1 JANUARY 2004

Pakistan, politics

President Pervez Musharraf won a vote in the parliament and provincial assemblies extending his tenure to late 2007 (Reuters).

Hong Kong

Tens of thousands demonstrated for greater democracy (Reuters).

Haiti

There was a violent anti-government protest in Port-au-Prince (Reuters).

2 JANUARY 2004

Ecuador

Simon Trinidad, a senior commander of the FARC rebels in Colombia, was captured in Quito by Colombian and Ecuadorean authorities (Reuters).

4 JANUARY 2004

Georgia, politics

In the presidential election, Mikhail Saakashvili heavily outpolled his rivals (Reuters).

4-6 JANUARY 2004

Asia and the Pacific, diplomatic affairs

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Islamabad, Pakistan. They agreed to start formal talks on Kashmir in February. Musharraf pledged to not let Pakistan's territory be used for terrorism.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella organization of separatist groups in Kashmir, welcomed the development. But Syed Salahuddin, leader of the Hizbul Mujahideen group, said, "We will announce a cease-fire only if India accepts Kashmir as a disputed territory, promises to resolve the problem according to the wishes of its people, frees all prisoners, stops its crackdown and withdraws its army to barracks."1

5 JANUARY 2004

Sudan

At talks in Nairobi, Kenya, the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) rebels announced they had reached agreement on wealth-sharing after the six-year interim period of the peace process. According to a statement released by the parties, the agreement "covers the division of oil and non-oil revenue, the management of the oil sector, and the monetary authority in the country" (Reuters).

7 JANUARY 2004

Guatemala, civil affairs

An agreement was signed with the UN establishing a UN-appointed commission to prosecute perpetrators of organized crime and human rights abuses (Reuters).

11 JANUARY 2004

Haiti

There was another anti-government demonstration in Port-au-Prince (Reuters).

Israel

Tens of thousands demonstrated in Tel Aviv against plans to relocate some Jewish settlements (Reuters).

14 JANUARY 2004

United States

President Bush proposed a plan for space exploration in the following decades.

The Space Shuttle will be returned to flight consistent with safety concerns. It will help finish assembly of the International Space Station, then be retired by 2010. US research on the International Space Station will be focused on overcoming the adverse effects of spaceflight on humans.

A new manned spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, would be developed by 2008 and conduct its first mission by 2014. It would be capable of transporting personnel to the International Space Station after the Shuttle is retired.

Beginning no later than 2008, a series of robotic missions to the Moon would help prepare for the return of humans. As early as 2015 and no later than 2020, manned missions to the Moon would resume using the Crew Exploration Vehicle. These missions would involve living and working on the Moon for increasingly extended periods. The abundant resources of the Moon, its advantages as a launching point for spacecraft, and the experience and knowledge gained from the extended human presence there would serve as a foundation for missions beyond the Moon, beginning with Mars.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) would increase the use of robotic exploration of the solar system to help prepare for more ambitious manned missions.

Over the next several years there would be only modest increases in NASA's budget, with most funding needs met by reallocation of existing funds. Bush formed a Commission on the Implementation of US Space Exploration Policy to advise NASA on the long-term implementation of the plan. He named former Secretary of the Air Force Pete Aldridge to head the Commission (www.whitehouse.gov, Reuters).

18 JANUARY 2004

Haiti

An anti-government protest in Port-au-Prince was attacked by gunmen (Reuters).

Iraq

There was a suicide bombing attack on the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) headquarters in Baghdad (Reuters).

19 JANUARY 2004

Iraq

Up to 100,000 Iraqis demonstrated in Baghdad in support of Shi'ite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who opposes the CPA's plans for selecting a provisional government through a series of regional caucuses. Sistani has called instead for direct elections (Reuters).

21 JANUARY 2004

Haiti

There was a pro-Aristide demonstration of about 20,000 people in Port-au-Prince (Reuters).

23 JANUARY 2004

Brazil, politics

The Brazilian Democratic Party was brought into the government, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made significant changes in the cabinet (Reuters).

Venezuela

There were demonstrations in Caracas by supporters and opponents of President Hugo Chavez (Reuters).

27 JANUARY 2004

Haiti

In Port-au-Prince up to 20,000 demonstrators called for the departure of President Aristide (Reuters).

29 JANUARY 2004

Israel

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Jerusalem that killed ten Israelis (Reuters).

Indonesia

Sarjiyo, alias Zaenal Abidin, an Indonesian Muslim militant, was sentenced to life imprisonment for helping make the bombs used in the October 2002 Bali attacks (Reuters).

30 JANUARY 2004

Peru, politics

Vice President Raul Diez Canseco resigned over corruption allegations (Reuters).

Notes

1. Sanjeev Miglani and Simon Denyer, "India, Pakistan Reach Breakthrough Deal on Talks", Reuters (www.reuters.com), 6 January 2004.