Portal:Current events/2004 November 18
November 18, 2004 (Thursday)
- 2004 U.S. presidential election controversy: According to a report called The Effect of Electronic Voting Machines on Change in Support for Bush in the 2004 Florida Elections[1] George W. Bush received between 130,000 and 260,000 faulty votes in Florida. (IDG) (IT Week) (Scoop) (Vunet)
- In North Korea, portraits of Kim Jong-il vanish and the official media stops referring to him as the "Dear Leader" leading to speculation his cult of personality is undergoing revision or weakening. (VOA) (Asia Times) Archived 2011-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
- Former Canadian cabinet minister Alfonso Gagliano vehemently denies he has any links with New York's Bonanno crime family, as was reported on November 17 in the New York Daily News. The issue is raised by Opposition Leader Stephen Harper in the House of Commons, where Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin also denies knowing of any links between the Sicilian-born Gagliano and organized crime. (CP)
- The UK House of Commons invokes the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 for only the seventh time (since 1911). The Act was used to push through a bill which bans Hunting with dogs. (BBC)
- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton opens his presidential library, the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Speakers include former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush, and current president George W. Bush. (BBC)
- The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approves an application by the American news channel Fox News for a digital licence. Fox's previous exclusion from the Canadian airwaves had been criticized by some Canadians as being motivated by the network's perceived conservative bias. (CBC)
- The European Parliament approves the new make-up of the European Commission, headed by José Manuel Barroso. (Xinhua) (Bloomberg)
- In Israel, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), investigating alleged crimes by an Israeli officer, is seeking to exhume the body of 13-year-old Iman al-Hams. The schoolgirl was shot at least 15 times by the IDF. (BBC)
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture announces that a cow has tested positive for mad cow disease. Officials caution that the test is inconclusive until confirmed at a lab in Ames, Iowa, but if confirmed, it will be the second case in the U.S. The agency says the disease has not entered the food chain. Tech News World, (NY Times)
- Three Palestinians are buried while digging a smuggling tunnel in Rafah. The tunnel collapsed due to heavy rain. The Israeli Defence Force permitted Palestinian rescue forces to try to rescue them, and later sent its own bulldozers to help. The rescue efforts succeeded and three Palestinian were recovered from the ruins alive. They were treated by IDF medical staff and later taken to investigation. (Washington Times), (Maariv), (Haaretz)
- Three Egyptian paramilitary security officers stationed at the Sinai–Gaza border are killed by Israeli tank fire, after IDF troops allegedly mistook them for Palestinian terrorists or militants. The Egyptian government accepts an apology from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and demands an investigation on the incident. (Haaretz) (Reuters) (BBC)
- The Parliament of New Zealand finally passes a controversial bill on the foreshore and seabed ownership dispute, which has caused considerable tension between Maori and non-Maori. (TVNZ)
- The Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society is held for the 28th time. (Newsday)
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-12-08. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
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