Portal:Current events/2013 February 23

Current events of February 23, 2013 (2013-02-23) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• South Yemen insurgency:
  • Three people are killed and 14 injured in clashes between civilians and government security forces in Aden and Mukalla, as thousands turn up for a day of planned protests. In a separate attack, a senior Yemeni security chief and two of his bodyguards are injured in a shooting. (Reuters)
• Sudanese nomadic conflicts:
  • Fighting between rival Arab tribes in Sudan's Darfur region kills 51 people and injures 62 others. (Reuters)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict:
  • Two Palestinians are shot by Jewish settlers when conflict erupts in the West Bank. (AP via The New York Times)

Arts and culture

• The 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards are held with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 winning Worst Picture. (BBC)

Business and economy

• Iran announces that it has discovered new uranium deposits and that it is planning to build 16 new nuclear power plants. (Haaretz)
• The United States Air Force grounds its entire $400 billion fleet of 51 F-35 jets due to a major engine technical issue. During a routine inspection of the aircraft, maintenance personnel detected a cracked engine blade. (BBC) (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

• The death toll from flooding in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) rises to two as residents in northern NSW towns including Kempsey, Port Macquarie and Bellingen are evacuated. (ABC via Yahoo!7)
• Six tanks at Hanford Nuclear Reservation in the U.S. state of Washington are leaking radioactive waste, but the leak has not posed an immediate public health risk. (AP via CBC News) (Reuters) (Fox News) (The Guardian)
• A container truck slams into several vehicles in Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia, killing 16 people and injuring several others. (AP via The New Zealand Herald)

International relations

• The Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns of possible attacks within Canada due to the presence of Al-Qaeda affiliated groups in the country. (CBC News) (The Globe and Mail)

Politics and elections

• Egyptian parliamentary election, 2013:
  • The scheduled start date of the parliamentary elections Egypt is moved from April 29 to April 22. (Reuters)
  • Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei calls for a boycott of upcoming parliamentary elections in Egypt. (CNN)

Science and technology

• Space tourist Dennis Tito founds Inspiration Mars Foundation and announces plans for a privately funded crewed trip to Mars in 2018. (The Space Reporter)

Sport

• A crash during the final lap of the 2013 NASCAR DRIVE4COPD 300 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Florida, United States, sends debris flying into the stands, injuring at least 33 spectators. (AP)