Portal:Current events/2004 December 27

December 27, 2004 (Monday)

Astrophysicists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching near Munich measure the strongest burst from a magnetar. At 21:30:26 UT the Earth is hit by a huge wave front of gamma and X-rays. It is the strongest flux of high-energetic gamma radiation measured so far.
In Mulhouse, France, a suspected gas explosion kills 17 people (BBC) (Scotsman)
Newly discovered observations from March 2004 rule out the possibility that asteroid 2004 MN₄ (later named 99942 Apophis in July 2005) will hit Earth in 2029. (Space.com)
The U.S. dollar hits a new low against the euro: USD 1.3640 to EUR 1.00. (AP)
Ukrainian Transport Minister Heorhiy Kyrpa, a staunch supporter of Viktor Yanukovych, is found shot dead at his home just outside of Kiev. It is unclear whether he was murdered or committed suicide. (BBC) (Reuters)^{[permanent dead link]}
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israeli police arrest Palestinian presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouti. A Jerusalem police spokesman says Mr Barghouti was "detained for questioning because he has the right to transit through Jerusalem but not be in Jerusalem itself".(BBC)
The death toll from tsunamis resulting from the Indian Ocean earthquake is known to be at least 20,000 and possibly as high as 45,000. (BBC) London Free Press Independent Online
Ukrainian opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko claims victory. Official results may not come out for days. (Reuters) Archived 2005-01-03 at archive.today (BBC)
Conflict in Iraq:
- Iraq's main Sunni political movement, the Iraqi Islamic Party, withdraws from next month's general elections, citing the refusal to delay elections until all parts of Iraq could participate. (BBC)
- 15 people are killed and dozens injured as a suicide bomber detonates his car in front of the home of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the country's most powerful Shia political group. (BBC)