Briefing

‘I want every girl, every child, to be educated.’

1. MALALA YOUSAFZAI, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot in the head in October by the Pakistani Taliban after speaking out for women’s education, in her first on-camera statement since the attack

‘I am ready to be the first Iranian to sacrifice myself for our country’s scientists.’

2. MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, Iranian President, suggesting he would volunteer to become his country’s first astronaut; last month scientists in Tehran reportedly sent a monkey into space

‘That’s a direct question. I expect a direct answer.’

3. JOHN MCCAIN, Republican Senator, asking Defense Secretary nominee and former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel if he stands by his criticism of the 2007 Iraq surge

‘He’s got the guts of a burglar.’

4. JOHN HARBAUGH, Baltimore Ravens coach, praising quarterback Joe Flacco, who was named MVP after leading the team to a 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl

‘We don’t have to prove it–history will.’

5. FIDEL CASTRO, defending the merits of socialism during his first public appearance in three years; the former Cuban dictator emerged to vote in his country’s general election

13%

Percentage of wine produced globally that is consumed by Americans, making the U.S. the world’s largest wine market

29

Inches (24 cm) the level of Lakes Huron and Michigan had decreased in January from their long-term average–the lowest ebb since monitoring began in 1918

1’9″

1’6″

1’3″

918C211

ATTEMPTED BIRDSLAUGHTER

500 MILLION

Estimated number of birds killed by cats each year in the U.S., according to a University of Georgia study

$24.4 BILLION

Value of a leveraged buyout orchestrated to take Dell private after 24 years as a publicly traded company

Sources: BBC; Reuters; Huffington Post; New York Times; Guardian