Portal:Current events/2011 February 13

February 13, 2011 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

India plans to withdraw 10,000 troops from Jammu and Kashmir this year and renew peace talks. (AFP via Google News) (Hindustan Times)
Iraq War: Jeremy Paxman faces being punished by the BBC after being judged to have violated the corporation's strict impartiality rules by writing an article for The Guardian in which he stated that Tony Blair's "lies" had led Britain to war with Iraq. (Daily Mail)
2011 Yemeni protests:
- People in Yemen march on the presidential palace in Sana'a in an attempt to bring down Ali Abdullah Saleh. (The Asian Age)
- Police block the protesters who shout slogans such as "The Yemeni people want the fall of the regime" and "A Yemeni revolution after the Egyptian revolution", as Saleh postpones a visit to his United States allies "due to the current circumstances in the region". (Reuters) (Xinhua)
- Police and people clash in Sana'a on the third day of protests against the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen. (BBC) (AFP via Google News)
Other Arab Spring:
- Opposition leaders in Iran call for nationwide anti-government rallies on Monday, in attempts to mimic the recent Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. (Al Jazeera)
- Bahrain's security forces monitor the people as opposition groups call for protests tomorrow. (Al Jazeera)
- Egypt's army suspends the constitution and dissolves parliament with elections due in six months as people promise to continue demonstrating. (Al Jazeera)
- Tunisia's foreign minister Ahmed Ounaies resigns over controversial compliments he paid to his French counterpart Michèle Alliot-Marie which angered people in Tunisia. (Al Jazeera)
- Julian Assange of WikiLeaks hails the website's role in the revolts, crediting material published via the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar as "significantly influential" in the fall of the Zine El Abidine Ben Ali regime in Tunisia. He promises a "broad spectrum" of fresh cables about Australia involving a "number of large companies and international politics". (AFP via Google News)
- U.S. military commander Admiral Mike Mullen visits Israel to "discuss security issues of mutual concern" according to The Pentagon. (Al Jazeera)
Women against Berlusconi:
- Tens of thousands of women hold nationwide protests in 200 cities against Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi, whom they say has damaged the standing of women with his string of sex scandals. (BBC) (The Daily Telegraph) (Herald Sun)
- Solidarity protests by women abroad also occur, including one outside the Italian consulate in Tokyo. (Indian Express)
18 people are injured after a car bomb is detonated in Yala, Thailand. (Al Jazeera)
The International Red Cross states that the Colombian FARC rebel group has released its fourth captive over the past few days but failed to release two others. (AP via Minneapolis Star-Tribune)^{[permanent dead link‍]}

Arts and culture

Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Zahi Hawass says several pieces have been stolen from the Egyptian Museum during the revolution. (Straits Times) (Xinhua)
A giant Andy Scott sculpture is knocked over in a car accident in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire. (BBC)
Bono Boer controversy:
- Irish pop star Bono walks into a "political minefield" in South Africa after apparently endorsing a song with the lyrics: "Shoot the Boer", a song currently appearing before the country's highest court. (BBC) (Mail & Guardian) (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- Steve Hofmeyr responds to Bono's comments by dumping R5 000 worth of U2 concert tickets in the Jukskei River and urges Neil Diamond to "keep his political trap shut" as well. Hofmeyr's actions cause a stir on Twitter. (The New Age) (IOL) (Primedia Broadcasting - Eyewitness News)
The King's Speech wins seven awards at the 64th British Academy Film Awards including best film and Best Actor for Colin Firth. (BBC)
53rd Grammy Awards:
- Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott wins the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for the song "Need You Now" performed by Lady Antebellum. (Los Angeles Times)
- Singer Esperanza Spalding wins the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. (Reuters vis Yahoo! News)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
- Arcade Fire wins the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for The Suburbs (New York Times)
- Lady Antebellum wins the Grammy Award for Record of the Year for "Need You Now". (New York Times)

Business and economy

The board of directors of NYSE Euronext meets to discuss a proposed merger with Deutsche Börse, while New York's U.S. Senator, Chuck Schumer tells reporters that he is confident the NYSE would run the merged entity. (Reuters)

Disasters

South Korea reports two more outbreaks of bird flu near Seoul. (Yonhap)

International relations

The Guardian's Moscow Correspondent Luke Harding, who was expelled from Russia, is issued a new entry visa ahead of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to London. (Reuters) (RIA Novosti)
Pakistan's former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi dismisses claims by U.S. authorities that the American gunman who recently shot two Pakistanis dead is a diplomat. (Xinhua)
Nearly 1,000 Tunisian refugees arrive on the Italian island of Lampedusa overnight, a day after the government declared a humanitarian emergency. (AFP via Google News)
Immigration to Canada hits a record high, while Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney states that abuse of the immigration system must end. (National Post)

Law and crime

Unidentified gunmen kill eight people in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Burma's state media publishes its first criticism of Aung San Suu Kyi since her release. (BBC)
Switzerland votes in its gun control referendum, rejecting the proposal. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Republican and LGBT rights campaigner Fred Karger launches a campaign in the U.S. states of Iowa and New Hampshire aiming to become President of the United States. (The Observer)
Cuba releases two more political prisoners. (BBC)
Hina Rabbani Khar is appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani to become the first female Foreign Minister. (The Star)
Thousands of protesters in Dresden, Germany form a human chain to mark the 66th anniversary of the Dresden bombing and to protest against racism. (France24)
Writing in The Observer, British Prime Minister David Cameron defends his vision for a Big Society, dismissing claims that it is a "cover" for spending cuts. (Sky News)

Sport

In golf, Spaniard Álvaro Quirós fires a hole in one to win the Dubai Desert Classic; Tiger Woods concludes in 20th place. (Al Jazeera)