Portal:Current events/2023 August 17

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • The U.S. approves the transfer of F-16 Fighting Falcons to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands after training for Ukrainian Air Force pilots is completed. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• 2020–2023 Chinese property sector crisis
  • Chinese property developer Evergrande Group files for chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in the United States as it works on a multi-billion dollar deal with creditors to restructure its debts. (BBC News)
• In the Yellow Corporation bankruptcy proceeding, the court names financing lenders. Hedge funds Citadel and MFN Partners will together provide $142.5 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing, which will give Yellow’s estate the funds necessary to liquidate assets. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2023 central Colombia earthquakes
  • Two people are killed by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake near Cumaral, Meta Department, Colombia. (Infobae)
• 2023 Pacific hurricane season
  • Tropical Storm Hilary strengthens into a hurricane off the coast of Mexico. (The Guardian)
• Elmina plane crash
  • In Malaysia, a Beechcraft 390 travelling from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur crashes into the Guthrie Highway in Elmina, Selangor, killing all eight people on board as well as two people on the ground. (BBC News)
• Wildfires in 2023
  • 2023 Canadian wildfires
    • The city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, begins a complete evacuation amid the spread of nearby wildfires. (CBC News)
    • Wildfires near Kelowna, British Columbia, cause the mandatory evacuation of over 2,400 properties and result in multiple structural losses. (Kelowna Now)
  • 2023 Hawaii wildfires
    • In the United States, Herman Andaya resigns as Maui's top emergency official amidst reproval for not activating the emergency sirens during the wildfires. (NBC News)
  • More than 4,500 people in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, evacuate due to a wildfire burning over 2,600 hectares of the Teide National Park. (Reuters via CNA)

Health and environment

• The World Health Organization opens its first summit on traditional medicine in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. (AFP via The Japan Times)

International relations

• Germany–Israel relations
  • Israel receives permission from the United States to sell its Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany, according to the Israeli Defence Ministry. (FAZ)
• Iran–Saudi Arabia relations
  • Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visits Saudi Arabia for the first time since the restoration of diplomatic relations. (AFP via France 24)

Law and crime

• 2023 Quran burnings in Sweden
  • The Swedish Security Service raises the country's terror alert level from "elevated" to "high", citing increased threats in response to the series of Quran burnings in the country. (AFP via The Times of India)
• Corruption in Slovakia
  • The former and current heads of Slovakia’s spy agency and five other police and intelligence officers are being investigated for abuse of power and criminal conspiracy in two separate cases. (AP)
• A Canadian woman is sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison in Washington for mailing a threatening letter containing ricin to then-President Donald Trump at the White House. (AP)

Politics and elections

• Opposition parties in Vanuatu boycott the parliament after a failed no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau. (Reuters)