The May 16, 2003 was a Friday under the star sign of ♉. It was the 135 day of the year. President of the United States was George W. Bush.
If you were born on this day, you are 23 years old. Your last birthday was on the Saturday, May 16, 2026, 40 days ago. Your next birthday is on Sunday, May 16, 2027, in 324 days. You have lived for 8,441 days, or about 202,596 hours, or about 12,155,806 minutes, or about 729,348,360 seconds.
Date: 17 May 2003
By Emma Daly (NYT)
Emma NYT
Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy expresses government's anger over video of ETA, Basque separatist group, in which three hooded members urge viewers to vote for outlawed candidates; video was aired on Basque public television station Euskal Irrati Telebista and is under investigation by state prosecutor (S)
Date: 16 May 2003
By Brian Knowlton
Brian Knowlton
Officials in France complain formally that their country is victim of 'repeated disinformation' being fed by Bush administration officials who accuse France of having provided military and diplomatic aid to Saddam Hussein's government; White House denies assertion; still, some experts are surprised by anti-French virulence that has come, if not directly from Bush administration, then from some of its supporters or sympathizers in news media; French complaint is made in form of letter sent by Amb Jean-David Levitte to White House, State Dept and Congress (M)
Date: 17 May 2003
By William C. Rhoden
William Rhoden
William C Rhoden Sports of The Times column discusses legacy of late sports journalist Sam Lacy; photo (M)
Date: 16 May 2003
The New York Times reporter Keith Bradsher is awarded New York Public Library's Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism for book High and Mighty: SUV's-The World's Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got That Way; finalists noted (S)
Date: 16 May 2003
Three top executives of Dominican Republic's Banco Intercontinental, including president Ramon Baez Figueroa, are arrested after authorities discover clandestine banking operation that resulted in embezzling of $2.2 billion; central bank says executives of Banco Intercontinental established unsupervised bank-within-a-bank in 1989 that used deposits to buy companies linked to bank officers and that forgave millions of dollars in bad loans; arrest of Baez Figueroa brings cries of political skullduggery because government placed Baez Figueroa's media properties under 'administrative control,' including Listin Diario, country's leading newspaper, which is seen as friendly to former Pres Leonel Fernandez, who is seeking to regain presidency in next year's election; Baez Figueroa says government is seizing his media properties to help re-election of Pres Hipolito Mejia; Listin Diario publishes editorial denouncing government's probe of Baez Figueroa as threat to press freedom; photo (M)
Date: 16 May 2003
By Paul Krugman
Paul Krugman
Paul Krugman Op-Ed column rebuts view that Pres Bush, whatever his other failings, has been effective leader in fight against terrorism; quotes warning by International Institute for Strategic Studies that Al Qaeda is 'more insidious and just as dangerous' as before Sept 11; recounts Bush administration's 'amazing refusal' to fund even minimal measures to secure chemical and nuclear plants, mirrored by its failure to follow through on overseas efforts once television-friendly part of operation is over; cites departure of main US team hunting weapons of mass destruction in Iraq now that media coverage has slackened off (M)
Date: 16 May 2003
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Leucadia National offers to buy part of WilTel Communications it does not already own for $365.1 million; Leucadia owns about 47 percent of WilTel (S)
Date: 16 May 2003
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Brunwick is restating first-quarter earnings because of $25 million reserve for possible settlement of patent lawsuit; net income for quarter is restated to $3.8 million from $19.8 million reported on April 24; company's Life Fitness unit is in talks with Precor, unit of Amer Group, to settle dispute over rights held by Precor relating to design of exercise machine known as cross-trainer (S)
Date: 16 May 2003
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Dollar Tree Stores acquires Greenbacks Inc for about $100 million in cash (S)
Date: 16 May 2003
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Wachovia executive G Kennedy Thompson says settlement between Visa USA, MasterCard International and retailers over use of debit cards will cut its profit this year by $25 million to $30 million; adds bank may also have $60 million decline in profit in 2004 because of changes associated with deal (S)
Date: 16 May 2003
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
IDT is buying 51 percent stake in Film Roman, animator of TV programs The Simpsons and King of the Hill, for $900,000 in cash and credit line of about $2.1 million (S)
Date: 16 May 2003
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Medi-Hut, maker of medical supplies whose headquarters were raided by federal agents in November, hires Eisner LLP as its auditor to review past financial reports; Eisner will audit Medi-Hut's full-year reports for 2001 and 2002, first- and second-quarter filings for last three years, and third-quarter results for 2002 and 2001; company was delisted from Nasdaq in March (S)