February 2005

February 2005: ← – January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December – →

February 1 2005

• 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.

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 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:
  • 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 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 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)

February 4 2005

• 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)

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)
• 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)

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: Guerrilla fighting leaves 22 dead, including two US troops. (Daily Times)
• The tobacco industry hails a United States 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 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. (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)

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)
• 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 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)
• 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)

Arthur Miller died on this day.

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.
• 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)

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February 12, 2005

• In Lome, Togo, thousands protest the army-installed President Faure Gnassingbé. Clashes with soldiers and police forces caused the deaths of three demonstrators. (Guardian) (Yahoo France - AP)
• A strain of HIV, known to be highly drug resistant, is discovered in a New York City individual. Further alarming health officials is the fact that the onset of AIDS began within a few months of his diagnosis, a process which ordinarily takes over ten years. The patient is known to have frequently taken methamphetamine, a mutagen. (CNN)
• Howard Dean, a former governor of Vermont and a 2004 U.S. presidential candidate, is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee. (CNN)

February 13, 2005

• 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)

February 14 2005

• 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. (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:
  • IDF soldiers shoot dead a Palestinian whom they allege tried to stab one of them. Witnesses deny the 13 year old was armed. (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 might result in 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 22 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 start 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)

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 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)
• 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)
• Germany's 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 Internet Explorer version 7.0. This is seen by some as a response to the growing popularity of the Mozilla Firefox browser. (News.com) (Reuters UK)

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)
• NHL 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 explosion is reported in southwestern Iran, in the province of Bushehr, close to the site of a newly built nuclear power plant. Iranian officials later announce that the explosion was caused by construction work on a dam at Kowsar, near the port city of Deylam. (BBC) (Reuters) (VOA News) (Guardian) (Reuters)
• The Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement addressing global warming, comes into effect. (BBC) (Reuters)
• Thirty five Greenpeace protesters storm the International Petroleum Exchange trading floor to show that in their view the Kyoto Protocol is only a small step towards stopping climate change and big steps are required. (Times)
• North Koreans celebrate the 63rd birthday of their Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il. (SCN AP)
• In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration announces 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 are making progress and the country agrees to organize new elections within 60 days. A crackdown on private media continues in the country. (Reuters SA) (Reuters SA) (BBC)
• In Uganda, some of the child soldiers that had escaped the Lord's Resistance Army are 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 as a result, three backpackers from Australia, Britain, and France 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 Parliament Act 1949, used to introduce the Hunting Act 2004, is invalid. (BBC) (Scotsman)
• In Nigeria, an Islamic court sentences cross-dressing Abubakar Hamza to six months in prison and a fine equivalent to $38 for "immoral behaviour". He had lived for seven years as a woman to sell aphrodisiacs. (BBC)
• Iran and Syria announce the formation of a "united front" in order to face "challenges and threats", resolved after a meeting between Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Naji al-Otari. (Pakistan Daily Times) (San Francisco Chronicle) (BBC) (Tehran Times)
• The body of Cecilia Cubas, daughter of former Paraguayan President Raúl Cubas Grau, is found in an underground chamber at a house near the capital city of Asunción. She was abducted on September 21 2004. (MercoPress) (ABC) (BBC)
• Six Rwandans file a lawsuit in France that accuses French soldiers of complicity in the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. (Reuters) (BBC)
• In Tunisia, authorities continue to clean up an oil spill near the town of Korbous that was caused by a Moroccan container ship running aground late the day before. (Reuters Alertnet) (BBC) (Daily Star)

