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, BritonSaajid 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)
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)
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)
In Togo, 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)
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).
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Ecuador, José Gallardo , a former defence minister, is arrested accused of misusing public funds to secretly purchase outdated weapons (Reuters AlertNet)(BBC)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 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)
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)
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]
In Colombia, there is a ceremony to mark the three-year anniversary of the capture of Ingrid Betancourt, former Colombian presidential candidate who is still a FARChostage. She was captured February 2002. Her relatives are pressing government to make a prisoner swap for her and other hostages. (Newsday)(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)
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)
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)
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)
Police in Northern Ireland 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)
An Iraqi rebel group calling itself the Army of Warriors claims responsibility for the kidnapping of two Indonesianjournalists. The journalists had been last seen near Ramadi in central Iraq three days ago. (BBC)(Al Jazeera)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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 NobelPeace Prize laureates. (BBC)
A fire in a mosque in the Iranian capital of Tehran leaves 59 people dead. The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but it is believed that a kerosene heater was left near a thick flammable curtain. (IranMania)(BBC)
Israel is considering new security measures which could see right-wing Israeli opposed to the planned pullout from the Gaza Strip being detained. (BBC)
A car bomb explodes in central Beirut, Lebanon killing former Prime MinisterRafiq Hariri and at least 9 others. Approximately 100 further people are injured in the attack. A little known group calling itself "Victory and Jihad in Greater Syria" claim responsibility. (CNN)(Reuters)(BBC)
In 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)
Results from the Iraqi election show that a Shi'a group approved by Grand AyatollahAli 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)
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)
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)
Eason Jordan resigns from his posts at CNN, where he has been both chief news executive and executive vice president. The controversy that led to his resignation began at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last month where, witnesses claim, he said that the U.S. military had targeted and killed journalists. (Miami Herald)
At least eight people are killed during a jail riot in Córdoba, Argentina. All hostages taken by the prisoners were later freed by police. (Yahoo! News)
An estimated two million Iranians demonstrate against a possible USpre-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)
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)
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.
Rumaisa Rahman, an Indian baby who is believed to be the smallest baby in history to survive complications related to being of a relatively small size during birth, goes home six months after she was born in a hospital in Chicago. She was born weighing 8.6 ounces (244 grams). (Calcutta Telegraph)(Khalsa News)(Reuters)
In Peru, 5 die and 19 are injured when two gangs clash in the maximum security Lurigancho prison outside Lima. (Bloomberg)(BBC)
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 NigeriandictatorSani 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)
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)
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)
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)
EnglishwomanEllen 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)
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)
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)
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)
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 Germanunemployment 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).
Jerusalem/Israel: Horst Koehler, President of Germany, has a special audience in the Knesset, the highest chamber of Israel. Speaking in German, he says that Germany has to fight more aggressively against anti-semitism and far-right parties. (BBC World).
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)
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)
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)
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)
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.
