Portal:Current events/2005 February 14

February 14, 2005 (Monday)

A fire in a mosque in the Iranian capital of Tehran leaves 59 people dead. The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but it is believed that a kerosene heater was left near a thick flammable curtain. (BBC)
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles create a modified form of HIV which targets P-glycoproteins on cancer cells. (BBC)
Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- IDF soldiers shoot dead a Palestinian whom they allege tried to stab one of them. Witnesses deny the 13-year-old was armed. (Haaretz)^{[permanent dead link‍]} (Al Jazeera)
- Israel returns the remains of 15 Palestinian militants to the Palestinian Authority for burial in Gaza as a goodwill gesture. (BBC)
- Israel is considering new security measures which might result in right-wing Israeli opposed to the planned pullout from the Gaza Strip being detained. (BBC)
A car bomb explodes in central Beirut, Lebanon killing former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and at least 22 others. Approximately 100 further people are injured in the attack. A little known group calling itself "Victory and Jihad in Greater Syria" claim responsibility. (CNN) (Reuters) (BBC)
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, six Moroccan UN peacekeepers are arrested for alleged sexual abuse of young girls. (Reuters SA) (News24) (BBC)
The African Union (AU) sends a team to Somalia to assess the security situation in the capital, Mogadishu. President of the exiled Somalian government, Abdullahi Yusuf, has requested an AU peacekeeping force to allow his cabinet to move back. The trip was delayed on Friday. There is some opposition to deployment of AU peacekeepers and thousands of Somalis have demonstrated in the capital, Mogadishu, against the plans. (BBC) (ReliefWeb) (East African Standard) (Reuters SA) (BBC)
In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva meets Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez in Caracas. They start talks about an alliance, joint energy projects and the sale of Brazilian fighter aircraft. (Bloomberg) (Forbes) (BBC)
In French Polynesia, people vote for a new local assembly for the two main islands. The poll is contested between the pro-independence party of Oscar Temaru and the party of pro-Paris conservative leader Gaston Flosse. The results of the last year's general election were cancelled and a new poll ordered to settle the dispute. (ABC) (BBC)
Floods and mudslides claim at least 64 lives in Colombia and Venezuela. (Reuters)^{[permanent dead link‍]} (CNN)
South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-moon states his country's desire to intensify diplomatic efforts with North Korea. (Bloomberg) (BBC)