February


2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December

Ongoing events

Haiti Rebellion
Bloody Sunday Inquiry
Exploration of Mars: Rovers
Bird flu
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Same-sex marriage in the United States
SCO v. IBM
War on Terrorism: Afghanistan Feb. 2004
Occupation of Iraq

Elections

2004 Australian federal election
2004 Canadian Federal Election
  Conservative leadership race
  Liberal sponsorship scandal
2004 European Parliament Election
2004 Taiwan Presidential Election
2004 Spanish General Election
2004 U.S. Presidential Election
  Democratic presidential nomination

February 29, 2004

February 28, 2004

February 27, 2004

February 26, 2004

  • IDF soldiers fire against protesters against the Israeli West Bank barrier killing two and injuring 60, several of them seriously. (palestine-info.co.uk) (http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/am/publish/article_4825.shtml)
  • The United States lifts a ban on travel to Libya, ending travel restrictions to the nation that had lasted for 23 years. (Reuters) (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4447998)
  • Expressions by Disney shareholders of a lack of confidence in its management continue. Five more state pension funds announced that they will not vote for the re-election of chairman (and chief executive) Michael Eisner at next week's meeting. These pension funds – New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia – are following the lead of California – CalPERS made its announcement to the same effect Wednesday. (TheStreet) (http://www.thestreet.com/p/_tscs/rmoney/jamesjcramer/10145911.html)
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin opens the 2,165 km (1,345 mile) Chita-to-Khabarovsk Amur Highway connecting the Russian Far East alongside the Pacific to the rest of the country. Construction of the highway was begun in 1978. (Guardian) (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3793188,00.html) (Tri-Valley Herald) (http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86~10669~1985699,00.html)
  • Swiss police are investigating a man in the killing of an air traffic controller. The suspect apparently lost his family in a midair collision in 2002; the murder victim was on duty at the time of the crash.
  • Microsoft's Japan headquarters are raided on suspicion of violating anti-monopoly laws by the fair trade watchdog. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3488186.stm) (Mainichi) (http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20040226p2a00m0dm004000c.html)
  • Israel raids four banks in the West Bank seizing currency amounting to over 6 million dollars from accounts which it alleged had been used to fund terrorism. Israel claims it will use the funds for humanitarian projects in Palestinian areas. The U.S. State Department criticized the Israeli raid, and Palestinian Arabs condemned it utterly. (VOA) (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=F3713E59-ED0B-4EFB-9EFEF60D085BF0B0) (SVT) (http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=1805&a=180907)
  • Clare Short, former British Cabinet Minister, alleges on the BBC Today radio programme that British spies regularly intercept UN communications, including those of Kofi Annan, its Secretary-General. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3488548.stm) (Scotsman) (http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2578236) The claim comes the day after Katharine Gun, formerly an employee of British spy agency GCHQ, had a charge of breaching the Official Secrets Act dropped after prosecutors offered no evidence, apparently on the advice of the Attorney-General. Gun had admitted leaking American plans to bug UN delegates to a newspaper. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3485072.stm)
  • Same-sex marriage in the United States:
    • The mayor of New Paltz, a village in New York State, announces that the town will start performing civil marriages for same-sex couples. It will not attempt to issue marriage certificates, but married couples in New York State have six months from the date of their wedding to seek a certificate. (365Gay) (http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/02/022604nyWed.htm)
    • Rosie O'Donnell marries her partner Kelli Carpenter at San Francisco City Hall. (AP) (http://www.canada.com/entertainment/story.asp?id=FBE5BCB2-5EF7-4287-80D5-7A1478A7D271)

