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Mauricio Macri Cambiemos candidate Mauricio Macri (pictured) is elected President of Argentina. Nineteen people are killed after more than 130 people were held hostage by gunmen at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali. AquAdvantage salmon becomes the first genetically modified animal approved by the US FDA for human consumption. The second-largest gem-quality diamond is found in Botswana. Russia's Federal Security Service states that Metrojet Flight 9268 was destroyed by a bomb. Ongoing events: Paris attack aftermath European migrant crisis Recent deaths: Kim Young-sam Kitanoumi Toshimitsu Mal Whitfield

Current events of November 23, 2015 (2015-11-23) (Monday) Armed conflicts and attacks Maguindanao massacre Rights activists and families of the victims decry the lack of justice six years after the murder of around 58 people, including journalists and politicians, in Maguindanao, Mindanao. They criticize the regime of Philippines President Benigno Aquino III for the lack of convictions in the trial. (ABC News), (Voice of America), (Fox News) Disasters and accidents An explosion at Japan's controversial Yasukuni Shrine for the war dead in Tokyo damages the ceiling and a wall of a public bathroom near the shrine’s southern entrance. No one was injured. (Japan Times) (AP via ABC News) Seven people are feared dead after a helicopter crashes in the Indian town of Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, near the Hindu shrine of Vaishno Devi. (NDTV) A U.S. Apache helicopter crashes in South Korea's Gangwon Province, killing the pilot and one crew member. (Reuters) A highway traffic accident due west of Mexico City kills 20 people and injures at least 15 others. (Reuters) Politics and elections Argentine general election, 2015 Cambiemos candidate Mauricio Macri is elected President of Argentina. (BBC), (Bloomberg), (Channel News Asia) Hong Kong local elections, 2015 Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement gets a boost with Umbrella Soldiers winning at least four seats in Sunday's election that saw a record 47.01 percent turnout of more than 1.4 million registered voters in this key test of public sentiment. The balance of power remains largely the same, thanks to a better-funded and better organized Pro-Beijing camp. Some veterans from both sides of the political divide suffer defeat. (Reuters) (AFP via Yahoo) Current events of November 22, 2015 (2015-11-22) (Sunday) Armed conflicts and attacks 2015 Nepal fuel crisis Nepalese police open fire on groups, who were protesting the new constitution proposals by blockading a highway. Two protesters were killed and at least 28 were hurt, including 15 police officers. A third protester was killed in Rajbiraj, the headquarters of the Saptari District. (AP via WTOP) (Singapore Today Online) Insurgency in the North Caucasus Russian special forces kill 10 ISIS-linked militants in a counter-terrorist operation in a mountainous region near the city of Nalchik in Russia’s North Caucasus. (RT) 2015 Brussels lockdown Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel announces Brussels remains on the highest state of alert; concern a new, Paris-style mass attack may be imminent. (EuroNews) Belgian authorities announce 16 more arrests in anti-terror raids. Neither weapons nor explosives were discovered during the raids. Tomorrow, a judge will decide whether these people will continue to be detained. (Fox News) (Reuters via Yahoo News) The Canadian government announces its embassy in Brussels will be closed "until further notice" and will only be providing emergency consular services. (CBC) Iraqi Civil War (2014–present) Salahuddin campaign Daesh (Islamic State) militants counter-attack in Iraq's Saladin province and seize locations west, north and south of Baiji, home to Iraq's largest oil refinery. In addition, the militants attack oilfields west of Tikrit, capture parts of the town of Seiniyah, portions of Mak'houl Mountain, and an abandoned fertilizer plant. (UPI) Business and economy United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union The UK may not face a credit rating downgrade if it votes to leave the EU in a referendum due by the end of 2017, according to the lead UK analyst at Moody’s. (Irish Examiner) Disasters and accidents Hpakant jade mine disaster The death toll in a landslide near a jade mine in northern Myanmar rises to about 100 people, with up to 200 others missing. Most of the victims were villagers digging for jade in a mountain of displaced earth. (Reuters) (AP via Boston Globe) A Turkish Airlines plane flying from New York City (U.S.) to Istanbul, Turkey, is diverted to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, after authorities received information of a bomb threat. All 256 passengers and crew are safe. The flight (Turkish Airlines TYH2/TK2) left JFK International Airport at 9 p.m. Saturday and landed just before 1 a.m. Sunday at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is investigating. (NBC News) (International Business Times) No explosives were found. The plane is cleared to continue its journey. (Reuters) Sixteen (16) people are wounded in a gunfight between two groups that erupted in a New Orleans park's Bunny Friend playground where hundreds of people gathered for a block party and filming of a music video. No fatalities were reported. The fighters ran from the park immediately after the shooting. (Reuters) (NOLA.com) International relations The ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agree to set up an economic community to commence on January 1, 2016. (AP) Territorial disputes in the South China Sea Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin says the United States was making political provocations with its patrols in the disputed South China Sea. He also says China is building military facilities on islands and reefs in the South China Sea as part of its national defense policy. Yesterday, U.S. President Barack Obama said, for the sake of regional stability, countries should stop building artificial islands and militarizing their claims in this sea. (The Nation Multimedia) (Reuters) (Oracle