Portal:Current events/2017 July 26

July 26, 2017 (Wednesday)

Arts and culture

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- According to the Defense Ministry, between 26 and 30 military personnel are dead and over 80 Taliban militants have been either killed or wounded amid intense fighting at a military base in Kandahar Province. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Northern Mali conflict
- A U.N. peacekeeping helicopter crashes during a mission in northern Mali, resulting in the death of two German pilots within. (Deutsche Welle)

Disasters and accidents

French Riviera
- Wildfires prompt the evacuation of 12,000 people along the French Riviera, while more than 4,000 firefighters and French Armed Forces personnel backed by 19 water-bomber planes are mobilised to extinguish the flames. (The Guardian)
History of Mumbai
- At least 17 people are killed in a building collapse in the Indian city of Mumbai with at least 13 injured and twelve people unaccounted for. (AP/PA via Milford Mercury)
Ohio State Fair
- At least one person is killed and several others injured after the Fire Ball ride at the Ohio State Fair malfunctions while operating. (CNN)

Law and crime

Crime in Alaska
- A woman is killed aboard the Emerald Princess cruise ship as it sails to a port of call in Juneau, Alaska, U.S. The passengers are detained while the FBI investigates. Authorities suspect the incident is related to domestic violence. (NBC News)

Politics and elections

Sexual orientation and gender identity in the United States military
- U.S. President Donald Trump tweets that transgender Americans will not be allowed to serve "in any capacity" in the United States Armed Forces. (The Hill)
Efforts to repeal Obamacare
- The United States Senate rejects "repeal only" propositions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. United States President Donald Trump lashes out at Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who voted against the proposal. (The New York Times)
Corruption in Spain
- Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, testify in Audiencia Nacional as a witness in the framework of the investigation into the Gürtel corruption scandal, of the illegal financing of his party. He is the first PM in Spain in service to attend a trial. Although he benefited from this corruption scheme, he denied any knowledge. This situation prompted a no-confidence motion against Rajoy's government, which was debated on 13 June and defeated as expected on 14 June (BBC)
- Pío García-Escudero, the President of the Senate also testify as a witness in the same investigation. (ABC)