October 20, 2003

• Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien indicates that during an informal meeting between him and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president indicated that he was tentatively in favour of signing the Kyoto Protocol. Russia's signature is absolutely necessary for the protocol to acquire the force of law.
• Public health in France: Cigarette prices in France go up by 20% today. Tobacconists (tobacco retailers) go on strike.
• United States deficit: The United States posts a record budget deficit of $374.2 billion in the fiscal year ending September 30. The figure broke the previous record of $290 billion, set in 1992. The number was actually better than the U.S. government's own forecast of $455 billion.
• United States: The publicist of Robert De Niro announces that the actor has prostate cancer.
• Politics of Switzerland: Early results in Swiss elections show larger-than-predicted gains for the right-wing Swiss People's Party.
• Archaeology - Early Art: An Italian archaeologist claims to have found a carved two-faced head over 200,000 years old. The carving is possible the work of Homo erectus.
• Space Exploration - The Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station bringing a new crew of three from Russia, the United States, and Spain.
• Canada: A man survives a fall over Niagara Falls without any protective device.