February 1, 2012, The London Times reports that a secret NATO report claims that the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, is set to regain control over Afghanistan after international forces withdraw from the country.
(Reuters)
February 1, 2012, American television host and producer Don Cornelius, creator of Soul Train is found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
(Associated Press)
February 1, 2012, The social network Facebook files for an initial public offering.
(Wall Street Journal)
February 1, 2012, Egyptian football riots At least 73 people are killed as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al-Masry and Al-Ahly in the city of Port Said.
(BBC)
February 2, 2012, Prince William arrives in the Falkland Islands for a tour of duty as a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot. His deployment comes at a time of high tension between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the sovereignty of the islands.
(BBC)
February 2, 2012,
February 2, 2012, The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 350 people on board. Nearby commercial ships rescue 238 people from the sea.
(News Limited via the Herald-Sun)
February 2, 2012, Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers becomes just the thirteenth NHL player in history to record 8 points in one game, doing so against the Chicago Blackhawks. It is the first time the feat is attained since 1989.
(CBC)
February 3, 2012, Release of Chronicle
February 3, 2012, Release of WE
February 3, 2012, Release of Women in Black
February 3, 2012, Release of Big Miracle
February 3, 2012, Stocks rise sharply in the United States following positive jobs information with the Nasdaq Composite reaching its highest level since 2000 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average nearing levels last reached in 2008.
(Wall Street Journal)
February 3, 2012, An official from Papua New Guinea's maritime safety authority estimates that 100 people were trapped aboard the ferry MV Rabaul Queen which sank off the northeast coast yesterday.
(Reuters via Alertnet)
February 3, 2012, Thousands of Australians are evacuated in northern New South Wales and Queensland due to rising floodwaters with parts of Queensland declared as a disaster area.
(AAP via Melbourne Herald-Sun)
February 4, 2012,
February 4, 2012,
February 4, 2012, 2011–2012 Syrian uprising: The United Nations Security Council votes on an Arab League proposal to resolve problems in Syria with reports of hundreds of people dead in the past couple of days as a result of shelling in Homs - the People's Republic of China and Russia veto the resolution.
(BBC)
February 4, 2012, The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan estimates that civilian deaths in the war in Afghanistan rose to a record level in 2011 of 3021 with insurgents responsible for most of the deaths.
(AAP via Merald-Sun)
February 4, 2012, Iran starts new military exercises as tensions rise over its nuclear program.
(Washington Post)
February 4, 2012, Filmmakers Mike deGruy of Santa Barbara, California and Andrew Wight of Victoria die in a helicopter crash in the Australian town of Berry, New South Wales.
(The Daily Telegraph)
February 4, 2012, Charlie White, the Secretary of State of the US state of Indiana, is convicted of multiple voter fraud related offences.
(AP via Mercury News)
February 4, 2012, 2011–2012 Russian protests: Over 100,000 people protest for and against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
(RIA Novosti)
February 4, 2012, 2012 United States presidential election: Republican Party voters gather in Nevada for the party caucuses with Mitt Romney projected as the winner.
(The Guardian)
February 5, 2012, Super Bowl XLVI In American football, Super Bowl XLVI is played in Indianapolis with the New York Giants defeating the New England Patriots 21-17. (SA Sunday Mail)
Halftime Show:
February 5, 2012, Venus Williams returns to competitive tennis.
February 5, 2012,
February 5, 2012,
February 5, 2012, Early 2012 European cold wave: Heavy snow falls across much of the United Kingdom, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights at Heathrow Airport and the closure of the runway at Luton Airport.
(BBC)
-More than 250 people have died of the cold weather in
Europe, with
Russia forced to reduce supplies of
natural gas.
(Al-Jazeera)
February 5, 2012, Due to flooding, residents are asked to evacuate the Australian town of St George, Queensland, and the body is found of a woman missing in Roma.
(ABC News Australia)
February 6, 2012, Series Premiere of Smash
The show revolves around a group of characters who come together to put on a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.
February 6, 2012, Raising Hope S2 Ep13: Tarot Cards
February 6, 2012, Greek government debt crisis: The government of Greece fails to reach agreement over the terms of a new bailout from the European Union, but retracts the deadline they had given themselves to do so, 30 minutes before the deadline would have passed.
