Portal:Current events/2015 February 18

February 18, 2015 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that at least 70 Syrian Army soldiers and more than 80 insurgents have died in recent fighting around the city of Aleppo. (Reuters via Trust)
A bomb in a Shi'ite mosque in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi kills at least two people and injures six. (Reuters)
Boko Haram
- The Nigerian Army claims to have killed 300 militants in northeastern Nigeria. (BBC)
- A warplane bombs a funeral ceremony in Niger killing 30 civilians. (BBC)

Business and economy

Japan Post acquires Australian transport company Toll Holdings at a cost of A$6.5 billion. (The Australian)

Disasters and accidents

2014–15 Australian region cyclone season
- The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is predicting that a low pressure system in the Coral Sea will develop into tropical cyclone Marcia within 24 hours and bring heavy rain to South East Queensland with the potential to cause flooding. (The Age)
- Tropical Cyclone Lam intensifies to Category 3 as it moves towards the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. (Weatherzone)
A snowstorm in the Turkish city of Istanbul leads to the closure of Istanbul Atatürk Airport, causes the cancellation of 300 Turkish Airlines flights and closes the Bosphorus Strait to shipping. (Al Arabiyah)

International relations

Law and crime

Australian David Hicks wins an appeal in the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review against his conviction for providing material support to terrorism in 2007 in a U.S. Navy court in Guantanamo Bay. (AP via Sky News Australia)
Swede Alex Yucel pleads guilty in the United States to distributing Blackshades software that was used to hack into 500,000 computers worldwide. (CNBC)
Robert van Winkle aka Vanilla Ice is arrested for burglary and grand theft in Florida. (NBC Miami)

Politics and elections

The President of Indonesia Joko Widodo drops his nomination of Budi Gunawan as national police chief following allegations that Gunawan was involved in a bribery scandal. (Straits Times)
The Government of India approves the construction of seven stealth frigates and six nuclear submarines for the Indian Navy. (Times of India)
The Hellenic Parliament elects Prokopis Pavlopoulos as the new President of Greece. (Greek Reporter)
The Moldovan Parliament appoints a new government with Chiril Gaburici as Prime Minister and a legislative support formed by the PLDM, PDM and PCRM. (RomaniaJournal)