Herald) Law and crime Bangladesh executes two former members of parliament, Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, who were convicted in 2013 of war crimes committed during the country’s 1971 war of independence. (BBC) (Washington Post) Iranian Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei says an Iranian court sentenced Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian to a prison term, length unspecified, for espionage. Mohseni Eje said, "I cannot give details." Post foreign editor Douglas Jehl said this might move the case closer to a final resolution in the judiciary, so it can then go to Iranian leaders who can make things right. (Reuters) (Washington Post) Politics and elections Argentine general election, 2015 Voters in Argentina go to the polls for a presidential runoff between Daniel Scioli of the ruling Justicialist Party and Mauricio Macri of the opposition PRO. Mauricio Macri, the mayor of Buenos Aires, was elected with 53% of the vote. (AP via the Washington Post) (BBC). (BBC) Former President Kim Young-sam, who formally ended decades of military rule in South Korea, dies in a Seoul hospital from a severe blood infection. He was 87. (AP via NBC News) Egyptian parliamentary election, 2015 Voters in many parts of Egypt including Cairo go to the polls for a parliamentary election. (AP) Science and technology Nola, a 41-year-old female northern white rhino, dies at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. She was euthanized after her health took a turn for the worse. Nola was rescued from violent poaching in the southern savanna woodlands of Sudan and came to the park in 1989. Only three animals of this endangered species are known left in the world. (ABC News) (San Diego Union Tribune) (F&F Photography-2014) Sports In motorsport, Kyle Busch wins the 2015 Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to become the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. He missed the first 11 races of the season with a broken leg and foot, becoming the first champion not to start the complete season since 1971. 4-time champion Jeff Gordon, who has scored the third-most NASCAR Cup wins of all-time, finishes in 6th position in his final race before retirement. (USA TODAY) Current events of November 21, 2015 (2015-11-21) (Saturday) Armed conflicts and attacks 2015 Brussels lockdown Belgium raises its terror alert level to the highest level in the capital Brussels and deploys soldiers on the streets of major Belgian cities such as Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent. As part of the emergency measures, the Belgian government is advising people in the Brussels area to avoid crowded places, which includes concerts, train stations, airports, public transportation, and busy shopping streets, warning of an "imminent threat". (France 24) (BNO News) The Brussels Metro is closed as part of the state of alert. (Reuters via Daily Mail) November 2015 Paris attacks Recruitment in the French Army increases after the attacks. (Channel News Asia) Ahmet Dahmani is detained by Turkish police in the resort of Antalya on suspicion of being an ISIL scout ahead of the Paris attacks. (Sky News) French police release seven of the eight people arrested during Wednesday's raid of a flat where the suspected mastermind of the Paris attacks was hiding. The man who said he was in charge of the property is still being held. (Reuters) 2015 Bamako hotel attack Olivier Salgado, a spokesman for the U.N. mission in Mali, says at least 19 people were killed in the attack along with two of the attackers. Earlier reports indicated that 27 people died. (CNN) Ukrainian crisis Crimea is without power after transmission towers in Ukraine's Kherson Oblast were blown up by unknown people. The Crimean Emergencies Ministry declares a state of emergency due to the power outage and puts rescue teams on high alert. (RT) Boko Haram insurgency A suicide bomb attack in Fotokol, a town in Cameroon's Far North Region near the Nigerian border kills at least nine people. (Daily Mail) Arts and culture British singer Adele's album 25 is released. (Billboard) Miss World 2015 Miss World Canada Anastasia Lin says that she is prevented from competing in China by the Chinese authorities after she spoke up against human rights abuses in the country. (BBC) Muslim cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the head of al-Azhar in Egypt, says violence has no link to authentic Islam, terrorism is a life philosophy whose adherents were willing to die and is an intellectual and psychological disease that uses religion as a front. (Reuters) Disasters and accidents Seven people, including the pilot, are killed in a helicopter crash on Fox Glacier in New Zealand. (stuff.co.nz) A fire in a coal mine in China's northeast Heilongjiang province results in 21 deaths and one person missing. (AP) Hpakant jade mine disaster A landslide near a jade mine in northern Myanmar kills up to 60 people with more than a hundred missing. (AP via ABC News America) The U.S. Geological Survey reports a magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck the central Chilean coast, south of the town of Coquimbo, at 6:05 PM EST. No immediate reports of damage or casualties; no tsunami alerts are in effect. (Reuters) (BNO News) (USGS) Health and medicine Research conducted by Columbus, Ohio's Nationwide Children's Hospital and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy does not harm a baby's future intelligence or behavioral health. (UPI) International relations Territorial disputes in the South China Sea Japan's prime minister Shinzō Abe says he is considering sending Japanese Navy warships to the South China Sea to back-up U.S. naval operations, saying, "With regard to activity by the Self-Defense Forces in the South China Sea, I will consider it while focusing on what effect the situation has on Japan’s security." In response, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Hong Lei, told Chinese state media that China will remain on “high alert for intervention by Japan in the South China Sea issue”. (Bloomberg) (The Diplomat) Reactions to the November 2015 Paris attacks Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak denounces the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as an "evil" terrorist group. He said his Muslim-majority country is ready to join others to defeat it, cautioning that a military solution alone is not enough and that it is also necessary to vanquish the ideology of the group. (AP via Fresno Bee) Refugee crises United States President Barack Obama vows to keep United States borders open to refugees, "as long as I'm president," as he visited a Malaysian humanitarian center and met migrant children, many of whom escaped violence in homelands that include Myanmar, Pakistan, and Syria. (UPI) Law and crime A student, whose disappearance with a gun caused the precautionary closing of Washington College in Maryland (U.S.) this week, is found dead in Pennsylvania of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The campus will reopen after Thanksgiving. (Washington Post) (Washington College) Politics and elections Elections in the United States; Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2015 Democratic state Representative John Bel Edwards, the surprise winner of the October 24 open primary, is elected governor of Louisiana over Republican U.S. Senator David Vitter. Edwards' margin is 140,931 votes (56.11 percent), all 3,945 precincts reporting. Edwards will replace former Republican presidential candidate Bobby Jindall, who was not eligible to seek another term. (NOLA.com) (Washington Post) Republican David Vitter says he will not run for reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2016. (AP) Sport In motor sport, the team of Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber win the FIA World Endurance Championship. (Reuters via Yahoo News Australia) In baseball, South Korea defeats the United States in the 2015 WBSC Premier12. (Yahoo Sports) Boxing Anthony Crolla of England wins the World Boxing Association lightweight title defeating Darleys Perez in a title fight in Manchester. (BBC) Saúl Álvarez of Mexico defeats Miguel Cotto of Mexico to win the World Boxing Council middleweight championship. (AP) Ireland beat Australia in the 2015 International Rules Series at Croke Park. (Guardian) The Athens derby match between Superleague Greece's top two football teams, Panathinaikos and Olympiakos Piraeus, is called off before play could start. There were scuffles between riot police and fans outside the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium. Flares were also tossed onto the pitch. (Reuters) Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao F.C. win the AFC Champions League for their second time, after defeating Al-Ahli in the final. (Channel News Asia) Current events of November 20, 2015 (2015-11-20) (Friday) Armed conflicts and attacks Military intervention against ISIL Cyprus offers France the use of its airbase facilities to bomb the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria. Cypriot airbases are being used by British and Canadian air forces. (The Guardian) Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War Russian warships launch cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant positions in Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor. Russian Defense Minister, Sergey Shoigu, reported over 600 terrorists were killed in the strikes. Video footage also emerged of Russian ground crew servicemen writing the words "For Paris" on bombs to be dropped on ISIL targets in a show of solidarity with France in the wake of the November 13 terror attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris. (RT) (Sky News) 2015 Bamako hotel attack Ten gunmen storm the five-star Radisson Blu Hotel in the Malian capital Bamako, taking 170 hostages with at least 27 people killed. The grenade-toting assailants free captives who are able to recite the Quran. The hotel is "often used" by Air France staff. (France 24), (NBC News), (The New York Daily News), (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mali security forces launch an assault on the gunmen and all surviving hostages are freed. (UPI) (BBC) Mali declares a 10-day state of emergency following the attack. (i24 News) African militant jihadist organization Al-Murabitoun and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claim responsibility. (CNN) (Reuters). Xinjiang conflict Chinese security forces have killed 28 members of a supposed terrorist group in the mainly ethnic Uyghur Xinjiang region. (BBC) November 2015 Paris attacks Officials report three people died in the Saint-Denis raid. The body of a second woman is found at the apartment where a woman and Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud were killed. (Sky News) The French Senate approves President François Hollande's request to extend the state of emergency until the end of February 2016. The National Assembly passed the three-month extension yesterday. (AP) (Radio France Internationale) Fugitive ISIS gunman Salah Abdeslam called three friends saying he is hiding in the Brussels area and is desperately trying to get to ISIS territory in Syria. He said local ISIS members are unhappy with him since he failed to detonate his suicide vest. His brother Mohamed Abdeslam has publicly pleaded with Salah to turn himself in. (ABC News) A newly released ISIS video threatens attacks on the White House in the U.S., monuments in France, U.S. President Obama, French President François Hollande, and targets in Italy. (Reuters) (CNN) Yemeni Civil War (2015) Two attacks on security checkpoints by ISIS militants in Yemen's historic Shibam town and Al Qatn District in the central Hadhramaut Governorate leave at least 15 pro-Hadi government soldiers dead. (The National) Art and culture A New York City businesswoman, who wanted to bring a "grander scale" to her yearly charitable giving, bought a toy store's entire inventory to donate to homeless kids. (UPI) The world’s second-largest diamond of gem quality, Karowe AK6, is found in the Karowe mine located north of the Botswanan capital Gaborone by the Lucara Diamond Corp. The 1,111-carat diamond is second only to the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond (Star of Africa) found in South Africa in 1905. (Forbes) Business and economy