Lebanese protesters attempt to block a confidence vote, and 400 people are injured. The Lebanese Cabinet wins the vote. (MSN) (NBC)
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson approves the High Speed 2 railway project, after many delays and the project going billions of pounds overbudget. (The Guardian)
Syrian Civil War United States Armed Forces open fire and kill a Syrian after a group of government supporters attempted to block a U.S. convoy in protest at a checkpoint near Qamishli, Al-Hasakah Governorate. (MSN) (BBC News)
Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick suspends his presidential campaign. (ABC News)
Lesotho begins a murder investigation of First Lady Maesiah Thabane for the murder of former first lady Lipolelo Thabane and ex-wife of Prime Minister Tom Thabane. (CNN)
The GSM Association decides to cancel this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, amid coronavirus concerns. The event would have been held between February 24 and 27. This is the first time that the mobile communications trade show has been cancelled. (CNBC)
Trial of Maesiah Thabane Lesotho begins a murder investigation of First Lady Maesiah Thabane for the murder of former first lady Lipolelo Thabane and ex-wife of Prime Minister Tom Thabane. (CNN)
As part of government efforts to remove the country from a list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, Sudan agrees to compensate the families of sailors killed in an al-Qaeda attack against the USS Cole. (Reuters)
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Julian Smith, Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom and Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers all leave the government. (BBC News)
The Indonesian government declares that all nationals who join ISIL automatically lose their citizenship, and refuses to repatriate fighters captured in Syria. (The Jakarta Post)
Amid a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Sajid Javid resigns as the United Kingdom's Chancellor of the Exchequer after reportedly refusing to sack his adviser team. Javid is replaced by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak, who becomes the first Hindu to hold the senior position. (Sky News) (The Yorkshire Post)
Nepalese Sherpas condemn the Nepalese government's plan to use the army to clear rubbish from the top of Mount Everest and five other Himalayan peaks, saying only experienced Sherpas can reach those places. An army spokesman says the army will be able to reach all those summits. (BBC News)
2020 Labour Party leadership election Shadow First Secretary of State Emily Thornberry is eliminated from the UK Labour leadership race after falling two nominations short of advancing to the next round. (BBC News)
India–Turkey relations Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar tells Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to "not interfere in India's internal affairs" after he and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a joint declaration yesterday condemning the lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir. (Al Jazeera)
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar tells Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to "not interfere in India's internal affairs" after he and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a joint declaration yesterday condemning the lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir. (Al Jazeera)
2020 North Macedonian parliamentary election The Assembly of North Macedonia votes 108–12 to dissolve itself after the country failed to start accession talks with the European Union, and sets the parliamentary election date for April 12. (Reuters)
South Sudanese Civil War SPLM-IO leader and former Vice President Riek Machar rejects a peace proposal by President Salva Kiir Mayardit. While Machar welcomes the provision to reduce the number of states from 32 to 10, he opposes the creation of three administrative areas. (Al Jazeera)
The Assembly of North Macedonia votes 108–12 to dissolve itself after the country failed to start accession talks with the European Union, and sets the parliamentary election date for April 12. (Reuters)
2020 Paris municipal election French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn announces she will run for the Parisian mayoral position on the La République En Marche! ticket, after the party's original candidate Benjamin Griveaux withdrew yesterday due to a sexting scandal. (Reuters)
French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn announces she will run for the Parisian mayoral position on the La République En Marche! ticket, after the party's original candidate Benjamin Griveaux withdrew yesterday due to a sexting scandal. (Reuters)
Syrian civil war, Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gives a televised speech on the military offensives in north-western Syria, saying the offensives in Aleppo Governorate and Idlib Governorate will continue regardless of Turkey's threats while adding that the recent Syrian Army victories are a prelude to the opposition's "final defeat, sooner or later". (Al Masdar News) (Reuters)
Emirati port operating firm DP World returns to being wholly state-owned by the Dubai government, after its sovereign wealth fund Dubai World buys back the company's remaining stakes. DP World is subsequently delisted from the NASDAQ Dubai exchange. (Reuters)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gives a televised speech on the military offensives in north-western Syria, saying the offensives in Aleppo Governorate and Idlib Governorate will continue regardless of Turkey's threats while adding that the recent Syrian Army victories are a prelude to the opposition's "final defeat, sooner or later". (Al Masdar News) (Reuters)
Andrew Sabisky, an advisor to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, resigns after the resurfacing of racist, sexist, and pro-eugenics comments, allegedly attributed to him. (BBC News)
