Portal:Current events/2009 February 3
February 3, 2009 (Tuesday)
- Presidency of Barack Obama:
- Tom Daschle withdraws his nomination to serve as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and Nancy Killefer withdraws her nomination to serve as Chief Performance Officer. (MSNBC.com)
- President Obama nominates Republican Senator Judd Gregg for the position of Secretary of Commerce. (New York Times)
- New Hampshire Governor John H. Lynch nominates Republican J. Bonnie Newman to replace Gregg in the Senate. (Bloomberg)
- 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict:
- Israel announces restrictions on Al Jazeera broadcasts within its borders. (BBC)
- The Palestinian National Authority demands an investigation into alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip. (Washington Post)
- California's government goes broke and issues IOUs on all expenditures not required by law. (ABC7)
- Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security eliminates a Pakistani terrorist cell responsible for at least six suicide bombings in Kabul. (AFP via Google News)
- Sri Lankan Civil War:
- The Armed Forces claim to have captured an underground bunker used by the Tamil Tigers. (AFP via The Australian)[permanent dead link]
- The United States, European Union, Japan, and Norway urge the Tigers to cease fighting and negotiate with the government. (BBC)
- At least 52 Tamil civilians are killed in recent combat. (The Guardian)
- Australia:
- The government announces a $42-billion stimulus package to revive the economy. (Sydney Morning Herald)
- The Reserve Bank reduces interest rates by 100 basis points to 3.25%. (NineMSN Money)[permanent dead link]
- Iran announces the launch of its first domestically constructed satellite, Omid. (Reuters)
- Suspected Taliban militants suspend NATO supply lines by destroying a bridge on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. (CNN)
- The United Kingdom struggles to cope with its heaviest snowfalls since 1991. (BBC)