Today in History

820 Jan 20, Abu Abdallah Mibn Idris al-Sjafi’i, Islamic author of Book of Mother, died. (MC, 1/20/02)1265 Jan 20, The 1st English Parliament was called into session by Earl of Leicester. (MC, 1/20/02)1327 Jan 20, Edward II of England was deposed by his eldest son, Edward III. [see Jan 7] (HN, 1/20/99)1517 Jan 20, Ottoman sultan Selim I captured Cairo. The center of power transferred then to Istanbul. The Ottoman Empire retained the Mamluks as an Egyptian ruling class. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamluk_Sultanate)1586 Jan 20, Johann Hermann Schein, German composer (Fontana d’Israel), was born. (MC, 1/20/02)1612 Jan 20, Rudolf II von Habsburg (59), emperor of Germany (1576-1612), died in Prague and Matthias became Holy Roman Emperor. In 1912 an enigmatic manuscript, once owned by Rudolf II, was acquired by Wilfrid Voynich and came to be known as the Voynich manuscript. In 2006 Peter Marshall authored “The Magic Circle of Rudolf II.” (WSJ, 1/8/99, p.C13)(www.historylearningsite.co) (Econ, 1/10/04, p.71) (WSJ, 9/9/06, p. P9)1616 Jan 20, The French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived to winter in a Huron Indian village after being wounded in a battle with Iroquois in New France. (HN, 1/20/99)1675 Jan 20, Christian Huygens, Dutch scientist, transformed a theoretical insight on springs into a practical mechanism with the 1st sketch of a watch balance regulated by a coiled spring. (www.princeton.edu/~mike/articles/huygens/timelong/timelong.html)(Econ, 2/4/06, p.73)1731 Jan 20, Antonio Farnese (b.1679), the eighth and ultimate Farnese Duke of Parma and Piacenza, died. The Farnese art collection passed to Charles III, king of Naples. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Farnese,_Duke_of_Parma)(Econ, 3/12/11, p.100)1732 Jan 20, Richard Henry Lee, American Revolutionary patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born. (HN, 1/20/99)1760 Jan 20, Charles III, King of Spain, was born. (HN, 1/20/99)1764 Jan 20, John Wilkes was expelled from the English House of Commons. In February he was found guilty, in absentia, of seditious libel (for the North Briton) and of obscene and impious libel (for Essay on Woman, a parody on Pope which he had co-written with Thomas Potter years before, intended for a select group of friends). (www.jamesboswell.info/biography/john-wilkes-essay-women-wilkes-and-liberty)1783 Jan 20, The fighting of the Revolutionary War ended. Britain signed a peace agreement with France and Spain, who allied against it in the American War of Independence. (HFA, ’96, p.22) (HN, 1/20/99)1788 Jan 20, The pioneer African Baptist church was organized in Savannah, Ga. (MC, 1/20/02)1801 Jan 20, US Secretary of State John Marshall was nominated by President Adams to be chief justice. He was sworn in on Feb. 4, 1801. Marshall effectively created the legal framework within which free markets in goods and services could establish themselves. (WSJ, 3/10/99, p. A22) (AP, 1/20/08) y1807 Jan 20, Napoleon convened the great Sanhedrin in Paris. (MC, 1/20/02)1809 Jan 20, The 1st US geology book was published by William Maclure. (MC, 1/20/02)1820 Jan 20, Anne Clough, promoter of higher education, was born. (HN, 1/20/99)1820 Jan 20-1820 Jan 29, As George IV was about to become King of England, his wife Caroline (the German princess of Brunswick) returned to claim her rights. She had been living on the continent and was rumored to have had as lovers such men as: the politician George Canning, the admiral Sir Sydney Smith, the painter Sir Thomas Lawrence. The House of Lords introduced a Bill of Pains and Penalties, which sought to strip Caroline of her title of Queen on the grounds of her scandalous conduct. George had previously married Maria Anne Fitzherbert in secret. A trial ensued, but witnesses refused to speak against the queen and the bill had to be amended. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_of_Brunswick)(WSJ, 5/23/96, p.A-10) (WSJ, 3/26/99, p. W10)1831 Jan 20, Protocols were signed in London that recognized Belgium as an independent nation. Belgium became a nation and combined French and Flemish-speaking lands. The Rothschild banking empire financed the founding of Belgium.(SFC, 7/12/96, p. A11) (SSFC, 2/24/02, p.C5)(http://tinyurl.com/3335jt)1839 Jan 20, Chile defeated a confederation of Peru and Bolivia in the Battle of Yungay. (AP, 1/20/98)1841 Jan 20, The Convention of Chuenpi ceded the island of Hong Kong to Great Britain from China as part of the concessions from the Opium War. It became a capitalist bastion as opposed to the rest of China. The British won the first Opium War and forced China to open markets to foreign trade. Britain soon established a formal police force commanded mostly by British officers. Hong Kong returned to Chinese control in July 1997. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Chuenpee)(WSJ, 10/26/95, p.A-1)(SFEC, 11/10/96, Par p.14)(SFC, 3/11/97, p.A12)(SFC, 7/1/97, p.A8)(AP, 1/20/98)(WSJ, 1/11/99, p.R49)(WSJ, 2/2/04, p.A12)1859 Jan 20, The Federal War began in Venezuela. Ezequiel Zamora (1817-1860) led the Federalist Army until his assassination on Jan 10, 1860. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_War)1875 Jan 20, Jean Francois Millet (b.1814), French painter, died. (www.artrenewal.org/asp/database/art.asp?aid=745)1887 Jan 20, The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base. [see Nov 29] (AP, 1/20/98)1891 Jan 20, Mischa Elman, US violinist, was born in Talnoye, Ukraine. (MC, 1/20/02)1891 Jan 20, King David Kalakaua, sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands, died at the SF Palace Hotel. (SFEC, 11/17/96, p.C1) (SFC, 5/29/98, p.C18)1893 Jan 20, Bessy Colman, first African American aviator, was born. (HN, 1/20/99)1896 Jan 20, George Burns (d.3/9/96), vaudeville comedian and actor, was born Nathan Birnbaum in New York City. He hosted radio and television show with his wife Gracie Allen before going into movies like The Sunshine Boys. “By the time you’re 80 years old, you’ve learned everything. You only have to remember it.” (WSJ, 3/11/96, p. A1) (AP, 1/20/98) (HN, 1/20/99)1899 Jan 20, Alexander Tcherepnin, composer, was born. (MC, 1/20/02)1899 Jan 20, President William McKinley appointed a Philippine Commission led by Jacob G. Schurman, president of Cornell University, to study the situation in the island and to submit a report to serve as a basis for setting up a civil government. The commission issued findings in June suggesting the ultimate independence for the islands but, for an indefinite period continued U.S. rule. (HNQ, 1/3/00)1910 Jan 20, Joy Adamson, British author and naturalist, was born. He lived in Kenya and wrote “Born Free.” (HN, 1/20/99)1913 Jan 20, Karl Wittgenstein (b.1847), Viennese industrialist and father of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), died of throat cancer. In 2009 Alexander Waugh authored “The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War.” (WSJ, 2/28/09, p.W10)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Wittgenstein) 1913 Jan 20, Jose Guadalupe Posada, Mexican cartoonist, died. He had created Catrina, the Skeleton Lady in her elegant broad-brimmed hat in a satirical engraving sometime between 1910 and his death. Her image grew over the years to symbolize Mexico’s Day of the Dead. (AP, 10/31/13)1920 Jan 20, Movie director Federico Fellini was born in Rimini, Italy. (AP, 1/20/00)1928 Jan 20, Martin Landau, actor (Mission Impossible, Tucker, Space 1999), was born in Brooklyn, NY. (MC, 1/20/02)1930 Jan 20, Dr. Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin, second man to walk on the moon, was born. (HN, 1/20/99)1930 Jan 20, Charles Lindbergh arrived in New York, setting a cross country flying record of 14.75 hours. [see Apr 20] (HN, 1/20/99)1931 Jan 20, Gifford Pinchot (1865-1946) began serving a 2nd term as the 28th governor of Pennsylvania and continued to 1935. His first term was from 1923-1927. Following the of Prohibition in 1933, Pinchot kept restrictions on the sale of alcohol. (Econ, 3/30/13, p.34)1935 Jan 20, Belgium arrested some Nazi agitators who were urging for a return to the Reich. (HN, 1/20/99)1936 Jan 20, Britain’s King George V, served from 1910-1936, died at age 70; he was succeeded by Edward VIII. He is remembered for saying: “Any man who is not a socialist before he is 30 has no heart, and any man who is a socialist after he is 30 has no head.” (AP, 1/20/98)(MC, 1/20/02)(WSJ, 7/16/02, p.D6)1937 Jan 20, President Franklin Roosevelt was inaugurated for a 2nd term. He became the first chief executive to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4. (AP, 1/20/08) (SSFC, 1/18/09, p. D6)1937 Jan 20, In San Francisco a fire gutted the 7-story Wilson building at 975 Market St. (SSFC, 1/15/12, p.46)1939 Jan 20, Hitler proclaimed to German parliament his intention to exterminate all European Jews. (MC, 1/20/02)1941 Jan 20, US Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for his 3rd term. It was the first time any US president had been elected for more than two terms. (WUD, 1944, p.1683)1941 Jan 20, Hitler met with Mussolini and offered aid in Albania and Greece. (HN, 1/20/99) 1942 Jan 20, Top Nazis met at Grossen-Wannsee, outside Berlin, and there formulated the infamous “Final Solution” to the Jewish question. Chaired by SS General Reinhard Heydrich, the one-day conference was designed to address the Nazi efforts at removing the Jews. The 15 top-ranking men of the German Reich agreed upon a blueprint for the extermination of Europe’s Jews. Their “final solution” called for exterminating Europe’s Jews. Until this time, the plan had been to deport all Jews to the island of Madagascar off Africa, but by 1942 this plan was rejected in favor of transporting Jews to the east where the able-bodied would become slave laborers for the Reich. SS chief Heinrich Himmler would be in charge. Those unfit to work would be, the conference minutes noted, “appropriately dealt with.” This phrase was left unexplained, but there was no doubt of its sinister meaning. After approving genocide as Nazi policy, the conference attendees adjourned for lunch. The minutes were taken by Adolf Eichmann. In 2004 Christopher R. Browning authored “The Origins of the Final Solution.” (AP, 1/20/98)(WSJ, 4/28/97, p.A17)(HNPD, 1/20/99)(WSJ, 3/23/04, p.D8)(AP, 1/20/12)1942 Jan 20, Japanese invaded Burma. (MC, 1/20/02)1942 Jan 20, There was a Japanese air raid on Rabaul, New Britain. (MC, 1/20/02)1943 Jan 20, Giacomo Benvenuti (57), composer, died. (MC, 1/20/02)1944 Jan 20, Allied forces began unsuccessful operations to cross the Rapido River and seize Cassino. (HN, 1/20/99)1944 Jan 20, RAF dropped 2300 1-ton bombs on Berlin. (MC, 1/20/02)1945 Jan 20, Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for his fourth term. (HN, 1/20/99)1945 Jan 20, The Allies signed a truce with the Hungarians. (HN, 1/20/99)1946 Jan 20, France’s Charles DeGaulle handed in his resignation. (HN, 1/20/99)1947 Jan 20, Josh Gibson (35), Negro League slugger, died of a brain tumor. (MC, 1/20/02)1949 Jan 20, Ivana Trump, former wife of Donald Trump, was born. (MC, 1/20/02)1949 Jan 20, Pres. Truman was inaugurated for his 2nd