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Events
- Pope John Paul II is taken to a hospital suffering from a serious case of influenza.
- The Palestinian Authority arrests a Palestinian man who had been shooting in the air, on suspicion that he had killed a Palestinian girl the day before. The original shooting sparked Palestinian accusations that the girl had been shot by Israeli soldiers, and Hamas fired mortars at Israeli settlements in response. (Jerusalem Post) (Reuters)
- The Attorney General of Israel, Meni Mazuz, tells the government to call an immediate halt to confiscating Palestinian property in East Jerusalem under a 1950 land law. The legislation entitles Israel to take Arab-owned land, and Mr Mazuz described it as illegal. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
- Five people are suspected to have died following clashes between Egyptian security forces and Bedouins suspected of being involved in last years bombings in Taba, which was aimed at Israeli holiday makers. (BBC)
- Israel announces that it intends to bring the last 20,000 Falash Mura, Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity in the 19th and 20th centuries, to Israel by 2007. (Reuters) (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs) (Jerusalem Post) (Haaretz)
- Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir denies any involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings and the Marriott Hotel attack, saying that the bombings were wrong. He also denies being a member of Jemaah Islamiah. (BBC)
- A man who had been detained since December 2001 in the UK without a trial, or a charge, on suspicion of being involved in terrorism has been released without conditions, his lawyer states. (BBC)
- A United Nations report makes accusations of killings, torture and rape of civilians in Sudan's Darfur area, and calls for those accused of carrying out war crimes to be put on trial. The report stops short of calling the events a genocide. (BBC)
- At least three people are known to have died following a bomb blast in Gori, northern Georgia. (BBC)
- King Gyanendra of Nepal sacks the government of Sher Bahadur Deuba and takes direct power for himself. (Reuters) (Rediff)
- The government of the People's Republic of China issues emergency orders to stop a meningitis outbreak that has killed 16 people. (Xinhua) (ChinaDaily) (BBC) (Reuters AlertNet)
- Ex-president of Kenya and chairman of KANU party, Daniel Arap Moi, is due to step down. His successor will be Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Jomo Kenyatta. (Standard, Kenya) (Reuters SA) (BBC)
- South Korea's foreign minister believes that North Korea will re-enter talks about its nuclear proliferation. (Reuters)
- A consortium of micro-lenders supported by U.S. investors announces plans to "play a big role in rebuilding the jobs and small businesses of Asia" in the areas devastated by the recent tsunami and earthquake.
- Eleven people die in a Baghdad bombing, according to the Al-Zaman newspaper. Of these, eight are policemen or soldiers. (Informed Comment)
- The IRA withdraws its weapons decommissioning offer because of claims that the organisation is connected to a Belfast bank raid last December in which £26.5m was stolen. (Ireland Online) (Reuters) (Bloomberg) (BBC) (BBC)
- President of the United States George W. Bush delivers his 2005 State of the Union address. The section on Social Security reform is booed by some members of Congress, a very rare show of open disdain for the President during such a speech. Transcript (WP)
- A former secret U.S. military investigative report on Guantanamo Bay is revealed to conclude there is no evidence of systemic detainee abuse but cited several cases of questionable physical force documented on videotape. Prisoners released have stated abuse is commonplace, and one former U.S. National Guardsman received brain damage after being beaten while posing undercover as a rowdy detainee. All Freedom of Information Act requests by the ACLU for video and photographs depicting detainee treatment have been denied. (Newsday AP)
- The German Federal Labour Agency reports that the German unemployment rate hit 12.1% in January. More than 5 million people are unemployed today in Germany. Ignoring the margin of error inherent in the usage of different statistical methods over different areas, this rate is the highest since the Great Depression and the Weimar Republic. (BBC World).
- The cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise is announced, marking the end of 18 consecutive years of Star Trek on television. (BBC)
- Jerusalem/Israel: Horst Köhler, President of Germany, has a special audience in the Knesset, the highest chamber of Israel. Speaking in German, he says that Germany has to fight more aggressively against anti-semitism and far-right parties. (BBC World).
