June 2004

Updated July 10, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

World

• New Government Formed in Iraq (June 1): Cabinet of 36 Iraqis assumes power from the Iraqi Governing Council. Interim government is led by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Ghazi al-Yawar is named president. (June 9): Prime Minister Allawi agrees to honor interim constitution, which recognizes Kurds' autonomy and gives them a veto over new constitution, until elections in 2005.
• UN Peacekeepers Arrive in Haiti (June 1): Troops begin taking over from a U.S.-led multinational force.
• Pentagon Proposes Troop Withdrawal (June 3): Plan includes removing two Army divisions from Germany. (June 7): Defense Department intends to withdraw about 12,500 troops from South Korea.
• Sharon Fires Cabinet Ministers (June 4): Israeli prime minister sacks two opponents of his plan to withdraw settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip.
• Shiite Insurgents Pull Out of Najaf and Kufa (June 5): Mahdi Army, loyal to Moktada al-Sadr, withdraws from the two southern cities.
• World Leaders Commemorate D-Day (June 6): French president Jacques Chirac hosts President Bush and the leaders of Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, and other countries to remember 60th anniversary of the Allied landing at Normandy.
• Iraqi Militias Agree to Dissolve (June 7): Nine groups agree to disband. The two largest, the Mahdi Army and the Falluja Brigade, however, do not commit to the agreement.
• Security Council Passes Iraq Resolution (June 8): Votes, 15–0, in favor of American and British resolution to transfer power to an interim Iraqi government on June 30. It also calls for elections by Jan. 31, 2005.
• Leaders of World Powers Meet (June 9): At Group of 8 summit meeting, president greets new Iraqi president Ghazi al-Yawar. Leaders of the eight major industrialized nations agree on a one-year moratorium on the sale of technology to make fuel for nuclear bombs and endorse Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative, which encourages democracy in those regions.
• Zimbabwe to Claim More Land (June 9): Mugabe administration announces plans to seize all land not already confiscated by the government and lease it back to farmers.
• Rebel Iraqi Cleric Endorses Government (June 11): Moktada al-Sadr urges his followers to observe cease-fire. (June 12): Al-Sadr says he plans to form a political party and participate in elections in 2005. (June 16): Al-Sadr orders his followers to lay down arms.
• American Kidnapped in Saudi Arabia (June 12): Paul Johnson, Jr., held by members of an al-Qaeda cell. (June 18): Militants decapitate Johnson. Hours later, Saudi security officials kill four top leaders of the cell.
• Iraqi Officials Fatally Shot (June 12): Deputy Foreign Minister Bassam Salih Kubba shot in northwest Baghdad. (June 13): Ministry official killed by insurgents in western Baghdad. (June 16): Oil ministry official killed in Kirkuk.
• Several Bombs Explode Around Baghdad (June 14): Truck filled with explosives detonates in a convoy of foreign workers, killing at least a dozen people. Two other bombs go off in the city. (June 17): Car bomb explodes near Iraqi army's recruiting station, killing at least 40 people.
• Blasts Shut Down Iraqi Oil Terminal (June 14): Two oil export pipelines, severely damaged by bombs, are expected to be closed for several days. Country poised to lose about $1 billion in oil revenue. (June 16): Bomb by insurgents damages a pipeline near Basra.
• Dozens of Colombian Coca Farmers Killed (June 15): Officials blame FARC, a group of Marxist rebels. Farmers were working for right-wing paramilitary group that has been fighting FARC for control of coca fields.
• Snipers Attack Convoy in Baghdad (June 16): Fire upon foreign contract workers on a highway near Baghdad International Airport. At least four people killed.
• CIA Contractor Indicted in Abuse Scandal (June 17): David Passaro accused of beating an Afghan detainee at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan. The prisoner died after two days of abuse.
• UN Agency Reprimands Iran (June 18): International Atomic Energy Agency resolution criticizes Iran for not being forthcoming about its nuclear activity. (June 24): Iran declares it will continue to produce equipment for its nuclear centrifuges.
• U.S. Airstrikes Kills Dozens (June 19): Series of attacks begins in Falluja, targeting terrorist Abu Musab al-Zaraqawi.
• South Korean Beheaded in Iraq (June 22): Terrorists linked to al-Zaraqawi kill Kim Sun Il, an interpreter.
• U.S. Reaches Out to North Korea (June 23): U.S. offers delivery of fuel oil and a “provisional security guarantee” if North Korea agrees to disclose details of its weapons program, allow inspections, and begin to dismantle its nuclear program. (June 24): North Korea threatens to test one of its nuclear weapons.
• Iraqi Insurgents Launch Deadly Attacks (June 24): More than 100 people die and hundreds more are wounded in a series of coordinated attacks in Falluja, Ramadi, Baquba, Mosul, and Baghdad.
• Afghanis Killed for Election Work (June 25): More than a dozen unarmed men are executed because they had registered to vote. The following day, a bomb destroys a bus carrying women election workers; two are killed. Taliban claims responsibility for both incidents.
• Iraqis Threaten to Behead Marine (June 27): Group called Islamic Reaction say it will kill Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, an American of Lebanese descent, unless the U.S. releases all Iraqi prisoners.
• U.S. Hands Over Power to Iraqis (June 28): L. Paul Bremer III, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, formally transfers sovereignty to Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi, who then formally takes oath of office. Ceremony held two days early in an attempt to thwart attacks by insurgents.
• NATO Agrees to Train Iraqi Troops (June 28): At summit meeting in Istanbul, NATO leaders refuse to contribute troops to Iraq but commit to training Iraqi forces.
• Canadian Prime Minister Reelected (June 29): Paul Martin narrowly reelected, but his Liberal party loses its majority in the House of Commons.
• Israel Ordered to Remove Part of Barrier (June 30): Supreme Court tells army to dismantle a 20.5-mile portion of the security wall in the West Bank because it separates Palestinian landowners from their land and burdens an entire village.
• Iraqis Take Custody of Hussein (June 30): Americans hand over legal custody of the former Iraqi dictator and 11 of his aides. The U.S. will, however, retain physical custody of the prisoners.