term. He presented a 4-point plan for American foreign policy. Point 4 called for “a bold new program” of assistance to economically underdeveloped areas. In his inaugural address, Truman branded communism a “false philosophy” as he outlined his program for U.S. world leadership. (EWH, 1968, p.1207) (AP, 1/20/99)1951 Jan 20, American bombing and strafing killed about 300 Korean refugees at Youngchoon. Korean witnesses later said 300 people were trapped and suffocated in Gokgyegul. On May 20, 2008, a South Korean Truth and Reconciliation Commission identified 3 US attacks of indiscriminant use of napalm that killed at least 228 civilians. The 1st at Wolmi on Sep 10, 1950, a 2nd at Sansong on Jan 19, 1951 and a 3rd at Tanyang on Jan 20, 1951, where at least 167 villagers were killed. (SFC, 12/29/99, p.A13)(SFC, 1/13/01, p.A12)(http://tinyurl.com/5crkh9)(SSFC, 8/3/08, p.A16)1952 Jan 20, British troops occupied Ismalia, Egypt. [see Nov 18, 1951] (HN, 1/20/99)1953 Jan 20, In the US Dwight D. Eisenhower was inaugurated as president. He succeeded Harry S. Truman. TV coverage sent the event to 21 million sets. (WUD, 1994, p.1685)(SFC, 1/17/03, p.E8)1954 Jan 20, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” a play by Herman Wouk based on part of his 1951 novel “The Caine Mutiny,” opened on Broadway. (AP, 1/20/04)1954 Jan 20, Over 22,000 anti-Communist prisoners were turned over to the UN forces in Korea. (HN, 1/20/99)1954 Jan 20, The CIA built a tunnel from west Berlin to East Berlin to tap Soviet and East German communications. (SFC, 9/17/97, p. A3)1955 Jan 20, Joe Doherty, IRA activist (jailed in US), was born in Ireland. (MC, 1/20/02)1956 Jan 20, Buddy Holly recorded “Blue Days Black Night” in Nashville. (MC, 1/20/02)1957 Jan 20, President Eisenhower and Vice President Nixon were sworn in for their second terms of office in a private Sunday ceremony. A public ceremony was held the next day. (AP, 1/20/07)1961 Jan 20, Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria,” premiered in Boston. (MC, 1/20/02)1961 Jan 20, Pres. Kennedy made his inaugural address from the steps of the US Capital. In 2004 Thurston Clarke authored “Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America.” In 2005 Richard J. Tofel authored “Sounding the Trumpet: The Making of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address.” (SSFC, 10/24/04, p.M2)(WSJ, 8/24/05, p.D10)1961 Jan 20, Poet Robert Frost recited his poem “The Gift Outright” at the inauguration of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Frost, born in San Francisco on March 26, 1874, was the first poet to participate in a presidential inauguration. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize four times, most of Frost’s work drew on themes from rural New England life. He died on January 29, 1963. Although 86-year-old Robert Frost had composed a new poem, titled “Dedication,” for the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy, he was unable to recite it at the ceremony because he could not read his own typewritten manuscript. A dim typewriter ribbon conspired with Frost”˜s failing eyesight and bright glare on a sunny day with snow cover, making it impossible for the poet to read the poem written especially for the occasion. Instead Frost recited from memory his famous poem “The Gift Outright.” (HNQ, 9/12/98)(HNQ, 1/21/00)1965 Jan 20, Byrds recorded “Mr. Tambourine Man.” (MC, 1/20/02)1965 Jan 20, Generalissimo Francisco Franco met with Jewish representatives to discuss legitimizing Jewish communities in Spain. (MC, 1/20/02)1967 Jan 20, Clark Kerr, president of the UC system, was fired by Gov. Reagan and the UC Regents for being too soft on student protesters at Berkeley. In 2003 Kerr authored vol. 2 of his memoir: “The Gold and the Blue: A Personal Memoir of the Univ. of California. (SSFC, 2/17/02, p.M6)(SSFC, 6/9/02, p.F6)1969 Jan 20, Richard Nixon in his first inaugural address proclaimed that Americans “cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another.” He also said: “the greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker. This honor now beckons America.” (HNQ, 6/30/98) (SSFC, 6/9/02, p. F6)1970 Jan 20, William T. Cahill (1912-1996), began serving as the governor of New Jersey and continued to 1974. (SFC, 7/3/96, p. C4)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_T._Cahill)1974 Jan 20, Howard C. Ulrich was appointed by Gov. Ronald Reagan to serve as the chief of Caltrans and served from this day to Aug 8, 1975. (SFEC, 1/31/99, p. A14)1977 Jan 20, President Jimmy Carter was sworn in and then surprised everyone as he walked from the U.S. Capitol to the White House. (HN, 1/20/99)1978 Jan 20, Columbia Pictures paid $9.5 million for movie rights to “Annie.” (www.coolquiz.com/trivia/history/index.asp?hdate=01.20)1980 Jan 20, President Jimmy Carter announced the US boycott of Olympics in Moscow. (www.kipnotes.com/James%20E.%20Carter.htm)1981 Jan 20, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president of the US. He inherited 10% inflation and 20% interest rates. (AP, 1/20/98) (WSJ, 8/15/96, p. A12)1981 Jan 20, Iran released 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan. (AP, 1/20/98)1984 Jan 20, Johnny Weissmuller (79), Romania-born US swimmer (Olympics-5 gold-1924, 28), movie actor (Tarzan), died in Acapulco, Mexico. In 2002 his son (1940-2006) published “Tarzan, My Father.” (www.britannica.com/eb/article-9076468)(SFC, 7/31/06, p. B4)1985 Jan 20, The SF 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 38-16 in the Super Bowl played at Stanford Stadium. This capped the winningest season in national Football League history, with 18 wins and only one loss. (www.superbowl.com/history/recaps/game/sbxix)(SSFC, 1/17/10, DB p.42)1985 Jan 20, President Reagan and VP Bush were sworn in for 2nd terms of office in a brief White House ceremony. It being a Sunday, the public swearing-in was held the following day. (AP, 1/20/05)1986 Jan 20, The United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (AP, 1/20/98)1986 Jan 20, Britain and France announced plans to build the Channel Tunnel. (AP, 1/20/98)1987 Jan 20, Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut, Lebanon, while attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages. He was freed in November 1991. (AP, 1/20/98)1988 Jan 20, An Arizona House committee opened hearings on the possible impeachment of Gov. Evan Mecham. (AP, 1/20/98)1988 Jan 20, Philippe de Rothschild (b.1902), Bordeaux Vineyard manager, died in Paris. (www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Philippe_de_Rothschild)1989 Jan 20, George Bush was sworn in as the 41st president of the United States; Dan Quayle was sworn in as vice president. Reagan became the 1st pres elected in a “0” year, since 1840, to leave office alive. (AP, 1/20/99)1990 Jan 20, The space shuttle Columbia returned from an 11-day mission. (AP, 1/20/00)1990 Jan 20, Actress Barbara Stanwyck died in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 82. (AP, 1/20/00)1990 Jan 20, The Soviets attacked Baku, leaving dozens dead and wounded. Gen’l. Lebed led Russian forces in Baku to crush the nationalist Azeri Popular Front. 62 civilians were killed and more than 200 wounded when the Soviet army stormed into the city of Baku to end what Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev called fratricidal killing between Muslim Azerbaijanis and Christian Armenians. (WSJ, 12/18/96, p. A21) (CO, Grolier’s Amer. Acad. Enc./ Azerbaijan)(WSJ, 8/7/96, p.A15)(AP, 1/20/00)1991 Jan 20, During the Gulf War, Iraqi missiles were shot down by US Patriot rockets as they approached Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Iraqi television showed interviews with seven downed allied pilots, three of them Americans. (AP, 1/20/01)1991 Jan 20, In Latvia, “black beret” commandos of the Soviet Interior Ministry attacked the republic’s Interior Ministry headquarters, killing five people. Communist leader Alfred Rubiks supported a Soviet crackdown against a move by his countrymen for independence. (SFC,11/6/97, p.C3) (AP, 1/20/01)1992 Jan 20, A French Airbus A-320 crashed near Strasbourg, killing 87 people. (AP, 1/20/98)1992 Jan 20, A German court convicted two former East German border guards of the last killing at the Berlin Wall. (AP, 1/20/02)1993 Jan 20, Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States; Al Gore was sworn in as vice president. The Senate confirmed Lloyd Bentsen as treasury secretary, Les Aspin as defense secretary and Warren Christopher as secretary of state. That night, Clinton picked up a saxophone and jammed at five of the 12 inaugural balls he and his wife, Hillary, attended. Christopher served for 4 years and in 1998 published “In the Stream of History: Shaping Foreign Policy for a new Era,” a compilation of 41 of his major speeches. (SFC, 11/8/96, p.C6) (SFEC, 11/17/96, Par p.2) (AP, 1/20/98) (SFEC, 7/12/98, BR p.3)1993 Jan 20, Audrey Hepburn, actress died in Switzerland at age 63. The 8th biography of her life was written by Barry Paris in 1996. (SFC, 11/8/96, p.C6) (AP, 1/20/98)1994 Jan 20, Robert B. Fiske Jr. was appointed by Attorney General Janet Reno as the special White-water prosecutor to investigate President and Mrs. Clinton’s Arkansas land deals. (SFEC, 11/15/98, p. A3) (AP, 1/20/99)1994 Jan 20, Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The Citadel in South Carolina. She joined the cadet corps in August 1995, under court order, but soon dropped out, citing isolation and stress. (AP, 1/20/99)1995 Jan 20, The U.S. State Department announced a partial lifting of economic sanctions against North Korea. (AP, 1/20/00)1995 Jan 20, The Mt. Zion AME Church in Williamsburg Co., S.C.., burned down. Arson was suspected and investigations by the FBI and ATF were later begun. (SFC, 6/11/96, p. A16)1995 Jan 20, The Japanese government, criticized for being slow to respond to Kobe’s devastating earthquake, admitted its initial reaction might have been “confused.” (AP, 1/20/00)1995 Jan 20, Jean-Claude Juncker (b.1954), the leader of the Christian Social People’s Party, succeeded Jacques Santer as PM of Luxembourg. “Juncker’s Curse” was named after Jean-Claude Juncker, who famously quipped: “We all know what to do. But we don’t know how to get reelected once we’ve done it.” (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean-Claude_Juncker)1996 Jan 20, The space shuttle “Endeavour” landed after a nine-day mission that included snaring a Japanese satellite. (AP, 1/20/01)1996 Jan 20, US Ambassador Swanee Hunt gave the Austrian government a list of sites where weapons were stockpiled by the US in the 1950s as a precaution against a Soviet takeover. (FB, 9/12/96, p. A9)1996 Jan 20, Yasser Arafat was elected president in the first Palestinian elections. