Kenyan hotel bombing: Three suicide bombers detonated themselves at a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, killing a number of people, including Israelitourists who have been presumed to be the targets of the attack. At the same time two anti-aircraftmissiles were fired at a passenger aircraft, which only narrowly missed. The two attacks are suspected to be connected, and it is suspected that al-Qaeda may be involved in the attacks.
Henry Kissinger has been appointed as the chairman of the supposedly independent panel investigating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America. This has made many people on the political left suspicious of the motives for appointing such a controversial figure as Kissinger to such a sensitive position, given his past association with political intrigue.
The controversial physician Severino Antinori has claimed that a project to clonehuman beings has succeeded, with the first human clone due to be born in 2003. His claims were received with scepticism from many observers. The even more controversial organization Clonaid then announced that they had five clones waiting to be born, one of whom, they claimed, would be born in December 2002.
US President George W. Bush signs into law the creation of a new Dept. of Homeland Security which is said to be the largest government reorganization in 50 years.
David McRae, a conservation worker from Guthrie, Angus, Scotland, has died from rabies. He was the first person to contract rabies in Great Britain since 1902.
Professor Gunther von Hagens carried out the first public dissection in London for over a century. This was an illegal act, but was not prevented by the authorities.
José Bové, member of the anti-globalization movement, will have to carry out a fourteen months time in prison for destruction of the transgenic rice seedlings in France.
The tankerPrestige, which has been leaking oil off the north-west coast of Spain for several days, split into two at 8 o'clock in the morning (0700 GMT). The vessel was reported to be about 250 km away from the Spanish coast at that time. The entire load of oil is 70,000 ton; most of it is still in the two parts of the ship; if all leaks out the resulting damage could be twice that of the Exxon Valdez disaster off the coast of Alaska in 1989. Despite efforts, the oil reached the coast. See : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2488229.stm
Recent celebrity deaths: James Coburn, actor, age 74, of a heart attack.
The UK government has refused to either confirm or deny the putative poison gas attack revealed on November 16, although it is known that three men are currently being held and investigated under the terms of the Prevention of Terrorism Act[?].
A plot by a group of terrorists believed to be a part of or affiliated to the al-Qaeda network was revealed as having been uncovered by MI5. The plot involved a plan to release poison gas in the London Underground railway network.
US President George W Bush says that an audio tape thought to carry the voice of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has put the "world on notice". The tape is considered to be authentic.
Ethiopian famine: Meles Zenawi[?], the Prime Minister of Ethiopia is reported as saying that the famine that threatens his country could be worse than the 1984 famine. He is reported as saying that "if that was a nightmare, this will be too ghastly to contemplate", and has appealed for famine relief[?] for Ethiopia.
Antibiotic resistance: A woman in the US city of Detroit who was infected in July by a strain of Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to vancomycin, the antibiotic often viewed by doctors as the "antibiotic of last resort", is now reported to have tested to be clear of the infection. She is still being kept in isolation to prevent the infection from being spread to others.
Anti-Semitism: Harvard University canceled an invitation to Irish poet and Oxford University lecturer Tom Paulin[?] after some statements attributed to him in an article in an Egyptian newspaper, al-Ahram[?], were labelled anti-Jewish by university officials. Paulin is quoted (amongst other things) as saying that American Jewish settlers in Israel should be "shot dead. ... I think they are Nazis, racists. I feel nothing but hatred for them." He is also quoted as saying that he understands "how suicide bombers feel", and recommends that Palestinians take up guerrilla warfare against civilians in order to create a sense of solidarity. Paulin, whilst outspoken, is a prominent supporter of many liberal causes.
A three day general strike begins in Nepal. According to Outlook India, "the capital Kathmandu virtually came to a standstill... Maoists have called the strike to oppose the King's appointment of Lokendra Bahadur Chand[?]... as prime minister after dismissing the government of Sher Bahadur Deuba[?]." [1] (http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?gid=21&id=96515) Also, 30 Maoistguerrillas were killed in a renewed assault on the revolutionary forces the country's government is currently fighting against. See also politics of Nepal.
The Burrell affair takes a turn for the worse as further scandalous rumours begin to circulate about the British royal family and their servants.
According to the Guardian newspaper, Gauthier Hulot[?] of the Paris Geophysical Institute[?] has discovered evidence of a reduction of the Earth's magnetic field over the last two hundred years. It is possible that this may be a prelude to a reversal of polarity of the Earth's magenetic field over the next few hundred years.
