Top News Stories –

Miss Universe asked to negotiate with rebels –
Newly crowned Miss Universe Paulina Vega is invited by the Colombian rebel group Farc militia to help their peace negotiations with the government in a statement on their website. During interviews prior to winning the title on January 25th 2015, Ms Vega, who is also Miss Columbia, had said she wanted to see peace in Colombia. So far she has not responded to the offer.
Paulina Vega

NBC Nightly News anchor embarrassment –
Brian Williams, “the most-watched” news presenter in the US temporarily steps down from his NBC Nightly News anchor role after he admitted his story about being in a helicopter that was shot down in Iraq was false. He revealed that he was actually in an aircraft following the one shot down after veterans who were in the helicopter recalled he wasn’t on the flight. Williams blamed a “fog of memory” for the lapse.
Brian Williams

Price gets it right –
Katie Price formerly known as the model Jordan wins UK TV Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother despite only being in the “house” for 10 days when other contestants had been in for a month. She beat ex-Apprentice candidate Katie Hopkins into second place; Calum Best came third.
Katie Price

Classic Ferrari sells for $16 million –
A classic California Spyder Ferrari found in a French farmhouse under a load of magazines is sold at a Paris auction for €14.2m (£10.5m; $16.2m). Only 37 of the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB were made and this dark blue one had been owned by French actor Alain Delon but was hidden for over 50 years. In May 2008 British DJ Chris Evans paid a reported £5.6 million for a 1961 250GT short-wheelbase California Spyder that once belonged to Hollywood actor James Coburn.
A 1961 250 GT California Spyder
Alain Delon in 2013

Video of the Day –

Miss Columbia Paulina Vega’s Miss Universe interview

List of the day –

Miss Universe title winners by country

Country	Titles	Winning Years
USA	8	1954, 1956, 1960, 1967, 1980, 1995, 1997, 2012
Venezuela	7	1979, 1981, 1986, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2013
Puerto Rico	5	1970, 1985, 1993, 2001, 2006
Sweden	3	1955, 1966, 1984
Colombia	2	1958, 2014
Mexico		1991, 2010
Japan		1959, 2007
Canada		1982, 2005
Australia		1972, 2004
India		1994, 2000
Trinidad & Tobago		1977, 1998
Thailand		1965, 1988
Finland		1952, 1975
Philippines		1969, 1973
Brazil		1963, 1968
Angola	1	2011
Dominican Republic		2003
Panama		2002 (Successor)
Russia		2002 (Dethroned)
Botswana		1999
Namibia		1992
Norway		1990
Netherlands		1989
Chile		1987
New Zealand		1983
South Africa		1978
Israel		1976
Spain		1974
Lebanon		1971
Greece		1964
Argentina		1962
Germany		1961
Peru		1957
France		1953

Top Twitter Trends –

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
  • North Korea test fires a new “ultra-precision” intelligent anti-ship missile which is to be deployed across its navy.(AFP via France 24)
• War in Donbass
  • The leaders of France, Germany and Russia agree to work on a peace plan to be put to the President of UkrainePetro Poroshenko on Sunday. (BBC)
• Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
  • Bombings in Baghdad kill at least 37 people hours before the city’s curfew was due to end. ISIL claims responsibility.(AP via Los Angeles Times), (AP via KSL)
• Islamist insurgency in Nigeria
  • Nigeria postpones its general election for six weeks to allow its armed forces to take control of the Boko Haram-controlled parts of the country. (Irish Times)

Arts and culture

• NBC Nightly News anchorman Brian Williams begins a temporary hiatus from broadcasting after he was caught lying about having been on board an underfire helicopter which crashed during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. (AP)

Business and economy

• The management of Twentieth Century Fox considers granting permission to a group of investors, including some hedge funds, seeking to amend the company’s charter and turn their type of voting shares of stock into non-voting shares, a conversion that might raise that type of shares’ market price and that also would further concentrate control in the hands of Rupert Murdoch and his family. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• TransAsia cancels dozens of flights to retrain its pilots following the February 4 crash of TransAsia Airways Flight 235which killed at least 43 people. (AFP via Daily Mail)

Law and Crime

• A gunman shoots six people, killing four, including several children, in Douglasville, Georgia, ending with the gunman committing suicide. (AP via FOX News)
• A 17-year-old male opens fire on a man at the Monroeville Mall in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, striking his intended target as well as two bystanders hospitalizing three people. (AP via News24) (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Politics and elections

• Queensland Liberal National Party voters elect Lawrence Springborg as their leader with John-Paul Langbroek as deputy leader. (ABC News Australia)
• Slovak same-sex marriage referendum
  • Although greater than 90% vote in favor of the referendum, Slovak election officials deem the result invalid due to a low 21% voter turnout, far short of the 50% or greater turnout required for the results to be legally binding. (The Slovak Spectator)

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