Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
- The novel Prophet Song by Paul Lynch wins the Booker Prize.
- In motorcycle racing, Francesco Bagnaia (pictured) wins the MotoGP World Championship.
- In Canadian football, the Montreal Alouettes defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to win the Grey Cup.
- Javier Milei is elected President of Argentina.
Armed conflicts and attacks
- New People's Army rebellion
- The Philippine government and communist rebels, represented by the National Democratic Front, agree to resume peace talks after six years. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- Rescuers in Uttarakhand, India, successfully drill through to 41 men who had been trapped for over two weeks following a tunnel collapse. (CNN)
- A rock burst at a mine in Heilongjiang, China kills eleven miners. (ABC)
International relations
- Russia–United States relations
- A Russian district court extends American journalist Evan Gershkovich's detention until January 30, 2024, on espionage charges. (AFP via France 24)
Law and crime
- Tobacco control, Smoking in Australia
- The Australian government announces a ban on the imports of disposable vapes, effective January 1, 2024, in an effort to curb nicotine addiction among children and young adults. (BBC News)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
- 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire
- Hamas releases 11 Israeli hostages, while Israel releases 33 Palestinian prisoners. (The Times of Israel)
- Qatar announces an agreement between Israel and Hamas to extend the ceasefire by two days. (The Times of Israel)
- 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
Business and economy
- The world's largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, is delivered to Royal Caribbean International. (BI)
Disasters and accidents
- 2023 Africa floods
- The death toll from floods in Kenya rises to 76 as 40,000 people are displaced from their homes. (AP)
- Eleven workers are killed and 75 others are injured at an Impala platinum mine in Rustenburg, North West, South Africa, when a lift transporting them to the surface drops approximately 200 metres (660 ft). (Al Jazeera)
- A snowstorm kills at least five people in Ukraine and three people in neighbouring Moldova with hundreds of towns and villages losing power. A least ten state highways are also closed with thousands of vehicles stranded in Ukraine amid the severe weather. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- A Chinese court commences compensation hearings for the Chinese relatives of passengers on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. (Reuters)
- International Criminal Court Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem terminates all further investigations into crimes related to the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis, following the collapse of cases against six suspects, including former and current Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, due to insufficient evidence and witness tampering. (AFP via VOA)
Politics and elections
- Christopher Luxon is sworn in as the 42nd prime minister of New Zealand by Governor-General Cindy Kiro. (AFP via The Daily Star)
- The Australian government dismisses Mike Pezzullo as Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs for breaching the public service code of conduct, following an investigation into Pezzullo's alleged encrypted communications with other politicians. (AFP via New Vision)
Science and technology
- The British Antarctic Survey confirms that the world's largest iceberg, A23a, is now leaving the Weddell Sea and drifting into the Southern Ocean after being in the Weddell Sea for more than 30 years. The iceberg is expected to follow the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and continue to drift away from Antarctica. (The Guardian)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2023 Freetown attacks
- Sierra Leone declares a national curfew following an attack by militants on barracks in Freetown. The militants later break into Freetown Central Prison, setting some inmates free. (Reuters)
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
- 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire
- Hamas releases three Thai migrant workers and 14 Israeli hostages, while Israel releases 39 Palestinian prisoners. (The Times of Israel)
- 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire
- Houthi involvement in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, 2023 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria
- Houthi forces fire two ballistic missiles at the USS Mason, with both missiles landing short of the ship in the Gulf of Aden. (Fox News)
- Armed assailants seize and later release a tanker linked to Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, with 22 crew members on board, off the coast of Yemen. The United States Navy captures the attackers. (AP)
- Eight Palestinians are killed and at least six others are injured in Israeli raids in the West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
- The Palestine Red Crescent Society says that a Palestinian farmer was killed and another was injured when they were targeted by Israeli forces in the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza. (Reuters)
- Hamas confirms the deaths of several senior commanders including Ahmed Ghandour, the commander of its Northern Gaza brigade, and Ayman Siam, the head of its rocket firing array. The Israel Defense Forces had previously said it had targeted Ghandour and Siam, but did not confirm that they had been killed. (The Times of Israel)
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu becomes the first Israeli head of government to enter the Gaza Strip in two decades, after visiting Israel Defense Forces troops stationed there. (The Jerusalem Post)
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