February 17 2005

• A car bomb explodes in southern Thailand near the Marina Hotel in Sungai Kolok, a popular tourist town close to the Malaysian border. Five people are killed and more than 40 injured. The car bomb is believed to be the first to explode in the Muslim dominated region. (Yahoo!) (Boston Globe) (BBC)
• 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. Reportedly, among the people arrested are former Sinn Féin councillor Tom Hanlon and someone working in the banking industry. (RTE) (BBC) (Scotsman).
• Cyclone Olaf passes Samoa and American Samoa largely without incident. No deaths or injuries on land are reported, but two fishermen are unaccounted for and are feared dead. (USA Today)
• Japan's Chubu Centrair 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)
• 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 is "unaccounted for". This amount of missing plutonium would be sufficient to make seven atomic bombs. The UK Atomic Energy Authority states that the discrepancy in the record keeping is merely an auditing issue, and that there was no "real loss" of plutonium. (ITV) (BBC) (The Times)
• The military regime of Burma reopens constitutional talks but there is widespread criticism that the approximately 1,000 delegates, selected by the military, form an unrepresentative group. They do not include main opposition group National League for Democracy and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (Bloomberg) (DVB) (Reuters) (BBC) (Mizzima News)
• In Ecuador, there are mass rallies for and against the government of Lucio Gutiérrez. His opponents accuse him of using heavy handed tactics to remove his political opponents. (Reuters) (BBC)
• US President George W. Bush names John Negroponte as his nominee to be the first United States Director of National Intelligence. (Reuters)
• Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen, currently living in Sweden, is seeking Indian citizenship. Conservative Muslims of Bangladesh have deemed her works blasphemous and have called for her execution. Nasreen states her wish to live in West Bengal. (BBC) (Hindustan Times)
• The United States House of Representatives passes a Class Action Fairness Act that intends to curb class action suits, moving them from state courts to federal courts. (US Newswire) (USA Today) (Bloomberg)
• The Brazilian government intends to create a protected rainforest region in the aftermath of the murder of US missionary Dorothy Stang. (Reuters) (CNN) (ABC) (BBC)
• The government of Sudan rejects the United Nations' demand that the suspects of war crimes in the violence ridden western Sudanese region of Darfur would be put before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. (AllAfrica) (Reuters Alertnet) (BBC)

February 18 2005

• It is discovered that the tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake uncovered an ancient city near the coastal town of Mahabalipuram in India. (AP via Yahoo!)
• A number of blasts hit Shi'a mosques in Baghdad, Iraq, leaving at least 27 dead and 60 wounded on day before the Shi'a holy festival of Ashura. (BBC News) (CNN)
• An Iraqi rebel group calling itself the Army of Warriors claims responsibility for the kidnapping of two Indonesian journalists. The journalists had been last seen near Ramadi in central Iraq three days ago. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
• Northern Bank robbery investigation:
  • Police in Northern Ireland recover an undisclosed sum of money at a sports and social club in Belfast. It is thought to perhaps be a diversion, but it is being investigated. (Sky News)
  • A top Irish businessman and associate of the Taoiseach, Phil Flynn, steps down from a number of positions pending the outcome of a Garda investigation into Chesterton Finance, of which he is a non-executive director. £2.3 in mixed sterling notes are found at the house of the company's director Ted Cunningham. Phil Flynn steps down as chairman of a government body overseeing decentralisation, as well as a member of the board of Voluntary Health Insurance and as chairman of the Bank of Scotland (Ireland). (Ireland Online) (Guardian)
  • A man was arrested by Gardaí in the town of Passage West in County Cork, Ireland, after he was discovered attempting to burn sterling bank notes. (Ireland Online)
  • Gardaí release two men who were being questioned in Dublin, as well as a Sinn Féin member in Cork. A suspected Real IRA member arrested at Heuston Station is remanded in custody, as are four people arrested in Farran in Cork. (RTÉ)
  • Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams again denies any involvement on the part of his party with money laundering in the country. The Irish Government Minister for Justice Michael McDowell describes the IRA as a colossal crime machine laundering huge sums of money. (RTÉ)
• The UK Food Standards Agency orders the withdrawal of over 350 food products from sale following the discovery that a batch of chilli powder used to produce a batch of Worcestershire sauce subsequently used to produce processed foods was contaminated with the possibly carcinogenic dye Sudan I. The problem was first identified with food products tested in Italy. (BBC) (FSA: List of Withdrawn Products).
• Telephone connections in Nepal are severed again, on Nepal's National Democratic Day. Authorities continue to arrest opposition figures who had planned demonstrations against the new government of King Gyanendra. (Times of India) (Reuters) (Scotsman) (BBC)
• In the United Kingdom, the Hunting Act 2004, the ban on hunting with dogs, comes into force. Its opponents intend to challenge the law and hunt. (Politics.co.uk) (BBC) (Reuters)
• Iraq War: The American Civil Liberties Union releases documents obtained from the United States Army alleging the destruction of photographs documenting the army's abuse of prisoners in Iraq, following the exposure of the Abu Ghraib scandal. (AP).
• Sir Mark Thatcher returns to court in Cape Town, South Africa, to answer charges about his involvement in a coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea. (BBC) (IAfrica)
• The 42nd known Mersenne prime is discovered by Martin Nowak of Germany, a participant of the GIMPS distributed computing project. The prime number is the largest known Mersenne prime at the time of its discovery, and is nearly eight million digits long.

