May 2003

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This article covers breaking news and events in May 2003.

Daily events

Thursday May 1, 2003

Logo of the RBB

George W. Bush announces the end of the war in Iraq

• Berlin , Potsdam / Germany : The public broadcasters Sender Free Berlin and Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg found their joint successor Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg , or RBB for short. The choice of name resulted from a survey of viewers and listeners.
• Bingöl / Turkey : At least 115 people are killed in an earthquake measuring 6.4 M _W.
• Persian Gulf : In an effective media appearance, US President George W. Bush lands aboard an S-3B Viking on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln , which operates off the coast of Iraq . On the deck he explains the American campaign in Iraq to be over ( English "mission accomplished" ), regardless of the continued poor security situation.

Friday May 2, 2003

• Frankfurt am Main / Germany : The regional court eases the strike ban for the Deutsche Bahn locomotive drivers . Local train drivers are now allowed to strike.
• Washington, DC / United States : Federal Supreme Court lifts financial barrier provisions in the 2002 Election Donation Act. The limitation concerned election donations and so-called "issue ads". The court follows the view of the American Gun Owners Association and the Republican Party .

Sunday May 4, 2003

• Algiers / Algeria : The country's government admits to negotiating with the kidnappers of the 31 Sahara tourists. The German government considering the use of in the negotiations fail GSG-9 units into consideration.
• Dresden / Germany : The seven new church bells of the Evangelical Lutheran Frauenkirche are consecrated as part of a service. The building is z. Partly rebuilt with stone material from the Frauenkirche, which was destroyed in 1945, as a copy of it. The construction costs of 130 million euros are supported by numerous donors from Germany and the United Kingdom .
• Iraq : The country is to be divided into three zones of occupation . The north would fall to Poland , the United States zone would consist of Baghdad and the surrounding regions, and the United Kingdom would be in the south . The development of an administration and the democratization of the country are named as goals.
• Madrid / Spain : During his two-day visit to the city, Pope John Paul II canonize five Spanish clergymen .

Monday May 5, 2003

• Amsterdam / Netherlands : The brewer Heineken takes over the majority of the Austrian listed Braubeteiligungs-AG. The Dutch are thus further expanding their leading position in Europe. Because of the decline in “free” breweries, critics speak of the trend towards “uniform beer”.
• Eisenach / Germany : The first warning strikes at the Opel plant are intended to support IG Metall's demand for a 35-hour week for employees in the accession area from 1990 .
• United States : " Spam endangers the e-mail system" is the official conclusion of a conference of the US trade authority FTC . It calls for worldwide legal measures.
• United States : In several US states, according to an initiative of the Motion Picture Association of America, the operation of certain electronic devices is linked to the approval of the respective "Communication Service Provider". Private individuals may need a. a permit for the use of answering machines , computers , fax machines , televisions , cell phones , modems , radios , telephones or video recorders .
• Warsaw / Poland : Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdziński suggests that four zones of occupation may be established in Iraq . Szmajdzinski does not say which country besides the United States , the United Kingdom and Poland is intended for this.
• Vienna / Austria : The strike of the union against the pension reform start to run. The printers and parts of the railroad workers stop working.

Tuesday May 6, 2003

• Germany : The planned meeting of the SPD with the German Trade Union Confederation will not take place due to disagreements about the planned social reforms of Agenda 2010 and will not be made up for before the SPD special party conference on June 1st.
• Geneva / Switzerland : The health ministers of the member states of the European Union cannot agree on a uniform regulation for the fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome. The World Health Organization certifies that the individual European countries are well prepared, but sees no reason to give the all-clear.
• Austria : For the first time in decades, hundreds of thousands of people in various industries are giving up their jobs, according to the Austrian Federation of Trade Unions . The reason for the strike is the pension reform of the federal government .

Wednesday May 7, 2003

• Baghdad / Iraq : In the city, numerous holdings of the National Museum that have been considered missing , mostly manuscripts, are found. The majority were taken to safe storage rooms at the beginning of the Iraq war , while other items were taken away by looters.
• Görlitz / Germany , Zgorzelec / Poland : The foundation stone for the Altstadtbrücke , a new pedestrian and cyclist bridge between Görlitz on the German side and its former suburb on the Polish side, is laid.

