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Worldwide current events
Sports events

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Tom Brady

In American football, the New England Patriots defeat the Atlanta Falcons to win Super Bowl LI (MVP Tom Brady pictured).
In association football, the Africa Cup of Nations concludes with Cameroon defeating Egypt in the final.
Protests in Romania grow over the Romanian government's proposals to decriminalize certain corruption cases.
The United Nations releases a report stating that the Myanmar Army has committed serious human rights violations against the Rohingya people, including mass killings, systemic sexual violence, and the killing of children.

February 8, 2017 (Wednesday)

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2017 Romanian protests
- The government of Prime Minister of Romania Sorin Grindeanu faces a no-confidence motion over proposed decriminalisation of certain corruption offences. Massive protests have occurred since the proposals were announced. (AP)

February 7, 2017 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A suicide bombing at the Supreme Court of Afghanistan in Kabul kills at least 20 people and injures 41 others, 10 of whom are in critical condition. (BBC) (NBC News)
Syrian Civil War
- A report by Amnesty International alleges that between 5,000 and 13,000 people, most of them civilians, were hanged at the military-run Sednaya Prison near Damascus between September 2011 and December 2015. (BBC)
- According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, airstrikes on the rebel-held city of Idlib kill at least 26 people, with the death toll expected to rise. (Al Jazeera)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Coalition troops take control of the strategic Yemeni port city of Mocha after driving out Houthi forces. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Multiple tornadoes tear through New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and other parts of southeastern Louisiana, injuring at least 20 people; no deaths have been reported. The severe weather also delivers heavy rain and hail in Mississippi and Alabama. (AP) (Reuters)

Law and crime

Former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy is ordered to stand trial for alleged campaign finance fraud during his failed 2012 presidential election campaign. (AP via Fox News)
U.S. immigration suspension
- The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals holds a hearing, by telephone, for the U.S. Justice Department and plaintiffs (states of Washington and Minnesota) arguments whether or not to reinstate the travel ban suspended on Friday by U.S. District Court Judge James Robart. Judge Michelle Friedland states the court will work to deliver its decision quickly. (The Washington Post) (CBS News)

Politics and elections

Incumbent Australian Senator Cory Bernardi defects from the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia to establish his own minor party, the Australian Conservatives. (ABC News)
Cabinet of Donald Trump
- The U.S. Senate confirms, via Vice President Mike Pence's unprecedented tie-breaking vote, Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. (NPR) (NPR²)

February 6, 2017 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Sinai insurgency
- An Egyptian Army raid in central Sinai kills at least 14 ISIL militants. (Reuters)
An Afghan diplomat is shot dead at the Afghan consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Queen Elizabeth II marks her 65th anniversary as sovereign, making her the only British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. (Reuters)

Health and medicine

South Korea's Agricultural Ministry confirms a case of foot-and-mouth disease at a dairy farm in Boeun County. This is the first instance of this disease in the country since March 29, 2016. (The Korea Times)

Law and crime

Brazilian President Michel Temer deploys the Brazilian Army to the southeastern state of Espírito Santo, where a police strike has led to a wave of violence and looting, including dozens of murders in the state capital, Vitória. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
Israel passes a law that would "retroactively legalize" 4,000 housing units in 16 settlements on Area C West Bank occupied Palestinian territories. (The New York Times) (The Jerusalem Post)

Politics and elections

U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz proposes a bill to eliminate the United States Environmental Protection Agency. (The Hill)

Science and technology

A herd of Plains bison are successfully reintroduced to the Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, more than 100 years after they were nearly hunted out of existence. (BBC)

February 5, 2017 (Sunday)

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Disasters and accidents

Heavy snow and avalanches kill dozens of people in Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, while Kabul International Airport is closed due to snow and ice on the runway. (BBC), (FOX News)

Law and crime

Turkish police arrest over 400 suspected ISIL members in raids across the country. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

