US removes sanctions from Iran The Americans eliminated sanctions for 90-days to allow U.S. citizens and non-profit organizations to donate money directly to non-governmental organisations working in Iran on relief for victims of the December 26 2003 earthquake in Bam. Both sides give hints relations are warming.
Iran declines American advance The US offered to send a humanitarian delegation headed by Republican senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, former president of the American Red Cross. Iran said it prefers that the U.S. proposal be "held in abeyance" because of the current situation on the ground in Iran.
Egyptian plane crashes into Red Sea The Boeing 737 operated by Flash Airlines was carrying 148 people, mostly French tourists. The plane disappeared from radar screens minutes after take-off from Sharm el-Sheikh. Egyptian authorities said the problem was technical, and not terrorist. The plane was trying to turn back when it disappeared. There were no survivors.
Libya agrees to more compensation payments Qaddafi agreed to pay $1m to the relatives of the 170 victims of a 1989 bombing of a French airliner, though he continues to deny involvement. Families of those killed welcomed the compensation deal from Libya.
Ayatollah orders a review Iran's supreme leader ordered the Guardian Council, which is dominated by conservatives, to reconsider a decision to ban thousands of reformist candidates from February's parliamentary elections.
Israeli Ambassador to Sweden goes on a rampage The Israeli envoy, Zvi Mazel, was angered by artwork depicting the picture of a Palestinian suicide bomber in a small boat floating in a large pool of red water. He unplugged a spotlight and threw it into the pool, damaging the exhibit and setting off a diplomatic row between the two countries. The Israeli born artist, Dror Feiler, called the Ambassador "an intellectual dwarf". He said, "People in Sweden who hear about the affair say to themselves that if this is how the Israeli ambassador - who is supposed to be a restrained diplomat - behaves, how do soldiers in the occupied territories behave?"
Sharon support Ambassador to Sweden Ariel Sharon praised Israel's ambassador to Sweden for wrecking an art exhibit in Stockholm depicting a Palestinian suicide bomber, saying the envoy had struck a blow against anti-Semitism.
Charges laid in Sharon bribery scandal An Israeli court charges Israeli real-estate developer David Appel with paying more than a $500,000 in bribes to Israeli PM Ariel Sharon. Sharon says he will not step down. The investigation continues.
Iranian ministers resign The political standoff in Iran continues as the government announces many of its ministers and vice presidents have submitted resignations in protest over the barring of thousands of potential candidates from the upcoming elections by the Guardian council.