- Arab-Israeli Conflict:
- King Gyanendra of Nepal forms a new cabinet and names himself as its head. His decision to dismiss his former cabinet has been widely condemned. (Reuters) (BBC)
- Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe, announces that a general election will be held March 31. The country's main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change, has not yet decided whether to participate. (IAfrica) (Reuters)
- The Spanish parliament rejects an appeal from the Basque regional government for more autonomy and a referendum for eventual independence. (Bloomberg) (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)
- The parliament of Slovenia ratifies the European Union Constitution. (EUobserver) (EurActiv) (BBC)
- In Japan, the first of the former residents of the island of Miyakejima return to the homes they left after a volcanic eruption in 2000. (Reuters AlertNet) (Mainichi Daily News)
- Conflict in Iraq: At least 29 people, including 3 US Marines, are killed by opponents to the interim government and the occupying forces. In one operation, 50 policemen are ambushed in Baghdad, leaving at least 2 dead, 14 wounded and 16 missing. (The Scotsman)
- Pope John Paul II's medical condition is "evolving positively", but the Vatican says the 84-year-old pontiff will remain in hospital for another week. However, there is still concern over the pontiff's continuing fever, which some medical experts fear could be a sign of pneumonia. (CBC)
- Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania of Georgia dies of gas poisoning. Zhvania was found dead by security guards, an apparent victim of carbon monoxide exposure. (Civil Georgia) (Reuters) (Interfax) (BBC)
- Greece hands over Dejan Milenković, main suspect of the murder of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić, to Serbian authorities. (Athens News Agency) (BBC)
- King Gyanendra of Nepal includes media censorship as part of the emergency measures he has declared. (BBC)
- A cargo plane crashes near Khartoum, Sudan, killing seven people. (Reuters) (IOL) (BBC)
- In Cambodia, opposition leader Sam Rainsy is stripped of his parliamentary immunity. He may face libel charges, and has fled the nation. (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)
- New observations from the Arecibo radio telescope confirm that asteroid 2004 MN4 (later named 99942 Apophis in July 2005), once briefly considered an impact risk, will pass Earth on April 13, 2029 at a distance of 36,350 km (22,600 mi) and will reach magnitude 3.3, easily visible to the naked eye from Europe, Africa and western Asia. (Space.com)
- United States: Alberto Gonzales becomes the first Hispanic U.S. Attorney General, confirmed by a 60-36 Senate vote split across party lines. (Washington Times)
- In Congo (Kinshasa), the equestrian statue of King Léopold of the Belgians, who founded the Congo Free State in 1885, is briefly re-erected in Kinshasa before it is again removed. (News24) (BBC)
- The government of Uganda announces a new ceasefire of 18 days with the Lord's Resistance Army. (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)
- In Mauritania, four army officers who plotted coups against President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya each receive a life sentence instead of the expected death penalty after a four-month trial. The sentenced include former army major Saleh Ould Hanenna. (Reuters AlertNet) (Middle East Online)
- Watergate papers of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are announced to go on public display. The reporters still do not intend to reveal the identity of Deep Throat. (Reuters) (Washington Post)
- Same-sex marriage in the United States: The New York State Supreme Court rules that the state's ban on same-sex marriage violates the state constitution. The decision is stayed for 30 days. (CBC) (CNN)
- Englishwoman Ellen MacArthur sets a record for the quickest round-the-world solo sail. She completed the 27,354 mile journey in 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds, breaking the old record of 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds, set by Francis Joyon in 2004, which itself took 20 days off the previous record. (Associated Press) (Sky News)
- A number of people are taken hostage in the Spanish consulate in Bern, Switzerland. (SwissInfo) (BBC)
- Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo asks other African states not to recognize the transfer of power in Togo to Faure Gnassingbé. The African Union has also condemned the move. (IAfrica)
- Spanish police in the Canary Islands find a drifting boat containing 227 African migrants. (BBC)
- In Guatemala, the constitutional court stops a trial of 16 military officers accused of war crimes and killing hundreds of civilians. (Reuters) (BBC)
- In Nepal, the state media reports that the new government of King Gyanendra of Nepal offers talks to Maoist rebels. At the same time, Nepalese government forces begin a new offensive against the rebels.[[]]===February 8, 2005===
- Conflict in Iraq: Guerrillas in Baquba detonate a car bomb outside an Iraqi police headquarters, killing 15 and wounding 17. A suicide bomber in Mosul kills 12 policemen and injures 4 others. In another area of the city, guerrillas fire a dozen mortar rounds at a police station, killing 3 civilians. (Scotsman/AP)
