Portal:Current events/2010 February 15

February 15, 2010 (Monday)

An appreciation of the Chinese yuan will help US economic growth but it will not solve problems in its own economy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief economist said Monday. (China Daily)^{[permanent dead link]}
The opposition Anguilla United Movement, led by former Chief Minister Hubert Hughes, wins a majority of seats in the 2010 general election, defeating the governing Anguilla United Front. (Anguilla News)
Aid flights arrive on the island of Aitutaki, Cook Islands, where 90% of structures were damaged or destroyed by Cyclone Pat last week. (RNZI)
Somalia's state minister for defence Yusuf Mohammed Siad survives an attempt on his life from a suicide bomber in Mogadishu. (BBC)
A Naxalite attack on an army camp in West Bengal kills 24 Indian soldiers, with many more reported missing. (Hindustan Times)
Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga accuses the President Mwai Kibaki of "overstepping" his powers after the latter re-appointed two ministers sacked by Odinga over a corruption scandal. (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation)^{[permanent dead link]} (BBC) (AP)
The United Nations Special Envoy to Myanmar, Tomas Quintana, arrives in the country on the first day of a five day visit to assess the progress on human rights. (Al Jazeera) (Global Times) (BBC)
Halle train collision: 20 people die in a train collision in Halle, Belgium. (BBC) (Flanders News) (WSJ)
Pope Benedict XVI begins a two-day meeting with all 24 Irish Roman Catholic bishops to discuss child abuse in a "quite unprecedented" move. (Al Jazeera) (BBC) (RTÉ)
Five men are imprisoned for up to 28 years, after being convicted over the 2005 Sydney terrorism plot. (BBC) (ninemsn)
Cyclone Rene hammers Tonga with gusts of 160 kilometres an hour, isolating Tongans for several days. Widespread damage is reported in the capital, Nukuʻalofa, and contact is lost with the northern island of Vavaʻu. (TVNZ) (The New Zealand Herald)
A joint NATO and Afghan military operation is succeeding in pushing Taliban fighters from their strongholds in Helmand province. (BBC)
2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver:

Dario Cologna secures Switzerland's first ever Olympic cross-country gold medal and Norway delivers its poorest ever cross-country Olympic performance in the men's 15km freestyle cross-country competition (AFP) (AP)