November 19, 2003

• The Canada-U.S. Power System Outage Task Force releases an interim report, citing a loss of situational awareness in First Energy Corporation's control room as the primary cause and "immature" monitoring software used at the Midwest Independent System Operator as a secondary cause. [1]
• FTAA: The Bush administration says it is opening free-trade negotiations with Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Panama. It hopes to start the free trade talks by the second quarter of 2004. [2]
• The People's Republic of China expresses firm opposition to US restrictions on imports of textiles (from mainland China) and vows to take the dispute to the WTO. [3] [4] Abandoning tolerance toward Taiwan for the first time since 2000, the PRC threatens to use force and, ultimately, conduct war against Taiwan if it pursues independence. The PRC's state press condemns Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's move toward holding a referendum on "independence" and providing the legislative framework for declaring a Republic of Taiwan. [5] [6]
• An arrest warrant is issued for pop singer Michael Jackson [7].
• The United States Department of Justice charges 47 people, including former employees of JP Morgan and UBS, with offenses related to foreign exchange fraud. [8] [9] At the same time investigations into fraud in the US mutual fund industry widen. [10] The U.S. House of Representatives approves a draft bill that explicitly bans some of the troublesome mutual fund practices. [11] Some commentators think these various financial scandals are undermining the US dollar, which falls to an all time low against the euro. [12]
• President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt is taken ill during a live television broadcast; he had taken antibiotics whilst fasting during Ramadan. [13]
• Politics of Japan: The Diet of Japan names Junichiro Koizumi Prime Minister in a short special session.
• Speaking in London, UK, Richard Perle says that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was an illegal act but morally correct: "international law stood in the way of doing the right thing". [14]
• A tabloid journalist claims to have penetrated Buckingham Palace security preceding the visit of U.S. President George W. Bush to the UK. The Palace is seeking a restraining order to prevent The Mirror from publishing further information about the royal household. [15]
• The four-match chess contest between Garry Kasparov and X3D Fritz ends in a draw. [16]
• UEFA: The final 5 qualifying countries for the 2004 European Football Championship are settled, with Latvia astonishingly defeating Turkey 3-2 on aggregate over two games. [17]