Britain's National Union of Journalists announces a strike against the Financial Times, protesting the changes in pension arrangements since the acquisition of the FT by a Japanese media group, Nikkei. (BBC) International relations European migrant crisis Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia shut their borders to so-called economic migrants, those not coming from war-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, or Iraq, leaving thousands stranded at Balkan border crossings. Around 500 migrants from Iran, Morocco, and Algeria gather on the border between Greece and Macedonia to protest the closure. (The Irish Independent) European Union ministers, in light of the attacks in Paris last week, gather in Brussels for an emergency security summit on the need to strengthen border checks on travelers. (AFP via NDTV) French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said some of the Paris attackers exploited Europe's refugee crisis to "slip in" to France unnoticed. Valls warns the passport-free Schengen zone is at risk if Europe fails to "take responsibility" over border controls. (Sky News) North Korea–South Korea relations North Korea and South Korea agree to hold talks next week. (Yonhap) Law and crime Sweden's national security service Säpo are questioning terrorist suspect Moder Mothama Magid, a 22-year-old Iraqi, who is accused of planning to launch a terror attack on the Swedish capital Stockholm. (Local) The family of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved tens of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust only to languish in a Russian prison, have asked authorities to officially declare him dead. (Times of Israel) The United States releases on parole convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. intelligence analyst, who served 30 years in federal prison. His parole, approved on July 28, 2015, is for five years during which time he has to remain in the United States. A supporter said Pollard will have a curfew and will wear a GPS unit. (The Globe and Mail) (The Globe and Mail-2) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pollard’s lawyers, two Democratic members of Congress from New York, Eliot Engel and Jerrold Nadler, and others have requested Pollard be able to travel immediately to Israel so he can live with his family. The White House has said it has no intention of altering the conditions of Pollard’s parole. (The Globe and Mail) The U.S. Justice Department files criminal charges against three individuals and three companies--Black Elk, Grand Isle Shipyard and oil field services company Wood Group--in connection with a 2012 oil platform incident in the Gulf of Mexico that left three workers dead. The charges range from manslaughter to violations of the federal Clean Water Act. (UPI) USPlabs and S.K. Laboratory are indicted following a U.S. Department of Justice investigation finds synthetic ingredients manufactured in China were added to workout boosters and weight-loss products the firms claimed to be natural. Supplements from these companies were previously implicated in consumer illnesses and death. Several other defendants from the companies face additional charges. (Military Times) Politics and elections New Zealand flag referendum The first stage of the voting process to potentially select a new flag of New Zealand starts. (BBC) Science and technology NASA orders its first commercial crew mission from private company SpaceX. (The Verge) A jury in a Texas federal court finds for Apple Inc., in a lawsuit brought against Apple by a subsidiary of Pendrell Corporation. Pendrell has charged that Apple infringed patents on techniques that help restrict the use of web content to authorized persons, i.e. anti-piracy software. (Reuters) Sport Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, who has two Olympic gold medals and 30 world records, told Sky News she is going to fight for what she believes to be her right to compete at the 2016 Olympics. She calls on the IAAF, at the world governing track and field organization's annual meeting on 26 November, to rescind their ban on clean Russian athletes. (Sky News) In association football, Corinthians win their sixth Campeonato Brasileiro Série A title with four games remaining of the season. (Yahoo! via AFP) Current events of November 19, 2015 (2015-11-19) (Thursday) Armed conflicts and attacks Killing of captives by ISIL China vows to "bring to justice" those responsible for executing one of its citizens after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant said it had killed a Chinese hostage. China's Foreign Ministry also confirms the hostage's identity for the first time, naming him as Fan Jinghui. (Channel News Asia) Metrojet Flight 9268 According to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's official propaganda magazine, a soft drink can with an IED, a so-called "Schweppes bomb," was used to destroy the Russian airliner. (Reuters) November 2015 Paris attacks The French National Assembly approves President François Hollande's request to extend the current state of emergency for three months. The Senate must still approve the measure. (NPR) U.S. officials say at least four of the Paris attackers were listed in a central counter-terrorism database maintained by the United States Intelligence Community. (Reuters), (UPI) United States authorities report dozens of suspected radicals in the U.S. are under "tight surveillance" to preclude a Paris copycat. An ISIL video threatens Washington, D.C. (ABC News) Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015) A Palestinian kills three people, including an American student and another Palestinian, and injures four others, after opening fire at Israeli cars and then ramming his vehicle into a group of pedestrians, injuring several more near Alon Shvut in the West Bank. (The Times of Israel) A Palestinian kills two men and wounds another outside an office building synagogue in southern Tel Aviv. (Ynet), (The Times of Israel) A gunman shoots dead two Saudi Arabian policemen while they are on patrol in their vehicle in Saihat, located in Saudi Arabia's restive Eastern Province, which is predominantly Shia. (BBC) U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehend five Pakistani nationals and one Afghan national trying to sneak into Arizona through the Mexico-U.S. border. (Fox 10 Phoenix) Arts and culture The Obama Administration through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reports more than 500,000 people. a quarter of them children, were homeless this year amid scarce affordable housing across much of the nation. Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and Hawaii all recently declared emergencies over the rise of homelessness. (Reuters) 16th Annual Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences members present the Latin Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. (Newser) "Hasta la Raíz" wins Song of the Year and Record of the Year. (ABC News) Todo Tiene Su Hora performed by Juan Luis Guerra wins Album of the Year. (The Miami Herald) Business and economy The World Economic Forum in its annual Global Gender Gap Report says that it would take 118 years before women and men have equal pay for similar occupations, such as white collar jobs. (BBC), (The Huffington Post), (The Guardian) The New York State Department of Financial Services fines Barclays $150m (£98.2m) for the way it treated its foreign exchange customers. (The Guardian) Most of the employees of the Reserve Bank of India, that country's central bank, go on strike demanding better pension benefits. The RBI acknowledges "some interruptions" in its clearing and settlement functions. (BBC) Health and medicine In connection with World Toilet Day, the United Nations reports that 2.4 billion people lack adequate sanitation, and nearly one billion have no toilet facilities and are forced to relieve themselves in areas without facilities. (AP) The U.S. clears genetically-modified Atlantic salmon, made by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies, for human consumption. (Reuters) The American Medical Association urges Congress and/or the FDA to ban direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs and medical devices. The AMA says that the ads increase demand for inappropriate, expensive treatments even if cheaper ones have the same potentials. (The Washington Post), (The Science Times) International relations APEC Philippines 2015 Asia-Pacific leaders, in the Philippines for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, which has been overshadowed by the concurrent Paris attacks, call on governments to urgently increase cooperation in the fight against terrorism. (AP) Local labor and farmer groups protest in Manila over talks on inclusive growth during the APEC meeting. (The Economic Times) A Pew Research Center report finds, from 2009 to 2014, more Mexicans, including unauthorized immigrants, are leaving the United States than entering it. An increasing share of Mexicans says life north of the border is neither better nor worse than life in Mexico. (Reuters) The United Nations General Assembly humanitarian committee adopts, by a 112–19 vote (with 50 abstentions), a resolution that condemns North Korea for gross violations of human rights and supports referring the country and its leaders to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The resolution will be sent to the full General Assembly, where it is expected to pass, given the committee vote. (Reuters via CBS News), (UPI) The Obama Administration through the United States State Department expresses deep frustration over the lack of democratic progress in Thailand after last year's military coup, saying a new constitution there won't pass the "smell test" unless civil society helps to draft it. (AP), (US Dept of State) Law and crime A court sentences former restaurant spokesperson Jared Fogle to over 15 years imprisonment for sex with minors and the possession of child pornography. (NPR) Convictions for sex offenses against minors accounts for the largest group of military inmates in U.S. military prisons. (AP via The Star Tribune) Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. intelligence analyst convicted and sentenced to a life imprisonment for providing top secret classified information to Israel, will be released by the Obama Administration on parole tomorrow after serving 30 years in a U.S. federal prison. He will be given an ankle monitor while he completes five years of parole in America. (CNN), (AP), (The Jerusalem Post) Kuwaiti authorities announce they arrested six members of an extremist network suspected of supplying funds and weapons, including rockets, to Daesh (Islamic State) militants. Four others are still being sought outside of the country. The group includes a Lebanese, an Egyptian, five Syrians, two Australians, and a Kuwaiti national. (Reuters), (Time), (The Gulf News) Politics and elections 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference A mass rally due to be held on November 29, 2015 in Paris on the eve of climate change talks is called off due to the threat of terrorism. (ABC News) Peter Robinson announces he will step down as Northern Ireland's First Minister and as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, corresponding with recent tensions in the area and a murder linked with the Irish Republican Army. (ITV News) The U.S. House of Representatives, defying a veto-threat by President Barack Obama, overwhelmingly passes legislation to suspend the Obama administration's program to admit 10,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the country. The bill will now face a vote in the U.S. Senate. (Reuters) Current events of November 18, 2015 (2015-11-18) (Wednesday) Armed conflicts and attacks Moro conflict Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak condemns the Phillipine-based Abu Sayyaf's beheading of a Malaysian man. Businessman Bernard Then and a woman were kidnapped in May from the Malaysia-island Sabah; the woman was released last week. Philippine Colonel Restituto Padilla said the killing followed a "failure of the negotiations about money." (ABC), (BBC), (AFP via Yahoo), (The International Business Times) November 2015 Paris attacks A raid by French police in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis kills at least two terror