SENTIDO > DAILY INTERCEPT > NEWS BRIEF ARCHIVE > JULY 2004

31 July: UN Security Council 13-0 vote threatens sanctions against Sudan if militia killings do not halt within 30 days (30,000 killed so far): Sudan says it will comply with UN resolution requirement to suppress militia, stop ethnic killing in Darfur; French troops move to secure Chad-Sudan border... FT reports US economy slowed beyond expectations in second quarter, Greenspan suggests no "cumulative weakness"... In Ohio, Bush adopts Kerry language, saying American workers can compete globally in trade, if rules are fair, reiterates his feeling that the economy is "turning the corner"; Kerry announces in response he seeks "to climb the mountain"... Report by Environmental Working Group finds CA air-pollution fines too low to dissuade big polluters, pay-the-fine policy prevails: 2 refineries cited 120 times in 5 years...

30 July: Israeli, US embassies in Uzbekistan were targetted by bomb attacks... Pakistan's PM-designate escapes suicide bomber's assassination attempt; Pakistan detains key suspect in 1998 African embassy bombings (announced 4 days after capture, timing is questioned in light of prior revelations about pressure to announce high-value capture in late July)... Senate hearings probe for clarity on proposals made by 9/11 Comm. report; Comm. tells Senate excess secrecy, lack of public scrutiny part of intel flaws... Bush attacks Kerry's character and campaign, seeks to grab education, tax issues; offers strength in continuity as challenge to Kerry's promise of strength, wisdom, Constitutional principle... Kerry/Edwards launch nationwide "Believe in America" tour; Kerry calls for Bin Laden trial in US...

29 July: Bangladesh pleads for international aid to deal with massive floods submerging 40% of Dhaka, leaving 30 million homeless... Sen. John Kerry formally accepts the nomination of his party for President... At least 68 die in Baquba car bombing, in Iraq... Spanish judge to consider charges against Riggs Bank for alleged concealed Pinochet accounts... Fmr. Interior Min. Acebes tells Spain's 11-M Commission he never lied in wake of Madrid bombing, believing "shadow of ETA" could be source of "inspiration", and for that reason, he sought further investigation... 4 Afghans, 2 UN staff killed in bombing of Afghan mosque registering voters for coming election... Bush campaign aide suggests disillusioned workers "go on Prozac"... Obama address seen as sign of new politics of affirmation, unity...

28 July: PM Qurei withdraws resignation at Arafat's urging, gets compromise permitting moves against administrative corruption... Senate to hold hearings on 9/11 Comm. report recommendations; Cheney says 9/11 Comm. report backs Iraq war implicitly, citing extremist quest to "rid the world of religious and political pluralism"... Candidate Kerry arrives in Boston, comes by sea with fellow vets... Sen. Edwards accepts VP nom., says "reject the tired old hateful negative politics", says Dem security policy will be "destroy" Al Qaeda, refrains "hope is on the way"; DNC formally nominates Kerry/Edwards ticket...

27 July: Barack Obama makes resounding national debut, calling for restoration of American values; Sen. Kennedy evokes memory of patriots who fought for freedom on New England soil, the marches in Selma, Birmingham, cites new struggle against "politics of fear"; 13-year-old Ilana Wexler says VP needs "a long time out" for cursing Sen. Leahy; Teresa Heinz Kerry evokes anti-apartheid struggle, moral principle of Lincoln... Navy reservist sues defense contractor, former employer, saying they refused to take him back after tour of duty... Karzai drops warlord from Afghan re-election ticket, selects brother of Ahmed Shah Massoud... Same-sex marriage ban qualifies for Oregon ballot in November... Kerry calls for extension of 9/11 Commission's mandate by 18 months... Evidence Alaska's average temperature now 4 degrees higher than just 50 years ago (major climate shift), summer temp. 8 degrees higher than 30 years ago...

26 July: Malaysian court frees woman suspected of torturing Indonesian worker; Indonesia gov't objects... Indonesian court will prosecute Bali suspects without new anti-terror laws previously ruled unconstitutional... 1st night of Democratic Convention features 2 Clintons, Gore, Carter; fmr. Pres. Clinton urges voters to "send John Kerry", praising courage, leadership; Carter says "John Kerry will strengthen the global coalition against terror"... NYC Mayor Bloomberg visits Haiti, following up on postponed January trip...

25 July: Tank-like armored military vehicles are deployed in Boston, gunboats on Charles River; CBS news reports security forced correspondent to throw away coffee before entering convention compound... John Kerry holds "front-porch" gatherings with neighborhoods in Ohio, other swing states, on journey to Boston...

24 July: Some of Bush's "accidentally destroyed" National Guard pay-records have turned up, others still missing; 3-month gap in service still apparent... Indonesian court rules anti-terror laws were used illegally in wake of 2002 Bali nightclub bombing... 9/11 Commission report clears Saudi government of direct involvement in terror plot; Senate committee says it still has suspicions... House passes bill to refuse courts right to order states recognize same-sex marriages from another state, even with pressure to act on 9/11 Commission recommendations... Aggressive snakehead fish may have spread to Delaware, Schuykill rivers...

