May 2004

   


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< May 2004 >
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Deaths in May

• 28 Gerald Anthony
• 27 Umberto Agnelli
• 22 Richard Biggs
• 20 Len Murray
• 17 Tony Randall
• 17 Ezzedine Salim
• 9 Alan King
• 9 Akhmad Kadyrov
• 8(?) Nick Berg
• 7 Waldemar Milewicz
Other recent deaths

Ongoing events

Reconstruction of Iraq
– Occupation & Resistance
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Liberal Party of Canada scandal
War on Terrorism
USA 9-11 Commission
Same-Sex Marriage in the USA
Darfur genocide in the Sudan
Ongoing wars
Afghanistan timeline May 2004

Election results in May

• 02 Panama (general)
• 07 Iran (Majlis, 2nd round)
• 10 Philippines (general)
• 13 India (general)
• 16 Dominican Rep. (president)
• 20 Malawi (general)
• 23 Germany (president)

Related pages

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May 31, 2004

May 30, 2004

  • Thousands of people in Hong Kong take to the streets to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and to protest Beijing's recent moves to limit their autonomy. (VOA) (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=63E57B00-8EFA-4040-977A3D3D18CAAF50&title=Hong%20Kong%20Marks%20Tiananmen%20Anniversary&catOID=45C9C78B-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=Asia%20Pacific) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3761867.stm)
  • Pakistan test-fires a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, but claims it will not increase tensions with India. (PakistanLink) (http://www.pakistanlink.com/headlines/May04/30/03.html)
  • Saudi commandos storm the Khobar housing compound where Islamic militants were holding several dozen hostages, ending with 22 dead. (BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3762423.stm))
  • Thousands of Pakistani Sunni Muslims riot in Karachi, ransacking property, setting fire to four banks, and stoning vehicles after Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, an influential pro-Taliban cleric, is killed in a drive-by shooting. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Pakistan-Cleric-Killed.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3761409.stm)
  • Buddy Rice wins the 2004 Indianapolis 500 driving for Rahal Letterman Racing. (VOA) (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=37601F40-66FA-4895-A919F0BFCFC07A8F) (Sports Illustrated) (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/racing/05/30/bc.car.irl.indy500.fini.ap/)

May 29, 2004

  • The World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, DC, with around 200,000 people attending the ceremony. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5294161) (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/05/29/war.memorial/index.html)
  • Islamist militants attack two oil industry installations and a foreign workers' housing complex in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, killing at least 11 people and taking some 50 hostages. Saudi police attempt to storm the housing complex but withdraw after taking casualties. A previously unknown militant group styling itself "The Jerusalem Squadron" claims responsibility and says they are attacking "zionists and crusaders" who are there to "steal our oil and resources". (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/29/saudi.shooting/index.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3760287.stm)
  • U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner (in Massachusetts) rules that stating that someone is homosexual does not constitute libel or slander. (AP) (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Gay%20Defamation)
  • India flies its first multi-purpose civilian aircraft Saras in Bangalore. (Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow/708600.cms))
  • An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale occurs in the border area between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. (BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3761171.stm))

May 28, 2004

May 27, 2004

  • NASA announces the first Spitzer Space Telescope find: a planet that appears to be less than a million years old. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/28/science/28planet.html)

May 26, 2004

  • A signed peace accord marks an end to the 21-year civil war in Sudan. The Darfur conflict continues. (AP) (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/8773195.htm?1c)
  • Archaeologists discover what they term the 'world's oldest university' in Alexandria, Egypt. It dates from the 5th century AD. (Toronto Star) (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1085609411132&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037)
  • FBI Director Robert Mueller and United States Attorney General John Ashcroft state that Al Qaeda may be planning a terrorist strike over the coming months. Multiple FBI officials contend that there is no recent intelligence to suggest a significant change in the USA's security situation, and critics question the validity and timing of the public warning.(NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/27/politics/27terror.html?th) Seven people wanted for questioning are also named.
  • Journalist Peter Hounam, who had revealed Israel's secret nuclear program, is arrested in Jerusalem and denied access to a lawyer. He is released and expelled from the country the following day. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3752043.stm) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3759119.stm)
  • A man armed with a knife enters the mansion of Puerto Rican governor Sila María Calderón and takes a secretary hostage. Calderón negotiates with him for the hostage's release, and he is arrested soon after. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/05/27/puertorico.hostage.ap/index.html)
  • Football: FC Porto defeat AS Monaco FC 3-0 in the final of the UEFA Champions League (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/champions_league/3718645.stm)

