Specialist prison guards and firefighters are sent into Ford Open Prison in West Sussex, United Kingdom, after 40 inmates started a riot. Part of the prison has been destroyed by fire. (BBC)
International mediators propose the establishment of a regional authority for Darfur, as a compromise between the Sudanese government and rebels’ demands, in a diplomatic effort to respond to Sudanese President Bashir’s order last week to withdraw the Sudanese government delegation from talks in Doha. (Radio Dabanga)
Officials in Afghanistan said that the price of opium has doubled due to a blight. There are fears the higher prices will draw more farmers into that business. (Reuters)
Former Canadian ambassador to the United NationsPaul Heinbecker urges the Canadian government to determine its agenda as global power shifts, particularly towards emerging economies. (CTV)
Greece is considering the construction of a fence along its border with Turkey to fend off an ongoing flood of economic migrants from the Middle East and North Africa. (APA), (Hurriyet) via (ANA-MPA)
Two boats capsize off the southern coast of Yemen with a total of 80 people missing. Only three have been found alive. (BBC)(IOL)(Press TV)
A six-alarm fire destroys a former hotel built in 1888 and recognized as a heritagebuilding on Toronto's Yonge Street before it was scheduled for demolition; the fire forced the temporary closure of Ryerson University and nearby schools and hot spots remained a danger after extinguishing the fire. Two firefighters who fell into the building were rescued uninjured while arson remains a suspected cause. (CBC)(Toronto Sun)
More evacuations take place in Queensland, Australia, as flood waters continued to rise and the Australian prime minister says damages could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. (CNN)
Swedish actor Per Oscarsson and his wife Kia Östling are confirmed dead by dental records after a fire destroyed the couple's house in Skara and the couple perished on December 30, 2010. (The Local)
Business and economy
Iran and India develop a stop-gap plan to continue the flow of oil from the former to the latter, and payments in the opposite direction, days after India withdrew from the Asian Clearing Union. The new plan involves payments through the EIH Bank, in Hamburg, Germany. (Domain-b)
Law and crime
A 17-year-old student at Millard South High School, in Omaha, Nebraska, shoots an assistant principal to death and wounds the school principal before turning the gun onto himself. (CNN)
A Malaysian coroner records an open verdict in the death of opposition aide Teoh Beng Hock, who fell from the roof of the anti-corruption commission building in July 2009. (BBC)(Malaysia Star)
Police investigating the murder of Joanna Yeates make a fresh appeal for information, saying that when discovered, her fully clothed body was missing a sock which may hold important clues. (BBC)
In the UK 33 people are convicted for their part in an £80m drugs and money laundering operation. They include Simon Ford, a firefighter commended for his actions during the 7 July London bombings. (BBC)
A French market regulator approves a takeover defense adopted by the Hermès family, who own the manufacturer of Birkin and Kelly handbags. This improves the odds that Hermès will preserve its independence in the face of a bid by LVMH. (Reuters)
The United States protests strongly to Vietnam after a U.S. diplomat is attacked and injured by Vietnamese police when he went to visit a detained religious dissident.(RFA)
A U.S. plan to force gun dealers in states which borderMexico to report cases where individuals bought multiple high-powered rifles in under 5 days, is stalled due to opposition from gun lobbies. Approximately 90% of crime guns seized in Mexico originate in the U.S., and over 30,000 people have died in Mexico due to drug cartel violence since 2006. (Reuters)
Aaron Swartz is arrested by MIT police on state breaking-and-entering charges, after systematically downloading academic journal articles from JSTOR. (Archive.org)
Dozens of Christians in Iran are arrested, after security forces forcibly entered their homes and verbally and physically abused them, in a crackdown on converts from Islam and evangelical groups, which an Iranian official who confirmed the arrests called an "enemy cultural invasion." (Voice of America)
Youths in Tunisia protest for several days over social (job market, purchase power, goods' price) and political grievances. Lawyers go on strike against police repression of protesters. (The Irish Times)
Israel responds to the shooting dead of a 65-year-old Palestinian civilian in his bed during a pre-dawn raid by ordering an investigation. Troops were attempting to re-arrest five Hamas members who had been released from prison the previous day when they made the fatal error. (Irish Independent)
2010–2011 Tunisian protests: At least one person is killed and others are injured in the town of Tala during the latest protests against unemployment and poor living conditions. (Al Jazeera)
Algerian protests against food prices and unemployment:
Government taxes and duties on sugar and cooking oil in Algeria are lowered in response to three days of unrest over increases in unemployment and the cost of living. (Al Jazeera)
Two people are killed and hundreds of others are injured during the protests. (Yemen News Agency)(BBC)
