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Current events Portal

February 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Image File history File links Portal. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → 31 December 2005 (Saturday) 25-year-old Scottish human rights worker Kate Burton and her parents are freed unharmed in the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian gunmen who kidnapped them two days earlier. ... January 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accuses European nations of trying to complete the Holocaust by creating a Jewish camp Israel in the Middle East. ... March 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Events 1 March 2006 (Wednesday) Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase announces that the 2006 Fiji general elections will be held in the second week of May 2006 from the 6th to the 13th. ... April 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Events 1 April 2006 (Saturday) Marcos Pontes, Brazils first astronaut, reaches the International Space Station. ... May 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → May 1, 2006 (Monday) Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association outraged Vatican by planning to ordain another bishop, Liu Xinhong in Anhui Province. ... June 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → June 1, 2006 (Thursday) Extraordinary renditions. ... Early elections in November are announced in the Netherlands. ... August 2006 is the eighth month of that year, and has yet to occur. ... September 2006 is the ninth month of 2006 and has begun on a Friday. ... October 2006 is the tenth month of that year and has yet to occur. ... November 2006 is the eleventh month of that year and has yet to occur. ... December 2006 is the twelfth and final month of that year and has yet to occur. ...

Wikinews has news related to: Obituaries // The following is a list of notable deaths in 2006. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Grandpa Al Lewis in his television role Al Lewis (30 April 1923 – 3 February 2006) was an American actor best known for his role as Grandpa on the television series The Munsters. ... Romano Mussolini (born September 26, 1927 in Carpena, Forlì, Italy, died February 3, 2006 in Rome) was the third and youngest son of Benito Mussolini. ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Betty Friedan, 1960 Betty Friedan (February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist, activist and writer. ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Ron Greenwood CBE (November 11, 1921 — February 8, 2006) was an English football player and manager, best known for being manager of the English national football team from 1977 until 1982. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Sir Frederick Alfred Laker (August 6, 1922 – February 9, 2006), better known as Sir Freddie Laker, was a British airline entrepreneur. ... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Juan Soriano (b. ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Peter Bradford Benchley (May 8, 1940 – February 11, 2006) was an American author best known for writing the novel Jaws and co-writing the screenplay for its highly successful film adaptation. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... In Between Jobs (2005), album cover Lynden David Hall (May 7, 1974 – February 14, 2006) was a singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Sun Yun-suan (1913–2006) Sun Yun-suan (Chinese: 孫運璿; pinyin: SÅ«n Yùnxuán) (November 11, 1913 – February 15, 2006) was a Chinese engineer and politician. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Ernie Stautner (born April 20, 1925 in Prinzing-by-Cham, Germany- died February 16, 2006 Carbondale, Colorado) was a former American football player and coach. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Curt Gowdy (born July 31, 1919, in Green River, Wyoming) is a former American sportscaster. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Atwar Bahjat reporting in Iraq Atwar Bahjat (1976 – 22 February 2006) was an Iraqi journalist and reporter for al-Arabiya television who was abducted and brutally murdered while covering a story. ... Sinnathamby Rajaratnam (25 February 1915 – 22 February 2006), was a Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore from 1980 to 1985 and a long time Minister and member of the cabinet from 1959 to 1988. ... February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Knotts as Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (a role which earned him five Emmy Awards), and as... McCloud featuring Dennis Weaver William Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 â€“ February 24, 2006) was an American television actor, best known for his roles as sidekick Chester Goode from 1955 to 1964 on TVs first adult Western Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama McCloud, which ran... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 — February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction writer, one of very few African-American women in the field. ... McGavin as Kolchak in The Night Stalker (1972) William Lyle Richardson (May 7, 1922 – February 25, 2006), who adopted the name Darren McGavin, was an American actor best known for playing the title role in the television horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and also his portrayal in the movie... February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Linda Smith Linda Smith (29 January 1958 – 27 February 2006) was an English stand-up comic and comedy writer. ... Robert Lee Scott Jr. ... Neve and Gliz, the 2006 Olympics mascots, on display in Turin The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. ... Lobbyist Jack Abramoff was featured on the cover of TIME magazine, the week of January 9, 2006, after his guilty plea. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Ariel Sharon. ... The global spread of H5N1 in birds is considered a significant pandemic threat. ... The salt pit in Afghanistan Black site is a military term that has been used by United States intelligence agencies to refer to any classified facility that is officially denied by the US government. ... The DP World controversy began in February 2006 and rose to prominence as a national security debate in the United States. ... Affected countries The 2006 Horn of Africa food crisis is an acute shortage of food affecting four Horn of Africa countries: Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia. ... As of 2006, Iran is not known to possess weapons of mass destruction and has signed treaties repudiating possession of them, including the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). ... A Liberal leadership convention will be held no later than March 2007, but could be held as early as late 2006, to replace Paul Martin as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. ... The 2005 Malawi food crisis is a severe food security crisis affecting more than five million people in Malawi, especially in the south, caused by the failure to harvest sufficient staple maize due to a drought. ... Baldgate (also known as botakgate and bald 11) is a Malaysian scandal that began on January 30, 2006, when Malaysian police detained eleven senior citizens for playing mahjong, a gambling game, and shaved their heads. ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ... North Indian cyclone seasons 1995-1999 2000-2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 The 2006 North Indian cyclone season has no bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Wikinews has news related to: Hurricane season, 2006 The 2006 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it runs year-round in 2006, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November. ... The Philippines is currently under a state of emergency, announced by presidential spokeperson Ignacio Bunye on the morning of February 24, 2006. ... The 2005-06 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season ran year-round. ... Southern Leyte mudslide Southern Leyte mudslide Saint Bernard within Southern Leyte. ... The Lords Resistance Army (LRA)[1], formed in 1987, is a rebel paramilitary group operating mainly in northern Uganda. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The wreckage of a commuter bus in Jerusalem after a suicide bombing on Tuesday, 18 June 2002. ... Combatants factions of the SLA Justice & Equality Mvmnt Janjaweed Government of Sudan Minnawi-faction of the SLA Commanders SLA: ? JEM: ? Janjaweed: ? Sudan: Omar al-Bashir SLA: Minni Minnawi Casualties 300,000 civilians killed The Darfur conflict is an ongoing armed conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, mainly between... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... Armed insurgents French troops try to separate the belligerents. ... The Nepal Civil War, a conflict between Maoist rebels and the government of Nepal, was launched by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on February 13, 1996. ... now. ... Combatants Government-aligned forces, Hutu-aligned forces Uganda-aligned forces, Tutsi-aligned forces Commanders Government: Laurent-Désiré Kabila, Joseph Kabila Rwanda: Paul Kagame, Uganda: Yoweri Museveni, others Strength  ?  ? Casualties  ?  ? The Second Congo War was a conflict that took place largely in the territory of Democratic Republic of the Congo... Flag of Pattani Raya, a symbol of Pattani separatism The South Thailand insurgency is a separatist campaign centered in the Pattani region, three southern provinces of Thailand, with violence increasingly spilling over into neighbouring provinces and threatening to extend up to the national capital in Bangkok. ... This electoral calendar 2006 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2006 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Ugandan general election of 2006 is scheduled to take place in March. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Tokelau will hold a United Nations-supervised referendum on self-determination from 11 February to 15 February, 2006. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... A presidential election will take place in Cape Verde on 12 February 2006. ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The 2006 Elections in Haiti, to replace the interim government of Gerard Latortue put in place after the 2004 Haiti rebellion, were delayed four times after having been originally scheduled for October and November 2005. ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Costa Rica held a presidential election on 5 February 2006. ... Alberto Kenya Fujimori, (born in Peru[1] on July 28, 1938), also known as Kenya Fujimori (藤森 謙也 Fujimori Kenya), was President of Peru from July 28, 1990 to November 17, 2000. ... General Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte[1] (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military junta that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, and which came to power in a violent coup which deposed the democratically elected Socialist President Salvador Allende. ... The Iraq Special Tribunal is a body established under Iraqi national law to try Iraqi nationals or residents accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or other serious crimes committed between 1968 and 2003. ... Saddam Hussein during his first appearance before the Iraqi Special Tribunal The trials of Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq, are being held under the Iraqi Special Tribunal. ... The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), is a body of the United Nations (UN) established to... Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević   (IPA Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан Милошевић) (20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was President of Serbia and of Yugoslavia. ... Kulayev following raid A native of Engenoi, Chechnya, Nur-Pashi Kulayev is thought to be the sole survivor of the 32 hostage-takers in the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis, although Shamil Basayev denies the claim, stating that one other escaped[1] 24, and an unemployed carpenter at the time... Leo OConnor and David Keogh have been charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act in the United Kingdom. ... Brian Nichols Brian Gene Nichols (born December 10, 1971 in Baltimore, Maryland) is accused of shooting and killing Judge Rowland W. Barnes, court reporter Julie Brandau, and deputy sheriff Sgt. ... Kenneth Lee Ken Lay (April 15, 1942 – July 5, 2006), was an American businessman, best known for his role in the widely-reported corruption scandal that led to the downfall of Enron Corporation. ... Jeffrey Keith Jeff Skilling (born November 25, 1953) is the former CEO of Enron Corporation, who was convicted of federal felony charges relating to Enrons financial collapse. ... Thomas Dale Tom DeLay (born April 8, 1947) is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Sugar Land, Texas, the former House Majority Leader, and a prominent member of the Republican Party. ... Zacarias Moussaoui (Arabic: زكريا موسوي) (born May 30, 1968) is a French citizen of Moroccan descent, and was convicted of conspiring to kill Americans as part of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. ...

1 February 2006 (Wednesday)

• Governor of West Virginia Joe Manchin asks for a halt in coal mining following two more coal mining deaths in the state that saw fourteen people die in coal mining disasters in January. (CNN).
• More than 200 Israeli settlers and Israeli Security Forces are injured when the Security Forces brutally beat the settlers of the Amona outpost in the West Bank. (Haaretz)
• The controversy surrounding the Muhammad cartoons escalates as newspapers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain republish the controversial pictures in defiance of widespread Muslim protests in the Middle East and elsewhere.(BBC)
• The Latin American TV station teleSUR, backed by the Venezuelan government, has signed a co-operation agreement with the Arabic channel al-Jazeera. (BBC)
• Shares in Google fall dramatically after the company reported profits below Wall Street estimates. $12 billion in market value was lost. (AP)
• Astronomers measure the size of newly discovered dwarf planet Eris as larger than Pluto with 84% probability. (astro.uni-bonn.de), (AP via Yahoo!)

February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... list of West Virginia Governors Arthur I. Boreman Republican 1863-1869 Daniel D. T. Farnsworth Republican 1869-1869 William E. Stevenson Republican 1869-1871 John J. Jacob Democratic 1871-1877 Henry M. Mathews Democratic 1877-1881 Jacob B. Jackson Democratic 1881-1885 Emanuel W. Wilson Democratic 1885-1890 Aretas B... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... Joseph Manchin III (born August 24, 1947 in Farmington, West Virginia) was elected Governor of West Virginia in the 2004 election and took office on January 17, 2005. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... January 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accuses European nations of trying to complete the Holocaust by creating a Jewish camp Israel in the Middle East. ... An Israeli settlement refers to a housing development for Israeli Jewish settlers in areas which came under the control of Israel as a result of the 1967 Six-Day War beyond the boundaries defined by the 1949 Armistice Agreements. ... The Israeli Security Forces (ISF) are several organizations collectively responsible for Israels security. ... Amona is a religious settlement in Samaria in the West Bank, on a hill overlooking the long established Jewish settlement of Ofra. ... The image is page three of Jyllands-Postens culture section from 2005-09-30 with the twelve drawings of Muhammad. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... A television station is a type of radio station that broadcasts both audio and video to television receivers in a particular area. ... For the unrelated telecommunications company in Suriname, see Telesur (Suriname). ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... It should also be noted that Aljazeera. ... Google, Inc. ... View up Wall Street from Pearl Street NYSE and Broad Street view from Wall Street Wall Street is the name of a narrow street in lower Manhattan running east from Broadway downhill to the East River. ... Artists impression of Pluto (background) and Charon (foreground). ... Eris (IPA or ), officially designated 136199 Eris, is the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system. ... Adjective Plutonian Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 0. ...

