Portal:Current events/2005 July 29

July 29 2005 (Friday)

• Astronomers have discovered a large new trans-Neptunian object, now called Eris, which is larger than Pluto. (Sky and Telescope). Also announced today was the discovery of two other large new Kuiper Belt objects, Haumea ((136108) 2003 EL₆₁) and Makemake ((136472) 2005 FY₉). New observations reveal Haumea to be about 70% the diameter of Pluto. The object is also orbited by two moons. (New Scientist)
• Following a militant attack at Srinagar's city centre at Lal Chowk more than 10 people have been left injured. (Rediff)
• Hamas, the main Palestinian opposition party in the Palestinian Authority, hold a mass wedding on the West Bank in which 226 couples performed the Nikah. (BBC)
• The remaining three London bombing suspects have been arrested after raids in the UK and Italy. (BBC)
• The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, has announced that all foreign students (around 1,400) are to leave the nation's Madrassas and go home. (BBC)
• Conflict in Iraq: At least 25 New Iraqi Army recruits have been killed following an apparent suicide bomb attack in Rabia, near Mosul, in North West Iraq. (BBC)
• Indian officials have raised the death toll of those suspected dead in the 2005 Maharashtra floods to more than 800. (BBC)
• Indian bomb disposal experts have found traces of explosive in the train which exploded on Thursday killing 7 people. (BBC)
• BBC News has been told, by the activist settler Noam Livnat, that 20,000 Israeli soldiers had signed a petition vowing to block any attempt at removing Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip. (BBC)
• In Vietnam, death toll on bird flu rises to 42. (Thahn Nien News) (Reuters AlertNet)
• Initial results show that Ugandans have voted for a return to multi-party politics in a national constitutional referendum. The poll was marred by a low turnout.(BBC)
• Robert Kilroy-Silk resigns as leader from Veritas, the political party he founded. (Guardian)