Portal:Current events/2019 December 31
December 31, 2019 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021)
- Angry supporters storm the United States embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, in response to the U.S. airstrike on Sunday against Kata'ib Hezbollah militants. Iraqi officials say the U.S. ambassador and staff have been evacuated, but the U.S. Army denies this. The U.S. ambassador is reportedly on holiday. U.S. President Donald Trump blames Iran for the attack. (The Independent) (The Guardian)
- According to an Iraqi official, demonstrators have prepared a sit-in protest in front of the embassy. (Xinhua)
- Protesters in Tahrir Square distance themselves from the events around the U.S. embassy. (Al Jazeera)
Business and economy
- Tencent, along with Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC Private Limited and the Qatar Investment Authority, purchase a 10% stake in the Universal Music Group. The former purchased it to build up its own music streaming service. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- An 8-meter (26 ft) high fire ignites accidentally next to Adelaide Oval after the 9pm New Year's Eve fireworks in Adelaide, South Australia. This comes following major controversy over the New Year's firework displays across Australia in response to ongoing bushfires. (News.com.au)
- 2018–19 Southern Africa drought
- Severe drought conditions continue in Zimbabwe where close to 7 million people are facing food shortages, according to a Catholic aid agency. Because of repeated droughts over the past five years, many of Zimbabwe’s small farmers are unable to feed their families. Catholic Relief Services is working with farmers teaching soil and water conservation methods. The agency offers drought-resistant crops to farmers and is cooperating on a notification system warning farmers about threats to their harvest. (Catholic News Agency) (Bloomberg News)
Health
- COVID-19 pandemic: The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reports an outbreak of pneumonia of insatiable origin. The cause would be later identified as a previously unknown coronavirus. (Straits Times)
Law and crime
- A court in Abidjan sentences Charles Blé Goudé to 20 years in prison in absentia for his role in the Second Ivorian Civil War that followed the 2010 presidential election, his lawyers say. (Reuters)
- Former Bosnian Serb Army general Milomir Savčić is indicted for his role in planning the Srebrenica massacre. (Reuters)
- Aftermath of the 2019 Fresno shooting
- Police arrest six people in connection with a mass shooting last month in Fresno, California, that left four people dead and another six injured. (USA Today)
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