Portal:Current events/2005 February 21
February 21, 2005 (Monday)
- A landslide in Indonesia kills at least seven people and hundreds are reported missing (Channel News Asia) (BBC)
- Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez says that he suspects that the US intends to kill him, and that he would stop oil exports to the US in the event of an assassination attempt. (ABC) (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) (BBC)
- Former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush visit Sri Lanka to see marks of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (Reuters) (Channel News Asia) (Wired)
- Airport authorities evacuate the Virgin Blue terminal in Melbourne airport in Australia after 45 people become ill. A chemical leak is suspected. (Bloomberg) (ABC) (BBC)
- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appoints his brother-in-law Assef Shawkat as head of the country's military intelligence service, replacing Hassan Khalil.(Reuters Alertnet) (BBC)
- Curfew is imposed on the Indian city of Lucknow after sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims. 3 people are dead and 20 injured (New Kerala) (Indian Express) (Reuters) (BBC)
- A new avalanche claims at least 42 lives in Kashmir. A previous avalanche was on February 6 (Times of India) (Reuters) (BBC)
- The United Kingdom's Royal Navy announces that it will allow same-sex couples live in family quarters if they are in registered partnership (Scotsman) (BBC)
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
- Israel releases 500 Palestinian prisoners, as a gesture of goodwill to the Palestinian Authority and to its chairman, Mahmoud Abbas. Israel plans to release another 400 Palestinian prisoners within the next 3 months. (Haaretz)