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PolitInfo.com > Current Events > February 2005
January 2005 - March 2005 - April 2005 - May 2005
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Articles: February 2005
February 28, 2005
-
A car bomber attacks a crowded commercial district south of Baghdad in the
town of Hilla killing more than 100 people and wounding more than 140 others.
It is the bloodiest incident in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
(PolitInfo)
-
In Lebanon, the pro-Syrian government of Prime Minister Omar Karami resigns
following a massive demonstration in downtown Beirut by tens of thousands of
anti-government protesters.
(PolitInfo)
- Elections in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan:
- First preliminary results from this weekend's parliamentary elections in
Kyrgyzstan indicate that runoffs will likely be held in more than half the
races. In neighboring Tajikistan, where voters also went to the polls on
Sunday to elect a new parliament, bad weather is delaying the vote count.
(PolitInfo)
- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, says
parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan were competitive but fell short of
international standards in several important areas.
(PolitInfo)
Tajikistan's political opposition says there were numerous violations of
election law during the voting, a claim backed up by the OSCE. The head of the
OSCE observer mission to Tajikistan, Peter Eicher, says the election fell
short of democratic standards and was marred by, what he called, large-scale
irregularities.
- Rebels in Ivory Coast say allied government forces have violated a
cease-fire in the west of the country, and that all attempts at peace
mediation are over.
(PolitInfo)
-
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Israel says it has evidence Syria was involved
in the bombing at a Tel Aviv nightclub on Friday that killed five Israelis and
wounded dozens more.
(Haaretz) (PolitInfo)
- The U.S. State Department, in its annual report on human rights, says
widespread abuse continues to be a major concern in many parts of the world.
(PolitInfo)
- The international aid agency, OXFAM, says the current African Union
mission in Darfur is understaffed and ill equipped to deal with the crisis.
Only half of the promised 3,300 AU troops have been deployed in western Sudan.
(PolitInfo)
- Days after an 18-day ceasefire between the Ugandan government and the
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) expired on 22 February, the rebels have killed
and maimed more than 30 people, Ugandan officials say.
(PolitInfo)
February 27, 2005
- Polls have closed in the ex-Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, where people
have cast ballots to elect a new parliament.
(PolitInfo)
-
The polls have closed in Tajikistan where voters were electing
members of the lower house of parliament
(PolitInfo)
- The
World Health Organization's
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control becomes
Legally binding upon
ratifying
countries.
(VOA)
(DNC)
- 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) (PolitInfo)
- A U.S. newspaper reports growing unease at the U.S. Central Intelligence
Agency over the possibility some career officers may be punished for their
conduct while interrogating terror suspects.
(PolitInfo)
- Opposition parties and northern rebels have pulled out of an independent
commission charged with organizing elections later this year in divided Ivory
Coast
(PolitInfo)
February 26, 2005
- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says he is proposing a constitutional
amendment to allow multiple candidates to compete in this year's presidential
elections. Such an amendment is a key demand of the opposition and democracy
activists.
(Bloomberg) (Japan Today)
(PolitInfo)
-
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, but the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad headquarters in
Damascus
claim responsibility. Israel also demands the PA arrest the plotters of the
attack and disarm Islamic Jihad and other militant groups by force.
(AP)
(Reuters) (PolitInfo)
- Togo Crisis:
- West African countries are lifting sanctions against Togo, now that the
son of the country's late, long-time leader has resigned as president.
Parliament has appointed an interim president until elections in 60 days.
(PolitInfo)
- Police clash with protesters who denounce selection of
Abass Bonhof to replace
Faure Gnassingbé as a interim president. Opposition protesters support
former parliamentary speaker
Fambare Ouattara Natchaba
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC)
- Nepali
soldiers
kill at least a dozen
Maoist
rebels in
Kailali district.
(Channel News Asia)
(Reuters)
(PolitInfo)
- French
Finance Minister
Hervé Gaymard resigns after an report surfaces about his expensive
state-paid
apartment.
(Boston Globe)
(Guardian)
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, shattering weeks of calm..
(Haaretz)
(CNN) (PolitInfo)
- Togo's military-appointed president,
Faure Gnassingbé, announces
that he will be stepping down from his position, after mounting international
pressure. But he says he will run in presidential elections scheduled for
mid-April.
