Portal:Current events/2011 February 22

February 22, 2011 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Libyan civil war:
- The leader of Libya Muammar Gaddafi appears on state television to disprove claims that he has fled. (AFP via News Limited) (BBC)
- The runways at Benina International Airport in Benghazi have been destroyed. (Reuters via News 24)
- The United Nations Security Council holds a closed-door meeting in response to the crackdown in Libya (The Guardian)
- Colonel Gaddafi gives a major speech claiming that he will remain head of the revolution. (BBC)
- Abdul Fatah Younis, the Libyan Interior Minister and general in the Libyan Army, defects. (Al Jazeera)
- The old monarchy-era flag, which has become a popular symbol among anti-government protesters, is hoisted at the Libyan embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. (The Local), (Canadian Press via Google News)
- Peru suspends diplomatic relations with Libya, becoming the first nation to do so since the unrest, and calls on the United Nations Security Council to introduce a no-fly zone over Libyan airspace to stop Libyan Air Force aircraft attacking civilians (The Australian) (BBC)
2011 Yemeni protests:
- Clashes take place between pro and anti-government demonstrators across the country. (AFP via Google News)
- Armed supporters of the Government of Yemen kill two students and wound another eleven students conducting a sit-in at Sanaa University demanding the resignation of the President of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh. (AFP via SBS)
2010-2011 Algerian protests:
- The Algerian government adopts a draft law lifting the state of emergency in the country, in place since 1992. (BBC)
- Strikes continue in the country. (AFP via Google News)
2011 Iranian protests: Iranian security forces arrest the son of opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi. (Reuters via SBS News Australia)

Arts and culture

Jamaican reggae singer Buju Banton is found guilty on drugs charges in the U.S. state of Florida. (Go Jamaica)

Business

Moody's Investors Service downgrades Japan's credit rating due to concerns over high levels of government debt. (Bloomberg)
The life insurance company Metlife expects to sell its Taiwan unit soon, perhaps as early as April, according to anonymous sources cited by Reuters. Regulators blocked an early effort by MetLife to sell the same unit. (Reuters)
Uncertainty in Libya leads to falls in world stock markets and increases in crude oil prices. (Wall Street Journal)

Disasters

2011 Canterbury earthquake:
- An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude strikes the region of Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand, disrupting communications to the area and closing Christchurch Airport. (New Zealand Herald) (Geo Net) (New Zealand Herald)
- 65 people are confirmed dead. (Stuff) (TVNZ)
- Radio New Zealand reports that buildings have collapsed with 200 people trapped in one building alone. (Radio New Zealand) (Sky News) (TV3)
- Christchurch Cathedral is badly damaged in the quake, losing its spire. (CNN) (WA Today)
- The New Zealand Fire Service confirms that there have been at least 65 deaths resulting from the earthquake with the city of Christchurch not having enough ambulances. (Radio New Zealand) (3 News New Zealand) (TV New Zealand)
- The Prime Minister of New Zealand calls an emergency Cabinet meeting while Bob Parker, the Mayor of Christchurch, declares a state of emergency. (Radio New Zealand) (New Zealand Herald)
Tropical Cyclone Carlos wreaks damage in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with reports of four tornadoes striking the mining town of Karratha. (WAToday)

International relations

The Iran Navy sends two ships through the Suez Canal for the first time since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. (Reuters) (WSJ)
Egypt decides to open the Rafah crossing with Gaza. (Ynet) (Arab News)
Al-Jazeera reports Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa stating that Libya is suspended from sessions. (Ynet) (Bloomberg) (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

United States militant nativist Shawna Forde of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps is sentenced to death in Arizona for her role in the murders of Raul and Brisenia Flores. (AP via AZCentral), (USA Today)
An Indian court convicts 31 people on murder and conspiracy charges in relation to the Godhra train burning. (Los Angeles Times via Global National)

Politics and elections

The King of Bahrain Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa orders the release of political prisoners in response to the 2011 Bahraini protests. (AP via CF News)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
The Democrats in the Indiana House of Representatives leave for other states in the U.S. rather than vote on anti-union legislation. (Indy Star)
U.S. mayoral elections:
- Voters in the United States city of Chicago go to the polls for the Chicago mayoral election with former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel winning. (ABC News)^{[permanent dead link‍]} (CNN), (New York Times)
- Mark Funkhouser is defeated in a bid to be reelected as the mayor of Kansas City with Mike Burke and Sly James contesting a runoff on March 22. (Fox Kansas City)