Current Events for the Week of 1 March 2010

Current Events for Monday, 1 March 2010

Tsunami warnings canceled after huge 8.8-magnitude Chilean earthquake kills at least 708
Chilean copper mines restart mining despite limited power supplies
Chilean troops impose curfew in worst-ravaged cities
Four Afghans killed by suicide attack on North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led (NATO) convoy
Pew Research Center survey: Americans choose online newspapers over print
500,00-name petition opposing Ugandan anti-gay bills to be presented to the speaker of parliament
Huge eight-foot-tall red granite head of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III unearthed in Luxor
Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic begins defense at genocide trial
Hundreds of activists walk-out during Dutch masses to protest Roman Catholic Church’s denial of communion to homosexuals
Violence flares at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, Israeli police surround holy site
Violent storms kill at least fifteen in western Europe
Taliban militants detonate device in southern Afghanistan, eleven civilians dead
Spanish Interior Ministry claims Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA, Basque Homeland and Freedom) lead commander Ibon Gogeascoechea captured in northern France
Yemen arrests twenty-one southern separatists as tensions rise
Republicans rejects compromise over financial regulatory reform
U.K. opens formal inquiry into passport deal
Yemeni sappers enter northern Shi’a rebel stronghold to clear mines as part of Saada truce
U.S. House of Representatives (House) Committee on Oversight and Government Reform finds evidence of Toyota “concealment”
Colombian Constitutional Court blocks President Alvaro Uribe from seeking another term, former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos Calderón leads in polls
U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force—Afghanistan (ISAF-A) to head into Kandahar offensive later this year
Strong 7.3-magnitude earthquake hits Okinawa
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak: Israeli, U.S. perspectives on nuclear Iran differ, two nations may part ways on what actions to take
U.N. General Assembly urges further Gaza war investigation
New York State Governor David Patterson (D.) abandons reelection campaign wrought with setbacks, allegations of improprieties
U.S. Vice-President Joseph “Joe” Biden (D.) proposes new rules to help protect retirement savings
Russian Federation blames drug problems on North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) inability to curb Afghan poppy production
Egyptian Supreme Court overrules lower court ruling banning gas sales to Israel
Al-Qa`ida-linked Filippino group raids village, kills at least eleven
At least nineteen killed in Guangdong fireworks explosion
U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) to permit U.S. soldiers to use social networking website, like Facebook and Twitter
Sri Lanka accused of stiffling dissidents’ voices
Gatorade ends promotion deal with Tiger Woods
Ivoirian opposition agrees to join coalition government
Main Sudanese political parties reach deal on distribution of parliamentary seats
South African navy confirms confiscation of illegal weapons aboard North Korean ship heading to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah makes rare public appearance, meets with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vows justice for those who planned coup attempt
U.S. Senator Jim Bunning (R., KY) blocks passage of $10 billion package extending unemployment cash, health benefits
CNN/Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) poll: 56% of Americans feel the federal government is a danger to our liberty
Canada defeats U.S. in Olympic ice hockey final, becomes most watched hockey game in history

