July 7, 2004 (Wednesday)
- Kenneth Lay, the former Chairman of Enron, is indicted by a grand jury in Houston, Texas. Enron filed for bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, after investigators discovered that it had hidden more than $1 billion in debt and inflated profits. (CNN) (BBC) (Democracy Now!)
- The archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, U.S., files for bankruptcy, claiming payouts for Roman Catholic sex abuse cases have exhausted all of its funds. (The Guardian)
- Japan tells the United Nations it should get a permanent seat on the Security Council because of its participation in the multinational force in Iraq. (VOA) (JapanToday)
- At a meeting with 20 pro-democracy lawmakers, Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa says he is powerless to ask Beijing to reconsider its decision to deny universal suffrage to Hong Kong's people. (VOA) (Radio Australia)