Icelandic MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir describes attempts by America to access her private information as "completely unacceptable", demands to see the ambassador and begins legal action against the United States. (The Guardian)
The mother of a woman who died in her home during a demonstration against Israel's separation barrier in Bil'in says she died from inhaling massive quantities of tear gas; the Israeli army says she did not die of tear gas inhalation. (The Observer)(The Jerusalem Post)
Officials investigating the shooting, who were seeking a second person of interest, have cleared the other person of involvement in the shooting. (CNN)
Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, known for frequently disagreeing with the United States, condemns the shooting as "atrocious", "absurd" and "unjustifiable". (AP via Fox News)
Teachers and cultural figures criticise as "foolhardy" the British government's abolition of a scheme intended to improve teaching of the arts in schools. (The Observer)
Viewers of UK soap opera EastEnders complain in record numbers about a "hurtful", "unrealistic" and "exploitative" cot death storyline as the BBC sets out to meet the grieving mothers it has upset. (The Independent)(The Observer)
Israeli bulldozers begin demolishing a 1930s East Jerusalem hotel to build 20 new settler homes, "destroying all the US efforts and ending any possibility of a return to negotiations" according to a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (BBC)(AP via Fox News)
Hillary Clinton calls Israel's demolition of the hotel a "disturbing development" which undermines peace efforts. (Xinhua)
Demonstrators gather outside the Iranian Embassy in London to protest against an attack on Iranian exiles in Iraq, an attack reportedly ordered by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. (BBC)
United States Secretary of DefenseRobert Gates flies to China for a four-day trip after expressing American worries that the Chinese "clearly have potential to put some of our [military] capabilities at risk", adding that America has "to pay attention to them" and "respond appropriately with our own programmes". (BBC)
Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang begins a four-day visit to the UK; Scotland and China sign a green energy deal. (BBC)
Law and crime
An investigation by The Guardian newspaper reveals details of how Metropolitan police officer Mark Kennedy infiltrated dozens of protest groups in 22 countries using the pseudonym Mark Stone. (The Guardian)
Prosecutors in the U.K. drop the case against members of a group who were planning to forcefully shut down the coal based Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station temporarily, after the undercover officer, an alleged provocateur in the group, offers to give evidence in support of the activists. (BBC)
More than 150 Israeli university lecturers support a boycott of the University Centre of Samaria in Ariel over concerns of "unbearably harsh conditions" faced by Palestinians living nearby, as well as Ariel being an "illegal settlement" and a roadblock to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. (The Irish Times)(Al Jazeera)
The Iranian government says an Israeli spying network - since dismantled - assassinated the University of Tehran's distinguished professor of elementary particle physics Masoud Alimohammadi; an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson vows to sue. (Xinhua)
The apparent confession of Majid Jamali-Fash is broadcast on television; he says he was hired and trained by Israel before being sent to kill Alimohammadi in Iran. (The Guardian)
Lawyers for Julian Assange warn that he could be killed if he is extradited to the U.S. from Britain; Assange draws parallels between the rhetoric of the 2011 Tucson shooting and the language used against him by commentators such as Joe Biden, U.S. Vice President. (AFP)
One person is killed and seven injured by a gunman on a train in Egypt. (BBC)
Three Georgian Army soldiers are killed and 13 wounded when a mortar bomb explodes during exercises at a military base near Tbilisi, Georgia. (Reuters)
PresidentZine El Abidine Ben Ali gives a televised address during which he attempts to appease protesters by vowing not to seek re-election in 2014. He also promises an end to live firing of "real bullets": three more people are killed in the Tunis suburb of Aouina less than an hour later. (Al Jazeera)(BBC)(The Guardian)
Israel places troops stationed in northern Israel on high alert following the collapse of the Lebanese government. (Haaretz)
The Israeli army returns Lebanese shepherd Charbel Tanious Khoury, whom it abducted on Wednesday when he crossed the blue line and entered Israeli territory, after interrogating him. He is the third Lebanese shepherd to be captured by Israel in the past year. Israel conducts 14 surveillance flights over Lebanese territory. (The Daily Star)(AFP via Google News)(Press TV)("Haaretz")
Business and economy
Executives of the troubled U.S. book retailer Borders meet with publishers to appeal for financing. (TheStreet.com)
China is reported to have the highest wind power capacity after adding 16GW in 2010, bringing its total to 41.8GW, with the U.S. in second with 40.2GW installed.(Reuters)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revokes a permit for a proposed coal mine in West Virginia which would have been one of America's largest citing "destructive and unsustainable mining practices that jeopardize the health of Appalachian communities and clean water". (Reuters)