The Aleppo International Airport in Aleppo, Syria, opens to the public for the first time since 2013. Syrian Transport Minister Ali Hammoud says regular commercial flights will begin within days, starting with Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters) (Al Masdar News)
2019 Afghan presidential election Almost five months after the vote, Afghanistan's electoral institution declares incumbent President Ashraf Ghani as the winner of the election. (Reuters)
Almost five months after the vote, Afghanistan's electoral institution declares incumbent President Ashraf Ghani as the winner of the election. (Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump grants clemency to former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich for attempting to sell former president Barack Obama's Senate seat in 2008, and pardons former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, junk bond salesman Michael Milken, and former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. for their numerous felonies and frauds. (CNN)
Second Libyan Civil War Ceasefire talks between the Tobruk-led government and the GNA are suspended as rocket attacks bombard Tripoli. (BBC News)
Ceasefire talks between the Tobruk-led government and the GNA are suspended as rocket attacks bombard Tripoli. (BBC News)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls a Turkish intervention in Syria's Idlib Governorate "imminent" after talks with Russia fail to reach what he describes as their "desired result". Erdoğan threatens to launch an operation in Idlib by the end of the month. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov calls Turkish involvement in the battle "the worst scenario". The countries support opposing sides in the war. (Al Jazeera)
2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries A recanvass of the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses show Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg at an effective tie, with a margin of 0.0004 percentage points of state delegate equivalents between the two candidates. The Sanders campaign has requested a recount, which may change the initial outcome of the caucus. (AP)
China expels three journalists of The Wall Street Journal over an opinion piece called "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia" that was deemed racist. The government demanded the newspaper apologize, which it declined. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang says the journalists have five days to leave the country and says the article "denigrated" China's efforts to combat the virus. (BBC News)
COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 pandemic in Iran Iran reports its first two cases of the virus. Hours later, it was announced both infected people have died. (Times of Israel) (Al Jazerra) COVID-19 pandemic in Japan The Tokyo Marathon reduces the number of runners from 38,000 to an elite group of 200 due to the rising coronavirus fear. (NOJ) Hundreds of passengers aboard the Diamond Princess are allowed to disembark the ship. The vessel has been quarantined since docking in Yokohama on 4 February. Criticism mounts against the Japanese government's handling of the quarantine. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Japan The Tokyo Marathon reduces the number of runners from 38,000 to an elite group of 200 due to the rising coronavirus fear. (NOJ) Hundreds of passengers aboard the Diamond Princess are allowed to disembark the ship. The vessel has been quarantined since docking in Yokohama on 4 February. Criticism mounts against the Japanese government's handling of the quarantine. (Reuters)
Hundreds of passengers aboard the Diamond Princess are allowed to disembark the ship. The vessel has been quarantined since docking in Yokohama on 4 February. Criticism mounts against the Japanese government's handling of the quarantine. (Reuters)
The Dominican Republic government fires 139 Foreign Ministry officials. (Dominican Today)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present) A convoy carrying Yemeni Defense Minister Mohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi in Ma'rib Governorate strikes a landmine, killing six people. The Defense Minister survives the blast. (Anadolu Agency)
A convoy carrying Yemeni Defense Minister Mohammed Ali Al-Maqdashi in Ma'rib Governorate strikes a landmine, killing six people. The Defense Minister survives the blast. (Anadolu Agency)
A recanvass of the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses show Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg at an effective tie, with a margin of 0.0004 percentage points of state delegate equivalents between the two candidates. The Sanders campaign has requested a recount, which may change the initial outcome of the caucus. (AP)
Aftermath of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says that high-ranking Malaysian officials believed pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah deliberately downed the plane. (Fox News)
Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says that high-ranking Malaysian officials believed pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah deliberately downed the plane. (Fox News)
Aftermath of the 2020 Irish general election The 33rd Dáil Éireann meets for the election of the Taoiseach (head of government) and Ceann Comhairle (speaker of parliament). Seán Ó Fearghaíl of Fianna Fáil is re-elected as Ceann Comhairle. No candidate for Taoiseach attains the 80 votes required to form a government. The Dáil adjourns until March 5. (RTÉ) Incumbent Taoiseach Leo Varadkar offers his resignation to President Michael D. Higgins, but will remain as Taoiseach in a caretaker capacity until the formation of a new government. (Sky News)
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit and SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar agree to form a unity government by Saturday, in a major step to end the South Sudanese Civil War. (Al Jazeera)
The 33rd Dáil Éireann meets for the election of the Taoiseach (head of government) and Ceann Comhairle (speaker of parliament).