Thursday May 8, 2003

• Rabat / Morocco : On the occasion of the birth of his first son Moulay Hassan , the Moroccan King Mohammed VI. an amnesty for 9,459 prisoners.
• Somogy / Hungary : At Siófok near Lake Balaton , a bus stops at the end of a traffic jam on a level crossing and is hit by a train. The authorities report 27 dead and 50 injured.

Friday May 9, 2003

• Kosovo / Serbia and Montenegro : Due to a lack of personnel, the Bundeswehr will withdraw 140 KFOR soldiers from securing the camps around the city of Prizren by May 19 . Georgian units are intended as a replacement.

Saturday May 10, 2003

• Berlin / Germany : The Ver.di Federal Unemployment Committee, the Unemployment Association of Germany and the Coordination Office of Union Unemployment Groups call for protest against the abolition of unemployment benefits and the further impoverishment of the unemployed. A mass rally in Berlin on May 17th is intended to attract more social attention.

Sunday May 11, 2003

• Basel / Switzerland : FC Basel wins the final of the Swiss Cup in football at St. Jakob-Park 6-0 against Neuchâtel Xamax .
• Canberra / Australia : The Governor General of Australia and former Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane Peter Hollingworth resigns. He is accused of ignoring evidence of sexual abuse by a priest.
• Helsinki / Finland : Canada becomes ice hockey world champion with a 3-2 win against Sweden .
• Podgorica / Serbia and Montenegro : Filip Vujanović is elected President of Montenegro. He is considered an advocate for the independence of Montenegro from Serbia.
• Vilnius / Lithuania : In a referendum, the majority of voters vote in favor of Lithuania joining the European Union .
• Vienna / Austria : Strangers steal the sculpture Saliera (a salt barrel) by Benvenuto Cellini from the Kunsthistorisches Museum on Sunday night .

Monday May 12, 2003

• London / United Kingdom : British Minister for International Cooperation Clare Short resigns. She has repeatedly positioned herself against Prime Minister Tony Blair , whom she accuses of neglecting the role of the United Nations in the Iraq conflict .
• Riyadh / Saudi Arabia : 26 people die and over 160 others are injured when four car bombs explode.
• Znamenskoje / Russia : In front of the headquarters of the FSB secret service in Chechnya, a bomb hidden in a truck detonates, killing 59 people and injuring another 200. Chechen rebels are suspected to be behind the crime.

Tuesday May 13, 2003

• Vienna / Austria : In the protest against the pension reform, more than 100,000 people gather in the streets in the evening despite the hailstorm .

Wednesday May 14, 2003

• Buenos Aires / Argentina : Before the second round of the presidential elections, the candidate Carlos Menem declares his retirement.
• Victoria / United States : Texas police found the bodies of 17 Latin Americans , most of them in a locked truck where they were apparently suffocated. It is very likely that they are migrants.

Thursday May 15, 2003

• London / United Kingdom : According to a report in Nature magazine , only 10% of the large fish population of 1950 remains. Massive overfishing has brought many species to the brink of extinction.
• United States : The United States is bringing absentee charges against Jamal al-Bedawi and Fahd al-Quso, who are to be convicted of involvement in the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole .

Friday May 16, 2003

• Baghdad / Iraq : The head of the post-war administration, Paul Bremer from the United States , decrees the “De-Ba'athification of Iraqi Society” ( German  “Removal of the Baath Party from Iraqi society” ).
• Casablanca / Morocco : In a series of suicide attacks on several restaurants and hotels, 33 civilians and the twelve attackers are killed and over 100 other people are injured.

Saturday 17th May 2003

• Bratislava / Slovakia : In the referendum on the republic's planned EU membership, a large majority of voters vote for its accession.
• Sri Lanka : Hundreds of thousands of people become homeless when flooded. The number of missing people is around 500.

Sunday May 18, 2003

• Bern / Switzerland : The voters vote against the popular initiatives on health, nuclear power plants , help for the disabled, apprenticeships, tenant protection and Sunday rest. The two army bills, on the other hand, on reforming the armed forces and on civil and civil protection, were adopted.
• Vatican City : Pope . John Paul II speaks at the St. Peter's Square , four people holy .