Tajikistan's lower house of parliament ratifies an agreement to turn over 380 square miles (approx. 1,000 square kilometers) of territory to China, ending a century-old conflict over disputed territory. (Jerusalem Post)(Press TV)(BBC)
British-based global oil and gas company BP signs a deal with Russian oil firm Rosneft to exploit potentially huge deposits of oil and gas in Russia's Arctic shelf. (BBC)
Israel's Press Office apologises for what The Jerusalem Post dubbed "Bra-Gate" - the security screening of several international journalists forced to remove their underwear and denial of entry to Al Jazeera producer Najwan Simri Diab after she refused to remove her bra. Najwan Simri Diab says she did not wish for an apology, only to be assured that it won't happen again. (Sify)(The Jerusalem Post)(Ynetnews)(Al Jazeera)
Veteran Irish Labour PartyTDMichael D. Higgins demands that the British government explain why one of Britain's undercover policemen was operating on Republic of Ireland territory on May Day 2004, as the European Union expanded to the east. Higgins compares it to illegal activities carried out by British state agents in the same country during the 1970s. (The Guardian)
A closed-door briefing occurs at New York City's United Nations building. Behind it around 150 non-American diplomats object to the American government about a decision by the country's banks to end services for diplomatic missions, with some diplomats suggesting the UN budget could be affected. (BBC)
Guyana formally recognizes Palestine as an independent state as part of its "long-standing and unwavering solidarity with, and commitment to, the just and legitimate aspirations of the people of Palestine for the exercise of their right to self-determination and to achieve a homeland of their own, independent, free, prosperous and at peace", a foreign ministry statement says. (Al Jazeera)
South Africa's chief rabbiWarren Goldstein criticises a controversial petition launched by three Jewish Capetonians calling for Archbishop Emeritus and Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu to be axed as patron of two Holocaust centers. (IOL)
The United States Treasury Department says "no" to calls by enraged American politicians to have Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks website added to its economic blacklist or sanctions list like so-called "terrorist groups". The Treasury Department cites a lack of "evidence at this time". (CBS News)
At a university seminar in New Delhi, India's home secretary G. K. Pillai announces unexpected plans to reduce security forces in Kashmir by 25 percent so that "people don't get harassed by the over-presence of security forces". (Al Jazeera)
Saudi Arabia confirms it is welcoming ousted Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family into the kingdom due to "exceptional circumstances" in Tunisia; people in Saudi Arabia and people elsewhere criticise the decision to offer sanctuary to "the dictator" on the Internet. (Al Jazeera)
At least 42 people are killed during one fire in the city of Monastir in the central east of the country, the current deadliest single incident of the month-long protests. (Ennahar)(Ynetnews)(Reuters)(Al Jazeera)
Tunisia gets another new Acting President, its second in two days, as 78-year-old speaker of parliament Fouad Mebazaa is sworn in. He claims all Tunisians "without exception" are now to be allowed participate in national politics. (Oneindia)(BBC)
The United Nations seeks emergency aid for Sri Lanka: as many as 390,000 people are made homeless and thousands of houses are destroyed in the disaster there. (The Guardian)
The South Africa government is to declare parts disaster areas: 40 people have died in floods. (BBC)
British police undercover spy ring operating across Europe:
Veteran Labour PartyTDMichael D. Higgins writes to the Irish Department of Justice regarding the activities of undercover British police officer Mark Kennedy, who infiltrated protest movements across Europe, including several on Republic of Ireland territory. He describes it as "of grave concern" and that "this type of activity undermines respect for the law and it is very sinister in that it can damage good causes." (The Irish Times)
A third British police spy is identified as the revelations continue. This one, a 44-year-old male officer, infiltrated a group in Cardiff, Wales. (The Guardian)
Iran unveils domestically-produced deuterated compounds to the international diplomats at Arak heavy water plant; Ali Akbar Salehi, acting Iranian Foreign Minister and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), hails the achievement for its use in medical research. (Xinhua)
French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand vows to revamp France's medical regulatory system after an official report said the diabetes drug Mediator, which killed 2,000 people, should have been banned 10 years earlier. (BBC)
Truck: Vladimir Chagin of Russia, in a Kamaz, won the truck division for the record-breaking seventh time. Chagin is the most successful driver in any category. (RIA Novosti)
The online edition of The New York Times reports that U.S. and Israeli intelligence services collaborated in the development of the destructive computer worm Stuxnet to record Iranian operations and send them spinning out of control ahead of a sabotage attack against Iran. Testing is reported to have occurred at the heavily guarded Dimona complex in the Negev desert in Israel. (The New York Times)
