PORTAL:CURRENT EVENTS 2019 DECEMBER 27

December 27, 2019 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Terrorism in Pakistan
- Pakistani authorities announce they have arrested five suspected members of al-Qaeda in the eastern province of Punjab, as they are reported to have been planning an attack on security personnel. (Reuters)
Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)
- A rocket attack on K-1 Air Base in Iraq's Kirkuk Governorate, kills an American civilian contractor and injures several U.S. and Iraqi troops. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. (ABC News)

Arts and culture

The Dutch government announces it will officially stop using the moniker " Holland" from January 2020, so the country will only be referred to by its official name, the Netherlands. The change comes ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics and Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which the country is due to participate in. (The Independent)
2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism
- The Russian Orthodox Church cuts ties with the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria over the former's recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. (The New York Times)

Business and economics

Spotify announces it will suspend all political ads on its platform starting early 2020. It follows similar moves from Twitter and Google. (Reuters)
Sudanese Finance Minister Ibrahim Elbadawi states that, as part of the government budget for 2020, subsidies for gasoline will be gradually lifted while the minimum wage and pay for civil servants will increase in an effort to combat both inflation and poverty. The budget, which will be finalized in two days, will also increase spending on education, social services, and aid to refugees. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Bek Air Flight 2100
- A Fokker 100 plane with 98 people on board crashes while taking off from Almaty International Airport, Kazakhstan, killing 12 and injuring about 60 others. (BBC News)
A sightseeing helicopter crashes on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, killing seven people on board. (BBC News)

Health and environment

The Food and Drug Administration announces that President Donald Trump signed legislation last week to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act which will raise the legal age to buy tobacco in the U.S. from 18 to 21 in the next three to six months. (Gray News)

International relations

Iran–Japan relations
- After briefing the Iranian government, the Cabinet of Japan approves the deployment of a destroyer and patrol planes to the Middle East (independent from similar U.S.-led and European missions) to protect Japanese vessels, as the situation in the region remains volatile. (Reuters)
Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute
- Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth says he is considering bringing charges of crimes against humanity against British officials in the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the UK's refusal to allow evicted Chagossians to return to their former homes on the Chagos Archipelago. (BBC News)
Philippines–United States relations
- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte bans U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Patrick Leahy from entering the country, as both are seeking to enforce sanctions on politicians involved in the prosecution of Philippine Senator and Duterte administration critic Leila de Lima. Duterte also threatens to tighten visa requirements for American citizens should the sanctions go through. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Russia's Ministry of Defence announces the first deployment of the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), calling it a "landmark event". According to President Vladimir Putin, the top speed is over Mach 20 and it puts Russia's military "ahead of all other nations". (BBC News)

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