January 2005

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Other events in January 2005 World - Sci-Tech - Sports Britain and Ireland - Canada - Hong Kong and Macao - India - US

[edit] Deaths in January • 29 Ephraim Kishon • 25 Philip Johnson • 23 Johnny Carson • 22 Parveen Babi • 20 Jan Nowak-Jeziorański • 17 Virginia Mayo • 17 Zhao Ziyang • 15 Ruth Warrick • 14 Rudolph Moshammer Recent deaths [edit] Ongoing events • Tsunami relief [edit] Ongoing armed conflicts • Arab-Israeli conflict • Conflict in Chechnya • Second Congo War • Conflict in Iraq (Occupation of Iraq) • Darfur conflict in Sudan • Civil war in Côte d'Ivoire Ongoing wars [edit] Upcoming celebrations February 2: Groundhog Day February 2: Imbolc February 7-February 13: Sapporo Snow Festival February 8: Brazilian Carnival February 8: Mardi Gras February 9: Ash Wednesday February 9: Chinese New Year February 9: Seollal February 9: Tết February 14: Valentine's Day March 17: St. Patrick's Day March 20: Vernal equinox March 21: Norouz March 25: Good Friday March 27: Easter April 1: April Fool's Day [edit] Upcoming elections February 6: Thai national February 8: Danish parliament Feb 10–Apr 21: Saudi local Feb 27: Kyrgyzstan parliamentary May 17: British Columbia general June 17: Iran presidential 2005: UK general 2005: New Zealand general 2005: Norwegian parliamentary More: Electoral calendar [edit] Election results in January 2: Croatian presidential, first round 9: Palestinian presidential [edit] Ongoing trials Chile: Augusto Pinochet ICTY: Slobodan Milošević Iraq: Iraqi Special Tribunal — Saddam Hussein, among others India: Best Bakery case India: Jayendra Saraswathi Netherlands: Volkert van der Graaf Netherlands: Mohammed Bouyeri United States: Robert Blake United States: Zacarias Moussaoui United States: Charles Graner [edit] Related pages About this page Year in... Biocrawler Announcements

January 31 2005

• Arab-Israeli Conflict: A ten-year-old Palestinian girl dies after being shot in the head as she played in her school playground in Rafah. The source of the gunfire is disputed. Hamas launches mortar shells in retaliation, damaging a house in an Israeli settlement.(Al Jazeera) (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2211A473-A8A6-462C-A913-577DC5DD9F55.htm)(Reuters) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=1&u=/nm/20050131/ts_nm/mideast_dc_242) (Jerusalem Post) (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1107228084937&p=1078027574097) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4222595.stm) (CBS) (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/02/world/main671061.shtml)(Haaretz) (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/534451.html)
• Conflict in Iraq: US guards have shot dead four Iraqi prisoners following an alleged riot at the Camp Bucca prison in southern Iraq. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4224665.stm)
• US entertainer Michael Jackson pleads his innocence before his trial for alleged child molestation begins in Santa Maria, California (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=peopleNews&storyID=7476417) (CNN) (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/LAW/01/30/jackson.trial/) (LA Times) (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-statement31jan31,0,8135.story?coll=la-home-headlines)
• In Chile, former head of secret police, general Manuel Contreras, has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for the 1975 disappearance of left-wing activist Miguel Angel Sandoval (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7471015) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4217519.stm)
• In Uganda, police have found the body of Shaban Kirunda Nkutu, killed in 1973 during the reign of Idi Amin (AllAfrica) (http://allafrica.com/stories/200501280388.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4215629.stm)
• The summit of the African Union begins in Nigeria, with 25 African heads of state and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in attendance. (News24) (http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1654857,00.html) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=663535) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4220447.stm)
• Bird flu spreads in Vietnam with the 12th reported death (Bloomberg) (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=am8oAjfWljfI&refer=asia) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7478755)
• In the Solomon Islands, former rebel leader Harold Keke is put on trial for the murder of a priest Augustine Geve (ABC) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200501/s1292163.htm) (Channel News Asia) (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/130035/1/.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4221589.stm)
• Sefer Halilovic, former head of the Bosnian army, goes on trial for killing Bosnian Croats during the Yugoslav wars (FENA) (http://www.fena.ba/uk/vijest.html?fena_id=FSA221117&rubrika=ES) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4221361.stm)
• In France, 16 people and companies go on trial for effective manslaughter for the Mont Blanc Tunnel fire in 1999 (IHT) (http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/30/news/tunnel.html) (Expatica) (http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=58&story_id=16308&name=Mont+Blanc+tunnel+disaster+trial+set+to+open) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4221565.stm)
• Car bomb explodes in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan (ITAR-TASS) (http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=1693936&PageNum=0) (Interfax) (http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/0/28.html?id_issue=10744401) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4221603.stm)