Monday May 19, 2003

• Baghdad / Iraq : The city is hosting the largest anti- American demonstration since the country was occupied by the Allies, led by the United States. It is organized jointly by Shiites and Sunnis .
• Israel : Fifth suicide bombing in two days kills four.

Tuesday May 20, 2003

• Bangkok / Thailand : The country is responding to the widespread fear of contracting severe acute respiratory syndrome . The government is promising US $ 100,000 to every tourist who can prove that they actually contracted the disease in Thailand. There have been 640 fatalities worldwide so far, two of them in Thailand.
• Germany : Deutsche Bahn dismisses two leading managers in the first quarter due to criticism of its pricing system that has been in effect since December and due to the 14% decline in sales. Changes to the price system are being considered.
• Hamburg / Germany : The complaint of the ex-member of the state parliament Manfred Mahr against Interior Senator Ronald Schill because of carrying a gun without a gun license in 2002 is rejected.
• Stuttgart / Germany : The state of Baden-Württemberg is imposing a budget freeze due to an expected budget gap of 284 million euros . For 2004, a 10% cut in subsidies is being considered. Downsizing is to be prevented.
• United States : The nationwide terror warning level is set to "high" because of indications of planned attacks by the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda .

Wednesday May 21, 2003

• Algiers / Algeria : A severe earthquake shook the city itself and the region to the east of it in the evening. More than 2,000 people are killed.
• Berlin / Germany : Federal Defense Minister Peter Struck ( SPD ) calls for domestic deployments of the Bundeswehr to be anchored in the Basic Law. The most important task of the armed forces is the fight against terrorism, that applies worldwide.
• Kabul / Afghanistan : Before the Embassy of the United States are from there stationed US troops four Afghan soldiers fatally injured, another is wounded.
• Seville / Spain : FC Porto wins the football - UEFA Cup after a 3-2 win in the final against Celtic Glasgow .

Thursday May 22, 2003

• Bonn / Germany : The world's largest flower of a titan arum plant opens in the botanical garden . The flower stem measures 2.74 m. For this reason, the greenhouse remains open to visitors until midnight.
• Brussels / Belgium : The European Commission sentenced Deutsche Telekom to a fine of 12.6 million euros for excessively high fees for access to its telecommunications network for competing companies.
• Colombia : The Colombian armed forces kill at least 29 rebels from the guerrilla organization FARC .
• New York / United States : The Security Council of the United Nations lifts with immediate effect sanctions against Iraq on.

Friday May 23, 2003

• Berlin / Germany : With around 2,000 guests, the SPD celebrates the founding day of the General German Workers' Association 140 years ago.
• Germany : 66.8% of the members of the Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen party vote in favor of loosening the strict separation of office and mandate, which is intended to prevent the power of individual executives from becoming too great.

Saturday May 24, 2003

• Berlin / Germany : The SPD parliamentary group leader Franz Müntefering contradicts Federal Defense Minister Peter Struck (SPD), the reform of the conscription must be initiated with a quick decision. Federal Family Minister Renate Schmidt (SPD) and Federal Minister of Finance Hans Eichel (SPD) speak out against compulsory military service, even if it is shortened from nine months to six, and favor its abolition.
• Berlin / Germany : The CDU Berlin elects Joachim Zeller as its new chairman. He asserts himself against the former Finance Senator Peter Kurth .
• Germany : According to Federal Interior Minister Otto Schily ( SPD ), this year the discounter Aldi will receive the negative price for closed oyster for inadequate information policy.
• Germany : FC Bayern Munich is now officially the 2003 German soccer champions .
• Iraq : The occupying powers ask the Iraqi people to surrender their weapons by June 14th. From this day onwards, gun carriers can expect an arrest.
• Kirkuk / Iraq : Like the city of Mosul three weeks ago, Kirkuk also receives a semi-democratic administration. During spontaneous protests against the occupying forces, soldiers of the Allied troops arrest several people.
• New York / United States The: Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Kofi Annan announces that Sergio Vieira de Mello for four months to the UN Special Representative for Iraq was appointed.
• Palestinian Autonomous Territories : The Islamist terrorist organization Hamas opposes the Middle East peace plan and calls it a delaying tactic by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon .
• Riga / Latvia : Turkey's entry Everyway That I Can wins the Eurovision Song Contest , performed by Sertab Erener .