suspects, including a female suicide bomber, with eight others arrested. (CNN), (France 24), (AP), (NBC News) Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the ringleader of the Paris terrorist attacks, is killed during the raid. (The Independent), (CNN) Three ISIS supporters stab a 56-year-old French Jew and history teacher in Marseille, France. The attackers are interrupted and flee. The teacher's wounds are not life-threatening. (The International Business Times), (Time) Boko Haram insurgency A twin-suicide bombing of a mobile phone market in the northern Nigerian city of Kano kills at least fifteen people. (BBC) Boko Haram was the world's deadliest terrorist organisation in 2014, being responsible for 6,664 deaths as compared to 6,073 for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. (BBC) Syrian Civil War Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War The Russian Air Force destroys around 500 fuel tanker vehicles used by ISIS and other extremist groups for transporting illegal oil from Syria to Iraq. (RT) A local 15-day ceasefire between Syrian rebels and government forces in the Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus will be announced shortly. (Reuters) 2015 Sarajevo shooting A gunman inside a betting shop near army barracks in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, shoots dead two Bosnian Army soldiers. The gunman, identified as Salafi extremist Enes Omeragić, later commits suicide after police surround his house. (Reuters) Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant says that it has killed a Chinese hostage and a Norwegian hostage. (AP via ABC News) Both the FBI and New York City police say they are aware of a newly released Islamic State video suggesting America's most populous city is a potential target of attacks. The agencies say that there are no specific threats, they will investigate, and they will remain at a heightened state of vigilance. (Reuters) The United States warns travelers in Italy that St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the La Scala opera house in Milan, and the Milan Cathedral, as well as "general venues" like churches, synagogues, restaurants, theaters and hotels, have been identified as "potential targets" for terrorist attacks. The message added the Italian authorities are aware of these threats. (AP) Art and culture Ta-Nehisi Coates wins the National Book Award’s top prize for nonfiction for his bestselling depiction of America’s race problem, Between the World and Me. Adam Johnson’s Fortune Smiles took home the National Book Award for fiction. (The Guardian) Business and economy An auction for the acquisition of chipmaker PMC-Sierra continues, with a new bid by Microsemi Corp., topping the previous bid from Skyworks Solutions. The latest bid values PMC at $2.3 billion. (Reuters) The Obama Administration through the U.S. Treasury Department will clamp down further on corporate income tax-avoiding inversion deals by U.S. companies with foreign rivals. There is a pending inversion deal between U.S. drug maker Pfizer Inc. and smaller Irish competitor Allergan, Plc. (Reuters) Airport workers at seven of the busiest U.S. hubs plan to strike tonight and Thursday over wages and what they allege are threats against unionizing. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) says some 2,000 plane cleaners, baggage handlers, and other workers will strike at New York City's Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, as well as Newark Liberty, Chicago O'Hare, Boston, Philadelphia, and Fort Lauderdale. (Reuters), (The Philly Voice) Disasters and accidents 2015–16 UK and Ireland windstorm season Some 25,000 households in Ireland lose power as a result of Storm Barney. (The Independent Ireland) 2015–16 Australian bushfire season Authorities confirm that bushfires have killed four people, including three German backpackers, in southern Western Australia near the town of Esperance. (ABC News Australia) An explosion at a steelworks plant in Cardiff, South Wales, leaves two people dead and five injured. (BBC) International relations APEC Philippines 2015, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea U.S. President Barack Obama calls on China to stop constructing artificial islands in the South China Sea. Obama’s comments to reporters come after a meeting with Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III. The U.S. president is in Manila for the latest Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit where the Trans-Pacific Partnership is the central topic of conversation. China attempts to keep the topic of the islands off the agenda. (The New York Times), (The Diplomat) U.S. and Cuban officials sign an environmental accord in Havana, the first such agreement since the countries renewed diplomatic relations this summer. (UPI) Law and crime Sweden's terror threat level is raised to 'high' for the first time in history, as national security service Säpo says that police are hunting a suspected terrorist. (The Local) Washington College, on the U.S. Delmarva Peninsula, closes until Sunday, November 30, as police search for an upset, potentially armed student who just returned to campus. His Pennsylvania high school is on alert. (WBAL), (The Washington Post), (NBC 10) Politics and elections Police in the Democratic Republic of the Congo fire teargas at students protesting increases in school fees in the capital Kinshasa. The students had started throwing stones. (ENCA) Glen Casada, a top Republican Tennessee lawmaker who is the chair of the state’s House Republican Caucus, suggests activating the Tennessee National Guard to 'round up' Syrian refugees and remove them from the southeastern state, saying “Tennessee is a sovereign state, if the federal government is forsaking the obligation to protect our citizens, we need to act". (The Tennessean) Sports 2015 FIFA corruption case Sergio Jadue resigns as the head of the Football Federation of Chile and travels to the United States to speak with the Federal Bureau of Investigation about corruption at FIFA. (AAP via Yahoo! News) Current events of November 17, 2015 (2015-11-17) (Tuesday) Armed conflicts and attacks Metrojet Flight 9268 Russia's Federal Security Service announces that the plane was destroyed by a bomb. (The Guardian), (Reuters) In a broadcast meeting from The Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin vows retribution to those responsible for last month’s downing of the aircraft. Putin orders the Russian Navy to coordinate military operations in Syria with the French Navy. Russia's Federal Security Service offers a $50 million bounty for the bombers. (Reuters) Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War The Russian military launches cruise missile strikes from the Mediterranean on ISIS positions in Al-Raqqah, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's de-facto capital in Syria, Aleppo, and Idlib. A U.S. official confirms that Russia has conducted a significant number of strikes in Syria using both sea-launched cruise missiles and long-range bombers. Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to escalate his military campaign in Syria after it was confirmed that a bomb brought down Metrojet Flight 9268 over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. (RT), (The Independent) Boko Haram insurgency A blast at a market in the northeastern Nigerian city of Yola, kills at least 32 people and wounds 80 others. (Reuters) November 2015 Paris attacks Two Air France flights bound for Paris from the United States are diverted for several hours on following anonymous bomb threats. (Reuters) Arts and culture American actor Charlie Sheen confirms he has HIV. (CBS) (BBC) Disasters and accidents A 6.5-magnitude earthquake strikes southwest of Ioannina in Greece, at a depth of 6.2 miles (10.0 km) killing at least two people. The quake damages the main road in the southwestern part of Lefkada. (RT) In the United States, the National Weather Service issues a blizzard warning for northeastern Colorado and western Kansas with an expected snowfall by midday of 12 inches in Denver, Colorado. Denver International Airport cancels 143 arriving and departing flighits. Several tornadoes occur overnight in northern Texas, western Kansas, and southern Nebraska. (Reuters), (USA Today) In the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, a windstorm with gusts as high as 119 miles per hour (192 km/h) kills 4 people and leaves more than 1 million without electricity; some rivers in Western Washington also experience moderate to severe flooding. Washington Governor Jay Inslee declares a state of emergency after the storm, requesting federal assistance with cleanup efforts. (The Weather Channel), (The Seattle Times) (KIRO-TV) 2015-16 Australian bushfire season Bushfires burning near Esperance on the coast of Western Australia may have killed four people. (ABC) International relations APEC Philippines 2015 The Human Rights Watch reports that the Philippine government is detaining street children and homeless people as part of preparations for an international summit. (The New York Times) Law and crime The Israeli government outlaws the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, declaring it "an illegal organization". The northern branch of the Islamic Movement is led by Raed Salah, who has been convicted in court of numerous activities, including funding Hamas, contacting an Iranian agent, assaulting a police officer, and leading a violent protest. (The Jerusalem Post) The Japanese government officially sues the governor of Okinawa, Takeshi Onaga, over his denial of permits to allow work to begin on the Relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. (Reuters) Politics and elections Refugees of the Syrian Civil War More than half of the state governors in the United States reject accepting asylum seekers from Syria after the attacks in Paris. All except one of them are Republicans. (CNN) Obama administration officials hold a conference call with 34 governors to assure them, "refugees would undergo the most rigorous screening and security vetting of any category of traveler to the United States." A spokesperson for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said that he has asked federal officials for "more robust data" and an "enhanced flow of information." (Reuters), (AP via ABC News) The president of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, marks the 26th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution by attending an anti-Islam rally in Prague with the "Bloc against Islam" group which supports the president. The rally is also attended by observers from the German protest movement, PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident) and Tommy Robinson, a prominent British anti-Islam activist. Zeman tells the crowd of several thousand that they aren't extremists for advocating closing the Republic’s borders to Muslim migrants. (AP via ABC News), (Breitbart) United States presidential election, 2016 The Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal ends his campaign for the Republican Party nomination. (The Guardian), (Fox News) Sports Cancellation of football matches Belgium's football association calls off today's friendly (non-competitive) football game with Spain due to concerns over security following the November 2015 Paris attacks. (AP) A friendly match between Germany and the The Netherlands is cancelled after a suspicious object is found in the Niedersachsenstadion in the German city of Hanover. (The Guardian) More November 2015 events...

