Memorial Day: PresidentBush honors the United States' war dead of past conflicts, and says that "two terror regimes are gone forever" in Iraq and Afghanistan as US deaths there climb to 1,000. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=PWFWWE32DXIDQCRBAEKSFFA?type=topNews&storyID=5303803)
A bomb explodes at a Shi'a mosque in Pakistan during evening prayers. Around 15 people are killed, dozens more are injured, the building is seriously damaged, and rioting Shi'ites take to the streets. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3764401.stm)
US and Egypt fear an Islamist takeover of the Gaza Strip as a result of a possible Israeli pullout. They debate the role of Arafat, as Prime Minister Sharon confronts his own cabinet's opposition led by Netanyahu. (HaAretz) (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/433376.html)
Thousands of people in Hong Kong take to the streets to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and to protest Beijing's recent moves to limit their autonomy. (VOA) (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=63E57B00-8EFA-4040-977A3D3D18CAAF50&title=Hong%20Kong%20Marks%20Tiananmen%20Anniversary&catOID=45C9C78B-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=Asia%20Pacific)(BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3761867.stm)
Pakistan test-fires a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclearwarhead, but claims it will not increase tensions with Saudi commandos storm the Khobar housing compound where Islamic militants were holding several dozen hostages, ending with 22 dead. (BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3762423.stm))
Thousands of PakistaniSunniMuslims riot in Karachi, ransacking property, setting fire to four banks, and stoning vehicles after Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, an influential pro-Taliban cleric, is killed in a drive-by shooting. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Pakistan-Cleric-Killed.html)(BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3761409.stm)
Buddy Rice wins the 2004 Indianapolis 500 driving for RahalLetterman Racing. (VOA) (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=37601F40-66FA-4895-A919F0BFCFC07A8F)(Sports Illustrated) (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/racing/05/30/bc.car.irl.indy500.fini.ap/)
The World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, DC, with around 200,000 people attending the ceremony. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5294161)(CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/05/29/war.memorial/index.html)
Islamist militants attack two oil industry installations and a foreign workers' housing complex in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, killing at least 11 people and taking some 50 hostages. Saudi police attempt to storm the housing complex but withdraw after taking casualties. A previously unknown militant group styling itself "The Jerusalem Squadron" claims responsibility and says they are attacking "zionists and crusaders" who are there to "steal our oil and resources". (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/29/saudi.shooting/index.html)(BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3760287.stm)
U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner (in Massachusetts) rules that stating that someone is homosexual does not constitute libel or slander. (AP) (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Gay%20Defamation)
India flies its first multi-purpose civilian aircraft Saras in Bangalore. (Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow/708600.cms))
NASA announces the first Spitzer Space Telescope find: a planet that appears to be less than a million years old. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/28/science/28planet.html)
A signed peace accord marks an end to the 21-year civil war in Sudan. The Darfur conflict continues. (AP) (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/8773195.htm?1c)
Archaeologists discover what they term the 'world's oldest university' in Alexandria, Egypt. It dates from the 5th century AD. (Toronto Star) (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1085609411132&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037)
FBI Director Robert Mueller and United States Attorney GeneralJohn Ashcroft state that Al Qaeda may be planning a terrorist strike over the coming months. Multiple FBI officials contend that there is no recent intelligence to suggest a significant change in the USA's security situation, and critics question the validity and timing of the public warning.(NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/27/politics/27terror.html?th) Seven people wanted for questioning are also named.
Journalist Peter Hounam, who had revealed Israel's secret nuclear program, is arrested in Jerusalem and denied access to a lawyer. He is released and expelled from the country the following day. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3752043.stm)(BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3759119.stm)
A man armed with a knife enters the mansion of Puerto Rican governor Sila María Calderón and takes a secretary hostage. Calderón negotiates with him for the hostage's release, and he is arrested soon after. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/05/27/puertorico.hostage.ap/index.html)
As many as 1,000 people are killed in floods in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/05/25/caribbean.storms/index.html)(BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3756621.stm)
France bans the use of Bayer CropScienceGaucho (insecticide) on maize seeds. Gaucho is claimed to be harmful to bees. (Rtrs) (http://www.agriculture.com/worldwide/IDS/2004-05-25T172003Z_01_L25197546_RTRIDST_0_FOOD-FRANCE-GAUCHO-UPDATE-1.html)
Viacom's MTV Networks unit announces plans for the LOGO channel, the first LGBT_themed major cable television service in the United States, set for a February 17, 2005 debut. (Bloomberg) (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aff59Spo3R3A&refer=top_world_news) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5253784)(CNN) (http://money.cnn.com/2004/05/25/news/fortune500/mtv_gay_network/)
The Abel Prize is awarded in a ceremony in Oslo for the Atiyah-Singer index theorem. (AP) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=624&ncid=753&e=10&u=/ap/20040525/ap_on_sc/norway_abel_prize)
Tennis: At the French Open, a new world record for the longest match in the sport's recorded history is set when Frenchman Fabrice Santoro beats Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 16-14 after playing for 6 hours and 33 minutes, split over two days. (ESPN) (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french04/news/story?id=1809151)
