Armed conflicts and attacks

• Spillover of the Yemeni Civil War
  • Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen
    • The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces intercepts two ballistic missiles over the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi. The Yemen-based Houthis claim responsibility for the attack. American troops stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base near the capital take shelter in bunkers during the attack. (ABC News)
• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, Ukraine–United Kingdom relations
    • The United Kingdom begins withdrawing staff and their dependants from its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, amid fears of a Russian invasion. Around half of all staff are being withdrawn, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. (The Guardian)
• Ethnic violence in South Sudan
  • At least 31 ethnic Dinka people are killed in clashes with suspected Murle armed youth in Jonglei State, South Sudan. (AP)
• 2022 Burkinabé coup d'état
  • Troops detain President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré amid reports of gunfire overnight in the capital Ouagadougou. Access to the internet has reportedly been disrupted nationwide. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Tropical Storm Ana
  • Tropical Storm Ana kills 23 people in Madagascar. (Bloomberg)
• Yaoundé stadium disaster
  • Eight people are killed in a crowd crush at Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé, Cameroon. (CNN)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in France, Vaccine passports during the COVID-19 pandemic
      • A COVID-19 vaccine pass that requires people over the age of 16 years to be fully vaccinated or show proof of recovery in order to enter bars, restaurants, and other public spaces, and to use inter-regional transport takes effect in France. (Euronews)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
      • Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 65,109 new COVID-19 cases, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 11,173,300. (The Moscow Times)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
      • Former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tests positive for COVID-19 for the second time. (El Periódico)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, COVID-19 vaccination in Australia
    • The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation gives the final approval for use of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 18 years. The rollout of the vaccine will begin on February 21. (ABC News Australia)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
    • China lifts its lockdown for 13 million people in Xi'an as the number of COVID-19 infections decreases in the city. (AP)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt, COVID-19 drug development
    • Egypt's drug regulator issues an emergency use authorization for Merck's Molnupiravir anti-COVID-19 drug. (Ahram Online)

Law and crime

• Heidelberg University shooting
  • A mass shooting occurs in a lecture hall at the New Campus of the University of Heidelberg in Neuenheimer Feld, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. A woman is killed and three other people are injured before the gunman commits suicide. (Evening Standard)
• A fire at a nightclub in Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia, following an armed clash between two groups, kills at least 18 people. (AFP via France 24)
• Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights suspects former Regent of Langkat, a regency in Sumatra, Indonesia, of practicing modern slavery after KPK, in a sting operation, finds a jail-like facility to house the workers. (Tempo English)

Politics and elections

• 2022 Italian presidential election
  • Voting for the election of the President of the Italian Republic begins, with the process expected to take multiple days. (ANSA)
  • In the first round of voting, two-thirds of electors cast blank ballots. (Euronews)

Science and technology

• The James Webb Space Telescope, a collaboration among NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, successfully enters orbit at its target destination, located near the Sun–Earth L₂ Lagrange point about 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 mi) from Earth. (AFP via Manila Standard)
• The second stage of the Falcon 9 v1.1 used to launch the Deep Space Climate Observatory in 2015 is projected to impact the Moon on March 4, 2022. (arsTECHNICA)