Portal:Current events/February 2009

See also: February 2009 in sports

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February 2009 was the second month of that common year. The month, which began on a Sunday, ended on a Saturday after 28 days.

Portal:Current events

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from February 2009.

February 1, 2009 (2009-02-01) (Sunday) The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 to win Super Bowl XLIII. (ESPN.com) The wreck of the British warship HMS Victory is discovered in the English Channel. (The Melbourne Age) Four people are killed in a café shooting in Russia's Dagestan Republic. (Reuters via IHT) Rafael Nadal of Spain defeats Roger Federer of Switzerland to win the 2009 Australian Open men's singles. (AP via Google News) Japan Airlines conducts the first successful test flight of a Boeing 747-300 partly powered by biofuel. (Sky News Australia) Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fire four rockets and sixteen mortar shells into Israel's Negev region. (Haaretz) The Japan Meteorological Agency warns that Honshū Island's Mount Asama could erupt within the next two days. (Reuters) Kirill I is officially enthroned as Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. (BBC) The Sri Lankan Army bombs a hospital in Puthukkudiyiruppu twice, killing at least six Tamil civilians and wounding countless more patients. (AP) France defeats Croatia to win the Men's World Handball Championship. (Croatia 2009) The International Cospas-Sarsat Satellite System ceases monitoring for 121.5 MHz and 243 MHz (Class B) signals from ELTs, EPIRBs, and PLBs. (Cospas-Sarsat.org) February 2, 2009 (2009-02-02) (Monday) The United States Senate confirms Eric Holder as Attorney General. (AP via Google News) U.S. department store Macy's announces it will cut 7,000 jobs. (CNNMoney) Muammar al-Gaddafi is elected Chairman of the African Union. (Reuters) A human rights protester throws a shoe at Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during a speech at Cambridge University. (CNN) Nine people are killed when a hospital is shelled in Puthukkudiyiruppu, Sri Lanka. (BBC) Japan's Mount Asama erupts. (Reuters) Heavy snow across England closes London City Airport and one runway of Heathrow Airport and shuts down all public transport in London. (BBC) The International Criminal Court announces it will investigate Israeli war crimes possibly committed during Operation Cast Lead. (Jerusalem Post) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas says he will not deliberate with any group that does not recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization. (Al Jazeera) The Israel Defense Forces bomb the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian rocket and mortar fire. (Al Jazeera) Wildcat strikes spread across the United Kingdom. (Sky News) February 3, 2009 (2009-02-03) (Tuesday) Presidency of Barack Obama: Tom Daschle withdraws his nomination to serve as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and Nancy Killefer withdraws her nomination to serve as Chief Performance Officer. (MSNBC.com) President Obama nominates Republican Senator Judd Gregg for the position of Secretary of Commerce. (New York Times) New Hampshire Governor John H. Lynch nominates Republican J. Bonnie Newman to replace Gregg in the Senate. (Bloomberg) 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict: Israel announces restrictions on Al Jazeera broadcasts within its borders. (BBC) The Palestinian National Authority demands an investigation into alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip. (Washington Post) California's government goes broke and issues IOUs on all expenditures not required by law. (ABC7) Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security eliminates a Pakistani terrorist cell responsible for at least six suicide bombings in Kabul. (AFP via Google News) Sri Lankan Civil War: The Armed Forces claim to have captured an underground bunker used by the Tamil Tigers. (AFP via The Australian) The United States, European Union, Japan, and Norway urge the Tigers to cease fighting and negotiate with the government. (BBC) At least 52 Tamil civilians are killed in recent combat. (The Guardian) Australia: The government announces a $42-billion stimulus package to revive the economy. (Sydney Morning Herald) The Reserve Bank reduces interest rates by 100 basis points to 3.25%. (NineMSN Money) Iran announces the launch of its first domestically constructed satellite, Omid. (Reuters) Suspected Taliban militants suspend NATO supply lines by destroying a bridge on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. (CNN) The United Kingdom struggles to cope with its heaviest snowfalls since 1991. (BBC) February 4, 2009 (2009-02-04) (Wednesday) 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict: An Israel Defense Force investigation concludes that the attack on Izzeldin Abuelaish was reasonable. (Jerusalem Post) The United Nations backtracks on a claim that a deadly Israeli Defense Force strike hit a Gaza school. (Haaretz) Hamas police storm a United Nations warehouse in Gaza and seize blankets and food intended for Palestinian civilians. (Haaretz) Late 2000s recession The United States Treasury moves to broaden its debt ranging options to raise the trillions of dollars needed to cope with the current recession. (Reuters) German legendary model train manufacturer Märklin goes bankrupt after the failure of long-running restructuring efforts. (Der Spiegel) (Financial Times) Panasonic Corp. announces plans to shut down 27 plants throughout the world and slash 15,000 jobs due to a slump in demand for its electronic products resulting from the worldwide recession. (AP via Google News) Icelandic retail group Baugur has applied to a district court in Reykjavík to enter into a moratorium process. (Sky News) Unemployment in Ireland sees the highest monthly increase in 40 years, with the equivalent of 1,500 people being laid off daily. (RTÉ) Russian financial crisis of 2008-2009: Fitch Ratings downgrades Russia's long-term foreign and local currency ratings to BBB and places its outlook on negative. (Dow Jones via Easy Bourse) Samira Ahmed Jassim, who allegedly recruited more than 80 suicide bombers, is arrested in Iraq. (Times