(Xinhua)
(Reuters)
(PolitInfo)
- Militia members ambush and kill 9
UN
Bangladeshi
peacekeepers in the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
(Xinhua)
(LA Times) (PolitInfo)
- 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)
- With Nepal facing a military aid embargo, King Gyanendra calls on the
international community to continue supporting his government's struggle
against Maoist insurgents. The king has also defended his recent power grab.
(Channel News Asia)
(Bloomberg)
(PolitInfo)
February 24, 2005
- Palestinian lawmakers approve a new government made up of reformers and
technocrats ending a political crisis that almost toppled Prime Minister Ahmed
Qureia.
(PolitInfo)
-
Insurgents in Iraq launch new attacks on police and U.S. troops,
killing at least 19 people.
(PolitInfo)
- 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 lead a delegation that studies a possibility to finally relocate
the government from
Kenya to Somalia
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
- 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)
(PolitInfo)
- Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio asks Socialist leader Jose Socrates to
form a new government after his center-left party's resounding win in Sunday's
parliamentary elections.
(PolitInfo)
- The
PRC objects to former
US
President
Bill
Clinton's plan to visit
Taiwan and
meet with the
ROC
President
Chen Shui-bian. (PolitInfo)
- 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) (PolitInfo)
- In
Kyrgyzstan, thousands of people protest in support of
opposition politicians who were barred from elections
(BBC)
February 23, 2005
-
The United Nations reports slow but significant progress in the
campaign to protect children exposed to war. The Security
Council is being urged to impose targeted sanctions on governments, armed
groups and individuals involved in the use of child soldiers. A report
presented to the Security Council says 42 parties in 11 countries are
violating international laws prohibiting recruitment and use of children in
war.
(PolitInfo)
- Three
British
soldiers are found guilty of abusing
Iraqi
prisoners;
more British soldiers face the possibily of conviction.
(Reuters)
(Guardian)
(CBC)
- A Brazilian environmentalist has been shot dead, days after gunmen killed
an American nun who campaigned to protect the Amazon rain forest from loggers
and ranchers vying for its natural resources.
(PolitInfo)
- Three days of peace talks between the Indonesian government and separatist
rebels from the Free Aceh Movement have ended on a positive note in Helsinki,
with both sides agreeing to further negotiations.
(PolitInfo)
February 22, 2005
- Iraq's majority Shi'ite coalition picks Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a former
physician with close ties to Iran, as their candidate for prime minister.
(PolitInfo)
-
Peace talks to end hostilities between the Ugandan government and
the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) will continue despite the expiration on
Tuesday of an 18-day truce called by the government.
(PolitInfo)
- In Togo, the
National Assembly reverses
constitutional changes that allowed
Faure Gnassingbé to become president. Under pressure from African leaders, the
United Nations and Western aid donors, the single chamber legislature,
restored the former provision for presidential elections to be held within 60
days of the death of a ruling head of state.
(Reuters Alertnet) (IOL) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
-
North Korea hints that it may be willing to return to nuclear negotiations
under unspecified conditions
(Bloomberg) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
-
The British government has introduced new anti-terrorism legislation that
would give the cabinet's law-and-order minister sweeping power to put suspects
under house arrest and monitoring. Opponents say civil liberties could be
trampled in the process.
(PolitInfo)
- The U.S. Defense Department denies a claim by Iran that U.S. spy planes
have been flying over that country in an effort to gather intelligence about
its nuclear facilities.
(PolitInfo)
-
European Union countries renew sanctions against the government of
Robert Mugabe in
Zimbabwe
(Reuters)
(Zim Observer)
(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) (PolitInfo)
February 21, 2005
- 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) (PolitInfo)
- The United Nations Children's Fund says more than 210 million children
worldwide are working full-time. In a harsh report released by the British
branch of UNICEF, officials say that most of these children between the ages
of five and 15 are working as slaves, miners, prostitutes and soldiers.
(PolitInfo)
- The Indonesian government and separatist rebels of the Free Aceh Movement
begin a new round of peace talks in Helsinki, aimed at solving nearly three
decades of conflict.
(PolitInfo)
- The U.N. Children's Fund says in Uganda the rebel Lord's Resistance Army
is abducting fewer children for use as child soldiers. UNICEF's Child
Protection Officer in northern Uganda says the rebels have changed tactics
because of military pressure from the government.