23 July: Boston erects fenced-in, covered pen, or "designated free-speech area" including barbed wire, to contain demonstrators during DNC... NPR reports Sadr's Mehdi militia (not openly bearing arms) still controls area around Ali Mosque in Najjaf... Philadelphia area woman alleges 15 people died of CJD (Mad Cow disease) contracted during 1990s from meat eaten at now closed racetrack (NJDoH, CDC say no proof)... Kerry calls for tough policy against gang violence...

22 July: 9/11 Commission reports 40 references to Bin Ladin threat in President's Daily Briefs prior to 9/11 attacks; commissioners say they assign no blame, call for imagination at high levels... Bush promises full, open investigation of accounts at Riggs Bank which may have been used to launder money for fmr. Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet... Sandy Berger steps down as informal adviser to Kerry, after flare-up over copies of security documents; CNN reports all originals in place, no information lost, 9/11 report had full access, incident apparent oversight... New push to change corporate secrecy laws barring FDA from revealing data showing serious health threats related to major drugs to public...

21 July: China frees Dr. Jiang (who revealed SARS cover-up in 2003) from 7 weeks of detention without charges; military source suggests he will continue to be pursued... Philippine hostage freed after Philippines pulls personnel from Iraq, coalition critical... Argentina rated first in development among Latin American nations by UN report, despite economic crisis, Chile next; Haiti ranks as least developed nation in Americas... Chilean deputies allege Pinochet corruption after US Congress finds secret accounts in DC bank...

20 July: UN General Assembly votes 150 to 6 with 10 nations abstaining to approve resolution calling for Israel to dismantle security barrier, pay reparations to Palestinians harmed by its construction... Brazilian tropical savannah will disappear by 2030, if agricultural clearing doesn't stop, says new study... Microsoft announces it will disburse $75 billion to shareholders over 4 years: largest corporate payout in history... Singer Linda Rondstadt fired from Las Vegas contract after praising Michael Moore as "great American patriot"...

19 July: Indian court orders payment of remaining balance of $470 million owed to victims of Bhopal toxic gas release... Militant faction attacks Palestinian police station in wake of PM resignation, growing doubts about leadership, internal criticism... ABA president urges President, Congress to renew Federal Assault Weapons Ban... UN Development report urges cultural freedom be adopted as universal basic human right, for multiethnic societies to institute "'asymmetric' federalist structures"...

18 July: NYC to limit No Child Left Behind school transfers due to high costs, increased strain on education system (using most needy principle)... ABA reports US prison population of 2.1 million constitutes 1/4 of the entire global prison population, costing $49 billion per year; recitivism in IL at 54%, Americans 5x more likely than Europeans to be imprisoned; prison population quadrupled since 1980... Iraqi-authorized US airstrike on suspected terrorist base in Fallujah kills 12; local MD says women, cildren among dead...

17 July: 90 die in school fire in rural Kumbakonam, India; dangerous roofing material scrutinized... Palestinian PM announces resignation in letter to Arafat, possible Arafat will refuse to accept... US government study shows child poverty increased in 2002 for 1st time since 1991... Parts of south NJ declared federal disaster area due to flooding... Philippine troops begin pulling out of Iraq...

16 July: Los Álamos lab suspends classified nuclear projects, because vital data has been lost or stolen... Libya agrees to open desert terrain to Darfur aid... Pending transportation bill contains amendment restricting public access to information about transport-related health risks, overriding state open-access laws, sealing currently public info... Kerry launches 4-month "front porch tour" of neighborhoods across the country...

15 July: Nelson Mandela, himself cured of tuberculosis while in prison, says combatting TB is major part of AIDS fight... Darfur refugee camps suffer flooding from heavy rains; raw sewage spills into drinking water, raising fears of cholera outbreak; floods posing grave obstacles to foreign aid... John Kerry says Darfur crisis is genocide, at speech to NAACP, warns AIDS creates failed states, combatting AIDS top "moral obligation" of our time... Senators Corzine, Brownback introduce bill to officially recognize crisis as genocide... PM Allawi says new Iraqi security force will "annihilate" insurgents... ICRC reports not all detainees accounted for by US DoD, CIA; Sen. Warner said Geneva Conventions were violated at Guantánamo... Perú's Pres. Toledo praises strike organizers for peaceful day of protest, no major casualties... GOP discusses stripping courts of jurisdiction over same-sex marriage...

14 July: Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage rejected by Senate... 60 killed in 8 days of flooding, landslides in Nepal... UK inquiry (Butler report) finds no evidence of WMD in Iraq, criticizes analysis, but makes no accusation of manipulation; Blair claims personal responsibility for presentation of flawed intelligence, but says "No one lied; no one made up the intelligence"... Iraqi provincial governor killed by roadside gunmen... Nationwide strike in Perú fails to halt business; many go to work after gov't docks day's pay for strikers; polls had shown 90% support for strike...

