officially registered with Elections Canada. The party's first interim leader is John Lynch-Staunton, with a leadership race scheduled for March 2004. http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031208.wmerg1208/BNStory/National/
- In San Juan, Puerto Rico, four men are killed and a woman critically injured during a massacre in a discotheque. It is the largest massacre in Puerto Rico since 1988. http://vocero.com/noticia.asp?n=36816&d=12/9/2003 (in Spanish)
- British musician Ozzy Osbourne is seriously injured in an ATV accident. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=9&u=/ap/20031208/ap_on_en_tv/osbourne_accident
- 750,000 people crowd the streets of London to see the victory parade of the England rugby team following their victory in the Rugby Union World Cup. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/rugby_world_cup/3299835.stm
- Rubn Gonzlez, the successful Cuban pianist, dies at home in Havana, at the age of 84. http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,1103619,00.html
- Greek electronic game ban: The Greek government in an attempt to fight illegal gambling passes a new decision (1107414/1491/T. & E. F.) regarding the 3037/2002 law.
- Australian Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett stands aside after allegedly assaulting Liberal Jeannie Ferris on the floor of Parliament. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1005103.htm
- Occupation of Iraq:
- The USA admits that at least nine children have been mistakenly killed in a bombing attack near Ghazni, Afghanistan. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3297575.stmhttp://interestalert.com/brand/siteia.shtml?Story=st/sn/12060000aaa06ae9.upi&Sys=siteia&Fid=LATEBRKN&Type=News&Filter=Late%20Breaking
- Delegates representing the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada vote 90% to 10% in favour of forming a union with the Canadian Alliance. The Alliance approved the measure even more overwhelmingly yesterday, with 96% support. The new party is to style itself the Conservative Party of Canada. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/06/tories_vote031206
- The first major winter storm strikes the North East United States. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=U2L1QQTAK433OCRBAEOCFEY?type=topNews&storyID=3949879
- Experts say that the US flu season will be worse than average, but they are not yet ready to say how bad it will be. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-flu-severity,0,4102867.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines The USA is running out of the injectable version of the vaccine and is encouraging people to use the nasal spray. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-flu-vaccine,0,5012242.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines
- Zimbabwe fails to find supporters at the Commonwealth Prime Minister's Conference in Nigeria. http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1069493769766&p=1012571727169
- George Clinton, founder of P-Funk, is arrested for cocaine possession in Tallahassee, Florida. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=529&ncid=529&e=2&u=/ap/20031209/ap_en_ot/george_clinton_arrest_2
- Suicide bombers blow up a morning rush-hour commuter train in Russia's Northern Caucasus, on the border with Chechnya; at least 40 people are killed. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3294445.stm http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=586&e=2&u=/nm/20031205/wl_nm/russia_explosion_dc
- As part of a spending bill passed by the United States Congress this week, the University of California will have to compete for the management contract of all three of its national laboratories: Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, and Los Alamos. Previously, it was expected that only Los Alamos would be up for bidding. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/12/04/MNG0Q3FSQ51.DTL
- The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is opened in Abuja, Nigeria, by Queen Elizabeth II. The future of Zimbabwe's membership is threatening to dominate the gathering. The debate has been marked by bitter personal polemics between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Australian Prime Minister John Howard, whom Mugabe accuses of leading an "Anglo-Saxon conspiracy" against Zimbabwe. Mugabe himself is barred from entering the European Union. Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth last year on charges that Mugabe had rigged his re-election in 2002. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=470202http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8088518%255E401,00.html
- Members of the Canadian Alliance vote 96% to 4% in favour of forming a union with the Progressive Conservatives, called the Conservative Party of Canada. The Progressive Conservatives will vote tomorrow. http://www.cjad.com/content/cjad_news/article.asp?id=n120513A http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=4ED58154-89F5-4649-AFFA-DA6C5B386C73
- SCO v. IBM: in the opening discovery stages of the SCO v. IBM conflict, a judge grants IBM's two motions to compel against SCO, and defers consideration of SCO's motions until later.
