February 16, 2011 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Piracy
- South Korea will fly the bodies of eight Somali pirates killed in a commando raid on a freighter last month from Muscat, Oman, to Mogadishu, Somalia. (Yonhap)
- HMS Cornwall from the British Royal Navy frees five Yemeni fishermen held by Somali pirates. (Sky News)
- Iranian state TV reports clashes between pro-government and anti-government forces at a funeral for someone killed in the 2011 Iranian protests. (AFP via Dawn)
- Fourteen people are hurt in clashes between Libyan protestors and security forces in Benghazi as protests spread. (AFP via France 24) (Al Jazeera)
- The Egyptian Ministry for Health estimates that at least 365 people were killed and 5,500 injured in the 2011 Egyptian protests. (RIA Novosti)
- Yemeni police shoot and kill two protestors in the southern city of Aden. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
- The Colombian FARC movement releases another two hostages. (AFP via Google News)
Arts and culture
- U.S. pop singer Bruno Mars pleads guilty to cocaine possession in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Las Vegas Sun)
- Researchers from London's Natural History Museum claim that ancient skulls found in Gough's Cave in the Cheddar Gorge in the southwestern English county of Somerset show signs of cannibalism. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Jens Weidmann is chosen to succeed Axel A. Weber as President of the Deutsche Bundesbank. (FAZ) (WSJ)
- Borders Group, the second largest bookstore chain in the United States, files for bankruptcy with plans to sell at least 200 stores. (Bloomberg)
Disasters
- The Northern Territory Emergency Service in the north of Australia warns residents in low-lying coastal areas including in the capital Darwin ahead of Tropical Cyclone Carlos. (News Limited)
- Explosions occur following an accident at a Tanzania People's Defence Force ammunition dump near the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam with casualties reported. (AP via The Washington Post), (CNN)
- At least four people die and dozens injured following a train crash in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Dunya News)
International relations
- Japan's whaling fleet is leaving the Antarctic under pressure from conservationists and diplomats. (Sydney Morning Herald), (BBC)
Law and crime
- Abduwali Muse, a Somali pirate, is sentenced to almost 34 years in prison in the United States for his role in attempting to hijack the MV Maersk Alabama. (ABC News USA)
- Three U.S. marshals are shot in Elkins, West Virginia, while trying to serve a warrant, resulting in the death of one marshal and the shooter. (West Virginia Gazette)
- In an FBI Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force Operation Power Outage, 74 members of Armenian Power criminal syndicate have been arrested on charges of racketeering offenses, bank fraud schemes, kidnappings, and drug trafficking. (CNN)
Politics
- An ally of outgoing Burmese ruler General Than Shwe resigns two weeks into the new parliament. (BBC) (Irrawaddy)
- Celebrations marking the birthday of Kim Jong-il take place in North Korea. (BBC)
- Protesters in Bahrain continue to occupy a square in the capital, Manama. (Al Jazeera)
- The Hawaii Senate approves Hawaii Senate Bill 232 legalising civil unions for gay and lesbian couples and will be sent to the Governor Neil Abercrombie for approval. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
Science
- IBM's Watson artificial intelligence program wins on the U.S. quiz show Jeopardy!, defeating Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings, the series' most successful contestants. (PC Mag) Watson used Wikipedia, among other sources, as its knowledge base. (The Vancouver Sun) (NPR) (IBM)
- It is announced that people who suffer from Laron syndrome have a gene that inhibits cancer. (Scientific American) (PBS)
Sport
- Lance Armstrong officially announces his retirement from professional cycling, again. (CNN)