July 14, 2004

• Stephen Hawking changes his position on black holes and Hawking radiation, stating that it is possible for information to escape, thereby reinforcing a central tenet of quantum physics. (New Scientist)
• The Iranian government rejected requests for Canadian government observers to attend the trial of intelligence agents charged with the death of Canadian photographer, Zahra Kazemi
• The Federal Marriage Amendment, a bid by members of the United States Republican Party to amend the United States Constitution to ban same-sex marriage in the United States, fails in the Senate by a larger-than-expected margin. (CNN)
• The governor of the Iraqi city of Mosul is killed in an attack on his vehicle. (BBC)
• France celebrates Bastille Day, and:
  • In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, troops from the United Kingdom are accorded the honour of leading France's parade on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. (BBC)
  • President Jacques Chirac announces that France will hold a referendum over the proposed constitution for the European Union in 2005. (Reuters) (BBC)
• The Butler Review into United Kingdom intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq is published. It criticises the government for using unreliable intelligence, which it says was 'open to doubt' and 'seriously flawed', but blames no single individual. (BBC) (Guardian) (Independent)
• The death toll from monsoon flooding in South Asia reaches 300. (ABC Australia)
• Same-sex marriage in Canada: A court in Yukon rules that the territory's government must licence marriages between same-sex partners. Yukon becomes the fourth jurisdiction in Canada to perform same-sex marriages, after Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec. (CBC)
• By a 3-to-2 vote, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposes requiring the registration of hedge funds (investment pools restricted to high net worth individuals and institutions). Although many hedge funds are already registered, that has thus far been voluntary. (thestreet.com)
• A Turkish court orders a retrial of four Kurdish former members of parliament who were jailed in 1994. They have been accused of supporting separatism and for making speeches in Kurdish. (BBC)