2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
After the ceremonial pre-game coin toss, California chose to receive the ball to begin the game. James Bethea returned the opening kickoff to the California 21-yard line. On the game's first play from scrimmage, California quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a 19-yard pass to wide receiver Burl Toler, presaging the game's offensive nature. Rodgers completed another pass, and the Bears were aided by a penalty against Virginia Tech. Running back Adimchinobe Echemandu ran the ball twice for short gains each time, and Rodgers continued to make long passes for first downs to keep the Golden Bears' offensive drive going. Deep inside Virginia Tech territory, Rodgers ran the ball twice, picking up short gains and the game's first touchdown. The extra point kick by kicker Tyler Fredrickson was good, and with 9:43 remaining in the quarter, California took a 7–0 lead.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
Virginia Tech's Mike Imoh fielded the post-touchdown kickoff, returning it 52 yards and setting up the Virginia Tech offense inside California territory to begin Tech's first offensive possession of the game. Although Tech quarterback Bryan Randall was sacked for a loss of nine yards on his first play, he recovered to complete all four passes he attempted during the Tech drive, and after pushing the Hokies deep into California territory, scoring on a two-yard touchdown run. The drive took just two and a half minutes off the clock, and the touchdown and subsequent extra point evened the score at 7–7 with 7:13 remaining in the quarter.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
After receiving Virginia Tech's kickoff, the California offense returned to the field. The Bears were unable to repeat the success of their first drive and went three and out, punting the ball back to Virginia Tech. The Hokies recovered the ball at their 43-yard line and moved quickly. Bryan Randall completed a 53-yard pass to receiver Chris Shreve. Two plays later, Randall completed a three-yard touchdown pass that gave the Hokies a 14–7 lead with 2:40 remaining in the quarter. California received the ball after the touchdown, but again went three and out. As before, the Hokies struck quickly.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
After starting from the California 49-yard line, it took one play for Virginia Tech to score. Randall completed a long pass to quarterback Marcus Vick, who came into the game as a wide receiver. The score and extra point made the game 21–7 with 50 seconds left in the quarter. California received the kickoff and ran three quick plays before the end of the quarter. As time expired, California faced a fourth down and nine yards from their 36-yard line and was preparing to punt. With one quarter elapsed, Virginia Tech led, 21–7.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
The second quarter began with a California punt. Virginia Tech recovered at its 15-yard line and began the first offensive series of the second quarter. On the first full play of the quarter, Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones broke free of the California defense for a 42-yard gain. On the next play, Bryan Randall completed an 11-yard pass to receiver Ernest Wilford. Jones returned to action with a nine-yard run, driving the Hokies to the California 22-yard line, but there the Hokie offense stalled.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Tech faced a second down and needed just two yards for a first down, but could not gain the required yardage in two attempts. Tech kicker Carter Warley was sent in to attempt a 40-yard field goal, but his kick missed and California took over on offense at its 23-yard line.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
In their first drive of the second quarter, the Golden Bears found success that was missing since their first drive of the game. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a short pass, then scrambled for 24 yards and a first down. California ran the ball three times for another first down, then Rodgers connected with Chase Lyman on a 33-yard touchdown toss. The score was California's first since the opening drive of the game and cut Virginia Tech's lead to 21–14 with 9:10 remaining before halftime.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
The Hokies recovered the post-touchdown kickoff at their 20-yard line and began a scoring drive of their own. At first, the Hokies moved slowly, spending six plays to move just 14 yards, gaining a first down in the process. Then, facing a third down and seven, Randall completed a 25-yard pass to Richard Johnson. This was followed by another long pass—this one a 31-yarder—to Marcus Vick. On the play immediately following, Kevin Jones ran for seven yards and a Virginia Tech touchdown. The Tech score made the game 28–14 with 5:09 remaining in the quarter.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
California began its next drive at its 29-yard line after a short kickoff return. At first, the Bears struggled to move the ball, but were helped by a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Virginia Tech. This advanced the ball near midfield and gave California a first down. Aaron Rodgers then completed a series of passes to drive California into the Virginia Tech side of the field and into the end zone. On a 13-yard pass to J. J. Arrington, Rodgers cut Virginia Tech's lead to 28–21 with 30 seconds remaining.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Virginia Tech took over after the kickoff at its 31-yard line. Kevin Jones ran for 15 yards and Bryan Randall completed a 30-yard pass to drive Tech into California territory. Tech was unable to advance the ball further, but kicker Carter Warley was sent in to attempt a 45-yard field goal. As time expired in the first half, Warley's kick missed, denying the Hokies a chance to extend their lead. At the end of the first half, Virginia Tech still held a 28–21 lead.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
Because California received the ball to begin the game, Virginia Tech received the ball to begin the second half. Virginia Tech's Mike Imoh fielded the ball at the goal line and returned it 40 yards. Bryan Randall got off to a good start, completing two passes for 26 yards, and Kevin Jones ran the ball another 16 yards. After pushing inside the California red zone, however, the California defense stiffened and Tech was prevented from gaining another first down. Kicker Carter Warley attempted his third field goal of the game—this one a 28-yard kick—but as before, the kick was no good.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
After the missed kick, California took over at its 12-yard line. Aaron Rodgers completed three passes for 58 yards and Arrington added 15 yards on an end-around run. It took California 2:44 in game time to advance 88 yards for a touchdown. The score tied the game at 28–28 with 10:12 to go in the quarter. Tech received the post-touchdown kickoff and gained two quick first downs, but after advancing the ball beyond its own 40-yard line, was forced to punt it back to California.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
With the momentum shifting in the Golden Bears' favor and a chance to take the lead, it took California three plays to earn a touchdown from its 34-yard line. Rodgers completed a 42-yard pass, then a 14-yard pass, and Adimchinobe Echemandu ran the ball in to the end zone from the Virginia Tech 10-yard line. The score gave California its first lead since the first drive of the game, and with 5:52 remaining in the quarter, the scoreboard read 35–28, California. Following the touchdown, Virginia Tech received the ball and had its first three and out of the game. Tech was forced to punt after running three plays for four yards.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
California received the ball at its 41-yard line and used the good field position to its advantage. After two short-gain plays, Rodgers completed a 16-yard pass and a 24-yard toss to drive the Bears inside the Virginia Tech 20-yard line. Echemandu rushed the ball twice for seven total yards, then Rodgers ran it himself the remaining nine yards for another California touchdown. The touchdown and extra point gave California a 42–28 lead, its largest in the game. Virginia Tech received the ball with 41 seconds remaining in the quarter, and ran four quick plays.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
After Bryan Randall threw two incompletions, he connected with Ernest Wilford on a long 23-yard pass, and Kevin Jones rushed up the middle of the field for another 12 yards. As time expired in the quarter, Tech was inside California territory for the first time since the beginning of the quarter and had a first down. At the end of the third quarter, California held a 42–28 lead.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Virginia Tech opened the fourth quarter in possession of the ball, facing a first down at the California 45-yard line. Two short plays resulted in seven yards, then Kevin Jones rushed for a 15-yard gain. On the next play, Bryan Randall completed a 22-yard toss to receiver Keith Willis for a touchdown. The score and extra point cut California's lead to 42–35, and there were 13 minutes and 35 seconds remaining in the game.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
California received the ball at its 35-yard line following the post-touchdown kickoff and a short return. The Bears began to run out the clock, rushing the ball more than passing it, as had been the trend throughout the game. Though Aaron Rodgers completed four passes during the drive for 38 yards, J. J. Arrington and Vincent Strang rushed the ball a total of eight times during the possession. California ran 7:09 off the clock before Vincent Strang broke free for a 13-yard rush that resulted in a touchdown. The score restored California's 14-point lead, making the game 49–35 with 6:26 remaining.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Needing to score quickly, Virginia Tech's subsequent drive consisted primarily of pass plays. Marcus Vick quarterbacked the first play of the drive, but his pass fell incomplete and he was replaced by Bryan Randall on subsequent plays. Randall completed his first three passes of the drive for 46 yards, pushing the Hokies into California territory. Kevin Jones picked up another first down on two rushes, then Randall completed a 28-yard pass to Chris Shreve for a touchdown that cut California's lead to 49–42. The drive took just two minutes off the clock, leaving 4:26 remaining in the game. California received the post-touchdown kickoff and went three and out, leaving plenty of time for a potential game-tying Virginia Tech drive.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
This turned out to be unnecessary, however, as Tyler Fredrickson's punt was returned 52 yards by Virginia Tech's DeAngelo Hall for a touchdown. Hall's return tied the game at 49–49, and with 3:11 remaining in the game, California took over on offense. On his first play after receiving Virginia Tech's post-touchdown kickoff, Aaron Rodgers was sacked by the Virginia Tech defense and fumbled the ball. The Bears' Chris Murphy jumped on the ball, preventing what otherwise might have been a game-losing turnover.


2003 Insight Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Rodgers recovered from the fumble by completing three straight passes: first to J. J. Arrington for 11 yards, then to Brandon Hall for 18 yards and a first down, then to Burl Toler for 22 yards and another first down. The last play took California deep into Virginia Tech territory. At the Tech 20-yard line, Rodgers rushed for a five-yard gain, then prepared the offense for a potential game-winning field goal kick. With two seconds remaining on the clock, California called timeout and sent in kicker Tyler Fredrickson. Despite an attempt by Virginia Tech to ice the kicker by calling its final timeout, Fredrickson was undeterred by the pressure and his 35-yard field goal sailed through the goalposts as time expired. The kick gave California three points and the 52–49 victory.


2003 Insight Bowl, Final statistics
For his performance in the 2003 Insight Bowl, California quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named the offensive player of the game. Rodgers completed 27 of his 35 passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns in the winning effort. Rodgers' performance tied Cal's bowl records for most completions, most touchdowns, and most rushing touchdowns, and was the third-highest offensive output by a single player in California history. The victory was California's first bowl win since a victory over Iowa in the 1993 Alamo Bowl.