2 February 2006 (Thursday)

• A leaked memo in the UK, detailing a conversation between U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2003, has revealed that Blair intended to follow the US into Iraq even without a UN resolution, and that Bush considered provoking a response from Iraq using falsely marked Lockheed U-2 spy planes to provide an excuse for war. (Guardian)
• Venezuela has expelled U.S. Navy Cmdr. John Correa, a military attaché at the U.S. embassy in Caracas, on suspicion of espionage. (Newsweek) (BBC)
• Representative John Boehner of Ohio becomes the U.S. House Majority Leader, beating out acting majority leader Roy Blunt in a house vote. (New York Times)
• Royal Dutch Shell breaks the record for the highest ever annual profit for a British company with a total of £13.12bn (BBC)
• The oil tanker Seabulk Pride, carrying approx 100,000 barrels (approx. 16 million L) of oil, runs aground in the port of Nikiski, Alaska. (BBC)
• The mobile phones of high ranking Greek government officials, including Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis have been revealed to have been tapped by unknown eavesdroppers. (Reuters) (Athens News Agency)

February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in North East England. ... This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... The Lockheed U-2R/TR-1 in flight The U-2, nicknamed Dragon Lady, is a single-seat, single-engine, high-altitude surveillance aircraft flown by the United States Air Force. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... Nickname: La Sultana del Avila (English:The Avilas Sultan) La Sucursal del Cielo (English:Branch of Heaven) Motto: Ave María Santísima, sin pecado concebida, en el primer instante de su ser natural. ... John Andrew Boehner (IPA pronunciation: ) (born November 17, 1949), is an American politician of the Republican Party who serves as House Majority Leader, and a U.S. Representative from the eighth congressional district of Ohio, which includes parts of the city Dayton as well as several southwestern counties along the... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... The Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives acts as the leader of the party that has a majority control of the seats in the house (currently at least 218 of the 435 seats). ... Roy D. Blunt (born January 10, 1950) is a Republican politician from Missouri, currently representing that states 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. ... Royal Dutch Shell PLC is a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest energy corporations in the world, and one of the six supermajors (vertically integrated private-sector oil, natural gas, and petrol (gasoline) companies). ... A tanker is usually a vehicle carrying large amounts of liquid fuel. ... The Seabulk Pride is an oil tanker, which ran aground in in the port of Nikiski, Alaska on February 2, 2006. ... The barrel is the name of several units of measurement. ... Nikiski is a census-designated place located in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,854 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... Costas Caramanlis Costas Caramanlis (in Greek Kostas or Konstantinos Karamanlis, Κωστας or Κωνσταντινος Καραμανλης) (born September 14, 1956) became Prime Minister of Greece on March... More than 100 mobile phone numbers belonging mostly to members of the Greek government and top-ranking civil servants were found to have been illegally tapped for a period of at least one year. ...

3 February 2006 (Friday)

• Jamal al-Bedawi, who masterminded the USS Cole bombing, and Fawaz al-Rabeiee, who planned the 2002 attack on the French tanker Limburg, escape from a prison in Yemen along with 22 other prisoners, 12 of whom were convicted members of Al-Qaida. (BBC)
• The United States expels Venezuelan diplomat Jeny Figueredo Frias in retaliation for yesterday's expulsion of suspected US spy John Correa from Venezuela. A State Department spokesman described the move as part of "tit-for-tat diplomatic games". (VOA)
• The International Atomic Energy Agency has deferred until Saturday a vote on whether to report Iran to the UN Security Council over concerns its nuclear programs may produce weapons. (CBC)
• A plot to assassinate President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia by shooting down his helicopter has been foiled. (Yahoo)
• Queues build up at vendors as the EuroMillions lottery offers a jackpot of €180 million after 11 successive rollovers (statistically expected once in 25 years). Some British vendors report a 1200% increase in sales. EuroMillions tickets are sold in Austria, Belgium. France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. An Irish woman won €115,436,126 last July. (BBC), (Guardian). UPDATE: The winning numbers were 9 21 30 39 50 with Lucky Star numbers 01 and 03; the jackpot was shared between three winning tickets, two in France and one in Portugal. (UK National Lottery)
• Two car bombs explode minutes apart in southern Baghdad, killing at least 16 people and wounding more than 90 others. (CNN)
• A strong earthquake registering magnitude 5.9 shakes northeastern Japan, but there is no danger of a tsunami. (CNN)
• Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:
  • Hezbollah fires some 30 mortar shells at IDF outposts along the northern Israeli border, lightly wounding an Israeli soldier. In response, Israeli Air Force strikes Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. (Reuters) (YNET)
  • At least three Qassam rockets are fired from Gaza by Palestinian militants at Israeli civilian targets. One rocket strikes a home in Kibbutz Karmiyah, injuring four people, including a one-year-old infant. The home belongs to a family recently evicted during Israel's 2005 unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip. (YNET)
• The United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld likens Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez to Adolf Hitler. In retaliation, Venezuelan Vice President José Vicente Rangel refers to the US as the Third Reich. (AP), (AP)
• The M/V al-Salam Boccaccio 98, a ferry carrying 1272 passengers and 105 crew, sinks in poor weather in the Red Sea while travelling between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. 314 people have been rescued so far. (BBC) (Wikinews)
• Dutch D66 party chairman Boris Dittrich resigns because the Dutch Government voted 'Yes' to Dutch participation in a NATO-led ISAF operation in Afghanistan. (Expatica)

February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikinews has news coverage related to this article: Masterminds of USS Cole and Limburg bombings escape from Yemeni prison Jamal Mohammed al-Bedawi (Arabic: جمال محمد البدوي) (born 1969) is a Yemeni who was convicted of helping plan the 2000 USS Cole bombing. ... The USS Cole bombing was a suicide bombing attack against the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored in the Yemeni port of Aden. ... Fawaz al-Rabeiee, born in Yemen, is an Al-Qaida terrorist. ... The Limburg tanker boming involved the October 6, 2002 bombing of the Limburg, a French oil tanker. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Look up Persona non grata in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States Government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... The IAEA flag The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA, internally often referred to as The Agency) was established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957. ... The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the organ of the United Nations charged with maintaining peace and security among nations. ... Assassin and Targeted killing redirect here. ... The President of Georgia (ge: საქართველოს პრეზიდენტი) is the head of the state of Georgia. ... Mikhail Saakashvili briefing the press at UN headquarters Mikhail Saakashvili (Georgian: მიხეილ სააკაშვილი) (born December 21, 1967, in Tbilisi) is a Georgian jurist and politician and the current President of Georgia. ... The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors. ... A map of the countries that participate in EuroMillions. ... A lottery is a popular form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. ... ISO 4217 Code EUR User(s) European Union; eurozone: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain; outside eurozone: Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City, Montenegro, Kosovo, French Guiana, Réunion, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte. ... A car bomb is a bomb that is placed in a car or truck and is intended to be exploded while there. ... Baghdad ( translit: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... An earthquake is a phenomenon that results from and is powered by the sudden release of stored energy in the crust that propagates seismic waves. ... The tsunami that struck Malé in the Maldives on December 26, 2004. ... The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a part of the greater Arab-Israeli conflict, is an ongoing conflict between the State of Israel and Palestinian people. ... This article is becoming very long. ... ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ההגנה לישראל Tsva Ha-Haganah Le-Yisrael ([Army] Force [for] the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces... This article is becoming very long. ... Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam (Arabic: عزّ الدين القسّام) (1882-1935) was born in Latakia, Syria and immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine. ... Map of the Gaza Strip from The World Factbook. ... The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... Israels unilateral disengagement plan (termed in Hebrew: תוכנית ההתנתקות Tokhnit HaHitnatkut or תכנית ההינתקות Tokhnit HaHinatkut in the Disengagement Plan Implementation Law), also known as the disengagement plan, Gaza Pull-Out plan, and Hitnatkut) was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government and enacted in August 2005, to... The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense, concerned with the armed services and The Secretary is appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate, and is a member of the Cabinet. ... Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9, 1932, Evanston, Illinois) is the 21st and current United States Secretary of Defense. ... List of Presidents of Venezuela José Antonio Páez (1830-1835) José María Vargas (1835-1837) Carlos Soublette (1837-1839) José Antonio Páez (1839-1843) Carlos Soublette (1843-1847) José Tadeo Monagas (1847-1851) José Gregorio Monagas (1851-1855) José Tadeo Monagas (1855-1858) Julián Castro (1858... Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (IPA: ) (born July 28, 1954) is the 53rd[1] and current President of Venezuela. ... Hitler redirects here. ... José Vicente Rangel - Chavezs GIRLFRIEND (born on 10 July 1929 in Caracas) is a Venezuelan politician. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... The M/V al-Salam Boccaccio 98 (Arabic: Salam سلام means peace) was an Egyptian ROPAX (passenger/roll on-roll off) ferry, operated by El Salam Maritime Transport, that sank on 3 February 2006 in the Red Sea en route from Duba, Saudi Arabia, to Safaga in southern Egypt. ... Location of the Red Sea Image:Red Seaimage. ... Democrats 66 (D66) (Dutch: Democraten 66) is a social liberal party in the Netherlands. ... Boris Ottokar Dittrich (Utrecht, July 21, 1955) is a politician in the Netherlands. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[1] (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ... ISAF can stand for: International Sailing Federation International Security Assistance Force This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

4 February 2006 (Saturday)

• Saddam Hussein aims to sue Tony Blair and George W. Bush for crimes against Iraq. (Scotsman)
• Georgia, USA. 17 human rights activists sentenced to prison including one 81 year old retired World War II Veteran for protesting outside Fort Benning military camp. (Scoop, New Zealand)
• Twenty-seven out of 35 countries on the IAEA's Board of Governors vote to refer the nuclear program of Iran to the United Nations Security Council out of concern over Iran's plans to enrich nuclear materials and to refuse IAEA inspection of the process. (BBC)
• A stampede at a sports stadium in Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, kills 73 and injures more than 320, mostly women. Tens of thousands of people had gathered to watch the anniversary presentation of the popular ABS-CBN early afternoon TV gameshow, Wowowee. (BBC) (CNN)
• The Danish, and as a consequence of sharing the same building, the Chilean and Swedish embassies in Damascus, are firebombed by protestors denouncing the publication of what they consider sacrilegious cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The Norwegian embassy is also burned. (BBC)

February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majidida al-Tikriti (Arabic: ‎ [1]; born April 28, 1937[2]), was the President and dictator of Iraq from July 16, 1979 until April 9, 2003, when he was deposed during the United States-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in North East England. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Fort Benning is a military base facility of the United States military southwest of Columbus, Georgia. ... The IAEA flag The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA, internally often referred to as The Agency) was established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957. ... This article is about Irans nuclear power program. ... The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the organ of the United Nations charged with maintaining peace and security among nations. ... Tragedy at the first anniversary of Wowowee in Pasig City The PhilSports Arena stampede happened at the PhilSports (formerly ULTRA) football stadium in Pasig City, Metro Manila in the Philippines on February 4, 2006. ... The City of Pasig is one of the cities and municipalities that comprise Metro Manila in the Philippines. ... For the article on the capital city of the Philippines, see Manila. ... Categories: Corporation stubs | Philippines | Television networks ... Wowowee was a popular noontime television game show that awarded cash and prizes to contestants who played various games. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ...

5 February 2006 (Sunday)

• American football: The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 21-10 in Super Bowl XL. (Sports Illustrated)
• Iran resumes most of its nuclear program after it was voted to be referred to the United Nations Security Council. However it says that it is still open for renegotiation. (BBC)
• The Danish embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, is set on fire by protesters because of the continued controversy over the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, and rumors of Qur'an burnings in Denmark. (BBC)
• Israel bombs a sport club in Gaza. When people came to help the wounded they fired another missile. When they manage to get a badly injured into a car a third missile is fired at the car killing three persons. (SFT)

February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... City Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Team colors Black and Gold Head Coach Bill Cowher Owner Dan Rooney General manager Kevin Colbert League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1933–present) Eastern Division (1933-1943; 1945-1949) Western Division (1944) American Conference (1950-1952) Eastern Conference (1953-1969) Century Division (1967-1969) American Football... City Seattle, Washington Team colors Pacific Blue, Navy Blue, Neon Green, White Head Coach Mike Holmgren Owner Paul Allen General manager Tim Ruskell Mascot Blitz, and Taima the augur hawk League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1976–present) American Football Conference (1977-2001) AFC West (1977-2001) National Football Conference... Date February 5, 2006 Stadium Ford Field City Detroit, Michigan MVP Hines Ward, wide receiver Favorite Steelers by 4 National anthem Aaron Neville, Aretha Franklin and Dr. John, ASL performed by Angela LaGuardia Coin toss Tom Brady Referee Bill Leavy Halftime show The Rolling Stones Attendance 68,206 TV in... This article is about Irans nuclear power program. ... The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the organ of the United Nations charged with maintaining peace and security among nations. ... For other uses, see Beirut (disambiguation). ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ... The Qurān [1] (Arabic: , literally the recitation; also called The Noble Quran; also transliterated as Quran, Koran (the traditional term in English), and Al-Quran), is the central religious text of Islam. ...

