A planned meeting between
Israeli prime minister
Ariel Sharon and
Palestinian prime minister
Mahmoud Abbas is cancelled by Abbas. He accuses Israel of not doing enough in a US-backed
road map for peace. Israel had said that 540
Palestinian prisoners would be freed but only released 342 names in a prisoner list. Israel accuses the Palestinians of not curbing terrorist attacks on Israel.
A further twist to the British
David Kelly scandal occurs, as
Tony Blair's official spokesman, Tom Kelly, apologizes to David Kelly's family for having compared the late and still un-buried Dr. Kelly to a "
Walter Mitty" character in a "private" conversation with a journalist.[4][5]
The Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of the
Anglican Communion, approves its first openly
gaybishop as the final vote was cast to confirm
Gene Robinson as the
Diocese of
New Hampshire. Robinson was cleared of allegations of misconduct before the vote. The action incites protests, a declaration of a "pastoral emergency", and calls for intervention by the Anglican Communion chief bishops.[6][7][8]