News of Note
Egyptian Ferry
'We Were in the Water 18 Hours'
Video Stories: Experts: Outdated Ferries Can Be Death Traps
Past Maritime Disasters
Hopes fade for 900 missing after Egypt ferry sinks

Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraqis Forces Conduct Security Crackdown
Americans Forced to Supply Iraqi Military

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Security Council to Hamas: Commit to Peace
Senate intelligence chair endorses domestic spying
Bush signs extension of anti-terrorism law

Welcome Home!
Photos: Air Control Squadron Returns to Aviano
Photos: F-15 Unit Returns to Lakenheath

Cartooning Muhammad
Row over cartoons boils as Europe leaders urge calm - Video

Military News
Pentagon plans new arms to meet rivals like China

Oddities
Rails missing; it's hard to keep track...
Got that synching feeling? Read my lips...

Other News of Note
Post-9/11 air quality cover-up continues: Democrats
IAEA delays vote to report Iran to UN Security Council - Video
US expels Venezuelan, escalating diplomatic crisis - Video
Makeshift space station radio satellite falls silent
Chavez: U.S. Threatened by Leftist Leaders

Fox News
Alabama Fire Probe
Video: Alabama Arsonist?
Spacesuit Tossed
Photo Essay: Space Suit Let Loose

Reuters: Top News
Stampede at Philippine stadium kills 79
S.Korean commits suicide over Hwang scientist case
Online console gaming primed for take-off
Sony in talks to spin off 4 non-core units: source
Sitting on gold but living off nothing in Congo
US death penalty debate locked in political stalemate
US agency cites transplant risk from tissue collector
Pregnancy test may lie behind deadly frog fungus
Wall Street unclear on Amazon's investment plans
Prosecutors come out slugging at Enron trial
Sony in talks to spin off 4 non-core units: source
JPMorgan risks losing NY state underwriting fees
Boston Scientific calls FDA meeting productive
Gannett won't bid solo for Knight Ridder-sources
Healthspring debuts at $22.25 in IPO
China leads rise in international patent filings
Stocks end week down on interest-rate worries
Humana shares drop after analyst downgrade
Staffing stocks mostly lower after jobs report
UAL shares decline again on second day of trading
Navistar is accused of default, stock slides
Hitting Reset
Jobless rate boosts inflation concern

AP World News
Rumsfeld Upbeat on Relations With Germany
U.N. Moves Closer to Sudan Peacekeeping
Haitian Priest Thankful to Be Out of Jail
Retired Vatican Official Wanted in Canada
Pro-Government Candidate Killed in Nepal
Russian Activist Convicted of Incitement
Israel Tab for West Bank Settlements $14B
Nobel Laureate Front-Runner in Costa Rica
Zimbabwe Suffering Worst Economic Crisis
Amsterdam 'No Toking' Signs Being Pilfered
Like Many, King Sought Out Mexican Clinic
Chemical Tanker Sinks in English Channel

Military.com
Pentagon Releases Defense Review
U.S. Involved in Fierce Afghan Clashes
DOD Mulls Shift of Carrier to Pacific
Pace Discusses North Korea Scenarios
Accounting Flaws Found at VA
Trial Continues Without Saddam Present

Department of Defense
Cheney Notes Political Progress in Iraq - Story
Terror War Is War of Wills, Rumsfeld Says - Story
Budget Request Includes Iraq, Afghan Funds - Story
Homeland Efforts Hamper al Qaeda Goals - Story
Iraqi National Police on Right Path - Story

ON THE GROUND
Town Welcomes Food Distribution Center - Story
Iraqi Soldiers Learn From Transition Teams - Story
20 Troops in Afghanistan Now U.S. Citizens - Story

IN IRAQ
U.S. Troops Deliver Donated Soccer Jerseys
Troops, Nike Deliver New Shoes to Iraqi Kids

IN AFGHANISTAN
Airmen Airdrop Humanitarian Aid to Afghans
Video: Civil Affairs Mission Helps Kapisa Province

IN SOUTHWEST ASIA
Airmen Stand Watch, Keep Base Secure

FACE OF DEFENSE
At Retirement, General Reflects on 38-Year Career - Story

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Contest Seeks Military Songwriters - Story
Wounded Vets Super Bowl-Bound
Network Aids Troops' Families
Airmen Enjoy 'Lt. Dan Band' Show

TOP NEWS
IRAQ
Roadside Bomb Kills Soldier
Rumsfeld: No Speculation on Forces
January Casualties Show Decrease
Center Will Stabilize Electricity
Baqubah Hospital Gets Repairs
Bush: Victory Only Option
U.S. Marine, 4 U.S. Soldiers Killed
Casey: Iraqis Take Lead in Security
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq (pdf)
Multinational Force Iraq
Eye on Iraq Update (pdf)
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (pdf)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Diplomats Visit Panjshir PRT
Afghanistan Update Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
CENTCOM Group Plans Future Ops
Rumsfeld Notes Terrorists' Failures
QDR Changes 'Protect Americans'
Jordanians Assist Neighbors
U.S. Leadership, Resolve Critical
President Praises Troops
Estonia Helps Build Democracies
USCG to Aid Super Bowl Security
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Bush Cites DoD Innovation Role
Rumsfeld Discusses Latin America
Medal of Honor Exhibit Unveiled
QDR to Provide More Flexibility
Reserve, Guard To Be Fully Funded
Tricare Adjustments Essential
BRAC to Facilitate Medical Change
Military Health Care Web Special
Troops, Families Express Gratitude
Iraq War Veterans Praise Armor
National Guard, Reserve Update

