Portal:Current events/2012 February 18

• 2011–2012 Syrian uprising:
  • Security forces open fire at a funeral procession in Damascus for those killed in protests in the capital. (AFP)
  • China urges all sides in the conflict to end the violence. (BBC)
• Violence breaks out in Dakar, Senegal, during an anti-government protest. (IOL)
• The death toll from a bombing on Friday in the Pakistani town of Parachinar in the Kurram region rises to 32. (Canadian Press via Winnipeg Free Press)
• USA drone airstrikes kill at least 21 suspected militants in North Waziristan, Pakistan. (BBC)
• The Russian Army loses 17 soldiers while fighting in a day-long battle with insurgents in the North Caucasus region. (Antara News)
• Senegalese police clash with protesters in Dakar in the fourth consecutive day of protests ahead of next week's presidential election. (Voice of America)

• The funeral of American entertainer Whitney Houston is held at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. (Reuters)
• Roman Catholic Church:
  • Pope Benedict XVI formally appoints 22 new Cardinals. (CNN)
  • The Pope also announces seven new saints, including the first native American saint Kateri Tekakwitha from the US state of New York. (CNN)
• The Italian film Caesar Must Die wins the Golden Bear at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• The Greek Cabinet approves additional austerity measures demanded by the European Union and International Monetary Fund. (Reuters)

• At least nine people are killed and 24 injured after a bus crashes in China's Yunnan province. (RIA Novosti)

• Twenty one people are given jail sentences in the People's Republic of China for match fixing, including Yang Yimin, a former deputy chief of the Chinese Football Association. (Reuters via Times of India)
• Former International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn is summoned by French police to face questions about alleged involvement in a prostitution ring in the city of Lille. (BBC)

• The Emperor of Japan Akihito successfully undergoes heart bypass surgery. (AP via Washington Post) (BBC)
• Voters in Latvia go to the polls for a constitutional referendum on whether to make Russian a second official language with 75% of voters rejecting the proposal. (BBC) (AFP via Google News) (The Moscow Times)
• The Prime Minister of Spain Mariano Rajoy is reelected as head of the Popular Party at its conference in Seville. (AFP via Alternet)

• Vitali Klitschko defeats Dereck Chisora by unanimous decision to retain his WBC Heavyweight title. (USA Today)