Portal:Current events/2012 February 1

Current events of February 1, 2012 (2012-02-01) (Wednesday)

Armed conflict and attacks

• 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)
• The Xinhua news agency reports that 25 Chinese workers held captive in the Sinai region of Egypt have been released. (CNN)
• Pakistan Air Force jets bomb militant positions in the Orakzai and Kurram Agency areas near the border with Afghanistan with claims that 31 alleged insurgents were killed. (AP via Washington Post)
• Nigeria's State Security Service claim to have arrested Abul-Qaqa, a purported spokesman for the radical Islamist Boko Haram group. (AP)
• A bomb explodes outside a police station in the Colombian city of Tumaco, killing at least five people and injuring 20. (AP via KTAR)

Business and economy

• Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong ban poultry imports from the Australian state of Victoria while Japan bans imports from the whole of Australia following a bird flu outbreak. (ABC News Australia)
• The social network Facebook files for an initial public offering. (Wall Street Journal)

Law and crime

• Egyptian soccer riots
  • Scores of 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), (AFP via News Limited)
  • All Egyptian Premier League matches are cancelled following the riots. (ABC News Australia)

Sport

• The Zimbabwe Football Association suspends 80 players including members of the Zimbabwe national football team on suspicion of participation in match-fixing. (Reuters via NZ Stuff)
• England national football team and Chelsea captain John Terry faces charges at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London that he used an ethnic slur against QPR defender Anton Ferdinand during a match in October. (Reuters via Yahoo News Australia)