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Mohammed Waheed Hassan (pictured) is sworn in as President of the Maldives following the resignation of Mohamed Nasheed due to weeks of protests.
Russian scientists reach Lake Vostok, isolated under the Antarctic ice shield, after drilling a 3,768-meter (12,362-foot) borehole.
Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador, who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug, is stripped of his 2010 Tour de France and 2011 Giro d'Italia victories and banned from competition for two years.
Sauli Niinistö of the National Coalition Party is elected President of Finland.
In American football, the New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLVI.
Syrian opposition leaders report that at least 200 people were killed during a military operation in Homs.

Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...

February 8, 2012 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

Pakistani officials claim that US drone missiles have killed ten people in Spalga village in North Waziristan. (AP via Google News), (Reuters)
The Syrian government offensive in Homs with tanks reported in neighbourhoods. (Al-Jazeera)

Business and economy

Histadrut, Israel's trade union organisation, calls a nationwide strike with Ben Gurion Airport to be closed until midday. (AP via Google News)
Air France cancels long-haul flights due to a strike by staff. (AFP via Sydney Morning Herald)
Airbus announces that it will inspect the wings of all Airbus 380 aircraft for cracks. (BBC)

Disasters

The death toll from a factory collapse in Lahore, Pakistan rises to 21. (AP via MSNBC)
The New Zealand Royal Commission on the Pike River Mine disaster hears that a collapse in the coal extraction area was the most likely cause of the fatal blast in the mine on November 19, 2010 that claimed 29 lives. (TV New Zealand)

Politics

The new President of the Maldives Mohammed Waheed Hassan calls for the formation of a national unity government. (AP via Herald-Sun)

February 8, 2012 Wikinews articles

Komen executive resigns and criticizes Planned Parenthood

February 7, 2012 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

2011-2012 Syrian uprising
- Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, visits Damascus to hold discussions with the President of Syria Bashar al-Assad about the current violence. (Reuters)
- Lavrov claims to have achieved a commitment from Assad to end the violence. (AFP via The Australian)
- The city of Homs remains under siege with heavy gunfire reported. (Sky News)
- France, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy recall their ambassadors for more consultations. (Reuters), (The Guardian), (AFP via the Australian)
- The Gulf Arab states withdraw their ambassadors. (BBC)
Maldives police mutiny
- Maldives National Defence Force soldiers fire rubber bullets at police officers demonstrating in the capital Malé who are defying an order by President Mohamed Nasheed to crack down on protests. (AP via Google News)
- Nasheed later resigns on national television as the unrest spreads with the mutinying officers gaining control of state television. (BBC)
- The former Vice President of the Maldives Mohammed Waheed Hassan is sworn in vowing to uphold the "rule of law". (BBC)
A standoff between security forces and striking policemen occupying the state legislature continues in Salvador, Brazil. (Al Jazeera)
Tuareg Rebellion (2011–present): 22,000 people flee fighting in Mali to neighbouring countries. (IOL)

Disasters

Rescuers in the Philippines search for survivors of the 2012 Negros Oriental earthquake with the death toll so far confirmed at 43. (AFP via The Sydney Morning Herald)
The death toll from a factory collapse in the Pakistani city of Lahore rises to 17 with 20 more people trapped in the rubble. (AAP via Yahoo7 News)

International relations

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the President of Argentina, states that Argentina will lodge a complaint with the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly about the alleged "militarisation" of the area around the Falkland Islands by the United Kingdom. (BBC)

Law and crime

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturns California's Proposition 8 banning gay marriage in that state. (Los Angeles Times)
Manssor Arbabsiar will face a trial on October 22 in the United States for his role in the 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot against the Saudi Arabian ambassador. (AFP via France 24)

Politics and elections

U.S. Republican Party presidential primaries
- Republican Party voters in Colorado participate in caucuses with 36 delegates at stake - Santorum wins a tight race with Mitt Romney. (9 News), (The Guardian), (BBC), (Denver Post)
- Republican voters in the state of Minnesota participate in caucuses with 40 delegates at stake - Rick Santorum is projected to win. (NPR), (The Guardian), (Fox News)
- Voters in the state of Missouri vote in a non-binding primary with Rick Santorum winning the most votes. (Joplin Globe), (Reuters)
The French Cabinet walks out of the National Assembly after Socialist Party MP Serge Letchimy accuses Interior Minister Claude Guéant of flirting with Nazi ideology in his statement that "not all civilisations are of equal value". (The Guardian)
The Iranian parliament summons president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over economic policy, in the first such summons since the Iranian Revolution. (Al Arabiya)
An anti-gay bill is reintroduced in the Ugandan parliament after it was previously withdrawn. (GlobalPost)
The United States Congress votes to pass legislation allowing for greater use of drone aircraft in the United States. (New York Daily News)

