• Syrian uprising:
  • The Arab League calls for a peace keeping force to be sent to Syria to halt violence. (Al-Jazeera)
  • There is a lull in the bombardment of Homs allowing some families to escape and for protesters to go to the streets. (Reuters)
  • The Arab League meets in Cairo to discuss sending a joint mission to Syria with the United Nations. (Al-Jazeera)
  • The head of the suspended Arab League's observer mission in Syria, Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi, resigns. (Emirates 24/7)
• Turkish warplanes carry out strikes against PKK hideouts in northern Iraq. (IOL)
• Greek bailout and protests:
  • The Hellenic Parliament votes to approve austerity measures demanded in return for another bailout from the eurozone. (CNN)
  • Police in Greece fire tear gas at protesters in Athens including composer Mikis Theodorakis and World War II resistance leader and leftist politician Manolis Glezos. (Athens News)
  • Up to 60 police officers are injured in fighting and at least ten buildings are burnt down as a minority of the tens of thousands of protesters turn violent. (AP via The Australian) (BBC)
  • The historic Attikon cinema in Athens is set on fire following demonstrations over the latest round of economic austerity measures proposed by the government. (Reuters)(Ekathimerini)
• Comrade Artemio, leader of the Shining Path Peruvian rebel movement, is captured in the Huallaga Valley area by the Army and National Police. (AP via Washington Post)

• Grammy Awards:
  • The 54th Grammy Awards for music are held at the Staples Center in the U.S. city of Los Angeles, with some of the show being re-worked to commemorate Whitney Houston. (Los Angeles Times)
  • British singer Adele wins the awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Rolling in the Deep", as well as the Album of the Year for 21. (Los Angeles Times) (Los Angeles Times)
• The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Awards is held in London with The Artist winning the Award for best film. (The Telegraph) (The Australian)

• The Australian town of Walgett, New South Wales, is evacuated due to flood waters. (AAP via Melbourne Age)
• A senior aide to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila, is killed, and the Finance Minister Matata Ponyo Mapon is injured in a plane crash near the town of Bukavu. (Reuters)

• The International Air Transport Association calls for the United Nations to intervene in the dispute between the People's Republic of China and the European Union over airlines' involvement in the EU's carbon tax scheme for airlines. (Reuters)
• A teenage Tibetan Buddhist nun Tenzin Choedon dies after setting herself on fire in protest against Chinese rule of Tibet in Sichuan province. (The Telegraph)
• Iran rebukes Azerbaijan for allegedly assisting Israel's Mossad secret service in operations against it. (Haaretz)

• Malaysia deports Saudi Arabian journalist Hamzar Kashgari, accused of insulting the prophet Muhammad in a tweet. (BBC)

• Turkmenistan has a presidential election; incumbent Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow is re-elected with 97% of the vote. (BBC)
• The Chinese village that staged a rebellion last year takes part in its first democratic elections to elect its governing committee. (Bangkok Post)
• Emperor Akihito is to undertake heart bypass surgery on 18 February 2012. (Reuters via Chicago Tribune)^{[permanent dead link]}
• Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party wins a gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State with its candidate Henry Dickson receiving 90% of the vote. (Reuters)
• The Venezuelan opposition Mesa de la Unidad Democrática holds a primary election, selecting Henrique Capriles as its candidate for the presidential election in early October. (AP via Washington Post)

• In football, the final of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations played at Libreville, Gabon, between Zambia and Ivory Coast, with Zambia winning 8-7 on penalties in a shock result. (Bleacher Report) (Irish Examiner)