Top News Stories –

Lance Armstrong made to pay –
Lance Armstrong is forced to refund $10 million (£6.5m) to SCA Promotions a Dallas-based company that paid him around $12 million in bonuses during his career which included 7 Tour de France titles that were consequently revoked. When Armstrong’s drug doping cheating was exposed, SCA sued to get its money back and an arbitration panel has found in the company’s favour.

Snowman building world record set –
A new world record has been set in the city of Iiyama, north-west of Tokyo, Japan for the most snowmen built in one hour. Over 600 people helped to break the old record by making 1,585 snowmen to beat the previous record of 1,279 snowmen, set by more than 350 participants in the United States in 2011. The competition was part of the Iiyama Snow Festival and the Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort is near to city.
Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort

Amazon drones off –
The Federal Aviation Authority’s (FAA) sets draft rules for the use of drones in US airspace which state that pilots must remain within eyesight of their unmanned crafts. This would not allow Amazon to launch its Amazon Air delivery service which the firm said last year it had the technology in place to launch as soon as regulations were in place.

Video of the Day –

The Snowman

The Snowman from Neil Wrischnik on Vimeo.

Top Twitter Trends –

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
  • Egypt bombs Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant targets in the city of Derna in Libya following the execution of 21Coptic Christians recently. (BBC)
• War in Donbass
  • During the ceasefire, fighting kills at least five Ukrainian Army soldiers with 22 injured. (CNN)
  • The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin claims that pro-Russian forces have fired on Ukrainian forces over 100 times in the past day. Separatists accuse Ukrainian troops of having violated the ceasefire. Fighting continues in the encirclement of the Battle of Debaltseve with separatist forces entering the city. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
• Boko Haram insurgency
  • Nigeria regains the key town of Monguno from Boko Haram. (BBC)

Business and economy

• Hyundai and affiliate Kia announce plans to recall more than 60,000 vehicles in South Korea. (Yonhap)

Disasters and accidents

• 2014–15 North American winter
  • A winter storm warning is in place for Washington, D.C. and the American states of Virginia and Maryland with schools closed and transport advisories in place. (NBC Washington)
  • The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declares a storm-related state of emergency causing disruptions to public transportion and power transmission. (WSMV)
• A heavy snow storm hits Turkey causing disruption to travel for several days. (Accuweather)
• A bus carrying at least 60 passengers plunges into a gorge in India‘s Madhya Pradesh resulting in at least ten deaths and 33 people injured. (Times of India)
• A CSX train crashes in Mount Carbon, West Virginia resulting in large fires. (BBC)

Health

• EBioMedicine publishes research by University of Leuven scientists describing their findings of a so-called Cuban variant of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (the virus that causes A.I.D.S.) which is an aggressive strain that can rapidly progress to AIDS. (FOX News)

Law and crime

• A Federal District Court judge in Brownsville, Texas, temporarily halts President Barack Obama‘s November 2014executive orders on immigration , allowing Texas and 25 other states to file a lawsuit opposing the orders. The Department of Justice indicated it will appeal. (The New York Times) (Reuters) (WhiteHouse.gov)

Politics and elections

• Saint Kitts and Nevis general election, 2015
  • Voters in Saint Kitts and Nevis go to the polls for a national election with the governing Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Denzil Douglas. seeking a fifth term.
  • The opposition Team Unity, an alliance of three opposition parties led by former foreign minister Timothy Harris, wins the election, with Douglas conceding defeat on February 17th. (St Kitts and Nevis Observer), (Latin American Herald Tribune), (Stabroek News)

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