February 7, 2012 Wikinews articles

Santorum neologism gains prominence during US election cycle

February 6, 2012 (Monday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

2011–2012 Syrian uprising
- Syrian government forces continue shelling the city of Homs with at least 17 people dead today. (AP via Google News)
- Hacker group Anonymous publishes hundreds of emails from President Bashar al-Assad's office. (Haaretz)
- The United States closes its embassy in Damascus, while the United Kingdom recalls its ambassador. (Washington Post) (CNN)
- Ahmet Davutoğlu, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, says Turkey's doors were “open to all Syrians who want to flee from oppression.” (Hurriyet Daily News)
Gunmen kill five refugees from the Libyan town of Tawergha in a camp in a Tripoli suburb. (Reuters)
More than 1000 Brazilian Army and police surround the state Legislative Assembly in Salvador, Bahia, after striking police officers and their families occupy it. (Al-Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Spanish artist Antoni Tàpies, a pioneer of abstract art, dies in Barcelona at the age of 88. (AFP via Google News)

Business and economy

Greek government debt crisis: The government of Greece fails to reach agreement over the terms of a new bailout from the European Union, but retracts the deadline they had given themselves to do so, 30 minutes before the deadline would have passed. (The Guardian)

Disasters

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake hits near the central Philippines off the coast of Negros Island causing at least 13 deaths and 29 people missing with houses buried in a landslide in Guihulngan. (AP via Google News)
A three-storey factory collapses in the Pakistani city of Lahore after a gas explosion resulting in at least three deaths with dozens of workers trapped. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Queen Elizabeth II marks the 60th anniversary of her becoming the monarch of the United Kingdom and seven other sovereign states in the Commonwealth of Nations with events to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee set for later in the year. (BBC)
Myanmar's Election Commission clears National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to run in a by-election in the seat of Kawhmu. (AP via US News and World Report)
Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc and his entire cabinet resign after major social and political unrest in the country. (The Guardian)
The BBC reports that rival Palestinian factions have agreed to form a government led by President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of elections. (BBC)

Sport

In cycling, the Court of Arbitration for Sport bans Spanish rider Alberto Contador for two years for doping and strips him of championships including the 2010 Tour de France. (The Guardian)

February 6, 2012 Wikinews articles

February 5, 2012 (Sunday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

An explosion hits the gas pipeline between Egypt, Israel and Jordan in the North Sinai Governorate west of Arish. (AP via MSNBC)
At least three people die and nine are injured by an explosion in the Afghan city of Kandahar. (BBC)
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claims responsibility for attacking an Eni SpA pipeline carrying oil to the Nigerian city of Brass. (Bloomberg)

Disasters

Early 2012 European cold wave:
- Heavy snow falls across much of the United Kingdom, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights at Heathrow Airport and the closure of the runway at Luton Airport. (BBC)
- More than 250 people have died of the cold weather in Europe, with Russia forced to reduce supplies of natural gas. (Al-Jazeera)
- Bosnia declares a state of emergency as a result of the cold snap. (Al-Jazeera)
Due to flooding, residents are asked to evacuate the Australian town of St George, Queensland, and the body is found of a woman missing in Roma. (ABC News Australia)

Law and crime

A Libyan starts court proceedings against 41 people accused of helping Muammar Gaddafi to attempt to suppress the opposition in the Libyan Civil War. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Bahraini opposition parties launch a week-long sit in for political reform. (Reuters)
Voters in Finland go to the polls for the second round of the Finnish Presidential election with conservative candidate Sauli Niinisto winning in a landslide. (AP via Google News)
Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah resigns as the Prime Minister of Kuwait following a strong performance by the Opposition in a recent parliamentary election. (AP via the Washington Examiner)
The Nigerian People's Democratic Party wins the governorship in Adamawa State. (Reuters)
The ruling Mexican National Action Party (PAN) endorses Josefina Vázquez Mota as its candidate for the Presidential election, the first time that a major Mexican party has endorsed a woman to run for President of Mexico. (AP via Star Tribune)

Sport

Super Bowl XLVI:
- In American football, Super Bowl XLVI is played in Indianapolis with the New York Giants defeating the New England Patriots 21-17. (SA Sunday Mail) (NBC Sports)
- Quarterback Eli Manning of the Giants wins his second Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award. (AP via Wall Street Journal)
In darts, England win the 2012 PDC World Cup of Darts defeating Australia 4-3 in the final. (Fox Sports)