Current Events for Tuesday, 2 March 2010

China stands its ground that diplomatic approach to Iran would be more useful than economic sanctions
General Motors (GM) to recall some 1.3 million compact vehicles in North America over steering issues, to spend some $2.6 billion on struggling European unit Opel
Afghan government announces ban on covering Taliban attacks
Toyota Corporation to announce March incentives in U.S. including zero-percent financing, two-years free maintenance
New York prosecutors clear Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) workers of any wrong-doing
Chilean police, soldiers struggle to keep looting down in Concepción
U.S. Institute of Medicine study: working with food industry to cut salt inclusion by ten-percent could save billions of U.S. dollars ($) in healthcare
French President Nicolas Sarközy: Russian Federation President Dmitry Medvedev would back new Iranian economic sanctions if they do not cause a humanitarian crisis
Western Europe storm deathtoll rises as more bodies are unearthed
European Union (E.U.) urges deeper Greek financial cuts, pledges to help the nation; Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou: corruption is the heart of the crisis
Sony fixes “millenium-style bug” which kept thousands of PlayStation3 owners from using its online gaming network
Google set to purchase online photograph-editing site Picnik
At least one coal miner dead, thirty-one trapped in flooded Inner Mongolian mine
Australian central bank increases lending rates to four-percent in effort to curb booming economy
U.S. consumer spending rose, again, in January
Radar experiment aboard Indian Space Agency’s Chandrayaan-1 lunar spacecraft detects large deposits of water ice near Moon’s north pole
Influential Pakistani Muslim scholar Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri to issue fatwa forbidding terrorism
Nigerien junta names transitional government with renewed promises for elections
U.S. State Department weighs-in on Argentine-British row of Falkland Islands
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) clears Ogden, Utah federal building housing U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices after hazardous material discovered
Iranian authorities ban “reformist papers”
Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) denies writ of certiorari for seven Chinese Uighur being held in Guantánamo Bay Naval Base detention center (Gitmo), to hear Second Amendment case McDonald v. Chicago
Delhi, India police arrest Hindu “holy man” Shiv Murat Dwivedi for running prostitution ring
U.S. White House: U.S. President Barack Obama planning “dramatic reductions” in American nuclear arsenal
E.U. approves Orange, T-Mobile merger under certain conditions
International monitors: Tajik parliamentary elections marred with fraud
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to seek closer ties with E.U.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Iran no longer cooperating with inspections
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Latin America on diplomatic swing
Zimbabwean law requiring foreign-owned firms operating in that nation to sell majority stake to indigenous shareholders comes into effect
Georgia, Russia reopen border pass closed since tensions rose in 2006
U.S. President Obama wants federal government to do more to help prevent school dropout
One word is on the lips of all political talking heads right now: reconciliation

Current Events for Wednesday, 3 March 2010

Chile steps-up search for earthquake survivors
Chinese parliament to debate long-term growth plan
Incumbent Republican Governor of Texas Rick Perry defeats challenger U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R., TX) in primary election for governor
U.S. Senate ends stand-off for extension of jobless benefits
U.S. congressional hearing enters into evidence 2006 memorandum showing Toyota knew of defects
U.N. Security Council (UNSECO) President Emanuel Issoze-Ngondet: Council ready to tackle Iran, despite Chinese reluctance and new-found Russian push for diplomacy
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman: U.S. should adopt “Cuba-like” sanctions against Iran
Ukrainian ruling coalition collapses as newly-elected President Viktor Yanukovich moved to oust Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and consolidate power
Bosnian Serb commander Radovan Karadzic describes Sarajevo, Srebrenica as “myths perpetuated by Bosnian Muslims”
U.S. President Obama proposes $3,000 tax credit for homeowners who renovate in a “green” manner
Three separate Baquba suicide attacks kill at least twenty-nine ahead of local elections
In about-face, U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke claims U.S. is “concerned” over recent press restrictions by Afghan government
BBC uncovers evidence some money given to Ethiopia during the 1984-1985 famine was spent on weapons
Guatemalan national chief of police Baltazar Gomez, main anti-narcotics czar Nelly Bonilla arrested for ties with drug traffickers
Fossil find hints at prehistoric snake eating dinosaur eggs
Ford Motors reports sales jump of 43% in February 2010
Apple files legal action to U.S. International Trade Commission, U.S. federal district court alleging rival mobile phone maker HTC violated some twenty patents
German Constitutional Court: vast amount of telephone, email data held by companies must be deleted
European Commission clears genetically-modified (GM) Amflora potato for non-human consumption cultivation in European Union (E.U.), only the second GM food to be allowed
Somali pirates hijack three U.N. trucks in worrying new development
Explosion topples six-story building in southern Yemen, at least ten killed
Widow of assassinated Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana arrested in France, accused of connections with 1994 genocide
Chad agrees to extend U.N. peacekeeping operations for Darfuri refugees
60,000-year-old etching on South African ostrich eggs amount to graphic communication according to anthropologists
Three pilots die as two South Korean fighter jets collide into eastern mountain
Head of Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Qari Mohammad Zafar, dies in U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, drone) attack
Greek cabinet backs sweeping austerity plan
Washington, D.C. becomes latest to legalize same-sex marriage
Former California governor, current California Governor Jerry Brown (D.) officially declares for gubernatorial election