February 25, 2004

  • Maysun Al-Atawana, director of family and children affairs in the Palestinian Authority's social affairs ministry, claims that Israeli shelling of heavily populated suburbs was targeting children. She noted that 35.5% of casualties among the Palestinians wounded since start of the Aqsa intifada in late September 2000 were children including 1.4% less than five years old. (palestine-info.co.uk) (http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/am/publish/article_4794.shtml)
  • Libya's Foreign Minister, Abdulrahman Shalgam, issues a statement reaffirming its acceptance of culpability for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, after the Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem, in an interview for the BBC, claimed Libya had "bought peace" with the $2.7bn compensation payments, but had not accepted guilt. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3487562.stm) (Mercury News) (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/8042204.htm)
  • A wolverine, the state animal of Michigan, has been spotted in that state for the first time in 200 years.
  • The California Public Employees' Retirement System, CalPERS, a major shareholder in The Walt Disney Company, indicated that it will withhold its votes from Disney chief executive Michael Eisner at next week's shareholders' meeting, a new sign of a growing rebellion against Eisner's leadership, (TheStreet) (http://www.thestreet.com/tech/georgemannes/10145572.html)
  • The controversial film, The Passion of the Christ opens in theaters in the United States. Jewish leaders fear the film will stoke antisemitism, while some Christians laud the realistic depiction of the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life. (Washington Post) (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2863-2004Feb24.html) A woman in Wichita, Kansas collapses and dies of a massive heart attack while viewing the harrowing Crucifixion scene. (KAKE) (http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/653662.html)
  • Pakistani leaders pressure Muslim militants in Kashmir to declare a ceasefire with India. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee tries to gain Muslim votes for his Bharatiya Janata Party with the prospect of peace with Pakistan. (Reuters) (http://in.news.yahoo.com/040225/137/2bnd1.html) (Reuters) (http://in.news.yahoo.com/040225/137/2bo5l.html)
  • In the northern Uganda city of Lira, protests and riots cause at least nine deaths after the Ugandan army announces it killed 21 members of the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group, in retaliation for an attack on a refugee camp at Barlonyo. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/africa/02/25/uganda.massacre.rebels.ap/index.html)
  • King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia, who recently made a statement in support of same-sex marriage, responded to an "insulting" e-mail by announcing he is not gay. The king is 81 years old and has 14 children. (Telegraph) (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/02/25/wcam25.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/02/25/ixworld.html)
  • Guantanamo Bay: The Pentagon announces that the first charges are to be filed against two of the six hundred detainees of the detention camp, but human rights groups have had their request to observe the military tribunals turned down. The defendants are named as Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al-Bahlul and Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi, both alleged to be Al-Qaeda members and charged with "conspiracy to commit war crimes". (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3518653.stm) The Pentagon also confirms that even if cleared by the tribunals, the defendants may still not be released. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3487958.stm)

February 24, 2004

February 23, 2004

February 22, 2004

February 21, 2004

February 20, 2004

February 19, 2004

February 18, 2004

  • The California state agency that records marriages states that forms that have been altered, which San Francisco has done slightly on its same-sex marriage licenses, will not be registered. (Washington Times) (http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040219-123003-6956r.htm)
  • An internal memo (http://www.99mac.se/vbindex.php?id=34#more) suggests that Apple Computer has paid off its remaining 3 million dollars debts and is now debt-free with 4.8 billion dollars in cash.
  • At least 200 people are reported to have been killed in Iran after rail wagons carrying sulphur, petrol and fertiliser derailed and exploded. The accident happened near the town of Neyshabur in Khorasan province. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3498851.stm)
  • Occupation of Iraq: Suicide bombers in two vehicles killed 11 Iraqis and wounded 58 foreign troops and 44 Iraqis near the entrance to a Polish-manned coalition logistics base near the town of Hilla in central Iraq south of Baghdad. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3498577.stm)
  • Howard Dean officially ends his campaign for President of the United States, after placing a distant third in the Wisconsin primary elections of February 17, 2004. "I am no longer actively pursuing the presidency," he announced.
  • Opinion poll results indicate either of the two main Democratic presidential candidates would beat President Bush by at least 10 points. (VOA) (http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=962CC8A6-5A56-4E5F-9BCBDCAAE4E0329A)
  • Israel is condemned by the International Committee of the Red Cross for the location of the Israeli West Bank barrier. The aid agency declared that the barrier at its current position was contrary to international humanitarian law and had caused extensive damage to Palestinian land and property and deprived thousands of Palestinians access to water, health care and education. (ICRC) (http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList4/F06BB484D900B227C1256E3E00324D96)
  • A federal appeals court in the United States ruled that district court judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum, presiding judge in the much-watched Martha Stewart trial, was in the wrong in barring the media from the voir dire process at the beginning of that trial. (AP) (http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2093737)
  • Scientists at NASA and the ESA witness a supermassive black hole in galaxy RXJ1242-11 graze, partially consume, and tear apart a star. This is the first time such a phenomenon has been observed. (NASA) (http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/feb/HQ_04061_black_hole.html)

