Portal:Current events/2015 November 30

November 30, 2015 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Paris attack aftermath
- French intelligence services are reportedly operating under the theory that Paris-attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam has escaped to Syria despite country-wide martial law in 3 different countries. (CNN)
American-led intervention in Iraq
- With the support of Combined Joint Task Force –
  ISIL. (The Military Times)

Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen

Clashes with
Jizan Region near the border with Yemen leave at least three Saudi border guards killed. (Reuters)

Responding to reports, the American Tribune Publishing Co. states it is not in talks to sell the company. (The Chicago Tribune)
Canadian BlackBerry Limited announces plans to shut down operations in Pakistan at year's end because it cannot comply with the Pakistani government's monitoring orders which would result in a massive invasion of user privacy. (CNET)
The
People's Republic of China. The basket also includes the U.S. dollar, the euro, the pound sterling, and the Japanese yen. (Reuters)

One person dies and at least 31 are injured when students and staff at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya, frantically try to escape after hearing nearby gunshots during an “approved safety and security simulation drill.” The Strathmore campus did not hear, before or during the test, that this was a drill. Tensions have been high at Kenyan schools since April when 139 were killed during a terrorist attack at Garissa University College. Many Kenyan universities have held security drills; six were hospitalized at the latest at Kenyatta University. (The Washington Post), (BBC)

Health and medicine

The capitals of the world’s two most populous nations, China and India, are blanketed in hazardous, choking smog. Beijing, on the second-highest pollution alert, is closing highways, halting or suspending construction while warning residents to stay indoors. The U.S. New Delhi embassy’s monitoring station recorded an air quality index of 372, putting air pollution levels into “hazardous” territory. No action by the New Delhi government. (The Hindustan Times)
A
World Aids Day. (AP via The Huffington Post), (Reuters)

Emirati martyrs who have given their life in the UAE and abroad in the field of civil, military and humanitarian service. (Gulf News)

South Korea's parliament approves a free trade pact with China after opposition lawmakers, concerned that deal that would hurt agriculture and fisheries, secured a $1.4 billion relief package for farmers. (AP via Fox News)
2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference
- Around 150 world leaders attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, aiming for a global deal on limiting greenhouse gas emissions. (CNN)
Pope Francis' 2015 visit to Africa
- sectarian violence. This visit is part of Francis's message of peace and reconciliation. As a result of the violence over the last two years, most of the capital Bangui's 100,000-plus Muslims have fled; now only 15,000 remain. (AP via The Bastrop Daily Enterprise)
- Muslims are brothers and sisters." (BBC)

Israel will open a diplomatic mission to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), the headquarters of which are located near the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. Israel will be the first Irena member to open such a mission; other member nations work Irena relations from their missions to the UAE, which Israel does not have. (The New York Times)
Arctic Joint Strategic Command (Russia)
- A
  Russian Airborne Troops spokesman says the VDV is planning to expand their military exercises into the North Pole area of the Arctic in 2016. (UPI)

The University of Chicago cancels classes for the day, and asks students, faculty, and non-essential staff to stay away from its main campus after being informed by the FBI of a threat of gun violence. (Reuters via The Jerusalem Post), (USA Today)
- One suspect, a student from the
  University of Illinois at Chicago is arrested. The University of Chicago announces classes remain canceled for the day. (The Chicago Tribune)

Russian undesirable organizations law
- Russia bans two George Soros-run foundations, including the Open Society Foundations, for posing a threat to "Russian national security". The Open Society Foundation and the Open Society Institute’s Assistance Foundation, both financed by business magnate Soros, are the latest additions to a list of “undesirable organizations”, a list the Russian government says is necessary to stop foreign governments from interfering in Russia’s internal affairs. (The Guardian)
Jury selection begins for the trial of William Porter, a
Freddie Gray. Porter is the first of six officers to be tried. (CNN)

Venezuelan parliamentary election, 2015

Venezuela announces it will suspend the sale of alcoholic beverages, fireworks and weapons before Sunday's parliamentary elections, starting Friday at 6 p.m. until next Monday at 6 p.m. Civilian permits for the possession and use of firearms and knives will also be suspended for the same period. (UPI)
Burkinabé general election, 2015
- Former
  prime minister Roch Marc Kaboré appears on course for a commanding victory in Burkina Faso's election, one large enough to eliminate the need for a run-off. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, with results from about 72 percent of the country counted, Kaboré has 54 percent of the vote with his closest challenger, former finance minister Zéphirin Diabré, getting 29 percent. (The Globe and Mail)

Saudi Arabia elections, 2015

For the first time in the country's history, Saudi Arabian women are allowed to vote and to stand for office in the December 12, 2015, elections. Candidacy filings opened yesterday. In two days, more than 900 women have signed up to run for various local government positions in the Arab nation. (UPI)

Science and technology

Researchers at
Q-carbon, that can be attained at room temperature. The result is a uniquely crystalline material, harder than a real diamond and likely boasting a variety of new properties, most unknown or unstudied. (UPI)