Nine civilians are killed in Baghlan, Afghanistan on their way to a wedding when they were blown up: 6 civilians are killed and 3 civilians are injured in Helmand after a minibus and a bomb collide. (BBC)(Al Jazeera)
A partial curfew is imposed in parts of Karachi, Pakistan, aimed at ending a surge in ethnic and political violence that has claimed 29 lives in the past four days. 9 (The Times of India)(Daily Times)
Business and economy
Farmers in Argentina halt sales of wheat, corn and soy in a strike over export curbs. (Al Jazeera)
39 people are killed in South Africa and thousands of homes are destroyed in Mozambique following widespread flooding. (Reuters)
Hundreds of people are hospitalised after an extreme cold spell in northern Vietnam that has also killed thousands of cows and buffaloes. (Straits Times)
Two judges are fired and a court official suspended in China over a life sentence imposed on a man who evaded thousands in motorway toll fees. The ruling is also overturned. (BBC)(NDTV)(Global Times)
A woman is sentenced to six months imprisonment in Mauritania for keeping two children in slave-like conditions. (BBC)
The leader of the Israeli Labor PartyEhud Barak and four other Labor Party MKs announce their resignation from the party and the formation of a new "centrist Zionist and democratic" faction called "Independence". (Jerusalem Post)
Nigerian soldiers are granted permission to shoot to kill "to protect civilians" in Jos. (BBC)
A 25-year-old unemployed male dies after setting himself on fire in Alexandria. Another man, aged 40, sets himself on fire in Cairo in protests against rising prices. (BBC)
The British government suggests the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), a private company run by police chiefs, ought to have its power to run undercover spies removed after recent revelations about Mark Kennedy, policeman and undercover spy on international activists, as it acknowledges for the first time that "something had gone very wrong". (The Guardian)
Corruption and theft charges are filed against Duvalier. (Al Jazeera)
Sudanese police arrest opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi and eight others after they called for a "popular revolution" if price rises were not reversed. (Reuters)
Palestine calls for the "immediate, full lifting of the Israeli blockade" and "the sustained opening of Gaza's border crossings for the movement of persons and goods." during a debate at the UN Security Council.(Xinhua)
Former Swiss bank employee Rudolf Elmer, who passed details of rich tax evaders to the WikiLeaks website, is found guilty of breaching Switzerland's strict bank secrecy laws. (BBC)
Rudolf Elmer is then arrested by Swiss police. (IOL)(BBC)
Two bomb blasts occur simultaneously in Makiyivka, Ukraine. No injuries are reported and the responsible group threatens more bombings unless they are paid off. (The Sofia Echo)
Three works of art stolen from a museum 15 years ago are retrieved. (BBC)
Disasters
Save the Children launches a £1 million appeal to help assist up to 400,000 children it expects are affected by a food crisis following Sri Lanka's worst floods in recent history. (The Guardian)
The Vatican is said to be "troubled" by the latest sex scandal engulfing Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, alleging that Berlusconi purchased an under-age prostitute. (BBC)
Chinese president Hu Jintao receives a hostile reception from the United States Congress; the country is accused of bullying its neighbours and its rulers are described as "Nazis". (The Guardian)
The largest rocket ever launched from the west coast of the U.S. is launched carrying a secret payload; speculated to be a spy satellite.(Reuters)
The Daily Nation publishes a picture of a police officer apparently shooting a male at point-blank range on a main road in Nairobi; Amnesty condemns the incident and three police officers are suspended. (BBC)
Tunisia's army fires warning shots as citizens protest the current government and wave baguettes in a call for an end to food shortages. (AP via The Guardian)
Tunisia's new interim government holds its first cabinet meeting. (BBC)
Cowen defends his handling of the resignations as it emerges that there is "deep disagreement" between Fianna Fáil and coalition partners the Green Party. (The Irish Times)
21 people are killed in a clash between the Sudanese army and two rebel factions in Darfur. (Reuters)
Three people are shot dead and dozens are injured by riot police clashing with at least 20,000 protesters gathered outside the prime minister's office in Tirana, Albania. Deputy prime minister Ilir Meta has resigned after becoming embroiled in a fraud scandal and protesters have called for the rest of the government to resign. (AP via France24)(BBC)(Radio New Zealand)(AFP via Google News)(CNN)
Aer Lingus cabin crew, disputing working conditions, march on airline headquarters at Dublin Airport; Aer Lingus hires planes from other airlines and threatens to sack its workers. (RTÉ)(The Irish Times)
Four banks, with total assets of $2.7 billion, are ordered closed in the U.S.; 157 American banks failed last year.(Reuters)
International relations
Five Thais including an MP are given suspended sentences after illegally entering Cambodia, in a case that has strained relations between the two countries. (Straits Times)
