Portal:Current events/Inclusion/sandbox

May 15, 2024 (2024-05-15) (Wednesday)

Disasters and accidents

• The death toll from the flash flood and lahar in West Sumatra, Indonesia, increases to 62, with 25 others still missing. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Lawrence Wong succeeds Lee Hsien Loong as the 4th Prime Minister of Singapore. (BBC News)

May 14, 2024 (2024-05-14) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2024 Kharkiv offensive, Kharkiv strikes
    • At least 20 people are injured when Russian airstrikes hit a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (Reuters)
    • Ukraine pulls back from positions near Lukyantsi and Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast. (Reuters)
• Israel–Hamas war
  • Rafah offensive
    • Israeli tanks enter residential areas of Rafah as they attempt to capture the city. Hamas' armed wing al-Qassam Brigades says that it destroyed an Israeli troop carrier with a Al-Yassin 105 anti-tank missile, killing several troops and injuring several others, while the Israel Defense Forces claim to have "eliminated" several terrorists in the city. (Reuters)
• 2024 New Caledonia unrest
  • Riots erupt in New Caledonia as France plans to change the constitution, allowing more recent white French settlers to vote in the island's provincial elections, which protesters claim would marginalise the Indigenous Kanak people. (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)
  • Three Kanaks residents are killed and many more injured during a drive-by shooting by a group of French settlers. (Reuters)
  • At least 54 officers are injured and more than 130 people are arrested. Shops and cars are looted, while a prison break has been prevented. (AP) (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

• The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival opens in Cannes, France, with Meryl Streep receiving an honorary Palme d'Or award. (AP)

Business and economy

• China–United States trade war
  • U.S. President Joe Biden passes tariff increases on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles and batteries, computer chips, and medical products. (Reuters)
• GameStop short squeeze
  • The share price of GameStop increases by a further 61%. (Quartz) (Yahoo! News)
• Economy of Argentina
  • Inflation in Argentina slows to a single digit number of 8.8 percent amid severe austerity plans by president Javier Milei. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• The death toll from a building collapse in George, South Africa, last week, increases to 33. (Reuters)
• Thirteen people, including former Congressman Édgar Alarcón, are killed in a bus crash in Vinchos, Huamanga Province, Peru. (Reuters) (Infobae)
• Eight people are killed and 40 others are injured when a bus carrying farmworkers collides with a truck and overturns in Marion County, Florida, United States. (AP)

Law and crime

• Corruption in Russia
  • Russian police arrest former head of personnel of the Ministry of Defence Yuri Kuznetsov for bribery of over $1 million. Kuznetsov's charges carry up to 15 years of jail time. (Al Jazeera)
• Two prison guards are killed and three others are critically injured in an ambush of a prison van near Rouen, Normandy, France, to free an inmate with ties to a drug dealing gang. (BBC News)
• Tunisian police raid the headquarters of the Tunisian Order of Lawyers in Tunis and arrest Mahdi Zagrouba, who is known for his opposition to President Kais Saied. (Al Jazeera)
• The Supreme Court of Kazakhstan sentences former Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev to 24 years in prison for torturing and murdering his wife. (Al Jazeera)
• Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza loses his appeal against a 25-year prison sentence. (Reuters)
• A court in Germany convicts and fines Alternative for Germany member Björn Höcke €13,000 ($14,000) for using a Nazi slogan that once belonged to the Sturmabteilung. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2023–2024 Georgian protests
  • Riot police clash with protesters on the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia, after the parliament approves a controversial "foreign agent" law that requires media organizations to declare foreign funding. (BBC News)
  • The United States warns Georgia that $390 million in planned economic support will be "under review" if the Georgian government considers the U.S. as an "adversary", and not as a strategic partner. (The Guardian)

Science and technology

• Russia places its nuclear capable submarine-launched Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile into service. (Reuters)