Sunday May 25, 2003

Néstor Kirchner

• Afghanistan : Canada takes over the management of the International Security Assistance Force ( German  international security support force ) from Germany .
• Bremen / Germany : The general election takes place in Bremen . According to the preliminary official final result, the SPD accounts for 42.3% of the votes cast, the CDU 29.9%, the Greens 12.8%, the Schill party 4.3%, the FDP 4.2% and on the DVU 2.3%. The FDP and DVU will each have one seat in the citizenship, as they exceed the threshold of 5% in Bremerhaven .
• Buenos Aires / Argentina : Néstor Kirchner takes the oath of office for his presidency after his predecessor Carlos Menem withdrew his candidacy.
• Yerevan / Armenia : The National Assembly elections are taking place.

Monday May 26, 2003

• Kigali / Rwanda : In a referendum, 93% of the electorate vote for the adoption of the new constitution.
• Turkey : When a Ukrainian Yak-42 aircraft crashes not far from the city of Trabzon , all 62 Spanish soldiers on board and the twelve members of the crew die . The passengers were on their return flight from their deployment in Afghanistan .

Tuesday May 27, 2003

• Algeria : After last week's earthquake , an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 M _W shook the crisis region. The death toll from both quakes is around 2,200.
• Düsseldorf / Germany : The Higher Regional Court orders that the self-proclaimed Caliph of Cologne , Metin Kaplan , will not be extradited to Turkey , but will be released from custody. The judges rate the prospect of a fair trial in Turkey as doubtful.
• Lima / Peru : After two weeks of teachers' strike and street blockades by farmers, President Alejandro Toledo imposes a state of emergency for an initial 30 days.

Wednesday May 28, 2003

Scene from the Champions League final

The penguin of the free operating system

• Berlin / Germany : In the city begins, u. a. with a greeting from Pope John Paul II , the first Ecumenical Church Congress . His motto is: "You should be a blessing."
• Berlin / Germany : The President of the Federal Association of German Industry , Michael Rogowski is the featured social reforms of Agenda 2010 as a "step in the right direction" and criticized the opposition parties for their negative attitude.
• California / United States : The Internet -Auktionshaus eBay is for infringement of a software patent for payment of 35 million Dollar US condemned.
• Manchester / United Kingdom : AC Milan wins the final of the football - Champions League against Juventus Turin on penalties with 3: 2 at Old Trafford Stadium .
• Munich / Germany : The City Council decides on the election of municipal IT - operating system , despite a high discount offered on the part of Microsoft for the free of charge by private individuals programmed free system Linux . Professional providers have been predicting that Linux will soon disappear from the market since its appearance.
• Washington, DC / United States : The United States lift its economic sanctions against Iraq . At the same time, Iraq's neighboring states are warned against influencing the restructuring of the country. The White House and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reiterate their allegations against Iran that the government there supports terrorism . Donald Rumsfeld points out that Iraq may have destroyed the suspected weapons of mass destruction before the Third Gulf War.

Thursday May 29, 2003

• Berlin / Germany : About 2,000 believers appear for the communion of Protestants and Catholics on the fringes of the first Ecumenical Church Congress . The theology professor emeritus Gotthold Hasenhüttl leads the celebration. Previously, Pope John Paul II banned Catholics from participating.
• Kabul / Afghanistan : A Bundeswehr vehicle drives into a mine in the capital . A corporal dies in the explosion.
• Kashmir / India : At least 15 rebels are killed in fighting in the mountain region between the Indian army and rebels.
• Palestinian territories : Shortly before the meeting of the head of government of the autonomous territories Mahmoud Abbas with the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon , the Israeli armed forces start another offensive. Two Palestinians are killed in the process.
• Pastaza / Ecuador : 30 people are killed in clashes between two indigenous groups in the Pastaza province.
• Prague / Czech Republic : Defense Minister Jaroslav Tvrdík wants to resign because he sees the budget cuts amounting to the equivalent of 1.1 million euros as a threat to the planned military reform.
• Puno / Peru : A student dies in the city during protests against the state of emergency imposed on Tuesday .
• Washington, DC / United States Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused the Iran , the Revolutionary Guards in Iraq infiltrate and incite the Iraqi people against the United States. At the same time he denies war preparations against Iran. His deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, admits that Iraq's still undiscovered weapons of mass destruction were not the main reason for the invasion , but rather that peace was sought in the Middle East .
• Vienna / Austria : FK Austria Wien is officially the 2003 Austrian football champions . The game against SC Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz had to be interrupted for 25 minutes because hundreds of Austria fans stormed the pitch in the 77th minute of the game, delighted at the success.