February 19, 2005

• blink-182 officially break up on this date. However, the "indefinite hiatus" was not announced until February 22, 2005.
• 350 inmates escape from a prison in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (CNN)
• A massive demonstration in Rome asks for the release of an Italian journalist abducted in Iraq. (AP via Yahoo!)
• Former US Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton toured parts of Thailand that were ravaged by the Asian Tsunami. [Newslink missing]
• An earthquake, registering 6.9 on the Richter scale, strikes South East Sulawesi, Indonesia at 00:04 UTC. (Reuters)
• Former US President Jimmy Carter is on hand to christen the USS Jimmy Carter, the last of the Seawolf class submarines ordered during the Cold War. The submarine cost 3.2 billion USD. It has a 100-foot (30.5 m) extension for special operations and can reportedly tap undersea cables. (AP via Yahoo!)
• In a 13-hour operation, doctors in Egypt successfully remove the second head of a baby suffering from the rare disease craniopagus parasiticus. This is the second such operation to take place in a year. The previous operation, in the Dominican Republic, was not successful and resulted in death. (Reuters)
• The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, is sending a team of experts to Lebanon to investigate the killing of the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri. (BBC)
• Northern Bank robbery investigation:
  • Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirm that £50,000 in unused Northern Banknotes found at Newforge Country Club, a facility for off-duty and retired police officers, was part of the £26 million stolen in the bank robbery. Police still consider it a diversion. (BBC)
  • Gardaí in Cork receive £175,000 from a local businessman, who said he had been asked to keep it. (Independent)
• The popular Nintendo forum on Zetaboards known as The Nintendo Zone Forums was created by DSFAN121 at 11:21 AM. (TNZ)

February 20 2005

• American author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson is found dead in his Aspen, Colorado home, the result of an apparent suicide. (BBC) (Bloomberg) (CNN)
• The United States and Japan release a joint statement which says that easing tensions in the Taiwan Strait is among their "common strategic objectives". The statement is welcomed by the government of Taiwan, but is condemned by China. (Xinhua) (Reuters) (NY Times)
• U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers resigns over allegations of sexual harassment, while continuing to deny them. (VOA)
• In Europe's first national referendum on the proposed European Constitution, the people of Spain vote to endorse the Treaty by a landslide 76.73% to 17.24%. However, turnout is an extremely low 42.32%, even after both the government and the main opposition party campaigned for a "yes" vote. (BBC) (Reuters) (Bloomberg) (EUobserver) (EurActiv) (BBC)
• Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell directly accuses Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams as well as Martin McGuinness (both elected MPs) and Martin Ferris TD of being on the Provisional IRA Army Council, the first such direct accusation from the Irish Government. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern meanwhile has said he does not know the make-up of the Council. (Ireland Online)(RTÉ)
• According to official results, the opposition Socialist party secures an absolute majority at the Portuguese Parliament election, 2005. (CNN International) (ABC)
• The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus votes in its early general election. The election was called by President Rauf Denktaş after the coalition led by Mehmet Ali Talat finally lost its parliamentary majority. (BBC), (DW)
• USA and EU join the protests against Faure Gnassingbé of Togo. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposes sanctions and suspends Togo's membership in the organization and USA does not accept his rule as legitimate and ends all military assistance (Reuters AlertNet) (News24) (GhanaWeb) (BBC)