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians turned out to vote in the festive first election, solidly endorsing Arafat and his peace policies. (WSJ, 12/27/95, p. A-1) (SFC, 2/8/99, p. A6) (AP, 1/20/01)1997 Jan 20, President Clinton and Vice President Gore were sworn in for second terms of office. In his inaugural address, Clinton called for an end to “the politics of petty bickering and extreme partisanship.” Poet Miller Williams delivered the inaugural poem. (WSJ, 1/22/97, p. A12) (AP, 1/20/98)1997 Jan 20, Edith Haisman (100), the oldest survivor of Titanic, died. (www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/357/)1997 Jan 20, In Scotland an 1800-year-old sculpture of a lioness devouring a man was found in the mud of the Almond River near Edinburgh. (SFC, 1/22/97, p. A9)1998 Jan 20, The Idaho Coeur d’Alene Indian tribe planned to begin a national online lottery called US Lottery. US residents will be restricted by their local state laws. (SFC, 1/16/98, p. A1)1998 Jan 20, In Texas jury selection in the multi-million-dollar lawsuit trial of Oprah Winfrey began. She was being sued by Texas cattlemen for remarks on her Apr 16, 1996 show about mad cow disease. The case was initially a test of the state’s 1995 “veggie libel” law that protected perishable food products from false and defamatory statements, but was ruled to proceed as a common-law business defamation case. Winfrey won the case on Feb 26. (SFC, 1/21/98, p.A3)(www.cnn.com/US/9802/26/oprah.verdict/)1998 Jan 20, In Algeria the European envoys concluded their mission as 3 people were killed by a bomb in Ben Aknoun District, another 3 by a bomb in the village of Ziralda. 2 people died from a bomb thrown into a cafe in Boussaken. King Fahd of Saudi Arabia offered his nation’s assistance to end the bloodshed. (SFC, 1/21/98, p. A8)1998 Jan 20, The 1st criminal suit was filed against Chile’s Gen’l. Pinochet for human rights violations. (SFC, 12/11/06, p. A4)1998 Jan 20, In the Congo Joseph Olengankoy, opposition leader, was arrested in Kinshasa. He had refused to meet with Pres. Kabila to discuss his criticism. (SFC, 1/21/98, p.C12)1998 Jan 20, In the Czech Republic Pres. Vaclav Havel won re-election by a slim margin in a 2nd round vote of parliament. (SFC, 1/21/98, p.C12)1998 Jan 20, In Indonesia Pres. Suharto (76) announced plans for another 5-year term. He hinted that his vice-pres. would be Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (61). (SFC, 1/21/98, p.C12)1998 Jan 20, In Zimbabwe army troops were ordered into Harare to quell 2 days of unrest. (SFC, 1/21/98, p.C12)1999 Jan 20, For a second day, President Clinton’s legal team argued its case before the Senate, saying that House-passed articles of impeachment were “flawed and unfair.” (AP, 1/20/00)1999 Jan 20, The Clinton administration pledged $6.6 billion over 5 years for a national missile defense system. (SFC, 1/21/99, p. A3)1999 Jan 20, The Malcolm X postage stamp, the 22nd in the Black heritage series, went on sale. (SFC, 1/21/99, p. A3)1999 Jan 20, In China Lin Hai, a software entrepreneur, was sentenced to 2 years in jail for giving e-mail addresses to dissidents abroad. (SFC, 1/21/99, p. A12)1999 Jan 20, In Indonesia rioting extended for a 3rd day on Ambon Island where at least 22 people were killed. (SFC, 1/21/99, p. A14)1999 Jan 20, NATO moved forces within striking distance of Yugoslavia and warned Belgrade to stop its repression in Kosovo. (WSJ, 1/21/99, p. A15)1999 Jan 20, The UN announced that it would release over $81 million to Iraq to buy electricity generating equipment. This included $6.5 million for oil industry spare parts. (SFC, 1/21/99, p. A14)2000 Jan 20, The Clinton administration issued visas to the grandmothers of Elian Gonzalez, enabling them to visit the United States to make their case for the six-year-old’s return to Cuba. (AP, 1/20/01)2000 Jan 20, Census 2000 officially got under way as Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt knocked on the door of a small wood-frame house in Unalakleet, Alaska, to begin the nationwide head count. (SFC, 1/21/00, p. A1) (AP, 1/20/01) 2000 Jan 20, Madeleine Albright told visiting Indonesian Foreign Minister, Alwi Shihab, that the US would increase aid from $75 million to $125 million. (SFC, 1/21/00, p. D3)2000 Jan 20, Jesse Helms addressed the UN Security Council and argued that the US Congress has the right to dictate conditions for payment of American debt to the organization. (SFC, 1/21/00, p. A1)2000 Jan 20, It was reported that the number of Internet users in China had more than doubled over the last 6 months from 4 to 8.9 million, most of them young single men. (SFC, 1/20/00, p.C16)2000 Jan 20, In Germany Wolfgang Huellen (49), a finance official of the Christian Democratic Party, committed suicide in Berlin over fear of an audit of the party’s finances. (SFC, 1/21/00, p. A12)2000 Jan 20, Greece and Turkey signed a series of accords to regulate commerce, provide for cooperation in fighting organized crime, preventing illegal immigration, promoting tourism and protecting the Aegean Sea environment. (SFC, 1/21/00, p.D2)2000 Jan 20, In Israel the attorney general called for a criminal investigation into possible tax evasion by Pres. Ezer Weizman. Weizman was reported to have accepted $453,465 from Edouard Saroussi, a French executive, from 1988 to 1993. (SFC, 1/21/00, p. A12)2000 Jan 20, Poland expelled 9 Russian diplomats under allegations of spying. (WSJ, 1/21/00, p. A1)2000 Jan 20, In Turkey authorities unearthed 3 bodies from a coal shed in Ankara a day after 10 bodies were found strangled and left in a coal bin of an Istanbul house. Hezbollah militants were blamed. (SFC, 1/21/00, p.D3)2001 Jan 20, Michelle Kwan won her fourth straight U.S. Figure Skating Championship title while Timothy Goebel won his first men’s title. (AP, 1/20/02)2001 Jan 20, Pres. Clinton in his final hours issued 36 commutations and 140 pardons that included Susan McDougal, Patricia Hearst, Henry Cisneros, John Deutch and Roger Clinton. It was later revealed that Hugh Rodham, the brother of Hillary Rodham Clinton, received $400,000 to help 2 felons win clemency. (SSFC, 1/21/01, p.A1)(SFC, 2/23/01, p.A1)2001 Jan 20, George Bush, the 1st president with an MBA, was inaugurated as the nation’s 43rd president in Washington DC. The “compassionate conservative” vowed to lead “through civility, courage, compassion and character.” (SFC, 1/20/01, p. A1) (SSFC, 1/21/01, p. A1)2001 Jan 20, Pres. Bush suspended all late-term executive orders issued by Pres. Clinton. (SSFC, 1/21/01, p. A5)2001 Jan 20, Some 25,000 protesters gathered in Washington DC for the inauguration of Pres. Bush along with some 7,000 police. (SSFC, 1/21/01, p. A4)2001 Jan 20, In Bangladesh a bomb exploded at a leftist political rally in Dhaka and at least 6 people were killed. (SSFC, 1/21/01, p. D4)2001 Jan 20, In Indonesia mudslides in North Sulawesi province killed at least 33 people. (SFC, 1/23/01, p.C14)2001 Jan 20, In Iraq the government said US and British warplanes killed 6 citizens in air attacks over southern Al-Muthana province. (SSFC, 1/21/01, p. D4)2001 Jan 20, In Israel Prime Minister Barak agreed to a Palestinian proposal for a fresh round of peace negotiations in Taba, Egypt. (SSFC, 1/21/01, p. D3)2001 Jan 20, In the West Bank Israeli soldiers captured Mona Najar (25), suspected in the Jan 18 luring and murder of Ophir Rakhum. (SSFC, 1/21/01, p.3)2001 Jan 20, In the Philippines Pres. Estrada stepped down as tens of thousands, united by cell phone messages, marched on his residence. Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (53), daughter of former pres. Diosdado Macapagal, took over power. (SFC, 1/20/01, p.A1,12)(AP, 1/20/02)2002 Jan 20, In the 59th annual Golden Globes Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind” was named best drama and its star, Russell Crowe, the top dramatic actor; Sissy Spacek was named best dramatic actress for “In the Bedroom” while Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge” won 3 awards including best musical or comedy. (SFC, 1/21/02, p. D1) (AP, 1/20/03)2002 Jan 20, Carrie Hamilton, actress and daughter of Carol Burnett, died of cancer at age 38. (SFC, 1/21/02, p. B5)2002 Jan 20, John Jackson, Virginia bluesman, died at age 77. (SFC, 1/22/02, p. A20)2002 Jan 20, A US CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed in Afghanistan after take-off from Bagram air base. Marines Dwight Morgan and Walter Cohee III were killed. (AP, 1/20/03) (SSFC, 1/20/02, p. A14) (SFC, 1/21/02, p. A1)2002 Jan 20, In Colombia rebel and government negotiators agreed to a timetable for cease-fire talks. (SFC, 1/21/02, p. A11)2002 Jan 20, Thousands of Congolese left Rwanda to return to Goma after receiving scant help. (SFC, 1/21/02, p. A3)2002 Jan 20, Israeli forces took control of Tulkarem in the West Bank and soldiers arrested dozens of suspected militants. (SFC, 1/21/02, p. A7)2003 Jan 20, Secretary of State Colin Powell, faced with stiff resistance and calls to go slow, bluntly told the U.N. Security Council that the United Nations “must not shrink” from its responsibility to disarm Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. (AP, 1/20/04)2003 Jan 20, Energizer agreed to buy the Shick-Wilkinson Sword razor business for $930 million from Pfizer as it aimed to expand beyond batteries. (WSJ, 1/2/04, p. R8)2003 Jan 20, Al Hirschfield (b.1903), caricaturist of Hollywood stars, died in NYC at age 99. (SFC, 1/21/03, p. A2) (Econ, 7/16/05, p.82)2003 Jan 20, Pollster Burns W. “Bud” Roper died in Cape Cod, Mass., at age 77. (AP, 1/20/04)2003 Jan 20, In Canada 7 members of a ski party were killed in an avalanche near Durrand Glacier outside of Banff National Park. (WSJ, 1/22/03, p. A1)2003 Jan 20, in northeast China a gas explosion tore through a coal mine, killing 16 workers at a facility in the same city where another blast killed scores of miners last year. (AP, 1/21/03)2003 Jan 20, in northern Colombia FARC rebels ambushed a pickup truck carrying policemen, killing 6 officers and their civilian driver in a hail of gunfire and grenades. (AP, 1/20/03)2003 Jan 20-27, In Honduras a drastic drop in oxygen in rivers and ponds may have killed 5.5 million fish near the El Cahon hydroelectric plant. (AP, 2/8/03)2003 Jan 20, the chief UN arms inspectors and Iraqi officials agreed on practical steps to greater Iraqi cooperation in the UN disarmament program, including Baghdad’s encouragement of weapons scientists to submit to private UN interviews. (AP, 1/20/03)2003 Jan 20, The UN human rights watchdog elected a Libyan diplomat as its president for this year, despite concern from the United States about the country’s poor record on civil liberties and its alleged role in sponsoring terrorism. (AP, 1/20/03)2003 Jan 20, An Organization of American States report accused Nicaragua of negligence for authorizing a deal that allowed 3,000 Kalashnikov rifles meant for Panama to go to a Colombian paramilitary militia. (AP, 1/21/03)2003 Jan 20, the leaders of Russia and Belarus reaffirmed their commitment to closer integration under a union treaty that has developed slowly since it was created nearly seven years ago. (AP, 1/20/03)2003 Jan 20, Milan Milutinovic, Serbia’s former president, surrendered to the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal to face charges that he was complicit in a crackdown on ethnic Albanians. (AP, 1/20/03)2003 Jan 20, a powerful earthquake hit the Solomon Islands, causing residents to flee homes and buildings. (AP, 1/20/03)2003 Jan 20, In South Africa an execution-style attack at a Cape Town house used as a gay