Portal:Current events/2011 February 24

• 2010–2011 Algerian protests:
  • Algeria officially lifts its 19-year-old state of emergency. (CNN)
• 2011 Libyan civil war:
  • Libyan workers fleeing to Tunisia claim that anti-Gaddafi forces control the town of Zuwarah, 120 km west of Tripoli. (Reuters via Channel 4 UK), (Al Jazeera)
  • More towns and cities closer to Tripoli come under the control of protesters and defectors. (Al Arabiya)
  • At least ten people have been killed and dozens injured following an attack by pro-Government forces on the town of Zawiya. (AFP via Herald-Sun)
  • Colonel Gaddafi describes himself as a "symbolic leader" similar to Queen Elizabeth II and blames unrest on al Qaeda. (USA Today)
• 2011 Yemeni protests:
  • The President of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh orders security forces to protect protestors. (AP via Observer Today) (Al Arabiya)
• 2011 Bahraini protests:
  • Opposition groups outline their demands as protests continue in the country. (Sify India)
• Palestinian militants fire two Grad-model Katyusha rockets at Beersheba, Israel; the Israeli Air Force responds with attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip. (AFP via Brisbane Courier-Mail)(The Jerusalem Post)
• Rolling Stone magazine alleges that United States Army Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell IV ordered a campaign of "psychological operations" to persuade influential people to continue support for the War in Afghanistan. (Rolling Stone)

• The Superior Court in Riverside County, California, orders an urgent medical evaluation of US blues singer Etta James after concerns are raised about her health. (Los Angeles Times)
• CBS and Warner Bros. Television shut down Two and a Half Men for the remainder of the current season due to concerns about Charlie Sheen's health and behaviour. (Access Hollywood)

• Toyota recalls more than two million vehicles in the United States to address problems with accelerator pedals being trapped in floormats. (Detroit News)
• Allison Transmission, a maker of transmissions for trucks and buses, is planning an initial public offering expected to raise between US$500 million and $1 billion, according to Reuters, which cites "four sources familiar with the situation." (Reuters)
• The US Air Force awards Boeing a $35billion contract to build aerial refueling tankers.(New York Times)

• 2011 Canterbury earthquake
  • The death toll from the earthquake reaches 98 with police fearing for another 226. (New Zealand Herald), (Sydney Morning Herald)
  • New Zealand police will start releasing the names of victims at 4pm local time. (New Zealand Herald)
• The wreckage of a Republic of Korea Coast Guard AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter is located near the resort island of Jeju-do off the South Korean coast with one officer confirmed dead and several others missing. (Yonhap)

• Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit announces that former Vice President Omar Suleiman was the target of an assassination attempt during the recent uprising. (AP via CBS)
• The editor of the Myanmar Times newspaper in Burma is charged with assault. (Straits Times)
• A "one-dog policy" is announced in Shanghai, China, with more than 600,000 unlicensed dogs to be declared illegal.(BBC) (People's Daily)
• A Saudi Arabian student is arrested in Texas for allegedly planning a terrorist attack against the Dallas home of former President of the United States George W. Bush as a target as well as New York City and dams in California and Colorado. (AP via KIII-TV), (MSNBC), (NBC)
• A British judge orders Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden but the WikiLeaks founder says that he will appeal. (AAP via News Limited)
• German prosecutors investigate several companies for possible illegal sales of HIV drugs including those intended for use in Africa. (AP via KTUU)
• United States authorities arrest more than 60 suspected members of Mexican drug cartels following the execution of a US Drug Enforcement Administration agent in Mexico last week. (AP via Fox News)

• Uganda's opposition leader Kizza Besigye calls for protests against the disputed presidential election which saw incumbent President Yoweri Museveni win a fourth term in office. (Reuters)
• Shimon Peres, the President of Israel, is on a four day state visit to Spain as King Juan Carlos expressed his support for the Middle East peace process. (Zimbio)
• The Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard announces a carbon pricing scheme to start on July 1, 2012. (News Limited), (ABC News Australia)
• The School Board in the US city of Providence, Rhode Island, votes to send dismissal notices to all of the 1,926 teachers in the Providence Public School District. (The Providence Journal)

• The United States Space Shuttle Discovery takes off for its final mission. (AP via Fox News)

• The Canterbury Crusaders cancel a planned match against the Wellington Hurricanes due to the earthquake with doubts over Christchurch's capacity to host 2011 Rugby World Cup games. (Sydney Morning Herald)
• Police clash with angry cricket fans in Bangalore after a 2011 Cricket World Cup fixture between India and England is sold out. (News India Times)