(PolitInfo)
- The Indonesian government says two Indonesian journalists kidnapped nearly
a week ago in Iraq have been released.
(PolitInfo)
- In Nigeria,
President
Olusegun Obasanjo opens a national political conference about
constitutional reform
(Reuters Alertnet)
(AllAfrica)
(IRIN)
(PolitInfo)
- The head of the Arab League, Amr Mussa, says Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad is planning to take the first steps toward withdrawal of his
country's troops from Lebanon. Mr. Mussa says the Syrian actions, as yet
unspecified, will begin "soon."
(PolitInfo)
February 20, 2005
- 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
low 42.32%..
(BBC) (Bloomberg)
(EUobserver) (EurActiv) (PolitInfo)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- The Israeli Cabinet has given final go-ahead for Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and small portions of the West
Bank, by voting 17 to 5 for the disengagement plan.
(PolitInfo)
- Jordan resumes full diplomatic relations with Israel. Jordan returns its
ambassador to Israel, more than four years after diplomatic relations were
downgraded at the start of the Palestinian uprising.
(PolitInfo)
- According to official results, the opposition Socialist party secures an
absolute majority at the
Portuguese Parliament election, 2005.
(CNN International)
(ABC) (PolitInfo)
-
The West African grouping, ECOWAS, suspends Togo and imposes sanctions on the
government of President Faure Gnassingbe, who was installed by the military
after the death of his father and is refusing to step down.
US and
EU back ECOWAS' decisions.
(Reuters AlertNet)
(News24)
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
.
- The
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus votes in its early
general election. The pro-reunification party scores a strong victory, but not
enough to gain an outright majority. The Republican Turkish Party of Prime
Minister Mehmet Ali Talat secured 44 percent of the vote, well ahead of its
opponent, the National Unity Party of former Prime Minister Dervis Eroglu.
(BBC)
(DW) (PolitInfo)
- 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) (PolitInfo)
-
U.N.
High Commissioner for Refugees
Ruud
Lubbers resigns over allegations of
sexual harassment, while continuing to deny them.
(PolitInfo)
February 19, 2005
- Togo Crisis:
- The West African regional group ECOWAS imposes sanctions on Togo in
response to the country's political situation. The sanctions suspend Togo
from the bloc, placed a travel ban on the country's leaders, and imposed an
arms embargo.
(PolitInfo)
- More than 20,000 protesters take to the streets in Togo demanding the
military-installed president Faure Gnassingbe step down. The son of the
country's late long-ruling leader says he will be a candidate in elections
to be held within 60 days.
(PolitInfo)
- At least 23 Iraqis are killed and dozens wounded in a string of attacks as
Iraqi Shi'ites observe Ashura - the holiest day of their religious calendar.
(PolitInfo)
- North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations, Han Song-ryol, says
Pyongyang is willing to attend talks over its nuclear arms program if the
United States promises peaceful coexistence and non-interference in the
North's internal affairs.
(PolitInfo)
February 18, 2005
- Four bomb attacks in Baghdad kill at least 24 people. The blasts mainly
targeted Shi'ite worshippers as they marked the Shi'ite holy day of Ashura.
(BBC News)
(CNN) (PolitInfo)
-
New allegations of prisoner abuse by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have
been revealed in Army documents released by the American Civil Liberties
Union. The documents allege the destruction of photographs documenting
Army abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan, following the exposure of the
Abu
Ghraib scandal.
(AP)
(PolitInfo)
- Brazil's president orders the creation of a massive reserve in the Amazon
rain forest in response to a recent rise in violence, including the recent
killings of an American environmental activist and an advocate of landless
peasants.
(Reuters)
(CNN)
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
- Israel is allowing some of the Palestinian militants it has expelled from
the West Bank to begin returning home and the military has called off the
practice of demolishing the homes of Palestinian suicide bombers and other
militants suspected of involvement in attacks against Israelis.
(PolitInfo)
- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is convinced Iran is not seeking
to develop nuclear weapons.
(PolitInfo)
- Two
Indonesian
journalists are kidnapped by a rebel group in
Iraq.