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticises Israel's refusal to cease illegal settlement building on Palestinian land, telling a UN General Assembly gathering that he is "very concerned at the lack of progress towards peace" and that the recent demolition of East Jerusalem's historic Shepherd Hotel and evictions of Palestinian families had "heightened tensions." He later meets survivors of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. (AFP via Google News)
Saudi Arabia tells a UN Security Council meeting that Israel's practices and illegal measures against the Palestinian people undermine international efforts for peace. (Arab News)
French foreign minister Michèle Alliot-Marie is met by hostile Palestinian protesters throwing stones, eggs and shoes, including mothers of prisoners held in Israeli jails, on her arrival in Gaza. (BBC)(KUNA)(CNN)
United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay requests an investigation into possible involvement of officials in the abduction of around 40 Central American migrants, including women and children, from a cargo train in Oaxaca. (BBC)
The Irish government publishes its Finance Bill legalising harsh austerity measures announced in the December 2010 budget as attempts to overthrow TaoiseachBrian Cowen continue from within his own party. (BBC)
Brian Cowen declares that he is to continue as leader of party and country, against the wishes of some of his own colleagues, saying "that issue is over". He vows to establish his own front bench to fight the election. (Irish Examiner)
One person is killed and two others are injured in alleged Israeli tank shelling in the Gaza Strip, though the Israel Defense Forces denied they attacked and estimated that the blast was a failed rocket launch. (Al Jazeera)(Ynet)
Shadow finance spokesperson Michael Noonan promises that, if the Irish government resigns, the opposition Fine Gael party will give quicker support for the Finance Bill intended to impose harsh austerity measures upon the country. He offers to facilitate the Green Party in getting out of the Irish government coalition. (RTÉ)
A suspected U.S. drone fires two missiles at a vehicle and a house in a militant stronghold in northwestern Pakistan, killing four alleged insurgents. (AP via Google News)
The attacks are the first carried out by the United States on the region since Friday's protest rally highlighting civilian deaths. (Al Jazeera)
Tribesmen march in their numbers in Mir Ali, North Waziristan to demand an end to U.S. drone strikes in the area, the second such march inside three days. (Xinhua)
Speaking in Der Sonntag, WikiLeaks spokesperson Julian Assange criticises the arrest of a Swiss bank employee who passed on details of tax evasion to the website and suggests that the Swiss authorities ought to instead investigate the tax evasion that has been uncovered. Rudolf Elmer has been detained for the weekend. (Reuters)
The Palestinian Authority condemns Al- Jazeera for releasing the documents and denies that the Palestinian Authority had agreed to make far-reaching concessions on Jerusalem as the documents purportedly reveal.(The Jerusalem Post)
As many as 430,000 people infected with Hepatitis B from reused needles settle their legal action and are to receive payments in Japan's biggest medical dispute. (Al Jazeera)
Politics and elections
Thousands of people of all ages march through Brussels in a rally, "Shame: No government, great country", to protest against nationalism and the lack of a proper government for the past seven months. The protest is initially started by students but soon expands to other parts of society. (Al Jazeera)(The Guardian)(The Irish Times)
Hundreds of Tunisians ignore a curfew placed on them by their rulers to travel hundreds of kilometres in a "Liberation Caravan" to gather with protesters in Tunis to voice their discontent with the interim government that replaced ousted Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. (Al Jazeera)
New interviews are released containing statements from former Israeli soldiers who claim they were told to "cleanse the neighbourhoods, the buildings, the area" and that the offensive should be disproportionate, with tank operators being told to shell any car that comes near them during the War on Gaza. (Channel 4)(The Telegraph)
Zimbabwean ministers condemn the invasion of tourist lodges by supporters of Robert Mugabe who say they were implementing government policy. (AFP)(BBC)
Twenty people are injured in China's Sichuan province following clashes with police over a proposed chemical plant, protesters and officials say. In a separate protest, riot police dispersed a group of parents who lost their children in the devastating 2008 earthquake after they tried to meet with the mayor of Deyang city to discuss compensation claims. (Radio Free Asia)
Arts and culture
Hamas bans the sale of two books that it says "contradict" Islam after receiving complaints from locals. (Associated Press)
Three Indonesian soldiers captured on video torturing two men from West Papua are jailed; human rights groups criticize the sentences of 10 months in jail for "disobeying orders" handed out to the low-ranking soldiers, saying the military was reluctant to abide by human rights principles. (Reuters)(Al Jazeera)(Jakarta Post)
Tunisian officials negotiate the formation of a supervisory council to oversee the country's interim government, in an effort to appease protesters angry at the continued presence in the cabinet of holdovers linked to deposed PresidentZine El Abidine Ben Ali’sregime. (VOA)