2003 Insight Bowl, Final statistics
California kicker Tyler Fredrickson's game-winning score was his only field goal kick during the game, but he also had seven extra-point kicks for seven points. In addition, he served as California's punter, kicking the ball 4 times for 159 total punting yards. He set school records for most extra points in a season and most extra points attempted. Virginia Tech kicker Carter Warley missed three field goals: a 40-yarder, 45-yarder, and a 28-yarder. He successfully kicked four extra points for four points. Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall finished the game having completed 24 of his 34 pass attempts for 398 yards and four touchdowns.


2003 Insight Bowl, Final statistics
On the ground, Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones led all rushers with 16 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown. He finished the game having set school records for most rushing yards in a season, most 100-yard rushing games in a season, and most yards averaged per carry in a career. Leading the Golden Bears on the ground was J. J. Arrington, who finished the game with 11 carries for 34 yards. Two other California players—Adimchinobe Echemandu and quarterback Aaron Rodgers—also had more than 30 yards rushing. Echemandu had one rushing touchdown, and Rodgers earned two.


2003 Insight Bowl, Final statistics
Virginia Tech receiver Ernest Wilford caught 8 passes for 110 yards, setting school records for career pass receptions with 126, most receptions in a bowl game, and most receptions in a season (56). Tech's Marcus Vick, normally a quarterback, was put into the game several times as a wide receiver. He caught four passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. California wide receiver Chase Lyman led all receivers statistically, finishing with five receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. Burl Toler had the most California receptions, catching six passes for 84 yards. Lyman's total was a career-high for him and a California bowl game record.


2003 Insight Bowl, Final statistics
Virginia Tech's offense broke or tied 14 school bowl records, either individually or as a team. In addition to the ones already noted, the Hokies' 18 first downs by passing, 398 yards passing, 551 yards of total offense, 24 passes completed, 49 points scored and four passing touchdowns were also new school bowl records. Tech's 26 rushing plays were the fewest in a Virginia Tech bowl game. California's offense set school bowl records for most points (52), total yards (530), passing yards (394), completion percentage (77.1%, 27-of-35), touchdowns (seven), and rushing touchdowns (five).


2003 Insight Bowl, Final statistics
On defense, California's Ryan Gutierrez was named the defensive player of the game. He led all defensive players with 12 tackles in the game.


2003 Insight Bowl, Postgame effects
California's win raised it to a final record of 8–6, while Virginia Tech's loss dropped it to a final record of 8–5. The Hokies' five losses represented their worst season since 1997, when they went 7–5. Virginia Tech and California's combined score—101 points—represented the second-highest scoring bowl game without an overtime period in NCAA history, behind only the 2001 GMAC Bowl.


2003 Insight Bowl, Postgame effects
Several players from each team were selected in the 2004 NFL Draft. California's Mark Wilson and Adimchinobe Echemandu were selected in the fifth and seventh rounds, respectively. Virginia Tech had five players selected: DeAngelo Hall and Kevin Jones were both taken in the first round, Jake Grove was selected in the second, Ernest Wilford in the fourth, and Nathaniel Adibi in the fifth.


2003 Insight Bowl, Postgame effects
One day before the Insight Bowl, Virginia Tech was selected as a participant in the 2004 Black Coaches Association Classic, which traditionally was the first college football game of the season. Virginia Tech's opponent in that game was Southern California, whom the Hokies' Insight Bowl opponents, California, defeated during the 2003 regular season.


2003 Intercontinental Cup
The 2003 Intercontinental Cup was the 42nd Intercontinental Cup, an annual association football match contested by the winners of the previous season's UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores competitions. The match was played on 14 December 2003 between Boca Juniors of Argentina, winners of the 2003 Copa Libertadores and Milan of Italy, winners of the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League. The match was played at the neutral venue of the International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama, in front of 70,000 fans. Matías Donnet was named as man of the match.


2003 Intercontinental Cup
Since the 2004 final (a year later) was goalless after the extra 30 minutes and the game was settled by a penalty shoot-out, Matías Donnet scored the last goal of the Intercontinental Cup before being abolished to the FIFA Club World Cup.


2003 Intercontinental Cup, Match details
Assistant referees: Gennady Krasyuk (Russia) Yuri Dupanov (Belarus)Fourth official: Masayoshi Okada (Japan)


2003 International Criminal Court judges election
An ordinary election for the first full bench of 18 judges of the International Criminal Court was held during the first resumption of the 1st session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in New York between 3 and 7 February 2003.


2003 International Criminal Court judges election, Background
The judges elected at this election were to take office on 11 March 2003. Six judges were to remain in office until 2006 (re-eligible), six until 2009 (not re-eligible) and another six for the whole nine-year term until 2012 (not re-eligible).


2003 International Criminal Court judges election, Background
The election was governed by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Its article 36(8)(a) states that "[t]he States Parties shall, in the selection of judges, take into account the need, within the membership of the Court, for:


2003 International Criminal Court judges election, Nomination process
Following the rules, the nomination period of judges for the 2003 election lasted from 9 September to 30 November 2002. The following persons were nominated:


2003 International Criminal Court judges election, Nomination process
The candidature of Kocou A. Capo-Chichi of Benin was withdrawn.


2003 International Criminal Court judges election, Minimum voting requirements
Minimum voting requirements governed part of the election. This was to ensure that article 36(8)(a) cited above is fulfilled. The following minimum voting requirements existed:


2003 International Criminal Court judges election, Minimum voting requirements
Regarding the List A or B requirement, there was a minimum voting requirement (not to be waived at any time) of nine judges from List A and five judges from List B.


2003 International Criminal Court judges election, Minimum voting requirements
Regarding the regional criteria, there were minimum voting requirements for three African, two Asian, two Eastern European judges, three Latin American and Caribbean judges and three judges from Western European and Other States.


2003 International Criminal Court judges election, Minimum voting requirements
Regarding the gender criteria, there was a minimum voting requirement for six female and six male judges.


2003 International Formula 3000 Championship
The 2003 International Formula 3000 season was the thirty-seventh season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also nineteenth season under the International Formula 3000 Championship moniker. It featured the 2003 FIA Formula 3000 International Championship with titles awarded for both Drivers and Teams. The championship was contested over ten events from 19 April to 13 September 2003.


2003 International Formula 3000 Championship
The Drivers Championship was won by Björn Wirdheim and the Teams Championship was awarded to Arden International Ltd.


2003 International Formula 3000 Championship, Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers contested the 2003 FIA Formula 3000 International Championship.


2003 International Formula 3000 Championship, Calendar
The 2003 FIA Formula 3000 International Championship was contested over a ten event series.


2003 International Formula 3000 Championship, Teams Championship
Points for the 2003 FIA Formula 300 International Championship for Teams were awarded on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first eight places at each event. Results from both team cars were taken into account.


2003 International Formula 3000 Championship, Complete Overview
R16=retired, but classified R=retired NS=did not start NT=no time set in qualifying 13E=grid position, but started from the end of the grid


2003 International League season
The 2003 International League season took place from April to September 2003.


2003 International League season
The Durham Bulls defeated the Pawtucket Red Sox to win the league championship.


2003 International League season, Playoffs, Championship series
Winner: Durham Bulls; first team to win back to back IL titles since Columbus Clippers won back in 1991.


2003 International Raiffeisen Grand Prix
The 2003 International Raiffeisen Grand Prix was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Sankt Pölten, Austria and was part of the International Series of the 2003 ATP Tour. It was the 23rd edition of the tournament and was held from 19 May through 25 May 2003. First-seeded Andy Roddick won the singles title.


2003 International Raiffeisen Grand Prix, Finals, Doubles
Simon Aspelin /  Massimo Bertolini defeated  Sargis Sargsian /  Nenad Zimonjić 6–4, 6–7(8–10), 6–3


2003 International Raiffeisen Grand Prix – Doubles
Petr Pála and David Rikl were the defending champions but only Pála competed that year with David Adams.


2003 International Raiffeisen Grand Prix – Doubles
Adams and Pála lost in the quarterfinals to Sargis Sargsian and Nenad Zimonjić.


2003 International Raiffeisen Grand Prix – Doubles
Simon Aspelin and Massimo Bertolini won in the final 6–4, 6–7(8–10), 6–3 against Sargsian and Zimonjić.


2003 International Raiffeisen Grand Prix – Singles
Nicolás Lapentti was the defending champion but did not compete that year.


2003 International Raiffeisen Grand Prix – Singles
Andy Roddick won in the final 6–3, 6–2 against Nikolay Davydenko.


2003 International Raiffeisen Grand Prix – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


2003 International Rules Series
The 2003 International Rules Series was the 10th annual International Rules Series and the sixth time a test series of international rules football has been played between Australia and Ireland since the series resumed in 1998.


2003 International Rules Series
Despite both teams each winning a match, the series was won by Australia on an aggregate score line of 101−94 points. In doing so, the Australians recorded their third series win in the two-test format, their first consecutive series win following their seven-point aggregate win in 2002 and their first ever series victory on home soil. The series was regarded as a commercial success, generating popular media interest and a sell-out crowd for the first test at Perth's Subiaco Oval.


2003 International Rules Series, Series overview
John O'Keefe returned as Ireland manager/coach, whilst three-time All-Australian player Garry Lyon returned for his third consecutive series as Australian coach. The first test at Subiaco Oval was an entertaining affair, with the visitors bursting out of the blocks in the first quarter, taking a 25−11 point lead thanks mainly to a superb goal from debutant Benny Coulter in the 5th minute after Dessie Dolan did well to release the ball in the course of being grounded.


2003 International Rules Series, Series overview
The second quarter was a tighter affair, with the Australian tactic of the long ball toward the net paying dividends; resulting in some fine overs from full-forward Barry Hall and leaving scores at 32−27 in favour of Ireland at half time. A frenetic third quarter ultimately went the way of the Australians, with poor shooting from the Irish forwards being compounded by two brilliant goals from Australia - one from a quick thinking Brad Johnson who shot low into the net and the other coming as a result of a penalty for a trip to Chris Johnson.


2003 International Rules Series, Series overview
Trailing 47–41 at the final break, things got worse for the Irish when Australian captain Shane Crawford was allowed to run into an open goal—and with no Irish defender in sight, the fair-haired centre calmly slid the ball into the net to catapult his side into a comfortable 7-point buffer (56−43). Ireland failed to get much closer from there, and if it was not for a terrific save from Enda Murphy in the final minute, the margin could have been greater. Australia won 56−46.