May 13, 2024 (2024-05-13) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israel–Hamas war
  • Rafah offensive
    • The Israeli military advances into northern and southern Gaza. (Reuters)
    • A staff member of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security is killed and another is injured in Rafah. (United Nations)
  • Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
    • Hamas says that it has "lost contact" with the militants holding four Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin. (Reuters)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2024 Kharkiv offensive
    • Russia claims that its troops have entered the town of Vovchansk, 74 kilometres (46 mi) from Kharkiv. (BBC News)

Business and economy

• GameStop short squeeze
  • Three years after the previous GameStop stock squeeze, Redditors return to artificially inflate GameStop's share price by 75%, reaching an 18-month high. The share price of AMC Theatres also increases by more than 70%. (Reuters) (CNBC)
• Russia–United States relations
  • U.S. President Joe Biden signs a bill banning imports of uranium from Russia. (Reuters) (The Washington Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
  • The death toll from the ongoing heavy flooding in southern Brazil increases to 147 people, with 127 people still missing. (Reuters)
• Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
  • The final remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, which killed six workers, are demolished with explosives. (East Bay Times)
• The death toll from the flash flood and lahar in West Sumatra, Indonesia, increases to 43, with 15 others still missing. (Reuters)
• At least 14 people are killed, 75 are injured, and others are trapped after a billboard collapses during heavy rains in Mumbai, India. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• The Airlines for America trade association and several major American airlines file a lawsuit against the United States Department of Transportation over a rule requiring upfront disclosure of airline fees. (Reuters)
• Indonesian police conducts a major drug raid on a lab hidden in a villa in Bali, Indonesia. They arrested one Indonesian, two Ukrainians, and one Russian. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2024 Lithuanian constitutional referendum
  • A referendum to allow dual citizenship in Lithuania fails to pass. (LRT)
• 2024 Lithuanian presidential election
  • Gitanas Nausėda and Ingrida Šimonytė advance to the run-off election, which will be held on 26 May. (The Guardian)
• 2024 New Caledonia unrest
  • The High Commissioner of New Caledonia imposes a curfew and mobilizes security forces after a general strike and violent protests over proposed constitutional changes in the capital city Nouméa. (Al Jazeera)
• An administrative court in Münster, Germany, rules that the Alternative for Germany political party could threaten democracy and can be spied on. (The Washington Post)

Science and technology

• OpenAI announces a new model of their generative pretrained transformer (GPT) named GPT-4o, capable of visual and video speech recognition and translation. (Reuters)

May 12, 2024 (2024-05-12) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2024 Kharkiv offensive
    • The Russian Defence Ministry states that its forces have captured several villages in Kharkiv Oblast. (CNN)
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • At least thirteen civilians are killed and 20 others are injured when pieces of a downed Ukrainian Tochka missile hit an apartment block in Belgorod, Russia. (AP) (Reuters)
  • President of Russia Vladimir Putin reassigns Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to the National Security Council and replaces him with Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov. (The Washington Post)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Israel–Hamas war
    • Rafah offensive
      • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns Israel lacks a credible plan to protect Rafah civilians. (Reuters)
• War in Sudan
  • Battle of El Fasher
    • Fighting during RSF attacks on eastern El Fasher, over the weekend, kill at least 38 civilians and injure 189 others amid fears of an all out RSF assault on the city. (The Washington Post)

Disasters and accidents

• 2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan floods
  • The death toll from the ongoing flooding in northern Afghanistan increases to 315, with more than 1,600 people injured, and more than 1,000 houses destroyed. (Reuters)
• 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
  • The death toll from the ongoing flooding in southern Brazil increases to 143, with 125 people still missing. The Brazilian government has announced R$12.1 billion in emergency spending in response to the crisis. (Reuters)
• The Marywilska 44 shopping mall in Białołęka district, Warsaw, Poland, is destroyed in a suspected arson attack. Many of the venues were Vietnamese-owned. (The Times of India) (Puls Biznesu)
• Wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, force thousands to evacuate. (CNN)

