Portal:Current events/2013 November 15

November 15, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- North Korea denies giving military aid to Syria. (Al Jazeera)
- Hezbollah vows to keep fighters in Syria. (News.com)
- Albania says it will not allow the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons on its soil after days of protests. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Typhoon Haiyan:
- The United Nations tallies the death toll to around 4,400. The Red Cross estimates that around 20,000 are still missing, many of whom are feared dead. This is contrary to a previous estimate by Benigno Aquino III, who put the death toll to a low 2,000. (NBC News)
- The official death toll is now at 3,631. (The Huffington Post)
At least five people are killed and 10 injured after four coaches of the Mangala Lakshadweep Express derail near the Indian city of Nashik in Maharashtra state. (NDTV) (Times of India)
Two people die after a light aircraft crashes near the runway at Airbus Facilities in Broughton, Flintshire. (ITV News)
12 migrants drown off the coast of Greece. (Reuters)

International relations

Gambia cuts diplomatic relations with Taiwan. (BBC)
Police in Ethiopia arrest dozens of people outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in the capital Addis Ababa who were protesting against attacks on Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Prosecutors in the Australian state of Queensland drop manslaughter charges against American surgeon Jayant Patel, who pleads guilty to charges of fraud. (AP)
The U.S. Supreme Court says that it will hear a securities fraud case this term that arises out of the asbestos liabilities of Halliburton, an oilfield services company. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

China is to relax some elements of its one-child policy and announces it will end its "re-education through labour" camps. (BBC) (Xinhua)
Burma announces the release of 69 political prisoners in ongoing reform. (BBC)
The Australian Electoral Commission petitions the High Court of Australia for a new Senate election in the state of Western Australia due to the loss of 1,370 ballot papers and the closeness of the result. (The Australian)
The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court issues a long-time awaited order to arrest for bribery 12 former top officials who had served under ex-president Lula, in one of the nation's biggest corruption cases. (Bloomberg)