July 28, 2004

• The Catholic Church says a "weeping statue" at a Vietnamese Catholic centre near Brisbane is not a miracle. (ABC)
• Violence in Iraq:
  • A massive suicide car-bomb kills 70 Iraqi civilians in an attack near a police station in the city of Baquba, north of Baghdad.
  • Insurgents launch simultaneous attacks on U.S bases around Ramadi, killing two U.S soldiers and wounding eight. One guerilla and an Iraqi civilian are killed in the Ramadi fighting. Clashes between Marines and guerillas are reported elsewhere in Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad.
  • A U.S soldier is killed and three wounded in a roadside bomb attack on a convoy in the town of Balad Ruz, north of Baghdad.
  • A U.S soldier is killed and another three wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad. An Iraqi civilian was also injured in the blast.
  • Seven Iraqi policemen and 35 guerillas are killed in a battle in the town of Suwariyah, southeast of Baghdad, that was started by a raid by Iraqi security forces backed by U.S and Ukrainian troops. [1]
• About 220 North Koreans fly to South Korea from an unnamed third country, following 247 who arrived the day before. They arrive at Incheon International Airport on a plane chartered by the South Korean government. The North Korean government describes their apparent defection as "kidnapping". (BBC)
• A United Airlines flight carrying 246 passengers to Los Angeles, USA is forced to return to Sydney, Australia, after a bomb threat. Police later describe a hoax warning, found written on an air sickness bag. (CNN)
• The Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Muslims World League, two Saudi-based international Islamic organizations, warn of Muslim anger in the event of an attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and say Israel would be held responsible for any aggression against the mosque. (ArabNews)
• Roman Catholic Bishop Misael Vacca Ramírez, abducted by the left-wing rebel group National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia, tells local television he has been set free. (BBC)
• Traces of ricin are found in jars of baby food in a supermarket in Irvine, California. (Bloomberg)