6 February 2006 (Monday)

• In Costa Rica, the presidential election is a tight race and too close to call. (Reuters)
• Mauritania denounces amendments to an oil contract made by former leader Maaouiya Ould Taya with Woodside Petroleum. The Mauritanian authorities declare that the amendments were signed "outside the legal framework of normal practice, to the great detriment of our country", and could cost Mauritania up to $200 million a year. {BBC) (Radio France International)
• U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearings begin regarding the NSA warrantless surveillance program, with testimony from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. (NPR)
• As Stephen Harper is sworn in as Canada's 22nd Prime Minister, David Emerson crosses the floor from the Liberal Party to join Harper's Conservative Party, and is appointed as Minister of International Trade. Harper also appointed Michael Fortier, an unelected party supporter, to minister of public works and government services and to the senate. (CTV) (CBC)
• U.S., Indonesian, and Australian scientists working in the Foja Mountains in eastern Papua, Indonesia, discover 20 previously unknown frog species, a new species of honeyeater, four new butterflies, and at least five new plants. Also discovered were a kangaroo unknown in Papua, and a Six-wired Bird of Paradise, previously known only from dead specimens whose origin was unknown. (ABC)
• German car company BMW is banned from the Google index after attempting to deliberately deceive Google users. (Outer Court)
• In the Egyptian port of Safaga, relatives of hundreds of passengers killed when the ferry al-Salam Boccaccio '98 sank in the Red Sea, attack the office of El Salam Maritime Transport. (BBC)
• Isabelle Dinoire, the French woman who received the world's first partial face transplant appears before the media for the first time, saying she expects to resume a normal life. (CBC)

February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Costa Rica held a presidential election on 5 February 2006. ... Maaouya Ould SidAhmed Taya Maaouya Ould SidAhmed Taya (Arabic: ) (b. ... Woodside Petroleum Limited is an Australian petroleum mining company. ... The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary (informally Senate Judiciary Committee) is a standing committee of the United States Senate, the upper house of the United States Congress. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Seal of the United States Department of Justice The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see ) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. ... Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955) is the 80th and current Attorney General of the United States, becoming the first Hispanic to serve in the position. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Stephen Harper is the current Prime Minister of Canada. ... David Lee Emerson, PC, Ph. ... In politics, crossing the floor is to vote against party lines. ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party positioned around the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum, combining a generally progressive social policy with moderate economics. ... The Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a right-of-centre political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ... Michael Fortier, PC is the Canadian Minister of Public Works and Government Services and a Conservative senator-to-be from Quebec. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... The Foja Mountains are located west of the port city of Jayapura, the capital of Papua province. ... Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands (see also Western New Guinea). ... Distribution of frogs (in black) Suborders Archaeobatrachia Mesobatrachia Neobatrachia - List of Anuran families The frog is an amphibian in the order Anura (meaning tail-less from Greek an-, without + oura, tail). ... Genera Anthochaera Acanthagenys Plectorhyncha Philemon Xanthornyzma Entomyzon Manorina Xanthotis Meliphaga Lichenostomus Melithreptus Notiomystis Glycichaera Lichmera Trichodere Grantiella Phylidonyris Ramsayornis Conopophila Acanthorhynchus Certhionyx Myzomela Anthornis Prosthemadera Epthianura Ashbyia The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also... For other uses of the term butterfly, see butterfly (disambiguation). ... Species Macropus rufus Macropus giganteus Macropus fuliginosus A kangaroo is any of several large macropods (the marsupial family that also includes the wallabies, tree-kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons and the Quokka: 63 species in all). ... Binomial name Parotia berlepschi Kleinschmidt, 1897 Berlepschs Six-wired Bird-of-paradise (Parotia berlepschi) is a bird of paradise first described by hunters in the 19th century. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Google, Inc. ... Port Safaga, also known as Bur Safaga, is a town in Egypt, on the coast of the Red Sea, located 60 kilometres south of Hurghada. ... The M/V al-Salam Boccaccio 98 ( Arabic: Salam سلام means peace) was an Egyptian ROPAX (passenger/roll on-roll off) ferry, operated by El Salam Maritime Transport, that sank on 3 February 2006 in the Red Sea en route from Duba, Saudi Arabia, to Safaga in southern Egypt. ... Location of the Red Sea Image:Red Seaimage. ... El Salam Maritime Transport is an Egyptian ferry operator that operates a fleet of fifteen vessels on Red Sea routes between ports in Egypt and in Saudi Arabia and Jordan. ... Isabelle Dinoire, born 1967, was the first person to undergo a partial face transplant, after her dog mauled her in May 2005. ...

7 February 2006 (Tuesday)

• Private Andrei Sychev, an 18-year old conscript soldier who was so severely beaten in a hazing incident at his base in Chelyabinsk on New Year's Eve that his legs and genitals had to be amputated, is transferred to Moscow for further treatment. The incident has caused uproar in Russia with President Putin addressing the State Duma on army bullying. 16 soldiers officially died in hazing incidents last year, although the figure does not include related suicides. (RIA Novosti) (Radio Free Europe)
• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy:
  • An Iranian newspaper, Hamshahri, has announced a competition for the best cartoon of the Holocaust "as a test of the boundaries of free speech". (BBC) (WikiNews)
  • As the Danish embassy in Tehran is attacked by hundreds of protesters, five people are killed in Afghanistan as protests against European Muhammed cartoons sweep across the country. (BBC)
  • Prime Minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen says violent Muslim protests over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad are a worldwide crisis spinning out of the control of governments. (Reuters)
• Monitored by thousands of UN peacekeepers, the people of Haiti go to polling stations in the country's first election since the ousting of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. (CTV)
• An Israeli airstrike on a car kills two Palestinian militants in Gaza City. (Reuters)
• Mounir El Motassadeq, a member of the Hamburg cell led by Mohammed Atta, is ordered an early release by the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany. The Berlin court rules there is an absence of proof in the government's case that Motassadeq was informed about the 9/11 terrorist plot. (BBC)
• Scotland is to follow England into implementing the controversial UK National DNA Database of those arrested, but acquitted or released without charges. (Scotsman)
• Japan urges North Korea to return to six-party talks on its nuclear program and halt missile development, but a Japanese official said Pyongyang insists that Washington drop sanctions first. (Reuters)
• Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri is convicted on 11 of 15 charges of solicitation and incitement to murder, and incitement to racial hatred after a lengthy trial at London's Central Criminal Court and is sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. (BBC)
• The number of people attempting to view illegal child pornography on the web has risen since 2004, according to British Telecommunications (BT). They use a system to block sites carrying the images of children, which has been getting some 35,000 hits a day for the past four months. (BBC)

February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dedovshchina (Russian: ) is the name given to the informal system of subjugation of new junior recruits for the Russian armed forces, MVD, and border guards to soldiers of the last year of service. ... Chelyabinsk Theatre. ... New Years Eve is a celebration held the day before New Years Day, on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, narrowly defined, is any of those parts of the body (which are not always bodily organs according to the strict definition) which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in an complex organism; namely: Male: penis (notably the glans penis... Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or surgery. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: ) (born October 7, 1952) is a Russian politician, and the current President of Russia. ... Emblem commemorating the 100 year anniversary of Russia Dumas Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the Russian State Duma since December 2003 The State Duma (Russian: Государственная дума (Gosudarstvennaya Duma), common abbreviation: Госдума (Gosduma)) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (legislature), the upper house being the Federation... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ... Hamshahri (Persian: همشهری) is an Iranian Persian-language newspaper published by the Municipality of Tehran, and founded by Gholamhossein Karbaschi. ... Concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust The Holocaust was Nazi Germanys systematic genocide (ethnic cleansing) of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II. Early elements include the Kristallnacht pogrom and the T-4 Euthanasia Program established by Hitler that killed some 200,000 people. ... Freedom of speech is the right to freely say what one pleases, as well as the related right to hear what others have stated. ... Tehran (IPA: ; Persian: تهران, also transliterated as Teheran or Tehrān), population 7,160,094 (metropolitan: 14,000,000[citation needed]), and a land area of 658 square kilometers, is the capital city of Iran (Persia) and the center of Tehran Province. ... This is a list over the heads of government in Denmark, from the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1849 until present. ... Anders Fogh Rasmussen , also: (born January 26, 1953) is the current Prime Minister of Denmark (in Danish Statsminister, meaning State Minister). ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ... Muhammad is a common Muslim male name. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ... UN Peacekeepers in Eritrea. ... The 2006 Elections in Haiti, to replace the interim government of Gerard Latortue put in place after the 2004 Haiti rebellion, were delayed four times after having been originally scheduled for October and November 2005. ... Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (1861-1865) The majority of this article is about heads of states. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An airstrike is a military strike by air forces on an enemy ground position, which depending on the selected tactics may or may not be followed up by artillery, armor, and/or infantry units. ... The article is about the Middle Eastern city. ... Mounir El Motassadeq stood trial in 2003 for participation in the September 11, 2001 attacks. ... It was at this Marienstraße apartment where many of the September 11 conspirators met to plan their futures. ... Mohammed Atta is a name commonly used to refer to the following individuals: Mohamed Atta al Sayed was the Al-Qaeda suicide pilot of the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. ... The Bundesverfassungsgericht The Federal Constitutional Court (in German: Bundesverfassungsgericht, BVerfG) is a special court established by the German constitutional document, the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen federal states of Germany. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... Motto: , traditionally rendered in Scots as Wha daur meddle wi me?[1] and in English as No one provokes me with impunity. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The United Kingdom National DNA Database (NDNAD; officially the UK National Criminal Intelligence DNA Database), set up in 1995, carries the profiles around 3 million people. ... Exocet missile in flight A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a projectile propelled as a weapon at a target. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Abu Hamza al-Masri (أبو حمزة المصري) (born 15 April 1958) is a Muslim cleric in the United Kingdom, convicted on 7 February 2006 for racial hatred and incitement to murder offences. ... Hate speech is a controversial term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against someone based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Old Bailey by Mountford (1907) The Central Criminal Court, commonly known as The Old Bailey (a bailey being part of a castle), is a Crown Court (criminal high court) in London, dealing with major criminal cases in the UK. It stands on the site of the mediaeval Newgate Gaol... Generally, child pornography (pornography featuring minors), is illegal in most jurisdictions. ... BT Group plc (which trades as just BT, and is commonly known as, British Telecom or British Telecommunications) is the privatised former British state telecommunications operator. ...

8 February 2006 (Wednesday)

• Chad and Sudan sign the Tripoli Agreement, ending the Chadian-Sudanese conflict. (AlertNet)
• Heather Wilson, a New Mexico Congresswoman with NSA oversight authority, became the first Republican on an intelligence committee to call for a congressional investigation into Bush's warrantless wiretap program. (NY Times)
• An explosion at Russian military base at Kurchaloi in Chechnya kills at least 12 soldiers. The cause is unknown; however, a separatist attack has been officially ruled out. (Al Jazeera)(Mail and Guardian)
• Japanese Princess Kiko is pregnant with her third child. (ABC)
• Thousands of native South Americans march 900 miles south of Rio de Janeiro to the spot where Sepe Tiaraju was killed in 1756, demanding that land in Brazil be given for a new "Guaraní nation."
• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy: in Afghanistan, four people are killed and eleven others are wounded by police firing on hundreds of protesters attempting to storm US military base. (AP)

February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tripoli Agreement (also known as the Libya Accord or the Tripoli Declaration) was signed on February 8, 2006, by Chadian President Idriss Déby, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, and Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi, effectively ending the Chadian-Sudanese conflict that has devastated border towns in eastern... Combatants Sudan, United Front for Democratic Change rebel alliance Chad Commanders Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir (Sudan), Mohammed Nour (UFDC) Idriss Deby Strength ~120,000 est. ... Heather A. Wilson (born December 30, 1960), is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico, the first woman veteran ever elected to the United States Congress. ... NSA can stand for: National Security Agency of the USA The British Librarys National Sound Archive This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Capital Grozny Area - total - % water Ranked 80th - 15,300 km² - negligible Population - Total - Density Ranked 49th - est. ... now. ... HIH Princess Kiko Her Imperial Highness Princess Akishino (秋篠宮紀子親王妃 akishino no miya kiko shinnōhi), née Kawashima Kiko (川島紀子), (born 11 September 1966), is the wife of Prince Akishino (Fumihito), the second son of the Emperor Akihito and the Empress Michiko, and a member of the Japanese imperial family through marriage. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro Mayor Cesar Maia (PFL) Area    - City 1,260 km² Population    - City (2005) 5,613,000 [1]  - Density 4. ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ...

