Portal:Current events/2023 November 17

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Israel–Hamas war
  • 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip
    • Israel calls on civilians to evacuate Khan Yunis in the south of Gaza and head to field hospitals, saying that Israeli troops will be carrying out a military operation in the area. (Reuters)
  • An Israeli airstrike kills Ahmad Bahar, a senior leader in Hamas who served as the vice president of the Palestinian Legislative Council. (Times of Israel)
  • Ten fuel trucks enter Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah Border Crossing, carrying 150,000 litres of diesel fuel. (Al-Ahram)
• Myanmar civil war
  • Operation 1027
    • The military recaptures the town of Pauktaw, Rakhine State, from the Arakan Army following heavy bombardment of the town. (Myanmar Now)
    • A Myanmar Air Force warplane bombs a school in Chin State, killing at least eight children. (BBC News)
  • Operation 1107
    • Karenni rebels overrun military forces sheltering inside the district courthouse in Loikaw, Kayah State, subsequently setting the building on fire as fighting continues in the city. (The Irrawaddy)

Business and economy

• 2022–2023 food crises
  • Russia begins its shipments of free grain to Africa as part of President Vladimir Putin's pledge to send 200,000 tonnes of grain to six African nations. (AFP via The Moscow Times)
• 2023 United Auto Workers strike
  • The United Auto Workers and General Motors ratify a contract to end the strike at General Motors plants across the United States. (ABC)
• The Al Dhafra solar farm, the largest solar farm in the world, comes online in the United Arab Emirates. The solar farm is expected to power around 200,000 homes. (Electrek)
• Sam Altman steps down as CEO of American artificial intelligence developer OpenAI following a vote from the company's board of directors demanding his resignation. In response, fellow co-founder Greg Brockman quits his role as president of OpenAI. Mira Murati takes over as interim CEO. (CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

• November 2023 Mindanao earthquake
  • A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits southern Mindanao, Philippines, killing at least seven people and leaving two others missing. (Bloomberg)

International relations

• APEC United States 2023
  • Japan–United States relations
    • Japan and the United States finalize a $2.35 billion deal for the latter to export 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles to the former. (AFP via France 24)
  • Philippines–United States relations
    • The Philippines and the United States sign a deal for the latter to export nuclear technology and materials to the former. (Reuters)
• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • The International Court of Justice orders Azerbaijan to facilitate the "safe, unimpeded, and expeditious" return of displaced people to Nagorno-Karabakh, following the country's offensive, and to ensure freedom of movement for those wishing to leave or remain in the region. (AFP via RFI)
• Rohingya genocide case
  • Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom formally join the genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Myanmar, accusing Myanmar's military junta of committing genocide against the Rohingya people. (Al Jazeera)
• The ECOWAS Court rules that Senegal has not violated the rights of opposition figure Ousmane Sonko. (AFP via The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• 2023 Liberian general election
  • Liberian President George Weah concedes defeat to former Vice President Joseph Boakai. (Reuters)

Science and technology

• Twitter under Elon Musk
  • Apple, IBM, Paramount Global and other multinational companies suspend their advertising on X (formerly Twitter) in response to X chairman Elon Musk's endorsement of the white genocide conspiracy theory. (Axios) (The New York Times)
  • The European Commission suspends all paid advertising on X, citing the risk of "reputational damage" to the EU, and "widespread concerns relating to the spread of disinformation" on the platform. (Politico)

Sports

• 2023–24 Premier League
  • Everton Football Club receives a 10-point deduction this season for breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, having made losses of £124.5 million (around US$155 million) in the three years up to 2021–22, with the limit being £105 million ($131 million). It is the largest points deduction in the league's history. (AP)