February 5, 2012 Wikinews articles

February 4, 2012 (Saturday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

2011–2012 Syrian uprising:
- The United Nations Security Council votes on an Arab League proposal to resolve problems in Syria with reports of hundreds of people dead in the past couple of days as a result of shelling in Homs - the People's Republic of China and Russia veto the resolution. (BBC) (Al-Arabiya) (Reuters via the Hindustan Times)
- Twelve people are arrested at the Syrian Embassy in London as part of a worldwide protest against the shelling. (BBC), (The Telegraph)
- Protesters are also reported to have stormed Syrian embassies in Kuwait, Egypt, Australia, Germany and Greece. (AP via Google News) (The Telegraph) (ABC News Australia)
- Tunisia is to withdraw its recognition of the Syrian government. (Reuters)
- The Arab Parliament calls for Arab countries to sever relations with Syria. (IOL)
2011–2012 Bahraini uprising: An increasing number of anti-government protests take place in Bahrain in the build up to the first anniversary of the start of the protests. (Al Jazeera)
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan estimates that civilian deaths in the war in Afghanistan rose to a record level in 2011 of 3021 with insurgents responsible for most of the deaths. (AAP via Merald-Sun)
Iran starts new military exercises as tensions rise over its nuclear program. (Washington Post)
Egypt's tax authority building in Cairo is set alight as protests against the continuation of military rule carry on. (Al-Jazeera)
Florence Green, the last known veteran from World War I, dies at the age of 110 in the United Kingdom. (Atlantic Wire)

Disasters

Tens of thousands of people are stranded by floods in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland. (AFP via The West Australian)
Filmmakers Mike deGruy of Santa Barbara, California and Andrew Wight of Victoria die in a helicopter crash in the Australian town of Berry, New South Wales. (The Daily Telegraph)

Law and crime

Charlie White, the Secretary of State of the US state of Indiana, is convicted of multiple voter fraud related offences. (AP via Mercury News)

Politics and elections

Three more Tibetan protesters set themselves on fire in Sichuan, China. (Straits Times)
2011–2012 Russian protests: Over 100,000 people protest for and against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow. (RIA Novosti)
Julius Malema, formerly of the African National Congress Youth League, loses an appeal against a decision by South Africa's ruling African National Congress party to suspend him. (IOL)
2012 United States presidential election:
- Republican Party voters gather in Nevada for the party caucuses with Mitt Romney projected as the winner. (The Guardian) (NBC News)
- Republicans in the state of Maine start caucuses which will go on for a week. (WLBZ)

February 4, 2012 Wikinews articles

February 3, 2012 (Friday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

Insurgency in the North Caucasus: The Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov orders his subordinates to halt attacks on the civilian population of Russia, while leaving military and security personnel as legitimate targets.(RFE/RL)
Egyptian protests:
- Egyptian police shoot and kill two protesters in Suez, the first deaths to occur as protests spring up over the Port Said Stadium clashes. (AP via Atlanta Journal Constitution)
- Nearly 400 people are injured in similar protests in Cairo. (BBC)
- Five people are killed and 1,700 injured in clashes resulting from the incident in Port Said. (Al-Jazeera)
Seven Pakistan Army soldiers are killed and three others wounded following a Taliban attack in the Kurram Agency. (Dawn)
The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights claims that more than 100 people have been killed in shelling in the city of Homs. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Hungarian airline Malév ceases operation as its aircraft are grounded due to unpaid debts. (Reuters)
Stocks rise sharply in the United States following positive jobs information with the Nasdaq Composite reaching its highest level since 2000 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average nearing levels last reached in 2008. (Wall Street Journal)
In the United States, employers added over 240,000 jobs in the month of January and the unemployment rate dropped to 8.3%, the lowest percent in three years. (CNN)

Disasters

An official from Papua New Guinea's maritime safety authority estimates that 100 people were trapped aboard the ferry MV Rabaul Queen which sank off the northeast coast yesterday. (Reuters via Alertnet)
Thousands of Australians are evacuated in northern New South Wales and Queensland due to rising floodwaters with parts of Queensland declared as a disaster area. (AAP via Melbourne Herald-Sun), (AAP via Sydney Morning Herald)
At least three people die and 50 are injured after a passenger train derails in the Kamrup district in India's Assam state. (NDTV)
Highways in the US state of Colorado are closed due to heavy snowfall including the I-70. (9 News)

Law and crime

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia increases the sentence of Kang Kek Iew, or Duch, to life for running the Tuol Sleng prison camp under the Khmer Rouge. (BBC)
Major General Michael Linnington orders a court martial for US Private Bradley Manning responsible for leaking hundreds of thousands of documents to Wikileaks. (Baltimore Sun)
US Federal prosecutors drop an investigation of cycling champion Lance Armstrong for alleged use of performance enhancing substances. (USA Today)

Politics

Chris Huhne, the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, resigns after the Crown Prosecution Service announces it will bring charges against him and his wife over claims she accepted penalty points on her driving licence for speeding on his behalf. (BBC)
Thousands of Bahrainis hold a peaceful protest in Manama calling for political reform and release of political prisoners. (Al-Jazeera)