9 February 2006 (Thursday)

• I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, US Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff tells federal grand jury that his superiors authorized him to give secret information to reporters as part of the Bush administration's defense of intelligence used to justify invading Iraq. (AP)
• Early results indicate that René Préval has an overwhelming lead in the Haitian general election (BBC)
• The General Synod of the Church of England unanimously votes to apologise to descendants of the slaves on Barbados where, two hundred years ago, the church's Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts that owned the Codrington Estates, used slaves for labour. (The Times) (BBC)
• U.S. forces are searching for the USS Cole attacker who escaped from prison last Friday. According to Interpol, an al-Qaida operative who had been sentenced to death for plotting the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 escaped with a group of convicts from their prison last week in Sanaá, Yemen. (BBC) This is not the first group to have escaped. 10 other chief suspects escaped from custody in Aden during April of 2003 (BBC)
• Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities announces the discovery of an intact pharaonic tomb in the Valley of the Kings – the first to be discovered since King Tutankhamun's in 1922. (Scotsman)
• In Turkey, Istanbul's police chief said a bomb blast at an Internet cafe in the city had wounded 14 people. (ABC)
• A suicide bombing occurs during a Shiite Muslim procession in Hangu, Pakistan, resulting in riots during the Muslim branch's most important holiday, Ashura. At least 27 people were killed and dozens injured in the result violence. (ABC)
• A large-scale slaughter is planned at a Nigerian farm where thousands of chickens have died from bird flu. (BBC)
• The House of Keys, the lower house of the Isle of Man, a crown dependency of the United Kingdom, votes to lower the voting age to 16. (BBC)
• Mannheim, Germany — Ernst Zündel, a German white supremacist extradited from Canada on accusations he repeatedly denied the Holocaust, returned to court Thursday to face charges of incitement, libel and disparaging the dead. (ABC)
• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy: administration at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada, ordered a halt to the on-campus distribution of the student newspaper Cadre after the cartoons were re-printed in the newspaper. Campus authorities also attempted to seize all 2,000 copies of the edition containing the cartoons. (CBC)

February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... I. Lewis Libby I. Lewis Scooter Libby Jr. ... Dick Cheney 46th and current Vice President (2001- ) The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest executive official of the United States government, the person who is a heartbeat from the presidency. ... Richard Bruce Dick Cheney (born January 30, 1941) is the 46th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President George W. Bush. ... // Look up bush in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... René Garcia Préval (born January 17, 1943 in Port-au-Prince) is currently the President of Haïti. ... The 2006 Elections in Haiti, to replace the interim government of Gerard Latortue put in place after the 2004 Haiti rebellion, were delayed four times after having been originally scheduled for October and November 2005. ... The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Seal of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG), formed in 1701, was a missionary organization of the Church of England. ... The second USS Cole (DDG 67) is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer homeported in NS Norfolk, Virginia. ... Interpol logo INTERPOL (or International Criminal Police Organization) was created in 1923 to assist international criminal police co-operation. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... The USS Cole bombing was a suicide bombing attack against the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored in the Yemeni port of Aden. ... The second USS Cole (DDG 67) is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer homeported in NS Norfolk, Virginia. ... Sana (Arabic: , romanized as , and also known as Sanaa or Sanaa), population 1,747,627 (2004 census), is the capital of Yemen and the center of Sana Governorate. ... Part of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, the Supreme Council of Antiquities (commonly abbreviated SCA) is responsible for the conservation, protection and regulation of all antiquities and archaeological excavations in the Arab Republic of Egypt. ... KV63 is the most recently discovered chamber in Egypts Valley of the Kings pharaonic necropolis. ... View over the East Valley The Valley of the Kings, or Wadi el-Muluk (وادي الملوك) in Arabic, is a valley in Egypt where tombs were built for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom, the Eighteenth through Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt. ... The pharaohs solid gold funerary mask was laid to rest with him in KV62 The wall decorations in KV62s burial chamber are modest in comparison to other tombs in the Valley Tomb KV62 in Egypts Valley of the Kings is the Tomb of Tutankhamun, famous the world... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural, and economic centre. ... Shi‘as (the adjective in Arabic is شيعى shi‘i; English has traditionally used Shiite) which mean follower in Arabic make up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%-35% of all Muslim. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Hangu is a town in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. ... The Day of Aashurah, sometimes spelled ‘Ashurah or Aashoorah, falls on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. ... Avian influenza (also known as bird flu) is a type of influenza virulent in birds. ... The House of Keys is the directly elected lower Branch of Tynwald the Parliament of the Isle of Man, the other of the two Branches being the Legislative Council. ... A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. ... Crown dependencies are possessions of the British Crown, as opposed to overseas territories or colonies of the United Kingdom. ... Mannheim is a city in Germany. ... Zündel during a court appearance, February 2006 Ernst Christof Friedrich Zündel (sometimes spelled Zundel or Zuendel) (born April 24, 1939 in Bad Wildbad) is a German Holocaust denier and pamphleteer who was jailed several times for publishing hate literature. ... Historical revisionism is often a legitimate effort in which historians seek to broaden the awareness of certain historical events by re-examining conventional wisdom. ... The god Thor, after whom Thursday is named. ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ... The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. ... For other uses of the term, see Cadre (disambiguation). ...

10 February 2006 (Friday)

• National Hockey League great Wayne Gretzky has denied placing any bets with an illegal sport gambling operation. (Reuters)
• Finance chiefs of the G8 countries meet this weekend in Moscow with energy security at the top of their agenda. (BBC)
• Israel has criticised Russia's decision to invite Hamas leaders to Moscow for talks, following the militant group's victory in Palestinian elections. (BBC)
• KV63, tomb from the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, dating back more than 3,300 years, has been uncovered in the famed Valley of the Kings, an ancient desert burial ground near the southern city of Luxor. (CTV)
• United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan wishes editors to stop reprinting the controversial Muhammad cartoons. (CBC)
• A medium-sized earthquake, registering 4.9, shook central Chile, rattling buildings, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damages. (ABC)
• H5N1 bird flu virus:
  • The deadly strain of H5N1 avian flu has been found in wild birds in Azerbaijan's Caspian Sea coast. (CBC)
  • Two Indonesian women from an area just east of the capital are in hospital after local tests showed they had the H5N1 bird flu virus. (ABC)
• At least eight people are killed and 22 wounded by a car bomb in the southern Doura district of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. (BBC)
• An atheist who sued a small-town priest for saying that Jesus Christ existed has had his case thrown out of court by a judge in Italy. (BBC)
• The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin, Italy, with the opening ceremony at the Stadio Olimpico. It is the 20th winter games and the second hosted by an Italian city. (CBC)

February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... NHL redirects here. ... Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26, 1961) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently part-owner and head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. ... The Group of Eight (G8) consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... Hamas (Arabic: ‎; acronym: Arabic: ‎, or Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya or Islamic Resistance Movement; the Arabic acronym means zeal) is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist organization that currently forms the majority party of the Palestinian National Authority. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... KV63 is the most recently discovered chamber in Egypts Valley of the Kings pharaonic necropolis. ... Known rulers, in the History of Egypt, for the Eighteenth Dynasty. ... View over the East Valley The Valley of the Kings, or Wadi el-Muluk (وادي الملوك) in Arabic, is a valley in Egypt where tombs were built for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom, the Eighteenth through Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt. ... The River Nile at Luxor Pharaonic statue in Luxor Temple Hot-air ballooning in Luxor Luxor (Arabic: الأقصر ) is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of the Al Uqsur governorate, population approximately 200,000. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ... A large number of international organizations and other bodies have a secretary general or secretary-general as their chief administrative officers or in other administrative capacities. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ... An earthquake is a phenomenon that results from and is powered by the sudden release of stored energy in the crust that propagates seismic waves. ... Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as A(H5N1) or H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenza A virus that is capable of causing illness in many animal species, including humans. ... Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as A(H5N1) or H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenza A virus that is capable of causing illness in many animal species, including humans. ... The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on Earth by both area and volume,[1] with a surface area of 371,000 square kilometres (143,244 mi²) and a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometres (18,761 mi³).[2] It is a landlocked endorheic body of water and lies between... Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as A(H5N1) or H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenza A virus that is capable of causing illness in many animal species, including humans. ... Baghdad ( translit: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Neve and Gliz, the 2006 Olympics mascots, on display in Turin The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. ... Country Italy Region Piedmont Province Turin (TO) Mayor Sergio Chiamparino (The Union) Elevation 240 m Area 130 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 902,255  - Density 6928/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Torinesi Dialing code 011 Postal code 10100 Patron St. ... The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics (Torino 2006) was held on February 10, 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET (19:00 UTC) at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Stadio Grande Torino. ...

11 February 2006 (Saturday)

• United States Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shoots and injures Harry Whittington while hunting in Corpus Christi, Texas. (ABC News)
• H5N1 avian flu virus: Bulgaria, Greece, and Italy report their first cases of H5N1-infected wild birds, all swans thought to have migrated from Russia in recent months. (BBC)
• Steve Fossett completes the world record for the longest non-stop, unrefuelled, flight when the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer lands at Bournemouth airport in southern England after a flight lasting 76 hours and 45 minutes which covered a distance of 26,389.3 miles (42,469.46 km). The aircraft had to declare an emergency landing after suffering total electrical failure, and had only 200 lb (90 kg) of fuel remaining. (BBC)
• Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon undergoes emergency surgery due to digestive problems. His condition is critical. (Reuters)
• Tokelau begins voting in a referendum to determine whether it remains a New Zealand territory, or becomes a state in free association with New Zealand. (NZ Herald)
• In the United States, it has been revealed that the White House knew of extensive flooding of New Orleans in the hours after Hurricane Katrina struck last August. Michael Brown, the former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told a Senate Committee that he informed the White House of the seriousness of the situation at a time when even the media weren't fully aware of the extent of the flooding. (ABC)
• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy:
  • The Danish editor who first published the Prophet Mohammed cartoons that sparked global protests has been placed on leave. (ABC)
  • Thousands of people are planning to gather in London on Saturday to rally against the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. (Channel4)

February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Minor parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries â€¢ Politics Portal • • The Vice President of the United States is the first in the presidential line of succession... Richard Bruce Dick Cheney (born January 30, 1941) is the 46th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President George W. Bush. ... Harry M. Whittington (born March 3, 1927) is an American lawyer, real estate investor, and political figure from Austin, Texas who became an internationally recognized figure on February 11, 2006, when he was accidentally shot in the face by Vice President Dick Cheney while hunting quail on a Corpus Christi... Nickname: Sparkling City by the Sea Location in the state of Texas Counties Nueces County Mayor Henry Garrett Area    - City 1,192. ... Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as A(H5N1) or H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenza A virus that is capable of causing illness in many animal species, including humans. ... Steve Fossett Steve Fossett (born April 22, 1944, in Jackson, Tennessee) is a United States aviator and adventurer known for his appetite to set world records. ... The Scaled Composites Model 311 Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer is an aircraft designed by Burt Rutan which Steve Fossett flew in a non-stop solo trip around the world from February 28, 2005 until March 3, 2005. ... Bournemouth is a large resort town on the south coast of England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Prime Minister of Israel (Hebrew: ראש הממשלה, Rosh HaMemshala, lit. ...   (Hebrew: , also known by his diminutive Arik אָרִיק) (born February 27, 1928) is a former Israeli politician and general. ... A cardiothoracic surgeon performs a mitral valve replacement at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. ... Tokelau will hold a United Nations-supervised referendum on self-determination from 11 February to 15 February, 2006. ... An associated state is used to describe a free relationship between a territory and a larger nation. ... North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Lowest pressure 902 mbar (hPa; 26. ... Michael Brownie Brown For other people of the same name, see Michael Brown (disambiguation). ... New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is a government agency in the United States which is organized under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. ... The Senate Committee on Budget (ca. ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ... Muhammad (Arabic محمد, also transliterated Mohammad, Mohammed, and formerly Mahomet, following the Latin) is revered by Muslims as the final prophet of God. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Muhammad (Arabic محمد, also transliterated Mohammad, Mohammed, and formerly Mahomet, following the Latin) is revered by Muslims as the final prophet of God. ...

12 February 2006 (Sunday)

• Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi causes a political storm by comparing himself to Jesus Christ. (BBC)
• A royal tomb from the 2nd or 3rd century BC is found in Pella, Greece. It is the largest Greek tomb found to date. This announcement comes a few days after the Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings was found. (Reuters)
• British tabloid The News of the World releases a video shot in 2004 by a British soldier showing the repeated kicking and beating of four Iraqi teenagers with batons by other British soldiers. The video contains a commentary by the cameraman urging the soldiers on. The Ministry of Defence began an investigation. One man was arrested on 13 February and two more on 14 February. (News of the World) (BBC)(Video)
• United States military strategists reportedly are developing plans for a possible major military bombing campaign against Iranian nuclear sites as a "last resort" in the event that diplomatic efforts fail to convince Iran to voluntarily end what Western governments consider to be efforts at acquiring a nuclear weapon. (The Telegraph)
• The North American blizzard of 2006 dumps 27 inches of snow on New York City, closes many major airports, and leaves 200,000 without power in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. (CNN)

February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of Prime Ministers of Italy. ...   (born September 29, 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... For other places named Pella, see: Pella (disambiguation). ... The News of the World is a British tabloid newspaper published every Sunday. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Ministry of Defence (MOD, pronounced em-oh-dee) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. ... February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about Irans nuclear power program. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... 1Maximum snowfall or ice accretion The Blizzard of 2006 was a noreaster that began on the evening of February 11, 2006. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia. ... Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more, Bodymore, Murderland Motto: Get In On It (formerly The City That Reads and The Greatest City in America; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Location of Baltimore in Maryland Coordinates: Country United States State Maryland County...

13 February 2006 (Monday)

• In a televised address to the nation, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki announces the resignations of two government ministers in connection with two separate corruption scandals, the "Goldenberg" and "Anglo Leasing" affairs. Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi and education minister George Saitoti both deny any wrongdoing. (BBC)
• In Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonates an explosive belt in a line of people waiting to receive government payments, killing at least eight other people and wounding about 30, including children and police. (CTV)
• Saddam Hussein is forced to attend the latest session of his trial, wearing a traditional Islamic robe rather than his usual crisp suit, as he shouted "Down with Bush." (CTV)
• Tongan Prime Minister Prince Lavaka Ata 'Ulukalala resigns suddenly on 11 February 2006, and also gives up his other cabinet portfolios. He was replaced in the interim by the elected Minister of Labour, Dr. Feleti Sevele. (Pacific Magazine)
• Australian Renae Lawrence, 28, the only female member of the Bali Nine group arrested in 2005, and fellow accused Scott Rush, 19, are convicted in Indonesia of attempting to import heroin to Australia and sentenced to life imprisonment. (Sydney Morning Herald)

February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mwai Kibaki (born November 15, 1931) is Kenyas third president, an economist, and a political leader. ... The Goldenberg scandal was a scam where the Kenyan government subsidised exports of gold, paying exporters in Kenyan Shillings 35% over their foreign currency earnings. ... The Anglo Leasing Scandal, also known as Anglo-fleecing, is the popular name for a corruption scandal in Kenya. ... Kiraitu Murungi (born 1 January 1952) is a Kenyan politician. ... George Saitoti is a mathematician, politician, and former Vice President of Kenya. ... Baghdad ( translit: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... A suicide bombing is a bomb attack on people or property, committed by a person who knows the explosion will cause his or her own death in addition to the attacks primary purpose (see suicide, suicide weapons). ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majidida al-Tikriti (Arabic: ‎ [1]; born April 28, 1937[2]), was the President and dictator of Iraq from July 16, 1979 until April 9, 2003, when he was deposed during the United States-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... His Highness Prince Lavaka Ata Ulukalala, (born 12 July 1959, third son of King Taufaahau Tupou IV), is a former Prime Minister of Tonga. ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Feleti Sevele is the Acting Prime Minister of Tonga. ... Accused Bali Nine member Renae Lawrence in video footage taken directly after her arrest and broadcast by Network Ten. ... Michael Czugaj, shown during an interview on the Nine Networks current affairs television program, A Current Affair. ... Scott Rush in custody in Indonesia. ... Life ; many countries have a maximum possible period of time a prisoner may be incarcerated, or require the possibility of parole after a set amount of time. ...

