February 2004
2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
February 29, 2004
February 28, 2004
February 27, 2004
February 26, 2004
February 25, 2004
February 24, 2004
February 23, 2004
February 22, 2004
February 21, 2004
February 20, 2004
February 19, 2004
February 18, 2004
February 17, 2004
February 16, 2004
February 15, 2004
February 14, 2004
February 13, 2004
February 12, 2004
February 11, 2004
February 10, 2004
- Same-sex marriage in the United States : A majority of Americanss (2 to 1 margin) respond they do not want laws in their states that would legalize same-sex marriages. The poll is taken after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling. [1]
- A group of 200 AIDS doctors in the United States calls for a boycott of pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories to protest the company's recent 401% price hike on its anti-HIV drug Norvir. [1]
- An Italian intelligence report states that Italy is a departure point, as well as focus of logistic and financial support, for suicide bombers linked to al-Qaida and active against United States-led forces in Iraq. The suicide bombers were drawn from Muslim youths living on the fringes of society in Western Europe.[1]
- The French National Assembly votes (494 to 36) to ban hijab and all other conspicuous religious symbols from state schools. [1]
- The White House rebuts Democratss' accusations that Bush shirked his military responsibilities, releasing pay records for the President's National Guard service between May 1972 and May 1973. [1]
- The oil cartel OPEC announces further limits on the output of crude by one million barrels a day beginning April 1, 2004. If all member states stick to the agreement, OPEC's daily output will be cut by about 10 percent.[1]
- Recent violence in Haiti has spread as anti-government forces take control of eight towns in Western Haiti. 46 people are dead thus far. Government forces in Cap-Haitien (second largest city in Haiti) built flaming barricades to keep the rebel forces out of the city. The UN is urging Haitians on both sides to stop the violence. class="external">[1
February 9, 2004
- King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden made a statement where he praised sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the dictator of Brunei for the open society in his country. This has led to a public outrage in Sweden with demands that the king abdicate. [1] [1]
- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf admits that he had suspected for at least three years that Abdul Qadeer Khan, Pakistan's top nuclear scientist, was sharing nuclear technology with other countries, blaming the United States for not giving him convincing proof of the activities of his own scientist.[1]
- Russian federal prosecutors close a murder investigation, one hour after it had been opened by Moscow's prosecutor office, in the case of missing presidential candidate, Ivan Rybkin. Rybkin was last seen five days ago.[1]
- In Haiti, an armed uprising spreads to nearly a dozen towns in the western and northern areas of the island nation. The uprising is the strongest challenge yet to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. At least 41 people have been killed.[1]
- The final three members of a group of Muslim men from the Portland, Oregon area of the United States who tried to enter Afghanistan to join the Taliban are sentenced to prison. In previous verdicts, the other four members of the group had been sentenced to prison.[1]
- Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov announces that Russia is considering withdrawing from the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, considered to be one of the main cornerstones of European security. Mr. Ivanov cites NATO expansion and the end of the Cold War as justifications for retiring the treaty. [1]
February 8, 2004
- U.S. Presidential Election, 2004: In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, John Kerry wins the Maine caucus with 45% of the vote.[1]
- The investigation into nuclear proliferation by the Pakistani scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan expands to include seven nations. Among the countries known to be involved are Malaysia, South Africa, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and Pakistan. Nuclear technology and parts were supplied to Libya, Iran, North Korea.[1]
- The London Iraqi exile admits that information supplied as a key piece of intelligence might have been false (but provided in good faith). The CX report information was one of the items of intelligence on Saddam Hussein's possible use of WMD. [1]
- Dr Hans Blix, in an interview on BBC TV, accuses the US and British governments of dramatising the threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, in order to strengthen the case for the 2003 war against the regime of Saddam Hussein. [1]
- Seven Chinese acrobatss, all Uighur Muslims, defect while touring in Canada. They make refugee claims, stating they were persecuted and discriminated against. [1]
February 7, 2004
- Nearly 400 members of Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization resign in protest over corruption, mismanagement and a lack of direction with Fatah.[1]
- U.S. Presidential Election, 2004: In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator John Kerry wins the caucuses in Michigan and Washington. [1]
- Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga dissolves parliament. class="external">[1
February 6, 2004
- U.S and Iraqi forces capture more than 100 suspected guerrillas in raids across Iraq. [1]
- Ministers of Finance from Europe, North America, and Asia meet in Florida. They are focusing on the strength and stability of the U.S. dollar. [1]
- Russian billionaire Victor Vekselberg purchases a huge private collection of Fabergé art pieces, including nine Fabergé eggs, from the Forbes family. The collection had been expected to go up for auction in April. [1]
- Gerhard Schröder announces his intention to resign from his post as chairman of the Social Democratic Party but to continue as Chancellor of Germany. [1]