Friday May 30, 2003

• Baghdad / Iraq : On the initiative of the United States , the Iraqi government announced oil -Förderverträge, which under former leader Saddam Hussein with oil companies from China , France and Russia have been closed.
• Berlin / Germany : As part of the Ecumenical Church Congress , representatives of 16 churches in Germany adopt a Charter Oecumenica , which contains an obligation for closer cooperation between representatives of the Catholic and Protestant faith.
• Israel : At a meeting with the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon holds out the prospect of easing the blockade on the Palestinian Territories and giving 25,000 Palestinians access to their jobs outside the Autonomous Territories.

Saturday May 31, 2003

Romano Prodi, Konstantinos Simitis, Vladimir Putin, Gerhard Schröder

• Berlin / Germany : FC Bayern Munich wins the DFB Cup with a 3-1 win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern .
• Bern / Switzerland : A 4-2 win at Berner SC Young Boys makes Grasshopper Club Zurich the 2003 Swiss football champions .
• Greenland , Iceland , United Kingdom : An annular solar eclipse just after sunrise is visible from Greenland, Iceland and the Shetland Islands . In Germany , it can be perceived as a partial eclipse, which reaches its maximum with a coverage of around 85% around 5.30 a.m. local time .
• Oświęcim / Poland : US President George W. Bush visits the former concentration camp in Auschwitz as the second US President after Gerald Ford in 1975.
• Paris / France : In the presence of 15,000 spectators lands for the last time a supersonic aircraft of type Concorde of Air France . In October, the Concorde machines with British registration will also be decommissioned.
• Pretoria / South Africa : President Thabo Mbeki calls on the G8 states to lift trade barriers for agricultural products from developing countries . He describes the aid provided by the “rich states” as ineffective if the developing countries are denied the free export of their products.
• Saint Petersburg / Russia : On the occasion of the city's foundation 300 years ago, the completed copy of the Amber Room is presented to the public. President Vladimir Putin , German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and other heads of state attend the ceremony.

See also

• Nekrolog May 2003 for deaths that month
• List of annually recurring commemorative and action days in May
• Category for commemorative days, holidays or action days in May

Web links

Russia in May 2003

Commons : May 2003  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ What happened before ... In: rbb-online.de . April 11, 2001. Retrieved January 22, 2017 . 
2. ↑ No sign of life from 70 children after earthquake. In: handelsblatt.com . May 2, 2003, accessed November 10, 2017 . 
3. ↑ Switzerland Cup 2002/03. In: rsssf.com . Retrieved April 30, 2019 . 
4. ↑ 67th Ice Hockey World Championship 2003 in Finland. In: ifosta.de, Jörg Thomas. Retrieved February 22, 2017 . 
5. ↑ Walter Ötsch , Jakob Kapeller: Neoconservative market radicalism. The case study Iraq. In: International Politics and Society . No. 2 , 2009, p. 49 ( fes.de [PDF]).
6. ↑ Morocco's path toward reform under King Mohammed. In: reuters.com . November 24, 2011, accessed September 6, 2018 . 
7. ↑ Algeria earthquake. In: thw.de . May 26, 2003. Retrieved September 27, 2016 . 
8. ↑ uefa.com : Mourinho puts an exclamation mark ( Memento from February 21, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
9. ^ State elections: Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. In: Wahlen-in-deutschland.de, Valentin Schröder. Retrieved October 28, 2016 . 
10. ↑ The Ecumenical Church Berlin 2003. In: kas.de . June 30, 2003, accessed September 17, 2016 . 
11. ↑ uefa.com : Milan triumphs thanks to Shevchenko ( Memento from January 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
12. ^ Austrian scandal games since 1996. In: diepresse.com . May 23, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2017 . 
13. ↑ Grasshopper's Swiss Champion. In: derstandard.at . May 31, 2003, accessed November 15, 2017 .