Portal:Current events/October 2003: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:33, 3 January 2003

Revision as of 14:34, 3 January 2003

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* Users of the [[Gregorian calendar]] around the world celebrate the [[New Year]]. Happy New Year!

*[[Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva]] ("Lula") becomes the 37th president of the Federative Republic of [[Brazil]] for the period ([[2003]]-[[2007]]). Da Silva was elected representing the Worker's Party with 61% percent of the vote. His inaugural speech includes vows to wipe out poverty, hunger, and corruption, but da Silva promised during the campaign to abide by an agreement with the [[International Monetary Fund]] to maintain a budget surplus of 3.75% and has filled key economic posts with men considered friendly to foreign investment. Among guests at the inauguration were Venezuelan President [[Hugo Chavez]], Cuban President [[Fidel Castro]], and [[U.S. Trade Representative]] [[Robert Zoellick]].

* The Turkish-registered tanker ''Vicky'', with 70,000 [[Metric ton|tonnes]] of [[gasolinediesel]] cargo, struck the wreck of the sunken auto carrier ''Tricolor'' off the coast of [[Dunkirk, France]]. The [[Ships|double-hulled]] tanker freed itself from the wreck with the rising tide and sailed a mile off to check for leakage. The ''Vicky'' is the second ship to strike the wreck of the ''Tricolor'' since the carrier sank on [[December 14]], [[2002]].

* A [[Royal Australian Air Force]] [[C-130 Hercules]] overflew the islands of [[Tikopia]] and [[Anuta]] in the [[Solomon Islands]] to inspect damage by [[Cyclone]] Zoe. The overflight carried officials of the Australian government agency [[AusAid]]. Reports show that there has been damage to crops and traditional homes, but may be no casualties among the islands' 3,700 inhabitants.