Portal:Current events/2023 December 17

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israel–Hamas war
  • International reactions to the Israel–Hamas war
    • Pope Francis accuses the IDF of committing war crimes, in response to Israeli snipers killing two Palestinian Christians and injuring seven others who were taking refuge in the Holy Family Church in Gaza City yesterday. (Reuters)
    • The French Foreign Ministry condemns Israel's the bombing of Rafah four days earlier for killing one of its staff members, and demands an "immediate and durable" ceasefire. (Al Jazeera)
  • Jabalia airstrikes
    • Israeli Air Force airstrikes in Jabalia kill at least 90 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. (CBC)
• Mexican drug war
  • Salvatierra massacre
    • In Mexico, twelve people are killed during a mass shooting at a Christmas season party in Salvatierra, Guanajuato. Three others are killed and four injured at a bar in Tulum, Quintana Roo, while four people are killed in Salamanca, Guanajuato. (AP)
• War in Sudan
  • Battle of Wad Madani
    • The Sudanese Armed Forces says that it has repelled a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) assault on Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira State. The RSF reportedly withdraws following heavy resistance. (Sudan Tribune)
• Syrian civil war
  • Military shelling in Aleppo Governorate kills six civilians in Darat Izza and two in Abzimou. (Middle East Eye)

Business and economy

• The Civil Aviation Authority approves SaxaVord Spaceport on the Scottish island of Unst as the United Kingdom's first spaceport for vertical rocket launches. The first launches are expected to take place in 2024. (BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

• Nine workers are killed and three others are injured by an explosion at a factory in Nagpur district, Maharashtra, India. (AA)

Politics and elections

• 2023 Serbian parliamentary election
  • Serbians elect members of the National Assembly. (Reuters)
  • President Aleksandar Vučić declares victory for his Serbian Progressive Party, claiming a majority with 127 seats, while opposition leader Radomir Lazović of the Green–Left Front raises concerns of electoral irregularities including vote buying and falsification. (AFP via news.com.au)
• 2023 Chadian constitutional referendum
  • Chadians vote in a referendum on a new constitution. (AFP via Arab News)
• 2023 Chilean constitutional referendum
  • By a margin of 56% to 44%, Chileans vote to reject the proposed new constitution drafted by the Constitutional Council. (AP)