U.S. immigration suspension, State of Washington v. Trump
- Trump's travel ban remains suspended as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denies the Justice Department's request to stay the ruling which blocks major portions of the executive order. (NPR)
- Following the court's suspension of the travel ban, Iran allows visas for the United States men's freestyle wrestling team to compete in the 2017 World Cup. (CNN)
2017 Romanian protests
- More than 600,000 people protest in dozens of cities in Romania and diaspora against Grindeanu Government. (Digi24)
Following diplomatic mediation by the European Union and the United States, minority Serbs tear down a concrete wall in Mitrovica. The city's majority Albanians regarded the wall as a provocation. (VOA News)
The Obama Administration and Bush Administration had failed to publicly disclose up to thousands of lethal airstrikes the U.S. made in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria against ISIL, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban via U.S. Army helicopters and drones. (Reuters) (Military Times)

Sports

Super Bowl LI
- The New England Patriots defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34–28, in the first game in Super Bowl history to go into overtime. (The New York Times)
- Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots, wins his fourth Most Valuable Player award, the most won by any player. Brady joins Charles Haley as the only players to be on five Super Bowl-winning teams. (NBC Sports)
In association football, Cameroon wins the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations with a 2–1 victory over Egypt. (The Guardian)

February 4, 2017 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Donbass
- A rebel commander is killed by a bomb in eastern Ukraine while three Ukrainian Army soldiers are killed in fighting. At least 33 people have been killed in fighting over the past week. (AP via News Limited)

International relations

Australia–United States relations
- Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Australia will honor the agreement to accept refugees from Central America even though the U.S. has postponed interviews with asylum seekers in a camp at the Pacific island of Nauru. (Reuters) (The Washington Examiner)
Ukraine–United States relations
- U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, in a telephone call, discuss strengthening the two countries' strategic partnership with particular attention to the conflict in the Donbass, a Ukrainian region that borders Russia. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2017 Romanian protests
- Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu announces that his government will scrap its proposed decree of decriminalizing some graft offenses on Sunday. (Reuters)
The United Nations drop sanctions on Gulbuddin Hekmatyar after his Hezb-e Islami faction and the Afghan government reached a deal in September. Hekmatyar is granted immunity in exchange for his abandoning violence and supporting the Constitution of Afghanistan. (BBC News)
U.S. immigration suspension, State of Washington v. Trump
- The Department of Homeland Security says it has stopped enforcing the executive order per Judge James Robart's ruling in State of Washington v. Trump. The State Department activates visas that had been previously suspended because of this order. (NBC News)
- The federal government notifies the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that it will appeal Judge Robart's ruling that has halted enforcement of the executive order. The filing contained no legal arguments. (USA Today)
- Late Saturday, the Justice Department files a request to "immediately stay" Friday's court ruling. (NBC News)

Science and nature

The cave squeaker (Arthroleptis troglodytes), a critically endangered species of frog, is located and captured for the first time since 1962. Scientists announce plans to breed. (The New York Times)

February 3, 2017 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- According to Afghan Police, eight of their forces have been killed by the Taliban at a checkpoint in Faryab Province. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Syrian Civil War, American-led intervention in Syria
- At least 47 ISIL militants have been killed by Turkish and U.S.-led bombing raids by fighter jets on the town of al-Bab in the last 24 hours, with the Turkish Armed Forces attacking 135 other ISIL targets in northern Syria. (Al Jazeera)
- Activists say U.S.-led coalition aircraft has destroyed the main pipeline supplying the de facto ISIL capital Al-Raqqah with water. (The New York Times)
2016–17 Rohingya persecution in Myanmar
- The United Nations Human Rights Council releases a report detailing mass atrocities by the military and police forces against Myanmar's Rohingya minority, including gang-rapes, mass killings, and possible ethnic cleansing, which could amount to crimes against humanity. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
- According to Tokyo Electric Power Company, radiations levels within one of the reactors of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, are at its highest level since experiencing a meltdown, with a reading of 530 sieverts an hour. (The Guardian)
The United Nations and various humanitarian groups call on the international community to help prevent a possible famine in Somalia as rising food prices and drought have left over six million people at risk of starvation. (The Guardian)