2003 International Rules Series, Series overview
Needing to reverse a 10-point deficit to win a fourth series since its resumption in 1998, all looked rosy for Ireland early on in the second test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with the visitors storming to a 22−4 quarter-time lead. The bulk of the work in the first quarter was done by the likes of Steven McDonnell and Brian McDonald, the former scoring both an over and a goal and the latter netting Ireland's second six-pointer soccer-style after a delicious Benny Coulter cross to the 14-metre goal square.


2003 International Rules Series, Series overview
The Australians required decisive action in the second quarter and it was Brent Harvey and Rohan Smith who provided with terrific overs inside the opening seven minutes of the quarter. In tricky conditions and in a low-scoring contest, Ireland's Padraig Joyce scored an over from a free to leave the visitors looking the goods at 30−15 with two quarters to play. A crucial off the ball foul on Harvey was spotted by the umpire early in the third quarter, which resulted in a successful penalty goal for the North Melbourne midfielder.


2003 International Rules Series, Series overview
Now ahead on aggregate, the Australians though reverted to sloppy disposal and the Irish responded with another Joyce over and some dominant midfield and scoring play from Steven McDonnell; Irish GAA publication Hogan Stand writing the Armagh ace popped everywhere and his workrate and ability to make marks throughout the third quarter was crucial in keeping Ireland on top. Trailing 44−27 with a quarter to play and down by 7 on aggregate, the Australians superior fitness levels came to the fore at the pivotal moment.


2003 International Rules Series, Series overview
Barry Hall, who had been rarely sighted for the first three quarters, could not be kept quiet all night and was a central figure in the final quarter comeback, kicking the first over for the term and running roughshod over the tiring Irish defence.


2003 International Rules Series, Series overview
McDonnell soon replied to a David Wirrpanda over for Ireland, yet it was Nathan Brown who showed his leadership and class by notching three crucial overs for Australia, his first coming in the 12th minute from an acutely angled sideline free before his fisted effort (15th) and opportunist strike (17th) conspired to cut Ireland’s lead to just three points, 47 to 44. This proved to be the decisive blow for Ireland, who in the closing stages could only manage a behind to keep Australia at bay and take a consolation test victory by 48 points to 45. The result left Australia to celebrate a 101−94 point aggregate victory, the home side claiming their first-ever series victory on home soil. Brent Harvey was awarded the Jim Stynes Medal for Australia.


2003 International Rules Series, Squads
AustraliaShane Crawford (C), Leo Barry, Mark Bickley, Clint Bizzell, Nathan Brown, Jared Crouch, Barry Hall, Brent Harvey, Paul Hasleby, Lenny Hayes, Glen Jakovich (GK), Brad Johnson, Chris Johnson, Brett Kirk, Robert Murphy, Matthew Pavlich, Luke Power, Jade Rawlings, Matthew Scarlett, Chad Fletcher, Adam Simpson, Rohan Smith, Daniel Wells, David Wirrpanda, Matthew Carr


2003 International Rules Series, Squads
IrelandGraham Canty (C), Joe Bergin, Paddy Christie, Kevin Cassidy, Colin Corkery, Benny Coulter, Dessie Dolan, Gary Cox, Cathal Daly, Thomas Freeman, Joe Higgins, Kevin Hughes, Padraig Joyce, Stephen Kelly, Tom Kelly, Seán Martin Lockhart, Anthony Lynch, Cormac McAnallen, Brian McDonald, Steven McDonnell, Kieran McGeeney, Paul McGrane, Enda Murphy, Ciaran McManus, Odhran O'Dwyer, Shane Ryan


2003 International Rules Series, Match results, Second test (31 October)
Overs: Brown 3, Wirrpanda 2, Hall, Smith,  B. Johnson, Harvey, Pavlich


2003 International Songwriting Competition
The 2003 International Songwriting Competition was a songwriting competition held in 2003.


2003 Internationaux de Strasbourg
The 2003 Internationaux de Strasbourg was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 17st edition of the Internationaux de Strasbourg, and was part of the Tier III Series of the 2003 WTA Tour. The tournament took place at the Centre Sportif de Hautepierre in Strasbourg, France, from 19 May until 24 May 2003. Seventh-seeded Silvia Farina Elia won her third consecutive singles title at the event and earned $27,000 first-prize money.


2003 Internationaux de Strasbourg, Finals, Doubles
Sonya Jeyaseelan /  Maja Matevžič defeated  Laura Granville /  Jelena Kostanić 6–4, 6–4


2003 Internationaux de Strasbourg – Doubles
Jennifer Hopkins and Jelena Kostanić were the defending champions. Hopkins did not compete.


2003 Internationaux de Strasbourg – Doubles
Sonya Jeyaseelan and Maja Matevžič won the title, defeating Laura Granville and Jelena Kostanić in the final, 6–4, 6–4.


2003 Internationaux de Strasbourg – Singles
Silvia Farina Elia was the two-time defending champion, and successfully defended her title, defeating Karolina Šprem in the final, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4.


2003 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
The 2003 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Palermo, Italy that was part of the Tier V category of the 2003 WTA Tour. It was the 16th edition of the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo and took place from 7 July until 13 July 2003. Ninth-seeded Dinara Safina won the singles title and earned $16,000 first-prize money.


2003 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo, Finals, Doubles
Adriana Serra Zanetti /  Emily Stellato defeated  María José Martínez Sánchez /  Arantxa Parra Santonja, 6–4, 6–2


2003 Inverclyde Council election
Elections to Inverclyde Council were held on 1 May 2003, the same day as other Scottish Local Government elections and the Scottish Parliament Election.


2003 Inverclyde Council election
This was the last election using 20 single member wards, in which the Scottish Liberal Democrats won a majority of seats, winning 13.


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. Following a 2002 season that saw the Hawkeyes finish 11–2 with a Big Ten Conference  championship, expectations for a third straight bowl game were well warranted. With four offensive starters and seven defensive starters returning from the 2002 season, the Hawkeyes looked to be a primarily defensive team going into the season.


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The Hawkeyes opened the season strong, winning games over Miami, Buffalo, Iowa State and Arizona State en route to a 4–0 record. Undefeated and ranked ninth in the country, the Hawkeyes headed into East Lansing, Michigan for their Big Ten opener. Playing a Michigan State Spartans team that had just beaten Notre Dame a week earlier, the Hawkeyes turned the ball over four times and committed ten penalties in a 20–10 loss. However, with Michigan next up on the schedule, things would get no easier for the Hawkeyes. Before the game, Michigan held a 37–9–4 lead in the series between the two teams.


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
Down by 14 in the first quarter for the second straight game, the Hawkeyes came back to take a 30–20 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Michigan threatened the Iowa lead late, but the Hawkeyes held on for the 30–27 victory. After the victory, Iowa lost on the road to Ohio State, but followed with home wins over Illinois and Penn State. With a loss to Purdue, Iowa's record was 7–3 with two regular season games remaining. Playing against Minnesota and the Big Ten's top-ranked offense, the Hawkeyes scored 33 points before the Gophers scored a touchdown.


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
Following the 40–22 victory, the Hawkeyes fell behind unranked Wisconsin 21–7 during the second quarter. Needing a pass deflection in the end zone by Sean Considine with no time remaining, the Hawkeyes scored 20 straight points and escaped with a 27–21 win and a 9–3 regular season record. Playing in the 2004 Outback Bowl on January 1, 2004, the Hawkeyes won their first game in the state of Florida with a 37–17 victory over the Florida Gators. The win was also Iowa's first in the month of January since 1959.


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, Previous season
Behind strong performances by quarterback Brad Banks, who finished second in the Heisman voting, and the Hawkeye rushing defense, which finished fifth-best in the country, Iowa finished 11–2 and shared the Big Ten championship with undefeated Ohio State. The Hawkeyes finished with an 8–0 conference record that included wins over Penn State and Michigan. Iowa's lopsided 34–9 victory over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor was Michigan's worst home loss since 1967. Despite losses to Iowa State and Southern California, the eleven victories remained the single-season school record (since tied by the 2009 Hawkeyes). until 2015 when Iowa went 12-2


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, Before the season, Recruiting class
On National Signing Day, February 5, 2003, the Hawkeyes signed 22 players on football scholarships.


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, Before the season, Preseason Rankings
Entering the season, Iowa was unranked by both major polls. However, the Hawkeyes would debut in the Coaches Poll as the 25th-ranked team before their first game against Miami University.


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, Game summaries, Miami (OH)
Future NFL star Ben Roethlisberger was intercepted four times on this opening day victory for the Hawkeyes. The win would prove more impressive as the season progressed as the Redhawks went on to win their last 13 games and were the eventual MAC conference champion.


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, Game summaries, Buffalo
Nathan Chandler and the Iowa offense were unstoppable in this one-sided affair. Future NFL player Sean Considine returned a fumble for a touchdown and Ramon Ochoa returned a punt 70 yards for a score as well as the Hawkeyes were clicking in every phase of the game.


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
Iowa was able to end the five-year winning streak by their in-state rival in this dominant win. Iowa State had the ball for almost 10 more minutes but the Hawkeyes held them to just a touchdown through the first three quarters of play. Four field goals by future NFL kicker Nate Kaeding kept Iowa in control throughout the game.


2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, Game summaries, Outback Bowl
A Chris Leak-led Florida team had the initial score in Iowa's first Outback Bowl appearance but from that point the game belonged to the Hawkeyes. Iowa scored 27 unanswered points and put up over 400 yards of total offense as they controlled the ball and field position for the majority of the contest.


2003 Iowa State Cyclones football team
The 2003 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State University during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. They participated as members of the Big 12 Conference in the North Division. The team was coached by head coach Dan McCarney.


2003 Iowa highway transfer of jurisdiction
On July 1, 2003, the Iowa Department of Transportation transferred control of more than 700 miles (1,100 km) of highway to county and local governments in order to save money and to increase operational efficiency. Most of the highways turned over were short spurs connecting small, rural communities and state parks to the highway system.


