Portal:Current events/October 2003

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May 7, 2003

The planet Mercury makes a rare five hour transit of the Sun, an event that occurs roughly 12 times per century. [1]
Brian Duchow, a Milwaukee bus driver is charged with child abuse after being secretly taped by a passenger with Down syndrome, allegedly hitting him and threatening with more abuse.

Buckingham Palace announces that Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex are expecting their first child. The child is due to be born in December 2003. He or she will be the seventh grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
In Great Britain it is now time to decide whether to join in use of the euro or not. Supporters and opponents are talking loudly. Financial minister Gordon Brown should decide soon whether to join or to not.

Boeing unveils a drawing of a proposed airplane of the future and launches a public contest to name the airplane.

Manchester United F.C. win the 2003 FA Premier league due to Arsenal F.C.s failure to beat Leeds United F.C.
At least 19 people are killed in a series of tornadoes in the states of Colorado, Kansas and Missouri.

New Hampshire's famous landmark rock formation, the Old Man of the Mountain, collapses overnight.
The gelding Funny Cide wins the Kentucky Derby.
Titular Archbishop of Glendalough and Vatican representative in the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is named Coadjutor Archbishop of Dublin by Pope John Paul II. His appointment is announced to worshippers at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin by the Archbishop of Dublin Cardinal Desmond Connell. No date is given for Connell's retirement but Martin's appointment takes immediate effect.

U.S. economic indicators: The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics announces that the unemployment rate rose to 6% in April as employers cut 48,000 jobs, smaller than the consensus estimate of 75,000. This followed a revised decline of 124,000 jobs in March.

President Bush safely lands in an S-3B Viking jet on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln returning from operations in Iraq while 100 miles off the coast of San Diego, California. It is the first time a sitting president has arrived on the deck of an aircraft carrier by plane. Bush makes a primetime address, surrounded by hundreds of sailors, in which he declares major combat operations in Iraq over.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits Bingol, Turkey, killing at least 87 people and injuring 400.
United States Navy forces start moving out of Vieques. A big celebration erupts on Vieques' streets at 12:01 AM EST, to celebrate the military's move out of the island.
The British Columbia Supreme Court becomes the third provincial supreme court to rule that the Canadian government must legally recognize same-sex marriage.
The Canadian dollar exceeds 70 cents US for the first time in five years, reaching $0.7044 US.

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