Portal:Current events/Inclusion

February 23, 2025 (Sunday)

February 22, 2025 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Gaza war
- 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Gaza war hostage crisis
  - Hamas releases six living hostages, including pre-war hostages Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, both captive for more than nine years. (Times of Israel)
  - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders the delay of the release of 620 Palestinian prisoners indefinitely. (AP) (NBC News)
Kivu conflict
- 2025 Bukavu offensive
  - Hundreds of Congolese police officers join the M23 movement in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the rebel group consolidates its control of the city. Around 1,800 police officers have surrendered their weapons to the new authorities, according to the Congo River Alliance. (Reuters)
Yemeni civil war
- Operation Prosperity Guardian
  - Houthi forces launch surface-to-air missiles at a U.S. fighter jet and MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Red Sea for the first time with both missiles missing their target. (Reuters)
Mali War
- The Tuareg independence movement accuses Malian soldiers and Wagner Group mercenaries of killing 24 civilians, which constitutes a war crime. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

75th Berlin International Film Festival
- Norwegian drama film Dreams (Sex Love) wins the Golden Bear award at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival, while Tilda Swinton is awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for her range and legacy. (DW) (Berlinale)

Disasters and attacks

Real Plaza Trujillo roof collapse
- The death toll following the structural collapse of a metal roof of the Real Plaza Trujillo in Peru rises to eight. The La Libertad government announces a period of mourning from February 22–23. (La Republica)
A bus carrying passengers to a wedding ceremony overturns in Ranhghati, Rajasthan, India, killing two people and injuring 30 others. (The Times of India)

International relations

China–Cook Islands relations
- The Cook Islands signs a five-year memorandum of understanding to collaborate with China in seabed mining, which includes technology transfer, logistics support, and deep-sea ecosystem research. (DW) (The Guardian)

Law and crime

Islamic terrorism in Europe
- 2025 Mulhouse stabbing attack
  - One person is killed and five others are injured in a mass stabbing attack by a 37-year-old man at a market in Mulhouse, France. The stabbing is being treated as a suspected Islamic terrorist attack. (BBC News)
UPMC Memorial Hospital shooting
- Two people, including a police officer, are killed and at least four other people are injured in a mass shooting at the UPMC Memorial Hospital in West Manchester Township, York County, Pennsylvania, United States. (ABC 27) (Fox News)
One person is killed and another is injured in a shooting at the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. The FBI is investigating the shooting but it is believed the incident was not an act of terrorism. (ABC News)
Mohamed Amra, a French criminal and suspected drug lord known as "The Fly", is recaptured in Romania, nine months after escaping during an ambush that killed two French prison officers. (Sky News)

Politics and elections

The Vatican City issues a statement informing of the worsening health of Pope Francis after more than a week in hospital due to respiratory problems. Vatican officials say Pope Francis is now in critical condition and that the prognosis "remains guarded". (Reuters)

February 21, 2025 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Gaza war
- 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Gaza war hostage crisis
  - Israel says that forensic testing revealed one of the bodies returned by Hamas yesterday does not match with Shiri Bibas nor with any other hostages. Her sons Ariel and Kfir, as well as Oded Lifshitz, were all positively identified. Israel accuses Hamas of violating the ceasefire and demands the return of her body along with the other remaining hostages. (BBC News)
  - Hamas claims that Shiri's body was "mistakenly mixed" with others who were killed and buried under the rubble in Gaza, and returns an additional body the group says is hers. The identity was soon afterwards positively confirmed by Israel. (Al Arabiya) (BBC News)

Business and economy

2025 United States federal mass layoffs
- The United States Department of Defense announces it will jointly lay off 4,500 probationary workers, cutting 5-8% of the civilian workforce. The United States Forest Service also announces it will lay off 2,000 employees. (AP)
The Financial Action Task Force removes the Philippines from its grey list and adds Laos and Nepal to the list. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Real Plaza Trujillo collapse
- At least four people are killed and 79 others are injured after a roof collapses at the Real Plaza Trujillo shopping mall in Trujillo, Peru. (Metro)
Twelve people are killed and twenty-one others were injured in a bus crash in São Paulo, Brazil. (TRT World)