2003 Iowa highway transfer of jurisdiction, Background
Starting in 1979, staff members with the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) along with county and municipal officials began to reclassify every mile of Iowa's 113,000-mile (182,000 km) public road system. These classification boards found that on the 10,000 highway miles (16,000 km) in the primary system, which comprises Interstate Highways, U.S. Highways, and state highways, nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) were minor highways that primarily served local traffic. Conversely, they found 400 miles (640 km) of major highways that were on the secondary system, which is made up of all rural roads not on the primary highway system.


2003 Iowa highway transfer of jurisdiction, Background
At the time, the Iowa Code provided a mechanism for the transfer of jurisdiction of roads within the state. The two sides would meet and if it was deemed that the road in question needed repairs, the relinquishing body would either make repairs or pay the accepting body the money needed to repair the roadway.


2003 Iowa highway transfer of jurisdiction, Background
Most of the time, the DOT was able to come to an agreement with the county board of supervisors as 600 miles (970 km) of Iowa roads changed hands in the early 1980s. Some counties and the state could never come to an agreement, as was the case in Johnson County regarding Iowa Highway 979 (Iowa 979). The DOT wanted Johnson County to take over maintenance of the 6-mile-long (9.7 km) road and offered $160,000 to repair the road (equivalent to $340,000 in 2019), while the county wanted the state to take over another road. Both sides reached an impasse.


2003 Iowa highway transfer of jurisdiction, Background
Ultimately, Iowa 979 stayed under DOT control. During the 1990s, Iowa experienced a boom in highway construction bolstered by state appropriations from the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995. New four-lane highways were built all across the state, either by twinning an existing roadway or building new alignments in proximity to the old roads. After opening the new roads, these short segments often stayed on the primary highway system despite not serving an arterial purpose.


2003 Iowa highway transfer of jurisdiction, Background
In 2002, the Road Use Tax Fund Committee, a mix of city, county, and state transportation officials, met to review and recommend changes to Iowa's public road system. The report was necessitated by increasing costs to maintain the highway system and a level of funding that was not keeping up with the rising costs. The committee identified over 700 miles (1,100 km) of state highways which could be turned over to local jurisdictions. Not wanting to repeat the impasses of the 1980s, the DOT got help from state legislature.


2003 Iowa highway transfer of jurisdiction, Background
The general assembly passed SF 451, which gave the DOT a one-time exemption from §306.8, which required the DOT to otherwise compensate a county for giving control of a road. Any roads identified by the Road Use Tax Fund Committee for which a transfer agreement pursuant to §306.8 had not been reached prior to July 1, 2003, would be summarily given to the respective counties without compensation. Even more, counties could not figure any roads offloaded to counties through this mechanism into the calculations for determining their road maintenance budgets for ten years.


2003 Iowa highway transfer of jurisdiction, Background
Some counties were proactive with negotiating with the state. Early in 2003, it was not clear to county officials just how much money would be given to the counties for accepting roads from the state. This made the counties more amenable to accepting money for highways than in previous years. Taylor County officials negotiated a $4.7 million transfer (equivalent to $6.4 million in 2019) of Iowa 49 with the DOT, while Adams County officials did not. The DOT paid out $35 million (equivalent to $47.6 million in 2019) to counties before the July 1, 2003, deadline.


2003 Ipswich Borough Council election
Elections for Ipswich Borough Council were held on 1 May 2003. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party kept overall control of the council.


2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash
The 2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash occurred on 19 February 2003, when an Ilyushin Il-76 crashed in mountainous terrain near Kerman in Iran. The Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aircraft, registration 15-2280, was flying from Zahedan to Kerman when it crashed 35 kilometres (22 mi; 19 nmi) southeast of Kerman. The aircraft was carrying members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, a special force that is independent from the Iranian Army, on an unknown mission.


2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash
Strong winds were reported in the region of the crash when the aircraft disappeared from the radar screens; approximately at the same time, villagers in the area described hearing a loud explosion. There were no survivors among the 275 occupants on board the aircraft. As of January 2021 the crash remains the second deadliest on Iranian soil (behind Iran Air Flight 655) and the deadliest crash of an Il-76.


2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash, Accident
The IL-76 was flying a route from Zahedan Airport to Kerman Airport carrying members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on an unspecified mission. The four-engine Russian transport aircraft lost contact with air traffic control at 5:30 pm after flying into poor weather conditions.


2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash, Accident
The aircraft crashed into the Sirch mountains, southeast of Kerman, about 500 miles southeast of Tehran, killing all aboard. Investigators believe it was a controlled flight into terrain, citing the deteriorating weather conditions and high winds.


2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash, Recovery and aftermath
Immediately after the crash, members of the Revolutionary Guards and Red Crescent were sent to the accident scene. Two helicopters attempting to reach the scene turned back due to bad weather. A cordon of the area was completed as well, limiting access to journalists and the public.


2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash, Recovery and aftermath
President Mohammad Khatami's cabinet sent a message of condolence to families of the victims about the "tragic event in which a group of IRGC brothers — Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps — were killed. The Iranian government also blamed U.S. sanctions against Iran for playing a part in the crash since the restrictions make it more difficult for Iran to maintain its aircraft.


2003 Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash, Recovery and aftermath
There was speculation that the accident was the result of a mid-air collision due to the high number of fatalities (the Il-76 normally carries fewer than 200 passengers). A terrorist organization called the Abu-Bakr Brigades also claimed responsibility for the crash.


2003 Iranian local elections
Iranian City and Village Councils elections, 2003 took place in February 2003, the second time local elections for city and village councils had taken place since being introduced in 1999, and 905 city and 34,205 village councils were up for election.


2003 Iranian local elections
By the elections, conservatives made a comeback and won the majority of the seats nationally as a harbinger of the 2004 parliamentary elections, where they won decisively.


2003 Iranian local elections
The elections demonstrated a voter apathy among the urban citizens, as a result of public disappointment with reformists and constant political infighting which led to the dissolution of the reformist-dominated City Council of Tehran.


2003 Iranian local elections
There were 20,235,898 votes cast in this election, marking the lowest turnout in 24 years. In Tehran, only 12% of eligible voters participated. Turnout in Isfahan and Mashhad showed similar rates, 12% and 15% respectively.


2003 Iranian local elections
Disqualifications were minimal and below the 10%, to the extent that the banned Freedom Movement of Iran and Nationalist–Religious activists secured a few candidates as independents.


2003 Iranian local elections, Campaign
In the early 2000s, main camp of Principlists started lights-off works to take the power from Reformists. They established  an umbrella organization for 2003 elections under the name of Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran. Tehran's election campaign of Builders headed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In some Provincial capitals, they used other name such as Āfṭāb (Persian: آفتاب, lit. 'Sun') or Sahand (Persian: سهند) for their election campaigns. Builders decisively won the election in Tehran.


2003 Iranian local elections, Results
According to Panjereh Weekly, conservatives won 64% of the seats nationwide.


2003 Iranian student protests
The 2003 Iranian student protests was a series of nationwide rallies and student protests in Iran against president Mohammad Khatami and demanded more liberal democratic reforms and justice over the deaths in the Iran student protests, July 1999. Massive protests and General strikes first began on 12 June, when anti-government demonstrators chanted slogans against president Mohammad Khatami and his reign in power. The wave of popular, chaotic demonstrations became the most violent and most biggest since 1999. Protesters had a clear demand, a more liberal democratic government and fresh Elections to be held.


2003 Iranian student protests
Fresh street protests culminated into violence as Riots broke out in Tehran, Abadan and teachers also started to rally. The student demonstrations consisted of Lobbying, Looting and Picketing. Mass protests strengthened and brewed, drawing international attention, and protesters also demanded Democracy, an end to Police brutality, Unemployment and Poverty to be curbed, Free speech and Free rights, Independent Media and free student education. Protests continued daily, triggering the Iran Revolutionary Guards to be sent to disperse protesters.


2003 Iranian student protests
Protesters chanted slogans and anti-corruption chants as marchers clashed with police at peaceful demonstrations in Mahshahr, where protest sites have been located, as well as Qom. Police tackled the Civil disobedience and nonviolent uprising by using Live ammunition and Rubber bullets to disperse protesters. The security forces managed to quell the mass uprising using brutal tactics after more demands was met in growing opposition street demonstrations by teachers and workers to president Mohammad Khatami.


2003 Iranian student protests
The protests first began after new plans to privatise universities by thousands of civilians and citizens, mainly young people, then turned into sustained anti-government rallies calling for the overthrow pd the regime. The anti-regime protests was the biggest since 1999, but protests was suppressed by the security forces, their demands was suppressed.


2003 Iraqi Elite Cup
The 2003 Baghdad Championship (Arabic: بطولة بغداد 2003), commonly referred to as the 2003 Iraqi Elite Cup (Arabic: كأس النخبة العراقي 2003), was the thirteenth occurrence of the Iraqi Elite Cup, organised by the Iraq Football Association, and the first since it was renamed from Mother of all Battles Championship to Baghdad Championship. The top eight teams in the league table at the end of round 27 of the cancelled 2002–03 Iraqi First Division competed in the tournament.


2003 Iraqi Elite Cup
The competition started on 1 October 2003, with the third place match being cancelled and the final being postponed to 5 January 2004 for security reasons due to crowd trouble that occurred in the semi-finals. In the final, held at Al-Zawraa Stadium, Al-Zawraa defeated Al-Talaba 5–4 on penalties after a 2–2 draw that saw three red cards. This turned out to be the last ever edition of the Iraqi Elite Cup.


2003 Ireland rugby union tour of The South Seas
2003 Ireland rugby union tour of the South Seas. Eddie O'Sullivan initially selected a squad of 41 players for the Ireland national rugby union team 2003 summer tour. Keith Wood also travelled with the tour party as an additional player for training purposes. However Rob Henderson, Denis Hickie and Anthony Foley all subsequently withdrew due to injuries and Frankie Sheahan had to return home after testing positive for Salbutamol. Aiden McCullen and Mike Mullins were both then called up as replacements. Mark McHugh marked his senior international debut with a try against Tonga while McCullen and Anthony Horgan made their senior international debuts against Samoa. In the same game, Ronan O'Gara gave a man of the match performance, scoring 32 of Ireland's 40 points.


