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)