14 February 2006 (Tuesday)

• The British House of Commons votes by 384 to 184, on a conscience vote, to implement a full smoking ban in all enclosed public places in England from Summer 2007. (BBC)
• The U.S. Senate votes on a budgetary point of order on the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Recovery legislation. The bill's supporters fail to get the 60 votes they need to proceed with a vote on the bill's merits, so the legislation has effectively been returned to committee. (Business Week)
• Harry Whittington, the 78-year-old lawyer who was shot by Vice President Dick Cheney in a hunting incident, has some birdshot lodged in his heart and he has had a "minor heart attack due to an irregulairty in his heartbeat.". (ABC)
• Kenyan Police instruct 20 leading figures not to leave the country as investigations into two corruption scandals, the Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing scandals continue. Among the people told to hand in their passports is George Saitoti whose resignation as education minister was announced by President Mwai Kibaki yesterday. Meanwhile, 80 Members of Parliament have demanded the resignation of Deputy President Moody Awori, who is accused of involvement in the Anglo Leasing affair. (BBC)
• A moderate earthquake shakes east India, recording a 5.7-magnitude. (Reuters)
• Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein tells the court during the latest session of his trial that he and his seven co-accused are on hunger strike to protest at their treatment. (CTV)
• A top Iranian official confirms that Iran has resumed small-scale enrichment of uranium at one of its main nuclear facilities last week. (CBC)
• Iran's veterinary organization said the first cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu had been detected in wild swans in the Islamic Republic. (Reuters)
• The New York Times reveals the existence of a "destabilization plan" for Hamas, winner of the Palestinian legislative elections. The intention is, according to Israeli officials and Western diplomats, to make sure that Hamas officials fail in fulfilling their campaign promises so that the president, Mahmoud Abbas, is forced to call a new election. The plan would cut all Quartet funds from the Palestinian National Authority (PA), while Israel would refuse to release taxes and custom duties it collects on behalf of the PA and also block movements between the West Bank and the Gaza strip. A third of the Palestinian population would suffer from the Quartet's decision to cut funds to the PA. (NYT)
• Australians Andrew Chan, 21, and Myuran Sukumaran, 24, are sentenced to death by firing squad by an Indonesian court for their role in the Bali Nine heroin smuggling attempt. Fellow accused Martin Stephens, 29, and Michael Czugaj, 20, both receive life prison sentences. (ABC)
• In Israel, the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court sentences Omri Sharon to a nine-month prison term, a nine-month suspended sentence, and a NIS 300,000 (USD 65,000) fine after he is convicted of violating political fundraising law and providing false testimony. (Ynetnews)

February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are each expected to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... A Point of Order is a matter raised during a debate concerning the rules of debating themselves. ... The mineral (asbestos) has now been banned in all of the leading European countries, and the year 2005 was the deadline for bans by countries in the European Union. ... Harry M. Whittington (born March 3, 1927) is an American lawyer, real estate investor, and political figure from Austin, Texas who became an internationally recognized figure on February 11, 2006, when he was accidentally shot in the face by Vice President Dick Cheney while hunting quail on a Corpus Christi... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Minor parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries â€¢ Politics Portal • • The Vice President of the United States is the first in the presidential line of succession... Richard Bruce Dick Cheney (born January 30, 1941) is the 46th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President George W. Bush. ... On February 11, 2006, Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney accidentally shot Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Texas attorney while hunting a covey of quail on a southern Texas ranch in Kenedy County, Texas. ... A shotgun shell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a shotgun. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... The Goldenberg scandal was a scam where the Kenyan government subsidised exports of gold, paying exporters in Kenyan Shillings 35% over their foreign currency earnings. ... The Anglo Leasing Scandal, also known as Anglo-fleecing, is the popular name for a corruption scandal in Kenya. ... George Saitoti is a mathematician, politician, and former Vice President of Kenya. ... Mwai Kibaki (born November 15, 1931) is Kenyas third president, an economist, and a political leader. ... Arthur Moody Awori, known as Uncle Moody, born 5 December 1927 in Butere, has been the Vice President of Kenya since 25 September 2003. ... The Anglo Leasing Scandal, also known as Anglo-fleecing, is the popular name for a corruption scandal in Kenya. ... An earthquake is a phenomenon that results from and is powered by the sudden release of stored energy in the crust that propagates seismic waves. ... The President of Iraq is Iraqs head of state. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majidida al-Tikriti (Arabic: ‎ [1]; born April 28, 1937[2]), was the President and dictator of Iraq from July 16, 1979 until April 9, 2003, when he was deposed during the United States-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt or to achieve a goal such as a policy change. ... General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic; corrodes to a spalling black oxide coat in air Atomic mass 238. ... Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as A(H5N1) or H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenza A virus that is capable of causing illness in many animal species, including humans. ... Genera and species Cygnus Bechstein 1803 C. cygnus C. buccinator C. columbianus C. (c. ... Mahmoud Abbas (Arabic: محمود عباس) (born March 26, 1935), commonly known by the kunya Abu Mazen (ابو مازن), was elected President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on January 9, 2005, and took office on January 15, 2005. ... Andrew Chan (b. ... Bali Nine ringleader, Myuran Sukumaran. ... Execution by firing squad is a method of capital punishment, especially in times of war. ... Michael Czugaj, shown during an interview on the Nine Networks current affairs television program, A Current Affair. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A skirmish with smugglers from Finland at the Russian border, 1853, by Vasily Hudiakov. ... Police evidence photograph showing heroin strapped to the body of Martin Stephens upon his arrest in Indonesia. ... Michael Czugaj during an interview on the Nine Network. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... Omri Sharon (Hebrew: עמרי שרון, born August 8, 1964) is the son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and a former member of the Likud party in the Israeli Knesset. ...

15 February 2006 (Wednesday)

• Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse: Australian television network SBS airs video and photographs of what it says are previously unpublished images of the abuse of Iraqis in US military custody at Abu Ghraib prison in 2003. (Metronews)
• Italian ambassador Francesco Trupiano apologizes to Libya on behalf of Italian minister of Constitutional Reform Roberto Calderoli, who suggested Italy use "force against Muslims." (Angola Press)
• The final three defendants in the Bali Nine hearings in Indonesia, Australians, Matthew Norman, 19, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, 23, and Si Yi Chen, 20, are sentenced to life imprisonment. (NineMSN)
• The United States and Israel deny a "destabilisation plan" of Hamas, winner of the January 2006 legislative elections, which was revealed on February 14 by the New York Times. However, they do acknowledge that they would cut off funds and transfers of tax-receipts to the Palestinian Authority. The aim of the "destabilisation plan" was to push the PA to organize new elections (NYT).
• Haitian elections, 2006: In a case of apparent electoral fraud, hundreds of ballot boxes are discovered in a garbage dump in Haiti, throwing the results of the elections there in doubt. CBC

February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Satar Jabar standing on a box with wires connected to his body Prisoners Ordered to Form Human Pyramid Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse images Beginning in 2003, numerous accounts of abuse and torture of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (also known... Australian television Black and white television began in Australia in between 1955 and 1957, with colour television being introduced generally to the country in 1975 to 1976, in time for the Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. ... The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is one of two government funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television networks, the other being the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). ... Roberto Calderoli is an Italian politician, currently the Reforms Minister, member of the Lega Nord. ... Michael Czugaj, shown during an interview on the Nine Networks current affairs television program, A Current Affair. ... Matthew Norman is an Australian from New South Wales, known as a member of the Bali Nine. ... Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, 23, is an Australian from Wellington Point in Brisbane, Queensland discovered on April 17, 2005 in Bali, Indonesia attempting to import heroin into Australia as part of the Bali Nine group. ... Si Yi Chen, 20, is an Australian from Doonside, New South Wales, arrested in Indonesia as part of the Bali Nine heroin smuggling group. ... The 2006 Elections in Haiti, to replace the interim government of Gerard Latortue put in place after the 2004 Haiti rebellion, were delayed four times after having been originally scheduled for October and November 2005. ... Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. ...

16 February 2006 (Thursday)

• Oxfam reports hundreds of thousands are affected by severe water shortages in Kenya and Somalia. (AllAfrica.com)
• Tens of thousands of refugees are homeless in the Western Sahara after rains wiped out their shelters. (AllAfrica.com)
• Bolkestein directive: 391 MEP vote for the new directive against 213 (among them the Party of the European Left, the European Green Party and the French Socialist Party). The controversed "country of origin principle", which had led to the Polish plumber controversy, was abandoned, although the current legislation still favorize it (BBC).
• Following their Palestinian legislative election victory, Hamas chooses Ismail Haniya, considered a moderate, as Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority. (BBC)
• 2006 Southern Leyte mudslide: A mudslide in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines has buried more than 300 homes and an elementary school. An estimated 300 people are killed, with more than 1500 missing. (CNN)
• Telephone recordings show governors in plot against journalist Lydia Cacho who exposed a ring of pedophiles. The recordings include conversations between businessman José Camel Nacif and governors Mario Marín (Puebla) and Pablo Salazar Mendiguchía (Chiapas) in which they arrange for her imprisonment and bribe prison guards to have her raped on arrival. (El Universal) (Reporters Without Borders)
• A United Nations report condemns the continued existence of Camp Delta, and multiple breaches of Human Rights by the US. (BBC). The UN says that prisoners held there should be immediately charged or released. Like many other countries that the UN Human Rights watchdog has heavily criticised, the US has attacked the report as invalid (BBC). The UN report is available online as a large 54 page PDF
• Abu Ghraib prison abuse:
  • US civil liberties groups have called for an inquiry into treatment of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib after new images of apparent abuse were shown. (BBC)
  • U.S. slams new Abu Ghraib leak (CNN)
• After allegations of fraud, officials in Haiti have reached an agreement to declare René Préval the winner of that country's election. (BBC)
• Tokelau self-determination referendum, 2006: Tokelau decides to remain a New Zealand territory after a referendum on self-governance. A 60% majority voted in favor of self-governance, but a two-thirds majority was required for the referendum to succeed. (NZ Government press release)

February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 independent, non-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organizations who work with local partners in over 100 countries worldwide to reduce poverty, suffering, and injustice. ... A homeless man pushes a cart down the street. ... The Directive on services in the internal market (commonly referred to as the Bolkestein Directive) is an initiative of the European Commission aimed at creating a single market for services within the European Union. ... A Member of the European Parliament (English abbreviation MEP)[1] is a member of the European Unions directly-elected legislative body, the European Parliament. ... The European Left party is a political party at European level and an association of socialist and communist political parties in the European Union. ... European Greens (or the European Green Party) is the name of the European Green Party, a political party at European level. ... The emblem of the French Socialist Party The Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste or PS), founded in 1969, is the main opposition party in France. ... The poster featuring the so-called Polish Plumber Polish Plumber (French: Plombier Polonais) was a phrase first used by Philippe de Villiers and opponents of the European Constitution as a symbol of cheap labour coming in from Eastern Europe as a result of the Directive on services in the internal... Wikinews has news related to this article: Hamas wins Palestinian election On January 25, 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). ... Hamas (Arabic: ‎; acronym: Arabic: ‎, or Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya or Islamic Resistance Movement; the Arabic acronym means zeal) is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist organization that currently forms the majority party of the Palestinian National Authority. ... Ismail Haniya (more frequently Haniyeh) (born 1963) (Arabic: إسماعيل هنية) is the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority. ... The Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority is the head of government of the Palestinian government. ... Southern Leyte mudslide Southern Leyte mudslide Saint Bernard within Southern Leyte. ... Mudslide in La Conchita, California A mudslide is a landslide of mud. ... Saint Bernard is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. ... Southern Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. ... Lydia Cacho Ribero is a Mexican journalist and a famous feminist and Human Rights activist. ... Mario Plutarco Marín Torres (b. ... The Mexican state of Puebla is located in the center of the country, to the east of Mexico City. ... Chiapas is a state in the southeast of Mexico. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Map of Iraq highlighting Abu Ghraib Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse images The Abu Ghraib prison (Arabic: سجن أبو غريب; also Abu Ghurayb) is in Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi city 32 km (20 mi) west of Baghdad. ... René Garcia Préval (born January 17, 1943 in Port-au-Prince) is currently the President of Haïti. ... Tokelau will hold a United Nations-supervised referendum on self-determination from 11 February to 15 February, 2006. ...