Time: 20:14 UTC  |  Day: 23 November  |   << November 2015 >> S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30    More November 2015 events... About this page • Suggest a headline News about Wikipedia  Ongoing events Political Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger Iraqi Civil War Military intervention against ISIL Iranian-led American-led Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015) Lebanese anti-government protests Nagorno-Karabakh conflict 2015 Nepal fuel crisis PKK rebellion Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Second Libyan Civil War Sinai insurgency South China Sea disputes Syrian Civil War American-led intervention in Syria Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Sports 2015-16 UEFA Champions League 2015–16 La Liga season 2015–16 NBA season 2015–16 Premier League season Environmental Southeast Asian haze More details on ongoing conflicts below  Recent deaths November 22: Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury 22: Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid 22: Nola 22: Joseph Silverstein 22: Kim Young-sam 21: Peter Dimmock 21: Ameen Faheem 21: Bob Foster 21: Adele Horin 20: Naim Dangoor 20: Keith Michell 20: Jim Perry 20: Kitanoumi Toshimitsu 19: John E. Zuccotti 18: Abdelhamid Abaaoud 18: Dan Halldorson 18: Jonah Lomu 18: Jim Slater 18: Mal Whitfield 17: Ishtiaq Ahmed 17: Milton Crenchaw 16: Nando Gazzolo 16: Paul Laffoley 16: Bert Olmstead 15: Norm Ellenberger 15: George Genovese 15: Saeed Jaffrey 15: Guo Jie 15: Vincent Margera 15: Moira Orfei 15: Cynthia Payne 15: P. F. Sloan 14: Nick Bockwinkel 14: Warren Mitchell 13: Bruce Dayton 12: Márton Fülöp 12: Jihadi John (claimed) 12: Peter McLeavey 12: Aaron Shikler 11: Nathaniel Marston 11: "Philthy" Phil Taylor 10: Gene Amdahl 10: Robert Craft 10: Pat Eddery 10: André Glucksmann 10: Helmut Schmidt 10: Allen Toussaint 10: Laurent Vidal 9: Carol Doda 9: Ernst Fuchs 9: Tommy Hanson 9: Byron Krieger 9: Andy White 8: Rhea Chiles 8: Angad Paul 7: Gunnar Hansen 6: Yitzhak Navon 6: Ri Ul-sol 5: George Barris 5: Nora Brockstedt 5: Soma Edirisinghe 5: Hans Mommsen 4: Kostas Tsakonas 4: René Girard 4: Melissa Mathison 3: Ahmed Chalabi 3: Howard Coble 3: Peter Donaldson 3: Csaba Fenyvesi 3: Tom Graveney 2: Mike Davies 2: Hashim Abdul Halim 2: Kondavalasa Lakshmana Rao 2: Colin Welland 1: Brijmohan Lall Munjal 1: Günter Schabowski 1: Fred Thompson October 31: Ants Antson 31: Charles Herbert 31: Gus Savage 30: Mel Daniels 30: Zehra Deović 30: Al Molinaro 29: Luther Burden 29: Ernesto Herrera 28: Diane Charlemagne 27: Ranjit Roy Chaudhury 27: Philip French 27: Tshepo Ngwane 27: Gulam Noon 27: Rajendra Singh Rana 26: Ed Walker 25: Cao Ying 25: David Cesarani 25: Pijush Ganguly 25: Lisa Jardine 25: Flip Saunders 24: Ján Chryzostom Korec 24: Maureen O'Hara 24: Sandra Peterson 23: Murphy Anderson 23: Leon Bibb 23: Roger De Clerck 23: Thomas G. Stemberg 23: Paride Tumburus  Ongoing conflicts Africa Algeria, Tunisia and Niger Maghreb insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Katanga insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger Boko Haram insurgency Somalia Civil war South Sudan South Sudanese Civil War Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Americas Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Mexican War on Drugs Asia Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Moro conflict Moro conflict in Sabah Southeast Asia Internal conflict in Burma Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Europe Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency War in Ingushetia Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Egypt Sinai insurgency Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraqi civil war American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Syrian Civil War American-led intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemeni crisis Houthi rebellion Al-Qaeda insurgency South Yemen insurgency  Elections Recent October 25: Argentina, President, National Congress 25: Republic of the Congo, Referendum 25: Côte d'Ivoire, President 25: Guatemala, President (2nd round) 25: Haiti, President, National Assembly (2nd round) 25: Oman, Consultative Assembly 25: Poland, Parliament 25: Tanzania, President, National Assembly November 1: Azerbaijan, National Assembly 1: Turkey, Grand National Assembly 4: Belize, House of Representatives 8: Croatia, Parliament 8: Myanmar, Legislature 16: Marshall Islands, Legislature Ongoing 21–23: Egypt, Parliament (2nd phase) 22: Argentina, President (2nd phase) 22: Hong Kong, Local elections Upcoming December 3–5: Seychelles, President 6: Armenia, Constitutional referendum 6: Venezuela, Parliament  Trials Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan, Craig Thomson, Robert Hughes Brazil: Mensalão scandal Canada: Luka Magnotta China: Ji Jianye, Li Chuncheng, Jiang Jiemin, Liao Shaohua, Ni Fake, Chen Baihuai, Zhou Yongkang, Gu Junshan Croatia: Ivo Sanader Egypt: Hosni Mubarak, Peter Greste, Mohamed Morsi Germany: Bernie Ecclestone, Uli Hoeness, Christian Wulff Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi Israel: Hussam Qawasmeh Jordan: Abu Qatada Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Dan Diaconescu Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Eston Kohver, Vladimir Kvachkov South Africa: Shrien Dewani, Oscar Pistorius Turkey: Kenan Evren, Tahsin Şahinkaya United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Liam Adams, R v Grillo and Grillo, Ian Watkins, William Roache, Dave Lee Travis, Nicholas Jacobs, Nigel Evans, Max Clifford, Stuart Hall, Dappy, Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Rolf Harris, Tulisa Contostavlos, Chris Denning, Ray Teret, Gary Glitter, Fred Talbot United States: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Michael Grimm, Jesse Jackson Jr., Bob McDonnell, Vilma Bautista, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Jodi Arias, Anas al-Libi, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes International ECCC: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan ICC: Germain Katanga ICTY: Momčilo Perišić, Mladen Markač, Ante Gotovina, Zdravko Tolimir Ongoing China: Yao Mugen, Guo Youming, Zhu Zuoli Germany: Beate Zschäpe Iran: Babak Zanjani, Jason Rezaian Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Janet Lim-Napoles, Jovito Palparan, Joseph Scott Pemberton Romania: Darius Vâlcov, Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie, Cătălin Voicu, Relu Fenechiu, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: MV Sewol crew members International ICTY: Radovan Karadžić, Ratko Mladić PCA: China Upcoming China: Wu Changshun, Ling Jihua Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Spain: Lionel Messi United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Dylan Quick, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Rick Perry International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo

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