Portal:Current events/2017 August 18

August 18, 2017 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Aftermath of the 2017 Barcelona attacks
- Catalan police in the coastal town of Cambrils kill five suspected terrorists in a counter-terror operation to stop a second van attack. The police reported the attackers were wearing explosive vests, however they were later discovered to be fakes. (BBC)
2017 Turku stabbing
- At least two people are reportedly killed, and several others wounded in a stabbing in Turku, Finland. Police said they arrested one person after a shootout and had launched a manhunt for other possible attackers. (Reuters) (HS)

Arts and culture

Removal of monuments and memorials
- The 145-year-old Roger B. Taney Monument outside Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland, is removed overnight by authorities. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan called on Wednesday for the monument to be taken down immediately. (Reuters)
Repatriation of cultural heritage
- Two Joseon Dynasty-era royal seals which were repatriated last July from the U.S. after being illegally taken out by an American soldier during the Korean War, are on exhibit at the National Palace Museum of Korea. (The Korea Times)

Business and economy

McDonald's
- Workers at two British McDonald's restaurants overwhelmingly vote to authorize a strike over working conditions and the use of zero-hour contracts, which would be the first such labor action against the fast-food chain in the U.K. (The Guardian) (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

August 2017 Nepal and India floods
- Flooding in South Asia has displaced tens of thousands of people and resulted in an estimated 500 deaths across India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Political appointments by Donald Trump
- Steve Bannon resigns as President Donald Trump's White House Chief Strategist. (ABC News) (The New York Times)
- Carl Icahn steps down as special advisor to the President. (CNN)
- All 17 members of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, including actor Kal Penn and artist Chuck Close, resign. (AP via Miami Herald) (India-West) (UPI)
2017 Venezuelan constitutional crisis
- The controversial National Constituent Assembly votes unanimously to assume the powers of the opposition-led National Assembly of Venezuela. (BBC)

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