International relations

• Egypt–Israel relations, Rafah offensive
  • Egypt announces it will intervene on South Africa's side in the South Africa v Israel case in response to Israel's growing assault on Rafah. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• 2024 Catalan regional election
  • The Socialists' Party of Catalonia wins the regional election with its best result since 2003. Pro-independence parties lose their absolute majority in the Parliament. (Reuters)
• 2024 Lithuanian presidential election, 2024 Lithuanian constitutional referendum
  • Lithuanians elect the President of Lithuania and vote on a constitutional amendment that would allow dual citizenship. (ABC News) (lnk.lt)
• 2024 North Macedonian presidential election
  • Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova is sworn in as the first female President of North Macedonia. (Bloomberg Macedonia)
• Forty-nine Vatican Museums employees start an unprecedented labor dispute over unfair and poor working conditions against the Vatican's Pontifical Commission. (Reuters)
• Hundreds of protesters march in Tunis, Tunisia, to demand the release of imprisoned journalists, activists, and opposition figures. (Reuters)

Sports

• Bayer Leverkusen extend their record unbeaten streak in European association football to fifty matches. (Bundesliga)

May 11, 2024 (2024-05-11) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Three people are killed in a Ukrainian strike in Donetsk. Separately, two people are killed in Ukrainian strikes in Belgorod and Kursk. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Eurovision Song Contest 2024
  • Switzerland's entry, "The Code" by Nemo, wins this year's Eurovision contest. (DW)
  • Dutch musician Joost Klein is disqualified from the Eurovision final over reported verbal threats, which are under investigation by Swedish authorities. This is the first time that a performer has been disqualified during the festival. (Aftonbladet)
  • The Norwegian announcer for Eurovision, Alessandra Mele, announces that she will withdraw from announcing votes while declaring support for Palestine in the ongoing war. (Times of Israel)

Disasters and accidents

• 2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan floods
  • The death toll from the ongoing flooding in northern Afghanistan increases to 300, with more than 1,000 houses destroyed. (AP)
• 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
  • The death toll from the ongoing heavy flooding in southern Brazil increases to 136, with 125 still missing, and more than 300,000 people displaced. (Reuters)
• At least 28 people are killed after heavy rains in the Agam and Tanah Datar districts in West Sumatra, Indonesia, which triggered a flash flood and cold lava flow from Mount Marapi. (Al Jazeera)
• Eleven people are killed and 53 others are injured when a bus crashes in West Java, Indonesia. (AP)

Politics and elections

• 2023–2024 Georgian protests
  • Fifty thousand people march in Tbilisi, in protest of the proposed Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence. (Reuters)

May 10, 2024 (2024-05-10) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • 2024 Kharkiv offensive
    • Russian forces launch an attack on Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast, near the town of Vovchansk, opening up a new front. (Reuters)
  • A Ukrainian strike against oil infrastructure kills three in Luhansk. (Reuters)
• M23 offensive
  • The death toll from rocket strikes on an IDP camp in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, increases to 35. (AP)
• Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
  • Hundreds of Islamic State-linked fighters attack the town of Macomia, Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique. (Al Jazeera)
• Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
  • Indian security forces kill 12 Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan floods
  • Over 200 people are killed by floods in Baghlan Province, Afghanistan. (NDTV)
• 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
  • The death toll from the ongoing heavy flooding in southern Brazil increases to 126, with 141 still missing and more than 300,000 people displaced. (Reuters)
• Seven people are killed and six others are injured when a passenger bus plunges from the Potseluev Bridge into the Moyka river in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Reuters)
• At least 60 people are injured when a passenger train collides with a locomotive in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Reuters)

Health and environment

• Demographics of Italy
  • Amid record low birth rates and an aging population, Pope Francis urges Italians to have more children. The Italian government also expands a campaign to encourage at least 500,000 births annually by 2033. (AP)

International relations

• Palestine and the United Nations
  • United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-10/23
    • The United Nations General Assembly votes 143–9 with 25 abstentions to approve a resolution granting Palestine new rights and privileges, and to reconsider Palestine's request to become a UN member. The nine countries that opposed the resolution were Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the United States. (AP) (The National)