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A truce is declared between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, and Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel, shook hands at a four-way summit at Sharm el-Sheikh that was also attended by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah. Palestinian organization Hamas says it is not bound by the ceasefire. (BBC)
- In Denmark, parliamentary elections result in a continuation of the center-right coalition of Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. (BBC)
- In Nepal, phone lines and internet connections are restored. (BBC) (Sify) At the same time, the army begins air strikes against Maoist troops. (Reuters)
- Swiss police are searching for three apparent burglars who yesterday briefly held hostages in the Spanish embassy in Bern. When the police stormed the building, they discovered that the criminals had already left the scene. An embassy security guard is in the hospital. (SwissInfo) (Reuters)
- The President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, increases his personal security after an advisor reportedly leaked his itinerary to a Mexican drug cartel. (Reuters) (Bloomberg) (BBC)
- A ban on tobacco smoking in public places begins in Cuba. (Reuters) (BBC)
- In China, the Ministry of Agriculture announces that it has developed a vaccine against bird flu spreading to humans (New Ratings) (BBC)
- The parliament in Greece elects Karolos Papoulias as their new president for the next five-year term. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) (Washington Post)
- In response to the floods in Guyana, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launches a Flash Appeal to cover both immediate and transitional needs of the affected people. The floods, a result of the torrential rains that occurred during the middle of January, continue to affect over 290,000 people, or roughly 39% of the population. The torrential rains were the worst for the region in roughly a century. (Jouvay) (Guyana Outpost)
- The Academy Is... releases their album Almost Here.
- War on Terror: Democrat Jane Harman, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, announces she is planning to introduce a bill to ban torture by U.S. interrogators and bar transfers of detainees to countries that engage in torture. (LA Times)
- Conflict in Iraq: A suicide bomber kills at least 21 people outside a police recruiting center in Baghdad. In a separate incident also in Baghdad, three policemen die from a firefight in the notoriously dangerous neighborhood of Ghazaliyah. (Newsday/AP)
- Carly Fiorina, widely considered one of the most powerful women in American business, resigns her post as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, having being asked to do so by the company's board of directors after she failed to cut costs and increase revenue as quickly as the board had hoped. She had served as CEO of the company since 1999 and Chairman of the Board since 2000. (ABC News)
- British survey ship HMS Scott produces the first sonar survey of the seabed site of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Some images appear to show a landslide 100 metres high and 2 kilometres long. (BBC).
- Switzerland's Federal Court rules that the money that former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha took from Nigeria may be returned to the country. Abacha took hundreds of millions of dollars from Nigeria during his rule as dictator. (Swissinfo)
- The Economic Community of West African States intends to hold an emergency summit in Niger to discuss the political developments about the appointment of Faure Gnassingbé as the president of Togo. (GhanaWeb) (AllAfrica) (BBC)
- A car bomb, apparently set up by Basque paramilitary group ETA, explodes in Madrid, injuring 31 people outside a conference center where the King and Queen of Spain and President of Mexico were to open an exhibition later today. (Reuters) (BBC).
- In Canada, former prime minister Jean Chrétien defends his government's actions in an inquiry into the misuse of government advertising and sponsorship funds. (Winnipeg Sun) (Canada.Com)
- The French parliament votes in favor of relaxing the 35-hour work week rules. (BBC)
- Balance of trade: The U.S. Department of Commerce states imports exceeded exports by $670 billion for 2004, beating the previous record by nearly 25%. (BBC)
- September 11, 2001 attacks: A previously unreleased portion of the 9/11 Commission's report details that the Federal Aviation Administration received 52 intelligence reports on potential terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda before September 11, 2001. (BBC) (NY Times)
- Wal-Mart closes a store in Jonquière, Quebec in response to what a company spokesman says are unreasonable demands from union negotiators. The union was close to winning the first ever labor contract from the world's largest retailer. (MLive/AP)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- Iraqi officials announce they must recount around 300 ballot boxes due to various discrepancies, delaying the final results.
- In Salman Pak south of Baghdad, guerrillas attack a police station killing at least eight Iraqi policemen and wounding more than 60.
- Three people are killed when a car bomb is detonated in Baghdad.
- Also in the capital, the bodies of 20 truck drivers are found and guerrillas ambush a convoy of Kurdish party officials, killing one and wounding four.
- In Basra, guerrillas kill an Iraqi journalist working for the U.S.-funded al-Hurra TV station and his 3-year-old son as they leave their home.