February 21 2005

• A landslide in Indonesia kills at least seven people and hundreds are reported missing (Channel News Asia) (BBC)
• Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez says that he suspects that the USA intends to kill him, and that he would stop oil exports to the USA in the event of an assassination attempt. (ABC) (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) (BBC)
• Former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush visit Sri Lanka to see marks of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake (Reuters) (Channel News Asia) (Wired)
• Airport authorities evacuate the Virgin Blue terminal in Melbourne airport in Australia after 45 people become ill. A chemical leak is suspected. (Bloomberg) (ABC) (BBC)
• Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appoints his brother-in-law Assef Shawkat as head of the country's military intelligence service, replacing Hassan Khalil.(Reuters Alertnet) (BBC)
• Curfew is imposed on the Indian city of Lucknow after sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims. 3 people are dead and 20 injured (New Kerala) (Indian Express) (Reuters) (BBC)
• A new avalanche claims at least 42 lives in Kashmir. A previous avalanche was on February 6 (Times of India) (Reuters) (BBC)
• The United Kingdom's Royal Navy announces that it will allow same-sex couples live in family quarters if they are in registered partnership (Scotsman) (BBC)
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
  • Israel releases 500 Palestinian prisoners, as a gesture of goodwill to the Palestinian Authority and to its chairman, Mahmoud Abbas. Israel plans to release another 400 Palestinian prisoners within the next 3 months. (Haaretz)
• Cuban novelist, essayist, translator and critic Guillermo Cabrera Infante dies in London. [Newslink missing]

February 22 2005

• Images relayed by the European space probe, Mars Express, reveal the existence of a sea of ice close to the equator of Mars. The discovery is considered to increase the likelihood of life currently existing on the planet. BBC (Globe and Mail)
• Israel names former Israeli Air Force commander Major General Dan Halutz as the new Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces. He will replace General Moshe Ya'alon at the beginning of July. (Haaretz)
• An earthquake, registering 6.4 on the Richter Scale, strikes the city of Zarand and several villages in Iran at 02:25 UTC, leaving at least 546 dead. (see 2005 Zarand earthquake).(CBC)
• Swiss medical company Novartis buys US company Eon Labs and German Hexal AG, increasing its share in the generic medical drugs market (Business Report) (Independent) (SwissInfo)
• The World Food Program states that it has only 70 000 tons of food left for Eritrea food aid until June. Reason given is the concentration of aid to areas that suffered from 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake (BBC)
• European Union countries renew sanctions against the government of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe (Reuters) (Zim Observer) (BBC)
• In Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo opens a national political conference about constitutional reform (Reuters Alertnet) (AllAfrica) (IRIN) (Nigeria World) (BBC)
• In Togo, the National Assembly reverses constitutional changes that allowed Faure Gnassingbé to become president (Reuters Alertnet) (IOL) (BBC)
• North Korea hints that it may be willing to return to nuclear negotiations under unspecified conditions (Bloomberg) (Chosun Ilbo) (BBC)
• In Bolivia, former president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada and his cabinet are formally charged with genocide. The charge is related to deaths of 60 people who protested against government plans to export natural gas (BBC)
• Japanese cabinet is considering whether to announce Princess Aiko as the next in line to the Japanese throne (Japan Today) (Channel News Asia) (Reuters)

February 23 2005

• President Bush arrives in Slovakia for the Slovakia Summit, becoming the first sitting U.S. President to visit Slovakia. (Reuters)
• Three British soldiers are found guilty of abusing Iraqi prisoners; more British soldiers face the possibility of conviction. (Reuters) (Guardian) (CBC)
• Bhutan bans smoking in public places (Kerala Next) (BBC)
• In Sri Lanka, Tamil Tigers warn that the truce with the government is under threat after the killing of one of their leaders, E Kaushalyan. The ceasefire has lasted for four years. (Reuters Alertnet) (Bloomberg) (BBC)
• Pakistan's supreme court refuses a government request to withdraw a corruption case against minister Faisal Saleh Hayat. (KeralaNext) (BBC)
• Rasim Delić, former commander of the Bosnian army in Bosnia during the Yugoslav Wars, announces he will hand himself over to the UN Tribunal. He stands accused of war crimes against ethnic Serbs (Reuters) (BBC)
• In Italy, Andrea Volpe, leader of the Beasts of Satan rock group, is sentenced to 30 years in prison for three murders. Another member Pietro Guerrieri receives 16 years, while a third member is acquitted (Reuters) (AGI) (BBC)
• Exiled Cuban writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante dies in London (Reuters) (BBC)
• South African archbishop Desmond Tutu launches a campaign to require governments to register all children at birth (Reuters) (BBC)
• Interpol announces a stern warning that the threat of a bioterror attack still exists. (BBC) (Interpol)
• WHO warns that there is a potential threat of a bird flu pandemic (Reuters) (BBC) (CNN) (VOA)