Arts and culture
- 2023 Booker Prize
- Irish writer Paul Lynch wins the Booker Prize for his novel Prophet Song. (AFP via RFI)
Disasters and accidents
- The cargo ship Raptor sinks off the Greek island of Lesbos with 14 crew members on board. The coast guard rescues one person and recovers the body of one of the other crew members. (AFP via France 24)
International relations
- China–Malaysia relations, India–Malaysia relations
- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announces at a People's Justice Party congress that citizens of China and India will have visa-free travel from December 1, allowing stays of up to 30 days in a bid to boost tourism. (Reuters)
- Germany–Mali relations
- German Catholic priest Hans-Joachim Lohre, who disappeared in Bamako, Mali, in November 2022 and was presumed kidnapped, is released and returns to Germany. (AFP via The News)
- Guyana–Venezuela relations
- Guyanese President Irfaan Ali visits the region of Guayana Esequiba and hoists the Guyanese flag, amid heightening tensions with Venezuela over the territory. Venezuela calls the action a "provocation". (El Economista)
Law and crime
- Corruption in Kuwait
- Kuwait's highest court sentences former defense and interior minister Khaled Al Jarrah Al Sabah to seven years in prison for mishandling military funds while former Prime Minister Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, who faced similar charges, is only ordered by the court to return the funds that he mismanaged. (Reuters via Al Arabiya)
- Violent incidents in reaction to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- Anti-Palestinianism during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- Three students of Palestinian ethnicity are shot and injured by an unknown attacker in Burlington, Vermont, United States, in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime. (Time)
- Anti-Palestinianism during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- Three people are killed and two others are critically injured in a mass shooting at a residence in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (UPI)
Sports
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
- 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire
- On day 2 of the ceasefire, Hamas releases 13 Israeli hostages and 4 Thai migrant workers, while Israel releases 39 Palestinian prisoners.(The Guardian)
- 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire
- The Israeli government will summon the Belgian and Spanish ambassadors following their criticism of Israel for the suffering of Palestinian civilians under Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. (AP)
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Syrian civil war
- Syrian military shelling in rebel-held Qoqfin, Idlib Governorate, kills ten people, including seven children. (AP via ABC News)
Disasters and accidents
- 2023 Karachi mall fire
- Eleven people are killed and 35 others are injured by a fire at a shopping mall in Karachi, Pakistan. (AFP via The Guardian)
- Five climbers are killed and four others are injured by an avalanche in the Zagros Mountains in Lorestan, Iran. (AP)
- Four people are killed and 60 others are injured in a stampede at a music festival in Kochi, Kerala, India. (AP)
Health and environment
- 2022–2023 mpox outbreak, Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- The World Health Organization records the highest annual count of mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 12,569 cases and 581 deaths reported until November 2023. (AFP via The Straits Times)
Law and crime
- Four people are killed and another is injured as a former soldier and para-athlete opens fire at his wedding party in northeast Thailand, before killing himself. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Malagasy presidential election
- Madagascar opposition presidential candidate Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko appeals to the Supreme Court to annul the election results, claiming electoral fraud. (Al Jazeera)
Sports
- 2023 U Sports football season
- 58th Vanier Cup
- In Canadian football, the Montreal Carabins defeat the UBC Thunderbirds 16–9 to win their second national university football championship. (CBC News)
- 58th Vanier Cup
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
- 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire
- An agreement to pause fighting in the Gaza Strip for four days enters into effect at 7am. (Al Jazeera)
- On the first day of the ceasefire Hamas releases 13 Israeli hostages, some of whom are dual citizens, while Israel releases 39 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire agreement. (CNN) (Times of Israel)
- Hamas releases one Filipino and 10 Thai hostages as part of a separate deal with the Thai government which was brokered by Iran. (Time) (Times of Israel)
- 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
International relations
- Somalia is admitted as the 8th member of the East African Community. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- Mexican drug war
- The security chief for El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel Nestor Isidro Pérez Salas, also known as "El Nini", is arrested in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration had a $3 million bounty for El Nini's arrest. (CBS News)
- Bangladeshi police intercept and detain 58 Rohingya refugees attempting to travel to Indonesia by boat, citing risks of human trafficking. (AFP via CNA)
- Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa repeals the country's ten-year policy permitting possession of small drug quantities in an effort to curb "micro-trafficking". (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