- A roadside bomb in Samarra leaves four policemen dead. (BBC) (ABC)
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israel has postponed security talks with Palestinians following a mortar attack by Hamas on the Gush Katif Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. Hamas claim the attack was in retaliation for an attack by Jewish settlers which left one man dead. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas responds by firing the top security commanders in the Gaza Strip. (BBC)
- Clarence House announces that Charles, Prince of Wales is to marry Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony on 8 April. When Charles becomes a king, it is intended that she be styled as a princess consort, rather than a queen consort. (BBC)
- North Korea and weapons of mass destruction: North Korea announces that it has developed nuclear weapons for its self-defense, and suspends participation in multi-nation talks to discuss its arms program. (Reuters)
- Saudi Arabia starts its first nationwide municipal elections. Voting is limited to men in Riyadh and voters elect only half of the municipal councils; the other half is appointed by the monarchy. Other regions are scheduled to hold elections next month. (Reuters) (Arab News) (Khaleej Times) (World Peace Herald)
- In a meeting of the Economic Community of West African States, west African leaders refuse to recognise Faure Gnassingbé as the new president of Togo and threaten to impose sanctions if the country does not begin to plan presidential elections. Gnassingbé has promised elections as soon as possible. (Reuters) (BBC) (Republic of Togo)
- An Indian baby who is believed to be the smallest baby in history to survive complications related to being of a relatively small size during birth, goes home six months after she was born in a hospital in Chicago. She was born weighing 8.6 ounces (244 grams). (Calcutta Telegraph) (Khalsa News) (Reuters)
- In Peru, 5 die and 19 are injured when two gangs clash in the maximum security Lurigancho prison outside Lima. (Bloomberg) (BBC)
- According to Zimbabwean police, female athlete Samukeliso Sithole is actually male. (AllAfrica) (BBC)
- Eason Jordan resigns from his posts at CNN, where he has been both chief news executive and executive vice president. The controversy that led to his resignation began at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last month where, witnesses claim, he said that the U.S. military had targeted and killed journalists. (Miami Herald)
- At least eight people are killed during a jail riot in Córdoba, Argentina. All hostages taken by the prisoners were later freed by police.
- Conflict in Iraq: At least 20 people are killed in Baghdad as United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld tours the country for a day. (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas travels to the Gaza Strip to persuade militant groups to join the ceasefire announced with Israel three days ago. (BBC)
- An estimated two million Iranians demonstrate against a possible U.S. pre-emptive strike aimed at preventing Iran from deploying nuclear weapons - a strike which top US military leaders deny considering. (Jakarta Post)
- The 485-foot-long Shakidor Dam in Baluchistan, southwest Pakistan, bursts under the pressure of a weeks' worth of rain, sending the Pakistani military into emergency search and rescue operations. Some 400 to 500 people are still unaccounted for. (CBC)
- Japan pledges over $21M in support of a United Nations-backed independent tribunal of Khmer Rouge leaders in Cambodia. The proposed tribunal is for crimes against humanity. (ChannelNews Asia) (BBC)
- The Supreme Court of India agrees to examine the legality of the sensitive issue raised in a petition demanding reservation for Dalits even after conversion to Christianity. (Indian Express)
- In Karnataka, India, armed Naxalites gun down six State Reserve Police personnel and a civilian and injure five others at Venkammanahali in the Tumkur district bordering Andhra Pradesh. (Times of India) (Indian Express)
- The Supreme Court of India issues notices to all state governments of India on a public interest petition seeking a ban on mixing whitening chemical agents like magnesium carbonate in gutkas. (NDTV) (Times of India) (Rediff)
- Ministers of the Commonwealth criticize Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf for not stepping down as army chief as he had promised. The State Department of the United States also asks him to end his dual role. (Daily Times, Pakistan) (Sify) (NDTV) (BBC)
- A shooting incident occurs at Hudson Valley Mall in upstate New York, north of New York City. Two people are injured. Local police believe that this is the work of a lone gunman and have a suspect in custody. (Reuters)
- Results from the Iraqi election show that a Shi'a group approved by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has won by a landslide with 48% of all votes cast. The nearest rival party, a Kurdish alliance of two parties, won 26% of the vote. The results will stand if not challenged within three days. (BBC)
- An early morning explosion extensively damages a Paris theater, and slightly injures seven people. (AP via CNN)
- In Moscow, Russia, thousands protest against the new benefits plan, which replaces such benefits as free transportation and subsidized drugs with small cash payments. (The Washington Post)