February 24 2005

• In Somalia, thousands greet Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and Mohammed Ali Ghedi, leaders of the exiled Somalian government, when they begin a week-long tour in the country. They led a delegation that studies a possibility to finally relocate the government from Kenya to Somalia (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)
• The Anglican Churches of North America – the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada – are asked to voluntarily withdraw their members from the Anglican Consultative Council until after the next Lambeth Conference in 2008. This is viewed as an ultimatum to the churches to bring their policies into line with the worldwide Anglican Communion, following the ordination of the first gay bishop in New Hampshire and the blessing of same-sex unions by the Canadian church, and presages a schism if they do not comply. (BBC)
• In Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian and People First Party Chairman James Soong meet for the first time in four years. They issue a joint 10-point declaration emphasizing their agreement on preserving the "status quo" in cross strait relations. (Reuters) (United Evening News)
• The PRC objects to former US President Bill Clinton's plan to visit Taiwan and meet with the ROC President Chen Shui-bian. (VOA)
• Pope John Paul II returns to hospital in Rome for more specialist treatments and tests. (ANSA). Doctors decided to carry out a tracheotomy, which was performed successfully.[1]
• Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin tells the US ambassador to Canada that he will say "no" to the US' proposed missile defense plan. (Xinhua) (CNN) (CTV) (Reuters)
• Slovakia Summit between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin begins in Bratislava. (Slovak Spectator)
• In Colombia, there is a ceremony to mark the three-year anniversary of the capture of Ingrid Bétancourt, former Colombian presidential candidate who is still a FARC hostage. She was captured February 2002. Her relatives are pressing government to make a prisoner swap for her and other hostages. (Newsday) (BBC)
• Colombian supreme court authorizes the extradition of drug dealer Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela to the USA (Reuters Alertnet) (VOA) (BBC)
• In Sudan, an ammunition depot explodes near the town of Juba - at least 18 are dead and the toll continues to rise (BBC) (ABC)
• In Mexico, the supreme court rules that former President Luis Echeverría cannot be tried for genocide because of 30-year statute of limitations. Echeverría was accused of genocide because he ordered an attack on protesting students in 1971, resulting in 40 deaths. (Reuters) (BBC)
• Foreign Minister of Burma/Myanmar Nyan Win visits Bangladesh to discuss with Shamsher M Chowdhury about a direct road link between the countries and repatriation of Burmese refugees 05-29.htm (Mizzima) (Financial Express, Bangladesh) (BBC)
• Ebert Anibal Rivera, alleged head of a Mara Salvatrucha gang that killed 28 bus passengers in Honduras last December 23, is arrested in Texas. Honduras intends to request extradition if Texas authorities do not file charges. (Reuters) (Houston Chronicle) (BBC)
• Italian court orders Diego Maradona to pay 30 million euros of back taxes (equal to US$39.6 million) (Sporting Life) (BBC)
• New EU laws declare lottery scams illegal (BBC)
• The parliament of Turkey grants amnesty to 677,000 people who have been expelled from university in recent years (BBC)
• In Kyrgyzstan, thousands of people protest in support of opposition politicians who were barred from elections (BBC)
• French Finance Minister Hervé Gaymard faces increasing pressure to resign. He has been criticized due to the luxury apartment where he lives at the state's expense, although he has promised to move elsewhere. (Reuters) (Financial Times)

