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[edit] October 19, 2004

• In Minsk, Belarus, protests continue over the results of Monday's referendum, which permitted President Alexander Lukashenko to seek a third term. At least 30 protesters are arrested, including opposition leader Anatoly Lebedko. Supporters say Lebedko was badly beaten by police and was refused treatment for his injuries. (BBC)
• Hassan Rowhani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, says that he believes Iran's interests would be better served by the election of Republican incumbent George W. Bush, rather than Democrat John Kerry, to the U.S. Presidency. (Yahoo News/AP)
• Conflict in Iraq:
  • An unknown militant group kidnaps Margaret Hassan, head of the international charity CARE International, in Baghdad, Iraq. Ms. Hassan holds British, Irish and Iraqi citizenship. (Reuters) (AAP Australia)
  • A mortar attack on an U.S. army compound in central Baghdad kills a U.S. contractor, while another mortar attack, on an Iraqi National Guard base in Mushahida, kills four guardsmen and injures 80. Iraqi security forces, backed by U.S. Marines, arrest 100 suspected insurgents south of Baghdad. Three car bombs kill two Iraqis in Mosul. (BBC)
• British police charge Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri with 16 crimes, including encouraging the murder of non-Muslims. (Reuters)
• British and German officials announce that, on Thursday, representatives of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany will meet in Vienna with Iranian officials to offer Iran a final chance to halt uranium enrichment plans before proposed U.N. sanctions are imposed. (Reuters)
• Thai officials say that Myanmar's military has removed the current prime minister of Myanmar, General Khin Nyunt, from office and placed him under house arrest. (BBC)
• In its annual report on national militaries, the International Institute for Strategic Studies says that the US-led invasion of Iraq has, at least for the short term, increased the risk of terrorism. (ABC) (Reuters)