Portal:Current events/2004 September 13

September 13, 2004 (Monday)

Following Time Warner's withdrawal, the management of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer accepts a take-over offer from Sony worth just under US$3 billion. (National Post)
A Fathers 4 Justice protester dressed as Batman breaches security at Buckingham Palace and scales a wall. He remains on a balcony for five hours before being arrested by police. (CNN)
United States Secretary of State Colin Powell says that he saw no direct connection between Saddam Hussein's former regime in Iraq and the September 11, 2001, attacks. During an interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Powell also said he believes that if John Kerry were president at the time of a terrorist attack he would respond in a "robust" way. (Washington Post)
The "pre-election offensive" against the Iraqi resistance continues in the rebel-held city of Fallujah, with air-strikes killing at least 16, including women and children. Joint U.S.–Iraqi forces say that they are targeting Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who is linked to al-Qaeda. The U.S. military says it is investigating an incident that occurred September 12 in Baghdad in which five people, including an al-Arabiya journalist broadcasting live, were killed in a helicopter attack. (Reuters)^{[permanent dead link]} (BBC)
In Afghanistan, 22 insurgents believed to be members of the Taliban and al-Qaeda are killed in the province of Zabul. Zabul Province is widely regarded as a Taleban stronghold. (BBC)
Former UDA member Ken Barrett pleads guilty to the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989—one of the most controversial murders of Northern Ireland's Troubles. (Reuters) (BBC)
2004 Atlantic hurricane season:
- Hurricane Ivan, still at Category Five strength, continues to travel northward, causing damage throughout the western Caribbean. As of 23:00 local time (0300 UTC September 13), it is located about 285 km (175 miles) southeast of the western tip of Cuba, and it is predicted that the eye of Ivan will pass over that part of the island Monday afternoon or evening. (Reuters) (NOAA/NHC)
- The Cuban government evacuates between 800,000 and 1.3 million people from coastal cities and developed areas. Cubans have begun calling the hurricane "Ivan the Terrible". (Reuters) (New York Times) (NOAA/NHC)
- A storm surge from Hurricane Ivan travels at least 1 km (0.6 mile) inland on Grand Cayman, the largest of the three islands of the Cayman Islands, forcing residents to seek shelter on their house roofs.