(The Guardian)
February 6, 2012, A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hits near the central Philippines (see: 2012 Cebu earthquake) off the coast of Negros Island causing at least 13 deaths and 29 people missing with houses buried in a landslide in Guihulngan.
(AP via Google News)
February 6, 2012, Queen Elizabeth II marks the 60th anniversary of her becoming the monarch of the United Kingdom and seven other sovereign states in the Commonwealth of Nations with events to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee set for later in the year.
(BBC)
February 7, 2012, Series Premiere of The River
February 7, 2012,
February 7, 2012, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the President of Argentina, states that Argentina will lodge a complaint with the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly about the alleged "militarisation" of the area around the Falkland Islands by the United Kingdom.
(BBC)
February 7, 2012, The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturns California's Proposition 8 banning gay marriage in that state.
(Los Angeles Times)
February 7, 2012, U.S. Republican Party presidential primaries: Republican Party voters in Colorado participate in caucuses with 36 delegates at stake - Santorum wins, with Mitt Romney placing second.
(9 News)
-Republican voters in the state of Minnesota participate in caucuses with 40 delegates at stake - Rick Santorum is projected to win.
(NPR)
February 7, 2012, The United States Congress votes to pass legislation allowing for greater use of drone aircraft in the United States.
(New York Daily News)
February 8, 2012, A meeting of the leaders of the parties comprising the Greek Government breaks up without agreeing to cuts prescribed by the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
(AP via Google News)
February 8, 2012, Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro artworks, from the personal collection of Elizabeth Taylor, sell for £13.7 million at Christie's in London.
(BBC)
February 8, 2012, The New Zealand Royal Commission on the Pike River Mine disaster hears that a collapse in the coal extraction area was the most likely cause of the fatal blast in the mine on November 19, 2010 that claimed 29 lives.
(TV New Zealand)
February 8, 2012, The Washington State Legislature in the United States approves a bill that will allow same-sex marriage in the state.
(CNN)
February 8, 2012,
February 9, 2012,
February 9, 2012,
February 9, 2012,
February 10, 2012, Release of Journey 2: Mysterious Island
February 10, 2012, Release of Safe House
February 10, 2012, Release of The Vow
February 10, 2012, Release of Rampart
February 10, 2012, Fringe S4 Ep13:
February 10, 2012,
February 10, 2012,
February 10, 2012, Egypt since the Revolution: Egyptian protesters march towards the Defense Ministry in Cairo, demanding the return of a civilian government.
(UPI)
-Egypt's military rulers warn of conspiracies that seek to topple the state and spread chaos one day before the one-year anniversary of the toppling of former President Hosni Mubarak.
(AP via Google News)
February 10, 2012, People in Greece protest against the latest austerity measures imposed on their country, as more senior politicians resign.
(The Guardian)
February 10, 2012, An internal plot among cardinals to kill Pope Benedict XVI is alleged in Italy.
(The Guardian)
February 10, 2012, The United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta tells the Marine Corps to re-investigate and take appropriate action against snipers who posed with a logo resembling that of the Nazi Schutzstaffel in Afghanistan.
(AP via MSNBC)
February 10, 2012, The United States Central Intelligence Agency website and Alabama state websites go down with reports that Anonymous is responsible.
(MSNBC)
February 10, 2012, Argentina's foreign minister Héctor Timerman issues a formal complaint to the United Nations about British "militarisation" of seas around the Falkland Islands.
(The Guardian)
February 11, 2012, American singer and actress Whitney Houston dies suddenly at the age of 48 at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel.
(AP via Herald-Sun)
February 11, 2012,
February 11, 2012, Sir Mark Lyall Grant, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, describes claims by Argentina that the United Kingdom is militarising the Falkland Islands as "manifestly absurd".
(Sky News)
February 11, 2012, Activists in Egypt mark the first anniversary of the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak in the 2011 Egyptian revolution with a strike and a day of civil disobedience.
(BBC)
February 11, 2012, Thousands of people march in Japan against the resumption of nuclear reactors that were closed after the [[ ]] last year.
(AP via Jakarta Post)
February 12, 2012, The 54th Grammy Awards for music are held at the Staples Center in the U.S. city of Los Angeles, with some of the show being re-worked to commemorate the late Whitney Houston.
(Los Angeles Times)
-British singer Adele wins the awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Rolling in the Deep", as well as the Album of the Year for 21.
