In an unprecedented move, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York write to Tony Blair on behalf of all 114 Anglican bishops, expressing deep concern about UK government policy and criticising coalition troops' conduct in Iraq. They cite the abuse of Iraqi detainees, which they say has been "deeply damaging" - and state that the government's apparent double standards "diminish the credibility of western governments". (BBC)(The Scotsman)
The Spanish minister of justice, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, announces a number of social bills to be introduced, including one that will legalize same-sex marriage in Spain, one that will introduce rights for common-law couples, and one that will allow transgendered people to legally change their name and sex designation without the requirement of surgery. (abc.es)
The Israeli Supreme Court issues a landmark ruling that a 30-kilometer planned stretch of the separation barrier in eastern Jerusalem violates the legal rights of the local Palestinian population to an extent not justified by security concerns, and therefore must be changed. (Haaretz)
Chinese lawyers visit the victims of last year's deadly accident involving an abandoned WWII-era cache of mustard gas in Qiqihar. The chemical weapons were left behind by invading Japanese troops during the war. The lawyers are preparing to sue the Japanese government. (Xinhuanet)
Canadian federal election, 2004: Results give the Liberal Party a minority government; in a likely alliance with the NDP, they will together hold exactly half the Commons seats. Despite the heated nature of the campaign, turnout was the lowest in recent memory. (CBC)
The Islamic Retaliation Movement /Armed Resistance Wing threatens to decapitate Hassoun Wassef Ali , a MuslimU.S. Marine of Lebanese descent, if detainees in US-led occupation prisons are not freed. (AlJazeera)(NYT)
In Mongolia, the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party suffers considerable losses in the general election. Official results have not yet been announced, and it remains unclear whether the MPRP will retain its majority. The MPRP has accused the opposition of vote rigging, and has refused to concede defeat. (Ulaanbaatar Post)(Reuters)
The Taliban kill 16 Afghans after stopping a bus and forcing the sixteen to alight, possibly to get the victims' voter registration cards for elections scheduled in September of this year. (PakTribune)(NYT)
Palestinians detonate 150 kg (330 lb) of explosives placed in a 300 meter (1000 foot) long tunnel against an Israeli army position in the Gaza Strip. 2000 Palestinians rush into the streets of Gaza City to celebrate. (Guardian)
Ralph Nader holds a second convention in Portland to put his name on the presidential ballot in Oregon. This attempt is supported by conservative groups who hope his name will draw votes in this swing state from Democratic hopeful John Kerry. (Portland Oregonian) The outcome of the convention is still unknown: 943 forms were collected, but 1000 valid signatures are needed; many forms had more than one signature on them, however, the state elections board will require several weeks to validate all of the signatures.
The Download.ject attack on Internet Explorer users is neutralised for the moment, with the Russian server containing the backdoor program having been shut down. Security experts warn that the IE vulnerabilities still exist and a copycat attack is still possible. (CNet)(Information Week)
Six Palestinians, including Nayef Abu Sharkh , head of the Nablus old city part of the Al Aqsa Brigades, and Jaafar Masri , the leader of Hamas' military wing in Nablus, are killed during an Israeli operation, according to Palestinian sources. (CNN)
Princess Caroline of Monaco obtained a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights condemning Germany for non-respect of her right to a private life. The seven judges who examined her request ruled that German jurisdictions have misunderstood this right by refusing to forbid publication of photographs depicting Caroline in scenes of her daily life.
Iraqiinsurgents explode multiple car bombs and seize police stations in a six-city offensive, killing over 100 and wounding at least 320, nearly all Iraqis. U.S officials accuse Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's network of involvement. (AP)
U.S. policy on (a) the use of torture to extract information from captured enemy combatants and (b) on whether the Taliban and al Qaeda detainees qualify as "prisoners of war" under the Geneva Convention:
The U.S. administration releases a U.S. Justice Department memo asserting that the legal opinion that the president had "the legal authority to order prisoners to be tortured". The memo indicates that Donald Rumsfeld denied approval to strongly coercive physical measures, but approved what has been described as "mild, noninjurious physical contact", and use of "detainee's individuals phobias (such as fear of dogs)". (VOA)(News24)
The U.S. administration asserts that it refused to permit the use of torture, even if to do so would be legally permissible.