Health and environment

South Sudan orders the closure of all schools in the country for two weeks due to a heat wave, with temperatures expected to reach 42 °C (108 °F). (DW)
A norovirus outbreak with a large number of ill passengers is reported on the MS Iona cruise ship in Belgium. (Metro)

International relations

2025 Gaza war ceasefire
- Egypt, Jordan, and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to address possible future developments in the Gaza Strip. (The Times of Israel)
Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan relations
- Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan sign an agreement to delimitate their border, solving a decades-old border dispute that had sparked clashes between different ethnic groups that had killed over a hundred people. (Trend News Agency) (Reuters)

Law and crime

2024 South Korean martial law crisis
- Arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol
  - South Korean police file a case against impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol for obstructing his arrest warrant. (Reuters)
Flint water crisis
- Veolia Water agrees to pay $53 million in settlement for all remaining active class action lawsuits for the contamination of drinking water in Flint, Michigan, United States, but refuses to acknowledge any fault in the crisis. (AP) (WNEM)
Stabbing of Salman Rushdie
- Hadi Matar is found guilty by a U.S. jury of attempted murder and assault for his stabbing attack on author Salman Rushdie in 2022. (ABC News)
Three people are killed in a shooting outside of a motor vehicle office in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. (The Independent)
Three people, including two police officers, are killed during a traffic stop in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. (The New York Times)
The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil orders the suspension of online video platform Rumble for refusing to comply to court orders and for refusing to remove the account of Brazilian fugitive Allan dos Santos. (AP)
A 30-year-old Spanish tourist is seriously injured in a stabbing attack at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany. A 19-year-old man is arrested. (AP) (DW)

Politics and elections

Second presidency of Donald Trump
- U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announces the removal of multiple senior U.S. officers from their current roles, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown Jr. and the Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti. (CNN)
- American news agency The Associated Press files a lawsuit for freedom of speech against three Trump administration officials after they banned the news agency from attending presidential press events after the agency refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America". (AP) (NPR)
Indonesia Gelap
- Demonstrations continue against the government in several cities in Indonesia. Nine students have been arrested and two are injured, along with four injured policemen and two parliament members. (Tempo) (Barron's)

Science and technology

The European Space Agency announces that the chances of asteroid 2024 YR4 impacting Earth in 2032 has decreased to 1.5% (1-in-67), and is likely to decrease further to less than 1%. (Nature)

February 20, 2025 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Kivu conflict
- M23 campaign
  - 2025 Uvira offensive
    - At least 22 people are killed when a boat carrying people attempting to escape Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo across Lake Edward towards Uganda capsizes. Eight survivors are found by the local civil society. (AP)
  - The Congolese Army abandons their positions in Lubero, North Kivu, with reports that the deserting soldiers have looted a market and shops in town. The military has ordered the deserters to return to their posts within 12 hours or face criminal action. (Reuters)
War against the Islamic State
- Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
  - Puntland counter-terrorism operations
    - Puntland security forces, with air support from the United Arab Emirates, launch a major offensive in the Cal Miskaad mountains, allegedly killing at least 44 IS–Somalia militants and seizing control of the areas of Dhasaq, Qurac, and Damdamle, in Bari Region, Puntland, Somalia. (Garowe Online) (Hiiraan Online)
Colombian conflict
- 2025 Catatumbo clashes
  - Four bombings and shooting attacks take place across different police facilities and toll areas in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander Department, Colombia, leaving one police officer injured. Authorities in Norte de Santander and Cúcuta declare a curfew across the city for the following day. (CNN Colombia)
Gaza war
- 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, Gaza war hostage crisis
  - Hamas releases the bodies of Shiri Bibas, Ariel Bibas, Kfir Bibas, and Oded Lifshitz, who were all kidnapped from their homes in Nir Oz kibbutz, Israel, on October 7, 2023. (The Times of Israel)
Somali Civil War
- 2025 Shabelle attacks
  - Al-Shabaab launches a coordinated attack on four Somali military bases in Middle Shabelle, Somalia, killing and wounding dozens of soldiers. Somali authorities say they repelled the attack, killing at least 130 militant fighters. (Mepa News) (Garowe Online)
2025 Bat Yam bus bombings
- Three empty buses explode in what is suspected as an attempted terrorist attack in Bat Yam, Israel. Devices planted on two other buses failed to detonate, according to police. No casualties are reported. (BBC News)

