Portal:Current events/2015 February 20

February 20, 2015 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Al Qubbah bombings
- Multiple car bombs kill at least 45 and wound 30 in the eastern Libyan town of Al Qubbah. (BBC) (AP)
Somali Civil War (2009–present)
- At least 20 people are killed, including senior officials, in an attack on the Central Hotel in Mogadishu. (BBC)

Business and economy

The government of Greece and the authorities of the Eurozone reach a tentative agreement about the extension of the bailout terms. (Yahoo! Finance)

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association negotiate a tentative contract and will open docks at western U.S. ports beginning on February 21. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

2014–15 Australian region cyclone season
- Cyclone Marcia makes landfall near Shoalwater Bay in central Queensland as a Category 5 tropical cyclone with wind gusts of up to 285 kilometres per hour. (ABC News Australia)
- Cyclone Lam makes landfall in Arnhem Land between Millingimbi and Elcho Island. The communities of Ramingining and Galiwinku have also been badly damaged. (ABC News Australia)
Two trains collide in the Swiss town of Rafz resulting in as many as 49 people injured and Swiss Federal Railways cancelling some services. (Reuters)
High tides cause the River Thames to flood in parts of southwest London. (Evening Standard)
A fire rips through The Marina Torch apartment complex in Dubai, one of the tallest residential apartment buildings in the world. (BBC)
At least 23 people die this week in the United States due to cold weather, with 18 dead in the state of Tennessee. (CNN)

Health

Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa
- Liberia lifts curfews and reopens borders from Sunday as the epidemic starts to end. (Daily Star)

Law and crime

Australian rugby star Karmichael Hunt is arrested on charges of supplying cocaine following a Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission operation. (NZ Newswire via Yahoo! 7)
Thailand passes a law banning foreigners from hiring Thai women as commercial surrogate mothers. (BBC)
Zambia's top prosecutor Mutembo Nchito refuses to prosecute himself for alleged abuse of office. (AFP via France 24)^{[permanent dead link‍]}

Politics and elections

Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
- The Houthis come to a preliminary agreement to form a new government in Yemen. (CNN)

Sports

In motor sport, NASCAR indefinitely suspends former Cup Series champion Kurt Busch following a conviction for domestic violence against his girlfriend. (CNN)