- January 19, 2005
January 19 ,2005 *
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake : The number of people known to have died in last month'sAsian tsunami has reached 226,000, following an announcement byIndonesia n officials that more than 166,000 had been confirmed dead in their country alone. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4189883.stm (BBC)]
*Hajj : Around two millionMuslim s from around the world are converging onMount Arafat for the most important day of the annualHajj pilgrimage toMecca . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4186839.stm (BBC)]
*Israeli-Palestinian Conflict :
** Following negotiations with PresidentAbu Mazen , Zachariya Zubaidi, the leader of theAl Aqsa Martyrs Brigade , has announced that his militant group are to halt attacks insideIsrael but said it would continue to strike at Israelis in theWest Bank andGaza Strip . [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1410E40C-1E37-4747-873C-63F2DFB54D8F.htm (Al Jazeera)]
**Israel has lifted a ban on contacts with newPalestinian leaderMahmoud Abbas . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4189007.stm (BBC)]
** The topPalestinian security commander, Abdul Razeq Majaydeh, has promised swift action to stopterrorist attacks againstIsrael and has deployed Security forces along the border between theGaza Strip andIsrael "to prevent violations". [http://newsfromrussia.com/world/2005/01/19/57901.html (Pravda)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm (BBC)]
** IDF forces killed two Palestinian terrorists who threwgrenade s atIsrael i soldiers near theIsraeli Gaza Strip barrier . [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/529301.html (Haaretz)]
** InNablus , IDFShayetet-13 forces arrest 13 suspected Hamas members and demolished two buildings. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/529301.html (Haaretz)]
**Hamas has said that its meeting with PresidentAbu Mazen was "positive", but has not indicated if an agreement on a cease-fire, orHudna , has been made. [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/19/content_2482295.htm (China View)]
*Japan Meteorological Agency issuestsunami warnings near theIzu island chain south ofTokyo after a strong underseaearthquake (6.8 on the Richter scale). [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000101&sid=a.0Ut6ZRfFx0&refer=japan (Bloomberg)] , [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4186601.stm (BBC)] , [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/19/content_2481339.htm (Xinhua)]
* InPeru , prime ministerCarlos Ferrero and defence ministerRoberto Chiabra survive acensure motion in parliament connected to earlier nationalist uprising in January. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4186371.stm (BBC)]
* TheIndia n Army says thatPakistan has violatedceasefire after a mortar fire over the military line that dividesKashmir . Pakistan denies the charge. [http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=40921 (ExpressIndia)] [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP75863.htm (Reuters Alertnet)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4186547.stm (BBC)]
*Indonesia n foreign ministerHassan Wirayuda says that he wishes to start formal peace talks withFree Aceh Movement . [http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillatestnews.asp?fileid=20050119160320&irec=0 (Jakarta Post)] [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7363507 (Reuters)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4186609.stm (BBC)]
*Scott Polar Research Institute inCambridge has began to restore a hut of SirErnest Shackleton on theSouth Pole . [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4185851.stm (BBC)]
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