NationMaster - Encyclopedia: May 18, 2004

May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sonia Gandhi Sonia Gandhi (à¤¸à¥‹à¤¨à¤¿à¤¯à¤¾ à¤—à¤¾à¤à¤§à¥€) (born December 9, 1946), is an Italian-born Indian politician, the president of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) and the widow of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi. ... The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... Sarin or GB (O-Isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate) is an extremely toxic substance. ... The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and processes input from the senses, and initiates actions. ... Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip are at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... Rafah (Arabic: Ø±ÙØ Hebrew: ×¨×¤×™×—) is a town in the Gaza Strip, on the Egyptian border, and a nearby town on the Egyptian side of the border, on the Sinai Peninsula. ... Operation Rainbow (In Hebrew, ×ž×‘×¦×¢ ×§×©×ª ×‘×¢× ×Ÿ) is a controversial military operation which began on May 18, 2004 in the Gaza Strip. ... The city of Gaza is the principal city in the Gaza Strip. ... Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization with the stated purpose of promoting all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. ... A war crime is a punishable offense, under international (criminal) law, for violations of the law of war by any person or persons, military or civilian. ... The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... The West Bank The Gaza Strip The term Palestinian territories is used by many journalists as a collective name for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip â€” two territories in Palestine. ... It has been suggested that October 2000 riots (Israel) be merged into this article or section. ... The International Olympic Committee is an organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, and organise this sports event every four years. ... Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7,421,328 and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. ... Plaza de Cibeles (Cibeles square) and the Palacio de Comunicaciones (Communications Palace) Coat of arms Madrid, the capital of Spain, is located in the center of the country at 40Â°25Â´N 3Â°45Â´W. Population of Madrid city was 3,093,000 (Madrilenes, madrileÃ±os) as of 2003 estimates. ... Moscow (Russian: ÐœÐ¾ÑÐºÐ²Ð°Ì, Moskva, IPA: (?)) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and the largest financial center in the world. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, will be held in London, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Johnson tossing out a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park Randall David Randy Johnson (born September 10, 1963 in Walnut Creek, California), also known as The Big Unit, is a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. ... Since 1991, a perfect game has been defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a complete game victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposition player reaches first base. ... MLB logo Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in the world. ... Major league affiliations National League (1998-present) West Division (1998-present) Major league titles World Series titles (1) 2001 NL Pennants (1) 2001 West Division titles (3) 2002 â€¢ 2001 â€¢ 1999 Wild card berths (0) None Major league nicknames Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-present) Major league home ballparks Chase Field (1998-present... Major league affiliations National League (1876-present) East Division (1994-present) West Division (1969-1993) Major league titles World Series titles (3) 1995 â€¢ 1957 â€¢ 1914 NL Pennants (17) 1999 â€¢ 1996 â€¢ 1995 â€¢ 1992 1991 â€¢ 1958 â€¢ 1957 â€¢ 1948 1914 â€¢ 1898 â€¢ 1897 â...