Portal:Current events

Severe flooding following five days of incessant rain causes landslides that have killed 13 people in Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara Province. (AP)
Over 70,000 people are evacuated from Thessaloniki, Greece, as authorities attempt to defuse a World War II-era unexploded ordnance, which was discovered last week. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

2017 elections in India
- Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election
  - Voters in Uttar Pradesh cast ballots in Phase 1 of the state's 2017 elections, with Phase 7, the final poll, to be held on 8 March. This will be an important test of India's November policy change that removed 86 percent of the cash then in circulation. (Reuters)
Violence erupts at a protest rally in Baghdad, Iraq, killing at least four protesters and one police officer. Thousands of supporters of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gathered in the capital to demand an overhaul of the country's electoral system. (Al Jazeera)

February 10, 2017 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

French police arrest three men and a 16-year-old girl found with bomb-making materials in a Montpellier flat. The female suspect had been spotted online saying she wanted to either leave for the Syria-Iraq conflict or mount an attack in France, and recorded a video in which she pledged allegiance to ISIL. (BBC)

Business and economics

British consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser agrees to buy U.S. baby formula maker Mead Johnson Nutrition for $16.6 billion. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least seven people have been killed in the Bangli Regency of Bali after a landslide caused by torrential rain. (AP via ABC News Australia)
Volunteers are working to save the remaining live pilot whales beached at Farewell Spit on New Zealand's South Island. Project Jonah reports that 75 percent of the more than 400 stranded whales are dead. (NBC News)
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes 14 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of Surigao City on the Philippines island of Mindanao and kills four people, injures more than 100 others, and damages multiple buildings. (AP), (9news) (Reuters)
At least 17 people are killed with dozens injured in a crowd stampede at a football stadium in Uíge, Angola. (AP)
Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło is injured in a car crash in her hometown, Oświęcim, Poland. Mrs. Szydło is in good condition in a Warsaw hospital. (AP)

International relations

European Union–The Gambia relations
- The European Union pledges to give the Gambia €225 million in aid to assist the country following the departure of former president Yahya Jammeh, whose 22 years of misrule left the country "virtually bankrupt". (The Guardian)

Law and crime

U.S. immigration suspension legal challenges
- Aboard Air Force One, President Trump tells reporters he is considering issuing a revised policy banning citizens of certain countries traveling to the United States. (Reuters)
- The Trump administration decides to not immediately appeal the Ninth Circuit's decision, which continues the travel ban suspension, to the Supreme Court. (CNN)
A judge in Peru issues an arrest warrant for former President Alejandro Toledo for allegedly receiving US$20 million in bribes from Odebrecht, a Brazilian construction company, in exchange for a contract deal to build a transoceanic highway between Brazil and the Peruvian coast. Toledo denies any wrongdoing. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Cabinet of Donald Trump
- The United States Senate, in a 52 to 47 vote, confirms physician and U.S. Representative Tom Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. (CBS News)
Iran marks its 38th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution with nationwide rallies and ceremonies. The ceremony also contains some anti-Trump protests. (The New York Times) (Reuters)

Sport

Doping in Russia
- Russian track and field athlete Mariya Savinova is banned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport from partaking in any sporting events for four years and is stripped of her gold medal that she won in the 800 metres at the 2012 Summer Olympics for doping between 2010 and 2013. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
- The Iditarod Trail Committee announces the race's March official start has been moved from the Anchorage area northeast to Fairbanks, Alaska, due to low-snow conditions in the Alaska Range. (AP) (Iditarod.com)

February 9, 2017 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War, Battle of al-Bab
- At least three soldiers of the Turkish Armed Forces are accidentally killed by a Russian airstrike near al-Bab in northern Syria. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- The International Committee of the Red Cross announces it will be temporarily halting some of its operations in Afghanistan after gunmen killed six of its workers yesterday. (Al Jazeera)
An airstrike hits a tunnel in the Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border, killing at least two people and injuring five more. It is unclear who launched the airstrike. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

A fire at the Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant in northwest France caused an explosion in a "non-nuclear" part of the station. One reactor was taken offline and five people were affected by fumes. The accident did not cause a radioactive leak. (Reuters)
February 2017 North American blizzard
- A major blizzard hits the northeastern United States, cancelling more than 2,400 flights. (The Weather Channel)
A power outage plunges the Belgian capital of Brussels into darkness. (BBC)

International relations

China–United States relations
- Donald Trump, the President of the United States, agrees to continue the One China Policy after a discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Washington Post)
Russia–United States relations
- When Russian President Vladimir Putin, during the January telephone conversation with President Donald Trump, raised the possibility of extending the 2010 New START treaty that caps U.S. and Russian deployment of nuclear warheads, President Trump declined, stating that this treaty is a bad deal for the United States. (Reuters) (The Hill)

Law and crime

U.S. immigration suspension
- The appeal of the Trump administration is denied as the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said it would not block a lower-court ruling that brought the president's executive order to a halt. (BBC)