Business and economy

2025 United States federal mass layoffs
- The United States Internal Revenue Service announces it will layoff over 6,000 jobs this week as part of department downsizing led by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. (NPR)

Disasters and accidents

ATL Technologies CEO Bradford Brown is killed and one person is injured when a Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter crashes into ice at the Ririe Reservoir near Ririe, Idaho. United States. (ABC News) (AP News)
Seven people are injured in a gas explosion at The Whaler resort in Kaanapali, Hawaii, United States. (AP News)

International relations

French military withdrawal from West Africa
- The French military hands over control of their last military base in Ivory Coast to the country's military. French armed forces minister Sébastien Lecornu says that 80 French servicemembers will remain in the country to advise and train the Ivorian army. (AP)

Law and crime

Two women are killed in a stabbing attack at a shopping center in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. A 16-year-old boy is arrested. (AP)

Politics and elections

2024 Indonesian local elections
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto inaugurates 961 regional heads, including governors, regents, and mayors, at the State Palace. (Tempo)

Sports

2025 4 Nations Face-Off
- Amidst heightened tensions between the two nations, the Canadian men's ice hockey team defeats the United States team 3–2 in overtime in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off, with Connor McDavid scoring the winning goal. (BBC) (NPR)

February 19, 2025 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Kivu conflict
- M23 campaign
  - 2025 Uvira offensive
    - Widespread civil disorder arises in Uvira, South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo amid M23 rebel advances from Bukavu. At least thirty deaths are reported, along with looting and a prison break of 228 Congolese soldiers imprisoned for desertion. (Reuters)
  - Following a meeting between Chadian president Mahamat Déby and a diplomatic envoy of Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi, the Congolese government formally requests military support from Chad in their ongoing conflict against the M23 movement. (Anadolou Agency)
  - The United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting in response to rapid territorial gains made by M23 rebels, with U.N. special envoy for Congo Bintou Keita saying the council needed to take "urgent and decisive steps to avert a wider regional war." (AP)
Islamic State insurgency in Puntland
- Puntland counter-terrorism operations
  - Puntland police capture several IS–Somalia militants accused of involvement in extortion and bombings in Bosaso, the capital of the Bari Region, amid ongoing military operations in the Cal Miskaad mountains. (Garowe Online)
Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
  - At least one person is killed and 14 others are injured in Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, including a large drone attack on energy infrastructure in Odesa that leaves 160,000 residents without heating and electricity. (The Kyiv Independent)
Boko Haram insurgency
- The Chad National Army announces the end of its four-month Operation Haskanite, an offensive in the Lake Chad area against Boko Haram, and that 297 terrorists and 27 soldiers have been killed. (The Hindu)

Disasters and accidents

Two light aircraft, a Lancair 360 MK II and a Cessna 172S, collide midair at Marana Regional Airport near Tucson, Arizona, United States, killing two people. (NBC News)

