October 2005 - October 21, 2005 (Friday)

October 21, 2005 (Friday)

• Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank after they attacked an Israeli Defence Forces vehicle in Tulkarm. (BBC)
• Telecommunications company Inmarsat is planning to launch the second in a series of two super-satellites into geosynchronous orbit. They are designed to be among the most powerful commercial communications satellites in orbit. They will beam broadband data and voice services to almost any location on the planet. (Wired)
• Avian influenza:
  • Avian influenza is detected in Croatia. Six of twelve swans were infected by an H5 type of virus. The swans were found near Orahovica. It is suspected that they came to Croatia from a still unknown place in the European Union.
  • The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service discovers antibodies of avian influenza and newcastle disease in pigeons imported from Canada to Melbourne, leading to a blanket ban on all live bird imports from Canada. (ABC) (ABC)
  • Avian influenza is found in a parrot that died in quarantine in England. The Department for the Environment, Fisheries and Food has not said if it is the lethal strain H5N1. (BBC)
• Saadoun Sughaiyer al-Janabi, the defense lawyer of Awad Hamed al-Bandar in the Al-Dujail trial, is found dead of gunshot wounds near a Baghdad mosque, after having been kidnapped on Thursday evening by unknown assailants. AP
• In Portsmouth, UK, the parents of a brain-damaged baby won a partial victory in their legal battle to have her resuscitated by doctors if she falls seriously ill. (BBC)
• A United Nations investigation headed by Detlev Mehlis has found that high-ranking members of the Syrian and Lebanese governments were involved in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. (ABC)
• A ceremony is held in Portsmouth, UK, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar; other events include the Queen Elizabeth II lighting one of many nationwide beacons. (BBC)
• An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the moment magnitude scale hits the Turkish city of İzmir, injuring 15 people and causing one fatal heart attack. This is the fourth strong tremor this week. (AFP) (AP) (USGS)