Portal:Current events/2018 December 13

December 13, 2018 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Northern Mali conflict
- Jihadists on motorcycles kill around 42 people in a series of attacks targeting Tuareg camps in Mali. (CBC News)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Two Israeli soldiers are killed and two others seriously wounded after a shooting at a bus stop in the Jewish settlement of Giv'at Asaf, West Bank. (CNN)
- A knife-wielding Palestinian assailant is shot dead in Jerusalem's Old City, after lightly injuring two police officers by stabbing them. (Al Jazeera)
2018 Strasbourg attack
- Chérif Chekatt, the perpetrator of an attack in Strasbourg, France, two days ago, which killed two and wounded 14, is found and killed by French police. (BBC)
- A Frenchman originally from Afghanistan who was wounded and left brain-dead from the attack dies from his injuries. (Euronews)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Battle of Al Hudaydah
  - A UN-brokered ceasefire is agreed upon between the two warring factions in Al Hudaydah, Yemen. Troops from both sides will withdraw from the port city within three weeks to allow humanitarian aid coming into the country, which has been plagued by war and famine. (The Guardian)

Arts and culture

YouTube Rewind 2018 becomes the most disliked YouTube video of all time, with well over 10 million dislikes, achieving the feat in a mere seven days. (Indystar)

Disasters and accidents

Ankara train collision
- A high-speed train crashes at Marşandiz railway station in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least nine people and leaving dozens injured. (BBC)
Environment Canada issues rainfall and wind warnings in Metro Vancouver after severe flash flooding caused minor damage in the area. (Daily Hive)

International relations

Chinese state media reports a second Canadian national, Michael Spavor, has been detained on suspicion of endangering state security, while the China foreign ministry say two Canadian nationals are detained in the country. The Spavor investigation follows the detention of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig on December 10 and Canada's December 1 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. (Reuters) (Reuters)

Law and crime

Operation Car Wash
- A tribunal in Colombia disqualifies the Brazilian multinational corporation Odebrecht from operating in the country for 10 years amid ongoing investigations against the company for inciting corruption. (El Tiempo)
Iranian political activist Vahid Sayadi Nasiri, who was jailed for his messages on social media, dies after spending 60 days on hunger strike. He was accused of insulting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. (BBC)
2018 Bitcoin bomb threats
- Fake bomb threats are sent to dozens of businesses around Canada and the U.S., demanding ransoms in bitcoin. Some of the threats forced evacuations. (The Independent)
Human rights in Venezuela
- It is reported that a German journalist was kidnapped and imprisoned by the Venezuelan government three weeks ago, with diplomats from both nations denied to see him. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Science and technology

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo successfully completes its fourth powered test flight with VSS Unity and reaches space at an altitude of 82.7 km (51.4 mi) but does not breach the 100 km (62 mi) Karman Line. (BBC)
Chinese Lunar Exploration Program
- Chang'e 4 successfully enters orbit around the Moon ahead of a historic landing on the far side of the Moon in early 2019. (The Guardian)