Portal:Current events

Edit instructions

Worldwide current events
Sports events

Topics in the news

Slobodan Praljak

Former Bosnian Croat army general Slobodan Praljak (pictured) dies from drinking poison after his conviction for war crimes is upheld by the ICTY.
In sumo, yokozuna Harumafuji Kōhei retires amidst investigations into an assault on fellow wrestler Takanoiwa Yoshimori.
Indonesian officials order the evacuation of 100,000 people in Bali due to the eruption of Mount Agung.
In Canadian football, the Toronto Argonauts defeat the Calgary Stampeders to win the Grey Cup.
At least 305 people are killed in a terrorist attack on a mosque in Bir al-Abed, Egypt.

December 2, 2017 (Saturday)

edithistorywatch

December 1, 2017 (Friday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

2017 Peshawar Agriculture Directorate attack
- Four attackers storm the Directorate of Agricultural Training Institute in Pakistan and exchange fire with police and army personnel. The four attackers are killed in the attack, and at least 12 people are killed and 35+ are injured. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claims responsibility. (Arab News)

Business and economy

Bitcoin
- The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission gives a go-ahead for Bitcoin futures to trade on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board Options Exchange. (Fortune)

Health and environment

Health in the Philippines
- The Philippine Department of Health temporarily suspends a school-based dengue vaccination program after Dengvaxia vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur made a statement that its product poses higher risks to people without prior dengue infection. (Rappler) (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Law and crime

Links between Trump associates and Russian officials
- Michael Flynn, former U.S. National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump, pleads guilty to one count of making a false statement to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials. It was also announced that Flynn will cooperate with Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation. (The New York Times) (New York Daily News)

Politics and elections

Abdication of Emperor Akihito
- Emperor Akihito announces his intentions to retire on April 30, 2019. (CNN)

Science and technology

Tesla Powerpack
- A 100-megawatt Tesla Powerpack system, which is the world's largest lithium-ion battery, is launched in Jamestown, South Australia. (AAP via The Guardian)

Sport

2018 FIFA World Cup seeding
- The draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup takes place at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia. (The Telegraph)

November 30, 2017 (Thursday)

edithistorywatch

Arts and culture

Me Too (hashtag)
- American producer Russell Simmons announces his resignation from his companies after a sexual assault allegation was made by screenwriter Jenny Lumet against him. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

Economy of South Korea
- The Bank of Korea raises interest rates for the first time in more than six years by lifting borrowing costs to 1.50 percent from 1.25, citing economic recovery. (AFP) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- The International Committee of the Red Cross is buying 750,000 liters of diesel fuel to help provide clean water for a million people living in Yemen. (BBC)
2017 Delaware earthquake
- A rare minor earthquake centered seven miles (11 km) northeast of Dover, Delaware, is felt throughout the Mid-Atlantic United States. (ABC)
Disappearance of ARA San Juan (S-42)
- The Argentine Navy decides to cancel the search and rescue effort for the missing 44 crew members of San Juan, 15 days after it went missing, in order to focus on the search for the submarine itself. (Reuters via The Independent)

Law and crime

Shooting of Kathryn Steinle
- José Inés García Zarate, a suspect in a 2015 shooting in San Francisco, is acquitted of murder charges and found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. (NBC News)

November 29, 2017 (Wednesday)

edithistorywatch

Arts and culture

2017 in archaeology
- Archaeologists from the University of Leicester announce the discovery of evidence that Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain started in Pegwell Bay, Kent. (BBC)
Weinstein effect
- NBC News announces that it has terminated their employment of Matt Lauer after a female employee filed a complaint about him conducting "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace". (CNN) (The New York Times)
- Garrison Keillor, the former host of A Prairie Home Companion, is fired from Minnesota Public Radio after the public broadcaster discloses that it had become aware of allegations of "inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him". (The Washington Post)

Business and economy

Corporate bankruptcies
- Cumulus Media files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and enters into a restructuring agreement with some of its lenders to reduce more than $1 billion of the debt accrued by the Atlanta-based radio broadcasting group since its 2011 purchase of Citadel Broadcasting, towards the end of a 30-day period for the company to secure a financing plan after defaulting on a $23.6-million debt payment on November 1. In a statement, Cumulus representatives said that the company expects all operations, programming and sales for its 459 radio stations across the U.S. to continue as normal during the restructuring process. (Reuters) (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Law and crime