(Los Angeles Times)
February 12, 2012,
February 12, 2012, Greek bailout and protests: The Hellenic Parliament votes to approve austerity measures demanded in return for another bailout from the eurozone.
(CNN)
February 12, 2012,
February 13, 2012, Beverley Hills police confirm Whitney Houston was underwater and unconscious when found in a bath in her Los Angeles hotel room last Saturday.
(BBC)
February 13, 2012, The first launch of a new ESA carrier rocket Vega takes place from the Guiana Space Centre.
(ESA)
February 13, 2012,
February 13, 2012,
February 13, 2012, The UK broadcaster ITV1 screens the first ever British advert aimed specifically at dogs. The 60-second commercial for the Bakers dog food brand features high-pitched sounds that cannot be heard by humans, and is a send up of the 1969 film The Italian Job.
(The Daily Telegraph)
February 13, 2012, Barack Obama, the President of the United States presents 16 people with the National Medal of Arts at the White House including actor Al Pacino, country music singer Mel Tillis and former United States Poet Laureate Rita Dove.
(BBC)
February 13, 2012, The European Union and United States approve Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of smartphone maker Motorola.
(Wall Street Journal)
February 13, 2012, Moody's Investors Service downgrades the credit ratings of several European Union members including Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain and issues a negative outlook for the ratings of Austria, France and the United Kingdom.
(Reuters)
February 13, 2012, A 5.5-magnitude earthquake hits Northern California, near Weitchpec, according to the United States Geological Survey.
(CNN)
February 13, 2012,
Washington governor Christine Gregoire signs a bill into law that legalizes same-sex marriage in the state.
(Reuters)
February 13, 2012, The
New Jersey state Senate passes a bill to legalize marriage for same-sex couples by a vote of 24-16.
(NJ Today)
February 14, 2012,
February 14, 2012,
February 14, 2012,
2011–2012 Bahraini uprising: Security forces fire tear gas on anti-government demonstrators on the first anniversary of the start of protests calling for reforms in the nation.
(Al Jazeera)
-Anonymous marks the anniversary of the Bahraini uprising by hacking U.S. tear gas company Combined Systems Inc., based in Jamestown, Pennsylvania, which has supplied much of the tear gas the U.S.-backed regimes of the Middle East have used against protesters.
(The Washington Post)
February 14, 2012,
The U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by the cruiser Cape St. George and the destroyer Sterett, sails through the Strait of Hormuz, close to the coast of Iran, for the second time in recent weeks.
(BBC)
February 14, 2012, A new statue of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is unveiled in the capital Pyongyang.
(The Telegraph)
February 14, 2012,
Authorities in the U.S. say that the recent mortgage settlement with the country's largest banks will provide $1 billion to the Federal Housing Administration, replenishing the FHA's badly depleted capital reserves.
(Reuters)
February 14, 2012,
Actor Sean Penn meets Argentina's president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to voice his support for ""the Malvinas Islands of Argentina" and urges Britain to cease its "archaic commitment to colonialist ideology".
(The Guardian)
February 15, 2012,
February 15, 2012,
February 15, 2012,
The Portrait of Henrietta Moraes, a painting by Francis Bacon, sells at Christie's for £21.3 million, the second most valuable work of post-war contemporary art sold at the London auction house.
(RTÉ)
February 15, 2012,
Sony admits it increased the price of two Whitney Houston albums hours after she was found in the bathtub of her hotel room last Saturday. Fans react with outrage.
(BBC)
February 15, 2012, The Kellogg Company purchases snack maker Pringles from Procter & Gamble for US$2.7 billion.
(BBC)
February 15, 2012,
Seventeen students at Texas Christian University in the U.S., including four members of the school's football team, are arrested on drug charges. An arrest warrant for one of the players alleges that drug use was rampant on the team and that at least three of the players were dealing drugs.
(ESPN)
February 16, 2012, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called "underwear bomber", is sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to detonate a bomb on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in the US city of Detroit, Michigan.
(BBC)
February 16, 2012,
February 16, 2012,
February 16, 2012,
United States Capitol Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Amine El Khalifi, a man from Morocco who allegedly planned a suicide attack on the United States Capitol.
(CNN)
February 16, 2012,
February 16, 2012,
February 16, 2012,
February 16, 2012, Former President of Olympus Corporation Tsuyoshi Kikukawa is arrested in relation to the Olympus scandal along with two other former senior executives.