Family members of PresidentZine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was recently ousted in a popular uprising are reportedly in Canada; Tunisians expatriates express anger over the development and Canadian officials say Ben Ali and his family are not welcome and would act if illegally acquired assets were brought into the country. (CNN)
Yemen frees a female activist accused of inciting disorder after protests demanding her release. (Al Jazeera)
Opposition parties in Ireland are to hold crisis talks to bring down the Brian Cowen-led government after the Green Party pulled out of government yesterday; Fianna Fáil no longer has a leader and it no longer has a coalition partner. (BBC)
A U.S. judge sentences Ahmed Ghailani, the first Guantanamo detainee to have a civilian trial in America, to life imprisonment for conspiracy to destroy government buildings. He was found "not guilty" of 285 other charges filed against him, including 200 counts of murder and dozens of other charges. (Al Jazeera)(BBC)
Thousands of protesters defy curfew and march in Tunis, camping outside the government's main office complex and demanding that the Prime Minister and the old guard that served under former PresidentZine El Abidine Ben Ali, step down. (IBN)
Massey is stood down from a football game taking place tonight as she "has unwittingly found herself in the middle of a story that has nothing to do with her competence as a match official". (The Daily Telegraph)
The Sudanese army clashes with Sudan Liberation Army rebels in Darfur for the second time in a week, and insurgents said they shot down a helicopter gunship, killing at least three people, a claim denied by the army, which said it had killed 25 rebels. (AFP)(Reuters)
The newly released figures show China had 6.31 million new college graduates, and about 90.7 percent of them found employment by the end of 2010, which represented a 3 percent year-on-year increase. (CRI)
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers the annual State of the Union address calling on the United States Congress to improve the nation's "crumbling" infrastructure, saying it will create jobs and help the nation compete in the global economy. (CNN)
The preliminary results of the referendum on an independence for Southern Sudan will be announced in the next few days, with final results as early as February 7; most of the count in the south already completed shows 99% voted for independence.(CNN)
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao asks citizens to voice their criticisms of the government and speak out about injustice during a visit to the country's highest petition bureau. (Al Jazeera)(Sify India)(Xinhua)
Gabon dissolves the country's main opposition party, accusing one of its leaders of treason. (Reuters)
Rolling Stone says it has "no regrets about the story" and claims to be "just exposing people who were doing wrong". (The Guardian)
Hundreds of thousands of government workers protest against the killing of Yashwant Sonawane, an official in Maharashtra, a murder which is said to have shocked people across India. (BBC)
A protester is killed in Suez, while dozens of protesters are injured in Cairo. One protester happens to video-tape a man being shot by police. (Sky News)(AP)
The Egyptian government announces a curfew for cities nationwide starting at 6 pm local time and running through to 7 am on Saturday. (Bikya Masr)
The army is reported to be out on the streets of Cairo; protesters call for the support of the army in their battle against the Mubarak regime. (Al Jazeera)
Mohamed ElBaradei, is held among the protesters, while journalists are beaten and arrested, including one BBC journalist and four French reporters. (The Daily Telegraph)
EgyptAir suspends its departures from Cairo for 12 hours, beginning at 9 pm, as a government-imposed curfew on the people of Egypt comes into effect. (AP via Google News)
The same fire threatens the nearby world-famous Egyptian Museum, with concerns expressed for the safety of its contents. A powerful explosion is heard in the area. There are reports that protesters are trying to protect the museum. (RIA Novosti)(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Vice President of the United StatesJoe Biden attracts criticism for his refusal to refer to Mubarak as a "dictator", instead describing him as "an ally of ours in a number of things and he's been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interests in the region: Middle East peace efforts, the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing the relationship with Israel". (The New York Times)(The Washington Post)
The protests leave Western governments which have supported the regime in an awkward position, both diplomatically and democratically. (Reuters)
The latest U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks indicate that police brutality in Egypt is "routine and pervasive" and the use of torture so widespread that the Egyptian government has stopped denying it exists. (The Guardian)
Demonstrations occur worldwide, with people expressing solidarity with the people of Egypt in international cities such as Istanbul, Tunis, Doha and London. (Al Jazeera)
The government-imposed curfew on the people of Egypt causes European airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France, to alter their schedules, with some cancellations and some passengers being redirected to different countries. (Reuters)
