Portal:Current events/2004 November 16

November 16, 2004 (Tuesday)

The Pentagon announces that Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. James G. Roche, has submitted his resignation. (Reuters)
French scientists at the Institut Pasteur announce they have successfully stimulated antibodies to block HIV from infecting human cells in vitro. The achievement is a significant breakthrough towards the goal of an HIV vaccine. (365gay.com)
Indian military officials announce that a withdrawal of troops will begin from the Indian-administered part of Kashmir during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's first visit to the disputed, Muslim-majority region which sparked two of the Indo-Pakistani Wars and a 15-year separatist movement. (Reuters) Archived 2004-12-23 at the Wayback Machine (BBC)
Madrid Train Bombing: A 16-year-old Spaniard has been jailed for six years for his part in the bombing which killed 191. (BBC)
Conflict in Iraq:
- A possible war crime by a U.S. Marine in Fallujah, Iraq, is caught on film by an NBC camera crew. The marine shot and killed an apparently unarmed Iraqi while in a mosque. (NYT) (ABC US) (The Independent)
- US troops have launched a major assault of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul following insurgents gaining control of key sites. (BBC)
- 1,052 prisoners have been captured in the US assault on Fallujah, approximately two dozen of whom are non-Iraqi. (The Independent) (The Nation)
- Margaret Hassan, the Irish-born aid worker kidnapped in Iraq, is believed to have been killed. A tape apparently showing her being shot has surfaced. (BBC)
White House officials announce that Condoleezza Rice will be nominated to succeed Colin Powell as Secretary of State. (BBC)
Congolese music star Papa Wemba has been found guilty of people-smuggling in a Paris court in France. (BBC)
The British Government details a white paper to implement a smoking ban in public places to combat the risks of tobacco smoking. (BBC)
A Queensland Rail Tilt Train, en route from Brisbane, Australia, to Cairns, derails 60 kilometers north of Bundaberg, injuring more than 150 people. (ABC News) (news.com.au)(BBC)
Nearly 800,000 Bowflex exercise machines are recalled after dozens of users reported injuries caused by mechanical problems. (AP) (AP)
NASA's X-43 research aircraft reaches a speed of Mach 10, a new record for an air-breathing engine. (ABC Au) (BBC)
James Bond celebrates his fictional 80th birthday Mi6.co.uk.
Valve releases Half-Life 2