2003 Ireland rugby union tour of The South Seas, Matches, Australia
Australia: Team, 15.Chris Latham, 14.Wendell Sailor, 13.Morgan Turinui, 12.Steve Kefu, 11.Joe Roff, 10.Elton Flatley, 7.George Gregan (capt), 6.Bill Young, 5.Jeremy Paul, 4.Patricio Noriega, 3.David Giffin, 2.Nathan Sharpe, 1.David Lyons, 9.George Smith, – replacements: 16.Brendan Cannon, 17.Ben Darwin, 18.Dan Vickerman, 19.Phil Waugh, 20.Chris Whitaker, 21.Nathan Grey, 22.Lote Tuqiri


2003 Ireland rugby union tour of The South Seas, Matches, Australia
Ireland: Team, 15.Girvan Dempsey, 14.James Topping, 13.Geordan Murphy, 12.Kevin Maggs, 11.John Kelly, 10.David Humphreys (capt. ), 7.Keith Gleeson, 6.Alan Quinlan, 5.Malcolm O'Kelly, 4.Gary Longwell, 3.Reggie Corrigan, 2.Shane Byrne, 1.Marcus Horan, 9.Peter Stringer, – replacements: 17.Emmet Byrne, 18.Paul O'Connell, 21.Ronan O'Gara – No entry: 16.Paul Shields, 19.Eric Miller, 20.Guy Easterby, 22.Tyrone Howe


2003 Ireland rugby union tour of The South Seas, Matches, Tonga
Tonga: Gus Leger, 14.Pierre Hola, 13.Johnny Ngauamo, 12.John Payne, 11.Simana Mafile'o, 10.Toni Alatini, 9.David Palu, 8.Tonga Lea'aetoa, 7.Vili Ma'asi, 6.Hemani Lavaka, 5.Milton Ngauamo, 4.Nisifolo Naufahu, 3.Inoke Afeaki (capt), 2.Stanley Afeaki, 1.Saia Latu, – replacements: 16.Ephraim Taukafa, 17.Kisi Pulu, 18.Viliami Vaki, 21.Taniela Tulia – No entry : 19.Benhur Kivalu, 20.Willie Gibbons, 22.Tevita Tu'ifua


2003 Ireland rugby union tour of The South Seas, Matches, Tonga
Ireland: 15.Mark McHugh, 14.John Kelly, 13.Mike Mullins, 12.Jonathan Bell, 11.Tyrone Howe, 10.Ronan O'Gara, 9.Guy Easterby, 8.Eric Miller, 7.Kieron Dawson, 6.Simon Easterby, 5.Paul O'Connell, 4.Leo Cullen, 3.Reggie Corrigan (capt), 2.Shane Byrne, 1.Justin Fitzpatrick, – replacements: 17.Simon Best, 18.Donncha O'Callaghan, 19.David Wallace, 22.Gordon D'Arcy      – No entry: 16.Paul Shields, 20.Brian O'Meara, 21.Paul Burke


2003 Ireland rugby union tour of The South Seas, Matches, Samoa
Samoa: Fa'atonu Fili, 14.Lome Fa'atau, 13.Dale Rasmussen, 12.Brian Lima, 11.Ron Fanu'atanu, 10.Earl Va'a, 9.Denning Tyrell, 8.Kas Lealamanu'a , 7.Trevor Leota, 6.Jeremy Tomuli, 5.Opeta Palepoi, 4.Kitiona Viliamu, 3.Leo Lafaiali'i, 2.Maurie Fa'asavalu, 1.Semo Sititi (capt), – replacements: 16.Jonathan Meredith, 17.Tamato Leupolu, 18.Des Tuiali'i, 20.Steve So'oialo, 21.Gaolo Elisara – No entry : 19.Ponali Tapelu, 22.Dom Feau'nati


2003 Ireland rugby union tour of The South Seas, Matches, Samoa
Ireland: 15.Girvan Dempsey, 14.John Kelly, 13.Mike Mullins, 12.Jonathan Bell, 11.Anthony Horgan, 10.Ronan O'Gara, 9.Guy Easterby, 8.Eric Miller, 7.Aidan McCullen, 6.Simon Easterby, 5.Paul O'Connell, 4.Leo Cullen, 3.Reggie Corrigan (capt), 2.Shane Byrne, 1.Marcus Horan, – replacements: 16.Paul Burke, 17.Gordon D'Arcy, 18.Donncha O'Callaghan, 19.Paul Shields, 20.Emmet Byrne, 21.Brian O'Meara, 22.David Wallace


2003 Irish Greyhound Derby
The 2003 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August and September with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 20 September 2003.


2003 Irish Greyhound Derby
The winner Climate Control won €150,000 and was trained by Seamus Graham, owned by Kevin Smith & Aidan O'Regan and bred by Ailish and Aisling McCann. The race was sponsored by the Paddy Power.


2003 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Climate Control led the ante-post betting for the 2002 Irish Derby. The blue dog had won the Consolation Stakes the previous year and had maintained good form since, even recovering from a hock injury at one stage. Serene Rumble was next in the ante-post list with World Class just behind.


2003 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Owen McKenna's Droopys Oasis was the first to impress in round one recording 29.74 and in round two Borna Pilot went even faster setting the best time so far (29.59). World Class was the first major name to eliminated before round three.


2003 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
After the completion of round three there were six unbeaten greyhounds, they were Droopys Oasis, Droopys Agassi, Climate Control, Serene Rumble, Bookie Burglar and Maryville Rumble but Serene Rumble was withdrawn injured from the competition.


2003 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Only Droopys Agassi and Bookie Burglar remained unbeaten after the quarter-finals with the two remaining heats going to Kings Cadet and Mustang Mega. The first semifinal saw Kings Cadet break a hock when prominent and despite hampering Climate Control the latter won from the dead heating second place pair of First Charter and Maryville Rumble. Droopys Joel provided a shock result in the second heat after taking advantage of Droopys Agassi and Bookie Burglar bumping into each other, both were eliminated. Mustang Mega and La Fontaine sealed the final two places.


2003 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Climate Control took control of the final with a turn of early pace that saw him pull clear of the challenging First Charter and Mustang Mega. Climate Control won from Mustang Mega and the strong finishing Maryville Rumble talking third. The presentation was conducted by the Irish president Mary McAleese.


2003 Irish Masters
The 2003 Citywest Irish Masters was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 25 and 30 March 2003 at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.


2003 Irish Masters
Ronnie O'Sullivan won the title by defeating defending champion John Higgins 10–9 in the final.


2003 Irish Open
The 2003 Irish Open was an invitational non-ranking snooker tournament held in Derry, Northern Ireland in February 2003. The tournament was open to players from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Joe Swail won the event, defeating Fergal O'Brien 10–3 in the final, earning £5,000 in prize money.


2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election
A special election for Isabela's 4th district seat in the House of Representatives of the Philippines was held on May 12, 2003. Held due to the death of Antonio Abaya, Giorgidi Aggabao won the special election, beating Abaya's widow Asuncion, to succeed him in the House of Representatives.


2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election, Campaign
Representative Antonio Abaya, who had represented the Isabela's 4th legislative district from 1987 to 1998, and since 2001, died on February 26, 2003. Abaya, who was term-limited in 1998, ran for mayor of Santiago but was beaten. He ran again for the seat (that includes Santiago) in 2001 and won.


2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election, Campaign
As the Isabela Provincial Board passed the resolution urging the special election to be held, three people had been brought up as potential candidates. However, only Santiago mayor Jose Miranda (PDP–Laban) had declared his intention to run, relying on the support of Santiago and three other towns. Other potential candidates were former board member Giorgidi Aggabao, who had been beaten by Abaya in 2001 and was backed by Isabela governor Faustino Dy, Jr., and Asuncion Abaya, the late representative's widow, who is a medical doctor.


2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election, Campaign
Later on, Miranda withdrew in favor of Dr. Abaya, who was considered to be the "sentimental favorite". Miranda's city of Santiago, the largest of the seven local government units in the district with about 60,000 votes, was expected to be the strongest source of votes for her. The mayors of the other towns all supported Aggabao, along with the Dy clan headed by the provincial governor.


2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election, Result
On election day, people handling Miranda's security were shot by unidentified men riding in motorcycles. The incident was described by the city election officer as "election-related." Other disturbances included the confrontation of Cordon Mayor Amado Vallejo, Jr. of two lawyers of the Abaya campaign who allegedly harassed poll watchers. According to unofficial counts, the towns of Echague, Cordon and Ramon all went to Aggabao, while Santiago went for Abaya, with Aggabao possessing a large overall margin.


2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election, Result
On May 14, 2003, Aggabao was declared winner by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). While the votes were being canvassed, Abaya's lawyers protested the process by walking out of the canvassing room. They alleged that some ballot boxes were switched on the trip from the polling places to the provincial capital of Ilagan. The Abayas held their own canvassing at the People's Coliseum in Santiago, with Edwin Uy, the 2nd district representative, attending. The official results had Aggabao winning at Cordon, San Isidro, Jones, San Agustin, Ramon and Echague.


2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election, Result
Abaya won at Santiago by around 5,000 votes and at Dinapigue by 62 votes. Aggabao was sworn into office by Governor Dy right after his proclamation. The tally of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), a COMELEC-accredited watchdog, and Abaya's camp had Abaya winning by 4,969 votes. Abaya had 46,072 votes while Aggabao had 41,103 votes. Aggabao brushed off the accusations, saying that he did not raise a fuss when he was beaten in 1991 and 2001.


2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election, Aftermath
Ilagan Bishop Sergio Utleg later issued a pastoral letter alleging the special election was the province's "most fraudulent". The pastoral letter was condemned by the isabela Provincial Board to the "strongest terms" and demanded that the bishop reconsider it. The bishop said, "My pastoral letter, contrary to the claim of the provincial board members, was based on verified facts and testimonies of people involved in the special elections," and reiterated for the nullification of the election results. Election officers of San Isidro and San Agustin claimed that Abaya won in their towns, with San Isidro's vote count for Aggabao surpassing the number of votes cast. COMELEC Chairmen Benjamin Abalos had formed a task force to investigate the alleged irregularities of the vote.


