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Worldwide current events
Sports events

Topics in the news

Jacinda Ardern

Jacinda Ardern (pictured) is set to become Prime Minister of New Zealand after forming a Labour–NZ First coalition government.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders wins the Man Booker Prize.
The Syrian Democratic Forces declare victory in the Battle of Raqqa.
The first observation of a neutron star merger in gravitational waves – as well as gamma rays, visible light, and other forms of electromagnetic radiation – is announced.
The ÖVP, led by Sebastian Kurz, wins the most seats in the Austrian legislative election.

October 21, 2017 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Somalia
- October 2017 Mogadishu bombings
  - The death toll in Somalia's deadliest terror attack rises up to 358, making it the fifth-deadliest terror attack worldwide. (Irish Independent)
Insurgency in the Maghreb
- On a base in western Niger, gunmen coming from Mali kill 13 gendarmes and injure five. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Helicopter accidents and incidents
- A helicopter carrying five people crashes into Kenya's Lake Nakuru. (Capital FM)
Landslides in Malaysia
- At least two people are dead and twelve missing after a landslide on the Malaysian tourist island of Penang. (AFP via Yahoo! News)

Politics and elections

The ANO movement of billionaire Andrej Babiš wins most seats in the Czech legislative election.
Argentine legislative election, 2017; Santiago Maldonado case
- Parties in Argentina halt their election campaigns due to the appearance of a body thought to be Santiago Maldonado, an indigenous rights activist who disappeared at the beginning of August 2017. (The Guardian)
Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum, 2017
- Iraqi forces complete the takeover of Kirkuk Governorate, which is outside the autonomous zone accorded by the Constitution of Iraq. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani calls for the state to protect Kurds in northern Iraq. (Reuters)

October 20, 2017 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Battle of Raqqa (2017)
  - The Syrian Democratic Forces announce the "total liberation" of Raqqa, previously the de facto capital of ISIL. (CNN)
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- Two suicide bomber attacks, one on a Shia mosque in Kabul and one on a Sunni mosque in Ghor Province, kill approximately 60 people. Approximately 180 people have been killed in bombing attacks this week. (BBC)
Insurgency in Egypt (2013–present)
- More than fifty members of the Egyptian Armed Forces have died in a clash with Islamic militants from the Hasm Movement. More than fifteen militants have been killed. (BBC)

Law and crime

Crime in Malawi
- Police in Malawi arrest 140 people after nine people were lynched for suspected vampirism. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Czech legislative election, 2017
- Voters in the Czech Republic go to the polls to elect new members of the Chamber of Deputies. (BBC News)
Brexit
- The European Union heads of state prepare to start negotiations on a future UK–EU trade agreement in December, depending on progress with the financial "exit bill" negotiations by then. (Reuters)

October 19, 2017 (Thursday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- At least 43 Afghan soldiers are killed in a Taliban attack on an army base in Kandahar province. Around 10 Taliban fighters also died in the attack. (Business Insider)
2017 Tongo Tongo ambush
- The United States Africa Command sends a team to Niger to investigate an October 4 ambush which killed four U.S. soldiers. (NBC News)

Law and crime

Crime in Florida
- Two people are arrested and five people suffer minor injuries at the University of Florida during protests of Richard B. Spencer's speech at an event there. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

2017 Spanish constitutional crisis
- Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warns Catalonian President Carles Puigdemont that the region's autonomy will be suspended if he fails to drop the Catalonian government's bid for secession by 10:00 AM CEST (08:00 AM GMT). (BBC)
- Rajoy announces that he will begin the process of stripping Catalonia of its autonomy starting on October 21. This follows a letter Puigdemont wrote before the deadline again asking for dialogue, and blaming Rajoy for escalating the crisis. Rajoy had wanted dialogue after reassurances that the independence bid was dropped. (Vox)
Aftermath of the New Zealand general election, 2017
- New Zealand First leader Winston Peters chooses to create a minority coalition with the Labour Party and form the sixth Labour government. (NZ Herald)
- Jacinda Ardern, the leader of the Labour Party, will be the next prime minister. (Newshub)

Science and technology

Scientists studying flying insects in nature reserves and protected areas of western Germany report a decline of more than 75% of the population in about three decades. (The Atlantic)(PLOS One)

October 18, 2017 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Syrian Republican Guard major general Issam Zahreddine, known for leading battles against the rebels in Homs and Aleppo, is killed by a landmine in Deir ez-Zor, according to Syrian media. (Al Arabiya)

Arts and culture

Man Booker Prize
- A 2017 experimental novel, Lincoln in the Bardo by American writer George Saunders, wins the 2017 Man Booker Prize. BBC

Law and crime

Crime in Maryland
- A workplace shooting in Edgewood, United States, kills three and critically injures two. The suspect, Radee Labeeb Prince, flees to neighboring Delaware, where he allegedly shoots a man in Wilmington hours later, before his capture in Newark. (CNN)
Law in Quebec
- The Quebec National Assembly passes legislation banning individuals who cover their faces to receive or give public services, including riding public buses. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China
- China's leader and Party General Secretary Xi Jinping addresses more than 2,000 delegates in Beijing. The congress is expected to finish next week. (BBC)
Ukrainian crisis
- Eleven anti-corruption protestors are detained in Kiev, Ukraine, where police attempted to enter a protestor camp near the parliament building. (RT)