Online) The High Court of Justice alleges British resident Benyam Mohammed was tortured and that the US threatened to withdraw intelligence help from the United Kingdom if details were released. (BBC) A senior British Army officer is arrested in Afghanistan on suspicion of breaking the Official Secrets Act by leaking information on civilian casualties to a human rights campaigner. (Press Association via The Guardian) Sri Lankan artillery attacks in the last 24 hours in the Vanni result in the deaths of at least 52 Tamils. (The Guardian) Latvia's Minister of Agriculture resigns in the wake of growing protests by farmers. (BBC) The director of Somalia's independent HornAfrik radio station, Said Tahlil Ahmed, is killed in Mogadishu. (BBC) An estimated 15,000 students in Dublin, Ireland, protest the threatened reintroduction of university fees. (RTÉ) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announces a commission to investigate the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto. (AFP via Google News) Fossils from Colombia reveal Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever discovered. (Nature) German public television station ZDF reports that Nazi fugitive Aribert Heim died in 1992. (AFP via Google News) Eight trucks are attacked en route to Afghanistan by suspected Taliban militants. (BBC News) February 5, 2009 (2009-02-05) (Thursday) USA Swimming suspends Michael Phelps from competition for three months following the publication of a photograph of him inhaling from a marijuana pipe. (AP via Sports Illustrated) Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka's national cricket team becomes the highest wicket-taker in One Day Internationals with 503. (Sports 24) Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan agree to form a rapid reaction force based in the Federation. (AFP via The Australian) China declares a national emergency due to severe droughts throughout the country. (BBC) Somali pirates release Ukraine's MV Faina following a US$3.2-million ransom payment. (BBC) Late 2000s recession: The Bank of England reduces the base rate of interest to a new historic low of 1%. (Sky News) The number of Americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits reaches its highest level since October 1982. (CNN Money) At least 10 people are killed in a Brazilian Federal Police raid in Rio de Janeiro. (BBC) Heavy snowfall closes Ireland's Dublin Airport and disrupts flights for several hours. (RTÉ) Businessman Kazutsugi Nami is arrested by Japanese police over a US$1.4-billion investment scam. (BBC) Three members of the State Legislative Assembly in Perak state, Malaysia from the People's Alliance declare themselves independent and pledge support for the National Front, sparking a constitutional crisis. (New Straits Times) Zimbabwe's House of Assembly allows power-sharing between the African National Union – Patriotic Front and the Movement for Democratic Change. (Reuters) A suicide bomber kills 24 people and injures at least 40 in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan. (MSNBC) Undefeated Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe announces his retirement. (BBC) February 6, 2009 (2009-02-06) (Friday) Sweden ends its moratorium on the construction of nuclear power plants. (Financial Times) The United States Food and Drug Administration approves ATryn, the first drug made using genetically engineered animals. (Reuters) Late 2000s recession: U.S. President Barack Obama creates the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. (ABC News) The U.S. economy lost 598,000 jobs during January 2009, with unemployment rising to 7.6 percent. (New York Times) Canada's economy lost 129,000 jobs during January 2009, an all-time record, with unemployment rising to 7.2 percent. (AP via Google News) Bankruptcies in the United Kingdom rose during 2008 by 50 percent to an all-time high. (ABC News Australia) California's Alliance Bank and Georgia's FirstBank are closed, raising the number of 2009 U.S. bank failures to eight. (Reuters) A teething drug is withdrawn from circulation after killing 84 Nigerian children in three months. (AFP via ABC News Australia) Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan is released from house arrest in Islamabad. (BBC) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visits Iraq to meet with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. (AFP via Google News) Sri Lanka's government refuses to negotiate with the Tamil Tigers at what it calls a "crucial and final stage" of the ongoing civil war. (Sky News) Russia's government will allow the U.S. Armed Forces to ship nonlethal equipment to Afghanistan through Russian territory. (International Herald Tribune) Somali pirates will release the MV Blue Star and her crew of 28 Egyptians upon receiving a ransom. (IHT) (Melbourne Herald Sun) The USS Port Royal runs aground off Hawaii. (Inquisitr) Chief Minister of Perak, Malaysia, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is forcibly removed from office and threatens legal action. (BBC) Archbishop Desmond Tutu will help establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the Solomon Islands. (Radio Australia) February 7, 2009 (2009-02-07) (Saturday) 2009 Southeastern Australia heat wave continues: Bushfires in Victoria kill at 173 people. (Herald Sun) More than 100,000 Victorians may be without electricity due to a rolling blackout. (ABC News Australia) The towns of Marysville, Kinglake, Strathewen and others are almost completely destroyed by bushfires.