massage parlour killed eight men and badly wounded two. (AP, 1/20/03)2004 Jan 20, President Bush gave his 3rd State of the Union address hailing progress fighting terrorism, recharging the economy and helping Americans afford health care. He embraced the conservative move to ban same-sex marriages and called for making his tax cuts permanent. (AP, 1/21/04) (SFC, 1/21/04, p.A1) (WSJ, 1/21/04, p.A1)2004 Jan 20, Democrat Dick Gephardt abandoned his second bid for the presidency. (AP, 1/20/04) 2004 Jan 20, Martha Stewart’s stock-trading trial formally began in New York. In 2005 Stewart was serving a five-month prison sentence for lying about a stock sale. (AP, 1/20/05)2004 Jan 20, Salvation Army officials announced a $1.5 billion donation by the late Joan Kroc (d.2003), heiress to the McDonald’s fortune, for 25-30 community centers. (SFC, 1/21/04, p.A16) (WSJ, 1/20/04, p.A1)2004 Jan 20, The Internet virus called the “Bagle” or “Beagle” worm was reported to be arriving on computers in an e-mail with the subject “hi” and the word “test” in the message body. (SFC, 1/21/04, p.B2)2004 Jan 20, French transport workers went on a 1-day train strike. (AP, 1/21/04)2004 Jan 20, In Indonesia blasts rocked a chemical plant in Gresik, sparking a series of fires at the complex that killed two people and injured nearly 70 others. (AP, 1/20/04)2004 Jan 20, In Iran Hard-line authorities said they were reinstating 200 candidates barred from running in next month’s legislative elections and will reconsider the cases of thousands more after fierce opposition from reformists who threatened to boycott the vote. (AP, 1/20/04)2004 Jan 20, Israeli warplanes struck Hezbollah guerrilla bases in southern Lebanon after a soldier was killed there a day earlier. (AP, 1/20/04) (WSJ, 1/21/04, p.A1)2004 Jan 20, Amnesty Int’l. released a report at the World Social Forum in Bombay, India, that charged North Korea with public executions of people stealing food. (SFC, 1/21/04, p.A12)2004 Jan 20, Asha Keita-Conneh, the wife of the leader of Liberia’s most powerful rebel movement announced she was taking charge, backed by dozens of guerrilla commanders in ousting a husband whose ambitions she said were endangering the nation’s hard-won peace. (AP, 1/20/04)2004 Jan 20, In Mexico gunmen ambushed and shot to death two federal agents and an army captain as they drove along a Mexico City expressway. (AP, 1/21/04)2005 Jan 20, the inauguration ceremony for Pres. Bush was held in Washington DC. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, ill with thyroid cancer, delivered the oath of office. Anti-Bush demonstrators jeered the president’s motorcade during the inaugural parade. The event was expected to cost $40 million the administration asked DC to use 11.9 million of its federal homeland security funds to help pay costs. Pres. Bush pledged to spread democracy and support democratic movements worldwide. Thousands of people in dozens of cities across the US walked out of work and school, held mock coronations, intoned the names of the Iraq war dead and held candlelight vigils to show their disapproval of President Bush. (SFC, 1/20/05, p.A12)(AP, 1/21/05)(SFC, 1/21/05, p.A1)(AP, 1/20/06)2005 Jan 20, it was reported that the global car industry had an annual excess capacity of some 24 million vehicles. (WSJ, 1/20/05, p.A1)2005 Jan 20, Delta Airlines reported a record $5.2 billion loss for 2004. (SFC, 1/21/05, p.C1)2005 Jan 20, Alzheimer’s scientists said they had reversed brain-cell damage in mice by clearing plaque with antibodies. (WSJ, 1/21/05, p.A1)2005 Jan 20, Brazil’s central bank said Brazil posted a current-account surplus of $11.7 billion for 2004, its 2nd straight annual surplus. (WSJ, 1/21/05, p.A7)2005 Jan 20, Chile, the world’s biggest copper producer, and India, the world’s biggest grains producer, agreed to launch talks to reduce import tariffs on some goods to boost bilateral trade. (AP, 1/20/05)2005 Jan 20, Estonia’s Jewish community broke ground on a new synagogue to replace the house of worship destroyed by bombing in World War II. (AP, 1/20/05)2005 Jan 20, North of Baghdad 3 Iraqi army soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in the city of Samarra. US troops launched Mosul raids. 5 suspected insurgents were killed. (AP, 1/20/05) (WSJ, 1/21/05, p.A1)2005 Jan 20, Israeli officials accepted a Palestinian plan to deploy hundreds of police officers along the Gaza-Israel frontier Jan 21, in the first act of security cooperation with Israel under Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. (AP, 1/20/05)2005 Jan 20, In Mexico 6 prison workers were shot to death and left outside their lockup in Matamoros, following a federal crackdown against drug gangs at lockups across the nation. (AP, 1/20/05)2005 Jan 20, It was reported that a Zimbabwe government crackdown on dissent is deepening a climate of fear ahead of parliamentary elections due in March. President Robert Mugabe appointed a new electoral commission to run parliamentary polls due in March under a law which the opposition says does not guarantee a free and fair vote. (AP, 1/20/05) (Reuters, 1/20/05)2006 Jan 20, The US Treasury Department issued a license allowing the Cubans to participate in the 16-team World Baseball Classic. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, A federal judge ordered Los Angeles to pay $1.1 million in legal costs to the family of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. as sanctions for intentionally withholding evidence during the family’s civil lawsuit trial. (AP, 1/21/06)2006 Jan 20, Michael Fortier, the government’s star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing trials, was released from federal prison after serving more than 10 years for failing to warn authorities about the plot. (AP, 1/20/07)2006 Jan 20, FirstEnergy agreed to a record $28 million fine as workers at its Ohio Davis-Besse nuclear power station were accused of providing false statements on cleaning and inspections at the reactor vessel head. (WSJ, 1/21/06, p.A6)2006 Jan 20, Greenpeace said that its two vessels shadowing the Japanese whaling fleet in the icy Southern Ocean were ending their protests because their fuel and food were running short. (Reuters, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, In Chile former dictator Augusto Pinochet was stripped of immunity from prosecution on charges involving 59 cases of torture and kidnapping at a secret detention center where hundreds of dissidents were held. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, In Ethiopia at least two people were killed and 36 injured, three seriously, after commotion erupted in Addis Ababa on the final day of celebrations marking the 2-day Orthodox Epiphany, or Timkat. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, German factory workers at Swedish home-appliances maker AB Electrolux launched a strike, demanding a better severance package when the plant shuts down late next year. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, In Haiti a judge dropped charges against Rev. Gerard Jean-Juste (59), a supporter of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, in the death of a journalist, but indicted him on two lesser counts. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, In India a bomb exploded at the entrance of a state-owned petroleum Refinery in the northeastern state of Assam, leaving 10 people injured. (AFP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, Indonesian security forces opened fire on a group of protesters outside a central Papua police station, killing one person and injuring two. (AP, 1/24/06)2006 Jan 20, Iran’s Central Bank Governor said Iran moving its foreign currency reserves out of European banks as a pre-emptive measure against any possible UN sanctions over its nuclear program. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, Iraq’s election commission said an alliance of Shiite religious parties won the most seats in Iraq’s new parliament but not enough to rule without coalition partners. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, A top Sunni politician appealed for the release of American journalist Jill Carroll and urged US and Iraqi forces to stop arresting Iraqi women as a deadline set by the reporter’s kidnappers was set to lapse. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, Japan halted imports of US beef just a month after lifting a ban, following the discovery of spinal material in a shipment that should have been removed due to the risk of mad cow disease. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, a crowded bus veered off a steep mountain road in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing at least 53 people. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, Kuwait’s PM Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah agreed to take charge of Kuwait due to the poor health of the new emir. The move was perceived as a first step toward his eventually taking over the top office. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, in west Nepal suspected communist rebels attacked a security checkpoint, killing at least four policemen and injuring four others. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, In Papua New Guinea a landslide sent mud and boulders smashing through a remote village, killing at least eight people and leaving five more missing and feared dead. (AP, 1/23/06)2006 Jan 20, the head of Russia’s atomic energy agency said that Iran is ready for detailed discussions on the proposal to conduct Iran’s uranium enrichment in Russia. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, Russia’s coldest winter in a generation killed 7 more people overnight lifting the reported death toll to 123 putting huge pressure on the Soviet-era heating and power network. (Reuters, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, Taiwan allowed students and tour groups to fly direct to China for the first time in the third annual instalment of symbolic Chinese New Year flights aimed at warming tense relations with the mainland. (AP, 1/20/06)2006 Jan 20, Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, returned to prison, after an appeals court ruled that he should serve more time for the killing of a Turkish journalist and other crimes. (AP, 1/20/06)2007 Jan 20, Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton embarked on a widely anticipated campaign for the White House. The former first lady, intent on becoming the first female president, said on her Web site: “I’m in and I’m in to win.” (AP, 1/20/07)2007 Jan 20, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback began a long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination. He withdrew in October. (AP, 1/20/08)2007 Jan 20, George Smathers (b.1913), former 3-term US Senator from Florida, died. He helped pass bills to create Medicare, the Small Business Administration and Everglades National Park. He also pushed for federal holidays to be moved to Mondays and ardently supported the war in Vietnam. (SSFC, 1/21/07, p.A15)2007 Jan 20, Richard Vollenweider (1922-2007), Swiss scientist, died. He developed methods for quantifying the eutrophication of freshwater. His methods were used to save Lake Erie and helped form the basis of the 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Act. (http://tinyurl.com/ygrc3p)(WSJ, 2/3/07, p.A8)2007 Jan 20, The Taliban’s governing body said it has decided to open schools in the areas controlled by the militants in Afghanistan. (AP, 1/21/07)2007 Jan 20, Anselmo Oliveira Magalhaes (32), a man accused of helping steal more than $70 million in cash from a branch of Brazil’s central bank in 2005, was found dead with a broken neck and his hands and feet tied inside a 75-foot well at a ranch in Santa Izabel. The bodies of two other men were found in the well, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether they had any connection to the bank heist. (AP, 1/22/07)2007 Jan 20, The London Times said police had tracked down the man, who was introduced to former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko and his associates as “Vladislav”, using details that the ex-agent recounted on his deathbed. (AP, 1/20/07)2007 Jan 20, The UN’s food agency said some 800,000 Burundians face a serious food crisis after devastating floods ravaged several regions of the tiny central African nation. (AP, 1/20/07)2007 Jan 20, Czech PM Mirek Topolanek said the US wants to build a radar base in the Czech Republic as part of its global missile defence system. Poland was also mentioned as a potential site. Russia in response warned of an arms race. (AP, 1/20/07)(WSJ, 1/22/07, p.A1)2007 Jan 20, Elite Iraqi police forces dropped off by US helicopters staged a raid against an al-Qaida-linked Sunni militant group, killing 15 insurgents and capturing five others. At least 25 American service members were killed in military operations in the deadliest day for US forces in two years, including 13 who died in a helicopter crash and five slain in an attack by militia fighters in Karbala. An American general later said Iranian forces helped plan the Karbala raid in which gunmen posed as an American security team and launched an attack that killed five US soldiers. Laith al-Khazali, a key member of a group called Asaib Ahl al-Haq (League of the Righteous), and his brother Qais, were later accused of organizing the Karbala raid. Laith al-Khazali was released in June, 2009, as part of national reconciliation efforts by the Iraqi government. 4 US soldiers and a Marine were killed during combat in Anbar province. In 2009 Shiite militant Laith al-Khazali, accused of being involved in the killings at Karbala, was released as part of “the wider Iraqi government reconciliation process of reaching out to groups that are willing to set aside violence in favor of taking part in the political process.” In January, 2010, Qais al-Khazali was released by the Iraqi government. (AP, 1/20/07)(AP, 1/21/07)(WSJ, 1/22/07, p.A1)(AP, 7/2/07)(AP, 6/9/09)(SFC, 8/4/09, p.A2)(SFC, 1/6/10, p.A3)2007 Jan 20, In Nairobi, Kenya, more than 80,000 people from around the globe descended on the massive Kibera shanty-town, home for at least 700,000 of Kenya’s poorest, to kick-off the seventh annual World Social Forum. (AP, 1/20/07)2007 Jan 20, In Mexico Rodolfo Rincon (54), who worked for the newspaper Tabasco Hoy, was last seen after he reported on local drug dealers. In 2010 Mexican authorities said he was killed by a drug cartel’s hit men who dissolved his body in acid. (AP, 3/2/10)2007 Jan 20, The Russian population was reported to be shrinking by some 750,000 people per year. New rules put severe restrictions on foreign workers in retail operations. Russia planned to make available 6 million work permits for migrants from poor ex-Soviet republics. (Econ, 1/20/07, p.61)2007 Jan 20, Konstantin Borovko (25), a Russian television journalist, was beaten to death in Vladivostok. Colleagues said they did not think the killing was related to his work. (AP, 1/22/07)2007 Jan 20, The last major warlord in Somalia surrendered his weapons and 200 militiamen to the army, while an Islamic leader claimed responsibility for a string of guerrilla attacks and promised there would be more until the government agreed to talks. An Ethiopian military convoy was ambushed in a new round of deadly violence in the Somali capital Mogadishu, hours after the African Union agreed to send peacekeepers to the war-torn country. Kenya handed over 34 Islamic militiamen to Somalia’s transitional government. A Somali government spokesman said that some of them may be senior leaders of the country’s Islamic movement. (AP, 1/20/07) (AFP, 1/20/07) (AP, 1/21/07)2007 Jan 20, Istanbul police arrested Ogun Samast, a teenage boy (16-17), for the fatal shooting of Hrant Dink, an ethnic Armenian journalist. Samast confessed to the murder. (AP, 1/21/07)2008 Jan 20, The Nature Conservancy said the Hewlett and Packard families had donated the 28,359-acre San Felipe Ranch, southeast of San Jose, as a conservation easement to protect the property from development. (SFC, 1/21/08, p.A6)2008 Jan 20, In southern California The two small Cessnas crashed near the small Corona Municipal Airport, killing five and raining debris and bodies down on car dealership parking lots. (AP, 1/21/08)2008 Jan 20, Brianna Denison (19) last was seen at the edge of the University of Nevada, Reno. Her body was found Feb 15, 8 miles away near a business park and an autopsy confirmed that she died of strangulation. DNA evidence linked her kidnapping to two other attacks on women near the university late last year. (AP, 2/17/08)2008 Jan 20, in southern Afghanistan an explosion struck a NATO patrol vehicle outside a former Taliban town, killing one British soldier and wounding five others. (AP, 1/21/08)2008 Jan 20, In Algeria 2 armed suspects died in the Eddough Mountains, near the eastern city of Annaba, after they failed to follow orders to surrender. (AFP, 1/21/08)2008 Jan 20, Britain’s PM Gordon Brown arrived in India hailing relations between the two countries as a “partnership of equals” as he looked to further boost links. (AP, 1/20/08)2008 Jan 20, The final 210 members of the first battalion of Burundian soldiers to be deployed in Somalia as part of an African Union peace-keeping force left Bujumbura for Mogadishu. Burundi is expected to deploy a total of 1,700 soldiers in Somalia, alongside around 1,600 troops from Uganda who have been in the capital Mogadishu since March. (AFP, 1/20/08)2008 Jan 20, In Cambodia American actress Mia Farrow was forced to cancel a ceremony in Phnom Penh highlighting human rights abuses in Sudan after authorities barred her access to the city’s genocide museum. (AFP, 1/20/08)2008 Jan 20, Some 8.4 million Cubans ratified a slate of parliamentary candidates that included the ailing Fidel Castro (81). (SFC, 1/21/08, p.A3)2008 Jan 20, in western India a bus carrying Hindus on a religious pilgrimage skidded off a hill and plunged into a gorge, killing at least 38 people and injuring 40 others. (AP, 1/21/08)2008 Jan 20, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency reported that a fourth Russian shipment of nuclear fuel had arrived, destined for a power plant being constructed in the southern port of Bushehr. (AP, 1/20/08)2008 Jan 20, In western Iraq a suicide bombing killed six people near Fallujah. The attacker (18) was a relative carrying a box of candy at a gathering of tribal members to celebrate the recent release of a relative, Hadi Hussein, who had been released after more than a week in US custody. Hussein and five other people were killed in the blast. (AP, 1/20/08)(AP, 1/21/08)2008 Jan 20, In Kenya renewed ethnic fighting broke out in a Nairobi slum following the deaths of more than 20 people in demonstrations against the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki. Several people were beaten and hacked to death with machetes. (AP, 1/20/08)(AP, 1/21/08)2008 Jan 20, Joshua Milton Blahyi (37), one of Liberia’s most notorious rebel commanders, known as Gen. Butt Naked for charging into battle wearing only boots, spoke of his role under Charles Taylor in the civil war. He returned last week to confess his role in terrorizing the nation, saying he is responsible for 20,000 deaths. (AP, 1/21/08)2008 Jan 20, In Myanmar a bus plunged over the side of a road and flipped over, killing 27 passengers and injuring 10 others. (AP, 1/21/08)2008 Jan 20, Pakistan villagers said army helicopter gunships launched strikes in an area regarded as a stronghold of a Taliban commander linked with the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. (AP, 1/20/08)2008 Jan 20, Gaza’s power plant shut down late in the day after an Israeli border closure blocked the entry of fuel that powers it. This plunged Gaza City into darkness, and gas stations and many bakeries stopped operating. Health officials warned that hospital generators were running out of fuel. 5 rockets were fired into Israel, down from 53 in the two previous days. (AP, 1/20/08)(AP, 1/21/08)2008 Jan 20, Serbia held presidential elections. A pro-Western and a nationalist candidate faced off in a closely contested race. The electoral commission, giving preliminary results after counting 30% of ballots, said that so far Radical Party leader Tomislav Nikolic had 38% support, while incumbent Boris Tadic% had 35 percent. Both Tadic and Nikolic reject independence for Kosovo, but Nikolic, unlike the current president, has promised tough measures against countries that recognize Kosovo’s statehood. (AP, 1/20/08)2008 Jan 20, In Sri Lanka troops overran at least six rebel bunkers in Adampan village, killing two female fighters. Simultaneous clashes took place in the villages of Periyathampanai and Madu and, killing a total of 4 rebels. Soldiers killed an area rebel leader on the Jaffna peninsula. Soldiers on the northern Jaffna peninsula fired on the Tiger boats as they sailed near the shore. (AP, 1/20/08)2009 Jan 20, In Washington DC some 2 million people packed the National Mall to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as America’s 44th and first black president. “The Question we ask today is not whether government is too big or too small, but whether it works.” Obama’s new administration ordered all federal agencies and departments to stop any pending regulations until they can be reviewed by incoming staff, halting last-minute Bush orders. (AP, 1/20/09) (Reuters, 1/20/09) (SFC, 1/21/09, p.A8)2009 Jan 20, the head of US Central Command said the US has struck deals with Russia and neighbouring countries allowing it to transport supplies to American troops in Afghanistan through their territory. US officials have said that one likely route is overland from Russia through Kazakhstan and on through Uzbekistan using trucks and trains. Another possible route is via Azerbaijan across the Caspian Sea to the Kazakh port of Aktau and then through Uzbekistan. (AP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, State Attorney General Jerry Brown said California will get $54 million as its share of a national settlement with drug maker Eli Lilly & Co. for marketing the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa for unapproved uses. Lilly agreed to pay $1.415 billion to US state and the federal government, the largest recovery in a health care fraud case in US history. (SFC, 