Around 100,000 supporters of Albania's opposition Socialist Party pay silent tribute to three men shot dead at an anti-government protest a week ago. The Socialist supporters disperse calmly after a two-hour procession. (Reuters)
During a clash between Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the West Bank, an Israeli settler shoots and kills an 18-year-old Palestinian. (Haaretz)(BBC)(CNN)
8 people are killed in a suicide attack at a Finest supermarket near the British embassy in the wealthy Wazir Akbar Khan suburb of Kabul. (BBC)(Al Jazeera)
Flooding in Jeddah since the 26th kills 11 people, leaves three missing and destroys over 10,000 buildings, leading to protests in the city over poor infrastructure. (AFP)(Montreal Gazette)(GMA News)
The funeral is held in a village near Kampala for David Kato, a gay rights activist in Uganda. He was recently murdered after successfully suing Rolling Stone for naming him as gay on its front cover, and had been receiving death threats. A pastor causes controversy by preaching for homosexuals to repent but is swiftly taken away. (BBC)(CNN)
A lesbian from Uganda, whom the UK wishes to deport to Kampala, speaks of her concerns that she will be persecuted upon her arrival there. (BBC)(audio)
Guillermo Fariñas, known for his hunger strike campaigns, is detained by authorities for the second time in as many days. He is being held in the Cuban city of Santa Clara. (BBC)
Thousands of demonstrators converge on Egypt's Interior Ministry, one of the most visible signs of state authority in Egypt. Police shoot the demonstrators. Medical aid is given at the doors of mosques. (CNN)
Five protesters are reported to have been wounded at the Interior Ministry. (Reuters)
At least 100 people are killed and 1,000 injured in clashes so far. (Reuters), (NineMSN)
Mubarak selects Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force commander and aviation minister, as his new prime minister, preserving the top three political jobs for men with military links. (Reuters)
The parliament speaker says Egypt has no plans for early elections despite the mass popular demonstrations against the government. (Reuters)
Wealthy Egyptian businessman Ahmed Ezz, a close confidante of Mubarak's son, resigns from the ruling NDP party. At least one of his steel company's offices has been targeted by protesters. (Reuters)
A curfew is extended from 16:00 until 8:00 Egyptian time according to state television. (The Times of India)
The police disappear from the streets of Cairo but civilians fill the void by quickly forming groups to defend homes and important buildings. (Reuters)
19 private jets carrying families of wealthy businessmen leave Cairo for Dubai. (The Guardian)
Head of antiquities Zahi Hawass says ancient artifacts at the famous Egyptian Museum in Cairo are safe from looters but could still be damaged by the potential collapse of NDP headquarters which was gutted by fire yesterday. (AP via Google News)
Viewers across the region and worldwide watch events unfold on Al Jazeera, which maintains an almost continuous live feed despite the Egyptian government's repeated censorship efforts. CNN claims its reporters have been attacked and cameras smashed. (The New York Times)
The BBC condemns the treatment given to one of its reporters, who has been deliberately assaulted by police while doing his work in Cairo. He was beaten up with steel bars, "the ones used here for slaughtering animals". (Ynetnews)(The Guardian)
Protesters gather outside the Egyptian embassy in London calling for Mubarak to resign. (Reuters)
Protesters gather outside the Egyptian embassy in Amman in support of "the people of Egypt" and calling on the United States: "do not interfere". (AFP via Google News)
Protesters gather outside the Egyptian embassy in Washington, D.C., with the organisers saying they want the people of Egypt to know that Americans are watching and aware of events in the country. (The Washington Post)
2011 English protests: Thousands of protesters demonstrate against cuts and increases in tuition fees in England; police escort student leaderAaron Porter away in Manchester amid calls from protesters for his resignation. (The Guardian)
Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs triples the base salary of its chief executive Lloyd Blankfein to $2 million, up from $600,000, after the bank's profit falls by 38 per cent. (BBC)
Close to 8,000 protesters rally in Hamilton, Ontario to support workers locked out from Stelco after disagreeing against pension changes made by U.S. Steel. Analysts predict that similar protests may spread across the country. (CTV)(Niagara Falls Review)
The UK gives a lesbian from Uganda an injunction to temporarily prevent her deportation to the country where gay activistDavid Kato was murdered earlier this week. (BBC)
The Dutch government freezes all contacts with Iran in protest over the fate of a Dutch-Iranian woman who was hanged for alleged drug smuggling. (BBC)(Al Jazeera)
A Buddhist monk is the first person to be charged under a strict anti-smoking law in Bhutan, introduced in 2005. (The Straits Times)
Guillermo Fariñas, known for his hunger strike campaigns, is released after having been detained by Cuban authorities for the third time in 48 hours. (BBC)
Students and union members stage protest marches in London and Manchester against increases in tuition fees and public spending cuts in the United Kingdom. (BBC)
