Portal:Current events/2024 July 15

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Kivu conflict
  • M23 offensive
    • Fighting between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), pro-government militia, and M23 rebels is reported in the Bashali Chiefdom, Bahunde Chiefdom, and the surroundings of Bweremana following simultaneous attacks on the positions of the FARDC and allies by the M23. (Radio Okapi)
    • Four civilians are killed and five others are injured in a bombardment on Bweremana. Local police accuse the M23 of being responsible. (Al Jazeera)
• Israel–Hamas war
  • Siege of Gaza City
    • At least 12 Palestinians are killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City and Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip. (Anandolu Ajansi)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Ukraine–NATO relations
    • NATO establishes a new command centre in Wiesbaden, Germany, to plan and coordinate support for the Ukrainian military as part of the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine. (Euronews)
• 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement
  • Over 100 people are injured in violent clashes in Dhaka, Bangladesh, between supporters of the ruling Awami League party and opposition demonstrators protesting government job quotas which benefit pro-government families. (Al Jazeera)
• 2024 Muscat mosque shooting
  • Six people are killed and 30+ others are injured in a mass shooting at a Shia mosque in Muscat, Oman. The three attackers are killed by security forces in the ensuing shootout. (Al Arabiya)
• Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Eight soldiers are killed during a suicide bombing at a military base in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Ten Pakistani Taliban gunmen are also killed in an ensuing shootout. (Al Jazeera)
• Israel–Hezbollah conflict
  • An Israeli airstrike on Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, kills three civilians and injures three others. Israel's military says that its fighter jets struck a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the area. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2024 Afghanistan–Pakistan floods
  • At least 47 people are killed and 350 others are injured by severe storms in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. (Dhaka Tribune)
• At least one person is killed and over 400,000 people without power as a derecho impacts the Midwestern United States, with downburst winds exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h) and multiple tornadoes being reported near Chicago. (Fox Weather)

International relations

• Belarus–Latvia relations
  • Latvia issues a ban on Belarus-registered passenger vehicles entering Latvian territory from Belarus or Russia. (Reuters)
• Hungary–European Union relations, 2024 visits by Viktor Orbán to Russia and China
  • The European Commission announces that top European Union officials including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will boycott informal meetings hosted by Hungary during its rotating EU Presidency, in response to rogue meetings made by Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán to Russia and China regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (AP)

Law and crime

• Clifton Suspension Bridge human remains discovery
  • Colombian Yostin Andres Mosquera is charged with the murders of two gay men and remanded in custody by Wimbledon Magistrates Court in London, United Kingdom. (The Guardian)
• Disappearance of Jay Slater
  • A body believed to be missing 19-year-old Jay Slater from Lancashire, United Kingdom, is found near where he was reported missing in Tenerife, Spain, after a 28-day search. (BBC News)
• Federal prosecution of Donald Trump
  • Former United States president Donald Trump's criminal prosecution over his alleged mishandling of classified documents is dismissed by District Judge Aileen Cannon, who states that Special Counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed and lacked the authority to bring the case to court. (Reuters)
• Female genital mutilation in the Gambia
  • The National Assembly of the Gambia upholds a ban on female genital mutilation, which has been criminalized since 2015. Some conservative and religious groups had sought to overturn the ban through controversial legislation. (AFP)
• The prime suspect arrested over the discovery of nine mutilated female bodies in a rubbish dump in the Mukuru slums of Nairobi, Kenya, confesses to killing 42 women. Another man is also arrested. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

• 2024 United States presidential election
  • 2024 Republican National Convention, 2024 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection, Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign
    • Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump selects Ohio senator J. D. Vance as his vice-presidential running mate. (The Hill) (The New York Times)
• 2024 Rwandan general election
  • Rwandans vote to elect their president between incumbent Paul Kagame and two other candidates, as well as elect 80 members of the Chamber of Deputies. (Reuters)
  • Incumbent President Paul Kagame is re-elected to a fourth term with 99% of the votes, and the RPF Coalition wins 69% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies. (AP) (VOA)
• 2024 Syrian parliamentary election
  • Syrians vote to elect the 250 members of the parliament. (AP)
  • The ruling Ba'ath Party and its allies win 185 of the 250 seats, while opposition groups call the results "absurd" and Germany reject the election results. (AP) (Enab Baladi)
• Arrest of Imran Khan, 2023 Pakistani protests
  • Pakistan moves forward a case to ban former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party due to alleged use of illegal foreign funds and party supporter protests at military installations, and also pushes charges of treason for Khan and former president Arif Alvi. (Reuters)
• Fatah–Hamas reconciliation process
  • Several Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, schedule reconciliatory meetings in China in an attempt to end their ongoing political disputes. (Reuters)
• Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas resigns in order to assume her new role as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European External Action Service. (Politico)

Science and technology

• Mare Tranquillitatis pit
  • In the journal Nature Astronomy, American and Italian scientists announce the discovery of a lunar cave, approximately 250 miles (400 km) from the landing site of Apollo 11. (AP) (Nature Astronomy)

Sports

• 2024 Copa América
  • In association football, defending champions Argentina defeat Colombia 1–0 after extra time in the final match to win a record 16th Copa América title, with Lautaro Martínez scoring the winning goal in the 112th minute. Kick-off was delayed by 82 minutes due to fans breaching the security gates at Hard Rock Stadium, the match's venue, in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. (AP) (The New York Times)
• 2024 Paris Olympics
  • The Olympic torch arrives in Paris, France, ten days before the start of this year's Summer Olympics. (CBS)