May 25, 2004

  • As many as 1,000 people are killed in floods in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/05/25/caribbean.storms/index.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3756621.stm)
  • France bans the use of Bayer CropScience Gaucho (insecticide) on maize seeds. Gaucho is claimed to be harmful to bees. (Rtrs) (http://www.agriculture.com/worldwide/IDS/2004-05-25T172003Z_01_L25197546_RTRIDST_0_FOOD-FRANCE-GAUCHO-UPDATE-1.html)
  • Viacom's MTV Networks unit announces plans for the LOGO channel, the first LGBT-themed major cable television service in the United States, set for a February 17, 2005 debut. (Bloomberg) (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aff59Spo3R3A&refer=top_world_news) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5253784) (CNN) (http://money.cnn.com/2004/05/25/news/fortune500/mtv_gay_network/)
  • The Abel Prize is awarded in a ceremony in Oslo for the Atiyah-Singer index theorem. (AP) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=753&e=10&u=/ap/20040525/ap_on_sc/norway_abel_prize)
  • Tennis: At the French Open, a new world record for the longest match in the sport's recorded history is set when Frenchman Fabrice Santoro beats Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 16-14 after playing for 6 hours and 33 minutes, split over two days. (ESPN) (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french04/news/story?id=1809151)

May 24, 2004

  • A fire consumes the Momart building in London, destroying works owned by several museums and collectors. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3748179.stm)
  • Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Naimi declares that USD $30-$34 per barrel is a 'fair and reasonable price', denies any differences within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and vouchsafes to supply an additional 2 million barrels of crude a day if the market demands it. Previous reports of a deal between US President George W. Bush and Saudi Arabia are not discussed. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-OPEC-Oil.html) (Syd. Herald) (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/27/1082831569615.html?from=storyrhs)
  • Copyright infringement: The Recording Industry Association of America sues 493 more individuals under US copyright law and intends to discover their identities. Nearly 3000 people have now been sued by the RIAA since September 2003. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=musicNews&storyID=5239798)
  • Pakistan: Police arrest six more members of militant Islamic group Harkat-ul Mujahideen al-Alami after a gun-battle in southern Karachi. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5235605&section=news)
  • South Korean politics: South Korean Prime Minister Goh Kun resigns as announced last month. His successor has not yet been named by President Roh Moo-hyun. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5234339&section=news)
  • Philippine general election, 2004: Incumbent Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo wins another term according to a senior election official who leaks the narrow winning margin of about 3% or 900,000 votes. An independent watchdog group confirms the figures. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5236654&section=news)
  • The popular singer Madonna cancels three concerts in Israel after receiving letters in which her two young children's lives were threatened. The letters contained intimate details regarding the children's routines and security staff. (The Sun) (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004240450,00.html)
  • Football management changes:
  • Tennis: In one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history, sixth-seeded American Andre Agassi is eliminated from the first round of the French Open by world 271st-ranked French qualifier Jerome Haehnel. (VOA News) (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectid=2726B0DB-A264-456B-A8855F862519576D&title=Agassi%20Loses%20in%20First%20Round%20of%20French%20Open&catOID=45C9C788-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=Sports)