January 30 2005

• Conflict in Iraq:
  • Polls close in Iraq marking the first multi-party election in 50 years. Electoral officials estimate about a 50–70% turnout. A series of election day attacks across the country killed at least 44 people, mainly in Baghdad. The 275-member National Assembly will create a new constitution, choose a new president and two new vice presidents. Most candidate names on the various party lists remained anonymous. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4220551.stm) Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7476343) News24 (http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1654779,00.html)
  • Between nine and fifteen British soldiers die as a C-130 Hercules transport plane crashes about 40km north west of Baghdad. The cause of the crash is under investigation. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4220649.stm), (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.britishplane/)
• A firefight leaves 3 suspected militants and one Kuwaiti police officer dead after security forces raid an alleged hideout in Kuwait City. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4219741.stm)
• In eastern Sudan, demonstrators on their way to a meeting with tribal leaders clash with police leaving up to 17 protestors dead. A Sudanese general states that the protestors were looting and inciting violence against his men. Members of eastern tribes, mainly Beja, presented a list of demands which included better representation to the provincial governor three days ago. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4218591.stm)
• Former UK Labour Culture Secretary, Chris Smith, states he has been HIV positive for 17 years. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4219501.stm)
• In Spain, a bomb explodes at a hotel in the southwest town Denia injuring one. Police officials say the detonation occurred after a telephone warning from the Basque ETA group. Spanish parliament is scheduled to debate and vote on a Basque plan for independence from Spain in two days. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4220605.stm)
• Talks between the Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement leaders in Helsinki end a day early, possibly signaling a breakdown in negotiations. (IHT) (http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/30/news/aceh.html)
• The deadline passes for the finalization of constituencies for Afghanistan's May 21 parliamentary elections, UN officials say. Though the constituencies were supposed to be set up 120 days before the election, officials have not yet announced an election delay. Violence still continues, particularly in the south of the country where the Taliban still remains active. (Pakistan Daily Times) (http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_28-1-2005_pg4_16) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=662727)

January 29 2005

• A low-key and tightly controlled funeral is held for purged Chinese Communist leader Zhao Ziyang.(AP) (http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/050128/w012866.html)(BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4211157.stm)
• Procter & Gamble plan to purchase competitor Gillette in a deal worth $52.4 billion. Industry experts, including Gillette CEO Jim Kilts, expect further industry consolidation this year, spurred in part by a 40% rise in oil prices last year and the need to gain clout against economic giant Wal-Mart. (Bloomberg) (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aOnwXs1QSP88&refer=news_index)
• The first direct flights between mainland China and Taiwan since 1949 will take place in time for the Chinese New Year.(Reuters) (http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=452291) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4215889.stm)
• A series of moderate-intensity aftershocks rattle the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Sumatra in Indonesia over a month after the region was devastated by a quake-generated tsunami. No casualties or damage is reported. (Times of India) (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1005177.cms)

