< Portal:Current events

Portal:Current events/2016 February 19

February 19, 2016 (2016-02-19) (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
Arts and culture
  • American author Harper Lee dies at the age of 89. (BBC)
  • Italian author and philosopher Umberto Eco dies at the age of 84. (BBC)
Business and economy
  • Yahoo Inc. says that it has created a committee of independent directors that will explore strategic alternatives, notably the sale of its core internet business. (Reuters)
  • William C. Dudley is reappointed as the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for another five years. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
Health
  • Zika virus outbreak
    • The first case of the Zika virus has been diagnosed in South Africa. (Times Live)
  • The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission orders manufacturers of self-balancing scooters (hoverboards) to ensure their products meet safety standards or face recall, or seizure at ports. CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye tells NBC News no hoverboard currently on the market meets these standards. (NBC News)
International relations
  • New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says his country is willing to accept some asylum seekers from the Middle East and Asia, currently in detention camps on impoverished Pacific island nations. Presently, 267 refugees in Australia for medical treatment, some accompanied by a relative, are set to be returned to Nauru’s detention camp. Australia is hesitant about the offer, concerned that it could encourage people smugglers. (AP via The Washington Post)
  • European migrant crisis
    • Serbia closes its southern border with Macedonia to migrants from countries not affected by war as part of measures to prevent illegal immigration. (RT)
  • United Kingdom European Union membership referendum
    • European Union leaders unanimously agree on reforms aimed at keeping the United Kingdom in the 28-nation bloc before the country's scheduled 23 June 2016 referendum on continuing EU membership. (Reuters) (USA Today)
  • Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, announces she will resign in July when her appointment ends. (BBC)
Law and crime
Politics and elections
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