2003 Isabela's 4th congressional district special election, Aftermath
By 2013, Aggabao was in his third term in Congress, after losing to Miranda's brother Anthony in 2004; he won in 2007, and successfully defended his seat on the 2010 and 2013 election. Term -limited in 2016, his wife ran and won, defending the seat. Isabela was redistricted in time for the 2019 election, and Aggabao himself was defeated by newcomer Alyssa Sheena Tan.


2003 Island Games
The 2003 Island Games were the tenth Island Games, and were held in Guernsey, from June 28 to July 4, 2003.


2003 Islands District Council election
The 2003 Islands District Council election was held on 23 November 2003 to elect all 8 elected members to the 20-member District Council.


2003 Israeli legislative election
Elections for the 16th Knesset were held in Israel on 28 January 2003. The result was a resounding victory for Ariel Sharon's Likud.


2003 Israeli legislative election
The previous separate election for Prime Minister was scrapped, and the post was returned to the leader of the party successfully forming the working coalition government.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Second Intifada
Similarly to the 2001 elections for the position of prime minister, these elections were also affected by the Second Intifada, which was a period of intense fighting and Palestinian militancy campaigns. Despite the fact that since the last elections there was a significant deterioration in the security situation in Israel, after Operation Defensive Shield in May 2002 and Operation Determined Path in June 2002, there was an improvement in the security situation.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Second Intifada
The fact that Binyamin Ben-Eliezer was the defense minister in most of this period (until the unity government was dismantled) did not allow the Labor party to establish an alternative to government policies, mainly because it was difficult to present a position contrary to that which was supported by the party up until then. Contributing this was the militaristic tendency of large sections from the Israeli public that supported more severe measures than those which were actually implemented against the Palestinians for militant and terrorist attacks against Israelis.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Second Intifada
This tendency led to a situation in which the significant differences regarding the way Israel should react to the Intifada were not split between the Labor party and the Likud party, but rather between the dovish faction in the Labor party (which supported the positions of the left-wing Meretz party) and the hawkish faction in the Labor party (whose position was very close to that of the Likud party).


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Second Intifada
Although Prime Minister Ehud Barak did not run in these elections (and in practice was almost two years out of the political system), at the time Ehud Barak and the Labor Party were widely considered by many in the Israeli public as those directly responsible for the outbreak of the second intifada.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Second Intifada
In general, similar to previous elections, the Intifada created a significant gap in the public opinions, as the public which once identified itself as "moderate left" drifted significantly away from the left, leaving a vacuum between it and the far left group. This situation significantly affected the potential voters of the Labor Party, which since 1977 relied primarily on the moderate left.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Second Intifada
In addition, the situation in which Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced that early elections would be held, just several days after the Labor party left the unity government, caught the Labor party in a situation in which it did not yet receive a chance to elect the head of the party.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Second Intifada
When it eventually elected Amram Mitzna, he had little more than one month to gather the attention of the Israeli public and convince the Israeli public of his positions—the most prominent among them being his claim that Israel had no interest in continuing to have control in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Labor party leadership struggle
After Barak took a break from politics in late February 2001, the Labor party established a unity government with the Likud party, in which Shimon Peres represented the Labor party as the most senior figure of its ministers. At the same time, Benyamin Ben-Eliezer competed against Matan Vilnai for the position of defense minister in the unity government (Shimon Peres was appointed to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs). The Labor party primaries were set for September 4, 2001.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Labor party leadership struggle
These primaries were supposedly won by Avraham Burg (who was the Speaker of the Knesset at the time), although in practice there was a very small number of votes (only 1,000 votes in favor of Burg), which led to many claims of fraud, especially of fraud within ballots of the Israeli Druze community. After a long series of discussions and accusations regarding ethnic discrimination of the Druze public, it was decided that the primaries would be held again in 51 polling stations (mostly within the Druze community) on 26 December. Those elections had a relatively low voter turnout and at the end of those elections, Ben-Eliezer won with a small gap of just 1,900 votes.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Labor party leadership struggle
Although winning the Labor party's leader position allegedly promised Ben Eliezer his candidacy for prime minister for the Labor party, in practice the problematic election process led to many issues which were also affected by the lack of enthusiasm from the dovish faction of the Labor party to Ben Eliezer's policy as defense minister. After making serious allegations of racial discrimination against him due to being Sephardi, Ben Eliezer was forced to agree to another round of primaries.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Labor party leadership struggle
During the period of time between the decision to hold another primary and the primaries themselves, which were set for 19 November 2002, the Labor party withdrew from the unity government, which led to rumors that the main reason they withdrew was due to the considerations regarding the primaries. The primaries were eventually won by Amram Mitzna, who at that point in time was the mayor of Haifa. He won 53% of the votes while Ben-Eliezer won 38% of the votes and Haim Ramon won only 7% of the votes.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Disintegration of the unity government
Operation Defensive Shield and Operation Determined Path, which ended the Israeli policy of restraint in response to Palestinian terrorist attacks, succeeded in considerably reducing the numbers of terrorist attacks carried out against Israel; nevertheless, they led to the disintegration of the unity government. In addition, the economic situation also deteriorated significantly, and after Operation Defensive Shield, an emergency economic plan was brought forth on April 25, 2002, which was called Economic Defensive Shield (חומת מגן כלכלית).


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Disintegration of the unity government
A temporary lull in terrorist attacks against Israelis was among the reasons that the Shas party ministers opposed the emergency economic plan and voted against it in the Knesset. This situation caused Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to fire the Shas ministers on May 20. Nevertheless, Shas rejoined the government on June 3, but this step was the beginning of the end of the unity government. On July 28 David Levy and his breakaway Gesher faction left the government due to their opposition to the budget. Although their departure was not significant at the time, further ahead this caused difficulties for the continued existence of the unity government.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Disintegration of the unity government
When the Labor party withdrew from the unity government in September due to their opposition to the economic policy, the state budget, and the new defense policy, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government had to re-appoint several new ministers to his government.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Disintegration of the unity government
As a result, Benjamin Netanyahu was appointed as the Foreign Minister on November 1, and Shaul Mofaz was appointed as the defense minister the next day (a move which aroused much criticism due to its timing - Mofaz was appointed to this position only four months after he finished serving in the military as the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces). Eventually Sharon announced the dissolution of the Knesset and early elections.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Tal Law and its implications
On 23 July 2002, the Knesset approved the Tal Law as an attempt to reach a compromise to the public demand that the Israeli ultra-Orthodox citizens would share an equal extent of obligations which other Israeli citizens are required to fulfill, specifically requiring them to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. The coalition upheavals delayed the initial adoption of the Tal law.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Tal Law and its implications
The adoption of the law, which in practice legitimized the existing massive draft dodging within the ultra-Orthodox community (while giving them the option to work for a whole year after they get to the age of 18, and afterwards giving them the option to choose whether to join the military or civilian service, or return to the yeshiva), caused a significant strengthening of contempt among the Israeli public towards the ultra-Orthodox community, as most non-Muslim non-ultra-Orthodox Israelis are obligated to serve in the military for several years when they reach age 18. The main effect the Tal Law had in this elections was a significant strengthening to the Shinui party.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Ariel Sharon's investigations
In late 1999, during Ariel Sharon's election campaign for the Likud leadership, Sharon collected donations totaling six million NIS in ways that were prohibited under the law regulating the funding of political parties. The Comptroller's Report published in early September 2001 stated that these contributions were breaking the law (a previous similar complaint against Netanyahu led to the issuing of a warning, and a similar complaint against Ehud Barak even led to an investigation regarding the organizations that helped him get elected).


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Ariel Sharon's investigations
As a result, Sharon returned 1.5 million NIS to the donors on October 4, but had difficulties in raising the more funds. On October 22, Sharon's son Gilad was able to get a loan at a relatively high interest from Bank Leumi, and then made contact with the South African businessman Cyril Kern, who gave him a loan for the rest of the balance on November 30 (even though the money was actually transferred only on 17 January 2002). Cyril Kern's money was transferred to the Israel Discount Bank on 30 April 2002 and was returned to Cyril Kern on 17 December.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Ariel Sharon's investigations
These facts, coupled with the lack of clarity regarding the extent of Cyril Kern's businesses in Israel, became "political dynamite", and were investigated during the election campaign by the State Attorney's Office. On 6 January 2003, the details of the affair were revealed by Haaretz. (It turned out later on that the attorney Liora Glatt-Berkowitz, who was in charge of the investigation, leaked the information.)


2003 Israeli legislative election, Background, Ariel Sharon's investigations
The exposure of the affair caused a political storm and led to calls for the resignation of Ariel Sharon from the opposition. On the other hand, Likud members alleged that the leak of the affair's details was politically motivated and intended to harm Sharon's popularity.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Parliament factions
The table below lists the parliamentary factions represented in the 15th Knesset.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Aftermath
Apart from Likud's clear victory, the election was also a success for the secularist Shinui. Despite gains by the right in the election, multiple polls showed strong public support for policies advocated by the left (such as dismantling settlements, unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza, and creating a Palestinian state).


2003 Israeli legislative election, Aftermath
Ariel Sharon formed the 30th government on 28 February 2003. His coalition initially included just Shinui and the National Union, although Yisrael BaAliyah had merged into Likud soon after the election. On 3 March the National Religious Party joined the government.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Aftermath
Sharon's decision to implement the Gaza disengagement plan led to the National Union and the National Religious Party leaving the coalition during June and November 2004 respectively. Shinui left the government in December 2004 following disagreements over the budget. The party later disintegrated following a disputed leadership election, with eleven MKs leaving to form the Secular Faction and one left to establish HaOlim, which merged into the National Union. Two MKs later left the Secular Faction to establish National Home.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Aftermath
Labor–Meimad joined the coalition in January 2005, with Agudat Yisrael added to the government in March 2005. Labor–Meimad later pulled out in November that year, the same month in which Sharon led a breakaway of fourteen MKs from Likud to form Kadima. Likud left the coalition in January 2006. Following Sharon's stroke, Ehud Olmert took over as Acting Prime Minister.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Aftermath
The Knesset term also saw one of One Nation's MKs leave to form Noy, before joining Likud. One Nation then merged into Labor. Yisrael Beiteinu broke away from the National Union, whilst two MKs left the National Religious Party to establish the Renewed Religious National Zionist Party.


