Portal:Current events/2012 February 14

February 14, 2012 (Tuesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2011–2012 Syrian uprising:
- The Syrian army continues its bombardments of Homs, as Arab officials confirm that regional governments would be prepared to arm the opposition if the fighting does not cease. (Reuters)
- China says it will "not protect" the Syrian government. (Gulf News)
- The Government of Egypt circulates a draft motion for consideration by the General Assembly of the United Nations. A proposed resolution would strongly condemn human rights violations by the Syrian regime. (AP via The Sydney Morning Herald)
2011–2012 Bahraini uprising:
- Security forces fire tear gas on anti-government demonstrators on the first anniversary of the start of protests calling for reforms in the nation. (Al Jazeera)
- Anonymous marks the anniversary of the Bahraini uprising by hacking U.S. tear gas company Combined Systems Inc., based in Jamestown, Pennsylvania, which has supplied much of the tear gas the regimes of the Middle East have used against protesters. (The Washington Post) (The Atlantic Wire) (ABC News)
- It is reported that Britain continues to sell arms to Bahrain. (The Guardian)
The U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by the cruiser Cape St. George and the destroyer Sterett, sails through the Strait of Hormuz, close to the coast of Iran, for the second time in recent weeks. (BBC) (Reuters) (Washington Post)
A Sudanese air strike hits the South Sudanese state of Unity, injuring four soldiers in a contested area. (AFP via Google News)
Two explosions are reported in the Thai capital Bangkok, injuring one Iranian man. (Bangkok Post)^{[permanent dead link‍]} (Times of India)
A Tibetan monk sets himself on fire in western China, in the latest self-immolation protest. (The Himalayan Times)

Arts and culture

A new statue of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is unveiled in the capital Pyongyang. (The Telegraph)
Wellesley College and Baylor University publish love letters between English poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett online. (AP via WVEC)
China issues new regulations on foreign television programmes being aired in the country - banning all imported programmes during prime time. (New York Times)

Business and economy

Authorities in the U.S. say that the recent mortgage settlement with the country's largest banks will provide $1 billion to the Federal Housing Administration, replenishing the FHA's badly depleted capital reserves. (Reuters)
Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the Euro Group, cancels a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Greek bailout stating that they are still seeking information from the Greek government. (AAP via The Age)

Disasters

Category 4 Cyclone Giovanna hits Madagascar near the city of Toamasina, with at least one person being killed and the death toll expected to rise. (Reuters) (BBC)
Gaza's only power station shuts down due to lack of fuel. (BBC)

International relations

Actor Sean Penn meets Argentina's president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to voice his support for "the Malvinas Islands of Argentina" and urges Britain to cease its "archaic commitment to colonialist ideology". (The Guardian) (Daily Mail)
The Vice-President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping meets with the President of the United States Barack Obama during a visit to the United States. (Wall Street Journal)
An employee in the United States embassy in Islamabad is detained in the Pakistani city of Peshawar after bullets are found in his luggage. (CNN)
The Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal orders the opposition not to destroy the voter list following its primary. (AP via Google News)
The World Bank announces that its President, Robert Zoellick, is stepping down when his term ends in June. (Washington Post)

Politics

The Ugandan minister Minister for Ethics and Integrity Simon Lokodo raids a workshop for gay activists and attempts to arrest the organiser. (BBC)
Kuwait forms a new cabinet before a new session of the assembly on Wednesday. (IOL)
Thousands of opposition supporters from Iran's Green Movement march silently through the capital Tehran calling for the release of political prisoners. (Financial Times)

Sport

FIFA warns the Argentine Football Association (AFA) against renaming their top league after the ARA General Belgrano cruiser on which hundreds of people were killed after it was sunk by a British nuclear submarine in 1982. FIFA says such a move might breach rules on mixing politics with football. (RTÉ Sport)
Rangers enter administration and are docked 10 points, effectively ending their 2011–12 Scottish Premier League challenge and giving the title to bitter rivals Celtic. (BBC Sport)
93 people, including the Fenerbahçe S.K. president, go to trial on match fixing charges involving 19 Süper Lig matches in the Turkish city of Istanbul. (Sports Illustrated)
The Six Nations Council announces that the match between France versus Ireland in the 2012 Six Nations Championship, called off minutes prior to kick-off on Saturday night, has been rescheduled for Sunday 4 March, with a 3.00pm kick-off, Irish time. (RTÉ Sport) (BBC Sport)
In ice hockey, the Detroit Red Wings set a new record of 21 consecutive home victories in the National Hockey League by defeating the Dallas Stars 3-1. (Reuters via Yahoo 7)