Portal:Current events

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Worldwide current events
Sports events

Topics in the news

Artist’s impression of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system

The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army captures Al-Bab from ISIL.
Astronomers announce that the star TRAPPIST-1 hosts seven exoplanets (artist's impression pictured), some orbiting in its habitable zone.
South Sudan and the United Nations declare a famine in parts of the country.
A suicide bombing at a shrine in Sehwan, Pakistan, kills at least 83 people and injures more than 250 others.
The Indian Space Research Organisation's PSLV-C37 mission launches a record 104 satellites at once.

February 26, 2017 (Sunday)

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February 25, 2017 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that militants attacked two Syrian Armed Forces bases in Homs, killing at least 42 people, including a senior intelligence officer. (Reuters via Jerusalem Post), (SBS)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- According to officials, at least 11 people, mostly police officers, are killed outside a mosque in Jowzjan Province in an ambush by militants. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- Shifa Gardi, a prominent female reporter for Rudaw Media Network, is killed by a roadside bomb while reporting on the battle for Mosul. (BBC)
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- Clashes erupt between Nagorno-Karabakh separatists and Azerbaijani forces in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Azerbaijan Ministry of Defense confirmed casualties on its side while the separatist forces claim to have no causalities. Both sides blame each other for the flareup in fighting. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Law and crime

German police shoot a man, who was trying to escape after apparently driving into a group of pedestrians in a central square in Heidelberg. Three people are injured, one seriously. Police do not believe terrorism is involved. (BBC) (Deutsche Welle)
At least 28 people are injured after a car plows into a crowd watching the Krewe of Endymion parade at the New Orleans Mardi Gras. A man is arrested for driving while intoxicated. (AP), (AP via ABC News)

Politics and elections

An act to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
- A leaked memo from House Republicans reveals cutting provisions from Obamacare such as Medicaid expansions and subsidies for health insurance. (CNBC)
Philippine Drug War
- Protesters gather in the People Power Monument in Quezon City to commemorate the People Power Revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos and to criticize Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug war as well as Friday's arrest of Senator Leila de Lima. Similar gatherings in support of the President were held simultaneously in Manila as well as in other parts of the country. (BBC), (CNN), (CNN Philippines)
Democratic National Committee chairmanship election, 2017
- Voting takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, to elect a new Chair of the Democratic National Committee. Candidates include Sally Boynton Brown, Keith Ellison, Jehmu Greene and former United States Secretary of Labor Tom Perez. (CNN)
- In a second round of voting, Tom Perez is elected Chair of the DNC with 235 votes. (NBC News)
Presidency of Donald Trump
- Donald Trump announces that he will not attend the 2017 White House Correspondents' Dinner, following recent friction between his administration and various news organizations. (BBC News)

February 24, 2017 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Battle of al-Bab
  - The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army captures Al-Bab from ISIL after months of fighting. (The Washington Post)
  - A car bomb explodes in the Syrian village of Sousian, north of al-Bab, killing at least 60 people. (Time), (BBC), (AP)
Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War
- The Iraqi Air Force strikes ISIL targets inside Syria for the first time in response to recent bombings in Baghdad. (RT)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- At least eight Yemeni soldiers are killed in a suicide bombing at a military camp in Zinjibar. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

Retail chain JC Penney announces plans to close between 130 and 140 stores, as well as 2 distribution centers, amid sagging store sales. (CNBC)
A report alleges that the German BND has been spying on journalists in Afghanistan. (BBC)

International relations

Two Indian nationals are shot in the U.S. state of Kansas; one has died while the other is wounded. (Reuters)
The Guatemalan army blockades a ship from the Dutch NGO Women on Waves that provides material for abortions. (BBC)
Israel denies entry to Omar Shakir, a researcher for Human Rights Watch and an American citizen, because the organization engages in so-called Palestinian propaganda. HRW's Sari Bashi said, "This Israeli government has been narrowing the space for democratic activity," by closing the country off to critics. Later, the Israel government would grant Mr. Shakir a tourist visa while considering HRW's appeal on the work visa. (CNN) (The New York Times)
2017 Mexico–United States diplomatic crisis
- Mexico states that it will reject third-country deportees. (ABC News)

