Portal:Current events/2023 December 18

December 18, 2023 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Sudan
- Battle of Wad Madani
  - The Rapid Support Forces launch a second assault and capture Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira State, after being repelled by the Sudanese Armed Forces yesterday. (Sudan Tribune) (Sudan Tribune 2)
  - The RSF capture the city of Rufaa, north of Wad Madani. (France 24)
  - The International Organization for Migration say at least 250,000 people have fled Gezira State since the start of hostilities in the region. (The Globe and Mail)
Yemeni Crisis
- Red Sea crisis
  - A Norwegian-owned tanker en route to Réunion, M/V Swan Atlantic, is attacked in the Red Sea. The owner of the ship saying that it was hit by an "unidentified object" that struck its port side causing a small fire but no injuries. (Reuters)
  - British multinational oil and gas company BP suspends all shipments through the Red Sea in response to an increase in Houthi attacks on commercial vessels. (BBC News)
  - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announces a coalition of ten nations, called Operation Prosperity Guardian, to enforce security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid Houthi attacks. (CNN) (The Independent)
Syrian civil war
- Jordanian intervention in the Syrian civil war
  - The Royal Jordanian Air Force carries out airstrikes in southern Syria against drug gangs linked to the Syrian government. (AP)
Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
- Allied Democratic Forces kill ten people in a mass shooting in Kyabandara, Kamwenge District, Western Uganda. (Daily Monitor)

Arts and culture

Christianity in Malaysia
- The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia permits halal-certified bakeries in the country to include Christmas greetings on cakes, overturning a previous directive that prohibited such messages. (AFP via The News)

Disasters and accidents

2023–2024 Sundhnúkur eruptions
- The Sundhnúkur volcanic eruption occurs on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland after weeks of earthquakes prompting the evacuation of 4,000 people. The Icelandic Meteorological Office says that the risk of lava flowing toward the town of Grindavík is high. (RÚV)
2023 Jishishan earthquake
- At least 127 people are killed and over 720 others are injured by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in Jishishan, Gansu, China. (AFP via CNA)
At least 13 people are killed and at least 88 are injured by an explosion at an oil terminal in Conakry, Guinea. (Reuters)
A major winter storm hits the Northeastern United States, killing four people and causing flash flood warnings, flight cancellations and school closures. (AP)

Law and crime

Capital punishment in China
- China executes serial killer Lao Rongzhi for the murders of seven people between 1996 and 1999. (WION)
Around half of Iranian petrol stations are disrupted by cyberattacks. Iranian state media reports that the Israeli-linked Predator Sparrow hacker group claims responsibility for the attacks. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Twitter under Elon Musk
- The European Union formally begins legal action against X, formerly known as Twitter, due to illegal content and disinformation on the platform, as well as breaches of transparency. (BBC News)