Portal:Current events/2014 February 16

Current events of February 16, 2014 (2014-02-16) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Syrian Civil War:
  • Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, calls on other sectarian forces in the Arab world to withdraw from Syria, saying that if they did so, Hezbollah would also "not remain in Syria either." (Reuters)
  • A Syrian child is transferred to an Israeli hospital near Tiberias for emergency treatment after being injured during clashes in Syria, near the Israeli border, between rebels and Syrian Army. (The Times of Israel)
• A bomb detonates on a tourist bus in Taba, Egypt killing 3 Koreans and 1 Egyptian. (New York Times) (The Times of Israel)
• A bomb derails a train in southwest Pakistan killing 8 people. (AP)
• Suspected Islamist militants kill 90 people in a Nigerian village raid near the border with Cameroon. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• 67th British Academy Film Awards:
  • The British Academy Film Awards are held at the Royal Opera House in London with 12 Years a Slave winning best film and Chiwetel Ejiofor winning best actor for his role in it. (BBC) (Sky News)
  • Australian actress Cate Blanchett wins best actress for her role in Blue Jasmine. (Sky News)

Disasters and accidents

• Heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions hit the northeastern United States days after a bad storm with between 15 and 17 inches of snow reported in Massachusetts and Maine. (AP via ABC)
• Heavy snowfall hits Tokyo and other parts of eastern Japan, killing at least 12 people and disrupting power and airline flights. (Reuters)
• A Nepal Airlines plane carrying 18 people crashes in a forest in Arghakhanchi District, Nepal. (New York Times), (USA Today)
• Eleven miners in South Africa are freed after being trapped in an illegal gold mine where they had opened up old sealed shafts but the remaining estimated 19 trapped miners are refusing to come out for fear of being arrested. (CNN) (Bloomberg)

Politics and elections

• José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, says it would be "extremely difficult, if not impossible" for an independent Scotland to join the European Union as it would need the approval of all member states. (BBC)
• Anti-government protesters in Ukraine end a two-month occupation of Kiev’s city hall, following an amnesty offer aimed at easing a standoff over President Viktor Yanukovych’s rule. (The Washington Post)