(ABC News Australia) Bolivia's new constitution enters into force. (BBC) Pakistan: Seven Pakistani police officers are killed in Mianwali, Punjab. (BBC) The Students' Movement claims to have executed kidnapped Polish engineer Peter Stanczak. (Xinhua) The Israeli Air Force attacks the Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants fire two rockets into the country. (Haaretz) Brazilian Federal Police confiscate 3.8 tons of cocaine from a ship at a Paranaguá port. (Trend News) Major League Baseball player Alex Rodriguez allegedly tested positive for two anabolic steroids in 2003. (Sports Illustrated) An Embraer EMB-110P1 air taxi carrying 20 people crashes in Amazonas, Brazil. (IHT) Madagascar police kill at least 23 protesters during anti-government demonstrations in Antananarivo. (BBC) Jennifer Frigge becomes the first woman to swim across the Atlantic Ocean. (Kansas City Star) French Polynesian President Gaston Tong Sang resigns. (The Age) February 8, 2009 (2009-02-08) (Sunday) 51st Grammy Awards: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss win Record of the Year for "Please Read the Letter" and Coldplay wins Song of the Year for "Viva la Vida." (Billboard) Venezuela arrests 11 people over an attack last week on a Caracas synagogue. (Haaretz) A roadside bomb kills at least two people and injures 11 near Karbala, Iraq. (CNN) Palestinian militants fire two rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel. (Haaretz) Switzerland votes on a referendum to make permanent freedom of movement for workers from the European Union. (BBC) Bushfires in Victoria, Australia, have killed at least 108 people and destroyed at least 750 homes. (The Times) Twenty-four people are confirmed dead in the crash of an Embraer 110P1 air taxi in Amazonas, Brazil. (Bangkok Post) Romanian handball player Marian Cozma is killed and two others are injured after a knife attack in Veszprém, Hungary. (EHF) United States Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner delays announcing a bailout of the banking industry until Tuesday. (MSNBC) February 9, 2009 (2009-02-09) (Monday) Ten-year-old Sussex spaniel Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee wins the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show's Best-in-Show Award. (Los Angeles Times) Thirty mummies are discovered in a 2,600-year-old ancient Egyptian tomb at Saqqara. (AP via National Geographic) Bishop Richard Williamson is removed from a Roman Catholic seminary in Argentina after denying the Holocaust. (BBC) Automotive industry crisis of 2008-2009: Japan's Nissan Motors cuts 20,000 jobs because of the global economic downturn. (CNN) France's government announces a €6.5-billion bailout for the automotive industry. (International Herald Tribune) Cécile Manorohanta resigns as Madagascar's Minister for Defense. (AFP via Google News) Bushfires in Victoria, Australia, have now killed at least 130 people and destroyed at least 750 homes. (Daily Telegraph) A Tamil Tiger suicide bomber kills 28 people and injures 90 others at a Sri Lankan refugee camp. (Sky News) The Associated Press receives a video showing Pakistani militants beheading kidnapped Polish engineer Piotr Stanczak. (AP via Google News) A video confirms that al-Qaeda has kidnapped Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler in Niger. (The Globe and Mail) Major League Baseball player Alex Rodriguez admits using performance-enhancing drugs between 2001 and 2003. (ESPN) A fire destroys the Television Cultural Center in Beijing, China. (New York Times) The mythical birthplace of Zeus is possibly discovered at Mount Lykaion, Greece. (FOX News) February 10, 2009 (2009-02-10) (Tuesday) Collision of Iridium Satellite LLC's Iridium 33 and Russia's Kosmos-2251 in low-Earth orbit. (Reuters) (New York Times) South Africa announces that a general election will be held on April 22, 2009. (CNN) Automotive industry crisis of 2008-2009: United States automaker General Motors announces it will cut 10,000 jobs in its salaried workforce and the pay of remaining employees. (AP via Google News) English automaker Bentley cuts 220 jobs and all salaries by 10 percent. (Press Association via Google News) Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is named Germany's Federal Minister of Economics and Technology. (IHT) Russian financial crisis of 2008–2009: Russia will request postponement of repayment of US$400 billion in private-sector debt to foreign banks. (Reuters) The Russia Tower will be reduced in size, due to funding issues and the construction of the Moscow International Business Centre. (Moscow Times) Swiss financial services company UBS AG lost 19.7 billion francs for fiscal year 2008 and will cut 15,000 jobs throughout 2009. (The Street) Israel's legislative election takes place. (Reuters) Zimbabwe's dollar depreciates and its cholera epidemic has killed more than 3,000 people. (Sky News) The United States Senate approves the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. (CNN) (New York Times) The United Kingdom imposes new visa requirements on nationals from Bolivia, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, and Venezuela. (BBC) Mexico will nationally register all its mobile phone users and catalog their fingerprints. (Reuters) An EF4 tornado kills at least eight people and injures 50 in Lone Grove, Oklahoma, United States. (The Oklahoman) Fifty thousand people protest living costs in Guadeloupe and Martinique. (MSNBC) February 11, 2009 (2009-02-11) (Wednesday) Economy of the United States: The budget deficit reached US$84 billion in January 2009, due to the financial crisis. (Market Watch) The Senate and House of Representatives reach a compromise on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (Reuters) The number of worldwide connections to cellular networks reaches four billion. (Reuters) Azerbaijan Air Force Lieutenant General Rail Rzayev is killed in Baku. (BBC) Palestinian militants launch four mortar shells and one Qassam rocket from the Gaza Strip into Israel. (Haaretz) Movement for Democratic Change President Morgan Tsvangirai becomes Zimbabwe's new Prime Minister. (BBC) A mysterious deposit of cosmic dust is discovered inside the Red Rectangle Nebula. (MSNBC) Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History announces the discovery of a 16th-century mass grave at the Tlatelolco archaeological site in Mexico City. (Reuters) Twenty-seven people die during a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Sky News) Chinese fishing vessels desert the Northern Limit Line, signaling a possible North Korean missile test. (Reuters) An oil tanker and a container ship collide off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP via Google News) The Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources rescues more than 200 dolphins after a mass beaching in Bataan. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) U.S. Democrat John Dingell of Michigan becomes the House of Representatives' longest-serving member. (NPR) Oscar Temaru is elected President of French Polynesia for the fourth time in five years. (RNZI) The United Kingdom's Conservative Party admits to altering the Italian painter Titian's Wikipedia entry following a confrontation with Prime Minister Gordon Brown. (BBC) Renowned Molecular Biologist Dr Abdul Majid Cheema escaped death when unknown armed men opened fire on his vehicle on Quetta,Pakistan. [1] February 12, 2009 (2009-02-12) (Thursday) Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes in Clarence Center, New York, killing 50 people. (Buffalo News) (CNN) The United States National Transportation Safety Board concludes that Canada geese caused US Airways Flight 1549 to ditch into New York City's Hudson River. (CNN) Pope Benedict XVI condemns any denial of the Holocaust as "intolerable and altogether unacceptable". (New York Times) Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire withdraws his nomination as U.S. Secretary of Commerce. (BBC) Iraq's Parliament demands reparations from Israel for an attack on a nuclear reactor in 1981. (Haaretz). Hamas agrees to an 18-month truce in its conflict with Israel, which has not yet responded. (Al Jazeera) Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. reopens for the bicentennial of assassinated U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's birth. (BBC) Late 2000s recession: Japanese electronics company Pioneer Corporation will leave the television business and cut 10,000 jobs. (AFP via Google News) European steelmaker Corus Group cuts 3,500 jobs. (Business Standard) A man is arrested after threatening self-immolation outside the Government Buildings in Dublin, Ireland. (RTÉ) Taliban militants kill 26 people in attacks on three government buildings in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Sky News) Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez alleges that the Army attempted to overthrow his government. (AFP via France 24) Australia announces a national day of mourning for victims of bushfires in Victoria. (CNN) The European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, is robbed. (RTÉ) Indian businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his servant, Surender Koli, are convicted of murder. (BBC) Dutch Member of Parliament and Islam critic Geert Wilders is denied entry into the United Kingdom. (BBC) Microsoft places a US$250,000 bounty on the Conficker computer worm's creator. (PC World) China's Sanlu Group declares bankruptcy, due to the country's 2008 milk scandal. (BBC) February 13, 2009 (2009-02-13) (Friday) The United States Congress approves the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. (BBC) Zimbabwe's Republic Police charge Roy Bennett of the Movement for Democratic Change with treason. (BBC) The Peanut Corporation of America files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and liquidation. (Reuters via Forbes) Germany's economy shrank by 2.1 percent in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008. (AFP via ABC News Australia) A suicide bomber kills 40 people and injures 60 others in Karbala, Iraq. (AP via Fox News) China's government urges Yves Saint Laurent's estate to return two Qing Dynasty sculptures scheduled for auction in Paris. (Bloomberg) Australia's Senate approves a $42-billion economic stimulus package. (BBC) Israeli Defense Forces in the Gaza Strip discover grenades made by Hamas from humanitarian supplies. (Jerusalem Post) Germany's Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the United States' 454 Life Sciences map the Neanderthal genome. (AP via Google News) Lloyds Banking Group warns that HBOS will register a loss of £8.5 billion for 2008. (Sky News) Unix time equalled "1234567890" at 23:31:30 UTC. (The Times) British Airways CityFlyer Flight 8456 crash-lands at London's City Airport. (RTÉ) A passenger train derails in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, killing at least 15 people and injuring 150 others. (Thaindian News) The Air Accident Investigation Unit finds that Virgin Atlantic Airways' Airbus A340s contain faulty electrical wiring. (AAIU) Six crew members are missing after China's MV Changhai 178 capsizes in the South China Sea. (Xinhua) At least 40 FDLR members are killed in airstrikes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (BBC) February 14, 2009 (2009-02-14) (Saturday) An oil spill occurs in the Celtic Sea near County Cork, Ireland. (Department of Transport) Peruvian director Claudia Llosa's The Milk of Sorrow wins the Golden Bear at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. (ABC/Reuters) Two missiles fired from American drone aircraft kill at least 25 people in South Waziristan, Pakistan. (New York Times) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Israel will not negotiate any long-term ceasefire in its conflict with Hamas unless prisoner-of-war Gilad Shalit is released. (Al Jazeera) Japan's National Astronomical Observatory completes the first topographic map of the Moon. (Daily Yomiuri) Somali pirates release the Japanese oil tanker Chemstar Venus and its 23 crew members. (Reuters) February 15, 2009 (2009-02-15) (Sunday) The United Kingdom confirms the first case of a person contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease after receiving contaminated blood plasma. (Telegraph) At least 15 people are killed and seven injured in a hostel fire in Molodyozhny, Astrakhan, Russia. (Reuters via ABC News Australia) Israel will pay US$50,000 to the family of a Palestinian man who was killed by the country's Defense Forces in December 2003. (PCHR) (Ma'an) Zimbabwe replaces a treason charge against Deputy Agriculture Minister-designate Roy Bennett with "conspiring to acquire arms with a view to disrupting essential services." (BBC) The Karen National Union attacks Myawaddy, Burma. (AFP via Google News) Colombia's Galeras volcano erupts. (CNN) Fifty-four percent of participating Venezuelan voters approve a constitutional referendum to remove term limits for elected offices, including the Presidency. (BBC) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denies reports that Israel is negotiating with Hamas. (CNN) General strikes over high living costs continue in Guadeloupe and Martinique. (Chicago Tribune) Cancer Research UK's London Institute discovers a "danger receptor" that may initiate an immune reaction to