(BBC)
February 17, 2012, Release of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
February 17, 2012, Release of This Means War
February 17, 2012,
Libya celebrates the first anniversary of the start of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi.
(Hindustan Times)
February 17, 2012, Archaeological Museum of Olympia robbery: Thieves break into the Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Greece. stealing between 60 and 70 artifacts of the ancient Olympic Games.
(Ekathimerini)
February 17, 2012, A US Federal Court judge orders Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration to return treasures from the shipwreck of the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes to Spain.
(AP via ABC News)
February 17, 2012,
Rupert Murdoch tells staff at The Sun he will launch a Sunday edition of the newspaper, titled The Sun on Sunday "very soon".
(BBC)
February 17, 2012, The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at its highest level since May 2008.
(CNN)
February 17, 2012, The World Bank announces plans to select a new President to replace Robert Zoellick when his term expires in June.
(AP via Boston Globe)
February 17, 2012,
Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, a member of the Dutch royal family, is severely injured in an avalanche at an Austrian ski resort and is reported to be in critical but stable condition.
(CNN)
February 17, 2012,
Christian Wulff, the President of Germany, resigns over a corruption scandal.
(Reuters)
February 17, 2012, The Senate of the United States passes a resolution condemning the Government of Syria for its violent crackdown on anti-Assad protests.
(Al-Jazeera)
February 17, 2012, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoes a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state.
(The Washington Post)
February 18, 2012, The funeral of American entertainer Whitney Houston is held at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey.
(Reuters)
February 18, 2012,
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)
February 18, 2012, The Italian film Caesar Must Die wins the Golden Bear at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.
(The Hollywood Reporter)
February 18, 2012, The Greek Cabinet approves additional austerity measures demanded by the European Union and International Monetary Fund.
(Reuters)
February 19, 2012,
February 19, 2012, Iran ceases oil exports to France and the United Kingdom, in a retaliatory move against European Union sanctions.
(Al Jazeera)
February 19, 2012,
North Korea threatens "merciless" attacks against South Korea over its planned live-fire drills near the disputed Northern Limit Line.
(The Independent)
February 20, 2012,
February 20, 2012, South Korea proceeds with live-fire drills near the disputed Korean sea border despite threats from North Korea of "merciless" strikes in retaliation.
(AP via News Limited)
February 20, 2012, International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear inspectors arrive in Tehran to hold discussions about Iran's nuclear program.
(Deutsche Welle)
February 20, 2012, The ruling Workers Party in North Korea calls a conference in mid-April to consolidate the transfer of leadership to Kim Jong-un from his father Kim Jong-Il.
(Reuters via Malaysia Star)
February 20, 2012, Scientists report regenerating specimens of Silene stenophylla from a 31,800 year old piece of fruit, greatly surpassing the previous record for oldest plant sucessfully regenerated.
(NY Times)
February 21, 2012, The 2012 BRIT Awards for British popular music are held in O2 Arena in London with Adele, One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay among the winners.
(Capital FM)
February 21, 2012, Euro zone finance ministers reach an agreement on a second Greek bailout.
(Reuters via Sydney Morning Herald)
February 22, 2012, Thousands of people in the New Zealand city of Christchurch commemorate the first anniversary of the earthquake that killed 185 people last year.
(TV New Zealand)
February 22, 2012, The International Atomic Energy Agency states that Iran has denied inspectors access to the Parchin military site where it believes that suspicious nuclear activities may be taking place.
(Al Jazeera)
February 23, 2012, 30 Rock S6 Ep9: Leap Day
February 23, 2012,
Wikileaks suspect United States Army Private Bradley Manning is formally charged ahead of a court martial.
(AFP via Yahoo News)
February 23, 2012,
Crown Princess Victoria, the heir to the Swedish throne, gives birth to a baby girl who is second in line.
(The Guardian)
February 24, 2012, Release of Wanderlust
February 24, 2012, Release of Act of Valor
February 24, 2012, Release of Gone
February 24, 2012, Release of Good Deeds
February 24, 2012,
2011–2012 Bahraini uprising: A medic reveals that injured protesters are being treated by "underground medics" in fear of arrest.
(BBC)
February 24, 2012,
At least 12 people are killed in the deadliest day of protests so far resulting from U.S. soldiers incineration of copies of the Koran in Afghanistan.