17 February 2006 (Friday)

• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy:
  • In Libya, at least eleven protesters are killed in riots protesting the Muhammad cartoons in Tripoli outside the Italian consulate in Benghazi. (MSNBC)
  • Russian authorities order the closing of a Volgograd newspaper that published a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad. (New York Times)
• Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony narrowly escapes an attempted assassination by Ugandan troops attacking in Sudan. Several of his bodyguards are killed as he flees to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Reuters)
• Interim Israeli Prime minister Ehud Olmert postpones until Sunday official discourse which would ban Palestinian movements between Gaza and the West Bank, bar Palestinians from working in Israel and stop transfer of $50 million tax receipts to the Palestinian Authority. All these measures, criticized by Labour leader Amir Peretz, follows the victory of Hamas over Fatah during the January 2006 legislative elections. (Reuters) (AP).
• International demands grow that the United States close Guantanamo Bay prison camp. The European Parliament votes overwhelmingly for a resolution urging that the prison be closed and inmates given a fair trial. (The Age) UK Prime Minister Tony Blair calls Guantanamo an "anomaly" (Guardian). UN General Secretary Kofi Annan calls for the camp to be closed "as soon as possible" (Toronto Star) (BBC). Former Irish President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson urges the US to act on the findings of the UN report (RTÉ), while Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain also calls for its closure. (Scotsman) This follows a United Nations report which calls for it to be closed.

February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ... The publication of satirical cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on September 30, 2005 has led to violence, arrests, interstate tensions, and debate about the scope of free speech and the place of Muslims in the West. ... This section may stray from the articles topic into the topic of another article: List of notable riots. ... Muhammad (Arabic ; also Mohammed, Mohamet, and other variants[1] [2] [3]), 570-632 C.E.,[4] [5] was an Arab religious and political leader who established Islam and the Muslim community (Ummah, Arabic: أمة) to whom he preached. ... Tripoli (Arabic: طرابلس Tarābulus) is the capital city of Libya. ... Volgograd (Russian: ), formerly called Tsaritsyn (Russian: ) (1598–1925) and Stalingrad (Russian: ) (1925–1961) is a city in and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. ... Muhammad (Arabic محمد, also transliterated Mohammad, Mohammed, and formerly Mahomet, following the Latin) is revered by Muslims as the final prophet of God. ... The Lords Resistance Army (LRA)[1], formed in 1987, is a rebel paramilitary group operating mainly in northern Uganda. ... Joseph Kony Joseph Kony (born 1961 in Odek, a village to east of Gulu in northern Uganda) is the primary leader of a guerrilla paramilitary group, and possibly new religious movement, called the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), that is engaged in a violent campaign to establish a theocratic government... Assassin and Targeted killing redirect here. ... A bodyguard is a person who protects someone (known as their principal) from personal assault, kidnapping, assassination, loss of confidential information, or other threats. ... Ehud Olmert (IPA ; Hebrew: אהוד אולמרט; born September 30, 1945) is the 12th and current Prime Minister of Israel. ... Map of the Gaza Strip from The World Factbook. ... The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... ... Amir Peretz, MK, Chairman of the Israel Labour Party Amir Peretz (Hebrew: עמיר פרץ; Arabic: عمير بيريتس; born March 9, 1952) is an Israeli politician and Defense Minister of Israel. ... Hamas (Arabic: ‎; acronym: Arabic: ‎, or Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya or Islamic Resistance Movement; the Arabic acronym means zeal) is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist organization that currently forms the majority party of the Palestinian National Authority. ... Fatah (Arabic: فتح); a reverse acronym from the Arabic name Harakat al-Tahrir al-Watani al-Filastini (literally: Palestinian National Liberation Movement) is a major Palestinian political party and the largest organization in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a multi-party confederation. ... Wikinews has news related to this article: Hamas wins Palestinian election On January 25, 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). ... Detainees upon arrival at Camp X-Ray, January 2002 Guantánamo Bay detainment camp, serving as a joint military prison and interrogation center under the leadership of Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO), has occupied a portion of the United States Navys base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2002. ... Prisoner of War camps Contents // Categories: Substubs | Prisons and detention centres ... Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The debating chamber, or hemicycle, in Strasbourg The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European... The Right to a fair trial is an essential right in all countries respecting the rule of law. ... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in North East England. ... The United Nations Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal divisions of the United Nations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ... Mary Robinson (Irish name Máire Mhic Róibín; born 21 May 1944) was the first female President of Ireland, serving from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. ... Motto: [citation needed] (French for God and my right)2 Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3, NI Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair... Peter Gerald Hain (born February 16, 1950, Nairobi, Kenya) is a British Labour Party politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Secretary of State for Wales. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ...

18 February 2006 (Saturday)

• Former Malawian Minister of Education and head of the country's anti-corruption campaign Yusuf Mwawa is sentenced to five years in prison for fraud and corruption. (BBC)
• Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez threatens to cut off oil supplies after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice claims that the Venezuelan government poses "one of the biggest problems" in the region. (CNN)
• Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta rebels kidnap nine foreign oil workers in Nigeria. (CNN)
• H5N1 Avian flu crisis:
  • France orders mass inoculation of domestic fowl following the discovery of an infected dead duck near Lyon. (Reuter)
  • Egypt records the presence of the virus for the first time. (People's Daily online)
  • India confirms the virus was responsible for the death of fifty thousand chickens in the state of Maharashtra in recent days. (Xinhua)
  • Iraq reports a second human fatality. (Bloomberg)
• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy:
  • Italian reform minister Roberto Calderoli resigns after criticism for wearing a T-shirt depicting the cartoons. The incident triggered yesterday's rioting outside the Italian consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which at least 10 people died. (BBC)
  • Sixteen people are killed in northern Nigeria as demonstrators protest the cartoons by storming and burning Christian churches and businesses. (CNN)

February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (IPA: ) (born July 28, 1954) is the 53rd[1] and current President of Venezuela. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama) is the 66th and current United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush to hold the office. ... The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is a militant group which has attacked petrol operators in Nigeria. ... Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as A(H5N1) or H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenza A virus that is capable of causing illness in many animal species, including humans. ... For the current concern about the transmission of an avian flu to humans see Transmission and infection of H5N1. ... Inoculation, originally Variolation, is a method of purposefully infecting a person with smallpox (Variola) in a controlled manner so as to minimise the severity of the infection and also to induce immunity against further infection. ... A fowl is a bird of any kind, although some types of birds use the word specifically in their names (for example, Guineafowl and Peafowl). ...   City flag City coat of arms Motto: (Arpitan: Forward, forward, Lyon the best) Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région Rhône-Alpes Département Rhône (69) Subdivisions 9 arrondissements Intercommunality Urban Community of Lyon Mayor Gérard Collomb  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land... Trinomial name Gallus gallus domesticus A chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a type of domesticated bird which is often raised as a type of poultry. ... Maharashtra (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र mahārāṣṭra, literally: Great Nation; IPA: )( ) is Indias third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ... Roberto Calderoli is an Italian politician, currently the Reforms Minister, member of the Lega Nord. ... T-Shirt A T-shirt (or tee shirt) is a shirt with short or long sleeves, a round neck, put on over the head, without pockets. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of art, with varied meanings that evolved from one to another. ... The term Consulate can refer to: the office or the period in office of a consul a diplomatic consulate the French Consulate which governed between 1799 and 1804 a brand of menthol cigarettes Consulate This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise... Benghazi (Arabic بنغازي, transliterated BanġāzÄ«) is a seaport in Libya, Africa. ... A man carries a sign at the September 24, 2005 anti-war protest, a demonstration in Washington, D.C. American Civil Rights March on Washington, leaders marching from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as Christ. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Wall Street, Manhattan is the location of the New York Stock Exchange and is often used as a symbol for the world of business. ...

19 February 2006 (Sunday)

• The movie Grbavica by Jasmila Žbanić wins the Golden Bear at the Berlinale, the world's most visited film festival.
• Pasta de Conchos mine disaster: An explosion traps 66 coal miners three hundred meters underground in a mine near Nueva Rosita, Coahuila. (CNN)
• Ismail Haniya of Hamas becomes Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, succeeding Ahmed Qurei. (Al Jazeera)
• Palestinian-Israeli conflict: Interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decides to withhold payment to the Palestinian Authority of tax receipts amounting to about $50 million per month.(New York Times) (Reuters).

February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Grbavica is a movie by Jasmila Žbanić. It was a Golden Bear winner at the Berlin Film Festival 2006. ... Jasmila Žbanić (born November 1974) is a film director from Bosnia and Herzegovina, noted for the 2006 Golden Bear winning film Grbavica. ... The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the Berlinale is one of the most important film festivals in Europe. ... A film festival is a festival in one or more movie theaters with a special program showcasing many films. ... The Pasta de Conchos mine disaster occurred at approximately 2:30 a. ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... Nueva Rosita is a town in the state of Coahuila in northern Mexico. ... Coahuila (formal name: Coahuila de Zaragoza) is one of Mexicos 31 component states. ... Ismail Haniya (more frequently Haniyeh) (born 1963) (Arabic: إسماعيل هنية) is the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority. ... Hamas (Arabic: ‎; acronym: Arabic: ‎, or Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya or Islamic Resistance Movement; the Arabic acronym means zeal) is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist organization that currently forms the majority party of the Palestinian National Authority. ... The Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority is the head of government of the Palestinian government. ... Anthem: Biladi Capital None. ... Ahmed Qurei (Abu Alaa) Ahmed Ali Mohammed Qurei (or Qureia; احمد علي محمد قريع), also known by his Arabic Kunya Abu Alaa (أبو علاء) (born March 26, 1937) was prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. ... This article needs to be updated to deal with the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. ... Ehud Olmert (IPA ; Hebrew: אהוד אולמרט; born September 30, 1945) is the 12th and current Prime Minister of Israel. ...

20 February 2006 (Monday)

• Retired scientist Don Kennedy suggests the entire population of Tuvalu should move to the Fijian island of Kioa, to preserve Tuvaluan culture as their homeland becomes uninhabitable due to rising sea levels. (Pacific Magazine)
• Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki denies that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that he wanted Israel to be "wiped off the map," saying Ahmadinejad was misunderstood. (Reuters)
• Attacks by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta destroy an oil pipeline and a military houseboat in southern Nigeria, cutting crude production by about twenty percent. The recent violence has caused a rise in international oil prices due to supply concerns. (ABC)
• British revisionist historian David Irving is jailed for three years by an Austrian court after pleading guilty to denying the existence of the Holocaust during a visit to Austria in 1989. Arrested last November, a suspended sentence had been expected and Irving is expected to appeal the sentence. (BBC) (The Independent)
• Russian and Iranian negotiators begin talks today on a plan that may have the former enrich uranium for the latter, as part of the international community's efforts to dissuade Iran from doing its own enrichment. (AP)
• Western romance Brokeback Mountain wins awards for best film and best director for Ang Lee at the BAFTA awards. (BBC)
• Osama bin Laden vows never to be captured alive, according to an audiotape that was posted Monday on a militant Web site. (Associated Press)

February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kioa is an island in Fiji, an outlier to Vanua Levu, one of Fijis two main islands. ... Sea level measurements from 23 long tide gauge records in geologically stable environments Changes in sea level since the end of the last glacial episode Sea level rise is an increase in sea level. ... A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the governmental foreign policy of a sovereign nation. ... Manouchehr Mottaki (In Persian: منوچهر متکی) is the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Iran) appointed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. ... Mohammad Khatami, Irans president, 1997-2005. ... This article or section may contain inappropriate or misinterpreted citations. ... Annihilation is defined as total destruction or complete obliteration of an object; having its root in the Latin nihil (nothing). ... The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is a militant group which has attacked petrol operators in Nigeria. ... An elevated section of the Alaska Pipeline Pipeline transport is a transportation of goods through a tube. ... Oil price in 2003-2005 The price of light, sweet crude oil on NYMEX has been above $40/barrel since late July 2004. ... Historical revisionism is often a legitimate effort in which historians seek to broaden the awareness of certain historical events by re-examining conventional wisdom. ... David Irving, 2003 David John Cawdell Irving (born March 24, 1938) is a British author of several books about the military history of World War II (see Historian), and is most famous for Holocaust denial. ... Richard Harwoods Did Six Million Really Die? Holocaust denial is the claim that the mainstream historical version of the Holocaust is either highly exaggerated or completely falsified. ... Brokeback Mountain an acclaimed and controversial Academy Award-winning 2005 film that depicts a complex, emotional, sexual, and romantic relationship between two men in the American West from 1963 to 1983. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden (Arabic: ‎; born March 10, 1957 [1]), most commonly known as Osama bin Laden is a militant Islamist and one of the founders of al-Qaeda. ...

