Portal:Current events/2011 January 31

January 31, 2011 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Egyptian protests:
- The overnight atmosphere among the crowds gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square is tense with gunfire reported. (Al Jazeera)
- President Hosni Mubarak orders his new prime minister Ahmed Shafiq to preserve subsidies, control inflation and provide more jobs as he battles an intense popular revolt against his 30-year rule. The announcement is read out on state television but has little effect as protesters vow to continue demonstrating until the Mubarak regime falls. (Al Jazeera) (AFP via The Sydney Morning Herald)
- International press institutes, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Doha Centre for Media Freedom and Reporters Without Borders, condemn attempts by the Mubarak regime to quell the freedom of the press as protests continue. (Al Jazeera)
- The Government of Australia sends a QANTAS jet to evacuate Australians trapped in Egypt while the United States Government charters jets to evacuate its citizens. (ABC News Australia), (AP)
- Al-Jazeera claims that six of its journalists are in police custody. (AP via Google News)
- The Egyptian Army states that it will not use force against protesters. (Reuters)
2011 Sudan protests: A student dies after being attacked by security forces amid anti-government demonstrations in the country. (Reuters)
Nigerian police say they have foiled a bomb attack at a church in the city of Bauchi, days after deadly clashes between Christian and Muslim youths. (Reuters)
A suicide bomber kills DSP Rashid Khan, a senior local police official in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, and at least three others. (AP via Star Tribune)^{[permanent dead link]}, (Geo TV)
Police in Bangladesh fire tear gas at 20,000 demonstrators protesting against government plans to build an airport south of the capital Dhaka. A policeman is killed in the incident. (AFP via Google News) (BBC)
At least 17 people are killed and scores more injured in a shootout between opposing government security forces in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Xinhua)

Business and economy

Pharmaceutical companies Genzyme and Sanofi-Aventis are reported to have reached an "agreement in principle" on a deal in which Sanofi, a French company, will acquire Cambridge-based Genzyme for an undetermined amount of money. (CNBC)
The price of oil rises above $100 for the first time since 2008 as traders worry about possible disruption to the Suez Canal as a result of events in Egypt. (AFP via The Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link]}

Disasters

2 people are killed and 29,000 are evacuated following floods in Johor, southern Malaysia. (Straits Times)
The Japanese government urges residents living near the Shinmoedake volcano in Kyūshū to evacuate as eruptions become worse. (AP via Winnipeg Free Press)
Anna Bligh, the Premier of the Australian state of Queensland warns tens of thousands of people to prepare for evacuation ahead of Cyclone Yasi expected to hit later in the week. (the Australian)

International relations

The European Union and United States impose new sanctions against Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and close associates. (AFP via Google News)
Oman says it has uncovered a spy network from the United Arab Emirates operating in the country. (Al Jazeera)
WikiLeaks:
- A new biography of Julian Assange reveals details of how the WikiLeaks spokesperson evaded U.S. officers from the Central Intelligence Agency Assange believed were following him, including his use of disguises. (AFP via The Sydney Morning Herald)
- WikiLeaks cables outline how the Labour Government led by former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown advised the Libyan government about securing the release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. (Daily Telegraph)
British Defence Secretary Liam Fox says that Iran could have a nuclear weapon by next year and that the assessment of Meir Dagan, outgoing director of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, that Iran would not be able to produce a nuclear bomb before 2015 could be overly optimistic; Iran rejects Fox's remarks.(Reuters)(UKPA)

Law and crime

Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, two of the most senior surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge, appear in a Cambodian court to request release from pre-trial detention. (BBC) (Phnom Penh Post)
Roger Vinson of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida rules that the Health insurance mandate of President Barack Obama's health care reforms are unconstitutional. (Time) (New York Times)

Politics and elections

China's state broadcaster China Central Television reportedly uses footage from the 1986 film Top Gun as a substitute for its coverage of the country's air force. (BBC) (Reuters)
Southern Sudan announces it plans to officially declare independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011. (BBC) (Times of India)
A new parliament opens in Burma. (BBC) (The Independent) (Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link]}
Presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Niger following one year of military rule. (Times LIVE) (RFI)
The United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton convenes a mass meeting of United States ambassadors from around the world. (AP via Google News)
The 40th Canadian Parliament returns to session amid speculation of an impending election after an extended "holiday break". (Bloomberg) (CTV Edmonton)
The Sudanese government closes down Ahlia University and the Islamic University of Omdurman following an anti-government protest in which at least one student died. (AFP via Google News)

Sport

Chittagong authorities vow to pay disabled beggars $2 per day for three months to keep them off the streets and away from tourists and spectators during the 2011 Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by Bangladesh. (BBC News)
Spanish striker Fernando Torres joins Chelsea from Liverpool in a £50m transfer, a record for English football. (BBC)
The United States Soccer Federation announces that a match between the US men's national football team and the Egypt national football team in Cairo on February 8 has been cancelled due to the current unrest. (CNN International) (US Soccer)