Portal:Current events/2019 September 17

September 17, 2019 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- 17 September 2019 Afghanistan bombings
  - Suicide bombings in Afghanistan kill 48 people including civilians and soldiers. The first is in Charikar at a rally for Ashraf Ghani, the President of Afghanistan. The second is in Kabul near the U.S. embassy. (The New York Times) (BBC News)
Islamic terrorism in Europe
- An Italian soldier in Milan was stabbed in the neck and in the back with a pair of scissors by a man. He was arrested after the stabbing, which was described as a terrorist attack linked to Islamic extremism. The soldier survived the attack. (TGCOM24)

Arts and culture

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican. In his brief remarks, Patriarch Bartholomew talks about the value of synodality in the Eastern Orthodox Church. (Vatican News)

Disasters and accidents

2019 Atlantic hurricane season
- Tropical Storm Imelda makes landfall in Texas, threatening severe flash flooding throughout Eastern Texas and the Houston area. (The Washington Post)
Italian champion speedboat designer and racer Fabio Buzzi and two other racers are killed when their boat, attempting to set a new Monte Carlo-to-Venice record in the Assonautica Italiana race, crashes into a sunken, flood-barrier dam near the finish line. A fourth racer is in hospital with serious injuries. (BBC News) (Il Globo)

International relations

Foreign relations of Taiwan, Foreign relations of China, Foreign relations of the Solomon Islands
- Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen regrets and strongly condemns the move by the Solomon Islands to cut ties with Taiwan and establish relations with China. (RNZ)
2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack
- An anonymous U.S. official says the United States is certain that the attack was launched from Iranian territory and that it involved cruise missiles. (The Daily Star)

Politics and elections

Donald Trump impeachment hearings
- Amid a gag order from the White House, impeachment hearings begin at the United States House Committee on the Judiciary. (The Independent)
Brexit, 2019 British prorogation controversy
- The UK Supreme Court begins considering the lawfulness of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's prorogation of Parliament. It is jointly considering two appeals. One is against a ruling by the High Court under English law that the issue is solely a matter for the Prime Minister and one the courts do not have jurisdiction over. The other is against a ruling by the Court of Session under Scots law declaring the suspension unlawful and a nullity, and requiring Johnson to recall Parliament. (BBC News)
April 2019 Spanish general election, Politics of Spain
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, after failing to achieve support from the Unidas Podemos alliance, announces the calling for a snap election on 10 November, which would be the fourth general election in 4 years. (Reuters) (BBC News)
September 2019 Israeli legislative election
- Israeli voters head to the polls after the last election failed to form a government. Exit polls show the incumbent right-wing Likud barely losing to the centrist Blue and White alliance. (Reuters)
- The Arab-dominated Joint List is projected to win between 13 and 15 seats, its highest showing ever. Yisrael Beiteinu, led by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, is expected to play kingmaker. (Reuters)
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The Venezuelan secret service releases National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano. The Nicolás Maduro government says his release comes after a partial compromise with members of Juan Guaidó's opposition government to live peacefully; Guaidó says the Maduro government has been forced to release him under international human rights pressure. (BBC News)

Science and technology

Christchurch mosque shootings
- Following the attack, which was livestreamed on Facebook, the social network teams up with the Metropolitan Police of London. Facebook is providing bodycams to the force's firearms officers to help train its artificial intelligence systems, enabling it to automatically detect and remove live first-person footage of violent incidents. The company says it previously had insufficient footage for its software to suitably match fresh footage with, and has been criticised for its role in the shooting. Instagram say they will also participate. (The Guardian)