Current Events for Thursday, 4 March 2010

U.S. President Obama tells congressional Democrats to “push through” healthcare reform bill
U.S. President Obama announces clear support for banning proprietary trading by banks, U.S. Congress unlikely to pass legislation
Iraqi infirmed, police, prisoners, soldiers vote early in Iraq elections
Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas calls for clear, direct E.U. statement on backing of debt
Families of killed California state trooper, three civilians sue Toyota for knowingly allowing defects in vehicles
Even more aftershocks felt in Chile, hampers relief efforts
New York Governor David Patterson (D.) formally charged with breaking ethics law
At least twenty killed in Uttar Pradesh temple collapse
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown meets with South African President Jacob Zuma in formal state visit
Dutch anti-immigration Freedom Party makes key gains in local elections
Anheuser-Busch InBev declares $1.28 billion profit rise in fourth quarter of 2009
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono under-fire from parliament for bank bailout
International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) calls on international community to help Uganda after mudslide wipes-out three eastern villages
Taiwan suffers 6.4-magnitude earthquake that disrupts power supplies, high-speed rail
China to slow military spending, 7.5% budget commitment still worries West
U.N. discussing end to Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) peacekeeping mission
Indonesian police arrest thirteen suspected rebels in Aceh
Togolese voters head to the polls hoping for no violence
University of Texas, Austin researchers identify “oldest dinosaur,” Asilisaurus kongwe
U.S. Federal Reserve report: economic recovery hampered by East’s snowy winter
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigating cases of children directing flights taking-off from John F. Kennedy International Airport
Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim: U.S. cannot pressure Brazil over trade deals with Iran
Ukrainian parliament passes motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s government
Push to have former U.S. President Ronald Reagan (R.) replace former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant on the $50 bill gains steam
U.S. House of Represenatives (House) Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D., NY) to take “leave of absence” from chairmanship, not to step-down

Current Events for Friday, 5 March 2010

Violence mars early Iraq voting, suicide bombers kill a dozen
Icelanders upset with repayment plan for Anglo-Dutch bailout set to veto terms in weekend referendum
U.S. Obama administration struggles with where to hold terrorism suspects’ trials
U.S. Senators Joseph “Joe” Lieberman (I., CT), John McCain (R., AZ) to propose legislation requiring terrorism suspects to be tried by military commission
U.S. investigating claims Toyota accelerator fixes have not worked, Toyota denies
Chile to ask international community for loans, not aid
U.S. House Foreign Relations Committee votes 23-22 to put non-binding resolution condemning Turkish killing of Armenians during World War I as genocide to a full vote, Turkey condemns and recalls Turkish Ambassador to the U.S. Nabi Sensoy
Man shot, wounded two Pentagon security officers before being shot, killed himself
California university students rally against planned tuition hikes at state universities
Afghan imam Ahmad Afzali pleads guilty in U.S. court for tipping-off Najibullah Zazi, lying to FBI
Commander, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) U.S. Army General David Petraeus gives Command, International Security Assistance Force—Afghanistan (ISAF-A), Commander U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal more authority, virtual control over all personnel in Afghanistan
Southern Poverty Law Center survey: extremist right-wing groups, militas have surged since election of U.S. President Obama
U.S. House approves $15 billion jobs bill
Indonesian, Malaysian navies step-up security in Malacca Strait after Singapore issues warning about possible terrorist attacks on oil tankers
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych visits Russian Federation in key trip
At least three killed in Hangu, Pakistan suicide attack
Four militants, one soldier die in two-day gun-battle in Indian-administered Kashmir
Indian police investigating negligence in temple stampede that killed at least sixty-three
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao tells annual parliamentary conference the gap between rich and poor must be closed for China to move forward
Stanford University researchers: simple deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test could determine “best” diet to follow for weight-loss
Another top Afghan commander, Agha Jan Mohtasim, being held by Pakistani authorities
Mexico City enacts law allowing same-sex couples to marry
Germany suggests Greece sells some of its uninhabited islands to help pay-off debts
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s memoir to be published this autumn
European Central Bank keeps Eurozone key interest rate at 1%
Microsoft releases first application intended for mobile phones running Google’s Android operating system (OS)
U.S. Representative Sander Levin (D., MI) named acting U.S. House Ways and Means Committee chairman