International relations

Peace negotiations in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Ukraine–United States relations
  - Amid deteriorating relations between both countries, U.S. President Donald Trump calls Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" and says he has done a "terrible job" while warning "he is not going to have a country left" soon. (BBC News)
- Russia–United States relations
  - Russian President Vladimir Putin praises the high-level talks with the U.S. in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a "first step" towards restoring full diplomatic ties with the United States. (The Moscow Times)
Belgium–Rwanda relations
- Rwanda suspends a humanitarian aid pact with Belgium after Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot criticized Rwanda's military support for the M23 rebel movement in Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Euro Weekly News)

Law and crime

2020s European re-armament
- Denmark announces 50 billion kroner in defense spending over the next two years, citing an increased threat from Russia, bringing the country's total defense spending to the highest in more than 50 years. (BBC News)
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is formally charged with leading the 2022 Brazilian coup plot, which attempted to overthrow current President Lula da Silva. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Polish police inspects several tanks from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that crashed in the country after its reentry into the atmosphere during the night. (BBC) (TVN24)
Apple Inc. announces the iPhone 16e, discontinuing all remaining Lightning port iPhones and the home button third-generation iPhone SE. (9to5Mac)

Sports

2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite
- In association football, Chinese club Shandong Taishan withdraw from the AFC Champions League Elite several hours before their match against South Korean club Ulsan HD. (ESPN) (South China Morning Post)

February 18, 2025 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Kivu conflict
- M23 campaign
  - 2025 Uvira offensive
    - Rwandan-backed M23 rebels advance on the city of Butembo, North Kivu, and capture Kamanyola in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo after defeating Congolese forces. Local officials say M23 forces are now preparing to advance on Uvira. (AP)
    - Burundi initiates the withdrawal of its military forces from the eastern DRC following M23 advances. Between 10,000 and 15,000 Congolese civilians cross into Burundi to avoid violence, with several drowning in the Ruzizi River. (Reuters)
Gaza war, Middle Eastern crisis
- 2025 Gaza war ceasefire
  - Hamas accuses Israel of carrying out at least 266 attacks in the Gaza Strip since the agreed ceasefire on January 19, killing at least 132 Palestinians and wounding 900 others. (Newsweek)
Sudanese civil war
- Al-Kadaris and Al-Khelwat massacres
  - Rapid Support Forces militants kill at least 433 people in the villages of Al-Kadaris and Al-Khelwat, White Nile State, Sudan. (Reuters)
Israeli invasion of Lebanon
- Israel partially withdraws troops from Lebanon as the deadline for their withdrawal expires. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Tomb of Thutmose II
- A joint Egyptian-British archaeological mission announces the discovery of the tomb of King Thutmose II. (CBS News)
Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 amasses a total box office of ¥12.3 billion (US$1.69 billion), surpassing Inside Out 2 as the highest-grossing animated film globally. (Reuters)

Business and economy

German economic crisis
- German automotive parts company Continental AG announces it will lay off over 3,000 research and development positions and end operations at its factory in Nuremberg, Bavaria, by 2026. (DW)
Brazilian minister of mines and energy Alexandre Silveira announces that the country will join OPEC+. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

February 2025 North American storm complex
- The death toll from flooding in Kentucky, United States, rises to 14, amid the threat of an imminent winter storm in the region. (NBC News)

International relations

Peace negotiations in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia–United States relations
- The United States and Russia start talks in Saudi Arabia about the war in Ukraine without European or Ukrainian participation. (The New York Times) (BBC News)
- The delegations agree to start the negotiating process for ending the war, create high-level teams, and normalize diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries. (AP)
- U.S. President Donald Trump calls for a new presidential election to be held in Ukraine as part of a peace deal with Russia. (The Telegraph) (NBC News)
- Russia rules out any peacekeepers from NATO member states being stationed in Ukraine as part of any peace agreement. (BBC News)

