2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
See also: August 2004 in sports
- The WTO authorizes the imposition of sanctions against the United States for persistent violation of global trade laws. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/01/business/worldbusiness/01trade.html)
- A female suicide bomber kills ten and injures 51 others near a subway station in Moscow. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/08/31/russia.carblast/index.html) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6116156) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3615970.stm)
- Despite demands from Iraqi resistance Islamist militant elements threatening to kill two French hostages, France upholds its law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools, specifically its ban on Muslim hijabs. (ABC News) (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040830_532.html)(Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6106700)
- In Iraq, the radical Islamist group, Army of Ansar al-Sunna, kill 12 Nepali civilians employed as cooks and cleaners, stating "We have carried out the sentence of God against 12 Nepalis who came from their country to fight the Muslims and to serve the Jews and the Christians ... believing in Buddha as their God" (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6113254§ion=news)
- Repeated attacks on pipelines linked to southern oil fields have significantly hampered oil exports from Iraq. (Washington Post) (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46105-2004Aug30.html)(Moscow Times) (http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/08/31/258.html)
- Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, a Belgrade Law School graduate, opens his defence at the trial which accuses him of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for his alleged role in the conflicts in which tens of thousands were killed. He maintains the charges are 'unscrupulous lies'. (BBC News) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3613020.stm) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6113423§ion=news)
- Palestinian suicide bombers kill at least 16 Israelis and wound more than 91 others aboard two city buses in Beer Sheva, Israel in the first successful Palestinian suicide bombings since March 14, 2004, with Hamas claiming responsibility. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3614614.stm) (Haaretz) (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=471713)
- Afghan police say a United States bombing raid killed at least six civilians in the eastern province of Kunar. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6113130) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3613702.stm)
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season: Hurricane Frances affects the British Virgin Islands, the United States Virgin Islands and the northern-east part of Puerto Rico. (AP/The Star Tribune) (http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4957323.html)
- California Governor and former Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger extols the United States as a greater source of good in the world than the UN: "If you believe this country, not the United Nations, is the best hope of democracy in the world, then you are a Republican," he shouts, at the Republican National Convention. (Washington Times) (http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040901-123956-8757r.htm) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3616458.stm)
- Following a dramatic intra-party campaign, Betty Castor and Mel Martinez win primary elections in Florida for the U.S. Senate election, 2004. The seat is the most heavily contested in the U.S. Congress, with over $30 million budgeted among twelve candidates' campaigns. (AP/Bradenton Herald) (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2004/by_state/FL_Page_0831.html?SITE=FLBRAELN&SECTION=POLITICS)
- The two smallest extrasolar planets ever discovered are announced: one orbiting 55 Cancri in the constellation Cancer, and another orbiting Gliese 436 in the constellation Leo. They are both around the size of Neptune. (Globe and Mail) (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040831.wplanet20831a/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/)
- Election dispute in Chechnya: After leading rival Malik Saidullayev was disqualified on a technicality. Putin-supported Alu Alkhanov wins in a landslide. US and EU dispute results. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6096967) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=574493§ion=news) (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/30/international/europe/30CND-CHEC.html)
- U.S. presidential campaign: The Republican National Convention begins in New York City. Massive protests are expected. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/30/gop.main/index.html)