cancer. (BBC) The Taliban announces a ten-day ceasefire in its war in northwest Pakistan's Swat Valley. (BBC) NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth wins the rain-shortened 2009 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway after 152 of 200 laps. (NASCAR.com) February 16, 2009 (2009-02-16) (Monday) Section 76 of the United Kingdom's Counter-Terrorism Act 2008—a law that criminalizes publishing information about the Armed Forces, the Security Service, the Secret Intelligence Service, or Government Communications Headquarters—is effected. (BBC) An Israeli lawyer convicted of defrauding Holocaust survivors is arrested for planning to flee the country. (Jerusalem Post) BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay's trial begins in Stockholm, Sweden. (BBC) Late 2000s recession: Japan's gross domestic product contracted by 12.7 percent in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008. (AP via New York Times) BMW cuts 850 jobs at its Mini factory in Cowley, Oxfordshire, England. (BBC) The United Kingdom's economy is expected to contract by 3.3 percent throughout 2009. (Bloomberg) The British Royal Navy's nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard and the French Navy's Le Triomphant collide in the Atlantic Ocean on February 3 or 4. (Sky News) Protesters and police clash in Guadeloupe as part of general strikes. (France 24) Pakistan will implement sharia in the war-torn Swat Valley if the Taliban guarantees a ceasefire. (BBC) February 17, 2009 (2009-02-17) (Tuesday) United States President Barack Obama authorizes the deployment of 12,000 more soldiers into the Afghanistan War. (CNN) The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges Stanford Financial Group Chairman Allen Stanford with fraud. (BBC) British lawyer David Mills is sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for accepting a £400,000 bribe from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. (BBC) Walter Veltroni resigns as Secretary of Italy's Democratic Party. (BBC) Legal charges against The Pirate Bay are amended. (The Local) Late 2000s recession in the Americas: U.S. President Obama signs the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (CNN) General Motors and Chrysler inform the U.S. federal government that they will need additional loans of $21.6 billion. (CNN) Shōichi Nakagawa will resign as Japan's Minister of Finance after the National Diet approves a budget in April. (AP via Google News) California will lay off 20,000 government workers, due to the State Legislature's failure to pass a budget. (Reuters) U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Japan to deliberate the global economic crisis and international security. (Sky News) Former Khmer Rouge leader Kang Kek Iew stands trial before the Extraordinary Chambers in Cambodia. (CNN) Irish Nationwide Chairman Michael Walsh resigns over his involvement in questionable loan arrangements with Anglo Irish Bank. (RTÉ) Fifty people are detained in Guadeloupe after general strikes escalate into rioting. (International Herald Tribune) February 18, 2009 (2009-02-18) (Wednesday) Stefane & 3G will represent Georgia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow with "We Don't Wanna Put In", a song allegedly against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. (Reuters) A Columbian mammoth is discovered in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California. (Reuters) Switzerland's UBS AG will pay the United States federal government US$780 million in fines and restitution after admitting to helping American clients avoid taxes. (CNN) A Eurocopter Super Puma carrying 18 people ditches into the North Sea. (BBC) Israel will not negotiate with Hamas unless war prisoner Gilad Shalit is released. (BBC) Israel's Securities Authority arrests Poalim Capital Markets CEO Nir Burnstein on suspicion of insider trading. (Jerusalem Post) Iran announces it has built an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of traveling 620 miles (1,000 kilometers). (Bloomberg) Lawyers representing the entertainment industry defend their compensation claims of US$13 million against The Pirate Bay. (The Local) A GEO Television reporter is killed in Pakistan's war-torn Swat Valley. (AP via Google News) Verizon Wireless selects Alcatel-Lucent as its primary vendor of fourth-generation wireless communications. (Reuters) Swedish Minister of Enterprise and Energy Maud Olofsson criticizes General Motors for "abandoning" the struggling automaker Saab Automobile. (The Local) The Czech Republic's Chamber of Deputies approves the Treaty of Lisbon. (CTK) General Motors will cut 47,000 jobs throughout 2009. (Sky News) South Korea says North Korea will face United Nations sanctions if it proceeds with a threatening long-range missile test. (Reuters) Russia's Border Guard Service sinks a Hong Kong-owned merchant vessel, killing eight people. (RIAN) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency will continue with their Europa Jupiter System Mission and Titan Saturn System Missions. (NASA) February 19, 2009 (2009-02-19) (Thursday) Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's office accuses Georgian pop group Stefane & 3G's song "We Don't Wanna Put In" of hooliganism. (Financial Times) California's State Legislature approves a US$143-billion budget and fills a $41-billion deficit with a combination of loans, spending and service reductions, and tax increases. (New York Times) The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation locates Stanford Financial Group Chairman Allen Stanford in Virginia and serves him with a fraud complaint on behalf of the Securities and Exchange Commission. (BBC) China claims it has artificially produced snowfall by cloud seeding to ease drought. (AP via Google News) Palestinian militants fire three rockets into Israel. (Jerusalem Post) General Motors says it may provide its struggling Swedish subsidiary Saab Automobile with US$400 million. (Reuters) Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Council approves the closure of the U.S. Air Force's Manas Air Base. (Reuters) A Russian court acquits three men of aiding the 2006 murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya. (BBC) The French battleship Danton is discovered in the Mediterranean Sea. (BBC) U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa. (BBC) China's Ministry of Health reports that HIV/AIDS was the country's leading cause of death from infectious disease in 2008. (BBC) Two Tupolev Tu-95 bombers are intercepted by two Canadian CF-18's near Canada's airspace hours before United States President Barack Obama arrives in Ottawa, Ontario.