13 July: Philippine government says it will pull 51 military personnel out of Iraq "as soon as possible", hoping to save life of hostage, father of 8... Suspected Al Qaeda conspirator surrenders to Saudi officials (after Saudis offer amnesty to Al Qaeda militants; paralyzed Al-Harbi will be held at hospital for treatment)... "Computer Ate My Vote" day of awareness nationwide... Iraqi Industry minister shot dead... W.H.O. reports world "failed miserably" in delivering AIDS assistance to poor countries... Slowing in US, Chinese economies, looks to produce slowing growth in Chile as well... IHT reports informal UN list: most under-reported crises worldwide...

12 July: Newsweek, Boston Herald report administration crafting plan to postpone November election in event of terrorist incident... E-voting skeptics gain momentum, plan nationwide rallies for verifiable hard-copy ballots... Global AIDS Summit underway in Bangkok, Thailand; focus heavy on need for cheaper drugs, education/support to kids... Darfur militia reportedly destroying food sources to harm refugee populations...

11 July: Meet the Press cites Bob Woodward reporting that in Dec. 2002, Pres. and staff were unimpressed with CIA WMD evidence, believing it didn't show proof... RFE reports Kosovar Albanians seek more local autonomy... Pentagon says Bush Nat'l Guard payroll records damaged beyond repair, in response to Freedom of Information request... New attack in Tel Aviv as Sharon decries ICJ advisory opinion...

10 July: Tom Ridge announces launch of 24/7 nationwide terror-threat information "nerve-center"... 'Fahrenheit 9/11' seen by 8 million people, grossing over $60 million to date (nearly 3x any previous documentary)... July Harpers Index reports $9M for Pentagon research of "low-yield nuclear weapons", 6 nations with life expectancy below 40 in 2002...

9 July: Sen. Intelligence Cmte. report finds admin. based prewar assumptions on intel which excluded contrary evidence, inflated threat; report specifies no "reconstitution" of nuclear prog., no biochem development, no connection to Al Qaeda... Int'l Court of Justice at Hague rules Israeli security fence violates int'l law; non-binding opinion expands Israel's own Supreme Court's ruling that sections straying into Palestinian land must be rerouted; Sharon, NY Senators denounce ruling... British authorities turn over investigation of murder of 6 MPs to Iraqi authorities...

8 July: Enron founder Kenneth Lay indicted for crimes related to company's fraud, collapse... US House considers barring funding for UNESCO... UNESCO seeks to preserve cultural heritage of ancient civilizations, cites 35 sites as being in danger of destruction worldwide... Allawi signs legislation granting him extraordinary powers, authority to ban groups he considers threat, prohibit public assembly; some fear new powers will exacerbate unrest, turn political opponents to violence...

7 July: Austrian president Thomas Klestil died yesterday at 71 of multiple organ failure, possibly precipitated by chronic lung problems... UNHCR classifies displacement of Colombian refugees as worst humanitarian crisis in Western Hemisphere... UN reports 5 million new HIV infections in 2003, largest annual increase since virus was discovered... US Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun reportedly phones family, requests US embassy pickup in Lebanon... Hague tribunal rules Milosevic not ill enough to stall proceedings, requests new medical report, explores replacement attorney...

6 July: Kerry officially picks Edwards to be his running mate... New York Times reports CIA may have had intelligence saying Iraq no longer had WMD, prior to start of invasion... Spanish parliamentary inquiry hears testimony from witness who spotted 11-M Atocha bombers, said police did not suspect ETA as then government had initially claimed... Regional elections shift balance toward PRI in México, posing potential threat to Fox party, PAN... Australia urged to severely cut greenhouse gas emissions to forestall economic hardship...

5 July: African Union announces it will send 300 peacekeepers to Darfur region... Insurgent group announces kidnapped Marine still alive, "in safe place" after agreeing not to fight against them... Boston Globe reports case of Sibel Edmonds, FBI translator fired after discovering pre-9/11 security lapses; Justice Dept. has retroactively classified materials relevant to her work... Top legal adviser to British Foreign Office questions legality of Iraq occupation... Bush ad will feature Sen. John McCain, despite clamor from independents, Democrats for his split from party...

4 July: Cornerstone of 'Freedom Tower' laid at WTC site; 178 years ago Presidents Adams, Jefferson both died on 50th anniversary of Declaration of Independence... Swedish government announces support for African Union attention to Darfur, will send military observer, SEK 1 million in aid...

2 July: Arab leaders announce plans to create first international body to combat money laundering across Middle East, North Africa... UNEP urges global action to protect coral reefs, hidden deep sea natural treasures... U.S. joins Latin American, Carribean nations in San Juan declaration on population, development: to reduce poverty, promote reproductive rights, healthcare...

1 July: New travel restrictions permit Cuban-Americans to visit family in Cuba only once every 3 years... Saddam Hussein in Iraqi custody, appears in court to face charges, declares himself Iraq's president, calls Bush criminal... Remains of 2 prehistoric giant 7-ton hippopotamus found in England... Tomb of Askia, in Mali, assigned World Heritage status, along with 13 major sites, 2 other cultural sites, and various natural heritage sites...