Saudi Arabia offers an amnesty from execution to any al Qaida-affiliated militants within the kingdom who turn themselves in within the next month. (Reuters)
The IranianIslamic Republic News Agency reports Iran could soon free eight British military sailors seized yesterday on the Iranian side of the Shatt al-Arab waterway shared with Iraq if interrogations show they had "no bad intention." (ABC)
Francisco Ortiz Franco, editor of Mexican newsweekly Zeta , is ambushed and killed by gunmen in Tijuana. Ortiz Franco and Zeta were particularly well known for their work in investigating drug trafficking and reporting government corruption. (BBC)
A report by the New York Times alleges that the United States administration overstated the intelligence value and importance of the prisoners held at the controversial prisoner camp at Guantanamo Bay. The report, based on interviews with government officials, concludes that only a relatively small percentage of the prisoners were sworn members of Al Qaeda, and that most were relatively unimportant, low-level people. (NYT)(IHT)
Iran seizes three BritishRoyal Navy patrol boats on the Shatt al-Arab waterway that divides Iran from Iraq. Their eight British crew members have been detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. (BBC)
SpaceShipOne, the first privately and commercially funded aircraft/spaceplane designed for space travel without funding from any government, successfully embarks upon its maiden flight into outer space. Designed by legendary aerospace designer Burt Rutan and funded by billionaire Paul Allen, the ship was launched from a larger plane and, after igniting its burners, flew 62 miles (100 km) into space and back down again, an altitude that officially makes test pilot Michael Melvill an astronaut. (BBC)(Space.com)
Three former top bankers in the United Kingdom, accused of stealing more than US$7 million from NatWest (now part of the Royal Bank of Scotland) in a scheme that helped to bring about the collapse of Enron vowed to fight attempts to extradite them to the United States.
The first official group of Hmongrefugees from the Wat Tham Krabok camp in Thailand begin arriving in the United States. 14,300 to 15,000 refugees are expected to arrive by the end of the year. The camp is one of the last remaining from results of the Vietnam War. One family had left early on June 16 due to a medical emergency. (BBC)(MPR)
Researchers find SARS in human tears, shedding light on one of the ways the virus propagates, as well as an early-warning test. (CTV)(ABC Online Australia)
Witnesses and hospital officials say that 22 Iraqis, among them children, women, and youths, are killed in a U.S. air strike in a residential neighborhood in Fallujah. U.S. officials say that they targeted an Abu Musab al-Zarqawi safe house. (Reuters)(CBC) Iraqi locals dispute the American account. (BBC)
The USA's 9/11 Commission states that although meetings between al Qaeda representatives and Iraqi government officials had taken place, it has found "no credible evidence" of a "collaborative relationship" between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and al Qaeda in the 9/11 attacks or in any other strike against U.S. interests. It also finds that the original plan involved ten jets and that there was dispute within the terrorist network about its implementation until only shortly before September 11. (Washington Post)(AP)(BBC)
Jiang Yanyong's wife, Hua Zhongwei, is reported to have been freed from detention incommunicado in China and returned to the couple's Beijinghome. (Reuters)
The Hong Kong securities-industry watchdog obtained a court order freezing all assets belonging to hedge fund manager Charles Schmitt , or his fund of funds, CSA Absolute Return. Mr. Schmitt himself is in the custody of Hong Kong authorities on suspicions that he's misappropriated investor funds. (TheStreet.com)
Bombs detonated against oil pipelines in Iraq result in the main Iraqi oil terminal being shutdown for at least 10 days, an estimate revenue loss of USD 600 million to the Iraqi government. (NYT)(BBC)
A militant Islamic group that has been identified as connected to Al Qaida releases a video-tape where they state they will kill an American hostage, Paul Johnson, if group members are not released from Saudi Arabian prisons in 72 hours. (BBC)
The Detroit Pistons win their first NBA Championship since 1990 by defeating the widely-favored Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in a best-of-seven series. The Pistons swept all three of their home games, a first in the 20 years of the 2-3-2 game format. The final game's score was 100-87. (NBA.com)
Near-complete preliminary results show general defeat of governing parties and slight perceived rise of eurosceptic parties, but the balance of power in the Parliament remains similar despite the 10 new member states. (BBC)
A meteorite plunges into a family's living room in the Auckland, New Zealand suburb of Ellerslie on Saturday afternoon. No-one is hurt. Weighing 1.3 kilograms (2.9 pounds), it is the ninth ever meteorite to be found in the country, and the first to hit a home. (TVNZ)(Stuff)(Reuters)
In a Constitutionalreferendum in Ireland, the electorate approves a constitutional amendment denying Irish citizenship to all children born in Ireland unless one of the parents is an Irish citizen or the parents were legally resident for three years prior to the birth. This closes a perceived loophole where considerable numbers of women in the late stages of pregnancy were allegedly arriving in Ireland, since the parents of citizens were also allowed to remain in the country. (BBC)
On the third anniversary of the execution of Timothy McVeigh for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing, the penalty phase of his co-accomplice, Terry Nichols, ends in a deadlocked jury over the issue of handing out a death penalty verdict. By law, the judge in the case must sentence Nichols to life in prison (a term he is already serving). (CNN)
Eleven Chinese road construction workers and an Afghan guard are murdered in their sleep 20 miles south of the Afghan city of Kunduz. Four more Chinese are hospitalized for wounds suffered in the same attack. The dead are among more than 100 engineers and workers engaged on a World Bank project to build a road from Kabul to the Tajikistan border. Mullah Dadullah, one of the top Taliban commanders, recently issued orders to his fighters to strike at road builders. (NYT)
A polling organization announces that there is broad support in the U.S. state of California for a November ballot measure to limit the effect of the "three strikes" sentencing law. The Field Poll shows the measure, which would impose the 25-years-to-life only if the third felony is a serious or violent crime, is supported by 76% of those asked, opposed by 14 percent. (Sacramento Bee)
The Zimbabweancricket team is suspended from playing Test Matches by the ICC till the end of 2004 due to their policy of racial bias in team selection.