A team of Italian researchers has produced an analysis of their experimental results that may be indirect evidence of the existence of gravitational waves. Their paper, entitled "Study of the coincidences between the gravitational wave detectors EXPLORER and NAUTILUS in 2001" is based on a statistical analysis of the results from their detectors.
President of the People's Republic of ChinaJiang Zemin announced several key policies at 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing. Although Marxism-Leninism would remain the official ideology of China, entrepreneurs and people in unconventional occupations, who are building "socialism with Chinese characteristics", would have a voice in establishing Communist Party ideology. Mr. Jiang is preparing to yield the position of General Secretary of the Party to Hu Jintao, but will maintain the presidency.
Former President of FranceValery Giscard d'Estaing, head of the Convention on the Future of Europe, told the newspaper Le Monde that Turkey should not become a member of the European Union, even though Turkey is a very important country with a true elite. He particularly mentioned that the capital and 95% of the population were not located on the European continent. He also mentioned that one cannot discuss, as we do it, the national legislation of the Union, on very important points of everyday european issues and pretend that some discussions could be extended to countries which, for perfectly estimable reasons, have another culture, another approach, another way of life.
An unofficial referendum in Gibraltar showed that 99% of those who voted wanted to retain the colony's governmental status quo and rejected a United Kingdom proposal to grant Spain a share of sovereignty over the colony. The turnout for the referendum was 88%.
Anti-Semitism: With approval of official state censors, Egyptiantelevision broadcast the first episode of a miniseries, Horseman Without a Horse, based upon the debunked Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It airs at the hour that Egyptian families gather together to break their fast during the fasting month of Ramadan.
Federal Reserve: The US Federal Reserve lowered its overnight bank-lending rate to 1.25 percent, and this bigger-than-expected rate cut signals there may be more weakness in the economy than the market expected. The Fed indicated in its statments accompanying the rate cut that concern about a war with Iraq and the thread of terrorism may be slowing consumer and business spending.
In mid-term elections in the United States, Republicans retake control of the closely divided Senate and maintain control of the House. Democrats make some gains in the governor's races.
Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister dissolved parliament and called for elections early next year. [2] (http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ISRAEL_POLITICS?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME), [3] (http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=worldnews&StoryID=1679417)
British Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith made what was widely considered to be a disastrous speech where he demanded that his party "unite or die". Many observers believe that this marks the start of a new leadership struggle for the Conservative Party.
Turkey: The Islamist Turkish Justice and Development Party[?] (AKP) has won the Turkish general election. The AKP campaigned on economic and social issues, and downplayed its Islamist origins. The AKP's chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan[?] is banned from holding political office, so someone else will become Turkish prime minister[?]. Opponents of the AKP have expressed concerns that the AKP's victory may threaten the secular nature of the Turkish state.
Internet: Country code top-level domain administrators have started to talk about taking back control of their parts of the domain name system that has been controlled by ICANN since the death of Jon Postel. They have complained that ICANN is unaccountable, dictatorial and unresponsive to users' needs.
government official. His manner was frank; he spoke rapidly and without
one of those good.html">good.html">good.html">good fellows who do not believe in standing on ceremony.html">ceremony, and
cordiality, in spite of his radical ideas. Madame de Meroul would
tone of voice; "You have no idea the harm that you are doing your
ties of childhood taken up again at a riper age. Joseph Mouradour
sometimes he would solemnly declaim against people who were behind the
somewhat ill at ease, would keep silent from politeness and good-
other channel in order to avoid a clash. Joseph Mouradour was only seen
friends.html">friends.html">friends at their country.html">country home at Tourbeville. It was a good, healthy
would meet their friends at the neighboring railroad station and would
on the country, on its natural features, on the condition of the roads,
in the fields, on everything within sight.
They would call attention to the remarkablespeed with which their horse.html">horse
behind a plow; and they would anxiously await the opinion of the newcomer
slightest good intention.
Joseph Mouradour was invited, and he accepted the invitation.
Husband and wife had come to the train, delighted to welcome him to their
with a briskness which increased their satisfaction. He shook their
the goodness of the crops and the speed of the horse.
When he stepped on the porch of the house, Monsieur de Meroul said, with
ceremony with my friends. That's how I understand hospitality."
Then he went upstairs to dress as a farmer, he said, and he came back all
regular Parisian dressed for an outing. He also seemed to become more
.
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