January 28 2005

• Riggs Bank agrees to pay a $16 million fine after pleading guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by hiding transfers of millions of dollars in accounts controlled by Chilean despot Augusto Pinochet and top officials of Equatorial Guinea. (The Seattle Times) (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002162985_riggs28.html)
• Michael McManus, author of the U.S.-wide syndicated newspaper column "Ethics & Religion", was paid $10,000 by the DHHS for writing articles promoting a marriage initiative. (Salon) (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/01/27/mcmanus/index_np.html)
• An Australian recently freed from Guantanamo Bay claims U.S. agents told him they killed his whole family and strung the interrogation room with faked photos of his wife and children with animals' heads. He also says he was sexually assaulted and menstrual blood had been put all over him before being left alone in a cell with no water. (news.com.au) (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12062502-26618,00.html) (yahoo/AP) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=3&u=/ap/20050127/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/guantanamo_sex_vs_faith)
• Asia's richest woman, Nina Wang, is formally charged with forgery of her kidnapped husband's will. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4214877.stm)
• Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Hamas, contesting their first election, have swept to power in local elections in Gaza. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4214375.stm)
• Kim Beazley is re-elected to the leadership of the Australian Labor Party unopposed, succeeding Mark Latham, in the fourth leadership change since losing government in 1996. (ABC News) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200501/s1291120.htm).
• A month after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis, more than 1000 bodies a day are still being recovered in Aceh. (Melbourne Herald Sun) (http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,12048399%255E1702,00.html)
• Latest investigation into the career of UK serial killer Dr. Harold Shipman increases the count of his victims to 284, the first having been killed just after he left medical school. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=661968) (Telegraph) (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/28/nship28.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/01/28/ixportal.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/4212627.stm)
• 70 Nobel Prize laureates have released a statement that supports United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in the face of US Republican calls for him to resign (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7460961) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/4214401.stm)
• Thailand's prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra demands that Malaysia extradite separatist leader of Gerakan Mujahideen Islam Pattani party known as Jehkumir Kuteh or Abdul Rahman Ahmad (in addition to other names). Malaysian government refuses because he is Malaysian but they would cooperate the best they can (Malaysia Star) (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/1/28/nation/10019675&sec=nation)(Bangkok Post) (http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/28Jan2005_news02.php) (Reuter AlertNet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/KLR62115.htm) (Channel News Asia) (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/129405/1/.html)
• In Russia, special forces have killed seven people in a fight against what they described as islamic militants. The fight happened in an apartment block in Nalchik near Chechnya border (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7453817) (MosNews) (http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/01/27/nalchikoperation.shtml) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4211625.stm)
• President of Ireland Mary McAleese causes an uproar when she says that Nazis taught their children to hate Jews like Northern Ireland Protestants taught theirs to hate Irish Catholics (Ireland Online) (http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=131791138&p=y3y79y844&n=131791898) (RTE) (http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0127/mcaleese.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4214263.stm)
• A heavy blizzard in Algeria causes death of at least 13 people and paralyzes traffic in the capital Algiers (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=7452818) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4213129.stm)
• In Bangladesh, a grenade attack kills former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria of Awami League and four others (Reuters Alertnet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DHA11864.htm) (Channel News Asia) (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/129590/1/.html)

January 27 2005

• President of the Royal Society warns of oil companies' funding of lobbies in the UK to cast skepticism over the debate on climate change. (Guardian) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/science/story/0,12996,1399585,00.html)
• Conflict in Darfur: Around 100 people have been killed following an Air Raid into the Darfur region of Sudan according to the African Union. Jean Baptiste Natama, the A.U's spokesperson has described it as a "major ceasefire violation". (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4211595.stm)
• Conflict in Iraq: At least 11 people are known to have died in Iraq today, including at least one United States Marine. (Bloomberg) (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aZ3uSGS2bq2Y&refer=us)
• Holocaust survivors, former Red Army soldiers, leaders of more than 40 countries, and other people gather in Oświęcim, Poland for the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp where more than 1 million people were killed. Reuters (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=662261) (Jerusalem Post) (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1106796046722) (Deutsche Welle) (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1470778,00.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4210841.stm) (CBC) (http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/050126/w012642.html) (Bloomberg) (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=aZArzrT6Gx2c&refer=europe) (Reuters Alertnet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L26381430.htm)
• French national railways SNCF are severely disrupted by a 24-hour walkout by staff to protest the rape of a ticket inspector on a Toulouse - Cahors train on Tuesday. The inspector had been attempting to charge a man for not having a ticket. A 24 year old man was later arrested. The strike is due to end at 1500 UTC. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4211729.stm)
• Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: In an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, has said he is "very satisfied" with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's efforts to restore calm. Sharon pledged to further peace process efforts with Abbas, with a meeting possible within two weeks. (Swiss Info) (http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5496996) (Kerala Next) (http://www.keralanext.com/news/indexread.asp?id=99687)
• New York radio station HOT 97 has suspended the staff of the show Miss Jones in the Morning. The show came under criticism for broadcasting a parody song that ridicules the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4211883.stm) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=7440350) (MTV.COM) (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1496296/20050126/index.jhtml?headlines=true)
• The fifth World Social Forum begins in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The event is accompanied by tens of thousands of activists (Forbes) (http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2005/01/26/ap1784820.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4208197.stm)
• In Burundi, South African mediator, deputy president Jacob Zuma has warned the president of the transitional government, Domitien Ndayizeye, not to try to change the draft constitution to let himself run in the forthcoming elections (Reuters Alertnet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L26416027.htm) (IOL) (http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=136&art_id=vn20050126063857101C454061) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4209819.stm)
• According to family members, funeral of the purged Chinese communist leader Zhao Ziyang will be held on next Saturday (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=661542) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4211157.stm) (Epoch Times) (http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-1-26/26033.html)
• In a conference hosted by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, several scientists state that the ecology of Prince William Sound in Alaska still has not recovered from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (Reuters Alertnet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N26549131.htm)

