October 16, 2003

• Baseball: The New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3, to win the American League Championship Series and move on the World Series. They will play the Florida Marlins, who defeated the Chicago Cubs, 4 games to 3, to win the National League Championship Series.
• Occupation of Iraq: The UN Security Council unanimously approves a new US resolution on Iraq. Russia, Germany and France back the resolution but will not provide troops or money. [1]. A survey indicates poor morale amongst the US troops serving in Iraq. [2]
• East Asia: President Bush re-affirms his intention to pressure China and Japan into fair policies re their exchange rates. [3]. China's trade surplus is shrinking as imports surge. [4] At the same time India is wrestling with the implications of the sustained appreciation of the rupee against the dollar. [5]
• Roman Catholicism: Tens of thousands of Catholics attend Mass celebrating the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II in Rome. The Pope will beatify Mother Teresa on Sunday, October 19, and install 30 new Cardinals on Tuesday, October 21. [6]
• Genetically Modified Foods: In a surprise move, Monsanto announce their intention to quit the European cereal business. Citing lack of success, the company has decided to cut costs. [7]
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict: European Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten has questioned Israel's commitment to a two-states resolution to the conflict with the Palestinians. [8]
• Space exploration: The People's Republic of China's first astronaut, Yang Liwei returns to earth safely aboard a Shenzhou spacecraft, Shenzhou 5. During the 21-hour trip, he circled the planet 14 times. [9]
• Apple launches its iTunes Music Store, an online download music store, for the Microsoft Windows platform. The iTunes software can be downloaded from apple.com for free.