February 17, 2004

  • Bishop Thomas O'Brien, the former head of Arizona's largest Roman Catholic diocese, is convicted of a hit and run making him the first Catholic bishop in the United States to be convicted of a felony. (Washington Post) (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48397-2004Feb17.html)
  • Democratic presidential nomination: Wisconsin held its primary election. John Kerry got 40% of the vote, followed by John Edwards with 34%, and Howard Dean with 18%.
  • The US FAA announces it will attempt to require a fuel tank inerting system in most large airliners in an effort to prevent fuel tank explosions such as the one which apparently destroyed TWA Flight 800 in 1996. The order could take two years to complete and then would require a retrofit of about 3,800 large Boeing and Airbus jets over the next seven years. (Newsday) (http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-faa-release,0,5969466.story?coll=ny-business-headlines) (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/politics/17CND-FUEL.html?ex=1077685200&en=a6919999ea77849f&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE)
  • A CNN survey finds that children made more than 11,000 allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. The 4,450 accused priests represent about 4 percent of the 110,000 priests who served during the 52 years covered by the study. Nearly 3 percent, or 133 of the priests, had 10 or more allegations. (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/02/16/church.abuse/index.html)
  • Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, a top Vatican official arrives in Moscow for sensitive talks with the Russian Orthodox hierarchy, which accuses the Catholic Church of aggressive proselytizing in traditionally Orthodox lands. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Russia-Vatican.html) (Russian Orthodox Church) (http://www.mospat.ru/text/e--news/id/6388.html)
  • An outbreak of dengue fever kills 91 people in Indonesia and infects thousands more. Health officials report that 4,500 people have been hospitalized for the mosquito-borne disease, mostly in the capital and other parts of East Java, including the city of Yogyakarta. The number hospitalized is double that of last year. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3495437.stm) (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Indonesia-Dengue-Fever.html)
  • A study published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests breast cancer is linked to the use of antibiotics. (Tucson Citizen) (http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=national&story_id=021703a1_antibiotics) (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/health/17CANC.html)
  • As expected, the board of directors of the Walt Disney Company unanimously rejects a hostile buyout offer by Comcast, saying the cable television giant's $66 billion bid is too low, but does not rule out accepting a higher bid in the future. (AP) (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/7971658.htm)
  • Cingular wins the auction for AT&T Wireless by offering to pay $40.7 billion to become the United States' largest wireless telephone company. (Forbes) (http://www.forbes.com/markets/newswire/2004/02/17/rtr1263115.html)
  • Same-sex marriage in the United States: San Francisco Superior court Judge James L. Warner postpones any decision to block the city and county of San Francisco, California from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to void the 2,464 same-sex marriages that were performed in the city since February 12. This was on the grounds that the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund's order for San Francisco to "cease and desist issuing marriage licenses to and/or solemnizing marriages of same-sex couples; to show cause before this court..." had an improper semicolon; to do both, rather than one or the other, would have exceeded the judge's jurisdiction. (MSNBC) (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4251510/)

February 16, 2004

  • Temple in Jerusalem: An 800 year old wall holding back part of the hill jutting out from the Western Wall leading up to the Mughrabim Gate partially collapses. Authorities believe a recent earthquake may be responsible. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3494035.stm) (Sydney Morning Herald) (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/16/1076779901850.html)
  • India and Pakistan begin formal peace negotiations, with Kashmir on the agenda. (BBC) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3486731.stm)
  • L. Paul Bremer, the United States administrator of Iraq states he will veto any interim constitution that would make Islam "the chief source of law", as opposed to "a source of inspiration for the law." Many Iraqi women express fears that the rights they hold under Iraq's longtime secular system may be denied them in the interim constitution based upon Islam as "the chief source of law." (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq-Women.html)
  • The United States states that Afghanistan's elections scheduled for this June may have to be postponed because of security problems and the failure to register enough voters. Only 8 percent of eligible Afghan voters have been enrolled to date. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/16/international/asia/16AFGH.html?hp)
  • The Taiwan (ROC)'s pro-independence president, Chen Shui-bian, states that Taiwan may eventually reunify with Mainland China. Nonetheless, Chen rejects the People's Republic of China's one country, two systems formula which was applied to Hong Kong and Macau. This is a new step for Chen who, shortly after taking office in 2000, had said unification was just one option—comments widely seen as a push for independence for the island. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-taiwan-china.html)
  • Same-sex marriage in the United States:
  • The territory of Nunavut, Canada, holds its second general election since its creation. Of the 19 members, one is chosen by acclamation. Eight members of the previous government are returned to office, and five are defeated. The members will elect a premier on March 5.

