Portal:Current events/February 2005

October 23, 2024 (2024-10-23) (Wednesday)

February 17 2005

• Irish police arrest four people in Cork and three in Dublin in raids concentrating on the financing of the Provisional IRA. Over 2.3 million pounds sterling were seized in Cork, and £60,000 in Northern Bank notes believed to be from the £26.5 million robbery in Belfast just before Christmas. Among the people arrested are reported to be a Sinn Fein councillor and someone working in the banking industry. (RTE) (BBC).
• Cyclone Olaf passes Samoa and American Samoa largely without incident. No deaths or injuries are reported, but twelve fishermen remain unaccounted for. (USA Today)
• Japan's Chubu International Airport opens on Ise Bay, south of Nagoya. Built on an artificial island, the airport is Japan's third largest international passenger airport, and is intended to replace nearby Nagoya Airport. (Daily Yomiuri) (Kyodo News)
• Iran and Syria announce the formation of an alliance "to face challenges and threats." (Pakistan Daily Times)
• Iranian officials announce that the recent explosion was caused by construction work on a dam. (VOA News)
• The European Union introduces new laws that increase the rights of air passengers so that they receive higher compensation for overbooking, delays and cancellation of flights (BBC) (Forbes) (Bloomberg)
• The BNFL nuclear plant at Sellafield, in the United Kingdom, reports that 30 kg (66 lb) of plutonium are "unaccounted for," sufficient material to make 7 atomic bombs. (ITV) (BBC) The Times
• Government of Burma/Myanmar reopen constitutional talks but there is widespread criticism that the 1,000 delegates are unrepresentative. They do not include main opposition group National League for Democracy and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi (Bloomberg) (DVB) (Reuters) (BBC) 05-16.htm (Mizzima News)
• In Ecuador, there are mass rallies for and against the government of Lucio Gutierrez. His opponents accuse him of heavy handed tactics of removing his political opponents (Reuters) (BBC)
• Paraguayan officials announce that they may have found a body of Cecilia Cubas, kidnapped daughter of ex-president Raúl Cubas Grau. She was captured September 21 2004 (MercoPress, Paraguay (ABC) (BBC)
• Six Rwandans file a lawsuit in France that accuses French soldiers of complicity in the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 (Reuters) (BBC)
• President George W. Bush names John Negroponte as his nominee to be the first United States Director of National Intelligence. (Reuters)

February 16 2005

• Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), states there is no evidence to suggest Iran is developing nuclear weapons. (Washington Post)
• National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman announces the cancellation of the 2004-05 season because of the ongoing lockout. It is the first time a North American professional sports league has cancelled an entire season due to a labor dispute. (TSN)
• A large unexplained explosion has been reported in southern Iran, in the province of Bushehr, close to the site of a newly built nuclear power plant. (BBC) (Reuters)
• The Kyoto Protocol comes into effect. (BBC) (Reuters)
• North Korea celebrates the 63rd birthday of its "Dear Leader", Kim Jong-il. (SCN AP)
• In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will create a board for advisement regarding drug complications and the ongoing study of the safety of already approved drugs. (NY Times) (LA Times)
• According to African envoys negotiating with the new government of Togo, the negotiations have made progress and the country agrees to organize new elections within 60 days. A media crackdown in the country continues. (Reuters SA) (Reuters SA) (BBC)
• In Uganda, some of the child soldiers that had escaped Lord's Resistance Army have been recruited into the national army. (World Peace Herald) (BBC)
• In Cambodia, former Khmer Rouge commander Chhouk Rin loses his final appeal against a murder conviction. In 1994 he ordered his soldiers to attack a train and three western tourists were killed. (Reuters) (BBC)
• In the United Kingdom, the pro-fox hunting lobby Countryside Alliance loses an appeal. The Court of Appeals does not accept their claim that the 1949 Parliament Act used to introduce the Hunting Act 2004 is invalid. (BBC) (Scotsman)
• In Sri Lanka, Baby 81 is reunited with his confirmed parents. (Reuters) (Channel News Asia)
• In Nigeria, an Islamic (Sharia) court sentences cross-dressing Abubakar Hamza to six months in prison and a fine equivalent to $38 for "immoral behavior". He had lived for seven years as a woman to sell aphrodisiacs. (BBC)