Politics and elections

A high court in Kenya blocks a government bid to close the Dadaab refugee camp and repatriate over 260,000 Somali refugees back to Somalia. The government said it will appeal against the ruling. (BBC)
2017 Romanian protests
- Romanian Justice Minister Florin Iordache resigns after losing the support of Prime-Minister Sorin Grindeanu. (Reuters)
- President of the Senate Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu notifies the Constitutional Court claiming a judicial conflict of a constitutional nature between the Government of Romania and the Public Ministry, through the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA). (actmedia)
Democrat Congressman Jerrold Nadler files a Resolution of Inquiry motion aimed at clarifying Donald Trump's relationship to Russia as well as potential conflicts of interest arising from his businesses. (The Washington Post)

February 8, 2017 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Donbass
- Donetsk People's Republic commander Mikhail Tolstykh, better known by his nom de guerre "Givi", is killed in a bomb blast in Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast. DPR officials blame the Security Service of Ukraine for the attack. (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Six Afghan Red Cross workers are shot dead by suspected ISIL militants in the northern Jowzjan Province. Two other Red Cross workers are reportedly abducted. (BBC)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- Unknown gunmen storm a hotel in Bosaso, leaving at least four guards and two militants dead. It is unclear who carried out the attack. An official blames Al-Shabaab, though the group denies having any involvement. (Al Jazeera)
Syrian Civil War
- Syrian rebels, with backing from the Turkish Armed Forces, advance on ISIL-held al-Bab, capturing the outskirts of the town. (Reuters)
Yemeni War
- Yemen reassesses its permission to the United States to run special operations ground missions against suspected terrorist groups because of the civilian deaths in the January 29 raid. Earlier reports indicated permission had been suspended. (The New York Times) (The New York Times)²

Arts and culture

Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem announce the discovery of another cave that used to have Dead Sea Scrolls. (The Times of Israel)

Business and economics

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia blocks health insurer Anthem Inc.'s proposed $54 billion merger with rival Cigna because it would have exacerbated an already highly concentrated market and likely raised prices. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

More than 10,000 people are left homeless after a fire ravages a densely populated neighborhood of the Philippines capital Manila. (The Telegraph)

Law and crime

2016–17 Turkish purges
- The Turkish government dismisses more than 4,400 public servants from their jobs in the latest purge within the country following a failed coup attempt last year. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

2017 Romanian protests
- The government of Prime Minister of Romania Sorin Grindeanu survives a no-confidence motion over proposed decriminalisation of certain corruption offences, with 161 MPs voting in favor of the motion, short of the 232 votes needed for it to pass. (AP) (Al Jazeera)
- Also that day, the Constitutional Court rejected two pleas made by President Iohannis and the Supreme Council of the Magistracy (CSM) that claimed an institutional conflict between the Parliament, respectively the CSM on one hand, and the Government on the other, in a move that surprised the critics of the PSD-led cabinet and the protesters. The next day it rejected the final plea made by the Ombudsman on reasons of inadmissibility. (The Romania Journal)
Somali presidential election, 2017
- Somali politicians gather inside a high-security compound at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu to elect a President for the country, with current president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud running for a second term. (The Guardian)
- In a surprise result, former Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is chosen as President. (BBC)
Cabinet of Donald Trump
- The United States Senate, in a 52 to 47 vote, confirms the nomination of Jeff Sessions as United States Attorney General. (The Guardian)
Donald Trump
- President Trump tweets that Nordstrom treated daughter's business "unfairly". (CBS News)

Science and technology

Intermediate-mass black hole and 47 Tucanae
- New strong evidence supporting the existence of an intermediate-mass black hole is announced. (Sky & Telescope) (Science Daily) (Nature)

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 states 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)
Women in Russia
- President of Russia Vladimir Putin signs into law the decriminalization of domestic violence. (CNN)

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)
- The U.S. Senate votes, along party lines (49-43), to not let Senator Elizabeth Warren participate in the debate about Senator Jeff Sessions's nomination to be the Attorney General in President Donald Trump's Cabinet because she violated Senate rule XIX when she was reading letters from the late Coretta Scott King and the late Senator Ted Kennedy that were critical of Sen. Sessions, thereby impugning his character. (The Washington Post)

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 the Regulation Law which retroactively legalizes 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)

More February 2017 events...

Ongoing events
Disasters European cold wave UK and Ireland windstorm season Law Philippine Drug War 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 2017 Pakistan Super League edit sidebar

Recent deaths
February 2017 12: Al Jarreau 12: Sione Lauaki 11: Chavo Guerrero Sr. 10: Mike Ilitch 10: Hal Moore 9: Packy 9: André Salvat 8: Tara Palmer-Tomkinson 8: Tom Raworth 8: Hans Rosling 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 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 8: Somalia, President Upcoming February 12: Turkmenistan, President, Germany, President 12: Switzerland, Referendum 19: Ecuador, President, National Assembly, Referendum March 2: Northern Ireland, Assembly 4: Niue, Assembly 7: Micronesia, Congress 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