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Marine Casualty - Story

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

Today in History
0708 - Sisinnius ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1194 - Richard I Lion Hearted pays Leopold O. Fenrik VI's ransom of 100,000
1508 - Maximilian I assumes imperial title without being crowned
1586 - Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, becomes governor of Netherlands
1600 - Tycho Brahe & Johannes Kepler meet for 1st time outside of Prague
1620 - Prince Bethlen Gábor signs peace with emperor Ferdinand II
1697 - 3 VOC-ships anchor at Dirk-Hartogeiland, Australia
1699 - 350 rebellious Streltsi executed in Moscow
1782 - British garrison surrenders to French & Spanish fleet
1783 - Worst quake in 8 years kills some 50,000 (Calabria, Italy)
1787 - Shays' Rebellion (of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers) fails
1789 - 1st electoral college chooses Washington & Adams as President & Vice President
1794 - French National Convention proclaims abolishment of slavery
1797 - Earthquake in Quito, Ecuador kills 40,000
1824 - J.W. Goodrich introduces rubber galoshes to the public
1846 - Mormons leave Nauvoo, MO for settlement in the west
1847 - 1st US telegraph company established in Maryland
1854 - Alvan Bovay proposes the name "Republican Party", Ripon WI
1855 - Soldiers shoot Jewish families in Coro, Venezuela
1861 - Confederate constitutional convention meets for 1st time, Montgomery, AL, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi & South Carolina elect Jefferson Davis President of Confederacy
1864 - Skirmish at Big Black River Bridge, Mississippi
1887 - Interstate Commerce Act authorizes federal regulation of railroads
1895 - 1st rolling lift bridge opens, Chicago
1899 - Revolt against US occupation of Philippines
1913 - Louis Perlman patents demountable auto tire-carrying wheel rim
1914 - US Congress approves Burnett-anti-immigration law
1915 - Experiments to find cause of pellagra begin at Mississippi Penitentiary
1917 - Belgium Council of Flanders established
1919 - City of Bremen's Soviet Republic overthrown
1920 - 1st flight from London to South Africa takes-off (1½ months)
1924 - 1st Winter Olympics games close at Chamonix, France
1926 - Austrian chancellor Seipel wants to join Germany
1930 - 1st tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks, New Orleans
1932 - 3rd Winter Olympics games open in Lake Placid, NY; Japanese troops occupy Harbin, Manchuria
1933 - Crew of Dutch "7 Provinces" mutiny after pay cuts; German President Von Hindenburg limits freedom of the press
1936 - 1st radioactive substance produced synthetically (radium E)
1938 - Hitler seizes control of German army & puts Nazi in key posts
1941 - United Service Organization (USO) founded; British tanks occupy Maus, Libya; Former Dutch premier De Geer flies to Berlin
1942 - Clinton Pierce becomes 1st US General wounded in action in WWII
1944 - US 7th Infantry Division captures Kwajalein
1945 - FDR, Churchill & Stalin meet at Yalta
1948 - Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) gains independence from Britain (National Day)
1949 - Failed assassination attempt on Shah of Persia
1952 - 1st Black executive of a major TV station (Jackie Robinson-WNBC New York)
1959 - Israel begins exporting copper ore
1961 - Sputnik 7 launches into Earth orbit; probable Venus probe failure
1962 - Russian newspaper "Izvestia" reports baseball is an old Russian game
1964 - 24th Amendment abolishes Poll tax; FAA begins 6 month test of reactions to sonic booms over Oklahoma City OK
1966 - All-Nippon Airways 727 crashes off Haneda Airport (Japan); kills 133
1967 - US launches Lunar Orbiter 3
1969 - Yassar Arafat takes over as chairman of PLO
1971 - Government exhibit under construction collapses, kills 65 in Brazil; National Guard mobilized to quell rioting in Wilmington, NC; Apollo 14 lander Antares lands on Moon (Shepard & Mitchell); British car maker Rolls Royce declared itself bankrupt
1972 - Senator Strom Thurmond suggests John Lennon be deported; 6th round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ends in Vienna, Austria
1973 - Reshef, Israel's missile boat, unveiled
1974 - Patricia Hearst (19), daughter of publisher Randolph Hearst kidnapped by Symbionese Liberation Army; Benzine and Gas rationing end in Netherlands
1976 - 7.5 earthquake kills 22,778 in Guatemala & Honduras
1977 - Elevated train jumps track, crashes onto Chicago st (11 die, 200 hurt)
1980 - Bani Sadr sworn in as premier of Iran
1982 - Suriname premier Chin A. Sen flees
1985 - 20 countries (but not US) sign UN treaty outlawing torture; Naval exercises canceled when US refuses to tell New Zealand of nuclear weapons
1986 - Israeli fighters intercept Libyan liner (passenger plane)
1987 - Stars & Stripes beats Australia's Kookaburra 3, sweeps America's Cup; President Reagan's veto of Clean Water Act is overridden by Congress
1988 - Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega indicted on drug charges
1990 - 10 Israeli tourists murdered near Cairo
1991 - US postage raises from 25¢ to 29¢
1993 - Admiral Studeman, ends term as acting director of CIA; Russian space agency tests a 82' wide space mirror
1994 - 20 die in armed assault on mosque in Khartum Sudan
1997 - 73 Israelis die when army copters collide; OJ Simpson found liable in murders of Ron Goldman & Nicole Simpson (civil trial); Secretary of State Margaret Albright announces she just discovered that her grandparents were Jewish

