Portal:Current events/2018 April 17

April 17, 2018 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War
  - U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration are considering replacing the U.S. military forces in Syria with a regional Arab force. (Haaretz)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Memorial Day
  - Israel holds services remembering 23,646 Israeli soldiers and 3,134 civilians killed in the conflict. (The Times of Israel)
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at a Foreign Ministry ceremony commemorating the nation's sixteen diplomats killed in service, states security services are prepared to foil possible attacks on diplomats by Iran. (The Jerusalem Post)
- 2018 Gaza border protests
  - Egypt invites rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas to meet in Cairo in a bid to halt violent protests at the Israeli-Gazan border. (i24 News)
The names of 3,607 employees of Unit 731, a Japanese military medical experimentation unit associated with war crimes during World War II, are released. Prosecutors in the United States had kept their identities secret following the war in exchange for access to data gleaned from the project. (Newsweek)
Terrorism in Spain
- Eight people go on trial in Navarra, Spain, accused of terrorism after an alleged attack on two Civil Guards in a controversial case with the prosecution seeking a total 375 years imprisonment for the defendants. The defence claims the incident was nothing more than a bar brawl and Amnesty International describes the charges as "inappropriate". (The Local)
A grenade explodes in Moyale, Ethiopia, killing three people and injuring dozens. (Africa News)
Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)
- Iraq sentences seven foreign women for links to Islamic State. Three Azerbaijanis and one Kergyz receive death sentences while two Russians and a French women receive life sentences. (Iraqi News)

Disasters and accidents

Shipwrecks in 2018
- Disasters in Indonesia
  - Oil exploration ship MV Ocean Geos catches fire after an explosion on board off Kuala Baram, Indonesia. Of the crew, 37 are evacuated including two injured and one more remains missing. Four firefighting tugs are in attendance. (The New Straits Times) (Offshore Support Journal Online)
- Tanker ships MT Crystal Sunrise and MT Astro Saturn collide off Singapore, causing damage to both vessels and a butane leak. (Channel NewsAsia)
Southwest Airlines Flight 1380
- A passenger jet suffers an uncontained engine failure during a flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Dallas Love Field in Dallas, Texas. One passenger is killed. The aircraft diverts to Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (BBC)
Disasters in Indonesia
- A bridge linking Babat, Lamongan, and Widang, Tuban, in East Java, Indonesia, collapses. Several vehicles fall into the Bengawan Solo River, killing at least two truckers. (The Sunday Times)

Health and environment

The European Commission rules Poland's logging operations in the Białowieża Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are a violation of international law. (The Independent)

International relations

2018 inter-Korean summit, North Korea–South Korea relations
- North Korea and South Korea announce that they are planning to officially end the Korean War by writing a peace agreement. An armistice agreement was reached, ending armed conflict, in 1953. U.S. President Donald Trump called the decision to end the war a blessing. (Business Insider), (CBN)
2018 North Korea–United States summit, North Korea–United States relations
- United States officials state that Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Mike Pompeo met with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. (WBIR-TV)

Law and crime

Terrorism in Europe
- The European Commission announces plans to force tech companies worldwide that provide services within the European Union to supply data on their users in counterterror investigations. (The Guardian)
2018 Berlin anti-semitic attack
- Two Israeli men wearing kippahs are attacked in Berlin, Germany. (BBC)
8,500 prisoners are granted amnesty in Myanmar by President Win Myint. (Voice of America)
Officials announce the arrests in Iraq of two men suspected of plotting terror attacks for Islamic State in Australia. (ABC)

Politics and elections

Politics of Armenia
- Amid anti-government protests, Armenia's National Assembly swears in former President Serzh Sargsyan as Prime Minister. The opposition call the move a "power grab". (BBC)
Former U.S. First Lady Barbara Bush dies at age 92. (Reuters)

Science and technology

In Los Angeles, SpaceX announced that they will build a massive rocket named BFR capable of sending humans to Mars. (PC Magazine)
New research suggests the Almahata Sitta meteorites are evidence of a lost additional planet in the Solar System. (Science)
The lesser long-nosed bat, once on the brink of extinction, is removed from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered mammals and birds. It is the first U.S. bat species to officially recover from the imminent threat of extinction. (National Geographic)

Sports

2018 Stanley Cup playoffs
- In ice hockey, the Las Vegas Golden Knights became the first NHL franchise to complete a 4-game sweep in the postseason during their inaugural season after their victory over the Los Angeles Kings. (ESPN)