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- Extreme weather: Dozens are killed by floods caused by torrential rains in Europe, including the Malše and Blanice rivers of the Czech Republic, the Black Sea resort village of Shirokaya Balka near Novorossiisk in Russia, and Romania. The downpours have also caused extensive damage in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, and Spain.
- A massive explosion in Jalalabad at the maintenance facility of the Afghan Construction and Logistics Unit, a private construction company, kills at least 10 and injures 25, damaging 50 homes and a hydroelectric dam.
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- Recent celebrity deaths: Enos Slaughter, Baseball Hall of Famer, dies at 86 from the disease non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
- Extreme weather: The death toll in Europe caused by flooding has risen to at least 74, with 58 deaths in Russia, 3 in Germany, 3 in Austria, and one in the Czech Republic. Prime Minister Vladimír Špidla declared a state of emergency in Prague, Bohemia, Plzeň and Karlovy Vary. All shipping on the Danube has been halted. Premier Silvio Berlusconi approved $50 million in emergency aid in response to the $300 million in damage of northern Italy's crops.
- US Airways declares bankruptcy, caused by the air travel slowdown following the September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attack.
- Colombian president Álvaro Uribe declares state of emergency.
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- Extreme weather: On the seventh day of heavy rains, the peak of 100-year flood of the Vltava River reaches Prague, and the Kampa district is submerged under several yards of water, as well as the Prague Zoo, killing an elephant, five rhinoceros, a lion, a gorilla and 80 birds, and allowing five seals to escape. The Kampa Museum is flooded. 15,000 people were evacuated from Mělník, and 1,600 people were evacuated from Děčín. The death toll in Europe is at 88, 9 in the Czech Republic.
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- Vladimir Putin announces that Belarus will be fully integrated into Russia, with each of Belarus's six provinces to become a separate republic within the Russian Federation.
- Recent celebrity deaths: Larry Rivers, American painter, dies at 78.
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Marwan Barghouti, captured April 15, is indicted in a civilian Israeli court.
- The United States Food and Drug Administration orders a recall of all soft tissues processed since October 3 by CryoLife, the largest supplier of implant tissue in the United States, after 27 cases of serious infection, including one death in November.
- Extreme weather: The peak of a 100-year flood of the Vltava River surges through the Czech Republic into the Elbe in Germany. In Plzeň the city center is flooded, and breweries shut down. In České Budějovice, most of the old town is under more than a foot of water, and the Czech Budweiser breweries are shut down. More than 200,000 Czechs are forced to leave their homes. Damages are estimated at over $600 million. In Dresden, the Zwinger Palace courtyard and basement are flooded, damaging paintings. The Semper Opera basement is flooded, closing it for weeks. More than 3,000 hospital patients are evacuated. Europe-wide death toll is now 99.
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- Extreme weather: The Elbe crests at Dresden at the record height of 30.84 feet (9.40 m). 30,000 Germans are evacuated along the river's path.
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- Extreme weather: In India, a 125-year-old dam bursts under torrential rains, killing 10.
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