October 22, 2003

• India: India launches a peace initiative to normalise relations with Pakistan. Formal talks are conditional on Islamabad ending Kashmiri cross-border terrorism initiatives.
• Mahathir bin Mohamad, outgoing prime minister of Malaysia, accuses leading democratic nations of terrorising the world. He seemed to be referring to the USA, Israel, and Australia.
• Occupation of Iraq: The commander of US ground forces in Iraq says that Al-Qaeda is now operating in Iraq as witnessed by increasingly sophisticated attacks on US troops.
• European Union and Guantanamo Bay: Leaders of the European Union parliament urge the EU to take action over 26 Europeans being held indefinitely by the USA without charges, without trial, without legal representation at Guantanamo Bay. The detainees are experiencing increasing psychological problems.
• Human Rights Watch (HRW) releases a report about mentally ill inmates of United States prisons. It concludes that mentally ill offenders are frequently physically abused, punished by staff for self-destructive behavior and not given the treatment they need.
• Afghanistan: The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan says that his troops are increasingly facing a new "excellently trained" species of terrorist.
• Sport - Performance enhancing drugs: Top British runner Dwain Chambers tests positive for the drug tetrahydrogestrinone (THG). The steroid was previously believed to be undetectable but an anonymous source provided a used syringe containing traces last week.
• Politics of Japan: A popular politician Tanaka Makiko resigns as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. Her membership has been suspended since last year.
• Indy Racing League: Racecar driver Tony Renna is killed in a crash during a test drive at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.