February 1 – South Asia: NEPAL
Nepal’s King Gyanendra dismisses the government and declares a state of emergency. Phone lines are cut off, flights are cancelled, and the media are censored. Prime Minister Sher Nahadur Deuba and members of the government are placed under house arrest. The king says the move is necessary because the cabinet has failed to defeat the Maoist insurgency.
February 2 – South Asia: NEPAL/INDIA
Nepal’s King Gyanendra swears in a new cabinet and makes himself the new head of the government. This is the most draconian move since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1990. Many basic civil rights are suspended, including freedom of assembly, the right to privacy, and the right against preventive detention. The international community condemns the move. India cancels its participation in a regional forum, which includes Nepal, in Bangladesh.
February 2 – Europe: SPAIN
The Spanish parliament rejects a Basque regional government initiative for greater autonomy in that region. The plan includes a proposal for a separate judiciary, financial system, and citizenship, which would make the Basque state largely independent. The Basque leader, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, still plans to hold a referendum in his region on the autonomy proposal.
February 2 – Middle East: IRAQ
Two U.S. soldiers, Sgt. Javal Davis and Spc. Roman Krol, plead guilty to charges of abusing detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, which brings to six the number of U.S. soldiers held responsible for the abuses that sparked international outrage.
February 2 – North America: UNITED STATES
Two U.S. soldiers, Sgt. Javal Davis and Spc. Roman Krol, plead guilty to charges of abusing detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, which brings to six the number of U.S. soldiers held responsible for the abuses that sparked international outrage.
February 3 – East Asia: CHINA/BURMA
Chinese police in the province of Fujian break a baby-trafficking gang, which for the past decade sold Chinese and Burmese babies. More than 100 people were involved, including midwives and hospital workers. China’s one-child policy is blamed for a black-market baby trade.
February 3 – Europe: RUSSIA
Two Chechen separatist leaders, the former elected president of Chechnya, Aslan Maskhadov, and warlord Shamil Basayev, order a cease-fire for the month of February as a display of goodwill. Some analysts say the cease-fire is an attempt to secure the release of Maskhadov’s abducted relatives; others claim the cease-fire is the rebels’ attempt to unite their forces.
February 5 – Africa: CENTRAL AFRICA
Seven central African leaders sign a treaty to protect the world’s second-largest rainforest in Africa’s Congo Basin, which comprises 890,000 square miles and spans seven countries. Described as one of the world’s two lungs, the African rainforest contracts at a rate of 3,089 square miles per year due to illegal logging, excessive poaching, and ecological damage.
February 5 – Latin America: GUATEMALA
The constitutional court in Guatemala dismisses the trial of 16 soldiers charged with one of the worst massacres that took place in 1982 in the village of Dos Erres during the country’s civil war. The court rules that a 1996 amnesty law covers massacre cases. Human-rights groups express their outrage at the court’s decision.
February 5 – International Organizations: G-7
The G-7 finance ministers agree at a meeting in London that some of the poorest countries should be granted 100 percent relief on the debt owed to international organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the African Development Bank. This decision is an important new initiative that would help achieve the main objective of the Millennium Development Goals, which is cutting poverty in half by 2015.
February 6 – East Asia: THAILAND
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s ruling Thai Rak Thai party wins 375 of the 500 parliamentary seats, forming the country’s first democratic, single-party government. The opposition voices concerns that Thailand might become a parliamentary dictatorship. The prime minister, however, says the election results reflect the wishes of the people, and under the single-party rule, the government will be directly accountable to the people.
February 7 – Europe: SPAIN
In an effort to counter the informal economy, Spain offers amnesty to up to 800,000 undocumented immigrants. The applicants have to prove they arrived before last August, have job contracts and no criminal records. The plan is expected to bring millions of euros of tax revenue. The move is criticized by immigrant groups and other European states, which say the amnesty does not solve Spain’s immigration problems and makes Spain a gateway for illegal migrants.
February 8 – Middle East: ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
During the meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agree to a cease-fire to end over four years of violence between both sides. They also come to an agreement on the release of Palestinian prisoners and the handover of five West Bank towns to Palestinian control.
