Portal:Current events/2011 February 15

February 15, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Yemeni protests:
- Clashes take place for a fifth day in the Yemeni capital Sana'a, amid demonstrations calling for political reform. (Al Jazeera)
2011 Bahraini protests:
- Thousands of people demonstrate in Bahrain after a protester was shot dead at a funeral for another protester. (Reuters)
- The King of Bahrain Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa orders an inquiry into the deaths of the two protestors. (BBC)
2011 Iranian protests:
- Iranian politicians call for the execution of opposition leaders. (The New York Times) (Times Live South Africa)
The Government of the Philippines and Communist Party of the Philippines hold their first peace talks in six years in Oslo, Norway. (AFP via Channel News Asia)
The Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan vows to find the remains of the 12,000 Japanese soldiers still missing after the Battle of Iwo Jima of World War II. (The Washington Post)

Arts and culture

Writer Raymond Chandler's wife's ashes are buried over his casket during a ceremony in San Diego in the U.S. state of California. (BBC)
The People's Republic of China orders makers of films and television programs to limit the amount of smoking shown on-screen. (AP via Phil Star)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil begins a 15-day jail sentence for drunk driving in Las Vegas. (AP via Herald-Sun)
The Government of Malaysia cancels a concert by expatriate Iranian singer Mohsen Namjoo "because it is not appropriate in terms of religion, culture and the country's cosmopolitan nature". (Malaysian Star)

Business and economy

Inflation in the People's Republic of China increases to 4.9 per cent. (Reuters via The Melbourne Age) (People's Daily)
Apple launches a subscription service for magazines, newspapers, videos, and music bought through its App Store. (CNet)
United Airlines temporarily grounds its fleet of 96 Boeing 757 jetliners so it can perform checks to earlier modifications to air-data computers. (The Wall Street Journal)
The Delaware Chancery Court upholds the use of a poison pill by Airgas, effectively ending a takeover bid launched a year ago by Air Products. (Reuters)

International relations

Argentina lodges an official complaint against the United States after America's landing of a military plane loaded with undeclared "sensitive material", including guns, drugs and satellite phones, leading the Argentinian government to express concerns that the U.S. was attempting to sneak its cargo into the country. (The Guardian)
The United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlines a new policy on Internet freedom^{[disambiguation needed]}. (The New York Times)
The UNASUR Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Nations will come into force on March 11th, following the deposit of its ninth instrument of ratification, by the Uruguayan government. (Brazilian Foreign Ministry)

Law and crime

Islamic morality police arrest over 80 Muslims in Malaysia to prevent them from celebrating Valentine's Day. (BBC)
The Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi is indicted on charges of paying for sex with an underaged girl and abuse of power in the so-called Rubygate scandal. (BBC) (The Washington Post)
A coroner has given his verdict into the death of Linda Norgrove by stating that the soldier who threw the grenade had "acted unaware of Linda's presence". (Sky News)
Amanda Knox's parents have been indicted for allegedly libeling police in Perugia, Italy in statements made surrounding the murder of Meredith Kercher. (CNN)
An analysis of the FBI's scientific work in the investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks on the United States finds that the Bureau overstated the strength of the links to a supply held by Bruce Ivins. (The New York Times)
Two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are shot while travelling between Monterrey and Mexico City with one officer dying. (CNN)
A Palestinian teen is released from Israeli custody after the police officer who allegedly beat a confession out of him fails to show up to an inquiry. The teenager was held in Israel for 7 months for allegedly throwing rocks before being released.(Haaretz)

Politics

The Israeli Knesset has passed a bill making boycotting Israeli individuals or organizations illegal.(Haaretz)
A proposal by a consortium of private contractors to attack WikiLeaks and to discredit journalists in favour of the website - including Glenn Greenwald - is uncovered after thousands of e-mails are leaked onto the internet, some of which call for people who donate to be tracked and intimidated. (The Independent)

Sport

The 2012 Summer Olympics timetable is released. (BBC Sport)
The International Cricket Council bans the use of Twitter by players and officials during the 2011 Cricket World Cup due to fears that players will be contacted by illegal bookmakers during matches. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, a Scottish Deerhound, wins Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. (ESPN)