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
- In Nepal, King Gyanendra describes his recent takeover of power as a means
to save democracy. The comments came as the international community steps up
pressure for him to end emergency rule in the country.
(Times of India)
(Reuters) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
-
Briton Mark Thatcher, the son of former British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher, appears in a South African court Friday to answer questions in
connection with the failed coup in Equatorial Guinea last year. Thatcher
acknowledges knowing several of the people involved in the coup plot.
(BBC)
(IAfrica) (PolitInfo)
February 17, 2005
- The Iraqi electoral commission certifies the results of last month's poll,
making them official. In the final breakdown, the main Shiite religious
alliance received 140 of the 275 seats in the National Assembly.
(PolitInfo)
- Iran urges other countries in the Middle East to form a powerful alliance
in the face of what it called "U.S. and Israeli plots." The call comes a day
after Iranian and Syrian leaders said they would form a united front in the
face of foreign threats and pressure.
(PolitInfo)
- A car
bomb explodes in southern
Thailand
near the Marina Hotel in
Sungai Kolok, a popular tourist town close to the
Malaysian
border. Six people are killed and more than 40 injured.
(Boston Globe)
(BBC)
(PolitInfo)
- A bomb exploded in the Somali capital, where an African Union delegation
is visiting to assess security for the deployment of peacekeepers. Officials
say at least two people were killed and five wounded.
(PolitInfo)
- The Government of
Burma reopens
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)
(PolitInfo)
- The Georgian Parliament overwhelmingly approves Zurab Nogaideli as the
country's new prime minister.
(PolitInfo)
- In Ecuador,
there are mass rallies for and against the government of
Lucio Gutiérrez. His opponents accuse him of heavy handed tactics of
removing his political opponents
(Reuters)
(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) (PolitInfo)
February 16, 2005
- The
Kyoto Protocol comes into effect.
(BBC) (Reuters) (PolitInfo)
- Darfur Crisis:
- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan describes Darfur as "little short of
hell on earth", and urges the Security Council to take immediate action to
stop the killing there. But the Council is deadlocked over the question of how
to prosecute those responsible for Darfur's atrocities.
(PolitInfo) The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour told
the Council that the International Criminal Court is the only credible way of
bringing alleged perpetrators to justice.
(PolitInfo)
- Four African heads of state and other officials are meeting in Chad to
discuss the security situation in the war-torn Darfur region of western Sudan.
At least one rebel group is set to meet with Sudanese government officials on
the sidelines.
(PolitInfo)
- The World Food Program says it has received just more than half the $ 438
million it needs to feed nearly three million displaced people in Sudan's
conflict-ridden province of Darfur. The World Food Program says food supplies,
other than cereals, are running low.
(PolitInfo)
- Iran and
Syria announce
the formation of an alliance "to face challenges and threats."
(Pakistan Daily Times) (PolitInfo)
- Israel's parliament, the Knesset, hands Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a
victory giving final approval to his controversial plan to dismantle all
Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and four smaller ones in the West Bank.
(PolitInfo)
- Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), states there is no evidence to
suggest Iran is
developing nuclear weapons. I
(Washington Post) (PolitInfo)
- Pakistan and India agree to start a bus service linking the two capitals
of the disputed Kashmir region. The landmark pact is seen as the latest fruit
of the peace dialogue that the rival nations launched last year.
(PolitInfo)
- Northern Uganda Crisis:
- 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)
(PolitInfo)
- The principal negotiator for the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in
protracted talks with the Ugandan government, Sam Kolo, gives himself up.
(PolitInfo)
- 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) (PolitInfo)
February 15, 2005
-
A West African diplomatic mission is in Togo to convince the
military-installed government of Faure Gnassingbe, the son of the country's
late leader, to step down. The regional grouping ECOWAS has made a
non-negotiable demand for quick elections. 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) (PolitInfo)
-
The United States proposes a 10,000 strong U.N. peacekeeping force for
southern Sudan to help enforce a January cease-fire agreement that ended two
decades of civil war.
(PolitInfo)
- An Australian scientist involved in the search for weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq says the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency doctored his
reports to suggest that such weapons existed when they did not.
(PolitInfo)
- The leader of a peasant workers union is killed in the Brazilian Amazon
state of Para, just days after an American nun was fatally shot in the area.