ORGAN - 5th International Organ Competition Paris The 5th International Organ Competition of Paris has been held from 1-9 june 2004. After a first selection on CD basis, the competiton had to be performed on different organs throughout the city of Paris : at the Conservatoire de Paris (1st round), at the Church of St. Ferdinand les Ternes and La Madeleine (semi-final). The final round took place on the organs of the Church Sainte-Clotilde, on the Royal Chapel organ of the Castle of Versailles and in the Church St. Eustache where the four finalist had to perform the sixth concerto for organ and orchestra of Jean Guillou. Michel Chapuis presided the international jury. Ghislain Leroy from France was first prize winner, before Henry Fairs from Great Britain and Els Biesemans from Belgium. Noël Hazebroucq from France won the improvisation competition.
Kurdish leaders in Iraq state that the Kurds would "refrain from participating in the central government" should the interim constitution be modified or replaced with a constitution that diminishes Kurdish political role in the central government. (NYT)
An explosion injures at least 17 in a commercial district of Cologne, Germany. Authorities are treating it as a bomb attack. (CBC)(BBC)
Twenty heavily armed foreign militants are killed by Pakistan in the South Waziristan mountainous tribal region near the Afghan border where it is believed that hundreds of al-Qaida members are hiding. (NYT)
The heart of the dauphin Louis-Charles, recognized by French royalists as Louis XVII of France, is entombed in the royal crypt of Saint-Denis Basilica outside Paris, 211 years after he perished in the French Revolution. DNA testing had verified the heart as belonging to the son of the guillotined King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. No French government officials or members of reigning royal families attend the service. (CBC)
A civil trial begins in San Francisco, California, in the U.S. Justice Department's effort to prevent the purchase of PeopleSoft by Oracle. Antitrust authorities contend that the proposed acquisition of PeopleSoft, for USD $7.7 billion, would effectively monopolize the market for enterprise software. (NYT)
A second high-ranking CIA official, Deputy Director for field operations James Pavitt, is to retire early, after 31 years, citing personal reasons; speculation arises that his resignation and that of former Director George Tenet are possibly linked with the Iraq weapons of mass destruction or 9-11 intelligence issues. (BBC)(Reuters)
New Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi gives his first televised national address. Five U.S soldiers are killed and another five wounded when their convoy comes under attack from roadside bombs and RPGs near Sadr City. The Mahdi Army agrees to a truce in Najaf with U.S forces and vows to withdraw if the Americans make a similar commitment.
Central Intelligence Agency director George Tenet tenders his resignation, citing "personal reasons". He will serve as CIA Director until mid-July. John McLaughlin, the deputy director for the CIA will become the acting Director until a permanent Director is chosen and confirmed by Congress. (AP)(BBC)(Reuters)
Five aid workers representing Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are killed in a Taliban ambush in north-western Afghanistan. The workers are one Dutchman, one Belgian, one Norwegian, and two Afghans. The incident leads MSF to temporarily suspend their activities nation-wide, except for life-saving activities. (BBC)(MSF Press Release)
U.S. government prosecutors, preparing for an upcoming trial of four former executives of Merrill Lynch and two former executives of Enron released a document that could prove helpful to the defense -- indicating that the intent of the allegedly fraudulent transaction was, at the least, a bit equivocal. Trial begins Monday. (NYT)
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) releases a new report in which Iran amends its claims. Iran now states that it imported parts for centrifuges capable of making bomb-grade uranium that it previously said were made in the country. Highly enriched uranium (weapons grade 36% uranium-235) is found at a Farayand, a site previously unknown to the IAEA. (Reuters)
Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, a powerful SunniMuslim tribal leader and critic of the U.S.-led occupation, is named president of Iraq's incoming government, after Iraqi leaders reject the Americans' preferred candidate for the post.
Shi'ite Muslims in Karachi, enraged by a mosque bombing that killed 20 worshippers, battle police and burn U.S. fast food restaurants as the government struggles to contain a third day of violence in Pakistan's largest city. (CNN)(BBC)
The government in Zimbabwe proposes new contracts for all Internet service providers that will force them to block content or report "malicious messages" to the authorities. (BBC)