October 17, 2017 (Tuesday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Battle of Raqqa
  - The Syrian Democratic Forces announce the end of the battle for ISIL's de-facto capital. (Al Jazeera)
War in Afghanistan
- A suicide attack on a police compound in Gardez, Paktia Province, kills at least 20 people, while a separate gun attack at a training facility in neighboring Ghazni Province leaves another 15 people dead. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict
- The Iraqi Army and allied militias continue to seize Kurdish-held territory, taking over several key cities including Khanaqin near the Iranian border, Jalawla, Bashiqa, Sinjar and Rabia, as well as the Mosul Dam. (The Washington Post)

Law and crime

Aftermath of Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations
- Roy Price, chief of Amazon Studios, resigns amid accusations that he harassed a female producer and ignored an actress' allegation of sexual assault by producer Harvey Weinstein. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Ukrainian crisis
- Three protestors and one police officer are injured in clashes between anti-corruption demonstrators and Ukrainian police in front of the parliament building in Kiev, Ukraine. (BBC)
Executive Order 13780, Hawaii v. Trump
- A federal judge in Hawaii blocks enforcement of the latest version of President Donald Trump's travel ban. (ABC News)

October 16, 2017 (Monday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Somalia
- October 2017 Mogadishu bombings
  - Somalis march to demonstrate their anger at the presence of al-Shabaab, the group believed to be responsible for a recent bombing attack. (BBC)
2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict
- Battle of Kirkuk (2017)
  - Iraqi government forces have captured key installations outside the disputed city of Kirkuk from Kurdish fighters. (BBC)
  - Concern over oil supplies from Iraq has pushed crude prices higher as the country's government continues its move against Kurdish forces. (BBC)
Moro conflict
- Battle of Marawi
  - Filipino ISIL leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute are reportedly killed during the siege of Marawi. (ABS-CBN)
Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
- The Israeli Air Force (IAF) destroys a Syrian S-200 anti-aircraft battery near Damascus after it fired on its aircraft patrolling in Lebanese air space on a reconnaissance mission. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

2017 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Ophelia (2017)
  - Schools and hospitals are closed in Ireland and Northern Ireland as the extratropical cyclone Ophelia is forecasted to make landfall on the island. (Reuters)
  - At least three people are killed in Ireland as over 360,000 homes lose power due to the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia. (BBC)
October 2017 Iberian wildfires
- Wildfires in Spain and Portugal kill at least 31 people, which were worsened by strong winds brought by Hurricane Ophelia. (BBC)

International relations

North Korea–Russia relations
- Russian president Vladimir Putin signs decree to implement U.N. resolution sanctioning on North Korea. (TASS)

Law and crime

Reactions to the Panama Papers and Maltese general election, 2017
- The Maltese blogger and journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose corruption allegations against prime minister Joseph Muscat led him to call early elections, is killed by a car bomb near her home. (The Times of Malta) (Politico.eu)

2017 Spanish constitutional crisis
- In the mark of the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, two independentist leaders, Jordi Sànchez i Picanyol (President of ANC) and Jordi Cuixart i Navarro (President of Òmnium Cultural), are in pre-trial detention during the sedition trial. These events outraged the population of the State and the Government of Catalonia, causing a new escalation of tension between both governments. (Independent) (BBC News)

Science and technology

Gravitational-wave astronomy, GW170817
- Scientists announce that the LIGO and VIRGO gravitational wave observatories detected for the first time gravitational waves from the merger of two neutron stars. The event coincided with a short gamma ray burst GRB 170817A detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, leading to SSS17a, the immediate follow-up observations by the Hubble space telescope and numerous ground-based telescopes. This confirms the theory according to which neutron star mergers are the cause of at least some short gamma-ray bursts. (LIGO press release)(The Verge)
Wireless security, KRACK
- Researchers discover a vulnerability in the WPA2 protocol, leaving devices running Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, Linux and OpenBSD operating systems vulnerable to attack over wireless connections. (Ars Technica)

October 15, 2017 (Sunday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict
- Battle of Kirkuk (2017)
  - Iraqi forces advance into Kurdish-held territory around the city of Kirkuk. Clashes have been reported in the surrounding cities. (Reuters) (RT)

Politics and elections

Kyrgyz presidential election, 2017
- Voters in Kyrgyzstan go to the polls to elect a new president, with current president Almazbek Atambayev constitutionally barred from seeking a second term in office. (BBC)
- Sooronbay Jeenbekov is elected President of Kyrgyzstan in the first peaceful transfer of power after a full term in the country's history. (BBC)
Austrian legislative election, 2017
- Voters in Austria go to the polls to elect a new National Council. (Euro News)
Venezuelan regional elections, 2017
- Voters in Venezuela go to the polls to elect new state governors, resulting in the incumbent socialist party winning the majority of the governorships, a result disputed by the opposition. (Reuters)