Incumbent Taoiseach Leo Varadkar offers his resignation to President Michael D. Higgins, but will remain as Taoiseach in a caretaker capacity until the formation of a new government. (Sky News)
2020 Dominican Republic municipal elections Protests happen in major Dominican Republic cities over the election problems. (Dominican Today) Col. Ramón A. Guzmán and Claro telecom technician Manuel Antonio Regalado were arrested for the election sabotage. (Dominican Today)
Col. Ramón A. Guzmán and Claro telecom technician Manuel Antonio Regalado were arrested for the election sabotage. (Dominican Today)
Protests happen in major Dominican Republic cities over the election problems. (Dominican Today)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl of Fianna Fáil is re-elected as Ceann Comhairle. No candidate for Taoiseach attains the 80 votes required to form a government. The Dáil adjourns until March 5. (RTÉ)
Turkish-backed rebels launch an offensive in the Idlib Governorate against government forces. A Russian air strike kills two Turkish soldiers and injures five others, while Turkey says a retaliatory strike killed 50 Syrian troops. Several tanks and armoured personnel carriers are destroyed near the village of Nayrab. (News AU) (Al Jazeera)
An 18th-century Ethiopian ceremonial crown, one of the 20 in existence, is returned to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. It was discovered in the Netherlands in 1998, and was held by Dutch authorities until now so it could be returned when the country was more politically stable. (BBC News)
Weeks after the First Lady of Lesotho Maesiah Thabane was arrested and charged with the killing of former First Lady Lipolelo Thabane, it is announced that current Prime Minister of Lesotho Tom Thabane will also be charged with the murder in the upcoming hours. He also announced he will be stepping down at the end of July citing old age. (Reuters)
2020 Iranian legislative election Parliamentary elections are being held in Iran. The election is criticized for the barring of around 9,000 candidates, thus raising the concerns of an unusual low voter turnout. (DW) (The Guardian)
Parliamentary elections are being held in Iran. The election is criticized for the barring of around 9,000 candidates, thus raising the concerns of an unusual low voter turnout. (DW) (The Guardian)
The major opposition party PRM asked for protection for its presidential security chief. (Dominican Today)
2020 Togolese presidential election Voters in Togo head to the polls to elect the country's president. Incumbent president Faure Gnassingbé, accused of an authoritarian rule, seeks to run for a fourth term which was made possible by a constitutional amendment in 2019. (DW)
2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries Senator Bernie Sanders wins the Nevada Caucus. (CNN)
Voters in Togo head to the polls to elect the country's president. Incumbent president Faure Gnassingbé, accused of an authoritarian rule, seeks to run for a fourth term which was made possible by a constitutional amendment in 2019. (DW)
2020 Comorian legislative election The second round of the latest election in Comoros takes place. The election is still boycotted by the political opposition. (RFI)
The second round of the latest election in Comoros takes place. The election is still boycotted by the political opposition. (RFI)
Gaza–Israel conflict, Israeli–Palestinian conflict Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatens the leadership of the Gaza Strip with war if rocket attacks continue. (News AU)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatens the leadership of the Gaza Strip with war if rocket attacks continue. (News AU)
Second Libyan Civil War, Libyan peace process Both of Libya's rival governments, the Government of National Accord and Tobruk-based House of Representatives, pull out of UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva. (Al Jazeera)
2020 Malaysian constitutional crisis Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigns. (CNN)
Turkish military intervention in the Second Libyan Civil War Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirms the first Turkish Armed Forces casualties in Libya since beginning a military operation in support of the GNA government after two troops are killed. (BBC News)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirms the first Turkish Armed Forces casualties in Libya since beginning a military operation in support of the GNA government after two troops are killed. (BBC News)
China–Sweden relations The Swedish Foreign Ministry summons the Chinese ambassador after the Chinese government sentences bookseller and Swedish citizen Gui Minhai to ten years in prison for espionage. (Reuters)
COVID-19 pandemic in Iran Iran's deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, tests positive for coronavirus. (CNA) A member of the Iranian Parliament, Mahmoud Sadeghi, states on Twitter that he has been infected with the virus. (New York Times via MSN News)
German Health Minister Jens Spahn declines to run for leadership of the ruling Christian Democratic Union party, and endorses North Rhine-Westphalia Minister-President Armin Laschet for the position. (Reuters)
The Saudi government appoints former energy minister Khalid A. Al-Falih to head a new investment ministry replacing the General Investment Authority, and sacks the media minister, among other changes to the cabinet. (Reuters)
The Swedish Foreign Ministry summons the Chinese ambassador after the Chinese government sentences bookseller and Swedish citizen Gui Minhai to ten years in prison for espionage. (Reuters)
Iran's deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, tests positive for coronavirus. (CNA)
2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis The Spanish and Catalan government meets for the first time after breaking the talks one year ago in the named "Dialogue Board" as a way to solve the constitutional and political crisis between both governments that erupted in 2017. (La Vanguardia)
The Spanish and Catalan government meets for the first time after breaking the talks one year ago in the named "Dialogue Board" as a way to solve the constitutional and political crisis between both governments that erupted in 2017. (La Vanguardia)
