February 1, 2017 (Wednesday)
Armed attacks and conflicts
- Four alleged extremists planning terror attacks in Azerbaijan are killed in a shootout with the country's security forces; one suspect is arrested. The State Security Service says the group was connected to an unspecified religious extremist group abroad. (Reuters) (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Business and economy
- European Union roaming regulations
- Negotiators reach a preliminary deal on capping mobile phone intercarrier (wholesale) tariffs. Roaming charges on voice and data calls for consumers within the EU are expected to be terminated on June 15, 2017. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- According to a report released by Malegapuru William Makgoba, 94 mentally ill patients in South Africa died from starvation, dehydration and diarrhea between March and December 2016 because of a "reckless" government attempt to save money by transferring the patients from a specialized institution to care centres with "invalid licenses". (BBC)
International relations
- Iranian Minister of Defence Hossein Dehghan confirms Iran tested a new missile, claiming that the test did not violate the 2015 nuclear deal nor UN resolution 2231. (Reuters) (PressTV)
- Israel announces it will build an entirely new settlement in the West Bank for the first time in about twenty years. Many in the international community believe that such settlements are illegal but Israel disputes that. The settlement program is illegal under international law. (CNN)
- The United Kingdom's House of Commons backs the Brexit bill by 498 votes to 114. (The Washington Post)
Law and crime
- Israeli security forces begin evicting people from the illegal Amona, Mateh Binyamin, outpost built on private Palestinian-owned land near Ramallah in the central West Bank. The Supreme Court ordered residents to leave the area last year. (CNN)
- A jury finds in favor of video game publisher ZeniMax Media after the trial of its copyright lawsuit against Oculus and Facebook, regarding virtual reality coding. (Reuters).
- 2017 Berkeley protests
- Police cancel a scheduled appearance of right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos on UC Berkeley due to hundreds of violent protesters on campus. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Politics and elections
- Formation of Donald Trump's cabinet
- The United States Senate, in a 56–43 vote, confirms Rex Tillerson's nomination as United States Secretary of State. (The Independent)