Sport

The Football Association removes John Terry as captain of the England national football team over allegations of racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand during a match. (BBC Sport)
The Daily Mail reports that the world record for the number of water skiers pulled by a single boat (145) has been broken. (Daily Mail)

February 3, 2012 Wikinews articles

February 2, 2012 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

The Philippines military claim to have killed Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail, Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, a leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, and Singaporean Abdullah Ali. (AP via Google News)
Six kidnapped aid workers are released in Yemen. (Reuters)
The Mexican Army sends 4,000 soldiers to Michoacán state as a result of recent violence. (AP via Washington Post)

Disasters

The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 350 people on board. Nearby commercial ships rescue 238 people from the sea. (News Limited via the Herald-Sun) (BBC)
More than 110 people are killed across Europe as a result of a recent cold snap. (BBC) (AP via Courier Mail)
Australian floods:
- Thousands of residents of Australian towns Bellingen and Moree, New South Wales are warned to prepare to evacuate as a result of heavy rain. (The Australian)
- A disaster is declared in the Queensland town of Mitchell with the Maranoa River expected to reach a peak of 9 metres. (The Age)

International relations

The People's Republic of China asks for assistance from South Sudan to obtain the release of 29 Chinese workers held captive in Sudan for five days. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Corruption charges against former Premier of Western Australia Brian Burke are dropped. (ABC News Australia)
The Supreme Court of India cancels 122 telecom licences granted in the 2008 sale at the centre of a corruption scandal involving former minister A. Raja. (AFP via Google News)
A French appeals court upholds a 2009 conviction of the Church of Scientology on fraud charges. (AP via Google News)
Egyptian comedian Adel Imam is sentenced to three months in prison for insulting Islam. ((The Guardian))

Politics

The Prime Minister of Egypt Kamal Ganzouri calls an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss the Port Said Stadium clashes which resulted in at least 74 deaths. (AFP via SBS News Australia)
Voters in Kuwait go the polls for a parliamentary election. (Reuters)
Prince William arrives in the Falkland Islands for a tour of duty as a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot. His deployment comes at a time of high tension between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the sovereignty of the islands. (BBC)

Sports

Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers becomes just the thirteenth NHL player in history to record 8 points in one game, doing so against the Chicago Blackhawks. It is the first time the feat is attained since 1989. (CBC)

February 2, 2012 Wikinews articles

More February 2012 events...

Time: 09:38 UTC \| Day: 8 February \| Purge

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Recent deaths
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Recent: January 3–4/10–11: Egypt, Parliament (3rd phase) 13: Kiribati, President 14: Republic of China (Taiwan), President and Legislative Yuan (Parliament) 15: Kazakhstan, Parliament 22: Croatia, Referendum 29–30 January/5–6 February: Egypt, Shura Council (1st phase) Recent: February 2: Kuwait, Parliament 5: Finland, President (2nd round) Upcoming: February 12: Turkmenistan, President 14–15 February/21–22 February: Egypt, Shura Council (2nd phase) 21: Yemen, President 26: Senegal, President edit sidebar

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Recently concluded Cambodia: Kang Kek Iew France: Jacques Chirac, John Galliano Germany: John Demjanjuk Italy: Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito Indonesia: Abu Bakar Bashir Netherlands: Geert Wilders Peru: Joran van der Sloot Russia: Bhagavad Gita Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko United Kingdom: Levi Bellfield, Robert Black, Vincent Tabak United States: Faisal Shahzad, Noshir Gowadia, Buju Banton, Barry Bonds, Raj Rajaratnam, Rod Blagojevich, Casey Anthony, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Conrad Murray Ongoing Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Tribunal Canada: Russell Williams China: Organized crime in Chongqing France: Church of Scientology, Carlos the Jackal Germany: Heinrich Boere Iraq: Supreme Criminal Tribunal Iran: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim Netherlands: Thomas Lubanga (ICC), Radovan Karadžić (ICTY) Palau: Tommy Remengesau Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr. Russia: Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev Sierra Leone: Charles Taylor (SCFSL) Singapore: Tak Boleh Tahan South Africa: Chris Mahlangu Sudan: Lubna al-Hussein Thailand: Thaksin Shinawatra Tunisia: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Turkey: Ergenekon network United States: Roger Clemens, Ahmed Ghailani, David Headley, Jared Lee Loughner, Charles P. White, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Viktor Bout Upcoming Egypt: Hosni Mubarak, Alaa Mubarak, Gamal Mubarak Norway: Anders Behring Breivik United States: Allen Stanford, Nidal Malik Hasan, John Edwards, Javaris Crittenton edit sidebar

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