Portal:Current events/2012 February 11

February 11, 2012 (Saturday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Syrian Civil War:
  - A draft resolution is circulated by Saudi Arabia at the United Nations General Assembly calling for an end to the violence, as the Syrian city of Homs is besieged by the Syrian army. (BBC)
  - A Syrian army general is shot dead in Damascus, according to state media. (China Radio International)
  - At least three people are killed and several wounded in Tripoli, Lebanon, in clashes between supporters and opponents of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. (Jerusalem Post)
- Bahraini uprising of 2011:
  - Bahrain security forces tear-gas dozens of demonstrators, injuring three, ahead of the anniversary of the uprising. (AFP)
  - Human rights activist Nabeel Rajab says two Americans have been detained by Bahraini security forces and US Embassy is looking into the reports. (Associated Press)
- 2011–12 Saudi Arabian protests:
  - A second protester is shot dead in eastern Saudi Arabia amid an ongoing anti-government protests. (Al Jazeera)
- 2011 Egyptian Revolution:
  - Activists in Egypt mark the first anniversary of the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution with a strike and a day of civil disobedience. (BBC)
  - Three people including an Australian journalist, an American student and their Egyptian guide are arrested in the city of El-Mahalla El-Kubra for allegedly offering inducements to people to join. (News Limited)
  - Labour activist Kamal al-Fayyumi is also arrested in El-Mahalla El-Kubra. (Al-Jazeera)
The Israeli Air Force conducts four air strikes in the Gaza Strip with claims that two people were injured. (AFP via France 24)

Arts and culture

American singer and actress Whitney Houston dies suddenly at the age of 48 at the The Beverly Hilton. (AP via Herald-Sun) (BBC) (Los Angeles Times)

International relations

Sudan and South Sudan sign a non-aggression treaty. (IOL)
Sir Mark Lyall Grant, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, describes claims by Argentina that the United Kingdom is militarising the Falkland Islands as "manifestly absurd". (Sky News)

Law and crime

Arid Uka, an Islamic extremist, is convicted in Germany of murdering two U.S. soldiers and injuring another two in a shooting at Frankfurt Airport last year. (AP)
Five journalists from The Sun are among eight people arrested in connection with allegations of corrupt payments to police. News International boss Rupert Murdoch says he is committed to the newspaper. (BBC)

Politics

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to make an "important nuclear announcement" within days. (Al Jazeera)
Burmese protest leader U Gambira is released by authorities in Yangon after being held overnight. (BBC)
Thousands of people march in Japan against the resumption of nuclear reactors that were closed after the Fukushima disaster last year. (AP via Jakarta Post)
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets privately with Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai. The latter is currently embroiled in the Wang Lijun affair in what is rumoured to be an intense political struggle. (Globe and Mail) (The National Post)
Hundreds of thousands of people march in the Portuguese capital Lisbon against austerity measures. (AFP via Google News)
The Republican caucuses in the state of Maine finish with Mitt Romney finishing just ahead of Ron Paul. (New York Times)

Sport

The live televised France versus Ireland match in the 2012 Six Nations Championship is cancelled minutes prior to kick-off, prompting boos to ring out among disgruntled spectators inside a packed Stade de France. It is the first time such an event has happened since 1985. (RTÉ News) (BBC Sport) (The Guardian)