In Brief

* CARTOON PROTESTS – Angry protests over cartoons portraying the Prophet Mohammed continued in the Muslim world with hundreds of demonstrators attacking two European embassies in Iran and the regime halting trade with Denmark.

* WAR ON TERROR – US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales insisted to skeptical lawmakers that monitoring Americans’ phone calls and e-mail messages without a warrant was a necessary part of the US “war on terror”. * AL QAEDA MAN ON TRIAL – Declaring “I am al Qaeda,” September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui was repeatedly ejected from his death penalty trial after branding US justice a “circus.”* SWORN IN – Conservative leader Stephen Harper was sworn in as Canada’s 22nd prime minister vowing to clean up government while facing immediate opposition criticism of his inexperienced cabinet.* BIRD FLU – A second Iraqi Kurd was confirmed to have died from the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain as international teams scrambled to combat the spread of the virus in the country’s north.* ETHNIC BLOODSHED – Sri Lanka’s warring parties agreed to meet for talks in Geneva on February 22, ending a three-year deadlock in negotiations on how to end decades of ethnic bloodshed.* VOTE RECOUNT – A two-week manual recount of votes was called in Costa Rica after an unprecedented razor-thin margin separated the two candidates in the country’s presidential election, the Supreme Electoral Council said.* TOURISTS KILLED – Twelve Turkish tourists died and 18 others were injured when their coach left the road and plunged into a ravine in Rome, rescue workers said.* FIGHTING SPAM – Yahoo and America Online will offer a “certified” e-mail service that guarantees credible senders delivery for a fee, the leading Internet companies confirmed.- Nampa-AFP* AL QAEDA MAN ON TRIAL – Declaring “I am al Qaeda,” September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui was repeatedly ejected from his death penalty trial after branding US justice a “circus.” * SWORN IN – Conservative leader Stephen Harper was sworn in as Canada’s 22nd prime minister vowing to clean up government while facing immediate opposition criticism of his inexperienced cabinet.* BIRD FLU – A second Iraqi Kurd was confirmed to have died from the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain as international teams scrambled to combat the spread of the virus in the country’s north.* ETHNIC BLOODSHED – Sri Lanka’s warring parties agreed to meet for talks in Geneva on February 22, ending a three-year deadlock in negotiations on how to end decades of ethnic bloodshed.* VOTE RECOUNT – A two-week manual recount of votes was called in Costa Rica after an unprecedented razor-thin margin separated the two candidates in the country’s presidential election, the Supreme Electoral Council said.* TOURISTS KILLED – Twelve Turkish tourists died and 18 others were injured when their coach left the road and plunged into a ravine in Rome, rescue workers said.* FIGHTING SPAM – Yahoo and America Online will offer a “certified” e-mail service that guarantees credible senders delivery for a fee, the leading Internet companies confirmed.- Nampa-AFP