Jailed

A court in Bahrain sentenced Nabeel Rajab, a rights activist who helped lead the 2011 pro-democracy protests in the country, to five years in prison. Rajab was convicted over tweets he had released alleging the torture of prisoners in the country. He has been in and out of jail since the 2011 protests. Rajab also faces charges involving an open letter in The New York Times and an Instagram post with a picture of the king. Rajab has been in the hospital frequently, but authorities have denied him bail on the basis of his health.

Forfeited

The NCAA stripped the University of Louisville men’s basketball team of its 2013 national championship after a series of scandals rocked the school. It is the first time the NCAA has issued such a punishment. The penalty included stripping the team of 123 wins between 2011 and 2015 and forcing the university to return about $600,000 in tournament payouts. This follows a 2015 investigation after a woman said Andre McGee, a member of the Louisville staff, had hired her as a prostitute and brought her and other women to campus to entertain recruits.

Died

Jack McConnell, a medical researcher who in retirement started a system of free clinics for the uninsured, died on Feb. 6 at age 93. McConnell co-invented a test for the detection of tuberculosis, helped in the early stages of developing the polio vaccine, and directed the first U.S. commercial MRI system. But he made what he called his most important contribution when he met a hitchhiker without health insurance who needed a doctor for his pregnant wife. McConnell decided to start a free clinic and asked retired doctors and nurses to volunteer. He had to get state law changed, but the clinic opened, and the model he built in 1993 has spread to almost 100 communities nationwide, serving thousands per year.

Kidnapped

The Islamist militant group Boko Haram attacked another girl’s school in northern Nigeria, driving into the village of Dapchi with trucks and machine guns and opening fire. The students and teachers at the Government Girls Science and Technical School fled, many climbing fences to escape. A few local residents told reporters they saw militants dragging away girls during the Feb. 19 attack. Some 50 students are still missing. The government took two days to issue a report, fueling fears that even more girls had disappeared. President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to mobilize the military and police to find the missing girls.

Returned

Mack Beggs, the transgender high-school wrestler who won the girls Texas championship last year in the Class 6A 110-pound division, returned this year and defended her title. Beggs has been taking testosterone as part of transitioning from female to male. Last season, Beggs’ title and undefeated season prompted a debate over unfairness to other girls who weren’t taking testosterone. Beggs reportedly wanted to wrestle males, but the law requires athletes to compete as their biological sex. However, Beggs and her family never asked for an exception to the law, according to Texas high-school sports official Jamie Harrison. Beggs again went undefeated and won the state title this year.