Portal:Current events/2003 September 9

September 9, 2003 (2003-09-09) (Tuesday)

• Governor Frank O'Bannon of Indiana lapses into a coma following an operation after the governor suffered a stroke in a Chicago hotel room. Lieutenant Governor Joe Kernan becomes acting governor.
• Iraq: The Iraqi Governing Council gains the seat at the Arab League left open since Saddam Hussein's ouster by the US-led coalition earlier that year. The council, which was formed under US auspices, seems to have taken a step toward sovereign legitimacy in the eyes of the international community.
• Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A Palestinian suicide bomber kills at least 8 Israelis and seriously wounds 15 others at a bus stop near Rishon LeZion. Several hours later this is followed by a second suicide bombing at a Jerusalem café, in which 7 more people are killed and dozens are wounded.
• SARS: A Singaporean man is confirmed to have SARS, which is the first case of the illness since June 2003. Home quarantine have been imposed on those who had direct contact with the 27-year-old man, who is a post-doctoral student working with the West Nile virus.
• 2004 U.S. presidential election: The nine Democrats competing for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States clashed in a live televised debate, which was co-sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus and the Fox News Channel. The debate was held at the historic Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
• The United States Department of the Treasury revamps its $20 bill as part of its never-ending quest to foil counterfeiters, including the addition of a peach-hued background to the denomination. (Many non-US citizens regard the US dollar as "hard currency" and keep much of their wealth in it as a hedge against inflation.)
• The name of Montreal Dorval International Airport is officially changed to Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. The Montreal airport becomes the first major Canadian site to be renamed in honour of Prime Minister Trudeau. The move sparks controversy among many in Quebec owing to Trudeau's political history, such as his decision to invoke the War Measures Act and send troops into Montreal during the October Crisis in 1970, and his construction of Montréal-Mirabel International Airport, which they regard as a white elephant. The renaming will take effect on January 1, 2004.

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