(PolitInfo)
- 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)
February 14, 2005
- 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.
(CNN)
(Reuters) (PolitInfo)
-
Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
Israel
returns the remains of 15
Palestinian militants to the Palestinian Authority for burial in
Gaza as a
goodwill gesture.
(BBC) Israel is also preparing to
release 500 Palestinian prisoners as part of a package of goodwill gestures.
(PolitInfo)
-
United States,
India and
European Union countries recall their
ambassadors from
Nepal in
protest of the takeover of the king
Gyanendra
(Bloomberg)
(BBC)
(Reuters) (PolitInfo)
- At least one person is been killed by security forces in Togo, on the
third day of protests against the military's installation of the late
president's son to succeed him. Security forces are now heavily present on the
streets of Togo's capital, Lome.
(PolitInfo)
- 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 a AU peacekeeping force to allow his
cabinet to move back. There is some opposition to deployment of AU
peacekeepers and thousands of Somalis have demonstrated in the capital,
Mogadishu, against the plans.
(BBC) (ReliefWeb) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
- Three explosions rocked the Philippines, killing at least six people and
injuring more than a dozen.
(PolitInfo)
- A European Union official has expressed concern that a build-up of troops
on both sides of the Eritrea-Ethiopia border could lead to new fighting.
(PolitInfo)
February 13, 2005
- Iraqi election officials announce the final results of last month's
landmark election. The Shiite religious list, known as the United Iraqi
Alliance, received 48 percent of the votes. The second-largest bloc in the
assembly will go to the main Kurdish alliance, which took 25 percent of the
vote. Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's group came in a distant third, with
just under 14 percent. Most major Sunni Arab groups boycotted the
election, and in most of the country, Sunnis stayed away from the polls.
Election officials say the voter turnout was only two-percent in
Sunni-dominated Anbar province, compared with 58-percent nationwide.
(BBC)
(PolitInfo)
-
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and
Islamic Jihad say they will maintain a truce with Israel, raising hopes for an
end to four and a half years of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
(PolitInfo)
-
Opposition parties in Togo are calling for more protests against
the military's appointment of the late president's son to succeed him.
(PolitInfo)
-
A published report says the United States has been flying drones
over Iran for almost a year, looking for evidence of nuclear weapons programs
and detect weaknesses in air defenses.
(PolitInfo)
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) (PolitInfo)
-
Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas meets with Hamas leaders and leaders
from the Islamic Jihad to urge the militant groups to abide by a cease-fire
with Israel.
(BBC)
(PolitInfo)
- Israeli and Palestinian officials say Israel has agreed to allow about
55 exiled Palestinians to return to the West Bank.
(PolitInfo)
- Police in Iraq say 17 people have been killed in a car bomb explosion
south of Baghdad.
(PolitInfo)
-
Howard Dean, a former governor of
Vermont and
2004 presidential candidate, is elected chairman of the
United States Democratic Party
National Committee.
(CNN) (PolitInfo)
February 11, 2005
- The United Nations Children's Fund reports the situation is worsening in
the conflict-ridden province of Ituri in the eastern part of the Democratic
Republic of Congo. UNICEF says, in the last three days, the number of
civilians fleeing fighting to UN-protected zones has risen from 50,000 to
more than 80,000.
(PolitInfo)
-
Conflict in Iraq:
- At least 23 people are killed in attacks against Shi'ite Muslim
targets in Iraq.
(BBC)
- An Islamist group that claims it is holding hostage an Italian
journalist has given the Italian government 48 hours to withdraw its
troops from Iraq.
(PolitInfo)
- Togo Crisis:
- Security forces in Togo's capital Lome prevent a protest against the
appointment of the son of the late long serving leader as new president.
(PolitInfo)
- West African leaders are refusing to go to the stronghold of Togo's
late leader to convince his son, the new president, to step down.
West African leaders gather instead in nearby Benin, and cancel
their planned trip to Togo.
(PolitInfo)
- Cambodia's retired king has called on the country's leaders to release
an opposition lawmaker from jail and to welcome back two others who fled the
country fearing arrest.
(PolitInfo)
- The United States says millions of aid dollars could be suspended unless
Nepal's King Gyanendra ends his crackdown on the country's democratic
institutions within 100 days. The U.S. ambassador to Nepal issued the
warning after the king took over the government last week.
