August 24, 2004 (Tuesday)
- The Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES) announces its first discovery of an extrasolar planet using an array of small amateur-astronomy-sized telescopes. (ArXiv paper) (Press release)
- Two Russian jets, Volga-AviaExpress Flight 1303 and Siberia Airlines Flight 1047, crash south of Moscow within minutes of each other. Eyewitnesses report the flight 1303 exploded in mid-air. Both airliners took off from Domodedovo International Airport. The planes were carrying 78 passengers and 16 crew in total. (CNN) (Reuters) Archived 2005-04-18 at the Wayback Machine (AOL NEWS)
- Japan issues a deportation order against former world chess champion Bobby Fischer. (Reuters)
- Iran has reiterated that it will retaliate if Israel carries out a preemptive strike against its nuclear program. (Radio Free Europe)
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issues a warning to physicians regarding dangerous adverse reactions to the drug Remicade, which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's Disease. Doctors are warned to screen patients for blood irregularities and to closely monitor blood cell counts. (The Guardian)
- High-level American military leaders are said to be at least partly responsible for abuses of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in a report written by an investigative panel headed by James Schlesinger. (Toronto Star)
- French police launch a manhunt as Cesare Battisti, a wanted left-wing extremist who was facing extradition from France to Italy, goes missing. (BBC)
- Two Iraqi interim government ministers escape suicide attacks in Baghdad. At least four bodyguards are killed. (BBC)
- Two new justices of the Supreme Court of Canada are named by Justice Minister Irwin Cotler: Louise Charron and Rosalie Abella. They will undergo a new parliamentary screening process, though their appointment cannot be blocked. (CBC)