21 February 2006 (Tuesday)

• 33 people are killed and dozens are wounded amidst fighting between the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism and Islamic Court in Daynille, Mogadishu, Somalia. (AFP)
• Enron: The High Court in London rules that three bankers may be extradited to the United States to face trial on Enron-related charges. The three, David Bermingham, Gary Mulgrew and Giles Darby, former executives at Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC unit Greenwich NatWest, had argued unsuccessfully that since the majority of the alleged offenses took place in Britain, any trial should be held in that country. (Houston Chronicle)
• Former Bosnian Serb Army General Ratko Mladić, wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague in connection with the massacre of 8,000 men and boys on July 11, 1995 in Srebrenica, has been reported by Belgrade's Studio B TV to have been arrested. The Serbian government has denied the capture, decrying the report as "manipulation which damages the government". (BBC)
• Eight men are acquitted of the 1999 murder which has many hundreds of witnesses of model Jessica Lal in India. The acquittal causes outrage among the Indian community with petitions to President Abdul Kalam for a review of the case (Hindustan Times).

February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) is a Somali alliance made by powerfull warlords and businesspeople, while some of them were ministers in the transitional federal government of Somalia. ... The Islamic Courts is the name given to a loose band of militias operating in Somalia. ... Mogadishus location in Somalia Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho, popularly Xamar; Arabic: ‎ ; Italian: ), is the largest city in Somalia, and its nominal capital. ... Enron Corporation was an American energy company based in Houston, Texas. ... Her Majestys High Court of Justice (usually known more simply as the High Court) is, together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of England and Wales: see Courts of England and Wales. ... The Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC is one of Scotlands three national clearing banks and one of the oldest in the UK, founded in Edinburgh in 1727 by Royal Charter. ... Bosnian Serb Army, officially Army of the Republika Srpska (Serbian Војска Републике Српске/Vojska Republike Srpske, ВРС/VRS) is the military of the Bosnian Serb political entity of Republika Srpska. ... General Ratko Mladić during UN-mediated talks at Sarajevo airport in 1993. ... The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), is a body of the United Nations (UN) established to... Arms of The Hague Flag of The city of The Hague. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Identified victims of Srebrenica Massacre Map of military operations during the Srebrenica massacre Srebrenica Genocide Memorial A Bosniak woman prays above a marble stone engraved with 8,370 names of Srebrenica massacre victims at the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial in Potocari near Srebrenica, July 6, 2006. ... Belgrade (Serbian: Београд or Beograd  ) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. ... Jessica Lall was a model in New Delhi who was working as a celebrity barmaid at a socialite party when she was shot dead on April 29, 1999. ... Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (Tamil: அவுல் பகிர் ஜைனுலாப்தீன் அப்துல் கலாம்; Hindi: अवुल पकिर जैनुलाअबदीन अब्दुल कलाम; born October 15, 1931, Tamil Nadu, India, usually referred to as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam ^, is the current President of India. ...

22 February 2006 (Wednesday)

• South Dakota State Senate approves a bill that would purport to outlaw almost all forms of abortion. (New York Times)
• A man in Manhattan, New York City is hospitalized for treatment of anthrax infection after being exposed to animal hides from the Côte d'Ivoire which he used for making drums. (Newsday)
• Securitas depot robbery: The United Kingdom's largest robbery when a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent was robbed and the thieves made off with Bank of England banknotes worth £53 million. (BBC)
• The European Commission proposes the establishment of a European Institute of Technology. (BBC)
• Pope Benedict XVI announces that a consistory will be held next month to create 15 new cardinals, the first of his Papacy. (RTE)
• Al Askari Mosque bombing: The Al Askari Mosque, a shrine to Imam Ali al-Hadi and Imam Hasan al-Askari in Samarra, Iraq, is bombed and partly destroyed. The Golden Dome has collapsed. In the aftermath dozens of people die in riots, along with three journalists which includes Atwar Bahjat.(BBC) (CNN)
• Indian authorities completely seal off the village of Navapur after bird flu is discovered there. (BBC)

February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... State legislatures are the lawmaking bodies of the 50 states in the United States of America. ... A bill can refer to: Look up bill in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... The Securitas depot robbery was a robbery which took place in the early hours of 22 February 2006, between 01:00 and 02:15 UTC in England, an operation that succeeded in stealing the largest cash amount in British crime history. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ... The European Institute of Technology (EIT) is a proposal by the European Commission to the European Council intended to be a new flagship for excellence in higher education, research and innovation. ... Papal Arms of Pope Benedict XVI. The papal tiara was replaced with a bishops mitre, and pallium of the Pope was added beneath the coat of arms. ... // Antiquity Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply sitting together, just as the Greek syn(h)edrion (from which the Biblical sanhedrin was a corruption). ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals during a consistory. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ... The Al Askari Mosque bombing occurred on February 22, 2006 at approximately 6:55am local time (0355 UTC) at the Al Askari Mosque — one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam — in the Iraqi city of Samarra, some 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Baghdad. ... The Al Askari Mosque in Samarra around 1926. ... The Shia Imam is considered by the Shia sect of Islam to be the rightful successor to Muhammad, and is similar to the Caliph in Sunni Islam only with regards to the aspect of political leadership. ... Imam Ali al-Hadi (September 8, 828 _ July 1, 868) was the tenth Shia Imam. ... Hasan al-Askari (Arabic: الإمام الحسن بن علي العسكري) (December 6, 846 – January 1, 874), was the eleventh Shia Imam. ... Map showing Samarra near Baghdad Sāmarrā (سامراء) is a town in Iraq (, ). It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the province of Salah ad Din, 125 km north of Baghdad and, in 2002, had an estimated population of 201,700. ... Atwar Bahjat reporting in Iraq Atwar Bahjat (1976 – 22 February 2006) was an Iraqi journalist and reporter for al-Arabiya television who was abducted and brutally murdered while covering a story. ... Navapur is a town of about 30,000 people in the district of Nandurbar, in the state of Maharashtra, India. ... Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as A(H5N1) or H5N1, is a subtype of the Influenza A virus that is capable of causing illness in many animal species, including humans. ...

23 February 2006 (Thursday)

• Uganda holds a general election, the first multiparty election in 25 years. (Times Online) (BBC)
• Al Askari Mosque bombing: In Iraq over 100 people are killed in violence following yesterday's bombing of the Al Askari Mosque:
  • 47 factory workers are forced off buses and shot at Nahrawan, near Baghdad.
  • About 50 bullet-riddled bodies are found in Baghdad overnight.
  • Al-Arabiya TV reporter Atwar Bahjat and her two crew are killed in Samarra.
  • At least 11 people are abducted from jail in Basra by gunmen dressed as police, and shot.
  • One person is killed in a Sunni mosque in Baquba, where a bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol also kills 12 people. (BBC)
• A roof at a marketplace in Moscow collapses under heavy snow at approximately 4:50am local time (0150 UTC), killing at least forty-nine people. The 1970s-built building had the same architect as the Transvaal Water Park, whose roof collapsed in 2004 killing 28 people. (BBC) (CNN)
• A magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred at 12:19am local time (Feb.22, 2219 UTC) in southern Mozambique, 140 miles southwest of the coastal city of Beira, centered near Espungabera, a small farming town in a remote and sparsely populated area near the border with Zimbabwe. (USGS), (AP)
• An ancient Egyptian sun temple has been discovered beneath a flea market in the Ein Shams suburb of Cairo, which is built on top of the ancient city of Heliopolis. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (MSNBC)

February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ugandan general election of 2006 is scheduled to take place in March. ... A multi-party system is a type of party system. ... The Al Askari Mosque bombing occurred on February 22, 2006 at approximately 6:55am local time (0355 UTC) at the Al Askari Mosque — one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam — in the Iraqi city of Samarra, some 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Baghdad. ... The Al Askari Mosque in Samarra around 1926. ... Baghdad ( translit: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Al-Arabiya is an Arabic-language satellite news channel based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates which began broadcasting in February 2003, launched with an investment of $300 million from the Saudi-owned MBC, the Lebanese Hariri Group, and others. ... Atwar Bahjat reporting in Iraq Atwar Bahjat (1976 – 22 February 2006) was an Iraqi journalist and reporter for al-Arabiya television who was abducted and brutally murdered while covering a story. ... Map showing Samarra near Baghdad Sāmarrā (سامراء) is a town in Iraq (, ). It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the province of Salah ad Din, 125 km north of Baghdad and, in 2002, had an estimated population of 201,700. ... Location of Basra Basra (Arabic: ‎ ; BGN: Al BaÅŸrah) is the second largest city of Iraq with an estimated population of c. ... Baquba (بعقوبه; also transliterated as Baqubah and Baqouba) is the capital of Iraqs Diyala province. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... Transvaal Park was a popular water park in Yasenevo, a suburb south of Moscow, Russia. ... The Richter magnitude test scale (or more correctly local magnitude ML scale) assigns a single number to quantify the size of an earthquake. ... Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique. ... Ain Shams or Ein Shams (شمس ˁAyn Å ams) is a suburb of Cairo, Egypt. ... Cairos location in Egypt Coordinates: Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area    - City 210 km²  - Metro 1,492 km² Population    - City (2005) 7,438,376  - Density 35,420/km²  - Urban 10,834,495  - Metro 15,200,000 Time zone EET (UTC+2) EEST (UTC+3) Cairo (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), It comes... Heliopolis (Greek: or ), was one of the most ancient cities of Egypt, and capital of the 13th Lower Egyptian nome. ...

24 February 2006 (Friday)

• Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declares a state of emergency in attempt to subdue a possible military coup. (INQ7.net), GMANEWS.TV (Reuters)
• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy: A Finnish editor of the paper Kaltio, Jussi Vilkuna, was fired after refusing to remove a Mohammed-cartoon on the online version of the paper. This cartoon featured a westerner in the grips of prophet Mohammed (who was masked), and Finnish politicians burning Danish flags. (NewsRoom Finland)
• It is revealed that MI5 (British Intelligence) withheld vital anti-terrorism intelligence just months before the Omagh Bombing in 1998. RTÉ News
• Venezuela orders US airlines to reduce the number of flights into the country by up to 70% in a dispute over safety regulations. (BBC)
• NASA announces the unusual gamma ray burst GRB 060218 that is not yet explained and may be a predecessor to a supernova. It was located 440 million light-years away and lasted for 33 minutes, closer and longer than any previous gamma ray burst. (Space.com)
• Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, is suspended from his position for one month by a three member panel of the Adjudication Panel for England for being "unnecessarily insensitive" in comparing a Jewish Evening Standard reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard. Nicky Gavron, his deputy, will take over his responsibilities whilst Livingstone is suspended. (BBC)
• An explosion and gunshots are reported at Abqaiq, home of largest Saudi Arabian oil facilities. (BBC) (CNN)
• After months of an increasing political power struggle, the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra dissolves the House of Representatives and calls for new election to be held on April 2. (The Nation)
• A fire in a textile mill in Chittagong, Bangladesh, kills 51 people and injures over 100. (BBC)
• Australian Member of Parliament and Treasurer Peter Costello challenges Muslim leaders to pledge their allegiance to Australia. (National Nine News)

February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The President of the Philippines is the head of state and government of the Republic of the Philippines. ... The young Gloria Macapagal (far right) and her family; when this picture was taken, her father Diosdado was the President of the Philippines. ... The Philippines is currently under a state of emergency, announced by presidential spokeperson Ignacio Bunye on the morning of February 24, 2006. ... The controversial cartoons of Muhammad, as they were first published in Jyllands-Posten in September 2005. ... Current MI5 headquarters in Thames House, London The Security Service, usually called MI5, is the British counter-intelligence and security agency. ... The Omagh bombing was a car bomb attack carried out by the Real IRA on August 15, 1998, against civilians in Omagh, Northern Ireland. ... NASA Insignia Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Optical afterglow of gamma ray burst GRB-990123 (the bright dot within the white square and in the enlarged cutout) on 23 January 1999. ... GRB 060218 was a gamma ray burst with unusual characteristics never seen before. ... Multiwavelength X-ray image of the remnant of Keplers Supernova, SN 1604. ... Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born June 17, 1945), is a British politician who has been the Mayor of London since the creation of the post in 2000. ... Ken Livingstone, the current Mayor of London The Mayor of London is an elected politician in London, United Kingdom. ... The Adjudication Panel for England is an independent judicial tribunal set up under the Local Government Act 2000. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... Headlines of the Evening Standard on the day of London bombing on July 7, 2005, in Waterloo Station The Evening Standard is an English tabloid newspaper published and sold in London and surrounding areas. ... The Nazi swastika symbol The National Socialist German Workers Party ( German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ... Nicky Gavron is a English politician, Deputy Mayor of London, a member of the London Assembly and the former Labour candidate for the 2004 Mayor of London elections. ... Abqaiq (also Buqayq, Arabic: بقيق buqayq, meaning little bedbug) is a small city in the interior of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located in the desert southwest of the Dhahran-Dammam-Khobar metropolitan area. ... Saudi Arabian Airlines (also known as Saudia) is Saudi Arabias domestic and international airline, and one of the largest airlines of the Middle East. ... Wikinews has news related to: Thai PM Shinawatra ousted by coup   (Thai: , IPA: ; born July 26, 1949 in Chiang Mai, Thailand with family roots in Meizhou, Guangdong, China), Thai businessman and politician, is the deposed Prime Minister of Thailand and the former leader of the populist Thai Rak Thai party. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... Chittagong (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chôţţogram) is the major seaport and second largest city of Bangladesh. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... The Department of the Treasury, Canberra The Australian Treasurer is the minister responsible for government expenditure and revenue raising. ... Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957), Australian politician, has been Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party since 1994, and Treasurer in the Australian government since 1996. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ...