(PolitInfo)
- 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)
February 10,
2005
-
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) (PolitInfo)
-
September 11, 2001 attacks: A previously unreleased portion of the
9-11 Commission's report details the
Federal Aviation Administration received 52 intelligence reports on
potential
terrorist attacks by
al-Qaeda
before
September 11,
2001.
(BBC)
(NY Times) (PolitInfo)
-
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)
(PolitInfo)
- Police in Nepal's capital arrest at least six demonstrators trying to
hold the first major anti-government rally since King Gyanendra took over
the government last week.
(PolitInfo)
-
Conflict in Iraq: A car bomb has killed at least two people and
wounded several others in Baghdad, and the bodies of more than 20 Iraqi
truck drivers and security forces who appear to be victims of an ambush
were discovered south of the city.
(PolitInfo)
-
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) (PolitInfo)
-
The Somali government says Wednesday's killing of a BBC producer in the
capital, Mogadishu, will not deter its relocation plans. The government
also disputes a report by an international analyst group that says
bringing an African Union peace support mission into Somalia could further
destabilize the country.
(PolitInfo)
February 9,
2005
- An ETA car
bomb explodes in
Madrid
injuring at least 43 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) (PolitInfo)
- In a ECOWAS meeting, 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)
(PolitInfo)
- Somalia Transition:
- The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) says unidentified gunmen
shot and killed one of its journalists in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
(PolitInfo)
- Somalia's transitional government announces plans to begin relocating
to the capital Mogadishu from Kenya February 21. The government has been
operating from Kenya since its formation last year, fearing continued
instability in Somalia.
(PolitInfo)
- Electoral commission officials in Iraq say they will not be able to
meet Thursday's deadline to announce final results from landmark elections
held nine-days ago.
Iraqi
officials say they must recount around 300 ballot boxes due to
various discrepancies.
(PolitInfo)
- Conflict in Iraq: 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.
(PolitInfo)
- Nepal's government says it has detained 43 people, top political
leaders and other activists, for their 'own personal safety' as well as to
maintain law and order.
(PolitInfo)
- The lower house of Russia's parliament fails to pass a no-confidence
motion in the government led by Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. Many
pro-Kremlin deputies signaled their dissatisfaction over controversial
social reforms by declining to cast votes.
(PolitInfo)
February 8,
2005
-
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A
truce is
declared between
Israel
and the
Palestinian Authority. Mahmoud Abbas, the
Palestinian president, and the
Prime Minister of
Israel,
Ariel Sharon, shook hands at a four-way summit which also included
Jordan
and Egypt
at
Sharm al-Sheikh.
The agreement is intented to end all hostilities associated with the
Palestinian Intifada that began in September 2000. Hamas says it is not bound by the ceasefire.
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
-
Uganda's interior minister says his government and the Lord's
Resistance Army rebel group will likely sign a peace agreement soon to
end 18 years of civil war in the north.
(PolitInfo)
- In
Denmark,
parliamentary elections result in a continuation of the center-right
coalition of Prime Minister
Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
(BBC)
(PolitInfo)
- While praising the North-South peace agreement in Sudan, the U.N.
Security Council has complained to Sudanese officials about the
continuing violence and grim situation in Darfur. Briefing the Council,
U.N. Special Envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk stressed the need to deploy a
robust third party force to stop the continuing violence in Darfur.
(PolitInfo)
- Residents in Togo respond sporadically to an opposition strike to
protest the military's appointment of the late President Gnassingbe
Eyadema's son as the country's new leader. Meanwhile, international
condemnation of events in Togo has grown with the African Union
threatening sanctions -- and the United States, Britain, France calling
for new elections.
(PolitInfo)
-
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) (PolitInfo)
February 7,
2005
- A lawyer for 11 Kuwaitis being held at the U.S. Naval Base at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, says they were subject to torture and abuse
shortly after their capture by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
(PolitInfo)
-
The son of Togo's late president has been sworn into office, despite
protests from the opposition and the Economic Community of West African
States.
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) (PolitInfo)
- Two suicide bombers kill at least 27 people in two Iraqi cities, on
the deadliest day since Iraq's elections just more than a week ago. The
number of attacks nationwide declined in the days following the poll,
but the last two days have seen a resumption of the violence.