(CBC) Nigeria's Military Forces rescue two escaped Russian hostages who were abducted in the Niger Delta in December. (BBC) Fort-de-France Mayor Serge Letchimy cancels Martinique's carnival, due to ongoing general strikes. (MSNBC) February 20, 2009 (2009-02-20) (Friday) The Tamil Tigers aerially attack Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing two people and injuring at least 40 others. (Reuters) The United States will return Benyam Mohammed to the United Kingdom after four years of imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base's detention camp. (BBC) Israel seizes 425 acres of Palestinian Authority state land in the West Bank for a Jewish settlement. (AP via Google News) Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis and his government resign. (Bloomberg) Gold futures reclaim the US$1,000-an-ounce mark. (MarketWatch) New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo subpoenas Bank of America Chairman and CEO Kenneth Lewis for misleading investors during the purchase of Merrill Lynch. (Wall Street Journal) Saab Automobile files for bankruptcy protection. (MarketWatch) Israeli President Shimon Peres selects Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu to form the country's next government. (Ynetnews) A suicide attack kills 25 people in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. (BBC) Forty-seven people are injured when a Northwest Airlines flight from the Philippines to Japan experiences severe turbulence. (BBC) India investigates several deaths caused by the hepatitis B virus in the western state of Gujarat. (BBC) February 21, 2009 (2009-02-21) (Saturday) The Taliban and Pakistan agree to a permanent ceasefire in the war in North-West Frontier Province. (CNN) The International Security Assistance Force kills 13 people in Guzara, Herat, Afghanistan. (CNN) Italy's Democratic Party elects Deputy Secretary Dario Franceschini as its new Secretary. (France 24) Approximately 120,000 people march in Dublin, Ireland, to protest the government's handling of the country's economic and banking crises. (Irish Times) At least 10 people are killed and 20 injured in a collision between a train and a coach in Slovakia. (RTÉ) February 22, 2009 (2009-02-22) (Sunday) Slumdog Millionaire wins eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director for Danny Boyle. Sean Penn wins Best Actor for Milk and Kate Winslet wins Best Actress for The Reader. (The Daily Mail) A bomb kills one person and injures 20 others in the Khan el-Khalili souq of Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters) An Al-Shabaab suicide attack kills at least 11 and injures 15 more Burundian peacekeepers on an African Union military base in Mogadishu, Somalia. (BBC) Greek convicts Vassilis Paleokostas and Alket Rizai escape from Athens' Korydallos Prison via a helicopter. (BBC) Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison reopens under the new name Baghdad Central Prison. (Washington Post) Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng inaugurates the country's first oil refinery. (AFP via Google News) At least 73 miners die following an explosion in a coal mine in Gujiao, Shanxi, China. (Bloomberg) Australia holds a national day of mourning for the 209 confirmed victims of recent bushfires in Victoria. (Melbourne Herald Sun) The Tamil Tigers kill 10 people in Kirimetiyagara, Sri Lanka. (AFP via The Melbourne Age) An outbreak of hepatitis B in Gujarat, India, kills at least 38 people. (CNN) Somali pirates hijack Greece's MV Saldanha in the Gulf of Aden. (AFP via Google News) The European Council meets in Berlin, Germany, to discuss the current economic crisis. (BBC) February 23, 2009 (2009-02-23) (Monday) Member of Parliament Peter Archer's report into the United Kingdom's tainted blood scandal chiefly blames United States pharmaceutical companies that provided contaminated blood plasma, thus infecting approximately 5,700 hemophiliacs with HIV or hepatitis C. (AP via Google News) Norway's Royal Navy will resume searching for Antarctic explorer Roald Amundsen's Latham 47 flying boat. (AP via Google News) A Paris court rejects a bid to block the auction of two China-claimed Qing Dynasty sculptures that are part of Yves Saint Laurent's art collection. (Reuters) The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 fall to their lowest levels since 1997. (Los Angeles Times) Pope Benedict XVI selects Archbishop Timothy Dolan to succeed Cardinal Edward Egan as New York's Archdiocese. (New York Times) The death toll from recent bushfires in Victoria reaches 210 as they threaten Belgrave. (ABC News Australia) Queensland's government announces a state election for March 21, 2009. (ABC News Australia) Ethiopian national Benyam Mohammed is released from Guantanamo Bay Naval Base's detention camp. (Sky News) South Korea's Defense Ministry reports that North Korea has medium-range ballistic missiles capable of striking U.S. military bases. (CNN) India approves a £1.7-billion plan to launch its first astronauts into outer space by 2015. (Times) February 24, 2009 (2009-02-24) (Tuesday) United States President Barack Obama addresses a joint session of Congress. (BBC) The U.S. Senate confirms Hilda Solis as the Secretary of Labor. (USA Today) Two people are killed and 28 injured in an apartment-building fire in New York City's Chinatown. (UPI) Iraq's National Museum reopens for the first time since being looted during the U.S. Armed Forces' invasion in 2003. (Al Jazeera) Six people and an infant are injured in a shooting during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, United States. (San Francisco Chronicle) (BBC) Sweden's government announces the engagement of Crown Princess Victoria and personal trainer Daniel Westling. (The Local) The National Front marches on Thailand's Government House, demanding an early election. (Bloomberg) The Taliban announces a ceasefire in its war in northwest Pakistan's Swat