February 2013 Current Events: Business News. Here are the key events in business and science news for the month of February 2013. *. Economy Adds 157,000 Jobs in January, but Unemployment Rises (Feb. 1):The jobs report is released for January 2013. U.S. employers add 157,000 new jobs in January, while unemployment rises to 7.9%, slightly higher than the 7.8% it was in December. Construction, retailing, health care, and wholesale trade all add significantly to the new job numbers in January.

February 2013 Current Events: Disasters & Science News. Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of February 2013. *. Winter Storm Nemo Hits the Northeast United States and Canada (Feb. 8):Two areas of low pressure collide to create Winter Storm Nemo, also referred to as the Blizzard of 2013. Boston, Massachusettsreceives 24.9 inches of snow, the fifth-highest snowfall in the city's recorded history. Portland, Mainegets 31.9 inches of snow, a record for the city. However, the highest snowfalls are in Connecticut. For example, Hamden, Connecticut, receives 40 inches. The storm also brings hurricane-like winds and flooding. At least 18 people are killed in the storm. *. Meteorite Fragments Injure Hundreds in Russia (Feb. 15):Debris from a meteor hit Siberia and more than 1,000 people are hurt, including 200 children. The injuries are mostly from shattered glass, which occurred when the meteor entered the atmosphere and exploded over Russia. Russian scientists believe that the 10-ton meteor exploded and created a shock wave when it hit the Earth's atmosphere. They believe the meteor exploded and evaporated about 30 miles above the Earth, but small fragments fell to the Earth's surface. Most of the people injured are residents of Chelyabinsk, a city about 950 miles east of Moscow. Chelyabinsk has many factories that build nuclear weapons, but the damage caused no radiation leaks, according to Russian officials.

February 2013 Current Events: World News. Here are the key events in world news for the month of February 2013. *. Suicide Bomber Hits U.S. Embassy in Turkey (Feb. 1):Ecevit Sanli detonates a bomb near a gate at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. Sanli dies after detonating the bomb. One Turkish guard is also killed. Didem Tuncay, a respected television journalist, is injured in the blast. Unlike the bombing at the embassy in Benghazi last September, the U.S. government immediately calls the bombing a terrorist attack. According to Turkish officials, the attack is from the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party, which has been labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S. and other nations. *. French President Makes Triumphant Visit to Mali (Feb. 2):French President Francois Hollandereceives a huge welcome when he arrives in Mali. Thousands of people come out to greet him with music and dance, chanting, "Vive la France!" During his visit, Hollande congratulates French and Malian troops on "an exceptional mission," after the troops chased Islamic extremists out of Mali's cities last month. While speaking to the troops, Hollande also admits that "the fight is not over." *. Pope Benedict XVI Announces He Will Resign (Feb. 11):The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVIannounces his retirement, becoming the first pope to do so since 1415. He will retire on February 28. He cites advancing age and a growing physical weakness as his reasons for retirement. Speaking to a small group of cardinals at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI says, "Before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited" for leading the Catholic Church. *. North Korea Appears to Detonate Third Nuclear Bomb (Feb. 12):North Korea says it has detonated a third nuclear bomb. World leaders, scientists, and intelligence officials rush to determine if the bomb is fueled by uranium or plutonium. Plutonium is used in earlier tests in 2006 and 2009, and officials say if uranium powered the bomb then it is a signal that North Koreais on its way to developing a larger and more powerful arsenal. The explosion is small compared to those detonated by China in the 1960s and the U.S. in 1945, but larger than North Korea's previous tests. *. Pistorius Arrested for Killing Girlfriend (Feb. 14):South African runner Oscar Pistoriusis arrested on Valentine's Day after police find his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, dead from multiple gunshot wounds in his apartment. Early news reports that Pistorius had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder and accidently shot her, but by the end of the day he is charged with murder.(Feb. 19):On the same day as Steenkamp's funeral, Pistorius faces charges of premeditated murder in the Magistrate Court in Pretoria, South Africa. Pistorius denies murdering his girlfriend in an affidavit read by Barry Roux, his lawyer, "I fail to understand how I could be charged with murder, let alone premeditated. I had no intention to kill my girlfriend." *. Syrian Opposition Open to Talks, Excluding al-Assad (Feb. 15):The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces announce that they are open to talks with members of the Syrian government in the hope of finding a political solution. However, the offer comes with conditions, mainly that Syria's president, Bashar al-Assadbe excluded. The opposition also wants military leaders to be excluded from the talks. Meanwhile, heavy fighting continues in Aleppo, a city in northern Syria where rebel fighters take control of a military base. *. Livni Joins Netanyahu's Coalition to Head Talks with Palestine (Feb. 19):Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuinvites former foreign minister Tzipi Livnito join his coalition and head Israel's peace talks with Palestine. Livni, who formed the Hatenuah party to run against Netanyahu in last month's election, will also serve as Justice Minister. Netanyahu and Livni make the announcement at a press conference, both saying they have set aside past disagreements and rivalries to work together. "I criticized the government's management over the past four years, but since the election, we've come to understandings to put all that aside," says Livni.

January 2013 Current Events: Business News. Here are the key events in business and science news for the month of January 2013. *. Economy Adds 155,000 Jobs in December; Unemployment holds steady (Jan. 4):U.S. employers added 155,000 new jobs in the month of December 2012, while unemployment stayed at 7.8%, the same as it was in November. The biggest job gains came in manufacturing, construction, food services and health care.

January 2013 Current Events: Disasters & Science News. Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of January 2013. *. Flu, Whooping Cough Hits U.S. Hard (Jan. 1):Three epidemics spread through the United States at the beginning of 2013. First there is the fluvirus, more aggressive than in recent years. There is also the worst whooping coughoutbreak in decades and a new type of norovirus.(Jan. 9):The flu outbreak in Boston, Mass., becomes so bad that Mayor Thomas M. Menino declares a public health emergency for the city. So far this year, Bostonhas had four flu-related deaths and 700 confirmed cases of the flu compared to 70 cases the city had at this time last year. The state of Massachusettshas had 18 flu-related deaths so far this winter. *. Wildfires and Record High Temperatures Strike Australia (Jan. 1):In January 2013, summer for Australia, wildfires spread throughout the southeastern part of the country. National parks are evacuated as temperatures reach 113 degrees Fahrenheit. The extremely high temperatures mix with dry and windy conditions combine to raise the threat level to catastrophic, the most severe rating. The country is having its hottest summer on record. So far there are no confirmed deaths due to the wildfires, but 100 people are missing after a fire rages through Dunalley, Tasmania, and destroys approximately 90 homes. Thousands of sheep and cattle are killed after the fires race through some of the country's biggest farming regions. *. Club Fire Kills 233 People in Brazil (Jan. 27):In the early morning hours, a fire breaks out in a nightclub in Santa Maria, a southern city in Brazil. The cause of the fire is a flare from pyrotechnics used by a band performing on stage at the club. At the time of the fire, the club is packed with hundreds of students from nearby universities. According to officials, at least 233 people are killed. The fire stuns the nation. President Dilma Rousseff immediately leaves a summit meeting in Chileand travels to Santa Maria to console the victim's families. As she leaves Chile, in tears, she says to reporters, "This is a tragedy for all of us."