October 2005 - October 18, 2005 (Tuesday)

October 18, 2005 (Tuesday)

• Ex-chancellor Kenneth Clarke has been knocked out of the race to become the next leader of the UK Conservative Party. (BBC)
• Malawi food crisis: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) increases its appeal for Malawi to USD13 million, as the humanitarian crisis worsen with an estimated 46,000 severely malnourished children. (allAfrica)
• Conflict in Iraq: Two U.S. Marines and around four Iraqi insurgents are killed in Western Iraq. (NBC)
• The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq| issues a statement saying that statistical irregularities in the constitution ratification referendum on October 15, 2005 require that the balloting be audited, which will delay the announcement of the final count. According to the New York Times, "The statement made no mention of the possibility of fraud." though according to the BBC "Iraq's independent electoral commission says statistical irregularities in last week's referendum could indicate fraud." (BBC), (New York Times)_(mirror), (MTV)
• William Evan Allan, the last surviving Australian First World War veteran, dies aged 106. (Sydney Morning Herald)
• Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth is formally opened. Five years overdue and massively over budget, the tower offers the highest public vantage point in the UK. Project manager David Greenhalgh becomes trapped in the tower's external glass lift for over an hour at the opening. (BBC). (BBC)
• Authorities closed one of two highway tunnels carrying traffic under Baltimore, Maryland's harbor following a threat to detonate explosive filled vehicles.