Valley. (Reuters) NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory lands in the Pacific Ocean near Antarctica after failing to reach Earth's orbit. (Sky News) Ireland's Stock Exchange falls to its lowest level since 1995. (RTÉ) Gardaí from Ireland's Criminal Investigation Bureau conduct a search for illegal documentation at the Anglo Irish Bank headquarters in Saint Stephen's Green, Dublin. (RTÉ) Iraq's Police Service kills an Iraqi interpreter and injures at least three U.S. soldiers in Mosul. (BBC) At least 15 people are killed and 90 injured in heavy fighting in Mogadishu, Somalia. (BBC) U.S. President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso pledge to cooperate in stimulating economic demand and combating protectionism. (BBC) Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and French President Nicolas Sarkozy agree to cooperate in reviving nuclear power in Italy. (BBC) Teachers in Zimbabwe will end their strike action upon receiving government aid. (BBC) February 25, 2009 (2009-02-25) (Wednesday) The United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that 15,000 refugees have fled from southern Darfur to the Zam Zam refugee camp in the north. (CNN) U.S. President Barack Obama nominates former Washington Governor Gary Locke to serve as the next Secretary of Commerce. (Baltimore Sun) An improvised explosive device kills three British Army soldiers in the Gerishk District of Afghanistan's Helmand Province. (CNN) Three people set themselves on fire near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. (BBC) Iran tests its first nuclear power plant at Bushehr. (Guardian) Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crashes at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, killing nine people and injuring 84. (BBC) The Bangladesh Rifles mutiny in Dhaka, killing one person and injuring eight. (AFP via Google News) Antarctica's subglacial Gamburtsev Mountain Range is mapped. (BBC) Two thousand Gardaí protest against Ireland's government at Dublin's Leinster House. (RTÉ) A bus crashes in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 35 people and injuring 15. (BBC) The Special Court for Sierra Leone convicts three Revolutionary United Front commanders of war crimes and crimes against humanity during an 11-year civil war. (BBC) Former Estonian Police Chief Herman Simm is jailed for 12.5 years for selling classified information on NATO to Russia. (BBC) Serbia suspends 11 Belgrade corrections officers for aiding the escape of assassin Milorad Ulemek. (BBC) Japan's exports plunged 45.7% in January 2009. (BBC) The U.S. State Department criticizes China's human rights record. (BBC) Islamist terrorist group Al-Shabaab seizes Hudur, Somalia. (BBC) The U.S. arrests 750 people in a national crackdown on Mexican drug cartels. (BBC) A Syrian arms dealer is jailed for 30 years for conspiring to sell weapons to Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces. (BBC) Former Indian Communications Minister Sukhram is jailed for three years for corruption. (BBC) An Australian study classifies a fossilized fish as one of the earliest known vertebrates to use internal fertilization. (BBC) Iraq's Council of Representatives lifts the immunity of Mohammed al-Dayni, an MP accused of organizing the 2007 bombing of Parliament. (Al-Jazeera) February 26, 2009 (2009-02-26) (Thursday) United States President Barack Obama will withdraw most soldiers from the Iraq War by August 2010. (CNN) The Bangladesh Rifles surrender after the government promises amnesty. (BBC) Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah begin peace deliberations in Cairo, Egypt. (New York Times) The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia acquits former Serbian President Milan Milutinović of committing war crimes. (New York Times) General Motors reports a US$9.6 billion loss, due to the current automotive industry crisis. (New York Times) Switzerland's UBS AG appoints former Credit Suisse CEO Oswald Grübel as its new Group CEO. (BBC) China's Navy and Denmark's Navy rescue Italian and Chinese merchant vessels from Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. (BBC) The Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, catches fire, five months after it was bombed. (BBC) Latvian President Valdis Zatlers names former Finance Minister Valdis Dombrovskis as the new Prime Minister. (BBC) Ajmal Kasab, the 2008 Mumbai attacks' lone surviving gunman, is charged with waging war against India. (Sky News) The Royal Bank of Scotland Group reports a 2008 loss of £24.1 billion. (BBC) Thirteen thousand civil servants stage a one-day strike action in Ireland. (RTÉ) Former Guinean President Lansana Conté's eldest son confesses to drug trafficking. (BBC) An outbreak of dengue fever in Bolivia has killed 18 people and infected 31,000. (BBC) The University of Reading identifies the oldest words in the English language. (BBC) A study by the scientific journal Nature shows that HIV is evolving to resist the human immune system. (BBC) The earliest footprints evidencing modern human foot anatomy and gait are discovered in Koobi Fora, Kenya. (BBC) The Svalbard Global Seed Vault receives 90,000 food crop seed samples. (BBC) The United States Defense Department allows news agencies to publicize photographs of the coffins of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. (BBC) The Rocky Mountain News, one of Colorado's largest newspapers, publishes its last issue. This issue hits the streets the following morning.