Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Israeli troops exchange gunfire with guards of Yasir Arafat in Ramallah. A suicide bomber identified as Shadi Tubasi, a resident of the refugee camp Jenin, kills 14 and wounds more than 40 in Haifa. Later, a suicide bomber wounds four members of an intensive care unit, one critically, in a paramedics' dispatch station in Efrat. In the past 18 months, according to the Associated Press, 1262 people have been killed on the Palestinian side and on 401 on the Israeli side.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has called a three-day general strike protesting police interference with union meetings, harassment of trade unionists and general lawlessness following the general elections, which has led to slow-downs in business. In South Korea, 5,600 power plant workers are on the 25th day of their strike, protesting the neoliberal government plans to privatize the state-run electricity plants. A vote among the remaining power plant workers to strike was cancelled due to company interference.
Robert Mugabe has won the Zimbabwe elections with 54% of the vote to Morgan Tsvangirai's 40% on a turnout of 55.9%. His victory is controversial and comes amid claims that many were prevented from voting and there was a campaign of intimidation. But election observers from South Africa and the Organisation of African Unity have stated that the outcome was legitimate.
2001 U.S. Attack on Afghanistan: Seven American Special Operations Forces soldiers are killed as they attempt to infiltrate the Shahi Kot Valley on a low-flying helicopter reconnaissance mission. Around 3 a.m. local time a MH-47 Chinook helicopter was hit by an rocket-propelled grenade, causing a soldier to fall out and damaging a hydraulic line. The helicopter made an emergency landing a half-mile away. A second helicopter on the mission picked up the first helicopter's crew and flew to where the crew member had fallen. The soldiers soon came under heavy fire, and six were killed. The remaining soldiers returned fire and retrieved the bodies before returning to base.
Bubble fusion: Scientific papers for and against the observation of apparent nuclear fusion in imploding bubbles are now available online. If this can be repeated, this is an important scientific breakthrough. Other physicists fear that this may be a repeat of the cold fusion fiasco.
The 2002 graduating class at the University of Alabama School of Medicine at UAB ranks as one of the best in the nation and one of UABÂ’s best ever, based on test scores and residency match criteria, said Dr. Kathleen Nelson, associate dean for students, at ThursdayÂ’s Match Day ceremony.
UAB Hospital has joined a very elite group of hospitals across the nation recognized as a nursing "center for excellence." The hospital was notified yesterday about its recognition as a Magnet hospital, a designation awarded by the American Nurses Association to fewer than 50 of the nation's 5,800 hospitals.
A new study under way at UAB aims to determine if the sisters of women with fibromyalgia may be at greater risk for developing a heightened sensitivity to pain and if so, if one or more genes are associated with this increased risk.