February 10 – Latin America: COLOMBIA
Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) ambush government troops and kill at least 17 soldiers in a jungle area in the northwestern part of the country. The attack is the deadliest since President Alvaro Uribe took office over two years ago.
February 10 – Middle East: SAUDI ARABIA
About three million eligible Saudi Arabians out of a population of 24 million vote in the country’s first municipal elections, which are first held within the capital of Riyadh, and then in other places within the next two months. The elections are seen as a step toward democratization in Saudi Arabia. However, women are excluded from the polls and half of the councils are still chosen by appointment.
February 11 – Latin America/Europe: VENEZUELA/RUSSIA
Russia rejects U.S. claims that its planned arms deal with Venezuela breaks international law and poses a danger for the arms to end up in Colombian rebel hands. Russia says Venezuela is just modernizing its armaments. The shipment consists of 100,000 automatic rifles and a number of helicopters. Venezuela also considers purchasing Russian MiG-29 fighter jets.
February 11 – North America: UNITED STATES
Russia rejects U.S. claims that its planned arms deal with Venezuela breaks international law and poses a danger for the arms to end up in Colombian rebel hands. Russia says Venezuela is just modernizing its armaments. The shipment consists of 100,000 automatic rifles and a number of helicopters. Venezuela also considers purchasing Russian MiG-29 fighter jets.
February 12 – Europe: RUSSIA
Hundreds of thousands of people across Russia demonstrate against the government’s controversial welfare reforms, simultaneously demanding President Vladimir Putin’s resignation. The welfare reforms replace Soviet-era social benefits with cash handouts. The reforms have spawned an unprecedented wave of protests since Putin came to power in 2000.
February 16 – Latin America: URUGUAY
Two former left-wing rebels who fought Uruguay’s military government in the 1970s are sworn in to chair the two houses of congress. Jose Mujica, a Tupamaro rebel leader, will head the Senate, and Nora Castro, a Tupamaro dissident, becomes the first woman to lead the Chamber of Deputies. It is also the first time that Uruguay’s parliament is dominated by a left-wing party.
February 16 – International Organizations: KYOTO PROTOCOL
The Kyoto Protocol, which aims at reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases responsible for global warming, comes into effect. One-hundred-forty-one countries, accounting for 55 percent of greenhouse gases, have ratified the treaty and have pledged to cut these emissions by 5.2 percent by 2012. The U.S. has not signed the treaty.
February 25 – South Asia: SRI LANKA
The Sri Lankan Ceylon Workers Congress withdraws from the ruling coalition, leaving the government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga without a parliamentary majority. However, the withdrawal is not expected to bring the government down. The government will now have to look for other partners to implement its agenda.
February 25 – Europe/International Organizations: BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA/INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
Radivoje Miletic, a former Bosnian Serb general and an aide to a most-wanted wartime fugitive, General Ratko Mladic, surrenders to face war-crimes charges at the UN tribunal at The Hague. Miletic is accused of taking part in the Srebrenica massacre in 1995, one of the worst atrocities of the 1990s wars in former Yugoslaiva.
February 28 – Europe: FRANCE
The French parliament amends the country’s constitution, paving the way for the approval of the EU constitution. Under the previous law, the two constitutions could not legally coexist.
February 27 – Europe/Middle East: RUSSIA/IRAN
Russia signs a deal with Iran to supply fuel for Iran’s new nuclear reactor in Bushehr. The agreement includes a clause obligating Iran to return spent nuclear fuel rods from the reactor. The clause is designed to address concerns about Iran using the rods to build nuclear weapons.
February 28 – Middle East: IRAQ
One of the worst single suicide attacks in Iraq kills at least 114 people and injures 130 when a car explodes near a long line of people applying for government jobs in Hilla, 60 miles from Baghdad. Iraqi insurgents target anyone associated with the U.S.-backed government.
February 28 – Former Soviet Republics: TAJIKISTAN
The party of Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmonov, the People’s Democratic Party, wins 80 percent of the votes in the country’s parliamentary election. The remaining votes go to the Islamic Party and the Communist Party. The results mean that the president’s party will hold almost all seats in parliament. International observers say the election did not meet acceptable standards.