Nation

• Judge Strikes Down Abortion Ban (June 1): Federal judge in San Francisco says 2003 Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional because it lacks a medical exception to save a woman's life and it places an unnecessary burden on women who seek abortions.
• South Dakota Elects Democrat (June 1): Stephanie Herseth chosen to fill House seat vacated by Bill Janklow, a Republican who was convicted of manslaughter following a 2003 car accident.
• Army Extends Service for Soldiers (June 2): Active-duty and reserve troops heading for service in Iraq and Afghanistan face extended tours. (June 29): Pentagon announces it will call up 5,600 former soldiers for service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• CIA Director Tenet Says He Will Resign (June 3): George Tenet unexpectedly announces he will step down after serving seven years.
• President Reagan Dies (June 5): Ronald Reagan, the 40th president, dies at age 93. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease. (June 11): World leaders gather in Washington, DC, for Reagan's funeral.
• Bush Nominates UN Ambassador (June 4): Selects former senator John Danforth to replace John Negroponte as American representative to the UN. Negroponte is the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
• Ashcroft Grilled by Judiciary Committee (June 8): Attorney general faces harsh questioning from senators about memos from 2002 and 2003 that said that during wartime, in the interest of national security, the Bush administration was exempt from complying with the Geneva Convention and other treaties that ban torture.
• Woman Pleads Guilty in Smuggling Case (June 14): Karla Chávez, 26-year-old immigrant from Honduras, faces life sentence for masterminding 2003 scheme that resulted in the deaths of 19 immigrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
• Budget Office Sees Social Security Deficit (June 14): Non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reports a current surplus but predicts a deficit by 2019. Reports estimate trust fund will run out by 2052.
• Sept. 11 Panel Contradicts White House (June 16): Committee investigating terrorist attacks against the U.S. reports no link between al-Qaeda and Iraq. Report suggests White House reaction to the attacks was chaotic. Panel also finds no evidence that the Saudi government or officials financed al-Qaeda, a contradiction of an earlier report by a joint Congressional committee.
• Connecticut Governor Resigns (June 21): John Rowland announces he will step down on July 1. He's the subject of a federal corruption investigation and an impeachment inquiry.
• House Committee Criticizes CIA (June 24): Intelligence Committee report is highly critical of agency's spying operations, and says mismanagement led to intelligence failure on Iraq's weapons program.

Business/Science/Society

• Antidepressants Beneficial for Adolescents (June 1): Study sponsored by the National Institute for Mental Health finds that drugs such as Prozac are more effective than psychotherapy alone.
• Economy Adds Jobs (June 4): Labor Department reports creation of 248,000 jobs in May. Unemployment rate remains at 5.6%.
• FTC Decides Against No-Spam List (June 15): Federal Trade Commission says a “Do Not Spam” list similar to its “Do Not Call” list would help rather than deter spammers.
• Civilian Reaches Space (June 21): Michael Melvil pilots SpaceShipOne into space, becoming the first person to do so in a privately developed aircraft.
• Clinton Memoir Breaks Sales Record (June 22): More than 500,000 copies of President Clinton's autobiography, My Life, are sold in its first day.
• Court Orders FCC to Reconsider Media Rules (June 24): U.S. Court of Appeals rules that the Federal Communications Commission's new regulations that eased the ownership limitations of media companies were “arbitrary and capricious,” and tells the FCC it must justify the rules.
• Federal Reserve Raises Rate (June 30): For the first time in four years, Fed chairman Alan Greenspan raises key rate to 1.25% from 1%.
• Spacecraft Transmits Photos of Saturn's Rings (June 30): Black-and-white photos from the Cassini spacecraft reveal details of Saturn's ice and rock rings.