September 24, 2003

• Terrorism: United States taking measures to deprive dollars from Hamas' hands.
• Swedish police arrests a new suspect in the murder of Anna Lindh. Per-Olof Svensson is no longer a suspect and has been released.
• Belgium's highest court, the Court of Cassation, throws out case against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Israeli General Amos Yaron. Also, a case against former U.S. President George H. W. Bush (for war crimes in Iraq) and Secretary of State Colin Powell is dismissed.
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict: A protest letter by a group of 27 Israeli pilots to the Israeli air force is publicized. In the letter, the pilots announce their refusal to fly further missions to bomb leaders of Palestinian terrorist groups in civilian areas. The pilots' letter calls the attacks "illegal and immoral". It draws quick condemnation from commentators, from politicians and from military leaders, with calls for severe punishment including jail, although a dismissal is considered the most likely result. The pilots' protest is a reaction to attacks like the one on Hamas leader Salah Shehade in July 2002, which killed Shehade, his bodyguard and 15 civilians, among them nine children. , ,
• Computer and Communications Industry Association report, written by a handful of security experts, Microsoft's dominance in key technologies poses security risk and threatens the national infrastructure. Computer and Communications Industry Association states reliance on a single technology, such as the Windows operating system, threatens economic security and critical infrastructure. The paper warns that many security improvements planned by Microsoft are likely designed to deter customers from switching to another operating system.
• After several postponements the European Parliament finally passes a directive concerning the "patentability of computer-implemented inventions". The final text differs substantially from the original proposal and is seen as going a long way in addressing the concerns that it would legalize patents on software and business methods. The directive should now be under review by the Council of the European Union.
• A federal judge ruled that the national "do-not-call" list against telemarketers is illegal.
• Islam in France: Two French muslim girls are excluded from school today over the wearing of the Islamic veil in schools.