(PolitInfo)
- The announcement by the Ugandan government of a new limited
ceasefire has put the protracted peace process in northern Uganda back
on course, chief mediator Betty Bigombe and a key government minister
say.
(PolitInfo)
- A UN-appointed expert, just back from a 13-day mission to Somalia,
is urging the new government to investigate and prosecute crimes
committed during the country's 13-year-old civil war.
(PolitInfo)
- Human rights groups in Nepal say they are going to protest King
Gyanendra's takeover of the government with a non-violent demonstration
later this week. The decision was made at one of the first public human
rights meetings to take place since the king declared a state of
emergency, censoring the media and arresting dozens of political leaders,
journalists and rights workers. (PolitInfo)
February 6, 2005
- Thai
Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra wins an unprecedented second term as prime minister, in
the
greatest electoral sweep in the nation's history.
(CNN) (PolitInfo)
- Togo
succession:
- Togo's parliament has elected the son of deceased leader Gnassingbe
Eyadema to become its new speaker and rule the small West African country
until 2008. The parliament tries to legalize the accession to power of
Faure Gnassingbé, son of
Gnassingbe Eyadema, by voting constitutional amendments.
(Yahoo France - AFP)
(PolitInfo)
- The military of
Togo is criticized by African leaders for suspending the constitution
after the death of president
Gnassingbe Eyadema and naming his son successor.
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
- Nepalese political parties and human-rights groups are calling for the
restoration of democracy after King Gyanendra took over the government this
week.
(PolitInfo)
-
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) (PolitInfo)
February 5, 2005
-
President
Gnassingbé Eyadéma of
Togo dies of a
heart attack at the age of 68. Togo's army says it has handed over power to
Faure Eyadema, one of the sons of Eyadéma. The main opposition leader says
this is a military coup.
(CNN) (PolitInfo)
- The seven leading industrial nations have agreed to offer the world's
poorest countries 100 percent debt relief. The announcement came at the end of
two days of meetings in London between the finance ministers of the major
powers.
(PolitInfo)
- In a setback to Iraqi hopes of creating an inclusive transitional
government after last Sunday's historic elections, the country's largest
Sunni-Arab political party announces that it will take no part in
government
(PolitInfo)
February 4, 2005
- A new
ceasefire
of 18 days takes effect in Uganda's north . The ceasefire is being offered by
the Government of Uganda to members of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army who
wish to surrender and take advantage of an amnesty offer.
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
- The top United Nations envoy to Sudan is warning that the landmark
north-south peace agreement could collapse unless the killing in Darfur is
stopped. Special envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk urges the U.N. Security Council to
approve his request for 10,000 blue-helmeted U.N. troops to enforce the
north-south peace deal signed last month.
(PolitInfo)
- The United Nations' top human rights official, Louise Arbour, is
condemning what she calls the serious deterioration of human rights in Nepal
since the king dismissed the government and declared a state of emergency.
(PolitInfo)
- Ukraine's parliament has overwhelmingly confirmed Yulia Tymoshenko as the
country's prime minister. The vote was 373 in favor out of the 450-member
chamber.
(PolitInfo)
- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, traveling in Europe on her first
foreign trip in her new job, says the Bush administration is continuing to
rely on diplomacy to stop what U.S. officials believe is Iran's pursuit of
nuclear weapons. She says the use of force is not on the U.S. agenda, at this
time.
(PolitInfo)
- An Italian journalist working for a newspaper is kidnapped in Iraq. It is
the first reported abduction of a foreigner since Iraq's election last week.
(PolitInfo)
February 3, 2005
-
Zimbabwe's opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change, announces it has
decided to take part in next month's general election. But the MDC also says
it has reservations about the fairness of the poll.
(PolitInfo)
-
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) (PolitInfo)
- 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) (PolitInfo)
- Israel has agreed to release 900 Palestinian prisoners and to withdraw its
troops from parts of the West Bank. The decision comes just days before
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice visits the region for talks and ahead of a
planned Israeli-Palestinian summit next Tuesday.
(PolitInfo)
- Conflict in Iraq:
- Iraq's electoral commission says partial results from Sunday's landmark
elections show the main Shi'ite coalition leading in six of 18 provinces. The
United Iraqi Alliance, which has the support of influential Shi'ite cleric
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, is ahead with about 75 percent of the 1.6
million ballots counted so far.
