September 30, 2004

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[edit] September 30, 2004

• Typhoon Meari batters the town of Miyagawa, Mie Prefecture, Japan killing 27 and causing widespread flooding and significant damage. (News.com) (BBC) (NASA)
• A by-election for the Hartlepool constituency of the UK parliament, to fill the seat of Peter Mandelson, who resigned to take up a role in the European Union, results in a win for Labour (12,752), with the Liberal Democrats second (10,719). The Conservative Party (3,044) is pushed into fourth place by the UK Independence Party (3,193). (BBC)
• Incumbent president George W. Bush and challenger Senator John F. Kerry meet at the University of Miami, Florida in the first of three presidential debates in the run-up to the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Nielsen Media Research later reports 62.5 million people watched the debate. (Transcript) (CNN) (MSNBC) (BBC)
• Same-sex marriage in the United States: The proposed Federal Marriage Amendment (HJR 106) is rejected by the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 227–186. (Reuters)
• The office of British Prime Minister Tony Blair announces he will undergo "routine heart surgery" tomorrow to correct an irregular heartbeat. (Bloomberg)
• Conflict in Iraq
  • At least three people are killed by U.S. air raids on the insurgent held city of Fallujah. Locals say civilians are among the dead, but the U.S. maintains they struck a safe house of the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Just outside Baghdad, a rocket fired at a US military support base killed one coalition soldier. (BBC)
  • At least 41 people are killed in a multiple bomb attack on a US military convoy traveling through Baghdad, close to a water treatment plant. At least 34 of them were children. (BBC)
  • Three southern provinces (Basra, Missan and Dhiqar), which together control 80 percent of Iraq's proven oil reserves, are considering plans to set up an autonomous region. (Financial Times)
• The Russian cabinet recommends ratification of the Kyoto Treaty against global warming, which would bring the accord into force; the measure will be debated in Parliament, which has final say. (CBS) (Reuters) (Itar-Tass)
• Arab-Israeli Conflict
  • Israel launches a major offensive into the Jabaliya refugee camp killing at least 23 gunmen and civilians. Earlier this morning, a column of Israeli tanks moved into the center of the camp, followed by bulldozers. At least three Palestinian civilians have been killed thus far. Homes are being demolished, forcing people to flee. 72 Palestinians are known to have been wounded, some losing limbs. (BBC) (Reuters)
  • Two Palestinians are killed by Israeli troops returning fire after an Israeli soldier was killed at an observation post in the northern Gaza strip. The troops have been engaged in that part of the northern Gaza Strip since yesterday, September 29. (AP)
  • Two Israelis, including a civilian, are killed in an ambush close to Gaza. The Palestinian gunman was also killed. (BBC)
• Ahmed Zaoui, Algerian MP, refugee, wins another court case but remains in New Zealand prison. (Court of Appeal of New Zealand, CA20/04)
• The J2SE 5.0 version of the Java platform (codename Tiger) is released.