Birthdays
1698 - Heinrich A. Fouqué, Prussian General
1764 - Carel H. Verhuell, Dutch/French Vice-Admiral/minister of Navy
1819 - Joshua Norton - "Norton I, emperor of USA"
1826 - Halbert Eleazer Paine, Union Brevet Major General
1841 - Clément Ader, French inventor (1st to fly a heavier-than-air craft)
1868 - Constance Gore-booth Markiewicy, Irish patriot/playwright/MP
1875 - Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist (father of aerodynamics)
1881 - Kliment J. Woroshilov, Marshal/President USSR (1953-60)
1885 - Cairine Ray Wilson Montréal, 1st female Canadian senator (appointed)
1895 - Hanns (Johann) Rauter, German SS-Lieutenant-General/SS police chief in Netherlands
1897 - Ludwig Erhard chancellor of Germany (CDU)
1902 - Charles A. Lindbergh, pilot (1st fly solo across Atlantic)
1903 - Frank Howley, Brigadier General (Answers for Americans)
1904 - Herman B. Wiardi Beckman, Dutch politician (SDAP)/resistance fighter
1906 - Clyde William Tombaugh, US astronomer (discovered Pluto)
1913 - Rosa Lee Parks, civil rights activist (bus protester)
1917 - Aga Yahya Khan, Pakistan military/politician
1929 - Mary Joan Nielubowicz, Rear Admiral/nurse
1931 - Isabel Perón (Maria Martinez), dancer/president Argentina
1938 - Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (Senator-MI)
1939 - Stan Lundine (Representative-NY, 1976-86)
1944 - Daniel A. Mica (Representative-FL)
1947 - Dan Quayle (Senator-IN) / (44th Vice-President-R 1989-93); Sanford Bishop (Representative-GA)
1948 - Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier), rocker (School's Out); Rod Grams (Representative-MN)

Passings
0211 - Lucius Septimus Severus, emperor of Rome (193-211), dies at 64
0708 - Sisinnius, Greek-Syrian pope (708, 20 days)
1189 - Gilbert of Sempringham, English monastery founder/saint
1222 - Willem I, Earl of Holland (1203-22)
1503 - Queen Elizabeth, consort of Henry VII of England
1505 - Joan of Valois, Queen of France/saint, dies at 40
1911 - Peter A. "Piet" Cronje, South Africa Boer General, dies at about 75
1928 - Hendrik A. Lorentz, physicist (L transformation-Nobel 1902), dies at 74
1939 - Henri W.A. Deterding, Dutch oil magnate (Royal Oil, Shell), dies at 72
1943 - Frank Calder, 1st NHL president
1953 - Alexander Loudon, Dutch diplomat (League of Nations), dies at 60
1956 - Leendert A. Donker, Dutch Social Democrat party-minister of Justice, dies at 56
1957 - Joseph Hardaway, creator of Bugs Bunny, dies at 66
1958 - Frederik de Merode, Belgian prince, dies at 46
1966 - Gilbert H. Grosvenor, president National Geographic Society, dies at 90
1976 - Edward Benjamin Britten, composer, dies at 62

Reported Missing in Action
1967
The following USAF personnel reported MIA when their EB66C was shot down:
Bomar, Jack W., (IA); released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Davies, John O. (PA); released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel - alive as of 1998

Doby, Herb (OR); remains returned by SRV September, 1977

Fer, John Helmut (CA); released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive as of 1998

Poor, Russell A. (IN)

Wilburn, Woodrow H. (TX); remains returned - ID'd January, 1990

Also reported MIA this day in 1967:
Collamore, Allan P., Jr., USN (MA); F4B shot down (w/Thompson)

Thompson, Donald E., USN (NY); F4B shot down (w/Collamore)

1968
Brookens, Norman J., Civilian - USAID (PA); kidnapped by VC (w/Utecht) - released by PRG (injured) February, 1973

O'Conner, Michael F., US Army (MI); UH1C shot down - released by PRG March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

Tallaferno, William P., USMC; escaped February, 1968

Utecht, Richard W., Civilian - USAID (NC); kidnapped by VC (w/Brookens) - released by PRG February, 1973

1970
Walton, Wilbert, US Army (NC); remains ID'd September, 1992

1972
Cooper, Daniel D., USN (OR); A7E shot down, KIA, body not recovered