Portal:Current events/2014 July 17
July 17, 2014 (Thursday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- 2014 insurgency in Donbass:
- Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 carrying 298 people from multiple countries is shot down near Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. (BBC News) (Reuters)
- Ukraine accuses a Russian Air Force jet of shooting down a Ukrainian warplane over its territory. (Sky News Australia)
- Operation Protective Edge:
- Israel and Hamas agree to a brief UN humanitarian ceasefire Thursday morning to allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip. (Al Jazeera)
- It is reported later by Israel´s foreign minister and Hamas the cease fire was misinformed news. (BBC News)
- During a routine investigation by the United Nations, over 20 rockets are found hidden in an abandoned school in Gaza operated by UNRWA. (Times of Israel)
- Another ceasefire deal brokered by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is accepted by Israel but rejected by Hamas, several hours later Israel commences a ground offensive. (BBC News) (Times of Israel)
- Taliban insurgency:
- Explosions and gunfire are reported near Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan as militants temporarily capture a building under construction. (Reuters via UK Investing) (Sky News Australia)
- Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present):
- At least 14 Tunisian soldiers are reportedly killed following Islamist militant attacks at two checkpoints near the Algerian border with at least 20 others wounded, a group called the Okba Ben Nafaa Brigade has claimed responsibility. (BBC News)
Arts and culture
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum obtains a full copy of the archives of the United Nations War Crimes Commission from World War II and makes it available online. (AP)
Business and economy
- Microsoft announces deeper-than-expected job cuts as part of its cloud-oriented restructuring, almost halving the newly-purchased Nokia phone business. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2014 Pacific typhoon season:
- Typhoon Rammasun (Glenda) heads for southern China and northern Vietnam after killing at least 38 people in the Philippines with eight missing. (Reuters) (WTOP-FM)
- The Philippines province of Quezon is placed under a state of calamity due to the damage caused by the typhoon. (GMA Network)
- A firefighting helicopter searching for missing people from the sinking of the MV Sewol in April crashes in the South Korean city of Gwangju with five people aboard. (Fox News)
- A fire on a train at Busan Metro in the South Korean port city of Busan leaves five people injured and 100 people were evacuated. (GlobalPost)
- A French regional train on the Pau-Bayonne line crashes into a high-speed train near the town of Denguin, resulting in at least 25 injuries. (BBC News)
Health
- Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan stands for the protection of Homosexual rights in India. (Patrika Group)[permanent dead link]
Law and crime
- A federal judge rules the death penalty in California is unconstitutional. (Los Angeles Times)
Politics and elections
- The Parliament of Australia votes to abolish a carbon tax and emissions trading scheme. (AFP via Yahoo!7 news)
- 2013–14 Thai political crisis:
- The Thai military junta gives permission for former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to travel abroad for the first time since the coup. (BBC News)
Science and technology
- Scientists report video footage of a mysterious giant hole and crater that have suddenly appeared in the Yamal Peninsula, Russia. (Gizmodo)