October 28, 2005

[edit] 28 October 2005 (Friday)

Sinah-1, the first Iranian satellite built jointly with Russia, was launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Murmansk Oblast in northwestern Russia at 22:52 Thursday local time (18:52 UTC). (Iran-daily.com)
Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Chief of Staff to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, resigns after being indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice by a grand jury. (BBC)
Elvis Presley tops Forbes' list of Top Ten Earning Dead Celebrities for the fifth successive year, earning US$45 million in royalties. He is followed by Charles M. Schulz ($35M), John Lennon ($22M), and Andy Warhol ($16M). (Ireland Online)
President Fidel Castro of Cuba agrees to allow three officials from the United States Agency for International Development into the country to assist in relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Wilma. The communist nation typically turns down offers of assistance from the United States since trade embargoes from the U.S. have been in place for over 40 years. (Yahoo! via AP)
In the continuing negotiations over global free trade, the trade commissioner for the European Union, Peter Mandelson, said Friday that the EU will cut its average farm tariff by 47%, reducing the highest rates by 60%. Jacques Chirac, the president of France, said that he doesn't have France's support in such a proposal. (Financial Times)