International relations

Iran–United States relations
- The United States Department of the Treasury announces new sanctions against Iran in response to the latter's recent ballistic missile test. Thirteen people and twelve entities with ties to Iran have been affected. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
- In retaliation for the recent travel ban, Iran bars the United States' athletes from the 2017 Wrestling World Cup - Men's freestyle tournament to be held in Kermanshah. (The Washington Post)
Peru–Venezuela relations
- Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's government creates a temporary visa for thousands of Venezuelans whose country is mired in a deep economic crisis. Visa holders will be able to study, work, and receive health services in Peru for a year. "This is part of our migratory policy that aims to build bridges not walls", says Interior Minister Carlos Basombrio. (Reuters)
Per the Afghan government's request, the United Nations drops sanctions against Hezb-e Islami party leader and former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. This potentially sets up his return to Afghanistan, which is part of the country's peace deal with its second largest militant group, signed in September 2016. (Reuters)(BBC)

Law and crime

The High Court of Australia rules that Rod Culleton was ineligible for election as a candidate for Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party in Western Australia in the Federal election and is ineligible to serve in the Senate of Australia. (Canberra Times)
2017 Paris machete attack
- A French Army soldier shoots and wounds a man armed with a knife who was trying to enter an underground shopping area near the Louvre in Paris. The museum was evacuated. (BBC)
U.S. immigration suspension
- United States federal judge James Robart temporarily blocks the so-called travel ban nationwide pending a legal challenge by the government. (Reuters) (NBC News)
  - The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency tells U.S. airlines that they should board travelers who had been blocked by the executive order addressed in Judge Robart's ruling. (Global News) (The New York Times) (The Guardian)
  - The justice department says it will not file for an emergency stay on Friday night. (The Guardian) (Reuters)
- A lawyer for the Justice Department, in a federal court in Virginia, says 100,000 visas have been revoked this week. A State Department spokesperson says the actual number is fewer than 60,000. (NBC News)
- Former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik says he was detained at Dulles Airport earlier this week because he had visited Iran in 2014. A Lutheran minister, Mr. Bondevik was in Washington for meetings associated with the National Prayer Breakfast. (The Nordic Page) (The New York Times)
Political appointments of Donald Trump
- West Point graduate, billionaire businessman, and philanthropist Vincent Viola withdraws his name from consideration as Secretary of the Army because of Defense Department rules concerning his family businesses. (Reuters) (Military Times) (Reuters)
Citing court rulings and privacy laws, the United States Department of Agriculture stops making its records of animal abuse available to the public online, which makes them available exclusively through Freedom of Information Act requests. It has not yet been revealed whether another Agency will now be responsible for the keeping and public hosting of such records. (The Washington Post)

February 2, 2017 (Thursday)

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International relations

Georgia–European Union relations
- The European Parliament unanimously approves visa-free regime in the Schengen zone for Georgia. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Russia–United States relations
- The United States Department of the Treasury eases some sanctions on the Federal Security Service (FSB), allowing for limited transactions with the intelligence agency. The sanctions were put in place last year by Barack Obama over alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. (Reuters)
Australia–United States relations
- Citing unnamed U.S. officials, The Washington Post reports that U.S. President Donald Trump berated Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Trump claimed it was the "the worst call by far" and criticized a refugee settlement deal organised between the Turnbull Government and the Obama administration in late 2016. (The Washington Post)
- White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer says the U.S. is still planning on carrying through with the refugee resettlement deal. (Bloomberg Politics)
Israel–United States relations, Israeli–Palestinian peace process
- The White House cautions Israel that building new settlements or expanding existing settlements in the West Bank, "... may not be helpful in achieving (peace)." (NBC News) (BBC)

Law and crime

Former HBOS manager Lynden Scourfield and other bankers and consultants are found guilty of corruption and abuse of power in stealing £245 million from the bank and small businesses in a loans scam, which was spent on personal luxuries. Scourfield was sentenced to 11 years in prison. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Colombian peace process
- The National Liberation Army releases former congressman Odin Sanchez, who had been held hostage by the rebel group since April 2016, paving the way for peace talks to begin between the rebels and the Colombian government next week in Ecuador. (BBC)

More February 2017 events...