- The 22nd SEA Games open in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This is the first time Vietnam has hosted the regional athletic event and the first time East Timor has sent a delegation. Indonesia and Vietnam are expected to top the medal tallies. http://english.seagames22.com.vn/ http://www.internationalgames.net/seagames.htm
- The draw for the qualifying stages of the 2006 Football World Cup is made. England, Wales and Northern Ireland are drawn together in group 6 of the Europe (UEFA) section, making the group three-quarters of a home nations championship - Scotland missed out by being drawn (amongst others) against Italy and Norway.
- Deng Pufang, Srgio Vieira de Mello, the Plaza de Mayo Grandmothers and others are announced as the winners of the UN human rights prizes, which are awarded every 5 years. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=9047&Cr=human&Cr1=rights http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3286865.stm
- Up to 50 employees of Australia's national postal service have been caught sending pornographic emails, including some involving children in sex acts, according to an investigation published by the Sydney-based Daily Telegraph. Two have been sacked, at least four have resigned, and dozens have been suspended pending further investigations. http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8058890%255E2,00.html
- In Kassel, Germany, the trial of Armin Meiwes begins. He is charged with killing and eating Bernd-Jrgen Brandes who was one of 200 people who replied to an Internet advertisement for "a well-built male prepared to be slaughtered and then consumed". The whole episode was videotaped. The case is legally difficult as cannibalism is not explicitly prohibited by the German penal code, and the defence argues that as the victim was willing, no murder took place. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3286721.stm
- The Russian government backtracks on statements made the previous day on the Kyoto Protocol, saying it is still considering ratification. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3288683.stm
- Two media figures are sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for fueling the 1994 Rwanda genocide; a third receives a 35-year prison term. http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/html/rwa031204.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3290621.stm
- Politics of Canada: Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal, Canada's first Indo-Canadian cabinet minister, announces he is leaving politics. Dhaliwal intends to quit his ministerial post when incoming Prime Minister Paul Martin swears in a new cabinet on December 12, and has indicated he will not seek re-election in the anticipated 2004 Canadian election. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/12/03/dhaliwal_031203
- In Abidjan, Cte d'Ivoire, police fire tear gas at hundreds of protesters who want France to withdraw its 3,800 peacekeepers so that the Christian and animist government of President Laurent Gbagbo in the south can march against Muslim rebel-held areas in the north. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3257264.stmhttp://www.iht.com/articles/119994.html
- The New Zealand parliament voted 68-52 to pass the Smokefree Environments Amendment Bill, introducing a progressive ban on smoking in all workplaces including offices, clubs, pubs, restaurants, airports, schools etc.
- Occupation of Iraq:
- World AIDS Day:
- The UN's International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda hands down a life sentence to Juvenal Kajelijeli, a former mayor of Mukingo, for his role in the 1994 genocide in which more than 500,000 Rwandans were killed. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=515&ncid=723&e=5&u=/ap/20031201/ap_on_re_af/un_rwanda_tribunal
- King Harald V of Norway is announced to be suffering from cancer of the bladder; he will be operated on next Monday, December 8. During the King's illness and two to three month convalescence, Crown Prince Haakon will be acting regent. http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=682035
- President Chen Shui-bian says that the hundreds of missiles the People's Republic of China has aimed at Taiwan justifies holding a referendum on independence. The referendum bill recently passed by the Legislative Yuan only allows votes on sovereignty if the country is attacked by a foreign power. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3252246.stm
- Boeing Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Phil Condit resigns, a week after the aviation giant fires its Chief Financial Officer in an ethics scandal. The move comes as the company faces scrutiny by the Defense Department for a government plan to acquire Boeing 767 planes for use as refueling tankers and answers questions about the ousters of two executives for ethical misconduct during the period it was being negotiated. Former McDonnell Douglas CEO Harry Stonecipher will succed Condit as CEO, while former Hewlett-Packard chairman and CEO Lewis Platt takes over as chairman. http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=412789§ion=finance
- In Flandreau, South Dakota, jury selection begins in the manslaughter trial of former South Dakota Governor and current US Congressman Bill Janklow. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,104431,00.html
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