January 26 2005

• Condoleezza Rice is confirmed in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 85-13 (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00002) to become the first African-American woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/26/rice.confirmation.ap/index.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4209517.stm)
• After being incarcerated without trial for almost three years, the four British detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Moazzam Begg, Feroz Abbasi, Martin Mubanga and Richard Belmar, are free to go home, having been released without charge by the UK government. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4210815.stm)
• Conflict in Iraq: 36 US soldiers have died in a single day in Iraq. A helicopter crash in western Iraq has claimed the lives of 30 US marines and a sailor. It is the single worst loss of life for US forces since they invaded Iraq in March 2003. Elsewhere insurgents killed 4 US troops in Anbar, and another soldier was killed in Baghdad following an RPG attack. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7437344)(BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4209269.stm)
• The World Economic Forum begins in Davos, Switzerland (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4206769.stm) (SwissInfo) (http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=106&sid=5492954) (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/01/25/davos.advancer.ap/) (Forbes) (http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/ap/2005/01/25/ap1780523.html)
• In Glendale, California, a commuter train crashes into a sports utility vehicle left on the tracks, derailing the train and sending it into another commuter train, killing 11 and injuring at least 100. Juan Manuel Alvarez, who allegedly drove the car to the railway in an attempt to commit suicide, is accused of eleven murders. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/26/train.survivors.ap/index.html) (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/26/train.derailment/)
• United States Supreme Court rejects appeal of Florida governor Jeb Bush to keep brain damaged Terri Schiavo alive against the wishes of her husband. Her parents try to remove her husband from the post of her guardian (Washington Times) (http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050125-115520-6910r.htm)
• In Moscow, students from Guinea Bissau seize the country's embassy and take the ambassador as a hostage. They protest because they have not received their student's grants for more than a year (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4207659.stm)
• In Swaziland, country's main labour union have begun a two-day general strike to protest the new constitution because it would increase the power of the king Mswati III (Reuters AlertNet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/4deed50a8c43ecc7598beb498bc33b8e.htm) (AllAfrica) (http://allafrica.com/stories/200501250744.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4204619.stm)
• In Liberia, United Nations peacekeeping forces have sent troops and imposed a curfew to town of Harper to quell riots over alleged ritual killings (Reuters AlertNet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/ac106ee8c379704257ee70909d0de22f.htm) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4205301.stm)
• In China, the death sentence of Tibetan lama Tenzin Delek Rinpoche is commuted to life imprisonment (Reuters AlertNet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/HRW/38b8dcae458535ecc369327b3376595d.htm) (Human Rights Watch) (http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/01/25/china10071_txt.htm) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4208179.stm)
• A meteorite lands in Cambodia and sparks several fires. Some locals hope it is a divine omen for peace (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=7430802)
• In Germany, the Bundesverfassungsgericht (supreme court) nullifies legislation that prevented tuition fees. Several states now are planing to introduce such fees. [1] (http://www.studis-online.de/StudInfo/Gebuehren/tuition_fees.php)

