Wednesday November 19, 2003

Events

• The Canada-U.S. Power System Outage Task Force releases an interim report, citing a loss of situational awareness in FirstEnergy Corporation's control room as the primary cause and ampquotimmatureampquot monitoring software used at the Midwest Independent System Operator as a secondary cause.
• FTAA: The Bush administration says it is opening free-trade negotiations with Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Panama. It hopes to start the free trade talks by the second quarter of 2004.
• The People's Republic of China expresses firm opposition to US restrictions on imports of textiles (from mainland China) and vows to take the dispute to the WTO.
• An arrest warrant is issued for pop singer Michael Jackson
• The United States Department of Justice charges 47 people, including former employees of JP Morgan and UBS, with offenses related to foreign exchange fraud.
• President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt is taken ill during a live television broadcast; he had taken antibiotics whilst fasting during Ramadan.[13]
• Politics of Japan: The Diet of Japan names Junichiro Koizumi Prime Minister in a short special session.
• Speaking in London, UK, Richard Perle says that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was an illegal act but morally correct: ampquotinternational law stood in the way of doing the right thingampquot.
• A tabloid journalist claims to have penetrated Buckingham Palace security preceding the visit of U.S. President George W. Bush to the UK. The Palace is seeking a restraining order to prevent ''The Mirror'' from publishing further information about the royal household.
• The four-match chess contest between Garry Kasparov and X3D Fritz ends in a draw.[16]
• UEFA: The final five qualifying countries for the 2004 European Football Championship are settled, with Latvia astonishingly defeating Turkey 3–2 on aggregate over two games.[17]
• London Bridge Tower, set to become the tallest skyscraper in Western Europe, is granted full planning permission by the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.
• Release date of violent computer-game Manhunt.[18]
• See more

Famous Deaths

• Ian Geoghegan

  Australian racing driver (Born 1940).

Top #5 songs in the USA

1. Beyonce - Baby Boy
2. Ludacris - Stand Up
3. Chingy - Holidae In
4. YoungBloodZ - Damn!
5. OutKast - Hey Ya!

Top #5 songs in the UK

1. Fatman Scoop featuring The Crooklyn Clan - Be Faithful
2. Kevin Lyttle - Turn Me On
3. Blue - Guilty
4. Kylie Minogue - Slow
5. Busted - Crashed The Wedding

Top #5 R&B songs

1. Ludacris Featuring Shawnna - Stand Up
2. R. Kelly - Step In The Name Of Love
3. YoungBloodZ Featuring Lil Jon - Damn!
4. Chingy Featuring Ludacris & Snoop Dogg - Holidae In
5. Jagged Edge - Walked Outta Heaven

Top #5 Latin songs

1. Sin Bandera - Mientes Tan Bien
2. Luis Miguel - Te Necesito
3. Gloria Estefan - Hoy
4. Obie Bermudez - Antes
5. Chayanne - Un Siglo Sin Ti

Stock Markets

• ExxonMobil XOM: opens at $35.06
• Apple AAPL: opens at $20.56
• Microsoft MSFT: opens at $25.29
• General Electric GE: opens at $29.00
• International Business Machines IBM: opens at $88.32

Exchange Rates

• 1 USD = 109.12 JPY
• 1 USD = 1.3035 CAD
• 1 USD = 1.307 CHF
• 1 EUR = 129.86 JPY
• 1 EUR = 0.7003 GBP