1/21/09, p.A21)2009 Jan 20, In SF Edgar Diaz (23), a member of the Down Below Gang, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after admitting that he took part in 3 murders: Beverly Robinson in April 2004, and Kenya Taylor and Antoine Morgan in June 2004. (SFC, 1/21/09, p.B2)2009 Jan 20, Jack Markell (b.1960) began serving as governor of Delaware. He made education reform a centerpiece of his tenure. (Econ, 3/16/13, SR p.8)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Markell)2009 Jan 20, Chrysler and Italy’s Fiat confirmed they had reached an agreement on an alliance that would give Fiat a 35% stake in Chrysler, but only if Chrysler gets $3 billion more in financial help from Washington. (WSJ, 1/21/09, p.B1)2009 Jan 20, US software protection firm F-Secure said a computer worm known as “Conficker” or “Downadup” had infected more than nine million computers and was spreading at a rate of one million machines daily. (AFP, 1/21/09)2009 Jan 20, In Afghanistan the coalition said a night time raid had killed 19 militants, including Mullah Patang, a locally feared leader, during an operation in the Tagab Valley, in Kapisa province just 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of Kabul. The Afghan news agency Pajhwok quoted villagers saying 25 civilians had been killed. On Jan 27 US commanders travelled to the village and distributed $40,000 to relatives of 15 people killed in the US raid. The Americans also apologized for any civilians killed in the operation. (AP, 1/21/09)(AP, 1/28/09)2009 Jan 20, In Belgium the “Entropa” art installation at the EU headquarters, by Czech artist David Cerny, covered up the part that showed Bulgaria as a squat toilet after protests from the aggrieved nation. (AP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, The Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate by a half-point to a fresh 50-year low of 1 percent, as expected, and predicted a period of falling prices this year as an economic recession takes hold. (AP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, The Central African Republic’s main opposition grouping said it refused to join PM Faustin-Archange Touadera’s government because he failed to play by allegedly established rules. (AFP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, In Chechnya Hundreds of people rallied in Grozny to protest the slaying of Stanislav Markelov (34), a lawyer who opposed the early release of a Russian army officer convicted of strangling an 18-year-old Chechen woman. (AP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, in central China a 16-year-old boy infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus died, the country’s third fatality from the disease this month. (AP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, Hundreds of Rwandan troops rolled into the Democratic Republic of Congo to join Congolese forces hunting Rwandan rebels operating there since 1994. (AFP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, In Iraq the spokesman of PM al-Maliki said Iraq is willing to have the US withdraw all its troops and assume security for the country before the end of 2011, the departure date agreed to by former Pres. George W. Bush. In Baghdad 2 bombings left 5 people dead. (AP, 1/21/09)(SFC, 1/21/09, p.A22)2009 Jan 20, In Japan Toyota tapped Akio Toyoda, grandson of the automaker’s founder, as president, paying homage to its roots at a time when the company faces its first operating loss in 70 years. (AP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, In Kuwait the deeply divided Arab League failed to come up with a plan to reconstruct the devastated Gaza Strip and could not agree on whether to back Egyptian peace efforts to end the crisis. (AP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, Mexican prosecutors said three heads were found in an ice box south of Ciudad Juarez, which lies across from El Paso, Texas. The heads belonged to three unidentified men and were found in a rural town about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Ciudad Juarez. A headless body was discovered in a canal a few miles (kilometers) away. Mexican federal police said they have found 3 suspected drug tunnels under construction in Nogales near the Arizona border. (AP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, Pakistani police said suspected Taliban militants killed six alleged US spies in a lawless region of northwest Pakistan where American missile attacks have reportedly killed several al-Qaida leaders in recent months. A bomb wounded five police officers in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province. An industry official said bus drivers in northwest Pakistan have begun removing audio and video equipment from their vehicles after Taliban militants threatened suicide attacks against those who played music or movies for their passengers. (AP, 1/20/09) (AP, 1/21/09) 2009 Jan 20, In Gaza UN chief Ban Ki-moon voiced sorrow and frustration over the suffering of civilians during Israel’s 3-week war on Hamas rulers. Ismail Radwan, a Hamas legislator, celebrated the blood battles as proof of Hamas strength and defiance. (SFC, 1/21/09, p.A21)2009 Jan 20, Russian gas reached Europe via Ukraine for the first time in two weeks after Moscow and Kiev ended a contract row that cut supplies to about 20 European countries. (Reuters, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, Saudi Arabia’s prince Alwaleed bin Talal said his conglomerate Kingdom Holding Co. lost about $7.9 billion in 2008. (WSJ, 1/21/09, p.A11)2009 Jan 20, Abdullahi Yusuf (75), Somalia’s former president and an ex-warlord who was forced from government, arrived in Yemen in a private jet from his impoverished homeland, seeking political asylum. Islamic insurgents and Somali forces clashed in Mogadishu, killing at least 14 people in the latest sign the Islamists are making inroads into the few areas the UN-backed government still controls. (AP, 1/21/09)(AP, 1/21/09)2009 Jan 20, South Korean police commandos stormed a vacant office building occupied by displaced tenants in central Seoul, sparking a clash and a blaze that killed six people and injured 23. (AP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, In Spain 6 people of Pakistani origin were arrested on suspicion of “fraud” in Barcelona. They were suspected of financing terrorist activities by carrying out thefts and sending money raised from criminal activities to Pakistan. (AFP, 1/20/09)2009 Jan 20, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez challenged President Barack Obama to remake US policy toward Latin America, but said he isn’t holding out much hope for major changes. Police used tear gas, plastic bullets and water cannon to break up a protest by university students against Chavez’s attempt to eliminate term limits. (AP, 1/20/09)2010 Jan 20, The United States extradited to Bosnia Nedjo Ikonic (45), a former Serb policeman. He was suspected of taking part in genocide against Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995, Europe’s worst massacre since WWII. (Reuters, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, The US Consumer Product Safety Commission said about 1.5 million Graco strollers sold at Wal-Mart, Target and other major retailers are being recalled after some children’s fingertips were amputated by hinges on the products. The strollers were made in China by Graco and sold at AAFES, Burlington Coat Factory, Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Kmart, Fred Meyer, Meijer, Navy Exchange, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart and other retailers nationwide from October 2004 to December 2009. (AP, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, US researchers reported that shaving 3 grams off the daily salt intake of Americans could prevent up to 66,000 strokes, 99,000 heart attacks and 92,000 deaths in the United States, while saving $24 billion in health costs per year. (Reuters, 1/21/10)2010 Jan 20, The Afghan government and its international partners agreed to significantly increase the country’s security forces and outlined plans to lure Taliban militants from the fight and combat corruption in a bid to turn the tide of the war. A NATO raid in the Qara Bagh district targeted a Taliban commander and killed 4 suspected insurgents, including a 15-year-old boy shot while allegedly reaching for a soldier’s gun. Villagers insisted the dead were civilians. (AP, 1/20/10)(AP, 1/22/10)2010 Jan 20, In Belgium the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, shut down production in its home country, in an escalation of a standoff over job cuts with its Belgian workers which is causing beer shortages in shops. (AP, 1/20/10) 2010 Jan 20, A top regulator said China will slow its massive lending spree and step up monitoring of banks as it tries to prevent speculative bubbles in real estate and other assets while keeping the country’s economic recovery on track. (AP, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, The Dominican government announced a deal with Honduras’ president-elect to give ousted leader Manuel Zelaya safe passage to this Caribbean nation. (AP, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh (b.1960), one of the founders of Hamas’ military wing, was poisoned and electrocuted overnight in his hotel room in Dubai. Al-Mabhouh was involved in the kidnapping and killing of two Israeli soldiers in 1989. On Jan 29 Hamas accused Israeli agents of assassinating the veteran operative. In 2013 it was reported that Ben Zygier took part in the killing by a Mossad hit-team of Hamas operative Mahmoud al-Mahbouh. (AP, 1/29/10)(Reuters, 2/14/13)2010 Jan 20, Three more Egyptians died in flooding in the southern Sinai Desert, bringing the toll for three days of unseasonably heavy rains to 10. (AP, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, A French court ruled that a Russian Orthodox cathedral built on the French Riviera nearly a century ago under Czar Nicholas II now belongs to Moscow. The ruling was a defeat for an association founded by Russians who fled the Bolshevik Revolution that has been fighting to maintain its control over the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Nice, and its archbishop is accusing the Russian government of a land grab as part of a national pride campaign. (AP, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, In Greece dozens of prostitutes, most using headscarves or hoods to hide their faces, demonstrated in central Athens, demanding working licenses for brothels across Greece. (AP, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, A 6.1 aftershock struck Haiti, shaking more rubble from damaged buildings and sending screaming people running into the streets eight days after the country’s capital was devastated by an apocalyptic quake. (AP, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, In Iraq an audacious robbery attempt in Baghdad left 3 dead and 6 wounded. The suspects escaped. A roadside bomb struck a patrol in Kirkuk killing a police lieutenant. A US soldier died of injuries from a vehicle accident that was not related to combat. (AP, 1/20/10)(AP, 1/21/10)2010 Jan 20, Israel deported Jared Malsin, the American editor of a Palestinian news agency, back to NYC after he was questioned about his “anti-Israeli” views. Malsin was the chief English editor of the Maan News Agency based in Bethlehem. (SFC, 1/21/10, p.A2)2010 Jan 20, In Jerusalem, Israel, burglars broke into the Ashdod Museum where hundreds of artifacts recovered from the black-market were on show and snatched several valuable items, including a silver ring belonging to Alexander the Great and gold earrings. (Reuters, 1/21/10)2010 Jan 20, Malaysian police announced the arrest of eight Muslim men who allegedly attacked a Christian church with a firebomb, the first suspects in a spate of assaults on churches after a court ruled that non-Muslims could use the word “Allah” to refer to God. (AP, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, Mexican authorities found seven corpses in two abandoned cars between the resort communities of Acapulco and Zihuatanejo along with written messages referring to drug cartels. 