[www.9news.com] February 27, 2009 (2009-02-27) (Friday) China's Navy and Denmark's Navy thwart Somali pirate attacks on Italian and Chinese merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden. (China Daily) (Canadian Press) A nationwide "Chicago Tea Party" occurred across the United States, where protesters say government spending is out of control. (Fox Chicago News) China's Armed Police shoot a Tibetan monk as he immolates himself in Sichuan. (BBC) Global financial crisis of 2008–2009: ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand sign a free trade agreement to increase commerce. (Bloomberg) The U.S. gross domestic product fell 6.2% in the final fiscal quarter of 2008. (MarketWatch) Lloyds Banking Group reports that HBOS lost £10.8 billion during 2008. (BBC) The U.S. federal government will increase its equity stake in Citigroup to 36%. (MarketWatch) Japan's industrial production fell by 10% in January 2009. (MarketWatch) Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány requests that the European Union aid Eastern Europe with US$230 billion. (Bloomberg) Bangladesh's military arrests 300 Rifles for mutiny and discovers a mass grave containing 58 officers killed during the revolt. (Sky News) (BBC) United States President Barack Obama announces he will withdraw most soldiers from the Iraq War by August 2010. (BBC) Seven million euros are stolen from the Bank of Ireland in Dublin. (Irish Times) At least 50 people are killed in combat between Southern Sudan and militias in Malakal. (BBC) The animated sitcom The Simpsons becomes the longest-running U.S. primetime television series after Fox Broadcasting confirms two more seasons. (BBC) Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez claims that former Cuban President Fidel Castro recently appeared publicly in Havana for the first time since 2006. (Irish Times) A report by China's State Council criticizes the United States' human rights record. (People's Daily)` February 28, 2009 (2009-02-28) (Saturday) Carpatair Flight 128 – a Saab 2000 bound for Timişoara, Romania, from Chişinău, Moldova, and carrying 51 people – makes an emergency landing at Traian Vuia International Airport without its forward landing gear. (Phillyburbs) Burma's government announces it will allow Rohingyas who have fled to neighboring countries to return only if they identify themselves as Bengalis. (BBC) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao holds the first online discussion with Internet users before the National People's Congress's annual plenary session. (People's Daily) The Standing Committee of China's NPC approves the Food Safety Law, which will enhance supervision and strengthen quality standards. (Xinhua) California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declares a state of emergency, due to severe drought. (BBC) Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe vows to continue his policy of distributing land from white to black farmers. (BBC) Colombia's military kills ten and captures eight Revolutionary Armed Forces members in Cundinamarca. (BBC) A gene linked to a genetic motor neurone disease is discovered. (BBC) Bangladesh's Army finds more mass graves where Bangladesh Rifles mutinied in Dhaka. (BBC) The Holy See claims that the Roman Catholic Church's number of priests is slowly rising. (BBC)

February 2009 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Ongoing events Automotive industry crisis Diplomatic response to Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence International recognition of Kosovo Global financial crisis Icelandic financial crisis Irish banking crisis Malagasy protests Nord-Kivu campaign Piracy in Somalia Russian financial crisis Treaty of Lisbon ratification World food price crisis Zimbabwean cholera outbreak Recent deaths February 26: Wendy Richard 25: Philip José Farmer 20: Larry H. Miller 20: Socks 19: Kelly Groucutt 18: Snooks Eaglin 18: Kamila Skolimowska 16: Stephen Kim Sou-hwan 13: Bernard Albert Ashley 12: Hugh Leonard 11: Estelle Bennett 11: Willem Johan Kolff 11: Rail Rzayev 10: Carolyn George 9: Eluana Englaro 9: Orlando "Cachaito" López 9: Jeremy Lusk 8: Marian Cozma 7: Blossom Dearie 7: Brian Naylor 7: Reg Evans 6: Philip Carey 6: James Whitmore 6: Bashir Ahmad 5: Noah Weinberg 4: Antonie Dixon 4: Lux Interior 3: Sheng-yen 2: Joe M. Rodgers 2: James E. Long 1: Tim Grundy 1: Michael Homer 1: Peter Howson 1: Lukas Foss Ongoing conflicts War in Afghanistan Balochistan conflict Casamance Conflict Chadian Civil War (2005–2010) Second Chechen War Colombian Civil War War in Darfur Fatah–Hamas conflict Iran-PJAK conflict Iraq War Israeli-Palestinian conflict Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Kayin State Conflict Kivu conflict Insurgency in the Maghreb Mexican Drug War Ethnic conflict in Nagaland Naxalite-Maoist insurgency Conflict in the Niger Delta Insurgency in Ogaden War in North-West Pakistan Communist and Islamic Insurgency in the Philippines The Secret War Somali Civil War Sri Lankan Civil War War on Terrorism South Thailand insurgency Second Tuareg Rebellion Turkey-PKK conflict Second Ugandan Civil War Elections Recent 30 January: Somalia, President (by the parliament) 8 February: Turkmenistan, Parliament (3rd Round) 8 February: Liechtenstein, Parliament 8 February: Switzerland, Referendum on freedom of movement with the European Union 10 February: Israel, Parliament Upcoming 15 February: Venezuela, Constitutional referendum 16 February: Bangladesh, President (by the parliament) 11 February: French Polynesia, President (by the parliament) Trials Upcoming Austria: Josef Fritzl Canada: Larry O'Brien Estonia: Herman Simm Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim Netherlands: ICTY Radovan Karadžić Singapore: Chee Soon Juan and others Singapore: Peter Lloyd U.S.: Aníbal Acevedo Vilá U.S.: Viktor Bout U.S.: Noshir Gowadia U.S.: William J. Jefferson U.S.: James Charles Kopp U.S.: Bernard L. Madoff U.S.: Ehren Watada U.S.: Sheila Dixon U.S.: Joseph Bruno Ongoing Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Tribunal Iraq: Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal Italy: Raffaele Sollecito, Amanda Knox Netherlands: ICC Thomas Lubanga Netherlands: ICTY Peru: Alberto Fujimori Republic of China (Taiwan): Chen Shui-bian Sierra Leone: SCfSL Charles Taylor Thailand: Thaksin Shinawatra US: Jena Six US: Phil Spector Upcoming holidays and observances February 15: Parinirvana Day (Mahayana Buddhism) 15: Sexagesima (Western Christianity) 15: Liberation Day (Afghanistan) 15: National Flag of Canada Day (Canada) 15: National Day (Serbia) 15: Total Defence Day (Singapore) 15: Susan B. Anthony Day (United States) 15: John Frum Day (Vanuatu) 16: Arba'een (Shia Islam) 16: Family Day (Canada) 16: Independence Day (Lithuania) 16: Kim Jong-il's Birthday (North Korea) 16: President's Day (United States) 17: Sepandarmazgan (Iran) 17: Independence Day (Kosovo) 18: Democracy Day (Nepal) 18: Independence Day (The Gambia) 19: Chaoflux (Discordianism) 19: Shivaji Jayanti (Meghalaya) 19: Armed Forces Day (Mexico) 19: Flag Day (Turkmenistan)