February 15 2005

• 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 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 have died 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)
• South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-moon wants to intensify diplomacy with North Korea. (Bloomberg) (BBC)
• 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)
• United States, India and European Union countries recall their ambassadors from Nepal in protest of the takeover by king Gyanendra. (Bloomberg) (World Peace Herald)(BBC) (Reuters)
• In Germany, foreign minister Joschka Fischer accepts political responsibility for immigration policies that allowed criminals to enter the European Union. (Deutsche Welle) (Reuters) (BBC) (Expatica)
• Microsoft announces its intentions to release an Internet Explorer version 7.0. This is seen by some as a response to the growing popularity of the Firefox browser. (Cnet news) (Reuters UK)

February 14 2005

• A fire in a Mosque in the Iranian capital of Tehran has left 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. (Iran news) (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:
  • In the midst of a bilateral ceasefire, Palestinians open fire on IDF soldiers attempting to examine a suspicious package. Palestinians fire a mortar shell at Neve Dekalim, though there were no casualties or damage. In Hebron, IDF soldiers shoot dead a Palestinian who tried to stab one of them. (Haaretz) (Al Jazeera)
  • Israel returns the remains of 15 Palestinian militants to the Palestinian Authority for burial in Gaza as a goodwill gesture. (BBC)
  • Israel is considering new security measures which could see right-wing Israeli opposed to the planned pullout from the Gaza Strip being detained. (BBC)
• A car bomb explodes in central Beirut, Lebanon killing former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and at least 9 others. 100 further people were injured in the attack. A little known group calling itself "Victory and Jihad in Greater Syria" has claimed responsibility. (CNN) (Reuters)(BBC)
• In Sri Lanka, DNA tests identify "Baby 81" as a son of Murugupillai and Jenita Jeyarajah, one of the nine couples that tried to claim him. They have to wait for two more days for legal formalities. (Reuters) (Channel News Asia) (BBC)
• In Democratic Republic of Congo, six Moroccan UN peacekeepers have been arrested for alleged sexual abuse. (Reuters SA) (News24) (BBC)
• The African Union sends a team to Somalia to assess the security situation in the capital Mogadishu. President of the exile 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 pro-independence party of Oscar Temaru and pro-Paris conservative leader Gaston Flosse. The results of the last year's general election were cancelled and new poll ordered to settle the dispute. (ABC) (BBC)
• Ministers of the Commonwealth have criticised Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf for not stepping down as an army chief as he had promised. United States State Department has also asked him to end his dual role. (Daily Times, Pakistan) (Sify) (NDTV) (BBC)
• Floods and mudslides have claimed at least 64 lives in Colombia and Venezuela. (Reuters) (CNN)

February 13, 2005

• Local and federal investigators in the United States continue to search for suspects in the Hudson Valley Mall shooting incident. (Reuters)
• Results from the Iraqi election show a Shia group approved by Ayatollah Ali 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 overnight 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, leading to some panic. (The Jakarta Post)
• 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 in floor 21 is suspected. (El Mundo) (BBC)
• Sister Lucia de Jesus dos 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. [1] [2]CNN
• Germans mark 60th anniversary of Dresden fire bombing. (AFP-Yahoo!), (CBC)

February 12, 2005

• In Lome, Togo, thousands protesting the army-installed President Faure Gnassingbé. Clash with soldiers and police forces caused three deaths. (Guardian) (Yahoo France - AP)
• A drug resistant and quickly progressing strain of HIV is discovered in a New York City individual. The patient is known to have frequently taken methamphetamine, a mutagen. (CNN)
• Howard Dean, a former governor of Vermont and 2004 presidential candidate, is elected chairman of the United States Democratic Party National Committee. (CNN)