February 15, 2004

  • Iraqi lawyers say Saddam Hussein is unlikely to stand trial for at least another two years. (Hi Pakistan) (http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en54149&F_catID=&f_type=source)
  • United Nations Afghanistan envoy voices disdain at the "brutal and cold-blooded" murder of four deminers working to eradicate landmines in Afghanistan. (UN) (http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=9775&Cr=Afghanistan&Cr1=)
  • Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin goes on record that anyone found to be culpable in the sponsorship scandal, including himself, will be immediately discharged. The issue could delay the upcoming election until after the public enquiry is completed.
  • Same-sex marriage in the United States: Officials at the city and county of San Francisco, California turn away hundreds of would-be same-sex newlyweds after thousands of gay and lesbian couples show up to marry over the weekend. The city claims it can only handle between 400 and 600 marriages a day, or about one a minute. (365Gay) (http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/02/021604sfUpdt.htm) (AP) (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040215_814.html) (Washington Post) (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44385-2004Feb15.html) (USA Today) (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-02-15-gay-marriage-legal_x.htm) (SF Chronicle) (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/16/WEDDINGS.TMP)
  • Thousands of protestors in Madrid and other Spanish cities march in opposition to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The protests mark the one-year anniversary of the large protests against the U.S. invasion of Iraq. (Newsday) (http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/sns-ap-spain-iraq-protest,0,4992788.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines)
  • Scientists at the California Institute of Technology announce the discovery of a galaxy which is the farthest known object in the universe. The galaxy was found with the help of the magnification effect from the Abell 2218 galaxy cluster. (AP) (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/20040215-1033-ca-farthestgalaxy.html)
  • Russian rescue workers are digging through what remains of an indoor water park in Moscow after the roof collapsed yesterday. At least 25 people have been killed, more than 100 people are injured, and at least 17 people are missing. (AP) (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040215_606.html) (CNN) (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/02/15/russia.roof.collapse/)
  • Two fires sweep through China, one in a shopping center and the other in a temple, killing at least 90 and injuring 71. (AP) (http://apnews.myway.com//article/20040215/D80NOIU00.html)
  • The British government draws up plans to break up the BBC in the wake of the Hutton inquiry. (Times) (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1001928,00.html) (AFP) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040214/wl_uk_afp/britain_politics_media_040214223216)
  • Iraqi police arrest Mohammed Zimam Abdul-Razaq, a member of the Baath Party and number 41 on the U.S. military's list of most wanted Iraqis. (AP) (http://apnews.myway.com//article/20040215/D80NPEK00.html)
  • Iran offers to sell nuclear reactor fuel on the international market under the supervision of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. (NYT) (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iran-Nuclear.html)

February 14, 2004

February 13, 2004

  • Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Mars surface temperatures appear to vary more frequently and dramatically than on Earth, preliminary data from NASA's Opportunity rover shows. [10] (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/martian_winds_040213.html)
  • Logging, conducted illegally, is destroying the equatorial rain forests of Indonesian Borneo. [11] (http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,62252,00.html)
  • Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announces alleged al-Qaida and Taliban fighters, who are being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may apply annually for release. [12] (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/terrorism/jan-june04/detainees_2-13.html)
  • Scientists announce the possible discovery of a 10 billion trillion trillion (1×1034) carat diamond, 2,500 miles (4,000 km) across and 50 light-years away from Earth in the core of the decayed star BPM 37093 in the constellation of Centaurus. [13] (http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/press/pr0407.html)
  • Ivan Rybkin, a Russian presidential candidate and fierce critic of president Putin, holds a press conference in London, stating that during his recent disappearance for several days he was drugged and made the subject of a compromising videotape. [14] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34517-2004Feb11.html)
  • President Bush opens his National Guard file for resolving questions about Vietnam era military service. Reportedly, released papers do not document Bush's Alabama service. Roswell businessman John Calhoun, 69, remembers Lt. George W. Bush worked weekends at an Air Force base in Montgomery. [15] (http://www.news24houston.com/content/headlines/?ArID=23901&SecID=2) [16] (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4358362) [17] (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/13/elec04.prez.bush.texas.records/) [18] (http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/7951333.htm) [19] (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-02-13-bush-alabama_x.htm) [20] (http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=1645650&nav=0s3dKpg8) [21] (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2001857853_guard14.html) [22] (http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/00114103075.htm) [23] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40964-2004Feb13.html) [24] (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/13/eveningnews/main600337.shtml) [25] (http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0204/14alabush.html)
  • Democratic presidential nomination: Former