24 inmates were killed and several others injured during a prison brawl at a penitentiary in northern Durango City. 4 days of rain unleashed heavy flooding in parts of the border city of Tijuana, killing a 5-year-old girl and leaving at least 10 other people missing. (AP, 1/20/10) (AP, 1/20/10) (AP, 1/22/10)2010 Jan 20, In Jos, Nigeria, charred bodies with scorched hands reaching skyward lay in the streets and a mosque with blackened minarets smouldered after several days of fighting between Christians and Muslims killed more than 200 people. (AP, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, Pakistan’s government reached an agreement to hand back responsibility for maintaining order in South Waziristan to tribal leaders, following a 3-month military offensive. (SFC, 1/21/10, p.A2)2010 Jan 20, In Siberia Konstantin Popov (47), a reporter for Tomskaya Nedelya weekly, died after nearly two weeks in a coma. He had been taken in police custody to sober up. Police officer Alexei Mitayev (26) shot him in the genitals after beating him up. On Feb 11, 2011, Mitayev was convicted of beating and shooting Popov and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. (AP, 2/11/11)2010 Jan 20, South Korea’s health ministry said in a statement that switches will be flicked at 7.30 pm every third Wednesday in the month to “help staff get dedicated to childbirth and upbringing.” Low birth rate was a pressing issue in this fast-ageing society. (AFP, 1/20/10)2010 Jan 20, In Turkey the independent Taraf newspaper exposed an alleged military plan, codenamed “Sledgehammer,” which sought to create chaos and panic to justify a military takeover of the government. (Econ, 2/13/10, p.56) (http://tinyurl.com/yhwj9sb)2010 Jan 20, In Venezuela’s Pres. Chavez opened the new 1.8 km. Metro Cable in Caracas. (Econ, 5/15/10, p.27) (http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/5176)2010 Jan 20, Vietnam convicted 4 democracy activists of trying to overthrow the communist government and sentenced them to up to 16 years in prison for promoting multiparty democracy. Le cong Dinh (41), a lawyer, was sentenced for 5 years and activist Nguyen Tien Trung (26) was sentenced to 7 years. In May a court upheld the 16-year sentence against Internet entrepreneur Tran Huynh Duy Thuc and the 5-year sentence against U.S.-trained human rights attorney Le Cong Dinh. It reduced the sentence of businessman Le Thang Long. (AP, 1/20/10)(Econ, 1/30/10, p.52)(AP, 5/11/10)2010 Jan 20, Yemeni airstrikes targeted Ayed al-Shabwani, one of the country’s most wanted al-Qaida figures, for the second time in a week. (AP, 1/20/10)2011 Jan 20, US FBI agents dealt another major blow to New York’s five Mafia crime families by arresting some 127 suspected mobsters throughout the Northeast on charges including murder, extortion and narcotics trafficking. (AP, 1/20/11)(Econ, 1/29/11, p.29)2011 Jan 20, The United States resumed the deportation of Haitians for the first time since the devastating earthquake that struck the poor Caribbean nation last year. (Reuters, 1/20/11)2011 Jan 20, The US national Reconnaissance Office launched a classified defense satellite on a 235-foot Delta IV Heavy Launch Vehicle at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (SFC, 1/20/11, p.A5)2011 Jan 20, In California regents of the Univ. of Cal. awarded hundreds of employees over $4 million in incentive pay and raises one day after UC Pres. Mark Yudof said US would need to close a $1 billion budget gap next year. (SFC, 1/20/11, p.C1)2011 Jan 20, In Florida a shootout erupted in the Liberty City section of Miami leaving 2 police officers and suspect Johnny Simms (22) dead. (SFC, 1/20/11, p.A5)2011 Jan 20, The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan said in an online post that Bekkay Harrach, known by the pseudonym Abu Talha al-Almani, “Abu Talha the German,” was killed leading an attack on the Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. It didn’t specify when. (AP, 1/20/11)2011 Jan 20, In Australia a surging river flooded and isolated Kerang, Victoria state, the latest community hit in the deadly flood disaster, straining a levee serving as the main protection between the muddy waters and residents’ homes. The flooding shut down much of Queensland’s lucrative coal industry and has caused 30 deaths. (AP, 1/20/11)2011 Jan 20, Dubai media reported that undercover agents have wrapped up a real sting operation, finding devices that delivered electric shocks to camels to make them run faster in races. Small vibrating robot “jockeys” were being used atop camels for racing in the United Arab Emirates. (AP, 1/20/11)2011 Jan 20, Egypt’s highest Islamic authority, al-Azhar, said it was freezing all dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church over what it called Pope Benedict’s repeated insults toward Islam. (Reuters, 1/20/11)2011 Jan 20, WWF officials said Gabon has arrested five people, four Nigerians and a woman from Benin. who were found with the heads of 12 chimpanzees and an endangered gorilla. The seizure was the largest of its kind in a decade. (AP, 1/21/11)2011 Jan 20, Ivory Coast’s incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo ordered the military to stop and search UN vehicles, the latest escalation of hostilities between the man who refuses to leave office and the global body that declared his rival the election winner. (AP, 1/21/11)2011 Jan 20, In Kenya photos on the front page of Daily Nation, Kenya’s largest newspaper, showed shocking images of what appeared to be undercover police shooting three compliant suspects at point-blank range in the middle of the day on a busy Nairobi highway. 3 police officers were suspended and placed under investigation. (AP, 1/20/11) (SFC, 1/20/11, p.A2) 2011 Jan 20, In Iraq 56 people were killed in triple suicide bombings at security checkpoints targeting pilgrims headed to the Shiite holy city of Karbala for rituals. As many as 175 people were believed to be wounded. (AP, 1/20/11) (AP, 1/21/11)2011 Jan 20, Mexican police battled armed suspects at a popular mall in Ciudad Juarez, sending terrified shoppers scrambling and leaving one officer dead. Officials nabbed Jose Lozano (21), the alleged top hit man for an Acapulco drug gang, suspected in the slayings of 22 people earlier this month. Six other suspected members of the Independent Cartel of Acapulco were also arrested. (AP, 1/20/11) (AP, 1/23/11)2011 Jan 20, A Palestinian man opened fire at an Israeli guard post in the West Bank and soldiers returned fire, killing him. (AP, 1/20/11) 2011 Jan 20, The EU Naval Force said that Somali pirates have seized a Vietnamese-owned bulk carrier, the MV Hoang Son Sun, with 24 crew members on board. All crew members returned to Vietnam on Sep 23 after shipping firm Hoang Son Ltd Co. paid more than $2 million in ransom. (AP, 1/20/11)(AFP, 9/26/11)2011 Jan 20, South African police found two dead bodies in the rural west. They were identified as Philippe Meniere and Agnes Jardel, a French couple wanted for allegedly shooting at a police officer last week. (AP, 1/21/11)2011 Jan 20, South Korea agreed to a North Korean offer of high-level military talks, a major breakthrough in the crisis on the peninsula which improves the prospect of renewed aid-for-disarmament negotiations. (Reuters, 1/20/11)2011 Jan 20, Sudan’s army clashed with fighters from two rebel factions in Darfur in a four-hour fight that left 21 people dead. (Reuters, 1/21/11)2011 Jan 20, Tunisian police fired shots into the air to try to disperse hundreds of protesters demanding that ministers associated with the rule of ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali leave the government. Tunisian authorities arrested 33 members of toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s family and paraded a treasure trove of jewellery seized in raids on their homes on state television. 8 ministers in the new national unity cabinet, who had up until now remained members of Ben Ali’s disgraced Constitutional Democratic Rally, resigned from the party. (AP, 1/20/11) (AFP, 1/20/11)2012 Jan 20, The US Department of Health and Human Services ruled that religiously affiliated non-profit organizations, including hospitals and universities, will have to offer birth-control coverage to women employees but gave the organizations an extra year to comply. (Reuters, 1/20/12) 2012 Jan 20, A US federal appeals court in Boston upheld multimillion-dollar judgments that found the federal government liable for the deaths of 3 people allegedly murdered by James “Whitey” Bulger. The FBI had used Bulger and associate Stephen Flemmi as informants and had shielded them from prosecution. (SSFC, 1/22/12, p.A7)2012 Jan 20, The FBI announced that it had closed down one of the world’s largest file sharing sites Megauploader.com. The site, which had over 180 million registered users, was accused of copyright violation and its founder Kim Dotcom (37), aka Kim Schmitz, was arrested in New Zealand. Shortly after, Anonymous launched an attack on several US based sites, including the FBI and Universal Music. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, US federal regulators designated nearly 42,000 square miles of ocean along the West Coast as critical habitat for the endangered Pacific leatherback turtle. (SFC, 1/21/12, p.A1)2012 Jan 20, Etta James (b.1938), the powerhouse singer who combined blues, gospel and R&B and emerged as a major star in the ’50s and ’60s, died after a long battle with leukemia in a Riverside, Ca., hospital. James placed No. 62 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the greatest artists of all time. Her 1995 autobiography was titled “Rage to Survive.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etta_James) (SFC, 1/21/12, p.A6)2012 Jan 20, An Afghan soldier shot dead four unarmed French troops during a sports session inside a base. Pres. Sarkozy suspended French military training and joint combat operations with Afghan troops, and sent Defence Minister Gerard Longuet to probe the attack in which at least 15 French soldiers were also wounded. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, Bolivia joined Brazil and the United States in signing an accord to cooperate in the control of coca plant cultivation. The agreement creates a coca cultivation tracking system, with the US providing GPS equipment and Brazil capturing satellite images. (AP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, British authorities revoked the license of Press TV, the Iranian state broadcaster’s English-language outlet, saying the channel had breached a string of regulations. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In Chile two retired generals in Chile were found guilty of illegal weapons sales to Croatia in violation of a UN embargo. The Supreme Court sentenced Hector Letelier Skinner and Vicente Rodriguez Bustos to three years each. Eight others also were convicted. All are allowed to serve their terms at home. (AP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, The European Medicines Agency said it is investigating a multiple sclerosis drug made by Novartis after at least 11 patients taking the drug died. The drug, Gilenya, was licensed last year in the EU to treat patients with a severe type of multiple sclerosis. (AP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In Haiti Pakistani peace-keepers raped a 14-year-old boy in Gonaives. In March a Pakistani military tribunal convicted two soldiers and sentenced them to one year in prison. (Econ, 4/28/12, p.41)2012 Jan 20, Indonesian police said a civil servant, who declared himself an atheist on Facebook, has been arrested and is now facing jail for blasphemy after being attacked by an angry mob. Alexander Aan (30), who wrote “God doesn’t exist” on his Facebook page, was beaten by a mob of dozens on Jan 18 in his hometown in Pulau Punjung, West Sumatra province. An was also an administrator of a Facebook group promoting atheism with 1,243 followers. His postings no longer appeared online following his arrest. (AFP, 1/20/12) 2012 Jan 20, Iraqi security forces detained a Sunni Arab politician in central Iraq while a second escaped in the latest round of detentions to hit the minority group amid a political row. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In Japan Estonian sumo wrestler Baruto won his first tournament, logging an unbeatable 13th straight victory with only two bouts to go in the New Year Basho. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In Malawi hundreds of outraged girls and women, among them prominent politicians, protested the recent public stripping of women of their miniskirts and pants. Many wore pants or miniskirts and T-shirts emblazoned with such slogans as: “Real men don’t harass women.” Men also took part. (AP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, Malaysian prosecutors filed a notice of appeal against the acquittal of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges, sending the long-running divisive case back to court. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In the Maldives dozens of anti-government activists were arrested in the capital Male, as the government accused them of whipping up religious extremism. (AFP, 1/21/12)2012 Jan 20, Mali’s military said its army has taken control of three northern towns which were attacked by Tuareg rebels, leading to two days of fierce clashes. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In Mexico members of an army Special Forces unit fatally shot a high-ranking aide to the country’s most-wanted drug dealer in a gunfight in the northern state of Durango. Luis Alberto Cabrera Sarabia, known as “The Architect,” was responsible for the operations of Guzman’s Sinaloa Cartel in Durango and part of the neighbouring state of Chihuahua. (AP, 1/23/12)2012 Jan 20, Police in northern Mexico captured Enrique Elizondo Flores (35), an alleged member of the Zetas drug gang. He confessed to killing at least 75 people, including many who were pulled off buses. (AP, 1/30/12)2012 Jan 20, In Mexico police officers in Jalisco state barged into a Lagos de Moreno hotel and kidnapped 3 men. Hours after the three were seized, they were found asphyxiated and beaten to death. The action was captured on video and the faces of several officers were clearly visible. On June 6 five police officers were detained, when soldiers and state police raided their police station. (AP, 6/14/12)2012 Jan 20, New Zealand police seized a treasure trove of luxury goods from the founder of file-sharing site Megaupload.com as four suspected Internet pirates wanted in the United States appeared in court. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In Nigeria an explosion ripped through a zonal police headquarters in Kano, the largest city in the Muslim north. Bomb attacks targeting security forces and gun battles killed at least 150 civilians, 29 police officers, three secret police officers, two immigration officers and one customs official, bringing the death toll in Kano to 185 dead. A local television journalist was among those shot dead as he covered the unrest. (AP, 1/20/12)(AFP, 1/21/12)(AP, 1/24/12)2012 Jan 20, In Northern Ireland officials confirmed that 3 babies have died in the last week to 10 days after an infectious outbreak linked to the pseudomonas bacteria in a Belfast hospital. (AFP, 1/20/12) 2012 Jan 20, In Romania crowds gathered in Bucharest for the eighth day as a US official urged Romanians to avoid the violence that has tarred anti-government protests that have left more than 60 people injured. (AP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In Senegal more than 200 women were let out of jail for 24 hours after President Abdoulaye Wade declared a “day of giving” in which no ladies should be in prison. Wade also pardoned 34 women convicted for various crimes. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In Somalia African Union-backed government forces raided Islamist rebel hideouts in Mogadishu with tanks and artillery, sparking a retaliation that killed 3 government soldiers and one official. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, South Korea lifted its nine-year import ban on Canadian beef. (Reuters, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, South Sudan ordered the shutdown of oil production that provides some 98 percent of its revenue, amid a deepening row with Khartoum over pipeline fees. Shutting down production would not be immediate, and that South Sudanese President Salva Kiir would meet with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir before it was stopped. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In Syria thousands of people held anti-government protests, chanting for the downfall of the regime. At least eight people were killed by security forces across the country. In Egypt two Arab League officials said the organization is likely to extend its observer mission. (AP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, The UN refugee agency raised concern over the record numbers of Ethiopians and Somalis flocking to Yemen, despite the deteriorating security situation there. Last year 103,000 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants crossed the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, almost double the 2010 figure of 53,000. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, The UN refugee agency said an upsurge in violence involving government troops and militia in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has forced 100,000 people from their homes since November. (AFP, 1/20/12)2012 Jan 20, In Yemen unidentified gunmen shot dead three policemen in the centre of Aden. (AFP, 1/20/12)2013 Jan 20, President Barack Obama took the oath of office in an intimate swearing-in ceremony at the White House. (AP, 1/20/13)2013 Jan 20, Algerian bomb squads scouring a gas plant, where Islamist militants took dozens of foreign workers hostage, found 25 new bodies as they searched for explosive traps left behind by the attackers, a day after a bloody raid ended the four-day siege of the remote desert refinery. At least 81 people have been reported dead, including 32 Islamist militants. Nearly two dozen foreign workers remained unaccounted. (AP, 1/20/13)(AP, 1/21/13)2013 Jan 20, Austria held a referendum on the future of its army. Austrians voted overwhelmingly to retain their conscript army, with preliminary results showing around 60% rejecting the proposed shift to a professional force. (AP, 1/20/13)2013 Jan 20, London’s Heathrow Airport cancelled a fifth of flights and airlines scrapped 40 percent of flights to Paris’s main airports as snow continued to blanket parts of Europe, with more forecast. (AP, 1/20/13)2013 Jan 20, In Egypt overnight clashes between police and residents of a district just north of Cairo left four people dead and 12 wounded. The clashes began when a bystander in Shubra al-Kheima was hit by a stray bullet fired by police chasing a suspected drug dealer. Gunmen raided a post office in the Nile Delta town of Kafr el-Dawar, killing a police guard before making away with 2 million pounds (around $300,000). A courthouse went up in flames in Alexandria during a 2nd straight-day of clashes between protesters and riot police. (AP, 1/20/13)2013 Jan 20, In Georgia more than 1,000 people protested outside of the president’s residence in Tbilisi to demand that he immediately resign and hand over executive power to the speaker of parliament. (AP, 1/20/13)2013 Jan 20, In Greece a bomb exploded at a shopping mall in Athens, slightly wounding two security guards and forcing the evacuation of about 200 people. (AP, 1/20/13) 2013 Jan 20, Iran hanged 2 men (24) publicly after a video posted on YouTube showing them robbing and assaulting a man with a machete on a Tehran street. (AP, 1/20/13)2013 Jan 20, In Iraq a man, identified by police as Talal Ali Abbas, ignited himself in a central square in Mosul where protesters have been rallying for weeks. They say other protesters quickly put the blaze out by smothering the flames with their coats. (AP, 1/20/13)2013 Jan 20, In Mali French forces extended their deployment northward up from the central town of Markala, reinforcing their presence in the towns of Niono and Mopti. Some 400 troops from Nigeria, Togo and Benin arrived in Bamako to help train an African force for Mali. (AP, 1/20/13)(AP, 1/21/13)2013 Jan 20, In New Zealand indicted Mega upload founder Kim Dotcom launched “Mega,” a new file-sharing website that promised users greater privacy and defied the US prosecutors who accuse him of facilitating massive online piracy. (AP, 1/20/13)2013 Jan 20, Syrian government troops battled rebels in several areas outside Damascus. Regime warplanes bombed opposition-held areas around the capital, including an airstrike on the village of al-Barika that killed at least seven people. (AP, 1/20/13)2013 Jan 20, The United Nations said that Afghan authorities were still torturing prisoners, such as hanging them by their wrists and beating them with cables, a year after the UN first documented the abuse and the Afghan government promised detention reform. (AP, 1/20/13)2013 Jan 20, In Yemen an explosion in the province of Bayda killed at least 13 suspected al-Qaida militants. It went off in a house owned by a known al-Qaida operative, Ahmed Abdullah Deif-Allah Al-Zahab, and ap