January 25 2005

• 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake: Indonesia has again raised its estimate of the number of people killed by December's earthquake and tsunami to 220,000; the total known to have been killed in the region is now 280,000. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4204385.stm)
• Camp X-Ray: The US has confirmed that 23 prisoners held in the Guantanamo Bay military base attempted a mass suicide two years ago. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4204027.stm) (BBC video) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/news_web/video/40760000/bb/40760471_bb_16x9.asx) (CNN) (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/01/24/suicidal.gitmo/index.html)
• Conflict in Iraq: The U.S. army expects to keep 120,000 soldiers for at least two more years in Iraq, according to the Army's top operations officer, Lt. Gen. James J. Lovelace Jr. (MSNBC) (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6863956/)
• Up to 300 Hindus are feared to have died in a stampede, reaction to a fire caused by a short circuit, near a temple in Wai in the Satara district of western Maharashtra, India. Scores of others are crushed or burned. An estimated 300,000 people had gathered at the temple. (Rediff, india) (http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/jan/25satara.htm) (New Kerala) (http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=64603) (Reuters Alertnet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BOM50055.htm) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4204877.stm)
• Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Israel resumes construction of one of the most controversial parts of the Israeli West Bank barrier, around the Ariel settlement, 20km into the West Bank. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4205663.stm)
• The nominees for the 77^th Academy Awards are announced, with The Aviator and Finding Neverland leading with 11 and 7 nominations respectively. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4203219.stm) (MTV) (http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1496197/01252005/story.jhtml) (MSNBC) (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6865817/)
• After being incarcerated without trial for almost three years, the four remaining British detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Moazzam Begg, Feroz Abbasi, Martin Mubanga and Richard Belmar, are released and flown back to the United Kingdom, where they are immediately arrested by British police. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4204041.stm) (Guardian) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4755293,00.html)
• Bill Gates donates $750 million through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, to provide vaccines to children in poor countries. This is one of the largest philanthropic donations ever made by a living donor. (Guardian) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/microsoft/Story/0,2763,1398004,00.html)
• The Bush administration is requesting an additional $80 billion from Congress for Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing the total cost of both operations over $280 billion. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7416540) (CNN) (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/24/bush.war.funds/)
• In Kenya, clashes between Kikuyu and Maasai in the Rift Valley have led to at least 14 deaths. The fight is over water rights of Ewaso Kedong River. (Standard, Kenya) (http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=11554) (AllAfrica) (http://allafrica.com/stories/200501240349.html) (Reuters Alertnet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/4ad439171a1e9ea5dfabe24d7ca3cdea.htm)
• In the Republic of China/Taiwan, President Chen Shui-bian names fellow Democratic Progressive Party member Frank Hsieh, as the new premier. He calls for a reconciliation with the political opposition, which maintained its legislative majority in last month's elections. (Channel News Asia) (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/128998/1/.html) (Bloomberg) (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=ajkHZsOylViM&refer=top_world_news)
• Large scale strikes begin in Andhra Pradesh, India, in protest of the killing of Paritala Ravi, a senior leader of Telugu Desam Party assassinated two days ago. (New Kerala) (http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=64563) (Hindustan Times) (http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1213657,000900020004.htm) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4204649.stm)
• Marcial Maciel, Mexican founder of Roman Catholic order of Legion of Christ resigns due to his age. The stepping down coincides with the Vatican investigation about claims that he had sexually abused former members. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=660020) (Newsday) (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-bc-ct--legionariesofchri0124jan24,0,1018955.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticut)

January 24 2005

• Conflict in Iraq: A suicide car bomb is detonated near interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's Iraqi National Accord party office. Officials say Allawi was not in the area at the time and that seven policemen and three civilians were wounded. U.S. military officials confirm the death of one soldier in Mosul and state four of Iraq's 18 provinces, a quarter of the total population and predominately Sunni, will be unsafe to vote in Sunday's elections. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7405578)
• Yuliya Tymoshenko is appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine as one of President Viktor Yushchenko's first official acts, before a state visit in Moscow. Her post still requires ratification by the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament. (Kyiv Post) (http://www.kyivpost.com/top/22236/) (Guardian) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4752377,00.html)
• New "Wall of Names" holocaust memorial is unveiled in Paris. The site will be officially opened on Thursday. (Reuters) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23434409.htm) (Haaretz) (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/530897.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4200543.stm)
• In Sudan, leader of Sudan People's Liberation Army John Garang says that the northern government would have to say why the country should stay united. SPLM leadership is to ratify the peace deal with the Khartoum government later. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4200375.stm)
• JP Morgan Chase bank apologizes for its predecessors Canal Bank and Citizens' Bank which accepted slaves as collateral. (CBS2) (http://cbs2chicago.com/marketwatch/local_story_020225802.html) (Vanguard) (http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/business/b224012005.html) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4193797.stm)
• In Kenya, attorney general Amos Wako gives an order to drop charges against journalist Kamau Ngotho. Ngotho was charged with libel after he wrote about government corruption. (Legalbrief) (http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20050124090929424) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4194303.stm)
• In South Africa, 40 members of the country's parliament will be charged with fraud for using parliamentary travel vouchers worth 17.5 million rand illegally. (IAfrica) (http://iafrica.com/news/sa/340435.htm) (IOL) (http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20050123143202363C599689) (Guardian) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/southafrica/story/0,13262,1396902,00.html)
• In India, priest Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, his deputy Vijayendra Saraswathi and various other people have been charged for murder. Saraswathi has been released on bail after two months in prison and denies involvement. (NDTV) (http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=Seerarrest&slug=Kanchi+Mutt+awaits+seer's+return&id=67282&callid=1&category=National) (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4194291.stm)
• In the United Kingdom, Alan Roy Williams, a doctor who gave evidence against Sally Clark who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of her two sons, is charged with serious professional misconduct. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4195213.stm)
• North Korea has cut its food rations to half the amount that the United Nations World Food Program recommends. U.N. officials say the cut appears temporary and is not unprecedented in a country where fluctuations in public food distribution are regular. (Reuters Alertnet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SEO261659.htm)
• According to Finland-based Crisis Management Initiative group, Free Aceh Movement and the Indonesian government have agreed to negotiate for ceasefire in Helsinki. (Bloomberg) (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=aJyYHwV7K4qM&refer=asia) (London Free Press) (http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/01/24/908255-sun.html) (Reuters Alertnet) (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23410981.htm)
• A 6.2 Richter scale earthquake in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, results in one reported death. (ChannelNewsAsia) (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/128838/1/.html) (Malaysia Star) (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/1/24/latest/20950Indonesia&sec=latest)