- An earthquake, measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale, occurs in the Papua province of Indonesia and kills at least 23 people. [1]
- At least 39 people are killed and around 120 injured in an explosion aboard a train on the Moscow Metro (subway) during the morning rush hour. The authorities are investigating the apparent bombing, which may be connected to a series of attacks in the Russian capital. President Vladimir Putin publicly blames the blast on Chechen militants and their leader, Aslan Maskhadov. The Chechen rebel leadership issues a statement denying responsibility. [1] [1] [1]
- A party of cockle pickers - believed to be Chinese immigrants - is caught by tides in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, England, drowning at least 19 people. [1]
- The UK Home Office confirms that Maxine Carr, convicted with Ian Huntley concerning the Soham murders of 2001, could be released from prison in the next few days. [1]
- Parliamentarians in Iran end their sit-in of the country's parliament but vow to continue fighting the mass disqualification of reformist candidates by the conservative Council of Guardians. [1]
- In Australia, the Music Industry Piracy Investigations organization uses an Anton Piller order to raid offices of P2P companies Sharman Networks and Brilliant Digital Entertainment, the homes of their key executives, as well as several ISPs and universities. [1]
- Democratic Presidential Primaries: Howard Dean tells his supporters that he must win the Wisconsin Democratic primary in order to stay in the Democratic presidential race. [1]
- Electronic voting: The U.S. military abandons plans for a trial of internet voting in the upcoming presidential election. [1]
- American and British study reports that the 1918 flu virus may have had a unique bird-like protein. The past outbreak, which killed 20 million people, has hallmarks of the current outbreak of bird flu in east Asia. [1]
- The body of Carlie Brucia, a girl reported missing on Sunday, February 1, 2004 is discovered. Suspect Joseph P. Smith is charged with the murder.
- U.S. President George W. Bush appoints an Iraq Intelligence Commission to investigate United States intelligence capabilities, specifically regarding the 2003 invasion of Iraq and Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The commission is headed by Governor, and former Senator, Chuck Robb and Judge Laurence Silberman. [1]
February 5, 2004
- Saudi Arabia's religious authority endorses plan by King Fahd to modernize the holy sites of Mecca. [1]
- SCO v. IBM: SCO Group widens Unix and Linux lawsuit against IBM. They add a copyright infringement claim to case. [1]
- The United Nations releases a science and technology strategy report, "Inventing a Better Future: A Strategy for Building Worldwide Capacities in Science and Technology", produced by the InterAcademy Council (IAC). [1]
- Carmine Caridi is expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the "Academy" in the Academy Awards) by vote after having been found to have leaked hundreds of screeners over the past five years to Russell Sprague in Chicago, Illinois. [1]
- Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan publicly admits illegally transferring nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea. Following a written apology from Khan, President Pervez Musharraf issues a formal pardon. [1] [1]
- 2003 invasion of Iraq: Responding to criticism that pre-war intelligence gathering was faulty, CIA director George Tenet states that analysts had never presented Saddam Hussein's Iraq as an "imminent threat" in the years immediately preceding the coalition invasion. Tenent states that an overall "objective assessment" for policymakers of a "brutal dictator who was continuing his efforts to deceive and build programs" that might "surprise" and "threaten" US interests was outlined in the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate. [1] [1] [1] [1]
- U.S. Army Sergeant Jerry Onken of Onamia, Minnesota is sentenced to five years in prison by a South Korean court for killing a Korean woman in a hit-and-run crash involving alcohol. The U.S. established a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with South Korea in 2001 that allowed such prosecutions, and this case marked the first time that an off-duty member of the U.S. military had been charged under that agreement. [1]
- The United States Department of Interior states that the survival of sea otters in southwest Alaska is threatened. The department proposes adding the sea otter, Enhydra lutris, to the government's endangered species list. [1]
- The coalition government of Latvia, headed by PM Einars Repse, resigns, but will continue to work until the president appoints a new cabinet. [1]
February 4, 2004
- A US federal appeals court rules scientists can study the 9,300-year-old remains of the Kennewick Man. The court denies a request by American Indian tribes, who sought an immediate burial. [1] [1]
- The European Space Agency announces plans to send humans and robot probes to the Moon and Mars over the next three decades.[1]
- Same-sex marriage in the United States: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court answers the state's Senate that the proposed civil unions will still violate the constitution by maintaining an inferior status of same-sex couples. [1] [1] White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan states that the Bush administration is reviewing the legal decision. The spokesman also states that the court's findings are "deeply troubling" and that the president is "firmly committed to protecting and defending" marriage (as being defined between a man and a woman).[1] [1] [1]
- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission held an open meeting in what may be the longest-running SEC fraud case. At issue are the trades that resulted in the firing of Orlando (Joseph) Jett from Kidder Peabody & Co in 1994. class="external">[1
February 3, 2004
February 2, 2004
February 1, 2004
Past events by month
2004: January
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2002: January February March April May June July August September October November December