- Two amateur French Egyptologists claim to have discovered, using radar, a previously unknown corridor inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu. They believe the corridor would lead directly to Khufu's burial chamber, a room which – if it exists – is unlikely to have been accessed since the burial and may still contain the king's remains. (The Guardian) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1293377,00.html) (AustBC) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200408/s1188387.htm)
- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) confirms that two Russian "airplanes were blown up as a result of a terrorist attack" that killed 90 people on August 24, 2004. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6103561)
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season:
- President Chen Shui-bian cancels the annual Han Kuang live-fire exercises previously schedule for September 9 as a goodwill gesture to the mainland after the People's Republic of China reportedly halted its military drills at Dongshan island on the Taiwan Strait. (VOA) (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=BE355AD7-4385-476C-AB8092F5FE1395F0&title=Taiwan%20Cancels%20Military%20Exercise%20as%20%27Goodwill%27%20Gesture%20to%20China&catOID=45C9C78B-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=Asia%20Pacific) (CNN) (http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/08/30/china.taiwan.reut/index.html)
- 2004 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Gaston makes landfall at Bulls Bay, South Carolina with near hurricane strength 70 mph winds. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/08/29/weather.tropical.ap/index.html)
- An explosion at a school in southern Afghanistan has killed at least 10 people, many of them children, the US military has said. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3609638.stm)
- Australian Prime Minister John Howard announces that the 2004 Australian federal election will take place on October 9, 2004. (ABC Au) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1187484.htm)
- The 2004 Summer Olympics are closed by IOC President Jacques Rogge. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=573544§ion=news)
- More than 400,000 demonstrators march in New York City, protesting U.S. President George W. Bush and the policies of the Republican Party on the eve of the 2004 Republican National Convention. Republican delegates and politicians, including Vice President Dick Cheney, also begin to arrive in the city. (The Scotsman) (http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3428265) (Houston Chronicle) (http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2767162) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6096968) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3605250.stm)
- The Lebanese Cabinet, under Syrian pressure and despite widespread opposition, votes to modify the constitution to allow President Émile Lahoud a second term in office. Patriarch Sfeir states "we have completely lost sovereignty of our territory and our independence and freedom in choosing our rulers and deciding our own affairs." (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/29/international/middleeast/29beirut.html)
- The British Royal Society, with 68 other organizations, urges the UN to ban reproductive but not therapeutic use of the technology in response to a US bid to ban human cloning altogether. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3609992.stm)
- Between 5,000 and 6,000 participants take part in the Critical Mass bicyclist ride as part of the 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity. The monthly NYC Critical Mass ride usually attracts about 1500 riders. Police eventually arrested 264 people for deliberately blockading roads during the event. This is the first time the NYPD made any significant arrests of Critical Mass participants. (NYC-IMC) (http://nyc.indymedia.org/feature/display/104892/index.php)
- Interbrew completes its merger with Ambev. Both were among the top five largest breweries in the world, and together they will become the largest, when measured by volume. The merged company will be called InBev (Bloomberg) (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000086&sid=a_CexO2sxkiw&refer=latin_america)
- The FBI has launched a full espionage investigation into Larry Franklin after obtaining evidence pointing to a high-ranking spy in the Pentagon. According to CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/27/eveningnews/main639143.shtml), the spy has been giving classified secrets to Israel which could compromise U.S. national security. Israel denies the charges.
- Following the intervention of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, an agreement is found to end the standoff in Najaf. Although the terms are not clear, the deal requires both the al-Sadr militia and U.S. troops to leave the city, to be replaced by the police interim government. Responsibility for the Imam Ali Mosque goes to Sistani. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3603730.stm) This resolution occurs two days before the one year anniversary of the assassination of Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, a prominent Shi'ite cleric from Najaf.