May 23, 2004

May 22, 2004

May 21, 2004

May 20, 2004

May 19, 2004

  • Citing "insufficient evidence", US Federal Judge Adalberto Jordan acquits environmental group Greenpeace on charges under the "sailormongering" statute. A record total of more than 100,000 people worldwide sent protest messages to George W. Bush and US Attorney General John Ashcroft demanding that the case be dropped. (Greenpeace) (http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/index.fpl/10386/article/1131.html) (OneWorld.net) (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0520-12.htm) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3731003.stm)
  • US Army kills 40 and wounds 117 others during an attack in Iraq near the border with Syria. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for the US military in Iraq, tells Reuters the attack was within the military's rules of engagement, denying reports that the victims were members of a wedding party. He says a large amount of money, Syrian passports and satellite communications equipment was found at the site after the attack. (Guardian) (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0521-01.htm) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5197140) (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/20/international/middleeast/20IRAQ.html?hp)
  • At least ten Palestinians are killed in Rafah, Gaza Strip, by an explosion following warning shots fired by the IDF. The road used by the Palestinians was strewn with explosives. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3728681.stm) (CNN) (http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/19/mideast/index.html) (FOX) (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120331,00.html)
  • Iraqi abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison:
    • The Denver Post has uncovered Pentagon documents that show more than twice as many allegations of detainee abuse (75) are being investigated by the military than previously known. Twenty-seven of the abuse cases involve deaths; at least eight are believed to be homicides. (Denver Post) (http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%7E11676%7E2157003,00.html)
    • The first U.S. soldier is sentenced after pleading guilty: Spc. Jeremy Sivits receives one year in prison, demotion and a dishonorable discharge. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/05/19/court.martial.sivits/index.html)
    • At least one British soldier is arrested for creating the faked British abuse photos. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/19/iraq.abuse.uk/index.html)
  • The British House of Commons is temporarily suspended after purple flour thrown by a Fathers 4 Justice protester hits Tony Blair during Prime Minister's Questions. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3728617.stm)
  • The Nationalist Party of China (KMT) and the People First Party announce plans to merge after a unanimous vote by the KMT Central Standing Committee. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3727439.stm)
  • A third outspoken Hong Kong radio talk show host, Allen Lee, quits his program, questioning the status of media freedom in the special administrative region; he also resigns from his seat in the Chinese National People's Congress. (VOA) (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=06C1C7DD-EA55-470B-85C8D5096899B578&title=Another%20Hong%20Kong%20Radio%20Host%20Leaves%20Airwaves&catOID=45C9C78B-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=Asia%20Pacific) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3727539.stm)
  • Rudy Giuliani testifies before the 9/11 panel. He defends the work of his commissioners before the September 11th Commission. (AP) (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SEPT_11_COMMISSION?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME)
  • Manmohan Singh is asked by India's Congress party to become Prime Minister and form new government. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5194611)
  • In football, Valencia wins the UEFA Cup, defeating Olympique Marseille 2-0. (UEFA.com) (http://www.uefa.com/competitions/UEFACup/fixturesresults/round=1724/match=75432/Report=RP.html)

May 18, 2004

May 17, 2004

May 16, 2004

  • Voters in the Dominican Republic go to the polls to elect a new president; with 79% of the vote counted, former president Leonel Fernández is declared the winner. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3718541.stm)
  • The Israeli army announces its intention to demolish hundreds of additional houses in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt after the Supreme Court rejects a petition against the demolitions. In the past, the IDF has found dozens of tunnels hidden underneath homes allegedly used to smuggle guns, ammunition, explosives, fugitives, drugs and other illegal materials into Gaza. The court had previously issued a temporary injunction after 88 homes had been destroyed leaving more than 1000 people homeless (UNRWA figures disputed by the Israeli army). (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3719111.stm) (Haaretz) (http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/427997.html) (Maariv) (http://www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=7387)
  • French European Union parliamentarian Paul Marie Couteax declares: "I have no hesitation in saying that we must consider giving the Arab side a large enough force, including a large enough nuclear force, to persuade Israel that it cannot simply do whatever it wants. That is the policy my country (France) pursued in the 1970s when it gave Iraq a nuclear force."(JPost) (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1085721253715&p=1006953079897)

May 15, 2004

May 14, 2004

  • Vatican foreign minister Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo says torture of prisoners is a "more serious" blow for U.S. than September 11 (Al Jazeerah) (http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2004%20News%20archives/May/13n/Abuse,%20beheading%20dogs%20US.htm). American reaction is negative. (Catholic News) (http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20040514c.htm)
  • The British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror, which published photos allegedly depicting British Army soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners, concedes that it was hoaxed, apologises, and sacks its editor Piers Morgan. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3716151.stm) (Al Bawaba) (http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=276819&lang=e&dir=news) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5151422)
  • Danish Crown Prince Frederik marries Australian Mary Donaldson in Copenhagen. The service is attended by royalty and dignitaries from around the world, amidst very high security in the face of terrorism fears. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3711837.stm)
  • Roh Moo-hyun is reinstated as President of South Korea after that country's Constitutional Court overturns the National Assembly's March 12 impeachment vote against him. (KBS News) (http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=2&key=2004051411)
  • Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka looses a parliamentary vote of confidence, less than two weeks after he was appointed to the post. He will continue in a caretaker capacity until a new candidate is appointed. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3716461.stm) (PolitInfo) (http://www.politinfo.com/articles/article_2004_05_15_5312.html)
  • The impact crater of the "Great Dying" — the end-Permian event, the largest extinction event in the history of life on Earth — appears to be a 125 mile (200 km)-wide crater called "Bedout" off the northwestern coast of Australia. (UCSB Press release) (http://beckeraustralia.crustal.ucsb.edu/)
  • Iraqi Occupation and resistance:
    • Mohammad's Army, in an interview with IWPR, states "We want to inform America that its attempt to stir up sectarian discord is a failure." (IWPR) (http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/irq/irq_63_1_eng.txt)
  • FMDC Coinarama World Championships held. Robert "Hog" Little defeats Alex "Fat" Malcom

May 13, 2004

May 12, 2004

May 11, 2004

May 10, 2004