February 24, 2013 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war:
- Northern Mali conflict:
- 10 Chadian soldiers and 28 Islamist insurgents are killed in heavy fighting in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains of northern Mali. (Reuters)
- War in Afghanistan:
- Two guards and an Afghan police officer are killed in coordinated suicide bombing attacks in Jalalabad and Logar Province in eastern Afghanistan, while a third such attack on the National Directorate of Security in Kabul is foiled. (Los Angeles Times)
- President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai orders the United States to leave Wardak province amid allegations of torture associated with US special forces. (BBC)
- Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- At least six people die in an attack in Ngalda, Yobe State, Nigeria. (AP via Google)
- M23 rebellion:
- Eleven African nations including all the members of the African Great Lakes region sign a United Nations brokered peace deal for the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (BBC)
Arts and culture
- The 85th Academy Awards are held at the Dolby Theatre in the Los Angeles district of Hollywood. (CNN)
- Argo wins the Academy Award for Best Picture. (BBC)
- Ang Lee wins the Academy Award for Best Director for Life of Pi. (AP)
- Daniel Day-Lewis wins his third Academy Award for Best Actor for Lincoln. (Reuters)
- Jennifer Lawrence wins the Academy Award for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook. (AFP via The Australian)
Health and environment
- Anemia drug Omontys is recalled due to reports of fatal anaphylactic reactions in 0.02% of patients. (Medpage Today)
Politics and elections
- Voters in Italy go to the polls for the first day of a general election. (Business Insider)
- Nicos Anastasiades of the conservative Democratic Rally party wins the Cypriot presidential election. (Bloomberg)
- Raúl Castro is elected by the National Assembly of People's Power to a second term as the President of Cuba with Miguel Díaz-Canel announced as the First Vice-President of the Council of State. (Reuters)
Science and technology
- A new study finds that chimpanzees will solve puzzles for the fun of it. (The Telegraph)
Sport
- In stock car racing, Jimmie Johnson wins the 2013 Daytona 500. Pole winner Danica Patrick finishes eighth, marking the highest ever finish by a woman. (USA Today)
- In association football, Swansea City beat Bradford City 5–0 to win the 2013 Football League Cup Final. (BBC)
- Derby della Madonnina: Inter Milan and AC Milan battle to a 1–1 draw in their 2012–13 Serie A local derby. AC Milan's striker Mario Balotelli was the target of racial abuse from fans of his ex-club Inter Milan. (Goal.com) (BBC)
- Slovenian alpine ski racer Tina Maze secures the ladies overall title in the 2013 Alpine Skiing World Cup with nine races still remaining. (AP via The New York Times) (Eurosport)[permanent dead link]