December 18, 2024 (Wednesday)

2.4 minutes to read

Armed conflicts and attacks

Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev says that arms sent by France to Armenia pose a threat to Azerbaijan.

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Hadi al-Bahra, President of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, says that the coalition will dissolve once a national conference is convened and a constituent assembly is elected, and demands that the current transitional government be "credible, inclusive and not founded on sectarian bases".

(North Press Agency)

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Disasters and accidents

Twenty-five people are killed and dozens of others are missing when a boat capsizes on a river in Inongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

(Al Jazeera)

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Thirty-five children are killed and six others are injured in a crowd crush during a Christmas funfair in Ibadan, Nigeria.

(BBC News)

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Twenty people are killed and five others are rescued in a shipwreck carrying migrants sinking off the coast of Sfax, Tunisia.

(AP)

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A Bombardier Challenger 300 aircraft, registration LV-GOK from Punta del Este, Uruguay, suffered an excursion and went off the runway while trying to land at the San Fernando International Airport in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, colliding with the front of a home in a neighborhood bordering the airport.

(Buenos Aires Herald)

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At least 15 people are killed after an Indian Navy craft collides with a passenger ferry off the coast of Mumbai, India.

(The Hindu)

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Health and environment

California, United States, declares a state of emergency over bird flu.

(The New York Times)

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Russian state media agency TASS claims that the nation developed an mRNA cancer vaccine, which is planned to be distributed to patients free of charge beginning next year. However, the Russian Ministry of Health has not provided any evidence to support their claim that the vaccine treats cancer.

(The Times of India), (TASS), (Newsweek)

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International relations

Mary Jane Veloso, a former inmate on death row in Indonesia, is repatriated to the Philippines following negotiations between the two countries.

(Reuters)

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The U.S. Department of Defense repatriates two al-Qaeda members, Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep, from Guantanamo Bay to Malaysia, where they will undergo a rehabilitation process before reintegration into society.

(Reuters)

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Two Americans of Chinese descent plead guilty to running a covert secret police surveillance stations on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security to monitor, threaten and coerce ethnic Chinese in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City, NY. At least 100 such stations have been reported worldwide across 53 countries, with human rights monitoring NGOs accusing China of using the outposts to threaten and monitor Chinese nationals abroad.

(BBC)

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Law and crime

The Dutch Data Protection Authority fines Netflix €4.75 million ($4.98 million) for failing to properly inform subscribers about the handling of their personal data between 2018 and 2020.

(Al Arabiya)

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The Westminster Magistrates' Court rules that British police may seize £2.2 million (US$2.5 million) from influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan for allegedly failing to pay taxes on profits from their online ventures.

(DW)

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Eleven people are killed and two others are injured in an arson attack on a bar in Hanoi, Vietnam.

(Al Jazeera)

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In his first direct comments on the issue, president Joe Biden states there is "nothing nefarious, apparently" and "no sense of danger so far" behind the aircraft sightings.

(NBC News)

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Politics and elections

In an address to the European Parliament, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili urges the European Union to economically and politically pressure the current Georgian government into holding new elections, claiming that recent elections represented a "new form of invasion" by Russia.

(Euronews), (AP)

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Simon Harris tenders his resignation as Taoiseach to President Michael D Higgins.

(Irish Independent)

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The parliament building of Liberia catches on fire amid anti-government protests condemning the attempted removal of House Speaker Jonathan F. Koffa.

(AP), (BBC)

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