January 18, 2005

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January 18, 2005

January 18 , 2005

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict :

--- Palestinian Suicide Bomber killed one and wounded six Israelis in Gush Katif junction in the Gaza Strip . Hamas claimed responsibility. (Haaretz)

Bao Tong , Zhao Ziyang 's former secretary and the highest ranking official to be jailed after the Tiananmen Square Protests Of 1989 is blocked from paying his respects at a mourning hall set up in Zhao's Beijing home. Bao's wife, Jiang Zongcao, was injured in the scuffle with plain-clothes Police and had to be hospitalized. (Reuters)

Conflict In Iraq :

--- Iraq is to close all its land borders for three days around the 30 January Elections in an attempt to enhance security, election officials have said. (BBC)

--- Syrian Catholic Archbishop of Mosul Basile Georges Casmoussa is kidnapped in Iraq . The Vatican condemns the act and demands his release; Casmoussa is later freed. (Catholic World News) (Reuters) (BBC)

A U.N. World Conference On Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan begins. About 3,000 government officials, non-governmental experts and other specialists from around the world will discuss the growing trend of people affected by Natural Disaster s. (BBC) (WCDR Official Site)

The government of Sudan signs a preliminary Peace Treaty with the National Democratic Alliance , an opposition Umbrella Group of rebels in the north and east of the country. (Sudan Tribune) (IslamOnline) (BBC)

In France , Labour Union s are threatening to begin a succession of Strike s to protest against the government of president Jacques Chirac . (Expatica) (BBC)

The Airbus A380 is officially launched at a ceremony in the main French Airbus factory in Toulouse . Carrying between 550 and 840 passengers (depending on configuration), the double decker A380 is now the largest passenger Airliner in the world. (Reuters) (BBC)

Mark Latham , leader of Australia 's opposition Labor Party , resigns from his position and from Parliament due to ill health. Possible replacements include former deputy prime minister Kim Beazley , shadow foreign minister Kevin Rudd and shadow health minister Julia Gillard . (Melbourne Herald Sun) (ABC) (BBC)

The United Nations World Food Program appeals for aid to Mauritania , after Drought and large Locust Swarm s destroy the harvest. (AllAfrica) (Planet Ark) (Reuters Alertnet)

Two former Bosnia n Serb officers, Vidoje Blagojevic and Dragan Jokic , have been convicted and imprisoned for their complicity in the Srebrenica massacre in 1995 . (BBC)