Law and crime

Death of Kim Jong-nam
- Malaysian police claim that Kim Jong-nam, half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was killed by VX nerve agent, a toxin used almost exclusively for chemical warfare. (The New York Times)
Presidency of Donald Trump
- The Trump administration signals that it plans a crackdown on U.S states that legalize the use of cannabis. (Los Angeles Times)
- The Justice Department plans to expand the use of private prisons. (The Washington Post)
Protesters in South Africa rally against immigration. (France24)

Politics and elections

Philippine vice president Leni Robredo defends her fellow Liberal party-mate Leila de Lima who was arrested for alleged drug trafficking. Robredo calls de Lima's arrest political harassment. (PDI)
Presidency of Donald Trump
- The Trump White House bars The New York Times, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Daily News, The Hill, the Daily Mail, BBC, Politico, and BuzzFeed from a Friday press "gaggle." Generally conservative, mostly new, outlets were permitted entry, such as Breitbart News, One America News Network, and The Washington Times. Also allowed in were ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, and Fox News. Time magazine and the Associated Press could have attended but chose not to in protest. The White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents the press corps, quickly rebuked the White House’s actions. (AP) (Reuters) (NBC News) (The New York Times) (The Hill via MSN.Com)

February 23, 2017 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in North-West Pakistan
- At least six people are killed in a bomb blast in the Pakistani city of Lahore. (BBC)
Battle of Mosul (2016–17)
- Iraqi Police forces enter the Mosul International Airport and capture the runway from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. (Associated Press)

Arts and culture

American-born panda Bao Bao arrives in China. (The Washington Post)

Business and economy

Dakota Access Pipeline protests
- The protestors in the area of the Dakota Access Pipeline are evicted, clearing the way for the oil pipeline through Canada and the United States to be built. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

2016–17 UK and Ireland windstorm season
- The Met Office issues travel warnings for parts of Wales, Scotland and England as Storm Doris, described as a “weather bomb”, brings gales, heavy rain and snow to the United Kingdom. At least one person is killed. (The Guardian) (The Independent)

Law and crime

A Philippine court orders the arrest of Duterte critic and Liberal senator Leila de Lima. She later voluntarily turned herself in the next day (Al Jazeera), (PDI)

Politics and elections

United Kingdom by-elections
- Labour's Gareth Snell holds off UKIP's leader Paul Nuttall to win the Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election, while Conservative Party candidate Trudy Harrison wins the Copeland by-election, the first gain for a governing party since 1982. (BBC)
French presidential election, 2017
- Yannick Jadot drops out in an effort to boost Benoît Hamon. (Deutsche Welle)

February 22, 2017 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War, Raqqa offensive
- U.S.-backed SDF forces on two fronts meet up northeast of Raqqa, encircling a pocket of villages still held by ISIS. (Rudaw)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- A Houthi missile attack on a Yemeni military camp near the port city of Mocha kills Major General Ahmed Saif al-Yafei, Yemen's deputy chief of staff, and several others. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Amnesty International releases a report criticizing the rise of populist leaders such as Donald Trump of the United States, Viktor Orbán of Hungary, Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey. (The Washington Post)
Headscarf rights in Turkey
- The Turkish government lifts the ban prohibiting female army officers from wearing a Hijab. The military is the last Turkish institution to end the ban. (BBC)

International relations

2017 Mexico–United States diplomatic crisis
- Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray Caso rejects and condemns the United States's new plan on deporting undocumented immigrants, stating that Mexico cannot "accept unilateral decisions imposed by one government on another." (BBC)

Law and crime

South Africa's North Gauteng High Court rules the government's decision last October to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court was unconstitutional, and instructs the government to revoke its notice of withdrawal. (AP), (NPR)
Former Chief Executive of Hong Kong Donald Tsang is sentenced to 20 months in prison for corruption, becoming the highest officeholder in Hong Kong's history to be convicted. (BBC)
In an apparent hate crime, an Indian engineer is shot dead and another injured in Olathe, Kansas. (The New York Times)

Politics and elections

The Trump administration revokes Obama-era rules on transgender rights designed to help trans students in schools. (BBC) (CNN)
French presidential election, 2017
- François Bayrou drops out in an effort to boost Emmanuel Macron. (The Guardian)

