Portal:Current events/2015 February 21
February 21, 2015 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Boko Haram
- The Nigerian Army recaptures the town of Baga where Boko Haram killed scores of people last month. (BBC)
- Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant
- The Turkish media reports that the Turkish Army has sent troops into Syria to evacuate troops and artefacts from the Tomb of Suleyman Shah in the Aleppo Governorate which has been under threat from Islamic State for several months. One soldier has reportedly been killed. (New York Times) (Hurriyet Daily News)
Business and economy
- The United Steelworkers union notifies the owner of the largest refinery in the United States that its members are on strike. The notification to Motiva constitutes a major escalation of ongoing labor-management confrontation in that industry. (Reuters)
- More than 5,000 workers at a General Motors plant in Brazil joins in a strike against the dismissal of proposal for another 800 factory employees. (GloboNews) (The Peninsula)
Disasters and accidents
- Three Italian cross-country skiers are killed and two are injured in an avalanche near the Great St Bernard Pass in the Swiss Alps. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
International relations
- Indonesia recalls its envoy to Brazil due to ongoing tension caused by Indonesia's recent execution of a Brazilian drug smuggler. (Reuters)
- War in Donbass
- The United States and United Kingdom discuss imposing additional sanctions on Russia over the breach of the ceasefire. (CNN via WLWT)
- The Ukrainian Army and rebel separatists complete a prisoner exchange. (AAP via SBS)
- The President of Peru Ollanta Humala recalls the ambassador to Chile over spying allegations. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- The Willacy County Correctional Center in Willacy County, Texas is emptied of thousands of inmates the day after a riot makes it uninhabitable. (NBC News)
Science and technology
- NASA astronauts perform one of three ISS spacewalks to reroute cables needed in preparation for the 2017 arrival of the first commercial spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts. (AP)
Sports
- Floyd Mayweather announces that Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is set for 2 May 2015 at Las Vegas's MGM Grand Garden Arena. (USA Today)
- During the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway, driver Kyle Busch suffers a compound right leg fracture and left mid-foot fracture in a crash, and is successfully operated upon at a local hospital. He will not race in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, and will be temporarily replaced by defending Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton. (NASCAR.com)