over the Black Sea en route from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Novosibirsk, Russia; all 78 people on board are killed. 2001 Kodori crisis: Fighting escalates between Georgia and the breakaway state Abkhazia. October 7 – United States invasion of Afghanistan: In response to the September 11 attacks, Afghanistan is invaded by a US-led coalition, beginning the War in Afghanistan. October 8 Linate Airport disaster: A twin-engine Cessna and Scandinavian Airlines jetliner collide in heavy fog during takeoff from Milan, Italy, killing 118 people. Hurricane Iris hits Belize, causing $250 million (2001 USD) in damage. October 13 – American scientists create the first successful clone of a human embryo. October 15 – NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within of Jupiter's moon Io. October 16 – American planes misidentify and bomb a Red Cross facility in Afghanistan. A similar error occurs again on October 27. October 17 – Assassination of Rehavam Ze'evi: Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi is assassinated by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. October 19 – An Indonesian fishing boat, the SIEV X, sinks on route to Christmas Island. 353 people are killed, most of whom are asylum seekers. October 23 Apple Inc. introduces the iPod, a portable media player and multi-purpose mobile device. The company will sell an estimated 450 million iPod products by May 2022. The Provisional Irish Republican Army begins disarmament, ending a decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland. October 24 – The 2001 Mars Odyssey arrives at Mars. October 25 Citing connotations with the Rwandan genocide, the government of Rwanda adopts a new national flag for the country. Microsoft releases the Windows XP operating system to retail. October 30 – The Aarhus Convention takes effect, establishing the right to environmental information and environmental justice for European and Central Asian countries. November November – The World Trade Organization begins the Doha Development Round to negotiate lower trade barriers between countries and integrate developing nations into the global economy. November 4 – Hurricane Michelle hits Cuba, where the storm is the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall on the island in more than 49 years. It is the costliest hurricane in Cuban history to this point with an estimated $2 billion in damage. November 7 – Sabena, the national airline of Belgium, goes bankrupt. November 10 2001 Australian federal election: The Coalition government, led by John Howard, is re-elected with a slightly increased majority, defeating the Labor