Law and crime

2025 Istanbul alcohol poisonings
- Over 124 people have been killed over the last six weeks from consuming bootleg alcohol, with dozens still hospitalized. Twenty-eight people are arrested in connection with the production and distribution of the alcohol. (Haarlems Dagblad) (CBS News)
Animal welfare in the United Kingdom
- The Welsh Government announces a ban on Greyhound racing in Wales following cross-party calls for a ban on the sport which has been criticized for its animal cruelty. (BBC News)
Iran–United Kingdom relations
- An Iranian court charges a British couple who were arrested and jailed last month with espionage. (DW)
$Libra cryptocurrency scandal
- A judge in Argentina orders investigations into potential fraud by President Javier Milei following his brief social media promotion of a cryptocurrency that collapsed in value hours after promotion. (AP)

Politics and elections

Second cabinet of Donald Trump
- The United States Senate confirms businessman Howard Lutnick as the Secretary of Commerce in a 51–45 vote. (AP)

Science and technology

NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies announces that the chances of asteroid 2024 YR4 impacting Earth on 22 December 2032 has increased to 3.1% (1-in-32) following further observations of its orbital trajectory. It has now surpassed the threat of 99942 Apophis which once had a 2.7% chance of hitting Earth during 2004 before later being ruled out. (Live Science) (CNN)

February 17, 2025 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine campaign
  - 2024 Kharkiv offensive
    - Russia says its forces have captured the village of Fyholivka in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Reuters)
Israeli invasion of Lebanon
- 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement
  - Mohammad Shahin, a senior Hamas commander, is assassinated in an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in Sidon, Lebanon. (Anadolu Ajansı)
War against the Islamic State
- Islamic State insurgency in Puntland, American military intervention in Somalia
  - In a coordinated operation, the United States and United Arab Emirates launch joint airstrikes targeting IS–Somalia militants in Bari Region, Puntland, Somalia. (Garowe Online) (Garowe Online) (Garowe Online)
Mexican drug war
- An attack with an explosive drone in the locality of El Capire, Apatzingán left one National Guard and a police wounded, while they were on reconnaissance rounds in the area. Hours later, two agents of the Attorney General of Mexico were kidnapped and found dead in the town in Cenobio Moreno, located on the outskirts of Apatzingán. (El Debate) (El Universal)

Business and economy

American airline company Southwest Airlines announces it will lay off 1,750 jobs, 15% of its corporate workforce, for cost reduction. This is the company's first mass layoff since operating in 1971. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

2025 Kerdasa building collapse
- Ten people are killed and eight others are injured when a three-story residential building collapses in Cairo, Egypt. (Washington Post) (Voice of America)
Delta Connection Flight 4819
- Twenty-one people are injured, including three critically when a Delta Airlines Bombardier CRJ900LR, crashes after catching fire and flipping over at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. (NPR) (CBS News) (Al Jazeera)
February 2025 North American storm complex
- Eight adults and one child are killed in flooding caused by heavy rains in the eastern United States. (DW)
2025 Yocalla bus crash
- A bus crashes and falls 800 m (2,600 ft) down a cliff in Yocalla Municipality, Bolivia, killing 31 people and injuring fourteen others. (Reuters)

International relations

Peace negotiations in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Weimar+
- European leaders gather in France for a summit on Ukraine after the U.S. administration announced the opening of peace talks with Russia on ending the Ukrainian war without European participation. (CNN)
- Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov says that Europe has no role in any peace negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. (BBC News)

Law and crime

Syrian security forces arrest three former Assad regime officers responsible for the Tadamon massacre, which occurred in south Damascus in 2013. (The New Arab)
Singaporean Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh is convicted of two counts of perjury to the Committee of Privileges and is fined S$7,000 per count, but is not disqualified as a member of parliament. (CNA)

Politics and elections

Protests against Donald Trump
- Protests against the second presidency of Donald Trump
  - Demonstrations take place at state capitols around the United States, including at Union Square in Washington, D.C., as part of the 50501 movement to protest against the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, and Project 2025. (NPR) (USA Today)
2025 Indonesian student protests
- Student groups and the Civil Social Coalition party launched a protest in several cities in Indonesia against the government. (Tempo)

More February 2025 events...

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