Portal:Current events/2017 July 19

Current events of July 19, 2017 (2017-07-19) (Wednesday)

Arts and culture

• Singer Barbara Weldens, whose recently released first album had won several awards, collapses and dies on stage while singing in Festival Léo Ferré in Gourdon in southwestern France. The 35-year-old singer and poet apparently was electrocuted. (BBC) (The Quebec Times)

Disasters and accidents

• 2017 California wildfires
  • Thousands of residents are evacuated from Mariposa and several other communities in Mariposa County, California, following the rapid spread of the Detwiler Fire near Yosemite National Park. (Reuters)

International relations

• 2017 Doklam crisis
  • Amid a stalemate between India and China over Doklam, disputed between the latter and Bhutan, China renews a call for India to withdraw its troops from Doklam. It follows reports claiming China held live firing drills in the region. (Arab News)
• Comfort women
  • South Korea plans to establish a national memorial day (set to be celebrated on every 14 August) to remember and honor the country's comfort women victims. (The Korea Times)

Law and crime

• Shooting of Justine Damond
  • Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull expresses shock and demands answers after an Australian woman, who called 9-1-1 for help because of a suspected assault near her home, was shot and killed on Saturday by a U.S. police officer who had responded in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (ABC News)

Politics and elections

• Pierre de Villiers resigns as the Chief of the Defence Staff of the French Armed Forces due to disagreements with President Emmanuel Macron over proposed budget cuts. (The Independent)
• U.S. Senator John McCain is diagnosed with a malignant brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme. This is his second battle with cancer, after having been successfully treated for malignant melanoma. (NBC News)
• Political appointments by Donald Trump
  • U.S. President Donald Trump nominates Mark Esper as Secretary of the Army. (Voice of America)

Science and technology

• Vietnam pledges on ending the trafficking and farming of bears. (National Geographic)

Sports

• Rugby union
  • In the wake of reports by various media outlets, including the BBC, that the Pro12 competition would expand beyond its Celtic–Italian base to include two South African teams, league organiser Celtic Rugby Limited confirms that "advanced & positive discussions" are ongoing with the South African Rugby Union to add the Cheetahs and Southern Kings to the competition from the coming season. (BBC) (Celtic Rugby)