A fire consumes the Momart building in London, destroying works owned by several museums and collectors. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3748179.stm)
Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali Naimi declares that USD $30-$34 per barrel is a 'fair and reasonable price', denies any differences within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and vouchsafes to supply an additional 2 million barrels of crude a day if the market demands it. Previous reports of a deal between US President George W. Bush and Saudi Arabia are not discussed. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-OPEC-Oil.html)(Syd. Herald) (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/27/1082831569615.html?from=storyrhs)
Pakistan: Police arrest six more members of militant Islamic group Harkat-ul Mujahideen al-Alami after a gun-battle in southern Karachi. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5235605§ion=news)
Philippine general election, 2004: Incumbent Philippine PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo wins another term according to a senior election official who leaks the narrow winning margin of about 3% or 900,000 votes. An independent watchdog group confirms the figures. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5236654§ion=news)
The popular singer Madonna cancels three concerts in Israel after receiving letters in which her two young children's lives were threatened. The letters contained intimate details regarding the children's routines and security staff. (The Sun) (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004240450,00.html)
Liverpool F.C. part company with their manager of six years, Gérard Houllier. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/3734773.stm)
Tennis: In one of the biggest upsets in AmericanAndre Agassi is eliminated from the first round of the French Open by world 271st-ranked French qualifier Jerome Haehnel. (VOA News) (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectid=2726B0DB-A264-456B-A8855F862519576D&title=Agassi%20Loses%20in%20First%20Round%20of%20French%20Open&catOID=45C9C788-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=Sports)
Villagers in Abga Rajil, western Sudan, claim 56 people are killed in a raid by janjaweed militia. The UN says conflict in the Darfur area has displaced around a million people. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5228658§ion=news)
Twenty insurgents loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr are killed by Coalition forces during a raid on the Selah mosque compound in Kufa, Iraq. Twelve insurgents are killed in other fighting in Kufa. (ABC AU) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1114156.htm)
Explosions occur at three banks in Jiutepec, Mexico. In a communiqué left at the blast stite, a previously unheard-of rebel group called the Comando Jaramillista Morelense 23 de Mayo claims responsibility. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5228376§ion=news)
China announces that tests of a SARSvaccine have started on humans. (ABC AU) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1114114.htm)
At least 28 people are killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir when a bus carrying Indian soldiers and family hits a landmine. Hizbul Mujahideen claim responsibility. (ABC AU) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1114155.htm)
A bomb explodes in a discotheque in Bogotá, Colombia, on Saturday night (local time): five people are killed. The authorities blame the FARCparamilitary rebel group. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5227976§ion=news)
2 Palestinians die and another suffers seriously injuries due to an explosion in Nablus on the West Bank. It is believed the explosion resulted from improper handling of explosives. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5227548§ion=news)
A ship carrying 4,000 Hyundaicars sinks south of Singapore after colliding with an oil tanker. All crew are safe, there is no oil spill, and the cars were insured. (ABC AU) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1114133.htm)
Part of a new terminalBangladeshi river ferries capsize at 03:30 hrs local time during a sudden storm; 240 passengers are reported missing. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5227971§ion=news)
Libyan leader Moammar Al Qadhafi walks out of the Arab League Summit in Tunis, Tunisia stating: "There is one agenda laid out by the Arab people and another by the Arab governments." (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/23/international/23arab.html)
Israeli Justice Minister Tommy Lapid causes consternation when he says that an image of an old Arab woman rummaging through rubble in Rafah reminded him of his grandmother, a Holocaust victim. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3742365.stm)
The Commonwealth Secretariat announces it will re-admit Pakistan to the Commonwealth, five years after its suspension. Continuing concerns about democracy will be monitored. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3738825.stm)
RussianPresidentVladimir Putin announces that his country will pursue ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Ratification will make the protocol take effect and impose trade restrictions on non-participating countries, such as Australia and the United States. (Independent) (http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=523978)
Active underwater volcano found off coast of Antarctica. New find explains discolored water surrounding the site. (Newswise) (http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/505130/)(US NSF) (http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/newsroom/pr.cfm?ni=98)
United States forces and Iraqi police raid the home of controversial Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmed Chalabi, arresting several members of the Iraqi National Congress and seizing documents. The US severs its financial ties with the group, and accuses it of currency exchange racketeering, theft, and obstructing the Oil for food investigation. (MSNBC) (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5019721/)
Citing "insufficient evidence", US Federal Judge Adalberto Jordan acquits environmental group Greenpeace on charges under the "sailormongering" statute. A record total of more than 100,000 people worldwide sent protest messages to
Preliminary field tests suggest that the shell found near Baghdad on May 15 contained about four liters of the chemical agent sarin, which attacks the nervous system.
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