- Two strong aftershocks strike tsunami-devastated Aceh, Indonesia, leading to some panic. (ABC News Online Australia)
- Windsor Tower in central Madrid, Spain, one of the most prominent buildings in the city, is destroyed in a dramatic fire starting around 23:30 of February 12, Madrid time. Part of the building has been empty for renovations since 2003, but it still held offices for Deloitte & Touche. The Mayor of Madrid says that it is a critical situation and the building may collapse. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but a short-circuit on the 21st floor is suspected. (El Mundo) (BBC)
- Sister Lucia de Jesus Santos dies. She was the last survivor of three children to whom the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared at Fatima in central Portugal in 1917. (Scotsman) (Daily Telegraph) (CNN)
- Germans mark the 60th anniversary of the Dresden fire bombing. (AFP-Yahoo!) (CBC)
- A fire in a mosque in the Iranian capital of Tehran leaves 59 people dead. The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but it is believed that a kerosene heater was left near a thick flammable curtain. (IranMania) (BBC)
- Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles create a modified form of HIV which targets P-glycoproteins on cancer cells. (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- A car bomb explodes in central Beirut, Lebanon killing former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and at least 9 others. Approximately 100 further people are injured in the attack. A little known group calling itself "Victory and Jihad in Greater Syria" claim responsibility. (CNN) (Reuters) (BBC)
- In the Democratic Republic of Congo, six Moroccan UN peacekeepers are arrested for alleged sexual abuse of young girls. (Reuters SA) (News24) (BBC)
- The African Union (AU) sends a team to Somalia to assess the security situation in the capital, Mogadishu. President of the exiled Somalian government, Abdullahi Yusuf, has requested an AU peacekeeping force to allow his cabinet to move back. The trip was delayed on Friday. There is some opposition to deployment of AU peacekeepers and thousands of Somalis have demonstrated in the capital, Mogadishu, against the plans. (BBC) (ReliefWeb) (East African Standard) (Reuters SA) (BBC)
- In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva meets Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez in Caracas. They open talks about an alliance, joint energy projects and the sale of Brazilian fighter aircraft. (Bloomberg) (Forbes) (BBC)
- In French Polynesia, people vote for a new local assembly for the two main islands. The poll is contested between the pro-independence party of Oscar Temaru and the party of pro-Paris conservative leader Gaston Flosse. The results of the last year's general election were cancelled and a new poll ordered to settle the dispute. (ABC) (BBC)
- Floods and mudslides claim at least 64 lives in Colombia and Venezuela. (Reuters) (CNN)
- South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-moon states his country's desire to intensify diplomatic efforts with North Korea. (Bloomberg) (BBC)
- General Bob Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders stun the #2-ranked Kansas Jayhawks, 80-79, when power forward Darryl Dora hits an improbable three-pointer with four seconds left in the second overtime.
- A state of emergency is announced in Samoa and American Samoa as South Pacific cyclones Olaf and Nancy make landfall on Savai'i. (CNN)
- The Nigerian government will not rule out military actions against the coup regime in Togo if it does not comply with demands from West African leaders to step down. (AFROL)
- Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, receives substantial damages from two British newspapers, The Sun and The Sunday Times, which alleged that the United States was correct to ban him from the country. The Sun has published, and The Sunday Times will publish, acknowledgments that he is not, and never has been, involved in or supported terrorism, and that he abhors all such activities. They also highlight that Islam was recently presented with the Man for Peace award by a group of Nobel Peace Prize laureates. (BBC)
- The United States recalls its ambassador to Syria, Margaret Scobey, in protest of alleged Syrian involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. (Houston Chronicle) (AP)
- At least 209 people die in a mining disaster in Fuxin City, in China's north-eastern Liaoning province. During the first nine months of 2004, an average of 15 people died every day in China's mines. (BBC)
- The European Court of Human Rights, deciding about the so-called McLibel case, rules in favour of environmental campaigners Helen Steel and David Morris and their claim that their trial was unfair. The pair said their human rights were violated when their criticism of McDonald's was ruled libel. The case has taken 15 years. (BBC) (Scotsman)(CNN)
- In South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki announces that the country's elite crime-fighting unit Scorpions will be investigated. There have been claims of political vendettas and mismanagement of funds. (AllAfrica) (IOL,SA) (BBC)
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