Portal:Current events/2016 February 13

February 13, 2016 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Saudi Arabia is sending troops and fighter jets to Turkey's Incirlik Air Base ahead of a planned ground invasion of Syria. Turkey's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu confirmed the deployment in Adana near the Syria–Turkey border, but said the numbers had not been confirmed. (The Independent)
- Turkey says its military shelled Kurdish PYD positions in Azaz, in northern Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports the Menagh Military Airbase and a nearby village, recently captured by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces group, were also hit. (Reuters)
- Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, capture another rebel-held village near Aleppo, according to a Russian source. In the last two days, the Syrian Army captured positions at the Hama and Raqqa provincial border, and is set to move against the Islamic State in the Raqqa Governorate, according to a Syrian military source. (Reuters) (AP via Observer–Reporter)
- Asked to assess the chances of the ceasefire deal succeeding, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says 49 percent while German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says 51 percent (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- Several Sangin security force members are killed by Taliban suicide attacks, using captured military Humvee vehicles, in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. (Reuters)
Northern Mali conflict
- Ansar Dine, a militant Islamist group linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claims responsibility for yesterday's attack on a United Nations base in Kidal, northern Mali, that killed six UN peacekeepers, all from neighboring Guinea. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Taiwan earthquake
- The death toll from the earthquake rises to 113 with four people still in the rubble of the Weiguan Golden Dragon high-rise tower in Tainan. (AP via Philly News)
A huge fire engulfs the under-construction Abu Dhabi Plaza in Astana, Kazakhstan. (RT)
A dangerous cold snap hits the northeastern United States with the city of Boston, Massachusetts, to face its coldest Valentine's Day in four decades. (Reuters)
At least three people are killed and more than 50 hospitalized from a 50-plus-car pileup amid strong winds and a whiteout along, the now closed, I-78 near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in the U.S. More than 70 people are in a shelter at Jonestown Fire Station. (NBC News) (Philadelphia Inquirer)
The U.S. Geological Survey reports a magnitude 5.1 earthquake strike in Oklahoma, the state's third strongest quake, northwest of Oklahoma City. No damage or injuries are reported. Oklahoma has recently experienced a surge in seismic activity, leading to calls for the governor to make changes to oil- and gas-drilling regulations. (Reuters) (USGS)

International relations

Cold War II
- At the 52nd Munich Security Conference in Germany, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says that NATO and Russia are "not in a cold-war situation but also not in the partnership that we established at the end of the Cold War" while the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says tensions between Russia and NATO have sent the world spiralling into a "new Cold War", blaming U.S. and European leaders for the souring of relations with Russia. He also rejected accusations that Russian warplanes have bombed civilians in Syria, saying it is "just not true". (Sky News) (BBC)
India–United States relations
- India summons the U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma over the U.S. decision to sell more F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. (The Hindu)
Holy See–Mexico relations

Pope Francis's apostolic journey to Mexico is February 12 to 18. On the first full day in Mexico, the pope addresses political leaders at the National Palace, speaks to bishops at the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, and celebrates Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Catholic World News)

Politics and elections

Albert Pahimi Padacké is appointed Prime Minister of Chad, replacing Kalzeubet Pahimi Deubet. (Reuters)

Law and crime

United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dies at age 79. (The Guardian) (My San Antonio)