Ongoing events
Disasters European cold wave UK and Ireland windstorm season Political European migrant crisis (timeline) Romanian protests South China Sea disputes U.S. travel ban More details on ongoing conflicts below Sport 2016–17 Bundesliga 2016–17 La Liga 2016–17 NBA season 2016–17 NHL season 2016–17 PBA season 2016–17 Premier League 2016–17 Serie A 2016–17 EuroLeague 2016–17 EuroLeague Women edit sidebar

Recent deaths
February 2017 7: Svend Asmussen 7: Richard Hatch 7: Alec McCowen 6: Irwin Corey 6: Inge Keller 6: Joost van der Westhuizen 4: Basil Hetzel 4: Bano Qudsia 3: Gordon Aikman 2: Jeff Sauer 1: Desmond Carrington 1: Étienne Tshisekedi January 2017 31: Rob Stewart 31: John Wetton 31: Tokitenkū Yoshiaki 28: Christopher Bland 28: Many Clouds 27: Emmanuelle Riva 26: Mike Connors 26: Barbara Hale 26: Tam Dalyell 25: John Hurt 25: Mary Tyler Moore 24: Butch Trucks 23: Gorden Kaye 23: Douglas Reeman 22: Jaki Liebezeit 22: Naqsh Lyallpuri 22: Masaya Nakamura 22: Andy Marte 22: Yordano Ventura 20: Harry J. Middleton 20: Emma Tennant 19: Miguel Ferrer 18: Rachael Heyhoe Flint 18: Roberta Peters 17: Peter Abrahams 17: Colo 16: Eugene Cernan 16: William Onyeabor 15: Eddie Long 15: Jimmy Snuka 14: Zhou Youguang 13: Antony Armstrong-Jones 13: Magic Alex 12: William Peter Blatty 12: Anthony King 12: Graham Taylor 10: Roman Herzog 10: Clare Hollingworth 10: Oliver Smithies 9: Michael Chamberlain 8: Pioneer Cabin Tree 8: Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani 8: Peter Sarstedt edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria and Tunisia Maghreb insurgency ISIL insurgency in Tunisia Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria Boko Haram insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Somalia Civil war South Sudan Ethnic violence (South Sudanese Civil War) Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Sudanese nomadic conflicts Americas Mexico Mexican War on Drugs Peru Internal conflict in Peru Asia Afghanistan Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines Moro conflict Cross border attacks in Sabah Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua conflict Myanmar Internal conflict in Myanmar Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Thailand South Thailand insurgency Europe Armenia and Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Russia Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Egypt Sinai insurgency Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria Arab–Israeli conflict Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraq American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Iraq and Syria (map) Military intervention against ISIL Israel and Lebanon Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israel and Palestine Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Syria American-led intervention in Syria Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War Turkish military intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemen Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Al-Qaeda insurgency edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent February 5: Liechtenstein, Landtag Upcoming February 12: Turkmenistan, President 19: Ecuador, President, National Assembly, Referendum March 4: Niue, Assembly edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara Cambodia: Sam Rainsy China: Wan Qingliang, Ling Jihua, Zhoi Bin, Guo Boxiong Iran: Babak Zanjani Netherlands: Geert Wilders Philippines: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Nur Misuari, Joel Villanueva Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Chris Denning, Adam Johnson, Ched Evans United States: Bob McDonnell, Paul Anthony Ciancia International ICTY: Radovan Karadžić Ongoing China: Bai Enpei, Pan Yiyang, Yang Weize Germany: Beate Zschäpe Indonesia: Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Mary Jane Veloso Pakistan: Waseem Azeem, Mufti Abdul Qawi Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Leila de Lima, Rodrigo Duterte, Jovito Palparan Romania: Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil Spain: Gürtel case, Spanish Royal House, Bárcenas affair United States: Etan Patz United Kingdom: Rolf Harris, Barry Bennell International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo ICTY: Ratko Mladić Upcoming China: Wu Changshun Egypt: Mohamed Morsi Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Bill Cosby edit sidebar