Current events: 2023-10-16

[Wikipedia Current Events]

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Islamic terrorism in Europe
  • 2023 Brussels attack
    • Two Swedish nationals are killed and another is injured during a shooting in central Brussels, Belgium. The perpetrator, an Islamic State sympathizer, flees the scene. (Reuters)
• Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
  • Mali War
    • The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, initiates a withdrawal from two camps in Aguelhok and Tessalit, Kidal Region. (AFP via Barron's)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • 2023 Israel–Hamas war
    • Evacuations during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
      • The World Health Organization says that 21 hospitals in Gaza have been ordered to evacuate by Israel, warning that this "may amount to a violation of international humanitarian law". (Financial Times)
      • Israel begins evacuating 28 communities located within two kilometers of the border with Lebanon amid clashes with Hezbollah. (Fox News)
      • Hundreds of Americans are evacuated by sea from Haifa, Israel, to Cyprus. (The Jewish Chronicle)
    • Kidnappings during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
      • Hamas releases the first video of a hostage on Telegram since the war started, a 21-year-old Israeli woman from Shoham who was kidnapped during the Re'im music festival massacre. In the video, the woman claims to be receiving medical treatment from her captors. (The Jerusalem Post)
    • October 2023 Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip
      • Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs, announces that US-backed efforts to re-open the Rafah border crossing have failed, citing Israel's refusal to guarantee the safety of incoming aid convoys and outgoing foreign nationals. (Reuters) (CNN)
      • Medical Aid for Palestinians says that hospitals in Gaza are currently facing a "catastrophic" shortage of medical supplies with the United Nations also reporting that at least four hospitals in northern Gaza are no longer operational because of Israeli bombings. (Al Jazeera)
      • The United Nations reports that more than 400,000 Palestinians are sheltering in UN schools and buildings in the Gaza Strip and that fourteen UNRWA personnel have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. (Al Jazeera)
      • The World Health Organization announces that there are only 24 hours of water, electricity, and fuel remaining in Gaza. (CBS News)
      • Palestinians protest in several cities across the West Bank calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza. (Al Jazeera)
    • At least six civilians are killed and eight others are injured in airstrikes near Khan Younis and at least seven people, including five emergency workers, are killed in Israeli airstrikes on two civil defense facilities in Gaza City. (Al Jazeera)
    • Hamas forces launch missiles at the two largest Israeli cities, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, saying that this was in response to Israel's "targeting of civilians". (BBC News)
    • Israeli military forces carry out raids in multiple areas in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Hebron, arresting around 600 people. (Al Jazeera)

International relations

• China–Philippines relations
  • Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
    • The Philippine military demands that China stop "dangerous and offensive" actions in the South China Sea after a People's Liberation Army Navy ship performed "aggressive maneuvers" near the disputed Thitu Island last week. (Reuters)
• International reactions to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
  • Colombia–Israel relations
    • Colombia requests the departure of the Israeli ambassador following Colombian President Gustavo Petro's remarks criticizing Israel's actions. In response, Israel suspends security exports to Colombia. (AFP via RFI)
  • Israel–Pakistan relations
    • Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani condemns the Israeli bombing on Gaza, equating the actions with genocide. (Al Jazeera)
  • Israel–United States relations
    • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Israel and reaffirms American support for Israel. (BBC News)
  • Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit calls for an immediate end to military operations in Gaza and for aid to be allowed into the enclave. (Times of Israel)
  • The China International Development Cooperation Agency announces that they will provide emergency humanitarian aid to the UN Palestine agency and the Palestinian Authority. (Reuters via The Standard)
  • Around 25,000 people demonstrate in the southern Philippines to express solidarity with Palestinians and to condemn Israel's air raids on the Gaza Strip. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

• Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping
  • Former Bank of China chair Liu Lian'ge is arrested on allegations of corruption. (AFP via The Manila Times)

Politics and elections

• 2024 Indonesian presidential election
  • The Constitutional Court of Indonesia rules that regional leaders under the age of 40 can run for president or vice president, thus allowing President Joko Widodo's son Gibran Rakabuming Raka to run as a Vice Presidential candidate in the next presidential election. (The Jakarta Post)

Sports

• 2026 Winter Olympics
  • The Italian Olympic Committee announces that bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events will not be held in Italy, due to the high costs of rebuilding the Eugenio Monti Olympic Track in Cortina d'Ampezzo. (BBC News)
• 2028 Summer Olympics
  • The International Olympic Committee approves the inclusion of cricket, flag football, lacrosse, squash, and baseball/softball at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. (Sky Sports)

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