November 2003

2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December 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. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=3&u=/ap/20031130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_bombings
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. http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap11-30-021719.asp?reg=PACRIM
The Observer newspaper reports that a deal is imminent to repatriate British men being held in Guantanamo Bay. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3250282.stm
Israeli army chief Moshe Yaalon and former heads of Shin Bet criticise Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for his unwillingness to consider the Geneva plan. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1096286,00.html http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3108B828-DBFE-49CA-AEF4-E9157E07FABD.htm http://www.spacewar.com/2003/031127023604.alueor56.html
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. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=XWMRLQXUW0REOCRBAEOCFFA?type=businessNews&storyID=3910239
Iribnews.com reports that Georgia's parliament has elected Tedo Dzhaparidze as the new foreign minister. http://www.iribnews.com/Full_en.asp?news_id=193462&n=32
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. http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/23e54e.htm
Pakistan is to end a ban on Indian flights over its territory, in another sign of improving relations between the neighbours http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3250516.stm
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. http://www.bet.com/articles/0,,c1gb8125-8971,00.html 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.target="_blank">http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/02/1070127386206.html The draw is made for the 2004 European Football Championship. England are drawn with holders France, and hosts Portugal are drawn with neighbours Spain. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/euro_2004_draw/default.stm
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. http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/s1000318.htm

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. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/11/29/cole.deploys.ap/index.html
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. http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/11/29/turkey.arrest/index.html
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." http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/11/29/china.moon.ap/index.html
Occupation of Iraq: A team of 8 Spanish intelligence agents is attacked south of Baghdad; 7 are killed and 1 wounded. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-attack,0,878878.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines 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. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s999859.htm
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.http://print.indymedia.org/news/2003/11/1699.php?theme=default http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/11/282025.html http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,3772-2852181,00.html German press: http://www.rhein-main.net/sixcms/list.php?page=fnp2_news_article&id=1387077, http://morgenpost.berlin1.de/inhalt/berlin/story644038.html

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. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031128082159.htm
The United States is about to back down over its restrictions on steel imports that had caused such alarm in Europe and Asia. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3246976.stm
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. http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2235560
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..http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/11/28/manley031128
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". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3243420.stm
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. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s999345.htm
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. target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3242210.stm 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.target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3245884.stm href="http://global-warming.wikix.ipupdater.com" title="global-warming">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. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1128-04.htm http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,7997921%255E30417,00.html

November 27, 2003

Scientists warn that a devastating influenza epidemic is not only inevitable but may be imminent. http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1069493551160&p=1012571727088
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. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&ncid=731&e=10&u=/ap/20031126/ap_on_re_as/china_us_trade
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. target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/gloucestershire/3242812.stm Kofi Annan says that the global war against AIDS is being lost. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3244564.stm
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. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=6&u=/nm/20031127/od_nm/crime_eu_drugs_dc
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. http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3438753,00.html
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 MLAs 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. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3242504.stm
Plans for the handover of power in Iraq have to be revised after senior Shiites object to indirect elections. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/27/international/middleeast/27IRAQ.html?th
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. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031127/ap_on_re_mi_ea/bush_iraq&cid=540&ncid=716
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.