- The Russian Federal Security Service announces that traces of the explosive hexogen have been found in the wreckage of the two Russia airliners which crashed on August 24, 2004. The Islamic group "the Islambouli Brigades" claims responsibility. (AP) (http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/R/RUSSIA_PLANE_CRASH?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME)
- Enzo Baldoni, an Italian journalist kidnapped by Islamic militants in Iraq, is killed by his kidnappers. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6090284&pageNumber=2)
- The Interior Minister of France announces that the number of anti-Semitic attacks in France this year is more than double that of the same period last year. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6090896§ion=news)
- Chile's Supreme Court strips former military ruler Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution, allowing him to be prosecuted for alleged crimes including involvement in murder and torture. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3602630.stm)
- Najaf standoff
- Twenty-five people are killed and 100 wounded during a mortar attack on the main mosque in the Iraqi city of Kufa. 20 Shiite marchers in Kufa are killed and 70 wounded by gunfire. The identity of the attackers is unknown, reportedly though a source of gunfire was near an Iraqi National Guard base. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3600384.stm) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6078307) (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/08/26/iraq.main/index.html)(Albawaba) (http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=283760&lang=e&dir=news)
- Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani begins negotiations with Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in a bid to end the fighting in Najaf for three weeks. Sistani tells thousands of Iraqis heading to the holy city to wait on the outskirts of Najaf. (khaleejtimes) (http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2004/August/focusoniraq_August292.xml§ion=focusoniraq) Ayatollah Sistani calls a pause in fighting, telling protesters to stay home, and urging all forces to withdraw. US and Iraqi troops suspend attacks for 24 hours. (CSMonitor) (http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0827/p01s01-woiq.html) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6082585)
- Abu Hamza al-Masri, a well known Muslim cleric currently residing in the United Kingdom, is arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 which covers the "commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism". (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6081021)
- Astronomers announce the discovery of a third extrasolar planet orbiting Mu Arae. The planet may be the first rocky world detected orbiting a star other than the Sun.
- The Bank of Canada rolls out a new $20 bill, the latest piece of paper money to be given new anti-counterfeiting technology and a facelift. (CBC) (http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/08/25/newtwentybill_040825)
- Sir Mark Thatcher, son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, is arrested at his home in Cape Town, South Africa, on charges related to his alleged involvement in an attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea. He is later released on bail, and is to return to court on November 25. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3599510.stm) Meanwhile, his "distressed" mother returns from holiday in the US. (Guardian/Reuters) (http://politics.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,9174,1292342,00.html) (AP) (http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=2227847)
- Welsh nationalist MP Adam Price announces his intention to impeach Prime Minister Tony Blair, with the support of other Welsh and Scottish nationalist MPs. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3600438.stm) (icWales) (http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/newspolitics/tm_objectid=14572398&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=-blair-to-be-impeached-over-iraq-war-by-plaid-cymru-mp-name_page.html)
- Police in Toronto shoot and kill a man holding a woman hostage outside Union Station. (CBC) (http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/08/25/hostage_union040825.html) Timeline (Toronto Star) (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1093428111014&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154)
- Machine guns and explosives are found in a van in Montreal. Police look for links to organized crime. (Toronto Star) (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1093428247186&call_pageid=968332188854&col=968705899037)
- An on-going battle, apparently between a combination of U.S. and Iraqi forces, and the al-Mahdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr, damages two of minarets of the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq, which al-Sadr's forces occupied. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/08/19/iraq.main/index.html)
- Artillery and mortar fire again rock Georgia's breakaway republic of South Ossetia, scuppering efforts to enforce a ceasefire. (BBC) (http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3579012.stm)
- At the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Durban, South African President Thabo Mbeki calls for reform of the UN and other international institutions, saying that developing countries should not allow powerful nations to dictate the world on their own terms. (BBC) (http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3580338.stm)
- A jury including U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey convicts Dion Coleman of murder after two hours of deliberation. (BBC) (http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3578906.stm)
- Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, vows to press on with his disengagement plan, despite it receiving another rejection from his Likud party. (BBC) (http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3578860.stm)
- Nature magazine reveals that five new satellites and a further candidate moon have been discovered orbiting Neptune, bringing its tally to 13. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3578210.stm)