2003 Israeli legislative election, Aftermath
Prior to the 2006 elections, United Torah Judaism split into Agudat Yisrael (three seats) and Degel HaTorah (two seats), whilst Ta'al (one seat) broke away from Hadash.


2003 Istanbul bombings
The 2003 Istanbul bombings were a series of suicide attacks carried out with trucks fitted with bombs detonated at four different locations in Istanbul, Turkey on November 15 and 20, 2003.


2003 Istanbul bombings
On November 15, two truck bombs were detonated, one in front of the Bet Israel Synagogue in Şişli at around 9:30 a.m. local time (UTC+2.00) and another in front of the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Beyoğlu at around 9:34 a.m. As a result of these bombings, 28 people died, included the attackers, and more than 300 people were wounded. Five days after the first attacks, on November 20, two different attacks were perpetrated against the British Consulate General at around 10:55 a.m. and the HSBC General Headquarters in Beşiktaş at around 11:00 a.m., again using truck bombs. In the second round of attacks, 31 people lost their lives and more than 450 were injured. In total, 59 people died, including the four suicide bombers, and more than 750 were wounded in the bombings.


2003 Istanbul bombings
Investigations launched in the wake of the attacks determined that Al Qaeda had orchestrated the bombings. The criminal case that began with 69 defendants and, with additions, included 76 defendants in February 2004 regarding the attacks concluded in April 2007 with the sentencing of 49 defendants, of whom seven were sentenced to life in prison, to various periods of incarceration. Some of the figures allegedly from the upper echelons of the militant organization fled to Iraq after the attacks and died there, while a portion were captured by security forces. After a retrial held because the Court of Cassation reversed some of the verdicts delivered in the initial trial, 16 defendants were not sentenced to prison.


2003 Istanbul bombings, First bombings and aftermath
The first attacks were carried out on November 15, 2003 against two synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey. At approximately 9:30 a.m. local time (UTC+2.00), a bomb-laden truck that had parked in front of the Bet Israel Synagogue on Nakiye Elgün Street in Şişli was detonated. Many of the worshippers praying at the synagogue that Saturday, a day considered sacred by Jews, and those near the temple lost their lives, and the area surrounding the synagogue was badly damaged.


2003 Istanbul bombings, First bombings and aftermath
Approximately four minutes after the first explosion, at around 9:34 a.m., a second attack occurred with the detonation of another bomb-laden truck passing by the Neve Shalom Synagogue on Büyük Hendek Avenue in Beyoğlu. Prayers were being held in three separate rooms of the synagogue, and a child's bar mitzvah ceremony was being held with 400 people in attendance. Because the walls of the synagogue had been fortified after previous attacks, the internal walls of the structure were not badly damaged, but the external wall and surrounding shops and buildings were damaged, and passers-by were killed by the blast. A hole approximately three meters wide and two meters deep appeared at the spot where the bomb exploded.


2003 Istanbul bombings, First bombings and aftermath
Teams from the Istanbul Metropolitan Fire Department, Health Department, Directorate of Road Maintenance, and Directorate of Cemeteries; the Istanbul Gas Distribution and Trade; and the Istanbul Water and Sewage Administration arrived at the scenes of both attacks. Search-and-rescue teams dug survivors out from beneath the debris resulting from the explosions and sent them to nearby health institutions. A team from ZAKA coming from Israel that comprised seven people who were experts in search-and-rescue and identification participated in the work after the explosions.


2003 Istanbul bombings, First bombings and aftermath
An Islamic militant group, IBDA-C, claimed responsibility for the blasts, but it was later determined that the attacks had been carried out by Al Qaeda.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Second bombings and aftermath
Five days later, on November 20, as US President George W. Bush was in the United Kingdom meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair, two more truck bombs exploded. The first attack occurred at around 10:55 a.m. (UTC+2.00) with the detonation of a bomb, comprising 700 kilograms of ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and compressed fuel oil, in a truck that had parked in front of the HSBC Bank AS building on Büyükdere Avenue in the Levent neighborhood of Beşiktaş.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Second bombings and aftermath
There were fatalities and injuries inside and near the building, and after the explosion, the first six aboveground stories of the building became unusable and the front side of the building was badly damaged. Inside the building, an elevator that had been in motion at the time of the bombing collapsed. Body parts were flung from the site of the explosion, some even being found as far as 400 meters away at a petrol station.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Second bombings and aftermath
Approximately five minutes later, at around 11:00 a.m., another bomb-laden truck drove through security and detonated in front of the British Consulate on Meşrutiyet Avenue in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district. Deaths and injuries were immediately reported from the explosion, and the outer wall of the consulate's front garden collapsed onto cars driving by in the street, and a fire burned in the garden itself. Buildings nearby the consulate, including the entrance to the Çiçek Passage market, and cars on the street were also badly damaged.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Second bombings and aftermath
After the attack perpetrated against the HSBC building, police cordoned off the area and began collecting evidence. Electrical and gas lines were shut off, and metro services were stopped. The wounded and other personnel were evacuated from the rear entrance of the building. The fire department, civil defense, provincial health directorate, police, and consulate officials dispatched to the area began search-and-rescue operations. Police also cordoned off the area surrounding the consulate. Within a day, Interior Minister Abdülkadir Aksu, Istanbul Governor Muammer Güler, and Istanbul Provincial Security Director Celalettin Cerrah participated in the investigations. Shortly after the two attacks, a warning of an additional bombing at the Galleria Shopping Center in Bakırköy began to spread; the Akmerkez, Galleria, and Carousel shopping centers were evacuated, although the warnings ended up being baseless.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Second bombings and aftermath
The bombers appeared to have waited for the traffic lights in front of the HSBC headquarters on the Büyükdere Avenue in Levent to turn red to maximize the effects. Police say that the bombers may have timed the attacks to coincide with Bush's visit to the UK.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Casualties, First attacks
On the day the attacks were carried out, the Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate issued a statement at 4:00 p.m. that 20 people had died and 257 were injured in the bombings. A few hours later, Health Minister Recep Akdağ announced that the number of deaths was 20 and that 302 people had referred to various hospitals because of the bomb attacks. Interior Minister Abdülkadir Aksu, however, stated that the identified number of injured people was 277.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Casualties, First attacks
Later the evening of the attack, a statement issued by the Istanbul Security Directorate increased the number of casualties to 23, it shortly thereafter brought the number back down to 20. The following day, Istanbul Provincial Health Director Erman Tuncer reported, again, that 23 people had died and that about 71 people, of whom four were in critical condition, continued to received medical attention at various hospitals.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Casualties, First attacks
The number of casualties rose to 24 on November 17 when the body of a woman was found at the scene of the bombing and later to 25 when a victim receiving treatment at a hospital succumbed to their injuries. In a statement he made on November 19, Istanbul Governor Muammer Güler announced that 25 people had died and approximately 300 people were injured as a result of the attacks.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Casualties, First attacks
On November 28, Istanbul Deputy Security Director Halil Yılmaz reported, in a press release riddled with inaccuracies, that 23 people had died from the first bombings but later corrected the mistakes in a statement to the press and changed the number of casualties to 27. This number rose to 28 on February 9, 2004 when Celal Dilsiz, a patient who had been receiving care in a hospital for almost three months, died from his injuries.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Casualties, First attacks
The funeral ceremonies for six Jews who died in the attacks—Yoel Ülçer Kohen, Berta Özdoğan, Yona Romano, Annette Rubinstein, Anna Rubinstein, and Avram Varol—were held at the Ulus Ashkenazi Jewish Cemetery. The six people were laid to rest in the front section of the mausoleum where 23 people killed in the 1986 attack on the Neve Shalom Synagogue were buried.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Casualties, Second attacks
A statement issued by the Office of the Istanbul Governor Public Order Operations Center on the day of the second attacks reported that 27 people had died—11 in the attack in front of the HSBC General Directorate and 16 at the British Consulate—and more than 450 people were injured in the bombings. According to a written statement on November 24 from the Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate, 432 people had been treated and discharged from the hospital and 30 people, of whom six were in intensive care, were still receiving treatment.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Casualties, Second attacks
On November 28, Istanbul Deputy Security Director Halil Yılmaz reported that 28 people had died in the second attacks, shortly thereafter later raising this figure to 30. Two months later, on January 13, 2004, the number of casualties in the second two attacks rose to 31, when Sefer Gündoğdu, a 35-year-old father of three, passed away at around 5:00 p.m. at Şişli Etfal Hospital after undergoing a series of surgeries.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Casualties, Second attacks
Famous Turkish actor and singer Kerem Yılmazer died in the HSBC bombing as he walked to the NTV building, where worked as a voice actor on the Life Style program at the TV channel. Yılmazer's wife Göksel Kortay, the famous Turkish actress, was on a live program on TV8 when the news of the bombings broke. The 58-year-old British consul general and career diplomat Roger Short also perished in the attack.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Damage
Istanbul Governor Muammer Güler, in a statement on November 19, announced that inspections of 58 buildings in Beyoğlu after the synagogue attacks revealed nine buildings that were severely damaged, three that were moderately damaged, and eight that were somewhat damaged, amounting to damages of 37 billion Turkish lira (equivalent to approximately US$25 million in November 2003). In Şişli, of the 52 buildings examined, none were severely damaged, seven were moderately damaged, and 12 were somewhat damaged, with damages totaling 33 billion Turkish Liras (about US$22.5 million in November 2003). There was a total of 110 billion Turkish Liras (approximately US$75 million in November 2003) in damages and 33 cars—15 in Beyoğlu and 18 in Şişli—were made unusable due to the first bombings.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Damage
A total of 113 buildings were damaged in the second round of attacks. Beyloğlu Municipal Mayor Kadir Topbaş announced that 38 buildings, of which 25 were considered historic, were damaged in Beyloğlu. Beşiktaş Municipal Mayor Yusuf Namoğlu reported that 75 buildings were damaged in Levent, including a historic school building in the nearby Zincirlikuyu quarter.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Reactions
Various nations condemned the attacks and offered their condolences, including the US and Germany.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Responsibility
Initially, a militant Turkish Islamic group, the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front took responsibility.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Responsibility
Turkey charged 74 people with involvement in the bombings, including Syrians Loai al-Saqa and Hamid Obysi, and a Turk, Harun Ilhan. Ilhan admitted that he and two other suspected ringleaders — Habib Akdaş and Gurcan Bac — were responsible; Ilhan referred to himself as ‘an al-Qaeda warrior'. Akdas fled to Iraq, where he was reportedly involved in a kidnapping, and was later killed by coalition forces in Fallujah. Bac's location remains undetermined.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Responsibility
Other reporting indicates that Bac was suspected of preparing the bombs with Fevzi Yitiz, and that Akdas and Ibrahim Kus participated in a meeting with bin Laden in 2002. Al-Saqa had already been tried in absentia in Jordan for his part, along with al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in the failed poison gas attack in 2002.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Responsibility
On February 16, 2007, Al-Saqa and Ilhan were convicted and sentenced to 67 consecutive life sentences, one for every victim for the bombing plus additional terms for terrorism and conspiracy, as were five other Turkish men convicted of organising the bombing: Fevzi Yitiz (for helping to build the truck bombs) and Yusuf Polat, Baki Yigit, Osman Eken and Adnan Ersoz. Seyit Ertul was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment for leading an al-Qaeda cell, and Obysi was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months for al-Qaeda membership, forgery and bomb-making.