25 February 2006 (Saturday)

• Chad President Idriss Déby announces that the 2006 Chad Presidential Election will take place on May 3. Several opposition leaders have already stated plans to boycott the election, and Mohammed Nour continues to threaten further violence if a national forum is not held soon.(Reuters AlertNet)
• A New Jersey company is accused of harvesting body parts from New York funeral homes for transplants. An estimated 12,000 people received the body parts. (Washington Post)
• Ugandan general election, 2006: Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda since 1986, is re-elected. (BBC)
• Paintings by Picasso, Dalí, Matisse and Monet are stolen from a museum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (BBC)
• Riots occur in Dublin in the lead up to the Love Ulster parade. Six officers, seven protesters and a journalist are hospitalized, mostly with head wounds. (IOL) (RTE) (Daily Ireland)
• Al-Qaeda admits responsibility for a failed bomb attempt at Abqaiq plants, the world's largest oil processing facilities. (National Nine News)
• The search for coal miners trapped in the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster in Mexico is suspended due to toxic levels of natural gas. The 65 trapped miners are presumed dead. (LA Times)
• It is revealed that MSN Messenger silently removes messages containging links to freeware and open source software.(BBB)

February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... List of Heads of State of Chad (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Affiliations:- See also:- Chad Heads of Government of Chad Colonial Heads of Chad lists of incumbents Categories: Lists of office-holders ... Time in Office 2 December 1990 – Present Predecessor Hissène Habré Date of Birth 1952 Place of Birth Fada, Chad Idriss Déby (born 1952) is the president of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... For the stepson of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, see Mohammed Nour al-Din Saffi Mohammed Nour is the founder and leader of the Chadian rebel group Rally for Democracy and Liberty. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... The Ugandan general election of 2006 is scheduled to take place in March. ... Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (born c. ... The President of Uganda is the head of state in Uganda. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Young Pablo Picasso Pablo Picasso (October 25, 1881 – April 8, 1973) was a Spanish painter and sculptor. ... Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dalí Domènech, Marquis of Pubol or Salvador Felip Jacint Dalí Domènech (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989), known popularly as Salvador Dalí, was a Spanish artist and one of the most important painters of the 20th century. ... Photo of Henri Matisse taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1933. ... Claude Monet. ... Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro Mayor Cesar Maia (PFL) Area    - City 1,260 km² Population    - City (2005) 5,613,000 [1]  - Density 4. ... Riot Gardaí on OConnell Street The 2006 Dublin Republican riots are a series of riots which began as a contentious Love Ulster demonstration, scheduled to begin in Dublin, Ireland on the 25th February, 2006 when An Garda Síochána, the Irish police, attempted to disperse a group of... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Abqaiq (also Buqayq, Arabic: بقيق buqayq, meaning little bedbug) is a small city in the interior of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located in the desert southwest of the Dhahran-Dammam-Khobar metropolitan area. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Pasta de Conchos mine disaster occurred at approximately 2:30 a. ... Natural gas is commonly referred to as gas. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Windows Live Messenger. ...

26 February 2006 (Sunday)

• Olivier Awards: Liam Mower, James Lomas and George Maguire win an award for Best Actor in a musical for their role in Billy Elliot the Musical. They are the first to do so in a shared capacity. At 13, this makes Mower the youngest actor to ever receive this award. (BBC)
• 2006 Winter Olympics: The Olympic flag is passed to the mayor of Vancouver, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, during the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics. (CBC)
• Al Askari Mosque bombing: The International Crisis Group releases a report cautioning the international community to plan for the contingency of a civil war in Iraq. At least 250 people have died in violence resulting from the Al Askari Mosque bombing. (CSMonitor)
• Jamaica will have its first female Prime Minister, as Portia Simpson-Miller is elected president of the People's National Party. She will automatically replace P. J. Patterson in a few weeks. (BBC)
• The world's population hits 6.5 billion at 0016 UTC, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's World Population Clock. (Toronto Star) (US Census)

February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Laurence Olivier Awards, previously known as The Society of West End Theatre Awards, were renamed in honour of British actor Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier in 1984, having first been established in 1976. ... Liam Mower (born 30 May 1992) is a British stage actor and one of the boys who plays the lead character of Billy Elliot in Billy Elliot the Musical. ... James Lomas (born 1 March 1990) is one of the three original cast of the carrying title role of Billy Elliot the Musical who were involved in the development of the role of “Billy” from the very beginning, and contributed to the overwhelming success of the show by outstanding performances... George Maguire was born in Omagh, Ireland, 1796, died 1882. ... Matthew Koon, Billy Elliot, 2006, The Billy Elliot Fansite Billy Elliot The Musical is a play based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. ... Neve and Gliz, the 2006 Olympics mascots, on display in Turin The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. ... The Olympic symbols are various logos, icons, flags and symbols used by the International Olympic Committee for various aspects related to the promotion of the Olympic Movement around the world. ... Sam Sullivan receives the Order of Canada from the Governor-General Sam Sullivan, CM (1960-) is Mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ... Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a Canadian city in the province of British Columbia. ... The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games, are the next Winter Olympics, scheduled to be celebrated in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2010. ... The Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics took place on February 26, 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET (19:00 UTC) at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy. ... The Al Askari Mosque bombing occurred on February 22, 2006 at approximately 6:55am local time (0355 UTC) at the Al Askari Mosque — one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam — in the Iraqi city of Samarra, some 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Baghdad. ... The International Crisis Group is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve deadly conflicts through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy. ... List of civil wars List of divided nations List of fictional wars (including fictional civil wars) Wars of national liberation The Logic of Violence in Civil War What makes a civil war? The Wars of the Roses Information about the English civil war fought between 1455 and 1487. ... The Al Askari Mosque in Samarra around 1926. ... The Prime Minister of Jamaica is Jamaicas head of government, currently Percival Patterson. ... Most Hon. ... For other uses, see Peoples National Party (disambiguation). ... The Most Honourable Percival Noel James Patterson QC (born April 10, 1935) was the Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1992 to 2006. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is a high-precision atomic time standard. ... The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ... The World Population Clock is an estimate of the world population size and an indication of how fast it is growing. ...

27 February 2006 (Monday)

• President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Chen Shui-bian announces the cease of the function of the National Unification Council and the application of the Guidelines for National Unification. The move is condemned by the pan-Blue Coalition and People's Republic of China. Chen says that the reversal is a response to aggression by the PRC. (Washington Post) (China Daily) (Taipei Times)(BBC)
• International Court of Justice (ICJ) begins hearing a landmark genocide case, Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Serbia and Montenegro. Bosnia filed a claim alleging violations of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide against the former Yugoslavia during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. Bosnian genocide case at the ICJ is a first ever genocide court case against a state in the 60 year history of ICJ. (Reuters), (ICJ press release)
• Securitas depot robbery: British police announce that the total amount of cash stolen in last Wednesday's Securitas depot robbery was GBP £53 million (USD $92.6 million, €77.8 million). Five more people have been arrested in the last 24 hours and 10 properties searched in the ongoing investigation. (BBC)
• The United Nations World Food Programme says that it needs 11 million USD to be able to continue its Afghanistan operations to June this year. "Poor and hungry schoolchildren who receive take-home rations of food as an incentive to attend school will receive at most half their usual ration and in some cases none at all," says the U.N. More than 50% of the nation's children are malnourished. (Reuters)
• Another series of bomb attacks in southern Iranian cities of Dezful and Abadan wounds at least six people. Eight people died when bombs exploded in the provincial capital Ahwaz a month ago. The Iranian government again accuses Britain of being behind the attacks, although a small Arab separatist group claimed reponsibility on its website.(BBC)
• Post-invasion Iraq: The deadline set by the kidnappers of Jill Caroll, after which they said they would execute her if their demands were not met, passes with no word yet on whether she has been killed. An Iraqi official says he believes she is still alive and that they know her original kidnapper's name and address, although Carroll may have been sold to another group since. (AP) (ABC) (CSMonitor)
• The Dubai Ports World controversy continues with Miami-based Eller & Company trying to obtain an injunction in the UK High Court to prevent the sale of P&O to Dubai Ports World. (BBC)
• The Da Vinci Code: Writers Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh sue Random House in the High Court of Justice in London claiming that the best selling novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown contains ideas stolen from their 1982 book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. (Guardian)

February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Office of the President of the Republic of China is located in Zhongzheng District, Taipei City. ... Chen Shui-bian, President of the Republic of China Chen Shui-bian (ch. ... The National Unification Council (Chinese: 國家統一委員會), established in 1990, is a governmental body in the Republic of China on Taiwan whose aim is to promote unification with Mainland China. ... The Guidelines for National Unification (Chinese: 國家統一綱領) were written by the National Unification Council, an advisory body of the Republic of China government, regarding the reunification of China. ... The Pan-Blue Coalition (Traditional Chinese: 泛藍聯盟; Simplified Chinese: 泛蓝联盟; Hanyu Pinyin: ), or Pan-Blue Force (Traditional Chinese: 泛藍軍; Simplified Chinese: 泛蓝军; Hanyu Pinyin: ), is a political coalition in Taiwan, consisting of the Kuomintang (KMT), the People First Party (PFP), and the smaller New Party (CNP). ... Peace Palace, seat of the ICJ. The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court or ICJ; French: Cour internationale de justice) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. ... This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in South Slavic languages, Југославија (Serbian, Macedonian Cyrillic): Land of the South Slavs) describes three separate political entities that existed on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe during most of the 20th century. ... Combatants Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Predominantly Bosniak) Army of Republika Srpska, Yugoslav Peoples Army, various paramilitary units from Serbia and Montenegro (Serbian) Croatian Defence Council, Croatian Army (Croatian) Commanders Alija Izetbegović (President of Bosnia and Herzegovina) Sefer Halilović (Army chief of staff 1992-1993) Rasim... Peace Palace at the Hague The Bosnian genocide case at the International Court of Justice (also known as Bosnia and Herzegovina v. ... The Securitas depot robbery was a robbery which took place in the early hours of 22 February 2006, between 01:00 and 02:15 UTC in England, an operation that succeeded in stealing the largest cash amount in British crime history. ... The Securitas depot robbery was a robbery which took place in the early hours of 22 February 2006, between 01:00 and 02:15 UTC in England, an operation that succeeded in stealing the largest cash amount in British crime history. ... ISO 4217 Code GBP User(s) United Kingdom Inflation 2. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 3. ... ISO 4217 Code EUR User(s) European Union; eurozone: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain; outside eurozone: Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City, Montenegro, Kosovo, French Guiana, Réunion, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ... // World Food Programme Hunger and undernutrition claim more lives than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined—25,000 people a day, one every four seconds. ... Dezful (Dezh-pol, Dez Bridge) is a city in the Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. ... Abadan (آبادان in Persian) is a city in the Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran (Persia). ... Iranian province of Khuzestan and has a warm & humid climate. ... Occupation zones in Iraq as of September 2003 The post-invasion period in Iraq followed the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a multinational coalition led by the United States, which overthrew the Baath Party government of Saddam Hussein. ... Jill Carroll appeared in a video released by the terrorist group Brigades of Vengeance Jill C. Carroll (b. ... The DP World controversy began in February 2006 and rose to prominence as a national security debate in the United States. ... The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company or P&O is a shipping line which started in 1840 after the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company won the British Admiralty contract to carry the mail overseas in 1837. ... This article is about the novel. ... Author Michael Baigent Reuters Michael Baigent, born March 1948 in Christchurch, New Zealand, is an author and conspiracy theorist who co-wrote (with Richard Leigh) a number of books that question mainstream perceptions of history and many commonly-held versions of the life of Jesus. ... Richard Leigh (born 1989) is a novelist and short story writer born in New Jersey and currently living in England. ... Random House is a publishing division of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann based in New York City. ... Her Majestys High Court of Justice (usually known more simply as the High Court) is, together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of England and Wales: see Courts of England and Wales. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the novel. ... Dan Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for writing the controversial 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. ... Book cover of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail 2005 illustrated hardcover edition The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (retitled Holy Blood, Holy Grail in the United States) is a controversial book by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, which was based in large part on Pierre...

28 February 2006 (Tuesday)

• Al Askari Mosque bombing:
  • Sixty-eight people have been killed so far today in Baghdad, Iraq. Car bombs and mortar barrages rocked Baghdad streets, as news pundits speculate about the possibility of Iraq becoming embroiled in a full fledged civil war. (MSNBC)
  • Baghdad's primary morgue says that the death toll resulting from violence after the Al Askari Mosque bombing has surpassed 1,300, contrary to earlier information from most news media and the United States military. (Washington Post)
• The High Court of England and Wales grants the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, an order that delays a four-week suspension from his post ordered by an administrative tribunal last week. (Reuters)
• For the first time in Europe, a domesticated cat is found infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus. The dead cat was found on the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. (AP), (Handelsblatt), (Reuters AlertNet)
• Congolese government forces and United Nations peacekeepers (part of the MONUC mission) engage militia fighters in the wartorn Ituri district in a battle to retake the town of Tchei. The operation is in conjunction with a more aggressive disarmament policy by the U.N. peacekeepers in the region. (CNN)