(Al Jazeera)
February 24, 2012,
Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, who was buried under an avalanche in Lech, Austria, while skiing off piste, is reported to have suffered massive brain damage due to oxygen shortage; it remains unclear whether he will ever regain consciousness.
(AFP)
February 24, 2012,
The International Atomic Energy Agency reports that Iran is expanding its nuclear activities.
(New York Times)
February 24, 2012,
February 25, 2012,
2012 Afghanistan Quran burning protests: Two U.S. officers are killed inside the Ministry of Interior in the Afghan capital Kabul.
(BBC)
February 25, 2012,
Treasure from the Spanish Navy frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes returns to Spain after being recovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2007.
(Reuters)
February 25, 2012,
A G-20 finance ministers meeting is held in Mexico City to discuss progress in the Eurozone bailout.
(Reuters)
February 25, 2012,
Pakistani authorities start demolition of Osama bin Laden's former compound in Abbottabad.
(AP via Google)
February 26, 2012,
84th Academy Awards: The 84th Academy Awards are held at the Hollywood and Highland Center Theatre in Hollywood, California.
(NineMSN)
February 26, 2012,
Chandra Bahadur Dangi is verified by Guinness World Records to be the world's shortest person ever, beating the record long held by Gul Mohammed.
(CNN)
February 26, 2012,
Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation launches the The Sun on Sunday to replace the News of the World, which closed due to a phone hacking controversy.
(PA via Sydney Morning Herald)
February 26, 2012,
2011-2012 Russian protests: Thousands of Russians form a human chain around the centre of Moscow in protest against Vladimir Putin.
(Times of India)
February 27, 2012,
An alleged plot to assassinate Vladimir Putin after this year's Russian presidential election is foiled by Ukrainian and Russian intelligence services.
(New York Times)
February 27, 2012,
The Costa Allegra cruise ship is left adrift in the Indian Ocean near the Seychelles following an engine room fire.
(AFP via Herald Sun)
February 27, 2012,
Argentina turns away two cruise ships from the port of Ushuaia – P&O Cruises Adonia and Princess Cruises' Star Princess – because the ships had earlier visited the Falkland Islands.
(MSNBC)
February 27, 2012,
WikiLeaks begins disclosing 5 million e-mails from the private intelligence company Stratfor.
(ABC)
February 27, 2012,
Three students are killed and two injured in a shooting at Chardon High School in the US state of Ohio.
(Los Angeles Times)
February 27, 2012,
In auto racing, Matt Kenseth wins the Daytona 500 in Daytona, Florida.
(USA Today)
February 27, 2012,
Occupy London protesters are evicted from outside St. Paul's Cathedral.
(The Telegraph)
February 28, 2012,
February 28, 2012, Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine announces that she will not seek re-election in 2012.
(New York Times)
February 28, 2012,
February 28, 2012,
February 28, 2012,
February 28, 2012,Voters in the US states of Michigan and Arizona go to the polls for Republican Party primaries. Mitt Romney wins both states.
(Voice of America)
February 28, 2012,Occupy London protesters are evicted from outside St. Paul's Cathedral.
(The Telegraph)
February 28, 2012, IBM claims to be on the verge of creating the world's first quantum computer. (
PC Magazine)
February 29, 2012, Season 2 Premiere of King
February 29, 2012,
February 29, 2012,
Davy Jones, the lead singer of The Monkees, dies in Florida of a heart attack.
(Entertainment Weekly)
February 29, 2012,
James Murdoch resigns from News International to focus on running News Limited's television business with the News International phone hacking scandal as a factor in the decision.
(The Telegraph)
February 29, 2012,
Tornadoes hit the midwestern United States with twelve people killed, six in Harrisburg, Illinois.
(AP via Google News)
February 29, 2012,North Korea agrees to suspend uranium enrichment and nuclear and long-range missile tests in return for food aid.
(BBC)
February 29, 2012, Egypt lifts a travel ban on seven Americans employed by pro-democracy U.S. groups, including the son of U.S. Transportation secretary Ray LaHood, who is among 16 Americans on trial in Egypt for trying to foment unrest and incite protests against the nation's military rulers.
(USA Today)
February 29, 2012, Egypt announces that a presidential election will held on May 23-24.
(AP via Business Day)
February 29, 2012, Mitt Romney wins the Republican caucuses held in the US state of Wyoming.
(CNN)