Science and technology

NASA and the European Southern Observatory announce the discovery of four new Earth-like planets in the Goldilocks zone of the star TRAPPIST-1, in addition to the three discovered there last year. (The Atlantic), (NBC News)

Sports

Eastern Sports Club's manager Chan Yuen-ting becomes the first woman to coach a male football club in a top-flight continental competition with managing team against Guangzhou Evergrande in the AFC Champions League. (Sky Sports)
2024 Summer Olympics
- Budapest withdraws its bid, leaving Paris and Los Angeles as the two candidate cities for hosting the 2024 competition. (Reuters)

February 21, 2017 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in North-West Pakistan
- Multiple suicide bombers kill at least six people near a district court in Charsadda. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

British journalist Milo Yiannopoulos resigns from his post as technology editor at Breitbart news, after controversy around his statements regarding underage sex. (BBC)

Business and economy

Verizon Communications agrees to buy the core business at Yahoo Inc. for $4.48 billion. Completion of this July 2016 deal had been delayed because of two data breaches Yahoo disclosed last year. (Reuters)
Restaurant Brands International
- The parent company of Burger King announces plans to purchase Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, operator of the Popeyes chicken restaurant chain in a US$1.8 billion deal. (USA Today)

Disasters and accidents

2017 Essendon Airport Beechcraft King Air crash
- A charter plane crashes into a Direct Factory Outlets shopping centre in Melbourne, Australia, shortly after taking off from Essendon Airport, killing the five people on board. (ABC News Australia)
Flooding occurs across parts of Indonesia, including the capital Jakarta, due to torrential downpours over the last few days. Thousands of homes have been flooded and schools were forced to close. However, there are no reports of injuries yet. (Al Jazeera)

Health

More than 4.9 million people in South Sudan are in need of aid due to a famine. (CNN)

International relations

France–Lebanon relations
- French National Front presidential candidate Marine Le Pen leaves before her scheduled meeting in Beirut with Lebanon's top Sunni Muslim religious leader, Grand Mufti Abdellatif Deryan, following her refusal to accept the offered headscarf to cover her hair. Le Pen's aides had been informed earlier about the traditional, religious need for a headscarf for this meeting. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

2017 Rinkeby riots
- After Swedish police arrest a suspect on drug-related charges, rioting occurs in Rinkeby, a suburb of the Swedish capital Stockholm. (AP via CNBC)
An Austrian court grants a United States request to extradite Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash. U.S. officials accuse Firtash of being involved in a scandal where he allegedly paid US$18.5 million in bribes for a permit to mine titanium in India, something Firtash denies. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Hebron shooting incident
- Following last month's manslaughter conviction, Israeli soldier Elor Azaria is sentenced to 18 months in prison by a military court for, during a violent incident, his deadly shooting of the wounded, unarmed, prone Palestinian Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, who had stabbed a soldier last March in Hebron. (CBS News)
United States immigration ban
- The Trump administration releases a new memo that sets the policy for the deportation of undocumented migrants accused of any crime. (NBC News)

Politics and elections

Azerbaijani First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, who is widely considered to be in line to succeed her husband, is named vice president. (BNO News)
Nagorno-Karabakh constitutional referendum, 2017
- In a referendum held yesterday in the breakaway state of Nagorno-Karabakh (a region long claimed by both Azerbaijan and Armenia), 87.6% of voters approve changing the country's governance system from semi-presidential to full presidential, therefore abolishing the position of prime minister. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Ecuadorian general election, 2017
- A runoff presidential election, between former vice-president Lenín Moreno and former bank president Guillermo Lasso, is scheduled for Sunday, April 2 since no candidate gained at least 40 percent of the vote in Sunday's poll. With 95.3 percent of votes counted, Moreno received 39.21 percent of valid votes and Lasso had 28.34 percent. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Several new species of tiny frogs are discovered in India. (CBS News)

February 20, 2017 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Gunmen attack a Vietnamese vessel near Tawi-Tawi, Philippines, killing at least one sailor and abducting seven others, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. Abu Sayyaf militants are suspected of being behind the attack. (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- At least 11 people, all belonging to the same family, are killed in a grenade attack on their home in Laghman Province, according to provincial officials. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- A motorcade carrying prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj of the internationally recognized Government of National Accord, is attacked by unidentified gunmen in Tripoli. There were no injuries reported. (Al Jazeera)
Syrian Civil War
- The ISIL-affiliated Syrian opposition group Jaysh Khaled bin Waleed overwhelms Tahrir al-Sham and Southern Front militants, capturing the towns of Tasil and Saham al-Jawlan, along with two other villages and a hill in Daraa Governorate. (Al Masdar News)(Reuters)

