Today is the 298th day of 2023. There are 67 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

2010: Jamaican reggae singer, the “Cool Ruler” Gregory Isaacs dies at age 59.

2013: UN officials say a cluster of children paralysed by polio was recently found in Dayr al-Zawr, Syria, and that World Health Organization is thus undertaking a campaign to vaccinate more than 10 million children in and around Syria.

2012: Authorities announce 300 potential victims have come forward with accusations against one of BBC’s most popular children’s entertainers, and that others might have acted with this British broadcaster employee.

OTHER EVENTS

1909: The murder of Japan’s Prince Ito by Korean fanatics leads to Japanese dictatorship in Korea.

1922: Fascists march on Rome and the Italian king nominates Benito Mussolini as prime minister.

1955: The first domestic microwave ovens go on sale.

1956: Egypt, Jordan and Syria form a unified military command.

1959: The US joint congressional committee on atomic energy orders the reappraisal of the US international programme for atomic energy development.

1971: The United Nations votes to expel the Chinese Nationalist-ruled Taiwan and admit the Communist People’s Republic of China.

1973: Regarded as a national hero in Ethiopia, Africa’s first world record-breaking athlete in any sport and the first sub-Saharan African Olympic gold medallist, Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 41 — four years after being paralysed from a car accident.

1983: US Marines and Rangers, assisted by soldiers from six Caribbean nations, invade Grenada at the order of US President Ronald Reagan who says the action is needed to protect US citizens there.

1989: The Soviet State Bank announces that the ruble will be devalued by nearly 90 per cent for visiting foreigners.

1994: The Vatican establishes “permanent and official” relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

1995: Israeli troops start pulling out from Jenin on the West Bank, the first city to be handed over under the Israel-Palestine Liberation Organization autonomy agreement.

2001: The US House of Representatives approves legislation that will give law enforcement and intelligence agencies broader powers to investigate suspected terrorists.

2004: Fidel Castro, Cuba’s president, announces that transactions using the American dollar will be banned by November 8.

2008: Egypt’s first female marriage registrar, Amal Suleiman, starts work despite complaints by some conservative clerics that the move is against Islam.

2018: Google says it has fired 48 people for sexual harassment after The New York Times reveals Android software creator Andy Rubin got a US$90-million package when he was let go for sexual harassment.

2017: Chinese Premier Xi Jinping unveils his new ruling council in the Great Hall of the People; none of the five are young enough to succeed him.

2018: The first work of art produced by artificial intelligence, Edmond de Belamy, is conceived by Obvious and sells for US$432,500 at Christie’s in New York.

2020: Chile overwhelmingly votes to scrap their constitution, drafted during the rule of General Augusto Pinochet. British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins the Portuguese Grand Prix at Autódromo Internacional Do Algarve for his 92nd career victory; he moves one win clear of Michael Schumacher on the all-time F1 victories list.

2021: The World Food Program says Afghanistan is set to the become theworld’s worst humanitarian crisis as nearly 23 million people face acute hunger during the winter. Elon Musk makes a record US$25 billion in one day, pushing his estimated worth to US$255.2 billion and likely making him the richest person ever, according to Forbes magazine.

2021: Sudan’s military takes control of the country, dissolving the power-sharing Government and declaring a state of emergency.

2022: German sportswear manufacturer Adidas cuts ties with American rapper and fashion designer Kenye West over anti-Semitic remarks he made in interviews and on his social media.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Thomas B Macaulay, British historian (1800-1859); Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor (1881-1973); Primo Carnera, Italian boxer (1906-1967 ); Peter Naur, Danish astronomer and computer scientist (1928-2016); Bob Knight, American collegiate basketball coach (902 career NCAA coaching victories — among the most in men’s basketball history) (1940- ); Ciara Princess Harris, American singer (1985- )

— AP/Jamaica Observer