Euthanasia in Australia
- Victoria becomes the first state to pass euthanasia legislation. (ABC News Australia)
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
- Retired Croatian Army general Slobodan Praljak, upon hearing at a UN tribunal that the international tribunal upheld his war crime conviction, drinks a small vial that apparently contained poison, and later dies in a hospital in The Hague. (The New York Times) (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Donald Trump on social media, Islamophobia in the United States
- U.S. President Donald Trump re-tweets three anti-Muslim videos that were originally tweeted by Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of British far-right political party Britain First, prompting international condemnation and criticism. (BBC) (The New York Times) (The Guardian) (CNN) (MSNBC) (The Washington Post)

November 28, 2017 (Tuesday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

2017 North Korean missile tests
- North Korea fires another missile in a test, landing in the Sea of Japan. (BBC)

Law and crime

2017 New York City truck attack
- Sayfullo Saipov, the suspect of the attack, pleads not guilty to all charges of murder and terrorism. (The Guardian)
Seminole Heights serial killer
- Tampa, Florida police arrest Howell Emanuel Donaldson III and charge him with four counts of murder. (CBS News)

Politics and elections

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
- The U.S. Senate Budget Committee votes to move the Trump administration's tax bill to the full U.S. Senate. (Business Insider)

Science and technology

2017 in spaceflight
- A Soyuz-2.1b's Fregat upper stage malfunctions during Meteor-M No.2-1's launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. The status of the satellite and 18 other payloads is unknown, as they are either stranded in a wrong orbit or they reentered the atmosphere and crashed in the ocean. (Spaceflight Now)
Elsagate
- YouTube removes thousands of child abuse videos related to Elsagate. (CBS News)

November 27, 2017 (Monday)

edithistorywatch

Arts and culture

Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
- Prince Harry announces his engagement to American actress Meghan Markle. (NBC News)

Disasters and accidents

Morlanwelz train collision and runaway
- A passenger train collides with a car on a level crossing at Morlanwelz, Hainaut, Belgium, and is damaged by the subsequent fire. During recovery operations, it breaks free from the train hauling it, runs away for 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) and collides with a passenger train at Strépy-Bracquegnies. Two people are killed, seven are injured. (The Brussels Times)

Health and environment

Health in Europe
- A European Union appeal committee votes to reauthorise the use of glyphosate as a herbicide for a five-year period. (The Guardian)

International relations

International reactions to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, Pastoral visits of Pope Francis
- Pope Francis arrives in Yangon to begin a six-day trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, where he is expected to meet with the Rohingya people. (BBC), (Channel NewsAsia)

Law and crime

Forced evictions in China
- Authorities in Beijing evict thousands of its migrant population in wake of a fire that left 19 people dead earlier this month, leaving many homeless in sub-zero temperatures. (Radio Free Asia) (Quartz)

Politics and elections

2017 Tehreek-e-Labaik protest
- The Pakistan Minister for Law Zahid Hamid resigns after days of protest over proposed changes to blasphemy laws. (CNN)
2017 Spanish constitutional crisis
- The Attorney General of Catalonia, José María Romero de Tejada, unexpectedly dies in Barcelona of pneumonia at the age of 69, few days after the death of the Attorney General of the State. (El País)

November 26, 2017 (Sunday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Russian airstrikes hit residential buildings in the ISIS-held village of Al-Shafah in Deir Ezzor province, killing at least 53 civilians, including 21 children. (Japan Times)

Disasters and accidents

A large factory explosion in Ningbo, China, kills at least 2 people and injures more than 30. (BBC)
Popocatépetl volcano continues to erupt in Mexico. (CNN)

Politics and elections

2017 Tehreek-e-Labaik protest
- Pakistan's government calls for troops to be deployed in the capital, Islamabad, after violence breaks out during protests by Islamists that were organized by the Tehreek-e-Labaik. (BBC)
Honduran general election, 2017
- Voters in Honduras go to the polls to elect a president for the country, with current President Juan Orlando Hernández running for a second term, marking the first time a sitting president sought reelection. (Al Jazeera)
Nepalese legislative election, 2017
- Voters in Nepal go to the polls for the first phase of an election to choose members for the House of Representatives and Parliament. (BBC)
Weinstein effect
- John Conyers stands down as the ranking Democrat on the United States House Committee on the Judiciary following a series of sexual harassment allegations. (The Globe and Mail)