Arts and culture

British journalist Milo Yiannopoulos's invitation to speak at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference is rescinded, and publication of his book Dangerous by Simon & Schuster is cancelled after a video is posted allegedly containing statements of his condoning sexual relations with boys as young as thirteen. (New York Times via MSN)

Business and economy

Seattle-based Amazon.com says it will create 15,000 new full-time jobs across Europe by the end of 2017, increasing its European workforce by approximately 30 percent. (AndroidHeadlines.com) (Euronews)

Disasters and accidents

2017 South Sudan famine
- The World Food Programme (WFP) and other United Nations agencies declare that there is a famine in parts of Unity State, South Sudan, with 100,000 facing starvation and another million on the brink of famine. (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
Severe storms, from the weather system that hit Southern California Friday, reach southwest Texas injuring several people and damaging at least 100 homes with one confirmed tornado in San Antonio. Heavy rains continue today with flash floods likely as the storm moves to eastern Texas and southern Louisiana. (USA Today) (Weather Channel)

International relations

Malaysia–North Korea relations, Death of Kim Jong-nam
- Malaysia recalls its ambassador from North Korea amid an ongoing dispute over the alleged assassination of Kim Jong-nam by North Korean agents in the country. (BBC)
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the global transfer of weapons between 2012 and 2016 has been higher than any other five-year period since the end of the Cold War, with the Middle East increasing its weapon imports by 212%, second only to India, who accounted for 13% of the world's imports. (The Guardian)
Montenegro–Russia relations
- A Montenegrin prosecutor accuses Russian authorities of being involved in the October 2016 coup plot in order to halt Montenegro's accession to NATO. Russian officials dismiss the allegations as "absurd." (The Guardian)

Law and crime

Antisemitism in the United States
- The Ronald Gardenswartz Jewish Community Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico is evacuated for the second time this year following a bomb threat, after a wave of threats against Jewish institutions in the United States. (Albuquerque Journal)

Politics and elections

Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin dies suddenly in New York City. He would have turned 65 on Tuesday. (Reuters) (New York Daily News)
Formation of Donald Trump's cabinet
- President Donald Trump names United States Army Lt. General H. R. McMaster as National Security Advisor and says that U.S. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who has been the acting NSA, will remain as the NSC's Chief of Staff. (Fox News)

More February 2017 events...

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Ongoing events
Disasters European cold wave UK and Ireland windstorm season Law Philippine Drug War Kidnapping and killing of Jee Ick-Joo Political European migrant crisis (timeline) Romanian protests South China Sea disputes United States immigration 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 2017 Asian Winter Games edit sidebar

Recent deaths
February 2017 23: Alan Colmes 23: Bernie Custis 23: David Waddington 22: Ed Garvey 21: Kenneth Arrow 21: Jeanne Martin Cissé 21: Desmond Connell 21: Ion Croitoru 20: Vitaly Churkin 20: Mildred Dresselhaus 19: Charismatic 19: Larry Coryell 19: Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe 18: Omar Abdel-Rahman 18: Norma McCorvey 18: Clyde Stubblefield 18: Daniel Vickerman 17: Warren Frost 17: Robert Michel 17: Michael Novak 17: George Steele 16: Dick Bruna 16: Jannis Kounellis 15: Stuart McLean 13: Ricardo Arias Calderón 13: Kim Jong-nam 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 7: Raymond Smullyan 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 edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent February 5: Liechtenstein, Landtag 8: Somalia, President 12: Germany, President 12: Switzerland, Referendum 12: Turkmenistan, President 19: Ecuador, President, National Assembly, Referendum 20: Nagorno-Karabakh, Constitutional referendum 21: Marshall Islands, Constitutional Assembly Upcoming March 2: Northern Ireland, Assembly 7: Micronesia, Congress 15: Netherlands, House of Representatives 20: East Timor, President 26: Bulgaria, Parliament 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

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