January 23 2005

• The police chief in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, is shot dead. The new Somali government is slated to begin relocating from Kenya on February 1st. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4200083.stm)
• Conflict in Iraq:
  • U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte confirms there is an investigation into the alleged loss or transfer of $300 million USD to a Beirut bank by Iraqi interim Defence Minister, Hazim al-Shaalan to purchase arms. (ABC AU) (http://www.abc.com.au/news/newsitems/200501/s1287364.htm)
  • The U.S. military is planning to deploy remote-controlled robots armed with machine guns and night vision to combat insurgents in Iraq. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4199935.stm)
• Viktor Yushchenko is invested as president of Ukraine at a ceremony in Kiev before a large crowd of supporters and attended by numerous heads of state and other dignitaries from around the world. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4198957.stm) (AP) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=1&u=/ap/20050123/ap_on_re_eu/ukraine_president)

January 22 2005

• The Washington Post alleges that the Pentagon is running a clandestine military organization known as the Strategic Support Branch which is under the direct control of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Allegedly it is used to bypass the limitations of working with the Central Intelligence Agency. The Pentagon stated "There is no unit that is directly reportable to the secretary of defense for clandestine operations" and the department "is not attempting to 'bend' statutes to fit desired activities". (Washington Post/MSNBC) (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6856550/) (Yahoo News) (http://in.news.yahoo.com/050123/43/2j6oz.html#Scene_1)
• The Tsunami relief concert is held at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, in aid of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, raising over £1.25 million (€1.8 million or $2.4 million), making it the biggest charity concert in the United Kingdom since Live Aid in 1985. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4195985.stm)
• U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cancels his attendance at the Munich Security Conference in February due to a war crimes investigation filed against him in Germany by the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights in connection with detainee abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. (Expatica) (http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=26&story_id=16014&name=Rumsfeld+scraps+Munich+visitover+%27war+crimes%27+probe) (DW) (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1465263,00.html)
• Song Xiuyan is confirmed by the 3rd Plenum of the 10th Qinghai People's Congress as Governor of Qinghai, making her the only female Provincial Governor in the People's Republic of China at the time. (ChineseNewsNet) (http://www4.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/Mainland/zxs_2005-03-29_556207.shtml)
• Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades agrees to a ceasefire if Israel will promise to fully halt military operations inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including arrest raids and assassinations and releases Palestinian prisoners from its jails. The militant group rejects Israel's offer to ease operations. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4198271.stm) (Reuters) (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-01-22T174931Z_01_N22668666_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-MIDEAST-DC.XML) (Haaretz) (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/530080.html)
• Conflict in Iraq:
  • The Association of Muslim Scholars negotiates the release of 8 Chinese hostages kidnapped by the Islamic Resistance Movement. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4197405.stm) (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7400128)
  • The International Organization for Migration extends voter registration for 2 days for Iraqis living abroad due to low turnout. Ansar al-Sunna announces it has executed 15 kidnapped Iraqi National Guard. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4198071.stm) (Reuters) (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-01-22T191401Z_01_N22667410_RTRIDST_0_INTERNATIONAL-IRAQ-ELECTIONS-EXPATRIATES-DC.XML)
• Eid ul-Adha the second in the series of Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate.
• In the basement of a hotel in the New York City borough of Queens, people hold a memorial service for the late Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang. This memorial follows the one held in the Shangri-la hotel yesterday. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/23/nyregion/23protest.html)