Law and crime

• Colombian conflict
  • Catatumbo campaign
    • A Colombian court in Bogota grants conditional release to former paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso. He was held at La Picota prison while being accused of war crimes and human rights violations. (Reuters)
• Arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, 2024 Indian general election
  • The Supreme Court of India grants Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal interim bail for 21 days in connection with the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case, thereby permitting Kejriwal to campaign in the ongoing general election. (The Hindustan Times)
• A Pennsylvania jury orders ExxonMobil to pay $725.5 million to a former mechanic who claimed that the company's gasoline and solvents caused him to develop leukemia. (Reuters)
• Peruvian authorities launch an investigation into President Dina Boluarte for disbanding a police force that was investigating her brother Nicanor Boluarte, who was arrested for alleged influence peddling. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Israel–Hamas war protests
  • 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses
    • Police dismantle encampments and arrest dozens of students protesting at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Reuters)
    • Academic staff of The New School in New York City hold the first faculty-led solidarity encampment in the United States. (The Guardian)
• 2024 United States presidential election
  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential campaign
    • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualifies to appear on the ballot in Oklahoma for the 2024 United States presidential election as an independent candidate. (Yahoo! News)
• 2024 Polish farmers' protests
  • Thousands of protesters march through Warsaw, Poland, against the European Union's environmental regulations. (Euronews)
• Emir of Kuwait Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dissolves the National Assembly and suspends some articles of the Constitution. (Reuters)
• Eight hundred protesters storm the Tesla plant in Grünheide, Germany, in protest of the environmental impact of the company's expansion. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• May 2024 solar storms
  • A geomagnetic storm hits Earth, reaching G5 intensity and causing widespread aurorae, with NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center issuing its first G4-level storm watch since 2005. (NOAA)

May 9, 2024 (2024-05-09) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Israel–Hamas war
    • Rafah offensive
      • Israeli tanks and warplanes strike eastern Rafah. 80,000 people have fled Rafah throughout the week. (Reuters)
    • United States support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war
      • U.S. President Joe Biden threatens to withhold weapons from Israel if it launches a major invasion of Rafah. (Reuters)
  • Spillover of the Israel–Hamas war
    • Red Sea crisis
      • The Houthis claim responsibility for attacks on three container ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. (Al Jazeera)
  • Israeli far-right extremists launch two arson attacks on the perimeter of the UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem, forcing it to temporarily close down. (The Guardian)
• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • Assassination attempts on Volodymyr Zelenskyy
    • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fires the head of the state guards Serhiy Rud after allegations that two members of the guards were involved in an assassination plot against Zelenskyy. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
• Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran–Israel relations
  • Iran warns that it will build a nuclear weapon if Israel continues to target its nuclear facilities. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

• Air India Express cancels 85 flights due to staff calling in sick at the last minute, which is related to a protest against working conditions imposed by the airline's new owner Tata Group. (Al Jazeera)
• Air Vanuatu cancels all of its flights as the Vanuatu Government considers putting the airline into voluntary administration. (ABC News Australia)

Disasters and accidents

• 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods
  • The death toll from the ongoing heavy flooding in southern Brazil increases to 107, with at least 136 people still missing and 165,000 people displaced. (Reuters)
• Two Boeing 737 planes are involved in accidents involving takeoff and landing in Senegal and Turkey. (Al Jazeera)

International relations

• Australia–Tuvalu relations
  • Australia and Tuvalu sign a new security agreement, whereby Australia agrees to protect Tuvalu during natural disasters, pandemics, or military aggression. (AP)

Law and crime

• Former Fijian prime minister Frank Bainimarama is sentenced to one year in prison for perverting the course of justice. (ABC News Australia)

Politics and elections

• Israel–Hamas war protests
  • Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters march in Malmö, Sweden, against Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Among the protesters is Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. (AP)
• Trade unions in Argentina launch a general strike against President Javier Milei's planned reforms and budget cuts. (Reuters)

Sports

• Bayer Leverkusen breaks Benfica's record of 48 undefeated games in modern European men's club association football. (The Athletic)

This page includes the last seven days onto Portal:Current events.