Egypt's information minister cancels licenses and accreditation of staff working for the Al Jazeera international news network. The network's Cairo bureau office is to be shut down by the Egyptian government. An Al Jazeera spokesman describes the move as "an act designed to stifle and repress the freedom of reporting by the network and its journalists". (AFP via Google News)(The Guardian)(RIA Novosti)(Times LIVE)(Al Jazeera)
Several prison breaks occur, including the escape of 5,000 from a jail in Faiyum Governorate, many including 34 members of the Muslim Brotherhood from Wadi El Natrun, where eight people were killed in riots, and at least eight Hamas militants from Abu Zaabal Prison in Cairo, two of them escaping to Gaza, and two policemen and twelve escaped inmates were killed there; many more escaped from Tora Prison in Cairo, close to where 'dozens' of people were killed. Soldiers have been deployed outside of many prisons. (AFP via Google News)(Hindustan Times)(Reuters Africa)(Bangkok Post)(Press TV)
Egyptian air force fighter planes fly low over Cairo and helicopters hover above the city as protestors defy the government-ordered curfew. (Reuters)(CBC News)(Los Angeles Times)(BBC)
Egyptian authorities extend the curfew hours they are imposing on the people of Egypt. The government threatens to open fire on any person who disobeys its rule. (RIA Novosti)(The Guardian)
Former interior minister Habib al-Adli is urgently evacuated from the ministry building in central Cairo amid gunfire. He was one of the cabinet members dismissed by Mubarak yesterday and is accused of ordering troops to open fire on those protesting against Mubarak. (RIA Novosti)
Thousands of anti-government protesters in Cairo defy a curfew and intimidation from the Egyptian military as fighter jets swoop low over the crowds gathered in Tahrir Square. (Sky News)(TODAYonline)
Protesters gather peacefully outside the Egyptian Embassy in Lebanon in support of the current uprising against the Mubarak regime, chanting, "Down with Mubarak!" and "Egypt is an Arab, not a U.S. state!" (Daily Star)
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in the Philippines sets aside a P25-million standby fund for Filipinos in Egypt, though the official line is that Filipinos there are safe. Non-government labor organization Migrante-Middle East calls for the immediate evacuation of Filipino workers in Egypt. (ABS-CBN News)(The Philippine Star)
The Indian government airlifts 300 Indians, mostly women and children, from Egypt as the crisis worsens. (The Times of India)
2011 Sudan protests: Anti-government demonstrators face off against riot police who fire tear gas and beat up students in Khartoum during protests inspired by those in Egypt and Tunisia. (Al Jazeera)
Thousands of people march in Derry, Northern Ireland, in memory of those killed by British troops in the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre of civil rights protesters and local bystanders. It is intended to be the final such march after the British government admitted last year that its troops had been responsible for carrying out the Bogside massacre. (CNN)(RTÉ)(Irish Examiner)(BBC)
A fire in an arms depot of the Anonymous Venezuelan Campaign of Military Industries (CAVIM) in Maracy city of Aragua state killed at least one person and forced authorities to evacuate about 10,000 people. (Xinhua)
The directors of two companies based in York and Kent are charged with conspiring to illegally export Chinese-produced weapons to the United States after having imported them into the UK via Germany. The incident breaches an embargo by the United States, which disagrees with the importation of weapons made in China. (The Observer)
Exotic birds are found to have been driven into Britain's back gardens by the extreme cold, as more than half a million people participate in the largest wildlife survey in the world. (The Observer)
The overnight atmosphere among the crowds gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square is tense with gunfire reported. (Al Jazeera)
PresidentHosni Mubarak orders his new prime minister Ahmed Shafiq to preserve subsidies, control inflation and provide more jobs as he battles an intense popular revolt against his 30-year rule. The announcement is read out on state television but has little effect as protesters vow to continue demonstrating until the Mubarak regime falls. (Al Jazeera)(AFP via The Sydney Morning Herald)
2011 Sudan protests: A student dies after being attacked by security forces amid anti-government demonstrations in the country. (Reuters)
Nigerian police say they have foiled a bomb attack at a church in the city of Bauchi, days after deadly clashes between Christian and Muslim youths. (Reuters)
Police in Bangladesh fire tear gas at 20,000 demonstrators protesting against government plans to build an airport south of the capital Dhaka. A policeman is killed in the incident. (AFP via Google News)(BBC)
At least 17 people are killed and scores more injured in a shootout between opposing government security forces in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Xinhua)
Business and economy
Pharmaceutical companies Genzyme and Sanofi-Aventis are reported to have reached an "agreement in principle" on a deal in which Sanofi, a French company, will acquire Cambridge-based Genzyme for an undetermined amount of money. (CNBC)
Chittagong authorities vow to pay disabled beggars $2 per day for three months to keep them off the streets and away from tourists and spectators during the 2011 Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by Bangladesh. (BBC News)