- Shares of stock in Google, Inc. begin trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange at around $100 per share in one of the most highly anticipated initial public offerings of the year. It is estimated that the IPO raised a total of $1.66 billion, the third highest ever for an IPO. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/aitoolkit/aitArticle.jhtml?type=hotStocksNews&storyID=6020986) (CBS MarketWatch) (http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B892B3D22%2DB024%2D4119%2DA5EB%2DA56E2DD46100%7D&siteid=mktw)
- Hungarian prime minister Péter Medgyessy resigns following a row with his Socialist party's liberal coalition partner, the Free Democrats. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3581064.stm)
- In a statement issued from his Baghdad office, Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr agrees to order his militia to leave the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq, after threats by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's government to "liberate" it. Al-Sadr further agrees to disband his Jaish-i-Mahdi militia, and enter the "mainstream political process". It remains unclear when the withdrawal will actually take place. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/08/18/iraq.main/index.html) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6009166)
- The government of Colombia announces that it offered, in July, to trade 50 imprisoned guerrillas in return for hostages being held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3578532.stm)
- After 6 cm (2 in) of rain in two hours, severe flash flooding at Boscastle in Cornwall, UK, results in buildings, roads, and over 50 cars swept away. Flood waters race through town at speeds up to 65 km/h (40 mph). Many have to leave their homes; helicopters airlift 150 people to safety. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/3571844.stm) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=566587§ion=news)
- NASA/ESA Spacecraft Cassini-Huygens discovers two new natural satellites of Saturn. They are provisionally named S/2004 S1 and S/2004 S2. (NASA) (http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-releases-04/20040816-pr-a.cfm)
- In the standoff between the Jaish-i-Mahdi militia and Iraqi and US forces, fears of a major assault on Najaf mount. The city is closed to journalists and some Iraqi government soldiers are reported to desert. Some delegates at the national conference call on Iraqi interim Prime Minister Allawi to end military operations against Muqtada al-Sadr. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3568570.stm) (Knight Ridder) (http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9409919.htm)
- At the 100th anniversary ceremony of the Herero uprising, Germany apologises for the genocide in Namibia, but rules out reparations. (Guardian) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,2763,1283864,00.html)
- Same-sex marriage in Canada: Federal justice minister Irwin Cotler announces that the federal government will no longer resist court proceedings aiming to require provincial governments to issue same-sex marriage licences. (Toronto Star) (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1092694223358&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154)
- Chávez recall: Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez defeats a recall vote with 58% support. Some opposition members claim election fraud, but monitors from the OAS and the Carter Center endorse the official result. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3569012.stm) (AP) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&e=2&u=/ap/20040816/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_recall_carter)
- 1,300 Iraqi delegates begin a three-day conference in Baghdad to select an interim national assembly. The area of the conference is attacked by mortars, which kill one person and wound 17. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5977984)
- 1,600 Palestinians in Israeli jails begin a liquids-only diet, which they are describing as a hunger strike to protest against their prison conditions. Israeli Internal Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi comments: "As far as I'm concerned, they can strike for a day, a month, until death." (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3567130.stm)
- India's Independence Day celebrations are marred by a bomb blast that kills some 18 people at a parade in Dhemaji, Assam. Immediate suspicion falls on ULFA separatists. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3566460.stm)
- Same-sex marriage in Canada: Three Nova Scotia couples have filed suit requesting that the provincial government be ordered to issue them marriage licences. Such a ruling would make Nova Scotia the fifth province or territory to recognize same-sex marriages. (365Gay.com) (http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/08/081504nsMarr.htm)
- Aides to rebel Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al Sadr report that he has been wounded in fighting in the holy city of Najaf; the government denies the reports. The Najaf offensive triggers pro-Sadr protests in cities all over Iraq. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3560662.stm)(protest pictures - BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/3562532.stm)
- In Basra, Iraq, masked militants kidnap and threaten to kill James Brandon, 23, a freelance British journalist, working for the Sunday Telegraph, unless US troops withdraw from Najaf within 24 hours. He is released after intervention by al-Sadr. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3560892.stm)
- Hurricane Charley makes landfall just north of Fort Myers, Florida, USA, around 16:00 EDT (2000 UTC). At landfall, Charley has a windspeed of 145 mi/h (230 km/h), Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. There are multiple fatalites.(CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/08/13/storms/index.html)
- A spectacular opening ceremony marks the start of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. (Athens 2004) (http://www.athens2004.com/en/FeatureOpeningCeremony) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/3557922.stm)
- A group of women kill an alleged rapist during his trial in Nagpur, India. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3562236.stm)
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