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Frank-Walter Steinmeier

A suicide bombing at a protest rally in Lahore, Pakistan, kills at least 18 people and injures more than 90 others.
La La Land wins in five categories, including Best Film, at the British Academy Film Awards.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (pictured) is elected President of Germany.
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is elected President of Somalia.
In association football, the Africa Cup of Nations concludes with Cameroon defeating Egypt in the final.

February 14, 2017 (Tuesday)

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February 13, 2017 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in North-West Pakistan
- 2017 Lahore suicide bombing
  - At least 13 people are killed and another 82 are injured after a bomb explodes at a protest rally in Lahore, Punjab. The Pakistani Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claims responsibility. (AFP)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- According to a United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan inquiry, 18 civilians in Helmand Province were killed in coalition air raids last Thursday and Friday, with locals and Afghan officials claiming that the death toll is higher. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

2017 Oroville Dam crisis
- Thousands of people are urged to evacuate in and around the vicinity of Yuba City due to the impending failure of an emergency spillway at Oroville Dam in Northern California. 188,000 people were reported to be evacuated. (CNN) (The Washington Post)
At least four skiers are killed in an avalanche at the Tignes resort in France. (The Guardian)
At least 32 people are killed after a tour bus, carrying mostly local elderly tourists, overturns on a freeway in Taipei, Taiwan. (Focus Taiwan) (BBC)
The U.S. Coast Guard continues to search for the missing F/V Destination, a Seattle-based fishing vessel operating near St. George, Alaska, with a six-member crew. The Coast Guard has discovered a debris field, but no sign of the crew. (KTUU-TV)

Law and crime

A warrant of arrest is to be served on Philippines opposition leader and senator Leila de Lima. (CNN)

Politics and elections

2017 Romanian protests
- In an unexpected turn of events, an Alba Iulia appeals court definitely decides that the offence of abuse in office (official misconduct) is de jure decriminalized by the fact that a previous June 2016 decision by the Constitutional Court, which stated that the abuse in office is unconstitutional due to unclear definition subject to various interpretations, was not put in accordance with the fundamental law by the former government. Thus, the current government's emergency ordinance, which clarified the situation but started massive street protests, fueled by the opposition parties and the president of Romania, was, in fact, necessary in reinstating the repudiated offence. (stiripesurse.ro)^{[better source needed]}
The Islamabad High Court indefinitely bans the celebration of Valentine's Day in Pakistan. (CNN)

February 12, 2017 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present), Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- A helicopter from the Saudi-led coalition bombs a vehicle outside Aden International Airport, wounding at least three Yemeni soldiers. (Reuters)
Kashmir conflict
- Four suspected militants, two Indian Army soldiers, and one civilian are killed in clashes in a village in southern Jammu and Kashmir. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

59th Annual Grammy Awards
- Adele wins the Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Hello" and Album of the Year for 25. Chance the Rapper wins the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. David Bowie wins posthumously for Blackstar. (CNN)
70th British Academy Film Awards
- La La Land wins five awards. I, Daniel Blake wins Best British Film. Emma Stone, Casey Affleck, Viola Davis and Dev Patel win in their respective acting categories. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service issues an emergency warning for a bush fire located to the east of Dunedoo in New South Wales, Australia. The warning comes amidst "unprecedented" fire conditions across the region, deemed to be worse than the conditions precipitating the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria. (The Daily Telegraph) (NSW Rural Fire Service)
The California Department of Water Resources orders residents near Oroville Dam to evacuate, including low-lying levels of Oroville, after an emergency spillway severely eroded. (Fox News)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korea test fires a ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Swiss referendums, 2017
- Voters in Switzerland approve a referendum that makes it easier for third-generation immigrants to become citizens. (BBC) (Reuters)
Turkmenistani presidential election, 2017
- Voters in Turkmenistan go to the polls for an election, with current president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow expected to win another term. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
German presidential election, 2017
- Former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is elected President of Germany. (The Guardian)

February 11, 2017 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A suicide bomber kills at least seven people outside a bank in Lashkargah. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War, Battle of al-Bab
- Syrian rebels and Turkish troops enter al-Bab, with Syrian troops also approaching the town, prompting heavy clashes with ISIL militants. (Al Jazeera)
2017 Istanbul nightclub shooting
- Abdulkadir Masharipov is charged with murder in relation to the shootings in Istanbul that killed 39 people and is remanded in custody. Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has claimed responsibility for the shootings. (ABC)

Disasters and accidents

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)
In Hong Kong, over 16 were injured, and an incoherent man was charged with arson after an alleged firebomb attack on a rush hour Hong Kong metro commuter train. The man set fire to himself and others with a flammable liquid for an unspecified personal reason, but officials found no evidence of a terrorist motive. (Independent)

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)

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)

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 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: 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 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 12: Germany, President 12: Switzerland, Referendum 12: Turkmenistan, President Upcoming February 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