(PolitInfo)
- Britain's attorney-general says seven British soldiers will stand trial
for allegedly murdering a civilian in southern Iraq in 2003. Attorney-General
Peter Goldsmith says the incident occurred on a road in al-U'Zayra in May,
2003.
(PolitInfo)
- At least 29 people are killed by opponents to the
interim government and the occupying forces. This includes 3
US
Marines. In one operation, 50 policemen are ambushed in
Baghdad,
leaving at least 2 dead, 14 wounded and 16 missing.
(The Scotsman)
- Syria is rejecting U.S. President Bush's charges that it sponsors
terrorism, saying the claims are "useless" and aimed at appeasing
conservatives in the United States. Iran has denied as "baseless" U.S. charges
made in President Bush's State of the Union address that it is pursuing
nuclear weapons, sponsoring terrorism and depriving its citizens of freedom.
(PolitInfo)
(PolitInfo)
- 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) (PolitInfo)
-
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) (PolitInfo)
February 2, 2005
-
Arab-Israeli Conflict:
Ariel
Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas,
the President of the
Palestinian National Authority, have been invited by
Egypt to attend
a summit at
Sharm el-Sheikh.
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
- King
Gyanendra of
Nepal forms a new cabinet and names himself as its head. His decision to
dismiss his former cabinet and to impose a state of emergency has been widely condemned
(Reuters)
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
- The top U.N. envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, says he is horrified by ongoing
violence in Darfur and called on the government to stop the killing. Mr.
Pronk says he saw evidence of widespread atrocities during his tour of Darfur
last week.
(PolitInfo)
- India's prime minister will not attend a summit of the South Asian
Association Regional Conference because of concerns about security in
Bangladesh - a move that caused the summit to be postponed. Indian officials
also cited displeasure with Nepalese King Gyanendra, who suspended democratic
government in his country this week, and who was due to attend the summit.
(PolitInfo)
-
IRA withdraws its weapons decommissioning offer because of claims that it
is connected to a
Belfast
bank raid last December during which Ł26.5m was stolen
(Ireland Online)
(Reuters) (BBC) (PolitInfo)
- Greece
hands over
Dejan Milenkovic, main suspect of the murder of
Serbian Prime
Minister
Zoran Djindjic, to Serbian authorities
(Athens News Agency)
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
February 1, 2005
- Darfur Crisis:
- A report by a United Nations-appointed commission of inquiry into whether
genocide has occurred in Sudan's war-torn Darfur has established that the
Government and Janjaweed militia are responsible for crimes under
international law and recommends referring the dossier to the International
Criminal Court (ICC). The UN report stops short of calling the violence in
Darfur genocide
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
- Sudan's foreign minister says a new round of peace talks between the
government and rebels in the western Darfur region is set for February.
(PolitInfo)
- The King of Nepal has taken control of the government and deployed troops
around the homes of politicians. The capital is largely isolated from the
outside world with the international airport closed and communications cut
off, but King Gyanendra denies he has staged a coup d'etat.
(Reuters)
(PolitInfo)
- Sudan's parliament has unanimously ratified the peace agreement with the
main southern rebel group that was signed last month.
(PolitInfo)
-
Arab-Israeli Conflict : The
Attorney General of
Israel,
Meni Mazuz, has told 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
without compensation, and Mr Mazuz described it as Illegal.
(BBC) (Al
Jazeera) (PolitInfo)
-
The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to tighten its arms
embargo on the Ivory Coast in hopes of averting civil war between the forces
of President Laurent Gbagbo and rebels controlling the north of the country.
(PolitInfo)
-
Robert Mugabe, president of
Zimbabwe,
announces that 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) (PolitInfo)
-
Indonesian cleric
Abu Bakar Ba'asyir has denied any involvement in the
Bali
bombing and the
Marriott Hotel attack, saying that the bombings were wrong. He also denied
being a member of
Jemaah Islamiah.
(BBC) (PolitInfo)
January 2004 - February 2004 - March 2004 - April 2004 - May 2004 - June 2004 - July 2004 - August 2004 - September 2004 - October 2004 - November 2004 - December 2004
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