February 25 2005

• A suicide bomber explodes himself at the entrance of the "Stage" club in Tel Aviv, killing at least 4 Israelis and wounding 38 more. Responsibility is reportedly claimed by Islamic Jihad. (Haaretz) (CNN)
• At Amsterdam's Schiphol airport an armoured car is hijacked on the cargo ramp. Unconfirmed reports say that it contained diamonds and other gems worth at least 75 million euros (US$99 million). The vehicle was later recovered in the nearby town of Hoofddorp. (BBC), (Scotsman).
• Three British soldiers convicted earlier this week of abusing Iraqi prisoners are jailed for periods between five months and two years, and dismissed from the army. (BBC).
• Human Rights Watch states that tough methods of Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra in the south of the country may serve to invite more trouble (Reuters Alertnet) (Bangkok Post) (BBC)
• Vice President of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla, states that he was pleased with the progress of talks with Free Aceh Movement in Finland. Government still opposes independence (Jakarta Post) (BBC)
• In Ecuador, José Gallardo, a former defence minister, is arrested accused of misusing public funds to secretly purchase outdated weapons (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)
• King Gyanendra of Nepal asks for foreign help to crush Maoist insurgents. He says that he dismissed the elected government to fight terrorism and will return to democracy in three years. Many foreign countries have stopped all aid after his takeover (Channel News Asia) (Bloomberg) (New Kerala)
• In Switzerland, the court of appeals rules that Yeslam Binladin, a half-brother of Osama bin Laden, can market products under the brand name Bin Ladin (SwissInfo)
• Militia members ambush and kill 9 UN Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Xinhua) (LA Times)

February 26, 2005

• For the first time in his 26-year papacy, Pope John Paul II, who is ill, will not bless the faithful at the weekly Angelus prayer service and will instead follow the service from his hospital room. (Reuters), (Calcutta Telegraph), (The Guardian)
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
  • Israel's Defence Minister blames Syria for complicity in yesterday's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv which killed 4 people. Syria denies links to the bombing. Islamic Jihad, from its headquarters in Damascus claims responsibility for the attack, stating it was designed to damage the Palestinian Authority for acting "according to American interests". (AP), (Reuters) (San Francisco Chronicle)
  • Israel demands the PA arrest the plotters of the attack and disarm Islamic Jihad and other militant groups by force. (AP), (Reuters)
• Wichita, Kansas police announce the arrest of the BTK killer. (CNN) (Wichita Eagle) (The BBC)
• In a conference organized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, officials urge changes to be made in how poultry are raised in Southeast Asia to prevent a bird flu pandemic. (Seattle Times) (Washington Post)
• Nepali soldiers kill at least a dozen Maoist rebels in Kailali district. (Channel News Asia) (Reuters)
• Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin announces that the US must get permission first before launching missiles over Canadian airspace, after recently announcing Canada's non-involvement in the controversial US National Missile Defence plan. (Edmonton Sun)(Globe and Mail)
• Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak calls for parliament to amend the constitution to allow for direct, secret elections for the next president. (Bloomberg) (Khaleej Times) (Japan Today)
• President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo announces that he will be stepping down from his position, after sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States. (Xinhua) (Reuters)
• French Finance Minister Hervé Gaymard resigns after a report surfaces about his expensive state-paid apartment. (Boston Globe) (Guardian) (ABC)

February 27, 2005

• Syria is reported to have handed over Saddam Husseins' half-brother, Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti, to the interim Iraqi government. (BBC)
• The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control becomes legally binding upon ratifying countries. (VOA) (DNC)
• A small bomb explodes at a hotel in Villajoyosa, Spain, after a warning by the Basque separatist group ETA. No one is injured. (CNN) (eitb24)
• Russia agrees to sell fuel to Iran for development of a nuclear reactor, stating that tough safeguards will be enacted to prevent any diversion to a nuclear weapons programme. (Reuters) (BBC)
• Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston denies reports that Dennis Rader has confessed to the BTK killings, calling whatever anonymous source the Associated Press has cited "unreliable." Wichita Eagle
• Indian divers have found more evidence of possible underwater ruins of a port city near the Tamil Nadu coast. The ruins were revealed after the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake. Archaeological Survey of India connects them to the legendary city of Mahabalipuram (KeralaNext) (News Today) (BBC)
• In Somalia, some cabinet ministers and warlords denounce government proposals to deploy foreign peacekeepers (News24) (Sudan Tribune) (BBC)
• In Togo, police clash with protesters who denounce selection of Abass Bonfoh to replace Faure Gnassingbé as an interim president. Opposition protesters support former parliamentary speaker Fambare Ouattara Natchaba (Reuters AlertNet) (BBC)
• In Japan, engineers finish blasting a 26.5 km (16.5 miles) long railway tunnel through a mountain in the Aomori prefecture. The tunnel is the longest in the world so far (Japan Today) (Pacific Business News) (Channel News Asia) (BBC)