- The Supreme Court of Montenegro approves the extradition of South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur Do Kwon, as requested by South Korea and the United States, following the collapse of Kwon's company Terraform Labs. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Nepalese police arrest 74 pro-monarchy protesters and supporters of businessman Durga Prasai. (The Kathmandu Post) (Crisis 24)
Science and technology
- Astronomers at the Telescope Array Project in Utah, United States, observe the second largest cosmic ray ever detected, the so-called Amaterasu particle, with an energy of 244 EeV. (Cosmos Magazine)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- Al-Shifa Hospital siege
- The Israel Defense Forces detain Mohammad abu Salmiya, the director of the Al-Shifa Hospital, and several doctors working under him, after a convoy belonging to the World Health Organization was stopped by Israeli soldiers. Israel accuses the director and the doctors of having sheltered Hamas fighters in the hospital. (The Guardian)
- Houthi involvement in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- CENTCOM reports that the USS Thomas Hudner has shot down "multiple" Israel-bound attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen over the Red Sea. No injuries or damage are reported. (The Hill)
- Al-Shifa Hospital siege
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Southern Ukraine campaign
- A Russian cluster munition strike in Chornobaivka, Kherson, kills at least three civilians. Five people are also injured by Russian artillery shelling with more than 60 residential buildings reportedly damaged. (AP via ABC News)
- Southern Ukraine campaign
Business and economy
- Modern immigration to the United Kingdom
- The Office for National Statistics reports that net migration to the United Kingdom reached a record of 745,000 in 2022, with the vast majority of arrivals being from non-EU countries. (Sky News)
Health and environment
- 2023 Chinese pneumonia outbreak
- The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that Chinese authorities have not detected any unusual or new pathogens in the recent increase of respiratory diseases among children in northern China. The WHO continues to monitor the situation. (AFP via NDTV)
- Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- The World Health Organization reports the first sexual transmission case of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a Belgium resident who traveled there. (Al Jazeera)
International relations
- Japan–South Korea relations
- The High Court of Seoul, South Korea, orders Japan to pay compensation of ₩200 million (around ¥22 million or US$154,000) to 16 comfort women, overturning a previous ruling that denied the women's claims due to sovereign immunity. (AFP via Manila Bulletin)
- North Korea–South Korea relations
- North Korea terminates its 2018 agreement with South Korea, citing escalations in military provocations as well as plans to deploy military forces along the Military Demarcation Line. (AFP via Le Monde)
Law and crime
- 2023 Dublin riot
- Rioting occurs in Dublin, Ireland, following a mass stabbing outside a school which injured a woman and three children. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris blames "far-right hooligans" for the unrest. (AP)
- Chad's junta parliament approves an amnesty law, terminating prosecutions and convictions related to the 2022 anti-government protest deaths. (AFP via Hindustan Times)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war protests
- Pro-Palestine protesters disrupt the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, United States, minutes after the start of the parade. The parade resumes after the protesters are taken into custody. (ABC News)
- Cubans hold a pro-Palestine protest at the Embassy of the United States in Havana, Cuba. (Reuters)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
- 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire
- The Cabinet of Israel approves a deal to pause fighting in Gaza for four days. The deal, negotiated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, will also see Israel release 150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas, mostly women and children. (The Times of Israel)
- 2023 Israel–Hamas ceasefire
- 2023 Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis
Business and economy
- Sam Altman returns as CEO of American artificial intelligence company OpenAI, only days after being dismissed by the company's Board of Directors on November 17. The surprise dismissal had resulted in major pushback, with 95% of company workers saying that they would quit if Altman was not brought back as CEO. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- 2023 Rainbow Bridge explosion
- A car explodes near the Canada–United States border at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, New York, United States, killing the two people inside the vehicle and injuring a border agent. The New York state government temporarily closes all border crossings between the United States and Canada in Western New York in response to the explosion. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- 2023 Chinese pneumonia outbreak
- The World Health Organization requests detailed information from China regarding a surge in respiratory diseases and pneumonia clusters among children in northern China, while advising the public to adhere to preventative measures against such diseases. (AFP via TOI)
International relations
- Finland–Russia relations
- Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announces that Finland will close all but the northernmost border crossing with Russia, amid an increase in asylum seekers entering Finland via Russia. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Dutch general election
- Citizens of the Netherlands elect all 150 seats in the House of Representatives. (CNN)
- The far-right Party for Freedom led by Geert Wilders wins the most seats in parliament, according to exit polls. (The Guardian)