Portal:Current events/2004 April 11

April 11, 2004 (Sunday)

Food and sanitation are allegedly being denied to more than 2500 people who were arrested in Nepal over the last few days for protesting against the suspension of democracy. (Morning Star)
Arjan Erkel, aid worker for Médecins Sans Frontières, is free after being held hostage in Dagestan since August 12, 2002. (CBC)
Three European researchers say that if Greenland's average temperature were to increase by 3 °C (5.4 °F) or more, its massive ice sheet would melt, gradually swamping coastal communities as seas rise 7 metres (23 feet) over the next 1,000 years. They hypothesize that the upward trend of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions could cause this. (Indianapolis Star)
NASA is considering a Russian plan to keep crews aboard the International Space Station for a year at a time. (BBC)
Iraq Occupation and Insurgency:
- An informal ceasefire holds; Muhammad Bashar al-Fiyadi, spokesperson of the Association of Muslim Scholars, notes that there were minor skirmishes but there were no major clashes. A deputy to a member in the Iraq Interim Governing Council states the truce would be extended for another 12 hours. (BBC) (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
- Gunmen shoot down a helicopter during fighting in western Baghdad. Rebels threaten to kill and burn a civilian, Thomas Hamill, unless the Alliance troops end their assault on Fallujah by 6 am. The deadline passes with no word on Hamill's fate. (Tribune India)
- Marines kill one bomber and discover a bomb workshop in Fallujah apparently run by Iraqis and foreigners. (AFP)
- President Bush, praying with U.S. troops on Easter Sunday at a military base hit hard by hostilities in Iraq, acknowledges that it had been "a tough week" and it is unclear if the violence would ebb soon. (Reuters)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
- A new Iraqi battalion refuses to support Coalition forces in the town of Falluja after a command failure which lead to miscommunication over their role in the area. (BBC)
Golfer Phil Mickelson wins the 68th Masters Tournament. It is his first major win in 47 such events. (Augusta Chronicle)
Canadian scientists report on a study of mammals from around the world that the species with the best-endowed males live in polar regions, rather than in more equatorial climates. (Toronto Star)
Apple Computer is investigating a reported security flaw in Mac OS X operating system that could allow hackers to trick Macs into opening dangerous files, such as Trojan horses and viruses. (CNet)