February 28, 2005

• Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released by the U.S. State Department (U.S. State Department).
• Steve Fossett prepares to set off on his attempt to be the first person to circumnavigate the globe, without refuelling, in a jet-powered plane – the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. (BBC)
• At the Old Bailey, Briton Saajid Badat pleads guilty to planning a suicide attack on a US bound aircraft. Badat subsequently withdrew from the conspiracy, leaving fellow "shoe bomber" Richard Reid to act alone. (AFP) (BBC)
• Following week-long public protests (in the wake of Rafik Hariri's assassination) and a no confidence vote, the entire government of Lebanon resigns. MSNBC (CNN)
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
  • Israeli security forces intercept a car bomb in the Araba village near Jenin. The 200 kg explosive device, believed to have been the work of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is later defused by IDF sappers. 1, (Haaretz), 2, (Haaretz)
  • The death toll from Tel Aviv suicide bombing rises to 5 as a woman dies of her injuries. Israel declares that no Islamic Jihad members will be included in the list of 400 Palestinian prisoners that Israel plans to release in the coming months, and that Islamic Jihad's representative will be banned from traveling to Cairo on Tuesday for Cease-Fire Talks. (Haaretz)
• A suicide car bomb explodes in the Iraqi town of Hilla, 60 kilometres south of Baghdad. 125 people are killed and many injured.(The Guardian)(BBC)
• UK aid agency Oxfam states that atrocities still continue in Darfur (Reuters AlertNet (BBC)
• People of Burundi vote on a new constitution (News24) (BBC)
• In Spain, police arrest Raffaele Amato, head of a mafia gang that has waged turf wars against other gangs in Naples, Italy. (CNN) (BBC)
• Cannes police, investigating the November 2004 disappearance of Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley-Cooper, arrest his estranged wife Djamilia M'Barek. Her brother, Mohammed, is arrested in Munich. (New Criminologist) (BBC)
• In Haiti, police shoots at demonstrators who march in support of the former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Two deaths and several injuries are reported. Aristide left the country February 29 2004 (Reuters) (CBC) (LATimes) (BBC)
• In Ukraine, Razom nas bahato, a song that was written in support of the Orange Revolution that led Viktor Yushchenko to presidency, is selected as the country's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Band Greenjolly will present it. (Forum, Ukraine) (Doteurovision) (BBC)
• Ukraine's government also trims the retirement benefits of the ex-president Leonid Kuchma (Forum) (BBC)
• Police in Ukraine states that they have identified people who kidnapped and killed journalist Georgiy Gongadze in September 2000 (Forum) (BBC)
• In Botswana, high court allows Australian professor Kenneth Good to remain in the country when he appeals against deportation. President Festus Mogae declared him an illegal immigrant when he criticized the government in a lecture (Reuters) (SABC) (BBC)
• In Côte d'Ivoire there are new clashes between rebels and government forces. United Nations peacekeepers try to intervene. Rebels state the that peace effort is now finished (Reuters SA) (Reuters) (SABC) (BBC)
• Bosnian Muslim general Rasim Delic gives himself up for the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, as he had promised earlier (FENA) (Reuters)
• Two leaders of separatist group the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), spokesman Ruby Bhuyan and demolitions specialist Khagen Kachari, surrender to Indian police (Rediff) (NDTV)
• In Israel the Israel Defense Forces reports that those who tell recruiters that they play role-playing games are automatically given low security clearance and are sent directly to a professional for an evaluation, usually a psychologist. (Ynetnews)

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.