Portal:Current events/2018 February 15
February 15, 2018 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan
- The United Nations report that in 2017, more than 10,000 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the war. (Deutsche Welle)
- Syrian Civil War
- An arms depot explosion in Tabiyet Jazira, Deir ez-Zor, kills at least 23 people, including over a dozen Russian contractors, allegedly belonging to the Wagner Group, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). (The Guardian)
Law and crime
- The United Kingdom government and the United States White House accuse Russia of being responsible for the launch of the NonPetya 2017 cyberattacks on Ukraine. The White House says Russia will be met with unspecified "international consequences". Russia denies responsibility and dismisses the accusation as "baseless" and "Russophobic". (Washington Examiner)
Politics and elections
- Mexican general election, 2018
- María de Jesús Patricio Martínez "Marichuy", the National Indigenous Congress's independent pre-candidate for President of Mexico, is involved in a road accident while campaigning in Baja California Sur. Marichuy is reported as injured while a passenger of the vehicle is dead. (Reuters)
- Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence
- Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov says that GERB, his party, will not ratify the convention due to lack of support from political parties. The treaty was designed by the Council of Europe to combat domestic violence and violence against women but critics say its language is vague, it could encourage youth to identify as transgender or third gender and it could lead to same-sex marriage in Bulgaria. (Reuters)
- Hailemariam Desalegn resigns as Prime Minister of Ethiopia after six years in office amid ongoing unrest in the Oromia and Amhara regions. (BBC)