2003 Istanbul bombings, Responsibility
Of the other individuals who were charged, 29 were sentenced to 6 years and 3 months for aiding and abetting al-Qaeda, 10 were sentenced to 3 years and 9 months membership in al-Qaeda, and 26 were acquitted. A Turkish intelligence official who was part of the investigation said: "They planned and carried out the attack independently after receiving the blessing of bin Laden."


2003 Istanbul bombings, Responsibility
However, in 2010, Turkish investigators accused three of the highest-ranking military leaders at the time of the bombing of orchestrating the attacks in the hopes of destabilising the government and prompting a military coup. Gen Çetin Dogan, head of the 1st Army and then deputy chief of the military staff, Gen Ibrahim Fırtına, ex-air force chief, and former naval commander Admiral Özden Örnek, along with 35 other ex-military personnel were arrested and questioned concerning their roles in Operation Sledgehammer, of which the bombings were reportedly a part.


2003 Italian Figure Skating Championships
The 2003 Italian Figure Skating Championships (Italian: Campionati Italiani Assoluti 2003 Pattinaggio Di Figura Su Ghiaccio) was held in Lecco from January 3 through 5, 2003. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, and ice dancing. The results were used to choose the teams to the 2003 World Championships, the 2003 European Championships, and the 2003 World Junior Championships.


2003 Italian Formula Three Championship
The 2003 Italian Formula Three Championship was the 39th Italian Formula Three Championship season. It began on 30 March at Misano and ended on 12 October at Vallelunga after nine races.


2003 Italian Formula Three Championship
Fausto Ippoliti of Ombra Racing won race at Binetto, race at Magione and another two podiums and ultimately clinched the title. He finished three points clear of Coloni Motorsport driver Christian Montanari, who won race at Mugello and season-ending races at Monza and Vallelunga. Third place went to Lucidi Motors driver Gregory Franchi, who  finished ahead of Imola winner Marco Bonanomi.


2003 Italian Grand Prix
The 2003 Italian Grand Prix (formally the Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2003) was a Formula One motor race held on 14 September 2003 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, Italy. It was the fourteenth race of the 2003 Formula One season and the eighty-seventh Italian Grand Prix. The 53-lap race was won by Michael Schumacher driving for Ferrari after starting from pole position. Juan Pablo Montoya finished second in a Williams car, with Rubens Barrichello third in the other Ferrari.


2003 Italian Grand Prix, Report, Friday drivers
The 3 teams in the 2003 Constructors' Championship had the right to drive a third car on Friday that were involved in additional training. These drivers did not compete in qualifying or the race.


2003 Italian Open (tennis)
The 2003 Italian Open (also known as 2003 Rome Masters or its sponsored title 2003 Telecom Italia Masters) was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 60th edition of the Italian Open and was part of the Tennis Masters Series of the 2003 ATP Tour and of Tier I of the 2003 WTA Tour. Both the men's and women's events took place at the Foro Italico in Rome in Italy. The men's tournament was played from May 5 through May 11, 2003 while the women's tournament was played from May 12 through May 18, 2003.


2003 Italian Open (tennis), Finals, Men's Doubles
Wayne Arthurs /  Paul Hanley defeated  Michaël Llodra  /  Fabrice Santoro 6–1, 6–3


2003 Italian Open (tennis), Finals, Women's Doubles
Svetlana Kuznetsova /  Martina Navratilova defeated  Jelena Dokić /  Nadia Petrova 6–4, 5–7, 6–2


2003 Italian Open – Men's Doubles
Martin Damm and Cyril Suk were the defending champions but lost in the semifinals to Michaël Llodra and Fabrice Santoro.


2003 Italian Open – Men's Doubles
Wayne Arthurs and Paul Hanley won in the final 6–1, 6–3 against Llodra and Santoro.


2003 Italian Open – Men's Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated. All eight seeded teams received byes to the second round.


2003 Italian Open – Men's Singles
Andre Agassi was the defending champion but lost in the first round to David Ferrer.


2003 Italian Open – Men's Singles
Félix Mantilla won in the final 7–5, 6–2, 7–6(10–8) against Roger Federer.


2003 Italian Open – Men's Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


2003 Italian Open – Women's Doubles
Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez were the defending champions, but lost in quarterfinals to Els Callens and Émilie Loit.


2003 Italian Open – Women's Doubles
Svetlana Kuznetsova and Martina Navratilova won the title, defeating Jelena Dokic and Nadia Petrova 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 in the final. It was the 6th doubles title for Kuznetsova and the 170th doubles title for Navratilova, in their respective careers.


2003 Italian Open – Women's Doubles, Seeds
The first four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2003 Italian Open – Women's Singles
Serena Williams was the defending champion, but lost in semifinals to Amélie Mauresmo.


2003 Italian Open – Women's Singles
Kim Clijsters won in the final 3–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–0 against Amélie Mauresmo. It was the 3rd title for Clijsters in the season and the 13th in her overall career.


2003 Italian Open – Women's Singles, Seeds
The first eight seeds received a bye into the second round.


2003 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2003 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix was the fifth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 6–8 June 2003 at the Mugello Circuit.


2003 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (motoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round five has concluded.


2003 Italian referendum
A double abrogative referendum was held in Italy on 15 May 2003. Voters were asked whether small companies should be forced to re-employ workers they had sacked illegitimately and whether the property owners could refuse to allow electricity cables to be installed on private property. Although both were approved by wide margins, the voter turnout of 26% was well below the 50% threshold and the results were invalidated.


2003 Italian regional elections
Regional elections were held in some regions of Italy during 2003. These included:


2003 Italy blackout
The 2003 Italy blackout was a serious power outage that affected all of the Italian Peninsula for 12 hours and part of Switzerland near Geneva for 3 hours on 28 September 2003. It was the largest blackout in the series of blackouts in 2003, involving about 56 million people.


2003 Italy blackout, Causes
Power went off at about 03:20 hrs. local time on 28 September 2003. Initial reports from Italy's electricity supplier, GRTN, stated that the power line which supplied electricity to Italy from Switzerland was damaged by storms, causing it to trip; and also that the two 400 kV power lines between France and Italy tripped due to sudden increased demand from those two power lines. Later, it has been shown that the trip of the first line from Switzerland - the so-called "Lukmanier" line - was caused by a tree flashover. The trigger of the Italian blackout was insufficient trimming of bushes and trees below HV overhead lines.


2003 Italy blackout, Causes
The cascading effect disrupted power flow to Italy from the two main exporting countries France and Switzerland. GRTN lost control of the grid in the next 4 seconds, with the lines to neighbouring countries tripped one by one amid the cascading effect. Swiss electricity company ATEL later concurred that a power line between Switzerland and Italy went out for a few hours.


2003 Italy blackout, Causes
Frequency dropped down to 49 Hz, due to the loss of import power. Within the next 2,5 minutes, frequency went further down until the under-frequency threshold of 47,5 Hz was hit and all generators were tripped according to the under-frequency protection settings. The reason for the blackout was that during this phase the under-voltage load shedding (UVLS) could not compensate the additional loss of generation, when ca. 7,5 GW of distributed power plants tripped during under-frequency operation (cf. figure "Frequency behavior in Italy in the transitory period", UCTE report, April 2004, p. 115).


2003 Italy blackout, Effects
The night of 27 September 2003 is the night of the annual overnight Nuit Blanche in Rome, the capital of Italy. Thus, many people were on the streets and all public transportation were still operating at the time of the blackout (at about 3:00 on 28 September 2003) despite the fact that it was very late at night. The blackout caused the carnival to end early. Several hundred people were trapped in underground trains. Coupled with heavy rain at the time, many people spent the night sleeping in train stations and on streets in Rome.


2003 Italy blackout, Effects
Throughout Italy, 110 trains were cancelled, with 30,000 people stranded on trains in the railway network. All flights in Italy were also cancelled. Police described the scene as chaos but there were no serious accidents.


2003 Italy blackout, Effects
The blackout did not spread further to neighboring countries, such as Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, which are connected to Italy. Only part of the Geneva Canton of Switzerland suffered a power outage for three hours.


2003 Italy blackout, Restoration of service
After three hours, energy was restored in northern regions. Electricity was restored gradually in most places, and in most cities electricity was powered on again during the morning. Rolling blackouts continued to affect about 5% of the population on the next two days (29–30 September) as the electricity company GRTN continued its effort to restore supply.


2003 Italy blackout, Official report
The final report of the investigation committee on the 28 September 2003 blackout in Italy was published in April 2004 by UCTE.


2003 Italy blackout, Scientific research
Researchers in physics and complex networks have modelled the 2003 Italy blackout as a cascade of failures in interdependent networks. Several nodes in the network of power stations failed, causing a failure of the Internet communication network, which in turn caused a further breakdown of power stations. The goal of research was to understand how to build more robust networks.


2003 Italy rugby union tour of New Zealand
The 2003 Italy rugby union tour of New Zealand was a series of matches played in June 2003 in New Zealand by Italy national rugby union team, to prepare the 2003 Rugby World Cup No Test match were played