Portal:Current events/2010 February 25

February 25, 2010 (Thursday)

President Hugo Chávez vows to withdraw Venezuela from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights following its publication of a highly critical report on human rights in the country. (Guardian)
Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi calls for jihad against Switzerland after a referendum last year supported a ban on minarets and other rows between the two nations. (The Times) (Daily Times of Pakistan) (Taiwan News)
Defeated Sri Lanka presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka is charged with additional counts in addition to treason in the aftermath of his failed election bid. (The Hindu)
Turkey's prime minister and president hold talks with the head of the country's armed forces over an investigation into an alleged military coup. (Al Jazeera)^{[permanent dead link‍]} (BBC)
South Africa announces it has intercepted a ship carrying North Korean arms destined for central Africa, travelling by way of China, in violation of Security Council Resolution 1874. (Wall Street Journal) (Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Australia summons the Israeli ambassador to explain why three new suspects over the Dubai killing of a Hamas leader, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, used Australian passports. (BBC)
Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin makes history as he leads a 10-member delegation to Gaza via Egypt, becoming the first EU Foreign Minister to visit since the 2009 Israeli assault after having previously been refused entry by Israel. He calls on Israel to end the blockade. (The Irish Times) (Arab News) (RTÉ)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva tours Haiti to monitor the destruction caused by the recent earthquake and meets President René Préval. (Press TV)
Viktor Yanukovych is sworn in as the 4th President of Ukraine. (Kyiv Post) (The Moscow Times) (BBC Europe) (CNN)
A fire at the Garib & Garib Sweater Factory clothes factory in Gazipur, Bangladesh kills at least 18 people and injures more than 50 others. (BBC)
The chief of Algeria's national police, Ali Tounsi, is fatally shot in his office in a retaliatory murder–suicide. (Press TV) (BBC)
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) jails Lieut-Col Eprem Setako, the Ministry of Defence's former head of legal affairs, for 25 years after finding him guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. (BBC)
The Congressional Black Caucus appeals to American President Barack Obama and Democratic congressional leaders for tougher efforts to reduce racial disparities in the U.S. health system, saying there are four critical areas not addressed by Obama's plan. (Politico)
Filming on the set of Coronation Street is suspended as actors and fans gather at Salford Cathedral to celebrate the life of veteran actress Maggie Jones (Blanche Hunt). (BBC)
Odeon dispute with Disney: The boycott of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is reversed. (BBC)