February 11, 2005

• 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. (Yahoo! News)
• 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 US 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)

February 10, 2005

• 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)
• Rumaisa Rahman, 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)

February 9 2005

• 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)
• In Sri Lanka, "Baby 81", a baby boy who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake, is submitted to a DNA test to determine who his parents are. Nine couples have claimed him as their own and one couple apparently tried to kidnap him from a hospital. (Times of India) (BBC) (BBC)
• 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)

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)

February 7 2005

• 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. (Reuters AlertNet) (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. (Reuters AlertNet) (IAfrica)
• Spanish police in the Canary Islands find a drifting boat containing 227 African migrants. (Reuters) (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 Malawi, President Bingu wa Mutharika quits the governing party, the United Democratic Front, stating he is fed up of criticism of his anti-corruption campaign. The party had debated whether to expel him for alleged misconduct. (IOL, SA) (SABC) (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. (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)

February 6 2005

• The New England Patriots win the Super Bowl, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21. (Wash. Times)
• U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in Israel to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. (CNN)
• Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra wins an unprecedented second term as prime minister, in the greatest electoral sweep in the nation's history. (CNN)
• Togo succession:
  • The Togolese parliament tries to legalize the accession to power of Faure Gnassingbé, son of Gnassingbé Eyadéma, by voting to change a constitutional amendment. (Yahoo France - AFP) (CBC)
  • The military of Togo is criticized by global leaders for suspending the constitution after the death of president Gnassingbé Eyadéma and naming his son successor. (BBC)
• Conflict in Iraq: Guerilla fighting leaves 22 dead, including two US troops. (Daily Times)
• The tobacco industry hails a US court of appeals ruling which rejected the government's $280bn claim for alleged deceit about the dangers of smoking. (BBC)
• A gas leak in a hostel in Todolella, Spain kills 18 people. (BBC)

February 5 2005

• NATO helicopters find the wreckage of a Kam Air Boeing 737, an Afghan passenger jet, in mountains east of Kabul; all 104 people that were on board are presumed dead. (ABC News)
• Bareilly, India: More than 250 grams of weapons-grade uranium are found in possession of two people arrested for drug peddling in India. (Times of India)
• President Gnassingbé Eyadéma of Togo dies of a heart attack at the age of 68 and is succeeded by his son Faure Gnassingbé. (CNN)
• In the People's Republic of China, The Tenth Shaanxi Provincial People's Congress votes in favour of Acting Governor Chen Deming to become the next Governor of Shaanxi. (People's Daily) (ChinaBroadcast)

February 4 2005

• New observations from the Arecibo radio telescope confirm that asteroid 2004 MN₄, 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)

February 3 2005

• 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 Milenkovic, main suspect of the murder of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, 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)

February 2 2005

• 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 Guantánamo 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 Koehler, 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:
  • Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel, and Abu Mazen, the President of the Palestinian National Authority, are invited by Egypt to attend a summit at Sharm el-Sheikh. A Jordanian delegation will also attend. (BBC)
  • Abu Mazen, the President of the Palestinian National Authority, accepts an Iranian invitation to pay an official visit to Tehran. (Reuters)
• 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)

February 1 2005

• Pope John Paul II is taken to a hospital suffering from a serious case of influenza. (CNN)
• Same-sex marriage in Canada: The Liberal government presents Bill C-38, an act to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, to the Canadian House of Commons. (CBC)
• Arab-Israeli Conflict:
  • 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 Bali bombing 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.

Past events by month

see list of months by year for a more complete list.

2005: January
2004: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2003: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2002: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2001: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2000: January February March April May June July August September October November December

Logarithmic timeline of current events - most important events of the last ten years on one page.

News collections and sources

• Wikipedia:News collections and sources.
• Wikipedia:News sources - This has much of the same material organised in a hierarchical manner to help encourage NPOV in our news reporting.